HEROs awaken! Wrath of the terrifying light!
"And now Masked HERO Dark Law (Lv. 6, ATK: 2400) will finish you off!" A humanoid wearing all black with a pointed mask ran at a girl. She was five and a half feet tall, with long blue hair and square glasses covering magenta eyes.
"I'm afraid he won't, Daitaro," she said. "I activate my face-down Spellbook of Fate! By banishing my Spellbook of Secrets, the Master and Power from my graveyard I can banish your Masked HERO Dark Law." A dimensional portal opened and intercepted the speeding Dark Law, engulfing the monster before closing.
"Aw, come on!" groaned Daitaro. "I was so close! Alright, your go, Kaneko."
"Then I draw!" Kaneko said. She was skinny and wore a dusted blouse with a knee-length skirt and a cat-ear headband which garnered plenty of odd looks. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"First, I'll activate the effect of my Grand Spellbook Tower. I return Spellbook of Fate from my graveyard to my deck and draw again!" She took the card from her graveyard and placed it at the bottom of her deck before drawing once more, increasing the number of cards in her hand to four.
"Perfect. I now reveal three Spellbook spells in my hand to special summon this monster." She showed Daitaro Spellbook of Eternity, Spellbook of Life and Spellbook of Secrets. "High Priestess of Prophecy!" A buxom young woman wearing tight white robes appeared, her pink hair flowing down wildly (Lv. 8, ATK: 2700). "Now finish him! Wisdom Caster!" Blue electricity sparked at the end of her staff before firing at Daitaro.
The lightning struck him and exploded, sending him flying backwards to thump onto his back (Daitaro LP: 1600 – 0, Winner: Kaneko).
The two duelists heard a slow clapping coming from off to the side. The holograms faded away, leaving a city plaza in the place of the Grand Spellbook Tower. They turned to see another teen approaching, one violet eye hidden by a mess of black and red hair which seemed to meld into a t-shirt worn with blue jeans and trainers.
"Good show guys." He smiled. "But Daitaro, you suck."
Daitaro sprang to his feet and stalked over to the teen. He towered over his already-tall friend, with an athletic build and the same dark blue hair and magenta eyes as Kaneko, though his hair was cropped short. He had tanned skin and wore a red tank top, white long shorts and straw sandals.
He stood glaring down at his friend. "Whose side are you on, Matsuda?! I nearly had her!"
"Whatever you say, dude." He looked over to Kaneko, covering his mouth from Daitaro's view before speaking at normal volume. "Your brother sucks."
Daitaro collapsed to his knees, eyes trembling as if threatening tears. "You're right!" he moaned, "I even get schooled by my little sister! I suck!"
A drop of sweat formed on Matsuda's head as he looked at Daitaro with a mixture of worry and confusion. "Uh… you don't suck that hard."
Kaneko sighed, walking over to the two as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I'm only ten minutes younger than you."
"And she's smarter than both of us," said Matsuda.
Daitaro sprung back to his feet, beaming. "Hey, thanks! So, when'd you get here?"
"I think a better question is why are the two of you dueling in the middle of the plaza? You probably just scarred some kid for life when he only came here for a box of LEGOs."
"Loser carries all the crap." Daitaro pointed at a stack of boxes and bags almost as tall as he was sat by a white fountain. The plaza was surrounded by shops, and it looked as if they had emptied all of them.
"Could you not have just carried your own stuff?" said Matsuda.
"Two of those bags are mine."
Matsuda's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Seriously?!" He turned to Kaneko. "Who the hell needs that much stuff?! We're going back to school tomorrow, not to shelter from a nuclear holocaust!"
"I saw some things I liked," she said, shrugging.
"That's not 'some things,'" said Matsuda, "that's just everything! Where did you even get the money for this crap? You have a part-time job, you're not a millionaire!"
"That's enough of the hyperbole, I get it. I bought a lot of things." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose again.
Matsuda blinked, unsure of how to respond. "Well, good luck bro," Matsuda said. He patted Daitaro on the back before strolling over to the leaning tower of shopping and placing his single bag on it, turning away to walk with Kaneko.
Daitaro's lip twitched. "Oh, come on! You're not even gonna help?"
"I don't remember being a part of your deal. Now, you wanna go get something to eat? You're paying!" He held a brown wallet in the air.
Daitaro slapped at his pockets, feeling nothing before a vein threatened to burst from his forehead. He picked up the massive pile of purchases before running after his friend and sister. "Get your ass back here, Yukaro!"
Kaneko giggled as Daitaro chased the roaring Matsuda.
"Damn, that was a good day…" Matsuda sighed as he relaxed back against a white wall. Soft sand was his seat, the gentle lapping of the ocean his view, shining as if the entire surface were coated in diamonds, a sight which he never tired of seeing. His was a beautiful city, and he loved it.
The setting sun cast sprawling shadows over the city's beaches, soft sand twinkling in the final dying light of the spring evening. The city was an urban sprawl, covered in modern buildings and vast plazas flanked by skyscrapers and screens, a clean and crisp air surrounding advanced technology and an openness which drew people from around the world.
Matsuda leaned back, his head resting on his hands. This was the last day of spring break, the last day before the new school year: the last time he could enjoy a day like this for a while. Ten minutes surely couldn't hurt…
The midnight hour fast approached, darkness having fallen over the city. As distant stars shone, a figure raced across the rooftops pursued by another in a fervent chase, both hunter and hunted running as if their lives depended on it. The one being chased hopped over a small gap, leaving only dust in his wake as he landed in a roll and continued his desperate attempt at escape.
His pursuer wasn't far behind, leaping over the gap from roof to roof without breaking stride, so close she could almost smell her prey's fear. Her cloak was loose-fitting, an expansive hood hiding all but a glimpse of blonde hair swaying in the wind, her breaths laboured as she upped her effort. She nearly had him.
The pursued was running out of breath. He had pushed his stamina to the limits, and being on a roof didn't offer many options for alternative escape routes. As he reached the end of another rooftop he was offered a respite, but his relief was bittersweet as he realised that this was the end of the line; the gap to the next rooftop was too far for any human to jump. The woman chasing him seemed superhuman, so maybe she could manage it, but he couldn't. He turned to face his hunter.
She gave an unseen smirk upon seeing her prey stand still. There was nowhere else for him to run. She finally had him. She wasn't expecting what he did next, because even if there was nowhere for him to run except towards her, was it any different from just jumping off the building? At least he was smart enough not to stay at the edge where she could just throw him off, but attacking her was a stupid move too, and he had to know it. She had a reputation with them.
He rushed towards the inescapable demon. If flight wasn't an option, then he'd have to fight. With the two both sprinting at each other, the momentum of the clash would be phenomenal, and if he could land a hit he could probably stun her long enough to run back the way he came. He was confident in his ability to at least sucker punch the woman, since that would be the last thing she'd expect. He could only hope she wasn't made of iron.
The hunter smirked as her prey rushed straight at her. This had just gotten a lot easier. As their paths were about to cross, he cocked back his fist to launch a thunderous right sure to do serious damage if it connected. But it didn't. She ducked under the strike, grabbing the man's arm and pulling him along as she ran. She shifted her grip to his collar before hefting him above her and slamming him down into the rooftop.
He gasped as all the wind was knocked out of him. Maybe she had seen it coming after all, or maybe she was really a monster. It didn't matter, though. She had him. He coughed up a glob of blood as she stamped a heavy boot into his stomach, a strangled cry escaping as she dragged him to the edge by his collar. She stood, her arm extended to hold her prisoner loosely over a five storey drop.
She glared down at him coldly, grinned and dropped him. He screamed. He was going to die. He shut his eyes and waited for the end, but it never came, so he slowly opened them to see his captor still glaring down with her hand wrapped around his collar.
"That was just so you know what happens," she said, "if you don't give me the answers I want."
"Goddammit, who the hell falls asleep on a beach? Mom's gonna kill me!" Matsuda sprinted through the sleeping city at full speed, determined to avoid a lecture about the importance of being properly rested. His focus was in front of him as he tried to cut down even a few seconds on his tardiness, those few precious moments mitigating the growth of her anger, if only slightly. His focus was his downfall, though, and he tripped over something as he turned a corner by his favourite ramen place, landing face-first in a heap.
He sprung back to his feet and readied to set off again when he heard faint voices above him. He looked up, curious, but dismissed it as his imagination before turning back down the street. Starting his run anew, he almost fell over again when he was stopped in his tracks.
Someone was screaming.
He looked up again to see a man being held off the edge of an apartment roof. It was a five-storey drop. His mother's ire be damned, he didn't even need to think to know that he had to get up there and help, so he leapt up the fire escape. His frantic climb took the skin from his arms and painted the grey brick, but he paid it no mind as he reached a point where he could just about hear their voices, but he wasn't sure he'd get there in time. He didn't want that on his conscience, so he sped up.
He tumbled over the lip of the roof, his momentum carrying him across the rough concrete and driving the wind from him. Panting on all fours, he looked at the woman who currently held a life in her hand, steely eyes locked to the back of her hood. "Let him go," he said.
She whirled around, dragging her captive with her as her eyes locked on Matsuda. "Who are you?"
"Someone who wants you to let him go."
She chuckled. "You have no idea what's going on here, do you?"
Matsuda tottered to his feet, his eyes never wavering. "I know what I see. And I see a woman with her face covered who's laughing while she's about to kill somebody, so forgive me if I have a little trouble understanding!"
She turned back to her prisoner and tightened her grip. "I was interrogating him, not that it's any of your business."
The man whimpered. "Please stop."
He scowled. "Looks more like torture to me."
The man nodded, his expression almost rabid with panic as he struggled and squirmed, tears falling from his eyes. "Please help me, I don't want to die!"
She glared at her prisoner, eliciting a squeak before he went silent. "It's necessary."
"Says who?"
"Says me." She dragged him down onto the roof before driving a boot into his cheek, causing him to crumple as consciousness left his body. He was breathing, but didn't look like waking up any time soon.
Matsuda looked on, visibly shaking. He had watched TV and he had seen movies, he had seen gore and he had seen fear, but he had never experienced it. He was affronted, and confused, and terrified. And what gave her the right to play with people like that? To do as she pleased? "Who are you, and why are you doing this?"
She took a step towards him, and he almost fell over stepping back. "They call me Lady Light, and I'm afraid that it's beyond your understanding. Now go home."
He bristled. "And if I refuse?"
He saw the whites of her teeth in the shadow as she drew out her left arm, its wrist outfitted with a blue touchpad, and held it up to him. "I'll make you regret it."
He pulled his own duel disk from his pocket, strapping the screen to his wrist and pressing the button to expand it. "We'll see."
"Duel!"
Matsuda: 4000
Lady Light: 4000
Lady Light smirked as she examined her hand. "Are you sure you want to do this? I'd hate to have to hurt you, you know."
Matsuda stared at her. "Like you hated hurting the other guy?"
She groaned, almost laughing. "So naive. I set a monster and end my turn." A card appeared before her.
"Nice move," said Matsuda. "My turn. Draw!" He ripped the top card from his deck. "All right! I'll start by summoning Cosmic HERO Motivator from my hand (Lv. 4, ATK: 1500)!" A shirtless man with tattoos along his arms appeared, blue hair sticking up and a pair of pointed sunglasses on his face. He wore a huge grin and gave Matsuda's opponent a thumbs-up as he appeared.
"And that's not all!" Matsuda continued. "I'm gonna equip him with the spell card Giga-Mech from my hand!" A huge, red robot appeared with a face where its chest should be and no head. Motivator jumped into the mecha's open mouth which closed behind him, rousing the robot to life.
Lady Light sighed. "Clearly some card designers watch too much anime…"
"Giga-Mech gives Motivator an extra five hundred attack points, so now he's gonna attack your face-down monster! Super Manly Kick!" The robot galloped at the set monster, but Lady Light gave no indication of concern, smirking instead.
A mechanical foot stamped down on the card, revealing a small white puppy (Lv. 1, DEF: 100) which wasn't destroyed.
"You flipped my Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter," said Lady Light. "And when he's flipped up, I can target a card on the field and destroy it as long as I mill three cards from my deck." She took three cards from the top of her deck and sent them to her graveyard. "So I think I'll make like Gainax and kill off your Motivator!"
The mecha shattered into pieces as Ryko sunk its fangs into its foot in the creature's dying throes, the scraping of tearing metal fusing with the pup's howls. Matsuda smiled. "Whenever Cosmic HERO Motivator is sent to graveyard, I can draw a card." He checked it over before turning his attention back to his opponent. "I set two cards and end my turn."
She drew her card silently. "I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (Lv. 3, ATK: 1000)! And now I'll activate Lumina's monster effect! By discarding one card from my hand, I can resurrect one Lightsworn monster from graveyard that's level four or lower! And I choose Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn!"
Lumina held up her hands and a green glow enveloped the field. A large, shirtless man with well-defined abs holding onto a golden cleaver materialised next to her (Lv. 4, ATK: 1700).
"Crap," said Matsuda.
"Now for Raiden's effect," she said. "I mill two cards, and if a Lightsworn monster happens to be among them then he gains two hundred attack points until the end of the turn!" She picked two cards from her deck and looked at them, smirking as she placed them in the graveyard. "One of the cards I milled just so happened to be Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden! Now, not only does Raiden get his attack boost (ATK: 1700 – 1900), but Minerva lets me mill an extra card!" The spirit of a white dove appeared and took the top card of Lady Light's deck back to the graveyard with it.
"Now, I think I'll attack you directly. First up, Lumina, attack with Luminous Barrage!" The same green energy that had revived Raiden suddenly enveloped Matsuda as he felt his strength begin to drain from him (Matsuda: 4000 – 3000). He staggered. Something was wrong.
"And now, Raiden, Assassin's Raid!" The Lightsworn assassin disappeared in a blur, appearing behind Matsuda with his blade at the ready.
"Hell no!" shouted Matsuda. "I activate my trap, Satellite Shield! This negates a direct attack from my opponent's monster!" A satellite appeared in Raiden's path, producing a shield of crackling blue energy that his blade couldn't penetrate.
"In that case, I end my turn. And during my end phase, Lumina mills three cards, and Raiden mills two, so the top five cards of my deck go to the graveyard. It's now your move."
Matsuda panted, sweat dripping from his brow. "That first attack… I could feel it… What the hell was that?"
She grinned mirthlessly. "I warned you that you would regret it."
He grit his teeth as his weakened hand clenched into a fist, wide eyes staring at Lumina. "That was real! How the hell have you made the damage real?"
She said nothing.
"Who are you, and where did you come from? What is it you want so badly that you're willing to torture people for it?"
"Peace," she said. "To go home."
"So why don't you?"
She growled. "You have no idea the kind of war they have brought to your doorstep, the atrocities they'll commit here just as they burned my home to the ground and stole from me everything I loved. This man," she gestured to her unconscious prisoner, "works for them. He knows them. And I won't let them escape."
Matsuda furrowed his brows. "Who is 'them'? Help me understand, please."
Her empty smile shone, her darkened eyes distraught. "I already told you, you can't." Her expression hardened. "I don't even know why I'm telling you such pointless things. It's your turn."
He fought back the urge to scream. How could she criticise him for not understanding anything when she wouldn't tell him what he was supposed to be understanding? It was infuriating. He drew, considering his options. Lightsworn, he thought. I've never heard of those cards. She keeps sending cards to her graveyard, but why? What is she setting up for? I need to be careful: if I take a bigger hit, it could really hurt me.
"Alright, I draw! I normal summon Cosmic HERO Planetes (Lv. 4, ATK: 1400)!" A man with rock-like skin appeared, his skin glinting like stars. He wore a black toga and had waist-length blonde hair. "And his effect allows me to special summon another Cosmic HERO monster of a different level from my hand when I normal summon him! So say hello to Cosmic HERO Infernus (Lv.3, ATK: 1300)!"
Flames whipped out from the man who appeared next to Planetes, not a piece of solid matter visible beneath them. "And he burns with the heat of the sun, so when I special summon him from my hand I can tribute him to destroy one monster you control!" Matsuda grinned. "And I'll choose Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn!" Infernus exploded, the blaze converging upon Raiden and engulfing him, the monster screaming as he shattered into pieces. Lady Light looked on, emotionless.
"Battle phase! Cosmic HERO Planetes attacks Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner! Go, Wandering Star!" The glint of Planetes' skin got brighter until he was a shining beacon rushing at Lumina. As he reached her, however, his path was blocked as a metallic clang pierced Matsuda's eardrums.
"I banish Necro Gardna from my grave to negate your attack." Lady Light held up the card as the spirit of an armoured man with white hair blocked the attack.
Matsuda grit his teeth. He was in a sticky situation, he couldn't afford to run into blocks lest the unstable woman decide that he was next. "Fine. I'll end my turn there, then."
She added another card to her hand. "I'll discard the card I just drew to revive Raiden!" Raiden reappeared on the battlefield. "And the card I discarded was another Minerva, so I can mill again." She sent another card to her graveyard.
Matsuda gulped, his nerves tensing. Whatever she's setting up for, she must have enough by now. He braced himself. Whatever was coming, it was probably going to hurt.
"And I'll use Raiden's effect." She milled twice. "No Lightsworns this time, but it doesn't matter. If you want to understand, then understand this!"
Matsuda raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm going to tune the level four Raiden with the level three Lumina!"
Matsuda blanched. All that for a Synchro summon? This isn't normal.
Raiden turned into four green rings which surrounded Lumina, who then dispersed and became three white, star-like spheres. A light erupted from them and enveloped the area.
"Bringer of light, as darkness falls, may your purging luminescence bring back the realm of evanescent glow! Become the light that purges shadow! Synchro summon! Level seven! Shine, Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn (Lv. 7, ATK: 2600)!"
An armoured paladin emerged from the light, golden wings rising like a halo around his helmet, the light refusing to fade as if the monster were a source of nuclear fusion itself. His blade of blue energy was imposing enough to have Matsuda shudder, taking a step back as wind buffeted him.
He swallowed the lump in his parched throat. She was right; he understood a little better now. The fear he felt, the desire to do anything not to die, it was a powerful motivator. He was sure that this could be the end of his life, so why did he insist on steadying his hand and staring the monster down? Why hadn't he just accepted her words and backed down? "Scary," he said. "But you're not killing anyone."
She narrowed her eyes. "Try to stop me. Since I haven't normal summoned yet, I'll summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk (Lv. 4, ATK: 1600)!" A dark-skinned woman with black hair in twin braids appeared on the field.
"And now I activate Michael's monster effect! I pay a thousand lifepoints (Lady Light: 4000 – 3000) to banish one card on the field. I choose your set card! Dimensional Radiance!" Michael pointed his blade at Matsuda's trap card, a stream of blue energy sending the card into a different dimension. "You'll have to do better than basic courage and self-righteousness. Ehren, attack Planetes!" The dark-skinned woman rushed towards Planetes and hit him with a palm thrust, shattering him to pieces (Matsuda: 3000 – 2800). Matsuda staggered as a rock hit his leg, throbbing warmth blossoming through the limb as he dropped to a knee.
"And now Michael attacks you directly! Go, Luminous Purge!" Michael pointed his sword at Matsuda, blue energy gathering at the tip. It erupted like a cannon and exploded on contact with Matsuda, sending him flying away to land hard on his backside (Matsuda: 2800 – 200).
"Ow…" Matsuda groaned. That had hurt. A lot. He wasn't letting her get away with that, or with her other activities, self-righteous or not.
"I'll end my turn there, and both Michael and Ehren mill three cards." She sent six cards to her graveyard.
"Alright, my turn!" He looked at his deck. He could almost feel the connection pulsing, pulling him in. He had never been one to rely on luck, but he knew his deck wouldn't fail him. He had faith. "Draw!" He ripped off the top card and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, smirking as he flipped the card around.
"Right when I needed her! I summon Cosmic HERO Space Pilot (Lv.3, ATK: 1500)!" A middle-aged woman wearing a red flight suit appeared, her black hair pulled back into a bun. "And her effect allows me to special summon a level four HERO monster from my graveyard, so let's welcome back Planetes!" Planetes reappeared next to Space Pilot, fixing a glare on Lady Light.
"Now let's see how far basic courage and self-righteousness can push me! I'm gonna tune my level three tuner monster Space Pilot with the level four Planetes!" Space Pilot faded into three green rings as Planetes became four shining stars, light erupting as they combined.
"As the spiral turns, see the light of a billion suns! With your heart a supermassive black hole, show the dazzling brilliance of the stars! Synchro summon! Level seven! Shine, Cosmic HERO Andromeda!" As the light faded, an ethereal woman formed, her body appearing as the arms of spiral galaxies, pinpricks of light creating a shining vista upon her body (Lv.7, ATK: 2500).
Lady Light smirked. "It's about time. You seem to be getting a little closer."
Matsuda snorted. "The only thing I'm getting closer to is beating you, because Andromeda has an effect that activates on her successful summon: she can destroy one card on the field! And I'll choose Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn!" Andromeda pointed a ghostly hand at Michael. "Neutron Star Collision!" Michael's body began twisting, as if Matsuda was looking at him with vertigo. The monster began screaming and shattered.
"Impressive," said Lady Light, "but when Michael is destroyed, I can select any number of other Lightsworn monsters in my graveyard and return them to my deck! I'll add one Minerva back!" She added the card back to her deck. "And I gain three hundred life points for each I add (Lady Light: 3000 – 3300)!"
"Doesn't matter to me, since I'm activating a quick-play spell card: Radiation Blast! When I destroy a monster of yours with a card effect, you take damage equal to half of that monster's attack points!" An invisible force hit Lady Light, who coughed (Lady Light: 3300 – 2000).
"And Andromeda still has her attack! Destroy Ehren with Black Hole Sun!" Andromeda's chest opened up, revealing a black hole. Though Ehren resisted, the pull of gravity was too strong and the monk fell in. She was instantly crushed, at which point Andromeda's chest closed once more (Lady Light: 2000 – 1100). "I end my turn with a face-down!" A reverse card appeared at his feet.
Lady Light drew, her eyes wide and frantic. "That was a strong move, but the thing you said didn't matter? It's about to bite you in the ass. You ask me why? I'll show it to you: the power I had to gain to fight murderers and tyrants!"
Matsuda eyed her quizzically. His mind raced through possibilities, but he couldn't pin one down. "What do you mean?"
She ignored him. "Since there are four Lightsworn monsters with different names in my graveyard, I can summon forth this beast." Silhouettes of Raiden, Michael, Minerva and Lumina appeared, coalescing into a blinding ball of light. "Shine, king of heavenly beasts, Judgment Dragon!"
From the light flew a dragon with an oriental face, its stature dwarfing even the largest of buildings. Its scales were grey but still shone as if reflecting everything (Lv. 8, ATK: 3000).
Matsuda was in awe. He looked the beast up and down, fog clouding his thoughts as he realised he couldn't stand up to such a creature. He wouldn't have to, though. His Cosmic Ray trap card could halve its attack power and win him the duel.
"I activate my dragon's effect!" Her words broke through Matsuda's thoughts. "By paying a thousand lifepoints (Lady Light: 1100 – 100) I can eradicate every other card on the field! Go, Purging Light!"
"What?!"
Matsuda's answer came in the form of a deafening roar, light shining from the dragon's every orifice. The light increased in intensity until he had to shut his eyes to avoid being blinded, and when it faded, both Andromeda and his trap card had disappeared. He took several steps back, eyes as wide as dinner plates as he contemplated what was coming. He couldn't think, his mind blank but for a single thought. He was wide open.
"Now Judgment Dragon, finish this! Heaven's Judgment!" Judgment Dragon roared once more, but this time light began gathering in its open maw. Matsuda stared in shock as a beam barrelled straight at him, unable to move as he was overtaken by the burning light. He screamed. He couldn't help it, the power was far too intense for him to take. The force of the blast sent him flying backwards, and, as if lady luck were taunting him, over the edge of the building and down the narrow gap between it and its neighbour (Matsuda: 200 – 0, Winner: Lady Light).
He felt himself falling, but he was in too much pain to register it. If he didn't do anything, he would die, but he couldn't understand that concept at that moment, nor could he register the sound of heavy boots sprinting across the rooftop and a hand gripping his arm. He looked up blearily to see his hooded saviour, the very woman whose attack had sent him flying over the edge. Their momentum didn't stop, though, and he realised that she was free-falling with him in the prelude to a double-sized pavement splat. He made a choking noise when they stopped suddenly, Lady Light looking down at him as she gripped a rung of the fire escape ladder he had used to get up. She pulled him towards her.
"Don't fall again," she said.
"Then don't send me flying over the edge again," he gasped.
She looked down at him and sighed. "I did tell you that I don't want to hurt you. It's not my fault you didn't listen."
Matsuda felt his consciousness slipping, his pain almost too great to bear. "What is all this about? Real damage? War, murderers, tyrants?"
She slipped the duel disk from his limp wrist, examining the screen and pressing a few times. "You don't need to concern yourself with that."
"What are you doing?"
She picked him up in a bridal carry, and he thought he saw a glimpse of soft, regretful features beneath the hood as she let herself fall the few feet to the ground below. He felt the impact, but it was softened by her grip.
"Guess you have duelist registration on your disks too. I'm going to take you home so that you can stay out of my way."
That wouldn't do. He needed answers, his curiosity burning a hole through his chest even as he tried to catch a glimpse of her through lidded eyes. He could only think of the expression on her face, of the pain hidden within it. She had mentioned a war, and though he had never known anything but peace, he could tell that it was true. She had lost, and he could understand that, but he couldn't accept how she did things nor could he give up on understanding. He'd have to find her again and coax the answers out of her.
"Thank you," he said. "For not killing me."
He saw a faint smile before he lost consciousness.
OP1: Breaking Benjamin - Firefly
ED1: Shinedown - Amaryllis
AN: The first edit is completed! If this is your first time reading this story, later chapters may show inconsistencies in detail and timeline due to the fact this story evolved over the years (from an Arc-V rip-off idea of 'I could do that better' to a massive extended universe epic), but the new edits for the rest of the story will come soon enough, so keep your eyes peeled!
This, right here, is the true first chapter of the RealityVerse. Let's see how we kick on from here, eh? Leave a review if you enjoyed it, or if you have a criticism. As a final note, I know OC cards can get confusing, so there's a handy guide at the end of each chapter.
Cosmic HERO Motivator
LIGHT/Warrior/Effect
Level 4
ATK: 1500 DEF:1500
When this card is sent to the graveyard: draw 1 card.
Cosmic HERO Planetes
DARK/Warrior/Effect
Level 4
ATK: 1400 DEF: 1300
When this card is normal summoned: you can special summon 1 'Cosmic HERO' monster from your hand with a different level to this card.
Cosmic HERO Infernus
FIRE/Warrior/Effect
Level 3
ATK: 1300 DEF: 200
If this card is special summoned by the effect of a 'Cosmic HERO' monster; you can tribute this card: destroy 1 monster your opponent controls.
Cosmic HERO Space Pilot
DARK/Warrior/Tuner
Level 3
ATK: 1500 DEF: 1300
When this card is normal summoned: you can special summon 1 level 4 HERO monster from your graveyard.
Cosmic HERO Andromeda
LIGHT/Warrior/Synchro/Effect
Level 7
ATK: 2500 DEF:2000
1 tuner monster + 1 or more non-tuner monsters. When this card is Synchro Summoned: Destroy 1 card on your opponent's side of the field for each non-tuner monster you used to summon this monster. Once per turn, during your main phase: you can tribute one Cosmic HERO monster on the field, other than this card; destroy one card your opponent controls.
Giga-Mech
Equip Spell
This card can only be equipped to a 'Cosmic HERO' monster. That monster gains 500 ATK.
Radiation Blast
Quick-Play Spell
When you destroy an opponent's monster with a card effect: inflict your opponent damage equal to half that monster's attack.
Satellite Shield
Normal Trap
When your oppenent declares a direct attack: target the attacking monster; negate that attack.
Cosmic Ray
Normal Trap
During the damage step: target the opponent's monster; that monster's ATK is halved.