Episode 109: Clash of Order

The Realm of Order

Yuni and Ma'at are still stranded in the Realm of Order, soon after Yuni's victory over Utu. Yuni asks, "Alright Ma'at, you're the expert on Order here. How do you propose we get out of here?"

"I have yet to obtain the level of mastery over Order that would allow me to open portals to and from the normal world, so we're forced to find someone else who can send us back. That leaves us with the option of the Goddess of Order, or the Will of Order." Ma'at surveys their surroundings. "I think we shouldn't be too far from the Will of Order's temple. That's my vote."

Yuni nods and says sarcastically, "Something tells me that the Will of Order will be absolutely thrilled to see me."

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there." He beckons forward. "Come on, let's go."


The two have been walking for what seems to be a while. There seems to be some sort of unspoken tension between them. Yuni finally takes a deep breath and states, "Ma'at, this is the first time we've truly had a chance to talk without any other distractions."

Ma'at nods, knowing what's coming, and replies, "Indeed it is."

"We've worked together to defeat the Society of Light and New Yugoha."

Ma'at nods again. "Yes…we have."

Yuni continues, "I feel like we can't ignore this any longer. I am the Lord of Chaos, you are the Lord of Order. We shouldn't be able to get along."

Ma'at shakes his head. "No we shouldn't."

Yuni takes another deep breath and finally asks, "Why do you hate Chaos so much? I know that even now, as we walk together as friends, you still loathe everything I stand for. You started our truce because it was mutually beneficial, and you didn't want to start another war, but still, you only tolerate us as a necessity. Why?"

Ma'at now takes a deep breath. "I suppose that we've avoided this talk for much too long." He sighs. "As I'm sure Apophis told you, I was a member of the Society Chaos all the way up to three years ago. I was raised by them and groomed to be a Lord of Chaos."

Yuni nods. "That's what I don't get though. If you were a member for that long, how could you suddenly reject their teachings and show such hatred towards them?"

"I guess you could attribute it to wanting what you don't have and resenting what you do. As a child, I wanted nothing more than to know who my parents were, but I was allowed almost no contact with the outside world." Ma'at sighs heavily. "I guess if I had to attribute my hatred towards one origin point, it was that."

Yuni objects, "But your parents were members of the Society as well."

Ma'at suddenly tenses in anger. He shouts at Yuni, "The Society of Chaos took my parents! They died on a mission for the Society! If it wasn't for that, I would have grown up as a normal child!" Ma'at starts to cry. He sobs, "A normal child with a choice over what his life would be."

Yuni steps closer to Ma'at and puts a hand on his back. "I know how you feel…"

Ma'at slaps Yuni's hand away and shouts, "Don't you dare touch me you filthy follower of Chaos! You know nothing about what I've been through! The Society of Chaos destroyed my parents and doomed me to a life of suffering! Themis offered me freedom! For the first time in my life I was allowed to make my own decisions! My destiny wasn't written by my superiors, instead I could do what I wanted! Themis taught me the truth about you Chaos scum, and how you infect the world with Darkness!"

Yuni appears hurt. He says below his breath with his head hanging, "You're wrong…"

Ma'at shouts, "No, you're wrong! Nothing good can of Darkness!"

Yuni shakes his head. "No, that's not what I meant. I meant that you were wrong about me not understanding you. When I was a young boy, my parents were taken away from me too. They too were doing a task for the Society of Chaos. Since then, my destiny has been set. Whether it was freeing Apep from his Darkness, defeating Oblivion or Konton, or fighting New Yugoha," Yuni begins to raise his voice, "everything I have done has been a path set before me!" He now shouts, "So yes, I do understand what it means to lose one's parents! I do understand what it means to have others expect something of you! I haven't had it any easier than you, so don't go pretending like that justifies everything you've done! I've stuck to Chaos, and I have proven why the Balance must be kept! You have no excuses!"

Ma'at looks stunned at Yuni. "I…I hadn't realized…"

Yuni shouts, "So why don't you quit making excuses and tell me the real reason you're a Guardian of Order!?"

Yugi shouts at Yuni, Calm down! You both need to calm down! Shouting will get you nowhere.

Yuni is about to shout something else, but heeds Yugi's words and takes a deep breath. Yuni looks back to Ma'at and says, "I'm sorry about that. It was uncalled for."

Ma'at shakes his head. "No, it was I who insulted you. That was uncalled for." He looks towards the sky. "To be honest, I've never really contemplated why I follow the Grand Order instead of the Balance of Chaos. It's just always seemed like the right choice." He looks back down and sighs.

Yuni suggests, "Sometimes we blindly follow what we believe to be right without ever even considering if it really is."

Ma'at shakes his head. "You're right. I'm not saying I'll forget all about Order, or jump ship and rejoin the Society of Chaos, but I definitely need to look inwards and do some reevaluating. I need to figure out what really is important to me."

A voice suddenly declares, "If you are really thinking that, then you really shouldn't be the Lord of Order!"

Yuni and Ma'at look towards the source of the voice. Standing behind them is a woman with long white hair. She wears clothes similar to the ones worn by Utu. Ma'at demands, "Who are you?"

She smiles, "My name is Amaterasu. I am the Controller of Order of the Hand of Order."

Yuni and Ma'at are surprised. Yuni asks, "There's more than one of you!?"

She nods. "The Hand of Order is a group. We are greater in numbers than just one member, one who apparently couldn't defeat even a piece of pathetic Chaos scum like you." She looks back to Ma'at. "And as I said, if you doubt your commitment to the Guardians of Order, then you really do have no purpose being the Lord of Order."

Ma'at steps forward and summons his Duel Gauntlet of Order. "I'll prove my commitment."

Amaterasu smiles and summons a Duel Gauntlet of her own. "I was hoping you would say that." She steps towards Ma'at.

Yuni advises, "Be careful Ma'at."

Ma'at, still appearing tense and upset from before, at first seems annoyed by Yuni's suggestion, but then shakes his head and sighs. He says, "Thanks…I will."

Ma'at and Amaterasu face each other and activate their Duel Gauntlets. "Duel now underway. Scanning decks…decks accepted. Ma'at vs. Amaterasu. Commence dueling."

Amaterasu draws as she declares, "I'll be taking the first move! I activate the Spell Card, Terraforming! This card allows me to add one Field Spell from my deck to my hand, such as my Gilded Hall, which I will immediately activate!" The surroundings are replaced by the card. It is a gigantic chamber gilded with gold and silver. "Then I summon the Shining Angel (Light/Level 4/Fairy/Effect/ATK 1400/DEF 800) in Defense Mode, set two cards, and end my turn (Amaterasu's hand: 2)."

Ma'at nods. "Fine then, I'll just draw my card."

Just as he does, Amaterasu interrupts, "When you draw a card during the Draw Phase, the effect of Gilded Hall activates! Now you must discard the card you just drew, and then draw another."

Ma'at does as he's instructed. "That's fine, I like this card better anyways. In fact, I think that I'll summon it now! Come forth, Crusader of Order (Light/Level 4/Warrior/Effect/ATK 2200/DEF 0)! Crusader of Order, attack and destroy the Shining Angel!" The Crusader moves in for an attack and destroys the defending angel.

"When the Shining Angel is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, its effect kicks in, allowing me to summon a Light Attribute monster from my deck with 1500 or less Attack Points. I summon Embargo Spirit (Light/Level 4/Fairy/Effect/ATK 1500/DEF 2000)." The monster is a body of silver light. Its arms are large and flat, forming a shield-like shape.

"It doesn't matter to me, I'll just destroy it next turn. At the end of my turn, the Crusader of Order sends the top two cards of my deck to the grave (Ma'at's hand: 5)."

Amaterasu states, "You'll soon realize how wrong that statement really is." Amaterasu draws. "The effect of Gilded Hall affects me as well, so I'll just ditch this card," she does so, "and draw a new one. The card I drew just happens to be the Pot of Greed, which I'll activate." Amaterasu draws two more cards. "Then I'll activate Magical Mallet, and shuffle my entire hand into my deck, in order to draw three new cards."

Ma'at taunts, "What, are you not drawing the cards you need? How sad."

"I assure you, when your deck is as refined as mine is, there's no way to draw a card I don't need," Amaterasu gains a new hand, and smiles at the results, "as you will learn now. I activate one of my Trap Cards, Incursion Invasion. This card summons one Incursion Token (Light/Level 1/Fiend/Token/ATK 0/DEF 0) to either side of the field once per turn. Enjoy your new monster!" A portal opens in front of Ma'at and a small but devilish creature composed of light appears on Ma'at's field in Defense Position.

"Why would you give me a monster!?"

"Because I can destroy it, which is the entire point of my plan. Embargo Spirit, attack the Incursion Token!" The monster slams its large arms down on Ma'at's adopted monster and destroys it. Amaterasu smiles with content. "Before ending my turn, I'll set two final cards (Amaterasu's hand: 1)."

Ma'at draws. Without having to be told, he discards his draw. He then reaches for his deck to draw another card, when suddenly a barrier of light wraps around his deck, preventing him from drawing. Ma'at looks up with surprise. "What just happened!?"

"The effect of Embargo Spirit kicked in. You see, if it destroys a monster by battle then you aren't allowed to draw any cards except for your normal draw until the end of the following turn."

Ma'at nods. "Alright, I get your game." He thinks, I'd better conserve the cards in my hand then, just in case. He then says aloud, "I guess that means that your Embargo Spirit has overstayed its welcome. Crusader of Order, attack the Embargo Spirit!"

"I activate the trap Safe Zone!" A barrier of light surrounds the monster, and blocks Ma'at's attack. "As long as I control Safe Zone, the Embargo Spirit cannot be destroyed by battle, as well as card effects."

This annoys Ma'at. "You'll at least see some damage coming your way."

"Incorrect again, because I also activate another Continuous Trap Card, Spirit Barrier! Now as long as I control at least one monster, I take no Battle Damage!"

Ma'at grunts. "There's still one more thing I can do. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon in order to destroy Safe Zone! I already know that when Safe Zone is destroyed, so is the monster it protects!"

Amaterasu grins devilishly. "That's where my last facedown card comes in handy. I activate Imperial Custom! This card prevents my Continuous Trap Cards from being destroyed!" Ma'at's eyes widen in surprise. "That's right, I was ready for every move you made! I've spent years refining this deck! It has been engineered to completely shut down my opponent and ensure victory 100 percent of the time!"

Yuni gasps, "That's impossible! No deck is unbeatable!"

Amaterasu turns to Yuni. "And yet you are seeing it happen before your very eyes. This deck was designed to counter any situation."

Ma'at is getting aggravated. "Fine then, it looks like I'll have to end my turn (Ma'at's hand: 4)." The effect of Crusader of Order sends the top two cards of Ma'at's deck to the graveyard.

"You have entered the lockdown." Amaterasu draws, discards, then draws again. "The card I just discarded was the Shimmering Beacon, which when discarded allows me to add one Spell Card from my deck to my hand. I think I'll add the card known as Field Barrier and then play it. This card prevents the destruction or replacement of my Field Spell. I would say that your chances of winning are even less now, but they can't get any lower than zero!" Ma'at can do nothing but grunt again. "Then, in my Left Pendulum Zone, I'll place Spiritual Oscillator (Left Pendulum Scale: 4)." In a column of light to Amaterasu's left appears an angelic being with massive wings. "Now let's activate Incursion Invasion, and give you another Incursion Token." Another token appears in front of Ma'at. "Now I'll have Embargo Spirit attack and destroy that Token!" The monster destroys the Token soon after it appears. Ma'at grunts again. "That's not even the end of it! Now that a monster was destroyed, the effect of Spiritual Oscillator inflicts 1000 points of damage to the player who had a monster destroyed!" The Pendulum Monster flaps its wings and creates a vibration in the light around it, a similar vibration occurs around Ma'at (Ma'at's LP: 3000). Ma'at grunts yet again. "To further increase the desperation of your situation, I activate Card Destruction! This card makes us both discard our hands, and then draw cards equal to the amount we discarded." She has no remaining hand to discard.

Ma'at objects, "But I can't draw cards!"

"Exactly the point." Against his will, Ma'at discards all of the cards in his hand. "Now you don't have a single card to fight back with. That puts my turn to an end, not that it matters. As restricted as you are, you might as well not even be taking a turn. (Amaterasu's hand: 0)"

Ma'at reluctantly draws, and then discards a card. He desperately looks to his empty hand for an answer, but nothing comes to him. He looks desperately to Yuni, who shrugs. Ma'at wordlessly passes his turn, and sends a card to the grave for Crusader of Order's effect (Ma'at's hand: 0).

Amaterasu draws, discards, and draws the replacement again. "The card I just discarded was Hypnosis Wizard. If it's in the Graveyard, I can banish the Hypnosis Wizard in order to add a Pendulum Monster from my deck to the hand. I'll do so and add Guardian of Magic to my hand, and then place it in my Right Pendulum Zone (Right Pendulum Scale: 6)." A second column of light appears, this one covering a man wearing blue robes, projecting a barrier of energy around himself.

Ma'at asks sarcastically, "Should I even ask what this one does?"

"Only if you want to hear about how I have further sealed your demise, for the Pendulum Effect of the Guardian of Magic prevents any other Spell cards from being destroyed, which of course also includes my Spiritual Oscillator. My field is now a network of cards all protecting each other and interplaying in a way that allows me completely shut you down." Without even having to explain herself, an Incursion Token appears on Ma'at's field, and is then automatically destroyed by Embargo Spirit's attack. Ma'at then takes damage from Spiritual Oscillator (Ma'at's LP: 2000). "That leaves you with only two turns left, not that it matters (Amaterasu's hand: 1)."

Ma'at obligatorily draws and then discards, gives his hand and Graveyard a quick scan over. It's no help. Two more cards are sent to the grave (Ma'at's hand: 0). He appears to have lost hope.

Amaterasu chuckles with pleasure. "It is so amusing to watch the so called Lord of Order squirm and struggle. Even the Deck of Order cannot stand against my superior strategy." She goes through the motions of drawing. "Now, Incursion Token, reappear to my opponent's field, and Embargo Spirit, destroy it again!" The Token reappears only to be instantly destroyed. "And now to take out another 1000 of your life points (Ma'at's LP: 1000)! On my next turn, your life points will drop to zero. It can't be helped, your situation is absolutely hopeless. You should just give up now (Amaterasu's hand: 2).

Ma'at looks to his deck despairingly, as if actually considering what Amaterasu suggests. Yuni notices this and shouts, "Don't you dare even consider it Ma'at! You're the Lord of Order! It be an insult to us both if you gave up! All hope is never lost!"

Ma'at looks to Yuni, realizes something, and then looks back to Amaterasu. "He's right, I am the Lord of Order! I don't care who you think you are, or what you think about me, I am still the Lord of Order, and you are a Guardian of Order! You can't hope to defeat me!" He holds his arm to the sky, which begins to glow. "Go, Draw of Order!" His deck glows as well, and Ma'at draws.

Amaterasu is shocked. "Why would you waste your power on a Draw of Order? It does you no good when you have to discard it right away!"

Ma'at grins. "The power of Order can take many forms, and help from many places beyond just my hand." He discards the card. "In my grave now is the Artifact of Order: Harmonious Repose, which can be returned to my deck along with one Order monster in order to add another Order monster from my deck to my hand. I'll return it alongside the Archlord of Order I discarded earlier in order to add the ultimate monster of Order to my hand!"

Amaterasu's surprise continues. "You found a way around the Gilded Hall lockdown! It only stops you from drawing, but not adding to your hand by effects!"

"Exactly. Order gave me exactly the key I needed to get out of your lockdown. Now I return two monsters from my graveyard to the deck in order to summon Supreme Dragon of Order – Eunomia (Light/Level 10/Dragon/Effect/ATK ?/DEF ?)!" In a column of light, Eunomia descends onto the field. "With the four Order monsters I have remaining in the Graveyard,

Eunomia's power increases (ATK and DEF: 4000). Eunomia, attack the Embargo Spirit, Force of Order!" Eunomia attacks with a harsh beam of light from its mouth.

Amaterasu objects, "Safe Zone is still protecting my monster from battle!"

"That's why I activate Eunomia's effect! By returning a Light monster from my Graveyard to my deck, I can return your monster to your hand! There are no cards protecting you from that! Go Eunomia, Subjugation of Order (ATK and DEF: 3000)!" In a flash of light, Amaterasu's monster vanishes. "Now without your monster, your entire strategy falls apart! Continue your attack directly Eunomia!" Eunomia resumes attacking, this time aiming for Amaterasu directly (Amaterasu's LP: 1000). "And now Crusader of Order, finish this duel!" The Crusader of Order charges, attacking and finishing Amaterasu (Amaterasu's LP: 0). "It looks like the Lord of Order has defeated you. Maybe I am worthy after all."

Amaterasu falls to her knees. "No, this is not possible…I've put untold hours into refining my deck. It was a statistical impossibility for me to lose…I considered every option…every contingency…" She screams into the sky and then shouts, "I'm sorry my lord!" as she is taken away into oblivion.

Ma'at looks towards the point where she just stood. Yuni walks over to him. "Good job Ma'at. You showed her who the true Lord of Order is."

Ma'at doesn't respond, apparently there is still animosity between them.

Yuni sighs and extends a hand. "I really am sorry about everything I said before. We may follow two different walks of life, but that doesn't mean we can't work together. Still friends?"

Ma'at sighs and shakes Yuni's hand. "Still friends."