Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.
Tournament of Tears
Chapter 29: Keepsake of Memories
Eri just smiled and flexed her fingers. "Epoch Vir, attack Platinuum now!"
"What?" Both Ryu and Sestros said this at once, mostly because the surprise from this development still had them both rather shocked.
Ichigo just crossed his arms across his chest and smiled as well. "That sounds about right."
Eri nodded. "Divine Gear Fortress' effect increases the attack power of any Equitas Aetas monster by 1000 when it attacks a stronger monster!" (3200/1000)
The humanoid's armor suddenly exploded out the back, a pair of massive golden wings stretching towards the holographic sunlight that streamed in through the face of the clock-tower. And then it was a raging rocket of golden light, quickly covering the distance between itself and the demon in a matter of moments.
Sestros, however, wasn't caught off-guard. "Shield of Dead Spirits activates now!" A wall of white ectoplasm sprang up, and then dissipated like mist caught in a strong wind. Before the Dark King could protest his monster was slashed into pieces.
Erika- 2600
Sestros- 2500
Eri pointed at her Call of the Mummy card, which dissolved into nothing. "When Epoch Vir attacks, I may send a magic or trap on my field to the graveyard to negate and destroy any trap activated in response to its attack."
Sestros licked his lips once more. "Silly girl, don't you understand what you just did? During my next turn I will have two cards in my hand, which will let me revive Platinuum and destroy your field! You just lost!"
"Is that so?" Eri grinned and rubbed her index finger under her nose. "Any monster destroyed by Epoch Vir as a result of battle is removed from the game. Too bad."
Listening to Sestros snarl of anger, she felt her chest puff up a little. "This is the power of the man whose family you messed with!"
Sestros had nothing to say to that, so all he did was continue to snarl.
Eri smirked. "End turn."
Sestros snapped the top card off of his deck angrily. "Little child, you are a fool. I'm surprised that you believe yourself to be the one to carry out vengeance for the boy's dead parents. I'd think he would reserve that honor for himself."
"Make your move or end your turn, monster." Ryu said this sharply, eyes glancing back at Ichigo nervously.
After a few moments, the Dark King crossed his arms across his chest and a look crossed his face that the ancient dragon general had not seen for many thousands of years. "You disgust me, Jourgen. You would hide it from the boy? Even I am not so low."
Ryu suddenly realized the danger to his oath. "Silence yourself Sestros!"
"Ichigo!" The Dark King no longer had enough respect to even bother to listen to the dragon demon. "Your father died just before the end of last year! The creature you have thought was him was nothing more than a puppet created by this sugar-coating slime over here." His hand lifted to point at Ryu. "This fool is nothing more than a weakling would hide just a basic truth from you!"
Ichigo had his eyes closed and was closing a strange alternating series of colors. First he was a blazing red that burned like an open flame, secondly a deathly black that seemed to suck the warmth from everything around it, thirdly a gold that brought forth a comforting feeling, and finally an aura created from a blue power that had a strange feeling behind it.
Eri just stood there, her eyes stern. She knew about it all the time, ever since Daniel had given her the deck she was using now. But it didn't make it any easier to face at this point. ("He is my father's soul-partner, and one has died. That makes this unacceptable.") It had already been said though, and now it was up to Ichigo to determine what he was going to do. ("Will you demand to take my place? Or will the concept of a duel not even be on your mind? Will you simply kill Sestros, despite the fact that is impossible?")
"Do you think…" Ichigo opened his eyes, those auras now all burning around him like some kind of storm, "…that is more important to me than protecting this world that I love? If so, then you are a fool."
Ryu felt a true confusion, something he had never experienced before. Out of all his calculations, it should have been fact that Ichigo would lose his temper if he found out about Daniel's death. And yet here the boy had just said that it wasn't important to him, compared to this battle. ("Most demons place their family above all us, and in this case there are no special circumstances. Yet I sense that he is relaxed…truly calm.")
"Midnight will die, and Eri will destroy your power so that you can never harm anyone again." Ichigo's eyes flickered through the colors red, black, blue, gold and then finally brown. "But enough of this drama. Make your move Sestros."
The Dark King looked at the drawn card and smirked. "Despite my reaction to your field magic card, girl, I am now over my shock. So, let's clear things up! I play the continuous magic card Guillotine!" A large version of the same named execution device appeared on the field. "This card selects one monster and prevents it from attacking or switching modes. My choice is, of course, Epoch Vir." Chains pulled the hero onto the rack of the killing tool, locking it in place. "During my second standby phase, this card and the selected monster will be destroyed. Also, I play another of my Dark Charger cards. During my next draw phase, I draw one extra card. End turn."
Eri drew, glanced at the drawn card, and inserted it into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."
Sestros drew two cards and the Guillotine blade slowly lifted upwards. "Next turn it will be the end for your hero, and by that time I will have finished you off. After all…" He snickered as he held up his drawn card. "Blackout Soul will end this. This magic card sets up your end. During my next standby phase, this card discards all cards in my hand. Afterwards, if The Dark World is in my graveyard it is revived, and then I draw three cards. End turn."
Eri looked at her deck once more. ("Pilkington, I hope you understand what is riding on this duel.") She drew and smiled at the drawn card. "Not a method to stop you from proceeding with you next turn, but a method to protect my life points. I play the magic card Clockwork Tool-Healing Polish. By selecting one Equitas Aetas monster on my field, I can gain its original attack in life points." Her monster started to glow. "Therefore, I gain 2200 life points! End turn."
Erika- 4800
Sestros- 2500
Sestros snapped the top card off of his deck. "During my standby phase, your monster is destroyed!" Epoch Vir and the Guillotine both exploded. "Then I discard my hand to the graveyard and activate the darkness! Let us return to the Dark World!" The glowing clocktower scenery exploded into nothingness as a stretching expanse of darkness took its place. "Now I will draw three cards."
Eri pointed at her face-down card. "In chain to that I activate the trap card Glowing Gears! When a Equitas Aetas monster on my field is destroyed during this turn, I may special summon a level four or lower Equitas Aetas monster from my deck or hand! Come out now, Equitas Aetas-Ferrum Tutela!" (0/2300) A large humanoid made of iron appeared on the field in a crouching position.
Sestros snickered and drew the top three cards of his deck. "Oh, far too perfect." He discarded the three cards into his graveyard. "The effect of the Dark World discards cards drawn out of the draw phase. And those three cards were the trap cards Luring Lantern LVL 4! When these traps are sent to my graveyard, I may special summon a level four or lower monster from my deck to the field!" Three black holes appeared on his field and from those holes emerged two armored demons with shield and swords and one large red bull-demon. "I special summon two Zure, Knight of Dark World (1800/1500) and Scarr, Scout of Dark World." (500/500) "However, since your monster's defense is so high there is no point in my declaring an attack. End turn."
Eri drew. ("So he's defeated the Fortress, but it doesn't matter now. I'm far from beaten.") Looking at her drawn card, she placed it into her disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Sestros drew. "Now then, let us continue this duel. I grow weary of seeing so much steel, when bone and flesh does so much better!" His three monsters howled in pain and were consumed by a trio of black tentacles that sucked them out of sight. "I tribute my three Dark World monsters to special summon Unholy God of the Dark World!" (?) A giant demon appeared on the field, its body covered in black patches of insect chitin and other spaces covered with red muscle tissue. "This monster's attack and defense are equal to the combined attack and defense of all monsters sacrificed to summon it." (4100/3500) "Attack Ferrum Tutela and get it off my field!" The monster's dropped a pair of scorpion-like pincers onto the metal monster and tore it apart.
Eri gritted her teeth and somehow managed to stand her ground as she was pounded by the mighty backlash from such a powerful blow destroying her monster. "You haven't won yet!"
"Enough of the heroic posturing, Inuhime." The Dark King flexed his fists a couple of times. "You're running out of time."
Eri drew. "I'll show you running out of time! I activate the magic card Beyond Time! This card activates only if I have no cards in my hand and one or less cards on my field. I draw three cards." Sliding the top three cards off of her deck, Eri felt a pulse from her hand. ("I can sense you…and I understand!") "Sestros, it's time to bring you down! I set one monster face-down on my field and activate this!" Her face-down monster card exploded in a flash of bright light, leaving a roiling circle of black and white light roiling on her field.
"What's that light?" Suddenly the Dark King remembered. "No!"
"You've hurt so many…and most of all…" Rikuo's hand came up to his deck, and his eyes slowly rose to meet the Torture King's. "…you've harmed my friends!"
Sestros threw back his head, laughing sharply. "You have no friends! You were a heartless killer in your past life and you still are one now!"
Eri's eyes reflected that strength once more, but this time it didn't seem like it was her alone. "Kilomet Sestros, regardless of what you call yourself now you are still The Torture King! As the Torture King, your power cannot be defeated by any source of either light or darkness."
Sestros snickered, "What makes you different than you were before? You're still the same stuck-up, inconsiderate bastard that you were previously. I don't see any difference."
Drawing, Rikuo closed his eyes. "The difference? This difference is that I gained something I never had before…"
"That's exactly right, and therefore your efforts are for nothing! I don't know what you expect to do with your monsters, but you should know I cannot be beaten!" He felt his Duel Prescense awaken from within his body. "I feed off the darkness and ignore the light! You cannot win!"
"That's right…I cannot defeat you." Eri pointed at the dark demons before her. "I activate the magic card…"
"…Hope of Faith!" His field was surrounded by a halo of light. "This card requires that I sacrifice one monster on my field, so farewell Jinzo!" The green armored humanoid faded away. "And now, I summon the two warriors of Light and Darkness!" A pair of humanoid forms lowered onto his field.
The first form was an armored warrior in black, it humanoid face fair but scowling. Opening its golden-amber eyes, the warrior snapped up his sword. "I am Yami Knight!" (6000/0)
The second form was another armored warrior, but this one in white. Its humanoid face was exactly like the others, except that it had a pair of brown eyes instead of golden ones and it was smiling. "I am Hikari Knight!" (0/6000)
Sestros gritted his teeth, hearing his molars nearly break themselves at the sound of those two accursed knights. "Damn it, you two?"
"That's correct." Yami Knight snapped his sword forward to point at the Dark King. "In the name of the darkness, you cannot be allowed to exist any longer!"
His brother, Hikari Knight, stepped in right behind him. "In the name of the light, you cannot be allowed to exist any longer!"
"Once again I am subject to your silly heroic prattle…come up with some new lines!" Sestros snickered as he realized these silly creatures couldn't do anything to him. Yami Knight was a dark attribute monster, meaning any damage he dealt would simply become life gain for the Dark King.
"Yami Knight, slash down the darkness of Sestros!" Eri watched as the black-armored launched across the field and slashed its blade through the body of the Dark God. Letting out a howl, the horrible demon monster exploded into dust.
Erika- 4800
Sestros- 600
Sestros stood there, eyes wide in confusion. "Impossible…I gain life points instead of lose them when dealt damage by a dark attribute monster!"
"Even if that is true…" Yami Knight returned to Eri's field. "You cannot gain life points from my blade…I will not allow it!"
Eri inserted a card from her hand into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."
Sestros snarled darkly and drew. "I've had enough of you! I activate the magic card Dark Draw Phase. During this phase any cards I draw cannot be discarded. I activate my two face-down Double Draw trap cards to draw four cards!" Snapping four new cards off of his deck, Sestros looked at the new hand with a very deep smile. "Ah, how history repeats itself, eh boys?" His eyes drifted up to the two knights. "You couldn't defeat me alone before, and you certainly won't be able to do it without the help of that annoying sword! I activate the field magic card Fields of the Lost!" All around them the dark veil was pulled away to reveal hordes upon hordes of zombies. "While this field magic card is in play, during the end phase of our turn we draw the bottom card of our decks. Also, during the start of our turns we shuffle our decks. However, it doesn't matter since I'm sacrificing this card to activate the ritual magic card…"
Both of the knights exchanged a glance and then a golden barrier of light appeared between Sestros' field and Eri's field.
"…Awakening of the Zombie God!" All of the undead creatures around were sucked into a black vortex in the middle of his field. "Emerge now, my ultimate toy!" A pitch-black armored creature holding a pair of long and curved red-bladed scimitars appeared on the field. "I ritual summon Hellblade the Ultimate Swordsman!" (40000/40000) His monster threw back its helmeted head and howled, releasing waves of dark energy that slammed into the knight's barrier and made it shudder. "Now what can you possibly do to win? It took the Howling Sword's power to even possibly fight this creature."
Eri barely flinched in the face of such a powerful monster.
Sestros pointed at Yami Knight. "Hellblade, Unholy Divider!" The dark god monster leapt into the air and came down, preparing to slash through the dark knight instantly.
"Hikari Knight's special ability triggers now!" Eri watched as the white knight, now holding a golden shield, leapt into the path of the falling Hellblade. "When Yami Knight is attacked by an opponent, that attack is redirected to Hikari Knight, who cannot be destroyed as a result of battle while Yami Knight is in play!"
"Yes, of course." Sestros discarded the card he was holding in his hand. "I activate the effect of Dread Slime!" (0/0) "When this card is discarded from my hand to my graveyard, I can negate the effect of one monster on your field for the turn!" A black ooze welled up around Hikari Knight's body, stopping him cold.
Eri's expression changed to one of panic. "No!" The blade fell, cutting deeply into the body of the paralyzed and defenseless white knight.
"Brother!" Yami Knight leapt forward and elbowed Hellblade in the face, sending it stumbling back. "No! Brother!" His hands grabbed for his brother's falling body, but it was already gone.
A silence held over the room, which was quickly broken by Sestros' booming laughter. "Where have I seen this before? Oh yes…of course…" Another deep belly laugh exploded from his mouth. "It's like a representation of the bond between the Mutt and Daniel."
Ichigo clenched his fist tightly, but didn't say anything in response.
"Insolent bastard!" Yami Knight snapped his sword up. "I'll tear down you and your Hellblade!"
"Daniel always wound up sacrificing himself…he must have had a death wish or something. Oh well…" The Dark King motioned dismissively to Eri. "Now that your dream defense combo is gone, what will you do, little princess of the dogs?"
Eri felt her entire body shaking in anger. "Unforgivable…" She started to reach for her deck.
"Before you continue, let me illuminate one point that's been bouncing around my skull since you summoned those ridiculous metal monsters." The Dark King swept back his cape. "What gives you the right to fight this battle? Who are you to think yourself worthy of stepping into this field of combat? Your father is my hated enemy, but that just means you are over-stepping your bounds in trying to fight his battles for him, girl." He pointed at the ground. "Did he not teach you that a demon's fight is his honor? Will you dare to proclaim yourself, a mere female, his keeper?"
"Actually…" Eri drew. "Last I checked, yes. Sorry, but my father doesn't have the common sense to know when to listen to his heart and when to listen to his head."
Ryu smiled bemusedly as he felt a sudden flare of heat behind him. ("Embarrassment or anger, Rikuo?") Glancing back at the shadows of the room, he sniggered at the location from where that heat had come from.
Her eyes went over the drawn card and Eri nodded. "It's time to end this duel, Sestros!"
"Just try!" The Dark King laughed. "Without your defense combo, you are correct. This duel will end now!"
Eri turned the drawn card over. "Spiritual Fusion!" Yami Knight smiled as his body started to fade away. "I select one monster on my field and one monster in my graveyard, removing them from the game! If they fuse together into something, that fusion is summoned!" A knight that held a black sword and white shield appeared on her field, its half-black and half-white armor somehow managing to shine in the light.
"So, you managed to bring him out, did you?" Sestros rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter, he can't win!"
"Don't count Balance Knight out just yet!" (20000/20000) Eri pointed at one of her set cards. "I reveal the trap card Cyborg Bomb!" The knight's body changed, suddenly becoming much for futuristic. "This changes one non-machine type monster on my field to a machine type for the turn. When it is destroyed as a result of battle you take its attack in damage!"
Ryu smirked widely. "Sure enough, this deck was made by Daniel. You know what the other face-down card is, don't you Sestros?"
"That can't be…" The Dark King felt his arms tremble in anger. "No, she couldn't have that!"
"Of course I can! Limiter Removal open!" Eri winked as her other face-down card flipped up and steam started to come out of Balance Knight's armor. "This quickplay magic card doubles the attack of all machine type monsters on my field!" (40000/40000) "Balance Knight, attack Hellblade now!"
"Hellblade, prepare yourself!" The mighty machine knight threw itself into the dark god, and they both exploded in a massive blast that shook the room to its core.
Erika- 4800
Sestros- 0
As the smoke cleared, Ryu realized that Ichigo was already gone. ("I wonder what he's in such a rush for?")
Eri already knew Sestros would be gone when the smoke cleared, but it didn't make her any less angry. ("Damn him…")
To be continued…