Disclaimer: This is such bull and everyone knows it, but since the moron lawyers say so, I own nothing!
For those of you just tuning in, last chapter was the introduction of Hiei's latest servant, Lord Sesshomaru, who has been promised control of the Tetsuaiga if he can defeat Yugi or Kaiba. It also introduced Sesshomaru's five operatives, hired by Hiei to do the dirty work for him. As if that wasn't enough, Yusuke began his duel, while Yami reclaimed control over his own with a hairline lead.
Chapter 21 will reveal the first of Sesshomaru's five grunts, the revived Bui, as well as precede Joey's first duel. Yami will also finish his own battle, as Yusuke continues his. Kagome will also return this chapter.
The Original Cards gallery is back, with a new one from The Helldragon:
Beldes, Champion of the Dragons
(FIRE/Dragon-Type/7 Stars/ATK 2650/DEF 2350)
When Beldes, Champion of the Dragons, is Normal Summoned to the field, you may choose one of the following effects:
1. Special Summon one Dragon-type monster with 6 stars or less to the field in faceup attack position.
2. Inflict 1000 points of direct damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Let's tear it up!
Note: The Puppet-master in this chapter will have the Anime effect, and Groundbreaking will be a Magic card.
Chapter 20: The Pharaoh and the Priestess: Bound by Fate
Yami vs. Y. Bakura
Sure enough, the sound, small as it was, of crying was wafting across the arena. It was isolated, barely loud enough to be heard by extremely sensitive human ears, but whether by a quirk of fate or simple coincidence, Yami heard the sobbing...and it broke his heart. These waves of sound were the true lamentations of one who has lost all hope, the resonance of true despair. No doubt these were the tears of an unhappy angel. Unable to withstand the heart wrenching noise any longer, the Pharaoh collapsed onto the floor, the beginnings of his own tears blooming.
The tomb robber, for obvious reasons, was not touched. In fact, he was disgusted.
"Come on, you damn baka! Show a little dignity, for the love of God! I have never seen such a spineless reaction from the tears of that ugly bitch Kagome!"
Kagome... Where have I heard that name before?
Yami, no longer concentrating on the life-or-death duel before him, scanned his mind over and over, hunting for the name's source, until he remembered that it was the same Kagome Hiragashi that the youkai Inuyasha had been lamenting about, the same that had supposedly been cut down by Hiei over three months beforehand. However, despite the demon's cruel assassination attempt, she had survived. In fact, Hiei had let her live for the sole purpose of completing the Jewel of Four Souls. However, the very fact that she was here gave the king a degree of hope. Perhaps his relation to the Priestess of ages ago could grant him mercy in the form of this human girl...
"What are you waiting for, Yami? Finish your turn, or declare an automatic forfeit! In fact, why not stay down? It seems that if a cacophony of sobs will break your spirit, then instilling fear in you will shatter it! You know as well as I do that I have destroyed every powerful monster in your deck, and soon, these two will be completely useless, for in order for you to keep that Magic Devourer on the field, you will have to discard one card from your hand during each of your turns! I certainly doubt you will be able to maintain such an effect for too long!"
Yami, no longer focused completely on the crying, turned towards his opponent. "This duel isn't over by a long shot! I shall place one card face down and end my turn."
"Very well, it's my move now!" Looking at his latest card, Yami Bakura figured out a new strategy. "Using the Instant Trap effect of my Temple of the Kings, I will play the Trap Card, Joyful Doom! This powerful card allows me to drain the abilities of your monsters by reducing their attack strength to a pathetic 0, and adding the lost points to my own life point count!" (6700/1300) While the life points of the tomb robber rose to nearly double their original amount, both the Dark Magician and the Magic Devourer had their attack strength reduced. "Next, I shall play this Magic card, my own Card Destruction, to force both of us to obliterate all cards in our hands, and draw a fresh one of the same amount! Finally, I will play the Trap Card, Call of the Haunted, to resurrect the all-powerful Spirit Controller Puppet-master to the field for so long as my Trap remains!"
From the same ground that the Despair from the Dark sprung from emerged a huge mausoleum, neo-gothic in origin, carven from a slab of living rock. The doors, also hewn from the stone of the earth, slowly began to creak open, while at the same time screams began to flood the air with dread. As these wails slowly died down, a grotesque entity began to emerge in their stead: a hovering, gaunt demon, vaguely jester-like, with hollowed out eyes and a mouth locked in an eternal screech. (0/0)
"Stare into the eyes of death, Yami, for this creature will seal your demise! Although it may look pathetic, the Puppet-master has a devastating effect. All I have to do is offer up 1000 life points, and my puppeteer does the rest. Puppet-master, activate!" (5700/1300). Using the 1000 life point offering to create strands of life energy, the malevolent fiend sent it's dark ropes into the earth, from which it pulled the Dark Master Zorc, a gangly gentleman zombie demon called the Earl of Demise (2000/700), and the Slate Warrior sent to the Graveyard earlier, (1900/400). "The Puppet-master's ability allows me to revive three Fiend sub-type monsters that were sent to the Graveyard, but unfortunately they cannot attack in the turn they are summoned. But I'm afraid that things will only get worse from here!" With this, he discarded one card from his hand.
This is a peculiar turn of events. Not only did he give me a perfect opportunity to attack, but also he discarded a card without any reason or effect. So what could his plan possibly be?
"Yami, what I have just done is the key to my victory, for by discarding the Mystical Beast Serket in my hand, I have also triggered my Temple of the Kings' other ability. For once both the temple and the beast are annihilated, I am finally allowed to summon from the ark atop the temple a beast of such ancient might that there is no way to stop it's wrath. Behold, the unequaled glory of a dead might, the supreme Exodia Necros!"
As soon as Yami Bakura uttered these words, an ominous rumbling began to emerge from the depths of the Temple, as the stone from which it was carven began to spider-web. These cracks in their turn started to ooze a thick, black liquid from the core of the palatial tomb, the Ark within it. This liquid began to shape itself into five individual pieces, which solidified into blackened versions of the five Exodia pieces; these pieces fused into a towering being, a dark Exodia. (1800/0).
"My new creature may have minimal attack points now, but within several turns it will be completely invincible! That is because with each of my turns, my beast's Attack strength will continue to rise by 500 points. And just to make certain that the duel goes according to plan, I shall activate my final Magic, the dreaded United we Stand!" Upon Exodia Necros's arms appeared jeweled blue and gold gauntlets, focusing the power of every monster on Yami Bakura's side of the field. "I believe you have encountered this Equip card before?"
Of course! This is the same card that Beck nearly beat me with! For every monster on my opponent's side of the field, the equipped creature will gain 800 attack points, and since Yami Bakura has 5 monsters on his side, his Necros will have an attack strength of 5800! And since Necros can only be destroyed by Monster Effects, there's no way to stop it!
"This duel is over, Yami, especially when I activate the final move of my strategy, by using the Dark Master Zorc to obliterate every monster on your side of the field! I mentioned earlier that the Dark Master was the most powerful Ritual monster in circulation, and you are about to see why! Dark Master Zorc, activate Die of Damnation!"
In the Dark Master's hand assimilated a six-sided die fashioned from human bone. This die began to spin about without any outside force acting upon it, yet it continued to gather immense speed. "The die that you are looking at is formed from the collected souls of sinners and the excommunicated from the Dark Ages, supposedly capable of both serving the darkness and betraying it! Upon the die's ceasing to roll, the numerical figure revealed will result in one of three things: if the result is one or two, every monster on your side of the field is destroyed; if it is three, four, or five, I am allowed to select one of your monsters and destroy it alone; however, if it lands on six, every monster on my side of the field is shattered into oblivion! Feeling lucky, Pharaoh?"
The die began to slow down, each second that passed seeming like a thousand years. Yami knew that if it landed on one or two, the duel was over, however, if it landed on anything else, he had a chance. As these thoughts rolled about in his head, his eyes strayed from the duel to the shadowy figure in the corner, now revealed as Kagome.
It isn't just my soul that's on the line. If I lose this duel, Kagome's life is in danger too, for Hiei needs to extract the information of the final jewel shard from her. That's not all, for if this bastard wins, Hiei will gain the Millennium Puzzle, and the entire world will be endangered! I can't lose this; I just can't!
As Yami continued to stare at the young girl, several features began to make themselves known. It was almost as though a small light was piercing the darkness of the battle, to reveal what Kagome really looked like.
Oh dear lord.
The young woman's skin, unlike the ill pallor of the estranged duelist he was facing, had the rare, lovely pale complexion found only in the finest porcelain, pure and untainted by the other evils of the world. This light coloration was enhanced by her flawless locks of raven black hair, like two entirely different hues blending into a thing of unparalleled beauty, which she seemed to represent, and although her almond shaped were sealed shut by the salt water tears, he could almost see the eyes themselves, chestnut flecked with gray.
She's gorgeous, and yet it's like I've seen her before, but where?
"At long last, the die is slowing down! Prepare to experience a crushing defeat at the hands of my monsters!"
Just as the thief said, the ivory cube had begun to lose some velocity, each individual point glowing red hot from the speed that they were moving at. Slowly, the die shifted, contorted its position, until it landed on...
6.
"WHAT?!"
The instant that this number was revealed, countless droves of demonic souls began to surround every monster that Yami Bakura possessed, uttering unholy blasphemies that could make even the darkest of creatures sick to their stomachs.
The fiendish spirits began consuming the living flesh of these monsters while they mouthed these hideous sayings, as thin, black ichors oozed from the souls that were being eaten alive. As if that wasn't enough, ebony chains from the bowels of Hell had also started to emerge, maintaining a chokehold on this pool of blood and the wretches trapped in it, while constantly drawing the fiends deeper into a pool of their own fluids. And within seconds, each had vanished from the Earth, never to be seen again.
"How is this possible? Every aspect of the duel was directing my path to victory. How could I lose?!"
Yami looked once more upon his vision of beauty, and inwardly thanked her for the faith that she instilled in him. Turning back to the duel, Yami could not help but grin at the horrified shock of one of his oldest enemies. "It's as clear as the orb of Amun-Ra, you filthy bastard. I knew full well that if I lost this match, every one that I cared about would be in infinite danger, while you were simply in it for your own self-gratification. You must also take into account that the Dark Master Zorc's abilities are risky at best, and it was you that took the fall for it."
"You think this duel is over? Well you are sadly mistaken! My life points far outnumber your own, so even if you could get a strong enough creature on the field, there would be no way to finish me with one move! So I shall place one card face down and end my turn. It's time to see if you can fulfill your promise."
"Very well. Let's end this, once and for all!" The final card was the key to his victory. "I choose not to discard from my hand to maintain the Magic Devourer, so begone!" The blob was shattered into oblivion, only to be replaced by a new monster, a red-garbed mage wielding strands of power that tapped into the earth. (0/0) "Stare into the eyes of defeat, for I summon the all-powerful Chaos Necromancer! His attack strength may be minimal now, but since his attack strength is 300 times the number of monsters in my graveyard, he will gain a huge power boost, thanks to your Crush Card!" The combined powers of all 20 of the monsters in Yami's graveyard were absorbed by the fiend through the power threads, causing it to grow into a 20-foot tall goliath. (6000/0) "And since you have only 5700 life points and nothing to defend you, I shall mount an attack on your life points! Chaos Necromancer, finish this battle with Wavelength Destiny!"
Just as the demon was about to attack, Yami Bakura began to snicker in such a way that Yami realized that such a hasty attack might have been a mistake. "You fool! You have fallen right into the dreaded trap known as Chasm of Spikes! Not only does it destroy your monster, but it also subtracts a quarter of that monsters attack points from the opponent's life points! This duel is done!"
Yet just as the Chasm began to open, a stream of silver energy sealed it, along with it's deadly effect. "I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit! This Counter Trap allows me to negate any Trap activated, at the paltry sum of 1000 life points. My attack, however, continues through! Necromancer, finish the job!"
Within the hands of the Necromancer appeared 20 iron seals, which formed a large, circular wheel, and from each of these seals emerged an image of every monster in Yami's graveyard, each standing behind the loop. As the beasts empowered this ring with their life force, the circular edifice began to spin with unmatched speed, while at the same time glowing with a bright red sheen. This glow formed itself into a thousand smaller rings of energy, all of which bombarded Yami Bakura with massive wavelengths of radiation. (300/0)
"Well done, Mouto. But let me assure you that this isn't the end of my fight, for soon the darkness shall consume you all! So go ahead and take these five cards, for it won't be long before I return! AHAHAHA!" With these chilling words, Yami Bakura receded into a beam of light, seconds before he could be electrocuted.
Thank God that's over with, but I have a bad feeling that this is only the beginning of Hiei's plans for me. Unable to stand any longer, Yami collapsed onto the ground, hand clasped around his latest cards and key...
Yusuke vs. Bandit Keith
"Give up yet, Urameshi? You know as well as I do that you can't win against everything I've set up here, so don't even try. The only things stopping me from wiping you out are that lineup of pathetic defense monsters and that one face down card, so don't even try. Dark Invader, destroy his Soul Tiger with the Usurper's Axe Slam!" Upon this command, the grotesque creature dipped the axe-head into a nearby pool of blood, which was promptly absorbed by the fibrous structure of the handle. Once this grim, almost satanic ritual was completed, the Invader sent the axe into the ground with crushing force towards the wraithlike beast.
"So sorry, Keith, but I'm afraid that the only thing that axe will be slamming is your fat mouth, for I activate the Quick-play Magic Card, Guard of Card! In exchange for dumping anything in my hand, I can stop that assault dead in it's tracks!" But before the shield could open itself completely, a thin beam of purple light tore it down.
"WHAT!?"
Grinning from ear to ear, Keith watched as the axe shockwave tore off the head of the Soul Tiger, ripping out the spine as it did so. "I suppose I didn't mention my Invader's special ability, did I? Well, this is the basic idea: every time you activate a Quick-play card, my Dark Invader's effect kicks in, automatically negating and destroying it, meaning that only Traps and Monster effects can affect it now. In this way, I have one less thing to worry about every time I attack you. So I will end my Battle Phase, as well as my turn, by placing two cards face down."
Staring at his dismal hand with fear and concern, Yusuke realized that there was little he could do, unless he drew some kind of powerful monster. "All right, jerkass! It's my move!" Perfect! Just the card I needed! "I activate the Magic card, Tribute to the Doomed! By burning a card in my hand, I get a sweet deal by destroying one of your monsters! Say goodbye to the Dark Invader!" Upon the Magic card's activation, a sea of gauze roared out of the space on the field, while slowly consuming the monstrosity which Yusuke had designated, until the ogre shattered completely. "But I'm afraid that the slaughter has only begun, so watch this! I'll play this little baby, Groundbreaking! This card grants me the power to revive a Spirit Monster from the Grave, but it has to count as a Normal Summon, so say hello to Yamata Dragon!" As the earth beneath the Monster Card zone splintered, several thousand beams of light shot out from the gap. These auras from the other world fused into a huge entity: a gigantic serpent with countless heads and cruel, snake-like eyes. (2600/3100) "I'm afraid that I'm not done with you yet. Activate Harpies Feather Duster, one of only ten released, and you're about to find out why. For no cost at all, I am allowed to rip through every one of your Magic and Trap cards! Finally, I shall have Yamata Dragon take down your Mechanicalchaser with Multiple Fire Cannon!"
Immediately after the gale-force winds of the Harpie's Feather Duster reduced Keith's last line of defense to rubble, the draconic snake began to collect a sphere of flames within each individual orifice, in which were maintained a fleeting image of mythological creatures, lost forever in the sands of time and space. Yet this panoramic view of ancient lore was soon replaced by incomprehensible levels of energy, similar to that of Yusuke's spirit powers. Even this flux of power gave way to sheer force as each orb of all-consuming flames converged on the spherical Mechanicalchaser, whose pathetic defense attempts crumbled before the massive onslaught of incandescent fire. (3250/4000)
As soon as the flames had died down, five orbs, each about the size of a basketball, leapt forth into Yusuke's hand, allowing him to draw the same number of cards from his deck, and replenishing his non-existent hand. "I'll put the finishing touches of the plan by placing two cards face down, and that will do it. But first thing's first..." The Yamata Dragon, in all of it's glory, shot back to the card from whence it was born. Once this action was accomplished, Yusuke returned said card to his hand.
"You see, Keith, Spirit monsters, while they have a powerful attack or effect, have one semi-powerful trait: at the end of each turn, said monster will return to the hand of whoever summoned it, leaving the duelist open for a direct attack unless he or she can set up a strong defensive wall to keep his or her life points safe." I can't believe that the old hag's Duel Monsters training would come in handy as much as it has, especially in this duel...
Bandit Keith, however, was not so enthusiastic.
How could such a pathetic little dweeb be able to regain a lead in one turn? I know for a fact that he's never been a strategic thinker, from what my boss told me. So how could he possibly have that powerful a strategy all set up?
It didn't matter, thought Keith as, hidden from view by his duel gauntlet, he replaced his current hand with a better one of the same amount, while slipping the next component on top of his deck. This duel would be over soon.
Shaded Park, Center of the City
"You must think I'm insane! There's no way I'm going to give you that kind of money! What happened to that Swiss bank account you kept running on all that crap from the slush fund?"
Silent as always, the armored behemoth known by only a select few began to finger the cast iron case where his dueling deck resided, while at the same time moving his other hand in the direction of the gigantic axe he always kept handy, in the event that someone, like this corrupt accountant, tried to escape paying his exorbitant expenses.
Speaking in a raspy, tired voice, the warrior hidden beneath black samurai armor, plume and all, explained his case. "That account folded over 25 years ago, and you know that much as well as I do. I also know exactly how much money you have on your person at any one time, so I also am certain that you have more than enough to pay me tribute."
"Sure, but two million dollars?! I can barely afford to feed my wife and kids, let alone keep paying your dumbass boss! If you absolutely need the money, I'd be happy to tell you about some mob connections that could pay you."
The motion coming after this idea, while barely noticed, was obviously a shake of the head. "Too risky; we don't know who leads these organized crime circles, and even if we did, it seems pretty obvious that they are not to be trusted." Circling the makeshift desk set up within the cave, the hidden soldier, known by all as Bui, completely removed the hatchet from it's leather sheath. "Now, I can do this the easy way, or I can cut open your ribcage and leave it for the wolves. What shall it be?"
Fear surged into the accountant's beady eyes as he set up a check for the excessive sum that Bui requested, and, hand quivering in dread, placed the check into his leader's hands.
"Perfect; Hiei will certainly appreciate this generous donation. But just to be safe..." Bui placed his axe into his right hand and moved towards the banker.
"Wait, what are you doing?!"
"I can't afford any witnesses. It's nothing personal."
"Please, I beg of you, have mercy! Here, take my cards, they're the best money can buy! Just don't kill me!"
Hidden from view, the man hunter grinned as he looked upon the cards given him. "My deck thanks you, as does my thirsty blade!" With one swift motion, the cringing bookie was vertically sliced in half before he could even utter a scream.
Several miles away, New Paradigm Hospital
Screams of rage, fury, undaunted hatred. Such was the cornucopia of sounds that came on an hourly basis from the room of one Joey Wheeler ever since he had received a courtesy call from an unknown operative. Since that fateful message, the brash duelist had gone through the emotions of rage, guilt, hysteria, and depression in two hours flat. No one was quite sure what the problem was, but it had to be a large one to set him off to this degree.
It was a large problem, bigger than any could imagine.
"How could that dirtbag do this? Even someone as vile and sinister as Hiei wouldn't sink so low as to commit this kind of crime!" Joey, now in a fetal position, could only helplessly watch as the course of said call ran through his mind...
^Flashback^
Joey was, as usual, configuring his deck with new cards, mostly anti-Dragon and anti-Fiend cards for use against Kaiba and Hiei, both of whom had not been heard from since the events of Yugi's first duel. However, this situation was unique in that he was by his sister's bedside while he worked on his skills.
"Serenity? Are you awake yet?"
Of course, these soft-spoken words that were uncharacteristic of Yugi's best friend fell upon deaf ears, for his beloved younger sister was still catatonic from whatever had happened to her on the recent "vacation" she had taken. Strangely enough, Joey had not even heard of such plans; she had just said goodbye without any explanation or packing, and simply dropped out of contact until Yugi had found her, half-dead, aboard the Des Volstgulph that had taken them here.
It's kinda strange, now that I think about it. Serenity usually tells me everything, even when she's in some kind of fix. Of course, she might have kept quiet about that date with that pig Tristan. But when I talked to him on the way here, he didn't mention anything about it at all.
But Tristan's lack of information wasn't the only thing that bothered him. When Joey had asked his shorter friend Yugi how it happened, his eyes averted ever so slightly in the other direction, as if this change of focus would negate the question. And when Yugi told him that there was no immediately obvious explanation for Serenity's cruel bruises and cuts, Joey instantly knew he was lying.
When he asked Yusuke, Tea, or Inuyasha, who had also "found" his sister, their reactions were about the same.
Could it be possible that my best friends are...keeping something from me? Something that I should know about? But what could it be?
As these mismatched and fearful ponderings buzzed through his head, something else buzzed: the black phone next to him, the digital read-out screen flashing "JOEY WHEELER" in neon red.
Picking up the bizarre phone, Joey only heard silence on the other line...until another voice appeared, deep, with a slight German accent.
"It's about time you picked up."
Bewildered by this strange call, the older Wheeler whispered, "Who is this, and how the hell do you know my name?"
A snort of disdain made itself known before the other caller continued. "Let's not play the part of a fool, Wheeler. And speak up, your dimwitted sister is too far gone on pain and anesthesia to give a damn about how loudly you speak."
Joey was instantly infuriated. "WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CALLING MY SISTER A DIMWIT? AND WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU ANYWAY?"
"Temper, Mr. Wheeler; it's this kind of hot bloodedness that will lose you the tournament. And as for who I am, you may refer to me as Black Forest, or Schwarzvald if you prefer."
The younger duelist barely managed to contain his rage, and continued. "The same Schwarzvald that tried to nuke Paradigm City?"
"I'd prefer you not mention that unholy landfill of a city, so devoid of truth that it must create it's own history. But I digress. At this point I am Hiei's most trusted lieutenant, and his second in command."
"So you're on the megalomaniac demon's beck and call, right? I'm guessing there is something in return for you?"
"That is not important, at least for now. The main reason I have called is to break your spirit for good, so that you cannot support Yugi, Kaiba or Yusuke effectively. You see, your sister is in here for a multiple number of reasons. Strategically, her purpose here is to distract your attention, but I can assume that you already knew that much. And of course, Hiei wants her out of the way, and frankly I agree with him in that respect. But as for her wounds, they are typical for someone whom the Dark Lord had his way with and
who attempted to struggle with such..."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you sick freak?"
"I think you know exactly what I mean. Goodbye."
Once again, silence. Up until Joey collapsed onto the floor in tears.
^End flashback^
To be continued
Whew, this must be my longest chapter yet. Please don't be offended, but if so, I am truly sorry; it was just a plot twist.
Well, next chapter will conclude the Bandit Keith/Yusuke duel, Yami and Kagome will officially meet for the first time, Kagome's father is studied, and Kaiba finds Botan again, only to be forced into a duel by a perverted monk. Inuyasha fans will know who I'm talking about. Meanwhile, Hiei orchestrates a new plan for Kaiba and Botan.
Remember, the more you review, the better my updates get, so check it out, review it, but please don't flame it!