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DUEL THIRTY-SEVEN
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The Great Beast
The Deposed
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Jeb was nervously pacing back and forth in the arena.
Then the portal appeared ten feet in front of him.
It's showtime… he thought.
Jalie stepped out of the portal, and looked at him.
"What did you do to Ophelia?" demanded Jeb.
Jalie looked sternly at Jeb.
"I tortured her, killed her, dismembered her carcass and fed the pieces to the hellhounds," he said as though describing how he had spent his evening off.
When all the color left Jeb's face, Jalie threw back his head and laughed. It was the most hideous sound the Shadowchaser had ever heard, dry, rasping, and utterly devoid of even a trace of the warmth and joy such a sound should produce.
"I'm sorry, normally I don't indulge in such juvenile antics, but the expression on your face was simply priceless," the Lich-Fiend cackled, wiping a pretend tear from an empty eye socket. "When I'm this close to attaining the full power of a god, that was truly the icing on the proverbial cake."
His skeletal grin seemed to grow even wider seeing Jeb shake almost violently with rage.
"Oh, did I anger you Belmont?" he said. "Well then, why don't you take that anger and show it to me through your cards? We both know that's the only way you'll ever make so much as a scratch on me after all.
"And that's the only way you're going to save Ophelia, by the way… You want the truth? She's alive, but she isn't very happy right now."
There was of course, no reason for Jeb to believe him one way or the other. But he doubted he was going to get very far this way.
He calmed down a little, and looked at his foe.
"Before this starts," he said. "I have one question…
"Why?"
"Why what?" asked Jalie. "Why do I want to become a god?"
"What do you think?" said Jeb. "Of course, why do you want to become a god?"
"Belmont, in the society of Hell, getting to the top is the ultimate goal," said Jalie. "I'm simply taking a different route than most.
"I'm guessing you think I'm some deluded megalomaniac…"
"Kind of…" said Jeb.
"Well, you should see my master, Mephistopheles," continued the Lich-Fiend. "He's the king of egotists.
"For centuries, he's had one goal, one purpose that has defined his existence. He seeks to overthrow Lucifer and take his place as the ruler of Hell. So confident is he that he has said this to Lucifer's face. One would think that such arrogance would be enough for the Overlord of Hell to seriously discipline him, but for some reason, Lucifer is content to let Mephistopheles live with his delusions.
"One can only imagine what he'd do if he ever succeeded in his goal… I've heard that the other Lords have often said that it would likely be less than an hour before he started wondering why he also didn't rule Mechanus."
"So, you seek to one-up him by becoming a god," replied Jeb. "Do you seriously think your plan will work?"
"Why shouldn't it work?" asked Jalie.
"Jalie, there's a book that's been popular on Earth for a few thousand years…" sighed Jeb. "In one part of it…"
"Belmont, please…" said Jalie. "If you're going to quote from the Bible, I should tell you, I've memorized that book.
"When a devil gets as far advanced as I have, it helps to know mortal religious tracts by heart."
This took Jeb a little by surprise. But then he glared at his enemy.
"Then I'll let you say it…" he said. "Matthew 7:26."
Jalie paused for a minute to search his memory.
"Matthew 7:26…" he said. "I believe it goes… 'But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand'."
"That's right," said Jeb. "You think that your castle is strong, but its founding is weak, and it may come crashing down sooner than you expect."
"You're standing on a pretty fickle foundation yourself, Belmont," said Jalie, his eyes starting to glow slightly.
He activated his Disk.
"No more talk…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In the Shadowchasers Headquarters command center, Jalal fidgeted.
He hadn't gotten the same feeling of dread that Jeb had when Ophelia had been defeated, but he had gotten a definite sense that something was wrong.
"Chief?" said the technician. "The analysis is complete… Uh… You had better come take a look at this…"
Jalal rushed to the screen, and started to read the analysis.
Then his eyes opened wide in horror…
"Oh… my… God…" he said.
"That's an understatement," said the technician.
"I've got to get my armor and sword and go back those three up!" shouted Jalal. "Squarefoot will be the least of our problems if his plan continues!"
"Uh, boss, wait!" said another technician. "I've got good news and bad news about that…
"Bad news is, that portal in Padang has been trashed. Good news is, we've pinpointed the actual location of Jalie's fortress.
"You can try teleporting into it… But this is a devil's fortress…"
"And teleporting to it might not be wise…" sighed Jalal. "The traps…"
Of course, Jalal couldn't be certain that Jalie's fortress had teleport traps, but most fiendish strongholds did. These nasty things were used by both sides of the Blood War. (The devils claimed to have invented them, but someone – probably the yugoloths – leaked the information to the demons, and soon the chaotic fiends were using them as well.)
Because many natives of the Lower Planes could teleport using their own innate powers, there wasn't much that fiendish armies could do to prevent enemies from teleporting into their strongholds. But because enemies had to teleport "blind", the teleport traps discouraged them. These were basically small cells scattered around the fortress that had no exits, and were magically warded so you couldn't teleport out if you teleported in. An enemy would be in real trouble if he ended up in one of these. Some of the nastier ones could kill anyone who got stuck in one, by flooding with acid or with crushing walls.
"It may take some time to get you there safely…" said the technician.
"We may not have time…" said Jalal. "Is there any way to get a message to Dante and the others?"
"Hmm…" said the first technician. "Antarctica is a little outside of their cellphone calling plan…
"But… Maybe if we use some techno-mage incantations to divert the magic you use to deliver messages into the satellite telecommunications tower at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station… Which should be easy, since the cold-weather season there means it only has a skeleton staff, and an intrusion has less chance of being noticed…"
"Stop explaining it," said Jalal. "Just do it."
"I'll get on it right away," replied the technician.
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Jeb had faced more than his share of intimidating opponents…
But a seven-foot-tall undead devil lord… That had to beat all…
(Jeb: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 8,000)
"I draw…" said Jalie, as he drew a card.
"I summon Outcast Devil Cahor," he said.
Another bird-like Fiend appeared, this one with a head resembling that of a thrush, with feathered wings. The rest of his body appeared human, was muscular, and he wore only a breechcloth. (1,000 ATK)
"I end my turn," said Jalie.
He put that weak Monster in Attack Mode with nothing to protect it, thought Jeb as he made his first draw. This has got to be a trick…
He looked at his six draws.
"Field-Commander Rahz, report to the field!" he shouted.
Rahz materialized, lifting his sword high. (1,600 ATK)
A card slipped out of his deck, and Jeb placed it on top.
"Rahz, attack Outcast Devil Cahor!" he shouted.
Rahz lifted his sword…
"I neglected to mention why Cahor was an outcast," said Jalie. "It was because he was corrupted by Chaos. And this is evident by his effect."
And imp appeared, similar to the one depicted on Skull Dice, holding the same type of die.
"When he battles a Monster, a die rolls. I then get to discard one card from my deck times the number rolled, and he gains 200 Attack Points for each until the end of the turn."
The imp tossed the die.
No problem… thought Jeb. The odds are in my favor here…
Then the die landed on a 4.
"Damn!" shouted Jeb.
Jalie took four cards from his deck, and then discarded them. Cahor's Attack Score rose to 1,800. He slashed with his talon, and Rahz shattered.
"I set one card facedown," said Jeb as a card materialized in front of him, "and my turn is over…"
(Jeb: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 8,000)
"I draw…" said Jalie, as he made a draw.
"Call of the Haunted, activate!" shouted Jeb.
His facedown card lifted up, and Rahz appeared once again. (1,600 ATK)
"Next, I activate the effect of one of the Monsters I just discarded," said Jalie, as if nothing had happened. "Outcast Devil Armaros.
"An interesting factoid… Armaros is clearly the oldest of the Rabble of Devilkin still alive, and one of the oldest devils still living in Hell. Very few devils living today remember what his crime was… I certainly have no idea."
A grey-skinned, handsome, human-like male devil with dark gray wings and luminescent blue eyes wearing wizard's robes appeared behind him.
"Anyway, by removing his card from play," he continued, as Armaros vanished, "I get to reveal the top two cards on my deck. I add one to my hand, and put the other at the bottom of my deck."
Two cards appeared in front of him. One was common enough – Monster Reincarnation. The other was a very frightening looking Level 10 Monster.
Jalie stopped short.
"I think I'll choose that one," he said quickly, pointing to the Spell Card.
It appeared in his hand, and the Monster vanished.
What? thought Jeb. That makes no sense… Why would he turn down a chance to get a powerful Monster?
"All right…" said Jalie. "Because I used that effect, I can't Special Summon this turn, so…"
He set a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That will be all for now…"
Kind of expected more from him… thought Jeb, as he made his first draw. Well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
He looked at the card. As he expected, it was Command Knight.
He played the card, and she appeared in a burst of fire. (1,200 ATK) Rahz's Attack Score went up to 2,000, while hers went up to 1,600.
Rahz lunged at the set Monster. A gargoyle-like Fiend with mottled, grey skin appeared on the card, and was smashed to pieces under a blow from the Warrior's sword.
"You just activated the Flip Effect of Outcast Devil Caim," said Jalie. "I now get to take any Level 4 or lower Outcast Devil I desire from my Graveyard. So I choose another one I disposed of when I used Cahor's effect."
A new card materialized among his other six.
"O-kay…" said Jeb.
He looked hard at Cahor.
"Rather than tempt fate, I think I'm going to end my turn now," he said.
"Suit yourself," said Jalie, as he made a draw.
Jalie made a draw.
"I summon Outcast Devil Bist," he said.
He played the card, and Bist appeared in an aura of fire, just as angry as she was before. (1,400 ATK)
"Now, I use her effect," continued Jalie, "and sacrifice Cahor to increase her Attack Score by Cahor's Attack Score."
Cahor vanished, and Bist burned even fiercer. (2,400 ATK)
She howled in rage, and hit Rahz hard with her sword, cutting him in two with such violence that Jeb could feel it.
"If you ask me, she might have the same problem as Cahor!" said Jeb.
"I'm not sure," replied Jalie. "Whatever her crime was, it happened before my time."
He took a card, and set it in his Disk. A facedown card appeared in his Spell Zone.
"It's your move…"
Bist calmed down a little, and fell back down to an Attack Score of 1,400.
(Jeb: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 8,000)
I'd better be careful… thought Jeb. He's making himself look vulnerable, and he's probably doing it to make me let my guard down…
Well, that's not going to happen…
He played the card, and Little-Winguard appeared in front of him. (1,400 ATK) –) (1,800 ATK)
"Get her!" he shouted.
Little-Winguard flew at the she-devil, and slashed with his blade. Bist grunted and fell backwards before she shattered.
"You're next, bone-brain!" yelled Jeb.
Command Knight's sword burned with fire, and she rushed up to the Lich-Fiend. He grunted in annoyance as she hit him.
"Bone-brain?" he said. "That's the best banter you could up with? And you're a writer, right?"
"It's hard to come up with something creative on the spur of the moment," said Jeb. "I use Little-Winguard's effect…"
The small Warrior knelt in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)
"…and I'll turn it over to you…"
(Jeb: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 6,000)
Jalie drew a card.
He chuckled softly when he saw who it was. No matter how many times he used this deck, this Monster was one he never got tired of…
"I summon Outcast Devil Malarea," he said.
Another devil appeared in an aura of fire, and she – again it was female – took Jeb quite by shock. She looked like an erinyes, and seemed to have borrowed her fashion sense from the Harpie Lady Sisters: suspender-strap bikini and a thong. She had long, platinum-blonde hair down to her calves, and an evil glimmer in her eye. Her wings were large, with black feathers. (1,400 ATK)
Ho boy… thought Jeb.
Jalie played another card, and the glowing ankh of Monster Reborn appeared in front of him. Bist appeared again. (1,400 ATK)
Jeb was really hoping that Jalie was going to sacrifice Malarea to use Bist's effect… Her seductive look was scaring him far more than Bist ever could.
"No such luck, Belmont," said Jalie, as if he could read his thoughts. "I'm using Malarea's effect…"
Jalie discarded a card from his hand, Rivalry of Warlords. Malarea turned towards Little-Winguard, and blew him a kiss.
Little Winguard stood up, and floated over to the temptress's side. (1,400 ATK)
"HEY!" shouted Jeb.
"Now then," said Jalie, "I'll sacrifice your Monster to use Bist's effect…"
Little-Winguard vanished, and Bist snarled in rage again… (2,800 ATK)
"Attack Command Knight," ordered Jalie. "Wrathful Slash."
Jeb hollered in pain as the sword cut Command Knight in half.
"Oh, did that hurt?" said a gentle voice. "Let me kiss it and make it better…"
"Who?" said Jeb. "Who said…"
Then he realized that it had come from Malarea.
They talk? he thought.
Malarea started walking up to him seductively.
"Wait…" said Jeb, nervously.
But he lacked the power to stop her. She took him in his arms, and gave him a deep kiss…
…it was sweet, but only for a few seconds. Then the sweet bliss turned into a cold chill.
Jeb realized what was happening, and struggled to clear his mind from the fog. He grabbed hold of the creature's arms, and wrenched himself free of the horrid embrace.
He started to breathe heavily as she smirked and walked back to Jalie's side of the field.
(Jeb: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 6,000)
"You think that was bad?" asked Jalie. "Before she was exiled, her powers over men were rivaled only by Glasya herself. In fact, she was exiled for trying to seduce Dispater himself, hoping to replace Lilis as his consort…
"It was a foolish gambit… Lilis is the only consort Dispater has ever had, and is his longest surviving servant… If he truly trusts anyone, it's her.
"It's your move…"
This is bad… thought Jeb, as he looked at his hand. I have The Warrior Returning Alive, so I could get back Rahz and defeat either of them…
But not both… The one that remains will be a problem…
If I spare Bist, Jalie can keep boosting her Attack Score…
Malarea might be even worse… I do not want to go through THAT again…
He drew a card.
Hello… Maybe I can take them both out at once…
"I'll show you,"exclaimed Jeb, as he threw another card on his Disk. "Meet Zubaba Buster."
With a low roar, a Warrior clad in dark plate armor with a cape appeared, holding a staff with a spiked flail at both ends. (1,800 ATK)
"All right, Zubaba Buster…" said Jeb. "Show this creep what you can do…"
The Warrior twirled his weapon, and rushed at Malarea. She screamed as the flail hit her, and fell on her behind before dissolving into grains of light.
"When Zubaba Buster deals out damage," continued Jeb, "another Monster on the field is destroyed; the one with the lowest Attack Score, specifically."
Zubaba Buster swung his flail again, slamming Bist in the stomach. She cursed under her breath, and then shattered.
Maybe I've had her out enough for now… thought Jalie.
"Of course, now I have to decrease Zubaba Buster's Attack Score by 800 points," said Jeb, as the Warrior fell to a score of 1,000
"Now, I activate The Warrior Returning Alive."
He played the card, and took Command Knight from his discard slot.
"Then, I'll remove that Spell Card from play to Special Summon Spell Striker."
He played the card, and the toy wizard appeared. (600 ATK)
"You think I'm afraid of that juvenile thing?" asked Jalie.
"We'll see…" said Jeb. "I end my turn…"
(Jeb: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 5,600)
Jalie grunted as he drew a card.
"I'll summon Outcast Devil Amon," he said, as he played the card.
With a low howl, the wolf-Fiend appeared in front of him. (1,700 ATK)
"As I told your friend," he continued, "by summoning him, I get to name one Type of Monster, and that Type of Monster cannot destroy him by battle.
"I name Warriors. However, he can still slay your Warriors.
"Destroy Zubaba Buster! Great Smash!"
Amon slammed into the armored Warrior with his mace, blowing him to pieces. Jeb clutched his chest in pain.
"That ends my turn…" he said. "What next, Belmont?"
(Jeb: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 5,600)
"Let's see here…" muttered Jeb.
He made a draw.
Instant Fusion? he thought. Like that's a big help…
"Trap Card activate," said Jalie.
"Eh?" said Jeb, as the facedown card lifted up.
"Multiple Destruction," said Jalie. "Because we each have a hand of at least three cards, this Trap requires us to fold them, and then draw five cards."
Jeb smirked. He discarded the four cards in his hand, and Jalie discarded his four.
"I take 100 points of damage per discard," continued Jalie, as they both made five draws, "but no-one ever said it would be easy."
"Yeah?" said Jeb. "You say you memorized the Bible… How learned are you on the works of Aesop?"
"Very," replied Jalie.
"Do you remember what the moral of The Eagle and the Arrow was?" asked Jeb.
Jalie paused for a minute.
"Uhm…" he said. "I think it was, 'We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction'."
"Correct!" said Jeb. "Thanks to your Trap Card, I was able to draw this guy!"
He played the card, and Blue Flame Swordsman appeared in front of him. (1,800 ATK)
"Blue Flame Swordsman, attack Outcast Devil Amon!"
The fiery Warrior swung his sword, and flames shot at the bestial devil. Amon shielded himself with his gauntlet, and still stood.
"That was pointless," said Jalie. "You couldn't destroy my Monster, and I only lost 100 Life Points."
"But Spell Striker can attack you directly," added Jeb. "And before he does, I can use Blue Flame Swordsman's effect, and give ALL of his Attack Points to Spell Striker!"
Blue Flame Swordsman's Attack Score plummeted to zero, while Spell Striker's soared to 2,400.
"Eh?" said Jalie.
Spell Striker cast a literal bolt of lightning. Jalie smirked, and shielded himself with his arm as it hit him.
(Jeb: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 2,700)
"I have to admit, that was clever, Belmont…" he said. "You're getting close…"
"I set a card facedown," said Jeb, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and I'll turn it over to you…"
Jalie said nothing as he drew a sixth card.
"I play Pot of Avarice," he snarled.
The card appeared, and he took Bist, Malarea, Kochbiel, Caim, and Cahor from his discard pile. He shuffled his deck, and made two draws.
"Perfect…" he said.
"Amon, be gone," he said, as the wolf-devil vanished. "Outcast Devil Azazel… Appear!"
With a menacing hiss, the Serpent appeared in front of him. (2,400 ATK)
"Destroy Blue Flame Swordsman!" shouted Jalie. "Vile Venom Blast!"
Azazel spit its toxic ichor at the Warrior.
"I activate… Shield of Stars!" shouted Jeb, as his facedown card lifted up. "By sending one Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard…"
He took a card from the chamber that held his Extra Deck, and discarded it.
"Your attack is stopped in its tracks!"
The vile spit was halted by a sparkling aura of motes.
"Is that so?" snarled Jalie.
He played a card, and Double or Nothing appeared in front of him.
"Because my attack was negated, I can use this card, and my Monster gets to attack again, with his Attack Score doubled!"
Azazel hissed in rage… (4,800 ATK)
"Which means it's all over Belmont!"
The Serpent spit its venom again.
"Hello?" said Jeb. "Shield of Stars is a Continuous Trap, in case you didn't notice. I can use its effect more than once…"
He discarded another Synchro Monster, and the attack was halted again.
"Inconceivable…" muttered Jalie.
"Of course…" said Jeb, "now that I've used it twice, Shield of Stars is destroyed."
The Trap Card vanished.
Jalie was clearly very upset.
He took two cards from his hand, and threw them into his Disk. They appeared facedown in three flashes of light.
"Make… your… move…" he said.
Jeb drew a card.
"Spell Striker," he said, pointing towards Jalie, "attack him directly again!"
Spell Striker pointed its wand at Jalie again.
"Aesop also said 'Look before you leap'," said Jalie. "I believe that one was in The Fox and the Goat."
One of his Trap Cards lifted up.
"Dimension Wall?" gasped Jeb.
He screamed as a surge of energy hit him.
(Jeb: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 2,700)
He took some deep breaths as they let go.
"Blue Flame Swordsman…" he said, weekly, "move to Defense Mode…"
The Warrior knelt, and pointed his sword down. (1,200 DEF)
"I end my turn…"
"I should probably tell you…" said Jalie, as he made a draw, "Azazel has a powerful effect…"
He looked at the card.
"Once per turn, if he battles, I can negate the attack…
"But anyway… I summon Outcast Devil Rumjal."
He played the card, and a hairless, grey-skinned devil with white, forward-pointing horns and three tails appeared. (200 ATK)
"He isn't very strong," said Jalie, "but when summoned, he moves to Defense Mode quickly."
Rumjal knelt, and crossed his arms. (1,800 DEF)
"And now… Azazel, destroy the Blue Flame Swordsman!"
Azazel blasted his venom stream, dousing Blue Flame Swordsman with the vile stuff and melting him into a puddle of goo.
Jeb threw a card on his Disk, and the true Flame Swordsman appeared in his place. (1,200 DEF)
"My turn is over…" said Jalie, with a sinister gleam in his eye.
Now that he knows what Azazel's effect is, thought the Lich-Fiend, he likely won't waste time trying to attack him… But he might attack Rumjal…
Little does he know, if he defeats Rumjal, I'll be allowed to take a Spell Card from my Graveyard, and place it on top of my deck… Which means I'll be able to recover Double or Nothing, and use Azazel's combo again.
And I'm ready for Spell Striker if he tries to attack directly again…
Jeb drew a card.
"I sacrifice both my Monsters…" he said.
Flame Swordsman and Spell Striker shattered into pixels.
With a mighty roar, The Grand Jupiter appeared. (2,500 ATK)
"Eh?" said Jalie.
"So, that snake of yours can negate an attack, can he?" asked Jeb.
He discarded two cards from his hand, Sangan and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland. Jupiter put its hands together, and conjured up a black hole.
Azazel hissed in rage as the vortex started to pull at him, but he couldn't stop it. He was drawn through, and Jupiter blazed with energy. (4,900 ATK)
"Wait just a minute!" shouted Jalie.
"I'm not done!" continued Jeb, holding up his last card. "I play Miracle Synchro Fusion!"
"Huh?" said Jalie.
"Miracle Synchro Fusion lets me Fusion Summon a Monster by removing the Fusion Materials in my Graveyard from play," said Jeb, "so long as at least one of the required Monsters is a Synchro Monster. And because both of the Synchro Monsters I ditched to use that Shield of Stars Trap were copies of Gaia Knight the Force of Earth, I can remove both from play…"
The two Synchros appeared behind him, and then combined into a vortex of light.
"…to Fusion Summon… Gaia Drake the Universal Force!"
Another portal opened, and there was an earsplitting roar. Gaia flew out, dressed in splendid armor and mounted on a draconic steed far fiercer than Curse of Dragon ever was. (3,500 ATK)
"This big guy cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effects of Effect Monsters," said Jeb. "So let's see him strut his stuff.
"Attack Outcast Devil Rumjal with Spiral Spear Strike!"
Gaia Drake flew at the defending devil, jabbing his spear into it, and blowing it into shards.
"I use Rumjal's effect…" muttered Jalie.
A card slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.
Double or Nothing is of no use to me now, he thought. Maybe Monster Reborn will do the job.
He placed it on the top of his deck
"Fine then…" said Jeb. "Jupiter, attack directly with Great Red Blast!"
Jupiter conjured up its anticyclonic whirlwind of energy, and hurled it Jalie…
"I activate The Apocalypse Stone!" shouted Jalie, as his last Trap Card lifted up.
"I remove one Outcast Devil from play, and your attack is negated!"
Amon appeared behind Jalie, and vanished into nothing. The blast was halted by a barrier of force.
"And I get to draw one card…" said Jalie.
He made a draw, which was, naturally, Monster Reborn.
"That's all I can do for this turn…" said Jeb.
Jupiter's Attack Score fell down to its base Score of 2,500.
The Lich-Fiend looked at Jeb hard.
He looked at the four cards in his hand: Outcast Devil Herodias, Outcast Devil Kochbiel, Outcast Devil Geryon, and Monster Reborn.
He drew a card.
"I hoped is wouldn't have had to come to this, Belmont…" he said.
He played a card, and Herodias appeared in front of him. (1,200 ATK)
Then he played Monster Reborn, and Rumjal appeared again. (200 ATK)
He looked at the Level 8 Monster in his hand.
"This Rabble is not one that is summoned frivolously… He was no servant of any Lord of the Nine… He was one of the Lords of the Nine for several centuries. He ruled Stygia.
"But he was deposed. Lucifer stripped him of his title, and exiled him. Some believe that the reason was to give his power to Glasya to prepare for her eventual ascension to the lordship of Malbolge…
"But enough about things you can look up in any wizard's library… Before this goes any further, I play Forbidden Chalice…"
Then Spell Card appeared, and Gaia Drake the Universal Force glowed with a small aura of energy. (3,900 ATK)
"He gains a small bonus to his Attack Score," continued Jalie, "but loses his effect. Now… I sacrifice my two Monsters to Special Summon the Wild Beast…"
The two Outcast Devils turned into a dark, cold bonfire…
"I call forth… Outcast Devil Geryon!"
Jeb stepped back as an aura of evil that rivaled even Jalie's blanketed the room, and a titanic creature rose from the bonfire. This creature was even bigger than Azazel in sheer size, standing fifteen feet tall. His head was human, and his face might have been handsome if the rest of his body had not been so terrible to behold. His torso and arms resembled those of a bear, with wicked claws. He had no legs, his lower body ending in a long tail that ended in a scorpion-like stinger. (2,700 ATK)
"I'm afraid there's more, Belmont…" said Jalie. "If the Outcast Devils used to summon Geryon include any of his three surviving servants, who were exiled with him, I can destroy one of your cards for each one sacrificed."
"That's why you used Forbidden Chalice…" gasped Jeb.
"Exactly," said Jalie. "Herodias and Rumjal are two of those three Monsters."
Jeb could do nothing by watch in fear as both of his Monsters exploded into pixels.
"Geryon…" said Jalie. "Finish him off… Savage Sting of Stygia…"
The Wild Beast grinned… Then his stinger flew towards Jeb like a spear. Jeb screamed…
(Jeb: 0) - - - - - - - - - - (Jalie: 2,700)
Jalie paused as Geryon vanished.
"Seems to me, Mr. Belmont, that my castle is still strong," said Jalie. "I guess it stands on a firmer foundation than you thought… But yours seems to have collapsed."
He paused again. Jeb was out cold.
Lovely, I was talking to myself, thought the Lich-Fiend. Not a good sign… I have to watch that…. I can't afford to go mad with power at this point…
After all, I've come so far… And I'm so close to obtaining the power I've sought for so long…
He held his chest. One of the benefits to being undead was, you didn't need to breathe… But he felt like a man who was breathing hard from fatigue.
He looked at his deck. He had no flesh on his brow, but if he had, it might have furrowed just then…
Maybe I… shouldn't rush into a duel with Connors… he thought. Maybe I'll approach him differently…
He quickly started to cast the same spell that he cast on Ophelia. He much preferred to cast Investment of Cania on a conscious victim, but it was no time now for luxuries.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In another arena, Dante was more nervous than he had been in years.
He'd had the same feeling of dread that Jeb felt when Ophelia was defeated, but unlike Jeb, he now felt it a second time, when Jeb was beaten. And he knew that he was next.
Almost panicked, he was looking at the six decks, trying to figure out which was the best one to use.
"Armor Deck?" he though. "No, no, he's probably ready for that one… Armed Dragons? No, too easy to counter."
Then he fell to his knees.
"Oh, who am I kidding?" he shouted.
He let out a long sigh.
"Even Unity-of Rings couldn't defeat him in a duel, and he's a planetar…" he said with another sigh. "Jalie Squarefoot has millennia of experience behind him, and is one step away from being a god… I'm only human…
"This may well be my last duel…"
He looked at his six decks, then he put them back in the vest.
"…but sure as Heaven, I'm going down fighting…"
He dug into his pocket, and took out a quarter. He looked at George Washington's face on it for a minute.
"I'll leave it up to chance," he said. "Heads, I use the Poker Knight Deck, tails, the Laval Deck…"
He tossed the coin… It fell to the ground…
And it landed…
It landed on its edge.
Dante's eyes opened wide.
"That's impossible…" he said.
He picked up the coin, and looked at it, dumbfounded. He tossed it again.
The same thing happened.
"Is Jalie trying to trick me?" he thought.
"No, Connors…" said a voice. "We're simply trying to stop you from doing something rash… A decision like this shouldn't be made so frivolously."
Dante looked up.
"Who said that?" he said.
"You're scared, Connors," said the voice, "and you should be. Anyone who wouldn't be frightened of Squarefoot would be stupid.
"Some people think that because they are afraid of danger, they have no courage… Are they being cowardly, or wise?"
Dante looked up, and saw that a shimmering portal of glowing motes had appeared in front of him.
Has to be one of Jalie's tricks… he thought. Didn't the Wizard of Oz say something like that?
Then the voice came again.
"Indeed he did," it said. "But the message rang true."
"Did he just read my mind?" gasped Dante.
He waited for the voice to speak again, but nothing else came.
He cautiously edged towards the portal, and felt power emitting from it. Not the evil power that Jalie radiated, simply a great power…
He sighed.
"Well, what do I have to lose?" he said.
He walked into the portal, into dim light.
As his eyes adjusted to the light, he found that he was in a great hall…
To his shock, three titanic forms were standing in front of him. Despite their huge size, they were covered by shadow; still he could sense overwhelming power coming from them. This was even greater than the great power he had felt coming from Center-of-All.
A voice came from the one on the left. It was gruff and gravelly, but powerful.
"Jalie is a powerful opponent," said the voice. "He will likely defeat you no matter which of your six decks you use. And that is something we cannot allow. Jalie Squarefoot must be stopped."
Then the one on the right spoke. The voice seemed younger, and higher, with a jovial tone.
"With each move that Jalie makes," said the voice, "the window for Tharizdun's escape grows wider! The Mad God even now waits with anticipation for the door to his prison to be torn open by Jalie's infernal device! Jalie has no idea of the mistake he will make should he do so!"
Then the one in the center spoke. It sounded authoritarian, older than the other two, and full of wisdom.
"But due to his foresight of making his fortress on the mortal world," said the voice, "we may not directly interfere. Even worse, our chosen proxies do not have the access to his lair that you did, nor could they get there in time…
"So… For this one time, Dante Connors… For one duel only… We will make an exception…"
Then Dante screamed as lightning struck him…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MULTIPLE DESTRUCTION (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A soldier falling into a crevice, dragging another soldier down with him.
Card Description: Activate only when both players each have 3 or more cards in their hands. Both players discard all the cards in their hands and draw 5 cards. Then, you take damage equal to 100x the number of cards you discarded via this effect.
Note: "Multiple Destruction" was first used by Bakura in the original anime episode "Showdown in the Shadows (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL ARMAROS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Card Description: When this card is in your Graveyard, you can activate the following effect by removing it from play: Reveal the top two cards on your deck and select 1. Add the selected card to your hand, and place the other at the bottom of your deck. You cannot Special Summon during a turn where you use this effect. You can only use the effect of "Outcast Devil Armaros" once per turn.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL CAHOR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: When this is attacked while in Attack Position, roll 1 die. Send 1 card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard times the number rolled, and for each card sent by this effect, increase the ATK of this card by 200 until the End Phase of the turn.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL CAIM (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 900
Card Description: FLIP: Add 1 Level 4 or lower "Outcast Devil" Monster from your Graveyard to your hand.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL GERYON (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 2,700
DEF: 2,400
Card Description: This card can be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 2 or more "Outcast Devil" Monsters with different names. For each of the following Monsters that are Tributed to Special Summon this card via this effect, destroy 1 card your opponent controls: "Outcast Devil Amon", "Outcast Devil Herodias", and/or "Outcast Devil Rumjal".
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL MALAREA (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 1,100
Card Description: Once per turn, you can discard 1 card from your hand to take control of 1 face-up Monster your opponent controls until the End Phase of the turn. That Monster cannot attack and cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute Summon or used for a Synchro Summon.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OUTCAST DEVIL RUMJAL (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 200
DEF: 1,800
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned in Attack Position, move it to face-up Defense Position. When this card is destroyed by battle, take 1 Normal or Quickplay Spell Card from your Graveyard and place it on the top of your deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SHIELD OF STARS (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: Junk Warrior holding a blue, crest-shaped shield with five stars printed on it, arranged in a circle.
Card Description: When your opponent declares an attack, you may send 1 Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck to the Graveyard to negate the attack and put one "Star Counter" on this card. Destroy this card when it has two "Star Counters".
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Dugan: What was happening? Dante had no idea, but it seemed that some higher powers had indeed decided that they could sit still no longer. Whether any cosmic laws were being broken, it was impossible to tell, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
The important thing was, Dante's chances against Jalie may have improved greatly at this point. A spark of hope had been lit in the darkness… And it was up to him to turn that spark into a roaring flame.
"The Epic Clash; The Proxy" is coming soon.