Chapter 40: Brothers' Seal
"DUEL!" Bann and Recks yelled.
"I'll start by summoning Gearfried the Iron Knight," Bann stated. "Then I cast two Spells and end my turn."
"Then I'll summon Archaeotryx and combo his summoning with Reckless Hell Summoning, allowing me to Special Summon two more Archaeotryx. Now let me fill you in on this bird's special ability. All of my Archaeotryx can attack as one. Archaeotryx, attack Gearfried!"
All three Archaeotryx attacked Gearfried, biting and clawing at him.
"Damn… prehistoric chickens…"
"Lucky for you, my Archaeotryx cannot attack again."
"Good, then I activate Knight's Rebirth, returning Gearfried the Iron Knight to the field." 'You okay, Gearfried?'
"Yes, Lord Bann."
'Good, because we're gonna break right through this wall of dactyls.' "I activate Release Restraint, breaking Gearfried out of his armor. Then, I activate my set Shining Armor to give him a shiny new look. Now, Gearfried the Shining Knight, take hold of the Holy Sword."
Gearfried, now wearing a sparkling silver armor, grabbed the golden blade and swung it at one of the Archaeotryx, slashing it straight in half.
"Gearfried, attack another Archaeotryx."
Gearfried jumped into the air again, swinging the blade over another bird, leaving one left.
"Two down and one to go." 'The Shining Armor will let Gearfried attack again… but if I do, Recks might lose…' "I… end my turn."
"Lord Bann? I could have destroyed that last bird."
'But… I can't kill my own brother.'
"You just made a big mistake. I sacrifice the last Archaeotryx to summon Great Wing of Terror."
A large pterodactyl flew over the trees, beating its enormous wings, blowing away the Shining Armor and the Holy Sword, leaving Gearfried without a weapon or defense.
"As you know, the Seal of Orichalcos now gives my dinosaur power."
The Seal etched itself onto the dino's head, as it screeched loudly.
"Giant Wing of Terror, attack Gearfried the Swordmaster!"
The gigantic flying dinosaur flew down and struck Gearfried, carrying him high into the sky and dropping him into the trees below.
"Ha ha! Thanks to our combined Dark Burning Sorceress, your Final Guardian is as good as gone," Zakei laughed as what was left of Gate Guardian burned to ashes in black flames.
"Nice. Now that we have our Dark Burning Sorceress, you don't have the power to beat us," Tiamat added.
"That would be true…" Atrop started.
"…if we didn't have you at a disadvantage," Aletut finished.
"What do you mean?"
"I start my turn. I activate the spell, Dark Element. As you know, our Final Guardian was composed of all but one element… darkness."
"Now we shall summon the darkness elemental by giving up half of our life."
"I summon Dark Guardian!"
A large, axe-wielding creature rose up from the ground. It's upper body looked like that of a very muscular man in black armor while it's lower half was spider-like with large metallic legs.
"Dark Guardian, attack Red Dark Magician!"
Dark Guardian lifted his mighty axe and slammed it into the red armored wizard, shattering him with brute force. However, being in defense, Zakei suffered no damage.
"Damn, because of the Seal, that thing's just as strong as Final Guardian…" Tiamat said, bedazzled.
"Stronger…" Zakei responded, worriedly.
"I cast a Spell and end my turn. Make your last move."
"Maybe we can still beat this guy. I equip Dark Burning Sorceress with the Book of Secret Arts. This makes our two monsters dead even."
"If you think so, attack!"
"I will. Dark Burning Sorceress, attack Dark Guardian!"
Dark Burning Sorceress shot another ball of dark energy out of her staff, aimed for the Dark Guardian. It hit Dark Guardian, who was consumed in black flames.
"Grrrr…" growled the Guardian, who absorbed the attack into his axe and struck Dark Burning Sorceress, destroying her. Only Dark Guardian remained on the field, unscathed.
"What just happened?"
"Dark Guardian cannot be destroyed in battle. You attack was futile and your dragon empowered witch gone."
"I activate Life Trade. Since Dark Burning Sorceress is gone, I can now Special Summon a monster from my grave of the same Type with fewer stars. I choose Dark Magician." 'You better help me on this one Tiamat, because my Dark Magician is attacking.' "One cast spell. Go."
"You fool, your Dark Magician is about to be blow to smithereens along with your life! Dark Guardian, attack the fool's Dark Magician!"
Dark Guardian attacked Dark Magician with his axe.
"I activate Mystic Box!"
A box appeared behind Dark Magician, who jumped into it just as it sealed up. Then Dark Guardian struck the box, shattering it into pieces.
"Ha! Your Dark Magician is gone and so is the rest of your life!"
"Not so fast, look at your Dark Guardian!"
Dark Guardian was sucked into another box.
"Now for the old switcheroo. Dark Guardian's life will be traded for Dark Magician's. Then Tiamat will finish off Dark Magician next turn, leaving you two fresh out of Guardians."
"It won't end like this. I activate Medusa Flash."
Dark Guardian fell out of the boxes bottom and crashed onto the ground. His body was hard as stone. In fact, it was stone.
"Medusa Flash turns Dark Guardian into stone for a turn so he can't be destroyed by any magic tricks. Of course, he also can't attack."
The Mystic Box opened up again and Dark Magician jumped out and landed next to Zakei.
"Well, at least you're safe."
Dark Magician bowed.
"I switch Thousand Dragon to Defense Position, cast a Spell, and end my turn." 'Don't worry Zakei. If they come after Dark Magician, I'll protect him.'
"If that is all, then it's time to finish one of you. Dark Guardian, attack Dark Magician again!"
No longer stoned :D, Dark Guardian slammed his axe down at Dark Magician, who jumped out of the way.
"What trickery is it this time?"
"Honestly, I haven't a clue," Zakei answered.
"I do. I activated Negate Attack," Tiamat broke in. "Zakei, consider your magician saved."
"Thanks. And it's time to return the favor by ending this duel."
"I doubt it. You'll never get passed Dark Guardian or these three cast Spells. Turn end."
"You're right, it's quite a challenge, but I think I can pull it off."
"I summon Gold Knight and Dark Blade." 'So far, Recks' whole strategy has been offensive. He hasn't defended himself at all. Is the Seal clouding his judgment or is he trying to lose on purpose?' "Now that they're on the field, I activate White Winged Dragon and Polymerization, giving my two knights their legendary dragons, turning them into Dark Blade the Dragon Knight and Paladin of White Dragon. Then I equip Dark Blade with the Holy Sword you returned to my mind and I equip Paladin with Ritual Weapon."
Dark Blade and Gold Knight now rode two dragons, one black as night and the other light blue with golden eyes. Dark Blade also used the Holy Sword that Gearfried had lost to Great Wing of Terror, while Gold Knight's arm was fitted with a crossbow.
"Dark Blade, attack Great Wing of Terror!"
Dark Blade swooped in and struck the pterodactyl with his sword, cutting the flying beast in half.
"Now I…" 'I can attack him directly with little effort but… I can't do that to my brother.' "… end my turn."
"I activate Polymerization, fusing the two Velocisaurus in my mind to summon Traptor. Then I summon Armored Lizard and activate Ultra Evolution Pill to turn him into Dark Tyranno. Since there are now two monsters on my side of the field, Traptor's attack increases. Traptor, attack Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!"
Traptor ran at Dark Blade, lashing out and biting Pitch-Dark Dragon's neck. The dragon screamed as blood dripped out of its neck. Unable to get away, Traptor attacked again, grabbing the knight in its jaws, tearing his body in half with its teeth, and swallowing him. Pitch-Dark Dragon hit the ground, blood pouring out of its dead carcass.
"Ha ha ha ha ha… cast Spell… can't kill your Paladin… end turn."
'I'm sure he could have if he really wanted to.' "Paladin of White Dragon, attack Dark Tyranno!"
Paladin aimed at the dino with his crossbow and fired an arrow.
"Activate Amber Pit Trap."
Magma shot up from the ground, striking the arrow and Paladin, who landed on the ground and went into Defense Position.
"I cast a Spell. End turn."
"You aren't playing at your best, little brother. What's wrong? Afraid someone will get hurt? I attack directly with Dark Tyranno!"
'I can't use my trap against direct attacks…'
Dark Tyranno jumped over Paladin and bit Bann. Blood poured out of the teeth mark wounds. His clothes were completely stained red.
"Cast spell. The end."
"I summon Queen's Knight and cast a Spell. Your turn."
"I sacrifice Dark Tyranno to summon Rex King. Now Rex King, attack Queen's Knight!"
"I activate Tersepolymerization. This fuses Queen's Knight with the King's Knight and Jack's Knight in my mind to summon Joker's Knight!"
The purple clad knight lifted his sword and fought off Rex King's attack.
"As you know, in order to perform a fusion, a lot of energy is required, but the output energy is much greater than the input. However, if you don't plan on keeping the fusion together, you don't lose that input energy in the fusion and it's added to the power output, overall strengthening Joker's Knight."
"I know…"
"What was that?"
"I activate my own Tersepolymerization!"
"Uh!"
"I fuse Rex King and Traptor to form Giant King Traptor!"
A large orange dinosaur charged at Joker's Knight. This battle of fusions was epic as Giant King Traptor's large jaws bit down into Joker's sword, breaking it in half.
"Now Traptor, finish my brother with one last bite!"
"I activate Knight's Shield!"
Joker lifted his shield, deflecting Traptor's attack.
"King Traptor can attack twice. Traptor, attack Paladin of White Dragon!"
Traptor ran across the field again and grabbed Paladin in his mighty jaws, crushing down on the knight and dragon and swallowing them.
"AAARRGGHHA!" Bann screamed in pain.
"I end my turn, brother."
Both Giant King Traptor and Joker's Knight de-fused back into their fusion materials.
"Damn you and the Seal." 'As long as Recks has the Seal, he's crushing me, and if I fight back, I might take his soul… but if I don't…' "I'm sorry Recks. I activate Royal Straight, sacrificing King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight to summon Royal Flush. Then I add the souls of Brave Knight, Knight Champion, Familiar Knight, Ace's Knight, and Kiryu to his mighty blade, giving him the power to destroy everything on your side of the field." 'Maybe, just maybe this will destroy the Seal,' Bann wished. "Royal Flush, attack with Poker Straight Slash!"
Royal Flush lifted his enormous sword into the air. It basked in a faint blue light that came crashing down as Royal Flush struck the ground with his sword. Five beams of light slashed across the field, destroying King Rex and Traptor, but the Seal remained, glowing beneath them. One beam hit Recks, who fell to the ground, but laughed even though he was deeply wounded.
"So… ha ha ha, you finally had it in you. I thought you were gutless. Guess I was wrong."
"You bastard. You aren't my brother. You are some evil pawn of the Seal, disguised as him. I will get my brother's soul back."
"You idiot. My soul never left! Through the dark powers of the Seal, I have… Bann…"
"Recks… Recks your still in there."
"I… I have the powers of the Seal. I have the power I have always wanted to… to… why is this happening?"
'Recks… you're fighting a battle with yourself. I know you're still in there, and I will free you even if I need to sacrifice my own soul to do so.'
"It's time to finish this, Rotarucs. I activate Dark Magic Attack!" said Zakei.
Dark Magician jumped into action, firing a blast of black magic at the Rotarucs.
"You foolish boy. Dark Guardian is too powerful to be defeated by the likes of you."
"Who said I was attacking Dark Guardian? My target is your set spells."
The black magic consumed Aletut and Atrop, destroying anything they had planned to use against Dark Magician's attack.
"Now, I activate one of my favorite spells, the Line Between Light and Darkness."
The entire field turned into a negative picture. Dark Magician's armor turned white. Dark Guardian, under the control of the Orichalcos, remained unchanged, but the shadows that wrapped his body became more visible. Thousand Dragon seemed, on the whole, unaffected other than the negative image made him seem a shade of blue.
"White Magician, White Magic Attack!" Zakei cried out.
White Magician lifted his staff high into the air. A ball of white magic began to glow at the end of his staff.
"You think that just because your Dark Magician or White Magician or what ever you call him has a new white armor, he is any match for our Dark Guardian?"
"Yes. Now that we have entered into this opposite realm, White Magician has gained a few new powers. The first is his White Magic Attack. It refills my life for everything I have on the field, and what I have is White Magician and the Line Between Light and Darkness."
White Magician fired the blast into the air. It exploded, raining down light energy onto Zakei.
"Now that some of my life is refilled, I can show you his second power. When some of my life is refilled, I can select any one monster on your side of the field and…"
"And what!"
"Let me finish. I can select any monster and return it to your mind!"
White Magician lifted his hand. The field became positive again and when it returned to the negative, Dark Guardian was gone.
"I believe that leaves your field… empty!"
"Oh no!"
"One of us is going to lose, but I promise, I will avenge you brother."
"What makes you think he is going to attack me? You are the one he should get rid of."
"Never. You are more annoying and still have Dark Guardian in your mind, making you more dangerous."
"Yes, well you have plenty more creatures that you could send to stand against him!"
"cough Hroom hm!" Zakei cleared his throat. "Actually, I was thinking of defeating both of you right now. White Magician, attack Atrop!"
White Magician shot a blast of energy at Atrop. He hit the ground, unmoving. The field then returned to the positive. White Magician changed back into Dark Magician.
"And since my Dark Magician technically didn't attack yet… Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"
Dark Magician lifted his staff again and shot a blast of Black Magic at Aletut, who also hit the ground, defenseless. The Seal closed in on both brothers, passing over Tiamat and Zakei. The brothers were dead silent as the Seal took their souls.
"I've been here…"
Sagitar looked around the snowcapped ground.
"This is it. This is where I met Rooko. He's no longer here I gather." 'But something else is. I warned you Darsus.'
"Vaila, over here!"
"What is it?"
"A path. It leads off, but it's hidden. I see a cave at the end."
"You think…"
"It's worth a shot. Rooko, Jigen, and Cios might be in there."
"I don't know. Something doesn't seem right about that cave."
"Five minutes. We go in for five minutes. We don't find them, we keep heading down this path. Alright?"
Vaila nodded and they started down the hidden path.
"It's my turn, brother. I Special Summon Gilasaurus. You know what to do now," Recks said.
Bann nodded. "I Special Summon Kiryu in Defense Position!"
The reddish dragon grew out of the darkness.
"Now I sacrifice Gilasaurus to summon Dimitriadon the Night Dragon."
Gilasaurus vanished. A dark, serpent-like dragon appeared in its place.
"Dimitriadon, attack Royal Flush!"
The serpent shot a blast of energy at Royal Flush, incinerating him in black fire.
"This duel is almost over. I cast a Spell and end my turn."
"Recks…"
"…"
"I… I need to know. I need to know what is happening. I am your twin. I can't let you bare this burden alone," Bann said. He stared down at the ground the whole time. Tear began to form in his eyes. "I am sorry, Recks." He lifted his head. "I free you from the Seal! Activate Royal Upkeep – Taking the Hill!"
The ring of the Seal began to spin violently. The Seal above Recks' and his dino's heads vanished and their eyes changed back to a normal color. At the same time, the Seal appeared above Bann's eyes, which burned a blood red. Finally, the ring slowed down to reveal that it was now completely turned around.
"I… I bare your burden now…" A dark aura flowed over Bann's body. "Prepare… pre… prepare to lose your soul!" he said darkly.
Next time on City of Fire: Requiem