Dan LP: 3100

Alit LP: 4000

Chaos Number 105: Burning Knuckler Caestus the Comet: Warrior-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 5/ATK 2800/DEF 2000 – 5 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 2 set cards

Dan picked himself up carefully, being careful to avoid leaning on any sharp stones. He knew he was in trouble. The plan was to keep these duelists busy for as long as possible while Skyler and the Stranger snuck into the building and had a good hunt around. At the very least, Dan had been confident that he would be able to stall his opponent, since his Counter-accumulation strategy was better suited for longer duels.

However, he was now beginning to see that that wasn't going to work here. Alit was not only one of the most fiery and powerful duelists he'd ever met, but he also possessed several tools that Dan couldn't even conceive of. By playing defensively, Dan had successfully lured Alit into Summoning his Number... but there was no way he could've anticipated a Number this strong.

Stalling was no longer an option, then. If he continued with the defensive plays, he wouldn't last another two turns against an opponent with such raw destructive power. No, if he was to have a chance of biding Skyler and the Stranger any time at all, he'd have to come at Alit with all his strength, with the intent to defeat him as quickly as possible. At the very least, he'd last longer that way than trying to play defensive again.

"My turn then, I draw!" Dan grimaced as he beheld his drawn card: Blizzard Dragon. Still, he had another chance at a good draw. "I activate the Spell, Card of Adversity." The card appeared on his otherwise empty field. "With this, if I control no monsters but you control at least one that was Special Summoned, I can draw two cards."

"Heh. Clutching at straws already, are you?" Alit said.

Dan ignored him and drew. A quick glance at his newly drawn cards made him grin. "Alright, that's better. First I Normal Summon Polaris Dragon Yve!" The dragon that appeared closely resembled a wyvern, with two wings and a sharp nose, and no front feet. Its scales were predominantly blue, with black traces outlining its body.

Polaris Dragon Yve: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 300

"Then I activate the Field Spell Card Polaris Adventitia, the Mythic Citadel!" A blazing white light emanated from his duel disk as the card was activated, and a cruel wind swept through the area. When the light faded, the two of them were in a totally different place. They were now standing in a colossal ice cavern, carved out the side of a mountain or glacier. It was open at both ends, held up by natural ice columns, and big enough to fit several skyscrapers inside. Along the main wall were fixed a series of platforms and plateaus, all interconnected and very sturdy, and upon which the duelists now found themselves standing. Many small caves were dotted into the wall itself, and glowing red eyes watched them from within many of them.

"A Field Spell, huh," Alit muttered.

"As long as this card is in play," Dan was explaining, "Dragon-Type monsters on the field will have their ATK and DEF increased by 200."

Polaris Dragon Yve: ATK 1500 1700/DEF 300 500

"It also has a few other effects," he went on, taking another card from his hand. "One of which allows me to, once per turn, discard one card from my hand to place Polaris Counters onto one monster on the field, equal to that monster's Level. I discard Polaris Dragon Briar to place three Counters on Yve." As he sent the card to his Graveyard, a flurry of snow surrounded the dragon, plastering three icy spheres to its body.

Polaris Dragon Yve: 0 3 PLC

"And now I can use the effect of the Polaris Dragon Briar I discarded. When it's sent to my Graveyard, I can add any Polaris card from my Deck to my hand, as long as I then send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard. I'll add Polaris Dragon Sapphia to my hand." He extracted the card from his Deck, then allowed his duel disk to auto-shuffle it before milling his top card: Gamushara.

"An icy Deck with a Counter strategy," Alit said, a note of enthusiasm creeping into his voice. "Now this could be more interesting..."

"I'm not looking to entertain you," Dan replied. "Now, by removing three Polaris Counters from the field, I can Special Summon this card straight from my hand." The three icy lumps attached to Yve flared with white light, before shooting off and being absorbed into Dan's card like Overlay Units.

Polaris Dragon Yve: 3 0 PLC

"Come on out, Polaris Dragon Sapphia!" The monster that appeared this time was a simple dragon, with two hind legs and two fore legs, wings, and a tail. It was a soft blue and white colour, its scales glistening gently in the polar setting.

Polaris Dragon Sapphia: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 1500

Polaris Dragon Sapphia: ATK 1700 1900/DEF 1500 1700

Just then, as Dan was about to initiate his next move, he was cut off by the triumphant cry of... something. A massive creature, a dragon possibly, emanating from somewhere close by. Almost immediately after it stopped, a colossal explosion sounded from the other side of the building, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass and concrete. The ground shook beneath them, and both duelists struggled to keep their footing.

"What the hell was that?!" Dan gasped as things subsided.

"Mizael must've Summoned his dragon already," Alit said, dusting off his cloak. "Those two always did enjoy showing off."

"So whatever that thing was... Leah's out there dueling against it?"

"Yeah. And I don't envy her one bit," Alit replied. "Judging from that explosion, I reckon she just took an attack from Mizael's dragon. She'll be lucky to still be standing after that."

"Don't take her strength for granted; she's even stronger than me," Dan said.

"I should hope so," Alit retorted, a note of distain entering his voice. "So far you've shown me a whole lot of nothing as far as skill goes. Your dueling strategy is defensive and predictable, and your style is bordering on dull."

"Guess I'd better step it up then," Dan grinned. "Let's see if I can match that over-touted boxer of yours. Level three Yve and Sapphia, Overlay!" Both monsters turned fully blue and shot upwards, as a galaxy-shaped portal opened up on the wooden platform beneath them. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Material Monsters spiralled down into the portal, which erupted with light. "Appear, Number 68: Glacial Dragon."

A blue number sixty-eight flared over the field and etched itself onto the back of his right hand, as out of the residue of the portal rose a massive dragon egg. It was black, white, and light-blue, and its texture was far from smooth, with a bumpy surface and regular gaps where a scaly skin was visible. With a loud crack, the egg split down the middle and began to divide, showering the field with lumps of ice. More ice shattered as the creature inside uncurled itself from the egg, and split the egg further by spreading its wings. The ground was soon littered with chunks of ice. With a final effort, the dragon finally uncurled itself completely – revealing that the egg had really been its curled-up body covered in ice – and flapped its wings once, brushing the duelists with an icy wind. The dragon had a black and white snake-like body with light blue highlights, a tail with a membrane on the end much like a fish, two long whiskers curling away from its nose – both drifting about in the icy breeze – and piercing teal eyes. The blue number sixty-eight was imprinted on its forehead, and it was orbited by two blue Overlay Units.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 2 OLU

Number 68: Glacial Dragon: ATK 1000 1200/DEF 1000 1200

"Battle!" he declared instantly. "Glacial Dragon, attack Caestus!" The dragon reared its head back and began charging an icy nova between its teeth.

"Attacking a monster with a higher ATK?" Alit said, suddenly on guard. "That's suicide unless your monster has an effect of some sort."

"That it does, Alit," Dan said. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can detach one of its Overlay Units to increase its ATK by the original ATK that Overlay Unit had when it was a monster." A single blue orb broke orbit and was absorbed into the jewel on the dragon's forehead.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 2 1 OLU

"The detached Polaris Dragon Sapphia had 1700 ATK," he went on. "So all those attack points are transferred to Glacial Dragon!"

"That's more like it!" Alit said enthusiastically. "But we're equal to that! I activate the Counter Trap Card, Xyz Block!" His face-down card triggered. "When an opponent's monster activates an effect, I can activate this card by detaching one Overlay Unit from any monster I control. Caestus has plenty to spare, so I'll take one from him." One of the Chaos Number's Units dissipated in a shower of red particles.

Chaos Number 105: Burning Knuckler Caestus the Comet: 5 → 4 OLU

"Then, this card negates that effect's activation, and destroys the monster that activated it!" Without a second's warning, the Xyz Block card fired a bright red ray of light which struck the Glacial Dragon in the neck. The dragon's attack disappeared from between its jaws, and it let out a single pained screech before exploding violently.

"Glacial Dragon!" Dan gasped, clutching his hand as he felt the familiar pain of his Number's destruction.

"That was a very low-level attack," Alit said, a note of contempt in his voice. "It's miles better than what you tried last turn, but with this kind of dueling you'll be lucky to even put a dent in my Life Points."

Dan ignored him. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Alit shook his head. "I Summoned my Chaos Number on my first turn because I was excited about this duel... I'm starting to think it wasn't worth the effort. My turn, draw!"

"During each player's Standby Phase," Dan cut in, stopping Alit before he went any further. "Polaris Adventitia's other effect activates, placing one Polaris Counter on every single monster on the field." In a small flurry, a single lump of ice congealed on Caestus' chest plate.

Chaos Number 105: Burning Knuckler Caestus the Comet: 0 → 1 PLC

"Like it matters," Alit retorted, merely glancing at his drawn card before switching it to his other hand. "Battle! Go Caestus, attack his Life Points directly!" The purple-armoured warrior leapt high into the air, charging a violet surge of energy that surged around its fist.

"I activate the Trap Card, Draining Shield!" Dan responded, activating one of his face-downs. As it flared with light, a bright green dome appeared around him. "This card negates an opponent's monster's attack, and increases my Life Points by an amount equal to its ATK."

"I'll push straight through all your barriers!" Alit shouted. "Counter Trap, Accel Footwork, activate!" The cloaked man's remaining face-down card activated. "This card negates a Trap Card that activates during the Battle Phase, and destroys it!" The Trap sent out a single yellow pulse of light, which darted across the road in a zigzag pattern before striking the Draining Shield card, destroying it. As the card vanished, the green barrier protecting Dan shattered and fell away.

"A Burning Knuckler Deck combined with a Counter Trap strategy," Dan realised. "Your strategies just keep getting more and more interesting."

"It's a fiery Counter Deck versus an icy Counter Deck," Alit said. "And mine will win! Caestus, continue your attack!"

Dan gasped, remembering that he still had to do something about the attack. He couldn't stop it anymore, but he could at least soften the damage. "In a new chain, I activate the Trap Card, Call of the Haunted!" His other set card flipped up. "With it, I can revive any monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position. I choose Polaris Dragon Briar!" The dragon rose up out of the resurrection circle and landed on all fours in front of Dan. It was a green and blue colour, with spikey protrusions all over its body and two vestigial and withered wings on its front legs.

Polaris Dragon Briar: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1000

Polaris Dragon Briar: ATK 1200 1400/DEF 1000 1200

"Hmph," Alit snorted. "I activate the other effect of Accel Footwork in my Graveyard. When you activate a Trap Card, if I control at least one Burning Knuckler monster, I can return it to my hand." He swiftly extracted the Counter Trap from his Graveyard and added it to his hand. "Now, Caestus, redirect your attack towards Polaris Dragon Briar!" The Chaos Number fell from out of the sky towards the icy dragon, trailing energy behind it like an actual comet. "Go! Comet Explosion!" Caestus brought its fist straight down on Briar's head, inducing a colossal eruption which ripped up yet more concrete from the roads. Despite the force of the explosion and the amount of stone shards pelting him, Dan managed to stay upright.

Dan LP: 3100 → 1700

"I activate Briar's effect!" Dan shouted. "When it's sent to the Graveyard, I can add another Polaris card from my Deck to my hand. This time I choose Gathering of the Polaris!" He added the card to his hand, then milled another card. This one turned out to be Polaris Dragon Islingh.

"If you're quite done," Alit called. "I activate Caestus' second effect! When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you take damage equal to your monster's ATK on the field."

"What?!" Dan gasped.

"You might as well have not Summoned that dragon; you'll be taking the same damage either way! Go, Caestus!" The Chaos Number moved swiftly forward, stopping with its fist – which was still crackling with purple energy – an inch away from Dan's chest. Before he could so much as flinch, the energy exploded outwards in a shockwave that once again knocked the young hunter back, sending him sprawling onto the pavement.

Dan LP: 1700 → 300

"Down again!" Alit laughed. "Do I need to get a referee out here to start counting every time I knock you down? I'll end with two more face-down cards. Your move."


Author-made cards:

Polaris Dragon Yve
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 300
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. If this card is in your Graveyard: You can target 1 other Dragon-Type monster in your Graveyard; shuffle that target into the Deck, then return this card from the Graveyard to the hand. You can only use this effect of "Polaris Dragon Yve" once per turn.

Polaris Dragon Sapphia
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 1500
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Polaris" monster from your Deck.

Polaris Dragon Briar
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1000
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. When this card is sent to the Graveyard: Add 1 "Polaris" card (except "Polaris Dragon Briar") from your Deck to your hand, then send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard. You can only use this effect of "Polaris Dragon Briar" once per turn.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000
2 Level 3 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster until the End Phase.

Polaris Adventitia, the Mythic Citadel
Field Spell Card
All face-up Dragon-Type monsters gain 200 ATK and DEF. During each player's Standby Phase: Place 1 Polaris Counter on each face-up monster on the field. Once per turn: You can discard 1 card, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; place Polaris Counters on it equal to its Level. If this card would be destroyed by a card effect, you can remove 2 Polaris Counters from the field instead.


Fun Fact #12: Well, Alit has a new punching bag.

Fun Fact #13: It's rare that we show a duel that's so utterly and completely one-sided, but that's because up until now, most of our duels have had duelists of approximately equal strength. This is different though. The Barian Lords really are in a league of their own compared to our characters, who have barely mastered the power of Chaos, let along Ranking-Up. The Deltas will really have to evolve their skills (rank themselves up, if you will) to stand a chance in these duels.