"Duel!" - Regular Speech
'What next?' - Thoughts
"Infernal Pressure!" - Monster Attack/Summoning Chant
Beta'd by BigCC
Chapter 5: Semifinals: Infernity Vs. Familiar Possessed
Same Time
Computer Room, Pegasus Castle, Duellist's Kingdom
"And how has the selection process been progressing?" an aristocratic voice spoke up from the centre of the large, circular room. Reclining in a large, red leather armchair located there, a man sat at ease; dressed in an obviously custom-tailor red suit as he absently swirled a glass of wine in one hand. Most of his face covered in shadows by the room's dim lighting and the glare from the multiple monitors filling the room, but one could still make out a few aristocratic features, his long silver hair and a single visible brown eye.
"60% of the Preliminary Tournaments in the Britannian Homeland have already been completed, as have roughly 70% of those taking place in the various Britannian Areas; with Areas 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 having completely finished their Preliminaries." one of the operators manning the dozens of computers that were mounted across the room's walls reported dutifully. "The remaining Homeland Duels should be completed within the next two hours. The remaining Areas are a bit harder to accurately predict due to the communication difficulties and differing time zones, but they will likely be finished within the next three to eight hours."
"Hmm, very good. Very good." the suited man hummed happily. "What about the Area 11 Tournament?"
"They are preparing to enter the semifinals as we speak." the operator responded after taking a quick moment to check his screen. "The first match is between a proxy duellist acting in the stead of one of our invitees and our analysts' current favourite for winning the tournament itself. We have already verified the invitee's excuse, severe food poisoning, and confirmed that the proxy is indeed using the original invitee's deck per their request."
"Oh dear. Well, no one can counter bad luck, can they?" the suited man stated with a shrug as he took a sip of his wine. "Well, since we've got nothing better to do than wait for the tournaments to end, we might as well enjoy some free entertainment. Put the match on the big screen, I'm curious to see the competency of Area 11's best and brightest duellists."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Rolling his eyes slightly, Maximilian pe Britannia smiled slightly as he settled back into his chair as the big screen was split with two images of the opposing duellists entering their respective boxes. "Hmmm… 'Zero' was it? Catchy. Good to see at least one of our competitors has a proper sense of theatrics. What is the full story on this proxy duellist he's facing?"
"The actual invitee, one Charles De Groot, is suffering from a moderately debilitating bout of food poisoning due to 'contaminated oysters.'" the operator stated clinically. "The man replacing him, a Jonathon Pearson, was also on our list of possible invitees but fell short of the final cut. Croquet received a letter from De Groot himself, sealed with the man's personal signet, stating that Pearson was an 'old friend' and requesting that he be allowed to duel using his deck in his stead. Croquet tentatively allowed Pearson entry and had his computer techs run a quick lookup to confirm facts. They found verification of De Groot's illness via a private practice and found several social media images showing the two together in a friendly manner. We also confirmed that the deck is indeed De Groot's from his duelling history. Pearson himself usually uses an Ice Barrier Deck instead."
"Ah, such friendship, such dedication!" the silver-man declared with a laugh. "Put a reminder in my inbox to personally send a note thanking Messrs De Groot and Pearson for their efforts despite the trying circumstances."
"Yes sir."
The ageing former prince absently nodded at the man as he settled back into his 'throne.' He'd always had a distaste for the blatantly excessive number of 'Your Highness'es he'd had to put up with back in the Homeland, so he had bluntly ordered his personal staff of servants and technicians to cut it down to the bare minimum. Oh, he still put up with it during his rare public appearances, he was still of royal blood and thus had to maintain proper decorum in public (more's the pity that), but in private he far preferred not having his people waste their time on worthless protocol rather than doing their jobs.
"And what of this 'Zero' fellow? You said he was the current favourite, what do we have on him?"
"The original invitation was for the currently undefeated champion of the Britannian Tokyo Settlement's Citadel Underground Duelling Arena, the 'Shadow Enforcer.' We've confirmed his deck is a perfect match so far, an [Infernity] Archetype, as are his tactics and mannerisms so our people are mostly certain it is indeed the same person under a new persona." the operator reported. "Other than that, we have no other concrete information on him. We currently suspect that only two or three members of the Citadel Arena's top management know his actual identity, and none of our agents have been able to ferret out anything listing it either physically or electronically."
That actually caused Maximilian's single exposed eyebrow to quirk up slightly in intrigue. While not as efficient (or as ruthless) as his younger brother's Office of Secret Intelligence, the agents of Imperial Illusions Incorporated's intelligence division were still quite good at their jobs, so if they couldn't discover any paper or electronic files regarding Shadow Enforcer's identity, he was going to assume that none existed.
"Well, well, well. We seem to have a bona-fide mystery on our hands then. How exciting. This Shadow…no Zero, I like that name better. This Zero must be quite the paranoiac, what fun!" the royal mused, his eyes locked on the masked figure on-screen as he drew five cards. "Oh, a genuine wildcard will certainly make my tournament all the more exciting; now let's see just how he uses my [Infernity] cards…"
Same Time
Duelling Arena #1, Aboard the MS Pegasus, Port Yokosuka, Area 11
""Duel!""
'Zero' – 4000
*Proxy* Jonathan Pearson – 4000
"I'll take the first turn, if you don't mind?" Jonathan requested.
"By all means, go ahead." Lelouch replied, honestly intrigued in seeing just what he was dealing with.
"Much obliged, draw!" the man added the card to his hand before selecting another. "I Summon [Fairy Tale – Luna] to the field in Attack Mode!"
In a flash of light, a female humanoid appeared on the field. She was dressed in a pale green kimono with long dark hair the colour of the night sky that stretched down to floor. However, what caught ones eye would be cute pair of orange fox ears poking out of its head and the immensely large, bushy fox tail that emerged from behind her, a folding fan gripped lightly in its tip and held up to slightly hide her face.
Fairy Tale – Luna – Attack: 1850 | Defence: 1000
"When [Fairy Tale – Luna] is summoned to the field, I can add a Spellcaster-type monster with 1850 Attack from my deck to my hand." the proxy duellist explained, flicking through his deck before selecting one card and adding it to his hand. Allowing the auto-shuffler to do its job, he then replaced his deck in the deck area and continued with his turn. "Next, I activate the special ability of a card in my hand. When I have a Spellcaster-type monster on the field, I can Special Summon [Jigabyte]."
Another monster appeared on the field next to [Fair Tale – Luna]. This one was a bright green humanoid reptile, with bone spikes emerging from its shoulders, elbows, and knees, and wearing cream-coloured cloth armour on its lower arms and legs. Electricity crackled around it as it hissed at Lelouch.
Jigabyte – Attack: 1500 | Defence: 200
"To finish, I'll play one card face-down and end my turn at that." Jonathan said. "Over to you, Zero."
"My thanks. I draw!" Lelouch said. Adding the card he'd just drawn to his hand, he considered his strategy. His [Infernity] deck didn't have many monsters that could match his opponent's first card in sheer attack points, particularly among the lower levels. [Infernity] monsters tended to rely more on their Effects rather than their Attack Points.
He had little indication of what his opponent's deck was, because he had focused more on Kallen Kōzuki and Kaguya Sumeragi's duels, mostly because both lovely ladies had already impressed him. He was regretting that somewhat right now, but he was prepared to poke this sleeping dragon to find out exactly what it was capable of.
Thankfully, he'd just drawn a card he'd received as a gift from his Milly just before the tournament had started. No better time than now to put it to good use.
"I shall start by activating the Effect of the monster I just drew. First, I reveal the [Danger! Mothman!] in my hand in order to activate his special ability. I then return it to my hand and then shuffle it around." he explained, shuffling the cards in his hand with a slight flourish. " Now you have to select one card in my hand to discard at random."
Eyeing the masked man warily, Jonathan pointed. "Second card from the right."
Smiling to himself, Lelouch discarded his [Infernity General]. "Very well chosen, one of my more powerful monsters. Sadly, because you didn't select [Danger! Mothman!], I can now Special Summon it to the field and draw one card."
Appearing in a burst of darkness, a gain, humanoid moth, covered in green-black scales and with large, glowing red compound eyes, shrieked as it made its entrance.
Danger! Mothman! – Attack: 1800 | Defence: 400
"Next, I shall play this Magic Card I just drew, [Foolish Burial], so I can send one monster from my deck to my graveyard." Lelouch continued. Selecting the monster to go into the graveyard, he then let his deck be shuffled and returned to his deck zone before continuing. "Then I shall Summon [Infernity Necromancer] in Attack Mode!"
The purple-robed skeleton made its appearance on the field and cackled before it shifted into what was recognizably Defence Mode.
Infernity Necromancer – Defence: 2000 | Attack: 0
"What? How did it...?" Jonathan blinked.
"That's the special ability of [Infernity Necromancer]; when summoned in face-up Attack Mode, it automatically shifts into Defence Mode." Lelouch explained evenly. "Now, to battle! [Danger! Mothman!], attack [Jigabyte]!"
Danger! Mothman! (Attack: 1800) VS Jigabyte (Attack: 1500)
With a glass-cracking shriek, the humanoid moth leapt forwards and slashed down with one clawed hand, sending the humanoid reptile flying back to shatter in to shards of light.
Jonathan Pearson: 4000 – 300 = 3700
"I activate the special ability of [Jigabyte]!" the owner of the destroyed monster declared. "When he's sent to the graveyard as a result of battle or by card effect, I can Special Summon a new monster with Attack Points of 1500 and Defence Points of 200 from my Deck, except for another [Jigabyte] card. Come forth, [Ranryū]!"
In an explosion of wind, a long, serpentine yellow dragon with wings emerging from just below its head appeared and snarled before settling down into [Jigabyte]'s former position.
Ranryū – Attack: 1500 | Defence: 200
"Hoh, a most useful Effect." the masked duellist commented with a nod. "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."
As the two squares directly behind his monsters started flashing yellow, Jonathan Pearson eyed his opponent warily. Zero, or Shadow Enforcer, was someone whose level of skill he was more than slightly aware of due to his good friend Charles being such an avid fan of the man. Admittedly, the man's winning streak at the Citadel Underground Duelling Arena was simply unreal, and he used the highly controversial and often underestimated [Infernity] Archetype, which was said to be an Archetype which required considerable skill to make any real use of.
'Still, I've come this far.' he thought as he drew his next card. 'And I have no intention of letting old Charlie down now that I'm so close!'
"I activate the special ability of a monster card in my hand!" he stated. "By sending one Spellcaster-type monster and one Wind-attribute monster from my field to my graveyard, I can Special Summon [Awakening of the Possessed – Rasenryū] to the field!"
Both of the monsters on his field vanished in a massive whirlwind, only to be swiftly replaced by much larger, green and yellow-scaled version of [Ranryū], this form now bearing large spiralling horns, a fang-filled maw and a girl with green hair perched astride him.
Awakening of the Possessed – Rasenryū – Attack: 2000 | Defence: 200
"When this monster is Special Summoned by its own effect, I can select one card controlled by my opponent and send it back to their hand. [Infernity Necromancer], begone with Gale Disappearance!" Jonathan declared.
His newly summoned dragon roared again, this time a tornado appearing around [Infernity Necromancer] as it vanished from the field, Lelouch picking its card up and returning it to his hand.
"Next, I'll use my normal summoning to Set a card in Defence Mode." the man declared, a yellow square flashing into existence next to his dragon. "Now, [Awakening of the Possessed – Rasenryū], attack [Danger! Mothman!] with Spiral Vortex Breath!"
Awakening of the Possessed – Rasenryū (Attack: 2000) VS Danger! Mothman! (Attack: 1800)
Opening its maw wide, the yellow dragon formed a massive gale of spiralling winds before firing it like a horizontal tornado at the mothman, blasting it to pieces in an instant.
'Zero': 4000 – 200 = 3800
"I activate [Phantom Hand] in reaction." Lelouch stated coolly, flipping the card over. So far, he was quite impressed with both the deck he was facing and the skill of the duellist who was wielding it. It was very rare for him to unintentionally take damage in a duel, particularly so early, but it was the second time it had happened today. Even more so, his opponent could have summoned a second Monster in Attack Mode in order to do deal severe damage to his Life Points with a Direct Attack, but hadn't. How intriguing.
Coming to this tournament had been a good idea. He hadn't had a challenge this interesting in months!
"I'll end my turn there." Jonathan said casually. "Over to you."
"Very well. I draw." Lelouch added the card to his hand. It was one of his favourites, [Card of Demise]. The look of shock on Milly's face when he'd first shown off the combination that would become one of his 'trademarks' as Shadow Enforcer against her when he was first testing his [Infernity] deck had only ever been matched when he'd managed to beat her thrice in a row with it.
He'd taken a bit of revenge for her 'blitz-kissing' him so many times and had taken the opportunity to spank her bare ass five times. Wouldn't you know, the kinky little minx had actually enjoyed it.
Placing that oddly seductive memory to one side, he refocused on the task at hand. His opponent had already proven that he deserved to be taken seriously, and so he shall.
"First off, I'll play [Card of Demise]." he said aloud. "This allows me to draw three cards, at the cost of your monsters and Life Points being untouchable for the duration of this turn, as well as preventing me from Special Summoning. Additionally, I have to discard my entire hand at the end of this turn."
Drawing his three cards, Lelouch smiled. Just what the doctor ordered.
"An excellent draw. I'll next play the Field Magic Card [Archfiend Palabyrinth]!" he stated, placing the card in the Field Magic Zone.
Across the battlefield itself, the terrain instantly began to shift. Large, baroque black iron towers emerged around the field's outer edges, while grey stone walls of a labyrinth rose up across the centre of the field.
"[Archfiend Palabyrinth] increases the attack of all of my Fiend-type monsters by 500 points. It has other abilities, but they won't come into effect until a bit later in our duel." Lelouch explained casually. "Next, I'll play [Wave-Motion Inferno], which increases the attack and defence of my [Infernity] monsters by 400 apiece when I have no cards in my hand. I'll then Set one card face-down and Summon [Infernity Necromancer] in Attack Mode once more before activating the effect of [Phantom Hand], removing the cards in my hand from play for one turn."
The skeletal fiend reappeared and crossed its arms as it shifted back into Defence Mode, a red glow appearing around it as the Field Card and Continuous Magic Card empowered it.
Infernity Necromancer – Attack: 0 +500 + 400 = 900 | Defence: 2000 + 400 = 2400
"That is quite the solid-looking Wall Card." Jonathan remarked, using the common term for a monster whose sole purpose was to defend its user. "But defending isn't going to win you this duel, Zero."
"A solid offence can only be successfully mounted after establishing a solid defence." Lelouch countered calmly. "With that I end my turn. Back to you."
"My thanks." the dapper man said with a nod. He was doing his best to keep his nerves off his face. He was now facing off against the infamous 'Handless Combo' that had never failed to win the Shadow Enforcer his duels once he'd played it.
He bit back a nervous chuckle. He wasn't sure if Charles would be jealous or relieved to not be the one facing it in his place when he told him about it. Probably a bit of both.
"I draw." Jonathan said, adding the card to his hand. "I Flip-Summon [Eria the Water Charmer]!"
In a surge of water, a teenaged girl with long blue hair, dressed in a ragged brown cloak with an equally worn green top, blue skirt and brown boots, appeared on the field. She carried a short, ice-encrusted staff in one hand and seemed to have a smaller version of [Jigabyte] floating over one of her shoulders.
Eria the Water Charmer – Attack: 500 | Defence: 1500
"If you'd had any Water-attribute monsters, I could have taken control of them thanks to my monster's special ability, but you don't." Jonathan offered with a wry smile. A deck filled with mostly Dark-attribute monsters was the bane of [Familiar-Possessed] decks like the one he was using. [Dharc the Dark Charmer] was limited to only two copies in a tournament deck, and Charles hadn't designed the deck he'd given him to counter Shadow Enforcer, so he only had one copy in it right now.
"I then play [Monster Reborn], and resurrect [Jigabyte]!" he said, causing Duel Monster's most recognizable Spell Card to appear on the field, quickly followed by the humanoid reptile. "I'll also chain this Trap Card into the mix, [Spell Reclamation]! By discarding one card, I can add the Magic Card I chained it with to my hand instead of sending it to the graveyard."
The [Monster Reborn] card on the field was lit up with a pale green glow before it vanished from the field, returning to its owner's hand rather than being sent to the graveyard.
'Interesting...so that first face-down of his was nothing more than a bluff. Most impressive.' Lelouch mused with a grin. He had to give credit where credit was due, using a bluff like that on the first turn took guts.
As [Jigabyte] returned to the field, Lelouch raised an eyebrow when [Eria] lit up happily when she saw him and waved at the humanoid lizard, who seemed to almost preen at her attention. What the heck were Imperial Illusions programming into the cards these days?
"For my next trick, I'll send [Eria the Water Charmer] and [Jigabyte] to the graveyard in order to Special Summon [Familiar-Possessed – Eria] from my deck." Jonathan said with a smile.
A massive surge of water surged upward from beneath both monsters, swallowing them both before they merged together, revealing a new one. The monster itself was nearly indistinguishable from [Eria], but now she had what looked like a watery blue copy of [Jigabyte] floating just over and behind her like some kind of guardian angel.
"Now, I'll pay [Pot of Greed] to restock my hand." the proxy duellist stated, playing another famous card and drawing two new cards for his hand. Judging from the slight downturn of his lips, they weren't exactly what he'd been hoping for.
"To end my turn, I'll play another card face down. Over to you." Jonathan said genially.
"Very well, I draw." Lelouch agreed. "And with my Standby Phase, my Hand returns to me from out of play."
Sadly, neither card offered a quick win. His draw was [Infernity Knight] while the only card left in his hand was [Infernity Destroyer]. Neither was worth summoning at this moment.
"I activate [Phantom Hand] to remove my hand from play for one turn." he said before focusing on the field. Time to begin his counterattack. "I activate the special ability of [Infernity Necromancer]. Once per turn, when there no cards in my hand, I can Special Summon any [Infernity] monster from my graveyard. Return from the depths, [Infernity General]!"
A massive man with an equally huge curved blade and wearing black heavy plate armour with gold and silver trimming and a bright red cape, with several red jewels embedded across his armour and blade, appeared on the field next to [Infernity Necromancer]. Its red eyes glared balefully at the assembled monsters as it brandished its sword.
Infernity General – Attack: 2700 | Defence: 1500
"Twenty-seven hundred Attack Points?!" Jonathan gaped. "I didn't know the [Infernity] Archetype had any monsters with that kind of power on their own!"
"Maximilian pe Britannia doesn't design cards that are solely reliant on Extra Summoning." Lelouch reminded him, using the term used to refer to Fusion, Synchro and XYZ Summoning as a group. "And I'm afraid his base Attack Points aren't the limits to my [Infernity General]'s power! Now he gets the bonus Points from [Archfiend Palabyrinth] and [Wave-Motion Inferno]!"
Infernity General – Attack: 2700 + 500 + 400 = 3600 | Defence: 1500 + 400 = 1900
"That's even stronger than your Synchro monsters!" the dapper proxy duellist gulped.
"It is always wise to have a backup strategy that differs significantly from your usual modus operandi." Lelouch offered glibly. "Now, [Infernity General], attack [Familiar-Possessed – Eria] with Infernal Blazing Blade!"
Infernity General (Attack: 3600) VS Familiar Possessed – Eria (Attack: 1850)
Gripping its sword in a two-handed grip, the armoured monster charged forwards as its sword was engulfed in demonic black flames. With a grunt and a slice of its weapon, the female monster and her watery familiar were both cleft in twain, the two halves shattering into shards that peppered Jonathan's box.
Jonathan Pearson: 3700 – 1750 = 1950
"Ngh! I activate my face-down card, [Possessed Partnerships]!" he declared, revealing a Trap Card showing a number of female mages and accompanied by their familiars. "First, it allows me to Special Summon any Spellcaster-type monster from my graveyard that has Defence Points equal to 1500! Return to the field, [Eria the Water Charmer]!"
In an explosion of water, the original monster returned to the field.
"Next, so long as I have monsters with at least two different Attributes on the field, I can select and destroy one monster on your side of the field! Say goodbye to [Infernity General]!" the dapper man declared. [Eria] raised her staff and [Rasenryū] opened its mouth, both sending a combined blast of water and wind right at the massive general.
"At this time, I activate the effect of the [Infernity Patriarch] in my graveyard." Lelouch countered simply. "Once per turn, while I have no cards in my hand, I can banish [Infernity Patriarch] from my graveyard to negate the destruction of one or more of my [Infernity] monsters by battle or card effect. Infernal Aegis!"
The ghostly image of a bearded man dressed in dark blue and orange armour and holding a large book appeared in front of the general, taking the hit for him before fading away.
"That's...that's the card you sent to the graveyard with [Foolish Burial]...!" Jonathan deduced shakily. "Did you plan this kind of defence all the way back during your first turn?!"
"From your first turn it was fairly obvious that your deck made use of a lot of effect monsters, ones that interlink with one another fairly well; having a precaution in place should one of those abilities or some card that makes use of those links turns out to be capable of destroying my own Monsters seemed a prudent move." Lelouch stated modestly. "Well, as the saying goes, I'm not often wrong, but I'm right again. I'll end my turn here. Over to you."
"I draw." the proxy duellist nodded, shaken by the just-in-case preparations his opponent had made on his very first turn. "I play the Magic Card [Spirit Charmers]. By discarding one card, I can search through my deck and select and two [Charmer] monsters, [Familiar-Possessed] monsters, or [Possessed] Magic/Trap cards. I can add one to my hand, and Set one on the field."
He added one card to his hand, and set the other in Defence Mode on the field. "I'll then play the Magic Card [Pot of Avarice]! I select five cards from my graveyard, shuffle them back into my deck, and then draw two cards."
'Unusual. Most people stopped using [Pot of Avarice] after [Pot of Greed] was unbanned three years ago.' Lelouch raised an eyebrow at this.
"I'll then switch [Eria] into Defence Mode and Set one more card face-down to end my turn." Jonathan said with a courteous nod.
"My turn then, I draw." Lelouch said, and looked at the card. "I activate the special ability of the card I just drew, [Infernity Archfiend]. By revealing it when I draw it into an empty hand, I can Special Summon it to the field! Come forth!"
With a flare of darkness, the bone-faced robed Fiend appeared on the field, ready to fight.
Infernity Archfiend – Attack: 1800 + 500 + 400 = 2700 | Defence: 1200 + 400 = 1600
"Whenever [Infernity Archfiend] is Special Summoned, I can add one [Infernity] monster from my deck to my hand." the exiled prince added. He quickly flipped through his deck and selected one that would be the start of the finishing move for this duel.
Allowing the card shuffler to do its job, Lelouch turned back to a slightly stupefied Jonathan. "And now, in my Standby Phase, my hand returns to me."
Even Lelouch had to admit, being able to pull off [Infernity Archfiend]'s special ability in its entirety was a fairly rare occurrence, but [Phantom Hand] made pulling it off a bit easier, since [Archfiend]'s effect activated the moment it was drawn and thus before the standby phase when his hand was returned.
"I think that it is time for the curtain to fall on this duel." Lelouch said, with a respectful inclination of his head at his opponent. "While this has been only the thirteenth duel in my professional career where I have lost life points, it has been far more challenging for me than most of the others. I thank you for the most interesting time."
"It isn't over until the last life point is gone, Zero." Jonathan stated firmly. "And I have just under two-thousand left!"
"Just so, just so. Then I shall endeavour to elucidate and illuminate you as to why I can state that with such confidence." the masked duellist, a confident mien overtaking his normally overly polite character. "Time to play! First, I Summon [Infernity Beetle], in Attack Mode!"
The terrier-sized beetle appeared on your field and hovered there, awaiting orders.
Infernity Beetle – Attack: 900 + 500 = 1400 | Defence: 0
"Next, I'll activate [Phantom Hand]'s effect and remove my hand from play until my next Standby Phase." Lelouch said, placing his remaining two cards in the designated Out-Of-Play Area. "And of course, now that I have no cards in my hand, [Wave-Motion Inferno]'s effect kicks in again."
All of the [Infernity] monsters grew more powerful thanks to the magic of his card.
"Time to kick things off with my speciality. I'll Tune [Infernity Archfiend] with my Level Two Tuner Monster, [Infernity Beetle]!" the masked teen declared. "From the darkness when all returns to zero, a demon shall be born to gather the souls of the living and the dead! Synchro Summon! Emerge, [Infernity Doom Archfiend]!"
In an explosive column of green light, the more evolved Archfiend took to the field, its red eyes locked onto the enemy monsters.
Infernity Doom Archfiend – Attack: 2200 + 500 + 400 = 3100 | Defence: 1600 + 400 = 2000
"T-two monsters with over 3000 Attack Points...!" Jonathan gulped.
"And their appearance harkens the beginning of the end for you, my friend. [Infernity General], attack [Eria the Water Charmer] with Infernal Blazing Blade!" Lelouch ordered.
As the Fiend charged forwards, Jonathan flipped over his face-down card.
"I activate the Trap Card [Unpossessed]!" he declared, revealing a Trap Card depicting several glowing monsters. "As long as this card is face-up on the field, all [Charmer] monsters cannot be destroyed as a result of battle!"
A ghostly image of [Jigabyte] appeared in front of [Eria], taking the blow for her.
"Hmm...[Infernity Doom Archfiend], attack the face-down monster with Deadly Infernal Pressure!" Lelouch ordered, eyes narrowed.
The demonic monster unleashed a pair of red beams from its hands which struck at the face-down monster, only for it to reveal...
"Allow me to introduce you to [Dharc the Dark Charmer]." Jonathan grinned as a gloomy looking male wearing dusty tan clothes similar to [Eria]'s, carrying a short staff with a vaguely bird-headed cast to its top and with a [Meda Bat] fluttering over one shoulder. "When he's flip-summoned or flipped up, he can take control of one Dark-attribute monster on your side of the field for as long as he is face-up on the field, and I choose [Infernity General]! Go, Dark Charm Casting!"
Raising his staff, [Dharc] shot a bolt of black light at [Infernity General], who stiffened before teleporting over to Jonathan's side of the field.
Lelouch golf clapped at him. "An excellently planned strategy, taking my strongest monster from me to use for yourself."
"Considering that none of my regular monsters can stack up to your monsters, it's a reasonable strategy, wouldn't you agree?" Jonathan said.
"Oh, I do. You'd honestly be surprised by how many duelling dilettantes let themselves get so worked up over such sensible and practical tactics." the masked duellist agreed with a jovial nod. "They take so much pride in the raw power of the cards they acquire that they disdain using actual tactics, instead relying on their beat-sticks to carry them forward."
"A failing of our countrymen as a whole, I'm afraid." the dapper proxy offered with a shrug. "We Britannians do tend to get a bit wrapped up in our beloved nobleman's pride."
"So true, and good of you to admit it. Well, I suppose I had better counter this technique of yours." Lelouch said. "I end the Battle Phase, and activate the special ability of [Infernity Doom Archfiend]. Once per turn, I can designate one enemy monster and negate its effects, which is then empowered into destroying the target in question if I have no cards in my hand. And I choose [Dharc the Dark Charmer]! Infernal Destruction, go!"
Beams shot from the multiple eyes of the demon to strike [Dharc], who shattered into pieces instantly. With the Spellcaster gone, [Infernity General] returned to Lelouch's control.
"Well, I'll be. I didn't know that [Infernity Doom Archfiend] had an ability like that." Jonathan said with an admiring shake of his head. "You usually only use it as a stepping stone to Synchro Summon one of your Ace Monsters."
"I believe that being able to make use of all of your card's abilities is the mark of a wise duellist, relying on any single trick too much makes you predictable." Lelouch offered amicably, looking somewhat fondly at the 'Underdog' of his Extra Deck. While more common than either of his dragons, it was just as potent in its own ways; something that Lelouch had deliberately kept concealed in his more common duels.
An ace up your sleeve is nowhere near as valuable as the ace you can hide in plain sight.
"I activate the third effect of [Unpossessed]. As a monster I control was destroyed by a card effect while it is face-up on the field, I can Special Summon a monster from my deck with 1500 Defence and either have it in face-up Attack Mode, or in face-down Defence Mode. I Special Summon [Windwitch – Glass Bell] in Attack Mode!"
In a flash of light, a small, green-haired female monster wearing goggles, a white suit with midnight blue trimming and a magenta bow, a dark blue witch's hat and riding a long-handled bell instead of a broom appeared on the field.
Windwitch – Glass Bell – Attack/Defence: 1500
"When [Glass Bell] is Summoned or Special Summoned, I can add one [Windwitch] monster from my deck to my hand." the dapper man continued, taking out his selected card before returning his deck to the auto-shuffler. "That's it for my response."
"Very well, I shall end my turn with that." Lelouch finished with a slight inclination of his masked head.
"My turn, draw. I play the Permanent Magic Card [Magician's Right Hand]." Jonathan said grimly, revealing a Magic Card showing a jewel-covered, long-nailed hand reaching for a glowing orb. "While I control a face-up Spellcaster monster, the first Magic Card you play, or the first Magic Card effect that activates, per turn is negated and, in the case of a Magic Card being the target, destroys it."
"Ah. How annoying." Lelouch frowned slightly. He didn't really use a lot of Magic Cards when things got to this level of play, but it was annoying that Jonathan had something like that to impede him if he did need to play one. Hopefully, Jonathan didn't have the other card to the set...
"Next, I'll play [Monster Reborn], bringing back [Dharc the Dark Charmer] in Defence Mode." the proxy duellist stated as the male monster reappeared. "He won't be around for long, as I reveal my Trap Card, [Dark Spiritual Art – Greed]. By sacrificing a Dark-attribute monster, I can draw two cards. If you had a hand available, you could have negated it by revealing a Magic Card from it, but oh well."
A ritual circle inscribed in chalk and lit by a plethora of phantom flames appeared beneath [Dharc], causing it to shatter into shards as Jonathan drew the two extra cards before regarding both his hand and the enemy field. Two powerful attackers, [Infernity General] and [Infernity Doom Archfiend], with a powerful Wall Monster, [Infernity Necromancer]. This was not going to be easy.
"I'll then play the Magic Card [Polymerisation], fusing together the [Windwitch – Snow Bell] and [Windwitch – Ice Bell] in my hand to form [Windwitch – Crystal Bell]!" he declared. Time to go big or go home.
A black rift appeared on the field, and from it emerged a floating monster seemingly made from clouded ice. It had a female portion mounted atop what looked like a giant frozen skirt of ice, with a framework of gold framing the edges and the 'waist'. It floated atop a purple crystalline spike of ice, and its waist and large arms were decorated with burgundy designs.
Windwitch – Crystal Bell – Attack: 2800 | Defence: 2400
"Impressive." Lelouch admitted. "But it's still no match for my monsters."
"Your attack-position monsters, perhaps, but not your Wall Card!" Jonathan pointed at the Defence Mode monster. "[Windwitch – Crystal Bell], attack [Infernity Necromancer] with Frozen Sound Blizzard!"
Windwitch – Crystal Bell (Attack: 2800) VS Infernity Necromancer (Defence: 2400)
The burgundy marks on the monster glowed as the sound of a ringing bell was heard, along with a freezing cold wind that slammed into the undead Fiend and shattered it like glass.
"I'll shift [Glass Bell] into Defence Mode and end my turn there." Jonathan said reluctantly.
"My turn, draw." Lelouch drew and added his card to his hand. "The effect of [Phantom Hand] activates and I get my hand back."
Regarding his hand, he frowned. He had [Infernity Knight] and [Infernity Destroyer], as well as the card he'd just drawn, [Infernity Wildcat]. Well, he had been meaning to end this match, so it was time to bring out one of his Aces.
"I activate the effect of a monster in my hand. By discarding one [Infernity] monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can Special Summon [Infernity Wildcat] to the field, in Attack Mode!"
With a loud yowl and a burst of fire, the wildcat appeared, standing ready to obey its summoner.
Infernity Wildcat – Attack: 1400 + 500 = 1900 | Defence: 0
"This is...!" Jonathan said in realisation.
"Indeed. I am going to do what you think I am going to do." the masked duellist confirmed. "But first, I'll activate [Phantom Hand], removing my hand from play until my next Standby Phase. Then I'll activate [Infernity Doom Archfiend]'s special ability to negate [Eria the Water Charmer]'s effect and destroy her."
The proxy duellist winced as his one remaining almost-indestructible Wall Monster was destroyed. In response, Jonathan Special Summoned another [Eria the Water Charmer] set face down via [Unpossessed]'s effect.
"Next, I'll Tune my Level Six [Infernity Doom Archfiend] with my Level Three Tuner Monster [Infernity Wildcat]!" Lelouch declared. As the large Fiend flew up into the Synchro rings and dissolved, leaving behind its Level Stars, he started to chant.
"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]!"
From a pillar of green light, an immense black dragon with ragged wings and two razor-sharp claws on the end of its arms appeared, roaring its defiance to the world.
Infernity Doom Dragon – Attack: 3000 + 400 =3400 | Defence: 2400 + 400 = 2800
Jonathan felt chills going down his spine as he faced down one of the Ace Monsters of the reputed strongest duellist in all of Area 11. The pressure he felt...it was unlike any other duellist that he had ever faced.
'This just might be painful.' the proxy duellist winced.
"I activate [Infernity Doom Dragon]'s special ability! Once per turn, while I have no cards in my hand, in exchange for not attacking with it on this turn, I can destroy one monster controlled by my opponent and inflict exactly half of its Attack Point value as damage to your Life Points!" Lelouch declared. "Go, Infernal Flame Breath! Destroy [Windwitch – Crystal Bell]!"
Rearing back, the great dragon unleashed a wave of pitch black flames at the ice-sculpture of a monster, melting it until it shattered into shards that flew back and hit Jonathan's Duelling Platform like a hail of arrows.
Jonathan Pearson: 1950 – 1400 = 550
"Tch...! I activate the special ability of [Windwitch – Crystal Bell] and the effect of [Unpossessed]!" Jonathan declared. "Whenever [Windwitch – Crystal Bell] is destroyed either as the result of battle or as the result of a card effect, I can Special Summon [Windwitch – Snow Bell] and one Level 4 or lower [Windwitch] Monster from my graveyard! Return, [Windwitch – Snow Bell]! Emerge, [Windwitch – Ice Bell]! In Defence Mode!"
In a flurry of snow, two new monsters appeared on the field. One was a round ball that looked greatly like a snow and ice-themed Fabergé Egg, while the other wore a white bodysuit with magenta boots and accents, along with a pink ribbon on her chest, a purple witch's hat on her head and a broom with a flower-bell shaped bell where the bristles should be.
Windwitch – Snow Bell – Attack/Defence: 100
Windwitch – Ice Bell – Attack/Defence: 1000
"Furthermore, whenever [Windwitch – Ice Bell] is Special Summoned, my opponent takes 500 points of damage to their Life Points! Ice Bell Hexing!"
A blast of blue energy struck Lelouch's Duelling platform and made him wince slightly
'Zero': 3800 – 500 = 3300
"Now the effect of [Unpossessed]! Whenever a monster of mine is destroyed as a result of battle or by a card effect, I can Special Summon one monster with a Defence of 1500 so long is has a different Attribute to the destroyed monster. I Special Summon it in face-down Defence Mode!" the proxy duellist finished, placing the card on the field.
'That last card is likely [Dharc] again, a threat that needs removing. However, the more pressing concern would be his [Windwitch]es, eight stars between the three Monsters he has on the field plus [Snow Bell]...a Level Eight Synchro Monster's his next plan.' Lelouch deduced easily. 'Sorry, but letting you get something of equal level to my own monster out just isn't in the cards!'
"[Infernity General], attack [Windwitch – Snow Bell] with Infernal Burning Blade!" he ordered.
In a single flaming chop, the spherical monster was easily bisected.
"With that, I'll end my turn." Lelouch nodded. "Let's see how lucky your draw is. You have an entire deck to look through to get another copy of [Windwitch – Snow Bell], and only one turn to do it in."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That's what my old teacher used to say, and so I won't give up until all my Life Points are gone!" Jonathan declared proudly, reaching for his deck. "I draw!"
Looking at the card, Jonathan's grin grew. "And my faith is rewarded! I activate the Magic Card [One for One]! I'll send the monster in my hand to the graveyard in order to Special Summon a Level One Monster from my deck! Come forth, [Windwitch – Snow Bell]!"
In a flash of light, another spherical [Windwitch] appeared on the field.
"Next I switch one of my face-down monsters to Attack Mode. Appear again, [Windwitch – Glass Bell]. Now I'll Tune my Level Four [Windwitch – Glass Bell] and my Level Three [Windwitch – Ice Bell] with my Level One Tuner Monster [Windwitch – Snow Bell]!" he declared. "Blizzard of white snow, enclose the plains with your embrace! Let the bell of dawn ring and sound the pure knell of victory! Synchro Summon! Descend, [Windwitch – Diamond Bell]!"
In an explosive blast of light from the green formed by the Synchro Summon, a monster that looked remarkably like [Windwitch – Crystal Bell] appeared. If there was one difference, it was in the ice in the body; whereas [Crystal Bell] had cloudy, opaque ice, [Diamond Bell] had crystal clear, transparent ice that did indeed make it look as if it were made of diamond.
Windwitch – Diamond Bell – Attack: 2800 | Defence: 2400
"When [Windwitch – Diamond Bell] is Synchro Summoned, I can select one [Windwitch] Monster in my Graveyard and inflict damage to you equal to half of its Attack Points. And the monster I'm going to pick is, of course, [Windwitch – Crystal Bell]! " Jonathan stated. "Go, Blizzard of Destruction!"
A blast of wintery energy slammed into Lelouch's Duelling Platform and made him smile under his mask. It had been a very long time...since he had been taken to under half of his Life Points.
'Zero': 3300 – 1400 = 1900
"And now, I activate the second ability of [Windwitch – Diamond Bell]!" the dapper proxy duellist declared. "Whenever my opponent takes either Battle Damage or Effect damage, I can select and destroy one of your cards on the field! Say goodbye to [Infernity Doom Dragon]!"
"I am afraid that this is the end! I reveal my Trap Card, [Infernity Suppression]!" Lelouch countered, revealing a Trap Card showing a bright green laser being fired from some blue device and clashing with an orange one. "Whenever you activate a Monster Effect while I control an [Infernity] Monster, I can use this card to first negate the effect, then inflict damage to my opponent equal to the activating monster's Level multiplied by 100. [Windwitch – Diamond Bell] is a Level Eight Monster, so you take 800 points of damage!"
A blast of green energy shot out and struck Jonathan's Duelling Platform, making it shake slightly. A rueful smile crossed Jonathan's face as offered his former opponent a respectful nod.
"Well played."
Jonathan Pearson: 550 – 800 = -250
'Zero' is the victor!
As the holograms faded, the dapper proxy looked at his opponent squarely in where the eyes should be. "Did you not activate [Infernal Suppression] against [Diamond Bell]'s first effect to make fun of me, Zero?"
"Far from it." the masked man shook his head as he gathered up his cards. "I was taken aback from the amount of luck that you had just there, to draw [One for One] at exactly the right time that I honestly froze in shock. You must truly be liked by those cards, my good man, for them favour you so. Thank you for a very enjoyable duel, and I wish you luck in the battle for third place."
"Sadly, my instructions from Charles are to return immediately after I lose." Jonathan shook his head. "I'll formally surrender to whomsoever loses between Miss Kōzuki and Miss 'Kagu'."
"Are you certain? That seems a bit of a waste." Lelouch frowned.
"It's fine. I've watched both of those young ladies duel and I'm afraid I don't like my chances against either of them. Best to call it a day after one painful loss." the man smiled sadly. "Well, I wish you all the best in the finals and whatever tournament comes after, Zero. Oh...might I ask for your autograph? For my friend, Charles De Groot, I mean. He is a rather large fan of the Shadow Enforcer."
"Certainly." Lelouch nodded. Fortunately, he had practised an alternate form of handwriting for situations such as this. Even Milly wouldn't know that Shadow Enforcer and Lelouch were the same person by looking at their signatures.
Signing the piece of paper offered to him, Lelouch made his way to the lounge to await the victor of the other match. It sounded as if they were still going at it in the other Arena.
That meant he had time to plan his offensive against both Kallen Kōzuki and Kaguya Sumeragi. Both the [A-Z] monsters, and the [Spirit] monsters were powerful decks in the hands of skilled duellists; and both girls had already shown themselves to be quite capable on that end. Whoever won that match, it would be a close-run thing.
Sitting on one of the chairs, he turned his attention to the screen showing Kallen and Kaguya's duel and started planning.
Same Time
Computer Room, Pegasus Castle, Duellist's Kingdom
"My, oh my. I never anticipated I'd be able to see someone wield my [Infernity] cards with such a wonderful flair." Maximilian declared happily as he clapped at the performance he'd just witnessed. "The entire duel was well and beyond my initial expectations. My compliments to Zero's opponent as well; he proved to be a capable duellist using a deck that wasn't even his own."
There weren't many people could run a hybrid Familiar-Possessed/Windwitch deck like that and stand up to someone who could use an archetype as finicky as [Infernity] could be with such a degree of skill.
"Your Highness...there is a vid-call for you." one of his servants stated delicately from the room's entrance.
"From whom?" the Creator of Duel Monsters asked, knowing his servants wouldn't disturb him unless it was someone important.
"Your brother."
Maximilian somehow managed to grimace and pout at the exact same moment, a very difficult (and unpleasant) facial expression to pull off. "Why is it that Charlie-boy always manages to call at the most inopportune of moments? Very well, I shall take it forthwith. Send it to my private office."
Standing, he gave the room a quick once over. "Have the intelligence division scour Area 11 for information on the identity of Shadow Enforcer. Nothing direct or overt, but otherwise make all efforts." he directed to the lead operator.
"Yes sir."
Taking his leave, Maximilian took a short walk to his private elevator. Only he, and his personal assistants, had copies of the card-key that allowed someone to use it, as well as knowing the 32-digit passcode that didn't drop the occupant into an isolation cell if they tried to use it. The elevator was one of only three ways into Maximilian's private wing of his castle, and it was the most well-known and often-used one as well; along with being the one with the…least lethal security options.
After a short trip, the Prince left the elevator at a casual, measured pace before entering his office. Inside, it was furnished in a tasteful mixture of opulent, as befitted a Prince of Britannia, and practical, as befitted a businessman who ran an industry that rivalled that of the Knightmare Production lines in some of the older and more established Areas.
Taking a seat behind his desk, Maximilian leaned back in his chair before pressing a button on his desk that closed the blinds. A second button had his personal vid-screen deployed from its secured recess in his desk. A third finally accepted the call.
Immediately, the aged face of his younger, and only surviving (supposedly), brother appeared on the screen. Charles zi Britannia, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, had once possessed bright hair of golden corn. Now, it had aged to a dull grey, quickly edging into white. He had taken after the previous Emperor, whereas Maximilian had inherited his mother's silver hair, which was still as long and shiny as it had been when he had been a boy.
"Why hello there, Charlie-boy. To what do I owe the honour of your call?" Maximilian asked pleasantly.
"What are you plotting with these tournaments throughout my empire, Brother?" the Emperor demanded bluntly.
"I want a professional-level tournament, without having to deal with the duelling dilettantes that tend to overpopulate the nobility for once." the older of the two responded with a sigh, equally as blunt. "Have you ANY idea how irritating it is to have almost all of the participants in a tournament try and buy their way to victory without showing even the slightest measure of skill or tactics? I am sick and tired of it, brother mine, and this was the best way to keep them as far away from my private tournament as possible. If it displeases you, I am sorry, but the preliminary tournaments across the Homeland and the Areas will be finished by this time tomorrow, so please bear with it until then."
"Humph. I have never understood your utter obsession with that game of yours." Charles stated with a huff.
"You don't really need to understand it when the tax revenue of my 'obsession' makes enough annually for you to pay for the construction of all the Knightmares and their assorted parts and weapons in Area 1 and 2 that your little heart could desire." Maximilian replied with a scoff of his own. "Besides, my game has made the assimilation of new Areas go far more smoothly since it actually promotes drawing people together rather than dividing them like your asinine Number System."
"I sincerely hope that you have at least kept this tournament of yours to just the Britannian Empire." Charles said tiredly, one gloved hand rubbing his forehead and unwilling to restart another old argument. Particularly with one of the few people who had enough power and influence that he couldn't just be rid of them.
"Considering that those old oligarchs that pull the strings in the EU have made my game contraband, and the Chinese Federation refers to it as the 'opiate of the masses', you can rest assured that only the Homeland and the Areas have been targeted for my tournament." the older man pouted. Really, why was it that whenever he tried to export to the other two superpowers, they shot him down faster than a Sutherland destroying a Panzer-Hummel?
Yes, he was Britannian, but his card game was the funnest thing ever. Who bloody cares where it came from?
"Good to see you still have some sense left, then. I shall have to be content with that." the Emperor said with a nod. "I've had the OSI tamp down on any mention of the tournament in the Homeland, as well as in the Areas. Please ensure that the next stage of your tournament is more circumspect."
"Considering it's going to be on my island kingdom, that won't be a problem." Maximilian said with a smug smile.
Charles just stared at him for a moment. "And you actually think this is a good idea?" he asked at last.
"There will be a thorough search of every duellist and their luggage for weapons and contraband before they board the ships, Charlie-boy." the older of the two rolled his eyes. "Besides, I have my own private army here on my little archipelago, so you needn't worry about anything. It's just going to be a fun little tournament to bat away my boredom and maybe offer me up some new inspiration."
Eye twitching at the continued use of that dratted 'Charlie-boy' moniker (he hated that nickname!), Charles huffed again. "Very well, brother. For your sake, I hope you are correct about this tournament being benign. Farewell."
The vid-call ended abruptly at that.
"Oh, Charlie-boy...you wear that mask of yours so very well, but I have always been the better actor. You never should have tried to erase my memories of Victor." Maximilian shook his head, casting his mind back across the years.
After the end of the Emblem of Blood, and once Charles had fully and firmly established himself as the 98th Emperor, Maximilian had gone to Pendragon to congratulate his younger brother on his ascension to the throne. When he returned to Duellist's Kingdom, he had some into contact with a certain artefact in his possession and recovered memories of one Victor zi Britannia, Charles' older twin brother, as well as the memory of Charles holding up a [Brainwash] card before his memories of Victor zi Britannia were sealed.
Somehow, Charles had managed to get his hands on the ability to manifest the effects of Magic Cards into reality. It had taken five years to discover how to accomplish that himself, and the fact that Charles had access to such abilities made his meteoric rise to the throne far more worrisome. In the meantime, he had avoided meeting his brother in person ever since, just in case he had more trick up his overly large sleeves.
The fact that they'd never gotten along, even as children, was a boon for that. Charlie-boy had always been an overly-serious plotter who wouldn't know fun if bit him right on the rear.
Maximilian had been very much offended by his brother's intrusion into his mind, and was planning on taking a little bit of revenge for that...once he discovered exactly what his younger brother planned to do with his abilities.
Looking to the side, Maximilian regarded himself in the mirror. Given that he was 88 years old, he had almost no wrinkles or crow's feet, looking more like a very well-preserved forty. This was also due to the artefact in his possession, though most not in the know regarded it as the result of healthy living and going 'under the knife' for plastic surgery. As if he would waste time with surgery, of all things!
The last time he'd been in surgery had been as a child, to pre-emptively remove his appendix. No more surgery for him after that, thank you very much!
Banishing the thought with a shudder, Maximilian turned his thoughts towards the tournament he was going to host...and beyond. Imperial Illusion Incorporated was still six to eight months away from creating the Portable Duelling System that he had been eagerly working to make a reality for the last decade. The vision of it; duel anyone, anywhere, so long as you had a human-portable device on you!
Oh, there would be some who would still vastly prefer to use the old Duelling Arenas (they did have a certain charm he would admit), and Maximilian didn't begrudge people their preferences and foibles. He would also have to work to make sure that there was no chance of abusing the system, such as configuring the central databank of the Triple-I network in each city to have restricted areas, where the Duel Devices wouldn't be able to function.
The one which would be placed in Pendragon was also going to have to be especially resistant against physical hacking. Making a black box system would be the way to go there. He didn't trust his baby brother to try to gain access to the Triple-I network via that method. Charlie-boy was too nosy for his own good sometimes.
As for the tournament...oh yes, it was going to be such fun! The best duellists from around the Britannian Empire, Number and Britannian alike, competing for the chance to duel him and earn the reward due to them.
He couldn't wait.
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Next Chapter: Semifinals: A-to-Z VS Spirits
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