Author's Note: Before we get into this chapter, I'd like to express my hope that everyone reading is doing okay during the current COVID-19 crisis. It's shocking how quickly this thing has grown into something that affects everyone to some degree whether they've contracted the disease themselves or not. During these times I find that it's more important than ever to keep writing as much as I can, so this story will continue. That being said, I hope that this strange crossover of mine will help people get through this crisis at least a little bit.
Disclaimer: I do not own Revolutionary Girl Utena or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
Chapter 35: Divine Dragon
Utena ended up getting out of bed quite early the morning of her duel against Rex; despite the trouble she had sleeping the night before. As Anthy continued to sleep soundly in their bed, Utena used the time to make sure her deck was ready for the duels that were about to come. Despite her reservations, Utena had decided to add the card that the Skeleton Knight had given her to her deck. The pinkette had every reason not to use the card after all of the things that the Skeleton Knight had done to her friends, but in the end Utena came to the conclusion that the Skeleton Knight had nothing to gain by giving her a card that would sabotage her, and she didn't want to take the risk of being unprepared in case his warning about Rex's strategy against her being true. With as far as she'd come and with so much at stake, Utena couldn't afford to take any chances.
As soon as Anthy finally woke up and got dressed, Utena and her ventured out of the dorms to head to the administration building. When they exited the building, they found Miki and Wakaba waiting for them almost right by the door.
"Well hi guys," Utena spoke. "Wasn't expecting this kind of sendoff."
"We just wanted to be here to wish you luck," Wakaba explained.
"Unfortunately we can't be there to watch you duel against Father Goodwin and End of the World," Miki added. "But please know that we'll both be rooting for you."
Utena smiled and nodded. "Thanks guys. I know you'll both be there in spirit. One way or another, I'm ending all this today."
Wakaba winked and gave Utena a thumbs-up. "Go knock 'em dead!"
"You bet I will!" Utena replied as she gave her own thumbs-up.
With that, Utena and Anthy continued down the path to the administration building as Miki and Wakaba waved them off.
"It really meant a lot for those two to show up and wish me luck," Utena remarked as they walked.
"It seems they weren't the only ones to do so, Lady Utena," Anthy remarked as she glanced off to the right.
Utena turned her head in the direction Anthy was looking and saw Juri standing not to far away on the grass, holding the wheelchair of the still catatonic Shiori. The redhead gave Utena a nod as she and Anthy passed and continued to watch them as they left. Utena then glanced off to the left and saw Kozue standing under a nearby tree with her arms crossed. The blunette turned her back to Utena as soon as the pinkette saw her.
"Kinda nice that they'd wish us luck too," Utena remarked.
After a few more moments of walking, the entrance to the administration building finally came in sight. As Utena and Anthy approached, they noticed a familiar figure with long green hair waiting for them by the front steps with his arms crossed. Utena couldn't help but roll her eyes the moment she saw Saionji, as he was the last person she wanted to deal with at the moment.
Utena went over to confront Saionji as soon as they reached the front steps. "What the heck do you want?"
"Merely to tell you not to lose," Saionji answered. "Now that you've gotten this far, your defeat would be an insult to me and to Touga, especially if it was a loss to that damn priest."
"Don't worry. I won't lose to Goodwin or to End of the World!"
Saionji nodded. "Just one more thing. Even after you win this game for Seibal, I will come back to take you on again for Anthy's hand."
With that, Saionji walked off. Utena watched the green-haired swordsman as he left and glared at him the whole time. She wanted to storm over and punch Saionji in the jaw for that last comment, but restrained herself. At the moment she had much bigger fish to fry. Utena and Anthy continued into the administration building and immediately headed down into the abandoned hallway.
As soon as the elevators came into view, Anthy pulled ahead and vanished down her own corridor to the left. Utena meanwhile headed into her own usual elevator up to the track. As soon as Utena was inside, the elevator began to ascend and the familiar piece of choral rock music began to play. As the lights from the car washed over her and changed her appearance to her longhaired dueling form, she thought about how this would be the last time she would be taking the elevator up to the track, win or lose. Eventually the elevator stopped and Utena's D-Wheel rose out of the floor. Once Utena mounted the vehicle and put on her helmet, the door to the track opened up.
Utena drove out onto the track and saw Seibal hovering in the sky above, realizing that this would likely be the very last time she would be seeing the floating fortress from below. She also instantly spotted Anthy standing atop her platform in her Rose Bride outfit, and told herself that this would be the last time anyone would be fighting over Anthy like some sort of prize. As Utena reached the starting line for the track, she saw that another D-Wheel was already there waiting. The vehicle was not a normal motorcycle but instead a large black wheel. When Utena pulled up next to the other vehicle, she saw Goodwin sitting in the wheel's seat, clad in white armor and a white cape.
Rex smirked as soon as he saw Utena. "At long last the duel between the King of Earth's Lock and the King of Sky's Lock has finally arrived. The King of Sky's Lock holds custody over the gate to Seibal, while the King of Earth's Lock holds custody over the key to Seibal, the Rose Bride. The winner of this duel will gain custody of both and become the King Who Unlocks. I've waited thousands of years to finally claim that crown."
"Don't think it's going to be that easy to beat me, Goodwin!" Utena declared.
Rex chuckled. "I'll admit my dear that your skill had me a bit worried…for a time. Your victory over Touga threw off my carefully laid plans. I even hoped that my foolish older brother's henchmen would defeat you and finally remove you from the equation. But I have since developed the perfect strategy to eliminate you once and for all. You cannot defeat me."
"Let's just get on with this duel already!"
"Indeed. But first, a duel of this momentous of an occasion needs the proper fanfare." And with that, Rex snapped his fingers.
Suddenly the sound of organ music began to play across the track from an unspecified source. Utena couldn't help but roll her eyes as Rex moved his right hand to the music as if waving a conductor's baton. She wondered if the five thousand-year-old duel priest was doing this just to irritate her and perhaps throw her off her game.
"Stirring, isn't it?" Rex asked. "This is a piece by Felix Mendelssohn called 'War March of the Priests'. As we are the last two remaining and most powerful Diak Ums left in this game, I felt this piece only appropriate. Now then, Rose Bride! Begin the duel for us!"
As the organ music continued to play, Anthy raised her hand in the air. Utena and Rex revved their D-Wheels in preparation for the final signal. A split second after Anthy swung her arm down, Rex and Utena took off down the track at full speed. The two were neck and neck at first, but then Rex pressed a large button on the consul of his D-Wheel's controls. In that instant, the black wheel-shaped vehicle sped down the track like a rocket and stole the first corner.
Utena instantly realized that something wasn't right. "Hey! What the hell kind of dirty trick did you just pull?"
"My D-Wheel is a special prototype model equipped with what is called a D-Boost," Rex explained. "When activated, it gives a D-Wheel an extra short burst of acceleration."
"You know, you cheating like that only proves just how weak of a chance you have against me! And it's all the more reason why I'm going to beat you!"
"Don't be so sure, child!" Rex responded as he drew his first card. "I set one card on the field! Then I summon Celestial Messenger in Defense Mode!"
Materializing next to Rex's D-Wheel was a humanoid figure clad totally in white armor with gold trim. Over his armor he wore a long blue cloak with a hood. Emblazoned on the armor covering his chest was a large golden cross-shaped star. Covering his head was a white helmet with a large gold visor covering all of his face. Hovering behind the figure's back was a glowing golden halo, and in his right hand was a long golden horn.
"That ends my turn!" Rex announced.
Utena drew her first card. "First I activate the Spell card, Tune Adjuster! This card lets me send a level three or lower monster from my hand to the Graveyard in order to add a Synchron Tuner monster to my hand! I discard Junk Scrounger to pull Junk Synchron from my deck! Next I summon Junk Synchron in Attack Mode!"
On cue, Utena's bespectacled Tuner in orange materialized next to her D-Wheel.
"Using Junk Synchron's effect, I summon Junk Scrounger from the Graveyard in Defense Mode!" Utena announced.
Appearing next to Junk Synchron was a small orange and grey robot covered with rust. It had a square head with a single rectangular yellow eye and two grey antennas on the sides of the head. The machine had a box-shaped torso, on the back of white was a large black rectangular container resembling a plastic trashcan. It had a pair of thin grey arms, each ending with a simple two-pronged claw. The robot's lower half was a simple grey box with four black wheels.
"I tune the level three Junk Synchron into the level two Junk Scrounger for a level five Synchro Summon!" Utena announced.
Junk Synchron pulled the ripcord hidden in his chest armor and flashed orange before transforming into three green rings of light. The rings encircled Junk Scrounger and changed the little robot into two white stars.
"The stars of light now come together to create the path to a noble future!" Utena chanted. "Synchro Summon! Charge forth! Junk Knight!"
The stars flashed and became a ray of white light that shot down the track and expanded outward. In moments the light faded to reveal Utena's lance-wielding machine knight.
"Junk Knight! Attack Celestial Messenger!" Utena commanded. "Rocket Joust!"
The rockets inside Junk Knight's lance ignited as he charged across the track towards Rex's monster. The tip of the lance pierced Celestial Messenger's chest armor, causing him to shatter into particles of gold light.
"When Celestial Messenger is destroyed, I can summon three level two or lower Celestial monsters from my deck in Defense Mode!" Rex announced. "I special summon three copies of Celestial Mage!"
Materializing next to Rex's D-Wheel were three humanoid figures that seemed to be female, each one clad entirely in identical sets of white and gold armor. Each figure wore a large helmet and a short blue cape. Hovering behind the back of each one was a glowing gold helmet. Hanging down around each of their waists was a blue skirt decorated with a white and gold breechcloth and an ornate gold belt buckle with a red gemstone. All three of the mysterious women had a large curved blade on both their wrists, and hovering behind their backs was a large glowing gold halo.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Relentless Knight!" Utena announced. "This card allows Junk Knight to make a second attack! Junk Knight! Take out the Celestial Mage in the middle! Rocket Joust!"
Junk Knight raised his lance again and pierced the middle Celestial Mage through the chest, causing her to shatter into particles of gold light.
"When a Celestial Mage has been destroyed, I get to draw one card," Rex announced with a calm smile.
"I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Utena announced.
Rex drew his next card. "For my first move I play the Spell card, Dark Hole! This card destroys all monsters on the field!"
Suddenly a small black hole appeared in the air above the track and quickly grew larger. All three of the monsters who were still left on the track were quickly pulled into the black hole's gravity and were instantly crushed. As soon as its job was done, the black hole quickly shrank and faded to nothing.
"Because my two remaining Celestial Mages were destroyed, I get to draw two more cards!" Rex announced. "This would be a good time to activate the Continuous Trap I had set earlier, Balance of the Heavens! While this card is on the field, each of us may only control one Synchro Monster at a time!"
Utena let out a stunned gasp. "You've gotta be kidding! You're limiting the number of Synchros we can play?"
Rex chuckled. "You are indeed a unique and powerful duelist, Ms. Tenjou. You were the first one to unlock the true power of the Sword of Dios and master the art of Accel Synchro. Unfortunately for you however, you've grown far too dependent on that power. All I had to do was find away to seal your Accel Synchro, and I knew I'd have you right where I wanted you!"
"That Trap card's a double-edged sword though!" Utena pointed out. "Now you can't control more than one Synchro Monster at a time either!"
"Ah! But one Synchro Monster is all I need to win. As you shall soon see!" Rex declared. "I summon the Tuner monster, Celestial Swordsman in Attack Mode!"
Appearing next to Rex's D-Wheel was a slender humanoid figure clad almost totally in white and gold armor. Blue armor with gold trim covered his chest, and in the center of this chest plate was a ovular green gemstone. A mask with green eyes covered his face, and extending from the top of his head was a single gold blade. A glowing gold halo hovered behind his back, and in his right hand was a rapier with a gold handle.
"Because I have a Celestial monster on the field, I can special summon Celestial Bowman from my hand!" Rex announced.
Materializing next to Celestial Swordsman was another humanoid figure clad mostly in white armor. Pieces of blue armor with gold trim covered his shoulders, upper arms and ankles. Mounted on his left forearm was a small round blue shield with gold trim and a round green gemstone in the center, and extending from the sides of this shield were two golden curved blades connected at the ends by a string to form a crossbow. In his right hand, the figure held a large golden arrow, and hovering behind his back was a glowing gold halo. Covering the figure's head was a white helmet with a single slit in the visor and a large spike extending from the back.
"At this moment I play the Continuous Spell, Celestial Bell Tower!" Rex announced. "While this card is on the field, each player can draw a card when they've successfully performed a Synchro Summon! And on that note, I tune the level one Celestial Swordsman into the level one Celestial Bowman for a level two Synchro Summon!"
Celestial Swordsman raised his rapier into the air and flashed orange before changing into a single ring made of green light. The ring encircled Rex's other monster and transformed him into a single white star.
"Weaver! Necromancer! Divine controller of fate! Grasp the strings of heaven and control the denizens of the underworld!" Rex chanted. "Synchro Summon! The angelic Tuner! Celestial Double Star Shaman!"
The star flashed and became a ray of white light that shot down the track and expanded outward. In moments the light broke apart to reveal an entity covered entirely in white armor. The creature's upper half was humanoid, with a face covered by a featureless white mask with green eyes, and an ornate white and gold crown with small wings on the sides covering its head. A long blue scare was around its neck, and hovering behind its back was a glowing gold halo. Blue armor with gold trim decorated the wrists of its two arms, both of which ended with white and gold points that had holes in what would be the palms of its hands. The entity's lower half meanwhile was shaped like a diamond. In place of legs, it had limbs that were totally identical to its arms.
"And now because I performed a Synchro Summon, Celestial Bell Tower's effect lets me draw a card!" Rex announced. "At this moment, Double Star Shaman's effect also activates! When Double Star Shaman has been Synchro Summoned, I can summon as many level two or lower monsters from my hand or Graveyard with their effects negated! I use this effect to revive Celestial Messenger and all three Celestial Mages!"
Suddenly several glowing white threads extended from the holes in the points of Double Star Shaman's limbs. In a matter of seconds, the threads weaved together into the four Celestial monsters that had been destroyed earlier in the duel.
"You can only control one Synchro Monster at a time thanks to that Balance of the Heavens Trap of yours, and that level two monster is the one you summon?" Utena asked.
Rex chuckled. "Double Star Shaman won't be here for long. Because you see he's not just a Synchro Monster, he's also a Tuner!"
"A Tuner Synchro Monster?" a surprised Utena responded.
"Why so surprised? Such a monster is easy for you to create using the Sword of Dios. Now then! I tune the level two Double Star Shaman into the level two Celestial Messenger and all three of my level two Celestial Mages for a level ten Synchro Summon!"
Double Star Shaman flashed orange and changed into two green rings of light. The rings encircled Rex's other three monsters and transformed them all into eight white stars.
"Heaven! Fate! Principle of all phenomena! Ride the spinning wheel of heaven and manifest here!" Rex chanted. "Synchro Summon! The celestial conqueror! Ascension Sky Dragon!"
The stars flashed and became a blinding pillar of light that shot into the air and expanded outward. After a few moments, the light finally faded and Utena saw a gigantic white serpentine dragon with green eyes and golden hair hovering in the sky above. The dragon let out a roar that echoed through the sky.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Rex asked. "This card is the ultimate Duel Dragon! The dragon that rules over the heavens themselves! At this time, since I just performed another Synchro Summon, Celestial Bell Tower's effect lets me draw another card! And now I should mention my Sky Dragon's primary effect! Its ATK points are equal to the number of cards in my hand times 1000! An effect shared only by one other monster…Slifer the Sky Dragon!"
Utena's blood ran cold the moment she heard Rex utter the name of that particular monster. Slifer the Sky Dragon was the name of one of the three lost Egyptian God Cards used by the legendary champion, Yugi Muto: cards so powerful that practically nothing could defeat them. Utena never imagined that she'd be up against a Duel Dragon with a power equal to that of one of those three cards.
"You might've stood a chance against me if you were still able to perform an Accel Synchro Summon," Rex admitted. "As strong as my Sky Dragon is, he would've been powerless against the effect that activates when your own Duel Dragon evolves using the Sword of Dios. But your Accel Synchro has been sealed, making you as powerless as any mortal! Now, as I mentioned before, Ascension Sky Dragon gains 1000 ATK for each card in my hand! I currently hold five cards, which means his ATK is currently 5000! And with no monsters on your field, one blow from my dragon is enough to finish you!"
Utena gritted her teeth. "Damn!"
"With this, I become the King Who Unlocks!" Rex declared. "Sky Dragon! Attack that child directly! Ultimate Ascending Wave!"
Ascension Sky Dragon roared and powerful rays of blinding light radiated from his body. One of those rays of white shot down towards Utena's D-Wheel and was about to blast her off the track. Just as the beam was about to hit though, a transparent sphere of green light suddenly formed around her. The lights faded and the sphere shattered apart. The grin that had formed on Rex's face when he commanded his dragon to attack vanished in an instant when he saw that Utena's life points were untouched, and that Junk Knight had reappeared at her side.
"What…did you do?" Rex asked through gritted teeth.
"I activated my Trap, Miraculous Knight!" Utena announced. "This card negates a direct attack from an opponent's monster and lets me summon a Knight Synchro Monster back to the field in Defense Mode! You may have a monster as strong as a god, Goodwin, but I've come too far to give up! I will defeat you and free Anthy from this nightmare once and for all!"
Author's Note: Having Rex play that piece by Mendelssohn was something I decided to throw in after watching The Abominable Dr. Phibes again (that particular piece was essentially the movie's theme song). Anyway, let's get into the new cards that showed up in this chapter.
Junk Scrounger
EARTH/Machine/Effect/2/ATK 900/DEF 1000
You can banish this card and 1 Spell Card from your Graveyard; add 1 Spell Card from your opponent's Graveyard to your hand. Any Spell Card added to the hand by this card's effect is banished after its effect is activated and resolved. You can only use this effect of "Junk Scrounger" once per duel.
Tune Adjustment
Spell Card
Send 1 Level 3 or lower monster from your hand to the Graveyard; add 1 "Synchron" Tuner monster from your deck to your hand.
Miraculous Knight
Trap Card
Activate when an opponent's monster attacks you directly: Negate that attack and Special Summon 1 "Knight" Synchro Monster from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position. The monster Special Summoned using this card's effect has its effects negated.
These are the three cards used by Utena during the first half of this duel. I actually thought about waiting until the end of the next chapter to show the effects for Junk Scrounger since it's kind of a spoiler for some of what's going to happen next time, but it's not like it's going to give away how the duel is going to end. As for Miraculous Knight, it sticks in my head that I actually used that card in a previous chapter already. This story's getting to a point where it's a little hard for me to keep track of such things. Now here's the one new card that Rex has used so far.
Balance of the Heavens
Continuous Trap
Each player can only have one face-up Synchro Monster on the field at a time.
Just a basic card I came up with to lock down Accel Synchro. It'd be kind of a useless card to have in the real world card game because of the presence of Fusion, Xyz and even Link, but pretty powerful in a fanfic like this.
That pretty much covers it for this week's installment. Until next time, please review and let me know what you think. Also, do your best to stay safe and stay virus free.
