The duel quickly reaching a conclusion, Yumi is forced to make a choice. Can she live with the consequences?
Yumi's declaration silenced Rio. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but blush at how cute she found that speech. This only made her angrier. Angry enough to scream, in fact. "Why won't you just die?" she yelled, Yumi afraid she might forgo dueling entirely to charge her. After several heavy breaths, she glared towards her. "Just continue your turn."
Though not entirely unshaken by the outburst, Yumi chose to do just that. "I'll activate Tribute to the Devil, which lets me send your Killer Crocodile to the Graveyard to summon a Normal Monster from my hand!" The green beast appeared on Yumi's field, closing in on Rio's monster.
"I activate Killer Crocodile's effect, letting me pay 1000 Life Points to change your target to Bronze Tiger!" Her Life fell to 2100, the devil changing direction at the last minute to grasp the new target between its hands, crushing it in a small explosion.
Turning back to Yumi, its hands opened to reveal a ball of light. "I'll Special Summon Rusty Swordsman!" The knight appeared on her field, striking a heroic pose only for its visor to fall over its eyes with a loud clank. "Then, I release Rusty Swordsman to Advance Summon my ace monster one more time, Majesty Magician!" Her monster returned to the field triumphantly, bowing respectfully with a hand flourish to their opponent.
"Don't look away or else you might miss his trick!" She inserted a Magic Card into her duel disk. "Majesty Magician, power up!" The card she'd played was Rusty Sword, targeting the monster. On command, it spun its staff through the air, holding it between both hands on its side. It clapped them together, the cane disappearing between them. Pretending to look both ways like it was unsure of what had happened to its weapon, the monster snapped its fingers, spreading its arms to create a cloud of pink smoke. As it cleared, it was holding the enormous sword. Rio simply rolled her eyes at the theatrics.
Yumi laughed. "Don't get upset. After all, this is the end of the duel, and I want you to at least be able to smile after helping me realize everything before." She discarded a card to activate its effect. "When Rusty Sword activates, I'll use Komboriboh's effect to discard itself and add another Equip Magic from my Graveyard to my hand that could also target Majesty Magician." Her selection was Broken Wand, mostly for safety's sake.
"Majesty Magician, attack Girzerker Killer Crocodile! Majesty Strike!" The wizard pulled the sword from where it rested against its shoulder, lunging forward. With its 4500 ATK, it would leave Rio with only 600 remaining; that is, if Yumi hadn't activated another card. "During the Damage Step, I use my Trap, Unbreakable Spirit!" Rio grit her teeth, not accounting for her set cards to actually matter.
"I target a monster on my field, then have it gain ATK equal to the monster on your field with the lowest ATK. That means Majesty Magician's ATK becomes 7500!" Her monster gave a shout as an aura of power enveloped it. Spinning like a top, it slashed clean through Rio's Girzerker, a large explosion signaling its defeat. Yumi pumped her fist in excitement before remembering the effects of the chamber they were. "Rio, are you okay?" she called out, about to run through the smoke to check.
"Trap activate," she heard. "Guard Block. I can activate this when I'm about to take damage, making it zero and letting me draw a card." Despite everything, she still refused to lose to Yumi. Taking the top card of her deck, she felt her heart skip a beat, a disconcerting smile spreading across her lips. "Now, since a Psychic-Type monster was destroyed in battle, I can activate Telepathic Power to destroy your monster and gain its current ATK as Life Points!"
Yumi could only watch in horror as her best card writhed in pain, exploding as its massive ATK value increased Rio's Life Points to 9600. She began to cackle, pointing to Yumi. "Look at your face!" she said between breaths. "You thought you were about to win, but all you did was help me! And on my turn, I'll show you what it means to suffer! And it'll be all your fault!"
Yumi grit her teeth, unsure of what to do next. She'd lost Majesty Magician for good this time and whatever Rio claimed to have waiting next turn was probably not a lie. All she could do now was bolster her defenses and hope for the best next turn. "I activate Unexpected Guy! This lets me summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my deck if I don't have any monsters. I pick Hat-Trick Magician, in Attack Mode, and I equip it with Broken Wand." The diminutive sorcerer appeared on her field, covering its head with its hands as its ATK raised to an unimpressive 1700. "Turn end," she declared.
Rio began to laugh again. Quietly at first, then louder. Finally, she drew her card, still in fits as her Life Points reached 11050. "This is where it ends!" she declared. "You might have thought you'd seen all my Girzerker Ritual Monsters, but you'd be wrong!" She played her third and final Girzerker Ascending Ceremony. "I release Girzerker Baby Bird, Girzerker Little Bear, and pay 3000 Life Points for the cost of a Ritual Summon!"
Yumi counted up the Levels in her head. "Wait, Level 13? That can't be possible!"
"Ethereal horror born from another universe," she began, stretching her arms out among the flames. "Cross existence to erase my enemies! Ritual Summon, Level 13! Chaos Girzerker Antimatter!" Rio's behemoth appeared on the field, glistening blue armor adorning its massive form. Its actual body appeared to be an otherworldly black color, darker than anything she'd ever seen before. Inside it appeared to be a bubbly yellow substance, two eyes of the same color boring into her like twin suns.
"When I Ritual Summon this card, you can't activate effects, and all face-up Magic and Trap Cards are negated!" As if on queue, the monster began to make a humming sound, blasting a purple shockwave across the field. Both her own Trap and Yumi's Broken Wand cards grayed out as they appeared on the field now that they were rendered inert.
Rio cackled, pointing towards Yumi. "Antimatter, kill her! Omnicidal Rage!" Letting out an inhuman roar, the monster channeled two balls of cosmic energy into its palms, blasting them towards Hat-Trick Magician. With Broken Wand negated, it lost its effect, rendering it unable to return to the hand and negate the battle.
"I activate Komboriboh's effect, banishing itself from the Graveyard to negate destruction and damage for a monster with an Equip Card." The puffballs appeared on Yumi's field, cooing happily as they were incinerated in droves to protect her and her monster.
"You're only prolonging the inevitable!" she shouted. It was at that moment Fukuro finally appeared. He approached the chamber just in time for Rio's next advance. "I activate the effect of Girzerker Ascending Ceremony in my Graveyard, paying 1000 Life Points to return it to my deck and draw a card." Her Life Points were of little concern at this point, but 7050 made it a moot point entirely. Pleased with her draw, she set it.
"I end my turn, activating Chaos Girzerker Antimatter's effect! During every player's End Phase, I inflict damage to you equal to half your Life Points!" Yumi's eyes widened as the monster's body began to glow. "Destruction Photon Execution!" she commanded, the monster letting out a wave of energy that knocked Yumi against the wall of the enclosure hard enough to crack it.
She felt all of it, too. It was almost real. If she were to describe it later, she would claim that her skin was being melted off her body. Screaming, she writhed on the floor, unable to handle the immense pain across her entire body. "Miss Rio, you have to stop this! You'll kill her!" Fukuro couldn't stand by any longer. He'd been an accessory up until now, but that was over. He tried to open the door only to find that the impact Yumi's body made against it had broken the handle.
"I know!" Rio said with glee. "Then this can all be over! Everything will go back to normal!" She began to cackle again, looking down at Yumi. "Come on, Yumi! You heard him! You're going to die, so take your turn and let me end you!"
Yumi was about to black out before she heard a voice, crisp and clear and uninterrupted by any of the noise around her, say, "She's right, you know." This got her attention over the agony. "Hello, Takano Yumi! It seems like you can remember me. That's good! It looks like you're in another predicament.
She could hear the voice – Izar – laugh. "Mind if I take over for a little bit? You could go back inside that little brain of yours and rest up while I finish things here." Yumi's breathing quickened, shaking her head slowly as she struggled to stand. "Come on. Just for a minute. All you have to do is say yes. We both know you can't handle anymore damage. Your tiny human heart would give out."
Despite saving her before, Yumi had come to realize there was something not right about Izar. As friendly as he came off, she knew deep inside that his offers were anything but benevolent. More than anything, she didn't want to lose control like before. She didn't want to be an observer in her own body. "Takano Yumi," he crooned softly. "Let me help you."
"No!" she screamed as loud as she could, hearing a laugh in response. Whether it was from Rio or Izar, she was too delirious to tell. She stood weakly, panting and raising a shaky hand to her duel disk. "I'll do this on my own," she said, drawing a card.
It was Twister. Even if that card was useful right now, she had only 450 Life Points left, making it impossible to activate. As if sensing her distress, Rio used another card. "During the Standby Phase, I activate Imperial Order of the Royal Palace! This negates every Magic Card on the field!" It was nothing if not an aggressively spiteful move for no other reason than to prove to Yumi she was finished, stuck with no way out. There was nothing she could do now. She had lost.
Except, there was something she could do. Every fiber of her being told her not to, but she had no choice. If she ended her turn, she would receive another blast from Antimatter's effect, killing her. If she managed to survive that, an attack from that monster, unaffected by her set Justi-Break due to it being non-targeting, would inflict double piercing damage, killing her. If she surrendered, she didn't believe for a second Rio wouldn't still find a way to kill her on the spot, butler or not banging futilely against the wall.
"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do," she said quietly, tears running down her cheeks. It was more to herself and, by extension, everyone she cared for than Rio. "I summon Scaredy Lion in Attack Mode," she declared, the two monsters sharing a mutual fear of their opponent. "I overlay my Level 4 Scaredy Lion with my Level 4 Hat-Trick Magician. Xyz Summon, Rank 4. Macrocosmus - The WORLD."
The unsettling creature appeared on the field just like before, only this time there was no question that Yumi had been the one to make the call. The mark appeared on her forehead once again. With 2700 ATK, it seemed impossible that it could overcome Antimatter, a fact Rio was quick to comment on. "So that's your last stand? Pathetic!"
Looking down, she activated its effect. "I detach an Overlay Unit from The WORLD, banishing every Magic Card from both Graveyards to increase its ATK by 300 for each one." Eleven cards were removed from the game, increasing its ATK by 3300 to make a total of 6000.
"What?" Rio said, pure terror washing over her. "That's...no! That's not possible! What is that?" Even her monster appeared shocked, roaring at the many times smaller being that had just overtaken it in strength. "You can't do this! You can't beat me, you trash! I'm Mabuchi Rio! I'll be the greatest duelist in the world in two years time! No one can beat me!"
Ignoring her rantings, Yumi commanded, "Attack." Charging its beam, the monster let forth. Antimatter put up a resistance, but it was entirely in vain. The attack burnt through its enemy's blast like it was nothing, the glass around them shattering outward as the beam hit. It shot clean through Rio's monster, burning a hole through the back wall and into the Earth itself.
As devastating and painful as the damage she'd taken from that attack was, it was the least of her worries. While the summoning conditions alone were extreme, the true cost for Chaos Girzerker Antimatter's unstoppable power was its final effect. When it was destroyed, its owner would take the combined ATK and DEF values it possessed on the field as damage, making a total of 8000. Rio could only watch in horror as she was overtaken by a wave of energy, dropping her Life to 0 instantly.
The holograms faded, Yumi falling to her knees from exhaustion. "No, no, no, no," she repeated to herself, shaking her head.
"Good job, Takano Yumi," she heard, only making her feel worse. Fukuro, having avoided a majority of the glass while still being tossed back by the explosion, ran to Rio's side as she lay in a heap on the floor. Despite everything, he still loved this child. If she were to die, he'd never be able to forgive himself.
He felt for a pulse, sighing slowly in relief at feeling the faint thump of her heart against his fingers. "She's alive," he said with a smile, slightly relieving Yumi's guilt in the process. Cradling her in his arms, he turned to Yumi with a stern expression. "Miss Takano, I apologize for everything that has happened here today and previously."
Struggling to her feet, Yumi dropped the duel disk after collecting her cards. "Does that make it okay?" she said, her anger surprising herself. "You were right here," she continued, her breathing starting to quicken. "You saw her try to kill me. She sent that man to do the same thing yesterday, and the three others who wanted to hurt me, too. She hurt my friends. She..." She began to hyperventilate, clutching her chest and trying to calm herself. "You think I should just forgive you?" she screamed.
He was silent. "No," he said finally. "You have every right to hold a grudge against myself and Miss Rio. Nothing I can say or do will make this right. This is as much my fault as it is hers." The last part confused her given how unaware she was of his involvement in this plan. "I have worked as the butler for this family since Miss Rio's grandfather adopted her father. I helped to raise her from the time she was born, yet I allowed her to become like this. All her actions are a result of my failure."
He stepped forward, Yumi backing away. "I promise to you on whatever honor I may have that this is the last of your suffering at the hands of Miss Rio. A car will be in front of the building to escort you home momentarily. If there is anything at all we can do to ease your pain, please tell us. You need only ask and we can fulfill it."
"I don't wan-" she stopped herself. As much as she would hate herself for this later, she saw an opportunity and had to take it. "My family is very poor. We struggle with having enough money a lot." She couldn't say more, the guilt overwhelming her.
"I understand," he said with a nod. "I will arrange for restitution. Again, I am truly sorry for all of this. Neither you nor your loved ones deserved this." With that, he walked off, taking the elevator up to the penthouse to call for their in-house physician to attend to Rio. After a thorough examination, it was concluded she was perfectly healthy – the affects of the chamber remotely activating pain sensors, therefore causing no real damage – though her mind had apparently suffered some sort of trauma.
The only conclusion they could draw was that she was comatose as a result of it. There was no telling when or even if she would wake up from it. Fukuro would wait, though, as he always did. Whatever exactly happened down there was a mystery, but he knew the only thing to do now was wait. He prayed for her recovery as well as that, when she did awaken, she would once again be the girl he used to know.
Yumi rode to the lobby again after collecting herself. It was hard to make it the whole way given how much pain she was in currently. Once she reached the top, she wandered out into pure chaos. The lobby and the Critical Games employees were scrambling in every direction, news having spread fast that the heiress to the company was injured and in a coma. That news only made Yumi feel worse about demanding money from them. She honestly couldn't say Rio didn't deserve it, though.
Just as promised, a car waited for her outside. She got in quietly, the driver knowing where to go from the GPS. She sat in a daze trying to process what had happened. She just couldn't, though, no matter how hard she tried. None of it seemed real. Not the kidnapping, or the torture, or Izar, or the card, or Rio's plans, or the accident.
One thing was for certain, though: She would never again use Macrocosmus - The WORLD. Taking the card from her deck, she cracked the window as they drove through the city, tearing the card in half and throwing the pieces out, closing it back. While far from at ease, that was at least a small weight off her shoulders. That evil card was no more and she would never have to look at it or feel the temptation to use it ever again.
They arrived back at her house shortly, the driver helping her out of the car. She wandered to the porch, collapsing on top of it almost immediately. Looking off to the side, she noticed her letter was still there. Her grandmother hadn't even noticed she was gone. As much as she hated lying, she figured it was best to keep this from her, at least for now, wadding up the paper and tossing it under the house.
She rolled onto her back, shaded by the eaves and letting the warmth of the afternoon wash over her. It took mere seconds before she passed out from exhaustion, sleeping soundly for fifteen minutes before her grandmother came out to check on her.
The older woman had heard her granddaughter walk outside earlier, assuming she wanted fresh air and some time to think. She respected her wishes, though became concerned after she failed to come back inside nearly an hour later. It was a relief to find that she'd just fallen asleep, nothing bad having happened during that time.
"God, you're getting big," she said, holding Yumi and patting her on the head. Taking her to her room, she reflected on how much time had passed since their family was last whole. It was almost 11 years to be precise, bringing a sad sigh to her lips. Her husband had passed away, her children missing, and now her granddaughter was nearly killed. She couldn't bear to lose her, too.
Setting her down, she covered her with a blanket, kissing her forehead before leaving the room to let her rest. And rest she did, not awakening until 33 hours had passed. Yumi was very confused, disoriented, and aching when that happened.
She finally got up at nearly the same time her grandmother planned to go to sleep. They talked briefly about how she was feeling, hugged, and heated some food. With how hungry she was, Yumi ate an entire day's worth of food to recover her strength. It was helpful that she wasn't in as much debilitating pain anymore.
"Do you want me to stay up with you?" she asked, patting Yumi on the head.
"I'll be okay," she answered. "I kind of want some time to think, and I don't want to make you stay up. I'm probably going to back to sleep soon, anyway."
"If you're sure," she answered. "Don't be afraid to come get me if you need help. Are you sure you don't want to go to the doctor now?"
Yumi nodded. "I'm fine, I promise. I feel a lot better already." She gave her grandmother another hug. "See you in the morning."
"Alright, Yumi. Stay inside." With that, Yumi found herself alone in the house. She decided to see what was on TV at this time of night, something she rarely got to check given how early their bedtime was on most days. Lowering the volume so as not to cause a disturbance, she flipped channels before settling on one of those late night anime with cheap animation made with the intention of selling the fixed Blu-Rays.
There was a lot more violence and nudity than she normally expected to see; just one of the perks of staying up late, she thought. She'd joined in the middle of an episode and had no idea who was who and what was happening, but it was colorful and fast-paced enough to keep her attention. Her favorite character was a grumpy pink haired girl with gigantic breasts that hit people with a whip, who she decided was named Baroness von Underboob.
There was an obvious similarity to someone she knew in there, forcing her to turn her head towards the hall where the phone sat. At the end of the episode and the energetically generic ending theme, she made the decision to get up and make a call. Picking up the receiver, she steadied her breathing, trying to calm her overactive nerves.
Slowly, she dialed the number and sat down next to the wall. It rang for a solid minute, no signs of answering, until finally she could hear a voice on the other side. Specifically, a sleep groan. "Yumi? W-what are you doing?"
"Hi," she said. "Sorry, I haven't seen you in a few days, so I was lonely. I'll let you go back to bed, sorry."
"No, wait. No, no, it's okay." Sakuya stretched and rolled over in bed to lay on her back. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling a little better now," she said, unable to stop a tiny smile from coming to her lips. "I think I've been asleep for almost two whole days now. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Sakuya answered. "I'm glad you're feeling better. Did you just get up?"
"Kind of. I ate dinner and watched some TV, and this one character reminded me of you and I wanted to see if you were still awake or not. Have you ever tried wearing a crop top that's, like, almost too small?"
"Excuse me?" she asked with a small laugh.
"Nothing, nothing," Yumi deflected. She leaned her head back to touch the wall. "I'm sorry I haven't been going to the park. I'm kind of grounded, I think."
"Yumi, don't apologize for that. We...a lot happened, so you just rest. Training doesn't matter right now." They were both quiet for a time. "Are you safe there? Has anyone tried to hurt you again?"
Yumi stopped herself, her first instinct being to hide the truth again. Thinking better of it, she admitted, "Yeah, but we don't have to worry anymore. It's over now."
"Did you...really..." Her voice was shaking.
"That's the thing," Yumi interrupted with a small laugh. "I actually...won. I beat the person sending them after us, and now she's not going to bother us anymore."
"How do you know that?" She received no answer. "Yumi, how are you sure she won't?"
"Well, when I won, she kind of...fell asleep. And as far I know, they're not sure if she's ever going to wake up."
"Oh. Wow." Sakuya sat up, fully alert now. "I guess we're okay now." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know what to say. Are you okay?"
"I think so," Yumi answered. "I just miss you and everyone else."
Sakuya finally smiled. "I missed you, too," she said quietly. They were both silent for a time, Sakuya finally saying, "I talked to everyone recently."
"How are they," Yumi asked quickly.
"Kazuhiko kept calling me to complain about not being allowed out, since he wanted to come see you and try to make you feel better." They chuckled. "Such an idiot."
"He's a good person," Yumi said with a smile.
"Yeah," Sakuya was forced to admit. "He says Hideo's doing okay, too. Just trying to be okay with everything. Apparently, they weaved you a hat, so I don't know what that means but I guess you can look forward to that soon."
"I like hats," she said excitedly. "Have you heard anything from Kyoko?"
"I think she's been trying to find information on who was coming after us, but I guess nothing came of that."
Yumi grinned, innocently saying, "Too bad she didn't come here to nurse me back to health. You know how cute I am when I'm all vulnerable."
"Shut up," Sakuya said with a pout. "Stop acting weird and get your rest."
Yumi giggled. "Maybe you could be here to nurse me, then." They both blushed at the thought, Sakuya secretly knowing how horrible her bedside manner was and refraining from any comments. "I hope I can see you again soon."
"Me, too," she agreed. They'd fallen silent again, Sakuya swallowing hard and saying, "This is kind of unimportant, but can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Yumi replied.
"It's just...the festival is tomorrow. I know you probably don't feel like it, and even if you do you're probably not allowed, but I was just...are you still going to go? With me?"
Yumi was quiet. "I don't know," she finally said. "I definitely want to see you, but I don't know if I'm allowed anymore."
"That's okay," she said, regretting all of this even more. She blamed herself for not being strong enough or careful enough. It was her fault Yumi got her, she thought, all because she looked like such an easy target.
Suddenly feeling determined, Yumi blurted out. "No, wait. I'm definitely going. I made a promise to you."
"Yumi, it's okay if you can't. I'm not mad at you."
Yumi huffed. "Nope, I'm going. We're going to have fun together and eat takoyaki. Oh, and the fireworks! We get to see those, too!" She nodded resolutely. "I'm definitely going to see you tomorrow!"
Sakuya couldn't help but laugh at her defiance. "You're unbelievable," she said with a shake of her head.
Yumi laughed. "Yep! I'll see you, right? You're going now?"
How could she say no to her like this? "Definitely," Sakuya replied.
"I'm happy," Yumi said. "I'll see you at the beach, okay?"
"I'll be waiting." With their resolution at its peak, the two talked about their plans for the day for the rest of the night.
Cards Used In Order of Appearance
Tribute to the Devil (Faustian Bargain)
Normal Spell Card
Send 1 Special Summoned monster on either side of the field to the Graveyard and Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from your hand.
Girzerker Killer Crocodile
EARTH
Level 9
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
3000 ATK/3000 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card. Once per turn, when this card is targeted by your opponent's card effect: You can pay 1000 LP; change the target to another appropriate card on the field. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Girzerker" monster from your Deck to your hand with ATK less than or equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK.
Girzerker Bronze Tiger
EARTH
Level 4
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
1700 ATK/1000 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field and pay LP in multiples of 100; that monster loses ATK and DEF equal to LP paid until the End Phase.
Rusty Swordsman
EARTH
Level 4
Warrior
1500 ATK/1000 DEF
Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
Spellcaster/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster that was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. This card is treated as an appropriate target for a card that specifically designates a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).
Komboriboh
DARK
Level 1
Fiend/Effect
300 ATK/ 200 DEF
When a monster is targeted by an Equip Spell Card: You can discard this card and target 1 Equip Spell Card in your Graveyard that could be equipped to an appropriate monster on the field; add that target to your hand. When a monster you control is targeted for an attack while it it equipped with an Equip Spell Card: You can banish this card from your Graveyard to target that monster; this turn, that target cannot be destroyed by battle and you take no battle damage from attacks involving that target.
Broken Wand
Equip Spell Card
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: This card's original ATK increases by 500. When this card attacks or is attacked by a monster with higher ATK: You can return this card to your hand and end the Battle Phase.
Unbreakable Spirit
Normal Trap Card
If you control only 1 face-up monster: Target that monster; until the end of this turn, it gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster your opponent currently controls with the lowest ATK (your choice, if tied).
Guard Block (Defense Draw)
Normal Trap Card
During your opponent's turn, at damage calculation: Make the battle damage you take from this battle 0, and if you do, draw 1 card.
Telepathic Power
Normal Trap Card
When a Psychic-Type monster you control is destroyed by battle with an opponent's attacking monster: Target the opponent's monster; destroy that target, and if you do, gain LP equal to the destroyed monster's ATK on the field.
Unexpected Guy (Unexpected Dai)
Normal Spell Card
If you control no monsters: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from the Deck.
Hat-Trick Magician
DARK
Level 4
Spellcaster
1200 ATK/1500 DEF
Girzerker Ascending Ceremony
Ritual Spell Card
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Girzerker" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. You can also pay LP equal to any number of Levels x 500, in addition to any Tributes used to equal the Level of the Ritual Monster. While this card is in your Graveyard, except the turn it is sent there: Pay 1000 LP; shuffle this card into your Deck and draw 1 card.
Girzerker Baby Bird
EARTH
Level 3
Psychic/Effect
1000 ATK/800 DEF
Pay 800 LP; excavate the top card of your Deck. If it is a "Girzerker" card, add it to your hand, then shuffle your Deck. If it is not, send it to the Graveyard.
Girzerker Little Bear
EARTH
Level 4
Psychic/Effect
1500 ATK/900 DEF
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 "Girzerker" Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand. You can discard this card; add 1 "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Girzerker Little Bear" once per turn, and only once per turn. To activate these effects, pay 1000 LP.
Chaos Girzerker Antimatter
LIGHT
Level 13
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
4000 ATK/4000 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Girzerker" Ritual Spell Card. Must be Ritual Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When Ritual Summoned, cards and effects cannot be activated, also negate the effects of all face-up Spell/Trap Cards on the field. If this card attacks, your opponent's Spell/Trap Cards and monster effects cannot be activated on the field until the end of the Damage Step. Cannot be destroyed by Spell/Trap effects that do not target this card. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict double piercing battle damage to your opponent. During each player's End Phase: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to half their Life Points. When this card is destroyed: Take damage equal to its combined ATK and DEF on the field.
Twister
Quick-Play Magic Card
Pay 500 LP, then target 1 face-up Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.
Justi-Break
Normal Trap Card
Activate only when your opponent declares an attack against a face-up Normal Monster you control. Destroy all monsters on the field, except face-up Attack Position Normal Monsters.
Imperial Order of the Royal Palace (Imperial Order)
Continuous Trap Card
Negate all Spell Card effects on the field. During each of your Standby Phases, pay 700 Life Points or destroy this card.
Scaredy Lion
EARTH
Level 4
Beast
1300 ATK/ 1000 DEF
Macrocosmus - The WORLD
DARK
Rank 4
Fiend/Xyz/Effect
? ATK/? DEF
2 or more Level 4 monsters
This card's ATK and DEF become the combined ATK and DEF of the monsters used as Xyz Material when summoned, respectively. Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish any number of Spell Cards in both Graveyards; this card gains 300 ATK for each card banished by this effect, until the End Phase. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 of the Spell Cards that was banished by this effect to your hand.
I realized at 11:59 on Wednesday that I hadn't posted this. I've been watching GX all day and completely forgot what time was.
Finally got to introduce a Level 13 monster. I seriously don't know why they haven't done this before. We got Rank 13 with New Orders and Imaginary Numbers (which don't actually exist), so come on. We've even got real cards with no Rank or Level. Break the mold, Konami. Don't be afraid to do stuff that doesn't seem like it follows the rules. I eat that shit up, personally.
Like I mentioned last time, DC villain train keeps rolling. Figured we'd graduated from animals to cosmic-level threats (the natural progression). Anti-Monitor has always been one of my favorite characters in anything, so I figured I should put it in here at some point. Look for more references in later chapters featuring Rio (the joke being she's in a coma now).
I feel bad for putting Yumi through so much stuff so quickly like this. Now she's got PTSD and is going to shove all that trauma under the rug to try and feel normal again and it's only going to get worse from here. She deserves those fireworks.
While I'd already written this prior, I should address the fact we've got a co-author credit from now on. Pendulumprince is a friend of mine who's got her own account on [AO3] with some pretty cool ARC-V stuff which I recommend all of you go read if you like angst. I'm still the main creative force on here, but I brought her in to help me with ideas and keeping continuity and such straight while also being a voice to tell me when something is shit. No offense intended to the commenter offering similar from before; it's just that I started writing this pretty much because P was one of the people who showed interest in the idea when I first had it, and if I'm working with anyone I'd prefer it to be someone I already know.
I'd rather that all not come off as being, "I do all the work and stuff instead of this other person who does nothing!" since that's not the case. It's more to clarify that I am and always have been the writer, but now I have someone helping me to edit and make things better than I could on my own. Also don't want anyone to think I've just been leaving her off the credits since day 1 and am just owning up to it now, or anything.
But this has gone on for too long and I ran out of things to say that matter. Thanks for reading. Always remember to ask for cash.