Big thanks to dvdryms, aqua9597, ThePLOThand, Elbarto4000, Big duels, Ulrich362, Ryujomaru15, CityLover96, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, scififan599, Daniel Kazami, GamingGuy84, matrixnis, SSJGamerYT, Yuka Kuroshiro for reviewing the previous chapter!
Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!
DUEL FIELD – TRAINING GROUND – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION
Yuto was holding a pile of books while trying his best to follow his appointed mentor, Ryoga Kamishiro who was commonly known with his nickname Shark. This morning, right after he awoke, he received a call from Shark to inform him that their training will start soon. He was told to meet at the library, and when Yuto came there, Shark immediately gave him several books for a light reading. When Shark told Yuto that the books were for him to learn after their training, Yuto grimaced. This pile of books was far from a light reading, but Yuto knew it was necessary for him.
On their way to their training ground, Yuto couldn't help but looking at his mentor. He didn't know much about him. So far, Shark gave a vibe of a typical loner, being indifferent and cool about most things, usually sporting a stoic face or scowl. He didn't talk much, only saying what is necessary and nothing more than that. This quite reminded him of Shun when he detached himself from others after Ruri got kidnapped a year ago. And thinking about that, somehow there's another thing that he felt from his mentor that is similar with his best friend, but he doesn't know what it is.
"I heard you've duelled Rowan?" Shark suddenly asked, almost making Yuto bumped into him.
"Y-yeah. But I won't say it's my real win. He held back so that he can take Dark Rebellion…" Yuto frowned at that, remembering how his ace dragon got stolen from him infuriated him until now.
"You knew that he was holding back because Yuno told you or you realized it yourself?" Shark asked again.
"During our Duels I noticed he had many chances to outwit me, but yet he didn't take that chance until Dark Rebellion disappeared. And before the Duel…I felt strong presence from him. It told me how different he is from opponents I've fought until now…" Yuto explained.
"You're sharp. Looks like you got that from Yuno." Shark smiled at Yuto. "I have also fought against Rowan before you guys arrived here. He may look polite and honourable, but behind those he is as bloodthirsty as the other five."
Yuto looked at Shark straight in the eye, his attention was piqued. "Can you tell me more about him?" He asked. He had no doubt he will crossed path against Rowan again. And when that time comes, he is sure they will fight with full power, to the best of their skills.
"Before we get to that, I want to test your Dueling first. Defeating Rowan while he is holding back is not an easy feat. Many skilled Duelists were defeated by him when he was holding back. But you still managed to defeat him proves you're exceptionally skilled." Shark told Yuto while wearing his Duel Disk. He then pointed at the table nearby, motioning Yuto to put the books over there while they train.
"I won't call myself exceptionally skilled, but I'll say that I have no intention to lose to you, training or no training." Yuto replied, activating his Duel Disk. Considering how strong Yuno is and the fact that Yuno himself handpicked Shark as part of his personal squad and assigned Shark as his mentor, the purple haired Duelist must be a strong opponent.
"That's what I like to hear." Shark's eyes narrowed and glinted in excitement. Looks like he can expect much from this Duel.
[MASTER DUEL!]
"I'm taking the first Turn! I set 3 cards, and end my Turn!" Yuto started by setting 3 facedown cards and immediately ended his Turn.
"My Turn! I summon Saber Shark (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Shark summoned Saber Shark in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.
"Since I control a WATER-Attribute monster, I can special summon Silent Angler (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Shark summoned Silent Angler in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone via its own effect.
"I overlay Saber Shark and Silent Angler! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! No. 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Shark summoned Ark Knight in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.
Yuto blinked at a small data of the card that appeared on his screen. "Numbers Archetype? This is the first time I heard it…" He said out loud.
"I'll explain that after I defeat you! Battle! I attack directly with Ark Knight!" Shark declared attack, prompting Ark Knight to shot itself straight towards Yuto.
"Double Traps: Phantom Knights – Lost Vambrace! During this turn, Phantom Knights on my Field won't be destroyed by battle and I can reduce the ATK of one opposing monster by 600 points!" Yuto opened two of his three facedown cards. Since it's doubled, Shark's monster loses 1200 points, making Ark Knight's ATK reduced to 900.
"After its effect is activated, I can Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster in Attack Position!" Yuto then summoned two Lost Vambraces in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.
"But you'll still take damage!"
YUTO LP: 4000 = 3700
"When I receive battle damage, I can activate the Quick-Play Magic: Phantom Knights Double Badge! I select two Phantom Knights monsters on my Field and use them as materials to perform an Xyz Summon!" Yuto opened his third facedown card.
"Oh? Xyz Summon in my Turn?" Shark looked amused.
"I overlay the two Level 2 Lost Vambraces! Pierce through thousands of soldiers! The cursed spear of rebellion buried beneath the darkness! Descend! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 2 / ORU: 2)!" Yuto summoned Cursed Javelin in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.
"Cursed Javelin's Monster Effect can be used during the opponent's turn! By detaching an Overlay Unit, it can negate the effects of one monster on the Field, and reduce its ATK to zero!" Yuto negated Shark's Ark Knight's effect and reduced its ATK to 0 as Cursed Javelin strikes the opposing Xyz Monster with its purplish lightning shock.
"To think that you can pull something like this on my own turn… Interesting. I set a card and end my turn!" Shark concluded his Turn. This was only a beginning, but he knew that Yuto was skilled. He must be serious if he wants to win.
"My Turn! Battle! I attack No. 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight with Cursed Javelin!" Yuto countered Ark Knight's attack with Cursed Javelin. The skeleton-like Xyz Monster pierced its right through Ark Knight's abdomen, destroying the Numbers Monster.
SHARK LP: 4000 = 2400
"I set two cards and end my Turn." Yuto concluded. While he has destroyed the Numbers Monster without much difficulty, Yuto could tell that Shark still has something under his sleeve.
"My Turn! Draw!" Shark looked at the card he draw and immediately revealed it to Yuto."I activate Rank-Up Magic: The Seventh One! I can target and special summon an Over-Hundred Number monster from my Graveyard or Extra Deck, ignoring its summoning condition and negating its effect if its from Graveyard! Then, I can Special Summon a C monster from my Extra Deck that is one Rank higher than that monster, using that monster as the Overlay Unit!"
Shark special summoned the destroyed No. 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight from the Graveyard and then overlay it together with the Rank-Up Magic Card.
"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Rank 5! C No. 101 Silent Honor Dark Knight (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1500 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Shark summoned Dark Knight in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Ark Knight.
"I activate Dark Knight's effect! Once per Turn by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target a Special Summon Monster my opponent controls and attach it to Dark Knight as an Overlay Unit!" Shark pointed at Yuto's Cursed Javeling, intending to make it an Overlay Unit for his monster.
"I activate Cused Javelin's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate your monster's effect and make its ATK 0!" Yuto countered by activating his monster's effect to stop Dark Knight's effect. Unfortunately, Shark has already anticiapted that.
"Trap Card: Chaos Catapult! I negate the activation of an Xyz Monster's effect!" Shark opened his Trap Card, negating Cursed Javelin's effect, and thus, allowed his Dark Knight to change it into its Overlay Unit, leaving Yuto's Field wide open.
"Battle! I attack directly with Silent Honor Dark Knight!" Shark motioned his Xyz Monster to attack. Dark Knight strikes Yuto with its spear, causing the Phantom Knights user to fall flat on his back from the attack.
YUTO LP: 3700 = 900
"I set a card and end my Turn." Shark finished his Turn. "Come on, stand up. This is just a warm up." He told Yuto with a cheeky grin.
Yuto jumped back to his feet, facing Shark with increased determination. "Time to get serious then! My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Spiritual Phantom Knights! By banishing two Phantom Knights monster with the same Levels, I can add 2 Phantom Knights monsters into my hand!" Yuto banished his two Lost Vambraces in the Graveyard and then added two new monsters into his hand.
"With Scale 2 Phantom Knights Nemesis Horse and Scale 8 Phantom Knights Black Hood, I Set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto set his Pendulum Scale, allowing him to summon Level 3 to 7 Monsters. However, he didn't perform Pendulum Summon, instead he took a card from his hand.
Shark blinked. "So not only Yuya Sakaki, you're also capable of using Pendulum Summon." He mused while looking at the Pendulum Scale.
"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Xyz! This card allows me to Xyz Summon using Monsters in my Pendulum Zones as Materials! I Overlay Nemesis Horse and Black Hood! Fangs of rebellion gain new power and slash the pall of darkness! Xyz Summon! Rank 7! Dark Anthelion Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 7 / PS: 10)!" Yuto summoned his Xyz-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.
"A Pendulum-Xyz?!" Shark exclaimed in shock.
"When Nemesis Horse leaves the Field or Pendulum Zone, I can add a Spell Card from my Deck to my hand." Yuto added another card to his hand.
"I activate Dark Anthelion's Effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can halve the ATK of a Monster my opponent controls and Dark Anthelion will gain the lost ATK! Absorb Eclipse!" Yuto halved Dark Knight's ATK to 1400 and then increased Dark Anthelion's ATK to 4400.
"Also, my LP is recovered equal to that amount!" Yuto increased his LP by 1400.
YUTO LP: 900 = 2300
"Battle! I attack Silent Honor Dark Knight with Dark Anthelion Dragon!" Yuto declared attack. Dark Anthelion Dragon accumulated blue energies into its mouth, preparing for a blast. Dark Anthelion spread its beautiful stained glass-like wings and raised its chest. The dragon then shot a powerful fiery blue blast from its mouth towards the Xyz Monster.
Shark quickly opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Sea Cocoon! I halve the damage I'll take!" He was then enveloped by a sea water in a form of a coccoon, partially protecting him from the dragon's blast while he watched his monster got destroyed by the scorching flames.
SHARK LP: 2400 = 900
Shark smiled, however, afterwards. "As Silent Honor Dark Knight was destroyed while it has Overlay Units, I can special summon it from the Graveyard and gains LP equal to its original ATK!" He revealed his monster's other effect, summoning it back to the Graveyard and recovered his LP with a huge amount.
SHARK LP: 900 = 3700
"What?! Not only you summoned it back but you also recovered your LP?!" Yuto exclaimed in disbelieve. Then the only way for him to defeat Shark would be first he must reduce Dark Knight's Overlay Units to nothing and then destroy it. He need to come up with a new counterattack in his next Turn.
"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuto reluctantly ended his Turn, reverting Dark Knight's ATK and effect to normal.
"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Cross Draw of Destiny! Both players draw and reveal a card. If they are Monster Cards, it is special summoned to the opponent's side of Field in Defense Position and its owner gain LP equal to its ATK!" Both Shark and Yuto drew a card and revealed it to each other. Yuto drew Phantom Knights Phantom Fog Blade while Shark drew Coral Shark (ATK: 0 / DEF: 900 / LV: 2). Coral Shark was summoned to Yuto's Field in Defense Position, but since its ATK was 0, Shark didn't receive any LP recovery.
"I activate Coral Shark's effect! When it was summoned to my opponent's Field while I control an Xyz Monster, I can attach it to the Xyz Monster I control as its Overlay Unit." Shark turned his Coral Shark into Dark Knight's Overlay Unit.
"Battle! I attack Dark Anthelion Dragon with Silent Honor Dark Knight!" Shark declared attack again using his newly revived monster. Dark Knight clashed its spear with Dark Anthelion's hand that caught it. The dragon's hand easily crushed the spear and then used its other hand to crush through Dark Knight's chest, destroying it.
SHARK LP: 3700 = 3500
As it was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard while it has Overlay Units, Shark reactivated the effect of Silent Honor Dark Knight, Special Summoning it and gaining LP equal to its original ATK.
SHARK LP: 3500 = 6300
"A LP of 6300…! I'm at great disadvantage here…!" Yuto clicked his tongue as he saw the huge difference between his and Shark's LP. It would be difficult to shave down Shark's LP.
"When Coral Shark is sent to Graveyard, I can banish it to destroy my opponent's Trap or Magic that he controls, and then add a Magic or Trap into my hand." Shark banished Coral Shark and then destroyed Yuto's only facedown card before adding a Magic Card into his hand.
"I activate Magic Card: Power Stream. I can attach it to a WATER Xyz Monster that was Special Summoned during the Battle Phase as an Overlay Unit." Shark added an Overlay Unit for Silent Honor Dark Knight, allowing it to be revived and recovered Shark's LP again if it got destroyed.
"Battle! I attack Dark Anthelion Dragon with Silent Honor Dark Knight!" Shark attacked again with his Dark Knight. "Power Stream's second effect activates! When the Monster targeted by this card attacks, its ATK is increased by 1000 during damage calculation!" Shark increased Dark Knight's ATK to 3800.
"But my LP will still remain!" Yuto reminded as he prepared to endure the incoming attack.
"I activate Chaos Catapult's second effect in Graveyard! When an Xyz Monster I control destroy a Monster, I can banish this card to inflict damage equal to the ATK of the attacking Monster!" Shark banished his Spell Card, powering up Dark Honor's destructive attack.
"What?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock.
Dark Knight ocne again clashed its spear with Dark Anthelion's hand. However, this time, Dark Anthelion's hand cracked from the clash and got deflected. Dark Knight used the opening to pierce its spear right through Dark Anthelion's chest. The dragon let out a pained cry before its entire body cracked and exploded into nothingness, blowing away the Phantom Knights user.
YUTO LP: 2300 = 0
"Not bad at all. You really are Yuno's descendant." Shark told Yuto who was struggling to stand. He didn't extend his hand to help him up like certain people do. The Phantom Knights user could stand on his own. That little explosion won't incapacitate him. He could feel the iron will and steeled determination from each of Yuto's attacks during their Duel. The Phantom Knights user truly reminded him of his leader in that matter.
Yuto was back to his feet, wiping the dust from his clothes. "Your Numbers Monsters are strong. Is it correct to assume that other Numbers cards are like that?" He asked again.
"They are certainly powerful cards. That's for sure. According to the legend that has been passed down in the empire, the Numbers are the first Xyz Monsters ever come into existence." Shark revealed while looking at his Numbers cards in his hand that he used in the earlier Duel.
"The first Xyz Monsters in the world?!" Yuto exclaimed.
"Yeah. It is said when Duel Monsters first discovered, each summoning methods have archetypes that came first before all. Nekroz of the Ritual Summoning, HERO of the Fusion Summoning, Warrior of the Synchro Summoning, Numbers of the Xyz Summoning, and Cyberse of the Link Summoning." Shark mentioned them one by one.
"Nekroz…it's the archetype that Ray used… And Edo is using Destiny HERO…" Yuto recalled.
"This is only an old tale that was told to me and Rio when we were little though." Shark added.
"Rio?" Yuto repeated the name in question.
"She's my younger twin sister. She is working as the Imperial Priestess at the Palace. Ever since we were little, she has strong affinity and attachment with Duel Monster spirits. She became their ears and mouths, and she eventually chose to become a priestess." Shark answered. He and his sister were living separately now, but they still maintain contact with each other.
Yuto smiled softly at Shark, earning him a questioning look from the latter as to why he was suddenly smiling at him.
"Sorry. I can't help but think that you are devoted to your sister like Shun." Yuto answered as he remembered his best friend whenever he was taking care of Ruri.
Shark raised a brow at that. "You mean, your missing friend? I don't know what kind of person this Shun is, but I'll make this clear, I never spoiled my sister and honestly, she can get pretty harsh towards me that it's annoying. But I wouldn't say we get along badly or anything… She is a great sister, priestess, and Duelist…"
Yuto chuckled quietly as Shark, without himself realizing, continued to talk about his younger sister more than necessary. Shun often also like to talk about Ruri a lot. While their ways showing affection and interacting with their sisters are different, their love for their respective sisters are the same.
"Aahh… That's why he feels familiar. He is like Shun when it comes about their younger sister…" Yuto thought fondly. He missed the day Shun would fuss over his sister.
"Enough talking. We're going to the city's library now." Shark stood up, beckoning Yuto to carry the pile of book with him.
"Why? Can't we just start the lesson in this mansion's library?" Yuto asked, not making any move yet.
"Some people in this place don't know the meaning of 'quiet', even in the library. We can't concentrate if we study here, so we're going to the city's library. Come on, it'll only take a single stop at the station to reach there. Plus, there are more study materials there than here." Shark added.
Yuto inwardly grimaced. He wasn't bad at studying. In fact, he was a straight A student, one of the best in his class. But it doesn't mean he likes to read this much of a pile of books that was taller than him when he was carrying it, and Shark just said he will add more later.
Oh well, best to get used to it form now on.
TEMPLE – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION
Ruri was midway to where her training ground was when she noticed a temple nearby. She recalled overhearing the servants mentioned about the palace temple where certain people will go to communicate with high-rank Duel Monster spirits or trying to get a vision or simply a peace of mind. Due to her status as Celica's descendant and thus, a part of the imperial family, Ruri has the privilege to enter the temple. When she was about to enter the temple, she heard a voice, a beautiful singing voice. She entered and saw her mentor, Rio Kamishiro, to be the one who was singing. Her voice was soothing and her song was comforting.
Ruri sat comfortably hearing her mentor singing. She found herself feeling relaxed the moment she entered the temple. Honestly, part of her also wanted to do a prayer for her brother. She prayed that wherever her brother is right now, he is safe, and she hoped she can meet him again soon. She missed him so much.
"My, what's wrong?" Rio has stopped singing and approached Ruri. "What kind of trouble that you have?" She asked softly, taking a seat beside Ruri.
"I'm thinking about my brother…" Ruri revealed, smiling sadly.
Rio placed a hand on top of Ruri's, smiling gently at her. "I understand your feeling. I also have older brother. There are times when he got me really mad, but it was fun being with him. It's much easier to act now that he is not around doing reckless things or being too protective, but I still find it lonely sometimes." She shared a bit of herself and her brother. It has been half a year since they lived separately, but they sometimes would meet at the capital when they were not busy, spending times like they used to do.
"You're right! Older brothers really get on your nerves when trying too much becoming one, but they can be easy to tease." Ruri nodded in agreement. While she appreciated his love for her, she often found it suffocating, so she would tease him to make the both of them relaxed.
"Right! Also, they often like to look cool when in front of others or when trying to protect us, but actually that can make them cute. Ryoga can be insensitive and callous, causing fighting and arguing." Rio recalled how her older brother was so easy to get upset or worked up whenever she brought up his strange fear of onions, and that would usually led to a sibling squabble between them. They have done it 100 times already that they settled with a Duel.
"My Brother is always making a fuss whenever something bad happens to me even though it's not that of a big deal." Ruri remembered how her older brother constantly tried to take care of her and won't let slide anyone who looked at her the wrong way.
"Older brothers can be stubborn and prideful." Rio sighed, placing a hand on her right cheek.
"It would be nice if they put more faith in us, the younger siblings." Ruri also sighed, putting her hand like Rio but on the opposite cheek. Her eyes then saddened again. "I miss my brother... I miss the way he scolded me, fussing over me, being kind and sweet... I don't mind if he is going to be so overprotective or anything to me like before...I just want him back safely..."
Rio's hand on Ruri's tightened but still gentle, making Ruri to look at the priestess. "It's okay. You said your brother is strong, right? I'm sure he'll be fine. Older brothers are stubborn, they won't die so easily."
The two girls looked at each other and giggled. They have a lot in common than they thought. Ruri felt more relaxed around Rio more. She was initially nervous when she first was being introduced to Rio. She had initially thought the priestess was a serious and motherly-type of person, so it was a huge relief to know that the priestess was easy to talk to.
"Let's go to the training ground. It's about time for us to begin the training." Rio said as she stood up, which followed by Ruri.
"Yes!"
DUEL FIELD – TRAINING GROUND III – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION
"Have you remembered the rules of Master Duel?" Rio asked, raising her Duel Disk.
"Yes. I have memorized both Master Duel and Speed Duel rules yesterday." Ruri assured her mentor.
"Good. But even knowing the rule, newbies can still make a mistake because they haven't gotten used to it. For that reason we are doing this training." Rio explained.
"I will do my best to answer your expectation then!" Ruri replied, activating her Duel Disk, which signalled the start of the Duel.
[MASTER DUEL!]
"I'm taking the first Turn! I summon Blizzard Thunderbird (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Rio summoned Blizzard Thunderbird in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.
"Next I activate Blizzard Vision! I can target a WATER monster I control and special summon Blizzard Vision as a monster with the same Level, Attribute, and Type, with 0 ATK and 0 DEF!" Rio summoned Blizzard Vision as a Monster Card with the same stats as Blizzard Thunderbird except its ATK an DEF.
"I overlay Blizzard Thunderbird and Blizzard Vision! Xyz Summon! Number 103: Ragnazero (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1200 / RNK: 4)!" Rio summoned Ragnazero in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.
"I set a card and end my Turn." Rio concluded the first Turn.
"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.
"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster!" Ruri summoned Sapphire Swallow along with another copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.
"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's Effect! I can add a copy of Cobalt Sparrow from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Cobalt Sparrow to her hand.
"And then I activate the Effect of another copy of Sapphire Swallow in my hand!" Ruri once again Special Summoned another copy of Sapphire Swallow, and then she summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.
"I overlay all my five Monsters! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 5)!" Ruri summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in Extra Monster Zone.
"I activate Ragnazero's effect! Once per Turn I can detach 1 Overlay Unit and target a face-up Attack Position monster my opponent controls whose current ATK is different from its original ATK and destroy it!" Rio detached an Overlay Unit, prompting Ragnazero to threw its dual blades towards its opponent like boomerangs.
"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate its destruction by Battle or card effects!" Ruri detached an Overlay Unit, negating its destruction but also lowered its ATK to 400.
"Assembly Nightingale gains 100 ATK for each Overlay Units attached to it. Also, it can attack directly a number of times for each Overlay Unit it has! There are 5 Overlay Units, so it can attack you directly 5 times!" Ruri activated her Monster's Effect, extending her arm towards Rio to motion her ace Monster to attack her.
Assembly Nightingale swung its wings four times, inflicting 1600 damage to the priestess who nearly got blown away by the winds.
RIO LP: 4000 = 2400
"I end my Turn." Ruri concluded. The damage she inflicted was not as big as she has originally planned as usual due to Regnazero's effect decreasing Assembly Nightingale's ATK, but at least she almost cut half of her LP.
"My Turn! Battle! I attack Assembly Nightingale with Ragnazero!" Rio declared attack at the opposing Xyz Monster. Ragnazero held tight its ice spears in both hands as it lunged forward at Assembly Nightingale.
"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate its destruction by Battle or card effects and I take no damage from it!" Ruri detached an Overlay Unit to negate Assembly Nightingale's destruction again, deflecting Ragnazero's attack with a strong blow of wind as it flapped its wings.
"Quick-Play Spell: Fairy's Icicle! When a WATER Fairy-Type monster I control failed to destroy my opponent's monster, I can inflict damage equal to its original ATK!" Rio sent barrages of icicles towards Ruri, inflicting damage equal to Ragnazero's ATK.
RURI LP: 4000 = 1600
"I set a card and end my Turn." Rio concluded.
"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Bird's Flock! I can add two Lyrical Luscinia Monsters from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri activated one of the cards in her hand, adding two Lyrical Luscinia Monsters.
"I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Malachite Swan (ATK: 300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3 / PS: 3) from my hand!" Ruri summoned one of the two Lyrical Luscinia Monsters that she has added in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.
"I Release Malachite Swan to Advance Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Quartz Linet (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 6 / PS: 5)!" Ruri summoned the second Lyrical Luscinia Pendulum Monster that she has added in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.
"When Malachite Swan leaves the Field, I can place it in Pendulum Zone." Ruri placed Malachite Swan in her right Pendulum Zone.
"So that's a Pendulum Monster and Pendulum Zone." Rio stared in awe. Hearing and seeing it yourself was a diffeent experience.
"I activate Quartz Linet's Monster Effect! I can increase its ATK by 500 for each Xyz Monster on the Field!" Ruri increased Quartz Linet's ATK. Since there were two Xyz Monsters on hers and Yuto's Field, Quartz Linet's ATK was increased to 2900.
"When Quartz Linet is Special Summoned from hand, I can Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Lyrical Luscinia Monster from my Deck!" Ruri summoned Lyrical Luscinia – Carnelian Robin (ATK: 200 / DEF: 600 / LV: 4 / PS: 7) in Attack Position beside Quartz Linet.
"I activate Carnelian Robin's Effect! Once per Turn, I can Draw 2 cards!" Ruri drew 2 new cards from her Deck.
"I activate Ragnazero's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to destroy your Quartz Linet!" Rio reactivated her monster's effect again, this time targeting the powered up Quartz Linet.
"It's pointless! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Lyrical Block! I negate a destruction of a Lyrical Luscinia monster I control!" Ruri created a barrier that protecting Quartz Linet from Ragnazero's dual blades, negating its destruction. Now Ragnazero has no Overlay Unit left.
"Battle! I attack directly with Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri declared, motioning Assembly Nightingale to flapped its wings four times, blowing back the priestess who received the attack.
RIO LP: 2400 = 1500
"And then I attack Ragnazero with Quartz Linet!" Ruri declared her second attack with her Effect Monster.
"Continuous Trap Card: Numbers Agreement! Numbers Monsters cannot be destroyed non-Numbers Monster!" Rio revealed as Ragnazero endured Quartz Linet's attack.
"But you'll still take damage!" Ruri reminded as Rio got skidded backwards from the impact.
RIO LP: 1500 = 1000
"I end my Turn." Ruri finished. Just a little bit more.
"My Turn! Draw!" Rio looked at the card she drew and her eyes glinted. She smiled at Ruri as she revealed her card to her. "I activate Rank-Up Magic: The Seventh One! I can target and special summon an Over-Hundred Number monster from my Graveyard or Extra Deck, ignoring its summoning condition and negating its effect if it's from Graveyard! Then, I can Special Summon a C monster from my Extra Deck that is one Rank higher than that monster, using that monster as the Overlay Unit!"
"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Rank 5! C No. 103 Ragnafinity (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Rio summoned Ragnafinity in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Ragnazero.
"As I control a WATER monster, I activate Magic Card: Distortion Crystal! Whenever the ATK of an opponent's monster is changed this turn, the value it is changed by will be doubled!"
"I activate Magic Card: Crystal Blade! I reduce the ATK of a monster my opponent controls by 400!" Rio lowered Ruri's Quartz Linet's ATK to 2500.
"As the ATK of my opponent's monster was changed, I activate Ragnafinity's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I inflict damage to my opponent equal to the value it was changed!" Rio pointed at Ruri as Ragnafinity detached its Overlay Unit. Ragnafinity swung its scythe, sending a slash wave that pushed Ruri several steps back.
RURI LP: 1200 = 800
"I'll end this now, Ruri-san! Battle! I attack Quartz Linet with Ragnafinity!" Rio declared her attack. Ragnafinity twirled its scyhte before flying towards the Lyrical Luscinia Monster. Quartz Linet raised its wings, preparing to block the scyhte.
Ruri tried to calm herself. Even if Quartz Linet was destroyed, she will still have 300 LP and she still has Assembly Nightingale to negate destruction and reduce damage to 0 for three more times. She can still survived for this Turn.
"I won't be relieved if I were you, Ruri-san. I activate Crystal Blade's second effect! I can double the damage inflicted to my opponent!" Rio revealed as Ragnafinity's scythe was covered in crystal, intensifying its destructive property.
"What?!" Ruri exclaimed in shock.
Ragnafinity used the back of the scythe to slice Quartz Linet's wings before using the huge blade of the scyhte to finally slash the Lyrical Luscinia Monster's body into two, exploding it, which depleted all of Ruri's remaining LP.
RURI LP: 800 = 0
Ruri fell on her knees by the last attack. The new rule was harder to get used to than she thought. She nearly made a mistake by trying to summon Recite Starling when there's only one Extra Monster Zone and she has no Link Monster, so she instead settled by summoning Quartz Linet. Although even if she did manage to summon Recite Starling somehow she would still lose due to Rio's Crystal Blade. She needs more support cards and gets a Link Monster to improve her Deck.
"Your Lyrical Luscinia Deck is a good Deck, Ruri-san. Did you come up with them by yourself?" Rio asked while extending her hand to help Ruri stand.
"At first yes, but in the war a year ago, my Deck and I have grown thanks to my brother and my friends' support." Ruri answered as she accepted Rio's hand and returned to her feet.
"Yes! Growing stronger together with friends is the best for Duelists." Rio stated.
"Thank you… But…I'm still not good enough with the way I am now. I think I'm going to need a Link Monster. No not just me but Yuzu and the others too. The problem is how and where we can get it…" Ruri placed a finger under her chin as she pondered. If they can't find one, they need to come up with new strategies against Apophis' group, which would be difficult.
Rio took Ruri's hands into hers and smiling excitedly that it confused the latter. Why was she smiling like that?
"Don't worry! For your Link Monsters, we already got that covered!"
STATION – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION
After their visit in the town's library was finished, Shark told Yuto to go back ahead because there was something that he must do first, so Yuto now was alone at the station. Yuto sighed heavily as he leaned his back on the bench, a plastic of drinks and snacks in his hand. He spent most of his day training with Shark about Master Duel and Speed Duel and studying more about their enemies. It was quite a lot to take in, and he admitted it made his head dizzy.
"It seems rather than becoming stronger as a year passed, I becoming even weaker...to be tired because of this...or perhaps because it was due to stress? I have a lot of thinking lately..."Yuto face palmed.
"This is no time to think about that...Neither Shun nor Dark Rebellion will be happy if they knew this...hahaha..." Yuto chuckled softly.
"...First Shun, and then Dark Rebellion... Just where are you guys...at the time like this?" Yuto wondered softly. He missed his best friends very much. It was so different without them around. He wants to meet them again soon.
He noticed the time on his watch. It's almost late and the cold wind proved it. No wonder there were only few people...or actually, he's the only person at the station right now.
Yuto yawned and rubbed his eyes. It was then he noticed there's someone on the other side of the station. The gust of winds interrupted his vision despite it was supposed to be summer and the broken lamps that turned on and off on the other side of the station only worsened it as the person's figure covered by shadow.
"Who would be here at this hour?"
The lamp turned on again as the winds calmed down, followed by the sound of the incoming train that will pass the station. Yuto got a much clearer look at the person. The person wore buttoned long black coat with black T-shirt beneath and black trousers and silver belt. His hands were inside his pocket.
"...!"
Yuto's eyes widened and abruptly stood from the bench as he realized the short midnight green hair a teal colored bang that is swept to the side, and the pair of yellow, bird-like eyes that directed at him. The only thing new was a small scar on his left cheek. The only person he knows to have those eyes was…
"S-Shun?!"
The moment Yuto uttered the name the train passed the station, blocking the young man from Yuto's view. When the train has finally passed entirely the young man has already disappeared and nowhere to be seen on the other side of the station. Yuto was still stunned and stood frozen until he finally inhaled the air. He had unconsciously stop breathing. He covered his face with his hand.
"Was it...just my imagination...?"
NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:
Gambling Warrior & Gem Master – Yuya is taken by Katsuya Jounochi, whose friendliness quickly makes the two of them get along well. The two start their lesson through Duel. Yuya is surprised by Jounochi's gamble dueling that constantly turns the tide. Meanwhile, Yuzu is taken by Johan Andersen, Celica's most trusted guardian who is the most adept in communicating with Duel Monster spirits.
FANFIC ORIGINAL CARDS MEMO:
Chaos Catapult: You can negate the activation of an Xyz Monster's effect. When an Xyz Monster you control destroy a Monster, you can banish this card from Graveyard to inflict damage equal to the ATK of the attacking Monster. (Trap Card)
Spiritual Phantom Knights: By banishing two Phantom Knights monster with the same Levels from Field or Graveyard, you can add 2 Phantom Knights monsters into your hand. (Magic Card)
Sea Cocoon: When a WATER Monster you control is destroyed or damage is inflicted while you control a WATER Monster, halve the damage. (Trap Card)
Coral Shark: (WATER / EFFECT / ATK: 0 / DEF: 900 / LV: 2) When it was summoned to your opponent's Field while you control an Xyz Monster, you can attach it to the Xyz Monster you control as its Overlay Unit. When Coral Shark is sent to Graveyard, you can banish it to destroy your opponent's Trap or Magic that he controls, and then add a Magic or Trap into your hand.
Fairy's Icicle: When a WATER Fairy-Type monster you control failed to destroy your opponent's monster, you can inflict damage equal to its original ATK. (Quick-Play Spell)
Numbers Agreement: Numbers Monsters cannot be destroyed non-Numbers Monster (Continuous Trap Card)
These Duels somehow felt more difficult than the others to write. For Shark's Xyz Monsters, I used their anime effects but without the effect that only Numbers cards can destroy it. For Rio's monsters, I used its OCG/TCG effects. And maybe some of you have been wondering about Yukiya, don't worry, he will appear again in the next chapter. Sorry if there's any error. Gonna fix it later if there's any. The fanfic Custom Cards will be added tomorrow.
Please don't forget to review this chapter!