Alright, here I am, once again! I know that this took so long, but this chapter was hard to write, for reasons which you'll see later on in this chapter. However, it has been a worthwhile wait, for this is perhaps my favorite Duel so far, plus it is what will really get the plot rolling. OK, I'm going to skip the Card of the Chapter because I know how much you all want to get to the good stuff, so here we go:
Chapter Fourteen-The Guardian's Challenge
As Kai walked down yet another cracked street, he glanced at the nine plastic cards in his hand, each holding a small silicon ship within. He had nine Locator Cards, and so he needed one more. Sadly, as the tournament was winding down, there were more and more pedestrians, that is to say, Duelists who had been defeated, and full-fledged competitors.
"Kai." a voice ahead of him spoke. However, when Kai raised his eyes, he found no one there. Glancing around, Kai could feel the adrenaline course through his veins as he prepared for any kind of attack to be launched. "You are alert-that is good. I am pleased to see that you have progressed so well. However," at this, Kai's eyes began to increase in size, for directly in front of him, where there had been nothing but thin air a second ago, was the forming shape of a man, probably nearing his twenties, staring at him.
He had black hair which was tied together and reached down to past his back. His eyes were a storming blue, and his glare was hard, far surpassing the cold visage of Kai Kaethan. He was dressed in khaki pants, a deep red shirt with a black shirt hanging open over it.
"Who are you?" Kai was shaken to the very core by this mans presence, which was not a good sign. It was proof of the sheer power Kai felt radiating form the man, combined with his fierce stare.
"I am the one who will assure your ascension of power this day." he explained. "I am the one who will break the reality you have come to know, and will force you to realize a new world. I am Tenken Arashi, Guardian of the Citadel of Chaos!" With these words, a wind of some foreign power erupted all around them, being made of much more than moving air. Kai felt it, the immense magical energies all around them. Even more mesmerizing was the fact that there were walls forming all around them! In thin air, there were panels of shadow forming all around them.
"The Citadel of Chaos!" Kai gasped. "I thought it was just a myth!"
"That's what was said of the Millennium Items, yet you wielded your Millennium Rod only a few short hours ago. Do not hide behind weak unbelief, Kai." Tenken continued as the air grew much colder.
Tenken extended his left arm to his side, and on his wrist appeared a unique Duel Disk, unlike any Kai had ever seen. The plate was not rigid like the one Kaiba Corp had been producing for years, but it was actually curved, like a very thin crescent moon. Also, Kai noticed that at the time that the Duel Disk had appeared on Tenken's arm, his clothes changed. Instead of the leisurely styled slacks and collared shirt he had been wearing seconds before, Tenken was now in a pair of grey baggy pants whose ends were covered by tops of his leather boots, while a black gi top covered his chest.
"Why do we have to Duel? And I still don't understand who you are!" Kai called back, still not reaching for his deck.
"I am a Guardian. It is my duty to watch over the dimensions and ensure that balance is maintained. There was a disaster a century ago in this dimension. Now, that disaster is in danger of repeating, only many times more devastating."
"That still doesn't explain why you and I must Duel." Kai countered.
"Even the greatest general knows he cannot win on his own. Even if the final battle is his alone, the war is shared with many. And if I am to ensure the continuing of life and existence throughout all realities, I will need you help. And you must learn what it will be like to battle enemies like mine."
"Let me fight this my own way!"
"You fool!" Tenken shouted. "You think that just because your talents exceed that of most other Duelists that the world is made safe? You haven't even begun to tap your full potential, and you'll need every last bit of your strength if you're going to face the challenges that you will meet."
"What makes you so sure?" Kai rebuffed, intrigued by this mans wisdom and strength. Swiftly, in on motion, he pulled his deck free and slipped it into his Duel Disk, drawing five cards.
"I will show you true power, Kai, and then you will see why I am so sure." Tenken replied, drawing six cards, signaling that the first turn would be his. "I play Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!" he called, playing the magic card, the infinite symbol in its corner telling Kai it was a continuous magic card. "This card costs me five cards from my hand, and then gives me two new cards. However, I will be compensated, as I may now draw two cards each turn."
"Impressive." Kai commented. "But now you only have two cards to work with, while my hand is full."
"Never underestimate the power of a devout servant-never." Tenken explained back. "I summon a monster in defense mode and set one card face down. It's your move."
"I draw." Kai called back. "And I'll summon my Galaxy Magus (1400/1000) in attack mode!" A sorcerer about Kai's height appeared, dressed in black with thousands, if not millions, of white dots covering his robes, each one shimmering and seeming to move in intricate patterns, like the stars of the night sky. "Now I'll play my Pot of Greed card, which will allow me to draw two cards." Quickly, Kai pulled the cards free. "Not only that, but because I drew two cards, my Magus receives two Magic Counters, and so gains 600 attack and defense points (2000/1600)!" The intensity of the shine of the dots on Kai's monster began to increase as he twirled his staff around menacingly. "Galaxy Magus, attack!"
The mage stopped the movements of his staff, aiming the end at the horizontal card image before him and released a burst of small shooting stars which pelted the card, causing an explosion of smoke.
"If that your strength Kai?" Tenken asked, his voice still cold and judgmental. The smoke cleared, and a figure with large muscles, crouching low with his arms crossed over his chest, remained on Tenken's field. "Ryoko Guardian (700/2400) is far to strong to be destroyed by such means."
Kai-3600/Tenken-4000
"Very well. I set one card face down, and end my turn." Kai completed his turn, a brown backed card appearing just a few feet away from him.
"I will now draw my two cards, and then I'll play my Gravity Axe magic card, which raises my Guardian's attack by 500!" In the hands of the crouching monster appeared a large, two handed, double-bladed axe with elaborate carvings in it. "And now that I have only one card in my hand, and the Gravity Axe in play, I can summon my Guardian Grarl (2500/1000) in attack mode!"
Next to Tenken's first monster appeared a new figure, this one a brown dinosaur-human hybrid, standing well erect on two long legs, and two sturdy arms, but it's skin was brown and scaley and the head was very reptilian. "And now, because of Ryoko Guardian's special ability, Gravity Axe instantly transfers to Grarl (3000)!" The dark skinned warrior reached to his side, his eyes never leaving Kai, and with one hand snatched up the massive weapon. "However, instead of using Grarl to attack you right now, I'll activate my face down card, Guardians Vow!"
The concealed card sprang to life before Kai's eyes, the picture that of Ryoko Guardian praying before the steps to a massive temple. "This card allows me to sacrifice one Guardian on my field to then summon two level four Guardians from my deck, along with their own specific equipment magic card!" In a flash of light, the lizard creature was gone and placed in the cemetery. In the space of about three seconds, Tenken had pulled his deck free, chosen the four needed cards, and was reshuffling his deck, which took only a few seconds, followed by his lightning-fast arms returning his deck to its slot. "I've chosen Guardian Elma (1300/1200), along with her Butterfly Dagger!" A woman with red hair, a short skirt, revealing corset, and hosting a long green dagger appeared. "And she will now gain 300 attack points from the dagger (1600). Not only that, but when she is summoned, I can select one equipment magic card in my Graveyard and move it to the field. I choose Graveity Axe!" Next to Elma, standing perfectly erect on the smooth stone pedestal, what the double bladed war axe. "Next, I'll summon Guardian Raisek (1600/1000) in attack mode, who will be equipped with the Hammer of Miracles!" The second monster was a man in platinum armor which as tightly fit to his thin body, seeming to be like a rigid layer of skin rather than the bulky armor Kai had observed in his history studies. In his hands was a short handled mallet which was spiked on the back end.
"The Hammer of Miracles will lower Raisek's attack points by 800 for now (800/1000), but that wont be much of a worry for long. And when Raisek is summoned, I choose one magic, one trap, and one monster in my Graveyard, and show them to you." His eyes rolled to his Graveyard, which ejected three cards, which then lifted themselves into the air inches away from Tenken's face before turning around, one by one to face Kai, who stood shocked by the spectacle. Quickly, Kai came to himself and took note of the three cards.
"Guardian Rebirth, Guardian Formation, and Guardian Byce (2000/500)." Kai read their names and then nodded, signaling that Tenken could continue.
"Now, I choose one of these three, which will go to my hand, while the other two will go to my deck, which will then be shuffled." Tenken explained, again shuffling his deck with blinding speed and grace. "Now I play Guardian Rebirth, which will revive my Guardian Grarl (2500/1000) in attack mode. And since he has returned, Grarl will pick up his axe, returning him to his former glory of attack points (3000)!" Kai stared back at Tenken in shock. Never had he seen such a swarm tactic as flawless or overwhelming as this. On the second turn, his opponent had summoned three monsters, each ready to have at him.
"Guardian Grarl, attack his Galaxy Magus now!" The dinosaur lunged across the field and smashed his fist through the stomach of the black robed sorcerer, the scaley knuckles emerging through the back of the magus, blood and bone splashing to the ground, some of it even striking Kai.
Kai-2600/Tenken-40000
"I activate my face down card, Magic Field!" A translucent barrier appeared between the two Duelists, a mystic shimmer all about it. "This field of energy appears the instant I take Life Point damage, and will prevent you from attacking me for the remainder of the turn!" Without a word, Tenken conceded control to Kai, once again having no cards in his hand.
'What's going on?' Kai asked himself, reaching to his cheek and feeling the few drops of blood there. "How is it that in a Duel, blood can be shed and bones broken? Unless, what he is saying is true!" With an excited look, Kai turned his attention to Tenken. 'I always hoped that every legend could be true, but also believed many to be false. Now I know that what Tenken says is the truth, and I will battle to learn more!'
"I draw!" Upon seeing his new card, Kai instantly devised his strategy. "I set one monster in defense mode, and one card face down. That ends my turn."
"If you think that simply biding your time will help, or that I can be caught in a trap, you still have much to learn. For instance, I play the magic card The Guarded Treasure!" On Tenken's field appeared a new magic card, using up his last magic zone. "This card will allow me to draw five cards, and any which does not have the word 'Guardian' in its name, or does not have the name of a Guardian monster in its own name will be sent to the grave."
In a flash, Tenken had drawn his five cards, giving him a hand of six, and then he discarded two, leaving him with four cards. "Next I will play the magic card Chains of Mortality, which will raise Ryoko Guardians attack by 300 attack points!" In the arms of Ryoko appeared this time a long chain, which lay as limp as a rope, the barbed links apparently made to fold over each other in such a way that it could achieve maximum flexibility rather than the clanky shape of a normal chain.
"Another Guardian!" Kai gasped.
"Yes! Guardian Tyrol (2400/1200), come forth, draw on me for the life energy which will give you life as well!" Tenken called as another figure appeared, this one in tall leather boots, long, rustic pants, and a sleeveless coat appeared, grabbing up the chain, which instantly ignited at each tip the instant he touched it (2800/1200). "Tyrol is summoned once I have a Guardian on my field. And now, I have an army of Guardians ready to destroy."
"This can't be!" Kai moaned, sweat seeping from every pour on his body. " It just can't. This should be impossible."
"This, Kai, is true power. This is the power of Life. I have given it to these monsters, and with it, I will take away yours!" Tenken lectured, his voice having never changed pitch throughout the entire Duel. "Guardian Tyrol, attack him monster!"
The creature spun the chain in a circle a few times, building up force before swinging his arm forward, thrusting the spearhead end, alight with blue flames, streaking through the air, crushing through Kai's monster, which revealed itself to be his Learned Magister.
"Now, because you destroyed my monster, I am allowed to special summon a new monster in defense mode from my deck!" Kai called as a new horizontal card appeared.
"Very well, your fighting spirit intrigues me." Tenken stated, and it would have been considered a scoff had there been even the slightest hint of sarcasm present in his tone. "Elma, attack!" The fairy flipped the knife around in her hand and flung it into the air, arching it through the atmosphere to crash tip first into Kai's card, instantly causing a clean split in the hologram, destroying the card, and the man in silver robes crouching over a piece of parchment.
"You've now destroyed Trinity Magister, which will increase my Life Points by 500 and allow me summon another one from my deck in defense mode!" Kai explained as yet another horizontal card appeared.
Kai-3100/Tenken-4000
"That should buy me a bit of time." Kai sighed, not noticing the glint of light which went off in Tenken's stormy eyes upon hearing this.
"Grarl, Raisek, attack his last two monsters." First the axe-wielding menace charged the field, crashing his blade through Kai's monster, wielding the weapon with incredible ease and grace, despite its ridiculous size and obvious weight. This was followed up by the armored warrior smashing his hammer down and destroying the final Magister.
Kai-5600/Tenken-4000
"I see." Tenken observed as Kai's Life Points exceeded his first calculations. "When I destroyed the final Magister, you gained the five hundred Life Points, plus another fifteen hundred. Very shrewd. Well, time is not a worry of mine. Except that time grows short as we prepare to battle with the true enemy."
"Are you ever going to tell me who it is?" Kai asked.
"Defeat me, and then you will receive answers." Tenken returned. "I shall now end my turn."
"I summon Gravity Mage (1800/0) in attack mode, and then I'll have him attack your Guardian Raisek!" The earth tone robed magician swished his wand through the air, sending a wave of hyper gravity towards the silver armored monster, who began to whither away.
"I activate the special ability of the Hammer of Miracles!" Tenken responded, barely showing any kind of expression. "When a card is destroyed, I can sacrifice the Hammer to revive that monster. So, as Raisek dies, his weapon will be his ransom for renewed life and strength as his attack points return to 1600!"
Kai-5600/Tenken-3000
"I end my turn." Kai stated, biting his lip in frustration. He had not expected for Tenken's monster to pull through.
"I set one card face down, and then I will have Grarl attack your Mage!" The beast sprung forward using his powerful leg muscles to quickly close the gap.
"You've activated Gravity Mage's special ability!" Kai called as the magician began to generate the hyper gravity forces which would pull Grarl to defense mode. "At the cost of 200 Life Points, I can change any card which targets this monster face down."
"I activate my face down quick-play magic card, Effect Seal!" Tenken responded. "I shuffle one card from my hand into my deck, and in exchange I get to place a Magic Counter on your monster. So long as that counter is there, your monster cannot activate his ability!"
"Go magic card!" Kai shouted as his monster was struck in the chest by an unseen force and a light appeared on his chest. "Magical Hats to protect my Mage under one of four hats. The question is, which one."
"Grarl, continue your assault!" Tenken ordered, and the dinosaur agreed, cutting down on the far right hat, which had nothing in it. "Tyrol, the next hat!" The man swung his chain about, launching it at high speeds through the next hat, which exploded to reveal nothing.
"You were wrong, Tenken. My Gravity Mage lives on, unless you want to forfeit your other two Guardians!"
"I'll set a card face down, and end my turn."
"Then I'll draw and play my Halo Magician (500/2500) in defense mode!" A burly mage appeared, his robes a radiant white and a divine circlet above his head, generating a shimmering barrier all around himself. "He'll now be hidden under the remaining empty hat, so now both are filled."
"It makes no difference." Tenken began to explain. "My two Guardians will still crush them."
"We'll see about that, after I activate my Harpies Feather Duster to destroy all of your equipment magic cards as well as your draw advantage!" Kai shouted as the spiral of feathers surged towards Tenken's field.
"I activate the trap card, Magic Exchange!" Tenken called. "I remove magic cards in my Graveyard from play, in this instance, Hammer of Miracles and Guardian Rebirth, and in exchange I can protect two magic cards on the field, so I choose Chains of Mortality and Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!" As the funnel of wind crossed the path of the named cards, a golden aura came to life around them, repelling the assault. Sadly, such could not be said of Tenken's other magic cards, and the Guardians were each stripped of their weapon.
"I'll also switch my Gravity Mage to defense mode, and end my turn." Kai concluded as the two hats shuffled about.
"Clever, Kai." Tenken said as he drew his two cards, his face still not betraying any sort of emotion. "However, none of your old tricks will work against me. I place three cards face down and then I order Guardian Grarl to attack your hat on the left!" The large reptilian monster dashed across the field and punched the designated hat, which revealed itself to be Kai's Halo Magician, Grarl's attack being deflected but no real damage inflicted. However, the third hat also exploded, revealing Kai's Gravity Mage. "Tyrol, attack!" With a flick of his wrist, the burly man had smashed his chain through the holy barrier, ripping a small hole through the mans chest. "Raisek, attack his last monster!" The thin man raised one arm above his head and punched down, breaking Kai's monster to pieces. "Now the second effect of the counter on you monster. When it's destroyed, you lose 200 Life Points for every level of that monster, so you lose 800 Life Points!"
Kai-4800/Tenken-3000
"Now Elma, attack directly!" With a quick lunge of her upper body, Elma through the dagger into the air, which quickly came to rest in the ground behind Kai, the tip having grazed his left shoulder, ripping his shirt and skin, and thin line of blood forming. Kai screamed in pain and grasped his shoulder, his legs buckling slightly from the surprise.
Kai-3200/Tenken-3000
"End turn."
'This guy's unreal.' Kai thought to himself. 'He just keeps on coming. His monsters wont die, and whenever I try to use my cards to stop them, he still rips through. What can I do?'
"I draw!" Kai shouted, drawing the top card off his deck. "I set one card face down and summon Atom Sorcerer (1000/1000) in defense mode. End."
"I play the magic card, Guardian Thunder Blast!" Tenken called as dark clouds formed above their heads and the rumblings of thunder could be heard. "I select Guardian Raisek for this duty. He may not attack this turn, but in exchange, I can destroy your one monster!"
A single bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck Raisek, who didn't even flinch. Instead, he just raised his arm and pointed two fingers at Kai's Atom Sorcerer. The electricity crackling all around him channeled to the one point of his finger tips and then exploded from his hand as a thin beam of charge energy which shattered the monster, charred pieces of his robes fluttering about in the air.
However, this even was followed by a very strange occurrence. Kai's field was suddenly filled with four new, small magicians, each crouching in defense mode. One was in red, another in light blue, a third in white, and the last in yellow.
"What's this?" Tenken demanded.
"When Atom Sorcerer is destroyed, he is split into the four primary pieces of the atom: Neutron (500/500), Electron (500/500), Proton (500/500), and Quartz (500/500)! Each of these tokens has a different ability, and will help to shield my Life Points." Kai explained, a feint smile on his face. It was a good defense, but he had to get on the attack, and soon.
"Interesting. However, this is not true power. Until you discover true power, you will never beat me." Tenken said yet again. "Tyrol, attack his Proton Sorcerer now!" Without swinging the chain at all this time, the mighty figure thrust the chain at Kai's monster.
"I activate my Negate Attack trap card!" A barrier of invisible force began to pull on the air right in front Kai's monsters, seeming to pull the air tight to try and make a dense wall to resist the attack. Because of these efforts, it was hard to believe it when the chain actually crashed through and still pierced Kai's monster. "What?"
"Chains of Mortality allow Tyrol to attack without any sort of negation. Negate Attack, Magic Cylinder, Prismatic Reflection Seal, they're all worthless against Tyrol!"
"Be as that may, because Proton Sorcerer has been destroyed, I now get to destroy one of your magic or trap cards!" Kai announced, pointing at one of the three cards Tenken had face down. The card exploded, and Tenken placed his Guardians Counterattack into his Grave.
"Grarl, attack his Electron Sorcerer now!" With a single punch, Kai's blue robed monster was gone. "And what was the effect of this token?" Tenken inquired, already understanding that with each token he destroyed, Kai would get some sort of effect.
"I get to draw two cards from my deck." Kai explained, increasing his hand to four.
"Elma, attack and destroy his Quartz Sorcerer!" The corset wearing fairy jumped across the field and slashed down, cutting the monster in half. However, this time the fragments of the monster did not just fade away harmlessly, but instead began to dart around the field at high speeds, ripping tiny holes in all of Tenken's Guardians. "What are you doing?" Tenken demanded, a slight hint of horror in his voice, barely noticed by Kai.
With a smirk, Kai explained. "When Quartz Sorcerer is destroyed, all non-token monsters on the field are destroyed. That means that all of your Guardians are destroyed, and I get to keep on monster."
"I have nothing left I can do. Go." Tenken admitted, acknowledging his empty monster field and hand. Except, it wasn't empty. There was still a card in it.
"How do you still have a card left? You didn't have any cards in your hand when you attacked." Kai demanded.
"True, but when you destroyed Elma, you destroyed the Butterfly Dagger. When it is destroyed, it is instantly returned to my hand." Tenken explained, turning the magic card around. Also, so as to dismiss from Kai's mind any bursts of confidence, he acknowledged his two face down cards, showing that he wasn't entirely harmless.
"I summon a monster in defense mode and set a card face down. That ends my turn."
"Then I will play my trap card, Guardian Revolution!" Tenken began his turn as he drew his two cards. "At the cost of 500 Life Points, I get to summon two Guardians from my Graveyard in defense mode for one turn. Come forth Ryoko Guardian and Guardian Elma!"
Kai-3200/Tenken-2500
True to Tenken's word, both of his monsters returned to the field, both crouching low. "Next, Elma's effect activates, equipping a card to her. I choose Hammer of Miracles!" In Elma's hand appeared the gleaming steel hammer, lowering her attack points to a sparse 500. However, a quick transition then occurred, as Ryoko Guardian reached over to her and took the weapon away from her. "Next I will play my Staff of Chaos!" In Ryoko Guardian's hands appeared a dark metal staff with a thin blade at one end and four prongs grasping a black and white crystal at its head. "This card will raise it's attack power by 300 points, so now he has 200 attack points. Then I'll play Card of Sanctity!" Both players briskly drew new cards, three for Kai and five for Tenken. " Next I'll set a card face down. "Also, with the Staff of Chaos I can double the activation of any of my magic cards. So now I'll play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your set card and my card as well."
Twin funnels of wind struck each side of the field, each drilling through the set cards, both of which shattered.
"What was the effect of your magic card?" Kai asked of Tenken, his voice even. "Obviously, you wanted it to be destroyed, so what was it?"
"Very perceptive of you." Tenken returned, his face much more emotionless than Kai's. "Guardians Restoration special summons one Guardian from my Graveyard in defense mode after it is destroyed. So rise again, Guardian Grarl!" Yet another crouching figure appeared on Tenken's field. "Now, I think I will sacrifice Elma for my Guardian Kain (2300/2000) in attack mode!"
The newest Guardian was a tall figure in tattered clothes, a long burgundy coat hanging open over his frame, reaching down to his shins. "Now Kain, take up your Staff!" And so, the man walked over to Ryoko Guardian, who extended the staff with a bow, and it was accepted with a grim smirk. "Now Kain, activate your special ability!" Tenken held his hand over his Graveyard and received a number of cards, which he began to shuffle into his deck. "When Kain is summoned, I get to shuffle all monsters in my Graveyard back into my deck. Now Kain, attack his defense mode monster!"
With blinding speed, the man was directly before Kai's card image, staff raised and prepared to strike with the intent of delivering a powerful thrust downward to crush the monster.
"I will activate my face down card," Kai called as the quick-play magic card flipped over. The image was that of a Mirror Force and a pile of cards, twin arrows cycling from one to the other. "Trap Circuit allows me to activate one trap card in my Graveyard when you attack. So I will activate my Negate Attack to stop your attacks for this turn." A barrier of energy appeared before Kai's monsters and batted the attack away.
"Very well." Tenken smiled. "I will end my turn by activating the effect of the Hammer of Miracles, sacrificing it to keep my Ryoko Guardian in play." And so the silver hammer vanished from his monsters hand, but his crouching monster remained. "Kai, I will give you two more turns to awaken your true power. If you do not, I will destroy you, and I will seal you, body and soul, within the paths between dimensions, were time is lost and immortality granted. But with this immortality will come eternal torment. So, take your turn."
"As you wish." Kai responded, continuing his false courage, his determination shaken and replaced by desperation now. "I set two cards face down and then I'll activate my Magical University, which forces me to discard my entire hand, but I will be well compensated." He explained, slipping the four cards into his Graveyard. "Now I will draw cards, and will not stop until I reach a level five or higher spellcaster, who will then be special summoned. The remaining cards will then go directly to my hand. So, let us begin!" Quickly he pulled the top card off of his deck, smiled, and added it to his hand. Then he drew again, and added the card to his hand. He drew three more times, and on his sixth draw, he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. "I've summoned my Light Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!"
"Impressive, Kai." Tenken admitted. "However, he is no match for Guardian Kain, and attacking Grarl would be suicide. He's not enough. This isn't even a fraction of your power."
"We'll see. For now, I normal summon my Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) and then I'll set a card face down and play the magic card, Magician's Cross!" Another magic card appeared, this one depicting two wizards with their staff's crossed and a sphere of magical energy crackling at the point where they intersected. "This will allow my two magician's to attack as one with an attack power of 3000!" As he said this, Kai's tow monsters crossed staffs and began to power up. "Destroy Guardian Kain!" The attack fired and consumed the staff wielder, burning him away.
Kai-3200/Tenken-2100
"Next I play the magic card, Mystic Moon Dial, speeding time ahead by three turns and allowing us both to draw two cards!" On Kai's field appeared an archaic time piece with a column of silver moonlight hanging directly over it, the shadow grazing across it's surface three times. "That's two Magic Counters on my Skilled Dark Magician." Kai pointed out as the two beads on either shoulder of his monster began to glow gold. "Now I'll play my Magical Interest magic card, discarding my three cards to draw six new ones!" As quickly as the adrenaline pumped Duelist could he slipped his old hand of three into the Graveyard and then drew six new cards off of his now very thin deck. "Now I will sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician to special summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!" The brown robed man exploded into digital fragments and was replaced by the purple clad wizard.
"Very good, Kai." Tenken admitted. "However, it's not good enough."
"What is it you want from me?" Kai demanded.
"Your true power. You descend from a group of Guardians, just as I do. I know what power lies dormant within you. It's up to you to unleash it."
"I find it hard to believe that you can just dismiss everything I just done." Kai responded. "Dark Magician, attack and destroy Ryoko Guardian!" The mage raised his palm and released a wave of magic which shattered the muscular soldier. "Finally, I activate my Light Magic Attack magic card to destroy your entire hand. Now go." Kai seethed as Tenken dropped his entire hand into his Graveyard and then drew two cards.
"I play Guardians Feint!" The brown skinned reptilian beast bent down to his knees and crossed his arms over his chest. "By switching Grarl to defense mode, I can destroy one enemy monster!" Suddenly, the Light Magician began to convulse violently before breaking apart. "Now I'll play my last card, another Guardians Feint!" Grarl quickly jumped to his feet, his arms ready for battle. "Now I'll destroy your Dark Magician!" The purple spellcaster clutched his head, screaming in pain before he two succumbed to death and melted away. "Now, Grarl, attack his Life Points directly!" With a quick lunge, the dinosaur embedded his fist in Kai's stomach, dropping him to the ground, withering in agony and gasping for air.
'What am I supposed to do?' Kai asked himself as he sucked in small bits of air. 'I've tried my best moves. Attack after attack has failed. Not even my Dark Magician and Light Magician together could beat him. What am I supposed to do?'
Kai-700/Tenken-2100
"Come now Kai, time heals all wounds, does it not?"
"Time?" Kai muttered. "Time?"
"Yes?" Tenken asked, his voice suddenly excited.
"Time, that's it!" Kai shouted, crawling to his feet. "I know what I must do to take you down!" Kai declared boldly. "And so I draw!" Whipping the top card off of his deck, Kai began to plan what could possibly be his last move. "I activate my face down card, Magicians Circle!" The trap flipped over to reveal a ring with a pentagram inside of it. "This card allows us both to summon one spellcaster from our decks in attack mode. However, since you don't have any Guardian equipment cards on the field, even if you did have a magician to summon, you couldn't. I on the other hand," Kai trailed off, placing his fingers on the top card of his deck. "I place my faith in the power of my soul. So, let it be unleashed! Let the power of the Gates of Time be set free!"he shouted, pulling the top card off of his deck.. The strange part was that his deck began to glow as this happened, but was hardly noticed by either player as Kai swung the new card around and then summoned without even looking at. "I summon Time Mage (2400/2500)!"
The new monster that appeared wore a pair of white pants with a white top, black sleeves, and a white fabric hanging over the top, all lined in platinum trim. In his hands he held a silver staff with a shimmering crystal at the end, held in by three short prongs while the other end came to a sharp pointed blade.
"Next I will play my Hand Rebirth magic card, forcing us both to discard our hands and draw five new cards!"
"I activate my trap card, Tribute to the Holy Goddess!" Tenken interrupted while both players discarded their hands. "This card allows me to place any Guardian monster or magic card from my deck into my hand whenever you draw cards outside of your draw phase!" he explained as he shuffled through his deck with his usual blinding speed, adding a sixth card to his hand. Kai ignored this, though, as he drew his five cards, the first two of them glowing with the same mysterious light which had spawned the Time Mage.
"That's one Magic Counter down, one to go." Kai muttered.
"Magic Counters?" Tenken asked, his voice dripping with curiosity.
"Yes," Kai responded with confidence. "I now play the magic card Gates of Time!" The hidden slot on the lefthand side of Kai's Duel Disk opened up and he slipped the field magic card in. Behind him appeared a large rectangular archway of dark stone with hundreds of runes carved into it, all glowing white with power. A thick door remained sealed within the arch, more symbols covering it. "And now that this card is on the field, I can special summon my Guardian of Time (2400/2500) without a sacrifice!" From two prongs on the top of the archway appeared a beam of light which struck the ground a few feet from Kai's Time Magician, and from that light appered Kai's second monster, which looked just like the Time Mage, only with blue sleeves and gold trim. "And now I can activate my Time Mage's special ability, sacrificing both of his counters to remove Guardian Grarl from play!"
Spinning the staff around at ultra sonic speeds, the master of time itself began his magical attack, firing a beam of energy unlike any Kai had ever seen before, what could only be described as pure time itself, which struck and obliterated Tenken's monster, leaving nothing. It was not a dramatic explosion or a struggle of power, simply that Tenken's monster became consumed and was then gone.
"Now my two monsters will attack for the win!" The two time keepers began to charge energy on their own, preparing for their attack.
"I think not!" Tenken shouted. "Activate magic card, Sanctity of the Buried!"
"But you have no cards on the field, except for your Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!" Kai called back.
"This is a card I discarded on my first turn, and have been saving for just this moment." Tenken explained as a rack of cards in his Graveyard began to fly into his hand. "By removing five cards from my Graveyard, I can negate one of your attacks. So I removed Sanctity of the Buried, plus nine more cards, to negate both of your attacks." The two magicians let their attacks fly as a silver barrier appeared around Tenken and deflected both attacks to the side.
"You've saved yourself for now, but understand that no one escapes Time. It is unmatched as the ultimate destroyer." Kai taunted coldly.
"We'll see." Tenken said, drawing his two cards and giving him eight from which to choose. "I could have finished you off at any time, Kai. I have held back for the sake of ensuring that your true power was awakened. You will find that the three cards on your field are the only cards born of your soul thus far, but they will grow. For now, my objective is complete. We have no more need to keep battling, and so I shall now end it."
"Not likely." Kai rebuffed. "I have two deadly monsters and their own field card on the field to back me up. You have no monsters and not magic or trap cards to help you. Your strongest Guardians have been destroyed and removed from the game. Although possible, a comeback for you is rather unlikely."
"Don't be so sure," Tenken pointed out, his cool tone far more chilling than anything Kai had ever produced. "Like I said, I could have finished you from the start. However, allow me to show you a fragment of my true power. To start, I will need to play the magic card, Matchless Exorcism!" Upon activation of the new card, both players Graveyards began to glow and spit cards out. "I now name any type of card, in this case Monsters, and we both shuffle all cards of that type into our decks!" As such, both players reached to their Graveyard slots, picked up the cards, and began to shuffle them into their decks.
"Next I will play the magic card, Hand of Heaven!" Out of the holographic image of the newest card appeared a shimmering fist of light which reached out and grabbed at Kai's deck. "This card can only be activated if you have more monsters on the field that I do, and if I have no monsters in my Graveyard, but it forces you to select a number of cards in your deck equal to the level of monsters on the field, divided by two. You have two level five monsters, and I have none. As such, you have to choose five monsters in your deck and send them directly to your Graveyard!" Kai did so, puzzled by Tenken's maneuver. It really wasn't hurting him, as Kai had chosen some of his stronger monsters, which he could bring out eventually through the power of his Gates of Time.
"Now I play the magic card, Holy Goddess Sword!" In the ground between the two Duelists appeared a long bladed sword, tapered on one side, with a simple and slender handle. "Now, since I have the Goddess Sword in play and no monsters in my cemetery, I can summon this monster, Guardian Eatos (2500/2000)!" As he commanded, an image of light shot into the air, disappearing amongst the clouds for a second before diving directly into the card, followed by the appearance of a woman with blond hair in traditional Native American clothing with a ceremonial headdress, spreading her magnificent angel wings wide. "Now I play the magic card, Goddess Wrath, forcing me to discard the remainder of my hand, but in exchange, I can destroy every face down magic and trap card on your field. Go Eatos!"
The woman held her sword in front of her, the blade glowing red with power, which she then swung in a wide arc in Kai's direction, kicking up a wave of sand which surged towards him, blowing by harmlessly as a crescent wave of energy cut his Rope of Life and Magician's Ordination in half.
"Now Eatos's special ability activates!" Tenken shouted. "Spirit of the Sword!" She held the sword above her head, a now blue ethereal light flowing from the blade. Kai began to feel his arm being tugged upwards by some unseen strings. One by one, the five monsters he had just discarded popped out of his Graveyard and hovered in the air above him. "I see, so you discarded your Dark Magician (2500/2100), Light Magician (2500/2100), Steadfast Magician (500/2200), Master of the Archives (1900/1200), and Chaotic Magician (1600/2000)." Tenken read the cards off, one by one as they began to glow and images of them appeared in spirit form. "However, these may have been good choices in a normal Duel, but against me, it wasn't so great. You see, those five monsters are now going to add their attack power to my Guardian Eatos!" Tenken explained.
As one, the five monsters leaped high into the air and streamed into the glowing blue sword. "Now Eatos has 11500 attack points!"
"No!" Kai shouted.
"Yes." Tenken called back. "Eatos, attack, destroy the cards of his very soul!" The angel raised her blade higher into the air as the energy began to thrash about before she struck the ground, sending a wave of power towards Kai.
"I may lose," Kai whispered. "But I will not let my monsters to suffer for my weakness! I activate my two monsters special ability, Time Rift, allowing each of them to escape into time and avoid the attack by being removed from play for one turn at the cost of one Magic Counter each, which they both had thanks to all of you magic cards!" Kai explained as his two monsters each slashed his staff through the air, ripping a hole in the nothingness. They each turned to look at him, a look of concern and hesitation in their eyes. Without a second thought, their master nodded, and they each jumped into their own rip in time itself. Kai then raised his arms and dug his feet into the ground in preparation of the attack, which swept over him. He felt his body seem to catch fire as the magical power washed over him. It was far worse than any holographic attack he had ever received, and he screamed in pure agony of the body.
It was over, and Kai had lost.
Kai-0/Tenken-2100
"Well done Kai. By removing your two soul cards from play, you have spared yourself, and your spirit will feel no repercussions." Tenken smirked.
The dark cloud around them began to fade, and as it did, Kai felt the last of his adrenaline die out, and he fell to the ground with a low thud, the last patch of shadow absorbing the fall and so he did not injure himself on jagged concrete. However, despite his exhaustion, he could not close his eyes or even rest, his mind racing with curiosity.
'Where did that power come from? What are the Gates of Time that I spoke of before my power came to be? Why did this Tenken seek me out?'
"For you valor, I will reward you." Tenken explained, reaching into the open shirt which had returned in place of the gi. He flicked his wrist and sent a plastic Locator Card sailing towards Kai, as well as a magic card. "Take these and go to the Battle City Finals. I wont be going, but if you are to progress, I suggest you go. And don't think of denying yourself this chance. You may feel that you lost, but in truth, you achieved what was far more important than a simple win: you unlocked your true power. Now go, and prepare for when I return." And with that, Tenken turned away, prepared to leave, but stopped himself as a single thought occurred to him. "Yes, you may need this," he said, holding his arm over Kai's body and a stream of silver light flowed all around the bi-eyed Duelist, the burn and cut marks which had covered his body vanishing. "That will take care of your physical injuries. Mentally and spiritually, you will still be weak for a few hours, if not days, but that will heal. Now, I am off." And with that, Tenken's whole body faded, leaving no trace that he had been there except for the now resting Kai Kaethen and the two cards laying in front of him.
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"Kai!" a voice called, alerting the sleeping figured, whose eyes fluttered. "Kai!" The voice called again. Kai opened his eyes and forced himself awake, nearly crashing his head into the face of Kevin Hunter.
"Kevin, where did you come from?" Kai asked, sitting up. His body was sore, but it was still manageable.
"I came along a few minutes ago. It looked like you had been out for some time. But what happened? You weren't harmed in any way physically, but you looked like you might have been beat up, lying on the ground like that." the blond Duelist explained.
"Long story Kevin, and not one that I fully understand yet. The point is, I got these." Kai responded, picking up the cards Tenken had left for him. He turned the Duel Monsters card around, and found that it was a Treasure of the Guardian Goddess.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." a voice to their side laughed. Both boys turned their attention to the end of the alley and found a rare hunter standing there. However, unlike all previous rare hunters, he wore a black cloak, and on his arm was a much more elaborate Duel Disk, looking more like a large wrist blade rather than a Duel Disk. "Two of our targets, once again together."
"What do you want?" Kevin spat as both boys came to their feet.
"He wants to tell me where Takamori Mudo is!" yet another voice called from the opposite end of the alley. Again, both boys turned and found themselves confronted by a young man in a white hakama with a blue gi and a blue haori over that with white triangles lining the sleeves. On his belt was a full length katana and a wakizashi.
"Vaun?" Kai asked of the figure.
"Kai." Vaun acknowledged. However, he wasn't distracted for a second as he stepped closer, his eyes on the black cloaked Rare Hunter. "So, tell me, where is Takamori Mudo?"
"Vaun Hiten, what a wonderful surprise!" the man called with glee. "Yes, Master Mudo said we may encounter you, and so has ordered me to give you this!" he shouted, throwing a silicon card at Vaun, who snatched it out of this air without diverting his eyes. "That card holds a map which will take you straight to him." Vaun nodded and then turned his attention to Kai and Kevin.
"And what of these two?"
"Well, I was sent to Duel Kevin Hunter here." the man responded as his Duel Disk lit up.
"And why should I bother?" Kevin asked.
"Because, you need two Locator Cards, which I am willing to bet." the man responded. "My name is Seiji Misen, and I am the greatest Duelist in the Rare Hunter army!"
"Not good enough." Kevin called back. "I can get my Locator Cards from other Duelists, if you don't mind." Kevin replied, turning to leave.
"You don't want to do this, Kevin. You may find it to be rather unhealthy for those you care about." Seiji called after him.
"Are you threatening us?" Kai asked.
"Of course not." the black robed man responded. "I don't need to. You see, there is a satellite setup overlooking this alley, and the Duel we are about to have. If you lose, or should to decline, a certain young woman will meet with an accident." he chuckled, a cruel and lighthearted tone in his voice.
"You don't mean..." Kevin trailed doff, his voice choking in horror.
"Yes, you see, we don't have to threaten your friends here, because we have the one you love." Seiji explained. "We have Sakura Haeru."
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And that is it! Man, that took a lot longer than I expected.
OK, now for the bad news. I have my AP Exams in two weeks. What does this mean? That I will have almost no time for writing over that span of time. Also, I am going off to college this summer for half a semester before the Fall semester starts. As a result, I have a lot of last minute paperwork to do, on top of all my tests. I will try to take advantage of lower class men tests and other such lulls to get in some good writing, but through May, don't expect too much of me. However, this summer I'm only taking a few classes, so I'll be able to get in some good work then, with some luck. Plus, it'll be my own computer, my own Internet, etc.
Also, I would like for everyone to send me any ideas for new Guardian monsters and/or Dark Scorpion cards for upcoming chapters. If you have any, or come up with any, send them in an email. The review system, I'm sure you know, cuts off extra numbers, so I can't tell if you're telling me a monster has 10, 100, or 1000 attack points. So, for the sake of making life easier, send an email. Thank-you.
OK, now we're going to do a little something different. Author/Reviewer Responses. Since you all have been so awesome at giving me reviews, I've decided to give you something in return, so here we go:
Gearfried the Iron Angel: You didn't ask if I had seven siblings. But yes, I guess that it is good drama, although I'm scared to think of how my family would affect the DDL.
MatrixFighter: Why didn't he kiss her back? Because he respects the chastity of women and because he respects the theory of the kiss, in that it is sacred and should be earned and shared with someone you truly care about. As such, Kai may very well never get a real kiss. As for Akuren, yes I know all about that. Noble Paladin wont leave me alone about your story, and I have skimmed the beginning of it. Actually, I skimmed it today during my Aid Period. It has potential, I'll give it that, but it does have its weaknesses. My advice, listen to the Paladin's suggestions.
Blue-Eyes White Knight: Yes, saving the girl is always cool, and I'll leave it at that.
Seeker of the Soul: I'd touch base with you on the Puritan bit, but we've done that enough on AIM, so I think we'll avoid that. However, I can't see what's wrong with respecting a girl enough to not take advantage of her. However, I have trimmed back some of the cards, as per your request.
The Helldragon: You just picked up on the Kenshin stuff? Just now? Alright, who's your favorite character. In case you didn't guess, Saito is my little brothers favorite, hence the strong resemblance between him and Vaun.
Noble Paladin: Kai? Open up? You're joking, right? The guy saw his parents get murdered! He's spent years as an introvert! Open up! Ha, it is to laugh! But no, seriously, as far as that is concerned, you may get your wish after the tournament is over.
G.O.T. Nick: Of course he's confident. Why shouldn't he be confident. Sakura wasn't confident at first, and look what happened to her! And of course they're ladies-men! It's my story, and so I am a sort of god, and so I can do that. You should know that by now! And hidden swords are cool, but now he's using real katanas, so this'll be much better.
WolfGeneral: Yes, it was good. But keep watching. If you want powerful magicians, wait until Kai opens that puzzle box (Devilish Laughter).
Now for original cards:
The Guarded Treasure, Guardian Rebirth, Guardian Raisek, Hammer of Miracles, Guardian Byce, Ryoko Guardian, Guardians Vow, Chains of Mortality, Guardian Tyrol, Effect Seal, Magic Exchange, Guardian's Counterattack, Guardians Restoration, Staff of Chaos, Guardian Kain, Guardians Feint, Guardians Thunder Blast.
From Seeker of the Soul: Guardian Revolution, Tribute to the Holy Goddess, Hand of Heaven.
Magic Field, Galaxy Magus, Gravity Mage, Trap Circuit, Magicians Ordination, Magical University, Magical Interest, Light Magic Attack, Light Magician, Time Magician, Guardian of Time, Gates of Time, Trinity Magister, Learned Magister, Mystic Moon Dial, Atom Sorcerer.