Chapter Two: Royal Decree
Prince Jimu entered the stadium with his hands clasped behind his back and a wry smile plastered on his face. He gave a polite nod to his audience of ten thousand fellow Old Asukans before proceeding to the dueling podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer cried, "It is my honor to welcome you to a special treat on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Today, I give you a duel like no other, a veritable clash of titans between Takuni the Terrible, reigning champion of New Asuka, and Prince Jimu, heir apparent to the Old Asukan throne. For a few brief hours, the war will be suspended, meaning that each player carries with them the trust and support of an entire nation. Duelists, please shuffle your decks and let the carnage begin."
The Prince inserted his deck into the automatic shuffler and looked across the battlefield to see his opponent do the same. As a charity battle, it was common courtesy for neither combatant to use their regular dueling deck. But Jimu new that much more rested upon this duel than a million dollars for charity; his opponent was a representative of the enemy, and that made their duel an embodiment of the greater conflict between nations. No matter that Jimu considered both Old and New Asuka to be his rightful domain, and all of its inhabitants, his people; all the spectators would see was their Prince ready to crush the most powerful duelist New Asuka had to offer. And so he had chosen to use a deck he hadn't used in years, but one whose power was often severely underestimated. Today, he would unleash some of the most powerful monsters in the game against his opponent and, if fate was on his side, the most powerful card of them all.
The duelists' podiums each raised fifty feet into the air, with a fifty-yard state-of-the-art battlefield before them. The holographic generators hummed to life, so powerful that the illusions they produced would be completely indiscernible from true reality. To the audience, as well as to the duelists themselves, it would seem as if Jimu and Takuni were battling with living, breathing monsters, right before their very eyes.
In the announcer's box, roughly on eye-level with the two duelists, the head judge flipped a ceremonial coin. "Prince Jimu, being the elder of the two combatants, will call heads or tails."
The head judge just so happened to be an old friend of Jimu's father, the King of Old Asuka, and Jimu knew from his choice of words that the coin had landed on heads.
"I call tails," he declared.
The head judge hesitated before revealing the coin. "Heads!" yelled the announcer, inciting a rumbling "boo" from the audience. "Champion Takuni will decide who goes first."
Takuni went ahead and drew his card then, with a sinister smile at his opponent, answered, "I will. And I'll start by setting two cards on the field: one monster and one spell or trap."
The crowd was silent, anticipating their prince's first move. Looking over his opening hand, Jimu decided that the suspense would have to continue for a little while.
He drew a sixth card. "I begin by summoning Armageddon Knight in attack mode." He inserted the card into one of his monster zone slots, causing a larger-than-life hologram of the iron-clad crusader to appear on his side of the battlefield. His monster only had 1400 attack points, but attacking was not the real reason Jimu had chosen to summon it. "Armageddon Knight is a harbinger of doom, a herald of the darkness that is to come. To reflect this, his ability allows me to choose any dark monster in my deck and sent it directly to the graveyard. I choose Dark Horus."
Far away on his own podium, Takuni smiled. "Ah, a Hopeless Dragon deck. Pulverizing you should prove easier than I had anticipated."
"The name of my deck reflects your prospects in this duel," Jimu retorted. "Now, my Armageddon Knight, destroy his face-down monster."
The hologram rasied its broad black sword and used it to sever Takuni's card in two. It was Star Boy, a rather weak water-type monster. Interesting… in his research of the New Asukan champion, Jimu had never heard of him using a water deck.
"I finish my turn by setting one card face-down." Jimu saw that Takuni still had his own face-down card, though, assuming it was a trap and not a spell, Jimu's card would render it completely useless.
"Ah," said Takuni, "I seem to have drawn the Gold Sarcophagus spell card." This card would allow him to select any card in his deck and add it to his hand in two turns, but it would also give Jimu enormous insight into his opponent's strategy. "I choose to use Gold Sarcophagus on Bonding – H20."
Well, that certainly made things rather predictable. Takuni was playing a Water Dragon deck. Jimu couldn't remember ever facing one before, but he knew they required an enormous amount of luck to function effectively.
"Now," Takuni continued, "I'll normal summon Hydrogeddon to the field and use it to destroy your pitiful Armageddon Knight." A hologram of the Water-attribute dinosaur sprang into existence, and it quickly obliterated Jimu's only monster. "Because it destroyed one of your monsters, Hydrogeddon's effect allows me to summon a second Hydrogeddon from my deck, which can then attack your life points directly."
The Prince remained unconcerned as his life point counter dropped to 6200. Unless they dropped dangerously close to zero, life points were a rather expendable resource.
"Attack me all you wish," Jimu said. "It does not matter. Next turn, I'll destroy both of your monsters, preventing you from summoning your ultimate monster."
"Not with this spell card in play. I came to this arena for a civil duel with an honorable duelist, and I reflect this by activating Messenger of Peace."
Takuni's phony praise would do nothing to win over the audience, for Jimu had one of the strongest home field advantages in the history of duels. The spell itself, however, would be a bit of a problem. As long as it remained on the field, no monsters with more than 1500 attack points could declare an attack. That would make it exceedingly difficult for Jimu to destroy the Hydrogreddons before Takuni could use them to summon a Water Dragon.
"It's my turn now." Jimu drew a card. It was just the thing he needed to get his own strategy underway. "I'll begin by summoning Red-Eyes Wyvern to the field. And now, by removing my Wyvern from the game, I can special summon the greatest of all Red-Eyes dragons, and the centerpiece of my deck: allow me to introduce Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!"
The silver-tinted, razor-winged beast materialized in the center of the field, stretching its long, spiked tail and sending a terrifying roar out into the stadium.
Takuni just shook his head and laughed. "I told you this would be an easy win. I put this card in my deck to deal with your Obsidiusk card, but it's already come in useful. I activate the trap card Dragon Capture Jar."
It wasn't at all the trap Jimu had expected, but he was able to counter it nonetheless. "And I activate my own trap card, Royal Decree. Now the effects of all other trap cards are completely negated, meaning your Dragon Capture Jar is useless."
Now Takuni look surprised, though Jimu still needed to get rid of his Messenger of Peace if he wanted to declare an attack. Currently, there was no card in his hand capable of pulling off such a feat.
"Since I can't attack, I'll just activate Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's special ability, allowing me to summon one dragon from my graveyard. Naturally, I choose Dark Horus, a mighty beast with a virtually unbeatable 3000 attack points. Your turn, Takuni. Make it count."
"Oh, don't worry, I will. Your Royal Decree may prevent me from activating trap cards, but it can't stop my spells. I play Soul Taker, which allows me to destroy one monster on your side of the field."
That wouldn't bode well for the Prince at all. Unless… "So be it. Go ahead and destroy Dark Horus, my monster powerful dragon."
"Do not take me for a fool, Jimu. I could destroy Horus, but your Red-Eyes would merely bring him back next turn. Instead, I choose to destroy your Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon."
Jimu grimaced as his key monster was sent to the graveyard. But his dragons were servants of the darkness, and that meant that the graveyard was to them like a second home. And, on the bright side, Soul Taker did restore 1,000 of Jimu's life points.
"Now," Takuni said, "I'll summon Oxygeddon. That's right, Jimu, we both know what these means. Next turn, Bonding- H2O will be mine; then I can use its power to bring forth a creature like none you've ever seen."
The Water Dragon was indeed a very powerful monster, but Jimu had once held Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon in his hand, and compared to such a card, Takuni's dragon was pathetic. With only 2800 attack, it wouldn't stand a chance against Dark Horus. All Jimu needed was a way to destroy Takuni's Messenger of Peace.
He drew another card and took a long look at his hand: Dark Grepher, Dark Creator, Burial from the Different Dimension, and another Armageddon Knight. Still nothing terribly useful, but at least he now had a way to revive his Red-Eyes.
"I activate the spell card Burial from the Different Dimension, which sends my removed-from-play Red-Eyes Wyvern back to the graveyard, to accompany my Metal Dragon. And now I end my turn, allowing me to activate Wyvern's special ability. By removing it from play once more, I can summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon back to the playing field."
"True," Takuni said, "But it's now my turn, and you'll soon see that your two dragons won't stand a chance against my one. I'll start by allowing Messenger of Peace to expire, bringing an end to our truce. And due to Gold Sarcophagus' effect, Bonding – H20 is now added to my hand. Now I'll use it to tribute Oxygeddon and my two Hydrogeddon's to bring forth one of the most powerful cards in my deck. Behold the awesome fury of the Water Dragon!"
A torrent of holographic water flooded the battlefield below, swishing and twisting until it converged into one long ribbon, an enormous sea serpent comprised of shifting currents and raging rapids. "Due to Water Dragon's special ability, all Fire-attribute monsters on the field now have their attacks reduced to zero."
"I would be worried, Takuni, excepted that I don't have a single Fire monster in my deck."
"Of course you don't." The champion's confidence never faltered, and Jimu was now convinced that he was a lot smarter than he looked. "But I do. Perhaps you are familiar with the Lava Golem."
After thirty years of dueling, there were few cards Jimu was not familiar with, and Lava Golem wasn't one of them. It was a mighty 3000 attack monster that cost its owner a thousand life points every turn, which only made it more dangerous since Lava Golem could only be summoned to the opponent's side of the field, and only by tributing two monsters… two monsters belonging to the opponent.
"By the look in your eyes, Jimu, I see that you understand perfectly. I now sacrifice both of your dragons to summon Lava Golem to your side of the field. And due to my Water Dragon's ability, Lava Golem's attack is reduced to nothing. Now, my mighty sea dweller, attack!"
The Water Dragon lifted its ugly head and sent a blast of foam and freezing liquid straight at Jimu's new Lava Golem, destroying it and lowering the Prince's life points to 4400. "Are you done yet?"
"My turn is over, but I'm afraid it's you who's done, Jimu. It's no use denying it now; you've finally met your match."
"Time shall tell." In his heart, Jimu was indeed beginning to wonder if he might possibly lose this duel. If he did, it would be the first time he lost publicly in over twenty years, and it would cause a great spiritual blow to his people and, consequently, the war effort. In turn, the morale of New Asuka would be bolstered by their champion's victory, meaning more soldiers would volunteer and the fighting would become even bloodier. Jimu could not let that happen. Fate would not let him fail.
He drew his next card, and knew that destiny was on his side, for it was his oldest, most valued card: Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon. A card so powerful could not be summoned by normal summoning conditions, and it could only be special summoned by sacrificing three Dark-attribute monsters on his side of the field. Currently, Jimu had zero. He would just have to find a way to change that.
The stadium remained all but silent as ten thousand people held a collective breath. Jimu tuned them out of his mind, focusing on the cards in his hand and trying to figure out a way to use them to summon Obsidiusk. It did not take long for him to discover one.
"This turn I'll summon another Armageddon Knight, using its ability to send Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord to the graveyard. Your turn."
Now Takuni looked more confident than ever, having no clue as to the power Jimu was about to unleash upon him. "This is what the Prince of Old Asuka offers as his last defense? I don't even need my Water Dragon to destroy such a weak card. I'll summon Blizzard Dragon to complete such a menial task, leaving my greater monster to attack your lifepoints directly."
And so they did, Blizzard Dragon overpowering Armageddon Knight with its 1800 attack points, followed by Water Dragon's direct assault.
"Now you're down to only 1,200 life points, Jimu. Don't forget that this duel is being broadcast live to every corner of our kingdoms. If I were you, I'd give up now and spare yourself the humiliation of defeat."
The Prince stared his foe in the eyes. "But you are not me, Takuni, and I thank the heavens for this. For, unlike you, I am not a quitter; in fact, I am about to win this duel."
"You're bluffing. Besides your pointless Royal Decree, you don't have a single card on the field, and your life points are nearly gone, while you've yet to make so much as a dent in mine. Go ahead; make your final move."
"My pleasure, though it will actually take two turns to destroy you." Jimu drew another card, though he did not need it. "You've made the mistake of assuming that the player with less life points is losing; this is not so. Because I now have four cards in my hand, while you have only one; this gives me hand advantage. And I don't just have any four cards in my hand; I have just the cards I need to bring forth the most powerful dark dragon card ever created. Watch and learn.
"Thanks to your carelessness, I now have exactly five dark-attribute monsters in my graveyard: Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Dark Horus, Van'Dalgyon, and my two Armageddon Knights. This allows me to special summon the Dark Creator from my hand." The Dark Creator was, like most of Jimu's deck, an evil, twisted version of a very powerful card. And, true to its name, this card allowed him to special summon one Dark-attribute monster from his graveyard, by removing another from play. "I use Dark Creator's ability to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon back to my side of the field, at the cost of removing one of my Armageddon Knights from play. Now I can use my Red-Eyes' ability to bring back another dragon, and I chose Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord. And finally, I'll normal summon Dark Grepher. Afraid now, Takuni?"
The look on the champion's face answered that question for him. Then again, few duelists could've kept their cool with four terrible monsters staring down at them, even I they were only holograms.
"Unfortunately for you, my legions of darkness are the least of your worries. Because by sacrificing my Dark Grepher, Dark Creator, and Van'Dalgyon, I can special summon the most powerful card in my deck, one that makes your Water Dragon look like a Kuriboh beside it. Now, go forth, my champion of darkness. I call upon Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon!"
Excepting Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, the Prince's side of the field was cleared of monsters, making way for a dragon so mighty that its colossal form pushed the hologram generators to their limits, its wingspan stretching from one side of the arena to the other, its shadow drenching the entire battlefield in darkness. This was always the Prince's favorite part of a duel: the moment when Obsidiusk claimed its dominance over every other card in existence, a hundred feet of pure terror from head to tail, all bearing down upon a helpless opponent.
With a great cry that blasted from every speaker in the arena, Obsidiusk declared his arrival. The dragon's ear-shattering roar was echoed by the audience's own, a chorus of cheers and jubilation, now that their Prince's victory was completely assured. Because throughout the Prince's long dueling career, Obsidiusk had become more than just his signature card; it had become a banner for all New Asukans to revere, a mascot of their nation's power and a symbol of the strength and authority of the royal family. And it meant one thing for certain: the duel was about to end.
The Prince silently thanked Pegasus, and the ancient Egyptians before him, for creating such a magnificent beast. Unlike the other dragons in Jimu's deck, all beautiful in their own right, Obsidiusk was not formed of flesh or metal. His entire body, from his razor-sharp claws to his pitch-black eyes, coruscated in the arena lights, a rainbow of pure darkness, a masterpiece of microscopic corners and sheer faces, a veritable god brought to life before their eyes.
The Prince crossed his arms over his chest and straightened his back. It would not do for Obsidiusk's master to appear anything other than divinely regal in his moment of greatest triumph. "I am sure you are aware of Obsidiusk's abilities already," he said to Takuni. "But for the benefit of those watching our duel, I shall explain. Once in play, Obsidiusk cannot be destroyed by the effect of any card. And with three thousand attack points, destroying him in battle would be extremely difficult even without his final ability; with it, he's virtually unstoppable. For as the lord of all darkness, Obsidiusk is granted additional power from each of his fallen servants; in other words, for every Dark monster in my graveyard, he gains 300 more attack points, bringing his total to a devastating 4500, more than enough to destroy your beloved Water Dragon."
And at this cue, Obsidiusk extended his wings to their full capacity, his head reaching to the sky above where black clouds were beginning to gather, his tail hanging so low it almost scraped the arena floor, his clawed arms outstretched, drawing the powers of darkness to him. The holoprojectors were working in overdrive now, forming a simulated cloud of shadow energy between the dragon's great claws. From where Jimu stood, it seemed as if his monster was drawing its power from the actual stormclouds above. The sight was breathtaking.
And when the dragon had summoned all the power it needed, it sent the cloud of darkness hurdling at Tukani's Water Dragon, obliterating it in a matter of seconds.
Save for the sound of thunder and the deafening hum of the holoprojectors, the stadium was silent for many moments. Finally, Takuni managed to regain his composure and said, "By destroying my Water Dragon, you activate another of its special abilities. For my beast is the incarnation of the ocean itself, and you should know well that water can be altered and displaced, but never destroyed. So I am now allowed to summon both my Hydrogeddons and my Oxygeddon back from my graveyard."
"I expected as much." Jimu realized that Tukani might draw another Bonding – H2O and use it to resummon his Water Dragon. Not that it would matter with Obsidiusk in play, but Jimu decided not to take chances. Destroying Blizzard Dragon would do nothing to help, and Hydrogeddons were far too easy to summon. That left only one choice. "Now my Red-Eyes-Darkness Metal Dragon will finish off your Oxygeddon. And with your lifepoints now at 5200, I set one card facedown and end my turn."
His face-down card was a quick-play spell card, able to be activated during either player's turn, though at this point in the duel, it was simply a precautionary measure. After all, Takuni had just two cards in his hand, and three dreadfully weak monsters on the field.
Nevertheless, Takuni appeared to have drawn something to give him hope, for there was a look of great vengeance in his eyes. But what card would be powerful enough to defeat one of the legendary crystal dragons?
"You are a fool, Jimu," Takuni said. "And with all of Asuka as my witnesses, I shall prove it. Your overconfidence, your misplaced faith in your dragon, shall be your downfall. Contrary to what you've assumed throughout this duel, Obsidiusk is not the most powerful card in either of our decks. There is another card that matches him point for point, and I've just drawn it. That's right, Jimu. I sacrifice my Hydrogeddons and Blizzard Dragon to bring forth my own ultimate beast: Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon!"
Jimu's shock at hearing those words was so palpable that he took a step backwards out of recoil. It seemed impossible that Takuni would even know the name of such a card, but to possess it, to have drawn it under such specific circumstances that he was able to bring about its summoning… the odds were astronomical. Jimu's mind reeled, trying to make sense of this impossible nightmare. Thirteen years ago, he had given Saphrine to the family of Professor Hiroka, along with the rest of the crystal dragons. And yes, the daughter had used Ambrilliant in many duels throughout her lifetime, but the others… he had always assumed them locked away somewhere, never to be used against him in a duel. And yet here he was, somehow forced to fight a dragon every bit as powerful as his own. This crucial duel had just been taken to an entire new level.
And the arrival of Saphrine was every bit as grandiose as Obsidiusk's. She looked his twin in nearly every way, though her lattice of glistening scales were tinted blue instead of black, and while Obsidiusk's imposing form exuded power and dominance, Saphrine's appearance seemed strangely calming, serene. This was not a being to be feared or worshiped, it was a god of mercy and compassion, a spirit of kindness and a friend to all. Such was the beauty of a crystal dragon that merely by witnessing its presence could Jimu sense these emotions flooding through him.
As if on cue, the dark stormclouds released their downpour all at once, but few of the spectators dared take their eyes away from the duel for even a moment. Not that Jimu was concerned with them anymore. Now, with the appearance of a second crystal dragon, the stakes had never seemed so high. But the battle was not over yet.
"I am sincerely impressed, Takuni. And when this battle is over, you will tell me how you came to be in possession of that card. But for now, I must warn you that our dragons are equal in power. You have exactly five water monsters in your graveyard, brining Saphrine's attack points to 4500. If she attacks Obsidiusk now, they'll both be destroyed, leaving you wide open to an attack from my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon."
Even with his microphone, Takuni had to shout to be heard over the raging storm. "You neglect to mention one crucial detail. In my hand, I hold one more card, and it's the only card I need. I equip that magic card Steel Shell to my dragon, increasing her attack points to 4900. Now, Saphrine, my Blue Crystal Dragon, destroy Obsidiusk!"
And as the hologram of Saphrine lunged forward and the unstoppable might of the two gods collided, they gave a united roar of infinite pride, echoed by the sound of true thunder, and there came a bolt of lightning that seared through the sky. And simultaneously, a storm of equal terror erupted inside Jimu's head, filling him with agony unknowable, with such overwhelming pressure that he felt to his knees and tried to yank the hair out of his head, as if creating an opening by which the despair could escape.
No. He was Prince Jimu, destined king of a united Asuka, and his moment of destiny was finally at hand. Something so trivial as a headache would not stand in the way of his victory. Rising to his feet seemed an impossible task, yet he managed, and found himself facing a scene of such incoherent reality that he was instantly reminded of that midsummer night thirteen years ago, when he and Professor Hiroka had first awakened the dragon-gods.
In the middle of the stadium, Obsidiusk and Saphrine did battle, tearing at each other with claws of glass, wings pounded to keep themselves aloft, tackling and biting and slamming and thrashing in a dance of deadly destruction. Now the Prince knew that he was witnessing something truly magical; no hologram was this advanced, not by far.
Obsidiusk lunged at Saphrine with full force, but she twisted out of the way, grabbed onto him as he passed by and, using her wings to create a spin of momentum, tossed him down into an empty area of risers; the audience had already vacated the stadium, no doubt both perplexed and afraid at what was happening.
Obsidiusk recovered from the impact, rising to all fours and climbing up to the top of the stadium, tearing out rows of seats as he moved. Then, perched atop the outermost wall, he stared Prince Jimu in the eye.
And now the overpowering will returned, so unimaginable that words like "pain" and "agony" no longer did it any justice. The Prince's world descended into shadow, an abyss blacker than evil incarnate. And then, without warning, all became calm. The stadium was gone along with the dragons; all that remained was complete, utter darkness.
And in the infinite darkness, Jimu heard a voice, menacing and intimidating, but wise and powerful too.
At last, our time has come, my Prince. For so many years I have awaited this moment, my soul bound helplessly within a children's playing card. For so many years has my heart yearned to unleash the agony of my torment, to be freed from my eternal prison so that together, we might achieve our common destiny.
The Prince had thought himself speechless the moment he'd first seen the six dragon-gods brought to life, but only now did he realize what speechless truly meant. The sheer enormity of this moment was too great for his mind to grasp. Somehow, through his battle with Takuni, he had broken whatever spell the Professor had used to seal away the six dragons, which meant that all this time, the soul of Obsidiusk had been right under his nose, hidden away inside his own playing card. In retrospect, it all seemed so moronically obvious.
Your assessment of the situation is correct, my Prince. By bringing the cards of my sister and I into such close proximity, you weakened the seal that kept us locked inside, uncovering the lock. And when our masters used us in a duel against one another, both of your minds were subject to such an array of emotion and desperation that the seals were broken, unlocked after all these years. Now I pledge myself to you, good Prince. I see in your heart that you wish to bring an end to this war, and so this quest shall become mine also. With my unstoppable power and your guidance, we will crush New Asuka and unite the entire world under our banner.
No… this was… wrong. This wasn't how Jimu had envisioned it. Obsidiusk was telling him everything he wanted to hear, yet it still seemed as if somehow the dragon was the one in control, not the Prince. Jimu had no ambitions for ruling the world, and he certainly didn't want to crush New Asuka; he merely intended to use the threat of violence to force his father and uncle to reunite the kingdom.
Your wish is my command, my Prince. I did not mean to step beyond my bounds. If you desire it, then we shall begin our quest by forcing your father and uncle to surrender before our might. Then, once the empire is whole once more, we shall decide what is best for the future of our people.
Yes, that was a bit more like it. Together, as master and servant, they would bring an end to this needless civil war. But first Jimu had to find a way out of this dark prison and back into the real world.
This is no prison; we are merely having a friendly conversation inside the mind we now share. You are free to leave any time you wish. And I do recommend that you do so very soon. For in the real world, we are about to lose a vital duel. When the masters of two crystal dragons duel with decks containing each card, the winner inherits the card of the loser, by divine right. We must defeat Takuni and force my sister Saphrine to join us. Then we must seek out my other siblings, to assimilate their powers and ensure that our enemies do not use them against us.
That all sounded very well and good, but Jimu still didn't know how he was supposed to win the duel. Before the dragons had awakened, Saphrine had possessed 400 more attack points than Obsidiusk.
Which is why you must return to the outside world immediately. I cannot hold out against her much longer. Last turn, you set a spell card face-down on the field. It was fate that instructed you to do so, for this card is the key to our success. Now I need you to finish the duel and earn us a victory, so that we may move on to more important matters. Do you understand what must be done?
The Prince understood, though he wasn't very pleased with Obsidiusk's condescending tone.
Apologies, my Lord. We will have plenty of time to discuss our relationship later. For now, we have a duel to win.
And the next thing Jimu knew, he had zoned back in to the real world, where the arena now lay in ruins, the two dragons continuing their battle in the skies overhead. Yet, oddly enough, the dueling field itself, including the holoprojectors, seemed completely untouched. Jimu looked to the opposite podium where, judging by the look on Takuni's face, he, too, had just finished talking to the dragon-god he had summoned.
The Prince reached out to his face-down spell card and flipped it over. "I activate the spell card Shrink, which allows me to half the attack points of one of your monsters. And I choose Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon."
With those words spoken, her power seemed to instantly diminish. Obsidiusk grabbed onto his sister and carried her up into the ravenous stormclouds. Then, moments later he returned, both of them intertwined and speeding toward the ground with blinding momentum. In the last possible moment, Obsidiusk veered away, but Saphrine was not so fortunate, slamming hard into the ground and shattering into a million harmless pieces. Meanwhile, Takuni's lifepoint counter dropped to 4100. Since his opponent no longer had a single card left to play, Prince Jimu drew, signifying the official beginning of his turn.
"Now, Obsidiusk," He was pleased to find that his voice had returned, and it seemed now that when he spoke, his words carried extra gravity, "Attack his life points directly, ending this duel once and for all."
And with another great roar to the heavens, Obsidiusk complied, launching a mass of dark energy straight at Takuni's podium. Jimu realized what was about to happen too late to do anything about it. The podium crumbled fifty feet to the ground, taking Takuni with it, while his life point counter, appropriately enough, dropped to zero.
The Prince's own podium lowered to the ground as it was programmed to do, and he found himself surrounded by his own dedicated security team, Captain Minami at their head. Around them, the stadium was empty; even the reporters had refused to wait things out, though Jimu suspected that at least a few of the television cameras were still running, meaning the entire nation had just seen the end of their battle.
"Prince Jimu, sir… are you alright?" Minami offered him a bandage for his head, but he turned it down. There was no time to waste.
Above them, the storm had come to a sudden and complete halt, and the skies were clearing. Obsidiusk, now that the duel was officially over, was nowhere to be found. Yet the damage done to the stadium proved that he had been far more than just a hologram.
The Prince made his way over the rubble that had once been Takuni's podium, ignoring the questions of his security detail. There was no chance that the New Asukan champion had survived the collapse, and yet strangely enough, perched perfectly atop the rubble without even a scratch on it, was his Saphrine card.
Though we are no longer imprisoned by them, these cards are still our dwellings, and so they cannot be destroyed. Saphrine is now rightfully yours, to do with as you please. She is weakened after such a devastating defeat, but upon being summoned in other duel, she shall be reborn anew.
The Prince picked up the card and turned to Minami. "You used to use a water deck, right Captain?"
"I still do, sir, but what-"
"Take this." He handed her Saphrine. "I have a very important mission for you, so listen carefully. I want you to take two dozen of your best men and head to Professor Hiroko's house. His two children still live there. Bring them to me, along with their dueling decks and any other cards you find in the house. Understood?"
"Yes, your highness, but what are you giving me this for?"
It was a good question. Why had he decided to entrust her with such a powerful card?
Because it is her destiny, and she will need it to complete her mission. Do not forget that my siblings have also awakened, and the children you speak of are no doubt under their protection. If this is the case, the only way to acquire the other cards is to defeat their rightful owners in a duel.
That explanation made sense to Jimu, or it would after he had time to meditate upon it. Hopefully, the Professor's children still owned all four of the other dragons, but even if they didn't, they'd surely be able to explain what had happened to them, and how Saphrine had come to be in the possession of the New Asukan champion. And now that the entire kingdom had just witnessed Jimu kill Takuni on live television, the war was certainly about to escalate to a whole new level. The Prince would have to do everything in his power to stop that from happening, and for now, that meant acquiring the other crystal dragons. Captain Minami had to succeed in the task he had beset her; his destiny, and the destiny of the world, depended upon it.