Disclaimer: Not a lot to say.
Alright, Chapter 40 marked several key instances in the Black Shadow master plan: Schwarzvald's discovery, and the surprising return of the wind sorceress Kagura. Also, Joey faced Jin in the first rounds of their duel, Kagome faced Ra, Tsubaki activated her rarest card, Dartz revealed his connection with the Union, and Inuyasha called forth the power of the ancient Seal of Orichalcos. Also, the truth of Akuren's origins was at last revealed.
Chapter 41 will open the first truly serious moment for Yusuke, as Roger does battle with Espa Roba for the memories of the psychic duelist. Kagome must now contend with, and topple, Ra's true might, the cunning manipulation of Soul of the Dark Serpent is unleashed, the results of Akuren's conflict are unveiled, Inuyasha and Raphael bring their duel to the breaking point, and the Union unveils more of its innermost workings.
BTW: Soul of the Dark Serpent, like Stromburg Castle of Gold, is supposed to be broken.
Let's roll.
Chapter 40: Recollection and the Thunder of the Ancient Ones
Roger vs. Espa Roba
The hands were drawn, the life points were set, and the duel for memory was about to begin.
"Ok, I'll start by placing three cards face down, and then I'll place a monster into face down defense mode, and that will end my turn." If he does have memories, then he's either with Hiei, or is a Tomato himself. Either way, we're about to find out.
"My move, negotiator." Not too bad. "Before I begin this duel, I should probably inform you that this deck is quite unlike any other ever seen before, and a deck that is not commonly used at all. However, seeing as circumstances have forced me to duel you, I decided to…experiment a little. And now it's time for you to experience the fruits of my labor. I activate the Polymerization Magic card to fuse E-Hero Clayman and E-Hero Burst Lady so I can summon E-Hero Rampart Gunner in defense mode!"Roger could not believe it. An Elemental Hero deck, here in such a cutthroat tournament; that was certainly an interesting deck to experiment with.
At any rate, the fused creature was no ordinary superhero, seeing as it was a vaguely feminine warrior contained in a thick, dull grey armor with a massive rapid fire cannon and blast shield. (2000/2500) "But let's not forget that my monster has a special ability: the ability to attack you directly with half of its original strength while in defense mode. Of course, since you have 3 face down cards, it would indeed be wise to make certain that you aren't hiding anything, so I'll play the Heavy Storm Magic card to wipe them all out!" The grand tempest descended almost instantly, tearing to pieces what few cards Roger had to defend himself…or so it would have happened, had Roger not activated a card to save himself.
"I activate the Spell Shield Type 8 Trap card, to discard one card from my hand and negate the activation of your Magic!" At that very moment, another of Roger's machines, a gleaming pod of some unknown origin, launched itself into the heart of the storm and activated 8 panels and legs from its main console. The device then rotated the mechanisms at incomprehensible velocity, creating what Makai scientists call a "spell vacuum", which dissipated the hurricane. "Anything else?"
"Actually, yes. I'll place one card face down, and attack you directly with the Rampart Gunner anyway."
The bizarre hero, upon acknowledging that her master had made a command, shifted the grossly oversized weapon so that it was aimed directly at Roger, and initiated the firing mechanism so that it sprayed out a flurry of heavy artillery shells that could demolish a tank directly towards the negotiator.
Roger, however, had other plans.
"I activate the second card I had face down, Zero Gravity, which forces all face up monsters on the field into the opposite of their current position, and since your Rampart Gunner can only attack directly if it is in defense mode, your monster now has to attack my face down monster instead."
"Ok, I will!"
As soon as the gunner stood up, she was forced to redirect her barrage towards the lone monster on Roger's side of the field, which, after the shell and smoke from the attack parted, was revealed to be a certain futuristic pod of mass destruction better known as Cyber Jar. However, the bomb had no need to trigger its own detonation, for the artillery fire did that for him. So in an instant, the characteristic flash of blazing yellow light overtook the entire field, and if there was any life on the field, it was instantaneously exterminated.
Angel, who just so happened to know a little about the game from her experiences in Paradigm, had to admit that Roger was doing pretty well for himself. So far he'd been able to wipe out Roba's attack advantage, as well as potentially gain advantage. Let's see if you can follow it up, Roger.
"Alright, negotiator, by the second effect of Cyber Jar, I summon E-Hero Featherman, E-Hero Sparkman, and Friend Dog to the field in attack mode! And what of you?"
"Not too bad, if I do say so myself. I summon X-Head Cannon, Mechanicalchaser, Robotic Knight, and another face down monster to the field."
And so the battle of machine and hero commenced, in a manner almost eerily similar to the classical graphic novels of old. On Roba's side stood the heroes, noble warriors of truth and justice, standing up for the underdog and fighting for the protection of liberty and freedom, which is somewhat ironic because Espa Roba stood for none of these. On the frontlines was the ever faithful canine sidekick of the E-Heroes, Friend Dog although it seemed to be more of a mechanical creature in its cybernetic armor. (800/1200) To the left of the hound was one of the apparent leaders of the group, a majestic hovering commandant of the skies clad in armor made from an unorthodox mixture of steel and feathers that also resulted in eagle wings. (1000/1000) And the final hero was more technology oriented, as a human with a incredibly complex electrical channeling suit which rerouted energy into his hands. (1600/1400) As for Roger, his side of the field stood for the mechanical menace, the computerized foot soldiers of a scientist gone mad and desperate to take over the world. From the Napoleonic-looking Robotic Knight (1600/1800), to his long range fire android (1800/1500), and especially his predatory automaton hunter (1850/800), the monsters Roger had summoned had stood as longtime rivals to the E-Heroes…and this duel would settle the grudge.
"No luck for you, I suppose."
"Actually, Roger, everything has gone as I predicted, so I'll continue the move by activating my Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards. Next, I'll activate the Brain Control Magic card, to take control of your Mechanicalchaser!" The next card played was what seemed to be a human brain with two elastic arms jutting out of both sides of the cerebrum, both of which snaked forth and ensnared the robotic warlord, at the same time deluding it with a subliminal message that commanded it to serve Espa Roba. "However, I'm not quite done yet. I'll then sacrifice Friend Dog and your machine so that I can summon E-Hero Edgeman to the field in attack mode!"
The monsters designated were almost immediately burnt away by a snap of crimson light, and in their place stood an even stronger hero then had been played thus far. Towering like a modern day Goliath over everything else stood a massive knight, sealed away in gleaming armor of gold with a channeling crystal built into his head. A lengthy set of jagged horns were built into the top of the helm, and eyes that shrieked for blood and carnage flared out from the visor. (2600/1600) "For my next move, I'll activate the Magic card known as Mesmeric Control, which prevents you from changing the positions of any monsters on the field next turn." In Edgeman's left hand appeared a delicate crystal pendulum held by a gossamer silk cord, which he used to hypnotize the opposing forces into incoherence. "I'll end by placing one more card face down. Your move."
"So it seems you aren't too bad at all. My move." Damn it, he's got my monsters cornered already, and that Edgeman isn't helping matters. On the other hand, his other monsters are almost completely defenseless, so I might have a way to take them down."I'll start by sacrificing my Robotic Knight to summon the monster known as Eight-Legged Terror in attack mode!" Roger's next monster, which replaced Robotic Knight, was a much more sinister mechanism, an eight-legged monstrosity with thousands of bladed arms, a pair of radar scanners, and an almost demonic upper torso. (1500/1200) "Next, I'll play the Magic card, Clockwork Night, which will change all of your heroes into machines and lower their attack strength by 500 points, while my monster gains that amount." And as stated, the three heroes changed form horrifically. On Edgeman it was unnoticed because of the armor, but for Featherman and Sparkman it was quite the opposite, for their limbs transformed into android mechanisms, their visages became metal plating, and the movements they took were slow and cumbersome. (2100/1600) (500/1000) (1100/1400) (2000/1200) "And now for the fun part. There's a reason that my Terror is so weak for its level, and that is the fact that it can attack three time per turn! And just to make sure my plan works, I'll equip my Terror with the Big Bang Shot card, to increase its attack even further and give it the ability to inflict defense mode damage!" On all eight legs materialized the rocket booster that was the Big Bang Shot project. (2400/1200) "Now, Eight Legged Terror, destroy all three of Espa Roba's monsters!"
With movements befitting the most advanced of androids, the great machine leapt into the air and launched three of its arms towards the monsters, each arm about to disembowel the heroes.
Espa Roba had seen such an offensive coming…and was ready to counteract it.
"I activate my face down card, Negate Attack, to stop you from destroying any of my monsters on the field for this turn." And at that moment, a triad of portals ripped gaping holes in the space-time continuum, and absorbed every strike.
"Ok, that ought to be enough for now. Your move."
"And one I shall take full advantage of indeed." Behind his ear, Espa heard a slight radio crackle, but ignored it. "I'll begin this round by activating the card I had face down, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and discard two. Next, I'll play the card known as System Down, to pay 1000 life points and remove from play all of your Machine monsters in the grave and on the field from play." (4000/3000)
Unfortunately for Roger, every single one of his monsters was a machine of some kind, so all he could do was watch as his Terror and X-Head became consumed with massive systematic errors. And before long, both monsters crumbled into oblivion, as did the creatures that had already fallen.
"Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Fusion Sage, to add a second Polymerization to my hand. I will then activate the card, to fuse E-Hero Featherman and the second Burst Lady I drew to create E-Hero Flaming Wingman!"
Another fused monster was beckoned, and it was easily the most menacing of those played so far. Standing next to Edgeman as a comrade was now a cruel-looking chimera, with a dragon head that seemed to be carved of fire and blood, a heavily muscled body of green, a single massive wing on his left shoulder, and a horrific claw on that side. But it was his face that disturbed Roger the most, as it was an almost mask-like affair that belied a deeper evil never found in the brave warriors of the olden comic books. (2100/1200)
"And before I forget, Roger Smith, I still have a card in my hand to activate. I play the Field Magic card, Skyscraper!"
Rosewater Tower A demon who wanted to be God, a lunatic from Atlantis who desired the purging of the universe, and a boy with two magic necklaces. It was more than enough to warrant a shot or two of tequila.As far back as she could remember, Vera had been of the opinion that there were powers involved in her life that she could not exactly pinpoint. Everywhere she went, she could feel the cold gaze of…something, constantly on her shoulder, and for many years she had believed that gaze was from the eyes of the Oedipus wannabe. Even in her brief stay in the land of the dead she felt it, even as she plunged into the gaping maw of the Behemoth. And now, as the CEO of the corporation which held an uncontested monopoly over every business and government institution in New Paradigm…
You should be dead, Rosewater. So why is the ghost of your tyranny and deception still haunting this place?
The tequila had a minimal effect on Vera as she desperately struggled to quiet the beast inside her, and at the same time hoping she didn't become an alcoholic like Hiei. But the odds of being on his level of self-destruction were slim in any case.It was at this point that the receptionist entered.
"Ms. Ronstadt, there is an Agent 251 here to see you."
"Send him in at once."
It would not last, or at least she hoped it wouldn't. She wanted nothing more than to bury the Rosewater empire, to bring the Union the freedom to return to Paradigm, and rebuild it in their own image. And even Hiei would crumble beneath the strain of the coalition of exiles turned supreme governmental power. All was going as planned, the 3 other superpowers could not begin to understand their own defeat.
And not even Agent 340's treachery could stop her this time.
The door creaked open, to reveal the infamous Luther Kerzenlicht, with a look of smug certainty on his face.
"Well?"
"Congratulations, Agent 12. You now have a mole in every single one of our enemy's organizations."
Vera cracked a grim smile at this. Perhaps there was hope for the situation yet.
"How long will it take to gather ze statistics we need?"
"It will have to be soon. Hiei, Naraku, and Dartz aren't morons; once they find the plants they'll kill them, and that won't take long at all. If any of them figure out who sent the agents, they'll come after us, and if Hiei or anyone else should discover we're working for the other side as well…"
There was no need to explain what Luther trailed off at.
"Zey are throwaway agents, 251. If Jagenshi or those other morons get too close I can simply order their execution. Besides, all three of them need ze Union; zey will not turn upon us for fear of losing their political sway."
"Very good. Shall I attend to the other matter of which we spoke?"
"Oui. We shall need a representative in ze Hellfire Tournament Finals, and you are ze second most qualified of us all."
"I shall duel him, then?"
"I wish you ze best of fortune."
"Excellent. I shall begin planning immediately."
As the cold and embittered mob boss left the room, so did any of Vera's doubts that her plan would work. And with a warped smirk, Vera continued her day-to-day business, absently humming the anthem of the Union as she did so.
Kagome vs. Yami no Marik
One Turn Kill. The most devastating technique that Ra was in possession of, one that even the original Marik had not known about, and easily the most dangerous to whomsoever played the effect.
And now Kagome was about to be on the receiving end of the onslaught.
"You have no idea of the ancient fury you are about to experience, a fury that has guided hundreds, nay, thousands, to an early grave. And now it shall consume the life and soul of the legendary High Priestess Kikyo, on a day that shall be recalled for all of eternity!"
"WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME PRIESTESS! I'M NOTHING LIKE KIKYO!"
Yami no Marik, upon hearing how vehemently Kagome attacked her predecessor, got a look of cold indifference upon his face.
"You're more alike than you could ever begin to understand. I shall explain that in due time, but likely on your deathbed you will understand what I mean. Now, back to the effect I mentioned earlier. In order for me to activate this capability I must pay a hefty amount of life points, but for what it is worth, my Dragon shall become indomitable."
The monster's eyes became even more soulless, if such a thing was possible, and as Kagome watched, he began mumbling in what could have been a crude form of Hieratic. Each word spoken resulted in a peculiar stream of energy flowing from the duelist to the monster. With every passing second the tempo rose, and directly proportional to that rise was the escalating dissolution of Yami no Marik's body, but this was not the only effect; Kagome sensed that Ra itself was rapidly gaining power.
Yami had seen the phenomenon, and every night for two weeks after it was the chief focus of prolific nightmares.
"Now, Kagome, it is time for you to see the ultimate might of my deck!"
At first, Kagome could not tell where the voice was coming from; by this point all that was left of the duelist was a single hovering eye, looming eeriely on the field and staring directly at her. But everything else, the cards, the Duel Gauntlet, and the greater bulk of his body, it had vanished into nothingness.
It was then that she looked up at the Winged Dragon of Ra itself.
Jutting out of Ra's celestial head, by some act of necromancy, was the duelist she had been contending with, sans his left eye. In its place could be seen darkness, with small rivulets of blood pouring out of the chasm, and if one looked deep enough, one might even see the empty eye socket.
And even from this distance, she could tell that he had become one with the god's power. (24799/14599) (2300/1)
Kagome could not believe it. Her enemy, while he had indeed gained a massive field advantage, had actually reduced himself to one solitary life point, meaning that all she would have to do was somehow give Yusui any number of attack points, and she could win it all.
"You've never been one to think things through, have you, Yami no Marik? Remember, even if you attack my angels, I won't lose any life points, but if I do the same to you, I'll win."
But Yami knew better; something else was going to happen before he made the final strike.
"That's true, little one, but there are ways to overcome that weakness, such as the monster I hold in my hand right now, an extraordinarily powerful, albeit unusual creature that allows me to forgo the normal sacrificial requirements and tribute your monsters instead!"
"What? You're joking, right? There's no way to do that."
Yami, of course, knew otherwise.
"Actually, Kagome, the monster I now hold is quite capable of this, so now I shall sacrifice your Yusui and Venus to summon my Lava Golem to the field, or should I say, your Lava Golem."
With a flick of his wrist, Yami no Marik tossed the card down towards Kagome, who had a slightly dazed look on her face as she picked it up.
"Well, what are you waiting for? I gave you that monster, so summon it! Or perhaps you'd like to debate the matter with Ra or the Guardian, though I doubt either would be very receptive."
This duel is getting weirder by the second, but what choice do I have?
Although she was hesitant in doing so, Kagome removed the two most powerful of her monsters from the card reader, and replaced them with the card Yami no Marik gave her… which she immediately regretted.Even as she watched Kagome was trapped, as a metal cage formed itself around her and locking away any light or relief from her angels, and she could not begin to determine what was going on. What was even more unusual was that the air around her was inexplicably warm, almost unbearably so. She could barely focus; all she could perceive was the damnable heat, which happened to be rising steadily.
"Ok, start talking! What's going on, and where's the monster!"
"Haven't you figured that out, Kagome? You're within the monster!"
She barely perceived the full horror of what had just been said, her concentration giving way to exhaustion and overheating as her eyes meandered stupidly about, looking for something, anything, to focus on.
So she decided upon the behemoth of a monster she had been swallowed up in.
Kagome's cage was in fact hanging from the neck of what could be called a fire demon, but in actuality was more of a subterranean beast. Made almost entirely of partially cooled lava, the monster stood like a molten goliath before the Winged Dragon, with several human skulls protruding from its volcanic flesh; also buried in the magma were the two monsters sacrificed by Yami no Marik, both of whom were slowly burning away. And the creature even had a face of sorts, with a razor-toothed mouth and glazed eyes. (3000/2500)
"Surprising, isn't it, Kagome? A monster capable of usurping the power of a Blue Eyes, and I gave it to you? Well, there's a very good reason for that. Aside from its effect, which will demonstrate itself next turn, your monster is not an angel, but is in fact a demon of great wickedness."
"Yeah, what's your point?"
And then it dawned on her: the Sanctuary in the Sky would not be able to defend the Golem from his attack damage. He would be able to wipe her out with one shot.
The Pharaoh recoiled in disgust and terror as he saw the madness in Yami no Marik's slitted eye, what he planned to do to her.
"Kagome!"
"There's nothing you can do for her now, Pharaoh! Winged Dragon of Ra, attack the Lava Golem and end this duel! Show Kagome the power of God incarnate!"
The titanic gryphon opened, for what might be the final time, its overpowering jaws, and once again charged the might of the God Breath Cannon, ready to strike down a former comrade for the sake of the greater good. Every iota of power the beast possessed would be used in one final onslaught to wipe out the priestess; there would be no mistakes, and nothing could hope to stop the god.
But Atem was willing to try, and as such he ran towards the field, his injury and the Shadow Realm slowing him down. His head began to spin, his vision blurred, and with no more strength he collapsed to his knees
He realized at that point he would not make it in time, and was reduced to witnessing the event happen before his very eyes.
The attack was launched, the searing orb of light hurtling towards the Lava Golem, which was in turn so terrified that it was unable to move. All eyes, however, were fixated upon the Golem's prisoner, standing idly in the cage, seemingly without any will to make a move, eyes blank and filled with the reflected light of the assault. She did not indicate any signs of life, her face without expression.
And then, as Yami stared at her still beautiful countenance, a single tear hovering from his eye as he watched, Kagome performed a rather unexpected action.
Without any noticeable reason, she winked.
At that moment, the blast slammed into the Lava Golem, disintegrating the demon and anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
Yami no Marik stared at the pillar of smoke with a deranged pride, watching as the only remnants of Kikyo's reincarnation floated into the boundless rafters of the Shadow Realm. After five thousand years, the last priestess had been eradicated…and the Pharaoh was next.
His eyes glassed over momentarily, and his head began to pound. He doubted that Ra could support this for too much longer, but he turned to Yami anyway.
"So, for all your speeches and rants, you could not save her from the wrath of the gods. It seems my suspicions of the extent of your power were correct from the beginning. You're weak, a pathetic and dated monarch who has simply been misplaced in the timeline, much like she was. And now you both shall be united in your mediocrity!"
Yami did not believe it. Had Kagome really lost? Was she…?
"Yes, Pharaoh. Let the reality consume you. Bask in the cold sunrise of the real world, a world in which neither of you had ever truly belonged; your time is spent, you had your chance at this world, and now it is time for me to take the throne! And when I do, you shall join your beloved, trapped in the abyss until the end of time!"
It was just as these words took full effect on Yami that the duelists saw it; the Pharaoh through joy and Yami no Marik through blind anger.
A silhouetted form was making itself visible in the cloud of smoke, and it was surrounded bya set of female spirits. After a moment, the group dissipated, taking the smoke with them.
And the silhouette was revealed to be Kagome.
"Yami! I told you to stay put!"
Yami, for the first time in his life, had nothing to say. All he cared about was that she was alive and well. And Kagome was not quite as irritated as she led him to believe; on the contrary, her heart had skipped a beat when he ran to her.
Yami no Marik was not quite so happy.
"WHAT! THAT SHOULD HAVE VAPORIZED YOU! WHAT HAPPENED!"
"My face down card happened. When your Winged Dragon attacked, I activated DNA Surgery, changing Lava Golem into an Angel and preventing you from doing any life point damage thanks to my Sanctuary. Your Lava Golem's 1000 damage effect was crushed too."
"Damnation! Fine, I'll just place this card face down and end my turn."
"Good, then it's time I end this duel once and for all! My move!" And as Kagome looked at her card, she realized that, at long last, her first Shadow Game was near its end.
"It's over! I sacrifice a Holy Shine Sphere to summon Angel of Judgement-Saturn to the field in attack mode!"
The orb of sanctity, in order for the greater good to be accomplished, allowed its essence to collapse upon itself, and from the center of the tribute was emerging another angel, easily the most authoritative of any played so far. Hovering inches above the impure floor, the supreme seraph was one of royal bearing indeed; clad in robes of purest white with cobalt decorations, golden fineries, and a set of deep midnight blue wings, the celestial being had a somewhat pharaonic styling to it, and the indigo flesh of its physical manifestation only added to the effect. (2400/0)
"An interesting monster choice, Kagome, but I am afraid that the duel is mine anyway!"
"Oh really? Well, perhaps once I activate the effect of Saturn you'll change your mind. You see, because I have more life points than you, as well as Sanctuary in the Sky I can sacrifice this monster and inflict the difference between life points as damage. And because you only have one life point left, this battle will end in this turn!"
"By all means try. It's not like it will really matter in the end."
"We'll see about that, spirit!"
"Indeed we will, and right now to be exact! I activate my face down card, De-Fusion!"
For a moment, Kagome wondered if she had heard him correctly.
"You can't do that! Neither of us has a Fusion monster on the field!"
It was Yami no Marik's look of grim confidence that quieted that idea.
"What do you think Ra is? The Dragon and I have fused ourselves into one omnipotent being, and I can just as easily break that union! I really do have to thank you, Pharaoh, for this one; had I not taken your own De-Fusion card I would never have realized just how useful it could be!"
And in a flare of crimson , Yami no Marik was cast out of Ra's body, and with unexpected grace he lighted upon the field, his face gruesomely rebuilding itself as it happened. As for Ra, it now stood powerless upon the field, its master having taken its strength with him, but because of De-Fusion's effect the demonic spirit had been able to place the monster on the defensive. (0/0) (2300/24800)
"Where is your false hope now, Kagome? Has your tongue become so overused that you can no longer spew out your rambling, nonsensical utterances? Or perhaps you have finally realized that I cannot be stopped. I now hold over ten times as many life points as you do, my dear, and my Winged Dragon, even if you do destroy it, shall always return to me."
"I doubt it. Now, Saturn, destroy his Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Within both palms Saturn began to generate massive amounts of pure ethereal energy, and as each sphere increased in size he continued to mumble an old angelic language beneath his breath, the language from which all others supposedly derived, until such point as he brought both hands together and sent a shockwave to envelop the god in the fury of Heaven.
The fates, however, did not intend this to happen.
"Ra, activate your ability of Egyptian God Barricade!"
Just as the shockwave was about to consume Ra, the beast activated a power with a similar appearance to the Egyptian God Phoenix, except in this case it prevented the attack from reaching the Dragon.
"You see, Ra has an ability that can only be activated during your move, and once per duel I can use the effect to prevent the death of Ra for the duration of that turn. I'm afraid your angels can do nothing against me, and soon even your sanctuary shall crumble to the ground!"
"Ok. I'll place one card face down and end my turn."
Another card drawn by Yami no Marik, and now he knew exactly what had to be done. "I shall now play the Magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards at the price of any two from my hand. And the card I have chosen to keep is none other than the Magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, which I shall use to devastate your Sanctuary in the Sky!"
This was it. Unless she had a face down card that could save her from Yami no Marik's wrath, then this duel would end in Kagome's horrific destruction.
There was a heavy sensation of apprehension as the storm of darkness rose into the sky and slammed into the might fortress of sanctity, causing its divine foundations to crumble away into nothingness. Every moment that the storm bombarded the asylum, the Angels began to lose their own divine powers, until such time as Saturn and the two orbs were essentially mortals, and the Sanctuary was no more.
Yet as these angels cried tears of shattered hope, the demon who had broken them had already begun to laugh and dance in exultation.
"I have done it! After all this time, I have at last toppled the Kingdom of Heaven itself! All I need do is destroy the exiles of that realm and I can strike the Priestess down, and I have the perfect way to do it. Ra, I fuse with you again by the dictation of One Turn Kill! And this time, you little bitch, your traps shall not grant you victory!"
Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and Pegasus
Kaiba was fully aware of the capabilities of the Soul of the Dark Serpent, having seen it in several test runs of Kaiba Corp technology, and he had been able to tell immediately that its effect was far too broken to be used in normal play. Like Stromberg Castle of Gold and Toon World, Pegasus had halted production of the card almost immediately after the prototype had been designed, effectively banning its distribution and use by anyone…save himself, of course.
And among the few that knew of the card's existence it was considered to be the single most powerful, and dangerous, card in the game.
"Alright, Kaiba, this is how the card is going to work. The first order of business is to increase and decrease our life points until such time as we each have 1500, whereupon we each draw until every duelist has ten cards in his or her hand. From this point forward, there is no hand limit, and we may each draw 2 cards per turn, so long as we skip our next draw phase if we decide upon this." And as Tsubaki stated, each one of them drew the required cards. (1500/1500) (1500/1500)
"Now comes the interesting part. After deactivating the effects of all other Magic and Trap cards face up on the field at the time, we may all summon monsters from our decks, regardless of summon requirements, until such time as our fields can no longer support any others, as well as place one card face down from the cards we drew. For every monster summoned in this way, all duelists may draw one card, but can no longer activate cards that allow you to draw outside the draw phase, besides Soul of course. Also, no attacks or voluntary life point damaging effects can be launched until my next turn."
"So far it makes sense."
"Keep listening, Botan. It's about to get much more complicated."
"How right you are. Now, in order for a monster to attack, each duelist must discard a number of monster cards from his or her hand equal to the number of stars their attacking monster has, and also remove them from the game. However, if they choose to attack they will gain 200 life points.
"If you see fit to do so you may force your opponent to discard two cards from his hand, but he may do the same to you. Also, every turn you switch your monster into defense mode you will lose 200 life points.
"To make things more interesting, we may also choose to draw from the bottom of our decks, but whoever uses this will have to remove a card on your field from the game, as will another duelist on your team. And the opponent must activate such an effect every three of their turns."
"Fascinating card, Tsubaki, but why did you play it?"
"For the card's two other effects. Firstly, in order for a duelist to lose, he or she must not have any monsters in their hand or field, along with 0 life points. All three must be fulfilled to win. And as for the last effect…well, you'll see soon enough. But in the meantime, it's time for us to summon our monsters. I shall call forward Rainbow Snake Eingana, Giga Gagagigo, and Gogiga Gagagigo to the field."
"Ok by me. I'll call upon Valkyrie Altest!"
"As for me, I'll give Toon Obelisk a little extra company, with Toon Slifer the Sky Dragon, Toon Winged Dragon of Ra, and Toon Jinzo! And what of you, Kaiba-boy?"
"I think by now you should be able to tell me that! I summon all three of my Blue Eyes White Dragons, along with Tyrant Dragon!"
The monsters, one by one, arrived onto the field. Tsubaki's monsters consisted of a massive multicolored serpent that looked like something from jungle folklore, what seemed to be a more advanced form of Gagagigo, and the massive, bloodthirsty final form of the lizard soldier. (2200/2400) (2450/1500) (2950/2800) Botan, meanwhile had called forward one of her two strongest Valkyries, even with her Field Magic deactivated. The newly summoned warrior, Altest, was a maiden of pale green hair, and gray armor. (1600/1600) As for Kaiba, he had instantly summoned all three of his infamous white dragons to serve beneath Obelisk, along with one of the few dragons in the game that actually resembled the old legends in Europe, with thick copper scales, massive pinions so as to profane the heavens, and a horned head that was the epitome of nightmare. (3000/2500) (3000/2500) (3000/2500) (2900/2500)
But it was the monsters of Pegasus that were to be the focus of attention. For he had summoned the other two Toon Egyptian God Cards.
The first Toon God, Toon Slifer, did not have the quiet dignity of his original form, for in this case the vilified Osiris had now become an overly fat abomination, with a head that looked like a thickened shovel, bulging yellow eyes, and wings that flopped about with no sense of direction at all. But what was most horrific was that the method through which this creature seemed to move was not by flight, but rather by coiling its snake-like form into a spring, and literally bouncing wherever it wanted to go.
And the Toon Winged Dragon had even less dignity, for instead of emitting a mighty roar, it instead began to cluck. Yes, cluck. And adding to the fact that it was squatting with its wings folded and had almost no neck to speak of, everyone was instantly thinking that it was a chicken god. Its head even bore some similar traits with such a bird.
Then there was Toon Jinzo, an obese form of the original with a clown suit version of his metallic robe, and a steel party mask in place of his respirator. But in spite of how moronic the mutated psycho-shocker class android looked, there was no way for it to distract from the even more ludicrous cartoon deities called forth. (12000/12000) (0/0) (2400/1500)
So was the stage set.
"Very nice. However, in the long run that won't matter. Now, since I cannot attack this turn, I'll just play this Continuous Magic card known as Dark Snake Syndrome, a very powerful card in the right hands."
"Correction, Tsubaki, a very dangerous card in anyone's hands."
"We'll see. In this case, I shall end my turn."
"So then it's my move, and I'll choose to draw two cards at the price of my next draw phase." As Botan looked carefully at each field, she realized that this was not the best of situations. Not only had all of her monsters lost their attack bonus, but any new monsters summoned would fall victim to Toon Slifer. And then there was Toon Jinzo to deal with…
"Ok, Tsubaki, I'll activate this Magic card, Mischief of Loki, which allows me to discard a Valkyrie from my hand and remove from play a monster whose level is equal to that of another Valkyrie on the field, and I think that Pegasus's Toon Jinzo will do the trick."
As the appropriate cards were discarded, a slight crack emerged in the open air, seeming to reach into the infinite abyss of times forgotten, and from this rift emerged an astoundingly vile deity, a lank and simian humanoid with wild, untamed hair and beady eyes, and if one looked closely enough they could see that his mouth was sewn shut. Skipping about in a mad craze he jumped upon the heads of gods and Valkyries alike, making obscene gestures to everything that moved until he reached Toon Jinzo. It was then that the mischievous one grew quite serious, clamping onto the parody super-soldier and dragging it away into the chasm of anti-creation, where it would likely take in a few drops of the poison meant for Loki until the gods saw what was going on. "I'll then place one more card face down, and end my turn."
Pegasus obviously did not appreciate what had been done to his beloved Toon, and as such he promised to make them both pay. Valkyries and dragons may have served in the past, but now it is time to show them true necromancy."My move, and I'll choose to draw only one card." Pegasus, upon drawing the card, realized that he had finally drawn one of the more devastating cards in his deck, one that he would use to great advantage.
"I activate the Ritual Magic card, Black Illusion Ritual, and to fulfill the sacrifice I shall offer up the Jigen Bakudan in my hand. And by this sacrifice, I am allowed to summon the darkest of sages, representative of the devil himself, and easy on the eyes to boot! I call forward Relinquished!"
In all of his dueling life, Kaiba had always been prone to hold Ritual monsters with a certain distaste, with the exception of his Paladin of White Dragon, which he rarely ever used. They were difficult to summon, and in the few instances in which they could be called upon, the monsters were not worthy of the ceremonies and offerings. But Kaiba knew very well that Ritual monsters had a handful of powerful soldiers.
And as he had faced the power of Heaven against Noa, so did he face the power of Hell against Pegasus.
With the deluded grin of a man who has been shown the face of God, Pegasus slipped the lone monster card into the grave, and from this emerged a massive sacrificial kiln, formed of gold, with a stretched emblem of the Sennen upon it. After a few moments the reek of blood and death emanated from within the unholy vessel, blended harmonically with the shrieks of what had been offered up to the ascending beast.
And then, from the depths of the relic emerged a blood-drenched claw, every talon fidgetting as the mage grew accustomed to the physical form it had taken on, and this clawed hand was what drew out the second part of Pegasus's deck, that which represented his internal darkness.
What hovered ominously above the marble floor was almost beyond description. One of the few known demon magicians, the monster's jagged claws were attached to arms thick not with muscle, but with energy. The lower torso seemed to be a circular knot of muscle, and three cone-shaped prongs allowed for its capability to defy gravity. On its back was a pair of what could have been wings, but it was impossible to tell for certain. And most repulsive of all was the eye, a single eye that bore a strong resemblance to that of Pegasus's old Sennen Item, held now by Hiei, yet was perched upon a fleshy stalk. (0/0)
The younger of the two businessman was vaguely aware of how Relinquished worked, and a vague understanding was all he needed to fear it.
"Well now, Kaiba-boy, Relinquished may not have been enough to defeat Yugi and the Spirit, but I have a feeling it shall be more than enough to take you apart. As I do not doubt your knowledge of this monster, I see no need to explain my theory. No, I'll just let my monster speak for itself! Use your effect on Kaiba's Blue Eyes!"
And it was then that the full magnitude of the demon's power was understood, for at that moment, Relinquished allowed himself to break the lock over his power, and what had once been living flesh now became an infinite and impenetrable vacuum created by the hand of Lucifer. Once the portal opened the emotionless sorcerer turned his gaze upon the dragon, and even the will of the most ancient of creatures could not overcome Relinquished's hypnotic spell. Within that moment of weakness the second half kicked in, drawing Blue Eyes towards the vortex, and in response the Blue Eyes began to beat its wings frantically, in a vain attempt to escape the hellish enchantment. But it did the wyrm no good, for it was soon absorbed, perhaps never to return.
"Don't worry your pretty little head, Kaiba. Your dragon is gone, but certainly not forgotten. You see, by absorbing your dragon Relinquished has activated its effect, allowing it to assimilate the Blue Eyes' power, as well as use it as the perfect shield."
Kaiba thought that corrupting the Blue Eyes was bad enough, but this…
"I wouldn't get too used to using my Blue Eyes, Pegasus. I doubt you'll even be able to duel when this is all over."
"I really do find your threats boring, Kaiba-boy. Now, because I used three other cards myself Toon Slifer loses 3000 attack points." (2700/2000) (9000/9000) "Next, I'll play the Magic card, Ring of Magnetism, which I'll use on Toon Reflect Bounder. While it may lower my machine's attack power by 500, it will allow me to redirect all of your attacks to my monster." As he said this, the cartoon mirror soldier was surrounded by four magnetic generators, which formed an electromagnetic ring about him and reversed the charges of every monster on Kaiba and Botan's side of the field so as to be opposite the charge of the ring. (1200/1000) And as expected, Toon Slifer lost even more power. (8000/8000) "That ought to do for now, Kaiba. I end my turn."
"Alright, Pegasus, it's time to silence you once and for all! My move, and I'll choose to draw two cards and skip my next draw phase." This isn't good. Every turn Pegasus and Tsubaki gain a greater advantage, and if we even try to attack one of us will lose. Then we have Toon Slifer, who'll either slaughter or weaken anything we summon. However, that doesn't mean I can't try something else.
"I'll choose to activate the effect of Soul of the Dark Serpent, which will force both Pegasus and myself to discard two cards from our hand, thus lowering Toon Slifer's attack strength." Both duelists slipped their cards into the grave, as Slifer grew ever weaker. (6000/6000) "Next, I'll play the Magic card, Delinquent Duo, which forces you to randomly discard one card from your hand, and then you shall select another card to discard, followed by the activation of the Shrink Magic card to lower the attack power of Tsubaki's Rainbow Snake." At that instant, two malevolent imps, one blue and one red with identifying numerals, shot forth towards Pegasus, and the first of the twins snatched away one of his cards and flicked it viciously into the graveyard. As for the second, it wrapped its tail about Pegasus's neck until he strangled out a submission and discarded another card, forced to watch his animated god continue deteriorating. (4000/4000) At the same time, the power of Eingana was also cut, reducing it down to a pitiable ruin of a monster. (1200/2400) "Of course, I had to give up 1000 life points, but in the long run I doubt that it will matter." (500/1500) (1500/1500) "I'll follow up by placing a monster on the defensive, which I believe activates Slifer's special effect, an effect I wanted to use against you.""What!"
"Remember, Pegasus, by attacking my monster with its second mouth you've allowed me to activate my face down card…THE CRUSH CARD VIRUS TRAP!"
Kaiba was fully aware of the fact that by their effects, the Toon Gods would not be affected by the trap. However, it would dispense with Relinquished and every one of Tsubaki's monsters, as well as decimate every powerful monster in their decks. And even as he watched, the flesh-eating virus had begun to collect in its original host body where a simple mutation had resulted in the most infamous of all plagues.
Pegasus now looked as though some unholy retribution had been placed upon him, for not only was he about to lose Relinquished before he could even attack with it, but his other powerful monsters were about to follow it. Luckily he had Toon Reflect Bounder on the field, or things would have gone completely downhill.
Tsubaki just uttered a curse under her breath.
As though on a spring-loaded mechanism the second mouth popped open, and what seemed to be a giant purple cannon was jutting out of the mouth's roof. For a moment, the cannon remained silent, until such time as a spark of fire burst from the monster's trachea and lit the fuse, resulting in a shapeless and utterly repugnant shockwave of odor that curled itself around the Virus, shattering it instantly.
And from the depths of the virus's remains spread out a flurry of microscopic organisms, invisible to the eye, that soon attacked every powerful monster that stood against them.
Relinquished was the first to go, and in spite of his sorcery, his powers crumbled as the virus slowly feasted upon him, causing massive slabs of flesh to peel away until such time as the energy which made up his chief body mass dissolved into the air, as did his weaponry. The others were safe, Reflect Bounder because of his weakness and the gods because of their status.
The other monsters of Tsubaki were not as fortunate.
In an ironic twist, Aya was about to experience the full brutality of what her former self had endured, for now every waking nerve erupted in massive flares of indescribable torture as foaming blood dribbled from her slackened jaw and her entire body dissolved. Next was Gagagigo, who was so horrified at what was happening to him that he ripped off his hand before dying of sheer madness. His older brother fell victim to the same plague, and as a leper he crawled on his crumbling hands and knees to the eldest of the monsters, who looked upon him with quiet disgust for a moment or so as his brother pleaded for his help, even as he slowly became a gelatinous lump of muscles and fluids. But such support was not to come, and in the torment of his comrades Gogiga Gagagigo stood with a certain tangible dignity as he allowed himself to become overwhelmed by the virus. And of the others he had the most noble of demises, for he merely crumbled into dust which blew away almost immediately.
"Of course, this is not the only effect of the virus, for it also assails your dueling deck, leaving you with only monsters of 1500 attack points or less to battle with." As stated, Tsubaki and Pegasus placed the appropriate cards into the graveyard, leaving Pegasus with three cards in his hand and Tsubaki with six, debilitating Toon Slifer even further. (3000/3000) "I'll then place two cards face down, and end my turn."
"My move again, in which I'll draw one card, and as you know Eingana gains back its original attack power, but not before each duelist on the field loses 200 extra life points thanks to Dark Snake Syndrome." From all corners of the Magic card burst four vaporous serpents, that attached themselves to the individual duelists and sunk their teeth into their shoulders. (300/1200) (1200/1200) "I hope you realize that this means that on my next turn, you will lose this duel, Kaiba. And in case you haven't noticed…" With a singular motion of the wrist, Tsubaki called forth from the other parts of the arena four of her demon serpents, which curled around the feet of every duelist. It was a surreal experience, and even Pegasus was slightly perturbed at the situation.
"…losing is not an option here."
"Your scare tactics don't work on me, dark priestess. I've stared down Yakuza bosses, dirty politicians, and every kind of sleazy businessman there is. After living with Gozaburo Kaiba, I doubt anything could throw off my game short of the Orichalcos."
"You'll be begging for the Orichalcos before this duel is over! Now, back to me. I think that it's time I clear the field and offer myself a shot at your life points, so I'll sacrifice Eingana and also activate its special effect, which shall allow me to wipe out every monster on both of your fields once it enters the grave!"
Kaiba, however, had planned for this.
"I'm afraid that won't work against us! Reveal Quick-Play Magic card, Enemy Controller!"
One could say that, as the president of a major gaming multinational, Kaiba was entitled to use such a card, but his very personality seemed to counteract that theory. But then, he had just proposed to Death, so his selection of cards based on personality was the least of his problems.
What appeared before him was essentially an oversized video game controller with a perpetually mobile connection cable, seeming ready to select whatever its master commanded.
"So what do you intend to do with such a card?"
"I think that should be fairly obvious, given the name of the card. But if I must explain myself, I will. Essentially what I've just done is given myself total control of your Snake's future, and I can either change its position, or control it by sacrificing another monster on my side of the field. And since he is the weakest of my monsters at this point, I think I'll sacrifice my Tyrant Dragon to activate it."
And just as promised, Kaiba allowed his dragon to be consumed by the sacrificial light, giving him the capability to enter the required coding. After the command had been entered the cable linked up to Eingana's primitive cerebrum, and coerced it to his side of the field.
"I must say that I am impressed, Kaiba. I'll place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"I'll take over, and just draw a card." But Botan would not likely need that card anyway; she already had a plan in mind. "Seto, do you mind if I take Pegasus apart for you?"
"He's all yours. Just leave Tsubaki for me."
"Fair enough. I activate the special effect of Valkyrie Altest, which allows me to remove one monster in the opponent's graveyard from play, and add those attacks points to my Valkyrie for the duration of this turn." Sure enough, Altest lowered her sword until it was directly across from Pegasus, and absorbed the soul of the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon into the blade, boosting her attack strength to a level capable of defeating the gods. (4600/1600) "Looks like Ragnarok came a little early for your Toon Slifer. Attack his monster!" And as she declared the attack, she removed from play the appropriate card from her hand.
But Pegasus's usual idiotic expression was gone, supplanted by the cold and determined face that he had only ever used once, in his last duel with Yugi.
"I have to disagree. Reveal face down card, Gravity Bind, which forces all monsters of Level Four or higher to halt any attack. However, they may still change positions and use effects."
"Fine. I'll end my turn there." (1600/1600)
"Excellent; that means that it's my move again, and I'll choose this time to draw a card from the bottom of my deck, removing Toon Reflect Bounder from the game, along with one of Kaiba's dragons. The way I see it, I'm about to end this match, so why not add some insult to injury?"
It was with great reluctance that Kaiba removed the second of his Blue Eyes from the field, and the pain in his eyes as he did so broke Botan's heart.
"Where was I? Oh right, demolishing you. Now, since there is no reason to continue this farce any longer, I shall instead use the power of Toon Obelisk the Tormentor, so I offer up to you the souls of Toon Slifer and Toon Ra. Activate your effect of Toon Hand Crusher!"
And in a final display of self-humiliation, Toon Obelisk picked up a party hat and trumpet, and played an extraordinarily flawed form of reveille. As he made this ridiculous call to arms the other Toon Gods alighted upon his forearms and began to illuminate as they were absorbed into both fists. But in lieu of the normal ignition of fists, Toon Obelisk's hands inflated like balloons, and also gained fuses at the wrist.
You can't even create decent visuals for these things.
With a triumphant cackle, Toon Obelisk pulled out his pogo-ankh once again, balanced his feet upon it, and bounded precariously towards Kaiba and Botan. And unlike his previous attack, Toon Obelisk had somehow been able to keep a steady bead upon the two of them.
"This little trick of yours isn't going to work, Pegasus! I activate the Trap card, Artillery Recall! When a monster effect that would inflict damage against me is activated, I can use this card to send a monster on my side of the field back to my hand, and any damage or monster destruction is negated as well. And to ensure his safety I'll remove Blue Eyes from the field." And as he placed his final dragon back into his hand, it gave him a look of confidence and pride before returning to the card.
"Not bad, Kaiba. I too shall place a monster in defense mode. That's all for now."
"Then it's time we end this! My move!" Kaiba did not draw, but he already saw what he needed to bring this duel to a close
You ready, Botan?
Always, Seto.
"Now, unfortunately for you two, I've been hiding one of the deadliest monsters in my deck, and I needed the perfect setup on the field to work with. And now that I have it, we can close the book on your little party."
"You're certainly bluffing, Kaiba-boy. What hope have you of defeating us?"
"I have a feeling you won't like the answer to that. I activate the Ritual Magic card, Throne of the Dragon!"
Aftermath of Enzeru's battle
There had always been a glaringly obvious problem with working in the mortal world that Enzeru had noticed, one that should have been apparent to him, and should have come to mind during his battle.
It was a relatively simple truth: in this world, wounds bleed. And a small gash on his forehead was doing just that. Then again, when dealing with Akuren the wounds were generally much more serious, so he had to admit he had gotten lucky in this case.
With a searing pain in his left leg Enzeru stood up, a few stray drops of blood inching close to his eye, and their was a heavy stench of napalm all around. It was something of a trademark; whenever Hogosha had used any type of high-powered weaponry it had always left behind a less than pleasant aroma.
But there was no time to reflect on such things, which was actually somewhat ironic.
Enzeru did not need to survey the area to see what had happened. He knew all too well that the Cluster Skull would only affect two people, and unless they were powerful enough to withstand it both attacker and victim would instantly die. No one else would notice, and in the proper hands it was the ultimate assassination weapon.
And he also knew that the demon ninja was still very much alive.
But Enzeru had one thing that Akuren did not, which would allow him to endure almost any strike made against him. And with that weapon he would be certain to set the world back into its proper equilibrium.
Strangely enough, the situation of the world had never before forced any Citadel member into full active duty. Under normal circumstances the Guardians of the Citadel of Chaos had had an almost invisible part in controlling every threatening incident; otherwise King Yama and Shadi had been able to handle things, as had their associates and comrades. But now the fates had played an unusual hand, and he had been sent to New Paradigm indefinitely.
Paradise on Earth, it was called. From what he had seen, the guardian would actually have called it a hell on Earth, a wandering microcosm damned to hover above all else.
Enzeru quietly pocketed the Tempus Astrum, and walked forward at a brisk pace. All around there was suffering, blood and crime everywhere, children sleeping in boxes with nothing to look forward to save an empty plate in the morning. To the north he could see the illustrious city center, gleaming like Camelot as a beacon of false hope. And at the very core of the entire operation was the Rosewater Tower, where the bureaucrats wheeled and dealed with the mobsters and syndicates.
But even as he was trying to save these people, he allowed himself little anguish over their lot. Callous as it may sound, Enzeru knew that such aloofness was vital to the world's wellbeing, for once empathy was allowed into his heart it would be followed by pity. With pity would arrive compassion, which would become despondency.
It was this despondency that the darkness would feed on.
No one listened to him, of course. When the elders of the Citadel confronted him with his refusal to feel for the humans of the world, Enzeru had simply answered, "To obtain pity is to sacrifice life." This was also his reasoning for never developing any close relationships beyond his family, for if those he connected with were to die his logic and reason would be stricken blind. He would go on a merciless rampage, blatantly abusing his powers until the soul itself finally crumbled and the world left at risk.It was better this way.
The streets seemed unusually silent as he continued his pace, smoothly glided through the hoards of people, watched the walls grow cleaner as he moved closer to the more affluent parts of the city. He could already sense it; two of the defenders had fallen, one to death and the other to darkness. At least three others were dueling with stakes of varying hazard, and all about he could sense the great political treachery and manipulation that Hiei had perpetuated.
If the world was to be saved from itself, Enzeru would have to find the monster that had beckoned the city…and confront the darkness of his past.
But until then, he could only hope Atem and the others survived.
A Bench in Shaded Park
Six keys, three new cards, old and new enemies, and a constant feeling that something of a higher power was about to be called forward. To say the least, this was not exactly what Yusuke had expected for his first real tournament, but then again, he hadn't really thought that Duel Monsters originated from ancient battles in a forgotten Egyptian dynasty.
When Genkai first told him about the origins of Duel Monsters during his training, he had not really taken her seriously. In fact, Yusuke had laughed so hard at the sheer insanity of what was being said that he almost blacked out. He also had enough of a lapse in judgement to state this opinion, and for the next week he was forced to balance upon a pole of red hot iron.
It was during this torment that he began to see into the past, and whether Genkai had forced it upon him or whether the fates had a larger hand in it, he saw the earliest duels, the Shadow Games. Firsthand he witnessed them, saw the power of horrifying monsters summoned and great acts of sorcery conjured, saw kingdoms rise and fall with one attack, saw princes duel for the rights to land and women.
After the week was over, his loudmouthed insolence remained, but his respect for the game had reached a new level. Like everything else he learned there, he grew steadily more proficient at the game until even Genkai was impressed by his skills.
But there was one aspect of the game that she had neglected to mention, believing he wouldn't be able to handle it because of his lacking wit. That aspect was the soul of the true duelist, or the Heart of the Cards, and it was for this reason that he used his newfound skills to hustle the weaker duelists at Sarayashiki Junior High, making a nice little profit along the way.
With a relaxed sort of grin he hadn't flashed since the tournament began, the former detective looked around, watching the people walking and dueling, and for some reason he was reminded of his first defeat, at the hands of the most unlikely of people.
(Flashback)
"You can't be serious."
"Come on, Yusuke. I've got nothing to do, you've got nothing to do, no one's here to fight you. I'd like to see if what Genkai taught you was worth anything."
Yusuke, for once, had absolutely nothing to say to this, and probably couldn't have responded anyway. That Botan could duel to begin with was enough of a surprise, but that she had actually challenged him to a match was something he had never expected.
"You sure about this? I mean, it's not like you have much experience…"
"I could duel circles around you. In fact, I could do so right now." And in an act of silliness she was quite accustomed to in those days, the unusual reaper began to fly around his head, humming an old, but excruciating tune until such time as the spirit detective cracked.
"Ok, let's duel, but don't get annoyed when I beat you."
(End Flashback)
She kicked my ass, of course.
It had been the single most humiliating duel of his life. Every one of his strategies and tactics he had gained from his sensei flew right out the window against Botan and her Valkyries. He'd had some tough duels before, on the rare occasion that he dueled for real, but he'd never been crushed completely.
It was a blow to his ego, and when he asked Botan what she did differently, she told him that her real secret, in addition to skill and deck construction, was her belief in the Heart of the Cards, the soul of the true duelist. Like the origins of Duel Monsters, he did not take her seriously. After all, it was just a card game.
And for the next three years, he truly believed that until he came to Domino City. Up until that point, he had thought Botan was the most powerful duelist in the world. He couldn't have been more wrong.
It was purely chance that Yusuke was transferred to Domino High School, it was also by coincidence that he happened upon the small game shop off the beaten path, and it was sheer luck that brought him to the world-renowned Yugi Mouto. Or perhaps it was fate.
He remembered vividly their first conversation, and he also recalled how quickly the minute legend grew on him. Beneath that less-than-impressive stature beat the heart of a true warrior, and he could tell that Yugi was destined for greatness.
What was truly interesting about that meeting was the duel which Yusuke requested, for once it began he could sense a great change in his opponent. In the place of the quiet and timid Yugi was a spirit of grand status, one with confidence, charisma, and a strong sense of destiny.
And when the duel was over, Yusuke believed in the Heart, for it was that same philosophy that had demolished him almost instantly. He knew that it was not about the game, but rather faith, and he realized what should have been obvious for so very long.
After that epiphany, Yusuke changed his entire dueling mannerism. No longer did he use the game for money or power, but as a key to the self, and to the selves of those around him.
But despite his new companions and his new understanding, Yusuke felt that there was still something to be done, some reason that he had been struck by that car four years ago, and he knew that it was connected to Yugi, Yami, Hiei and the powers they were gambling with. Somehow he had been placed in the city in the sky to fight, and by some innate knowledge he could tell…that this was it.
But he decided to put such thoughts out of his head for the moment, and see if another match could be found, a plan that was enhanced when he saw the Spirit Compass blinking wildly.
It was time to find out what was going on, and perhaps, in some way, turn the tides.
Inuyasha vs. Raphael
"Inuyasha, how could you?"
Tea had endured many horrific events throughout her life, from being forced into a duel with a superintelligent penguin to almost ingesting cyanide in Battle City. To her, torment and madness were both equivalent factors in life, and in spite of wanting to live without them, it was doubtful that she could.
But this particular event…it was too much, even for her to undergo.
"What are you talking about, bitch? I'm about to take this bastard apart, and you scold me for that?"
He was indeed bewildered by her adverse reaction to his current plan; after all, he had played the match out brilliantly for the past few turns.
"That's not what I meant! Why did you play the Seal of Orichalcos? Don't you know what that thing is capable of?"
His expression did not indicate that he had such knowledge. "I'm quite aware of what the Seal is capable of. It gave me power, a power far beyond anything else that I could have obtained in this world or the next, and it has opened my eyes to realities and concepts I would never before have considered. It allows me vision, insight, clarity, and most of all, strength."
"That isn't what the Seal does! It just blinds you and convinces you into committing horrible acts that you would never before have done! The card is evil, and you have to get rid of it!"
"Why should I? Let's face it, you're not exactly the Queen of Games, and I highly doubt you know much about this card at all. It has fulfilled every one of my desires, and I can't expect you to understand that."
"You don't get it! The Seal is just clouding your vision! Raphael gave it to you so that…"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU DUMBASS SLUT! I NEED THIS CARD TO BECOME FULL DEMON, AND YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAD TO ENDURE TO GET HERE! SO CRAM YOUR SPEECHES UP YOUR ASS, OR I'LL HAVE NO PROBLEM IN KILLING YOU NEXT!"
There was now a harsh silence between the two, the demon seething in enraged hatred and the dancer's heart almost stopping as it was shattered.
"Inuyasha…"
"Save it! I have a duel to win, so it's your move, Raphael!"
Another two cards drawn, and it was easy for the greatest of the DOOM Soldiers to see that the half-breed was losing what little was left of his self-control to the Sacred Seal. Already he was turning upon the ones he loved the most, and soon his very soul would be consumed by the power of the Seal. But until then, he would need to draw his final monster, his ultimate weapon.
Perfect. I already have one half of my finishing move, and this other card will help.
"Alright, Inuyasha, it's the beginning of the end for you! I'll start this move by activating a Magic card known as Graveyard Sanctification, which allows me to remove every Magic and Trap card in the graveyard from play, and also allows us both to draw one card, but I cannot attack during this turn. Also, every Magic and Trap card that is sent to the graveyard is removed from play as long as a Guardian exists on my side of the field at the same time as this card is in the graveyard. And I will then activate the card I just drew, Raigeki, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!" As he activated the single most powerful monster removal card in the game, a hail of thunder and lightning was hurled forth, incinerating every monster on Inuyasha's side of the field and leaving no trace of their existence. "I'll then place one card face down. That shall end my turn." All I need now is two more cards…
"Not bad, Raphael. But unfortunately for you I don't need those monsters to win this duel. I can defeat you right here, right now, and I have just drawn exactly the card to do it! I activate Swords of Revealing Light, which shall bind your attacks for three turns!" Once again a legion of divine blades coursed down from the heavens, preventing any movement from Raphael's monsters. "I will then summon a monster known as Assassin Viper to the field in attack mode, and it has an interesting effect, because if you do not attack this monster while it is in attack mode during your turn, you will lose 1500 life points during my standby phase. Normally I use this monster for defensive purposes, but I don't think that makes any difference now." Inuyasha's next monster was indeed a viper, but a translucent one with black fangs, red scales, and blanched, slitted eyes, which reflected the Seal as its effect was triggered. (200 500 700/1900 500 2400) "That should be enough for now, so I'll end my turn."Raphael drew again, and he was beginning to lose his nerve. He hadn't been able to draw the cards he needed so far. "I activate the Magic card, Infinite Cards, which negates any hand restrictions so long as it remains on the field. That will end my turn." I can't summon any other monsters yet, not until I draw her.
"This is a fallacy! Assassin Viper, please inflict the proper damage onto him."
As the standby phase went into effect, the Viper darted forward and clamped onto Raphael, pouring venom into his bloodstream before returning to his side of the field. (2100/2000)
"I'm not through with my turn yet. I summon Vorse Raider to the field in attack mode." Another beast soldier was called forth, this time the gruesome vampiric raider, and like all the monsters he obtained the seal. (1900 500 2400/1200 500 1700) "And from the looks of things, all I need to wipe out your monsters is some way to get rid of Iras. So in the meantime, I shall end my turn with one card face down."
Raphael drew again, and now saw his opportunity to crush the idiotic demon. "I activate the Magic card, Giant Trunade, which will return every Magic and Trap card on the field to the player's hand!"
But just as the storm began to pick up, the card Inuyasha had played last turn was triggered, preventing it from being absorbed as the others were.
"Reveal face down card, Threatening Roar, which shall prevent you from attacking my monsters during this turn!"
"Fine. I too shall place a card face down. Your move."
"Indeed it is, and remember that my Viper's still on the field!" Once again the snake bolted forward, draining even more life points. (2100/500) "And once again, I shall activate the Swords of Revealing Light!"
But as Inuyasha had feared, Raphael was one step ahead of him.
"Chain with Magic Jammer, which I shall use to negate the activation of your Swords!"
Just as the blades were about to trap Raphael, a cloud of Shadow Realm miasma roared up to meet and consume them. But the instant that Raphael saw the look upon the demon's face, he realized that he had played directly into his hands.
"Thank you very much, Raphael. By choosing to negate the power of the Swords of Revealing Light, you allowed me to win this duel, for now I can activate the Equip card known as Status Shuffle, which lets me treat the monster to which I equip it as an attack position monster, even if it is defense mode. So I think that I'll equip it to my Viper, and switch him to the defensive stance. And that will end my turn." Even as he said this, the viper coiled into a cylindrical state.
This is the price you pay for trying to murder me, Raphael, for when this duel is over I shall cut you down once and for all, and the Seal of Orichalcos shall remain in my deck, where it belongs.
Tea, unable to move beneath the Seal, was also unable to look away from the duel, unable to divert her gaze from the "man" she had fallen for and the monster he had become. It was unbelievable, and even now she could not understand what had possessed him to activate a card that was so blatantly corrupted; he should have known not to call upon it, so why did he do it? And more importantly, how would he turn out after the duel?Yes, he'll win the duel…but at what cost?
Raphael, of course, did not care about such trivial matters. If he was to win this, he would need to call upon the power and faith of his dueling deck, his monsters, and his own soul.
For Raphael had a rare and almost intangible gift: out of every DOOM Soldier, he alone could tap the Heart of the Cards.
"It's my move!" The final two cards, the defining draw. It all came down to this.
And as he looked upon these crucial cards, he realized his faith had been rewarded.
"Inuyasha, when I graciously handed you the Seal of Orichalcos, you were under the deluded impression that I was enough of a moron to hand you my most powerful card."
"And I was correct in that thought, I think."
Raphael, once again unphased at the dog's ignorance, allowed himself a harsh chuckle. "Actually, you're wrong. I've just drawn that card."
Inuyasha, not for the first time, got a look of violent bewilderment on his face. "What are you talking about? I stole your most powerful card!"
"Or so you think. But what you obviously don't seem to understand is that the most powerful card in any deck is that which you share a connection with, and I'm about to prove it!"
Tea, of course, remembered exactly what card he was talking about…and gasped in horror at the thought.
"Damn it, Raphael, get to the point!"
"I never said that my strongest card was a Magic card. No, it's something much deadlier than that! I equip Guardian Iras with the Holy Goddess Sword, so that I may summon without sacrifice…GUARDIAN EATOTSU!"
The moment Inuyasha heard those words, his blood became akin to glacial water, his face became blanched, and his arms hung loosely at his sides.
No…
The first harbinger of Raphael's strongest monster came not from the thin air, but rather descended to the world on a thunder stroke, from whence emerged a massive sword of indescribable power, with a hilt of gold and a blade with strength to bring down the heavens themselves.But it was not over, for Inuyasha knew what other creature was to follow it.
"Did you really think that you could defeat me with blind demolition and uncontrollable blood sacrifices?"
Without warning, a giant white eagle took to the skies from behind the Guardian duelist, sailing into the artificial clouds.
"Did you truly believe that you could disrespect your own comrades without consequence, or use multiples of restricted cards?"
That eagle, as it rose ever higher, changed form, becoming a solid beam of soul power.
"Well, you were wrong, Inuyasha, and I'm about to prove it."
From that beam erupted another bolt of lightning, a much stronger bolt than the previous one. It hurtled downwards, shrieking towards the ground, and in a great flash of holy light it slammed upon the earth.
The time for absolution was finished; Judgement Day had come.
And the medium for that final condemnation was a blonde angel who seemed to be garbed in the stylings of an early Native American tribeswoman, with a headress designed from the head of a massive eagle and wings so pure as to shame the gods above. Her eyes, unlike every other monster summoned in this duel, were content, peaceful, knowing of the world and all the secrets it held, but unrevealing of any of that knowledge. (2500/2000)
It's not possible. It's the same card Sesshomaru used to beat me…
"This is the end, Inuyasha. Because I had no monsters in my graveyard, I was allowed to summon Eatotsu, the guardian angel and the soul of my dueling deck, without having to spill my own monster's blood. And just as Eatotsu rewards my protection of my monsters, so does she punish the uncouth sacrifice of yours."
"You bastard…"
"Don't blame me, half-breed; I am just the messenger. You are the cause of your own destruction, you fell to the temptation of Orichalcos, you shed the blood of your own monsters, and now you shall pay with your soul! Eatotsu, activate your ability of Soul Absorption!"
With an air of grace and dignity, Eatotsu gingerly lifted her sword up on high, and called forth the energy of the souls lost before her, crying out to the dead, summoning them to cast sweet vengeance upon the master that had forsaken them.
Inuyasha could do nothing as every monster he had sent to the grave was drawn from his Duel Gauntlet, and without any Magic or Trap cards, his monster would consume them all.
"How dare you betray me? Return to me at once!"
"I'm sorry, dog demon, but it is you who betrayed them."
Within mere moments, Eatotsu had cleaned out the entirety of the cemetary, leaving Inuyasha without any monsters at all to revive…and the angel with the power he had sacrificed in spite. (44500/2000)
"No. I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN! I WON'T LOSE TO EATOTSU!"
But there was nothing to be done against the loss he had caused himself.
"Pray not to God, Inuyasha, for He shall not rescue you, and pray not to the Shikon no Tama, for it shall not empower you! The Orichalcos is now your past, present, and future, and it shall be your eternal prison as well! Guardian Eatotsu, attack Inuyasha's Vorse Raider with Final Blade of the Holy!"
With a shrill battle cry fueled by the justification of the gods, Eatotsu reared back, and slammed her blade into the wooden planks, allowing the spirit energy of every monster, including herself, to become a single wave of untainted might. Nothing could hope to stop it, and try as he might the Vorse Raider broke beneath the attack. So absolute was his destruction that not even a molecule was left, and his shadow was left burned upon the floor.
And the next target was Inuyasha, who could do nothing but stare at his oncoming doom.
As it began, so does it end, for by the powers of darkness did I come to this world, and by them shall I leave it.
With a violent denial of his defeat, the hanyou became overwhelmed by the attack and was sent sailing into the air, eyes locked onto the sun for what was to be the last time."NO! INUYASHA!"
But Tea's tearful yells meant nothing as he slammed into the barrier of the Orichalcos, and as Raphael looked coldly onto the scene he felt a strange sort of pride in their downfall.
It has begun again, Eatotsu. And this time, I shall not cast my lot with the sinners.
Indeed he would not cast his lot with the dog…for his soul was one with the Leviathan.Inuyasha had been defeated. (0/500)
To Be Continued
Whoa. Some serious dueling there.
Ok, next chapter ends the tag team and Kagome's duel, and continues the duels of Joey and Roger. Also, the Seal takes Inuyasha, Naraku overviews the tourney, Hiei outlines his next plan with Seebach, and Enzeru discovers some less than flattering things.
Ok, all Valkyries and Angels not belonging to the Anime are Time Mages, Throne of the Dragon is Matrixfighters, Eight-Legged Terror is Helldragons. The other originals are mine, but if I'm wrong, let me know.
Remember, Read and Review.