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DUEL THIRTY-SIX
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The Exiles
The Rabble of Devilkin
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Ophelia found herself in an arena-like room.
She quickly looked around. There were no exits. At least none that she could see.
Quickly, she took the Dark Ritual Deck from her Disk, and replaced it with her Light Ritual Deck. Fiends were not going to do this time… She needed the forces of Heaven on her side...
As she hit the auto-shuffler on her Disk, the portal opened again. She watched nervously as the Lich-Fiend watched through.
She tried to hide how scared she was as he looked at her.
"Jalie, question…" she asked.
"Yes?" he replied.
"In case your plan works, and you become a god…" said Ophelia. "What exactly are you going to be a god of?"
"Eh?" said the Lich-Fiend.
"You know," said Ophelia. "A god has to represent something. Like how Poseidon is god of the sea, Ares is god of war…"
"Of course," replied the Lich-Fiend. "I've considered my possibilities on that issue..."
"Well, whatever you choose, you're going to make someone mad," continued Ophelia. "Someone is going to object.
"You might think that becoming the god of undeath might be a good idea, but if you do, Vecna is going to be upset. If you try to become the god of death, that's even worse… Nerull and the Raven Queen have that covered. Becoming the god of dark magic will earn the ire of Wee-Jas… Becoming the god of tyranny will make Hextor mad."
"All good points," said Jalie. "But don't count me out just yet… Once I have Tharizdun's power, I expect to be quite capable of holding my own against any of those names you mentioned."
His eyes glowed slightly.
"Now are you going to duel me, or are you going waste time trying to insult my intelligence with this clichéd old 'stall the villain by grilling him for information' trick? Don't forget, I'm giving you a chance I don't give most… I could end this with a mere flick of my wrist…"
Ophelia gulped. She activated her Disk.
"Now here's the deal…" said the Lich-Fiend. "If you are victorious, you're free to go… If not… A little something called Investiture of Cania."
Ophelia didn't dare ask what that meant… She could only try her best not to lose.
(Ophelia: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 8,000)
"Feh…" said Jalie. "Feel free to make the first move…"
Again, Ophelia didn't dare argue, so she made her first draw.
She quickly set a card on her Disk, and a set Monster appeared in front of her.
Then she nodded.
He doesn't strike me as a defensive duelist, she thought, as Jalie drew a card, so he's likely going to attack…
And that suits me just fine…
Jalie fit a card into his Disk.
"I play the Continuous Spell Card, Pillar of Skulls," he said.
With a loud rumble, the ground split open behind him, and a large monolith rose out of the ground. It looked like the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, but in this case, it seemed like all of the skulls that composed it were inhuman.
"Avernus, the First Hell, is where all Blood War battles that take place in Hell are fought," said Jalie. "The demons have never gotten father than that, due to the efforts of its ruler, the Warlord Bel. And as a result, its plains are littered with bones, broken weapons, and demolished siege engines.
"Several centuries ago, Bel got creative, gathered the skulls of the slain demons, and built a tower out of them, to serve as a moral boost to his armies. And its magical powers help to weaken any living enemy that gets near it.
"Anyway… With this card on the field, each player takes 500 points of damage whenever one of their Monsters is destroyed."
At least it applies to him too… thought Ophelia.
"Now, I set a facedown card," said Jalie, as a set card appeared in front of him, "and summon Outcast Devil Herodias."
In a burst of flames, a Fiend appeared in front of Jalie, one that Ophelia had clearly never seen before. It looked like a muscular male human with blood-red skin and black hair, with hooves instead of feet, and an angry scowl on his face. (1,200 ATK)
"Doesn't seem so tough…" said Ophelia.
"True," said Jalie, "but by Normal Summoning him, I get to take another Outcast Devil from my deck… Low Level, of course…"
Another card appeared among his other three.
"However, I can't summon it this turn… But I think I'll have Herodias attack your Monster…"
The hulking Fiend rushed at the set Monster…
Marshmallon appeared on the card, and Herodias' fist bounced off. (500 DEF)
"Now you take 1,000 points of damage!" exclaimed Ophelia.
"I end my turn," said Jalie, not seeming to care.
(O: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,000)
"Draw," said Ophelia, drawing a card.
"I play the Continuous Spell Card, Ascending Soul," she said, as she threw a card into her Disk.
"When this card is in play, every time I Ritual Summon a Monster, I get to recover one of the Monsters that was offered to summon it.
"So, I play Ritual of Grace!"
She played the card, and the shining altar of light appeared behind her.
Nova Summoner and Spirit of the Harp appeared behind her, and then turned into grains of light. Then the altar was consumed in light, and Divine Grace – Northwemko appeared. (2,700 ATK)
The Ascending Soul card glowed. Spirit of the Harp slipped out of Ophelia's discard slot, and she took it.
"Now, I use Northwemko's effect," she said. "I choose two cards on the field, and for as long as both remain on the field, she can't be destroyed by card effects.
"I think I'll choose my Marshmallon, and your Pillar of Skulls!
"Next, I'll remove Ritual of Grace from play…"
She placed the card inside her cloak.
"…and as a result, she can't be targeted by effects at all this turn.
"All right… Northwemko… Destroy Outcast Devil Herodias!"
Northwemko pointed her staff, and fired a bolt of divine light at the Fiend. Herodias' expression right before he was incinerated was one of incredible anger…
…and Ophelia got the impression that his anger was not directed towards her.
(O: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 5,500)
"Hold on…" said Ophelia. "How come that Pillar of Skulls didn't activate?"
"It doesn't activate when Outcast Devils are destroyed," replied Jalie. "They're an exception."
Ophelia looked at him.
Okay… she thought. I guess it's safe to say that there are a bunch of Outcast Devils in his deck…
I'm probably going to regret asking this, but…
"I'll bite…" she said. "Why are the Fiends in your deck 'outcasts'?"
"Well, there's no harm in telling you that…" replied Jalie. "Sometimes, a powerful devil of my rank, or even higher, commits some crime against the rulers of Hell. Most of the time, these criminals are executed. But there are situations when Lucifer has a reason for letting one live. Usually, it's because they have information or abilities that may still someday be useful, or they simply have enough political clout to avoid the death penalty.
"In this case, the criminal becomes one of the 'Rabble of Devilkin', and is exiled to Avernus, the first layer of Hell. These outcasts are still powerful, but are bound to the place by powerful magic.
"And they have uses…"
He held up his Duel Disk.
"Dukes of Hell that are in good standing, like myself, are given copies of this deck, which let us call on them for aid in a duel. They do as they're told, because Lucifer can sign their death warrants at any time."
He chuckled a little.
"They spend most of their time plotting to return to power, dreaming of a time when they will use this deck, when it will hopefully include some of the folks who use it now… But that is not likely…"
No wonder that guy looked so pissed… thought Ophelia.
It was hard to feel sorry for a devil, but Jalie was using these 'Rabbles', as he called them, as expendable slaves.
"I believe… It's my move…" said Jalie.
He made a draw.
He set a card on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared.
"Your move…" he said.
And I was scared of this guy? thought Ophelia. He's barely putting up a fight!
"I summon Dunames Dark Witch!" she shouted.
She played the card, and the pretty female fairy in a red and silver dress appeared. (1,800 ATK)
"Northwemko, attack his Monster!" she shouted.
The Goddess pointed her staff. A Fiend with a bird-like face, talons for legs, and bat-like wings appeared crouching on the card. Northwemko fired, and it was blown to pieces.
"That was Outcast Devil Nisroch," said Jalie, "also known as the Poisoner of Hell. When he's destroyed by battle, I get to destroy one of your Monsters…"
"That won't work on Northwemko," said Ophelia. "Her effect…"
"You didn't let me finish…" said Jalie. "I get to destroy one of your Monsters other than the one that destroyed Nisroch."
Marshmallon shattered into pieces.
"And then there's the effect of Pillar of Skulls," said Jalie.
What happened next, Ophelia did not expect. A skull flew from the large monolith, and sank its fangs into her arm. She shrieked in pain.
She held her arm as it fell to the ground and turned to dust.
Calm down… she thought. As long as his Continual Spell is still there, Northwemko is safe…
"Dunames Dark Witch, attack him directly!" shouted Ophelia. "Shadow Flux!"
The Fairy blasted a bolt of shadowy energy full of sparkling motes at the Lich-Fiend.
He didn't even flinch as it hit him.
(O: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 3,700)
"You act tough, Squarefoot," said Ophelia, "but you're still losing…
"I end my turn…"
"Let's see…" said Jalie, as he drew a card.
"I activate… The Foolish Burial Spell Card…"
He played the card, and then took a card from his deck. He quickly discarded it.
Then his facedown card lifted up. It was Call of the Haunted.
"You're going to summon the Monster you just discarded…" said Ophelia.
"Exactly…" said Jalie. "I call forth the Dark Lady, Outcast Devil Duskur."
A dark shadow appeared on the field, and sad, mournful music filled the air. Then the Monster in question appeared, a human-like female with snow-white skin, shiny black eyes, dead black hair, and black, feathered wings. She wore a tattered black dress. (1,600 ATK)
"Next, I summon Outcast Devil Bist," he continued.
The next Fiend that appeared was also female, but seemed very different than Duskur. She looked savage and feral, wearing armor and holding a very large scimitar. She had flaming eyes, a mane of red hair, and large, bat-like wings. (1,400 ATK)
"The Rabble of Devilkin rarely help each other in any way while on Avernus," said Jalie, "but in this deck, there are ways to combine their abilities into powerful combos.
"First, I'll use Duskur's effect. I toss one card…"
He discarded a card from his hand.
"…and I get to Special Summon a Monster from your Graveyard in Defense Mode."
Duskur lifted her arms, and cast a dark spell. The ground burst open, and Nova Summoner appeared next to her. (800 DEF)
"It loses its effect as well, but I don't intend to keep it," continued Jalie. "Next, I use Bist's effect. By sacrificing a Monster, she can increase her own Attack Score by the sacrificed Monster's Attack Score for the remainder of the turn."
Nova Summoner vanished, and Bist screamed in pure bloodlust. (2,800 ATK)
"Good lord…" said Ophelia.
"I can't defeat Northwemko using a card effect," said Jalie, "so I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way."
Bist made a rush at Northwemko and slashed savagely with her sword, cleaving her in half at the waist.
Then another skull flew from the Pillar of Skulls, and chomped down on Ophelia's other arm. She shrieked again.
"I'm not done," said Jalie. "I play Shrink…"
The Quickplay Spell appeared, and Dunames Dark Witch was reduced to half her size. (900 ATK)
"Now, Duskur," said Jalie, "attack with Enervation Wave."
Duskur's eyes became shrouded in dark shadow, and she blasted a bolt of pure necrotic energy from them, reducing the Fairy to dust. Ophelia felt a cold chill as it struck, as if the blast had reached into her chest with an icy hand and clutched her heart…
She snapped out of it when the Pillar of Skulls activated, biting her on the leg this time.
(O: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 3,700)
Okay… she thought. Seems he decided to stop fooling around…
"It's your move…" said Jalie.
Ophelia drew a card.
"I set one Monster and one facedown card," she said, as two set cards appeared.
"You aren't fooling anyone, Shadowchaser," said Jalie. "That set Monster is clearly the Spirit of the Harp that you recovered with your Ascending Soul."
"Maybe it is," said Ophelia, as she played the last card in her hand, "but I also have this.
"I play Fulfillment of the Contract. I give up 800 Life Points to bring Northwemko back from the Graveyard."
In an aura of light, Northwemko appeared again. (2,700 ATK)
"Attack Outcast Devil Bist!" she shouted.
Northwemko fired her blast, and the wicked she-devil scowled right before it hit her. She shattered into bits.
Jalie grunted a little…
(O: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 2,400)
"Seems I finally got a reaction out of you," said Ophelia. "Make your move…"
Jalie made a draw. He was quickly getting annoyed; usually, when he used this deck, the duel didn't last this long.
Of course, the reason for that was, the duel rarely finished when he used this deck. He had rarely faced opponents with the courage to continue facing him and the Outcast Devils. Ophelia was an exception.
And yet… There was still a part of him that felt a little excited… A part that felt a strange rush… The rush he hadn't felt since the bygone age where he was only a soldier fighting in the infernal armies of the Blood War… Maybe a small part of him missed those days, where fighting his foes personally happened all the time…
Still, this slight rush only lasted a few seconds, and then it was gone. He looked at Ophelia, and knew that this duel was too important for reminiscing about old times.
"I play Card of Demise," he said, as he played the card he had just drawn. "I get to draw until I have five cards… But after five of my turns, I lose my whole hand…"
He made four draws.
"All right, Ophelia," he said, "I sacrifice Duskur…"
The Dark Lady turned into an orb of darkness.
"…to summon Outcast Devil Kochbiel."
A blazing ball of fire appeared on the field…
Ophelia stepped back nervously as the Fiend appeared. This was clearly a pit fiend. However, if compared to Martinet, this one, while no less intimidating, was less muscular, and in fact seemed rather overweight. (2,400 ATK)
"I guess there's no sense staying in shape once you've been exiled," said Ophelia.
"Watch it," said Jalie. "Kochbiel is one of the oldest of the Rabble; he was once the right-hand man of Beherit, the now-deceased original Lord of the Seventh. As a result, he's feared and respected among the other Rabble, and most of them look up to him as an unofficial leader.
"This is reflected by his powerful effect. By paying 1,000 Life Points, I can Special Summon another Outcast Devil from my Graveyard, so long as it's Level is lower than Kochbiel's."
A red aura surrounded Jalie, and Bist appeared again. (1,400 ATK) She looked angrier than before… In fact, she looked rather pissed.
Ophelia didn't need to be told why Bist was upset. She was mad enough to be summoned the first time, and a second time was even worse.
"Do as you're told," said Jalie, looking at her sternly.
He turned back to Ophelia.
"Anyway… You remember Bist's effect, right?"
Kochbiel vanished, and Bist cried out in fury again. (3,800 ATK)
"Attack Northwemko again," ordered Jalie. "Wrathful Slash."
Bist leapt at the Goddess of Grace, and the force of the blow that smashed her to pieces was so fierce, it knocked Ophelia backwards.
She barely had time to get up before yet another skull from the huge Pillar sank its teeth into her arm.
"Ow…" she moaned.
Jalie took another card from his hand.
"I play Emergency Provisions," he said.
He played the card, and Pillar of Skulls and his now-inert Call of the Haunted vanished.
At least that thing is gone… thought Ophelia.
(O: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 3,400)
"It's your move…" said Jalie.
Ophelia drew a card.
She grit her teeth and set it on her Disk. A set Monster appeared next to her set Spirit of the Harp.
"Mmm," she said.
"Pitiful," said Jalie, as he drew a card.
"Bist, attack the Monster on the right."
Bist rushed toward the Monster that Ophelia had just set. Skelengel appeared on the card, and was sliced in two.
"Thank you…" said Ophelia, as she made a draw.
She smirked as she looked at it.
"A good card, Ophelia?" said Jalie. "Well…
"I don't see what good it will do you… After all… To summon a Ritual Monster, you need three things: The Monster, the Ritual Spell, and sacrifices.
"Once you take your turn, you'll only have two cards in your hand, along with that Spirit of the Harp… Unless one of the two happens to be Advanced Ritual Art…"
"That's not what I'm counting on…" said Ophelia. "And I might surprise you…"
"Well, by all means take your turn…" said the Lich-Fiend. "I'm anxious to see what this plan of yours is…"
Ophelia drew a card.
Got it! she thought looking at it.
Her facedown card lifted up.
"Eh?" said Jalie. "Fruits of Kozaky's Studies? Why would you need that?"
"You'll see in a minute," said Ophelia. "For now, this Trap Card's effect lets me look at the top three cards in my deck, and rearrange them in any order."
She picked up the top three cards from her deck, and looked at them.
"Not bad…" she said.
Then she quickly put them back, not changing the order at all. Jalie looked confused.
"I flip Spirit of the Heart into Attack Mode," continued Ophelia.
The set card flipped up, and a beautiful woman in a gold-embroidered gown playing soft music on a harp appeared. (800 ATK)
"Next, I summon Mirage Dragon!"
With a low growl, an oriental Dragon that seemed sculpted completely out of light appeared. (1,600 ATK)
"Mirage Dragon?" said Jalie. "Why would you have a Dragon in a deck full of Fairies?"
"To summon my rarest card…" said Ophelia, holding up her last card.
She sighed.
"My dad gave me this card after my mom was arrested… I have no idea where he got it, but he hoped it would keep me from turning out the way she did…
"This isn't a Ritual Monster… But she might as well be one…
"I send one Light-Attribute Fairy and one Light-Attribute Dragon to the Graveyard…"
The two Monsters turned into orbs of light…
Then a light started to shine behind Ophelia. It started small, and then grew, until it became overpowering.
From out of the light, a goddess emerged even more intimidating than Northwemko. She stood seven feet tall, and was dressed in Egyptian-style clothing.
Even more remarkable was the fact that she carried all seven of the legendary Millennium Items. She wore the Necklace as it should be worn, the Eye as part of her crown, the Puzzle on her belt, the Ring on her breastplate, held the Scales in her left hand, and carried a staff in her right hand that had the Rod on one end and the Key on the other.
"I give you… Ma'at…" said Ophelia.
The Goddess of Justice looked sternly at Jalie.
"Now, I use her effect," said Ophelia. "I get to try to guess what the top three cards on my deck are. Each one I guess right, I get to keep… And Ma'at's Attack and Defense Score become 1,000 for each correct guess until I use that effect again.
"My guesses are Shinato, King of a Higher Plane, Guardian of Order, and Ritual Cage."
She took the three cards off her deck, and looked at them. Then she turned them forward.
"I was right three times!" she said with a smirk. "Lucky me…"
Ma'at glowed with energy. (3,000 ATK)
"You couldn't have missed, thanks to your Trap Card," grumbled Jalie. "And to think, you mortals criticize devils for manipulating laws so they rule in our favor…"
"Don't give me that," said Ophelia. "If you had this card, you would have used the same strategy."
Jalie crossed his arms in a sulk. She was right, of course, but he wasn't going to admit it.
"Attack Outcast Devil Bist!" shouted Ophelia. "Ultimate Judgment!"
Ma'at pointed her staff at the Rabble and fired a burning bolt of light, blowing her into particles. This time, there was no mistaking Jalie's reaction. The powerful surge of holy energy coming from the creature had burned him.
(O: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 1,800)
"It's your move, Squarefoot," said Ophelia.
Jalie growled, and drew a card.
"Don't forget, Squarefoot…" said Ophelia, "this is the second Standby Phase after you played Card of Demise. Three more turns, and you'll have to deal with its incredibly debilitating side effect."
"You let me worry about that, mortal," said Jalie. "I summon Outcast Devil Amon."
He played the card, and a bare-chested man wearing a ragged pair of trousers with a snow-white wolf's head appeared. He held a spiked mace. (1,700 ATK)
"When this creature is Normal Summoned," he said, "I get to name one Type of Monster, and he can't be destroyed by battle by that Type. I name Fairies.
"I set three cards facedown, and my turn is over."
Three set cards appeared in three flashes of light.
"Draw…" said Ophelia, making a draw.
"I play Pigeonholing Books of Spell!" she exclaimed, as she played a Spell Card. "This works just like Fruits of Kozaky's Studies, except… Well, it's a Spell Card."
She took the three cards off of her deck, and looked at them again. Then she smirked, and put them back.
"I'll use the effect of Ma'at again," she said. "My three guesses this time are: Victoria, Shield Crush, and Shinato's Ark."
She took the three cards off her deck, and held them forward.
"Three correct guesses again! That means I get to keep these cards, and Ma'at remains at 3,000 Attack Points.
"Now, I'll play Shinato's Ark!"
She played the card, and a huge, radiant ship with Kanji on its sails appeared behind her.
"I'll offer Guardian of Order as sacrifice for this Ritual…" she said, as the golden Warrior appeared behind her.
Guardian of Order turned into pure light, and was drawn into the ship…
Then the ship exploded, and a huge, magnificent, winged form flew from out of it.
It was Shinato, King of a Higher Plane, in all his glory. (3,300 ATK)
"Due to Ascending Soul," continued Ophelia, "I get Guardian of Order back from the Graveyard…"
She took the card from her discard slot.
"…and because I have two Light-Attribute Monsters, I get to Special Summon it!"
In another aura of light, the golden-armored celestial Warrior appeared. (2,500 ATK)
"That's quite an impressive force…" said Jalie.
"And I'm going to make it stronger," said Ophelia. "I haven't Normal Summoned yet…
"I call forth Victoria!"
Lightning flashed, and a four-headed golden dragon flew onto the field. Riding it was a female angel with golden armor and golden dragon wings, holding a staff tipped with the same winged design. (1,800 ATK)
"Next, I play Ritual Cage," said Ophelia, as she played a Spell Card. "So long as this Continuous Spell is in play, all my Ritual Monsters, meaning Shinato, cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effects of Effect Monsters, and I take no damage from battles involving him.
"And you know something else, Jalie? Your Outcast Devil may be able to resist attacks from Fairies…
"But Guardian of Order is no Fairy. Guardian of Order, destroy Outcast Devil Amon!"
The Warrior rushed at the wolf-like Fiend…
"Trap activate!" shouted Jalie.
One of his facedown cards lifted up.
"It's called The Apocalypse Stone," he said. "By removing one Outcast Devil in my Graveyard from play…"
Bist appeared behind him, and then faded into nothingness.
"I can halt your attack, and then draw one card."
Guardian of Order stopped dead in his tracks, and Jalie made a draw.
"I can still finish you," said Ophelia. "My three Fairies may not be able to destroy him, but you'll still take damage."
Ma'at pointed her staff at Amon, and fired her Ultimate Judgment…
"Not quite," said Jalie, as another of his Trap Cards lifted up. "My Spirit Barrier will protect me from Battle Damage so long as I have a Monster on the field.
"You haven't beaten me yet…"
"There's always next turn…" said Ophelia.
"Indeed," said Jalie, "and while you're thinking of that…"
His third Trap Card lifted up.
"This is my favorite Trap Card… Just Desserts."
Two ghostly hands shot out of the card, and seized Ophelia by the neck. She gasped.
"It crushes 500 Life Points out of you for each Monster you have," said Jalie. "I never get tired of using it."
Ophelia fell to her knees, gasping for breath as the hands let go.
"It's… your move…" she panted.
(O: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 1,800)
Jalie drew a card.
He looked at the card closely.
"I don't use this card often, Ophelia…" he said. "This is one of the most dangerous and unstable of the Rabble of Devilkin, as well as being one of the most powerful… He caused so much trouble after he was exiled, that his true name was stripped from him, so that mortals could no longer summon him…
"But… Seeing as you are far more formidable than I expected…
"I sacrifice Amon…"
The wolf-devil vanished.
"…to summon Outcast Devil Azazel."
There was an explosion of flames and foul-smelling smoke, and a creature appeared that made Ophelia recoil in horror. He could best be described as a fiendish ophidia, but far more horrifying than any mortal ophidia that she had seen. He was ten feet tall, had a snake's head, a snaky tail in place of legs, scaly skin, and scaled wings. He was clothed in expensive-looking raiment and very gaudy jewelry. (2,400 ATK)
"Let me explain to you Azazel's effect…" said Jalie. "Once per turn, if he battles a Monster, his effect can stop the attacking Monster's attack cold."
"That won't work on Shinato," said Ophelia. "My Ritual Cage, remember?
"Besides, only once per turn? I have three Monsters that are stronger than him…"
"Well…" said Jalie. "I'll just have to be creative…
"Azazel, attack Ma'at."
"Say WHAT?" shouted Ophelia.
Azazel glared at Ma'at…
Is he nuts? thought Ophelia.
The Outcast Devil spit a stream of corrosive venom at Ma'at… The goddess prepared to deflect it…
And then the venom just halted in mid-air, falling to the ground harmlessly.
"What…" said Ophelia. "What happened?"
"I used Azazel's effect on himself," said Jalie. "I negated his own attack.
"Why, you may ask?"
He played a Spell Card, and a Quickplay Spell appeared in front of him.
"It's called Double or Nothing. Because my Monster's attack was negated, he gets to attack a second time…
"…with double his Attack Score…"
Ophelia gasped as Azazel hissed evilly… (4,800 ATK)
The Serpent spit its venom again. Ophelia screamed as Ma'at was blown to pieces, and she was thrown backwards…
(O: 0) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 1,800)
Ophelia tried to get up, but she lacked the strength to stand.
"Well?" she said weakly, as she lifted her head. "Aren't you going to gloat?"
"Like I said before, Ophelia," said Jalie, "I'm not the stereotypical bad guy. So no… Gloating is juvenile."
Then Jalie pointed at her, and started to chant.
Ophelia suddenly felt very cold. A chill pierced her to her bone, and her limbs went numb. Frost started to cover her skin and clothing.
She realized what was happening, but she couldn't move; she was literally paralyzed by the cold.
After about a minute, Jalie stopped chanting and looked at her. The spell was complete; his captive was sealed in a crystal-clear block of ice, an expression of shock on her face.
"Now don't go anywhere…" he said, as he turned to leave.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In another arena, Jeb suddenly clutched his chest in fear…
A feeling best described as incredible dread informed him that Ophelia's duel had not turned out in her favor… And that she was now in big trouble…
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OUTCAST DEVIL AMON (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned in Attack Position, it cannot be switched to Defense Position, except via a card effect. When this card is Normal Summoned, declare 1 Monster Type. This card cannot be destroyed by battle by Monsters of the declared Type.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL AZAZEL (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 1,800
Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. Once per turn, when this card battles another Monster, you may negate the attacking Monster's attack.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL BIST (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 800
Card Description: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can Tribute 1 Monster you control to increase the ATK of this card by the base ATK of the Tributed Monster until the End Phase of the turn.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL DUSKUR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 1,300
Card Description: Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from your hand to select 1 Level 4 or lower Monster in your opponent's Graveyard and Special Summon it to your side of the field in face-up Defense Position. The Special Summoned Monster's effect is negated, and it cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon or used for a Synchro Summon.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL HERODIAS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 500
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, you may add 1 Level 4 or lower "Outcast Devil" Monster from your deck to your hand except for an "Outcast Devil Herodias". You may not Summon it the turn you use this effect.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL KOCHBIEL (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 6
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: Once per turn, you may pay 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon an "Outcast Devil" Monster from your Graveyard whose Level is lower than this card's Level.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL NISROCH (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 3
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 400
Card Description: When this card is destroyed via battle, destroy 1 face-up Monster on the field other than the Monster that destroyed this card.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
THE APOCALYPSE STONE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A horned, hairless devil with shark-like teeth looking with anger as a flawless blue gemstone floats in front of him.
Card Description: Activate when your opponent declares an attack. Remove 1 "Outcast Devil" Monster in your Graveyard from play. Negate the attack and draw 1 card. This card cannot be countered or negated if you control at least 1 face-up "Outcast Devil" Monster.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PILLAR OF SKULLS (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: An obelisk of diabolic-looking skulls, similar to the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, on a blasted wasteland.
Card Description: When a Monster other than an "Outcast Devil" Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, the owner of the destroyed Monster takes 500 points of damage.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Dugan: Poor Ophelia had found out the hard way exactly what Investiture of Cania was; exactly why Jalie had chosen to let her live, and what his plans were for her, it could only be guessed at right now. The fact remained, that even though Ophelia's fight had been a valiant one, it had not been enough to defeat the Lich-Fiend.
Jalie wasn't done… He knew that Jeb was stronger than Ophelia, so had targeted her first to demoralize Jeb. If all went well, Dante would be at the point of despair when he got to him, which was his plan for handling the biggest threat, in his eyes.
This was going to get worse before it got better. Especially since Azazel was not the strongest Rabble in Jalie's deck.
"The Wild Beast; The Deposed" is coming soon.