Seeing The Shining absorbed by Thousand-Eyes Restrict, Captain Gold wasn't surprised. In fact, he looked like he was completely used to it.
"Then, I Set one card and end my turn."
"During the End Phase, the Thousand-Eyes Restrict summoned by Ready Fusion is destroyed," Captain Gold said coldly.
"Shatter, false evil god."
Boom!
Thousand-Eyes Restrict shattered. Hikaru didn't mind, after all, it was just a temporary field solution drawn by luck, and having fewer monsters left on his field was actually more advantageous.
"Now, The Shining's effect activates." Captain Gold raised a finger, a massive orb of light forming above him. "When sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add up to two of my banished 'Elemental HERO' monsters to my hand.
I add Stratos and myself back to my hand."
"Wow, with that, he can Fusion Summon again next turn!" Jaden exclaimed as he watched the Duel Disk update. "And Stratos can be summoned again next turn to search for another HERO!"
"Jaden, looks like we'll need to find a way to destroy the Field Spell."
"Yeah!"
Hikaru understood The Shining well, though, seeing Captain Gold deliberately "showing off" to Jaden, he decided not to interrupt.
"Hehe, finally my turn." Golden Eyes Idol wiped the sweat from its forehead, drew a card, and chuckled twice.
Normally, in tag duels, the fourth player often suffered, either because the damage was too high early on or because they just watched others play while doing nothing.
Although he hadn't even played a move yet, Golden Eyes Idol already felt a bit of that frustration.
Then, suddenly...
"Heh, I summon myself, Golden Eyes Idol!"
"Ooooh!" Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, standing opposite, cheered excitedly.
[Golden Eyes Idol] Level 1│DARK│Spellcaster│0 ATK
Seeing his excitement, Golden Eyes Idol awkwardly rubbed his arm. "I activate my effect!
Once per turn, during either player's turn, reveal your entire hand!"
"Ehhh, so dirty!" Jaden cried out.
Hikaru, as if expecting this, calmly revealed his two remaining cards in hand. "Since this is a tag duel, Jaden counts as the backup duelist, you can only view my hand."
"Heh, whatever. Once it's his turn, I'll see it too~ hehe." Golden Eyes Idol laughed gleefully.
"Let's see... Miracle Fusion and Fusion Substitute?" Golden Eyes Idol blinked in confusion. "All Fusion cards?"
Other than Ancient Gear Knight, everything was Fusion-related.
'So this was the 'pursuer of Fusion' that His Majesty spoke of?' Golden Eyes Idol rubbed its round head.
Before crossing the portal created by that terrifying alchemist, Eldlich had given them instructions:
First, never provoke that alchemist, he was a supreme figure, far beyond even Eldlich himself.
Second, their mission was to challenge two of the alchemist's students. Regardless of the outcome, they would not be punished and, fight boldly.
Third, if, during the duel, they felt inspired by the students' spirit, they were allowed to follow them.
These two had been handpicked by Eldlich.
'No wonder His Majesty told me to watch Hikaru carefully. Renaming cards, multi-layered Fusion, truly impressive.'
Still, everything depended on what happened next.
"My effect continues. Until the End Phase, my name becomes Thousand-Eyes Idol." Golden Eyes Idol pointed at its own phantom as a transparent Thousand-Eyes Idol enveloped it, then it activated a face-down card. "I activate the Spell Card, Dark Fusion!"
"I'll fuse Summoned Skull and Scapeghost from my hand, Fusion Summon: Archfiend's Manifestation!"
A bull-horned demon surged out of the darkness.
[Archfiend's Manifestation] Level 6│DARK│Fiend│2500 → 3000 ATK
"While Archfiend's Manifestation is on the field, its name becomes Summoned Skull, and all Summoned Skull monsters gain 500 ATK! Battle! Archfiend's Manifestation, Attack."
"Wait!" Hikaru raised a hand, startling Golden Eyes Idol into almost rolling up into a ball.
"Fullmetalfoes Alkahest's effect activates!"
"Once per opponent's turn, I can target an opponent's Effect Monster and equip it to this card!"
"WHAT!?" Golden Eyes Idol's dozens of eyes widened.
He's stealing my move again!
"Alkahest, dissolve it!"
"I'd love to melt gold, but I'll behave during the duel!" Alkahest swung his staff, causing Archfiend's Manifestation to melt into liquid and merge into his armor.
"Alkahest's DEF increases by the ATK of the equipped monster!"
[Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, DEF: 0 → 2500]
"He can absorb monsters during the opponent's turn!?" Even Captain Gold couldn't stay silent. "Stronger than you!"
"Shut up!" Golden Eyes Idol snapped.
Hikaru chuckled.
This was the difference between Dark Fusion in OCG vs this world's Dark Fusion: here, Fusion Monsters summoned by Dark Fusion couldn't be destroyed that turn, but in the OCG, they couldn't even be targeted.
If this were his own world, he wouldn't have been able to pull this off.
"Where's your Thousand-Eyes Restrict?" Captain Gold said.
"Hold your horses!" Golden Eyes Idol retorted. "Using Fusion Gate's effect, I fuse myself and Relinquished from my hand, Fusion Summon: Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"
At first, he had planned to destroy Fullmetalfoes Alkahest with Archfiend's Manifestation and keep himself safe to peek at Jaden's hand next turn. But that had been ruined.
[Thousand-Eyes Restrict] Level 1│DARK│Spellcaster│0 ATK
"I won't activate my own effect, I'll activate Thousand-Eyes Restrict's effect, to absorb Fullmetalfoes Alkahest!"
You eat me, I eat you, that's how dueling works, right?
Golden Eyes Idol wiped the sweat from its forehead.
At last, he'd reclaimed "his own move."
Still, seeing Fullmetalfoes Alkahest had 0 ATK/DEF anyway, the fact that Thousand-Eyes Restrict's stats didn't change at all made Golden Eyes Idol feel... utterly miserable.