Tournament of Tears
Chapter 36: Midnight's last card…himself
Ichigo stepped forward next. "Infinity Chaser!"
Erian closed his eyes, body glowing a rainbow color. "Negation Entity!"
They both pointed up at the sky. "Contact Fusion!" The two monsters shot upwards into the sky like a pair of rainbow and dark blue-colored rockets, disappearing as they pierced the clouds of dust.
"Contact Fusion?" The dark god furrowed his brow. "What in the nine hells is that?"
Ichigo looked up at the sky, his anger burning brightly within his compound soul. "A term coined by Judai Yuki, my teacher. It is a fusion that can be achieved without the use of a Polymerization card by shuffling the fusion material monsters back into your deck." A rainbow comet fell from the sky and crashed into the skyscraper, yet it didn't leave a single scrape mark where it hit. It just floated a few inches from the ground and let off its light. "Allow me to introduce you Final Shadow Negation Chaser!"
The light faded to reveal the armored machine from before, but one of its three torso insets was filled by a glittering rainbow jewel. Its armor was much thinner and spread out around it as if it was covered in shielding. At the center of its chest-plate there was a strange pair of latches that looked like handholds. (2000/1000)
"That kind of monster can't hope to stand even one second against…"
"Negation Core!" Both Erian and Ichigo yelled this, and the fusion monster responded by grabbing the latches on its chest plate and pulling them apart, revealing the insides of its chest. There was a gray crystal orb there, which let out a flash of dull light that washed over Midnight's field. With its effect finished, the machine let go of the latches and its chest closed.
Ichigo looked up Mutekitaiyouryu and its snarling face. "Negation Core negates all effects that have been on the field. In other words, all those bonuses you've been giving your monster, along with all its other effects…" Suddenly the almighty Undefeated Sun Dragon was tiny once again. "…are gone." (500/500)
Midnight stumbled back as this happened. "No…you…you can't possibly have…"
"I said your power would be stripped away, didn't I?" Ichigo pointed at the hissing and screeching little dragon. "Axle Kick!"
Mutekitaiyouryu yelped in pain as it was drop-kicked in the head. Its entire body went limp and then exploded with the power of a firecracker.
Ichigo- 800
Midnight- 200
Midnight bit back his fear and snarled at the monster still standing on his field. "With my field magic card, I'll still be able to get a method to revive…"
Ichigo snapped the last card in his hand over. "I activate Heavy Storm." A roaring gale blew across the field and suddenly the wasteland scenery that matched the planet around them disappeared, replaced by the ruined form of the Empire State Building. "Now the only card in play is Negation Chaser." There was no smile on Ichigo's face though. "You wanted me to take you seriously, Midnight? You got your wish, now draw your card! You've used all but your own Duel Prescense, I'm guessing, and I can negate anything you set. I guess you'd better draw one good magic or monster card then, huh? End turn."
Midnight bit back his building fear and waved his hand. "Good and evil have no place in this Game of the Gods. Only strength matters, Ichigo Pilkington!" A card appeared above his head, and he nodded slowly at it. "And the card I have drawn will show that to you, and prove that your foolish beliefs mean nothing in the face of the gods! I activate the magic card Sacrilegious Fusion! This magic card allows me to remove Divine Beast type monsters from my field and graveyard to special summon a Divine Beast fusion monster from my fusion deck!"
A screaming roar came from the sky and phantasmal forms of the three dark children of Bahamut slowly lowered onto the field.
The first form flailed its dozens of heads wildly everywhere, snapping and spraying jets of flame that consumed and decimated even the air particles it touched. "My first fusion material monster is Nova Hell Dragon; Kifunsuiryu." The ghostly god of destruction dissipated.
Graveyard Melody Dragon; Hakabasenritsuryu appeared next and screamed one last hellish song before it disappeared forever. Right behind it was the tiny form of Undefeated Sun Dragon; Mutekitaiyouryu, which followed in its sibling's footsteps as it disappeared from existence.
Midnight's body started to tighten and flex from underneath his robes. "Boy-tachi…I will show you both the true power I possess." Then he screamed as his body was torn to shreds of shadow-material. It came apart even more amongst the dust, getting thinner and thinner…until it finally disappeared.
Ichigo and Erian blinked at the fact that there was nothing left of their enemy.
("Ichigo…he's coming…") Halo spoke from within Ichigo's mind, instantly sensing the fact that the walls of reality near the building were being torn open. Then there was nothing but darkness as a huge form appeared. It was towering above the Empire State Building, its head invisible within the cloud cover above.
"Ichigo…I commend you on this. Thanks to that other boy, you have pushed me to my true self to end this duel." The titanic black dragon flapped its wings and caused a powerful wind that washed over the surrounding waters and created tidal waves for miles around its cone of influence. "I am Midnight; Master of the Apocalypse Dragon. (Infinite/Infinite) When I am summoned, all other cards in play and in both player's hands are destroyed."
Ichigo and Erian gasped as their hope, Negation Chaser, suddenly shattered, taking with it their last chances of stopping the effects of the gods without the strength of gods of their own.
"However, I may no longer draw any cards or play any other effects. Of course, as this form is the fusion of the three dark demon children of Bahamut, all of your normal magic, trap, and monster effects will not work on me. And like the Apocalypse Dragon, my summoning has started the end of the world." All around them the world started to shake, huge volcanoes rising up in the distant horizon. The sky began to turn blood red, reflecting within it the intent of Midnight. He would destroy it all with his own body, and with the dark power that he commanded.
Ichigo felt no fear anymore. There was nothing to fear. It wasn't confidence that told him this though, it was the basic understanding that at this point there was nothing left to fight for but himself and Erian's sake. And deep down inside he felt that both the strange boy and he were the same in spirit. They didn't care for their own lives as much as they cared for the lives of those around them. ("Whether I lose or win, it was a good duel all the way through.")
Erian suddenly smiled and patted Ichigo on the back. "Wow, infinite attack is pretty scary Ichigo…do you think you can do it?"
Ichigo closed his eyes, that question echoing in his mind. ("Can I win? Is it possible to defeat a monster like that now that Erian's ability of negation is in my graveyard and my deck instead of my hand and my field? I have only one draw, and then he'll attack with enough strength to destroy the very planet I'm standing on. Sheesh, these God Cards are a pain in the rear. If I don't win, then the wish that comes with the victory will not be mine.")
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From far away, a ring of cloaked humanoids stood over a strange silver-colored lake and watched within its waters the duel for the fate of reality.
Steven Pilkington watched this duel with true interest, which is something that he hadn't experienced for the longest time. ("The Society of Divine Duelists hasn't assembled for over one thousand. But this event determines the very fate of us all, and despite all of our wishes the full responsibility for this battle falls on the shoulders of my grandson.")
Amongst the countless gathered duelists, one of the oldest members spoke up. "This is not a duel for a child. If the boy hasn't prepared himself for such an endgame…"
"Silence yourself." Steven suddenly smiled as he watched Ichigo open his mouth to reply to Erian's question. "Ichigo is my grandson…and like any Pilkington his dueling talent is in his abilities at the endgame. It's always the end of the race when we get our sudden burst of speed…"
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"Of course." Ichigo removed the top card of his deck calmly. "I play the magic card Treasure of Fate!" A white die appeared in the air above his field and bounced around on the shaking stone ground, while in the background the world turned more and more red as it started to come apart. "Whatever number the die lands on equals the number of cards I draw, followed by which I discard that same number of cards from my deck."
The die landed on a one…
Ichigo watched the die intently, and barely flinched when a strong earthquake hit the whole of New York and the die rolled onto three instead. "I draw three cards and discard three from my deck." After doing so there were only cards left in his deck.
Ichigo- 800
Midnight- 200
Midnight rumbled darkly, and the remains of New York started to sink into the sea. "Soon it will be over…"
"Not yet." Ichigo inserted a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and activate Emergency Provisions." The set card disappeared.
Ichigo- 1800
Midnight- 200
His hands rested on his deck and he drew another card. "The magic card I sent to the graveyard was Repayment of Losses, which when sent to my graveyard from my hand or field lets me draw one card." His eyes looked upon the blank card he had drawn, and he wasn't surprised as it slowly revealed itself to him. It was a picture of space, and of a pair of suns slowly moving into each other. "I activate the magic card Starlight Fusion!"
His graveyard slot started to glow, while the Empire State Building began to collapse underneath his feet. "I select five magic cards from my graveyard and remove them from the game. After doing so, one of those five cards is randomly chosen and then depending on the card one special effect will trigger! I choose Repayment of Losses, Polymerization, Treasure of Fate, Climax Hour, and Stasis Cage!" Those five cards appeared in the air above him, and then turned their backs to his field. Shuffling together, they then separated once more and lowered themselves down to Ichigo's face.
Reaching out, the boy touched the center one and it flipped over to reveal Climax Hour. "Climax Hour…considering the situation it's pretty appropriate huh?" The card shimmered away. "That triggers Climax Summon!" Ichigo placed his hand on his deck. "I select one monster from my deck and special summon it if it is a high level monster. During this turn it cannot attack or activate its special abilities, and if it is the strongest monster in play at the end of the turn then it is returned to the deck!"
The darkening air suddenly grew pearly white, and a single piercing cry blew away the cloud cover to reveal the sky. From high above, a huge golden form lowered onto Ichigo's field and cried out to the heavens.
"So…it has come out…" Midnight wasn't surprised that the last of Bahamut's holy children would show its face before the end of all. "But it is too late…I am Tier Five, far above its power."
The summoned dragon was covered from snout to tail with silver glowing armor that hid its true body. Its metallic wings seemed almost liquid, no seams visible in its protection. From its body armor there was both silver and almost radioactive green light at once, illuminating the dying earth with a heavenly glow as if to reassure it that all was not lost.
Ichigo looked up at the sky, and at the full moon that floated in the far distance. "I love the earth, and I won't let you destroy it. However, before I move on let me explain something to you about my family line and its outlook on life."
"I grow tired of explanations…"
"Indulge me, if just because it explains one thing you need to remember whenever dueling a member of the Pilkington line!" Ichigo took a deep breath and started. "My grandfather saw an old movie long ago that changed his life, and whoever affected his outlook on the future, his family, and the world he lived in. One day he showed that movie to my father, and it had the same affect. That movie was called The Godfather, based off a book of the same name. It was a story about a family of gangsters in the 1920s, and the ties between family, business, and friendships in a dangerous world." Ichigo suddenly snickered. "My father showed it to me, and then summed up the Pilkington family motto in a couple of lines."
"Protect your friends and never forget them, you will never know when you need help. That…and that if you can't win, make sure the other guy has a really hard time getting to their goal when passing you!" His hand snapped up to the summoned dragon. "Shining Moon Dragon; Kagayakikibouryu!" (0/0) "The emissary of hope and vengeance comes to bring this duel to its end."
"With zero attack points? Not likely…" Midnight started to laugh...
Ichigo looked down at his deck. ("I need one more turn.") Snapping up his hand, he watched as the single card that sat there suddenly exploded into the sky as a burning flash of red and orange flame. "By the way Midnight, an old friend wants to say hello! I activate the magic card Calling the Phoenix, which can only activate when there is a card in play with Apocalypse Dragon in its title!"
"…….." Midnight knew who it was, the being that was called upon whenever earth was threatened with total destruction.
The fire in the sky suddenly condensed and crashed into the ground, quickly forming into a knight wearing golden armor with silver and platinum inlays all across the shining surface. At the creature's side was a sword, and it opened its eyes to reveal a pair of crimson irises.
Ichigo called out the creature's name. "Divine Paladin of the Phoenix!" (8500/8000)
"Damn that pest…he once again comes to fight against the end of the world?" Midnight roared as loudly as he could, and the Empire State Building quaked and came apart.
Ichigo and Erian were already standing upon the back of Kagayakikibouryu when it happened, along with the Divine Paladin of the Phoenix. Looking up at the swirling cloud cover, Ichigo grimaced. "End turn."
"Then it is now my turn, and with my turn I bring the end of your earth!" The sky parted as Midnight's titanic snout lowered down to point at the ground and at the almost insect-sized pests that dared to stand against him. "Burn with the earth, all of you!" His jaws opened rapidly, revealing an endless vortex of blackness. From within that blackness an inky ball of darkness exploded free and hurtled towards the ground.
Ichigo snapped up one hand. "Shining Moon Dragon's special ability allows me to negate all attacks for the turn by paying half of my life points!"
Ichigo- 900
Midnight- 200
The ball of death stopped in mid-air and slowly faded. But Midnight was not impressed, because as soon as the earth exploded then it would all over for Ichigo and his monsters, because without air they would suffocate instantly. "Take comfort in your last turn, boy."
Ichigo drew the top card of his deck and flipped it over. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" Removing the last two cards of his deck, he flipped them over and then looked up at the sneering maw of the Apocalypse Dragon's master. "Midnight, I activate the magic card Stealth Infiltration, activating one normal magic card from your graveyard…and my choice is Sacrilegious Fusion!" Everything around him disappeared in a blast of white light.
An arrow of bright white light shot from where the Shining Moon dragon had been into the sky, all the way into lower orbit. It stopped there and exploded, instantly crystallizing into a new form. This new draconic form let out a single heavenly roar to announce its new birth.
Midnight looked up at the skyward form in amazement. It looked sleek and powerful, like some kind of futuristic machine dragon god. And yet he knew its power almost instantly.
Ichigo stood atop the head of the newly fused monster, his eyes shimmering against the backdrop of space. "I remove Shining Moon Dragon, Time Weaver Dragon, and Noble Champion Dragon from my graveyard to special summon Neo Bahamut!" (Infinite/Infinite)
Snarling, Midnight snapped his neck up so he could look at the dragonfly-sized creature before him better. "This is not Bahamut!"
"Is that so?" Ichigo glanced back at the Divine Paladin of the Phoenix, who had its back resting against the metallic hide of the fusion dragon calmly. "Ready?" When the monster nodded he turned to look back at Midnight and snapped the other card in his hand over. "I activate Polymerization, fusing Divine Paladin of the Phoenix and Neo Bahamut together!"
Midnight roared in pain as searing light burned into his eyes, forcing him to stumble back into the ocean. "You summon yet another fusion?"
Ichigo nodded, standing atop the head of a giant silver, gold, and red metallic dragon that roared into space. "Neo Divine Paladin Dragon!" (Infinite/Infinite)
"You still can't expect for it to win, can you?" Midnight watched as the small dragon turned into a comet of fire that hurtled towards his face. Opening his maw, he released another ball of darkness that swallowed up the tiny attacker. "And you die by my awesome power, as you should have long ago."
The ball of darkness throbbed and inflated like a balloon, popping moments later to reveal the comet still flying right at the dark god's chest. Before he could unleash another blast, it flew right through his thick chest, leaving a gaping crater many times its size. Letting out a gasp of pain, Midnight's form stumbled and tried to remain standing. "Impossible…I am the end of the world, you can't kill me…"
The comet of fire was suddenly in front of his face. "You're still a Duel Monster, and while infinite attack power might be scary, when you put it up against a monster with the same attack strength and the ability to win any battle with a creature of power, then you have yourself a winning combo."
"I'm not beaten though!" Midnight screeched. "That attack didn't touch my life points!"
The comet of fire faded, revealing Neo Divine Paladin Dragon, Ichigo and Erian. Stepping forward on the head of his dragon, Ichigo gave the 'end of the world' a little goodbye wave. "When Neo Divine Paladin Dragon destroys a monster as a result of battle, it deals damage to the controller of that monster equal to its attack. In other words Midnight, that's game."
He suddenly snapped his hand up to point his middle and ring finger along with his thumb at the slowly cracking shell of darkness energy before him. "Gotcha! It was a great duel, but as the saying goes all great things need to come to an end."
Midnight could no longer roar, his heart having stopped moments after that announcement. His entire body dissolved like plastic in chemicals, melting into the ocean and then fading completely, as if he had never existed.
Ichigo- 900
Midnight- 0
To be continued…
Note: Sorry for the late update, my spring break happened this week.