Rise of Destiny

Chapter 7

The Rising Winds

Auros sat high atop his throne, like a judge in the courtroom. He looked down on 6 cloaked men. Ryuza and Gavon leaned on the wall, sneering at the poor souls about to be sacraficed.

"Because of your consistent and continuous failiures, I have sentenced you all to sacrafice your souls to the Haven." Auros said shortly.

The tallest of the cloaked figures gasped.

"Please," He said in a strange mixture of a high pitched, yet gravelly, voice. "I'd like to make a deal."

"I'm listening." Auros said coldly.

"If I defeat Yugi Mutou, will you let me and my rank live?"

Ryuza laughed. "Do you even know who Yugi Mutou is?" He asked, smirking arrogantly.

"For your information," The cloaked man said, pulling down his hood. He had a heavy jaw, no eyebrows, and stark white hair down to his shoulders "I am Garuda, the leader of Squadron E!"

"Squadron E?" Ryuza asked snottily. "Squadron E is the lowest of all five Squadrons. It's really nothing to brag about if you're the leader."

Garuda scowled at Ryuza, and turned to Auros.

"I accept your wager." Auros said, smiling.

"You will not be sorry."

The Mirror of Self...Yugi thought to himself. He held a card in his hand. It was a Trap card with only a name, "Mirror of Self", and a picture of a glowing mirror. Why did Ryuza give us this card? Could it be dangerous?

I don't know, aibou. Atem told him. But whatever it's power is, we'll most likely find out soon, and we won't like it. However, we must stay strong, and face whatever challenges oppose us next.

You're right, Atem. Yugi said mentally. Let's just stay together and be careful.

They had come to a grassy field. One man stood there, poised for battle. He was tall, with bulging muscles and stark white hair down to his shoulders, with a broad forehead. He had no eyebrows, and a heavy jaw. He was shirtless, with baggy white pants and a white toga, with white mockasins.

"Yugi Mutou!" His voice boomed. He had a strange gravelly, yet high pitched voice. "I challenge you to a Duel!"

"Out of my way!" Atem shouted, flourishing his Duel Disk.

"No." The man said. "Maybe this will change your mind. I am Garuda, of the Dark Duellists! And, I know where all of your little friends are."

Atem froze.

What are you gonna do, Atem? Yugi asked his other self.

I think I'll take his challenge. Atem replied, slipping the Mirror of Self into his deck. I don't know what this new card does, but maybe it can help us...

"My name is Garuda," The man said confidentally. "But it won't matter, since you'll be missing a soul pretty soon anyway!"

DUEL START

Atem: I'll start off by summoning Breaker, the Magical Warrior(1600/1000)! Because of his special ability, he gets a Spell Counter, raising his ATK points by 300!

Breaker (1900/1000)

Atem: And I'll set 2 cards face down and end my turn.

Garuda: I summon Flying Kamakiri #1(1400/900) in ATK mode, and activate the Field Card Rising Air Current! Which raises the ATK points of all my WIND monsters an extra 500 points!

Flying Kamakiri (1900/1400)

Garuda: Make your move, Pharoah.

Atem: Now, Breaker, use your special ability to destroy his Rising Air Current! Magical Break!

Garuda: Damn.

Atem: Breaker, attack his Flying Kamakiri! My monster may now only have 1600 ATK points, but that's still enough to destroy your monster!

Garuda: Ha! When you destroyed Flying Kamakiri, you activated his Special Ability! Now, I can take any WIND monster from my deck and Special Summon it to the field! And I'll choose...Flying Kamakiri #2(1500/1200)!

Atem: Another weak card? My Breaker will destroy it easily next turn. Now, make your move, Garuda.

Garuda: Very well. I activate my second Rising Air Current card, which raises the attack points of my Kamakiri up to 2000! And that's more then your pathetic Breaker the Magical Warrior can handle! Kamakiri, attack with Wind Scythe!

Atem/3600 Garuda/4000

Atem: Now, I'm going to set one monster face down in DEF mode, and end my turn.

Garuda: Pathetic! Now, I attack, Wind Scythe!

Atem: smirks I activate Mirror Force!

Garuda: No!

Atem: That's right. Your Kamakiri is destroyed.

Garuda: So what? I've got other monsters who will make this duel hell! Now, make your move.

Atem: Now, I sacrafice Alpha the Magnet Warrior from my field, and Beta the Magnet Warrior and Gamma the Magnet Warrior from my hand to summon the mighty Valkyrion the Magna Warrior(3500/3850)! Attack his Life Points now!

Garuda: AAAGH!

Atem/3600 Garuda/500

Atem: It's your move.

Garuda: draws a card, then smirks. I activate the Spell Card Wind Tomb! It allows me to remove one of your Monsters from play!

A Spell Card appears on the field, showing a wind funnel encasing a Celtic Guardian.

Garuda: Say goodbye to Valkyrion!

Atem: No! Valkyrion!

Garuda: I'm not done with the torture! I summon Wind Galgeizer(3000/0) by paying half my Life Points!

Atem/3600 Garuda/250

A card bearing a large deep green monster with razor sharp claws and a wide mouth full of pointy teeth appeared on the field.

Garuda: Galgeizer, attack his Life Points! Wind Slash!

Atem/600 Garuda/250

Atem: Ugh...I cannot do anything except activate my last face down card...Activate Trap Card: Mirror of Self!

The Mirror of Self activates, and Atem is thrown back, landing on his back in the grass. Yugi disappears, leaving only Atem.

Atem: No! What happened?

Garuda: Laughs You fool! You actually played that card? The Dimension Lord created it specifically to ruin your Duelling strategy. It separates you, the Pharoah, and the boy you share a body with, Yugi Mutou. Now, you won't be able to communicate with your other half!

Atem: This can't be!

Garuda: Wake up and smell the roses, Pharoah. Yugi's gone, in a sense, and there's nothing you can do! You've lost this duel, just admit it!

Atem: That's not true. None of it.

Garuda: Laughs like a hyena Oh, so that's it? You say whatever you like as long as it makes you feel better? That's not going to work forever, Pharoah. You're going to have to face the music sometime!

Atem: Heavy scowl and glare Why don't you shut up and watch me work my strategy? First, I'll activate the Cheerful Coffin spell card, and discard one card from my hand.

Garuda: I still don't see what the hell you're doing. Is the loss of Little Yugi too much to bear, and you've finally cracked?

Atem: You may not know it yet, but your Galgeizer card has a weakness.

Garuda: What weakness?

Atem: You see, when I have no monsters on the field, Galgeizer is a formidible force. But if I have even one monster on the field, Galgeizer's ATK points are lowered straight down to 0. So, here is the final part of my move. I activate the spell card Monster Reborn! Be Revived, my loyal Dark Magician(2500/2100)!

Garuda: Dark Magician? But that card wasn't in your Graveyard!

Atem: My Cheerful Coffin card lets me discard any monster. Guess who I chose?

Garuda: No!

Atem: Now, Dark Magician, attack his Galgeizer! Dark Magic Attack!

Garuda: AAAGH! He goes flying back, and lands with a thud on the ground.

Atem/600 Garuda/0

DUEL END

Atem fiercely took the Mirror of Self out of it's Trap slot, and strided toward Garuda.

"You make me sick, the way you laugh at the pain of others." Atem said, a cold scowl on his face as he looked down at his fallen foe. "So, take this card, Garuda, take it to your master along with the aura of defeat!"

He threw the card at Garuda, where it impaled his chest. Garuda gasped for breath, and collapsed.

"Do you hear me, Dimension Lord?" Atem shouted. "I shall come for you next! And I swear it!"

"Do you hear me, Dimension Lord?" Atem shouted. "I shall come for you next! And I swear it!"

Auros replayed those words in his mind. He heard everything done in duels where a Dark Duellist played. It was a useful ability, really, to have a small psychic connection to your servants.

Auros smiled, but also had a hint of worry in his eyes as he heard Yugi's words...