Sumioka Monastery was under attack but things have settled down and the parties involved had decided to let a duel settle things. On one side was Yuka, the future of Sumioka Monastery with Ancient Gear Knight and two set cards along with her partner Yuushi whose turn was about to come up. On the other side were the Iron Blade Monastery, descendants of exiles seeking to restore their glory and prove their dominance. They had the two heads of Iron Blade Monastery which were Sadao with The Six Samurai – Zanji, Grandmaster of the Six Samurai and Great Shogun Shien and his brother Toyoki who had a set card behind Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan and Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En.
Sadao – 4000 LP
Yuka – 4000 LP
Toyoki – 4000 LP
Yuushi – 4000 LP
Many of the spectators from the side started to talk after seeing this dire situation.
"Can these kids really do this?"
"I don't know, I mean I haven't even heard of this Yuushi or Yuka from the pro leagues."
"What can we do now though?"
Yuushi knew that things would not be simple, "Ugh, Great Shogun Shien only lets me successfully activate one Spell or Trap per turn and Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En can negate a Spell or Trap per turn. They'll just negate a Spell or Trap of their choice once per turn. I'm already in trouble and nobody's even attacked. Still, it's like Yuka said, we have to keep our hope alive and keep moving on."
Now, Yuushi had the fourth turn of this tag duel as he looked at the opposition, "Draw!"
There might not be any attacks allowed on any duelist's first turn in a tag duel but there were other things that Yuushi could do as he grabbed a card from his hand, "I Special Summon The Tricky from my hand by discarding Dark Core!"
The cost of Dark Core was too much at this point so Yuushi felt it would be a nice card to eliminate as a black and purple summoning portal opened up as the card was sucked in. Rising up was a jester wearing black and yellow patterned robes and mask which covered the monster completely from head to toe as you could not even see this individual's face or hair. He had white gloves and two shining blue gems attached to his shoulderpads and a blue cape on his back that stretched to the ground (ATK: 2000, Level 5).
He followed up, "Now for this Spellcaster to take the stage, I summon Arcane Apprentice!"
A figure started to laugh as a cloud of smoke quickly formed and dispersed with a purple robed wizard looking at Toyoki and his monsters. It was difficult for Toyoki to see this monster's facial expression as the robes covered everything from head to toe as the large pointed wizard hat combed over the Spellcaster's forehead. Only a shadow remained where the monster's face was suppose to be though glowing red eyes could be seen. With a snap of his fingers, a small flame appeared at his fingers though it disappeared as he now held his wooden purple wand up high (ATK: 1000, Level 2 Tuner).
Now, Yuushi raised up his arm, "I'm now tuning my Level 2 Arcane Apprentice and Level 5 The Tricky!"
The smaller wizard jumped up and transformed into two green rings with The Tricky following suit in the form of five bright orbs that were surrounded by the rings. A blast of light shot through the rings and engulfed the orbs with everyone watching with awe and anticipation.
"A magician matched only in the mythic era! The illuminating force from the cosmic legends! Synchro Summon! Appear, Arcanite Magician!"
A pillar of light crashed down onto Yuushi's field which soon faded revealing a blue-purple skinned humanoid figure inside. Yuushi's ace had similar colored hair while wearing a large magically enhanced robe that went from shoulder to foot and along the arms. A similar patterned hood went over his head as he reached out to grab a floating shining green staff hovering in front of him. It was a bit difficult to see but underneath the robes, Arcanite Magician was wearing thin plated gauntlets and leggings for extra protection (ATK: 400, Level 7).
"What is that monster?!", someone from the sides yelled out.
Many of the spectators began to whisper and murmur among themselves as they had never seen this Spellcaster-Type Synchro Monster before. Even the invaders on the other side started to talk but one thing was clear, the glow on Yuushi's card that was similar yet different to the glow from the Great Shogun Shien and Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En cards on Sadao and Toyoki's Duel Disks.
Sadao grinned, "Hey looks like you got something nice too."
"You won't mind if we help ourselves to it afterwards will you. Hehehe," chuckled the other, more aggressive brother.
Yuushi replied back, "I'll try to take that as a compliment."
On the sides, the spectators began to talk again.
"That's not bad, I think."
"I don't know..."
However, someone from the sides was more optimistic about this situation, "Come on, Yuushi! You got Arcanite Magician out. They don't know what they're in for!"
Another female shouted, "Now show them that it doesn't matter who you are but what matters is what you do!"
Just entering the area was a blue-black haired boy followed by his younger sister and a brown-red haired female. They were all people that Yuushi were glad to see in good condition despite the battles that had happened in the monastery.
Natsumi cheered, "You two can win for sure!"
Some of the pros seemed skeptical but Hikaru nodded, "Yuushi and Yuka are both good. I should know, I've faced both of them and they're as good as any pro I've ever faced."
Hearing Hikaru say that reassured some of the others as some of the spectators recognized Hikaru as a newcomer to the scene who has had a good record so far. On the other hand, the samurai invaders did not seem to mind at all as their confidence in Sadao and Toyoki was still strong. They all watched while as Yuushi continued his turn.
"When this card is Synchro Summoned, it gains two Spell Counters and 1000 ATK per counter!"
The green orb on the Spellcaster monster's staff began to glow as it was infused with magical energy and powered up (Arcanite ATK: 400+1000+1000= 2400 ATK, SC: 2).
Next, Yuushi's graveyard began to radiate red-purple light that caught everyone's attention as a red-purple glowing card ejected itself from Yuushi's deck. With a snap of his wrist, he showed everyone the card he got.
"Since Arcane Apprentice was sent to the graveyard as a Synchro Material, I can add Assault Mode Activate to my hand straight from the deck," Yuushi revealed.
Hikaru knew this meant good things, "Alright, Yuushi! That's the way!"
Now was Yuushi's time to strike as he pointed to Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En, "You might have a hold on our Spell and Trap Cards but monster effects are a completely different story! This card can remove a Spell Counter off my field and destroy that monster! Pulsar Wave!"
Raising the now glowing staff, power was infused through Arcanite Magician as the staff lit up the area like a flare (Arcanite ATK: 2400-1000= 1400 ATK, SC: 2-1= 1 SC). Sadao scowled as he had nothing on his field to stop that effect.
On the other hand, Toyoki grinned, "I knew you would try something like that! It's not fun if you don't struggle a bit but now I'm going to rewrite your story with this!"
Yuushi looked behind the hot-headed brother as the Legendary Six Samurai user sprung up his Counter Trap Card. Two green waves of energy blasted out from the wand as a necklace containing a piece of jade jewelry and an imperial gold coin appeared around Shi En's neck. Raising up his katana to block, the waves of energy collided into the sword but was absorbed into the now glowing green katana. Even worse, the Warrior-Type Synchro Monster prepared to swing.
Ryoko was taken aback, "What the heck? What happened?!"
"Musakani Magatama works like this. When you target a 'Six Samurai' I control with a Spell, Trap or monster effect. It's negated and now your monster is going to be destroyed!", shouted Toyoki.
Firing back the Pulsar Waves with his katana, the two crescent waves were now on course to slice through Arcanite Magician as Yuka made a move of her own as Yuushi noticed her activating something in the corner of his eye. A red, clear barrier enclosed Arcanite Magician as the two waves of energy were about to collide with this new defense.
"You're not the only one with a card like that. My card has the same effect as yours but it works on any monster though I have to discard my Chthonian Emperor Dragon to use it," the young girl nodded and send her card to the graveyard.
Toyoki grinned, "Were you not paying attention to the explanation earlier? My monster has the effect which negates the activation of Spell and Trap cards and destroys it so your trap is useless, brat!"
Now Yuka chuckled, "Whatever you say, mister. But I think you could do with some paying attention yourself. Your trap's not going to work, you know. It might be the only one I can use but I think it'll be worth it."
"What's that supposed to mean?!", he yelled back.
Now Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En raised up his katana which began to glow but despite the show of power, the barrier held up as the deflected attack was absorbed.
Natsumi was awed, "Whoa! It really worked."
Yuushi took a moment to calculate what had happened as he and Sadao suddenly realized what Yuka had meant. Toyoki and several of the spectators were confused since Shi En should have negated Yuka's Destruction Jammer and Arcanite Magician should have been destroyed by his own effect. However, it was not the case as everyone began to murmur.
Even Kogoro was nearly speechless, "But how?"
The master had just figured it out himself and went into detail on what happened, "I see now. It's about Spell Speeds which affect how that chain of effects just occurred. Arcanite Magician's effect was negated by a Counter Trap which has a Spell Speed of 3, the highest in Duel Monsters. Only Counter Traps are Spell Speed 3 and anything with a lower Spell Speed cannot be activated in response which means Counter Traps can only be stopped by other Counter Traps like Yuka's Destruction Jammer. Although Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En does negate a Spell or Trap, its effect is a Quick Effect at Spell Speed 2. Since Destruction Jammer has a Spell Speed of 3..."
Kogoro smiled, "And since it's higher than Spell Speed 2, there was nothing Shi En could do about it! That means Musakani Magatama is negated and Arcanite Magician's effect goes on like normal!"
Yuushi shouted, "Now strike back!"
The energy from the barrier was drawn into Arcanite Magician's staff as he again swung twice. However, as the two crescent blasts approached Shi En, the other Legendary Six Samurai swapped places with the Synchro Monster resulting in Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan being sliced through.
Toyoki taunted, "Shi En has another effect you might want to know about. If it's in danger of being destroyed, I can instead destroy one of his followers. Any 'Six Samurai' monster I control will do so our combo is still intact."
Now it was Yuushi's turn to disclose some information, "I never said anything about this effect being once per turn. I'll just do the same thing except this time there are no Traps to stop this and just like before your Shi En can't negate effects!"
Just as Yuushi stated, another surge of power transferred from Arcanite Magician's essence over to the tip of his weapon (Arcanite ATK: 1400-1000= 400 ATK, SC: 1-1= 0 SC) and with two powerful swings, the two crescent waves were released. This time, Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En attempted to parry the projectiles with his sharp katana but he was cleanly sliced through, sword and all and now Toyoki's field was void of anything.
Yuka was jumpy, "Wow, just like magic. His monsters are gone!"
"You'll pay for that!", the invader yelled back.
"I'll set these trio of cards and end my turn!", Yuushi fired back.
Three cards materialized in Yuushi's Spell and Trap Zone as the two brothers were clearly upset over the recent turn of events.
The black-haired student opened a call to Yuka and whispered, "Thanks for that. Arcanite Magician wouldn't have made it through that without you."
She grinned and talked softly, "Hey, don't take me so lightly. Even without my Extra Deck, I should be able to help out you know. But why are we talking like this?"
Yuushi whispered, "That combination is a pain but I have something that can shut it down for a turn."
"Really?"
"Yeah but I need to do it at a good time. If you think you have a good time to use it, just tell me."
She panicked a bit, "What? But what if I think I need it but I really don't?"
Yuushi paused for a second, "It's fine. You're good enough to tell when it's needed. Besides, we're a team and part of a team is trusting your partner on things like this."
The brothers started their turn as Sadao and Toyoki were also in discussion amongst themselves.
"Those kids! Do they think I'm going to let them get away with that?!," the shorter Toyoki said fuming.
Sadao gritted his teeth, "Stay focused. We're still in a dominating position. Arcanite Magician has no Spell Counters so it can't fire off its effect anymore."
"So we go for the glasses kid? Alright, revenge will be sweet," the spiky headed Toyoki cackled.
On the other hand though, Sadao disagreed, "Yuushi put his low ATK monster in ATK mode with three face-downs against a swarm of our monsters. He's obviously trying to bait us in. We'll stick with the original plan and take out Yuka. The Sumioka family has been our main target for years and once she's gone, crushing Yuushi will be simple."
The discussions ended as the fifth turn of the duel started but more importantly, everyone could attack now as the tallest duelist drew a card, "First, I summon The Six Samurai – Yaichi!"
A light fog coated Sadao's field out of an open summoning portal. Jumping out was a black armor, gold patterened samurai. This individual had reinforced leather and cloth underneath the armor for added protection with metal gauntlets and leg guards. His right eye had a metal lens of some sort attached to his armor which provided enhanced vision and calculated battlefield trajectories. On his back was a quiver of arrows attached to a string and he quickly pulled a long bow and tugged the string tightly. (ATK: 1300, Level 4).
"Now for my monster's effect! If I have control another 'Six Samurai' with a different name, I can trade this monster's attack to destroy a face-down Spell or Trap Card. Say goodbye to your only face-down, Yuka! Yaichi, let's see one of those piercing arrows!"
Taking out a feathered arrow, the lens locked onto a point in front of Yuka as indicated by a glowing circle unseen by the others. Pulling back and releasing a glowing arrow of water into the air, the arrow arched perfectly as a card materialized in Yuka's backline. The arrow landed through the card which exploded leaving Yuka with no defense of her own.
Seeing the destroyed card gave Sadao confidence, "Good thing I destroyed Justi-Break. Without Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En to negate that, you would have destroyed every monster on the field except your Ancient Gear Knight if I had just attacked your monster. This duel is too easy! "
Now Sadao pretty much stared straight down, "Grandmaster, attack Ancient Gear Knight now!"
The senior swordsman's katana began to shimmer as it was unsheathed with a single swing. With a tight grip, the silver light extended and coated the sword as it seemed that the swordsman was holding a glowing blade of energy. Targeting the Gemini monster with his cybernetic eyepatch and leaping into the air, the Grandmaster took aim while Ancient Gear Knight thrusted its lance forward. Before Yuushi could tell, Grandmaster of the Six Samurai had landed and slashed Yuka's machine clean in half causing a large explosion that sent the girl flying back. As Yuka had training at the monastery, she was quite durable and managed to land on her feet but she still had scrapes along her legs and arms. Luckily for her though, Ancient Gear Knight absorbed the brunt of the attack.
Sadao – 4000 LP
Yuka – 3700 LP
Toyoki – 4000 LP
Yuushi – 4000 LP
Kogoro realized what was going to happen now, "Yuka...no, she has no monsters and with two more attacks coming with 4300 ATK, that won't be good."
The master and the audience gasped though as there was a bigger issue at hand. Just as with the rest of the monastery, real and non-virtual damage from the duel was being dealt to the environment. However, that recent explosion caused a large crater in the monastery and that was with an attack shielded by Yuka's monster. This time though was different as the other monks and spectators started to worry for her.
"You got that right! Your sister will be licking the ground for good like you two and then Iron Blade Monastery will rise! Now, Great Shogun Shien! Erupting Serpent Slash!"
Shien's ominous red eyes lit up and with his sword pulled back, burning flames engulfed the blade as the ground began to shake. An explosion of fire triggered and spread out as the buildings around started to ignite. Yuka shrieked a bit in surprise but was still standing as the flames encircled the battlefield.
"Take this!"
On Sadao's command, his ace monster thrust his sword as a large column of fire spiralled around and coiled like a serpent towards Yuka. The ground began to heat up and the serpent formed glowing bright eyes and a mouth which threatened to swallow Yuka into an torrent of fire. She widened her eyes and braced herself but she heard her partner's voice.
"I activate Defense Draw!"
A clear wall from nowhere was placed in front of Yuka as the searing serpent crashed into the barrier and was blasted out in all directions ultimately dispersing. The crackling subsided as the light purple haired female caught her breath. Though the blast caused real damage to the area surrounding Yuka, Yuushi managed to protect her.
"Phew. That wouldn't have been fun," she sighed with relief.
Yuushi smiled, "No problem. Just like you had my back, it's my turn to have yours. Defense Draw lowers the damage to 0 and I get to draw a card as well."
The opponent was not deterred at all, "I'm not done yet! Zanji! Direct attack on Yuka!"
"Yuka! No!", the master shouted with concern.
The samurai monster dashed up to Yuka and stopped in front of her and in the next second, Zanji's naginata was stabbed through Yuka and to her surprise her eyes widened in pain. While not as bad as a real stab, every time she breathed there was a writhing pain built up in her stomach. Yuka dropped down on her knees and had one eye opened.
The Spellcaster duelist was worried, "Hey, Yuka! Geez, you alright?!"
Sadao – 4000 LP
Yuka – 1900 LP
Toyoki – 4000 LP
Yuushi – 4000 LP
She coughed once and shook her head as she got back to her feet. Her knees were red from hitting the stone pavement on the way down but she chuckled.
Based off Yuka's movement, she was having a tough time staying conscious but smiled warmly, "No problem! No problem! It's going to be all right."
Despite what she said, her voice was a bit exhausted and shaken though Yuushi could not blame her for that. No matter what training you had, a stab like that would dishearten anymore. However, Yuka did not want everyone to worry and Yuushi knew that right now, their team needed to keep their spirits up.
"Then I'll end my turn by setting this card," Sadao simply said as a card materialized behind his four monsters.
Yuka's vision began to blur a bit as she almost stumbled but the girl concentrated and swiped the top card of her deck, "Draw!"
"Alright! Now I activate my Continuous Spell Card, Herculean Power!"
"That's the only Spell or Trap you can activate this turn due to my Great Shogun Shien's effect," Sadao reminded everyone.
"I know. I know," Yuka said annoyed as the green card activated and had the image of Evocator Chevalier with his arms to the side shooting out torrents of flames.
"This card is very useful for me. When you have a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Gemini monster straight from my hand. I'll bring out the monster right on the card, Evocator Chevalier!"
Yuka placed the card right on her Duel Disk and an red armored individual with orange patterns on his chest, legs, armor, helmet and gauntlet rose up. This monster pulled out his own curved scimitar while his red coat fluttered in the wind and the socketed green gem in his helmet shimmered (ATK: 1900, Level 4).
"I Gemini Summon this card!"
Pumping himself up, a small wave of fire burst out from Evocator Chevalier as his coat was covered in a fiery aura. The fire travelled upwards through his arms leaving a permanent orange glow and a trailing cloud of flames emitted from his coat and hands.
Natsumi was awed, "Wow! That looks cool! She summoned her monster on top of another summon!"
Yuka turned her attention to the opponent diagonal from her position as the shorter male realized what was coming.
"Attack Toyoki directly!"
Hearing her voice, the swordsman jumped forward and in an instant, a horizontal slash was made as Toyoki`s face contorted with pain as it was his turn to stagger to one knee holding his stomach. Likewise, he managed to make it back standing on his own two feet though he still felt some damage as both teams had about equal Life Points overall.
Sadao – 4000 LP
Yuka – 1900 LP
Toyoki – 2100 LP
Yuushi – 4000 LP
Hikaru shouted, "This duel's just warming up!"
Yuka nodded, "Of course! We're just getting started here! I'm going to set this card and end my turn!"
Just like that, Yuka's hand was empty and her field contained a Gemini Summoned Evocator Chevalier along with Herculean Power and her most recent face-down card in the Spell and Trap Zone.
Toyoki swiped a card, "You'll pay for that! Draw! Excellent! I summon Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki!"
A brown and gold armored samurai dashed out of a bright summoning portal on Toyoki's field. He had an orange garment and blue pants underneath his armor but the most intriguing thing was the moderate sized attachment on the back of his armor. While Kageki was dual wielding swords, the attachment was a backpack-like device with two mechanical arms sticking out and they too were armed with two swords meaning that this samurai had four swords at his disposal to attack or defend with (ATK: 200, Level 3).
"Kageki's effect activates! When its Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a 'Six Samurai' from my hand that's Level 4 or below! I call forth Legendary Six Samurai – Shinai!"
Oddly enough, a purple armored male samurai rose up from the digital card on the field. Yuushi could not help but wonder why that color scheme but other than that, the helmet, armor, gauntlets and leg armor were based off designs from the feudal era like the rest of the samurai. In this Warrior-Type monster's hands were two silver kanabo which were like heavy spiked clubs lined with metal studded spikes designed to crush bones, weapons and armor (ATK: 1500, Level 3).
Toyoki grabbed the last card in his hand hastily, "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Cunning of the Six Samurai!"
The card materialized onto his field as he explained what it would do, "I'm going to send Shinai off my field to Special Summon a 'Six Samurai' from my graveyard. Revive my warlord! Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En!"
Just like that, the purple samurai exploded outwards into particles of light which converged back and pieced together into a different form. The glowing card was ejected from Toyoki's Duel Disk as the red armored ace rose up once more with his masterwork katana in hand (ATK: 2500, Level 5).
Now both Great Shogun Shien and Legendary Six Samurai Shi En were back on the field so the two brothers were as comfortable as ever. Yuushi's D-Pad started to go off as someone was trying to contact him.
Yuka opened a communication line over to Yuushi who saw that her face was a bit flustered, "Oh. Oh! Can you use that card you said would shut this combo down?"
He grabbed the promised card and played it since Yuushi had his own thoughts about using it anyways at this point. Yuka's insistence just confirmed what he had to do, "I send Effect Veiler from my hand to the grave so that I can use its effect! Until the turn's End Phase, Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En's effects are sealed away."
The card went into the graveyard as a semi-transparent winged turquoise haired female stood in between Yuka and Yuushi. She wore a plain white blouse with detached white sleeves, white shorts, purple sash and long black stockings. With wings of magical light spread out, she was planning to intercept any effect that the revived monster would bring to the field.
"Damn it! I can't seal your Spell and Trap Cards this turn. It makes no difference in the end anyways! I still have more than enough power to take you out little girl! Kageki has another effect when there's another 'Six Samurai' on my field! It gains another 1500 ATK giving it a nice total of 1700 ATK! So much for the future of Sumioka Monastery. Glory to the Iron Blades!"
Preparing to strike, the four swords that Kageki possessed were lining up as the monster turned towards Yuka (Kageki ATK: 200+1500= 1700 ATK).
Yuushi contemplated his usage of Effect Veiler, "Even if Toyoki went after me right now without his Shi En's effect, I have my two face-downs to protect me though I can only use one of them. Assault Mode Activate which would let me summon out Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode from my deck. With 2900 ATK, thanks to its effect, it would hold for sure. Yuka though, why did she want me to use it? Unless...!"
With Shi En taking out Evocator Chevalier and Kageki following up, Yuka did not have enough Life Points to take both attacks.
Ryoko pointed it out as well, "That's not good."
Natsumi and the other spectators kept quiet and watched as Yuka prepared herself.
On the other side, Sadao thought about the timing and usage of Effect Veiler, "That's odd. He's held that card for a while now. Why wait until now to use it? It only lasts one turn which means that...oh no!"
"It's time to eliminate you, Yuka Sumioka! Shi En, attack her now!"
Sadao realized what could happen, "Toyoki! Don't do it!"
However, the spiky haired brother was too ambitious and ignored Sadao, "Emperor's Glory!"
The samurai took a step back and prepared to swing as a strange constant sound emitted from the sword. With one swing, the ground rumbled as some spectators lost their balance and the ground was split open as a massive blast travelled towards Evocator Chevalier. Trying to defend, Yuka's warrior attempted to repel the attack with its sword but it was no good as an explosion consumed her monster and sent Yuka flying back as she crashed near a building.
Sadao – 4000 LP
Yuka – 1300 LP
Toyoki – 2100 LP
Yuushi – 4000 LP
Yuushi was surprised that despite all the deep bruises, wounds, cut and other injuries, the girl got up though she almost tipped over from exhaustion. Her right eye was closed and her left eye was twitchy but she still had a smile on her face. The monastery though was in a lot worse shape now as now there was a crevice in the center of the battlefield.
"Wait a second, wait a second, hold on before you attack," she declared while springing a Trap Card, "It's my turn to have some fun now. I think you forgot about my face down. Gemini Trap Hole!"
The cracks in the ground worsened as this time, the earth shattered towards Toyoki's field as the invader was heavily startled and began to panic. His monsters were at first caught by the spiked erupting shards but things got worse as the ground ruptured below Legendary Six Samurai Shi En and Kageki causing them to fall into a fissure from which they vanished.
"No! My monsters!", was all Toyoki could scream out.
The young girl clarified, "You see, mister. When you destroy a Gemini Monster of mine that is treated as an Effect Monster thanks to the Gemini Summon I did earlier, all your monsters are destroyed afterwards. Maybe you should have waited a bit, you know."
"She's my age but she's a lot better of a duelist than me," Natsumi admitted.
A spectator muttered, "She might act as a bit...jumpy but she's the real deal."
The taller individual screamed at his brother, "You fool! Did you realize how amateur of a trap you just fell for?! You tarnished the reputation of our monastery!"
"I...Besides, that's nothing! That won't happen again! We still have full control of this duel! It's...," Toyoki began to argue back
Sadao interrupted, "You mean I still have full control of this duel. You're the one with nothing left on the field. Besides, now our strategy is gone again because you couldn't wait a turn to let Effect Veiler just vanish on its own!"
Before the End Phase though, Yuushi activated his own Trap Card, "You're right that won't happen again. While Sadao's Great Shogun Shien is around I can only activate a Spell or Trap each turn successfully so I'll make this the activated Trap I'll use! Assault Mode Activate!"
Constant bursts of wind exploded out from Arcanite Magician as all eyes were focused on what was happening to Yuushi's monster. The audience gasped as the magician began to levitate but then a column of blinding light crashed down onto the monster. A card ejected out from the middle of Yuushi's deck as he raised it up before moving it swiftly onto his Duel Disk.
"The evolving magician that resonates with the cosmos! Force of the buster known throughout! Mode Change! Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode!"
The light faded and inside was a similar yet different monster emerging from a purple magical, runic and circular summoning portal. Arcanite Magican/Assault Mode's armor was now mostly purple with red-orange trimming around the edges and center. Furthermore, there were encrusted dark green gems which amplified the armor's defensive capabilities. Lastly, the jewel on the tip of Arcanite Magician's weapon was now radiating dark green light similar to the glowing gems on its armor (ATK: 900, Level 9).
Everyone in the audience was in awe including the invaders. This radiance caught the attention of the people in the monastery including the opponents.
"Huh? What's that?!", Toyoki said as his eyes widened, "Don't tell me that it has the same effect as Arcanite Magician did?"
Yuushi nodded, "It's about the same. Like this effect for example. Since it was Special Summoned, it gains 2000 ATK since it gains two Spell Counters and 1000 ATK for each one!"
The gems all began to light up at the same time as a surge of energy travelled through Yuushi's monster (Arcanite ATK: 900+1000+1000= 2900 ATK, SC: 2).
Far in the distance, the black cloaked female was still standing on the branches of the massive tree by the monastery. This other party gasped at the arrival of Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode as she quickly made a call to her male contact displaying the recent events on her D-Pad.
"Yuushi Sakudo has used Arcanite Magician like we had expected but you're seeing this right? This wasn't in the data at all."
The male pondered after looking at some readings, "Hmm...I see. This is definitely a strong weapon to use against the Spirit Lord. In a war like this though, we can't be too choosy about our weapons. Something like this...keep a close watch on things for me, alright?"
"Will do but now let's see just what sort of strength Arcanite Magician has gained from this Assault Mode," the female muttered to herself with intrigue.
Back to the duel, the monks and other duelists including Yuushi and Yuka had their spirits uplifted thanks to the arrival of Yuushi's strongest monster Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode.
"That's what I'm talking about!", Hikaru yelled out.
Yuka jumped up, "A monster like that looks so, so cool! Didn't know you could use a Trap Card like that to summon a monster."
Toyoki was definitely not pleased as he growled and looked at his Life Points and empty hand. The duelists and monks were eager for the next turn though the invaders were not as happy.
Sadao shook his head in disappointment, "Well, you're useless after all. Just end your turn and let me show you how it's done. I'll take both these kids on my own and redeem the Iron Blades. When we get back, we need to have a discussion about your future and your shameful performance today bringing disgrace to our family!"
The shorter brother looked down, "I'm sorry...I end my turn."
It was awkward to see the more aggressive brother stay silent while the quiet brother was now the vicious aggressor. Nonetheless, those were the words Yuushi wanted to hear as he quickly drew a card. The Spellcaster duelist took a quick look at Sadao and Toyoki's fields and there was no protection that he could see for Toyoki who was defenseless. His anticipation turned to unease though as he looked at Yuka's side of the field and she was in as bad a spot as Toyoki. The only thing on her field was Herculean Power which would be no good defensively and like Toyoki, Yuka had no cards in her hand as well.
The high school student hesitated for a bit before the small light purple haired girl smiled back trying to ease his worry, "Just do what you have to do. What matters is that you win and keep everyone here safe. Don't worry Yuushi, I believe in you. I can take the hit for us."
Realistically, there was nothing Yuushi could do to help her now if he wanted to push for the win and as much as he wanted to, being regretful about things that have already happened would not help their chances to win. She created this opportunity for Yuushi so he had to do all he could with it.
He nodded silently and reached for a Spell Card reflected in the lens of his glasses, "I activate Spell Power Grasp!"
Firstly, the Spell Card prepared itself to make a transfer of energy which meant that concentration was needed for a period of time. The Assault Mode monster levitated and his mind was quickly blank of thoughts as a string of runes waved over from the card to the staff that Arcanite Magician held. Soon after, the line of runes ended as a vortex of purple smoke was drawn into the staff (Arcanite ATK: 2900+1000= 3900 ATK, SC: 2+1= 3 SC).
Yuushi added a card to his hand from his deck as he explained himself, "Also, Spell Power Grasp lets me add another copy of it to my hand but I can't activate another one this turn, even if Great Shogun Shien was not on the field. Now, Toyoki! You're wide open for a direct attack! Satellite Resonance!"
Continuing on, Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode formed a green sphere of energy in the sky amplified by his weapon. The sphere expanded and pulsated before exploding in a flash of light which shot out numerous beams of light that honed in towards Toyoki. A hail of beams smashed into Toyoki's battlefield causing an explosion as the man was sent flying back. He slid on his back until he stopped near a building as the explosion and shock rendered Toyoki unconscious.
Sadao – 4000 LP
Yuka – 1300 LP
Toyoki – 0 LP
Yuushi – 4000 LP
Now Yuushi entered his Main Phase 2 and looked over at Sadao's field, "I'm not finished yet. I still have my monster's effect to use"
"Is that so?," he questioned confidently, "I have an effect of my own too. Just like with Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En, my Shien can destroy another 'Six Samurai' on my field if it would be destroyed. I have three Six Samurai monsters and you have three Spell Counters. My shogun won't even have a dent on him."
"My Arcanite Magician won't just make a dent because with the extra power from Assault Mode, it'll be a nuke. When in this form, I can remove two Spell Counters on this card to destroy every card you control and all your monsters are vulnerable to this," Yuushi boasted.
Sadao did not see that coming, "No! You can't do that!"
"Shining Starfall!"
On Yuushi's command, Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode began to chant as energy from its armor poured into the staff. The encrusted gems and even the staff burst with energy as the skies themselves seemed to resonate with this power (Arcanite ATK: 3900-2000= 1900 ATK, SC: 3-2= 1 SC). White-magneta meteors could been seen high above the sky leaving behind trails of light. It did not take long for them to crash down onto Sadao's field as the resulting explosions and shockwaves decimated all the cards on his field. The four Six Samurai monsters and Sadao's face-down Trap Card, Backs to the Wall were completely vaporized in the process.
Regardless of that, Sadao had something left, "Since your effect destroyed Grandmaster of the Six Samurai, its effect lets me add a 'Six Samurai' from the graveyard to my hand. Since its in the graveyard right now, I'll just bring back Grandmaster of the Six Samurai."
Sadao's hand now contained three cards but Yuushi's contained a Trap Card and Spell Power Grasp which he could not use at this time as the boy told everyone. Regardless, Yuushi was confident since his opponent's field was just wiped clean, "I set a card to end my turn."
The taller invader had a fourth card to be drawn and he was initially worried about the turn but once he turned the card over and saw what it was, the stumbling turned into a large grin, "Hahaha! Yes! This one card will win this whole duel for me!"
Master Sumioka whispered, "That can't be right."
The card in question was quickly played, "Gateway of the Six, activate!"
A levitating round disk with the diameter about the size of a door floated up beside Sadao. Green light surrounding the frame etched an exotic pattern with six circles surrounding the center of the disk. It did not look that impressive but judging from Sadao's sudden confidence, Yuushi knew that almost anything could happen.
"This Continuous Spell gains two Bushido Counters for every 'Six Samurai' monster that is Normal or Special Summoned. Now I will play another Continuous Spell Card, Six Samurai United which goes greatly with my other card!"
The same symbols on the disk now spread over Sadao's side of the field which was now bathed in a green and white light.
Sadao explained, "This card gains a Bushido Counter when a 'Six Samurai' is Normal or Special Summoned."
"So both cards get Bushido Counters doing the same thing," Yuushi realized.
"That's right, kid. Why not show you though since I summon The Six Samurai – Yariza!"
A slimmer man that was completely covered in armor emerged from a summoning circle resembling the pattern on the gateway. Held in his hands was a spear linked to his armor by a cable that was one of the stranger weapons seen so far. The vagabond-like individual was wearing dark blue samurai armor that emitted a light blue glow with brown-red robes underneath. Near the tip of the spear and on the edge of his gauntlets were turquoise gems of some sort that caused his weapon to glow a similar color (ATK: 1000, Level 3).
Both the gates and Sadao's field lit up as energy was flooding into both cards. In the case of the gateway, two of the six circles surrounding the center of the disk were illuminated (Gateway BC: 0+2= 2 BC) (United BC: 0+1= 1 BC).
The Six Samurai duelist held up the card he retrieved earlier in the duel, "Since I have a 'Six Samurai', I can again Special Summon Grandmaster of the Six Samurai!"
Natsumi groaned, "That card's a big problem."
Once more, the white-haired elderly warrior with a futuristic eyepatch emerged as his device lit up. The slight panels in his armor, gauntlets and leggings began to glow as well which even transferred over to his katana. With his weapon at the ready, you could tell that this veteran had years of combat experience under his belt (ATK: 2100, Level 5).
Now there were four out of six circles lit up inside the floating disk in addition to the Six Samurai United card. Both of them were accumulating more and more Bushido Counters which were not just for show (Gateway BC: 2+2= 4 BC) (United BC: 1+1= 2 BC).
Sadao now had the advantage and he knew it, "I activate one of Gateway of the Six's effects! By removing four Bushido Counters off my side of the field, I can add a 'Six Samurai' from my deck or graveyard to my hand! I'll take a page from Toyoki's book and get Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan from my deck by removing two Bushido Counters from both my Continuous Spell Cards!"
The battlefield and the gateway glowed with power though they were drained of their energy that went over to Sadao's Duel Disk (Gateway BC: 4-2= 2 BC) (United BC: 2-2= 0 BC). Two of the six circles around the disk's center vanished as the device rumbled and moved from a vertical to horizontal plane.
The gate unshackled and revealed a realm of light as a male figure could be seen charging out.
The card in question popped out from his Duel Disk as he turned over the card, "Just like my brother did earlier with his Kizan, I can Special Summon Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan since I have a 'Six Samurai' face-up. Not only that but it gains a nice 300 ATK and DEF bonus since I have two other 'Six Samurai' as well!"
A light emitted from a virtual card as everyone saw the long haired, blue armored samurai again. His hair flowed in the wind almost as fluidly as his battle stance (ATK: 1800+300= 2100 ATK, Level 4). As he landed on the ground, an illusion of the gateway expanded out from his feet as the real Gateway of the Six hovering in mid-air reaced to the summon and now four of the six circles were illuminated once more (Gateway BC: 2+2= 4 BC) (United BC: 0+1= 1 BC).
"I can use this effect again by removing four Bushido Counters off Gateway of the Six to bring a second Kizan from my deck to my hand and I'll Special Summon it again using its own effect!", repeated Sadao (Gateway BC: 4-4= 0 BC).
"Whoa! That's one shiny gate!", she complimented though she further commented, "It keeps lighting up and then going dark before lighting up again."
While her wording was a bit off, Yuushi did agree that Sadao was just using the same effect over and over to amass an army. While it might be the same move, Yuushi could not deny its effectiveness.
As Yuushi finished his thoughts another Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan was summoned beside the first one making it look like they were twins. Again, Six Samurai United and Gateway of the Six gained Bushido Counters via their own effects (ATK: 1800+300= 2100 ATK, Level 4) (Gateway BC: 0+2= 2 BC) (United BC: 1+1= 2 BC)
Ryoko counted, "Don't tell me that..."
Sadao jumped at his chance, "Since I still have four Bushido Counters, I will use Gateway's effect a third time and add a third Kizan to Special Summon it to my field!"
This time, both the Gateway of the Six and Six Samurai United lost all its power as nothing on Sadao's side was lighting up anymore (Gateway BC: 2-2= 0 BC) (United BC: 2-2= 0 BC). In return though, there were triplets of Kizan (ATK: 1800+300= 2100 ATK, Level 4) in addition to the Grandmaster and Yariza meaning that Sadao's Monster Zone was completely filled. Just like before, both the Gateway and Six Samurai United powered up thanks to the presence of another "Six Samurai" (Gateway BC: 0+2= 2 BC) (United BC: 0+1= 1 BC).
"There can only be three Kizans in his deck so that's the end of that.," Natsumi suggested.
Adjusting his glasses, Yuushi could tell that something bad was probably going to happen while Yuka just tilted her head with curiosity. Though things were looking bad, the young girl was far from deterred.
Yuushi was amazed that Sadao's turn was still going on as he rolled his eyes but indeed his opponent was not letting up, "If you thought we only had Synchros, there's more! If you thought I only had one form of judgment, then you're dead wrong! I Overlay two Legendary Six Samurai – Kizans to call out my wielder of judgment!"
Jerking his head back, Yuushi shouted, "That...what?!"
"Here's something you have fallen behind on old man," Sadao addressing Master Sumioka angrily.
They both turned into brown rays of energy that shot up towards an open red spiralling portal above Sumioka Monastery. Lightning began to gather and the red energy overloaded the portal which exploded outwards. Another card caught everyone's atttention as now Sadao's second glowing card appeared from his Extra Deck.
"Another card from Judgment?! What's been going on over there?!", Yuushi exclaimed mentally.
"At the end of the warring years, a single empire stands! The last of the great warriors whose army laid waste to all opposition forever shaking the foundations of history! Xyz Summon! Stand by my side, Shadow of the Six Samurai – Shien!"
A column of blue light crashed down creating a crater in between Sadao and his Six Samurai monsters. Showing respect, Sadao's monsters kneeled down as a red haired, red armored male swordsman appeared. This Six Samurai was a lot less armored overall than the others since he only really had body armor as protection. On his face was a mask covering his mouth with black pants going down to his red armored boots (ATK: 2500, Rank 4, OU: 2). Next was a repeat of things that had happened several times this turn thanks to this Six Samurai Special Summon as Kogoro and Master Sumioka could only watch with grimace (Gateway BC: 2+2= 4 BC) (United BC: 1+1= 2 BC).
The heir to Iron Blade Monastery pointed to the hovering disk again, "Shadow of the Six Samurai – Shien's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit once a turn from this card during at almost any point during any turn, a 'Six Samurai' I control with less than 2000 ATK will have 2000 Original ATK until the End Phase! Will of the Warlord!"
Raising his sword up, one of the dark purple Overlay Units went into the weapon (Shadow SC: 2-1= 1 SC) as it was driven into the ground. A clear mist began to envelop Yariza as now there was a turquoise surge of flames that coated the spear wielder. His soul was ignited thanks to the leadership of Shadow of the Six Samurai as his tactics and power were greatly improved (Yariza ATK: 2000).
Ryoko observed with amazement, "Gateway of the Six can almost fuel itself through its own effect. No wonder Sadao had such confidence after drawing that."
"Since Gateway has another effect on top, why not use that too?!", chuckled Sadao, "I can power up a 'Shien' or 'Six Samurai' monster by removing two Bushido Counters from this card so let's make my assassin even stronger! I remove all six of my Bushido Counters!"
Referring to Yariza, the last circles of light that the disk and ground had held was removed at last (Gateway BC: 4-2-2= 0 BC) (United BC: 2-2= 0 BC). A circle of white light coated Yariza and his spear which now had been made more powerful thanks to various effects stacking on each other (Yariza ATK: 2000+500+500+500= 3500 ATK).
The Spellcaster duelist clenched his fist, "Gateway of the Six! What a strong card! He started the turn with nothing on his field and now he swarmed the field with four monsters that have over 2000 ATK and a bunch of other effects on top after summoning six 'Six Samurai' monsters. I guess pros aren't the only strong duelists out there. Then again, Ayumi is technically not a pro now either but she was apparently a genius duelist. What am I doing?! I'll worry about that later. I have to focus here or we're finished."
"Now what?!", Natsumi shouted.
"Now I win!," declared the Iron Blade heir who went into his Battle Phase, "I have avenged my ancestors on this monumental day! Watch closely everyone as I make an example of the Sumioka lineage! Battle! I attack Yuka directly with Grandmaster of the Six Samurai."
For someone who seemed so old, Grandmaster accelerated as a quick pace until he vanished straight from sight. Before anyone could tell, a white line slashed straight through Yuka as Sadao's monster was right behind her. Yuka was immobilized as an image of a skull was over her head.
"No! Yuka!", Kogoro screamed out before the master held him back from interfering.
The Gemini duelist turned to Yuushi weakly, "It's up to you now Yuushi, I know you can do it. Show our monastery the dawn of a new future so..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the skull vanished and a single piercing slash could be heard as Yuka's eyes rolled back and the girl collapsed face-down unconscious now as well. The previous wounds and cuts along with this recent gash sapped all the stamina and strength out from the normally energetic Yuka.
Sadao – 4000 LP
Yuka – 0 LP
Toyoki – 0 LP
Yuushi – 4000 LP
"Yuka!", her father yelled with deep sorrow.
"Now do you all see! Sumioka Monastery has fallen at last! The master crushed, the heir destroyed and now the future has all but disappeared!", Sadao announced to everyone around.
There was silence as nobody said a word. The Sumioka monks knew that it was technically true, the invaders could not believe their eyes that their day has arrived and the pro duelists were quiet because of the disadvantageous situation Yuushi was in.
Despite that, Sadao's remaining opponent was not afraid, "The future isn't gone yet. Yuka guarded me throughout this duel and entrusted the future of this monastery to us outsiders! For the sake of her wishes and hopes, I won't let you win!"
"Tch! Almost forgot about you. Well, let me just illustrate my point with a nice show of force! Looks like another person with a bright future is going to vanish in the shadows of my judgment!", Sadao mocked as he erupted into laughter.
Chapter 13 Preview
Natsumi: Now it's just like a one on one duel.
Ryoko: But when Sadao attacks, he has enough damage to just end the duel.
Hikaru: There has to be something that Yuushi can do. He has to turn up the heat right now!
Yuushi: Not just now but even after this is over, there's shall be a bigger challenges ahead. Even if Sadao got two cards from Judgment, we have to settle this now! Chapter 13: Moving Forward.
Note: This duel was originally supposed to end on this chapter but then the chapter got really long. Thus, I decided to split it into two shorter ones so that there's a break point.