--
Chapter 13
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Meanwhile…. The air outside of the dome was getting so thick, one could cut it with a knife. Amy was pacing relentlessly around the dome while the others stood by with anxious looks, her worried expression constantly glancing at its black surface in the hopes of seeing through it. But, no matter how many times she tried to look through it, the most she could make out were moving black shapes as the faint sounds of a battle mixed with hellish screams and roars faintly come through the dome. But the worst part for her was not being able to tell who was making those nightmarish sounds. And whether or not she was too scared to root for them.
"Hmph…" Victor casually chuckled, a hand lifting to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "From the sounds of it, I'd say dear Aika is giving her all. As is our friend, Mitch." He chuckled again to himself as he squatted down into a comfortable sitting position and began digging through his pockets.
"How can you be so calm?!" Amy shouted, turning away from the barrier just briefly enough to flash an angry expression his direction before continuing her search.
"What else do you think we can do?" Victor replied nonchalantly.
"Well…" Ian interrupted, cutting in before Amy could say something she'd regret later. "What she means to say is…well, shouldn't you be concerned for Mitch? I mean, you did say you needed all of us?"
Victor sniffed dismissively at the question. "Yes, but only a select few of you are truly needed. The rest are spares." he answered, just as he withdrew something out of his pocket. It seemed to be a notepad, which he flipped through rapidly before stopping at whatever it was he needed to find.
This time it was Ian who lost his cool first. "Spares!?" Ian exclaimed. Part of him knew better to than to be surprised at Victor's answer, but even so… Well, no one took kindly to being compared to something like a spare tire, no matter how cynical you thought you were. Ian's eyes flashed dangerously at Victor as he turned to face him, his fist clenching tightly at his side. "How…how…is this any way you want to treat fri…" But then, Ian caught himself and his expression darkened even more. "No… I can't even think that. You don't consider us friends. You barely consider us allies, don't you?"
"Nailed it." Victor chuckled with that carefree smiled that never failed to piss Ian off. "You're smarter than you look." With that, he rose from his seat and started to idly make his way towards the dome, his writing hand busily taking notes as if he were studying the dome and the events taking place within it.
Ian's angry glare followed every step the taller man took. "You heartless sonuva…" Ian started, "How can you think of people that way? People who you want to help you in fact!?"
In response, Victor merely smiled and turned towards Ian. Then, with a movement that was too fast to really see, Victor had seized Ian by the neck and thrust his body against the translucent but very solid surface of the dome. "Make no mistake." Victor snarled in a low voice, the lenses of his glasses shining eerily in the sunlight. "I will sacrifice each and every one of you for the completion of my mission. No matter what it takes, the Monarchs must be stopped. It's as simple as that. For that goal…you are all… expendable." After finishing the last word, Victor dropped Ian back to the ground and returned to his previous spot, the smile never once having left his face.
Despite the fact that he was still furious at Victor, Ian was still in complete shock over how fast the man could move. He knew he dared not to say anything else that might earn him another thrashing. For now, at least. It wasn't until Joe came over to help him up that he realized he'd been staring. "You sure we can trust this guy?" Joe asked as he glanced warily over his shoulder at Victor.
"No. But what choice do we have?" Ian grumbled. It was the truth too. He'd want nothing more than to ignore the problems of other people. Hell, he had enough of his own; most of this group did in fact. But this was too big to be ignored. "Yet, sometimes I wonder…"
Ian had never been the type to stand up for…well, anything. He'd always let causes pass him by, considering them to be a nuisance instead. Why get worked up for something when it really won't make any difference half the time? So many of these causes were just a load of absolute nothingness. That's what he had thought for all of his life. At least… until he'd met the Forgotten Toys. Then he had something to fight for. After their meeting, it became the closest thing Ian had to a real goal. He'd make the Toys feel wanted, and prove their worth.
"Is that why I'm doing this"? Ian thought to himself, his hand going to the deck case strapped to his belt. "Am I trying this whole "save the world" thing just to prove what the Toys are capable of?" The more Ian thought of it, the more he realized…he didn't have an answer. "Guess I'll have to find out for myself."
"What was that?" Victor called out suddenly.
"Huh?" Ian answered, stunned that Victor was paying attention, let alone being able to hear him at all. "Oh… Nothing."
"I'm sure." Victor smirked. The smile looked just the same as before, but was different all the same. As if…Victor was reading Ian's thoughts. "Just who is this guy? the boy thought. "Is everyone from the Duel Monster's realm like this?"
--
Mitch Aika
1700 2300
Back in the dome, Mitch was thinking along similar lines towards his opponent. "Is every duelist from that other world this strong?" He hoped it wasn't true, for if it was than this would be much worse than he'd previously thought.
Even now, she tested his determination. With the summoning of Lotus Ninja - Kasshoku with Premature Burial instead of something stronger, Mitch's senses were definitely on high alert. "I need to do something about her two facedown cards. That's how she's been getting me so far." After checking his Life Points, Mitch drew to signal the start of his turn. "And summoning a monster with 400 fewer Attack Points than TerrorKing… That's a ploy if I ever saw one. She's trying to bait me again." Another few links were added to the chain of thought as he glanced at the cards he held in his hand. "It's not her monsters themselves that are getting me, but the cards she using to bring them out and protect them. I've got to plan my moves carefully from now on." Unfortunately for him, it seemed that his hand didn't have anything useful for dealing with Aika's face-down cards. On the other hand… Maybe he could use that to his advantage and turn her ego against her. It was worth a shot, considering the predicament he was already in.
"I'll summon VilePawn Archfiend." Mitch declared as he placed the chosen card onto his Duel Disk. At the same time, another vortex of infernal energies opened up on his side of the field and brought yet another of the skeletal-like Archfiends into existence, only this one seemed to be smaller than the fearsome King who stood next to him. Like ShadowKnight, the creature's right arm ended in a malformed blade while the other broadened into a kind of shield of devilish flesh and bone. A foot soldier, and nothing more. Yet, the minor devil's crimson gaze held the same kind of eerie discipline and unwavering determination that all of its predecessors had shown thus far. Something that still continued to irritate and unsettle Aika.
Knowing that this was the best he could do for now, and since he didn't dare attack Aika until he could do something about those two face-down cards in her back row, Mitch let his hand fall away from his duel disk and hang at his side. "I'll end my turn." He finished quietly, though his gaze still glared unwavering at Aika.
"Taking the cautious route, eh?" sneered Aika. "A wise tactic, but too late for you!" As she drew her card, her smile grew even more confident. "Excellent. I was hoping to save this for later, but it shall serve me well now." With that, she quickly held out the card she had just drawn for Mitch to see and then slammed it onto her Duel Disk, along with two other cards. "I activate Double Summon! And I'll use its power to summon both Lotus Ninja – Aoi and Midorii to the field!" she declared with a sweep of her arm, just as a larger copy of the Spell she played materialized in front of her, followed by a pair of human-sized smoke clouds that barely concealed two lithe figures within them. Mitch could watch in slight amazement as they stepped forth through the smoke, revealing their true natures and dark intent.
The first, presumably Aoi as Mitch thought, was a girl around Kasshoku's age with bright blue eyes and mid-length hair the color of a river at night. She held a sort of naïve innocence in her posture, but somehow also managed to convey the same determination as her other companions had. Her clothing seemed to be an odd cross of a kunoichi's short minazuki robe and a priestess's flowing garments. The white sleeves could nearly touch the ground if the girl were to let her arms hang at her side. She also wore a pair of dark blue stockings that ran up to the middle of each thigh, the edges traced with graceful sigils in golden thread. On her feet, she wore only a pair of simple sandals. And in her hands, she held only a small piece of paper that held intricate designs and kanji.
The second, which was obviously Midorii, was actually a young man that was perhaps a year or two older than the two female ninja he stood with. He carried an air of aloofness in his gaze, which was a brilliant that seemed to sparkle like emeralds in the faint light of Pandemonium's sky. A mop of tousled blonde hair sat atop his head as he cast a disinterested gaze towards the two Archfiends on Mitch's field, chew the end of a long toothpick before spitting it out. He wore a typical male ninja's attire, complete with a fishnet undershirt beneath his ragged vest-like shirt. His only weapon appeared to be a long katana that he leaned on with his elbow. Other than that, the only other distinguishing marking was a tattoo of a strange green flame on his right arm.
Lotus Ninja - Aoi
WATER
Warrior/Effect
If this card attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, you may draw 1 card at the end of the Damage Step. If a monster you control attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, you may negate that attack to return that monster to your hand and Special Summon this card.
1200/1200
Lotus Ninja - Midorii
WIND
Warrior/Effect
If this card attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, your opponent must discard 1 card from their hand to the Graveyard. If a monster you control attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, you may negate that attack to return that monster to your hand and Special Summon this card.
1400/1100
Aika could only place a hand on her hip and smirk coyly at Mitch. Her voice practically dripped with self-assurance as surveyed the forces at Mitch's command and found them to be lacking compared to her own. But even so, there was still that voice in the back of her mind that told her to be wary of him, so her smile seemed to falter as she spoke. "Unfortunately, my Ninjitsu Art of Stealth only allows me to attack you directly once per turn. But it's a mercy that won't save you! Aoi-chan!" she suddenly commanded the younger of the two female ninja. "Strike at him directly with the Spell of Evil Sealing!"
The movement was so fast that there was no way Mitch could see all of it. In a flash, Aoi was gone and VilePawn was only just lifting his shield-arm to block the way, even it if was only futile effort. But then, before either Mitch or the Archfiends could react, the sapphire-haired kunoichi materialized from nowhere directly in front of him and one of her paper seals over his heart. Blue energy crackled from the paper and coiled over his body in searing arcs, an agonized yell bursting through his lips as the stench of burning cloth filled his nose. The miasma followed a moment after, coiling around the boy's feet and enshrouding in another stinging embrace that left him drained and sluggish. Thankfully, the agony hadn't lasted long since the Life Point loss was a small amount. Not that it mattered much in the long run of the duel. "If this keeps up, I'm done for." thought Mitch as fireworks exploded in his head. "There's got to be a way to turn this duel around."
Mitch Aika
1100 2300
Meanwhile, Aika was drinking in her little victory like it was a fine brew. One hand found its way to her hip as she smiled at Mitch in that coy yet venomous way she had, giving a brief nod of approval to Aoi when she hopped back to her spot beside Kasshoku and Midorii. "She may be young, but she is a willful girl." Aika chuckled as Aoi hopped back to her field. "And thanks to her ability, I get to draw one extra card." With that, the woman placed her hand on her deck and did just that, smiling serenely as she brought the card up to her eyes. "Excellent." she said before flitting her eyes to Mitch. "Your move."
"Yeah…" thought Mitch as he drew his card. "I just hope something good comes of it." Unfortunately, a quick glance at the drawn card revealed that luck still wasn't on his side. "Damn it…" he growled under his breath while he placed it into his hand, his eyes scanning the field and assessing the situation. "I've got four cards and none of them can do anything about those cards in Aika's back row. If I don't attack, she'll just keep picking at my Life Points until I'm gone. And if I do, I run the risk of slamming head first into another one of her Traps. Like that Kunai with Chain and that Ninjitsu Art of Transformation from earlier…" Mitch cringed lightly at the memory of the trouble those two cards alone had given him. If only this had been a battle of pure strength, then there wouldn't have been a doubt in Mitch's mind that the Archfiends would've triumphed by now. Unfortunately, this was anything but that kind of a battle. The whooping she was giving him proved that rather well. Aika had already proven to him that she was a master of manipulating her opponent's movements to her advantage, whether it was making them afraid to attack or bait them into a trap when they choose to.
Mitch's eyebrow furrowed as he considered the possible outcomes of what could happen if he did choose to attack. The chances of that facedown card in Aika's back row being another Ninjitsu Art of Transformation was slim, but he also had to consider the uncanny ability she possessed for getting them exactly when she needed them. "Then again… What if it is? Maybe I can turn that around against her. If I can get what I need to do it, that is. But until then…"
"I'll switch VilePawn Archfiend into Defense Position and set one card." Mitch declared with a gesture towards the smaller fiend. With a curt nod towards his master, VilePawn slowly knelt down and crossed his shield and sword-arms before him. "That is all." finished Mitch. "At least I won't have to worry about a Direct Attack now." That was assuming, of course, that Aika didn't have something else in store for him.
The frown the woman was showing seemed to show him otherwise, though. "Is that all?" she asked dryly. "You're correct in thinking that I'm unable to attack you directly with the aid of my Spell, but do you really think that pawn's meager defense will really make a difference?" The words bore a sharpness that seemed reserve for an older sibling berating a little brother's foolish actions, which was strange to Mitch on multiple levels. After sighing lightly and shaking her head, she continued on and drew her next card as if the duel was simply now nothing but a waste of time. "I suppose… Although, I really had been expecting a lot more from you after the bravado you displayed earlier. Or perhaps you're realizing that it's pointless now." she continued with a predatory grin. "I acknowledge that you are a skilled duelist, but the power you have gained by selling your soul to evil, regardless if your intentions are not, is nothing but a-"
"Is that what you think?" Mitch interjected suddenly. "You honestly think that I've sold my soul to become stronger? Lady, you're even more dense than I thought you were." This time it was Mitch who acted insulted. His posture, which had been weakened by the miasma previously, suddenly stood ram-rod straight and his eyes met with Aika's unflinchingly. The fatigue and stress of the duel was still there, but now he simply disregarded it, refusing to acknowledge that it even existed now. It was like he had simply bottled it all up and shelved it away in some far away pantry within the back of his mind. "You may refuse to believe it, but I've done no such thing. Everything you've seen so far is the result of my own skill and the trust I have in my cards. Then again, I can understand why you would want to think that, rather than acknowledging that some kid has been giving you this much trouble."
His words seemed to surprise Aika. She blinked at his words as if she were dumbfounded by what he was saying, but then her face only contorted into another mask of indignant fury. "You think me blind to what my eyes see, boy!? They are evil creatures, no matter how you label them! If what you 'claim' is really true, then why do you still consort with those foul devils?"
Silence blanketed the arena. The red clouds of Pandemonium continued to swirl high above the two duelists while brief flashes of eldritch lightning lit up the sky, highlighting the shadows all around them. Somehow Aika's question had sounded like the most absurd thing he had ever heard. Why did he consort with them? The answer should've been as plain as the sword on her back. The corners of his lips twitched into a tiny smile as he thought about how "blind" she really was, as she put it. He could still remember the very first time he had ever laid eyes upon the Archfiends. It had been the moment in his life when he had decided to take up dueling seriously. It also been the moment when he realized that the lines between what was good and what was evil was not so clear as people thought.
--
i It all started several years ago. Back when he was just another middle school student trying to survive the school day and go home without too many bruises to show for it.
/i
He was never what most people would call exceptional. Just a tiny smidgen above average. In fact, despite his size, he was usually the one that slipped by under the radar most of the time. He was one of the taller kids in his class, nothing too special except a quiet and independent nature and a desire to go home at the end of the day like everyone else. He was well-liked by most everyone, but he never had that many close friends. In fact, most thought of him as a good-natured loner who loved to read his books. His favorite ones were always about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. He loved to fantasize about what it would be like to wear that armor and to be called a true Knight of the Round.
Perhaps that was why he did some of the things he did.
Throughout his entire school career, he had never once started a fight. But he had certainly finished a lot of them. Seeing a person beat up or picked on for no good reason was one of the few things in life that could tick him off. It was one of the most disgusting and arrogant things that a person could do to someone else, and he could never figure out the attraction it had for some. But then, he always figured he didn't need to understand that in order to do something about it. And since there quite a lot of bullies at his school, he had work his work cut out for him. But through it all, he had never once sought acknowledgement for his deeds. That was just the type of person he was. He did it for no other reason other than that it was the right thing to do, and that he had ability to actually do it. He needed no reward or even recognition for his deeds. The way he always figured… Well, if he didn't do anything, then the bullies would have free reign over the school and everyone would be miserable. And if he didn't do it… Well then, who would?
It was on a chilly autumn night, the eve of Halloween, that his resolve would be put to the strongest test he had ever faced. He had been on his way home from the movie theater after watching the latest Halloween horror/adventure flick, a low-budget film about how a reformed devil sought to seal a fallen angel into an ancient coin and prevent the coming Apocalypse, or something like that. It was a strange tale, but one that also intrigued him. How could a devil be a good guy? Why would he even care about stopping the destruction of the world? And even more interesting… was it really the honor code of the mortal knight who defeated him that changed him? All these questions and more were running rampant through the boy's head as he turned the corner away from the theater and started on the road home.
i That was when he heard the scream. A real scream, not like the kind you hear in movies. But a real scared-to-death shriek that sent shivers down your spine and echoed in your ears. It came from an alley across the street from where Mitch was standing, and as he turned to look, he could see dim lights flashing and a shadow that writhed in agony. Mitch's first instinct had been to bolt and put as much distance between himself and the terrors of that alley as humanly possible, but a sudden thought made him pause. Someone was in trouble, and in pain, and they needed help. And whether he liked it or not, Mitch was in the right place to give it. Maybe it was pride that made him go, or maybe it was the foolishness of youth, but the next he knew he was rushing for that alley as fast as his long legs could carry him.
/i
And when he got there, he almost wished that he hadn't. There, standing beside the flickering light of a barrel fire was a duelist wearing a mask with a broad-rim hat and a long black coat. Mitch recognized him almost immediately from the hushed rumors circulating around the city. Rumors that spoke of a duelist bent on collecting the most powerful cards he could find and then selling them for profit on the black market. By any means necessary. The Shadow Duelist known as Titan. In front of him… hovering silently with brimstone burning in their gazes… was TerrorKing Archfiend and InfernalQueen Archfiend. And laying before them all in an unconscious heap was a girl Mitch recognized from school. Her cards laid strewn about all over the ground while a spiked shackle around her neck sparked with crimson electricity. Pain Bracers. Tools that shocked the body with dangerous amounts of electricity whenever the duelist suffered Life Point loss. They were illegal in sanctioned dueling, yet they somehow still managed to worm their way into the underworld dueling leagues. And Titan had used them on a child.
This was something Mitch could never ignore.
So he challenged Titan right then and there. Whether or not he could actually win against such an opponent had never crossed the boy's mind. All that mattered was that he took this sucker down before someone else wound up hurt like his classmate, and he would do so no matter the cost. Titan answered his challenge with only a gale of mocking laughter. It was a sound that stirred Mitch's hatred for that man and others like him like nothing before. That laughter stirred something inside of him, something to drown out the fear that made his body shake and replace it with total focus and a relentless intent.
And so began their duel.
Never in his life had Mitch felt such pain. Bolts of energy streamed from the shackles around his neck and coursed throughout his body, lighting his every nerve with crackling agony every time he lost Life Points. With every strike Mitch delivered to his opponent, Titan and the Archfiends answered right back with another. Blow upon blow rained down upon both duelists until both of them only possessed a few meager Life Points, their bodies wracked with fatigue and breathing hard. But in the end, it was Mitch who prevailed. He focused that pain, reminding himself that this was exactly what his classmate and countless others had felt at this man's hand, and turned it into a source of power to draw renewed strength. He drew his final card, Fusion Summoned the Ryu Senshi by fusing together the Warrior Dai Grepher and Spirit Ryu, and then delivered the final blow with a slash of Ryu Senshi's dual-bladed sword.
The duel was over. Titan was defeated.
When all was said and done, Titan simply couldn't handle the defeat and blamed his loss upon his cards rather than his reliance on dirty tricks and unfair advantages. Then, without warning, Titan suddenly removed his Duel Disk and threw at the barrel fire burning beside him, calling them worthless and beneath him.
In that moment, it was as if Mitch's body had reacted on his own. The next thing he knew, he was running after the flying Duel Disk and had barely managed to catch it just after the first tongues of flame had licked the underside of the device. The cards themselves were safe, but he had no idea why had cared about that. In fact, he realized that he should've been more concerned about showing his back to a treacherous criminal and risking a surprise attack. Yet when he turned around towards where Titan had been standing, he had found that he was no longer there. He had vanished without a trace. All that remained was Mitch, the unconscious girl Titan had previously dueled, and the Archfiends still tucked away within their Duel Disk.
To this day, he still has no clear idea as to why he bothered saving them from the fire. Perhaps it was outrage for a how a duelist could treat their cards so callously, or perhaps it was because he sensed something more from them during their duel. All he does know is that when he removed that deck he felt… something. Something like a great anger mixed with an even greater emptiness. He turned the top card over and saw that it was TerrorKing looking back at him, and the feeling grew even more intensely. He thought he could almost see that hollowness reflected in the card's gaze. And then… for reasons that still baffle him… the movie that he had seen only a short time ago suddenly came back into his thoughts. He thought of the devil, of the mortal knight who had defeated and then reformed that winged terror, and how such a thing was just too fantastic to believe. But then again… Perhaps there was more to these cards than even Titan was aware of. Perhaps this was simply meant to be. "I have defeated you, Archfiends." Mitch spoke softly to the cards. "And now, I claim you as my own."
For a moment, it was almost like Mitch had heard a grunt of acknowledge within his mind. But then it was gone as soon as he realized that. Not that it mattered much, anyhow. He still that poor girl to a hospital, and the sooner the better. So with that, Mitch ventured towards where she lay and hoisted one of her arms around his shoulders, and then trudged off towards the nearest hospital. But even as he did that, Mitch couldn't quite shake the vision of the TerrorKing's card when he had turned it over. Nor could he shake the feeling that TerrorKing had been looking back at him.
--
And with that, Mitch was back in the present. The silence in the arena felt almost smothering, but the smile Mitch wore seemed as calm and complacent as ever, the weight of Aika's question doing nothing to mar it. He almost seemed to enjoy it, in fact. For one who thought she was much more enlightened than her opponent, she certainly did get riled up easily. Mitch wasn't exactly the most peaceful one in situations like this, but the way she was acting seemed more clownish to him than dignified. It was then, just when he noted that the woman's tension couldn't spike any higher, that he spoke his answer. "I do it because I believe in them." he replied softly. "And I do it because they believe in me."
Such conviction had never before graced Aika's ears, and she found herself staring with wide-eyes at the tall boy in glasses. "What?" she hissed, disbelief flooding the sound.
"You heard me." was all Mitch had replied. This time there was nothing but a quiet sense of content and smug self-assurance in his voice. No anger, no spite, but a dead certainty that he would be the one to emerge victorious. In fact, he couldn't help but smile as Aika's face flushed red, her arm trembling as she brought it up the card she had drawn to her face.
"We shall see…" she hissed venomously. "Your doom is nigh! I activate a second Double Summon and Tribute all three of my monsters! One for Lotus Ninja – Kuroi and two for Lotus Ninja – Ranpu!"
At that moment, a gust of wind and smoke blew over the field and blanketed it behind a wall of misty grey. Mitch had reflexively brought up an arm to shield his eyes, though he still made the effort to try and peer through the haze and see what it was that Aika had summoned. The wind suddenly died down and all that was left was a thick shroud of grayish smoke covering the woman's field. He had to strain to see, but he thought he could make out two shadowy outlines hidden behind it that weren't there before. "What now?" the boy muttered under his breath as the smoke slowly cleared, revealing both Kuroi and Ranpu in their truest form.
The first one that Mitch laid eyes upon was Kuroi. Tall and lean enough to be called gaunt, he appeared to be the paragon of the silent assassin. A frightening mask covered the top half of his face, its four eyes glaring forward at Mitch with a ruby's light while a mane of stark white hair flowed from it and down his back. Pieces of black armor overlapped almost seamlessly with a traditional charcoal-grey shinobi's outfit. It fit snugly over his body like a second skin that left his muscles clearly visible beneath the thin fabric. A set of twin katana crossed over his back to complete the ensemble. Everything from the way he stood with one hand resting on the handle of a sword and another held in a seal to the way the eyes of his mask seemed to bore straight into his soul sent shivers racing up Mitch's spine. If there was a darker side to what a ninja stood for, then Kuroi was it.
Likewise, if Kuroi was the dark side, then Ranpu was undoubtedly it's lightest. Following Kuroi out of the lingering smoke was a beautiful woman with laughing blue eyes and hair as golden as sunlight. She regarded both Mitch and his monsters with a cat-like smirk as she stepped forward, a hidden blade extending from her hand with a flick of her wrist. Her outfit was sparse compared to Kuroi's, but Mitch had a feeling that was very much intentional. She wore a black tank top that ended slightly below her bust to expose a flat and toned stomach, along with a pair of silky white arm sleeves that didn't quite reach her armpits, and a matching long skirt with a slit cut into both sides to expose some shapely leg. In a way, she seemed more like a belly dancer rather than a true assassin. Not that Mitch was about to underestimate her anytime soon, though.
Lotus Ninja - Kuroi
DARK
Warrior/Effect Warrior/Effect "I attack VilePawn Archfiend with Ranpu! Go!" Aika declared once the smoke had cleared. All of a sudden, the thin blade extending out of the blonde kunoichi's wrist extended even more, becoming twice as long as it had been, and she broke into a graceful charge towards her target. Her speed was beyond anything Mitch had ever seen. He could've sworn that there had been a few moments when he was seeing mirror images of her at different locations, and switching places all the time. And then, with a motion faster than he could blink, Ranpu suddenly appeared directly behind the crouching VilePawn and thrust the point of her wrist blade through the minor devil's neck. VilePawn was only able to manage a surprised gurgle before detonating in a terrific explosion. Mitch hadn't even stopped shielding his eyes when Aika had declared another attack. "Now then! I also attack TerrorKing Archfiend with Kuroi! Go!" As soon as the command was given, the white-haired shinobi slowly unsheathed both of the swords from his back. Then, with more of that blazing ninja speed, Kuroi vanished and reappeared right in front of where TerrorKing was standing, his swords already stabbing deeply into his target's gut. A strangled groan escaped the fiend's jaws just before he exploded into a million holographic pixels. "Humph…" Mitch muttered as he once again shielded his face from the blowing dust. "I discard a second DesRook Archfiend!" "Curses!" Aika sputtered as both Kuroi and Ranpu leapt back to her field. The smoke from the explosions hadn't yet cleared, but she was already beginning to see the imposing outline of TerrorKing standing silently within it. Her eyes narrowed as they met with the fiend's unamused glare, her fist clenching at her sides as her frustration grew. "He seems adamant about keeping that monster for as long as possible. I wonder what he's planning?" she thought angrily. "No… It's just the simple tactics of one facing defeat. He simply wants to keep him alive because it's reassuring." But despite that thought, she was still getting awfully sick of seeing that devil's face whenever she thought him to be destroyed. "Go on!" she shouted at Mitch. "Cling to your pathetic monster like a child to a parent's leg! His presence doesn't change the fact that you still took Battle Damage. And that allows me to activate Kuroi's effect!" This time she was smiling. "Each time he inflicts Battle Damage, he gains the effect of any Level 4 or lower Lotus Ninja in my Graveyard. And this time… I select Lotus Ninja – Midorii as that ability! You must discard one card from your hand." she finished as a ghostly image of the lazy-looking ninja appearing over Kuroi's shoulder. Well, that had certainly caught Mitch by surprise. An annoyed "Tch." Escaped his lips as he looked at his hand and tried to pick one that he could afford to lose. Granted, there really wasn't anything in his hand that could help him yet. "Very well." he replied just as the miasma started to swirl around his ankles. "I'll send InfernalQueen Archfiend to the Graveyard." As soon as the card was sent, the miasma struck. Again, the Life Point loss was small and the contact with the infernal mist was brief, but that didn't stop it from hurting like hell. Mitch had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out as the miasma sapped away at his life force. Mitch Aika 900 2300 Once it had finally gone, Mitch wasted no time in moving things along. "All right… My turn." he growled lowly as he drew his card. After glancing at it, his eyes widened a bit in surprise before he smiled. "I activate Pot of Avarice! And I return ShadowKnight, Archfiend Soldier, VilePawn and my two DesRook Archfiends from my Graveyard to my Deck and then draw two cards." An image of the card flashed into play, followed by the arrival of a grotesquely animated pot with gemstones for teeth. Mitch smiled at the comical chuckling coming from the pot as he drew two cards, glanced them over, and then smiled a bit wider. "Interesting…" he breathed before facing Aika. "I set one card in face-down Defense Position and then I set another two in my back row." As the cards flashed into play on the field, a plan was starting to come together in Mitch's head. It was a risky one, but he had a feeling that it was exactly what he needed. "Time to see how this goes." "Very well." Aika responded after drawing her card. She thought she should've been happy, but this opponent proven to be far too annoying for that. Until she saw him broken and bloodied at her feet, she would have no satisfaction. But then… Her victory was at hand. There was no need to be worried now. "Ranpu! Destroy that face-down! Kuroi, make sure you destroy TerrorKing this time!" At her command, Ranpu streaked forward and blazed with speed. Her wrist blade extended again, her arm raising to stab it through the only face-down Mitch possessed. But not before the card revealed its true nature. The cackling visage of a Morphing Jar was revealed just before Ranpu's blade pierced it through its single eye, resulting in it disintegrating with echoes of twisted laughter resonating through the air. Mitch couldn't have been happier even if he tried. "Morphing Jar. A monster that forces us to discard our hands and draw five new cards. And now it's going to cost you." Mitch chuckled, a note of self-assurance that made Aika flush present in his words. Something that made him all the more confident. Both duelists did as Morphing Jar's effect bid and Aika grudgingly looked over her new hand and then at Mitch. "Don't be so sure of that, fool. Not when Kuroi is still able to attack. " With that, the blackest of the two ninjas took his swords in hand and charged at TerrorKing. Malice glinted in all four of his mask's ruby eyes, and death shone in the polished blades of his twin katana. "Not this time!" Mitch suddenly exclaimed. "I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" With a motion of his arm, the named card flipped face-up and the gigantic arm of the giant that had nearly smashed Kurenai from before came shooting out of it. But this time, instead of having his target vanish into thin air, its massive fingers caught the charging Kuroi, who only uttered a surprised grunt before he was squeezed to a pulp between giant demonic fingers. "Choke on that, Aika." Mitch thought with a trace of smugness. He had a feeling that she would save attacking TerrorKing for last, but mainly to rub the fact that she was likely to win in his face. It was the kind of thing someone with either an ego or a mission usually did to crush someone's spirit. And now it had backfired on her, much to her obvious chagrin. As the arm faded and its prey faded from sight, Aika was almost beside herself with anger. "He… He tricked me! Again!" she mentally sputtered. "But he won't win. Not as long as I have Ranpu and this face-down to back her up with." That thought was perhaps the only thing that allowed her to calm down and stare at the opposite field with some measure of scrutiny. "I end my turn." she muttered while crossing her arms over her ample chest. "And as you do… I activate Call of the Haunted." Mitch interrupted just as his second face-down card flipped face-up. This time it was a Trap card with a picture of a misty graveyard depicted on it, which soon started to leak ghostly pale mists over a spot on Mitch's field. The sound of earth being ripped open as if something was digging its way up washed over the field, and when the mists had cleared, InfernalQueen Archfiend was seen standing next to her consort TerrorKing. She idly wiped away a few bits of rotten soil from the elegant yet ragged royal cloak she wore around her shoulder and beneath leathery wings, and then fixed Aika with a smug look that spoke "Think you got rid of me, eh?" However, the moment was short lived as Mitch's voice caused both InfernalQueen's and Aika's attention towards him. "I now activate her ability and raise TerrorKing Archfiend's strength by 1000 Attack Points." Hearing the command, the queen of devilkind summoned dark energies into her hand and traced a large circle in the air in front of her. A pentagram and eldritch runes appeared in the circle's center, followed by a rush of strengthening energy that flowed from the circle and over TerrorKing's body in wispy streams. A sigh was breathed from the devil as all of the muscles of his body seemed to swell in size by a small amount, his knuckles cracking while he flexed his claws and grew accustomed to his newfound power. Once the magic circle InfernalQueen had made disappeared, Mitch pressed on with this turn. "This ends now! TerrorKing, attack Ranpu with all of your might!" With a sickening snap of bone and flesh, TerrorKing growled his assent and drew back the muscles of his arms and back to rip open his own chest cavity once again. Just as before, another vicious swarm of hell wasps poured forth in a huge cloud of gnashing mandibles and buzzing wings. The swarm surged towards their target, growing closer and closer until all hope seemed lost for the coquettish ninja. "No! You will not be the one to end this duel!" Aika suddenly roared in defiance. "I activate my third and final Ninjitsu Art of Transformation and summon… Emperor Kabuto Beetle!" Just as the swarm seemed about to devour Ranpu, Ranpu quickly brought her hands up into a single hand seal as Aika's face-down card revealed itself. A swirling vortex of wind and dried leaves of immense size suddenly sprang up around the lone kunoichi, followed by the clacking roar of something like a giant insect. This was exactly what the roar came from. Bits and pieces of the creature concealed by the maelstrom slowly started to pierce through it. A huge set of brown and curved scissor-like mandibles. The tips of armor-plated legs and feet. Paper-thin wings that buzzed even more loudly than the approaching swarm, which were protected by a shiny carapace that was the color of tree bark. And then… five sinister red eyes that looked upon Mitch and his monsters with a primal hunger. Emperor Kabuto Beetle Insect/Effect "Face your doom, fool!" Aika crowed in furious triumph. "Your monster is no match for my-" However, what she saw next was enough to render even her speechless. A tremendous roar was unleashed from TerrorKing as he flexed his muscles even further back to open his chest cavity wider, and the swarm pouring forth from it suddenly exploded into a typhoon of demonic biting insects. As the immense cloud continued to surge towards the giant beetle, the front of it swirled and came together to form the gaping jaws of a giant skull, one that swallowed its whole as the swarm crashed over Kabuto Beetle. Another clacking roar resounded, but one of agony and surprise this time. And when all was said and done, nothing remained of Aika's monster other than a few bits of carapace littered about the ground. The sight of her strongest monster devoured so easily was enough to send Aika to her knees. "How…?" she gasped softly, her voice stricken. "How is that possible? Your monster had fewer Attack Points! It should've been killed, not mine!" The question hung in the air while TerrorKing closed his ribs together to seal the remainder of the swarm inside his body, but it didn't go unnoticed. "I told you that I would be ending it now, Aika. And the answer is simple enough. You just weren't aware of your own surroundings to realize it." Mitch started to explain, his face stern yet relieved at the same time. "When you attacked my Morphing Jar, you sent both of our hands to the Graveyard. And with it… my Imprisoned Queen Archfiend, who can raise the Attack Points of a Level 4 or lower Fiend-Type monster by 1000, provided that she's in the Graveyard while Pandemonium is still active. That made TerrorKing Archfiend's Attack Points 4000 instead of 3000, like you probably thought. " As Mitch continued to speak, a ghostly outline of the Imprisoned Queen Archfiend came into view and loomed over TerrorKing Archfiend. She was far larger than TerrorKing and even more vicious it seemed. For instead of the disciplined glow of red that the other Archfiends had shown, only the light of insanity shown in her eyes. Even now, she tugged at the manacles of bone that kept her under bound to her host, screaming in a small but feral roar that echoed even as she faded away from sight. "I end my turn." Mitch Aika 900 1600 size"3"The words spoken by Mitch hit Aika hard, but not as hard as the miasma that came for her. Somehow the bite of sinking into her pores and stealing her life force stung just a little bit more than usual, but not because of the amount of Life Points lost. Instead, it was as if the crimson mist had become Aika's shame personified, her shame for being outmaneuvered by a child of hellish corruption. This time she made no effort to hold back the resulting scream of pain that gushed from her mouth, which then became only a pitiful whimper once the miasma had gone. "Very well, then…" Aika whispered. "I'll draw." But even then, she had a feeling that it would do her no good. This duel had forced her to exhaust the resources her Deck to its limits, and she could see no other way to win now. And then as if to confirm that thought, she glanced at her card she had drawn and let her shoulders sink even lower. "I… I end." she whispered again, her long hair falling in over her face as she knelt towards the ground in sadness. "It wasn't supposed to be this way! she thought. How could I be defeated? And now…my clan. My clan..." Her vision blurred as tears formed, and she trembled as she stared at the chessboard pattern of the stone floor beneath. It wasn't until a dark shadow passed over her that she looked up to see Terrorking Archfiend looming over her.
This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, you may select 1 Level 4 or lower "Lotus Ninja" monster in your Graveyard and activate its effect regardless of attacking conditions.
2200/1800
/size
Lotus Ninja - Ranpu
LIGHT
This card cannot be Special Summoned except by its own effect. Whenever this card attacks a face-up monster, you may choose to remove this card and the attacked monster from play before damage calculation. During the next Standby Phase after this card was removed from play, Special Summon it to your field in Attack Position.
2400/2000
EARTH
This card cannot be Normal Summoned and can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Ninjitsu Art of Transformation." During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster who's DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent. Whenever this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, remove that monster from play.
3200/2800
"Give up." Mitch commanded, hoping she realized what he was doing. He didn't want to hurt her anymore. She had lost, but there was no reason that he could see why this accursed darkness around them should have her soul. "I don't want anyone to get hurt anymore." he explained. "So don't force my hand. Lower the barrier and leave us alone. You're not a bad person, so there's no reason to take this any further. You're obviously confused, and I'll let that be explanation enough for you working for that Caius creep."
Aika's head fell down once again so that her hair hid her face. Then, she started to tremble. A few tears fell as she continued to shiver. "Maybe having Terrorking that close is a bad idea." thought Mitch as a small amount of sympathy washed over his face.But as he started to motion Terrorking back, Aika jumped to her feet and ripped the sword out of the scabbard on her back with a practiced ease.
"DIE!" she shouted, charging straight forward at Mitch with her sword's point stabbing forward. Unfortunately, the tears blinded her to the Duel Monster in the room. With a single stroke, the leader of the Archfiends ripped his sword out of the ground and swung it straight towards Aika's midsection. But this time, instead of simply passing through her harmlessly, the sword drew blood. And lots of it. Aika gasped loudly as long arcs of red were ripped from her body by TerrorKing's blade, leaving a wound that no one would survive for long. She collapsed to her knees, her blood staining her shinobi's outfit and the ground below, and her eyes staring hollowly at Mitch.
And then, the miasma reacted. But unlike before, when it formed from nowhere, it instead formed form the walls of the barrier itself. No, it was the barrier! Collapsing in on its creator, the magic that formed this barrier didn't care one bit as it consumed the defeated duelist.
Acting without thinking, Mitch rushed forward to save the person who had been his opponent mere moments before, but was stopped when Terrorking held his sword out, barring Mitch's path. Knowing that the Archfiend would never let him get anywhere close to the dangerous whirl of pooling darkness, all Mitch could do was stand and watch as she collapsed under the swelling pile of darkness that formed around her. The last thing he saw before it had completely consumed her was Aika's rueful smile.
--
Outside, everyone was just as equally stunned as the barrier's occupants when it collapsed in on itself. But it didn't collapse to the center. Instead, it began to coalesce around Aika, drawing away her true life force as the last of her Life Points vanished. The miasma continued to pile and pile, until it was nothing but a spinning orb of darkness. Then, as abruptly as it had began, the darkness shattered into nothingness with the last of her essence. With all of its spirit gone, the body followed and began to dissolve into black wisps that disappeared into the air. Every trace of her had disappeared, even the sword she'd dropped and the duel disk she had worn.
Mitch was so stunned that he fell to his knees as the image of Terrorking Archfiend faded away. "Even in the end, when she knew she couldn't win, she kept coming. Why? Why did she do that?"
"It truly is a pity…" Victor commented, surprising Mitch with the knowledge that they were side by side. "She was one of the few who did not seek out the Monarchs, but was instead pulled by one as she lay in desperate straits." He regarded Mitch with an expression that was almost kind when the boy turned a questioning glance his way. "You see, our dearly departed Aika was from a long dead clan of true ninjas dating back to the Feudal times of Japan. Or rather, she was pulled from that time by Caius to this time." Again, his expression almost seemed kind when he saw Mitch's eyes widen in shock. "Of course, she didn't know that. She was told our time was just a strange world filled with corruption and evil, and if fighting that evil would allow Caius to restore her clan to prosperity, then she would do so gladly. In short, Caius had duped her." Victor's expression seemed to harden whenever he mentioned Caius. "In her travels, she accidentally came across a rift in space that took her straight to our friend Caius. He convinced her that if she defeated enough of his foes in this 'other world', he would give her the power to restore her clan. Unfortunately, he lied as he always does. There was no other world, only back to the one she had come from after centuries had passed. Even if she had somehow gained the power she sought, it would be a moot point the moment she realized that the clan members she'd left behind had long since passed away."
Curiosity momentarily smothering the sadness, Mitch stood up to stare at Victor. "How do you know this?"
Victor chuckled with no degree of hubris before answering. "Why, I was there when he found her. I mentored the dear girl and even helped her form the very deck you just faced. It was back when I was blind to the evils of our dear 'Lord Caius' and worked for him as blindly as she did. I contemplated recruiting her for this cause, but knew she'd never go along with it. Her clan was known for never questioning their leaders, even if the obvious smacked them in the face."
Mitch clenched his fist. "So…you just stood by and did nothing as she…died?"
"Oh, trust me…" Victor smirked maliciously. "You don't want to hit me. But more so on the right line of thought; I don't believe she's gone. You see, when a Monarch's duelist is defeated, their power isn't gone, and I don't believe they are either." Victor turned to place a hand on Mitch's shoulder. "Their power…their being…their beliefs…they have to go somewhere. 'To the victor go the spoils' as they say, and I bet there's no better person than you." His fingers squeezed Mitch's shoulder ever so slightly, but just enough to take the boy off guard. Victor seemed to enjoy that, in some bizarre way. "I'm sure that if you had not been on opposite sides, you two would be fiercely loyal and dependable allies to one another." Holding up his hand, Victor revealed a Monster Card. The picture revealed itself to be Emperor Kabuto Beetle. "Don't let her death be in vain." Victor ordered as he placed it in Mitch's palm. "See to it so that no one else falls for the trickery that ensnared her. This is the mission set before you by fate. Deny it and all will fade like she did."
Letting his words settle in, Victor turned to the rest, a slack-jawed grouping that couldn't help but stare. With nothing more than a smirk, he walked past them and signaled for them to follow. "That distraction took far too much time." Victor called out. "And my friend at the gate to another world is not known for his patience."
Everyone immediately fell in line behind him, even if some did it grudgingly and still possessing a large degree of mistrust. That is, everyone followed except Mitch, who simply stood and stared at the card in his hands. "She was holding this…" he thought. "Aika had been holding this card the moment she… " Mitch stopped before he finished that thought. "No, she's not dead. At least, not what she fought for. She fought to save her people, her way of life. Even if they are now long past gone, I can't let that kind of loyalty die." The words seemed to burn within the boy's thoughts. They sparked at his own ideals, his own beliefs, and made him realize just how similar he and Aika actually. "I swear," Mitch muttered to himself. "I will end Caius and all who'd exploit people like Aika."