When I was a boxer, I was known for my powerful left hook. Folks called me "The Strongest Left Hand In The Land".
But when some crocodile bit it off, and I got a new prosthetic one, that career ended – you can't box when your left arm is made of metal and capable of crushing someone's face with one punch.
I turned to dueling, using my prosthetic arm mainly to hold my Disk and my hand of cards. And before my original deck was stolen (I won't tell you what was in it) I was one of the best. I was champion of California five years running, and I won the Regional Championship in Las Vegas one year.
I guess that's how I got the job as headmaster of the Ra Dorm.
Anyway, as a duelist, I've faced a lot of opponents – some strange, some eccentric, some with various… peculiarities…
But this one has got to beat all…
I've never had to face someone who's an honest to God deity before.
Uhm… Pun not intended.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
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Giant Trunade
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Monday, September 27th, 2106, 1:05 PM
The following Monday had a class that everyone seemed to like: Duel Monsters Metaphysics.
It was a class that focused on the stranger side of Duel Monsters, including its origins.
Dr. Ambroise was a guy who looked like he came out of a Grimm Brothers fairy tale. His head was mostly bald, with grey hair around the bottom. He had a small pair of bifocals perched on a long, thin nose. He wore sweaters that were likely bought at K-Mart, grey slacks, and plain, leather loafers.
Rumors had it that he had been a duelist of no small skill in his youth, and also that he was an expert on Shadow Games.
"Duel Monsters and the supernatural have always gone hand and hand…" he said, as his class listened, "although many folks' opinions on such matters has differed. Take the Trinity…
"Seto Kaiba was an agnostic regarding the supernatural for most of his life… Of course, like most rich men, he didn't like things that he had no control over, which was likely the reason for his skepticism concerning magic. If you don't like something, it's very easy to deal with it by denying its significance.
"Joey Wheeler was more of a believer, but he didn't let it affect him much. The difference between him and Kaiba was, he knew he had no control over it, but he didn't mind – he simply tried to deal with it as it happened, using his skills as a duelist.
"Yugi on the other hand… He breathed magic every minute of his life, being one who once held a Millennium Item. He couldn't ignore or neglect it, because it was a part of him.
"For instance, Yugi once spoke of the possibility that another world exists beyond the veil… One where creatures that we know as Duel Monsters live like humans do. Whether this place is reachable by humans, it's unknown, and the details are sketchy…"
A student in the third row raised her hand.
"Yes, Bianca?" asked Ambroise.
"Dr. Ambroise…" asked Bianca, "what are Duel Spirits?"
Ambroise paused.
"Well…" he said, "possibly, Duel Spirits are residents of this other world, as I said… Monsters in corporeal form. Jaden Yuki and his allies met several of them. Some, like Dark Magician Girl and Kaibaman were benign… Others, like Jinzo and Don Zaloog were evil creatures who could create dangerous Shadow Games.
"It goes without saying that if a Duel Spirit is intelligent, resourceful, and has hands, he himself is a duelist, and that's where it gets tricky. A Spirit's strategy reflects the Spirit as a Monster, and his deck always has at least one copy of 'his' card. These cards are thought to be created out of magic… For example, when Jaden faced Kaibaman in a duel, the Spirit had three copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which somehow seemed to be copies of Kaiba's.
"But anyway, Duel Spirits have not been seen for years, and you shouldn't worry about them."
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As Bianca left class, her two friends Melanie and Sarah were behind her.
She took out her deck and looked through it, eventually found a card.
She looked at it: Valkyrie Brunhilde.
"Hey, girls," she said. "How'd you two like to meet the real Brunhilde?"
They looked at her.
"And just how do you intend to do that?" asked Melanie.
"I've been doing research," she answered. "I think I know how to bring one of these Spirits here. If we just sneak into the athletic pool after class, no one will see us…"
"It sounds dangerous…" said Sarah.
"Sarah, it's Brunhilde, not Dark Ruler Ha Des!" laughed Bianca. "We'll be fine…"
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Several hours later, Fortunado was listening to someone in a video phone.
"Thanks," he said.
He turned it off and frowned.
He slumped into a chair, not at all happy.
"Duel Spirits…" he muttered. "Meddling, stupid, annoying creatures… I hate them more than anything…"
"I thought you hated professional figure skaters more than anything," replied Sebastian.
Fortunado frowned.
"Well, that's a different sort or hate," he answered. "But anyway, the last thing we need right now is one of them appearing – she might know something that could be used against us…
"Even worse, if she's a duelist, it would be a disaster… I don't know what the Orichalcos would do if we tried to use it against a Spirit, but I can assume it wouldn't be a profitable endeavor…"
"We could treat Bianca to an Orichalcos duel before she does so…" suggested Cleo.
"I have a better idea," said Cassius, walking in.
He had an elaborate scepter resting on his shoulder.
"We can sabotage their little ritual and throw the place into helter skelter!"
"The Scepter of Bound Divinity!" gasped Fortunado.
"That's right," said Cassius. "So, when Bianca tries to contact a Duel Spirit, we use this, throw the proverbial monkey wrench into her plans, and they get a big mess to deal with!"
"Uh, Cassius?" asked Sebastian. "Where'd you get the Scepter?"
"Stole it from my mom when she fell asleep watching television," answered Cassius, casually.
"You stole from your mother…" muttered Cleo.
"Yeah," he added, "and we'd best do this and get it back to her broom closet before she wakes up for tea, or she'll have a fit!"
"You stole from your mother…" repeated Fortunado.
"Hey!" shouted Cassius. "I use the Orichalcos, you know!"
"I should think so…" replied Fortunado.
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Old Ben looked in his medicine cabinet.
He never told anyone, but as strong as his artificial arm was, he had to take no less than three prescription medications so that his body would never reject it.
The cabinet had a lot of other medicines in it – Tylenol, Tums, Excedrin…
He frowned.
Looking in the average medicine cabinet, one would think people were always sick. Some of these bottles were over a year old, but like most people, he had never thrown them out. Throwing out pills just seemed… wrong.
He looked at his three prescription medications (he had long ago stopped trying to pronounce their names, and just called them "the green one", "the red one", and "the black one").
The directions on these bottles were really weird…
Take one pill three times a day, said one.
How exactly do you take one pill three times? he thought.
Take one capsule by mouth two times a day, said the other.
Thanks for clearing that up, he thought, I was about to stick it in my ear…
He sighed…
Then he checked his watch.
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In the common room of the Ra Dorm, Russell and Trisha had their cards spread out on the floor.
"And now I attack Marauding Captain with my Perfect Machine King!" shouted Trisha.
"You win…" muttered Russell.
They noticed that Jason was on a couch looking at The Eye of Timaeus.
"Jason, staring at that card is not going to do much," said Trisha.
"Dunno…" muttered Jason. "Maybe if we used these cards more often…"
"Are you that anxious to get into another Orichalcos duel?" asked Russell. "I'm content to wait for now, with all the craziness that's been happening even without that awful Field Card…"
"True…" said Trisha. "The next time some ghost shows up, we have to do our best to make sure they don't force some other student to duel him, or…"
Then Old Ben came into the room.
"Don't you three ever have homework?" he asked.
"It's done," they all said at once.
"Yeah, well…" said Ben, "some other students are in for a punishment. Bianca, Melanie, and Sarah are an hour past curfew, and when I get ahold of them…"
He was interrupted by a loud crash.
Ben ran to the front hall where it had come from. The three students followed.
Bianca was there, and she had apparently run a long distance. She was out of breath… And incredibly scared.
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Bianca slowly drank from a bottle.
"You tried to summon a Duel Spirit?" asked Trisha. "What the Hell were you thinking?"
"I thought it would be… interesting…" gasped Bianca. "And we got excited when it seemed to work…"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment.
"We cast the spell as the book said, and this appeared…"
Ben looked at it. It seemed to be written in old-fashioned ink pen:
Give me the souls of three warriors, and I will come.
O-L-P-R P-R-M-T L-U O-R-V-S
Ben looked hard at the letters at the bottom…
"We thought it meant Warrior-Type Monster Cards…" muttered Bianca.
"It clearly didn't," said Jason. "Note that the word 'warriors' isn't capitalized…"
"I know…" sobbed Bianca. "We didn't realize the mistake until we said yes. Then Sarah was seemingly consumed in fire! Melanie and I tried to run, but she was caught too… And now…"
"Hold on one minute…" said Russell. "Valkyrie Brunhilde is a Fairy of Light… Why would she want human souls?"
"It wasn't Brunhilde…" said Old Ben, rubbing his chin. "It was an imposter posing as her…
"These letters at the bottom are a signature, in code. Each letter stands for the letter at the opposite place in the alphabet. A is Z, B is Y, and so on…"
He took out a pen and wrote new letters over the existing ones:
LOKI KING OF LIES
"Loki…" muttered Ben. "So, he escaped… Figures he would disrupt a ceremony aimed at summoning a Valkyrie…"
"Loki?" asked Russell. "The Norse God of Tricksters? He's real?"
Ben nodded.
"Some say that Egypt wasn't the only ancient civilization who knew how to harness the Shadows," he said. "Some scholars on Shadow Games say that these rituals formed the whole foundation for many old religions, and spawned entities worshipped by old cultures… They may not have been true gods, but they were immortals who could use the Shadows in strange ways. They formed the basis of several mythologies."
Bianca shivered in fright.
"So what do we…" she started.
And then she screamed, as flames erupted around her!
The headmaster and the three students could do nothing – they tried to beat out the flames, but she vanished in a burst of fire.
Then a cackling laugh came from out of nowhere.
"Show yourself!" shouted Ben.
"As you wish…" said a voice.
A tall form appeared in front of them. He was a young-looking man with red hair, tied in a ponytail almost down to his waist, wearing old-fashioned chain mail armor colored in clashing green and orange. His face was youthful, with large, green eyes, and ears tapering to small points.
"Let 'em go, Loki!" ordered Ben.
"Sorry, fellah," said the King of Lies, "but I'm here, and I like it here. And once I complete a little ritual to use what I've taken, I can stay here. See you around!"
An aura of flame appeared around him, and then it vanished in a burst, taking him with it.
Ben frowned again as he looked at the scorch mark. That carpet had just been reupholstered…
What am I thinking… he thought. An evil immortal is loose, and he has three students with him…
"Where'd he go?" asked Russell.
Old Ben slung a duffle bag over his shoulder.
"If Loki wants to do the type of ritual I think he wants to do, he'll need a good deal of spiritual energy," he said. "Come with me, I might need some help…
"Dr. Artemis is never going to believe this…"
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Half an hour and a short subway ride later, the headmaster and the three students entered the front doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest church in Manhattan.
This was not only the largest Catholic church in New York, it was the largest in the United States. And everything about it was big. There was enough seating for 2,500 people… The pipe organ was huge instrument with more than 7,300 pipes. The stained glass window in the front was twenty-six feet across, and one of the best works of that type. You could stand in this place for hours admiring the beauty…
Of course, during the day, peaceful reflection was difficult, given the crowds of tourists. They weren't here now, seeing as it was late… Only a few stragglers who didn't know of the danger that had entered were here.
"You want to tell me why we came to a church?" asked Russell.
"This is the largest store of spiritual energy in New York," said Ben. "Loki could get all he needs here."
"I thought demons and evil spirits like him couldn't enter churches," said Jason.
"This is a Catholic church, Jason," replied Ben. "Loki is far older than Christianity, which is relatively new as far as religions go. This place can't hinder him… The Vatican might be powerful enough, but…
"In fact, I fear that if we can't drive him away, he'll defile this place and turn it into an unholy shrine…"
"Good lord…" muttered Trisha. "Uh, Ben, can I ask what may be a stupid question?"
"If you can bear a stupid answer," he replied.
"If we find Loki here," she asked, "what exactly are we going to do? I mean, he's a Norse god, you know? Immortal, incredibly powerful, likely able to strike people dead with lightning…"
"No, Thor uses lightning," said Ben. "Loki prefers fire. Just trust your gym teacher, kids… I have an idea."
Then, the modern electrical lights all went out…
A second later, every candle in the church lit, providing an eerie glow.
"So, you found me…" said a voice.
Loki appeared in another burst of fire.
"Too bad you can't stop me," he said with a smirk. "Soon I'll gather enough energy to consume those three souls, and I'll have escaped my jailers entirely!"
"Jailers?" asked Russell.
"I've spent the last three thousand years chained to a rock," said Loki with a scowl, "with snakes chewing at my entrails! Fortunately, that ritual helped me break free…"
"Because you tricked them…" added Jason.
"King of Lies, God of Tricksters, Twister of Truths," said Loki. "What did you expect?
"Besides, I have a great opportunity now. Back in my day, everyone hated me… Being able to start over in a place where no-one remembers all the bad things you did is better than Valhalla!"
"Listen, Loki!" shouted Ben. "As headmaster of the Ra Dorm, the safety and welfare of its students is my responsibility! So if you need a sacrifice, I have an offer for you… Well, more of a challenge…"
"A challenge?" asked Loki, nearly laughing.
"Yes," said Ben. "A duel! You win, you take me instead of them. I win, you get your sorry ass back to where you came from!"
"Heh, heh, heh…" laughed Loki rubbing his chin. "To tell you the truth, I'm intrigued…
"I truly needed the soul of a warrior to do this easily… Your courageous and virtuous spirit is that of a true warrior, far more than those three cowardly little girls. It would empower me much more…"
"Then you'd benefit now, wouldn't you?" asked Ben.
Loki rubbed his chin again.
"Very well, mortal," he said, "I accept!"
Ben opened his duffle, and strapped a Duel Bandoleer over his chest, similar to Dr. Artemis's. He shuffled his deck and placed it the slot over his heart.
He whispered to the three students.
"If he beats me, you three make the same offer. Whatever we do, we have to keep him occupied…"
"Why?" asked Jason.
"No time to explain right now…" answered Ben. "But if there's one thing I know about these dark entities, they simply can't resist a challenge."
Loki gestured, and a strange Disk appeared on his left arm. It looked like it was made as much of wood as it was of metal.
He gestured, and a flame appeared in his hand. A deck of cards appeared in the flame, and he placed it in the Disk.
"Think Ben can beat this guy?" asked Russell.
"I dunno," said Jason. "I never saw him duel. And Loki… Well, he's a Norse God! How much more intense than that can you get?"
"All right, big guy…" said Ben.
He gestured, and five cards slipped out of his deck.
"As they say, it's time to duel!"
(Ben: 8,000) -------------------- (Loki: 8,000)
"Feh," said Loki, drawing five cards. "Feel free to make the first move. It really doesn't matter. I haven't been outwitted in a game of skill since the founding of Asgard."
"And when was that?" asked Ben, drawing a sixth card.
"I think it was on a Tuesday," answered Loki. "Very few people know that!"
"Okay…" said Ben. "I'll start by playing a Spell Card… Golden Road."
He played the card, and the image of the fabled Road of Yellow Brick leading up to the Emerald City appeared.
"When this card is played, both players draw four cards, and then discard two."
Loki looked at his hand and grinned.
"Fine…" he said. "You're only helping me…"
Both of them drew four cards, and then discarded two.
"Now I'll place one card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode," said Ben.
Two facedown cards, one horizontal and one vertical, appeared.
"And I'll end my turn…" he said.
"Well then," said Loki, drawing a card. "I'll first play Monster Reborn, to summon a Monster that I just discarded… Dark Blade."
The ankh appeared, and a Warrior in dark armor covered with blades holding two scimitars appeared. His eyes glowed from the slots in his helmet, and he raised the swords menacingly. (1,800/1,500)
"And then, I'll sacrifice him, to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!"
Dark Blade vanished, and a blizzard of ice and snow blew over Loki's side of the field. A twelve-foot-tall giant rose up, seemingly dressed in armor made of ice, with a cape over his shoulder.
He stepped forward, and the ground froze where his footsteps fell. (2,400/1,000)
"And simply by summoning him," continued Loki, "up to two of your Spell or Trap Cards are destroyed."
Mobius shot a blast of ice from his hand. Ben's facedown Mirror Force froze over and shattered.
"Mobius…" ordered Loki, "put his facedown Monster on ice! Attack with blizzard blight!"
Mobius pointed and a chilling wind shot forward…
A large koala appeared on the card and was frozen in a block of ice. Then it shattered to bits.
"Now you're gonna get it!" laughed Ben. "You just flipped Des Koala! That means you lose 400 Life Points for every card in your hand. And I count six of them!"
"Huh?" said Loki.
He shrieked as he was struck by six bolts of lightning in quick succession!
"NOW do you see why I let you draw more cards?" said Ben with a smile.
"Clever…" muttered Loki.
(B: 8,000) -------------------- (L: 5,600)
"Wow, Ben clobbered him!" exclaimed Russell.
"Yeah," said Trisha, "but he'll need something powerful to beat Mobius…"
"Don't worry, kids," said Ben, "that overgrown popsicle is nothing I can't handle…"
He gestured over his vest, and a new card flew into his hand.
"I play this…" he said, "Koala March."
He played a Spell Card.
"Never heard of it…" laughed Loki.
"Well, it's a two-step process," said Ben. "First it lets me Special Summon one Koala from my Graveyard, and then it lets me Special Summon another one from my hand."
Two Des Koalas appeared, ready to pounce. (1,100/1,800 x2)
"So?" said Loki. "They're worthless in Attack Mode…"
He paused.
"Unless they're…"
"Sacrificial lambs?" asked Ben with a grin. "In a word, yes! I sacrifice both these little koalas…"
The two Des Koalas vanished into pixels.
"…to summon their big brother… Big Koala!"
An enormous koala, half-again as big as Mobius, rose, looking quite out of place in the hallowed sanctum. (2,700/2,000)
"Wow!" exclaimed Jason. "Ben summoned a seven star Monster with only one additional card!"
Loki wasn't impressed.
"Oh, a giant teddy bear…" he laughed. "Whatever will I do…"
"You may be the God of Tricksters, Loki," said Ben, "but you sure aren't a zoologist. Koalas aren't bears. And in case you didn't notice, his Attack points are greater than Frosty's there!
"Big Koala, send Mobius to the cooler! Takedown from Down Under!"
Big Koala charged forward on all fours, and slugged the Frost Monarch! He groaned, and shattered into shards of ice.
"I could use a stiff drink," said Ben. "We've got plenty of cocktail ice. I'll end by placing a card facedown."
He played a card, and facedown card materialized.
(B: 8,000) -------------------- (L: 5,300)
"Loki, I will defeat you…" continued Ben. "You'll wish you stayed in your own neck of the woods."
Loki drew a card.
"Yes, you keep telling yourself that," said Loki, playing a card. "In the meantime, I believe I will play a Spell Card called The Shallow Grave. This lets us…"
"I know what it does!" interrupted Ben. "It lets us both Special Summon a Monster from our Graveyards in facedown Defense Mode."
"You don't have to be rude about it," said Loki, as a facedown Monster appeared in front of him.
"And you didn't have to kidnap three of my students!" snapped back Ben, as a facedown Monster appeared next to Big Koala.
"Well, anyway," continued Loki. "Seeing as the Monster you just summoned has to be a Des Koala, and I remember quite well what its flip-effect does, I'm going to get rid of it…
"I sacrifice my facedown Monster…"
The facedown Monster vanished.
"…and I summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch!"
The ground trembled, and another giant creature burst out the floor, scattering shards of rock to every side. It was a hulking ogre made of stone, its body sculpted to resemble strange armor, and with enormous firsts. Its only article of clothing was a kilt made out of metal. (2,400/1,000)
"And when he's summoned," said Loki, "one facedown card is destroyed!"
A beam of energy shot from Granmarg's eyes, striking Ben's facedown Monster. Des Koala appeared and shattered to pieces.
"Big Koala is still stronger!" said Ben.
"Not for long," replied Loki, taking another card. "I Equip Granmarg with Enchanted Maul of the Monarchs."
He played a card, and a large mallet made of stone appeared in Granmarg's hand.
"I'll explain," said Loki. "When a Monarch is Equipped with this card, his Attack Score rises by 500 right away. That alone is enough to destroy your Koala…
"But the Monarch is also assumed to have an increase of another 800 whenever he battles a Monster whose Attribute is the same as his. And since Granmarg and your Beast are both Earth Monsters…"
Granmarg's Attack shot up to 3,700.
"Granmarg, attack Big Koala!" shouted Loki. "Royal stone blow!"
Granmarg rushed and slugged Big Koala in the gut with the Maul; Big Koala clutched its stomach in pain, and then shattered.
(B: 7,000) -------------------- (L: 5,300)
"Loki seems to favor the Elemental Monarchs a lot," said Trisha.
"Yeah," said Jason. "They're giants, just like Loki."
"Loki's a giant?" asked Russell. "As in fee-fi-foe-fum? He doesn't look so big…"
"Ever read Norse Mythology?" asked Jason. "Loki wasn't related to the gods at all, he was the son of the king and queen of their enemies, the Jotuns… giants. But unlike most Jotuns, who were huge, Loki was no bigger than a normal man, and his parents were so ashamed, they isolated him from everybody. Eventually, Odin, the King of the Gods, found Loki, took pity on him, and…"
"EXCUSE me!" shouted Loki. "That's all a very touchy subject that I don't like being brought up! A word to the wise… Don't bring up someone's embarrassing moments!"
"Be grateful I don't bring up the incident with Slepnir," said Jason.
"If you even think about that…" said Loki, angrily.
"Excuse me, can I make my move here?" asked Ben.
"Fine," said Loki. "But after you, they're next!"
Ben drew a card.
"I summon Eucalyptus Mole in Defense Mode," he said.
A strange-looking mole with a green crest on its back and sharp claws appeared, sitting cross-legged. It clutched a branch of eucalyptus leaves. (1,000/1,300)
"That will do," he said.
"That's your defense?" asked Loki. "A mole?"
He drew a card.
"I summon Chthonian Soldier in Attack Mode," he said.
A dark portal opened, and a Warrior trudged out. He was a grim figure in midnight-black armor holding a jagged sword. He scowled, and his teeth were revealed to be jagged and sharp. His eyes had no pupils, just white orbs. (1,200/1,400)
"Granmarg, destroy that… thing."
Granmarg brought his hammer down on Eucalyptus Mole, smashing it flat.
"Thank you," said Ben, with a smile. "When Eucalyptus Mole is destroyed in battle, I get to summon any Monster with the word 'Koala' in it from my deck. So here comes another Big Koala!"
Another giant koala appeared! (2,700/2,000)
"Humph," said Loki. "In that case, I'll play a card facedown, and end my turn."
A facedown card appeared.
"But what will you do now? Granmarg is still 1,000 Attack Points stronger…"
Ben drew a card.
"What will I do?" he asked. "I'll play Pot of Greed."
He played the card, and drew twice.
"And as far as the strength of my Monster goes, Loki," he said, "when you go up against a guy who uses Beasts, you not only have to look at the Attack Score, but at the Defense Score too. You never know when I'll have this Spell Card…"
He played a card.
"I play Wild Nature's Release. This Spell adds my Koala's Defense Score his Attack Score."
Big Koala grunted and flexed its muscles, and blue flames surrounded it, as its Attack rose to 4,700.
"Now, turn the Rock Monarch into rubble!" shouted Ben.
Big Koala leapt forward, and threw a mighty punch, smashing Granmarg into shards of rock!
"Don't cerebrate yet!" said Loki, angrily. "You played Wild Nature's Release to pull that move off! That means your big pet dies when you end your turn!"
"Oh, will he?" asked Ben with a grin. "Normally, he would, but I have a Trap Card…"
His facedown card lifted, showing the image of a dead bull with its ghost floating out of it.
"It's called Beast Soul Swap," he said. "This will let me return Big Koala to my hand before it's destroyed, so long as I swap it for a Beast with the same number of stars from my hand.
"So, it returns to my hand…"
Big Koala vanished in a sparkle of light.
"…and in return, I'll Special Summon someone even who packs just as much punch… Behemoth, the King of All Animals!"
He played the card, and a Beast just as big as Big Koala appeared. He looked like a massive cross between a bison, bear, and lion, with violet fur and a mane of darker purple hair down his back. It growled, and saliva dripped from its fanged jowls. (2,700/1,500)
"Yeah, Ben!" cheered Trisha. "Way to combo!"
"I'm far from done, kids!" said Ben. "My Battle Phase ain't over… Get that Chthonian Soldier! "
The King of All Animals charged the Warrior, and with one swipe of his mighty claw, tore him apart.
"Heh, heh…" said Loki. "Look… up…"
"Huh?" asked Ben.
He looked up, and saw the Soldier's sword flying towards him…
He screamed in pain as it struck him.
"Fool…" said Loki. "That last attack may have cost me some Life Points, but due to Chthonian Soldier's effect, it cost you just as much, as you can certainly feel…"
Yeah, I feel it… muttered Ben. I actually felt it stab me! That sword was no hologram…
This is real… I should have known…
This guy managed to create a Shadow Game…
(B: 5,500) -------------------- (L: 2,800)
"Anything else?" asked Loki.
"Actually, yes…" muttered Ben. "I play the Spell Card, Power Distribution."
He played the card, and to the surprise of the three students, the Dark Magician appeared behind Ben! He cast a spell, and the images of three cards appeared.
"To play this, I have to discard a Monster who has seven stars or more…"
He discarded the Big Koala in his hand, and the legendary sorcerer vanished.
"And in return, I get to draw two cards, plus one for every star it had above six – in this case, I get three."
He gestured over his chest, and three cards slipped out. He looked at them.
"And I'll place one of them facedown."
He fit a card into a slot.
"It's your turn."
"About time," said Loki, drawing a card. "I was afraid it might be time for me to start making plans for Ragnarok once this duel was over. Oh well…"
He played a card.
"I play Pot of Greed."
He drew two cards.
"Now I'll activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted, and just like the warriors are reborn every dusk on the fields of Valhalla, one of my Warriors returns."
The card lifted, and Chthonian Soldier appeared.
"And now…" he said. "I'll sacrifice him, to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"
The Soldier shattered, and lightning struck his side of the arena. A new giant appeared. He was dressed in fancy green and white armor, with a helmet and a circular disk on his back. He lifted his hand, and called lightning to it, and electricity flashed all over him. (2,400/1,000)
"This is my least favorite Monarch," said Loki, with a frown. "He reminds me of my foster brother… But he's useful, because now, one of your Monsters is destroyed."
Lightning struck Behemoth, and it roared he was electrocuted!
After a minute, only ashes were left of the huge Beast.
"No…" gasped Trisha. "Ben is wide open for an attack…"
"Indeed…" said Loki. "Ready for more pain, mortal? Zaborg, smite him!"
Lightning powered up in Zaborg's hands… Ben shielded himself with his metal arm as a bolt of lightning shot towards him…
Ben strained for a minute, and sweat formed on his face… He stumbled back four steps… But he didn't fall.
The lightning stopped. Ben paused to catch his breath.
"Strongest Left Hand In The Land…" he muttered.
(B: 3,100) -------------------- (L: 2,800)
"I haven't had so much fun in millennia!" laughed Loki. "I almost forgot how exhilarating it is to slowly crush the life out a foe in combat!"
"Yeah…" muttered Ben. "It's a blast…"
He waved his right hand.
"I activate Scapegoat!" he shouted.
Joey Wheeler's trademark token-creating card lifted, and four fluffy sheep appeared.
"FOOL!" laughed Loki. "You could have activated that before I attacked, and saved yourself a lot of Life Points!"
"Eh, I have to agree with Loki here, for once," said Russell. "That was pretty dumb…"
"Am I a fool?" asked Ben. "Maybe I have a strategy that's too complicated for you to comprehend."
"Don't insult me mortal!" shouted Loki. "I earned the title King of Lies… I outwitted mortals, the Jotuns, even the gods many times. You can't possibly outwit me!"
"Yeah, you outwitted them until you got caught," said Jason, "which led you to being chained to that rock."
"And soon that will be nothing more than an unpleasant memory," answered Loki. "I'll place a card facedown, and end my turn."
He played a card, and it appeared.
Ben drew another card.
"I summon Des Kangaroo in Attack Mode," he said.
He played a card, and a short, scrappy kangaroo with green fur, wearing boxing gloves, a purple vest, and red sneakers bounced into view. He took a few warm-up jabs. (1,500/1,700)
"A kangaroo?" said Loki, with a chuckle. "Get serious…"
His facedown Trap lifted.
"I activate Hidden Soldiers. This lets me summon a Dark Monster from my hand when you summon a Monster, and I think Getsu Fuhma will fit that bill."
He placed a card on his Disk, and a beautiful woman with flowing red hair, wearing dark armor and holding a glowing sword appeared.
She glared at Loki with a frown, as if she resented being summoned, and then turned to face Des Kangaroo. (1,700/1,200)
"Fine," said Ben. "But now you'll see my strategy… I play this Spell Card: The Big March of Animals!"
A Spell Card showing the image of a menagerie of Beasts appeared in front of him.
"When this Spell Card is played," explained Ben, "for this round only, all Beasts on my side of the field gain 200 Attack Points for every Beast I have. And I have Des Kangaroo and four Scapegoats."
Des Kangaroo raised his gloves and then flexed his muscles, and rose to an Attack of 2,500.
"NOW do you see why I waited to activate Scapegoat?" he said with a smirk. "I needed all four of them alive if I wanted to take down your Monarch! Still think I'm a fool?
"It seems I did outwit you…"
Loki turned pale…
"Des Kangaroo…" shouted Ben, "attack Zaborg with dreamtime combination!"
Des Kangaroo put up its dukes and hopped over to Zaborg, and made several jabs… Then it punched the Monarch six times in the solar plexus! Zaborg groaned, and fell to his knees, and then shattered into sparkling pixels.
(B: 3,100) -------------------- (L: 2,700)
"You'll pay for this indignity…" growled Loki.
He drew a card.
"I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma to summon the avatar of mighty Surtur himself… Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!" he shouted.
Getsu was consumed in fire, and another giant rose out of the flames. This one was clad in plate armor and a helmet, and his face sported a Fu-Manchu beard and moustache. His grin was very unpleasant, and as he raised his hands, they became shrouded in flames. (2,400/1,000)
"Now, take a look at those two cards in your hand," said Loki. "Thestalos's effect makes you discard one at random, and if it's a Monster, you lose Life Points equal to 100 times its star level!"
Thestalos grinned evilly, and pointed, shooting a stream if fire forward that struck the left card in Ben's hand.
Ben looked at the card that was now shrouded with flames…
So much for Kangaroo Champ… he thought, discarding it.
(B: 2,700) -------------------- (L: 2,700)
"The score is tied, but not for long…" threatened Loki.
"Thestalos, destroy Des Kangaroo with Fire of Muspelhelm!"
The Firestorm Monarch laughed, and lifted his hand. A ball of flame formed in it, and started to grow, quickly, until it was almost as big as himself…
He hurled it, and Des Kangaroo was incinerated in a huge explosion!
"All right, now Ben is in trouble…" said Trisha.
"He still has those four sheep to protect him for now," said Jason. "He has at least one round to think of something…"
(B: 1,800) -------------------- (L: 2,700)
Ben drew a card.
"I have to pass for this turn…" he muttered.
"Very well…" said Loki.
He drew a card.
"I summon Blindly Loyal Goblin in Attack Mode," he said.
He played a card, and a short goblin with a squat face wearing a ragged pair of trousers and holding a sword appeared. (1,800/1,500)
"Both of you…" said the King of Lies, "take out two of those Scapegoats!"
Thestalos fired a smaller ball of flame, and the yellow Scapegoat was incinerated.
Blindly Loyal Goblin made a swipe with his sword, and the red one was cut in half.
"It's your move," said Loki with a grin.
Ben drew a card.
"I'll place one card facedown, and that will be all," he said.
A facedown card appeared.
"Is that the best you could do?" asked Loki. "All I must do is draw one Monster, and Thestalos will finish you off!"
He drew a card.
He gave the card an odd look.
"Didn't draw a Monster, huh?" asked Ben.
"Actually, I did," said Loki, adding it to his hand, "but it isn't one I'm willing to use right now.
"Anyway, first thing's first… destroy his goats!"
Thestalos and the Goblin destroyed the last two Scapegoats.
"His last defense is gone…" muttered Trisha. "Now what?"
"My move…" said Ben, drawing a card.
His facedown card lifted.
"I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back one Monster from my Graveyard. Guess who it is…"
Big Koala reappeared. (2,700/2,000)
"Him again…" growled Loki.
"You got that right," said Ben. "Attack Thestalos! Takedown from Down Under!"
Big Koala leapt forward and threw a punch. Thestalos was thrown backwards, and his helmet flew off of his head. He burst into flaming pieces.
(B: 1,800) -------------------- (L: 2,400)
"Wonder if I could get Odin's phone number…" muttered Ben. "From what I'm seeing, he and the other gods might have a chance of actually winning Ragnarok if he got a few Big Koalas on his side…"
Flames surrounded the God of Tricksters…
"I'm starting to get… angry!" he said with a sneer.
He drew a card.
"I'll move Blindly Loyal Goblin to Defense Mode…"
The Goblin knelt in Defense.
"Move…"
Ben drew a card.
"Big Koala, get him!" he shouted.
Big Koala pounced, and flattened the Goblin.
"Now I'll put a card facedown, and turn it over to you," he said.
Loki angrily drew.
And then he smiled.
"Heh, heh…" he said. "Ha, ha… HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!
"With this combo, the duel and your soul is as good as mine…"
He played a Spell Card. It showed the image of Mobius sitting on a throne of ice surrounded by frost giants.
"I play… Call of Jotunhelm. This allows me to Special Summon a Monarch from my Graveyard, so long as I cut his Attack Score in half. So I'll bring back the one who started it all…"
Mobius the Frost Monarch appeared. (1,200/1,000)
"And now, I'll use him to summon someone who'll end it all! You see, the Monster I'm holding can only be summoned by sacrificing another Monarch and removing it from play…
"So I banish Mobius…"
Mobius vanished.
"…to summon the mightiest Monarch of all, the King of the Night… Nergal the Night Monarch!"
The candles in the church were snuffed out. A dark shadow arose. Ben and the three students could vaguely make out a humanoid form in the darkness, and they could see that it was even bigger than Big Koala.
Two glowing red eyes peered from the Monster…
(3,300/1,600)
"Be grateful that you can't see Nergal clearly," said Loki's voice. "Legend has it that if anyone ever saw the King of the Night, he'd be frightened to death. Of course, there's no chance of that ever happening, because he rules the night itself, where the darkness hides him.
"Nergal… destroy Big Koala…"
Ben and the students heard what sounded like a scream from Big Koala, followed by throttling and strangling sounds, and then silence.
(B: 1,200) -------------------- (L: 2,400)
"I activate my Trap Card…" muttered Ben.
His Trap lifted.
"Animal Trail. Since my Monster was destroyed, I can take a Beast from my deck and add it to my hand."
He took his deck and found a second Des Kangaroo. He added it to his hand and reshuffled.
"As if that will matter," said Loki.
"I can take down your Night Monarch…" whispered Ben.
"Well, let me explain to you Nergal's special ability," said Loki's voice. "He's immune to Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and Monster Effects that destroy Monsters."
Ben started to say something, but Loki interrupted him.
"What's that you say?" he said. "You're thinking of using a second Wild Nature's Release, right?"
He placed a card in his Disk, and the glow from a facedown card illuminated the darkness.
"We'll just see about that," he continued. "It's your move."
Ben gestured, and a card flew into his hand.
"I activate a Trap Card!" exclaimed Loki. "Mask of Restrict!"
The facedown card lifted, and a hideous tiki mask appeared behind him.
"So long as this is in play, you're limited to Monsters of four stars or less," he added, "so unless you have one who's Attack and Defense adds up to 3,300 or more, Wild Nature's Release isn't going to cut it."
Ben grinned.
"Loki…" he said. "I don't know how you could be so small-minded…
"You said that Nergal couldn't be destroyed by Spell Cards… Well fine… But he isn't immune to Spells that do other things, now is he?"
Loki frowned.
"I'm going to fight your Night Monarch with a powerful force that sends all creatures of night cowering in fear…" said Ben, raising the card he had just drawn.
"I'm talking about… the sun!"
He threw a Spell Card into his Disk.
"Your Monarch may rule the night, but when the sun comes up, he and his minions run to the caves and holes in the ground where they came, and don't dare show their faces while the life-giving light shines in the sky!
"I play Ayer's Rock Sunrise!"
Suddenly, a glow started to pierce the darkness…
A beautiful, rocky plateau appeared behind Ben, and the light of the rising sun illuminated the church, filling the sacred shrine with radiant light!
Ben and the students now could see Nergal clearly – he was a diabolic-looking giant with fiendish features, dark skin, and demonically crafted armor. And he clearly did not like the light very much. He shielded himself from the light, and seemed to be weakening…
"Now let me explain how this works…" said Ben. "First, it lets me Special Summon one Beast from my Graveyard, so I'm bringing back Big Koala for one more go…"
Big Koala appeared on Ayer's Rock, standing triumphantly in the light.
"And then," continued Ben, "for every Beast, Winged Beast, and Beast-Warrior I have left in my Graveyard, your nightmare over there loses 200 Attack Points!"
The spirits of two Des Koalas, one Big Koala, Behemoth, Eucalyptus Mole, Kangaroo Champ, and Des Kangaroo flew from the Rock and clung to the Night Monarch. He groaned, and his Attack Score fell to 1,900.
"Since I lowered his Attack Score, I could attack him now, but I'm hardly done," said Ben. "Next I use Polymerization, to fuse my Big Koala with the Des Kangaroo I'm holding…"
A Des Kangaroo appeared next to the Koala, and they swirled into a vortex of green and blue…
"Forming the terror of the outback… Master of Oz!"
A koala that was even bigger than Big Koala appeared on Ayer's Rock. His hindquarters had agile legs and a long tail, similar to Des Kangaroo's. He had green fur, boxing gloves, a jacket, and sneakers like Des Kangaroo's, and held a couple of odd tools in his pouch. He had blacking surrounding his eyes.
He made a boxing stance, and took a few warm-up punches.
(4,200/3,700)
"Is that really the legendary Master of Oz?" gasped Trisha.
"Apparently…" said Jason. "That's a Monster you don't see every day… They say he's the most powerful Beast-Type Monster in the game."
"Time to end this!" shouted Ben. "Master of Oz, attack Nergal the Night Monarch with Ayer's Rock Uppercut!"
Master of Oz charged, and delivered a vicious haymaker to the Night Monarch! Spit flew from the Fiend's mouth, and then he collapsed...
He shattered into bits.
(B: 1,200) -------------------- (L: 100)
"I'm… not… finished… yet…" threatened Loki.
"Neither am I," said Ben. "I still have one card to play… De-Fusion!"
He played a card, and Master of Oz glowed. It split into two orbs of green and blue light, forming into Big Koala and Des Kangaroo.
"Des Kangaroo, attack directly and end this!" shouted Ben.
Des Kangaroo flew at the God of Tricksters fist-first, and delivered an uppercut to his chin! The King of Lies fell on one knee, seething with rage…
(B: 1,200) -------------------- (L: 0)
"The winner!" shouted Russell, raising Ben's left arm.
"And still the champion!" shouted Trisha, raising his right.
The candles came back on, and Loki glared at Ben as the two Beasts vanished.
"You lose, Loki," said Ben. "Now release the girls!"
"Never…" growled Loki. "You're a fool…"
"We had a deal," said Ben with a snarl.
"Heh, heh, heh," said Loki, with an evil smile. "King of Lies, remember? How many times do I have to say it?"
He got up, and a ball of flame appeared in his hand.
"And since I wasn't able to defeat you and I have a reputation at stake," he said, "I'll just have to take the four of you… the old fashioned way…"
And then, a glowing light appeared behind him…
He stopped short.
"No…" he gasped. "I was so close…"
"I hate to break this to you, Mr. Pants on Fire," said Ben, with a grin, "but you aren't the only one who can lie! I knew you wouldn't keep your end of the bargain. The whole purpose of this duel… was to stall!"
Loki looked in fear as the portal started to grow…
"See," said Loki, "I knew that as soon as you escaped, your fellow Asgardians would find out that you had, and start looking for you so they could put you back. So I had to keep you from doing the ritual until they found you. And since you were too proud to refuse a challenge as I had hoped, you wasted precious time…
"And speaking of time, your chances of getting some off for good behavior just plummeted."
From out of the portal came an awe-inspiring sight. Four gorgeous women, dressed in golden armor, holding spears and riding winged horses flew out…
They didn't say a word. Three of them started stabbing at Loki with their weapons, and he howled in pain. He fell to his knees. They didn't let up, and he fell on his hands.
Then the fourth produced a net, and threw it over him, wrapping him up.
The Valkyries paused. One of them gestured, and Bianca, Melanie, and Sarah appeared, sleeping on the floor in front of Ben.
The one with the net dragged Loki through the portal. Two of the others followed.
The fourth turned towards Ben. She smiled sweetly.
Then she flew through the portal as well.
The electric lights came back on.
"Whew!" muttered Ben.
The three girls groaned and woke up.
"What happened?" asked Bianca. "Loki…"
"Loki is gone," said Ben. "But you three are confined to the dorm except for classes for the next three weeks. I'll decide whether or not to tell Dr. Artemis about this later."
They groaned.
"Now let's get back," said Ben.
"Old Ben the God-Slayer…" said Jason, with a grin.
"Hey, don't swell my head…" replied Ben.
"So Ben…" asked Trisha. "Why an Australia Deck?"
"Well…" said Ben, looking at his metal arm. "More or less to remind me how I got this. When something costs you your arm, you don't want to forget it…"
"Boy, Ben," said Russell. "You took on that guy like he was nothing… And you weren't even scared!"
"Of course I was scared," answered Ben. "Only an idiot wouldn't have been scared of Loki… He's dangerous.
"Let me tell you something… true courage isn't not being afraid. That's being foolhardy. True courage is when you're scared, but you act anyway."
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"A valid philosophy…" grumbled Fortunado. "Maybe we'll include it in your epitaph…"
As Fortunado watched, the Three Swordsmen and his dark accomplice were in the middle of a round of poker.
"I'll see you and raise you five dollars," muttered the dark figure.
"I fold…" sighed Sebastian, throwing his cards on the table.
"Yeah?" said Cleo. "Well, I'll see you, and raise you ten more."
She placed the money on the pile.
"I'll see you both and raise you another ten…" said Cassius, increasing the size of the pot. "Now, let's see if you two weren't just a load of hot air… All in."
They nodded.
Cassius put his hand on the table.
His hand consisted of a two of spades, three of clubs, four of spades, five of diamonds, and six of hearts.
"Straight," he said. "Beat that."
Cleo grinned.
She put her own hand on the table.
A two, three, four, seven, and king, all of hearts.
"Flush," she said. "Beat ya!"
"Damn!" shouted Cassius.
"So…" said Cleo.
"Hold it…" said the shadowy figure.
He revealed his hand.
Three aces, and two eights.
"I believe that's a full house, folks," he said. "I win…"
Cleo frowned.
"Nice…" muttered Sebastian. "Aces and eights… The proverbial Dead Man's Hand."
The figure reached for the money.
"This isn't Deadwood, South Dakota," he mused, "and I'm no Wild Bill Hickok…"
"Actually people," growled Fortunado, "Wild Bill's hand was two pairs, not a full house: two aces and two eights. What his fifth card was is open to debate."
"Still upset, boss?" asked Sebastian.
Fortunado seethed… He scratched the surface of his chair, leaving a mark.
"What's wrong boss?" asked Cassius. "It was an exciting duel…"
"I wanted one of the Chosen to duel Loki," growled Fortunado. "Not some gym teacher. I wanted one of the Dragons to defeat him, not some overgrown stuffed animal with boxing gloves! Sure, a scene where a powerful evil force is humiliated is good, but it isn't quite the epic clash of the titans I was looking for… I barely know where to put that scene now, if there's even a place for it…"
He thought for a minute.
"Cassius… Cleo… Sebastian… It's time for this film to reach the crescendo scenes…
"I want the three of you to duel them personally…"
"All right!" shouted Sebastian. "Let me take on Trisha… I want to get her good!"
"In due time, Sebastian," said Fortunado, "but I think we should target the one who holds Timaeus first…
"Cleo, you think you could handle Jason's deck?"
"Are you kidding?" laughed Cleo. "I'm sure I could handle the real Kaiba's deck!"
"That's exactly what Alister thought…" warned Fortunado.
Cleo paused.
"I'm reasonably confident that there is a good chance that I could handle the real Kaiba's deck," she said.
"Better," replied Faustus. "After all, as the ancient saying goes…"
He paused.
"He who refuses to learn to lessons of the past is doomed to repeat them…" he said in an ominous voice.
Tuesday, September 28th, 2106, 2:14 AM
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KOALA MARCH (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type: Spell
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: Several koalas with multicolored fur playing in a meadow.
Card Description: Special Summon one Monster with the word "Koala" in its name with four stars or less from your Graveyard in Attack Position. Then Special Summon a Monster with the same name from your hand in Attack Position.
Note: "Koala March" was used by Chumley in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Family Business". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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EUCALYPTUS MOLE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,300
Card Description: This odd creature isn't very powerful, but he has very strong friends. When this Monster is destroyed as a result of battle, Special Summon one Monster that has the word "Koala" in its name from your hand or deck.
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ANIMAL TRAIL (Trap Card)
Card Specs
Type: Trap
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: A dark trail in a forest, surrounded by bushes and tall grass.
Card Description: You can activate this card when a Monster on your side of the field is destroyed as a result of battle. Search your deck for one BEAST-Type Monster and add it to your hand.
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AYER'S ROCK SUNRISE (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type: Spell
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: Ayer's Rock, glowing in the light of a spectacular sunrise.
Card Description: Special Summon one BEAST-Type Monster from your Graveyard. Then, for every BEAST, BEAST-WARRIOR, and WINGED BEAST-Type Monster in your Graveyard, reduce the ATK of one face-up opposing Monster by 200.
Note: "Eucalyptus Mole", "Animal Trail", and "Ayer's Rock Sunrise" were used by Chumley in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Magna Chum Laude". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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GOLDEN ROAD (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type: Spell
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: The Road of Yellow Brick, leading up to a beautiful Emerald City.
Card Description: Both players draw four cards from their decks. Then, both players discard any two cards from their hand.
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POWER DISTRIBUTION (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type: Spell
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: Dark Magician conjuring up three glowing cards with a spell.
Card Description: Discard one Monster Card with seven stars or more from your hand. Draw two cards from your deck, plus one for every star level the discarded Monster had above six.
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HIDDEN SOLDIERS (Trap Card)
Card Specs
Type: Trap
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: A group of knights hiding behind a ridge in the foreground while another knight fights a dragon in the background.
Card Description: You can activate this Trap when your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a Monster. Special Summon a Dark Attribute Monster that has four stars or less from your hand.
Note: "Hidden Soldiers" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.
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ENCHANTED MAUL OF THE MONARCHS (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: A large mallet made of stone and bound with leather.
Card Description: This card can be Equipped to any Monster with the word "Monarch" in its name. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 500. When the Equipped Monster battles a Monster with the same Attribute as itself, increase its ATK by another 800 during the damage step.
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CALL OF JOTUNHELM (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type: Spell
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Image: Mobius the Frost Monarch on a throne of ice, surrounded by frost giants.
Card Description: Special Summon one Monster from your Graveyard that has the word "Monarch" in its name. Reduce the ATK of the Special Summoned Monster by half.
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NERGAL THE NIGHT MONARCH (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 3,300
DEF: 1,600
Card Description: The most powerful of the Elemental Monarchs, this creature rules the darkness. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This Monster must first be Special Summoned by removing from play one Monster on your side of the field with the word "Monarch" in its name. This Monster cannot be destroyed by Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and Monster effects.
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Ben's Australia Deck
Old Ben's original deck was stolen, he suspects by an opponent whom he defeated in the last tournament where he used it. After being hired as headmaster of the Ra Dorm, he slowly started to build a new one, one that would remind him of a turning point in his life – the vacation in Australia where he lost his left arm. Why would he want to remember such a tragedy? Perhaps because he believes that any pain that doesn't kill him makes him stronger, and that experience was incredibly painful. Besides, a lot of the Monsters in his new deck are boxers, and he's still a big fan of the sport.
Ben's deck is basically a Beast Deck with an Australia feel. His major weapons are the two Big Koalas and the one Behemoth the King of All Animals, and he has many ways to summon these seven-star Monsters easily. He has many staples of standard Beast decks, such as The Big March of Animals and Wild Nature's Release, as well as a few to take advantage of his own Monsters. (Loki used The Shallow Grave, but Ben actually has his own copy of that card, which lets him use the effect of his three Des Koalas more often.)
A duelist as experienced as Ben knows a lot of good combos. These include Wild Nature's Release plus Beast Soul Swap, Scapegoat plus The Big March of Animals, and Master of Oz plus De-Fusion. Ben currently only has one copy of Master of Oz (the card isn't really that common), but in a one-on-one fight, this Beast can likely defeat anything. (And he tries to have De-Fusion on hand just in case he falls victim to some Trap or other Monster-slaying effect. This returns him to the Fusion Deck, but there's the chance he can be summoned again later.)
Ever since Chumley Huffington's first card design, Ayer's Rock Sunrise, was released to the public, it was sought out by anyone who played Beasts and Beast-Warriors. This card works very well with any sort of Beast, not just those of Australia origin. Ben has heard of Chumley and knows of his particular taste in dueling – the difference is, Ben has had a lot more success as an actual duelist.
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Coming up next:
Jason boards a subway train, and the next stop may be oblivion. Cleo treats him to a duel he may never forget, as her Monsters are ones that may terrify the average man – not to mention the fact that she has the Seal, and isn't afraid to use it.
And on top of it, learn her origin as well!
Don't miss "Beautiful Headhuntress", coming soon.