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DUEL THIRTY-SIX
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Hate Buster
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"Seven cycles of Mechanus I've spent waiting for a sponsor," said the woman, with a bitter voice. "All this time, I've been as much a prisoner here as Jetta is...
"Of course, who would ever question the ruling of a Divinic? When it comes to interpreting the law, they're perfect!"
"Oh, I'm sure no-one is perfect..." said Gears.
"They are, according to articles published by the five most popular periodicals in our galaxy," replied the woman. "In fact, after Jetta's trial, only one newspaper posted an editorial with a negative view of his rulings.
"Practically overnight, it went from the second-most read newspaper in its region, to a tie for eighteenth with two supermarket rags. They fired their editorial department and made a public apology, but they hadn't recovered by the time I came here.
"And the Divinics are perfect! Look as far back as you want into the records of one of them, and you won't find the slightest blemish on it. Not even a parking ticket."
"How would you know?" asked Gears. "Did you purposely try to dig up dirt on this judge?"
The woman glared at him.
"Are you making an accusation, buddy?" she said, through her teeth.
"Sorry," said Gears. "Forgot... Nothing was ever proven."
"So now what?" she asked. "What will I do once this is over? The lease on my apartment is expired... My boyfriend will obviously have found someone else... And when I go back to active duty, I'll most likely be demoted to shopping mall patrol."
"Hey, maybe this will teach you not to take bribes!" snapped Shichiro.
"If you're gonna keep making accusations, pal," she replied, "you'd best be prepared for a lawsuit."
"Not advisable," said Jinx. "Our boss has excellent lawyers."
"ENOUGH," boomed a voice.
Everyone turned towards the two maruts. It had come from one of them.
"Officer Zeyeye, you have a job to do," it said. "You will test the sponsor in a battle of Duel Monsters. Will we ensure that no cheating – on either side – is involved.
"Ms. Eiko... Is your deck prepared?"
"Uh, yes..." said Ember.
"Then, let the first test begin," said the marut.
"So, they can speak," said Jinx, nervously.
Zeyeye stepped forward, and with a flash of light, a streamlined, silvery Duel Disk appeared on her arm.
"Fine..." she said. "Anything if means my ticket out of this place...
"But if you want to get Jetta out of here, I'm going to make you work for it..."
"Good luck, Ember," said Jinx.
(Ember: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Zeyeye: 8,000)
"Well, what are you waiting for?" said Zeyeye, rudely. "An engraved invitation?"
"If you wanted me to go first, just say so," said Ember, making a draw.
She had a feeling she was going to hate this chick.
"I'll set these, and end my turn."
Two set cards, one a Monster, the other a Spell or Trap, appeared.
"Not much of an opening move..." said Zeyeye, making a draw.
"I summon Infernity Necromancer."
There was a ghostly moan, and a fiendish-looking phantom floated onto the field in front of her. It wore a tattered, purple robe, and had a bare skull for a face, topped with a fright wig. (0 ATK)
"An Infernity Monster??" exclaimed Shichiro.
"Eh, it has zero Attack Points," said Jinx.
"But since I Normal Summoned it, it quickly moves to Defense Mode," replied Zeyeye.
The Fiend shielded itself with its bony arms. (2,000 DEF)
"I'll set one card facedown, and that will be all."
A reversed card appeared behind Infernity Necromancer.
Ember drew a card.
"I sacrifice my Monster..." she exclaimed.
Her reversed Monster turned to an orb of light.
"...to summon a Fiend of my own! Meet Flamvell Devil!"
There was an explosion of fire, and the fiery demon stepped out. It roared in bloodlust. (2,100 ATK)
Ember paused.
That facedown card could be a nasty surprise... she thought. But... I think she's bluffing!
"Attack!" she shouted. "Burning wave!"
Flamvell Devil spouted a blast of hellfire from its maw, and the Necromancer groaned before exploding into pixels.
"Wasn't so hard..." said Ember.
"But it's about to get much harder..." said Zeyeye, with a big grin.
Her Trap Card lifted up.
"I activate... Rope of Life! To pay the cost of this card, I have to fold my entire hand..."
She discarded her four cards to the Graveyard.
"...and in return, guess who's back?"
Infernity Necromancer appeared again. (2,000 DEF)
"What..." said Jinx. "No... She threw away her whole hand to bring her Monster back?"
"Yes..." said Shichiro. "And she meant to do so all along. Clearly, she's using Infernities.
"It's one time when a duelist can actually benefit from having no hand.
"Poor Kiryu used these cards when he was a Dark Signer... The condition attached to them represented his situation... He had lost everything he had, but had become powerful because of it."
"Uh..." said Ember. "I end my turn... I guess..."
"I draw one card," said Zeyeye.
"And I summon Infernity Mirage!"
The air in front of her rippled, and a humanoid figure appeared. Like its name implied, it was translucent, like a mirage. It was dressed like a Native American Shaman, with a headdress made of brown feathers. (0 ATK)
"Do all of your Monsters have zero Attack Points?" asked Ember.
"See for yourself," said Zeyeye. "Because when I have no cards in my hand, I can sacrifice Mirage..."
The fiendish shaman vanished.
"...to Special Summon two Infernity Monsters from my Graveyard!
"So first I'll summon Infernity Archfiend."
Another Fiend appeared. This one was tall, thin, and lanky, with blue skin and orange hair styled in a peak, wearing a grey bodysuit with blue scarves. (1,800 ATK)
"And then, Infernity Dwarf!"
Another figure appeared, this one a sinister looking dwarf wearing overalls and a floppy hat. He held an axe that burned with an aura of fire. (800 ATK)
"Then I'll use Infernity Necromancer's effect," continued Zeyeye. "It lets me Special Summon an Infernity Monster from my Graveyard every round, so long as I have no cards in my hand.
"So say hello to Infernity Destroyer!"
There was a blast of fire, even more intense than the one that had heralded Flamvell Devil's arrival, and a far more hulking Fiend appeared from out of it. It had horns, claws, and a black, armored carapace, with a silvery breastplate over it. (2,300 ATK)
"Still with me?" asked Zeyeye.
"Hanging onto every word..." said Ember, nervously.
"The final card I tossed when I played Rope of Life bears especial remark," continued Zeyeye. "It's a special Trap Card called Skill Successor."
The card slipped out of her discard slot, and she placed it in the holster on her belt.
"By removing it from play while it's in my Graveyard, one Monster on the field gains 800 Attack Points for one round. Think I'll give that bonus to my Archfiend."
Infernity Archfiend glowed with an aura of green energy. (2,600 ATK)
"Now, time to show you what sort of a bitch I am! Infernity Destroyer... Attack..."
"I activate my Spell Card!" shouted Ember.
"Eh?" said Zeyeye.
Ember's facedown card lifted up.
"Enemy Controller," she said. "I have to sacrifice my Monster..."
Flamvell Devil vanished into grains of light.
"...but he would have been destroyed anyway, and by seizing control of your Archfiend, I'll save myself a LOT of damage this round."
Infernity Archfiend vanished, and then reappeared on Ember's side.
Zeyeye closed her eyes and smirked.
"Smart..." she said. "I guess you're full of tricks too...
"I end my turn, so gimme back my Monster!"
Infernity Archfiend reappeared back on her side of the field, and its Attack Score fell back to 1,800.
"My move!" shouted Ember.
"All right, Miss Anger Management Issues," she said, "I'm removing Little Chimera from play to Special Summon Inferno in Defense Mode."
She pocketed the card, and a roaring bonfire appeared on her side of the field. (1,900 DEF)
"Then I'll set a Monster."
A reversed Monster appeared.
"And I end my turn..."
Zeyeye drew a card. She grinned again.
"I summon Infernity Beast!" she laughed.
There was a loud howl, and a demonic-looking hound with strange looking sacks behind its jaws leapt onto the field. (1,600 ATK)
"Five Monsters?" gasped Gears.
"Infernity is a combination of both swarm and beatdown," said Shichiro. "So long as you have no hand, the Monsters are incredibly easy to summon fast."
"By the way, newbie," said Zeyeye, "defending isn't going to work so long as Infernity Dwarf is on the field. He gives all my Monsters a trampling effect, so long as I have no hand."
Then she pointed, and Infernity Destroyer unleashed a wave of lightning, vaporizing. Inferno.
"And, also because I have no hand, Destroyer deals out 1,600 extra points of damage whenever it... destroys."
Ember groaned as flames licked at her shoulders.
"Next," said Zeyeye, "my Archfiend is going after your little scardy-cat Monster..."
Archfiend reached forward, and its claw turned into fiery energy. It reached for the hidden Monster...
A large, fiery buzzard with a scaly hide appeared, crouching behind its wings. (1,800 ATK) The claw halted.
"Afraid Neo Flamvell Garuda's Defense is a bit too much," said Ember.
Zeyeye sighed.
"In that case," she said, "I end my turn..."
(E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 8,000)
Ember made a draw.
Okay, let's see here... she thought. She has five Monsters, and all of them are trouble...
Especially that Necromancer... It can revive any Infernity that I destroy.
But... She can only do it once per round...
"I summon my own four-legged friend," she said. "Flamvell Firedog!"
There was another howl, and Firedog bounded onto the field. (1,900 ATK)
"Time to go on the offensive!" she shouted. "Firedog, toast Infernity Dwarf!"
Firedog breathed a blast of flame from its jaws, roasting the evil dwarf to a crisp.
"Ergh..." grunted Zeyeye.
"Now, I'll use Firedog's effect to bring out Neo Flamvell Shaman!" continued Ember.
A fiery portal opened, and the flaming, masked medicine man leapt out, twirling his fiery baton. (1,700 ATK)
"Attack Infernity Beast!" she ordered. "Tiki torch!"
Shaman blasted flames out of the mouthpiece of his mask, and Infernity Beast howled. It shattered into black pixels.
(E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 6,800)
"Yeah!" said Jinx.
"I move to my second Main Phase," said Jinx, "and play... Double Summon."
The Spell Card appeared.
"I'll use it to set a Monster."
A reversed Monster appeared along with her other ones.
"Now I move to my End Phase, where the effect of Neo Flamvell Garuda kicks in. Since I have at least one other Flamvell Monster, I can remove one card in your Graveyard from play."
Infernity Beast fell out of Zeyeye's discard slot.
"Ooh, you'll pay for that," said Zeyeye, as she placed it in her holster. "It's my move!"
She made a draw.
"I set a facedown, and then use Necromancer's effect to bring Infernity Dwarf back!"
A facedown card appeared, and then Infernity Dwarf appeared on the field again. (800 ATK)
"Now, since your Garuda can remove my Monsters from play, that's the Monster I'm getting rid of first!
"Infernity Destroyer, attack with wave of destruction!"
Destroyer blasted its bolts of energy again, and Garuda exploded.
"And once again, you lose 1,600 Life Points," said Zeyeye, with a smile.
Ember groaned again.
"Archfiend, crush that tiki!" shouted Zeyeye.
Infernity Archfiend reached forward with its flaming claw, and Neo Flamvell Shaman was incinerated.
"Infernity Dwarf, the facedown Monster!"
The evil dwarf rushed towards the hidden Monster, and lifted his axe...
But Zeyeye was shocked when she say what it was.
"Not a Morphing Jar!" she screamed, as the Warrior chopped the jar in two.
"That's right..." said Ember, with a grin. "If you have cards in your hand, your Infernities are powerless... And now you have to draw five.
"Start drawing."
Zeyeye growled, and made five draws. Ember discarded the last card in her hand, and made five draws.
"Fine..." said Zeyeye. "I might as well use one of them..."
She fit a card into her Disk. A reversed card appeared in a flash of light.
"I'll throw this facedown, and end my turn."
(E: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 6,800)
Ember drew.
Perfect, she thought.
"I Special Summon Neo Flamvell Origin," she said.
She played a card, and the small campfire with the cute face appeared. (500 ATK)
"What's so special about it?" shouted Zeyeye.
"Boy, if you're like this all the time, I wouldn't blame your boyfriend for leaving you," said Ember. "I'm allowed to Special Summon Origin if I control at least one Flamvell Monster, and your Graveyard has three or less cards in it.
"There are only two cards in your Graveyard right now, Rope of Life and Infernity Mirage. Everything else has been summoned out of it or removed from play.
"Now, getting back to what I was doing... I assume they have heard of Synchro Summoning in this galaxy?"
Flamvell Firedog and Neo Flamvell Origin dissolved into six glowing stars. Ember chanted.
"Born in the fiery core, rage empowered by white hot flames, strength of an erupting volcano! Clustering stars form a spark to light a roaring fire!
"Ignite… Flamvell Urquizas!"
Urquizas appeared with flames in his eyes. (2,100 ATK)
"I'm not impressed," said Zeyeye, offhand, putting her hand on her hip.
Her facedown card lifted up.
"I activate the Trap Card, Full Salvo! I discard every card in my hand, and for each one, you get blasted for 200 points of damage!"
She discarded the four cards in her hand, and four missiles shot out of the card. Ember grunted as they exploded around her.
"Crud!" said Jinx. "Now her Infernities will be able to use their effects again!"
"Yeah..." said Gears. "But... At least none of them can use their effects during Ember's turn, right?"
"I'm just getting started," said Ember, as she played a Spell Card. "I play the Spell Card, Fire Back. So I'll toss one Fire Monster..."
She discarded Neo Flamvell Saber.
"...to bring back Firedog."
Firedog bounded onto the field again. (1,900 ATK)
"Next," said Ember, since I haven't Normal Summoned yet, I'll summon Flamvell Archer."
Archer appeared, aiming his bow. (1,000 ATK)
"Now I'll use his effect. By sacrificing a Pyro Monster, I can increase the Attack Score of a Flamvell Monster by 800 for one round.
"So I'll sacrifice Archer himself to boost Firedog's Attack Score."
Archer vanished, and Firedog burned fiercer. (2,700 ATK)
"Wait..." said Zeyeye.
"Urquizas!" shouted Ember, "destroy Infernity Necromancer! Fist of flame!"
Urquizas rushed at the skeletal Fiend, and socked it hard. It burst into flaming bones.
Urquizas's Attack Score rose to 2,400.
"Next, Firedog attacks your Archfiend!"
The hellhound blasted its wave of hellfire, and the gaunt Archfiend exploded into raw energy.
"Ergh..." muttered Zeyeye.
"Now, I use Firedog's effect to bring Flamvell Gurnika out of my deck," said Ember.
In a flash of fiery energy, the humanoid dragon-man appeared, hovering over the field. (1,700 ATK)
Ember held up her last card.
"I play Shrink, to bring your Destroyer down to a more manageable size."
Infernity Destroyer shrank to half its size. (1,150 ATK)
"Gurnika, destroy it!" ordered Ember.
Gurnika spit a ball of flame at the reduced-sized Fiend, burning it to a crisp.
"And now for Gurnika's effect," said Ember. "You lose 200 Life Points for each Level that Monster had. And I believe it was Level 6."
Zeyeye grunted as an aura of flames surrounded her and she keeled over.
(E: 2,900) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 4,050)
Zeyeye slowly looked up.
"Heh, heh..." she chuckled. "Not bad... But I have a surprise...
"You see, one of the Monsters I sent to the Graveyard when I used Full Salvo was this guy!"
A small shadow appeared on the field, and a hideous creature appeared. It was a demonic scarecrow, dressed like a cowboy, holding two six-shooters. (0 ATK)
"HUH?" said Ember.
"It's called Infernity Avenger," said Zeyeye. "Since you destroyed an Infernity Monster while I had no hand, I'm able to Special Summon it from my Graveyard.
"What's more, its Level becomes that of the Monster that you destroyed."
"But..." said Ember. "Why would it have an effect like that..."
Then it hit her.
"Unless..."
"My move..." said Zeyeye.
She drew a card. She quickly set it on her Disk, and it appeared facedown.
"I thought I was angry before..." she growled. "Now I'm really angry...
"Remember when I said I was going to show you what kind of a bitch I was? Well I lied... I can be a much bigger one...
"In response to your earlier question, we know all about Synchro Summoning..."
"Good lord..." said Shichiro. "That thing is Quickdraw Synchron's evil brother..."
"That's right," said Zeyeye. "And since I summoned it in response to Infernity Destroyer being destroyed, its Level is now 6, meaning it can give my Dwarf a Tune-up!"
The whole room turned dark, and both Infernity Avenger and Infernity Dwarf turned into eight glowing stars. Zeyeye started a chant of her own:
"An unstoppable engine of destruction, nihilism focused into a mighty death beam! Rise from the infernal pits and lay waste to all before you..."
There was a low growl, and two glowing eyes appeared in the darkness...
"Synchro Summon... Infernity Death Dragon!"
The whole creature, all fifteen feet of it, stepped into view, and snarled at Ember. (3,000 ATK)
Ember had seen Dragons that were this big before. She had seen Dragons that were this strong before (her cousin's was a good example). But she had to admit, she had never seen a Dragon that was this downright ugly before. Its blackened hide was wrinkled and baggy, its claws and wings were crooked, and it had a big horn on its large snout.
"Three-thousand Attack Points?" shouted Gears. "Shichiro... Did Kiryu use this thing?"
"No, he used a Dark Synchro," replied Shichiro, "that One-Hundred Eyes Dragon thing... He...
"What the heck is this?"
"This is the true lord of the Infernities," said Zeyeye. "And while its Attack Score is considerable, it doesn't have to attack to make someone feel sorry.
"When I have no hand, I can forfeit my attacks this round to instead annihilate a Monster, and deal damage equal to half that Monster's Attack Score.
"Infernity Death Dragon, wipe out Flamvell Urquizas with Infernity Death Breath!"
The demonic Dragon roared, letting out a gust of foul breath, blowing Urquizas to shards. Ember held her chest as pain ripped through her torso.
(E: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 4,050)
"I'm finished..." said Zeyeye, with an evil grin.
Ember caught her breath, and drew one card.
She set it on her Disk, and a reversed card materialized.
"I move both my Monsters to Defense Mode," she said.
Flamvell Gurnika knelt and crossed its arms. (200 DEF) Flamvell Firedog moved to a sitting position. (200 DEF)
"I end my turn."
Zeyeye made a draw.
"Well, this will be fun..." she said.
She threw a card on her Disk.
"I summon Infernity Randomizer!"
She played the card, and the most unlikely Monster Ember had ever seen appeared. Its body was shaped like a revolver, with a barrel at both ends, with a demonic face on top, and two slender arms under the barrels. (900 ATK)
"This guy's effect is sort of like Russian roulette," said Zeyeye. "I draw one card, and if it's a Monster, you lose Life Points equal to 200 times its Level. If it's not a Monster, I lose 500 Life Points.
"So let's see..."
She drew a card.
She grinned, and held it up. It was Infernity Guardian, which was Level 4.
Infernity Randomizer turned sideways, and fired a blast at Ember. She held her stomach.
(E: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 4,050)
"All I need to do now is activate my Dragon's effect to destroy that mutt," gloated Zeyeye, "and you're finished."
"Small flaw in your plan..." gasped Ember. "Your Dragon's effect only works when you have no hand... Since you used Randomizer's effect, you don't meet that condition now..."
Zeyeye stopped short. She looked at Infernity Guardian in her hand.
"Well, well, well," she said. "So I don't...
"Well, why don't I activate this, then..."
Her facedown card lifted up, revealing itself to be Reckless Greed.
"Well, that will just give her two more cards," said Jinx.
"True," said Gears, "but if one of them is a Spell that lets her discard the other two, Ember is in big trouble."
Zeyeye drew two cards, and looked at them.
"Okay, you're safe," she said.
For now, she thought.
She took both the cards she drew, and fit them in her Disk. They appeared facedown.
"Well, I still have my Monsters' normal attacks..."
Infernity Death Dragon let out a stream of deadly fire, reducing Flamvell Firedog to ashes. Then Infernity Randomizer fired a second blast, blowing Gurnika to pieces.
"Then, why don't I activate this..." said Ember.
Her facedown Dust Tornado shot up, and blew into one of the two cards Zeyeye had just set, which was Dimensional Prison. It shattered into pieces.
Zeyeye grinned, and closed her eyes.
She may have gotten rid of that one, she thought, but I still have a far deadlier Trap which will serve as a backup plan if she somehow manages to summon something stronger than my Dragon. Next, turn, when I skip my Draw Phase, I just have to summon Infernity Guardian, and then trigger it...
Zero Hole, a powerful Trap that will destroy all cards on the field, so long as I have no cards in my hand...
All except for Infernity Guardian, whose own effect renders it indestructible when I have no hand. This duel is mine.
"I end my turn," she said.
Ember drew a card.
"Well, Zeyeye..." she said. "Maybe you had the right idea... You see, I have a little bit of an inner bitch inside me myself...
"It just took an outward one like you to bring her out! I'm taking you down!"
"Yeah, how?" asked Zeyeye.
"With this!" shouted Ember. "The powerful Spell Card, Rekindling!"
Five fireballs appeared on Ember's side of the field, and they quickly turned into five Monsters: Flamvell Firedog (1,900 ATK), Flamvell Gurnika (1,700 ATK), Neo Flamvell Shaman (1,700 ATK), Flamvell Archer (1,000 ATK), and Neo Flamvell Origin. (500 ATK)
"Where did THEY come from??" shouted Zeyeye.
"My Graveyard," said Ember. "Rekindling lets me summon as many Fire-Attribute Monsters from there as I can, so long as they all have exactly 200 Defense Points. They'll all be removed from play when my turn ends, but they'll have done the job by then.
"First thing's first... I Tune Origin and Gurnika together to summon someone new..."
The two Flamvells turned into six glowing stars. Ember started to chant again...
"Powerful huntsman with a bow of flames and a burning determination! Blaze the trail and bring in your quarry. Clustering stars form a light that leads you to your prey!
"Synchro Summon… Flamvell Justicar!"
Forming a burning wake, the evolved form of Flamvell Archer leapt down to face the huge Dragon. (2,300 ATK)
"Is that supposed to scare me?" asked Zeyeye.
"Maybe this will," said Ember. "When Flamvell Justicar is Synchro Summoned, I get to name one Type of Monster, and he gains 1,000 Attack Points when attacking that Monster."
Zeyeye's confident look vanished.
"So, I'll name Dragons," said Ember, as Justicar pulled his bowstring back, "and he can easily take down tall, dark, and gruesome."
Justicar's Attack Score rose to 3,300. He fired, and an explosion ripped through the chamber as Infernity Death Dragon was blown to flaming particles. Zeyeye struggled to keep on her feet.
"And then there's Firedog!" shouted Ember.
Firedog blasted its wave of flame, and Infernity Randomizer melted into molten steel.
"I use Firedog's effect to summon Flamvell Baby to the field," said Ember.
The small, flaming infant appeared. (800 ATK) It flew up to Zeyeye and spat a tiny fireball at her.
"I'm not through with you!" shouted Ember. "Flamvell Archer, go! Attack directly"
Archer fired his bow, and Zeyeye gasped as the flaming arrow hit her.
"Shaman, you next!"
Neo Flamvell Shaman blasted its Tiki torch, and Zeyeye screamed.
Then she fell to her knees, and collapsed.
(E: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 0)
Ember took some deep breaths. Her Monsters vanished into grains of light.
"Man, Ember," said Gears. "I'm glad I'll never have to duel you... You're crazy..."
"Officer Zeyeye," said the marut, "you are dismissed."
Zeyeye crawled to her feet.
"Fine..." she growled. "At least now I can leave this rock..."
Then she simply vanished into sparkling motes of light.
"I guess she didn't want to stick around," said Jinx. "But then, who could blame her?"
The marut who had spoken pulled a switch, and the doors behind it opened.
"Second checkpoint is down the hall and up the stairs," it said. "You may proceed."
Ember took a deep breath. She walked past the two maruts.
But when the others tried to do so, the second one blocked their path.
"Only the sponsor is allowed past this point," it said. "The rest of you will have to wait here."
"Oh, come on!" said Jinx.
"Jinx, I doubt we have much of a choice," said Shichiro.
"I'll be fine," said Ember, with a sigh.
At least, I hope I will... One duel down, three to go...
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Back on terra firma, at Shadowchaser Headquarters, Jalal was wearing his armor, and his sword was at his hip.
He didn't know what to expect when he confronted Xvartnar this time. The last time he had gone there, the guardian oni had challenged him to a battle of Duel Monsters, thinking it would be "fun".
Jalal had been around too long to see much of anything as "fun". But he had gotten what he had wanted.
He was pretty sure that Xvartnar would try to stop him, like he always did. But he was also certain that he could get by whatever the big jerk threw at him. Hopefully, after this happened enough times, the king who owned the Black Library would agree to a more diplomatic agreement in order for him to use it.
He waved his hand over the full-length mirror in front of him, and a portal of scintillating colors opened in it. He stepped through...
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ZERO HOLE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A fleet of ships, airplanes, and helicopters being sucked into a huge whirlpool.
Card Description: Activate only when you have no cards in your hand. Destroy all cards on the field.
Note: "Zero Hole" was first used by Jack in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" Episode 69. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Jalal: Xvartnar's juvenile attempts to mislead me aren't half as upsetting as the credit he's giving my intelligence. When his initial plan falls flat, he challenges me to another duel, and it seems he may have learned a thing or two from our last encounter.
"Silver Wing" is coming soon.
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Shadowchaser Files
The Scourge of Asia, the Four Yokai Clans
There are understandably few global organizations in modern times that can pose an ongoing threat to the Shadowchasers, or at least not many that last long after they are revealed, but in the deepest regions of Asia exist a collective of beings who, if ever united, would be as great a threat to the Shadowchasers and possibly the world as they are to each other, the Four Houses of the Yokai.
Most human residents of Asia have heard legends of the Yokai; demons, goblins, and other spirits said to represent nature's savagery. The great Minamoto Yoshitsune claimed to have been taught swordsmanship by one of them. In truth, these creatures of folklore are Shadowkind, just like those of other nations, but they are more organized than most.
Each House consists of a clan of Yokai affiliated with their namesake title. The House of the Howling Gale is governed largely by Kenku and Tengu, Yokai affiliated with the air and sky. The House of the Raging Mountain consist of the more earth affiliated Oni. Kappa, Samebito and other water Yokai govern the House of the Shrieking Tempest. And the final clan, the House of the Surging Flame, is predominated by Yokai affiliated with fire. These four clans are run in a manner largely unchanged throughout the thousands of years they have existed.
In general the Four Houses follow a strict code of Feudalism with the ruling members of each House consisting of two figures of power. The Bride, always a female Yokai who is raised to handle all matters of economic, political and social matters within the clan. The other is the Lord, a male Yokai usually, but not limited to, a male of the Bride's species to ensure future generations. The Lord's power is more geared towards each House's military power, and his first priority above all else is to serve and protect the Bride at all costs.
Each House has at least one or in some cases several private armies of well trained Yokai warriors, each division trained in different means of combat depending on their species and background but all showing a preference for Japanese and Chinese warfare before the use of firearms. This seemingly out of date choice of warfare is augmented mightily by each House's courts of sorcerers, who are, without exception, masters of elementalist magic of the type associated with their clan's heritage. For instance the sorcerers of the House of the Raging Mountain are masters of earth elementalism, the arcane art of manipulating earth and stone. Elementalism is often found side-by-side with alchemy, and this craft is often practiced among the Yokai wizards.
Story Suggestions: With each House boasting such strictly disciplined military might it is difficult to imagine why they have not launched an all out war against the Shadowchasers, whose efforts contrast directly with their belief of inherited domain over all of Asia and all its people, but the reason is actually quite simple. There is no true sense of allegiance between any of the Four Houses. Each clan is a vehement rival of the other three and are in a constant state of feuding. For the last thousand or more years the four Houses have existed in the midst of a power struggle that shifts back and forth as quickly as the tides change on a beach. Occasionally one or two Houses will form a brief alliance but only until the war has turned in their favor, afterwards one of both houses will turn on the other at the first sense of weakness.
Some philosophers say that this is due to the fact that each House represents a different element, and elements conflict with each other by their very nature. Water opposes Fire, and Wind opposes Earth; at the same time, Water and Earth will not align to oppose Wind and Fire, because Water can dominate Earth. Whether this theory is true or not, it is impossible to tell.
Whatever the case, Jalal has not yet decided a permanent course of action against the Four Houses. As long as they are at direct odds against each other they are more a threat to each other then anyone else. It would take someone or something of considerable manipulative or diplomatic skill to convince any of the Four Houses to consider an alliance lasting longer then even a year. But if there was any common ground between them it would be their united opposition to Jalal and the Shadowchasers.
The Yokai view all of Asia as their territory by right, and so far any attempts by the Shadowchasers to oppose them on their home turf, even in force has only served to unite the Four Houses long enough to drive the Shadowchasers and any allies out. They do not recognize the Treaty and are known to make public examples of any within their ranks or those who serve them that show any visible support for Jalal. This also would make any region of China or Japan that is currently Yokai territory an excellent hiding place for any criminals brave enough, or resourceful enough, to elude the Yokai clans. After all because of the ferocity of the feud between the four Houses the deepest depths of Asia remains largely no mans land for Shadowchasers, but again, as long as the Four Houses continue to view each other as enemies, their threat to the world is drastically reduced... for now.
Deck Suggestions: One of many words of advice for any unlucky enough to be in the heart of Yokai territory would be NOT to suggest that the Four Houses all run Yokai decks (at least if you want to keep your limbs and internal organs intact). While the Four Houses do not feel compelled to settle their matters more with a Duel Disk then they would with a sharp blade, they have accepted the need to adjust with the coming of Duel Monsters in the occasions when they feel the need for more 'civilized' combat. However in accordance to their traditions the Yokai nobility, each use decks that follow two conditions. The first is that the majority (in fact preferably all) of the Monsters used are of the same Attribute associated with their clan, and the second is that it in some way follows an oriental theme.
An example of this template is the Lord of the House of the Raging Mountain, the Oni warlord Bo-Fe. Bo Fe uses an Earth Attribute deck with a unique strategy designed around his three copies of Zanki, the level five Warrior type monster used by "Ghost" Kotsuzuka against Jonouchi in Duelist Kingdom. While on its own the card may seem outdated, Bo-Fe has built a clever strategy where he summons one with Giant Rat, allows it to be destroyed, summons it again using Birthright, summons the other two with Inferno Reckless Summon, and then uses Delta Attacker and Surprise Attack from the Darkness for a difficult to pull off but potentially lethal OTK. Not every deck used by the Four Houses is this abstract granted, but generally distinct decks like Elemental Heroes, Lightsworns, and other meta level decks are rarely used by the Yokai, although lower ranking members have more leeway in their choice of decks as they have less importance to their respective House's namesake.
The Four Yokai Clans were a creation of fanfic author Metal Overlord 2.0.