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DUEL FIFTY
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Bone Temple Block
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Shichiro slowly drove his D-Wheel through the quiet rural areas just outside of Neo Domino.
He stopped for a minute, and paused. Here and there, by the sides of the road, were several small shrines.
They were common sites in the countryside. People used them to make offerings to the various spirits that were once more widely believed in; the creatures of Japanese folklore that represented the forces of nature.
Of course, Aware humans knew that these spirits were actually Shadowkind, as were most creatures of any myth.
He drove on, and eventually saw his goal. A Shinto shrine loomed in front of him at the end of a cul-de-sac. A sign that said "Under Renovation" was posted in front.
He eyed the place suspiciously for a minute. He had suspected somewhere at a higher altitude.
Nonetheless, he got off his bike, and walked in the front door.
He looked around. This didn't seem to be under renovation... The stone lanterns were lit, the statues and screens were in good repair...
From the look of it, this was clearly a Tenjin shrine.
These shrines were dedicated to the 9th Century scholar Sugawara no Michizane. He had been unjustly exiled in life, and had originally been enshrined not to be worshipped, but to placate his spirit, whose anger was believed to be the cause of a plague and other disasters.
Odd... thought Shichiro. Why here?
"Rary?" he said out loud.
"Sorry, he couldn't make it," said a voice.
Shichiro turned his head, and saw Soth leaning against a statue, slowly shuffling a deck of cards.
"Rary had an appointment with his dentist..." he said, "so he asked me to fill in..."
Shichiro raised an eyebrow.
"Right..." he said. "You probably were going to be here all along...
"And I want answers... I've been finding out bits and pieces, but they're starting to fit together. I'm starting to think that those comets that struck the Titans' home planet were not an act of God."
"Hmm..." said Soth.
He placed his deck into his Duel Disk.
"So you're saying someone sent them on purpose?" he asked. "That would make someone responsible for multiple genocide... Quite a serious claim you're making there...
"Of course... If it was true and I knew something about it, and that's not an admission, it would probably be in my best interest to keep my mouth shut."
As he said that, the door behind Shichiro slammed shut.
"You didn't need to do that," said Shichiro. "I have no intention of leaving without answers."
"Then duel me," replied Soth. "Maybe, just maybe, you'll get some before it's over."
The two Disks activated, and the decks were shuffled.
"Duel!" they both shouted.
(Shichiro: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Soth: 8,000)
"I'll make the first move," said Shichiro, as he made a draw.
"I play... the Continuous Spell Card, Gateway of the Six."
He played the card, and the large wooden doorway with the glowing symbol of the Six Samurai appeared behind him.
"We'll get to that later. For now, I'll summon Six Samurai – Irou."
In an aura of darkness, the blindfolded Samurai holding his long katana appeared. (1,700 ATK)
"And I'll leave it at that."
"Not bad..." said Soth, making a draw.
"I'll defend with a Monster, then set one card, and I'll end MY turn."
A reversed Monster and a reversed card appeared in front of him.
Shichiro made his second draw.
"All right," he said. "I summon Six Samurai – Kamon."
In a burst of fire, the Samurai demolitions expert appeared, casually palming an explosive. (1,500 ATK)
"And since I have two Samurai on the field," continued Shichiro, "Irou can automatically destroy any reversed Monster when he attacks.
"Go! Setting sun strike!"
Irou made a slash at the card, cutting it in half.
"Kamon, attack directly! Greek fire grenade!"
Kamon lit the explosive, and hurled it at Soth. The Paragon grunted as the explosion enveloped him.
(Sh: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 6,500)
Then he grinned.
"Not bad..." he said. "But I still have plenty of tricks waiting..."
He drew a card.
"Like this one! Come on out, Gozuki!"
With a growl, a hulking, muscular demon with a bull's head, holding a huge hammer, appeared in front of Soth. (1,700 ATK)
"Gozuki?" gasped Shichiro.
"That's right," said Soth, as a card slipped out of his Disk. "And using its effect, I can send one Zombie from my deck to the Graveyard each round."
He discarded the card.
"And now, my Trap Card..."
His facedown card lifted up.
"Night of One-Hundred Horrors! It lets me Special Summon from my Graveyard both of the Zombies that are there... Crow Tengu and Onmoraki!"
The two Monsters that appeared certainly didn't look like Zombies. At first glance, they looked more like Winged Beasts. The first one was a humanoid crow, holding the Goblin Fan. (1,400 ATK) The other looked like a big, black crane. (1,200 ATK)
But they were indeed Zombies... They were special ones called Yokai, modeled after the demons of Japanese folklore. Shichiro knew of a Shadowchaser who worked in Vegas who used a deck like this.
What was his name again? he thought.
"Due to Onmoraki's effect," said Soth, "I get to draw one card..."
He made a draw.
"And thanks to Crow Tengu, I get to destroy one Monster. I think I'll destroy Irou!"
Crow Tengu's eyes glowed.
"You obviously don't know much about the Six Samurai," said Shichiro. "They're so close as a team, that if one would ever fall, another can fall for him.
"So Crow Tengu's effect will be affecting Kamon instead."
Kamon shattered into pixels.
Darn... thought Soth. Not how I would have wanted it... but...
"Gozuki..." he said. "Attack Irou!"
The Yokai lifted its hammer, and Irou lifted his sword.
"They'll kill each other!" shouted Shichiro.
"No skin off my nose..." said Soth.
The two Monsters leapt at each other, and were blown to pieces in an explosion.
"You're wide open!" shouted Soth.
Shichiro staggered as the two feathered Zombies dug their talons into him.
(Sh: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 6,500)
Shichiro held his chest.
Hyde Vance... he thought. THAT was his name...
Soth set a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"I end my turn..." he said. "And because I summoned them using that Trap Card, both my Monsters are destroyed..."
Onmoraki and Crow Tengu shattered into pixels.
"...but hey... Maybe we'll see them again..."
He's right... thought Shichiro. The whole point of a Yokai Deck is to summon from the Graveyard...
He drew.
But I can inflict some serious harm...
"I activate the effect of Gateway of the Six," he said. "Each time I summoned a Samurai, it gained two Bushido Counters.
"Now that it has four, I can remove them to take a Samurai from my deck..."
A card slipped out of his deck.
"Now, I summon Samurai Yaichi!"
He played the card, and the archer of the Six Samurai appeared. (1,300 ATK)
"Next..." said Shichiro, "I Special Summon Grandmaster of the Six Samurai."
With a flash, the elderly sensei of the Six Samurai appeared next to Yaichi. (2,100 ATK)
"Then, with two Samurai on the field again, I can use Yaichi's effect... By forfeiting his attack this round, I can destroy one set Spell or Trap."
Yaichi fired an arrow from his bow, and Soth's Dimensional Prison was blown to shards.
"Uh..." said Soth.
Then he was knocked over as the Grandmaster's sword slammed into him.
(Sh: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 4,400)
"I end my turn..." said Shichiro.
"I'll bet you think you're pretty smart..." said Soth, making a draw.
"Well, I can be smart too. Case in point, I play Spellbook of the Pot. Now, we both draw three cards."
He played the card, and made three draws. Shichiro shrugged, and also drew three.
"Next, I set a card..." continued Soth.
A new facedown card appeared.
"...and then play Card Destruction!"
He played a new Spell Card.
"We must each fold our hands and draw an equal number."
He discarded his four cards, and then made four draws. Shichiro sighed. He discarded five cards, and drew five new ones.
Actually, somewhat of an improvement, he thought, looking at them.
"Continuing," said Soth, "I summon Shutendouji."
A new Yokai appeared in front of him. It was a horned, red-skinned ogre with long, unkempt hair, holding a Saki bottle. (1,500 ATK)
"You think some drunk demon scares me?" asked Shichiro.
"We'll soon see," replied Soth. "It has two effects, and this round, I'm going to use the effect that lets me remove two Zombies in my Graveyard from play to draw one card."
He took Gozuki and Crow Tengu from his Graveyard and pocketed them. Then he made one draw.
He looked at it. Then he took another card from his hand, and set it in his Disk. A new facedown card appeared.
"All right! Shutendouji... Attack Samurai Yaichi!"
Shutendouji breathed a volatile cloud of fire at the archer, and he vanished in a shower of ash.
"Ergh..." said Shichiro.
(Sh: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 4,400)
"Heh, heh..." said Soth, crossing his arms. "Your move..."
Shichiro drew a card.
It was Junk Synchron.
Hmm... he thought.
"I summon Samurai Zanji!" he exclaimed.
In a golden aura, the armored Samurai holding his naginata appeared. (1,800 ATK)
One of Soth's two facedown cards shot up.
"I activate Threatening Roar!" he exclaimed.
Shichiro sighed.
"Darn..." he said. "I can't do anything else."
"Then it's my move..." said Soth, making a draw.
"I use Shutendouji's other effect," he said. "I can take one Zombie that's been removed from play, and put it on the top of my deck."
He placed a card on the top of his deck. Then his facedown card lifted up.
"Then, with Jar of Greed, I can get it right away."
He quickly drew it.
"Now, I'll summon it!"
Gozuki appeared once again. (1,700 ATK)
"Next, I'll use Gozuki's effect again..."
He took a card from his deck, and discarded it.
"Then, I'll sacrifice my two Zombies..."
Gozuki and Shutendouji vanished into grains of light.
"...to Special Summon the Nine-Tailed Fox from my Graveyard!"
In an aura of fire, an evil-looking fox with nine long, sharp tails appeared in front of him. Its eyes glowed like smoldering coals. (2,200 ATK)
"Attack! Destroy his Grandmaster!"
Nine-Tailed Fox's long tails shot at Grandmaster, piercing his chest and blowing him to shards.
(Sh: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 4,400)
Soth grinned.
"It's your move..." he said.
Shichiro drew a card. He looked at it. It was Tuningware.
Hmm... he thought.
"I summon Junk Synchron," he said, as the cute robot appeared in front of him. (1,300 ATK)
"Now, it can give Zanji a Tune-up..."
Junk Synchron gave its ripcord a yank, and both it and Samurai Zanji dissolved into seven glowing stars. Shichiro chanted:
"Clustering stars form an arrow shot from the heavens to strike like a bolt from the blue! Appear!
"Synchro Summon... Junk Archer!"
Junk Archer appeared, aiming its bow at the bestial Zombie. (2,300 ATK)
"I could just attack your Fox," said Shichiro, "but I'd rather use Archer's effect, which lets me remove it from play for the rest of the round.
"Go! Bull's eye banishment!"
Junk Archer fired its bow, and Nine-Tailed Fox was sucked into a vortex.
"That means I can attack you directly!" shouted Shichiro.
Junk Archer fired its bow again, and Soth grit his teeth in pain as the arrow ripped though him.
"I end my turn," said Shichiro. "And that means your Monster comes back."
Nine-Tailed Fox appeared again. (2,200 ATK)
(Sh: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 2,100)
Soth frowned as he made a draw.
"I move it to Defense Mode," he said.
The Fox sat in a Defensive Position. (2,000 DEF)
"Then, I throw two cards facedown."
Three reversed cards appeared behind it.
"...and I'm finished."
Shichiro eyed the facedown cards as he made a draw.
They might be Traps... he thought. But if they're bluffs, I could win the duel with this strike!
Junk Archer fired his bow again, and Nine-Tailed Fox vanished again.
"Junk Archer, attack..." he started.
"I activate Burial From a Different Dimension!" shouted Soth, as his Quickplay Spell flipped up. "I'll send Nine-Tailed Fox and Crow Tengu to my Graveyard."
He discarded the cards.
"Then, a Trap Card," he said, as his other card lifted up. "Haunted Shrine! Because I have no Monsters on the field, I can Special Summon a Zombie from my Graveyard.
"And I think I'll summon one I just put in there..."
Crow Tengu appeared in front of him. (1,400 ATK) Its eyes glowed with unholy light, and Junk Archer shattered into pixels.
Shichiro frowned. He took two cards from his hand and set them, one in his Monster Zone, and one in his Spell Zone. The two set cards appeared in front of him.
He looked at Gateway of the Six.
Six... he thought. I have just enough, but I'll wait until next turn...
"It's your move, Soth," he said.
Soth drew a card.
"I set two more cards facedown," he said, as two reversed cards appeared.
"Then I attack with Crow Tengu!"
The Yokai dive-bombed the hidden Monster. Tuningware appeared on the card, right before Crow Tengu cut it in half with one slash from the Goblin Fan.
"That's all for me," he chuckled.
Shichiro made a draw.
"I activate Double-Edged Sword Technique!" he exclaimed, as his Trap Card lifted up. "This powerful card lets me Special Summon not one, but two of the Six Samurai from my Graveyard."
First, Irou appeared. (1,700 ATK) Then Zanji. (1,800 ATK)
"But," added Soth, "when your turn ends, both of them will be destroyed, and you'll take damage equal to their Attack Scores. Is it worth 3,500 Life Points?"
"Actually," said Shichiro, "I don't intend to keep them. I summon Nitro Synchron."
He played a card, and the small, robotic propane tank appeared next to the two Samurai. (300 ATK)
Then the needle on its gauge moved into the red. It and the two Samurai flew upwards, and the three blazing suns appeared.
"Sorry about this..." said Soth. "I mean, as much as I'd just love to tussle with Trymus right now..."
One of his reversed cards lifted up.
"...I'm not going to. I activate Enma's Judgment!"
A dark pall fell over the room, and a grim figure seated at a judge's bench appeared behind Soth. He held up five cards: Shutendouji, Onmoraki, Nine-Tailed Fox, Nurikabe, and Onagakokuba.
"By removing five Zombies in my Graveyard from play, I can call upon the power of the dark judge Enma, to undo your Special Summoning..."
Enma rapped his gavel on his bench. The three Monsters shattered, and the three suns faded away.
"This card has another effect..." said Soth. "It lets me Special Summon Enma's servant... The Red Ogre!"
There was a roar, and a large, hulking figure appeared out of the shadows. It was eight feet tall, muscular, covered with red fur, had diabolical horns over its bestial face, and carried a huge kanabo. (2,800 ATK)
"So..." said Soth with an evil smile. "What now, Osaka?"
Shichiro gave him an angry look.
"I'll show you what now!" he said. "My Gateway of the Six has ten Bushido Counters on it. And by removing six of them, I can Special Summon Great Shogun Shien from my Graveyard!"
In an aura of flames, Shien appeared, holding his blazing katana. (2,500 ATK)
"No fair!" shouted Soth. "I never sent him to your Graveyard!"
"Yes you did," replied Shichiro. "When you played Card Destruction, remember?
"And now, I remove two more Counters more to increase his Attack Points by 500 for the rest of the turn."
(3,000 ATK)
"Destroy Red Ogre! Sword of Burning Pride!"
Great Shogun Shien leapt at the huge Yokai, and with one swipe, cleaved it in half down the middle.
(Sh: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 1,900)
"It's your move, Soth," said Shichiro. "Don't forget, with Shien on the field, you can only use one Spell or Trap per turn."
Shien returned to an Attack Score of 2,500.
Soth's eyebrows narrowed. He drew one card.
"Very well..." he said. "I choose this one..."
His last facedown card lifted up.
"Ghostly Reinforcements. I give up 1,000 Life Points, and in return, I get to Special Summon two low-Level Zombies from my Graveyard."
The first Yokai to appear was Gozuki. (1,700 ATK) The second was the most popular Yokai, a horse-headed, axe-wielding demon that was used in several other varieties of Zombie Decks. (1,700 ATK)
"WHAT?" shouted Shichiro. "You had Mezuki in your Graveyard this whole time, and never used its effect?"
"I believe it was someone on your world that said, 'patience is a virtue', Mr. Osaka," said Soth.
He frowned.
"But as of last round, I'm all out of it...
"I sacrifice Mezuki and Crow Tengu..."
The two Yokai vanished into a glob of darkness...
With a roar, a Monster even bigger than Red Ogre appeared. Fully twelve feet tall, it had the body of a muscular bear wearing a kit, one glaring eye, and a lolling tongue. (2,900 ATK)
"What is THAT?" shouted Shichiro.
"That's Daidarabotchi," said Soth, with a grin. "Don't let its good looks fool you...
"And since you seem to know about Mezuki's effect, I'll do that now, removing it from play to Special Summon a Zombie from the Graveyard..."
Red Ogre appeared again. (2,800 ATK)
"By the way..." he continued, "Daidarabotchi gains 200 Attack Points for every Zombie on the field, other than itself."
(3,300 ATK)
"Red Ogre, take your revenge!" he shouted. "Slay that Shogun!"
The Oni leapt at Shien, and spouted a wave of flames from its maw. Shien grunted, and shattered into pixels.
"Now, Gozuki, attack him directly!"
Gozuki leapt at Shichiro, and smacked him upside the head with the huge mallet. Shichiro struggled to keep standing.
"Daidarabotchi, Earthshaker Crush!" shouted Soth.
Daidarabotchi roared, and slammed its fist down so hard, the whole shrine shook. This time, Shichiro could not keep standing. He collapsed.
(Sh: 0) - - - - - - - - - - (So: 900)
Shichiro hadn't felt this bad in years... Not since he was fourteen and had tried to use his older brother Shiro's abs cruncher. Blood dribbled from his nose, and his head was pounding.
"I might as well tell you, Shichiro..." said Soth. "Yeah... The comets that destroyed the Titans' homeworld... They were sent on purpose. The boss told me it was part of some big plan."
"Why..." moaned Shichiro.
"Not sure," said Soth. "Apparently, that was on a need-to-know basis, and the boss didn't think I needed to know."
Then Soth grabbed him by the throat. Shichiro didn't hear anything else. He fell unconscious.
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The aboleth was carefully watching through its portal viewing device.
"Hey boss!" said Soth. "Mission accomplished. That new deck you gave me worked great."
"I'll pass the compliment to the one who put it together," said the aboleth.
The portal vanished.
"I trust you heard him?" it said, as a figure walked out of the shadows.
The figure walked into the light.
It was Trueman.
"Indeed I did," replied the Messenger of Darkness.
"Seems you're much better at building decks than you are at actually using them, Trueman," said the aboleth.
"And so long as those Shadowchasers think I'm dead," replied Trueman, "I'm free to work in the shadows without them suspecting. It's given me access to some powerful cards. And powerful cards lead to powerful decks."
"You should try deceit more often, Trueman..." said the aboleth. "You'll find that it often has many advantages over always being truthful..."
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Back at the shrine, Minerva walked in. She had been hiding out of sight during the whole duel, unsure of what to do. She had wanted to help Shichiro, but didn't want to disobey orders.
She spoke into her communication device.
"Bad news..." she sighed. "Mr. Osaka has been defeated."
"Where is he now?" said the voice on the other end.
"He was taken by the victor," replied Minerva. "He was alive when last I saw him... How long that may be, I have no idea...
"Is there nothing we can do? Nothing at all?"
There was a long pause.
"I will look over my copy of the Benediction," said the voice. "It is a long and complex document, as such things often are. Perhaps we can find something.
"Continue as you were, and report back on any news."
The transmission ended, leaving her alone.
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CROW TENGU (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: When this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, destroy one Monster on the field.
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ONMORAKI (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: When this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, draw one card from your deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NINE-TAILED FOX (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 6
ATK: 2,200
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: When this card is in your Graveyard, you may Tribute two Zombie-Type Monsters that you control to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. When this card is Special Summoned via this effect, it gains the following 2 effects: *When this card battles a Defense Position Monster with a DEF lower than this card's ATK, inflict the difference as battle damage to your opponent's Life Points. * When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon two "Fox Tokens" (Zombie/Fire/Level 1/ATK 300/DEF 300) to your side of the field in Defense Position.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GOZUKI (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 800
Card Description: Once per turn that this card is face-up on your side of the field, you can send one Zombie-Type Monster from your deck to the Graveyard.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DAIDARABOTCHI (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 10
ATK: 2,900
DEF: 2,500
Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card gains 200 Attack Points for each Zombie-Type Monster on the field, other than this card.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HAUNTED SHRINE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Two ghostly spirits flying out of a cavern.
Card Description: You may activate this card when you control no Monsters. Special Summon one Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NIGHT OF ONE-HUNDRED HORRORS (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A mob of ghoulish creatures in a dark wood.
Card Description: Special Summon as many Zombie-Type Monsters as possible from your Graveyard. At the End Phase of the turn, destroy all Monsters that were Special Summoned by this effect.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ENMA'S JUDGMENT (Trap Card)
Counter Trap
Image: Enma, the King of the Underworld, seated at a judge's bench, with a kneeling prisoner in front of him, with Red Ogre standing nearby.
Card Description: Activate when your opponent Special Summons a Monster. Remove from play five Zombie-Type Monsters in your Graveyard. Negate the Special Summon of that Monster and destroy it. Then, you may Special Summon 1 "Red Ogre" from your hand or deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GHOSTLY REINFORCEMENTS (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A warrior on a dark battlefield strewn with broken armor and weapons, with mysterious lights hovering behind the trees in the background.
Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points. Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type Monsters from your Graveyard.
Note: The proceeding nine cards were all used by Misawa at various times in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" Manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.
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Next:
Jinx: I expected to meet with Soth... But now that this map has led me to the reservoir, it has become clear that Menzoberra has decided to meet with me. Even stranger, it seems that her deck has done a complete 180, and is not what one would expect from a master of Water at all.
It's hard enough when you face the biggest and strongest Monsters in the game... It seems she's decided on something significantly smaller...
"Pride of the Weak" is coming soon.
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Shadowchaser Files
Riza, Divine Imposter
For a long time, Taramanda was the highest authority among the ophidia. Because her anathema form was proof that she had the blessing of Seghulerak herself, no ophidia dared to publicly question that authority. Now that she is dead, a power vacuum exists in their society that many would like to fill. One who might do so is not even an ophidia, but a demon who is posing as the aspect of Seghulerak, who heads a clan in Mumbai.
Three years ago, after the leader of that clan was arrested by the Shadowchasers for performing blood sacrifices, her apprentice decided to continue her work, and use a powerful incantation that she hoped would summon Seghulerak to the mortal world. On the night of a full moon that shone blood red, she cast the blasphemous rite... However, it didn't go as she planned.
What she summoned was not Seghulerak, or any aspect of the goddess. It was a class of demon called a marilith. Marilith are powerful demons who act as generals and strategists of the Blood War (a daunting job, considering how chaotic demon armies are). They appear as human females with six arms from the waist up, and huge serpents from the waist down. Marilith are known for their incredible martial skill (able to adequately wield a sword in all six arms at once) and their cruel nature.
This marilith, whose name was Riza, appeared even more serpentine than the average marilith, having the same snake-like scales on her humanoid half that she had on her tail. Thus, although the ritual was a failure, the assembled ophidia saw the serpentine demon in front of them, and thought that it had been successful. At first, Riza was furious at being summoned (as demons usually are when summoned by mortals) but once she realized that these mortals were intent on worshipping her, she calmed down a great deal.
After a while, Riza (who was careful not to use that name) learned about the situation, and ideas started to form in her head. In the Abyss, she had been a general serving a demonic king... Here, she could be queen if things fell into place. Using her skills as a strategist, she directed her minions to gather power in secret, preparing for an ultimate confrontation where she would take Taramanda's place as the ultimate authority of the species.
Recent events have complicated matters, and forced her to change her plans considerably. But soon, Riza will reveal herself to the rest of the world, and a new power player among Shadowkind might emerge as a result.
Story Ideas: Taramanda's death and the revelation of her secret have worked to Riza's advantage in many ways. There is no longer a need to overthrow Seghulerak's true chosen, and if she can prove to others that she is truly the embodiment of the goddess, she may be able to rekindle the weakening faith in the ophidia's worship.
Of course, Riza cares nothing for Seghulerak or any other god (the closest thing demons have to gods are the Abyssal Lords) and this may cause another problem; someone might find out that she is an imposter. Up to this point, she has quietly done away with any ophidia suspected of knowing the truth about what she is, but once she goes public, it is entirely possible that an expert on demons might recognize her for what she is.
An even bigger monkey wrench might be thrown in her plans if Seghulerak herself takes offense at what she does. The ophidia goddess may not take much interest in her followers, but all deities, as a rule, hate imposters. In the past, creatures who impersonate deities only last as long as doing so amuses the deity in question. Of course, Riza might try to contact her allies in the Abyss and try to make a bargain with the snake goddess... It could be worth a shot...
Deck Suggestions: Dispatching enemies via dueling, at least ones that pose an actual threat, isn't Riza's style. Like most marilith, she prefers to cut an enemy to pieces quickly and be done with it. Still, she can duel if the situation warrants it, and she knows that it might in the future.
Riza's deck reflects her love of martial fighting, using a deck that focuses on Equip Spells. She doesn't use Vairon Monsters (it would be unwise for a demon to use Fairies) but she uses many other useful cards, like Armed Samurai Ben Kei, Evocator Chevalier, and Seven Sword Warrior.
Recently, Riza has uncovered information about Power Tool Dragon, and unlike most of Rua's opponents, realizes its great potential. She likely would have challenged him for it a long time ago, if not for the fact that the Crimson Dragon, an entity that she is justly afraid of, seems willing to protect him. She has time to wait, however, and will follow Rua's exploits closely.
