"How's today's cultivation data?"
A person in a white lab coat casually asked a passing soldier in purple.
"Same as always, quite excellent!" The smile beneath the soldier's mask was particularly obvious.
There was no easier task than this!
All they needed to do was push the Monster into that gigantic incubation bay, and then stay far away, watching it be corrupted by the power of Darkness.
"Boom!"
Just as he was speaking, suddenly, the entire base was rocked by a huge explosion, as if a massive bomb had gone off, followed by an eruption of countless screams and roars.
"What happened!?" The researcher hadn't even reacted when he saw, from a distance, a purple-black Puppet String sweeping toward him, piercing right into his body.
The soldier beside him reacted quickly, jumping back to dodge the attack, then raising his nearby Duel Disk, activating it, and using it like a sword to slice the approaching Puppet String.
"What's going on! Report immediately!"
"Captain, the incubation bay, malfunctioned—"
The incoming information was somewhat distorted, followed by a few more screams and a strong whooshing sound.
"Damn it!"
Upon hearing the report from his subordinate, he immediately understood what had happened.
The "Monster" inside that incubation bay had come out!
This was bad—
This wasn't something that could be resolved quickly.
Having understood the specifics long ago from his superiors, he immediately grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Yet, at this moment, he quickly instructed his subordinates, "Don't worry, it's just a minor problem! Immediately follow the training from last time, turn on the surveillance system, collect all data, ensure that no information is lost like last time at the allied base!"
"Yes—"
"Yes! Ahhh—"
"Help!"
Through the communications, occasional screams and cries for help could be heard.
But he felt no pity at all, hastily waving his Duel Disk to protect himself while rushing toward the laboratory. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he shouted for the doctor and the guards, quickly sending crucial data and machines into the Dimension Gate. After handling everything, he and his core subordinates entered the Dimension Gate.
Knowing the Monster as he did, in order to deal with it, it would have to finish infecting every living being in the entire Dimension, then return, rely on great strength, and slowly advance to reorganize this Broken Dimension.
The entire process might take several months!
He wouldn't stay and wait for death.
First, relocate, then come back later!
After he left, a green symbol emerged above the Dimension Gate, followed by a "clicking" sound. The Dimension Gate lost functionality and dimmed down.
"He actually escaped directly!" Captain Crystal saw this, his anger surging, "As a leader, having no sense of responsibility at all, Lord Tenjo, let me give chase!"
He seemed a bit hot-headed.
"Before that, let's rescue that Spirit first," Tenjo Hikari shook his head, pointing at the giant incubation bay over there.
Captain Crystal hesitated for a moment, then nodded immediately.
Understood.
They would eventually go after those people over there, but they couldn't ignore the Spirits here.
Tenjo Hikari hadn't expected that guy over there to run so decisively. He thought he could get Raviel, Lord of Phantasms' card today, but unexpectedly, the guy just left without any resistance.
In his ears, there were still some ordinary soldiers resisting, but soon, the sounds faded away, and a few purple Puppet Strings flew over, attempting to entwine around Tenjo Hikari, but froze in mid-air the moment they approached, unable to move an inch.
Tierra glanced upwards, saying casually, "Isn't this normal? Tenjo Hikari, don't you understand? For them, whether it's normal soldiers or not doesn't matter, right?"
Huh?
"Ah... so that's it," Tenjo Hikari's expression grew colder.
Captain Crystal, still furious, didn't grasp the logic immediately. He looked at Tenjo Hikari, wanting to understand the connection.
"Captain, here's how it is," Tenjo Hikari figured it out, speaking with a grim face, "For the Fusion Army, they need absolutely obedient soldiers. Whether these soldiers are alive or even human does not matter.
I see, so that's how it is.
Because Duel Academy could no longer enroll new students, they simply sent a few people to pretend to care about it while actually changing their approach.
Instead of nurturing students for years before they could be of use, directly controlling Duel Monsters as soldiers was a simpler task.
Furthermore, after discovering Shaddoll through you, and obtaining the Three Phantasm, they gained a power that could absorb the life force of Spirits to a certain extent. So, creating puppet soldiers is much more practical."
"Ah..." Captain Crystal's face grimaced, realizing that these events were triggered by him; his stone heart chilled, "So, even if soldiers of the same race are turned into puppets, it doesn't matter? Because they might become more obedient?"
"Beasts!!!"
Tenjo Hikari shook his head, "In any case, let's go see over there first."
Earlier, while in the shadows, Tenjo Hikari asked Tierra to tamper with the incubation bay. Though Tierra wasn't very interested and saw little gain, she agreed, helping him dismantle the bay, speeding up the release of the Spirit's power within, making the seal of the bay loosen, allowing the Spirit inside to attempt a breakthrough naturally.
Once it broke through even a little, the protective force would collapse, and then, the immense power of the Shaddoll being cultivated would instantly envelop the entire Broken Dimension.
Tenjo Hikari stepped out from his hidden place, moving towards the colossal incubation bay. By this time, the bay was already shattered, and the Spirit inside had fallen out. Along the way, countless, completely mechanized humans and Spirits attacked Tenjo Hikari. He didn't need to lift a finger, as the raging Captain Crystal would send these soldiers responsible for such sins flying or even break them apart.
"Poor things, reduced to pawns, ending up like this and still having to fight for their master," it said, somewhat frustrated.
"Captain, no need to pity them; they brought it on themselves."
Tenjo Hikari didn't feel sorry for them at all. He found it hard to believe that anyone who worked in a place like this, witnessing so many Spirits in pain, could be a normal person or an ordinary person.
When Tenjo Hikari finally reached the front of the incubation bay, Captain Crystal's eyes widened in shock and fury, exclaiming, "Gem-Knight Lapis!?"
Appearing before Tenjo Hikari and Captain Crystal was a Gem-Knight Lapis, whose entire body was entangled in Puppet Strings, growing to two or three times Captain Crystal's size.
"Wow..." Tierra, always lacking interest, showed surprise at last.
Was it a coincidence?
Or was it Destiny?
"Such a pity, Tenjo Hikari, perhaps if you came two months later, it might have been better." She looked at the Spirit, which had grown in size but still retained many Gem-Knight characteristics, shaking her head.
If a couple of months had passed, it might have been completely Shaddoll-dependent, but for now, it remained a Gem-Knight.
"No!" Tenjo Hikari immediately refuted, "I should have come earlier!"
"Captain!" He raised his left hand, and the Duel Disk in his left hand began to activate on its own.
"Here!" Captain Crystal responded at once, transforming into a light and merging into Tenjo Hikari's body.
At the same time, the gigantic Lapis also slowly raised its right hand. Countless Puppet Strings writhed wildly, accompanied by its own screams. Within the Broken Dimension, numerous Duel Disks and Decks flew onto her massive arm, forming a person-tall Duel Disk and an impressively thick Deck!
"But now, it's not too late either!" Tenjo Hikari exclaimed, "Come, Spirit, let me relieve your suffering!"
Duel!
Puppet Lapis LP: 4000.
Tenjo Hikari LP: 4000.