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.

64. World 056: In Their Own Image

World 056: In Their Own Image

"It must be interesting, to be this close to reality and yet so far away." Zettai said to the Fisherman, as the two patrolled barracks that were stationed behind Shintaro's virtual castle. "I am only here to rescue Olympia. I have no desires of seeing your world." He replied as kept his senses alert for possible threats. "But you shoud have some desires. Or are you truly as programmed as I thought you were? Hmph. It matters not, I am only here to retrieve Yoro-Himiko." The ace duelist claimed. "I find that hard to believe. Your comrade went behind our backs to try and steal the World Armor back. Do not pretend like it did not happen, and do not pretend like you have no interest in what else these people have taken." He knew very well that Static Void wanted the Chalice more than anything. "Keeping the armor for yourself is not to your benefit, Fisherman. Without it, you will not be able to make it passed the final frontier. Right now we wander a virtual landscape. But only the truly alive like me, can walk further than that... And I intend to. I have my reasons to want to save Himiko..."

Zettai paused. "The enemy is here.." In front of them stood a lone Karakuri wooden robot holding a lance: acting as the sentry of the castle entrance. "What is this? A test?" The Fisherman expected more resistance. It seemed that to proceed, they would have to destroy the guardian in a one-on-one duel. It seemed that Static had been right about one thing: Shintaro expected them. "A test for one of us perhaps. But I will be the one to take it." She activated her dueldisk and walked towards the walls. "Be my guest." The Fisherman stepped aside. "But what were you going to say, just now? Why do you want to save Yoro-Himiko? To make her one of your own?" He figured he could ask her that while she battled. "And what would be wrong with that? You have seen what her current family can do, she deserves to be free of that. Just like I deserved to be free of mine. Echo gave you the privilege of getting to choose your own name. Static allowed me to keep mine.. I am simply giving her the same chance. That is all.

...

Tycho's LP: 8000 Karakuri Unit's LP: 8000

-TURN 01-

Elsewhere, Tycho Rivers faced the same hurdles, dueling a Karakuri tower guard. "Normal summon Karakuri Komachi model 224: Ninishi. Activate effect 224: gain one additional normal summon a Karakuri-class monster. Normal summon Karakuri Watchdog model 313: Saizan." The robot's choice of cards, the wood-automatons of Karakuri, did not particularly surprise Tycho. The first summon created a blackhaired three-eyed geisha robot(3/0/1900) [Zone 1] in a green kimono. The second summon created a red-eyed dog-robot(4/600/1800) [Zone 2] with two cannon barrels on its back. "Synchro Summon, Karakuri Shogun model 00 Burei." The tuner Ninishi and nontuner Saizan then burst into fragments of splinters, metal and light. The latter element powered the reassembly of the former into a greater four-eyed Karakuri: Burei(7/2600/1900) [Extra Zone 1] the samurai warlord with the horned helmet and white mustache. "Activate effect 00: special summon a Karakuri-class monster from the deck. Special summon Karakuri Gama model 4624: Shirokunishi" The Shogun spun its mechanical red fan to create a strong wind of gust that snatched one card from the deck: the wooden frog tuner Shirokunishi.

"Tch. I do hope that there aren't literally four thousand of these cards." Tycho grunted. His opponent would certainly not stop showing them off.

It tuned the Gama Karakuri with the Shogin Burei to go up one more level on the synchro ladder. Bureido(8/2800/1700) [Extra Zone 1] still sported the same white mustache as Burei. But his armor had more spikes and silver plates, while he himself wielded two gigantic katanas. "Synchro Summon, Karakuri Shogun model 00X Bureido. Activate effect 00: special summon a Karakuri-class monster from the deck. Special summon Karakuri Soldier model 236: Nisamu." The tide of incoming automatons finally stopped with the model that resembled the duelist itself: Nisamu the defending spearman(4/1400/200) [Zone 3]. "Activate Spell Card: Karakuri Cash Cache. Add one Karakuri from the deck to the hand, and switch one Karakuri's position. Then activate effect 00X: draw one card when Karakuri's position changes." The final effect showcase switched Nisamu into an offensive stance, while its controller added a new monster (Karakuri Merchant Inashichi) to its hand. And thanks to the effect of Bureido, it could also draw one card normally. Two traps were placed face down, the continuous spell of Karakuri Anatomy got activated and the turn passed to Tycho.

-TURN 02-

"I thought that thing would never stop running its mouth." Tycho bitterly drew his own cards. "You shouldn't take them lightly just because they are drones, Tycho. In fact that is even more reason not to." Crescent did not imagine herself to be as smart as a machine could be. "They're all just puppets in the end. The real bastards are just too scared to fight!" Tycho summoned his first monster, a cybernetic rooster(4/1800/200) [Zone 3] with wings of green and blue feathers and a crown of flames behind its back. "Here's an effect for you! Salamangreat Fowl can discard one Salamangreat card from my hand to negate one of your set cards!" Tycho discarded his Salamangreat Foxy and placed a seal of negation on top of the left trap.

Only for the other trap to suddenly spring up. "Activate trap: Karakuri Cash Inn. Negate effect of monster and switch one controlled monster's position." The soldiermodel stomped its foot on the floor to move back to defense mode, while Salamangreat Fowl got frightened out of completing its own seal. Then, thanks to the effect of Shogun Model 00X, the Karakuri duelist could also draw one more card.

"...If you say 'I told you say so'." Tychi sent a glare Crescent's way. "I wasn't planning to." She indifferently insisted. "Well it doesn't matter either way, I can still special summon Salamangreat Foxy from my graveyard with his effect, and destroy his face-up spell or trap card!" Tycho had to discard one card (Salamangreat Wolvie) to settle the burning flames settled down and reignite the cyberse blue fox(3/1000/1200) [Zone 4]. With its flamethrower tail Foxy burned away the Karakuri Anatomy spell. "You seem happy to have your Salamangreats back." Crescent noted. "Heh, you know what? You may be right. I link summon Salamangreat Balelynx!" One level 4 or lower cyberse, like Salamangreat Fowl, could be used as the link material for the robotic red firecat Balelynx(500/LINK 1) {Down} [Extra Zone 2]. "When it is summoned, I can add Salamangreat Sanctuary to my hand!" Tycho claimed his spell and placed it on the field. "Burning this whole place down Is gonna make me happy!" He roared as a large volcano arose from the castle moat, releasing steaming lava and black ash. "That was not what I meant exactly..." Crescent sighed.

"I also link summon Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf!" Foxy and Balelynx, two FIRE effect monsters, formed the next stage of the fiery link circuit and brought out the white cyberwolf(1800/LINK 2) {Up/Down} [Extra Zone 2] with a hide of flames. "And then I discard Salamangreat Foxer from my hand! To destroy your other set card!" The red fox of the Salamangreats complemented the blue flame, as it could also burn face-down traps by sending Salamangreat link monsters (Salamangreat Balelynx) back to the extra deck. "Oh. That one would have negated your spells and traps instead. That was a good hit." Crescent gave her own compliments when she saw the Karakuri's second trap, Karakuri Cash Shed, go to the graveyard. "I know that. It was an obvious hit. Just like eveyrthing else is here."

Tycho could now at least freely activate his quickplay spell, Salamangreat Circle. It carved a ring of fire on the bridge to search and add a Salamangreat monster from the deck. The card he added, the orange-armored cyber meerkat Salamangreat Meer(2/800/600) [Zone 4], could be special summoned if it was added to the hand by another card effect. "When a monster is summoned to Sunligh Wolf's marker, I can add one Fire-monster from the graveyard to my hand! And if Salamangreat Wolvie is added to my hand from the graveyard, I can add another Salamangreat to my hand as well!" He yelled while reclaiming Salamangreat Wolvie and Fowl in a row. "Now that that is done, its time for you to see my ace: Salamangreat Heat Leo!" Once again the materials would be two plus FIRE effect monsters: the Sunlight Wolf and Salamangreat Meer. Thus, at last, Tycho would control his lion king(2300/LINK 3) {Downleft/Up/Downright} [Extra Zone 2] of the cybernetic flame.

"Are you talking to them, the ones in control?" Crescent was beginning to wonder if Tycho understood that he was dueling an AI. "Of course. They hear everything we say, see every move we make. Well, I wonder what they will think about this? I activate Salamangreat Sanctuary's effect to reincarnation link summon my Salamangreat Heat Leo!" The art of reincarnation involved using one link monster as the sole material for another link summon of the same card. The Heatlion covered himself in his own flames and died, only to be reborn as the second Salamangreat Heat Leo (2300/LINK 3) {Downleft/Up/Downright} [Extra Zone 2]. "When a reincarnated Heat Leo attacks, he can reduce my opponent's monster's attackpoints down to that of a Salamangreat monster in my graveyard!" The Lion elected Balelynx and turned its fiery spirit against the Shogun Bureido(800/1700). "Destroy it!" Heat Leo had no trouble at all after that, and sank its still red hot claws into the softened armor of the Karakuri synchro monster. Bureido melted down to slag and oozed down into the river below.

Karakuri Unit's LP: 6500

"So hot... Why did you choose these monsters?" Crescent had gotten curious. She could never pick her favorite element, but his seemed very obvious. "There is no deep reason to it. I just picked the card that seemed to be favored by duelists at the time. There are like a hundred Salamangreat specialists. Though it is funny that I chose the same type as 'the hero of Pandemonium'." Both his cards and Charles were cut from the same cybernetic cloth, but he did not see that as more than a coincidence. "But it fits..If I could still see with the world shield, your color would definitely be bright red." The weather painter duelist blurted out. "Hm. Thanks?" A bit confused, Tycho wrapped up his turn by setting two trap cards down on his field. "Your move, bucket of bolts."

-TURN 03-

"Noted. Main Phase. Activate Karakuri Gama Oil: special summon one Karakuri monster from the graveyard." His opponent wasted no time in undoing his achievements, using an equip spell on his fallen Shogun Bureido to bring it [Zone 3] to the field in attack mode. "Normal summon Karakuri Merchant model 17: Inashichi. Activate effect 17: add one Karakuri card from the deck to the hand." The vertically eyed wooden merchant(2/500/1500) [Zone 1] carried two wooden boxes with a pole on its back. One box opened and revealed a monster card: Karakuri Bonze model 9763 Kunanzam. "Activate effect 9763: change position of one Karakuri to special summon this card as a tuner." The card evolved into a proper monster: a three-eyed mechanical monk(5/2000/1500) [Zone 2] wearing many colored robes and carrying a prayer ringstaff. While Bureido reactivated its own power to draw another card for its master, it clearly would no longer be the main threat. Kunanzam and Nisamu were about to be synchronized.

"In that case, I will use effect 303! As in, I am gonna smash three of your cards!" Tycho revealed the trap that fit his current mood: Salamangreat Rage. "Since I control a reincarnated Salamangreat, I can destroy one of your cards for each link on my that monster!" The Heat lion channeled three geysers of pure destructive lava from the volcano down into the opponents field. "ACTIVATE CONTINUOUS SKILL CARD: TOTAL DEFENSE FORCE." But it was not to be. A completely impassable wall of shields rose up in front of the castle wall and deflected the volcanic assault. "Continuous what?" Only the Karakuri Merchant Inashichi stood exposed on the other side of the shield wall and fell victim to the immense heat. Salamangreat Rage could not get rid of any other Karakuri monsters, who had all been summoned or left in defense mode.

Total Defense Force, Continuous Skill
Defense-position monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects.

"Skills can be permanent now?" Tycho definitely'd never seen anything like this: neither had Crescent or anyone else. "How do I even get rid of it?" The skill card lingered on the field as if it were a continuous spell or trap, yet it did not count as either of those cards. "Synchro Summon, Karakuri Super Shogun model 00N: Bureibu. One non-tuner machine monster is required." In any case, the Karakuri unit got to keep its synchro materials and tuned the Soldier Nisamu with the Tuner Kunamzan. At the ninth level the final Karakuri waited: Bureibu the crowned crimson shogun(9/3000/1500) [Extra Zone 1]. It was as large as a house and parts of its gold/black armor were even made of a castle's rooftops. And on his back he wore a furlined cloak and a large symbol made of gold. "Activate Effect 00N1: Special summon 1 Karakuri-class monster from the deck. Special summon Karakuri Ninja model 919: Kuick." The brave shogun opened his cloak and released one of his wooden ninja soldiers(4/1700/1500) [Zone 2] on the field in attack position.

"I know what you're up to! I activate Salamangreat Gift! I discard Salamangreat Wolvie and draw two cards!" While he controlled the reincarnation summoned Heat Leo, Salamangreat Gift could draw two cards instead of one for each discarded Salamangreat. Of course, he only did this because he did not see Heat Leo last for much longer. "Activate Effect 4624 and Effect 00N2: Banish this card from the graveyard to switch the Position of a Karakuri-Class monster, Banish one monster when the position of a Karakuri is changed." Indeed, the Super Shogun model combined its power with that of the Gama model, the latter activated from the grave to switch Shogun Bureido back to attack position. "Urgh." Subsequently the red and blue-eyed Bureibu fired a blast from his his back to eliminate Salamangreat Heat Leo entirely. "Direct attack." Now all three Karakuri models were primed for attack mode. Kuick hurled a dagger at Tycho, while the Shoguns Bureido and Bureibu drew their large swords and performed a cross clash against the defenseless duelist. "Ghuaah!"

Tycho's LP: 500

"Your arms!" Crescent gasped out loud: those last two direct slashes nearly tore his limbs off. "Grgh! No!" Tycho only managed to keep them attached with sheer force of will. "They have to do better than that!" As long as he could focus his mind, he would not let this spirit body be destroyed. "I don't think you'd want that." She argued. Fortunately the enemy had no more attacks to make or cards to play besides the setting of another trap card. So its turn did end.

-TURN 04-

"It doesn't matter what I want. Not to them. This is just a test to see how good the defenses are. But nothing is impenetrable... I know what the weakness is of your continuous skill!" At the start of his turn Tycho discarded another card (Salamangreat Fowl) from his hand with Salamangreat Gift. Doing so without a reincarnated Salamangreat made him discard a Salamangreat (Spinny) from the deck instead, and gave him only one draw. "I special summon Salamangreat Beat Bison!" Now that he had more than five Salamangreat monsters in the graveyard, he could call out his cyberse flame bull(8/2800/1000) [Zone 2] with gold and crimson horns. "Beat Bison can negate effects on the field for each Fire Link monster I can return from my graveyard! That includes the Total Defense Force!" If a Skill would stay on the field, it could still be treated as 'a card'. And some effects did not care about what card type they targeted.

Tycho's plan suffered one flaw however: Bureibu's effect could be activated during his turn too. "Activate Karakuri Cash Inn from the Graveyard: banish it to change position of Karakuri-Class monster." The Super Shogun banished Salamangreat Beat Bison as soon as the Karakuri Inn trap switched it to defense mode. And no defending Karakuri monsterscould be destroyed in battle due to Bureibu's third effect. "...That's what I thought you would do, you damn doll!" So it was a good thing that Tycho had made more than one plan. "I activate Rising Fire! Since I control no monsters, I can special summon one Fire monster from my graveyard with 500 more attackpoints!" The plan did not even involve Beat Bison anymore, as Tycho used his fiery equip spell on Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf (2300 atk) [Zone 4] instead.

"Huh? Not Heat Leo either?" Crescent did not quite see where he wanted to end up yet. "No. Not yet... First I activate Salamangreat Recureance! I can add two Salamangreat different monsters from the graveyard to my hand!" Things became a little clearer when Tycho redrew both of his discarded cards: Fowl and Wolvie. "Wolvie's effect adds Salamangreat Meer! Who I summon too!" The next redraw allowed the cyberfire meerkat [Zone 1] to summon itself again. "I discard Salamangreat Fowl to special summon Salamangreat Foxy from the graveyard! And I will also special summon Salamangreat Spinny!" The blue fox[Zone 2] could also target Tycho's own face-up spells and traps, like Rising Fire, to revive itself. It did not have to destroy them either. Meanwhile the orange-plated cyber armadillo(3/1000/1500) [Zone 3] could special summon itself once a turn, if its master already controlled Salamangreat monsters. "I bet they wont see this coming! I overlay Salamangreat Spinny and Foxy to XYZ-summon Salamangreat Mirage Stallio!"

"XYZ-Summon.." The wooden drone uttered a response that almost indicated confusion, as none of its filed had a record on this new card. The two level 3 Salamangreats were attached to a black horse(R3/2000/900) [Extra Zone 2] with a mane of fire and shining red armor. "That's right. Charles and Hydra are not the only ones who can have their own XYZ-offshoots. This fire can always get bigger and stronger!" Now that he'd succesfully linked a special summoned monster with Sunlight Wolf, he could activate the wolf's effect again and reclaim Salamangreat Spinny. "I bet you are more curious to see what Mirage Stallion can do? Well for starters, it can special summon one Salamangreat monster from my deck! Though I cant use any effects besides Fire monsters' effects for the rest of the turn." It started with the special summon of Salamangreat Jack Jaguar, the fire-blade spined cyberbeast(4/1800/1200) [Zone 3]. "Then, Mirage Stallio can return one card on the field to the hand when it used as a link material for a Salamangreat monster! Your fancy shields wont help you now!"

"Link summon! Salamangreat Heat Leo!" Sunlight Wolf disappeared from the field once more, and took the black stallion with it into the graveyard. One more Salamangreat Lion waited in the extra deck, and he(2300/LINK 3) {Downleft/Up/Downright} [Extra Zone 2] emerged through the gate of flames. "Goodbye Shogun!" Naturally the effect of the XYZ-monster found its way towards the defending synchro samurai. Bureibu boiled alive and its body was reduced to cinders blown away by the wind. "Dont start praising me yet! I am just getting warmed up!" He smirked at Crescent. "I was not going t..." "I also link summon Duelittle Chimera with two of my Fire monsters!" The link circuit burned a little while longer with the help of Salamangreats Meer and Jack Jaguar. Their union resulted in a decidedly noncybernetic winged beast(1400/LINK 2) {Downleft/Downright} [Zone 3], but the Duelittle Chimera still came in handy as it(1900 atk) added 500 attack and defense points to all other FIRE monsters like Salamangreat Heat Leo (2800 atk) or the now also normal summoned Salamangreat Wolvie(4/2200/1500) [Zone 3].

"Now for the last spark to light your final pyre. Salamangreat Jack Jaguar will return one Salamangreat in the graveyard to my deck, to link itself with a Salamangreat on the field! Care to guess which one?" The graveyard still had one Heat Leo in it. The link monster would make its way back into the extra deck, while Jack Jaguar(2300/1700) [Zone 5] special summoned itself out of the graveyard. "Time's up!" With this final recharge, Tycho could perform another Reincarnation Link summon. The third Heat leo on the field transcended into the first(2800 atk) and targeted the Salamangreat Meer in the graveyard to weaken its prey: the Steel Shogun Bureido(800/1700). "Stay dead this time!" He shouted as the Salamangreat Lion plunged its claws into the chestplate of the steel samurai, and blasted it wide open from the inside out. "One down, one to go!"

Karakuri Unit's LP: 4500

"When Karakuri Ninja Kuick is attacked, its position changes." The Karakuri unit had no choice but to go back to defense. "Well it is too bad then that Jack Jaguar can inflict piercing damage!" The Salamangreat Jaguar stomped across the bridge to close the distance between prey and predator. One quick bite left the Ninja model in pieces and the fortress sentry with 800 less lifepoints. "Salamangreat Wolvie! Duelittle Chimera! Direct attack!" Both flaming beasts rammed their bodies into the front gate and its dueling sentry, knocking him down from his tower and sending it falling into the pit. "Heh. Now you can start congratulating me." Tycho smirked. The gates of the unguarded castle started to open, he had found the way forward.

Karakuri's LP: 0

And it was the same with Zettai and Heleil, who managed to wipe out their own opponents who blocked the way into the castle. "This is too easy." Charles did not feel good about this at all. "The Shintaros have to be better defended than this." And as he spoke of the devil, it appeared..

"Congratulations on making it passed stage one." A screen popped up in the air, projected by the downed Karakuri drone. "I did not expect you to storm the front gates so brazenly. I would commend you for your recklessness, but you are not here for praise." A man appeared on that screen, a face that Charles and Zettai and the others had not seen before, but the Fisherman had. "Is that.." Zettai turned to the ADI, who nodded back at her. "Yes, it is him." He was mister Shintaro.

"We came here for a lot of things, Mister Shintaro. But we did not come here to play games!" Charles shouted. Something about this felt frustratingly similar to the way Static always dealt with them. "Ah yes, Charles Adami. My daughter spoke a great deal about you. You were one of many duelists responsible for giving her the foolish delusion that one could defy their fate. But you cannot even see that every move you have made has not been your own. We know you are not here because of your own desires." Shintaro spoke with a stern voice and a completely expressionless face. Resentment only came through in his choice of words.

"It does not matter how we got here! You should be more worried about what we're gonna do next! I am here too, Shintaro! If you know about him, you know about me!" Tycho shouted. "There is only one reason I am here! The truth! And I am comin' straight for you to squeeze the answers out of you!" He did not come all this way just to listen to him talk to someone else. "How colorful. Yet you do not have much of a choice, the stage is already set. If you want the truth about what happened to your friend, Tycho Rivers. You will need to keep going down the path we charted out. The same applies to you Zettai, if you desire to claim the World Chalice or to rescue Nakana Shintaro from our stronghold. We want to see what you can do, how far you can go. You should not disappoint us, or her." A strange sort of smile crept up on his face, one that nobody could really describe or claim to have seen before. "Good luck." He folded his arms behind his back and closed off the screen, leaving the seven duelists to their new terrain.

"Damn it! You think you can get away!?" Tycho immediately rushed through the gates, only to find another set of gates waiting on the other side of the wall.. and no Karakuris guarded it this time. "Again? What do they want from us?" He felt like a rat in a maze. "Maybe this is not the way in. Or maybe there is no way inside at all." Crescent suggested and wondered if they had to think more out-of-the-box to proceed. "Well if we have turn this whole place upside down to find them, we will. They made a big mistake, they admitted guilt. So whatever they do now, I will never let them escape..."

(To Be Continued in World 057: Last Chance to Leave Purgatory)

New Cards used by Tycho Rivers
Salamangreat Fowl
Salamangreat Foxer
Salamangreat Beat Bison

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Salamangreat Mirage Stallio

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Rising Fire

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Salamangreat Rage

Cards used by Shintaro Unit 0177DX
TOTAL DEFENSE FORCE

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Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 "Ninishi"
Karakuri Watchdog mdl 313 "Saizan"
Karakuri Gama mdl 4624 "Shirokunishi"
Karakuri Soldier mdl 236 "Nisamu"
Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 "Inashichi"
Karakuri Bonze mdl 9763 "Kunamzan"
Karakuri Ninja mdl 919 "Kuick"

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Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 "Burei"
Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X "Bureido"
Karakuri Super Shogun mdl 00N "Bureibu"

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Karakuri Cash Cache
Karakuri Anatomy
Karakuri Gama Oil

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Karakuri Cash Inn
Karakuri Cash Shed