Author's Notes: Time to find out a bit more about the Trials.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Threat of Judgement
Kirani peered around the corner, watching as a column of soldiers marched right by them. Meanwhile Dalin was in the store behind her, finding something to wear. After all, they couldn't exactly wander around with him shirtless and bloody, or he'd attract attention to them.
After a minute the soldiers had all passed by, leaving the path clear. Shortly after Dalin exited the store wearing a large black duster. He had also cleaned his face so that no blood was visible. There was however some slight bruising left over from the blows he had taken in his fight against the Trinity.
"We can run straight to the United Nations building, but it's bound to be extremely well guarded. And even then, what are we supposed to do? How exactly do you fight a god?" Hikari frowned at Kirani's question, but Dalin remained just as impassive as ever. But Kirani was sure that even he was worried about how they would accomplish their task.
Dalin frowned for a moment, and then he set his shoulders. "Whoever you are, I think it's time you stopped watching us from afar and came down here."
A shape dropped down from above them and into the alley. The figure rose from a crouch, revealing itself as a girl around Kirani's age. She was taller than Kirani, and about Hikari's height, however there was something distinct about her. Most likely it was just her platinum blonde hair that she kept tied back. It was a rare color to see in Japan, but then again they were in America now.
"I admit to being impressed by your senses. I shouldn't have been surprised though, considering you were capable of defeating the Trinity. Under normal circumstances I doubt I would ever have followed you, but these are desperate times." She flicked her platinum hair away from her face, revealing royal blue eyes, much the same shade as Seto Kaiba's. They also had a stern manner that seemed to see through outward facades. It reminded Kirani of another person's gaze, but she couldn't put her finger on whose.
Kirani took the moment of pause to inspect this new girl. She wore a simple short-sleeved blue shirt and tan pants, but despite her casual dress she wore a tiara in her hair with a sapphire in the center. This girl also carried herself with a confident and controlled air that once again reminded Kirani of someone.
"Who exactly are you, and what is it that you want?" Kirani might have scolded Dalin for being so rude, but at the moment she was in no mood to play the guessing game with yet another mystery person.
The girl bowed slightly, but only to Dalin. It seemed that all of the girl's focus was on the giant of a duelist. "I am Azure Levis, and I am here because I believe that you have the potential to abate the threat to free will that is this Eikyuu character. No person on the planet can defeat him, at least not at the moment."
Dalin frowned, but Azure raised one hand to forestall any comment. "Allow me to explain. Eikyuu has the power to bend other's wills to his whims. That is how he has turned the people of Earth to his whim. There are however certain people who appear to be immune, whom he calls 'The Fallen'. But even these people cannot remain immune to his touch."
"Then why not just pop over to each of these people, like us, and touch them to get them under his sway?" Each of them turned to look at Hikari, who seemed truly puzzled by this mystery. Kirani couldn't think of a reason off the top of her head, so she had to hope this 'Azure' girl had answers.
"From what I can tell it's merely because he doesn't consider it worthy of his time. That makes us lucky, but that doesn't change the situation. You cannot confront Eikyuu, or you will become his pawns." Azure saw the looks on Hikari and Kirani's faces, a look of despair. This announcement seemed to confirm what they had been dreading. There was no hope.
"I never claimed that there was no method to withstand this. However, the only way you can gain this strength is to undergo what is often referred to as 'The Trials'. In truth it is to walk down a place called the 'Path of the Dead'. There you must each face a trial of spirit, body, and mind. The trial is different for each person." Dalin frowned, considering the implications of the name. It did not bode well.
"There's something you have yet to tell us." Now it was Azure's turn to frown, caught off guard by Dalin's intuitive nature. Hikari seemed rather surprised as well, so the only one who wasn't surprised was Kirani. By now she was also used to him being one step ahead of everyone else.
"You certainly are quick to the punch. Yes, there is one challenge that must be faced, one test that must be passed, before any of you can undergo the Trials. This tiara which rests upon my head is called the Tempus Astrum, and possesses all the power of my family throughout all of its generations. It will choose someone from amongst you, and that person must defeat me first." Dalin nodded, and then they waited as she took the tiara off.
She held it between her palms, and the sapphire began to shimmer. A blue light shot out of it, and spun around, darting about as if searching wildly for something. Suddenly the light inverted, and took a new shape.
When it was settled into position, it resembled a compass. There was a flat blue circle, and hovering over it was a blue dial that was shifting. At the moment it seemed to be pointing...away from them. "This is unusual. It seems to be saying the one that I am to face isn't amongst you."
Kirani leaned in, looking at the compass carefully. She waved her hand through it, but nothing happened. "Maybe it's broken? You said it was old after all."
Azure snatched the tiara away and shot Kirani a miffed glare. "The Tempus Astrum is never wrong! I have the utmost confidence that if we simply follow the direction it is pointing we will find our opponent."
She held her head up high, and began to walk in the direction the dial was pointing. Dalin followed after her, not bothered by this sudden turn of events. In the meantime Hikari and Kirani exchanged looks, knowing intuitively that this wouldn't go well. "Say Hikari, did you notice anything about her that seemed somewhat familiar?"
The older girl nodded, and she narrowed her eyes in thought. When she did that, the answer suddenly came to Kirani in a flash. "Amazing...she's a female Dalin!"
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The soldiers cried out in a panic as what seemed a shadow of death passed through them. It darted between soldiers in the blink of an eye, bringing each of them down just as swiftly. Nobody was able to track the death shadow with their gun, let alone squeeze off a shot.
When the last of the soldiers fell, the creature that had seemed to them to be a specter of death itself stopped and paused to look at its handiwork. "So this is what Eikyuu's soldiers are truly capable of? It looks like that now that the Knights are gone, Eikyuu is the only real threat remaining."
He sighed, and then time and space shifted around him. He stepped forwards, and the world returned to normal. Now he was standing on top of a black surface, and over a group of bodies. "I'm just that one step closer. All I need is a little more time and then I can find a way to undo what has been done. The easiest will be with you two."
Kneeling down he inspected the two he was talking about, checking the progress made by both. It wasn't much yet, but not that much time had elapsed. "I just need time, but that's the one thing I'm not sure if I have."
He frowned and prodded one's face. "Damn you, even when you're totally a goner you can't stop smirking. Get that sick looking smug ass grin off your face or I won't even try to bring you back. I don't even know why I'm helping you come back Taichi, you're just a bother."
He glanced over at the other, his frown still holding. "You can be a pain as well Nick, but at least you aren't quite as psycho as Taichi is. I still don't get why I feel obligated to you two. It wasn't even me who was with you two."
Grimacing he lay back and stared up at the ceiling, contemplating his current situation. "Takuya, what have you gotten yourself into? Trying to bring a couple of crazies back to life and the same for a bunch of others. Ryu, Autumn, Isis, Rishid, you guys owe me big time. But in reality, I guess I owe you all more. Especially you Kai."
He frowned, realizing that he was talking to a bunch of lifeless bodies. Here he was calling Taichi and Nick crazies, and in reality he had probably reached the lowest point in his life around with them. "I gave up everything I was for power, got consumed by an evil undead thing, and then under that control did unspeakable evil. I'm just such a poster boy for the sane these days aren't I?"
To top it all of, he was talking to himself. Really, he didn't see any of this as atoning for his crimes, but it was the only thing he could think of to do. While he was waiting there was just one thing he could think of to do. "Might as well see if I can finish up."
He popped open a massive trunk that was sitting next to him, and began rooting through the piles upon piles of Duel Monsters packs. There were thousands there, and he knew that the right sets were amongst them. "I swear that I will make a deck to fight with my real power, not with someone else's power. I refuse to do that again."
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"Are you sure that thing isn't broken? You keep changing directions." Azure scowled at Kirani again, aware that the Tempus seemed to be behaving erratically. Every time they thought they were closing in, the dial changed the direction it was pointing.
"Perhaps this person is very far away, and that is why the Tempus is acting up." Azure shook her head, knowing that Dalin's explanation wasn't true. She appreciated it, but she knew when the Tempus felt something. Whatever it was looking for was within the city, they just hadn't found it yet.
They turned another corner, and stopped immediately. The dial was now pointing at a large building in front of them that they all recognized, even Hikari. This was none other than Madison Square Gardens, one of the most famous buildings for sports and other events, and one of New York's famed buildings. "In there? Well, I suppose we still follow."
The walk was a long one, especially since the building was large. Eventually the dial led them into the middle of the court, and it seemed to be spinning in circles. "It's spinning like this, but that would imply that the person is here. I mean right here, where I'm standing. But that makes no sense."
"I told you it was busted. Your Tempus can't find a taxi let alone the person who is destined to be your opponent for the right for us to take these 'Trials'." Sparks shot between the two girl's eyes, only to be deflected as Dalin stepped in between them.
"Did it occur to either of you that whoever the dial is pointing to, is not in this very spot, but rather above us?" He pointed straight up, and all of them followed his gaze. What they found was the giant score board. The score board that was three dimensional, and would have a top.
Azure and Kirani both made a wordless 'oh' and began to contemplate how to find out if somebody was actually up there. At least until Hikari proved herself to be equally as practical and direct as her younger brother. "HEY! IS ANYBODY UP ON TOP OF THE SCOREBOARD? IF SO, COME DOWN!"
There was the sound of rustling, and what they thought was a voice. Then Dalin jumped to the side all of a sudden, and they discovered why. Someone had just stepped directly out of his shadow. "Huh? You guys again?"
"Kensai?" Kirani's shock was immediately repeated, particularly when the dial above the Tempus Astrum pointed directly at him. Azure narrowed her eyes, and then proceeded to march around him. The dial pointed at him the whole way.
"You, whoever you are, do you wish for the defeat of Eikyuu and the restoration of this world as we know it?" He blinked at this strange question, but after a moment's thought he nodded.
"Very well then, in order to allow this to happen you and these three must undertake a group of Trials of mind, body, and spirit. Before that can happen I must be defeated by one of you, and the Tempus Astrum has chosen you as my opponent. Do you accept?" He just stared at her blankly.
"Is she serious?" Dalin simply nodded, and it was again confirmed by Kirani and Hikari. So he was left with a choice. To take the duel, or not to take it. As far as he was concerned, this would make the perfect form of atonement.
"If that's the case, then I shall accept your challenge, and I will defeat you using all of my strength. From this moment on, I am Kensai no more. I am done hiding behind names, I am Takuya Shinomori, I am me. And I will win!" He reached his hand into the shadow behind Kirani, and from it he extracted the same black Duel Pod that he had used as D'harim. Then he placed it on his arm, and loaded a deck into the auto-shuffling deck slot. (TLP: 4000)
"Very well, but understand that I won't hold back. I, Azure Levis, have never been defeated by any person wishing to undertake the Trials. This victory will be hard earned, if you can even manage it. So let us begin, you make take the first move." She drew five cards and held them out in front of her, face down so that she couldn't see them. Takuya drew his own hand of five, and the duel was on. (ALP: 4000)
"Azure, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into. My true strength is greater than you could imagine, so allow me to show you. First, I draw!" He snapped a card off his deck and added it to his hand. Azure held back a gasp, shocked at the raw determination and power she was feeling. This man was no ordinary duelist!
He scanned his hand and after several moments decided on his course of action. "There was a time when I would have underestimated a female duelist such as yourself, but no longer. I will defeat you in order to gain atonement for crimes caused by my rash actions. I cannot fail, so my first weapon shall be Queen's Knight(1500/1600)!"
His first monster was a blonde woman in armor, with shield and sword in hand. She was one of three, a set that all of them were aware of. "The Tri-Knights? Those three will be of no help to you. You will be judged in this duel, believe me on that."
'He's no longer using the Death Knights. With those I'm certain he could have won, but I understand why he isn't using them. This is like his old deck though, and that was never very powerful. I hope he has more hidden in that deck of his, or I doubt he'll last long.' Kirani was worried, not just about his chances with this duel, but about their chances of getting to undergo the Trials. If he lost, they wouldn't be able to take them.
"Don't judge this monster or me by what you think you know. I'm beyond that already, I've surpassed my former limitations, and this is my power! One card face down, and end turn!" Azure grimaced, realizing that he was dead serious. There truly was some power there that she wasn't seeing yet.
The moment Azure drew she got a surprise. Takuya's face down card was already flipping up, and it revealed a bursting pattern of red hearts, with a bearded warrior in the background. "You think the Tri-Knights are nothing? Well, allow me to introduce you to the King. Go, King of Hearts!"
The knight within the card strode out and stood beside Queen's Knight. She gave him a slight bow, and he dipped his head in return. "This is my King's Knight(1600/1400), who is special summoned by the effect of my trap. Now since he and Queen's Knight are together I can special summon another monster from my deck."
"Yes, your two monsters allow you to summon Jack's Knight(1900/1000) to the field. There are few duelists who don't know about the Tri-Knights anymore. They won't be winning any duels." Takuya smiled enigmatically and grabbed a card that his deck spat out. Then he slammed the card down onto his Duel Pod, and a tall blonde figure in blue armor appeared next to the other two. He greeted them with a deep bow.
"You're thinking far too two dimensionally. Have you already forgotten my trap card? The second effect of King of Hearts allows any monster named 'King's Knight' on my field to have a battle phase this turn. And you haven't summoned yet!" Azure's eyes widened in shock as King's Knight raised his sword and jumped straight at her.
"King's Knight, attack her with Blade of the Hearts!" The knight slashed her across the chest, driving her backwards a few feet. Kirani and Hikari both gasped in shock to see the first blow struck so soon, and to see the amount of damage dealt by that first blow. Dalin merely watched carefully. (ALP: 2400)
"I see, so you use magic and trap cards to assist your warriors. Well, such a cheap trick won't work against me more than once. Remember, it's still my move and I have yet to take any action." She took two cards from her hand, and placed them each on the field. They all saw the holographic representations appear, both face down.
"One monster in defense mode, and a single magic or trap card will be my defense. That's all I need, so it's your turn again." Takuya nodded and drew a card. Then without looking at it he pointed at her, a stern look on his face.
"Such an average move won't cut it in this duel! Watch and learn, as I activate the magic card Royal Straight! This only works by sacrificing a Jack's Knight, Queen's Knight, and King's Knight from the field!" The three named monsters faded away, and his magic card appeared in their place. It showed a hand of cards, all those involved in a Royal Straight, just as said.
"The effect of this card allows me to special summon Royal Flush(2400/1350) to the field in attack mode!" A tall warrior in green armored was his newest creature, and it held its sword up high. Its face was covered by a white mask, and it looked ready to take action as soon as it heard the word.
"Now this duel is over! When Royal Flush is summoned I can activate its effect by sending a level one, a level two, a level three, a level four, and a level five monster from my deck to the grave!" Five different cards popped out of his deck, and he held them up, allowing Azure to confirm that each of them was the stated level. Then he sent them to the graveyard.
"Royal Flush, use your power. Royal Straight Slasher to destroy her entire field!" Royal Flush raised its left hand, and then snapped its fingers. Azure's field exploded completely, and when the smoke faded there was nothing remaining between Royal Flush and her life points.
"I'll finish this off exactly, without dealing one ounce of damage that isn't needed. Royal Flush, attack her directly!" To Takuya's surprise his Royal Flush bowed its head, and refused to move. Azure smirked and popped a card out of her graveyard, which she proceeded to show to Takuya.
"You may have tried to destroy my field, but I chained to that destruction. My Light Screen works when an angel is destroyed, and for that turn no attacks can be made upon me. So though you cleared my field, you didn't manage to finish me." Because the effect of Light Screen his turn was immediately ended, so he couldn't set any cards.
"That's not all Takuya, you destroyed my face down monster and activated its effect. I told you that you would be judged, and this is the first one. Yueth-Judge of Being(0/0) is now shuffled face up into your deck. Until you draw it I get to draw one extra card per turn, and when it is drawn it goes back into my deck face down, and you draw until you hold six." She tossed him the monster card, which he inserted into his deck face-up. The Duel Pod shuffled it in.
She snapped two cards off her deck, and then immediately chose one and threw it out onto the field. "This will the be the judgement of your sneak attack, and my monsters will inflict vengeance upon you. Yusa-Judge of Will(600/500) appears!"
A stern looking woman with wings folded on her back appeared and her eyes flashed darkly. "When Yusa-Judge of Will is summoned I may take control of one monster on your field. At the end of the turn both die. However, until then I have a clear field and your Royal Flush at my command!"
Royal Flush marched over to her, and offered her a brief bow. She nodded her head in return, and then pointed straight at Takuya. "These two monsters shall unleash their awesome strength upon you! Attack him directly!" Both monsters attack, one with a sword and then other with a beam of light. Takuya took them in the chest and barely budged. (TLP: 1000)
Dalin watched the duel impassively, impressed by both of their plays so far. Each was proving their strength as a duelist already. As he watched, Azure continued her turn. "I set two cards face down, and then end my turn, destroying both monsters."
Takuya drew, and then just like Azure he slapped it down onto the field. "Maybe I should have mentioned before that this deck doesn't revolve around the Tri-Knights, because there aren't just three anymore. Go, Knight to the Third Power(1700/1200)!" A heavyset knight in chain mail with a large battle axe was his newest creature.
"Whenever my monster engages in battle, regardless of the result my opponent takes three hundred points of damage. So feel free to negate this. Direct attack!" As soon as the monster got going, a face down card flipped up, and the axe smashed apart a mirror that appeared in front of Knight to the Third Power.
"My Heaven Mirror negates your attack and increases my life points by one thousand. Unfortunately that number is decreased to seven hundred by your monster's effect." Her life points rose, and then dipped slightly. (ALP: 3100)
He slid one card onto his Duel Pod, and then motioned for her to take her turn. She did so, drawing two cards to bring her back up to five. "I summon Yuez-Judge of Light(1900/1200) who when normal summoned lets me special summon a light monster from my hand with fifteen hundred or less attack. So I also summon Yusaki-Judge of Betrayal(1500/1800)!"
Two female angels again appeared, both of them looking stern. However, the moment Yusaki was summoned she flew across the field and vanished with the body of Knight to the Third Power. The heavyset knight marched to Azure's field, just like Royal Flush had. "I can equip Yusaki to a monster to gain control of them, so thank you for that. My new monster attacks!"
"Trigger trap card, Hearts! This trap will destroy your monster and let me summon a special monster from my deck that has either an equal or lower level! So here's Deuce's Knight(1200/1200)!" Knight to the Third Power shattered, and immediately a new creature began to form on Takuya's field. This new monster was a lithe, young looking woman in emerald green armor. She held a short sword in one hand and a buckler in the other. Her hair wasn't visible underneath her helmet. (TLP: 700)
"Very well, Yuez will destroy Deuce's Knight!" A thin beam of energy shot out of Yuez's hand and blasted straight through the female knight's armor. She cried out, and then was nothing but dust in the wind. Luckily for Takuya she had been in defense mode.
"When Deuce's Knight is destroyed in battle I may draw two cards and add one Knight to the Third Power from my deck to my hand." He drew twice, and then grabbed a card that popped out of his deck. Just like that his hand size had increased to six cards.
Since her turn was finished he drew, and then smiled at what he saw. "My hand now contains seven cards, making this the perfect entrance for my next monster. Come on out, Seven(1650/1450)!" A dashingly handsome man in ruffled silk red and blue clothing smiled haughtily at Azure. He kept one hand on the ivory hilt of the sword in its scabbard at his side, and the other was fiddling with a playing card.
"When Seven is summoned, I can immediately add one 7 to my hand. That brings my hand size back up to seven cards. Once again it's perfect." Seven handed him the card, and he smiled and accepted it. Then he grabbed two cards from his hand and slid them into his Duel Pod.
"I activate not one, but two 7s! Then I set two cards face down to complete my turn!" Two red number sevens appeared above his head, each right next to the other. Then two brown backed cards appeared face down by Seven and in front of Takuya.
Azure hid her smile, impressed somewhat by his play. She didn't know what these new cards did, or even what his strategy was quite yet. However, he did seem to be countering whatever he played. She looked at her new cards, and immediately took action. "I summon Yurley-Judge of Divinity(1300/1600)!"
Her new monster was like all the others, only with a very holy glow to her. "I activate the magic card White Cross, which can only be played when I have a monster with 'judge' in it's name on the field. I can immediately destroy one monster on your field regardless of its position. So say farewell to Seven!" A giant white cross strapped to the monster and began to lift him up into the air.
"Not so fast! I trigger my counter trap, Clubs! This negates an effect that targets one of my special monsters and moves that effect to another legal target. So say goodbye to Yuez!" The White Cross suddenly vanished and then appeared on Yuez. The cross flew up into the air and then vanished from sight completely, not coming back.
"Impressive maneuver, but it won't be enough. Yurley, attack his Seven!" Takuya frowned as her monster flew across the field, only to be sliced in half by his aristocratic monster. But his surprise quickly increased when the wound on Yurley disappeared, and her attack power began to rise. (ALP: 2750)
"Whenever she is destroyed in battle while in attack mode Yurley(1700/1600) returns to the field with four hundred more attack points. So now she's strong enough. Yurley, attack his Seven and destroy it!" He grimaced and motioned to his remaining set card. It immediately flipped up, revealing a background of diamonds and a female knight behind them.
"Queen of Diamonds lets me special summon Queen's Knight(1500/1600) back to the field even if she's in the cemetery. Then it negates your attack and ends the battle phase!" The queen once again was on the field, and Yurley backed away so as not to offend her. Azure frowned at seeing her attack fail and finished her turn.
He drew, and then smiled as Seven handed him another playing card, which formed in his hand as a Duel Monster card. Azure once again frowned, and then decided to ask something that had been bothering her. "You keep saying 'special' monsters. What sort of monsters are these that you are referring to?"
"You haven't figured it out yet? My monsters...they're Poker monsters! Each suit represented, each card from deuce to ace! Now, it's time for me to continue and show you what happens when I get all 7s on the field together. I activate the final 7!" A third one appeared above him, and all three began to light up, flashing. A giant sign popped out, declaring him a winner.
"When all three are on the field together I can destroy them to draw one card for each and gain seven hundred life points for each. That means all told I gain twenty-one hundred life points and three cards!" He drew three new cards, and then watched with a smirk as coins flowed out from above him into a bucket, representing his increasing life points. (TLP: 2800)
Azure grimaced, seeing all of her hard work undone. Not only that, but now he had a slight lead in life points. Of course fifty wasn't very much, but it was something. "Say goodbye to your precious cards Azure, because I activate Diamonds! This magic card has two effects, and I choose the first to destroy two cards on your field! Say goodbye to your set and Yurley!"
"Not so fast! I activate that face down card, Judgement from Above! By discard a monster with 'judge' in its name from my hand I can negate any effect. So my Yurley is safe." The building energy in his magic card faded away as Azure discarded a card. However he didn't seem that bothered by this.
"Oh well, that just means I can't finish it this turn. I summon Knight to the Third Power(1700/1200) and then I activate Monster Reborn to revive King's Knight(1600/1400)! According to the effect of King and Queen I summon out Jack's Knight(1900/1000)!" Just like that he had a total of five monsters on the field as compared to Azure's one. Then again, Yurley wouldn't stay dead and it would only get stronger.
'He only has the power to kill Yurley once in this turn, and at most he can deal three hundred damage to me. So I'm hardly worried. Few duelists stand a chance once Yurley is summoned to the field. I've only ever dueled one person who managed to finish off Yurley.' With that in mind she was utterly confident that her monster would remain and that there was nothing that Takuya could do.
"You're so confident that your monster is invincible. Well you aren't, you have a limit of life points. So my next monster will be the one that shows you that you have limits. Go, Polymerization!" To everyone's surprise Jack's Knight, Queen's Knight, and King's Knight all jumped into the vortex of the fusion card. What emerged was a massive monster with two swords and combined armor from all three.
"When I said that Poker monsters covered deuce to ace, I forgot to mention that the other card was covered. Meet Arcana Knight Joker(3800/3000)! The strongest monster of my deck, who's about to show you my real strength!" With that said Knight to the Third Power rushed forward and slammed his axe down on Yurley, who retaliated by blowing him apart with an energy blast. (ALP: 2450)
"Since you defeated her while in attack mode Yurley returns to the field with a total of twenty-one hundred attack power." Although her monster remained, she had absolutely no way to protect it. What made it worse was the enormous power of Takuya's newest Poker monster.
"Face his wrath! Arcana Knight Joker, attack with Twin Joker Slash!" Both blades slashed straight through Yurley, blowing her into pieces. She reformed, appearing with twenty-five hundred attack power. However, despite the fact that she had survived the damage had been done. (ALP: 750)
Dalin continued to watch impassively, still impressed by their actions. 'In a single turn he has turned this duel in his favor, utterly reversing their situations. Not only does he now have dominance of the field, but their life points are completely reversed. He true has grown both as a person and a duelist.'
"I set one card face down, and then I switch Seven into defense mode. Your turn Azure." He folded his arms, confident that the power of his Arcana Knight Joker could not be so easily defeated. It would take far too many attacks by Yurley for that creature to gain the attack power needed to defeat his Joker.
The moment that Azure saw her two new cards, she looked extremely confident. "I'm going to defeat your Joker and you. Just watch, as I draw the cards I need by playing Cherubim Descent. By discarding one card from my hand I can special summon three Cherubim Tokens(500/500). These monsters cannot be used for summoning. But my Return of Tithes magic card lets me draw one card for each angel on my field!" She drew four cards to replenish her hand, bringing it up to seven cards.
"Now I activate Sweeping Life Restoration. For every light type monster I sacrifice I can gain seven hundred life points. So I sacrifice all four of my monsters in order to gain twenty-eight hundred life points!" The four monsters shattered, and energy poured into her duel disk, restoring her lost life points. (ALP: 3550)
Takuya smiled, impressed by her play. However, his monster was still far too strong to be so easily defeated by any monster she could summon. "I play Holy Birth, which at a cost of one thousand life points lets me special summon two level four or lower monsters from my deck to the field!" (ALP: 2550)
An angelic woman holding balancing scales and another angelic woman with hands clasped together in prayer appeared in front of Azure. "Meet Angel of Balance(500/1300) and Yuten-Judge of Return(800/600)! When Yuten is summoned I may revive one enemy monster with a five hundred point bonus. So Royal Flush(2900/1350) is mine now!"
Takuya's old monster was now hers, and stronger as well. But still he wasn't worried because of his Joker's superior strength. There were only five monsters in the entire game of Duel Monsters that surpassed his Joker in strength, and one of those was a god card. Three of the others were incredibly difficult to summon fusions. 'There's no chance that she'll defeat Arcana Knight Joker. It will win me this duel, I can see it.'
"Next I sacrifice Yuten and Angel of Balance for Yumi-Judge of Life(2700/2500)! Then according to her effect I special summon a Guardian Angel token(0/1500) in defense mode." Azure's new monster seemed to radiate holy energy, and it was accompanied by a male angel holding a large shield up in front of him.
"Here is how I will defeat Arcana Knight Joker. With my equip card, Hammer of the Judge! It equips only to a judge, and lets me sacrifice one monster on my field that is not a judge to increase its attack power by that monster's. So I sacrifice Royal Flush to set Yumi's attack at fifty-six hundred for the turn!" Yumi hefted a massive hammer, energy flowing into it.
"Yumi, destroy Arcana Knight Joker!" The hammer came down and the Joker was no more, blown away by Yumi's superior attack strength. Takuya frowned, surprised that she had no only managed to defeat his Joker, but had done so with an incredibly powerful attacker. (TLP: 1000)
Azure placed two cards face down, and that was the end of her turn. As soon as she was done her Yumi lost all of its attack points, returning to its respectable twenty-seven hundred. When he drew, so did she because Angel of Balance's effect allowed her to draw one card whenever he did so long as it was in the grave. "Since Seven is still in play I add a 7 to my hand, this time from the grave. I activate it, but then I think I'll test fate by playing Ace-Deuce!"
He marched forwards as the entire field vanished and took his deck out, taking out a number of cards. He motioned for her to do the same. "Take out all the monsters from your deck, and from the effect of my magic card we'll shuffle them together. Then we bring out two monsters."
They shuffled the decks together, and then Takuya held up the two top cards, which were each revealed as one of her judges. "Okay, your Yeweth-Judge of Mercy is a level two and your Yusui-Judge of Virtue is a level six. Now we take the top card, and each of us must bet whether that monster has a higher level than those two, a lower level, or is in between. Whoever guesses right gains one thousand and the loser has one thousand points deducted from their score."
"There are far more middle level monsters in both of our decks than high level monsters. So I say that the next monster will be in between." Takuya nodded, taking Azure's bet. Then he pointed upwards, indicating the he thought the next monster would be of a higher level. He extended the deck, letting her draw the card. She held it up, and frowned before flipping it around.
"Yue-Judge of Soul is a level seven. It appears that fate was on your side in this turn." He nodded, and suddenly the field returned to normal. Each of them took back their monsters and reshuffled them into their decks. Then Takuya returned to his side of the field. (TLP: 2000, ALP: 1550)
"I set two cards face down, and then I summon Crazy Eights(2100/900) who when summoned forces us to discard our hands and draw five cards. Neither of us can draw until we get rid of our present hands, and whoever empties their hand first gains two thousand life points which are deducted from the opponent's score. As it stands, that would finish either of us." His new monster was an obscenely fat man, who bulged out of his rusted monster and looked like he could barely hold his axe.
She frowned, realizing that since it was his turn he had a good chance of getting close to that. At the same time he was limited since he had taken up four of his zones with magic and trap cards. That would make it harder to empty his hand. "You look like you think you can win. Well, I've got two plans to win. First I reveal my face down Joker Trick, a magic card that brings Arcana Knight Joker(3800/3000) back into play!"
His massive monster returned, and slashed through the air with its sword. "Now, the face down card you walked past last turn. That card will potentially be your demise. I trigger it, Dead Man's Hand! This card requires I shuffle my entire hand into my deck, and then lets one monster on my field have two battle phases this turn. Not that it matters." He shuffled his hand into his deck, leaving it empty. (TLP: 4000)
"I won't lose from life point damage! I activate Life Energy Shield which prevents me from losing because of effect damage during this turn. I remain safe." He nodded, and then pointed right at her monster. His Joker raises its two blades, and prepared to attack.
"Arcana Knight Joker attacks for the win!" Azure snapped her fingers, and her remaining card flipped up. Her monster raised its arms and energy burst from them, blasting over Seven and Arcana Knight Joker. When the energy faded his monsters were completely gone.
"The trap card Final Judgement only works when I have a level seven or higher Judge on the field. It destroys all of your monsters in this situation, leaving you with no hand and only one face down card. I will have victory, since your turn is over I draw twice!" Her hand jumped up to seven cards, and another Guardian Angel token appeared next to the original.
"I begin by summon Yuna-Judge of Vision(1000/700). So long as she is on the field you must specify what type of card you are setting in your magic and trap zone. Not that it matters, since this duel will be ending shortly. I activate the field magic card, Citadel of Celestial Glory." A massive fortress of glowing lights now filled up the space behind her, and Kirani frowned at the sight of it. This confirmed it for her. This girl was a female Dalin.
"My Citadel has various effects, but first and foremost is that all angels with 'judge' in their name gain two hundred attack points. That sets Yumi at twenty-nine hundred and Yuna at twelve hundred." Everyone did the math, and saw that together her monsters had one hundred more attack points than he had life points. All he had remaining was a single face down card, and that wouldn't cut it.
She motioned to her two monsters, and they attacked him directly. "Hold on, I'm activating Five Card Stud! This forces us to discard our hands and draw five cards. No play can draw at all until they have emptied their hands completely of these new cards."
"Not good enough! You'll still lose from damage!" The blasts slammed into Takuya, but he braced himself and remained standing. Smoke wafted off his chest, but he didn't seem all that phased. It was as if the attacks lacked any real stopping power. (TLP: 2800)
"I discarded a magic card called Cheating Uno to substitute for the damage inflicted by your Yumi. That saved me from defeat, and since Five Card Stud was played two of your effects are worthless." Azure held back and grimace, and then set a single card face down. Next she held up her magic card, Graceful Charity. Its effect was negated, but it got it out of her hand.
"I can't draw, but now it's my turn. And this will be the end of the duel, because I play Pick Up! This lets me select one Poker monster from my grave and summon it to the field. So here's Jack's Knight(1900/1000)!" Azure had no idea what he was up to, because she had been absolutely certain that he would bring back Arcana Knight Joker. After all, that was what he had done previously and it was his strongest monster.
"Now I summon Knight of Ten(1800/1600) who when in play with Jack's Knight lets me special summon Ace's Knight(2400/1500) to the field!" His two monsters were certainly impressive. Knight of Ten was a tall man in white armor with ten stripes across it. Ace's Knight was a knight in seamless white armor that had no joints which had a spade on the front of the chest. In his single hand he held a huge claymore.
"Next I empty my hand by playing a single card from it! Go, Card of Sanctity! I draw six, and since you haven't emptied your hand you get nothing!" He snapped six cards off his deck, and then chucked one to Azure. She recognized it as her Yueth-Judge of Being(0/0) which had been shuffled into his deck in the duel's beginning. She frowned and returned it to her deck as he drew one new card according to its effect.
'He's got something in his mind, but I'm fully prepared for him. Let's see what he has planned.' She was ready at a moment's notice to activate her face down card and protect herself.
"At a cost of one card from my hand I play Cutting the Deck. This shuffles me deck and lets me revive one Poker monster from the grave. So I return Arcana Knight Joker into play!" His supreme monster once again hit the field, and Azure could do nothing but frown at the sight of it. She was still safe though.
"Since your Guardian Angels must die first, Jack's Knight and Knight of Ten will gladly take care of them!" The two monsters rushed into the fray, and blew apart her two defending angels. This left her with just two monsters, her Yumi and her Yuna. Hopefully they would do well enough.
"Ace's Knight will take care of Yuna I think." The white knight cleaved the female angel in half with his claymore, doing her in with immense ease. Now all that remained was Yumi, Azure's face down card, and Arcana Knight Joker. (ALP: 350)
"Now, Arcana Knight Joker, it's time to end it. Twin Joker Slash!" The joker began to attack, but Azure's face down card flipped up, and it was instantly blown away by a massive ball of energy. The same ball slammed into Takuya, and three cards popped off the top of his deck. He caught them before they could float to the ground.
"Your mightiest monster fell victim to my trap card Wrath of Heaven, which destroys the attacker and forces you to discard the top three cards of your deck. All it costs is a discard of one card from my hand. Also, since you destroyed three angels my Citadel of Celestial Glory produces three Cherubim Tokens(500/500) in their place." Takuya frowned and slid the three cards into his grave as three little baby angels formed on her field.
"Azure, this has been a great duel. It has really helped me get back into dueling as myself, and realize just how strong I really am as a duelist. I don't need obscenely powerful monsters to win my duels for me, because I have skill and faith in that skill! So now, this duel will come to its conclusion!" He held up one card from his hand, showing it to be a magic card that depicted Arcana Knight Joker charging forward and slashing with his swords.
"Activate magic card, Joker Barrage! This instantly brings back Arcana Knight Joker to the field and has him conduct a battle phase! So Arcana Knight Joker, this really is the end. JOKER BARRAGE!" His ultimate monster reformed on the field. Then it slashed multiple times, splicing apart Yumi. The angelic judge turned to dust, and Azure's entire field faded away, along with his. (ALP: 0)
Azure smiled and shut down her DD2 while Takuya deactivated his Duel Pod. "Congratulations Takuya Shinomori, congratulations all of you. Now it is time for you each to be tested. The Trials begin now."
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Author's Notes: Azure Levis and the bulk of her Judge Deck is the property of Time Mage, who also owns Kai and most of his deck. I thank him for the use of a character who filled this role perfectly and made it so I didn't have to come up with a brand new deck for a duelist. Plus I think the Judge Deck is really cool. Also, let's give a warm welcome to Takuya Shinomoro, AKA Kensai, who has made his triumphant return. Also, his Poker Deck is a deck of mine that is amongst my favorite created decks.
Review Response
G.O.T. Nick: Currently the fallen are screwed over indeed. No, the Trinity were never meant to replace the Knights, as the Knights are (IMO) much cooler, I just wanted another brief threat.
The White Mage: Eikyuu does NOT have a Heart of 'Man'. He isn't human in the slightest, therefor cannot have a Heart of Man. He's a god. The Trinity each WERE a Heart of Man incarnated for Eikyuu's purposes. Also, Dalin got the god cards back from Yami after Yami beat Dartz.
WolfGeneral: There's still a little ways to go before this story ends. Like ten or so chapters probably. Not sure on that number.
VoidTemplar: Oddly enough your name just gave me an idea for more cards. Thanks for the unintended help.
Time Mage: Hikari probably duels next chapter. You almost guessed right on how to defeat the Trinity. Eikyuu has three more Hearts of Man, not just three.
Original Cards(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)
Takuya: King of Hearts, Knight to the Third Power, Hearts, Deuce's Knight, Seven, Queen of Diamonds, Diamonds, Ace-Deuce, Crazy Eights, Joker Trick, Dead Man's Hand, Five Card Stud, Cheating Uno, Pick Up, Knight of Ten, Ace's Knight, Cutting the Deck, Joker Barrage
Azure: Light Screen(TM), Yueth-Judge of Being(TM), Yusa-Judge of Will(TM), Heaven's Mirror(TM), Yuez-Judge of Light(TM), Yusaki-Judge of Betrayal(TM), Yurley-Judge of Divinity(TM), White Cross(TM), Judgement from Above(TM), Cherubim Descent, Return of Tithes(TM), Sweeping Life Restoration, Holy Birth(TM), Angel of Balance(TM), Yuten-Judge of Return(TM), Yumi-Judge of Life(TM), Hammer of the Judge, Yeweth-Judge of Mercy(TM), Yusui-Judge of Virtue(TM), Yue-Judge of Soul(TM), Life Energy Shield, Final Judgement(TM), Yuna-Judge of Vision(TM), Citadel of Celestial Glory(TM), Wrath of Heaven(TM)
