A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. I've been trying to get it finished, but considering I hadn't updated this story since I first put it up, I figured I'd just upload what I had done. Yes, that means there was meant to be a second duel this chapter, but I have now moved it to the next chapter. So, seeing as this is the first official chapter of Twilight Age, I will mention that I will NOT be showing any events with the Signers. Anything they have done during the course of the anime will be unchanged unless I say otherwise, so if you want to see what Yusei, Aki, Crow and the rest of their group is up to, you'll just have to watch the anime. With that out of the way, let's begin the second season!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the .hack franchise. I DO, however, own Misaki Ryou and the Epitaph archetype while Loveable Namine owns Yamato Shiru, The Duelist of Dawn owns Raven Hardy, and Fenikkusumaru owns Kururugi Kurogasa and the Haos archetype.
In the vastness of space, a monolithic structure flew through the endless void. Etched on the stone slab was a carving of a strange creature. The monolith then ignited as it entered a planet's atmosphere, making it descent.
The planet? Earth.
[Play System Administrator from .hack/G.U. TRILOGY OST]
In the outskirts of Neo Domino City, a group of four dressed in white robes stood in the crater made by the monolith as they looked at the carving etched into it.
"The first one has finally arrived," said one of the figures with a small smirk on his face.
"Darn, it's Placido's card, isn't it?" said the smallest of the figures, though didn't sound too bothered by the fact.
The largest of the figures scoffed, "You mean that as in, they won't even cause us any problem, don't you?"
"If I'm first in line, then, Lucciano, José, Cortez, there's practically no chance you three will ever get a turn up," the first figure, Placido, stated.
"Don't get so full of yourself, Placido," the fourth figure, who was slightly taller than Placido, warned.
Before the four could continue, the sound of approaching sirens drew their attention. A pair of Security cars parked themselves near the crater and as the vehicle doors opened, Yeager was one of the people to rush out and noticed the four robed figures standing near the monolith.
"There are people here before us!" Yeager notified the Security members that were with him before pointing at the four accusingly. "Who are you people!? This place is off-limits!"
"It seems our entourage has arrived," the largest figure noted as he turned his head to glance at the Security force.
"Perfect," Placido said as he quickly turned around to face Yeager and the Security. "You people, carry this out."
"What!? Who do you think I—"
Placido quickly cut Yeager off by drawing his sword and holding the tip to the smaller man's face, "I will return that same line back to you, you bug-eyed clown."
"B-Bug-eyed clown!?" Yeager repeated, his eyes focused on the tip of the blade.
"Lower your sword, Placido," the fourth robed figure ordered. "We don't need to cause any unnecessary problems."
Placido scoffed as he did as requested, "Such a spoil-sport, Cortez."
"From today on, we'll be your leaders," the smaller robed figure said as he stepped forward and then laughed.
"T-Then, you mean, you all have come from Yliaster!?" Yeager realized in shock before dropping to his knees and bowing with his forehead against the ground. "Please, forgive my rudeness!" Yeager then got back up to his feet and pointed at the monolith as he turned to face the members of Security. "I want that stone tablet transported to the Public Security Maintenance Bureau on the double!"
"Sir!" all the present Security officers said in unison with a salute before getting right to work.
"Don't dillydally! Do you want to embarrass me!?"
As Yeager shouted at the officers, Placido turned around to face the tablet once more, a sinister smirk across his lips, 'I think I should test its power right away…'
[End song]
-Two Weeks Later-
[Play Serpent of Lore ~Yata's Theme~ from .hack/G.U. Game Music OST]
Another monolith was making its descent towards Earth, the four members of Yliaster watching from a strange room with four pillar-like chairs. As the tablet entered the planet's atmosphere, Lucciano was the one to point out its owner.
"So this time it's Cortez's?" Lucciano said disappointingly with a scoff. "I was hoping it'd be mine."
"Worry not, Lucciano," Cortez spoke up before glancing at Placido. "Unlike Placido, I'll make sure to only do what is necessary."
Placido scoffed in response, "And what makes you think you can do any better?"
"That is enough," José spoke up with a raised voice, quickly stopping Cortez and Placido from getting into an argument. "This is not the time for petty squabbles. Cortez, I suggest you test yourself."
"Of course," Cortez replied with a nod before returning his attention to the monitor just as the monolith crashed. "And I know just who to use as a warm-up…"
[End song]
(Ryou's POV)
Two weeks had passed since the meteor crashed just outside of the city, during which there had been reports of attacks against D-Wheelers by an entity being referred to as "Ghost". One of Ghost's victims was Ushio, who had been hospitalized for a rather short amount of time, but not long after, Ghost had attacked Yusei. The Monster he faced was a Synchro Killer, a Monster designed specifically to steal an opponent's Synchro Monster and absorb its power. However, it turned out Ghost was just a robot, a Riding Roid that had apparently been stolen from Security headquarters some time prior to the attacks, being used to attack anyone using Synchro Monsters. Recently there were reports of yet another meteor landing not too far from the city.
"Seriously, another one?" I asked myself, currently working alone in the Poppo Time garage as Crow was out on his usual deliveries, Yusei had been called away to a job and Jack was out being Jack. "I didn't think the second one showed up so soon… Come on you piece of junk!" I was tinkering around with a prototype engine that Yusei had been working on for his team, the main reason being that it was the "secret weapon" the three of them were going to use for the upcoming WRGP, though my personal reasons were that it'd give me some ideas on how to upgrade the D-Wheels of my own team and even though I'm not overly fond of any of these guys, I still want a rematch against Yusei for my loss back during the Fortune Cup… "Fine, you want to do this the hard way?" I said, starting to get angry as a few of the Epitaph patterns began to appear on my body, signifying my use of their power.
That turned out to be a very bad idea, however, as it literally blew up in my face, forcing me to back off and wave away the smoke billowing from the engine.
"Ryou, are you okay?" Lycoris asked in concern, completely unaffected by the little explosion.
"Fucking hell…" I grumbled as I grabbed a nearby cloth and used it to wipe my face clean. "Anything else I'm fine with, but engines are too damn complicated for me. Fuck, just let Kurogasa do this shit!" I paused for a moment and then let out an irritated sigh. "Not that it'd help considering those guys are in school." I then walked over to the nearby desk and plopped myself down on the chair, leaning back a bit as I dropped the cloth on a table. "I don't want to do this shit…"
"If you didn't want to do it then why did you agree to it in the first place?" the young girl asked me.
"Don't know… Guess I just wanted something to do…" was the best answer I could some up with, but then I growled in frustration. "Someone give me a fucking job!"
Just then, as if answering my request, an email arrived on Yusei's computer. There were a total of four accounts on this thing; one for Yusei and his team usually meant for social things, one that Yusei personally uses for work, one that I personally use for work, and one that we shared also for work. The latter of the four was for anyone who didn't really care which of us showed up, while the middle two would be personal job requests. Considering my usual attitude towards people… I'm generally not surprised that Yusei gets so many more requests than I do, so I was a little surprised when I saw this message was specifically meant for me.
"Ah! Looks like someone heard you," Lycoris said, surprised at the timing.
"Well, you know what they say. Speak of the devil and sure enough he'll show up," I said as I leaned forward and checked the message. "Hm… Just a standard job… Out in Satellite?! Fucking hell, what a pain in the ass…"
"You shouldn't be complaining…" Lycoris said, giving me a blank stare. "You were just doing so about not having anything to do. Plus your D-Wheel is the fastest in the city, you can get there and back no problem."
"Yeah, yeah…" I groaned as I jotted down the address contained in the email and got up from the chair. Lycoris and I then walked through the Gate Hack, entering the garage I was renting out and pulled the cover off my D-Wheel, climbing on top of it and putting on my helmet as Lycoris got on behind me.
As I started up Shadow's engine, Lycoris spoke up, "You miss dueling?"
"Yeah…" I answered quietly. "With the preparations for the WRGP, this job and the others in school, just sucks not really having time for any good duels." I then used a remote to open the garage door, revved the engine and made my way out onto the streets and towards Satellite.
After a while of driving, Lycoris and I arrived at the address I marked down… or so I thought…
"What the fuck!? There's nothing here!" I shouted out of annoyance while standing in front of a completely empty lot. "Ugh! Don't tell me some little shit did this to prank me!"
"C-Calm down, Ryou. Let's just head back, okay?" Lycoris said, trying to keep me from raging out.
After taking a few deep breaths I sat back down on my D-Wheel, "Yeah… That sounds good…" Revving Shadow's engine once more, Lycoris and I drove away from the false address and back towards the city.
However…
*DING*
"Huh? What was that?" I wondered aloud after hearing a strange ringing in my ears.
"Ryou! There's someone following us!" Lycoris shouted over the engine in alarm.
"What?" I questioned as I turned my head back to see someone in a white robe was tailing us on a silver D-Wheel.
"Something feels wrong, we need to get out of here…" Lycoris urged with a hint of fear in her voice.
A sudden flashing appeared on the monitor of my D-Wheel, indicating a Riding Duel was being imposed on me.
"Doesn't look like we'll be getting back any time soon," I said, but then grinned in amusement. "But maybe now I can get a decent duel. Speed World 2, set!" I pressed a button near my screen, activating the new version of the Riding Duel Field Magic.
"Duel Mode, on—Auto Pilot, standby," the D-Wheel's AI notified.
In response, several lane-dividing holograms appeared along the road as a pre-recorded voice was telling all pedestrian vehicles to move into another lane in preparation for a Riding Duel. As my opponent and I drove along, a screen on the side of the road opened up, leading us into a duel lane.
"All right, whoever you are… You want a duel? You got one!" I declared. "Riding Duel! Acceleration!"
Ryou: 4000
Opponent: 4000
"Ore no tān!" I called out as I drew my sixth card. "I summon Epitaph User – Endrance!"
As I played my card, the first Monster to appear was an androgynous young man with long blue hair wearing purple light armor and wielding a rapier-like sword. (4/1800/400)
"I then set one card face-down!" I announced, pushing a card into my Duel Disk. "Tān endo!"
Ryou's hand: 4
"Watashi no tān!" my opponent called out as he drew his sixth card.
Ryou's SPC: 1
Opponent's SPC: 1
"I summon Meta Core!"
"What? Meta?" I repeated in surprise as the Monster that appeared on my opponent's field looked like a large mechanical egg with silver as its primary color and some stripes of black along the sides. (1/0/0) I should've known there'd be a new one, all things considered…
"I'll set one card face-down!" the robed rider said as a reversed card briefly appeared behind the Core. "Tān endo!"
Opponent's hand: 4
"Ore no tān!" I called out, drawing my next card.
Ryou's SPC: 2
Opponent's SPC: 2
"Reverse card, open!" I called out as my set card rose. "Damaged Data! As long as this card remains on the field, I can play Magic cards without taking damage from the effects of Speed World 2!" I then grabbed a card from my hand. "So first I'll summon Epitaph User – Pi!"
Appearing on my side of the field next to Endrance was the female fist-fighter with pink hair tied in large pigtails and glasses. (4/1900/200)
"Next, I activate the Instant Magic card, Epitaph Fragment! Since I control a face-up Epitaph User Monster, I can Special Summon an Epitaph Tuner Monster from my deck!" I explained as my deck shuffled itself and stuck out a single card, which I grabbed and quickly played. "I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Epitaph of the Avenger!"
Appearing next on my field was a set of glowing pink patterns, the layout matching Pi's figure as similar pink patterns began to glow over my forearms. (4/0/0)
"Now then… I tune my Level-4 Epitaph User – Pi with my Level-4 Epitaph of the Avenger!" I called out as the Epitaph patterns overlapped with Pi's body and began to glow brightly before the two vanished from the field. "Fukushū no tsuyo-sa to ikari nado o yobidasu! Tasogare wa yoake mae ni kuraidesu! Shinkuro Shoukan! Chikara o miseru! Abatā Taruvosu! (1)"
In a flash of light, the next Monster to appear on my field was a large, pink, serpentine creature with giant, pink, wing-like objects protruding from the sides of its head. A white mask covered its face and its arms were raised above its head and bound together by a spiked wheel. Impaled through the creature's chest was a large white stake. (8/2900/2100)
I remember how those Monsters work… And since he didn't activate his face-down when I summoned Pi, that means it isn't Raging-Stream Burial, which would've destroyed all of our Monsters and activated the effect of his Core. I smirked to myself as I waved out my left arm. "Avatar Tarvos, attack the Meta Core! Stake of Death!"
My Synchro Monster let out a pained howl as the large stake slowly removed itself from the Avatar's body and hovered above its head before launching itself at the Core.
"Meta Core's Monster Effect!" my opponent countered as a barrier appeared around the mechanical egg and stopped the stake in its tracks. "Once per turn, Meta Core cannot be destroyed by battle and any battle damage is reduced to 0!"
With a powerful pulse, the barrier launched the stake away from the Core, though the weapon soon impaled itself back into Tarvos' chest.
I just smirked, "But I still have one attack left! Endrance, take out Meta Core! Devil Sword!"
The purple-clad swordsman gripped his sword and rushed across the field, ready to strike his foe.
"Reverse card, open!" my opponent countered again as his set card rose, the artwork depicting a warrior of some kind standing between a civilian and a monster only to be struck by the monster's attack. "Honorable Sacrifice! When my opponent declares an attack, I can destroy one Monster I control to negate it!"
"It does what?!" I said in surprise, having never heard of the card before. As Endrance drew near his target, the Core's uh… core started to shine brightly until the egg-like machine exploded, the force of the blast launching Endrance back to my side of the field. Shit… Here it comes…
"Meta Core's Monster Effect! When it's destroyed by a card effect, it destroys all Monsters on my side of the field and allows me to Special Summon the following Monsters…" my opponent explained as he grabbed three cards from his hand and two from his deck. "Machine Emperor Metiel Infinity, Metiel Top, Metiel Attack, Metiel Guard, and Metiel Carrier!"
The five "Monsters" the appeared on my opponent's field had the appearance of formless silver blobs with several black markings all over them. (1/0/0) (1/1300/0) (1/1500/0) (1/0/1500) (1/800/600)
"He summoned five Monsters?!" Lycoris gasped in surprise.
"Machine Emperor Metiel Infinity's Monster Effect activates!" my opponent continued, the black markings glowing purple before the silver blobs merged together and began to reform. The large mass first began to solidify, its new shape resembling a large torso. Then, growing from the bottom were four mechanical, beast-like legs with claws. Next, sprouting from its back was a pair of large mechanical wings like those of a bird, including feather-shaped designs. From the back sprouted what at first seemed like a tail, but once solidified it was revealed to be a mechanical snake, which let out a robotic hiss. Lastly, a large, spherical blob appeared at the front of the combined Monster and began to solidify until it took the shape of a robotic lion's head, letting out a mechanical roar. When looked over completely, there'd be no mistaking that this Machine Emperor had the appearance of a large, silver, mechanical chimera with black markings covering its body. (1/0-3600/0-2100)
"3600 ATK?!" both Lycoris and I shouted, but then I just smirked.
"My turn isn't finished yet! And I'll take your Monster apart piece-by-piece!" I declared. "I activate Tarvos' Monster Effect! Once per turn I can destroy a Monster my opponent controls and Tarvos will gain half of that Monster's ATK until the End Phase! Tarvos, target Metiel Attack! Data Drain!"
In response, my Avatar spread its wings as hexagonal data panels started to appear over them. Similar data panels began to form around the stake impaled through my Monster's body and take the shape of a large cannon. Energy then started to charge at the tip of the cannon until it formed into a large black sphere. As soon as the charge was finished, the sphere was fire from the cannon and sped towards Metiel Attack, exploding on contact. When the smoke cleared…
"What?!" I gasped in shock as Metiel Attack was still intact. "But how?! Tarvos' effect can't be negated!"
"It wasn't your effect that was negated, but rather the destruction of my Monster," my opponent explained. "If a Monster I control would be destroyed by a card effect, I can activate the effect of my Metiel Carrier to negate its destruction!"
"Damn it…" I spat. That means my only option is Skeith Second Form… It can bypass that effect since it destroys three cards at once. "I'll set one card face-down! Tān endo!"
Ryou's hand: 2
"Watashi no tān!" my opponent called out, drawing his next card.
Ryou's SPC: 3
Opponent's SPC: 3
"Reverse card, open! Deceitful Mirage!" I quickly called out as my card rose, the artwork depicting Avatar Innis with half of its body faded away. "Since I control an Avatar Synchro Monster, all other cards I control can't be destroyed this turn!"
"Metiel Top's Monster Effect!" my opponent quickly countered. "Once per turn, I can negate the activation and effect of an opponent's Magic or Trap card and destroy it!"
"No way!" I shouted as the lion head of the chimera let out a fierce roar, sending a shockwave across the field that caused my Trap card to shatter.
"I activate Machine Emperor Metiel Infinity's Monster Effect! Once per turn I can equip a Synchro Monster my opponent controls to my Machine Emperor!" my opponent announced as his mechanical chimera opened its jaws and tendrils of bluish-green energy shot outward, wrapping themselves around Tarvos and slowly dragging it towards Metiel.
However, I just smirked, "Tarvos' Monster Effect! If it would leave my side of the field by battle or an opponent's card effect, it's returned to my Extra Deck instead!" In response to this, Tarvos emitted a bright pink glow and then vanished, causing the tendrils to return to the Machine Emperor without its captive. "And when Tarvos is returned to the Extra Deck, I can Special Summon Epitaph User – Pi from my Cemetery!" Appearing once more on my field was the pink-haired brawler, this time taking a defensive stance. (4/1900/200)
"Metiel Infinity, attack Epitaph User – Pi!" my opponent commanded, to which the snake-like tail rose up and its eyes glowed blue for a moment.
Why is he attacking Pi? I have her in Defense mode, so it'd make more sense to attack Endrance for damage, unless…
"Metiel Attack's Monster Effect! When it attacks an opponent's Defense mode Monster, it inflicts Piercing Damage!" my opponent explained.
"Shit!" I shouted just as the snake tail fired a laser from its mouth right at Pi, destroying her instantly as the attack struck my D-Wheel, causing me to lose control.
Ryou: 600
Opponent: 4000
"Ryou!" Lycoris cried out as she gripped the back of my jacket until I managed to get control back and straighten my D-Wheel.
"Fuck…" I cursed to myself as I instinctively placed my right hand over my chest to ensure my heart was beating normally. "Damn it… I need to get Skeith…"
"Tān endo!" my opponent concluded.
Opponent's hand: 5
"Ore no… tān!" I called out as I drew my next card, giving me three cards in my hand.
Ryou's SPC: 4
Opponent's SPC: 4
"I release Epitaph User – Endrance…" I said, prompting my Monster to fade off the field. "to Advance Summon Epitaph User – Haseo Second Form!"
Appearing next on my field was the silver-haired swordsman clad in armor of black, purple and red while carrying his giant chainsaw sword. (6/2000/1500)
"Next, I activate Speed Spell – Angel Baton!" I declared next as I revealed the card.
"Metiel Top's Monster Effect!" my opponent quickly countered. "I negate your Speed Spell!"
Once again the lion head roared, sending another shockwave across the field that struck my D-Wheel and forcing me to send the card to my Cemetery.
But I just smirked again as I looked at the remaining card in my hand, "I activate the Magic card, Treasure Cards from the Heavens! This will allow us both to draw until we hold six cards!"
Even though I couldn't see my opponent's face, I had a feeling he felt frustrated at using his Monster's effect too early as he drew a single card and I drew a full six. I then looked over my new hand and grinned at what I had drawn.
"Perfect," I said to myself as I grabbed one of my cards. "I activate the Instant Magic, Third Form! With this I release Epitaph User – Haseo Second Form…" As I told my opponent the effect of my card, Haseo's body started to glow a bright white as energy started to converge around him. "to Special Summon Epitaph User – Haseo Third Form from my deck!" The energy surrounding Haseo then exploded outward, revealing him to be wearing a new, heavier set of black armor with spiked protruding from the shoulders as he carried a large, silver scythe which had three red energy spikes at the back of the weapon's head. (8/2500/2000) "Next, I activate the Instant Magic, Epitaph Fragment, letting me Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Epitaph of Death, from my deck!"
As I played my card, my deck auto-shuffled and stuck out a single card, which I grabbed and then played, causing the familiar set of red patterns to appear on my field next to Haseo. (2/0/0)
"Now I tune my Level-8 Epitaph User – Haseo Third Form with my Level-2 Epitaph of Death!" I called out, to which the Epitaph appeared over Haseo's body while the very same red patterns appeared over my own body. "Shinokyōfu wa atarashī kao ni kakaru! Tasogare wa yoake mae ni kuraidesu! Shinkuro Shoukan! Ore wa… koko ni iru! Abatā Sukeisu Sekando Fōmu! (2)"
The two Monsters then disappeared in a flash of red light, which then shot upwards and exploded like fireworks, revealing the black, masked, reaper-ish form of my Synchro Monster, Skeith Second Form, carrying his signature scythe. (10/3500/3000)
"I activate Skeith's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can destroy up to three cards my opponent controls and if any of the destroyed cards are Monsters, I can add half of their total ATK to Skeith!" I announced, to which Skeith bellowed deeply before his scythe vanished and his right arm was soon covered in the familiar digital cannon. "Skeith, target Metiel Top, Metiel Attack and Metiel Carrier! Drain Arc!"
After charging up energy into the cannon, Skeith raised his right arm into the air and fired a blast of data. Once the data sphere reached its highest point, it split into three separate sphere that rained down over the Machine Emperor liked anvils.
"Metiel Carrier's Monster Effect activates!" my opponent called out.
"It what?!" I shouted in shock as, just when the three spheres were about to strike, Metiel's entire body was enveloped by a barrier, shielding it from the Data Drains. "But how?! I targeted three cards!"
"Metiel Carrier's effect can prevent the destruction of up to three cards I control!" my opponent explained.
"No way…" I said, shocked that even Skeith's Drain Arc couldn't do anything against the Machine Emperor as the three Data Drain sphere were reflected and exploded harmlessly in the air. "Then I'll just get rid of your protection! Skeith, destroy Metiel Carrier! Shadowy Death!"
At my command, the data cannon disappeared from around Skeith's arm and his scythe returned in his grasp. My Avatar's red eyes glowed menacingly as he pulled back as weapon and swung towards Metiel's wings.
"Metiel Guard's Monster Effect activates!" my opponent quickly countered. "Once per turn, I can negate the attack of an opponent's Monster!"
I could only gasp as yet another barrier rose up just in time to block Skeith's scythe, deflecting the blade.
"Damn it…" I said in a low voice as I gripped the handles of my D-Wheel tightly in frustration. "Fucking damn it!"
"No way… Someone is able to stop even the First Phase?" Lycoris asked, her voice full of disbelief.
"Tān… endo!" I said reluctantly.
Ryou's hand: 4
"Watashi no tān!" my opponent called out as he drew.
Ryou's SPC: 5
Opponent's SPC: 5
"I release Metiel Attack…" my opponent announced as the snake-head tail vanished from the chimera's body. (1/3600-2100/2100)
"What's he doing?" Lycoris wondered, but I was too frustrated at my current situation to answer.
"To Special Summon Metiel Attack 3!" my opponent continued as another silver blob appeared on his field. (3/1900/0) The new blob then launched itself into Metiel's body and a new tail formed, this one appearing like the head of a dragon. (1/2100-4000/2100)
"No way… 4000 ATK already?" I noted in complete shock.
"Metiel Infinity, attack Skeith Second Form!" my opponent commanded.
This time, instead of firing a laser from the mouth of the tail, the new dragon head released a torrent of black flames across the field. Skeith attempted to guard against the fire, but was soon overpowered as some of the flames extended over to me.
Ryou: 100
Opponent: 4000
"Skeith's… Monster Effect!" I countered. "When it would be sent to the Cemetery as a result of battle, it's returned to my Extra Deck instead!"
In response, Skeith's body gave a faint red glow from within the flames and began to disappear.
"Metiel Infinity's Monster Effect!" my opponent quickly countered. "When an opponent's Synchro Monster would be returned to the Extra Deck, I can equip it to Metiel Infinity!"
"What?! No!" I shouted as I quickly turned my head around to see the mechanical chimera open its mouth once more, releasing glowing tendrils from its maw that wrapped themselves around Skeith's vanishing body, forcing my Avatar to regain a corporeal form as it was bound. "This is impossible…"
Skeith was soon turned into a ball of red light and flew right into the mouth of the Machine Emperor, as if being eaten whole. But when that happened, the Epitaph patterns around my body shattered and a familiar jolt of pain that I hadn't felt since my duel against Sakaki shot through my chest.
"Gh… GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I cried out in pain as my hand shot over to my chest, tightly gripping over my heart as though it were being ripped out. My vision started to blur and I felt my consciousness slipping away along with my control of my D-Wheel.
"Ryou, what's wrong?! Ryou!" I could barely hear Lycoris crying out.
Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I felt a surge of power rush through my body, my sight clearing up and the pain in my chest fading.
"Wha?" I said in confusion, but then quickly got control back of my D-Wheel before noticing a familiar blue light around my chest. "Corbenik? Ah, right. Almost forgot about the Rebirth…"
"Ryou, are you okay?" Lycoris asked, her voice full of worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered, but then glanced back at Machine Emperor Metiel Infinity as it just finished absorbing Skeith. "But how am I supposed to defeat this thing now?"
"Metiel Infinity's Monster Effect will increase its ATK by the ATK of all equipped Synchro Monsters!" my opponent explained as the mechanical chimera's body started to glow red. (1/4000-7500/2100)
"It has 7500 ATK?!" Lycoris gasped. "There's no way we can survive that!"
"We'll just have to try…" I told the girl, though I was having trouble convincing myself.
"Tān endo!"
Opponent's hand: 6
I placed my hand on the next card of my deck and silently prayed… no, begged my cards to help.
Please… Help me get Skeith back! I then pulled my next card. "Ore no… tān!"
Ryou's SPC: 6
Opponent's SPC: 6
I then slowly turned over the card I had drawn and my eyes widened in surprise. This is… Well, it'll keep me safe for a while anyway… "I set one card face-down!" I announced as a reversed card briefly appeared next to my D-Wheel. "Tān endo!"
Ryou's hand: 4
"Watashi no tān!" my opponent called out as he drew his next card.
Ryou's SPC: 7
Opponent's SPC: 7
"Metiel Infinity, attack the player directly!" my opponent commanded, once again the dragon tail rising up and breathing a torrent of black flames right at me.
"Reverse card, open!" I countered, my set card rising. "Barrier of Azure Flames! On the turn this card is activated, any reduction to my Life Points is negated, but I can't activate any other Magic or Trap cards this turn!" A wall of blue fire then erupted from my Trap and enveloped my D-Wheel, protecting Lycoris and myself from the attack.
"Metiel Top's Monster Effect!" my opponent countered. "I negate the activation of your Trap card!" In response, the lion's head let out another roar, sending yet another shockwave across the field. But this time it did little more than make the flames from my shield flicker. "What?!"
"Sorry to disappoint, by the activation of my Barrier of Azure Flames can't be negated!" I explained. "So this turn I won't take any damage!"
"Tān endo!" my opponent concluded, though I didn't feel any irritation from his voice, as he pushed one of his cards into his Cemetery. "However, since I have seven cards in my hand, I must discard one."
Opponent's hand: 6
"Ore no tān!" I called out, drawing my next card.
Ryou's SPC: 8
Opponent's SPC: 8
I narrowed my eyes a bit as I looked at the card I had drawn. This is one of the new cards from Aura… I looked over the effect of the card and then checked the effect of my Barrier of Azure Flames, which had been altered a bit since I last used it in our duel against Godwin. All right, I'll just have to hold out with this. "Tān endo!"
Ryou's hand: 5
"Watashi no tān!" my opponent drew his next card.
Ryou's SPC: 9
Opponent's SPC: 9
"I activate Speed Spell – Over Boost, letting me gain 4 Speed Counters!" my opponent announced as he played his card.
Opponent's SPC: 12
"Why would he use that now?" Lycoris wondered.
So that's what he's going to do… I glanced at my set Barrier of Azure Flames.
"I activate the effect of Speed World 2!" my opponent declared. "By giving up 10 Speed Counters, I'll destroy your Barrier of Azure Flames!"
Opponent's SPC: 2
Sparks of electricity then appeared around my opponent's D-Wheel before shooting out from the front like a surge of lightning towards my set card.
"Reverse card, open! Barrier of Azure Flames!" I countered as my set card rose, releasing another fire barrier around me just before the card itself was destroyed. "You may have destroyed my card but you still can't finish me off this turn! Not only that, but by destroying my Barrier of Azure Flames card I can activate it's final effect!" As I pushed my Trap card into my Cemetery, my deck auto-shuffled itself and stuck out a card, which I grabbed. "I Special Summon Aura no Kishi – Sōen no Kaito!"
Emerging from the barrier of flames was the zombie-like swordsman that helped Yusei and I in defeating Rex Godwin six months ago, holding his black blades ready to attack or defend when necessary. (8/3000/3000)
"However, Azure Flame Kite's effects are negated due to being summoned by my Trap card!" I added.
"I may not be able to inflict damage but I can still destroy your Monster!" my opponent pointed out. "Metiel Infinity, attack his Monster!"
Once again the dragon tail rose up and unleashed yet another torrent of black flames towards my Monster.
This is it… "I activate a Monster Effect from my hand!" I countered as I played my card onto my D-Wheel. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can Special Summon Vagrant A.I. – Zefie to negate the attack and end your Battle Phase!"
Appearing on my field in front of Azure Flame Kite was a young girl who resembled Lycoris but had saffron-colored hair, reddish-purple eyes and wore a white dress while holding a teddy bear in her left hand and a single lycoris flower in her right. (1/300/300)
"Zefie-chan!" Lycoris happily called out, to which Zefie turned her head and smiled back at her sister.
The young girl then returned her attention to the Machine Emperor and held out her teddy bear, causing a barrier to appear and repel the flames, leaving both of my Monsters unharmed. Then, after lowering her left arm, she pointed her right index finger at Metiel. I couldn't hold myself back as I immediately started laughing loudly due to the Machine Emperor now sporting a massive afro of silver, black and red.
"What the hell?!" my opponent shouted in shock. "What did you do to my Monster!?"
Holy crap, I had no idea this would carry over as well. "Good work, Zefie. You just saved me," I thanked the Vagrant A.I. between laughs.
Even over my laughs I could hear my opponent growl in frustration, "Tān endo!"
Opponent's hand: 6
Opponent's SPC: 1
After I managed to get over my laughing fit, I drew the next card from my deck, "Ore no tān!"
Ryou's SPC: 10
Opponent's SPC: 2
"I activate the effect of Speed World 2!" I announced. "By giving up 7 Speed Counters, I'll draw one card!"
Ryou's SPC: 3
Once my Speed Counters dropped, I drew the next card from my deck. After looking over what I now had, I could see exactly how this duel would play out.
"I activate the Magic card, Repth, which will increase my Life Points by 1000 for every Monster I control!" I said as I played my card.
"I activate Metiel Top's Monster Effect to negate the activation of your card and destroy it!" my opponent countered, the lion's head roaring again to destroy my card.
But as I put my card into my Cemetery, I couldn't help but smirk. This duel's mine… "I activate the Instant Magic, Installation Book –Daybreak–! By declaring a Level between 1 and 4, I can Special Summon a Bracelet Token with the declared Level! And I choose Level-1!"
As I played my card, the familiar Epitaph of Twilight book appeared on the field and opened up, flipping through a few pages before the crystalline bracelet appeared next to Azure Flame Kite. (1/0/0)
"And now, I tune my Level-1 Vagrant A.I. – Zefie and my Level-8 Knight of Aura – Azure Flame Kite with my Level-1 Bracelet Token!" I called out, to which the bracelet outfitted itself over Azure Flame Kite's wrist. Zefie, knowing what to do, then flew a few feet in front of Azure Flame Kite who then performed Data Drain on her using the new bracelet, reducing Zefie to data fragments and absorbing them into himself.
[Play Azure Flame God from .hack/G.U. TRILOGY OST]
"Megami wa subete no tokei ga, anata no chūjitsuna kishi ni kyōdo o fuyo shimasu! Tasogare wa yoake mae ni kuraidesu!" as I chanted, Azure Flame Kite's body began to crack while jets of blue fire shot out from his shoulders and knees. The knight then turned into a ball of blue flame and shot up into the air before flying towards Neo Domino City."Shinkuro Shoukan! Shugoshin! Aura no Shugo - Sōen no Kami! (3)"
In a bright explosion of blue fire, my God Monster took form above Neo Domino City, its body surrounded in azure flames. (10/4000/4000)
"I activate Azure Flame God's Monster Effect!" I announced. "Once per turn I can destroy all cards my opponent controls by giving up his attack for this turn!" In response, Azure Flame God began to rise higher into the air until he picked up speed and flew straight up until the gigantic God was beyond my sight. Checking the monitor on my D-Wheel showed me that my Monster had flown all the way into space before coming to stop then turned around to face the Earth. Azure Flame God then stretched his arms to the side, his red, claw-like blades flying from his wrists and attaching onto the wheel at the center of the symbol behind him with the blades themselves spread apart. My Synchro then held his arms to the sides of his chest as a massive data cannon began to form, beginning from the space between his palms and continuing straight out. Once the cannon was finished, three blades of data appeared from the middle of the cannon and began to spin while a sphere of pure data formed at the cannon's tip. "DATA DRAIN!" At my command, Azure Flame God fired the mass of data, the black sphere speeding back down to Earth. When I glanced up I could see the shot falling through the sky like an anvil. It was almost as though Azure Flame God calculated exactly when his attack would fall right on top of its target as the sphere did just that, engulfing the Machine Emperor completely. "And since Azure Flame God's Monster Effect destroys all of your cards, you can't negate their destruction!"
I looked back just in time to watch Metiel disintegrate within the Data Drain. At that moment, I felt something warm flow through me as the light from Corbenik's Epitaph faded.
I'm guessing that means Skeith is back… Now I can end this… I then grabbed one more card from my hand. "I activate the Instant Magic, Guardian Deity of Azure Flames! This card will negate the effects of Azure Flame God but will destroy him at my End Phase!" I took a quick glance at my monitor to watch as Azure Flame God's body erupted in an inferno of blue fire. "Azure Flame God, attack the player directly!"
Responding immediately to my command, my God card launched itself right back at Earth, flying down faster than it had gone up with its right arm stretch forward. Within mere moments, Azure Flame God entered the planet's atmosphere and crashed right on top of my opponent, causing an explosion of blue fire.
Ryou: 100 (Winner)
Opponent: 0000
[End song]
I brought my D-Wheel to a stop as the Solid Vision faded and looked back towards the wreckage from my attack. However, the Duel Lane was completely empty – not a single trace of my opponent remained.
"Is he gone?" Lycoris asked, though I knew she was really asking if I had killed him.
"No…" I answered. "There's no way it'd be that simple… I'm sure this isn't the last we've seen of him…" And I'll have to be careful from now on… Whoever that was, he's able to steal my Avatars… I then placed my hand on my chest again. I don't even want to think what would happen if he took Corbenik…
"Ryou?" Lycoris said, getting my attention. "Are we going to tell the others?"
After thinking on it for a moment, I nodded my head, "They'll need to know that there's another one… And how dangerous it is."
I started up my D-Wheel again and made my way back to Poppo Time.
(1) "Vengeance calls forth strength and rage! The twilight is darkest before the dawn! Synchro Summon! Show your power! Avatar Tarvos!"
(2) "The terror of death takes on a new face! The twilight is darkest before the dawn! Synchro Summon! I'm right here! Avatar Skeith Second Form!"
(3) "Goddess that watches all, grant strength to your loyal knight! The twilight is darkest before the dawn! Synchro Summon! The Divine Guardian! Guardian of Aura – Azure Flame God!"
Meta Core
Level-1
Yami
Machine/Effect
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Effect: Once per turn, if this card would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed and you take no damage from that battle. When this card is destroyed by a card effect, destroy all Monsters you control and Special Summon 1 Machine Emperor Metiel Infinity, Metiel Top, Metiel Attack, Metiel Guard, and Metiel Carrier from your hand, deck or Cemetery.
Honorable Sacrifice
Trap
Effect: When your opponent declares an attack; destroy 1 Monster your control and negate the attack.
Machine Emperor Metiel Infinity
Level-1
Yami
Machine/Effect
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Effect: Other Monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can select and equip 1 Synchro Monster your opponent controls OR equip 1 Synchro Monster that would be returned to your opponent's Extra Deck to this card. This card gains ATK and DEF equal to the combined ATK and DEF of all Synchro Monsters equipped to this card and all other face-up Metiel, Wisel, Skiel, and Granel Monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all Monsters you control.
Metiel Top
Level-1
Yami
Machine/Effect
ATK: 1300
DEF: 0
Effect: If you do not control a face-up Infinity Monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, you can negate the activation and effect of an opponent's Magic or Trap card and destroy it.
Metiel Attack
Level-1
Yami
Machine/Effect
ATK: 1500
DEF: 0
Effect: If you do not control a face-up Infinity Monster, destroy this card. During battle between an Infinity Monster and a Defense mode Monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the attacking Monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent.
Metiel Attack 3
Level-3
Yami
Machine/Effect
ATK: 1900
DEF: 0
Effect: You can release 1 Metiel Attack to Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do not control a face-up Infinity Monster, destroy this card. During battle between an Infinity Monster and a Defense mode Monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the attacking Monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent.
Metiel Guard
Level-1
Yami
Machine/Effect
ATK: 0
DEF: 1500
Effect: If you do not control a face-up Infinity Monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, you can negate the attack of 1 Monster your opponent controls.
Metiel Carrier
Level-1
Yami
Machine/Effect
ATK: 800
DEF: 600
Effect: If you do not control a face-up Infinity Monster, destroy this card. If an opponent's card effect would destroy up to 3 Monsters you control, they are not destroyed.
Barrier of Azure Flames
Trap
Effect: When this card is activated; any reduction to your Life Points is turn is negated. You cannot activate other Magic or Trap card the turn you activate this card. The activation of this card cannot be negated. Set this card face-down again instead of sending it to the Cemetery after activation. If this card is destroyed and sent to the Cemetery; Special Summon 1 Knight of Aura - Azure Flame Kite from your hand or Deck, ignoring summoning conditions, with its effects negated.
Knight of Aura - Azure Flame Kite
Level-8
Hikari
Warrior/Effect
ATK: 3000
DEF: 3000
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned or Set except by releasing 3 Monsters you control. Once per turn, you can target 1 card your opponent controls; return that card to their deck. This effect cannot be negated. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack this turn. If this card is destroyed, Special Summon 1 Azure Data Token (LV1/Hikari/Machine/0ATK/0DEF). This Token cannot be destroyed and you take no damage from battles involving this Token. If this card is destroyed and sent to the Cemetery; Special Summon it during the End Phase. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by its own effect. This card cannot be targeted by card effects your opponent controls.
Installation Book -Daybreak-
Instant Magic
Effect: Declare a Level between 1 and 4. Special Summon 1 Bracelet Token (LV?/Hikari/Machine/0ATK/0DEF) with the declared Level. The Token Special Summoned by this effect can be used in place of a specific Tuner Monster for any Synchro Summon.
Guardian of Aura - Azure Flame God
Level-10
Kami
Phantom God Beast/Synchro/Effect
ATK: 4000
DEF: 4000
Bracelet Token + Knight of Aura - Azure Flame Kite + 1 non-Tuner Monster
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Synchro Summon. Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1, you can destroy all cards your opponent controls. This effect cannot be negated. If you use this effect, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn. This card is unaffected by card effects your opponent controls.
Guardian Deity of Azure Flames
Instant Magic
Effect: Target 1 face-up Guardian of Aura - Azure Flame God you control; its effects are negated and it is destroyed at the End Phase.
