A Legacy of Souls: Terminate the Dream

by Medigo

The virtual world of dueling has survived many threats, but the worst has yet to come. New entities born from the minds of millions seek power to shape the destiny of living. Heroes will be turned against each other as it becomes impossible to trust anyone. And in the middle of it all, one duelist struggles to return to his friends to save them from the one who has stolen his life.

13. World 010: Functions of a Manchurian

World 010: Functions of a Manchurian Candidate

Vigionair's LP: 8000 Asterisk's LP: 8000 -TURN 01-

"Asterisk? What? What is.."

Trapped in the depths of a still unfathomable dungeon, surrounded by a thick black fog that no sensor could peer through and no one on the other side could penetrate, facing an opponent he could never have imagined; Vigionair found himself at a complete loss of words. "This is me strengthening our position, V. We need the items. I could not let you hand them over." The man who attempted to steal the Legacy Items and drew him into this duel was none other than his best friend. "What!? Why? Are you.. Asterisk what is the password?" It seemed so out of character that Vigionair could not even be sure he was actually dealing with the agent now. "Heh. Today it's 0946767232. I can tell you more things, how we met that day at campus. How you helped me solve the data leaks that threatened my father's workplace. How you failed to get that doctorate four years and three months ago. It's me, Vigionair."

"It is.." The agent listed events that could have been extracted elsewhere. But the more he listened, the more Vigionair felt it in his gut that he stared at the one and only Asterisk. "Then why are we doing this? This duel is pointless." And Vigionair seemingly could not bring himself to attack. He passed his turn completely.

-TURN 02-

"Because your way does not work anymore. It is too soft of hand, V. How can you fight the enemy if you cannot even fight me?" Asterisk left his opponent no choice but to duel as he normal summoned his first SPYRAL operative: the spike-haired fistfighter SPYRAL Tough(4/1900/1500) [Zone 1]. "Granted, your wide open field does not give my monster's effects anything to target. But I have no qualms about simply attacking you." A field spell followed: the SPYRAL Resort. The Resort's first effect searched the deck effect for SPYRAL monsters and Asterisk preferred one operative: SPYRAL Super Agent. "So let's see what you've got to hide. The next card on top of your deck is a monster card!" If Vigionair could play the odds right, the Super Agent could special summon itself from his hand. "..." But since Vigionair instead revealed a spell card, Galaxy Expedition, SPYRAL Super Agent's effect fizzled out instead. "Ah well."

If the spy could not find the field, he would find the graveyard instead. Asterisk discarded the Super Agent to activate the level 1 special summoner spell: One for One. "I special summon Spyral Quickfix!" The next part in his operation would be acted out by the organization's teen genius, the labcoat wearing Quickfix(1/500/400) [Zone 3]. The inventor could search the deck for any SPYRAL GEAR card, even one as big as a racing car. "Stop me if you've heard this one before, V. I add Spyral Gear Big Red to my hand. But I wont use it yet. First... I will link summon Spyral Double Helix! It takes two SPYRAL monsters as materials!" Both SPYRAL Quickfix and SPYRAL Tough joined forces to cross the Link circuit into the extra deck. Visually it appeared as if two different spies walked back out: the pompadour-sporting Super Agent and the tall dark silverhaired Sleeper Agent at his side. In actuality this was, they were, SPYRAL Double Helix(1900/LINK 2) {Left/Down} [Extra Zone 1] the literal double agent. "I've never had to use this card before, V. And still you are giving me the silent treatment?!"

"Suit yourself! I am sure your machines already told you about Helix's effect! I will look at the top card of your deck, and if it is what I predict it to be! Then I can summon a new SPYRAL monster from my deck!" And this time he would not be gambling on anything. "It is a spell!" He'd seen the card already. Vigionair silently revealed Galaxy Expedition again and so, the Helix agents could special summon a new SPYRAL Super Agent(4/1900/1500) [Zone 3] from the deck. Vigionair did not speak up either when Asterisk activated the SPYRAL GEAR Big Red spell to equip it to a SPYRAL monster in his graveyard. A newly reborn Tough [Zone 2] drove back to the front row with his fancy red sports-car. Nor did he mention anything about Quickfix's second effect, which Asterisk also used. The Inventor discarded a card, SPYRAL MISSION Rescue, to summon itself back to the field where an active Super Agent already already waited. And once again Quickfix [Zone 4] searched the deck for a SPYRAL GEAR card to add: SPYRAL GEAR Fully Armed. "I know why you aren't talking, V..."

"You are trying to analyze me! Trying to see if there are any aspects of my behavior that would differentiate me from the genuine article! I regret to inform you, but you will not find any! I am Asterisk!" Asterisk equipped the Fully Armed cyberglove to the Helix Agent, which made him(2900 atk) even more deadly and stronger by a degree of thousand. And while his trinity of fine suited agents were still 1300 attackpoints away from erasing all of V's lifepoints: the agent had a skill in his hand and a trap in his graveyard that could remedy the problem. But he knew well enough to not play all his cards at once. "What now, V? Helix will attack you directly!"

"Six."

"Hm?" The agent recoiled nonetheless... "I count six monsters that were summoned. More than enough, Asterisk." ... when the encrypter talked to him again. That could not be a good sign. Neither was the rift in the ceiling. "There is one monster that can be summoned as a quick effect, when five or more monsters have been summoned in your turn. That monster is, Nibiru the Primal Being. And it tributes as many monsters on the field as possible." Vigionairs monster opened a portal to the cosmos and descended in the form of a meteor(11/3000/600) [Zone 5] with large patches of glass in between jagged rocks. The planetoid impacted in the middle of Asterisks field and wiped out all four SPYRALS. Quickfix even got banished when it left the field; a drawback of its selfrevival effect. "But Nibiru gives something in return as well, a token that gains the stats of the monsters I tributed. But of course, I will summon it in defense mode." A copy of the Primal Being(11/6100/3400) [Zone 3] emerged from the fallout caused by Nibiru.

"So that was not hesitation, but a deliberate trap.". At this point the effect of SPYRAL GEAR Fully Armed resolved. Upon the equip spell's destruction, a SPYRAL monster would be summoned back to the field. He settled on reviving Tough [Zone 1] in defense mode. I should have known you were not the sentimental sort." Asterisk chuckled to himself. "Then what about you, Asterisk? You were always about words like that: about integrity and passion! But this is beyond that. This just anger talking. And I taught you better than that." The encrypter spoke harshly yet calmly, unlike his opponent. "You are not my tutor, V! And I am tired of you telling me what I can and cannot do! I activate Tough's effect! Since I know the top card of your deck is still a monster, I can destroy Nibiru!" The tough agent called in his prediction, and forced Vigionair to reveal Galaxy Expedition again. Subsequently, a laser beam from the skies turned the Primal Being into a smoldering crater. "We are not playing around anymore, V!" A frustrated Asterisk placed a trap card face down and ended his turn. During the endphase he shuffled one SPYRAL Super Agent from his graveyard back to the deck to pay the maintenance costs of SPYRAL Resort. "Now start your turn!"

-TURN 03-

"I never set out to dictate your future. But there are limits that even I would not cross. Dueling you was one of them. Yet now look at us..." He could not delay the inevitable any more. With a weary sigh, the cipher duelist revealed a card in his hand: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. "Revealing one Photon monster is the requirement for Galaxy Brave's effect: I special summon Brave from my hand and match its level with the card I revealed!" The galaxy spawned its first warrior: the silver-blue swordsman knight(8/0/0) [Zone 1] of bravery. "Then I activate the spell card: Galaxy Expedition! As long as I control a Galaxy-monster, this spell can summon another Galaxy or Photon monster from my deck in defense position! My choice, naturally, is Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" One in the hand and one for the field: the second photon-winged Galaxy Dragon(8/3000/2500) [Zone 2] flew in on a wave of starlight. "And while I control a Photon monster, I can activate Photon Hand! With this spell I trade in a thousand lifepoints to claim control of your monster!"

Vigionairs LP: 7000

"?" A literal hand of photonic light shot out from Vigionair's arm and stabbed the Primal Being Token like a harpoon. The spell switched the token [Zone 5] over to the other side while Vigionair switched the token to attack position. "Then.. these two level 8 monsters are ready for the final equation. I XYZ-summon Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord!" The dragon and the knight of the cosmos united through a whirlpool of cosmic energy: and the Number 90 marked the process. "More Photons and now a Number too? What else have you been holding out on me?" Asterisk did not recognize this card: this half draconian knight fused with its own blue and white armor. In one hand the Galaxy Lord(R8/2500/3000) [Extra Zone 2] held a a blade of photons, with the other it wore a shield made from a dragons tail. "Did you forget already? The last time duel resulted in the destruction of my main avatar and base of operations. I felt my deck could use an upgrade as well after that! I would have told you, but we hardly get the chance to even do that lately." Vigionair shook his head. "This was not how I envisioned our eventual discussion..."

"It doesn't really matter, V. We both know you still cannot lay a finger on me!" The time for retaliation came. "I activate Spyral Mission Recapture! Each time I summon a SPYRAL monster, his trap will control one of your monsters!" The agent sprung his trap, both his traps. "So I activate Spyral Mission Rescue from my graveyard to special summon one more Spyral from the graveyard! You must have been wondering why I didn't do this sooner! Well there is your answer!" The banished trap gave a new mission for the previously sacrificed SPYRAL Tough [Zone 2]: come back in defense mode and trigger the first trap to recapture the captured. "Thank you for switching the Primal Being to attack mode, V!" SPYRAL MISSION Recapture resolved: giving the token back to the agent for one turn. "Do you still have doubts, V? Who else but me could have gotten the better of you?"

"No it is quite evident that you are who you say you are." Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord could not overpower the token, but his sword was at least strong enough to kill SPYRAL Tough with a quick slash. "But you cannot fool yourself either, Asterisk." After that, Vigionair wound his turn down with the Galactic Charity spell card. Since he controlled a Galaxy-XYZ monster, he could activate that spell to discard one card (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon) and draw two new ones. Both of them were traps which went face-down to the spell-trap zone. "Something happened and you cannot deny that. You told me when we first met. You did not want me to do anything that would get me in trouble as well. We pushed the limits of the network, we bended the rules but we never defied the law. If you do this, you can never go back. Just like her.. Scarlet. This is her doing, isn't it? I will find out what happened to you, one way or another." As the turn ended, the Primal Being token [Zone 5] went back to his side of the field.

-TURN 04-

"First you will have to defeat me. And we both know why it was always me out there doing the fieldwork. I am a better duelist than you, V." The agent flashed a grin as he reactivated SPYRAL Resort to add a new SPYRAL monster to his hand. "I add the Spyral Sleeper and summon it!" The demonic undercover agent would leave the shadows: special summoning himself(8/2800/1200) [Zone 1] by banishing three SPYRAL cards (Tough, Big Red, Fully Armed) from the graveyard. "I will be taking your Number now: V! Spyral Mission Recapture reactivates!" The retriggered continuous trap chose a juicier target this time, as the Photon Lord possessed the power of monster effect negation. "The same trick never works on me twice, Asterisk! I activate the Legacy Barrier which negates your trap!" Vigionair's continuous trap defended the Photon Lord behind a sheet of holy light.

Legacy Barrier, Continuous Trap
Target 1 card you control: that card is unaffected by other card effects this turn.
If a monster card you control would be destroyed, you can destroy this card instead.

"Legacy Barrier? Another custom card?" The trap seemed to be a downpowered Legacy of Millennium spinoff. "So this is what you do with the skill cards you take. Where you going to keep this all to yourself as well? Unfortunately this will not make up for the difference between our skills! I activate Sleeper's effect!" The agent could use his monster to destroy two of Vigionair's cards at the same time. "And so does Photon Lord!" Nevertheless the encrypter shut that down too. Number 90 negated the effect of SPYRAL Sleeper by detaching one of its XYZ-materials. And since that material was a Galaxy-monster, Galaxy Brave, the 90th Number would also destroy the offender. This however started a third chain of events. "There you go again, telling me what I can't do! But when Sleeper dies, he can destroy all my other cards too to special summon a SPYRAL from my graveyard!" Asterisk cleared his own board, trading the Super Agent and Resort field spell for his SPYRAL Double Helix(1900 atk) [Zone 3].

"This time I am feeling lucky! The card on top of your deck is a monster!" The influence of the SPYRALS were felt all over again. The Helix double agent scanned the deck and found a spell on top: Photon Orbital. Asterisks successful prediction then gave his monster the chance to special summon another SPYRAL Quick Fix(1/500/400) [Zone 2] from the deck. The Quickfixer's own effect drew a second SPYRAL Big Red from the deck, which activated to equip it to a revived SPYRAL Tough [Zone 1]. "Tough! Destroy the token!" Of course the tough agent made the same prediction as the Helix agent. "Not so fast!" Yet the future did not stay the same. "During your turn, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord can add a Galaxy or Photon card to my hand! I add Galaxy Trance!" The deck had to be shuffled to claim this spell card. "Tch." Tough's effect then resolved on a shuffled deck, with a new card (Photon Sanctuary) on top. Because of that, Asterisk could not destroy anything at all.

"Heh. You really are no different from Scarlet, you both love your toys!" Asterisk cursed. "This was just an experiment of mine, Asterisk! You know I make them all the time!" V protested, and he did not lie. But Asterisk did not care either. "Yes, and so does she. So I figured, why not do my own experiment? I link summon Knightmare Phoenix!"

"The Knightmares?" For once, his opponent played a card well outside of the established parameters. "When?" Yes, Asterisk received the World Lance from Void. But that did not mean that he should have received Ezra's cards as well. "They found a way. The Items are on our side, V. And they care little for being locked away!" Quickfix and Tough disappeared into the graveyard again, and the violet-sparkling Knightmare Phoenix(1900/LINK 2) {Up/Right} [Zone 2] linked with Double Helix{Left/Down}. "I can discard one card, to destroy one spell you control! And I choose Legacy Barrier!" Flames of the night descended from a red moon and burned the holy barrier away. The Galaxy was vulnerable once again. And as the Knightmare Phoenix had formed a co-link, Asterisk could also draw a card afterwards. "And now, my skill card! Stealth Check! I will banish the spell from the top of your deck and double my monsters attackpoints! And then my monsters attack!"

Stealth Check, Skill Card
Excavate the top card of your opponent's Deck, and if it is a monster that can be Normal Summoned/Set, special summon it to their side of the field.
Otherwise, banish the excavated card and double the original ATK of 1 monster you control until the end of the turn.

Everything spiraled out of control. Vigionair lost the Photon Sanctuary to the banished zone, Knightmare Phoenix(3800 atk) became strong enough to defeat the Photon Lord. And since Helix treated himself as a Super Agent, Asterisk could use Quickfix's revival effect in this turn. Asterisk discarded one card, special summoned the inventor [Zone 5], and let him add a SPYRAL Gear Drone to his hand. "Link summon! Knightmare Cerberus!" The nightmare gained more and more power in the field. This time Helix himself combined with Quickfix to become the three-headed hellhound(1600/LINK 2) {Left/Up} [Zone 3]. "I can discard one card, and destroy 1 monster!" The Cerberus devoured the SPYRAL Gear Drone and the Primal Being token all at once. And the Drone banished itself, along with SPYRAL Sleeper, to return SPYRAL Super Agent to Asterisks hand. By the time Asterisk normal summoned the spy(4/1900/1500) [zone 1] nothing stood in his way. "Now, attack!" The Galactic Lord faced the full fury of Knightmare Phoenix's burning feather attack. Vigionair himself took a bite from the infernal Cerberus and a direct shot from the Agent.

Vigionair's LP: 2200

"!?" V's leg started to bleed, a sight that made him shudder while his friend maintained a look of utter contempt. "Hmm. Knightmare Phoenix and Knightmare Cerberus make it so that no co-linked monsters can be destroyed by attacks or effects. With power like this, Scarlet's days are numbered! I do not need you anymore, V! I never did!" He placed one trap card face down and ended his turn.

-TURN 05-

"You really have been warped beyond recognition. The man I know would never see our connection as something so easily discarded!" Vigionair merely shook his head. "I activate Galaxy Trance! I pay 2000 lifepoints to summon two of the same Galaxy monsters! One from my deck and one from my graveyard!" It may have taken a hefty sum, but the Trance spell returned the favor instantly with a pair of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons(8/3000/2500) [Zones 4 & 5]. "Then I will use them both to XYZ-summon Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" And both were perfect as XYZ-materials for the one dragon that could bypass the Knightmare lock: the spectral-winged red-scaled Cipher Dragon(R8/3000/2500) [Extra Zone 2]. "You are my friend. You are Joseph Burnham!"

Vigionair's LP: 200

"Joseph?" Asterisk looked at his opponent with genuine confusion. "I don't know what you are talking about V. I am Asterisk. Agent Asterisk. Now, as for your dragon, it will stay where it was. I activate SPYRAL Gear Utility Wire! Since I control a Super Agent, I can send your monster back to the top of the deck!" Alas, the agent left the original Super Agent on the field for a reason: he could activate the wire trap to push the Cipher Dragon back to the top of the extra deckand its XYZ-materials fell into the graveyard.

"You.. ?" Vigionair did not expect this, Asterisk did not seem to recognize his own name. "You are starting to forget who you are?! That lance is trapping you in your own nightmare! In that case.. I summon Galaxy Eyes Cloudragon. The tribute of this card will let me summon one Galaxy-Eyes monster from my graveyard." The cosmic infant dragon(1/300/250) dipped its tiny body into a galactic wormhole on the floor, a wormhole that grew ever larger until it could accommodate the size of the dragoknight: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord[Zone 3]. "And then, when using a Galaxy-Eyes XYZ-monster as an XYZ-material; Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon may be XYZ-summoned!" What duelists often called XYZ-Change evolution seemed more like devolution in this instance, as the Lord transformed back into a dragon. Like its name implied, the Full Armored Photon Dragon(R8/4000/3500) [Extra Zone 2] appeared as the original Galaxy-Eyes with strong black armor equipped. "Full Armor destroys one monster by detaching one XYZ-material!" The Photon Dragon devoured the attached Photon Lord that orbited it and channeled that photonic light into its segmented wings. Said light shone down upon the Knightmares like a rain of comets.

"What is the point of this?" The effect fizzled out completely due to Knightmare Cerberus' effect. "Because I care: Asterisk! I wont give up on you!" The man swore and punctuated his promise with a second XYZ-Change. "I can use my rank 8 Galaxy Eyes to XYZ-summon Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Blade Dragon!" It was a rank up this time, and a mode change. The Galactic dragon(R9/3200/2800) shed its black armor and photons for the light of rainbow cipher energy and the armor of crimson steel. "Cipher Blade destroys one card as well!" Vigionair detached the Full Armored Photon dragon from the Cipher Bladed dragon next. "But why all of this?" That got negated by the Knightmare loop as well. "Because... I needed more Photons for my graveyard!" His final trap came to the forefront. "I activate Eternal Bond!"

"Eternal Bond!?" Asterisk gasped. "Yes! This trap can summon as many Photon monsters from my graveyard as I can stomach!" Four beams of light pierced the ground and returned all three Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons(8/3000/2500) [Zone 4 & 5] along with Full Armor Photon Dragon [Zone 2] and Galaxy Eyes Photon Lord [Zone 5]. "You could have forced this trap to activate a lot sooner, Asterisk, if you had used your Spy more. You really were the better duelist, until you made a fool of yourself with those Knightmares!" Even if Cerberus and Phoenix could not destroyed, Asterisk did not have the lifepoints to stand up to the Galaxy armada's collective attackpower. "And if that is what made you act this way? Then I will have to concur with the investigators! These things should be destroyed!" One after the other photonic blast slammed into Knightmare Cerberus, the weaker target. Cipher Blade, Full Armor Photon, Photon Lord and the original Photon Dragons pushed the beast closer and closer to the edge, until Asterisk could take no more.

Asterisks LP: 0

"Heh. Well done, V. You got ahead of me.. after all." Asterisk clutched his own chest, the photon blasts left a large hole that rendered his avatar unstable. "But I completed my mission anyway. The items are in good hands now.. Eheh." He had the last laugh still, just before he fell over backwards and his avatar burst like a vase of light. "Asterisk!?"

"What is it? What happened?" The defeat of Asterisk caused the remaining illusions around the duelist to disperse, allowing the Investigator to see him again. "Where did.. " And the two quickly noticed that both the Crown and the Lance were missing. "He was.. compromised." Vigionair muttered angrily. "Asterisk? The duelist? What are you talking about? Was he here? Did he take the items?" The man demanded answers, not noticing the anguish on Vigionair's face. "No. He was not alone. Someone else came in while I was distracted. Someone who took ownership of the Lance... I need you to call Therese Hansen. And the heroes, tell them to come here and tell them what happened. I need to check up on something real quick. Don't ask me what or why, just do it!" Vigionair shouted as he logged off.

...

Vigionaire knew where he wanted to be, what he had to see with his own eyes. Not his home, even if Asterisk...Joseph... did sometimes visit him there. No, most of the time Joseph would be at the university. A dutiful student who felt the same urge for justice as he did. His body would be there, even if his avatar was destroyed. He would find him, and they would talk things out like always. Because Vigionair knew that Asterisk had been in his right mind when they dueled. Alas, by the time he could get an answer from anyone. It would already be too late... Inside the academy building, moments after STHEREA had registered Asterisk's defeat, another student came across his unconscious body in the study room... He would not wake, he would not respond. Asterisk and Joseph were both.. no aware of this world.

(To Be Continued in World 011: Highest Reach On Earth)

New Cards used by Vigionair
Nibiru the Primal Being
Galaxy Brave

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Number 90: Galaxy Eyes Photon Lord
Galaxy Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon

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Galaxy Expedition
Photon Hand
Galaxy Trance

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Legacy Barrier
Eternal Bond

New Cards used by Agent Asterisk
SPYRAL Double Helix
Knightmare Phoenix
Knightmare Cerberus

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One for One