The skeletal dragon let out a thunderous roar as it emerged onto the Skull Knight's field. Its vicious howls echoed through the night, as though it reveled in being summoned once more.
Underworld Dragon – Necrodeath, Level 8, DARK, Dragon-Type, ATK 3000.
So it was that monster.
Hikaru Amagi narrowed his eyes, memories of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's surfacing. There'd been no such creature in the original anime—sure, the Signers each wielded a powerful Synchro Dragon, but they were never formally categorized.
That changed in the manga.
Duel Dragons.
Stardust, Red Dragon Archfiend, Black Rose, and others—Level 7 and 8 Dragon monsters—were collectively labeled Duel Dragons. In the anime, they came in a rainbow of Attributes. In the manga, they were streamlined to LIGHT or DARK.
The reason was simple: in the manga, the Crimson Dragon—originally the godlike protector of time and space—was evil. So the dragons tied to it had their natures rewritten. What had been a force of balance became the embodiment of darkness.
A classic Yu-Gi-Oh shift: light versus dark, order versus chaos.
So… if this world had Duel Dragons and an evil Crimson Dragon, what did that mean?
Was the central conflict between heroic and corrupted Red Dragons?
And what about Z-ONE?
The original final boss. The so-called savior. The last man on Earth?
"Battle! Necrodeath attacks Thunderstorm Fusion Dragon—Soul Rend Fang!"
Skull Knight pointed straight ahead. The death dragon lunged, jaws cracking down onto Thunderstorm Dragon's body.
Hikaru LP: 4000 → 3600
"Monsters defeated by Necrodeath have their souls consumed," Skull Knight intoned. "Their empty husks remain behind… puppets of the abyss."
As he spoke, a shadowy silhouette formed on Hikaru's field.
A darker, more sinister version of Thunderstorm Fusion Dragon emerged. Its eyes glowed red, its aura crackling with violent static.
Thunderstorm Fusion Dragon – Shadow Soul, Level 8, DARK, Thunder-Type, ATK 2600
Original Thunderstorm Dragon ATK: 2600 → 0
Dramatic explanation aside, the effect was clear: Necrodeath couldn't destroy monsters by battle, but after damage, it reduced their ATK to zero and summoned a token copy with the same stats.
But here, in reality—the "consumed soul" effect was real. Duel Spirits felt it.
Good thing the real Thunderstorm Dragon had stayed napping in the lab. If it had been out during this, it might've had a panic attack or straight-up started crying.
"Battle continues! Shadow Soul Dragon—attack the original Thunderstorm Dragon!"
The dark twin beat its wings and unleashed a bolt of shadow lightning. It struck the original like a divine punishment. Black sparks exploded across Hikaru's field.
Hikaru LP: 3600 → 1000
"You alright, Hikaru?" Tiara dropped to one knee beside him.
"I'm fine…" Hikaru waved her off.
His arms trembled. He looked unsteady.
"What's wrong, human?" Skull Knight sneered. "Is that all you've got? Or has death's breath already broken you? If this had been a Turbo Duel, you'd have lost the moment your D-Wheel stopped."
"Broken?" Hikaru grinned through clenched teeth as he stood back up. "No—I'm just excited."
Necro Fusion. Necrodeath. These were amazing Fusion cards.
Especially Necro Fusion—the manga version. His own copy, Ghoul Fusion, had that annoying LP condition—you had to have less LP than your opponent to fuse using Deck monsters. But Skull Knight's version? No restrictions. Flat-out superior.
Seeing it in action lit a fire in him.
Ever since dueling the vampire heiress, he'd picked up two Vampire cards—but no Fusion monster to use with them. They'd been sitting untouched in his dorm so Super Polymerization wouldn't fuse them prematurely.
Too bad. The Duel Dragons only listened to their true masters. Skull Knight wasn't a Duel Spirit.
Still… the rush of seeing these cards in action had Hikaru's whole body shaking.
Skull Knight studied his expression, falling silent for a beat.
Interesting...
Rex, it seems the "Fusion Duelist" you admired really is something special.
"I set one card. Turn end!"
"Then it's my turn!"
Hikaru drew with a sharp flick of the wrist.
"A dragon that fuses with souls of the dead? Then let me show you what my Graveyard can do."
"I activate Thunder Dragon Fusion in the Graveyard! Since it wasn't sent there this turn, I can banish it to add one Thunder-Type monster from my Deck to hand. I add Thunder Dragon to hand."
Skull Knight stared with hollow sockets at Hikaru's Graveyard.
"Next—I discard Fusion Substitute to activate Fusion Recycling Plant! From my Deck, I add a Polymerization Spell to my hand."
"And now, I activate Fusion Substitute's effect in the Graveyard. I banish it, return one Fusion Monster from my Graveyard to my Extra Deck, and draw a card!"
As Hikaru's combo spiraled out, Skull Knight let out a rattling laugh, bones cracking like a xylophone from hell.
"Hah… so the Thunderstorm Dragon's materials… and the Dragon itself… return from death? Made whole again?"
"Yes! This is—Thunder Dragon Rebirth!" Hikaru declared with dramatic flair.
"Even so, its ATK is still only 2600! It can't stand against my Necrodeath!" Skull Knight roared. "Your rebirth is worthless before the souls of the dead!"
"…That's what you think." Hikaru's grin widened as he glanced at his hand. "Fusion's only just getting started."