Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 47

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The duel was on as the four duelists drew their cards to begin. While Yami and Seto both were determined to make this quick and be rid of the two permanently, the masked duo were sure of their victory with the strategies that lay within their decks. Malik chose them to finally relinquish the gods from them and they will make sure their lord was not disappointed where others have failed, especially for Strings who had lost Osiris in the first place. "Per the tag team rules, we will alternate players as we make our moves. So I'll go first! I'll play two cards face down...then finish my turn!" Mask of Light spoke before motioning that Yami was to go next. The demon huffed before glancing to the field. Only two face downs, likely something that is to become a problem early so he had to take careful steps until the field was cleared for an all-out assault. "I'll begin with Beta the Magnet Warrior!" he announced, setting the magnet monster upon the field. Per the super expert rules, he couldn't make an attack for the first turn and ended his before the Mask of Darkness began. "For my turn I'll summon Shining Abyss!" The monster appeared onto the field and with its appearance did Mask of Light claim that the summon had activated one of his cards, the spell card revealing itself to be Mask of Brutality. Yami's eyes widened to the card that he never heard before as Mask of Light went to affix the magic card to Shining Abyss, boosting its attack to 2300. Seto gritted his teeth at the play. Not even a full round between the four of them and the enemy already had a monster over 2000 attack. 'How appropriate...their strategy is clearly based on teamwork, a fact that I'm sure to struggle with having Seto as a partner...' Yami thought bitterly as he looked to the brunet. Sure their goals were the same but it matter not. Even if Jounouchi was safe, Yami will still have to contend with the other's incessant need to own the power made known to him. His lesson may have been learnt but not enough to counteract the mind over the heart.

'No matter...as long as he tries to listen, we will get through whatever scheme these jokers bring. Last thing I want to explain is how he became the new smear campaign for this company building during his own tournament.' Yami joked in thought as Seto went to start his turn. "I'll set a card face down then bring out Vorse Raider in attack mode!" Yami glanced over to him, speculating why attack when his monster was clearly weaker to the other. The obvious answer would be a sacrifice if not an opening for a trap to get rid of Shining Abyss and be rid of the biggest threat to the start of the duel early. And it was assured Yami wasn't the only one with such a thought as Seto ended the turn and Mask of Light looked to the monster on Seto's field. A clear sacrifice for a stronger monster to trump Shining Abyss. A tried and true method to get the early lead...if he didn't have what was needed to counter such. With that, Mask of Light took his turn and drew his card. "And now~ I shall use the Mask of the Accursed! It will look quite nice on your Beta Warrior~" The mask materialized on the field, a horrid looking thing with ragged teeth and nails embedded into various parts of the mask, and flew towards the warrior to land firmly upon its face. Once it was in place, it left the monster paralyzed and powerless while he is forced to take 500 damage per turn that the mask is in play. Yami snarled angrily at the move before looking to the other. Another spell but no monsters, was this part of the plan the demon wondered. One weakens while the other attacks, a familiar strategy that he was once accustomed to for hunting. The demon grunted a bit as the turn was given to him and he looked to the cards in hand after drawing, hardly flinching as the damage was made and he lost his 500 points. There he held the six-star Archfiend of Gilfer card. It would be easy to sacrifice his monster and be rid of the mask to bring out something stronger to take on the Mask of Light with his open field but he was also a cautious demon. To move recklessly would be grounds for a terrible mistake.

'Suppose now is the chance to see what's up their sleeves this time...'

"I'll sacrifice Beta the Magnet Warrior to bring out-"

"Not so fast! I activate my trap!"

The card turned over on Mask of Light's field, revealing the eerie mask with forbidden scrawl on the front of the mask. "Mask of Restrict! Now for as long as this permanent trap is on the field, you can't sacrifice your monsters!" The two flinched in dual horror, not just for their strong monsters but for the gods as well. "See what I did, see what I did?! Now your gods have no power over this field and we can end your lives with ease!" A rumble of anger emitted from Yami's lips before he set Kuriboh in defense with a covered card before finishing his turn. With such a terrible lockdown, they had to depend on each other's strengths to get past the two before them. Even a glance from the demon goaded the fact but Seto was quick to ignore the gaze. To break down his deck of his strongest creatures was a crime and he won't have that sitting down. The brunet was confident in his abilities to escape any obstacle and this was no different. Yami may believe in his precious teamwork but teamwork took time and time is what neither had with the assumption that Ruby too was told of Katsuya's location. Hopefully he was on his way now to guarantee his safety and admittance to the competition before he was done here.

"My turn!" Mask of Darkness spoke, breaking Seto of his thoughts as he went to watch and see what he had planned. As the other gazed over the field, it would be easy pickings to deal with the Beta Warrior but it would ruin the fun of siphoning the life from Yami with the accursed mask. It also didn't help that Seto had a covered card that could ruin his monster. But of course, if it was something to destroy it, he was sure he had a proper counter. "Go Shining Abyss! Attack Vorse Raider!" he called and the monster leapt in for the attack. "I see you are as foolish as I expected. Activating trap, Ring of Destruction!" Halted in its track, Shining Abyss wailed in distress as the active ring of grenades appeared about its neck, making a move to try and pull it off before the trap detonated. "Now your monster will be blown to bits and you will take the same amount of damage as its attack. Not feeling so pretty now, are you?" Seto jeered with narrowed eyes. "So you think...if I didn't have a counter trap! Curse Transfer!" The brunet gaped in horror as Mask of Light flipped the counter trap, the ring disappearing from Shining Abyss only to appear around Vorse Raider's neck. The monster groaned in horror as the trap backfired on him as the ring detonated, destroying him and taking the 1900 from Seto's life points. Left with 2100 points, he was open for a direct attack and Shining Abyss was happy to continue where it was once stopped. The brunet was done and his god card theirs to claim. "This is the true power of light and darkness. You were fools to think you stood a chance against us highly trained assassins." Mask of Light whispered. "Indeed. And with you out of the picture, it will be a two on one with a clear result of the next to lose. Now go! Finish your attack, Shining Abyss!" A blinding ball of energy gathered in the monster's hand, taking aim at Seto. The other couldn't believe he was about to lose this way until his vision was filled with brown as multiples of the furry puffballs came over his vision. Only a minor few exploded from the attack but Seto was left unharmed as Multiply appeared on Yami's field.

"Would be a shame if I let you go down so easy." Yami murmured and Seto glared at the demon. "I don't need your help!" he roared. "You'd be a fool and a royal dumbass to think you can handle this alone!" The snap from the demon quieted the brunet as Yami continued. The two assassins used what they didn't have, teamwork. The worked like a well-oiled machine and had plans to counter their best moves, even if it didn't mean using the god cards. They will get nowhere acting alone so they had to work together. Seto can attempt to deny it all he wants but he knew deep down, Yami was right. As much as he'd like to butt heads arguing, a life was a stake and rushing into a literal downfall wasn't on his agenda. He can't leave Katsuya alone to these hungry dogs. "Fine...you better figure out something then, Yami." Seto seethed and the demon nodded. "Glad you came around instead of chasing your own coattails." Mask of Light huffed in annoyance. He hoped Seto would continue to defy the idea of working together but the life at stake was enough to mend a bridge for the two to accept a temporary camaraderie in the hope they can beat them. But alas, they still had plenty to do but the matter now was the wall of Kuriboh that blocked their way. One could've been dealt with but so many posed a problem. But even for such a wily problem, Mask of Light had just what he needed up his sleeve to take care of the menace and be rid of Seto for good. Seto took his turn and drew his card, revealing it to be the Blue-Eyes which gave him quite the cold glare. Because of the rules he set, his dragon would take two sacrifices and while that normally would be no problem, there was also the Mask of Restrict that kept the powerful beast from coming onto the field. He took a glance to Yami who returned his gaze and seeing the troubled look in his eyes, the demon could tell he pulled something powerful but was restricted as long as that trap was still on the field. 'No matter...' Seto thought, setting a card on the field and Gadget Soldier in defense before ending his turn. 'I...we will overcome their trap.' Yami sighed as Mask of Light began his turn and drew.

"Would Yami like to come out and play~ But he won't as long as he has that wall of furballs to hide behind!" Mask of Light teased and the demon sneered at the weak attempt to rile him up. He learned from the last time and couldn't risk acting rashly to a baiting a second time. Mask of Light huffed when the other didn't fall for the jab but he had something better. "Oh well~ At least this card will clean them up! Mask of Dispel!" Yami gasped as the ghastly looking mask appeared over Multiply, dispelling its effect and one by one, the clones of Kuriboh disappeared until the original remained. "And that's not all, the curse of the mask makes you lose an additional 300 life points as long as its active. This must really sting for you!" Losing their last line of defense was indeed a sting and it wouldn't be long before the two use it to their advantage. They had to do something to gain the upper hand and quickly. "But that's not all I will do! I summon Grand Tiki Elder and have it attack your Kuriboh! Death Curse!" The masked monster appeared on the field, a chilling wail emerging from the creature before it set the curse upon Kuriboh, causing him to disappear with a saddening cry. "There! Now you're all wide open for us to finish you off! And don't forget that you lose 800 points upon your turn."

"I need no reminder..." Yami groused as his life points hit 2700 as he drew his card. He looked to the cards in hand then to Card Destruction which he drew. He had little options in terms of monsters but there was an option to refresh his hand with Card Destruction. The demon however didn't know what Seto had in his own hand and the idea of him losing something valuable before his turn would be a far step back into making this turn around before they both die a dog's death. 'Ugh...even for him I can't read his thoughts as I'm not as close to him like the others. If I do what I have in mind, we'd be done for...'

"Come now, Yami. Have nothing less than five stars? I mean anything above it is practically useless and would fare so much better in the graveyard. If their power can't be used, what worth is it to me to stay in my hand?" The word sparked realization in Yami's eyes as he looked to the other before giving a smirk. That was enough of a pass for him. "I'll set one card face down and end my turn." he spoke as he set Card Destruction onto the field. With Beta Warrior still out of commission, the demon was defenseless but he placed quite a gamble to trusting Seto's words. They don't mesh well, that's a given, but Seto wouldn't give a cryptic hint like that and expect him to not take advantage of it. "So Yami, no monster means you're defenseless for a full-scale attack to end you. And we promise your ability to fly will be annulled to keep you from escaping your fate!" Mask of Darkness announced as he drew his card. "Now I shall play the ritual card, Curse of the Masked Beast!" The sacrificial jar appeared onto the field with the card's activation and with it, Shining Abyss and Grand Tiki Elder were sacrificed as it brought out a stronger, more powerful monster. "A sacrifice of light and dark to bring out your doom! I summon you, Masked Beast!" A guttural roar echoed over the field as the 3200-attack monster appeared as the jar faded away, ritual satisfied. "Now, as I mentioned earlier, you have no defenses and hardly any life points to survive this attack...so let's end you now and reclaim Osiris from your cold, dead claws! Attack my beast and finish off the demon king!" The Masked Beast reared up before charging forward, swinging down its staff towards the unprotected demon and with nothing to truly counter it and no idea of Seto's covered card, Yami saw his finish until...

"Protect him, soldier!"

Gadget Soldier moved at Seto's command, taking the blow for Yami and was easily eliminated from the field. His questioning gaze was met with Seto's, his eyes telling him it was payback for the wall of Kuriboh earlier. Now they were even in terms of protecting and the real game was on the moment his turn began. "You...you protected him?!" Mask of Darkness exclaimed. "Well you certainly didn't think I'd allow someone like him to be easily taken out. Only one has the right to do so and simpering mutts like you haven't reached that level yet. Not while I'm around." Was the defiant word from the brunet as the other growled. So close to victory only for the least likely option to occur. But to the masked assassins it did not matter. After all, they have nothing strong enough to counter the Masked Beast. Not even the Blue-Eyes, the most powerful for a regular monster, could challenge it. Now both lacked a monster and were completely wide open for attack. Either one of them could be attacked next turn and sent plummeting to their death. "No monsters for either of you...you're just making yourselves quite the target now. Now who to pick for their imminent death..." Mask of Darkness questioned as he went to end his turn. 'We'll see about that.' Seto thought as Yami took his turn, taking the 800-point loss once more but this time, he was ready to make a counterattack for the both of them. "My turn! I draw my card then activate Card Destruction!" he called, making the two assassins gasp in horror. Discard their hands?! Absurd! But they had to as they had nothing to counter it on the field so they did so and upon that being done did Seto reveal his own trick. Alas, where one lacks sacrifice, there was another method to bringing a creature back.

"Monster Reborn! Now come to me, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The deafening roar of the dragon echoed over the field, sharp blue eyes gazing down at the Masked Beast who hissed in return. The assassin of light was irritable, to be played for a fool to thinking they had no way to bring out a stronger monster...now the Blue-Eyes appeared. While only 200 points weaker than the Masked Beast, a fresh hand meant a chance for powering up the other. Seto, a man who had tact but lacked the will for a tag-team match, shoved all his bravado away to work with the demon and conducted a strategy to work around the Mask of Restrict. A truly terrifying duo but they couldn't slack here now. If they don't win this, it will be their heads. "You must think I lacked the will to play nice with a partner when dueling...and you'd be right normally. But Yami did open my eyes to one thing. To use your partner to bring out your strongest is the name of the game." Yami groaned sharply. Play nice around his only source of affection but still deal with his ego when not around him. Simply perfect. "Anyway...why don't you go in for the kill, Seto. A prime target awaits you." Yami murmured and Seto looked to him while Mask of Light spoke up that the dragon hardly had the attack to defeat it. "You can either listen to the runt or me. Either way something heads to the graveyard and it would be quite a shame if it was the Blue-Eyes again." Seto clicked his tongue as he looked to the monster ahead. Yet another baiting tactic, typical demon behavior. But as he himself had done to make Yami activate the spell, it was obvious the demon did something to make him speak such. He would be a fool to think about ignoring it. "Fine but it's your head if this fails, demon." Seto mused before looking to his dragon. "Go and attack the Masked Beast!"

"You fool! You're only destroying your own monster!"

"Is he now~"

The two looked to Yami as he smirked, the dragon gathering the burning energy in his jaws before unleashing it upon the beast that made to counter but to the assassins' horror, it was destroyed. "But...how?! How did you win?!"

"Demons are known for curses...and a fellow demon of mine only activates its ability when in the graveyard. A debilitating ability to ruin your monster without you noticing." Yami explained with a grin as Mask of Darkness' life points hit 3700. The first wound of a surprising comeback. Was Yami thinking ahead of him, Seto thought. Did he believe in the covered card he had to not only bring back the Blue-Eyes but also weaken the Masked Beast all at once. The brunet shook his head before ending his turn. He can ponder on that when there weren't gnats that needed to be squashed before him. Mask of Light went to draw a card before setting Melchid the Four Faced Beast and a covered card onto the field. The assassin was displeased they were now on the ropes after having such control only moments before. They couldn't leave their field empty while the Blue-Eyes stood menacingly on the opposite side. They were entrusted to this task by Lord Malik and it would insult him greatly that they couldn't defeat the gods and reclaim them.

They had to destroy them by any means necessary.

"I end my turn! Yami, take yours along with your damage! 300 from Mask of Dispel and 500 from Mask of the Accursed!" Mask of Light roared angrily. "You don't have to remind me, you insignificant pest." Yami snapped as his life points decreased to 1700. The demon was just barely hanging on by a thread, having avoided every direct attack from a monster only to let two obnoxious spells chip away at his life instead. Taking a glance to the hand he gained, it wasn't much to work with but much better than what he had before with Gilfer being a great but important sacrifice to rid of the Masked Beast. Setting one card face down, he sent out Alpha the Magnet Warrior and commanded it to attack the four faced mask. It went down with ease while Mask of Light gritted his teeth. He didn't want to lose his defense but the card he held on the field was strictly for the Blue-Eyes. It would be wasted on a weakling like Alpha. Mask of Darkness glanced to his partner and both shared a mutual gleam in their eyes. The dragon had to go down and Mask of Light had it planned. With a discreet nod for Mask of Darkness to set up a monster to attack, he went to take his turn.

"I send out the Evil Goddess Nuvia!"

"A pathetic monster. I'd be rather alarmed if you expect to defeat my dragon with such a thing..." While Seto thought nothing, Yami was skeptical. Yes Blue-Eyes was formidable but with his current case of cursed masks, he wouldn't put it past the two to have something to mess with the Blue-Eyes as well. It was all about seeing what their next move would be and Mask of Darkness didn't hesitate to prove such. "Go and attack the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"What?!"

The masked serpentine creature shot forward for the dragon and the Blue-Eyes snarled as he rose up to the challenge. A weak 2000-point creature to challenge him? It was laughable to the dragon and he was eager to tear into the other monster to prove a point for giving him nothing worth calling a fight. But the other assassin waited for this exact moment. "Now, as his monster attacks, I play my spell...Mask of Weakness!" Like the others, the mask appeared onto the field before attaching itself to the dragon, causing him to give a defiant roar as he felt his power grow weak. "With that mask attached to your monster, it will halve its attack and make it useless in this fight! Hope you're ready to accept defeat, Kaiba!" Seto had nothing to say as he watched the beam coming for his dragon and nothing to help him. "Not likely. Activating Mystical Rift Panel!" Yami countered as the trap flipped up, surprising the assassin of light as the mask left the dragon and attached to Nuvia instead. The blast was nothing to the Blue-Eyes and he went to counter, blasting the creature away and taking a huge chunk of life from the dark assassin, leaving him with 1700 life points. Mask of Darkness looked to see how easily their plan to destroy the Blue-Eyes failed before rage filled his gaze as he turned to curse out his partner for his folly. The attack was made because he trusted the light assassin only for him to lose 2000 life for it. Yami could only chuckle as their once iron teamwork began to falter as they griped at each other on whose fault it was to the situation at hand.

"Now now, such good partners shouldn't complain so much. Within a tag-team battle, the power of unity triumphs all." Yami spoke, leaving Seto to mull over such words.

The power of unity...