"So," Khes began, "who are you sending, my liege?"
"Hanif. And the Assassin. The two of you are the only ones who can get there in time."
"Understood." said the old man, vanishing in a flash of darkness. The Assassin stepped briefly into view, before vanishing as well.
Shien's Castle
"Lord Shien, they're too fast! Our soldiers can't keep up!" The speaker was Kizan, now an old man, though not as old as Hanif appeared to be. But, with age came experience, and he was now Grandmaster of the new Six Samurai.
"Argh, this isn't good..." replied Shien. He too had aged poorly, but inside his armor, it was impossible to tell. He looked out the window to see that Kizan was correct. His soldiers, despite being more numerous, were simply unable to keep up with the speed of Hanzo's well-trained forces. As Shien tried to think of a solution, he felt a presence behind him. He quickly turned around to see Hanzo himself, lightly armored and dressed in black, his face concealed by his sinister helmet.
Shien quickly drew his sword as the infamous ninja leader did the same. They managed only a few clashes before a dark swirl appeared. "It seems we're just in time." said Hanif, stepping out from the Shadows. The Assassin stood behind him, having used a different method to arrive.
"And who are you?" said the great Shogun, surprised.
"Allies, Lord Shien. We serve the Pharaoh; he sent us to rescue your forces. It may be just the two of us, but we have the power to get all of you back to Egypt."
"Egypt? The Pharaoh? Why would he... Wait. Yes, I remember now. I rescued him, many years ago. I am amazed he still remembered... In any case, I am glad you came, but I do not know if I can abandon my troops' honor like this."
"Shogun! Please reconsider!"
"Chancellor Enishi. You heard us?"
"Yes, my lord. I understand that honor is important to any samurai, but our lives are even more important. Our troops fight loyally for us, and you would only disrespect them by throwing away their lives when we have the means to spare them!"
"Enishi! It is very bold of you to challenge me like that! But, I do believe you are right. We have no choice. Our troops are the most important thing." Shien turns to again face Hanif. "We would be honored to accept your assistance."
"That's sweet and all, but you're forgetting about one thing. Me." Hanzo spoke, reminding everyone that he was still there. "As long as I'm here, no one's getting anywhere!"
"Very well, then," replied Hanif. "It seems I have no choice." He brandished his DiaDhank, the Egyptian version of a Duel Disk, used to summon actual Duel Spirits. However, after extending to its normal size, Hanif's DiaDhank expanded even further, creating five slots instead of the 3 used to call Spirits.
"You're challenging me to a duel? Foolish! I will crush you!"
"Then, let's begin. I'm sorry for using this power on you, but I have no choice. Shien, gather your troops. I'll hold off Hanzo while my comrade gets you all to safety!"
"Very well, I trust your judgment. Enishi, Kizan, spread the word."
"Hmph. They'll be too late, and this duel will be over soon. I'll go first." Hanzo drew another card, giving him a total of six cards in hand. "I start by summoning Armored Ninja Flame!" A ninja dressed in dark orange appeared (1700 ATK). "And when he's summoned, I can increase his Level by 1, making him Level 5! Then, I set one card face-down and end my turn."
"Then, it's my turn now." Hanif drew.
"And because it is, I can activate this! Ninjitsu Art of Transformation! Now, by tributing Flame, I can summon a Beast, Winged Beast, or Insect whose Level is no higher than 3 more than the level of the Ninja I sacrificed. So behold, the level 7 Dark Simorgh!" A massive black bird took the place of the ninja. (2700 ATK) "And, as long as Simorgh is on the field, you can't set any cards, so good luck getting rid of him!"
"I don't need to. This duel will be over before you ever get another turn. I start with the effect of my Thunder Dragon. By discarding it from my hand, I can add my other two Thunder Dragons to my hand. Now, I play Hand Destruction! This Spell forces us to each discard two cards we are holding, and then draw two more." Hanif tossed his two new Thunder Dragons, while Hanzo got rid of Armored Ninja Aqua and White Ninja. "Now, I play the Spell Toon Table of Contents, allowing me to add any Toon card to my hand. I select another Table of Contents, and use it to get my third and final copy. Then, I use that one to add the Blue-eyes Toon Dragon to my hand. But don't think he's staying there for long. I activate Trade-in, allowing me to discard a Level 8 monster, like my Toon Dragon. Then, I draw two more cards!"
"Perfect. Now, I activate Cards of Consonance, discarding my White Stone of Legend to draw another two cards, and White Stone adds a Blue-eyes White Dragon to my hand. Next up is One Day of Peace. We each draw one card, and until the end of your turn, neither of us will take any damage. Now I play Super Rejuvenation! At the end of my turn, I will be allowed to draw one card for every Dragon-type monster I discarded this turn, and I'm already at two. Now, I play Upstart Goblin. I draw a card and you gain 1000 Life Points. Next up is another Trade-in, discarding my Blue-eyes for two more draws! Then, I activate another Super Rejuvenation, followed by another Cards of Consonance. I discard another White Stone to get two more draws and another Blue-eyes. I then activate another Upstart Goblin. Then, I'll play what my Goblin just gave me: my last Trade-in, discarding my last Blue-eyes for another two cards. Next up is another One Day of Peace."
"Alright, with that, I'll end my turn. I discarded five Dragons this turn, so each Super Rejuvenation gives me five draws, for a total of 10!" Hanif drew what was almost the remainder of his deck, leaving him with just two cards remaining. "My deck may be almost out, but I already have everything I need! Behold, the invincible Exodia!" Hanif revealed his massive hand, which did indeed contain, among other cards, all five pieces of Exodia. "Exodia, destroy him!" The massive beast emerged and struck Hanzo with a giant energy beam, knocking him unconscious. "It's over. One turn, just as I said. Shien, are you ready?"
Shien, awestruck, barely managed to get a word out. "I... suppose so... but how did..."
"It's my most powerful deck, one that I only use when I need to win at all costs. This was one of those circumstances."
"That was truly beautiful to behold. My troops are assembled, we can go when you're ready."
"Good. Then let us depart for Egypt!"
