Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.
Legends of the Demon Duelist-Midnight Arc
Chapter 23: The hunt for Jester; Ultimate Seal
Jester danced along the rooftops of the Kyoto buildings. "I love it! Working for Midnight is great! Even if I will lose in a darkness game I…."
("JOKER!")
The clown crashed into a brick wall. "Oww…"
("You would dare run from your mission?")
Jester leapt to his feet. "Of course not master! I was just getting ready for my chance to strike back!"
("Oh really? Of course…I see it perfectly, considering that…YOU ARE LYING!") Lightning exploded through the clown's body, sending him into a fit of spasms. ("I will not tolerate one of my speakers to be so foolish!")
"But master…he's so powerful. My Toon monsters weren't able to defeat him…"
("……I will do you this favor……") A card shimmered into existence next to Jester's hand.
He picked it up…and started to laugh wildly. "This card…I have the perfect deck to use it with. The boy won't be able to survive…and the Dark Halo will be yours."
Ichigo kept through the carnival. "Where are you? Jester!"
"Right here boy!" The clown jumped down amongst the crowd and bowed. "By the way, I suggest controlling your darker urges here, lest the crowd gets hurt." He lifted his arm, duel disk in place.
Ichigo snarled and activated his duel disk. "Duel!"
The crowd got out of the way.
Ichigo- 4000
Jester- 4000
Ichigo drew. "I'm first! You won't even get the chance to use your Toon monsters! From my hand I activate Polymerization! Lady of the Night and Heal Angel fuse together…" A twin-sword holding grey-eyed angel lowered onto the field. "Dark Angelica (2400/2000) is summoned! Also, I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."
Jester smiled coldly. "Little boy…your soul will be mine to present to Midnight. From my hand I play the magic card Extermination of Species! I call one word…" The cold smile turned sick. "…and all cards with that name in their title will be removed from the game from all locations! I call Shining!"
Ichigo barely realized what happened until Dark Angelica, his hand, and nearly eighty percent of his deck disappeared. "No way…"
"I summon Curse Bishop!" (300/1200) A humanoid demon in priestly robes appeared on the field. "By discarding one card from my hand I can call one word and sacrifice this monster. All cards with that word cannot be played for the rest of the game! Shining!" The priest exploded. "End turn."
Ichigo just stood there, completely stunned. "D…draw…" He looked at the drawn card. ("Monster Reborn…it's useless without any monsters in the graveyard.") "End turn…"
Jester drew. "Now then, it's time to pick you apart with this card! The magic card Spin the Fates! Discard four cards from your deck!" What little options Ichigo had left were disappearing rapidly. "Now I summon Alchemic Destroyer!" (1800/1500) A monster made of acid appeared on the field. "Attack now!" It launched across the field and punched Ichigo right in the gut. "When this monster deals you life point damage the top card of your deck is sent to the graveyard! End turn."
Ichigo- 2200
Jester- 4000
Ichigo dropped to one knee. ("The Shining Force is supposed to be able to protect the world…but what can I do now?") Slowly, he drew. "I set one card face-down on the field. End turn."
Jester drew. "Alchemic Destroyer, direct attack!"
"Reverse card open! Negate Attack!" Ichigo's set card flipped up and the acid monster stopped in its tracks.
Jester shrugged. "End turn."
Ichigo looked down at his deck. There was one card left in it. ("I'm going to lose…without standing even a slight chance…") He clenched his fist. ("Whatever that card is…") A single tear rolled down his cheek. ("Eri…Griff…I'm sorry…")
Chaos smiled and waved to Eri. "Good-bye."
"NO!"
Everyone turned their head to look at the edge of the platform. All they saw was something leap up from the side of the platform and then disappear.
Eri saw someone appear in front of her, and they snapped their whole arm in a batting motion. The ball shuddered and launched away from everyone into the open sky. There was a blinding flash of light that left everyone with spots in front of their eyes, but otherwise no one was hurt.
Chaos' eyes widened and she clenched her fists. "Why won't you die like other mortals?"
Ichigo coughed weakly and fell to his knees. "Trust me...I'm three steps away from it." And he meant it too. Even at a distance it was obvious that he was badly damaged. The explosion from the previous attack left him with only tatters of a shirt remaining, his jacket completely incinerated. All along his face and chest were numerous huge burn marks that showed raw muscle tissue under them. The worst damage though was that his right arm was quite literally destroyed, with only slight remainders of muscle tissue remaining attached to his shoulder. "Eri...are you alright?"
The demoness stared at him in pure horror. "How are you even talking right now? You should be disabled because of pain."
"I should." Ichigo stood up weakly and looked at the damaged wreck of his duel disk. It was still operational, but only barely. He was amazed his deck didn't burst into flames when it was hit by the attack. "Now I have to win this...duel..." He started to fall, his vision slowly blurring away...
Except that someone was suddenly under him, giving him the necessary support to stand. "Adriel..."
The half dragon demon smiled to the half demon. "No one will defeat you until I've finished my grudge with you, Pilkington."
Ichigo started to feel faint, but a breath of energy flowed into his body as Hitokage helped Adriel prop him up. "Ichigo Pilkington, ever since you have arrived here at the academy nothing has been quiet." The blond-haired boy's lips lifted slightly. "For that I thank you."
Chaos growled and lifted her hand, another ball of energy at the tip of it. "Die!" She threw the ball, but Kenshin leapt in the way and slapped it aside.
"Ichigo," he glanced back at the half demon, trying to ignore the burns along the back of his hand. "Don't let Chaos think that she has won. I know that you possess the power necessary to take her out. Don't let the situation weigh down on you. We're with you every step of the way."
Ichigo felt even more revitalized.
Griff and Krieger both placed their hands on Ichigo's back, energy flowing into the half demon's weary body.
"Ever since I met you all I could think about was how I was friends with someone who is definitely going to make history," Griff started to say.
"And all I ever could think about was how you accepted me as a friend, even though I was quite obviously a threat to you," Krieger continued.
"I felt like I was simply helping you along at the side-lines, but then when the tag team duel came along, I knew that with your help I could prove my true worth as a duelist," Griff stepped in.
"And without you I never would have truly met Horus, who changed my life in so many good ways," Krieger whispered, his cheeks blushing as he was finally admitting to the fact that the voice of Horus in his head was truly real.
"Thank you Ichigo Pilkington," they both said together.
Ichigo smiled weakly, and then blinked in surprise as another hand touched the middle of his back.
"I'm still not sure what this is all about..." Jared couldn't really transfer energy, but he felt like every little bit would be helpful. "But I know that what you are doing is making a difference. Ichigo Pilkington...don't give up."
That little speech seemed the most important to Ichigo, just because it was by someone who was nearly a complete stranger to him.
Then a soft hand brushed against his cheek. "Ichigo Pilkington...I wanted to kill you originally. Then I defeated you and thought that my revenge was complete. After that you defeated me and left me with little more than shattered dreams and hopes of honor.
However, when Negative was destroyed I started to see the truth. It took Octavian More and his sick methods of using souls to show me something I felt since the moment I laid eyes on you." Eri's hand turned his head to the side and she kissed him. And it was a kiss that lasted a good minute or so...
Ichigo's eyes opened slowly. "You…Jester…" He stood up. "I won't surrender! I will find the answer in this next card!" He drew. "You won't escape…I'll stop you from escaping…"
"Who's running from a dying dog?" Jester sneered. "You're on your last draw already…"
Ichigo looked at the drawn card. "Here goes nothing…magic card….activate!" The earth began to shake. "Time Warp!"
"Time Warp?" Jester blinked in surprise. "What's that going to do?"
"Time Warp's special ability lets me offer one magic card from my hand to activate it." Monster Reborn disappeared. "This card will force the duel to start over, leaving me at 100 life points and no cards in hand. I draw one card after this effect resolves."
"You can't play your cards…thanks to the effect of Curse Bishop." Jester sneered as the field faded away and everything became blurry. "There is no way for you to win."
Ichigo closed his eyes. "You're partially…right." He shuffled his deck and slammed it home. ("The Shining Force is sealed away…however…") A tingle ran through his arm. "There must be a way…there has to be…" He drew, snapping the card back in an arc. "Do or die…"
Ichigo stood in the rapidly rising dawn…his eyes misted over as he watched the remains of the cavern entrance. He started to sniffle…and then took something out of his pocket. "My Fusion Deck…" Taking the thick stack of cards, he started to dig a small hole. And then another small hole. And then another…
By the time he was done there were small holes all over the area. And within each one he placed one of the fusion cards. And after burying them he said a little prayer and moved on.
Now he stood in front of the last grave. The one that held his dearest mentor and friend. "Snake…." Squeezing his eyes shut, he dropped to his knees and started to sob. Memories of the times flashed in his head, both good and bad. The time when Eri had taken his Cyber Shadows away from him. And then the time when he had first gotten them. ("My second family…those who always helped me. They're the ones who taught me the heart of a hero…") He cried louder…
("Why are these memories flashing through my head? I need to focus…") Ichigo tilted the card to look at him…but his heart stopped in his throat.
Ichigo stared in amazement at the thick stack of cards. "Dad…this is so cool! Are these really my special cards?"
Daniel smiled and nodded. "That's right kid…they're yours. Treat them well."
("I need to focus!") Ichigo snapped the card up in front of his eyes. ("What's this?") He looked the card's text over…and went silent. "From my hand…I play Living Wish!"
"Living Wish?" Jester blinked in surprise. "What's that going to do?"
Energy flowed around Ichigo's body. "This card allows me to access any card in existence of my call. I choose to activate the ultimate card…" A card shimmered into his hand. "…the power of Hero's Fusion!"
"Hero's Fusion?"
"Hero's Fusion is a card I heard of once long ago, and its special ability is rare indeed. It can fuse any two decks together…any two decks…"
"You don't have two decks."
Ichigo felt a tingle in his arm. ("Shining Force…it cannot be used. However…") His deck began to burn with a fire that was both black and gold. "Shining Force….and…."
Snake stood calmly in front of Ichigo. "Ichigo…I'm sorry we failed you. We are of the shadow…just like Robert once said. That isn't enough to face the embodiment of that evil…"
Ichigo closed his eyes… "Snake…there is no evil in the hearts of a hero. You know that…and as such…" He held out his hand.
Snake looked down at it…and took that hand. "Ichigo…"
The half demon smiled slightly. "Darkness…light…"
"…Cyber Shadows…Fusion Activation!" An explosion of golden and black fire consumed his body….and then faded.
Jester gasped in amazement. "This cannot be…you couldn't…"
Ichigo's eyes opened. One iris was gold, while the other was black. His hair was now black with golden streaks. "Living Wish lets me draw one!" Snapping the card up to his eyes, he flipped it over. "Coins from Heaven!" Six cards shimmered into his hand.
Jester started to draw.
"Don't even bother." Ichigo held up a card. "Magic card Magic Purge!" An explosion of white fire swallowed the field. "All floating effects are gone!"
Jester gasped. "Oh no…" He removed a knife from out of nowhere. "You won't trap me…."
Ichigo snapped up a card. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards!" He held up his six hand cards. "I activate Soul Rebirth! This card revives the spirits of the dead…" His deck started to glow. "Also, the magic card Strength of Permanency, which takes any effect and makes it permanent. I choose Soul Rebirth!"
Jester frowned. "By the power of Midnight…"
"Quickplay magic card, Seal Force!" Ichigo snapped up a card. "This duel is now a level eight darkness game!"
The knife shattered.
"You won't run…not this time…" Ichigo held up his hand cards. "This duel…" Power arched between him and the deck. "This war…I will not let you win…I will not let you run!"
Midnight frowned. "Incredible…the Dark Halo Incarnate…he has changed the very reality of this dimension again. He's taken his old deck…and fused it with his Soul Force Deck. It shouldn't be possible…"
A wraith appeared next to him. "My master…we have located one of the Yami Makai Kami No Kados."
Any worry that Midnight felt disappeared instantly. "Excellent…I shall be there shortly to get it personally." ("Boy…nothing you can think of can match these monsters…the power of the only three Tier 4 gods in existence…the Dark Demon God Cards…")
To be continued…
So it's finally been found…one of the three unstoppable Dark Demon God Cards…I Midnight shall control them all when we find their hiding places. First though, I must gain its power…come to me!
Next Episode: The Nova Hell Dragon; Kifunsuiryu
Hey Folks, Ichigo here. I'm just here to advertise for Wolf General's newest fic, Bloodlines of the Magician. It's only got two chapters so far, but it's pretty good. So give it a read when you have the time.
