Here it is my friends. Sorry this took so long, but when you get back from Spring Break and find that you are facing a 15 page, 450 point Research Paper that determines your ENTIRE grade for the quarter, you focus pretty darn hard on that project. Anyway, I also had a bit of writers block with this, but all that aside, I'm back in full swing.
I warn you all, there is slight religious symbolism in this chapter, but nothing specific or offensive, I hope.
Also, this chapter is bit weak at times, but I feel it's overall pretty good. However, if you see any numbers or words in parentheses, ignore them, they shouldn't be there! But do let me know so I can fix that.
Now, time for the chapterly ad:
Nobel Paladin and his 'Force of Darkness, Hear My Cry' is one of my newest addictions. It's the most serious and best done crossover I've ever read (And I've read my fair share of them). It's fun. Give him a chance my friends. I mean, who can resist seeing the Inu-Yasha and Yu Yu Hakusho characters Dueling..........
Now, Card of the Chapter:
Silent Doom
Normal Magic: Revive one monster in your Graveyard in defense mode. That monster cannot attack as long as it is on the field.
Here we have a simple card, Silent Doom. This card first appeared in the Anime during the Duel between Kaiba and Isis in the Battle City Quarter Finals.
This card revives a monster in defense mode, but the monster can't attack.
Pros: You get a monster back at no cost or advantage to your opponent.
Cons: That monster can't attack. You can switch it to attack mode, just can't attack.
Bottom line, this card is mediocre at best, but is fun for fanfics. You can get a card for sacrifice, or you can use effects that aren't flip effects (Lord of Dragons, Mysterious Puppeteer, etc) without putting your Life Points in danger, but that's about it. My advice, stick to Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, and Monster Reborn first, along with Rope of Life and Shallow Grave after that. However, if you must, use this card.
Rating: 2/5
Chapter Nine: Foresight
"No!" Kai Kaethan shouted, bolting up in his bed, sheets and blankets flaying wildly into the air. He bagan to pant heavily and clutch his chest. His eyes wandered over to the small glowing clock by his side. "10:00! I've only been out for an hour?" he rose to his feet, to shaken to sleep, and donned some shoes and his Duel Disk. "I need some air." he said aloud, as if to convince himself of the fact.
He stepped into the cool night silently. "That dream." he muttered as he walked. "It was so much like the others, but like the others, was still different."
He began to turn his thoughts to the dream, hoping to perhaps decipher it as he walked. There was a series of stone tablets from about three thousand years ago. They began to glow a brilliant gold before a green light emerged behind them, shattering them with its force. Then a voice, cold and high pitched, yet so familiar to Kai, laughed and rang about the recesses of his mind. Blood began to run along the floor, as screams of pain and terror began to be heard, all along being overshadowed by that frozen laugh.
Kai cringed and shivered at the very thought.
However, there was one important factor which held all of these dreams together. It was what the voice hissed each night, just before he awoke.
'At Battle City, your destiny awaits you. Win and I shall reveal all...'
No one seemed to be Dueling anymore. As a matter of fact, only young couples seemed to be walking the paths of Domino now. Kai simply shrugged it all off. He was to cold and seclusive to allow anyone to get close to him like that. Kevin Hunter was actually the first person he had been willing to refer to as 'friend' since the death of his parents. It was strange how loss does that to a person, making them a hard and soulless shell that keeps all intruders out, always bearing a harsh, pain stricken mask.
"Kai Kaethan." a calm voice whispered. He whipped around, locating the source of the voice quickly, as it was the only figure that seemed to pay him any mind.
"I am Iras Ishtarl." she introduced in a nearly cold voice. Her face was empty of emotion, her skin was a dark tan, and her eyes in intense blue, like that of the most beautiful sea. She was robed in beige garments which barely covered her shoulders and upper arms. Fine gold jewelry decorated her wrists and neck. "I am the heir to the Tomb Keepers."
"Tomb Keepers?" Kai gasped. "But that would mean...
"Yes, I am the great granddaughter of Isis Ishtarl and Dalin Sumatin."
"What do you want?" he snapped. He had heard of both those historic figures. Isis Ishtarl was the eldest blood-heir to the Tomb Keepers family one hundred years ago, while Dalin Sumatin had been one of the most powerful Angel Duelists in history, having even bested Yugi Moto in a minor tournament shortly after the original Battle City. Iras, however, did not waver, completely unaffected by his curtness.
"I know that you have something that belongs to my family." she began. Kai took an involuntary step back in shock. "I want it back." she raised her arms and a Duel Disk snapped to the ready position.
Kai took his own stance. He wasn't expecting this, but he didn't have much choice. He was alone with this woman in the middle of the night. There was no way to escape. "So if you win, you'll be taking the Millennium Rod." he deducted. "But what do I get if I win?"
"Of course, you'll get to keep the Rod, as well as my Locator Card and rarest card, but also answers." Kai's eyes snapped open at this statement, puzzled, yet understanding exactly what it was she meant. "I posses the Millennium Tauk," she began to explain. "And with it, I can show you what has happened in centuries past, and years to come, helping you to understand your destiny." she finished, shoving her shuffled deck into her Duel Disk. Kai did the same.
Kai-4000/Iras-4000
"I will go first." he called. "And I summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode. I'll also set one card face down and end my turn."
Iras drew her card, added it to her hand, and then set two cards face down before setting a monster on the field. "I summon Venus, Angel of Creation (1600/0) in attack mode!" A woman in golden robes and blonde hair and three shimmering balls of light floating around her appeared, floating about a foot off the ground. "And then I shall activate my monsters special ability, by paying 1500 of my Life Points to call forth three of my Holy Shine Spheres from my deck in defense mode, five hundred for each." As her Life Points took a significant dip, Iras pulled three cards from her deck, and the three spheres that orbited the angel moved away from her, each standing.......err, floating on its own.
Kai-4000/Iras-2500
"I draw!" Kai shouted. "And I summon Breaker the Magic Warrior (1600/1000)!" he smiled as his favorite monster appeared on the field. He was dressed in scarlet robes with a cape fluttering in the back, a shield and sword gripped in each hand. "Now, Breaker gains his magic counter, raising his attack points by 300 (1900), but I'll instantly sacrifice it to destroy the card you set on the left!" The blue sword lit up with a white light, which he flung at her face down card, which shattered to reveal a trap card with a beam of light moving across the picture.
"I'll chain your move by activating that card, which is known as Solar Ray!" The beam of light was released from the card and bypassed Kai's monsters, striking him in the chest and nearly knocking him to the ground.
Kai-1600/Iras-2500
"My Solar Ray trap card deals you 600 points of damage for each Light attribute monster I have face up on my field, making a total of 2400 points of damage." she explained in her monotonous voice. She had not yet smiled or shown any signs of emotion other than raw determination.
"Fine." he snapped through clenched teeth. "Now I'll have Gemini Elf attack your Angel of Creation!" the twin elves charged across the field and slashed with their long nailed claws, ripping the blond angel apart. "Then my Magic Warrior will attack one of your Holy Shine Spheres!" the red-robed magician leapt into the air a few feet before swinging his sword down, cutting the ball of light in half exactly. "Your turn."
Kai-1600/Iras-2200
Iras drew her card. "I shall summon Hysteric Fairy (1800/500) in attack mode!" she began her turn as the angel in a blue school uniform appeared. "And then I shall play the magic card, Cestus of Dagla to raise her attack points by 500 (2300/1000)." In each hand appeared a crescent shaped blade. "Now Hysteric Fairy, attack his Magic Warrior!" she commanded. The fairy swept across the field, slashing downward with the steel weapons, cutting Breaker in half. "And now, any Life Points you lose will be added to my score, as is the effect of my Cestus."
Kai-1000/Iras-2900
"You done?" Kai snapped, perhaps a bit colder than he had intended. She nodded and he drew. "I'll switch Gemini Elf to defense mode," the two women crouched low, crossing their arms over their chests. "And then I'll summon a monster in defense mode."
"I shall now set one card face down and then summon Ami, the White Mage (1200/0) in attack mode." A small girl in a white dress appeared, a thin magic wand in her hands. "And now, during each of my Standby Phases, I'll gain 400 Life Points for each monster I control. And for my last move, I shall equip my Hysteric Fairy with my Fairy Meteor Crush magic card." she said as she activated her last card in her hand. "With this in play, I can damage your Life Points, even if your monster is in defense mode. So now I'll have Pikeru attack your Gemini Elf!" The child raised her wand and fired a stream of sparks which rained down upon the sister elves and burned them. "And then my Hysteric Fairy will attack your defense monster." Kai's Mystical Elf exploded, lowering his Life Points while strengthening Iras's.
Kai-700/Iras-3200
"Big mistake, Iras." Kai smiled as he drew his fifth card. "Ami has so few attack points that I can deal with it easily." He grabbed a card from his hand between his pinky and ring fingers while the one he had just drawn remained tightly grasped between his thumb and index fingers. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Fairy Meteor Crush!" A cyclone of wind and lightning was released from his new card and surrounded Iras's Hysteric Fairy, removing the fright glow from around her when it had cleared. "Then I'll summon my Skilled White Magician (1700/1900) in attack mode, and have it attack your White Mage!" A man in bright silver robes appeared on the field, a long staff held in his hand. He raised the staff above his head as a white sphere of light began to fabricate, which he then released at the white magician. However, at the last instant Iras's face down card revealed itself, and a red barrier appeared with a single line going from it to Iras's Duel Disk.
"My trap card, Energy Absorption stopped your attack, ended your battle phase, and added one half of the attack points of your monster to my Life Points." she explained as Kai's mouth hung agape.
Kai-700/Iras-4050
"Fine, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." he growled. Already Iras just barely managed to reach a level of Life Points beyond what she started with. His eyes wandered from his two face down cards to the one solitary card he held in his hand. If everything worked out, he'd hold together. Sadly, that was a big 'if.'
"I shall draw and now my Ami, the White Mage will raise my Life Point by 1600, as I have two Holy Shine Spheres, Hysteric Fairy, and of course herself."
Kai-700/Iras-5650
"Now I summon my Mercury, Angel of Wisdom (0/1700) in defense mode, and set two cards face down." she said solemnly as an angel in blue robes and azure skin appeared, as well as her last two cards face down. "And now I'll have my Hysteric Fairy attack your Skilled White Magician!" she commanded as the fair raised her curved weapons into the air, preparing to slash down.
"Reveal face down card!" Kai shouted. However, Iras did not even flinch. "Soul Spell will transport my Skilled White Magician to my hand and replace it with a level four spellcaster therein." he explained, swapping the monster from his Duel Disk with the last card from his hand. "Say hello to my Steadfast Magician (500/2200)!" A man in blue and gold robes crouching behind an ivory staff appeared, a blue shield appearing around him. However, the power of the barrier was not enough to hold off the attack, and it soon shattered, allowing the Fairy to cut him in two. "And now you've activated my Steadfast Magicians ability, which allows me to specially summon one level four or lower Spellcaster from my hand when he's destroyed." he smiled, slapping his last card onto his Duel Disk. "Now, Skilled White Magician (1700/1900), return to the field in defense mode!"
"Very well. I end my turn, but understand, Kai, that I will reclaim the Millennium Rod and continue my families duties." Iras vowed as Kai drew a card, bringing his hand to a total of one.
"Again with the Rod?" he vented. "Listen to me Iras, your families duties are finished. The Puzzle was completed and the darkness purged a century ago! You don't need the Millennium Rod. If you did, then why did it choose me?"
"You are the instrument through which the Rod will find its way back to the Tomb Keepers!" she shot back.
"We'll just have to wait and see, wont we." he stated. "I'll set one card face down and end my turn." he grimaced, ignoring the beads of sweat that trickled down his cheek. The Duel was not going his way.
"Very well, it is time for my Angel of Wisdom's effect to activate." Iras stated, drawing a card to begin her turn. "Because I had no card in my hand when your turn ended, I can now draw one extra card." She added one more, raising her hand to two. "Then I shall activate my face down card, Return of Tithes! This trap card can only be activated when I have fewer cards in my hand than I do Light-type monsters on the field. I can then draw one card for each Light monster I control, so now I draw five cards, making my total seven!"
"Activate trap card!" Kai shouted as the card he had set the turn before flipped up. "Power Balance activates when I have no card in my hand. Now you must discard half your hand and then I can draw that number of cards." he explained as Iras looked at her seven cards uneasily. "But, because you have an uneven number of cards in your hand, you have to round up, meaning you discard four, and I draw four, putting me ahead of you!" he smiled as she decided on her four cards, which then allowed him to draw the same number.
"Your trap may have been effective, but destiny shall guide me through to victory." Iras coldly stated. Kai wasn't sure what it was, but something about Iras seemed rather familiar and close to him. Was someone else in his life this cold and determined? This pressed to achieve some distant and immaterial goal?
"Iras, if you possess the Millennium Tauk, the you must have seen that you'll lose this battle and the Rod to me. I can't explain it, but I feel that separating the Rod from me could be dangerous."
"I know what is to come, and I can only protect the world if all the Millennium Items are accounted for and in my families keep." she insisted.
"I'll just have to show then, that the Rod has chosen me, and that if we must, we will change what you have seen!" Kai countered, maintaining his steel vision.
"You cannot escape what is to come. A darkness like none other will consume the world if my family cannot reclaim all seven Millennium Items. You may not understand now, but you will, with time." she stared back at her cards. "But I cannot waste my time trying to convince you of what you refuse to believe. Now, let us complete the Duel. I now shall gain 2000 Life Points because of my White Mage's special ability."
Kai-700/Iras-7650
"Next I shall sacrifice my two Holy Shine Spheres to my Hysteric Fairy, whose effect will then increase my Life Points by 1000 more!" The two balls of light both floated over to the angel, who held out her hands, palms up. The balls of light both maneuvered into her upturned hands, where they were quickly dissolved and the angel began to glow with a golden aura, which then transferred to Iras, increasing her Life Points.
Kai-700/Iras-8650
"Finally, my Hysteric Fairy shall attack your Skilled White Magician, fallowed by a direct attack by Ami, the White Mage!" she commanded as first her lager angel swooped down on Kai's monster, slashing him in two. The small girl in white then released a small spout of sparks that showered over Kai.....When a small spot of fluff appeared and caught on fire, hopping around and shrieking as the inferno grew.
"What did you do?" Iras demanded as Kai brushed the small ball of fire aside, which then dissolved into nothingness.
"I discarded one of the monsters I drew when I used Power Balance; Kuriboh. When discarded, he blocks one attack you throw at me. However, it would seem that he doesn't very much like fire." Kai explained with a slightly cocky grin.
"I shall set one more card face down and that shall end my turn."
Kai drew, making his hand four cards full once again. "I'll first summon one of my newest monsters, being as how you've been so kind as to build up your field." he smiled. "Since you have two more monsters than I do on the field, I can now Specially Summon this, my Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200) in attack mode!" Kai shouted with a smile as his prize from the young samurai boy appeared. "Then I'll activate this magic card, Card Destruction, forcing us both to discard the two cards we each hold and draw two new ones." Both players did as told, inserting their old hands and drawing two new cards each. "Next I'll summon my Drillago (1600/1100) in attack mode." The machine of spheres and drills appeared, poised for attack. "Now Drillago, attack Ami, the White Mage now!" Kai shouted, directing his drill monster. The spirals on each of its arms began to increase in their rotation speeds as it lunged towards the white robed girl, who was crouching in terror.
However, at the last minute, a dome appeared around the girl, intercepting the attack.
"What have you done Iras?" Kai demanded of the young Egyptian woman.
"I activated my trap card, Drain Shield." she explained, motioning towards the holographic version of the card she had used. "This stops your attack and increases my Life Points by the same amount of attacks points your monster possesses."
"Not today." Kai smirked, pressing a button on his Duel Disk.. The face down card he had set on his first turn flipped up, revealing a circle of magical energies with a ripped card floating above it. "I activate Trap Jammer to destroy you trap card, as it was activated during the Battle Phase!" As Kai sighed with relief, Iras' barrier cracked and shattered, allowing his monster to press forward and shatter Ami.
Kai-700/Iras-8250
"Now Fiend Megacyber, attack and destroy Mercury, Angel of Wisdom!" the warrior in golden armor leapt at the blue skinned angel, driving his fist into her stomach, shattering her. "That ends my turn."
Iras drew a card, bringing her total to three. "I shall summon my Dunamis Dark Witch (1800/1050) in attack mode to begin." A young girl with lavender hair that stopped short of her shoulders, dressed in a white and red blouse and a white skirt, with large wings extending out of her back appeared.
"Thank-you, Iras." Kai called across the field. "Your summoning has triggered my face down card, Dark Renewal!" As he said this, his last face down card flipped over, revealing a thin coffin of dark ebony with an ivory cross carved upon the top. The casket slowly emerged from the holographic card as both Iras' Witch and Kai's Drillago disappeared. "This will revive a Spellcaster that I discarded last turn when I activated my Card Destruction magic card. So come forth, Dark Magician!" The twin doors of the coffin snapped open, and Kai's purple robed sorcerer jumped out, standing tall and ready. "Make your choice, Iras. You could attack my Fiend Megacyber and gain 100 Life Points, provided your attack got through, but then my Dark Magician would be free to attack you and deal you 200 points of damage, plus any other monster I summon on my next turn will attack directly. If you don't attack, you can switch your monster to defense mode, but then I'll trample all over you Life Points anyway." Iras stared hard into Kai's eyes, and again, he felt the sense of familiarity. However, setting his feeling aside, Kai continued to press his opponent. " So, what will you do?"
"I shall have my Hysteric Fairy attack you Fiend Megacyber!" she responded, ignoring the obvious risk of her attack. The angel swooped down upon Kai's warrior and spit it in two, taking 100 of Kai's Life points, and giving Iras that same amount.
Kai-600/Iras-8350
"Now I shall set one card face down. Now I am done." she completed as a brown backed card appeared on the field before her.
"I'm about to even things up." Kai grinned, drawing a card. "Dark Magician, attack Hysteric Fairy!" he commanded as his magician began to gather energy.
"Activate trap card," Iras shouted as her down card flipped over. "Heaven Mirror!" A large glass mirror materialized between the attack and the angel. "This trap card will stop your attack and increase my Life Points by 1000, as well as force you to discard one card from your hand!" she explained as the blast caused the mirror to explode, and the dust that remained formed into an orb which then struck Iras, increasing her strength. As this was going on, Kai was submitting his card to his Graveyard.
Kai-600/Iras-9350
"Very well. I set my last card face down and end my turn. Neither of us has any card in our hand, Iras. We each have a powerful monster on the field, and one card face down. The question is, whose side is destiny on?" Kai grinned, noting the frustration building on her brow.
"The Millennium Rod will be mine!" she shouted. "Only then can the world be saved. It is my destiny to ensure that."
"Iras, please, understand that I respect your passion, but I will not allow you to win. The Rod has led me through too much, and I wont allow you to hinder me." Kai defended, fixing her with his steely gaze. "I will face what is to come, and if I must I will change fate!"
"You speak boldly only because you do not understand what you will face." Iras countered. "I know what you have seen. You have seen visions of the pain that is to come, and the blood that shall accompany it. And if you continue to cling to the Millennium Rod, you will charge into battle and be destroyed, and then the Rod's powers shall be in the hands of those that would use it to the utmost destruction."
"Iras, I can change what you have seen. Any person can change what will happen. If you do possess the Tauk, then you should already know this. You should already know that it does not guarantee a surety of the future, but what will happen if someone does not try to change it!"
"Let us battle then, and whomever is victorious decide the future of our world." she snapped, slipping a new card into her hand. "I shall summon a monster in defense mode, and then I'll switch my Hysteric Fairy to defense mode as well. Then I'll activate my Fairy's special ability, sacrificing both of my two remaining Holy Shine Spheres to receive 1000 Life Points. Then I will end my turn."
Kai-600/Iras-10350
Kai drew his card, the only one in his hand. It was a good card, but it was useless for the time being. "Dark Magician, attack her defense monster now!" The sage lifted his stave into the air, a black orb of light forming at the staffs head. He pointed it at the face down card only meters away and released. What was revealed was a beautiful woman in flowing robes and a balance of solid gold set directly in front of her. She shattered, but then quickly reappeared seconds later to the side of the battle field, as if she were a referee. "What is that? What's it doing?" Kai asked, the surprise in his voice obvious.
"My Angel of Balance (500/1300) has a special ability that activates while she is in the Graveyard." Iras explained, drawing a new card. "Now I shall summon my second Mercur, Angel of Wisdom (0/1700) in defense mode and end my turn."
"I draw-" Kai began his turn, but cut himself off as he noticed the angel to his left begin to radiate with light and her scale tipped towards him. "What's it doing?" he asked Iras, who he then noticed was drawing a card.
"My Angel of Balance's ability permits me to draw a card each time you draw a card." she explained, the angels scales returning to an equal level.
"Fascinating." Kai marveled. "I've never heard of a card like that. It'll be quite profitable to my deck in the end." he smiled. "I summon a monster in defense mode, and then I'll order my Dark Magician to attack your Hysteric Fairy!" he commanded as his magical monster destroyed the blue haired woman.
Iras drew a card, giving her a total of two. "Now I shall activate the magic card, Heavenly Prism!" As she activated her magic card, a large crystal, perfectly smooth and prism shaped with a pointed tip on each end, began to hover above her Angel of Wisdom. "By sacrificing my one Angel monster, I create three Cherub Tokens (500/1000) in defense mode." As she said this, a her blue angel began to dissolve into light, which then flowed into the crystal, and then was released again as three separate beams, each taking the form of a small cherub. "And now that I have four monsters on my field, I can summon this," Iras explained, turning her card around to show Kai. "Luna, Angel of Purity (2400/800)."
"That's an eight star monster." Kai gasped. "You're going to sacrifice the tokens you just created."
"Not at all." she smiled. "Luna's special ability lowers her level by one for each face up Light Attribute monster on the field. Since there are four, she is now a level four monster." With that, Iras slapped the card onto her field. A maiden with flowing silver hair, a silver tiara, golden wings, and white dress, radiating brilliantly appeared on the field. "My turn ends."
'Why would she summon a monster that's weaker than my Dark Magician?' Kai pondered, drawing a card and allowing Iras to do so as well. 'Wait, she still has that face down card she set five turns ago. She may have set that up in advance to prepare for an attack.'
"I set one card face down, and then I'll summon my mighty Blade Knight (1600/1200) in attack mode. And since I have no other cards in my hand, Blade Knight receives an extra 400 attack points (2000)!"
"What do you hope to achieve with that card?" Iras asked.
"Nothing, for now. I'll end my turn there, back to you Iras." Kai concluded. As Iras drew a card, increasing her hand size once again to two, he felt that sense of familiarity as he had before. "Tell me Iras, why do you question my strategy so? If you have the Millennium Tauk, you should be able to see my moves long before I make them."
"I do not use my Millennium Powers in battle." she responded curtly. "Even if I did, they would not be of use to me now. I intend to change what is to come. I have seen the world when the Items were separated and misused." Iras cast her eyes towards the necklace around her collar. "Aside from that, the Tauk does not provide me with every detail that is to come. It shows me only brief glances into the future. Furthermore, if I were to change my style of combat, so would you. The Tauk is worthless in a battle such as this."
"Then how do you know that you'll win?" Kai asked.
"I have seen the destruction that will fallow Battle City. I intend to change that. The Tauk cannot assist me further, but it has prepared me, showing me what I am fighting to prevent." she explained. " Now, I shall show you the true power of my deck." she assured., holding up one card. A small pocket extended out of the end of her Duel Disk, and she slipped the card in. Immediately a large collection of structures which together made one large temple appeared. Clouds began to form at the temples base, and a heavenly chorus was heard emanating from the cathedral walls. "I play the field magic card, Sanctuary of the Sky!"
'Shadows. An absence of light. How much do the simple humans know about them? How much do they understand about the chaos contained within each shroud of darkness?'
Not enough.
The lone figure began to smile cruelly at his own maliciousness. Despite his imprisonment in the empty pit of shadow, he could feel it. The humans and their emotions were playing perfectly into his hands. As their emotions intensified, the time drew ever closer. The time was at hand. The time to strike. The time for vengeance. The time for power.
'If only they knew. If only they could understand what is to come. The darkness. My darkness. I'll plunge this world into the abyss of my power, and then revive it as my own. I shall reign supreme. I cannot be stopped. These mortal do nothing but continue to play into my hands. As their emotions push their energies to their max, I wait for my chance to emerge. Soon I shall be strong enough to break free and finish what I began a century ago. And this time, there is no Pharaoh to stand in my way!' He laughed. It was a cold and merciless laugh. It continued and rang throughout the endless shadows, and would have sent chills up the spines all that heard it, but nobody did.
A dark figure in a lifeless room watched the various Duels occurring throughout the city via a large video screen with dozens of smaller images splattered across. However, the two that held the greatest fascination for him were of course the ones that concerned his two primary targets.
"Their energies grow stronger. While the one is learning the ways of his magic, the other has no idea what he possesses. But soon, I will take from them what I want, and leave nothing in my wake. I cannot be stopped!" he trailed off, his dark laughter filling the room as one screen displayed a large dragon moving in for the final blow against an armored maiden with blue hair on a horse back, while another showed a large temple in the clouds emerging. He laughed on and on, his dreams of power were finally, at last going to be his.
Iras stared into Kai's eyes, and he felt as though her gaze reached his soul. It was a stare that seemed to condemn him. Iras' glare continued to press on, reminding Kai of another whom he had known. 'Who is it?!' he screamed to himself. 'Who does she remind me off? It's someone I once valued. Someone with such a similar stare, who cares not for the things of the world, but more so for the sanctity of the soul. Who?'
"Does my Sanctuary confuse you, Kai?" Iras questioned, the ends of her mouth giving the slightest curve of confidence. "Do you wonder what it is capable of? Allow me to explain; my while Sanctuary of the Sky is in play, you cannot damage my Angel creatures in battle."
"Then how do I decrease your Life Points to zero?" Kai queried.
"You'd have to find a way past my Angels to do that." Iras explained. "However, my Sanctuary does more that just protect me." Iras played the card she held. "I sacrifice two of my Cherub Tokens for one of my most powerful creatures." A pillar of light exploded underneath two of Iras' small nymphs, which they became lost in. In their place was a new seraph, pearl-skinned with immense wings, a large crown of gold on her head as white and sapphire streaked robes hung loose upon her body, and a staff of fine ivory, encrusted with jewels grasped in her hands. "Behold Jupiter, Angel of Eternity(2600/2300)!"
"If you think that that monster can defeat me, your wrong, Iras." Kai calmly challenged. "I'll find a way to defeat it and then I'll go after your Life Points."
"Indeed, you do seem prepared." Iras admitted, acknowledging Kai's two face down cards. "Therefore, I wont attack this turn."
"Then it's my move." Kai sighed as he and Iras both drew a card, thanks to her Angel of Balance. "Now Iras, I'll activate the magic card I drew, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." As he pulled the two new card free, Iras received one card as well from her deck due to her monsters effect. "And since I now have more than one card in my hand, Blade Knight loses his attack bonus, lowering him back to 1600. However, that's just what I wanted." he grinned, activating one of his face down card. "I activate Card of Last Will, allowing me to draw five new cards when my monsters attack points decrease, giving me a total of seven cards."
"I activate my trap card," Iras shouted as Kai drew his last card. "Shortening Life forces you to discard one card from your hand for each turn that it was face down. And since it was on the field for six turns, you must discard six cards." With great aggravation, Kai inserted all but one card into his Graveyard. "And since you drew a card through your trap cards effect, I also can draw, giving my hand a total of three."
"You may have more cards than I do Iras, but it's not the number of cards in your hand, its how they are used. And right now, I'm going to summon this rare magician to the field, who will give me my last chance to defeat you." Slapping his one card onto the field, Kai began to pray that his plan would work. "I summon Spirit Sorcerer (1600/1400) in defense mode." A figure in black robes and sitting cross-legged appeared, Each hand rested on a knee with their palms opened and facing upward, and a ball of light floating above each hand. "And through his special ability, I can remove monsters in my Graveyard from play and return one trap card to my hand for each one I remove. Therefore, I'll remove Fiend Megacyber, Gemini Elf, Beast of Gilfar, and Magician of Lost Ways (A/N: You'll see later on in this story) from play to retrieve four trap cards."
Kai's Duel Disk began to whir as first four cards were expelled from his Graveyard, which he took and held up to show Iras the four named monsters as he pocketed them. As he withdrew his hand from his vest pocket all trap cards that he had either discarded or used were released. Snatching up the small pile of cards, Kai quickly surveyed them, chose his four, set the rest back in the Graveyard, and then set his four cards.
"Next I'll switch Blade Knight and Dark Magician both to defense mode, and end my turn." Kai concluded as both of his monsters knelt down into a crouching position, crossing their arms over their chests.
"Jupiter, attack and destroy Dark Magician!" Iras commanded as she drew her fourth card. Her angel extended her are outward, hand open and fingers outstretched. White energy formed into a ball withing her hand, which then became a stream of light that sped towards the enchanter. The mage exploded in a flurry of holographic dust. "And now I gain the difference in Life Points between my monsters attack and the points of your monster, depending on whichever mode it was in, as is my Angel of Eternity's effect." she explained.
Kai-600/Iras-10850
"Activate trap card, Rope of Life!" Kai yelled as one of his five face down cards flipped over and a cord extended into a pit that appeared in the ground. "This card forces me to discard my entire hand, but it will revive my monster and add 800 attack points to its total!" The twine began to recede from the chasm, Kai's Magician clutching it firmly.
"I can still attack with my Angel of Purity." Iras pointed out. "Attack and destroy his Blade Knight!" The guardian angel of the moon clasped her hands together and began to whisper under her breath. Suddenly, a column of light descended from the sky as if the patience of some god had finally been exhausted, and now their wrath was to fall upon the Earth and strike down all that opposed it. Sadly, that was Kai's small Blade Knight.
"I'll activate one of the traps I just retrieved;" Kai shouted as the holographic card flipped over. "Magicians Ordination!" From Kai's own trap was a second burst of light released, which intercepted and canceled out Iras' attack. "Because my Dark Magician was specially summoned this turn, your turn is ended and I get to draw a card." Both players increased their hand size by one, Kai for his trap card, and Iras for her Angel of Balance's effect. "So now it's my move." (Iras: 5)
Kai drew his second card and then stared back at Iras, who fixed him with an identical leer. "I hold two cards, which means Blade Knight loses attack points once again (1600). And now Iras, I can once again activate my trap card, Card of Last Will!" Kai repeated his last turn as the trap activated and he pulled five cards free, allowing Iras to draw one. "Next I'll summon my Witch of the Healing Arts (1500/1100) in attack mode!" A woman in black robes and a hood pulled partially over her head appeared, a small bottle in her hand. "She cannot attack, but I can sacrifice her to lower your Life Points by the amount of attack points one of your monsters possesses." he explained as the witch began to deteriorate, and soon had completely melted away, leaving only her bottle, which dropped and shattered, having no force to keep it in the air. A thick purple steam began to move up from the shards of glass and the puddle of liquid, and it soon had found its way to Iras' field and wrap around her Jupiter Angel of Eternity. "So now you lose 2600 Life Points, and I gain that same amount!"
Kai-3200/Iras-8250
"You may still have more than twice of what I have, but that does even the score a bit." Kais sighed. Having Life Points was a definite relief. "Now Dark Magician, attack her Luna, Angel of Purity!" The sorcerer aimed his staff carefully at Iras' monster and discharged as burst of magical energy as her.
Before the attack could connect, a thin screen burst to life and protected the angel, easily fizzling the Magicians attack. Kai looked on it shock and wonder until his eyes fell upon the glowing Sanctuary behind Iras' monsters.
"You seem to forgotten the incredible powers of my Sanctuary of the Sky." Iras nearly sneered, fixing Kai with her steadfast gaze. "My Angels cannot be destroyed as long as it's on the field."
"You can't hide behind your Sanctuary forever!" Kai shouted. "I'll find a way to destroy it! End turn."
Iras drew her seventh card, meaning she had to use at least one of them that turn or discard it when her turns end came. "First I shall sacrifice my last Cherub Token, along with my Hysteric Fairy to raise my Life Points by 1000 through my Fairy's effect."
Kai-3200/Iras-9250
"Next I shall summon one of the most powerful Angels in my deck, Mars, Angel of Power (0/0)!" Iras' new cherubim was a truly different sight than any other she had thus played. All of her previous monsters had been maidens in fine linen robes and gorgeous wings. Mars was male with red skin and pants, but no covering over his top. Dark blue wings stretched out of his back and he grasped a spear in his left hand, while his right seemed to be itching to take up the massive hammer which was strapped to his back.
"How can a creature with an attack and defense power of zero be one of your strongest?" Kai asked.
"My Angel of Power's attack points become that of the difference between our Life Points, so long as my Life Points are greater than yours are." Iras explained as Kai's eyes began to clearly display his shock at Mars' newfound strength of 6050! "However, to use this effect, my Sanctuary of the Sky must be in effect at all times." she concluded. "Mars, attack the Dark Magician!" she commanded.
The red cherub flapped his powerful wings and rose into the air, a celestial being preparing to smite the wicked. His right arm snatched the hammer off of his back in a flash, and his decent began, the mallets head of steel crushing Kai's Magician.
"Activate trap card!" Kai shouted. "My Spell Theft card activated when you destroyed my Spellcaster creature! I can now search my deck for any magic card and add it to my hand." Smiling with relief, Kai pulled the card from his deck.
"I'll continue my attack by ordering my Angel of Purity to attack your Blade Knight!" The angel began to once again pray, bringing the judging pillar of light down upon Kai's monster. In only a few seconds, Kai had lost one of his better level four creatures, which had been key to fighting back against Iras in particular. "And finally, I shall destroy your Spell Sorcerer with my Angel of Eternity!" The spiral of heavenly light erupted from the seraphs palms, leaving to trace of Kai's final monster. "That ends my turn."
"I draw." Glancing over his seventh card, Kai began to plan, not even noticing as Iras drew a card as well. "I'll summon a monster in defense mode and set one card face down, ending my turn."
Drawing her eighth card, Iras immediately called to her monsters. "Mars, attack with attack with Strike of Heaven!" Once again, the blue winged monster rose into the air, hammer in hand. When the club finally met, a small brown squirrel shattered.
"You've attacked my Nimble Momonga (1000/100)!" Kai called. "This monster raises my Life Points by one thousand when destroyed, and then calls two more from my deck." Instantly, two more of the brown monsters appeared, forming a barrier between Kai and Iras. "But also, you've activated my trap, and it's one of my most powerful cards: Soul Crosswire!"
Kai-4200/Iras-9250
Kai began to search his deck, selected a card, and then held his hand out in front of his graveyard, excepting the card that was ejected towards him. "My Soul Crosswire activates when one of my monsters is destroyed. I must pay 1000 Life Points, but in exchange, I can select a level four monster from both my deck and Graveyard and summon them to the field instantly. So I choose both of my Magician's Valkyries(1600/1800)! One which was discarded earlier when you activated Shortening Life, and the other from the bottom of my deck!"
Kai-3200/Iras-9250
On Kai's field appeared two young blond girls in identical blue outfits similar to the Dark Magicians style, and each held a small baton in her hand (A/N: For those that don't know, Magician's Valkyrie is identical in look to the Dark Magician Girl, just with a small change in clothes and wand).
"Now I have four monsters defending me. If you attack either of my Nimble Momongas, I'll gain Life Points, which will weaken Mars; and if your attack my Valkyries, well, you'll see." He trailed off.
"Very well, Angel of Purity and Angel of Eternity, attack!" she commanded as each prepared their attacks. The streams of purple and white both advanced on the magical maidens, one from above and the other from bellow. However, at the last minute, they both stopped, swerved away, and then collided with each other, neutralizing one another. "What?"
"As long as Magicians Valkyrie is in play, you can't target and other Spellcaster monster I control." Kai explained. "And since I have two on the field, they protect one another, meaning you can't attack me as long as I have them on the field."
"Very well, I shall end my turn by placing two cards face down." Iras uttered, bringing her hand down to five cards in size.
"Alright, the time has come Iras, for me to me to destroy your Sanctuary of the Sky and begin my attack." Kai said, increasing his hand size to six, as did Iras. "I'll set one card face down, and then I'll sacrifice my two Nimble Momonga's for my Star Mage (2700/1400) in attack mode!" As the two rodents disappeared, a young man in robes that seemed to be both blue and white at the same time, like a start against a clear sky, appeared. "However, I can't attack this turn, so it's time for me to end my turn."
"I activate a trap card!" Iras shouted, flipping over one of the cards she had set the previous turn. "Light of Judgement allows me to discard one Light attribute monster from my hand to destroy one of card you've set on the field, and I choose one of your Magician's Valkyries!" As she placed the card she had just draw in her Graveyard, a single bolt of lightning reached from the heavens above and obliterated one of Kai's magical maidens. "Next I shall order Mars to attack your Star Mage while Luna attacks your Valkyrie, and then a direct attack from Jupiter shall end my turn."
"I don't think so!" Kai shouted as all thre angels prepared their attacks. Mars had risen to the air, Jupiter was gathering energy, and Luna was beginning her prayer. "I activate all three of my face down cards!" he shouted, pressing the three activation buttons on his Duel Disk. "First my Dark Magic Revival will activate one magic card in my Graveyard!" A large coffin appeared above the Dueling Field, kept afloat via a pentagram that rested just bellow it. "And the card I've chosen is my Mystical Space Typhoon, and I'm directing it at your Sanctuary of the Sky!" As the coffin opened a cyclone of air burst free and surrounded the ancient temple, spinning rapidly and ripping the stone structure apart, piece by piece.
However, this did little to stop Iras' monsters, as they continued to prepare their attacks. "And because you no longer have your Sanctuary of the Sky in play, your Angel of Power loses all of his attack points!"
As Kai pointed this fact out, the hammer in Mars' hand began to crack. However, at the last second, he thrust his spear forward in a final, feeble attempt to strike his opponent down. The Mage simply knocked the attack to the side with his own staff before catching the fallen angel with the tip and firing a blast of magic into the cherubs stomach at point-blank range.
"Your Valkyrie will still fall!" Iras pointed out.
"Better think again!" Kai countered, pointing to his other card. "Magicians Select activates when you target a Spellcaster monster on my field! Your attack is negated and your monster on the field with the least attack points is destroyed!" Luna exploded into a collection of light particles as her attack suddenly was cut off. "And since my two monsters are still on the field, your last Angel must attack my Magicians Valkyrie!" True to Kai's word, the final seraphs purple blast was released and annihilated the last of Kai's smaller magicians on the field.
"Very well, I shall end my turn." Iras growled, her once calm visage and manner nearly gone. Despite the fact that she wasn't using magic to predict Kai's moves, she had seemed fairly certain that he couldn't win. But now, his strategies seemed like he was right; that perhaps he could change the future that she had seen. 'No! Only the Tomb Keepers can stop the darkness! If he should continue to bare the Rod, then destruction is assured.' She struggled within herself, debating what she should do.
'You're mistaken, Iras.' Kai though. 'I may not possess the experience to use the Rod the way you do your Tauk, and I don't have a clue of what is to come. What I do know is that if I don't press on and face what is to come, then yes, the world is doomed. Why can't we work-' Kai froze mid-though. 'That's it! Of course! Iras, how strange and unexpected that you should remind me of...' Kai let his thoughts trail off as he and Iras both drew a card.
Kai-3200/Iras-9650
"How did your score go up?" Kai demanded as he watched the numbers on Iras' Duel Disk increase by 400.
"After Luna, the Angel of Purity is destroyed, I receive 400 Life Points whenever I draw a card." she explained. "And because of my Angel of Balance, I will raise my Life Points far beyond anything you've ever faced."
"Not if I wipe them out first." Kai challenged. "I summon my Retrained Celtic Guardian (1400/1200), whom I'll instantly sacrifice for my newest magic card, Monster Gate!" As Kai dictated his move the elvish warrior appeared before a vortex behind him opened and pulled him into the abyss. "This magic card allows me to draw cards until I reach a monster, which will be special summoned, and all cards I draw will be sent to the Graveyard." Kai pulled the top four cards off his thinning deck until he found the first monster, which he happily slapped onto the field.
A man in white robes very similar to the Dark Magicians, and bearing a silver staff in his hands appeared. "I've summoned the twin brother of the Dark Magician: Light Magician (2500/2100)!" Kai explained as Iras stared at his new monster with a grain of fear in her eyes. 'Eyes so strong and determined, just like....' Kai shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted when he was so close to getting the answers he needed. "And each turn that my Light Magician is in play, I can activate one magic card in my Graveyard, but then I must remove that card from play." Kai lowered his right hand to rest right above his Graveyard slot, which ejected a card into his hand. "I play one of the cards I discarded when I played Card Destruction, Dimension Fusion!" he shouted as he slapped the card onto his field. "I must give up two thousand of my Life Points, but in exchange, all monsters that have been removed from play are summoned to the field!" Kai explained, extending his hand to his vest pocket and retrieved the four monsters he had removed earlier.
Kai-1200/Iras-9650
"Remember those monsters I removed for my Spirit Sorcerer's effect? They're back!" Kai chose the three monsters he'd summon, returned the one to his pocket, and then laid the three down on his field. "I summon Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200), Beast of Gilfer (2200/2500), and Magician of the Lost Ways (2000/1600)!" The warrior in gold armor, the demon creature in scarlet armor, and a man in simple monk cloths with a walking stick appeared. "Star Mage, attack and destroy Jupiter, Angel of Creation!" The wizard extended his staff upward was a spiral of some sort appeared in the sky. Lights could be seen in the spiral, moving evenly with it as its speed increased. Suddenly, the spinning ended and the stars fell from the sky and mercilessly destroyed the last card Iras possessed.
Kai-1200/Iras-9550
"Now my monsters, end this. Direct attack!" he shouted. First the Fiend Megacyber charged in and delivered a ravaging punch to Iras, knocking her back a few feet, but she regained her composure and held up her left arm, ready to continue.
Kai-1200/Iras-7350
"Beast of Gilfar, Hell-Stream!" The fire demon released a long stream of holographic hellflames which came to life all around Iras, bruing away another large portion of Life Points.
Kai-1200/Iras-5150
"Light Magician, Light Magic Attack!" The necromancer extended his stave and fired a burst of white light which blinded both Duelists for an instant.
Kai-1200/Iras-2650
"Magician of the Lost Ways, end this!" The mage lifted his spear a few feet before slamming the bottom end into the ground. He began to mutter as he lifted his left hand up to be even with his face, palm facing to the side and fingers up. "And perhaps I should tell you that my Magician of the Lost Ways has a special ability; he gains 300 attack points for each magic card in my Graveyard." Kai smiled, showing eight cards to her. "Now my Magician has an attack power of 4400!"
"No!" Iras gasped as the mage took the sphere of light that had formed in his hand and thrown it at her, knocking her to the ground.
Kai-1200/Iras-0
Kai slowly made his way over to Iras, who was pushing against the ground, but did not seem very intent on actually getting up. He extended his hand, but his face remained unphased. He pulled her to her feet, maintaining a vice-like stare on her the whole time.
"I won. I believe you ow me a few things." Iras nodded and handed him her Locator Card and Angel of Balance. He took the cards and stared at them for a moment, absorbed by the angels strong resemblance to Iras herself. When he looked back at Iras, she had unfastened the gold chain which held her necklace attached to her and holding the artifact out towards Kai.
"Just touch it." she directed. He nodded and did so...
Flash...
A man stood tall and unwavering, a smile of cruelty and evil upon his face. His hair was wild and black, but no other details other than his grin and hair could be directly distinguished. His eyes and lower body were consumed by shadows.
Suddenly, a small circle appeared on his forehead, and then parallel lines formed, moving from opposite ends and dividing the circle unevenly. Then, after reaching the other end of the circle, they rebounded and flowed towards each other, creating a single diagonal line running between the two lines. Upon connecting, the two lines moved off of each other in opposite directions, to either side of the first two lines, hit the circles edge, and then turned back and ended on the point where they first started, creating a sort of six pointed star. However, it did not illuminate the mans features.
Suddenly, he began to shake slightly, but soon it became obvious that it was with laughter, and the quaking became violent. The voice was low and calm, and carried a dark power with it.
Flash...
A bright green light struggled with a light of gold. Their battle seemed to be never ending, constantly going back and forth. Immense energy could be felt from either source. Suddenly, the green light seemed to push the gold back with ease, as if it had been toying with the light. The cold laughter came to life, a note of great triumph in its voice. Suddenly, it spoke.
"After Battle City's end, we meet! Achieve victory and I shall come forth!"
The green light intensified, and then darkness fallowed. Cries of pain and death filled the world. Until a burst of yellow light erupted and the darkness began to crack...
Kai and Iras were both knocked backwards and to the ground by the explosion of light. They lifted their eyes to behold the Millennium Tauk and Millennium Rod both floating in the space between where the two humans had been standing a moment ago.
"What was that?" Kai demanded.
"I'm not sure." Iras confessed. "However, I believe I should beg your forgiveness, Kai." He turned his head towards her and gave her a quizzical look. "I was wrong. I had misinterpreted my visions. It is not that you the Rod will lead to man kinds destruction. It is through you and the Rod that mankind will be saved." Kai gave a slight grin, although he still didn't know what was going on. Brushing it aside, he grabbed the Millennium Rod out of the air and returned it to its holding place in his belt-loop. "However, you must still change what is to come. I have seen the destruction and that you shall oppose it. I have not seen the outcome of the battle."
Taking the Millennium Tauk from the air, Iras turned and walked away. Kai moved as if to stop her, as if to call out, but he found himself and his tongue in a stupor. Returning to a standard position, lowering his arm, Kai turned about, suddenly overcome with fatigue. Stifling a yawn, he made his way towards his apartment.
'Soon,' the figure in the shadowy pit beamed. 'Soon, I shall emerge, and I shall finish it all!'
To Be Continued...
There ya have it. And now, for the original cards:
Kai-Soul Spell, Steadfast Magician, Magicians Ordination, Spell Theft, Magician of the Lost Ways, Witch of the Healing Arts, Soul Crosswire, Light Magician, Spirit Sorcerer
Iras-Heaven Mirror, Energy Absorbtion (Made by thegymrat, NOT me. It's HIS), Return of Tithes, Angel of Balance (Inspired by Aldea's Angel of the Balancing Scales), Jupiter, Angel of Eternity, Luna, Angel of Purity, Heaven Prism.
There maybe a few others I'm to tired to really hunt down right now.
Also, Sanctuary of the Sky and many of the cards Iras used not listed above are from the Japanese set 'Sanctuary of the Sky,' and will make up half of the Ancient Sanctuary set coming out in July. Until nest time, see ya!