Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Midnight Arc

Chapter 19: Clowns and Scorpions, Animals and Dragons, and much more!

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes and yawned. "So what did I miss?" He cleared his vision and realized that there was a small army of men with guns surrounding him. "Uhhh…"

("So the humans want to fight? Very well, let me kill them.")

("No! Ichigo, don't listen to that meanie!")

("Hey, how about both of you be quiet.") The half demon stood up and a rifle barrel pressed right into his right cheek. "What's the deal?"

"We're here to make sure that you don't cause any problems."

Ichigo smirked slightly. "Really?" His hand snapped up and knocked the rifle barely away. Immediately fifty different guns were pointed right at him. "Calm down. Where's Eri?"

"She's currently being de-briefed."

("Just kill them already!")

Ichigo frowned. "Take me to her right now."

They didn't move.

Ichigo growled. "Five…" His hair shimmered black.

All of the guns fired at once…and then exploded.

Ichigo snarled. "And we just went straight to zero." His irises turned black.


Eri glared at Davis from across the table. "Well? Are we just going to sit here all day?"

Davis readjusted his cowboy hat and sighed. "Relax Eri. We're nearly done here."

The demoness snarled, her fangs glittering in the dim light. "I will eat your soul."

"Never on a first date." Davis ducked under a punch that left a hole in the stone behind him. "Sheesh…I knew you'd do that."

An explosion rang outside the small room.

Davis looked over at the thick steel door….and blinked in surprise as the metal started to twist. "What the hell is that?"

The door tore outwards to reveal Ichigo standing there calmly, his body surrounded by an aura of black fire. "I'm here to get you guys out of here. Let's go."

Eri started to stand up…

Davis hopped up and shook his head. "Relax! Stop blowing stuff up!"

Ichigo glared right at him. "Shut up. You're working for these guys aren't you?"

Davis sighed and held up his hands. "Relax and let me explain."


Ichigo frowned and glared at the guards surrounding him coldly. "I'll kill all of you without regret if you so much as touch anyone wrong."

Davis sighed for the tenth time in the last hour. "Calm down Ichigo! Don't you understand what the truth is? The Shadow Corporation is no longer corrupt. They aren't good guys, but they don't want Midnight to succeed at his plans."

Krieger frowned. He had heard from his father about the evils of the Shadow Corporation, and it left a bad taste in his mouth that he was working with them. "So what do you want with us?"

"Nothing. The Shadow Corporation wants to make sure that all of you can defeat Midnight's speakers." Davis sighed. "So stop getting mad at them. They put me into the academy…"

"Because you're the son of the president." Eri glared at him. "Don't think that I'm stupid. Uncle Ryu knew about you since day one."

Griff sighed. "You're crazy…he's offering to help us. Without him we would be dead."

Ichigo frowned. "The Shadow Corporation and my father are not friends in the slightest. And as such I don't like them."


"Ah, the roar of the crowd! The beauty of the ring! I love it!" A dark-covered form danced along the backstage area, hopping over numerous different objects and fixtures with the grace of a ballerina. "Where are you, my dears? Come to papa!"

A symphony of different roars, barks, hisses, and squawks was his reply.


Ichigo sighed and glared at Davis again. "So tell me again why we're at a carnival?"

"Because we have a couple of days of free time while the Shadow Corporation prepares to deal with Midnight." Davis walked backwards, not worried about tripping over anything. They had been dropped off in Kyoto. "And so we may as well go to something that I know will cheer you up."

"Oh, and what is that?" Ichigo's voice died in his throat as he saw what Davis was talking about. "Maybe Shadow Corporation isn't so bad…" He broke into a run towards what stood in front of him.

Eri, Krieger and Griff all stared too. "A Duel Monsters Carnival?"


The dark form stopped its dancing and cocked its head to one side. "What's this? I have guests! And not just any guests of great power, but exactly what the master told me to look for!" He moved so fast that there was a small cloud of dust where he had been standing. "I must make sure they have a fun time!"


They had managed to get front row tickets…and they were in for a surprise.

Out in the three rings were all kinds of Duel Monster holograms, programmed for different purposes. One was a Dark Magician with Dark Magician Girl, both performing incredible feats of magic.

Another was a group of Peten the Dark Clowns that were performing a comedy act.

And in the last act there was something amazing in itself. It was a black-cloaked form performing card tricks. Not just any kind of card tricks though. One of its favorite moves seemed to be throwing a card towards the audience, just to have it spin around and return to his hand.

Ichigo looked like a child as he leaned over the railing. "This is cool!"

Krieger grinned. "Yeah, it's pretty funny."

Griff looked happy, but not excessively so. "You're such a dunce Ichigo."

Eri didn't look entertained at all. "I was hoping for at least some kind of violence. Maybe a couple of monsters fighting to the death."

Out in the ring the black-cloaked form brought its eyes upon the four. ("Ah yes…such a happy group they look. However….like all happy groups they must be put to the test!") "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to say hello to you finally! But first, before the show can begin…" He caught the cards that had been flying around him and shuffled them together into a deck. "I'll need a volunteer from the audience!" Snapping his fingers, he grinned under his cloak as the Petens all broke off from their act and leapt into the audience.

Eri blinked in surprise as one of the clowns grabbed her wrist. Seconds later that arm was lying in the center ring of the tent. "Keep your hands off!"

Ichigo sighed. "You're no fun at all Eri. They just want to make you a star."

The Peten nodded repeatedly, its missing arm shimmering back into place.

Eri glared at it. "No way."

The Dark Clown's mask turned into a sad face, and it pulled out a handkerchief. It began to cry, and blew into the piece of cloth, which grew to the size of a blanket and fell over Eri's head.

The demoness snarled. "I'm going to…" The blanket-sized piece of cloth fell to the ground, nothing underneath it.

Ichigo stared wide-eyed at the ground. And then started clapping, along with the rest of the audience. "That was so cool!"

The black-cloaked form motioned with his finger and the cloth flew from the stands to his arm. "Allow me to introduce our volunteer!" He rolled it up into a ball and tossed the ball of to another Peten, who caught it and climbed up a rope out of sight. "And if the lady's three friends would like to come down here, they can participate as well!"

Ichigo, Krieger and Griff all looked at each other and shrugged. The rest of the audience applauded them as the Petens helped them on their way down to the ring.

"Thank you so much for coming down to join the fun!" The black-cloaked figure threw back a piece of the cloth to reveal a blue hand. "Now, let's make sure to give them all a great show!" In a voice so low that only their ears could hear he added, "Because losing isn't a laughing matter."

All three of them blinked in surprise at that. ("Huh?")

The figure pointed up into the air. "Bring her on down boys!"

"….rip your head off and stuff it up your ass!" Eri looked around in confusion as she was lowered down over the ring in a giant clear plastic box. "Hey! How'd I get in here?"

Ichigo looked up…and then down at the figure. "So…how are we supposed to help?"

"It's quite simple, my dear boy!" The cloaked figure leapt high into the air, and then at the apex of the leap the cloak, now owner-less, fluttered to the ground. "You must save the girl!" A curled form spun down and straightened out just in time to land.

And what a form it was. It resembled a clown and a court jester all at once, with the cap and bells and all. But its colors were dark purple, black, and blue, as was its skin. "Greetings gentlemen!" The clown took a deep bow. "My name is Jester…" His white face and huge nose could have been considered comedic, except that his eyes said otherwise. They shimmered with a darkness that sent chills down the three boys' spines. "…and I am the Speak of Comedy!" He began to dance around. "Welcome to the Circus of Darkness!"

The Petens began to clap from their positions, some hanging on ropes and others up out of sight. The audience applauded too, just because they thought it was all part of the act.

Ichigo grimaced. "A Speaker of Midnight…" ("Damn it…that's what I get for dropping my defenses.")

("You deserve it, you big child. If it had been me that never would have happened.")

Griff growled low in his throat. "Let Eri go, you clown…"

"Why should I?" Jester stopped dancing and pulled a small metal stick out of nowhere. "It would be no fun at all! So instead, let's have a duel for the girl's fate!"

"I'll take you on…" Ichigo cracked his knuckles. "And I'll bust that nose of yours while I'm at it."

Jester laughed crazily. "Silly boy, you can't be the star of the show! It just wouldn't be fair! Your friends will duel a couple friends of mine…" He snapped his fingers and the Dark Magician from before appeared, a duel disk on one arm. "Now then…who will be first?"

Krieger glanced back at Ichigo and then stepped forward. "I'll take this one."

Jester snapped his finger and a duel disk appeared on the boy's arm. "Then go now child, enjoy the duel! Of course…like all darkness games there will be a penalty if you fail." The clown tapped the stick against a beam. "Like so many of my victims before, you will be turned into an animal if you do lose."

Krieger- 4000

Magician- 4000

Krieger slammed his deck into place and drew six cards. "I'm first! Draw!" He fanned the card out and slapped a card down. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 4 (1600/1000) in attack mode!" A metal bird-like dragon appeared on the field and screeched. "Also, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Magician drew. "I summon Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in defense mode!" A woman in black robes appeared on the field in a crouching position. "I also set one card face-down. End turn."

Krieger drew. "I activate the magic card Level Up! This card levels up Horus!" The dragon grew in size. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6!" (2300/1600) "Attack the Witch now!" It sprayed the woman with black fire that destroyed her. "During the end phase of this turn Horus levels up!" Horus grew in size. "Horus the…"

"Reverse card open!" Magician pointed at its set card. "Go Torrential Tribute!" An explosion of water rocketed up and swallowed up Horus instantly. "This trap destroys all monsters in play when one is summoned. Also, Witch of the Black Forest's special ability lets me search my deck for a monster with 1500 or less defense points." After adding a card to his hand he drew. "Now I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) to the field in attack mode!" A monk wearing half of a mask appeared on the field.

"Reverse card open!" Krieger pointed at one of his set cards. "Call of the Haunted revives Horus Level 6!" The medium-sized dragon reappeared and roared loudly. "Sorry, but you won't get to my life points that easily."

Magician slid a card into his disk. "I play the Shallow Grave card! This will revive one monster from both of our graveyards in defense mode!" Witch of the Black Forest appeared on his field in a crouching position, while Horus Level 4 appeared in a crouching position alongside its older form. "Then I set one card face-down. End turn."

Krieger drew. "Now I play the magic card Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension!" His graveyard spat out a card. "So now I shuffle Horus Level 8 into my deck. Now I switch Horus 4 into attack mode!" The dragon stood up. "Black Fire Burst!" It screeched and sprayed Witch of the Black Forest with fire, burning it to ash.

Magician took a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

Krieger pointed at Kycoo. "Black Fire Flash!" Horus 6 sprayed Kycoo and the spellcaster exploded.

Krieger- 4000

Magician- 3500

Krieger smiled slightly. "End turn!" Energy shimmered around Horus Level 6. "Level up!" It grew in size and roared. "Horus the Black Flame Level 8 (3000/1800) is special summoned! Also, reverse card open!" A golden net appeared on the field. "Golden Net of Light activates when a card would go to my graveyard! Instead it goes into my deck!" He shuffled Horus 6 into his deck and pointed at Horus 4. "Level up!" It screeched as it turned into level 6. (2300/1600)

Magician frowned and drew. "One monster face-down and that is all."

Krieger drew. "I set two cards face-down. Horus 6, attack the set monster! Black Fire Flash!" The dragon sprayed the set card and exploded into dust. "What?"

Magician smirked. "You just attacked Death Magician (1500/1500) and when it is flipped the attacking monster is destroyed. Also, I discard two cards from my hand to destroy another monster." Horus 8 exploded.

Krieger paled. "End turn."

Magician drew. "I sacrifice Death Magician for Magical Marionette." (2000/1000) A wooden doll holding a pair of knives appeared on the field. "Direct attack!" It leapt across the field and stabbed Krieger right in the chest. "End turn."

Krieger- 2000

Magician- 3500

Krieger growled and drew. "I play the magic card Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards, leaving him with four. "Now, the magic card Monster Reborn! Return now Horus 6!" The medium dragon reappeared on the field. "Attack now! Black Fire Flash!"

Ichigo gasped. "Krieger no!"

Horus opened its jaws and sprayed an arrow of black fire towards the doll.

Magician chuckled. "Bad idea boy. Every time a magic card is activated a counter is given to my monster. For every counter its attack goes up by 200 points." (2400/1000)

Griff paled. "Oh no…Krieger just sent Horus to its death…"

Krieger smirked. "I activate the quickplay magic card Rush Recklessly! This card raises my monster's attack power by 700 points! Even though this gives your monster another boost, it doesn't matter!" (3000/1600) (2600/1000) The doll shattered as the fire arrow pierced its shell.

Krieger- 2000

Magician- 3100

Magician grimaced. "Damn you…"

Krieger snapped up another card. "Also, I play Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension!" Horus 8 and 4 were shuffled into his deck. "Finally, I set one card face-down. End turn!" Horus 6 shimmered and grew into Level 8.

Magician drew. "It's no good. You're about to lose."

"Really? You are playing a spellcaster deck. And spellcaster decks need magic cards to work." Krieger left it at that. While Horus Level 8 was in play he could negate any magic card that his opponent played.

Magician pointed at his set. "I activate Magician's Wisdom! This card requires that I have five spellcasters in my graveyard. By discarding another one, I can special summon any spellcaster from my deck to the field! So I summon myself!" (2500/2100) He leapt onto the field.

Krieger smiled. "I'm not afraid."

"You should be!" Magician held up a card. "Go Thousand Knives! This card will let me destroy one monster in play!"

"Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 8's special ability will let me negate that card!" Krieger pointed at it. "Go Horus!"

Magician waved his hand and a storm of knives appeared around him. "Magician's Wisdom, during the activated turn, makes all magic cards impossible to negate!" The knives launched forward and stabbed into Horus' chest, blowing it apart. "Now prepare for the end! Direct attack!" His staff appeared in his hand and he pointed it at the boy.

Krieger pointed at his set card. "Horus the Black Flame's Revenge!" He smiled slightly as the set card flipped up. "This card can only activate when Horus is destroyed. Your turn ends!" He drew. "I play the magic card Dragon Templar! This card special summons three Dragon Templar Tokens (300/300) to the field!" A trio of dragons appeared on the field in crouching positions. "End turn."

Magician drew. "I play my Pot of Greed." He drew two cards. "Now I summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) and play the magic card Diffusion Wave Motion!" A magician that looked like an inexperienced version of the Dark Magician appeared in play. "At the cost of 1000 life points Diffusion Wave Motion lets Dark Magician attack all three of your monsters!" He snapped his staff up from out of nowhere and a wave of magic shattered the three dragons. "Direct attack!" Skilled Dark Magician leapt in front of Krieger and slammed its staff against his back. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Krieger- 100

Magician- 3100

Krieger stood up slowly. "I won't lose. Draw!" He looked at the drawn card. "I activate the magic card Black Fire Bang!" A ball of black fire appeared over his head. "This card is the end. You will take 300 life points of damage for every magic card in both of our graveyards!"

Magician's eyes widened. "No…"

"Take this!" The fireball launched towards the Dark Magician and slammed into him, leaving nothing but a few scorch-marks in the dirt.

Krieger- 100

Magician- 0

The audience exploded into wild applause.

Jester frowned. "Well that's no fun. It looks like round one goes to you, boys."

Krieger took a deep breath and sat down. "We need to do more?"

Griff stepped forward. "I'll take whatever is next."

Ichigo nodded.

Jester smirked. "Then let the games continue."

To be continued…

Come on Griff, give it your best! Take down that clown's servant! Huh…Ultimate Clown?

Next Episode: Clowning Around

To Raine Vindicare: I'll send them when I can.

To falcon demon general: Yeah, it is her new deck.

To Bobbomp and Anime Albino: What would I answer with? You didn't give me any questions or comments worth replying to.

To Dais: You're totally wrong. Cyber Shadows, Divine Agents, Torture Villains, Hidden Spirits, and one other deck type. Those are the five warrior decks.