Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.
Chapter 28 – Vs Paradox! Dragons Battle Royal, Sins vs. Blackfeather
Shooting across the Daedalus Bridge, Judai, Kyojo and Jack were being pursued by waves of the 'Ghost' Riding Roid, attempting to defeat all of them in duels so as to cement an escape. Reaching for his Deck, Jack grabbed a card and threw it onto the tray. "I Summon Mad Daemon (ATK: 1800, LV: 4)!" In an instant he called up an almost-skeletal being whose face was hidden within a dark recess, framed with sharp teeth and topped by red hair. "I also set 2 cards and end my turn."
"Draw!" One of the Ghosts declared, snapping up a card from his Deck and spinning it around instantly. "I Summon Mechanical Chaser (ATK: 1850, LV: 4)!" In a split second a round monster with a sword-like lower section, six thin bladed arms and a metallic face. "I attack your Mad Daemon! Machine Slash!"
"Permanent Trap Open!" Jack yelled, revealing his set card. "I prevent your monster from attacking or using its effect!" Out of the flipped card shot a long length of chain that wrapped around the monster opposite Jack, binding its arms over its chest. "Thus, your attack goes nowhere!"
"I set three cards and end my turn," the robot then declared, placing a card on the tray before Judai reached for his own Deck and pulled something.
"I activate my Angel Baton Speed Spell," Judai revealed, pulling two cards from his Deck and then immediately throwing one of the two into the Cemetery. "Next, because I have Necro Darkman in my Cemetery, I Summon an E-HERO without release. Come, Edgeman (ATK: 2600, LV: 7)!" In a flash he placed the card onto his tray and called up the bladed gold warrior, flexing itself into an offensive pose.
"Necro Darkman, attack Mechanical Chaser! Edge Slash!" Extending wings from its back, the monster shot forward and swung its blade arm across the body of the machine; this split the chain and caused the machine itself to explode, taking a chunk from its controller.
"Trap Card Open (LP: 3350)!" its controlling robot declared. "Ojama Trio! I Special Summon 3 Ojama Tokens to my opponent's Field in Defence Position (DEF: 1000, LV: 2) (DEF: 1000, LV: 2) (DEF: 1000, LV: 2)!" On Judai's field then emerged the forms of three small creatures – one yellow with eyestalks, one black with a huge head, and one green with one eye – appeared crouching before Judai, turning blue.
"I set one card to end my turn," Judai stated, another of the Ghost Robots drawing a card. "This is becoming far too much of a side-track. That's most likely Placido's plan; he's wearing us down so he can proceed with his plan."
"I Summon Ally of Justice – Tractor (ATK: 0, LV: 1)," the second Ghost declared. In front of said robot then emerged a light blue large mechanical monster with a truck-like torso, including a hitch on a rope with a hook at the end. "Next, since a LIGHT Monster exists on the opponent's field, I Release this monster and add 2 Ally of Justice Monsters from my Deck to my hand!"
"What?" Jack asked in disbelief, watching as the monster disappeared and two floating cards emerged in its place; these then shrank to normal size and floated into the robot's hand, where they were spun around in revelation, along with a third card from the hand.
"Since 2 LIGHT Monsters exist on the opposing field, I Special Summon 3 of Ally of Justice – Cosmic Closer [(ATK: 2400, LV: 8) x3]!" In front of the monster then appeared 3 cylinder-like objects with 4 mechanical crab-like legs and a mirror on its end. "Next, I shall release 2 of these monsters for Ally of Justice – Thunder Armour (ATK: 2700, LV: 8)!"
Two of the monsters then changed into neon orbs and fused together, revealing a red monster with 4 multi-jointed legs and a pair of thick arms. "I attack the Ojama Tokens with Thunder Armour and Cosmic Closer!" In a few milliseconds both monsters slammed into two of the tokens; these then exploded and Judai felt a massive pain, then watched in horror as his Life Points fell dramatically.
"That Thunder Armour must have the effect of giving Ally of Justice Monsters Penetration Damage (LP: 300)," he realized, reaching for a card in front of him. "But, I still have cards left I can play. Trap Card Open: Hero Signal! Come, Wildman (ATK: 1500, LV: 4)!" Beside Judai's existing monster then emerged his tan-skinned warrior with giant sword and long black hair, ready for battle.
"I set 3 cards and end my turn," the new Riding Roid yelled. "Now, Kyojo, show us your power!"
"This entire situation is becoming far too chaotic for my liking," Jose muttered to himself in the new throne room within Public Security's head office. Sitting and watching the entire drama unfold with the Riding Roids, he then added, "Placido is becoming far too reckless and aloof, and that will interfere with our ultimate goal."
"And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Alessandro's voice suddenly declared, getting Jose's attention as the tan-skinned man suddenly integrated in a standing position over the throne that was originally Lucciano's. "After all, if there is any hope of reaching our goal for the future, the absence of unity will simply tear the world apart. The Dark Signers demonstrated that all too well."
"So even you could not break the iron will of Ryukishi Kyojo?" Jose questioned. When Alessandro shook his head in shame Jose added, "Until he is removed from our path, the Signers will continue to be a thorn in our side."
"Do you really believe that is the problem between us and the Signers?" Alessandro questioned condescendingly, crossing his arms and gaining a smug smile. When Jose turned and gave the man a scathing look he elaborated; "Have you considered the possibility that this is God's will?"
"We are the disciples of God himself," Jose reminded Alessandro while the man's riding suit turned into a purple glow and shattered. It was then replaced by the form of a trench coat-like robe with a metal chest plate and belt to hold it in place; as well as metal gloves and boots, black pants, a metal Infinity headband and his left bangs covering his left eye. "Why would God ever wish that we see opposition?"
"Because unless conflict exists in the world, there will be no place for Enforcement like us," Alessandro argued, actually making Jose ponder what he said. "But enough semantics; until our Third Machine Emperor arises, all we can do is wait for the Signers to falter."
"And we must also keep a very close eye on Paradox," Jose instructed. "Even though Placido used his powers on him, Paradox's own might is so great that he can oppose them. Whether or not Placido knows this, his focus on the Signers leaves an unstable man unattended."
"Then I will keep the man in check for as long as I can," Alessandro agreed, a Duel Disc materializing on his right hand. It was dark blue, with an Infinity Symbol over the Life Point Counter and five cylinders over a frame where the blade should have been. A Deck then instantly materialized there and he said, "If the need should arise, I will take him of with my true Deck." With that he again disappeared, leaving Jose to watch the attacks alone.
Standing in the darkness of Old Momentum's chamber alone, Paradox's glowing eyes were fixed on the attacks upon people in Neo Domino City with the Ghost Army. "So, this is the infamous Diablo Project which Placido created from the confiscated D-Wheels? How very clever; yet how disdainful."
Then, his attention turned to a specific screen which drew in his attention. On it, he saw Crow Hogan surrounded by the Riding Roids, being attacked from all directions and fight back just as hard. "Hmm… interesting," he mused. "The owner of the New Signer Dragon is within my reach… and so is my old servant!"
Forming his left hand into a fist, he raised it to the air and it burst into a brilliant golden glow; this consumed his body and took him away from where he was, and transported him onto the streets of Satellite aboard his D-Wheel, speeding in the direction of his target with his mask now over his face.
"I'm coming for you, Crow Hogan!" he said under his breath, watching his D-Wheel's console as the image of the roadways appeared, glowing dots along it, Those that were in red showed the Riding Roids in Placido's army, and of these there were many; but he also saw a single black blip, which could only be the Blackbird. Grabbing the controls even tighter, he accelerated until his D-Wheel burst into a white glow and vanished.
Miles away, in the midst of the swarm of Ghosts, Crow shot along with no cards on his Duel Disc or in his hand, having orange orbs with many purple screens shoot straight at him from all directions. Though he dodged many of them, some struck his D-Wheel and exploded, causing him to sway from side to side and cry out in pain.
Then, he heard a sound unlike anything he had heard prior, and this caused him to turn around. Then, he saw a white blast of energy come shooting out from behind the Ghosts, causing the back two to explode and a figure to appear between them. There could then be seen a D-Wheel that was black on its right half and white its left, a purple gem and yellow eyes on a dragon's face-like end.
"What the…?" Crow asked, not believing what he saw. The D-Wheel was then seen to have two boosters on its end and doubled rear wheels. Then, he saw the black, white, red and grey-coloured massive man with the strange mask on and a similarly-coloured helmet covering the top of its head.
"Diablo Army," the figure then said in his deep, commanding voice while raising his left hand commandingly, "You have been relieved of your duties as of now. Leave the Signer to me!" In a split second the lines on the face of the mask glowed green and a similar pattern appeared on the Ghost D-Wheels, causing then to turn away and shoot off in a separate direction.
"What the hell are you…?" Crow started to question before he realized who he was talking to. Then, a surprised gasp came over his face and quickly turned to anger and he spat, "You bastard! You're that prick who's been taking people's Soul Cards and causing so much pain… Paradox!"
"I see that my reputation precedes me," Paradox issued in sarcastically-feigned surprise, "but I must explain to you the true purpose of my action. You see, pain exists in this world because of humans; and when I have finished with the bastard people who have ruined this world, then a little pain will be a small price for a better world."
"You're completely insane!" Crow yelled insultingly. "Destroy the people will do nothing but beget more harm and pain! You're plan is as fucking crazy as you are!"
"Some rather choice and harsh words for the newest Signer," Paradox passively reflected in amusement; "but if I wanted the opinion of a whiny little brat, I would ask those two twins you're so attached to." Just then the pattern of lines on his mask changed to orange and appeared on Crow's D-Wheel, and his wrist dealer suddenly shuffled the Deck and spit out five new cards. Then, one on Placido's right arm did the same.
"What the fuck is this?" Crow suddenly issued, just as Paradox's console extended into a blade-like object with 5 Monster Card Zones and 5 full-size zones for Magic and Trap Cards. Then, the Speed World 2 Field Magic appeared on both players' consoles and the computerized voice declared, "Duel Mode, Autopilot Standby."
"I want to experience the power of your Blackfeather Dragon first hand, this time from the perspective of the opponent. That way, I can gage the power of the Signers for myself."
"So it was you who made my Dragon hurt Kiryu!" Crow yelled, snapping his hand into the tray as Paradox put his into a clasp on his right arm. "Then in that case, I will take pleasure in making you feel the same fucking pain!"
"We'll see," Paradox said, the lines on his face finally ceasing to glow and both players looking at their hands before yelling,
"Riding Duel! Acceleration!"
Crow: LP 4000
Paradox: LP 4000
"As the challenger, I choose to go first," Paradox yelled, grabbing the top card to his Deck with his left hand and snapping it up. As he did, a second card slid out from his Deck and he declared, "I exclude from my Deck the Ultimate Gem God – Rainbow Dragon." When that was done, the card shot out and revealed itself as the said card, becoming huge and floating before him with a black aura around it.
"What the fuck is this?" Crow asked, watching in horror as the card burst out into a huge column of rainbow colours. Then, this turned black and bent around into a serpentine form with two large wings, two smaller wings further down and a bladed tail; and then this blackness shattered, revealing the twisted version of Johan's dragon with metal wings and Paradox face.
"The power of the Darkness of Heart allows me to transcend the regular forms of monsters and intensify their power, creating the embodiments of true hatred, rage and bloodlust," Paradox explained. "And this is the first you shall behold: Sin Ultimate Gem God – Rainbow Dragon (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!"
"A Level 10 4000 ATK Monster on the first turn?" Crow yelled in exasperation. "Quit your fucking cheating!"
"Relax, miserable human," Paradox chastised. "Sin Monsters can only exist on the field one at time; they also prevent my other monsters from attacking, and if my Field Magic exists they are destroyed."
"But since this is a Riding Duel, Speed World 2 cannot be removed," Crow realized. "Thus, his monsters have one of their biggest drawbacks completely removed!"
"I shall set 2 cards from my hand and declare the end of my turn," Paradox issued, two cards hitting their zones and appearing on either side of him before disappearing. "Now, Crow, tell me: how will you reply to my strong challenge?"
"How?" Crow repeated smugly, reaching for his Deck. "With a stronger attack! Draw (Crow: 1 SPC/Paradox: 1 SPC)!" With all the cards in his hand visible he grabbed one and said, "Since I control no cards, I Special Summon Black Feather – Gust of the Adverse Wind from my hand (ATK: 900, LV: 2)!" In a quick flash appeared the small winged monster with a human face inside a bird-head, as Crow reached for another card in his hand.
"I Summon Black Feather – Qal'at of the Moonlight (ATK: 1400, LV: 3)!" Then, from the same vortex emerged the small grey-feathered bird with red and yellow face feathers and no beak; but immediately after that, he grabbed yet another card from his hand and spun it around.
"I activate the effect of Black Feather – Gale of the Whirlwind (ATK: 1300, LV: 3)!" Directly between the two monsters then emerged a blue-feathered monster with green wing-like objects on its head and a similar face to the previous monster. "Next, I activate this monster's effect, and I have the ATK of your might Sin Monster (ATK: 2000)!"
As Paradox watched impassively, Crow added, "I Tune my Level 3 Gale to my Level 3 Qal'at and my Level 2 Gust!" The blue monster then turned into a white orb that split into three smaller ones, who drew green rings and disappeared. The two monster monsters then flew into these and turned into 3 and 2 white orbs respectively, forming a vertical column of five and exploding into a column of light.
"Gust fiercely, storm! Gain the will of steel and the speed of light to sublime your form! Synchro Summon! Black Feather – Lone Silver Wind (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)!" From the flash then emerged a tell, thin monster with thin grey wings, a rapier in one of its two white-glowed hands, dull yellow boots and a bid face as a battle helmet.
"When this monster is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy up to two monsters whose DEF are less than his ATK in return for skipping my Battle Phase. "That leaves me two choices. Well, he has 2 set cards, both of which are likely traps and one of which likely something that might destroy him if I attack, Better play its safe." "I activate that effect!"
Jumping up in the air, his monster slashed its sword across the chest of the larger dragon, which roared out before its body exploded and Paradox was left alone. However, he then pressed a button behind one of the two set cards. "Trap card: Sin Tune. This card activates in a turn when a Sin Monster is destroyed. Thus, I draw 2 cards!"
As Paradox grabbed the two cards from his hand and put them in place, Crow took one of his few cards and set it. "I place this face-down and end my turn!"
"Then I draw (Crow: 2 SPC/Paradox: 2 SPC)," Paradox declared, immediately placing his drawn card into his hand and reaching for one from his previous two draws. "From my Extra Deck, I now exclude Cyber End Dragon." In a split second the mentioned card appeared as had the last, and just as the previous it burst into a black aura. This time, however, the card became the entire form of the mechanical three-headed beast, and then the blackness completely consumed it.
"Behold, Sin Cyber End Dragon (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!" The black aura then shattered off the monster, revealing its metal wings, chest plate and masks, and then it began a long mechanical roar which sent shivers down Crow' spine.
"So you are the one who attacked Hell Kaiser!" Crow finally snapped. "I knew it! And now you have the audacity to use his prized monster?"
"With Hell Kaiser unable to duel, it would be a shame to let such a monster go to waste," Paradox retorted. Then, he suck out his left hand and yelled, "Go, Cyber End! Attack Lone Silver Wind! Darkness Evolution Burst!" Opening all three of its mouths, black static started arcing in each one and eventually black orbs of energy formed.
"Permanent Trap Open!" Crow exclaimed, a card appearing by his side. "Black Wind Burst allows me to add one Black Feather Monster with less ATK then the attack target from my Cemetery to my hand once per turn." When a card spat out of the machine, he held it up and said, "Next, due to the effect of Qal'at, by sending it to the Cemetery, Lone Silver Wind gains 1400 ATK for this turn (ATK: 4200)."
"Is that was you think?" Paradox challenged, shifting his left arm out to his side. "Trap Card Open: Sin Restrain. When a Sin Monster battles with an opponent's monster, I halve that monster's ATK in Damage Calculation (ATK: 2100)."
"Kisama! You planned this!" Crow yelled out, watching as Paradox simply laughed in reply. "So even if I had attacked last turn, it would have done me no good."
"With your monster weakened, your Life Points will now follow suit," Paradox declared. "Battle!" In a flash the three heads on the monster cane together in a triangle formation and shot their blast of black electrical energy like a swirling horizontal tornado; when it slammed into Crow's monster, the blast bounced off but the blast continued until it struck Crow, resulting in a loud pained scream.
Crow: LP 2100
Paradox: LP 4000
"Due to your Lone Silver Wind's effect," Paradox realized while his monster's three heads separated, "the first destruction by battle of a Black Feather after its summon is negated. However, you are not spared the damage. I set one card and end my turn." Reaching from his hand, he threw one card down onto the tray and stared up at Crow, a sadistic glare behind his mask.
"Then in the End Phase," Crow declared, "Lone Silver Wind's power returns to Normal (ATK: 2800). Draw (Crow: 3 SPC/Paradox: 4 SPC)!" Crow snapped, grabbing up the card and spinning it around between his index finger and middle finger. "I activate Speed Spell – Angel Baton!" Reaching for his Deck, he grabbed one and then another card and looked at the quickly; then, he took a card that had been in his hand and threw it away.
"Let me guess," Crow asked, turning his attention to the monster Paradox controlled. "Seeing as how Cyber End Dragon inflicts Penetration Damage, I take it Sin Cyber End has the same effect?"
"That is correct," Paradox flatly admitted. "This means your Life Points fall under 1000 with my next attack no matter what Position your monster is in."
"Then I have to take some damage to get out of this pit," Crow realized, looking at his hand. Taking one of the cards he drew and the other older card, he threw them into slot and said, "I set 4 cards and end my turn!"
"Then I draw (Crow: 4 SPC/Paradox: 4 SPC)," Paradox declared, swiftly taking his card and throwing it into his hand. "Battle! I attack Lone Silver Wind with Sin Cyber End!" As with before, a card slid from Crow's Cemetery and all three heads started to form in the monster's jaws; but this time, however, Crow had another move up his sleeve.
"Trap Card Open: Tuner's Mind!" Crow snapped, his monster bursting out into a white aura. "When my Synchro Monster is attacked, I return it to the Extra Deck to bring back its materials from my Cemetery (ATK: 1300, LV: 3) (ATK: 1400, LV: 3) (DEF: 1400, LV: 2)!" The white light of the monster then split off into three and revealed all three birds from Crow's first turn, the attack of the dragon firing and immediately going for the Tuner.
"Next, I discard a second Qal'at from my hand," Crow issued, showing the card he had retrieved before splitting up his monster, "And I power up Gale for his Battle (ATK: 2700)!" However, even with this bonus, the strike from the monster simply vapourized it and continued on to Crow, again making him wail on in pain while Paradox laughed psychotically.
Crow: LP 800
Paradox: LP 4000
"Your Life Points have fallen below the margin of no return," Paradox mused, "and mine have yet to be touched. We will see where that leads us for the rest of the Duel. I end my turn."
"Enough with your despicable boasting!" Crow yelled, giving Paradox the finger as he did so. "As a Signer, it is my duty to make you pay for your action. Draw (Crow: 5 SPC/Paradox: 5 SPC)!" When he grabbed the card from his Deck and he saw it, he knew that everything was ready to move forward; thus, he took a monster from his hand and threw it down. "I Summon Black Feather – Nino of the Tempest (ATK: 1700, LV: 4)!"
As he showed the card to Paradox, it emerged as a tall, thin figure with the head of a raven and matching wings, hands and feet much like birds' feet, and a body covered in black feathers. "This monster cannot be summoned unless I control a Black Feather monster; but given that it is a Level 4 Tuner, that matters not!"
"So you've assembled the summoning requirements for your fancy new dragon?" Paradox asked coyly, his mask hiding the sickening sneer that was actually on his face. "Come to me, my pet!"
"I Tune my Level 4 Nino of the Tempest to my Level 3 Qal'at and my Level 2 Gust!" Rising up into the air, the monster's wings exploded and released 4 white orbs before its entire body vanished. These formed 2 green rings each when they collided, which each monster rose up into and changed into 3 and 2 white orbs, respectively. Then, the composite elements came together and formed a column of light.
"Mighty dark winds of truth," Crow chanted, "become a dragon of true power and cast judgment upon the enemies of justice! Synchro Summon! Soar up, Blackfeather Dragon (ATK: 3200, LV: 9)!" Out of the light then stretched the enormous black-feathered wings of the dragon before its whole form made itself known; the long limbs, tail and neck ending with a toothed beak and the wing-like struts marking it for sure.
"Next, I activate my Trap Card: Synchro Strike!" Crow yelled, revealing the card for Paradox to behold. "Fore each Synchro Material used, my monster gains 500 points (ATK: 4700)! Battle! Destroy that impostor of Cyber End Dragon!" Roaring loudly, the monster rose up on its fully-extended wings and threw a blast of black flames through the monster's chest plate, destroying it instantly.
Crow: LP 800
Paradox: LP 3300
"Then I shall activate a second Sin Tune Trap Card," Paradox declared, revealing his other set card before reaching for his Deck and grabbing two more cards.
"I set this card face-down and end my turn," Crow stated simply, leaving him with no cards in his hand. "This guy's Deck is strong... he's dealt more damage than me with his monsters, and his hand as 7 cards in it while mine has none!"
"I draw (Crow: 6 SPC/Paradox: 6 SPC)," Paradox declared, reaching for his Deck and snapping up yet another card. Then, he reached into his hand and grabbed yet another card and held it up. "I exclude Red daemon's Dragon from my Extra Deck…"
"What?" Crow said, unable to believe it as he saw the card appear in front of Paradox, the black aura consuming it. "You didn't get that from Jack or Kyojo, so how to you… you stole it from X!" Crow finally realized, pointing the finger at the man.
"So I did," Paradox stated while the card shattered and a black silhouette of the monster appeared before him. "Now behold, Sin Red Daemon's (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)!" The revealed monster was identical to its counterpart save for the mask, metallic wings, a new metal chest plate and shin plates in black metal with grey trim; this monster then let out an angered roar as the lines over its eyes glowed gold in unison with Paradox's.
"Next I shall activate the Speed Spell – Over Boost," Paradox stated, holding up the card and causing it to appear. "For this turn, I have 4 Extra Speed Counters; but during the End Phase, they become one (Crow: 6 SPC/Paradox: 10 SPC)." When all of his Counters had been added, he pointed at his console sneered under his mask.
"Next, I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing 10 Speed Counters from my Speed World 2, I destroy a card on the field. My target is none other than Blackfeather Dragon!" The gem on the end of Paradox's D-Wheel then glowed orange and shot a blast of energy straight at the dragon; however, it coated its right wing in black flames and threw them at the black, negating it.
"I negate Blackfeather's destruction in exchange for half its ATK (ATK: 1600)," Crow declared, his monster's point falling as he spoke. "Next, I activate Treasure of Last Will!" When the card flipped over, Crow explained, "This activates when a monster I control loses ATK and I have no cards in my hand; thus, I instantly draw 5 cards!" When his Wrist dealer spat out the 5 cards he grabbed them and placed them into his hand, sneering at the move.
"And it may also skip Damage Calculation to halve the power of my monster," Paradox realized. "I'm not going to fall for that effect. I set three cards, and in the End Phase my Speed Counters return to one (Crow: 6 SPC/Paradox: 1 SPC). I end my turn."
"Draw (Crow: 7 SPC/Paradox: 2 SPC)," Crow exclaimed, pulling a sixth card from his Deck and looking at his hand. "Last turn, he forced me to weaken my monster so his own beast could surpass it. However, the cards I drew will help me get past him easily." "Speed Spell – Speed Energy! When I have 3 or more SPC, I gain 200 ATK for each of my monsters; thus, my monster gains 1400 ATK (ATK: 3000)! And next, I activate a second one (ATK: 4400)!"
"Impressive," Paradox informed. "You've more than compensated for the difference in points of our monsters. Excellent work, but I expect nothing les from a Signer."
"Then allow me to live up to your expectations in full!" Crow yelled, pointing his hand back at Paradox. "Battle! I attack Sin Red Daemon's with…"
"Trap Card Open: Sin Duality!" As he flipped this up, the colour scheme of everything around them reversed and Paradox explained, "This card allows me to destroy a Sin Monster I control; then, I negate all Battle Damage for this turn, and I gain Life Points equal to its ATK." Just then the inverse colours around them disappeared; now, the dragon before Paradox was missing and the attack in the mouth of the dragon had vanished.
"I set 4 cards and end my turn," Crow yelled back, taking the entire remainder of his hand and throwing it onto the tray. Looking around him, he saw that the were officially on the Daedalus Bridge, heading straight for Neo Domino; and that the tier below then had no drivers on it.
"Draw (Crow: 8 SPC/Paradox: 3 SPC)," Paradox said simply, looking at the cards that remained in his hand before turning his gaze solely to his draw. "Trap Card Open: Trap Stun! I negate all Trap Cards on the field for this turn." As he said this, all Zones with cards in them suddenly became inactivate, and so Crow knew that Paradox had something prepared for him.
"Next, I exclude Light and Darkness Dragon from my Deck," he stated, the card flying out from his Deck and arising covered in the black aura. "Now behold: Sin Light and Darkness (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)!" In a flash of blackness emerged a long-bodied dragon which was white on its right half and black its left, with two tails and an angel's and bat's wing with their proper side. On its face was a mask with the opposite colours, and the monster roared with anger.
"Battle! I attack Blackfeather with Sin Light and Darkness! Dark Shining!" Opening its jaws, a black orb of energy formed in its mouth and created a blaze of energy that went shooting at Blackfeather; except the dragon them se the black flames to its left wing, and Paradox smiled und3er his mask.
"As you pointed out earlier," Crow stated, "Blackfeather than skip Damage Calculation and halve the points of a monster that attacks it. I think I'll do that right now!"
"I activate Sin Light and Darkness' effect," Paradox countered. "By reducing my monster's power by 500 (ATK: 2300), I negate and destroy that monster effect!" With a blast from its wings the dragon shot a bolt of energy at its target, causing the flames to pear from its left to right wing.
"Then Blackfeather's ATK (ATK: 800), and I make your monster be destroyed!" In retaliation, the dragon thrust the flames off its right wing straight at the offending monster, cleaving it cleanly in half and creating a huge explosion. At that time, Paradox's set card shattered and a black glow emitted from his Cemetery. "What the fuck…?"
"When Sin Light and Darkness is destroyed," Paradox explained, "it destroys all of my cards save for itself, and then I get to choose one of both of these effects: activate a Field Magic from my Cemetery, and/or Special Summon a Sin from my Cemetery. Return to me, Sin Cyber End (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!" The black energy them shot up from the Cemetery in a column and twisted into the massive form of the metal dragon, all three heads roaring at Crow.
"That monster still won't help you!" Crow yelled defiantly. "I'll just keep halving and halving its power until it's weaker." Just then, a card appeared on Crow's field facing backwards behind his Blackfeather Dragon, and red circuit board patterns of energy then formed on his monster, making it scream in pain. "What did you do?"
"The set card on my field was a card whose effect activates when it is destroyed," Paradox explained, the card returning from his Cemetery into his hand. "Sin Singularity equips to a face-up monster after being destroyed. Now, this card's equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle; but it cannot attack, be released, or activate any of its effect!"
"What? No!" Crow yelled, terrified by this realization while his Dragon roared and bellowed, unable to move very much due to its bindings.
"Before the might of one who has transcended humanity," Paradox stated, "bastard humans are nothing. Battle! Sin Cyber End, attack Blackfeather Dragon! Darkness Evolution Burst!" Putting its heads together in the triangle formation, the monster launched yet another swirling blast of black energy straight at Crow's monster; this black went straight over it, continuing on until it struck Crow and caused his D-Wheel to explode out from under him.
Crow: LP 0
Paradox: LP 6300
With the shockwave from the attack, Crow and his badly-damaged D-Wheel were sent careening straight into and through one of the glass barriers, falling about thirty feet onto the tier below. Paradox then stopped his D-Wheel and stoop up, pulling off the helmet to reveal the purple sections of his hair. Both players' dragons still remained floating behind their masters, now staring each other down, eyes to eyespots.
Looking down upon Crow, lying on the highway beside the mangled remains of his D-Wheel, Paradox smiled behind his mask and even laughed sadistically. "Look at you now, Crow Hogan, a might Signer who helped bring down Rex Godwin; against true power, you were nothing but a candle in the wind."
Turning his bloody head and facing Paradox, Crow gave the man an angry glare as Paradox reached for his mask and pulled it off. When Crow saw the face of the man, with golden eyes and mal-grown red eyebrow, he was also disgusted and awestruck at the strange form of his aggressor.
"To prove that I am beyond humans, I will show you a mercy no human enemy would," Paradox added, with the evil grin still upon his face. "I shall put you out of your misery, here and now." Putting its three heads together, Paradox's mechanical dragon fired yet another blast straight in Crow's direction; only this one was intercepted by a black flame blast from the dragon behind Crow, striking the other blow in midair and creating an explosion.
"It's that Dragon," Paradox realized before letting out a little chuckle. Looking back to Crow he added, "That Signer Dragon's original spirit has been woken up by the battle, and to has its desire to protect its master. But even so…" With that he raised his left hand, forming a static black orb in it and he threw it at the dragon. When it connected, the dragon was covered by an electrical field that made it screech in agony, while Paradox simply stared on.
"Now there will be no more interruptions for your euthanasia," Paradox explained to Crow, snapping his fingers. In an instant the still-in-formation heads fired a second bolt of black energy straight at Crow, seemingly with no obstacles. However, before it connected, a form jumped into the path of the attack and took its full brunt, letting out a scream of pain with two voices while the recoil shot straight up in the air.
When the blast had disappeared, it could be seen that standing in front of Crow, now having sustained injuries, was Judai, his eyes glowing in Yubel's colours and with Yubel's translucent form supermised over his. "Did you think we would simply let you harm Crow without a fight?" Yubel and Judai asked in unison, a hateful and judgmental glare coming from them up to Paradox.
"So, the Duel King Yuki Judai has indeed come to the aid of his friend," Paradox mused, again holding up his left hand to form a shock orb. This time, however, it was interrupted when the red and grey dragon belonging to Jack came shooting straight at him, fist burning. To dodge it, he jumped back and landed effortlessly, but in the process the energy for his attack was lost. Looking down, Paradox saw Jack and Kyojo standing on either side of Judai, both of them at the ready.
"So, I see the Summoners, Signers and the Supreme King have all gathered here," Paradox passively observed. "Sadly, our time of fun has drawn to a close; our time for battle has not yet come. Another day, Judai, Jack, Kyojo, we will do battle for real. But in the meantime, I suggest you hurry with your friend if you want him to live." With a snap of his fingers Paradox then disappeared into a white burst of light, along with his Dragon and D-Wheel; and when it was gone, everything had gone with it.
Standing in Placido's office before the man himself, Taiyou saw through Endymion's old mask that Placido's features had changed slightly from when last they met. Previous experience with men like this told him that he had managed to acquire some sort of power, a power which was now emitting itself at an alarming rate and giving Placido a rather disturbing aura.
"So you've inherited your former master's throne," Placido observed, speaking in a low and solemn voice. "Endymion's death was unfortunate, a tragedy; and it demonstrates the dangers of allowing the wicked ones to do as they wish."
"Spare me the condescending sarcastic bullshit," Taiyou shot back with complete animosity, surprising Placido and causing him to curl his eyebrow sternly. "Don't try and convince me that you're all innocent here; I know what you did."
"I've never once set foot in the Dominion of Beasts," Placido countered. "Paradox is the one who entered into that sacred place and caused chaos; even your master would have told you that."
"Using a pawn as an alibi for genocide is still no excuse," Taiyou flatly replied. "You had Paradox cause this chaos at your behest, so that you could further torment me for my allegiance to the Signers."
"And what good would that do me?" Placido questioned in response. "Killing Endymion and causing this type of civil war is the exact opposite of my goal. A world filled with peace and prosperity cannot be created by a warlord, so I would never stir up conflict."
"I'm still not listening to your lies," Taiyou spat, his anger boiling over. "Who the hell are you fooling with all this talk of peace and prosperity? You don't even know the meaning of those words! You're just like all the others; a genocidal fascist maniac whose goals serve only himself. That's all people like you ever turn out to be."
"And what exactly is a person like me?" Placido pondered to Taiyou, who gritted his teeth in response. "I guarantee you that you've never encountered someone like me before; because no one like me even exists."
"Oh really?" Taiyou questioned, lunging at Placido by jumping up in the air. In response Placido drew his sword and slashed it through the air, creating a slash in the dimension and causing Taiyou to fly straight through. The vortex then closed itself and Placido sheathed his weapon; but a second later, he heard a sound behind him and spun around.
Standing right behind him, Taiyou thrust his closed fist straight into Placido's face right where his good eye was; but to his surprise, Placido sustained no damage at all. Instead, as he stepped back, Taiyou could feel the painful sensation in his hand that he remembered from his previous life; and that was from when he was shoved against an armoured truck.
"Now do you understand what I mean?" Placido asked simply, taking a few steps back until he was just inside his own office. "Paradox and I are not allies, we're not even on good terms; but there is one thing we have in common, and it's something that out of all the Signers, the Summoners and the Darkness of Justice, only you and Judai could understand.
"You mean…" Taiyou realized suddenly and with total shock, stepping back with an awestruck look on his face. "No… that's impossible… you two can't be…"
"Oh, but it is indeed true," Placido said with a sneer. "At one time we were no different from Yusei or Jack, ordinary people who were pillars in our timelines; but in the midst of tragedy, we both were forced to transcend humanity."
"What… are you…?" Taiyou gasped out just as Placido's white suit was encompassed by a green glow and dissolved away. It was then replaced by his regular Yliaster outfit minus the cloth over his head; the Infinity symbol forming his collar glowed while a he reached for his sword and shoved the blade straight through his left arm.
In a split second, the same green glow consumed the sword and his arm; in this state, the matter twisted around and the result was only revealed after he finished. The sword's hilt had split in two vertically, along with the blade, and the two halves now formed a straight line between his ulna and radius, a platform of green energy suspended in a semicircular shape.
"Let's go, Taiyou," Placido insisted while a section of his arm just above his wrist opened up on an angle, producing a Deck and automatically shuffling it. "I'll show you through this duel the limitless potential for those who have surpassed humanity." After that a glowing red barrier in the shape of a figure eight enclosed the two men, energy radiating up in a flame-like way.
"Alright," Taiyou responded, his own Duel Disc materializing on his arm and the three blades extending out and into Battle Mode. "I shall use this chance to defeat you and end the reign of terror by Infinity; then, I'll go straight for Paradox."
"A feat that is doubtless easier said than done," Placido responded as Taiyou's Deck materialized and it spit out a hand of five cards. As it did that Placido pulled his own hand of five cards and eyed Taiyou with a confident grin. In reply, Taiyou simply stared back solemnly and stared at the man through his mask, reaching for his Deck.
Taiyou: LP 4000
Placido: LP 4000
"I take the first move," Taiyou insisted, ripping the card from his Deck. "I Summon Magical Archer (ATK: 1800, LV: 4)!" Placing the card on the tray, Taiyou called up his tall warrior with bow and arrow; and then the orb on the bow lit up. "Next, I activate the magic Card Quick Attack, and I permit my monster to attack this turn!"
Raising its bow to Placido, the monster fired a bolt of energy straight at the left side of the man's face, going straight through it and doing massive damage to his Life Points. But when the attack faded and the damage calculated, it was what Taiyou saw then that would have made his blood run cold.
Taiyou: LP 4000
Placido: LP 2200
The edges of Placido's face where he had been struck had been completely blown away and the skin torn aside, revealing a glowing red orb where his eye should have been and a distinctly metal cheekbone. As he gave off a dark smile with his damaged face, particles of glowing metal stretched across his face and covered over the damaged areas, making his eye and face look normal again.
"Just as I told you," Placido responded, "I have transcended humanity…"
Card of the Week – Paradox
Sin Cyber End Dragon
Type: DARK
Level: 10
Family(s): [Machine/Effect]
Effect:
Chapter: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Excluding 1 "Cyber End Dragon" from your Extra Deck. There can only be 1 face-up "Sin" Monster on the field. Other monsters you control cannot declare an attack. If there is no face-up Field Spell Card, this card is destroyed. During battle between this attacking card and a Defence Position Monster whose DEF is less than this card's ATK, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.
Anime: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 "Cyber End Dragon" from your Extra Deck to the Cemetery. During battle between this attacking card and a Defence Position Monster whose DEF is less than this card's ATK, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.
ATK/ 4000
DEF/ 2800
*Placido has "Transcended Humanity". I wonder what that means… Review if you wish.*
