A group of demons drenched in slime flew above the train. One of them raised the spear in its hand and swung it at the train, a purple bolt of lightning struck down, smashing onto the train and causing the entire train to sway left and right.
"Ah—"
"Ah!!!"
The students immediately screamed and went into chaos.
They had never witnessed such a scene.
"Captain!"
Tenjo Hikari opened the window and shouted. Accompanying his call, a towering Gem Giant appeared beside the train, reaching out to block the falling thunder. Then, Tenjo Hikari grabbed the window frame and flipped outside. At the same time, countless Puppet Strings spread out from the carriage. Tenjo Hikari stepped onto the purple Puppet Strings, grabbed the train cabin window, and jumped onto the train roof, glaring at the mass of demons from afar.
Besides Captain Crystal, here and there, a few Spirits also flew out from the train, but none seemed strong enough and quickly fell back under the demons' onslaught.
"Are you okay, Psychic Witch!"
"Lock Cat, are you alright!"
Tenjo Hikari could hear some scattered voices.
"Master!" Serena tried to flip out like her master to help, but in the next moment, the window in front of her was sealed by purple lines, preventing her from making any move.
She wanted to unbuckle her seatbelt, but realized she was also entangled in Puppet Strings and couldn't leave.
"Sister Midrash—" she panicked, "Jabbing Panda, go help Master!"
She called on her partner, but after Jabbing Panda appeared, it didn't run out; instead, it shook its head at her, clenched its fists, and protected her.
Tenjo Hikari's chief clearly didn't want Serena in danger, and so of course, it shielded Serena.
"Heh. Seems we have a tough nut here." The leading Archfiend saw this and said with a sneer.
Tenjo Hikari frowned. Tierra was keenly observing these demons.
Suffice to say, Tenjo Hikari recognized these Monster Spirits.
They were low-level demons from the Dark World.
It seemed his initial intuition was correct.
The attack on the train...
Oh, so the plan was to disrupt human transportation for better division and destruction?
Tch.
Standing atop the train, the rushing wind whipped Tenjo Hikari's clothes wildly, but he wasn't bothered by the strong wind and danger; he focused intently on these demons of the Dark World, prepared to handle them as soon they dared to act rashly.
Ordinarily.
This was the time for the Dark World's demons to send a Warrior and duel Tenjo Hikari.
Yet just then, these demons chose to raise their weapons once more.
Rather than engage in a duel, they sought to destroy the train by force!
These demons cared nothing for "duel dignity"; the king's orders were their only priority!
Tenjo Hikari's expression soured.
It wasn't that they refused to duel.
Instead, he immediately realized that other Critical Points elsewhere must also be suddenly under attack by these Dark World demons, wreaking havoc on human transportation!
Just as Tenjo Hikari prepared to show these demons a true "measure of power," a strange rift suddenly appeared in the sky, and a few demon bodies split apart.
"Eeee!!!" With sudden deaths, a few demons let out miserable screams. The rest beside them gasped and retreated.
What happened?
"Wow!" Excited students shouted while peering through the window.
It seemed they had reinforcement?!
Tenjo Hikari looked toward the train's front, where he saw a young man appearing somewhat weary, eyes ringed with dark circles.
But that wasn't the main point.
What mattered—
He wore a purple uniform!
Tenjo Hikari's pupils contracted slightly.
"Hahaha, didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly, Tenjo Hikari." The young man slowly turned his head, hands in pockets, smiling cheekily at Tenjo Hikari.
Despite being atop the train, surrounded by fierce winds, almost everyone "heard" his voice.
"The chance to find you and Miss Serena alone was hard to come by." He spoke as he pointed casually at a nearby demon, "We have these foolish creatures to thank."
While he spoke, Dark World demons began retreating, muttering, "Target too tough, notify higher-level Generals!"
Clearly, they were aware there were hidden "masters" on the train, making it challenging, yet they didn't abandon the mission, intending to summon higher-level demons.
At least for now, they wouldn't be troubling Tenjo Hikari.
Thus, Tenjo Hikari slowly turned his gaze to another person aboard.
Could it be...
The Fusion Army assassin the professor mentioned?
Stalking him all this time?
Ever since Cronos began sending letters, it was only a matter of time before he was found staying in one place too long.
"I'm Assassin Team member 44 of the Fusion Army. Tenjo Hikari, you should know why I've come looking for you, right?" He sneered darkly, "Without Cronos' protection, can you truly act as freely as you did back at school?"
"Fusion Army!!!?"
"These lingering shadows, alive still!?"
"Tenjo Hikari and the Fusion Army—"
Scenes of the past seemed to reappear before all the students. Some were thrilled, yet others hesitated due to Tenjo Hikari's identity, remaining silent.
Serena, hearing the assassin's words, blanched, but she still summoned her courage and shouted loudly, "Master! Be careful!!!"
The assassin swung his hands casually, and with a "boom," Tenjo Hikari felt unstable underfoot. The train jolted violently.
Tenjo Hikari's expression turned utterly dark.
Explosives?
This guy planted explosives on the train??
The Dark World demons attacking the train disgusted Tenjo Hikari enough, yet this human displayed not an ounce of care for his fellow citizens' lives!?
"Heh, too bad Miss Serena is aboard; otherwise, I'd have blown the whole train up to perish along with you." The assassin said such deranged words, "Yet now it's fine—Tenjo Hikari, haven't you always revered polymerization and duels?"
"Beat me, I'll disable all bombs; lose, then reunite with your classmates in the afterlife—"
"Isn't this a no-loss scenario no matter the outcome!?" A student couldn't help but curse softly.
"Indeed, duels should be fair!"
However, the assassin ignored these voices, laughing uncontrollably, "You have no authority to refuse!"
"Duel——"
With that said, he didn't wait for Tenjo Hikari's response, directly opened his Duel Disk to draw cards.
Fusion Army assassin unit, number 44, LP: 4000.
Captain Crystal's silhouette slowly faded, turning into red light and returned to Tenjo Hikari's Deck, frowning as he surveyed his opponent, moments later snorting coldly, opening his Duel Disk, Deck automatically shuffled, drawing five cards from the top.
Tenjo Hikari, LP: 4000.
"Go for it, Tenjo Hikari!"
"Senior Tenjo, don't let that punk strut around!"
In the cabin, some students cheered for Tenjo Hikari.
Accompanying the start of the duel, strangely, the train roof suddenly opened two mechanisms, then several cameras zeroed in on Tenjo Hikari and the assassin, broadcasting the duel within the train.
Kaiba Company is always this keen on duels!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
As the train passed through a tunnel, within the dark tunnel, Tenjo Hikari's eyes seemed to shine with purple light as he locked gazes with the assassin.
"Draw!" The assassin drew a card and grinned broadly.
"Don't blame me, Tenjo Hikari—activate Normal Spell Card, Countdown to End!"