Author's Note: Now, it's Dalin's turn to rock!
Chapter Fourteen: In the Clouds
Cold. That was the first thing that came to Hikari's mind at all times. They were in the mountains of Tibet, heading up to find a secret monastery, and it was very cold. So cold in fact that she was pretty sure if she cried, the tears would dry in her eyes before dropping. 'How come I got the mission with the guy who never talks and where it's colder than a witch's tit?'
Up ahead of her, dressed in a heavy blue thermal jacket, much like hers, was Dalin. In the past five hours of searching he hadn't said a word, not even when they sat down to eat their rations. 'He's like a brick wall. Only it's harder to talk to him than it would be talk to a brick wall. What goes through his mind?'
Dalin paused for a moment, tilting his head back and forth as if looking for something. He held up a hand, motioning for her to stop. Gladly she did so, hoping that the rest would bring her back up to full. 'Now what?'
His goggled face seemed to be staring at something in the distance, something Hikari couldn't see. She idly considered that he was crazy, but knew that Dalin did this sort of weird thing all the time. He always seemed to know what he was doing, even if nobody else got it. 'I wonder what it's like being that guy.'
To her surprise Dalin jumped backwards, and the area he had been standing in suddenly blew apart, snow spraying into the air. "Dalin!"
Again he gestured for her to be still, and he continued to stare into the distance. Then he brought his right arm so his forearm was right next to his head, and she heard the sound of bone hitting bone as Dalin's feet slid slightly backwards in the snow.
Dalin swung his left fist in a powerful arc towards the area his right arm was pointed at, and Hikari gasped as the snow in that area was immediately stirred up, then the movement vanished. 'It's an invisible foe!'
She watched with trepidation as Dalin turned to his left and charged at impressive speeds, ducking his head at one moment and dropped to his hands, swinging a foot out. There was a sound from the area that went 'hup' and then Dalin pushed back onto his feet and was standing waiting again.
Dalin stood very still for a period of time that stretched into the minutes. Hikari began to wonder what either combatant was thinking, since neither seemed to be making a move. Of course she couldn't see the other fighter, so it was impossible to tell. "Dalin…what's happening?"
Immediately after she spoke Dalin snapped his arm out, his hand seeming to grab tight onto something. "Dealing with a pest. What is your business?"
Now that the warrior had been captured, Hikari could see what was there. Dalin had his hand wrapped around the throat of a figure dressed in an almost silvery material that seemed to blend into the area around them. "You were to be tested by order of the Master. We have tested the outer mettle, and it has proved strong."
Dalin released the warrior, who reached up and stripped his mask off. He was revealed as an Indian man, with no hair. "You are a monk of the Order of the Eye?"
"Indeed you are wise sir. The Master was correct about you, your wisdom and strength are vast. Please, follow me and I will take you to the monastery." Dalin gave the monk a brief bow and Hikari followed suit. Immediately the man started walking, and they followed.
Hikari walked up behind Dalin and looked him right in the eye. "How the heck do you do that sort of thing?"
He looked down at her with what she could have sworn was a smile. "Do what?"
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Dalin and Hikari walked through the halls of the monastery, their thermal jackets already having been taken away, leaving them in their normal clothes. Hikari wore blue jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt. Dalin on the other hand was dressed less warmly, wearing black cargo plants and a deep blue sleeveless t-shirt. 'He's crazy…'
All around them were monks partaking in various different activities. They saw some undergoing physical labor, hauling buckets of water by supporting them individually on their wrists. Hikari whistled, impressed by the feats of strength. 'These guys could give the Shaolin Monks a run for their money.'
Others were in seated positions, eyes closed and obviously meditating. But what shocked them most about some of the monks, was that they passed four of them engaging in a two on two duel. "Wow…monks dueling. Never thought I'd see that."
Their guide smiled, looking back at her in response. "Yes, the Master discovered the game long ago and suggested it as an exercise of focusing thought and body onto one goal. All the monks at this monastery are skilled at the game, some more so than others."
As they continued to walk, Hikari saw one of the monks point at one of the opposing players, and his Megarock Dragon(7500/0) shot straight towards the other monk. Immediately the partner triggered a set card, Negate Attack, to block it. 'They work well together.'
Once they were past that they stood right in front of a set of double doors. "Beyond these doors is the Master. You may both enter, but should you attempt anything sinister, know that the monks of this order will put you down."
Then, with one last lukewarm smile, he opened the doors, allowing them to enter. Dalin marched through without a pause, but Hikari watched their guide for a few seconds before moving on. 'I don't like how easy this is. Something doesn't feel right.'
She stopped when she realized that Dalin had stopped. The large man was looking at a small figure, seated cross legged on a cushion at the end of the room. "Lama, we come seeking your wisdom."
Guarded as the figure was by silken sheets that dropped down in front of him, it was hard to tell if the man was happy about being regarded with such honor. But they did hear a small chuckle. "Wisdom, such an antiquated term. I know nothing more than what is happening in the world, but I am seeking the righteous path to enlightment. I have to reach it. Please, call me Pema Khandro. I would be honored to grant my knowledge to you, the Sumatin."
Dalin didn't even blink at being addressed so, or the fact that this master monk knew his name. "Thank you for your kindness Pema Khandro. I would request to know the location of, or how to locate the being known as the Puppeteer."
"Ah, the Puppeteer. Such a crude name. Yes, I know how you may locate this being, however despite the fact that it is my honor to meet you, I cannot grant my knowledge so easily. Your outer mettle has been tested, but now I must test your inner mettle." Suddenly right in front of the area where the lama was sitting there appeared five giant brown-backed cards.
Hikari sighed, realizing exactly what this meant. The lama, Pema Khandro, wanted to test Dalin by dueling him before he could grant any knowledge. 'And this is where it stops being easy. Somehow I doubt this guy is going to be a wimp, but nobody can beat Dalin.' (PLP: 4000)
Dalin didn't even pause before raising his empty left arm above his head. It glowed for a second, and there was a flurry of feathers around it. When the light faded there was a duel disk that seemed formed of angel's feathers on his arm, and it was in activated position. "I accept this test. Duel!" (DLP: 4000)
The champion duelist drew six cards, his eyes looking over all of them with the same deadly focus he gave to anything. He looked up at his opponent, almost as if evaluating the strength that could be found there. "I see. Very well then, I will fight in truth."
"Mercury, Angel of Wisdom(0/1700) in defense mode!" Crouching on Dalin's field, with blue wings wrapped around it protectively, was a blue skinned angel in blue robes. Held tight in the crook of Mercury's left arm was a tablet of some sort.
'I haven't seen Dalin play that monster in a long time. But I guess it's always there. What sort of strategy does he have in mind involving it?' Hikari watched passively, knowing that no opponent could beat Dalin. She just had to wait, as it was only a matter of time.
"Set two cards. Turn end." Two cards appeared behind Mercury. Then a sixth card appeared in front of Pema Khandro. It was time for the lama to begin his turn.
Pema Khandro seemed to focus on one of the cards in particular, and it flipped around, showing its image to Dalin and Hikari. "Monk's Oath lets me add one monster from my deck or cemetery to my hand that has 'monk' in its title."
Immediately that card vanished and then was replaced by another card facing Pema. But it twisted around just like the previous one, and a tall man in monk's robes now stood crouched on Pema's field. "Summon Monk(800/1400) in defense mode. Summon Monk cannot be sacrificed."
Hikari was a bit surprised by the move, mostly because she hadn't been expecting monks to do battle with angels. "Dalin, if this monster can't be sacrificed, then why is it called 'summon monk'?"
"During each of Pema's turns the Summon Monk will let Pema special summon one level four or lower monster from his deck to the field." Even as he spoke another form was appearing on Pema's field. This one was an angel in armor, holding a long rifle in one hand.
"I special summon Seraphim Gunner(1800/1200). Seraphim Gunner gains three hundred attack and defense points for every angel in play, so thanks to Mercury it has twenty-one hundred attack points." Hikari grimaced, surprised that the monk had gotten a powerful monster out so easily, one that benefited from Dalin's own monsters. Of course Dalin didn't seem worried.
"Seraphim Gunner, Holy Shot!" The angel raised its weapon, took aim, and fired. A shining bullet erupted from the end of the rifle, heading directly at Mercury's forehead. If it hit then the monster would be blown away.
"Reverse card open! Draining Shield negates the attack and adds Seraphim Gunner's attack to my life points." A glowing wall covered Mercury, and the bullet was absorbed by it. Immediately Dalin's life point counter rose. (DLP: 6100)
"One card face down. End turn." One of the remaining five cards flickered, disappeared, and then reappeared as a card face down behind Seraphim Gunner. Two monsters, one quite powerful, and Pema still had four cards in hand. Hikari had to admit that she was impressed.
Dalin drew, his eyes going straight to the hidden monk's eyes. Once again Hikari got the feeling that Dalin was evaluating the situation. 'Okay, I know he's up to something. I can see it in his eyes.'
"I activate Song of Angels. If I have an angel on the field, this card raises my life points by fifteen hundred." Mercury raised its head and began singing, the sound literally heavenly. Hikari felt her entire body relax as she was serenaded by that sound. (DLP: 7600)
Finally the song ended, and Hikari was left disappointed. On the other hand she was pretty happy with the results. 'It's only his second turn and Dalin already has nearly double his starting life points. All he needs now is Saturn and Sanctuary in the Sky and he's got the win.'
The angel duelist selected another card from his hand and placed it into one of his open slots. It materialized next to his other set card, one to each side of Mercury. "End."
Yet another card formed in front of Pema Khandro, who appeared just as calm as Dalin. Immediately Pema's Summon Monk started glowing. "Summon Monk's effect now activates. I special summon Seraphim Sabre(1600/1500) in attack mode."
Another armored angel, this one holding a sword in his right hand, now stood on her field. "With a total of two other angels in play both of my Seraphims gains six hundred attack points."
The power of each of the monsters raised accordingly. Seraphim Sabre raises to twenty-two hundred while Seraphim Gunner went up to twenty-four hundred. Hikari grimaced, realizing the trouble. 'In just a few turns she's got two monsters with attack power that would make them equal to most level six monsters. Not good.'
Pema gestured with his left hand to Seraphim Gunner, and the angelic monster shouldered his rifle and took aim at Mercury. "Seraphim Gunner will once again attempt to destroy Mercury. Attack with Holy Shot!"
The holy bullet erupted from the muzzle of the rifle, the bullet careening for Mercury's skull once more, intent on dealing deadly damage. "Reveal trap card, Energy Absorption! This trap card negates your attack!"
A line of red light shot out of Dalin's now face up trap card and the bullet was vaporized completely. Dalin snapped his fingers and the red line arched around and slammed into his duel disk. "Next I gain life points equal to half your monster's attack." (DLP: 8800)
Pema Khandro snapped his fingers and Seraphim Sabre raises his sword, wings outspread for an attack. "Seraphim Sabre will take up the job and destroy Mercury!"
Dalin raised one hand, palm out, and Seraphim Sabre richoted backwards, barely managing to stop before hitting Pema. "You didn't let me finish. The final aspect of Energy Absorption is that it ends the battle phase."
Pema bowed his head briefly, accepting this knowledge. "Very well then, I apologize for my impatience. Will you be activating any further cards?"
"No, that was my only chain. You are free to make whatever play you desire." The lama bowed again then pointed to one of the floating cards in front of him. It shimmered and appeared face down in front of him.
"One card set. Turn end." Hikari whistled, impressed by the lama's performance once again. He had created such a deadly force, and at the same time he still kept his hand at four cards. That was brilliant resource management.
While Dalin was drawing, Hikari couldn't help but wonder exactly what sort of opponent Pema Khandro was. 'He seems to be really powerful, but so far all he's done is swarm the field and manage his resources well. Is he holding back, or preparing something?'
Next she looked over to Dalin, who appeared to be thinking his turn through. 'This is really weird. Dalin's only got that one weak angel in play, and a single set card. He's defended himself perfectly, and he's got a huge number of life points, but it seems odd that he's being so totally defensive. Is he planning something as well?'
If they both were, then she could only come to one conclusion. The winner of the duel was the one that was capable of planning the farthest ahead, and countering the opponent's moves before hand. 'This is…if I'm right then this is like watching a chess game. And Dalin has memorized all the moves in the playbook.'
With the three cards he was holding and the two cards on his field, Dalin appeared perfectly confident. "Allow me to begin by placing one card face down on my field."
Another card appeared next to the card he had placed on his first turn. The newest card was replacing first his Draining Shield, and then his Energy Absorption. 'As far as I know those were some of Dalin's best traps. He used them so early though.'
"Next I summon a monk of my own. A monk who wishes to ascend to have. I summon Ascending Man(500/1200) in defense mode." A man in brown monk's robes now was sitting cross-legged on Dalin's field. Little white wings extended out from his back, nothing enough to give him lift.
Pema chuckled slightly at the sight of this monster. "Two different types of monks, that we are. The western monk and the eastern. Sadly there will be no theological discussion between these monks, only battle."
Dalin smiled that very slight smile he used, one that made you wonder if he was being sincere or not. A smile of confidence, and slight amusement. "Yes, that is a true pity. In fact, I can guarantee there will be battle with this monk of the west."
He held up the final card he had been holding. The card was obviously a magic card based on the color, and it showed an angel stepping in between a warrior and a peasant, taking a blade to the chest. "Magic card activates. Angel's Martyrdom. Until the standby phase of my next turn, I choose the target of all attacks on angels."
Hikari blinked, trying to figure out the meaning behind this play. 'I'm not sure I get it. Why play that card at all? I mean, it's not like there are a lot of choices for monsters to be attacked.'
The angel duelist gave a brief nod to his opponent, indicating that his turn was done. In response a brand new card appeared amongst the four others floating in front of Pema. "My turn. Draw."
Summon Monk started glowing just like it had the past few turns. "Special effect activates. Summon Monk now lets me special summon Seraphim Guardna(1000/2000)!"
Another armored angel, this one holding a massive steel shield, now stood on Pema's field, greatly outnumbering the two angels on Dalin's field. "Now, since there are a total of five angels in play, each of my Seraphims gains twelve hundred attack and defense points."
Each of the three Seraphims started to glow with an inner light, the light linking together with all the other angels in play including Dalin's two monsters. Hikari looked on in awe as the attack scores of the monsters changed. 'Dalin…he's only increased the power of his enemy!'
Seraphim Guardna raised its shield into the air, proudly displaying an attack score of twenty-two hundred. Seraphim Sabre held its blade up high, its attack points standing at a deadly twenty-eight hundred. Last but not least, Seraphim Gunner showed off a mighty three thousand attack. "My Seraphims' power up is complete."
"Quite impressive, I must admit. You have the perfect weapon to use against my deck, now don't you?" Dalin gave that minimal smile again, and in return Pema chuckled. Hikari just nibbled on her bottom lip, now feeling quite nervous.
'I know Dalin is the best duelist in the world, but he still seems too calm. His own monsters are boosting the strength of Pema's monsters, so putting up a defensive wall only gives the enemy more strength. How do you get around something like that?' She clenched her fists, slightly annoyed that she was the only one nervous.
Pema pointed to Mercury, and Seraphim Guardna's shield started to glow brightly. "Seraphim Guardna will attack and destroy Mercury. Heaven's Shield!"
A blast of bright energy shot out of the shield, shooting straight for Mercury. However, to Hikari's great surprise the Ascending Man jumped in the path of the beam and was blown to pieces. "Just as it should be, the monk takes the fatal blow intended for his comrade."
"Yes, that is the true way of the monk. So you played Angel's Martyrdom so Ascending Man could intercept the attack? What was the reasoning for that?" Dalin held his hand out next to his deck in response, which started scanning his cards.
"When Ascending Man is destroyed in battle I may take one other Ascending Man from my deck and summon or set him on the field." The card popped out of his deck and he slapped it down on the duel plate, causing a new Ascending Man to appear.
Then, all of a sudden, light burst out of Dalin's graveyard to surround him. Dalin looked on calmly as his life points increased. "Also, when an Ascending Man is destroyed in battle I gain an additional five hundred life points." (DLP: 9300)
Pema laughed outright, sounding quite happy with the development. "Ah! Your play becomes clear to me at last. Truly impressive. Very well, I shall follow your directive and attack with Heaven's Blade!"
Seraphim Sabre launched itself at the next Ascending Man, its holy blade slashing apart the monk with great ease. However, seconds later it was replaced by another monk. As well as that, energy flowed from Dalin's grave to his duel disk. "The final Ascending Man appears." (DLP: 9800)
"I will destroy the final one, just as you wanted. Holy Shot!" The heavenly bullet tore into Ascending Man's chest, causing him to shatter into pixels. Since there were no more Ascending Men in Dalin's deck, all that happened was his life points went up. (DLP: 10300)
Hikari blinked, surprised at what she had seen. Despite the fact that Pema had known what would happen when an Ascending Man was destroyed he still continued to attack. "Wait, why continue to attack the Ascending Men when all you could do was help Dalin?"
Pema began to explain immediately. "It is simple. During his turn Sumatin played Angel's Martyrdom, allowing him to choose the targets of battle. With only three monsters worth attacking on my field in my turn, I could only attack his Ascending Men, whether by my choice or his. I chose to allow it to be my choice rather than be forced into an action."
Her eyes went wide, seeing how well Dalin had thought the move through. He had seen ahead of time that Pema would summon another Seraphim with great attack power, but wouldn't attack with Summon Monk. That let him set up the three monster barrier of Ascending Man to weather the assault and gain life points. 'Chalk another one up to Dalin.'
Dalin coughed slightly, bringing attention back to the duel. When their focus was back where it should be he pointed to one of his two set cards, which flipped up. "I activate the trap card Life Pulse. When activated this card goes to the graveyard."
The card faded away, and he took it off his duel disk and slid it into the cemetery slot. "As long as this card is in the cemetery I gain five hundred life points for every card I draw outside of the draw phase."
"Clever Sumatin, you continue to prove yourself. Let your turn begin, for mine is over." Pema had ended the turn with a high number of cards in hand, just as before, while Dalin had no cards in his hand. That didn't look good to Hikari.
Dalin drew, then Mercury began to glow a deep blue color. "During my standby phase, if Mercury is in play and I had zero cards during the opponent's end phase, I may draw an additional card." Once again he drew.
As soon as he slid that second card off the top of his deck his graveyard started glowing, and his life point counter went up. "Thanks to Life Pulse and Mercury I now gain five hundred life points." (DLP: 10800)
The angel duelist looked over his two new cards before selecting one and placing it down on his duel disk. Immediately another blue skinned angel appeared, this one looking fiercer than Mercury. "Pluto, Angel of Weakening(1500/0) is summoned."
Instantly bindings of light shot between it and the Seraphims, their attack points boosting up. "The presence of this new angel in place of Ascending Man restores each of my Seraphims up to their previous levels of attack held last turn."
"Yes, your Seraphim are truly powerful. However, your Summon Monk is as weak as ever. Pluto, attack Summon Monk with Radiance Flicker!" Pulse waves of energy shot out of Pluto's outstretched hands, aimed directly at Summon Monk.
Hikari bit her lip, hoping the attack made it through. 'If Summon Monk is destroyed then Pema won't be able to swarm the field anymore. That'll give Dalin a chance to recover and fight back!'
However, not everything works out perfectly. One of Pema's two face down cards flipped up in reaction. "Trap card activates, Absolute End! This forces all attacks on me this turn to be direct attacks."
The waves of energy bypasses Summon Monk completely and struck Pema behind his curtains. However, a strange barrier of light appeared around him. "It is time you witness something Sumatin. The power of a truly strong foe. Duel Presence!" (PLP: 2500)
Suddenly the barrier that had surrounded Pema vanished and then reformed around Dalin. He looked at it in speculation, but before he could ask a question lightning shot from the barrier and into Dalin's body, making him convulse. Hikari watched in horror. "How can you do that?" (DLP: 9300)
Pema's voice was utterly calm as he replied. "That is my Duel Presence. Whenever I take direct damage from battle an equivalent amount of damage is dealt to the opponent. So since he damaged me, he faced the consequences."
The lightning strikes ended, and the barrier lifted. Dalin was left slightly scorched, but nevertheless appeared primarily unharmed. "Duel Presence? Very impressive ability. I assume it is an ability manifest purely by your own strength, and not by a card."
"Correct. Now, in concordance with the damage I have taken I will now activate the continuous trap card Healing Meditation. Whenever I take life point damage I can five hundred life points for every increment of one thousand involved. So I gain five hundred life points." His trap card pulsed, and then his life points went up. (PLP: 3000)
Dalin didn't seem deterred at all. "Despite this impressive ability you call a Duel Presence, the simple fact is that should I continue to attack directly I will win. I have three thousand life points to spare, you do not."
"Perhaps, but we still have much of a duel left to go. Continue your turn and we will see what happens from here." Dalin nodded, and then tucked his final card into the duel disk. Again he had two cards set and two monsters to defend himself with.
Another card appeared next to his previous ones, giving Pema a total of six, a full hand of cards. "Summon Monk, since it has survived, will fill my final monster zone. I special summon Seraphim Gunblader(1900/1200)!"
Another Seraphim, an angel in holy armor, took the field. This one had a long barreled gun in one hand, and a short sword in the other, obvious of his name. "Seraphim Gunblader shares the same effect as his brethren. Now, let them join their powers together!"
Each of the Seraphim's attack power rose, until they were all stronger than ever. Gunblader with thirty-four hundred, Gunner with thirty-three hundred, Sabre with thirty-one hundred, and Guardna with 2500. 'So strong…'
"Now, in order to make way for more monsters, I play Ever Presence. This removes one monster on the field from the game, but keeps its effect in play. I remove Summon Monk from play!" The monk faded away, but appeared above the field, meditating.
Pema pointed to another of the cards floating in front of him, and it flipped around, moving forwards so that it was on the field. It was a magic card with the infinity sign at the top, indicating that it was a continuous magic card. "Activate permanent magic card, Sacrificing the Self."
Dalin nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I see. Your continuous magic card makes all attacks on you direct attacks. You perhaps intend to drain my life points with your Duel Presence?"
"Perhaps. But now, to continue with my attack. Seraphim Guardna(2500/3500), attack Mercury with Heaven's Shield!" Just like before the seraphim fired a blast of energy from its shield. The holy energy raced directly for the angel, ready to strike it down.
Seconds before impact a shining wall of light sprang up in front of Mercury and Pluto. The energy struck it and fizzled out. "The quick-play magic card Light Barrier prevents me from being attacked by monsters during this turn."
"Very well, if I can't deal any further damage this turn, I must end. But first, one card face down." One of his four remaining cards faded away, placed on the field in front of him. With just three cards left in his hand, his turn was over.
Dalin drew, and then Mercury's body started glowing, just as the cemetery did as well. "Once again since there were no cards in my hand during your hand phase Mercury lets me draw an additional card during my standby phase." (DLP: 9800)
He held up the two cards he was holding just for emphasis. Then he selected one and placed it on the plate of his angelic duel disk. "I summon Uranus, Angel of Good Will(1800/0) in attack mode."
The yellow skin angel appeared, standing next to Pluto. "Now, because of Sacrificing the Self I now attack directly with Pluto and Uranus!"
Two waves of energy, one blue and the other yellow, shot past all of the seraphim on Pema's field and struck the lama, crashing against his barrier. "The effect of both my Duel Presence and Healing Meditation increases my life points and damages you." (PLP: 1200)
Energy formed around Dalin and started shocking him. This time however he stood completely still, his face a mask of utter calm. He was standing there like nothing was happening to him at all, and Hikari couldn't believe it. 'He's getting fried and he's perfectly fine.'
When the lightning stopped, Dalin brushed dust off his sleeveless shirt, and then look back up at Pema. "Your Duel Presence is useful, but against me it won't help. It isn't merely that I have far more life points than you, but rather something more." (DLP: 6500)
The lama laughed with glee at Dalin's confidence. "Yes, I can truly see that you are far above normal men. However, I am no normal man either. Reveal quick-play magic card, Ascetic's Enlightenment! Because I took over three thousand direct damage, I draw four cards!"
Four cards appeared next to the three he previously had, giving him a total of seven. Neither duelist blinked, or made any sound for several seconds. Finally Dalin held up his other drawn card, and then slid it into his duel disk. "End turn."
An eight card formed next to the others, and then just like all the turns previous the Summon Monk started to glow. The only difference was that this time it wasn't in play. "Summon Monk now lets me special summon Seraphim Gunslinger(1700/1200) who shares his family's effect."
Massive rings of energy surged between the five Seraphim and the three angels on Dalin's field. The power was so great that the five Seraphim were now glowing with an intense inner light. "Reveal the power of Seraphim Guardna(3100/4100), Seraphim Sabre(3700/3600), Seraphim Gunslinger(3800/3300), Seraphim Gunner(3900/3500), and Seraphim Gunblader(4000/3300)!"
Under the same circumstances that Dalin was facing, Hikari knew she wouldn't be calm. She would be worried about her chances of survival, since every monster the opponent had was stronger than a Blue Eyes. 'Yet Dalin is just as calm as ever. I wish I could do that.'
Seraphim Guardna raised its shield and leveled it at Uranus. "I will begin with your newest and strongest monster. Seraphim Guardna, strike Uranus down with your Heaven's Shield!" The bolt of energy fired out, intent on burning Uranus to ash.
Hikari waited expectantly, but she was caught off guard when the blast of holy power hit Uranus in the chest and blew him to pieces. "Dalin!" The sound of Dalin's life points trickling down was a shock to her, as this was the first time in the duel he had lost life points from battle. (DLP: 5200)
Seconds later Seraphim Sabre raised its sword and launched itself at Pluto. "Seraphim Sabre, eliminate Pluto with your Holy Blade Strike!" As it headed for Pluto, the blue skinned angel and its other blue skinned companion were staring at the spot where Uranus had stood.
Suddenly Pluto and Mercury began to sing, their heavenly voices reaching peaks that normal singers could never hope to touch. Seraphim Sabre slid to a stop, closing his eyes and tilting his head down. Pema couldn't help but be confused. "What's going on?"
As he watched each of his other Seraphim also dropped their heads down, lowering their weapons as well. Dalin calmly motioned with his right hand to one of his set cards, which was now face up. "Song for the Lost Angel activates when an angel is destroyed. It immediately ends the battle phase."
Pema sighed at having his assault once again thwarted. "Truly you are impressive. But such a defense is merely one time. What more can be done? There are only so many ways of defending your life points in your deck, and sooner or later you will run out."
"Perhaps, but perhaps not. Perhaps if I too have an army of angels then I can gain what I need to put an end to your army. So, I activate Army of Heaven! This card requires I sacrifice one angel in play, and I choose Pluto!" The blue skinned angel shattered, and four points of light descended from above, landing around Mercury.
"Now I may fill up my open zones with copies of one angel I have in play, effect included. So, with that effect, I gain four more Mercury, Angel of Wisdoms(0/1700 X5)!" The balls of light unfolded, revealing themselves as Mercury, each of them. Now Dalin had a grand total of five of the monsters in play.
Pema smiled behind the veil of cloth, truly impressed by the maneuver. He wasn't the only one, because Hikari couldn't help but jump for joy at the sight of the five angels. "I set three cards face down. That is all."
Three of his eight cards moved forwards until they were floating face down above the ground. It seemed odd, but he still had five cards in his hand despite that, once again showing his power. "Tell me Sumatin, what do you intend to do with this army of yours?"
The angel duelist paused, two fingers on the top card of his deck. He looked up at Pema, his eyes hard as diamonds, and the corner of his lips tilted up. "I intend to unleash the wrath of heaven upon you."
Then he drew.
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Author's Notes: I would have had this posted a bit earlier, but I chose to have a duel with a friend, and then go eat pizza and watch Reservoir Dogs which was fun. So, there you have it.
Next Time: Dalin is prepared to unleash his strength against Pema Khandro, while everyone else is busy in their respective missions. But the only one unaware of these missions is Kirani. She returns to the apartment she shared with Drake to find something, but instead must confront her past.
See it all in, The Family Secret!
Review Response
Darksoulkai: Knowing those two as I do, I can probably say that our visions would clash if we tried to write a fic together. However, if we did gather our wits about us and truly devise a story it would rock the very foundations of Or something like that.
Time Mage: I can only answer one of those questions for you at this time. To the first conspiracy theory. Yes, the book written was the Millennium Spellbook.
WolfGeneral: I considered the 'Yamidra' type thing, but the urge to have a gold duel disk was too strong. I failed to resist temptation…
Black Death X: The Dark Spirit? Why you'll just have to wait and see.
G.O.T. Nick: Yep, he's also quite confident in here.