... God is dead... Life is dead... Symphogear... is also dead...
A few months ago, they had up the Global version of the game, and for what? For it to soon die out not even half a year after it was released?! HOW COULD THEY?! Well, not that it can really be called 'Global', otherwise it would've spread out all over the world and not a select... several. Still! I don't want that game to end! But alas... it's not like a petition can change it, can it? Especially not at a time when this damn COVID-19 is in play...
I don't want to accept it... I refuse to accept it! I hope they extend the death date or change their minds about shutting it down globally! If it doesn't change, if it still will be down on the last day of July... At the very least... At the very goddamn least... RELEASE THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THE GJALLAHRON EVENT! If you cannot just give us the appetizer without the main course, you most certainly cannot end the game with only the prologue of that XD event! At least the first chapter of it is okay too! Either that, or release sub versions of the Japanese events online!
... Well, technically I had discovered a site- rather a blogspot- that has some of the events subbed or gave us information of the event(s) in full, unlike the wiki, BUT STILL! Not all of the events is on it! UGH! How could this have happened?! NOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ahem... So, that being said, onwards to Circus GX.
Ah, before I forget, I had decided to skip Manjoume vs Dark Scorpions. The reason? Well, for one thing, the duelist in question was acting quite cocky in the episode, telling the others to not do anything to dirty their rooms as well as cleaned up the- ah, yes... EVIDENCE!- to who stole their keys. Instead of relying on evidences mentioned, he decided to place his duel monster cards right where the guys hid their keys, and though that was a smart idea, no normal person would actually believe in those nor find them to be suitable evidences. The Dark Scorpions are quite funny, but that's really just it. So... sorry to those of you who were looking forward to the duel.
Normal dialogue
Life Points/Monster stats
*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*
Attacks/Effects
'thoughts'
Language other than Japanese (this is English sub after all)
*OPENING*
Roar out through the high heavens,
(Opening starts with a red silhouette of a monster)
Wrapped in undulating emotion;
(Silhouette changed into a different monster in blue)
The truest of tones can be found here at this very spot…
(Silhouette changed once more into a yellow monster. Scene changed to Samejima's office, the man looking out the window at the sky above)
(Instrumental)
(Camera looks up at the dark sky. Title appears. After several seconds, flames extinguished it, changing the scene)
The trembling signal of pain in my heart,
(Kohaku was practicing some stunts when she sensed something and looked behind her)
Broke through many a night,
(Scene changed to Bella doing some ninja training when she also sensed something and looked at a distance)
As I searched for you – it's enough to drive me insane…
(Scene changed again to Alex running from something before he summoned Freakstar Dragon and rode on his back, flying out of the Abandoned Dorm as it exploded behind them)
Within the elegant, dreamlike sounds that float upon a double-edged warmth,
(Elie, Jacko, Tiffany, Seth, Shou and Hayato looked at a distance, watching their friends facing off against the Shadow Riders)
Entrusted tears roam throughout the sky
(Camera zoomed in to Arkham and a Rider in a black cloak. Kohaku and Kazato stares at them. The unknown rider walks away and Kohaku grabbed the cloak and pulled it off)
The more I seek this radiant melody,
(Scene changed as Judai summoned his Heroes and declared an attack)
All that's projected is more illusions.
(Asuka summoned her monsters and also declared an attack)
But the moment we know as "now" will always be what forms the miracle of tomorrow…
(Scene changed to Ryo and his Cybers, to Misawa and his 'Magnet Warriors', to Manjoume and his dragons, to various other characters and their monsters)
So I want to sing for your sake!
(Scene changed to where the Mythic Demon cards are sealed, the three monster spirits circling around the Spirit Gates)
Let everything be set free
(Darkness and Camula had their monsters battle Judai, Chronos, Ryo and Kazato's monsters)
If you have a dream for the future that you believe
(Another cloaked duelist was dueling against Bella and her ninjas)
Our resounding hearts are unstoppable!
(Misawa and Manjoume battled Tania and Don Zaloog. Alex and Asuka dueled against Abidos III and Titan)
Let's go (together), joining hands (no matter how far)!
(Arkham and the earlier cloaked duelist have a full field of monsters on their side, facing off against Kohaku. Kohaku and her 'Circus Freak' and 'Relic' monsters leapt from floating rock to rock over to them)
I won't ever let go of that smile!
(They all prepared their strongest attack and fired. Scene paused with a close-up image of Kohaku and the earlier cloaked duelist facing off)
It was morning on the island. For the most part, everything was quite normal. Many students were hanging out with their friends in or out of the academy building, unaware of the hidden danger that threatens their school. In the midst of their conversation, one person roamed around the halls quite timidly, grabbing the attention of those around her.
Koharu was the very person timidly walking down the halls. Out of the clothes she wore during her Shadow Rider days, she now wore an orange tank top with a yellow cardigan over her, a blue skirt, black leggings, and burgundy laced-up boots.
Truth be told, the girl was lost. She went to search for the bathroom and, after relieving herself from nature, attempted to make her way to class where Kohaku and her friends were, only to realize she didn't know where she was going. Kohaku did offer to go with her, but for several reasons, Koharu wanted to take this one time alone. The younger twin was starting to regret such decision, especially as she didn't know her way around the building yet.
"Hey, Fiore!" She flinched at someone's call and turned. Approaching her were a pair of boys in Obelisk Blue uniforms. "You sure got some guts, being in those clothes! Don't you know it's mandatory for all students to wear their uniforms?!"
Realizing they were mistaking her for her older twin, Koharu stuttered, "O-Oh... I-I'm not..."
Taking notice of the nervous stutter, Taiyou and Raizou's smug looks on their faces grew. "Oh, so the great Fiore Kohaku finally sees her place in the dueling world. Took you a long while, you-" Raizou was rudely interrupted by a harsh kick to the head from behind, knocking him out unconscious.
"What the-?! Raizou!" Taiyou gasped out. He turned to berate the person who knocked his friend out, only to see a very angry Kohaku demonically glaring down at him.
"Who the hell is messing with my little sister?" she questioned.
Just the glare and tone was more than enough to scare the boy, as he ran off with his unconscious friend in tow. As soon as he was out of sight, Kohaku dropped the demonic aura and-
"Koharu~!" -glomped on her younger twin. "Are you okay? You're not hurt? Those boys didn't bully you, did they?"
"I-I'm fine, sis. Really," Koharu assured.
Ever since Koharu officially came back to life, Kohaku practically glued herself to her twin, showering her with as much sisterly love as possible to make up for the lost time. As happy as she was to spend time with her older twin, if Koharu could be honest, the extra love was a little unbearable. And it wasn't just from her twin.
"Come on! Class is starting soon!" Without waiting for a response, Kohaku dragged her younger twin to their classroom.
"It's a bit sudden, but from today forward, we have a new student joining us. Someone you may already know her or notice something about the girl, but please welcome Fiore Koharu-nya," Daitokuji introduced.
Koharu stood in front of the class, looking down at the floor and blushing in embarrassment. "N-N-... Nice to meet you all," she greeted nervously.
"Due to her sudden transfer, there wasn't enough time for the school to make a female version of her Osiris uniform. However, because of her performance at her transfer exam, she will receive a Ra Yellow uniform in the next few days, thus will be a Ra Yellow student-nya. Now there should be an empty seat somewhere..."
"Sensei! There's one here!" Kohaku called, shooting up from her seat and pointing at an empty one right next to her.
"Ah! So there is!" Daitokuji turned to Koharu. "Koharu-kun, you may sit right there next to your sister."
"Y-Yes..." Koharu nodded, making her way to her new seat.
As she walked, many students stared at the girl. It wasn't like the fearful stares she was used to as a child; the stares she was receiving were ones of wonder and confusion. Koharu couldn't blame them for the latter; of what she heard from her sister's friends, everyone knew she was supposed to be dead. For her to be alive, it would be quite shocking.
As soon as she took her seat, Kohaku suddenly pulled the girl in a hug. "I'm so happy I finally get to have class with my little sister~" she said.
"S-Sis! Don't just hug me out of nowhere like that!" Koharu said with a blushing face.
"But you have no idea how long I've waited for this! I've waited an eternity for the day we have class together~!"
"I came back to life just days ago, though," Koharu said to her in a whisper, as no one really knew about her coming back to life bit.
"Still feels like an eternity!"
"Kohaku... I understand you've been looking forward to this, but please keep your excitement down," Alex said to the girl.
"Alex is right. Besides, didn't you and your family throw a 'Welcome Back' party for Koharu? I'd have thought that your excitement would tone down by now," Jacko agreed.
"Come on, Kohaku, calm down. You'll get in trouble," Bella told her.
"As she said," Daitokuji spoke, getting their attention. "With the exception of Koharu-kun, I'd like for you three to stay late to clean- nya."
Bella and Alex widened their eyes at his words. "Us too?!" the former gasped.
"No way..." the latter groaned. He looked over to Kohaku and saw the girl still pampering her embarrassed, revived twin with lots of love and affection.
"Now then, without further ado, let us begin class," the professor said, turning on a projector and presented a pair of sketched drawings of certain duelists to the class. "Muto Yugi and Kaiba Seto... You are all aware that they are the legendary chosen two of their generation, no- nya? There were also duelists who left legends behind in Ancient Egypt, as a matter of fact- nya."
"Ancient Egypt? Was dueling around that long ago?" came Judai's voice.
The day after Koharu was fully revived, the 'Elemental Hero' duelist managed to escape from the submarine owner's grasp, steal a boat, and returned to the island. It was quite the surprise for everyone when he made his return, especially after hearing the truth about what occurred after the duel that day. Their surprise didn't match Judai's though, when the guy returned to the island to see two Kohakus instead of the usual one. Upon getting caught up with what occurred during his time away, he gave Koharu a warm welcome.
"In Ancient Egypt, there weren't cards yet, so they dueled using stone tablets," Shou informed him.
"This was the boy king who left a legend of being unbeaten in his lifetime, and was known as the God of Dueling," Daitokuji continued his lecture, switching the sketches of Yugi and Kaiba with a sketch of a masked duelist in Egyptian clothes. "He's Abidos the Third- nya."
"Unbeaten in his lifetime?! You mean... he hasn't lost once?" Judai gasped. "That's awesome! I've always wanted to try dueling a God!"
Manjoume scoffed at his words. "It's obvious that the Life Points would be reduced to zero on the God's one turn, at most."
Judai, assuming he was talking about himself, turned to the boy behind him and said, "Don't sweat it, don't sweat it. After all, I'll be sure to get your revenge for you."
This angered and annoyed the boy. "I'm talking about you! You!"
Judai ignored him and relaxed back in his seat. "Still, you know, wouldn't you do really well, even if your opponent was godly?"
Of course, Manjoume didn't take his ignorance lightly, as he leaned forward and started roughhousing with his most despised classmate. "Didn't I say I was talking about you?!"
"Guys, we're still in the middle of class..." Shou reminded in a low tone.
Unfortunately, neither were listening, as Manjoume proceeded to pull Judai's ears. "Don't these ears of yours listen to what people tell you?! HUH?!"
"Like I said, if you don't quiet down-"
"Exactly- nya," Daitokuji called, grabbing their attention. "You three will also be staying late for cleanup- nya."
"What?! Me too?!"
Later after school, the Spirit Key Protectors, minus Asuka, plus Shou and Koharu, were cleaning up all the classrooms.
"You didn't have to stay and help us, Koharu," Alex said to the younger twin, as he cleaned the windows.
"I insist. It's kind of my fault you two got in trouble after all," the younger twin retorted, wiping the counters.
"If only a certain someone can learn from that..." Bella sighed, also wiping the tables as she glanced at Koharu, who was cleaning the chairs.
"It's fine, isn't it?" Kohaku insisted. "Getting this light punishment for wanting to spend time with my sister is nothing."
"How about you think about how we feel for getting dragged into the punishment?!" Alex and Bella demanded.
Kohaku was taken aback by the sudden verbal assault. "Gyah! S-S-Sorry!"
"By the way, Fiore Koharu," Manjoume called. "How many more of those guys are there?"
The question got everyone's attention. "How many more... of what?" the unpunished Fiore asked.
"What else? The Shadow Riders! The faster we get rid of those guys, the sooner we're done with the mission, right?" Manjoume pointed out. "And since you and Camilla are former members of that group, you should tell us everything you know!"
"You say that, but you never asked Camilla-san about the Shadow Riders," Shou pointed out.
"Though, now that he mentioned it, I wonder who's next," Judai said. "Manjoume already took on the Dark Scorpions. Which means, my turn is next!"
Ah yes. The other day, the day after Judai's return to the academy, another Shadow Rider had arrived at the academy, under the guise of a detective. And not just him; his comrades/teammates, all whom were already in place on the island since the start of the school year, maybe longer, took their turn in retrieving the keys. In a way, they succeeded. However, because the keys needed to be won in a duel to be used, the efforts were for naught, and Manjoume had challenged them. Why him? He was the one who saw through the disguise, and thanks to the help of his many Duel Monster Spirits at that. Although, with the many evidences seen when the keys got stolen, the culprit(s) would've been found that way as well, had the black-clothed Osiris not cleaned them all up.
"Dream on! I'm taking on the next one, too!" Manjoume retorted to Judai.
"Hang on! If we're talking about turns, I haven't dueled a single one of those guys yet! The principal chose us to protect the keys, and I much rather not be chop liver here!" Alex retorted to them both.
"As if the next person would go for someone weak!" Manjoume retorted back.
"And who's the one of us three with a clearly higher rank?" Alex asked, as much as he didn't want to, but knew the guy wouldn't stand down otherwise. True to his assumption, Manjoume flinched upon recalling that he was a Red, which was supposedly the weakest rank of the three colors.
"No way! I'm dueling!" Judai, on the other hand, didn't back down from that.
"You had a turn!"
As the boys argued amongst themselves who would be facing the next Shadow Rider, the girls plus Shou just watched them argue.
"They're joking, right?" Bella asked.
"Even at times like this, they still think about dueling. Then again, it's to be expected from aniki," Shou stated.
"Alex isn't wrong though. He should have a turn against the next rider," Kohaku said. To Koharu, she then asked, "And Manjoume also had a point; Koharu, do you know who's left in the Shadow Riders? I could ask Camilla if you don't."
"Even if I don't know who the next ones are, that doesn't mean she does," Koharu said.
Bella raised a brow in confusion at her words. "You make it sound as though the Shadow Riders are picked up at random."
"It's not that. It's more that the other three members, besides the leader that is... no one has met them."
"None of you met them?" Shou asked.
"No. One has yet to be chosen, and the other two had a mask or a cloak on, so I've never seen their faces. Plus, those two didn't want any help in improving their decks in any way, so I don't know what deck they use," Koharu reasoned.
"But wait. What about Arkham?" Kohaku then questioned.
"He's not the friendliest of those remaining, that's for sure. That being said, last I saw him, he almost made a full recovery, and he's... quite impatient in dueling against you, sis..."
Bella and Shou looked to Kohaku, as did Judai, Manjoume, and Alex, the last three who were overhearing the last bit of the conversation. Kohaku tilted her head down, eyes shadowed by her bangs. She then looked back up and said, "It'll be fine! I managed against him once; I can do it again! So long as I have my Duel of Light in me, I'll be fine!"
Despite her saying that with such confidence in her tone, and a smile on her face, they knew; Kohaku was frightened. They still remember the last time she dueled against Arkham. The outcome of the duel. Who was to say the next duel wouldn't be just as bad, or even worse? Koharu was especially worried about her older twin, considering she was the one who told Arkham about her strength.
By the time the group was done with the cleanup, it was night time, and they made their way back to their dorms.
"Geez... I can't believe we three got thrown in," Bella sighed, her arms feeling a bit sore from the wiping.
"Talk about a good bit of trouble, really," Shou agreed.
"Well, it was Manjoume and Kohaku," Judai blamed, obliviously for half of it.
"It was you and Kohaku!" Manjoume retorted, putting the 'Elemental Hero' duelist in a chokehold.
As for the twins, Kohaku clung onto Koharu as they walked, much to the latter's embarrassment. "Sis... Do you really have to hug me like this?"
"I'm tired from all that cleaning. Even had to do hard to reach places," the older twin reasoned.
"Some in which you stood on my shoulders for, so I don't see why you're this exhausted," Alex said, lightly pounding on his shoulders.
It was then, the group heard a scream. "What the-?!" Alex gasped.
"That voice was..." Judai noticed.
They looked out to the sea, where the voice came from, and saw two people cornered by the lighthouse by mummies. And not just any two people...
"Kaiser!" Judai called.
"Tenjouin-kun!" Manjoume also called.
"Are those mummies?!" Bella gasped.
"Big brother!" Shou called.
Upon hearing his brother's shout, Ryo looked up and noticed the group. "Stay there!" he shouted.
The group didn't listen, however, and ran down their path to hurry to the lighthouse. Unfortunately, more mummies popped out of the ground ahead of them, stopping them in their tracks. As if that was bad enough, more mummies popped out from behind.
"Those who... hold the keys..." a mummy groaned.
That was more than enough for the group to know who was really attacking them.
"A Shadow Rider!" Bella identified.
Next they knew, something shined up on the night sky. Looking up, a glowing, golden arc descended from the sky above. In fact, it glowed so bright, they all shielded their eyes, and lost consciousness.
By the time they all came to, the group found themselves on the arc. Judai was the last to wake.
"You're awake?" Ryo asked.
"You guys!" Judai spoke, relieved to find them all okay. Though... "Huh? Sensei, too?"
"I was brought here against my will by the mummies right when I was having my supper- nya," Daitokuji explained.
"So everyone who holds a key is here?" Ryo asked.
"Not everyone! Kohaku is gone!" Koharu exclaimed. The group gasped at this and looked around, realizing that the girl was true to her words.
"Why isn't Kohaku here?!" Alex asked.
Rather than an answer, a 'gong' was heard. They all rushed to the platform and hid behind it. There, on the other side of the walkway, a royal Egyptian masked pharaoh sat on a throne, surrounded by Egyptian guards and soldiers. The pharaoh noticed the stares and looked their way. The moment he did, though, Daitokuji jumped and fell backwards.
"Professor Daitokuji!" Shou gasped in alarm.
"Leave him alone. He won't be any help to us, anyway," Manjoume said. Cold his words may be, he was not wrong, for the professor had fainted, his cat poking him to wake him up.
The pharaoh stood up, and both Judai and Alex climbed up.
"Who are you?!" the Osiris duelist questioned.
"My name is Abidos the Third. One of the Shadow Riders," the pharaoh introduced himself.
"Abidos the Third?!" Alex gasped.
"The legendary guy who they say hasn't lost once..."
"... in his lifetime?" Manjoume and Asuka recalled.
"You will give me the keys you all possess," Abidos calmly demanded.
"Is he telling us we'll be battling the duelist known as God?" Asuka questioned.
"Is he trying to obtain the four remaining keys in one shot?" Ryo wondered.
"So, this means our enemy is also in a hurry," Manjoume hypothesized.
"Hang on! I don't have a problem with dueling anyone, but we're missing a person here," Alex pointed out. "If you're really in that much of a hurry, then why aren't all of us Key Protectors here?"
"The answer is quite obvious. A comrade has been impatient in wanting to duel the girl, and so I left her to his care," Abidos answered.
Everyone's eyes widened at the response. Out of all reasons for Kohaku to not be with them... it was because of Arkham?!
"Take us to our friend now!" Alex demanded.
"I refuse," Abidos answered. "I may be willing to tell you where she is, should you beat me. Of course, if you wish to leave your key here to find your friend, I will allow that as well. Now, what will you do?"
Despite the seriousness in the situation, there was one duelist who didn't seem to be taking it as seriously as it should be. "Yeah! Yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah! I'll do it!" Judai called, raising his hand.
"Aniki!" Shou called.
"I was hoping I could duel once against you!"
His careless words brought some disgust to Abidos's men. "How rude! He's facing the pharaoh-"
"Be silent," Abidos ordered.
"Yes, sir..."
Judai was about to get ready to duel, when Alex stepped up, his Duel Disk equipped. "I'm taking him on, Judai," he insisted.
"Huh?! But I called first!" he retorted.
"You're going to duel him to have fun, aren't you? Sorry, but this isn't the time!" Alex said. "Right now, Kohaku is facing Arkham, and we don't know how bad the situation is! The faster we beat this guy, the better."
"But-!"
"Judai-san!" Koharu called, getting the 'Elemental Hero' duelist's attention. "Please, let him participate in this duel! I don't have doubt in your skill, but as he said, this isn't the time for a fun duel!"
As much as Judai wanted to argue against them, as much as he so badly wanted to go up against the God of Dueling, from the looks in Koharu's eyes and Alex's, he knew this was not a duel for him. "... I got it..." he said, returning to the others.
"Alex, this is a Duel of Darkness!" Ryo reminded him.
"And your opponent is a God," Asuka added.
"I know. But we've faced opponents just as bad," Alex said. "Trust me, guys. I got this."
Abidos stayed silent, as he stared at his opponent. "You seem quite determined," he said, activating his own Duel Disk.
"I'm very determined!"
"DUEL!"
Abidos: 4000 LP
Alex: 4000 LP
"It's my turn. Draw." Abidos drew his sixth card. "From my hand, I summon Royal Protector in Defense Mode!" Appearing on the field was an Egyptian servant of a monster, placed in defense.
Royal Protector: Level 2/EARTH/Zombie/900 ATK/0 DEF
"Zero DEF?!" Shou gasped in shock.
"I set one card face-down, ending my turn," Abidos ended.
"My turn then. Draw!" Alex drew his sixth card.
"First Sarcophagus, activate!" Abidos interrupted.
"That's a card I haven't seen before," Judai stated. "If that's a 'first', then is there a 'second' and 'third'?"
"Indeed," the pharaoh answered, overhearing the question. "At the end of each of my opponent's turn, the Second Sarcophagus and Third Sarcophagus appear, one by one, on the field. When all three sarcophagi are together, the cursed door will open, engulfing you with despair and darkness."
"Then I'll end this duel first before that happens!" Alex declared. "I activate the Instant Magic, Hand Severing! Each player discards 4 cards in their hand to the Graveyard and draw the same amount. If a player has less than 4 cards in their hand, they discard their hand and draw the same amount of cards."
Abidos seemed to grimaced at this, but nonetheless discarded the four cards in his hand to the Graveyard and drew four new ones, while Alex discarded four of the five cards in his hand to the Graveyard and also drew out some new ones.
"Next I activate Eclipse Wyvern's effect in my Graveyard! Once he's sent there, I banish a Level 7 or higher LIGHT or DARK Dragon-type monster from my deck! The monster I will be banishing is Light and Darkness Dragon!" Alex pocketed the called card in his blazer's pocket. "And now I summon Familiar Knight!" Appearing on the Key Protector's field was a knight in silver armor with a red cape.
Familiar Knight: Level 3/LIGHT/Warrior/1200 ATK/1400 DEF
"Next, by removing a DARK monster in my Graveyard, like Dark Armed Dragon whom I sent from Hand Severing, I Special Summon out Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster from my hand!" He proceeded to Special Summon out his blue and white dragon to the field.
Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster: Level 4/LIGHT/Dragon/1700 ATK/1800 DEF
"Now to battle! I attack Royal Protector with Familiar Knight!" Alex's knight charged at his opponent, sword in hand, and cut the monster down."Now I attack directly with Wyburster! Shimmering Spark!" His dragon surged with electricity and shot towards Abidos, dealing a good amount of damage to him.
Abidos: 2400 LP
Alex: 4000 LP
"All right! Alex took a head start!" Shou cheered.
"Him? Against a God?" Manjoume questioned in disbelief.
"Unless if the God was only testing him," Bella pointed out, in which the black-clothed Osiris accepted.
"I end my turn here," Alex ended.
"Due to the effect of First Sarcophagus, I activate Second Sarcophagus!" Abidos said, placing the said card on the field. "One more... With one more sarcophagus, your fate will be sealed."
"That's what you think, God."
"My turn. Draw." Abidos drew two more cards. "I activate Pot of Greed. I draw another two cards from my deck. From my hand, I activate the Magic card, Fissure! Through this card, a monster my opponent controls with the lowest ATK is destroyed!" Suddenly, under Familiar Knight's feet, the ground opened up, and the knight fell in and got destroyed. "Next, I also activate the Magic card, Smashing Ground! A monster my opponent controls with the lowest DEF is destroyed!" Next thing everyone knew, a big, fist-shaped boulder appeared from above and crushed Wyburster.
"Alex's field is cleared out!" Koharu gasped in worry.
"Wyburster's effect! When it leaves the field and sent to the Graveyard, I add Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent from my deck to my hand," Alex said, adding the card to his hand.
Unfazed, Abidos resumed his turn. "I now summon Pharaoh's Servant in Attack Mode!" Now emerging onto the pharaoh's field was another Egyptian servant, this one holding a spear.
Pharaoh's Servant: Level 2/DARK/Zombie/900 ATK/0 DEF
"Attack the player directly!" Upon his command, his monster charged and struck Alex with his spear. The Ra Yellow duelist held back a painful cry, toughing out through the hit.
Abidos: 2400 LP
Alex: 3100 LP
"I place my card face down and end my turn," he ended. "How was that?"
"Compared to the damage I did to you? That was nothing!" Alex answered, to his opponent's surprise. "In any case, it's my turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I banish Wyburster from my Graveyard to Special Summon Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent!" Wyburster's counterpart appeared on the field.
Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent: Level 4/DARK/Dragon/1800 ATK/1700 DEF
"Next I activate the Instant Magic, Mystical Space Typhoon! This card destroys a Magic or Trap card on the field!" Abidos gasped upon hearing what the card does. "If I'm going to lose because of a card's effect, then I'll just get rid of the card first! Say good-bye to First Sarcophagus!" At that, a powerful wind blew and made its way towards the targeted card.
"I discard one card from my hand to activate Magic Jammer!" Abidos interrupted. "It negates Mystical Space Typhoon's effect and destroys it!" At that, a purple fog emerged out of the card and mixed with the wind, blending it to the point that it made the Magic card miss its target.
"He almost had it..." Shou said.
"Guess that God really doesn't want to make it easy for Alex," Judai stated, getting into the duel.
"I wonder about that..." Asuka spoke. "Since he's a legendary Duelist who's known as a God, I was wondering how he would duel, but..."
"I'm not done. Collapsarpent! Attack Pharaoh's Servant! Somber Breath!" The newly summoned dragon breathed out black, fiery breath at Abidos's lone monster. Once the flames hit, a powerful explosion occurred, destroying it and taking away some more of the Shadow Rider's Life Points.
Abidos: 1500 LP
Alex: 3100 LP
"You there. What are you scheming?" Abidos asked.
Alex raised a brow in confusion at the question. "What do you mean 'what am I scheming'?"
"You are the first to have tried to destroyed my sarcophagi."
"Huh? 'The first'? But shouldn't destroying them be obvious?"
Abidos, despite wearing a mask, seemed taken aback by the question. "Is... that so?"
Alex was silent at those words. No, not just them; from the start he found it funny how the claimed 'God of Dueling' was... well, dueling. And he knew for sure he wasn't the only one who found it weird.
"Hey... I'm asking out of all seriousness... But aren't you a little weak for a God?" he dared ask. "Unless if people are really bad at dueling back in Ancient Egypt, all your cards and strategy are pretty common in today's time."
"Now that he mentioned it, that's true," Shou realized. "He even got normal cards with zero DEF..."
"Hard to think any God would get pushed by mortals," Manjoume added. "Was that guy really known as some kind of God duelist in Ancient Egypt?"
Abidos was silent at their words, most likely recalling to back when he was alive before being a Shadow Rider. "... I always felt I was unsatisfied, but... As I had thought. No one dueled me seriously back then," he admitted.
The Key Protectors couldn't help but feel bad for the guy, despite being an enemy.
"Some legendary duelist he was," Manjoume said.
"They couldn't win with their king as their opponent, could they?" Shou more stated than asked.
"That's a bit pitiful..." Asuka added.
"He must've always wanted a serious duel, but couldn't get that because of his status," Bella spoke.
"Must've been boring back then," Judai added on.
"Sorry if it sounds rude, but I'm not going to go easy on you for your pride," Alex told Abidos, grabbing his attention. "No matter who my opponent is, no matter what the circumstance, I'm giving my all in this duel. No matter what!"
"Are you saying you'll duel me seriously?" Abidos asked.
"Haven't I already?"
At Alex's response, Abidos removed his mask and revealed his face. To the students' slight surprise, he was just a normal guy just like them. "Come at me! Holding back is futile!" Abidos challenged.
"I got nothing else to stop his Trap Card... But at the very least, I set three cards face-down and end my turn!" Alex set the rest of his hand onto the field.
"From my deck, I activate the Magic card, Third Sarcophagus!" Abidos declared, as the said card appeared on his field.
"He has the third sarcophagus out!" Asuka gasped.
"What's going to happen now?!" Manjoume asked.
"I will send all three cards to the Graveyard to Special Summon Spirit of the Pharaoh in Attack Mode!" As he said this, the three cards turned into a sarcophagus. The Egyptian coffin opened up and an ancient pharaoh emerged out with his staff and sword in hand.
Spirit of the Pharaoh: Level 6/LIGHT/Zombie/2500 ATK/2000 DEF
"2500 ATK? What's the deal? With all the time and effort spent, it's pretty common, don't you think?" Judai asked.
"Are you making light of the soul of the pharaoh?!" Abidos questioned him, even though his opponent was Alex, who knew there was more going on with the card than just its ATK points. "When I've successfully Special Summoned my Spirit of the Pharaoh, I can Special Summon up to four Level 2 or lower Zombie-type Normal Monsters from my Graveyard!"
"What?!" Alex gasped, as two Royal Protectors and two Pharaoh's Servant appeared on Abidos's field.
"I thank you for making me discard my cards earlier. Now allow me to express my gratitude in full! Draw!" Abidos drew his next card.
"Trap Card, Fearful Attack!" Alex interrupted, activating one of his three sets. "With this card's effect, by banishing two monsters in my Graveyard, an Attack Position monster on the field has its ATK points reduced to zero until the end of the turn! From my Graveyard I banish Familiar Knight and Lightray Madoor, the latter who was sent to the Graveyard by Hand Severing's effect!" As he said this, spirits of his knight and spellcaster appeared and charged at Spirit of the Pharaoh. Once the pair got to the monster, they both held the spirit down.
Spirit of the Pharaoh: 2500 -} 0 ATK
Abidos smirked at this play. "If you think you have saved yourself from the pain that is to come, you are dearly mistaken. I activate the Magic card, Thousand Energy! It increases the ATK of Level 2 monsters on my field by 1000 points!"
"What?!" Alex gasped, as Abidos's monsters, with the exception of Spirit of Pharaoh, all got a major boost in ATK.
Royal Protector 2x: 900 + 1000 = 1900 ATK
Pharaoh's Servant 2x: 900 + 1000 = 1900 ATK
"Alex-san!" Koharu called in worry.
"In the end, he's still going to take some damage..." Manjoume said.
"It's more than just 'some damage'!" Bella corrected.
As she said that, one of the Pharaoh's Servant charged at Collapsarpent and jabbed its spear into it. An explosion occurred and caused its destruction, as well as inflicted some damage on Alex.
Abidos: 1500 LP
Alex: 3000 LP
A second Pharaoh's Servant followed the first, this one to strike at Alex.
"Continuous Trap, Magicite of Spell Salvation!" the Light and Darkness Duelist countered. "By banishing a monster on my field or Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card as a monster with the same level as the monster I banished! The monster I'll be banishing is Collapsarpent!" A crystalized version of Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent appeared on the field.
Magicite of Spell Salvation: Level ? -} 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/0 ATK/0 DEF
"That matters not! Go, Pharaoh's Servant!" Abidos resumed his monster's attack, which easily destroyed the crystal. "Royal Protector! Finish him!" Abidos's last two monsters both charged at Alex.
"Alex(-san)!" the Key Protectors all called worriedly.
"Trap card, Reactive Armor!" Alex defended. "When my opponent's monster declares an attack, that monster is destroyed!" As he said this, a sort of dangerous-looking armor appeared on his field and took our one of the Royal Protectors. The other Royal Protector bypassed the armor and struck Alex.
Abidos: 1500 LP
Alex: 1100 LP
Alex's friends all sighed in relief upon seeing him survive the assault.
"I sacrifice one monster on my field to activate the Magic card, Soul Guide, from my hand!" Abidos continued, as one of his Royal Protectors left the field, and a purple aura surrounded him. "It restores my Life Points by the amount of ATK the sacrificed monster had."
Abidos: 3400 LP
Alex: 1100 LP
"Next, I add a card from my deck that is the same as the card I offered as a sacrifice. It's the End Phase. As compensation for the Magic card, Thousand Energy, I destroy all the monsters that were powered up!" As he said this, his lower-leveled monsters left the field, leaving only Spirit of the Pharaoh.
"Likewise, during the End Phase, the monster affected by Fearful Attack regains its ATK," Alex added, as spirits of his monsters disappeared.
Spirit of the Pharaoh: 0 -} 2500 ATK
"My turn has ended," Abidos ended.
"Alex is in danger..." Koharu said.
"Hmm... You think so?" Bella asked. "It doesn't look that way to me. At least, not from what his face is saying."
As Bella said, the look in Alex's eyes wasn't that of a duelist giving up; they were filled with determination to win.
"If you give up, why don't you honestly say you give up?" Abidos questioned. "If you stop now, I will still tell you where your friend is. At the cost of the Key around your neck, that is."
"I do that, I can never face Kohaku again. Not as a duelist nor a friend," Alex answered. "If she is dueling against Arkham, I know for sure that she is doing all she could to stop him. As much as she wants to run from the guy, we all know that there's no running from this fight. If anything, she'd be doing everything in her power to change his perspective on dueling. Can't say for full certainty that she'll get through to him the same way we did to your comrades, but she will not fall. And neither will I! Draw!" He drew his next card.
"So you say. However, your field is completely empty of cards, and you just drew the only card in your hand. Victory is assured for me!" Abidos claimed.
"Don't be so sure! Magic card, Pot of Greed! I draw two cards!" Alex drew two more cards. He took a look at the two cards in his hands and smiled at his draw. "They're here. I activate the Magic card, Twilight Fusion! With this card, I can Fusion Summon a DARK or LIGHT Fusion Monster by shuffling the required fusion materials from my banished zone to the deck!"
(Twilight Fusion: Normal Magic: Fusion Summon 1 DARK or LIGHT Fusion Monster by shuffling Fusion Materials from your Banished Zone to your deck. If you draw one of the shuffled fusion materials during your Draw Phase, banish this card from your Graveyard, all the other shuffled fusion material(s) from your deck, and Special Summon that monster, ignoring the summon requirements.)
To hear he was going to Fusion Summon when he has one card left in his hand after using that card was surprising enough for the group, but to hear he can do it by shuffling his banished cards back into his deck was very shocking for everyone.
"A Fusion Summon?!" Manjoume gasped.
"Using banished monsters?!" Asuka also gasped.
"He can do that?!" Judai excitedly asked.
"From the Banished Zone, I shuffle back Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster and Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent!" Alex declared, as spirits of the two monsters appeared above his head. "Dragon that shimmers about, dragon with dull roars. Become one and give birth to a new twilight! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, dragon born from the light and darkness! Twilight Dragon!" Appearing on the field was was Alex's ace monster.
Twilight Dragon: Level 10/LIGHT/Dragon/? ATK/? DEF
"Twilight Dragon's effect! When this card is summoned, his ATK and DEF becomes 200 times the total level of all Banished LIGHT Monsters! In my banished Zone are Level 8- Light and Darkness Dragon, Level 3- Familiar Knight and Level 6- Lightray Madoor! Their total levels are 17, and so Twilight Dragon's ATK and DEF becomes 3400!" Twilight Dragon let out a powerful roar as his ATK and DEF increased.
Twilight Dragon: ? -} 3400 ATK/? -} 3400 DEF
Abidos flinched at the power boost, especially since the monster has just enough power to finish the duel. "Even if your monster's ATK is enough to wipe out my Life Points, it's meaningless, for my Spirit of the Pharaoh stands in your monster's way!"
"True, if not for his other effect when summoned," Alex added, to the Shadow Rider's confusion. "For every DARK monster that is banished, I can banish cards on the field equal to or less than that amount!" Abidos gasped at this info. "Spirit of the Pharaoh, begone! Twilight Zone!" Twilight Dragon created a rift at its duelist's words, sucking the opponent's lone monster within it. "Now to battle! Twilight Dragon, attack the player directly! Twilight Beam!" At his command, the Fusion Monster unleashed its black and white beam at Abidos, ending the duel.
Abidos: 0000 LP
Alex: 1100 LP
WINNER: ALEX!
"He did it!" Koharu cheered.
"As expected," Bella nodded.
Alex approached the defeated duelist. "Why I became a Dark Duelist..." Abidos spoke. "Once was enough. I wanted to try having a duel like this. A serious, all-out duel."
Alex was silent at his opponent's words. "... Well, I admit. That duel was kind of fun," he said.
Abidos nodded and stood to his feet. "With this, it seems I am able to go to the heavens. But..." He took Alex by the hand. "Won't you come along, as well?"
Everyone was shocked at the offer.
"I mean, it would be profane to let such an enjoyable duel end with just one go! So, how about it?!" Abidos reasoned. "Ah, of course, I will send your friends to where your missing ally is."
"As much as I appreciate the offer, I'm afraid I will have to pass," Alex declined. "Besides, I still have things to do here. Perhaps if you can wait for say... a hundred years or so. Then I'll try to find you up there."
"A hundred years... Compared to the 3,000 years, it will be a blink of time. Very well."
Soon after that, the group was dropped off in the middle of the woods. "Your friend and Arkham are at the- Well, I don't see how it is even a building, but a place he called the 'Abandoned Dorm'!" Abidos informed. The Key Protectors' eyes widened at where he said Kohaku and her opponent would be. "I'll be waiting for you, Alex!" With that, the arc disappeared into the heavens.
As soon as it was gone, the group looked at each other.
"Let's go. To Kohaku!" Alex said, and they all nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, from the direction of the Abandoned Dorm wreckage, an explosion was heard, causing them to jump in surprise.
"What was that?!" Manjoume asked.
"That sounded like it came from the Abandoned Dorm!" Asuka noticed.
"Sis!" Koharu cried in worry.
Without another word, the group rushed to the source of the explosion, where Kohaku undoubtedly would be.