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

Hikaru booked a large gathering room at the station, brought in some cooking utensils, laid out various KaibaCorp-provided foods on the table, and personally whipped up a few side dishes along with fried chicken and fried shrimp,thus starting a party.

There wasn't much choice in the matter. While KaibaCorp had prepared enough supplies, there weren't any chefs to be found in this dimension.

As they ate, the group occasionally chatted, getting to know one another's situations better. They had spoken before over calls, but separated by vast distances, it had always felt a bit unreal. Now that they were together, they could talk about more concrete matters.

"Can't believe Aster actually did something like that," Jaden mumbled around a mouthful of shrimp. "Pretty amazing."

"But that Deck where you keep spinning cards to decide their effects,that sounds even more fun."

"No, no, big bro," Syrus said, sweating a little, "if Sartorius can pick the result that favors him every time, then it's not fun at all."

Hassleberry nodded. "Yeah. If it's supposed to be like flipping a coin but it always lands in his favor,that's just dirty."

Normally, everyone knew such Decks relied on luck, so "fun" might make sense. But if your opponent always gets exactly what they want, it's not fun,it's unsettling.

"As for the Lightsworn…" Hikaru thought for a moment before saying casually, "They have their own factions."

"The Lightsworn have factions?" Jim asked curiously. A force of "justice" having internal power struggles?

"Not like the Dragon Lord and Overlord rivalry," Hikaru said, shaking his head. "The Lightsworn are divided into an extremist faction and a moderate faction. The extremists want to kill and destroy all evil and the soil it grows in. The moderates believe in lasting change and effort, uniting all forces to create a peaceful world."

He gestured broadly. "When the Lightsworn spirits first descended into the Critical Nexus Dimension, I dueled one of their extremist generals."

He explained the state of the two factions in more detail.

"I see. So today, Jaden ran into an extremist," Jim nodded. "That means there's still room for dialogue."

"The Lightsworn even have demons among them, so Jaden, you don't need to worry that the remaining Dark World demons are doomed to die or be wiped out. It's far from that," Hikaru told him.

Jaden swallowed his shrimp, chased it with cola, then nodded thoughtfully.

After clearing up these points, Hikaru gradually learned more about the situation here from Jaden's group.

So the Dragon Lord absorbed Jaden's power and evolved into the Dragon Overlord? As a Fusion Monster, that card was excellent, with formidable disruption abilities.

But what interested Hikaru more was that, after the duel, Jaden somehow had the power to deal with or even control the Dark World demons, making them submit to him.

Impressive.

It sounded like Jaden could already wield some of the Supreme King's special powers.

"So you really have that Supreme King power, big bro?" Hassleberry asked, eyes gleaming. "That's so cool!"

"…," Jaden, unusually, didn't join in the excitement. Normally, if he learned someone carried extraordinary power, he'd cheer about how awesome and cool it was.

But… this was different.

He had truly experienced the Supreme King's power,a power of domination, able to forcibly control and command those weaker, making them serve willingly.

He had to admit,he was afraid.

The power was so overwhelming that even he had felt the urge to enslave and command demons.

Inherent evil…

"Nonsense, absolute nonsense," Hikaru said, shaking his head firmly. "Jaden, look at Celina. Think about it,does that make sense?"

Hikaru pointed at Celina. She looked a bit lost at being singled out, but quickly sat up straight so Jaden could take a good look.

Jaden tilted his head, puzzled.

This time it was Syrus who caught Hikaru's meaning first,because he felt the same way.

"Ah! I get it, big bro! You forgot? Celina is that Professor's daughter!"

The Professor,Leo Akaba! Leader of the Fusion Army!

A chain of titles flashed through Jaden's mind. This was the man he'd vowed to defeat. Because of him, the Principal had to resign. Because of him, Professor Crowler, Hikaru, and Syrus had to endure long investigations.

It was all his fault!

More importantly…

Jaden looked at Celina, slowly realizing,if "born a villain" were true, wouldn't she qualify too?

Yet he knew better than anyone,this young girl was simply someone who wanted to repay her father and thus accepted duel experiments and training. She was just an ordinary girl who loved dueling and was passionate about it, not inherently evil.

That had never been the case! What defined her was not her birth but herself!

Wasn't his life full of people like that?

He couldn't help but chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. Jim and Axel, overhearing, were shocked to learn Celina was the daughter of the man who had brazenly attacked the X-Dimension, then nodded in understanding.

Jaden's friends all had their own burdens.

Hikaru shrugged. Leo Akaba was handy for making a point. This wasn't just the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX,There were other dimensions. Some things Jaden couldn't understand or accept in the original story made more sense when he saw the wider world.

There were too many people with heavy roles to play.

"The Lightsworn aren't much to worry about. No matter what they say, they'll follow the rules. They won't just attack you,they'll at most challenge you to a duel," Hikaru said. Jaden nodded silently.

If that was the case, he was confident he could earn their approval, just as Hikaru had gotten recognition for Polymerization and separated himself from the Fusion Army.

"The real problem is something else, Jaden," Hikaru said, rubbing his chin. "Spirits are different from us humans. They don't just judge by sight,they often judge by a person's power.

"The Dark World demons see you as the Supreme King. The Lightsworn sensed your power instantly. Your past life seems to be well-known in the Spirit World. That means… if you go there again, you'll definitely be recognized, and it'll cause a lot of trouble.

"Even if you can handle it once, can you accept being doubted and tested every time you go somewhere? Having people run away when you're trying to help?"

"Hey, hey, Hikaru, don't make it sound so scary… you're giving me goosebumps."

"I'm not making this up, Jaden." Hikaru waved an unopened loaf of bread for emphasis. "This is the reality you'll have to face."

He couldn't always go on adventures with Jaden… that was impossible. They liked different places and wouldn't always cross paths. Without the Dark World invasion at the Critical Nexus, they wouldn't have even met here.

Jaden tossed what he was holding onto the table, leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. "Supreme King or whatever,it has nothing to do with me. I just need everyone to realize that, right?"

"Jaden, that might not be possible," Jim said, having thought about it too. "Destruction is easier than rebuilding. We don't know exactly what the Supreme King did, but the Lightsworn clearly fear you,from deep in their souls.

"How long would it take to change their minds one by one?"

"Just treating the symptoms, not the cause, Jaden," Syrus agreed.

Jaden knew it too. But what could he do? This was his responsibility,something personal. It wasn't like the Fusion Army, where everyone could pitch in. He wouldn't let his friends speak for him or vouch for him.

"That being the case… I have two suggestions. Want to hear them?"

"You've got two?! That's our Hikaru,let's hear it."

"…First, 'understand the Supreme King.'"

Just that one sentence made Jaden frown.