After resolving the matter with Crystal, Tenjo Hikari, with the help of two Swordsmen, slowly explored this Broken Dimension.
Most of the Spirits are still in a comatose or unconscious state, and the puppet soldiers transformed from the Fusion Army are scattered on the ground like broken dolls.
It was brutal.
Too brutal.
He flipped over a piece of rubble, a card that a puppet Lapis used previously, which had now turned into shattered stones, falling in this Broken Dimension.
Tenjo Hikari searched for a while and found a small Spirit in the ruins, which still had some traces of Shaddoll in appearance, but had mostly returned to the form of a "Gem-Knight."
Tierra glanced at it and told Tenjo Hikari, "Although its hatred and power were completely absorbed by Crystal due to the duel failure, it originally didn't have much consciousness. To awaken it might take a few months. Not long, right?"
In her view, a few months might only be the blink of an eye.
"Captain, can I leave this matter to you then?"
"Rest assured!"
Even though he himself was unable to move due to pain, Crystal gladly accepted the task.
It was more accurate to say that no one but him could take it on!
Under Tierra's control, Lapis, and other Spirits were turned into cards. Tenjo Hikari tried searching through the Duel Disk, but alas, most of the cards were merged into that huge Deck.
However, that's not a difficult thing to fix.
Even though those huge cards couldn't be stuffed into a Deck for a normal duel, Tenjo Hikari just needed to refine and downsize them again.
The Gem-Knight Master, and the cards Ruby and Yellow Jade, were quite desirable to Tenjo Hikari.
If luck was on his side, he might even extract some other peculiar things.
Afterward, Tenjo Hikari went to the temporary base of the Fusion Army. Since this base didn't have experimental materials, most of its time was spent converting puppet soldiers, so Tenjo Hikari didn't find anything interesting for research.
"Sigh…"
Tierra also sighed deeply.
Last time, in the Union Hangar, Tierra discovered that the Fusion Army was conducting artificial Dark Magician Spirit experiments and found the Dark Magician's card, using that as an excuse to have Tenjo Hikari create a component for her body.
After coming to this Broken Dimension, one reason was boredom, another was to search around, but in the end, nothing useful was found.
This place truly was a "factory."
However, Tenjo Hikari felt the opposite.
In this Broken Dimension, he got information far more useful than he had imagined before!
He discovered information about Akaba Leo on a computer that had never been moved away!
Since the Three Phantasm incident, even before that, Tenjo Hikari hadn't seen Akaba Leo.
Not just Tenjo Hikari, even the Kaiba Company's investigators commissioned by Manjome hadn't seen Akaba Leo, and after those investigators discovered that Akaba Leo's research team involved the "Manjome Group," Manjome decided to lead the group himself and Kaiba handed all matters related to it to Manjome in one go.
Claiming it is a personal matter for him to handle it himself.
Knowing Kaiba's personality, perhaps he simply wanted to test Manjome's capabilities.
Anyway, since then, except for Akaba Leo using Kambayashi Kaname's body to "warn" him, Tenjo Hikari hadn't seen or heard about Akaba Leo at all.
It seemed like matters in the academy and the Integration Department were fully handed over to others, and he disappeared without a trace.
Upon searching the data on this computer today, Tenjo Hikari realized that he hadn't forgotten about the impending ambush on the Xyz Dimension and was planning preparations for war from his "base."
Is this real?
This soon?
Tenjo Hikari carefully studied the report.
What about the specific time for the attack?
Tenjo Hikari searched thoroughly.
Couldn't find it—
Perhaps it hadn't been decided?
Tenjo Hikari pondered.
In "Yu-Gi-Oh! A5," Ed Phoenix, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Fusion Army, attacked the Xyz Dimension, but the exact time of the attack wasn't specified.
By normal calculations, it would make more sense for Ed Phoenix to attack in the third year.
But—
Ed Phoenix is no ordinary Duelist. It's not unimaginable for him to become the Commander-in-Chief even in his first year.
He recalled the time the professional Duelist from the Fusion Army "invited" Ed to join them.
Thinking of this, he hurried to gather information related to Ed.
"!"
There really was —
Tenjo Hikari looked at an extensive report filled with flattery for "Professor Akaba Leo." It was clear what was in the writer's mind, but that wasn't important, the content was.
According to the report, Akaba Leo had once reached an agreement with someone to have Ed Phoenix assist them, but Ed not only didn't assist, he countered their people, severely breaking the agreement, prompting a "showdown" between the two parties.
Of course.
In this world.
A showdown is simple and singular — a duel.
"Which force is related to Ed then…"
Is that even a question?
White Society!
Tenjo Hikari grinned widely, his expression one of delight in the spectacle of the antagonists turning against each other.
Tierra, observing Tenjo Hikari silently and amusedly using the computer, raised an eyebrow in confusion as she tilted her head.
What's got Tenjo Hikari, who's always concerned with Fusion, so amused?
No new cards were found either?
Tenjo Hikari hadn't noticed her expression. He continued reading on.
Tenjo Hikari had no idea about the final outcome, as the end of the report contained only a few "words from the professor."
"That means at least he didn't win."
Tenjo Hikari nodded.
With the style of this report, if Akaba Leo's team had defeated the Light Society's team, would there be any need to hide the results? They would be boasting through the roof!
But one sentence caught Tenjo Hikari's attention.
"Professor said they gained more light from the opponent, so their victory was a grand one?"
This clearly was a typical rhetoric, but considering Akaba Leo's style, it wasn't impossible to lose in cards but win overall.
Moreover, the implications of the words made Tenjo Hikari squint slightly —
Could it be?
Tenjo Hikari thought of Serena.
In the original, Akaba Leo never said Serena was his daughter, only showing interest in her.
But in this world, Akaba Leo outright claimed she was his daughter to placate and even "pua" Serena, pushing her towards becoming a heartless dueling machine…
He was born sooner than in the original!
Could it be that there's "Light of Destruction" in Akaba Leo too?!
Eh—
Everything known seemed to be connecting!
No wonder Tenjo Hikari noticed the Xyz Dimension, Synchro Dimension, and this world, didn't seem fragmented based on current information, yet he still desired a dimensional war!
If he wanted to reunite his daughter, logically he only needed to find the four counterparts!
Akaba Leo genuinely desired [war]!