One Universe within your Hands

by Medigo

In a kingdom dedicated to the art of games, tradition led to the outbreak of a new card game. Both mortals and immortals alike seek to reach the pinnacle of the human race. The day of games heralds huanity's end, or humanity's revival.

36. 036: Sharper than a Serpents Tooth

Mark 036: Sharper than a Serpents Tooth

Ramirez's LP: 900 Faceless Guard's LP: 1500

"Powertool.. Dragon?" They all saw it, but could barely believe it. "Wasn't that the synchro monster your friend used? YQ?" Sarah had seen that one before in the duel against Lincoln. "Yes, but... it must be coincidence. His deck seems to revolve around equip cards." Ada could not think of any reasons for Yale to don a guard outfit to duel Ramirez in. "I don't believe in coincidences." Sarah shook her head. "I mean where did Yale even go?" Back in the actual research room, there was less shock and awe. "I take it this did not take you by surprise." The guard sneered as he saw his opponents unmoving expression. "But if you attack me now, you will trigger Vylon Stella's ability." Power Tool Dragon(2300/2500) had equipped Vylon Stella from the grave, after the guard paid another 500 lifepoints. "When a monster with Stella does battle, the opposing monster is destroyed. Attack me now and lose your last defense." His synchro was in defense mode, so her Blood Mefist(2800/1300) could not do battle damage either. "Yes..I know. Yale Quincy."

Faceless Guard's LP: 1000

Powertool would survive an attack anyway by sacrificing the card equipped to it. The girl thus ended her turn. Yet during that phase, the bloodred synchro activated its ability. Inflicting 300 damage for each card the guard controlled. He controlled three cards (Valhalla, Stella and the Dragon), so he barely endured the bloody fumes Mefist unleashed. "I guess it was the laptop." He grumbled as he looked to his side, Yale's confiscated laptop lied on a desk as well. "That was one..clue." She responded. "Hmph. I should not have tried to come back for it, I did not expect them to take it away in the first place. All traces to the family have to be erased." He drew his card. "Now then, Powertool dragons effect activates!" He took three equip cards from his deck, three Mage Powers. ".." She had to select one, but not it did not matter. "Heh." He equipped the one she chose, and the tool dragon(3800/4000) gained 500 points for every spell or trap on his field. "Now I can finish you. However, you did send a Necro Gardna to your grave just now."

Faceless Guard's LP: 100

If he were to attack, she would stop him. And in her next turn Mefist would burn away his remaining lifepoints. "But.. I have this, the spell card Hidden Armory! I can add any equip card to my hand!" He had to skip his normal summon for the turn, and discard the top card from his deck. But any weapon was now available to him. "Go Power Pickaxe!" He gave his dragon a mechanical pickaxe. "Now when it attacks, I can banish one card from your cemetery, Ramirez!" Her eyes widened as Power tool used the axe to dig up Necro Gardna, removing it out of its path. "It gains even more attacking power now!" The dragon(4800/4500) powered up twice, due to the Pickaxe and due to Mage Power. "I do not know how you manage to be in the way so perfectly, but that time is now over. So move it!" The Dragon plowed right through Blood Mefist, ending it and ending her in the same instant. "..you are not.. like others." The attack sent wind all over the place, breaking even the soundproofed glass. "You have said more than enough!"

Ramirez's LP: 0

The dragon suddenly slammed the girl with its hand. "Ah!" She was knocked against the wall and passed out.. "Hmph. She pushed me this far, I did not want to use..." He had won, yet he had forgotten he was not alone. "Ramirez!" Sarah and Ada gasped, finally able to speak through the now shattered window. "It is him!" Ada now recognized the voice, one which Ramirez could never have heard. "Yale, how.. why.." But that knowledge did not clear things up for her. "I suppose you would notice my absence eventually anyway. Hello Ada, I enjoyed our time together." The man smiled as he opened the doors again. "However I too no longer have to put up with this identity." He then let the dragon used its drill hand to smash the table with all the confiscated ware on it. "How can he..make his dragon do that?" Sarah was amazed that his hologram could interact with solid matter. "There is no need for you to know." The dragon was dismissed and he edged towards the door. "You're out of time. Follow me, or take care of Ramirez. It is your choice."

...

Ccarayhua's LP: 8000 Gaunts LP: 8000

"Stop stalling, signer. I know you are buying time for this rotten city." Urizens father and the possessed tech agent were ready to duel, though the former spent his time looking at his hand. "I do not deny that." He placed one monster card down and activated two continuous spell cards: Gateway of the Six and Unity of Six Samurai. "Six Samurai?" Apparently what Gaunts aids understood to be the strongest deck available was the Six Samurai series. "Ah, that is not what you used the last time." Ccarayhua hissed as the turn passed to him. "No longer the element of darkness, now you command all six elements."

"Savage Colosseum." Right away the Lizard god played a field spell to prepare for his inevitable summoning. "All monsters will be forced to do battle. Hesitators shall be executed." And every time a monster did battle, his owner would gain lifeforce too. "Reptilianne Scylla." The gods first monster was a lizardlike centaur(1800/1200), with mouths all over its lower body. "Reptilianne Poison." The gods first spell was a poison. "Defenders deserve no strength." It flipped Gaunts defending monster into attack position and reduced its attack to zero. It turned out to be Shiens footsoldier(0/300). "Scylla devours." The Reptilianne swallowed the footsoldier whole, yet spat it out right afterwards. "If her meal is without attacking power, it will be reborn on my field." However it still hit the graveyard in between that death and life cycle, which was enough to trigger that monsters ability. "I can special summon a Samurai of the Six from my deck! And I choose the Legendary Six samurai- Shinai!" A water-warrior in purple armor(1500/1500) entered the colosseum.

Ccarayhua's LP: 8300 Gaunts LP: 6200

"When a Samurai is summoned, Gateway of the Six gains 2 Bushido Counters, while Unity gains 1." At the same time Ccarayhua had gained life from his field spell. "Interesting. I hide two cards and end my turn." Gaunt nodded. "I may not have dueled in a while, but I understand the power of this deck. watch closely, immortal." He special summoned two samurais from his hand, the fiery dagger wielder Mizuho(1600/1000) and the earthen swordsman Kizan(1800/500). "Mizuho can be special summoned because Shinai is on the field, and Kizan can be summoned because a Samurai is present at all." Furthermore Kizan(2100/800) could improve his stats when two or more other samurais were with him. "Now, I summoned two more." Gateway had six counters now, Unity had two. "I can remove 4 Bushido Counters from my field, to let gateway put two Samurais in my hand." He removed two from the Unity spell and all from the Gate. "I take Kageki and Enishi! When I normal summon the first he can special summon the second!" Through the gate jumped the four-armed thunder swordsman Kageki(200/2000) and the militaristic divine swordsman Enishi(1700/700). "All five Legendary Samurais in one turn?" Urizen had to admit that was impressive.

Enishi(2200/1200) and Kageki(1700/2000) also gained powerbonuses when they were with other samurais. "They attack your two monsters!" Kageki's sword electrocuted the stolen Footsoldier, while Enishi cleaved the Reptilianne in two. "You damaged me, but damage equals power.." Ccarayhua revealed his left trap. "Damage = Reptile.." Once per turn he could now call a reptile from his deck, one with less attackpoints than the damage points he had taken. "Naga." And he called out a little girl who was half serpentine, a cobra naga(0/0) in defense mode. "She will never be slain by physical means, and those that strike her shall lose all their powers." Gaunt cringed, because due to the Colosseum he had to continue attacking. "I do not remember that card." Mizuho(0/1000), Kizan(300/800) and Shinai(0/1500) all were forced to slash at the Naga, to no avail. In return all their attackpoints were taken away. "Or rather, you did not use that card the last time." Fortunately due to the field spell, Gaunt had also regained 300 lifepoints five times.

Ccarayhua's LP: 7900 Gaunts LP: 7700

"You think we would not change our legions over the years? It is because of you humans that we can enjoy many new spirits. You mortals made the tools of destruction." Reptilianne was indeed a series Gaunts very own company had invented. "Then I shall undo it all!" Mizuho's effect was used. "I can tribute a Samurai to kill a monster!" He sacrificed Kizan, and chose to destroy the Naga. "Snake Whistle." This however triggered Ccarayhua's right trap. "You lack the time, to live up to that promise." The Whistle responded to the death of a reptile, by summoning another from his deck. He called a second Scylla(1800/1200).

"As you say, it is my turn." The possessed one drew a card. "Now, Gorgon." And he summoned an older serpent woman(1400/1400). "And Molting Escape." He equipped that monster with a spell, a second skin. "When Gorgon strikes, her victims will be drained of all their strength. And thanks to this spell, she can survive her own demise once a turn and grow stronger herself." The Gorgons eyes lit up and she slithered over the arena grounds towards Enishi. "Poison him." She bit the warrior, who countered with his holy sword. However she shed her old skin and let that take the blow. "More damage." Of course his lifepoints were still touched, he gained 300 and used the 800 points he lost to let his permanent trap summon a Reptilianne Viper(0/0). At the same time the molted Gorgon(1700/1400) grew stronger while Enishi(500/1200) only had his ability's attackpoints left. "Guess I chose a good deck after all." One tech agent smiled, seeing how well the samurai's natural abilities countered Ccarayhua's newfound penchant for zero attackpoints.

Ccarayhua's LP: 7400

"Some helpless remain." But Mizuho and Shinai did not have such luck, and Scylla was about to eat the fire warrior. "I discard Shiens Squire from my hand!" However a young squire absorbed the blow from Scylla, letting Mizuho live despite the painful blow. "You do not wish to see another one die, do you?" The enemy entered his 2nd main phase. "You struggle for the impossible." Suddenly Viper and Scylla left the field. "I believe you call this a Synchro summon." Viper was a level 2 tuner, Scylla was a level 4 reptile. Together they formed a many-headed snake dragon, the Reptilianne Hydra(2100/1500) in defense mode. "Hydra sends all those who lack power, to an early grave." Two heads of the hydra unleashed a scream that broke the bones of Mizuho and Shinai. Only Enishi and Kageki endured. "And I may draw for every lost life." Since two monsters had died, the enemy could draw twice. "I hide another card and end." But before Gaunt could draw again, Ccarayhua posed a question. "Yet I do experience a curiosity, a hole in this time."

Ccarayhua's LP: 7700 Gaunts LP: 5900

"Someone is not here.." His wide eyes stared right at the man. "Silence." Gaunt wanted to hear nothing of it. "Enishi's ability is this: banishing two samurais in my cemetery, to send a face-up monster to your hand." Enishi plunged his sword into the ground, letting it absorb the spirits of Kizan and Shinai. Then he swung his sword to create a wave of light towards the Gorgon. "For all of your efforts, you can not succeed. Hiding sacrifices, denying deaths, that is not what a god can allow." Unfortunately he could sacrifice Gorgon before it came back to his hand. "Offering to the Snake Deity." He flipped his trap, which ended the Reptilianne's life and ended two other cards at the same time. "I undo, your Gateway and your Holy samurai." Gateway of the Six broke down and Enishi started to melt away in a bloody puddle. "Urp." Some of the workstaff was not used to this display, they certainly had not programmed holograms to bleed. "Quickplay spell card: Cunning of the Six Samurai." Yet Gaunt managed to save it in the nick of time. "I can make sacrifices as well, this spell replaces Enishi with another Mizuho!" The executed fire samurai was reintroduced to the arena. "She sacrifices Kageki!" The woman slashed down the thunder warrior and sent flames towards the Hydra. The many heads were burned to a smouldering black mass.

"Direct attack!" Next she slashed her flaming sword across the chest of the body controlled by the immortal. Damage=Reptile only responded to the deaths of reptiles, so a direct attack did not trigger it. "Yes, you would know about sacrifices." It laughed with a raspy tone, taking the words right out of his sons mouth almost. "I told you to be quiet, this is nothing like that time." Gaunt sent Unity of the Six Samurai to the grave. "I can draw cards for every counter on this spell, when I tribute it. And it can hold up to 2 counters" However Ccaray suddenly chained. "Trap Card: Insightful Cards of Reversal. Now I can draw for every card you drew." So both players drew twice. "Your turn." From the forced gleeful expression on its face, Gaunt knew he had to have drawn the god card just now. "I banish Reptilianne Viper from my cemetery, to use Reptilianne Spawn." Especially not when the enemy played a spell that summoned two tokens(0/0) to his field. "No!" This could only lead to one thing, two tributes and a field meant the god was about to summon his true self. "Yes. It is already in my hand. For all the time you bought, and all we have given you. You accomplished nothing."

Insightful Cards of Reversal, Normal Trap

Activate only when a card(s) is added to your opponent's hand outside their Draw Phase. Draw cards equal to the number of cards in your opponent's hand (Max 3).

"This is what you call.. a Tribute summon.."

Ccarayhua's LP: 6100 Gaunts LP: 6200

"Is everyone safe?" Ansoni had managed to bring most of the staff outside, leading them all to the same place where Macbeth was taking the citizens. "Command central has not been evacuated yet." One worker answered. "Yes but they should be safe with Gaunt around." His signer mark would protect the tech agents from the immortals symbol. "Richard has not reported in yet either." Said another. "What the heck is going on in..there?" Some people thought they were imagining things, but they clearly saw a mass of black and green light swirl together in front of the tower. "Too late, it is forming itself!" The heart of another god materialized. "We are not in position yet!" The process began, the soul harvest began. "Stay close to me!" Ansoni's mark began to glow, and he casted a barrier around the people with him. However he could do nothing about the people further down the streets. "Macbeth, did you succeed? Is everyone in place?" He tried to call the Ace, but he only received static from the other end. "No.. Don't say it is so.." And the reptile started to take solid shape.

(To be Continued in Mark 037: Sacrifice)

New Card used by YQ
Hidden Armory
Power Pickaxe

Cards used by Gaunt Artani
Shiens Footsoldier
Legendary Six Samurai - Shinai
Legendary Six Samurai - Mizuho
Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan
Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki
Legendary Six Samurai - Enishi
Shiens Squire

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Gateway of the Six Samurai
Six Samurai United
Cunning of the Six Samurai

Cards used by Ccarayhua
Reptilianne Scylla
Reptilianne Naga
Reptilianne Viper
Reptilianne Gorgon
Reptilianne Hydra

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Savage Colloseum
Reptilianne Poison
Molting Escape
Reptilianne Spawn

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Damage = Reptile
Snake Whistle
Offering to the Snake Deity
Insightful Cards of Reversal (+)

(+) Based on the trap used by Yusei in YGO 5ds episode 149