"Duel!" - Regular Speech
'What next?' - Thoughts
"Infernal Pressure!" - Monster Attack/Summoning Chant
Chapter 1: Lelouch Lamperouge
The Year 2017 Ascencio Thronum Britannia
Courtyard, Ashford Academy, Britannian Tokyo Settlement, Area 11 (Formerly Japan)
The day was bright and sunny as a dark-haired, frail-looking man was leisurely walking through the courtyard, enjoying the peace and quiet for a moment
"Lulu!"
Until a loud, familiar voice shattered it like glass. The newly dubbed 'Lulu' let out a huff of breath as he turned to face the person who'd shouted after him.
Milly Ashford, Student Council President of Ashford Academy, his childhood friend and general pain in his rear, was quickly jogging towards him with a sharp scowl on her face, which actually gave him a moment's pause. It generally took quite a bit to strike up Milly's temper. Quickly reviewing the past few days, he couldn't think of anything he'd done to earn her ire, and he knew her well enough to know what buttons needed avoiding, so it likely wasn't being directed at him.
Still, best to find out what was happening. Anything that could get Milly's dander up like this needed to be dealt with toot sweet.
Angry Milly was even harder to deal with than Happy Milly. And Sad Milly was just…something he did his best to avoid having to deal with.
"Milly." Lelouch Lamperouge returned her greeting smoothly as she stopped in front of him with a huff. "What seems to have gotten you so riled up?"
"Him." the blonde girl growled out, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at a boy pursuing her. His uniform jacket marked him as a second year, and Lelouch vaguely recognized him from a new student file the Student Council had received a few days ago when he'd transferred in from the Homeland. His appearance was about what he'd come to expect from the aristocracy (his father was a Count according to the file); relatively good shape, though a bit pudgy around the edges, with well-cared for, if messy, blonde hair, weak watery-blue eyes and almost no chin.
"And what has he done to bother you?" Lelouch asked simply. This was why Angry Milly was so hard to deal with. While Happy Milly was at least articulate in her madness, getting anything out of Angry Milly was like trying to get blood from a stone.
"He wants me to step down as Student Council President in favour of him." she snapped back testily. Ah, that explained the anger. While Milly wasn't what most would term as a control freak, she viewed the Academy as her and her family's personal domain and detested anyone attempting to rest control of it from her. That was only made worse by the frustration born from the sheer number of weak-mouthed noble scions that had made such attempts over the years. At times, it was like she couldn't go a week without at least one challenge for her office. "I told him no, so he challenged me to a duel with the presidency on the line. Sadly, I left my deck at home today, and there isn't time for me to get it here before the end of school, so I was hoping that you'd act on my behalf."
"This is starting to become a trend, Milly." the ravenette pointed out with a sigh. This had to be the third time this month that he'd been requested to stand as Milly's 'champion.' "Very well, my usual rates apply, though."
"Of course." Milly responded airily, her lips flashing a smug smile for just a moment. "Thanks, Lelouch."
"Oi...(wheeze)...what's the...deal...?!" the pudgy boy gasped out as he came to a halt just short of Milly, who quickly moved to the other side of Lelouch to put her friend between her and the boy.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Lelouch quickly feigned a lack of familiarity.
"I'm Andre Gallagher, Heir to the Count of Lonely Rock!" the boy stated testily, obviously annoyed by his previous runaround. "Now, I have business with that girl behind you, so kindly remove yourself from my private business!"
"As I'm the Student Council Vice-President, anyone attempting to challenge my boss for her position would be my business as well." the Exiled Prince offered dryly. "Now, as you have challenged Milly, who has forgotten her deck today, as the Vice-President, it falls to me to accept your challenge in her stead."
The other teen blinked for a moment at the sudden change before letting a huff of air. "Hmph, I suppose it doesn't matter who I face, as long as I get my prize." the noble scion sneered back.
Typical spoilt aristocrat. Lelouch could spot them from a mile away.
"Very good, then I suppose that just leaves one final matter before we begin." Lelouch agreed with a cold, sharp smile on his lips. He honestly despised nobles like this brat, and few things gave him greater pleasure than feeding them a bit of well-deserved crow. "While your half of the wager has been clearly stated, that should you win then Milly will pass on the position of Student Council President to you, that still leaves her half of the wager. Surely, a wager like this has no merit unless both parties are risking something on the game."
"Hah, I suppose that's true." the noble snorted arrogantly. "Very well, state your terms. It won't matter in the end since I will be the one claiming victory today!"
"When my champion claims victory, you will donate a sizeable sum to the Ashford Foundation." Milly stated simply. "You can select the exact amount based on your confidence."
"Hmph, merely money? Very well." Andre agreed with a shrug, pulling out his phone and clicking a few buttons. "I'll wager this much then. Is that acceptable?" he asked drolly, holding the phone up for their inspection.
Both Lelouch and Milly leaned in for a moment, before blinking. That was…quite the number of zeros.
Likely the little wastrel's entire monthly stipend. Oh well, there was an old saying about a fool and his money after all.
"The wager is accepted by both parties." Lelouch agreed, his smile sharpening considerably. "Then let us make our way to the arena."
Duel Monsters was still commonly played with a simple playmat, but one of the biggest technological innovations of recent years was the Duelling Arena. A set of holographic projectors, known as the Solid Vision System, linked to a specialized scanner system set on each player's platform to read and then materialize and animate each player's cards and their effects. As the premiere Noble Academy in Area 11, Ashford Academy had six smaller Arenas and a single large-scale one. The smaller arenas could be reserved by students for a small fee most of the time, but the large one was reserved for special occasions like the biannual Ashford Duel Monster's Tournament.
The large arena had projectors several times the size of the smaller ones, along with enough room to easily seat every student in Ashford thrice-over. Also, the opposing Duelling Platforms were coloured Black and White rather than the more 'traditional' Red and Blue.
Naturally, one of the benefits of being members of the Student Council was their ability to access the larger arena for 'official business.' Which a challenge for the Council's Presidency quite obviously was.
That, and if Lelouch was going to humiliate another noble born brat, then the raven-haired boy was going to do it in front of the largest audience he could.
The two young men quickly took their places on opposite ends of the Arena, Andre taking the White Platform while Lelouch took the Black Platform as was his preference. After a moment to get settled, both set their decks into the auto-shufflers built into the Platforms, causing them to extend outward before locking into position. Neither would be able to leave until the duel was decided.
As the Platforms finished locking into position, the auto-shufflers immediately cut off, presenting their decks, which both quickly removed and placed into their deck zones. Immediately, the inbuilt scanners came to life, scanning their decks and bringing the Solid Vision System to life with a gentle electric hum.
"I'll go first, if you please." Andre stated, watery eyes glaring lightly at Lelouch as if daring him to argue.
"As the challenger, that is your right." the violet-eyed exile responded graciously as the two drew five cards for their starting hands.
"You have manners at least." Andre grunted in annoyance as their life points were set.
""Duel!""
Lelouch: 4000
Andre: 4000
Andre drew a card. "To start, I Set a card face-down on the field. Then I Summon [Ancient Gear Wyvern] in Attack Mode!"
In a blur of rainbow-coloured light, a large two-legged clockwork dragon made of aged, green steel appeared on the field.
Ancient Gear Wyvern – Attack: 1700 | Defence: 1200
"When [Ancient Gear Wyvern] is summoned to the field, I can bring any [Ancient Gear] card from my deck and add it to my hand." the noble smirked as he searched his deck, pulled the card he wanted, and the set his deck in the auto-shuffler for a moment before replacing it. "With that, I'll end my turn."
Milly, who'd taken a seat in the Student Council's private box to watch the fun, openly smirked as she watched another spoilt noble underestimate her childhood friend.
"Hey Prez, another sucker decide to try and challenge you only to get Lelouch sicced on 'em?" Rivalz Cardemonde, the Secretary of the Ashford Student Council, asked as he took his own seat.
"Yup." Milly answered flippantly.
"This'll be fun then. It's always nice to watch Lelouch school some arrogant twat." the blue-haired boy offered with a grin as he took his seat, noting more and more seats were quickly being filled by arriving students.
Milly had sent out an alert through the school's public messaging system on their way to the arena, alerting the entire school that a Challenge Duel was taking place in the Main Arena. Considering that meant that either her or Lelouch were likely duelling, those announcements always tended to bring in quite the crowd.
"My turn, then. I draw." Lelouch replied evenly, not even batting an eye at his opponent's monster. Drawing his card, he instinctively smothered the smirk that wanted to appear. "I Summon [Breaker the Magical Warrior] in Attack Mode!"
In another flash of light, a warrior clad in elaborate, gold-trimmed red armour, with a red cape, a green-metal sword and a red and gold shield appeared on Lelouch's side of the field.
Breaker the Magical Warrior: Attack: 1600 | Defence: 1000
"Hmph, is basic maths beyond you or something, friend?" Andre called out sarcastically. "My monster is clearly stronger than yours."
"When [Breaker the Magical Warrior] is Normal Summoned to the field, he automatically has one [Spell Counter] placed on him." Lelouch stated simply, ignoring his opponent's outburst as if it hadn't happened. "And for each [Spell Counter] that he possesses, he gains 300 Attack points."
"What?!"
The gem embedded into [Breaker]'s sword began to glow with a pale purple light.
Breaker the Magical Warrior: Attack: 1600 + 300 = 1900
"I then activate the Special Ability of [Breaker the Magical Warrior], which allows me to sacrifice one [Spell Counter] from him in order to target any Magic or Trap card on the field and destroy it." Lelouch continued with a mild grin. "Go, Mana Break!"
The magical warrior raised his sword at the glowing yellow square behind [Ancient Gear Wyvern] and unleashed a purple blast that struck it, revealing a [Negate Attack] Trap Card before it shattered, forcing Andre to move it into the card graveyard.
"Grrr...!" Andre growled under his breath, before he seemed to notice something and quickly regained his cocky grin. "Hah! A neat trick old sport, but you made a critical mistake. Without its [Spell Counter], your little magician is no match for my Wyvern! You've left yourself wide open!"
Breaker the Magical Warrior: Attack: 1900 - 300 = 1600
"Oh dear, I suppose that would be a rather dreadful error on my part." Lelouch drawled back mildly, voice never changing. "Oh, but luckily I happen to have this card. I activate the Magic Card [Spell Power Grasp]! It allows me to add one [Spell Counter] to any card on my side of the field that can take one, so I'll add it to [Breaker the Magical Warrior] in order to restore his Attack Points!"
Breaker the Magical Warrior: Attack: 1600 + 300 = 1900
"Oh, and my card also has a second effect, allowing me to add another [Spell Power Grasp] from my deck to my hand." Lelouch with a demure smile, quickly doing so. "However, I can only activate a single one per turn. Now, I believe it's time to continue. [Breaker the Magical Warrior], attack [Ancient Gear Wyvern] now, with Spell Sword Slash!
Breaker the Magical Warrior (Attack: 1900) VS Ancient Gear Wyvern (Attack: 1700)
The red and gold warrior leapt into the air and brought his sword down, vertically bisecting the metal drake in one fell swoop, the two halves of which detonated after [Breaker] withdrew.
Andre: 4000 – 200 = 3800
"And yet again, Lelouch draws first blood!" Rivalz cheered.
"Ghh...!" Andre was gritting his teeth and looked as if he'd just been crapped on by a bird.
"I'll place two cards Set face-down to end my turn." Lelouch concluded, a pair of glowing yellow squares flaring up behind his monster. "Over to you."
"Impudent...! It's my turn!" the noble snapped, his formerly cocky attitude vanishing under his frustration. "I draw! I then play [Pot of Greed], which allows me to draw two more cards!"
After drawing again, he quickly seemed to regain his cool. "I activate the Field Magic Card [Geartown]!"
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. That was actually a fairly good move given the circumstances. On its own, the card would allow his opponent to summon any [Ancient Gear] monster with one less sacrifice than normal; granted, that effect extended to him as well, but it was moot since he never used any [Ancient Gear] monsters. If he destroyed [Geartown] with [Breaker]'s special ability, Andre could use its secondary effect to Special Summon a powerful [Ancient Gear] monster from his deck or hand. Thankfully, a couple of the more powerful ones can't be Special Summoned in any way, so the risk wasn't too great, but it was not a move he could make recklessly.
On the field, the battlefield changed from the blank metal grey of the Arena to a vast city of buildings, each sporting numerous interlinked gears that rotated and spun in a perfectly synchronized rhythm.
"As long as [Geartown] is active, all of my [Ancient Gear] monsters cost one less sacrifice to summon to the field." Andre stated proudly. "And that means that I can summon this without making a sacrifice! I summon [Ancient Gear Beast], in Attack Mode!"
With a mechanical howl, a large metal canine appeared, eyes glowing red at it stared down Lelouch's monster.
Ancient Gear Beast: Attack/Defence: 2000
"In response, I activate my Trap Card." Lelouch stated simply, flipping one of his face-down cards, causing it to reveal itself onto the field, an elaborate coffin bearing a large, golden cross on its lid. "[Dark Renewal]! This card can only be activated when you Normal or Special Summon a monster while I have a [Spellcaster] monster on my side of the field. First, I sacrifice both of our monsters to the coffin!"
"What?!" the noble brat squawked in outrage.
The coffin's lid snapped open and both [Breaker the Magical Warrior] and [Ancient Gear Beast] were immediately sucked in, the lid instantly slamming shut behind them as the coffin lit up with an intense, purple light.
"Now that the sacrifices have been made, I am allowed to use the power of those sacrifices to Special Summon any Dark Spellcaster monster from my deck that I want." Lelouch smirked as he quickly skimmed through his deck and found the card he was looking for. "Come forth, [Dark Magician]!"
As he placed the card on the field, the coffin opened up once more, disgorging a man wearing dark purple robes and wielding a dark jade-coloured staff. Landing on his place on the field, the magician crossed his arms and awaited his master's commands.
Dark Magician – Attack: 2500 | Defence: 2100
"Y-you...you have a [Dark Magician]?!" Andre gaped in shock and disbelief.
Lelouch just smirked, allowing his monster to speak for him. Certain cards were only printed in limited numbers every few years, making them very hard to come by. There were rumoured to only be just over two-dozen [Dark Magician] cards across the entirety of the Britannian Empire. To have one, Lelouch must have gotten very lucky or had powerful connections.
His had been a gift from his favourite, and only living, uncle when he was just six.
"N-No matter...I'll play two cards face down and end my turn." the noble forced down his shock enough to snarl out his next move.
"My turn then." the raven-haired boy drew a card. "Time to bring this little warm-up to an end, I think. I play the Magic Card [Bond Between Teacher and Student]! If I have a [Dark Magician] card on the field, it allows me to summon his student to the field from my deck, hand or Graveyard. Come forth, [Dark Magician Girl]!"
In a flash of light, a blonde-haired girl wearing gold-trimmed light blue 'robes' and wielding a blue, pink and gold wand appeared, winking across at the gathering audience.
Dark Magician Girl – Attack: 2000 | Defence: 1500
"Once I've summoned her, my card's second effect activates and I can Set a Magic Card from my deck straight to the field." Lelouch picked out a suitable card and Set it on the field.
"Now, I've never been the type to toy around with someone cruelly so I believe I'll end this duel before it can get embarrassing. I activate the card I just set right now! [Dark Burning Magic]!" he stated, still smiling, though his grin was notably darker, though few of the watching students would be able to notice.
On the field, [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] crossed their staff and wand, an aura of power building in front of the crossed implements.
"[Dark Burning Magic] can only be activated while [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] are both on the field. It allows me to destroy all of the cards that you control. Now, my good magicians, destroy his face-downs!"
With an explosion of magic, both of Andre's cards were shattered to pieces.
"This...this can't be...can't be happening!" the noble brat stammered.
"It is." Lelouch scowled at the man. "Now, [Dark Magician Girl], attack his Life Points directly, with Dark Burning Attack!"
Raising her wand, the female dark mage sent a blast of dark magic right into Andre's Duelling Platform, making him flinch back as the light swept over him.
Andre: 3800 – 2000 = 1800
"[Dark Magician], finish him. Dark Magic Attack!" Lelouch ordered.
Spinning his staff around, the purple-clad spellcaster pointed it at Andre, blasting him with a much more powerful blast of dark magic than his pupil did.
Andre: 1800 – 2500 = -700
Lelouch Lamperouge is victorious.
Once the duel concluded, the Duelling Platforms retracted back to their docking stations. Lelouch disembarked with his usual casual grace and headed off to join Milly in the Student Council Box, while Andre staggered out, looking completely and utterly shell-shocked by his loss.
"Andre, do make sure you live up to your side of the bet. We wouldn't want any nasty rumours staining your family's reputation so soon after you arrived, now would we?" Milly called out sweetly, an innocent expression on her face.
Andre flinched violently at the reminder. Lelouch suspected that the brat was going to have a less than pleasant time explaining his loss of fortunes to whoever held his purse strings.
"You really are an evil one, Milly." Lelouch noted, shaking his head in amusement at Milly's mildly sadistic antics. Truly, she was a vicious little minx when her fur was rubbed the wrong way.
"And you'd best not forget it, mister." the blonde answered with a smug grin and a wink.
"Indeed." the ravenette drawled before letting out an annoyed. "Shame he wasn't even worth calling a decent warm-up." Now his blood was up and he was in the mood to duel, but there wasn't anyone in the Academy that would be worth the efforts. Most of the noble scions attending were cut from the same cloth as his previous opponent: all talk and no trousers. Several had a number of expensive cards and potent decks, but none had the ability to use them well enough to be an actual challenge. "I think I'll head out and go for a nice walk around the settlement before dinner. Milly, please be a dear and have Sayoko pick up Nunnally for me."
"Sure, sure~." Milly sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "So...dinner as usual tomorrow?"
"Of course." Lelouch smirked before heading away to change into his casual clothes.
Later
Streets, Britannian Tokyo Settlement
'You know, its truly ironic that something my family invented and initially dismissed has grown into something so…grand.' the Exiled Prince mused as he walked through the streets of the Settlement, absently noting how much Duel Monsters was either being played or was part of some advertisement or another, either for the game itself or for some other product as a promotion.
Duel Monsters was just under fifty years old now, and had actually been invented by one of his father's eldest brothers. Maximilian pe Britannia, former Third Prince of the Britannia Royal Family at the time, had initially created the game as a way to allow people of all walks of life in the Britannian Empire, be they Noble, Commoner or Number, to come together and enjoy themselves. He'd supposedly been a laughingstock of the palace courts at the time for such a 'naïve' dream, but he'd shocked the entirety of the Royal Court when his 'little project' succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. In a little under five years, his newly christened 'Duel Monsters' card game had become an immensely popular hit across the entirety of the Britannian Empire.
Several years later, Maximilian left Britannia, offering to forgo any claims to the throne in exchange for the low cost of 95% of all royalties produced by the cards sold. His siblings had all been too eager to agree and remove another rival for the throne, and the former Emperor had gone along with it.
Less than a year later the Emperor suddenly passed away without an heir and the Emblem of Blood Period had kicked off.
Aside from Charles zi Britannia himself, Maximilian was the only other survivor of the Imperial Royal Family left from that period. To this day, the expatriate royal remained devotedly single, with no known lovers or heirs, even as he continued to churn out more and more card designs from the private island kingdom he kept somewhere out in the Pacific, only rarely making sojourns to the Homeland to see to his 'duties' to the Empire.
So, aside from Nunnally, and Euphemia, and perhaps Odysseus if one squinted a bit, there were four members of his family (which numbered at well over 200 members if one included the various in-laws) that Lelouch liked and/or respected.
Better than nothing, he supposed.
Today's altercation with Andre Gallagher had only been the latest. Rather than losing steam like many other games had over time, Duel Monsters only seemed to be growing more and more popular. It was game that was immensely enjoyable for anyone, from young children to adults, to play; with the number of strategies, playing styles, and even card types available allowing nearly any person to find something that suited their tastes if they looked hard enough. And the introduction of the Solid Vision System and the Duelling Arenas some five years ago had only made the fervour for it that much more intense. Duelling was now the go-to method of resolving disputes at schools like Ashford, and what worried Lelouch was the rumours that Imperial Illusions Incorporated was developing a human-portable Duelling System that even a child under ten could carry.
Were such an invention to become mainstream and affordable enough that nearly everyone could purchase one, then the genie would be truly out of its bottle. The only reason Duelling hadn't gone completely out of control was because you needed a Duelling Arena if you wanted to feel like an all-powerful wizard summoning monsters rather than simply a kid playing a card game. That meant duels had to be either booked in advance, like the small arenas at Ashford, or you had to have access to a private arena like the Student Council did. If anyone could just duel anywhere, then a lot of control over the game would simply fly out the window.
'Then again, perhaps that is simply my 'inner control freak', as Milly likes to call it, getting out of hand again.' Lelouch mused as he absently tapped the card box holding his deck with a single finger. This one held his actual deck, rather than the showy, if technically sound, deck he used as Lelouch Lamperouge, Ashford Academy Student Council Vice-President and Chair of the Ashford Academy Duelling Regulatory and Enforcement Committee.
No, this was the deck he used to fleece arrogant nobles at a special Duelling Arena. Where he was headed right now.
Slipping into the maze of interconnected back alleys that lead to his destination, he was surprised to see a small stall set up with several...were those Duel Monster cards carved from stone?
How…unique?
"Anything that piques your interest, sir?" the hooded woman minding the stall asked. She sounded young, but Lelouch couldn't even see a hint of her face since it was, like the rest of her body, covered in a loose set of concealing robes
Looking over the stone cards, Lelouch caught sight of a stone effigy of a single card he'd never managed to get his hands on, [Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon]. It was one that he had tried to get ahold of for the last year without any real success. He supposed a stone copy would be a good reminder that some things were still beyond his reach, no matter how much the lesson had stung.
"How much for this one?" he asked, pointing at his choice.
"A mere ten pounds, milord." she replied at once.
A bit on the pricey side, but he had to admit that the detail on the stone carving was quite exquisite, almost more lifelike than the card itself. Well worth the cost, he decided.
Lelouch paid for the carving, but blinked when the woman added another carving to his purchase.
"You're my first customer today, sir, on my first day on in business." she explained as she wrapped both cards in crêpe paper. "Consider it a bonus for helping to cheer me up."
Considering it was mid-afternoon, and he was her first customer, Lelouch could see why she needed the encouragement. Then again, setting up shop in an alley was bound to curtail business.
"Here. Keep the change." he said, giving her a twenty. It wasn't much, but Lelouch was a firm believer in hard work being rewarded, and the detailed work on every one of the thirty-or-so card carvings he could see was certainly deserving of at least what little he could do.
"Thank you very much, sir!" the woman said, accepting the cash with audible delight. "I'll be here every week at around this time should you want to purchase more."
"Thank you." Lelouch nodded and accepted his goods before moving on, quickly arriving at the 'Staff Entrance' of his destination.
"Ah, Mister Lamperouge." the old man who acted as his manager, a tall, narrow old fellow with coiffed hair and square-rimmed glasses, at the 'establishment' greeted him politely as he walked in, his office located right by the entryway. "A delight to see you again. Are you looking for another opponent?"
"I never turn down a decent game or a decent purse, you should know that by now." Lelouch nodded. "Has anyone requested to be my opponent?"
"There have been several challenges today, but the only one who fits your criteria is the Count of Lonely Rock." the elderly man offered, hand coming up and notably long fingers interlacing in front of his mouth. "He has been most insistent that he is deserving of facing our best duellist, despite not going through the proper channels. The management are willing to pay an extra ten percent of your usually fee if you ensure his defeat is…sufficiently demonstrative."
"Make it fifteen, as per my usual rate, and you have a deal." Lelouch countered.
"Fifteen it is." his manager agreed without a moment's hesitation. "Fortunately, the man is on the premises right now, he's apparently been loudly lambasting his mewing pup of a son near the bar for some foolishness for the past half-hour. Get changed into your usual costume and you can await your summons."
Nodding, Lelouch slipped out of the office and headed down the corridor to the Duellist's Changing Room. How ironic. He was going to defeat both father and son in the same day, only a few hours apart, even.
From the sounds of it, it was going to be a most...delectable experience.
Later
Underground Duelling Arena
Kallen Kōzuki scowled as she absently adjusted the plain red half-face mask she'd been forced to wear. She would rather be hanging out with her brother's friends, but no~, Ohgi wanted her to see what 'real duellists' were like and had somehow managed to get himself, Inoue and her invited into an Underground Duelling Club, full of Britannians no less!
None of the duels, in her opinion, had even been that good. She was sure that she'd have been able to mop the floor with any of the Club Duellists or their 'challengers' with either of her decks.
And considering she'd built her 'Stadtfeld' deck specifically to be lacklustre, that was saying something.
"Are we about done here?" she growled out to Ohgi, who didn't even flinch at her tone.
"Nope, I just got word that the Arena's best duellist is going to be having a match against a Britannian Count." her pseudo-brother denied before steering her towards the seats nearest the 'house side', where the arena's Duellists always duelled from, Inoue heading off on her own for a moment. "If any duel will show you the kind of competition you're going to be up against at that tournament, it'll be this one!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight!" the MC announced as the three resistance fighters settled in. "Get your bets to the bookies now, because a match between the sitting Count of Lonely Rock and the undefeated champion of our Duelling Arena will be starting in the next few minutes!"
Mentally, the redhead scoffed. Lonely Rock was a miserable little inlet in Britannia that was all but worthless. The only reason the family who ruled over that barren stretch of rock had managed to claw its way to Count after being Barons for centuries was due to the last three family heads selling off their hands to rich merchant families looking to marry into nobility. That, combined with some shrewd investments, had allowed them to buy an upgrade to their titles.
There were also a few rumours about the family being involved in various criminal enterprises, smuggling being the most common accusation.
Just because Kallen hated attending Ashford Academy and playing nice with the noble brats that went there didn't mean she didn't learn anything. Gossip was seemingly every noble girl's favourite hobby, and the arrival of the current heir of Lonely Rock had stirred up the gossip mills something fierce.
After a few minutes to allow the last patrons to place their bets and retake their seats, the lights around the arena suddenly dimmed and the two Duelling Platforms were illuminated by spotlights. Kallen rolled her eyes as Inoue sat back down a betting ticket in her hand for the champion.
"On the Challenger's Platform, we introduce Count Markus Gallagher!" the MC announced as a heftily built man, with platinum-blonde hair and a ridiculously thin moustache, dressed in expensive clothing that probably cost more than some poor families made in a year, swaggered onto the platform, smirking confidently as his platform was lowered and locked into position.
"And, on the House Platform, the Citadel Duelling Arena's best Duellist!" the MC announced excitedly. "Untouched in over a hundred consecutive duels, the undefeated reigning champion of the Duelling Arena, the one, the only...the Mysterious Masked Duellist, Shadow Enforcer!"
The man who strode into the arena was not what Kallen was expecting. Unlike the rest of the 'House Duellists', who had worn garish cream and burgundy uniforms with a half-face mask that was coloured based on their respective rank in the House, Enforcer wore a subdued, plain navy uniform, with a black full-face mask hiding his entire head. The mask's face was completely smooth, but the redhead could guess that it was some kind of specially-treated one-way glass. The only decoration on the mask were a pair of silver lightning bolts on either side of the face-area.
"What's this guy's story?" she whispered to Ohgi as the second platform was lowered into place.
"No one knows much, he just sort of appeared on the Duelling scene two years ago and hasn't lost a single Duel since." he whispered back. "Apparently he only faces the best duellists that challenge the Arena and anyone hoping to challenge him has to either beat every other Duellist in the club or pay a very substantial fee. Enforcer's one of the best in the Settlement, he's been known to face challengers two-on-one and still win.
Alright, so Kallen was now officially intrigued. She was also undefeated so far, at least when she was using her 'personal' deck. She'd never really cared about how many times she won or lost using 'Kallen Stadtfeld's' deck.
"As the Challenger, Count Gallagher is given the honour of having the first turn." the MC finished before falling silent.
"Ready to finally lose your crown, 'Shadow Enforcer?'" the Count called out banally from across the field as both duellists drew their starting hands.
"I have faced down far more fearsome threats than the likes of you and emerged victorious. I cannot see any reason this night will be any different." the masked duellist replied coldly, his voice distorted thanks to a voice scrambler. "Let us proceed."
"Duel!"
Count Gallagher: 4000
Shadow Enforcer: 4000
"I'll start this off, draw!" the noble stated, adding his new card to his hand before selecting another. "I Summon [Gem-Armadillo], in Attack Mode!"
With a flash of light, a dark-yellow armadillo, seemingly made from rock, appeared on the field.
Gem-Armadillo – Attack: 1700 | Defence: 500
"When this monster is summoned, I can add any [Gem-Knight] monster from my deck to my hand." the Count smirked, doing so. "Now, I'll place two cards face-down on the field to end my turn."
'Gem-Knight cards are some of the most sought after, and thus the most expensive, cards in the game.' Kallen thought with a scowl. 'And he likely bought them on a whim. God, this is why I hate Britannians!'
"My turn then. I draw." Shadow Enforcer stated simply as he drew with an elegant flourish that spoke of time and practice. "First, I activate the Magic Card, [One for One]. I discard a monster from my hand, in order to summon a Level One monster from my deck. I call forth [Stygian Security], in Defence Mode."
A short imp appeared on the field, a flashing red light on its head and a loudspeaker in its left hand.
Stygian Security – Attack: 100 | Defence: 600
"Next, I activate the Magic Card [Card of Demise]. During this turn, you can receive no battle damage to your life points, nor can I Special Summon. In exchange, I can draw three cards. However, at the end of this turn, I must discard my entire hand to the graveyard."
"Why would he even play that card?!" Kallen hissed in shock.
"A foolish choice." Count Gallagher scoffed, apparently agreeing with her.
"We shall see." the masked duellist replied simply. "I further activate the Continuous Magic Card [Finite Hand]. With this, the size limit of both of our hands becomes three cards only. I then activate the Continuous Magic Card [Infernity Launcher], and activate its effect. Once per turn, I can select an [Infernity] monster in my hand, and send it to the graveyard. I choose [Infernity Avenger]."
"Never heard of these cards before." Kallen blinked. She liked to think that she knew a fair bit about the various card types out there (Again, going to Ashford had some benefits) but she'd never heard of these 'Infernity' monsters
"Me neither, but I think we're about to get a good look at what they're all about..." Ohgi agreed with a frown.
"Next, I activate another Magic Card, [Foolish Burial], allowing me to send one monster from my deck to my graveyard." Shadow Enforcer continued, and did so. "I'll then Summon [Infernity Necromancer] in Attack Mode."
In a flash of light, a monster wearing a ragged purple robe, with a skeletal body and wild white hair appeared on the field.
Infernity Necromancer – Attack: 0 | Defence: 2000
"A zero attack monster, in Attack Mode?!" the noble he was facing exclaimed. "You must be mad!"
"When summoned to the field in face-up Attack Mode, [Infernity Necromancer] activates its special ability, automatically switching to Defence Mode." the masked duellist informed him simply.
As the skeletal monster crossed its arms and its card appeared beneath it in horizontal position, Shadow Enforcer selected another card.
"Finally, I set my last card face-down on the field." the masked duellist declared, the yellow square appearing as he followed through on his words.
"Y-You…just managed to play your entire hand in a single turn!?" the noble shouted in shock.
"Indeed I did, your mastery of stating the obvious is impressive." Shadow Enforcer drawled back with a shrug. "Since all my monsters are in Defence Mode, I end my turn. As my hand is empty, I can discard nothing, so the effect of [Card of Demise] is useless against me. Your turn."
"Here it is, Duelling fans! The start of Shadow Enforcer's infamous 'Handless Combo!' No duellist has ever managed to emerge victorious against the Shadow Enforcer's elusive battle style!" the MC informed them.
"'Handless Combo'?" Kallen muttered. "As in, he ensures that he has no cards in his hand?"
"Weird strategy." Ohgi muttered, blinking in confusion.
"And I paid a thousand pounds for this nonsense?" the Count scoffed. "This farce will be over soon enough, and I shall have my money back, boy. My turn, draw!"
Adding his card to his hand, he grinned. "I activate the Magic Card [Absorb Fusion]! First, I get to add one [Gem-Knight] monster from my deck to my hand. Next, I banish [Gem-Knight Garnet] and [Gem-Knight Lapis] from my hand in order to Fusion Summon [Gem-Knight Zirconia] in Attack Mode!"
In a flash swirling brown and red light, a new, large monster appeared, towering over the field like a giant. Completely covered in pale blue and grey armour and with a pair of large gauntlets ending in massive blue diamond hammers, it looked very formidable.
Gem-Knight Zirconia – Attack: 2900 | Defence: 2500
"Wow...that's one powerful monster." Inoue said in awe.
"My ace monster's stronger." Kallen pointed out in annoyance.
"Don't get jealous, Kallen." Ohgi teased her, making her huff.
"The only downside to my [Absorb Fusion] card is that I can't Special Summon anything but [Gem-Knight] cards for the rest of the turn, but that isn't an issue." Gallagher sneered. "Now, [Gem-Knight Zirconia], attack [Infernity Necromancer] with Zirconia Heavy Impact!"
Rearing back one mighty fist, the armoured knight leapt forwards to strike its enemy. However...
"I activate my face-down trap card, [Infernity Force]." Shadow Enforcer stated calmly. "As an [Infernity] monster was targeted by an attack while I have no cards in my hand, I can use this card's two effects. First, your monster is destroyed."
A ball of yellow light appeared around [Infernity Necromancer] just as the massive fist of the [Gem-Knight] reached it. The dome shattered and turned into rays of light that pierced the massive monster in multiple places, destroying it.
"Wha-?!" the Count gaped.
"Next, I can Special Summon an [Infernity] monster from my graveyard." the masked duellist continued calmly. "Emerge, [Infernity Guardian], in Defence Mode!"
A blue-black shield appeared, with a screaming skull in the centre, surrounded by burning red-orange flames.
Infernity Guardian – Attack: 1200 | Defence: 1700
"Grrr...!" Gallagher growled. "[Gem-Armadillo], attack and destroy that damned little devil!"
Gem-Armadillo (Attack 1700) VS Stygian Security (Defence: 600)
With a charge and a swipe of one paw, the small imp was destroyed.
"I activate the special ability of [Stygian Security]." Shadow Enforcer stated. "When it is destroyed in battle, I can summon a Level One Fiend-type monster from my deck. Come forth, my second [Stygian Security]!"
Another imp appeared to take the place of the first.
"Furthermore, you destroyed a monster that I controlled in battle, while I have no cards in my hand. That activated the special Ability of the [Infernity Avenger] in my Graveyard." the masked duellist continued. "He comes to the field, in Defence Position."
An evil-looking puppet appeared, dressed like a cowboy and wielding two pistols.
Infernity Avenger – Attack/Defence: 0
"Here it is! The start of the finishing series of the 'Handless Combo'!" the MC spoke up, sounding genuinely excited.
"Grrr...!" the noble ground his teeth again. "I'll play one card face down to end my turn."
"He didn't have a choice in doing that unless he wanted to lose a card." Kallen observed. "Shadow Enforcer's [Finite Hand] card is still in play, meaning he would have been forced to discard if he had more than three cards."
"I'd forgotten about that." Ohgi looked at her, still impressed by his pseudo-sister's ability to keep track of things.
"In Knightmares and on the duelling field, one thing to keep track of is where your enemy has been and what they did there." the redhead replied with a roll of her eyes. "Let's see what the champion here plans to do..."
"I draw." Shadow Enforcer stated and looked at the card he just drew. "I activate the special ability of the card I just drew, [Infernity Archfiend]. If I draw it, and it is the only card in my hand, I can Special Summon it to the field. Come forth!"
In a flash, a demonic goat-headed monster wearing an elaborate, multicoloured robe appeared on the field.
Infernity Archfiend – Attack: 1800 | Defence: 1200
"Furthermore, when [Infernity Archfiend] is Special Summoned, I can add an [Infernity] monster from my deck to my hand." the masked duellist said. "I then activate the effect of my [Infernity Launcher] and send it to the graveyard."
"He really is trying to keep his hand as empty as possible..." Kallen breathed at the mad, but clearly functional, strategy she was witnessing here.
"I now Tune my Level One Tuner Monster, [Infernity Avenger], with my Level Four [Infernity Guardian] and my Level Three [Infernity Necromancer]!" Shadow Enforcer declared.
"A Synchro Summon?!" Gallagher recoiled in disbelief.
"No freaking way...!" Kallen breathed. Synchro, XYZ and Link monsters were so new and rare than only a few hundred people per Area, even in the Britannian Homeland itself, had any at the moment. This guy was no Average Joe, that was for certain.
[Infernity Avenger] instantly rose up into the air, dissolving into a single bright green ring of light, into which both [Infernity Necromancer] and [Infernity Guardian] flew, their bodies fading away, leaving only a number of shining lights caught in the ring, one for each of all three monster's level stars for a total of eight.
"The dead and the living...the moment they meet at zero, the demonic dragon will be released from the cage of eternity! Synchro Summon! Come forth, [Infernity Doom Dragon]!" Shadow Enforcer chanted as, in a pillar of blinding green light, the lights of the level stars disappeared.
When the light cleared, a massive, monstrous black dragon, with bone-white pinchers at the tip of its forelimbs, a large blade on the end of its muzzle and a large crown of bone-like material atop its head floated there. It reared back its head and roared before setting down on the arena floor.
Infernity Doom Dragon – Attack: 3000 | Defence: 2400
"Th-three-thousand attack points..." the noble gulped.
"There it is, people! Shadow Enforcer's Ace Monster, the demonic, the deadly, the unstoppable [Infernity Doom Dragon]!" the MC roared excitedly. "The number of challenging Duellists who've met their ends to this ferocious monster is uncountable! And it doesn't even look like our champion has finished just yet!"
"Not quite yet." agreed the Shadow Enforcer evenly. "I activate the second effect of [Infernity Launcher]. Since I have no cards in my hand, I can send it to the graveyard and then select and Special Summon two [Infernity] Monsters from my Graveyard. Return, [Infernity Necromancer]. Arise, [Infernity Dwarf]!"
Seconds later, a familiar and unfamiliar monster stood on the field. One was the emancipated form of [Infernity Necromancer], while the other was a dwarf in rustic clothing and carrying a flaming double-bladed axe in his hands.
Infernity Dwarf – Attack: 800 | Defence: 500
"Now I'll Tune my Level One Tuner Monster, [Stygian Security], with my Level Three [Infernity Necromancer] and my Level Four [Infernity Archfiend]!" the masked duellist declared.
"Two...he has two Synchro Monsters..." Kallen was grateful that she had enough self-control to not allow her jaw to follow its instincts and dangle somewhere around her ankles.
As the monsters dissolved and reformed into stars and light rings, Shadow Enforcer started to chant once again.
"Between the skies and the earth lies a chaotic void! This being appears from that Purgatory...Synchro Summon! The Dragon of Purgatory, [Void Ogre Dragon]!"
In another brilliant flash, a second dragon appeared on the field. A dull red, the colour of dried blood, with bright crimson jewels dotted across its draconic body, the beast looked like an unholy mix between a dragon and a demon while an utterly terrifying, demonic aura seemed to emanate from it.
Void Ogre Dragon – Attack/Defence: 3000
"Another...another one?!" Gallagher stammered. "H-how...?!"
"And here's the second one! Shadow Enforcer's second Ace Monster! Rarely seen together on the same field, it looks as if the champion is going for the kill, folks!" the MC declared.
"Time to bring this to a close. First, I activate the special ability of [Infernity Doom Dragon]!" Shadow Enforcer declared mercilessly. "Once per turn, if I have no cards in my hand, I can select a monster that you control. It gets destroyed and you lose life points equal to half of the destroyed monster's attack points. Go, Infernal Flame Breath!"
The massive dragon breathed in and then belched out a torrent of flames that washed over and destroyed [Gem-Armadillo], and also washed over Markus.
Count Gallagher: 4000 – 850 = 3150
"Unfortunately, this means that I cannot attack with [Infernity Doom Dragon] on this turn...not that it matters." the masked duellist stated mercilessly. "[Infernity Dwarf], attack his life points directly!"
The dwarf flew at the Count and slashed his axe across the man's platform before retreating.
Count Gallagher: 3150 – 800 = 2350
"And finally...[Void Ogre Dragon], finish this duel with Infernity Chaos Burst!" Shadow Enforcer said coldly.
Glowing brightly with a pale red light, the dull red dragon unleashed a powerful blast of crimson and obsidian flames towards its target.
"Not so fast!" Gallagher shouted desperately as a card flipped up. "I activate my Trap Card, [Reactive Armour]! Now your precious dragon is destroyed!"
"Bloody cockroach...!" Kallen growled out. She'd been enjoying watching the smarmy noble get squashed.
"I activate the special ability of my [Void Ogre Dragon]." the masked duellist said calmly. "Once per turn, while I have no cards in my hand, I can negate the activation of a Magic or Trap Card and destroy it."
The malicious aura surrounding the demonic dragon seemed to surge brighter for a moment, before exploding outward and meeting the blast of white energy that had been sweeping across the field halfway. Both blasts flared for a moment, before they fading, leaving [Void Ogre Dragon] untouched.
Then the dragon released its flames once more, and this time there was no stopping it. The flames slammed into the noble's Duelling Platform and made it shake.
Count Gallagher: 2350 – 3000 = -650
Shadow Enforcer is the Winner!
"And there we have it folks! Once again, the winner is the undefeated Champion of the Citadel Duelling Arena, SHADOW ENFORCER!" the MC declared, and the cheers from the crowd were loud and excited. At least they were from those who had either bet on Shadow Enforcer or had refrained from betting at all.
"Yes!" Inoue quietly cheered. "I just won enough money to feed the group for two weeks!"
Kallen, however, kept her eyes locked onto the form of Shadow Enforcer as he briefly bowed and waved to the crowd before turning and heading back through the door which he had entered the arena.
"So? Still want to accept that tournament invite?" Ohgi asked her quietly. "Even after seeing the kind of skill level that might be there?"
"You know the answer to that." the half-blood replied as she turned her attention to him again. "It's the prelims to some way bigger tournament, with an even larger cash prize. Underground tournament or not, we need that money. And as you and Naoto still won't let me do anything other than pilot that damn simulator all the time, I'm going to do this, if nothing else."
"Fine. Just...be careful, OK?" Ohgi sighed at how headstrong Kallen was being. Both he and Naoto had tried to keep her out of it, but she was too stubborn and determined to hold off for long. Plus, she was an excellent martial artist and a genius at piloting Knightmares. Even if they didn't want to get her involved, it was stupid to not recruit someone as skilled as she was.
At least this way they could keep her from doing anything rash on her own.
"Hey, you're the one who keeps losing to me in sparring. Worry more about your weak defence than me." Kallen said jokingly. "And...who knows? Maybe getting an actual challenge on the duelling field will be good for me."
Elsewhere
"My liege...one of the Numbers has been detected."
"Which one and where?"
"[Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment], in Area 11."
"Functionally useless by itself. What of its counterpart?"
"[Number 13: Embodiment of Crime] is still not detectable."
"Well, I suppose that is one Area where we have yet to establish a presence. Have a small band head there at once. Give the leader one of the Numbers...Number 33, I believe, would be a good fit."
"Your will be done, my Liege."
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Next Chapter: The Count Strikes Back
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