Author's Note: Back to Kirani again. Wow…yet another chapter.
Chapter Seventeen: All-Seeing Eye
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.
Seconds later he picked up five more cards off the top of his deck and fanned them out with his one other card, giving him six in hand. "The effect of each Mercury lets me draw a total of five cards." (DLP: 7700)
He looked over the drawn cards and then held up one of them. "Angel's Feather Duster works when I have an angel in play. It destroys all of the opponent's magic and trap cards." Pema's three face down cards were immediately blown apart by a flurry of wind.
Next Dalin considered his remaining options and then placed one of his drawn cards into his duel, causing it to appear face down in front of him. "One card set. Now, activate magic card Gambit of Knowledge. I remove my hand from play for three turns, on the third turn I get them back and draw an equal number from my deck."
He slid the three cards into his back pocket, once again dropping his hand size to zero cards. Pema smiled, hidden by the curtains. 'He's quite impressive. But I'll have to eliminate his monsters or risk him drawing a greater force.'
Pema snapped his fingers, and a new card appeared next to his others, giving him six cards much like Dalin had. "All of my Seraphims will attack your angels. My army is the stronger, so it shall succeed."
A flurry of attacks and the five blue skinned angels were nothing but feathers in the wind. The stronger angels stood victorious, hardly bothered that they had just slain their own brethren. "Now, I set two cards face down and end my turn."
Dalin snapped his own fingers, and his set card revealed itself. "Return to Heaven activates during the end phase of a turn. It returns all angels that went to the cemetery that turn to the field."
Pema was calm, despite the fact that Dalin had just easily undone his efforts from his turn. Once again the angel duelist have five of his Mercury angels in play, meaning he would be drawing. "I draw."
He drew once, and then drew five more times, each time getting energy pulsed into his duel disk from the cemetery. "Life Pulse has granted me an additional twenty-five hundred life points." (DLP: 10200)
Dalin scanned the cards he had, and then made a broad sweeping gesture to include all of his monsters. "I switch all of my monsters into attack mode." His five angels stood up, their tablets still held in their arms. They had nothing else that might act as a weapon.
Hikari blinked, not quite sure what to think of that. "Dalin…ummm…you do realize that Pema's weakest monster has thirty-seven hundred attack points, and that all of your monsters have zero attack points…right?"
The angel duelist turned and offered her one of his meager but still existent smiles. "Of course I know, I'm counting on it. Otherwise this next move wouldn't be as effective. Reins of Power! All monsters on your field switch, so long as we have an equal number of monsters in play!"
Even Pema was surprised when the field flickered, and suddenly the five Mercuries were on Pema's field and the five Seraphims on Dalin's. "Seraphims, attack the other angels!"
Five separate attacks were launched, and each of the blue skinned angels were blown away. But to Hikari's surprise there was no sound of life points falling. She couldn't help but ask. "Why are your life points still intact?"
"Before his attacks connected I activated Hallowed Life Barrier, which prevents me from taking life point damage this turn, provided I discard one card. I have done so, so there was no damage to me." Just as he said, one of his face downs was no longer there, was well as one of his floating cards being gone.
Since no damage had been done Dalin didn't waste any time in playing his next card. "Angelic Burst lets me sacrifice any number of angels I have in play to gain seven hundred life points for each. I offer up all five Seraphims."
The five monsters changed in appearance, turning into balls of light that hovered around Dalin. One by one they flew into his duel disk, replenishing his life points up to an impressive amount. "I believe that is sufficient." (DLP: 13700)
Pema smiled as Hikari scratched her head in confusion once again. "Yeah, now I'm confused again. You had all those powerful monsters but you gave them up just for life points you didn't really need. What's the deal?"
"At the end of the turn in which Reins of Power is played, all monsters return to their owners. Which means I would have had no monsters and he would have had five. So I put his monsters to good use." She nodded, understanding the play now that he had explained.
Turning back to the duel Dalin selected one of his remaining four cards and tossed it down onto the field. "Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0) in attack mode." Hikari recognized this angel, and knew its effect as well, so she felt relaxed.
Dalin didn't even pause before clenching his right fist tight. "I activate Neptune's effect. I pay a total of fifty-five hundred life points to shuffle all of the angel related cards in my cemetery back into my deck." (DLP: 8200)
Eleven cards ejected from his cemetery and he shuffled them into his deck. It all happened with that blinding speed of shuffle that Dalin had, which never ceased to amaze her. He was huge, but he was also very fast and very nimble. "Set a card. Turn end."
A brand new card appeared amongst Pema's card, and then the lama began to laugh. "Truly Sumatin you are a most impressive man, and far more than impressive as a duelist. You have past the first aspect of the second test. You have defeated a power akin to your own, a power that draws off of your own strength."
Hikari gasped, seeing what he meant. 'So this go was just using those Seraphims to test Dalin by seeing if he could win even if his own monsters strengthened the opponent! So…what's his real strategy?'
Up above them the Summon Monk started glowing. "Summon Monk's special ability activates. Now I special summon Red Gadget(1300/500) from my deck to the field in attack mode."
A red robot appeared, a gear shifting on its back. "When summoned this monster lets me add a Yellow Gadget from my deck to my hand." Another card appeared amongst those he had already.
"I normal summon Yellow Gadget(1200/1200) whose effects adds a Greed Gadget to my hand." His summoned card was replaced by a new card, even as a yellow robot similar to the first robot was brought out into the field.
Seconds later one of the remaining cards in Pema's hand turned around, giving them a good view of it. The card showed a set of three identical figurines on a shelf together. "Magic card activates! Complete the Set works when I have two monsters of a three monster combination, the final monster is summoned!"
The card he had brought to his hand spun around and a green robot appeared next to the other two robots. "Green Gadget(1400/600) in attack mode completes the set of gadgets. For the moment that is."
Hikari couldn't but help wonder exactly what was going on. 'Okay, what's going on here? First angels, and now machines? What the heck is this guy's strategy? It doesn't make any sense!'
Yet another of the cards that Pema had flipped around, showing a tornado with a lightning bolt in the center. A magic card that Hikari easily recognized. "Cyclone destroys your face down card, allowing Neptune to be vulnerable to attack."
Wordlessly Dalin complied, sliding his set card into his graveyard. Now all he had was one monster against three, but Hikari wasn't worried. After all, all of those three monsters were weaker than Neptune. 'What a pointless play.'
Dalin nodded with his head towards Pema's set card. "I assume you're going to activate that now and complete your four card combination."
Pema nodded and pointed to the set card. To Hikari's surprise a giant white robot emerged from the trap card, towering above the others. "Upon activation the trap card Mobile Fortress Stronghold(0/2000) becomes a monster."
Hikari opened her mouth to ask the obvious question, but Pema beat her to the punch, knowing what she would ask. "While these three monsters are in play with it, Mobile Fortress Stronghold's attack is set at three thousand."
She groaned, realizing that Dalin was now severely outmatched by his opponent's fire power. This wasn't going to be pretty. 'Okay, so there's a point to those monsters, but his deck still doesn't make sense.'
"Mobile Fortress Stronghold, destroy Neptune!" The beastly machine launched a fist out, spearing into Neptune. The angel held for just a second, and then was blown to pieces by the powerful strike. An then Dalin's life points fell. (DLP: 6900)
The angel duelist stood strong, even though he was about to receive three direct attacks and he knew it. "Continue your assault Pema. To stop know would not be befitting one such as yourself."
"Yes, I understand. Red Gadget, Yellow Gadget, Green Gadget, attack Sumatin directly! Triple Gadget Crash!" The three robots jumped straight at Dalin, their metallic bodies crashing into him. He was driven to the ground, and then the robots retreated. (DLP: 3000)
Dalin let out a deep breath, and then stood back to his full height as if nothing had happened. "Well played Pema. You are truly a duelist worth facing. Perhaps when this is all over we can duel again."
Pema laughed lightly, his voice filled with happiness and honesty as he spoke. "Yes, I would like that very much as well. Truly a pity that we will never see each other again."
To this Dalin didn't respond, instead it was Hikari who asked. "Wait, what do you mean you two will never meet again? What's going to happen?"
The lama seemed happy, despite the strange news. "Oh, it's quite simple. Once you have left myself and the rest of the monastery will be slaughtered. We will be dead before the end of the day."
"That's…how is that possible? You can't know that!" Dalin shot her a look that told her to drop it. But in this case she couldn't just drop it, not when a man that had been kind to them was announcing that he and all of his companions would be dead in a handful of hours.
"I have mastered The All-Seeing Eye, a method of meditation that allows me to see everything occurring around the planet. It also allows me to see the direct future of those closest in heart to me, namely myself and my order. Sometimes it can be a curse, as much as it is a blessing." He sighed, but then he laughed again, happy about something.
"I don't understand this at all. If you and everyone you know are going to die before the day is done and you know it, why can't you do something about it? If Dalin and I stay, maybe we can help you!" Pema shook his head, still almost amused by her attitude.
"There is nothing that can be done. You two must depart immediately once you have learned what you need to learn, or else risk losing your one chance. If you do not move with all haste then the world is doomed. I and my brethren are prepared for our fate, we do not grieve for ourselves, so please, do not grieve for us." His smile was a sad one, but still there.
"I don't understand how you can be happy about the fact that you're all going to do. It just…it doesn't make sense at all!" She felt her blood practically boiling. The mere thought that somebody would slaughter these people, and that they'd be happy about it…it sent a chill down her spine.
"We have accepted our fate, and know that we must enjoy the here and now. That is why I will enjoy this wonderful duel to its fullest. It will be my final duel and I wish it to be a spectacular one." Hikari opened her mouth to speak again, but was forestalled when Dalin raised his hand.
"Hikari, please, stop. Pema Khandro, I understand your feelings. I will respect your choice, and I will duel you with all of my strength. I will give you a parting duel worthy of your strength. Though we may never cross paths again, I will remember this duel always. Now, let us continue!" The two duelists exchanged determined looks, and then it was back on.
"Thank you Sumatin. I set one magic or trap card face down on the field. This will act as a buffer. That will end my turn. Please, take your turn Sumatin." Dalin nodded and reached for his duel disk to draw.
He drew, and then looked at his three cards, formulating a plan. "I set a monster in defense mode and one card face down. Then I play Treasure of Heaven." The card glowed, and each of them started their drawing.
Thanks to Treasure of Heaven they each drew until they held six cards. For Pema that was a total of five cards, while for Dalin it was the full six. "Since I have drawn six cards outside of my draw phase, Life Pulse increases my life points by three thousand." (DLP: 6000)
He scanned the drawn cards, and then slipped one of his new cards into his duel disk. "Set one card down. End turn."
Pema gained a new card to go along with the six others he had. And then, just like in all of his other turns, the Summon Monk above started glowing. "Summon Monk now special summon Blue Gadget(1800/900) to the field."
A blue robot much like the other three now stood on the field. "When Blue Gadget is in play the Mobile Fortress Stronghold gains 500 attack points. Also, since summoned I get to add a 'Black Gadget' to my hand."
A card replaced the summoned monster, and then moved out onto the field. "I normal summon Black Gadget(1600/1100) who does not count towards my total monsters while Mobile Fortress Stronghold is in play. In addition the fortress now gains an extra one thousand attack."
Mobile Fortress Stronghold powered up to forty-five hundred, equal to a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon as a new black robot was summoned, giving Pema a total of six monsters. "Black Gadget also adds a 'White Gadget' to my hand from my deck."
After the new card went into Pema's hand, one of the previous cards spun around. "Gadget Defense places a counter on Mobile Fortress Stronghold that once lets it survive something that would destroy it."
Hikari blinked, not quite sure what to make of that. At forty-five hundred attack it hardly had to be worried about being beaten in battle. 'Wait a second…it's not just a monster…it's a trap card!'
Just as she figured it out, another of Pema's cards whirled about. "Heavy Storm now destroys all magic and trap cards in play. The counter on Mobile Fortress Stronghold is removed to keep it in play."
The two cards on Dalin's field were shattered by a heavy wind, leaving him with just his set monster. On the other hand he didn't seem bothered, and was drawing a card already. "One of the two cards destroyed was Repayment of Losses."
"Ah, I see. Now you gain five hundred life points for drawing." Dalin nodded just as energy flowed out of his cemetery and into his duel disk. He was already being powered up, almost as if in preparation for the coming assault. (DLP: 6500)
"Red Gadget, attack the set monster!" It hurled its body at the set monster, blasting it apart. Suddenly it seemed to reform, becoming a man in monk's robes with full angel's wings extending out of its back.
"You destroyed Ascended Man(1200/500). When this monster goes to the cemetery I draw one card and special summon another from my deck. Also, Life Pulse increases my life points." He drew and his life points went up, and Hikari realized that it was in fact preparation for the coming attack. (DLP: 7000)
"Very well. Yellow Gadget, destroy the next Ascended Man." This time it was the yellow robot that attacked, also blasting apart the defending angel. And just like before it reformed as the third and final one was summoned.
"Again I special summon and draw, and again I gain life points. Please, continue." Just as always Dalin was utterly calm, even though the situation was hardly a positive one. In fact, Hikari wondered how he was going to survive this turn at all. (DLP: 7500)
"Green Gadget, destroy the final Ascended Man and clear the field." The green robot rolled into a ball of spun across the field, crashing into Ascended Man. It was able to defend for a bare moment before being ripped into holographic pixels.
"I draw one card as per the effect of Ascended Man. However, this time there are no more of them to summon. So, now my field is completely empty. I am ready for your assault." Calmly Dalin stood there, his hand of cards in one hand, and his other just wresting by his side. (DLP: 8000)
Pema pointed at Dalin, and Black Gadget prepped itself for launch. "Black Gadget, attack his life points directly!" The robot complied, flying straight towards Dalin. If it hit his life points would be reduced to the point where he would barely survive the assault.
"Activate quick-play magic card. Soul Renewal works when I discard it from my hand. I shuffle my cemetery and hand into my deck and draw a new hand of five cards." He took all of the cards he had gathered, along with the cards in his cemetery and shuffled them up.
As he was drawing energy flowed from his deck into his duel disk. "If Life Pulse leaves the cemetery it places a Life Pulse Counter on the field which lasts as its effect for one full turn. So for these five cards I gain life points." (DLP: 10500)
Just a moment later the gadget struck him, but he didn't budge despite the damage. "Thanks to the gathered energy of my cards, I will survive your attacks." (DLP: 8900)
"Perhaps, but you will not come out unscathed. Blue Gadget, direct attack!" Again Dalin was struck by the robot's body, taking another chunk out of his life points. His legs groaned under his weight and the robot's, but he refused to fall. (DLP: 7100)
"Finally Mobile Fortress Stronghold(4500/2000) attacks your life points directly." The massive robot pounded a fist into Dalin's chest, hurling him a dozen feet backwards. He extended his legs out, using them to catch his fall. He skidded to a stop, and then began walking back into place. (DLP: 2600)
"Your strength is impressive Pema. I will not let you down, I will use my true power against you. For now, are you done?" The lama gave a nod of ascent, just as two of the remaining cards in his hand moved down, being set onto the field.
Dalin drew calmly, his hand size up to six. Then he reached into his back pocket and took the cards from there and placed them amongst his other cards. "Gambit of Knowledge's effect has now activated. First I get back the cards I placed out of play."
He pointed to the three cards he had taken back, and then picked up the top three cards of his deck. "Next Gambit of Knowledge lets me draw an equal number of cards to those I had placed out of play. I now draw three cards."
Hikari couldn't help but be impressed as Dalin's hand size rose up to twelve cards. But his three newly drawn cards were glowing, and he tossed them down onto his duel disk. "These three monsters can be special summoned from my hand at any time."
Three identical monsters in plain white robes now stood on his field, their attack and defense scores fluctuating. "These monsters are the Servants of Osiris(2700/2700) and their attack is equal to the number of cards in my hand times three hundred."
Hikari gasped as she recognized the three monsters. 'These monsters…he used them against Drake all those years ago! This means…this really is his full strength! The deck that unleashes the power of the gods!'
"Prepare yourself Pema, it is time to unleash the strength of my god. I offer these three monsters to summon a mighty creature from my hand. Descend and show your power, great Saint Dragon Osiris(X000/X000)!" The three monsters faded away, and their energy coiled into the card that Dalin was placing down onto his duel disk.
The room shook as the god monster took shape, continuing to grow until it was at last wrapped around the room a handful of times, its head level above Dalin's field. He was there, on top of Osiris' head, watching Pema. "Saint Dragon Osiris…his attack and defense is one thousand times the number of cards in my hand!"
He fanned out the eight cards in his hand, and Saint Dragon Osiris roared in triumph. The sheer force of the roar blew the curtains away, revealing Pema to them. He was very old, but bald, and very skinny at the same time. His eyes were a milky white. "Just as I suspected, you had to give up the sight of a normal man to gain the All-Seeing Eye."
The old lama smiled, not bothered by the blunt statement. "Yes, that's true. Looking back on it I'm sure there must have been another way. But, as they say, hind sight is twenty-twenty, right?"
To Hikari's complete surprise, Dalin laughed. It was a deep and booming laughter, but honest and true. "Yes, yes it is. Perhaps one day I will have the hind sight to see my life for what it truly is. Until then, I will live in the here and now…not knowing the past."
Dalin raised one hand, and Osiris' first mouth opened wide, energy charging in it. "Saint Dragon Osiris(8000/8000), attack Mobile Fortress Stronghold!" The beam of energy shot straight at the monster…then went through it and vanished against a barrier in front of Pema.
"The two card combination Astral Barrier and Spirit Barrier makes even the might of Osiris useless. Until you can overcome it, there is nothing you can do to harm me." Dalin nodded, and slid two cards into his duel disk before giving Pema a slight nod to show that his turn was done.
Once again the old man gained a card, and then it turned around. "It is time for Osiris to fall, right now. Activate magic card, Brave Attack. I will now have my monsters attack Osiris until it is destroyed."
Mobile Fortress Stronghold jumped straight at Osiris, crashing into its body and then blowing apart. "Mobile Fortress was first. Now, I must deal up to eighty-one hundred damage to finish Osiris."
He pointed to Red Gadget, which threw itself against Osiris and was destroyed. However a small crack seemed to go down Osiris' body. Next Pema pointed to Yellow Gadget, which allow was summarily destroyed, but now many cracks lined Osiris. "Finally…Green Gadget, attack!"
The green robot struck the cracks on Osiris' body, and the mighty god shrieked and shattered into a million pieces. Dalin dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch as the giant body of his god was turned into nothing but talcum powder. "Well played." (DLP: 2200)
Hikari gulped, not quite sure what to think now. 'Dalin summoned his god in one turn so easily…but Pema was able to destroy Osiris just as quickly. Truly these two are on a level above normal duelists.'
Pema motioned to one of the cards in his hand, and a white robot emerged. "White Gadget(1700/700) in attack mode. Now, Summon Monk lets me special summon Trap Collector(500/500)." A little elderly man with a large bag slung over his shoulder now stood amongst the other monsters.
"I can sacrifice Trap Collector to bring back a continuous trap. So, Mobile Fortress Stronghold(3000/2000) returns to the field. And with White Gadget in play his attack is three thousand." The four monsters posed briefly, showing off their power.
Dalin didn't even blink, usual to his style. "Impressive once again, however Brave Attack took up your battle phase, so you cannot attack this turn." Pema nodded, and motioned for Dalin to take his turn.
The angel duelist drew, and then a side slot on his duel disk opened up. "Activate field magic card, Land of the Dead! This card lets each player special summon a monster from the cemetery during each turn!"
The area around them changed until it was almost identical to Egypt, with long rivers and grains growing at the edge. It didn't look that strange, if it weren't for the spirits floating around. "I special summon Saint Dragon Osiris(6000/6000) to the field, and since he was summoned by Land of the Dead he can remain for more than one turn."
A green robot emerged on Pema's field. "I special summoned Green Gadget(1400/600). Of course it cannot match Saint Dragon Osiris, but it doesn't have to."
Dalin held his hand out in front of his graveyard slot and two cards popped out. "If Saint Dragon Osiris is summoned by the effect of Land of the Dead I pick up two cards from the grave and add them to my hand."
Without blinking he took the new cards and slapped them down onto his duel disk, one on each side of Osiris. "The two recovered Servants of Osiris(1800/1800) are special summoned to the field."
Dalin paused, and then neatly took one step, allowing Osiris to get its head beneath him, lifting him back up. "With no way past your barrier combo, for the moment my turn is done."
Pema drew, and then immediately the final Servant of Osiris appeared on Dalin's field. Pema allowed his Red Gadget to appear. Osiris opened its mouth and fired a blast at the new monster that vaporized it. "When a monster is summoned by you, Saint Dragon Osiris hits it with its Summon Lightning Impact, draining it of two thousand points. If it has less than two thousand it is destroyed."
"Mobile Fortress Stronghold(3000/2000), attack a Servant of Osiris!" The powerful robot attacked, but Dalin was waiting. One of his two face down cards flipped up, and Servant of Osiris fired a beam of fire from its hand.
"Prayer to Osiris can work whenever a monster with 'osiris' in its name is attacked. That monster's attacks strength is deducted from the attack power of the attacking monster." Mobile Fortress Stronghold's attack fell to twelve hundred, and then the flame destroyed it.
The monk sighed, realizing he had only been saved from damage by his Spirit Barrier. "Quite strong. I switch all four of my monsters to defense mode and activate Plight of the Weak. Turn end."
Dalin drew, and snapped his fingers. To Pema's surprise the monster that appeared on Dalin's field was none other than Seraphim Gunblader(1900/1200). "Osiris is the Lord of the Dead, so I can even revive monsters from your grave with Land of the Dead while his in play."
Pema frowned, but revived his Seraphim Guardna(1000/2000) who survived the blast from Summon Lightning Impact, albeit barely. "All I can do is pray at the moment."
"I told you my full strength would fight you. Now, face it! Wrath of Osiris activates, causing Osiris to strike all of your monsters with a Summon Lightning Impact, destroying them all!" Five separate blasts fired from Osiris' second mouth, and with each one another of Pema's monsters were destroyed.
The old monk pointed to his face-up continuous magic card. "When all monsters on my field are destroyed I can sacrifice Plight of the Weak to immediately end the opponent's turn. So now, it is my turn."
Pema paused, and then as soon as he had his new card the Summon Monk glowed, and a green little monster with magnets on its head appeared. "Summon Monk brings me Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1400)."
"Summon Lightning Impact!" The blast of energy reached for Beta, but then was blocked by a spinning barrier of some kind. One of the three cards in Pema's floating hand had flipped itself around.
"The quick-play magic card Safeguard blocks the strike, protecting Beta. Now, I play Magnetic Grasp. For every card I discard I add a monster with 'magnet' in its name to my hand, plus one. So I discard two Repayment of Losses." He tossed the two cards, and then drew two cards, as well as adding three cards to his hand.
Hikari smiled, finally understanding. 'I get what his strategy is now. His deck revolves around monsters that work together, like assembling teams. The Seraphims powered each other up, the Gadgets brought each other into the hand and powered up Mobile Fortress Stronghold, and the magnet warrior can combine together. Impressive.'
"I send Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and Beta the Magnet Warrior to the cemetery in order to special summon Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior(3500/3850). And I activate the quick-play magic card Safeguard to guard him as well!" The three magnet monsters combined together, and then the combination monster was shielded from the Summon Lightning Impact.
Dalin smiled slightly at seeing the new monster. But Pema wasn't done. "Activate Treasure of Heaven." The monk was able to draw six cards, but since Dalin already held six it did absolutely nothing for him.
"Remove Trap activates on your set card." The set card flipped up, and energy surrounded Osiris. Magnet Warrior began drifting towards it at an alarming pace.
"I trigger the targeted trap. Pull of Osiris forces you to attack Saint Dragon Osiris during this turn. Your plan has failed." Pema just smiled and another of his cards flipped around.
"Not exactly. Pump Up doubles Valkyrion's attack for the turn, giving him one thousand more points than Osiris. Now, Magnet Sword Slash!" Valkyrion jumped straight into the air, and then dragged its blade down through Osiris' middle, destroying the mighty god. (DLP: 1200)
Hikari whistled, amazed that the old monk had once again managed to defeat Osiris. And now both of the duelists had equal life points. 'Who's going to come out on top in this one?'
One of Pema's cards moved from his hand down onto the field. "One card face down. Now…let us enter the final turn. It has been quite enjoyable."
"Yes, it has. Saint Dragon Osiris, be born again for Land of the Dead! And since he is special summon, all of my other special summoned monsters are destroyed!" The four other monsters shattered as the Egyptian god once again took to the field.
Then Dalin held up his newest drawn card. "Divine Smite destroys one magic or trap card in play if I have a divine monster on the field. In addition it deals the opponent one thousand damage." Pema frowned as Spirit Barrier exploded, leaving him with his Astral Barrier as useless. (PLP: 200)
"Saint Dragon Osiris…end it with Thunder Force!" A beam of raw godly energy exploded from the first mouth of the Egyptian god, streaking towards Valkyrion. One strike would burn it away and eliminate the last few life points that Pema had.
"Reveal face down card, Absolute End! Now your attack becomes direct on my life points! With my Duel Presence, an equal amount of damage will be dealt to you, reducing us both to zero life points at the same moment!" Hikari gasped, knowing what that meant. If their life points hit zero at the same moment, it would be a tie!
Dalin smiled slightly and then slammed a card from his hand into his duel disk. "I respect you too much to allow this duel to end as a tie. Divine Negation is a quick-play that activates if I have a divine monster in play, and it now negates your trap's activation!"
Absolute End faded away, and the Thunder Force slammed into Valkyrion. The magnetic monster exploded, raining shrapnel down on the field. Pema smiled even as the holograms began to fade. "Thank you for such an impressive duel. You have truly proven your mettle." (PLP: 0)
As Hikari watched Dalin walked up to Pema Khandro's hand and grasped it in his own, shaking it firmly. "It was a pleasure to duel someone of your strength. Now please, you have information for us?"
"Ah yes, it's simple. To learn the location of the Puppeteer you must first speak to the immortal girl. She is the Avatar of Set in this plane of existence. Once coaxed she will give you the next piece of information. She is in Kyoto at this very moment. Please, make haste." Dalin nodded, and squeezed the old man's hand tight.
"Thank you again Pema Khandro. It has been a pleasure to know you, even if for a brief time. We will use this knowledge, and we will protect the world from the apocalypse." Pema and Dalin bowed to each other, and then their previous guide appeared, quickly ushering the two of them out of the room.
Minutes later they were back in the snow and in their snow jackets, making their way back to the airport. Time was of the essence.
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Pema sighed, feeling the presence. "You've already kill the others haven't you?"
A dark chuckle issued from right behind him, where a dark figure leaned against the wall. "You know me well old man. If only you weren't blind, then you could see the glorious carnage. I made sure to be extra messy with gutting your friends and family."
"You cannot gain information from me. I will tell you nothing." Pema had seen this event, but seeing the future did not tell you what was said. Nor did it show it after you died, so he knew he had only a handful of seconds to live. But to his surprise the other person in the room laughed, a sinister sound that shook Pema to the core.
"Old man, I don't want your information. That's useless. No, instead I've come for your eyes." Seconds later Pema knew that in his vision he did not die. His vision of the future ended because his eyes were violently plucked out of their sockets.
"Hey old man…don't pass out yet. We've got hours of brutal fun ahead of us. I know you can't see the future anymore, so let me just tell you. If your eyes were an eight ball, let's see what they'd say." The dark figure rattled the bloody eyes in the palm of his hand, laughing at whatever he saw.
"What do you know…it says 'Outlook not so good.' Guess eye balls really can see the future." The pressure of fingers against his skin, pushing through the flesh was enough to shatter the last coherent thought that Pema Khandro had in his life.
An hour later a single figure exited the monastery, whistling a merry tune as the monastery burned behind him. He didn't seem chilled despite the freezing weather and his casual clothing. "The future is looking bloody. That's good, I like bloody."
The icy wind carried the sound of his twisted laughter for miles.
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Author's Notes: Freaky, I finished this chapter at 2 a.m. Which means I was just shy of doing three chapters in one day.
Next Time: Back in the Forbidden Tomb the young Alice faces her first true challenge as the Guardian unleashes his full power against her. But Alice was trained by the great Dalin Imaki Sumatin, so she is far from weak. But is she strong enough to overcome this foe?
See it all in, Well of Lost Memory!
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