Chapter 44: The Light of Nova Star Dragon!
"Now I'll summon Ancient Hero Mirage (2/1100/200) to the field to bolster my defense!"
The misty warrior appeared on Andrew's field, ready and armed. It twirled its spear about as Andrew continued, "Since I used Gamble-Lee's effect, I can't attack this turn, so I have to call it here."
Kiara merely nodded. "My turn then," she announced with her draw. "And now I remove the Guardian of Order and Gellenduo in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon the Soul of Purity and Light (6/2000/1800) to my field."
On Kiara's side, a radiant and transparent being of light appeared, its body shining radiance onto the field. It looked graceful as it gently floated down in front of Kiara, the latter making a move to play another card from her hand.
"Now I Set this one card and end my turn," she concluded.
"No attack, then," Kari noted from the sidelines. "In other words, she's aware of Ancient Hero Mirage's effect to nullify battle damage. And attacking the others is pointless since they can't be destroyed by battle."
"Then if you won't do any attacking, then I guess it's up to me!" Andrew declared, drawing his next card. "And I'll be able to do that by sacrificing my three Ancient Heroes in order to call forth the Ancient Hero Ultimus (9/3900/3500)!"
The three heroes on the field formed into three separate orbs of light and formed part of the structure of Andrew's new hero - one forming the statue and platform at the base, another forming the spirit in the middle, and the last forming the intricate hanging winged spheres connected with arcs of light.
"And now, Ancient Hero Ultimus attacks!"
The sphere held aloft by the spirit charged up and fired out a powerful beam of light, sent directly towards Kiara's own monster!
"I activate my face-down card, Light-Protection Seal!" Kiara retaliated. "With it, my monsters all gain 500 Atk points as long as I have a LIGHT monster on the field! And in addition, I'll use the effect of Soul of Purity and Light to reduce the Atk of your monsters by 300 during the Battle Phase!"
The spirit of light was surrounded by a faint glowing seal as her body shed particles of light that diluted the attack somewhat.
Soul of Purity & Light (6/2000/1800 - 6/2500/1800)
Ancient Hero Ultimus (9/3900/3500 - 9/3600/3500)
"Sorry, but the gap's too wide to be stopped by something like that," Andrew retorted. "Ultimus' attack continues!"
The beam of light remained undeterred as it blasted through the spirit and pierced through Kiara's Life Points!
Kiara: 2900
Andrew: 2200
"He finally managed to land a hit," Kari smiled off to the side.
Kiara in the meanwhile dusted her cloak off and looked towards Andrew with determination. "Your monster is quite powerful. Unable to be destroyed in battle, increases its own Atk each turn, and when it gets destroyed it brings itself back."
"You're familiar with my monsters," Andrew noted. "So it's true what Emilia said."
Kiara merely smiled. "We certainly have our ways."
"But the question is do you have anything you can do to stop it?"
Kiara drew into her next card. "As I said...we have our ways," she repeated before continuing her play. "I summon Divine Helper (2/800/900) in Attack mode!"
A diminutive mechanical-looking fairy showed up on Kiara's field, its one eye looking around as it flexed its arms and stretched out its wings. Andrew and Kari both raised an eyebrow at this monster's appearance as Kiara announced, "I end my turn."
Andrew drew into his next card and looked over it as his monster's Atk rose higher.
Ancient Hero Ultimus (9/3900/3500 - 9/4400/3500)
He looked over towards Kiara, who looked as strongly determined as ever. "Before we continue, I'd like to ask something," he said.
Kari looked over to him with surprise. Was now really the time for that? Kiara similarly looked surprise, but she relaxed for a moment and nodded. "Something is on your mind."
"Yes…" Andrew laid his Duel Disk by his side for a moment as he searched for the words. "Earlier you mentioned something about tendrils of darkness or something. I know there's a lot of urgency regarding it, but what exactly did you mean by that?"
Kiara rested her own Duel Disk by her side. "You are aware of the darkness around those connected with the Spirit Dragons?"
"Darkness? With the Spirit Dragons?"
Kiara closed her eyes. "The tale of the Spirit Dragons was not always a happy one...it is a tale filled with great triumph and great sorrow."
"...and may the great gods of heaven and earth, the Anunaki, altogether inflict a curse and evil upon the confines of the temple, the walls of this E-barra, upon his dominion, his land, his warriors, his subjects, and his troops. May Bel curse him with the potent curses of his mouth that can not be altered, and may they come upon him forthwith."
The crowd down below in the plaza cheered out in praise as the advisor finished reading off the laws of the king and his own speech following. The people's cries of celebration were met with the king's own gentle wave as he surveyed the populace before him. The day of his rule would be long remembered for this - a perfect and absolute set of laws that people can be judged by justly and fairly.
But not everyone in the crowd cheered.
"Unbelievable."
Far in the back of the crowd, a trio of figures stood by and watched on as the ceremony commenced. One of them leaned up against one of the buildings while the other two stood near the edge of the balcony they were on, shadowed by the building next to them. One of the two was squatted on the balcony's railing, watching with disgust.
"These people are just celebrating their own imprisonment," he muttered, spitting out a small glob down below. "It sickens me."
"Easy, Sibi, there's no need for that," the kind feminine voice of the figure next to him spoke, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let them believe in their freedom as we believe in ours."
"Feh, freedom…"
The man on the railing leapt backwards off of his bare feet and landed on the balcony, his shawl resting downwards. He looked over through his leather helmet towards the figure against the wall, a hooded man wrapped in a cloak whose gaze had not left the crowd below.
"Hey, Anshar," Sibi spoke up. "Are you sure about this? Leaving these people to fend for themselves in this world? I know Anatu could care less."
Anatu snorted. "I did not say that," she said defiantly.
"It's fine."
The two looked over towards the hooded man who spoke up. "We have more important work to do now," he continued, getting up from his position along the wall. "Gather the advisors. We will need to begin the ceremony."
Sibi smiled. "So we're really going through with it? Summoning the spirits of freedom?"
Anshar looked over towards Anatu, whose eyes sparkled back with hope. "Yes...it's time to bring true freedom into this world."
"And so it was that the leaders of what you'd eventually come to know as the Trinity brought us together, bringing about the powers of the elements into our control."
Andrew and Kari stood by and waited patiently as Kiara told her story. "As you know, we have been alive for thousands of years, since the days of Babylon and the Code of Hammurabi. We have always strived to obtain the true freedom in this world, and to protect ourselves, we studied the light to strengthen our bonds and give us strength through unity."
Kiara opened her eyes and now looked upon the two. "But now...there is an impending darkness that threatens to break those bonds and destroy us. Adolf Rommel continues his campaign against us, and he has only grown stronger with each passing century."
"And Rommel is the one that troubles you the most?" Andrew asked.
Kiara nodded. "Rommel himself has been around for as long as we have. He has known of the existence of the Spirit Dragons almost since their inception, and I fear that he has gathered enough power to finally seize them from us," she admitted. "If he were to do that, it will extinguish the only true hope that people have for freedom in this world. Without the Spirit Dragons, the very earth as we know it may crumble and fall apart."
Andrew and Kari were suddenly taken aback. "But what do the Spirit Dragons have to do with the earth's well-being?" Kari asked. "They're just part of the Trinity, right?"
"The Spirit Dragons were formed by ceremonies that brought them into being by tapping into the elemental forces of nature that already exist," Kiara explained. "The Spirit Dragons are not just entities - they are the embodiments of their own respective elements, embodiments of nature itself. And if Rommel destroys them…"
"Then nature itself is ruined, and with it the entire world suffers."
Kari looked over at Andrew with great desperation as he sighed. "It's no wonder Matt became so obsessed with these dragons," he continued. "Just like Montalban has worked to take control of the modern world, Matt's looking for the true nature of freedom to break out of that control. But in doing so, he ended up trapping himself with his dealings with Rommel…"
Kiara looked on silently as Andrew looked up, a fierce fire in his eyes. "It's why he set up the Battle of the Titans tournament and recruited the best of the best that he could to help him, and it's why he aimed to take Slifer the Sky Dragon...I should have known." He clenched his fist as he brought his Duel Disk back up in front of him. "Thank you, Kiara. Now I know for sure how I can save my brother from his curse."
Kiara nodded and raised her disk back up as well. "Then please, let us continue with the duel."
"With pleasure! Now I attack Divine Helper with Ancient Hero Ultimus!"
The hero now charged up a powerful beam of light and fired it down upon the tiny monster, eradicating it with ease!
"Fortunately, my Divine Helper has the ability to negate any battle damage I would take involving it," Kiara explained as a small light shield came up in front of her. "In addition to that, when it's destroyed, I can remove it from the game to summon more Divine Helpers to the field."
As she finished, the shield vanished from in front of her, and two new copies of her fairy appeared on her field, ready to roll. Andrew geared himself again as Kari noted the monsters.
"Two new monsters...so a Tribute Summon is coming…"
"Now it's my turn," Kiara declared, drawing her next card. "And I will use the power of four Fairies in my graveyard to Special Summon the Archlord Kristya (8/2800/2300) to my field!"
In a flash of radiance, the ceiling of the room seemed to open up as a divine angel descended from above. It unfurled its orange wings as its white body beamed with light, staring down at Andrew's field with its orange eyes.
"When I summon Archlord Kristya to my field, I'm allowed to add a Fairy-type monster in my Graveyard back to my hand," Kiara explained, retrieving the Soul of Purity and Light. "And then, I will sacrifice the two Divine Helpers I control to summon Nova Star Dragon (9/3000/1900)!"
The smaller helpers were converted into orbs of light that connected together into an arc. The arc formed the frilled back and tail of the dragon as its body oozed out in a flash of yellow light before finally bursting forth and roaring onto the scene, its claws glimmering with golden light.
"When my dragon is Summoned to the field, it gains 200 Atk points for every LIGHT monster in my Graveyard," Kiara continued. "So with 5 such monsters, Nova Star Dragon's power grows to 4000!"
Nova Star Dragon (9/3000/1900 - 9/4000/1900)
"And to top it all off, my monsters each gain 500 Atk from the Light-Protection Seal since I control another LIGHT monster!"
Nova Star Dragon (9/4000/1900 - 9/4500/1900)
Archlord Kristya (8/2800/2300 - 8/3300/2300)
"Now her Nova Star Dragon is stronger than Ancient Hero Ultimus," Kari noted from the sidelines.
Andrew smirked. "If the other advisor's dragons are anything to go by, though, I imagine that this one can't attack when it's Summoned either."
"An astute observation," Kiara nodded. "But don't celebrate your efforts just yet. My Nova Star Dragon comes with the power of Divine Absolution!"
The dragon began to glow and charged up a beam of light in its mouth!
"If I control another LIGHT monster, I'm able to use the power of Divine Absolution to wipe out all the monsters you control on your field instantly!"
At that moment, the beam of light shot out from the dragon's mouth, piercing through Ultimus's spirit and causing the platform and orb to crumble away!
"And as long as Archlord Kristya remains on my field, neither of us is allowed to Special Summon another monster," Kiara continued. "Thus I have nullified your hero's effect to bring itself back upon destruction."
"...clever move…"
"The only cost to me is that I'm no longer allowed to attack for the turn, so I will Set one card and end it," Kiara finished.
Andrew looked down at his deck. My brother has been trapped by these shackles for too long. It's time to break him free of them all - of Rommel, of Montalban...and of this past.
He drew his next card. "My turn!"
"Rushing towards the skies above, the water swirls around the winds and forms new life! Fuse the Spirit Dragons of Water and Wind together! Behold! I summon forth the Spirit Dragon of Cloudy Sky (12/?/?)!"
Matt tossed up the two Spirit Dragons, their phantasmal forms appearing and swirling about and mixing together. From their combined bodies, a new dragon appeared, a sky blue dragon with large cloud-like patterns forming over its body and surrounded by a larger cloud encircling its body. It rested its body on this larger cloud, peering down at the field with keen interest.
Keith scoffed. "Tch, so you've got another Spirit Dragon to work with," he remarked. "So what? Don't forget, I've seen how a lot of these worked already." He even raised a finger. "Your Spirit Dragon will get power based on the number of Dragons in your Graveyard and the different monsters removed from the game with the same Attributes it's got. Isn't that right?"
Spirit Dragon of the Cloudy Sky (12/?/? - 12/900/900)
Matt grimaced a little as Keith laughed. "As I suspected. By my count, you should only have the 3 Dragons in your Graveyard," Keith pointed out. "And since Totem Dragon's an EARTH monster, your Spirit Dragon doesn't get any special bonuses. I imagine since it's part-WATER, your Spirit Dragon will have some life restoration effect, and figuring the WIND monster is related to Spells and Traps, I'd imagine you've got an effect regarding that too. Am I right there too?"
Matt looked over to his Spirit Dragon. There was no doubt that Keith had it right on the money, but he knew he had ways to get around it. Looking back over his hand, Matt felt a calming aura emanating from his Dragon. Then briefly, he felt a surge of energy pass through him, and his eyes flickered with green light for a mere moment before they returned to normal. He blinked, confused, and looked back at the field.
Keith chuckled. "I guess you're starting to realize the position you're in," he taunted. "Your monster can't even beat my Machine King - 3000 B.C., so unless you've got a means of getting over that, I'll destroy you on my next turn and claim not only the Spirit Dragon of Light but all your other Spirit Dragons too!"
Matt ignored Keith's remarks, reaching for another card in his hand. "I now activate my Painful Choice card!" he declared. "Now I reveal 5 cards from my Deck, and you get to pick one to add to my hand, with the rest getting sent to my Graveyard."
Matt then searched his deck and revealed Eclipse Wyvern, Intelligent Dragon, Emotional Dragon, Vandalizing Dragon, and Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord. Keith perused the cards with a grin. "I get it," he said. "You're getting me to send more Dragons into your Graveyard to power up your monster. Not that it matters."
He then pointed towards one of the cards. "I'm gonna add your Van'Dalgyon to your hand!" Keith retorted. "No card you've got can bring that out easily."
Matt proceeded to send the cards that weren't picked to the Graveyard and added Keith's selected card to his hand, as his Spirit Dragon's aura radiated lightly with power.
Spirit Dragon of the Cloudy Sky (12/900/900 - 12/2100/2100)
"Now, two things are going to happen," Matt explained.
"Oh? And what's that?" Keith asked with an amused smile on his face.
"First, my Eclipse Wyvern that got sent to the Graveyard lets me banish any Light or Dark Dragon monster from my deck," Matt continued. "Then if Eclipse Wyvern gets banished, I can add that monster to my hand. And the card I choose will be the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Say what?!" Keith watched as the mighty dragon briefly appeared on the field before disappearing. But why would he do that? That could have helped him if he drew it!
"And from there, another effect goes off," Matt continued further. "Since I utilized a Spell card, my Spirit Dragon of the Cloudy Sky grants me an extra 500 Life Points, something that will happen whenever a Spell card gets activated."
Bandit Keith: 1900
Matt: 2500
Keith gritted his teeth as Matt smirked back at him. "You were right, Keith," he remarked. "My Spirit Dragon did have something to do with both my Life Points and with Spells and Traps. So I suppose congrats are in order for that, eh?"
He looked back at his hand again. "But I'm not done," he continued. "I now discard Dragon of Hope (1/0/0) to Special Summon a Dragon monster from my deck! And I choose my Saving Drake (8/2600/1900)!"
Arriving like an old friend, Matt's dragon appeared on the field, spreading its four wings and looking down at Keith's monsters with a stern gaze. It then looked up and let out an echoing roar.
Spirit Dragon of the Cloudy Sky (12/2100/2100 - 12/2400/2400)
Despite its appearance, Keith couldn't help but chuckle. "Pretty strong monster, for sure," he remarked, "but his effect only works with other Dragons on the field. And in case you've forgotten, I still have my DNA Surgery face-up changing them all into Machines!"
"I'm well aware of your Trap card, Keith," Matt retorted. "Now I activate Dracolympus!"
Keith's brow furrowed as Matt brought out the ancient draconic temple to his side of the field, bolstering the power of the dragons he had in play...or at least, it would have, had they not all been turned into Machines instead.
Bandit Keith: 1900
Matt: 3000
What was even the point of that? He knows Dracolympus is useless on non-Dragons, Keith wondered.
Shannon looked on, also confused as to Matt's tactics. "That's strange...Matt would never make a move without a reason," she murmured. "Did he realize something?"
"Now, Saving Drake, swoop in and destroy his Machine King - 3000 B.C.!"
The stalwart dragon lunged forward and prepared itself to attack!
"My Saving Drake gets 500 more Atk when it attacks your monster, and when it destroys a monster in battle, it inflicts damage to you equal to that monster's Atk," Matt explained. "This Duel will end if you don't use your Trap card."
Keith flinched. How did he know about my Trap?!
Saving Drake (8/2600/1900 - 8/3100/1900)
Finally it opened its mouth and hurled a massive fireball down at the archaic metal king, decimating it in a single blow! Keith's card flipped up, but the smoke obscured it for a moment as fire burned away at Keith, scraps of metal hurling their way past him. When the smoke finally cleared, Keith's card was finally revealed, and the resulting Life Points were displayed.
Bandit Keith: 1400
Matt: 3000
Shannon gasped. "He managed to get past that?"
Keith heaved as he shrugged off the damage as best he could. "I activated my Enchanted Javelin card," he remarked. "So I gained Life Points based on your monster's attack. Of course, since it gained Atk during the battle, and because of the burn it inflicted, I ended up with a few less Life Points, but I'm still in this."
Keith then pointed over at Matt. "But you! You must have cheated! You told me I'd lose if I didn't activate my Trap card, but you never saw what I Set on the field! How would you know what I had face-down if you never saw it?"
Matt didn't answer, much to Keith's anger. "Don't play dumb with me!" he yelled out. "I know every trick in the book! What, did you have some mirror? Did your girlfriend whisper it to you? Well?!"
Shannon looked back from Keith to Matt. It was strange how he made some of his moves, even more so that he knew of Keith's face-down card. But seeing Keith losing his cool over it…
Matt merely directed another attack, "Go Spirit Dragon! Destroy the Cannon Soldier!"
A great gust blew out of the dragon's mouth, spewing clouds that blew apart the mechanical soldier with ease!
Bandit Keith: 400
Matt: 3000
Keith grimaced as Matt declared, "And with that, I end my turn."
What's going on?! Keith wondered. He seems different from before. It's like...like he knows what's coming.
A twinge of memory hit Keith's mind as he recalled his own past. His past as the champion of the US! He was the greatest internationally! And then...and then...he faced him. The creator of Duel Monsters itself. And he was made out to look like a chump in front of the entire world. He never could figure out how he'd done it - how was it he was able to know his moves before even he did?! And then he found his answer not long after his humiliation at Duelist Kingdom...and it drove him mad.
Keith shook his head - but that was all in his past! He was done wallowing in his failures! He grasped the top card of his deck and drew his next card. Looking over it, he smiled once more.
"I ain't out of this yet," he called out loud. "I'm activating the Spell card, Polymerization! With it, I'm able to fuse together two of my monsters into one unstoppable machine!"
Bandit Keith: 400
Matt: 3500
Shannon looked back at Matt, who remained calm and unconcerned thanks to his Spirit Dragon giving him more Life Points as Keith continued, "I fuse together Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon into the mighty Gatling Dragon (8/2600/1200)!"
The images of two draconic machines appeared before fusing themselves into one larger machine. It wheeled itself out onto the field and brandished its own guns, a trio of gatling guns that were attached to each of its heads. The creation howled with a grating sound as Keith laughed triumphantly beneath it.
"Now with my monster, I'm allowed to destroy as many monsters on the field as possible," Keith explained. "All I have to do is flip 3 coins, and for each Heads I get, one monster gets blown to smithereens!"
The guns on Keith's new machine began rotating rapidly as it set its sights on Matt's monsters. Flipping a few coins in the process, Keith smiled at the result. "2 Heads, so 2 monsters! Go, Bullet Barrage!"
Just as he declared it, the guns on Gatling Dragon started spewing out bullets from two of the heads, each of them spraying through each of Matt's dragons and tearing them to shreds!
"Now Matt's defenseless!" Shannon remarked.
"Oh it's worse than that - I equip Gatling Dragon with Machine Conversion Factory, raising his stats by 300 each!" Keith continued. "And on top of that, I'll also add in the Machine Assembly Line to push his power further by 200!"
Gatling Dragon (8/2600/1200 - 8/2900/1500 - 8/3100/1500)
"Now go! Gatling Dragon!"
The machine now set its focus on Matt himself, its guns revving up once more!
"FIRE!"
Andrew looked at his next card and smiled. "Just the card I needed," he remarked. "Now I summon Ancient Hero Morpher (3/0/0)!"
The ever amorphous pink blob appeared with its golden ring once again, showcasing its power on the field once again! Kari nodded at the appearance of the monster.
"It really is just what he needed," she said. "Morpher has the power to copy monster stats and abilities, so he can duplicate one of Kiara's monsters to use as his own."
"Now I'll use Morpher's ability and copy your Nova Star Dragon!"
The goo shifted about and began taking on the form of Kiara's dragon, shining scales and all! Soon Andrew had an exact copy of the dragon on his side of the field!
Ancient Hero Morpher (3/0/0) - Nova Morph Dragon (9/4500/1900)
"And now to take care of that dragon," Andrew declared. "Go, Nova Morph Dragon! Destroy the original!"
The morphed dragon's scales lit up as a beam of radiant energy charged within its mouth! It stared down the original who roared back fiercely. Just as the duplicate was ready to let loose its deadly beam of light, the archangel leapt quickly in front of the shining dragon and held up a protective hand, shielding the dragon from the attack as beams of holy light pierced through it!
Kiara: 1700
Andrew: 2200
"Your monster leapt in to protect your dragon?!"
"Thanks to the power of my Trap card, Revelation of the Sun," Kiara explained, "I was able to redirect your attack over to my Archlord Kristya instead of my dragon. In addition, I've given my dragon an extra 500 Atk points!"
Nova Star Dragon (9/4500/1900 - 9/5000/1900)
"And whenever Archlord Kristya would be sent from my field to the Graveyard, it gets returned to the top of my deck instead."
A brief flash of light indicated that the angel had indeed been placed on top of Kiara's deck. Andrew grimaced a little at that.
"Now that it's back on top, she'll be able to summon it again next turn," Kari noted, "which means she'll be able to lock Andrew out of summoning more powerful Ancient Heroes. Unless he does something about it on this turn, he won't have a defense against them all."
Andrew looked back down at the cards in his hand. "I'll Set one card face-down. That's all."
Kiara stared down at the card before looking up at Andrew. "I will hope that your last card will lead to the desired outcome," she said solemnly, drawing the Archlord Kristya. "Now I send my Soul of Purity and Light to the Graveyard to increase my Nova Star Dragon's Atk by 500."
Nova Star Dragon (9/5000/1900 - 9/5500/1900)
"And now with four Fairies in the Graveyard, I can Summon forth Archlord Kristya once more!"
The shining radiant being came down from the sky once more, its wings spread out behind it.
"And whenever Archlord Kristya is summoned, I can add a Fairy back to my hand," Kiara explained. Then she looked up at Andrew and continued, "You understand what this means, correct? As long as I can bring back Kristya, I'll be able to send my LIGHT monsters to the Graveyard and power up Nova Star Dragon even more. You won't last forever."
"I know. That's why I figured now's a good time to stop your combo."
Kiara gasped with surprise as her angel was suddenly wrapped in chains and tagged with a powerful set of seals, locking it into place!
"My Ancient Heroes' Seal now activates, thanks to your Archlord Kristya's effect," Andrew explained, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Now all the copies that are in our decks get destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, and for the rest of the duel, we're not allowed to play any more of those cards. So effectively, Archlord Kristya's been banned from the duel!"
He pointed a finger towards the angel as he said this, and with that it disappeared, dragged down into the Graveyard. Its own effect forced it back on top of Kiara's deck, but now it was marked with a small seal on its back, indicating its status. Kiara looked down at the card, and for a brief moment she smiled.
"Nova Star Dragon," she announced, waving her hand. "Attack this imposter!"
The large dragon radiated with pure holy light before breathing down a powerful breath attack that scattered rays of light onto Andrew and his monster!
Kiara: 1700
Andrew: 1200
"Now then," Kiara remarked, "show me what you can do!"
At that moment, the dragon's powerful light faded down, and its Atk decreased back to what it was before.
Nova Star Dragon (9/5500/1900 - 9/5000/1900)
Andrew couldn't help but smile in return. "I'm glad I could at least make you smile a little," he said as he drew his next card. "Now to make good on my word! I activate the Ancient Heroes' Ritual, removing my Ancient Hero Ultimus in the Graveyard to bring out Ancient Hero Unknown (9/?/?)!"
The soul of the statue-esque hero appeared before being consumed by a dark smog, which formed a large eye. The strange creature soon formed its signature horns, tail, and limbs before it skulked onto the ground. Kiara looked unfazed by the appearance of this creature.
"That may be powerful, but it will not stand to the power of my dragon's light!"
"That might be true," Andrew remarked. "That's why I'm not using him for that."
"What?"
"I'm Tributing him alongside my Ancient Hero Morpher for another Ancient Hero - one that brings out the power of the light! I Summon forth Ancient Hero Aurora (10/?/?)!"
The heroes on the field were exchanged for a rainbow warrior, whose feet were formed of clouds, and whose shining face was shaped like the sun! His outfit of loose blue pants, a red sash flying about in the breeze, and a white top spread across his body, a radiant light illuminating him as though he were a prism for light to shine through! Kiara's eyes widened as the dazzling power of Andrew's monster was unveiled.
"I think you know a little bit about my Ancient Hero Aurora already, thanks to my encounter with Zorro," Andrew said. "But just in case you forgot, allow me to remind you of what all he can do! First, his strength is enhanced by all the Ancient Heroes that ended up either in my Graveyard or getting removed from the game!"
The faded spirits of all the other Ancient Heroes then appeared, surrounding Aurora and shining in a myriad of colors! Their spirits formed together into a rainbow helix, which Aurora then absorbed into his own body!
Ancient Hero Aurora (10/?/? - 10/6000/7100)
"6000 Atk?!"
"There's more to it than that," Andrew continued. "My Ancient Hero Aurora is not only unable to be beaten in battle, but he's also unaffected by your Spell and Trap card effects, he can't be targeted by your monsters' effects, and while he remains in play, I won't take any effect damage!"
"That's how he was able to beat Zorro's Bright Sun Dragon," Kari noted. "Since he couldn't take any effect damage, he was safe from the retaliation effect of Bright Sun Dragon."
Kiara's eyes widened even further. "Incredible…"
"Now I activate another of my Ancient Hero Aurora's effects," Andrew declared. "Each turn, I'm able to target one of my Ancient Heroes that are powering up Aurora and copy their effects! So I'll be copying my Ancient Hero Guardian's ability to double any damage you take!"
The spirit of the rocky guardian transformed into a shining crystal, imbedding itself in Aurora's chest and enhancing him with an earthy aura!
"Go, Ancient Hero Aurora! Shining Burst Strike!"
The rainbow hero charged up a powerful ball of energy in his hands before launching it towards the powerful shining dragon! The dragon attempted to retaliate with its own burst of holy light, but in the end it was overpowered and defeated! Kiara watched as the incoming explosive light surrounded her, and as her Life Points dropped down, she smiled pleasantly.
Kiara: 0
Andrew: 1200
After the final fight, Andrew breathed out a sigh of relief as his monsters faded from view. Kiara stood up, continuing to smile towards him.
"Thank you," she said.
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"Forgive me, it has been a long time since I have felt certain of the fate of the Spirit Dragons," Kiara replied. "We have had to hide away in the presence of a vengeful entity for so long. I had feared that one day he would return and claim the Spirit Dragons at last."
Kiara's smile brightened as she continued, "But now that I know there are people like you and your brother out there in this world looking to use their powers for good, I can rest assured that whatever the future brings, we will be ready."
Andrew smiled at that affirmation as Kari walked up alongside him. "We should hurry along and get to the next spot," she said. "If what Kiara says is true, we don't have that much time left."
Kiara bowed her head. "I wish that the circumstances were different," she admitted, "that we would be able to converse in peace. But for a while now, I have sensed Rommel's power only getting stronger, and I fear that there remains a long road ahead."
"Definitely," Andrew nodded.
Kiara then reached out her hand, and a brilliant light sparked alive in her palm before fading away to reveal a key. "Please, take this with you," she said. "You are the only ones we can entrust the Spirit Dragons to at this time."
Andrew reached over and touched the key, prompting it to spark again and fire out of the temple. He turned back to Kiara and asked, "Is there anything else we should know?"
"As far as the Spirit Dragons themselves, there is only one more advisor you need to duel and obtain his key," Kiara answered. "Beyond that, the power of the Spirit Dragons can only be fully unleashed by confronting our leaders."
"And how will we be able to find them?" Andrew asked.
"The compass medallion will guide you to them," Kiara confirmed. "But it will not lead you to them."
Andrew and Kari exchanged a look with each other. "What does that mean, exactly?" Kari asked.
"Our leaders are protected by a sacred barrier, an impenetrable magical force that has kept us safe for thousands of years," Kiara explained. "If you want to be able to make it past that barrier, only the last advisor knows how to get past it."
"So now we're dueling him to get a key and to get to the leaders to unlock the power of the Spirit Dragons," Andrew summarized. "Alright then, would you know where he is?"
Kiara shook her head. "I can communicate with him telepathically, but as far as his location goes, you will have to find it yourselves."
Andrew frowned. "But if we can't find him…"
"Then your journey will have all been for naught."
A rabid blaze of gunfire consumed the area, and in the aftermath of the devastation, Matt remained barely standing up against the mechanical dragon that had assaulted him.
Bandit Keith: 400
Matt: 400
"They're evenly matched," Shannon remarked, looking at each player's Life Point total. Then she turned back to the massive Gatling Dragon on Keith's field. "But he's got the clear advantage. He's cleared Matt's field, he's got the more powerful monster now...I hope Matt will be okay."
Matt stood his ground, adjusting himself as Keith laughed loudly into the air. "Well well, all that talk and nothing to show for it," Keith mocked. "Even your supposedly powerful Spirit Dragon wasn't able to stand up to the raw firepower of my Gatling Dragon! And with this last card, I'll be sure to keep it that way."
Keith played one card face-down and looked back over at Matt. "Now it won't matter what you do," he said. "Without your Spirit Dragon, you can't gain Life Points. And with my DNA Surgery still in play, all your Dragons will become Machines, and your cards will be useless! Face it, you're at the end of your rope!"
"...you never listen, do you Keith?"
Keith flinched as Matt looked back up at him, a smile on his face. "I told you that I already had everything I needed to take you down right from the start, didn't I?"
"What?!"
"You didn't forget about the card I Set face-down in my first turn, did you?" Matt asked, drawing his next card.
Keith looked down at Matt's field, spying the card in question. That's right, he said that card was gonna beat me! But there's no way…
"I told you, Keith, I wasn't going to need much more beyond this card," Matt continued. "I've had you beat from the start, and all I needed was the right cards to play."
Keith scowled before retorting, "I'm activating my Rare Metalmorph card and using it on my Gatling Dragon!"
The mechanical gun dragon was soon covered by a metal alloy, enhancing its power and coating it with a reflective layer of protection.
"The power of Rare Metalmorph will boost my dragon's Atk points by 500!" Keith explained. "Not only that, but if you want to target him with a Spell card, it's gonna get negated! So now it's stronger than ever, and you can't touch it!"
Gatling Dragon (8/3100/1500 - 8/3600/1500)
"What do you have to say about that?"
"Who said my card was going against your monster?"
"What?!"
"I'll use my card in due time, but first I'm going to need to get rid of one other card first. That's why I'm activating Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your DNA Surgery!"
A powerful wind surged through the air, tearing through Bandit Keith's Trap card with ease!
"Now that all my monsters can be Dragons again, I can use the power of my card to its fullest potential," Matt explained. "And now I activate the power of Monster Reborn!"
"Not that card!"
"And I'll use it to bring back a monster you should be familiar with! Come on back, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
The revived dragon returned to Matt's field, roaring a proud and mighty call across the land! It stared down Keith's mechanized dragon and cried out against it, as the dragon retaliated with a call all on its own! Keith stared in bewilderment before laughing.
"Wow, you really had me there for a moment," Keith said. "You forget that your Blue-Eyes is nothing compared to my Gatling Dragon's strength!"
"Its strength won't matter much in a moment."
Keith grimaced as Matt continued, "Your strategy may have a few tricks here and there to keep you in the fight, but at the end of the day, it's still a rudimentary beatdown strategy, based on powering up a single monster with many Spells and Traps. And any strategy that centers itself around a single monster is bound to fall apart when that monster falls."
"There's no way you can beat my monster!"
"We'll see. First, I'll have Dracolympus grant my Blue-Eyes White Dragon an extra 400 Atk and Def points!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon (8/3000/2500 - 8/3400/2900)
"Next, my Dracolympus grants my Blue-Eyes the power to lower your monster's Atk and Def by 500!"
The ancient ruins glowed with a powerful light that surrounded the Blue-Eyes before it swiped at the Gatling Dragon with its claws, tearing through its reflective alloy!
Gatling Dragon (8/3600/1500 - 8/3100/1000)
"N-no way," Keith remarked, staring at his monster. "Now his monster is more powerful!"
"Of course, if I attacked right now, I wouldn't be able to deal enough damage to defeat you, would I Keith?" Matt said. "That's why I needed one card to allow me to end this duel in a definitive way, a card that would have torn your strategy apart in just the right moment."
Matt's face-down card slowly revealed itself, rising up until the art of an electrical dragon surging with power was unveiled!
"Behold the Electro-Dragon Pulse!"
The Blue-Eyes began charging up with blue electricity surrounding its body; it roared out its newfound power as Keith watched on, the light reflecting off of his shades!
"Not that card!"
"Now with a Dragon monster on my field, I can unleash this card's devastating effect," Matt explained. "For the rest of the turn, your Spells and Traps have their effects negated!"
The dragon called out once more before unleashing a powerful electromagnetic pulse across the field, nullifying the power of Keith's cards! The resulting shockwave surged through the Gatling Dragon as its power decreased even further!
Gatling Dragon (8/3100/1000 - 8/2100/700)
"Now go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! White Lightning Attack!"
The dragon cried out as it charged its signature attack, a powerful surge of light resonating in its mouth before it unleashed a beam of pure energy at the mechanical faker! The Gatling Dragon took a direct hit and cried out in pain before exploding in a wave of destruction!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Bandit Keith: 0
Matt: 400
Shannon smiled before she leapt off the ground with joy! "He did it!"
Keith shuffled about on the ground, having been knocked down by the last attack. He looked over towards Matt with a deep scowl on his face. Matt simply looked down at him.
"It's over Keith," he said. "You can go running off back to Montalban now and deliver the bad news."
Keith gritted his teeth before slowly rising to his feet. Then he simply scoffed and smiled before turning away. "I don't know how you did it, but I didn't think you'd stoop to that level," he admitted aloud. Then he looked back over his shoulder, a cocky grin spread across his face as he said, "But you can damn well bet you ain't seen the last of me."
And with that, he mounted his horse and rode off and away. Matt watched him go as Shannon approached him. "What was that all about?" she asked.
Matt didn't say anything. He just knew though that deep down, Keith was right: they hadn't seen the end of him yet. And what's more, with Montalban acting behind him, it was only a matter of time before he made his return...
"...understood."
Montalban hung up the phone and furrowed his brow, resting his chin in his folded hands. "And now even Keith has fallen prey to Matt's scheming," he growled. "His incompetence grows as Matt's power does…"
He leaned back and looked up at the elaborate mural painted on the ceiling of his office. "Now with five of those Spirit Dragons in his possession, he's almost unstoppable," he said to himself. "If he gets the last one-"
"Then everything will be for naught."
Montalban nearly jumped out of his seat as the cold chilling presence of someone who had not been there a moment ago suddenly caught his attention. "Rommel! What are you doing here?!"
"I should ask the same thing of you," Rommel replied coolly, taking a step forward. Montalban looked down at his feet before looking up again.
"No...there's no way...I thought you were forbidden from walking on land!" Montalban yelled back.
Rommel snorted. "I haven't simply been biding my time, waiting, twiddling my thumbs while you've been seated here scheming behind my back."
Quickly Montalban reached into his desk and pulled out a beating heart. Rommel paused in his footsteps, his eyes drawn to the rhythmic organ in Montalban's hand.
"You stay back!" Montalban commanded. "I know you still obey the heart, and you know I won't hesitate to crush it and end your miserable life!"
"...life…"
Something in the way Rommel said the word froze Montalban's blood. It was that same chilling aura that he had when he entered the room, and it only seemed to grow colder as Rommel approached the desk with ease, no fear in his eyes.
"Life is such a sacred thing to some," Rommel continued. "Some will cling onto it so desperately, so hungrily. They think it is the only thing that can bring them happiness, hope...freedom."
His boot thudded against the ground once more as he stood before Montalban, towering over him. He held out his hand in a gesture for the heart. Montalban hesitated, looking between his hand and Rommel's scowling face.
"What is life worth to you?" Rommel asked. "Is all the gold in the world able to settle for your life? Is it the suffering of others? Or is this meager heart all that your life is really worth?"
Montalban swallowed a hearty lump in his throat. It was clear that Rommel was threatening him, and against a being of such immeasurable power…
He slowly placed the heart into Rommel's hand. The demonic captain raised the heart up, examining its every beat as though it were a small animal.
"Perhaps it is the heart that brings such desires to mortals," Rommel mused, giving a thoughtful pause as he gazed upon it.
"...perhaps I've outlived such mortal whims."
With a quick squeeze, Rommel crushed his own heart with his bare hands.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Uhhhh...well...that's uhh...that's not supposed to happen...
Andrew vs Kiara
Ancient Hero Mirage (Effect Monster)
Level 2, 1100 Atk, 200 Def, Warrior, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card.
Soul of Purity and Light (Effect Monster)
Level 6, 2000 Atk, 1800 Def, Fairy, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 2 LIGHT monsters in your GY. During your opponent's Battle Phase: all monsters they control lose 300 Atk.
Ancient Hero Ultimus (Effect Monster)
Level 9, 3900 Atk, 3500 Def, Fairy, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned by Tributing 3 "Ancient Hero" monsters you control. Cannot be destroyed in battle. If this card is destroyed and sent to the GY: Special Summon it. During your Standby Phase: gains 500 Atk.
Light-Protection Seal (Continuous Trap)
Effect: While you control a LIGHT monster, all monsters you control gain 500 ATK.
Divine Helper (Effect Monster)
Level 2, 800 Atk, 900 Def, Fairy, LIGHT
Effect: You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. If this card is destroyed and sent to the GY: you can banish it from your GY; Special Summon up to 2 "Divine Helper" from your Deck.
Archlord Kristya (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2300 Def, Fairy, LIGHT
Effect: If you have exactly 4 Fairy monsters in your GY, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If Summoned this way: Target 1 Fairy monster in your GY; add that target to your hand. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. If this face-up card would be sent from the field to the GY, place it on top of the Deck instead.
Nova Star Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 9, 3000 Atk, 1800 Def, Dragon, LIGHT
Effect: If you Tribute Summon this card, all Tributes must be LIGHT. If this card is Summoned: gain 200 ATK for every LIGHT monster in your GY. Cannot attack the turn it is Summoned. Once per turn: you can discard 1 card then target 1 LIGHT monster you control; that target gains 500 Atk until the End Phase. Once per turn, if you control another LIGHT monster: you can destroy all monsters your opponent controls. You cannot declare an attack during the turn you activate this effect.
Ancient Hero Morpher (Effect Monster)
Level 3, 0 Atk, 0 Def, Aqua, WATER
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn: you can target 1 monster on the field; while this card is face-up on the field, this card's name, Level, ATK, DEF, Type, and Attribute become the same as the targeted monster, also it gains its effects.
Revelation of the Sun (Normal Trap)
Effect: When your opponent's monster targets a monster you control for an attack while you control a LIGHT monster: target 1 other monster on your field; the monster you targeted becomes the new target for your opponent's monster's attack, then the previous target gains 500 ATK.
NOTE: Turns out there aren't that many PSCT examples of changing attack targets while giving an additional effect to the previous attack target. In general, there aren't that many effects that do such a thing. Go figure.
Ancient Heroes' Seal (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: When a card or effect is activated: negate the activation, and if you do, destroy all cards with the same name in both players' Decks, also neither player can activate cards or effects with the same name as the destroyed cards for the rest of the Duel.
Ancient Heroes' Ritual (Ritual Spell)
Effect: This card can be used to Ritual Summon "Ancient Hero Unknown". You must also banish "Ancient Hero" monsters from your hand, field, or Graveyard that have a total Level of 9 or more.
Ancient Hero Unknown (Ritual Monster)
Level 9, ? Atk, ? Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: Must first be Ritual Summoned. This card's Atk/Def are equal to the total Atk/Def of all banished "Ancient Hero" monsters. Cannot be destroyed by battle. Cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. Once per turn (Quick Effect): cards you control cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.
Ancient Hero Aurora (Effect Monster)
Level 10, ? Atk, ? Def, Warrior, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. Gains ATK/DEF equal to the total ATK/DEF of all "Ancient Hero" monsters that are in your GY or banished. Unaffected by your opponent's Spell and Trap cards, also cannot be targeted by the effects of your opponent's monsters. You take no effect damage. If this card destroys a monster by battle: gain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK on the field. Once per turn: you can target 1 "Ancient Hero" monster in your GY or that is banished; this card gains the effects of that monster until the end of the turn. During your Main Phase: you can Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 monster from your hand.
NOTE: I actually purposely hid the effect of Aurora the first time he was used for dramatic purposes. A shining new Ancient Hero with the power to stop the effects of one of the most devastating members of the Trinity faced thus far? That, and I actually wanted to show him off more later, but I didn't have a solid answer to how Andrew could defeat Zorro in their duel without at least using him once. Needless to say, he's got a lot of utility. I also initially had it that Aurora was also unaffected by your opponent's monster effects, thereby making him a much more powerful threat that was much easier to summon than other monsters of a similar caliber. Kind of like an on-theme Master Peace or an easier to summon Vennominaga with an on-theme Tyrant Neptune-esque effect. Just too many factors contributing to an already overpowered card, even by today's standards.
Matt vs Keith
Spirit Dragon of Water (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Oceanic Tranquility". This card's Attribute is also treated as WATER. Unaffected by your opponent's Spell cards. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WATER monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. During your Standby Phase: gain 500 LP for every card on the field. Your Level 5 or higher monsters require 1 less Tribute to be Tribute Summoned. Once per turn: you can discard 1 card; until the end of your opponent's turn, your opponent cannot play cards of the same card type (Monster, Spell, Trap) as the card you discarded.
Spirit Dragon of Wind (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Winds of Harmony". This card's Attribute is also treated as WIND. Unaffected by the effects of your opponent's monsters. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WIND monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. Once per turn: you can destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the field, and if you do, draw 1 card for each card destroyed by this effect. You cannot attack during the turn you use this effect. Once per turn: you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand.
Spirit Dragon of the Cloudy Sky (Fusion Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by sending "Spirit Dragon of Water" and "Spirit Dragon of Wind" from your hand or field to the GY (you do not use Polymerization). This card's Attribute is also treated as WATER and WIND. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WATER and WIND monster, also gains 300 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. Unaffected by your opponent's Spell cards. Each time a Spell card is activated: gain 500 Life Points.
Painful Choice (Normal Spell)
Effect: Reveal 5 cards from your Deck to your opponent. Your opponent picks 1 to add to your hand, then send the rest to the GY.
Eclipse Wyvern (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1000 Def, Dragon, LIGHT
Effect: If this card is sent to the GY: banish 1 Level 7 or higher LIGHT or DARK Dragon monster from your Deck. If this card is banished: you can add the card banished by this effect to your hand.
Dragon of Hope (Effect Monster)
Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def, Dragon, LIGHT
Effect: (Quick Effect): You can discard this card from your hand; Special Summon 1 Dragon monster from your Deck.
Saving Drake (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2600 Atk, 1900 Def, Dragon, WIND
Effect: If this card is Summoned: it gains 100 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster on your field. If this card attacks an opponent's monster: it gains 500 Atk until the end of the Damage Step. If this card destroys a monster by battle: inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster.
Dracolympus (Field Spell)
Effect: All Dragon monsters you control gain 400 ATK/DEF and gain the following effects based on their Attribute:
● WATER: When this monster destroys a monster in battle: you gain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK.
● EARTH: Once per turn: you can destroy 1 Spell/Trap card on the field.
● FIRE: When this monster destroys a monster in battle, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.
● WIND: When this monster destroys a monster in battle, it can attack once again.
● LIGHT: Once per turn: you can target 1 monster your opponent controls; it loses 500 ATK/DEF.
● DARK: Once per turn: you can destroy 1 monster your opponent controls.
Enchanted Javelin (Normal Trap)
Effect: Target 1 attacking monster; Gain Life Points equal to its ATK.
Gatling Dragon (Fusion Monster)
Level 8, 2600 Atk, 1200 Def, Machine, DARK
Effect: Once per turn: You can toss a coin 3 times and destroy as many monsters on the field as possible, but not more than the number of heads.
Machine Conversion Factory (Equip Spell)
Effect: Equip only to a Machine monster. It gains 300 ATK/DEF.
Machine Assembly Line (Continuous Spell)
Effect: All Machine monsters on the field gain 200 ATK. Each time a Machine monster is destroyed, add 2 Junk Counters to this card. You can send this card to the GY, then target 1 Machine monster in your GY whose Level is less than or equal to the number of Junk Counters that were on this card; Special Summon that target.
Rare Metalmorph (Continuous Trap)
Effect: Activate this card by targeting 1 Machine monster on the field; it gains 500 Atk, also negate the first Spell effect that targets that monster. When that monster leaves the field, destroy this card.
Electro-Dragon Pulse (Normal Spell)
Effect: For the rest of the turn, negate the effects of your opponent's Spell and Trap cards. You must control a face-up Dragon monster to activate and to resolve this effect.
...things just got a whole lot worse, despite the brothers' success. What are the consequences behind Rommel's actions? Will Montalban survive to the next chapter? And what of the last Spirit Dragon? Where is the chest, and where is the key? Find out next time!
