Chapter 43: Inevitable
The Seal stopped spinning. It reformed as the Ereberos Seal. Isaac vanished from the field.
"I switch Guardian Deathscythe to attack position."
Deathscythe stood up. As she did, Tryce, Baou, Elma, and Backup Guardna vanished. As the were pulled into the Graveyard, Deathscythe absorbed their souls, increasing her own power.
"Deathscythe, attack Knights of the Round!"
Deathscythe picked up her scythe and swung it at the five knights. All five sliced clean in half. Their blood soaked the ground. Through Deathscythe's mask, the eerie glow of her eyes shined in what could only be described as pleasure.
Bann hit the ground. His life was at the very ends and he was facing down an invincible and overly powerful monster. Garu's dark aura flowed out over the field.
"Get up. This duel isn't over."
Bann slowly rose to his feet. 'How can I win?' he thought.
"Bann, if you want to beat me, there is only one way."
"Huh…"
"Embrace the darkness. Take the Seal of Ereberos. Use it against me!"
Bann thought for a second. 'It might be my only way out. If I use this Seal… I can beat that thing. I've got to do it…'
Bann's aura turned an inky black. It overflowed with the power of the Ereberos.
"Good, now this is a duel." 'You're becoming just like me, Bann. Use the Ereberos and you will win. Then you can become the avatar of the Blood God.'
"Bann, what are you doing?" said a voice that seemed far off.
'Who? Who is there? You seem so far away.'
"Bann…bann…ann…" the voice echoed.
'Recks?' Bann's eyes opened. The dark power of the Ereberos rushed out of him. "No, I can never accept the darkness. I will beat you here and now, with my own power."
Zakei and Tiamat watched from outside the red Seal, impressed that Bann was able to drive off the power of the new Seal. "Bann! You can win!" they cheered.
Bann turned and grinned at them. Then his gaze turned back to Garu.
"You fool. That was your one chance to win and you didn't take it. You've already lost."
"Well, Garu. It seems that you never were with me. You used me for, what you believe, a greater power. Be assured, soon you will see that there is no greater power than the Orichalcos. The son surpasses the father. The Seal of Ereberos is ancient and weak. The Seal of Orichalcos…" Darsus lifted his right hand. A swirling blue light surrounded it. He laughed into the night. The cave walls echoed the laughter. "Soon you shall awaken, Aether. Soon you shall rule the planet."
Deep within a cave, Migome, Vaila, and Jesi slowly made their way down a rough slope.
"I doubt Jigen and the others could be down here."
"Let's keep looking," Jesi said. "I have a feeling about this place."
They continued down the "path" until Migome got stuck. Something seemed to be grabbing at her leg. She pulled herself back and landed right next to a skull.
"AAAAAHHAHHHAHHHHHHH!" she screamed.
"What is it? Oh, it's just a skeleton," Vaila said.
"What do you mean 'it's just a skeleton'?"
"This could be a clue that the others are down here."
"You don't think…" Migome said, "that these could be them, do you?"
"No. Bodies don't rot away so quickly. Besides, that's a female skeleton," Vaila said. She helped Migome up and they continued down the cave.
"I cast a Spell and activate Gather the Round Table!" Bann said.
A dark, shadowy knight appeared. His sword glowed a bright orange and his armor was black and red.
"Meet Dark Flare Knight!"
"The powers of darkness are truly weak within you to create such a pathetic knight. Deathscythe, attack it and end this duel!"
Dark Flare Knight met Deathscythe's scythe with his sword. Both creatures clashed, leaving only Deathscythe standing.
"You lose."
"No, I don't."
"What?"
"You have destroyed the darkness, leaving only the light! I summon Mirage Knight!"
A golden knight with a scythe appeared in Dark Flare Knight's place.
"I equip Mirage Knight with Excelsior!"
Mirage Knight's scythe vanished. A sword trapped in a stone appeared and Mirage Knight lifted it up.
"Mirage Knight, attack Deathscythe!"
Mirage Knight struck Deathscythe with Excelsior. Deathscythe blocked with the Reaper's Scythe.
"Now I reveal Mirage Knight's special ability! His attack increases by the original attack of Deathscythe. This makes him stronger than Deathscythe now!"
"I unleash the full power of the Seal of Ereberos!"
"What?"
Deathscythe's dark aura exploded with power. She pushed back Mirage Knight's attack.
"When my monster battles with a stronger monster, her attack increases."
"I use the power of Excelsior to increase Mirage Knight's attack even further!"
"It's not enough."
"Bann, do something!"
"Come on, don't let this guy win!"
"Activate… Knight's Shield!"
Deathscythe struck the finishing blow. Mirage Knight jumped back and lifted his shield, blocking the attack of the undead guardian.
"I activate Mid-Knight Polymer! This fuses Mirage Knight and Dark Flare Knight to form Shining Flare Mirage Knight!"
A dark and light warrior with a chaotic aura appeared. In one hand a sword, the other a scythe.
"I cast a Spell and end my turn."
"I see you've stumbled upon our secret cove," said a mysterious, far off voice.
"Who's there?" Migome shouted into the darkness.
"I see they haven't told you about me yet. My name is Dimay."
A dark, shadowy figured appeared on the wall of the cave. Out of it, Dismay stepped, wearing his usual black robes. He had a crazed look in his eyes as he turned his glance to each of the Bashers.
"What is this place?" Jesi asked boldly.
"This is where we keep the bodies of those who we feed to the Orichalcos. The bodies of your friends lie somewhere deep within. I remember when I met with them. I battled Rooko on the cliffs and came to a standoff. When Morgen saw my power, he quickly turned against the others and secretly met with me. I took him to see Darsus and… well the rest is history. He defeated Jigen and Cios. Their bodies are somewhere down there, I suppose," Dismay said rather nonchalantly, scratching his head.
"They're down there?" Jesi replied.
"Well, I suppose they would be, except for Rooko. He bested me and got away." Dismay sighed. "You win some, you lose some, I guess. I had no use for half a soul anyway. He's probably freezing as we speak. It's deftly cold out there with the Souler Winds and all."
Jesi began to turn to run down the path.
"Where do you think you're going?" Dismay asked.
"To get the others, of course. I'm not gonna let a Reckah stop me."
"I see. I didn't want to have to resort to using this," Dismay lifted the Orichalcos Stone, "but it seems I won't have a choice. Damn, such pitiful souls. You really aren't worth my time."
"Jesi, Migome, head down to the caves. Find Jigen and Cios' bodies and get out of here. I'll catch up with you later," Vaila said.
"Vaila, what are you going to do?" Migome asked.
"He wants a fight. I'll match him blow for blow."
Migome nodded and headed off with Jesi.
Dismay sighed again. "I could use a battle. Too bad you won't be a challenge."
"What makes you say that?"
Dismay laughed. "My dear, you're looking at the man who defeated both Jigen and Tiamat at once."
Vaila's eyes widened. "That… you don't scare me. How do you know I'm not better than both of them?"
"You may try acting tough if you wish, but underneath it all, I can see that you're just a scared little girl."
"DUEL!" they both yelled.
"I'll start," Vaila said. "I activate the Field Magic of Ancient City!"
A large stone city sprang to life behind Vaila. It was old and tattered.
"I summon Ancient Gear Soldier and activate Ancient Gear Drill. This lets me discard Cree from my mind to set up a Spell on the field. I choose Ancient Gear Golem." Vaila chose the Spell she wanted and cast it. "I cast another Spell and end my turn."
"My move. I activate Dragged Down into the Grave."
The field went to negative. Suddenly, Vaila was overwhelmed by images in Dismay's mind.
"What's going on?"
"This spell lets us temporarily read parts of each others minds and then destroy them. In other words, we can send Cree in the mind to the grave. I choose your Ancient Gear Beast."
Vaila felt a strange sensation, like a hand ripping out a part of her soul as Ancient Gear Beast vanished.
"Then… I can… do the same… I choose…" She was having an impossible time concentrating. Something about Dismay's mind was so powerful that it was almost impossible for her to overcome. "…that… that one."
Dismay began to laugh as his Cree was wiped from his mind. The link between them closed and Vaila began to breath deeply.
"What's so funny?"
"You chose the Cree I wanted you to discard. Thank you. I special Summon Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World!"
"What? I just destroyed that. How did it come back?"
"The creatures of the Dark World revive themselves when they are sent from my mind to the grave. I let you destroy him so that I could bring him back!"
Vaila stared in shock. She had already screwed up in the first turn. Dismay was making her seem like an amateur.
"Now I summon Scarr, Scout of Dark World."
A scarlet, ninja-like demon appeared. It had a long, gray tail and an ape-like face. Along with him, Beiige was a bluish demon with beige, skeletal armor and a long spear.
"Beiige, attack Ancient Gear Soldier!"
Beiige dodged several bullets from Ancient Gear Soldier and struck him with his spear. The mechanized soldier exploded, leaving Scarr in a position to strike a direct attack. Vaila leapt back after the demon's attack, grabbing her chest where the demon had slashed her.
'What's he doing? He isn't using the Seal?' "Reveal trap, Damage Condenser. This lets me Special Summon a monster from my Creepool whose attack is less than the damage I've taken this turn. I Special Summon Ancient Gear Cannon!"
A large cannon rose up from the dead ground. A faint orb at the top glowed with the power of a miniature sun, lighting the cavern.
"I cast a Spell and end my turn," Dismay said.
"Is that all?" Garu laughed. "I can take out that knight with ease. Guardian Deathscythe, destroy the Shining Flare Mirage Knight!"
Deathscythe's eyes glowed a bright red through her mask. She leapt into the air and swung her scythe at Shining Flare Mirage Knight.
"Activate trap, Sword Dance!"
Shining Flare Mirage Knight lifted his scythe and sword up into the air. The two weapons fused in a shower of light, transforming into a new sword.
"Shining Flare Mirage Knight, counterattack with Excalibur!"
The light around the sword faded. The knight lifted Excalibur high into the air. He swung the blade at Deathscythe. The swords met.
"I use the power of my knight to increase his attack by half of Deathscythe's original attack."
The knight began to push back the guardian.
"I use the power of the Seal of Ereberos," Garu responded, "to increase the attack of my guardian."
The tides of the battle turned. Now Deathscythe was winning.
"Bann, if you embrace the Seal, you can beat Deathscythe and win the duel," Garu persuaded.
"No… never."
"Fine, Deathscythe!"
Deathscythe pushed back Shining Flare Mirage Knight's attack, slicing him in half with her scythe.
"I suspect that you take no damage. I end my turn."
"I activate the Spell I set using Ancient Gear Drill. Ancient Key!"
A large key appeared in the gate of the city. Two stone giants appeared on either side of it.
"My Ancient Key allows me to Special Summon two Stone Giant Tokens. I activate the power of the Ancient Gear Cannon."
The cannon began to charge up. It shot out a blast of energy that struck Dismay. Then the cannon blew up.
'One shot, one use.' "I switch the Stone Giants to Defense Position."
The two giants grabbed the key and started to turn it a bit. Afterwards, both sat down.
"That ends my turn," Vaila said, taking a bit of damage from the Stone Statues.
"I see. When you don't attack with those giants, they deal you some damage. Good, then I won't have to attack you. I switch Scarr to Defense Position and summon Zure, Knight of Dark World."
A demon with a blue skull for a head, wrapped in azure armor and a rich blue cape. He held a long, blue sword and had a blue Mohawk on his head.
"That ends my turn."
"I activate Magnet Circle LV2 to Special Summon two Ancient Gears from my hand. Then I activate Ancient Tome. By returning Ancient Gear Beast to my Creepool, I can add Ancient Giant to my mind. Then I sacrifice one Ancient Gear to summon Ancient Giant."
A large, stone giant rose from the ground. He stood twenty feet high and looked down with a solemn expression.
"Stone Giants, switch to Attack Position."
The Stone Giants got up, grabbed the key, and turned it all the way. The gate slowly crept open, sucking in the key, the tome, and the giants.
"I activate the powers of the Ancient Gate."
A loud roar echoed from within the city. A golden dragon flew out of the gate.
"I have released a dragon that was locked within that city for a century. It is undying and unmatched in strength. Ancient Dragon, attack Beiige!"
Ancient Dragon shot a golden fireball at the demon, destroying him and inflicting a great deal of damage to Dismay's life.
"Very good. I see you've summon a great power, but don't think that just that dragon can help you."
Vaila scowled at Dismay. "I cast a Spell. Your move."
"And it will be my last."
"I activate the power of the Reflect Kingdom."
A large castle rose up behind Bann. The walls were made of mirror that reflected the surroundings.
"What's the meaning of this?" Garu yelled.
'Nice,' Zakei thought. 'I haven't seen Bann pull of this move since he dueled Judis. This should be good.'
"I sacrifice the power of Saint Knight Arthur to the Reflect Kingdom."
The walls of the castle began to break. Eventually, they shattered.
"You just broke a mirror. That's seven years bad luck."
"Maybe for you. I Ritual Summon Mirror Knight's Calling!"
In the ruin of the castle, a blue crystal shined in a brilliant light.
"From the ruins of the Reflect Kingdom, I call fourth the Mirror Knights!"
Three knights, each wearing silver armor and bearing a silver sword and shield, appeared in the light of the crystal.
"I end my turn by summoning Holy Knight and casting a Spell. Since there are four knights on my side of the field, Holy Knight gives me a huge boost in power."
Holy Knight lifted his sword into the air. Light rained down on Bann, refilling part of his life.
'Garu is in trouble now,' Tiamat grinned. 'If he doesn't get rid of Holy Knight, Bann will keep getting back life. This is the perfect chance for Bann to stall and get ahead.'
"Your knights don't scare me. I cast a spell. Deathscythe, attack Holy Knight! This is the end!"
Deathscythe flew at the knight, but one of the Mirror Knights blocked him. His attack shot up to equal Deathscythe. Deathscythe's attack increased as well. Then the Mirror Knight's attack increased. Both destroyed each other.
"I send My Body as a Shield to the Grave, saving Deathscythe from harm."
'He keeps saving that Guardian. It's odd that he turned his back on all the other Guardians but now he is saving this one.' "My turn. I switch the Holy Knight to Defense Position and end my turn. Now his magic gives me another boost of strength."
'Damn, if this keeps up, even with Deathscythe, it won't matter what happens.'
"I activate the Cheerful Coffin. This lets me get rid of two Cree in my mind."
'Oh no!'
"I choose Siilva, Warlord of Dark World and Jaade, Warlock of Dark World."
Siilva reappeared on the field. He was a black demon with silver horns and silvery bits all over his armor. He had long, flowing silvery black hair and two black wings. At the ends of each hand was a long, blade-like appendage like an assassin's knife. Jaade wrapped himself around Ancient Dragon. He was a green demon with a long, jade cape and jade armor surrounding his body. His eyes were also a green color. As he melded with Ancient Dragon, a green aura came over the dragon, diminishing its strength.
"Now that the Ancient Dragon is weakened, Siilva, attack!"
Siilva jumped into the air, opening his wings and letting out a screech. He flew in for the kill.
"Activate Battle Advance!" Vaila screamed. "I plan to end this right now! Go, Swords of Revealing Light!"
"You've triggered my trap, Dark Deal!"
The Swords of Revealing Light turned black and shot straight for Dismay, piercing his mind and soul.
"Oh my, he's a masochist. He intentionally took the damage in order to stop me."
"That's not all, my dear. The swords have targeted a creature in my mind. Once he is destroyed, he will be sent to the Grave… and revived on the field."
Lightning struck down all around the field.
"What's going on?"
"The arrival."
"I activate Armor Reborn," Garu said. "This lets me return one Equipment Spell to the field and equip it to Guardian Deathscythe."
Two beams of light shot down from the sky and struck Deathscythe. On her back, a the Twin Swords of Flashing Light appeared, absorbing into her armor. Her body started to glow with an intense light. In a flash, she appeared in front of the remaining two Mirror Knights.
'Oh shit, her speed just increased.'
Deathscythe swung her sickle. Neither knight had much time to defend and were sliced in half by the scythe. Bann took no damage and Garu was forced to send Guardian's Tear and Talisman to the grave to protect Deathscythe from her own demise.
"That leaves just the crystal and the knight."
'This is bad. He took out the knights before I was able to discover a weakness in… that's it! Garu needs to keep ditching Cree and Spells to save Deathscythe. That means he is diminishing the amount of Cree and Spells in his mind. Okay, I know how to defeat him… now all I need are the means.' "I summon…"
'This is it,' Zakei thought.
'Now or never,' Tiamat said to himself.
'Show me your true power,' Garu grinned, menacingly.
"TIMAEUS!"
The large, teal dragon flew up above. It flew down to the duel and lifted the Mirror Knight's Calling crystal.
"Timaeus, fuse with the crystal to form…"
Timaeus heeded his master's plea and fused with the crystal. He took the shape of a warrior in mirror armor, wielding a silver shield. His right eye was scarred and closed. A long, flowing, silver cape fell off his back.
"IMPOSSIBLE! He couldn't have summoned him. It's not possible," Darsus yelled into the darkness. Once again, he came face to face with a terror. Something about Timaeus' form shook him up. "You were to remain in the form of a dragon for eternity. You can't have taken the shape of your former self."
"…to form Celestial Mirror Knight!"
Timaeus stared at Garu, who almost fell backwards in terror.
"Celestial Mirror Knight, attack Deathscythe!"
Timaeus jumped across the field, clashing his sword with Deatscythe's sickle. The two were evenly matched.
"Do you forget the power of the Ereberos? It increases Deathscythe's attack!"
"It's not enough. I use the power of my Mirror Knight. By giving up half my life, Timaeus and Deathscythe's attacks are equal."
"Have you forgotten about Deathscythe's special ability? By giving up Monster Reborn, I can protect Deathscythe from death."
"Everybody dies, Garu. Death is inevitable."
"No, I won't let her die."
"Then I won't let my knight die either. I use the power of Mirror Copy!"
Timaeus reappeared on the field in the form of the Celestial Mirror Knight.
"What happened?"
"My Celestial Mirror Knight has the power to copy the effect of your monster. When you saved Deathscythe, you save him too. If you keep her, you will never be able to defeat me. Let go, Garu. Eatos died. Let her go to the afterlife. Don't tether her to this world. I end my turn."
Holy Knight refilled some more of the life that Bann lost.
"You don't know anything. You wouldn't understand. Deathscythe, attack his knights!"
Deathscythe destroyed Holy Knight. Then she attacked Celestial Mirror Knight.
"I pay half my life. Timaeus!"
Timaeus' attack jumped up past Deathscythe's. The Seal of Ereberos gave Deathscythe a boost. Once again, both monsters were at a stand still.
"I send Guardian Shield to the grave, saving Deathscythe."
"Then you've revived Timaeus as well."
Lightning struck the ground. A large, golden figured flew down to the field. It had large, golden horns and a skullish head. Two, large golden wings rose over it's enormously muscular arms. In its hands, it held a long axe.
"Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World, Reign Mighty Thunder!"
Lightning struck the field like rain. It struck the Ancient Dragon and Gear.
"Unluckily for you, the power of the Ancient City automatically revives the Ancient Dragon."
"You forget, your Battle Advance is still in effect. I too can activate a Spell." The Seal of Orichalcos appeared at Dismay's feet as he said the words. The Seal spread out over the field, causing the Ancient City to crumble and fall.
Without the City, the Ancient Dragon wasn't revived and Vaila was left defenseless. Jaade appeared on Dismay's side of the field, giving him a full field of monsters ready to attack, each amplified by the dark powers of the Orichalcos.
"Goldd, Siilva, Jaade, Zure, and Scarr, attack directly!"
All five Dark World demons attacked Vaila, wiping out the rest of her life. The Seal of Orichalcos closed in around her, sucking out her soul.
"That is how you duel, my dear. Now where are those others? It is time for them to share your fate."
"Garu, you need to stop. Let her go. If you continue, you will only keep reviving Timaeus and the two will destroy each other again."
"No! I can't let her go. She is only thing I have left."
"I'm sorry Garu. I equip Celestial Mirror Knight with the Holy Sword. If you aren't going to listen to reason them I'm just going to have to destroy her. Timaeus, attack!"
Timaeus struck Deathscythe with his sword. Even with her attack boost, Timaeus was stronger.
"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying the Twin Swords of Flashing Light!"
Deathscythe's attack rose. Both monsters were equal again.
"This is it, Garu. You don't have anymore Cree or Spells in your mind."
Garu looked at Bann, shocked.
"Timaeus, finish this!"
Timaeus slashed Deathscythe, destroying her for good. She vanished from the field, leaving Garu alone.
"No! No, come back! Eatos!"
The white winged Eatos flew down from the clouds above. Her wings comforted Garu as the Seal of Ereberos circled around him.
"The duel is yours, Bann. I don't have anything left. I see your true power. You didn't need this Seal to beat me."
The Seal of Ereberos absorbed Garu's soul. His lifeless body fell to the ground, motionless.
"Garu…" Tears began to drip down Bann's face. "I'm sorry that it had to end like this."
Dismay walked away from the bodies of Migome and Jesi. Both lay on the cold ground, motionless. A few feet away, the bodies of Cios and Jigen were also lying motionless in the dirt. Dismay lifted up the Orichalcos Stone. 'Another three souls to feed the Beast. What is your plan, Darsus?'
Next time on City of Fire: True Power