Tournament of Tears
Chapter 40: Immortality of the Night
"Infinity Chaser, attack all of the Dark King's court now! Infinite Axle Kick!" Ichigo's monster phased across the field in front of the first Silva. Winding up, it slammed a heavy kick across the creature's jaw before phasing to the next. One by one each of the Dark King's monsters fell, destroyed by Infinity Chaser's attack. "And that's the game, Sestros…"
"Is it?" The smoke from the continuous attack cleared slowly to reveal the Dark King unharmed. "I beg to differ boy. As you can obviously see, I'm unharmed."
Ichigo- 8400
Sestros- 4600
Ichigo just stared at Sestros is disbelief. "What? That's impossible…" His only reply was Sestros' laughter, a laugh that was like an adult laughing at the foolish dreams of a child.
Sestros crossed his arms across his chest. "Well Ichigo, is your turn done?"
After a few seconds Ichigo recovered from his surprise. "No! I set one card face-down on the field and one monster card face-down as well. End turn!" Now he had no cards in his hand, one set card, one set monster, and his Infinity Chaser in play. (2000/1000)
"Draw." Sestros fanned out the seven cards in his hand. "Now I believe it is about time to start your treatment, Ichigo." Licking his lips, he placed a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Infinite Needle Torture. This effect allows all demon monsters on my field, when they deal you battle damage, to deal you that damage in increments of 100, one after another."
"What?" Ichigo widened his eyes at such a card. "Why would you play such a thing?"
"Your questions are annoying." The Dark King inserted another card into his disk next to his first Torture magic card. "I also activate the continuous magic card Hellish Rack Torture. Whenever you are dealt effect damage, it is also dealt to you in increments of 100 instead of as a whole."
("There's no point to these cards, so why is he playing them?") Ichigo looked at his set trap card worriedly. ("That's going to be my last hope. I can't screw this up, there's too much on the line!")
Sestros looked up at the dying sky and smiled calmly. "Ahhh, I will actually miss this world a little bit. The demons in the Dark World are like myself…they love the pain. It's just not the same as torturing you weak creatures."
Ichigo snarled and clenched his fist. "Stop babbling and let's continue!"
"As you wish, prince of earth!" Laughing at his own strange joke, the Dark King inserted another card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Death Approaches. This magic card randomly discards a card from my hand. If that card is a Dark World monster, then it is special summoned from my graveyard after being discarded." A card from his hand disappeared. "The discarded card, unfortunately for you, was my Adamantinne, Magister of Dark World." A demonic creature with a big bushy beard and wearing wizard's robes appeared on his field. "When this card is discarded from my hand by an effect, it is special summoned." (2200/1200) "Magister, crush his Infinity Chaser with your dark magic!" The demon started up a slow chant that quickly gained in strength until it was shaking the ground around them both. "Disappear from sight, weakling blank card!"
Ichigo let out a yell of pain as a wave of powerful sound slammed against his body, tearing the Infinity Chaser card off of his disk and tearing it into little scraps. "No!" Within his eyes, the reflection of those falling scraps could be seen. "Why? How?" That was the card that was his connection with Erian…his new ally.
Ichigo- 8200
Sestros- 4600
"Any card defeated by the Magister, as per the Magister's effect, is immediately torn up if sent to the graveyard. It's one of my favorite monster's for a reason. Now you cannot access that annoying creature no matter what you do!" Sestros was about to laugh, but immediately became serious as his Magister howled in pain and exploded into dust.
Ichigo's eyes were wavering, and he seemed as if he was either going to cry or somehow summon up the powers he possessed to destroy Sestros, despite the impossibility of such a thing. "I…I activate my face-down Michizure trap card. When a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard I may destroy an additional monster in play."
Inserting one card into his disk, Sestros glowered at the fact that one of his favorite personal methods of duelist torture had been so easily banished to the graveyard. ("Whoops, in my excitement I forgot to use the effect of my Endless Needles Torture card. Oh well, I'll get him next turn.") "I place one card face-down and end my turn."
Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck and flipped it over. "I activate the magic card Night Fusion, which is the Final Shadow version of the Miracle Fusion magic card for the Elemental Heroes set of cards! In other words, I may remove monsters from my graveyard and field to special summon a fusion Final Shadow monster!" Two cards were spat out of his graveyard slot. "I remove Night Slasher and Psyche Vizier from the game to special summon Final Shadow Mind Poison!" (1600/1200) A female humanoid wearing a body-tight suit and wearing a strange helmet appeared on his field. "Direct attack now!" It leapt right in front of Sestros and slashed across his chest with some kind of invisible weapon.
Ichigo- 8200
Sestros- 6200
Ichigo glowered in displeasure as he watched the Dark King's life points shoot up instead of down. "You gained life points again? Damn it, the effect of Mind Poison is that when it attacks you directly you I select one type of card. After my selection you then discard five of that kind of card from your deck to the graveyard. I call monster!"
Sestros started to laugh confidently. "You fool, that will be your undoing…I'll just select my Dark World monsters that activate their effects when sent from my deck to the graveyard!"
"No, you won't." Ichigo pointed at Sestros' deck, which turned blood red and started to spill out plumes of crimson smoke. "Any cards discarded by the effect of Mind Poison are negated, so whatever you lose stays lost."
The Dark King proceeded to empty more of the monsters from his deck. ("I have only a couple left, and no current way to recover them. While the boy cannot defeat me, I will wind up being unable to defeat him either.")
Ichigo nodded slowly. "Alright, it's your turn now."
Sestros drew. "Now I activate the magic Card Destruction, discarding my whole hand to draw a number of cards equal to the number I discard." Sliding the two remaining cards from his hand into his graveyard, he drew two more. "At this moment, I activate my face-down Dark Graceful Charity trap card, which returns all cards discarded to the graveyard by a magic card effect to my hand." Now he had four cards in his hand. "My advantage is that unlike you I can not be beaten, so all it takes is a well-thought out plan to bring you to your knees! I activate the magic card Dark Mixture, selecting one fusion monster in play and breaking it down into its fusion parts!" Mind Poison disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. "Oh yes, you removed the fusion material monsters from your graveyard, so they cannot be special summoned. Too bad for you. Also, I'll set two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."
Ichigo drew the top card off of his deck slowly, his eyes looking upon Sestros' field with care. ("His two face-down cards might be dangerous…")
"I reveal my face-down trap card, Torture Merchant!" Sestros fanned out his deck and removed a card from it. "The card selected is a continuous magic or trap card with Torture in its title, at which point it is played. My choice is the continuous magic card Simple Water Torture. This card, when you pay life points, forces you to pay the total amount of life points in increments of 100 points."
Ichigo snarled as angrily as he could muster in his current physical condition. "Quit fooling around, these cards are useless!"
"Useless?" Sestros shrugged. "It is your turn, so make your move."
Looking at his drawn card, Ichigo nodded slowly and inserted it into his disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."
Sestros pointed at his other set card. "Not so fast, Ichigo! I activate the trap card Restorative Magic, which lets me draw two cards at the cost of raising your life points by 10000! This life point gain cannot be converted into damage."
Ichigo- 18200
Sestros- 6200
Ichigo blinked repeatedly as the Dark King drew his card to indicate that it was his turn. "Why would you do that? Why would you increase my life points?"
"Why, you ask?" Sestros just started to laugh and inserted a card into his duel disk. "I activate the magic card Painful Meditation. This magic card deals me 1000 points of damage and allows me to draw two cards." Adding two new cards to his hand, he snapped up another card. "Once more, another Painful Meditation!" Now he had six cards in his hand.
Ichigo- 18200
Sestros- 4200
Ichigo frowned, but glancing down at his set card he took a deep breath to clear his nerves. ("I can do this, all I have to do is figure out what Dad meant about being able to defeat this kind of guy with love.")
Sestros looked at the cards in his hand for a few moments, and then smiled calmly. "Ichigo, let me give you a treat before I send you to the underworld. Let me ask you, because it's been bothering me that you haven't asked yet…where is your mother?"
Ichigo bit his lower lip, instantly drawing blood from it and using the pain to immediately clear what would have been a blinding rage at that reminder. "Once I've beaten you and I've made my wish she'll be brought back from death."
"Death?" Sestros glanced at his hand. "You don't get it, do you? Why would I kill her, when she would so much more useful alive." Fanning out his hand, he slowly reached out and pinched the edges of one of the middle cards. "I'm sure you remember Octavian, don't you? That human working for Chaos that was going across the Duelist Academy and stealing the souls of young girls to place into his Valkyrie cards so they would be even more powerful…"
Ichigo's heart started to beat irregularly, and pain shot up his side. "You sick bastard…you…you didn't…"
"I summon Volra, Tortured Prisoner of the Dark World in attack mode!" Sestros' field was swallowed up by a small sphere of darkness, and when that darkness fell there was a single rag-covered form cowering in play. It was covered by shadows, so Ichigo couldn't make out its face. (0/100) "This monster was made specifically for you and your father, because it would be the one monster that you could not possibly defeat." Reaching down slowly, he placed a hand under the chin of Volra and tilted its head up, letting the bloody red sky reveal the identity of the captive.
There were cuts and bruises all across her face, and her normally vibrant hazel eyes were dull, reflecting a void of someone in mental retreat. But without a doubt in his mind, Ichigo knew who it was instantly. "Mom!"
Sestros smiled in a sickenly-sweet manner, tilting Jennie Pilkington's dirty face so that he seemingly lifeless eyes met those of her son. "While you were playing with Midnight, I was busy playing with this beautiful specimen. Oh, how I made her scream…" He breathed close to her ear, and she whimpered slightly, trying meekly to flinch away. "Rikuo was my line to follow…torture-wise, I mean."
"Stop it!" Ichigo tried to move, but his legs refused to obey him. ("Damn it, why can't I move?") "Let her go Sestros!"
"I wanted to see how well a half-demon in this day and age could stand up to the pain brought about by those old methods I used on Rikuo when he was a child." Forcing Jennie to her feet, Sestros smirked directly into Ichigo's face. Then he casually back-handed his captive with enough force to snap her head to one side roughly. "Bitch, I wish to hear your praises to my strength, now."
Jennie dropped to her knees, resting her head against the sandy ground. "My lord Sestros…" Her voice was hoarse and dry, as if she hadn't taken a drink of water in days. "…your might is unmatched. Against all others you cannot be defeated, and your very image speaks of why all should fear your divine wrath…" Each word was croaked out with extreme effort on her part.
Sestros reached down and patted her on the head. "That's a good girl. Now, what else?"
Ichigo wanted to close his eyes and turn away, but he couldn't. His body refused to listen to his frantic commands. ("Why can't I move? Why can't I move? MOM!")
"I wished I had never brought Ichigo into this world…"
Somewhere, something within Ichigo shattered…
"…because of him and his father I was forced into this hellish world of darkness. My only comfort…"
Despite being unable to move, Ichigo somehow could still tremble uncontrollably, as that feeling of hopelessness overtook him.
"…is that Ichigo will die and join his father in the nine hells." Jennie plowed her forehead into the sand harder. "I…I…"
"Shhh, that will be quite enough." Sestros grabbed a card from his hand and flipped it over. "I activate the magic card Creature Swap, forcing you and I to switch monsters." Ichigo's face-down monster appeared on his field, and Volra appeared on Ichigo's field.
Ichigo could move his mouth now, and as he looked upon the broken woman cowering in fear before him he realized that no words were coming out of his mouth.
Sestros flipped over another card. "Now I activate the magic card Share the Pain. Both players sacrifice one monster they have in play. So Ichigo, are you ready to pay her back for those hateful words? Go and sacrifice your mother…understand the true strife that comes from crossing me!"
Ichigo could move, and he collapsed to his knees, his face just inches from Volra's back. ("It's mother's smell…") The pain amplified, and he started to feel cold all over. ("Mom…you're…")
Volra scurried back slightly when Ichigo tried to touch her.
Sestros watched this entire scene with immense amusement. ("This is the feeling I can truly feast upon…Ichigo, I will enjoy sucking up every ounce of your despair when you finally sacrifice her. And the best part of it all is she'll live on as my personal slave.")
Ichigo suddenly wrapped his mother in the tightest hug he could, refusing to let go despite her feeble attempts to push him away. "Mommy…"
("Hate her Ichigo, hate her for her harmful words…I know the type of person you are, and your innocence will be your downfall…make that final descent out of the light!") Sestros had his fangs bared, nearly salivating at the thought of swallowing Ichigo's energy while it was like this.
Ichigo trembled repeatedly, his entire body quaking in both pain and heartache. "I'm sorry…you're right, it's my fault that this happened to you. There is nothing I can do to make it up to you…except to kill myself after I have defeated Sestros. Mommy…forgive your son for his selfishness…"
("You have to be kidding me…") Sestros just stared at the boy in amazement. ("He's accepting the blame she placed on him…that's…that's…") "Impossible…"
Ichigo suddenly felt a hand rest on his cheek gently. It was soft and warm, instantly reminding him of home. "Mommy…" He started to cry…
"I…chi…go…" Jennie's weak and tired hand recognized that voice… "Don't…cry…"
Sestros bit back his gasp of surprise. "Impossible!" ("She's trying to comfort him suddenly?")
Ichigo suddenly felt warmth against his forehead. ("I remember this…") Memories played through his head, and he remembered the days he would hurt himself. ("Mom would rest her forehead against mine and say 'Ichigo, your mommy wants her son to grow up to be big and strong…she wants him to be a hero like his daddy. But don't forget to cry, and let those feelings out.' Then she'd…") Jennie's hand slowly wiped away his tears.
"Everyone…loves someone…that is true to their feelings." Jennie's eyes seemed to light with a faint spark of life as they looked right into Ichigo's eyes. "I'm proud of you, Ichigo. Don't lose that special aspect about you…those innocent and childish feelings that make you you. I…was wrong. Your father didn't want to marry me because he didn't want me to become involved in these kind of things." Every word she spoke sounded strained, as if she was pushing herself to her limits and beyond to get this out.
"Why did you marry him?" Ichigo's words were a hushed shout at her, his eyes still watery. "Why?"
"Because I loved him, and was willing to suffer to make sure that the heroic soul your father had lived on through you. Ichigo, you're the hope of the world. Even now, after all this, your true destiny isn't revealed yet. You will one day shape the world…" She stroked his hair gently. "Your father knew this, and so did I…but we wanted to keep you sheltered from the evils of the world…"
Ichigo sniffled and hugger her tighter. "Mom…dad told me not to forget love…"
"That's right…" She tried to laugh, but with her throat as it was that was impossible. "That's the most important thing of all. Don't become like the men who would destroy the world."
The ground around them rumbled angrily, and somewhere in the distance something exploded.
"Ichigo…" Jennie kissed her son on the cheek. "Live on, and save the earth. Live long and make the world a better place…for the sake of your own future children. I love you…Ichigo." She suddenly faded away, leaving nothing but golden sparks of light in her place.
Sestros blinked in anger. "What? She disappeared?" His fist clenched tighter and tighter, so tight he could probably crush a lump of coal into a diamond with its sheer pressure. "Damn you Pilkingtons, the lot of you just keep defying me! Regardless though, at least the bitch is dead!"
Ichigo slowly stood up. "Continue your turn, Sestros." His eyes were closed, and his voice wavered.
"When Volra is sacrificed, the sacrificing player then gets their life points set to 1000! For every 1000 life points you lost, you draw one card from your deck!" The Dark King would enjoy crushing this boy beneath his heel before he escaped this sad planet. "You're the last thing I want to do before I escape, and I will make sure you die! So hurry and draw your seventeen cards!"
Ichigo- 1000
Sestros- 4200
Another card was slammed into his disk. "I activate the final Torture card! Go Iron Maiden Torture!" The last card appeared in play alongside its brothers. "Now I tribute these three cards to summon my ultimate monster!" The four continuous magic cards disappeared and a giant spiked metal cage erupted from the ground. "I summon Sestros, Torture King of the Dark World!" Throwing back his head to laugh, the Dark King watched as the cage exploded and revealed the blue-skinned and spiked form of his true form. (2800/3000) "While this card is in play, whenever a player draws a card outside of their draw phase, they take 1000 points of damage! Now you die, Ichigo! Go, direct attack!" Pulling a long spike-ended whip from out of nowhere, the demon monster cracked the pointed end of the weapon right at Ichigo's body.
"Trap card activate, Asteroid Belt!" Ichigo disappeared behind a wall of space rocks that launched across the field and crashed into Sestros. "This trap negates a direct attack and deals you 500 life points of damage!"
Ichigo- 1000
Sestros- 3700
Sestros growled and slid a card into his disk. "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn! Now I can tell you the effect of Volra confidently. During the end phase of the turn for the duelist who drew through its effect, they lose. In other words, this is your last turn, boy!"
Ichigo looked down at his deck quietly. ("My last turn?") He drew calmly, his brain having already calculated the perfect strategy. "Letting me draw seventeen cards was the biggest mistake you could have made, Sestros!"
"Don't be so naïve boy, do you think I'd let you draw that many? Reverse card open, the Perforated Purse!" A strange cartoon-looking purse appeared on Sestros field. "This trap card only trigger when the opponent has six or more cards in their hand. Their hand is discarded down randomly until they are holding five cards, and they also cannot draw anymore cards this turn!" The purse opened its flaps and shot out a mass of little sticky tentacles that grabbed a thirteen cards from Ichigo's hand and pulled them all out of sight. "Now your hand advantage isn't so ridiculous, and you will lose horribly at the end of this turn. Surrender, Ichigo!"
"I can still win!" Ichigo was about to look at the cards in his hand…
"You don't get it, do you?" Sestros sneered. "My Duel Prescense changes all darkness attribute damage into life point gain for me!" He laughed wildly. "Considering the Final Shadows are all dark attribute…well, I'm sure you see why you cannot win."
Ichigo froze, sweat building up on his back. He had yet to look at his hand, because suddenly there was no will to fight. ("All darkness attribute damage is absorbed? Of course, that's what happened before…but if that's the case then…then…") He was doomed. His deck didn't run any kind of heavy effect damage card… "I…can't win, can I?"
"It's impossible. The only non-dark attribute monsters in your deck are those annoying Final Shadow Gods, and from what I remember none of them have enough attack power to finish me off. And besides, even if you did what would it accomplish? There isn't a single thing you can do thanks to the Immortality of the Night. My losing will simply mean a draw…" Turning to look up at the blood red moon hanging in the blood red sky, Sestros sighed. "What a tragic ending for the planet earth…"
"It's not over!" The new voice brought both duelists out of their personal thoughts and back into the game.
Turning on one heel, Ichigo looked behind him and gasped in surprise. "Erian? What are you doing here?"
The multi-colored boy ran up and with all of his might punched Ichigo across the face. "What are you talking about? You haven't lost yet! How can you give up after getting this far?"
Ichigo was surprised at how soft that punch was, so he quickly recovered. "But everything I run will give him life points…"
"That doesn't matter!" Erian clenched his fists tightly, shouting right in Ichigo's face. "This beautiful world that you want to protect suddenly can't be saved? Don't make me laugh! What happened to the Ichigo who wouldn't give up?"
Ichigo smiled slightly. "You're right…Erian." Turning to look at Sestros, he smirked. "In this turn, you will lose and you will be destroyed. For the good of the earth, I will find a way."
Erian blinked in surprise and took a couple of steps from Ichigo's body. "Ummm…Ichigo?"
"Yeah?" Ichigo looked down at himself…and realized that he was glowing light blue. "Huh? Wait…what's this…" Whatever else he was going to say faded as he suddenly disappeared in a burst of blue light.
"………" Erian stared at the spot where Ichigo had been standing. "Ichigo? Ummm….hello?"
Sestros just watched the empty spot quietly. ("He will be back…I know he will. However, with only three minutes left until the world comes to an end…")
To be continued…