Yu-Gi-Oh! EXELIXI Chapter 10: Man Beast of Ares, a yu-gi-oh! 5d's fanfic

Again, I have nothing much to say for this chapter. However, I want to take the time to warn you in advance that the featured duel for this chapter will seem very familiar to you. Trust me when I say that it's one of those things where you'll know it when you see it. If you're irritated even in the slightest after reading this duel, I just wanted to say that I know I could do better than that. I honestly don't know what got over me when I wrote it, but please bear with me on this.

Enjoy chapter ten, everyone!

Approaching the three was another woman—this one whose outfit was similar to the woman in white and cyan. But her own outfit was very much different. In place of sapphire orbs were topaz diamonds, and the crystal placed in the heart area's metal piece was another topaz, this one in the shape resembling the number four with the front corner curving away from the vertical line. Her mask was silver with two golden thunderbolts jutted out in the sideburn areas, and a green light shining out of its left eye opening. Underneath her mask was fire red hair fashioned in a ponytail.

"Mistress Jupiter!" the woman in white and purple gasped. She suddenly kneeled before the woman named Jupiter. The other two did the same.

"You may rise, my friends," Jupiter solemnly announced as the three did just that. "I see that you already know of the news at hand: The third Wielder has been found!"

"And how the bloody hell is that supposed to help us?!" the man in white and red pouted. "We still have to find three more freaking Wielders after that!"

"Patience, Mars. I am positive that the remaining Wielders will be found in due time."

"Yeah, Mars!" the woman in white and cyan pouted. "Honestly, you really need to learn how to be patient…"

"And you need to learn to watch what you say, Neptune!" Mars shouted, ready to attack the woman in white and cyan, Neptune.

"That's enough, you two!" Jupiter ordered. "This is most certainly not the time for your constant bickering; you two and Mercury will have to work as a team in order to achieve our objective."

"Jupiter is right," the woman in white and purple, Mercury, agreed. "You two are going to have to cooperate if we want to successfully purify the universe."

"Aw, c'mon!" Mars whined. "Do I really have to work with a whiny bitch like her?!"

"At least it's better than being an egomaniac such as yourself!" Neptune taunted.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

"ENOUGH!" Jupiter boomed. "You two are going to work together with Mercury, and that's final!"

"Fine…!" Mars and Neptune groaned.

"Fear not, Mistress Jupiter," Mercury said reassuringly. "I'll be sure to keep these two in line."

"I trust you, Mercury. Now go, and do not fail me!"

"Before we go, I would like to ask: Won't you be coming, too?"

"I cannot go with you at this time. But worry not, for I will join you eventually. Now, go!"

"Yes, Mistress Jupiter," her three servants said.

A portal of blue fire formed behind them, which the three went into. Although they went completely through, the portal remained unclosed. This was because after they were gone, a Duel Disk formed on Jupiter's left wrist. But this wasn't a regular Duel Disk—instead, it was composed of a blade made entirely of yellow energy in the shape of a thunderbolt, which was attached to the left gauntlet's topaz. A slot located within the topaz opened, and a deck slid out of it.

She picked up the deck's top card and immediately place it on one of the blade's five invisible Monster Card Zones. Instead of a blue portal opening up, a monster emerged from pixels in her presence. The monster was a light-brown-haired Minotaur partly dressed in a loincloth, boots and fingerless gloves, all of which were made of blue cloth.

"Man Beast of Ares," Jupiter directed, "descend down to Earth, and aid my children in seeking out the remaining four of the Six Wielders! And do not fail like Evilswarm Thanatos did!"

The Minotaur just snorted as he stood up and ran into the flaming portal. Only then did it finally close up.

"Our mission must not fail," Jupiter vowed as she walked back up the temple's stairs. "We must do whatever it takes to recreate the universe as it once was: A universe of purity and rid of sin!"

CHRONICLE 010
MAN BEAST OF ARES

The time had finally arrived at Neo Domino City: The day where everyone wishing to participate in the tournament would set off to Atlantis City. At this moment, there was a large crowd of people at Neo Domino Harbor, boarding a luxury liner that was to set sail for the tournament's destination.

"This. Is. AWESOME!" Kero squealed with excitement. He, along with Mira and Homanu, were among the large crowd of boarding passengers. "I can't believe we're actually going on a luxury liner for the tournament! Does Kaiba know how to transport us, or what?!"

"He's Seto Kaiba—whadja expect?" Homanu remarked.

"Oh. I forgot."

"If you ask me," Mira said, "I'm glad some of the KaibaCorp employees are loading our Duel Runners as cargo for the ship; I sure wouldn't want to haul around mine twenty-four-seven."

"You said it," Homanu agreed, as he and his friends slowly moved in line aboard the stairway to the ship. They eventually got up to the doorway inside the ship, where they were greeted by a sailor. "Are you here to participate in the Atlantis City Grand Prix?"

"Yes," Mira replied.

"May I see valid proof that you are to participate in the tournament?"

Mira and her friends each held up a passport-like object with a stamp of the KaibaCorp logo.

"Very well. Please board the ship, and enjoy your trip to Atlantis City." They nodded as they entered the ship.

About forty-five minutes later, the ship finally left for Atlantis City, and was now about an hour in on its journey. Because this was a luxury ship, there was a giant dining hall on one of the ship's floors. Mira and her friends were at one of the thousands of tables, enjoying their foreign meals. Mira had a Caesar salad with a side of plain Greek yogurt. Homanu had a Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes with gravy. And Kero had spaghetti with meatballs, coated with spaghetti sauce with minced garlic and herbs.

"This food is so delicious!" Kero said with a mouthful of chewed spaghetti. "We should go to out-of-town tournaments more often, when there's food like this!" Mira and Homanu nodded in agreement.

"Miss Oshaki? Is that you?" a familiar British accent spoke. The three friends turned their heads to see that near their table was Arthur Rutherford, dressed in his riding suit. Three gold tablet-like objects were attached to his waist, one of them being in the shape of a sword.

"Arthur? You're in the tournament, too?" Mira asked.

"Ah, but of course," he replied. "I am a professional, after all. And I assume that you and your friends shall participate in the tournament, as well?"

"Yep!" Kero beamed. "And we're gonna win!"

"We'll see about that. But I do hope to face off against you, should we qualify. Especially you…Miss Oshaki…" Again, Mira noticed a fake smile in his voice, but decided not to comment.

"Until next time," he said, leaving from their table.

No, Arthur, he then thought to himself. You mustn't think about getting back at Oshaki. Right now, you have to concentrate on your duties as a Wielder. And yet…I'm curious to know the identity of the Wielder found last night…

"Mira, did you notice something strange about the way Arthur spoke?" Homanu asked her.

"I did," she replied. "He was also like that before I went home after I beat him in the summer tournament."

"Do you think he's suddenly got something against you?" Kero asked.

"I don't know…"

Suddenly, there was a loud bang aboard the dining hall. After a few seconds, the lights began to flicker and eventually go out. Gasps eventually turned into screams of despair. "What's happening?!" Kero cried.

"How should I know?!" Mira shouted. No sooner had she said that when a loud battle cry was heard above the hall.

"It came from above; let's see what's happening!" Homanu declared. Everyone ran upstairs to discover the cause of this chaos.

As soon as everyone boarded the ship, they gasped at the sight of Man Beast of Ares, breathing and snorting like crazy. "Hey, isn't that Man Beast of Ares?" Kero cried, pointing at the monster.

"Another Duel Monster?" Homanu gasped. "First Evilswarm Thanatos, now this?!"

"Alright, what's the meaning of this?!" a gruff voice shouted. A silver-haired man with a beard of the same color pushed the crowd aside to confront Ares. "Who are you, and what are you doing aboard my ship?!"

"Ares here to hunt Wielders!" Ares snorted. "Ares no leave until Wielders found!"

"I don't know what kind of nonsense you're saying," the man said. "But as long as I'm captain of this ship, I won't allow you to harm any of my passengers!" The captain rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight Ares.

"Captain, don't!" Homanu shouted. "It's too dangerous!"

"What do you know, boy? Let a professional handle this!" Very bravely he stomped towards Ares. He would eventually see that Homanu was right; as soon as he was face-to-face with him, Ares grabbed him by the collar and violently flung him towards a nearby wall.

Disgusted to see someone whom he assumed was elderly abused like that, Homanu step forward. "I may not be whatever these 'Wielders' you're looking for are, but I'll never forgive you!"

"You not Wielder?" Ares grunted. "Ares no fight you, then!"

"I'll fight you, you beast!" Arthur boldly declared, bravely confronting Ares. He was already wearing his Duel Gazer on his face.

"You not Wielder ei-" Ares began. He stopped before he noticed the amber on Arthur's band. "Forget what Ares just said. Ares accept challenge!"

Something's strange, Mira thought as her necklace's amethyst shone faintly. It sounded like he wasn't going to accept Arthur's challenge, but now he did."

'Yes. It is very strange, indeed,' the spirit of Ananke telepathically spoke, suddenly appearing beside her.

'What the—how did you get here?!' Mira demanded.

'I am the spirit of your entrusted Iroa. As long as you have the Iroa Crystal, I will always be with you, wherever you are.'

Great; just what I needed… Mira muttered mentally.

'Come again?'

'Oh! I mean, uh… Say, what makes you think this guy suddenly accepting Arthur's challenge 'strange'?'

'Perhaps it has something to do with that beast claiming he was looking for the Wielders…'

'Wait…you don't suppose Arthur's a Wielder, do you?'

'I do not know, but there is only one way to find out…'

"I refuse to let you harm these innocent people!" Arthur declared, taking the tablets from his waist and constructed them as his Duel Disk. The result was still a sword-shaped blade with five platinum Monster Card Zones.

Ares stretched out his left arm, and a bronze cestus glove materialized onto the wrist. Attached to the cuff area was a Duel Disk blade of the same color, and was in the shape of a scythe with two sharp edges in the back. Its Monster Card Zones were black.

As soon as both Duel Disks were constructed, Arthur pressed a button his Duel Gazer, causing the lens to flash for a split second. Mira, her friends and most of the passengers in the audience put on theirs and did the same. "Augmented Reality Vision Link established," the female voice spoke as the wave of green digital energy flowed around the dueling area, and virtual screens popped out in various locations.

"Duel!" both duelists shouted.

ARES: 4000 LP / ARTHUR: 4000 LP

"Ares go. Ares draw!" Ares declared, drawing a card. "Ares summon Disgraced Gladiator Beast Commodus in Attack Mode!" A blue portal appeared on the floor, and a beastly humanoid leapt out of it. It was a dark-blue-haired Minotaur like Ares himself, clad in gladiator armor, cestus gloves, and thigh-high boots, all of which were platinum. [ATK: 0400; LV: 4]

"Ares place three cards face-down!" He took three cards from his hand and slid them into his Spell/Trap Card Zone slots—three of five slots above his Monster Card Zones, just like older models. Three vertical backings materialized behind the Minotaur. "Ares end turn! Now you go!"

"I certainly will, you beast!" Arthur declared, drawing his card.

"Arthur, be careful!" Homanu warned him. "This may sound crazy, but Mira went up against a Duel Monster Spirit like Ares, and nearly killed her!"

"Is that so? Well, do not fear, fellow duelist—not even the spirit of a monster such as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon can shake a professional down! Now I-"

"Ares activate two of his face-down cards!" Ares interrupted. "The Gladiator's Courage, and The Gladiator's Fame!"

Two of the three vertical backings lifted up. The first was a Trap Card picturing a medium-blue-haired muscular man dressed in bronze gladiator chest armor and cestus gloves. Though he was slightly bruised, he was bravely fighting a tan-skinned gladiator in the same clothing, who was twice his size and strength. The second was another Trap Card, this one picturing the same blue-haired gladiator to an audience wildly cheering for him.

"And what exactly do those cards do?" Arthur demanded.

"With Gladiator's Courage," Ares explained, "when monster Special Summoned from Graveyard, that monster gain five hundred Attack Points! However, Ares cannot have two or more monsters on field, or Trap Card will be destroyed.

"And with Gladiator's Fame, Ares draw one card when monster Special Summoned from Graveyard! But Ares cannot have two or more monsters on field, or four or more cards in hand during end of his turn, or else Trap Card will be destroyed."

"If that's how you want to play it… Very well—I Special Summon Heroic Challenger Assault Halberd in Attack Mode!" Another blue portal appeared on the floor, and a knight in silver and cobalt armor floated up from it. His main weapon was a black steel weapon with three blades resembling a sword, a knife and an axe. [ATK: 1800; LV: 4]

"I can Special Summon this monster if you have a monster while I have none. Next, I summon Heroic Challenger Double Lance in Attack Mode!" Another blue portal appeared, and the warrior clad in silvery white gladiator armor floated up from it. [ATK: 1700; LV: 4]

"I don't have any other copies of Double Lance to Summon, but I don't need any! Heroic Challenger Assault Halberd, attack Disgraced Gladiator Beast Commodus!" The cobalt-and-silver-armored warrior charged at the blue-haired Minotaur, shattering him into pixels. [LP: 4000 – 2600]

"Assault Halberd's effect activates! When it inflicts you with battle damage, I can add any 'Heroic' card from my deck to my hand!" A card automatically slid out of his deck, only to be placed in his hand.

"Now, my Heroic Challenger Double Lance, attack Ares directly!" The silvery white-armored warrior began to charge at Ares directly. But to everyone's surprise, a purple portal appeared on the floor, and the blue-haired Minotaur quickly floated up from it. [ATK: 0400 – 0900] After its reappearance, the warrior thrust his lance through the Minotaur, shattering it into pixels. [LP: 2600 – 1800] After its destruction, the same purple portal appeared a second time, and the Minotaur reappeared from it once again. [ATK: 0900 – 1400] Seeing all of these actions made the audience gasp.

"Explain yourself, beast!" Arthur shouted.

"Ares activated effect of Commodus!" Ares cackled. "When Commodus destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Ares immediately summons it back to field with same Attack Points! But it also gained Attack Points from Gladiator's Courage!

"Ares also draw two cards from Gladiator's Fame!" He drew his two cards.

"Jeez, talk about a combo!" Mira grumbled. "If that Commodus of his can really revive itself like that, then those two Trap Cards will give Ares an advantage!"

"Why do I have a feeling I've seen something like this before…?" Kero wondered.

"Kero, I don't think this is the appropriate time to think about stuff like that…"

"I'm just saying!"

"You may have the upper hand, beast," Arthur vowed, "but I will find a way to defeat you. It's your move."

"Ares go!" Ares grunted. "But when Ares revive Commodus, Ares cannot draw card during Draw Phase. But Ares no need Draw Phase with Gladiator's Fame!" The annoyed Arthur just growled.

"Besides—Ares already have card needed to win spirit battle!" He held up a card high in the air as he continued: "Ares activate Spell Card that will determine who lives and who gets offered to Creator of Universe!"

"H-H-Homanu?" the uncontrollably trembling Kero asked, tugging on Homanu's shirt. "Is h-h-he gonna a-a-activate wh-what I think he's gonna?"

"I have a hunch you're right!" the equally terrified Homanu spoke.

"ARES ACTIVATE…CRONUS'S SPIRIT BATTLE!"

Instead of a slot sliding out of his Disk, two slide doors opened at the front end of his Disk, which Ares slid the Spell Card into. As soon as the doors closed, a circle of blue fire—the same fire Mira had to deal with when she dueled Thanatos—formed and started to form a circle around Ares and Arthur.

"Arthur!" Mira cried, about to rush towards him.

'Mira, do not interfere!' Ananke ordered, placing a hand on her shoulder.

'But Arthur—he could be in trouble!'

'You must not interfere! This is not augmented reality, such as your Earthly everyday duels—this is real! Do you not feel the intense heat?'

'I do, actually…like I did when I fought Thanatos!'

'Exactly! It is best not to take any chances, for you could be severely burned!'

'…Okay,' she said, stepping back from the circle before it completed its formation.

"With Cronus's Spirit Battle in play," Ares spoke, "all monsters with Levels and Ranks gain Life Star Counters equal to their own Levels and Ranks. During end of each turn, every monster lose one Life Star Counter. Once monster lose all Life Star Counters, they get destroyed!" Four Life Star Counters appeared above each monster on the field. [LSC: 4] [LSC: 4] [LSC: 4]

"Now Ares attack Heroic Challenger Double Lance with Commodus! Go!" The blue-haired Minotaur roared as it charged at the triple-blade-sword-wielding warrior.

"You mean he's gonna attack a stronger monster just like that?" Kero wondered. "Jeez, this guy's an idiot!"

"Kero, weren't you paying attention?!" Homanu snapped. "Once Commodus is destroyed, it'll just come back; and stronger, even, thanks to his Trap Card!"

"Oh, right! Guess he's not an 'idiot' after all!"

The blue-haired Minotaur continued its assault on the silvery white-armored warrior. The warrior counterattacked by slicing his lance at the Minotaur, shattering him into pixels. [LP: 1800 – 1500]

"Ares resurrect Commodus!" Ares declared. Sure enough, the purple portal appeared, and the Minotaur leapt out of it. After its emergence, the same four Life Star Counters formed over it [ATK: 1400 – 1900; LV: 4; LSC: 4]

"Now Ares draw one card from Gladiator's Fame!" After drawing another card, he shouted, "Now Commodus attack Double Lance, and destroy it this time!" The Minotaur charged at the silvery white-armored warrior, and thrashed at it, shattering it into pixels. [LP: 4000 – 3800] "But that not all!

"Ares also activate Trap Card, The Gladiator's Fury!" The final vertical backing lifted up. It pictured the same blue-haired gladiator furiously and rapidly punching the same muscular gladiator from the first card he activated. "When Ares destroy one of your monsters in battle, Gladiator's Fury inflict you with damage equal to monster's Attack or Defense Points on field, whichever greater! Your monster have more Attack Points, meaning you lose eighteen hundred Life Points!" The Minotaur furiously charged at Arthur, grabbed him and raised him in the air, and flung him into the invisible barrier created by Ares's Field Spell. [LP: 3800 – 2100]

"Arthur!" Mira cried. "Are you alright?!"

"As long as I can at least draw a card," Arthur grunted, brushing himself off, "I should be fine…"

And I will be fine, once I end this duel, he thought, looking in his hand. The card I added to my hand is Heroic Challenger Extra Sword. After I summon him during my next turn, I'll overlay it with my Assault Halberd to Xyz Summon my Heroic Champion Excalibur. From there, my Excalibur will gain one thousand Attack Points from Extra Sword's effect.

Then I'll use my Heroic Advance Spell Card, which will double Excalibur's Attack Points. Sure, it won't be able to attack directly this turn; but then, I don't need to, since it'll have enough Attack Points to annihilate this beast once and for all!

"Ares activate Spell Card, Sneak Attack!" Ares continued. A Spell Card picturing a man in front of a campfire, while a knight was attacking him from behind, materialized. "This card lets Ares attack with Commodus outside of Battle Phase this turn!"

"It what?!" Arthur gasped.

"Commodus, attack Heroic Challenger Assault Halberd!" For the third time this turn, the Minotaur charged ruthlessly to attack. This time, it punched at the cobalt-and-silver-armored warrior, shattering him into pixels. [LP: 2100 – 2000]

"Now you lose Life Points, again, from Gladiator's Fury!" Once again, the Minotaur lifted Arthur into the air and flung him into the invisible barrier. There, he almost lay unconscious. [LP: 2000 – 0200]

"ARTHUR!" Mira screamed.

Unlike what her friends had feared when they believed she was dead, Arthur miraculously stood himself up, even if it did take plenty of effort. "You…haven't won yet…you beast…!" he grumbled.

"So, you still willing to fight?" Ares grunted. "Ares admire courage. But you down to two hundred Life Points! That mean next turn be last! Now, you go!" With those words said, a Life Star Counter pixelated from above the Minotaur. [LSC: 4 – 3]

"I…I draw!" Arthur shouted, almost wincing as he valiantly drew his card. "I…activate the Spell Card, Hand Destruction!" A Spell Card picturing a small orange-skinned samurai in silver armor swiping his sword at four card backings materialized. "This card forces us to send two cards from our hands to the Graveyard in order to draw two cards!"

Ares discarded two cards in his hand and drew the two cards. Before Arthur drew his cards after discarding his own, however, his deck's top card began to glow a lustrous orange. He drew it and another card at the same time. "And now, the time has truly come to defeat you once and for all!

"I activate…HERACLES' STRENGTH!" A familiar card materialized on Arthur's field. It was familiar because it was the same Spell Card in Enochian, picturing the naked man of orange ectoplasm—not just the same card we saw back in the previous chapter, but the same kind of card Mira had. After the card emerged, the same naked man pictured on the card emerged out of the card.

As soon as the man emerged, Mira's amethyst began to glow, as did Arthur's amber. My Iroa Crystal—it's glowing! he thought. That must mean the Wielder I might be looking for should be right- Before he could finish, he noticed Mira's glowing jewel. Wait a minute…!

So I was right about Arthur! Mira thought. Could it be that…

That wench…

…my opponent back in the finals…

…is a Wielder? Arthur and Mira thought in a 'split screen' manner.

"Homanu, why are Mira and Arthur staring at each other like that?" Kero asked.

"I wish I knew…" Homanu sighed.

'Arthur,' the voice of Heracles, the naked orange man, spoke telepathically in a grunty male voice. 'I, too, see that this girl is a Wielder like you; but now is not the time to gawk at her. You have a duty to perform!'

'Right you are!' Arthur spoke, remembering his duel against Ares. "With this card's effect, I can resurrect a Level Four or lower Warrior-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type monster from my Graveyard, so long as its Attack Points are also one thousand or less! However, once it is resurrected, its Attack Points will be twenty-four hundred!

"So return to me, Heroic Challenger Extra Sword!"

Heracles stretched out his left arm as an orange portal formed in front of both him and Arthur. Floating up from the portal was a knight clad in armor that was silver mixed with a color similar to oxidized copper. A sword was held in each of the warrior's hands. After the warrior's emergence, Heracles phased into the warrior's body. [ATK: 1000 – 2400; LV: 4] Curiously, though, no Life Star Counters formed over it, even though it was a monster that obviously had a Level.

"Hey, how come your monster no get Life Star Counters?" Ares asked, scratching his head.

"Because," Arthur explained, "a monster summoned by this card will be unaffected by other cards and effects! That means Extra Sword's immune to Cronus's Spirit Battle!"

"That means he won't have to worry about his monster getting destroyed by his Field Spell!" Kero cheered.

"But he will have to worry about Commodus, and the fact it can revive himself," Homanu reminded him. "And don't forget about his three Trap Cards, that'll just make things worse for Arthur!"

I don't know about that, Mira thought. Judging by how powerful my Iroa Card can be, I have a hunch his might pack quite the punch…

"Heroic Challenger Extra Sword, attack Disgraced Gladiator Beast Commodus!" Arthur commanded. The warrior charged at the Minotaur, slashing it into pieces with his swords. [LP: 1500 – 1000]

"Ares resurrect Commodus!" Ares snorted. Just like the previous times before, the purple portal appeared, and the Minotaur floated up from it, even angrier than before. [ATK: 1900 – 2400]

"Now Ares draw card from Gladiator's Fame!" he continued, drawing the card.

"Too bad you won't be able to use it, you beast," Arthur laughed haughtily, leaving Ares confused. "My monster now has another effect from Heracles: When it destroys one of your monsters in battle, you lose Life Points equal to its Attack Points on the field!

"Before you resurrected Commodus, it had nineteen hundred Attack Points on the field. Your Life Points were one thousand when it was destroyed."

"That means…that means Ares lose!" Ares wailed. Indeed, the warrior charged directly at Ares himself and slashed at his chest with his two swords, resulting in him kneeling on the floor and clutching his chest in agony. [LP: 1000 – 0000]

"Arthur won," Homanu muttered.

"Well, of course he won!" Kero chirped. "He's a professional duelist; how could he not win against him?"

"Because if he didn't win, he'd be dead!"

"…Oh… But I'm just saying, is all!"

"You may…have defeated Ares…" Ares groaned as the black hole formed underneath him, with fiendish spirits flying out of the hole and grabbing him, "…but Ares already serve purpose!" He roared as the spirits dragged him down into the hole before it closed up.

'That is almost identical to what Thanatos said to you!' Ananke spoke.

'That's gotta mean he's working for the same person Thanatos was working for!' Mira replied to Ananke. '…But who?'

As soon as the hole was closed and the flames died down—surprisingly leaving ashes that formed a circle on the ship—Arthur reassured the passengers: "Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen on board! I am positive that no more shenanigans will happen on this ship anymore. You can all sleep in peace tonight." There was some mumbling among the large crowd, but everyone eventually agreed that Arthur was right as they began to go back to the dining hall.

"Wait," Arthur called to Mira before she and her friends got the chance to leave. "I'd like to see you."

"Ooh, lucky!" Kero squealed, twirling around. "You actually get to talk with one of England's top duelists! Ooh, can I come?!" he asked, bouncing up and down? "Please? Please? PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLE-"

"I'd prefer it if we talked in private," Arthur said, trying to keep an innocent face even though he said it flatly.

"Oo-oh!" Kero then said flirtatiously, puckering his lips towards Mira. "I think he has a cwush on joo!" This earned him a punch in the face from Mira.

"I'm sorry for that," Mira said. "My friend can get…carried away at times…"

"So I've noticed," Arthur said.

"I guess we'll leave you two alone," Homanu said, picking up Kero under the arms. "C'mon, Kero…" He dragged Kero back to the dining hall.

As soon as the two were alone, Arthur boldly spoke: "Mira Oshaki, I know that you are a Wielder; and I am positive that you know I am a Wielder, as well."

"Yes…" Mira said, almost awkwardly. "Is that all you wanted to tell me, or…?"

"No. I asked to see you alone because…I want to duel you."

"Duel me? Again? What for, a rematch?"

"No—this is a duel of much more importance. I've been a Wielder longer than you have, and I want to see if you truly have what it takes!"

"What do you mean? I thought I already did when I was in Corycian Cave…"

"That was only the beginning of what to really expect. You remember the Iroa Cards that both you and I used, right?"

I don't remember the last time I used mine, but there's no doubt he used his… Mira thought. Aloud, she said: "I suppose."

"Those cards are more unique than you think. But rather than showing you by talk, let me show you by action!" He quickly constructed his Duel Disk, which he then activated; Mira did the same.

Their Duel Gazers were still fastened to their faces, so the only thing they did was press the button that caused them to flash for a split second. "Augmented Reality Vision Link established," the female voice spoke as the wave of green digital energy flowed around the dueling area. Virtual screens popped out in various locations, as well.

"But to ensure no one would eavesdrop on us Wielders," Arthur declared, "I believe we should have this battle in a more appropriate location!"

"Where to?" Mira asked.

Instead of answering, the amber on Arthur's band began to shine once again. When it was shining at its brightest, Arthur raised his arms and shouted: "Powers of Olympus, transport us, the Wielders of Earth and Darkness, to Scheria City!"

With those words said, another amazing sight occurred. A beam of lustrous orange light shot out of Arthur's amber, and an orb of the same color formed above the two duelists. The orb floated down and covered both duelists before exploding in a beam of light.

In a few seconds' time, both duelists found themselves in the inside center of a stone coliseum, located in some kind of desert village. Through the coliseum's entrance, one could see stone huts similar to those in Corycian Cave, except these were made of sandstone. Beneath both duelists was a large circle with markings similar to the altar of Corycian Cave. The brown runes of the innermost rim, too, were written in Enochian, except they were translating to 'EARTH'.

"Mira Oshaki," Arthur announced, "welcome to Scheria City: The same place where I got my Iroa Card."

"I'm not even gonna ask how you've managed to get us here," Mira said. "What I'm really worried about is if you left any damage on the ship!"

"Relax. Me teleporting you here is highly unlikely to have caused any damage to the ship whatsoever. I should also inform you that because there's a limit to a power such as mine, we can only stay in this world for fifteen minutes."

"Arthur? Is that you?" a deep male voice spoke. It belonged to an average-sized but muscular man who was walking through the stadium's entrance. He had beige skin and red eyes, and his onyx-colored hair was gelled in having three pointed spikes on each side. In place of his nipples were amber crystals. His attire was a kilt, cestus gloves, and boots, all of them made of bronze.

"Ah, Crusader Achilles," Arthur greeted the man, kneeling before him. "A pleasure to see you again."

"Indeed, it is a pleasure, except…what exactly brings you here? We of Scheria City did not summon you here. And who is that woman beside you?" He pointed to Mira.

"This is Mira Oshaki, a Wielder such as myself. And I brought her here, on my own will, to show her what to expect as a Wielder."

"I see. Shall I bring our Elder, Odysseus, to observe the progress?"

"That won't be necessary. Just bring us two horses and the gauntlets you've used to test me."

"It shall be done," he bowed, and exited the stadium.

"Horses? Gauntlets?" Mira wondered. "What exactly are you planning?"

"We're going to have a Turbo Duel," Arthur explained. "This is mostly to make me teaching you how the Iroa Cards really work more effective."

"Whatever it takes, I'm up for it."

"I have returned," Achilles announced, pulling two chestnut-haired horses by ropes attached to their reigns, and carrying two copper gauntlets underneath his left armpit. Two brown leather saddles were on the horses' backs. After walking the horses to the appropriate location at the coliseum, he handed each of the two duelists a gauntlet. "And if you do not mind, I shall observe your progress of teaching Mira whatever she needs to know." Arthur just nodded.

"These gauntlets were used in the olden days of Spirit Battles," Arthur said, sliding the gauntlet onto his left wrist, with Mira doing the same, before walking to the horses. "And if it wasn't obvious enough, some of these folks used horses for some of these battles." Mira said nothing as the two climbed upon the horses.

"Now, let the Spirit Battle of old commence!" Arthur declared, raising the left arm bearing the gauntlet in the air. After clenching his fist only once, three blades materialized on the gauntlet's side, making it resemble the DiaDhank. There was an extra slot on the side of the first blade, which was used to hold the player's hand. After seeing what Arthur did, Mira activated her gauntlet's Disk form in the same manner.

After placing the decks reserved for Turbo Duels in the gauntlets' Main Deck slots, both duelists pressed the button that made their gazers flash for a split second. Achilles, on the other hand, tightly closed his left eye and opened it, making it more luminous. "Augmented Reality Vision Link established," the female voice announced as the wave of green digital energy flowed around the coliseum. Virtual screens began popping out in various locations of the coliseum, as well.

"Normally, this duel will be performed under an automatic Field Spell Card modeled after our fair city," Achilles directed. "But since you are treating this battle like a Turbo Duel, as you humans have called it, this Field Spell will have both the effects of our Field Spell and whatever Field Spell is used in Turbo Duels from your modern age!"

"Sounds good to me," said Mira. "Now, let's go!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Arthur added. He pulled his steed's reigns, and the horse galloped around the coliseum. About half a second after seeing Arthur galloping off, Mira pulled her steed's reigns to do the same. As soon as she caught up with him, the decks inside both duelists' gauntlets automatically shuffled, and they drew five cards apiece.

"Turbo Duel, acceleration!" they shouted.

ARTHUR: 4000 LP / MIRA: 4000 LP
ARTHUR: 0 SPC / MIRA: 0 SPC

"Though this duel will have the same effects as 'Speed World Two', like Achilles said," Arthur said, "I'll tell you the additional effects of this card, provided by Scheria City! All of our monsters must attack whenever they can. And whenever one of us attacks, we can pay one hundred Life Points to inflict one hundred points of damage to our own opponent!

"Now I'll start this duel!" he continued, drawing his card. "I place one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!" He took a card from his hand and slapped it onto one of his gauntlet's five Monster Card Zones. A horizontal backing materialized beside his steed before fading from sight.

"Then it's my turn!" Mira shouted, drawing.

ARTHUR: 1 SPC / MIRA: 1 SPC

'Mira, I strongly recommend you be careful!' Ananke warned her.

'But why?' Mira asked. 'I dueled this guy already, and I became the new champion of the summer tournament! I'm sure this duel will be no different!'

'I suspect it will be different. You are up against a Wielder who has been one longer than you have. So who knows what Arthur might be capable of…?'

'Ananke, it would be best if you stay out of this,' Arthur spoke to Ananke telepathically, much to her and Mira's surprise. 'This is a personal matter.'

"Wait, did you just actually talk to Ananke?!" Mira shouted. "But how?!"

"As a Wielder, we have the ability to see others' Iroa, not just our own. But enough lecturing for now—it's still your move!"

"Oh, right!" Mira said, taking a card from her hand and slapping it onto her gauntlet. "I summon Destiny Hero Diamond Guy in Attack Mode!" A blue portal appeared beside her steed, and the crystal-covered hero flew out of it. [ATK: 1400; LV: 4]

"I activate Diamond Guy's ability, which I'm sure you know about already!" The hero's crystals shone as Mira picked up her deck's top card. "Unfortunately, it's not a Normal Spell Card; so it goes to the bottom of my deck." Though she placed the card back on top instead of on the bottom, the deck automatically shuffled afterwards.

"But I have other plans, like having Diamond Guy attack your face-down monster! Diamond Blow!" The hero shot a barrage of diamond shards at Arthur's now visible horizontal backing. It revealed to be the copper-armored warrior wielding two swords. [DEF: 1000; LV: 4] He was shattered into pixels when he was struck by the shards.

'Is that not one of the same monsters Arthur used earlier?' Ananke asked. 'And, if I am not mistaken, is that not the same monster used when resurrecting it with his Iroa Card?'

'I'm thinking you're right,' Mira replied. 'But if he's gonna do what I think he's gonna do, I don't think there's any way we'll stop him…'

"I pay one hundred Life Points to activate Scheria City's effect!" [LP: 4000 – 3900] She was shrouded by a veil of orange light, which transformed into a misty version of herself. The misty Mira flew towards Arthur and punched at his shoulder. [LP: 4000 – 3900]

"I place two cards face-down, and end my turn!" She slid two cards from her hand into a slot located on the gauntlet's side opposite of the blades. Two vertical backings materialized beside her steed before fading from sight.

"My move!" Arthur declared. His deck's top card shone in a lustrous orange before he drew it.

ARTHUR: 2 SPC / MIRA: 2 SPC

Mira noticed what happened to the top card before it was drawn. I think he just drew his Iroa Card! she thought with astonishment. This is it…!

"Mira Oshaki, it's time for me to truly show you what a Wielder is capable of!" Arthur solemnly but boldly declared. "I activate…HERACLES' STRENGTH!"

He swiped the card through his gauntlet's Spell/Trap Card Zone slot, and the card picturing the spirit of Heracles materialized. Heracles then emerged out of the card and flew beside Arthur.

"But you didn't activate a Spell Card that had 'Speed Spell' in its name!" Mira protested. "That means you'll be taking two thousand points of damage!"

"Correction—I won't be taking two thousand points of damage!"

"You won't?! But how is this possible?!"

"I'll tell you everything you need to know about these cards as we go further into the duel. But back to the effect of this card: When I activate it, I can resurrect any Level Four or lower Warrior-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type monster from my Graveyard, so long as its Attack Points are also one thousand or less. However, once resurrected, its Attack Points will become twenty-four hundred!

"Return to me, Heroic Challenger Extra Sword!"

Heracles stretched out his left arm as an orange portal formed beside him. After the warrior wielding the two blades flew out of it, Heracles phased into his body. [ATK: 1000 – 2400; LV: 4]

"Heroic Challenger Extra Sword, attack Destiny Hero Diamond Guy!" The warrior wielding two blades charged towards the hero and slashed at him with his swords, shattering the hero into pixels. [LP: 3900 – 2900]

"Since I have just attacked, I, too, shall activate Scheria City's effect!" [LP: 3900 – 3800] He was shrouded by an orange veil of light, which transformed into a misty version of himself. The misty Arthur flew towards Mira and punched her on the shoulder. [LP: 2900 – 2800]

"And there's more—the other power Extra Sword now has, granted by Heracles! When it destroys one of your monsters in battle, you lose Life Points equal to your monster's Attack or Defense Points, whichever is higher! Your Diamond Guy had more Defense Points than Attack Points—that means you lose sixteen hundred Life Points!" The warrior charged towards Mira and slashed at her shoulder. [LP: 2800 – 1200]

"With the power of Heracles by my side," Arthur declared, "my victory is guaranteed!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

FEATURED CARD – CHRONICLE 010

Disgraced Gladiator Beast Commodus
DARK/Beast-Warrior – Effect/4/400/1500
You must control no monsters to Normal Summon or Set this card. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by its own effect. While you control this face-up card, you cannot Summon or Set other monsters. When this card is destroyed (either by battle or by card effect) and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it from your Graveyard in face-up Attack Position. If you activate this effect, skip your next Draw Phase. If this card was Special Summoned by its own effect, its ATK becomes equal to the ATK it had on the field when it was destroyed. There can only be 1 face-up "Disgraced Gladiator Beast Commodus" on the field at a time.

EXCLUSIVE CARDS

The Gladiator's Courage
Trap/Continuous
If you control 2 or more monsters, destroy this card. When (exactly) 1 monster is Special Summoned from your Graveyard to your side of the field, that monster gains 500 ATK. You can only control 1 face-up "The Gladiator's Courage".
Image: A slightly bruised medium-length-blue-haired man in bronze gladiator armor bravely fighting a tan-skinned gladiator in the same costume, who's twice his strength and size
Origination: Psychid

The Gladiator's Fame
Trap/Continuous
If you control 2 or more monsters, destroy this card. Once per turn, when (exactly) 1 monster is Special Summoned from your Graveyard to your side of the field, draw 1 card. During the end of each turn, if you have 4 or more cards in your hand, destroy this card. You can only control 1 face-up "The Gladiator's Fame".
Image: The medium-length-blue-haired gladiator happily waving at the audience wildly cheering at him
Origination: Psychid

The Gladiator's Fury
Trap/Continuous
If you control 2 or more monsters, destroy this card. When a monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK or DEF on the field, whichever is higher. You can only control 1 face-up "The Gladiator's Fury".
Image: The medium-length-blue-haired gladiator ruthlessly punching at his tan-skinned opponent
Origination: Psychid

Sneak Attack
Spell/Normal
Select 1 face-up monster you control. During this turn, you can declare an attack with it outside of the Battle Phase.
Image: A man sitting in front of a campfire, with a knight rushing behind to attack him
Origination: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX manga – Chapter 21 – The Enemy Started to Move!

Speed World – Scheria City
Spell/Field
(This card's name is always treated as "Scheria City".)
All face-up monsters must attack, if able. When a monster declares an attack, after the Damage Step, the turn player can pay 100 Life Points to inflict 100 damage to their opponent. If a player activates a non-"Speed Spell" Spell Card, they take 2000 damage. Except for the 1st turn of the Duel, during each player's Standby Phase, each player places 1 Speed Counter of their own on this card (max. 12 each). You can remove any number of your Speed Counters to activate an appropriate effect:
●4: Inflict 800 damage to your opponent.
●7: Draw 1 card.
●10: Destroy 1 card on the field.
Image: A coliseum of sandstone located in a desert village
Origination: Psychid

Next time, on Yu-Gi-Oh! EXELIXI…

The battle between Arthur and Mira has just begun! Can Mira prove her worthiness as a Wielder?

'Activate the card, and you will see how it will work!' her phantom friend eagerly replied.

After nodding at her companion, Mira held a card up high as she declared: "I activate…DESTINY HEROINE, ANANKE!"

She bravely swiped the card through her gauntlet's Spell/Trap Card Zone slot. After the card version of Ananke materialized, Ananke herself flew beside Mira, stretching out her left arm as the Roman sundial of purple fire formed in front of her.

'Since Mira has no monsters on her field, whereas you do,' Ananke explained, 'a certain Monster Card now gets resurrected from her Graveyard! Return, Destiny Hero Dread Guy!'

The dial on the sundial began to spin, and increased in speed by the second. It eventually transformed into a purple portal, which the muscular chained hero flew out of, letting out his ear-piercing battle cry. [ATK: ?; LV: 8]

She'd better hope so, because Arthur plans to give it his all, as well!

"How is that supposed to help you?" Mira asked.

"You'll see. But first, I summon Heroic Challenger Ambush Soldier in Attack Mode!" Another blue portal appeared, and a small soldier wielding a sword-sized dagger flew out of it. His attire was camouflage-themed clothing that was dark and spring green, along with a dark green cape and a red-lensed helmet resembling a gas mask. [ATK: 0000; LV: 1]

"Thanks to the Speed Spell I've activated earlier, it's now been eight turns total since I've activated Heracles as a Spell Card. Now, it's time to show him his true power!"

I don't know what that means, Mira thought, but I don't like where this is heading…!

Now Arthur plans to bring out the true power of Heracles…in a new Monster Card form?

"Level One, EARTH-Attribute Heroic Challenger Ambush Soldier, I release your spirit!" Arthur declared. The dagger-wielding warrior's entire body suddenly transformed into a male figure of orange ectoplasm.

"What on Earth is that?!" Mira gasped.

"That, my dear Mira, is the spirit of my monster, which will be used in the ritual to call out the Iroa of Earth!" With that said, he began to chant:

"Hero of Earth, hear my cry. Lend me your strength so that I may win this battle of good against evil! Lend me the courage to vanquish my enemies!

"Mana Summon! Come forth, Iroa of Earth! HEROIC CHAMPION, HERACLES!"

However, Arthur won't be the only one to have this special skill!

"Level Three, DARK-Attribute Destiny Hero Devil Guy, I release your spirit!" Mira bellowed. The demonic-clad hero's body transformed into a female being of purple ectoplasm, and acquired female anatomy in the process. As this happened, Mira closed her eyes and chanted:

"Heroine of Darkness, hear my cry. May your powers of destiny aid me in this battle of good versus evil. May destiny be in my favor!

"Mana Summon! Come forth, Iroa of Darkness!"

"DESTINY HEROINE, ANANKE!" Mira and Ananke shouted at the same time.

Who will win this battle of the ancients? What exactly are the Iroa Cards truly capable of? What is this "Mana Summon"?

Stay tuned for the next Chronicle: "Unleash Your Power!"