What promo card that was never meant to be legally used was the model for Ruin? If you said "Queen of Fate – Eternia" you were successfully able to Name that Card!
I'm doing away with Name that Card to instead end each chapter with some colorful stories of important figures whom the Wind Dukes of Aaqa have opposed. In the struggle of Law versus Chaos, Yumi must always keep on her toes, for there is no telling whom Shogarr may recruit to his side.
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He came out of nowhere. He was dressed like my uncle, and unbeknownst to me, he had stolen my uncle's cards; duplicated them, and made cheap forgeries. He challenged me to a duel, and I lost.
That was a day ago, and I consider myself very lucky. It is very likely that Daala would not have kept her word had she actually gotten the Key, and I'd be Shogarr's prisoner if Erik had not defeated Leichter.
Now, he's shown up again. I've challenged him to another duel…
But this time, there's a difference…
This time… I have a plan…
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CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
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Ruinous Beast
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Yumi's party was in trouble, and they knew it.
They had left the library after the short storm had apparently passed, and started to make their way towards their goal again, following Zane once more.
But half an hour later, the sky opened up, and fierce wind with snow started to come down mercilessly. The six duelists staggered against the blizzard, covering their mouths with their scarves and trudging through the thick accumulation.
"Hold up!" shouted Zane.
"What!" yelled Yumi.
"I'm no idiot!" yelled Zane. "This isn't a normal storm… Someone is causing it…"
He held his hand over his eyes, and could just make out a shadowy shape in front of and above them.
He lifted up a card.
"Seven Tools of the Bandit!" he shouted.
There was a loud snap, and the wind started to die down. The snow eased up, and then stopped all together.
Everyone looked up, and saw who it was. Hiroki was standing above them on an ice-covered rock, holding up the Trap Card, Driving Snow. It quickly shattered into particles of light.
Sam stepped forward.
"I figured it was you," she said. "How long have you been following us?"
Hiroki leapt down from the rock.
"Long enough," he replied. "I heard you had escaped, and I hate leaving things unfinished."
"Daala was never going to let me go at all, was she?" asked Sam.
"Guess we'll never know," said Hiroki with a shrug. "But she certainly won't this time. Now are you gonna come quietly, or do I have to humiliate you again?"
"Oh, look at you!" sneered Sam, stepping up to him. "Mr. high and mighty! Hiroki, you think you're the king of the world, but I think differently. Know what your problem is? You have something powerful, and you're downright drunk with the power.
"You want to humiliate me again? Well, I'm certainly not going to 'go quietly', as you put it."
"Something powerful?" asked Hiroki. "It's more than just something powerful, sis. Have you forgotten that I hold the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my deck?"
"You do not!" snapped Sam. "Know how I know?"
She stared Hiroki in the face.
"When I was trapped in that soulgem, I was half-conscious, and I had a waking nightmare. The Spirits of the three real Blue-Eyes White Dragons came to me… And they were crying their eyes out, because three imposters pretending to be them had hurt their master's niece!
"It took a lot of gentle talking and reassuring just to calm them down, and I finally convinced them that I'd erase this stain. Fix this injustice."
"Sam…" said Yumi, in a cautious tone, "maybe you'd better not…"
"Why?" asked Sam, angrily. "Why, Yumi? So you can duel him? So the epic battle between Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes can happen again? You think that only a Mouto is capable of beating that deck, is that the reason? Well, that may have been true in the past, but I swear on Seto Kaiba's good name that I'm going to be the first duelist without Mouto blood to do it!"
She took her deck out of its holder, and loaded it into her Disk.
"And by the way, Hiroki…" she said, "I've changed a few cards in my own deck since we met last time…
"Know what one of the cards is? It's the card you gave me for my birthday!"
"Huh?" said Hiroki, somewhat surprised.
Hiroki heard Daala's voice in his head.
Don't worry, Hiroki, she said. I can see her plan clearly. She thinks that if you see that card, you'll suddenly snap out of it and come to your senses. I think it's a pathetic plan.
In fact, I'll send you something to make her fall flat on her face.
Hiroki's deck glowed as a card was shuffled into it. He grinned.
"Thank you, milady," he whispered.
"Why not go for the gusto, sis?" asked Hiroki. "Let's use Deck Lords this time."
"Fine with me," said Sam.
In a flourish, Gors appeared behind her.
"And mine is the Lord of Dragons!" exclaimed Hiroki.
In another flourish, the caped, black-garbed Spellcaster with a helmet shaped like a dragon's claw appeared behind him.
"Let's hope this turns out better than it did last time," muttered Ren.
"Good luck, sis," chuckled Hiroki. "Frankly, I think you're gonna need it."
Both Disks activated.
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Sam: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Hiroki: 8,000)
"I'll make the first move…" said Hiroki, drawing a card.
"I summon Sangan."
The three-eyed, spherical Fiend appeared. (1,000/600)
"That's all for now."
Sam slowly drew a card.
"I summon… My Mad Archfiend," she said.
She played the card, and in a burst of energy, a very savage looking Fiend appeared. It had thin, gangly limbs, attached to a torso that looked like a set of bestial mandibles with a skull inside them, and two more jawbones as shoulder pads. It had a hideous face below a mane of bright red hair. It snarled in rage. (1,800/0)
"Whoa," said Chelsea. "That guy does look pretty mad."
"And it's about to take its anger out on your Sangan!" exclaimed Sam.
Mad Archfiend rushed at the critter, and with one swipe of its claw, tore it in half.
(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 7,200)
"I use Sangan's effect," said Hiroki, taking his deck. "I get to..."
"I know how it works!" snapped Sam. "I took Dueling 101! You get to take a Monster with 1,500 Attack Points or less from your deck! So do it already!"
Hiroki took Kaibaman from his deck and looked at it.
"I'll end with one facedown card," said Sam.
A facedown card appeared behind Mad Archfiend.
Hiroki drew a card.
"So you have a new Monster," he said. "I have all I need right here.
"I use my Deck Lord ability! During my Standby Phase, if I don't have a Dragon on the field, I can pull one from my deck."
He took a card from his deck and held it up. It was Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"Like this one!
"Now, I'll summon Kaibaman!"
He played the card, and the heroic version of Seto Kaiba appeared. (200/700)
"Trap Card, activate," said Sam, as her facedown card lifted.
"Huh?" said Hiroki.
"Thousand Buster," continued Sam. "I pay 1,000 Life Points… Then, all Monsters that are in Attack Mode with 1,000 Attack Points or less, and all Monsters in Defense Mode with 1,000 Defense Points or less, are destroyed."
"But that means…" gasped Hiroki.
"My Mad Archfiend is safe," replied Sam, "because it's in Attack Mode with 1,800 Attack Points. But your Monster won't be so lucky. I'm not letting you summon Blue-Eyes that easily."
Kaibaman exploded into shards.
Sam bowed her head, and a tear fell down her cheek.
"Uncle Seto, I'm sorry…" she muttered. "I… I didn't have a choice…"
She looked up.
"Thousand Buster also causes us both to lose 1,000 Life Points!"
Hiroki groaned as they were both surrounded by an aura of red energy.
(S: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 6,200)
"Fine," said Hiroki. "So you managed to form somewhat of a strategy this time…
"I have to end my turn."
"All right!" shouted Erik. "Sam has a free shot at him!"
Sam quickly drew a card.
"I activate Pot of Greed," she said.
She played the card, and the green jar appeared. She drew twice.
"Now I summon Gil Garth!" she shouted.
In a dark flame, Gil Garth appeared next to Mad Archfiend. (1,800/1,200)
"Mad Archfiend, attack him directly! Bone splash!"
Mad Archfiend snarled, and drooled at the mouth. It rushed at Hiroki, and raked at him with its claws. Hiroki took a step backwards.
"Gil Garth, your turn!"
Gil Garth gripped its scimitar with both hands, and rushed at Hiroki, slashing at him with the blade. Hiroki toppled over.
(S: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 3,000)
Two facedown cards appeared behind her two Fiends.
"I'll set these, and then it's your move."
"She's actually winning!" gasped Erik.
"Don't jinx it," said Chelsea.
Hiroki frowned as he drew.
"I play the Spell Card, Trade-In," he said. "Now, by tossing a Level Eight Monster from my hand, I get to draw twice."
He discarded the Blue-Eyes, and then made two draws.
"Now, I play Monster Reborn."
The holy ankh appeared in front of him.
"To summon… Oh, c'mon… You know who it is…"
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon loomed over the field. (3,000/2,500)
"Attack that ugly Mad Archfiend!" shouted Hiroki. "White Lightning!"
Blue-Eyes opened its jaws, and a sphere of energy appeared in them…
"I activate Mad Archfiend's effect!" shouted Sam. "When it's attacked while in Attack Mode, it gets to retreat into Defense Mode."
Mad Archfiend quickly knelt down, and crossed its arms over its chest. Blue-Eyes's bolt of energy blasted and struck it, blowing it to particles.
Darn… thought Hiroki. I really need to study up on the new stuff more…
"It's your move," he said.
Sam drew a card.
"I'll just move Gil Garth to Defense Mode, and that will be all," she said.
Gil Garth knelt, and shielded itself.
Hiroki drew again.
"I'm gonna finish you off!" he shouted. "I play the Spell Card, Cost Down. So I toss one card…"
He discarded his Different Dimension Dragon.
"And the Levels of all Monsters in my hand are downgraded two places. So my second Blue-Eyes is transformed from Level Eight, to Level Six."
"You still need one sacrifice to summon it," added Ren, "and you have none. I mean, it would be really dumb to sacrifice the Blue-Eyes on the field for a second one."
"I don't think he'd play Cost Down unless he already had one," said Zane.
"That's right," replied Hiroki, "I play Fiend's Sanctuary!"
He played the card, and a Metal Fiend Token appeared on his side of the field. (0/0)
"Now, I'll sacrifice it…"
The Token vanished.
"And now I have two Blue-Eyes!"
A second Blue-Eyes appeared next to the first. It roared. (3,000/2,500)
"Now to clear away your Monster… I play Lightning Vortex!"
He played the card, and discarded another. Thunder flashed, and bolt fell from the blue, atomizing Gil Garth.
"NO!" screamed Erik. "It can't be happening again!"
"It is!" shouted Hiroki. "First Blue-Eyes, attack her directly!"
The first Blue-Eyes roared, and fired its lethal White Lightning towards Sam…
"Go, Draining Shield!" she shouted, as one of her facedown cards lifted.
Hiroki snarled with anger as a dome of force formed around Sam, and the blast was absorbed into it.
"What your Trap Card gave you, my other Blue-Eyes will take away!" he yelled. "Direct attack!"
The second Blue-Eyes breathed its mighty breath, and this time, it met no objection. Sam screamed as it hit her.
She fell on one knee. She held her stomach and took some deep, gasping breaths.
(S: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (H: 3,000)
"I guess that time, it was no harm, no foul, huh sis?" asked Hiroki.
"Not quite," gasped Sam. "I wanted you to attack me… Because I have another Trap…"
Her second facedown card lifted.
"It's called Damage Condenser! Now, I toss one card…"
She discarded her Skull Knight #2. A huge electrical generator sparking with energy rose up behind her.
"…and I get to Special Summon any Monster from my deck I want, so long as its Attack Score isn't greater than the amount of damage I just took. I took 3,000 points of damage, so pretty much any Monster in my deck that doesn't have specific summoning requirements qualifies!"
A bonfire of dark flames appeared on the field, and Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared with an angry leer. (2,450/1,600)
Hiroki glared at Sam in anger.
He looked at the last card in his hand.
"I'll set this facedown," he said, "and end my turn…"
The card appeared facedown.
Sam quickly drew the top card off of her deck.
"I activate… Shadow Spell!" shouted Hiroki.
His facedown card lifted up, and chains sprouted from the ground, latching onto Ha Des's wrists and waist. His Attack Score fell to 1,750.
"So much for your Dark Ruler," he said.
"Don't count your chickens yet," said Sam. "This just means I get a chance to use my new Deck Lord power.
"You see, thanks to Nezbitt, I was able to swap Gors's powers for a Greater Power. It's called Wrath of Ha Des.
"Once per duel, when Ha Des is on the field, I can toss two cards from my hand…"
She discarded her Bistro Butcher and Premature Burial.
"And Ha Des can destroy every card on the field except himself."
"Hey!" shouted Hiroki. "Hold on! Wait a minute!"
Ha Des roared with rage, and tore free of the chains. He formed a huge fireball in his hands, and then slammed it to the ground…
The two Blue-Eyes roared as flames surrounded them, and they shattered into shards.
"Unbelievable…" said Zane.
"Fortunately for you," continued Sam, "I can't attack on the round where I do that. But I can still summon Winged Minion."
She played her last card, and the nasty, winged imp appeared. (700/700)
"Now, I sacrifice it, to boost Ha Des."
Winged Minion vanished, and Ha Des rose to (3,150/2,300)
"And my turn is over."
Hiroki seethed with anger.
He drew a card.
"I use my Deck Lord effect again," he said.
He pulled a card out of his deck.
He played the card, and the card he had drawn, and a facedown Monster and a facedown card appeared in front of him.
"That's all I can do…"
Sam drew a card and looked at it.
"I set a Monster in Defense Mode," she said, as a facedown Monster appeared.
"Then I attack with Ha Des! Stygian blast!"
Ha Des formed a ball of dark, crackling energy in his hands, and threw it. The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
"Your move," said Sam.
Hiroki drew.
He looked at the card he had just drawn. Then he looked at Sam's facedown Monster, and then looked at the card he had drawn again.
If that facedown Monster is what I think it is, he thought, this setup is perfect…
He fit the card into his Disk. It appeared facedown.
"I set this," he said. "Then I use my Deck Lord ability."
Lord of Dragons glowed with energy, and a card slipped out of his deck. He held up the third Blue-Eyes card.
"Now, I activate my Trap Card…"
The facedown card he had set last turn lifted up.
"Birthright. Now I get to bring a Normal Monster back from my Graveyard. Guess who it is…"
With a bellow, the Blue-Eyes appeared again. (3,000/2,500)
"Ha Des is still stronger!" shouted Sam.
"He isn't my target," replied Hiroki. "Blue-Eyes, attack her facedown Monster!"
Blue-Eyes blasted its White Lightning at the hidden Monster. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was blown to nothing.
"Just as I suspected," said Hiroki.
He discarded the Dragon, and then drew five cards. Sam also drew five cards.
"Wait…" said Chelsea. "Why would he search for his third Blue-Eyes… If he expected that card to be Morphing Jar? Why would he want to discard it?"
"I have a pretty good idea…" said Zane.
"That's right," said Hiroki.
The card he had set lifted up.
"I activate Dragon's Mirror!" he shouted.
Lightning flashed, and wind started to tear through the tundra.
"I remove from play this Blue-Eyes on the field, and the two in my Graveyard…"
Lightning flashed again as the huge Dragon vanished.
"Come forth… Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Sam stepped back in fear as the huge, winged, three-headed titan that she thought she would never see loomed over the field behind Hiroki. It was just as big as the F.G.D., and like that Dragon, seemed bigger than life. It roared with three voices, shaking the whole terrain, and its six eyes glowed with pure light. (4,500/3,800)
"Sam, you'd better have a plan for this too!" shouted Erik, trying hard to be heard over the noise.
"Don't count on it," said Hiroki. "Fortunately for her, my Battle Phase is over, so I'll set a card facedown, and anticipate my next turn."
A facedown card appeared in a flash of light.
Sam's hand shook as she drew a card.
She looked at it.
Okay, here goes… she thought. It all comes down to this…
Please… Don't let me be wrong…
"You think I'm scared of that, Hiroki?" she asked, nervously. "So it's big… Big deal, I say. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, don't you know…
"Know what card I just drew? I just drew the card you gave me for my birthday. Isn't that a coincidence?
"But… I don't think I'll play it just now…
"Instead, I'll move Ha Des to Defense Mode, set someone else in Defense Mode, and end my turn."
Ha Des knelt and crossed his arms. Then a facedown Monster appeared next to him.
Hiroki glanced at his hand, and smiled inwardly.
He drew a card.
Perfect! he thought. I have the cards I need for the perfect combo!
Burial From a Different Dimension, and De-Fusion! The first one will return my three ordinary Blue-Eyes to my Graveyard, and the second will let me swap my Ultimate Dragon for all three of them… And I can activate De-Fusion in the middle of my Battle Phase. This will bring this duel to an explosive end…
He took another card in his hand.
But first… I'm going to use the card that Daala sent me to show Sam what I think of her feeble attempt…
"All right, sis!" he shouted, playing a Spell Card. "Telling me that card was in your hand the stupidest thing you ever did! I play… D.D. Designator!"
"NO!" screamed Yumi.
"Now, I get to name any card I can think of," continued Hiroki, "and if it's in your hand, it's removed from play!
"I name… Spear Cretin!"
There was a dead silence for a minute.
Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Then she started to chuckle softly.
"What?" said Hiroki. "Mind letting me in on the joke?"
"That's exactly what I wanted you to do," she said with a another sigh of relief. "I wasn't wrong after all…"
She turned her hand of cards forward.
"As you can see, Hiroki, if that's truly who you are, Spear Cretin is not here. Nor is it anywhere in my deck."
Hiroki gasped.
"You lied!" he shouted.
"No," said Sam, with an angry look. "I told the God-honest truth. YOU are the liar, you imposter."
"Imposter?" asked Erik. "Sam… What…"
"I'll explain," started Sam. "Two months ago, when it was my eighteenth birthday, my mom made the mistake of letting her public relations man plan the festivities.
"Well, the jerk turned the event into a media circus, with more emphasis on PR for Kaibacorp than the celebrating of my birthday. Most of the folks on the guest list were members of Domino's trendy crowd who I didn't even know, and they didn't come for any purpose except trying to influence my mother on behalf of their own companies. One idiot called me Shania and made a very inappropriate pass at me. Well, the next week, mom was looking for a new PR man.
"Hiroki was invited, using an assumed name so as not to cause any scandals for mom. Once he got wind of the situation, he put the present he had brought for me away, then took a Spear Cretin out of his own deck that he had brought. A cheap card that any duelist could have gotten. He had tried hard to build a good deck, and was going to ask me for advice later. When the time for exchanging of gifts came, he passed it off as his gift to me.
"Now, I have no doubt that Daala probably had a spy at that party. She was likely studying me at the time, along with the rest of us. So she told you that Spear Cretin was Hiroki's present.
"But… Whatever spy she had sent couldn't have been watching hours later, when mom had finally gotten rid of all the guests, and Hiroki gave me his real present.
"You see… I didn't put Hiroki's present in my deck to convince you that you that I cared. I put it in my deck because I simply knew, deep down, that you were never Hiroki to begin with. I put it there to expose you!
"And since you played D.D. Designator and guessed wrong, you lose a card from your hand!"
A slash of energy made a swipe across the duelist's hand of cards. He gasped as the Burial From a Different Dimension card vanished.
"Not that one!" he screamed.
He dropped his cards and fell on his knees. He started writhing and groaning.
And then he vanished, leaving behind only the cards and the Duel Disk.
"Is it over?" asked Ren. "Does this mean that Sam wins?"
The Lord of Dragons' eyes glowed.
"No…" said Zane. "I have a feeling it may just be starting…"
The Spellcaster stepped forward. He picked up the cards, and then slipped the Duel Disk on his own arm.
"I had a feeling it was probably you," growled Sam. "I figured there were only two Duel Spirits in existence capable of using imitation Blue-Eyes, and I didn't think that Kaibaman would have betrayed me.
"I have to ask… Why?"
"Why do you think, Samantha?" asked Lord of Dragons. "I've hated you and your mother with a passion. I never forgave Siegfried either. His last act was to give his three Dragons to the family of Kaiba's hated rival!"
"My father was Siegfried's friend, pal," said Yumi, "as well as his closest ally! Sure, they were rivals, but they weren't nasty about it."
"You and your mother disgust me," said Lord of Dragons, pointing to Sam. "Neither of you have even tried to contest that portion of the will, and gain freedom for those three Dragons. They're prisoners in that cold museum, while Kaiba's heir does nothing to help them!
"The heir of Seto Kaiba shouldn't be using a Fiend Deck. She should be using the cards that are associated with the Kaiba name. The only solution to this travesty now is to kill the family line before it can be embarrassed further."
"To think that my uncle always had room for you in his deck…" said Sam, shaking her head. "You think I'm a disgrace? Then prove it… Let's end this!"
"Gladly!" shouted the Lord of Dragons. "It's still my move!"
Lightning flashed.
(Sam: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Lord of Dragons: 3,000)
The Lord of Dragons took a card from his hand.
"I summon Luster Dragon!" he shouted.
In an explosion of energy, the beautiful, sapphire Dragon appeared. (1,900/1,600)
"Now, I activate my facedown card… Dragon's Rage!"
His facedown card lifted.
"This Continuous Trap gives all of my Dragons a trampling effect, giving you nowhere left to hide.
"Luster Dragon, attack her facedown Monster! Sapphire spark!"
Luster Dragon breathed a blast of blue energy at the facedown Monster. Opticlops appeared on the card, and exploded. Sam sweat a little.
"Blue-Eyes… Destroy her Dark Ruler with Neuron Blast!"
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared, and a burning blast of pure energy shot at Dark Ruler Ha Des. He exploded, and Sam was thrown off her feet.
(S: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (LoD: 3,000)
"I may not have been able to finish her this round," he mumbled, "but maybe it was for the better. Seeing her sweat through another round might make it worth it. Daala will be so pleased, she'll…"
He stopped short.
"Hey, wait a minute…" he muttered. "Who needs Daala? I've got the best deck in Xanadu… Once I take down Sam, I'll take her down too… Then I'll crush Joan and the rebellion myself… No-one will stop me!"
"Uhm, hello?" said Sam. "Are you gonna end your turn sometime this decade?"
"Your move," he said.
Sam quickly drew a card.
She threw two cards into her Disk, and two cards appeared facedown.
"Your move," she said.
Lord of Dragons laughed as he drew a card.
"I sacrifice Luster Dragon," he said, "for the stronger Luster Dragon #2!"
Luster Dragon vanished, and the larger, emerald Dragon appeared. (2,400/1,400)
"Luster Dragon… Attack her directly!"
Luster Dragon breathed a stream of green flames. Sam cringed in pain as they hit her in the chest.
(S: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (LoD: 3,000)
"SAM!" screamed Erik. "NOOOO!"
"You're through!" shouted Lord of Dragons. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, finish her off!"
The great, three-headed beast roared. Flaming energy appeared in all three of its mouths.
"I activate… Call of the Haunted!" shouted Sam.
One of her facedown cards flipped up, and Mad Archfiend appeared in an explosion of soot and smoke. (1,800/0)
"As if that will save you!" laughed Lord of Dragons.
Three streams of energy blasted towards the Archfiend…
"I activate my other Trap!" screamed Sam. "And guess what, you imposter? This is Hiroki's real present!
"Hate Buster!"
"Hate Buster?" gasped Zane, in surprise.
"You've heard of it?" asked Yumi.
"A player can activate it when one of his Fiends is attacked," said Zane. "Both the Fiend and the attacking Monster are destroyed…
"But… The controller of the attacking Monster is worse off, because he takes damage equal to his Monster's Attack Score!"
Mad Archfiend let out a savage roar. Flames surrounded it, and it started to burn like a bonfire. It leapt off of its feet, and flew at the colossal Dragon like a guided missile.
Lord of Dragons dropped his cards and let out a bloodcurdling scream. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon bellowed from all three of its mouths, right before it erupted in an explosion that lit up the whole landscape.
(S: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (LoD: 0)
When everyone looked, the Spellcaster was down on one knee in a very large puddle of melted snow, and Sam was standing, albeit with her hair unkempt, and her face covered with soot.
"Whoa…" said Sam. "I hope I don't ever have to do that again…"
Erik ran up to her, and grabbed her, giving her the biggest hug he could.
"Easy, baby, easy," said Sam.
And then they were surprised, as a chain dropped out of the sky, and latched onto Lord of Dragons' wrist. He was yanked up.
They all looked up, and saw that he was being towed. Daala was mounted on one of her Manticores of Darkness, and had snagged him.
"We need to chat, Lord of Dragons!" she snapped.
They were out of sight before any of them could do anything.
"That was great, baby," said Erik. "He had me fooled… But he never fooled you! Beautiful and smart! What more can a guy ask for?"
Sam took the Hate Buster card out of her Disk and looked at it.
Truthfully, she thought, I wasn't a hundred percent sure. Maybe I should have been more sure. Still, I was still willing to bet a great deal on the likelihood that he was a fake… Hiroki is still my brother, after all is said and done. Maybe once I finally get home, I'll give him a call.
"That was great, Sam," said Yumi.
"Yumi…" said Sam. "He was a jerk, I know… I may have beaten him, but… Just for the sake of argument, do you think he might have had a point? Do you think I might be more loyal to the Kaiba name if somehow, I was able to use his deck?"
"You want my honest opinion?" asked Yumi.
"Lay it on me," replied Sam.
"I think," said Yumi, "that the only duelist who was ever able to properly use those three Dragons was Seto Kaiba himself. He was bonded to their spirits in a way that is difficult, if not impossible, to pass to someone else. If you believe the story, when he was Priest Seto in a former life, the spirit of the Blue-Eyes was bonded to him by his beloved. In other words, they were Kaiba's Monsters, and they wouldn't easily adjust to anyone else, even an heir.
"Sure, Siegfried used them, but I think they were loyal to him because he was fulfilling his uncle's mission, the mission to protect the Mandate of Heaven. In a sense, while Siegfried used them, they still belonged to Seto.
"So Sam… I do not think that your uncle would think any less of you for not using his cards. He was a duelist, after all… He understood that every duelist has to find his own calling."
Sam nodded.
She looked at the Hate Buster card again.
"Thank you, Hiroki," she whispered.
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Hiroshima was a smaller city than Domino, but still quite large. Having the dubious distinction of being the target of one of the atomic attacks during World War II had given it a few of its more popular attractions, such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the accompanying museum. The Hiroshima Peace Institute, established at the city's university, was one of the strongest voices in the world for the abolishment of nuclear weapons.
Duel Monsters was only a casual pastime here, not at all like its popularity in Domino. And for the real Hiroki Ishiyama, it was the farthest thing on his mind right now. Like any good second-year high-school student, he was hard at work in his room in his father's penthouse apartment, working on a trigonometry assignment.
At this moment, he paused. He started writing again, and his pencil broke.
He looked at the pencil.
"Sam?" he said, out loud.
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Daala was reclining on her couch, casually petting her pet Catnipped Kitty, while Lord of Dragons nervously stood before her.
"Don't feel too bad, Lord of Dragons," said Daala. "Things didn't turn out too bad…"
She put down the cat and sat up.
"After all," she said, slipping her Duel Disk on her arm, "I'm certain that if you had won, you would have tried to seize power for yourself!"
"N-no!" gasped Lord of Dragons. "No! Honest milady… The thought never crossed my mind!"
"I see…" said Daala, calming down a little.
She reclined back on the couch again.
"Well, in that case, you're free to go."
Lord of Dragons' eyes lit up.
"Really?" he said with a smile.
Daala's Disk activated.
"IF you can reach the door!" she added.
Lord of Dragons heard a growl behind him. He slowly turned around.
He backed up, as the three fake Blue-Eyes White Dragons loomed over him.
Daala smiled. This was going to be amusing…
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Near Kozaky's library, a lone figure ran across the tundra.
The cold didn't bother him at all, and he ran faster than any human could likely manage, at a tireless pace.
He was single-minded in his pursuit. Only one thing was on his mind.
He paused at the library and looked around. His quarry had passed this way. He could tell. He quickly resumed his chase.
He only had one goal. What he would do if he ever succeeded, he didn't know, nor had he even taken the time to consider it. The one who had sent him had put it plainly…
Find Zane Truesdale… Defeat him.
It was as simple as that…
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MAD ARCHFIEND (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 0
Card Description: When this card attacks a Defense Position Monster with an ATK higher than the attack target's DEF, inflict the difference in battle damage to your opponent's Life Points. When this card is the target of an attack while in Attack Position, switch it to face-up Defense Position.
Note: This card was released in Japan in the "Crossroads of Chaos" set (English release date unknown). The name "Mad Archfiend" is an educated guess to a possible TCG name. (The original name is "Mad Demon".)
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Lord of Dragons' Deck Lord: "Dragon Summoner": Once per round, if you do not control a Dragon-Type Monster you can take one Dragon-Type Monster from your deck and add it to your hand: (Greater Power)
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Sam's Deck Lord: "Messenger of Hades – Gors": "Wrath of Dark Ruler": Once per duel, when you have a "Dark Ruler Ha Des" face-up on your side of the field, you can discard two cards from your hand to destroy all cards on the field except "Dark Ruler Ha Des". You cannot declare an attack on a round in which you use this effect. (Greater Power)
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Lords of Chaos
The Story of Vashtuk, the Laughing Demon
Chapter thirty-seven of The Demonicon, a treatise written as a collective effort by sages among the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, is devoted to information on one entity of Chaos. The first part of the chapter details the following version of his origins, which is believed to be the most likely.
Most think that the Seven Deadly Sins of Man were creations of devils, and are thus tools of Law. That may or may be true, but these traits are often exhibited by chaotic forces as well, as shown by the tale of Vashtuk.
He was once a minor noble among the celestial hosts, and a high-ranking servant of the god of laughter, joy, and riches. He did his job well and without complaining for many centuries.
But as time passed, Vashtuk became too enamored of his lords many riches and trinkets – the fine jewelry and carved golden bric-a-brac that adorned the halls of the celestial palace. At last, he became obsessed with one belonging in particular: a golden, bejeweled drinking cup.
Vashtuk said to himself, "It is only the smallest of things, this little cup – he shall never miss it." And so he took it for his own.
But Vashtuk had not known that this cup was a gift to his lord from his lord's sister, the goddess of love and beauty. Indeed, it was a reflection of her fairness captured in the gold of the cup that had made him so obsessed.
One day, when the goddess came to visit her brother, they chose to have wine, and she asked why he did not drink from the cup she had given him. When it could not be found, she became angry, convinced that he had given it to a goddess who he had been wooing. She left in a fury… And the lord became enraged. It did not take him long to discover the true cause of its absence.
Vashtuk was brought before his lord, and the god of laughter said, "If you will steal trinkets and skulk about at the heels like some miserable goblin, then a miserable goblin you will be! By this mark, you will have me to remember my by. The greater your misery, the more forcefully you will laugh at the poverty of your existence. For laughter is my gift, and you shall have it until you choke!"
And so it was. And Vashtuk was cast into the Abyss.
He was turned into the likeness of a goblin, and since then, he has made due, possessing greater powers that are twisted versions of those he possessed as a celestial being. He draws goblins under his wing, often convincing them that he is one of them, sometimes even convincing them that he is a god of their kind. Still sick with greed, and possessing it at a more pronounced level, he encourages his followers to steal and con others out of their purses, so as to accumulate wealth. Possibly, he hopes to buy his way back into Heaven with his ill-gotten gains, not realizing that his thieving ways have become too ingrained for him ever to stop, and that he is now as much a force of Chaos as any other demon lord…
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Coming up next:
The next duelist that the heroes encounter has a way with words – he just doesn't use them that much. Daala's video game assassin strikes, and he's not nearly as nice as Raiden was. Of course, his target is Zane, who isn't known for being nice either. What villain from the world of computer games could possibly be a match for Hell Kaiser? Giving the title of the next chapter here would likely give it away, so suffice to say, be here soon…