Chapter 37: It's So Easy When You're Evil
Ghassan, Scott, and Camula were utterly shocked at Damian's words. Everyone else was simply confused about what he was talking about. "Home dimension? What are you talking about?" Alexis asked.
"It must be Camula's hypnosis." Scott said quickly. Maybe they had a chance at recovering from this. "She messed something up and fucked up his mind. He can't even tell what's reality or not."
"Hmph. Admittedly, my hypnosis didn't go as planned." Camula said. She could have just denied this and let the truth get exposed, but if that happens, the boys would tell Sheppard the truth about the Sacred Beasts. Then the Shadow Riders plans would go up in flames.
Damian ignored Scott's lie. "So, who am I facing first?" Damian then turned to Camula. "That includes you. Taking out a Shadow Rider works for me too. Less competition for reviving the Sacred Beasts, the better."
"Hold on. Why would you want to REVIVE the Sacred Beasts? Weren't you worried about the Shadow Riders controlling you?" Chazz asked.
"Like I said, I want to get to my home dimension. I know that it sounds crazy, but I'm-"
"I'LL duel you!" Scott interupted. He had to get Damian to stop talking.
Damian took a look at Scott. "Hmm...nah. You and Jaden I'd want to save for last."
"Huh? Why?" Syrus asked.
"Because I'd want things to end in a climactic way. Scott and Jaden are number 2 and number one respectively on my list for potential opponents in this area. Dueling number one too early would spoil the fun." Damian then tilted his head to the side. "Though admittedly, the gap is so narrow that they change places on a dime, so they're basically tied. So that's why I don't want to duel either of them yet."
"Top 2? Sweet!" Jaden exclaimed.
"I say I should be number 1 since I beat Jaden twice." Scott argued.
"Well I beat you most recently." Jaden shot back.
"Is this just a game to you?" Alexis asked Damian in anger. "We're not people for you to rank!"
"Buuuut, where am I on that list?" Crowler asked.
"Number 8." Damian answered.
"EIGHT?!"
Damian nodded. "Above Chumley and Syrus, below Ghassan, Camula, and the other five Key Keepers. Though I don't think it'll be long until Syrus surpasses you. He did a pretty good job in the tag duel."
"Umm...thanks?" Syrus asked.
"I-I have a PHD in dueling, and you're saying my skills are barely above those of Syrus?!" Crowler yelled. "And why am I ranked below your brother?! He's never dueled me, or even Jaden!"
"Guys, this really isn't what we should be focusing on." Bastion said.
"You're number 3 on the list, Bastion. Just barely above Chazz." Damian said.
Bastion widened his eyes in surprised and then rubbed his nose while smiling. "That...that's irrelevant. This is just one person's opinion after all. Heh heh."
Chazz grumbled in annoyance. "Yeah. It doesn't mean much. But for the record, I'll reach number one on that list in no time."
Ghassan and Alexis, just stared at the other Key Keepers, stupefied. "This isn't the time for an ego stroking contest you guys." Alexis groaned. She turned to Damian. "So, it looks like I was right. We can't trust you after all."
Damian shrugged. "Guess not. But as a heads up, Scott and Ghassan had no idea that this was gonna happen. I didn't even know that this was gonna happen." Damian then smirked and held out a palm at the group, firing yet another blast of wind. Everyone was barely able to keep their footing. "But I'm not gonna complain."
Camula chuckled a bit. "Well now, I suppose that we can have two Shadow Duels at once." Camula turned to the lake and started walking on the carpet. "You may come into my home if you wish to duel me. Though I'll only accept key keepers. Don't worry. You won't fall in." She continued to walk down the carpet. On the other end, a large castle suddenly materialized from the mist.
"This is just getting crazier by the second." Chumley said.
"You guys go on ahead. Damian's my brother. If he's beaten in a duel, maybe he'll snap out of this." Ghassan stated.
"I think not." Crowler stated. "It wouldn't be right to force you to put your life at risk against your own brother. Besides, while he was an arrogant brat, Damian is still a student at Duel Academy. What kind of teacher wouldn't educate them?"
"...You're just upset about how he ranked you, aren't you?" Ghassan pointed out.
"Damian! I shall be your opponent!" Crowler declared, ignoring Ghassan. He walked towards Damian and activated his Duel Disk. Unlike most others, Crowler's duel disk was strapped to his body. "Don't expect me to be afraid of the smoke and mirrors tricks that you and the other Shadow Rider are using."
"Alright then. It's about time I marked you off my list." Damian closed his eyes and held out a palm. A crimson energy swirled around it before a deck materialized in Damian's hand.
"What the-" Chumley reacted.
"Huh. Wasn't sure if that would work. I gotta say, I'm loving these Shadow powers." Damian said. He put the deck inside his Duel Disk.
Crowler paled. 'There's no way something like that can be explained away. Blast it. I don't want to admit it, but Damian's gained dark powers.'
"Are you sure you can handle it?" Alexis asked in concern.
"I'm the one Key Keeper who Damian has never dueled before. It would be best if he knows as little about the opponent's deck as possible." Crowler stated.
"He makes a good point." Scott said.
"Still, it would be best if some of us stay here just in case." Bastion said.
Scott and Ghassan both wanted Crowler to be the only one to remain with Damian. That way, if Damian revealed anymore secrets, Crowler would be the only one who'd know. And they doubt he would have survived in a Shadow Duel against Damian. But obviously they couldn't argue for that. "Alright. I'll stay here." Scott stated.
"Same." Chazz said.
"I'll stay too." Alexis said. She reached into her pocket and turned to Ghassan. "You said you wanted to have a key to duel Camula right?" She tossed the key to Ghassan, who caught it.
"I thought you were suspicous of me." Ghassan said.
"I briefly lost my brother to a Shadow Rider. It's not right if the same thing happens to you."
Ghassan nodded. Soon, he, Bastion, Syrus, and Chumley, all headed towards the carpet that led to Camula's castle, Chumley carrying Jaden."
"Hey Crowler!" Jaden called out as Chumley walked down the carpet. "Be careful out there!"
Crowler smiled. "Worry about yourself Jaden." Not too long afterwards, everyone else went inside the castle.
"I'm glad that we have a little bit of an audience." Damian said. "This duel will be different then what you've been through before Crowler. Sorry in advance if you die."
"Hmph. Corrupted mind or not, you're just as arrogant as ever."
(Crowler 4000/Damian 4000)
"I'll go first." Damian drew a card from his deck. "First, I activate Pot of Greed." Damian drew two cards from his deck. "Now, I activate the field spell Abyss Playhouse-Fantastic Theater!" A decorated building rose up behind Damian. In front was a ticket booth, and a sign displaying the name of what must have been a play it was showing, Hadestown.
Scott widened his eyes in worry. 'He's using his Abyss Actor deck?'
"What does this field spell do?" Alexis asked.
"Once per turn, I can reveal an Abyss Acror and an Abyss Script card to you. Then, I get to add another Abyss Script spell with a different name. In my hand are Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie and Abyss Script-Opening Ceremony so I get to add another Abyss Script. I add Abyss Script-Romantic Terror to my hand."
'This might be problematic. I never heard of any of these cards before.' Crowler thought.
"Next, I set the Scale 2 Abyss Actor-Leading Lady and Scale 8 Abyss Actor-Funky Comedian in the Pendulum Scale!" Next to Damian shot out two blue columns of light. Appearing in one of them was a young pale skinned girl with fluffly green hair. On her head was a large witch hat with orange bats decorated on it. She was wielding a long purple whip and had sharp claws. Below her was an orange '2'. The other was an obese looking light brown monster with four arms. It was wearing an orange vest that barely covered it's top half, orange pants, and a brown hat. It didn't have any eyes but rather, a white round mask with stiches through it was plopped on where it's right eye would be. Below him was an orange '8.'
"This is...new." Chazz said.
"You haven't seen anything yet. Feast your eyes my viewing audience. You're going to see something I never shown before in this dimension! I pendulum summon Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie (1700/1000) in attack mode!" A transparent pendulum appeared in the sky and swayed between the two monsters. A vortex opened up in the sky before a flash of blue light shot out from it. The monster that appeared was one that Crowler's never saw before. An incredibly skinned demon with fluffly blue hair wearing blue overalls and a small yellow wizard hat with a pink stripe through it. Large eyes were on it's knees and elbows, and several purple spikes were scattered around the monster's clothing.
"Wh-what the?! Another new kind of summon?!" Chazz asked in shock.
"But it hasn't even been a year since Synchro and Xyz monsters were a thing!" Alexis reacted.
"I-I never seen anything like this, even in America!" Scott yelled in fake shock. One good thing about Damian getting these strange powers, it meant that it was easier for him to play dumb.
"If I have two Pendulum Monsters in my Pendulum Zones, I can special summon monsters from my hand whose levels are between the scales of the monsters in the Pendulum Zones. So I can special summon any monster who's level is 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. I set two cards face down and end my turn." Damian said.
"From the beginning I didn't think that Crowler could handle it, but now his odds of winning are even lower with yet another kind of summoning that nobody knew about." Chazz said.
Alexis turned to Scott. "And just like with Synchro and Xyz monsters, it was one of you guys who brought it."
Scott said nothing. Partially to avoid actually addressing Alexis' comment. But also because he was stunned that Damian would be willing to publicly reveal a Pendulum Deck.
"It's my move." Crowler's duel disk ejected a card into his hand.
"And I activate my trap card, Abyss Actors Back Stage! If I have two Abyss Actors in my Pendulum Zones, I can add two Abyss Actors with different names from my deck to my Extra Deck face up! I choose my Abyss Actor Superstar and Abyss Actor Wild Hope."
"Wait...monsters going from the main deck to the Extra Deck?" Alexis asked.
Damian got out two cards from his deck and put them in his Extra Deck. "You can continue now."
Crowler quickly composed himself. "I summon my Ancient Gear Frame." (1600/500) A robot made out of rusty clockwork gears and bronze plating appeared in front of Crowler. "With Gear Frame, I can discard a card, and in exchange, I get to add either an Ancient Gear Golem, or a card that specifically mentions it. I discard Ancient Gear Box to add Ancient Gear Fusion to my hand."
"A fusion card specifically for Ancient Gears?" Chazz asked. "I know other archetypes have those, but isn't there only one Ancient Gear that's a fusion monster?"
"Industrial Illusions has been putting out a ton of cards lately. There must have been a batch of new Ancient Gear cards." Alexis said.
"Yeah. And Ancient Gear Fusion is a pretty useful one." Scott said. "If you use Ancient Gear Golem as a fusion material, you can have fusion materials be straight from the deck, not just the hand and field. And I'm guessing that Crowler has an Ancient Gear Golem in his hand. So Crowler can potentially get a monster with over 4000 attack points on his first turn."
Both Alexis and Chazz were pretty surprised at this.
"Sorry." Damian stated.
The eyes of Ancient Gear Frame lit up before it fired an eyelaser at Damian's remaining facedown card. "Huh?" Crowler asked.
"Wait, was that an effect of Crowler's monster?" Chazz asked.
"Yes and no. Fantastic Theater's effect. If I control a Pendulum Summoned Abyss Actor any monster effect activated by the opponent instead becomes 'Destroy 1 set spell or trap card controlled by your opponent.' So you don't get to add Ancient Gear Fusion to your hand after all."
"True, but that makes it far more difficult for you to get use out of set spells and traps."
Damian chuckled. "That's where you're wrong teach. You destroyed my Abyss Script-Opening Ceremony. When it's destroyed while set, if I have a faceup Abyss Actor in my Extra Deck, I get to keep drawing until I have 5 cards in my hand." Damian drew four cards from his deck.
"Don't think you're safe yet. I equip my Ancient Gear Frame with Ancient Gear Tank." A rusty and incomplete miniature tank appeared next to the Ancient Gear, who got inside it. "This increases the attack points of Ancient Gear Frame by 600." (Ancient Gear Frame 1600-2200/500) "Ancient Gear Frame, destroy Damian's monster!" Ancient Gear Frame drove towards the Abyss Actor, ramming into it. Damian felt an invisible force tackle him in the gut. (Damian 4000-3500)
"Heh heh. Man that felt good." Damian said.
Chazz and Alexis both became uneasy at this. Chazz filled Alexis in on what happened with the Giga Gagagigo spirit. Damian was taking enjoyment out of the pain.
Crowler looked confused by what Damian said, but it was quickly replaced with surprise as he noticed that Sassy Rookie was still standing. "Does your monster have an effect that prevents it from being destroyed by battle?"
Damian nodded. "But it's only once per turn. Still, Sassy Rookie isn't the effect you should be worried about."
From one of the pillars of light, Leading Lady's whip shot out towards Ancient Gear Frame, and wrapped itself around it. "Wh-what's going on?!"
"When Leading Lady is in the Pendulum Zone, once per turn when I take battle damage, I can make a monster of yours lose attack points equal to the damage I took." Damian stated.
A sinister energy glowed around the whip that binded Ancient Gear Frame. (Ancient Gear Frame 2200-1700/500) "This isn't good. It has the same attack points as Damian's monster, but that Sassy Rookie monster can save itself from being destroyed." Chazz pointed out.
"I set a card face down and end my turn." Crowler said.
Damian drew. "I activate Fantastic Theater's effect again. I reveal my Abyss Actor-Trendy Understudy and Abyss Script-Romantic Terror to add another copy of Abyss Script-Opening Ceremonies to my hand." Damian added the spell to his hand.
"He went from almost no cards in his hand to 7." Chazz stated.
"Now, I should apologize. I wasn't being entirely open about Pendulum Summoning."
"Huh?" Crowler, Chazz, and Alexis reacted.
"See, I'm not ONLY able to Special Summon monsters in my hand. I can ALSO Special Summon Pendulum Monsters that are face up in my Extra Deck that are levels 3 through 7 as well!"
"Wait, what?!" Scott yelled in fake shock.
"It's show time boys and girl!" The transparent pendulum swung between the two Abyss Actors in the Pendulum Scale. "Swing pendulum of the soul. Draw an arc of light across the ether. Pendulum Summon!" From the vortex in the sky, four different rays of light shot out. "I Pendulum Summon my Abyss Actor-Superstar (2500/1800), a second Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie (1700/1000), Abyss Actor Wild-Hope (1600/1200) and Abyss Actor-Trendy Understudy!" (700/700)
Special summoned from the Extra Deck were Superstar, a tall robotic creature in a spiked black suit and a single robotic eye that glowed yellow, and Wild Hope, a similarly robotic skeleton-like creature that was dressed like a cowboy with a gun. Special Summoned from the hand were Trendy Understudy, a short, blue-skinned old man wearing a ringleader's costume and carrying a trumpet, and the second Sassy Rookie.
"F-Four monster's with one summon?!" Chazz asked.
"And now he has a full field of monsters." Alexis said in concern.
"Now, I activate Abyss Script-Opening Ceremony! For every Abyss Actor I control, I gain 500 life points. I have five, so I gain 2500 lige points." A large book materialized before a flare light up from it's pages. It exploded in the sky setting off a huge amount of fireworks. (Damian 3500-6000)
"Sheesh. Damian's really going all out with the flare this time." Scott said.
"I activate Abyss Actor Super Star's effect. Once per turn, I can set an Abyss Script spell directly from my deck, but it's destroyed during the End Phase." The Abyss Actor materialized a book in front of him. "And, since it's not a quickplay, I can activate it imediately! I activate Abyss Script-Fire Dragon's Lair! This lets me target an Abyss Actor I control and, if it destroys a monster by battle, you have to remove 3 monsters from your Extra Deck from play. I choose one of my Sassy Rookie's!"
Superstar turned to one of the Sassy Rookie's and opened up the book it was holding, shining a light on it. Soon, Sassy Rookie was dressed up in a cheap Dragon costume. "That's not all though. First I activate Wild Hope's effect to have it gain 100 attack points for every Abyss Actor monster with a different name that I control." Wild Hope glowed a purple aura. (Abyss Actor-Wild Hope 1600/2000/1200)" And now, I activate Funky Comedian's effect from the Pendulum Zone. By sacrificing an Abyss Actor, I can have another one gain it's attack points. I sacrifice Trendy Understudy to boost up the Sassy Rookie that's affected by Fire Dragon's Lair!" Trendy Understudy dissolved into purple energy, which shrouded one of the Sassy Rookie's. (Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie 1700-2400/1000)
"Is his turn gonna end sometime this century?" Chazz asked.
"Battle Phase! The powered up Sassy Rookie attacks Ancient Gear Frame!" The Abyss Actor charged at the Ancient Gear, letting out roar to imitate a dragon as it did so.
"I don't think so. I activate Mirror Force to destroy all of your attack position monsters!" As Sassy Rookie was about to slash Ancient Gear Frame with it's claws, a barrier appeared in between them.
"Nice! Now all of Damian's monsters are destroyed!" Alexis exclaimed.
"Not quite." The barrier shot out a blast of energy at Wild Hope and Superstar, destroying them. Both of the Sassy Rookie's however remained, as the attack followed through, slashing Ancient Gear Frame in half. (Crowler 4000-3300)
"What the-?!" Crowler yelled. Immediately, he felt a piercing pain on his side. "Ughh..."
"Guess I forgot to tell you. Sassy Rookie is also protected from destruction from card effects once per turn as well." Damian smiled. "And due to Fire Dragon's Lair effect, you have to banish three monsters from your Extra Deck."
Crowler panted a bit, before taking out Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, Ancient Howitzer, and Ancient Gear Megaton Golem from his Extra Deck and put them in his pocket. "Ancient Gear's Tank effect activates. When destroyed while it's equipped to an Ancient Gear, you take 600 points of damage."
The remains of the vehicle went haywire before charging at Damian and exploding in his face. Damian was blasted to the ground, chuckling. (Damian 6000-5400) "Also, since Wild Hope was destroyed, I can add an Abyss Actor monster to my hand, like my Abyss Actor-Evil Heel. Now for my second Sassy Rookie. Attack Crowler directly!" The other copy of Sassy Rookie charged at Crowler and slashed him through the chest, ripping through his clothes and skin.
"Gyaahhh!" (Crowler 3300-1600) Crowler fell to the ground, bleeding.
"Crowler!" Chazz, Alexis, and Scott yelled in concern.
"Heh heh heh. You gotta admit. It feels way more exhilirating than any ordinary duel, huh Crowler?" Damian asked.
"What...what are you talking about?" Crowler asked.
"Don't get me wrong, regular duels are still fun. But when you amplify the stakes, that's when things get exciting. Every draw, every summon, every activation of a card effect. It brings you a step closer to either life or death. Doesn't that just get your heart rushing?"
"Dude, snap out of it! You were never like this before!" Scott yelled.
Damian looked at Scott, before laughing. "Sorry, but you're wrong. You just never paid attention. Back when Gagagigo attacked me at KaibaLand, I felt a rush I've never felt before. And during my rematch against him, I realized it wasn't just a one time thing. These Shadow Duels to the death are the best things that happened to me siince I was brought to this dimension! But don't get me wrong, even if I was the ONLY one who's life was at risk, I wouldn't be complaining too much."
Alexis looked at Damian in disgust. "I figured you were hiding something, but I didn't expect you to be a battle crazed freak."
Damian shrugged. "I set three cards and end my turn."
Scott was also surprised, this time, genuinely. This whole time, he thought Damian was the most morally sound minion of The Light of Destruction. For months, he, Ghassan, and Adrian have worried he would side with the heroes against them. But here he was, openly declaring himself an enemy of the Key Keepers, and hapilly wounding Crowler in a Shadow Duel. And according to him, he's been like this ever since Winter Break.
'Did...did we really never notice this?' Scott wondered.
Ghassan, Bastion, Syrus, Chumley, and Jaden walked through a corridor in the castle, the latter carried by Chumley. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" Chumley asked Ghassan.
Ghassan nodded. "Intentional or not, it's that bitch's fault that Damian went crazy. I'm taking her out, and if I fail at that, then at least that lets you guys know about her deck."
"Hopefully, beating Camula will snap Damian back to normal then." Jaden said.
Soon, the five arrived in a large room with a chandelier hanging on top. Two different stairways led to an inner balcony higher up in the room. On one end was Camula. "I'm glad that you arrived. I take it some of you are dealing with your friend at the lake?"
Ghassan didn't answer as he walked up the opposite set of stairs and on the other end of the balcony. "I'm Damian's replacement Key Keeper, so you won't have any issues dueling me, right?"
"Not at all."Camula activated the gold Duel Disk on her arm, it's blade resembling a bat's wing. "That said, you might want to be careful. Otherwise, some secrets might be revealed."
The others were confused by this, but Ghassan got an idea about what she was talking about. 'She's saying that if I don't throw the duel, she'll tell the others the truth about me, Scott, and Damian.
"So will you surrender?" The Light of Destruction asked.
'No. It's not worth it. Besides, I could easily deny what she's saying.'
(Ghassan 4000/Camula 4000)
"I'll make the first move." Camula drew from her deck. "I summon Vampire Sorcerer (1500/1500) in defense mode." A blue skinned humanoid with long green hair, dark wizard's clothing, and wielding a bat shaped staff appeared. Around it's waist was what looked to be a giant blue claw. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."
Ghassan drew a card. "I summon Jurrac Guaiba (1700/400) in attack mode." The flaming guaibasaurus emerged on Ghassan's side of the field.
"Yes, your Jurrac deck. I remember taking a peek at it. Several of their effects tend to rely on succesfully destroying your opponent's monsters, right?"
Ghassan gritted his teeth. Damian told him about this. In the show, Camula used her bats to spy on the Key Keeper's decks. He didn't think she would have spied on his though since he wasn't even a Key Keeper until recently, but apparently Camula took extra precautions. "Jurrac Guaiba, destry Vampire Sorcerer!" The Jurrac charged at Vampire Sorcerer.
"Before the attack reaches, I activate the effect of Vampire Fraulein (600/2000) from my hand. When a monster declares an attack, I can special summon her from my hand. Fraulein, appear!" A swarm of bats swarmed the spot next to Vampire Sorcerer. The bats soon seperated, revealing a woman with long brown hair and red eyes, wearing bat-like lolita clothing and carrying a black umbrella. She was in defense mdode.
"I continue to attack Sorcerer." Ghassan stated. Jurrac Guaiba lept towards Vampire Sorcerer and chomped on it's head, causing the monster to shatter into pieces.
"Vampire Sorcerer's effect activates. When my opponent sends it to the graveyard, I can add one Vampire card to my hand. I add the field spell, Vampire Kingdom to my hand."
"Jurrac Guaiba's effect activates as well. Since it destroyed a monster, I can special summon a Jurrac with 1700 or less ATK, but it can't attack this turn. I special summon my Jurrac Protops." (1700/1200) A fire appeared next to Jurrac Guaiba before another Jurrac emerged from it. A flaming dark blue protoceratops, with magma flowing through it's skin. "Now, I overlay my two level 4 monsters together!" A swirling dark vortex appeared in front of the Jurracs before they dissolved into light and went inside it. "I Xyz summon the Rank 4 Evolzar Laggia (2400/2000)!" Flying out from the vortex was a green, six winged dragon, two orbs of light trailing around it. "I set two cards and end my turn."
"This is good. Laggia can negate monster summons and effects of spell and trap cards, so that should throw a wrench in whatever strategy Camula was planning on." Chumley said.
"True, but remember what Camula said. She knows Ghassan's deck. So unfortunately, she might have a way around it." Bastion said.
Camula drew from her deck. "I activate the effect of Vampire Sorcerer from my graveyard. By removing it from play, I can Normal Summon a Dark Vampire monster without tributing. I summon Vampire Vamp (2000/2000)." A woman with long white hair and skimpy purple clothing descended on the field. Two bat wings sprouted from her back. "When Vamp, or a 'Vampire' monster is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target a monster you control with attack points higher than Vamp's, and equip it to her. Then Vamp's attack points increase equal to your monste'rs original attack!"
"I activate Laggia's effect! By detaching two Xyz materials, I negate Vamp's summon and destroy it!" Ghassan declared. The two orbs around Laggia disappeard as Laggia began to generate fire around it's wings.
Camula chuckled. "You're too predictable. I activate my counter-trap card, Vampire Domination!"
Before Laggia could destroy Vamp, it shattered into pieces. "What the-?!" Ghassan reacted.
"With Vampire Domination, as long as I control a Vampire monster, I can negate an activated a spell, trap, or monster effect and destroy it." Camula answered. Suddenly, a green aura surrounded her. "In addition, if it was a monster that was destroyed, I gain life points equal to it's attack points." (Camula 4000-6400) "It's a shame Laggia was destroyed before Vamp could equip it, but I thimk I'll handle it."
"Not good." Syrus said.
"Blast it. I was right. Since Camula's seen Ghassan's deck, she knows how to counter it." Bastion said.
"His deck is far from the only one I've seen." Camula said, hearing what Bastion said. "Your deck, the boy being carried, and the one's outside. Puts you at a disadvantage doesn't it?" Camula turned back to Ghassan. "Now, I activate Vampire Kingdom." A huge amount of gothic buildings rose around the area, a shining red moon appearing in the sky. "During damage calculation, all Zombie type monsters gain 500 attack points. Vampire Vamp, attack Ghassan directly!"
The monster dissolved into darkness before reforming right in front of Ghassan, ready to impale him with her claws. (Vampire Vamp 2000-2500/2000) "I activate my facedown card, Pinpoint Guard!" Ghassan stated. Right before the vampire could attack, Jurrac Guaiba appeared in front of Ghassan, Vampire Vamp's claw harmlessly bouncing off it. "With Pinpoint Guard, when an opponent's monster attacks, I can special summon a level 4 or lower monster from my graveyard in defense mode, and that monster can't be destroyed this turn."
"Hmph. Now that the attack is over, Vampire Vamp's attack points return to normal." (Vampire Vamp 2500-2000/2000) "I end my turn."
Ghassan drew. 'From the sounds of it, she only saw one of Bastion's decks, so if I lose, Bastion has the best shot at taking her out. Still, there's no way I'm gonna just stand around and do nothing.' "I summon Jurrac Aeolo (200/200)." A yellow egg with a red flame pattern appeared on the field. Soon afterwards, a tiny black and yellow dinosaur with a blue head and blue spikes trailing down it's back appeared. "By sacrificing Jurrac Aeolo, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Jurrac from my graveyard, like my Jurrac Protops!" Aeolo disappered, Jurrac Protops taking it's place.
"He's going for another Xyz summon!" Jaden exclaimed.
"I overlay my Level 4 Jurrac Guaiba and Jurrac Protops once again!" The swirling dark vortex appeared on the ground once again, the two Jurracs going in it. "I Xyz summon my Evolzar Dolkka!" (2300/1700) The white, three horned dragon flew out of the vortex, letting out a roar as it descended.
"Not bad. I'm aware of Dolkka's effect. But even if I can't activate my monster's effects anymore, Vampire Kingdom will still make my monster stronger than yours."
"I don't think so. I activate my field spell, Molten Destruction." A volcano rose up and shot out lava, causing the buildings to melt away. Ghassan was so thankful that Pegasus didn't implement the rule of two field spells being allowed at once yet. "Not only is your Vampire Kingdom gone, but all FIRE monsters gain 500 attack points, at the cost of losing 400 defense points." (Evolzar Dolkka 2300-2800/1700-1300)
"Alright! Now Camula's monster can't surpass Dolkka's attack points!" Syrus cheered.
"That's not all, Vampire Fraulein's effect would allow Camula to increase the attack points of a battling Zombie monster by paying an equal amount of lifepoints. But thanks to Dolkka's own effect, Ghassan can negate the monster effect if she does that." Bastion stated.
"Evolzar Dolkka, destroy Vampire Vamp!" Evolzar Dolkka built up fire in it's mouth before launching a huge fireball at Vampire Vamp.
"Not bad boy. But I prepared for this situation, regardless if you had Dolkka or Laggia. I activate Vampire Takeover!" Soon, the gothic kingdom rose up from the lava, the volcano disappearing.
"What the-?!"
"Vampire Takeover allows me to add a copy of Vampire Kingdom directly to my Field Spell zone as long as all monsters I control are Zombie types."
"Not licious. This means that Dolkka will be weaker than Vamp!" Chumley pointed out. (Evolzar Dolkka 2800-2300/1300-1700) (Vampire Camp 2000-2500/2000)
As the fireball was about to reach Vampire Vamp, Camula's monster deflected it back towards Evolzar Dolkka, causing it to get engulfed in flames. (Ghassan 4000-3800)
"Damnit...I end my turn."
Camula drew a card. "You should know that even if you defeat me, it won't lead to your brother returning to normal."
"What are you talking about?" Ghassan asked.
"If it was simply a hypnosis attempt gone wrong, then I could have ended it at any time I desired."
"But that doesn't make sense. Damian wasn't acting anything like that before you tried to hyponotize him." Jaden said.
"Then clearly, you don't know as much about Damian as you think." Camula turned to Ghassan. "Tell me. Are you truly in the dark for why Damian has betrayed you? For why he so easily succumbed to his own darkness?"
Ghassan clenched his fist. Of course he knew. He and Scott have been putting so much focus on their attempts to destroy this dimension, something Damian was obviously uncomfortable with. And it didn't help that Ghassan has flat out told Damian that they don't fully trust him. But he couldn't say this out loud. "I'm not giving up hope. Even if it wasn't hypnosis, it was still your powers that corrupted him. Taking you down might still snap him out of it."
"That's a fair hypothesis. It's my turn." Camula drew a card. "I summon Vampire Retainer." (1200/0) A demonic looking cat appeared. Half of it's body was snow-white, while the other half was a dark misty shadow with a glowing red eye. "With Vampire Retainer's effect, I can pay 500 life points to add a Vampire spell or trap to my hand. I add and activate Vampire's Domain." (Camula 6400-5900) A large castle rose up from behind Camula. "With Vampire's Domain, I can pay 500 life points once per turn to gain an additional Normal Summon. I sacrifice my Vampire Retainer to summon Vampire Grimson!" (2000/1400)
As soon as it appeared, a crimson energy engulfed Vampire Retainer. In it's place was a red cloaked figure with bat wings and a large scythe. (Camula 5900-5400)
"Not good! Now she can take out the rest of Ghassan's life points!" Chumley yelled in horror.
"Vampire Vamp, Vampire Grimson, attack Ghassan directly!" The two monsters charged at Ghassan. (Vampire Vamp 2000-2500/2000) (Vampire Grimson 2000-2500/1400)
"I activate my trap card, Draining Shield. This negates the attack of one of your monsters, and I gain life points equal to it's attack points." Right when Vampire Vamp was about to strike, a barrier appeared around Ghassan, blocking the attack. (Ghassan 3800-6300)
"Vampire Grimson is still able to attack you though." Camula pointed out.
The cloaked figure immediately swung at Ghassan with it's scythe, making a large gash through his clothes and skin. (Ghassan 6300-3800) "Urghh..." Ghassan said in pain.
"And that's not all. Thanks to Vampire's Domain, whenever a Vampire monster inflicts battle damage to you, I gain an equal amount of life points." (Camula 5400-7900)
"Her life points are almost double what they were originally!" Jaden pointed out.
"I end my turn. You know, maybe you should have thought twice about volunteering yourself to be a Shadow Rider considering how you weren't chosen initially. Especially since, as I told you before, you're not certain if it'll get your brother back to normal. " (Vampire Vamp 2500-2000) (Vampire Grimson 2500-2000)
"Just shut up!" Ghassan drew a card from his deck. "I activate Card of Sanctity allowing both of us to draw until we have six cards in our hand."
"Risky move, wouldn't you say?" Camula dree until she had six cards, as did Ghassan.
"I activate Graveful Charity." Ghassan drew three cards from his deck and then discarded two. "Next I activate Spacetime Transcendence. By banishing two or more Dinosaur monsters from my graveyard, I can special summon a Dinosaur from my hand or grave whose level equals the combined levels of the banished ones." Ghassan ejected the level 4 Jurrac Protops and level 2 Jurrac Gallim. "I special summon the level 6 Jurrac Herra (2300/1500) that I discarded!" A shining red light appeared from below before the cannon-wielding dinosaur rose up.
"You realize that thanks to Vampire Kingdom, my monsters would still be stronger than your Herra.
"I do. And it wouldn't matter. The monster summoned with Spacetime Transcendence can't attack this turn. Now, I normal summon my second Jurrac Aeolo." Another copy of the hatchling dinosaur appeared. "I tune my level 1 Jurrac Aeolo to my level 6 Jurrac Hera!" Jurrac Aeolo flew into the air before transforming into a single green circle. Jurrac Herra flew through the circles, dissolving into six points of light before a green flash of light occured. "I synchro summon the level 7 Black Rose Dragon!" (2400/1800)
Flying out of the light was a large black dragon that was covered in rose petals. Multiple red thorns trailed down it's head. "That looks like the monster Damian used to beat Chazz." Bastion said.
"That was Black Rose Moonlight Dragon. This is just regular Black Rose Dragon. It has a different effect. When Synchro Summoned, I can destroy all cards on the field!"
"What?!" Camula asked in shock.
"Black Rose Gale!" Black Rose Dragon flapped it's wings, a storm of wind coming. The buildings and castle crumbled into pieces causing a huge amount of dust to kick up. The red moon in the sky also shattered, and soon, Black Rose Dragon itself shattered as well.
"A field wipe. It destroyed Ghassan's monster too, but at least it cleared Camula's field." Chumley said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Camula said. The dust cleared away, revealing that all three of Camula's monsters were still standing, to everyone else's shock.
"How?!" Ghassan asked.
"Vampire Grimson's effect. If any monsters of mine were to be destroyed, I can instead pay 1000 life points for each monster to prevent their destruction, though it's required I save all of them if I activate this effect." (Camula 7900-4900)
"No way..." Syrus said.
"Are you done yet? Because my children are getting rather hungry."
Ghassan didn't know what to do. 'I...I didn't even get her to use that Illusion Gate card. Am I really that helpless in this world?.'
(Crowler 1600/Damian 5400)
"I don't believe you." Crowler said.
"Huh?" Damian asked.
"When you say that you were always like this. I don't believe you. Let alone believe that you're a Shadow Duelist."
Damian tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Did you hit your head or something? Of course I'm a Shadow Duelist. Why do you think that you're feeling pain in this duel?"
"First of all, Shadow Duels themselves can't exist on account of them going against the fundamental nature of dueling."
"Um...what?" Scott asked.
"The purposes of duels are to bring hope and happiness, especially to young people like you. They don't exist to bring darkness and suffering. Because darkness and misery can't coexist with dueling, it's impossible for Shadow Duels themselves to exist."
Damian widened his eyes before shrugging. "I get it. You're not being a flat earther."
"He's saying that they shouldn't exist because they go against the point of dueling." Alexis said.
Crowler pointed to Damian. "And second of all Mr. Abunura, even if I were to agree with the existence of Shadow Duels, I refuse to believe that you're a Shadow Duelist."
"I don't get it. How could I be initiating this kind of duel if I'm not a Shadow Duelist?"
"Shadow Duelists strive to bring fear and despair into the world and corrupt what's meant to bring happiness. But you aren't anything like that."
Chazz nodded. "Crowler's right Damian. From sending a message to the Obelisk Blue dorm to not look down on others, to defending me when Crowler told me about my demotion, to risking your life to save all of us against that lizard Duel Spirit. You were a hyperactive, annoyingly cheerful, hero wannabe since day one."
Damian felt a prickle of annoyance. "It doesn't matter what I was acting like. This is the real me, through and through."
"Enough nonsense boy. I don't know what this talk is about you being from another dimension, or where you got these powers. But one thing I can say for certain is that this isn't you. And it's time for me to teach you that! It's my move!" Crowler's Duel Disk ejected a card into his hand. "I activate Pot of Greed." Crowler drew two cards from his deck, smiling as he looked at one of them. "I activate the field spell Geartown." All around the area, buildings made out of rusty scrap metal rose up. One rose up from the theatre that was behind Damian, destroying it.
"This is great! With Fantastic Theatre gone, Crowler can activate his monster effects like normal!" Alexis exclaimed.
"My field spell won't be here for long either. I activate Ancient Gear Catapult! When I control no monsters, I can destroy a card I control. Then I can special summon an Ancient Gear monster from my deck regardless of summoning conditions!" The scrapyard city crumbled into pieces before large mechanical figure made out of rusty metal and gears rose up. "Come out, Ancient Gear Golem!"(3000/3000)
"Got out your signature monster eh?" Damian smiled.
"And that's not all. When Geartown's destroyed, I can special summon an Ancient Gear in my graveyard. I revive my Ancient Gear Frame." (1600/500) The Ancient Gear returned to the field next to Ancient Gear Golem. "Time to show you Ancient Gear Frame's effect for real. I discard Ancient Gear Golem-Ultimate Pound to add Ancient Gear Fusion to my hand."
"It's the card he tried to add to his hand before Damian's field spell stopped it." Scott said.
"Now I activate Ancient Gear Fusion to fuse my Ancient Gear Frameand Ancient Gear Golem on my field, and my Ancient Gear Box and Ancient Gear Wyvern from my deck." Images of all the monsters appeared before they all crumbled into gears and metal plating, which swirled together in a blue and yellow vortex. "Behold the ultimate Machine monster! I fusion summon Chaos Ancient Gear Giant!" (4500/3000) A flash of light occured before a titanic blue mecha with a single glowing eye emerged. "Battle Phase!"
"He's attacking? But that Leading Lady card of his will make his monster lose attack points equal to the battle damage Damian takes." Chazz pointed out.
Crowler chuckled. "Chaos Ancient Gear Giant is immune to Spell and Trap effects. And considering how the cards of those Pendulum Monsters of yours are colored the same way as Spell cards at the bottom, I think it would be a reasonable assessment to say that they're considered Spell cards, correct?"
Damian and Scott both gasped. Banner was one thing, but Crowler figured that out too?
"That's not all. Chaos Ancient Gear Giant can attack every monster you control once each. Meaning I can attack both of those Sassy Rookie's of yours!"
"If Crowler's giant attacks one Sassy Rookie, that does 2800 point points of damage." Scott said.
"Damian has 5400 life points left. That means if Crowler attacks twice, he'swon!" Alexis cheered.
"Go my giant! Crush of Darkness!" The Ancient Gear rose up both of it's palms, before slamming them on both of Damian's monsters, a storm of dust being kicked up from the attack.
"GYAAAAAAHHHHH!" Damian screeched in pain before falling to his knees. The dust cleared, revealing Ancient Gear Giant, one Sassy Rookie, and one face down card of Damian's. "The pain...the pain..." Damian coughed up some blood.
"Huh. Who knew Crowler had moves?" Chazz reacted.
Alexis took a look at Damian. "Despite him sharing the risks of the Shadow Game, he's still alive. Looks like they're not always fatal."
Before Crowler deactivated his Duel Disk, Scott widened his eyes. "Hold on a sec. Both of Damian's Sassy Rookies should have remained because of their effect, but only one of them is on the field. And Damian used to have three facedowns, but now he only has one."
Chazz, Alexis, and Crowler realized Scott was right. Quickly, Damian rose up from the ground, his mouth stained with blood. "I've never felt my heart rush so much before...it's my move!" (Damian 5400-600)
"Wait...how do you still have life points! And what happened to your second Sassy Rookie?" Crowler demanded.
Damian tried to stand up, but found that he didn't have the strength too. "Ugh...my quickplay spell...Abyss Script-Romantic Terror. I return an Abyss Actor to my hand and special summon one from my Extra Deck in defense position. I chose Abyss Actor-Mellow Madonna." (1800/2500) The transparent image of a purple skinned woman with long pink and yellow hair wearing a black cloak appeared behind Damian. "Ugh...didn't stop the piercing damage that your Giant does though. Heh heh."
"How did that card get in your Extra Deck? You never had it on the field!" Chazz pointed out.
Damian started to get used to the pain. "True. That's what my other face down was for. A second copy of Abyss Actors-Backstage. I sent Mellow Madonna and a second copy of Leading Lady there. Thank god that Ancient Gear Chaos Giant doesn't prevent me from activating spells and traps like most Ancient Gears, or I would have lost."
Crowler clenched his fist. "I set a card and end my turn." 'My facedown card is the Half or Nothing I drew from Pot of Greed. Even if Damian has an Abyss Actor become stronger than my Giant with that Funky Comedian monster of his, it'll surely become weaker than my Giant if it's attack points become halved.'
Damian drew a card. "I gotta say Crowler...I underestimated you. You moved your way up to Number Five on my rankings." Damian once again tried to stand up. It felt like bones were about to snap as he did so, but slowly, he stood up again. "Thanks for the duel Crowler. But now, it's time to end this. From my Extra Deck, I Pendulum Summon my Abyss Actor-Superstar (2500/1800), Trendy Understudy (700/700), Mellow Madonna (1800/2500), and Leading Lady!" (1500/1000) The four Abyss Actors shot out from the portal, accompanying Sassy Rookie.
"This is insane! He went from one monster to a full field just like that!" Chazz yelled.
"None of them are a match for my Giant though." Crowler pointed out.
Damian chuckled. "I activate Trendy Understudy's effect! If I have two Abyss Actors in my Pendulum Zone, I can sacrifice it to special summon either a Level 1 or a Level 8 Abyss Actor from my hand or Extra Deck! Come on out, the star of the show, Abyss Actor-Evil Heel!" (3000/3000) A large red tarp covered Trendy Understudy. Bursting out from the tarp was a large blue, monstrosity. It's entire upper body was a blob-like figure, and it had a tiny white face with dotted eyes that almost looked like a mask, along with a strange emblem engraved on it's body. It also had two small wings and a large mouth rowed with sharp red teeth.
"Wait, wouldn't the star of the show be...you know? Superstar?" Alexis asked.
Damian smiled at the question. "Would you watch Sleeping Beauty for Aurora? Or Phantom Blood for Jonathan? There's alot of times where the villain is the most interesting part of a show. Abyss Actor Evil Heel's effect activates! When summoned, I can target a monster my opponent controls and lower it's attack by 1000 points for every Abyss Actor I control with a different name!"
"WHAT?!" Crowler, Chazz, and Alexis all reacted in shock.
Evil Heel shot out a stream of sinister purple energy at Chaos Giant, which caused it to fall to one knee as it shrouded the Ancient Gear. (Chaos Ancient Gear Giant 4500-0/3000) "Maybe you're right Crowler. Maybe this isn't the real me. But this isn't mind control Crowler. This was a choice. And I gotta say, it's a choice that I'm more than happy with. Go Evil Heel! Destroy Chaos Ancient Gear Giant!"
The Abyss Actor jumped towards the Ancient Gear, getting ready to deliver a punch. With all it's remaining strength, Chaos Ancient Gear Giant punched back to counter.
Crowler turned to Chazz, Alexis, and Scott. "Students I want you to promise me something."
"Promise?" Alexis asked.
"Even if one of us yields to darkness. Even if one of us were to die in a Shadow Duel. Remember this final lesson I'll teach you. A duelist must never give in to despair."
"Crowler..." Chazz said.
Scott said nothing before calmly closing his eyes.
Cracks began to run through Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, as Evil Heel began to overpower it. "Finish it Evil Heel! Abyss Crusher!" Evil Heel's arm glowed a purple energy as it punched through the Ancient Gear, causing it to crumble to pieces. Pieces of the titanic monster began to fall like an avalanche, most of them heading towards Crowler.
"CROWLER!" Alexis and Chazz yelled.
Soon, the mountain of debris landed on Crowler, only his motionless upper body sticking out from it. A thin trail of blood leaked from the pile. (Crowler 1600-0)
"That's...that's game." Damian panted.
"Crowler!" Alexis and Chazz ran up to him in concern.
"Ughhhh..." He weakly muttered.
"He's alive?" Scott asked.
"Ugh...my powers are still weak. Still, I wasn't really looking to kill anyway." Damian said. He held out a hand. Soon, Crowler's spirit key appeared in it. "That's one down." He took a look at Alexis and Chazz. "I don't think I'm in the best condition to do another duel so soon, but if one of you wants to duel me next, I won't say no."
Aleis and Chazz said nothing. "Crowler was right. You really don't want to do this." Alexis realized.
Scott took a look at Damian. Like before, he was giving a cocky smile, his mouth stained with blood. But tears were streaming down Damian's face.
"Hmph." Damian then turned to Scott. "I'm going to get us home Scott. WITHOUT The Light." Damian turned around and walked away from the lake. "I'll see you guys tomorrow in class."
Both of the Abunura brothers got into Shadow Duels, Ghassan finding himself at a major disadvantage in his duel against Camula. Meanwhile, Damian has succesfully took a Spirit Key from Crowler, declaring himself an enemy of Key Keepers, Shadow Riders, and The Light of Destruction...and somehow he expects to still be a student as if nothing happened.
Something I notice is that chapters that have multiple full length duels tend to be the ones that take the most energy out of me. Doesn't help that this is the second longest chapter so far. Still I couldn't resist switching between two different Shadow Duels involving the brothers.
Also, for those curious about the full order of Damian's rankings:
10. Chumley
9. Syrus
8. Crowler (moved to 5)
7. Ghassan (moved to 8)
6. Camula (moved to 7)
5. Alexis (moved to 6)
4. Chazz
3. Bastion
2. Scott
1. Jaden
This isn't how I would rank them in this story, but it's just a fun tidbit for you guys. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next one!
