Turn 4:
The Fall of an Angel
[This chapter takes off on the same day as the last one.]
AT NIGHT - DAIROKUTEN MAOU'S H.Q.
"I see. Toshiie, Souun, Kanetsugu, Nagayoshi, and even Yurin..."
The one to speak in a barely lit room was a young man, sitting cross-legged on a red sofa that had an armrest on its side. The man had fair skin and brown hair with shades of red that spiked upwards, and wore a silver, horned mask, a long, primarily red outfit that had green and yellow trims, and black pants.
He was talking to the very person who watched Yukimura's battle against Nagayoshi, Shikigami Ranmaru.
"All because of Rekka Yukimura, chaos is being brought to the power balance of Musashi." he stated with politeness to his master, not wanting to anger him.
"But I also predicted this." the man, who was called Dairokuten Maou, revealed with a smirk. "A storm is approaching. A big storm which will consume everything. Are you listening, Monkey, Kurai Kage?"
Behind Ranmaru, a new person appeared from the shadows. It was a short boy with brown hair that wore a black shirt, a brown furry jacket, green pants, a red double belt and a white helmet with red goggles. He even had a tail by the looks of it and wore a monkey-like mask.
"I will do as you wish, Master." he said with a hint of glee in his voice.
"Good." was all Maou said and the two servants bowed their heads before vanishing from the room. He then turned to his right, looking at a person who was sitting in the dark cross-legged just like himself. "What's the matter, Kurai Kage?"
This Kurai Kage was a young male with fair skin and black hair with shades of green that spiked backwards and wore an outfit similar to Maou's but primarily colored dark green with white and blue trims, and black pants. He also wore a silver mask, but he had yellow eyes and two fangs that fell over his cheeks instead of horns.
"Nothing." Kage said in a low tone, almost a whisper, and left the room.
Maou sighed at this. Sometimes I can't understand him. he thought in exasperation.
TIME SKIP - NEXT MORNING - AT YUKIMURA'S PLACE
Hidetaka was currently sleeping, having drifted to slumber while Yukimura was having a friendly battle with Sasuke. He had to help his sister, Oichi, with an important matter and ended up working over most of the night...
"Why is a Key Spirit so important, Nobu-niisan?"
Was a young Hidetaka's confused question as he stared at his deck, with Oichi and Nobu doing the same beside him, the three sitting on a bench in the garden of their house.
Oichi's eyes perked up at the question, and she glanced at Nobu as well.
"Your Key Spirit is The Dragon Hero Sieg-Yamato-Fried." she pointed out. "There isn't a fight in which you don't summon it..."
"That's because Yamato is my Key Spirit," Nobu explained with a warm smile as he stared at the beautiful fountain in the garden. "A Key Spirit is a Spirit that's used by the battler in a pinch, in order to turn things around and obtain victory. Moreover, usually, a Key Spirit is a very powerful Spirit or a card which has emotional meanings to its user."
"In that case, Nega-Typhon is my Key!" Hidetaka told as he raised the said card into the air. "It always protects me with its strong defense! Also, it was summoned in every battle I had so far!"
Nobu chuckled, confusing him. "There's much more to a Key Spirit, Hidetaka." he said, patting him on the head, earning a childish pout. "Once you choose your Key Spirit, you cannot change it anymore, no matter what."
"No matter what...!?" Hidetaka exclaimed. "But... there are so many cards! What if I find a better one and I like it more than Nega-Typhon!?"
"You baka!" Oichi scolded him, prompting Hidetaka to pout again. "Brother just said you can't change your Key Spirit. That means you can't change the fact Nega-Typhon is your Key!"
"...But you did that with The Sengoku Princess Mikoto and Kuon..."
Oichi's face turned red as a tomato in embarrassment at the remark, making Nobu and Hidetaka burst laughing. Oichi turned angry and puffed her cheeks before shouting-
"Nobu-nii will definitely see it."
Hidetaka's eyes snapped open at hearing his brother's name, seeing the battle between Yukimura and Sasuke was long over, and the teen was explaining something.
"He'll definitely appear before me once more! That's what I believe." Yukimura stated with a serious expression, prompting Hidetaka to groan in his head, realizing he missed some important dialogue just now.
Oichi, you and your...! he thought. If I would've slept yesterday, this would've not happened... Oh, well. I guess God wanted it to go like this.
"I see..." Sasuke smiled. "So that's why you battle..."
"Yeah, but Yukimura, you already bet five S-Class Battlers." Taichi pointed out.
"If you keep this up, you'll rule the Battle Spirits world pretty soon!" Yuya said.
"It won't be that easy." Kanna spoke up. "This whole country is crowded with champions like them."
"I doubt any of the rulers will stay down even though they were defeated." Hidetaka added. "Not to mention, there's Yoshiko left to be dealt with."
"My battle only began." Yukimura stated.
"I wish I could be one of them..." Sasuke muttered with a sad smile. He stood up with a determined expression. "No, I will be! I won't lose to Toshi and the rest again! I'll be Yukimura's rival like Hidetaka is!"
"That's the right spirit to start with." Hidetaka chuckled. "However, you have yet to choose a Key Spirit. You'd better hurry up, and select one that's stronger than Yukimura's Souldragon!"
Yukimura saw himself in Sasuke at that moment and handed him a card from his deck. "If you'd like, why don't you try using this one?"
"Sengoku-Gurendragon?" Sasuke stared at the card as he took it.
"At this rate, I'm sure you'll build a good deck." Yukimura smiled. "You can have it."
Sasuke's eyes widen in happiness and he blushed a little. "Thank you! Hey, I have an idea!"
Everybody raised an eyebrow at that and watched as Sasuke urged them to follow him. They were lead to a different Stadium from the usual one, Sasuke saying Toshiie's gang won't get in the way here. He seemed very excited to test out his deck with Sengoku-Gurendragon in it.
The match was pretty even at one point, Hidetaka had to admit. It seems Sasuke was paying close attention to Yukimura's battles and prepared himself for Souldragon's Consecutive Blades.
However, the battle was soon stopped as numerous people with monkey masks riding skateboards entered the Stadium, even running over Sasuke's Battle Machine and causing his cards to fly everywhere, the battle ending by this intrusion.
"We're taking this Stadium!" the boss of this gang announced, the cries of his comrades giving a confirmation. "It belongs to us monkeys!"
"Don't mess around!"
"Aghe?"
The boss watched in confusion as some people, who belonged to Toshiie's gang, stopped him.
"In the name of the Homura gang, we're kicking you all out!" one said.
The boss chuckled at the threat. "You're picking a fight with me?"
"HEY! We're having a battle over here!" Sasuke shouted infuriated. "Don't-"
"Shut up. Third parties can keep out."
The young boy shivered at the next voice, seeing a person walking out the shadows of the Stadium's entrance. They were wearing a mask as well, this one silver with fangs, and had a large dark green cape with white trims.
"Who are these people...?" Takuma whispered in turmoil, adjusting his glasses.
The villains... Hidetaka thought with a narrow of his eyes.
"Enough! This party is over." the voice of Toshiie shouted as entered the Stadium himself, shocking everyone present, except the evil party.
"Honestly," Toshiie scoffed loudly, showing his irritation. "After the defeat of three rulers, you're next, a monkey and a masked weirdo? Just because some outsider rudely steps in and keeps winning every battle... You think you can underestimate me, Toshiie?"
"If we say yes?" Kage questioned in a bored voice.
"Then you're in for a treat!" Toshiie grinned. "I've actually been looking for an opponent who could put up a fight against me. Why don't we play for a little while?"
Toshiie and the boss started their fight, and Kanna realized he was none other than Mashira Toukichirou, a white S-Class Battler like Nagayoshi. This fight proved to be quite the hard one for Toshiie, seeing as Toukichirou's White Spirits had Ultra Immunity to Red and his Key Spirit, The CleverMachineGeneral Ichiya-Jo could block while exhausted.
But even in this dire situation, Toshiie didn't give up and managed to win the fight by using a Brave, fusing it with his own Key, Sengoku-Tiger!
"So that was Toshi's trump?" Yukimura questioned.
"A Brave Spirit... could that have been what he was holding?" Kanna wondered.
"In any case, one fell!" Sasuke smiled. "That leaves the other masked guy!"
As their group turned in Kage's direction, their eyes widen as he was nowhere to be seen!
"He left..." Hidetaka muttered.
Who does he think he is, retreating like this! Toukichirou thought in anger. "I'll remember this! Don't chase after monkeys!" was his last words before leaving the Stadium, followed by his minions.
The people watching cheered at this, and Toshiie moved his Battle Machine towards Yukimura and his friends.
"Did you see that?" he asked with his usual grin. "This is my challenge to you, Yukimura! Your Souldragon and my Sengoku-Tiger. Next time, our Key Spirits will definitely settle it!"
"Sure, as you wish, Toshi!" Yukimura made his gaming face. "I accept your challenge!"
"...Um, Yukimura, you haven't defeated the last ruler." Kanna pointed out, making him sweatdrop. "It wouldn't be a nice gesture towards Yoshiko..."
"In that case, what are you waiting for!?" Toshiie shouted. "Hurry up and beat her, Rekka Yukimura. I am waiting, and I'm not the still type either!"
"That was the plan from the beginning!"
Following his statement, Yukimura ran off, prompting the others to run after him with surprised and confused faces. They all came to a stop in front of Musashi's train station.
"What are we doing here?" Sasuke asked. "We're already going to battle Yoshiko!?"
"Of course! That's what we planned to do today after all." Yukimura smirked- but frowned as he saw Hidetaka reaching them with a concerned face and talking to someone over his phone.
"You really don't know where she went!?" he inquired. "I see... I will try to find her myself."
As the call ended, Takuma asked. "Is there a problem, Hidetaka-san?"
"Y-Yes, my sister..." Hidetaka narrowed his eyes in thought. "Sorry, rival, but I won't be able to join you guys today. I have to go! Good luck in the fight!"
"Sister...?" Yukimura wondered as he watched the older teen run off.
"I didn't know he had a sister." Taichi said before turning to the red-haired battler. "He never told you anything of his family and such?"
Yukimura shook his head, prompting Kanna to speak up. "In any case, all we can do now is wish him luck as well, whatever the problem might be. We shall head to Echizen."
Following her words, our heroes took the train to the last Province and Kanna prepared Yukimura for the next fight, explaining him Yoshiko's deck that uses BP Reduction to get the better of her opponents.
The train stopped at the Takefu Station, which was quite close to the Hinogawa Kasen Ryokuchi Park where the Stadium was located. As they walked to it, several kids saw them and started word-of-mouthing to everyone they knew that Rekka Yukimura came to fight the last ruler.
By the time Yukimura and his friends arrived at the Stadium, a crowd formed in the stands with Yoshiko standing in the Stadium's center. She had several gang members sitting on the seats behind her side, and Yukimura's friends did the same behind him.
Yukimura stopped some meters away from Yoshiko, who had her eyes narrowed at him.
"You came to fight me, leaving me the last ruler standing." she mused. "It's rude to make a woman wait, Rekka Yukimura."
"True. Sorry if I made you wait too much, Tenshi Yoshiko." the other replied. "But that means you had the most time to train, therefore this fight won't disappoint!"
"The same to you." Yoshiko said. "Now that our paths have fully met, our destined battle can start! Let's go, Rekka Yukimura-"
Their exchange of words was suddenly stopped by loud monkey-like sounds. The Stadium was flooded by Toukichirou's subordinates that emerged from the entrances riding their skateboards. The subordinates gathered in the area behind Yukimura, who had to take dodge them if he didn't want to collide with any of them.
"Who do they think they are!?" a member of Yoshiko's gang asked in evident anger at the sudden intrusion.
"Those are from Toukichirou's gang!" Sasuke exclaimed.
"First Musashi and now Echizen? What are they doing here?" Kanna wondered aloud.
"Out of my way!" Yoshiko shouted annoyed. "I have no time to waste with arrogants like you! This fight is between me and Rekka Yukimura!"
"That was the case." a new voice corrected her.
Toukichirou's subordinates parted to the side as Kurai Kage emerged from the entrance, stopping where Yukimura once stood.
"You were the masked guy from Musashi..." the red-haired battler remembered.
"We've taken control over all Card Shops in Echizen, along with its other Stadium," Kage explained. "After this Stadium is captured, the Echizen Province will be ours. This battle is now between you and me, Tenshi Yoshiko."
The yellow-haired female could feel her rage boiling at those words. "I won't let some high and mighty take control of this land I call home." she spat and extracted her Deck Case from its holder, which was attached to her belt. "I fight for my Province! You are on, masked monster."
"Monster... what a fitting a compliment." Kage grinned darkly before extracting his own Deck Case, which was inside his coat, revealing a black and white colored case with a golden yin and yang attached to its front. The symbol flashed red. "Appear, Chaos of one's heart!"
Yoshiko did the same, pointing her Deck Case at the sky. Hers was a yellow colored case with black trims and a golden eye attached to its front. The eye flashed blue. "Descend, Angel's pure wings!"
Dashing into the Stadium moments later were the two battlers' Battle Machines.
Kage's machine had a similar design to Souun's machine, however, attached to its back was a large version of the yin and yang symbol, had a human skull attached to its stanchion, and was colored black and white. Yoshiko's machine, on the other hand, had four angelic wings erupting from its back and sides, and each one had a propeller attached to it, and an orb held by mechanical hands above her stanchion.
The two battlers jumped backwards and onto their machine's platforms.
"Gate Open! Release!" the cried out at the same time, summoning a battlefield.
Kurai Kage: 5 Life Cores
VS
Yoshiko: 5 Life Cores
The orb of Yoshiko's machine lit up, meaning she'll go first. "Atashi no turn, draw! I summon Haneppo and Cupid to my side, the latter at Level 2!"
The first Spirit to appear on her field was a small and cute being that had two large, blue eyes that glowed with kindness. Haneppo beat its angelic wings as it entered the battlefield.
Haneppo: 1 Core / LV 1 / 1000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
The second Spirit was, as its name suggested, a female cupid that looked like a doll with blond hair, blue attire, her wings and holding a bow and arrow in her hands, the arrow also had a love heart attached to its tip. Cupid gave a wave of her hand as she appeared.
Cupid: 1 Cores + 1 Soul Core / LV 2 / 3000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
Yoshiko - Reserve: 3→0 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core / Trash: 0→1 Cores
"With that, it's your turn." Yoshiko said as her machine's orb stopped glowing.
"Ware no turn." Kage declared as his machine's skull's eyes flashed to life. "Core Step."
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 3→4 Cores + 1 Soul Core
"Draw Step. Main Step!" Kage shouted, placing one card from his on the board. "I summon The Gatekeeper Alparkar!"
To appear on the enemy's field was an anthropomorphic beast wearing a farmer's clothing and holding an oversized hoe in its hand.
The Gatekeeper Alparkar: 1 Core / LV 1 / 1000 BP / 1 Blue Symbol
"So this masked guy uses a Blue deck... Will he use the same strategies as Souun does?" Yuya wondered aloud as Yukimura reached their spot in the stands.
"I don't think that's the case." Kanna said. "That Spirit is Blue, but it has the ability to be treated as a Green one as well."
"Which means he doesn't use Deck Destruction!" Sasuke realized.
"A mixed deck...?" Yukimura muttered, thinking of Hidetaka who uses a similar strategy.
"Attack Step!" Kage exclaimed, turning his Spirit's card to the right. "Alparkar, go! At the same time, Flash Timing! I swift summon DarkMachG with its High Speed!"
A sudden wind picked up around the masked battler's field as a new Spirit showed itself. It was a black insect with green wings and yellow armor covering its head, forming a sharp weapon to use to attack its foes. The insect's eyes flashed blue as it took the field.
DarkMachG: 1 Cores + 1 Soul Core / LV 2 / 3000 BP / 1 Green Symbol
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 2→0 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core / Trash: 1→2 Cores
"He summoned a Spirit during the Attack Step!?" Taichi gasped.
"That's a specialty of a Green deck, High Speed," Kanna explained. "Green has Core Boost, which we saw Kanestugu use, but they have High Speed, an ability that lets the user summon these Spirits during the Flash Step. It's a move that surprises the opponent and puts pressure on them."
However, Yoshiko seemed everything but surprised. Her glare didn't wager at the summon of a new Spirit, and this caused Kage to chuckle.
"DarkMachG's effect doesn't end there!" he revealed. "Since I have a Blue Symbol, Rush activates! A cost 2 or less opposing Spirit is destroyed. Get out of here, Cupid!"
The insect let loose of a blue stream from the tip of its weapon, hitting Cupid and causing it to explode.
"Oh no! Princess' Cupid!" one of her group's member gasped.
"Now she has one less Spirit with Charge..." another whispered.
That did hurt Yoshiko's formation, true enough, but she kept her poker face. "Take it from the Life!" she shouted.
Alparkar launched forward and jumped towards her Battle Machine, but its path was blocked by a Life Core that got shattered by the immediate contact, blowing her machine back a bit.
Yoshiko - Life: 5→4 / Reserve: 1→2 Cores + 1 Soul Core
"DarkMachG will attack as well!" Kage announced.
"Life!"
Once again, Yoshiko's Life Core was destroyed under another Spirit's assault.
Yoshiko - Life: 4→3 / Reserve: 2→3 Cores + 1 Soul Core
"Turn End." Kage concluded, the subordinates that were with him making their usual monkey sounds to cheer at the current situation.
"Atashi no turn!" Yoshiko announced. "Core Step! Draw Step! Refresh Step!"
Yoshiko - Reserve: 3→4→5 Cores + 1 Soul Core / Trash: 0→1 Cores
"Main Step!" she stated. "I summon The Angelia Prima at Level 2!"
In a bright flash of holy light, a young woman clad in pink armor that had a rose-motif and wore a black visor appeared on Yoshiko's field, pirouetting as she entered the field while holding her staff.
The Angelia Prima: 2 Cores / LV 2 / 4000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
Yoshiko - Reserve: 5→1 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core / Trash: 0→2 Cores + 0→1 Soul Core
"Attack Step!" Yoshiko turned her new Spirit's card to the right. "Attack, Prima! Flash Timing! I use Prima's effect when attacking, discarding a card from my hand to lower the BP of Alparkar by 1000!"
(Alparkar: BP 1000→0)
"Since a Spirit's BP was lowered to 0 during the Attack Step, The Angelia Prima's Level 2 and 3 effect activates, destroying that Spirit! Vanish, Alparkar!"
The pink-armored angel waved her staff as a goodbye gesture, and the anthropomorphic creature was enveloped in golden light before vanishing.
"Princess' specialty, BP Reduction!" a member of her gang shouted.
"Rending the opponent's Spirits useless by lowering their BP to 0..." Kanna narrowed her eyes. "A strategy that can be used as offense and defense."
"This won't be an easy win, that's for sure..." Takuma remarked.
Since Kage's remaining Spirit, DarkMachG was exhausted, he had no choice but to take this attack head-on.
Kurai Kage - Life: 5→4 / Reserve: 1→2 Cores
"That's it for my turn." Yoshiko concluded. "During my End Step, I can activate the effect of Flower Dance Draw in my Trash. Since I have the Soul Core in my Trash, I can return one Flower Dance Draw to my hand."
"It's as if she didn't discard a card to activate Prima's effect." Taichi smirked. "Not bad!"
"Ware no turn." Kage announced. "Core Step. Draw Step. Refresh Step."
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 2→3→5 Cores / Trash: 2→0 Cores
"Main Step!" he said. "First, I move DarkMachG's Soul Core to the Reserve, then set a Burst. Next, I shall summon Calydon to my field!"
A new Spirit took the field. It was a wild boar with spiky, brown hair and wearing armor made of rocks similar to the moon's, and its tusks were colored yellow and had crystals erupting from them. The beast gave a loud cry as its eyes narrowed at the enemy.
DarkMachG: 1 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core / LV 2→1 / 3000→2000 BP / 1 Green Symbol
Calydon: 2 Cores / LV 2 / 4000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 5→0 Cores + 0→1 Soul Core / Trash: 0→3 Cores
"He even uses Yellow?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Blue, Green, and Yellow... three Colors in one deck." Yukimura noted. Just like Hidetaka... No doubt this person is very strong. Tenshi Yoshiko, let's hope you'll be able to keep up with him.
"Attack Step!" Kage grinned wide. "Do it, Calydon! Attack!"
"Flash Timing!" Yoshiko abruptly shouted. "Magic: Flower Dance Draw! With this card, I lower DarkMachG's BP by 3000, thus making it become 0. And since your Spirit's BP dropped to 0, the additional effect of Flower Dance Draw will activate, destroying it and allowing me to draw one!"
DarkMachG (BP 2000→0) could do nothing as it suffered the same fate as Alparkar.
"For the attack, take it from the Life!"
After those words, the wild boar smashed another one of Yoshiko's Life Cores.
Yoshiko - Life: 3→2 / Reserve: 0→1 Cores
"You were able to destroy another of my Spirits... however, you are mistaken if you think it will make a difference." Kage scoffed. "I'm activating Calydon's effect when attacking: Holy Life! When this Spirit's attack decreases my opponent's Life, I can move one Core from the Void to my Life!"
Kurai Kage - Life: 4→5
"No way! He's back at five Lives!" Sasuke exclaimed. "And Yoshiko is already down at two!"
"As things stand, the masked person is in the lead." Kanna said before glancing at the female battler. "But Tenshi's eyes seem unnerved."
True to her words, Yoshiko didn't seem bothered by her opponent's lead.
"Turn End." Kage shrugged in a playful manner. "It seems this fight won't stand up to its name. Truly pitiful."
"Don't celebrate yet. Believe me, it won't end well for you!" Yoshiko warned him. "Atashi no turn! Core Step! Draw Step!"
Her eyes widen a little at the new card, and she let out a sly smirk. "Refresh Step!"
Yoshiko - Reserve: 1→2→5 Cores + 0→1 Soul Core / Trash: 3→0 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core
"Main Step!" Yoshiko declared. "I summon another Cupid to my field! Then, I summon this: descend from the skies, beautiful angel of light! Let your light guide me to victory! The ArcAngelia Raraphael is summoned!"
A new Cupid appeared on her field, followed by an even more beautiful Spirit. It was a tall woman with long, silver hair, wearing armor of the same color plus purple and having angelic wings sprouting from her back. Raraphael smiled as she entered the battlefield, Yoshiko's other Spirits cheering her entrance.
Cupid: 1 Cores / LV 1 / 2000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
The ArcAngelia Raraphael: 1 Cores / LV 1 / 5000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
Yoshiko - Reserve: 5→0 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core / Trash: 0→3 Cores + 0→1 Soul Core
"It's here!" one of her gang's members told.
"Princess' Key Spirit!" another one added.
"Go, princess!" one more shouted.
"Attack Step!" Yoshiko exclaimed. "Attack, Cupid! At the same time, Raraphael's effect activates! When my Spirit in the family "Divine Spirit" attacks, one opposing Spirit's BP is reduced by 3000. Thanks to Cupid's Charge ability, that amount is increased by 1000, for a total of 4000!"
Raraphael gathered energy in her hands and Cupid fired one of her arrows into it, increasing its size a little. After that, the angel threw the energy ball at Calydon, hitting it and causing the wild boar to lower its head as its strength vanished.
(Calydon: BP 4000→0)
"Then, The Angelia Prima's Level 2 and 3 effect: Calydon is destroyed!"
Following Yoshiko's words, Prima waved her staff as Calydon disappeared.
"The Life." Kage stated.
Cupid fired another arrow from her bow, hitting the Life Core and made it shatter.
Kurai Kage - Life: 5→4 / Reserve: 3→4 Cores + 1 Soul Core
"I was waiting for this moment!" Kage abruptly stated. "Because my Life was decreased, my Burst activates!" he turned his face-down card face-up. "The Strange Fang Shinobi Tachikazewolf: I summon it at no cost!"
A twister of green wind formed on Kage's field, out of which a brown furred wolf leaped out, howling as it brandished the two swords the hands, that were attached to its back, held.
"My Burst's effect continues. Since I have the Soul Core in my Reserve, I add two Cores from the void to Tachikazewolf, bringing it to Level 3."
The StrangeFangShinobi Tachikazewolf: 2→4 Cores / LV 3 / 9000 BP / 1 Green Symbol
"He summoned it at no cost and got extra Cores!?" Yuya whined.
"You could attack and lower my wolf's BP, but I can simply take it from the Life." Kage pointed out to his opponent. "With two attacks, namely Prima's and Raraphael's, Tachikazewolf's BP would be 0 and it would be destroyed. So, what will it be, angel princess of the skies?"
As he says, with two attacks I could get rid of his new Spirit... but that would leave me only Haneppo standing, me being defenseless on his next turn. By attacking, he would take it from the life and get more Cores, increasing his options as well. Because he only has two cards in his hand, I can't see him doing much next turn. For now, it's better if I play it defensive. Yoshiko thought before talking. "Turn End. At my End Step, Flower Dance Draw returns to my hand because my Soul Core is in the Trash."
"Ware no turn." Kage announced with a grin. "Core Step. Draw Step. Refresh Step."
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 2→4→7 Cores + 1 Soul Core / Trash: 3→0 Cores
"Main Step!" he shouted. "I summon Kanikong at Level 3, and then deploy the Nexus, The Olymspia Stadium at Level 2!"
To appear on the masked battler's field was a grotesque Spirit, which had the resemblance to an anthropomorphic crab with a human skull as its head. The Spirit's green eyes narrowed at its next prey, the angel princess of the skies.
Moments later, one spot under Kage's Battle Machine took the form of an old and desolated, greek stadium.
Kanikong: 3 Cores + 1 Soul Core / LV 3 / 5000 BP / 1 Blue Symbol
The Olymspia Stadium: 1 Core / LV 2 / 1 Blue Symbol
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 7→0 Cores + 0→1 Soul Core / Trash: 0→3 Cores
"Due to my Nexus's Level 2 effect, if an opposing Spirit that has not Braved attacks, my opponent must send a Core from their Reserve to their Trash, or else the attack is nullified. Lastly, I set a Burst." Kage chuckled. "That's the end of my turn."
"In the end, the 'truly pitiful' one here was you all along. You're going to pay dearly for thinking you could take over my Province, my home, without me beating you!" Yoshiko shouted. "Atashi no turn! Core Step! Draw Step! Refresh Step!"
Yoshiko - Reserve: 0→1→4 Cores + 0→1 Soul Core / Trash: 3→0 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core
"Main Step!" she declared. "I bring The Angelia Prima to Level 1, and then Level up Raraphael to Level 3!"
Prima: 2→1 Cores / LV 2→1 / 4000→3000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
Raraphael: 1→3 Cores + 1 Soul Core / LV 1→2 / 5000→7000 BP / 1 Yellow Symbol
Yoshiko - Reserve: 4→3 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core
"Attack Step!" she cried out. "Prima, attack! I move one Core from my Reserve to the Trash so this attack won't be nullified by The Olymspia Stadium! Next, Raraphael's effect comes into play! With Cupid's and Raraphael's Level 3 Charge, Kanikong's BP is lowered by 5000 points!"
The great angel threw a sphere of yellow energy from her hands, and Cupid fired another arrow into it. The sphere washed over Kanikong, completely draining its strength.
(Kanikong: BP 5000→0)
"Raraphael's Level 2 and 3 effect when attacking! All opposing Spirits that have their BP lowered to 0 return to the top of their owner's deck!"
The strange crab creature could do nothing as its body was surrounded by a sacred light before it disappeared.
"That's the way, princess!" a gang member shouted.
"Since the masked battler has 0 cards in his hands, and the top card of his deck is Kanikong, Yoshiko knows what he's going to draw next turn," Kanna explained. "She used this chance to pressure him."
"If this continues, she'll win!" Yukimura cheered.
However, even in this dire situation, Kage couldn't help but give a demonic grin that made Yoshiko flinch.
"I knew you were going to do that all along, angel princess!" he revealed with a laugh. "Because my Spirit left the field by an opposing Spirit's effect, I can activate my Burst! Rush Shield! For every color of symbol on my field, I draw one card. Therefore, with Green and Blue that I currently have, I get to draw a total of two cards!"
After he got his new cards, Kage chuckled. "And my Burst's effect isn't over yet. By paying the cost, I activate its Flash Effect: at the end of this battle, the Attack Step ends! Take it from the life!"
Raraphael kicked the Life Core that protected the masked battler, but she was immediately blown back by a giant, transparent shield that emerged from the ground and stopped the Yellow Spirits from passing.
Kurai Kage - Life: 4→3 / Reserve: 0→1 Cores + 1 Soul Core
Yoshiko gritted her teeth at this. To think he had such a Burst...!
"And then, Rush!" Kage added. "Because I control a Blue, Green, or Yellow symbol, I get to draw one more time."
Now he has three cards, one of which is Kanikong. This might have taken a turn for the worse... No, what am I saying!? I still have three blockers and Flower Dance Draw in my hand, along with Symphonic Burst I drew this turn's Draw Step. Living through his next turn won't be a problem. I won't let this punk take over my home! Yoshiko thought before talking. "It's your turn now."
"In case you're thinking of surviving my next turn, please, stop this instant. You won't get another turn!" Kage vowed. "I'll wipe the floor with you this turn! Ware no turn! Core Step! Draw Step! Refresh Step!"
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 1→2→8 Cores + 1 Soul Core / Trash: 0→6 Cores
"Main Step!" he shouted. "I summon back Kanikong, along with a new friend, The Mysterious Beast Pooxan!"
The anthropomorphic crab with a human skull as its head reappeared on the field, accompanied by a deer-like creature with blue hair and eyes that emitted a sacred glow.
Kanikong: 1 Cores / LV 1 / 3000 BP / 1 Blue Symbol
The MysteriousBeast Pooxan: 1 Core / LV 1 / BP 1000 / 1 Yellow Symbol
"The things you value the most don't matter to me! All that matters is to win, and to do that..." Kage's demonic grin widen. "I'll have my Key Spirit devour your precious life! A natural disaster is coming this way, one of which you never saw before! Squirm under its might: Life-robbing Distant Sea Drachen, we meet at Level 2!"
As he slammed the card on his board, furious winds erupted inside the Stadium, causing everyone to grab onto something if they didn't want to get blown away. The winds formed three twisters, and water emerged from the card that materialized on the field, making it look like an ocean with a tempest.
Launching out of this ocean was a tall and muscular bipedal dragon with blue scales, that glowed faintly and made them resemble sapphires. The dragon had a dense mane, similar to a lion's, and from this mane, two demonic horns sprouted and glowed with an eerie purple. It also had a fish-like tail, and the dragon's claws and talons glowed green and were ready to tear everything to pieces.
Life-robbing Distant Sea Drachen: 2 Cores / LV 2 / 11000 BP / 1 Blue Symbol
Kurai Kage - Reserve: 5→0 Cores + 1→0 Soul Core / Trash: 1→5 Cores + 0→1 Soul Core
"Th-That's his Key Spirit...!?" Sasuke gulped.
"Attack Step!" Kage declared. "Tachikazewolf is leading the assault! I'm activating its Level 2 and 3 effect when attacking, putting your The Angelia Prima to rest!"
The brown furred wolf gave a loud howl, prompting Prima to become scarred and take a defensive stance as she became exhausted, leaving Yoshiko with one less blocker.
"Flash Timing!" she quickly stated. "Magic: Symphonic Burst-"
"You can't." Kage interrupted her. "Because I used the Soul Core to summon Drachen, this turn, my opponent cannot activate Magic or Burst effects. That means you can't use Magic to escape me!"
"What did you say!?" Yoshiko's eyes widen in horror. "T-Take it from the Life!"
Tachikazewolf jumped into the air and cut the Life Core to pieces with its swords.
Yoshiko - Life: 2→1 / Reserve: 1→2 Cores
"Princess!" her entire gang gasped, while Kage's group gave their monkey sounds of joy.
Yoshiko gritted her teeth in defeat. She had two blockers left, while Kage three more attackers. If only she could use her Magic Cards...!
"Now, perish! Pluck the angel's wings, my friend: Life-robbing Distant Sea Drachen, attack!" Kage shouted. "Level 2 and 3 effect when attacking: an opposing cost 6 or less Spirit is destroyed! Get out of here, Cupid!"
Following those words, Drachen unleashed a bolt of dark electricity from its horns, hitting the poor angel and making it explode.
"...Life..." Yoshiko spat, accepting her defeat.
Drachen gave a loud roar before a Life Core appeared in front of her Battle Machine, and the dragon clutched it between its hands. Moments later, the Core shattered, the force of its destruction sending her flying off the Battle Machine.
Yoshiko - Life: 1→0
Winner: Kurai Kage!
The Yellow user fell onto the hard ground and the battlefield vanished as the match ended.
"Princess!" Yoshiko's gang ran up to her in concern, while the audience was left speechless by the sudden turn of events.
"With this victory, the Echizen Province belongs to Master." Kage said as he jumped down from his Battle Machine. "I guess this fight was a good warm up. But not good enough..."
"Wait!" Yukimura exclaimed as he stood up from his seat. Kage glanced at him, and the red-haired youth extracted his Deck Case. "I don't know what you people's goal is, but I won't let you get away with it. Like Toshi, I'll fight you for the Province's freedom-"
"No." Kage interrupted him, much to his confusion. "Fighting you now would be useless. With my current strength, I would lose..."
He sighed before starting to walk away. "What a pain... we're retreating."
"Eh!?" Yukimura shouted as Kage and the monkeys escaped the scene.
"Cowards!" Sasuke and his friends added in disgust.
"What a terrifying and strange battler..." Kanna whispered. "Life-robbing Distant Sea Drachen... a terrifying Spirit, just like its user."
Yukimura turned towards Yoshiko but didn't see the female battler anywhere. He jumped down from the stands and ran up to Tenshi's gang.
"Where's Tenshi Yoshiko?" he asked confused.
"She told us not to bother her..." somebody explained to him. "And that... he gives you the win..."
"What!?" Yukimura's eyes widen. Did her loss destroy her will to fight, to the point of giving the red-haired battler's a free win!?
In one of the Stadium's corridors, Yoshiko was continuously hitting the wall in anger and annoyance, thinking over her pathetic loss.
"How could I let this happen...!?" she inquired. "I'm the ruler of this Province...! Yet I lost..."
Yoshiko fell to her knees as tears started running down her cheeks.
"Were the signs I was following until now... a big fiasco...!?"
An antagonist makes itself be known, and that's none other than Kurai Kage (in English, Dark Shadow). The first opponent he defeats was the poor Yoshiko, who's now pent-up by her loss. I've decided to add some fan-made cards to the mix, because... well, why not. (Also because I didn't know what Key Spirit to give to Kage.)
There are going to be a couple of more OC cards used by the characters, so Kage won't be a singularity.
With that said, I'll see you all next time! Don't forget to review!
- Rush Shield
Color: White
Cost: 5
Reduction: 1 White, 1 Blue, 1 Yellow, 1 Green
[Burst: After your Spirit leaves the field by an opposing Spirit's effect.]
For each color of symbol on your field, draw 1 card. After that, by paying the cost, activate this card's (Flash) effect.
(Flash) At the end of the battle, end the attack step. [Rush(Condition:Blue/Yellow/Green Symbol)] The effect below remains active while you have a Blue/Yellow/Green symbol.
Blue/Yellow/Green: Draw 1 card.
- Life-robbing Distant Sea Drachen
Color: Blue
Cost: 8
Reduction: 2 Blue, 1 Yellow, 1 Green
Symbols: 1 Blue
Family: Ocean Emperor, Imaginary Beast
Level 1: 1 core, 8000 BP
Level 2: 2 core, 11000 BP
Level 3: 4 core, 15000 BP
[LV1][LV2][LV3] (When Summoned) When Soul Core is used to pay the summon cost, for the rest of this turn, your opponent can't activate Magic or Burst effects (your choice).
[LV2][LV3] (When Attacks) Destroy 1 cost 6 or lower opposing spirit. [Rush(Condition:Yellow/Green Symbol)] The effect below remains active while you have a Yellow/Green symbol.
Yellow: Holy Life (When Attacks) When the opponent's life is decreased by this Spirit's Attack, put one core from the Void to your Life.
Green: When only the opposing spirit is destroyed by comparing BP, move 1 core from your opponent's life to their reserve.