World 039: Asynchronous Artifact
"What's up ladies! Check out what we dragged in!" Chiaroscura almost literally kicked the door down as she and her trophy barged into the castle beyond. "What on earth?" All of Void's allies were there to welcome their returning victors, but none was as perplexed as the black baron Schwarzwald himself. "!?." The man Scura pulled behind her was none other than Hydra, the invisible man that used to be his proxy. Now that he came face to face with his own duality, he could not find the words to properly address this bizarre situation. His counterpart did not know what to say either, he did not know if he even wanted to say anything at all. They could only stare each other down, while Scura stood in between and experienced rapturous joy. "Wow, they're both speechless. That's a first." She giggled and kicked Hydra once again.
"Where did you find him?" Scarlet carefully approached the beaten duelist, unable to pry her eyes away from this curious specimen. "He found us. And I defeated him! Not her!" Wagnerok snarled. "We also found Blanche and Void again: the real Void. But they ran like cowards! Either way, this one is ours! He is not you toy to experiment on, Scarlet Fever!" The Generaider duelist struck the castle floor with the bottom of his shield to make sure that she kept her distance. "Is that so? I would have imagined that you would want me to study him, to find out what he is.. compared to us. It is not my intention to offend, but we both know you lack the ability to properly analyze your new playmate. Toying around is what you would do, not I."
"It was true then! What Wagnerok told me was true!" Zettai broke her own stunned silence and turned her anger towards the man in the throne. "We are not complete! We are not pure at all! How can we be, when our very essence can walk besides us!" This revelation disillusioned her the most out of everyone inside the throne room. "I never claimed that you were whole, Zettai. But you are pure. You are free from the weakness of your other half, but she still sleeps inside of you. This.." Static Void glared at Hydra and Schwarzwald both with hate-filled eyes. "This was never supposed to happen. Hydra only broke free because of the failures of Schwarzwald. But make no mistake, he is the weaker part. It is no wonder that Wagnerok and Scura were able to so easily subdue him. They are no threat to you."
"Yeah? But doesn't this mean that there's someone out there who thinks he is me? The Bionis Khan that used to be me? What do we do about that?" Khan did not feel as mighty anymore. "And the same would happen to us, if we were to fall in battle?" Donna snarled. If only one loss could cause this, what would stop further damage? She did not care about the nature of 'her'. She just did not want to go back to her puny former life. "Scarlet! You should know the answer! You should have a cure for this! A way to put us together again! Or at least a medicine that will keep the other Donna from coming back out!"
"Bah! You're affraid of your own shadow!" Wagnerok growled loudly. "We should attack on the enemies that are actually a threat right now! Crescent broke free from STHEREA. Blanche and Void, and Vigionair: they are probably also all plotting against us in their comfortable homes. But we can strike out at them now! We should use the Ark and the Crown again, Static! Lets send more monsters into the real world where they are helpless!" His main intention was to retrieve Crescent of course. She alone could get to Wagner, even if he could not conceive of him ever breaking free. "We can do that. But it would be so much easier if we had the seventh item." Void responded slily and gave Bionis Khan a quick nod. "Your comrades in arms took the bait, and that helped set Veyron on the right path. But he still needs one more push to go over the edge. Why don't you help him see how much better things would be on our side. Then, when the World Wand and its wielder are in our possession, you will have your precious.. Wagnerok."
...
"Miss Echo! Someone's here!" Cierze released a cry of alarm. "What? Where?" The Fisherman and Fire Princess flocked to her side, and looked to the green-lit streets. Scarlet Rose looked on with undivided interest as well, because none of her sensors had been tripped and few beings could enter the Pandemonium sector from above. "There!" But Cierze saw someone regardless of any probabilities, a stern faced man with curled brown hair and dark clothes. "It's a ghost! They do exist!" He floated there as a transparent apparition.
And he did not look amused. "Guess Charles wasn't full of it. You can see me." Tycho groaned. He would have liked to meet a real person for his first foray into the network. But since he had to follow Charles' instructions, he was stuck with these strange strangers. "Charles? You know him?" The Fisherman and the others seemed wary of him, and Tycho could understand that. But he did not have time for small talk. "He sent me. My name is Tycho. But some of you met me before, as Alpha."
"Alpha?" Echo's eyes widened. "You came back?" The man that saved her from her prison, she recalled their meeting perfectly. "Ms. Rose. Is there a way to get him out of there?" Though he looked different from what she remembered, she could intuit that he spoke the truth. "I was working on a long term solution, but I lack sufficient data. However, you should be able to replicate the parameters that enabled Void's reintegration. We are already aware of Alpha, so all that remains is to give him temporary control of the Legacy Item. Though I would recommend against it. Let me analyze him first." Giving away the World Chalice to a stranger carried a great risk of course. But Echo was willing to take it. "Alpha. I will give you the chalice now!" She picked the cup up and handed it over to Tycho without a moment's thought. "Ah?" Even Scarlet Rose had a little fright at her spontaneous decision.
"Thank you." But it worked like a charm. Tycho managed to grab the chalice with both hands and slowly transitioned into the physical virtual space. "Hmph... Charles made that sound harder than it really was. I dont even feel different." He said with a slight twitch in his voice. His body still felt rather floaty and hollow. Though he could at least step on the floor without passing through it. "You look different." Echo said softly. "You mean, not like Alpha? That's not who I am anymore. I am Tycho." He would not want to look like anyone else right now anyway. He'd managed to imagine a dueldisk and set of cards for himself when he entered the place, and that was good enough. "So what have you been doing while Charles was gone? Have you all just been sitting here?" After after all thats happened to him, Tycho could come up with a few good ideas. "We were waiting for the others to return." Echo moaned. "Feh. You cant afford to wait, your reputation has taken a nosedive over the last few hours. Good thing I know just the thing that will help with that. We just need to expose all our enemies."
...
Veyron's LP: 8000 Sigment's LP: 8000
-TURN 01-
It came to this, a duel between the two wielders of the Legacy Wand. "I have the first turn!" Veyron normal summoned what would be the messenger of his new mechanical madness: the blackhaired pale-skinned Armageddon Knight(4/1400/1200) [Zone 3]. "I can send one Dark monster to my graveyard! I choose Orcust Harp Horror!" The dark knight's effect supported DARK monsters more than it did machines, which helped paint this picture of the new Veyron. Sigment now knew that none of his original Formula Athletes remained in the deck. "You should know what comes next. I banish Harp Horror from the graveyard to special summon an Orcust from my deck!" The sound of discordant harp music breached the grave barrier and got heard by another instrument of darkness from the deck. The trumpet-covered Orcust Brass Bombard(1/500/1900) [Zone 1] jumped out into the field with its deep brass tones. "Link summon! Galatea the Orcust Automaton!" Both Armageddon Knight and Brass Bombard became link materials, since only one Orcust effect monster was required to create the purple-haired android girl(1800/LINK 2) {Downleft/Upright} [Extra Zone 1]
"See, Sigment? I've gotten pretty good at using these cards! Maybe you should have done the same!" Veyron banished another card from his graveyard: Orcust Brass Bombard. Doing so allowed him to special summon another Orcust monster from his hand in defense mode: the undead gold robot Orcust Cymbal Skeleton(3/1200/1500) [Zone 3]. "Galatea cant be destroyed while she is linked. And I will use her other power too, to add Orcustrated Babel to my hand!" By returning banished Orcust monsters to the deck, the Automaton could claim Orcust spells and traps from that deck. Veyron traded the banished Brass Bombard for a field spell.
"Babel?" Sigment felt like he had to take a step back to properly observe this new card. Orcustrated Babel grew upwards towards the clouds as a framework tower of black metal. Around the tower a pathway spiraled of golden stairs and plates. The synchro champion could not help but compare this with the Arena Beyond tower that still dominated the horizon. Though the resemblance was only superficial.
-TURN 02-
"Its your turn, Sigment." Veyron cleared his throat. "Bur it is also mine." He swept his arm out and energized the tower of babel. "Orcustrated Babel allows me to use the powers of my Orcust monsters during either players turn! So Galatea sets Orcust Crescendo!" Light traveled down the golden spiral and into the Automaton Galatea. With her powers charged back to full, she could return Orcust Harp Horrror to the main deck and set another Orcust spell/trap card from the deck. "What do you think of my reaction speed, Sigment? I'd say I have adapted to this new power a lot more than you did."
"But is that the right thing, Veyron? You can be as strong as you want or react as fast as you want, but there will still be things you cannot do." Sigment sighed. "Still, I suppose power is the only thing that the Legacy Item will understand in this context. So we will have to see who is the strongest between us.. I special summon the Tech Geni, Striker and Booster Raptor!" Because he controlled no monsters, the striking cyborg tuner(2/800/0) [Zone 2] could be special summoned from the hand. And as long he controlled T.G. monsters he could also special summon the blue-steel and boostrocket winged cyborg bird: Booster Raptor(1/400/300) [Zone 1]. "I shall use both to link summon Crystron Halqifibrax!" From two monsters, one of them a tuner, Sigment carved out his blue crystalline android(1500/LINK 2) {Downleft/Downright} [Extra Zone 2]. As always, Halqifibrax would special summon one tuner monster from the deck with its powers sealed: Sigment selected the metallic buglarva T.G. Tank Grub(1/0/0) [Zone 1]. "And then I link summon T.G. Trident Launcher!"
"So your old deck still had some secrets, huh? What else have you kept from me?" Back when Veyron dueled alongside the champion, he did not see this card. The Tech Genus link monster could be made from a T.G. monster and at least one other effect monster. Trident Launcher(2200/LINK 3) {Downleft/Down/Downright} [Extra Zone 2] landed gracefully in his cybernetic armor of silver and gold. Angled wings extended from its back and a crest adorned its visor-bearing helmet.
"A performing duelist never reveals all his tricks in a single duel, Veyron. You would know that as well as I do. This card was made for the new generation of duelists, and I bought it with my own credits!" The Trident wielder pointed his futuristic weapon at the three zones behind him, lighting them up with red electricity. "Trident Launcher can special summon one Tech Genus to each zone he marked! One from the graveyard, one from my hand, and one from my deck!" In one fell swoop, Sigment littered the field with Tech Geni: the winged snake robot Screw Serpent(4/1300/500) [Zone 4] from the hand, Warwolf(3/1200/0) [Zone 3] from the deck and Tank Grub [Zone 5] from the graveyard. Thanks to the effect of Screw Serpent, Sigment could also special summon T.G Striker [Zone 2] from his graveyard. "But if it is something familiar that pleases you.. "
"I will synchro summon Tech Genus Hyper Librarian!" The first synchronization happened between Striker and Warwolf; a process that combined five level stars into the form of the white robed future Librarian(5/2400/1800) [Zone 3]. "And Star Guardian!" The second synchro summon used Screw Serpent along with the Tank Grub to create the red visored and ring-jetpack flying Tech Guardian(5/100/2200) [Zone 5]. Its arrival set three effects in synchronous motion. One: a summoned Star Guardian reclaimed one Tech Genus monster (Booster Raptor) from the graveyard. Two: Hyper Librarian would draw a card each time a succesful synchro summon took place. Three: the Tank Grub would leave behind a smaller grub T.G. token(1/0/0) [Zone 1] if it got used as a material for a synchro monster. The Star Guardian could also special summon a Tech Genus from the hand each turn, which Sigment used to resummon the Booster Raptor [Zone 2] "And I summon Recipro Dragonfly!" Both token and Raptor started a synchro summon with the lowest possible amount of stars. Together they brought out the rotor-winged cyborg dragonfly(2/300/300) [Zone 4], allowing the Hyper Librarian to make another draw from the deck. "And now.. I synchro summon Tech Genus Halberd Cannon!"
"A delta Accel synchro summon on the first turn? Is that also what a performer does: use their best card right away?" Veyron scoffed as he'd seen this move many times: a synchronization between two synchros and one synchro tuner. Recipro Dragonfly, Hyper Librarian and Star Guardian formed a delta pattern of green synchronic light and pooled twelve stars together to form the ultimate combination of technology and biology: the grey and orange robot giant Halberd Cannon(12/4000/4000) [Zone 4]. "That was then. We are not performing for an audience anymore." Sigment would not disrespect Veyron by going easy on him. He wanted to be serious after all. "Since your Automaton cannot be destroyed while she is linked, Trident Launcher will attack first!" The tri-link Tech Genus hurled his forked weapon towards the mechanical cymbal menace and smashed it in a display of cacophonous chaos. "Then Halberd Cannon attacks! And destroys Galatea!" The delta synchro cyborg released its own power with its large shoulder cannon. One beam erased the Orcust doll off the face of the earth.
Veyron's LP: 5800
"This battle phase is not over yet! When a monster is destroyed, I can special summon Tech Genus Metal Skeleton from my hand!" The final attack would be done by a robotic skeleton(2/1100/0) [Zone 5] with a sheet of transparent liquid metal as its skin. Though whether or not it would want to strike, depended on veyron.
"I am glad that you are no longer just acting, Sigment. But you are too late. I only let you get that a hit in because I still respect you. You will not get another!" The speed duelist could also activate the Orcusts in his graveyard, with the help of Orcustrated Babel. "Halberd Cannon can negate one summon each turn, but only regular special summons! Its far too slow to chain to a special summon by another effect! So I banish Cymbal Skeleton, and special summon one Orcust from my graveyard! Galatea!" The sound of drums accompanied Galatea as she returned to the stage to sing her encore. Her golden scythe would prove too sharp for the Metal Skeleton's tastes. "..." Sigment reluctantly called off the attack and used the rest of his turn to line his backrow with a pair of trap cards. "I admire what you've done as well, Veyron. But this cannot be the best solution to our problem. The wand only came to us because we were a team? What happens if you go solo?"
"Who says he has to go solo?" A familiar voice answered the synchro champion. "Khan? Guys?" A voice Veyron would have welcomed one day ago. "Yes Veyron. I see you found the perfect place for a duel without those noisy kids outside." Their already unpeaceful duel got further disturbed by the arrival of three former comrades in fact: Wagnerok, Zettai and Khan. "Why are you here?" The speed duelist could not trust any of them either.
"To observe the outcome of this duel. We wanted you to know that we are on your side, Veyron. We too feel that the legacy item should be in the hands of the heroes of Pandemonium." Zettai explained in a cold tone of voice. "You mean you would replace me with one of you? That cannot happen, Veyron! Remember what Acrates said, they were compromised!" Sigment shouted. "Says the one who let himself be corrupted by every other power in this world. You have nothing to say to him, champion." The ace duelist condescended. "Veyron, you have more in common with us than with them. You know it is the right choice. But we will leave it up to you."
-TURN 03-
"No, I cannot... All of you just want to use me. Just like everyone else used me. But I will not let anyone make me a pawn in their schemes anymore!" Veyron snapped and reactivated Galatea's effect. "I was not using you, Veyron!" This forced Sigment to flip a counter trap that took the form of scrapmetal stoplights that glowed red. "Scrap Iron Signal! This card negates your monster's effect!" The signal could only be activated while the player controlled an accel synchro monster.
However, Veyron could also activate his effect negating counter trap while he controlled an Orcust link monster. "You're too slow again Sigment!" He flipped Orcust Crescendo and Galatea let out a highpitched sound burst to shatter the Scrap Iron lights. "I know you weren't using me. But people were using you. Exeter, Millennium and now these faceless freaks. And Echo as well! They're all in on this!" The original effect of Galatea could proceed as well. She returned the banished Orcust Cymbal Skeleton to the deck to place a spell card down on his field. "Orcustrated Return! With this I can discard an Orcust or World Legacy monster to draw two new cards!" He flipped the spell face-up: discarding another Orcust Brass Bombard to make the double draw. "Harp Horror! Again!" For the Orcust it would always be the same instruments, just in various orders. This turn he banished the Drums of Brass Bombard to special summon the strings of Harp Horror(4/1700/1400) [Zone 4]. "And then, link summon Longirsu!" Instead of a doll, he would create a cyborg warrior. Galatea and the Harp Horror together became link materials for Longirsu, the darkhaired shield and spearbearer(2500/LINK 3) {Upleft/Up/Downright} [Extra Zone 1].
Unfortunately link summons did count as the kind of summon Halberd Cannon could prevent. "I negate that summon, Veyron!" The giant robot let out a long mechanical grunt and a blast of bright red light from the core on its chest. Longirsu burned to death before he could even set foot on the battlefloor. "As I knew you would! But I can make another!" Veyron quickly retaliated by activating his Magnet Reverse spell. "I summon Galatea, again!" The magical magnet reversed the death of one machine that could not be normal summoned. Since Longirsu had never been properly summoned in the first place, Veyron was left with the Automaton [Zone 3]. "And I also summon Orcust Cymbal Skeleton and Different Dimension Patrol Plane!" Once more, Orcust Harp Horror banished itself from the graveyard to special summon Veyron's own skeletal machine(3/1200/1500) [Zone 4]. And at the same time he used his normal summon for an unpiloted jet drone(3/1200/800) [Zone 2] with a radar dish and camera scope attached to its bottomsection. "Link summon! Orcustrion!"
The ultimate Orcust demanded two monsters at minimum, one of which had to be another Orcust. Galatea, Cymbal Skeleton and D.D. Patrol Plane entered the four-pointed link circuit one way, and the living robotic organ of gold(3000/LINK 4) {Downleft/Down/Up/Upright} [Extra Zone 1] moved out the other end. "Ah. The card that defeated the faceless men." Khan smirked. "Yes it is. I can let it return three of my banished machines to the deck to eliminate every attackpoint of any linked monster my opponent controls! So I will activate Orcustrated Core!" Veyron would get the last banished card he needed through his continuous trap. The tower of babel stretched upwards and opened the sections of its framework like a spiral of windows. "I can banish one machine from my graveyard and make my Orcust immune to all other card effects!" The bright golden light burning within Babel absorbed the card of Orcust Longirsu and placed a barrier of light on top of Orcustrion. "Now there are three banished monsters! Orcustrion's effect activates!"
"Then I will activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter on Trident Launcher!" Sigment had plans that did not involve listening to the orchestral organ dirge of power. His second trap could banish one monster for the rest of the turn. "Feh.." Veyron's master stroke went to waste entirely, the TGs Halberd Cannon and Metal Skeleton were no longer pointed at by Trident Launcher. Orcustrion also did not point up at either of them due to their positions. "I've seen that move too, Veyron! But it wont do you any good if my monsters are not linked." The synchro champion's monsters remained supreme, one of them did at least. "Curse you! Orcustrion! Destroy the Metal Skeleton!" Veyron would get something out of this turn even if it involved the least dangerous monster on the other side. Dozens of lasers shot out of the golden pipes of Orcustrion, and each one blasted T.G. Metal Skeleton to shards of bone and metal.
Sigment's LP: 6100
"I should have known you would not go down in a single turn." Though that would be his only attack this turn, Veyron was not ready to relinquish control just yet. "Galatea, come back!" For one, he could use his own Skeleton effect. For the third time, the Cymbal Orcust got banished to facilitate the revival of the Orcust Automaton Galatea[Zone 2]. She linked up with Orcustrion and regained her battle-hardened indestructability. "But you cannot keep this up, Sigment. Not with your current power, not with your champion's skills. You need the power of the legacy! Why can you not see that when I can?" Veyron placed a spell card face down and ended his turn. At that point T.G. Trident Launcher [Zone 3] got zapped back to the field by the Matter Transporter.
-TURN 04-
"I do not know why I feel differently. But I also do not know where this power will lead. Yes the Wand has helped us, let us do more than we could have done without it. But I feel its also made us deaf to a lot that's been going on around us. And I have been burned before by the promise of power... Why do you trust it so much, Veyron? These things are clearly more than just bits and pieces of software. They could be the very thing that has turned everyone against each other." He wanted to hear Veyron explained why he could not let go of the Wand. "I trust it, because it has made me stronger than ever." Veyron would reply with a show of force. He activated Orcust Crescendo from his graveyard to banish it and add a new DARK Machine monster (Orcust Harp Horror) from the deck to his hand. The speed duelist reactivated Orcustrated Core: banishing D.D. Patrol Plane to make Orcustrion immune to all card effects for the rest of the turn. Finally, Orcust Automaton Galatea returned the banished Orcust Longirsu to the extra deck to set a second Orcust Crescendo counter trap down on his field.
"I see. For you the power is enough to justify all of this.." Perhaps Veyron saw himself as untouchable while he used those cards. So he would need to do more than my very best to match this power. "But it is my turn. And I summon Assault Sentinel.."
"Assault?" Khan gasped. "He has Assault Mode support? You're kidding me!" The card that Sigment normal summoned, a hooded beastman(4/1600/800) [Zone 2] with olivegreen fur and red eyes, would give the user a whole new approach to synchro dueling. "I am not. Assault Sentinel's effect activates! It will sacrifice itself to special summon another monster that supports Assault Modes!" The beast sniper fired a shot into the deck with his futuristic rifle, and struck his target. The Sentinel traded places with Psi-Reflector: a psychic tuner(1/400/300) [Zone 1] who wore a robotic frogfaced suit. "Psi-Reflector adds one Assault Mode-card from the deck to my hand. Once it is summoned I mean. I choose Tech Genus Halberd Cannon Assault Mode! And I activate Assault Mode Zero! To special summon Halberd Cannon Assault Mode!"
(To Be Continued in World 040: Two Bothers Sharing the Grave)
New Cards used by Veyron GT
Armageddon Knight
D.D. Patrol Plane
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Orcustrated Babel
Orcustrated Return
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Orcustrated Core
New Cards used by Sigment
T.G. Booster Raptor
T.G. Metal Skeleton
Assault Sentinel
Psi-Reflector
T.G. Halberd Cannon/Assault Mode
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T.G. Trident Launcher
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Assault Mode Zero
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Scrap-Iron Signal
Interdimensional Matter Transporter
