Infernity Mirage
VIII: ZERO-MAX
The next morning, I woke up to crimson eyes and a weight on the bedspread.
"Good morning."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHH! GET OUT!"
SHUT. UP.
Youkai was still nursing bleeding ears by the time I snagged my D-Board and ran out of the house. There was no avoiding the imminent DA Kings and Ryuuki, so I just resolved to be lucky.
Evidently, I was not; it began drizzling on my way, I was running late, and I ended up with a pounding headache that I went to the infirmary for.
Dr Merissa Goron blinked as I entered. "Well, if you must, take a nap."
Great idea. I lifted up the bedclothes to see-
I quickly put down the bedclothes. "Is that a teddy bear?"
"Well, if you need a nap, you obviously need a teddy," Dr Goron shrugged. I get the feeling she was laughing at me. Between my pride and a need to sleep...
I could not help it.
It started low, then built up from there. Now, I was roaring, Dr Goron stunned into painful silence as clean as her white lab coat. "Are you alright?"
"Y- Yes," I gasped. "Thanks, doc. Everything's clear now."
"It's doctor!" she bellowed as I walked out, the headache now gone.
Spring was outside as I walked out, wondering what even drove me to forget my Academy DuelDisk for the gun DuelDisk of Satisfaction Town-
"Chase-kun!"
Within three seconds born from years of practice with the like of Kiryu-sensei, the gun was disassembled into a DuelDisk on my arm as I faced Ryuuki. "How nice. I was just looking for you. Let's finish this."
Ryuuki blinked at me as he took out his DuelDisk. "Are you alright?"
"Yep," I nodded. "One hundred percent."
Chase: LP 4000
Ryuuki: LP 4000
"I start first, draw!" I declared. Infernity Launcher. Good...
"I summon Infernity Necromancer [0/2000] in defence mode!" I declared. "Then, I set two cards down. Turn end."
"Draw," Ryuuki murmured. "Chase-kun... I use the Spell, Ancient Rules, and special summon the Dark Magician [2500/2100] from my hand." Again, the magician came out. "Are you... disturbed?"
"No," I shot back.
"With this, I tribute Dark Magician to special summon my ace, the Dark Eradicator Warlock [2500/2100]!" He declared.
"Chain trap, Infernity Inferno," I muttered. "I send two cards from my hand to the grave and then two Infernity monsters from my deck to the grave. Again, my second copy of Inferno, to discard my last card and another from my deck."
"That would do nothing," Ryuuki answered. It did,actually, but I'll wait for you to find the surprise. "When a Spell card is played, you will take one thousand damage. I play the first Spell, Monster Reborn."
He froze then, no doubt wondering if the Infernity Death Gunman was going to pop up. He relaxed when my life went down normally and the executioner swung his axe just fine as Dark Magician came back to the field.
Chase: LP 4000 → LP 3000
Ryuuki: LP 4000
"Second Spell, Thousand Knives," Ryuuki looked almost regretful as my Necromancer and my life points went down.
Chase: LP 3000 → LP 2000
Ryuuki: LP 4000
"It is a sad fate," Ryuuki shook his head. "Dark Eradicator Warlock, direct attack!"
I began smiling as I was struck down.
Chase: LP 2000 → LP 0
Ryuuki: LP 4000
"What?" Ryuuki blinked as I smiled.
"From my grave, I activate the trap, Zero Gate of Void," I declared with confidence as I pulled the card. I knew I was confused, so I would leave my fate to the cards. "If this card is in my Graveyard and my hand is at zero, and no cards on my side of the field, and my Life Points become zero, I special summon Void Ogre Dragon [3000/3000] from my extra deck. This effect can only be used once while this card is in my Graveyard. When that monster leaves the field, I lose the Duel. I cannot lose by any other means. Arise from the Void, Void Ogre Dragon!"
Ryuuki's face was priceless, again, as Void Ogre Dragon roared on the field. "You had that?"
"With nothing left to fight for, here I make my stand," I cackled. "Don't even think about an OTK, Ryuuki. Fight like a damned Duellist instead of a magician."
Ryuuki shook his head in awe. "You are a unique being unto your own authority, Chase-kun. No life points... I set a card and end my turn."
"Draw!" I now felt much more competent. "Ah, finally you come. I reveal Infernity Demon [1800/1200] in my hand to special summon him. Now, I fairly intend to warn that I plan to abuse him as much as possible. And I start by pulling the Continuous Spell, Infernity Launcher from my deck and activating it. Now, I activate the effect of Infernity General in my graveyard. When my hand is at zero, I can banish this guy from my grave to special summon two level three or lower Infernity monsters with their effects negated from my grave, and I choose the tried and true combo, Infernity Necromancer and the tuner monster, Infernity Avenger [0/0]! Tuning, level four Demon and level three Necromancer to level one Avenger!"
"Level eight...?" Ryuuki whispered.
"Against the backdrop of darkness, many eyes open... open the truth of the gates! Synchro summon! Take flight, Hundred Eyes Dragon!" I roared as the familiar many-eyed dragon emerged [3000/2500]. "Care to see if I can do it? I send Infernity Launcher to the grave to special summon Demon and Necromancer from the grave. I use Demon's search effect to pull an Infernity Barrier and set it. Now Necromancer's revival effect activates when my hand is at zero to revive Avenger from the grave. Tuning! When the dead and the living meet at zero, above the cage of eternity, the demonic dragon comes out! Synchro summon! Come forth, Infernity Death Dragon!"
Ryuuki was already hissing as the third great dragon came out.
"You see, I'm not really opposed to dating, per se," I said. "But these guys may have something to say about that."
All three dragons looming overhead roared in answer.
"So, since our duel was messed up last time, they decided to pull this one off now," I continued. "And, being the accommodating master I am, I'm going with what they decide. Infernity Death Dragon, attack Dark Eradicator Warlock! Infernity Death Breath!"
The dragon roared as it smothered the magician in flames.
Ryuuki: LP 4000 → LP 3500
Chase: LP 0 (NO LOSS)
"Next, Hundred Eyes Dragon," I enunciated. "Attack Dark Magician! Infinity Sight Stream!"
Ryuuki began to shield himself as the next wizard shattered.
Ryuuki: LP 3500 → LP 3000
Chase: LP 0 (NO LOSS)
"Now, Void Ogre Dragon!" I called.
"Trap card, Sakuretsu Armour!" he called.
"Ah, yes," I drawled. "Void Ogre Dragon's ability. When I have no cards in hand, and you activate a Spell or Trap, I can negate it and destroy it."
"What?" Ryuuki bellowed as it shattered.
"Looks like... the answer is no," I muttered. "Blast of Void."
Void Ogre Dragon roared immediately as it blasted at Ryuuki.
Ryuuki: LP 3000 → LP 0
Chase: LP 0 (NO LOSS)
"Zero life points," Ryuuki muttered as the three dragons disappeared. "No field, no hand, zero life points... you are an entirely unique being, Chase-kun."
"Well, it depended on you too," I shrugged. "Although the challenge was that I drew it instead of discarding it, so there was a whole rigmarole. It was a good duel, bye."
I found Ryuusei beating Shirahane hands-down, the Black Rose Dragon magnificent and proud in the faintly dying sun.
"Oh, you recovered," Rex yelled. "You okay?"
"Just tired," I lied. "Bad night."
"Yo!"
I had already punched Youkai down even though the man was floating. "What the hell! Why are you here?"
"No need to be so uptight, Chase," he shrugged, long white hair cascading down his back in a manner like sleet or snow. "I've decided! I'm going to pull Daichi-san from the spirit world and I need your help!"
"Okay," Ryuusei shrugged.
"You wanna die, Ryuusei?" Rex protested.
"I'll go, if only so Ryuusei doesn't get killed," I muttered as the bell rang. "Last lecture. Let's go."
I felt Youkai follow me behind. "I saw how you beat Ryuuki. I'm so glad, Chase... now I'm the only stalker you have."
I decked him flat. "What kind of stalker would let himself get hit?"
Everything was clear now, just like the skies of spring.
"If you put yourself here as an exchange student, I will kill you," I promised as I tried to shift away from the insistent Youkai in the last lecture.
Youkai frowned. "But then how else do I follow you?"
"You don't. Period."
"Wow, you guys act like a married couple," Rex drawled.
"Rex," I said. "I still have that blackmail material from Shimotsuki."
"Fine," Rex grumbled. Actually, it was in Satisfaction Town, but what he does not know would not hurt him.
"And, for the last announcement," Chancellor Fujiwara Yusuke announced. "Covering a module on Unusual Tactics will be our guest speaker, Kiryu Kyosuke."
"What?" I hissed as Sensei strolled casually onto the podium, ratty trench coat and all.
"Good afternoon," he spoke calmly with the eyes of Duel Academia Kings freshmen upon him. "I'll be covering a duel on unusual tactics, which basically refers to combos with esoteric activation conditions. A sub-category includes the infamous special win conditions. Exodia, Exodius, Destiny Board, Final Countdown, Venominaga, Last Turn and some new card I can't remember."
He pulled out a slide-show, showing different cards, this one an Arcana Force XXI – The World. "There are also pseudo-victory conditions, where it is virtually impossible for your opponent to win. Examples include this card, the infamous Yata lock, Time Seal and Relay Soul. More general examples includes arbitrarily high life points and the removal of victory conditions."
He smirked. "I specialise in the removal of victory conditions myself. Now, my idiot disciple utilised a method of removal of victory conditions just today, that I just happened to catch, and I'm going to show it to all of you."
No. Way.
Yes, it was. I was forced to sit through the whole ordeal, right up to where I pulled the Zero Gate of Void and awed about all of Kings. Doubtless I would have been recognisable by tomorrow.
"Can anyone spot the changed victory condition?" Kiryu-sensei drawled.
There were murmurs all about. "You mean, that now the condition is to destroy or remove the monster?"
"Yes," Kiryu nodded towards the answerer, Shirahane. "On a smaller scale, cards like Z-ONE, ZERO-MAX, Skill Successor, Delta Crow – Anti Reverse, are also unusual tactics. They are unusual, they think outside the box, and they work. Consider it extra work to think of an unusual tactic for your own deck. It should catch your opponent off guard. That ends the lecture."
I immediately ran to meet Sensei, Youkai trailing behind. "Sensei! You're a guest speaker?"
Sensei blinked, before answering something concerning Tenjouin-sensei, and smirked at me. "Have fun with your boyfriend."
I stared at his retreating back. "I'm straight!"
Beside me, Youkai gave me a look. "...right."
"Shut up!" I growled at him. "Don't arbitrarily decide my sexual orientation! And don't you have school?"
"I have special permission to walk out of school," Youkai shrugged.
"No, more like you skip school," Ryuusei finally appeared, dragging Rex along. "Youkai-sempai, even though you're the same age as us please act your age."
"Then why do you call him Sempai?" I muttered.
"He joined the Arcadia Movement before me," Ryuusei shrugged.
"Chase-kun!" Ryuuki had caught up to me. "I've been thinking over your answer. I don't accept!"
"What?" I scowled. "You lost! Get over it!"
"No, because love will not allow me to hit-"
"Don't give me that shit! My life was at zero!" I placed thumb and forefinger together. "If not for Zero Gate of Void I would have lost, you idiot!"
"All of you, shut up," a voice murmured behind. I felt myself freeze to slowly turn around and see the terror of all teachers of Kings...
You know, there is that bogeyman teacher in Duel Academia that terrifies the shit out of everyone. Kings had its own in the form of Pete Coppermine, the Vice-Chancellor and second only to Chancellor Fujiwara Yusuke. He had long dark hair, a grin worthy of a serial killer, and an altogether sinister look. Now, as Coppermine-sensei was looming, I suddenly wanted to die. Why did I have to be caught by the creepiest teacher of all Kings?
"Talking in the corridors is allowed," Coppermine-sensei muttered. "But, you're disturbing the peace."
And who should come but Tenjouin-sensei himself. "Oi, Pete, leave the students alone already, your target's running-"
"Not if his student is here," Coppermine-sensei growled to Tenjouin-sensei, who subsided pretty fast, probably from terror.
"You already have a detention for being late," Coppermine-sensei growled. "Well, let's fix that, shall we?"
I really did not like the implication of that...
"You," Coppermine-sensei was distracted as he spotted Youkai. "Students of Sanctuary should remain in Sanctuary."
Youkai shrugged neutrally.
Coppermine-sensei narrowed his eyes. "Get out before I call Winter."
He was gone in a flash. I blinked. Whoever the hell was Winter, must be terrifying beyond all reason to get such a reaction from the normally unflappable Youkai.
"Let's go before Kiryu runs off," Coppermine-sensei muttered, and I had a sudden feeling... I swallowed. If this guy was one of Sensei's admittedly-not-many exs, though most of them were female, we really needed to have a talk. Like, now. Before his grudge spilled over to the student, that is. Sensei's exs tended to end my pretty bad through some great karmic joke, some either being flat-out insane, murderous, or... the most moderate of them turned out to be a serial killer who wanted Sensei as his partner-in-crime. Not fun at all.
Sensei, why is your taste in dates so warped? And can you please pull an intervention of fate?
Student-teacher Duels were not implemented often in any DA. Since the time of Yuuki Judai, usually not at all unless the teacher was holding what was called the Quiz Panel tests for kinetic learners like the aforementioned Spirit Detective. Student-teacher Duels to settle detentions were even rarer, since there were some teachers who still had access to the old but good Ancient Gears that was beyond most students to handle.
"The rules are simple," Coppermine-sensei murmured in the empty Duel arena of one of Kings' specific fields. "If I win, you serve a week's detention. If you win, I wipe your record clean for a whole year. Well?"
Bit unusual, but advantageous to me. "Er, yes, Sensei."
"Oi!" Kiryu-sensei blew into the auditorium, trench coat billowing. "Pete, bastard, what are you doing?"
"Kyosuke," Coppermine-sensei gave a smile that would have given most people, including yours truly, the willies. "How nice of you to drop in."
"He's got nothing to do with this."
"But the student is now within reach, unlike the teacher," Coppermine-sensei gave a shrug. Obviously, he's not caring about the rules of Kings and more about Kiryu-sensei.
Ex. I knew it. "Sensei, what's with your exs?"
"Shut up, stupid disciple," Sensei growled to me. "Move over, I'm taking your place."
I shut up, getting down before the imperious command of Kiryu-sensei due to years of conditioning.
"Oh?" Coppermine-sensei smirked, and I got the feeling that I was set up for this. "Kyosuke, you're Duelling for your student?"
"The idiot disciple of mine won't be able to handle your games," Kiryu-sensei drawled. "Maybe later, but not now. Not from one of the former members of the Card Professors Guild."
"Card Professors Guild?" I muttered.
"A circle of mercenary Duellists," Ryuusei murmured. "Membership can also be applied through the Arcadia Movement. Though they are mercenaries, I heard that to become part of that circle, the requirements place them around the top of the Duelling world. If Coppermine-sensei was a member... he'd be a more difficult opponent than we know."
"The Handless Demon, Kiryu Kyosuke," Coppermine-sensei gloated. "Why did you quit? You were being offered jobs all around, and even the privilege of the Black DuelDisk."
"I Duel for myself," Kiryu-sensei drawled while I was still stunned with that revelation that Sensei used to be a Duel mercenary. "If you're done babbling, let's do this."
"Duel!"
Kiryu: LP 4000
Coppermine: LP 4000
As usual, Kiryu unfolded the gun DuelDisk first. "I'll go first."
"Go ahead," Coppermine-sensei smirked.
"Draw," Kiryu-sensei announced. "I play the Continuous Spell, Infernity Launcher, using its effect to discard an Infernity monster from hand to grave. Now I summon Infernity Mirage [0/0] to the field in attack mode." The Native American monster appeared on the field. "I then play the Spell, Bullet and Cartridge, using its effect to mill four cards off the top of my deck into the grave, and then drawing a card, followed by placing the Spell card itself on top of my deck."
"Kyosuke, don't think I don't know what you'd be doing," Coppermine-sensei shook his head. "You're setting up for that servant of yours, the Infernity Death Gunman, right?"
"Don't think I'm so predictable," Sensei drawled in answer. "I play the Spell, A Feather of the Phoenix, discarding one card to select Infernity Demon from the grave and place it on top of my deck. I set one card, turn end."
"Eh?" I realised. "Sensei could have activated Mirage's effect..."
"Draw," Coppermine-sensei drawled. "I activate the Continuous Spells, Two-Man Cell Battle and Heart of the Underdog. At the turn player's end phase, we can special summon a level four normal monster from our hand. Now I summon Emissary of the Afterlife [1600/600] to the field."
I stared as the reaper-like monster appeared on the field. "Vanilla support?"
"Looks like Vanilla Beatdown," Ryuusei noted.
"I play the Ritual Spell, Advanced Ritual Art," Coppermine-sensei announced. "Choosing Lycanthrope in my hand, I send normal monsters from my deck to the grave whose total levels equal that of Lycanthrope, that is, six, and then I ritual summon Lycanthrope. I send Jerry Beans Man and Sonic Duck from my deck to the grave and summon Lycanthrope [2400/1800]!"
"It's as strong as Black Rose Dragon!" I stared as the lycan monster burst onto the field.
"Chain, tribute Infernity Mirage for Infernity Destroyer [2300/1000] in attack mode and Infernity Beetle [1200/0] in defence mode," Kiryu-sensei announced.
"Well, both fall rather short to my Lycanthrope, so, Lycanthrope, attack the Infernity Destroyer!" Coppermine-sensei laughed as the monster leaped and shredded Destroyer. "When Lycanthrope inflicts battle damage, you take two hundred damage for every normal monster in my grave!"
Kiryu: LP 4000 → LP 3900 → LP 3500
Coppermine: LP 4000
"You... never really learn, do you?" Kiryu-sensei drawled. "Trap activate, Infernity Reflector. I have no cards to discard, so it's okay, and I special summon Infernity Destroyer from the grave and inflict one thousand points of damage to you."
"What?" Coppermine-sensei stared as he was hit with the damage. "Yes, that's exactly the Kyosuke I remembered..."
Coppermine: LP 4000 → LP 3000
Kiryu: LP 3500
"Emissary, attack the Beetle!" Coppermine-sensei laughed.
"Banish Necro Gardna from grave," Kiryu-sensei frowned. "You know, this was just for testing purposes... I doubt I like it."
"Still, how opportune," Coppermine-sensei remarked. "I end my turn, and at the end phase Two-Man Cell Battle special summons Gene-Warped Warwolf [2000/100] to my field."
"T- two thousand attack?" I stared as the ugly monster hit the field. Yeah, I could already tell that Coppermine-sensei was going to be difficult to deal with...
"Still using that mutant deck, huh...?" Kiryu-sensei muttered. "Draw! I reveal Infernity Demon [1800/1200] to special summon him!"
The demon appeared on the field, familiar and comforting.
"Infernity Demon allows me to search for an Infernity card from my deck and add it to hand when special summoned," Kiryu-sensei announced. "I choose Infernity Queen. Now, I use Infernity Launcher to discard Infernity Queen to the grave. Tuning, level six Destroyer to level two Beetle. The dead and the living... when they meet at zero, above the cage of eternity, the demonic dragon comes out! Come forth, Infernity Death Dragon!"
With a magnificent roar, pincers clicking and its bran visible between the crow atop multiple eyes, the dark dragon appeared [3000/2400].
"Oh, yeah," Kiryu-sensei drawled as the silhouette of the queen appeared. "Infernity Queen's effect activates from the grave. When my hand is at zero, Infernity Queen allows me to choose one monster I control, and for one turn, that monster can attack directly."
Coppermine-sensei looked stunned. "Say what?"
"Infernity Death Dragon, attack him directly!" Kiryu-sensei called. "Infernity Death Breath!"
Coppermine-sensei just stared as he was totalled by the boss of all Infernity.
Coppermine: LP 3000 → LP 0
Kiryu: LP 3500
"So, you honour your deal, bastard," Kiryu-sensei growled as he folded up his DuelDisk. "Bye, Chase. I'm going back."
"My sensei's the coolest," I spoke in a hushed whisper as I stood. "Bye, Sensei! Say hi to Nico and West for me!"
"...right." Youkai muttered.
"Kyosuke...!" Coppermine-sensei blinked, obviously still stunned.
"You," Kiryu-sensei rolled his eyes. "Forget about it."
"But, Kyosuke!" Obviously, Coppermine-sensei was really using us...! As long as he kept to the deal, I don't care...!
"I think we'll leave the adults to their own arguments," Ryuusei gave good advice as he hauled us out.
"How many exs did Uncle Kiryu go through, does anyone know?" Rex muttered.
"Don't know, don't care," I muttered, blanking my eyes. "Kiryu-sensei was so cool...!"
"I see," Youkai murmured behind me.
Little did I know that this moment would be one of the peaceful calm before the storm.
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