Welcome back everyone! This time, the update time is much quicker (hope this doesn't create too high of expectations!) When we last updated, Rin and Yuzu dominated the faceless, characterless mooks, who suddenly became the object of everyone's sympathy the second Divine and Roger use them the way one ought to treat a worthless object! Funny how one's perspective can change so quickly, isn't it?
And speaking of perspective, this chapter will be exploring quite a number of perspectives from different characters. So brace yourself, pull out a notepad to take notes, freshen yourself up on your knowledge of past YGO series, and Incan mythology, and pull up excerpts from the other chapters, because this chapter is going to be PACKED with info! Looking forward to hearing some of your reviews/fan theories at the end of this. Without further ado, enjoy.
Part 1: Chapter 15 – Mark of the Hero (Part 3)
Divine slowly got to his feet, the scars of his face twisted into a monstrous expression.
"My turn…DRAW!" Divine roared, ripping a card from the top of his deck before stretching his hand towards his continuous Spell Card.
"Hyper-Psychic Psionic Pulse no kouka!" Divine declared, "I add two of my banished Psychic Cards to my hand!"
"Rin…you can't give up now! You can't let him win!" Yene urged his companion. "Think of the people you are protecting! Be their hero now!"
Rin looked back at Miss Kimura and her fellow orphans before getting to her feet and stretching her hand towards her face-down.
"I WON'T LET YOU!" She roared at Divine, "COUNTER TRAP! SYNTHPHONIST PERFORMANCE! I negate the activation of Hyper-Psychic Psionic Pulse's effect and shuffle it into your deck! I will also use the graveyard effect of Synthphonist Performance to set another Synthphonist Spell or Trap Card from my deck!"
Rising up, Rin's Hypersonic Synthphonist Marvel fired a blast of sound from the instruments on her back into Divine's Trap Card, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks before Divine was forced to shuffle it back into his deck.
"Useless!" Divine roared, when he had recovered from the shockwave. "I tribute my Mad Redactor in order to tribute summon Dimensional Pathfinder! Come forth!"
Descending onto the field was a hooded cyborg with glowing purple orbs protruding from each of its joints. Its eyes were a single red robotic line, which seemed to scan the field, and its mouth was covered with what looked like a gas mask.
Dimensional Pathfinder / DARK / Level 6 / Psychic / Effect / ATK 2100 / DEF 1900
"Once per turn," Divine continued, stretching his hand towards his monster, which began glowing with purple energy, "I can pay one-thousand life points in order to use Dimensional Pathfinder's effect to add two of my banished cards to my hand."
"No! NO! NO! NOOOOOO!" Yuzu screamed, getting back on her feet and charging at Divine. Rin was also getting on her feet, preparing to fight against the effect of Divine's field spell, but this time, the psychic duelist was ready, launching out both his hands and throwing the two Dark Signers back into the rubble of the orphanage before mercilessly crushing a middle-aged woman who shambled into the duel.
Mikasa: 2000 – 2000 = 0 LP (LOSE!)
Divine: (500 + 2000) – 1000 = 1500 LP
"I add the spell cards, Psychic Feel Zone and Psychic Fusion Zone to my hand." Divine declared, holding up his hand and catching a pair of cards that flew into his palm. "And with that done, I will activate them! Psychic Feel Zone no kouka! With this card's effect, I can return two of my Psychic Monsters, one Tuner and one non-Tuner, to my graveyard before Special Summoning one Psychic Synchro Monster, whose level is equal to the total levels of the returned monsters, from my Extra Deck in defense position!"
Above Divine's head, a glowing green portal opened up, through which the ethereal forms of Armored Axon Kicker and Krebons appeared before descending into a black graveyard portal.
"Return to my field now!" Divine ordered, throwing out his hand and firing a bolt of energy into the air, creating a dimensional tear, "Thought Tyrant Daemon!"
With a roar, Divine's skeletal demon with glowing electric claws and bones reappeared to the field, creating a crater as it landed heavily in front of divine before enfolding itself protectively in its demonic wings.
Thought Tyrant Daemon: DEF 2300
"I equip Thought Tyrant Daemon with the Telekinetic Charging Cell in my hand," Divine continued, causing the energy field of rings to reappear around his monster. "and I will continue my turn by activating the other spell card I added to my hand! Psychic Fusion Zone!"
"Great, so Roger gave you a fusion card as well." Rin growled, as Divine's spell projected a Fusion Portal with a greenish tint into the air.
"Incorrect." Divine replied without emotion. "This unit had discovered the secrets of Fusion Summons long before entering into public service."
"What?" Yuzu asked, incredulously, "But how?"
Divine did not answer.
"The effect of Psychic Fusion Zone enables me to banish Psychic-Type monsters from my graveyard in order to Fusion Summon." Divine explained, raising his hand into the air, "With this effect, I banish Overmind Daemon and Armored Axon Kicker in order to Fusion Summon!"
The ethereal images of Divine's monsters rose from a black graveyard portal before swirling into the center of the green-tinted fusion portal in the sky. Crackling with energy, Divine's body rose into the air once again as he commenced his summoning chant.
"Demon who rules over the mind itself, genetically engineered super-soldier with mental powers, transform your collective rage into strength and unleash your fury against those of lower intelligence! YUUGO SHOUKAN! Exterminate the lesser minds! Level ten! Ultimate Axon Kicker!"
In an explosion of lightning, Divine's fusion monster descended from the portal before entering the field. Appearance-wise, the monster looked fairy similar to Thought Tyrant Daemon, but its lower body was more serpentine, and the horns on the sides of its head were more tube-like in appearance. Intense energy crackled all over the surface of the demon's body, some errant bolts of electricity striking random spots of ground as the monster stared down at Yuzu and Rin, who had just barely managed to get back on their feet.
Ultimate Axon Kicker / LIGHT / Level 10 / Psychic / Fusion / Effect / ATK 2900 / DEF 1700
"Battle!" Divine roared, not giving his opponents a moment to rest. "Ultimate Axon Kicker will attack the defense position Quartet the Melodious Songstress! Its effect enables it to inflict piercing damage while also enabling me to gain Life Points equal to the attack of the monster it destroyed! GO! Axon Obliteration!"
Yuzu's eyes widened as Divine's demon let out a savage roar before darting forward like a snake, immense claws crackling with electricity as it reached out for Quartet the Melodious Songstress.
"Please tell me that the card you gave me can counter this!" Yuzu mentally shouted at Sara, looking in vain for some hidden effect within the text of the useless dark tuner.
"You're the one who used up Score last turn!" Sara complained. "I just wanted you to hold tight and strategically wait till the opportune moment presented itself! Not waste our life points on a pointless attack!"
"SARA!" The voice of Yene suddenly exploded from Rin as the two of them stretched their hand towards their graveyard before speaking in unison.
"WE ACTIVATE THE EFFECT OF DARK TUNER ABYSS LIGHT IN OUR GRAVEYARD!" Rin and Yene proclaimed as a ghostly jellyfish with glowing tentacles and an angler-fish lure on the top of its hood appeared to the field. "If an opponent's monster declares an attack, we can banish this card from our graveyard in order to change the attack target to our Geo Selkie while making it so that our monster cannot be destroyed by that battle! GO! Abyss Lure!"
Before Ultimate Axon Kicker could complete its attack, its attention was suddenly caught by the ghostly glow of Dark Tuner Abyss Light. Eyes turning the same pale white as the Dark Tuner's lights, Ultimate Axon Kicker advanced forward as if in a trance, before striking at Rin's Geo Selkie, who blocked the strike with her spear.
Rin: 2100 – 900 = 1200 LP
This seemed to get Divine's attention. Turning his head towards Yuzu's counterpart, he furiously pointed a finger at her.
"Space-Time Police will attack and destroy Geo Selkie!" he roared. "GO! Space-Time erasure!"
Charging forward, Divine's Space-Time Police cracked Rin's Geo Selkie against her head, causing the Dark Synchro monster to explode in a shower of sparks before knocking Rin back as she took the damage.
Rin 1200 – 300 = 900 LP
"Finally," Divine continued, "Dimensional Pathfinder will destroy Hypersonic Synthphonist Marvel, your last monster! Dimensional Clearing!"
Orbs glowing, Divine's Dimensional Pathfinder fired a blast of multi-colored energy into Hypersonic Synthphonist Marvel, which consumed the cyborg woman before exploding in a brilliant blast of light, knocking both Rin and Yuzu flat on their backs.
"The turn ends now." Divine concluded, "And I am forced to pay the cost of Psychic Gravity Well, or at least…" he turned his head towards a teenage boy shambling onto the duel field, "…someone else is."
Before Yuzu or Rin could even get back on their feet, the death-toll call of a little boy's duel disk announced his intrusion, draining the kid's life points before Divine finished him off with one swift crushing motion of his hand.
Yasuo: 2000 – 2000 = 0 LP (LOSE!)
Divine: (1500 + 2000) – 2000 = 1500 LP
Yuzu stared helplessly at the crushed bodies littering the ground around Divine before looking up at Rin, who had gotten to her feet, the glow of Yene still in her eyes. Somehow, despite the hopelessness of their situation, despite all the death surrounding them, she…a sudden thought occurred to her as she remembered the voice of Yene…they, she and her inner spirit, had found the strength to get back on their feet, keep fighting, and even save their teammate when Yuzu and Sara had done nothing but bicker when defeat looked inevitable.
Sara seemed to pick up on what Yuzu was thinking.
"I hate him." Ti'ika Sara admitted, appearing next to Yuzu as the entire world darkened before she was kneeling inside the dark realm the little god inhabited. "But I will admit…he's good at working with others. He and that girl have a good relationship." She mumbled, looking glumly at the ground.
Yuzu stared at the tiny little girl, who, even when standing up while Yuzu knelt, only came up to her shoulder in height.
"Cavillace was the only one who ever liked me." Sara went on, angrily kicking at the empty ground, "And that was only because I was her sister. Hardly anyone even speaks to me, except to tease me…or shove me away."
She glanced at Yuzu before hanging her head down again, eyes closed as a single tear dropped from them before splashing against the surface of the black mist.
"Why did Ch'askancha choose me?" she asked, looking off into the distance. "I can't do this…I'm not Cavillace! Cavillace was strong, and powerful, and beautiful! She and Akllasisa became one of the strongest Dark Signers ever to be created! How am I supposed to do what she did?"
Yuzu blinked at this. She had never seen Sara like this, Egyptian Gods…she had rarely seen the spirit at all, much less spoken with her. She suddenly felt the urge to learn more.
"Who's Cavillace?" Yuzu asked.
Sara seemed to suddenly notice Yuzu kneeling next to her. Hastily wiping away some tears from her face, she turned her back to her.
"My sister." Sara curtly replied. "And why do you care?"
"I don't know." Yuzu sighed, getting to her feet before continuing. "All of this is still so confusing for me. Just this morning, I thought I was dead, and then suddenly, Ruri brings me back from the dead, and before I know it, I have you living inside me, telling me I should do all these things. But I don't know you, Sara. You've rarely told me anything about yourself. I want to believe you came to me for a purpose; I want to believe that you can help me save the dimensions, like Yene is helping Rin to do, but we can't work together unless we can trust each other."
Ti'ika Sara turned around before looking up at Yuzu, a frown on her young face.
"Why can't you trust me?" she pouted, "It's not like I've done anything mean to you. Why can't anyone figure out that things would be better if they just did what I said!?" She continued, comically tearing at her long black hair and stamping on the ground like a six-year-old. Oddly enough, Yuzu felt herself smile at this.
"You can't expect people to just do what you tell them." Yuzu replied, feeling like a mother gently scolding a wayward child. "Especially when they don't know you."
"So, what am I supposed to do!?" Sara whined. "Let everyone else be stupid, just because they don't like me!?"
"I never said I didn't like you." Yuzu replied, "But you can start getting more people to like and trust you, if you open up and try to be their friend."
Ti'ika Sara blinked at her, looking confused.
"But I keep telling you." She sniffled, "Nobody likes me. You're no different. You hate me too. You don't listen to me, you ignore me, you shove my card in your pocket…why should I even try to be your friend if you won't be mine?"
Yuzu closed her eyes and sighed.
"You are right, Sara." She replied, "I haven't been fair to you. In my defense, I was dealing with so much strangeness, that I just didn't know what to do with you. But I am willing to try again. Please, will you give me a chance to know you better? The people I love are in great danger. We have to work together if we are gonna stand a chance at protecting them."
Sara looked away.
"You just want to use my power to save those mortals." She moped. "You don't really care about me."
"And what about you?" Yuzu asked, "Do you have anyone you want to protect?"
At this, Ti'ika Sara looked up with an utterly shocked expression. Lips trembling, she quickly began to cry, tears pouring from her solid black eyes.
"Cavillace…" she wept, "…why?"
Before Yuzu knew it, the child god had wrapped her arms around her legs, face buried in her waist as she cried. Hesitantly, Yuzu reached out her hand to pat the little goddess on the shoulder for comfort.
The second her finger brushed against the little girl's shoulder, a vision suddenly took hold of her.
A tall, beautiful girl with her same solid black eyes was laughing with her as she sat on her lap, their mother, a middle-aged woman with skin as hard and strong as an oak tree, watching over them in the distance. Cavillace was teaching her how to use her powers to encourage growth in plant life. She was having fun opening the petals of a flower, and was just about to show her sister, when someone began approaching them.
"Matriarch!" she heard her mother and sister exclaim before hastily bowing to the figure, her sister pushing her into the ground so that she was bowing to the figure as well.
"Cavillace." The figure said from up above. "I would speak with you alone. Pacha, you and your other daughter will leave."
"Come, Sara!" her mom hastily barked, taking her by the hand and leading her off while Cavillace and the Matriarch began speaking. She was feeling very sad, and a little annoyed. Why couldn't the Matriarch visit some other time?
"Mommy? What does the Matriarch want with sister?" she asked.
"Hush now, Sara!" her mother replied, "Ours is not to question the will of our creator!"
"But-…" she objected, before mother cut her off.
"Be silent!" she ordered, and so she silently stewed, wondering when the Matriarch would leave so she could show her sister the flower she had opened.
…
Their home was gone now. The fields of flowers, trees, and grass had been taken from them. All that was left to her, and the other gods imprisoned with her, was the empty void ruled by Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl's brother and their eternal jailor.
Her original body was gone as well. She and the other gods imprisoned here had begun to slowly fade, their bodies branded by the marks of their imprisonment. Feeling an ache, she began to rub one of the lines of energy running along her arm. She and the other gods were covered from head to toe by these marks, the marks of the Earthbound. Like tattoos, they would not come off, and worse yet, the marks served to weaken them, slowly, over aeon after aeon of endless time.
It was a miserable existence they led now, locked up to slowly fade away. All her fellow gods had fought desperately against their enemies to prevent this from happening, all the gods, that is, except the young ones like Ti'ika Sara.
The other gods hated her. They blamed her for being too young and stupid to be of any use in the war. But they were the stupid ones. They were the ones who had gotten them all sealed away in the Underworld. She had spent her time trying to figure out ways they could escape, but none of the other gods wanted to listen to her, choosing, instead, to ignore her very existence, save for the occasional kick in the side or foul curse. Even mother wanted little to do with her, shamed as she was by being associated with Ti'ika Sara, the useless goddess.
The only one left who she could talk to now was Cavillace.
"Sara," Cavillace called to her as she picked at a fleck of black mist. "come here, we need to talk."
She turned her head and smiled at her sister, but Cavillace did not smile back, her face had a haunted glow to it, as if something were weighing down on her.
"What is it, sister?" Sara asked as she sat on her older sister's lap. "Why do you look so sad?"
Cavillace bit her lower lip, looking hesitant to approach the subject. Finally, with a sigh, she began.
"Matriarch Ch'askancha has managed to negotiate with Tezcatlipoca." Cavillace began, "The Crimson Devil feels cheated by his brother, and wants to take revenge on him and the dragon race. He has agreed to open the gates of our prison and join our strongest in battle against Eien's fragments and their minion gods."
She felt her heart lighten at the news.
"This is wonderful!" she exclaimed, "We'll finally be free!"
"Father is joining them." Cavillace warned. "He will be on the front lines, battling against our enemies."
"But he will win, right?" she asked.
Cavillace remained silent.
"Right?" she repeated when her sister didn't answer.
Cavillace began weeping.
…
Her head was buried in her sister's chest as they wept together. Deep in the background, they could hear their mother's voice as she shrieked into the darkness with madness, cursing Eien, her fragments, Horakhty, Zorc, and Armityle, the new creation goddess, Kaishi, and her mortal reincarnation, the destroyer god, Owari, and his mortal reincarnation, Quetzalcoatl the dragon father, and thousands of other foes who had struck down their father and the army he had joined.
…
Ti'ika was standing beside her sister and mother, holding Cavillace's hand while legions of other gods stood at attention as the great matriarch addressed them. Things had changed since the last war. For starters, she and Cavillace had grown a little older. Sara was beginning to grow a little more powerful, not like Cavillace, of course, but still, it had come as a pleasant shock to Sara to see how much her powers had grown. Another big change was the bundle tied to Cavillace's back, containing her newborn child.
She had been surprised to learn of her sister's pregnancy. In the beginning, she had tried to ask how it had happened, but it was a topic Cavillace ignored, and which mother seemed to hate. It must have really bothered mother, because Sara could not recall another time when Cavillace had been yelled at and beaten so fiercely.
Cavillace had weathered the abuse and gone on to raise the infant god, a healthy child with solid black eyes like theirs and a clear blue orb of moon rock embedded in his forehead. Cavillace had kept the child, Huaca, away from mother, but let Sara play with him sometimes. Sara liked Huaca, but she seemed to be in the minority.
Some of the gods surrounding them were whispering silent gossip. Following the various conversations, Sara picked up phrases like, "Dishonored her father." Coniraya's whelp." and, "The goddess who swallowed the moon god's fruit."
Sara would have to see if she could find the moon god, Coniraya, and ask him about the rumors. He had once been friendly to herself and her sister, but now he was distant. Like Sara, he was not liked by many of the gods, who considered him to be of low station. It was one of the things that made him appealing to Sara. He did not act too important to speak with her, or at least, not before Cavillace gave birth.
The other gods quickly grew silent when the Matriarch began to address them.
"The enchantments of our prison grow ever weaker." Ch'askancha proclaimed, "While the reincarnations of Eien, Owari, and Kaishi foolishly fight against one another, splitting themselves and the universe into pieces over and over again, our isolated underworld prison has remained aloof from the repeated calamities, protected by its detachment from the rest of the universe! Quetzalcoatl thwarted our attempts to escape and conquer one of the universe's fragments, but he has grown arrogant in his victory! Even now, the human allies he has called to his aid grow corrupted by their pride! They have oppressed their fellow mortals, and now, those oppressed have come to me, seeking aid! I have answered their cries, and in answering them, have devised a way by which we may finally achieve our freedom! By inhabiting the bodies of these humans, you, my creations, shall walk the mortal plane once again to bring vengeance to our fallen kin!"
A deafening clamor rose up against this proclamation as legions of gods demanded to be the first to inhabit the bodies. Quietly, the Matriarch listened to the pleas of her creations with a regal expression on her face, patient but aloof from their clamor.
Then, mother stepped forward.
"I offer myself to perform this task!" Mother declared, staring boldly up at the Matriarch. "I, Pacha, Goddess of plant life and earthquakes will inhabit the body of one of these humans and lead our forces against Quetzalcoatl and his cursed civilization!"
"No." Ch'askancha quietly replied. "You will not."
"But-…!" their mother objected, before the Matriarch held up a hand, instantly silencing her.
"I have already chosen those who will lead these humans." The Matriarch coolly replied, dismissing mother with a wave of her hand. "Your judgement is too clouded by a desire for personal revenge and so you will not be suited for this task."
Mother bowed her head before slowly beginning to withdraw, shamed in the presence of all the other gods, who began murmuring amongst one another. Amongst the various whispers, she thought she caught more than one god mutter, "Mother of a useless goddess." And "Whore-mother."
The gods quieted as the matriarch called out the names of six powerful gods, one of them being Tezcatlipoca himself, who had fully allied with their cause, and now shared the marks of their curse. Once they had all stepped forward, the Matriarch continued to speak.
"Those I have chosen to inhabit these first humans will not be the only ones to participate in this battle. In time, I foresee other humans joining us. Some will, like these humans, be worthy to bear our power. I have chosen others among you who will act as a reserve force. When the time is right, you will join your brethren in possessing a human to carry out our will. The chosen will step forward now."
The Matriarch began listing other names, causing mother to look up with hope, however, her name was never called. Next to her, Sara could feel her sister's grip around her hand tightening.
There was a pause from The Matriarch as several dozen more gods approached her stand before bowing to her in respect. Then, subtly glancing over to where Sara and her family were standing, the Matriarch called out one more name.
"Cavillace Muru."
Sara felt herself go numb.
Don't go! Please! Don't go!
Slowly, Cavillace's grip around her hand loosened. Taking the bundle from her back, she quietly stroked Huaca's head before handing the bundle to Ti'ika Sara and withdrawing, face a stony, emotionless mask.
Sara stared at Huaca, who began squirming uncomfortably.
This was wrong.
Huaca needed Cavillace.
She needed Cavillace!
"NO! STOP!" Sara cried as she held the bundle, causing some of the other gods near them to laugh or growl with anger before her mother clamped her hand around her mouth with an angry hiss.
"I accept the call, Matriarch." Cavillace proclaimed before joining the other gods by humbly prostrating herself before Ch'askancha in a deep bow.
Sara could only watch, tears coming to her eyes as she silently begged the great Matriarch to make sure her sister came back.
…
Mother was crying again.
The Matriarch had told them that they had won a great victory against Quetzalcoatl, whose civilization had been destroyed. Yes, Quetzalcoatl had managed to delay their plans, but the Matriarch's own human, Qhawa, had survived the war, and would lead the other humans who had joined their side, until they achieved final victory.
Sara hadn't cared.
She had been surprised when news of her sister's destruction didn't cause her to cry, like it had with father. She had thought she would cry until the Underworld itself filled with water. Instead, all her feelings seemed to just…die.
Huaca had not been there to cry for his mother. Mother had sent Cavillace's child away to be taken care of by some lesser gods. Sara had objected. Cavillace had given her the child to raise, but mother had silenced her, calling her too young, and stupid, and useless to care for the bastard. She had not even allowed Sara to visit the child, so she didn't know if he was happy or not.
She was all alone.
She grasped a cloud of mist in her hands before staring at it, thinking of the one who had destroyed Cavillace.
Rip
Rip
Rip
Bit by bit, she tore at the mist, scattering it, destroying it, obliterating it. In the back of her head, she could hear her sister's cries. Why had nobody gone to save her? Why had nobody protected her? Cavillace had always been around to protect her younger sister. She deserved to be protected!
"So why didn't you protect her?" Sara heard herself think.
Immediately, the tears began to flow.
…
Thousands of years had passed, and Ti'ika Sara had used each one of them to grow stronger and smarter.
The other gods still hated her, but they could no longer call her "useless." She had grown powerful. Powerful enough to strike back against the people who had mocked her and give them the punishment they deserved. Now, instead of avoiding them, they avoided her.
But she had not grown stronger just to get back at her tormentors. No. As the death of Cavillace continued to claw at her heart, she had worked tirelessly to become everything her sister was, proud, strong, capable, a warrior that could finally give her people the revenge they deserved.
A warrior who could finally avenge Cavillace.
The Matriarch had gathered them together. She was speaking about how the incarnations of the creator and destroyer would grant them their salvation from their curse. All she needed now were eight of their greatest gods to take up the call and guide the mortals incarnations as they were recruited to their cause.
"Who among you all is worthy to guide the reincarnations on this path!?" the Matriarch called, causing Ti'ika Sara's heart to hammer.
"I am! I am!" she thought, not daring to speak, "I will take up the cause! I will guide the reincarnation and avenge Cavillace!"
"I shall tell you now who is worthy." The Matriarch continued, "Long ago, I, your creator, sifted through each and every one of you, from the greatest to the least, weighing your worth whilst considering the powers, personalities, and natures of the incarnations. After much careful thought, I have chosen the best possible candidates for each counterpart. These are they who have been chosen."
She began reading off names, while explaining which incarnation they had been given to, and why it was they who had been chosen. Ti'ika Sara's apprehension grew as the Matriarch continued listing off names. Looking at the ethereal images of the incarnations, she felt drawn towards one of them. A girl who had a natural affinity to cultivation, like herself.
"Her." She thought to herself, "Please let me inhabit her."
The Matriarch indicated the image of the girl with one of her hands. Sara's heart seized up as she waited for the name to be called.
Then, finally, her name was called.
Head held high like her sister's on the day she was called, Ti'ika Sara began approaching the Matriarch, preparing to make the customary bow and speak the oath pact of the Dark Signers when-…
"Excuse me! Pardon me! So sorry, darling! Hero god of water, storms, sea creatures, and trickery coming through!"
Looking to her side in shock, Ti'ika Sara let out a small shriek of panic as an immense whale of a man with long curly black hair, rippling muscles upon rippling muscles, and immense brick-like white teeth with wave patterns carved into the ivory, plowed through the assembly of gods, in his mad dash to approach the Matriarch. Ti'ika Sara was about to raise her voice in protest, when the gigantic god suddenly bowled past her, causing Sara's arms to flail as she lost her balance and began to fall backwards.
"Whoopsie! Apologies, child." The immense god apologized, catching her hand and saving her from the fall before yanking her up and patting her gently on the head.
Sara began sputtering and blushing heavily with embarrassment at having her rite of passage interrupted. Above her head, the other gods were laughing hysterically at the comical scene. Some were even congratulating the bumbling imbecile god who had knocked her over.
"Idiots! Idiots! All of them, idiots!" Sara thought bitterly to herself. "They're only laughing and congratulating this idiot because none of them would dare to take me on themselves! Who are you, idiot, and what right do you have to shame me like this!?"
The Matriarch did not look pleased.
"What are you doing here, Yene Paryaqaqa?" she asked, causing all the other gods to instantly go silent, some choking mid-way on their laughs.
"Ah, Glorious Creator and Matriarch Ch'askancha!" Paryaqaqa replied with a dramatic bow, "I, the hero god, Yene Paryaqaqa, god of water, storms, and sea creatures, slayer of fifteen of Quetzalcoatl's dragons-…"
"I am not interested in your titles." The Matriarch coldly replied, a frown coming over her face, "I want to know why a very minor god like yourself felt the need to barge into this ceremony like a fool and waste our time?"
"Ah, about that!" Paryaqaqa continued, not looking the least bit flustered by the Matriarch's cold gaze. "Well, I couldn't help but notice that there was a noticeable gap in gods available for the wind incarnation, so, naturally, I decided it would only be appropriate for me to offer my services to the cause."
"What gap?" The Matriarch asked, eyes narrowed. "I have already chosen someone for the wind incarnation, and it is not you." She looked up at the crowd of gods, seeming to notice them for the first time, before scowling.
"Where is Wakamayu?" The Matriarch asked, looking down at Yene Paryaqaqa with a venomous expression.
"About that…" the ridiculous god replied, wringing his hands together apologetically, "Well, regrettably, it would appear that the lower half of Wakamayu's mark has mysteriously, uhm, been erased from existence. And well…our curse being what it is, he's experiencing some…er…complications with his own lower half, which would render him a little useless in the upcoming conflict, until he is regenerated that is. And so, he, knowing of my capabilities, humbly asked if I, Yene Paryaqaqa, would be willing to take his place and-…"
"TRAITOR! ASSASSIN! VILE SABATOUR!" A cawing voice suddenly called from behind them. Turning her head, Ti'ika Sara's eyes widened with shock when she spied an important-looking god furiously crawling towards them with his hands, the lower half of his body a blurred mist without sufficient substance to support his upper half.
"Ah! Wakamayu!" Yene exclaimed, rushing over to lift the crawling god over his shoulders, "No need to strain yourself! You don't want to exacerbate your condition! Come, I'll take you home right now. No need to worry, I'll fulfill your mission in your place, just like we discussed."
"LIKE WE DISCUSSED!?" Wakamayu roared, pounding at Paryaqaqa's beefy shoulder with his fists, "YOU TRICKED ME! IT WAS NOT A FAIR MATCH! MATRIARCH!" he suddenly called to Ch'askancha, who scowled down at them. "THIS OAF USED HIS FOUL TRICKERY TO STRIP AWAY MY POWERS, HOPING TO LAY CLAIM TO THE GLORY THAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE! I DEMAND THAT YOU PUNISH THIS GOD NOW AND RESTORE ME TO MY STATION!"
"Be silent, Wakamayu!" The Matriarch snapped, instantly causing a deathly silence to hang about in the air while she examined Wakamayu and the god who had apparently tricked him.
"I do not care what quarrel happened between you fools." The Matriarch finally said. "The fact that you have allowed yourself to be reduced to this state, Wakamayu, only tells me that you are an incredibly stupid god, who deserves to reap the consequences of his idiocy."
"But I…you…Matriarch!" the bisected god begged.
"Not another word!" The Matriarch hissed, silencing him before looking down at Yene. "As for the issue of a worthy candidate for the wind incarnation…"
One of her hands launched out, grabbing Yene Paryaqaqa in a bone crushing grip. Raising the god, who looked like a toy in comparison with her immense form, up to her face, she began examining him, fingers tracing the contours of his body. Yene submitted to the treatment silently, a nervous grin on his face.
Finally, the Matriarch set him down.
"This one will do." She said with a sigh. "Congratulations, Yene Paryaqaqa. Though you were not one of the original chosen, your cunning has won you a place amongst our ranks. Your personality will synchronize well with the wind incarnation, who will regard you as a friend as she participates in the completion of our work. Complete the rite of passage and speak your oath now."
"Thank you…glorious Matriarch!" Yene replied with a dramatic bow, "I accept this calling and shall do all in my power to guide Rin on her path! You have my word as the Hero God of Water-…"
"That will do." The Matriarch snapped.
Ti'ika Sara stood in the center of the other gods, stunned with disbelief as Yene bowed before her. The Matriarch began to call out the name of another god, having seemingly forgotten that Sara had not completed her rite of passage.
"Uhm…Matriarch…I…" Ti'ika Sara hesitantly began.
The Matriarch's face whipped towards Ti'ika, the multi-colored lines on her face burning with anger.
"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF MY CHILDREN'S SQUABBLING! The Matriarch roared, standing up to her full height before glaring down at Ti'ika Sara with burning anger. "All of you will do as you are commanded for the sake of our salvation, and you will cease pestering me with your idiocy!"
Shrinking, Ti'ika Sara bowed with the others, not daring to utter another peep. This time, the other gods did not laugh at her, but she could feel their resentment as their collective gaze burned into the back of her head.
"Think of Cavillace." she thought to herself, "Think of Cavillace. That is why you are here. For her sake."
Suddenly, an immense hand fell onto her shoulder. Flinching, Sara looked up from her crouched position to notice Yene Paryaqaqa staring down at her with a smile.
"Don't worry, little flower." The idiotic god whispered. "I heard from Wakamayu that the Matriarch had chosen you. You must be terribly scared, young and inexperienced as you are."
Sara choked back her building fury, not daring to risk an outburst that would grab the Matriarch's attention.
"I lost a brother in the last war." Yene went on. "Chacu Challhua. He was young too. Not as young as you, of course, but still, he was younger than me. When he was destroyed, I vowed to protect others like him, so, here I am."
Off to her side, Ti'ika Sara caught the gossiping whispers of gods, who began asking if Ti'ika Sara had swallowed the water god's fruit.
She bowed her head in shame, wishing she had never come to learn what that phrase meant.
…
More memories from the little goddess began flashing through Yuzu's field of vision. She saw Ti'ika as she approached her corpse in the underworld, waiting for the power of the Dark Signer Ruri and Jatun to come upon Yuzu before entering the mortal's body and granting her life. She began reliving the rest of the day's events from the perspective of Ti'ika Sara, feeling a pang of guilt as she realized how similar Yuzu's indifferent treatment towards Sara had been to the treatment she had received from the other gods in the vision, before regaining her senses and finding Ti'ika Sara standing before her, solid black eyes wide with shock.
"You saw it!?" Sara asked, looking both worried and embarrassed.
"I…I mean…I didn't mean to…" Yuzu apologized, still recovering from what she had seen.
Sara's hand reached up to touch Yuzu's face. Closing her eyes, Sara stood still for a heartbeat before removing her hand from Yuzu's face and opening her eyes.
"I see." She muttered to herself. "Our bond must have deepened just a little. Kind of annoying that she can see my memories now, albeit in a filtered form that her mortal mind can take, but I suppose this was going to happen eventually…"
"You said our bond had deepened." Yuzu said aloud, piecing together the memories she had witnessed, "You came to me when I died, but you were…assigned to me by that…that Matriarch? What was her name, Chask-"
"SHHHHHHH!" Sara hissed, suddenly looking extremely worried. "You don't just say the creator's name! You're not worthy! NO-BO-DY'S worthy!"
"I-…" Yuzu replied, but Sara didn't seem to be listening. Clamping her hands together and closing her eyes, Sara seemed to mutter a prayer before looking around the black void, just to be sure, and then returning her gaze to Yuzu before speaking.
"Look," The little goddess sighed, "whether we like it or not, you and I are bonded together. You're probably gonna learn a lot about me, just like I've been learning a lot about you. But unless I give you permission, you don't bring those things up? Got it?"
Yuzu folded her arms, not exactly feeling angry at the goddess, but still feeling a twinge of annoyance nonetheless.
"Fair enough." Yuzu sighed. "I can understand if you want to keep things private, but the same goes for you. Even if you get to see all my memories, you still have to show respect for them."
"It's not like I'm gonna tell anyone." Sara pouted. "I don't have any friends, remember?"
"Well…" Yuzu replied, thinking about what Sara had went through, "maybe that can change."
Sara silently regarded her, looking both unsure and hopeful. Finally, she let out a little snort of laughter.
"But I already said you were my Onee-chan." She giggled, a mischievous smile coming over her face, "We're already supposed to be friends."
"Don't push it." Yuzu replied, a slight smirk coming over her face. "You and I are still 'partner' until I decide otherwise."
Sara laughed at this, and Yuzu felt herself grinning in reply. Then, just as quickly, she assumed a more serious expression.
"We're still in the middle of the duel." She said to Sara, who immediately calmed down and regarded her with an equally serious expression. "It's my move, and I have no idea how to beat Divine."
Sara nodded her head, looking thoughtful.
"The human, Sayer's, dueling talent is no match for either of us." The goddess thought out-loud, "By all rights, he ought to have been killed twice by now…but the crafty little mortal slithered away both times. We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen again, not that we should have any trouble breaking his field. The real trouble is his field spell, and the people the mortal king, Roger, is willing to sacrifice to fuel it. We can easily push Divine into a corner, but until we can take care of that weapon, we will never be able to put out enough damage to defeat him, not without going through however many thousands of people Roger has enslaved."
"Do you have anything in mind?" Yuzu asked.
Smiling, Sara held out her hand.
"Come on, partner." Sara replied, "I have some things I want to teach you."
…
Rin stood to the side of Yuzu, staring at her counterpart as she continued to hold still, eyes glazed over as if in a trance.
"Yuzu? YUZU!?" Rin called out, before walking up to Yuzu and shaking her. Yuzu didn't seem to even know Rin existed as she continued to stand completely still in a comatose state.
"Yene, do you know what's wrong with her?" Rin thought to her companion.
"I sense nothing wrong with her, darling." Yene mused, "At least…not physically or spiritually. Unfortunately, I cannot know if she's experiencing mental or emotional trauma from this duel. Perhaps she has withdrawn, or perhaps Sara is giving her counsel. I cannot know."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Rin asked, growing more concerned.
"Neither of us have forged a bond with her." Yene replied, "She is beyond either of our power for now. The best thing we can do is focus on the duel and take her place if we must."
"Yuzu Hiragi has only a few moments before her turn is automatically concluded." Divine observed from above. "If you do not begin your turn and continue, this duel will conclude with my victory."
"Like Hell I'll let you win like that!" Rin spat, placing her hand on top of her deck. "I don't care how many people you hide behind! I'm ending this right now! My move! Dr-…!"
"WATASHITACHI NO TURN!" Yuzu suddenly called, voiced blended with another younger female voice, "DRAW!"
Eyelids opening to reveal Yuzu's eyes glowing with a lurid mixture of red from her flower mark, and flaming blue from her irises, Yuzu ripped a card from the top of her deck before beginning her turn. '
"Yuzu!?" Rin called out, feeling a mixture of shock and relief. "Where the heck have you been?"
Yuzu turned to her, her familiar friendly smile seemingly mixed with the mischievous grin of another.
"We've been thinking how best to punish Divine." Yuzu and the other voice replied in unison, before turning to their opponent, "And you'd better believe that it's nothing pleasant! Prepare yourself…Sayer Prieur! You have incurred the wrath of the Gods for the last time!"
Through the mask of mind control, Rin swore she saw Divine inwardly panicking.
"We activate the effect of Canon the Melodious Diva in our hand!" Yuzu/Sara declared, slamming the card onto their duel disk before their violet-haired fairy with a golden mask appeared to their field.
Canon the Melodious Diva / LIGHT / Level 4 / Fairy / Effect / ATK 1400 / DEF 2000
"Next!" Yuzu and Sara continued, stretching their hand towards their Synchro Monster, "We activate the effect of Tchaikovska the Melodious Maestra! By sending Mozarta the Melodious Maestra from our deck to the graveyard, we target our own Legato in order to destroy it! GO! Melodic Cannonade!"
"You're destroying your own Trap Card?" Divine asked, sounding thoroughly confused before looking at Thought Tyrant Daemon.
"You can negate the effect, you know." Yuzu and Sara smirked, voice taking on a mocking tone.
"Thought Tyrant Daemon's effect can only be used twice per turn." Divine replied. "If you are attempting to bait out its effect, you will have to do better than that. Losing your own Legato can only carry negative effects for yourself. I will choose to save Thought Tyrant Daemon's effect for your actual plan."
"You won't get to save its effect for anything." The Dark Signer murmured to herself as Tchaikovska directed her cannons to fire into the continuous trap card, obliterating it. When the smoke had cleared, the Dark Signer raised her head and smiled confidently.
"I'm ready." Yuzu murmured to Sara.
"We have everything we need to defeat him." Sara replied. "The power is within us. Hold nothing back."
"I won't." Yuzu promised, before pulling the key to their victory from her hand while raising her other hand to the sky, the knowledge of what she needed to do flooding her mind.
"With Legato gone from my field, I am no longer restricted from performing Normal Summons!" Yuzu and Sara proclaimed, voices steadily growing more in synch. "Behold my new power! I Dark Sacrifice Vivaldina the Melodious Maestra and Canon the Melodious Diva from my field, and Thought Tyrant Daemon and Ultimate Axon Kicker from your field in order to call forth the key to my victory!"
…
"WHAT!?" Roger screamed from his control room, watching as four immense ghostly hands rose up from the earth before grasping all four of the monsters and pulling them underground as a large black sacrificial alter rose up from the ground at the center of the field. "SAYER! NEGATE THE EFFECT! USE THOUGHT TYRANT DAEMON TO-…"
"Error…cannot comply…" Sayer's hoarse voice called from the other side. "Dark Sacrifice…not an effect but…in-game summoning mechanic…"
"SAYER!" Roger screamed, growing white-faced.
…
Feeling power surge through her body, Yuzu, drowned out the screams of the monsters as they sank into the earth before speaking the words that came to her head in unison with Sara, who seemed to stand by her side, holding her hand like they were sisters.
"With the offerings willingly given and the sacrifices forcefully taken from our enemy, the price is paid! Let the seed of vice sprout and become the fruit of triumph! DARK SACRIFICE! Level negative seven! Dark Tuner Corruption Seed!"
The altar in the center of the field burst into black flames before crumpling into ashes. From the pieces of smoldering rock, a legion of twisting oily black vines sprouted from the ground before wrapping around one another and forming into the scarecrow-like form of a young human Yuzu's height, with a bright red fruit shining in the center of its chest like a heart.
Dark Tuner Corruption Seed / DARK / Level -7 / Plant / Dark Tuner / Effect / ATK -700 / DEF -700
Yuzu stared at the new creature, who began walking towards her before taking a knee, bowing, and offering its fruit-bearing chest to her.
"What is it doing?" Yuzu asked.
"It has accepted us as its master." Ti'ika Sara replied. "It is waiting for you to eat its fruit."
"Eat its fruit?" Yuzu asked, wondering what the point of eating a solid-vision hologram was. None of the health magazines she had read had recommended the consumption of hard light projections. One eccentric duelist she had read about had tried and burnt the inside of his mouth.
"Yes. Her power is in there." Sara replied, voice taking on a tone of reverence. "A small fragment of her essence I managed to preserve. Consume it, and we will be invincible."
Yuzu blinked, feeling the deep sorrow and determination emanating from Sara. Looking down once again at the fruit on the monster's chest, she felt her dead senses suddenly awaken. The fresh scent of the fruit filled her nostrils with clouds of fragrance, while a sudden ravenous hunger took hold of her. Her hand launched out, violently grasping the fruit before tearing it from the monster's chest. As the black vines withered away and turned to dust, Yuzu felt herself cram the fruit into her mouth.
The instant her teeth broke the skin, Yuzu could tell that the fruit was far more than mere solid vision. Juices dribbling down her lips and chin, she chewed the delicious fruit and swallowed it in great gulps, feeling like a starving man coming across food for the first time in weeks. With a final suck, she ripped the last morsel of pulp from the smooth solid stone of the fruit, before swallowing the last bite and spitting the shiny seed into her palm, an immense power building up from the pit of her stomach and spreading into the tips of her fingers and toes.
"It feels nice, doesn't it?" Sara commented.
Grinning, Yuzu raised the shiny seed into the air, a tar-like substance seeping from the pores of her palm as she continued her turn.
"I activate the effect of Dark Tuner Corruption Seed!" Yuzu declared, "When it is summoned, I can activate one of three effects! I choose to activate the first effect of Corruption Seed, targeting my Quartet the Melodious Songstress in order to change her Level to negative seven! Corruption Spread!"
Stretching out her hand, Yuzu felt herself launch a spray of the tar-like substance into Quartet, who shrieked in shock as the substance crawled over her body as if it had a mind of its own, before completely encasing her. In another moment, the sticky substance seemed to sink into Quartet's skin, completely disappearing before Quartet reemerged, skin paler, eyes, hair, and clothing a shade darker, and sclera now a deep coal black.
Quartet: Level -7
Feeling a rush of ecstasy, Yuzu continued with her turn.
"I overlay my Level negative seven Quartet with my Level -7 Dark Tuner Corruption Seed!" She declared as Quartet and the seed in her hand began to fade into transparent ghosts before collapsing into the center of an invisible singularity. "With the seeds of darkness planted in your soul, rise up as an immortal deity of the forest and sing till the trees themselves sway with your melody! YAMI NO XYZ SHOUKAN! Rise up! The eternal guardian of nature! Rank negative seven! Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad!"
Unfolding from the singularity, a beautiful wild-looking woman with the lower half of a deer with Gryphon wings on its back, a near-naked female upper half with skin like bark, green hair that looked like intertwined vines, leaves, and flowers, and moss covering her ample breasts, leaped onto the earthen field before spreading out her arms, closing her eyes, and singing, glowing lines of orange energy burning against her body as flowers, vines, and saplings began sprouting around her. In her chest and on her forehead were two transparent spots, which revealed the black crystals of the dark overlay units within her body.
Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad / EARTH / Rank -7 / Fairy / Dark Xyz / Effect / ATK 0 / DEF 2800
Yuzu felt her ecstasy grow a hundred-fold as she finished her first Dark Xyz Summon. Thinking back to when she had seen Ruri use the summoning technique, she wondered why she had criticized her. This thrill she was feeling was just like what she had felt when she had first accomplished Fusion Summoning for the first time, only a million times greater! Why had she held back from learning this technique for so long?
"Geo Dryad gains five-hundred ATK for each monster on the field!" Yuzu and Sara declared in unison. "With herself, Tchaikovska, Dimensional Pathfinder, and Space-Time Police on the field, that means she gains a total of two-thousand ATK!"
Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad: (500 X 4) = 2000 ATK
"But that is merely a sample of her full power!" They continued, stretching their hand towards their monster. "I activate the effect of Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad! By detaching the Overlay Unit, Dark Tuner Corruption Seed, from my monster, I can negate the effects of all face-up cards my opponent controls!"
"WHAT!?" Divine exclaimed, eyes widening.
"You understand, don't you?" Yuzu and Sara smirked, "Rin's field only has two set cards, meaning she does not suffer from the effect. You, on the other hand, lose your most powerful weapon! GO, GEO DRYAD!" They commanded as the crystal in Dryad's chest compacted into nothingness before the deer-like woman began to hum a soft, soothing tune, "Bewitching melody!"
…
Roger examined the stats of Yuzu's monster, comparing it to the info on each of Sayer's cards.
"Psychic Gravity Well cannot be destroyed…but its effects…they are completely vulnerable to negation." he murmured to himself, completely thunderstruck, before angrily pressing a button on his desk.
"ALL UNITS, PROCEED TO INTRUDE ON THE DUEL! NOW! NOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
…
Immediately, the chips of hundreds of civilians and security officers alike began to light up before their mindless slaves proceeded to march towards the duel.
Yuzu stared down at the sight, previous feelings of shock and despondency replaced with mere disgust at Roger's pathetic floundering.
"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you try that again?" She asked, raising her arms into the air before calling on a new power she instinctively sensed rising up within her with the help of Sara. "Your game ends now! ANCIENT WARRIORS OF THE EARTHBOUND! SOLDIERS OF THE CULTIVATION GOD CLAN! SERVANTS OF THE GREAT RENEWAL! OBEY THE CALL OF YOUR DARK SIGNER! RISE UP AND TAKE UP ARMS AGAINST THE ENEMY, MY EARTHBOUND FAMILIARS!"
Power seemed to explode from Yuzu as an immense flower-shaped mark appeared on the ground, encompassing Rin, Divine, and herself in its light before figures began bursting from the ground, sprouting like saplings as they rose up and formed ranks around her. Ghostly in appearance, the figures stood with their faces obscured by flower-petal like masks, holes cut into the leaves to reveal black sclera eyes staring out. Male and female, the spritely creatures each wore the same uniform of leaves, vines, and flowers, with a large thorny whip hooked to their side in a loop. In unison, each of the creatures bowed to her, awaiting her command.
Yuzu felt a slight pang of guilt as she looked upon the servants, wondering why she hadn't accepted all her powers earlier so that she could save Yuya and the people who had fallen in this duel. But the feeling quickly evaporated as she prepared to command the spirits. Now was not the time to scold herself for her past weakness. Now was the time for action!
"Secure the perimeter!" Yuzu and Sara commanded. "Duel anyone who tries to interfere, but do not harm them! They are not the true enemy!"
Wordlessly nodding, the familiars charged forward, at least four dozen of them, before forming a perimeter around the duel field and engaging the mind-controlled victims with leaf-like duel disks that sprouted from their arms before anyone could intrude. Divine tried to blast back a few of them with his psychic powers, but four of the familiars merely unsheathed their whips and struck at Divine's limbs, ensnaring each one in a thorny grip before pulling the psychic down and securing him against the ground.
Screaming, Divine could only watch as Dryad's melodic song swept through the duel field, causing his Space-Time Police and Dimensional Pathfinder to sway with dizziness while the spectral image of his Field Spell faded to grey.
"His field spell…it's sealed." Rin exclaimed in wonder as she gazed upon the army Yuzu had assembled, which was managing to hold back the tide of mind-controlled officers and civilians without any apparent difficulty. "When did you learn to do any of this?"
"You're welcome." Ti'ika Sara said through Yuzu's mouth, causing Yuzu to grin in agreement.
"Sara." Yene exclaimed with a grin through Rin's mouth, "So you have finally started to bloom. Took you long enough to Synchronize with your host. I was beginning to worry you'd leave me to do all the heavy lifting! Not that I'd expect you to lift much by yourself anyway, but still."
Yuzu felt herself scowl.
"Well, however you figured it out, you did it, Yuzu! Divine has nothing left to protect him! We can defeat him now!" Rin added, before a fight could break out. "Now's your chance! Finish him off before he has a chance to recover!"
Yuzu nodded in agreement, stepping towards Divine before stumbling as a sudden surge of exhaustion swept through her body.
"Be careful." Sara warned. "You're still new at this. Summoning those familiars left you a little drained. You may need to replenish a little energy before you continue."
"Agreed." Yuzu grunted before straightening out. "Fortunately," she continued, feeling hungry, "I know the perfect snack for the trick!"
Pulling out the field spell she had drawn at the beginning of the duel, Yuzu continued with her turn.
"Field Magic Activate!" she declared, slotting her field spell card into one of her duel disk's petals, before stepping onto a platform as a theater formed around her, "Divine Melodious Stage!"
Behind her, Yuzu heard the orphan children oohing and awing at the brilliant fairy-filled theater, filling Yuzu with a sense of nostalgia as she thought on the many entertainment duels she had participated in. With a mischievous grin, she decided that, even if this was a brutal war, she could still combine the teachings of You-Show with her new dueling abilities.
"After all…" Ti'ika Sara added from within Yuzu, sensing her thoughts, "…who says that justice can't be fun?"
"Since I control Tchaikovska the Melodious Maestra," Yuzu declared, "I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva from my hand! Everyone give it up for our new performer!"
Twirling onto the stage, a second copy of Yuzu's fairy with long green hair and a green-and-blue slip appeared before spreading her single harp-like wing and singing a soft song.
Sonata the Melodious Diva / LIGHT / Level 4 / Fairy / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000
"But Sonata won't be the only one taking the stage." Yuzu continued, feeling Sara play along, as they embraced the entertainer routine, "Because now, two effects activate! First, once per turn, when I summon a Melodious Monster, Divine Melodious Stage adds one Melodious Monster from my deck to my hand!"
Taking a card that had popped out of her deck and adding it to her hand, Yuzu and Sara next stretched their hand towards the graveyard before continuing with their turn.
"Second," they continued, "whenever I Special Summon a monster, I can activate the effect of Dark Tuner Corruption Seed from the graveyard! Bloom to the stage once again, Dark Tuner Corruption Seed!"
Rising up from the ground of the theater, the black vines of Corruption Seed entwined themselves against the columns lining the walls and the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling before a mass of vines in the center formed into the humanoid figure from earlier, a blood-red fruit shining against its chest.
Dark Tuner Corruption Seed / DARK / Level -7 / Plant / Dark Tuner / Effect / ATK -700 / DEF -700
Licking her lips, Yuzu launched herself forward with superhuman strength, hands whipping out to rip the fruit from the tangle of vines before shoving it into her mouth and chomping down. Eyes rolling into the back of her head with ecstasy, Yuzu devoured the fruit, juices dribbling down her chin before she spat out the seed and held it up, tendrils of tar-like ooze seeping from her pores before waving in the air like vines as she continued.
"Dark Tuner Corruption Seeds effect! I target Sonata the Melodious Diva in order to change her Level to zero! GO! Corruption Cultivation!"
Stretching out her hand, Yuzu and Sara caused the tendrils of ooze emanating from their body to launch into Sonata before wrapping her into a cocoon of slime and transforming her into a darker version of her previous self.
Sonata the Melodious Diva: Level 0
In her hands, the shiny black seed of her dark tuner seemed to hum with anticipation.
"I dark tune my Level negative seven Dark Tuner Corruption Seed with my Level zero Sonata in order to Dark Synchro Summon!" Yuzu and Sara declared as the black seed exploded into a swarm of black stars, which embedded themselves into the dark form of Sonata before causing the fairy to fade away, leaving only the black stars to circle a portion of empty space as Yuzu and Sara began their summoning chant.
"Cultivator of nature, become one with the darker shadows of the forest, spread your seeds into the curtain of night, and bloom and grow into a new power to shape the destiny of the wilds! YAMI NO SYNCHRO SHOUKAN! Unleash the darker powers of creation! Level negative seven! Earthbound Disciple Geo Sprite!"
In an explosion of black shadow, a mysterious-looking hooded fairy garbed in a black leaves, vines, and flowers, leapt into the air, thick cloak-like wings spreading out like the wings of a butterfly to reveal a fit sleek body garbed in tight-fitting interwoven plant fibers and decorated with lines of green energy. Around her slender waist were holsters bearing various poisonous weapons made from plant material. Around the fairy, a whirlwind of air and thorny vines materialized, encasing her in a sphere of whirling plant life before she landed on the ground next to Yuzu, dispersing the sphere of air and vines and wrapping herself in her wings like a bat.
Earthbound Disciple Geo Sprite / WATER / Level -7 / Fairy / Dark Synchro / Effect / ATK 2800 / DEF 2700
"Impressive Dark Synchro." Rin whistled. "Seems you really were paying attention to when I dueled."
Yuzu grinned in reply before stretching her hand towards her graveyard, where more black vines were already sprouting.
"Since I Special Summoned a monster, Dark Tuner Corruption Seed returns to my field once more! Behold the infinite cycle of planting and sowing!" Yuzu and Sara proclaimed as their faithful servant returned to them.
Dark Tuner Corruption Seed / DARK / Level -7 / Plant / Dark Tuner / Effect / ATK -700 / DEF -700
Yuzu was on her monster in less than a second, tearing the fruit from its vine-woven chest before devouring it in one gulp, spitting out the shiny black seed, and sprouting tendrils of inky black essence from her back like a pair of wings.
"The effect of Dark Tuner Corruption Seed activates since it was summoned!" Yuzu and Sara declared, "This time, I use the third effect! With its power, I add the Magic Card, Yami no Kakubunretsu from my deck to my hand! GO! Corruption Shaping!"
Yuzu clamped her hands together into something that felt like a Fusion Summon bow, but with the left hand formed into a fist and placed underneath the palm of her right hand, which had its fingers stuck together and stretched up into the air, so that it looked almost like an inverted mushroom cloud. In response, the tendrils on her back lashed forward before congregating into a single sphere of black ooze from which the Dark Fission Spell Card emerged. Taking the card into her hand, Yuzu raised it into the air before slamming it onto her duel disk.
"Using my Dark Tuner Corruption Seed as the Base Material, I subtract Schopina the Melodious Maestra in my graveyard from my monster in order to annihilate and unleash their combined power and forge a new servant from their chaos!"
Rising into the air, the seed in Yuzu's hand melted into a sphere of translucent liquid, with a pulsating black atom made of seven spheres floating in its center. Next to the atom, the spectral form of Schopina appeared before melting into an atom of seven white spheres, which sunk into the liquid before merging with the central atom.
Shuddering with instability, the compound violently burst apart into a multi-colored nuclear explosion, scattering droplets of the colorless liquid before time stopped mid-way before the droplets made contact with the ground. In another instant, time reversed, causing the droplets to fly backward and the multi-colored mushroom cloud to shrink before the liquid began to form into the shape of a new monster as Yuzu began her summoning chant.
"Genius composer of the melodic song, merge now with the seed of darkness and bloom anew as the queen of passion and inspiration! YAMI NO KAKUBUNRETSU SHOUKAN! Grow into the immortal flower of the arts! Level negative seven! Earthbound Disciple Geo Muse!"
Fully forming and developing color like a photograph, Yuzu's Dark Fission monster emerged as a tall regal fairy wreathed in a thin form-fitting white dress with translucent pink lace wrapped around her waist, arms, and pink flower petal-like wings. The bottom of the fairy's dress bloomed outward like the flowers of a petal, hiding her feet, while her arms, midriff, and ample cleavage were left bare. The skin of the fairy was a deep olive, with pink lines of energy running through it like war paint. An immense flower with pink petals and a blue center was mounted on her back, and on her head, she wore a golden headdress like a crown. Her eyes were a solid black and were decorated with malachite kohl, her hair was a glowing platinum blonde, with two long ponytails draped over her chest, and her voluptuous lips were a deep ocean blue. Twirling through the air, the fairy scattered petals and gold dust as she sang a deep melodic song, at once both triumphant and sorrowful.
Earthbound Disciple Geo Muse / LIGHT / Level -7 Fairy / Dark Fission / Effect / ATK -1000 / DEF 2800
"Once more, Dark Tuner Corruption Seed returns to my field!" Yuzu declared as the black vine humanoid sprouted from the ground, but this time, bearing no fruit on its chest. "However, since I already used its previous three effects this turn, I cannot activate any of those effects again this turn.
"However," She continued, with a triumphant smile, "I already have everything I need!"
Yuzu glanced towards her Geo sprite, who nodded her hooded head as if understanding, before unholstering a pair of massive black thorny whips and rising into the air.
"Earthbound Disciple Geo Sprite no kouka!" Yuzu and Sara declared, eyes glowing with energy. "Once per turn, I can target a number of cards my opponent controls, up to the number of monsters I control, in order to destroy them! Using this effect, I target Psychic Gravity Well, Dimensional Pathfinder, and Space-Time Police! GO! Uprooting Assassination!"
Swinging her whips, which began to glow with blood-red energy, Geo Sprite cleaved through all of Divine's cards. With painful screams, Divine's two monsters combusted into flame before they could bleed, ashes scattering into the wind and landing on the dirt before a trio of three black saplings with red lines of energy running through them began to sprout up from the piles of ash. Divine looked on with confusion, warily regarding the black plants.
"For each card destroyed with this effect," Yuzu and Sara explained in unison, "The controller of those cards Special Summons one Earthbound Seed Token to their side of the field for each of their cards destroyed."
Earthbound Seed Token / EARTH / Level 1 / Plant / ATK 400 / DEF 400
"You're probably thinking that this means that you have some protection." Yuzu and Sara continued, "After all, we'll have to weed our way through all of those tokens before we can get to you, and two of my monsters actually have negative ATK. This, however, is where Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad's final power comes into play. You see, she can attack each monster my opponent controls, once each, and if she attacks a defense position monster, she inflicts piercing damage. And since she gains five-hundred ATK for each monster on the field…well…"
Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad: (500 X 8) = 4000 ATK
"I'd say this is it for you…Sayer." Yuzu finished before stretching her hand towards her monster. "BATTLE! EARTHBOUND DISCIPLE GEO DRYAD! ANNIHILATE SAYER NOW! FORCE OF THE WILDS!"
In response to her command, Geo Dryad held out her hand at arm's length, summoning a long majestic spear made from various entwined living saplings and vines, and ending in a very long and sharp thorn. Flowers sprouted along its shaft before poisonous sap began to drip from the end of the weapon. Galloping forward, the deer woman charged at the hedge of protective tokens, preparing to trample both them and Divine down.
Divine, however, seemed prepared.
"Dimensional Pathfinder no kouka!" he declared, stretching his hand towards his graveyard. "During the turn it is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can banish my monster in order to Fusion Summon one Psychic-Type monster from my Extra Deck using monsters in my graveyard as Material!"
Emerging through two black portals, the spectral images of Ultimate Axon Kicker, Thought Tyrant Archfiend, and Dimensional Pathfinder appeared before Dimensional Pathfinder imploded into a green-tinted fusion portal, which the specters of Ultimate Axon Kicker and Thought Tyrant Archfiend entered before blending together as Divine began his summoning chant.
"The black fires of my rage will never be extinguished! Tyrant who rules over thought, Tyrant who destroys the weak-minded, look upon the injustice of a world that lets the inferior persecute the master race and become the supreme dictator to quell this wrong and subjugate all minds to your dominion! YUUGO SHOUKAN! Merge your mind with my own! Level eleven! Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon!"
An explosion of telekinetic energy burst outwards from the portal, causing Yuzu and Sara to stagger backwards, despite their combined power. From the center of the portal, a colossal demon, at least sixty feet tall, emerged from the portal. Similar in appearance to both Thought Tyrant Daemon and Ultimate Axon Kicker, the demon sported a massive head with a crown of sixteen golden-and-green horns, which conducted bolts of electricity emanating from the monster's massive brain, which pulsated openly on its head, exposed to the air. The demon's broad chest and four massive arms were heavily armored like Overmind Daemon, and its lower half was composed of three thick entwined serpentine tails.
Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon / DARK / Level 11 / Psychic / Fusion / Effect / ATK 3300 / DEF 3000
At the appearance of the immense monster, Divine seemed to get his second wind. His psychic powers began manifesting in full force, enabling him to levitate off the ground and rise strait up into the sky, until he was eye-level with his monster. Holding out his arms to the side, Divine levitated into the center of the monsters brain, before resting on it like a cushion as massive snake-like dendrites began to slither around his body and limbs before seemingly plugging into the exposed skin.
"Oh my gosh!" Rin exclaimed in shock, backing away, "Did he just…combine…with his monster?"
As if in answer, the mouth of Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon began moving in time with Divine's speech.
"The effect of Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon activates when it is successfully Fusion Summoned!" The demon declared with a mixture of Divine's voice and its own demonic growl. "When summoned, all monsters on the field with a Level lower than the Level of this card are banished and I gain eight-hundred life points for each card banished with this effect! GO! DICTATORIAL PURGE!"
With an almighty roar, Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon fired a blast of black telekinetic energy from its exposed brain and horns, slicing through all three of the Earthbound Seed Tokens, and obliterating Yuzu's Tchaikovska, Dark Tuner Corruption Seed, and Earthbound Disciple Geo Sprite, while Geo Dryad resisted the blast and Geo Muse conjured a pink shield of energy around herself.
"GEO DRYAD DOES NOT POSSESS A LEVEL!" Yuzu and Sara shouted over the roar of telekinetic energy, "FURTHERMORE, EARTHBOUND DISCIPLE GEO MUSE IS UNAFFECTED BY MY OPPONENT'S CARD EFFECTS WHILE I CONTROL AN ACTIVE FIELD SPELL CARD!"
After the monsters had completely vanished, the blast of black energy died down, leaving Divine and his monster to glow with energy as their life points rose from the effects second benefit.
Divine: 1500 + (800 X 6) = 6300 LP
Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad: (500 X 3) = 1500 ATK
"Your remaining monsters are irrelevant!" Divine declared from up above, voice amplified with the roaring voice of his monster. "Both of their ATKs are drastically lower than my monsters. Furthermore, my Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon can negate any effect my opponent attempts to activate just by me paying two-thousand life points! And in case you think you can slowly exhaust my life points now that my Psychic Gravity Well is gone, my Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon's effect enables me to gain Life Points whenever my opponent takes damage, so I'll be able to replenish my Life Points with ease!"
"It's definitely a troublesome monster. There's not a card in my deck that could immediately deal with it." Yuzu and Sara acknowledged, seemingly resigned to defeat, before a sudden mischievous smile sprouted on their face. "So, it's a good thing the one card I need is already on the field! BATTLE! Earthbound Disciple Geo Muse, attack Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon!"
"That monster!?" Rin exclaimed, looking at Yuzu as if her counterpart had completely lost her mind, which, admittedly, did not seem like too remote a possibility after all she'd gone through. "But Geo Muse has negative attack!"
"I know!" Yuzu and Sara retorted in unison, "It's what makes it so powerful! Whenever I would take battle damage from a battle involving Earthbound Disciple Geo Muse, my opponent takes that damage instead! This effect is a continuous effect, which is not activated, and therefore cannot be targeted with Dictator's effect! Furthermore, if Geo Muse would be destroyed by battle, I can send 1 face-up monster from my deck or Extra Deck to the graveyard instead! Go, my muse! Catharsis Aria!"
Flying forward, Earthbound Disciple Geo Muse fearlessly confronted the immense monster, spreading out her arms and holding up her head as if daring the monster to strike at her. She began singing then, a harrowing melody that evoked thoughts of both passion and sorrow. Staring down at the fairy, Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon seemed to move in a trance, immense claw crashing down on the Geo Muse, who didn't even flinch as the claws made contact. Despite her size, Geo Muse bore herself against the force of the impact, song growing in volume and intensity as her eyes and flower on her back began to glow with blood-red energy.
"I send the face-up Schopina the Melodious Maestra, which was shuffled into the deck face-up when Geo Muse was Dark Fission Summoned, to my graveyard in order to prevent my monsters destruction!" Yuzu and Sara declared in unison as a pink barrier of energy formed around Geo Muse, throwing back the Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon.
"Now feel the tragedy you have inflicted on others!" Yuzu and Sara roared in unison, as their eyes fell on the crushed bodies littering the duel field. "Catharsis Cry!"
With an intense melodic shout, Geo Muse fired a beam of pink energy from the flower on her back, which struck Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon directly in the forehead where Divine was resting, causing the psychic duelist to scream with pain and the immense demon to reel backwards.
Divine: 6300 – 4300 = 2000 LP
"I unfortunately cannot destroy you this turn." Yuzu and Sara acknowledged. "But now, you can't use Thought Tyrant Daemon's effect unless you want to deplete what's left of your life points."
Yuzu smiled at this, before feeling her energy drain away a bit as Sara slowly withdrew from her mind. Turning to Rin, who nodded at her with respect, Yuzu stepped back and let her friend step forward to take the stage.
"We must finish him this turn." Yene Paryaqaqa warned from within Rin. "Yuzu's familiars are putting up a good fight, but if Roger keeps sending in reinforcements, eventually their lines will break and we will be forced to face all of them."
"Could you show me how to summon those familiars?" Rin asked, glancing at Yuzu's familiars, who were steadily being pushed back.
"That would only work to stall them a bit longer." Yene replied. "Those soldiers Roger has amassed are not doing his bidding willingly. I think it is time to permanently break his hold over them."
"You think it's time?" Rin asked.
"I see no other way to end this battle." The god replied. "It will take a great deal of energy, but if my physical form was made manifest, then our power would be great enough to put a stop to this dishonorable hostage situation and free Roger's slaves. Are you ready?"
Rin glanced back at her orphanage family, who were looking upon her as their last hope before nodding her head, sclera lighting up with green light while her irises flamed to life with golden light.
"I'm ready." Rin and Yene proclaimed in unison before placing their hand on top of their deck.
"Watashitachi no turn! DARK DRAW!" Yene and Rin declared in unison, gathering their energy to call forth the card they needed. Without even looking at the card, they added it to their hand, already able to feel it was the right one, before continuing with their turn.
"Trap activate!" Rin and Yene declared in unison, stretching their hand towards one of their face-downs. "Synthphonist Audition! I pay half my life points in order to Special Summon three Level four or lower Synthphonist Monsters from my deck in face-up attack position! Come forth! Synthphonist Clarinetist, Synthphonist Oboist, and Synthphonist Snare Drummer!"
Flipping her trap card face-up, which depicted a line of Main Deck Synthphonist monsters performing in front of Sonic Synthphonist Prodigy, who appeared to be judging them, the face of the trap lit up before three tornadoes of musical notes swirled out and blew onto the field before dissipating and revealing Clarinetist, Snare-Drummer, and Oboist.
Rin: 900 / 2 = 450 LP
Synthphonist Clarinetist / WIND / Level 4 / Psychic / Gemini / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 1400
Synthphonist Snare-Drummer / WIND / Level 2 / Psychic / Gemini / Effect / ATK 900 / DEF 300
Synthphonist Oboist / WIND / Level 4 / Psychic / Gemini / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 1800
From up above, Rin could see Divine's face pale as he quivered against the brain of his ace monster.
"You know what is coming, don't you?" Rin and Yene said to Divine. "You've seen this before, and just like then, this same power will be your downfall."
Raising her hand into the air, Rin and Yene began to draw on every ounce of their power, marks blazing with green light as the card in their hand glowed with the same intense green energy. Looking upon the dead bodies scattered around Divine's field, she knew what she had to do next.
"LOOK UPON YOUR WORKS, SAYER! THOUGH YOU ARE ENSLAVED, IT WAS YOU WHO CREATED THE CARD THAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE POWER TO MERCILESSLY KILL AS YOU HAVE DONE IN THIS DUEL!" Rin and Yene roared in unison, causing Divine and his monster to stagger back with fear. "THE BLOOD OF THOSE YOU HAVE SLAIN CRIES FROM THE GROUND FOR VENGEANCE AND I SHALL GIVE IT TO THEM! BEHOLD MY ULTIMATE POWER NOW! GREAT HERO GOD OF THE SEA AND STORMS, I OFFER THEE THE MATERIAL TRIBUTES OF MY SYNTHPHONIST CLARINETIST AND SYNTHPHONIST SNARE DRUMMER AND THE SPIRITUAL DARK SACRIFICE OF THOSE WHO FELL IN BATTLE THIS DAY! TAKE THEIR DESIRES FOR VENGEANCE INTO THY BEING NOW AND BECOME MANIFEST AS THEIR HERO TO CARRY FORTH THEIR DESIRES!"
Synthphonist Clarinetist and Snare Drummer both morphed into two spheres of multi-colored light, which rose into the sky before transforming into a massive stone heart. From each of the bodies Divine had crushed in the duel, a light rose up before flying into the open veins of the heart. The cards Miss Kimura was holding flew from her grasp before lights escaped from them, leaving the cards blank as dozens upon dozens more lights flew through the air like a school of fish, entering the open veins and causing the heart to light up…
…before beating in time with Rin's own awakening heart.
Feeling her own and Yene's strength growing, Rin continued the summoning.
"BREAK THROUGH THE CURSE THAT BINDS YOU TO A HELLISH EXISTENCE!" She commanded, "RISE UP AS A TRUE GOD AND HERO TO BRING JUSTICE AND SALVATION! EARTHBOUND ADVENT! JIBAKUSHIN! YENE PARYAQAQA!"
The immense heart above their head began pulsating with life, heartrate rapidly increasing in time with the racing heart-rate of Rin's own beating undead heart until the stone exploded into a pillar of white light, and a 300 meter long island of a whale swam down from the heavens.
"BEHOLD, PEOPLE OF THE SYNCHRO DIMENSION, YOUR SAVIOR AND REDEEMER!" Yene proclaimed through Rin's mouth, causing her to laugh with hearty glee as she felt the rush of excitement the god was feeling at having a physical presence in the mortal world once more.
"Yene Paryaqaqa. You were always so full of yourself." Ti'ika Sara sighed from within Yuzu, who gazed up at the immense monster in wonder.
The utterly monolithic black whale was so massive that it covered at least 20 square blocks of the city in a canopy of shade, with green light from the patterns on its body casting everything beneath in a sea-green glow. The monumental creature was swimming through the air above them in a slow circle, immense wing-like fins lazily rising and falling inversely to the rising and falling of its island-sized tail. The gargantuan baleen-filled mouth of the creature seemed to be grinning as it gazed down on the field with a pair of confident eyes with green spirals etched into the center of the orb-like pupils. The same black lightning Rin had summoned on occasion crackled against the phantasmal body of the monster, only a single one of these bolts of energy looked capable of leveling a skyscraper with one blast.
Earthbound God Yene Paryaqaqa / DARK / Level 10 / Fish / Effect / ATK 2700 / DEF 2900
"Wait," Yuzu commented, looking up at the immense creature's stats. "I thought he was supposed to be basically a god, but his stats aren't nearly as great as I thought they'd be. I mean, don't get me wrong, they're pretty good, but how is he going to defeat Divine's monster?"
"He doesn't need to." Ti'ika Sara replied, "Watch and learn. You are about to witness first-hand the power of the Earthbound Gods."
Rin's consciousness had ascended higher, literally. Through the eyes of the Earthbound God, she could see the field below, Divine and his monster looking utterly tiny as they quivered before her…their power. Some of the Security Officers had broken through the lines of Yuzu's familiars and were preparing to intrude on the duel, but Rin felt no fear from this. The battle was already over.
"JIBAKUSHIN YENE PARYQAQA NO KOUKA!" Yene and Rin declared in unison, "WHEN I AM SUCCESSFULLY SUMMONED, I CAN NEGATE THE EFFECTS OF ALL CARDS MY OPPONENT CONTROLS AND INFLICT TWO-HUNDRED DAMAGE TO THEIR LIFE POINTS FOR EACH CARD WHOSE EFFECT WAS NEGATED! QUAKE BEFORE MY POWER, OH YE WORKERS OF EVIL! DEUS EX HEROS!"
A surge of black lightning crackled against the skin and fins of the Yene Paryaqaqa as the whale suddenly arched its neck upward, rising up into the air before corkscrewing through the clouds and shaping the skies into a black thunderstorm, which crackled with his same dark lightning and glowed green against the lamp-like blaze of his marks. Head suddenly appearing through the clouds with a roar, Yene Paryaqaqa clapped his fins together, sending an immense bolt of black lightning into Divine and his monster, who both roared in unified pain as the lightning danced around them.
Divine: 2000 – 200 = 1800 LP
More bolts of black lightning were cascading from the sky, creating a barrier around the duel field, which stopped the advancing Security forces dead in their tracks before smaller bolts of lightning struck each individual Security and Civilian slave directly in their foreheads, causing hundreds of chips to short out and the mind-controlled people to awaken before falling on their knees in stunned disbelief. One of the bolts struck Divine in the forehead, causing his own chip to short out before he looked up at the Earthbound God with a gasp of astonishment.
From up above, the immense physical form of Yene Paryaqaqa continued to descend upon Divine and his monster.
"YOUR EVIL ENDS HERE! YE WHO HAVE DEFIED THE GODS WILL, SHALL NOW FINALLY FACE YOUR JUDGEMENT AS I, YENE PARYAQAQA, HERO GOD OF WATER, STORMS, SEA CREATURES, AND-…"
"I surrender." Divine interrupted, slamming his hand on top of his duel disk and conceding.
Divine: 1800 – 1800 = 0 (LOSE)
Yuzu and Rin both blinked with astonishment, Rin abruptly returning to her own perspective. The duel was over. Before either of them had even managed to finish him off. From up above, Yene Paryaqaqa stopped mid-air, immense whale eyes blinking as Divine unplugged himself from the brain of his monster, which began to fade away, before using his powers to slowly levitate onto the ground in front of Yuzu and Rin and bow to them.
"Noble Dark Signers," Divine breathed, prostrating himself before them. "might I, Sayer Prieur, formally known as 'Divine' by my old followers, begin by offering you my humblest gratitude for delivering me from my mental enslavement? Truly, as a man who values the power of the mind as much as I do, no fate can be worse than losing all control over it. Your deliverance of me from that awful hell has put me in your debt. Pray tell, how may I, a humble servant, repay this immense debt to you?"
Yuzu and Rin recoiled from the man's groveling, taking a step back before looking at one another.
"S-serve us!?" Rin stammered, face reddening with rage. "No. Just. No! NO way! You can't…I mean…you don't…you don't get to do everything you did, and just get let off the hook like this!"
"You…killed…all those people." Yuzu breathed, glaring down at the psychic with disgust.
"Indeed." Sayer sighed, in what must have been an attempt to sound sorrowful, but which only managed to come across as indifferent, "And that has been one of my greatest regrets, noble Dark Signers. Though I cannot claim responsibility for the horrors I performed under the mental enslavement of Roger, I acknowledge them as the harrowing acts of murder that they are. Please, my deliverers, you have saved me from an awful fate. Allow me to make up for the heinous acts of my past."
"What do you really want?" Rin asked, glaring down at him. "I know exactly who you are. You and your followers killed thousands of people and never showed any regret for it."
"HE WANTS TO AVOID DEATH…AGAIN." Yene Paryaqaqa boomed from up above, with what sounded like a tone of exasperation. Turning in the air, the immense whale began to dissolve into a black-and-green mist, which descended onto the field before forming into a seven feet tall Polynesian-looking man with beefy muscles, long curly hair, patterns of green warpaint over every inch of his body, no clothes but a simple loin cloth wrapped around his waist, and immense pearly-white teeth with wave-patterns carved into their surface. The same man Yuzu had seen earlier in her vision of Sara's past. Walking over to the prostrate Sayer, he gazed down at the man with a pair of glowing sea-green eyes.
"How many times have you fought against us now?" Yene sighed. "Is this the third time?"
"You know him?" Rin asked, looking surprised.
"Not personally." Yene sighed. "But he and his organization did many things to anger us in the past, not to mention murder two mortals who would later come to us for justice. I had honestly thought Ccarayhua had finally put an end to this man, then his father came along, and somehow figured out a way to resurrect him. Now here I am, left to sort out this one's fate. Any ideas, Rin? I grow weary of this man escaping justice."
"I have no intention of fighting against your kind any more, noble god." Sayer replied, turning around so that his body was facing Yene, while his head remained bowed. "And believe me…Ccarayhua and Misty…they did a good job making me suffer…" he gulped at this, sweat beading down his face, "You can be assured that I intend no deception in this. I really don't want you to eat me…already experienced being devoured…not…not pleasant."
"I would not stain my baleen with your filthy blood." Yene spat. "I have standards! But if you think a coward like you could flatter me by offering your service to me, then…"
"Make him into an Earthbound Disciple." Ti'ika Sara interrupted through Yuzu.
Yene blinked at her.
"What?" Yuzu asked, equally confused.
"Why would we want to do that?" Rin asked. "The last thing we want is for him to go away free from this, much less even stronger than before!"
"We are wasting time bickering about this man's trial and sentencing." Sara huffed through Yuzu, and Yuzu caught Ti'ika silently thinking "idiots". "If one of us makes him into our servant, the bond will give us access to everything he sees and hears. He will not be able to hide or plot against us, and should he try anything…"
Sara raised her hand, and in an instant, a pair of familiars leapt forward, before throwing out their whips and ensnaring Divine's throat and limbs in the vines' thorny embrace.
"Understood?" Sara asked, to which Sayer feverishly nodded, choking against the hold of the whips.
"But why do we need to make him an Earthbound Disciple?" Rin protested. "I know what he's capable of. I lived through Neo Arcadia's terrorism. We can just keep watch over him with our familiars without giving him the power of a disciple."
"I agree with Rin." Yene replied, stepping to Rin's side. "Sara, I really don't think-…"
"That's exactly your problem." Sara snapped through Yuzu's mouth. "You don't ever think, Yene. A psychic of immense power is offering his service to us. Are we really going to pass up this opportunity to use his talent?"
"We don't need his kind in our ranks!" Yene protested, looking disgusted.
"Then execute him." Sara sighed, causing Yuzu and Rin to recoil.
"You heard me right." Sara continued. "If we keep this man prisoner, without affording us the access to his mind a discipleship bond would provide, then we put ourselves in too much risk. It would be better to get rid of him before he tried anything. Those are our choices. We can either recruit him, use his powers in our campaign against Roger's forces in the underground, and keep a close watch on him, or we will have to find a way to dispose of him."
Yuzu and Rin looked at each other.
"I don't like it." Yuzu admitted. "But we can't just let him walk free, and I don't want to execute him."
"He deserves to be executed." Rin replied, "But even I don't want to do it. Plus…Sara is right about his talent. It would be incredibly useful if we could use him against Roger and Academia…if I could just have any confidence that he would comply…"
She turned to Yene.
"Is there a way that I could forge a connection with him that would grant me access to his mind without actually giving him the same kinds of powers Ruri's disciples have?"
Yene scratched at the side of his head in thought.
"The Discipleship pact affords the recipient access to the Earthbound's power in exchange for the master's intimate access to their thoughts." Yene mused, "As far as I know, it is not possible to simply deny a Disciple their powers any more than it is possible for a Disciple to deny the master's access to their mind once they have given it. I'm afraid that's the way the pact works, darling. Both participants have to give a little something for it to have any effect."
"Is there any other way we could keep him in check?" Rin probed, "Other than with direct access to his mind?"
"There is another way." Yene admitted. "We summon our own familiars, or ask to borrow some of Yuzu and Sara's before planting one or more of them within his soul."
"Plant them within his soul?" Yuzu asked, looking at her familiars, who continued to stand guard over Sayer, who was gasping for air without garnering any sympathy from anyone standing around.
"The familiars are beings of spirit." Ti'ika Sara explained with a sigh. "They can dwell within a person's body just like I can within yours. This method of monitoring Sayer would not be as effective as a Discipleship bond, as we'd be relying on the reports of the Familiars, and there would always be the possibility of Sayer overpowering the Familiars and freeing himself from them, but it might work."
"Then perhaps we can make a compromise." Rin replied, stepping towards Sayer. "I don't like the idea of Sayer receiving any more power than he already has, but I do like the idea of putting him to good use. Yuzu can plant some of her Familiars in Sayer to watch him, and I could plant some of my own inside him for good measure. That way, all four of us would be able to monitor him, without actually giving him any of our power for him to use against us. If, after a long long time he actually behaves, we might consider making him a disciple. Does this sound good to everyone?"
Yene and Yuzu each nodded their heads. Yuzu felt Sara sigh within her before using her mouth to say, "I suppose that could work."
"Sounds good." Rin nodded before turning to Yene. "If you could please help me with this?" she asked.
"Gladly, darling." Yene replied with a grin before his physical form vanished and Rin's mark and eyes began glowing with green light a moment later. Closing her eyes, Rin seemed to concentrate for several heartbeats before opening her eyes and stretching out her hands.
"Come forth, my servants." Rin and Yene commanded in unison, "Rise to the mortal plane once more and perform the services I have tasked you with. Come forth, my Earthbound Familiars!"
Erupting from the ground around Rin, six pillars of clear water rose up before shaping themselves into humanoid figures wearing frozen ice over their liquid bodies like armor, while wielding swords made of icicles. Bowing to Rin and Yene, the liquid familiars made obeisance to their master before rising up and approaching Sayer, whose eyes widened as, one by one, the familiars phased through his skin and entered his body, the whale-shaped mark on Rin's arm flashing faintly against his arm before fading away.
"Command our familiars to do the same." Ti'ika Sara instructed from within Yuzu, who nodded her head before obeying, directing six of her familiars to enter into Sayer's body before commanding the two that were holding him with their whips to release his neck.
Sayer fell forward with a gasp, massaging his neck before looking at his two arms where the flower and whale marks had briefly appeared.
"You will always stay in our sight and follow every one of our orders without question." Rin instructed, kneeling down to look Sayer in the eyes as he continued to pant for breath. "Try anything and…what?" she asked, speaking to her god, "…do the familiars hurt him from the inside or something?"
"They can emerge from him and duel him." Yene replied.
"Right, well, that will happen." Rin continued. "And even if you somehow overpower all of them…" her hand whipped forward, grabbing Sayer's face, "…I won't accept your surrender in our next duel."
"Yes…Dark Signer." Sayer replied, before bowing to them. "You are most generous. I…will definitely do all you command."
The orphans and other civilians had begun to crowd around them. Some of them were falling on their knees with thanks. Others were begging to join them in their fight against Roger. Looking over the heads of the gathering crowd, Yuzu noticed a few groups weeping over the bodies Sayer had crushed, while a mother cradled the unconscious body of the girl whose feet had been crushed.
"Sara," Yuzu whispered, "I'm going to need your help. There's something I have to do."
…
Friedrich lowered his spyglass as the duel came to its conclusion before lazily lifting his teacup from its china plate.
"So, what are your thoughts on the girl's abilities, Daichi?" he asked his companion before taking a calm sip.
Daichi was feverishly taking notes, a shark-like smile as wide as a crescent moon scrunching his cheeks up into his ears.
"Astounding!" Daichi exclaimed, scratching a few more notes into his notepad before comparing them with some older notes. "Absolutely astounding! Not knowing any better, I would say that I was observing two entirely different specimens! A shame that I only have the data from Sora's memories to work with when it comes to Yuzu, otherwise I would be able to create a more complete comparison. Still, it is almost undeniable at this point that their behaviors have undergone some dramatic changes! What fascinating subjects they will be!"
"Indeed." Frederich agreed, setting down his teacup before lacing his gloved fingers together in a contemplative pose. "You would notice the blatantly obvious facts. Allow me to enlighten you on the subtler details you seem to have glossed over in your assessment."
"I do hope you are not referring to the unfortunate psychoanalytical pseudo-science you seem to have confused with actual objective analysis." Daichi simpered, fixing Frederich with a patronizing stare. "When I said that Rin was a completely different person, I merely was stating the fact that her behavior was deviating significantly from previously recorded patters. You do know that I prefer my data to be measurable. Helps with experimenting and drawing conclusions. You know. The scientific method and all that."
Frederich chuckled to himself.
"You limit yourself, my dear colleague." He sighed. "Now, I do admire your discipline, I really do! But I can't help but feel you are limiting your perspective, vainly trying to suppress your other 'nonscientific' urges and thoughts the way you do. It's good to recognize the power of the scientific method, but one must open one's mind to all sources of knowledge in order to evolve."
Daichi smiled thinly at him, as if to say, "Really? This old argument again?"
"There is another presence within them." Frederich continued, ignoring the look. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Daichi." He hastily added when Daichi opened his mouth like he was going to interrupt. "I do not merely speak of unfounded superstitious garbage about ghosts and demons. I speak of the state of their unconscious mind. Some external force, (There now, your behaviorist view can digest that now, can't it?), has taken ahold of their Ego, or perhaps suppressed most of it, enabling them to engage in acts they originally avoided, such as violence and killing. Their traumatic death experiences no doubt served as a catalyst to this transformation, but I sense a raw power behind their psyche beyond that of a mere human in trauma."
Frederich sniffed in deeply, as if catching a whiff of something intriguing.
"This, outside force, this spirit, call it what you will, has established a symbiotic bond with their conscious thought. At first, I thought it a mere parasitic relationship, that of a stronger force taking control of, or at the very least fighting against, the girl's own thoughts. Yuzu especially, seemed to have this type of relationship. But there was a marked difference in their personalities near the end of their duel, a merging, if you will, between their own psychology and the psychology of this external construct. I do believe that we are witnessing something similar to the so-called 'awakening periods' we have had occaision to observe in Yuri, Rin, and Ruri."
Daichi brightened at this before eagerly tearing a notepad out of one of his pockets.
"Truly?" he asked, "Well, I will admit, though I must disagree with your rather unscientific hypothesis, that I failed to notice the similarity in behavioral patterns between this duel and their awakening periods. Hmmm…let me see…"
He began looking through the notes, muttering to himself as he did.
"Illumination of the eyes…elevation in voice patterns…there is some correlation…no erratic behavior from the bracelets…odd considering that there was a measurable rise in their skill level that normally accommodates an awakening period…hmmmm…the events are similar, all right, though there is enough deviation to suggest that we are dealing with an entirely new phenomenon. Did you happen to take notes? I'd like to take into account observational drift."
"Have you taken into your account Academia's chances at defeating them?" a bored condescending voice sneered from behind them.
Frederich was on his feet in an instant, duel disk raised and eyes glaring at the speaker.
"Oh, hello?" Daichi called, turning his head around to greet the stranger before politely rising to his feet, and stepping forward with his hand outstretched, "And who might you be?"
"I'm almost tempted to let you take his hand, if only to watch him burn you to ash." Frederich muttered.
"You know him, then?" Daichi asked, not looking the least bit concerned by the implications from Frederich's previous statement.
"Unfortunately." Frederich sighed. "How long has it been, Akato? Twenty Years?"
"Closer to twenty-two." Akato replied with a wicked smile, eyes burning with fiery light. "But honestly, who's counting? I certainly haven't pined for the days when you stuck those needles in my arms and electro-shocked me to suppress my abilities."
"Wait…Akato…Akato…Akato…" Daichi mused, snapping his fingers in thought before suddenly brightening, a look of recognition coming over his face. "Why of course! Akato Honouzuki! 44th Shadow Rider of the old Academia. I read all about you! You exhibited some of the most frequent instances of arson and general pyromania of any Academia student, psychic or otherwise, in the school's history! I dare say, you may have even topped some of the most infamous arsonists in all of Fusion's history! What a delight to meet such a fascinating subject!"
"Nice to see I have a fan boy." Akato smirked, "Would you like me to sign one of your notebooks?" he asked, conjuring a ball of blue flame above his palm, flame tattoos glowing with light.
"What are you doing here?" Frederich asked, narrowing his eyes.
"How about you answer my question first, Frederich." Akato replied. "The two of you have been sitting there squawking and eating raw seeds like uncooked turkeys for so long, I was hoping you would be able to entertain me with some enlightened conversation."
"To be fair, Daichi was the only one eating raw uncooked seeds." Frederich sniffed defensively.
"Want some?" Daichi enthusiastically asked, holding out the bag of un-popped corn to Akato.
Akato stretched out his hand, instantly igniting the bag and causing Daichi to yelp in surprise before dropping the package, the uncooked kernels popping open madly before bursting into balls of flame.
"I would've preferred a nice stick of takoyaki." Akato mused to himself before turning his attention back to Frederich, who actually looked slightly amused, and Daichi who had stuck his burnt finger into the water pitcher before sucking on it contemplatively.
"Now, about Academia's chances?" Akato continued, "If you were betting men, how much would you put up against your empire actually beating the Dark Signers?"
"What, you really want to know Academia's chances are of defeating those two?" Frederich lazily drawled. "I should think the answer would be obvious."
"Indeed." Daichi enthusiastically agreed before launching into some statistics before Frederich could stop him. "Why, I calculate that less than 2 percent of Academia's duel soldiers are capable of merely matching either Yuzu or Rin in their dueling prowess, especially when factoring in the fact that they seem to be steadily evolving! Why, I'd be surprised if .000005% of Academia's duelists actually exceeded them in power after just one week!"
"My dear colleague…" Frederich silently growled, looking absolutely livid.
Akato laughed in response, clapping his hands before pointing at Daichi.
"I like you!" he snickered. "I might actually spare you after all, if only so you can continue tormenting old Frederich here. Less than .05%, you say? Well, you both had better hope those, what? Three or four duelists? Aren't already occupied with whatever Academia is doing in Xyz."
"Academia is well aware of the bracelet girls' growing strength." Frederich cut in before Daichi could add another anecdote. "Prodigious dueling skill they may have, but you and I both are fully aware that three duelists, no matter how skilled, can defeat an entire empire. One needs an army to hold ground."
"I won't disagree with that." Akato shrugged, "I myself have beheld in a vision a certain godly duelist who thought he could single-handedly destroy a universe. He came close, but ultimately failed in the end. We must accept our limitations as mere individuals and work together at times to accomplish greater goals. But what makes you think these new Dark Signers aren't aware of that fact?"
"They can't amass an army large enough to defeat Academia." Frederich scoffed. "Not in time, anyway."
"Are you so certain, Frederich?" Akato hummed, finger pointing down to the hoard of civilians and security officers mobbing both Yuzu and Rin.
Frederich pulled out his spyglass to take a closer look.
Rin had conjured a large green whale-shaped mark on the grounds of her destroyed orphanage. Within the boundaries of the mark, throngs of men, women, and children of various ages crowded inside before a smaller replica of the whale mark blazed to life on their arms. Other throngs of people were crowding around Yuzu, most of them sick or wounded in some way, Frederich noted, before receiving instantaneous treatment for their afflictions at Yuzu's touch, several of them coming away with a flower-shaped mark on their arm. It did not stop with mere healing either. Eventually, Yuzu and Rin managed to wade through the crowd before reaching the lumps of flesh that had once been humans before the psychic duelist had crushed them. Glowing like a blood-red lamp, Yuzu stretched out her hands while Rin held up a glowing green card, causing a light to fly from the card and into the flesh before the corpses rose into the air. In an instant, bones, muscles, sinews, and skin were reconstituted into their original forms and before the Dark Signers stood the formerly deceased humans, completely restored, save for the black sclera they now had and the flower marks burning against their arms. In another instant, more lights flew from the green card Rin was holding before entering the cards of the carded individuals. In a flash of light, those cards disappeared, replaced by even more stunned humans, who knelt before their saviors in awe. Hundreds of people were now bowing to both Yuzu and Rin.
"Incredible! Utterly, utterly incredible!" Daichi exclaimed behind him, hastily scrawling down new notes. "I must consult my old notes on psychic abilities. Telekinetic molecular reorganization perhaps? Oh, if only I could interview the reanimated! I must know if they have been reconstituted with their original personalities!"
Frederich, however, was much less impressed.
"They are worshipping those girls like they're incarnations of the Messiah." He spat, feeling disgusted by the cult-mentality the girls were inspiring.
"To them, they are, and in a way, it is not inaccurate." Akato observed. "What else can they think after witnessing such miracles? At any rate, I would not be surprised if these girls commanded a much greater mob at the end of the day, if not, an almighty army of followers."
"Almighty?" Frederich scoffed. "They are mere commoners. Sheep. Academia has plenty of experience hunting down this kind of prey."
"They will attract stronger followers." Akato coolly replied. "And believe me, very little of Academia has any real experience hunting this kind of prey. Your soldiers will find themselves in these budding monster's jaws long before they manage to claim their prizes."
"What is it you want, Akato?" Frederich sighed, finger idly raised above the screen of his duel disk. "Are you considering defecting to the Earthbound?"
"I think you already know the answer to that question." Akato sniffed, looking indignant.
"I'm certain I do." Frederich replied, the corners of his mouth twitching upward into a small smile. "But like any good former teacher, I like to hear confirmation from my students."
"'Student' and 'teacher' are somewhat loose terms in this case." Akato sighed, "But if you must know," he gave Frederich a dramatic unfurling of his cloak, letting it hang from his shoulders; showing off a new red skin-tight muscle shirt and blue overcoat, along with a new pair of grey trousers and black shoes with blue flame markings, "I was doing some shopping."
"I was wondering why the mall Frederich and I passed looked a little more scorched than the other buildings here!" Daichi enthused, clapping his hands together with glee.
"Don't play coy with me, Akato." Frederich sternly growled, as if lecturing an unruly child. "You've obviously not come here to kill us, otherwise we'd have started dueling long ago."
"You mean you two would have died long ago." Akato snickered.
"One of us, at least." Frederich sniffed, eyes briefly glancing at Daichi, "So tell me, Akato, what did you want to talk with us about? I do hope you were not intending to waste our time."
"Straight to the point as you have ever been." Akato sighed, clamping his hands behind his back before looking down at Rin, Yuzu, and their followers.
"Very well then." He continued, eyeing Frederich and Daichi, "I shall tell you. I came to you two because I thought you might be useful."
"Elaborate." Frederich commanded, causing Akato to narrow his eyes at the old man in annoyance.
"You really should be more polite, Frederich." Akato growled. "I said you might be useful. Not that you are useful. I'm still mulling over the possibility of frying your entrails into German sausages, with a side of Japanese curry to go with it." He added, glancing at Daichi, who was feverishly taking notes of everything Akato did and said.
"Oh sorry, would you please elaborate." Frederich sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"Better." Akato decided with a sigh before continuing.
"While you already know that Academia and I have our fundamental differences, I must admit that I do admire its ambition. I too wish to create a more glorious universe, just not in the way Academia wants to."
"Oh, save the flowery prose." Frederich scoffed. "A more glorious universe, indeed! Your only desire is to plunge the world into unending chaos!"
"Yes." Akato agreed, not looking the least bit fazed. "My goal is indeed chaos. Boundless chaos. It is a noble goal to want such chaos, for it is only with such chaos that the universe can be truly free. Do you know what the goal of the Earthbound is, by chance?"
"No, and I doubt it truly concerns me." Frederich sniffed. "From what I have observed, it would seem that Yuzu, Rin, and Ruri are little more than typical cultists seeking for power. A shame really, considering their abilities, but still, they lack any real vision."
"Yes, I figured Leo would keep such information from you." Akato sneered, before laughing to himself. "Yes, typical of that old man. Wouldn't want anyone getting any dangerous ideas now, would he? He was, after all, the one who overthrew Kagemaru and the Shadow Riders in his famous military coup."
"His takeover was a necessary step for our dimension's continued evolution." Frederich replied matter-of-factly. "Academia was regressing to the stone-age with Kagemaru and his mindless cultists at its head."
"And how far exactly has our precious Fusion Dimension progressed under Leo's glorious leadership?" Akato sneered, "Has your empire managed to clean up the ashes from its various civil wars yet? Or are you too busy covering up your own dimension's destruction with your interdimensional campaigns?"
"Leo's vision is a great one." Frederich countered. "Before him, few in Fusion were even aware of the existence of other universes. But now, thanks to his advances, we have not only achieved global unification for our own dimension, but are amassing the means to achieve interdimensional unification in terms of both physical existence and political infrastructure! Humanity and the universe itself are steadily evolving! What greater cause is there to live for?"
Frederich had raised his fist into the near the end of his sentence, a look of mad triumph coming over his features. Akato, meanwhile, took the opportunity to slowly applaud the old man's enthusiasm.
"Ah yes. Bravo. Bravo. Such zealous enthusiasm, Frederich. I must say, I am touched by your dedication. And I'm sure everyone else in Fusion is all very willing to continue sacrificing their lives and resources for this universal paradise…or was it Leo's dead daughter? I forget what the goal was."
Frederich narrowed his eyes, slowly lowering his fist to adjust his half-moon spectacles.
"The Professor's sentimentality for his old family is a weakness, yes." He acknowledged. "But it is ultimately irrelevant. Whatever the motivation behind his work, the result is the same. Once the Arc-Area project is completed, all of reality will ascend on a path towards a truly glorious future!"
Frederich had involuntarily raised his fist into the air again, causing Akato to roar with laughter.
"Oh, you would make a wonderful cheerleader, Frederich." Akato snickered. "I ought to get you some pom-poms. But return to reality, for a moment. How likely, even with your most optimistic estimates, do you think it will be for Academia to reach this, 'glorious future?'"
"I think it ought to be very likely indeed, what with our unrivaled military power and technology." Frederich fervently replied before narrowing his eyes, "But clearly you disagree."
"I do." Akato admitted, smiling a crooked smile. "In fact, to speak like your companion a bit, I'd estimate that there is a nearly 100% chance that Academia will be utterly crushed under the heel of the Earthbound."
"You do seem to hold these Earthbound in high regard." Frederich sneered. "Think them invincible, do you? I dare say, you must have had your mind utterly blown to bits by the sheer dueling power of one of their followers. I myself was nearly annihilated by one of their number! Or…am I thinking about an event that never occurred?"
"They were quite powerful, to be fair." Daichi commented. "Perhaps a bit more experience and they might've defeated us."
"Quiet you." Frederich growled.
"Oh, I think the both of you have a point." Akato soothed. "Their followers are, on average, formidable enough, though I would hardly call them 'invincible.' Still," he sighed, "though I assure you that I hold the Earthbound race in very low esteem, I cannot deny the power of their leaders. They would most certainly defeat your current Academia, as it is."
"And how do you come to that conclusion?" Frederich sniffed.
Akato smirked at this before leaning forward, an inquisitive expression on his face.
"Tell me, Frederich, what would you estimate the strength of Academia's army to be, in terms of personal?"
Frederich scowled before crossing his arms in thought.
"In total, including auxiliaries, support staff, and reserves, I would estimate our current force at approximately eight-hundred million."
"And the total population killed in the Xyz Dimension without being carded?" Akato probed, "Including your own soldiers and enemies?"
"Estimates generally figure the totals to be around one point five billion." Frederich lazily replied, as if he were merely giving data to a group of stock holders. "The clear majority, naturally, being from the Xyz Dimension."
"And when your campaign in Synchro reaches its conclusion," Akato continued, "assuming it is successful, what do you think the number of casualties will be?"
"We have learned from our mistakes in Xyz." Frederich haughtily replied. "I doubt we will reach even half the casualties we sustained in the previous campaign. Still, factoring in Synchro's more advanced technology, worst-case scenario, I'd say we might see similar casualties, when totaling those sustained on both sides, that is."
"And you are familiar with the power of the Earthbound, correct?" Akato smirked, hand gesturing towards Rin, Yuzu, and their followers.
"I have been paying attention, Akato." Frederich growled. "From what I have seen, they can utilize certain 'dark' summoning techniques, can transfer and receive certain supernatural powers on the level of a powerful psychic, and apparently…" he scowled before glancing down at Yuzu, "…they can…to use a layman's term, 'raise the dead.'"
"Oh good." Akato sneered, slowly clapping his hands, "So you have been paying attention, have you? Well, you are mostly correct. So, tell me, Frederich, based on what you know, which faction do you think would ultimately benefit from a horrific interdimensional war? After Academia and the other dimensions have spilled the blood of their best duelists killing each other off, who will be able to collect the vengeful souls of those duelist into their ranks?"
"…I see your point." Frederich growled, teeth gritted against one another. "But what I want to know is what you hope to gain from our little conversation?"
"Simple." Akato replied with a smile. "You don't want the Earthbound to win. Well, neither do I. Sadly, I don't think either of alone can really stop them. But if we were to work together…"
Frederich snorted at this, a smug grin coming over his own face.
"Did my ears deceive me, or is Akato, the infamous lone anarchist, really that desperate?" Frederich sneered. "I suppose I might be able to pull some strings with the professor and have you pardoned for your treason. But believe me, it will take a great deal of concessions on your part."
"I have no interest in Academia's favor." Akato idly replied, examining his fingernails.
"Oh, well that's really too bad." Frederich cooed. "I suppose we can't have our little alliance now, can we?"
Akato snapped his fingers, causing a wreath of blue flame to encase his hand like a clawed glove without burning the flesh. The sight of the fire caused Frederich to reflexively jerk back his head.
"If I will not have Academia's cooperation, I will simply find another way." Akato evenly replied, tone not growing any more or less menacing. "Still, I do find it a pity that your 'utterly advanced' Academia is fighting so far beneath its full potential."
"And what do you mean by that?" Frederich asked, angry expression not managing to fully hide the intrigue that had crept into his voice.
Akato smiled at this, tattoos and eyes glowing with light as his gaze locked on Daichi and Frederich.
"Tell me, what do you know about the Shadow Riders?" he asked. "I know you served as a lowly doctor and licensed therapist under their rule, Frederich, but did you ever truly understand the mind of your masters?"
"Not a lot I would be interested in understanding." Frederich spat. "Kagemaru and his ilk worshipped a pagan god, Armityle, if my memory is correct, who they believed they could resurrect by retrieving and mastering her pieces, which they believed, were scattered around a certain island's grounds, hence why they built Academia in the first place. Those years had quite the treasure hunts, I am told, but I wasn't there then. I came in later, when Kagemaru had shriveled into a miserable husk kept alive inside a gigantic test tube. One of my first assignments was making sure that living zombie's heart kept beating."
He spat again, evidently disgusted by the memory.
"I heard he and his Shadow Riders actually did manage to collect Armityle's pieces." He continued after composing himself. "Apparently, Kagemaru even used them in his legendary duel against Leo. I didn't see the duel, myself. There was no recording of it, either. I wish there were. I'd have loved to see Kagemaru's shriveled face when all his mysticism evaporated into smoke before his very eyes."
"Such harsh words, Frederich." Akato mused. "Have your scientific pursuits really given you such a low opinion of the believer?"
"Oh, I am open to studying all sorts of theories and philosophies." Frederich replied, "It's useful to broaden one's perspective. I just don't like it when one pattern of thought attempts to suppress all others."
"True, true…but then perhaps you will be open to what I am about to tell you next." Akato mused, eyes misting over into a reverent gaze.
"You already know from scientific fact alone that this multiverse we live in, is not the original state of reality. As a matter of fact, reality has already gone through two previous iterations."
"Two iterations?" Frederich asked, he and Daichi both looking intrigued.
"The so-called 'Original Dimension' Professor Akaba hails from is mis-named." Akato explained. "He does not understand the truth, but I have had it revealed to me. In the first age of reality, a supreme Creator God ruled over all of existence. But this Creator God sacrificed herself in a great conflict that occurred sometime after she began creating other individuals besides herself. She ended the conflict of the first reality, but in doing so, she and the universe were shattered."
"After the war, reality broke into three realms, the Spiritual Realm, the Mortal Realm, and The Underworld. As for the Creator God, she broke into three new gods to rule these realms. Horakhty, the goddess of light, to rule over the Spiritual Realm, Armityle, the goddess of chaos and choice, to preside over the Mortal Realm, and Zorc, the incarnation of darkness, to infest the Underworld. Reality continued in this way, until a new catastrophe, one that involved Leo, occurred once again, which ended up destroying that iteration of reality and replacing it with the one we know today. Just as before, the Creator's pieces were broken into fragments, Horakhty splitting into the three Sengenshin in the Spiritual Realm, Zorc splitting into the three Jashin in The Underworld, and Armityle fragmenting into the three Phantom Demons, who all fell to the dimension that represented her creative essence."
"You mean, Fusion." Frederich clarified.
"Horakhty, Zorc, and Armityle each embodied the three essences that existed in their time." Akato confirmed. "We would recognize them as Tribute for Horakhty, Ritual for Zorc, and Fusion for Armityle. Other gods inspired the creation of other essences, but none of those could have come about without the original essences providing the foundation for their power."
"And these old gods, despite being fragmented, do indeed continue to be a source for great power." Akato went on, breathing in deeply as his tattoos began to glow once again, "And what's more, their fragments all remember who they were! All of them seek to become whole once more, and all of them would, if joined together successfully, shape the whole of reality into the existence they envision!"
"Well, that is certainly an interesting myth." Frederich admitted. "I do recognize some of the names from the various military organizations Leo kept after he took over from Kagemaru. Pray tell, how did you come across this detailed information? It certainly isn't in any of the major religions I have studied."
"Oh, what a story that is." Akato sighed, closing his eyes in reminiscence. "And it starts with a young psychic boy, with a simple desire for freedom, who pursued his freedom, until that fateful day when Kagemaru recognized my Psychic Powers and forced me to participate in his tournament."
"The shadow trials." Frederic mused, stroking his beard. "A training ground for new recruits. If I recall, less than five percent of its participants survived the first week, and less than five percent of those survived through the trials to become a Shadow Rider."
"I never minded killing as a child." Akato recounted, "When I discovered and mastered my powers, I was fascinated by what I could do. I could burn and kill whoever I pleased, with nobody to stop me. I was a free man. Or so I thought. It only took the Shadow Riders three days to find me, overpower me, and imprison me. I fought as hard as I could against them to win back my freedom, but the Shadow Riders didn't let us have any. I was allowed to burn and kill, yes, but only on their terms. And their terms were harsh, indeed."
"Every waking moment of our lives, we dueled, to the death. Food was not given to us. We had to kill and win to earn it! Sleep was not given to us either. I had to kill my taskmaster just for the right to close my eyes. All around me, other acolytes were dying, failing in their life-or-death duels, or shrieking with madness until they took their own lives. They couldn't stand the horrors we were forced to endure. They only wanted the pain to end. But the pain did not matter to me. It did not matter who I fought, who I killed, who I burned, what mattered to me was freedom! Glorious, unfettered, freedom! I fought for every second I could get to myself, to be free from the vile taskmasters, but I was always overpowered in the end. In the end, the Shadow Riders would always make sure you remained a slave!"
Akato's eyes had taken on a haunted crazed look, causing Frederich to take a step back and Daichi to mutter a quiet, "Oh my." But just as quickly as the expression had come, it vanished, leaving Akato with an eerily triumphant expression on his face.
"Eventually, I passed the trial." Akato breathed, "I became the 44th Shadow Rider. Yet nothing changed! Now we were forced to duel our fellow Shadow Riders. We held life-or-death tournaments for cards, rankings, and above all, the fragments. Those who held a fragment of Armityle wished to master the fragment with their dueling, while those without fragments wished to obtain them for themselves and win the glory they afforded. But I did not care for that glory! I craved only freedom! Yet how was I to obtain it? Escape attempt after escape attempt had failed. Fighting and killing had not worked. I could not and would not give up freedom with suicide. They said I could be free if I won a fragment, but I knew better. If I were to win a fragment, I would become Kagemaru's slave forever. I tried to avoid a duel were a fragment was wagered, but eventually they singled me out. I was forced to duel, and at that moment, all hope of freedom seemed lost to me."
"The duel commenced, and I was pushed into a corner. In all my life, I had never faced such a fearsome opponent. I was beginning to understand the power even a single fragment could afford its user. I fought tooth and nail just to stay alive, but to my opponent, it was all a game. All through the duel he tormented me with pain, and yet more pain, hoping that I would finally break and beg for death. But I did not break. I fought against his tyranny. I fought for my freedom. Even when I was about to lose, even when the pain grew nearly unbearable, I fought. And then, just when I was about to lose…she called to me."
A reverent look came over Akato's face as he recounted the experience. Blinking, Frederich shook his head, looking confused.
"Sorry, but, who is 'She?'"
"Armityle." Akato breathed, holding his hand up to his heart. "She reached out to me in my darkest moment. She felt my desire for freedom, and what I was willing to sacrifice for it. Through the fragment, she empowered me. I defeated my rival then, and secured the fragment, Uria, Lord of Searing Flames. Uria became my instructor from then on, and Armityle, my god. It was through this same Uria that I learned the truth and beheld her vision of what the Universe could be, one of unbound freedom!"
Akato paused in his story, allowing the information to sink in. Eventually, Daichi, who had been taking notes, stepped forward.
"And, erm, what happened after that? Do you have this…erm…fragment with you now?"
Akato smiled at this.
"Uria did not wish for me to play the Shadow Rider's game. After forging a spiritual link with me, granting me some of her power, she had me surrender her card to another Shadow Rider, who would end up handing it over to Kagemaru for his duel against Leo. But while Kagemaru would hold her Phylactery, I had Uria's spirit itself to guide me. With her power and guidance, I finally fled from Academia, leaving the Shadow Riders to squabble over Amityle's fragments while I carried out her true work."
"In the beginning, I had hoped to find some followers, fellow Shadow Riders who wanted to bring about the same freedom to the universe I wanted. But it would seem that I was the only Shadow Rider to truly understand Armityle's vision, the glory of the chaotic world she wanted to create! All the other Shadow Riders were blinded by their own stupid personal ambitions! Kagemaru and Amnael with their desire to cheat death, the Tarleton brothers, Tania, Fubuki, and Titan with their desires for Empires, money, and luxury! All of them just couldn't see! It was well that someone with a more glorious vision should defeat them. And yet, after Leo defeated Kagemaru, just when the power of Chaos was at the brink of being released, Leo sealed it away!"
He spat on the floor of the roof, his spittle hissing as it burst into steamy flame.
"The fool seems to fear power and imagination," Akato continued, "so he spends his time trying to control or seal away anything he deems dangerous. He would allow Academia to burn to the ground before accessing the power beneath his own castle! But I intend to do differently. I intend to unleash that power against the Earthbound! The power of Armityle!"
Daichi and Frederich glanced at each other, sharing a look that communicated just how mad they both thought Akato was.
"So that's your plan, is it?" Frederich snorted, looking unimpressed. "Unleash some mad third-of-a-god onto the universe and hope everything works out? Do you honestly think any of us are as interested in watching the universe burn as much as you are?"
"The three of us are more similar than either of you may think." Akato coolly replied, the intensity he had shown during his reminiscence now gone. "Though we may be comfortable with different levels of order, all of us ultimately wish to be unbound. You, Frederich, would see humanity transcend moral and social law to become the limitless superman."
Frederich grunted at this, as if conceding to Akato's point but not wanting to say it.
"You, Daichi, from what I have observed of you," Akato continued, "want no bounds placed on your limitless curiosity."
"What a beautifully poetic way of putting it." Daichi gushed.
"And as for me," Akato finished, "I wish for the universe to no longer be bound by the whims and laws of other wills, divine or not. Armityle is the only god who will do this. All other gods will choose to rule."
"That's all well and good." Frederich sarcastically replied, "I'm just still a little hung up on the fact that, I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE UNIVERSE BURN!"
"You would change your mind quickly, if you knew the wills of the other gods." Akato calmly replied. "Armityle will let the universe burn with chaos, yes, but unlike the other gods, she will also let the universe change! Zorc and Horakhty, on the other hand, while polar opposites in most ways, will ultimately lead the universe to the same fate. Zorc would plunge the universe into eternal darkness, Horakhty in eternal light. Both outcomes would ultimately leave the universe stagnant and boring."
"Yes, but we're not exactly concerned with either Horakhty or Zorc, now are we?" Frederich sniffed, looking ready to leave.
"And what of the Earthbound's goal?" Daichi suddenly asked, earning him a glare from Frederich "You mentioned it before, but you did not elaborate. Also, if I may ask, how do the Earthbound Gods fit at all into your mythos?"
Akato spat in disgust.
"The Earthbound are unworthy to even be called gods." He sniffed. "In the first universe, the Creator God had a sister named Ch'askancha, known as the universe spiral. It was she who first created the primordial gods who would become Earthbound. The Creator God and Ch'askancha would go on to disagree about some fundamental issues, leading up to the way that split the universe in the first place."
"So, in a way," Daichi continued, scrawling down some notes, "According to your own mythos, it is these two warring gods you have to thank for your Armityle existing in the first place. Am I correct in assuming that?"
"You are." Akato agreed, folding his arms. "That, however, is the only thing I can find in my heart for which to thank Ch'askancha. The last thing I want is for her to achieve her goal."
"Which is?" Daichi asked.
Akato paused, looking thoughtful.
"How familiar are either of you with Taoism?" he finally asked.
"Some familiarity." Daichi replied, "But I really have no interest in philosophy. To be perfectly honest, I see no use for it."
"And you, Frederich?" Akato probed.
Frederich sighed.
"Something to do with an innate principle of the universe, called 'Tao.'" He replied. "According to its adherents, it is not a thing that can be understood, Tao is not even a name for a thing, the true Tao cannot be understood, more unintelligible mumbo-jumbo, blah, blah, blah." Frederich finished, forming his hand into a talking mouth with the last three words. "Why do you ask?"
"It is perhaps the best way to understand her vision…if you can even call it that." Akato sighed. "Ch'askancha believes that all should be one, or better yet, she should be all. Tao, if you will. Were her goal to be achieved, Light and Darkness, Life and Death, Good and Evil, Individual and Collective, Chaos and Order, all events of time and eternity, would all cease to have meaning and become a compound in one. Existence itself, under her system, would cease to be a concept, as the nonexistent and existent would also become as one. Clear enough for you?" He asked when he got only blank looks from both Frederich and Daichi.
"I…can't comprehend it." Frederich admitted, looking surprised he had said this. "How…how does this Ch'askancha intend to accomplish…whatever you just described?"
"In the past," Akato explained, "The Gods have shaped reality with the essences of creation, what humanity can only foolishly recognize as 'the summoning techniques.' Ch'askancha is attempting to shape all of reality by creating an opposing counterpart to each essence of creation. If I am not mistaken, her ultimate goal will be to integrate all these essences together into herself, with reality itself following. She must, of course, be stopped before that can be achieved."
"Assuming you are correct, I wouldn't dispute that." Frederich reluctantly agreed. "But what do you want of us?"
Akato smiled.
"Ch'askancha's vision would end the concept of opposition, but Armityle's would not. For Chaos to truly exist, there must be a powerful opposing force of order. Let fire have full sway, and all becomes uniform ash. Let someone build again, and fire can continue burning."
"So, you want us to be an opposing force of order." Frederich summarized. "But why us? Don't you already have Academia as it is now? Why not try throwing a few fireballs at us? I promise we'll resist plenty hard against your…erm…chaos."
"Leo's vision is not great enough." Akato explained. "He cannot forge the empire of order Armityle has envisioned for her chaos to burn against. "But you, Frederich and Daichi, along with other leaders I have chosen, are capable of forging this empire. Together, we shall defeat Ch'askancha and other gods like her, before we finally begin our battle! Armityle, myself, and the forces of chaos shall burn against your walls of order, even as you build from the ashes we leave behind! Together, we shall feed off one another in an endless cycle of change and progression! But for this to happen, I will need you two to work with me, to ensure that Academia is ultimately placed under the control of someone whose vision will not be limited, as Leo's is. Will you do this?" he asked, holding out his hand, which had no more flames dancing around it.
Frederich folded his arms.
"And how do you plan on us accomplishing this?" Frederich asked. "Daichi and I are not exactly high up in the chain of command."
"Rank is a mere illusion." Akato sneered, "It withers before true power like wood against flame. I have a gift for the two of you, a relic I managed to recover on the night of the death of your old mentor, Fehler Verderbnis, known to most by his code name, The Doktor."
Akato's hand disappeared inside his coat before coming out with a small flash drive which he offered to Frederich, whose eyes had widened. Eagerly, Frederich snatched the device from Akato's hand before plugging it into his duel disk and examining the holographic images of DNA, insects, and notes displayed in the air.
"The project!" Frederich breathed in awe. "This is…beautiful! Yes…I…I understand exactly what to do now!"
"Happy now, are we?" Akato asked. "I thought you would be."
"Indeed." Frederich replied before shutting off the images and pocketing the flash drive before looking at Akato. "Though I must admit, frankly, Akato, for someone who emphasizes freedom so much, I'm surprised you gave this to me rather than destroy it when you had the chance. You do realize what you have given me, right? You have effectively given me the power to control thought itself!"
Akato yawned.
"I have no interest in such crude brain control." He admitted. "And even if I did, I wouldn't have the resources or the know-how to make it work. Chaos is far better served if I can place this power in your capable hands. I have no doubt you will use it to forge a very powerful empire of order for Armityle to feed off of."
"Be careful what you wish for, Akato." Frederich sneered. "You might get more than you can handle."
"Glad we can understand one another." Akato sighed before turning away. "I will stay in contact with you, in the meantime, feel free to use my gift however you wish. But remember this, whatever our ideological differences may be, we must never forget who the true enemy is."
"Stagnation." Frederich breathed.
"Stagnation." Akato agreed.
"And what will you be doing?" Daichi asked.
"I am fundamentally opposed to the Earthbound's leader, but the same does not go for her minions." Akato replied. "Personally, I think that these new Dark Signers could prove quite…interesting. There are variables yet to be untapped…"
And with that, Akato departed, vanishing in a flash of blue flame.
Daichi ticked down a few more notes in his notepad before turning to Frederich, who was staring at the flash drive.
"So…just how implicitly do you trust this Akato, Frederich?" he asked.
"From the way you phrased that, it is obvious that you already know the answer." Frederich lazily replied. "No man has ever willingly shared power with another man. All of Akato's talk of building a cooperative empire of order and chaos was clearly nothing but a lie meant to manipulate us."
"On that, we can agree." Daichi sighed.
"However," Frederich continued, fingering the flash-drive, "he was right about one thing. The universe must progress to a higher plane of existence, true, but it is high time that Academia realized that it does not need the professor to do it. A man consumed with grief over his daughter lacks the vision to carry the Arc Area project to its full potential. It will be up to us to ensure that Academia is finally headed by someone who does."
"I would be curious to see the full potential of the project." Daichi admitted with a shrug. "So, how do you plan on carrying out this coup?"
"We merely need to know the playing pieces we are working with." Frederich replied with a smile. "We shall start by controlling Academia's leaders. Commander-In-Chief Bonaparte is fat, lazy, and stupid. He can easily be bribed to our side. Commander-In-Chief Cronus, while loyal to Leo, is also quite cowardly, and could be easily convinced to turn if he sees Leo's position crumbling. Chancellor Sheppard is loyal, intelligent, and has a strong following, but he is far too trusting for his own good. Commander-In-Chief Edo is young, inexperienced, and far too entrenched in his Xyz campaign to be any threat to us. And as for Yuri…" Frederich snorted with laughter, "So long as that trained monkey is allowed to continue having fun breaking his favorite toys, he couldn't care less who his master is."
"You seem to have put a great deal of thought into this." Daichi smugly commented. "It's almost as if this is something you've been contemplating for a while. By the way, I notice that you didn't mention Commander-In-Chief Daniel Tarleton."
"Neither of us will directly assume power, so we must instead ensure that a suitable candidate performs the transition. Daniel is the one we will back. He has already put himself in a powerful position by being a war hero in Xyz, while making sure to not commit his forces to the same grinding campaign Edo has. I would honestly not be surprised if someone as ambitious as Daniel, former top Shadow Rider and now leader of Academia's Special Forces, is not already preparing to seize power. We'll just make sure his ambition comes to fruition."
"A simple plan." Daichi admitted, looking thoughtful. "Who, then, do we really have to worry about?"
"The real problem," Frederich admitted, "in addition to whatever staunch loyalists the Professor has, and the Professor himself, will be those who, officially, don't even exist."
"You couldn't possibly be referring to the Horakhty Agents?" Daichi gushed, sounding very excited.
Frederich nodded smugly.
"Not to brag, of course, but I believe that I not only know the identities of each of their agents, but the identity of their leader."
"And who might they be?" Daichi asked, looking eager.
"It was fairly simple to figure out, for me." Frederich smugly replied. "After narrowing down the possibilities and finding nobody amongst any living candidates, I merely needed to turn my studies to records of highly skilled duelists who had all, officially, died."
"Fubuki, Yusuke, and Ryo!" Daichi exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Shadow Riders, all three, and all three apparently possessing powers that, seem to be, those of a psychic, though with properties not seen in any previous psychics employed by the Shadow Riders. I had my suspicions, myself, though I am still stuck on who the leader could be."
"Yes, well, you were not in Academia, so you couldn't have known." Frederich replied, "There was a certain Professor Daitokuji who worked in Academia during my term as Kagemaru's maintenance worker. A truly clever professor, Daitokuji. Proficient in dueling and alchemy. Shame about his heart condition though. He died fairly young. I myself was by Fehler's side, cutting open his body to perform the autopsy that would go into the official records. Incidentally, about a month after his burial, a strange masked man named Amnael showed up in the ranks of Kagemaru's army before mysteriously disappearing soon after Leo took command."
"What a coincidence." Daichi sighed. "Of course, it would be utterly absurd to assume that Amnael was Professor Daitokuji brought to life through supernatural means."
"You're developing a sense of humor, Daichi." Frederich exclaimed, looking impressed. "Yes. It would seem that we must accept the concept of resurrection as scientific at this point. I must complement Leo. It makes perfect sense that he would keep such powers under his command. What better way to combat other supernatural forces like the Earthbound?"
"Truly." Daichi agreed. "So…how do we overpower them?"
"To that, we merely have to wait." Frederich replied. "Sooner or later, the Horakhty Agents and Dark Signers will clash against one another. If we are lucky, both sides will end up killing each other off. And should any of them survive…well…" he held up the flash-drive, a lustful expression coming over him, "…we have some power of our own to use against them!"
Featured Original Characters (except for Mooks, since they're obviously not important)
Name: Ti'ika Sara / Original Concept by: The Incans (but Donny took plenty of liberties with the mythos) / Affiliation: Earthbound (Clan: Cultivation) / Deck: Dark Seeds / Status: Just a widdle cutey-patootie / Trivia: "Ti'ika" is a Quechuan word for "Flower" while "Mama-Sara" was an Incan Goddess of grain and fertility.
Name: Yene Paryaqaqa / Original Concept by: Some nation that the Incan People conquered, but which they later adopted into their own religion for Donjusticia to later come in and artistic license the crap out of. / Affiliation: Earthbound (Clan: Stormbringer) / Deck: Abyssal Sea Creatures / Status: God of Water, Storms, and Sea-creatures, Hero of the Earthbound, Slayer of fifteen of Quetzalcoatle's dragons, Trickster of the Stormbringers, Winner of Betts, Protector of Children, Lover of Beauty, Bringer of Destiny, Bearer of the longest title in history, etc. etc. / Trivia: "Yene" is Mapuche for "Whale" while "Paryaqaqa" was a Mezzo-American shapeshifting god of Water (who seriously looks A LOT like Maui). I'd say his character for this story is a bit of a mix of Mettaton from "Undertale", Maui from "Moana", and Loki from the Marvel Series.
Name: Frederich Hoffman / Original Concept by: Nox Decious (Executive CEO of DietMook industries) / Affiliation: Academia / Deck: Force / Status: Mad with power
Name: Daichi Ishikuma / Original Concept by: Donjusticia (This guy again…) / Affiliation: SCIENCE! / Deck: Psychic Ink / Status: Mad without power
Name: Akato Honozouki / Original Concept by: EpsilonTarantula (He who shall be known as the alpha and omega to all insect kind) / Affiliation: None (Chaos?) / Deck: Anarchy Agent / Status: Insane either way
Featured Fan Cards
The Mook's Spells
Goyo Manriki / Spell / Equip / Activate only if you control a face-up "Goyo" monster. Equip to 1 monster your opponent controls. The equipped monster has its effects negated and cannot attack, also, during each end phase, inflict 500 damage to your opponent's LP. If a "Goyo" monster you control attacks the equipped monster: You can tribute this card; Take control of the equipped monster.
Trivia: the Manriki (also known as Kusari-Fundo) was a chain with a weight (fundo) at the end, which would be used by Edo police as a throwable non-lethal weapon for incapacitating and apprehending culprits.
Play-Spam Force – Maximum Mook Force! / Spell / Abnormal / Special Summon Goyo King, Goyo Emperor, and pull some variation of cheating nonsense that might or might not put the Protagonist into a corner. (After activating this effect, repeat this effect for each "Mook" in play)
(I plan to use this card a lot more. It's very useful and I give all other writers permission to use it).
Divine's Monsters
Precognate Jacker / WATER / Level 7 / Psychic / Effect / ATK 1400 / DEF 2800 / If this card is Summoned: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; Banish both this card and that target, but return the target banished by this effect to your opponent's hand during this turn's End Phase. If this face-up card is banished from the field: You can Special Summon 1 Level 6 or higher Psychic-Type Monster (Except "Precognate Jacker") from your deck, and if you do, your opponent chooses to activate 1 of the following effects.
1. Inflict damage to your opponent's LP equal to the Level of the monster summoned with this effect X 300.
2. Your opponent cannot declare an attack with that monster or activate that monster's effects this turn.
Psychic Redactor / LIGHT / Level 3 / Psychic / Effect / ATK 1300 / DEF 500 / If this card is in your hand: You can pay 500 LP to target 1 Psychic-Type monster you control; Special Summon this card, and if you do, negate the effects of that target. (You can only Special Summon "Psychic Redactor(s)" If this card is Special Summoned: You can banish 1 Spell Card from your GY to target 1 monster your opponent controls whose Level is equal to or lower than the Level of this card; Destroy it, and if you do, neither player can Summon monsters with that card's name while this card is face-up on the field.
Dimensional Pathfinder / DARK / Level 6 / Psychic / Effect / ATK 2100 / DEF 1900 / Once per turn, you can pay 1000 LP: Add up to 2 of your banished cards to your hand. During the turn this card is destroyed (by battle or card effect) and sent to the graveyard: You can banish this card; Fusion Summon 1 Psychic-Type monster from your Extra Deck using monsters in your Graveyard as Fusion Materials.
Divine's Extra Deck
Thought Tyrant Daemon (Archfiend for those who prefer the localized names) / DARK / Level 8 / Psychic / Synchro / Effect / ATK 2700 / DEF 2300 / 1 Psychic-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-tuner Psychic-Type monsters
If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, gain LP equal to the original ATK of that monster in the GY. Up to twice per turn, during either player's turn, if your opponent activates a card or effect: You can pay 1000 LP: Negate the activation of that card or effect, and if you do, destroy it. If this card would be destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you can banish it instead. During the End-Phase, if this card is banished: You can pay 2000 LP: Special Summon this card.
Supreme Thought Dictator Daemon (Archfiend) / DARK / Level 11 / Psychic / Fusion / Effect / ATK 3300 / DEF 3000 / 1 Psychic-Type Fusion Monster + 1 Psychic-Type Synchro Monster
If this card is Fusion Summoned: Banish all monsters on the field whose Level is less than the Level of this card, and if you do, increase your LP by 800 for each card banished with this effect. This card inflicts piercing battle damage. Any time your opponent takes damage, gain LP equal to the damage inflicted. If your opponent would activate a card or effect, you can pay 2000 LP: Negate the activation of that card or effect, and if you do, banish it.
Divine's Spells
Psychic Gravity Well / Spell / Field / Activate this card at the start of the duel. Field Spell Cards cannot be activated. If a player takes the Intrusion Penalty, inflict 2000 damage to that player's LP, and if you do, gain LP equal to the damage inflicted. Cannot be targeted by card effects or removed from the field except by its own effect. Monsters other than Psychic-Type monsters cannot attack unless the controllers of those monsters pay 1000 LP per attack. The field is treated as not having an active Field Spell Card while this is the only Field Spell Card on the field. (This effect cannot be negated). During each of your End-Phases, pay 2000 LP or destroy this card.
(In a review done by the Synchro Dimension's premiere card expert, this card was rated as, "The most absolutely fair and balanced card ever to be released, with creative mechanics and great gameplay." After the review was published, Divine graciously had his Neo Arcadia minions remove their guns from the reviewer's head.)
Hyper-Psychic Psionic Pulse / Spell / Continuous / Once per turn, you can pay 2000 LP: Banish up to 2 Psychic-Type monsters from your graveyard, and if you do, you can banish an equal number of "Psychic" Spell/Trap Cards from your deck, then gain 500 LP for each card banished with this effect. During each of your Standby-Phases, you can target up to 2 cards banished by this card's effect: Add those targets to your hand.
Psychic Dimension Breach / Spell/ Normal / Tribute 1 Psychic-Type monster you control to activate 1 of the following effects:
1. Add 1 of your banished Spell/Trap Cards to your hand.
2. Special Summon 1 of your banished Psychic-Type monsters.
Psychic Fusion Zone / Spell / Normal / Fusion Summon 1 Psychic-Type monster from your Extra Deck by banishing monsters from your graveyard as Fusion Materials.
Divine's Traps
Hyper-Psychic Space-Time Teleportation / Trap / Continuous / Once per turn, you can pay 2000 LP; Special Summon 1 Psychic-Type monster from your Hand, Deck, GY, or which is currently banished.
Yuzu's Monsters
Quartet the Melodious Songstress/ LIGHT/ Level 4/ Fairy/ Effect/ ATK 400/ DEF 400/ Monster Effect/ If this card is used as a Material for the Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon of a "Melodious" monster, you can activate this effect: Add 1 "Melodious Songstress" monster from your deck to your hand. If this card is removed from the field, you can activate this effect during the End-Phase: Special Summon 1 "Melodious Songstress" monster from your hand or GY.
Contralto the melodious songstress/ light/ tuner/ fairy/ level 3/ ATK 1200/ DEF 1000/ If this card is summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Melodious" monster from your Graveyard. The monster summoned by this effect has its effects negated, cannot attack, and is destroyed during the End-Phase. Once per turn, you can declare a level between 1 and 5: Face-Up non-tuner "Melodious" monsters you control become the declared Level until the end of the turn.
(This one was designed based off of my favorite Contralto Singer, Adele.)
Descant the melodious diva/ light/ fairy/ level 2/ tuner/ ATK 900/ DEF 600/ If you control a "Melodious" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand.) (You can only use this effect of "Descant the Melodious Dive" once per turn). If this card is used as a synchro material for a synchro summon, you can activate this effect:
Draw 1 card and reveal it. If the card revealed by this effect is a "Melodious" monster, you can add 1 "Melodious" monster from your Graveyard to your Hand.
Dark Tuner Corruption Seed/ DARK/ Level -7/ Plant/ Dark Tuner/ Effect/ ATK -700/ DEF -700/ If this card is in the graveyard when you Special Summon a monster(s), you can activate this effect: Special Summon this card. When this card is summoned, you can activate one of these effects (each of the following effects can only be used once per turn):
1. Target 1 monster: That monster is treated as having a Level of 0.
2. Target 1 monster: That monster is treated as having a Level of -7.
3. Add 1 Yami no Kakubunretsu from your deck or graveyard to your hand.
Yuzu's Extra Deck
Beethovina the Melodious Maestra/ Light/ Level 7/ fairy/ Synchro/ effect/ ATK 2800/ DEF 2200/ 1 "Melodious" tuner + 1 or more non-tuner "Melodious" monsters
If this card is Synchro summoned successfully, you can target 1 "Melodious" monster in your graveyard: Add that target to your hand. Once per turn you can tribute 1 face-up "Melodious" monster you control: Special Summmon 1 "Melodious monster from your hand or deck whose Level is either 1 Level higher or 1 level lower than the monster tributes for this effect. You cannot summon non-LIGHT monsters the turn you activate this effect.
Tchaikovska the Melodious Maestra/ Level 6/ LIGHT/ Fairy/ ATK 2400/ DEF 2000/ 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-tuner Fairy-Type monsters
Other Fairy-Type monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF. Once per turn you can send 1 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster from your Deck to the Graveyard to target 1 card on the field: Destroy it.
Wing Diva the Melodious Choir/ Light/ Rank 7/ Fairy/ Xyz/ ATK 2000/ DEF 1000/ 2 level 7 "Melodious" monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. You take no damage from battles involving this card. Inflict 500 damage to your opponent each time you Special Summon a "Melodious" monster(s). Once per turn you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Special Summon 1 "Melodious" monster from your Hand or Graveyard.
Vivaldina the Melodious Maestra/ light/ fairy/ rank 4/ ATK 1800/ DEF 1000/ 2 level 4 "Melodious" monsters
Once per turn you can detach 1 Xyz material from this card: draw 1 card. Then if the card drawn by this effect was a level 4 or lower "Melodious" monster, you can reveal that monster: Special Summon it. Fairy-Type monsters you control gain 200 ATK and DEF for each Xyz material attached to this card.
Earthbound Disciple Geo Muse/ LIGHT/ Level -7/ Fairy/ Dark Fission/ Effect/ ATK -1000/ DEF 2800/ 1 Rank/Level 7 or higher monster - 1 Rank/Level -7 or Lower monster
This face-up attack position monster is Unaffected by your opponent's card effects while you control a face-up Field Spell Card. This card can declare 1 attack During each player's Main-Phases. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, also, your opponent takes any damage you would have taken from battles involving this monster.
Earthbound Disciple Geo Sprite/ WATER/ Level -7/ Fairy/ Dark Synchro/ Effect/ ATK 2800/ DEF 2700/ 1 Dark Tuner + 1 monster with a Level
Once per turn: You can target a number of cards on the field, up to the number of monsters you control; Destroy them, and if you do, Special Summon a number of "Earthbound Seed Tokens" " (Plant Type / EARTH / Level 1 / ATK 400 / DEF 400) in defense position to each player's side of the field, equal to the number of cards that player controlled that were destroyed. If a monster you control would be destroyed, or a player would take damage, you can Dark Sacrifice 1 "Earthbound Seed Token" on the field instead.
Earthbound Disciple Geo Dryad/ EARTH/ Rank -7/ Fairy/ Dark Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 0/ DEF 2800/ 2 Level -7 monsters
This card gains 500 ATK for each monster on the field. This card can attack each monster your opponent controls once each. If this card attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent's LP. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Dark Xyz Material from this card: Negate the effects of all cards your opponent controls.
Yuzu's Spells
Divine Melodious Stage (Not writing this one out again, you can look it up in chapter 6)
Yami no Kakubunretsu/ Spell/ Normal/ Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to the activation of this card and its effects. Negate the effects of all cards your opponent controls. (This change lasts until this card's effects resolve). Dark Fission summon 1 Dark Fission monster from your Extra Deck using monsters from your side of the field, hand, GY, or that are banished as Material.
Yuzu's Traps
Legato / Trap / Continuous / You cannot Normal Summon Monsters. (This effect cannot be negated). When this card is activated: You can add 1 "Melodious" monster from your deck to your hand. "Melodious" Monsters you control gain 400 ATK and DEF for each face-up "Melodious" monster you control. Once per turn, if you Special Summon a "Melodious" monster, you can activate this effect: Special Summon 1 "Melodious" monster from your hand.
Rin's Monsters
Synthphonist Clarinetist/ WIND/ Level 4/ ATK 1600/ DEF 1400/ Psychic/ Gemini/ Tuner/ Effect/ This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is a Normal Monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with this effect.
Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls: Change it to face-down defense position, and if you do, you can reduce the level of 1 monster you control by 1 (Min 1).
Synthphonist Bassoonist/ WIND/ Level 4/ ATK 400/ DEF 2000/ Psychic/ Gemini/ Tuner/ Effect/ If this card is used as a Material for a Synchro Summon, you can target 1 monster you control: That target cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is a Normal Monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with this effect.
If a monster(s) you control is targeted by a card or effect, you can negate that effect, and if you do, you can reduce this card's level by 1 (Min. 1).
Synthphonist Snare-Drummer/ WIND/ Level 2/ Psychic/ Pendulum/ Effect/ Left Scale 9/ Right Scale 9/ ATK 900/ DEF 300/ Pendulum Effect/ You cannot Pendulum Summon monsters except Synthphonist monsters. (This effect cannot be negated.) Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 "Synthphonist" Tuner from your Hand. Monster Effect/ Once per turn, you can declare a level from 1-3: The levels of all monsters you control become the declared level until the end of this turn.
Synthphonist Violist / WIND/ Level 2/ Psychic/ Tuner/ Effect/ ATK 800/ DEF 1100/ If this card is removed from the field, you can target 1 "Synthphonist" monster you control; Gain LP equal to that monster's Level X 100, and if you do, that target gains ATK and DEF equal to the LP you gained. This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is a Normal Monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with this effect.
Up to thrice per turn, you can target 1 "Synthphonist" monster you control: Increase or Decrease its Level by 1. (Min. 1 and Max. 12).
Synthphonist Violinist/ WIND/ Level 4/ Psychic/ Gemini/ Tuner/ Effect/ ATK 1700/ DEF 1000/ This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is a Normal Monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with this effect.
Once per turn, if your opponent activates a Spell/Trap card, you can negate the activation of that Spell/Trap card, and if you do, shuffle that card into the Deck. Then, you can reduce the level of 1 monster you control by 1 (Min 1).
Dark Tuner Abyss Light / WATER / Level 1 / Sea Serpent / Dark Tuner / Effect / ATK 0 / DEF 0 / You can Special Summon this card from your hand if you control a Synchro or Dark Synchro monster. Once per turn, you can target 1 monster you control: This card's Level becomes equal to the Level of that target. During either player's turn, if your opponent declares an attack when this card is in your GY: You can banish this card to target 1 monster you control other than the attack target; Change the attack target to the targeted monster, and if you do, the monster targeted by this effect cannot be destroyed by that battle.
Dark Tuner Chaos Maelstrom / WIND / Level 7 / Thunder / Dark Tuner / Effect / ATK 0 / DEF 0 / If this card is used as a Dark Synchro Material: You can activate this effect; Until the end of this turn if a Dark Synchro Monster you control battles an opponent's monster, you can negate the effects of the monster it is battling at the start of the Damage Step, and if you do, change its ATK and DEF to 0.
(And, of course, in all its glory)
Earthbound God Yene Paryaqaqa/ DARK/ Level 10/ Fish/ Effect/ ATK 2700/ DEF 2900/ There can only be one "Earthbound God" monster on the field. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to the summon of this card. Negate this card's effects if there is no face-up Field Spell Card on the field. Your opponent cannot tribute, dark sacrifice, or use this monster as a Material for a Special Summon. This card is unaffected by the effects of your opponent's Spell/Trap Cards and the effects of your opponent's monsters whose Level/Rank is lower than the Level of this card. Your opponent cannot target this card for attacks but this card does not prevent your opponent from attacking directly. This card can attack your opponent directly. When this card is summoned successfully, negate the effects of all cards your opponent controls, and if you do, inflict 200 damage to your opponent for each card whose effect was negated with this effect. If a player activates a card or effect, (except the effect of this card), you can negate the activation of that card or effect, and if you do, destroy it. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to the activation of this effect except this one: Your opponent can negate this effect. If he/she does, they take 800 damage.
Rin's Extra Deck
Sonic Synthphonist Aspirant/ WIND/ Level 2/ Psychic/ Synchro/ Tuner/ Effect/ ATK 800/ DEF 800/ 1 "Tuner" + 1 "Synthphonist" monster
If this card is Synchro Summoned successfully, you can shuffle 1 card from your hand into the deck: Draw 2 cards. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves; Synchro Summon 1 "Synthphonist" monster from your Extra Deck using monsters you control as Material.
Sonic Synthphonist Prodigy/ WIND/ Level 6/ Psychic/ Synchro/ Tuner/ Effect/ ATK 2400/ DEF 2400/ 1 Tuner + 1 or more "Synthphonist" monsters
This card can attack once per Battle-Phase for each Tuner used as a Synchro Material for its Synchro Summon. Once per turn, you can Normal Summon 1 "Synthphonist" monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can target 1 Gemini monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon it.
Hypersonic Synthphonist Marvel/ WIND/ Level 9/ Psychic/ Synchro/ Tuner/ Effect/ ATK 3300/ DEF 3300/ 1 Synchro Tuner + 1 or more "Synthphonist" monsters
Monsters destroyed by battle with a "Synthphonist" monster are shuffled into the Deck instead of being sent to the Graveyard. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can target cards on the field up to the number of Tuners used in this card's Synchro Summon: Negate the effects of those targets until the end of the turn. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Synthphonist" monster from your Hand or Graveyard.
Earthbound Disciple Geo Selkie / WATER / Level -6 / Aqua / Dark Synchro / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 2500 / 1 Monster with a Level – 1 Dark Tuner
Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to the Synchro Summon or Dark Synchro Summon of your monsters. If a monster you control attacks an opponent's defense position monster: That monster inflicts piercing damage. Your opponent cannot activate his/her set Spell/Trap Cards.
Rin's Spells
Synthphonist Reverberation / Spell / Quick-Play / Send 1 "Synthphonist" monster from your deck to the GY; Special Summon 1 "Synthphonist" monster from your hand. You can shuffle this card from your GY into the Deck; Special Summon 1 "Synthphonist" Monster from your GY. (This card's effects are negated unless they are activated in a chain with 2 or more "Synthphonist" cards).
Synthphonist Revision / Spell / Quick-Play / Send 1 "Synthphonist" Spell/Trap Card from your deck to the GY. You can Shuffle this card from your GY into the deck; send 1 "Synthphonist" monster from your side of the field, hand, or deck to the GY, and if you do, this turn you can Normal Summon 1 monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set.
Synthphonist Tuning/ Spell/ Normal/ Activate only if you control a face-up "Synthphonist" Tuner monster. Add 1 "Synthphonist" monster from your Deck to your Hand. You can shuffle this card from the Graveyard into the Deck: Immediately after this effect resolves; Normal Summon 1 Synthphonist monster. (You can only use each effect of "Synthphonist Tuning" once per turn.)
Synthphonist Resonance/ Spell/ Quick-Play/ Immediately after this effect resolves: Normal Summon all face-up "Synthphonist" Gemini monsters you control. You can Shuffle this card from the Graveyard into the Deck: Special Summon 1 level 4 or lower "Synthphonist" monster from your Hand. (You can only use each effect of "Synthphonist Resonance" once per turn.)
Synthphonist Inspiration/ Spell/ Normal/ reveal 3 "Synthphonist" Spell Trap cards from your Deck. Your opponent selects 1 to add to your Hand and the rest are returned to the bottom of your Deck in any order desired. You can Shuffle this card from your Graveyard into the Deck: Shuffle 1 "Synthphonist" monster from your Graveyard into the Deck. (You can only use each effect of "Synthphonist Inspiration" once per turn.)
Synthphonist Rehearsal/ Spell/ Quick-Play/ Special Summon 1 "Sonic Synthphonist" monster from your Extra Deck ignoring the summoning conditions. That monster's effects are negated and it cannot attack, also, shuffle it into the Extra Deck during the End-Phase. You can shuffle this card and 1 "Synthphonist" Synchro Monster from your graveyard into the deck to target 1 "Synthphonist" Synchro Monster you control: This turn that Target gains the effects of the "Synthphonist" monster shuffled into the Extra Deck with this effect. (This is a quick effect). (You can only use each effect of "Synthphonist Rehearsal" once per turn).
Dark Tuning / Spell / Normal / Tribute 1 monster you control; Add 1 Dark Tuner Monster from your deck to your hand, and if you do, you can Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard, but that monster's ATK and DEF become 0. (You can only activate 1 Dark Tuning per turn).
Dark Synchro Mirror / Spell / Normal / Discard 1 card to target 1 Synchro Monster you control: Special Summon 2 monsters from your deck (1 Dark Tuner and 1 non-Dark Tuner) Whose combined Levels are equal to the Level of the targeted Synchro Monster. (You can only activate 1 "Dark Synchro Mirror" per turn).
Rin's Traps
Synthphonist Performance/ Trap/ Counter/ Activate only if you control a "Hypersonic Synthphonist" Synchro Monster. Negate the activation of a card or effect, and if you do, shuffle that card into the deck. You can banish this card from your graveyard: Set 1 "Synthphonist" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your Spell/Trap Card Zone, but that card cannot be activated this turn. (This is a quick effect). (You can only use each effect of "Synthphonist Performance" once per turn).
Synthphonist Audition/ Trap/ Continuous/ Pay half your LP: Special Summon 3 Level 4 or lower "Synthphonist" monsters from your deck in face-up attack position. Those monsters cannot attack. If any monster Special Summoned by this effect leaves the field, destroy all monsters Special Summoned by this card's effect. If this card is removed from the field, shuffle all monsters Special Summoned by this card's effect into the deck. (You can only control 1 face-up "Synthphonist Audition").
Special thanks goes, once again, to bladeWriter3 and Epsilon Tarantula for editing, and for Epsilon graciously allowing me to use his fan-name he generated for "The Doktor." Check out his stories if you want to see more of Fehler.
Now that this chapter is finished, the next items on my agenda are to comlete birthday stories for my great friends Shimmering-Sky, Nox Descious, and bladeWriter3. Once these short stories are done, its off to the next short chapter of YGO Vrains Abridged before I get to the next SoR chapter! I don't know if the next chapter is much to get excited about, but I'll let you guys judge based on the cast list.
Chapter 16: Pawn of the Earthbound
Featuring:
Yuya Sakaki/Yuto
Yugo
Yuri
Selena (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know most of you are not interested in seeing this utterly BORING character, but I eventually had to get to her. Keep your loud and obnoxious complaints to yourselves).
Barret (a proud drinker of DietMooks since episode 38)
Bandit
Delta 026
Aleisha Claire
Melissa Claire
Sergey Volkov
Dark Signer Yuu Hashimoto
Zarc (Another boring character I know most of you have no interest seeing in action).
So yeah, sorry that it'll be mostly filler next chapter. But that is sadly how stories go. Sometimes the action picks up, and sometimes it just slows down. Still, I appreciate your continued support and reviews. Speaking of which, starting from this chapter onward, I'm going to start responding to your reviews, since I just have so much fun doing so in "Yu-Gi-Oh Vrains Abridged" (If you haven't checked out that story, give it a look).
Nox Descious chapter 31 . Jun 2
HI! Nox Descious here and I am here to tell you about this amazing product!
Are you writing a Yugioh ARC V fanfiction? Do you want to keep the story going for fifty or one hundred chapters, but you find that the big action scenes and showdowns are happening by chapter fifteen? Do your big bads and bigger bads like Leo and Zarc have to wait till the very end to make an appearance? Is it too early for your Big Bad Wannabe like Roger to be defeated? Do you want some of your other characters to get their chance to shine and create some dramatic tension WITHOUT sacrificing everybody's favorite Super Mook, Sergey? Well look no further!
Introducing DIET SUPER MOOK! The great threat level and shock value of a regular Super Mook but with HALF THE CALORIES!
Yuri: This is stupid...
Nox: Just say your line Yuri!
Yuri: Grrrrrr fine... Ahem. DID YOU SAY HALF THE CALORIES?!
Nox: That's right my hair gel addicted friend!
Yuri: HEY!
DIET SUPER MOOK! With several different flavors to choose from! BLUEBERRY BARRET! BANANA BATTLE BEAST! NUTELLA NUMBER 96! And introducing the Latest Flavor! DIVINE STRAWBERRY SAYER!
It's so easy to set up you can't possibly fail! Just take our patented state of the art Diet Super Mook and place him or her in a duel against two characters that you love, but you know they won't get to do much otherwise at least for quite awhile! Regular fanfiction writers get flamed by their fans when popular characters only get to duel regular mooks! And then they get accused of demoting their beloved characters to extras! But with Diet Super Mook, all those problems magically go away! Don't believe me, just listen to the words of our satisfied customers!
Rin: At first i was worried that my fanfiction author, Donjusticia, wouldn't give me the oppurtunity to be a strong independent female world destroying dark signer who dont need no man like Ruri is, but then he tried Diet Super Mook! With the Strawberry Sayer Flavor, not only do i have a bigger baka than Yugo to take out my anger on, but the voices in my head telling me to turn completely evil have gotten louder, and the horrifying images of innocent background NPCs being slaughtered like cattle will never go away! Heh Heh... Heh Heh... they will...never...go...away...
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! Call now for your Diet Super Mook and we will throw in Scarring your main characters for life and a massive case of PTSD ABSOLUTELY FREE!
DIET SUPER MOOK: STRAWBERRY SAYER! A taste so great, it will blow your mind! LITERALLY! With only half the calories!
(camera moves to a very annoyed Selena in a skimpy purple bikini gesturing with her waving hands towards Sayer, who is sitting on a chair looking incredibly confused)
Selena: How long do i have to do this? This is stupid!
Nox: Until we make enough money to get Ice Cream Cometh and Moonlight Sorrow off the ground again! Besides, I am not paying you for back sass!
Selena: You aren't paying me at all you cheapskate! And i draw the line at being forced to wear this skimpy bikini!
Nox: Well its not my fault that my fanfictions dont make any money, otherwise I actually could pay you! Besides, the reason i have you wearing a bikini is because products ALWAYS sell more if there is a smoking hot woman showing it off! And i could not hire any Victorias Secret Models so i decided to Settle with Selena's Secret, which isnt much of a secret anymore!
Selena: MY FEELINGS FOR YURI IS NOT A SECRET! IT IS A FALSE RUMOR! FALSE!
Nox: You guys already confessed each others feelings and had a make out session in Moonlight Sorrow. EVERYBODY knows you two are an item now!
Selena: DANG IT!
Don't worry Selena. You don't have to worry about Nox Descious's utter LEWDNESS any more! I, Donjusticia, will not only feature you in the next chapter, but will NOT force you to wear a bikini (unless you count your scantily clad dark signer outfit, or fused half-naked furry wolf girl form…)
Selena: Thanks Don, wai…WHAT WAS THAT LAST PART!?
Well, I'm glad to see you're on board with this! And like I said, I will request absolutely no fanservice from you or any of the bracelet girls.
Selena: You'd better not.
Except for this. *Hands Selena a script*
Selena: DON'T…YOU…DARE…! *gets forced into a maid outfit*
The Blend S Opening! (But it's an Arc-V Meme now)
Yuzu: Smile!
Rin: Sweet!
Ruri: Sister!
Selena: Sadistic…
Reira: Surprise!
Zarc and Ray: Service!
Yuri: STARVE VENOM FUSION DRAGON! *blows up the rest of the meme*
Thanks for the review, Nox. Birthday Present coming soon, even if late. Stay tuned.
Cipher Drake chapter 31 . Jun 1
HOLD UP, A NEW CHAPTER?
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN BOI I FRIGGIN MISSED YA SO MUCH!
BOI I NEVER BE LEAVIN! BOI, I SAY BOI! YOU AINT NEVER SEEN THE LAST OF DONNY-J! DONNY-J IS HERE TO STAY!
bladeWriter3 chapter 31 . Jun 1
First of all, "2 hours flat," that is a big fat lie. Second, under normal circumstances I'd complain about an unresolved cliffhanger... except I already know how it's going to end, so it doesn't bother me.
Third, the duels. Yuzu and Rin creaming those Security mooks like they were no big deal was to be expected, mooks are the most common fodder in existence.
*Divine abuses the effect of Psychic Gravity Well*
DANG IT! That just proves my point. That was low, way past the Moral Event Horizon and just straight up evil. And why do I get the feeling a Deus Ex Machina is needed to end this conflict.
Yuzu Synchro Summoning (finally I might add, seeing as how Contralto was teased ALL the waaaaay back in the card section of Chapter 6) was awesome to see. Now she has all 3 OG Extra Deck Summoning Methods, and who knows which ones she'll be getting next (Oh wait, I do.)
To my fellow SoR readers, don't worry. I will take it upon myself to make sure Donny not only posts the next chapter next week, but that he'll work on the following one right after. Mostly because I... You know what, I'm gonna stop here to avoid potential spoilers, and I know PLENTY of them.
Reward: One Angry Rin
Rin *surging with electricity*: KILL ALL THOSE SECURITY BAKAS! *shoots more lighting*
You mean "two hours flat is a big FLAT lie!" *insert laughing track.* Also, yeah, yeah, yeah, bladeWriter-San, or should I call you, Taskmaster-San, seeing as how you've borrowed Blue Angel's whip to beat me into submission any time I try to take a short and healthy four month break. I'll get to it. I'll get to it. Thanks for your help! Please don't beat me…
BladeBlaster chapter 31 . May 31
Yugo you need to go encourage your waifu !
Yugo: Rin! You can do this! I believe in you!
Yuzu: I'm not Rin.
Yugo: Oh! Sorry! Rin, look into my eyes! Remember all that we have gone through together! You can overcome this!
Selena: Who the heck are you?
Yugo: Did I get it wrong again!? Sorry! Rin! The real Rin this time…I've always wanted to tell you…I LOVE YOU!
Ruri: …? Have we even met?
Yugo: Dang it! Why does every girl I meet look exactly like Rin!? Oh well, at least I can always recognize you, D-wheel.
D-wheel: Vroom! Vroom!
ScalchopWarrior chapter 31 . May 31
WHOA, A NEW CHAPTER!
So it's been a while, huh? I'll just try and remember as much as I can...
All right, so this was mostly a duel chapter, with two chapters. I'll break it down based on the duels I guess?
First was just a simple one, Rin, and Yuzu vs their respective batch of generic cannon fodder. Not too much to say other than how enjoyable it is to watch them absolutely destroy Securities. It's very cathartic and soothing. Almost like a massage. But for my eyes. And mind. And...what was I talking about again?
Oh yeah, Synthphonists are freaking amazing and Rin is my waifu
Wait, no, that's not what I wanted to say...or is it?
It was very enjoyable is what I'm trying to say
The second duel is Rin and Yuzu vs Divine (not sure why I'm telling you since you wrote it and stuff...), and...oh boy. That was definitely...a card game? I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to react to the duel. There's definitely the strategy of the card game with Yuzu and Rin, as usual, playing around the negations like bosses, and Divine himself doing pretty well, especially with his whole Field Spell.
Course, that Field Spell is also the most disgusting thing ever at this point.
God, from a conceptual standpoint, Roget's strategy of using the generic cannon fodder as...well, fodder sounds pretty good, but when you factor in psychic abilities that...you know, MURDER the ones used up...yeah, it's not so many rainbows and sunshine anymore...
With this chapter, I can now definitively say that, yes indeed, Roget is the most disgusting Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic villain I've ever read. Going into the duel I can say I expected multiple things, but Divine (more Roget) sacrificing Securities to fuel his cards was not one of those things
Wow, now I feel like an asshole for calling them fodder earlier...
Dang
Anyway, great chapter as always! Duels are...well, they're not fun, but they're definitely notable, as well as nicely written! Character is on point and we've got juuuust the right amount of "nope" in this chapter.
Yep, definitely a quality Donjustica chapter!
All right, farewell for now, and see you in a few months!
;D
ok im kidding pls dont take months i need this story in my life senpai
Rin X Yugo was honestly my absolutely favorite ship as well. They…are…just…so…cute. And yeah. And of course Synthphonists are awesome! Donfreakingjusticia designed that archetype after all!
And I am glad people are feeling for the "fodder." It makes me feel like I'm doing my job right when people actually get a stab of pain in the gut when a character dies. For that to happen with background characters is a great big "YES!" for me. I'll have to kill off some major characters now. Who should I start with?
Epsilon Tarantula chapter 31 . May 31
Akato: In the four months it has been since this thing updated, I managed to get a deal with some other crazy author to torture a bunch of ponies and Kamen Riders. And that took, like, two hours!
Jeremie: And we STILL don't have our story updated!
Me: I'M GETTING TO IT!
And now, confirmation that Yuzu got stuck with the Token Mini-Moe of the Jibakushin. My condolences, though patience is a virtue. Not surprised that he's cheating.
Annnnd Daiichi eats unpopped popcorn. That is disgusting. Overall, a dueling chapter, but a fascinating one. Interested to see next chapter.
Ti'ika Sara: *Looking absolutely as moe as moeishly possible* Yes, I am indeed cute. Cuter than any other earthbound god in existence. But don't worry, male readers. Even though I look like a six-year-old, I am actually MILLIONS of years old, so I'm a perfectly legal loli, thank you very much. No doubt my IMMENSE fan-base will not be able to hold back their praise and adoration as they draw millions upon millions of pieces of fan-art, all dedicated to my glory. I am, after all, one of the most beautiful goddesses in existence.
Yene Paryaqaqa: *Laughs hysterically in the distance*
Ti'ika Sara: SHUT UP, YENE! And you, Epsilon! Get back to writing Garage Kids AND Omen of Uncertainty or else I WILL destroy you!
Yuzu: But I thought we were gonna focus on saving your family. I mean, after all, that's one of your main motivations, right?
Ti'ika Sara: Oh come on, Yuzu! Did you actually fall for that fake flashback!? This was never about saving my sister! I just made all that up!
Yuzu: Wha…you made that all up!?
Ti'ika Sara: Of course I did! Cavillace doesn't even exist! The only reason I possessed you was so that I could use your body to eat some Szechuan sauce!
Yuzu: Szechuan sauce?
Ti'ika Sara: *Steadily getting crazier* That's right Yuzu! None of this was about family or revenge! It was always about the Szechuan sauce! I want it! I want my Mulan McNugget Sauce! I'm gonna get it even if it takes me 300 more chapters to get it! 300 more chapters, Yuzu! 300 more chapters! 300 MORE CHAPTERS!
Guest chapter 31 . May 31
When will yuya get a turn in this
Probably never. I mean, after all, everyone knows this fanfic is all about bracelet girl fanservice. And OCs! Can't forget about the OCs! Who wants to see the other more irrelevant characters anyway?
Have no fear. I have BIG plans for Yuya, EARTHBOUND BIG plans for Yuto, SUPREME KING DRAGON SIZED PLANS for Yuri, and…more or less average plans for Yuugo Shoukan.
Yugo: HEY!
Thanks for the review!
Royal2 chapter 31 . May 31
Good chapter man can't wait for the next one and welcome back. It's been a while.
I am never truly gone, Royal2. Strike me from the internet, and I shall simply return back stronger than you could possibly imagine! Thanks for the review.
Also, guess what everyone! Rin and Yuzu are recruiting disciples now! It's that time again! Everyone's favorite time!
IT'S OC TIME! *Confetti rains down*
That's right! SoR doesn't have enough characters, so I need you readers to overload me with even more! So yes, I will be accepting new OCs now, but AT MY DISCRETION and with the following caveats:
1.Only people who have not submitted an OC can submit a new one.
2.Only 1 OC per person. (So I'm afraid that those of you who had a family of octuplets ready will have to find some other writer).
3.Go easy on the decklists.
4.No submitting in the Review Section.
5.No Vampires, Elves (Dark or otherwise), Succubi, or Cat-girls! (Sentient talking dogs are fine, however).
Thank you all for your continued support. What other items do I have on the agenda…
Oh yeah!
Greninja, if you are still reading this, theTiger39 would be interested in using your characters in a story of his, but needs your permission. I would PM you if I could, but I can't PM guests, so consider making an official account. (Same goes for you other guests, I can interact with you all a lot better if you have an actual account and signing up is completely free).
I will see you all when the next chapter is finished (hopefully soon). Until then, stay awesome, stay humble, stay humbly awesome, and may God bless you!
