A/N: With the arrival of chapter 40, the Shadow Game begins!
Mira: Well, have no fear, I think this chapter is well-written in regard to how well our heroes fare in the Shadow Realm. But that's my egotism getting in the way. Let me know what you think!
Eusine: That day may yet come. And you're probably right about the cliffie... but see for yourself.
Wolf: I wrote this thing last October. I think. There must be some weird time continuum between you and me. Or maybe it only seems longer because of how much I've hyped it. Whichever, now you get to see it. Enjoy!
Pheonica: Well, as far into the story as we are, it could very well be a toss-up. Intertwined Fates might all end right here! And then I'd get strangled. Hrm.
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Kyle's LP - 8000
Shadi's LP - 8000
--
"I'll place three magic/traps face-down," Kyle announced, "and set one monster in defense mode."
He placed his cards as he would have on a dueling mat, right next to his floating deck. It was like an invisible barrier hovered there for him to simply place the cards.
A triplet of wide vortices, all glowing indigo around the fringes and white in the center, appeared directly in front of Kyle's feet. Kyle allowed himself a small smile. Crossing the colors of the magic and trap card borders so he doesn't know which is which from what I've laid down.
In front of the indigo vortexes was another vortex that glowed a syrupy-golden yellow fading into black in the center, much like the back of a Duel Monsters card.
Shadi did not seem to be surprised by any of this. It was as if he'd dueled this way before. He simply observed what happened, then impassively searched his hand. He removed three cards from it.
"I shall place two magic/traps face-down and one monster in defense mode."
The vortices appeared as they had with Kyle: two indigo, one gold.
Kyle silently drew a new card. Paydirt.
"I place another magic/trap face-down and end my turn."
A fourth indigo vortex appeared, and the pre-existing ones actually shifted so that two were on Kyle's right, while the other two were on his left. As if they "wanted" their owner to be at the center of the game.
Shadi barely acknowledged the play, swiftly drawing another card. "I place another magic/trap face-down..."
An indigo vortex appeared.
"And I now sacrifice my monster, Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)–"
Kyle rolled his eyes. Just great.
"–select a monster from my deck–"
Shadi picked through his deck quickly and pulled one card into his hand.
"–and call forth Queen of Autumn Leaves (1800/1500) in attack mode!"
From the vortex previously occupied by Witch of the Black Forest came a burst of light and sparkles. Out of the light came a beautiful maiden adorned with a crown of red and brown leaves, ready to strike. She looked far more real than any hologram Kyle had ever seen – and if he was to believe what Theoris was telling him, in the Shadow Realm, the monsters were real.
Making them fight each other did not seem very humane to him.
Kyle extended one hand toward the card he'd placed on his previous turn. "Not so fast. Activate Trap Hole!"
The vortex for Trap Hole shot forward and opened up a gigantic gap in the stone plateau underneath the Queen. She shrieked as she fell in.
The hole sealed over as quickly as it had opened, dooming the Queen to the graveyard.
Kyle smiled grimly. "My cards won't be that easy to attack."
Shadi frowned. "Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, because I chose a monster from my deck, my deck is now shuffled."
As if to emphasize the point, another bolt of lightning struck Shadi's deck, re-shuffling it in the most dramatic sense.
Kyle, in actuality, was not at all happy about the play he'd just made. True, he'd saved his face-down card, but in the process, he'd condemned one of Shadi's monsters to its death.
Unless he's got Monster Reborn...
He shook his head. It was true that he would have to consider what Shadi's deck was capable of, but it didn't seem to Kyle that a guardian of ancient magic would be the type of man to play completely unprotected. Hence the two face-down cards he still had in play.
Shadi conceded the rest of his turn, and Kyle drew another card. Time to draw him out. "I play Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode!"
To the left of the vortex from his first card there appeared another, and this one projected a fearsome beast bearing a vicious dual-bladed axe. It growled hungrily at its opponent.
Kyle experienced a sudden drain of energy. He felt a little more tired, a little more sluggish. It felt as though it were almost coming from him, rather than his Millennium item. He guessed it was his Shadow powers being affected by conjuring these monsters and bending them to his will.
All the more reason to finish the duel quickly. He tried to clamp down hard. "On top of that, I activate the trap card Robbin' Goblin. Now for every LP loss I cause to you in battle, you have to discard a card from your hand."
Out of one of the rear vortices, a goblin with a huge bag over its shoulder and a rictus grin on its green face wavered into being.
"Vorse Raider, attack Shadi's Life Points!"
Vorse Raider took up its axe and hurled it mightily across the field; it slammed straight into some sort of barrier perhaps a foot in front of Shadi's invisible podium. Shadi stumbled backward, his power apparently disrupted, as his Life Points were taken down to 6100.
Kyle could discern no trap or magic effects in response to the attack. It appeared as though he'd gotten away scot-free with dealing direct damage. He raised an eyebrow. Perhaps the guardian was rusty? Surely he'd be better prepared than this.
Shadi stepped back up to his cards and nodded in a congratulatory salute, even as the one card he still held disappeared to the graveyard from the effect of Robbin' Goblin. "It is good to know that I battle a worthy foe."
"We should stop this," Kyle said. "It's getting out of hand. I don't want to hurt you."
"I cannot allow the Millennium Shield's existence to go unchallenged. The Shadow Game must continue."
Kyle closed his eyes and bowed his head. "As you wish, then. It's your turn."
Shadi silently drew a card, then announced, "I summon Dark Elf (2000/800) in attack mode and, as per her effect, sacrifice one thousand Life Points to attack your Vorse Raider."
Shadi's Dark Elf pressed her palms together, closed her eyes, and uttered a prayer in her native tongue. Her image wavered before their eyes. At the same time, an orb of purple energy appeared above her, then zipped across the field and incinerated Kyle's monster.
At the same time, Kyle felt a drain of his own energy, and he winced slightly. It was just a notch below "painful", but it was beyond "noticeable". His Life Points had descended to 7900.
When the display was finished, Kyle glanced down at his "board" and noticed that the Skull Mariner card had disappeared. He could only assume it had gone to the graveyard, as had Shadi's monsters before it. And Shadi's Life Points, meantime, had gone down to 5100.
Kyle frowned at the logic, or absence thereof, behind Shadi's attack. "I've only lost four hundred Life Points from that attack... you've lost a thousand, and you won the round!"
"You must know," said Shadi, "that you share a bond with your monsters, and that you must commit yourself totally when you are attacking, even when it means you will lose more than you gain."
"It doesn't make sense to hurt yourself more than you hurt your opponent."
"Sometimes, such a situation is called for, even if it is not apparent."
Kyle wondered about this. Maybe he thinks I'm trying to play two cards to summon one of the Labyrinth Brothers, in which case, a thousand LP deduction would be acceptable. He apparently doesn't have any traps which can stop me from attacking, so this is the only way he can take me down.
"At any rate, it is now your turn." Shadi beheld Kyle with his piercing blue eyes.
Kyle drew one card. "I play Mysterious Puppeteer (1000/1500) in attack mode."
Another monster vortex appeared and spewed forth light, from which sprang a character in a purple cloak that covered everything except the eyes and hands. Its glowing orange eyes stared across the distance at Shadi's Dark Elf. Meanwhile, its curative magic performed its duty, as its effect allowed. Now every time we normally summon or flip summon monsters, I gain 500 Life Points... and it applies to its own effect. His LP rose to 8400.
"Next, I'll reveal my defensive monster, Bite Shoes (500/300)."
The other monster vortex also spat light out and brought from its depths a pair of very evil-looking high heels. They might have been laughable were they not so utterly disgusting. Razored teeth adorned the "mouth" and a single huge eyeball sat in the centers of both. Their reddish fleshy coverings pulsed, blood evident within them. Kyle's LP again heightened, this time to 8900. He felt himself grow stronger and more self-assured with each gain.
"I call Bite Shoes' effect and force Dark Elf to defense mode."
Shadi's Dark Elf card turned horizontally before their eyes, and the monster herself bent down on one knee, taking defensive stance.
"Mysterious Puppeteer, attack Dark Elf!"
Puppeteer was playful about his job. He held up the marionette in his left hand and then released it, holding it in midair by whatever vile magic he possessed. The marionette came to life and chattered its teeth at Dark Elf, then emitted a blue bolt of energy straight at her. Dark Elf crumpled and blew apart.
Shadi did not express himself facially, but his demeanor implied annoyance and amusement at the same time. Kyle watched his opponent carefully. "Now, Bite Shoes, attack his Life Points!"
A vile substance boiled from the "mouths" of the shoes – perhaps it was some kind of bile – and splattered at Shadi's feet. The Egyptian stumbled slightly as his LP fell to 4600 – but Robbin' Goblin's effect couldn't apply in this case, since Shadi was already bereft of all cards in his hand.
"End turn," Kyle said.
Shadi drew one card, then immediately set it in his magic/trap field. "I'll place this face-down and end my turn."
Kyle's eyes narrowed as he drew his next card. No monsters, but I can't risk that being a trap card. Even if it isn't, if I attack with both my monsters, he only loses 1500 LP to a pair of relative weaklings; if he summons anything with an attack beyond a thousand, he'll be safe and I'll be screwed. I'll bide my time for the moment. "Mysterious Puppeteer and Bite Shoes, go to defense mode. My turn's finished."
Mysterious Puppeteer, like Dark Elf, knelt down, though it was hard to tell from the way the cloak held his form. Bite Shoes simply clattered together impatiently – Kyle was reminded of a movie about rainbows.
Shadi pulled another card from his deck. "I shall play a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Goody, a twist. Now I've got a face-down to contend with and a possible trap card behind it. Attacking with either monster could be disastrous. Goes to show I shouldn't waste an opportunity like that.
You are doing well, Theoris assured him. Simply continue to press your advantage and you will win.
Kyle pulled another card from his deck. I need to have a sizeable hand, otherwise I'm fighting blind. "I'll draw and end my turn."
Shadi silently confirmed that he'd heard Kyle by drawing. "I shall place another card face-down and end my turn."
A fourth magic/trap vortex flowed into existence in front of Shadi.
I'm losing control of the duel, Kyle thought, panicking. It'd have gone a lot better if I'd just tried to attack while he had the first unknown magic/trap out.
Even if it had been successful, you would have had two weak monsters in attack mode, just waiting to be destroyed. You have all of your Life Points, while he is missing nearly half of his own. You are doing well, Theoris insisted. Stay calm and focus on your strategy.
Kyle nodded. "Okay," he said aloud. "I'll draw another card... and end my turn."
"I shall do the same."
Kyle pulled another card. "Again, I end my turn without playing anything."
"And again, I do the same."
Kyle drew another card. "I place one card face-down and summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode."
The Slate Warrior was a monster well-known to the dueling community. It rose slowly out of the vortex that had opened up for it, looking as if it had all the time in the world to come out and play the game. Its body was the same consistency as the stone the duelists stood in, and its gigantic muscles bulged in anticipation of the attack.
Kyle felt the drain of the power within the shield – and himself – from bending the warrior to his own will, but at the same time he sensed the Life Point gain, now up to 9400.
"Slate Warrior, attack his monster!"
Shadi quickly grabbed one of the magic/trap cards he'd placed and flipped it face-up. "I activate Widespread Ruin."
As Slate Warrior ran toward the vortex for Shadi's monster, it was rudely interrupted by Shadi's orange Widespread Ruin cloud, which shot forward and directly into the attacking monster's path. Slate Warrior didn't make a sound as it rushed into oblivion.
The cloud in mid-air disappeared, as did the monster.
Kyle glanced down at his "board" and saw the Slate Warrior card literally fade out of existence. He could only hope that the true card hadn't been destroyed, as well.
Man... that was the only good card I had on the field. Well, I can at least see what he'll have in store for me. "In that case, I activate the magic card Ancient Telescope."
In accordance with the rules on the card Kyle activated, the top five cards of Shadi's deck faded away and appeared, one by one, in front of Kyle. His eyes narrowed. Well, now at least I know a little bit of what he's really got.
Moments later, the cards again disappeared and reappeared in the same order atop Shadi's deck.
"Your move," said Kyle.
"Very well." Shadi wasted no time in playing. "I play Dark Zebra (1800/400) in attack mode."
A zebra with an apparent bad attitude and a horn projecting from its forehead appeared on the field and stamped its hooves impatiently. Once more, Kyle's Life Points rose – now they sat at a colossal 9900.
"Dark Zebra, attack Mysterious Puppeteer."
Dark Zebra charged forward and impaled Mysterious Puppeteer on its horn. Puppeteer cried out loudly before transforming into energy and exploding.
Great. Not only do I lose my better monster, I lose the LP increase on summons. Gotta think on my feet.
Shadi did not lose his composure. "That will end my turn."
Kyle quickly drew another card, and mentally sighed with relief. "I'll sacrifice Bite Shoes to play Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500) in defense mode."
Bite Shoes sank back into the vortex from which they'd come, and in their place rose a powerful warrior festooned with armor, several massive blades, and an even more massive shield. It positioned itself between Shadi's field and Kyle.
"That ends my turn."
Shadi again gave a small nod of appreciation, but did not say anything to confirm it. He swiftly drew his next card, then announced, "I place one card face-down and play Tainted Wisdom (1250/800) in attack mode."
A floating brain with numerous strands of fibrous material hanging freely from the bottom rose out of the vortex created for it. Kyle found himself wincing at the sight of the "creature".
"I reveal my face-down monster, Ancient Brain (1000/700)..."
The remaining hidden monster on Shadi's field also rose up out of its hole, appearing in the form of a stout old man whose brain was in painful evidence thanks to the apparent removal of the top half of his skull. He growled menacingly at Kyle and Shogun.
"And I use the magic of Polymerization."
Before Kyle could even react, the whirling energies of Shadi's Polymerization card melded the essences of the two vile creatures together, to create one of the most terrifying and awesome monsters Kyle had ever had the pleasure – or disdain – of meeting.
"Behold the Skull Knight (2650/2250), ready to destroy even your Labyrinth Brother cards." Shadi spoke quietly, no degree of triumph in his voice at all. Skull Knight was a giant monk garbed in black robes and bone armor polished to a dazzling white. The shield it bore seemed to have been taken from the face of a mighty beast, and the huge scimitar it wielded in its right hand also seemed to have been taken from an animal's skeletal remains.
Yeah, right. Sanga's attack may be fifty points lower, but only fifty. Flat attack power isn't everything. Kyle tried to assure himself against the thought of the Skull Knight eradicating his cards. And worse, his Life Points.
"Skull Knight, attack Total Defense Shogun!"
Shadi's monster seemed to glide across the field – Kyle couldn't discern any feet beneath the hem of that robe – and then swung its massive sword around, to bring it crashing down on Shogun's shield. The attack was too much for it, and the shield broke, leaving the warrior behind it to be pierced and destroyed by that sword.
With Shogun gone, I'm open to attack!
That fact was not lost on Shadi. "Dark Zebra, attack his Life Points!"
Dark Zebra raced across the field, charging directly at Kyle. As with Vorse Raider attacking Shadi, however, its charge was stopped abruptly perhaps a foot in front of his remaining floating cards. Its horn bashed into some sort of invisible barrier there.
Nevertheless, Kyle felt the hit and was thrown backwards by the force of it. It came as a blunt, full-body blow, rather than a sharp impaling attack, as Dark Zebra probably would have liked it. He landed on his back and groaned in pain. "Ohh... ow..."
Kyle struggled back to his feet, feeling as though the Life Points – the remains of which still sat at a remarkably high 8100 – had been ripped directly from him. And who's to say they weren't?
Shadi stared impassively at him. "Your move."
Kyle drew another card. "I'll call forth Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode."
A sorcerer garbed in blue robes appeared on the field, his eyes closed and his lips moving in silent meditation.
"Next, I activate the magic card Tremendous Fire."
The area around them, so dark at first, was immediately set to a burning orange-yellow glow, and streams of fire enveloped both players, though Shadi was hit more intensely than Kyle. Both players staggered – by the effect of the magic card, Kyle's LP was taken down to 7600, while Shadi's sunk to 3600.
When Shadi recovered, he accused, "You claimed you did not want to injure me. Are you now reneging on that claim?"
"I want the Millennium Shield to be injured even less than you. 500 LP from me and 1000 from you seems like a fair trade to me if we're going to play this seriously." Kyle pulled two more cards from his hand. "And I'm not finished yet. I'll place these two cards face-down."
Two more indigo vortices sprung into existence in front of Kyle, one to each side. He allowed a small, grim smile. "That'll do it for this turn."
Shadi's eyes narrowed. Kyle wouldn't have expected any less.
"I shall draw one card and end my turn," Shadi announced.
Kyle snorted. What a shame... he's not taking the bait. Too bad for him. "I summon Kojicocy (1500/1200) in attack mode."
Kojicocy was a muscle-bound warrior, and it acted like one, growling in anticipation as it surveyed the opposition. Kyle paid little attention to its attitude. "I activate the trap card Reinforcements and increase Kojicocy's attack strength to two thousand."
As if to emphasize the point, Kojicocy was suddenly surrounded by a myriad of other warriors clad in medieval armor.
"Kojicocy, attack Dark Zebra!"
"Activate Widespread Ruin," Shadi proclaimed. As Kojicocy charged toward Dark Zebra, one of Shadi's indigo vortices jumped in the way of Kyle's creature and swallowed Kojicocy entirely.
Damn! I hate that card! Well, at least it's not going to the graveyard by itself. "Probably should have just let it destroy your monster, Shadi. Activate Michizure. Now I get to take one of your monsters to the grave alongside Kojicocy."
A pair of gigantic arms shot out of one of Kyle's magic/trap vortices, reached across the expanse, and grabbed Skull Knight around the midsection. The powerful monster cried out as the arms pulled him into the swirling energies within the hole, which vanished a moment later.
Again, Shadi did not permit a reaction to cross his features, if he even had a reaction at all. Kyle could only hope that he was at least annoyed by the destruction of the best monster the field had yet seen in this duel.
Can't attack Dark Zebra, though. Shame. "Your turn."
Shadi drew. As he did so, his Dark Zebra went into defense mode. Kyle frowned, then recalled the effect that particular card had. Duh. Dark Zebra goes to defense whenever it's the only monster on its controller's side of the field.
"I shall place one card face-down and sacrifice my Dark Zebra in exchange for a higher-level monster," Shadi announced, the powers of the Shadow Realm moving his cards accordingly.
He's up to something... I'll have to take it out. Effect monster? It wouldn't have an effect like Man-Eater Bug, no high-level monster has that effect. An effect card with more than four stars, and in defense mode... I don't know of many 5-star effect monsters with a defense below 1550, so I'd best not attack until I get something stronger.
"That will end my turn."
Kyle drew. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."
Shadi responded by drawing, as well. "I reveal my current monster, Reaper of the Cards (1380/1930) in attack mode, and activate its flip effect to destroy one trap card... so it shall remove Robbin' Goblin from the field."
Shadi's Reaper of the Cards looked much as its name implied, and even more so as it swung its sickle into the goblin still on Kyle's field.
"Next, I shall equip my monster with Malevolent Nuzzler to increase its attack to 2080."
Reaper suddenly was not the only creature on Shadi's field, for a green-skinned, genie-like woman with three purple eyes came to join it. Her smoky tail wrapped around the monster and she grinned sadistically at Kyle's side of the field.
"Reaper of the Cards, attack Maha Vailo."
Reaper soared across the expanse and hacked at Maha Vailo with its huge sickle. The sorcerer let out a shout before blowing apart.
Kyle grimaced as a portion of his Life Points was taken by the hit, as well, leaving him with 7070. I might have switched him to defense mode...
There was nothing he could do about it now, however. At least he's got no other monsters out to make mince meat of my Life Points – which, by the way, have suddenly turned into a very weird value.
"My turn is over," said Shadi.
Kyle drew. I have to take the offensive pretty quickly if I'm gonna survive this... Let's hope this works... "I play two cards face-down and summon Red-Moon Baby (700/1000) in attack mode."
There appeared certainly one of the uglier monsters present in Kyle's deck, though many of them were admittedly far from pretty. His eyes glowed a harsh blue, and only a small sprout of white hair kept him from being called bald. His ears came to stark points, and his chubby face was anything but attractive. He wore a green cloak that covered his body completely.
"That'll end my turn."
Shadi pulled his next card. "I set one monster in defense mode, and then activate the trap card Ultimate Offering and sacrifice five hundred Life Points to set another monster in defense mode."
Two new monster vortices appeared, one on either side of Reaper of the Cards, while Shadi's Life Points continued to dwindle – now to 3100. His eyelids were drooping slightly over his eyes, giving him the slightest appearance of being inebriated... or tired. His voice, however, didn't support either assumption.
"Reaper of the Cards, destroy Red-Moon Baby."
Reaper lunged forward.
"Activate Reverse Trap!" Kyle responded, extending his hand toward one of the cards he'd placed during his previous turn.
An impish creature jumped out of the hole and shot straight for the Malevolent Nuzzler creature. The imp grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her away from the Reaper, and though she fought and shrieked, Reaper went forward with the attack without her assistance – and instead with a 700 point reduction from its original attack power.
The cut slashed across Red-Moon Baby's cape, but that only made it emit a sharp squawk of protest. Then its blue eyes burned more brightly and emitted twin beams of energy that wreathed around Reaper and reduced it to ashes. The destruction of Reaper heralded the loss of another 20 Life Points, thus leaving Shadi with 3080.
Reversing the effect of Malevolent Nuzzler. Impressive.
Thanks, but it's not over yet. At least he put those other cards in defense mode.
"Very well," Shadi said quietly. "I shall place one card face-down and end my turn."
Red-Moon Baby's eyes glimmered even more harshly than before as the effect it possessed took place. Now I get to use Reaper as I please. A vortex opened up next to the Baby and from it appeared Reaper of the Cards.
"Reaper of the Cards, go to defense mode," Kyle ordered. He frowned even as the creature obeyed his command. He could pay another five hundred LP to put his Malevolent Nuzzler on top of his deck, but he's choosing not to.
He likely feels that will serve no purpose at this time.
Probably right. Kyle drew. In the meantime, I'm fighting blind. I need to build my hand back up. At least I'll have a couple of goodies to protect my LP, for the moment. "I draw one card, switch Red-Moon Baby to defense mode, and end my turn."
Shadi drew, then promptly placed that card. "I shall place one card face-down and end my turn."
Kyle drew once more and tried to keep his cool, which was admittedly hard to do. He wanted to attack, but neither of the cards on his field seemed quite up to the task, even with Shadi's monsters in defense mode. And he had absolutely no idea what Shadi was putting in his magic/trap field, in the meantime. It was better not to risk it. Besides, even if he does attack, I've got a surprise waiting for him. "I draw... and end my turn."
"I shall also finish my turn without playing a card."
"I do so again."
"As do I."
He's getting ready to strike... I can feel it... Time to give him some. Kyle drew, then announced, "I'm sacrificing Red-Moon Baby from the field and Kotodama (0/1600) from my hand."
Are you mad?!
Stick with me, here. "Next, I'll activate this." Kyle extended his open hand toward one of the magic/trap vortices that had been opened early in the game and had waited patiently for its chance. It expelled a huge puff of indigo smoke; when the smoke cleared, it revealed what appeared to be a chubby chef slaving over a gigantic hot stove, a metal spatula in hand.
The chef shouted incoherently at Kotodama and Red-Moon Baby, and the huge stove belched dark fire. The two monsters obediently moved onto the stove's single grill burner, turned up to maximum.
Kyle couldn't help but grin at the nearly comical goings-on before him. Though it was a shame that he had to sacrifice these two monsters, the reward was quite satisfactory. And the monsters had served their purpose; he could have asked his deck for no better.
He looked to the chef. "Put that Hamburger Recipe of yours to use."
The chef nodded silently and started whacking at the sacrificed monsters with his spatula, twisting their dead forms and shaping them. Then he conjured condiments and ingredients, seemingly from nowhere, and applied them to his creation.
The process culminated when Kyle finally placed the card he wanted to summon on the "board". At the same time, the chef placed his creation on a platter and "served" it to the field. He, the stove, and the platter then conveniently vanished, leaving behind only his creation.
The creation in question appeared to be a gigantic hamburger, like any other served at fast food restaurants. It even had a large toothpick down the middle of it to keep the ingredients from falling out. But what separated this from other hamburgers, other than its size, was the fact that it had large, gleaming teeth protruding from the interiors of the buns, and it was drooling condiments.
"Take a look, Shadi. The Hungry Burger (2000/1850) in attack mode."
The creature emitted a menacing, gargling growl.
"And since that was a special summon, I also place one monster in defense mode."
A third monster vortex appeared in front of Kyle's four magic/trap vortices.
Gotta attack. No time like the present. "I switch Reaper of the Cards to attack mode, then activate Malevolent Nuzzler and apply it to Reaper, just as you did."
Reaper once again was wreathed by a grinning female genie as its attack power was boosted to 2080.
"Reaper of the Cards, attack the monster on the left!"
Reaper swept in towards Shadi's creature. Shadi gave no indication of activating any trap cards, which only served to encourage both Kyle and his stolen monster.
The sickle's point sliced straight into the heart of that vortex, and the monster was revealed even as it was skewered.
Queen's Double (350/300). Probably a good thing, then, otherwise he might have used her to stage a direct attack on my LP, as per that nasty little effect of hers. "Now, Hungry Burger, attack his remaining monster!"
Hungry Burger floated forward, growling its strange growl. It opened its massive, alien jaws and clamped down on the vortex... and also, presumably, the monster within it.
The monster was revealed, and Kyle gasped. Oh, no...
"You've destroyed my Princess of Tsurugi (900/700)," Shadi announced quietly. "And for that, there shall always be a price."
And indeed, there was a price to be paid, thanks to the Princess's flip effect. Smoke floated up out of Hungry Burger's maw, presumably the soul remains of the Princess, and fired a thunderbolt directly at Kyle, stopping only at his barrier.
Nevertheless, he was flung back and struck the stony ground hard, his Life Points reduced to 5570. He groaned. 500 LP for every magic and trap I've got on the field... Saving grace that Hamburger Recipe was destroyed during the ritual. Still, a 1500 LP loss...
Are you all right?
I'll be fine.
He struggled back to his feet and gasped for breath. Not much else I can do at this point. "Point taken. Your move."
Shadi slipped another card from the top of his deck, then picked two from his hand. "I shall place one card face-down set one monster in defense, and sacrifice 500 Life Points to set another. That ends my turn." His Life Points descended to 2580.
Boy, now we got a lot of what-ifs involved here... I don't want to risk a trap card, and I don't want to be knocked down another fifteen hundred points for another Princess of Tsurugi, even as unlikely as that might be...
He pulled his next card. "I draw and end my turn."
Shadi drew. "I do the same."
He's looking for something. Can't let him find it, but I can't risk my monsters' destruction, either. Kyle drew again. "I'll place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Shadi slipped the next card off the top of his deck. "I place one monster in defense mode, then switch Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) to attack mode."
Aqua Madoor rose from its vortex, a water magician clad in light robes and a mask that hid everything, save for two slits – presumably for eyes – where only red could be seen.
Kyle's eyes narrowed. That thing's not powerful enough to even take on a Reaper at its own attack rate, much less with a Malevolent Nuzzler attached. He's got a power-up waiting for it.
Kyle's suspicion was confirmed only a second later as Shadi continued, "I activate Megamorph, doubling Aqua Madoor's attack strength."
Beneath the Water-attribute sorcerer there appeared a circle of what appeared to be ancient runes. Those runes began to glow brightly.
"Aqua Madoor, send Reaper of the Cards back to its graveyard."
The magician conjured a tsunami to its aid and called it to crash down upon Reaper, which melted beneath the wave. Kyle's Life Points suffered once more, this time going down to 5250.
"It won't be going by itself," Kyle said. "Activate Michizure."
The now-familiar twin long arms, still fresh in both their minds, extended out of their vortex and waited for Kyle's command.
"Send Aqua Madoor to the graveyard," Kyle commanded.
Obediently, the arms stretched out and grabbed Aqua Madoor around the midsection. The creature squawked as it was pulled into the cavernous vortex, which subsequently disappeared.
And along with it, Kyle noted with grim amusement, the Megamorph card.
Shadi bowed his head. "My turn is ended."
Kyle drew his next card. Hopefully that'll have kept him at bay for the time being, but this duel has already gone way too long. I have to take him down. Still, I've got no idea what his face-down cards are, and I don't know if I can risk an attack that way. For all I know, he's got a pair of Man-Eater Bugs waiting, and I'm fresh out of Michizures. "I place one card face-down and one monster in defense mode. That ends my turn."
Shadi selected his next card. "I place one monster in defense mode, then activate Monster Reborn and summon my Queen of Autumn Leaves from the graveyard."
Kyle frowned as the beautiful maiden rose from a vortex on Shadi's field for the second time this duel. Why that card? It can't take out Hungry Burger, and as far as I can tell, none of the cards on his magic/trap field have the capability to power it up.
"I now reveal my previous two monsters, Queen's Double and Princess of Tsurugi, and place them in attack mode."
Princess?! That takes out another thousand of my LP!
Indeed, it did... upon the Princess's summon, another thunderbolt shot straight from her and struck Kyle's barrier, deducting another one thousand Life Points – down to 4250 now – and knocking him to the ground. He scrambled back to his feet, though he could feel the toll the Shadow Game was taking on him, as he felt considerably more sluggish about his scrambling.
I don't get it. Only Queen of Autumn Leaves has an adequate attack power... the other two stink. Does he have some sort of royalty theme in mind, here?
Be wary. He would not summon such a specific combination unless he planned to use it to his advantage, and you know that. Do you know of any magic card that might serve to enhance the powers of royalty?
Not off the top of my head... not to enhance them, anyway... Kyle's eyes widened. Oh, no... I know what he's planning, it's an old school ritual... they don't even use this ritual anymore, its result is a normal monster now, but I know this one...
"And now I shall activate this card: Cosmo Queen's Prayer."
The ritual card, now having been named, disappeared from Shadi's field. The surrounding area darkened, and a bright red point of light appeared between the two fields. From that point of light, there branched out yellow streaks, less intense than the red, but in a specific pattern. A pair of huge green hands appeared in the center of the field and clasped together, as if praying.
The three "royal" cards that Shadi had summoned approached those hands and took position below them. When they halted, they were consumed by three beams of incandescent energy, which then coalesced into one beam and arched back toward Shadi's field. That beam was closely followed by the strange red and yellow light above.
The patterned light settled itself at the top of the ever-shortening energy pillar, which widened out and became bipedal in form. It began to lose its glow, and became revealed for what it truly was.
The creature was robed in emerald and armored in topaz, sporting a gigantic crown of void-black and highlighted with gold, a ruby jewel situated in the center. It was possessed of grayish skin, only the lower face to be seen below the crown, and smooth gray hands that hung at ready-stance.
"Behold the Cosmo Queen (2900/2450)."
Her attack power's beyond anything I've got in my deck! Good thing I have power-ups, but now the question becomes when they're going to make themselves available. Meantime, I have to worry about my own monsters...
"Cosmo Queen, attack his Hungry Burger."
Burger gnashed its teeth in defiance, but other than that, there was nothing it could do; Cosmo Queen placed her hands together and uttered a prayer in an unintelligible tongue. The sky itself seemed to respond to the prayer by sending a bolt of pure energy down on Burger, incinerating it completely and taking Kyle's Life Points to 3350.
Kyle felt himself growing much more tired now. He was having trouble keeping focus, having trouble simply keeping his eyes open wide enough to survey Shadi's side of the field. Must be what he's feeling, too... only I've never done this before, and he probably has. This doesn't bode well...
Have faith. You can still win.
Sure doesn't look that way from here.
Looks can be deceiving. You should know that better than anyone.
Shadi stared straight into Kyle's eyes. "That will end my turn."
"Goody," Kyle muttered, as he drew his next card. He noted in annoyance that his arm was drooping sleepily. He sighed. "I'll end my turn without playing anything."
For the first time, Shadi seemed to allow himself a small smile. "I shall also refrain from playing a card this turn. Cosmo Queen, attack the last monster he played in defense."
Kyle let out a groan as his Muka Muka was blown away. I couldn't possibly hold enough cards in my hand at once to use Muka Muka to beat Cosmo Queen anyway...
"It is now your turn."
Kyle clenched his eyes shut. I could really use something good about now...
He pulled his next card.
His eyes narrowed.
Here we go...
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Coming up next: part 2. Coming up right now: your review! I hope...