Disclaimer: I only own the characters that I made up for this story. Everything else is property of its respective owner and I take no credit for it. I do own a few of the cards and those will be marked with a (*).
Theme Song: Viva La Vida by Coldplay
Chapter 29: The Revived King!
It was now starting to become a custom for the Titans to have meetings every few hours or so. They were all there. Hikazu, Atlas, Takahiro, Shione, and Payne.
"Well, I can't exactly say that I'm sad to lose Kichigai, since the damn bastard kept disrespecting him at every turn, but it does worry me that he was defeated." stated Hikazu.
"I agree. Not only did he have the Wicked Gods, but he had summoned them consistently throughout his duel, keeping the pressure on Akira. I tell you, had he been able to summon all three, he might have won." said Atlas.
Hikazu nodded. "That doesn't change the fact that the Wicked Gods are powerful on their own, and on his last turn, Kichigai had managed to have two monsters with over ten-thousand attack points on his field." He slammed his fist on the table. "I'm almost starting to regret Kaiser having failed to kill Akira. The Egyptian Gods gave him too much power. I wouldn't be surprised if he took us down all by himself!"
Shione smirked. "Losing confidence?"
Hikazu shot her a glare. "No. I'm just worried that we've underestimated our opponents. From now on, we really can't hold back. Takahiro!" he shouted, causing Takahiro to quickly raise his head off the table.
"What? I'm up! I'm up!" he exclaimed, looking rapidly around the room to figure out what was going on.
"Don't you sleep enough? I could have sworn you slept for more than ten hours last night, and I don't recall you doing anything since then." asked Atlas.
Takahiro merely mumbled something incoherent as a reply.
"Takahiro, we need to take down the Olympians. The only way to do that is to apply more pressure. Meaning, I need you to fight them. Casey should be your next target. Fight her and defeat her." Hikazu ordered.
"Why do I have to be the one to do this?" he whined. "Send Shione to do it instead."
"Because I told you so!" Hikazu told him. "And you'd better not fail! We need to get a victory, and fast! Before those bastards decide to replace me..."
With a sigh, Takahiro nodded and left the room, singing to himself as he mentally prepared himself for his task. "Another mission the powers have called me away. Another time to carry the colors again. My motivation an oath I've sworn to defend. To win the honor of coming back home again..."
"Looks like he forgot his manga." Shione pointed out, which seemed to be a sort of bad omen, as Takahiro never let go of it.
"Shione, you need to get ready as well!" he informed her. "As soon as Takahiro is done with his battle, I want you to go in and attack one of the Olympians. If we allow them another victory, it'll be the death of me!"
She nodded, reluctantly agreeing to follow his orders. "Yeah, I get it. I'll be sure to use the power of my deck to defeat them. They won't make it past me!" she assured him, leaving the room.
Payne, knowing there was nothing more to discuss, left the room as well. His presence was nothing more than a formality, as he never actually helped. He just needed to stay informed so that he could inform the Titans, as well as deliver any messages between the Titans and their vessels.
Atlas gave Hikazu a smirk and left without saying a word, leaving Hikazu to try to figure out what this meant.
Shione stood at the roof, as she normally did with Kichigai and Kaiser. They were both gone now, and she was the last one left. There was a rose tied to the railing. She smiled as she looked at it. She had placed it there last night, when she got the idea to put a rose in honor of her fallen comrade and leader, Kaiser.
Now she was tying another rose next to it. "You tried your best, Kichigai. Maybe you couldn't make this world a better place, but someone else can." she said to her fallen friend. It was a sort of graveyard for her, where she would honor her fallen friends.
But she wasn't done. Holding a third flower, she tied it around the railing next to the other two. There was a sad look on her face as she did this. "I'll probably be killed at one point or another..." she said a sigh. "Might as well come to terms with it."
She took a deep breath and stood there, staring out at the horizon, honoring her fallen comrades. No. Honoring her friends. Her real friends. It took her this long to know who were her real friends, but she was glad to know that she finally found them.
"I won't let you guys down!" she assured herself.
Trent was currently in the garage with Casey and two of his teammates. He went over to a nearby object covered in a white cloak. Pulling off the cloak, he turned to the others. "Ta-da!" he exclaimed, revealing a Duel Runner that Casey hadn't seen before. It was of similar design as the standard Duel Runners that Sector Security used, with a few differences. The front was longer, arcing over the front wheel. Its sides were flat, and the back was made longer and fashioned to look like a dragon's tail. It was a red color, with a row of white blocks on each side running from front to back.
"Casey, meet Excelion! Your Duel Runner has been finished!" he stated happily.
Casey ran over and examined it, intrigued, barely able to contain her joy. Not being able to hold it in any longer, she smiled and hugged Trent tightly. "Thank you! This is great!"
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he laughed sheepishly, and then released himself from her grip. He coughed, and continued with the presentation. "Well, we've made many upgrades to it, of which you'll find out soon enough." he told her. "However, the main point of this is for you to test it."
Casey looked at him, confused. "I thought you already tested it with Zeke."
Trent nodded. "That's true. However, that was just a basic test. Now that Blake's Duel Runner has been stolen, this test might include pursuing an enemy that uses a Duel Runner as advanced as yours, so it would be a far more advanced test."
"Blake's Duel Runner has been stolen?" she asked, not having heard the news before.
"Yes. It seems that, somehow, someone managed to sneak in through our perimeter and steal it. Anyways, since Zeke is still recovering, and Akira's still passed out from yesterday, I want you to help us find the thief." he explained.
"Akira's still passed out? I thought his injuries were minor."
"They are." said Trent. "However, that duel seemed to be more focused on spiritual damage rather than physical damage. It really sapped him of his strength. So, until he wakes up, it'll be up to you to help us. Now, since I fear that the Titans will be going after you next, I feel against letting you leave this place. However, since Kazuya offered to be your bodyguard during the patrol, then I'll accept it."
Casey looked to the man standing beside her. He was slightly taller than her, with the black shirt and pants that members of Trent's team are used to wearing. His hair was a dark brown color, and it was tied in a ponytail on the back, though part of his hair covered his left eye from time to time. He seemed to be strong, but wasn't overly muscular.
"Once you guys are ready, you may leave. I'll be monitoring the situation over here."
Casey and Kazuya nodded. Casey quickly mounted her Duel Runner, trying to understand all of its functions before she actually drove it. While they did this, Trent examined a card in his hand. It was The Revived King Ha Des. 'This is the second card we've found on them after their duels. What could this mean?'
The orange-haired boy panted heavily. He was lying on a bed, a wet towel on his forehead. There were currently two people in the room.
One of them was Atlas, who was standing guard by the door.
The other one, who was sitting next to the orange-haired boy as she put a fresh towel over his head, was a young woman. She had knee-length blonde hair, and wore a long black jacket, a golden stripe running down each sleeve. She also wore a white shirt beneath her jacket, a black miniskirt, and a pair of military-style boots.
"Jihl, how is he?" he asked her.
She sighed. "He's somewhat stable. However, I don't know how much longer I can keep him in this state." she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Atlas stared at the boy for a moment. "We need to make sure his body remains healthy until the Titans decide to replace Hikazu."
Jihl nodded, agreeing with him. She had been sent here a few days before Kaiser's defeat, but had not been an official part of the group yet. The Titans wanted to see if the group stationed here in Neo Domino was strong enough to take down the Olympians themselves. Due to this, she had not been revealed to the rest of the group, since she was quickly told to take care of Matsu as much as she could.
She didn't mind this, though. In fact, she found it nice to be with him. She had wanted to meet him for a very long time, ever since she met him years ago in Satellite. Truthfully, she was young at the time, and it had been a few years before Matsu had been locked up. Ever since Matsu had rescued him from a duel gang when she was smaller, she had wanted to see him again. Now, she had gotten a chance.
If it meant she would have to take care of him until he woke up, so be it. As long as she could be with him.
"Don't worry. As long as we keep his temperature down, he should be alright." she informed Atlas.
"I sure hope so. After all, Hikazu is being kind of irrational right now. Chances are that the Titans won't be finished with their decision before he takes us all down. Hikazu is such an idiot! He's cutting down our numbers in almost no time at all! The Titans should have fucking sent him elsewhere! He's a hazard to us." he ranted. He was seriously getting fed up with letting Hikazu continue with his flawed tactics. At the rate things were going, Atlas was afraid that he himself would have to intervene.
On the inside, Jilh laughed. Hikazu being irrational was nothing new. If anything, it would be surprising for him to actually be rational, if even for a moment.
Takahiro walked through the streets happily, still singing. "No explanation will matter after we begin. Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within. My true vocation and now my unfortunate friend. You will discover a war you're unable to win.."
Eventually, he stumbled across a familiar place. It was the place where he dueled his rival. He remembered how he had forced his opponent to duel him, and with a makeshift deck he himself had created. He wanted to defeat his opponent, but it all blew up in his face. He had lost the duel, and was shamed even more.
He heard a rumbling, and looked to his right to find a pair of Duel Runners riding among the streets. He smirked and stepped in their way, causing the two duelists to halt, coming close to running him over.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You shouldn't be out in the streets during this time. Its dangerous!" exclaimed Kazuya.
"I could say the same about you two." he replied, looking at Casey.
"We are here to find a stolen Duel Runner. Its important that we find it. Have you seen anyone else around here riding a Duel Runner?" she questioned him.
"No, I haven't." he replied.
"Are you sure?" asked Kazuga, suspicious of the man. "You're wearing a hood over your face, so you don't exactly strike me as the honest kind."
Takahiro turned his head towards him, smirking. Casey and Kazuga felt the ground beneath them shake, and then a pair of bony arms shot out from the ground, grabbing Kazuga by the ankles and pulling him in. Casey grabbed his arm and began to pull him back, but the creatures that were pulling him to his death were too strong. They overpowered her, pulling Kazuga inside the ground. In desperation, Casey tried to get him before he was fully covered by the dirt, but the ground had closed up, as if nothing had ever happened.
"What did you do to him!" she shouted out in fear.
"He was getting on my nerves, asking so many questions, so I decided to get rid of him." he replied.
"What are you?" she asked. It was obvious that the person standing before her wasn't normal. What if the man before her was a Titan? That meant that she would have to fight. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew that she could fight, but if she got to hurt, or worse, if she lost, she wouldn't be able to help her friends. They, who were too weak to fight right now, would be forced to go through even more pain, and might not be able to win a duel.
Takahiro laughed. "I am Takahiro, one of the Titans' vessels. I am here to fight an Olympian named Casey, and after having seen Hikazu's last duel, I know for certain that the person I am looking for is you."
She gulped. So she was right. The man was a Titan. "Let me guess, you've come to duel me."
Takahiro nodded. "That is correct. So, shall we? I would like to take down your whole team as soon as possible."
Casey raised up her duel disk, a determined look on her face. "Not gonna happen."
Takahiro chuckled. "Very well. In that case-" The sound of an engine running interrupted him. He and Casey looked back to see a Duel Runner heading their way.
It was similar in design to Hunter Pace's chopper-style Duel Runner, however, it was much slimmer. The whole Duel Runner, stretching from the front wheel to the back wheel, was adorned with an extremely high-tech design. It had a color scheme of red, blue, and yellow colors. Riding it was a man whose face was hidden by the helmet, but the angelic wings protruding from its back was a good indication that it wasn't human.
It zoomed past Takahiro, who had to dodge out of the way and landed on the ground. Before she could get out of the way, Casey saw that the man was going towards her. In seconds, he grabbed her and got as far away from there as possible. As she struggled to get free, she could have sworn she had seen a jet passing by and someone jumping out of it.
Takahiro got up and dusted himself off, looking around. He couldn't believe he let the girl get away. Just then, a man landed before him. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans, some black sneakers, and a black sleeveless shirt. The man also had jet-blue hair and a tattoo of a snake coiling around his left arm.
Takahiro smiled. This was too perfect. "Oh!" he said with surprise. "I had forgotten that you were an Olympian."
Blake's eyes narrowed, suspicious of the man standing before him. "By my guess, I'd say you are a Titan. What are you doing here?"
"I came here to duel the girl known as Casey. However, now that you're here, Blake, maybe we could duel instead."
Blake was about to state that he was there to protect Casey and the rest of his friends, but he pushed the thought aside when he heard the man speak his name. "How do you know my name?" he asked. He already thought that maybe Kaiser or Hikazu had told them who he was, but he still wanted to know.
Takahiro chuckled. "Oh, Blake. Have you forgotten me already?" he asked him back, pulling back his hood and revealing his face. "Its me, Takahiro!"
Blake took a step back in surprise when he saw who it was. The man wore a white shirt beneath a grey sweater, a pair of blue jeans, and some white sneakers. His hair, no longer covered by the hood, was spiky and short, a golden yellow color with streaks of black. He recognized this man.
"Twist? I should have known you'd be with the Titans!" Blake exclaimed, anger in his voice.
"So what do you say, Blake? Duel me, or I go after your little friend!"
Blake activated his duel disk. "Like hell you will! No way are any of you bastards getting even a step closer to my friends!" His eyes glowed a light-blue color, and the circuit lines appeared around his pupils.
Takahiro activated his duel disk, more than happy for another chance to finally defeat Blake.
(4000-4000)
"I'll have the pleasure of starting off this duel!" Takahiro stated, drawing his sixth card.
"I'll set three cards on the field, and summon Mezuki in attack mode!" An undead beast-warrior, similar to Battle Ox in many ways, appeared on the field. This creature, however, did not wear armor, and wielded a large axe in its hands. (1700/800)
"I end my turn."
(4000-4000)
Blake drew his sixth card and checked his hand. He held Roll Out!, Y-Dragon Head, Shining Angel, Cannon Wheel, Return from Different Dimension, and Dangerous Machine Type-6.
"I set one card, and summon Y-Dragon Head in defense mode!" The red mechanical dragon appeared on the field, shielding itself with its wings. (1500/1600)
"I activate the continuous spell, Dangerous Machine Type-6. During each of my standby phases, I get to roll a six-sided die, and depending on the number that it lands on, this card gains a different effect. I end my turn."
A trap card on Takahiro's field revealed itself. "I activate the continuous trap, The First Sarcophagus! Thanks to this, during each of your end phases, I can activate a 'Sarcophagus' spell from my deck. Once I have all three, I can send them all to the graveyard to special summon a powerful monster from my deck." he stated.
(4000-4000)
Takahiro smiled as he drew his next card.
"I activate the spell card, Terraforming. This allows me to take a field spell from my deck and add it to my hand." A card slid out of his deck, and he added it to his hand.
"I activate the field spell, Zombie World! Thanks to this, all monsters on the field and in the graveyards are treated as zombies, and neither of us can tribute summon monsters unless they are zombies as well."
The entire field became a swampland. There were many gravestones, though the bodies that were supposed to be buried beneath them were lying all over the surface, rotting away, stinking up the whole place. The whole place was covered in a thick fog, but the area where Takahiro and Blake were battling had a thinner fog, allowing them to see the field. Sounds could be heard, such as screams and groans, but they sounded too far away to be of any threat.
"Next, I summon Zombie Master in attack mode!" A young necromancer appeared on the field. He wore old, decrepit clothes, and had long grey hair. His hands glowed with a purple aura. (1800/0)
"Attack his Y-Dragon Head!" Mezuki charged at the machine, slicing it cleanly in half with its axe.
"Zombie Master, attack him directly." The necromancer raised up his hands, shooting a beam of purple energy at Blake. It hit him hard in the chest, knocking him on his back. For a moment, he felt he couldn't breathe, like the air was pushed out of his lungs. There was immense pain in his chest, yet he managed to pull himself up.
"What... was that?" he asked between breaths.
"This is a shadow duel. Therefore, we will both be taking real damage. Our Life Points are literally our lifelines. When a person's Life Points drop to zero, they shall die." he explained.
"Anyway, I end my turn."
(2200-4000)
Blake drew his next card, Future Fusion.
"I activate the effect of Dangerous Machine Type-6!" A holographic die appeared on the field and spun around. Moments later, it stopped, landing on a three.
"Perfect! Since it landed on a three, I get to draw again." He drew once again, this time drawing Swords of Revealing Light.
"I activate the continuous spell, Future Fusion. By sending fusion-materials monsters from my deck to the graveyard, I can fusion summon the fusion monster that requires those monsters for its fusion summon on my second standby phase after having activated this card." He took two cards from his deck, and discarded them.
"Next, I activate the spell card, Swords of Revealing Light. For your next three turns, your monsters can't attack." A barrier created by swords of light that were impaled into the ground surrounded Takahiro. The illumination from the swords granting better visibility.
"Now, I summon Shining Angel in defense mode, and end my turn." Shining Angel appeared on the field, shielding himself with his wings. (1400/800)
"And since you ended your turn, The First Sarcophagus' effect activates, allowing me to activate the continuous spell, The Second Sarcophagus from my deck!" A continous spell, depicting an image of a sarcophagus, appeared on the field.
(2200-4000)
"I activate the effect of Zombie Master. By sending a monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon a Zombie-Type monster from either player's graveyard. And since Zombie World makes your monsters Zombies as well..." Takahiro discarded a card from his hand, causing a rusted-out Cannon Soldier to appear on his field. (1400/1300)
"Since I can't attack, I can at least sacrifice Mezuki, allowing me to inflict 500 points of damage to your Life Points!" Mezuki became an orb of light, merging with Cannon Soldier. Cannon Soldier pointed its lasers at Blake, shooting him.
Blake fell on his back once again, still unable to breathe normally. The pain was worse this time, as the shot was aimed at the same spot where he had been hit last. Despite this, he forced himself to get up. "Is...Is that... all you've got?" he barely managed to say.
Takahiro laughed. "What's the matter? Finally realized that you are out of your league? Good. Maybe after I beat you, people will once again fear the name: 'Takahiro, the Zombie King!'"
"Zombie King? I can't believe you are still hung up on that. Is that why you joined the Titans? To get revenge on me?" Blake asked.
"Of course it is! Ever since that day you defeated in the underground leagues, my life has been horrible! I wasn't able to get an sponsors! No one believed I could obtain another win! Eventually, I wasn't able to continue living the way I used to. I lost everything, little by little, until I was left with no place to go, and nothing to keep except for my deck and my duel disk. Even worse, since I didn't have the protection of all those sponsors, Security eventually came after me, trying to make me pay for all my crimes! Each time I escaped them by the skin of my teeth, but it was getting to be too much. Once the Titans told me of all the things I could have, fame, money, and status, I agreed to help them. For once, I could get my life back on the right track!" he explained.
Blake put his hand to his head. "You talk too much..." he stated weakly. "Your motivations are misplaced. All you want is power. You were nothing but a tyrant with your status, punishing anyone whom you viewed as a threat."
Takahiro growled in response, ending his turn.
(1700-4000)
Blake started his turn, feeling slightly weak.
"During my standby phase, Dangerous Machine Type-6 activates." Once again, the holographic die spun around, and slowly landed on a five. "When it lands on a five, one of your monsters is destroyed. I'm taking down your Zombie Master!" A surprised look appeared the decayed necromancer before he shattered into pieces.
"I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!" X-Head Cannon appeared on the field, quickly rusting itself to near-oblivion. (1800/1500)
"Next, I activate the trap card, Roll Out! This allows me to special summon a union monster from my graveyard." Y-Dragon Head appeared on the field once more, looking as rusted-out as X-Head Cannon. (1500/1600)
"Now, Shining Angel, attack Cannon Soldier!" Shining Angel flew at the machine, punching a hole through it before the explosion wiped him out.
"Since Shining Angel was sent to the graveyard through battle, I can special summon a Light attribute monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points." Z-Metal Tank appeared on the field, also rusting out within moments of its arrival. (1500/1300)
"I remove from play X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head to summon XY-Dragon Cannon!" The two machines merged, creating a more powerful machine. It was X-Head Cannon acting as the machine's upper body, while Y-Dragon Head acted as its lower body. (2200/1900)
"Z-Metal Tank, attack him directly!"
"I activate Mezuki's effect! By removing him from play while he's in my graveyard, I can special summon a Zombie-Type monster from my graveyard!" Zombie Master appeared on the field once again, an evil smirk on his face.
"XY-Dragon Cannon, destroy Zombie Master!" The machine fired its lasers. The beams went through Zombie Master, eradicating him completely, and hit Takahiro. He was pushed back about three feet, but he stood there as if the attack never happened.
"Z-Metal Tank, attack him directly!" The small yellow tank fired its weapons, almost blasting Takahiro into nothingness. When the smoke cleared, Takahiro had covered his face with his arms, and he had some small cuts and burns. His sweater was burnt off, and part of his shirt was singed. Despite this, he refused to show weakness.
"I activate the effect of XY-Dragon Cannon. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one spell or trap on your field." He discarded his Cannon Wheel, causing XY-Dragon Cannon to fire its cannons at The First Sarcophagus trap card.
"I don't think so! I activate the trap card, Fake Trap. When you activate a card effect that will destroy one or more of my trap cards, I can activate this card so that it takes the hit for all my other traps." The trap card moved in front of the beams, exploding violently. When the smoke cleared, The First Sarcophagus was still on the field.
"I set a card and end my turn." Blake said reluctantly. Just then, another continuous spell appeared on the field.
"Due to the effect of The First Sarcophagus, I can activate The Third Sarcophagus from my deck."
(1700-2100)
"With all three 'Sarcophagus' cards on the field, I can send them all to summon, Spirit of the Pharaoh!"
The three sarcophagi merged into one, which opened up and allowed a blue-skinned Egyptian pharaoh, whose face was hidden by a golden crown, to step out of it. He had armlets made of gold, and royal armor made of gold as well. A blood-red cape finished the outfit. (2500/2000)
"When he's summoned this way, I can special summon as many level two or lower Zombie-Type monsters from my graveyard."
"But you don't have any!" Blake shouted out. Then he remembered that Takahiro had discarded a monster from his hand to use Zombie Master's effect. 'Was that a level two or lower monster?' he asked himself in his head.
When a rotund, rotten, demonic-looking clown rose up from out of the ground, his question was answered. (1350/0)
"Next, I summon Plaguespreader Zombie!" A large, round creature appeared on the field. It seemed to be made up of the rotting corpses of different humans, though it also had some from animals, like its thick tail. (400/200)
"That's a tuner!" Blake shouted out. But something didn't make sense here. All of the known Zombie-Type synchro monsters were level six. Takahiro didn't have the cards necessary for a synchro summon.
"I tune Plaguespreader Zombie with Spirit of the Pharaoh and Clown Zombie!" The tuner monster turned into two green rings that floated around Spirit of the Pharaoh and Clown Zombie, who dissolved into eight glowing stars.
"The fallen king rises once more! Escaped from the depths of Hell, he returns to rule this land as its rightful king! Synchro Summon! Titanic Deity-Cronus*!"
The monster that appeared with a weak and frail-looking one. It was a man, with barely any meat on his bones, covered in a black cloak. He looked old, and had no hair on his head. His his hands, he held a scythe. (1700/2000)
"A level ten synchro with 1700 attack points? What's the catch?" Blake asked, knowing that something about this definitely wasn't right.
"Once per turn, Cronus can take control of one of your monsters, and treat it as an equip card. Once equipped, Cronus gains attacked points equal to the monster that he's been equipped with." Takahiro pointed at XY-Dragon Cannon, and the machine was pulled in to his field by Cronus. Cronus jumped on top of it, fully in control of the machine. His attack points rose to 3900.
"Now, I activate the continuous spell, Pyramid of Wonders. Now my zombies get an extra 200 attack points for each monster on your field." Cronus groaned as his attack points rose to 4100.
"I end my turn."
(1700-2100)
Blake started his turn, his eyes glowing with even more intensity.
"The effect of Future Fusion activates, summoning Labyrinth Tank to my field." The large, heavy tank appeared on the field, its drills spinning slowly as the effects of the field spell affected the machine. (2400/2400)
"Next, Dangerous Machine Type-6 activates." A die appeared and spun in place, eventually landing on a five. "Just like last time, one of your monsters is destroyed. And since you only control one..." He pointed at Cronus, but to his surprise, XY-Dragon Cannon exploded instead.
"If he's going to be destroyed, Cronus can just sacrifice the monster equipped to it in order to prevent himself from being destroyed." Takahiro explained to him, an evil grin on his face.
Cronus' attack points decreased to 2100.
"Labyrinth Tank, attack Cronus!" The machine charged into him, but to Blake's disbelief, Cronus merely stopped the machine with his hands and pushed it back.
"But how?" Blake said in a surprised tone.
"When one of my Zombie-Type monsters is about to be destroyed, I can sacrifice Pyramid of Wonders to save it from destruction." The continuous spell shattered, and Cronus' attack points decreased to its original 1700.
Blake made a low growling noise, annoyed by the fact that Takahiro had managed to stop his every move. "I set a card and end my turn."
(1700-1400)
"I set one card, and activate Cronus' effect. Your Labyrinth Tank is now mine!" Labyrinth Tank moved to Takahiro's field, causing Cronus' attack points to rise to 4100 as he jumped on top of Labyrinth Tank.
"Fortunately for you, your spell card still prevents me from battling until the end of this turn, so I have nothing more to do but end it." Takahiro ended his turn, causing the Swords of Revealing Light to shatter and fade away.
(1700-1400)
Blake's eyes glowed even more intensely. His powers were doing their best to help him win this duel, but his lack of experience in using them wasn't allowing them to work as well as they should.
He drew Battle Fusion.
"Dangerous Machine Type-6 activates." A die appeared and spun around, slowly landing on a three. "This means that I get to draw another card." He took a deep breath, and drew again.
"I activate the trap card, Return from Different Dimension! This allows me to special summon as many of my removed from play monsters as I can until the end of my turn." As Y-Dragon Head and X-Head Cannon appeared on the field, Takahiro twicthed slightly. He remembered that the last time he had seen Blake used that card, it ended in his defeat.
"Next, I remove all three of them from play to special summon, XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" The three machines merged once again, this time forming an even deadlier machine. (2800/2600)
"I set a card on the field and switch XYZ-Dragon Cannon to defense mode. I end my turn."
(1700-1400)
"I summon Shutendoji!" A red demon with sky golden hair appeared on the field. He wore wooden armor, and held a gourd-shaped jar in his hands. (1500/800)
"I activate his effect. I can remove from play two of the Zombie-Type monsters in my graveyard and then draw a card." He took a card from his deck, looked at it briefly, and added it to his hand.
"Cronus, attack his Dragon Cannon!" The tank that Cronus was manipulating opened its secret weapon compartments, firing a volley of missiles at the machine. When the smoke cleared, however, one of Blake's traps had been activated, and XYZ-Dragon Cannon was still on the field.
"Thanks to the effect of Threatening Roar, your attack was canceled and you cannot attack this turn." Blake explained, happy that he was able to last another turn.
"I set a card on the field, and end my turn."
(1700-1400)
Blake drew once again. This time, he could feel the power of the card that he would draw. It was Pot of Avarice.
"Dangerous Machine Type-6 activates." The die spun around, landing on a three once again. "Once again, I can draw an extra card." As he drew again, he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if the reason he was having so much luck with this card was because of his powers, or just pure coincidence. Either way, he wasn't about to question it.
"I activate the spell card, Pot of Avarice. By returning five monsters from my graveyard to my deck, I can draw two cards." His duel disk automatically shuffled his deck, and then two cards slid out. He took them and added them to his hand.
"I activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect. By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy one card on the field!" XYZ-Dragon Cannon fired a beam of yellow energy.
"Did you forget? Cronus can just sacrifice your monster to avoid destruction!" However, he was surprised to see the beams hit the ground, eradicating the field spell.
"I wasn't aiming for that. Now, XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack Cronus!"
"Are you insane? That's suicide!" exclaimed Takahiro.
"Not if I activate the quickplay spell, Battle Fusion. When a fusion monster on my field attacks or is attacked, I can activate this card, raising his attack points by the same amount as the opposing monster's!"
In shock and horror, Takahiro watched as XYZ-Dragon Cannon's attack points rose to 6900.
"I activate the trap card, Assault Mode Activate!" His trap card revealed itself, causing Cronus to disappear from the field and the attack to be stopped.
There was complete silence, and the the ground began to shake. A bony arm popped out of the ground, and pulled the rest of its body out with it. It was a skeletal being, wrapped in a black cloak. It was about a foot taller than Cronus, and had a more imposing figure. It breathed death as the chains that were tying him to the ground rattled. Its scythe was larger now, sharper than before, and its handle was now made out of the remains of unknown creatures. A dark aura surrounded it, as well as the rest of the field. (2300/2100)
"This is Titanic Deity-Cronus/Assault Mode* Let me tell you how things work. He cannot be destroyed in battle. Also, he gains half the total attack points of all the monsters on my field other than him. When he battles, neither player takes damage. Once per turn, he can take control of one monster on your field, although it cannot attack. If he takes control of a monster, at the end of each of my turns, you'll take 100 points of damage times the total level of all your monsters that he has control over." Takahiro explained, an evil smile on his face.
"Damn it... XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack Shutendoji!" The machine fired again, destroying the demon with ease.
"I set a monster on the field and end my turn."
(1700-1400)
"Oh, Blake. It must be sad for you to know that the very king you overthrew is the one who determines how you die!" Takahiro gloated.
"You just keep saying that, huh? Status isn't what's important here. Friends are important. Unless you have friends, there's no point in living. That's why I'm fighting! That's why I can't allow myself to die here!"
"Such beautiful words from a man that's about to die. Honorable to the very end, it seems." he replied. "I'll crush you like a bug, now."
He drew a card and began his turn.
"I activate Cronus' effect. I can take control of your XYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon!" Blake's monster moved over to Takahiro's field, and the chains that held Cronus also wrapped themselves around XYZ-Dragon Cannon. Cronus' attack points then rose to 3700.
"Destroy his set monster!" The scythe stretched out all the way to Blake's set monster, and cut the machine in half.
"I end my turn, which activates Cronus' effect. You now take 100 points of damage times the level of your monster. So you take a total of 800 points of damage!"
"I activate the trap card, Fusion Guard. By randomly sending a fusion monster from my fusion deck to the graveyard, I can negate your monster's effect and destroy it!"
XYZ-Dragon Cannon exploded. "Did I forget to mention that his effect to avoid destruction by sacrificing one of your monsters is still active?" he said with an evil grin.
(1700-1400)
Blake started his turn, and it seemed like his powers were at their limit. He could feel himself getting weaker.
"Dangerous Machine Type-6 activates." The die spun around and landed on a six, causing the spell card to shatter into pieces. "When the die lands on a six, the spell card is destroyed."
He looked at his hand. 'So that's it, huh? I've finally reached my limit? In that case, I'd better make this turn count.'
"I set a card, and summon Black Salvo to the field!" The small round machine, looking like an old-fashioned bomb, appeared on the field. (100/1100)
"His effect now activates, summoning a level four Dark attribute monster from my graveyard." Cannon Soldier appeared on the field.
"A tuner? Cannon Soldier? When did you send that monster to the graveyard, and what could you possibly be synchro summoning?"
Blake, in his exhaustion, seemed to ignored what his opponent was asking.
"I now tune them both together..." Black Salvo dissolved into three rings that surrounded Cannon Soldier, turning it into four glowing stars.
"When things look bad, bring in the firepower! Synchro Summon! Back me up, Dark Strike Fighter!"
There was a flash, and a large robot appeared on the field. It resembled an android version of a large bomber jet. His famed Dark Strike Fighter posed triumphantly, knowing it had been some time since he had been summoned. (2600/1800)
"Did you forget? We won't take damage from the battle! You synchro summoned for nothing!" Takahiro stated with an evil laugh.
Blake shook his head. "No. Not for nothing. Its to win!" he exclaimed, causing Takahiro to become serious.
"I activate his effect. By sacrificing a monster on my field, such as himself, I can deal you 200 points of damage times the level of the monster!" Takahiro's eyes widened as the jet flew high into the air, and then descended onto his monster with a crushing force. The monsters were gone, and the powerful impact knocked Takahiro back a few feet, though it also left a crater.
Takahiro, covered in blood and serious injuries, barely managed to get up. He raised up his hand and pointed at Blake. There was a mad look in his face as he struggled to speak. "You... Took everything! Somehow, you defeated me, despite my new powers. Maybe you are the true king,,," He gasped as he turned to dust, soon to be blown away by the wind.
There, in the spot where Takahiro died, Blake noticed a card. It was Phantom Beast Cross-Wing. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. He drifted off into a deep thought for a moment, but soon pulled himself back to reality.
He heard a noise and turned around, seeing Casey and another person on his Duel Runner, heding his way. He smiled, and waved at them. "Hey Casey! I made it just in time, huh?" he shouted out, soon tackled to the ground by Casey, who had hugged him out of sheer joy and knocked him over.
"Blake! I can't believe you're back!" she said, but she didn't get a response. When she looked at him, she saw it was due to the fact that his pain had been made worse by her knocking him onto the ground. "Sorry!" she exclaimed, getting up and then helping him up as well.
Finally able to push the pain out of his mind, he chuckled. "Its alright." he replied. "You didn't think I would just leave you guys to face the Titans yourself, right?"
She looked at him, suspicious. "That is what you did. Why'd you do that, anyway?"
"I had some things to deal with. If you don't mind, I'd gladly explain every to all of you guys after a nap. In exchange, I'd like to know what's happened here." Casey nodded, and helped him to his Duel Runner, where the angelic being still stood.
"Who are you?" she asked him. The being, in response, took off his helmet, revealing himself to be Shining Angel. Casey was extremely surprised, and had no idea what to say, merely turning her head to Blake.
"I have a lot of things to explain." Blake told her.
End of Chapter 29.
Its Shione's turn to battle, and it won't be easy. If the Olympians thought that Kichigai's Wicked Gods were powerful, wait until they face Shione. The 'Phantom Beasts' in her deck were merely a sign of what's to come, and it something the Olympians would have never thought they'd have to face. Lost Paradise is next!
A/N: Takahiro's name means 'widespread nobility'. It is a reference to his former status as a 'king', and his deck represents this.
EDIT: Jihl is not my character. Creative credit for her goes to rainbow2369.
-CARD ALBUM-
Titanic Deity-Cronus - Monster Card
Type: Zombie/Synchro
Attribute: Dark
Level: 10
ATK: 1700
DEF: 2000
Effect:
"Plaguespreader Zombie + 1 or more non-tuner Zombie-Type monsters"
Once per turn, you can take control of an opponent's monster and equip it to this card. This card gains attack points equal to the attack points of the equipped monster. (Only 1 card at a time can be equipped due to this effect. If this card would be destroyed, the equipped monster is destroyed instead.)
Titanic Deity-Cronus/Assault Mode - Monster Card
Type: Zombie
Attribute: Dark
Level: 11
ATK: 2300
DEF: 2100
Effect: This card cannot be destroyed in battle. This card gains half the total attack points of all the monsters on its controller's field other than itself. Neither player takes damage from battles involving this card. Once per turn, you can take control of one monster on your opponent's field, and switch control of it to your field, but it cannot attack. During each of your end phases, your opponent takes 100 points of damage times the total level of all their monsters under this card's control. If this card were to be destroyed by a card effect, you can switch the target to another monster on your field.
