#6: Angels Shrouded In Shadows
"Hey, hey, Shi-chan."
The blonde girl on the ground looks up, a smile on her face. "Mi-chan," she says in a singsong voice. "Fancy seeing you here." The pale-haired girl cringes as she puts down her school bag, sitting down on the grass as well, stretching out her feet and letting out a yawn.
"Don't let that awful nickname spread."
"Too bad, too bad. Seika let you spread the one that you made up for her. An eye for an eye, you know? It's what people say in those terrible anti-hero movies that you watch all the time." 'Mi-chan' rolls her eyes before she leans down and takes out her phone. 'Shi-chan' turns over, seeing the screen that pops out.
"Oh, come on. You're looking up that card game again?"
"Mmm, yeah. Don't shame me for it, this game's my childhood. They got a new set out, and there's some cute ones in it. Fairies and such. Jun's excited about it."
"That's because your brother is obsessed."
The white-haired girl smirks. "Do I look like I'm denying it? Also, you say that like I'm not obsessed. Oh, Doremichord…" She frowns. "That genuinely sounds like a terrible name. Why."
"I think it sounds spectacular," the blonde girl says with a laugh. "So, want to teach me how to play?"
There is a moment of silence, before the white-haired girl looks back up. "Wait, you want to learn?"
The blonde nods.
The white-haired girl cheerfully stands up.
What colour is your hair?
"Come on! I know a shop nearby! They sell Structure Decks and stuff! I can teach you right now!" She practically skips off, with (the blonde girl) the white-haired girl watching from behind her with a wry smile. She laughs, and she follows.
Stop.
"You're too happy about this," she says to her friend.
What colour is that friend's hair?
"Why wouldn't I be?" Her friend says. "I'm getting to teach you about the thing I love the most!"
Do you even remember what colours were in that world?
"Shut up," the girl murmurs, and her friend frowns.
"Huh?"
"No, not you."
There's a lot of things wrong with this dream that you've made for yourself. You know that.
"This isn't a dream," she says. "I'm happy. I'm actually happy."
And it's been so long since you were happy that way, right? Able to be carefree. What a wonderful life you must lead.
Her friend slowly turns and looks her in the eyes.
"Are you?"
You dream of a lie, girl.
Her friend has a hole in her forehead, and there is smoke and blood all around them, a hole in her forehead. "You only wish that this was real," she says. "You only wish that this is how things worked out. I never got to teach you anything, Shi-chan, because you left me behind."
"That wasn't my fault! Stop it!"
"Let me dream." That's what you want to beg me for, right?
No.
"Or is that really your name?" Both girls stare at each other. "What is the colour of your hair? What was your name? In our world, what were you?"
"I don't want to hear anymore."
"That's too bad. I died for you, you know. Who's to say that you didn't take in some of me? What if you're both of us now? What if you stole my name and walked on with it? Do you think it's a coincidence that you took the body of a girl called Shiroshi Mitsuba? Do you?"
"It is," she says. "It's all a coincidence. I can't control that. I couldn't control anything."
Her 'friend' smiles. "What if I'm the only reason you're still alive?" She says.
"Stop it!" She screams again, and this time?
She wakes up.
Mitsuba lets out a sharp gasp as she stares at the dark ceiling of her room. Ah. No one comes in, meaning that she didn't scream out loud this time. That's good.
Why are all these nightmares coming back again?
This dream, especially…
Mitsuba stands up, a little shaky, and she steps outside, sitting in the grassy area, though it is brighter than the one in her dreams. She looks at the sky.
"So maybe I'm not over it," she mutters. "Maybe I'm just—"
She falls silent.
She takes out her decks, glancing at them under dull, yellow lamp light.
"I am Shiroshi Mitsuba," she says to herself.
So why do I still feel sick?
She takes a sick day from school, and waves her family off by claiming that she just wants a little more sleep. She hopes that Kaiyō and the others can enjoy going for Duel Club while she's gone.
Shiryō flies out of her duel disk once her brother and her mum leave the room.
"I saw you last night," she says, tilting her head. "You looked terrified."
"I was," Mitsuba says, deciding not to lie. "I was terrified."
"What happened?"
Mitsuba stares at her hands. "I went through quite a few things," she says. "That's all, really. I guess it's the same for you." She sighs. "Want to go wander around VRAINS for a bit? Most people are at work or in school, so we'll be fine."
Shiryō nods, but she still looks worried. "Ok, but please take care, alright? I don't want you to be sad…" She flies back into the duel disk as Mitsuba picks it up.
You're too kind to me.
"Into the VRAINS!"
Sable Luna emerges in the blue world of VRAINS, and she soars through the air, enjoying the wind. It's not as… realistic as wind in real life, but it's something cool. She twirls around, and she smiles, content. VRAINS is quieter now.
"Oh, good. It's you, Sable Luna."
She turns around to see a familiar figure there. "Oh, Blue Angel. It's you." She gives a quick curtsy, and Blue Angel laughs. "Don't you have school today?"
Blue Angel nods. "Well, I have a break around now, so I decided to come in here."
"I see."
"Anyway, that's really hypocritical of you, Luna. Shouldn't you have school?"
"Oh, I took a sick day today," she says. "I didn't really feel well this morning. Got a little better though, which is why I came online. Wanted to hang out a bit."
"I see," Blue Angel says, a soft smile on her face. She pats Sable Luna's shoulder. "Get well soon, then. I have a friend coming so…"
"Oh, a friend?"
"That's right," she hears a voice from behind her. "A good friend of hers."
Sable Luna turns around—and she freezes. She takes a moment to take a deep breath and calm herself down a little, before she narrows her eyes. "I've never seen anyone design a more obviously evil avatar," she says. "You're not actually Blue Angel's friend, are you?" The person has red hair in two different shades, and a white, sleek suit-like piece of clothing. Over her left eye, she has a familiar grey half-mask, and she's staring forward at Sable Luna with a slightly cold smile. "That's a Hanoi mask. No… that's just Hanoi, isn't it? You're…"
"That's right," the woman says. "I'm Baira." She glances at Blue Angel. "She's been infected with one of Hanoi's viruses, and I edited it. She can no longer see you or me." She glances up. "Win in a duel, and I'll give you the anti-virus. Fail, and I'll infect you too."
"So you want me to duel you?" Sable Luna says. "I say—"
"Not me," Baira says. She turns back, before a man emerges from nearby on a Duel Board. He has dark hair in a ponytail, with grey and blue streaks, and he has a similar mask over his eye as well. He's dressed in a loose dark blue shirt and white pants, twin red stripes on the right side of the long pants. He sweeps his fringe aside with a frown. "I'm busy, unfortunately. So my comrade here will entertain you."
"Don't use the word 'entertain', it's clearly overused, and it doesn't apply here either." The man sighs. "You sure about this? White Reaper specifically said that we were not to hurt her."
Who is…
"White Reaper is far too soft," Baira says. "I'll wait on you, so don't play too long."
He nods, and she flies off. Sable Luna raises her duel disk.
"I'm not going to lose to you," she says. "And whatever it takes, I'll bring Blue Angel back!"
I'm not leaving anyone behind again.
I'm stronger than that.
"Who are you?" She says after a moment.
"I'm Greystorm," he says. "One of the Commanders of the Knights of Hanoi. And I don't know what you did to make Baira and Spectre so against you, but either way, it doesn't matter to me. I'll take you down, Sable Luna."
There is nothing else to say, and so they both flare up their duel disks, before they zoom off on their Duel Boards, purple data swirling around them as their boards are supported by the storm.
[SPEED DUEL!]
Sable Luna: 4000LP
Greystorm: 4000LP
I'm surprised that someone with such an emo avatar didn't just name himself Battlestorm and be done with it. Maybe he didn't want to be named after the card, but the point still stands.
"I'll start," Greystorm says, zooming forward. Sable Luna follows after him, frowning as she zooms between the buildings in front. "I'll Normal Summon Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds!" (4*/1000/1000/WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect) A green statue appears, green feathers glowing brightly as a magical circle emerges around it. Sable Luna blinks.
A Barrier Statue?
Oh, that is… particularly deadly in a duel like this.
Back in their world, she'd had a pair of friends who'd been playing since their childhoods. She knows that one of them played an anti-meta deck, with Barrier Statues and handtraps, and swapped in some Artifacts and so on depending on what she thought she might need. It often pissed off her other friend.
So she can't Special Summon anything but WIND monsters, huh? That statue can't be anything but a WIND-Attribute monster, obviously.
"I'll set a card," Greystorm says. "Over to you, Sable Luna."
She blinks, before she picks up her next card, adding it to her hand and glancing at it. "Alright! I'll Normal Summon Synthetic Seraphim - Winged Boots!" (3*/1700/1000/LIGHT/Machine/Flip/Effect) The pair of bright boots appear in her leftmost Main Monster Zone.
Synthetic Seraphim - Winged Boots
(3*/1700/1000/LIGHT/Machine/Flip/Effect)
FLIP: Special Summon 1 "Synthetic Seraphim" monster from the Deck in facedown Defence Position. Once per turn, you can activate this effect: This card becomes a Fairy monster until the End Phase.
She could have set it, but it has lower defence points, and she'd rather get rid of that statue now. If she can protect her monster…
"I'll set a pair of cards," she says. Decisions and Synthetic Seraphim should be able to keep her monster safe until her turn, right? Right. She points forward. "Take it down, Winged Boots!"
The machine flies forward, kicking the statue and causing the seal to crack. Then, seconds later, the entire statue crumbles into sparkling dust, falling around them.
Greystorm: 4000 - 700 = 3300LP
"I'll end my turn—"
"During your End Phase," Greystorm says, "I'll activate my Skill."
Already?
"Storm of Battle!"
Storm of Battle
(Skill)
During your opponent's End Phase, if you control no monsters: You can discard 1 Winged Beast monster from your hand; destroy all Spell/Trap cards that your opponent controls, then, gain 500LP for each card that was destroyed by this effect. You can only activate this Skill once per Duel.
"You played right into my hands," Greystorm says. "It's not surprising. You thought that since you couldn't Special Summon, you could just Normal Summon a strong monster and defend it, since there's no Main Phase 2. Then, you could use it as material for a Link Summon or Xyz Summon next turn. And to defend it, you'd set as many of your cards as you could." He flips over a card in his hand. "Since I control no monsters, I can discard a Winged Beast to destroy all of your Spells and Traps, and I can gain five hundred life points for each!"
Sable Luna's eyes widen, before wind blows out around her, and she nearly falls off her Duel Board as her cards shatter. As she struggles to balance herself though, a hand grabs her and steadies her. She turns to see Greystorm pulling on her arm, before he lets go and moves on ahead of her again.
"Hey…"
"Don't get the wrong idea," he says. "You don't mean anything to me. But I'm already disobeying one of the other Knights, and if you fall down and end up suffering some kind of trauma, that guy will kill the rest of us."
… that sounds both like a lie and the truth.
She doesn't understand.
A glow surrounds Greystorm, and his life points rise.
Greystorm: 3300 + 500 x 2 = 4300LP
"My turn," Greystorm says, drawing his next card. "I'll Normal Summon Simorgh, Bird of Bringing (2*/1000/1000/WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect) from my hand."
An orange bird emerges, feathers flaring out as it lets out a loud caw, fearlessly flying around Greystorm before it glares at her, landing on his shoulder.
"And when I Normal Summon him, I can add a 'Simorgh' card to my hand. And since you have no Spell or Trap cards, I can revive Simorgh, Bird of Calamity (3*/1500/200/WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect) from my graveyard!" A grey bird appears as well, giving her a feral look, one wilder than the orange bird. "Now, open, circuit of the swirling storm! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two Winged Beasts! I'll set my Bird of Bringing and Bird of Calamity in the Link Markers! Now, connections burn in the bright red feathers of the prideful! Form the bridge to the skies above, and fetch us the signs of divinity! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Simorgh, Bird of Connections!" (L2/1700/WIND/Winged-Beast/Link/Effect/↙, →)
Simorgh, Bird of Connections
(L2/1700/WIND/Winged-Beast/Link/Effect/↙, →)
2 Winged Beast monsters
If this card is Link Summoned, if your opponent controls less Spell/Trap cards than you do: Special Summon 1 Winged Beast monster used for the Link Summon of this monster to the Main Monster Zone that this card points to. If this card is sent to the GY for a Tribute or Link Summon of a "Simorgh" monster: Draw 1 card. You can only activate each effect of "Simorgh, Bird of Connections" once per turn.
A crimson bird emerges from the circuit with a loud call, and the winds blow stronger than ever. The bird's feathers gleam, before Sable Luna's empty Spell and Trap zones glow.
"Since you have less Spells and Traps than me," he says, "I can Special Summon a Winged Beast that was used for his Link Summon to a zone he points to. And guess what? Since Calamity banishes himself after reviving himself, I only have one target." The orange Bird of Bringing emerges behind the red bird, both swirling around each other. "And now, I will open the circuit again!"
Laddering, huh?
"Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are at least two monsters, including a Winged Beast! I'll set my Bird of Connections and my Bird of Bringing in the Link Markers! Now, holy bird that reigns over the sacred peaks of Elborz. Rage on with your furious storm and raze the unholy to the ground with divine rage! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty!" (L3/2400/WIND/Winged-Beast/Link/Effect/↓, ↙, ↘)
A large green bird emerges behind him, its four wings spreading out as a bright glow shines off the golden ring on its back. The wings flap, and VRAINS seems to shake. The buildings move a little, the artificial clouds in the sky shake. And then, even though this duel should just be aesthetic—
Rain starts to fall from the clouds, falling all around them.
"You know," Greystorm says, not looking her in the eyes, "I don't know why you're supposedly important to this narrative at all. Who are you?"
Sable Luna frowns, brushing raindrops off her duel disk. "I don't follow," she says quietly.
"As in, you're just an idol girl, right? I've seen what you do online, Sable Luna. You never put yourself out there, and you don't risk anything. Sure, you pretend to use that one Xyz of yours to look like you're willing to take attacks head-on, but… you're not really so. Flip Monsters that hide, Counter Traps that suppress, Fairies that summon Machines, Machines that summon Fairies in an entire loop. You are a mess that is searching for something reliable to lean on… that's the feeling I get from you, at least. I don't get why that AI chose you."
Sable Luna stays silent. Shiryō does not.
In fact, she speaks up very, very loudly.
"Hey!" The little dove calls. "Just cause you're blind doesn't mean I am!"
Greystorm doesn't pay Shiryō any mind, however, and he carries on with his turn.
"I'll have my Bird of Connections activate its effect. I can draw one card when it is used for a Link Summon or a Tribute Summon. I'll have my Bird of Sovereignty attack your monster!"
Sable Luna braces herself, and the winds blow by again, even colder than before.
Sable Luna: 4000 - 700 = 3300LP
"I'll end my turn. And since there are five open Spell and Trap card zones on our fields, I can Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Winged Beast monster to my field. So I'll Special Summon Wind Effigy!" (4*/1800/200/WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect)
Sable Luna looks at her deck. Then, she slowly reaches out a hand, plucking up her next card.
Shiryō laughs. "I don't know if you made a mistake," she says. "But either way, you're going to take a lot of damage this turn!"
"Huh?"
"She means that you could have brought out another Barrier Statue," Sable Luna says. "Either way, it doesn't matter." She touches her graveyard. "I'll banish a Counter Trap from my graveyard to activate my Skill too. Saint Synthesis!"
Saint Synthesis
(Skill)
Banish 1 Counter Trap from your GY: Special Summon 1 Flip Monster, or 1 Fairy monster from your GY in facedown Defence Position, but you can Flip Summon it this turn. You can only activate this Skill once per Duel.
"I'll revive Winged Boots in facedown Defence Position. And I can Flip Summon him this turn, so I will. I'll activate his effect to Special Summon another "Synthetic Seraphim" monster from my deck to my field facedown." She picks out a card from her deck, before Greystorm flips over his set card.
"I assume that you want to use Worktable to flip it then?" He shrugs. "Anti-Spell Fragrance. (Trap/Continuous) You need to set Spells before you can use them, and you can't activate Spells the turn you set them."
Oh.
She places the card down, and the set monster appears in front of her, before she casually sets Worktable as well. "I'll Normal Summon Synthetic Seraphim Halo," (3*/600/1200/LIGHT/Fairy/Effect) she says.
Synthetic Seraphim Halo
(3*/600/1200/LIGHT/Fairy/Effect)
Once per turn, you can activate this effect: This card becomes a Machine monster until the End Phase. If this card is Normal Summoned: You can Set a "Synthetic Seraphim" card from your Deck.
"I'll set a non-monster "Synthetic Seraphim" card from my deck," she says. "If you want to face Leitnin, I don't mind. Let's do that, then. Using the Level 3 Winged Boots and the Level 3 Halo, I will build the Overlay Network! Fast as the speed of light, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 3! Synthetic Seraphim Speed Saint - Leitnin!" (R3/1800/100/LIGHT/Fairy/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)
Synthetic Seraphim Speed Saint - Leitnin
(R3/1800/100/LIGHT/Fairy/Xyz/Effect)
2 Level 3 LIGHT monsters
If a monster you control attacks or is attacked by an opponent's monster: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; that attack becomes a direct attack, and after damage calculation, the monster your opponent controls which originally attacked or was attacked is destroyed. If a direct attack is declared while this card is on the field: After damage calculation, this card's ATK doubles until the End Phase of the turn after this effect is activated. You can only activate each effect of "Synthetic Seraphim Speed Saint - Leitnin" once per turn.
The shining fairy of lightning appears, and she points forward. "Leitnin. Conquer that sovereign!"
"Your dramatic nature is seeping through," Shiryō says.
Leitnin zooms forward with no hesitation and at the same time, Sable Luna removes one of the cards from under it.
"I will change Leitnin's attack to a direct attack," she says. "Lightning Bypass!" (Synthetic Seraphim Speed Saint - Leitnin: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1) The lightning flies around Leitnin, before her ace runs into Greystorm, nearly knocking him off the Duel Board too.
Greystorm: 4300 - 1800 = 2500LP
"And then, Leitnin can destroy the monster it attacked, and its attack points double until the End Phase." (Synthetic Seraphim Speed Saint - Leitnin: 1800 x 2 = 3600ATK)
Leitnin strikes, and the large bird disintegrates.
"Over to you," she says.
"Not bad," he says. "Of course, I don't think—"
"I didn't come here for a lecture," she says. "And I don't think a Knight of Hanoi has the right to tell me anything. Not when you crush buildings and act like you're doing good by hurting people who have no connection to any of you."
Greystorm stills for a brief moment. She sees the shock in his eyes when he looks back to her for a moment.
"I know a girl who talks in that way too," he says. "With so much naivete. Except that she's experienced hardship beyond anything I've seen anyone else go through, and you? You're just an idol girl."
He draws the top card of his deck. "I'll tribute Effigy and treat it as two tributes," he says. "Emerge now! Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry!" (8*/2900/2000/WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect)
A bright golden bird emerges, light gleaming off the storm below them as it beats its wings.
"And I'll return two cards you control to your hand! Your set card and your—"
Sable Luna flips over her set card, and a bolt of lightning shoots out, hitting the bird as it crumbles.
"Solemn Strike," (Trap/Counter) she says. "I pay one thousand and five hundred life points to negate your effect and destroy your monster."
He stares at her.
"You said my Traps suppress. So accept that fate, and be oppressed too."
Sable Luna: 3300 - 1500 = 1800LP
You're wrong.
You're absolutely wrong, Greystorm.
You know nothing about me. No one knows anything about Sable Luna. Because Sable Luna is who I am, is the person I am when I am not being Shiroshi Mitsuba.
And therefore…
You aren't talking about anything valid at all.
"You don't have the ability to use Spells right now," she says.
"Since you control no Spells or Traps," he says, "I can revive my Bird of Bringing. And I'll banish my Effigy from the graveyard to Special Summon Garuda the Wind Spirit." (4*/1600/1200/WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect)
"Two Winged Beasts…" Sable Luna murmurs.
"You're correct," he says. "I'll open my circuit again. Now, bird of indigo shadow, emerge from the windy valley and take on your divine form! Link Summon! Link 2! Simorgh, Bird of Serenity!" (L2/1900/WIND/Winged-Beast/Link/Effect/←, →)
Simorgh, Bird of Serenity
(L2/1900/WIND/Winged-Beast/Link/Effect/←, →)
2 Winged Beast monsters
Banish 1 Winged Beast Link Monster from your GY; add 1 WIND Winged Beast monster from your Deck to your hand, and this turn, you can perform 1 additional Normal Summon. You can only activate this effect of "Simorgh, Bird of Serenity" once per turn. While your opponent controls more monsters than you do, you do not need to tribute monsters for the Normal Summon of a Level 5 or higher Winged Beast monster.
A dark indigo bird emerges, orbs floating around it as its cobalt-purple feathers flutter in the breeze.
"That's…"
"This monster used to be called 'Mist Condor' before it was reborn as one of the Simorgh clan," Greystorm says. "It's much more powerful now. I'll banish my Bird of Connections from the graveyard to add a WIND Winged Beast monster from my deck to my hand. And now, I'll Normal Summon it! Alector, Sovereign of Birds!" (6*/2400/2000/WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect)
Oh, this one…
"And I'll activate Alector's effect! I'll negate Leitnin's effects so that it won't survive this! (Synthetic Seraphim Speed Saint - Leitnin: 3600 - 1800ATK) Now, attack that monster, Alector!"
The feathers crash down, and Sable Luna winces, cuts emerging all over her arms.
Sable Luna: 1800 - 600 = 1200LP
"I may not be able to take you out this turn, but I'll at least clear your field! Bird of Serenity!"
The card flips over.
"You talked a lot about my Flip Monsters too," she says. "So shouldn't you have expected this? Synthetic Seraphim - Golden Ring!" (3*/900/900/LIGHT/Machine/Flip/Effect) The sharp-edged golden ring appears, glowing with a thrumming blue energy.
Synthetic Seraphim - Golden Ring
(3*/900/900/LIGHT/Machine/Flip/Effect)
FLIP: Add 1 LIGHT monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn: This card becomes a Fairy monster until the End Phase. If there are at least 2 LIGHT monsters on the field: You can tribute this card; Special Summon 1 "Synthetic Seraphim" monster from your GY, other than "Synthetic Seraphim - Golden Ring".
"I'll add a LIGHT monster to my hand," she says.
"But your field is clear, like I promised. You can't do anything. I'll end my turn."
You can't do anything.
Better to give up.
"Draw!" She declares. "I'll activate my set Synthetic Seraphim Worktable!" (Spell/Continuous)
Synthetic Seraphim Worktable
(Spell/Continuous)
You can flip this card facedown: Target 1 Set card on the field, flip it face-up. (If it is a monster, change it to face-up Attack Position. Flip Effects are applied. If the flipped card is a Spell/Trap that meets its activation conditions, activate it. Otherwise, send it to the GY.) You can only activate this effect of "Synthetic Seraphim Worktable" once per turn. If you control at least 1 Fairy "Synthetic Seraphim" monster and 1 Machine "Synthetic Seraphim" monster: You can send this card to the GY; Special Summon 1 Level 7 or higher Fairy or Machine monster from your Deck.
"And I'll Normal Summon the Synthetic Seraphim Halo I added to my hand. With its effect, I'll set Synthetic Seraphim - Winged Boots from my deck." She gestures to her Worktable. "I'll flip Worktable down and flip Winged Boots up. And with Winged Boots' effect, I'll set Synthetic Seraphim - Golden Ring from my deck." She sighs.
Leitnin's defeated, but…
"I'll open the circuit of angelic, bold judgement! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two LIGHT monsters. I'm going to set Winged Boots and Halo in the Link Markers. Appear now, fighter of the mechanical angels! Burn the world down with holy fire! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Synthetic Seraphim Strength Saint - Vulkano!" (L2/1800/LIGHT/Fairy/Link/Effect/↓,↘)
Synthetic Seraphim Strength Saint - Vulkano
(L2/1800/LIGHT/Fairy/Link/Effect/↓,↘)
2 LIGHT monsters
Once per turn: You can target 1 monster this card points to, that monster gains 200ATK for each LIGHT monster you control until the End Phase. If this card battles: The monster it battles has its effects negated until the end of the Battle Phase.
"Not strong enough," Greystorm says. "Those two are the monsters you use the most, aren't they? Charisma Duelists are so predictable…"
"No," she says. "We are not."
Shiryō nuzzles her shoulder.
"That's the spirit," her companion says.
"Monsters like you are predictable," she says. "And humans like me are not." She flips over a card in her hand. "I'll Special Summon Synthetic Seraphim - Kaleidoscope Synchron (1*/400/700/LIGHT/Machine/Tuner/Effect) from my hand since I control a set monster!"
Synthetic Seraphim - Kaleidoscope Synchron
(1*/400/700/LIGHT/Machine/Tuner/Effect)
If you control a Set monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand or GY, but it is banished when it leaves the field as material for a Link Summon. You can only activate this effect of "Synthetic Seraphim - Kaleidoscope Synchron" once per turn. A Synchro Monster that used this card as material gains the following effect:
If a card on the field is flipped facedown or face-up: This card gains 200ATK.
A strange glass orb appears, thin strips of metal covering opposite sides of the orb and twirling together at the top, forming a cloud-like structure. The glass is made of a seemingly infinite number of glass shards, each one gleaming with a slightly different shade of colour. Below, a single silver gear spins.
"Synchron?"
"I'll open the circuit again," she says. The two angels look back at her, seemingly concerned, but she nods to them. "Arrowhead confirmed. The conditions are two or more LIGHT monsters. I will set Kaleidoscope Synchron and Vulkano in the Link Markers!"
The two monsters fly above her, swirling in the sky.
"Pain that burns through the soul," she chants. "Sorrow that lasts day after day. You who shed the tears of the underworld, rise now as a reborn saint and cast your opponents into the deepest hell of malice! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Synthetic Seraphim Sorrow Saint - Achlis!" (L3/2000/LIGHT/Fairy/Link/Effect/↓, ↙, ↘)
Synthetic Seraphim Sorrow Saint - Achlis
(L3/2000/LIGHT/Fairy/Link/Effect/↓, ↙, ↘)
2+ LIGHT monsters
If this card is Link Summoned using at least 2 monsters of different Types: Take 1000 damage; then, target 1 monster on the field, it loses 2000ATK. Once per turn: You can target 1 Set monster you control; change it to face-up Attack Position, then, you can add 1 LIGHT monster from your GY to your hand, and if you do, this card gains ATK equal to the added monster's ATK until the End Phase. If this card is destroyed by battle: Destroy all Spell/Trap cards on the field.
An angel dressed in a silver veil appears, her face hidden behind the thin veil. She's wearing odd robes, and behind her, odd gold wings spread out, ridged like stone. Finally, she reaches out a staff, letting out a loud screech.
"That's a Synthetic Seraphim?"
"Not all angels are happy," she says. "Not all angels live charmed lives with the blessings of something greater than them. And some are just born to burn and to burn others. That's Achlis."
My pain in card form.
"Achlis's effect," she says. "I take one thousand damage!"
Sable Luna: 1200 - 1000 = 200LP
"And then," Sable Luna declares, pointing forward, "I can choose one of your monsters, and it loses two thousand attack points! I will choose Alector! Draining Tears!" (Alector, Sovereign of Birds: 2400 - 2000 = 400ATK)
She points to her set monster.
"Achlis's other effect. I can change Golden Ring to face-up Attack Position, and I can add a LIGHT monster from my graveyard to my hand. I'll return Winged Boots to my hand. And then, Achlis gains the attack points of that monster!" (Synthetic Seraphim Sorrow Saint - Achlis: 2000 + 1700 = 3700ATK) She frowns. "Golden Ring can add a LIGHT monster to my hand. And now, attack Alector, Achlis, and end this duel!"
The veiled woman leaps forward—
And she shrieks in the bird's face, before Greystorm stumbles as his life points fall to zero.
Greystorm: 2500 - 3300 = 0LP
Sable Luna comes to a stop, letting out an exhausted sigh. Then, she hears clapping from behind her.
"Well done," Baira says, before she holds out a card. "Why don't you take this?"
"I won't accept a card from Hanoi," she says, before Baira suddenly starts forward, and black data swirls off the card towards Sable Luna—
And white fire shoots out, disintegrating it. Shiryō glares at Baira as the fire fades.
Baira frowns. "Well," she says. "That was not expected."
"It was perfectly so," a cold voice says, and both Baira and Greystorm freeze. Sable Luna turns to the side, and her first reaction is to take a step back, because this person doesn't seem as edgy as they seem intimidating. She? He? She can't even tell the gender of the person right now. They're in a white cloak with a hood over their face, obscuring any features there. They're wearing the kind of clothing that rangers would wear in those role-playing games, belt, odd shirt and long pants, coupled off with boots, all in a brown colour that doesn't clash with the white cloak.
"White Reaper!" Baira says. "I—"
"Enough," the newcomer says. "I don't know what possessed you to make this bet, but I know you never intended to honour your end in the first place, Baira. Get out of here. That applies to you too, Greystorm."
The duo leave as fast as possible, almost like they are… afraid of this person. Sable Luna feels terrified, rooted to the spot.
"Who are you?" She says.
The figure tilts their head, and the lack of a face makes the movement even more unsettling. "I'm an eidolon," they say. "Sorry. Bad joke. You wouldn't get it." They pause, as though thinking.
It's really hard to read them…
"I'm your benefactor," the Knight of Hanoi says. "Your protector, I guess. I have a very vested interest in seeing you not a hero, Sable Luna."
Protector? What?
"I find it hard to believe that my welfare would be a priority of a Knight of Hanoi," she says.
"Then find it hard to believe," they say. "It means nothing to me." They step forward. "My avatar's name is White Reaper. I suppose you can use that."
"Sorry, are you a boy or a girl?"
"Confidential," White Reaper says, before they add on, "but I'd pick Bulbasaur."
Sable Luna blinks.
"What? Was that not a deliberate reference?"
"It was a question," she says, stunned.
"Either way," White Reaper says, "ignoring that… things will only get worse from here. Stay out of it for your own safety."
"I don't trust you," Shiryō declares from her duel disk. "You're a Knight of Hanoi, you know?"
"You focus too much on that," White Reaper says. "The fact that I am a Knight of Hanoi is because it's a good tool for me to use for my own goals. And luckily for you, you are one of them."
She doesn't understand. She really doesn't.
But the people who tried to protect her have all ended up dead.
"But don't take it from me."
Then, a yellow snake emerges from their duel disk, a black butterfly mask on its face, and it lets out a soft hiss. Sable Luna's eyes widen. That's—
"This is a MARK-II," White Reaper says. "As is yours."
MARK-II…
Oh.
"Don't refer to us as though we're things," the small snake says. "You know better. Hello, Shiryō. How are you doing?"
"Ikiryō!" Her companion lets out a shocked chirp. "What are you doing with that Knight of Hanoi? Don't tell me you're siding with them…"
"I'm siding with White Reaper," the now-named Ikiryō says. "Not with Hanoi. My Origin isn't exactly enthused about Hanoi, or how my current partner acts… so I'm not with them, really." The AI tilts its head. "What's wrong, Sable Luna? Could it be that the term MARK-II means more to you than you're letting on?"
Sable Luna snaps back to reality.
I'll talk to Shiryō about this later, about all of this…
It's not a coincidence, is it? That she was made from the experiment that 'the person I am now' was once kidnapped for.
"Anyway," White Reaper says, "don't worry about it. Why don't you watch the big screen? A big storm is coming… and you're going to get to see its first symptoms soon."
Sable Luna frowns and looks into the distance. Then, she sees—
"Is that Playmaker and Blue Angel?"
"Maybe he does think that she's a Knight of Hanoi because of that virus," White Reaper muses. "Well, let's hope that he can succeed where you failed. I'm not hopeful though."
Sable Luna places her hands together.
If you can help her, Playmaker…
Please do.
I don't want to lose anyone again.
A/N:
So, would you believe me if I said that I completely forgot that I was introducing the second MARK-II and Greystorm in this chapter while I was writing the previous Author's Note? I swear that I meant to not toss in even more characters, but… unfortunately, these characters needed to be introduced before the next chapter for… *jazz hands* reasons. Sorry if it's hard to keep track of them for now, but I promise that everyone will start crossing paths and interacting more with each other and the canon cast soon.
So, there are three things that I want to quickly cover in this author's notes. (Three things to live for—I'll stop, I swear.) Firstly, Greystorm. He's definitely not the most pivotal of the OCs, but he's one of the Hanoi commanders I introduced to diversify the cast a bit. He'll get a bit more characterisation next chapter, in the downtime after the Blue Angel and Playmaker duel. Still though, I hope that his more stun-based playstyle is obvious here, though Sable Luna does manage to unravel it and in turn, his perception of her.
Secondly, the fact that Sable Luna finds out about the fact that Shiryō is a MARK-II here, and Ikiryō's introduction. We'll get more of Shiryō and Ikiryō interacting in the next chapter too, and we'll also get to see Sable Luna's reaction to the fact that the MARK-II Project actually succeeded in producing things. Ikiryō probably has even weirder morals than White Reaper, which is… saying something. Oh, and White Reaper…
Well, that particular Knight of Hanoi has their own part to play, but let's not spoil it XD
Finally, I wanted to address the fact that there will be… one character introduced in the next chapter. After that, there really should be a break for a while. Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 allude to another character, but Chapter 12 is the next time that another character will be introduced. Hopefully that makes things a little better? I'm trying not to overload the story too much, but I'd like your opinions. Do you think that the current pace is alright, or should I slow down and give characters longer introductions right at the start instead of briefly introducing them and building them up later on? Do you think there's already too many characters? Would you all like chapter previews? Etc, so on. Admittedly, a lot of the characters have already been planned, so it might be harder to replan things, but I would like to know what you guys think.
That's it, guys. Thank you to superblal, xXYuseiXAkikoXx, MeiLinX and Path of the Radiant Dawn for following, and to Pink Pidgeon and MeiLinX (again) for favoriting. Also, to Zeromk7—hope this duel was to your liking :D Also, Mitsuba will definitely get more wins soon, though her plot armour definitely isn't as strong as Yusaku's. And to Gyphon's review, while Trishula is still pretty powerful in universe, my reasoning was that in this universe, with the new revitalisation of Speed Duels and the need for a Link Monster to show up first, needing three monsters to Synchro Summon Trishula rather than just using two for Brionac is a bit of a bigger deal. Though Trishula will definitely come out at a close point in the future.
Alright, I think that's it. Thanks for reading to the end, everyone. See you around next time.
~Blaise