CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: Comfortably Numb
Well, here we are. Sorry it took long, but it's a very important chapter and I wanted to get it exactly right.
Candyman123: No problem ^^. Enjoy this one.
Metal Overlord 2.0 (maybe I should now rename you Master of the Legion :P If you get my meaning): Darn right it's the greatest plot twist in the story, and it wouldn't have been possible without you, my friend. I can't thank you enough. You should take great pride in this….
The length of the duels was just to show that Sigma is by far and away right now one of the most skilled duelists on Earth, demonstrating his dominance over the best two duelists from DA.
Enjoy the chapter, my friend :). Thanks again
BEWK: I've tried to delve deeper into Kaiba…. So yeah. Thanks for the review man.
Starlight AT: Apocalypse will blow up in the next four chapters, destroying everyone :P
Nah, I kid. You'll have to read on to right that :P
Enjoy this chapter my friends. It's a very important one, and now all the chess pieces will be aligned.
"This is the territory of my master Mandarin," echoed the blank voice of one of the monks who had stepped out into the gigantic entrance hall of the palace to 'greet' the new visitors.
Rikuo raised an eyebrow. There were about thirty of these monks that made up this welcome party.
"You would be wise to leave now," droned on the Shaolin man.
Rikuo yawned and walked forward. "Listen up, son….. I haven't had beef jerky in nearly ten hours. I'm a very cranky wolf demon, and I took some of them out on your unfortunate watchman. He controlled the mist that can kill each and every one of you very easily, and once I was done with him there were nothing but a pile of ashes. So, just saying is all, it's on your best interests to step aside and allow us to deal with your mysterious master."
The monk at the head stared ahead blankly at him.
Rikuo growled irritably and scratched the back of his head. "And I thought monks placed a high emphasis on education…."
"Call it a minute and a half," called Bakura.
The Wolf Demon General looked at him incredulously. "A full ninety seconds? For these schmucks?"
The Thief King snarled. "Ok Mr. Overachiever. A minute and a quarter."
Rikuo nodded. "That's more like it."
"Don't kill them," said Sarah urgently. "They're not guilty of anything, they're just being controlled by Mandarin."
Rikuo gave her a withering look. "You might want to push it up to two minutes then."
Jason and Deondre didn't participate in the exchange, but simply stepped forward, fists hanging loosely by their sides.
"Now," echoed Rikuo.
The five took off simultaneously. Thirty against five put the odds at six to one for Sarah, Jason, Rikuo, Deondre and Bakura. Piece of cake.
As it turned out, two minutes was a little bit optimistic, even for a group of fighters as skilled as them. But within about a hundred and seventy-five seconds, twenty-nine possessed monks lay unconscious or at least incapacitated on the ground.
It was like watching a beautiful storm. The grace and skill with which the five moved ensured that not one blow was landed without achieving its intended purpose. Targeting vital points such as the solar plexus, temple, and the base of the throat, their attacks consisted more of a series of quick finger jabs and swift strikes then fancy roundhouse kicks and heavy punches, not needing to spend more than twenty to twenty-five seconds on each of their opponents, who were completely unprepared, deftly executing their own attacks and evading any sloppy maneuvers the monks tried to take advantage of the only factor in their favor: numbers.
But it didn't really matter, as the five were far faster, stronger, more skilled, and more efficient then the group in front of them, who only probably had basic martial arts training. Nobody had intruded upon the Valley of Spirits in a long time, which was probably why the monks didn't really have much battle practice, Sarah thought dispassionately as she disposed of her final opponent with a quick jab of her first two fingers into his solar plexus, before following it up with a quick elbow to the temple for good measure.
The last monk stood stock still in the midst of the almost humorous massacre, a blank expression on his face.
Rikuo walked up to him, dusting his hands, swearing about stepping over the bodies on the ground which were practically all over the place.
"All right, my friend," he snarled. "We took care of your boys here. Care to tell us where the owner of this fine establishment resides?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The individual who was once called Dartz was now barely recognizable. It had barely eaten, been allowed only filthy water, and had probably lost over half its body weight since being put into the dungeon of Apocalypse.
It was chained down by all four limbs, being allowed almost no freedom of movement. Yet, a zombie-like smile graced its face as it sent out two telepathic messages. Both were exactly the same.
"It is time. Executions must be executed down to the letter."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rikuo's question was met by the repeated sound of one hand hitting against another. Clapping.
He turned to see a giant of a man walking down one of the winding staircase at the far corner of the room towards them. He stood at least six foot six, and probably weighed three hundred plus pounds. He was dressed in a green Chinese robe, which had intricate golden patterns on it as well. He was bald except for a long plat coming down his neck. A sharp goatee stuck out of his neck.
Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Mandarin."
"A good show, this was," he chuckled. His voice had a peculiar, rasping quality to it.
"Of course my servants were always rather pathetic… So I decided to have to spare you the trouble of putting up with more rabble and come to you directly myself."
"How very thoughtful of you," sneered Rikuo, as the other four stepped towards their new adversary along with him. Inwardly, however, Rikuo could see that there was definitely something more then met the eye…. It sounded very unlike the man Eizan and Zerato had told them about to come and face his enemies directly.
"You should have made yourselves scarce when faced with my Gatekeeper," continued Mandarin.
"Your Gatekeeper?" retorted Rikuo. "The guy who I blew to a pile of cinders not ten minutes ago? I hope to God you're a hell of a lot stronger than him because we didn't come all the way here to fight a pair of has-beens, that's for sure…"
Mandarin cackled. "Believe me, you have no idea about the gulf between myself and those lowlifes whom I control. You made a mistake by coming here, and I intend to show you the error of your ways and force punishment upon you."
This was the tricky part, frowned Sarah. They had to make sure that they did not reveal to him that they were after the Seal. In Necropolis, Jason and the others made the mistake of revealing that their primary objective was to seek out the Seal of Immortality, which resulted in Angel making it impossible for them to locate it. If Mandarin even got a whiff that they were after the Seal, whether or not he knew what exactly it was, that quality of the Seal which made those who possessed it obsessed with it would make it far more difficult for them to get their hands on it.
But then, they had also been told that the defenses in the palace would be numerous. Mandarin also seemed a bit too talkative and enthusiastic…. They had been told he was a kind of ruthless tyrant who rarely stepped out of the shadows.
She narrowed her eyes.
Something was wrong…..
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dartz tapped the ground ever so lightly. This part was ever so critical.
"Duel only the one known as Jason Becker."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It wasn't just Sarah. Even the others were more than a bit suspicious.
"This was too easy…." thought Deondre to himself, cracking his knuckles. "There is NO way that this guy is legit if he just came out here off his own accord so that we wouldn't have to bypass all of the other obstacles in this place."
"Now, I suppose you cretin have heard of Duel Monsters," drawled Mandarin.
"You're a funny little creep, you know that," snapped Rikuo, making to activate his Duel Disk. "This will take even less time than your little welcome party."
"I do intend to punish you, demon," retorted Mandarin, "as you've given me the job of finding a new Gatekeeper. However, I have more pressing matters to attend to than a howling mutt. I will first duel you."
He raised a spider-like hand, curling it into a fist and extending his index finger towards Jason.
The Eagle agent met his gaze unflinchingly.
The rest of the group was stunned. Why would Mandarin specifically want to duel one of their number?
"Jason, no," said Sarah uneasily. "Something is wrong."
"Of course something is wrong!" boomed Mandarin. "This entire planet is going to be a playground from hell in less than two and a half hours!"
"What in the nine hells are you rambling about?" spat Bakura.
"Better you stay ignorant, you are not going to live long enough to care," quipped Mandarin, an outdated Duel Disk model appearing on his arm.
All eyes were on Jason. Mandarin's strange request, coupled with the absurd ease that they had made it to this stage with, had the entire group on edge.
Sarah glanced back and forth from Jason to their adversary. She blinked in shock. She could've sworn she saw a green glint in Mandarin's eyes.
"Jason, we need to-…." He cut her off with a raised hand, and glared at Mandarin with immeasurable hatred.
"If there is one thing I truly detest, it is an individual who considers it his right to lord over others," he hissed.
"And you see something you don't like, you want to tear it down?" replied Mandarin.
"As a matter of fact, yes," snapped Jason.
Rikuo put a hand on his shoulder. "Boy, bravery is one thing and stupidity is another. If this character wants to duel you for a specific reason, there is something more than meets the eye. You're playing right into his hands. I will duel."
"NO!" snarled Jason, shrugging the Wolf Demon General's hand off.
Rikuo shrugged. What the heck…. One of them had to take him on anyway, so what did it matter, really…. He looked forward to seeing this kid in action.
Jason activated his Duel Disk and fired off the holo projectors.
"He's baiting Jason," thought Sarah. Her mind began to drift in that direction but she immediately stopped herself. "NO. That is the past. And anyway, how could Mandarin of all people know about it…. He's probably just a weird sadist and has some odd reason behind his request that only he can understand."
Then again, that hardly fit the character traits of the man they had been told about before the mission. This further supplemented her feeling that something was certainly not right here….
(Jason: 8000, Mandarin: 8000)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A bit of a stunned silence elapsed between Eizan and Webster.
The director of the FBI spoke gently, as if to a child. "Eizan…. You really should be cutting down on the sake, at your age."
"Shut up, damnit, this is serious!" snapped Eizan in reply.
"The meteor is over Venezuelan territory Eizan, for God's sake," groaned Webster. "By international law we aren't allowed to deal with it. Besides, I'm the most powerful man in law enforcement for crying out loud….. If you wanted to speak to someone regarding this damn meteor you should've called NASA."
"I know this is not your jurisdiction," growled Eizan. "That is exactly why I told you I need to talk to the President."
Webster wrung his hands helplessly. He owed Eizan plenty… They had watched each other's backs in the past. On one hand he couldn't deny an old friend's request right away, but he also had no idea how to accept it. This was the goddamn President of the United States for God's sake!
He sighed. "Eizan, let me see what I can do. I'll call you back in an hour."
"We don't have an hour," pressed Eizan.
"Have an hour for what?" replied Webster. He was getting thoroughly puzzled by Eizan's words now.
"I can't say more," replied Eizan flatly. "I can't say anything except that the projectile must be destroyed."
Webster groaned. He knew Eizan for long enough to say with certainty that if he was making a call like this, he was definitely serious.
But how the hell was he going to get that message across to the President?
"Okay, I'll call you back as soon as possible."
Before he disconnected, Eizan could have sworn he heard a distant echo across the line. He froze momentarily. This only confirmed his suspicion….
"We are Legion, we are coming."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Reflect stared at the bleak afternoon sky through his window, and a growing smile plastered itself across his face as the green glow expanded with each passing second.
He picked up the phone on his desk without taking his eyes of the sky in front of him, and dialed a number by speed dial.
El Lobo Diablo picked up on the other end.
"Are you in place?" whispered Reflect.
"Affirmative," growled the giant in reply. "You could certainly have chosen a better stakeout location than the Valley of Spirits. This damned mist prevents any kind of surveillance whatsoever."
"I didn't choose it, it was those fools that make up the Council when they sent a Seal there," replied Reflect evenly. "We should be thankful that Li's mole continued to provide us with information even after his death."
He got merely a grunt in reply.
"Now follow the instructions to the letter. Once you have arrived at the predetermined location with the prisoner and the Seal, I will give you the details of the underwater transport I have arranged."
He noted a bit of skeptical sarcasm in Diablo's words. "So you're actually serious about the skies being dangerous from now on."
"Skies?" Reflect spoke with a muted chuckle. "The entire world is going to be dangerous from now on…. It's just that I have a feeling they won't get to the Atlantic soon enough."
"Who is the 'they' you keep going on about?" growled Diablo.
"All in good time," chuckled Reflect. "Just do your job and secure both the prisoner and the Seal once the dust has settled between Mandarin and these fools from Eagle. Then once you return to the United States we will have the bargaining chips necessary to ensure the Paradias Corporation reaches the pinnacle of mankind."
Diablo wasn't really interested in Reflect's rants, but he didn't say anything.
"I'll call you once I'm at the location," grunted Diablo, and disconnected.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Eizan had no idea how he had done it, but Webster had somehow gotten the President to agree to take five minutes out and speak to him. It must have taken every bit of credibility and influence he had over the world's most powerful man. However, Eizan really had neither the time nor the inclination to ask him about it.
He took a deep breath as the White House switchboard operator connected him to the landline in the Oval Office. He could almost hear Webster's nervous breathing in the background.
"Mr. President," began Eizan. "Thank you for taking time out to speak to me."
He received a testy answer. "You are welcome, Mr. Nakamura. After all it's only my duty to help my fellow citizens in need. As soon as Harland vouched for you I more or less figured you would not be wasting my time. Tell me…. What can I do for you?"
"Mr. President this is regarding the projectile which is heading towards the Andes as we speak."
He heard the President restrain a frustrated sigh on the other end.
"Mr. Nakamura you are the sixteenth person to speak to me about that today. Contrary to what you may believe, NASA detected this meteor a very long time ago. Obviously they did not predict its exponential increase in speed, but it has been put down to an unusual chemical reaction within the meteor that resulted in its speeding towards Earth at an increased velocity. You are correct, however, it will impact the Andes, most likely in Venezuela, in roughly two and a half hours."
"Sir, I speak with all necessary seriousness when I say that it is essential that you launch any available nuclear warhead at the oncoming projectile."
Similar to Webster, the President replied to his words with a stunned silence. However, when he finally decided to speak he did so with a measure of scorn and irritation.
"Mr. Nakamura I am willing to overlook your bluntness as a close confidant of Harland Webster. However I still fail to see how it is your place, as a private citizen, to dictate the actions that this administration will take in the light of recent events."
Eizan groaned to himself. This was where the bureaucracy started….
"Even if I decided not to pay attention to that, the meteor will be over Venezuelan territory, and it would be overstepping my boundaries as per international law. Even if that was discounted, such a decision makes no logical sense. Firing a nuclear warhead at the meteor would simple turn one falling object into many. This is a decision for the Venezuelan government to make, and I'm sure even they would scoff at your suggestion. It is a relatively uninhabited place, and the Venezuelan army is evacuated the few remaining stragglers as we speak."
"Mr. President, it is essential-…"
"I have a meeting to attend, Mr. Nakamura," snapped the President. "I have entertained your bizarre whims enough. Good-bye, sir."
Eizan swore at the sound of the line being disconnected. He would normally be worried as to whether or not the President would take it out on Webster, but this was hardly the time… Having an angry boss would soon be the least of Webster's worries. The President seemed like a bit of a jerk, but he still thought it made sense to warn his friend.
He hit redial, and was connected to the director of the FBI's cell phone again.
"Harland-…" he began, but was cut off by a furious voice.
"You idiot. If you have something to say to the President at least make sure it's something serious!"
He didn't even give Eizan a chance to reply. "Do you have any idea what a fool I look like in his eyes? You know very well the President has no authority to make a decision like that on the spur of the moment, and even if he did, why would he? It is completely nonsensical and illogical!"
"I must warn you-…."
"You must do nothing!" snapped Webster. "I have a meeting now, good-bye."
Eizan tried calling him again, but received no answer. His shoulders slumped. Well, no point trying to undo this now. The best bet was to move on and do what he could with the situation. Which, at this point, was getting Jason and the others the hell out of here and then contacting the Council on what to do.
It was time to abort mission.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jason drew his sixth card.
"Activate, Pot of Greed." Mandarin merely watched blankly as Jason drew two more cards, his total hand size reaching seven.
"Then, Emergency Teleport. I may special summon one level three or lower Psychic monster from my deck, though it is removed from play at the end of the turn. Come, Clevonce (1200/400)," he intoned.
Yellow, transparent cubes flickered about the area, as did random ones and zero's. Some began forming pieces of a blue and yellow-armored body, and cylinder-shaped head. Sinister, green-computer eyes flashed across the black visored face of the being, as golden and blue patterns ran up the rest of the head's helmet. Yellow teeth shot an equally dastardly smirk. The feet were covered in thin, sock-like hoppers, and white and blue gloves with golden fingers were on the creature's arms.
"Next, activate, Fiend's Sanctuary. One Metal Fiend Token (0/0) is special summoned to my field."
With a small flash, a creature made up of round metal spheres that gradually got larger appeared in a hunched over stance on the field.
"Sacrifice, tribute summon, Armed Dragon LV5 (2400/1700)."
Vanishing quickly, the small metal creature was replaced instantly with a large dull grey armored dragon with orange skin. It had several large spikes sticking from its body, a pair of small drills sticking out from its knees and elbows, powerful clawed fists, short stubby wings, and finally a strong mace shaped ball on its tail.
"Activate, Level Up. Now, I may special summon Armed Dragon LV7 (2800/1000) from my deck."
Glowing brightly, the orange and grey dragon vanished, causing a plume of smoke to rise up. From the smoke came a loud roar, followed by a bright glow. Soon enough, powerful clawed hands came out of the smoke, followed by metallic wings, a long tail with a cylindrical like mace on the tip, strong legs with drills sticking from its legs, and finally followed by a strong head covered in semi-shiny metal armor that protected orange skin. Letting out a massive roar once more, the dragon glared across the field at the energy dragon.
"I tune Clevonce with Armed Dragon LV7. Synchro summon, Hyper Psychic Blaster (3000/2500)!"
Forming a pair of spheres, the two creatures began swirling together till finally the met one another and caused a brilliant white light to form onto the field. Stepping out of the light was a silver armored creature with a single teal colored electric eye and a striped line of teal running along its body.
On the creature's back was a pair of wings that were metallic and folded up. In each of the gray creature's hands was a blaster, with one being black in its right hand while the left one was gray. Both had wires hanging off of them that led back to the creature's waist and plugged into its body.
"A good opening move," commented Deondre.
Sarah's eyes gleamed. "I know that look. He's not done."
"Next, Level Modulation, activate. I may special summon one LV monster from my graveyard while you draw two cards. Come, Armed Dragon LV7 (2800/1000)."
Mandarin merely smirked as the giant red dragon materialized on Jason's field once again, flanking the Hyper Psychic Blaster.
"I sacrifice Armed Dragon LV7. Come, Armed Dragon LV10 (3000/2000)."
Vanishing quick as it had appeared, the powerful dragon was removed, causing a bright red glow to form. From the glow came a new dragon, one with shiny metal armor that covered a majority of its body, and reddish-orange skin. On its back were massive metal wings. Its head was covered completely in the armor, as was most of its chest and arms. The underside of its arms were not covered, and revealed reddish-orange skin, as did its legs. The dragon, unlike the previous forms, stood fully on two legs up straight and tall. Sending out a louder roar the previous dragon, the dragon gave an enraged glare at the weaker energy dragon.
Even Rikuo looked impressed. Jason had summoned two monsters with three thousand attack points each on his first turn, albeit at the cost of having only one card left in his hand. Still, the massive field advantage was definitely worth it.
"Card of Sanctity, activate. We both draw until we hold six cards. Since you already hold seven, you do not benefit."
Looking over his five new cards, the faintest of smiles graced Jason's face.
"Magic Shard Excavation, activate. I may discard two cards from my hand in order to retrieve one spell card from my graveyard. I choose Level Up. My two discards are Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600), and Repayment of Losses, which gives me a further draw. Now, Silent Doom, to special summon the monster I just discarded, albeit in defense position."
A portion of Jason's field next to the Armed Dragon LV10 and Hyper Psychic Blaster was suddenly hidden by black flames. From the flames, large silver wings came out, along with a long silver tail, a pair of powerful talon legs, and finally the main body of the silver metal dragon was seen. It still looked like a large bird, but a much more powerful bird.
"Then, Level Up. Come, my soul monster…. Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 (3000/1800)!"
A large sphere of black flames surrounded the silver dragon in a flash. From the flames came a larger set of silver metal wings, a longer tail, stronger talon legs, powerful silver arms, and at long last, a large silver head. With a massive roar, the flames dispersed.
Bakura inclined his head. "My, my… The boy certainly has skills. An opening move like that is no mean feat at all. Now all we have to see is what this Mandarin is capable of…."
"Card set. Turn end," intoned Jason.
Mandarin drew, now with eight cards in his hand due to the effect of Jason's Level Modulation.
"Those who cross me will pay dearly," he chuckled.
"Don't consider me a fool, Jason. I know your monsters; I know how powerful they are. If I choose to summon any monster, you can discard a card from your hand to have your Armed Dragon LV10 destroy it come your turn. Any spell card I activate can be negated by your pitiful Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8. If I summon any monster in defense mode, your Hyper Psychic Blaster will deal Piercing damage and give you an identical number of life-points."
The Eagle agent seemed a bit surprised at his opponent's knowledge, but didn't say anything else.
"Yes, Jason, I am well aware of what is going on here. I assure you, I am perfectly equipped to counter you one hundred and fifty percent."
He gave a grand flourish.
"Now, watch! I summon Stronghold Shadow – Defender (0/2000) in attack mode!"
Materializing on Mandarin's field was an Oriental man dressed in red armor. He carried a giant shield on his right arm, and a banner in his left which depicted a black vortex. His head was covered with a horned helmet, and a flowing midnight blue cape floated in his wake. He was armed with two small daggers which were kept in his belt.
Bakura snickered. "He's placed that fellow with zero attack points in attack mode against three monsters with three thousand attack points each?"
"Then I set three cards facedown," droned Mandarin, "and end my turn."
All eyes were on Jason. He seemed to have the potential to end the duel right then and there. However, it was obvious that there was certainly more to Mandarin's move then met the eye. His facedown cards were certainly a cause for concern.
Suddenly, before Jason could act, another monster materialized alongside him. This one was a lot less imposing, dressed in a black cloak and hood which left most of his body hidden. He clutched a bloody dagger in his right hand.
Even as the flames were almost about to incinerate them, the pair slammed into each other, whirling into a spinning vortex, from which emerged a new monster. This one was a lot bulkier and more impressive than the previous two, dressed in blazing orange armor, and with a long mane of hair flowing out behind him. He was on a white horse, and in one hand he held a giant shield, while he clutched a banner in the other which depicted a lightning bolt.
"Care to explain?" spoke Jason dryly.
"That would be my facedown continuous trap, Fortification Fusion. It allows me to fuse Stronghold Shadow monsters from my hand and field even during your turn, at the cost of one thousand life-points during each of my standby phases. So, I decided to fuse Stronghold Shadow – Defender, along with the Stronghold Shadow – Sentry (1800/1300) in my hand, in order to fusion summon the mighty Stronghold Shadow – Base Guardian (500/3000) in defense mode."
Jason did not seem perturbed at all. He was still in a good position to pull off a one-turn-kill.
"I discard Spear Dragon (1900/0) to destroy your Defender by the effect of Armed Dragon LV10," intoned Jason.
Roaring loudly, the dragon opened its jaws, revealing blazing red flames. With little effort, it shot forth a mighty beam of red power, which was heading straight in the direction of the unfortunate soldier on Mandarin's field. Jason watched in satisfaction as the flames engulfed the Stronghold Shadow – Base Guardian.
"Now, Hyper Psychic Blaster will attack dire-…"
He stopped short in surprise. The Base Guardian was still in play (500/2000).
"What is going on here?" he growled.
"Quite simple," quipped Mandarin. "My Stronghold Shadow – Base Guardian, allows me to sacrifice one thousand of its defense points in order to prevent it from being destroyed either by battle or by monster effects. In addition, I may add one of its fusion materials from my graveyard back to my hand every time I activate this effect."
Jason frowned. Since the effect of the Base Guardian allowed Mandarin to recycle his fusion materials, he would easily be able to summon multiple copies of Base Guardian thanks to his Fortification Fusion. He could of course go on ahead and keep discarding cards to use his Armed Dragon LV10's effect instead, but it was quite uneconomical with only three cards left anyway. Considering that Fortification Fusion allowed Mandarin to fuse monsters in his hand, the multiple copies of Base Guardian would prove very troublesome. Jason would rather retain the hand advantage and deal with the Base Guardians then weaken them a little more with his Armed Dragon LV10's effect.
"Hyper Psychic Blaster attacks your Stronghold Shadow – Base Guardian."
Taking aim, the silver giant unleashed a teal beam of energy from both of its blasters. The beam slammed into horseman, almost knocking him off. However, he somehow managed to keep his footing on the steed. His armor was now scratched in several places, and his shield almost completely broken (500/1000).
Mandarin suddenly let out a grunt of pain.
(Jason: 9000, Mandarin: 7000)
"Very impressive," mused Mandarin. "Your Hyper Psychic Blaster deals damage through defense and will increase your life-points equal to the damage dealt to me. Very good, young Jason, you are every bit as skilled as I would have anticipated."
Jason ignored the words of his opponent, and continued.
"Horus' attack."
The silver dragon opened its maw, letting a wave of flames spew out in the direction of the already weakened horseman. When the flames cleared, he was barely alive, armored destroyed in many places and blood leaking from numerous wounds. Yet there was still a small spark of fight left in his eyes, however small (500/0).
"Armed Dragon LV10 will end it."
Stepping forward, the dragon pulled back its right arm and formed a sphere of red energy within it. Closing its fist around the sphere, the dragon moved forward another step and thrust all its power into the claw, before opening it wide to release the crimson, almost blood-like ball of energy. It let trails of fire lose as it hurtled toward the half-dead creature.
"Command Silencer negates your attack and allows me to draw a single card."
A towering totem pole materialized in front of the injured warrior, letting out waves of sonic energy that stopped the Armed Dragon LV10's attack in its tracks.
"Is there a reason for his going out of his way to save his Base Guardian… He could have just as easily have summoned another one to block if he wanted a ready defense. He would still have been safe for two turns even if I chose to use Armed Dragon LV10's effect only once per monster. Command Silencer could have easily been saved for later, in case he desperately needed it. He's planning something for sure…."
"I will set a card facedown, and end my turn," concluded Jason finally.
Mandarin drew with a flourish.
"Now, since I used the effect of Base Guardian to return both Sentry as well as Defender back to my hand, I will now fuse them so that I may acquire yet another copy of Stronghold Shadow – Base Guardian (500/3000)!"
Materializing next to the weakened rider was another one, however, he seemed to be in much better shape, without any scratches and such on his armor.
"You expect me to go on the defensive and cower behind my Base Guardians, don't you Jason?" chuckled Mandarin.
The Eagle agent quirked an eyebrow.
"You could not be more wrong! I activate De-Fusion, splitting my first Base Guardian back down into its components: Stronghold Shadows – Defender (0/2000) and Sentry (1800/1300)."
"I chain Horus' effect to negate it," retorted Jason coldly.
Even as he spoke, a gigantic spark of lightning descended from the heavens and struck the dragon, leaving nothing but a pile of cinders in its wake.
Jason glared at Mandarin in anger.
"Explain yourself."
His opponent chuckled. "That was my Divine Wrath, that it was. At the cost of a single discard I may negate one monster effect and destroy that monster."
Jason didn't say a word, but his fist tightened noticeably at the destruction of his favorite monster, and he fixed Mandarin with a glare, as the injured and tired guardian vanished into an orb of light, which split itself into two smaller orbs. These two orbs expanded to take the form of the first two monsters which Mandarin had employed in the duel, the shifty looking cloaked individual and the shield wielding man.
"Then I chain Inferno Reckless Summon to the special summon of Stronghold Shadow – Defender. Since it has fewer then fifteen hundred attack points, I may now special summon two more copies two my field. Come, my other two Stronghold Shadow – Defenders (0/2000) (x2)!"
Another pair of warriors identical to Mandarin's first monster materialized on the field.
"Now you may special summon additional copies of one monster on your side of the field," quipped Mandarin. He then sarcastically slapped his head. "Oh! I forgot. Both Hyper Psychic Blaster and Armed Dragon LV10 cannot be special summoned except for their own effects, so you will not be able to benefit from my magic card," he finished, his voice dripping with sarcastic sympathy.
Jason ignored him.
"You have successful swarmed the field, yes, but in truth all you could manage at the maximum is the fusion summon of another Base Guardian, along with your two Defenders, maintaining a strong defense, nothing more."
Mandarin cackled, a sound that resembled bones rattling in the wind.
"Unfortunately, not, at least for you. You see, Stronghold Shadow - Sentry increases the attack points of each and every Stronghold Shadow by three hundred."
"That's not enough to defeat either one of my monsters," warned Jason.
"Perhaps not, except then I drop the bomb that Stronghold Shadow – Defender doubles the attack gain received by every Stronghold Shadow in play," chuckled Mandarin.
Jason looked startled.
"And I have…" Mandarin made a big show of counting them out on his fingers, "… three."
The Sentry (4200/1300), Defenders (2400/2000) (x3), and the Base Guardian (2900/3000) all glowed with intense energy.
Sarah bit her lip. Surely Jason had a counter….
"Now my Stronghold Shadow – Sentry will destroy your annoyance of an Armed Dragon LV10!"
The sentry seemed to fade into the shadows as he snuck across the field quietly, and came up behind the towering armored dragon, who did not seem to notice it. A gleeful cackle echoed through the gigantic entrance hall as the bloody knife defended. Jason forced himself not to flinch as the colossus of a dragon collapsed, bleeding profusely, before it vanished into thin air.
(Jason: 7800, Mandarin: 7000)
"Then I will set a card and end my turn."
He gave a sudden grunt as Fortification Fusion drained his life-points.
(Jason: 7800, Mandarin: 6000)
Jason stared ahead as he drew.
All Jason had to do was destroy one of the Stronghold Shadow – Defenders, and then the boost would only be twelve hundred per monster, meaning that Sentry, at best, would be able to suicide with Hyper Psychic Blaster. Then all the boosts would be gone, meaning that he would be stuck with two monsters with zero attack points and one with five hundred. Not a very desirable position in terms of force.
"I still have no way of knowing what his alternative strategy would be. Therefore, I will have to take the gamble and proceed."
Jason pointed authoritatively.
"Hyper Psychic Blaster, annihilate his Stronghold Shadow – Defender."
The tall warrior raised his cannons once again, and let lose beams of teal energy from the barrels. They slammed into one of the banner-holding men, atomizing him within seconds. As he vanished, there was a sudden drop in the power of Sentry (3000/1300), the Defenders (1200/2000) (x2) and the Base Guardian (1700/3000).
(Jason: 7800, Mandarin: 5400)
"How pitiful," chuckled Mandarin. Jason raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"My turn ends." His facedown from the previous turn would remain adequate insurance.
Mandarin drew with a flourish.
"First, I will attack your Hyper Psychic Blaster with my Base Guardian, sacrificing one thousand of its defense points in order to ensure its survival!"
The horseman threw his banner aside, and drew both daggers from his belt. He urged his horse forward and attempted to stab the titan on Jason's field, but was deterred by a single blast. He was knocked off his horse, but manage to scramble back on as it whinnied and rode back to Mandarin's field (1700/2000).
(Jason: 7800, Mandarin: 4100)
Jason only stared in amazement. "Why would he perform an attack which had to fail, losing thirteen hundred life-points and wasting one thousand of his Base Guardian's defense points in the process?"
"Now my Sentry will attack your pathetic Hyper Psychic Blaster!"
Jason watched in shock as the cloaked man stole across the field again, stabbing his dagger down into the warrior's shoulder. However, at the same time the Hyper Psychic Blaster raised his arm and fired a round into the Sentry's gut from the cannon he held. The cloaked man staggered backward, staring at the gaping, bleeding hole in his stomach in horror. He fell backward, but at the last second threw his dagger forward, catching the Blaster straight in the chest, causing it to explode as well.
"Now your Defenders (0/2000) (x2) and Base Guardian (500/2000) lose the power they gained," commented Jason.
Rikuo stared at Mandarin in shock, along with the others.
"This guy is playing some kind of bizarre suicide tactics. That's two suicide attacks in one turn. What the hell is he trying to do?"
Mandarin merely allowed a dark smile to grace his face. "I am indestructible, Mr. Becker, you would do well to understand that. Now I end my battle phase and move to main phase two. I use Fortification Fusion in order to fuse the two Stronghold Shadow – Defenders on my field and the one in my hand in order to call upon Stronghold Shadow – Impregnable Protector (0/4000)!"
Jason watched in shock as the three monsters slammed into each other, creating a spinning vortex. Appearing out of the vortex was a hulking giant nearly ten feet tall. He was dressed in shining white armor, with a helmet that obscured his feature. Both his hands held a gigantic, dome-shaped shield which had a small spike protruding out of the center. One both his shoulder pads were small guns, loaded with six rounds each.
"Four thousand defense points…." thought Jason with growing trepidation.
"I know what you're thinking," chuckled Mandarin. "Four thousand is a lot, but you should relax. Impregnable Protector cannot be played in defense mode."
Jason looked at him with incredulity. "It must have an ungodly effect then….."
"For now, I will merely switch my Base Guardian to defense mode, and add another facedown. That will end my turn."
Mandarin grunted as the effect of Fortification Fusion took its toll on his life-points.
(Jason: 7800, Mandarin: 3100)
Jason drew authoritatively, and suddenly noticed Impregnable Protector's (500/4000) stats.
"Explain yourself."
Mandarin smirked. "It's rather simple really. Whenever either player is dealt damage, the attack points of Impregnable Protector increase by half that amount."
Jason scowled. For a fusion monster that consisted of three components, that certainly would not be its only effect. He would certainly need to be careful about this. Even though all of the powerful monsters he had managed to get out on his first turn were gone, his deck certainly packed more punch then that.
"I summon Psycho Commander (1400/800) in attack mode."
With this, a saucer-shaped formation made its presence known, designed with chrome metal and small antenna-like towers revolving around the base. Out of the top-center hatch emerged a green-army-dressed individual, with white gloves on its hands, and a black visor over its head. Four, glaring, red eyes could be seen from the visor. At the front of the saucer, a long, dark-metal cannon with a green barrel deployed.
"Psycho Commander attacks Impregnable Protector."
A sphere of white energy began to form at the front of the long, dark cannon. The Commander tensed himself up, and then let the power lose in one go in the direction of the shield-bearing titan. Just as it was about to go crash and smash the unfortunate monster to pieces, an appliance materialized behind the two of Mandarin's monsters. A wire stretched out, snapping a pair of metallic plates around the Base Guardian, and pulling it in the way of the attack. It snapped its banner forward, throwing the Commander back.
(Jason: 7200, Mandarin: 3100)
"Magical Arm Shield, I presume," said Jason coldly.
"Indeed," chuckled Mandarin. "I used it to have Base Guardian Now comes the interesting part. Since you were dealt six hundred points of damage, the attack points of my Protector (800/4000) further increase."
"I need to destroy that Protector before its attack points get out of hand," thought Jason quietly.
"I set one card facedown. That will end my turn."
Mandarin drew, and a maniacal grin graced his face.
"Here comes my field spell card, Special Relativity Field!"
The area around them began to warp, the gloominess of the castle turning into pure white. The spectators looked around in confusion as the floor beneath them turned into an inky black, losing its depth in the process. It was like standing on the surface of a deep, dark ocean.
"Thanks to this field magic card, whenever the attack points of a monster increase or decrease, an identical change occurs in the life-points of the controller of the monster. However, if there is a change in the monster's defense points, that change is replicated in the opponent's life-points."
Jason grimaced. That was just perfect…. So if he wanted to destroy Base Guardian, he would drain himself of life-points in the process."
"Here's the best part, Jason! Once per turn, by sacrificing one thousand of my Protector's defense points, I can special summon one level four or lower Stronghold Shadow from my graveyard, in defense mode. I choose Stronghold Shadow – Defender (0/2000) in defense mode."
The monster which was a component of both the Protector and the Base Guardian materialized in between them.
Mandarin grinned. "Now do you understand what's going to happen? Since I sacrificed one thousand of my Protector's defense points, the effect of Special Relativity Field will have drained you of one thousand life-points. Since you received damage, Protector will gain attack points, which are doubled due to the presence of my Defender!"
The floor beneath Jason began to warp, and a bolt of energy jumped up, slamming into his chest. He grunted and fell to one knee.
(Jason: 6200, Mandarin: 3100)
"By the other effect of my field magic card, I will gain one thousand life-points since my Impregnable Protector (1800/3000) gained attack points!"
(Jason: 6200, Mandarin: 4100)
Jason forced himself not to allow a faint smile to grace his face. "He will attack Psycho Commander with his Impregnable Protector. Then, I will activate its effect and pay five hundred life-points in order to have his Protector lose those many attack points. It's the crux of his strategy, without it, he will fall apart."
"I switch Base Guardian to attack mode, and will have it attack your Psycho Commander!"
Jason watched in shock as the rider galloped across the field and urged his horse to run the robotic man down. However, it was quick to react, letting lose a small blast from its cannon, which the rider was still able to catch on its shield. He was driven back, weakened, but still alive (500/1000).
(Jason: 6200, Mandarin: 3200)
"Now since I activated Base Guardian's effect and sacrificed one thousand defense points, you will lose that same amount due to Special Relativity Field! Then, Impregnable Protector will gain half that amount of attack points due to his own effect, which is doubled due to Defender. Then, I gain those many life-points thanks to Special Relativity Field!"
(Jason: 5200, Mandarin: 4200)
Jason barely had time to recover from the bolt of energy which had run up his body from the pitch dark floor when Mandarin spoke again.
"Now, my Impregnable Protector (2800/3000), attack his pathetic Psycho Commander!"
The titan, which had been kneeling all this time, stood up. From underneath its helmet a pair of hate-filled eyes glared out at he who dared to invade what it was charged to protect. A sphere of crimson energy formed in both the cannons on its shoulders, and fired out in the direction of Jason's monster. They slammed into it, and within seconds nothing was left on his field.
(Jason: 3800, Mandarin: 4200)
"A very effective strategy," observed Rikuo. "It will be interesting to see how Jason gets himself out of this… If he does lose however, I won't have a problem with this nut. He is so dependent on that Fortification Fusion trap card to summon his Stronghold Shadow fusions, once I get Jinzo on the field, he's done."
"Now, since you lost life-points, Impregnable Protector will gain an identical amount of attack points!" crowed Mandarin.
Jason forced himself not to allow any emotion to grace his face as he stared down the now extremely powerful beast (4200/3000).
"I move to main phase two, and normal summon the monster I returned to my hand when I activated Base Guardian's effect and drained it off its defense points. Come, Stronghold Shadow Sentry (1800/1300)."
The cloaked man materialized into play once again, and as he did, tendrils of energy began to move out from the Sentry to each and every other monster on Mandarin's field.
"Don't forget, due to his presence, each other Stronghold Shadow gains three hundred attack points, which is doubled due to the presence of my Defender."
The Protector (4800/3000), Defender (600/2000), Base Guardian (1100/1000) and Sentry (2400/1300) all glowered down at Jason.
"You have dared to infiltrate the stronghold of the Mandarin, and now its guardians will make you pay!" crowed Mandarin. "I set a card and end my turn. Take your last pathetic move, Jason Becker, and let's see what you can come up with now."
As he spoke, he grunted as Fortification Fusion delivered a jolt to him. Not that it mattered, as his Protector (5800/3000), got even stronger as a result, and due to Special Relativity Field, he regained those life-points once again.
Jason drew, his poker face not giving away a single emotion. Sure, he was up against a ridiculously powerful strategy, but after Dracula he felt ready for anything.
As the thought of the demonic vampire used by Panik crossed his head, he paused and stopped short.
How had that duel ended? He was surprised that he couldn't really seem to recall it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Relativity Field. Volcanic Fusion. Solar Chaos Hydra."
The voice hung in Jason's mind like three agonizing, consecutive notes in the most sorrowful symphony ever sung.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jason shook his head. How had those facts suddenly entered his head? Up until that point he felt sure that he could not recall how the duel had ended. He had not even thought about it prior to this moment, being so caught up in the return from Necropolis, and then his own departure to the Valley of Spirits. Now, when he had thought about it, his mind seemed blank at first. Then, it was as if somebody had slipped the information in externally.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Scared, Jason?"
In the nightmarish landscape of his own mind, Jason whirled around to see another man standing directly opposite him. They were identical twins, except that the other Jason was wearing a trench-coat, and had a sadistic, easy smile on his face, as compared to the frustrated confusion on that of Jason's.
Jason froze.
"Yes, Jason…. I am back. Back, at long last," he drawled.
"This…. This is not possible," choked Jason. "It's an illusion. It was, last time. It was because of Dracula."
The other Jason shook his head.
"That poor bastard Panik? He was one clueless fool. He couldn't even control Dracula well enough to keep himself from being affected by its power. You should've seen the look on his face when I came out to finish him. The utter frustration, the terror…. It was beautiful, Jason, absolutely beautiful," he murmured.
"Get the hell out," spat Jason, a ragged tone taking over his voice. "You're not real anymore."
"Oh, I assume that's what dear Eizan told you, didn't he?" replied the other man, a touch of menace creeping into his voice.
"He was half-right. You see there really would've been no way for me to finally break out to the surface once more…. But times change, Jason, circumstances change. Within the next thirty minutes, this entire planet is going to be one massive playground. Once you surrender control of this body to me…."
His eyes glimmered green. "Then, Jason, school will be out."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Are you so terrified of dueling me that you can't even take your move?" sneered Mandarin.
Jason had acquired a kind of distracted look, his eyes clouding up. Mandarin's words snapped him out of his reverie.
He spoke in a tired, ragged voice. "Monster set, defense mode. Turn end."
"How pathetic!" spat Mandarin. "I would have expected a challenge from the supposed flagship of Eagle! I sacrifice one thousand of my Impregnable Protector's defense points in order to special summon another one of my Stronghold Shadow – Defenders (0/2000) in attack mode."
A sick grin spread across his face. He didn't need to explain what was going to happen next. Since Protector had lost defense points, Jason would lose an identical number of life-points due to Special Relativity Field. Since damage was dealt to a duelist, the Impregnable Protector would gain attack points, which would be quadrupled thanks to the presence of two Defenders in play, not to mention the boost from Sentry, which was now at twelve hundred per monster. To top it off, Special Relativity Field would grant Mandarin life-points equal to the attack points gained by his monsters.
Jason grunted in pain as an electricity bolt racked his body from the ground, while a soft glow surrounded Mandarin instead.
(Jason: 2800, Mandarin: 11200)
Meanwhile, the Impregnable Protector (9800/2000) was now immeasurably powerful, while the two Defenders (1200/2000) (x2), Sentry (3000/1300) and Base Guardian (1700/1000) were hardly anything to sneeze at.
"The duel ends now," announced Mandarin. "Stronghold Shadow – Sentry attacks your facedown monster."
The cloaked man stole across the field again, and the facedown monster flipped face-up to reveal a tiny man dressed in a white lab coat. He wore a helmet which had its top completely transparent, exposing a large, grotesque looking brain. It had abnormally long fingers and animalistic, yellow eyes. It let out a small groan as it was destroyed.
"Ah, Psychotic Reviver (200/900)," chuckled Mandarin.
Jason nodded, a small inclination of his head which was barely perceptible.
"Once removed from play Psychic type monster which is level four or lower may be special summoned.," muttered Jason.
The familiar yellow blocks appeared on Jason's field and melded together into the familiar form of Clevonce (1200/400).
Mandarin growled in frustration. "Base Guardian attacks."
The horseman charged forward, but was stopped by an invisible field around the Psychic monster.
"I pay eight hundred life-points by Clevonce's effect to negate your attack," breathed Jason.
(Jason: 2000, Mandarin: 14400)
"Impregnable Protector's (13000/2000) turn," intoned Mandarin.
A crimson beam left the titan's shield, and was once again blocked by the field around Clevonce.
(Jason: 1200, Mandarin: 17600)
Mandarin hissed in irritation, even as Impregnable Protector's (16200/2000) strength grew.
"I will suicide one Defender with your Clevonce."
The shield bearing guardian attempted to barrel his banner into Clevonce, but was again stopped by the barrier.
(Jason: 1200, Mandarin: 20800)
Mandarin paused in annoyance, ignoring the further strength in attack points of the Impregnable Protector (19400/2000).
"I refuse to allow you an opportunity to summon a Synchro monster next turn with your pathetic Clevonce, even if it as at the cost of thousands of attack points! My final Defender, attack!"
The last monster on Mandarin's field was again stopped by the repetitive barrier.
(Jason: 400, Mandarin: 24000)
Mandarin's hands were shaking in fury. Impregnable Protector (23600/2000) was now so strong that even if Jason probably combined the attack points of every monster in his deck, he wouldn't be able to pull out a win. But what did it matter if he couldn't use those attack points right now?
"I end my turn," he snapped, annoyance evident in his voice.
Jason breathed out and felt another small occurrence of pain in his gut. The effect of Psychotic Reviver dealt him damage equal to the level of the monster he had revived, multiplied by one hundred, during the end phase of that turn.
(Jason: 200, Mandarin: 24800) (Impregnable Protector: 24400/2000)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Eli Chavez was a God-fearing man. He listened to every word that the Spanish pastor uttered in the local church, hadn't picked a fight with another soul in his entire life, and went about the business of tending his llama as honestly as possible.
Yet, he couldn't bring himself to believe that what he was witnessing was the will of God.
It was a huge, no, gigantic, no, colossal sphere of emerald energy bearing down upon the planet's largest continental mountain range. Eli stared up at it from the lower reaches of Pico Bolivar, which stood nearly seventeen thousand feet to begin with.
Eli was one of the few llama farmers who knew the torturous terrain of the Cordillera Oriental ranges, and was able to get his herd over some difficult patches to an endless expanse of fresh grass in a gigantic valley. He had done so as normal that morning, leaving at six a.m. sharp. Oddly, he had noticed a green star in the dark early morning. He thought nothing of it, he was not an educated man, surely such things were for the great American and British scientists who operated in circles Eli could only dream of to worry about.
He had sat under a tree and dozed for a few hours, until the repeated bleating of one of his llamas woke him. He had wearily risen, and suddenly froze as he noticed that the green glow in the sky was now larger than the Sun. Having never studied anything related to basic science, it didn't occur to Eli that the object was not larger than the Sun, rather, merely closer to the Earth, thereby seeming larger.
He had been educated only to a certain degree, that too at home by his mother. She had been insistent that the Inca Sun God, Inti, was the patron of all in existence and none could exceed His expanse and power. To witness something that overwhelmed Inti, to Eli, was the equivalent of coming face-to-face with the Antichrist.
He collapsed onto two knees. The Venezuelan Government had managed to evacuate the nearby villages, but hadn't been able to reach the llama farmers who worked in the higher, more hazardous terrain.
He collapsed onto his knees, staring at the almost hypnotic glow of the emerald green sphere which had heading towards him at an ungodly speed. He could notice that underneath the blazing green flames were the crags and depths of a rocky surface.
"Un meteoro," he though blankly as the llamas bleated loudly and ran off behind him.
He heard a distant scream. "Padre! PADRE!"
He turned to see his fourteen year old sun, Carlos, running towards him, his face an image of sheer terror as he leapt over the crags and rocks towards the grassy expanse where his father was kneeling.
Eli groaned. Why, why had he taught Carlos the tricks of the trade, the skill needed to navigate this area? So that he would be able to have his own llamas graze here in the future, he supposed. Now that knowledge had doomed him. Carlos had always been a headstrong boy. Most likely, the government had come to the villages to order them to evacuate, and Carlos would most likely have slipped through their fingers in order to come to his father.
The sobbing teenager arrived at Eli, who clutched him in a horrified hug.
Father and son stared up at the oncoming source of oblivion. It was probably a few thousand feet above the peak of Bolivar.
"Ten misericordiade Dios!" shrieked Eli.
Then, something happened which shocked Eli even more than the original sight of the object. As he screamed out his last hope for mercy, the gigantic object literally stopped before his very eyes. He stared on in terror, waiting for it to continue. However, it just stopped: right there and then, hovering maybe twenty thousand feet above ground level.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the colossal meteor began to split up into several different pieces. The emerald light was so blinding that if one even tried to observe what was going on, it would be impossible. Both father and son ducked their heads, praying silently as large groaning sounds could be heard from the sky above them.
When they raised their heads again after about five minutes, they were both shocked to see nothing in the sky above them, except for the distant trail of green light as whatever things the first object had transformed into rocketed off in multiple different directions.
Eli and Carlos both stood, visibly shaken.
"Nunca olvides, Dios es grande," murmured Eli, as the two walked away together, trembling.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jason collapsed as another punch slammed into his face, loosening a tooth.
"You don't DESERVE the power this body holds!" screamed his attacker, kicking him in the ribs.
Jason staggered upwards. "Get… out," he coughed.
For his efforts he was dealt a hard kick in the ribs.
"I was out," spat the other man. "Your dear adoptive father made sure of that. However, times change, circumstances change. This body is like an inert weapon. Now, due to certain factors, its power is going to get activated again. I was able to take control against Panik only because you were weakened by Dracula. If I don't do so at this point, however, the latent energies we possess will be too much and this body will be destroyed."
He picked up Jason by his collar and looked him in the eye.
"You can't handle it. Ever since the Jade Star changed course for Earth, I've been waiting for this moment."
Jason spat some blood out of his mouth.
"You're not real."
"It's that pathetic attitude of denial that got you in this situation in the first place," was the reply. "Of course you knew something was up prior to this when you couldn't remember the conclusion of the duel against Panik. All you remembered was having your life-points reduced to zero, but then I'm sure you subconsciously concluded that I stepped in and saved your sorry behind in the first place."
Jason didn't reply.
"Why didn't you say anything to Eizan? What was it, Jason? Unable to accept that I was back again, to take what was rightfully mine?"
A terrifying, sadistic smile spread across his face.
"Or maybe….. Maybe you were just more terrified of what they would do to you when they found out that your supposed condition had resurfaced. The drugs… The grueling therapy… The sleepless nights…. Was that what frightened you more than the proposition of surrendering to an individual greater then you in every possible way?"
He drew back a fist.
"You'll have plenty of time to mull it over while I clean up your mess."
Jason attempted a last ditch surprise punch, but it was weak and ended up as nothing more than a weak tap to his opponent's head.
"Time's up, Jason."
The fist connected, and Jason fell prone to the ground… Unconscious.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"What in Bahamut's name…." murmured Ryu.
He, Yugi, Daniel, CJ, Kaiba, Brian and Serena had joined the rest of the Eagle staff in the first floor of the building above ground. Tea was with them as well, still very shaken, but the moment they had heard about the gigantic projectile that had split up over Venezuela, with one of the pieces heading towards New York, even she was determined to find out what it was.
They were staring at an absolutely enormous green sphere, hovering maybe five thousand feet above ground level, in the middle of New York City. It stretched perhaps ten miles in diameter, and had a pulsating green glow which seemed to block out the natural light provided by the Sun.
"Yugi…." muttered Kaiba. "That color…."
The young King of Games turned to face him, and their eyes met. Both instantly knew what the other was thinking. Before they had an opportunity to voice their thoughts, the gigantic sphere began to tremble. They watched in awe, realizing it was more like a giant machine. A huge cliff on one of its rocky faces seemed to be under immense internal pressure, and as a result was pushed outward. Meanwhile, beneath it a rock face seemed to be contracting inwards.
Millions of people in New York City watched, in front of their very eyes, as the gigantic piece of rock seemed to transform itself into some kind of enormous, hovering station. The entire process took maybe five minutes as everyone watched, transfixed.
Soon, the glowing sphere was gone, and seemed to be replaced by a colossal, floating city-like machine.
"How very Transformers," mused Brian.
Graham McBride, Eizan's secretary, called to them, nervously. "I was just contacted by Mr. Nakamura. He insisted that everybody make their way back down to the underground base, which needs to be sealed as soon as possible."
No one in the room even seemed to hear him. Another Eagle official switched on the news to CNN.
From one of the faces of the floating machine, an emerald beam shot out down towards the ground. This part seemed to be over the Hudson River, and this resulted the water beginning to boil at an ungodly rate beneath it.
A few eyes were averted to the TV, as they could not make out details from their vantage point so far away.
A reporter was speaking in a trembling voice while the camera was zoomed in over the opening in the station.
"It seems to be transforming into some kind of machine… This only goes further to confirm the assumption we made only a few short hours ago that we are indeed not alone in this Universe. This theory was put forth by scientists when they realized that the rapid acceleration and change in direction of the original meteor was too drastic to be caused by natural factors. It was confirmed when it broke up over Venezuela into several different spheres, including the one which has transformed before our very eyes, which were directed towards major cities across the planet, which include Washington DC, Los Angeles, London, Moscow, Beijing, Mumbai, Singapore, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and others, in addition to New York."
Everyone more or less blanked out the reporter's words when the green light cleared to reveal a figure standing on a hovering plate merely a few feet above the now sizzling surface of the Hudson River. The camera zoomed in to reveal the horrifying details.
It was a large, reptilian, quadruple creature. However, it reminded one of a centaur, with a torso that extended up vertically from the base of four legs. It resembled a fish to a certain extent, with scaly green skin and flipper-like projections on its feet. A long, thick tail flopped out behind it. It wore gray and crimson armor which stretched over nearly its entire body, except for its feet and long, toned arms. Attached to the back of the armor was a breathing apparatus which covered most of the details of its face, thankfully, with two tubes entering what must be nostrils and a bit in between a pair of scaly lips. A pulsing, green stone was set in the center of its armor. It held a long metal tube in each hand.
"Good God…."
The massive, hovering station began to fire out more energy beams. Most were not over the river, however, and whatever surface they impacted on were completely incinerated. As the beams faded, more and more creatures showed themselves. Details could not be made out as they were either too far away or not covered by the news channels.
Brian broke the tension nervously. "Well…. They don't look very peaceful."
The Legion had arrived on Earth.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
AHA! I enjoyed writing this one immensely! Sorry it's a little short by my standards, things just need set-up. From now on, it's non-stop action ^^
Review!