Hello everybody! I know it's been awhile. My old laptop broke and it took a while before I could get a new one, I've moved into a new apartment and have started classes at Towson University. Funny how I was busier during the summer than I am during college classes. Eh, here's the new chapter you've all been waiting so patiently for as we go back to the future (badum tish). As for the disclaimer;
The Master: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!
Chapter 22: The Growing Darkness
Dawn broke over New Domino City slowly, as the dark clouds were still covering the sky above, keeping the land in a perpetual twilight. All was quiet in the B.A.D. area of Satellite, barring one lone man standing guard by a worn-down looking building. He looked imposing in his icy-blue samurai armor, but the man had a talent for melting into the shadows, leaving would-be intruders unaware of his presence until it was too late. He was the Master's ultimate guard, with only one able to sneak by him and that ninja was currently in the employ of the Master as well. Bario Aisu watched tirelessly as the sun peaked out from the morning clouds briefly, adding a light to the gloom before the clouds moved back in. The chaotic weather was of the Master's doing, though how he did it, Bario had no clue, not that he wanted to know anyways. His icy-blue eyes scanned the landscape, always watching, always guarding, and one hand on his blue katana, infused by the Master with icy power.
"Bario, report," barked out the Master's voice on his personal comlink. He did not sound particularly happy this morning. "Has the rescue party returned yet?"
"No, Master," Bario replied in his cold voice. Some said it was the only tone of voice he knew. It was enough to send a shiver down a normal man's spine, but the Master was no ordinary man.
There was a brief pause as the Master contemplated that news. "When they do return, have them report directly to me."
"As you command," Bario replied, closing the comlink. His eyes never left the horizon as he spoke, always watching, even in the shadows. A couple of young kids ran past his hiding place, but never saw him in the morning light. Bario had chosen his spot well. The kids were soon past, 2 more unfortunate orphans left to wander the Satellite. Bario knew that was one of the many wrongs that he would have to right once the Master fully came into his power.
A nearby noise drew his attention. Someone was trying not to be seen. Bario drew his sword, an icy blue katana that lowered the surrounding temperature by several degrees. With both hands on the hilt, Bario stepped out of the shadows in front of the doorway. "Identify yourself or be destroyed."
"Relax, oh frozen one!" Julius laughed as Kuno stepped out from the pile of rubble she had been concealing herself behind, the gladiator not far behind. He was carrying the still-unconscious Alex Bushido over his shoulder, grinning all the while. "Kuno was only testing your skills. They seem to be as impeccable as ever."
Bario merely nodded and sheathed his katana. He turned and began to push certain pressure points on the wall that would reveal the hidden door leading into the Master's lair. "The Master wishes to see him immediately."
Julius chuckled. "I'd hate to be in his armor right about now. Poor kid, had to sneak him out from the Signer hideout. We couldn't get his brother out cuz that damn Crimson Dragon started waking people up. Kuno left a couple of smoke bombs in the hall so they couldn't follow us." The door to their own hideout seemed to phase into existence as Bario completed the code. Unknown to them, deep purple eyes watched Bario input the code into the wall of the building and a pen was hastily copying the code onto a blank Duel Monsters card. Once the code was copied, the man watching the Chaos Movement slipped the card with the code on it into the spare Deck holster he carried on his belt, the thunderbird emblem ring on his right hand glimmered in the sunlight as he watched the strange group of people converse
"You made sure you weren't followed?" Bario queried, turning back around. His eyes bore into Julius' brown eyes, as if daring him to admit otherwise.
The gladiator rolled his eyes as he opened the door and stepped into the elevator. "Kuno covered our tracks, not that we left many to follow. We're fine."
"Get the boy inside and I'll be right behind you," Bario said, taking up his post. By the time he started scanning the streets again, the fiery head that had watched the exchange take place had already ducked back under cover. The dark-skinned man breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't spotted and retreated a ways to plot his assault. Those were the men he was looking for alright. This was where those people who claimed to work for this Master resided and he swore he would take that place down, starting with the Master himself.
Kuno's dark eyes matched Bario's before the door shut and she and Julius were on their way down. A groan coming from Julius' shoulder told her that their fellow minion was now awake. "About time," she muttered to herself. Having Julius carry him back made a lot more noise than she would've liked, but it only cost her one shurikan when that inquisitive red-head had poked his head out from his hideout. He'd ducked right back in and Kuno was certain the message had gotten across.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," Julius said, setting the unfortunate samurai down on the floor.
"Where the hell am I?" Alex demanded, coming fully awake, eyes blinking as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. "Back at HQ?"
Julius helped him to his feet, steadying the young man when he wobbled. "We rescued you from the clutches of those Signers. Looks like they were getting ready to interrogate you and your brother tomorrow."
"Noah…" Alex said, looking around and paling when he realized his brother wasn't with them. "Where is he?!"
"With the Signers," Kuno answered matter-of-factly, "He wasn't truly one of us and we couldn't waste time getting him out."
"No!" Alex cried, pushing buttons on the elevator, "We have to go back! I can't let that bitch capture my brother! Curse all Blue-Eyes!" He pounded his fist on the wall in frustration. "I can't abandon my brother…"
"Easy there killer," Julius said, clamping down on his arm as the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival on the Master's floor, "First things first, you gotta report to the Master everything that happened after your Duel. What a way to go out though, Megamorph on a Blue-Eyes Ultimate!"
Alex flushed, furious at his defeat at the hands of Kaiba. "A lucky draw."
"Perhaps," Kuno mused, recalling her own defeat at the hands of a Megamorph. The doors opened to a wide hallway that led to purple carpeted stairs, gold highlights pointing the way to a door emblazoned with the yin-yang symbol, though this symbol was not your usual "good and evil in harmony" type yin-yang. This symbol had jagged edges and cracks, as though both white and black were fighting for control and neither side would come out on top as a winner. Alex had taken this walk many times before, but this time was clearly different. He was honest to goodness scared. Each step felt like the same as ten. When the door creaked open ominously, Alex had to bend over and put his hands on his knees to stop them from shaking.
"Enter, Bushido," the Master called from within his chambers. With that, the young warrior entered, hand going to his hip instinctively only to discover his sword had been taken. With a curse, he knelt on the ground in front of the Master's form in the swirling chaotic miasma that always seemed to obscure his chamber, flowing from color to color like water over the riverbed. "So tell me, Alex, how fared your mission to take out one Yusei's little gang?"
"Unsuccessful, my Master," Alex said, eyes not leaving the carpet, which was patterned like the night sky, It gave one the feeling of standing on the edge of the universe, which was very uncomfortable right now, as one misstep would send Alex plunging for all eternity. "My brother and I challenged Kaiba and the Maiden with Blue Eyes to a Duel. Everything was going well, even with the Crush Card virus, I had Obelisk the Tormentor in play and everything. I had them backed against the wall! I was this close to finishing them in one blow!"
"And then in a childish fit you took one of your brother's better monsters and that ended up costing you the Duel!" the Master growled, stepping forward until Alex could see his loafers under his nose. He didn't dare look up at the Master yet.
He tried to offer an explanation. "The power of the god had overcome me and I-"
"You obviously couldn't handle the responsibility of owning an Egyptian god!" the Master said dismissively. "I want the card back. I dare say Matthias will be able to make better use of it."
Alex swallowed nervously. "Yes Master, you see, when his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon defeated me, I was knocked unconscious for a time."
"And your point is?" the Master asked, holding his hand out for the card.
Alex decided to bite the bullet and get it over with. "I don't have the card in my possession anymore. They took it from me while I was unconscious."
There was a three second pause before the Master exploded. "WHAT?!" All Alex could see for the next moment was stars, as the Master's foot connected solidly with his exposed forehead, snapping the young warrior's head back as he hit the carpet hard. "YOU FOOL!" Alex's vision cleared and what he saw in the Master's face scared him. The white of his right eye had turned purple with golden irises, whereas his left eye had the reversed color scheme of golden "whites" with purple irises, a stark contrast against his now pasty white skin. Alex knew that his eyes were normally dark brown, but this was new. Was this the source of his power?
"Master?" he asked hesitantly, looking up at the raging leader of the Chaos Movement.
"You incompetent son of a whore!" the Master continued on his rant, letting the chaotic energy flow through him "By letting the Pharaoh get Obelisk the Tormentor back, you have jeopardized our entire mission! You've given them that much power. Now I know that my little birdie Ra here is stronger than both Egyptian gods that little Yugi now has, but that doesn't mean you have to go and lose Obelisk!"
Alex knew he was on damage control at this point. "I'm sorry Master!"
The Master whirled on him, kicking him in the face again, laying Alex out flat on his back again. "No, you're not sorry. Not yet. But when I'm through with you, you're going to be very, very sorry." With that, he approached Alex, dark aura swirling around his left hand and light aura around his right hand. The young warrior shook his head and looked up, eyes widening as he tried to get away.
"W-what are you?" Alex managed to get out before the Master touched him with his left hand. His shouts of agony echoed around the chamber as the pure chaotic energy flowed through him, igniting all parts of his sensory system. Pain and pleasure were one and the same. His mind simply could not take all the chaos that had been introduced and shut down. Alex's scream died down to a simple moan as he lay there on the carpet, unconscious for the time being.
"I am your Master boy," the Master told him, knowing his words would get through thanks to the power he possessed as he touched Alex with his right hand, ensuring that his minion would not be left too terribly scarred. "And you will not fail me again, not if you want the power you so desperately crave." With that, he left the young man and activated his comlink. "Bario, take the day off, will ya? You need a rest and I need someone to take this anger out on. Don't worry if someone gets in, I'll handle it."
"Is that wise Master?" came Bario's reply. "What if Fudo and Muto get in?"
"They won't," the Master reassured him, "They have other concerns at the moment. If I can't strike at them directly, then I will strike through their misguided sense of morality and destroy all they hold dear. Hueso is already moving in to strike at Fudo and Kaiba's old home and Draco will draw one of them away for a Turbo Duel. I need someone to make an example of for the rest of you to see just how it's done! I've had enough of you servants losing. If we are to bring about the new world order of Chaos, you're going to have to start winning! Is that understood?"
"As crystal sir," came the cool response, "Shall I gather everyone to the arena?"
The Master chuckled as his skin faded back to a normal tone. "Not to the arena, no, send them to my chambers. I want them to bear witness to the beginnings of the chaos I am about to unleash." With his task assigned, the Master turned off his comlink and turned to the feminine figure within the chaotic miasma. "Soon, my dear, I shall have enough power to awaken all the forces of chaos. Nothing will stand in our way. And you, my goddess of chaos, are going to make my dreams a reality. HehehehehehahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Outside Chaos Movement HQ
Jasper Argentum steeled himself, taking several deep breaths. He knew there was a good chance he wasn't going to be walking out of that door, but he had to take down the Chaos Movement or die trying, for if he didn't stop this insanity, who would? He smoothed the front of his deep purple amethyst hoodie and adjusted his pentacle choker so that everything looked ship-shape, tightened his belt around his olive-green cargo pants, double checked that his standard Kaibacorp issue Duel Disk was completely operational, bit his thumb out of nervous habit, and walked up to the seemingly harmless wall. The blue samurai guarding the place had vanished inside an hour ago and Jasper realized he wasn't going to get a better opportunity than this to strike. The Native American crept his way towards the wall, eyes open for any sign of a guard.
A blue-green Duel Runner had wound its way out from a side exit, one Jasper couldn't locate, and he had watched that man ride off into the Satellite only a half hour ago, so if the Chaos Movement was moving on that sort of a schedule, Jasper knew he had to be extra careful. He approached the wall and poked it, stepping back quickly in case of any booby traps. When he found none, he pulled out the card that held Bario's code on it and began to input the password onto the wall. With a grin of satisfaction, Jasper watched the door fade into existence when the final key to the puzzle clicked into place. He glanced at the code card before he flung it out into the Satellite.
"I won't be needing it anymore," he said to himself as the card caught a breeze and floated off, "Might as well see if someone else can make use of it if I fail." Jasper took one last look at the cloudy sky, unsure if this was going to be the last time he saw the great outdoors. "Here goes nothing." He stepped into the elevator and examined the panel on the side wall. All of the buttons were dim bar one, a purple and gold themed button with the letter M emblazoned upon it. This one was flashing on and off, beckoning Jasper to press it. He did so, though every instinct told him not to, that he should get the hell out of there while he still had a chance. The ride down the elevator was one of the longest he'd ever had, but by the time the doors opened and revealed the carpeted path to the corrupted yin-yang symbol, Jasper was ready.
"Time to end this, once and for all," he said to himself as he strode up to the doors. They opened at his slightest touch and Jasper stepped into the room. It was pitch black inside, the only light coming from the doorway, but even that was soon denied to him as the doors slammed shut, trapping him in the room. He could feel the chaotic energy in the room, pulsing ever so gently, the miasma flowing over his skin, inviting him to join in the anarchy. The Native American took two steps forward before a dark chuckle pierced the gloom.
"Welcome Mr. Argentum," said the voice, "I have been expecting you." A light from somewhere illuminated the man Jasper was so eager to hunt down, his purple and gold suit giving him away instantly, a twilight themed Duel Disk attached to his right arm.
"The Master," Jasper identified, trying not to let the fear he was feeling creep into his voice. His sneak attack hadn't been so sneaky after all.
The Master looked up at him, mis-colored eyes only further sending a chill down his spine. "I'm impressed you've heard of me. That means you're either stupid or insane to have walked down here. Tell me boy, what brings you to my domain?"
Jasper swallowed before answering. "I'm here to put an end to your madness. Your goal for this world will only bring about the suffering of billions."
The Master's mocking laugh greeted Jasper's ears. "Do you hear that, my minions? This lad thinks we're a bunch of bad guys! Isn't that hilarious?!" Nervous laughter came from the darkness, the murk hiding the rest of the Chaos Movement from Jasper's eyes. He glanced around, hoping for a fleeting glance, but the Master quickly got his attention back.
"Now listen here boy, I don't know how you got down here, or how you got wind of our actions, but you do realize that I can't let you leave, right?"
"You took my family away from me," Jasper growled, "You sacrificed them to your gods of chaos and that is one transgression I cannot allow to pass!"
"And what are you going to do about it? Pray to your Great Spirit?" the Master asked sarcastically, grinning from ear to ear.
"That's absurd," Jasper replied, irritated at the fun poked at his heritage.
"Life, my dear Jasper, is a theatre of the absurd," the Master began, "Be honest and gentle, and a man goes to a pauper's grave. Lie and cheat and kill and that same man can rule the world! I'm just trying to leave the world a better place than when I found it."
Jasper was horrified. The Master was even crazier than the stories said. "How the hell is bringing chaos to the world leaving it better off? You're insane!"
"Really? I thought I was a Pisces!" There was another smattering of nervous laughter from the shadows, which made Jasper look around once again. He couldn't see anything in this mist besides himself and the Master standing a few yards away.
"Are you all going to skulk in the shadows like a bunch of cowards or will you grant me the courtesy of seeing your faces when I take down your Master?" Jasper shouted to the shadowy fog.
The Master cackled in response to that. "Take me down? How many times were you dropped as a child? No, Mr. Argentum, you are here because I allowed it and my minions are going to see how it's done. You're a small fish in a big pond and you've overstayed your welcome!" With that, the Master activated his Duel Disk and snapped his fingers. The shadows suddenly whooshed back and revealed the lower half of the Master's chamber. It was relatively Spartan compared to the other final boss chambers Jasper had seen, at least according to most of the TV shows he'd watched but it was very large. Almost too large, in Jasper's opinion. Like it was bigger on the inside. The ceiling was concealed by the colorful haze of chaotic energy and within it, Jasper could see the faint outline of a woman, though that was the only part he could make out about her. Looking around, he could see the various members of the Chaos Movement; The Black Dragon stood with the Lady of Light near the entrance. The Master's Ninja stood a short ways behind him, the Gladiator off to her side. The so-called King was leaning on the Master's desk nonchalantly, gazing at him while the guard, Bario, the Frigid Barricade, or so he was called, stood in front of his only way out, icy stare boring into him. The Bug Lady's eyes seemed magnified behind her large glasses, only adding to the intense scrutiny Jasper felt, though the Black Samurai was leaning against the wall, not caring about either Jasper or the Master at the moment. An elderly man stepped forward from behind the Master's desk, cybernetic eye seeming to lay bare Jasper's soul.
"I see no hidden weapons on him Master," Matthias announced, deep voice booming around, yet seemingly muffled by the turmoil flowing through the room. "You may proceed."
"I need no weapons to defeat you!" Jasper said, a little unnerved at the Machine Man's announcement, "This will be an honorable Duel!" In one swift motion he grabbed his trusted Deck from his belt and inserted it into his own Duel Disk, activating his Disk and letting it sync with the Master's.
"Ha! Honor!" the Master's grin was infuriating Jasper. "So rigid and predictable. Nothing like the pure freedom of chaos. Honor will only send you to an early grave, just ask Mr. Stark!" The Master only continued snickering at Jasper's perplexed face. "Ah well, it's not an Iron Throne I'm after anyways. Who wants a chair that cuts you anyways? What sort of ultra-maroon would want that? But I digress. Since it's a whoopin you're a wanting!" He rolled up his sleeves and fixed Jasper with that crazy multi-colored stare of his. "Let's Duel!" There was a slight murmuring from the room as they saw the Master was actually going through with this.
Jasper LP: 4000 The Master LP: 4000
"I'll go first!" Jasper said before anyone could say anything, drawing six cards from his Deck. He watched as the Master drew five cards from his Deck before removing a card from his hand and laying it on his Duel Disk. "I Summon Gem-Armadillo to the field in Attack mode!" A medium sized orange armadillo with several orange gemstones embedded within its body appeared, a little jetpack system growing out of its back as the armadillo hovered in front of Jasper.
Gem-Armadillo: Atk 1700, Def 500, LV 4
"Since I successfully Summoned Gem-Armadillo, I can add a Gem-Knight monster from my Deck to my hand," Jasper continued. "In this case, it'll be Gem-Knight Garnet." An image of a knight in flaming orange armor appeared briefly before disappearing into the card the Native American fished out from his Deck, letting his Disk reshuffled his Deck. "I'll finish with two cards facedown." He bit his thumb again. "Your move."
"You seem to have a thing for pretty rocks," the Master commented as the two facedowns appeared behind the armadillo. "Which makes me wonder, why do we care so much for what amounts to a chunk of the earth? What is it that makes gold different from quartz? Who decided to make currency out of paper? We give such value to such worthless items and why? I've seen men kill each other for one small slip of paper, all because it had quite a few zeroes after the one. Some say it brings a bit of organization to the world. In case you haven't noticed, I don't like that. Who cares about some shiny rock, it means nothing when you hold real power!" He drew a card during that speech, ending it with a cackle.
"That power will only consume you," Jasper noted flatly.
"Only if you lack the skill to command it," the Master retorted. "I activate Double Summon so that I can Summon both Shining Angel and Mystic Tomato to the field in Defense mode!" On the Master's left hand side a giant tomato with an evil fanged face appeared and on his right hand side a blonde angel descended from the heavens.
Shining Angel: Atk 1400, Def 800, LV 4 Mystic Tomato: Atk 1400, Def 1100, LV 4
"And I'll end with one card facedown," the Master said with a smirk, "Let's see what your rocks can do."
"Be careful what you wish for," Jasper warned as he drew a card. Frowning, he played another monster. "I Summon Gem-Knight Garnet to the field in Attack mode!" The man in orange armor appeared again, flames manifesting around his fists.
Gem-Knight Garnet: Atk 1900, Def 0, LV 4
"Now to get rid of your monsters," Jasper announced, "Gem Armadillo, attack that Shining Angel!" Unable to help himself, Jasper grinned. "Transform and rollout!" The orange critter balled up and spun its way towards the being of light, crashing right through it Sonic the Hedgehog style, destroying the Shining Angel. As Gem Armadillo returned to Jasper's side of the field, Shining Angel shattered into shards of light that hovered for a second, then formed into a ball of energy that manifested itself into another Shining Angel.
"So it begins," Thomas commented to Allana off to the side. "He's taking the bait."
"You can't win Duels through defense alone," Allana noted, then spoke quickly when Thomas opened his mouth. "Bario's an exception, not the norm."
"Come now Argentum," the Master said, almost sullenly, "Surely you know about Shining Angel's special ability that lets me Summon any Light Attribute monster with 1500 or less Attack points directly from my Deck in Attack mode!"
"I was counting on it," Jasper retorted, "Go Garnet and attack that Shining Angel now with your Blazing Fire Punch!" As one would expect, the Gem-Knight ran forward with fists alight with bright orange flame. He punched the second Shining Angel right in the gut, destroying the majestic creature again and buffeting the Master with some damage. If he felt any pain, he certainly didn't show it.
The Master LP: 3700
Much to Jasper's dismay, another Shining Angel formed from the remains of the second. He took this development easily enough, biting his thumb. "I'll end my turn with that."
The Master clapped slowly, a sarcastic tone to it. "Bravo, young Injun, bravo, first blood to you!" He drew a card from his Deck before continuing. "It will be all for naught, however. I activate Painful Choice!" He drew five cards from his Deck and held them up to Jasper. "You get to decide which one of these five cards I get to keep and the rest go to the Graveyard."
"Lovely," Jasper commented without a hint of joy. He looked at the cards. A Spell, a Trap, and three monsters. He picked the weakest monster. "Keep that one. The rest go to the Grave."
"And so they do!" The Master agreed, placing the cards in their appropriate spots "I like that choice. I like it so much, that I'll Summon him to the field right now! Ladies and germs, please welcome the Apprentice Magician in Defense mode!" A man dressed in trappings that reminded Jasper of Yugi Muto's legendary Dark Magician appeared on the field in between the Angel and the Tomato, red headband waving in the breeze.
Apprentice Magician: Atk 400, Def 800, LV 2
"And for my next trick, I now activate my Trap card, Exchange of Twilight!" the Master announced, "This lets me discard either a Light or a Dark attribute Warrior from my hand to the Grave and I can add the opposite attribute Warrior with the same level from my Deck to my hand!" Jasper said nothing, only watched the Master make his move. "So now I discard Gaia the Polar Knight from my hand to the Grave in order to add Gaia the White Knight to my hand!"
"Is that all?" Jasper asked.
"For now," answered the Master, "I'll switch my Shining Angel into Defense mode and place one more card facedown. Hit me with your best shot!"
"With pleasure," Jasper said as he drew a card. "I activate Gem-Knight Fusion in order to fuse my Gem-Knight Garnet with the Gem-Knight Alexandrite that's in my hand!" Garnet leaped into the air, joined by another Gem-Knight in brilliant white armor.
"Interesting," Matthias mused to himself.
Jasper grabbed the card from his Extra Deck with gusto. "I now Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Citrine!" The two Gem-Knights disappeared into a swirling vortex, only to be replaced by a new knight, one with blazing red arms among his brass colored armor. A flaming great sword was carried in his hand, easily carried like it weighed no more than a branch. The new knight took up his place next to the Gem Armadillo and readied for battle.
Gem-Knight Citrine: Atk 2200, Def 1950, LV 7
"I'm not done yet!" Jasper continued, "Because I banish Gem-Knight Alexandrite from my Grave to bring back my Gem-Knight Fusion card, which will let me Fusion Summon again! I activate Gem-Knight Fusion and send Gem-Knight Amber with the Fusion substitute King of the Swamp to the Grave to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Prismaura!" Another knight in yellow-green gem-studded armor flew into the sky, joined by a green swamp creature, and disappeared into the vortex. What came out was another Gem-Knight in brilliant white armor, diamonds taking the place of shoulder pads as the new knight held his shield and lance with ease.
Gem-Knight Prismaura: Atk 2450, Def 1400
"Just like Yuki…" Matthias noted, "I wonder…"
The Master watched as his opponent place his last card on his Duel Disk. "Lastly, for my Main Phase, I Summon Gem-Knight Sapphire in Defense mode!" A slender knight in light blue armor appeared, the sapphires embedded in his armor gleaming as he created a wall of water between himself and the Master's monsters.
Gem-Knight Sapphire: Atk 0, Def 2100, LV 4
"Now to wipe out your defenses!" Jasper shouted, "First I'll have Gem-Armadillo attack that last Shining Angel of yours!" Like the previous turn, Armadillo curled up into a ball and charged right through the Shining Angel, destroying that card. What emerged from his remains made Jasper raise an eyebrow, as it looked like an armored angel similar to the Shining Angel.
"Since you destroyed the last of my Shining Angels," the Master explained, "I get to bring out one of my better cards, Chaos-End Master! Like him?"
Chaos-End Master: Atk 1500, Def 1000, LV 3
"Not really," Jasper admitted, "I'll destroy him with Citrine! Go and attack with your Burning Blade Strike!" The Gem-Knight raised his blade and swung it, sending a ring of fire at the unfortunate angel, incinerating him instantly.
The Master only laughed as the flames licked at him. "I've seen better from a campfire. Come now boy, is that the best you got?"
The Master LP: 3000
"Not by a long shot," Jasper shot back, holding out his hand as though he were directing a battlefield. "Gem-Knight Prismaura, take out that Apprentice Magician now!" As the white knight stabbed the young magician in the heart, he seemed to deform and rematerialize some distance away from the knight. At Jasper's confused look, the Master laughed once more.
"You've merely brought out the other Apprentice Magician in my Deck," he chuckled, "Thanks to his special ability."
"Stop cowering behind those weak monsters!" Jasper challenged, "I know you can do better."
"Ahh, you want me to go all out?" the Master asked knowingly. When the Native American nodded, he continued. "My dear boy, I am not holding back. I'm letting the chaos dictate the Duel. I'm well aware of the situation and I'm afraid your time is growing ever shorter."
"Says the man down a thousand Life Points," Jasper pointed out, "I'll end my turn."
"A few Life Points don't mean much in the grand scheme of things," the Master said as he drew a card.
"This is gonna be good," Louis John said, grinning evilly. Jasper shot him a look that spoke volumes, but otherwise ignored him.
"You want a taste of my power?" the Master asked, multicolored eyes boring into purple, "Fine then. I sacrifice my Apprentice Magician in order to Summon Lightpulsar Dragon to the field in Attack mode!" His spellcaster shattered and formed a brilliant gold and purple portal and through that portal flew a slender white and blue dragon, light energy leaking from a sphere on its chest. The Lightpulsar Dragon roared as it alighted on the field, drinking in the chaotic energy.
Lightpulsar Dragon: Atk 2500, Def 1500, LV 6
"Just remember that you asked for this," the Master said, "Lightpulsar Dragon, attack that Gem Armadillo now with Lightpulse Nova Strike!" The dragon roared and gathered a sphere of white energy in its mouth. Jasper braced himself as Lightpulsar Dragon fired, the ball of energy disintegrating the unfortunate Armadillo on contact. The redhead growled as the light energy exploded, knocking him to the carpeted floor.
Jasper LP: 3200
"That's enough fun for one turn," the Master remarked, "Come on Argentum, amuse me. I'll even help you out by playing Card of Sanctity, so now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands. Nobody ever said I wasn't generous." He drew his cards quickly while Jasper got back on his feet, a little unnerved by the intensity of the blast. "It's your move."
"I know, I know," Jasper bit his thumb once more before drawing a seventh card. He grinned as he looked at his fresh hand. "I activate another Gem-Knight Fusion spell card and send from my hand Gem-Knights Obsidian, Emerald, and Sapphire to the Grave to Fusion Summon one of my favorite cards!" A sturdy knight in black armor, another one in deep green armor, and another Sapphire leaped into the gem-studded portal and that portal erupted in a brilliant white light. From that light stepped a powerful looking knight wielding another great sword, this one studded with gems of all colors. Raw power emanated from this knights hands as he appeared to be absorbing power from the Graveyard.
Gem-Knight Master Diamond: Atk 2900, Def 2500, LV 9
"Welcome to the game," Jasper said, smirking, "Gem-Knight Master Diamond!"
"Not bad kid, not bad," the Master commented, "Though putting rocks in a sword like that only makes the blade weaker."
"Not with this knight," Jasper said, "Because for each Gem-Knight that's in the Graveyard, Master Diamond gains another 100 Attack points! By my count, there are currently five Gem-Knights in the Grave, which means another 500 Attack points for Master Diamond." The ace of Jasper's Deck finished absorbing the energy from the Graveyard and faced the Master's dragon impassively, ready for battle.
Gem-Knight Master Diamond: Atk 3400
"Now to activate my facedown!" the redhead stated, "Pyroxene Fusion! I'll send the Gem-Knight Sapphire on the field and Gem-Knight Iolite from my hand to the Grave in order to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Aquamarine to the field in Attack mode!" Gem-Knight Sapphire leaped up into the portal, joined by another knight in deep blue armor and together they began fusing in the portal until a knight in heavy blue armor came down from the portal, a large shield on his right arm as the knight prepared for battle. "And since I sent two more Gem-Knights to the Grave, Gem-Knight Master Diamond gains another 200 Attack points!"
Gem-Knight Aquamarine: Atk 1400, Def 2600, LV 6 Gem-Knight Master Diamond: Atk 3600
"Now for my Battle Phase!" the Native American announced, "Gem-Knight Master Diamond, attack his Lightpulsar Dragon now! Seven Gem Strike!" The master of the Gem-Knights stepped forward, swinging his great sword with ease as he slashed at the dragon in front of him. Lightpulsar Dragon tried to fight back, but the shadows of the fallen Gem Knights aided the Master Diamond and allowed Jasper's favorite card to strike down the chaotic dragon. The Master was unfazed by the loss of his dragon, however, as the remains of the Lightpulsar Dragon were absorbed into the ground and dark energy began swirling around the Master.
The Master LP: 1900
"What's going on?" the redhead demanded.
The Master cackled. "You activated Lightpulsar's special ability when you destroyed him. Now he enables me to Summon a Level 5 or above Dark attribute Dragon, one sent earlier thanks to Painful Choice. Come on back Darkflare Dragon!" A dragon that looked very similar to Lightpulsar Dragon appeared, though where Lightpulsar emanated light, this dragon held sway over darkness and seemed to spread that darkness with each flap of its four wings.
Darkflare Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 1200, LV 5
Jasper rolled his eyes. "Gem-Knight Prismaura, take out his new dragon now!" Prismaura did as he was told, charging Darkflare Dragon with his lance at the ready. The dark dragon of chaos unleashed a torrent of flames, but Prismaura's armor protected the knight long enough for him to stab Darkflare Dragon in the chest. The dragon roared and collapsed, leaving a scorched but otherwise fine knight triumphant.
The Master LP: 1850
"Now to take out that Mystic Tomato of yours!" Jasper said with a flourish, "Go Gem-Knight Aquamarine!" The blue armored knight merely flattened the Mystic Tomato under his large shield, obliterating the monster before Aquamarine crouched down on the field, shifting to Defense mode thanks to his special ability. Another Mystic Tomato took the old one's place, much like Jasper expected. "Citrine, it's your turn now!" The flaming great sword was more than enough to destroy that particular Tomato, clipping the Master as the tip of the sword flew past. The Master's head was jerked to the side by the blow, but the glare he sent Jasper's way was definitely unsettling.
The Master LP: 1050
"I'll end my turn with two more cards facedown," Jasper announced, confident that he had this Duel won. "You're going down and your Chaos Movement will fall with you!"
"Do you truly believe that?" the Master asked. In the crazy lighting of the room, it seemed to Jasper that he was growing very pale.
"If I don't believe my goals to be attainable, then they will be impossible to grasp," Jasper replied, "I swore an oath that I would take you down and I shall."
The Master tutted a couple of times, shaking his head knowingly. "Nobody likes an oathbreaker boy. You see, the Card of Sanctity didn't just help you out. What I'm holding in my hand will destroy you completely, and none of them are the strongest card I carry*." He drew a card slowly and grabbed the first card in his hand. "First I banish a Light and a Dark monster from my Grave to Summon this fella." The chaotic energy began swirling and the Master began chanting. "Light fades and darkness is no more. From the Twilight, dawn this Sorcerer of ultimate power. Make examples of your foes. Send them to a world of no return. Come forth! Chaos Sorcerer!" Green aura bubbled forth from the ground and a sorcerer with blue skin and purple armor rose from the ground, cackling with the Master as he wielded both light and dark magic.
Chaos Sorcerer: Atk 2300, Def 2000, LV 6
"And for my next trick, I'm going to use the same ingredients with two more different results!" the Master continued. Jasper got a sinking feeling as the Master removed four more cards from his Grave, two Light monsters and two Dark monsters. "I now Summon from my hand, the Envoys of the Beginning and the End, Black Luster Soldier and Chaos Emperor Dragon!" A dark blue dragon with an orange mane appeared on the Master's left side while a man in black armor with gold highlights appeared on the Master's right side wielding a wicked curved broadsword and triangular shaped shield.
Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8
Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8
"And now, to finish it off," the Master said with a smirk, "I send a Light and Dark attribute monster from my hand to the Grave to bring back my Lightpulsar Dragon you so rudely sent to the Graveyard last turn." Light and dark energy flowed from the Master's hands and suddenly the Lightpulsar Dragon was flying down from the cloud of chaotic power hovering above everyone's head, roiling as the chaos grew ever stronger. The dragon landed to the side of Chaos Emperor Dragon, deferent to its superior.
Lightpulsar Dragon: Atk 2500, Def 1500, LV 6
"None of which are strong enough to get past my Master Diamond!" Jasper pointed out, though he knew he was going to take a hit this turn. That would only make his Master Diamond stronger though and he could take out the Master next turn by hitting that weak Chaos Sorcerer.
"Ordinarily I'd agree with you," the Master said, "But first things first, let's get rid of those facedowns. I activate Heavy Storm to get rid of all Spells and Traps on the field!" The veil of chaos above their heads suddenly seemed to take on a life of its own, swirling down and buffeting everyone with its power, sweeping away all the cards in the Spell and Trap zones. As quickly as it arrived, the storm faded and the miasma retreated to its normal place high above the Duelists.
"It was nice knowing you kid," Julius commented.
"You see, minions?" the Master asked rhetorically, "This is how you finish off your opponent. First, I activate Chaos Sorcerer's special ability, which lets me banish any monster I want at the cost of being unable to attack with Chaos Sorcerer this turn. So say goodbye to your Master Diamond Gem Knight!" The lone spellcaster on the field began chanting in some ancient language. Gem-Knight Master Diamond didn't like the sound of that and charged, only to be swallowed up by a portal that appeared in his path, leaving no trace.
"NO!" Jasper shouted in shock as the Chaos Sorcerer, exhausted by his efforts, began meditating to recover his strength.
"It gets worse," the Master laughed. "Black Luster Soldier, attack his Gem-Knight Prismaura now!" The powerful swordsman charged, knocking aside Prismaura's lance and decapitating the soldier. Citrine took offense to that and swung his sword at the Envoy of the Beginning. "Of course, since my Envoy destroyed a monster this turn, he can now attack again!"
"What?!" the blows kept coming and Jasper didn't know if they'd ever stop. He could feel his energy leaving him with ease loss of Life Points, move energy leaving him as the Black Luster Soldier broke Citrine's blade and stabbed the warrior in the heart.
Jasper LP: 1850
"Now it's time for the final blows!" the Master declared, skin now fully white with the chaotic energy burning through him. His light brown hair became pitch black with dark power. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, destroy his last line of defense with Dark Dragon's Fire!" The Envoy of the End inhaled deeply and unleashed a torrent of black fire that overwhelmed Gem-Knight Aquamarine's shield, destroying Jasper's last line of defense.
"I'm not done for just yet!" the Native American shouted, startling most everyone in the room who had written him off as lost. "Because Aquamarine was sent to the Grave, I can return one monster on the field to their owner's hand. Lightpulsar Dragon will not be attacking me this turn!"
The Master laughed. "I knew you'd try to go down swinging. Unfortunately for you, I planned for that. I use my Effect Veiler to negate your special ability, keeping my dragon on the field!" When the Master's dragon remained on the field, Jasper finally saw that the Duel was lost. No tears were shed, however, even as Lightpulsar Dragon began gathering energy for the final blow.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, "Mother, Father, everyone. I let you down. I couldn't avenge you."
"Lightpulsar Dragon, end this Duel and show my minions how it's done!" the Master ordered, laughing maniacally. "I know just what to do with this deadbeat too."
Jasper watched as the dragon fired his blast at him. "I wasn't strong enough. I'll be seeing you soon enough Mom…" The blast engulfed him, but not a scream was heard. Allana buried her head in Thomas's leather jacket, unable to watch. When the explosion ended and the light allowed everyone to see again, gasps went up around the room. The Master simply cackled as he examined his handiwork, skin fading back to normal though his hair remained pitch black. Every single part that had been the Native American had been turned into a precious gemstone. It looked like the world's prettiest (and most expensive) statue.
"Whoa…" was all Thomas said. He looked uncomfortable about what had just happened. Allana looked at the statue, tears in her eyes at the apparent loss of life.
"That's one way to gain a new decoration," LJ commented.
"Is he dead?" Melissa asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Not truly," the Master answered, "I've trapped his soul on this plane, preventing him from moving on to the afterlife, and there is an afterlife, I've seen it. A good doctor has tried to send me there permanently on more than one occasion, but that's another story for another day. No, this fool will wander the earth as a spirit, unable to interact with anyone until I release him. Given the fight he put up, I don't think I'll be releasing him anytime soon." His eyes slowly faded back to their normal colors as he gave his minions a stern look.
"Shall we move him?" Julius asked, glancing around, "I know you have plenty of room in here, but this seems to clash with the décor."
"Listen to the gladiator give decorating tips," the Master teased, "I'll have you move him in a moment. That is what I want you to go out there and accomplish, what I just did."
"Turning people into gemstone statues?" Thomas asked, a sad smirk on his face.
The Master glared at him briefly. "No you idiot. I'll handle their punishments for losing in my own way. However, in order for me to have the power to do something like that to the Signers, you must defeat them in a Duel. Otherwise, their Decks and the Crimson Dragon through that protects them from my power. Given enough time I may be able to overcome that, but we're at the stage where we can't afford any more slipups. Is that understood?"
"Yes Master!" came the rehearsed chorus of responses.
The Master was in a good mood and held up a hand to his ear. "I'm sorry, a little louder please."
"Yes Master!"
"Ladies?"
Allana, Melissa and Kuno went along with it, since it meant their heads if they didn't. "Yes Master!"
"Boys?"
Nobody was going to argue with the Master after the power display he just put on, so every man in the room, Alex included, shouted "YES MASTER!"
"Jasper?" the Master listened for a second before laughing. "Oh right. He's dead! AhhahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
What's this? A chapter without any of the main protagonists? I figured I'd give you guys a close look at what's going on in the Chaos Movement. My thanks go out to Spyrofan777 for letting me use his OC, even if it was just to let the Master flex his might. Also worth noting is that this story has reached over 37,000 views and over 100 faves (103 at the moment), thank you all for your continued support as I've continued trying to pump out the chapters. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Responses to Guest Reviews (in order with which they reviewed)
Guest 2: Tea had been up since 3 am, first to go to Kaibacorp with Yugi and then to look for him and Kaiba all day long without success. She was exhausted and in desperate need of sleep. That, and I kinda didn't feel like writing her in at that point. Glad you enjoyed the Duel.
Guest (at chapter 5): Glad you're enjoying the story!
Corina O: Glad you enjoyed it, lol, hope you enjoyed this chapter as well
Guest: I'm guessing you're the same guy who reviewed at chapter 5, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, however, if you haven't noticed, fanfiction tends to destroy any links people try to share on here, so your email was deleted in the review process, because this site is like that. I will answer your questions here though. In order;
Dani and Crow? I'm not giving away spoilers on who's getting paired with who yet.
My favorite character so far in this story? That's tough. I'll give you my top three. I've enjoyed writing the Master, trying to capture that crazy yet cunning mindset of his and making him a legitimate threat to the world, I've loved creating Dani's character, simply because she's taken on a life of her own (and well, she is my OC, so there's that), I've enjoyed Thomas' character as well, because he's related to the heroes, but he's going against the heroes as well, which will lead to more character development that I plan to enjoy immensely. Out of the canon cast, I've had fun capturing the regal, yet serious poise of the Pharaoh and the silliness of Leo, but the most interesting time I've had with the canon cast is Akiza. She was a character I felt got shoved to the side as the anime wore on, so this is my opportunity to add to her stuff that the anime should've added/explored more, like the Majestic Rose Dragon and her crazy Black Rose Witch side.
Kaiba and Dani are not related. I thought I'd established that in the beginning.
Writing many different perspectives can be difficult at times, because I try my damnest to get into character when writing, which has led to some uncomfortable stares from others when I start cackling like the Master (or listen to Mark Hamil's Joker laugh), but for the most part I haven't had too much trouble shifting between perspectives. I'm more afraid that I'll accidentally write someone out of character, so I dare say that helps in shifting points of view.
Glad you're enjoying the story, hope to hear from you again in future chapters!
Jack: Not sure what you mean by that statement, Joey is alive and well. Tired, but quite alive. Mai isn't going to do anything to change that.
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve.
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut