World 080: Conditions for Functional Living
"You came back? You're bolder than I thought! Or did you wait until Static as gone to sneak back in?" When Wagnerok saw Baron Schwarzwald waltz into the upper levels of the tower beyond, only one thought came to his mind: retribution. "Wagnerok.. If you want to duel me for the shield, you will be sorely disappointed. I no longer have it." Inversely, the black baron seemed to have no appetite for a duel at all this time. "What!? Did you lose it already? I take it back! You're stupider than I thought you were!" Wagnerok did not exactly believe Schwarzwald and even if he did, he still wanted to punish him for what he did. "Perhaps I am. But right now you should be more concerned about Static not being present. I have an inkling our enemies will use this chance to strike.." Schwarzwald noted. "A strike? Here? They would have the.."
"This is a message for everyone inside! Please do not get in the way of me and my friends. Do not fight or hurt anyone else either!"
"Gah what the...What in the nine hells was that?" Wagnerok howled as a voice echoed throughout every part of the tower. "That was... Echo's voice." Both Schwarzwald and Wagnerok felt their bodies slow down, and the baron realized why. "She found a way to reach us even in here." The girl in blue told them to be like this, and they could not resist her demands. "Then this is your fault! I would not be in this mess if you hadn't taken my shield away! And now they're attacking us! Your tip did not even come on time!" The only pleasure Wagnerok took from this was the fact that the black baron shared his condition. "Right now it seems like our best option is to stay out of the way." Schwarzwald looked out the window and spotted hundred ADIs flying down towards the ground around them. "Let's see if Scarlet has a better view." He turned his back on Wagnerok and walked off. "Hey!" Wagnerok tried to issue a challenge with his dueldisk before the baron left his sight, but Echo's order prevented him from taking that action as well. "Damn her! Damn him! Damn it all!"
...
"Looks like that program worked." It always felt good to see ones work pay off. Thanks to his visor, Vigionair could see straight through the perceptive barriers around the tower. So could the dozen duelists at his side: the champions, Echo, her friends and Crescent. Meanwhile they were all hidden from sight thanks to his own improved stealth tech. "I hope I said the right thing." And thanks to a sound amplification tool, Echo could broadcast her already more powerful voice through the walls of every virtual construct. Everyone within a mile could hear her command.
"I think your sentence was fine." Crescent was not aware of any consequences of Echo's words, which she took as a good sign. "And now we will see, if our cloak also works." V concluded.. as a swarm of duel monsters and duelists emerged from the tower. Fortunately the many researchers on the virtual island had already retreated to a safe distance in anticipation of the impending military strike. "I just we have enough time..."
...
GigaSaviorSefirot and Cryomatic, their avatars were destroyed by ADIs controlled by the Crown. It happened so early on, that Charles simply never committed their names to memory. But now they were here in the flesh, attacking him in his own home. He led himself to believe he'd challenged Static Void, instead Charles wound up attacking one of them. "Why don't we make this a team battle?" The element of surprise already also allowed the invisible Hydra to submit a challenge to the other. "If it will help us end this quicker, then I will accept your help." Charles did not want to spend too much time here, not with Static running around out there. "Heh. I will try to not break anything."
Home Team's LP: 16000
Team Reborn's LP: 16000
-TURN 01-
"Do not fool yourself into thinking you can converse freely while ignoring us, Charles and Hydra! We accept your challenge, but we will still be victorious!" GigaSavior the angelic duelist took the first turn. She normal summoned a divine fairy(2/500/300) [Zone 2] with braided brown hair in white hood and robes. "Behold the first sign of your inevitable misery! The Diviner of the Heralds! Her power sends one angel from tomorrow into the past!" With that she basically meant that her Diviner could send a fairy-type monster from the deck or extra deck to the graveyard to absorb its levels. "I send the Herald of the Arclight from my extra deck! Why? Because that synchro monster may take one ritual monster or spell from the deck when it dies!" As Arc Light's starlight flowed through the Diviner(6/500/300), the Herald itself added a Cyber Angel Idaten ritual monster to her hand. Her next move spoke for itself. "I invoke the Machine Angel Ritual! The Diviner shall be the sacrifice.. for Cyber Angel Idaten!" The diviner with her segmented wings transformed into a masked warrior fairy(6/1600/2000) [Zone 4] in a pink leotard, who also wore a crimson cape and cowl.
"I see, so you're a ritual specialist like Bionis." Hydra was starting to remember why he'd forgotten her. "Bionis was an amateur compared to me! Behold what I can do with a single ceremony! Idaten takes one ritual spell from the deck!" She shouted as loud as she could as she added another Machine Angel Ritual to her hand. "And when Diviner herself becomes a sacrifice, she allows me to summon one level two or lower angel from my deck! I choose the Cyber Egg Angel!" A glass egg(2/300) [Zone 2] summoned itself to the field: and egg that cracked open in a honeycomb pattern and spawned two green angel wings. "The Cyber Egg Angel can add one Machine Angel spell to my hand! I choose the Ritual Sanctuary! Because the time has come to construct our ark!" The Ritual Sanctuary, which she promptly activated, was a field spell that traded spells in the hand for LIGHT fairy monsters in the deck. She discarded the Absolute Machine Angel Ritual spell and added Cyber Angel Benten to her hand.
"Hrm.. You remind me more of that guy with the Darklords.. than Khan. If I am honest" Charles sighed. Then again with a name like GigaSaviorSefirot, he should not have expected her to be straight minded. "You mean Samaelectric? Hmph, he was once my rival to be. But he was a fool. He thought he could stave off the end of the world by siding with the fallen angels! But I am on the side of purity! And you can be too, Charles! I activate Merciful Machine Angel! This magic sacrifices one cyber angel in my hand, to grant me two cards from my deck. However I must return one card to the depths of the deck afterwards!" Her merciful spell claimed the life of Benten, for the sake of a triple pull. "I see.. Benten's effect." Hydra noticed it easily. Savior did not just draw twice with the spell itself; a tributed Cyber Angel Benten could add a LIGHT fairy-monster to the hand. She chose the Cyber Angel Dakini and returned her second Machine Angel Ritual spell to the deck. "You seem to know a lot of names." Charles remarked.
"Of course. I memorized every name of any duelist I came across. I remember all of you as well! Everyone who was invited to the arena beyond! Yet you did not even deem me worthy of that same honor! Forgetfulness is another sin, Charles Adami... Now, to finish the sanctum! I activate Incarnated Machine Angel and re-activate Ritual Sanctuary!" The last spell of her turn would be a continuous spell, and the last spell effect would be her field spell's. "Ritual Sanctuary banishes spells from the graveyard, to revive one angel of the light whose level equals the amount of spells banished! I choose none other than the Diviner of Heralds!" Savior placed her reborn Herald angel [Zone 1] right next to the Egg angel, to make it easier to sweep them both away. "And now I link summon the Herald of Mirage Lights!" Two monsters with the same type and attribute were its link materials. Like all other Heralds, the Mirage Light angel possessed an inhuman form of red light that was constrained by rounded and hollow armor(600/LINK 2) {Downleft/Downright} [Extra Zone 2]. Wings floated behind its halo-like torso, and arms around it. "Henceforth, we are protected from your evil!" She declared as she placed one spell card down on her field.
-TURN 02-
"Guarded from our evil? I wonder what you base your judgment on, miss Savior. The same goes for you, Cryomatic. Our paths never crossed." Hydra reminded them. "We did not have. Static told us enough." Cryomatic rasped with his shivering voice. "Well, for your sake I also hope he told you how I duel. Otherwise you will never be ready. You already made some missteps. Since you control a link monster, I can special summon Gateway Dragon from my hand! In turn it can special summon one other lowlevel dragon!" The thin three-armed Dragon(4/1600/1400) [Zone 2] appeared right in front of the Mirage Light Herald and opened the hexagonal golden gate behind its back. The gate summoned one of the many dragons in the duelist's hand: the transforming red missile dragon Rokket Tracer(4/1600/1000) [Zone 3]. "Rokket Tracer can destroy one card on my field to special summon another Rokket Dragon from my deck!" The tracing bullet turned left and fired itself into Gateway Dragon. Though that dragon got blasted to smithereens, it was soon replaced by a brand new and also volatile ExplodeRokket Dragon(7/2000/2000) [Zone 2] "So you wield bullets as if they were beasts? Your very nature screams sin!"
"I am sure I committed some sins in my time. Mostly ones that involve turning my back on those who wanted to call me a friend. But if it is redemption you think you are offering, you need to think twice. Link summon, Quadborrel Dragon! The materials are one Dark Dragon and one Rokket Dragon!" Hydra blasted both ExplodeRokket and Rokker Tracer into the atmosphere, and sent them crashing down as a chrome-colored chamber dragon(1000/LINK 2) {Left/Down} [Extra Zone 2] with wings of green light and arms modeled after double barrel shotguns. "Quadborrel Dragon can destroy one link monster on the field if I discard one card from my hand! And then it can special summon a number of Rokket Dragons from the graveyard equal to the link rating of the destroyed link monster!" Hydra loaded one monster (DMZ Dragon) into the Quadshooter and aimed both barrels right at the Mirage Herald. "Your Herald can negate spells and traps, but it is helpless against monster effects!"
"You have made one misstep as well, Hydra! I know nothing of your cards, but you did not learn enough of mine either! Including my skill! I activate the Light of All Colors!" Savior cried out, and incinerated Quadborrel Dragon where it stood with a blast of light too pure for it.
Light of all Colors, Skill Card
Activate when a monster activates its effect; increase its ATK by 1000 and, if that monster is DARK, negate the effect and destroy it.
"She specifically counters dark monsters?" Charles did not see that coming. "I expected some resistance. Fortunately, I always come prepared." Hydra jumped back into the game with his normal summon.. of Rokket Synchron(1/0/0) [Zone 2]. "Rokket Synchron is a tuner monster, who can summon a highlevel Dark dragon from my graveyard!" The tuner brought back seven whole stars worth of materials in the form of Exploderokket Dragon [Zone 3]. "That means I can now synchro summon Borreload Savage Dragon!" The tiny synchron soared through the seven synchronic rings that it projected by tuning itself with the exploder. "What the.." At the end of the light both dragons transformed into a dragon that Charles had not seen yet: a white and red Borreload(3000/2500) [Extra Zone 2]. "Yes, you are not the only one to make synchros for yourself..Charles. The Savage Dragon equips one of my destroyed link monsters to absorb half of its attackpower. It will also gain Borrel Counters equal to that monsters link rating." Only the Quadborrel Dragon could be fastened to the synchro Borrel dragon(3500/2500) (2 Borrel counters). "Borreload! Attack Cyber Angel Idaten!"
"Another failure in the making, Hydra! Incarnated Machine Angel will.." Instinctively, GigaSavior reached for her continuous spell. "Don't! That card, it can negate one effect each turn by removing its Borrel counters!" Fortunately for her, she had a partner to make her see the flaw in that defense "What? Then I.." Though she felt grateful for Cryomatic's advice, it did mean that she would have to just stand there and watch Idaten die. Borreload Savage Dragon made quick work of the angel with a shot of raw energy fired from its mouth.
Team Reborn's LP: 14100
"You are observant as well, Cryomatic. But either way, I would have found my mark." With a closed fist gesture, Hydra shattered the Quadborrel Dragon equipment. "We have reached the end of the damage step, which is when I can activate the effect of the DMZ Dragon in my graveyard. If I banish it, and destroy all cards equipped to my monster that battled..." Borreload Savage(3000/2500)'s head slowly moved towards a new mark: Herald of the Mirage Lights. "That monster can attack again!" He released the second shot with even more speed and savagery, and let it tear the red light angel up into metal shards and flickering sparks. "You limited my damage output, for that I commend you. But the advantage goes to us now." Hydra ended the turn by placing two of his traps face down on the field.
Team Reborn's LP: 11700
-TURN 03-
"We'll see how long that advantage lasts." Cryomatic coughed. The time came for him to break the ice. "This game is all about pressure, you just gotta hit the weak points. Your synchro dragon for instance, can only use its effect once a turn! Ergo, you have no choice but to waste that counter now! I activate Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier! It reveals three Ice Barrier monsters in his hand to destroy your card!" A triad of Ice Barrier monsters (Mirror Master, General Wayne, General Gantala) formedan icy triangle around the Borreload Dragon. "Hm, this is unexpected. These are not the cards you used before." Hydra gave up one of the Savage Dragon's counters to cancel the magic's effect and shatter the triangle. But like his opponent said, he could not do that again. "Well spotted! In my last duel, I wielded the Monarchs. But that was a duel that cost me more than I would have liked to lose. Unlike some, I have no problem distancing myself from my own weaknesses. And that deck was one of them. As a result I have robbed you of another advantage!"
"I summon the Mirror Master of the Ice Barrier! It can discard a card to special summon one Ice Barrier-tuner from the deck!" The first visiting member of the Ice clan was a young redhaired witch(4/1700/1000) [Zone 2] who wore a shoulderless dress and cape made out of thin sheets of ice. She waved her shell-scepter around to cast the effect of summoning: and created a newt-sized blue ice lizard(1/400/2000) [Zone 6]. "This card, Frost Spirit of the Ice Barrier, sends one level three or lower Ice Barrier monster from my deck to the graveyard. And its level changes to match that monster's." This time Cryomatic discarded the Attendant of the Ice Barrier, a level 2 monster, to boost Frost Spirit(2/400/2000)'s level. "And when we both control monsters, and mine is an Ice Barrier monster, I can special summon General Wayne of the Ice Barrier from my hand! Its effect adds one more Ice Barrier card to my hand!" The middle member of the previous trifecta, the muscular ice armor knight Wayne(5/2100/400) [Zone 9] now appeared on the field to complete a new team-up. "I add Clear Wall of the Ice Barrier to my hand! And then.. with my three current monsters, I will synchro summon Trishula, Subzero Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"
A cold climate was about to set in, as the Frost Spirit tuner synchronized itself with the Mirror Master and Ice General. A hurricane of ice broke out when the eleven stars collided and created a three-headed and ice-plated dragon(11/2700/2000) [Extra Zone 4] at the heart of the storm. "So you would match my synchro with yours." Hydra noted that this upgraded version of Trishula could banish three of his cards at once upon summon, which forced him into action again. "But yours will share Borreload Dragon's fate, Cryomatic. When a monster is summoned, Torrential Tribute destroys all monsters on the field!" Hydra created a tidal wave to counter the blizzard that came to bury his field in ice. "And I activate Fighting Dirty! When two or more cards on the field are destroyed by the same card effect, both players will draw two cards!" Both traps got off their effects in time; and the Torrential waters managed to drown the three-headed Ice Dragon while every duelist drew twice. "Fighting Dirty you say?" Charles could not say that he'd ever seen Hydra use cards like that either. "I figured this trap would be of more use to those who fight together."
"To take these cards, makes me feel dirty." Savior said with a shivering tone, as she and Cryomatic both drew their own cards. "But take them we shall. Cards are just cards and he will come to regret this generosity... And his destructive tactics!" Or perhaps his partner was shivering due to the still prevalent ice storm. "When Subzero Trishula is destroyed, I can special summon Trishula the Dragon of the Ice Barrier from my extra deck with its attackpoints increased!" Even cutting off three heads at once would not be good enough. The original Trishula(9/3300/2000) [Extra Zone 4] entered the eye of the blizzard, distinguishable from its Subzero form due to its blockier armor plates and lack of spinal spikes.
"I shall also activate Clear Wall of the Ice Barrier, which special summons one level four or lower Ice Barrier monster from my graveyard upon activation." He chose the Attendant of the Ice Barrier, an ice-masked warrior priest(2/500/300) [Zone 7] wielding a frost sword. "The Attendant can be tributed to summon one level five or higher Ice Barrier monster from the graveyard. I choose General Gantala!" The swordsman gave up his life for a shirtless monk fighter(7/2700/2000) [Zone 8] with the mark of the ice barriers on his bald head. "During the endphase, Gantala may special summon one Ice Barrier monster from my graveyard. But that is an effect for later. For now, let us take back the lead!" Cryomatic eyed both opposing duelists. "Gantala attacks Charles Adami and Trishula attacks Hydra!" He divided the attacks of the ice gauntlet puncher and the three-headed ice flame dragon, knocking down Charles and giving Hydra a severe case of frostbite.
Home Team's LP: 10000
"Hey! Stop this!" Charles accepted the pain. What he could not accept was the damage done to his house. Each blast left a layer of frost on every part of the living room, impaled furniture with icicles and shattered framed photos. "No we will not! This is what is what you deserve!" Savior laughed out loud. "Damn it, the people who live here have nothing to do with this! And you do not get to tell me what I deserve! I've done more than you can know!" Charles cried out, frustrated that these people could not see beyond their own hate. "That is precisely why! You did what we should have done! You were always the outside, and yet we were the first ones to fall? It is unacceptable! If that fool had not overpowered me, we could have solved this crisis a lot sooner. But now I don't care anymore. All that I care about is proving to you that I am your better! To both of you!" Cryomatic placed one trap card face down and moved through the endphase. During that phase, General Gantala revived the Subzero Dragon Trishula [Zone 7] right behind the other three-headed ice dragon. "My turn ends here!"
-TURN 04-
"Ugh. At this rate.." The duel cost Charles more than he bargained for. He had to end it quickly. "I summon Linkslayer!" Their spells and traps would need to be broken first, and the bronze lynx cyberse(5/2000/600) [Zone 7] could destroy both at once. "Then I activate the Pulse of Trishula!" Alas, Linkslayer could just never seem to catch a break. "Since I control two Ice Barrier synchro monsters, I can activate two effects of this trap! The first banishes one card on your field and other second targets one in your graveyard!" The six heads of Trishula launched their absolute zero energy across the floor and froze Linkslayer from head to claw. The second pulse caught Quadborrel Dragon in the graveyard and permanently put that one on ice as well. "You will not escape our judgment, Charles!"
"I do not have time to be judged." Charles cursed. The one he wanted to judge would sitll be out there, looking for his family and friends. "I summon Swap Cleric and Backlinker!" That did not mean he would have to go over every little thing like how Backlinker the radar dish-tail gremlin(3/1600/0) [Zone 6] could be special summoned if there were no monsters in his extra zone yet. Or how his hovering goggle wizard Swap Cleric(2/500/1000) [Zone 7] could draw a card for its user whenever it became a link material. Though this effect did weaken the link summoned monster first. "And I link summon Clock Spartoi!" His plans would become clear soon enough anyway, when he created the silver and gold lancer knight(800/LINK 2) {Down/Downleft} [Extra Zone 3]. Because Clock Spartoi's effect added one spell to his hand and nothing else: Cynet Fusion. "Fusion? Just when I thought I had one up on you." Hydra let out a chuckle as he realized their minds were quite alike. Though Charles' plans were even bigger than that.
"There will be more, Hydra... I activate Cynet Optimize to normal summon Code Generator!" His next continuous spell allowed him to normal summon two cyberse in one turn, so he could put down the miniature version of the orange transcode knight: Code Generator(3/1300/500) [Zone 6]. Soon after Charles activated Link-Infra Flyer's effect to special summon the cyberse kite(2/0/1800) [Zone 7] from his hand to a zone marked by his link monster. "Link summon! Code Talker Inverted!" Both these cyberse monsters could be used as link materials for the white trident-wielding cyberknight(1300/LINK 2) {Left/Right} [Zone 7], who would special summon a cyberse from Charles' hand to its left or right. Yet at the same time, Code Generator could add a cyberse monster (Clock Wyvern) to Charles' hand if it left the field as a link material for a Code Talker. He could simply resolve the latter effect before summoning that same Clock Wyvern(4/1800/1000) [Zone 8] card to his field. And by halving its attack, Clock Wyvern would create one clock-token(1/0/0) [Zone 10]. "What in heavens name?" The more Savior watched, the more she got lost in the sea of cyberse effects.
"In Adami's name, Savior." Charles raced on, using Clock Wyvern and Inverted Code Talker as materials for the real Transcode Talker(2300/LINK 3) {Up/Down/Right} [Zone 7]. Subsequently, Transcode used its own power to resurrect Clock Spartoi [Zone 8]. "Link summon, RasterLiger! The materials are two plus nontoken monsters!" And finally, Charles could enter the fourth link circuit. Inverted Code Talker combined with Clock Spartoi to create the white tiger(2000/LINK 4) {Left/Up/Down/Right} [Zone 8] with its camerascope-cyborg armor. "And now that I control a link 4 monster, I can do this! I activate Link Hole and destroy two cards on the field!" The RasterLiger stomped its foot down on the ground and opened up a large pit beneath Trishula and Trishula. "Rgh. So that's how.." Cryomatic's Clear Wall would not work if he controlled only one Ice Barrier monster, and he could save neither of the fallen dragons.
"No. This is how! I activate Cynet Fusion! And fusion summon Diplexer Chimera by fusing two cyberse monsters!" Because he controlled no monsters in his extra zone, he could even use a link monster in his graveyard as a link material. Clock Spartoi got banished while the Clock token disappeared to transform into a winged cybernetic beast with a golden lions head(5/2000/800) [Zone 9], a silver eagle head and a green serpent tail. "If Diplexer Chimera leaves the field, I can add Cynet Fusion back to my hand as well as one cyberse monster. And RasterLiger can tribute any monster he points towards, to destroy one card on the field" His chimeric cyborg promptly split up into several components. One of them got loaded into RasterLiger's scope and blasted off to annihilate General Gantala. The other pieces converted back into the fusion spell and his Clock Wyvern monster. "Now, I can fuse Clock Wyvern in my hand.. and any link monsters I may have, to fusion summon Cyberse Clock Dragon!"
(To Be Continued in World 081: To He Who Waits)
New Cards used by Hydra
Rokket Tracer
DMZ Dragon
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Quadborrel Dragon
New Cards used by Charles Adami
Code Generator
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Diplexer Chimera
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Link Hole
Cards used by GigaSaviorSefirot
LIGHT OF ALL COLORS
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Diviner of the Heralds
Cyber Angel Idaten
Cyber Egg Angel
Cyber Angel Benten
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Herald of the Arc Light
Herald of the Mirage Light
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Machine Angel Ritual
Ritual Sanctuary
Merciful Machine Angel
Incarnated Machine Angel
New Cards used by Cryomatic
Mirror Master of the Ice Barrier
Frost Spirit of the Ice Barrier
General Wayne of the Ice Barrier
Attendant of the Ice Barrier
General Gantala of the Ice Barrier
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Trishula, Subzero Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
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Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier
Clear Wall of the Ice Barrier
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Pulse of Trishula