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.

104. World 096: A Personal Hatred

World 096: A Personal Hatred

"My lady. If we'd known, we would have come." The Legendary Fisherman swore. It was only when Echo, Nakana and Zanbatou returned to Therese's office, that he and the other ADIs learned off Olympia's fate. "What happened? Did they do this to her?" Cierze freaked out at the sight of her motionless sister, held up by Zanbatou. She freaked out even more so at the fact that an unconscious Mr. and Mrs. Shintaro showed were transported along with them.

"No. It wasn't them." Echo replied quickly. She did not want to blame anyone for what happened, she could not blame anyone... besides herself. "Olympia got.. very upset. She could not take it anymore. That's why we also came back here." At the very least she did not want to tell them about what actually caused it: as the one who dueled the Fire Princess could not be here to defend himself. Both Bionis and Tycho chose to stay behind to explore Continuum's Hive, but she doubted that they would discover much of anything. Most pods were empty, and there had to be dozen more bunkers like it across the globe. "Scarlet? Can you.. can you fix this?" She had little hope for Olympia as well, and she could only get it from the same person that created the Fire Princess. "I..I don't know. From what you tell me, this is a fault of unprecedented levels." Scarlet Rose answered her in a hurry, as other issues consumed a lot of her time as well. "But you have to try! This is not like before! This is not like.."

"Echo. You must not lose heart. That is what they want you to do." Midsummer suddenly chimed in. "Huh?" The girl glanced at him with a strained look of confusion. "There is still plenty of good that needs to be done and can be done.. by you. They need your help. The enemy is on the move, and they know that you can stop them. You must not let the negative cloud yourself, that is not what Olympia would want either.. would she?" He spoke gently and carefully, since every move he made got everyone in the room to stare daggers at him. Especially Mephistar. "Hmph. He is right, Echo... for once. A lot has happened on our side too. We've driven Static into a corner and he lashed out in the worst way possible. The only one who can make it better is you."

"Me? Why What did Static do?"

...

Charles' LP: 8000 Static Void's LP: 8000

"You really think you can defeat me, Charles? I know everything about you, and that is not much to begin with! Hahahaha!" In the streets of their now shared childhood, the two opposed duelists drew their cards at exactly the same speed. "That helps me more than you think, Static! Because if you are using my deck, then I know everything about you too!" Charles shouted. Void's every mannerism and movement appeared to mirror that of his own, Static had gotten very accustomed to his former digital body. A lot more than he would like, which made him easier to predict. "That wont give you the edge you need, Charles! I have improved your deck in ways you could never even imagine!" Everywhere else Static possessed the advantage. The first turn even skipped him, forcing Charles to go on the defense right away. Because Vigionaire's and Zettai's duels told Charles what could happen if he left himself wide open. "All I need is to shut you up for good."

-TURN 01-

"I activate Cynet Mining!" Charles started with the spell that searched the deck for level 4 or lower cyberse: discarding Formud Skipper to add Cyberse Gadget to his hand. "Heh. I have one of those too, Charles." Static sneered. "Yeah? So does Echo. Are you going to compare yourself to her too now?" Charles wondered if it would have been better for her to challenge Static, if his own anger could have allowed it. "Heh. She and I may have more in common, but she would never have given me what I wanted.. a duelist to hate. I despise her as an existence.. You, I loathe as a person in of itself!" Static howled. "I am glad you do, Static." Charles normal summoned the Cyberse Gadget robot(4/1000/1500) [Zone 2] who could special summon a level 1 or 2 cyberse from the graveyard. In this case the choice would obviously fall upon the cyber-tadpole Formud Skipper(1/0/0) [Zone 1]. "I link summon Cyberse Witch!" Both cyberse were then taken as link materials for the redhaired and hooded cyber witch(800/LINK 2) {Down/Downleft} [Extra Zone 2]. Using Cyberse Gadget as a link material caused it to special summon a Gadget Token(2/0/0) [Zone 2], while using Formud Skipper as a link material would secure a level 5 or higher cyberse from the deck.

"I activate SIMM Tablir!" Charles picked the cybertapir mole, drawing it and then special summoning it(5/0/1800) [Zone 4] to a zone marked by a link monster. SIMM Tablir could also add a level 4 or lower cyberse (Cyberse Gadget) from the graveyard back to Charles' hand, when it special summoned itself this way. "Oho. So you're starting with a ritual summon? I guess that makes sense. A ritual user was the first duelist to give you anything remotely resembling anger." Static Void chuckled. "Bionis and I got over those feelings long ago, Static. Eve when you tried to reset it all back to zero." Charles grunted. He could also activate the two effects of the Cyberse Witch now. Linking a cyberse with her, made the witch add one ritual spell and ritual monster to his hand: Cynet Ritual and Cyberse Magician. Then she could special summon one monster back from the graveyard. Once again only Formud Skipper [Zone 3] was available. Still, that would be enough to build his two-layered defense.

"Link summon! Encode Talker!" Formud Skipper and the Cyberse Witch separated into three link material vortices that opened a link circuit of light and created the blue-armor cyber shieldknight Encode(2300/LINK 3) {Up/Down/Downright} [Extra Zone 2]. "Ha! The card I used to crush Vigionair! You think you can avenge him with a hollow gesture like that?" Static laughed out loud. "I am not here to get revenge, Static... Ritual summon! Cyberse Magician!" The Cynet Ritual sacrificed the Gadget Token and SIMM Tablir on a cybernetic altar, pouring seven stars of life into the body of the greenhaired and white-coated Cyberse Magician(7/2500/2000) [Zone 4]. Its position surprised Static. "In attack mode? Are you trying to call me out?" Cyberse Magician forced all effects and attacks to be redirected towards him, and halved all battle damage it took. It made more sense to leave it in defense mode. "I refuse to cower, Static. " It would have.. until Charles equipped the Grid Rod equip spell to his Cyberse Magician(2800/2000), replacing his old staff with a green orb-tipped wand. "I set one card, and end my turn!"

-TURN 02-

"Grid Rod? Ahahah. I see. I see.." That particular spell did more than simply raise its wielder's ATK by 300 points. "Grid Rod makes your monster immune to all of my effects." Static Void started his turn by special summoning the red metal swordsman Mathmech Subtraction(4/1000/1000) [Zone 4]. It could still target the Magician to do so, but it could not subtract a 1000 Attackpoints from the ritual monster afterwards. "As if I would want this to end with one single blow! You have been a thorn in my side for far too long to get a quick and easy death now, Charles!" Static normal summoned the metal swordsman of the inverted triangle next: Mathmech Nabla(4/1000/1500) [Zone 3]. "Nabla sacrifices my Mathmech for another!" He took Subtraction out of the equation and replaced with a more complex operator: Mathmech Division the heavily amored golden knight(4/1500/1000) [Zone 2]. After that Nabla lost its use to him, and Static turned it into a link material for the Link Disciple(500/LINK 1) {Down} [Extra Zone 1].

"So you have more than just my code talkers?" Charles did wonder what percentage of Static's extra deck consisted of Mathmechs and what didn't. "Only the ones I if anyone were to watch us now, I wonder if they could even tell who they would have to root for? Would your parents even know? Should we ask them?" Static chuckled sinisterly. "Keep them out of this, Static!" Charles cursed loudly. "Ha! I don't want to waste my time anyway! They don't have any memory of you dueling!" Suddenly the Mathmech Divider sliced the Link Disciple up exactly down the middle with his sharp halberd. "Division tributes one cyberse in my extra monster zone, to special summon one Mathmech from my graveyard and one from my hand!" The division split the link monster back into Mathmech Nabla[Zone 1] and a Mathmech Sigma the red/white fire knight(4/1000/1500) [Zone 3] "And I link summon Elphase, with these two level 3 or higher cyberse!" Both Division and Sigma entered their own bigger link circuit, and brought the cyber elf kickfighter(2000/LINK 2) {Up/Right} up out of the extra deck. "Elphase now? What are trying to do?"

"Just wait and see, Charles. I am going to enjoy this." As he now controlled more than two cyberse, Static could special summon the Cross Debug cyber insect(2/900/600) [Zone 4] from his hand. "And so is Shootingcode Talker! Haha!" Cross Debug combined with Elphase to create the aquatic-blue code archer(2300/LINK 3) {Left/Up/Down} [Extra Zone 1]. "This is the card that defeated me the first time! But now it's my ally! Just like all your other friends!" Sending Elphase to the graveyard helped his plans further as its effect would revive one of the level 4 cyberse in his graveyard: Mathmech Nabla [Zone 4]. Its effects were negated and it could not be used as a link material this turn. "Now to claim the card that calculates your Magician's demise! I XYZ-summon Primathmech Alembertian!" Nabla could of course still be used as an XYZ-material. The same happened with Mathmech Division, the two cyberse orbited the intricately mechanical twinsword-wielder Alembertian in its gold and black body(R4/2000/0) [Zone 2]. "Alembertian adds a Mathmech card to my hand: Mathmech Billionblade Nayuta! And I equip it to Shootingcode!"

"So there it is." Charles vividly recalled the spell that gave Vigionair a lot of trouble. Though now he learned that it could also be equipped to any cyberse monster and not just to a Mathmech. "Yes, that's a good expression. Fear is my second favorite emotion.." Static Void slapped his last card on the field, Mathmech Addition. The bronze cyberse swordsman(4/1000/1000) [Zone 3] handed out 1000 attackpoints to special summon itself. Those attackpoints were added to the Primathmech(3000/0) however, rather than the multi-attacking Code Talker. ".." Charles knew why. He could see how this entire battle phase would play out, and he couldn't do anything that would not make it worse. "Hehehe Alembertian! Attack Cyberse Magician!" The first strike would be dealt by the XYZ-monster. "I activate Encode Talker!" It would be the only effect that he could stop with his first line of defense. Because a stronger monster attacked the Magician, the linked Encode could defend it with his shield, negate the damage and add the attackpoints of the Primathmech to Cyberse Magician(5800/2000). "Yes, your Code Talker has a fancy ability. I am sure V would agree. But my Code Talker can attack one monster for each card he is linked with!"

Now the Codeshooter rushed into battle, and immediately upon entering the damage calculation step, the Cyberse Magician activated its final power. "Cyberse Magician gains a thousand attackpoints when it battles another link monster!" The ritual mage used his free hand to chant a quick spell to cover himself(6800/2000) in another aura of power. "Heh! But during damage calculation I can also do this! Billionblade Nayuta sends one Mathmech to my graveyard to add its attackpoints to the equipped monster! And I banish Cross Debug from my graveyard to give the attack of a link monster in my graveyard to Shootingcode!" Both effects resolved backwards, with the cross debugger adding Elphase's 2000 attackpoints and the equip spell adding Mathmech Multiplication's attackpoints to Shootingcode(4800 atk). "Damn it." The grave-bound Multiplication would then double all of those attackpoints of the cyberse(9600 atk) in the extra monster zone. "Grid Rod negates the destruction of my equipped monster once a turn! And Cyberse Magician halves all battle damage I take!"

Charles' LP: 6400

The first defense was broken, the Magician cast the barrier of green light to freeze Shootingcode in its tracks. Still, Charles took considerable damage even with Cyberse Magician cutting it in half. "First blood. But it's not enough! I need to see it die!" The codeshooter fired the second arrow and shattered the green barrier around Cyberse Magician, finally slaying the ritual monster. "When Grid Rod is destroyed, no other monster can be destroyed for the rest of the turn!" Charles would at least be able to keep his Encode Talker safe, and halve the battle damage one final time. "One is enough for now." Killing a monster allowed Static Void to draw one card with the effect of Shootingcode.

Charles' LP: 5200

Then before his turn came to a close, the Void duelist placed one trap card down and activated Primathmech Alembertian's final effect. It could tribute any one monster to revive a Mathmech from the graveyard. It sacrificed itself and revived Mathmech Nabla [Zone 4] in defense mode. "And why not keep going? I've already shown you the XYZ-summonsI Now the Synchro summons! Geomathmech Magma!" As a tuner Nabla could synchronize with Mathmech Addition and create the lava-powered red and white mechaknight(8/2500/0) [Zone 2] in defense mode. "Your move, Charles." His plays were done, and his monsters attackpoints (Shootingcode: 2300 atk) dropped back down to their initial amount

-TURN 03-

"Well, the ritual didn't work. What will it be this time? What else have you dreamed up? Static Void wondered. "Why would I tell you that? You already know the answers!" For now the third turn took on a similar beat as the first, with a normal summoned Cyberse Gadget[Zone 2] special summoning Formud Skipper [Zone 1] from the graveyard. "Link summon, Clock Spartoi!" The two cyberse did manage to hint at Charles' intentions for this turn as he special summoned the clockwork cyber lancer(800/LINK 2) {Down/Downleft} [Zone 3] and used its effect to add the Cynet Fusion spell card to Charles' hand. Meanwhile Cyberse Gadget created another Gadget token(2/0/0) [Zone 2], while Formud Skipper's effect added the level 5 Code Exporter from his deck to his hand. "Hahaha. The missing element then? Fusion did come in handy against that moron Renner. But it didn't serve you at all when you dueled my new recruits. Are you sure you want to repeat that failure?" Static let out another round of Void-flavored laughter. Charles would never have expected that his own voice could get this much on his nerves. "I've learned a lot from failure, Static."

He took the gadget token and turned it into a link material for his own Link Disciple(500/LINK 1) {Down} [Zone 4]. "Now, when I link summon a Code Talker! I can use Code Exporter in my hand as a link material and also add one cyberse monster from the graveyard to my hand!" The green excode proxy Code Exporter took Clock Spartoi as the second link material to summon the Transcode Talker(2300/LINK 3) {Up/Down/Right} [Zone 3]. And it proceeded to do what it could do best, reviving and linking with other cyberse link monsters like the Clock Spartoi[Zone 2]. "Now! I activate Cynet Fusion! And fusion summon Cyberse Clock Dragon!" Cynet Fusion took Transcode Talker, Encode Talker, Clock Spartoi and the Clock Wyvern in his hand and sent them all into the spiraling light of the fusion maelstrom. Once more Charles unleashed the crystal-covered Cyberse Clock Dragon(8/2500/2000) [Extra Zone 1]. Once more it discarded cards from the top of the deck equal to the total link rating of its fusion materials and it(10500/2000) gained 1000 ATK for each of the eight cards (Grid Sweeper, Break Off Trap Hole, Packet Link, Stack Reviver, Code Generator, Spool Code, Prohibit Snake, Cyberse White Hat) discarded.

"You actually did it. You actually gave yourself the hope that you could end it all in one shot! Again!" Static snarled. "...I know you wont give me the satisfaction, Static. But I will never get anywhere without taking risks! That is what I learned!" Charles could only attack with the Clock Dragon during the turn it used its effect, but one attack against Shootingcode would definitely erase all of Static's lifepoints at once. "Clock Dragon! Destroy him!" He went for it. "Heheha! You should have gone over your calculations more, Charles! Because this is what your risktaking buys you! A one way trip to hell! I activate Mathmech Induction!" And Static went for the most obvious trap, flipping a continuous card face-up and tributing it immediately afterwards. "I can destroy one card with this! Your great fusion!" The trap induced the catastrophic destruction of Cyberse Clock Dragon, shattering its body across the garden.

"I knew it. But when Cyberse Clock Dragon is destroyed, I can add any one spell from the deck to my hand!" Charles snatched a quickplay spell: Cybersal Cyclone. "I activate the Cyclone! It banishes one Link 3 monster from my graveyard to destroy a monster with the same link rating on your side of the field!" If he could not attack with his monsters, he would strike with magic. The Cybersal Cyclone deleted the Encode Talker from the graveyard and broke through the ground to swallow Shootingcode Talker as well, sending it off far beyond the clouds. "Take what you can get, Charles. I will do the same. When Mathmech Billionblade is destroyed, I can reclaim one Mathmech card from my graveyard!" Static shrugged and withdrew the Mathmech Addition monster card.

"I don't care what you put your hands on! I will take that from you too eventually! I activate Grid Sweeper from my graveyard. If I banish it and a link monster on my field, I can destroy one card on the field!" Charles set his sights on the Geomathmech Magma, sending the Grid Sweeper-powered Link Disciple spinning wildly towards the lava synchro mech and causing it to explode into a fountain of volcanic pyrotechnics and molten metal. "Heh. You can only take from me, because I have given you so much already." Static could also use the death of Magma to his own advantage: the synchro's final effect added a new Mathmech card (Mathmech Diameter) to his greedy hands. "Synchros, Fusions, XYZs. You've only been able to make them because you were allowed to defeat me the first time! And I was the one who invited you into my world in the first place! Without me, you would still be a dull mindless sheep.. going through life without taking any risks and without making any connections to the world outside! I gave you purpose! You need me. What are you even going to do without me?!"

"I don't know. But I do know one thing... when all this is over, you will have nothing. And I will still have my friends.. They are not just connections, but people I want to protect and be with!" Charles flipped his trap card. "I activate Recoded Alive and special summon Decode Talker Heatsoul!" The trap banished another Link 3 monster, Transcode Talker, to special summon a new Code Talker. For this Charles chose the newest fire incarnation of code knights: the Salamangreat-fused Decode Talker(2300/LINK 3) {Up/Downleft/Downright} [Extra Zone 1]. "The card that helped vanquish miss Primrose!? How can you tell me that your anger has not helped you, when it's given you cards like these? I spurred your creativity, Charles! All these weapons you have imagined, are meant for me!" Static Void unleashed his most deranged laughter yet. "You have given nothing to me, Static." Charles ignored him and activated Heatsoul's effect, paying a 1000 lifepoints to draw one card. "We are the ones that gave you everything. You need us.." He placed two cards face down in the spell/trap zone and ended his turn.

"I.. need you? That's very funny, Charles."

"I am not joking, Static. I know you need our hatred to survive. That's why you're doing all of this, why you want to plunge the whole world into an endless war. But I've learned something else too.. personal hatred is stronger than faceless hatred. I hated you.. and you wanted me too. But now we've dealt you a significant blow, and you're weaker than ever. So you need all the hate you can get... even your own. You need this.. This feud between want this duel to go on for as long as possible. I bet you cannot even put an end to it. Because what would you do, without me? Who would you hate next? Echo? You already said you could not hate her as a need me."

-TURN 04-

"Aha..Ahahahaha! You've gone mad, CHARLES! I do not need you, I do not! And here and now, I will finally prove that! It's been fun, but you cannot surprise me anymore! Let's end it, Charles.. Let's end our relationship. Defeating you wont even be difficult! I summon Mathmech Diameter, a tuner monster that can special summon one level 4 or lower Mathmech from my graveyard!" The first step towards realizing this nightmare involved a knight-mech(4/1000/1500) [Zone 3] with glowing spectral energy inside of its silver metal body. Diameter wielded a circular weapon, which also functioned as a portal to the graveyard and recycled the Mathmech Multiplication(4/500/2000) [Zone 2] to the field. "I can also special summon Mathmech Sigma from my graveyard, as I don't have monsters in my extra zone. Thanks to you!" The base sigma knight(4/1000/1500) [Zone 5] found its own way out of the graveyard. "Here's your executioner! I synchro summon.." Because Sigma could treat itself as a non-tuner, it was perfectly viable as the third material for the final synchro summon. "I activate Heatsoul!" And Charles did not plan to wait around for that.

Charles' LP: 3200

"What?" Static flinched. His opponents only monster, Decode Talker Heatsoul, took 1000 lifepoints away from Charles to give him another draw from the deck. And Charles made clear why he chose to use that quick effect now. "Mathmech Diameter, if it is used as a material for a synchro or XYZ-monster, that monster gets the ability to negate one effect during its first turn. That is it its effect." Because he could read the effects of these new cards with his own dueldisk. "Despite your attempts to get me into a blind rage I am still paying attention, Static. In fact I feel more like I am the one enraging you." Of course that alone would not help him survive the incoming onslaught, which was why he revealed his face-down spell as well. "I activate Security Block! My cyberse monster cannot be destroyed this turn, and I take no damage!" Now he could last through this promised fatal turn no matter what came next.

"Security Block. Heh. No wonder that's one of your favorite spells. Your cowardly nature springs back up every time trouble rears its ugly head! But you're not going to save yourself or your loved ones by hiding, Charles!" Static Void performed the synchro summon anyway, tuning Sigma with Multiplication and Diameter to summon the ultimate Geomathmech; Final Sigma(12/3000/0) [Extra Zone 2]. Then he placed one card face down and ended his turn. "Mark my words, no matter how much you try to delay me, this duel will only end when you do!"

...

In the wake of the tower's collapse, Static's followers experienced a massive displacement. All of them were forced out of the tower or quickjumped out themselves, and the majority roamed the debris that surrounded the new obelisk. Only one man managed to stay on the inside of the newly formed construct: El Veyron GT. "Where?" The walls were pure white and artificially immaculate. One could almost mistake this for an entirely new location and felt dizzy enough to buy that. "Where is it?"

"It must be disorienting, to lose your connection to humanity and to god all at once." Scarlet Fever's laughter echoed across the stark hallways. "What? Scarlet? Is this your doing?" The speed duelist snarled. "Don't excite yourself too much, Veyron. You're in a pretty rough condition." She replied, her voice getting closer and closer. "I can still fight! Just tell me where the Wand is! I can get it back!" He insisted, saying the words without even considering why he picked them. "Interesting.. immediate withdrawal symptoms. I am affraid the legacy item is beyond your reach now, Veyron. Can I even call you that?" Now she sounded as if she stood right behind him. "Gah! Give it to me! I need it! I am still not... done?" But the Thing that stood behind him, towered over him, did not look like her at all.

"Still, your dueling responses might be worth testing even now. And since I already have three sets of data, I might as well add yours as well."

(To Be Continued in World 097: A Compressed Love)

New Cards used by Charles Adami
Code Exporter

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Grid Rod

New Cards used by Static Void
Cross Debug
Mathmech Diameter

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Link Disciple
Elphase
Shootingcode Talker