Disclaimer: I do not own Revolutionary Girl Utena or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
Chapter 36: The King Who Unlocks
"I may not have been dueling as long as you have, Goodwin! But I will find a way to take you down!" Utena declared. "I'll win even if I have to take down a dragon as strong as a god!"
After a moment, Rex's calm, confident smile returned. "It appears I've underestimated you a bit. But it matters not. That last move of yours has only delayed your inevitable defeat. I shall set two cards on the field and end my turn! And since I now only hold three cards, Sky Dragon's ATK drops to 3000!"
As Utena drew her next card, her mind quickly thought through every possible way she might be able to defeat Rex's dragon. The way she saw it, there were only two options available to her. Fortunately she already had one of those options ready and waiting to use in her Graveyard, though she wasn't entirely sure it would work. It was quite likely that Ascension Sky Dragon had another effect besides the one he shared with the legendary Slifer the Sky Dragon that could thwart Utena's next move in some way. Even so, Utena had no other choice but to try it out.
"I activate Junk Scrounger's effect from the Graveyard!" Utena announced. "By banishing Junk Scrounger and a Spell card, from my Graveyard, I can add a Spell card in my opponent's Graveyard to my hand! After that Spell card gets used though, it's banished from game. I banish Junk Scrounger and Relentless Knight to add Dark Hole from your Graveyard to my hand!"
Suddenly a ball of green light traveled from the Graveyard slot of Rex's D-Wheel controls to Utena's waiting hand. The ball of light ended up turning into Rex's Dark Hole card.
"And now I activate Dark Hole to destroy all monsters on the field!" Utena announced.
Suddenly a black hole formed in the air above the track and quickly expanded. Junk Knight was instantly pulled into the black hole's gravity and was crushed to bits upon entering. The black hole continued to grow in size until it had become large enough to pull in Ascension Sky Dragon. Just as the dragon was about to be pulled in though, he roared and his body gave off a blinding flash of white light. The black suddenly shattered to bits and Sky Dragon rose higher into the sky, vanishing into the clouds. Meanwhile the five monsters that had acted as the Sky Dragon's Synchro material appeared within the ray of white light that shined down near Rex's D-Wheel just before the dragon vanished.
"What the hell?" Utena exclaimed. "Why are the monsters used to summon Sky Dragon suddenly back on the field?"
"A creative move, but also a predictable one," Rex remarked. "Unfortunately for you, when Sky Dragon is destroyed by my opponent's card effect, he returns to the Extra Deck instead of going to the Graveyard, and in doing so returns his original Synchro material monsters back to the field with their effects negated. At this moment I activate the Continuous Trap card, Reincarnation's Blessing! Once per turn, when a Synchro Monster on the field is returned to the Extra Deck, Reincarnation's Blessing lets me draw a card for each of my face-up Celestial monsters! I now have five Celestial monsters on the field, which means I now draw five cards! I'm sure you realize what this means child."
Utena went pale with fear. "Since Sky Dragon is back in your Extra Deck and his materials are back on the field…next turn you can just summon him all over again, and get to draw another card because of Celestial Bell Tower in the process. And since you'll have nine or ten cards in your hand at that time…"
Rex nodded. "Sky Dragon's ATK will be incredibly high. Face it child, you've been outclassed in every possible way."
Utena gritted her teeth and revved her D-Wheel. "One problem Goodwin! My turn's not over yet! For my next move I activate Foolish Burial and send Junk Specter from my deck to the Graveyard! Next I summon Mono Synchron in Attack Mode!"
On cue, the small green and yellow robot with the number one on its forehead appeared next to Utena's D-Wheel.
"Since I have a Synchron Tuner monster on the field, I special summon Junk Specter from the Graveyard!" Utena announced.
Utena's hooded warrior appeared on the track in his transparent form.
"When Mono Synchron is used for a Synchro Summon, the other monster used with it becomes a level one monster!" Utena announced. "I tune the level one Mono Synchron into the now level one Junk Specter for a level two Synchro Summon!"
Mono Synchron fired a beam of red light from the stamp at the end of his right arm that struck the forehead of Junk Specter's mask, causing a red number one to appear. The green and yellow robot then flashed orange and changed into a single ring of green light. The ring encircled Junk Specter and transformed him into a single white star.
"Young diving knight who carries on the will of the valiant! Take to the field and return hope to the oppressed!" Utena chanted. "Synchro Summon! A returning hope! Revival Knight!"
The star flashed and became a ray of white light that shot down the track and expanded outward. In moments the light faded to reveal a small knight clad in bulky silver armor. His large helmet had a gold visor with two small white-feathered wings decorating the sides. Much of his body was draped in a dark-blue cloak. The knight held a small sword with a gold handle in his right arm, and attached to his left arm was a very large silver shield emblazoned with a gold ankh on the front.
"Since I just performed a Synchro Summon, I get to draw a card thanks to your Celestial Bell Tower!" Utena announced. "Now I activate Revival Knight's effect! By sacrificing Revival Knight, I can summon another Knight Synchro Monster from the Graveyard! I use this effect to bring Junk Knight back to the field!"
Revival Knight raised his sword in the air and became enveloped in a pillar of golden light that shot high into the air. After a few moments later the light broke apart to reveal Utena's rusty lance-wielding knight.
"Because of Revival Knight's effect, Junk Knight gains 1000 ATK until the end of the turn!" Utena announced. "I use Junk Knight to attack Double Star Shaman! Rocket Joust!"
The rockets in the base of Junk Knight's lance ignited and propelled him across the track towards Rex's angelic Tuner.
"I now activate the Continuous Trap, Celestial Unity!" Rex announced. "While this card is on the field, level two or lower Celestial monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle! Furthermore, I can't take any damage from battles involving such monsters!"
Just as Junk Knight was about to deliver the killing strike, a transparent spherical barrier appeared around Double Star Shaman and stopped the tip of his lance. The barrier repelled Junk Knight back across the track towards Utena's D-Wheel.
"Did you really think I'd leave the monsters vital to summoning Sky Dragon back to the field without giving them some form of protection?" Rex pointed out. "Like I told you child, you're out of your league."
"…I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Utena announced. "And at this time, Junk Knight's ATK returns to 2400!"
Rex drew his next card. "Though it's a bit unnecessary as this juncture, I'm going to go ahead and play the Continuous Spell card, Infinite Cards! This card allows me to hold more than six cards at a time in my hand during the end of my turn! And now I tune the level two Double Star Shaman into the level two Celestial Messenger and my three Celestial Mages, also all level two, for a level ten Synchro Summon!"
Double Star Shaman flashed orange and changed into two rings of green light. The rings encircled Rex's other four monsters and transformed them all into eight white stars.
"Heaven! Fate! Principle of all phenomena! Ride the spinning wheel of heaven and manifest here!" Rex chanted. "Synchro Summon! The celestial conqueror! Ascension Sky Dragon!"
The stars flashed and became a blinding pillar of white light that shot into the air and broke apart the clouds. After a few moments the light finally faded and Ascension Sky Dragon appeared with a mighty roar.
"Due to Celestial Bell Tower's effect, I draw one more card!" Rex announced. "Which means that my Sky Dragon's ATK is now at 9000! This is the end for you!"
"I activate the Continuous Trap, Shield of Revealing Light!" Utena announced.
Suddenly a massive shield made of a golden-white light formed in front of Rex's dragon. Ascension Sky Dragon shrieked with fury and shook his head as if blinded by the shield's light.
"While Shield of Revealing Light is on the field, my opponent can't attack!" Utena announced. "Also during the turn the shield's been activated, my opponent can't set any cards on the field!"
Rex couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, your struggles are actually starting to become rather amusing. I've always admired the enthusiasm of the young, but surely you can see that you no longer have any chance of beating me! On my field right now is one of the ultimate card combinations! I have Infinite Cards, allowing me to hold a near endless amount of cards in my hand, I have Celestial Bell Tower to help me draw an additional cards when I perform a Synchro Summon, I have Reincarnation's blessing to let me draw five cards when Sky Dragon is destroyed and his materials return to the field, and I have Celestial Unity to prevent those materials from being destroyed! In addition to all that, I have Balance of the Heavens to seal your Accel Synchro Monsters! At this point my victory is now a foregone conclusion! On my next turn I shall defeat you and be crowned the King Who Unlocks, and then I shall slay End of the World and gain the power of Seibal for myself!"
"Funny. I thought you and End of the World were working together," Utena pointed out.
"Only as a means to an end. I needed End of the World in order to advance the game and reach Seibal. Once that task is finished, I shall break our alliance and finally make that man pay for what he did!"
"You're talking about what happened to Ish Kiq Goodwin, aren't you? End of the World was the one who tricked her into summoning that demon, leading the people in that village where you lived to burn her as witch."
Here Rex's expression darkened. "…It seems my brother told you quite a great deal about our past before finally collapsing into a pile of bones. Yes, I always hated End of the World for what he did! But I needed to work with him in order to eventually avenge Ish and achieve a far greater good!"
"So you weren't planning to use the power of Seibal to bring Ish back from the dead?"
"In the beginning, yes. But I realized that power could be used to a much greater purpose. End of the World may have been the catalyst for Ish's death, but it was the villagers who delivered the killing blow! That day when the life my brother and I had with Ish was shattered, I recalled what our lives were like before that happy time, when we were merely child slaves with no names of our own; sold by selfish parents who cared more about their own wellbeing than that of their children! I will use Seibal's power to cleanse this world of wickedness and inequality, and in its place make a new world of purity and equality!"
"With you ruling over it as a god? What's so equal about that?"
"Someone has to oversee the new world and correct any potential flaws that might lead to the current corruption of this world to resurface. Who better suited to that job than I?"
"You really are a delusional son of a bitch, you know that? The truth is that you're far more corrupt than the worst elitist scumbags living in the Tops!"
Rex sighed. "Clearly this is a pointless debate. I shall end my turn here and let you make your final move."
Utena looked at her deck, knowing that there was only one possible way left for her to defeat Rex's dragon. Unfortunately the card she needed was still somewhere in her deck. Unless she drew the card this turn, Rex would finally finish her off. Taking a deep breath, Utena closed her eyes and touched the top of her deck, praying that it would be the card she desperately needed. As Utena finally drew the card, it briefly flashed with a white light.
When Utena opened her eyes, she looked at the card and let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay Goodwin! This is it! At the start of my turn, Shield of Revealing Light destroys itself!"
On cue, the giant shield of light in the air above the track shattered like glass.
"Now your last means of protection is gone," Rex remarked. "The smart thing for you to do is surrender."
"That's where you're wrong, because I'm about to win! I play Monster Reborn and summon Junk Synchron back to the field!" Utena announced.
On cue, Junk Synchron reappeared with a flash of white light.
"I tune the level three Junk Synchron into the level five Junk Knight for a level eight Synchro Summon!" Utena announced.
Junk Synchron pulled the cord in his chest armor, revving the engine on his back to life. The spectacled Tuner flashed orange and changed into green rings of light. The rings quickly encircled Junk Knight and transformed him into five white stars.
"Flash of light that splits the sea of stars! Shake our souls and roar through this world!" Utena chanted. "Synchro Summon! Shine! Stardust Spark Dragon!"
The stars flashed and became a blinding ray of white light that shot down the track and expanded outward. In moments the light broke apart and Stardust Spark Dragon appeared with a roar, showing the field with stardust with each flap of his wings. Ascension Sky Dragon roared in response to Stardust's arrival.
"Now Celestial Bell Tower's effect kicks in and lets me draw one more card!" Utena announced. "Anthy! Send me the sword!"
Anthy closed her eyes and put her hand over her chest. "Sword of the Rose… the power of Dios that sleeps within me… answer to your master and show yourself now!"
A ray of crimson light shot from Anthy's body into the sky. The ray curved downward and struck the top card of Utena's deck, causing it to glow with the same crimson color.
"The power to revolutionize the world!" Utena called out as she pulled the glowing card from her deck, causing the sound of the sword being unsheathed to ring out across the field. "I equip Stardust Spark Dragon with the Sword of Dios, lowering his level from eight to five!"
The ornate rapier appeared in Stardust's right hand with a dazzling flash of gold light. The moment the dragon took hold of the sword his body began to give off a beautiful rose-colored aura.
"What's the point of using the Sword of Dios now? Thanks to my Balance of the Heavens Trap, you can't bring forth any of the monsters needed for your Accel Synchro tactic," Rex pointed out.
"Guess again! I now play the Spell card, Ghost Synchro!" Utena announced. "During this turn, Ghost Synchro lets me use monsters in the Graveyard as material for a Synchro Summon by banishing them! Rudger Goodwin gave me this card for the sole purpose of stopping you!"
Upon hearing this, Rex's eyes widened in shock. "A card…given to you by my brother?"
Utena nodded. "All the Skeleton Knight ever wanted was to stop End of the World and end his game…all so that he could save you from yourself! I can't condone the way the Skeleton Knight tried to kill Anthy and used my friends, but I do feel sorry for what both he and you went through growing up. So for him I'm going to stop you by using the card he gave me!"
Suddenly Utena's D-Wheel began to crackle with pink electricity as she began to speed up. In moments she and Rex were neck and neck on the course.
"Using the effect of Ghost Synchro, I tune the level five Stardust Spark Dragon on the field with the level five Junk Knight and the level two Revival Knight, both in the Graveyard!" Utena announced.
On cue, transparent white versions of Junk Knight and Revival Knight appeared to the left and right of Stardust.
"Unborn dragon that sleeps within the egg of the galaxy! Break out of your shell and shine your light to the very ends of the universe!" Utena began to chant as her speed continued to increase. "Delta Accel!"
Suddenly Utena and her three monsters vanished into a streak of rose-colored light, leaving a sonic boom in its wake. After a second or two, another burst of light exploded from behind Rex, and Utena sped past him like a missile with a new monster trailing behind her. The resulting shockwave shook Rex's D-Wheel and caused him to lose speed.
"Bring Revolution!" Utena called out. "Dios Blazar Dragon!"
The supreme form of Utena's dragon let out a roar that echoed out across the track and beyond. The light from the new dragon's wings was so bright that Rex had to raise an arm to shield his eyes. Meanwhile Ascension Sky Dragon let out a roar of his own as a form of challenge.
"And now Dios Blazar Dragon's effect activates!" Utena announced. "When Dios Blazar has been Synchro Summoned using a Stardust monster, all level ten or lower monsters on the field are banished! Dios Big Bang!"
Dios Blazar roared again and an explosion of bluish-white light burst from his body across the field. As soon as Ascension Sky Dragon was hit by the wave, his body shattered into particles of white light that were quickly scattered to the winds.
"I-impossible!" Rex spoke as the color drained from his face. "This duel…was supposed to end with me bring crowned…the King Who Unlocks!"
"It's over!" Utena declared. "Dios Blazar Dragon! Attack Goodwin directly! Dios Revolutionary Starburst!"
Dios Blazar fired a powerful stream of bluish-white light from his jaws down at. Upon being struck, Rex and his D-Wheel flipped through the air like a coin and his life points dropped from 4000 to zero in an instant. After a few seconds, Rex was thrown from the seat of his D-Wheel, and the circular vehicle struck the ground and screeched across the pavement, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. With the duel at an end, Dios Blazar let out one final roar before vanishing from the field.
Utena pulled her D-Wheel over to the side of the track and removed her helmet. The pinkette then walked over to where Rex was lying on the ground, finding him still conscious.
With blood trailing down from the right corner of his mouth, Rex lifted his head to look up at Utena and chuckled weakly. "Well…it seems I sorely underestimated you…Ms. Tenjou. You are the finest Diak Um…I've seen in thousands of years. To think that all of my carefully laid plans…were derailed by an orphan girl from the gutter…playing the role of prince."
"So I guess I'm this King Who Unlocks now," Utena assumed. "So what happens now?"
"Now…comes the final challenge. To claim the power of Seibal…you must first defeat End of the World."
"And just who the hell is End of the World anyway?"
Rex coughed before letting out another bitter chuckle. "You'll find out when you get there. But I will tell you this, as a token of your victory. He has been very close to you…this whole…entire…time…"
With that, Rex's eyes closed and his head fell back to the pavement. In an instant his body turned totally into grey ash that blew away in the breeze.
"Lady Utena," a familiar voice spoke. Utena turned around and saw Anthy standing behind her. "Now that you have defeated the King of Sky's Lock, it is my duty to as the Rose Bride to inform you that you now hold the title of King Who Unlocks. And…to grant you access to Aerial Fortress Seibal."
Anthy closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Suddenly a massive beam of white light shot from the tip of Seibal and struck the platform in the center of the track that Anthy always stood upon. As soon as the light struck the platform's top, its steps rotated inward and became a ramp.
Anthy walked over and stood next to Utena's D-Wheel. "Now Lady Utena, please mount your steed and drive into the light to Seibal. I will of course be accompanying you."
Utena looked at the light for a moment before nodding and heading back over to her D-Wheel. After putting on her helmet, Utena mounted the vehicle. Anthy got onto the back of the D-Wheel behind the pinkette and held on tightly to her stomach. Utena couldn't help but blush at the way Anthy held onto her and pressed against her back, but she quickly pushed her amorous feelings aside and revved her D-Wheel back to life. Utena drove the vehicle up the platform's ramp and entered into the light.
Once Utena and Anthy were inside the light, it began to retract upwards towards the tip of Seibal, lifting Utena and Anthy up to the fortress. In seconds they would be at the base of the fortress.
Rex hovered in the air as a ghost, watching as the beam of light traveled back up to Seibal's tip. He couldn't help but wish that he were the one traveling up that light.
"Brother," a familiar voice spoke.
Rex turned around to see Rudger hovering in the air but a few feet away, and his brother was not alone. Floating next to the blond man was Ish.
The sight of the young woman caused tears to come to the corner of Rex's eyes. "Ish. Brother. I…I'm sorry I…"
Ish came over and took both of Rex's hands. "It's okay Rex. I know your heart was in the right place."
Rudger then came over and put a hand on Rex's shoulder. "It's over now brother. You and I have spent far too much time in this world as it is."
Rex nodded. "I suppose so. I do wish I could've done something to make this world better than it was. Perhaps Ms. Tenjou will do a better job of it than I."
"I believe Prince Utena has a different goal then the both of us."
Rex turned to look again at Seibal. "I wonder if she has a chance at beating End of the World?"
"Only if she remembers that one most important thing," Ish spoke. "The very reason she began walking this path in the first place."
"What reason is that?" Rex asked as he turned to look back at Ish.
Ish smiled and shook her head as she took both Rex and Rudger's hands. "None of that matters to us now. It's time for the three of use to go."
"Go to where?" Rex asked as he and Rudger began to follow Ish.
"Where all souls go at the end. We'll go there together hand in hand, as family. Back in the days when we were happy."
As Ish guided the two brothers through the air, a white light appeared before them in the distance. It didn't take very long at all until they got to the light and vanished inside it, traveling to the world that lies beyond.
Up in the central palace of Seibal, Akio sat waiting in a stone throne for Utena arrived. His long bluish-white hair had been undone from its usual ponytail, and he was clad in the white princely attire he wore ages ago, back when he went not by the names of Akio Ohtori or End of the World, but by another name entirely…a name long forgotten by the rest of the world. As Akio waited, he couldn't help but look around the old stone palace and remember what it was like during the days before Seibal had been ripped from the earth. Now the palace was a tomb, but back then it was filled with life; filled with subjects lovingly devoted to serving him and his sister. Those were in the old days when he was a great hero and defender of light who fought for the world against darkness…instead of what he was now; a great demon who could only bring destruction.
Akio was certain that he would be bringing those old days back. Once Utena arrived, he would defeat her and finally take back the power that he lost that day when Anthy committed the ultimate sin to try and save him from death, only to curse them both. Actually, those old days would not only come back, they would be better than before. Once Akio won, he would be holding the lost power of the Rose Prince in one hand, and the power of the Ultimate God in the other. He would become the Supreme Being, ruling equally over both light and darkness.
Thinking of all this, Akio couldn't help but smile. "The time has finally come, Utena. Your role in this game is nearly finished. Once it's over, I'll make you my princess. And with you at my side, I shall begin remaking and destroying this world in any way that I wish."
Author's Note: Thus concludes Utena's duel against Rex Goodwin, arguably one of the best villains in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Anyway, before we get into the special cards used in the duel, I should note that I used the manga version of Ascension Sky Dragon's effect instead of the real world version. We also got to see the effect of Utena's Junk Scrounger, introduced in the last chapter. Speaking of the last chapter, I unfortunately forgot to include an original monster that Rex used then in the list of original cards for said chapter. So I'm going to show it now.
Celestial Messenger
LIGHT/Fairy/Effect/2/ATK 0/DEF 500
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 3 Level 2 or lower "Celestial" monsters from your deck in face-up Defense Position. Monsters Special Summoned by this card's effect cannot attack.
I made this card because there weren't any other real good ways for Rex to get three Celestial Mages on the field in one move. Sorry for not listing this card at the end of the previous chapter. With that out of the way, let's get into the cards that actually showed up in this chapter. We'll stick with Rex's new cards for the time being.
Reincarnation's Blessing
Continuous Trap
When a Synchro Monster on the field is returned to the Extra Deck, you can draw 1 card for each face-up "Celestial" monster you control. You can only use this card's effect once per turn.
Celestial Unity
Continuous Trap
Face-up Level 2 or lower "Celestial" monsters cannot be destroyed by battle. You take no damage from battles involving face-up Level 2 or lower "Celestial" monsters you control.
Just two key cards in the combo to make Ascension Sky Dragon virtually unbeatable. I couldn't help but think of the combo Marik used with Slifer the Sky Dragon in the original series when I developed these cards. Now let's turn to Utena's cards.
Revival Knight
LIGHT/Warrior/Synchro/Effect/2/ATK 800/DEF 1200
1 Tuner + 1 one non-Tuner monster
You can tribute this card on the field; Special Summon 1 "Knight" Synchro Monster from your Graveyard to your side of the field in Attack Mode. The monster summoned by this card's effect gains 1000 ATK until the end of the turn.
Just a card I made as an alternative to Wonder Knight. Frankly I like Revival Knight a little better.
Shield of Revealing Light
Continuous Trap
While this card is face-up on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot attack. Your opponent cannot set any cards during the turn this card is activated. Destroy this card during your first Standby Phase after its activation.
Just something I made up on the fly as a way for Utena to stall for time. For lack of a more original idea I just decided to make the card a watered-down version of the classic Swords of Revealing Light. Of course the thing is Konami will probably make a real Shield of Revealing Light card sometime in the future, but oh well.
Ghost Synchro
Spell Card
During this turn, you can use non-Tuner monsters in your Graveyard as material for a Synchro Summon by banishing them from the Graveyard.
It was only appropriate that the trump card Utena got from the Skeleton Knight had something to do with the Graveyard.
That pretty much does it. Next week, Utena takes on the final boss, End of the World. So until then, please review and let me know what you think.
