Yu-Gi-Oh: Fusion Is the Noblest Summoning Method!

"How's it looking?"

In a ruined village, Jim adjusted his hat and shouted.

"All set!"

"Good!"

Jim replied loudly.

After a few days, he and Axel had gotten along well with Jaden. Though Axel still kept his aloof demeanor, Jim and Jaden now talked about everything and had quickly become friends. Of course, a large part of that came from surviving mortal danger together,times like those revealed a person's true character and made it easier to open up.

During this period, Jaden rescued both spirits and humans without discrimination, which earned Jim's admiration and softened the grudge he'd held over Jaden lying to him.

And once they arrived at this outpost, they learned that Jaden hadn't simply heard rumors of missing people nearby, but had specifically gone looking for those who left deliberately. That further boosted their opinion of him.

It's said that true friendship is revealed in hardship,and Jim had come to appreciate several students from the main campus.

As for now...

Looking toward the sky, they could see an enormous demon army gathering overhead.

No doubt, they were headed straight for the camp.

They weren't afraid of a Duel; even so, if the demons launched a direct assault, some areas of the camp might fall through the cracks. Thankfully, support from KaibaCorp and the Lightsworn was already on the way. They had contacted KaibaCorp beforehand, and as long as they evacuated swiftly before either side moved, they'd be safe.

It was a necessary risk. Staying too long here would only lead to dwindling supplies.

Now, they had to take advantage of the standoff between the two demon factions to escape.

Syrus would provide the vehicle, Jaden would lead the front, Jim would cover the rear, with Tyranno and Axel guarding the flanks, and that guy Dennis assisting in combat.

With Jim and Axel joining, things had become much easier for Jaden's group. The students no longer bore as much pressure.

Once this group reached KaibaCorp, they could break off to handle scattered areas solo,much safer and more efficient.

"Why are we bringing that thing!? Leave it behind!"

"You bastard! What the hell are you saying!?"

Jim was mid-thought when an argument broke out at the vehicle summoned by Syrus.

"What now!" Jim rushed over to break it up.

Jaden and the others were still prepping,they couldn't afford any problems now.

"Why do we have to bring it!?" a yellow-uniformed student from the Western Branch pointed at a nearby wolf spirit and shouted. "Why are we saving space for that thing!?"

The wolf lowered its head, covering its eyes with its paws, visibly trembling in fear.

Tyranno immediately grabbed the student by the collar and roared, "You bastard! What are you spouting!? That spirit was a victim! Big bro risked his life to save it!"

Jaden had been rescuing not only students but any spirits attacked on the road. In his eyes, there were no races,only victims needing protection.

He had nearly gotten hurt saving that spirit. To Tyranno, the student's words were utter nonsense.

"Then don't save it! It's just a beast! What if he gets hurt because of it!?"

Tyranno trembled in rage. The little spirit sobbed harder, covering its eyes.

Jim, initially trying to mediate, fell silent. He walked slowly up to the student and threw a hard punch.

BAM!

"Agh!"

The student was knocked to the ground, staring at Jim in shock.

"Jim?" Tyranno turned to Jim, equally stunned.

"Hey, kid," Jim rubbed his fist, "Don't forget who saved your life,it was Jaden! What are you even saying!?"

Furious, he snapped, "Jaden worked his butt off to rescue all of you. He's still fighting to protect you, and now you say this? Don't forget,even Jaden needs spirits to protect people in Duels!

Spirits are our partners,our family! How dare you say that!?"

Jim always carried a crocodile on his back,his friend and his family. So hearing that student talk like this, he couldn't hold back his anger.

Also, this wasn't the time to break the spirits' hearts.

He gently picked up the wolf spirit, feeling a touch of sadness.

Plenty of humanoid spirits were on board, but because this one looked different, it faced discrimination.

Were people like that even worth saving?

After some effort, all people and spirits boarded the vehicle. Jaden sat in front and called out to Syrus, who activated his Deck and got the convoy moving.

This was where Syrus' unique Deck really shined. While others needed to summon dragons or demons to help transport, his massive truck carried everyone,and didn't even need fuel. As long as he had enough energy to power the card, it worked.

The machine revved up and roared down the path. To avoid getting caught in crossfire, Syrus pushed to full speed from the start, hoping to escape fast.

However, just as they left the camp,

For reasons unknown, both demon factions suddenly flared their wings and charged toward them from all directions.

"What the hell!? Didn't KaibaCorp say their war was still days away!?" Syrus paled.

KaibaCorp had learned from the Lightsworn that the two Dark World factions weren't ready to fight yet. That's why they chose to escape now.

But why?

There was no time to ask. They had one option:

Speed up. Speed up. SPEED UP!

As screams filled the cabin, Syrus took a deep breath and pushed his body and cards to their limit.

A demon broke through the line and reached the vehicle. Jaden drew a card,Elemental HERO Neos appeared behind him and punched the demon away.

But more and more demons followed!

Just as Jaden prepared to fight, another faction of demons swooped in from the side, piercing the others with steel forks and blades, shouting, "Long live the Supreme King!" and engaging them.

"Syrus!?"

"Got it, big bro!" Syrus bit his lip, in pain but determined, replying without a tremor.

For some reason, the demons had started a civil war early.

Still, their goal hadn't changed:

Escape Dark World before the war broke out.

But!

As they pushed forward, they realized the attacking demons ignored the others entirely, focusing only on blocking their path,as if stopping them was worth dying for.

Meanwhile, the other faction risked death to clear a path for them.

"What... what is going on..." Jaden stood at the front of the vehicle, baffled by the sight, muttering to himself.

Earlier, Hikaru had told him they would meet once Jaden rescued the scattered survivors,and that Jaden should hold on.

Though seeing how dangerous things were on his end, Jaden doubted Hikaru was in a much better situation. He didn't want Hikaru to suffer.

So, when the opportunity arose, he and his companions acted to flee.

Albeit now…

It seemed... they were wrong.

It really might be, as they had speculated.

That the demons' true goal from the start wasn't to ambush or abduct all the students.

But to target a specific person.