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Chapter 7: The Sword Falls into Darkness
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Miami Championship Stadium:
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Thanks to what happened yesterday, I managed to earn a 60 per cent win rate and qualify myself for the Miami Championships. Before the Junior Youth Matches started, we got the chance to watch the Middle School Matches.
I was ecstatic as I watched Tatsuya and Futoshi breezed through the first round. However, I could not see Ayu anywhere. I was a bit concern when I saw only Tatsuya and Futoshi entering the Duel Stadium.
"Good job you two." I congratulated both of them. "By the way, where's Ayu? Isn't her match starting soon?"
Tatsuya looked at Futoshi who shrugged his shoulders before replying me with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "We're not too sure ourselves…We tried contacting her but she did not answer our calls."
Futoshi continued. "We thought she might have reached the stadium first, but we couldn't find her…"
After a few minutes, the announcement for Ayu's match was made, and we could not help but be nervous as Ayu was still nowhere to be found.
Ayu's opponent for the day was supposed to be a boy called Reira. He was a small kid around the same height as Ayu. He wore a light blue hoodie with a teddy bear hanging by his side. I could hardly see his face but I saw his purplish-blue eyes and his stoic expression which reminded me strongly of someone. He waited patiently for his opponent without making a sound.
Five minutes till Ayu's match starts and the little red-haired girl is still nowhere to be found. As I was running around the venue to try to spot her, I accidently crashed into a group of familiar people: Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka and Sora.
"Ryouma? My god you scared me!" Yuya said while helped himself off the ground.
"I'm really sorry but have you guys seen Ayu!?" I asked while apologizing.
"We were looking for her as well." Yuzu answered.
"But apparently she was involved in some sort of accident." Sora explained with a lollipop in his mouth.
…
"What accident!? What happened!?" I demanded, confused by Sora's statement.
"We're not so sure ourselves…" Gongenzaka intervened while breaking Sora and I apart. "When we contacted her parents earlier, all they said was that Ayu was involved in an accident and could not come today."
"No way…"
After fifteen minutes, it was announced that Ayu lost the match against Reira by forfeit. I quickly explained the situation to Tatsuya and Futoshi. Needless to say, they got even more worried.
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Regardless, now it was the Junior Youth matches. I sat together with Principal Shuzo and the rest in order to cheer the other You Show Students on.
"Oh Ryouma!" Principal Shuzo clapped my back. "I heard you are in the last match of the day. Remember to give the audience a HOT-BLOODED finish!" Shuzo yelled as encouragement, while causing the people sitting around us to eye him suspiciously.
"Thanks Principal." I replied. "But, any news of Ayu?"
Shuzo's face turned a shade darker at my question. "Sorry Ryouma, not for now. She was considered lost by forfeit, so…"
"I understand, thanks for telling me." I turned my attention back to the dueling field, wondering what happened to the girl I taught XYZ summoning last week.
My mood was temporarily lifted as I watch the matches of Yuyu, Yuzu and Gongenzaka's matches, each of them earning a victory over their respective opponents. I was specially happy for Yuzu since she got her revenge against the Gem-Knight user Masumi, using her new Fantasia Maiden Fusion monster. As I watched the match between Yuya and Sawatari, I couldn't help but respect Shingo Sawatari's entertainment dueling, even though he might be a little arrogant.
Pretty soon, it would be my turn and I quickly proceeded down to the dueling entrance.
I took a few deep breathes as I checked through my cards. "Just got to do what I always do…"
Apparently, I am dueling against someone called Nomoto Kaeru. (kaeru means frog in Japanese)
…
…
"You worried?" I jumped at the voice.
"S-Sora!? Don't do that!" I scolded Sora.
"That's payback for last time." He smiled while eating his sweets. "You're up next y'know?"
"Yeah…" I nodded. "Wish me luck."
"Like you'll need it!" Sora laugh.
"You'll never know."
…
"Hey Ryouma!" I heard a new voice behind me.
I turned around to see the three LDS students from the You Show School Accident: Yaiba at the front, with Masumi and Hokuto strolling behind.
"Yo" I greeted Yaiba as we fistbumped. "Thanks for coming to see me, you two as well."
"Don't get the wrong idea," Hokuto replied while crossing his arms. "We did not come here to support you, but to warn you."
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"Warn me about what?" I eyed Hokuto suspiciously, thinking that he has not forgiven us for winning during the You Show Duel School accident.
"We heard you are facing against Kaeru Nomoto." Yaiba's smile disappeared. "We want to tell you to be careful around him."
"You guys are starting to scare me." I commented while noticing the grim expressions on all three of the LDS' students faces.
"Kaeru Nomoto is one of LDS' students in the same year as us." Masumi started to explain. "Not only is he one of the top duelist in our year, he is also someone with an extremely powerful financial backing thanks to his father being a major shareholder of the Leo Corporation."
"We hate that guy." Hokuto scowled. "It was the worst feeling when dueling him in class…"
"What's so scary about this guy?" Sora asked in a laidback tone. "Kinda reminds of Sawatari, maybe a little better than him."
"You're dead wrong if that's what you think." Hokuto stepped forward and elaborated. "Sawatari may be an arrogant idiot who likes to think he's the best, but Nomoto is someone who likes to get what he wants with money and political power."
"As a duelist, he uses strategies to weaken and corner his opponents till the point of surrender." Yaiba continued darkly. "He is a cunning strategist who will use whatever method he can to win."
"That guy is a creep…" Masumi shuddered. "He probably has a strategy to counter your deck."
"That's impossible." I stated. "The pairing is only announced just now. The rules state that you have to register your decks when you enter the competition. There is no way he could have known he was dueling me."
"I don't know." Masumi replied. "However just be careful. That guy has a way to get on your nerves."
"Right…" I sighed. "Thanks for the advice."
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"The last match in the qualifiers of the Junior Youth round for today will now begin!" The enthusiastic announcer Nico Smiley declared to the cheers of the crowd. "So let's meet our next two duelists!"
"First we have another member of the You Show Duel School! He has been making waves with his arsenal of blades, earning his place here with a spectacular seven-win streak! His unique style of wielding his 'Armaments' deck has earned him the title of [Duelist of Steel], Tachibana Ryouma!"
Oh yeah, it was troublesome to enter the championships with just 'Ryouma', so I had to make up some stuff.
"And our second duelist! Another member of the Leo Institute of Duelling, the sly and cunning strategist! His financial power is no joke, and he has all cards available under his belt. His amazing ability to read and counter his opponents has earned him a TEN-WIN STREAK! Its Nomoto Kaeru from LDS!"
"A ten-win streak?" I wondered. "Who is this guy?"
A lanky youth proceeded to stand opposite me. Nomoto was easily a head taller than me and had long blonde hair tied with a band behind his head. He wore the same attire as Sawatari Shingo, the standard LDS uniform and wore multiple accessories like golden chains and bracelets, no doubt to potray his high status. It is no exaggeration to call him a bishounen or pretty boy. However, what unsettled me was his face. Despite his good features, he had a greedy glint in his eyes, like a toad eyeing a wandering fly, ready to swallow it whole. The creepy aura he was emitting was enough to make Sawatari Shingo look like a saint. He gave an ugly smirk as I walked up towards the platform as well.
"Now! Let us determine the Action Field for this round!" The giant card randomizer spun above us until it stopped, depicting a muddy swamp in the middle of a tropical rainforest. "The choice is Man-eating Swamp!" The card's depiction materialized around us, my feet starting to sink slightly into the loose soil.
"What a fitting field for me!" Nomoto snickered much to my surprise.
"Duelists locked in battle!" I began.
"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters." Nomoto continued.
"They storm through this field!"
"Behold, this is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling."
"Action…" Nico Smiley held his fingers up.
"DUEL!"
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Ryouma LP: 4000
Nomoto LP: 4000
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With a snap of his fingers, the action cards dispersed and rained down on the tropical field.
"I'll take the first move if you don't mind?" Nomoto asked while combing his blonde hair with his fingers. At my nod, the LDS student started things off.
"I set one monster in face-down defense position, set two cards and end my turn." Nomoto finished his turn simply. A purple ball-like creature with red eyes materialized above his set monster, symbolizing its face-down position.
"He isn't making any big moves…" I thought myself. "A possibility is that his deck revolves around flip effects…"
"What's wrong chump?" He asked me mockingly. "Too scared to face me?"
"No, I just don't like the look on your face." I retorted as I drew my card. "My turn, draw!"
"You won't know the tone of a bell till you ring it! I'm going full throttle from the start! I activate the Spell, Pendulum Gate!" The card showed Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician emerging from a glowing portal. "I can add two Pendulum cards with the same scale value to my hand! I add the Scale 5 Famed Armaments Kanshou and the Scale 5 Famed Armaments Bakuya to my hand!
"With the Scale 5 Armaments Kanshou and the Scale 5 Famed Armaments Bakuya, I set the pendulum scale!" I declared.
Two columns of blue light appeared on either side and my Pendulum Blades rose up to their respective places. On my right was a giant crescent black blade with red hexagonal markings on it and a yin symbol on it, Kanshou. On my left was its counterpart, a giant white crescent blade which shone like polished pearl, with a yang symbol on it, Bakuya. Both of them had a number '5' displayed under them.
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[Famed Armaments Kanshou, Level 6, Dark, Fairy, ATK: 2400, DEF: 1200, SC: 5]
[Famed Armaments Bakuya, Level 3, Light, Fairy, ATK: 1200, DEF: 800, SC: 5]
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"LOOKS LIKE TACHIBANA RYOUMA HAS STARTED THINGS OFF WITH A PENDULUM SCALE!" Smiley shouted to the audience. "However, according to the rules of Pendulum Summoning, he can only summon monsters whose levels are between the set scale numerals. Both of them are Scale 5! What is he thinking!?"
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"Pendulum cards!?" Yuya was shocked.
"Since when can Ryouma Pendulum summon?" Yuzu asked the rest of the group.
"However," Sora observed. "Since both of his cards are Scale 5, he can't do a pendulum summon."
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"Pfttt haHHAHHAHAHAHA! Are you stupid?" Nomoto managed to say while clutching his side. "I kind of wanted to see Pendulum Summoning, but that was a useless move!"
"Say that after both of their Pendulum effects activate!" I smirked as I pointed upwards. "The effect of Famed Armaments Kanshou on my right activates! When there is a Famed Armaments Bakuya in the other pendulum zone, its scale is decreased to 1!" The number below Famed Armaments Kanshou dropped to 1.
"The effect of Famed Armaments Bakuya on my left activates!" I continued. "When there is a Famed Armaments Kanshou in the other pendulum zone, its scale is increased to 10!" The number below Famed Armaments Bakuya rose to a number 10.
[Current Scale: 1 – 10 ]
"What do you know! Ryouma has successfully set up a wide Pendulum Scale!" Smiley announced loudly.
"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from level 2 to level 9!" I made a fist and began to chant.
"Great power from beyond the arc, grant me the power of legendary heroes, and guide me towards the path of victory! PENDULUM SHOUKAN! From my hand, Famed Armaments Kamula, Naegling, and Chrysaor!"
The three swords of bronze, beautiful violet and gold respectively stabbed themselves into the ground.
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[Famed Armaments Kamula, Level 4, Fairy, Earth, ATK: 1600, DEF: 800]
[Famed Armaments Naegling, Level 4, Fairy, Light, ATK: 1500. DEF: 1000]
[Famed Armaments Chrysaor, Level 4, Fairy, Light, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1500]
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"When Famed Armaments Naegling is special summoned, I can draw a card." After saying that, I proceed to hold Kamula and Chrysaor in my hands after placing my hand cards in a card holder.
"I also activate the Spell, Cards of Treasured Armaments! When I have at least three Armaments monsters on the field, I can draw two cards!" I refilled my hand back to four cards.
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"Hey can I ask you something?" Nomoto suddenly asked with a laid-back tone while putting his hands in his pockets.
"What is it?"
"How much?"
…
"Sorry, what?" I thought I heard wrongly.
"I said…" Nomoto stated disdainfully. "How much? How much do I have to pay for your deck?"
"Excuse me?" I couldn't believe what I am hearing right now!
"Papa has always brought me all the cards I want!" Nomoto smiled like a child about to receive his Christmas presents. "But your deck is really rare and one of a kind! I want it! So how much? I'll ask Papa!"
"This deck is not for sale." I snarled. "What do you think you are asking right in the middle of the duel!?"
"Awwwww." Nomoto pouted while giving me puppy eyes, which for some reason unsettled me even more.
I hurriedly scanned my options. I have to end this quick! This guy is giving me a bad feeling!
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"I activate the Spell, Night Beam! This card allows me to destroy a set Spell or Trap Card you control, and you cannot activate the chosen card in response to this!" I stated as I targeted the Nomoto's set card on the right.
"Fat chance!" Nomoto ran to a nearby tree and fished out an Action Card. "Action Magic! Substitution! When a card effect targets my Spell, Trap or Monster card, it is redirected to this card!"
A dummy took the set card's place and was destroyed.
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"I battle then! I attack your facedown card with Famed Armaments Kamula!" I declared while running towards Nomoto, ready to slice whatever he has to bits. I slashed the set monster with the bronze sword, revealing a disgustingly larger-than-life green frog with yellow spots. It gave a croak before being destroyed. "
[Swampforce Tree Frog, Level 2, Aqua, Water, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1200]
"The effect of Swampforce Tree frog you just destroyed! When this card is sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points!" Nomoto spread his arms triumphantly and a green light covered his body, increasing his life points.
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Nomoto LP: 5000.
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"The effect of Famed Armaments Kamula activates!" I continued while swinging Kamula. "When it destroys a monster by battle, it can make a second attack!"
"OHHHH NOOOO!" Nomoto fell on his knees while clutching his head. "Just….kidding you cheap shit!"
Nomoto's shocked expression was replaced by a ugly sneer. "Trap activate! Defilement of Heaven!" The trap I failed to destroy flipped open, showing a couple of fairies being dragged down to a pit by ugly goblins.
To my horror, Famed Armaments Kamula, Naegling and Chrysaor started to rust rapidly, quickly corroding within a few seconds. The three swords soon disintegrated into dust, leaving my field bare.
"What the-WHAT DID YOU DO!?" I demanded.
"GOT YOU HAHAHAHAH! You fell for it dumbass!" Nomoto laughed in a disturbing tone what caused me to have gooosebumps. "My Trap, Defilement of Heaven activates when you destroy a monster of mine. Through its effect, during this turn, all Fairy Type monsters on the field have their effects negated and destroyed!"
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"OH MY! Looks like Ryouma has been lured by Nomoto and is now at a terrible disadvantage!" Smiley shouted.
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"Furthermore!" Nomoto continued. "While this Trap is on the field for two turns, you are not allowed to summon or special summon any Fairy Type monsters from your hand, graveyard, Main deck or Extra Deck!"
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"Ryouma's Armaments deck is mainly comprised of Fairy-Type monsters." Shuzo realised. "He won't be able to summon anything for two turns."
"A card that counters Fairy types…" Yuzu shuddered while thinking about her own Fantasia Maiden Deck."
"That's strange…" Sora commented. "It feels like his deck is made to counter Ryouma's Armaments monsters…"
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"You bastard… You knew you will be duelling me, how else would you be able to put that card in your deck!?" I accused angrily.
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Nomoto tilted his head mockingly while replying in a soft voice. "Papa is one of Leo Corporation's Shareholders, as well as one of the organisers of this Championship! Asking Papa for the matchup list is easy? Is that against the rules? Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know!" He winked at me while sticking his tongue out.
"You…" I boiled with anger.
"There's nothing you can do you lowly shit! End your turn!" Nomoto stated while laughing hysterically.
"…I set two cards and end my turn." I grudgingly concluded my move. This is all I could do for now.
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"My turn, Draw!" Nomoto yelled with a grin.
"I activate the Spell, Polymerisation from my hand!" Nomoto declared gleefully.
"You're a fusion user!?"
"I fuse the Swampforce Tree Frog and Swampforce Glass Frog in my hand!" Nomoto continued while thrusting his hand forward.
Two green frogs with yellow spots, along with a frog with translucent white skin revealing its innards turned into three rays of light that spiralled into the swirling portal behind Nomoto.
"Frogs croaking in the silent night, let your voices harmonise and call upon an even greater amphibian! YUUGO SHOUKAN! Terrorize, Level 7! Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad!" Nomoto yelled.
From the portal leaped out the largest and most disgusting frog I have ever seen. Its large body had slimy green skin covered in lumps and welts, while its much smaller head was stretched across its body, its huge eyes looking at different directions. The frog gave a massive croak which caused me to cover ears at the horrible sound.
[Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, Level 7, Water, Aqua, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000]
"The effect of my other Swampforce Tree Frog activates. Since these two were sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 more lifepoints! In addition, when Swampforce Glass Frog is used as a fusion material, I can draw one card!"
I clicked my tongue in annoyance as Nomoto's life points are increased further.
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Nomoto LP: 6000
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"6000 Life points!?" Yuya gasped in surprise at the ridiculous amount.
"Can Ryouma-nii even reduce that many life points?" Tatsuya and Futoshi stated worriedly.
"Shouldn't you guys worry more about the fact that Ryouma cannot summon anything for the next turn?" Sora merely observed the match carefully while eating his sweets.
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"The effect of my Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad lets me gains 200 ATK points for every 'Swampforce' monster in my graveyard! There are currently three of them, so it's a 600 ATK boost!" Nomoto stated.
[Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, ATK: 2400 – 3000]
"I then normal summon Swampforce Poison Dart from my hand!" A huge blue frog with yellow spots leaped beside his fusion monster, its beady eyes staring at me.
[Swampforce Poison Dart, Aqua, Water, Level 2, ATK: 1000, DEF: 800]
"Battle! Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, attack that little shit directly!" Nomoto jumped on the back of his huge frog and ordered the assault.
I got to find an Action card! I started running and soon spotted one halfway in the mud. That's it!
"Too bad!" Nomoto came crashing right on my path using his disgusting toad. He then kicked me in the midriff, causing me to be knocked off the muddy road and rolled to the side.
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"RYOUMA!" A couple of You Show Students stood up from their seats.
"That's dirty!" Gongenzaka shouted to the display screen, his voice obviously not reaching to his intended target.
"This is an Action Duel." Sora reminded the rest with a serious expression. "All is fair play here."
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I honestly did not expect an opponent to physically assault me during the duel. Multiple angry thoughts raced through my head, but I stood back up while holding my stomach.
"I'll be taking this thank you! Continue the battle Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad!" Nomoto continued without a hint of remorse,
"I-I activate the trap, Megami to Tate: Aegis! I negate the damage I should have taken and recover half of that amount as lifepoints instead!" I quickly pressed a button on my duel disk and prevented big damage.
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Ryouma LP: 4000 – 5500
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"Swampforce Poison Dart attack him directly! Action Magic, Tropical Fury! My Poison Dart gains 800 ATK points!" Nomoto played the Action card he stole and the boosted ATK blue frog came leaping towards me.
[Swampforce Poison Dart, ATK: 1000 – 1800]
The attack hit with tremendous force, causing me to be sent flying, skidding across the mud until momentum finally gave in and stopped me.
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Ryouma LP: 3700
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"What is it the other You Show Students used to say? The fun is only just beginning! I activated the trap, Royalty Pressure! When my life points are higher than yours, I can inflict the difference to you as damage! The difference between our life points is 2300 points. Take 2300 points of damage!"
Nomoto played a card that showed a king bullying a group of children. I scream in pain as a red pillar of red light burst underneath me and drastically reduced my life points.
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Ryouma: LP: 1400
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"It's your fault for not listening to me and letting me buy your deck! Common folk like you should listen to what I say and give me what I want! I set one card and end my turn." Nomoto stated something completely unreasonable as I struggled to keep myself standing
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"Shut up you spoiled brat! M-My turn." I wheezed. "Draw!"
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"Looks like Tachibana Ryouma has stood his ground, but due to the effect of Nomoto's trap, Defilement of Heaven, Ryouma will not be able to summon any Fairy-Type monsters. What will he do!?" Smiley asked loudly into the microphone.
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I looked at my hand cards and promptly made my move "I activate Cards of Unfair Compensation! This card lets me draw two new cards, in exchange for discarding three from my hand! I draw two cards and discard Famed Armaments Hrunting, Famed Armaments Solaris, and the Spell, Welding Fusion."
"Don't think I can only summon Fairy Type monsters! I activate the effect of Welding Fusion in my Graveyard! By banishing this card and two Armaments monsters in my grave, I can perform a Fusion Summon!"
"A fusion summoning from your grave? That's interesting." Nomoto asked in false wonder.
" I fused my dark-attribute Famed Armaments Hrunting and Famed Armaments Solaris being treated as dark-attribute in my graveyard!" The two purple lights rose from a dark portal and swirled into a glowing portal.
"Two blades from the legends of old, join forces now to release the hound that strikes with certain death! YUUGO SHOUKAN! Bare your fangs! Level 8! Demonic Armaments Gáe Bolg!"
Dark red lightning flashed from the portal and formed a large cackling rod of lighting in front of me. I grabbed the extremely long blood red spear.
"Gáe Bolg's ATK and DEF are the combined ATK and DEF of its fusion materials. It gains the total ATK of Hrunting and Solaris!"
[Demonic Armaments Gáe Bolg, ATK: 3500, DEF: 3000]
"3500 ATK points!?'
"Battle! I attack Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad with Demonic Armaments Gáe Bolg! And don't think of using Action Cards! The turn Gáe Bolg is summoned, you cannot activate any card effects when I attack!"
With my declaration, I hurled the spear hard, the spear seemed to turn into a red flash and rushed straight for Nomoto's huge toad. The spear embedded itself through its thick skin and destroyed him with an explosion.
"When Gae Bolg destroys a monster in battle, I can inflict you damage equal to your Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad's original ATK points of 2400!" I adopted a crouching position and got ready to fire the red spear a second time.
"BARE YOUR FANGS! GAE…"
I jumped into the air despite the pain and tensed my arm muscles.
"BOLG!"
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Nomoto LP: 3600
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"Before you attack, I activate the Quick effect of Swampforce Poison Dart on my field. BY tributing this monster, all damage involving 'Swampforce' monsters I control is negated, and I recover the same amount of life points! You also receive 400 points of damage!" Nomoto gleefully stated as he countered the damage I tried to inflict on him, and a small spit of blue poison scalded my arm.
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Nomoto LP: 6000
Ryouma LP: 900
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"The effect of my Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad also activates! When it is destroyed by battle, I can revive it from the graveyard as long as I banish one 'Swampforce' monster from my graveyard. I banish Swampforce Poison Dart from my graveyard, to bring my big friend!"
[Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, ATK: 2400 – 2800]
"I end my turn. During the end phase of my turn, I destroy Demonic Armaments Gae Bolg by its own effect since I cannot pay 1000 life points. I then add an Armaments monster with a different name from my deck to my hand. I add Famed Armaments Drynwyn to my hand." I finished my turn with regret that the situation had not changed one bit.
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"My turn then! Draw!" Nomoto started his turn.
"During my Standby Phase, the Trap card, Defilement of Heaven, ends its effect and is destroyed!"
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"Great! Now Ryouma can summon next turn!" Yuya cheered.
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"I activate the Trap card, Invasive Protocol!" The card showed an army of frogs rising out of a muddy pond. "I special summon one level 3 or lower 'Swampforce' monster in my graveyard, then I can summon two other monsters with the same that as that monster from my hand, deck or graveyard. I revive my Swampforce Tree frog!"
[Swampforce Tree Frog, Level 2, Aqua, Water, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1200]
"By the effect of Invasive Protocol, I summon two more Swampforce Tree Frogs, one from my grave and one from my deck!"
Three green frogs splashed forth and ribbitted in unison.
"Let the great Nomoto show you something special you lousy trash! I overlay my three level 2 Swampforce Tree Frogs!"
"An Xyz Summoning!?" I gasped.
"With these three Water-Attribute Monsters I build the overlay network!"
"Mysterious blade which dwells at the bottom of the lake, rise with the tide and do my bidding! XYZ SHOUKAN! Descend, Rank 2! Mystic Armaments, Riptide! In DEF mode!"
To my profound horror and confusion, a deep-sea blue blade fell from the portal and landed with a splash. The one-handed sword which was shaped like a ship's anchor stood beside Nomoto, three blue overlay units orbiting around it. He summoned the Armaments Card I gave Ayu the other day.
[Mystic Armaments Riptide, Rank 2, Fairy, Water, ATK: 500, 2000]
…
…
"OHHHH! Looks like Contestant Nomoto has surprised us with an XYZ Summoning!" Smiley announced to the cheers of the audience. "However, isn't the name of the card…."
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"YOU! How the hell do you have that card!" My face was livid as I roared in anger. "How the hell do you have my junior's card!?"
"Huh? This card? Oh, earlier yesterday, I saw a girl duelling with this monster. She was claiming that It was a rare and one-of-a-kind card. Ayu… that's her name. I myself have never seen such a card before, so I challenged her and took it from her after the duel. Such a card can only be wielded by someone as grand as me right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
"YOU SLIMY BASTARD!"
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Back in the audience stands:
Tatsuya and Futoshi were furious and stared daggers into Nomoto's face on the display screen.
"How cruel…" Yuzu whispered angrily. "He's worst than Sawatari!"
Gongenzaka and Shuzo were clenching their fist and gritting their teeth at Nomoto's confession and his disgusting laugh.
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In the control room:
"Sir…" Nakajima asked the Akaba Reiji who was witnessing everything with a stoic expression. "Isn't that illegal and against the rules."
"That's right," Reiji answer while giving a slightly disgusted expression. "But we can't stop the duel now, he will be arrested after the duel ends, since he was stupid enough to confess when the duel's being broadcast. The Kaeru Family has really given birth to a selfish brat."
"What would you do, Ryouma…" Reiji thought to himself.
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Back to the duel:
Nomoto proceed to touch the blade.
"Get your filthy hands off that sword!" I raged. "It was never meant to be held by the likes of you!"
"What's wrong with you lousy shit, do these blades get you off or something? HAHAHAHAH!" Nomoto ignored me and held the blade in his free hand.
"I activate the effect of my Mystic Armaments Riptide! By detaching one overlay unit, a Water-Attribute monster on my field cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn! I target my Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad! Undine Surge!"
One blue overlay unit from Riptide disappeared and a ocean blue aura gave Nomoto's disgusting toad monster a protection boost.
"Battle! I attack you directly with Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad! Swamp rush!" Nomoto declared hopping back on the back of his monster.
"I activate the Trap card, Cursed Obsidian Shield Duban!" A giant circular shield made of black Obsidian blazing with purple fire manifested in front of me as I pressed a button on my duel disk. "When I control no monsters, this card negates your attack! Not only that, the attacking monster is destroyed and you take damage equal to half its ATK points!"
Nomoto only gave another annoying laugh. "Did you forget you trash? Thanks to the effect of Mystic Armaments Riptide, my Goliath Bulltoad cannot be destroyed by card effects this turn. Therefore, I do not take any damage!"
I spotted an action card in one of the surrounding trees and was about to pluck it out when Nomoto appeared in front of me on his toad with an ugly grin smeared across his face.
"Too bad you little shit!" He proclaimed in vain while kicking me again in the gut. I felt bile rising up to my throat, but I managed to recomposed myself and landed safely on the ground.
"Thanks for the Action Card again. You really saved me the trouble of finding it. Action magic, Forest Rage! This card lets a monster I control attack a second time with an additional 700 ATK points! Destroy that loser completely Swampforce Toad Goliath!" Nomoto declared.
"I activate my second Trap card, Defence Draw! I negate the battle damage and draw one card!" I said taking deep breaths.
"I set my last card and end my turn." Nomoto finished.
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"You're pretty fun! But I have to end this quick so that I can get papa to help me buy your deck. Could you please surrender?" Nomoto asked me mockingly.
My head was already bursting from the ramblings of this disgusting frog of a duelist. I let out a blood-curling scream.
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=()=
'The battlefields rage on for years…'
'Common folk weeping in pain as they were holding on to the bodies of their loved ones.'
'A decorated golden and royal blue sword in the stone glistened in the sunset…'
'"It's your choice if you choose to take the sword, but know this," A man with long white hair dressed in rags addressed the young man in front of the sword. "You will cease to be human."'
'"For the sake of my country, I am willing to relinquish my humanity." The young man proclaimed as he pulled the sword out of the stone, the blade reflecting the sunlight.'
'"You may be a king, but you showed mercy even to the enemy," One of the knights whispered behind the man's back "You will never save all your people."'
'"Why father!? Why am I not fit to rule!?" A knight wearing jet-black and red armour yelled at the king before storming out of the castle.
'"I have failed my country." The king mourned as he saw the battered bodies of his knights scattered across the blood-stained fields.'
'"Father…" The king turned around to look in my direction, suddenly stabbing his sword through my body. "I'm sorry…my son."'
"FATHER!"
=()=
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[Play Unlimited Blade Works OST: Dark Glow]
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"Ngh…" I gritted my teeth as I struggled on my hands and feet.
I had had enough of this bastard. I cannot stand listening to this cocky son-of-a-bitch for even one more second!
{Y-You slimy amphibian…} I staggered on my feet, my eyes shifting from silver to gold.
{You think you can do whatever the hell you want…GET READY TO CRY PATHETICALLY, YOU FROG BASTARD!} I roared in fury as the dark aura burst outwards and completely covered me.
The dark miasma slowly faded away. My eyes are now completely molten gold, and my voice sounds deeper, and sounded like it was being played on a recording machine.
He dares wield that blade in front of me? This slimy frog bastard dares to claim himself above me? The punishment is obviously DEATH!
{MY TURN, DRAW!} If I don't have a card to defeat this slimy bastard, I'll just have to make one myself! The card I drew burned black for a moment before revealing a completely new spell card. I glanced at the card, smirking with satisfaction at the result.
{With the current scale I have with Famed Armaments Kanshou and Bakuya, I shall once again Pendulum Summon!}
{Great power from beyond the arc, grant me the power of legendary heroes, and guide me towards the path of supremacy! PENDULUM SHOUKAN! From my hand, Famed Armaments Drynwyn, Misilteinn, and Armas!}
The three blades of fire, twisting branches and blue feathers respectively emerged from the portal and appeared at my side.
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[Famed Armaments Misilteinn, Level 4, Fairy, Wind, ATK: 1500, DEF: 1500]
[Famed Armaments Drynwyn, Level 4, Fairy, Fire, ATK: 1500, DEF: 1500]
[Famed Armaments Armas, Level 4, Fairy, Wind, ATK: 1400, DEF: 1800]
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{The effect of Famed Armaments Drynwyn activates. When this card is summoned, all Armaments monsters have their levels increased by one!} All the swords gained a flaming aura like Drynwyn as they had their levels increased.
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[Famed Armaments Drynwyn: Level 5]
[Famed Armaments Misilteinn: Level 5]
[Famed Armaments Armas: Level 5]
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{I overlay the three level 5 Armaments monsters on my field. Ageless sword of the one true king, transcend time now to shine your holy light, AND GUIDE ME TO SUPREMACY! XYZ SHOUKAN! Descend, Rank 5! Legendary Armaments, Excalibur!}
[Legendary Armaments Excalibur, XYZ, Rank 5, Fairy, light, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000]
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"Useless! I activate the Trap card, Trap Trip Membrane!" The card Nomoto activated showed a frog vomiting out two trap cards. "Since I have a 'Swampforce' monster on my field, I can return a Normal Trap Card from my graveyard to my hand!" Nomoto retrieved a card from his graveyard and showed it to me.
"I choose to add the Trap, Defilement of Heaven to my hand!"
{I remember that card…it negates and destroys all Fairy-Type monsters on my field, it also prevents me from summoning any Fairy-Type monster, an annoying card.} I stated slowly.
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"HAHAHAHAHAHA! That's right, as long as I have a monster out, next turn I'll-"
{THERE WILL NOT BE A 'NEXT TURN' FOR YOU!} My loud roar was enough to startle and silence the vain bastards
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{I activate the Spell, Rank-Up-Magic Chaos Rebellion Force!} Everyone saw that it was a spell card showing a black knight breaking out of dark flaming chains and flying into a dark red portal. {With it, I take Legendary Armaments Excalibur, and Rank it up 1 or 2 ranks higher into a Chaos XYZ monster!}
Excalibur turned into a yellow ray of energy and dived into the black portal which appeared above me.
{RANK-UP CHAOS XYZ CHANGE!} At my declaration, dark clouds started to form above the tropical swamp field. Red lightning flashed and thunder roared, causing some children in the audience to cover their ears in fear.
{Great demonic sword of the betrayer! Dipped in the blood of the betrayed king, descend from the edges of history to deliver divine judgement on those who dare oppose the king! RANK-UP CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! Obliterate, Rank 7! Legendary Armaments: Sword of the Betrayer, CLARENT!}
Out of the dark portal, A pillar of crimson electric energy fired from it. The impact of the summoning blasted away all the surrounding trees, and creating a massive wind which caused the audience to instinctively ducked for cover.
The red pillar of energy dispersed to reveal the new Armaments sword. Legendary Armaments Clarent was a huge two-handed broadsword the same size as Legendary Armaments Excalibur. However, the sword had a beautiful jet-black with glowing red markings over the guard and base of the blade. A jewel was embedded in the middle of the sword just like Excalibur, except that it was a blood-red ruby instead of a sapphire. The sword would have been awed for its comparable beauty if not for the dangerous primal aura it was constantly giving off, like a mad berserker. Lastly, four red diamond-shaped crystals were attached to Clarent, the Chaos Overlay Units.
[Legendary Armaments Clarent, CXYZ, Rank 7, Fairy, Dark, ATK: 2800, DEF: 1700]
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"Rank-up?" Nomoto gasped, no longer smiling, but terrified this time.
{This is the blade that will end you!} I declared.
{The second effect of Chaos Rebellion force activates! I can target one Xyz monster you control, and detach all overlay units from that monster. Those overlay units will be attached to my Chaos Xyz monster as Chaos Overlay Units instead!}
As soon as I finished explaining, the four Chaos Overlay Units attached to Armaments Clarent shot red lighting at Nomoto's Mystic Armaments Riptide and snatched away its overlay units.
[Legendary Armaments Clarent, OU: 6]
{Clarent now has six Chaos Overlay Units!} I stated.
{If Legendary Armament Clarent is summoned using an 'Excalibur' as Xyz material, I can activate its devastating effect! By using one Chaos Overlay Unit, I can reduce your life points by half, and reduce the ATK of one of your monsters by half as well}
{GWRTHRYFEL CATASTROPHE!} (rebellion mayhem)
I slammed Clarent into the ground, and a pillar of red light crashed down on Nomoto and his Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad from the stormy sky. Nomoto screamed in pain as his life was mercilessly cut in half.
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Nomoto LP: 3000
Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, ATK: 1400
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"How dare you do this to me!" Nomoto screamed. "Wait till I tell papa-"
{Don't think its over yet you slimy bastard! The effect of Clarent can be activated again as along as I have lower lifepoints than my opponent! My life Points are currently at 900!}
"NO WAY!"
{GWRTHRYFEL CATASTROPHE!} I expressionlessly halved his life points again.
"GAGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
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Nomoto LP: 1500
Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, ATK: 700
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"Please! I'll give you money! Papa can-"
{GWRTHRYFEL CATASTROPHE!} I did not even want to hear his voice anymore.
"GAGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
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Nomoto LP: 750
Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, ATK: 350
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"Please… have mercy…I regret my actions…" I approached Nomoto who was pleading desperately with his eyes.
…
…
{I change my mind}
Nomoto smiled for a while.
{You have greatly sullied my mood} Nomoto face was twisted in horror.
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{Battle.} I declared without a hint of remorse or satisfaction in my voice. {I attack that Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad of yours with Legendary Armaments Clarent!}
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{This for sure will be the wicked blade that will cut down my father!} I grabbed the massive blade with both hands tightly, making it roar in a primal manner while the two hatches on either side of the blade flipped opened.
"Please stop! I regret what I did! So…"
{Rebellion Against my Beautiful Father…}
The Black-red sword responded to my call by releasing red lightning that burst forth from the blade and struck the ground, creating huge cracks in the ground as the sword strained to contain the energy.
"I'll give you anything! Please-"
{CLARENT!}
I raised the sword above my head, the red pillar of lightning shooting into the sky.
"Don't you know who I am!? I am the great Nomoto Kaeru! My papa will-"
{BLOOD!}
The area around me seemed to reflect the bloodthirstiness of me and the sword as the cracks on the ground became stained with veins of dark crimson, bathing the Action field in red light as the sword let out a howl befitting of a hellhound.
{ARTHURRRR!}
With a roar, I swung down the sword, releasing the pent-up red lightning in the form of a surging wave of crimson lightning.
"GGGGAAAAHHHHHH!" Nomoto screamed in pain as the burst of lightning reached both him and Swampforce Goliath Bulltoad, engulfing him and everything else in a bright light. The attack continued on to demolish the tropical swamp field, leaving half the field a massive scorching mess and the smell of burned ozone.
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Nomoto LP: 0
Ryouma: WIN
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"T-The winner is Contestant Tachibana Ryouma…" Nico Smiley announced uncertainly, unsure whether to be impressed by the outcome of the duel, or be terrified by the amount of destruction I just caused to the stadium.
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My eyes faded back to silver as I wearily looked around me. I saw Nomoto Kaeru sprawled on his back in a distance, his eyes white and goodness, he peed his pants!
I was more horrified by the damage done to the field, and the stadium.
"What have I done?" I thought, "GARGHHH!"
A sudden headache caused me to stagger, my vision becoming darkening.
"Damn…it…!" I muttered before I fell to the ground, losing consciousness.
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So what do you guys think of Ryouma's descent into darkness? Write a review and share what do you think of this chapter! From your comments I can plan out what happens in future chapters.
I hope you guys enjoy this Chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Duelist of Steel. Thanks!