Chapter 4: Shadow Duel
"The Shadow Realm?!" Jack cried incredulously, "That's impossible! The Shadow Realm's just a myth! A scary story from Ancient Egyptian times!"
"If you believe that, child, then you're an even bigger fool than the rest of the mortals that plague this world!" Lord Hallows retorted, "The Shadow Realm is as real as I am and you'd be most unwise to doubt its existence!"
"Then I guess I'm unwise because I don't believe you!" Jack shot back, "You're not real and there is no Shadow Realm! I bet this is some sort of elaborate prank that me and Chloe have stumbled into! Amy's always telling me about Heather and Sophia and how they're always playing cruel practical jokes on her and other students at Domino High. In fact, is that YOU in there Heather?!" he called out, "You can take off the stupid costume now! I ain't buying this one bit!"
"Could a practical joke do THIS?!" Hallows snarled, offended that Jack was seriously calling his bluff and doubting what he saw.
He held out his hand and conjured up a bunch of shadowy tentacles that suddenly wrapped themselves around Chloe's wrists and ankles and pulled her towards the wall. They plastered her to it and Chloe struggled feebly in their grip.
"Jack! Help me!" Chloe pleaded, "Please get me out of this!"
She was quickly silenced as another tentacle wrapped around her mouth to shut her up. Chloe began to cry. She'd never been so scared in her life. Jack felt his stomach lurch at the sight of Chloe all tied up and scared near to death. The fear in her eyes made him feel like he wanted to cry for her. He glared at Hallows. He knew for certain this was no prank and that Hallows was not a school bully in a costume. He knew that this was deathly serious and he couldn't mess around anymore.
"Let her go! It's me you want so leave her out of this!" he growled.
"Fie! She is my prisoner and she will remain that way just so I can assure your cooperation." Hallows snorted, "You will accept my challenge and duel me, Jack Spears, or else the shadows will claim your girlfriend and she will be my personal plaything for all eternity. She's no duellist so her soul won't give me the sustenance I need, but I'm sure she'll be VERY fun to torment anyway!"
Chloe let out a muffled scream of horror. She could already imagine her fate now: her soul ripped from her body by Hallows and trapped in the Shadow Realm for him to do with as he pleased. She began to sob even harder. Jack felt his heart ache for his friend. He couldn't let Hallows do this to her! She was an innocent in all this! Why should she suffer when it was him he wanted? Sighing heavily, Jack made his decision…
"Fine. I'll accept your challenge. But ONLY if you release Chloe!" the duellist declared, "I won't duel you if you keep her restrained like this!"
"Do you even understand your situation here, little boy?" Hallows retorted, "What makes you think you can make any demands here? Chloe stays where she is and that's the end of it! Unless of course you don't care about her after all and would rather let her suffer in the Shadow Realm…" he purred darkly.
"That's heinous! How could you even suggest that?!" Jack screamed in outrage, "Of course I care for her! She may not be my girlfriend, but she's still a friend and she's very important to me as a close friend of my sister! Fine, I'll duel you but you better promise me you won't hurt Chloe!" he snarled, "She can watch from where he is, UNHARMED! Is that reasonable enough?"
"Very well. It makes no difference to me as she'll only be hurt emotionally when I claim your soul as my own!" the Keeper of the Shadow Realm sneered, "Alright Jack, let us commence with the duel!"
He held up his right arm and his cane dissolved into a puff of smoke that drifted up to his arm and reformed itself into the shape of a Duel Disk. His Duel Disk had a skeletal appearance and looked more like a twisted perversion of the KaibaCorp design. How was it possible for a Duel Disk to look like the most evil weapon ever invented?! Jack deployed his own Duel Disk and loaded his deck into it. Chloe watched with large frightful eyes.
Good luck my love! she thought.
She had to admit, this situation did have a slightly romantic feel to it. She was the damsel in distress and Jack was the brave hero coming to rescue her. She felt flattered that Jack cared enough about her to even risk his own soul for her sake! Maybe Jack did love her after all? All the blonde girl could do now was just hope Jack would win. Jack and Hallows took up their positions and drew their starting hands.
"Before we start, I will be strictly enforcing some rules in this duel." the demon warned, "You are not in any circumstances to flee this duel. Once we start, there is no going back. Do NOT try to weasel your way out by forfeiting either! You will still lose your soul to me regardless! And for the obvious one: there will be NO cheating permitted in this duel. Failure to comply will only result in my frustration and anger being taken out on poor, helpless little Chloe over there." he growled.
"I'm a man of honour. I NEVER cheat." Jack insisted, "You won't have any trouble from me."
"Excellent! Now we may begin!" Hallows declared, "And as I initiated the challenge, I will make the first move…"
He drew from his deck and studied his hand. He had a good bunch of cards to choose from. However should he start? He picked two cards out of his hand.
"I set one monster in Defence Mode and place one card face-down on the field." Hallows announced as he placed the two cards in their respective zones, "And I think that will suffice for this turn. Your move little boy…" he purred.
Jack nodded and drew for his turn. He had to admit, Hallows didn't have the flashiest starting move ever but he had every right to be nervous anyway. His face-down card could be a trap he'd stumble into and his Defence Mode monster could be something with a crippling effect. He would play it safe for now. He studied his hand. He had Silent Magician LV4, Trap Jammer, Obnoxious Celtic Guard, Black Illusion Ritual, Soul Exchange and Magician of Faith in his hand. He frowned in annoyance. He had the Ritual Spell but not the monster in his hand! He had to draw Black Luster Soldier soon!
"OK, I too will set one card face-down." Jack decided, placing a card in his Spell and Trap Zone, "And I'll play my Silent Magician LV4 in Defence Mode".
He placed the monster on his Duel Disk and a holographic image of a young looking magician girl (1000ATK/1000DEF) appeared on the field, kneeling down on one knee with her staff held defensively in front of her. Chloe felt uneasy. Jack hadn't exactly made a big opening move either. He couldn't play defensively forever. She looked back to Hallows as he made his next move.
"Come on Jack, is this your idea of an opening move?" the demon sneered, "I watched you and Kazuki duel through the eyes of my minion earlier today! You were much stronger than this! Or is the sight of me throwing you off your game?" he taunted.
"Just go already. I'm not in the mood for your shit, Hallows!" Jack retorted.
"Talk to me like that again and Chloe will pay the price for your insolence." Hallows warned, "Now then, I draw!"
He drew his card and grinned with delight. He would save this one for later!
"Now I play Pot of Greed!" Hallows declared, slotting the Spell Card into his Duel Disk.
He drew two more cards and added them to his hand. He'd drawn two more Monster Cards but he didn't want to use them yet. He had one in his hand from the first turn that he decided he'd use for now.
"Now I call to the field Zombino in Attack Mode!" the skeletal creature announced.
A ghastly zombie/puppet like creature in an old fashioned school uniform appeared on the field. Zombino (2000ATK/0DEF) looked appropriately nightmarish for a card used by a duellist like Lord Hallows. The nightmare got even worse for Jack as Zombino launched itself to attack Silent Magician LV4. It had a special effect in where it gained 500ATK every time Hallows drew a card and given he'd drawn one to start and two more through Pot of Greed, that put Silent Magician LV4 at 2500ATK points. But the effect DIDN'T apply to its Defence points so it was still unable to defend itself from Zombino. Zombino clawed Silent Magician LV4 and the magician wailed as she was reduced to nothing. Jack grunted but he knew he was still safe for now. His Life Points remained untouched thanks to his magician's defence. But he couldn't defend forever, not when Hallows had a tough monster on the field.
"OK, it's my move!" Jack cried, drawing his next card.
He smiled as he saw what he'd just drawn. This monster would help him get what he needed to make his big comeback.
"I'll set this monster in Defence Mode and end my turn." Jack announced.
Chloe stared at Jack worriedly. Surely her love could make a better move than that? Even Hallows didn't seem particularly impressed.
"If you think the best offence is a good defence, you're mistaken." he scoffed, "Let me show you how it's REALLY done!"
He drew his next card.
"I'll set another card face-down and then I'll summon my horrifying Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon by offering Zombino as a tribute!" he declared.
Zombino disappeared down into the ground, looking as if it was being dragged down to its own grave as Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon (2400ATK/2000DEF) rose up from the ground and took the field. Its name was appropriate as it looked exactly like Red-Eyes Black Dragon, only decayed and more gruesome looking. Jack cringed in disgust. Way to ruin an awesome looking monster! Normally it would've taken two tributes due to being a Level 7 monster but Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon could be tribute summoned by using one Zombie Monster, which made it easier for Hallows to get on the field. It was a powerful card, but Hallows wasn't done yet. He equipped it with Sword of Dark Destruction, a Spell Card that powered up Dark Attribute monsters by 400ATK points but decreased their defence by 200 points. It didn't matter to Hallows as 2800 attack points made his monster look pretty invincible right now. He ordered his dragon to destroy Jack's face-down monster. Unfortunately for Hallows, it was what Jack wanted to happen.
"Ha! You just destroyed my Senju of the Thousand Hands!" he gloated, "Now I get to add a Ritual Monster to my hand because of that!"
"You think I care about that ridiculous soldier of yours?" Hallows said dismissively, "Not even that puny card will stand up to my mighty zombies!"
Jack frowned at Hallows. But secretly, he admitted that Hallows was right to brag. He currently couldn't summon his soldier as the remaining monsters in his hand didn't have a high enough combined total of Levels in order to summon it. He needed to tribute monsters that combined to make Level 8 or higher for his Ritual Spell to work. Obnoxious Celtic Guard was Level 4 but Magician of Faith was only Level 1. He needed at least another Level 4 monster! Jack made his move and drew his next card. Unfortunately, it wasn't a monster…but it was a handy Spell Card that he could use to stall Hallows out.
"Activate Swords of Revealing Light!" he yelled.
He slotted the card into his Duel Disk and a bunch of lights shaped like swords appeared on Hallows's side of the field. The shadow creature wailed in agony and covered his eyes.
"GAH! STOP IT, I CAN'T STAND THE LIGHT!" he screeched.
"Oh boo-hoo. You're this all powerful shadow creature and you can't handle a bit of light?" Jack sneered, "Well too bad. For three whole turns, these swords will keep you from attacking me so you're gonna be stuck with the blinding light for a while."
"If you think these swords will stop me, think again! I will NOT be denied your soul Jack!" Hallows snarled.
He drew his next card and glanced at it. It was another one he would save for later. For now, he decided to just play Dragon Zombie (1600ATK/0DEF) in Attack Mode and end his turn. A purple rotting dragon appeared directly beside Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon and roared menacingly. Jack didn't even flinch. He knew that he had this duel in the bag. He drew his next card and grinned delightedly.
"Chloe, you're gonna love this." he said, glancing over at the bound girl, "Time for my Black Luster Soldier to make his epic entrance! I play my Black Illusion Ritual!" he declared, slotting the card into his Duel Disk, "By sacrificing my Summoned Skull and Obnoxious Celtic Guard in hand, I Ritual Summon my all-powerful soldier!"
In a cloud of fiery smoke, the powerful Black Luster Soldier appeared on the field with its sword glistening in the light cast by the Swords of Revealing Light. Chloe squealed a muffled squeal of excitement. Jack couldn't possibly lose now! But Lord Hallows didn't seem worried.
"Nice try little boy, but I was ready for that." he crowed, "You fell into my Nightmare Wheel trap!"
Jack cursed in annoyance. ARGH! How did he forget Hallows had two face-down cards?! But that didn't matter for Jack had a trap of his own to activate.
"Sorry Hallows, but I was also ready for you." he sneered, "Go Trap Jammer!"
His card activated and Hallows's Nightmare Wheel was negated and destroyed. Now Hallows couldn't immobilize Jack's soldier. The shadow demon frowned but said nothing as Jack ordered Black Luster Soldier to destroy Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon. He reasoned that getting rid of the strongest monster first would hinder Hallows some more. Black Luster Soldier sliced Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon's head clean off with a single strike of its sword and the dragon disappeared into pixels. Hallows was down to 7800 Life Points. For now, Jack had a slim lead. Chloe began to feel more at ease. It looked as if Jack might win after all! She and Jack would be allowed to go free in no time!
"Not bad Jack. This is the kind of duelling spirit I expected from you." the dark lord muttered, "But this duel is FAR from over!"
He drew his next card and to Jack's amazement, Hallows had drawn a second Pot of Greed. He drew two more cards and this one he drew seemed to excite him.
"Your precious soldier won't be around for long Jack!" Hallows sneered, "For I sacrifice my Castle of Dark Illusions and Dragon Zombie to bring forth one of my mightiest creatures, the Red Ogre!"
Hallows's face-down monster and Dragon Zombie disappeared from the field as Red Ogre (2800ATK/2100DEF) appeared on the field. It was a colossal red-coloured behemoth with large horns on its head, even larger spikes on its shoulders and a massive black club in its hands. Jack thought it was one of the scariest looking monsters he'd ever seen. But its effect was what really made things scary. By discarding any number of cards from his hand, Hallows could return that same number of cards from Jack's field to his hand. He discarded Nine-Tailed Fox in order to send Black Luster Soldier back into Jack's hand. This effect only worked if Red Ogre was Normal Summoned like it had been now. Jack gasped in horror as his soldier went back to his hand. Hallows was tempted to discard again to get rid of Swords of Revealing Light but he stayed his hand for now. The cards he had left in his hand were necessary for his endgame plan. So for now, he concluded his turn by activating the Trap Card he'd set all the way back in the first turn of the duel, which was Call of the Haunted. With it, he could bring back one monster from the Graveyard and he chose to bring back his Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon. Jack and Chloe both gulped anxiously. Now Hallows had two powerful zombies while Jack's field was empty and he only had Swords of Revealing Light holding Hallows back for the time being. It was NOT looking good for him at all!
Jack felt his heart begin to pound. Please let this next draw help him out! He drew his card and looked at it. He was glad with what he draw but he forced himself to stay calm. He couldn't give himself away. If he showed visible delight at what he drew, Hallows would only get suspicious.
"I'll set a card face-down and then play a monster face-down in Defence Mode." Jack announced, "That's all I can do for now."
Hallows made his next move. He drew his card and cackled with glee.
"Allow me to show you my world Jack!" he crowed, "As I take you into Zombie World!"
He placed the card in his Field Spell Zone. All at once, the entire field changed into a giant Graveyard with ghosts and rotting corpses scattered all over. It truly felt as if Halloween had come early in this alleyway. Chloe winced and screwed her eyes shut. The environment looked too horrible for her. Jack could feel the tension rising as Zombie World changed the field.
"As long as this card remains on the field, you cannot Tribute Summon anything EXCEPT Zombie Monsters!" Hallows explained, "Oh and all monsters on the field and in the Graveyard become Zombie types! I did say I was bringing you into my world…"
"Can't say I'm fond of it." Jack said sarcastically, "Could do with looking less dead if you ask me. Hopefully I can get rid of it…"
With Swords of Revealing Light up for one last turn, Hallows couldn't attack so he just ended his turn. As his turn ended, the swords disappeared. All three turns had gone and the world was plunged back into darkness. Jack knew that he'd stalled Hallows out for long enough and his swords couldn't help him anymore. Now he had to start upping his game. He drew his next card and smiled happily.
"Lucky me, I got just what I needed." he said with relief, "I now bring to the field Breaker the Magical Warrior in Defence Mode!"
A magician glad in red and gold robes appeared on the field in Defence Mode. After that, Jack used its effect to remove a Spell Counter from his magician to destroy Zombie World. Hallows growled irritably as his precious Field Spell disappeared and the graveyard like arena was returned to normal.
"So much for your world." Jack gloated.
"Fie! So what if Zombie World is gone now? I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeves!" Hallows snorted, "Just you wait and see, boy!"
He made his next move. He drew his next card and smiled excitedly. Yes! He had all the pieces he needed to play his endgame! This duel was his at last!
"The beginning of the end comes for you, Jack!" Hallows sneered, "For I place two cards face-down…" he said, slotting them into two Spell and Trap Zones on his Duel Disk, "And then next I play my second Field Spell. Thought Zombie World was too scary? Then say hello to Dark Sanctuary!"
As he played the spell, the field was once again transformed. An ominous red and purplish void surrounded the entire arena with huge eyes and mouths forming everywhere. A sinister looking castle appeared behind Hallows. Chloe whimpered in fright. Dark Sanctuary looked even worse than Zombie World did! Jack looked around helplessly as the arena became some kind of nightmarish wonderland. If nightmares were real, it would look like this Field Spell!
"What is this Hallows? What does Dark Sanctuary do?" he asked.
"All in good time my boy." Hallows said in the same way a parent might tell their child to be patient for something, "You'll see as the duel progresses. For now, I order my monsters to destroy both of your monsters!"
Red Ogre and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon lunged forward with Red Ogre clubbing Breaker into oblivion and Red Eyes Zombie Dragon blasting his face-down monster with fiery breath. Jack was tempted to activate his face-down card but he decided against it. He wanted his face-down monster to be destroyed so he allowed it to happen. His face-down was Magician of Faith and he used its effect to add Black Luster Ritual back to his hand so he may have a second chance to get Black Luster Soldier on the field. Hallows didn't care for that. He was sure this duel would be over before Jack could get a chance to bring his soldier back from his hand to the field. Jack looked up to Chloe.
"Don't worry Chloe. Hallows's own arrogance will be his undoing, I assure you."
Chloe nodded. She was feeling very scared for her crush but she was sure that Jack could still win. Jack made his next move. He drew a card. He frowned. It wasn't much but it would do for now at least.
"I'll just play Kuriboh in Defence Mode and end my turn." he sighed.
Hallows laughed mockingly as Kuriboh (300ATK/200DEF) appeared on the field. As a floating fluff ball with large eyes and stubby limbs, it didn't look like it could pose any threat at all.
"So is that the best you've got, little boy? A sentient hairball?" Hallows taunted, "Well then it's YOUR funeral!"
He drew his next card to start off his turn.
"I'll place one more card face-down." Hallows announced as he slotted it into his Duel Disk, "And now for the instruments of your demise…go Destiny Board and Imperial Custom!"
Jack stared in horror as the two Trap Cards flipped face-up to reveal themselves. He knew what they did. Destiny Board was a Trap Card that allowed Hallows to summon Spirit Messages at the end of each of his opponent's turns and if he summoned all four and spelt out the word "FINAL", he would automatically win the duel. What made things worse was that Hallows had Imperial Custom to protect Destiny Board from being destroyed. If Jack had any hope of getting rid of it, he needed to destroy Imperial Custom first as all Continuous Traps were immune to destruction effects as long as it was on the field. Destiny Board loomed above Hallows with the first letter, "F", appearing as a letter surrounded by flames. In four turns, the duel would be Hallows's to win!
"You understand my strategy now, don't you?" Hallows gloated, clearly enjoying himself, "This is why so many have fallen before me! Once Destiny Board hits the field, their fate is sealed and the last thing they see is the message that spells their banishment to the Shadow Realm!"
"So your entire duelling strategy hinges on an instant win condition?" Jack asked, "I really couldn't have seen that coming…but if anything, it shows what a coward you are! You talk a big deal but you had to structure your deck around making sure you can win in an instant!"
"Cowardice? Pragmatism more like!" Hallows retorted, "Why waste time trying to bring people's Life Points to zero or destroy as many of their monsters as I can when I can just spell out Destiny Board's message and win instantly! In my duels I can come out on top even when the odds are stacked against me and it's worked in many duels I've had before so why give up a perfectly good strategy?"
"Relying too much on your single strategy will only blow up in your face in the end." Jack warned, "All you're doing is making yourself predictable and as a result, someone will catch onto you and find a way past your Destiny Board."
"Enough talk! I have your soul to claim!" the shadow keeper growled, "Red Ogre and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon! Destroy Kuriboh and attack directly!" he bellowed.
The two monsters charged furiously towards Kuriboh. The furry little monster squealed in fright and braced itself for impact. Even Chloe didn't want to watch as her love was about to take some serious damage. But Hallows's attack never landed. Chloe watched with joy as Jack's face-down card activated, revealing it to be none other than Mirror Force! Red Ogre and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon screeched in anguish as they were destroyed by Jack's Trap Card. Kuriboh breathed a sigh of relief, glad it wasn't a goner after all. Lord Hallows's face didn't change at all. He clearly thought Jack was only delaying the inevitable with Mirror Force and his fate was sealed regardless. With no other moves to make, Hallows just ended his turn and let Jack make his next move. Jack drew his next card and cheered excitedly.
"Hell yeah! Just what I need!" he cried, "I have Silent Magician LV8 in my hand but it's useless to me since Silent Magician LV4 is gone…so I'll just sacrifice it along with Kuriboh to Ritual Summon my Black Luster Soldier again! Come back to the field my almighty warrior!"
He played his cards and the Black Luster Soldier returned to the field looking as grand and as battle-ready as ever. Chloe cheered a muffled cheer as the soldier reappeared. Jack was sure to win now!
"Bet you thought you'd seen the last of him Hallows but now he's back to cut you in two!" Jack gloated, "Black Luster Soldier, attack him directly!"
The blue and gold armoured soldier ran towards Lord Hallows and raised its sword, ready to slice him in two. But Lord Hallows held up a hand.
"Hold it right there!" he barked, "Time for me to unveil one of Dark Sanctuary's surprises! Whenever you call an attack now, I have to toss a coin. If I call it right, the attack is negated and you receive damage equal to half your soldier's attack!"
"Ah damn it!" Jack cursed, "I bet this is part of your plan to stall me so Destiny Board can literally spell your way to victory!"
"Why else do you think it's in my deck?" Hallows retorted, "Now for this coin toss, I call tails!"
As he said this, a black coin with a skeleton face for heads and a dragon's tail for tails appeared in Hallows's hand. He flicked the coin into the air, caught it and placed it on top of his other hand. To Jack's dismay…he'd called it correctly. The coin had landed with the dragon's tail side facing up. Black Luster Soldier stopped dead in its tracks and as it did so, a ghost suddenly emerged from its back and charged towards Jack. It passed through him and Jack screamed in pain as it did so. He grimaced and clutched at his stomach. He felt as if he'd been punched when the ghost attacked him. As a result of Dark Sanctuary, Jack went down from 8000 to 6500 Life Points. Chloe felt scared. God, if Destiny Board didn't finish Jack off then Dark Sanctuary would cause him to kill himself! Jack had to do something and fast or he was toast! With nothing else in hand to use, Jack had no choice but to end his turn. As he did so, Hallows drew a card from his deck and played it in his Monster Zone. Normally Hallows had to play it in his Spell and Trap zone but Dark Sanctuary let him play Spirit Messages in his Monster Zones as well and he chose to do so for now as it would give him more space to use his backrow. As he did so, a white flame appeared next to the one with the letter "F". This one had the letter "I". Jack felt the sweat trickle down his face. Only three letters left and the duel was over!
"I can taste your fear Jack…and it's simply delicious!" Hallows hissed with glee, "Now then, I shall set this card face-down and end my turn." he declared.
Jack felt nervous. Hallows had two face-down cards now. He imagined they were Trap Cards to further stall him out until Destiny Board could finish spelling its message. He was beginning to feel the hopelessness of his situation growing by the minute. He had to stop Hallows before Destiny Board could complete its message! He drew his next card and sighed in disappointment. He needed something that could attack and bring Hallows's Life Points down to zero! Still, he knew he could make use of it.
"I'll just set a monster in Defence Mode and have my Black Luster Soldier attack directly again!" Jack declared.
He set his monster and sent his soldier in attack. Despite a Spirit Message being in play, it couldn't protect Hallows's Life Points so Jack was still allowed to do so. But unfortunately, Dark Sanctuary was still in play and Hallows once again got to toss a coin to see if he could stop the attack. The demon called "Heads" this time and flicked the coin. It landed…and he was right again. The attack was negated and Jack screamed in agony as Dark Sanctuary's ghost attacked him again.
"MMMMMMMMACK!" Chloe cried from behind her gag.
The red-haired teen stumbled. The attacks were leaving him drained of energy and struggling to stand. If Hallows's duelling didn't win the game then he'd win by default if he collapsed from exhaustion right now! He panted heavily and forced himself back up. He wasn't going down that easily! With another turn down, a second Spirit Message was placed in Hallows's Monster Zone. This one spelt the letter "N". Jack was only two turns away from defeat!
"The end is near boy, and it cannot come soon enough!" Hallows crowed, "Now what damage can I do to you this turn…"
He drew his card but he didn't play it. He had another move he could make instead.
"Now I activate my Trap Card, The First Monarch!" he declared.
"The First Monarch?! Kazuki used that card when we duelled each other earlier!" Jack exclaimed.
"Then you should know what it does then, shouldn't you?" Hallows sneered in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "By discarding one card from my hand, I can call an Attribute and then I can offer it as two tributes for any monster of the same attribute. I choose Fire."
He sent his card to the Graveyard and the First Monarch appeared on the field coated in flames to signify it had been summoned as a Fire attribute. Jack was puzzled.
"But you don't have any cards in your hand. How can you possibly tribute summon anything?" he asked.
"Very simple. I have Nine-Tailed Fox in my Graveyard and by offering two monsters as tributes, I can Special Summon it from the Graveyard!" Hallows gloated.
"When did that card get there? I never…"
Jack paused and thought for a moment. Aha! Of course! Hallows had discarded Nine-Tailed Fox earlier to use his Red Ogre's effect! It had been waiting in his Graveyard for precisely this moment! Jack was sure Hallows had planned for that to happen. Hallows made the sacrifice and Nine-Tailed Fox (2200ATK/2000DEF) appeared on the field in a puff of smoke. It resembled a white and red kitsune of Japanese mythology, only it had a more fierce and savage look on its face and not an air of beauty to it. Nine-Tailed Fox made its move, pouncing towards Jack's face-down monster like a fox hunting a deer. Jack grinned as his trap activated.
"Sorry Hallows, but this is a monster that can't be destroyed by battle!" he gloated, "For you've just attacked my Marshmallon! And not only that, but you lose 1000 Life Points just for attacking it!"
The face-down card revealed itself to be a blobby marshmallow like creature (300ATK/500DEF) with an upside down smiling face. Thanks to its effect, Hallows only had 6800 Life Points left. Hallows was briefly miffed to be faced with a monster that couldn't be destroyed by battle but he also had something to brag about.
"Unfortunately for you Jack, Marshmallon can't defend you completely." he explained, "When it's Special Summoned from the Graveyard like I've done a moment ago, it can inflict piercing battle damage!"
"Oh no!" Jack cried in horror.
He glanced at his Duel Disk and watched with dismay as his Life Point counter dropped to 3300. Marshmallon may prevent Hallows from attacking directly but it sure wouldn't stop him from wiping out his Life Points if Nine-Tailed Fox kept attacking it like that! Hopefully his next move would be something more damaging to Lord Hallows. The demon ended his turn so Jack could start his next turn. He placed his hand on his deck and closed his eyes.
"Please…whatever I draw, let it help me win this duel!" he whispered.
He drew the card. He was almost afraid to look at it. Knowing his luck, he'd draw a bad card! But he saw that it wasn't a bad card at all. He punched the air excitedly.
"Oh yeah! You always come for me when I need you!" he cried for joy, "Hallows, say hello to my favourite card of all time, Monster Reborn!"
He slotted the card into his Duel Disk and its image appeared on the field before Hallows. The shadow demon stared at it curiously.
"And what exactly do you plan to do with that?" he asked.
"Turn the tables on this duel, that's what!" Jack declared, "For I'm using this card to bring back a monster from YOUR Graveyard! And I choose Red Ogre!"
"WHAT?! My Red Ogre will never serve you!" Hallows protested.
But he couldn't do anything about it. Monster Reborn resurrected his destroyed ogre and brought it back on Jack's side of the field. How strange it looked now for his ogre to be staring HIM down and ready to club his lights in!
"Your monster's mine now and it's going to destroy your Nine-Tailed Fox!" Jack cried hotly, "Red Ogre, smash that fox into the dirt!"
Red Ogre raised its club high above its head and sword it towards Nine-Tailed Fox. But unfortunately, its attack wasn't able to land.
"Nice try Jack, but while Dark Sanctuary might've prevented you from landing your attack, I made sure I had this Trap Card handy just in case I lost the coin toss!" Hallows crowed, "Activate Negate Attack!"
His face-down card revealed itself and Jack found himself in utter despair as his attack was foiled yet again. Red Ogre stopped what it was doing and Black Luster Soldier wouldn't be able to attack instead as Negate Attack not only stopped Jack from attacking, but it ended the Battle Phase completely. Jack was so dismayed that he kicked at the ground in frustration. Chloe wanted to cry for her love again. Hallows was just constantly playing him for a sucker and staying a step ahead of the game! It looked as if it truly was over now! Sighing heavily, Jack had no choice but to end his turn. As he did so, a third Spirit Message appeared on Hallows's field. This one spelt the letter "A". Jack didn't need to know what the last letter would be. How appropriate that it would be spelling "FINAL" as it would be the final moment of his life before he became a victim of the Shadow Realm.
"What's the matter Jack? Finally understanding the hopelessness of your situation?" Hallows sneered, "You should just accept defeat right now. You haven't a hope of winning this duel!"
He drew for his turn. Hallows smirked. He'd only drawn Armoured Zombie, a monster he wouldn't need for this turn. He settled for just switching Nine-Tailed Fox into Defence Mode and calling it a turn. It was Jack's turn and if all went to Hallows's plan, it would be the final turn of the duel. Jack's heart pounded with fright. He was almost afraid to draw. What could he possibly draw that had even a hope of winning this duel? He decided to give it a go anyway. It was still possible to win even if it didn't seem like it. Jack drew. He looked at the card and gave a small smile.
"I was hoping for Card of Sanctity but another monster should do nicely." he murmured, "I play my Sabersaurus in Attack Mode!"
Sabersaurus (1900ATK/500DEF) appeared on the field. It looked like a dinosaur with blade like horns. Jack now had three strong monsters on the field with only Nine-Tailed Fox blocking him from getting to Hallows's Life Points. Jack was sure he could still do enough damage to win this duel.
"OK Red Ogre, destroy Nine-Tailed Fox!" Jack ordered.
Red Ogre obeyed and swung its club down on top of Nine-Tailed Fox. Curiously, Hallows didn't activate Dark Sanctuary's effect to try and stop him. He let Jack's attack continue unimpeded. Nine-Tailed Fox was smashed to pieces by Red Ogre…but it wasn't gone completely. Jack stared incredulously as a pair of smaller foxes appeared in Hallows's last two remaining Monster Zones. Where had they come from?
"What's going on here? What's with the miniature foxes?" Jack asked.
"Oh didn't I tell you? Nine-Tailed Fox summons two Fox Tokens when it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard." Hallows said with a devious smirk on his face, "Sorry Jack but I'm afraid I'm too well protected for you to finish me off! Destiny Board will finish its message after all!"
Jack felt as if the whole world was spinning around him. Hallows was right! He was in an impossible situation! He had no cards in his hand, no cards in his backrow to use and his last two remaining monsters could only destroy the Fox Tokens and that'd be it! Marshmallon would be left to attack directly but with only 300 attack points, it wouldn't do anything to Hallows! And even if he continued attacking, Hallows could just use Dark Sanctuary to potentially get him to wipe himself out! He couldn't win! As much as he didn't want to, Jack had to admit defeat. He was done for and he was Hallows's plaything for all eternity. Jack fell to his knees and closed his eyes. Tears streamed down his face as he said the words he didn't want to say…
"Th-then…I g-guess I have no ch-choice…but to end my turn!" he sobbed.
He didn't even look as the final Spirit Message, the letter "L" appeared on the field. FINAL, a truly befitting message for Jack Spears as today had become his final day on Earth. He looked over to Chloe, his face drenched with tears. Chloe was also a crying mess too. Her brown eyes were wide with horror. She felt as if her heart had been shattered like glass.
"MMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she wailed from behind her gag.
"I'm so sorry Chloe. I couldn't defeat him…" Jack said solemnly.
"You're damn right you couldn't!" Hallows taunted, "You duelled your hardest and you still failed Jack! I warned you that I would not be denied your soul for nobody denies me what I want! You've lost and as a result, YOU ARE NOW BANISHED TO THE SHADOW REALM FOR ALL ETERNITY!"
He held out his cane and the skull head's eyes glowed a bright yellow that engulfed Jack completely. The last thing Jack saw in his life was a skull head staring at him through the light. He cried out but the sound quickly died in his throat as his soul was torn out of his body and swallowed up by the cane. Jack's soulless body collapsed onto the ground, his eyes vacant and lifeless. Chloe screamed a muffled scream of anguish for her love. Hallows shivered with delight as he felt the power radiating from Jack's soul tingle through his body.
"Ooooh…that feels so good! Such delicious sustenance!" the shadow demon cried gleefully, "At this rate, I'll have the power to bathe the world in darkness on Halloween Night! AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAAAAAAA!"
The shadow tentacles released Chloe from their grip now Hallows had no reason to restrain her any longer. The moment she was set free, Chloe threw herself over Jack's body. She cradled him softly, her eyes streaming with tears.
"Jack! Oh my love, please come back to me!" she whimpered, "I won't let you spend the rest of your life in the Shadow Realm! I WON'T!"
She continued to cry as Hallows just stood by and watched her, relishing the poor girl's heartache. What was it about tearing mortals apart physically and emotionally that was so enjoyable to him? After a minute, Chloe looked up at Hallows with tear-soaked eyes.
"Give him back!" she demanded, "Take me instead! I'll let you do whatever you want with me, just please give Jack his soul back!"
"Fie! Your soul is worthless to me!" Lord Hallows retorted, "I need the soul of a duellist to power myself up! Their duelling energy literally gives me strength, strength I can use in order to further my goals! Your soul will barely amount to a midnight snack for me whereas Jack's soul is a hearty banquet! I'd hardly call you a worthy replacement…"
He then walked up to Chloe and grabbed the terrified teen by the face. Chloe whimpered. Was Hallows going to kill her? She couldn't even begin to imagine what gruesome fate the wicked demon had for her.
"Flee this place and tell your friend, Amy Spears, that she's next." Hallows purred, "Tell her that I will come for her at midnight tonight. Her dear brother is waiting for her at my castle…"
He then seized Jack's soulless body and banged at the ground with his cape. With Jack's soul captured, he was going to use the body as his own personal servant. It was something he did with all of his victims. As he banged the ground, a shadowy portal formed underneath his feet and both he and Jack disappeared into it. The shadows returned to normal and the alleyway was no longer blocked off from the rest of the world. Chloe started to hyperventilate as the events of the past few minutes finally started to catch up to her. Jack had been kidnapped, his soul was taken away and Hallows was coming for Amy next! Oh lord how had such a nice day taken such a horrific turn?! The world started to spin in front of Chloe. She felt dizzy from her hyperventilating. She forced herself to stay awake. No, don't pass out now! You have a message to deliver! Chloe took a moment to slow her breathing down before darting out of the alleyway.
Oh how was she going to explain all this to Amy…?
Talk about the worst possible outcome! Jack lost and is now a toy for Hallows to play with! And he's coming for Amy next! What will he do when they first meet? Find out next time as we enter Hallows's home in "The Midnight Castle"...
Trivia: I felt a Zombie Deck with a Destiny Board strategy was the most fitting deck for Lord Hallows. Of course, his deck follows real life rules rather an anime rules, hence why Dark Sanctuary works so differently from when Bakura used it.
And if you're curious, yes, if Hallows didn't have Nine-Tailed Fox on the field to protect him, Jack would've won the duel. I did the calculations and indeed Jack's three monsters would've been enough if he'd been able to attack directly. Jack needed Hallows to have no monsters at all to defend him in order for his final assault to even come close to winning. Talk about being outfoxed, am I right? XD Dark Sanctuary could've still screwed him over though so maybe Jack really had no chance of winning after all...
Update: Had to make a slight edit to the duel to remove a misplay in which my good friend Overkill-0526 pointed out that Jack should've used his first Breaker the Magical Warrior to destroy one of Hallows's face-down cards before he Ritual Summoned his Black Luster Soldier with it.