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.

62. World 054: Brute Forced Evolution

World 054: Brute Forced Evolution

"I wish I could thank you in person, Aurora. But my people have advised me against returning to the network as of right now." Little by little, Therese Hansen was making her way back to the online world of STHEREA. So far she'd made it to the point where she could talk to the duelists with the holographic interface in the virtual Exeter office. "It's okay... Do you remember anything from what happened in your dream?" Crescent was just happy to hear from her at all, she came as soon as she heard from her. But she was not the only one Therese had invited. "Not much that does not embarrass me. I am affraid I was a but of a drama queen as a teenager. But I remember seeing you... and her. I know I owe them both a great deal, and I wish we could have met under different circumstances." Echo and her friends were there as well.. They had half an hour to get their affairs in order before Static would summon them back at the arena. And they did not want to risk being followed to Pandemonium.

"I think so too. I apologize for what happened before, and for what happened to your tower." The girl in the wheelchair referred to the still smoldering top half of the virtual Exeter building. The fire that Olympia caused could not be so easily put out. "That is quite alright, we did not lose anything of importance. We should count ourselves fortunate that we've managed to keep this location secure." Therese nodded, since a lot of other sectors in STHEREA were out of control right now. "This location, yeah. I.. I feel like I have been here before." The girl looked around with a rising sense of nostalgia. "I cannot explain that. I did read the files about you, but you were developed in a different area alltogether. Oh, I am sorry. I did not mean to say it like that." All the data always referred to Miss Echo as the first independent construct, but from a few minutes Therese could already tell that she was far more than that. "My brother.. he did not treat you well." She wanted to say sorry for that as well. "You don't have to apologize for him. I am not angry with him or you." Echo would not hear it..

"Yeah well he is not going anywhere anyway, and he is not the only one. Is it true what I hear, that Static is using the others like hostages? Can't you save them like you did with me?" Therese did not have time to think about her own relations right now. "Static claims to have improved his prisons. We have no choice but to do as he says, and visit that closed system." The Fisherman nodded solemnly. "Feh.. I say he is bluffing." Olympia said with a grunt. "We should try again. There is no reason for all of us to play his game. Echo can search the dreamworld while he is distracted. I've been inside that strange closed world, and I would not want lady Echo to step into it herself. Nor do I see Static honoring his deal at all. He has no honor. For all we know, he is going back on his word right now."

...

Donna's LP: 2900 Hydra's LP: 2000

-TURN 05-

The duel between Donna and Hydra continued. Before the next turn truly began, Anesthrokket Dragon activated its effect from the graveyard to summon a new Rokket Dragon to the field: the copper bullet-headed Autorokket Dragon(3/1900/1300) [Zone 2]. "I will need a new approach.. I set one card and summon Triggering Wurm." The trigger-shaped red mechadragon(2/600/600) [Zone 2] would be set everything in motion. But only after all the chambers were loaded. "Link summon. Twin Triangle Dragon. The link materials are two level 4 or lower dragons." Autorokket formed a delta pattern with his Magnarokket Dragon(4/2100/1400) to open the extra deck for the wingless triangle-carrying dragon(1200/LINK 2) {Down/Right} [Extra Zone 2]. "I pay 500 lifepoints to special summon one highlevel dragon from my graveyard, with its effect negated. I choose Linkbelt Wall Dragon!" Two Rokkets were spent, but Hydra managed to find a whole new belt of pointed bullets with his Wall Dragon(6/0/2100).

Hydra's LP: 1500

"I summon Topologic Bomber Dragon! The link materials are two plus monsters!". Hydra turned every Dragon (Twin Triangle, Linkbelt Wall and Triggering Wurm) for the most explosive monster in his extra deck: the one-eyed and crimson scaled Topologic Bomber Dragon(3000/LINK 4) {Left/Up/Down/Right} [Extra Zone 2]. And it was not even a dragon. "'There it is! The card that destroyed Imperius!" Donna spoke with a gleeful look on her face. "So you still like to remind me of that moment, despite the fact that you no longer see him as a comrade." Hydra remarked. "Of course! I was not there to see it, but I heard the stories about how ruthless you were then! I wish I was fighting that version of you! You've gotten too soft! Even more than Schwarzwald!"

"You could be right, I have felt myself change these past few days. But my cards are no less destructive, Donna..." Triggering Wurm [Zone 4] reappeared beneath the Bomber. "Triggering Wurm comes back to my field when it is used as a link material for a Dark-attribute Dragon! And when a monster is linked with another link monster, Topologic Bomber Dragon destroys all monsters in the main zones! !" At last the gears of destruction spun into motion. Triggering Wurm activated the cyberse dragon's coiled wings and suffered immediate detonation under a shower of atomic green light. "Ah? What was the point of that? Master Ogre is still in the extra zone?" Blanche scratched her hair in confusion. "The point was to gain new cards. When Triggering Wurm is destroyed or banished by a Link monsters effect, I can draw once." This effect combined with the Supply Squad continuous spell to net Hydra a double draw from the deck. "Only Topologic Bomber Dragon can attack during the turn it uses this effect! Bomber Dragon attacks the Master Ogre!"

Master Ogre(2800 atk) did not have enough power to survive this attack. "Don't get ahead of yourself! I activate my trap card! Desperate Tag! If one of my monsters is destroyed in battle, I can special summon another one from my hand! And I take no damage from the hit!" Donna still had one card in her hand to normal summon, Gouki Suprex. "But when it battles, Bomber Dragon inflicts damage equal to the attackpoints of the monster he fights against!" Hydra countered and let his monster blast the Master with a beam of hotred light. "Then I will activate Gouki Octostretch from my hand!" But she'd kept two aces up her sleeve. The octopus-masked Gouki could halve effect damage as well, which allowed her to halve the 2800 points of effect damage unleashed by the electrically charged claws of Bomber Dragon. And while its blast destroyed Master Ogre, her Desperate continuous trap tagged in Gouki Twistcobra(3/1600/0) [Zone 2] in defense mode.. "That ends my turn, Donna."

Donnas LP: 1500

"It must be starting to take effect." Blanche heard Scarlet Rose mutter to herself at this point. "Effect? What is?" She was not about let a cryptic comment like that slide by her. "The treatment my other self has given Donna: the composition of her avatar has been modified with a special program. Fever was smart enough to encrypt most of her data with a key I did not know, but I have figured out this much already from reading everything I copied off of her." Scarlet Rose, fortunately, felt generous with her explanations today. "Yeah? What kind of modifications? Is it something that is gonna make it harder to save Donna from.. well.. Donna?" That was what Donna kept declaring and Blanche did not figure her for a liar. Though the effects so far only made the wrestler appear more terrifying. "That may be its intended goal. But I am concerned for other reasons as well. Scarlet Fever is trying to control the mind with technology... and the components of this program resemble those of a virus more than anything else."

-TURN 06-

"You.. Every time I knock you down, you drag me down with you! How can you be this strong yet so pathetic at the same time?" That was twice now that he'd brought her to the brink of destruction. She wanted to enjoy the challenge, yet his attitude prevented that. "That dragon is as a good as dead! Topologic Bomber Dragon has to activate its effect any time a monster got linked to a link monster!" Donna also activated her drawn Gouki Rematch spell to bring the Bearhugger(6/2400/0) and Moonsault(6/1900/0) back to the field. "Gouki Moonsault can return Goukis to my extra deck and hand at the same time!" The lunar wrestler reached into the graveyard and tossed back the Thunder Ogre while reclaiming Gouki Suprex. "Link summon Gouki Heel Ogre!" Then, despite the cyberse's presence, Donna put her materials together right in front of Topologic to create the shadowy Heel Gouki(1000/LINK 2) {Up/Down} [Zone 4]. "Heel Ogre negates any effect of a monster linked to him! And then he can special summon one Gouki from my graveyard!" The only card that would be blown up now, belonged to Hydra. "What use is power is its as flimsy as paper?!"

"What use is power, if it cannot find is target?" Hydra calmly responded with his second trap [Zone 4]. "I activate Broken Line. It negates one effect that activated in this column and destroys the activated card." He set off a fuse of static energy that traveled towards the Heel Ogre, preventing it from using its effect or negating Bomber Dragon's power. "Your moves are too easy to predict, Donna. You will never reach me that way." Gouki Heel Ogre and Gouki Guts blew to pieces right in front of her eyes.

"You deliberately placed that counter trap behind Topologic Bomber Dragon, because you knew I would try to negate it? Ha! Too bad that only works once!" Thanks to the effects of the dematerialized Gouki Bearhug and the destroyed Gouki Guts, Donna could claim two Gouki cards (Ringtrainer, Diver) from her deck. "When I have no monsters on my field, I can special summon Gouki Ringtrainer from my hand and let it summon one Gouki from my graveyard! I choose the Heel Ogre!" Her second attempt would surely succeed. The horned Gouki trainer(1/0/0) [Zone 5] with his red shades slapped the floor with a training stick to rouse the Heel [Zone 4] from its slumber. "Die!" Topologic Bomber Dragon triggered again and tried to destroy both Goukis with the radioactive light from its wingcoils. This time the Heel could interrupt the cyberse's effect and kill Topologic for good. At the same time, Heel Ogre managed to bring the Master Ogre [Zone 3] back to life all over again.

Yet Hydra came prepared for the worst. "I draw one card, thanks to Supply Squad. And I can activate two cards from my hand! When a Dark Dragon summoned from the extra deck is destroyed, Rokket Recharger can special summon one other fallen Dark Dragon to my field instead!" He secured his own revival for the deadly blade-horned Borrelsword Dragon(3000/LINK 4) {Left/Downleft/Up/Down} [Zone 5]. "And the destruction of my monster also allows me to special summon Omni Dragon Brotaur from my hand, though it will be banished once it leaves the field." The baby-sized silver-scaled Omni Dragon(1/0/0) floated down from his hand and glared at the Borrelsword Dragon with a certain intent. "Omni Dragon can target one card and add one monster with the same name and type to my hand." He had to discard one card (Hibernation Dragon) to use this effect, and it let him draw the DARK Dragon ?.

"Heh, you are just gonna keep pushing back arent ya?!" Donna felt another bloodvessel burst with anger. "Great Ogre!" She took Ringtrainer and Heel Ogre as link materials to return Gouki Thunder Ogre(2600/LINK 3) {Downleft/Up/Downright} [Extra Zone 1] back to her field. Using its effect, Donna normal summoned the Gouki Suprex(4/1800/0) [Zone 2] who then special summoned Gouki Diver: a green-armored and masked fighter(2/600/0) [Zone 3] with wild blue hair and two blades on his wristgauntlets. "Link summon! Gouki the Powerload Ogre!" Diver joined with the Thunder Ogre, two warrior link materials, to create her destructive Blade and Iron Ball swinging Ogre(2800/LINK 4) {Downleft/Down/Right/Downright} [Extra Zone 2]. And like all the other Goukis, Diver could draw a Gouki card (Gouki Headbatt) "Powerload gains 200 attackpoints for each link marker on my other link monsters! He's completely immune to other card effects!" Right now it(3600 atk) gained 800 attackpoints from the Master Ogre.

Gouki Diver, 2/600/0 EARTH/Warrior/Effect
When an opponents monster declares an attack, you can banish this card from your hand or GY; all monsters your opponent control lose 600 ATK and must attack this turn.
If this card is sent from the field to the GY: You can add 1 "Gouki" card from your Deck to your hand, except "Gouki Diver".
You can only use each effect of "Gouki Diver" once per turn.

"Yes, yes I see it now. You gave me more than just some fancy liquor." She turned towards Scarlet Rose with a manic grin, confusing the dear doctor. "?" Her energy readings were also spiking, with the bulk of it focusing on the decks. "She is creating another card?" The energy flowed outwards as soon as Donna normal summoned her Gouki Headbatt(2/800/0) and turned both it and Gouki Suprex into link materials. "The materials are two effect monsters! I link summon Code Breaker Virus Swordsman!"

"Wait what? Virus?" Blanche gasped as a new warrior arrived in the network: a masked swordman(2300/LINK 2) {Up/Down} [Zone 2] wearing a cybersuit and a black cape with a tattered collar. Four red eyes glowed on its silver mask. "Yes, since Static helped me break my limits, I've been able to make cards for myself! And now thanks the fever doctor's cure, I can make new extra deck monsters as well!" Donna used the effects of her link material Goukis to claim another Gouki Finisher and another Gouki Twistcobra, while her new link monster did its own deck searching. "A co-linked Virus Swordsman lets me special summon one Code Breaker from my deck to another marked zone!" Thanks to the many link arrows of the Powerload Ogre {Downleft/Down/Downright} Donna could special summon another silvermasked warrior. This one, Codebreaker Zero Day(4/1800/0) [Zone 1], wore a green cybersuit and long white scarf. "Yeah but these cards feel more like something Scarlet Fever would make." The white-haired duelist pointed out.

"In that case I shall activate Tactical Exchanger. I can destroy my monster to special summon one Rokket Dragon from my deck or graveyard!" The threatened trap took action before it could disappear, and detonated Omni Dragon Brotaur to re-assemble the Shellrokket Dragon(4/300/2200) [Zone 2] in attack position. "And Borrelsword targets it! When Shellrokket Dragon is targeted, it will destroy itself and one monster in its column! Then the effect will spread out and destroy all monsters in the adjacent zones!" Such a large golden shell would always blast through multiple targets instead of one. The Rokket exploded into Virus Berserker, and took Virus Swordsman and Zero Day down along with it. "Whatever those cards are made of, they cannot be good for you.. Either of you." Perhaps now she would be in a less violent disposition.

"Argh! What do you know? You can't get rid of them that easily! When Code Breaker Zero Day is destroyed, I can add another Code Breaker Zero Day to my hand!" But this loss had the opposite effect, her skin began to turn red. "Let's see you dodge this! I activate Gouki Finisher on Master Ogre! Again! And attack Borrelsword Dragon!" She could have gone for the effect damage with the Serpent Slash, but Donna wanted to finish Hydra off with a physical strike. His lifepoints stood no chance against the finished Master Ogre(6800 atk) either way. "And I activate my skill card! Reload of Greed! I return three Magnarokket Dragons to my deck to gain 3000 lifepoints!" Yet the semivisible duelist avoided death once more, by raising his lifepoints above the amount that the Master Ogre could deplete. "Borrelsword Dragon cannot be destroyed in battle either!" He and his dragon braced themselves against the Ogre's flurry of punches and managed to came out with barely enough energy to keep going.

Hydra's LP: 4500

Reload of Greed, Skill Card
Target up to 3 cards in your GY with the same name; shuffle them into the Deck: Gain 1000 lifepoints for each returned card.

Yet the semivisible duelist avoided death once more, by raising his lifepoints above the amount that the Master Ogre could deplete. "Borrelsword Dragon cannot be destroyed in battle either!" He and his dragon braced themselves against the Ogre's flurry of punches and managed to came out with barely enough energy to keep going. "This is a joke, this is all a joke." Donna seethed. More veins were popping up on her body. "I have fought greater duelists than you!" She declared an attack with Powerload Ogre as well, another strike that failed to destroy Borrelsword Dragon or permanently erase his lifepoints.

Hydra's LP: 100

"Powerload Ogre can sacrifice one my Gouki Link monsters to destroy a number of cards equal to his Link rating!" The Powerloader turned on the Master, and converted its four link markers into four bolts of crimson destruction. There was only one card she wished to destroy however: Borrelsword Dragon. "Then, during the end of a turn in which it was destroyed, Code Breaker Virus Swordsman can special summon itself!" The green mist broke out of the graveyard, and the Viral Swordsman(2300 atk) {Up/Down} [Zone 4] returned to add some new power to Powerload Ogre(3200 atk). She did not have to fear battle damage either, as long as she controlled Desperate Tag and had plenty of warrior monsters in her hand. On the other hand, Anesthrokket Dragon(1/0/2200) [Zone 3] got summoned from the main deck by the endphase effect of Shellrokket Dragon. But even that card not be able to do much.

-TURN 07-

"Heh. Still alive eh." Suddenly another face joined the audience. "!? You again? I could say the same thing about you!? I thought Schwarzwald destroyed you!" Donna gasped when Mephistar popped up on the pandemonium rooftops. "Sorry to disappoint, but the reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated." He sent her a smirk. "Bah! That baron is good for nothing at all!" The wrestler cursed.

"Mephistar. Why did you come back?" Hydra had not expected him to be here, showing visible interest. "Don't make a big deal out of it, Hydra. I just chose to drop by on a whim. Because as much as I dislike you, I can see that there's worse people out there now. I dueled Donna once, and though she lost.. she was a far better duelist than this lady here." He'd been too stubborn to see it before, but now he knew just how much these people were not the same. "So I don't know what's taking you so long to beat her." His comment made Hydra laugh. "Well if I fail, you can go next. But I do not think you will need to..."

"I activate Hibernation Dragon! When there are no link monsters on my field, I can special summon one Dark dragon link monster from my graveyard!" Hydra promptly resurrected the Borrelsword Dragon [Zone 2]. "How many times are you gonna try the same thing?" Donna roared. "This wont be the same." Hydra insisted and normal summoned a new type of bullet. "Rokket... Synchron?" Synchronic green energy coursed between the plates of the mechanical blue dragon(1/0/0) [Zone 2], the same energy that formed its six main wings and tailfin. "That is its name. Its effect is to special summon a level 5 or higher DARK dragon from my graveyard, upon its normal summon. But it effects will be negated and it is destroyed during the endphase." Hydra opened the grave and resurrected his Linkbelt Wall Dragon with its six level stars. "Its purpose... is to tune with at least one other non-tuner monster!" A card called Rokket Synchron of course had to be a tuner. "Synchro summon! Borreload Savage Dragon!"

"Whoa whoa whoa wh-what!?" Blanche flailed around in surprise. Anesthrokket, Linkbelt Wall and Rokket Synchron performed the flashy synchronized transformation, creating a portal of eight green rings that released a new synchro monster into the world. "Since when did you get to make your own cards?" She liked to think she knew every dragon card in existence, and she definitely had never heard of this before. Borreload Savage Dragon(8/3000/2500) [Extra Zone 2]. It looked like the regular horned Borreload Dragon, except most of its armor had turned white and its fangs golden. The light of synchro power lit up lines running across its plated body. "Is this so surprising?" Hydra said as his one visible eye glowed with a bright white light. "Ever since I got disconnected from my actual avatar, I have felt more free to duel in a way I would want. Schwarzwald and Donna have also learned this ability.. even Charles managed the same feat. Personally I would prefer to see it as me honoring him as opposed to the others." He let out a soft chuckle. "Hmm, well.. I do like its new coat of paint." Blanche laughed along with him.

"Donna! Borreload Savage Dragon can equip one Dragon Link monster from my graveyard to itself! He gains half of its attackpoints, and one counter for each of its link markers! I take Topologic Bomber Dragon!" One of Hydra's unseen eyes began to glow green, while his new Savage Dragon(4500/2500) absorbed the spirit of the Bomber and gained an equally green aura. "Borrelsword Dragon will attack Code Breaker Virus Swordsman! And take half of its attackpoints!" Both the sword and revolver would have to join forces to bring Donna down in her current state. "Then bring it! Desperate Tag will just negate the damage!" Donna snapped into a defensive pose and prepared to negate the next batch of effect damage. "No, it will not. Borreload Savage Dragon can negate one effect each turn, by taking away one of its counters!" And Hydra snapped the trap away with the first counter. "No!" Her plan to counteract both Dragons with another TwistCobra tag in never made it past the design stage. Borrelsword(4150 atk) drained the Virus Swordsman(1150 atk) down and impaled the monster in its silver face. "NO!"

Donna's LP: 0.0..00...0.I7?I632B86BINFHKFGH#

"Uh... did her dueldisk just glitch out or.." Blanche realized right away that this could not be right. But she had no idea how bad it would be. "...No." Donna did not behave like the others who lost their duel, she seemed paralyzed and muted with fear at first. "NOOOOHOAOAAHAAA!" That soon disappeared when cries of agonizing terror came out of her mouth instead, yet she still did not move. "Donna!?"

"What did you do to her?" Mephistar accused Hydra, though he looked as terrified of this result as everyone else. "No. It is not him! It's Scarlet Fever! The treatment she gave her is having an adverse effect! She is trying to suppress her human half by resisting the outcome of the duel! But that's just keeping her frozen in the pain of the moment!" Scarlet Rose exclaimed. Her counterpart should have seen this flaw when she designed it, why did she let Donna use it? "Is there any way to stop it then!? Can you fix it?" Mephistar yelled. They could not just let this happen and watch Donna scream her lungs out. "I cannot undo the damage in such short time. But the source of the problem is the virus itself! Those cards that manifested are corrupting her lifepoints. There should still be on in her extra deck!.

"I see!" Hydra knew what had to be done. He activated a continuous spell, Borrel Supplier, and ended his turn. "Silver Rokket Dragon!" During the next standby phase, Borrel Supplier would load one Rokket from the graveyard back to the field. Only one kind of bullet would heal Donna now: a silver one. "Silver Rokket Dragon can banish one monster from the extra deck!" Hydra quickly explained and let the Borrelsword Dragon target the supplied Rokket Dragon, changing it into a silver streak of light that pierced Donna's very dueldisk and discovered the many link monsters that remained inside. One of them was the final Code Breaker Virus Berserker. "There!" Hydra made that the target of Silver Rokket and eliminated it from the extra deck. "Let this work!" The shot dragged all foul disease and viral energy out with it, causing the Gouki duelist to stop spasming and go limp. "..." She collapsed over backwards and fell down with her eyes slowly closing. Before she hit the ground with her now peaceful look, her body turned to dust and dispersed with the wind.

"Where did.. she go?" Blanche feared the worst. "I think.. her mind should be free. The mind of the real Donna. But where this other personality has gone. I do not know. Scarlet Fever never cared to project any predictions." Scarlet Rose shook her head in disapproval. "All I can be certain of is.. that she knew the outcome would be negative. It was not a treatment. It was a trap."

(To Be Continued in World 055: All Irons in One Fire)

New Cards used by Hydra
Rokket Synchron

-
Borreload Savage Dragon

-
Borrel Supplier

New Cards used by Donna Monday
Gouki Diver
Code Breaker Zero Day

-
Code Breaker Virus Swordsman
Code Breaker Virus Berserker

-
Desperate Tag