Curse of the Black Knight
A dark figure was standing in the shadows, contemplating the progress of a certain issue. "It seems that those key keepers are stronger than I thought." The figure said, in a voice that sounded like an old man. "So far, only two of the spirit gates are unlocked. I think it's time to bring out one of my special Shadow Riders." At that, the figure held up what looked a cross guard from a sword with a millennium symbol. It then floated in the air and flew over to a coffin leaning against the wall. An unknown figure was resting inside. When the cross guard got close enough, the figure groaned and grabbed it with an armored hand.
In the infirmary, two of the three people were bedridden most for the most part, were about to be released. But first, Kaito was currently sitting on his bed, while being checked up on by Ms. Fontaine.
"About time we got out of bed." Cynthia said, standing on her feet.
"Tell me about it." Kaito replied. "Being in the bed for so long is really boring." He frowned when he turned to Atticus, who was sleeping in his bed. "Too bad Atticus hasn't fully recovered yet."
"Don't worry." Ms. Fontaine reassured them. "I'm certain he'll get better soon." She then picked up a clipboard which she looked at for a moment before her two patients. "But, looking through the rest of your stats, you two are free to go."
"Great!" Kaito smiled as he stood up and stretched his arms.
"Before you go..." Ms. Fontaine spoke up again. "The Chancellor said he wants to see you as soon as possible."
Kaito blinked. "Really?"
Cynthia tapped her chin in thought. "He probably wants us to tell him all we know about the Shadow Riders."
The spellcaster duelist shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. Then we better not keep him waiting any longer." At that, both of them left the infirmary.
At the Chancellor's office, the two former Shadow Riders just opened the door see the man in question sitting at the desk, and Dr. Crowler standing right next to it.
"I've been expecting you." Sheppard said, smiling at their arrival. "It's great to have two of my students back on their feet."
"It's good to be back." Kaito replied.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you, Chancellor." Cynthia added.
"Now then..." Crowler spoke up. "The reason you've been called here is because we need you tell us everything you remember from before and during your time with the Shadow Riders. Any additional information could be beneficial."
"I'm afraid we don't remember so much. Most of it is a blur." Kaito replied.
"All we can remember is that someone called us over to the Millennium House for a test." Cynthia explained. "We don't know who it was. Our PDA's didn't show the person's face or number. We only heard a synthesized voice."
"When we got to the basement, we were swallowed by a sea of black blobs."
"As for the time we were with the Shadow Riders, I remember that there were 12 Shadow Riders in total. Me, Kaito and Atticus were the only students who were possessed."
"So including us, 5 of them are defeated, so there are 7 Shadow Riders left. And that's all."
"I see." Sheppard nodded. He smiled despite the bad news. "I suppose we'll have to make with what we've got. Now then, we better get the both you settled in your dorms. And you will have to repeat your first year."
"Also, the two of you will be evaluated in the next few days so that we may asses your dueling skills." Crowler added.
"Understood." Cynthia nodded.
"Got it."
After seeing the Chancellor, the both of them were escorted to the dorms by the people Sheppard called for.
On the way to the Obelisk boys' dorm...
"So, how does it feel to be back?" Michael asked the blonde Obelisk.
"It feels great!" Kaito replied cheerfully. "I almost forgot how nice this place was."
"It sure is... except for the Obelisks who look down on those from the lower ranked dorms."
The blonde sighed. "That's true. They just don't understand that anyone has the potential to become a great duelist."
"I'm glad that you're one of the few people who thinks so."
"I hear ya." The two of them eventually arrived at the grand dorm building. Kaito smiled at the sight, feeling nostalgic. "Yup, it's good to be back."
At the Obelisk girls' dorm...
Cynthia was heading to her room, along with Jenny.
"So that Timothy Rosewood tried to make you his girlfriend?" Cynthia asked.
Jenny sighed. "Yeah, he was so determined to make me go out with him. He even went as far as dueling my friend to get that chance. Fortunately, he was able to drive Timothy away."
"Speaking of this friend of yours, what kind of person is he?"
Jenny smiled softly. "Well, he's kind... and selfless. Even if it means getting hurt, he's always determined to help someone in need."
Cynthia smiled in return. "Is that so? Then... do you like him?"
Jenny's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"I mean really like him?"
The fairy duelist blushed and looked away. "Well... of course. He's my friend. Why wouldn't I like him?"
The plant duelist almost giggled at her reaction. "Okay then."
Eventually, they arrived at Cynthia's supposed room.
"I almost forgot how elaborate the rooms in Obelisk are." Cynthia commented, around the place. There was a queen sized bed, a plasma TV and a couch.
"Tell me about it. They try so hard to give the Obelisks all the luxury." Jenny said.
"Not that it makes all of us flaunt it around." Cynthia replied. "That's why I respect Zane. He just duels. But he seems to be so calm and serious that it makes me wonder if he's enjoying the game at all."
"Trust me, even someone like Zane can enjoy the game. But I know someone who likes dueling more than anyone."
"Is that so..."
Meanwhile, Andrew was in his own dorm room, laying on his bed. He was holding his spirit key and stared at it, deep in thought of everything that happened so far. 'So far, we have defeated 5 Shadow Riders, and lost 2 of the spirit keys. Tania was pretty tough, but something tells me the next Shadow Rider will be even tougher.' He got off his bed, and hung the key around his neck, along with the Dragon Heart amulet he got on his birthday. We walked up to a window and gazed at the view. 'We must be ready.'
The night had fallen and practically everyone was in bed. The whole island was very peaceful. But that peaceful moment was suddenly broken by a pillar of purple light that erupted from the middle of the forest.
At the Slifer dorm, Jaden and the others were snoring away in their beds. But it was then Winged Kuriboh appeared next to his master and poked on his cheek.
"Coo!"
"...Mmmh." Jaden groaned sleepily before waking up. He rubbed his eyes and turned to his duel spirit. "What's wrong Kuriboh?"
"Coo! Coo!"
Jaden's eyes widened. "What did you say? Something bad is happening? Huh?" He then felt a light shaking on his chest. He looked down and grabbed his spirit key, which was vibrating in his hand. "No way!"
"Andrew! Wake up!"
Andrew jolted awake by the sudden call from Wynn, who was floating next to his bed. "W-what!?" He turned to her. "Wynn? What's wrong?"
The duel spirit frowned. "I sense something ominous nearby."
"Really?" Andrew asked. "Huh?" He then suddenly felt his spirit key shaking. He narrowed his eyes. "Looks like they're at it again..."
Everyone felt their keys reacting, so the key keepers gathered in front of the academy building. along with Syrus, Chumley, Clover, Zane, and Professor Banner with his cat in his arms.
"So, it's happening again?" Syrus asked nervously.
"Yeah, our spirit keys are reacting." Shiori replied grimly.
"Which means..." Chumley trailed off in fear.
"The next Shadow Rider is here." Zane said.
"Got that right." Jaden replied.
"Oh dear." Banner frowned.
"So where do we find that punk." Chazz asked.
As on cue, a purple light could be seen glowing in the forest.
"Doesn't seem to be any problem." Clover commented.
The gang ran in the direction the light came from. As they got closer, the light was getting brighter.
"Who or what could this be?" Bastion wondered.
"Whoever or whatever it is... it's definitely bad." Andrew replied.
Eventually, they arrived at a clearing... where they saw something standing in the middle of the area, glowing brightly.
Soon after, the glowing died down. And it was then everyone got a good look of the individual standing in front of them. It was a man with long black hair, wearing a black knight armor with spiky shoulder plates. There was also a skull-like emblem on the chest plate. He also had a cross guard around his neck and a duel disk on his left arm. However... the most unsettling feature was his face. His eyes were glowing purple, and his skin was sickly pale.
"Okay, stop! What is that? Jenny asked nervously.
"A knight in armor?" Jaden replied.
"A scary-looking knight in armor." Michael added, almost shuddering.
Pharaoh hissed at the knight.
The black knight glared at them. "Duelists... I have come for your spirit keys."
"So he is a Shadow Rider." Zane noted.
"Naturally." Bastion replied.
Andrew stepped forward. "Whoever you are, don't think you'll get our keys so easily!"
The black knight glanced at him momentarily before his eyes landed on a certain thing around his neck... besides his spirit key. "That's..." He trailed off until his eyes burned with hatred. "The Dragon Heart Amulet!"
Everyone's eyes widened at those words.
"Wha... what did he say?" Clover asked.
Andrew grabbed at the item in question and looked at it. He then turned to the black knight. "How do you..."
"The amulet that caused me so much trouble!" The knight interrupted.
"What's he talking about" Alexis wondered.
Jenny however gasped. "Wait a minute! The Dragon Heart Amulet was known for being used to stop en evil knight!"
"Then, are you saying...?" Clover in horror.
"Oh dear me! This is the same evil knight from the legend!" Banner filled in.
"No way!" Jaden said.
"Aw man!" Syrus said in fear.
"I can't believe you'd be standing there in front of me after all this years!" The black knight said accusingly.
"What!? What are you talking about?" Andrew asked defensively.
"You tried to destroy me many years ago! I would have been victorious if you never had that cursed amulet!"
"What's he talking about?" Chumley wondered.
"Well..." Bastion spoke up. "According to the legend, the evil knight killed many other knights in battle, until one knight, bearing the Dragon Amulet, confronted him."
"So what? Are you telling us that nut job thinks Andrew is that knight who battled him?" Chazz asked.
"Now that's just bad." Shiori said worriedly.
The black knight grinned. "What a wonderful opportunity! We can finally finish what we started centuries ago!" He then grabbed his cross guard. "Prepare to meet your doom!" He turned around and stabbed the ground with the cross guard. When he did, it unleashed dark energy that formed a circle around him and Andrew. And then, they were surrounded by a transparent barrier.
"What the hell!?" Andrew exclaimed as he punched the barrier, but nothing happened.
"Hey!" Jaden screamed and slammed on the barrier as well, but the results were the same.
Andrew glared at the black knight. "Let me out of here! Now!"
"You are not going anywhere. Not without facing me in battle!" The knight declared and activated his duel disk.
Andrew kept glaring until he activated his own duel disk. "Fine. Let's do this."
"DUEL!"
Andrew: 4000
Black Knight: 4000
"Prepare yourself, warrior." The black knight drew. "I place a facedown monster in defense mode." A facedown monster appeared. "Then I'll place one more card facedown and end my turn." Another card appeared.
"All that talk of revenge and that's all he's gonna play?" Chazz questioned.
"Don't jump to conclusions." Bastion replied. "He's probably planning something."
"My move!" Andrew drew. "I summon Elemental HERO Heat in attack mode!" The white and red armored hero emerged from a pillar of fire. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "This guy gains 200 attack points for every Elemental HERO on my field, including himself." (ATK: 1600-1800) "Now attack his facedown monster with Burning Fist!" The fire hero dashed forward and ignited his right fist.
"Fool." The knight muttered as his monster card flipped up and revealed a giant turtle with a shell made of emerald. (ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 4) The fire hero delivered a punch on the turtle's shell, but its defense was too strong.
Andrew suddenly heard an electric sound from the barrier. Before he could look up, he was struck by lightning from above. "AAAAHHHH!"
Andrew: 4000-3800
"Andrew!" Jenny and Clover called out.
"Are you alright!?" Shiori asked.
Andrew stood straight but groaned. "I-I'm fine."
"Man, what a shock." Jaden said.
"That's putting it mildly." Zane replied. "It's clear that this duel is a Shadow Game."
"Which means Andrew can lose his soul." Alexis realized.
"Now my Gem-Turtle's ability activates. I can take a Gem-Knight Fusion from my deck and add it to my hand." The black knight said as he took a card from his deck.
"Fusion?" Chumley repeated.
"That doesn't sound good." Syrus said worriedly.
'Not good at all.' Andrew thought as he inserted two cards into his duel disk. "I play two facedowns and end my turn."
The black knight drew again. "First I activate the spell card, Gem-Knight Fusion!" A fusion vortex appeared. "With this spell card, I can send monsters from my hand or field to the graveyard, and fusion summon a Gem-Knight monster. I fuse Gem-Knight Obsidian and Gem-Knight Garnet!"
One of the knights that appeared in front of the fusion vortex was wearing a black suit of armor with a large string of black pearls draped over its shoulder. The other knight was wearing a red suit of armor with flames imprinted on its legs and chest. They entered the vortex. "Now rise, Gem-Knight Citrine!" In a flash of light, a new knight appeared. This one was wearing a bronze armor with a yellow gem on the chest. He had molten hands, a molten sword, flames on his helmet and a blue cape. And for some reason, he gave off a dark aura. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 1950 LV: 7)
Everyone gasped at this.
"Gem-Knight?" Michael muttered.
"That's an archetype I've never heard of." Bastion admitted.
Andrew frowned at the sight of the new monster. 'What's with that aura.'
"Now I activate Obsidian's special ability!" The black knight continued. "After he's sent from the hand to the graveyard, I can summon a level 4 or lower normal monster from my graveyard. So now I'll resurrect my Gem-Knight Garnet!" The red-armored knight appeared again. And just like Citrine, he was radiating with a dark aura. (ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LV: 4) "And now I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Fusion!"
"Say what!?" Andrew exclaimed.
"By taking a Gem-Knight monster from my graveyard and remove it from play, I can return it to my hand." The black knight's Obsidian card slid out of his graveyard slot. After he put the card away, he held up his spell card. "And now I'll use my spell card again!"
"Again!?" Shiori repeated.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Clover said disbelieved.
"I'll combine my Garnet and Gem-Turtle to create the Gem-Knight Zirconia!" The two named monsters entered another fusion vortex. And the monster that emerged from it was another knight. He bigger than Citrine and was wearing a grey and bronze suit of armor with fists that looked like diamonds and a long flowing purple cape. And he was also surrounded by a dark aura. (ATK: 2900 DEF: 2500 LV: 8)
"No way! Two fusion monsters in one turn?" Jaden said.
"And he brought them out with the same spell card, which he can keep using, as long as he has at least one Gem-Knight monster to remove from play." Bastion noted.
"And now it's time to engage in battle!" The black knight declared. "Now Citrine, attack his Elemental HERO Heat with Citrine Slash!" The named monster charged at the fire hero and raised his sword.
"I activate my trap!" Andrew announced, motioning to one of his facedown cards. But nothing happened. "Huh?"
"It's useless." The black knight interrupted. "When Citrine attacks or is attacked, you can't activate cards or effects."
"No way!" Andrew exclaimed as his HERO monster was struck by the Gem-Knight's sword and exploded. He then cried out when he was zapped again.
Andrew: 3800-3400
"And since you tried to activate your facedown card, I'll use this spell card before I attack you again!" The image of a spell card appeared. And then, a lance appeared in Zirconia's right. "It's called Forbidden Lance, and it makes my monster immune to spells and traps for one turn. However, this power comes with a price. My monster must give up 800 of his attack points." (ATK: 2900-2100) "Now Zirconia, direct attack!" The bigger knight swung his lance at Andrew, sending him flying to the transparent wall.
Andrew: 3400-1300
"I end my turn." (ATK: 2100-2900)
Andrew groaned as he stood up again and began his move. "I draw." He looked at the card he drew before placing another one on his duel disk. "I summon Elemental HERO Solid Soldier in attack mode!" The purple hero in silver armor appeared. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1100 LV: 4) "When he's normal summoned, I can summon a level 4 or lower HERO monster from my hand. Now come on out, Elemental HERO Blazeman!" The fire-headed hero in red armor appeared. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1800 LV: 4)
"Next I'll activate his special ability. After he's summoned, I can add a Polymerization from my deck to my hand." Andrew fanned out his deck and took the card he wanted. "And now I activate Elemental Recharge!" One of his facedown cards flipped up. "This lets me increase my life points by 1000 for every Elemental HERO on my field!"
Andrew: 1300-3300
"And now I'll use Polymerization and fuse my two heroes to create the Elemental HERO Gaia!" Blazeman and Solid Soldier entered the fusion vortex and reappeared in the form of the black armored giant. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 2600 LV: 6) "And now I activate Solid Soldier's special ability! After he's sent to graveyard by the effect of a spell card, I can summon a HERO monster from the grave in defense mode. So now I'll bring back Blazeman!" The red armored hero appeared again. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1800 LV: 4)
"And next I activate Gaia's special ability. After he's fusion summoned, he absorbs half of the attack points of one of your monsters." The giant hero held up his right palm and absorbed energy from Zirconia. (ATK: 2900-1450) (ATK: 2200-3650) "Now attack his Zirconia with Continent Smash!" Gaia pulled back his right arm and swung it froward, and landing powerful punch that destroyed Zirconia.
Black Knight: 4000-1800
"I end my turn with a facedown." Andrew concluded, inserting a card into his duel disk. (ATK: 3650-2200)
The black knight growled and drew his next card. "I activate Pot of Greed. Now I can draw two cards from my deck." He drew his extra cards. "Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! This lets me destroy one spell or trap card on your field, like your facedown card." A typhoon came out of the spell card and blew one of Andrew's cards away. "Then I'll summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite!" A white knight with gems built into its armor appeared. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "And now I activate his special ability. By sacrificing him, I can summon a normal Gem-Knight monster from my deck. And I choose Gem-Knight Crystal!" Alexandrite disappeared and was replaced by a taller knight in silver armor with crystals on it, including big pieces on the shoulder guards. This knight let out a dark aura as well. (ATK: 2450 DEF: 1950 LV: 7) "Now attack his Gaia!" The new knight charged at the giant hero and landed a punch on his guts, shattering him into pixels. Andrew was shocked again.
Andrew: 3300-3050
"Now Citrine, destroy his Blazeman!" The named monster brought his molten sword of the fire hero, destroying him, as well.
"I activate my trap!" Andrew interrupted and revealed his remaining facedown card. "Hero Signal! Now I can summon a level 4 or lower Elemental HERO, like Shadow Mist!" The woman in black appeared and crouched down. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And when she's special summoned, I can add a quick play spell card from my deck to my hand, as long as it has the word Change in its name." Andrew fanned out his deck took the card he wanted.
"You'll need it, because now I activate my trap! Call of the Haunted!" The black knight's facedown card flipped up.
Andrew gasped.
"Now I can resurrect a monster from my graveyard. Now Zirconia, rise up and serve me again!" The giant knight with diamond-like fists rose up next to Citrine. (ATK: 2900 DEF: 2500 LV: 8)
The spectators gasped.
"Now there are 3 knights on the field!" Shiori exclaimed.
"And the third one is ready to rumble." Michael said grimly.
"Now Zirconia, destroy his Shadow Mist with Diamond Smash!" The named monster raised his right arm and slammed the black armored hero. "I end my turn."
Andrew drew his next card. "I play the spell card, Legacy of a Hero. With two Elemental Heroes in my graveyard that are at least 4, I can draw 3 cards." He drew his extra cards. "Then I'll summon Elemental HERO Stratos!" The wind hero with turbine wings appeared. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 300 LV: 4) "With him summoned, I can take a HERO monster from my deck and add it to my hand." Andrew took Flash from his deck. "Then I activate Mask Change! This lets me trade my monster for a Masked HERO! Now Stratos, turn into Masked HERO Divine Wind!" The turbine winged her glowed brightly and transformed into the hero in emerald green armor with a white cape. (ATK: 2700 DEF: 1900 LV: 8)
"What!?" The Black Knight exclaimed.
"Now Divine Wind, attack his Citrine! Storming Justice!" The hero thrusted his right palm and unleashed a powerful storm wind that surrounded Gem-Knight in question before he shattered into pixels.
Black Knight: 1800-1300
"And when Divine Wind destroys a monster in battle, I can draw one card from my deck." Andrew drew. "I end my turn."
"Alright! That's more like it!" Jaden cheered.
"Way to go, Andrew!" Shiori added.
"Quite impressive." Banner praised.
The Black knight growled angrily and drew his next card. "You'll pay for that! Zirconia, destroy his Divine Wind!" The big Gem-Knight delivered a powerful right that sent the Masked HERO flying. Andrew cried out as he was shocked again.
Andrew: 3050-2850
But, to the black knight's shock, Divine Wind wasn't destroyed. He recovered quickly from the attack and landed on the ground. "What!? He survived?"
"Nice try, but thanks to his special ability, Divine Wind can't be destroyed in battle."
The black knight narrowed his eyes before inserting a card into his duel disk. "I place a card facedown. Then I'll switch Gem-Knight Crystal to defense mode and end my turn." The named monster crouched down.
"My move." Andrew drew. "Now Divine Wind, destroy Gem-Knight Crystal!" The wind hero created another storm wind that blew the silver armored knight away. "And once again, I'll use my monster's ability to draw a card..."
"Activate trap card!" The black knight interrupted and revealed his facedown card. "Brilliant Spark!"
"Huh?"
"I can only activate it when you destroy one of my Gem-Knights. And that's when you'll pay the prize! You take damage equal to my destroyed monster's original attack points!"
Everyone gasped in horror.
"Original attack points?" Alexis repeated.
"That's right. And the monster Andrew just destroyed had a lot of them." Zane pointed out.
The trap card fired a bolt of lightning at Andrew, causing him to cry out in pain. "AAAAAAAHHHH!"
Andrew: 2850-0400
"Andrew, no!" Jenny and Clover called out.
The Masked HERO duelist panted heavily after the shock, having trouble standing straight.
The black knight chuckled at this. "Do you surrender?"
"Never!" Andrew retorted. "I won't stand down... until the last life points expire..." He then reached for his deck. "As I said before, Divine Wind lets me draw a card from my deck." He drew. "Then I'll summon Elemental HERO Flash in defense mode." The blue and silver clad, electric hero appeared next to Divine Wind. (ATK: 1100 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) "Then I'll end my turn with two facedowns." Two cards appeared at Andrew's feet.
"Then it's my turn." The black knight drew. "First I activate the spell card, Graceful Charity. This lets me draw 3 cards from my deck, and then discard 2 from my hand." He drew three cards, looked over his hand and discarded the two cards he didn't want to keep. And then, his graveyard slot glowed. "One of the cards I discarded was Card of Compensation. After sending it from my hand to the graveyard, I get to draw two more cards." After drawing his extra cards, he looked at what he got and grinned.
"Now I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Fusion in my graveyard. I remove another Gem-Knight monster from play and return it to my hand." He removed Garnet from the graveyard and took back the named spell card. "And now I'll use it to fuse Gem-Knight Lapis and Tourmaline to create the Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli!" A female knight with a single gem on her torso entered the fusion vortex, along with a knight in golden armor. And then, a blue-skinned female wearing a blue robe-looking armor with a single blue stone for a necklace appeared. Again, a dark emitted from her, just like the others. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 1000 LV: 5)
"A monster with 2400 attack points?" Chazz questioned, raising one of his eyebrows. "That's a little too weak to attack Divine Wind."
"That's true." Syrus agreed.
Zane however narrowed his eyes. "What if he doesn't need to attack with her?"
The black knight grinned. "That's right. I don't need to attack. All I have to do is use my Lady Lapis Lazuli's special ability. By sending a Gem-Knight monster from my main deck or fusion deck to my graveyard, she gives my opponent 500 points of damage for every monster that was summoned in a special way."
Everyone gasped.
"500!?" Jaden repeated.
"For every monster that was special summoned?" Jenny said in horror.
"Including Lady Lapis Lazuli herself, that's 3 monsters." Bastion pointed out. "So that'll give Andrew 1500 points of damage."
"But he doesn't have that many points!" Clover stated.
"Which means he can't survive this!" Michael added.
"It's time for you to finally fall before me!" The black knight declared, while taking a card from his deck and sent it to the graveyard. "Now my servant, finish him off!" The blue woman formed a ball of blue energy between her palms before sending it toward Andrew.
"I activate Fusion Guard!" One of his facedown cards flipped up. "With this trap card, I negate the damage from your effect, and a random fusion monster goes from my fusion deck to my graveyard." An invisible wall blocked the blast and images of Andrew's remaining fusion monsters flew around him, until Masked HERO Koga entered the graveyard slot.
The spectators sighed in relief.
"Man, that was close." Shiori said.
"Indeed." Banner agreed.
The black knight clicked his tongue. "You're only prolonging the inevitable! And for that, you're going to suffer more! Zirconia, attack!" The big Gem-Knight raised his right fist and prepared to smash Divine Wind.
"I activate my other trap! Shift!" Andrew's facedown card flipped up. "Thanks to this, your attacking monster gets a new target. Specifically, Flash!" The named hero monster jumped in the way and was hit by Zirconia.
The black knight growled.
"And because Flash was destroyed in battle, I can remove him from play, along with 3 other heroes from my graveyard." The spirits of Flash, Gaia, Heat, and Solid Soldier appeared briefly before disappearing. "And then, I can take back a normal spell card from my graveyard." Andrew took Legacy of a Hero.
The black knight glared at him for a moment before he smirked. "That won't help you. Especially after I do this... I activate the effect of Brilliant Spark!"
Andrew's widened. "Huh?"
"By sending a Gem-Knight card from my hand to the graveyard, I can return my trap card to my hand." The black knight discarded one of his cards and took back the trap card in question. "And then I activate the spell card Red Medicine. This lets me regain 500 life points."
Black Knight: 1300-1800
"And finally, I place one card facedown!" A card appeared at his feet. "Now, there's no way you can defeat me."
"What's he talking about?" Chumley asked.
"It's simple." Bastion began to explain. "The black knight has Lady Lapis Lazuli on his field. If Andrew doesn't get rid of her, she can wipe him out next turn."
"Then he just have to attack her, right? Divine Wind is strong enough to take her on." Jaden said.
"That's true, but it won't be easy." Zane replied. "Remember, the black knight returned the Brilliant Spark card from his graveyard. And there's no doubt that it's just what that facedown card is."
"Which means, if Andrew destroys her, then he'll take damage equal to her original attack points." Alexis added.
"So if Andrew attacks, he'll lose. And if he doesn't attack, he'll still lose." Clover said grimly.
"No way..." Jenny muttered in disbelief.
"That doesn't mean Andrew can't win. A duel is not over until the last card played!" Jaden said confidently.
"Dude, I can's see how Andrew's gonna turn this around." Michael replied.
Andrew stared at his deck. 'I wonder if I even have something to get around this defense? In any case, this is my last chance. I need to believe in my cards.' He then looked determined and prepared to make his move. 'Here goes!' He drew his next card. "I activate Legacy of a Hero! As you know, I can draw 3 more cards since I have at least 2 level 4 or higher Elemental heroes in the grave." Andrew his extra cards and looked at them. He then smiled. "Yes!"
His friends looked at curiously, while the black knight narrowed his eyes.
Andrew held up one of his new cards. "First I activate the spell card, Form Change! Now I can return my HERO fusion monster to my fusion deck and summon a Masked HERO with the same level but a different name. So goodbye Divine Wind..." The named monster disappeared. "And hello, Masked HERO Anki!" The hero in jet black armor appeared. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 1200 LV: 8)
"What's so special about that monster." The black knight questioned.
"What's so special about him..." Andrew explained with a smirk. "Is that he can bypass your monsters and attack you directly."
"What!?"
"That's perfect!" Jaden said. "Andrew can wipe him out without attacking the Gem-Knights!"
"I'm afraid there's one flaw in that plan, Jaden." Bastion retorted. "If Anki uses his special ability to attack the opponent directly, the battle damage becomes equal to half of his attack points."
"And Anki's attack points are 2800." Shiori added. "Which means if he attacks now..."
"He will only deal 1400 points of damage." Michael filled in. "That's not enough to win."
"That's true." Andrew agreed. "But that can be fixed. I play Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!" The dark katana with chaotic aura appeared in Anki's right hand. "Thanks to this sword, my monster gains 800 more attack points." (ATK: 2800-3600)
"Wait, so... if Anki attacks directly with that many attack points, then the damage will be..." Syrus said, trying to figure out how damage it would be.
"The damage, Syrus, will be 1800!" Jaden replied.
"That's just the same as the black knight's life points!" Jenny pointed out.
The Shadow Rider gasped in horror. "No!"
"Now Anki, attack his life points directly! Shadow Sword Slash!" The masked hero dashed forward and slashed the black knight's armor, leaving a mark on his chest plate. He cried out as dark energy suddenly leaked out of it.
Black Knight: 1800-0000
The holograms disappeared, along with the barrier that surrounded the duelists. Andrew sighed in relief and fell to his knees. The others approached him.
"Nice one Andrew!" Jaden praised.
"You did it!" Shiori added.
"Are you okay?" Clover asked, concerned.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Andrew assured. "A little battered, but that's all."
"Gaaah!"
Everyone turned to the black knight, who was crying in pain as dark energy kept leaving his body. They watched this until there was no more energy left. And then, the black knight fell backwards on the ground and collapsed. They approached him slowly and surrounded his body.
"So what about tin man here?" Chazz asked.
"I don't know." Andrew replied. "Maybe we..." But before he could finish his sentence, cracks were formed on the black knight's armor. And then... the whole body crumbled into a pile of dust. All that was left was the cross guard he had around his neck and the duel disk with his cards.
"Yikes!" Shiori yelped.
"What just happened?" Chumley asked in shock.
"I think he just... passed away." Michael assumed.
Before anyone else could say anything, they saw a ball of light emerge from the knight's remains. And then, it glowed brightly, making them avert their gaze. After the light died died down, they turned back, and to their surprise... what appeared to be a ghost was standing before them. He looked like the black knight. But his hair wasn't black anymore. Instead, it was pure white. His eyes were blue and his (ghostly) skin was more tanned than before. The most clear feature was his armor. It was no longer black. It was in silver. And the skull emblem was gone.
"A GHOST!?" Syrus and Chumley cried while hugging each other in fear.
"Oh dear." Banner muttered, astounded by this.
Everyone stared at the ghost, completely speechless. Eventually, the ghost smiled and spoke up. "Thank you... for saving me." He bowed to them.
Andrew recovered and answered. "What are you thanking us for?"
"What do you mean 'saving you'?" Shiori asked. "From what we learned, you were an evil knight who killed anyone who fought against you."
A shameful expression was formed on the knight's face. "You're right. That is true. I did kill innocent lives. And it's all because of the curse that was placed on me."
"A curse?" Jaden repeated.
"What do you mean?" Jenny asked.
"I guess I should start from the very beginning. I am Sir Nicolas. And I used to be a very proud knight..."
Flashback
On a wasteland, Nicolas was riding on a horse, leading a big army. There was another army facing them. But that army wasn't full of knights. It was an army of monsters of many kinds. Horned creatures, flying beasts, etc.
"A dark mage summoned an army of evil beings, in an attempt to destroy our lands. I was leading the army of knights who were chosen to slay those creatures.
The war began. Knights and monsters were battling everywhere.
"The war went on for days. The monsters were ruthless, and kept coming. But we kept fighting on and took them down. Especially me."
Nicolas rushed forward with a mighty yell and used his sword to cut throats of all the monsters who got in his way.
"Eventually, I managed to reach the dark mage and confront him. He was a mighty opponent. But fortunately, I was victorious."
Nicolas was panting heavily, his body covered with burns marks and bruises. He looked down on his fallen opponent. A grey bearded man in black robes, laying on the ground. His left arm was cut off, so he was bleeding endlessly.
Eventually, Nicolas' breathing returned to normal and he laughed arrogantly. "This is truly amazing! I, Sir Nicolas, have the lead our army to victory!" He turned around and raised his sword victoriously. "I am invincible!"
"But because of my arrogance, I paid a price."
While Nicolas was cheering for himself, the dark mage gritted his teeth and held up his right palm. "...then you shall live on until anyone defeats you. May your accomplishments torment you..." A sphere of dark magic was formed from his palm. And then, he threw it at Nicolas while taking his last breath.
Nicolas cried out in pain as the dark magic enveloped his body. "I let my guard down, and the dark mage used all of his remaining power to place a curse on me." Nicolas' body started to change. His armor changed from silver to black and a skull-like emblem was formed on his chest plate. His pure white hair changed to black as well. Eventually, Nicolas stopped crying and stood still, with his eyes closed. And then, he opened them, revealing a purple glow emitting from them.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Flashback end
"...Ever since that fateful day, I was killing countless people, not able to control my body." Nicolas finished, still looking shameful for this.
Many members of the gang gave him empathetic looks.
"So that's what happened?" Michael muttered.
"That's just... awful." Clover said.
Jenny stepped forward. "There's something I've been wondering. You kept killing people until you were confronted by a knight who was wearing the Dragon Heart Amulet. The two of you kept battling until lightning struck the ground and you simply vanished. What happened to you?"
Nicolas faced her with an unsure look. "To be honest, I have no idea. Everything was a blur. But what I do remember is that after the battle, I found myself laying on the ground in a dark place. Possibly a cave. I was unable to move. I couldn't do anything. But then, one day, a stranger came to me. I could some dark powers from him. He took me in, demanded me to help him with his request to unleash the so called three Sacred Beasts."
"That must have been the leader of the Shadow Riders." Andrew realized. "Do you know how he looks like?"
Nicolas shook his head. "I am sorry, but I couldn't see his face. I have no idea how he looks like."
Andrew looked disappointed. "I see."
"So... what was that you said about saving you?" Shiori asked curiously.
"Well, from what I could tell, the curse that caused me to go rampage made it so if I suffered any injury, I would recover quickly. I believe the curse was made to make me keep battling, unless someone could defeat me."
"Oh, I get it." Jaden said in realization. "Since Andrew defeated you in a duel..."
"He was able to set my soul free. Yes." Nicolas confirmed.
"Well I say good riddance." Chazz said, crossing his arms.
Just then, Nicolas' ghostly body started to fade away.
"What? What's going on?" Alexis asked.
"I think he's moving on." Zane replied.
"Yes. Now when I'm free from that curse, I can finally rest in peace."
"I'm glad for you." Andrew said with a smile.
Nicolas turned to him and gave him a salute. "It's all thanks to you that I'm free. And for that, key keeper, I am truly grateful..." And just then, Nicolas was completely gone.
And then, they noticed something glowing. It was the cards that were used by Nicolas. What happened next, surprised them all. the deck turned into a beam of light that shot towards the sky.
"What on earth just happened?" Michael asked in shock.
"The cards. They just... vanished." Banner said slowly.
"Why would they do that in the first place?" Clover wondered.
"Now when I think about..." Andrew spoke up. "During the duel, I noticed some dark aura emitting from the Gem-Knights. Maybe they were influenced by the curse?"
"So then what? Are you saying they were set free?" Shiori asked skeptically.
Andrew shrugged. "I think so."
Jaden smiled and looked toward the sky. "Well, whatever happened to them, they're probably in a better place now."
And that's that. 6 Shadow Riders down, 6 more to go. Until next time.
