Greetings, community! Dvdryms here with Chapter 72. First, in response to your comments.
—To EXECZ: Thanks once again for pointing out my mistakes.
And now, on with the story!
Chapter 72 – Advent of the Destroyer
As the suspended ground platform steadily floated closer to Academia, the eleven youths riding on it couldn't hide the discomfort and apprehension swirling inside them. Even the usual impassive Reiji seemed somewhat anxious judging from the way his fists were tightly clenched, while the usual high-spirited Yugo was subdued. Everyone was well aware that this final fight to decide the fate of the world would be the hardest one yet. Moreover, stumbling here would mean the definite end of the four dimensions and everyone living there.
After several minutes of such tense silence, the floating platform finally arrived before the ruins of Academia. The formerly imposing enemy fortress had transformed into a crumbling ruin while the towers surrounding it had collapsed as a result of Zarc exerting his power. The shadows cast by the towering pillar of light coming from the center of the wrecked structure further added to the oppressive atmosphere.
"What's that over there?"
Ruri pointed at a writhing mass of shadows a few meters in front of them. As if responding to her question, the shadows morphed into a portal hovering a few centimeters above ground.
"A shortcut to our enemy's location I suppose." Reiji remarked. "Shall we, everyone?"
Nodding silently, the youths entered the portal. After experiencing a momentary disorientation, they exited the portal to find themselves in a barren area that resembled the epicenter of a massive explosion. Several meters away from them, Arc-V, Leo's prided project, was pulsing like a beating heart and releasing tendrils of energy that carved the land around it. Even though they couldn't exactly estimate it, everyone present could tell that the reactor was quickly approaching meltdown. Once that happened…everything would end according to Zarc's wish."
"You've arrived before me at last. My scenario is finally approaching its climax."
A voice suddenly echoed from above. As everyone turned their sights to the sky, Zarc could be seen descending with a wide grin on his face. Next to him, the throne with the bound Leo on it was also descending.
"Father!"
Reiji's shout caused Leo to lift his head slightly. Zarc turned to him with an expression that seemed to say he had forgotten about him.
"Right, I suppose there's no reason to keep you as my guest any longer. You may join your son so that you can experience the world's final moments together."
Zarc snapped his fingers, with the throne and chains binding Leo disappearing and the older man tumbling to the ground. As Reiji and Reira rushed to his side, helping him up, Zarc turned to the other Duelists.
"You've all done very well to reach this point. I was certain you'd have dropped out from our little game long ago, but I underestimated your tenacity. I see you've all grown stronger too. Good. This means the upcoming Duel won't be a complete one-sided massacre and will have some entertainment value."
"Aren't you awfully confident." Yukio smirked. "Don't forget that we also have the same power as you. The end result might surprise you."
"Please." Zarc scoffed at Yukio's words. "I inherited the full power of the Supreme King, the one holding the mightiest power that can even control Duel Monsters. On the other hand, you, my alter egos, only received fragments of this power when I was split into parts. There is no comparison between our respective strengths."
"Inherited…the Supreme King?" Yuri wondered. "Then, it's no coincidence you were named "Supreme King" as well?"
"How perceptive of you, Yuri." Zarc said. "Indeed, even though the humans were unaware of it, their instincts identified the origin of my power and named me Supreme King Dragon Zarc. In the forgotten past, a hero bearing the power of the Supreme King, the Gentle Darkness, opposed the Light of Destruction that threatened to engulf the universe. That very power is the one that I inherited."
"Then why!?" Yuto shouted. "Why did you embark on a crusade to destroy the world!? If this power within you is the power of a savior, why didn't you use it to protect the world!?"
"You've seen so many cruelties, so much atrocity, and still you understand nothing, Yuto?" Zarc sneered. "There is no salvation for this world or its denizens. Why waste time fighting against a foregone conclusion? Why shackle myself to a pointless role? No, regardless of why I was given this power, I made my own mission, my own purpose. The Gentle Darkness shall become the Devouring Darkness and purge the four dimensions, as well as any others out there that are headed for destruction. I shall forever be the arbiter of the infinite dimensions as I climb into higher and higher heights until my power knows no bounds!"
"Enough of your stupid blabbering!" Yugo exclaimed. "What you're fantasizing about will never come true, because we'll take you down here and now! Let's get down to Dueling already!"
"Impatient and impertinent even in the face of total annihilation, eh?" Zarc smirked. "I suppose that's part of your charm, Yugo. Very well, let's proceed with the Duel. Out of the ten of you, only five triumphed during the second part of my trial; Yugo, Serena, Yukio, Reira and Yuya. However, only Yuya and Yukio will be the ones to face me. As the winner of the Battle Royal between my alter egos and the last remnants of my humanity respectively, defeating you two has great meaning and will finally complete the circle, proving once and for all that I have transcended humanity."
"Oi, wait a minute there!" Yugo complained. "How's that in any way fair!? Serena, Reira and I also won, didn't we!? We deserve a chance to beat you into a pulp as well!"
"That's right!" Serena agreed. "We have a lot of pent-up frustrations here and we want to take part in taking you down a peg!"
"Regarding Ray's former vessel, he's barely in any condition to fight from what I can see." Zarc pointed at Reira, who indeed looked like he had trouble standing. "As for you, Yugo and Serena, I'm frankly not interested in you, so you're out. Besides, having as few participants as possible is to your side's advantage as well."
"Our advantage, you say?" Rin narrowed her eyes. "How so?"
"It's quite simple really." Zarc said. "The more participants there are in this Duel, the more time it will take to settle it. Seeing as you are also pressed for time, you can see how that benefits you, no? Plus, it would be extremely anticlimactic and disappointing for me if the Duel ended with no conclusion. I need to draw on the grief and despair of everyone watching your inevitable failure across the four dimensions in order to grow even stronger. If you still have a problem with this, remember that I'm the one making the rules and I can easily drop you into the void between dimensions if you won't play along."
"Figures he'd play that card…"
Serena grumbled with evident dissatisfaction. Zarc then resumed speaking.
"So, do you accept the challenge, Yuya, Yukio? I won't blame you if you back down here. After all, you can struggle as much as you wish, but you won't be able to change your fate. The fate of being defeated by me, that is."
"The only ones deciding our fates is ourselves alone!" Yukio declared. "You're on, Zarc! Know that the only fate that will be written here today is the one dictating your defeat!"
"Zarc, I will also accept this challenge of yours." Yuya said. "I will defeat you…and then I will save you just like you wish."
"Save…me? Like I wish?" Zarc burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Such amusing jokes you're spouting at such a time, Yuya. Or are you actually naïve enough to believe you can change my mind at this stage? Or that I even have doubts? I thought you had outgrown such childish fantasies, but it seems I was mistaken."
"No, I know the truth that even you won't acknowledge." Yuya insisted. "Those trials of yours, they weren't placed there just for your amusement. They were a challenge from you to us, a means to make us stronger for the purpose of defeating you. Despite your hatred of humanity, there's still a part of you crying for salvation. The proof is this!"
Yuya took out a card from his Deck and raised it high for everyone to see.
"This is…Smile Universe?" Yuzu wondered. "Yuya, what does this card have to do with Zarc?"
"All of us gained new powers from one another as a result of our integration within Zarc as you've seen so far." Yuya began explaining. "However, this card was born from Zarc's own lingering sentiments, his true desire to bring smiles and laughter to all people watching his Duels. I can feel it. That's why, I know that your humanity and your dreams aren't completely gone. I swear I'll defeat you and save you from all this hatred consuming your soul. I'll stake my pride as an Entertainment Duelist and my life on the line for that purpose!"
"As for me, I don't know if I can save you, but I'll definitely beat humanity's capacity for greatness back into your thick skull." Yukio let out a confident smile. "Darkness, hatred, malice and despair aren't the only things within the human heart. I will have you experience the power of humans that you so despise in full!"
Zarc remained silent for a few seconds, but then a cruel smile appeared on his face.
"You wish to play the part of heroes then? So be it. In that case, I will grant you an end befitting of heroes, one where your battered and broken bodies lie on the scorched ground while your bloodstained hands are extended towards a heaven they can never hope to grasp!"
The twelve wings on Zarc's back spread wide as waves of energy and shockwaves erupted from his body, further ravaging the area and forcing everyone to shield their faces while they were sent skidding backwards. At the same time, the glow of Arc-V intensified as the reactor detached itself from the ground and started rising.
"What's this!?" Ruri shouted. "What's going on here!?"
"It shall end where it began!" Zarc bellowed. "Action Field, Arc Area Coliseum, deploy!"
A blinding light enveloped the area, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Once the light disappeared, everyone present were surprised to find themselves in a massive stadium. A large number of crystal platforms could be seen hovering above the youths, while several oversized crystals were also suspended at the corners of the stadium, providing illumination with their glow. Zarc flapped his wings and landed on one of the highest platforms, while ARC-V rose even higher above.
"This place…" Leo muttered. "This is the coliseum where Zarc was crowned Duel Champion…and where the destroyer of worlds was born…"
"The stage of destiny has been set." Zarc declared. "Now, come forth and meet your fate, Yuya, Yukio!"
Yuya and Yukio looked at each other, nodding as they prepared to step forward. However, Yuto moved in front of them and spoke.
"Before you go, take this, Yuya." Yuto offered a card to him. "I'm sure it will help you."
"That's…Dark Rebellion?" Yuya seemed surprised at Yuto's gesture. "You're giving this to me?"
"Consider this my way of offering support since I can't be next to you." Yuto smiled. "This guy's power will definitely aid you against Zarc."
"In that case, take mine as well, Yuya!" Yugo took out Clear Wing and offered it to Yuya. "Make sure to give him a good beating, you two! I won't forgive you if you lose here! Oi, you come here as well, Yuri!"
"…I suppose it can't be helped." Yuri sighed as he took out Starve Venom. "Without my power, you won't be able to succeed after all. I trust you'll look after it well and return it in one piece, Yuya."
"Got it." Yuya smiled as he took the three dragons. "I've definitely received your feelings. Thank you, Yuto, Yugo, Yuri."
"Take this as well, Yuya."
Yukio also took out a card and threw it at Yuya. A puzzled expression appeared on Yuya's face as he examined it.
"Yukio? But this is…"
"You should hold on to it." Yukio said. "On our journey so far, it's your beliefs that brought even people from opposite sides together and produced miracles. If it's you, I have a feeling you'll be able to combine everyone's wishes and strength together. That card will help you when the time comes. At least that's what I believe."
"Understood." Yuya said. "Now then, shall we bring an end to this for good, partner?"
"You took the words right out of my mouth." Yukio smirked. "Zarc won't know what hit him."
"This is a good look you have." Serena commented with a smile as she slapped Yukio on the back. "Show us a splendid fight as usual, Yukio. And also…be careful out there."
"Of course." Yukio nodded. "I don't intend to die any time soon."
"Yuya, you've overcome all manners of challenges so far." Yuzu said. "If it's you, I'm sure you can save Zarc's soul and protect this world. Win, and come back to us safe and sound."
"I will." Yuya smiled. "I promise."
"It's a shame we can't give Zarc a piece of our minds as well, but it can't be helped." Rin said. "We're leaving this to you two, so get out there and kick his ass!"
"Be very careful, you two." Ruri cautioned Yuya and Yukio. "I'm afraid we haven't seen the true depths of Zarc's power yet. Always be on your guard until the Duel is over."
"You two are the aces of the Lancers and the hope for all our worlds." Reiji said. "Go forth with everyone's wishes and seize the future we've fought for so far with your own hands."
Yuya and Yukio both gave a thumbs-up to everyone and jumped on two platforms, which started floating upwards and came to a stop a few meters below Zarc.
"You took your sweet time." Zarc commented. "Before we start, I should put some final touches to complete our stage."
Zarc snapped with his fingers, with a large number of dimensional rifts connected to various places across the four dimensions appearing in the sky above the coliseum. At the same time, several smaller rifts appeared at the coliseum's audience stands, with denizens and Duelists from each dimension emerging from them.
"This is…?"
"The ultimate Duel demands the largest audience possible." Zarc responded to Yuya's unfinished question. "Moreover, we also need an appropriate commentator."
A small dimensional rift opened, with a Darkwurm carrying Nico Smiley flying out of it.
"Eh!? Eh!? What's this!?" Nico spoke with a panicked voice. "One second I was at Maiami Stadium, and the next I'm up here!? What's going on here!?"
"Rejoice, Duelist manager." Zarc grinned. "You have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to act as commentator for the Duel to decide mankind's fate. I suggest you don't disappoint."
"Dear me, that's a tall order out of the blue…but a pro never loses his cool even under fire!" Nico declared with an energetic attitude as he grabbed his microphone. "Now, to everyone watching us with bated breaths, the Duel to settle this war is about to begin! Will mankind's fate be salvation or destruction!? This Action Duel will provide the answer! First, would our host be so kind as to explain whether there will be any special rules in place for this match?"
"None whatsoever." Zarc said. "We will all start with 4000 Life Points, and the usual rules of Action Duels will apply."
"Then, let's begin by following the customs!" Nico exclaimed. "Duelists locked in battle!"
"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!"
Yuya delivered the next line of the Action Duel chant, with Yukio following suit.
"They storm through this field!"
"Behold!" Yuya shouted. "This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"
"Action—!"
[Duel!]
All three Duelists shouted in unison as the Action Cards scattered across the coliseum.
Yuya – LP: 4000
Yukio – LP: 4000
Zarc – LP: 4000
"I'll take the first turn!" Yuya announced. "Using the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician (ATK: 1200/DEF: 2400/LV: 5/SC: 1) and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician (ATK: 1200/DEF: 600/LV: 3/SC: 8), I Set the Pendulum Scale!"
Two columns of light appeared on Yuya's sides, with his two Monsters rising to their top.
"Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician, huh?" Zarc chuckled. "How nostalgic. These were the first Pendulum Monsters I bestowed upon you along with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Yuya. It feels like it's been so long ago."
"Allow me to show you how much I've grown since then, Zarc." Yuya said. "With my current Scale, I can simultaneously summon Monsters with Levels 2 through 7. Swing, Pendulum of my Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters! Entermate Boost Cannonball (Dark/Warrior/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 1000/LV: 2/SC: 3) and Entermate Le Bellman (Light/Fairy/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 2600/LV: 6/SC: 1) in defense mode!"
Two beams of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of a colorful cannon with a child-like figure sitting on its muzzle and a Monster with an oversized bell on its head upon landing on Yuya's field.
"I activate Boost Cannonball's effect." Yuya continued. "Once per turn, I can send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard. If that card is an "Entermate" Monster, my opponent receives damage equal to its Level multiplied by 200. If it's any other card, I'll receive 1000 points of damage. Let's see if luck will favor me."
Yuya drew the top card from his Deck and showed it to everyone.
"My card is the Level 4 Entermate Silver Claw." Yuya said. "Therefore, you'll receive 800 points of damage, Zarc!"
The ghostly image of Silver Claw appeared on Yuya's field and turned into a sphere of energy that entered Boost Cannonball. Immediately afterwards, a silver-colored cannonball erupted from it, striking Zarc head-on and causing him to grimace.
Zarc – LP: 4000→3200
"I place a card face-down and end my turn." Yuya stated. "At this moment, Boost Cannonball's effect activates. If I only inflicted damage to my opponent using its effect during my turn, I can draw two cards from my Deck."
"A solid start from Sakaki Yuya, who managed to deal some damage to Zarc from the get-go." Nico stated. "Can Tachibana Yukio keep up the pressure and corner Zarc even further?"
"My turn!" Yukio announced. "Draw! Using the Scale 2 Despair Magician (ATK: 2500/DEF: 1400/LV: 7/SC: 2) and the Scale 9 Hope Magician (ATK: 1200/DEF: 1600/LV: 3/SC: 9), I Set the Pendulum Scale!"
Two columns of light appeared on Yukio's sides, with his two Monsters rising to their top.
"Now I can simultaneously summon Monsters with Levels 3 through 8." Yukio declared. "Guided by destiny's hand, cross the walls of space and time and manifest a new possibility! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my Monsters! Gunslinger Magician (ATK: 1800/DEF: 600/LV: 4/SC: 5) and Wicked Magician (Dark/Spellcaster/Effect/ATK: 1600/DEF: 0/LV: 4)!"
Two beams of light shot out of the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of Gunslinger Magician and a Monster clad in a torn robe with several skulls adorning it upon landing on Yukio's field.
"Gunslinger Magician's effect activates, dealing 400 points of damage to you since it was Pendulum Summoned successfully." Yukio continued. "Arcane Bullet!"
Gunslinger Magician aimed one of its guns, shooting a crimson bullet that struck the demon Duelist on the abdomen and caused him to wince.
Zarc – LP: 3200→2800
"Next, I will use my two Level 4 Monsters to construct the Overlay Network, with Wicked Magician being treated as two materials!" As his two Monsters turned into a stream of energy and were absorbed by the galaxy-like portal, Yukio chanted. "The dauntless protector who surveys the world from above, descend now upon this battlefield as a harbinger of victory! Xyz Summon! Be born, Rank 4! The warrior that dances in the starry sky, Night Wing Paladin (ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200/R: 4/SC: 3/OU: 2)!"
The warrior clad in black and violet armor with two black wings protruding from its back, which held a kodachi in its talon-shaped hands, appeared on Yukio's field.
"I activate the Equip Spell Card Magician's Fire Robe, equipping it to Night Wing Paladin." Yukio stated. "Through its effect, my Monster's attack increases by 400 (Night Wing Paladin ATK: 2400→2800). Then, I'll activate Fire Robe's second effect. By skipping my Battle Phase, I can deal 500 points of damage to my opponent. Furthermore, thanks to Despair Magician's Pendulum Effect, the effect damage is doubled. Endless Lament!"
A rain of embers shot out of Night Wing Paladin's robe, which were enlarged to the size of fireballs upon passing through Despair Magician's magic circle. Upon receiving that bombardment head-on, Zarc couldn't help but grunt in pain as he was forced backwards.
Zarc – LP: 2800→1800
"I place a card face-down and end my turn." Yukio said. "Now then, let's see what you've got, Zarc."
"Thanks to a continuous stream of effect damage, Sakaki Yuya and Tachibana Yukio have successfully reduced Zarc's Life Points by more than half!" Nico announced. "This is definitely a strong start for our champions! Now then, how will Zarc respond!?"
"I hope you aren't getting carried away just because you reduced my Life Points a bit." Zarc smirked. "Prepare yourselves, mortals. The true terror starts from here. It's my turn! Draw! I activate the Spell Card Pendulum Bounty, whose effect allows me to place as many Pendulum Monsters as I wish from my hand to the Extra Deck in order to draw an equal amount of cards from my Deck plus one. I will place all five Pendulum Monsters in my hand to my Deck in order to draw six cards. Then, I will use the Scale 2 Supreme King Gate Abyss (Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 8/SC: 2) and the Scale 11 Supreme King Gate Celestial (Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 8/SC: 11) to Set the Pendulum Scale!"
Two columns of light appeared on Zarc's sides, with a mechanical Monster resembling an oversized X and a mechanical Monster comprised of a cubic-shaped core with several concentric circles hovering above it rising to their top.
"Now I can simultaneously summon Monsters with Levels 3 through 10." Zarc announced. "Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, my servants! Two copies of Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm (ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200/LV: 4/SC: 5), Supreme King Servant Valkyria Waltraute (Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1300/LV: 4/SC: 1), Supreme King Servant Knight Dantalion (Dark/Machine/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 2800/LV: 9/SC: 10) and kin with the dichromatic eyes, Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes (Dark/Dragon/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)!"
A massive wave of energy erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of two Darkwurms, a demonic-looking female Monster clad in silver armor and holding a mace, a white and blue humanoid robot with green energy lines running through its frame and holding a spear-shaped shield, and a Monster resembling Odd-Eyes with green energy lines running through its body upon crashing on Zarc's field.
"A full field Pendulum Summon, huh?" Reiji commented. "He seems to be going all out from the start…"
"The despair has only just begun." Zarc declared with a malicious grin. "I tune the Level 4 Darkwurm with the Level 4 Waltraute!"
As Darkwurm turned into four stars and Waltraute turned into four rings surrounding it, Zarc chanted.
"Kin with wings of light! Strike down your enemies with your sharp wings! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing (Dark/Dragon/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)!"
The Monster resembling Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, only with green energy lines running through its body, appeared on Zarc's field.
"Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing…" Jack narrowed his eyes at the sight of the dragon. "This isn't good. That creature's effect is quite overwhelming."
"Clear Wing's effect activates upon being summoned." Zarc stated. "Through it—"
"I won't let you!" Yuya cut off Zarc's words. "I activate the Trap Card Prank Mallet! Through its effect, when a Monster is about to activate its effect, I can negate the activation and prevent it from activating any of its effects for the rest of this turn!"
"Good going, Yuya!" Gongenzaka cheered. "With this, Clear Wing's atrocious effects have been sealed for this turn!"
"Not bad, but this is just a mere speed bump." Zarc said. "I activate Waltraute's effect. If this card was used as material for the Synchro Summon of a "Supreme King" Monster, I can Special Summon that Monster's other Synchro Materials from my Extra Deck or Graveyard. Revive, Darkwurm!"
A portal appeared above Zarc, with Darkwurm, emerging from it.
"I activate the Spell Card Fusion, using its effect to fuse my two Darkwurms!" As his two Monsters swirled inside a multi-colored vortex, Zarc chanted once again. "Kin with the poisonous body! Unleash terror and despair upon those opposing you! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Supreme King Servant Dragon Starve Venom (ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)!"
The corrupted version of Starve Venom appeared on Zarc's field, letting out a piercing howl.
"This time, it's Starve Venom?" Sora bit his lip. "That bastard, he really is going all out."
"I'm not finished just yet." Zarc let out a malicious grin. "I activate the Spell Card Dimension Overlay, whose effect allows me to use two Pendulum Monsters with the same Level in my Extra Deck as materials in order to perform an Xyz Summon! I choose to Overlay the two Level 4 Darkwurms in my Extra Deck!"
As his two Darkwurms materialized on the field and subsequently turned into streams of energy that were absorbed by the galaxy-like portal, Zarc chanted for the third time.
"The fangs of rebellious kin which live in the pitch-black darkness! Give in and obey me! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Supreme King Servant Dragon Dark Rebellion (Dark/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/R: 4/OU: 2)!"
The Monster resembling Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, only with green energy lines running through its body, appeared on Zarc's field.
"With this, all corrupted versions of Yuya, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri's ace Monsters have assembled on Zarc's field." Shun remarked. "However, why go to so much trouble to bring them all out when Supreme King Dragon Zarc isn't present? Unless…don't tell me!"
"Now then, it's time for the main event." Zarc declared. "I activate the Spell Card Supreme King Synthesis Ritual. Through this card's effect, if I control a Dragon-type "Supreme King" Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Pendulum Monster, I can send them to the Graveyard along with Astrograph Magician from my hand in order to unleash my true form from my Deck!"
Zarc's body was surrounded by dark clouds that expanded upwards while crimson lightning was crackling within them. At the same time, crimson bolts of thunder struck the area and a powerful wind picked up, forcing Yukio and Yuya to cover their faces. Amidst all this chaos, Zarc's voice echoed.
"The ultimate dragon that reigns in the fifth dimension and supervises the four Heavenly Dragons! Right now, you will become one with me! Integration Summon! Come forth, Level 12! Supreme King Dragon Zarc (ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000/LV: 12/SC: 1)!"
The gathering clouds scattered with a mighty shockwave, revealing the imposing form of Supreme King Dragon Zarc, which let out a resonant howl that shook the arena and caused the spectators to wince. Like before, Zarc's human form could be seen protruding from the massive dragon's torso.
"T-T-This is! How dreadful!" Nico cried out. "After a string of successful Extra Deck summons, Zarc brought out his Monster self from the get-go! This doesn't bode well for out courageous champions! Hang in there, Sakaki Yuya, Tachibana Yukio!"
"As expected, he was able to summon his ace Monster form even without the aid of the Heavenly Dragons." Reiji commented as he fixed his glasses. "Let's hope these two were prepared for this."
"Behold my sublime power!" Zarc bellowed. "When I'm summoned, I can destroy all Monsters on my opponent's field, and then every opponent that had a Monster destroyed receives damage equal to the total attack sum the destroyed Monsters! Take this!"
"Due to the effect of Wicked Magician that was used as Xyz Material, Night Wing Paladin cannot be destroyed by card effects once per turn!" Yukio stated. "Therefore, my Monster is safe!"
"But the same doesn't hold true for Yuya's Monsters." Zarc pointed out. "Receive my power!"
Several bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, obliterating Yuya's Monsters, while a stray bolt struck Yuya and caused him to cry out in pain.
Yuya – LP: 4000→3900
"Luckily for you, I cannot attack on the turn I activated my effect." Zarc said. "However, that doesn't mean you're safe just yet. I activate Supreme King Servant Knight Dantalion's effect. Once per turn, I can target a "Supreme King" Monster on my field and make this card's attack equal to that Monster's attack. Of course, I choose to target myself for that effect (Dantalion ATK: 0→4000)."
"An attack of 4000…and Yuya is wide open!" Yuzu cried out. "If he takes that attack, he will lose!"
"Due to its effect, Dantalion cannot attack an opponent directly on the turn it used its effect." Zarc said. "Therefore, my target is obvious. Now, let's battle! Supreme King Servant Knight Dantalion, attack Night Wing Paladin! And thanks to Dantalion's effect, your Monster's effects are negated until the Battle's end! Do it, Dantalion! Full Cowl Smash!"
An oversized weapons platform suddenly descended from the sky and assumed the form of armor, equipping itself on Dantalion and increasing its size by three times. Then, Dantalion charged forward, striking Night Wing Paladin with its oversized fist and destroying it. The ensuing shockwave caused Yukio to scream in pain as he was almost thrown off his platform, but managed to grab the edge just in time and climb back up.
Yukio – LP: 4000→2800
"Are you alright, Yukio!?"
"More or less…" Yukio responded to Yuya's anxious question as he stood up. "That thing definitely packs some serious power…"
"Since my opponent received battle damage, Abyss's Pendulum Effect activates." Zarc declared. "Through it, I gain Life Points equal to the amount of damage they received."
Following his words, Zarc was surrounded by a black aura.
Zarc – LP: 1800→3000
"Here comes that creep's Life Point recovery effect again." Sawatari grumbled. "Seriously, this is so annoying! How on Earth are they supposed to defeat him if he keeps recovering!?"
"I end my turn." Zarc said. "Now, do your best to entertain me with your pathetic struggle, insects."
"My turn!" Yuya announced. "Draw!"
"At this moment, I activate Supreme King Servant Valkyria Waltraute's effect in my Extra Deck!" Zarc stated. "By banishing this card, I can have all players draw cards from their Deck until they have six in their hand! However, since you added cards from your Deck to your hand outside of the Draw Phase, my effect activates, destroying those cards!"
"Don't think the same tricks will work twice, Zarc!" Yukio abruptly exclaimed. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card Supply Line Guard! Thanks to its effect, cards in both players' hands are unaffected by the other players' card effects, meaning Zarc's effect won't apply!"
"Good move." Kaito commented. "With this, not only did Yukio foil Zarc's plan, but it also enables him and Yuya to use Action Cards now without obstruction. It's good to see that they've learned from our defeats."
"Since you were kind enough to provide me with more cards, I'll use them to set up my stage." Yuya smiled. "First, I will Pendulum Summon once again! Revive from the Extra Deck, Entermate Boost Cannonball and Entermate Le Bellman! And from my hand, come, Entermate Starve Venom Ringmaster (ATK: 1000/DEF: 2600/LV: 7/SC: 2) and the Tuner Monster Trust Guardian (Light/Fairy/Tuner/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 800/LV: 3)!"
Four beams of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of Yuya's Monsters upon landing on the field.
"Since Starve Venom Ringmaster was Pendulum Summoned successfully, its effect activates, allowing me to Special Summon an "Entermate" Pendulum Monster from my Extra Deck or Graveyard." Yuya continued. "Revive from my Graveyard, Entermate Silver Claw!"
A fissure opened on Yuya's field, with Silver Claw climbing out of it.
"I activate Starve Venom Ringmaster's effect." Yuya declared. "Through it, I will perform a Fusion Summon by using it and Silver Claw as materials!"
As his two Monsters swirled inside a multi-colored vortex, Yuya chanted.
"Master of dark ceremonies, become one with the brilliant fangs and point to a new path! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon (ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)!"
Starve Venom appeared on Yuya's field, letting out an ear-splitting howl.
"Starve Venom Ringmaster's effect activates, allowing me to banish it from my Extra Deck in order to draw a card from my Deck since I successfully Fusion Summoned with it." Yuya stated. "Moreover, since it was summoned by using Monsters from my field, Starve Venom gains attack equal to the total attack sum of all Special Summoned Monsters my opponent controls, in this case 8000 (Starve Venom ATK: 2800→10800)."
"With this, Starve Venom's attack has surpassed Zarc's." Yuri remarked. "However, it's no use since Zarc cannot be destroyed."
"Next, I activate Le Bellman's effect, reducing its Level by 2 in order to increase Boost Cannonball's Level by the same amount (Le Bellman LV: 6→4, Boost Cannonball LV: 2→4)." Yuya announced. "Then, I Overlay my two Level 4 Monsters!"
As his two Monsters turned into streams of energy that were absorbed by the galaxy-like portal, Yuya chanted for the second time.
"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/R: 4/OU: 2)!"
Dark Rebellion appeared on Yuya's field amidst a storm of lightning, landing next to Starve Venom.
"I'm not done yet." Yuya stated. "I summon Entermate Pendulum Magician (Earth/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 1500/DEF: 800/LV: 4/SC: 2)!"
A Monster clad in a flashy suit and holding an ornate pendulum in its right hand appeared on Yuya's field.
"I tune the Level 4 Pendulum Magician with the Level 3 Trust Guardian!" As Pendulum Magician turned into four stars and Trust Guardian turned into three rings surrounding them, Yuya chanted for the third time. "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)!"
The white dragon with glowing wings appeared on Yuya's field, coming to hover next to his other two dragons.
"Oh, what's this!?" Nico announced. "By splendidly using his Pendulum Summon, Sakaki Yuya has brought out a Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monster! As expected, despite the appearance of the fiendish dragon, neither Sakaki Yuya nor Tachibana Yukio seem discouraged!"
"Three Extra Deck Monsters in one go, eh?" Zarc chuckled. "To be expected from my strongest alter ego, I suppose. Even though your power pales in comparison to mine, if you couldn't do at least this much, you would be disqualified as my opponent."
"Let's battle, Zarc!" Yuya exclaimed. "Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, destroy Supreme King Servant Knight Dantalion! Venom Stream of Gluttony!"
Starve Venom's back protrusions opened up, releasing a large number of energy vines. Immediately afterwards, waves of energy erupted from Starve Venom's mouth and the vines, combining into a powerful blast that vaporized Dantalion.
"Due to Dantalion's effect, all battle damage I receive from battles involving it is halved." Zarc said. "Furthermore, Supreme King Gate Celestial's effect activates. When I would take damage, that damage is reduced to 0 and the attack of all "Supreme King" Monsters on my field increases by an amount equal to the damage I would have received, in this case 3400 (Zarc ATK: 4000→7400)."
"Another broken effect, huh?" Crow clicked his tongue in irritation. "Every time they damage him now, all Monsters on his field will just grow stronger.
"I activate Dantalion's final effect." Zarc stated. "When this card is destroyed, I can banish it in order to Special Summon two Level 4 or lower "Supreme King" Monsters from my Graveyard. Revive, the two copies of Darkwurm in defense position!"
Two portals appeared on Zarc's field, with his two Monsters emerging from them.
"There's no point in attacking with Darkwurm's effect…" Yuya muttered. "I place three cards face-down and end my turn, with Starve Venom's attack returning to normal (Starve Venom ATK: 10800→2800)."
"My turn!" Yukio announced. "Draw! I—"
Just as Yukio was about to make his next move, he was distracted by a crimson glow that seemed to be coming from the coliseum's floor. The next moment, a beam of energy suddenly shot upwards, piercing through the platform Yukio was standing on.
"What the Hell!?"
Yukio shouted as he jumped off the platform before it was completely vaporized and landed on a nearby one. However, the danger was far from over as a barrage of energy blasts started bombarding the area. Yuya quickly jumped on Dark Rebellion, with the dragon taking off and zigzagging through the blasts. Yukio attempted to jump off into a nearby platform once again as the one who was standing was about to crumble again, but the platform he was aiming for was also bombarded and vaporized, causing him to start plummeting towards the ground.
"Yukio! Go, Starve Venom!"
Following Yuya's words, Starve Venom dashed after Yukio, with the silver-haired Duelist grabbing on the dragon's leg as it weaved through the blasts. After a few seconds, the barrage ceased, with the dragons depositing the Duelists on a couple of still standing platforms. At the same time, new crystal platforms started forming around the coliseum to replace the destroyed ones.
"Oi, what's the meaning of this, Zarc!?" Yukio shouted. "Are you trying to get us killed here!? What happened to facing us fair and square!?"
"This is yet another part of my entertainment." Zarc let out a malicious grin. "After all, what's an Action Duel without a little action in it? After overcoming so many challenges to reach me, this should be a minor hurdle in comparison. If that much alone gets you killed, well, I guess that was the limit of your capabilities."
"No skin off your nose, eh?" Yukio grumbled. "Yuya, are we sure we want to save that guy? Because I'm not really in a salvation mood at the moment."
"You hate me?" Zarc chuckled. "In that case, come at me with the full strength of your Dueling and your outrage. Your struggles will only serve to make me stronger."
"We'll see about that." Yukio said. "First, I will Pendulum Summon! Come to my side, Summoner Magician (ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200/LV: 4/SC: 7) and Mystic Magician (ATK: 0/DEF: 2300/LV: 6)!"
Two beams of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of Monsters upon landing on Yukio's field.
"Summoner Magician's effect activates, allowing me to add the Ritual Spell Card Revival Zero from my Deck to my hand." Yukio continued. "Then, I activate the Ritual Spell Card Ceremony of Awakening Origin, whose effect allows me to send two Ritual Spell Cards from my hand to the Graveyard in order to Ritual Summon the corresponding Ritual Monsters from my hand by offering Monsters whose Level is equal to or higher than the Level of the Ritual Monster with the highest Level among them. I will tribute all my Monsters and send Revival Zero along with Karma Manifestation to the Graveyard in order to Ritual Summon those Monsters! Appear, Eternity Zero, the Paladin Overlord (ATK: 3500/DEF: 1500/LV: 10/SC: 1) and Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon (ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)!"
A massive torrent of azure flames erupted on Yukio's field, with his two Ritual Monsters emerging from it and coming to land at his sides.
"Tachibana Yukio brought out two Ritual Monsters with a single card!" Nico shouted. "Could this be the beginning of a counterattack against Zarc!?"
"I see, Ritual Monsters!" Allen remarked. "Zarc doesn't have the means to protect itself or other Monsters against their effects!"
"Right." Sayaka nodded. "With this, they might be able to find an opening to oppose that dreadful dragon."
"Since you control more Monsters than me, Mystic Magician's effect activates." Yukio stated. "As this card was used as a tribute for a Ritual Summon, I can draw cards from my Deck equal to the number of Monsters you control, in this case two. Then—"
"Allow me to return the words you said to me back at you." Zarc cut off Yukio's words. "Do you really think the same tricks will work twice, foolish human?"
"What?" Yukio narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"When you invaded my body, you stole several things from me." Zarc let out a malevolent grin. "However, I also took something from you in return. Feast your eyes on my newly acquired skill! When I'm on the field and my opponent Ritual Summons a Ritual Monster, I can activate the Ritual Spell Card Supreme King Descent from my Deck!"
"What did he say!?" Edo cried out in shock. "A Ritual Spell Card!? And from the Deck to boot!?"
"Through the effect of Supreme King Descent, I will offer the two Darkwurms on my field as tribute in order to Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my Deck!" As a large magic circle appeared above Zarc, with his two Darkwurms turning into particles and being absorbed by it, he chanted as a towering pillar of navy flames erupted from it. "Kin given form by the threads of fate! Guide your enemies to their doom! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 8! Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma (Dark/Dragon/Ritual/Effect/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)!"
A dragon resembling Chaos Karma, only with green energy lines running through its body, emerged from the conflagration and came to hover in front of Zarc.
"W-What's this!?" Nico shouted. "Zarc responded to Yukio's Ritual Summon by performing a Ritual Summon of his own! What's more, that new Monster has an eerie resemblance to Tachibana Yukio's ace Monster for some reason!"
"You have my gratitude, Yukio." Zarc said. "Thanks to you, I was able to acquire the power of Ritual Summon once again, furthering my evolution. To repay you, I think I will destroy you last."
"That's an unwanted favor." Yukio responded. "Tch, it truly sickens me that you've brought out a twisted form of Chaos Karma as well. However, it won't remain on the field for long if I have anything to say about it. I activate Chaos Karma's effect! Once per turn, I can destroy a Level 5 or higher Monster on my opponent's field! Take down that faker, Chaos Karma! Atropos Slash!"
"Useless!" Zarc grinned. "As long as Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma remains on my field, my Monsters are unaffected by the effects of Ritual Monsters! Furthermore, your Ritual Monsters can only target my Chaos Karma for attacks as long as it remains on the field!"
"Then, I'll do just that!" Yukio exclaimed. "Battle! Eternity Zero, destroy the fake Chaos Karma! Eternal Saber!"
"I'm afraid that's not enough!" Zarc declared. "Due to its effect, Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma cannot be destroyed by battle! In addition, Supreme King Gate Celelstial's Pendulum Effect will transform the damage into an attack boost!"
Following Zarc's words, Eternity Zero slashed at Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma with its blade, only for the dragon to repel it with its wings and send Yukio's Monster flying backwards as it howled. Immediately afterwards, both Zarc and Chaos Karma were enveloped by a dark aura.
(Zarc ATK: 7400→8100, Chaos Karma ATK: 2800→3500)
"So it was useless after all." Yukio grimaced. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."
"Then, it's my turn!" Zarc announced. "Draw! Now, let's make this even more exciting, shall we? First, I will Pendulum Summon once again! Come from my hand, Supreme King Servant Knight Vepar (Dark/Machine/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2100/DEF: 2400/LV: 6/SC: 9) and Supreme King Servant Knight Belial (Dark/Machine/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 3200/DEF: 2600/LV: 10/SC: 2)!"
Two beams of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of a dark blue-colored mechanical Monster with a bottom half resembling a fish tail that held a trident in its right hand and a grey-colored mechanical Monster with four bat-shaped wings extending from its back that held a scythe in its hands upon landing on Zarc's field.
"Vepar's effect activates." Zarc stated. "When this card is Pendulum Summoned successfully, I can add a "Supreme King" Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand. However, this card cannot attack on the turn I used this effect. I choose Supreme King Fusion and activate it, banishing Supreme King Servant Dragons Vritra, Fafnir and Bahamut from my Extra Deck in order to Fusion Summon!"
As his three Monsters swirled inside a multi-colored vortex, Zarc chanted.
"Divine serpent of chaos that dwells in the waters of the Underworld! Arise now from the depths and consume order itself within your giant maw! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 12! Supreme King Servant Dragon Apophis (Dark/Dragon/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 4000/LV: 12)!"
A massive reddish brown-colored serpent with several black gems embedded throughout its body, which was surrounded by several magic circles, appeared on Zarc's field.
"Due to its effect, Apophis's attack is equal to the original attack of the Monsters used to Fusion Summon it (Apophis ATK: 0→10900)."Zarc continued. "Furthermore, due to Supreme King Fusion's effect, I gain 1000 Life Points for every Monster used as a Fusion Material, in this case 3000."
Following his words, Zarc was surrounded by a violet aura while grinning.
Zarc – LP: 3000→6000
"Through gaining more Life Points and summoning a powerful Monster, Zarc has the overwhelming advance once again!" Nico shouted. "The situation is looking grim for our champions once again!"
"I activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Apophis's effect." Zarc declared. "Until the End Phase, the attack of all your Monsters is reduced to 0, their effects are negated and they cannot be targeted for an attack. While Eternity Zero will be spared due to being unaffected by the effects of Special Summoned Monsters, the same doesn't hold true for your other Monsters."
Apophis opened its mouth wide, unleashing a black fog that enveloped all Monsters on Yuya and Yukio's field, causing them to turn transparent apart from Eternity Zero.
"This isn't good!" Sawatari cried out. "Yukio still has a Monster to defend himself, but Yuya is wide open! If he receives an attack, it's all over!"
"Thus falls the first Duelist." Zarc smirked. "Be honored as you perish by my hand! Battle! I will attack you directly, Sakaki Yuya! Heavenly Wrath!"
"I was waiting for this!" Yuya spoke with a wide smile. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card Odd-Eyes Pendulum Gate! Through its effect, I can target an attacking Monster on my opponent's field, negate its attack and prevent it from attacking as long as this card is on the field! Furthermore, I can Special Summon an "Odd-Eyes" Pendulum Monster from my Deck whose Level is equal to or less than the targeted Monster's Level! Appear, wondrous dragon with the dichromatic eyes, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7/SC: 4) in defense mode!"
A large ring adorned with green and red orbs appeared above Yuya, with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon emerging from it and landing on Yuya's field. Immediately afterwards, the ring was enlarged even further and covered Zarc's body, binding it.
"Such petty tricks…" Zarc growled. "In that case, I activate Belial's effect! Through it, your Odd-Eyes' effects are negated and it cannot be targeted for an attack! Now, go, Belial! Attack Yuya directly!"
"I activate the Trap Card Union Cross Glow!" Yuya exclaimed. "Through its effect, if I control a Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monster, I will banish three cards from your field, and I will draw a card for every banished card! Moreover, I receive no further damage on the turn I activated this card!"
"So that's why you brought out the Heavenly Dragons…" Zarc muttered. "However, know that Chaos Karma is unaffected by card effects until the end of my turn thanks to Supreme King Descent's effect, while Apophis cannot leave the field on the turn it was Fusion Summoned."
"In that case, I choose to banish your two Gate Pendulum Monsters and Belial." Yuya declared. "With this, you won't be able to boost your Monsters' attack or recover your Life Points."
"However, I still have two Monsters that can declare an attack." Zarc pointed out. "Go, Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma! Attack Eternity Zero! And since our Monsters' attacks are equal, only your Monster will be destroyed!"
Chaos Karma opened its maw wide, unleashing a torrent of green-colored flames that enveloped Eternity Zero, vaporizing it in an instant.
"It looks like I won't be able to keep my promise to you, Yukio." Zarc said. "If you want to blame someone though, blame Yuya for throwing you under the bus. Go, Supreme King Servant Dragon Apophis! Attack Yukio directly and end his miserable existence!"
"It won't be so simple to defeat us, Zarc!" Yukio shouted. "I activate the Trap Card Magician's Gateway! Through its effect, your Monster's attack is negated and I can Special Summon a Spellcaster-type Monster with attack lower than your Monster's attack! Come forth, Prime Order Magician (Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2200/LV: 7/SC: 1) in defense mode!"
A Monster clad in an ornate emerald robe that held two staffs in its hands and had a large magic circle hovering behind it emerged from a portal and landed on Yukio's field.
"Prime Order Magician's effect activates." Yukio said. "When this card is Special Summoned successfully, I gain Life Points equal to the original attack of all other Monsters I control. Furthermore, Hope Magician's Pendulum Effect doubles the amount of Life Points I gain from a card effect once during either player's turn, meaning I gain 5600 Life Points."
Prime Order Magician raised its staffs high, releasing golden particles that enveloped Yukio's body.
Yukio – LP: 2800→8400
"Foiled yet again, huh?" Zarc smirked. "Then, how about we try this!?"
Zarc's arm suddenly extended, grabbing an Action Card from a faraway platform.
"Hey, that's cheating, you misshapen freak!" Yukio complained. "How is that fair in any way!?"
"That's part of my natural abilities, so it can't be helped." Zarc let out a malicious smirk. "Leaving that aside, this was a good catch. I activate the Action Spell Double-Up Chance! Through its effect, if the attack of a Monster on my field was negated, I can have it attack once again and double its attack for that battle alone (Apophis ATK: 10900→21800)! And through its effect, my Monster can inflict piercing damage! Take him down, Apophis!"
"Damn that bastard! Please, Chaos Karma!"
While Apophis was charging its attack, Yukio jumped on his dragon's back as it took off in search for an Action Card.
"I won't let you get an Action Card that easily!"
Upon saying so, the twelve wings protruding from Zarc's humanoid form extended and shot forward aiming to skewer Yukio and Chaos Karma. However, Dark Rebellion, Odd-Eyes, Clear Wing and Starve Venom charged forward, blocking Zarc's blows. A few platforms away, Yuya gave a thumbs-up to Yukio.
"Thanks, Yuya!"
After expressing his gratitude, Yukio jumped from Chaos Karma's back, landing on a platform and grabbing an Action Card.
"Perfect!" Yukio cheered. "I activate the Action Spell Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! Through its effect, your attack is negated and—"
"I activate the Action Spell Relentless Charge!" Zarc bellowed, having grabbed another Action Card with his extending limbs. "Through its effect, my Monster's attack cannot be negated by card effects! It's over!"
"Not yet! Do it, Starve Venom!"
Both Zarc and Yukio turned to the shout's direction and were surprised to see Yuya dashing with his rollerblades on one of Starve Venom's vines, which was acting as a makeshift bridge between his platform and another one. Before Zarc had a chance to react, Yuya reached the platform first and grabbed the Action Card there.
"I activate the Action Spell Chain Destruction!" Yuya exclaimed. "Through its effect, all Action Cards used during this turn are banished from the Graveyard and their effects, if they're still being applied, are negated!"
"You stubborn maggots…" Zarc growled. "However, I'm not done yet! I activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma's effect! Through it, I will target Starve Venom an inflict damage equal to its attack on you, Yuya!"
"Not so fast!"
Yukio shouted as he jumped on Chaos Karma's tail, with the dragon throwing him into a platform directly above him. Despite the rough landing, Yukio swiftly got up and snatched the Action Card situated there.
"I activate the Action Spell Counter Draw!" Yukio declared. "Through its effect, I can negate an instance of effect damage and draw two cards from my Deck!"
"Well played, I suppose." Zarc said. "I will acknowledge your tenaciousness at least. I place a card face-down and end my turn, with Belial's effect activating. Through it, I can Special Summon a "Supreme King" Monster from my Graveyard since it left the field and prevent that Monster from leaving the field until my next turn. Revive, Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing!"
A portal appeared on Zarc's field, with Clear Wing emerging from it.
"That was really close…" Rin let out a relived sigh. "However, they managed to hold on pretty well. They even succeeded in sealing off Zarc's Monster form and destroying Zarc's gates."
"That's true, but it can still use its effects to protect all Monsters on Zarc's field form the effects of Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monsters." Ruri pointed out. "Not to mention, the 10900 attack Apophis is still a pretty huge hurdle to overcome."
"My turn!" Yuya announced. "Draw! I will release Odd-Eyes to Advance Summon one of its evolved forms! Advance upon the path gazed by those dichromatic eyes and awaken a new power! Come forth, Level 8! Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon (ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/LV: 8) in defense mode!"
The winged dragon with elongated horns and clad in crimson armor appeared on Yuya's field.
"Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon's effect activates." Yuya declared. "When this card is Advanced Summoned successfully, I can destroy a Monster on my opponent's field. I choose to destroy Apophis!"
"I activate Apophis's effect!" Zarc exclaimed. "By banishing this card from my field during my opponent's turn, I can force them to skip one of their Phases! I choose to have you skip your Battle Phase, and since Apophis was banished, your effect misfires!"
"As if it would be so simple." Yuya let out a lopsided smile. "However, I'm not done yet. Time for yet another Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
A single beam of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the form of Odd-Eyes upon landing on Yuya's field.
"I activate the Spell Card Fusion, using its effect to fuse Odd-Eyes on my field and Entermate Laugh Maker in my hand!" As his two Monsters swirled inside a multi-colored vortex, Yuya chanted. "Dragon with the dual-colored eyes! Become one with the laughter-spreading artist and awaken a new life! Fusion Summon! Emerge now, Level 9! Elusive dragon traversing the vast ocean, Serene-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 3100/DEF: 2600/LV: 9/SC: 7) in defense mode!"
The dragon clad in light blue-colored armor with fins protruding from it and a fish tail growing from its back appeared on Yuya's field.
"Serene-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect activates." Yuya declared. "When this card is Special Summoned successfully, I gain Life Points equal to the combined Level of all Monsters my opponent controls multiplied by 300. Since that sum is 28, I gain 8400 Life Points. Sacred Water!"
Serene-Eyes' body shone as a drizzle fell from the sky, enveloping Yuya in a light blue aura upon coming into contact with his body.
Yuya – LP: 3900→12300
"I activate the effect of Prank Mallet on my Graveyard." Yuya continued. "By banishing this card, I can target a Monster on my field and then destroy a Monster on my opponent's field with a lower Level than it. I will target the Level 9 Serene-Eyes to destroy the Level 8 Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma!"
A massive hammer appeared above Zarc's field following Yuya's words, smashing Chaos Karma with a mighty blow.
"That was a bad decision." Zarc smirked. "Since my Chaos Karma was sent to the Graveyard, Supreme King Descent's effect in my Graveyard activates. By banishing both cards, I can Special Summon my dragon's evolved form from my Deck! Descend now, Level 10! Supreme King Servant Dragon Disaster Karma (Dark/Dragon/Ritual/Effect/ATK: 3300/DEF: 2600/LV: 10)!"
A raging torrent of crimson flames erupted on Zarc's field, with an imposing dragon resembling Disaster Karma, only with green energy lines running through its body, appeared on Zarc's field.
"So he possesses even corrupted evolved forms of the dimension dragons, eh?" Reiji remarked. "It appears there are several nasty surprises in store for Yuya and Yukio…"
"Even my Disaster Karma…" Yukio growled. "How far do you intend to mock us with these knockoff versions of our precious Monsters!?"
"Supreme King Servant Dragon Disaster Karma's effect activates." Zarc announced. "When this card is summoned successfully, my opponent's Life Points are halved while mine are doubled! Take this, mortals!"
Pillars of emerald flames erupted beneath Yukio and Yuya, bathing their bodies and causing them to scream in pain as they fell to their knees. At the same time, a dark blue aura surrounded Zarc's body.
Yuya – LP: 12300→6150
Yukio – LP: 8400→4200
Zarc – LP: 6000→12000
"With a brutal strike, Zarc has once gained the advantage!" Nico announced. "Moreover, since Sakaki Yuya is incapable of entering his Battle Phase, it doesn't appear there is much he can do!"
"Unfortunately…he's got a point…" Yuya wheezed out as he stood up. "I switch all my other dragons to defense mode…place a card facedown and end my turn."
"At this moment, Apophis's effect activates." Zarc stated. "Through it, I can Special Summon it from the banish zone with the attack it had when it left the field. Resurrect from the abyss, Apophis!"
A rift in space appeared above Zarc, with the massive body of Apophis emerging from it.
"My turn!" Yukio announced. "Draw! I activate Prime Order Magician's effect. By banishing this card, I can Special Summon a "Paladin" Monster from my Extra Deck by ignoring its summoning conditions. Come, Lunar Glow Paladin (ATK: 3100/DEF: 2000/LV: 9/SC: 10) in defense mode!"
Lunar Glow Paladin materialized on Yukio's field next to Chaos Karma.
"Next, I will Pendulum Summon once again!" Yukio continued. "Revive from the Extra Deck, Summoner Magician! And from my hand, come, Nobledragon Magician (ATK: 700/DEF: 1400/LV: 3/SC: 5) and the eerie dragon with dichromatic eyes, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7/SC: 4) in defense mode!"
Four beams of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of Monsters upon landing on Yukio's field.
"I tune the Level 4 Summoner Magician with the Level 3 Nobledragon Magician!" As Summoner Magician turned into four stars and Nobledragon Magician turned into four rings surrounding them, Yukio chanted. "Pure white dragon with unblemished wings! Descend upon the battlefield with the speed of light and slash apart every enemy in your path! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 7! Clearwing Fast Dragon (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7/SC: 4) in defense mode!"
The dragon with pure white armor and transparent wings appeared on Yukio's field.
"Fusion, Synchro and Pendulum, huh?" Zarc remarked. "However, what do you expect to accomplish with such weak Monsters? Disaster Karma cannot be targeted by my opponent's card effects and Clear Wing cannot leave the field thanks to Belial's effect. Not to mention, as long as I'm on the field, all your efforts are pointless."
"Is that so?" Yukio smirked. "Then, let's test that theory, shall we? I activate the Spell Card Overwhelm Summon. Through its effect, if I control Monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck while my opponent controls more Monsters than I do, I can banish a number of Monsters from my opponent's field equal to or less than the number of Monsters Special Summoned from the Extra Deck on my field. In exchange, all Monsters summoned from the Extra Deck on my field cannot declare an attack during this turn. Since I have two Monsters summoned from the Extra Deck, I will banish Vepar and Apophis!"
"You still don't understand that it's useless?" Zarc snorted. "I activate Apophis's effect. By banishing it, I'll force you to skip your Battle Phase."
"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Yukio suddenly smiled. "This would be the moment Apophis is Special Summoned, but I'm afraid that won't happen."
"What?" Zarc raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Thanks to the effect of Overwhelm Summon, my opponent cannot Special Summon Monsters until the Main Phase of their next turn." Yukio explained. "That means Apophis will remain on the banish zone since you missed the activation timing."
"The situation has shifted yet again!" Nico cried out. "Tachibana Yukio was able to remove the threat of Apophis thanks to his Spell Card! However, it's now Zarc's turn's again! What sort of fiendish strategy will he show us this time!?"
"It's my turn!" Zarc announced. "Draw!"
At that moment, the sky shone, forcing everyone to cover their eyes. Shortly afterwards, a large numbers of meteors started falling from the sky and raining on the arena.
"Give it a rest already, you damn monster!"
Yukio complained as he and Yuya rode Starve Venom and Odd-Eyes respectively, weaving through the waves of meteors and doing their best not to get pulverized. Apparently not content with the mayhem he was causing, Zarc waved his hand, causing several of the crystal platforms to shoot forward in an attempt to smash the two Duelists. Although Yuya was almost struck by a platform, Yukio's Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon pushed it out of the way with its body. After a few seconds, the chaos subsided, allowing the two Duelists to land on two intact platforms.
"Now that your blood is flowing again, let's continue. Using the Scale 0 Supreme King Gate Zero (ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 7/SC: 0) and the Scale 13 Supreme King Gate Infinity (ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 7/SC: 13), I will rebuild my Pendulum Scale!"
The two columns of light appeared once again on Zarc's field, with his two Monsters rising to their top.
"Now Zarc can transform any damage inflicted to him into Life Points." Ryo remarked. "As if they didn't have enough problems already…"
"Now I can simultaneously summon Monsters with Levels 1 through 12." Zarc continued. "Pendulum Summon! Come forth, Supreme King Servant Dragon Denwen (ATK: 400/DEF: 700/LV: 2/SC: 5) and Supreme King Servant Valkyria Siegrune (Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 1700/DEF: 850/LV: 4/SC: 6)!"
Two beams of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of Denwen and a female demonic Monster clad in crimson armor and holding a mace with several spikes growing out of it.
"I activate Siegrune's effect, sending it to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon a "Supreme King" Pendulum Monster apart from it from my Graveyard with its attack doubled." Zarc stated. "Revive, Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes!"
Siegrune's body transformed into a large portal, out of which emerged Odd-Eyes and landed on Zarc's field as a crimson aura surrounded its body.
(Odd-Eyes ATK: 2500→5000)
"Next, I tune the Level 8 Clear Wing with the Level 2 Denwen!" As Clear Wing turned into eight stars and Denwen turned into two rings surrounding them, Zarc chanted. "The crystal wings of the abyss shall forevermore imprison the light! Strike down your enemies with your undying fury! Synchro Summon! Arise, Level 10! Supreme King Servant Dragon Crystal Wing (Dark/Dragon/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/LV: 10)!"
A Monster resembling Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, only with green energy lines running through its body and particles of darkness falling from its wings, appeared on Zarc's field.
"This time, it's a corrupted version of my Crystal Wing?" Yugo balled his fists, his anger evident on his expression. "How dare you disgrace our Monsters like this, Zarc!? If only I was down there, I would make him pay for this!"
"I activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Crystal Wing's effect." Zarc declared. "When this card is Synchro Summoned successfully, I can destroy all Monsters my opponent controls and inflict 500 points of damage for each destroyed Monster to their controllers. Since you control five Monsters, Yuya, while you control four Monsters, Yukio, you'll receive 2500 and 2000 points of damage respectively! Take this!"
Crystal Wing's wings shone as it unleashed numerous dark green energy blasts that struck Yuya and Yukio's Monsters, destroying and causing them to scream in pain as they were engulfed by the explosions.
Yuya – LP: 6150→3650
Yukio – LP: 4200→2200
"Since Chaos Karma…was destroyed…I can…add Karma Manifestation…to my hand…" Yukio wheezed out as he unsteadily stood up. "I also activate the Trap Card…Atropos Rewind, whose effect allows me to Special Summon…the destroyed Chaos Karma and make it unable to be destroyed by battle for this turn. Revive, Chaos Karma!"
A portal appeared on Yukio's field, with Chaos Karma emerging from it.
"Fool." Zarc grinned. "Supreme King Servant Dragon Disaster Karma's effect activates. When a Ritual Monster is summoned to my opponent's field, I can destroy it and increase Disaster Karma's attack by an amount equal to the destroyed Monster's attack. Do it, Disaster Karma!"
The gems on Disaster Karma's body shone, unleashing several energy blasts that struck Chaos Karma and destroyed it.
(Disaster Karma ATK: 3300→6100)
"Now, let's battle!" Zarc exclaimed. "Supreme King Servant Dragon Disaster Karma, attack Yukio directly and snuff out his life!"
"I activate the Trap Card Draining Shield!" Yukio exclaimed. "Through its effect, your Monster's attack is negated and I gain Life Points equal to its attack! Moreover, thanks to Hope Magician's Pendulum Effect, the Life Points gain is doubled!"
Following Yukio's words, a semi-transparent barrier appeared around him, shielding him from Disaster Karma's flames. It then exploded in a shower of particles that enveloped Yukio's body.
Yukio – LP: 2200→14400
"Resilient as always I see." Zarc remarked. "However, thanks to its effect, Disaster Karma gains 500 attack every time its attack is negated (Disaster Karma ATK: 6100→6600). Let's see if Yuya is made of the same stern stuff. Go, Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes! Take down Yuya!"
"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Gate's effect activates!" Yuya declared. "Once per Duel, when I'm about to receive a direct attack, I can Special Summon an "Odd-Eyes" Pendulum Monster from my hand or Extra Deck! Revive, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in defense mode!"
A rift in space appeared above Yuya, with Odd-Eyes emerging from it and receiving his corrupted counterpart's blast head-on. Although it withstood it for a brief moment, it was swiftly vaporized.
"It's your turn, Crystal Wing." Zarc said. "Attack Yukio directly!"
Crystal Wing was surrounded by a storm of energy as it charged forward, striking Yukio head-on and sending him tumbling backwards.
Yukio – LP: 14400→11400
"Let's see if I can get another good catch." Zarc said as his hand extended once again, grabbing an Action Card from a distant platform. "Good enough. I activate the Action Spell Gaping Wound. Through its effect, if my opponent received battle damage, I can inflict effect damage to them equal to the amount of battle damage received. Take an additional 3000 points of damage, Yukio!"
A massive energy ball erupted from Zarc's Action Spell, striking Yukio and sending flying off the platform. Activating his Duel Anchor, Yukio used it as a makeshift grappling hook to swing to a platform below him, making a rather ungraceful landing as he tumbled on the ground while groaning.
Yukio – LP: 11400→8400
"Thanks to the second effect of Gaping Wound, Crystal Wing's attack increases by an amount equal to the amount of effect damage I inflicted to you until my next Standby Phase (Crystal Wing ATK: 3000→6000)." Zarc smirked. "I place a card face-down and end my turn. Is this truly all your power amounts to? You've shown me nothing spectacular so far, and that disappoints me. The way you are now, you won't be able to survive, much less save me like you prattle, Yuya."
"The Duel is far from over, Zarc." Yuya said. "As long as we still have strength to stand and a single Life Point remaining, we'll continue fighting for everyone's sake, even yours. Now, it's my turn! Draw!"
Upon checking his drawn card, Yuya was surprised, but then smiled. Like always, his Deck had come through.
"Let's go, Zarc!" Yuya exclaimed. "I'll show that our combined power can bring forth miracles and shatter even your prided strength! First, I will send Entermate Block Spider (Dark/Insect/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 1100/LV: 2) from my hand to target your Disaster Karma and negate its effects until the End Phase."
"Hoh, does that mean you intend to counterattack with a Ritual Monster?" Zarc said. "Strange, because I'm sure you don't have any such Monsters in your Deck. Not that they would help you either way."
"Is that so?" Yuya smiled. "That might be true I normal circumstances. However, how about a Monster born from both mine and my friend's power?"
"Hoh?" Zarc frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Odd-Eyes Ritual Gate." Yuya announced. "Through its effect, I can Special Summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon from my Extra Deck and a Ritual Monster from either player's Graveyard with their effects negated. I choose Chaos Karma Ritual Dragon from Yukio's Graveyard!"
Two beams of energy erupted from the ground, solidifying into the forms of Odd-Eyes and Chaos Karma upon landing on Yuya's field.
"Oh, I see!" Yukio spoke with evident excitement. "Go, Yuya! Combine both our strengths together and show him what true power is all about!"
"Right!" Yuya nodded. "Through the effect of Odd-Eyes Ritual Gate, I will Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my Deck using only the Monsters summoned through its effect as tributes!"
As Odd-Eyes and Chaos Karma turned into particles that were absorbed by the ring that had appeared above them, with a pillar of azure flames erupting from it, Yuya and Yukio chanted together.
"Dragon with dual-colored eyes! Take the power of fate's ruler within your body and embody supremacy itself! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 10! The shining dragon with overpowering eyes, Supreme King Cerulean Dragon – Odd-Eyes Karma Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Ritual/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 3300/DEF: 2600/LV: 10/SC: 12)!"
An imposing winged dragon with dual-colored eyes clad in deep blue armor with shades of silver throughout it, which had several red and green gems embedded throughout its armor, appeared on Yuya's field, letting out a resonant howl.
"Odd-Eyes Karma Dragon…" Yuzu muttered. "This is the combined power of Yuya and Yukio…"
"Due to its effect, Ritual Gate becomes an Equip Card to my dragon." Yuya declared. "Then, I activate Odd-Eyes Karma Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can send all Level 5 or higher Monsters on my opponent's field to the Graveyard, and then I can choose whether to reduce their Life Points or increase my Life Points by an amount equal to half the destroyed Monsters' attack! I choose the first option, meaning you'll have your Life Points reduced by an amount equal to half your "Supreme King Servant Dragon" Monsters' attack! Do it, Odd-Eyes Karma Dragon! Unbound Inferno!"
Odd-Eyes Karma Dragon opened its wings wide as its entire body was surrounded by azure flames. It then took off and charged forward, striking Zarc's field with the force of meteor and destroying Crystal Wing, Disaster Karma and Odd-Eyes while Zarc howled due to the inferno that assaulted his body.
Zarc – LP: 12000→3200
"What a powerful strike!" Nico cheered. "Sakaki Yuya's new Ritual Monster has wiped out all three of Zarc's Servant Dragons in one go! And thanks to its effect not being counted as battle or effect damage, it bypassed Zero and Infinity's effects to reduce Zarc's Life Points by a massive amount! The light of hope is finally starting to shine!"
"Did you see that, Zarc?" Yuya said. "This is the power born when two wishes combine, a power far greater than the solitary strength you possess. You knew that well once upon a time, didn't you?"
"Foolishness." Zarc narrowed his eyes. "This is nothing but fake strength born from the weak who cannot stand on their own two feet by themselves. It's a feeble power that I've far surpassed as you'll realize soon enough. You will come to understand everything at the moment of your inevitable defeat."
"Like I said before, we won't lose to you." Yuya stated. "I end my turn."
"At this moment, Supreme King Servant Dragon Crystal Wing's effect activates." Zarc abruptly stated. "If it was sent to the Graveyard by battle or my opponent's card effect, I can Special Summon it and destroy a Monster on my opponent's field. I will destroy your Odd-Eyes Karma Dragon!"
"That won't happen!" Yuya declared. "Thanks to Odd-Eyes Ritual Gate's effect, cards on my field cannot be destroyed by card effects on the turn I activated this card!"
Following Yuya's words, Crystal Wing emerged from a portal that appeared on Zarc's field and unleashed a wave of light at Karma Dragon, which however failed to affect it.
"You may keep that Monster for now." Zarc remarked. "It will disappear soon enough."
"My turn!" Yukio announced. "Draw! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Wavering Eyes! Through its effect, I will destroy all Pendulum cards on every player's Pendulum Zone in order to inflict 500 points of damage to you, banish a card from your field and add a "Magician" Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand!"
"Before you waste your time, I should inform you that Crystal Wing cannot be targeted by card effects." Zarc said. "Therefore, you can't use your Spell Card's effect on it."
"In that case, I will banish one of your face-downs and add Destiny Magician to my hand, while you receive 500 points of damage!"
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking Zarc and causing him to wince.
Zarc – LP: 3200→2700
"I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my Deck." Yukio continued. "Next, I will discard a card to activate the Spell Card Pendulum Call, using its effect to add Domination Magician and Supremacy Magician to my hand. Then, using the Scale 0 Domination Magician (ATK: 2500/DEF: 2200/LV: 7/SC: 0) and the Scale 10 Supremacy Magician (ATK: 2200/DEF: 2500/LV: 7/SC: 10), I will rebuild my Pendulum Scale!"
The two columns of light appeared once again on Yukio's field, with his two Monsters rising to their top.
"Now I can simultaneously summon Monsters with Levels 1 through 9." Yukio declared. "Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, Summoner Magician and Lunar Glow Paladin in defense mode! And from my hand, come, Destiny Magician (ATK: 1800/DEF: 500/LV: 4/SC: 1)!"
Three beams of light erupted from the Pendulum portal, solidifying into the forms of Yukio's Monsters upon landing on the field.
"Through Domination Magician's Pendulum Effect, I will draw three cards from my Deck, one for every Monster I Pendulum Summoned, while Summoner Magician's effect allows me to add Disaster Karma Ritual Dragon from my Deck to my hand." Yukio stated. "Next, I activate Karma Manifestation, offering Destiny Magician and Lunar Glow Paladin as tributes in order to Ritual Summon!"
The dragon altar surrounded by three statues appeared on Yukio's field, with his two Monsters turning into particles and being absorbed by the leftmost statue. As a towering pillar of dark blue flames erupted from the altar, Yukio chanted.
"Malevolent dragon that is the harbinger of calamity! Heed my prayer with this ritual and emerge from the chaos of indeterminacy to annihilate all that stands in your path! Ritual Summon! Descend now, Level 10! Disaster Karma Ritual Dragon (ATK: 3300/DEF: 2600/LV: 10)!"
The evolved form of Chaos Karma emerged from within the conflagration, letting out a furious howl.
"Since Destiny Magician was used as tribute for a Ritual Summon, I can draw a card from my Deck." Yukio stated as started moving again, using his Duel Anchor to reach a platform above him and grab an Action Card from there. "Perfect. Now, let's battle! Disaster Karma Ritual Dragon, attack Supreme King Servant Dragon Crystal Wing! I also activate the Action Spell Scorching Skydiver, which allows me to deal damage to you equal to the attack of a Monster destroyed by battle! You're finished, Zarc!"
"You'd wish, lowlife!" Zarc howled. "Crystal Wing's effect activates! When it battles a Level 5 or higher Monster, I can increase its attack by an amount equal to that Monster's attack until the End Phase (Crystal Wing ATK: 3000→6300)! Furthermore, if it destroys that Monster, you will receive half its attack as damage!"
"I banish Atropos Rewind from my Graveyard to activate its effect!" Yukio declared. "When a "Ritual Dragon" Monster on my field battles an opponent's Monster with a higher attack, I can banish this card from my Graveyard to increase my Monster's attack by an amount equal to the difference between those Monsters' attack plus 800 for every Ritual Monster on my field during damage calculation (Disaster Karma ATK: 3300→7100)! Therefore, Disaster Karma is once again stronger! Go, Disaster Karma! Kalasutra Immolation!"
"You little…!" Zarc growled. "In that case, I activate the Trap Card Gate Rebuild! Through its effect, if I have no cards on my Pendulum Zones, I can place two "Supreme King Gate" Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to them! I choose Supreme King Gate Zero and Supreme King Gate Infinity!"
Following Zarc's words, a torrent of dark blue flames erupted from Disaster Karma's maw, enveloping Crystal Wing and destroying it. However, once the smoke cleared, Zero and Infinity could be seen hovering within the columns of light on Zarc's sides while the Demon Duelist was smirking.
"You remember Zero and Infinity's effect, right?" Zarc said. "The damage is reduced to 0 and I gain Life Points equal to the amount of damage I would have taken. Since the sum of the battle and effect damage from your Action Spell would be 7100, I will gain that many Life Points."
Zarc was surrounded by a golden aura while grinning.
Zarc – LP: 2700→9800
"Oh, how unfortunate!" Nico cried out. "Tachibana Yukio's attempt for a decisive strike was foiled by Zarc's countermeasures! Not only that, Zarc has restored his dwindling Life Points once again! The advantage seems to be tilting towards Zarc's side!"
"I warned you both, but you stubbornly refuse to listen." Zarc said. "Feeble strength such as yours will never be able to eradicate me. It's simply impossible. The only thing you can do is entertain me until the time for mankind's salvation comes."
"Salvation?" Yukio snorted. "Really? I thought you were all about destroying mankind for its sins."
"The salvation is speak of is different from your definition of it." Zarc smirked. "By accelerating the inevitable doom of mankind at its own hands, I'm sparing the future generations from the agony of buckling under the mistakes of their predecessors as the world slowly falls to ruin. In a manner of speaking, I'm more of a hero than you people who are fighting to preserve this false order."
"We're fighting and putting everything on the line for the possibility that we can forge a better tomorrow for everyone by learning from the mistakes of the past." Yuya countered. "Our resolve is in no way inferior to yours, Zarc."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again; you're just a coward who couldn't handle the weight of his responsibilities." Yukio declared. "You ran away from everything and became drunk in both power and victory, convincing yourself that what you're doing is just. Unfortunately, the time for daydreaming and delusions is over. We'll give you a harsh wake-up call and force you to see the truth you've been running away from."
"Save the overbearing speeches for after you win." Zarc glowered at his opponents. "Only the victor has the right to speak about justice and truth, no-one else. Now, if you have nothing else to show me, hurry up and end your turn, Yukio."
"Touched a nerve there, huh?" Yukio smirked. "I place a card face-down and end my turn."
"During the End Phase, Crystal Wing's effect in my Graveyard activates." Zarc stated. "Through it, I can Special Summon it and destroy a Monster on my opponent's field. I choose to destroy Disaster Karma Ritual Dragon!"
"Sorry, but that won't happen." Yukio said as Crystal Wing emerged from a portal on Zarc's field. "Due to the effect of Atropos Rewind, Disaster Karma cannot be destroyed by card effects until the End Phase."
"You two have fought very well so far." Zarc remarked. "Your hope and resolve have remained unflinching despite fighting at the edge of death. I wonder though, will you able to withstand the true depths of the abyss that is my power? Hmmm?"
Zarc's sinister smile and palpable killing intent caused both Yuya and Yukio to shiver, while every member of the audience felt as if the temperature had gone down by ten degrees.
"Let's go, foolish children who are unaware of their limits." Zarc declared. "It's my turn! Draw!"
Card Corner
Entermate Boost Cannonball
ATK: 0, DEF: 1000, LV: 2, SC: 5
Dark/Warrior/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, you can send a Pendulum card in your other Pendulum Zone to the Graveyard; inflict damage to your opponent equal to that card's Scale Value x 200. You cannot Pendulum Summon on the turn you activated this effect.
Monster Effect: Once per turn, you can send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard. If that card is an "Entermate" Monster, your opponent receives damage equal to its Level x 200. If it's any other card, take 1000 points of damage. During the End Phase, if you inflicted damage to your opponent by using this card's effect, you can draw two cards from your Deck. You can only use this effect once per Duel.
Wicked Magician
ATK: 1600, DEF: 0, LV: 4
Dark/Spellcaster/Effect
Monster Effect: This card can be treated as two materials for the Xyz Summon of a Spellcaster-type Xyz Monster. An Xyz Monster that uses this card as material gains the following effect; once during either player's turn, this card cannot be destroyed by card effects.
Supreme King Gate Abyss
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 8, SC: 2
Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: When your opponent receives battle damage, you gain Life Points equal to the amount of damage they received.
Monster Effect: If this card is Pendulum Summoned successfully, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on your opponent's field, and then you can Set an equal number of Spell and Trap Card from your Deck to your field.
Supreme King Gate Celestial
ATK: 0, DEF: 0, LV: 8, SC: 11
Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: If you would receive damage, you can reduce that damage to 0 and increase the ATK of all "Supreme King" Monsters you control by an amount equal to the amount of damage you would have received.
Monster Effect: If this card is Pendulum Summoned successfully, you can Special Summon a number of "Supreme King" Monsters from your Graveyard equal to or less than the number of Level 5 or higher Monsters on your opponent's field.
Supreme King Servant Valkyria Waltraute
ATK: 1000, DEF: 1300, LV: 4, SC: 1
Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Tuner/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn when you Synchro Summon a "Supreme King" Synchro Monster, you activate this effect; destroy the Monster with the lowest ATK on your opponent's field and gain Life Points equal to its ATK.
Monster Effect: If this card was used as material for the Synchro Summon of a "Supreme King" Monster, you can Special Summon that Monster's other Synchro Materials from your Extra Deck and/or Graveyard. During your opponent's Standby Phase, you can banish this card from your Extra Deck; both you and your opponent draw cards from your Deck until you have six in your hands.
Supreme King Servant Knight Dantalion
ATK: 0, DEF: 2800, LV: 9, SC: 10
Dark/Machine/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, you can make the ATK of "Supreme King" Monsters you control equal to that of the Monster with highest ATK on the field until the End Phase.
Monster Effect: All battle damage you receive from battles involving this card is halved. Once per turn, you can target a "Supreme King" Monster on your field; make this card's ATK equal to that Monster's ATK. This card cannot attack directly on the turn it used this effect. When this card battles an opponent's Monster, negate that Monster's effects. When this card is destroyed, you can banish it to Special Summon two Level 4 or lower "Supreme King" Monsters from your Graveyard.
Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma
ATK: 2800, DEF: 2000, LV: 8
Dark/Dragon/Ritual/Effect
Monster Effect: You can Ritual Summon this card with "Supreme King's Descent". This card cannot be destroyed by battle. Ritual Monsters your opponent controls can only target this card for attacks. Your Monsters are unaffected by the effects of Ritual Monsters as long as this card remains face-up on the field. Once per turn, you can target one Monster on the field; inflict its original ATK as damage to your opponent. During either player's turn, you can return this card to your Deck; Special Summon two "Supreme King Servant Dragon" Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck, and if you do, the ATK of all Ritual Monsters your opponent currently controls becomes 0.
Supreme King Servant Knight Vepar
ATK: 2100, DEF: 2400, LV: 6, SC: 9
Dark/Machine/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: The activation and effects of "Supreme King" Spell/Trap Cards cannot be negated.
Monster Effect: When this card is Pendulum Summoned successfully, you can add a "Supreme King" Spell or Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. This card cannot attack on the turn you activated this effect.
Supreme King Servant Knight Belial
ATK: 3200, DEF: 2600, LV: 10, SC: 2
Dark/Machine/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, when an opponent's Monster destroys a "Supreme King" Monster you control, you can reduce that Monster's ATK to 0.
Monster Effect: This card cannot be targeted for an attack. Once during either player's turn, you can target a Monster your opponent controls; negate its effects and prevent it from being targeted for or declaring an attack. Once per turn, you can send a "Supreme King" Monster you control to the Graveyard; increase this card's ATK by an amount equal to that card's ATK until the End Phase. If this card leaves the field, you can Special Summon a "Supreme King" Monster from your Extra Deck or Graveyard during your End Phase. That Monster cannot leave your field until the start of your next turn.
Supreme King Servant Dragon Apophis
ATK: 0, DEF: 4000, LV: 12
Dark/Dragon/Fusion/Effect
3 "Supreme" King Extra Deck Monsters
Monster Effect: This card's ATK is equal to the original ATK of the Monsters used for its Fusion Summon. This card cannot leave the field on the turn it was Fusion Summoned. When this card attacks a defense position Monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent. Once per turn, you can make the ATK of all Monsters your opponent controls 0, prevent them from activating their effects and make them unable to be targeted for an attack until the End Phase. During your opponent's turn, you can banish this card; declare a Phase, and if your opponent hasn't conducted it yet, they must skip it. During the End Phase of that turn, Special Summon this card from your Extra Deck with the same ATK it had while it was on the field.
Prime Order Magician
ATK: 2800, DEF: 2200, LV: 7, SC: 1
Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, when a card effect increases your Life Points, you can increase the ATK of a Monster on your field by the same amount until your next End Phase.
Monster Effect: When this card is Special Summoned successfully, gain Life Points equal to the original ATK of all other Monsters you control. You can banish this card; Special Summon a "Paladin" Monster from your Extra Deck by ignoring its summoning conditions.
Supreme King Servant Dragon Disaster Karma
ATK: 3300, DEF: 2600, LV: 10
Dark/Dragon/Ritual/Effect
Monster Effect: This card must first be Special Summoned through the effect of "Supreme King Descent". When this card is summoned successfully, halve your opponent's Life Points and double your own. This card cannot be destroyed by battle and cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. Ritual Monsters your opponent controls can only target this card for attacks. Your Monsters are unaffected by the effects of Ritual Monsters as long as this card remains face-up on the field. Once during either player's turn, if your opponent summons a Ritual Monster, you can destroy it and add its ATK to this card's ATK. If this card's attack is negated, increase its ATK by 500. If this card is destroyed, destroy all Monsters on your opponent's field with ATK lower than this card's ATK on the field.
Supreme King Servant Valkyria Siegrune
ATK: 1700, DEF: 850, LV: 4, SC: 6
Dark/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, the first time each "Supreme King" Pendulum Monster on your field would be destroyed by battle or card effect, it's not destroyed.
Monster Effect: You can send this card to your Graveyard; Special Summon a "Supreme King" Pendulum Monster from your Graveyard apart from this card with its ATK doubled.
Supreme King Servant Dragon Crystal Wing
ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500, LV: 10
Dark/Dragon/Synchro/Effect
1 "Supreme King" Tuner Monster + 1 DARK Synchro Monster
Monster Effect: Monsters your opponent controls cannot target Synchro Monsters for attacks, except this one. When this card is Synchro Summoned successfully, you can destroy all Monsters your opponent controls and inflict 500 points of damage for each destroyed Monster to their controller. This card cannot be targeted by card effects. When this card battles a Level 5 or higher Monster, increase its ATK by an amount equal to that Monster's ATK until the End Phase, and if it destroys that Monster, your opponent receives half its ATK as damage. If this card was sent to the Graveyard by battle or your opponent's card effect, you can Special Summon it during the End Phase and destroy a Monster on your opponent's field.
Entermate Block Spider
ATK: 0, DEF: 1100, LV: 2
Dark/Insect/Effect
Monster Effect: You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to target a Monster on your opponent's field; negate its effects until the End Phase.
Odd-Eyes Karma Dragon
ATK: 3300, DEF: 2600, LV: 10, SC: 12
Dark/Dragon/Ritual/Pendulum/Effect
Pendulum Effect: Once during either player's turn, when a Monster you control would be destroyed as a result of battle or by a card effect, it's not destroyed.
Monster Effect: Must be first Ritual Summoned by the effect of "Odd-Eyes Ritual Gate". When this card is summoned successfully, you can send all Level 5 or higher Monsters on your opponent's field to the Graveyard, and then reduce your opponent's Life Points by an amount equal to half their combined original ATK or restore your Life Points by the same amount. Once per turn during your Main Phase or Battle Phase, you can target any number of Pendulum Monsters on your field and an equal number of cards on your opponent's field; destroy all targets. If this card is destroyed, you can destroy all cards in your Pendulum Zone (if any), inflict their combined ATK as damage to your opponent, and then place this card in your Pendulum Zone.
Pendulum Bounty
Normal Spell Card
Place any number of Pendulum Monsters from your hand to the Extra Deck face-up; draw an equal number of cards from your Deck plus one.
Dimension Overlay
Normal Spell Card
Target two Pendulum Monsters face-up in your Extra Deck with the same Level; perform an Xyz Summon by using only these Monsters as materials. The summoned Xyz Monster cannot activate its effects on the turn it was summoned.
Supreme King Synthesis Ritual
Normal Spell Card
If you control a Dragon-type "Supreme King" Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Pendulum Monster, you can send them to the Graveyard along with "Astrograph Magician" from your hand; Special Summon a "Supreme King Dragon Zarc" from your hand or Deck and treat it as having been summoned through the effect of "Astrograph Magician".
Ceremony of Awakening Origin
Ritual Spell Card
Send two Ritual Spell Cards from your hand to the Graveyard; Ritual Summon the corresponding Ritual Monsters from your hand by offering Monsters whose Level is equal to or higher than the Level of the Ritual Monster with the highest Level among them. You cannot Special Summon other Monsters after activating this card, and all non-Ritual Monsters on your field cannot declare an attack or activate their effects for the rest of this turn.
Supreme King Descent
Ritual Spell Card
If a Ritual Monster is Ritual Summoned to your opponent's field while you control "Supreme King Dragon Zarc", you can activate this card from your hand or Deck and apply the following effect; Ritual Summon a "Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma" from your hand or Deck by tributing two "Supreme King Servant Dragon" Monsters from your hand or field whose combined Levels equal 8 or more. The Ritual Summoned Monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects until the End Phase of your next turn. If a "Supreme King Servant Dragon Chaos Karma" you control is sent to the Graveyard, you can banish it along with this card; Special Summon a "Supreme King Servant Dragon Disaster Karma" from your hand or Deck (this Special Summon is treated as a Ritual Summon).
Supreme King Fusion
Normal Spell Card
Fusion Summon a "Supreme King" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck by banishing Monsters from your hand and/or field. If you control "Supreme King Dragon Zarc", you can also banish Monsters from your Graveyard or Extra Deck. For every material used in this Fusion Summon, gain 1000 Life Points.
Double-Up Chance
Action Spell
If the attack of a Monster on your field was negated, you can have it attack once again and double its ATK for that battle alone.
Scrap-Iron Scarecrow
Action Spell
Negate the attack of an opponent's Monster. If this card is your Graveyard, you can send an Action Spell from your hand to the Graveyard to add it to your hand.
Relentless Charge
Action Spell
Target a Monster you control; its attack cannot be negated by card effects for this turn.
Chain Destruction
Action Spell
Banish all Action Spells in all players' Graveyards, and if their effects are still applied, negate them.
Counter Draw
Action Spell
Negate an instance of effect damage and draw two cards from your Deck.
Overwhelm Summon
Normal Spell Card
If you control Monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck while your opponent controls more Monsters than you do, you can banish a number of Monsters from your opponent's field equal to or less than the number of Monsters Special Summoned from the Extra Deck on your field. All Monsters summoned from the Extra Deck on your field cannot declare an attack during this turn. Your opponent cannot Special Summon Monsters until the Main Phase of their next turn.
Gaping Wound
Action Spell
If your opponent received battle damage, inflict the same amount of effect damage to them. Then, increase the ATK of the Monster that inflicted the battle damage by an amount equal to the effect damage you dealt to your opponent until your next Standby Phase.
Odd-Eyes Ritual Gate
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target a face-up "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" in your Extra Deck and a Ritual Monster in any Graveyard; Special Summon them, but they have their effects negated (if any), then Ritual Summon one Ritual Pendulum Monster from your Deck or hand, using only the Summoned Monsters as tributes (their combined Levels must be equal to or exceeding the Ritual Pendulum Monster's Level). This card remains on the field as long as a Monster Ritual Summoned by this card's effect is on the field. If the Monster Summoned by this card is destroyed, you can send this card to the Graveyard, and if you do, add one "Odd-Eyes Fusion Gate" from your Deck to your hand. You cannot Pendulum Summon the turn you activate this card. Cards on your field cannot be destroyed by card effects on the turn you activated this card.
Scorching Skydiver
Action Spell
If an opponent's Monster is destroyed by battle, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK.
Prank Mallet
Normal Trap Card
When an opponent's Monster is about to activate its effect, you can negate it and prevent that Monster from activating its effects until the end of that turn. You can banish this card from your Graveyard to target a Monster on your field; destroy a Monster on your opponent's field with a lower Level than it. The targeted Monster cannot declare an attack on the turn you activated this effect.
Supply Line Guard
Continuous Trap Card
Cards in both players' hand are unaffected by the other player's card effects.
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Gate
Continuous Trap Card
When an opponent's Monster declares an attack, you can target it; negate the attack, prevent it from attacking as long as this card remains on the field and Special Summon an "Odd-Eyes" Pendulum Monster from your Deck with an equal or lower Level than it. If you would receive a direct attack, you can Special Summon an "Odd-Eyes" Pendulum Monster from your Extra Deck. You can only use this effect once per Duel. If the targeted Monster leaves the Monster Zone, destroy this card. If this card is in your Graveyard while a Pendulum Monster declares an attack, you can banish it along with as many other "Odd-Eyes Gate" cards in your Graveyard as you wish; increase that Monster's ATK by 1000 for every banished card until the End Phase.
Union Cross Glow
Normal Trap Card
If you control a Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monster, banish three cards from your opponent's field, and then draw a card from your Deck for every banished card. You receive no further damage on the turn you activated this card.
Atropos Rewind
Normal Trap Card
When a "Ritual Dragon" Monster on your field is destroyed, you can Special Summon it from your Graveyard and make it unable to be destroyed by battle for this turn. When a "Ritual Dragon" Monster on your field battles an opponent's Monster with a higher ATK, you can banish this card from your Graveyard; increase your Monster's ATK by an amount equal to the difference between those Monsters' ATK + 800 for every Ritual Monster on your field during damage calculation. Your Monster cannot be destroyed by card effects until the End Phase of the turn you used this effect.
Gate Rebuild
Normal Trap Card
If you have no cards on your Pendulum Zones, place two "Supreme King Gate" Pendulum Monsters face-up from your Extra Deck to them.
That concludes Chapter 72 and the first part of the final Duel against Zarc. My initial plan was to write both parts and release them simultaneously, but since it was taking too much time and I've kept you all waiting long enough, I decided to go ahead and release the first part only. Since the outline of the whole Duel is already complete, it should take much less time to release the second part, perhaps even by the end of the week. However, since my workload is somewhat erratic, I can't make any promises.
Now, onto the Duel itself, which features Yuya and Yukio facing off against Zarc. Of course, I never intended to have a ten-vs-one Duel since that would be way too much. I toyed with the idea of having the five victors of the second round face off against Zarc, or perhaps even have the five boys confront him, but ultimately decided against it since I'm not really fond of Duels with multiple participants. I feel the Duel would become too large and too messy if I tried that, so I only had Yuya and Yukio Duel for the reasons Zarc mentions in the beginning. My apologies to those that might be disappointed by that.
Well, that's all for now. As always, please read, review, favorite and follow.
See you all next time at the conclusion of this arc!
