A chance meeting leads to the beginning of the end.
Another day, another unsuccessful search. At this point, Hideo had certainly walked the entire city of Chiba five times over. Even with all of that effort, there just wasn't any sign of their friends anywhere. The best lead possible were some people who might have seen them walking around somewhere the day before everyone stopped replying, but by this point, no one could even remember clearly.
How long had it been since everyone vanished? Things had seemed so normal before it happened. As normal as things ever got around these parts, at least. The group chat buzzed, people went to school, and nothing seemed too off.
A day later and everyone was gone. Kazuhiko no longer attended school. Neither did Yumi from the sound of it. Neither of them answered texts, either. Sakuya was still MIA, but maybe she'd also disappeared while no one was looking.
From a young age, Hideo had gotten used to being alone. Two busy parents and a not quite typical way of interacting with the world did that to you. It wasn't even really a bad thing. Being ignored was fine, and they were perfectly able to occupy their time all on their own. Plenty of time for introspection, developing hobbies, and 100 single-player games.
Something strange had happened recently, though – they made friends. Not just people to be on good terms with at school or around the neighborhood, but real friends. People who wanted them around, and they wanted around in turn.
It was sort of like growing up never having eaten ice cream for years and years, only to suddenly be given a sundae out of nowhere. There were all sorts of adjectives that could be used to describe that sensation, but from their perspective, it all summed up to be "good".
But then everyone vanished, and they were alone again. Again, there were plenty of feelings to be had here, but the briefest way to describe it would be "bad". Very bad, even. Not only did you now lack ice cream, but you knew what ice cream was like now. Was it better to have had what you could now as opposed to never having it at all?
More to the point, why give someone ice cream if you were just going to snatch it away without warning? Food-based metaphors aside, that was really the question to be asked here. Something was going on, and it involved this specific group of kids.
From talking with everyone's parents, this wasn't some strange, collective moving day that no one bothered to tell them about. They even managed to track down Sakuya's father after a time, who was similarly worried about no longer receiving word from his daughter despite the school not having mentioned her disappearing and insisting she was attending class as normal. Curious.
They'd gone out searching the city several times over the last month or so, frequently in tandem with a few others. Kyoko and her friends, Yumi's schoolmates, and the random person here and there who had somehow come to know their little posse all tried to find them with no success. At this point, no one was entirely sure if they were even in the city anymore.
It was disheartening to say the least. What was happening here? Why had this group, specifically, just disappeared? What did they have to do to get all of them back?
Preparing to accept another day of nothing, they were ready to head back home. All that was left was to swing by the park one last time just to be safe. Maybe there would be some neat bugs to watch for a little while. That always took their mind off of all this stress.
Expecting to find absolutely nothing like normal, their expectations were shattered upon arriving. To their shock, they found something. Rather, someone, and that someone was Yuu.
The irony of looking for a group of people and finding someone they'd all been looking for previously was palpable, but palpating things could wait. Right now, they needed answers.
Something seemed off about her, though. More off than normal for the severely traumatized child, at least. Her outfit looked different now, too, the hood on her coat coming to a point at the end and the rest of it flowing down in strips of fabric around her legs. It almost looked like some kind of cosplay, though what it was meant to be or where she'd gotten it was anyone's guess.
Beyond that and the general shock of seeing her out here like it was nothing, it was also unclear what she was doing. Hood pulled back for once, all she was doing was sitting in the middle of the park while looking up towards the sky. Was the sun that interesting?
That wasn't really the question they needed answered, though. As the only substantive break in the case so far, Hideo approached Yuu to try and figure out where she'd been all this time. Chances are, the answer to that would reveal where everyone else was now.
She didn't seem to notice them until they were right in front of her. Blinking a few times, Yuu finally spoke. "Oh, I remember you." She got to her feet. "Yumi's friend."
Both the way she spoke and how she was looking at them felt off. Again, there wasn't much about Yuu that would be considered "normal" before, but she had a distinctly different vibe compared to back then. Her words tumbled lazily out of her mouth, her eyes half-glazed over. Without knowing any better, it almost seemed like she was under the influence of something.
"You should leave here," she said suddenly. "Go somewhere else. It's starting soon."
Hideo pushed up their glasses and sent an accusing look towards Yuu. Given she didn't seem to be in the mood to read things off a small screen, their communication would have to be through body language and the like. Thankfully, Yuu seemed to be the best candidate for this out of anyone.
"I don't want to hurt Yumi's friends," she said before looking back to the sky. "Today, I just wanted to feel the sun." Looking back, she then said, "Don't be here for what happens later."
She clearly knew something. What that actually was was a complete unknown, but it was definitely something. She just talked about potentially hurting someone, and that she was going to do something "later". What could this all mean?
Yuu pulled up her hood and turned to leave, only to have her path blocked when Hideo moved around to stop her. She let out a quiet sigh, looking up to say, "Don't fight me," in a tired but decidedly resolute voice.
Hideo shook their head, waving a hand out in front of Yuu to gesture that she couldn't leave, then trying to mime a request for her to explain herself. Things went quiet after that, Yuu staring ahead blankly without trying to speak or escape.
For a moment, it seemed like the charades simply weren't conveying the message well enough, but that quickly revealed itself as not being the primary issue. Without so much as a word, Yuu lifted her prosthetic, the forearm flipping out and extending into the dueling field as her hand moved down to reveal her deck. "Move," she muttered, clearly less of a challenge and more of a threat.
Hideo was taken aback at this, but only for a moment. Figuring that this might lead to some sort of progress, they dropped their backpack to the ground and pulled out a duel disk, slapping it on and activating it.
"What happens next will be your fault," Yuu stated cryptically, sounding just as disinterested as before. Their devices syncing up, the duel began in silence.
Evidently, a few of the other people at the park took notice of this. "Hey, someone's dueling!" a small child shouted, running over with a few friends to watch. A couple older people also followed, interested to see what was going on.
Yuu drew her hand one card at a time, seeming to have no sense of urgency. If that was the case, Hideo would just have to take the first move. No complaints there. Well, none save for the fact they'd wanted to show off this new deck to the friend group first, but that would have to wait. If nothing else, this would be a chance for some extra fine-tuning.
Taking a card, they flipped it around, the duel disk speaking, "Effect activate, Ultra Insect Eupakardia." Placing the card down in Defense Position, a green and blue caterpillar covered in spiky hairs materialized. "Special Summoned by controlling no monsters," the computer explained. "Effect activate, Ultra Insect Eupakardia. When Special Summoned, Special Summon an Ultra Insect monster from the deck."
One of the kids groaned. "Gross, bug decks suck!" he said. "I'm rooting for the scary girl now."
Undeterred by the jeers, out came another insect, this one green and speckled with yellow with most of its body concealed under an appendage shaped like a leaf. "Special Summon Ultra Insect Membracidae. Effect activate, Ultra Insect Membracidae. When Special Summoned, Special Summon an Ultra Insect monster from the hand."
Revealing another card, Hideo placed it down, this one materializing into a brown creature that flipped up its wings like a small shield. "Special Summon Ultra Insect Halyomorpha. Effect activate, Ultra Insect Halyomorpha. When Special Summoned, gain an additional Normal Summon of an Insect monster."
With two Normal Summons left, it was time to take advantage of one of them. "Normal Summon Hachibi." A bee creature materialized from the new card, holding a trident between its hands. "Effect activate, Hachibi. Release Hachibi and Ultra Insect Halyomorpha to draw two cards."
The bee monster raised its weapon, letting out a tiny squeak before it and the shield bug disappeared from the field. Drawing twice to complete the effect, another one started up. "Effect activate, Halyomorpha." The monster's wings rematerialized, spinning like a top until they stopped right in front of Yuu. This still failed to get a reaction from her.
Halyomorpha prevented the opponent from attacking until the end of their next turn after it got sent to the Graveyard. Definitely troublesome for anyone hoping to end things quickly, and all while still having another Normal Summon to burn.
"Normal Summon Ultra Insect Reduviidae," the duel disk recited, a black stick bug with a bulbous red thorax appearing next to the other two insects. With that, the stage was set.
Hideo swiped across the field, stacking all three cards on top of each other. "Overlay Ultra Insect Eupakardia, Ultra Insect Membracidae, and Ultra Insect Reduviidae. Xyz Summon, Rank 1. Ultra Insect Titanus – Larvae."
From out of the portal fell a squishy, off-white grub spotted with purple dots along its fleshy body. It writhed on the ground, several people in the ever-expanding crowd visibly disgusted at the sight of it. Awful rude to body shame a bug like that, but there were bigger issues at hand right now.
With 0 ATK and 0 DEF, it was situated firmly in Defense Position. While these did increase to 500 thanks to Eupakardia's effect as an Overlay Unit, it would do little to change how helpless the monster was. For that, it would need some help.
"Effect activate, Ultra Insect Titanus – Larvae. Detach one Overlay Unit. Special Summon Ultra Insect Reduviidae and Ultra Insect Halyomorpha from the Graveyard in Defense Position." The field was filling up fast, Hideo's next card only making the infestation grow. "Magic Card activate, Worm Bait. Special Summon two Worm Tokens in Defense Position."
Finally, they placed one last card onto the field. "Permanent Magic Card activate, Great Forest." Hideo pointed forward to signal the end of the turn, seemingly satisfied with this collection of small and defenseless monsters clogging up now overgrown field.
Throughout all of the rapid Special Summoning, Yuu had given no reaction. It almost seemed like she was asleep. This perception didn't change as she lazily pulled a card from the top of her deck, placing it with the rest of her hand.
"Standby Phase," Hideo's duel disk called out as they raised a hand. The Larvae's effect activated, this one also detaching an Overlay Unit while releasing one of the Tokens. "Xyz Change, Rank 3," the machine stated. "Ultra Insect Titanus – Pupa."
The Xyz Monster had transformed, advancing forward in its life cycle to become a soft purple cocoon, a sight that calmed a number of the onlookers. Still quite weak, it hid in Defense Position, its new effect now making it immune from being attacked or targeted for good measure. That wasn't all it could do, though, a second effect activating after its Summoning. "Add Ultra Insect Eupakardia from the Graveyard to the hand."
As the Main Phase rolled around, Yuu sighed. "You should have listened," she mumbled. Her eyes narrowing, she took one of the cards in her hand and played it. "I activate Purgatory of Nothingness. I draw a card, then discard my entire hand at the end of the turn."
A risky move. If anything went wrong in her strategy, she'd be forced to dump a number of valuable cards. Even if it didn't, she was forced to rely on topdecking for at least the next turn. Whatever she got now, it needed to be worth it.
"Both of these kids suck," one of the very adult members of the crowd jeered. "One's got stupid weak bug monsters, the other's self-destructing on purpose."
Though she didn't seem concerned with proving him wrong, Yuu's next move would certainly shut him up. Taking another card in hand, she held it up, declaring, "I activate the Ritual Magic, Resolute Darking Ritual." Reciting the name, what felt like a burst of hot air shot out across the field. That was an immediate cause for concern given that holograms didn't typically have the ability to do that, not that the crowd seemed to pick up on that.
"This Ritual Summons a Darking monster from my hand," Yuu explained, her words picking up a bit as she spoke. "As an offering, I send Darking monsters from my deck to the Graveyard equal to my Ritual Monster's Level." That couldn't be good.
"The monster is Darking Sulsazer, Level 4. Sending Jostoli, Varundicern, Monderza, and Belvedia." As she said their names, a crackling black flame appeared above her head. Spreading her arms wide and closing her eyes, Yuu inhaled deeply through her nose, finally letting the breath out as she spoke, "My hate will take form in this monster. If you surrender now, you can leave unharmed. If you don't, then you can die like the rest."
Her eyes shot open, the flame taking the form of a cross. "Ritual Summon, Darking Sulsazer!" Playing this monster finally injected some life into Yuu, though her intense and furious expression indicated this was now anything but a friendly match. Placing the card onto her duel disk, Sulsazer materialized in full, revealing a metallic blue cross topped with a tranquil, almost angelic head at the top.
As impressive as the theatrics were, its ATK of only 1950 were fitting for a Level 4 card. Overall, it didn't seem like it could do much. That was an assumption, though, and one that was far from true.
"Belvedia, Jostoli, Monderza, and Varundicern's effects activate, in that order," Yuu announced, another gust of wind blowing through the park. While many of the viewers were still undeterred by a little extra action, a few seemed to be getting wise to how...not right things were feeling.
As chains typically do, the effects resolved in reverse. "Varundicern raises Sulsazer's ATK by 1000," Yuu explained first, her monster now sporting a much more hearty 2950. "Monderza sends a second copy of Sulsazer to the Graveyard." Once this was done, she moved on to Jostoli. "None of your effects can activate in the hand this turn. Finally, Belvedia adds Varundicern to my hand."
Her rapid-fire effects resolved, Yuu immediately moved on to her next play. "I activate Resolute Darking Ritual's effect in the Graveyard," she declared, cards ejecting themselves from that location. "By banishing Jostoli, I return the Ritual to my hand. I'm using it again immediately."
Her target was the Varundicern just added back to her hand. A Level 1 monster, a single card was dropped for the offering. "Ritual Summon, Darking Varundicern!" Materializing next to Sulsazer, this monster appeared as a gray, pulsing, spherical creature. Not too dissimilar in appearance to a brain, a seam along its head opened slightly to allow another angelic face to disgustingly push out of it.
"Varundicern and the Darking Bastingwired sent to the Graveyard by the Ritual both activate their effects," Yuu said. "Bastingwired banishes Hachibi from the Graveyard, and Varundicern returns Jostoli to my Graveyard."
Her moves drew quite a bit of compliment from the crowd. "Damn, look at her go," one lady said.
"Really dominating this duel," another replied. Of all the things that could happen, it seemed that Yuu and her nightmare creatures were being cast as the protagonists here.
While her monsters weren't very strong individually (Varundicern only had 1100 DEF), the extreme amount of effects they could easily and instantaneously set off looked to be a problem. It wasn't hard to imagine that this was just the beginning, a theory that only seemed more likely as Yuu played her next card. "Pot of Avarice returns the Belvedia, Jostoli, Monderza, Batingwired, and Sulsazer in my Graveyard to the deck, then lets me draw twice."
Not missing a beat, she went into her next play. "I activate Conversion Darking Ritual. By sending the Rank 2 Spirited-Away Onibimaru to the Graveyard, I can Ritual Summon a Level 2 Darking monster. My choice is Darking Monderza."
Like before, her newest monster materialized from a black fire. This one featured a brown, slug-like body attached to a pair of slender, overly long legs out in front of it. Like the other two, the front of the body featured another incongruous face.
"Yeah, go scary girl!" the boy from before cheered. "Squash those bugs under your boots!"
"Her monsters are so cool," another added. "Especially that new one."
All of this commentary was starting to get to Hideo, that last line in particular really getting on their nerves. Oh, so when they play something squishy and wriggly, it's a crime against humanity, but when she does it, everyone wants to pat her on the back and buy her conveyor belt sushi?
Their opponent didn't seem to care about the crowd's words one way or the other, though. "Monderza's effect," Yuu declared, a Ritual Summon finally ending without a multi-part chain. "This effect destroys Great Forest." Her monster raised itself up, legs fully extending and causing its body to hang limply in the air. The face attached to it jerked and jittered until the eyes, previously closed in a tranquil sleep, sprung open along with its mouth.
A piercing shriek rang out through the park, forcing many of the onlookers to cover their ears. Hideo, too, could barely stand the sound, watching as the Great Forest's trees and overgrowth faded away along with the materialized card. Thankfully, the enemy monster settled down once this happened, lowering itself once more with its face returning to its previous state of bliss.
"You prevented me from attacking," Yuu said while setting two cards. "That forces me to end my turn now. If you can't do that again, I win." Her last action was to discard a copy of Bastingwired, completing Purgatory's effect.
While it was true they didn't exactly know each other very well before, this Yuu seemed completely unlike the one from Yumi's house, or even from the tournament. Her words were no longer lifeless, but they carried a cold animosity that made her seem like a different person. Every move was a threat, every threat spoken a promise.
Above all else, one thing she'd said was really starting to eat at Hideo. Tapping at the screen on their duel disk, its voice read out a message: "What does 'like the rest' mean?"
Yuu didn't respond except to say, "It's your turn."
They repeated the message, adding, "Who has died?"
"You'll understand if you don't surrender," she replied dryly. "Continue the duel."
"Yeah, keep going!" one of the crowd, now doubled in size yet again, shouted. "Quit holding the game up!" Evidently, they thought this was just kind of act.
Talking would clearly not get them anywhere at this stage, meaning the only option was to, as she said, continue the duel. As they drew their card, though, they couldn't help but think that that might be a mistake.
The Standby Phase rolled around once more, Pupa detaching a Unit and releasing the final Token. However, things didn't go as smoothly this time. "Trap activate," Yuu declared, one of her set cards flipping up. "Immediate Darking Halt negates a card's effect, then allows me to send a card my opponent controls to the Graveyard."
Not only was Pupa negated, the rest of the Counter Trap's effect smashed it open before it could hatch. That was definitely a setback, but Hideo remained undeterred. Depending on how things played out next, it might not have even mattered all that much.
"Magic Card activate, Pot of Greed and Avarice," the duel disk read out. "Banish ten cards from the top of the deck, then draw two new cards." It was always a gamble using this card, but it was worth taking more often than not. The alternative was being run over on the next turn without anything of substance to protect them. Besides, who couldn't use a little deck thinning every now and then?
Taking the two cards, Hideo gave a small nod before activating one of them. "Ultra Insect Swarming. Special Summon a Rank 3 or lower Ultra Insect Xyz Monster from the Graveyard. Attach this card as an Overlay Unit after." That effectively reset things, though it didn't change that the Standby Phase had been skipped over. That meant it wouldn't be until at least Yuu's turn before Pupa could evolve with its own procedure.
On the other hand, what's the point of waiting if you can do it now? Hideo then played Bug Signal, targeting the revived Pupa to elevate another two Ranks. "Xyz Change, Rank 5. Ultra Insect Titanus – Mature."
The cocoon split open, a wispy green streak of energy flying into a portal above the field. Bursting forth in a shower of sparks, a brown beetle streaked with purple landed on the field. It was nearly the size of a car, its newly-formed wings buzzing on its back as it gnashed its razor sharp mandibles.
"Hey, bug kid's still in this," a man in the crowd said as several people began to cheer. The crowd was certainly a fickle thing, but at least they were being a bit nicer now.
While Hideo wasn't ready to jump to any conclusions, Yumi's stories about blank cards that miraculously became something new or demons threatening her inside her mind seemed uncomfortably relevant at this time. They couldn't say for certain if Yuu was involved in all of that somehow, but they couldn't afford to risk letting this duel go on much longer if she was.
Luckily, the Ultra Insect deck was especially good about controlling how the opponent was able to interact with the game. After using Mature's effect on Summon (it could add a backrow card to hand from the deck, this one being Ultra Insect Adaption), Hideo moved to a second Xyz Summon using the Reduviidae and Halyomorpha left on the field.
"Rank 1. Ghostrick Dullahan." A fiendish creature missing its head trotted onto the field, its demonic horse rearing back to whiny at the enemy monsters. While it broke the theme of the rest of the deck, it was far too useful to pass up with so many Level 1 monsters flying and crawling around.
Dullahan's effect increased its ATK by 200 for each Ghostrick card its controller had out. Given that this was a deck full of bugs, that just meant itself right now. Still, 1200 ATK was surprisingly formidable given the cards it was facing.
Regardless, it was the other effect that made it so valuable here. "Entering Battle Phase," the duel disk declared, Titanus stomping its feet and preparing to charge in against Sulsazer.
"But that card has less ATK!" a random, very ignorant woman shouted from the sidelines. Obviously, that was true, but it was equally obvious that Hideo wasn't planning a suicide charge for no reason.
Dullahan reacted first. "By detaching one Overlay Unit, a monster's ATK is halved," the duel disk recited, Halyomorpha's orb flying into the monster's sword to charge it with crackling energy. With a slash, the headless fiend cut Sulsazer's ATK in half to 1475.
That wasn't all, though. It was Titanus' turn next, detaching Swarming as a cost. Beating its wings even harder, it hissed at the other monster before rearing up and stomping its feet into the ground again. This sent a crack down the field that didn't stop until it reached Sulsazer, a hole opening up to partially capture it inside. This halved its ATK once again, leaving it with just 738.
The effects completed, Damage Calculation was next. Titanus used its pincers to snap off the angelic face of Sulsazer, returning it to the dark flames from which it was birthed. This kicked up a major explosion, Yuu guarding herself as 1362 Life Points were wiped out in a single blow.
She let out a grunt, evidently disliking that. Maybe if they could keep pushing, she'd start to talk. Had to keep the pressure on, both for the sake of winning and to hopefully get some information out of her.
Now that the battle was complete, Halyomorpha's effect activated. It was sent to the Graveyard again, meaning Yuu would once again skip her next Battle Phase. This led to another grunt, Hideo watching as she clenched her right fist at her side.
For good measure, Dullahan charged in next. It just managed to beat out Varundicern, bisecting it and returning it to the same flames as Sulsazer. Not too bad for the first time on offense. Setting the Adaption they searched earlier, Hideo moved to the End Phase and passed turn.
"I'm tired," Yuu sighed, beginning her turn by taking a new card. She was clearly annoyed that her Battle Phase was constantly being shut down. "I didn't want to hurt you before," she said, "but if you keep doing this, I might change my mind."
Sliding her card into the duel disk, she raised a hand to activate it. "Ritual Magic, Revival Darking Ritual."
Not happening. "Counter Trap activate, Ultra Insect Adaption." As expected from a card like this, it negated the Ritual and destroyed it. "Expected" was really the key word here. Why use her card if Yuu already saw Adaption in the hand? Did she not bother to read it? Just to burn it so it couldn't interrupt her next turn?
The correct answer was something else entirely. "Trap activate," she declared, "Practical Darking Express. By banishing Revival Darking Ritual, this card copies its effect to Ritual Summon." Looks like she'd already had a contingency planned for something like this a whole turn prior. "By sending Demonic Roaring God Valkyrus to the Graveyard, I'm allowed to Ritual Summon Darking monsters from the Graveyard with combined Levels equal to its own."
That was a Level 8 Synchro Monster. With how low the Levels of the Darking cards were so far, that meant Yuu could fill her entire field with just the one card. Even without an attack, that was a worrisome thought.
A few people in the crowd cheered for her, admiring the strategy that went into that play. Yuu, of course, didn't bother to acknowledge her fans, merely completing the effect of the card. "Revive, Sulsazer, Varundicern, Bastingwired!"
A circle of black flames sprung up across the ground, all three monsters forming out of it. Any doubts Hideo might have had about how "realistic" this game was would be were put to bed here, a crackling gust of hot air blasting out from the fire, ash snowing across the park.
Now others were finally waking up to these signs, several of them recoiling from the sudden appearance of the very non-holographic effects starting to influence the real world. "Hey, is this real?" someone asked, rubbing a bit of ash between her fingers. Despite this, their self-preservation instinct remained extremely lax, the duel apparently so engaging that it caused almost all of the assembled crowd to disregard this obvious danger.
"Bastingwired and Varundicern activate effects," Yuu declared. To begin with, Varundicern returned the banished Ritual back to her Graveyard. After that, Bastingwired moved. Its body was designed as a headless marble statue, though this quickly changed as its arms moved to grab at its neck, pulling its torso open to reveal a number of shimmering read threads holding it together. Rising out of the cavity was yet another angelic face, just barely peaking out of the grotesque opening.
"I draw two cards, then discard one," Yuu explained, dumping a copy of Heavy Storm right after getting it. Next, she played the other card she'd drawn. "A Moment of Peace allows both players to draw a card while preventing any damage until the end of the next turn."
Not too bad of a deal, though it did extend the duel another turn. All in all, it just meant Hideo had to bolster their offense until the turn after next. It would be a simple matter to reuse Halyomorpha again, meaning Yuu would still be unable to attack even after buying herself more time with that card.
All in all, her four Defense Position monsters and single-card hands indicated desperation more than planning. As strong as the Darking deck started off, it fizzled out rather quickly against this control strategy.
Only time would time if that stayed true, but right now, it seemed to only get truer with each move. "Thunder Bolt," Yuu declared, placing the card into her duel disk. This lucky draw would destroy all of Hideo's monsters. That would normally be the case, but Adaption once again saved the day. By banishing it, it made Titanus unaffected by the opponent's card effects for the rest of the turn.
The same couldn't be said for poor Dullahan, though. Despite being a relatively cloudless day, a shimmering bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck the monster, blasting it apart. The shockwave was something you could feel in your bones, several people finally wising up and slowly retreating away from the duel.
Yuu was forced to end her turn there. With no more cards in hand, her moves were severely limited. Even though her Ritual Cards allowed her a considerable amount of advantage, it wouldn't matter if none of them could attack.
Despite the unknowns of these new cards, Hideo was confident in their read of the situation. They had won now. All it would take is just a bit more effort. Drawing to start the turn, they flipped around the Golden Ladybug they'd drawn off of Yuu's card. A small golden light flew out of it and landed on their duel disk, boosting the Life counter to 4500.
It was a negligible increase, but still a good form of insurance. More importantly, it was an expendable Insect monster. That would come in handy a little later.
To begin the turn proper, Hideo activated another card. "Permanent Magic Card activate, Ultra Insect Nest." With this, they were allowed to reveal as many Ultra Insects as they wanted in their hand, reshuffle them, then draw the same number of cards. Showing both the Eupakardia returned previously as well as the unknown Blepharopsis, Hideo got to draw two more cards.
Next, they activated another Permanent Magic, Divine Protection of the Neglected. With that out, they would now have the ability to block attacks even harder. Just a contingency in case the main strategy was interrupted.
Moving to the Battle Phase, Titanus prepared another attack. In a repeat of the previous battle, the beetle flew forward and sliced off Sulsazer's head, though this time without any damage. Soon enough, the other three would end up in the same position.
Finally, they Summoned the Golden Ladybug. Weak as it was, it wouldn't stay there unprotected for long. As predicted, Yuu began her turn, then entered the Standby Phase. At that moment, Titanus detached its last Overlay Unit, then released Golden Ladybug.
"Xyz Change, Rank 7," the duel disk recited. "Perfected Ultra Insect Titanus – Mature." The latest evolution of the beetle now floated on four wings, a sharp horn protruding from its forehead. The purple markings across its body also glowed for good measure. That, plus the 3000 ATK, proved it to be the greatest form in the series so far.
Ultra Insect Nest activated on Titanus' Xyz Summon, attaching Halyomorpha as an additional Overlay Unit from the Graveyard. The lock once again live, Titanus' own effect kicked in, negating the effects and halving the stats of monsters on the field equal to its total Overlay Units. In this case, it was Bastingwired and Monderza, though they were both already weak enough to destroy without the boost.
"This has been a waste of time," Yuu suddenly said. "I did this because of Yumi. She cares for you. This is tiring, though." Shaking her head, she played her next card. "This is the last turn. I activate Pot of Greed and Riches to banish six cards from my Extra Deck, then draw two. In exchange, I can no longer draw this turn."
While it seemed like another desperation play aimed at buying another turn, instinct said that maybe her bluster wasn't all bluster after all. Even so, Hideo still had Titanus' new Quick Effect, letting it detach an Overlay Unit to increase all their Insects ATK by 200 for each of them on the field. While it wouldn't add up to much if used now, it would get rid of Halyomorpha, locking the Battle Phase yet again.
It was all a matter of waiting for the right time. For the moment, they'd allow Yuu to draw two cards, curious to see how far along she could go with them and confident in the knowledge they could put a stop to it at any stage of the combo.
"By discarding Chaos Betrayer," she began, "I activate Sacrifice Darking Reminder, adding Darking Palulum from my deck to my hand. Next, I activate Resolute Darking Ritual in the Graveyard, banishing Darking Sulsazer to add it back to my hand."
Her next move was obvious. "I activate Resolute Darking Ritual to Ritual Summon Darking Palulum. I offer Desparion and Sulsazer from my deck to do this." The fire lit behind her again, the new monster forming out of it. This one appeared like a child's bed split in half, both sides attached by a hinge at the top with dozens of tiny, black hands dangling from the bottoms. As always, the top of the hinge also featured the same stone face as the rest.
"Desparion, Sulsazer, and Palulum's effects activate," Yuu said. The first to resolve would be Palulum. "The Xyz Monster's effect will be negated," she explained.
At that moment, Hideo attempted to activate Titanus' effect. Clicking the option, they waited for the system to respond. Then waited longer. Then, finally, saw that the move was rejected.
A chill ran down their spine as the full weight of this mistake came bearing down on them. "Don't bother trying to activate it," Yuu added. "Palulum's effect can't be chained to. That monster and whatever is in your hand are unusable now."
Overconfident and stupid. Damn it. And she didn't just stop Titanus, but read that they had a card in hand as backup. Ultra Insect Haimushi, its own Quick Effect allowing it to negate effects, was also rendered useless at this point. Now they had no choice but to let all three effects pass.
The face on top of Palulum opened its eyes and mouth, letting out a shriek like Monderza before it. Titanus' wings ceased moving, the beetle falling to the ground as its effect fizzled out. Things only got worse from there.
"Sulsazer adds Conversion Darking Ritual from my deck to my hand," Yuu continued, moving on to, "Next, Desparion forces you to discard the last card in your hand." So much for using Haimushi once this chain ended.
"I now activate Conversion Darking Ritual, sending the Rank 3 Leviair the Empty-Space Sea Dragon from the Extra Deck to the Graveyard as an offering. Revive, Darking Desparion!" Rising up as a cluster of flames, the next monster transformed into a bundle of eyes, ranging in size from minuscule to as big as a basketball, and all of them darting in every direction. At their midpoint, one of the stone faces was also present.
"Desparion's other effect activates," Yuu declared. "All of your face-up cards cannot activate their effects until the next turn's end." And there went Nest and Neglected. One careless mistake led to all of this.
Still, even with five Darking monsters out, Yuu was still behind. None of them could overcome Titanus in terms of ATK, and she was now out of cards. While she'd cleverly managed to avoid the Pot's restriction by adding cards to hand without drawing them, all of those effects were used up. Maybe she could Xyz Summon, but none of the conventional choices would be enough to get over the beetle.
Xyz wasn't her goal, though. Raising a hand, Yuu's gaze intensified. Only now, at the very end, did she decide to get serious. "All five Darkings are offered up as the cost. I release them to bring out a new power."
In unison, the stone faces on all of the monsters began to shake. Cracks formed along their surface until, after several seconds, they shattered. Five beams of golden energy shot out of their bodies, the rest of their forms fading away into black fire once more.
Rather than disappear, the fire scattered across the grass. This time, it caught, several patches lighting up and spreading rapidly. This was finally enough to spook the onlookers, most of them running to call the fire department after realizing they could be burned by the non-holographic flames. Even still, though, several hung back to see what happened despite Hideo turning to waving them off.
"You should pay attention," Yuu muttered. "If you run, you may still make it." The energy that appeared from out of her monsters had now transformed into a swirling, shimmering vortex above them in the sky. Spreading her arms wide once more, even more of the black fire shot out from on high, engulfing Yuu and setting nearly the entire park ablaze.
"Appear, Apocalypse Darking Heriaster!" She shouted this from inside the fire, the mass of flames rising into a pillar and slowly transforming. Blazing tendrils gained mass, hanging off of the rest of the body as black cables. Wrapping around the remainder of the inferno, it slowly began to change into crisp, charcoal bones, the bottom of which speared itself into the ground. At its top, a skull formed, the black fire continuing to burn atop its head and inside its eye sockets.
At the center of it all was Yuu, strapped against its rib cage like a hood ornament on a car. With her eyes closed and head hanging limp, it was uncanny how similar her face was to the masks on her previous monsters.
Heriaster towered over everything, even the surrounding buildings. Standing in the middle of the park like a skeletal cross, any remaining holdouts near the park or, indeed, this area of the city, fled as fast as their legs could carry them. True to its name, it felt like the apocalypse had just begun.
In terms of stats, Heriaster was currently at an even ? for both ATK and DEF. That would soon change. "My monster gains ATK and DEF equal to the total Levels of monsters released for its Summon x 500," Yuu's voice explained. It echoed throughout the park, seemingly projected from the skull at the top of Heriaster.
Doing some quick math, Hideo realized that she'd had a total of eleven stars between her monsters. That meant an absolutely insane 5500. Even if it required five monsters to bring out, that still seemed too extreme.
The good news was that they still had a chance. Resources depleted as they were, an attack from this monster would still leave them with 2000 Life Points. It would also put Halyomorpha back in the Graveyard, meaning that Yuu would need to skip her Battle Phase on her following turn. That guaranteed at least two more turns, plus however many Neglected would buy them once it started working again.
Seemingly unconcerned with all of this, Yuu launched her attack. "Apocalypse Darking Heriaster will eliminate that monster," Yuu spoke. "This activates my monster's effect. By banishing Darking Sulsazer and Revival Darking Ritual, Heriaster's ATK becomes doubled during the battle."
And that was it. That nightmarish creature's power soared to 11000, making it more than strong enough to obliterate Hideo in a single strike. The jaw of its skull snapped open, a roaring whirlwind of black fire shooting out and traveling straight for its opponent, unconcerned with the monster on the field.
Strategies ruined and resources depleted, Hideo had no way to stop this. If they'd listened earlier, they could have run. Now, though, fear kept them glued in place, legs like steel fixing them to the ground. Then again, even if they did try to run, most of the park was burning now. There didn't seem to be any escape left.
Seconds before the attack was set to strike, Titanus made its move. The monster stood up, lifting itself off the ground and putting itself in between the fire and its master. Had this card just made the decision to take the blow all on its own?
This barely even registered to Hideo, only having the brain space to realize they hadn't been incinerated on the spot. Instead, the beetle's body slammed into them at full force, sending them hurtling just above a wall of flames and careening through the sky. Tumbling across the pavement, they finally came to a stop after smashing through the window of a nearby coffee shop, Life Points at 0 almost twice over.
Head pounding, they attempted to crawl forward, only to find that their body just wouldn't listen. It was hard to see what was happening now, both from the head trauma and on account of having lost their glasses in the attack. They could hear people screaming outside, running for help, and also their duel disk malfunctioning on their arm, no doubt having suffered just as much damage as the rest of them.
The best they could do was pull themself up against the wall of the shop, inhaling sharply as what sounded like a shard of glass fell out of their side. Still barely conscious, they glanced out towards the park. The fire was spreading to the street now, Yuu's monster still standing in the center.
Moments before passing out, they could see Heriaster begin to disintegrate as it was pulled inside a black hole above it. Presumably, Yuu went with it. They couldn't begin to imagine where that would be, and they didn't have the energy to start making more theories. All they knew right now is that they'd gotten in way over their head, and only hoped their friends wouldn't make the same mistake.
Everything went dark as the sound of sirens beckoned them to sleep.
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Ultra Insect Eupakardia
WIND
Level 1
Insect/Effect
200 ATK/0 DEF
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Ultra Insect" monster from your Deck, except "Ultra Insect Eupakardia". You can only activate this effect of "Ultra Insect Eupakardia" once per turn. An "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster that has this card as material gains this effect.
● This card gains 500 ATK/DEF
Ultra Insect Membracidae
WIND
Level 1
Insect/Effect
100 ATK/0 DEF
You can banish 1 Insect monster with 0 DEF from your GY; Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Ultra Insect" monster from your hand, except "Ultra Insect Membracidae". You can only activate this effect of "Ultra Insect Membracidae" once per turn. An "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster that has this card as material gains this effect.
● If this card declares an attack: Inflict 100 damage x the number of material attached to this card to your opponent.
Ultra Insect Halyomorpha
WIND
Level 1
Insect/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
If this card is sent to the GY: Your opponent cannot declare an attack until the end of their next turn. If this card is Special Summoned: You can activate this effect; during your Main Phase this turn, you can Normal Summon 1 Insect monster, in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. You can only activate this effect of "Ultra Insect Halyomorpha" once per turn. An "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster that has this card as material gains this effect.
● If it is Xyz Summoned: Gain 800 LP.
Hachibi (Bee List Soldier)
WIND
Level 1
Insect/Effect
500 ATK/400 DEF
You can Tribute this card and 1 face-up Insect-Type monster, except "Bee List Soldier", to draw 2 cards.
Ultra Insect Reduviidae
WIND
Level 1
Insect/Effect
100 ATK/0 DEF
If your opponent controls more monsters than you do, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Ultra Insect" monster from your GY, except "Ultra Insect Reduviidae". You can only activate this effect of "Ultra Insect Reduviidae" once per turn. An "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster that has this card as material gains this effect.
● An opponent's monster that battles this card loses 500 ATK until the end of the Damage Step.
Ultra Insect Titanus – Larvae
WIND
Rank 1
Insect/Xyz/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
3+ Level 1 Insect monsters
You can detach 1 material from this card; Special Summon as many Level 1 "Ultra Insect" monsters from your GY as possible, but they cannot attack or be used as material for an Xyz Summon this turn. During the Standby Phase, while you control another Insect monster (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then Tribute 1 other Insect monster you control; you can Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Rank 3 "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster by using this face-up card you control as material. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.) A monster Summoned by this effect cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon until the next turn's Standby Phase. You can only use each effect of "Ultra Insect Titanus – Larvae" once per turn.
Worm Bait
Normal Spell Card
If you control a Insect monster: Special Summon 2 "Worm Tokens" (Insect/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0). You cannot Normal Summon or Special Summon any Level 3 or 4 monsters the turn you activate this card.
Great Forest (Verdant Sanctuary)
Continuous Spell Card
When a face-up Insect-Type monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, its controller can add 1 Insect-Type monster with the same Level as the destroyed monster from their Deck to their hand.
Ultra Insect Titanus – Pupa
WIND
Rank 3
Insect/Xyz/Effect
1000 ATK/0 DEF
3+ Level 3 Insect monsters
While you control another Insect monster, this card cannot be targeted for attacks or opponent's card effects. If this card is Xyz Summoned using an Xyz Monster as material: You can add 1 "Ultra Insect" monster from your GY to your hand, but for the rest of this turn, you cannot Normal Summon/Set or Special Summon monsters with that name. During the Standby Phase, while you control another Insect monster (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then Tribute 1 other Insect monster you control; you can Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Rank 5 "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster by using this face-up card you control as material. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.) A monster Summoned by this effect cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon until the next turn's Standby Phase. You can only use each effect of "Ultra Insect Titanus – Pupa" once per turn.
Purgatory of Nothingness (Into the Void)
Normal Spell Card
If you have 3 or more cards in your hand: Draw 1 card, and if you do, during the End Phase of this turn, discard your entire hand.
Resolute Darking Ritual
Ritual Spell Card
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Darking" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute "Darking" monsters from your hand or field and/or send "Darking" monsters from your Deck to the GY, equal to the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. If this card is in your GY: You can banish 1 "Darking" Ritual Monster from your GY; add this card to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Resolute Darking Ritual" once per turn.
Darking Sulsazer
DARK
Level 4
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1950 ATK/1590 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". Cannot be destroyed by card effects. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: This card gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's ATK, and if it does, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the ATK gained by this effect. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: Add 1 "Darking" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Darking Sulsazer" once per turn.
Darking Jostoli
DARK
Level 2
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1230 ATK/1320 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". When this card is Ritual Summoned: You can target 3 "Darking" cards in your GY; shuffle all 3 into the Deck, then draw 1 card. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: Until the end of this turn, your opponent cannot activate card effects in their hand. You can only use each effect of "Darking Jostoli" once per turn.
Darking Varundicern
DARK
Level 1
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1010 ATK/1100 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". When this card is Ritual Summoned: You can target 1 of your banished "Darking" cards; return it to the GY. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: You can target 1 Ritual Monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK. You can only use each effect of "Darking Varundicern" once per turn.
Darking Monderza
DARK
Level 2
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1190 ATK/1910 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". When this card is Ritual Summoned: You can target 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls; destroy it. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: You can send 1 "Darking" card from your Deck to the GY. You can only use each effect of "Darking Monderza" once per turn.
Darking Belvedia
DARK
Level 2
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1410 ATK/1140 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". If your opponent Special Summons a monster from the Extra Deck: Until the end of this turn, double the ATK of all monsters you control. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: You can target 1 "Darking" Ritual Monster in your GY, except "Darking Belvedia"; add it to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Darking Belvedia" once per turn.
Darking Bastingwired
DARK
Level 3
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1530 ATK/1350 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". When this card is Ritual Summoned: You can draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: You can banish 1 card from your opponent's GY. You can only use each effect of "Darking Bastingwired" once per turn.
Pot of Avarice
Normal Spell Card
Target 5 monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle all 5 into the Deck, then draw 2 cards.
Conversion Darking Ritual
Ritual Spell Card
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Darking" Ritual Monster. Send any number of Xyz Monsters from your Extra Deck to the GY, also after that, Ritual Summon 1 "Darking" Ritual Monster from your hand or GY whose Level exactly equals the total Ranks of those monsters. If you control no Ritual Monsters: You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 of your banished "Darking" Ritual Monsters; add it to your hand. You can only use 1 "Conversion Darking Ritual" effect per turn, and only once that turn.
Spiriting-Away Onibimaru
DARK
Rank 2
Fiend/Xyz/Effect
1900 ATK/1600 DEF
2+ Level 2 monsters
You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; banish it until your opponent's End Phase. If this card is destroyed by your opponent: You can target any number of banished monsters, up to the number of materials that were attached to this card; shuffle them into the Deck. You can only use each effect of "Spiriting-Away Onibimaru" once per turn.
Immediate Darking Halt
Counter Trap Card
When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, while you control a "Darking" Ritual Monster: Negate the activation, and if you do, send 1 card your opponent controls to the GY. You can only activate 1 "Immediate Darking Halt" per turn.
Pot of Greed and Avarice (Pot of Desires)
Normal Spell Card
Banish 10 cards from the top of your Deck, face-down; draw 2 cards. You can only activate 1 "Pot of Desires" per turn.
Ultra Insect Swarming
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 Rank 3 or lower "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster in your GY; Special Summon that target, and if you do, attach this card to it as material. You can only activate 1 "Ultra Insect Swarming" once per turn.
Bug Signal
Quick-Play Spell
Target 1 Insect Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Insect monster that is 2 Ranks higher or lower than that monster you control, by using it as the Xyz Material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to that target also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.) You can only activate 1 "Bug Signal" per turn.
Ultra Insect Titanus – Mature
WIND
Rank 5
Insect/Xyz/Effect
2100 ATK/0 DEF
3+ Level 5 Insect monsters
Any damage you take is halved. If this card is Xyz Summoned using an Xyz Monster as material: You can add 1 "Ultra Insect" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. During damage calculation, if this card battles an opponent's monster (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; that opponent's monster's ATK/DEF become half its current ATK/DEF until the end of the Damage Step. During the Standby Phase, while you control another Insect monster (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then Tribute 1 other Insect monster you control; you can Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Rank 7 "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster by using this face-up card you control as material. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.) A monster Summoned by this effect cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon until the next turn's Standby Phase. You can only use each effect of "Ultra Insect Titanus – Mature" once per turn.
Ultra Insect Adaption
Counter Trap Card
When a Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, is activated while you control an "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster: Negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card. You can banish this card from you GY, then target 1 Insect Xyz Monster you control; it is unaffected by your opponent's card effects until the end of this turn. You can only use each "Ultra Insect Adaption" effect once per turn.
Ghostrick Dullahan
DARK
Rank 1
Fiend/Xyz/Effect
1000 ATK/0 DEF
2 Level 1 monsters
This card gains 200 ATK for each "Ghostrick" card you control. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; halve its ATK, until the end of this turn. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 other "Ghostrick" card in your Graveyard; add that target to your hand.
Revival Darking Ritual
Ritual Spell Card
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any number of "Darking" Ritual Monsters. Tribute 1 monster from your hand or field, or send 1 monster from your Extra Deck to the GY, also after that, Ritual Summon any number of "Darking" Ritual Monsters from your GY whose total Levels (max. 9) exactly equal the Level of that monster. You can only activate 1 "Revival Darking Ritual" per turn.
Practical Darking Express
Normal Trap Card
Banish 1 "Darking" Ritual Spell in your GY; this card's effect becomes that card's effect that Ritual Summons a monster when the card is activated. If you control no Ritual Monsters, you can activate this card the turn it was Set. You can only activate 1 "Practical Darking Express" per turn.
Demonic Roaring God Valkyrus (Fabled Valkyrus)
LIGHT
Level 8
Fiend/Synchro/Effect
2900 ATK/1700 DEF
1 "Fabled" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn, you can discard 1 Fiend-Type monster to draw 1 card.
Heavy Storm
Normal Spell Card
Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.
A Moment of Peace (One Day of Peace)
Normal Spell Card
Each player draws 1 card, and neither player takes damage until the end of the opponent's next turn.
Thunder Bolt (Raigeki)
Normal Spell Card
Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.
Golden Ladybug
LIGHT
Level 1
Insect/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
During your Standby Phase: You can reveal this card in your hand, and it will remain revealed until the end of this turn; gain 500 LP.
Ultra Insect Nest
Continuous Spell Card
You can reveal any number of "Ultra Insect" monsters in your hand and shuffle them into the Deck, then draw cards equal to the number of cards you shuffled into the Deck. If you Xyz Summon an Insect Xyz Monster: You can target 1 "Ultra Insect" monster that is banished or in your GY; attach it to that monster as material. You can only use each effect of "Ultra Insect Nest" once per turn.
Ultra Insect Blepharopsis
WIND
Level 1
Insect/Effect
300 ATK/0 DEF
If this card is sent to the GY: You can target 1 Set Spell/Trap your opponent controls; it cannot be activated this turn. If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Ultra Insect" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Ultra Insect Blepharopsis". You can only activate this effect of "Ultra Insect Blepharopsis" once per turn. An "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster that has this card as material gains this effect.
● The first time this card would be destroyed by battle each turn, it is not destroyed.
Divine Protection of the Neglected (Insect Neglect)
Continuous Magic Card
When your opponent's monster declares an attack, you can remove from play 1 Insect-Type monster from your Graveyard to negate the attack.
Perfected Ultra Insect Titanus – Mature
WIND
Rank 7
Insect/Xyz/Effect
3000 ATK/0 DEF
3+ Level 7 Insect monsters
You take no damage. If this card is Xyz Summoned using an Xyz Monster as material: You can halve the ATK/DEF of face-up monsters your opponent controls up to the number of materials attached to this card, and if you do, negate their effects. You can detach 1 material from this card (Quick Effect); all Insect monsters you control gain 200 ATK x the number of Insect monsters you control, until the end of this tfurn. During the Standby Phase, while you control another Insect monster (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then Tribute 1 other Insect monster you control; you can Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Rank 9 "Ultra Insect" Xyz Monster by using this face-up card you control as material. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.) A monster Summoned by this effect cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon until the next turn's Standby Phase. You can only use each effect of "Perfected Ultra Insect Titanus – Mature" once per turn.
Pot of Greed and Riches (Pot of Extravagance)
Normal Spell Card
At the start of your Main Phase 1: Banish 3 or 6 random face-down cards from your Extra Deck, face-down; draw 1 card for every 3 cards banished. For the rest of this turn after this card resolves, you cannot draw any cards by card effects.
Sacrifice Darking Reminder
Normal Spell Card
Send 1 card from your hand to the GY; add 1 "Darking" Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand. You can banish this card and 1 "Darking" Ritual Monster from your GY; add 1 "Darking" Ritual Spell from your Deck to your hand. You can only use 1 "Sacrifice Darking Reminder" effect per turn, and only once per turn.
Chaos Betrayer
DARK
Level 6
Fiend/Effect
2000 ATK/2000 DEF
If this card is in your GY: You can banish 1 LIGHT and 1 DARK monster from your GY, except "Chaos Betrayer"; Special Summon this card in Defense Position, but banish it when it leaves the field. If this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 card in your opponent's GY; banish it. You can only use each effect of "Chaos Betrayer" once per turn.
Darking Palulum
DARK
Level 2
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1250 ATK/1520 ATK
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". When this card is Ritual Summoned: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; Negate that target's effects until the end of this turn. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this effect activation. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: All monsters your opponent controls lose 500 ATK. You can only use each effect of "Darking Palulum" once per turn.
Darking Desparion
DARK
Level 3
Fiend/Ritual/Effect
1680 ATK/1860 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Resolute Darking Ritual". When this card is Ritual Summoned: Your opponent cannot activate the effects of face-up cards they currently control, until the end of their next turn. If this card is sent to the GY for a Ritual Summon: Your opponent discards 1 card. You can only use each effect of "Darking Desparion" once per turn.
Ultra Insect Haimushi
WIND
Level 1
Insect/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
(Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; equip this card from your hand to that target. The equipped monster's ATK/DEF become half its current ATK/DEF, also its effects are negated. If this Equip Card leaves the field because of an opponent's card effect: Destroy the equipped monster.
Leviair the Empty-Space Sea Dragon (Leviair the Sea Dragon)
WIND
Rank 3
Aqua/Xyz/Effect
1800 ATK/1600 DEF
2 Level 3 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 banished Level 4 or lower monster; Special Summon that target to your field.
Apocalypse Darking Heriaster
DARK
Level 12
Fiend/Fusion/Effect
? ATK/? DEF
5 "Darking" Ritual Monsters on the field
Must first be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by Tributing the above cards you control. (You do not use "Polymerization".) Cannot be destroyed by card effects. This card's original ATK/DEF is equal to the combined Levels that all the monsters Tributed for its Fusion Summon had on the field x 500. When this card attacks an opponent's face-up monster: You can banish 1 "Darking" Ritual Monster and 1 "Darking" Ritual Spell from your GY; double this card's ATK during Damage Calculation only.
Been sitting on the idea for this for a while. Hideo and Yuu are both characters who have needed attention but I've had problems getting into the position for it, so I'm glad I got to let them fight again. While it's their first duel, it's technically a rematch considering they got the honor of having the traditional Yugioh fist fight for the series.
I've also wanted to redesign both of their decks for a while. Not because I had any problems with their old ones, but just to reflect growth and do something fun. Ultimate Insect was cool, but it quickly ran into its own ceiling and the fact that LV cards are kind of bad to the point I had to create LV 9 the second time it was used, so I'd rather switch it out even at the very end. As far as Darking goes, it was always the plan to make Yuu switch through decks for various reasons, mainly because none of them are actually hers and are more of a reflection of whoever is controlling her at the time.
Writing the script was a lot of fun because one side is using a bunch of scientific bug names that are hard to memorize and the other is using names I thought up while in pain from injuries after not sleeping for 30 hours just so they'd be as abstract as possible. Made keeping all of the cards and effects organized extra fun. I like the cards, though. They're pretty neat.
Really blasting through the chapters right now. Things settled down since the move and I've been waiting to write a lot of these basically since the story started, so I've got a lot of motivation heading into the final arc.
That's about all we've got right now. Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to take an emergency fire extinguisher to the park.