The Rise and Fall of History II: Opposing the Present

by Medigo

The world of dueling has reached its climax. Many stories have been told through these cards, and the final story brought everyone together. People are united and yet, an unknown world suffers in their shadow. The fallen one returns in the midst of their peace, pursued and still a stranger to those around. There is not much time to save both his home and his friends.

38. Against Better Judgment

Redux 53: Against Better Judgment

In the middle of Uno's sparring session with his sister, a servant walked in. "Lord Uno. Your friend requested your presence in the infirmary. It would seem one of your guests has awoken." He was sent here by Eric, to share the happy news. "Oh? Zach's better? That's great!" Uno was tempted to go and see him right away. "uno.." But he was still dueling his sister, training his powers. "if you stop now, you wont learn anything." Progress with the pendulum had been slow so far. "Yeah. I know. But.." It was unfortunate, but he could not go. "What should I tell them?" The servant requested. "Tell him.. that I was busy. And give him this." He handed the man the communicator. "He will know what to do with it." At the very least he could make sure Adamant had someone to reach if he called. "Very well, milord." The servant excused himself and left the two in the hall. "Lord.. yeesh'." Uno shuddered. "you still are not used to it? you shouldn't worry. you have a family and that you have friends.. that wont change just because you're a lord."

"Yeah. I guess." Uno smiled. He was happy to have friends, but a whole world of them was too much. If only he knew why 'Tempus' dropped this legacy on him.

...

Dom's LP: 6300 Iria's LP: 1800

"You got me there, that's a fine trick." Seal of Orichalcos and two First Monarchs(6/1500/2400) with the same attackpoints kept Doms Dark Magician(3500/2100) from declaring a decisive attack. "But it's gonna take more than that to change my mind. And my mind is very solid." He tapped the side of his temple. "Huh. Feels weird.. I'm missing something. A hat maybe? Oh well." Dom placed the Dark Magician on top of the Illusion Magician(7/2100/2500). "An XYZ-summon?" So her master had not lost his inclination towards XYZ-monsters either. "You bet! I XYZ-summon my rank 7 Ebon High Magician!" The shadow and the original merged. Their armor gained a midnight-blue and purple tint, while their staff increased in size and housed a bright red gem. This was the dark magician of void(7/2300/2800). "Be honest, you like it dont you?" Dom placed a trap card and ended his turn.

"If I am to be honest, sir. The shape and form of a card never much mattered to me." Iria drew her next card, also a trap card. "..." It wouldn't help her break the stalemate, her trap Monarchs could not attack or be switched to defense. She placed the trap down and finished her turn. "Is that right? Well I appreciate the candor, but I don;t see why.. if I ever went about hiring disciple, I would pick you." Dom started his turn, and his deck did not give him a way out of this lock either. "Hrm. It's been a while since someone made me pass a turn. Looks like we're equally matched as duelists at least. Your move, lady Iria."

"You did not hire me for my passion for the game, sir. You hired Zachary Creffield to cover that aspect." She mentioned his name, even though Dom likely did not remember him either. "You took me in, because you needed a voice a reason. That is what you told me. You didn't want someone who would just agree with everything you suggested, you wanted someone who could say no." She was doing that even now, she was saying no to his new reality. "But.. I did come to accept a certain joy in this game, over time. A preference for style, as Zach would say." That was the reason why she stopped using pendulum cards. Her counterpart did not seem to have a problem with them though. "It does make for a great story, Dom the perfect duelist starting his own company to make the game even more exciting! But none of that sounds like me.. I wouldn't know the first thing about running a business." Dom shook his head. "That is exactly why you hired us, sir. You can do more than you think." She drew her next card. At last, it was a monster.

".. By activating Strike of the Monarchs from my graveyard, a monsters attribute will be altered into one of my choosing!" Strike of the Monarchs banished itself and targeted one of the First Monarchs, turning it into a wind-attribute monster. "Then I activate Return of the Monarchs." The continuous spell would play another keyrole in this duel. "And my two monsters are tributed!" The first First Monarch and the second were removed, leaving behind one empty throne. "Raiza the Mega Monarch!" The throne was claimed by the ultimate form of the stormking, Mega Raiza(8/3300/1000). As she had completed a tribute summon, Return of the Monarchs allowed her to add a monster with 2800 or 2400 attackpoints and 1000 defense points to her hand. With that spell, she claimed Caius the Mega Monarch. First though it was the season of the Storm Monarch.

"Now that Mega Raiza has been tribute summoned, one card on the field and one card in the graveyard will be returned to their masters deck!" Her targets were Dark Magical Circle and Magician's Rod. The continuous spell and the rod monster were exiled from the field and graveyard respectively. "And when a wind-attribute monster was used as one of the tributes for this normal summon, Mega Raiza can return another card on the field to a players hand! I choose the XYZ-monster: Ebon High Magician!" Naturally XYZ-cards could not go to a players hand, so Ebon High would be moved back to the extra deck instead. "Oh? I don't think he's gonna go anywhere, Iria!" Yet Dom countered with a spell from his hand. "Ebon High Magician can activate spells from my hand once each turn! I activate another Dark Magic Expanded!" The XYZ-magician detached Dark Magician from its body, which meant that there were two Dark Magician Girls and one Dark Magician in the graveyard again. "Dark Magic Expanded activates all three of its effects!" The expansive spell powered up Ebon High(3300/2800) and made it immune to the effects of the Monarch's storm.

"... I end my turn." Though the two monsters were now made equally strong, Iria knew better than to attack Ebon High and leave herself wide open. "Not going to attack? I can't blame you!" The turn fell back to him and the effects of Dark Magic Expanded abandoned the High Mage(2300/2800). "Looks like I'll have to do it myself!" He entered the battle phase. Ebon High fired a bolt of magic at Raiza. The emperor deflected the blast and caused the XYZ-spellcaster to be destroyed by his own attack. "Excellent. When Ebon High is destroyed, I can special summon a Dark-spellcaster from my deck.. and destroy one card on the field! I summon the Dark Magician of Chaos!" The evolved form of the dark mage, the leather-bound Magician of Chaos(8/2800/2600) emerged from the main deck. "And destroy The Seal!"

Dom's LP: 5300

"The Seal of Orichalcos?" The field spell shattered, causing Mega Raiza(2800/2000) to lose its powerboost. "Now while we're still in the proper phase, Dark Magician of Chaos can attack the Monarch!" He was going for mutual destruction. "Not when I use this trap card!" She didn't know what exactly he was planning, but it couldn't be any good. "Lose 1 Turn! That monster you special summoned is switched to defense mode, and cannot activate its effects this turn!" Her continuous trap forced it to defense mode right after it appeared. "Ah, so I wont be taking back any spells either this turn?" The Chaos mage usually returned one spell from the graveyard to the main deck during the endphase. "Strange. You keep avoiding my traps, even the not-obvious ones. You act like you know me, but that's.. just not possible." Now all Dom could do was place a trap down and let his turn end the normal way. "It is sir. A lot is possible. You knew that once.. In fact I was the nonbeliever of us three. You helped me.."

"So I will help you, for as long as I can! I summon Caius the Mega Monarch!" Since Mega Monarchs could be tribute summoned just by sacrificing one tribute summoned monster, she could offer Mega Raiza for Mega Caius(8/2800/1000). "He banishes one card on the field, and if it is a dark-type monster, you take 1000 points of damage!" The ultimate emperor of darkness banished the magician of black and white magic. "Dang." The wake of the blast struck dom as well. "I will attack you directly!" An even larger black hole of magic was formed by Mega Caius, to strike Dom with. "Then I activate my permanent trap, Eternal Soul! Once each turn, it special summons Dark Magician from my hand or graveyard!" A stone slab arose, with the image of a dark mage carved into it. The first Dark Magician(7/2500/2100) was resurrected once again, but forced into defense mode by Iria's Turnskipping trap. "No matter how many blockades you put up sir, I will still get to you! I know who you are!" The black hole sucked up the Magician instead. Iria placed another trap card down and moved to her endphase.

Dom's LP: 4300

However she could not yet physically end her turn. "Well maybe I am not a fan of the guy you think I am! I activate Final Geas!" Dom unveiled his earlier scheme. "Since two monsters with levels above 7 were sent to the grave this turn, Final Geas will banish all monsters in the graveyard!" He opened his own space-time wormhole, which absorbed all of his spellcasters and all of her emperors and vassals. "Then the spellcaster with the highest level among all those banished cards is summoned to my field! I choose the Dark Magician!" The geas rift reversed its rotation, spitting out one card. The mage's shadow returned to the field, forced to defense by Lose 1 Turn, but then switched back to attack mode as soon as Dom could begin his turn. "Eternal Soul has one more gift to give! A Thousand Knives or Dark Magic Attack spell card." The eternal trap pulled a Thousand Knives spell card from Dom's deck. "When I control Dark Magician, the Thousand Knives will destroy one monster on my opponent's field!" The Magician conjured up a dozen throwing knives in his hand and tossed them all towards Mega Caius.

"You must have known, that I could stop that." Before the knives reached their target, Iria activated a trap card. "The Monarchs Awaken! This trap negates my tribute summoned monsters effects, but it also has become immune to your effects this turn!" The knives bounced harmlessly off of the dark emperor. "I suspected something, just not something permanent." Dom eyed the other card in his hand, a spell that was useless now. "You expected a monarch who could be tribute summoned during your turn." Previously when Iria tribute summoned Mega Caius, she used Return of the Monarchs to claim a special Monarch from her deck.. "It will only leave my hand now, Ehther the Heavenly Monarch!" As Dom relinquished control to her, she could sacrifice the tribute summoned Mega Monarch, for an even higher member of the hierarchy. It was Ehther, the angelic emperor(8/2800/1000) in white robes and gold armor. "When Ehther is normal summoned, she special summons one of the lower Monarchs from my deck!" Ehther invoked her powers of authority to command Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch(6/2400/1000) to appear besides her. "But your own trap.." Thestalos was switched to defense by Lose 1 Turn. It wouldn't get its effect from a special summon either.

"Thestalos is not the one you should worry about, sir! I activate Card Advance!" Iria used a spell, which shuffled the top 5 cards on top of her deck as a cost. The reward.. "Now I can normal summon one more time this turn!" Was a second tribute summon. When the Holy Monarch appeared, Return of the Monarchs brought the original Shadow Monarch, Caius, into Iria's reach. "I tribute Thestalos to tribute summon Caius the Shadow Monarch!" Fire made way for darkness, Caius(6/2400/1000) joined his shadows with the holy light of Ehther. "Nice try! But the Eternal Soul makes my Magician immune to your card's effects!" Dom was certain he would not lose to that this turn. "But does it make it immune to your own trap?" Caius did not try to banish The Dark Magician. It could banish Eternal Soul as well. "Ah.. oh.." The slab cracked and the pieces were turned to sand. "When the Eternal Soul leaves the field, all monsters you control are destroyed!" The Dark Magician turned to dust along with the trap. "Well... I didn't see that coming." He was out of things to hide behind. "You taught me well, sir." Iria took a deep breath. "The Monarchs attack!" Ehther and Caius summoned heavenly radiance and hellish clouds and sent them all out to overwhelm Master Dom. "Aaaahhh!"

Dom's LP: 0

Dom briefly shielded his face. "Oh. That didn't sting as much as I thought it would." The holograms around him were fading, his defeat was clear. "That was.. interesting. As far as I can look back, I've never lost a match. I suppose that's not true either?" While she gave him no verbal answer, her expression said enough. "I didn't think so. This doesn't feel.. unfamiliar." He closed his eyes and rubbed the temples of his head. "Okay. Say I believe you, that all of this is really happening, I own a large company in another dimension and you are my apprentice. I mean you haven't put me back in the slammer yet, so clearly you're not just a jailer with a very good acting credit on her resume. Why would someone want to make me forgot you? Why am I in here?" He was willing to listen to her for a bit, she had earned that much just by beating him. "I do not know why exactly. It could be a number of reasons. It could because you were seen as an enemy by an organization that has infiltrated the government of both world. You disappeared after you defeated their leader in a duel, perhaps they arranged to pick you up on this side and transport you here before someone else found you. And your memories were erased, because you knew too much. There is someone else, who has suffered the same effects.. Christopher Nisell."

"Yes, all very interesting." The holographic inquisitor declared, dropping in unannounced as usual. "Silver?" She was accompanied by the unlocking of the room. "Hey! Does that mean we're free to go?" Dom asked the holographic Inquisitor. "This world has no 'Dom' equivalent, you have no status here. Due to that very fact you cannot have committed a crime." The Inquisitor stated rather wryly. "So, Iria Silver. This is the man who changed your life? This buffoon is what stopped you from reaching my heights? It makes me want to 'cry'." She shook her head and sighed. "I feel fortunate that I did not end up like you, Silver! What have you done with Adamant and Stonewell?" Iria yelled. "No, we are unharmed." Three duelists walked through the opened door. "Iria. I see you have located your master." Adamant vaguely recognized the man standing behind her. "And you have found who you came for.." Iria spotted Tory. "Meaning.. you released her?" She was surprised with her other half, there had to be a catch. "I didn't need to do anything to them. They obeyed like the good little lapdogs they are." Silver said with a satisfied smirk. "You forced us! You wouldn't let Tory go unless we gave you information!" Stonewell cursed and shook his hand at her. "Information? What did you tell her?"

"We told her all we could, about the guy who has been giving us assignments." Stonewell admitted. "And you didn't need to do that for me." Tory insisted, even after the fact. "Yet he did. You should show some gratitude to the boy, little brat. I have no problem at all with throwing you back in." The Inquisitor teased viciously. "Silver. Do you believe lord Fortuno will excuse what you have done here? Not just what happened to us, but what is being done to every man and woman imprisoned in here?" Adamant refused to be intimidated. No matter what she said, they had every right to be here. "You really do not have a clue do you? The Union built the Monument, they know as much about it as you do now. The Nisells are the one who invented this technology to process a humans mind and keep it locked behind a simple card. Being trained to help create more efficient artificial intelligence is just a form of community service. Your friend 'Uno' is who you should be looking at. I hear he was the one who came up with the Templar idea." She chuckled just a little. "Uno? He started all of this?" Stonewell roared.

"And.. when it comes to my own actions, I believe he will forgive me, once I tell him who the real threat was. Maybe then we can restore his memory and body to what it used to be? That would be a miracle, wouldn't it? The same can be done to you." She glared at Dom. "Uh. Okay? Do I want that?" He scratched his head. "You mean you figured out who attacked Uno and who put Dom in this facility?" Now she had caught Iria's attention. "I should thank you. I wont, but I should. You made me go and check the physical logs of each templar drone by hand.. Virtual hands that is.." She clenched her fist. "Whoever deleted the logs from the mainframe was not thorough enough to also delete the physical back-ups inside the Monument. The two drones that attacked Uno were destroyed, but the drone that was removed from his zone later that night was not. In addition, I used the information you provided." She pointed at Adamant. "You entertained a Templar three days ago, you said. For some reason, that data never reached us. Someone wanted to keep your arrival under wraps." She went on and on. "Then who did it?" Stonewell just wanted her to get to the reveal already. "Someone who makes you kids look like just a bunch of clueless runts going around smashing things..."

...

"Why is it taking so long? Dame Phoebe hasn't reported in in hours!" MC frantically paced across the hideout, waiting for a sign of life of her superior. "Perhaps she fell in battle. That would be a shame." Ichirou sat calmly on his chair and chuckled. "..That might be the only possible conclusion. Great." The woman sighed deeply. "Who would that leave in charge of your guild?" The 'leader' of the XYZ-guild saw an opportunity here. "Don't get any ideas. I still control all assets in her absence. Besides.. we both know she wasn't the real power behind all of this." MC spoke softly to avoid whoever might be listening. "But I am not hearing him come up with any new plans." Ichirou spoke a bit more openly. "No. Ngh! I wasn't ready for this. What are we supposed to do without leverage?" She cursed. "If you are open to suggestions, I can pass one on." Ichirou said with a chuckle. "At this point, I am up for anything." MC relented. "What is it?"

(To be Continued in Redux 052: As Clean as a Whistle)

New Cards used by Iria Silver
Raiza the Mega Monarch
Ehther the Heavenly Monarch

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The Monarchs Awaken

New Cards used by 'Dom'
Dark Magician of Chaos

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Ebon High Magician

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Thousand Knives

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Eternal Soul
Final Geas