DARKNESS VS. DARKNESS (part 2)
"I summon my Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200), and activate the Spell card Creature Swap!"
"I counter that with my Magic Jammer!"
"Grr... then I play Snatch Steal, and take control of your Dark Driceratops (2400/1500)!"
"How do you like my Mystical Space Typhoon?"
"Then I activate my Call of the Haunted on my Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000), and equip with an Axe of Despair to boost its attack to 3000! Attack and destroy his Dark Driceratops!"
"I activate the trap card Zero Gravity, switching your Gorilla into defence mode, and destroying it!"
The look of shock on his opponent's face was priceless.
"Y-you countered every one of my moves!"
"That's right! And you lose right here, right now! I remove a Light and a Dark monster from my Graveyard to summon my Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)! Attack and destroy his Blazing Inpachi (1850/0)!"
Isaac 8000
Martin 3350
"Dark Driceratops! Destroy the pathetic excuse of a monster! Goodbye, Swordsman of Landstar!"
"N-No! I activate trap card Waboku!"
"Hmph, I counter with my Trap Jammer, negating your pathetic little attempt to save your life points."
Isaac 8000
Martin 1450
"I still have life points left! I can still win this!"
"You can, can you? I activate my Black Luster Soldier's special effect. If I destroyed a monster with my first attack, my Envoy of the Beginning can attack once more! Take the rest of his life points!"
The giant armoured figure crouched for a second, then sprang into the air, bringing its massive blade down in one deadly sweep, taking the last of his opponent's life points.
Isaac 8000
Martin 0
Isaac smirked, this was too easy. His Black Luster Soldier had already taken care of twelve other duellists, and not a single time in all those matches had he actually lost any life points.
His grand total now stood at an incredible 104000 points, almost seven times the amount required to get to the next level of this tournament, but he was staying to "eliminate the competition". Plus, it was fun, it was survival of the fittest at work.
As he shuffled his deck, Isaac noticed with some amusement how most of the other more cautious duellists were physically shying away from him as he walked. 'Hmph, weak fools...' he thought contemptuously as he placed his deck back into his duel disk, and began making his way to the elevator.
The corridor was brightly lit, yet there was an undertone of darkness here, as if something dark had passed here not too long ago. He frowned, and shook off the feeling. He had been too paranoid of late, and this was no time for him to feel that everybody else was out to get him.
Approaching the niche in the wall where the duel disk was supposed to be inserted, Isaac unfastened the disk from his forearm, and paused before inserting the device into the slot.
There was a moment of silence, and then a pre-recorded voice rang out.
"You have successfully gained a score of one hundred and four thousand points. Congratulations, duellist, the next level awaits you."
The elevator doors opened, and Isaac retrieved his duel disk before entering it.
After the brief trip downwards, he exited the metal box, and again walked through a corridor exactly the same as the one he had left, as another pre-recorded voice spoke.
"Welcome, duellist, to the second level of this tournament. This will test your skills as a duellist against a range of decks and themes. There will be five duellists waiting for you, one after the other. As you proceed through this challenge, your life points will be restored between each match, but should they drop to zero at any time, you are eliminated. Good luck, your first challenge awaits you."
Isaac ignored every word of it. It wasn't as if he didn't know about this already.
However, as he entered the next chamber, he knew something was serious wrong.
It looked like a battlefield. Broken glass, and twisted pieces of metal which could barely be recognised as spotlights littered the ground. Amongst all the debris, shards of burnt bone and piles of still-smoking flesh told him that more than just a duel had occurred here.
Again, there was the all-too familiar sense of darkness, only stronger.
A moan turned his attention away from the scene of destruction to a figure slumped against a wall.
His duel disk was broken, and the remnants of his deck scattered around him. His body looked as if it had been thrown against the wall with tremendous force, highly likely seeing the destruction in the rest of the chamber. His face muscles were slack, and his eyes stared off into space. He didn't move, except for the occasional twitch as he emitted another low moan, this time it was more like a gurgle than a moan.
This man's soul had been taken away from his body.
Isaac frowned, turning his attention back to the rest of the room for the moment. He tried to work out what had happened. Had something malfunctioned, and exploded? No, not likely. No explosion of any size would tear the very soul from a human body.
Not a normal explosion anyway.
He prodded one of the scorched piles of flesh. There was evidence of a horn here and there, and a burnt skull. It looked like a sheep's skull.
More than just a duel had occurred here.
The door into the next room was open, its form twisted so that it was no incapable of closing itself. Isaac walked through, feeling a little trepidation at the thought of what he might face.
This room, in contrast with the last one, was brightly lit and neatly furnished with a duel arena and nothing else. Another duellist stood at the other end of the chamber, and greeted him.
"My name is Boris, and welcome to my duelling arena."
The man was unremarkable, with European features and a head of fair hair he could have easily been lost in a crowd. However, he held himself regally as if he was ruler of the entire world. Hayku despised him immediately, which wasn't surprising since his darkness was thundering through his mind, filling it with thoughts of death, destruction, and chaos. visions of violence and horrible death screamed through his mind.
"My name is Hayku." He said as he raised the arm with the duel disk attached, "why don't we start duelling instead of standing around talking?" His duel disk activated, and snapped into its active position.
Boris smiled, "you think you're so good, don't you? I'll show you, you little punk."
Boris 8000
Hayku 8000
"Oh yes, did I also mention I gain an advantage in this match?"
The floor in front of the duellists opened, and a pool of water made to resemble a vast ocean was revealed on Boris' side of the field.
"The Field spell card Legendary Ocean will boost all the attacks of my water monsters' attack and defence by 200 points, and downgrade their level by 1 star. Plus it can never be destroyed by any effect," Boris smirked. "Ready to start?"
Hayku was unimpressed. "I will of course go first," he said as he drew his first card, not waiting for a response.
Quickly scanning his cards, he made his opening move. "I set one Spell/Trap card face down, and summon Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500) in Attack Mode."
"A pathetic opening move for a pathetic duellist," Boris sneered as he drew.
"Are duelling, or are we talking?" Hayku raised an eyebrow, his expression kept carefully blank. He was sick of duellists like Boris, who thought they were so good, and mentioned as much at every opportunity. It was a pathetic attempt at trying to intimidate his opponents, and Hayku wasn't buying any of it.
"As you wish," Boris smirked. "I Summon my Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 (1500/1300) in Attack Mode, its ATK boosted to 1700 due to my Legendary Ocean!"
"However, your monster is still weaker than mine," Hayku pointed out.
Boris chuckled, "it doesn't need to destroy your monster to damage your Life Points. When Legendary Ocean is on the field, my Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 has a special attack. Attack his Life Points directly! Homing Missiles!"
There was a tongue of flame and smoke, and two missiles streaked over Hayku's monster. He didn't even have time to react before the missiles impacted on the ground around him, the concussion throwing him to the floor. His ears rang from the close proximity of the explosion as he staggered back to his feet. There were two craters on the floor next to him, one on either side.
Boris 8000
Hayku6300
"Now I set two Spell/Trap cards, and end my turn."
Hayku spat, "I'll destroy you yet, human." He promised, drawing another card.
He pressed a button on his duel disk as he declared his move. "I activate the Spell card Snatch Steal, gaining control of your Amphibious Bugroth!"
A figure leapt down from the ceiling, smashing through the cockpit of the machine, and hot-wired the controls. Within seconds, Hayku was the proud owner of the deadly machine.
"Ready for some pain, human? I summon a second Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500) in Attack Mode! Attack his life Points directly!"
His Archfiend Soldiers didn't move. Hayku looked at them in bewilderment, and finally noticed that they were hunched over, as if a giant weight had been placed on their backs.
"You like that, boy? My Trap card Gravity Bind disallows any Level 4 or higher monster to attack!" Boris laughed. Hayku could only grind his teeth in quiet anger.
"Your turn," he growled through gritted teeth.
"I gain 1000 Life Points from the effect of your Spell card Snatch Steal, bringing me up to 9000 Life Points."
Boris 9000
Hayku 6300
"You have been spared the wrath of the ocean for another turn boy. I set one monster face down, and set one Spell/Trap card. Your turn."
Hayku drew. Finally, the card he needed to get rid of that pesky Gravity Bind. But he had to set it first. "I set one Spell/Trap card face down, and one monster face down."
He looked over his side of the field. None of his monsters could attack because they were all Level 4 monsters. And turn by turn his opponent was gaining more and more Life Points.
Wait a minute.
"Amphibious Bugroth MK-3! Attack his Life Points directly!"
Amphibious Bugroth MK-3's Level was reduced from 4 to 3 by the effect of Legendary Ocean! Hayku cursed himself for not noticing earlier.
As the missiles streaked towards his opponent, and just before they impacted, gale force winds picked up. Hayku's clothes were whipped up in a frenzy by the winds as three tornadoes formed around his opponent. The missiles impacted harmlessly on them, their powers useless against such an awesome elemental force.
Boris' laughter could be heard even over the howl of the winds. It was as if the sounds weren't received by his ears alone, but his mind as well.
"As long as I have Legendary Ocean on the field, my Tornado Wall protects me from receiving any damage from your attacks!" he declared mockingly.
Hayku could do nothing else but end his turn.
"And I gain another 1000 Life Points."
Boris 10000
Hayku 6300
As Boris drew his card, he smiled again.
"I summon a second Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 (1500/1300 1700/1500)! Attack him again with Homing Missiles!"
For a moment Hayku thought the projectiles were going to be deflected by the tornadoes. But, wavering, the missiles returned to their original course, exploding in the air above him and throwing him to the ground again.
Boris10000
Hayku 4600
This was not good. His opponent now had more than twice his Life Points, and his defences were impossible to overcome. Thankfully, Boris ended his turn, and Hayku drew, praying to the Dark Gods for the card that he needed.
The wind nearly tore the card out of his hand, but when he saw what it was, he laughed. "My turn to fight back now, Boris. First I'll activate my trap card Dust Tornado to destroy your Tornado Wall!"
A storm of feathers and wind picked up, seven more ferocious than the tornadoes. The air was filled with a misty substance that made seeing anything beyond three feet difficult. Hayku could barely make out the forms of his monsters in front of him.
When the wind died, everything was quiet again. The tornadoes had died down, and Boris was on the other side of the field glaring daggers at Hayku.
"I still have my Gravity Bind on the field, and my face down cards, boy."
Hayku shrugged nonchalantly, "you think that's going to make a difference? I sacrifice your Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, denying you any more Life Points! In its place I summon my third favourite monster. Come forth, my Jinzo (2400/1500)!"
Boris snarled, and swore as the monster appeared on the field.
"And of course, my Jinzo nullified the effect of your Gravity Bind, and your face down Trap card. Attack and destroy his Amphibious Bugroth MK-3!"
A ball of crackling darkness was hurled towards the machine, expanding into a black hole that twisted and mangled the monster until it was barely recognisable. Finally, the black hole sucked the machine in completely, and faded itself.
Boris 9500
Hayku 4600
Hayku frowned, "what! You should have taken 700 damage from that attack! You cheater!" He accused.
Boris merely pointed at his Jinzo, and said, "take a look at your Jinzo."
Hayku did so. He was shocked to see spots of rust all over his metallic monster's form. "What happened to my Jinzo!"
"My Legendary Ocean rusts all Machine sub-type monster, and decreases their ATK by 200 points."
"Then why wasn't your Amphibious Bugroth not affected?"
"My Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 is a state-of-the-art machine, waterproofed and with failsafe systems to ward again such an eventuality," was Boris' confident reply.
Hayku growled, "no matter, I can still destroy you even if my Jinzo is weakened. Archfiend Soldier, attack and destroy his face down card!"
He watched as, in one fluid motion, the demon drew its wicked scimitar, and brought it around in a wide arc to slash downwards at the face down card, breaking it into two.
Without warning, a wind picked up, and his Jinzo was thrown back against the wall of the arena with a dull metallic thump, and the card was returned to Hayku's hand.
"You think I didn't prepare for such an eventuality? My Gale Lizard's effect was activated when you attacked it, returning one monster on your side of the field to your hand. And since your Jinzo is no longer on the field, my Gravity Bind is back in working order."
Hayku watched helplessly as his Archfiend Soldiers struggled to stay on their feet, their backs bent under the enormous gravitational forces exerted on them.
"I believe it's my turn now," Boris said as he drew. "Hmm, let's start killing your Archfiend Soldiers now. I summon Gagagigo (1850/1000 2050/1200) in Attack Mode! Destroy one of his Archfiend Soldiers!"
The reptilian warrior swam stealthily through the water, suddenly leaping up, and tackling the Archfiend Soldier. Both of them were submerged, the thrashing of the water only clue to the struggle that went on beneath the surface. Eventually, the waters stilled, and Gagagigo swam back to its side of the field, leaving a quickly dissipating corpse of the Archfiend Soldier float to the surface, where it dissolved into a grease film.
Boris 9500
Hayku 4450
"Your turn, little man."
Hayku clenched his fist, he was down to two monsters, none of which could attack.
He drew. And pondered his next move. First he had to get rid of Boris' monsters, then he would attack. Who knew what that face down card was, and if it wasn't a Trap, then his Jinzo would be helpless to deal with it.
"I set one monster face down, and switch my Archfiend Soldier into Defence Mode."
"Not that it's going to do you much good, boy," Boris said as he drew, still supremely confident of a victory.
"I summon Mother Grizzly (1400/1000 1600/1200) in Attack Mode, which is just powerful enough to destroy your Archfiend Soldier! Attack!"
Hayku's Archfiend Soldier vainly tried to defend itself with its weapon as the huge bear lumbered towards it, wading through the water. The bear batted its weapon out of the way, snapping it like a twig. Its massive paw swung around, hitting the demon's head and taking it off in one clean sweep. Hayku winced as the body of his monster fell forward into the water, and dissolved into a puddle of foul-smelling grease which covered the surface of the water.
'Come on, one more attack...' Hayku thought, knowing Boris couldn't possibly resist destroying his face down monsters.
Boris hesitated for a moment, scanning both of Hayku's face down monster. "Gagagigo, attack the left hand side face down monster!"
The lizard roared, and leapt forward, its claws slashing the face down monster to ribbons. Hayku grinned inwardly.
"You just activated the effect of my Newdoria (1200/800)! Drag Gagagigo down to the grave with you!"
Hayku watched as Gagagigo was destroyed along with Newdoria. He glanced at Boris, who seemed surprisingly calm for someone who had just lost one of their more powerful monsters.
"I set one Trap card face down, and end my turn," Boris yawned, somewhat insolently, Hayku thought. "Do whatever you want, boy, you've lost this."
He drew. Finally, a useful card.
"I sac-"
Boris seemed to wake up, "oh, yes, that's right. I activate my face down Trap card Compulsory Evacuation Device, returning your monster to your hand."
Hayku glared, but could do nothing.
"I set one monster face down, and one Spell/Trap card.
"I end my turn," he conceded.
"Very well, Mother Grizzly, destroy his face down monster."
The bear roared as she swiped with an enormous paw, smashing the card to pieces.
"Newdoria, destroy Mother Grizzly!" Hayku snarled.
Boris chuckled, "ah, very good boy. I thought you were just going to stand there and do nothing for a second. You turn."
"During your End Phase, I activate my Scapegoat, summoning 4 Sheep Tokens (0/0) onto my side of the field," Hayku said, pressing a button on his duel disk to activate his card.
Boris smiled knowingly. "You turn."
Hayku drew another card, and narrowed his eyes. 'Soon now... just one more card...' he thought as he ended his turn.
"My that was quick. Got nothing good, huh?" he asked as he played another monster. "I summon another Mother Grizzly (1400/1000 1600/1200) in Attack Mode! Destroy one of his sheep."
Hayku watched nonchalantly as one of the little fur balls were wiped out, its bloody form slamming against the wall with a wet splat, and sliding down to rest in a heap, leaving a trail of blood and miscellaneous fluids in a streak down the wall. Boris either had no clue as to what he was about to do, or did not care.
It was his turn again, and he gave another brief prayer to the Dark Gods as he drew. He laughed, the Gods hadn't abandoned him after all. "I am going to clear your field, and wipe that smart-ass grin off your face," he promised.
"I switch one of my Sheep Tokens into Attack Mode, and play the Spell card Creature Swap!"
With a confused roar, the Mother Grizzly switched to his side of the field, while one of the small horned fur balls floated to the other side of the field, eyes still closed and smiling beatifically despite its comrade's messy demise.
"Before I do anything, I need to get rid of that pesky Gravity Bind. Activate Heavy Storm!"
A blast of wind slammed down on both sides of the field, destroying every Spell and Trap card. Fortunately, Hayku hadn't set any during the last few turns, and so he was unaffected, while Boris' Gravity Bind and his face down card was sent to the graveyard.
"I now sacrifice your Mother Grizzly to bring out my Jinzo (2400/1500) 2200/1500) once again!
"And that's not all! I remove three Fiend type monsters from my graveyard out of play to Special Summon my Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)!"
He grinned, he had two of his toughest hitters out on the field, while his opponent had a measly sheep in Attack Mode. There was going to be some pain now. "Jinzo, Dark Necrofear, ATTACK!"
The Sheep Token didn't stand a snowball in a furnace's chance of surviving the twin balls of Darkness that streaked towards it, and was wiped out, along with a good chunk of Boris' Life Points.
Boris 5100
Hayku 4450
As Boris regained his feet, he clapped. The sound was abnormally loud and alien in the enclosed space. He was laughing, against all expectations.
"Commendable, boy, commendable. That was nicely done. However, it is my turn now."
Hayku's sharp eyes picked out something different about Boris. Was it him, or was Boris' eyes more diluted than usual? His pupils seemed noticeably larger than they had been moments ago.
"First, I think I'll get rid of your monsters. Activate Spell card Snatch Steal!"
"NO!"
Hayku could do nothing as his Jinzo was borne away, struggling helplessly.
"Now, attack his Dark Necrofear!"
Two balls of Darkness slid past each other, streaking towards their targets. Hayku had to shield his eyes as crackling energy met metallic form and demonic construct. There was an explosion of Darkness so dark he had to screw his eyes shut lest he be blinded. Even with his eyes shut, dark afterimages still swam before his eyes. Both his monsters were dead, consumed by their own darkness.
"Now that I've gotten rid of your monsters, I set one card face down, and end my turn."
Hayku shook his head, ridding himself of the black blobs in his vision. "My turn," was all he could manage through the cloud of rage. How dare this... thing destroy his monsters like this?
"I play Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, and discard my Night Assailant (200/500) and my Giant Orc (2200/0)! Now I set two Spell/Trap cards, and end my turn!"
Boris laughed, his head thrown back and peals of mocking laughter echoing from the walls. "Nice move boy, but not good enough! I play the Spell card heavy Storm!"
"I chain my Call of the Haunted to return my Jinzo (2400/1500 2200/1500) to my side of the field!"
"A lot of good that will do you. Remember my Gagagigo? Well this is the powered up version! I summon my Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500 2650/1700), in Attack Mode! Destroy his Jinzo once and for all!"
The cyborg lizard, with its metal armour and weapons, growled. Metal claws flashed, and Jinzo was reduced to a pile of scrap metal.
Boris 5100
Hayku 4000
"You better do something about this, boy. You only have two sheep left to defend you," Boris smirked as he ended his turn.
Hayku drew. This card was useless.
"I end my turn," he conceded.
"Giga Gagagigo, attack!"
One sheep left.
"Try again, boy."
Hayku drew again. Another useless card.
"Attack!"
Hayku was completely defenceless now.
"Last chance, boy! I set one Spell/Trap card face down, and end my turn."
He drew again.
"I set one monster face down, and I play Premature Burial to bring back my Dark Necrofear (2200/2800), in Defence Mode!"
"Cough up boy, 800 Life Points," Boris pointed out.
Boris 5100
Hayku 3200
"At least your monsters can't hurt me."
"Oh, you think so? Because I just drew the card that will annihilate you!"
Hayku quietly braced himself, wondering what new horrors his opponent's deck would reveal.
"I sacrifice my Giga Gagagigo, to bring out the lord of the seas, my Levia Dragon Daedalus (2600/1500 2800/1700)!"
There was a moment of silence as the cyborg lizard warrior was destroyed. Hayku licked his suddenly dry lips, his heartbeat the loudest sound in his world as he awaited the arrival of the new monster.
There was a low rumble, and without warning, a huge sea dragon burst forth from the waves, rocketing up to the ceiling of the chamber, then dove, and streaked along the water. The liquid frothed, and parted before the dragon like a crowd before a tank. Water splashed out of the pool, soaking Hayku up to his knees. The dragon streaked back towards Boris' side of the field, its armoured head studded with huge green and purple gems as it roared.
"And now, before I attack you with it, I will activate its special ability to ensure your pesky cards don't get in the way. Daedalus! Tidal Surge!"
The Dragon roared again as light blazed forth from its open maw and from the gems on its head. The waters rose, and swept through the room, destroying everything in its path.
When Hayku looked again, everything except the Levia Dragon had been destroyed.
What awesome power was this? His opponent's deck was unstoppable!
"Levia Dragon! Attack his Life Points directly!"
Hayku screamed in pain as blinding light shot forth from the dragon's jaws, and washed over him. Every cell of his body felt as if it was being crushed, squeezed and then pounded into the ground. The world was white with the light, and with pain.
Boris 5100
Hayku 600
Finally, the attack ceased, and Hayku's unseeing eyes gave his vision back. He struggled to his feet, every movement made his flesh burn. He groaned in pain.
Boris laughed again, "I set one Spell/Trap card face down, and end my turn."
"That's not all..." Hayku croaked. "Since you destroyed my Dark Necrofear, now it returns, and possesses your Levia Dragon." He couldn't afford another attack like that again, and to do that he had to deny Boris his monster.
The Levia Dragon's (2600/1500) eyes suddenly went dark, and an aura of darkness went up around it as it swam sinuously through the air towards Hayku's side of the field, and stayed. Boris didn't say anything.
"Why has it returned to 2600 ATK?"
Boris smirked, "because by activating Tidal Surge, I had to give up my Legendary Ocean's special effects. It's your lucky day, boy."
With a trembling hand, Hayku drew his next card.
"I set one monster face down... Levia Dragon, attack his life points."
The Dragon didn't move, and Hayku was horrified to see it straining to move.
"No..." he whispered incredulously.
"Yes, it's another Gravity Bind," Boris grinned savagely.
"I end my turn."
Boris drew a card. "One more card, boy, and you lose this. I end my turn."
Hayku drew another card.
'Let's see how much he enjoys watching his monsters turn into sick parodies of their former selves,' he thought as he shakily slotted a card into his duel disk.
"I activate the Spell card Metamorphosis to transform your Levia Dragon Daedalus!"
The dragon roared as waves of horrific transformation ripped through its body. Its armour plates cracked, and pieces clattered to the floor. Two semi-transparent pseudopodia burst out of its writhing back, and another one out of its open jaws, cutting off its roar. Its flesh rippled, and finally exploded as another monster was born.
Hayku wiped blood off his face, and picked a small string of flesh off his duel disk as he admired his new monster.
"Say hello to my Humanoid Worm Drake (2200/2000), Boris."
The thing was transparent, with miscellaneous purple blobs throughout its body. Its form was in constant motion, shapeshifting like quicksilver but still maintaining the core form of a dragon made completely out of slime.
Boris' face was a mask of rage. "How dare you do that to my monster! You have just earned yourself a slow and painful death, boy!"
Hayku chuckled darkly, "let's see you try to kill me then."
"We'll see about that..." Boris snarled as he drew. "I summon Mermaid Knight (1500/700), in Attack Mode!"
"However, you cannot attack with that Gravity Bind on the field, Boris," Hayku mocked.
"Neither can you."
"Oh, we'll see about that."
Hayku drew, 'perfect.'
"I set one Spell/Trap card face down, and end my turn."
"You are going to regret that move, boy. I set one Spell/Trap card face down. Your turn."
Hayku wondered what Boris was planning. Oh well, might as well go for it.
"Activate Dust Tornado, and destroy your Gravity Bind!
"This is the end, Boris!" Hayku declared as he flipped his face down monster into face up position. "I activate Night Assailant's (200/500) special effect, and destroy your Mermaid Knight!"
A glowing sword flew towards the unprotected knight, and speared right through her chest. The Mermaid fell into a crumpled heap, and sank underwater, leaving an expanding cloud of pink behind it.
"Humanoid Worm Drake, attack!"
A pseudopod flew towards Boris, honed to a sharpness only found on a surgeon's tool rack.
Boris laughed as he watched the point get closer and closer. At the last possible second, he activated his face down card.
"Activate Call of the Haunted, and return my Levia Dragon Daedalus from the graveyard!"
Hayku's eyes widened. "Stop the attack!"
The pseudopod stopped inches from Boris' face, and withdrew as quickly as it had been extended.
"I play Swords of Revealing Light, stalling you for three turns!"
Three glowing swords slammed into the ground around Boris.
"Your turn..."
Boris drew again. "I end my turn."
Hayku drew again, and smiled triumphantly.
"I summon Tribe-Infecting Virus (1600/1000) in Attack mode! And I discard one card from my hand to infect all Sea Serpents on the field with the virus!"
"NO!"
Boris' expression was horrified as he watched blotches appear on his dragon's hide. Slowly, the Dragon's skin began to dissolve, and half a minute later, only the pitted and corroded skeleton remained, which fell limply half in and half out of the water like a dead fish.
"All out attack!"
Boris was hurled off his feet by the attack. The Worm Drake's body pulsed for a second, and it too shot out a series of needle thin pseudopodia, which pierced Boris' abdomen and arm in several places. He screamed with the agony, and the pseudopodia withdrew, returning to the Worm Drake's rippling body.
Boris 1100
Hayku 600
'Hmm... 4000 Life Points in one go, not bad...' Hayku thought as he laughed.
Boris stood back up, much to Hayku's surprise. Blood wept from the wounds on his body, but he managed to stand. Hayku raised an eyebrow, he could still stand. 'Back for more punishment, huh? I'll gladly comply with that request.'
Boris drew, and smiled weakly.
"Prepare to meet my ultimate monster, boy. First, I'll summon my Unshaven Angler (1500/1600), and then I play the Spell card Big Wave Small Wave to destroy all my Water monsters, and allowing me to Special Summon the same number from my hand! The rage of the oceans shall devastate you and your pathetic soul, boy! Rise, my Ocean Dragon Lord- NEO-DAEDALUS (2900/1600)!"
Once again, the waters heaved upwards, and this time a twin-headed sea dragon flew out of the water, roaring as it streaked around the room. It was truly a massive brute, one of its heads easily the size of Hayku himself. He gazed up at the monster as it roared at him, not afraid nor impressed.
"So? It's just a bigger version of your previous monster, I'll just destroy it again with my Tribe Infecting Virus."
"Oh, you think so? Activate Spell card Lightning Vortex!"
Hayku's eyes widened, he swore.
A ball of lightning streaked towards the field, impacting on Hayku's side, and erupting in a storm of electricity. When everything cleared, all his monsters were fried pieces.
"How you like your monsters, boy? Medium or well-done?" Boris laughed.
"I still have the Swords to protect me."
"Yes..." Boris seemed thoughtful for a while as he glanced at the two remaining swords. "But all I need is one more card, and I can finish you off!"
"Don't count on it," Hayku muttered, knowing how unlikely it would be for him to draw the single card that he needed out of his entire deck.
"I set one Spell/Trap card face down, and end my turn."
Boris snapped another card off the top of his deck, and he laughed. It wasn't normal laughter, but the insane kind, where the laugher was either mentally disturbed, temporarily disturbed, or both. "I play the Spell card, Terraforming! I transform the field once again into A Legendary Ocean!
"And now, for the finishing move! Neo-Daedalus! Unleash the fury of the ocean!"
The Dragon roared, and the waters rose in sympathy, rising up until it was a massive wall of liquid.
As abrupt as it rose, it fell again, destroying everything in its path- Hayku's swords, his face down card, even the single remaining card in his hand. Protective screens slid over the cards to protect them from the water.
However, Hayku wasn't as fortunate as his cards. He was washed away in the storm of water, sliding implacably into the pool in the middle of the arena where a giant whirlpool had formed. He had time to suck in on more breath before he was fully submerged.
Down there, it wasn't much better. The storm of water had disturbed the water to an extent where Hayku was often being tossed around by at least three different currents at once. His lungs were bursting, his body straining to breathe. But to breathe was to die, and even one like him could cease to exist should his physical vessel be destroyed.
Without thinking, he unleashed the full power of his darkness.
It expanded around him as an uncontrollable force, a sphere of pure destruction that vaporised water the moment it came into contact with it. Hayku himself floated above the arena, safe within his sphere. The duel disk strapped to his arm crackled, straining to contain all the energies unleashed.
The sphere disappeared, and Hayku landed gracefully back on his side of the field. The pool in front of him was only half full now, one side of it was a roughly spherical ruin, blasted by a power even he had no control over.
Boris was looking at him now, not mockingly, but with an unreadable expression.
"I should have known what you were. Only you could have beaten Mort... or destroyed him..."
Hayku smirked, "his worthless soul now resides in the serenity of non-existence, as will yours soon enough."
"You have no cards in your hand or on your field, you cannot win." Boris smiled mirthlessly. "Looks like I will be the first to destroy one of your kind. Neo-Daedalus! Attack!"
Hayku laughed, "forgot to check the field before you attacked? That's a mistake only a beginner would make."
There was a wet thump and a small cry of distress as one of his Sheep Tokens was destroyed.
Boris frowned, "where did they come from!"
"My face down card, fool. I activated it when you used Neo-Daedalus' effect. I must commend you on this duel, you have fought for long enough, and few can say that. But now, it's over!"
Without even looking at the card he drew, Hayku knew he had won. He slotted the card home into his duel disk, and activated it.
"I play the Spell card Metamorphosis!"
Boris sneered, a poor attempt at bravado in the face of defeat. "What are you going to transform them into? Bigger balls of fluff?"
Hayku smiled, "uncouth words from an uncouth mind. Fortunately you will cease to exist at all within the next minute. Watch as I transform my Sheep Token into the all-powerful Thousand Eyes Restrict (0/0)! Who knew such an insignificant creature could be your demise?"
The sheep token writhed, and exploded into a form much larger than its small frame could possibly contain. What took shape was something far more horrific. It was shaped like a giant cocoon, its single eye staring out at Boris.
"Awake!"
The front of the cocoon opened, revealing what was underneath. The eye was mounted on an orb which was attached to the body through a ribbed neck. Below its "head" was a fanged maw, which pulsed and flexed as Hayku looked on in pride. Its two massively clawed arms opened and closed in harmony with his own breathing.
The final part of the beast awakened, and thousands of eyes opened. All over its body. They stared in all directions, unblinking.
Hayku could feel the paralysing energy the eyes exuded as they opened, which increased by the second as more eyes opened.
Neo-Daedalus writhed, futilely as it tried to move. Hayku laughed, Boris was experiencing the same difficulty in movement. He took a moment to savour the sensation of power he held over everything within this room.
"Finish it."
Thousand-Eyes' mouth part moved, and there was a strangled roar from Neo-Daedalus as it was dragged inexorably into Hayku's monster's gaping maw. He laughed, both at the plight of his opponent's monster, and at the paralysed expression of fear which would now be forever etched upon his face.
The ring of teeth moved, and expanded to a size that would accommodate the barely struggling dragon. Thousand Eyes' entire body distended as the dragon was consumed, part by part, its body rippling in peristaltic motion.
Finally, as the tail disappeared into the darkness of his monster's body, the twin heads of Neo-Daedalus appeared on Thousand-Eyes' shoulder. The two heads let out a thin shriek, as they twisted about in pain. Hayku laughed all the harder.
"And now, with the power of your monster increasing my monster's ATK to 2900, I will destroy your soul! Blast it away!"
The central eye on his monster glowed briefly, and suddenly a beam of pure Darkness shot out, piercing Boris' forehead. He didn't scream, but his face was contorted in a rictus of agony as his soul was destroyed piece by piece. The twin heads of Neo-Daedalus screamed all the louder, as if to compensate for their master's silence.
Through his spectral vision, Boris' soul was a slowly fading shape in the storm of Darkness that washed over him, disintegrating like a blob of butter in a hot frying pan. All the colours were reversed, and so his monster's attack seemed as bright as the sun itself. Hayku shut his eyes, and waited for it to finish.
Boris 0
Hayku 600
It was over.
His opponent's soul had been blasted, wiped from existence.
As he idly shuffled his deck, he walked over to his opponent's side of the field. Boris' body was on the ground, his eyes wide open and his expression forever frozen. His body twitched every now and then, letting out involuntary whimpers and unintelligible gurgles. Hayku smiled, pathetic.
Giving the body a good kick, he sent it over the edge into the pool of water. The body sank, its lungs filling with water and leaving a trail of bubbles behind it. He sneered.
The pitted bones of Boris' Levia Dragon was still lying on the ground, most of its body trailing over the edge and into the pool of water.
He bent down to pick up a card. It was the same monster card whose skeleton lay before him. Ultra Rare Levia-Dragon Daedalus. Card number IOC-083.
It was useless to him.
He scrunched up the card, and tossed it contemptuously over his shoulder into the pool.
"I am the eternal Darkness. I reside in the darkest recesses of the mind, as ancient as the stars themselves. None can stand before me." He intoned gravely at the unheeding skeleton of what used to be Boris' monster.
Hayku abruptly turned, and walked through the now open door without a backward glance.
Isaac had witness the entire duel from the cover of the doorway, silent as he watched the thing destroy another entity who was, if nothing else, more powerful than itself.
He stared at the skeleton of the monster, and then down at the pool where the body of its master had fallen. The body was useless to anything but a zombie now, its resident entity wiped clean from existence as if it had never been. Several cards floated up, Isaac stared at them. A Giga Gagagigo, Mermaid Knight, and a Ring of Destruction. All ruined by the water beyond retrieval. Isaac turned away with a sound of disgust.
He prodded the skeleton of the sea-dragon. Its brittle substance collapsing like rotten wood.
Death.
He cared not for the things that... creature had destroyed already.
It was a threat to his position.
And any threats must be eliminated.
He grinned unpleasantly at the thought of the terror he would be able to bring upon his unsuspecting opponent. His steps quickened as he followed Hayku to the next chamber, he wanted to see just how well he could duel- hopefully against more talented duellists than the first two.
'Darkness is nothing compared to what I can bring...'
There were far more powerful forces than Darkness.