Somewhere under this city lies a secret monastery, and in this place lies the power of the Dark Messiah.
We have to find this place. We have to get that power. We need it to fulfill the prophecy and win this war…
But three obstacles stand in our path… Their names are Cassius, Cleo, and Sebastian. They must be utterly defeated before the path to the monastery opens.
Well, no problem. We beat them before, and this time we know their strategy. We can beat them again.
Yeah, right… I wish it were that simple.
But this "Fortunado", whoever he is, didn't choose them as his Swordsmen because they were pushovers.
The next phase is starting, and I doubt it will be easy.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
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Magic Jammer
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Sunday, October 25th, 2106, 10:39 PM
As the storm raged down, and sheets of rain fell down on the city, Fortunado lounged in an armchair.
He was slowly munching on salted mixed nuts (except the Brazil nuts, which he hated) and staring out the window.
He looked at the bowl of nuts in disgust as he chewed on a pecan.
"Am I eating just because I'm bored?" he asked to no-one in particular.
He threw the bowl over his shoulder.
"No… I'm eating because I'm nervous. Those three kids are going to come looking for my men soon, and it wouldn't hurt to add to my forces…
"Cassius!"
Cassius ran into the room.
"What took you so long?" asked Fortunado.
"Uh…" started Cassius.
"Never mind," said Fortunado. "Does your mother still have the Scepter of Bound Divinity?"
"Uh, yeah…" he replied.
"Well, steal it from her again," ordered Fortunado.
"We can't use it to bring Loki to the mortal world again," replied Cassius. "His jailers will have tightened his chains tenfold after what happened. They'll make sure he won't escape again."
"True," said Fortunado, "but Loki is far from the only deity who has gotten in trouble with his colleges. More divine beings have committed crimes of some sort, and have been punished by being locked away in celestial prisons…
"And some of these places haven't learned about Loki yet, and they won't have taken the same precautions."
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At the same time, Dr. Artemis was going over her most prized books.
She held out her coffee cup, and Twinky rolled up.
"Cream, two sugars," she muttered.
As Twinky filled it, she turned to a page in an old book and rubbed her chin.
"Those three are getting closer and closer," she muttered. "This is usually the part where the ground falls out from under your feet.
"That Frenchie woman told them about some sort of monastery under the city… I know I read about that in here somewhere…"
She turned to a page.
"Here we are…" she said. "No information on the actual monastery or who's in it, but here's a prediction…"
She read:
Three warriors will be chosen by dragons, and will seek the sacred ground out. To find it, each will be tested by a challenge to test the power of light inside them.
The first challenge: Proof of Order. Only by proving superiority of Law over Chaos will the Chosen pass.
The second challenge: Test of the Soul. Only by proving superiority of one's soul over the skill of one who has none will the Chosen proceed.
The third challenge: Days of Past Reckoning. Only if they are blessed by the one who came before them, will they prove their worth.
Dr. Artemis paused.
"No mention of Duel Monsters specifically, but it falls into place.
"That third one… What does that mean? Sir Issac? But he's been dead for a thousand years. Will his spirit help one of them if they're worthy?"
She sighed and closed the book.
"Guess we'll find out."
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As the thunder rolled, Trisha tossed and turned in her sleep.
"Machine King Prototype in Attack Mode," she mumbled in her sleep. "And two cards facedown… Go ahead and attack me, Sebastian…"
Valon appeared next to her bed.
"Trisha…" he said, nudging her gently. "Wake up, Trisha…"
Trisha woke up in a start.
She looked at the intruder.
"Get back…" she warned. "I can scream loud enough for Old Ben to hear, and he can flatten you good…"
"Turn on your light, Trisha," said Valon with a grin. "I realize that a man who breaks into a woman's bedroom at night is usually a rapist, but… well…"
Trisha turned on the light, ready to scream her lungs out if he moved a step closer.
She didn't recognize the young man, but she was startled when she saw that she could see right though him.
"Who are you?" she asked. "Are you some sort of…"
She reached out with her hand and it passed through him.
"…GHOST?"
"Don't be afraid!" urged Valon. "I just want to talk!"
Trisha paused.
"Can you… sit down?" she asked.
"Of course I can sit down," said Valon with a laugh.
"Then, uh, there's a chair right there…" she said.
"As for who the Hell I am," said Valon, taking the chair, "my name is Valon, and I'm a duelist like you are… And the reason I'm ghost is, well, I'm cursed…"
He sat down, and a long story followed. Trisha found herself hanging on to every word…
"I'm sorry," said Trisha. "It must be awful. But why are you telling me?"
"I know you like Machine Monsters," replied Valon.
He handed her a deck of cards.
"Take a look at these Machines."
Trisha took the deck and skimmed through the cards.
"Uhm… they're… odd…" she said.
"Well, they're yours now," said Valon. "I'm cutting my ties with my deck, and handing it over to you."
"I can't do that!" shouted Trisha. "These are yours!"
"The deck is useless to me now," said Valon. "Keep it or sell the cards. They're very valuable, especially as a set.
"But I ask for one humble favor. I can't give much in return, except the cards and the unending thanks of myself and the two friends of mine who are in the same condition…"
"What?" asked Trisha.
"When you face Sebastian next," he said. "Use this deck to pound the crud out of him. But before you do, dedicate the battle to me, Raphael, and Alister.
"We'll be there on the sidelines supporting you. This is the only way we can finally rest.
"Of course…"
He sighed.
"If you study the cards and decide that they're too hard to use, just forget the whole thing. I won't force you."
Trisha started looking at the cards.
"I can't promise I will," she said, "but I'll try…"
Valon smiled.
"Good luck…" he said.
Slowly, he vanished.
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The next day in class, Dr. Peters was showing a film of some clips of the first Battle City with the sound turned off. The three Egyptian God Cards dominated most of the scenes.
The class gasped in fright as Yugi ordered a direct attack with Slifer against Bakura, and the evil spirit grinned madly before collapsing.
"As you can see…" muttered Peters, "the Egyptian God Cards were not simply… cards. They were divine forces that if left unchecked, could lay waste to cities. Many duelists dreamed of owning these cards before they were lost, but only certain duelists could handle the incredible power they possessed.
"If you didn't know how to control one of them, it may well have consumed you.
"Pegasus learned soon after he created them that these cards were a mistake. He had them locked away, and hoped they'd never see daylight again."
He turned off the film.
"It is sad to say, but this was not the only… mistake that Pegasus made in his long career. While creating Duel Monsters, he unleashed forces too horrible for anyone to ever dream of controlling.
"What I'm about to say is… all rumor and speculation…
"On one of his many trips to Egypt, he uncovered a tomb of one participant of the ancient Shadow Games, and found vivid descriptions of a Shadow Beast of unheard of power. A demon that was like a god to other demons.
"He thought this creature would make a perfect addition to his game. He did more research, and eventually created the prototype…
"It all fell apart when it was playtested. When the summoned Monster attacked the opposing Monster, both duelists were knocked out by the backlash, and fell into a coma that they couldn't wake up from for a week. And when they did wake up, it took them hours to stop screaming, as if the thing had caused the darkest of nightmares.
"Horrified at what had happened, Pegasus tried to burn the card. But to his horror, it wouldn't burn…
"He decided to seal it away forever, better than he had with the God Cards. He personally delivered it to the most secure bank in Switzerland, and arranged to have it locked in a safe deposit box in their deepest vaults. He left orders stating that no-one, absolutely no-one, not even him, under any condition whatsoever, was ever allowed to take it."
Dr. Peters paused.
"We can assume this card was a Fiend, but we don't know what it looks like, what it can do, or anything about its vital statistics…
"But this name was mentioned once about the forbidden card…
"Wicked God Dreadroot."
The class went silent.
Russell rubbed his chin.
Interesting… he thought. I know it's impossible but… I have to say… I'm curious…
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When class was over, Trisha made a beeline for the VR Pods in the library.
"Ms. Nichols," she said to the director. "I need a virtual duelist… One who isn't too hard."
"Why the sudden interest?" asked Ms. Nichols.
"I, uhm…" answered Trisha. "I built a new deck, and I need to try it out."
Before I wager my soul on how good it is… she thought.
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On Friday afternoon, Russell sat on a bench shuffling his deck.
Trisha and Jason walked up to him from opposite directions.
"Ready?" asked Jason.
"Let's get 'em," answered Trisha.
They walked to the front gate.
"So, where do we start looking?" she asked.
Russell paused.
"I just had a… vision…" he said.
He concentrated.
"Cassius…" he said. "He's at Rockefeller Center… I don't know how I know, I just know."
"Then let's go…" said Jason.
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It wasn't winter yet, but the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center was open and enjoying good business. Children skated around, while teenagers holding hands with their girlfriends danced on the ice.
Cassius sat on a bench eating one of the three slices of pizza he had gotten from a vendor.
Slowly he paused. His ears perked up.
He grabbed his whip, and lashed it behind him, knocking out of the air the card that someone had thrown at him.
He got up, and picked up the now-torn card.
"Dragon Capture Jar?" he thought. "Someone's taunting me, and he's gonna regret it…"
"Am I?" said a familiar voice.
He turned and saw Russell with his two allies behind him.
"Well, Russell, I hoped you show up eventually," he said. "I owe you for the humiliation you doled out to me. By the way, nice coat."
"Then what else remains to be said?" asked Russell.
He placed the toothpick in his mouth and clamped his teeth on it.
"Let's end this between us once and for all. I'm not scared of your Armed Dragons…"
Cassius took his deck and started to shuffle it.
What he doesn't know is that there's no Armed Dragon in this deck, thought Cassius. I'll have him begging for mercy before long… And he won't get it…
They loaded their decks into their Disks.
Raphael, Valon, and Alister appeared behind Trisha and Jason.
"It's starting…" said Raphael. "We can only hope…"
"Ready… Battle!" shouted Russell.
(Russell: 8,000) -------------------- (Cassius: 8,000)
"So," he continued, drawing five cards, "will you go fist, or should I?"
"You decide that," answered Cassius. "I can be generous when I want to be."
"Then by all means, you go first," said Russell.
Cassius drew a sixth card.
"I set a Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn," he said.
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Now make your move."
"I will!" replied Russell, drawing a sixth card. I summon Axe Raider in Attack Mode."
Axe Raider appeared, raising his axe. (1,700/1,150)
"Attack his facedown Monster!" he shouted.
Axe Raider charged. A fiendish-looking treasure chest appeared, and was smashed to pieces.
"That was a Dark Mimic LV 1," said Cassius. "That means I get to draw one card."
He drew a card and looked at it.
"Then it's your move," said Russell.
Cassius drew again.
"Then the road to your demise begins…" he said. "I play the Seal of Orichalcos!"
His Field Slot opened, and he threw the card inside.
The Jason and Trisha were thrown back, as the evil pentagram formed around them. Valon and Raphael reached out and caught them.
"What?" said Jason, turning around.
They saw nothing…
Cassius's eyes glowed as the Seal etched on his forehead.
"Surprised?" he asked. "I'm not taking the Emperor Palpatine approach any more. I'm doing something more along the lines of Count Dooku or General Grievous."
"You'll still lose…" warned Russell.
"Want a bet?" asked Cassius, choosing another card. "I play the Spell Card, Level Down!"
He played a card.
"Level Down?" asked Russell. "I know what Level Up! does, but what the Hell is Level Down?"
"Level Down! lets me downgrade the star level of one leveled Monster in my hand by two for the remainder of the round," explained Cassius. "Thus, I can now summon a six-star Monster as if it were a four-star Monster, with no sacrifice.
"So I summon… Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6!"
The birdlike, golden Dragon that Sean Kishore was so fond of appeared, and the Seal branded to its forehead. (2,300/1,600)
"THAT wasn't in your deck last time!" shouted Russell.
"I know…" said Cassius with a sinister smile. "I'm full of surprises, Russell…
"Of course, Horus's Level 6 form is immune to all Spell Cards… Even the Seal can't break that rule. But his 2,300 Attack Points easily beats your Axe Raider's 1,700."
"Horus… attack the Axe Raider with black flame blast!"
Horus shot a burst of fire at the Warrior. Axe Raider screamed and was burnt to a crisp.
(Russell: 7,400) -------------------- (Cassius: 8,000)
"No…" gasped Trisha. "On the round where that Monster wins a battle…"
"…it can evolve into something stronger…" interrupted Cassius, taking a card from his deck. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8!"
Horus grew into a much bigger Dragon, with a wider wingspan. As the Seal branded to it, it glared at Russell.
"And his Level 8 form IS affected by the Seal," continued Cassius.
(3,000/1,800) –) (3,500/1,800)
"He managed to summon an eight star Monster in one turn…" gasped Trisha.
"You're one in a million, Cassius," growled Russell. "In Egyptian myth, Horus was a valiant crusader who defended the weak and the oppressed, and fought against tyranny. And you have the nerve to combine his avatar with the Orichalcos?"
"I'd like to see you try to stop me!" answered Cassius. "Especially since so long as he's on the field, I can negate any Spell Cards that you try to play.
"And by the way… that includes any Equip Spell you create with The Claw of Hermos. Why do you think I made this Monster my weapon of choice? I prepared in advance this time."
"He's right…" gasped Trisha. "He's put Hermos out of commission!"
"Just try beating me now…" dared Cassius.
"I place one card facedown, and end my turn…"
A facedown card appeared.
Russell drew a card.
"I summon Command Knight in Defense Mode," he stated.
Command Knight appeared in front of him and knelt. (1,200/1,900) – (1,600/1,900)
"Then I place one card facedown…" he said.
He fit a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Your move…"
Cassius drew.
"I summon The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave in Attack Mode," he said.
The sleepy, rocky Dragon appeared, but woke up a little. It seemed a bit surprised at being called to attack.
Then it grinned a sinister grin… (1,300/2,000) –) (1,800/2,000)
He paused.
"So…" muttered Russell. "Aren't you going to attack?"
"Don't insult my intelligence, Russell," said Cassius, "I see that facedown card perfectly clearly. And I know that Traps are Horus's greatest weakness.
"Pity if something were to happen to it, such as this…"
He took a card from his hand.
"I play Giant Trunade!"
He played the card, and the whirlwind flew across the field, blowing Russell's facedown card and Cassius's facedown card off the field.
"Not only is Horus safe now," said Cassius, "but the card that I blew back to my own hand was one you'll remember from our first duel…"
He turned the card around.
"Treasure Map?" asked Russell.
"Yes," replied Cassius. "So now I get to draw twice, so long as I discard one card."
He drew two cards.
"And once again, since Treasure Map is now worthless, that's what I'll discard.
"You can thank your friend Jason for helping me come up with this strategy, by the way… His duel with Alphonse showed me that Giant Trunade has no effect on the Seal.
"Thank you so much, Jason!
"Now then… I'll attack with Horus! Attack Command Knight! Dark fire inferno!"
Horus blasted its flame, and Command Knight screamed before she was incinerated.
"Dragon Dwelling in the Cave…" he ordered. "Attack directly! Noxious gust!"
The Dragon breathed out a squall of foul wind, and Russell screamed…
(Russell: 5,600) -------------------- (Cassius: 8,000)
"That will end my turn…" said Cassius.
Russell drew a card.
"Gearfried the Iron Knight in Defense Mode," he said.
Gearfried appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,800/1,600)
"And I'll place this facedown again…" he muttered.
The facedown card reappeared.
Cassius drew a card.
"I sacrifice The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave," he said.
The Dragon vanished.
"To summon… heh, heh, heh…"
He placed a card down.
"Jinzo!"
Jinzo appeared, its optic sensors glowing red. They glowed even more as the Seal bonded to it. (2,400/1,500) –) (2,900/1,500)
"Beginning to see my strategy now?" asked Cassius. "With these two Monsters on the field, you can't play any Spell OR Trap Cards. And you can't win with Monsters alone!"
Russell was silent.
"Jinzo, attack Gearfried with cyber energy shock!" shouted Cassius.
Jinzo formed a ball of black energy in its hands, and hurled it forward, blowing Gearfried to pieces.
"Now, Horus… Attack Russell directly!
"Dark fire inferno!"
Horus shot an inferno of flame, and Russell screamed as flames engulfed him!
(R: 2,100) -------------------- (C: 8,000)
"Blimey, he got nailed!" gasped Valon.
"He still has a chance, doesn't he?" asked Alister, getting scared.
"I'd like to say I think he does…" said Raphael, "but one thing my mother taught me, God rest her soul, was that lying comes back to haunt you."
"Why not just give up, Russell?" asked Cassius. "You've lost more than half your Life Points, and I'm still at full strength. I don't want to have to do that again."
Russell was silent for a minute, as smoke rose from his bent form… He could honestly say, he had never taken a direct attack that powerful before…
He didn't like it.
Then he straightened up, and took the toothpick out of his mouth, and then flicked it at Cassius. It bounced off the outlaw's chest.
"No…" he growled.
He drew a card. He looked at it.
He smirked…
"Monster in Defense Mode…" he said.
A facedown Monster appeared.
"And I end my turn…" he said, smugly.
Cassius drew a card.
"Well, you can't play any Spell Cards," he said, "but I sure can… I play Pot of Greed!"
He played the card, and the wicked jar appeared. He drew two cards, and it shattered.
He looked at the two cards he had drawn.
There, he thought, looking at the very common Spell Card. Now my three-Monster combo will be complete…
"So what is that facedown card?" he asked. "Something with some nasty flip-effect, I'll bet. Well, it's not gonna work…"
He played a card.
"I play Polymerization… To fuse Lord of Dragons with Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"
The Dragon and the Spellcaster appeared on the field. They swirled into a vortex of light…
And then King Dragun arose! (2,400/1,000) –) (2,900/1,000)
"So long as King Dragun is on the field," said Cassius, "both he and Horus are protected from all card effects that target. I now have the ultimate Horus Lockdown!
"Face it, it's over!"
"NO!" screamed Trisha.
What do you think now, dad? thought Cassius. I'm going to be more of a success than you could ever have dreamed of being!
"King Dragun…" he shouted, "destroy his last defense! Flaming scourge!"
King Dragun raised his rod, and blasted flame at the facedown card…
And then, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian appeared on the card, and blocked the blast with his sword!
He was unharmed, as steam rose from his blade. (1,400/1,200)
"Thought you had me, did you big guy?" asked Russell with a grin. "Obnoxious Celtic Guardian can't be destroyed by Monsters who have 1,900 Attack Points or more, and all three of your Monsters are far too powerful!"
"That was brilliant!" thought Raphael. "Now that Lord of Dragons and The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave are in Cassius's Graveyard, with the 500-point boost of the Seal, I'll wager that ALL the rest of his Monsters are simply too strong to destroy that guy!
"He might have a chance…"
"A mere annoyance…" said Cassius. "I end my turn…"
"Thank goodness he didn't have Nobleman of Crossout in his hand…" muttered Trisha.
"I was trying very hard not to think of that…" muttered Jason.
Nobleman of Crossout? thought Cassius. DAMN! I knew I had forgotten something…
Russell drew.
"I summon my second Command Knight in Defense Mode," he said.
Command Knight appeared, and knelt. (1,200/1,900) –) (1,600/1,900)
"And you can't attack her so long as another Monster is on my side of the field," he continued. "Who has who in a lock?"
"Big deal!" shouted Cassius. "You'll never defeat my Horus Lockdown!
"And it's a temporary defense at best. All I need to do is draw my Monster Reborn or Premature Burial, and I can bring back Lord of Dragons. Even with the Seal, his Attack Score will be low enough to destroy your elf."
"I seem to remember that this exact strategy was defeated at one time in the past," answered Russell.
"True…" said Cassius. "Joey Wheeler defeated it using Gilford the Lightning. But to use his effect, you must sacrifice three Monsters. And while you can easily summon a third one, I'll never let it survive long enough.
"It's my move!"
He drew.
"And I choose to pass…"
Russell drew a card.
"I summon Queen's Knight in Defense Mode," he said.
Queen's Knight appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,500/1,600) –) (1,900/1,600)
"That's all for now."
Cassius drew.
"Horus, attack Queen's Knight!" he shouted.
Horus shot his black flame. Queen's Knight screamed as she was burned up.
Sorry, Queen's Knight, thought Russell, as he discarded her card, but maybe you can help again later.
"My move…" he said.
He drew a card.
"I summon King's Knight in Defense Mode."
King's Knight appeared. He knelt and placed his sword on his knee. (1,600/1,500) –) (2,000/1,500)
"That will end my turn," he said.
Cassius drew a card.
"You just keep setting them up," he said, "and I'll keep knocking them down. Horus, take out King's Knight!"
Horus shot forth his black flame, and King's Knight was incinerated.
"This isn't a duel…" moaned Trisha. "This is target practice for Cassius. I don't know what Russell can do…"
"Yes…" said Cassius. "What can you do?"
"Your strategy has one tragic flaw," said Russell, narrowing his eyes. "With Jinzo on the field, you are forbidden from activating any Traps as well. That's the downside of using Jinzo that everyone who uses it knows.
"So, if I were to summon someone who could destroy Horus, you'd be powerless to stop me."
"HA, HA, HA, HA!" laughed Cassius. "Destroy Horus? With the Seal, he has 3,500 Attack Points.
"The strongest Monster that can be Normal Summoned is a tie between one of Kaiba's Dragons and Ultimate Tyranno. Even if you had one, and you don't, it couldn't defeat Horus without help. And while there are stronger Monsters in the game, they all need to be Special Summoned.
"And you simply can't Special Summon something with more Attack Power than this without Spells or Traps."
Russell looked at his deck.
"Any time, pal…" he whispered.
He drew.
He looked at the card… He grinned wickedly.
"Guess again, loser…" he said with a smile. "See, you aren't the only one who can plan in advance. I was expecting Dragons when I came here… Not Horus, I'll admit, but I was still expecting Dragons. So I added a guy to my deck for just this occasion… One that makes even the Blue-Eyes White Dragons tremble in fear!
"The greatest dragon-slayer of all time…"
"Wait…" muttered Cassius. "You're not talking about…"
"I sacrifice Command Knight…" said Russell.
Command Knight vanished into light.
"AND Obnoxious Celtic Guardian…"
The Guardian followed.
Thunder started to roll…
"To summon the mighty… Buster Blader!"
In a flash, a powerful Warrior clad in violet plate armor and a full-head helmet, holding a huge sword leapt up, and struck a heroic pose! (2,600/2,300)
"WHAT?" screamed Cassius. "You never had him in your deck before! You must have gotten him when we weren't looking!"
"So, you've been watching us?" asked Russell. "Actually, Cassius, I've had this card for a very long time… But I only take him out for special occasions. Like when I wanted to kick your ass.
"And by the way, as you know doubt know, he gains 500 Attack Points for every Dragon on your side of the field and in your Graveyard. Two of them are in plain sight, and three more are in your Graveyard!"
Buster Blader lifted his sword, and it glowed, as he drew energy from the two Dragons in front of him…
Then the spirits of Divine Dragon Ragnarok, The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, and Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 appeared, and he absorbed them as well.
(5,100/2,300)
"No fair!" screamed Cassius.
"Why?" asked Russell, angrily. "Is there a rule now that says only the bad guys are allowed to have rare and powerful cards? If there is, I must not have caught that in the rulebook."
Cassius seethed in anger.
"Buster Blader…" ordered Russell, "destroy Horus with blade buster attack! Cut him in half!"
Buster Blader glowed with golden light. He leapt up, and brought his sword down on the Black Flame Dragon! It roared, and then exploded into a burst of flame!
The flash lit up the dimming evening…
Flames showered to Earth as the mighty Warrior landed, and turned towards King Dragun, as if to say, "You're next." The fused Monster shuddered.
Trisha and Jason cheered. Behind them, the three phantoms cheered as well.
(R: 2,100) -------------------- (C: 6,400)
He defeated Horus without Hermos… thought Cassius, in fear. Impossible… Inconceivable…
Why didn't someone tell me he had that accursed Warrior in his deck?
"Your move, Crocodile Dumb-Dee," said Russell.
"Oh, you're gonna regret that…" growled Cassius, drawing.
Level Modulation? he thought, looking at it. If I use that to bring back Horus, he'd just kill it again!
"I'll move Jinzo and King Dragun into Defense Mode," he said.
King Dragun curled up in his coils and Jinzo crouched in Defense.
Russell drew.
"Well," he said, "now that Horus is in your Graveyard, I can use all the Spell Cards I want!
"Like this one… The Warrior Returning Alive. I'll use it to return Command Knight to my hand."
He played the card, a card slipped out of his discard slot.
"Now, Command Knight, welcome back…"
Command Knight reappeared. (1,200/1,900) –) (1,600/1,900)
She nodded to Buster Blader, and his Attack rose to 5,500.
"Command Knight," he ordered, "attack Jinzo with flame blade!"
Command Knight's sword burned with fire, and she swiped at Jinzo. The android sparked and exploded.
"All right!" shouted Trisha. "Now Russell can use Traps again!"
"Now for the last one," said Russell. "Buster Blader, attack King Dragun!"
Buster Blader leapt up, and with a swipe of his mighty sword, cleaved King Dragun in two. The remains shattered into dark shards.
"Your move, pal…" said Russell, "and you have no Monsters left… Your so-called lock has failed miserably."
(R: 3,900) -------------------- (C: 6,400)
Cassius paused. He was worried now.
This better be a good draw… he thought, or that superpowered Buster Blader will be able to attack ME next turn!
He drew.
"I play… Graceful Charity!" he shouted. "I don't think I need to tell you what that does…"
He drew three cards.
He paused.
He discarded two Masked Dragons from his hand.
"Are you nuts?" asked Jason. "You just made Buster Blader even stronger!"
Buster Blader rose to an Attack of 6,600.
"And now I'll make him weaker," said Cassius. "See this card?"
He showed him a card.
Soul Release.
"A common card," he continued. "I'm sure you know that it can remove from play five cards from either your Graveyard or mine…"
He played the card.
"And I choose to use it on mine, removing from play five of my Dragons. That means your Warrior loses 2,500 Attack Points."
Buster Blader fell to an Attack of 4,000.
"Next, I'll play Spell Reproduction…"
He played the card, and then discarded Level Modulation and The Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension.
"This lets me play Soul Release a second time."
Buster Blader fell to 3,000 ATK.
"I don't get it," said Valon. "Even without those Dragons, Buster Blader's Attack Score is still through the roof. What is Cassius planning?"
"Now," said Cassius. "I summon… Silent Magician LV 4."
He played a card, and in a flash, a small girl dressed in space-age clothing carrying a staff appeared.
She looked around in fear. As the Seal started to bond to her, she looked ready to cry…
Then she fell under the spell, and her eyes glowed with an evil light. (1,000/1,000) –) (1,500/1,000)
"Please…" said Russell. "I know how she works… She gains 500 Attack Points every time I draw, right? And when she reaches a certain point, you can evolve her into her big sister. Well, she won't last long enough to reach that point…"
"Have you forgotten what kind of deck you're dealing with?" asked Cassius.
He took one of the last two cards in his hand.
"I play… Level Up! This lets me evolve her instantly, into Silent Magician LV 8!"
"Another eight star Monster?" gasped Jason.
The small Silent Magician vanished…
And then a taller form appeared. She looked pretty much like an adult form of the LV 4 version, with a fancier staff.
She started to cringe. Russell couldn't help but stare… She was trying to resist the Seal!
But it was no use. She bowed her head, and then lifted it again, with evil in her eyes. (3,500/1,000) –) (4,000/1,000)
"Now…" said Cassius, "Horus will be avenged! Silent Magician, attack the Buster Blader with cosmic flux!"
Silent Magician shot a blast of energy from her staff that looked like a black burst full of stars and moons. Buster Blader was thrown back, and shattered to pieces.
(R: 2,900) -------------------- (C: 6,400)
"And by the way…" said Cassius. "Your Spell Cards won't work on her."
"True," said Russell, drawing a card, "but unlike Horus, she can't stop me from playing them.
"I play Premature Burial."
He played the card.
"I'll use it to bring my first Command Knight back from the grave."
The ankh appeared, and the first Command Knight appeared, next to her twin. (1,200/1,900)
Both Command Knights rose to an Attack of 2,000.
"My Magician is twice as strong as they are," said Cassius.
"Perhaps," said Russell. "But due to Command Knight's ability, I have you in a lock again!"
"He's right…" said Alister. "Command Knight is protected from an attack so long as at least one other Monster is on the field. So the first one protects the second…"
"And the second one protects the first!" laughed Valon. "Well, that's just what I would have done… Well, if Warriors were my thing… And they aren't… Uh, yeah…"
Cassius frowned as he drew.
His eyes lit up.
"I'll place one card facedown, and end my turn," he said.
Russell drew a card.
"I play MY Graceful Charity," he said.
He played the card, and then drew three cards.
He paused.
He discarded Gearfried the Swordmaster and Armed Changer.
"Now…" he said. "I sacrifice both Command Knights…"
The two Knights vanished…
"And summon Gilford the Lightning."
The powerful Gilford appeared. (2,800/1,400)
"Next," he said, "I'll play… Monster Reborn. And I'll bring back a Monster from your Graveyard, one that I don't think was a willing recruit…"
The holy ankh appeared, and Silent Magician LV 4 appeared. (1,000/1,000)
"That has to be the dumbest move I have ever seen," said Cassius. "You should have used Monster Reborn Ifirst/I, and then sacrificed all three Monsters so that you could have used Gilford's effect. Now you have two Monsters who can't come close to beating my Magician."
"I was thinking more long term…" said Russell, taking another card.
He played it.
"I play The Claw of Hermos!"
He played the card, and the sky darkened. The wind around Rockefeller Center picked up, and the immense form of Hermos flew out of the sky, and dove through the Seal!
"Hermos, merge with Silent Magician to form… the Solar Blaster!" shouted Russell.
Silent Magician LV 4 and Hermos formed into two globes of light, and they merged together…
In a flash, a huge, futuristic cannon appeared, and Gilford grabbed the hilt. He fell down on one knee and pointed it forward.
"When the Solar Blaster is used by a Light-Attribute Monster," said Russell, "he gains 1,500 Attack Points when battling a Dark-Attribute Monster. And I happen to know that since you're playing the Seal, any Monster you summon is Dark."
Gilford aimed the huge weapon at Silent Magician LV 8. She sighed, and bowed her head.
"Gilford, put her out of her misery," said Russell. "Solar blast!"
Gilford's Attack rose to 4,300. He pulled the trigger, and fired a blast of pure light. Silent Magician was blown into shards.
(R: 300) -------------------- (C: 6,100)
"So now what, Cassius?" asked Russell. "Any Monster you summon will be facing a Monster with 4,300 Attack Points.
"But just in case…"
He fit two cards into his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared next to the one that had been there unused since Cassius had summoned Jinzo.
"Your move…"
"You haven't won yet…" warned Cassius.
He drew a card.
He looked at it and the other card in his hand…
This card… he thought. I can use it to summon my most powerful Monster…
But… That Monster… It's cursed… Everyone who has used it has come to horrible ends…
He stared at the card.
"What is the freakin' holdup?" asked Russell.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
On her throne of obsidian, the dark figure watched with disgust.
"Okay…" she sneered. "Time for a chat…"
As Cassius looked at the one card in his hand, the voice of the Master entered his mind.
"Cassius!" shouted the Master. "What IS the holdup? Use that Spell Card, and summon your ultimate weapon."
Cassius started to sweat.
But… Your excellence… he thought. The card… It's dangerous… I never dared use it before… The curse…
"Curse?" scowled the Master. "You're talking nonsense. Need I remind you that you have no Monsters to summon, and your facedown card won't help you unless you use that card. Unless you do, you will lose.
"I will not spare you, Cassius, especially if the reason you lost was because you were scared of your own card.
"So either play it… Or end up just as your pathetic father was… A failure…"
"A failure…" whispered Cassius. "I'll show you who's a failure!
"I activate my facedown card…"
The facedown card lifted.
"Return From The Different Dimension! It's worth paying half my Life Points to bring back five of the Dragons I removed from play…"
A spiraling portal appeared, and two Masked Dragons, The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, Divine Dragon Ragnarok, and King Dragun flew out.
"Big deal," said Russell. "None of them can defeat Gilford…"
"Want to know what card I drew?" asked Cassius. "Do you?"
He played the card.
"I play… Dragon's Mirror!"
"Dragon's Mirror?" gasped Trisha.
"It's a Polymerization substitute," said Jason. "It lets the user remove fusion material Monsters from his field and Graveyard from play to summon the Fusion Monster, so long as the Fusion Monster is a Dragon.
"But none of those Dragons are used in any fusions except Ragnarok… He brought them all back just to summon a second King Dragun?"
"How little we know…" said Cassius, with an evil smile.
A large mirror with a frame decorated with a draconic theme appeared. The five Dragons were sucked into it.
"The Dragon I'm summoning is among the most powerful beasts in the Duel Monsters universe! A card so rare, you can count on one hand the number of known copies… A Dragon from Hell itself…
"And he's summoned by fusing five Dragons of ANY variety!"
The mirror shattered in a burst of glass…
A glowing five-pointed star appeared in the center of the Seal.
"I summon the mighty… F.G.D.!"
An aura of pure darkness rose, and grew to giant size…
A Duel Monster that looked even bigger than Raviel loomed out of the darkness. Its scaly skin was a sickly yellow, and it had a wingspan of at least two-hundred feet. Worse, it had five horrible heads… one yellow with a crown of electricity, one black and scaly, one blue and metallic, one green and fiendish, and one that appeared to be made of fire.
It let out a great roar!
(5,000/5,000) –) (5,500/5,000)
"That stands for Five God Dragon, in case you were wondering," he said with a smirk.
"Boy, he's a big one…" muttered Russell.
"Still not scared?" asked Cassius. "Why don't we do the math, shall we? Your Monster has 4,300 Attack Points. Mine has 5,500, a difference in my favor of 1,200. And you have 300 Life Points left!
"Oh, what's that? You're counting on those Trap Cards to protect you, right? Well, guess again…"
He played the last card in his hand.
"I play Hordeguarder. For the small price of 800 Life Points, all Dragons on my side of the field become immune to Traps for the round I play it."
"Try to get out of this one! F.G.D., attack Gilford with Pentecost Holocaust!"
The great beast's five heads shot forth a blast of flame, a gust of wind, a bolt of lightning, a ray of ice, and a beam of pure darkness. Gilford the Lightning screamed and was blown to bits.
"You are beaten…" said Cassius.
Through the smoke, he saw Russell in silhouette…
…and as it cleared, he grinned at him.
(R: 100) -------------------- (C: 2,250)
"Man…" muttered Russell. "Talk about activating a facedown card just in time…"
"WHAT?" shouted Cassius. "But my Hordeguarder…"
"The facedown I activated wasn't a Trap, Cassius," he said. "It was Emergency Provisions. I used it to send my facedown Reinforcements to the grave just before your attack hit, so I gained 1,000 Life Points before I lost any.
"This isn't over yet…"
"You don't know when to quit, do you?" scowled Cassius. "You're more persistent than the headaches I get whenever I eat ice cream. But you've far from won…
"You think you can beat F.G.D. Well, maybe this will show you its true might. The King of Games himself faced this beast on two occasions, and while he defeated it, he had help both times, the first time from Kaiba, and the second time from Joey. If he had been alone either time, he'd have met his doom.
"YOU, however, stand against it alone.
"And by the way, each time he needed a Fusion Monster of his own to defeat it. In your whole deck, you have only ONE of the Monsters you need to create one of the fusions he used, and I'm pretty certain you don't have the Fusion Monsters themselves."
"Don't give up, Russell!" shouted Trisha. "You'll think of something."
"Fat chance," said Cassius. "Let me also share with you F.G.D.'s special ability: it's immune to almost all attacks. Monsters of the Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Dark Attributes simply can't attack it. Only Light Monsters are able to muster the courage to attack it, and seeing as I just deep-sixed your most powerful Light Monster…
"Well, it's been nice knowing you…"
Russell looked at his deck.
Twenty – one cards left in my deck, he thought. One more than half. And only two of those cards are ones that could take down quintuple-ugly over there…
A little more than ten to one. Not good odds.
His hand moved towards his deck.
I have to believe… Believe that my cause is more favored them him. That the higher powers approve of what I'm doing. It they do… Then I will draw one of them.
He drew a card.
He smiled.
"I activate my facedown card," he said. "Call of the Haunted!"
His last facedown card lifted, and Buster Blader leapt out. (2,600/2,300) –) (3,100/2,300)
"Weren't you listening a minute ago?" asked Cassius. "That guy is an Earth Monster, so this is the one Dragon who isn't afraid of him. Besides, since I used Dragon's Mirror, the total number of Dragons on my field and Graveyard is one."
"He's not going to attack your Dragon…" said Russell, taking another card. "I'm going to take it down the same way I did Raviel. In a way, while you thought using a mega-powerful Monster would help you win, using one that strong will now only lead to your doom."
He played it.
"I summon Freed the Brave Wanderer in Attack Mode."
In a flash of light, Freed's younger self appeared, holding a longsword. (1,700/1,200)
"And now…" said Russell, "by removing two Light Monsters from play…"
Queen's Knight and King's Knight fell out of his discard slot.
"He can destroy any Monster who's stronger than he is."
"Wait… No…" gasped Cassius.
"You have no Trap Cards on the field to protect your Dragon…" said Russell, as Freed started to glow with radiant light. "You thought that the biggest Monsters with the most destructive power were the best, Cassius. But you should have taken a tip my father always said…
"Play with fire, you'll get burned."
The irony of that last statement didn't seem to sink in, as the F.G.D. roared and an aura of light started to surround it. It cringed for a few seconds, and then burst into shards.
"So much for that," said Russell. "You're finished! Buster Blader, take him down!
"Take him down hard…"
Buster Blader leapt up, and slammed his sword into Cassius. The outlaw fell backwards.
(R: 100) -------------------- (C: 0)
Cassius slowly got up. He coughed, and coughed up blood…
The Seal started to glow… It started to contract…
"Anything to say, you monster?" asked Russell.
Cassius just stared at him.
"I'll take that as a no…" said Russell. "Cease fire…"
Cassius collapsed, as the Seal claimed him.
Sweat poured down Russell's face as he gasped for breath.
"Well guys…" he muttered, "one down…"
"And two to go…" said Valon. "I think things are going to get better from this point…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In the dark throne room, its occupant brooded on its throne of obsidian.
Then she perked up.
"Hmm…" she said. "Coming…"
A ball of light flew into the chamber. The dark figure pulled it close and swallowed it.
"Well, Cassius," she said, "you did well while you could. And I must say when all was said and done, you might have still been a failure…
"But that was quite a spectacular way to fail.
"Rest comfortably…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Trisha removed the F.G.D. from Cassius's Disk.
This card… she thought. Very powerful, and yet…
She shivered.
There's something… evil about it. As if in another place and another time, this creature truly existed…
She closed her eyes…
Suddenly, a frightening scene appeared in her mind's eye… It was a full scale war, where powerful knights rode dragons as steeds. On the side of light were beautiful dragons with scales of gold and silver, while on the side of darkness were uglier ones, whose scales matched the colors on the F.G.D.'s five heads.
Looming in the shadows above the evil army was a fiendish form…
"Takhisis…" she whispered.
"Huh?" asked Jason. "Who's Takhisis?"
Trisha paused.
"I dunno…" she said, holding the card. "It's a name that just popped into my head…"
And then the F.G.D. card vanished into flame!
They all gulped.
Friday, October 30th, 2106, 6:12 PM
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HORDEGUARDER (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Spell/Quickplay
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK:
-
DEF: -
Image: A dragon nesting on a pile of golden coins and other treasure.
Card Description: Pay 800 Life Points. On the round you activate this card, DRAGON-Type Monsters on your side of the field are not affected by Trap Cards.
0
0
0
LEVEL DOWN! (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Spell
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF:
-
Image: A set of level stars, with two of them being blasted by lightning.
Card Description: Choose one Monster in your hand with "LV" in its name. Downgrade the star level of the chosen Monster by two for the remainder of the round in which you play this card.
Note: "Level Down!" will be used by Chazz in a future episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
SOLAR BLASTER (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Spell/Equip
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK:
-
DEF: -
Card Description: This card is descended by activating "The Claw of Hermos" and offering one "Silent Magician LV 4" or "Silent Magician LV 8" as a Tribute. This card can be Equipped to any Light Attribute Monster. When the Monster Equipped with this card battles a Dark Attribute Monster, increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 1,500 during the damage step.
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0
0
Before anyone asks, the villain hiding in the shadows is NOT Takhisis. But that doesn't mean that Trisha's vision does not mean anything.
Coming up next…
Trisha finds Sebastian and challenges him to a rematch. But can Trisha succeed when the deck she is using is one of the hardest themes to master? She hopes so, because she's not only fighting for her own soul, but those of three cursed phantoms…
Don't miss "Armor Exe", coming soon.
And now, for something sweet…
Time
to give everyone a chance to participate in this fanfic... with a
poll! You know by now that Russell, Trisha, and Jason are on
the right track to the Dark Messiah. But let me explain a
secret about the Dark Messiah. It is not one person. "Dark
Messiah" is a title. Every thousand years, during each
Reckoning, one hero has been given a blessing where he has been
chosen as the champion who will oppose the evil in the great
comflict. This hero is the Dark Messiah. Now, that blessing
will go to one who is already blessed, one who holds one of the
Legendary Dragons... But as much as they'd like to share,
Russell, Trisha, and Jason cannot. There can only be one
Messiah. Who will it be? This poll will be up until
midnight, August 23rd. Until then, vote for who you want to receive
the blessing. Choose who you want to hold the power of the Dark
Messiah. But be careful... The one who gains this power
will become a mighty weapon of light... But he or she may have to pay
a price if it is desired...
This
poll will be done by secret ballot. Send me a personal message with
your choice, and I will keep track. This poll is also being held on
another website. Votes from both will be tallied up. Cast your
vote now!