Author's note:
Zane is the star of this chapter. Now, as of September 1st, one of his favorite cards, Cyber Dragon, is Limited in the actual game. There is a good reason for this: A Level Five Monster that can be Special Summoned so easily makes Synchro Summoning too easy.
However, in my fanfic world, as you know, Synchro Monsters are incredibly rare. Thus, I am keeping with anime rules in this case, and making Cyber Dragon an Unlimited card.
Just thought I'd let everyone know that.
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As one of the AI programs in Joan's army, I have two separate sets of memories. Sometimes even I find it hard to tell them apart, as much as I try.
The first set is the memories belonging to the human who was used as the model for my programming. They were present when I first appeared in Xanadu. I remember all aspects of Zane Truesdale's life, up to a certain point.
The second set is the memories of my true experiences, those that actually happened to me since I was programmed.
In both sets of memories, I recall facing a lot of bizarre enemies, not all of them human. But this one… This one beats all. For one thing, he looks like he literally fell off the ugly tree and hit every ugly branch on the way down.
If what Yumi says about his origins is right, this creature cannot be reasoned with. Trying to would be a waste of time. In the video game where he came from, his purpose was to hunt down his targets and kill them. Joan's dictum is probably the only reason he has to duel me.
Besides…
I really don't feel like reasoning with him anyway. This freak just got on my bad side, and I like to think I can handle him just as well as any special forces police unit…
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CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
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Relentless
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The creature poked his head over an icy hill, and saw the six duelists walking on a frozen plain below.
"Mmm…" he grunted.
Not knowing he was watching, Zane looked back and forth.
"Trouble, Zane?" asked Yumi.
"Something's about," muttered Zane. "I can't exactly put my finger on it… But I wouldn't drop my guard if I were you…"
Then they were startled by several loud squawkings. Five Sonic Ducks were rushing towards them
"Look out!" shouted Ren. "It's a box of quackers!"
"Very funny!" shouted Chelsea.
To their surprise, the Sonic Ducks just rushed right past them, paying them no heed.
Then they all took a step backwards, as they saw the much bigger Duel Spirit who was chasing them.
It was clearly a Dragon, standing twenty feet high. Its hide was covered with metal armor, all of which was covered with spikes, blades, and drills.
"The Armed Dragon!" shouted Zane.
"Figures," said Yumi, as everyone activated their Disks. "It sure doesn't look like a Wind Monster, but it is one…"
They watched the huge creature, expecting it to lunge. But strangely, it didn't. It glared at them for a few seconds.
Then, they all heard a telepathic voice in their heads. It was gruff, deep, and gravely, but commanding.
"The behemoth comes," it said, "waiting to unleash its powers of destruction. Its arrival is heralded by three. Three must die before it can come. Any less, and it is too proud to appear. Any more, and the power of the hallowed ground forbids it from coming. But when it comes, it can consume the soul of one who has fallen to slay any foe or smash any barrier that would impede it. Beware, mortals, for this evil is not subtle in the least.
"And by the way, look out behind you…"
"Huh?" said Zane.
Armed Dragon turned and fled, as the six duelists spun around. They saw a figure on the tall hill – pointing a hand-held rocket launcher at them.
"That guy's pointing a bazooka at us!" shouted Chelsea.
Yumi quickly drew a card from her deck. She threw it into her Disk.
The figure pulled the trigger of the weapon, and the rocket fired. Yumi quickly hit the command button on her Disk, and the Draining Shield card flipped up.
The impact threw all six of them off of their feet, and blew the Shield to pieces, but the Trap had absorbed the brunt of it.
The assailant tossed the weapon aside and started to walk down the hill. Yumi and Zane were the first ones to get up, and also the first ones to see him plainly.
He was a hideous and intimidating sight. Standing seven feet tall, broad, and dressed in a black, leather trenchcoat, his skin looked diseased, hairless, rotted, and decayed. Nonetheless, despite this appearance of decomposition, he exuded an aura of strength.
"Good lord…" muttered Yumi. "Nemesis…"
"Huh?" said Chelsea, getting up. "Nemesis? What is this thing? A zombie?"
"More like a biologically-engineered life form, Chelsea," replied Yumi. "Daala has been playing with video games again."
"Err…" grunted the creature.
"Nemesis was the antagonist of Resident Evil: Nemesis," explained Yumi. "In the storyline, he was a super-soldier created by the Umbrella Corporation to hunt down the surviving heroes in the zombie-infested Raccoon City.
"As far as the game went, he was similar to a boss character, but unlike them, he didn't stay in one place. He relentlessly tracked the heroine everywhere she went, showing up at various times throughout the whole game. He had powers that most enemies didn't have, like the ability to follow the player from one area into another and pick up and use the same weapons that the player could use. And no matter how many times the heroine knocked him down, he was sure to get up again and continue chasing her, until she defeated him for good at the game's climax."
"Err…" growled Nemesis.
He pointed at Zane.
"Truesdale…" he grunted. "We duel…"
Zane closed his eyes and chuckled.
"Looks like Daala was going for fright value in her most recent attempt, huh?" he asked. "Fine, gruesome. If you're looking for a fight, I'll be happy to oblige. Since you had a game named after you, I guess you were doing something right."
Nemesis tore the left sleeve off of his trenchcoat. Then he lifted his left arm, and it started to mutate. A Duel Disk that appeared to be made out of his own flesh and bone grew out of his forearm.
"Gross…" said Sam.
"I've seen worse," said Zane. "Not much worse, I'll admit, but I've seen worse…"
The assassin took a deck of cards out of his trenchcoat and loaded it into the Disk.
"Duel…" he said.
"Guys?" said Chelsea. "Maybe we should give them a little space, don't you think? Zane's duels tend to be kinda intense…"
"And they tend to be rather short, too," replied Ren. "I've heard he can draw all three Cyber Dragons and Power Bond in his opening hand."
(Zane: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Nemesis: 8,000)
"I'll make the first move," said Zane, drawing a card.
He looked over his six cards.
"Unfortunately, Ren, it seems I wasn't that lucky this time.
"I summon Cyber Valley in Attack Mode."
In a flash of light, a Machine appeared that looked like a man-sized, metal snake, with prongs on its sides. (0/0)
"Huh?" said Erik. "Zero attack points?"
"Next," said Zane, "I'll play my Double Summon Spell Card, in order to make a second Normal Summon."
The Spell Card appeared.
"So, I'll also summon Cyber Kirin."
A small, metal dog with spines on its back appeared. (300/800)
"I end my turn."
If this guy is as dumb as he looks, thought Zane, he's probably going to attack… And he'll be in for a surprise…
Nemesis drew a card. He looked over his hand.
He played four of his cards, and a facedown Monster and three facedown cards appeared.
"Mmm," he said.
"I guess you're the strong, silent type," said Zane.
He drew a card.
I also guess he isn't as dumb as I thought, said Zane, looking at his four cards.
"Cyber Valley has three different effects," he continued, "and I'm going to activate the second one.
"By removing it and one other Monster on the field from play, I get to draw two times."
Cyber Valley and Cyber Kirin vanished into ripples of light. Zane made two draws.
"Next, I play Different Dimension Capsule. This lets me take any card from my deck I desire, and seal it in the capsule."
He took a card from his deck, and a glowing, blue sarcophagus rose out of the ground. The card in his hand vanished, and the sarcophagus sank into the ground.
"Bet it's his Power Bond!" laughed Ren.
"Now, I summon Cyber Dragon!"
In an explosion of ice and water, the huge, serpentine Machine burst out of the ground. It roared, and glared at Nemesis with its optic sensors. (2,100/1,600)
"All right!" cheered Sam. "Get that ugly zombie good!"
"I'm just starting!" said Zane. "Since that was a Special Summon, I'll Normal Summon Proto-Cyber Dragon!"
The Monster that appeared looked similar to Cyber Valley; same metal, serpentine design, and about the same size. (1,100/600)
"Proto-Cyber Dragon, attack his Monster!"
The smaller Machine breathed a blast of energy at the facedown Monster.
"Activate… Power Gift…" said Nemesis.
One of his facedown cards lifted, revealing a Quickplay.
"Send Despair From the Dark to Graveyard," said Nemesis, discarding a card from his hand, "and Proto-Cyber Dragon gains Attack Points equal to Despair From the Dark's Attack Points."
Proto-Cyber Dragon shot up to an Attack Score of 3,900.
"Huh?" said Zane, as his eyes opened wide. "It gains Attack Points? Why would you…"
"Activate… Draining Shield…" said Nemesis.
Another of his facedown cards lifted, and a dome of energy surrounded him. Proto-Cyber Dragon's blast was absorbed by the shield.
Zane frowned.
"Now second effect of Power Gift…" said Nemesis. "Proto-Cyber Dragon is destroyed."
Proto-Cyber Dragon exploded into pixels.
"I still have my real Cyber Dragon!" shouted Zane. "Attack! Strident blast!"
Cyber Dragon breathed a burst of burning energy at the facedown card. A Morphing Jar appeared on the card and was burned to ashes.
Okay… thought Zane. I guess this guy may be a little better than I gave him credit for.
Zane discarded his two cards, and Nemesis discarded the one he had. Each of them drew five cards.
"It's your move, ugly," he said.
(Z: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 11,900)
Nemesis drew a card.
It's pointless trying to insult this guy, thought Zane. He's a genetically engineered assassin, and such creatures are bred to ignore insults.
That may be a problem… Psychological warfare was one of Hell Kaiser's greatest advantages… But what does he do against an opponent who simply can't be intimidated?
"Activate Mystical Space Typhoon…" said Nemesis, holding up a card.
The cyclone tore across the field. The Different Dimension Capsule rose out of the ground, and was blown to pieces.
"NO!" shouted Chelsea.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh…" chuckled Zane.
He looked at Nemesis.
"That's exactly what I wanted you to do, big guy."
"Err?" said Nemesis.
"Just finish your move," said Zane.
Nemesis placed a card in his Disk.
"Play Premature Burial…" he said.
"Oh no…" said Sam. "He's bringing back Despair From the Dark…"
However, the Monster that appeared on Nemesis's side of the field was not Despair From the Dark. It was actually a lowly Skull Servant. (300/200)
"Huh??" said everyone at once.
Nemesis's last facedown card activated.
"Activate The League of Uniform Nomenclature…" he said. "Special Summon two more Skull Servants…"
Two more of the skeletal Zombies appeared.
He held up a Spell Card.
"Play… Triangle Power… Increase the Attack Scores of all Level One Normal Monsters by 2,000."
"Ho boy…" said Erik.
A flaming energy triangle appeared around the three Skull Servants. They glowed with energy and rose to Attack Scores of 2,300.
"Attack…" commanded Nemesis.
The three skeletons charged. The first one clawed at the Cyber Dragon, and the Machine exploded. The other two raked their bony claws against Zane, and he staggered backwards.
He clutched his stomach and took a deep breath.
"This isn't good…" said Chelsea.
"At least Triangle Power has a side effect," said Sam. "Those Skull Servants will be destroyed when Nemesis ends his turn."
Nemesis held up a card.
"Play… Thunder Crash…" he said.
"Unless…" muttered Sam. "Unless he destroys them himself before that happens…"
The three Skull Servants burst into shards, and a beam of energy shot at Zane, striking him.
(Z: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 11,100)
Nemesis took a card from his hand, and set it on his Disk. A facedown Monster appeared.
This is bad, thought Zane. I made a mistake… I got cocky, and I underestimated him… I really shouldn't have done that…
Nemesis was never programmed to be a fighter… He was programmed to be a killer, plain and simple. And he may look like a zombie with a worm-eaten brain, but he's actually quite clever.
If I want to win this duel, I have to stop taking him for granted, and start dueling like I mean it…
I just hope it isn't too late…
"It it's my move…" he said.
He drew a card.
"The card that was in my Capsule was this one…"
A card appeared in his hand.
"Card From a Different Dimension. Since it was removed from play, it goes to my hand this round, and we both draw twice."
Nemesis frowned. They both made two draws.
"Now, I play Monster Reborn!" shouted Zane.
He played the card, and the glowing ankh appeared in front of him.
"I'm summoning a powerful Monster that I discarded when Morphing Jar was flipped. The mighty Chthonian Emperor Dragon!"
With a fierce roar, a powerful Dragon appeared on Zane's side of the field. From the look of it, it may have been a distant relative of the more infamous Chaos Emperor Dragon, but it was much smaller, and had no legs, only large wings on its bulky, serpentine body. (2,400/1,500)
"Since Chthonian Emperor Dragon is a Gemini Monster," continued Zane, "I have to summon it twice to use its effect. So, I use my Normal Summon for this turn to second summon it."
Chthonian Emperor Dragon glowed with energy.
"And what's this effect, you may ask? It's the ability to attack twice in one round!
"Attack his Monster! Raging hellfire!"
The Dragon spit a burning stream of flames at the facedown card. A gaunt creature with insectoid features and holding a sword appeared on the card, and was burned to ashes.
"You destroy Goblin Zombie…" said Nemesis. "Effect activates… I take Zombie with 1,200 Defense Points or less from deck…"
He took a card from his deck.
"Fine," said Zane. "But my Dragon still gets to attack twice.
"Attack him directly!"
Chthonian Emperor Dragon breathed an even more intense blast of flames. There was an explosion at impact where it hit the assassin.
When the smoke cleared, Nemesis was simply glaring at Zane.
(Z: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 8,700)
Zane took two cards from his hand.
"I'll set two facedowns, and end my turn," he said.
The two reversed cards appeared.
Nemesis grunted as he drew a card.
"Play Foolish Burial…" he said, as a Spell Card appeared. "Send King of the Skull Servants to Graveyard…"
A card slipped out of his deck, and he discarded it.
"Then summon… Second King of the Skull Servants."
In a dark, shadowy aura, a new Zombie appeared. It looked similar to Skull Servant, only taller, with a definite aura of menace.
"King of the Skull Servants gains 1,000 Attack Points for each Skull Servant…" continued Nemesis, "and additional King in Graveyard. Have three Skull Servants… And one King…"
(4,000/0)
"Good lord…" said Ren.
"Attack Chthonian Emperor Dragon…" ordered Nemesis.
King of the Skull Servants lifted its claw, and a burning skull appeared in it. It hurled it at the Dragon. Zane cringed as the Dragon exploded.
(Z: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 8,700)
Nemesis placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared. He nodded.
"Zane is in big trouble, guys!" shouted Erik.
"I disagree," said Sam. "He has only 700 Life Points left, while his opponent has more than what he started with. He has no Monsters on his field, while his opponent has one with 4,000 Attack Points.
"The trouble he's in passed 'big' a long time ago. It's become overwhelming."
"Don't sell Zane short, people," said Yumi. "I heard he turned around a much more hopeless situation than this."
Zane looked at her.
She's talking about Zane's duel with Mad Dog, she thought. The turning point where he first became Hell Kaiser…
True, he reversed an overwhelming situation, but he did so by giving in to anger. Becoming cold and merciless. Something he regretted later.
I'm a copy of the real Zane, so I must become Hell Kaiser by default… But I must remain calm! Giving in to anger in Xanadu could lead to defeat, and that is NOT an option…
"I draw!" he shouted, drawing a card.
He looked at it, and added it to his hand.
"I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon!"
A second Proto-Cyber Dragon appeared. (1,100/600)
"Now I activate a Trap Card…"
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"Alchemy Cycle. When this card is activated, the Attack Scores of all my Monsters fall all the way to zero."
Proto-Cyber Dragon fell to (0/600)
"Err?" said Nemesis.
"Confused?" said Zane, with a smile. "Well, because I lowered its Attack Score to under 500, I can now combine it with this…"
A Spell Card appeared.
"Machine Duplication! This lets me Special Summon two more Machines with the same name. And since Proto-Cyber Dragon is assumed to be a Cyber Dragon when it's on the field, I can use this to summon two real Cyber Dragons!"
Two of the huge robotic serpents appeared. (2,100/1,600 x2)
"Now, I play Polymerization!"
He played the card, and the Proto-Cyber Dragon and two real Cyber Dragons melted into a spinning vortex of energy…
"Forming the Cyber End Dragon!"
The goliath of Cyber Dragons loomed over the field. Its three heads roared as it glared at the skeletal Zombie in front of it. (4,000/2,800)
"What good will that do?" asked Erik. "Their Attack Scores are equal!"
Zane's other facedown card lifted.
"I activate Rare Metalmorph!" he shouted. "Now, my Dragon gains 500 Attack Points, and the ability to, just once, avoid the effect of one Spell Card.
"Attack his King of the Skull Servants! Super Strident Blaze!"
Cyber End Dragon breathed bright, burning fire from its three mouths, and King of the Skull Servants exploded in a fiery blast.
"Activate King's effect…" said Nemesis. "Remove King in Graveyard from play… Special Summon King that was destroyed back to field…"
King of the Skull Servants appeared again in an aura of black flames. (3,000/0)
"I set two cards facedown," said Zane, "and end my turn."
Two facedown cards appeared.
(Z: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 8,200)
"Well," said Sam, "it's a start…"
Nemesis drew a card.
"Play Card of Demise…" he said.
He played the card, and the dangerous-looking guillotine appeared behind him. He drew four cards.
"Summon third King of the Skull Servants…"
He played a card, and another King appeared. (3,000/0)
"Then, play Monster Gate… Sacrifice one Monster, then pick up cards from deck until a Monster card is reached. Then summon it."
One of the two Kings vanished, and the other one rose to an Attack Score of 4,000.
Nemesis picked up one card, then two. Then he discarded them, and played the third. Zombie Master appeared on the field. (1,800/0)
"Play second Foolish Burial," he said. "Discard The Lady in Wight from deck."
He discarded a card.
"The Lady in Wight has the name 'Skull Servant' when in Graveyard."
The King on the field grew to an Attack Score of 5,000.
"Attack Cyber End Dragon…" he ordered.
"Not so fast!" shouted Zane.
One of his two facedown cards lifted.
"I activate The Transmigration Prophesy!" he shouted. "Now I can take any two cards in either Graveyard, and send them back to their owner's deck. So, I think I'll send King of the Skull Servants and The Lady in Wight back to yours.
"Of course, that weakens the one you have on the field, and it's too late to call off your attack…"
King of the Skull Servants fell to an Attack Score of 3,000. It threw its flaming skull, but Cyber End Dragon breathed a fiery blast of its own, and the King was destroyed.
"Ergh…" muttered Nemesis.
He gestured, and his facedown card lifted.
"Activate… Graceful Revival…" he said. "Bring King back to the field…"
King of the Skull Servants appeared again. (3,000/0)
He held up a Spell Card.
"Play Twister… Pay 500 Life Points to destroy Rare Metalmorph…"
A cyclone tore across the field. The Rare Metalmorph card shattered.
He held up another Spell Card.
"Play Ekibyo Drakmord… Equip to Cyber End Dragon… With Ekibyo Drakmord Equipped, Cyber End Dragon cannot attack, and will be destroyed after two turns…"
Cyber End Dragon roared, as if in pain. Zane stepped back in shock.
"End turn…" said Nemesis.
(Z: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 6,200)
Zane quickly drew a card.
"Cyber End Dragon isn't any good to me as it is," he said. "I can only sacrifice it…"
He played a Spell Card.
"I play Cyber Seller. Now, I can sacrifice my Dragon…"
Cyber End Dragon vanished into grains of light.
"Then I have a choice to make. I can either gain 300 Life Points for each Level it has, or draw one card for ever four Levels it has.
"I think I'll choose the cards."
He made two draws.
"Those cards had better be good ones," said Ren. "He's low enough on Life Points as it is."
"Now," said Zane. "I play Pot of Avarice."
He played the card, and Cyber End Dragon, all three Cyber Dragons, and one Proto-Cyber Dragon slipped out of his discard slot. He combined them with his deck, and reshuffled. Then he drew twice.
"Okay," he continued, as a Spell Card appeared. "I play Reasoning, and it works as follows, listen up.
"You give me one number. Then I pick up cards from my deck until I reach a Monster. If the Monster's Level is the number you chose, it goes to the Graveyard. Otherwise, I get to Special Summon it.
"Did you get all that?"
"Err…" growled Nemesis.
He held up his hands, showing five fingers.
"Five, huh?" asked Zane, reaching for his deck.
"That's bad, people," said Erik. "Cyber Dragon is Level Five."
"Nemesis is no dummy," replied Ren.
Zane picked up one card, and then a second.
He chuckled as he looked at the third.
"Proto-Cyber Dragon," he said, turning it forward. "That's Level Three."
He placed the card on his Disk, and Proto-Cyber Dragon appeared in Defense Mode. (1,100/600)
He discarded the other two cards.
"Everyone always picks five when I play that card," he said, turning to Erik. "No-one ever realizes that three Monsters in a whole deck is a very small minority.
"I'll also play a facedown card."
A facedown card appeared next to the other one.
"Then, I'll play Double Spell. I'll toss this…"
He played the card, and discarded Card From a Different Dimension.
"…to duplicate Card of Demise."
The art for Double Spell changed to that of Card of Demise. He drew four cards. He looked them over.
"I'll set two more cards facedown, and end my turn."
Two more facedown cards appeared.
"What's Zane up to?" asked Erik.
"You got me," said Sam, with a shrug.
Nemesis made a draw.
"Play Pot of Greed," he said.
He made two draws, and looked at the two cards.
"Attack Proto-Cyber Dragon…" he said.
King of the Skull Servants threw his burning skull at the Machine.
"I activate Attack Deflector Unit!" shouted Zane, as one of his Trap Cards lifted. "Now, I can sacrifice a Cyber Dragon, and once again, Proto-Cyber Dragon meets the requirements."
Proto-Cyber Dragon vanished.
"I summon Cyber Barrier Dragon!"
A new Machine appeared. It looked similar to Cyber Dragon, albeit with an emphasis on armor, and an energy-generating collar around its neck. (800/2,800)
"So long as it's in Attack Mode, it can deflect one attack per round."
King of the Skull Servants continued its attack, and a shield of energy formed around Cyber Barrier Dragon, forming a shield.
"ZANE!" screamed Chelsea. "You made a mistake! He has another Monster that can attack!"
"Zombie Master…" muttered Nemesis. "Attack Cyber Barrier Dragon…"
Zombie Master fired a volley of lightning bolts at Cyber Barrier Dragon, and the Machine erupted in sparks. Then it exploded.
"No…" said Ren.
"He lost…" cried Chelsea.
"Better take another look," said Zane.
Everyone looked. Zane had activated a Trap Card, and was holding a handful of cards.
"It's called Power Wall," he said. "Now, by sending these ten cards from my deck to the Graveyard, the damage to me is reduced to zero."
He discarded the ten cards.
Nemesis grunted, and placed both his cards in his Disk. Two facedown cards appeared.
"I take it that means it's my turn," said Zane.
He drew a card.
"Activate Trap Card," said Nemesis, as one of his facedown cards lifted. "Secret Barrel."
A large trapdoor appeared on the ground, opened, and a laser cannon lifted out of it.
"Secret Barrel inflicts 200 points of damage for each card on your side of the field and in your hand.
"Die…"
A glowing crosshairs appeared on Zane's chest…
"I activate Fusion Guard!" shouted Zane, as one of his facedown cards lifted. "Now, I just have to discard one card from my Fusion Deck, and your little toy is rendered powerless."
He held up six cards without looking at them. Yumi glanced over and saw what they were: Cyber Twin Dragon, Cyber End Dragon, Chimeratech Overdragon, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, and two copies of Cyberdark Dragon. He held his hand over them, and chose Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, and then discarded it. The laser fired, but fell short of striking Zane.
Zane looked at the card he had just drawn.
"All right, Nemesis," he said. "I must say I've had handsomer opponents, for sure, and more talkative ones, but you were a valid challenge. That's why I'm hedging the outcome of this duel on one shot in the dark!"
A Spell Card appeared.
"I play Soul Release! Now I can remove from play up to five cards in either Graveyard. I could render your King powerless if I wanted to… But if I took that option, I really don't know what I would do next. So, I'm going to use that effect on my own Graveyard."
Three cards slipped out of his discard slot.
"Next, my facedown card is a little thing about reminiscing…"
His last Trap Card lifted up.
"I activate Return From the Different Dimension! Now, by paying half my Life Points, all the Monsters I've removed from play come back.
"So let's welcome Cyber Valley, Cyber Kirin, Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Edge, and Cyberdark Keel!"
A glowing portal tore open behind him, and five Monsters flew out and landed in front of him. Cyber Valley came first. (0/0) Cyber Kirin followed. (300/800) Then the three notorious Cyberdark Machines appeared. (800/800 x3)
(Z: 350) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 6,200)
"Now comes that shot in the dark I was talking about. I'll remove Cyber Valley and Cyber Kirin from play again, to draw two cards. And I'll hope for the best!"
The two Monsters vanished. Everyone held their breath as he made two draws.
"And I just got just what I needed! The signature card of the Truesdale family…"
The wind started to pick up. Lightning flashed.
"I play Power Bond!"
A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field. Lightning flashed again.
"This is it!" screamed Sam. "One way or another, this is the last turn of the duel!"
"I fuse Cyberdark Horn," shouted Zane, "Cyberdark Edge, and Cyberdark Keel to summon the Cyberdark Dragon!"
All three Machines swirled into a dark vortex, and the intimidating shape of Cyberdark Dragon loomed over the field. (1,000/1,000)
"And since I fused them using Power Bond, its Attack Score is doubled!"
(2,000/1,000)
"And its effect activates, allowing me to Equip it with a Dragon in my Graveyard, and add that Dragon's Attack Score to its Attack Score…"
Chthonian Emperor Dragon appeared in front of Cyberdark Dragon. Clamps grabbed hold of it, bonding the two Monsters together. (4,400/1,000)
"Finally, for every other Monster in my Graveyard, it gains 100 more Attack Points. And with a little help from Power Wall, there are ten Monsters remaining in my Graveyard."
(5,400/1,000)
"Err…" growled Nemesis.
"Cyberdark Dragon…" ordered Zane, "attack his Zombie Master!"
"Activate… Relieve Monster…" said Nemesis, as his last facedown card lifted. "I can return Zombie Master to my hand, and Special Summon a Level Four Monster."
Zombie Master vanished.
"Choose to Special Summon Zombie Master back in Defense Mode."
Zombie Master appeared again, crouching and shielding itself. (1,800/0)
"Oh, no!" shouted Erik. "Now his Life Points will be untouched!"
"Wrong…" said Zane. "He made an error… He forgot that since Zombie Master left the field and was summoned back to it, a replay was triggered. And he has another Monster that's in Attack Mode…"
Everyone looked at King of the Skull Servants.
"Oh, it's no good!" shouted Sam. "Nemesis will still have Life Points left!"
Zane threw another card into his Disk.
"I activate Limiter Removal!" he shouted.
Cyberdark Dragon burned with green flames. Its Attack Score rose to 10,800.
"No he won't!" exclaimed Erik.
"Uh, guys…" said Yumi. "You all might want to hit the deck…"
"Attack his King of the Skull Servants!" ordered Zane. "Ultimate Darkness Burst!"
It seemed that the whole sky turned dark as night, as Cyberdark Dragon blasted its dark, burning beam at the Zombie, and an explosion ripped through the Frozen Wastes, causing the whole Realm to shake. The explosion could be seen from Leichter's castle in the Burning Peaks where Atticus was trying to establish order; he saw the explosion, and hoped that it was a score for his side.
Fortunately, it was.
(Z: 350) - - - - - - - - - - (N: 0)
When Yumi and company dared to look, nothing was left of Nemesis or his Monsters except a burning crater, and the snow around them for hundreds of feet had been melted into water.
Chelsea walked up to Zane.
"Gee, Zane," she said, "I'm glad I'll never have to duel you… You're crazy."
Zane sighed, and started shuffling his deck.
"Let's keep going," he said. "I just realized something…
"Anyone even consider just what the Armed Dragon told us?"
"I don't know Zane," said Yumi. "He wasn't the first.
"So far, Horus, Nephthys, The Creator, and Armed Dragon have all shown up with ominous warnings. Something is making powerful Duel Spirits very uneasy.
"And frankly, we don't like it…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Daala walked down the corridors of her prison, carrying a bundle under her shoulder.
She walked to a secure area where she had been recently – Brron's cell.
"Open the door," she said to Shadow Tamers guarding it.
The Warriors punched in a code, and the metal door swung open. Daala switched on the light, and Brron was still there, confined to the containment capsule and restrained by a straightjacket, and chuckling to himself.
He perked up some more when he saw Daala come in.
"Find it yet, your highness?" he said, sarcastically.
"Actually, yes," said Daala.
Brron frowned.
"So then," he said. "I guess you came to kill me… Well, fine… Not like I don't despise my life anyway…"
"Not yet, Brron," said Daala, opening up the bundle. "You're still of some use to me alive…"
The bundle glowed with golden light, and a gold torque appeared around Brron's neck.
"Why, thank you," chuckled Brron, "but don't you think it clashes with the straightjacket?"
"Quiet!" said Daala. "This is a device that will let us manipulate the chaos of an Anarchist Disk. By using the energy of a living Duel Spirit, such as you, we can control its decision, and still get the powerful deck that it usually creates.
"And you won't feel any pain at all. In another few minutes, you'll be fast asleep."
Brron chuckled.
"Well, Daala," he said. "If this necklace can put me to sleep, I welcome it, but I doubt that it can.
"You see, when I'm asleep is the only time I can be lucid. As you might believe, when I was king of Dark World, I used drugs, magic, and anything else I could think of to induce sleep, in order to stave off the madness. After a while, such things simply stopped working.
"In fact…"
Then he let out a low groan…
He slumped over, and fell asleep. He started snoring loudly.
"Sweet dreams," said Daala, as she walked away.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
POWER GIFT (Spell Card)
Image: A Rocket Warrior blazing with energy confronting two goblins, as a pair of hands in the foreground works a Geiger counter.
Card Description: Discard one Monster Card in your hand to the Graveyard, and target one face-up opposing Monster. Increase the targeted Monster's ATK by an amount equal to the ATK of the discarded Monster. When the targeted Monster engages in battle, it is destroyed at the end of the damage step.
Note: "Power Gift" was first used by Mr. T in a fourth season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
POWER WALL (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A man in royal armor standing in a castle courtyard, holding his hand aloft, as a titanic dragon looms overhead.
Card Description: Activate this card when you would take battle damage. Discard any number of cards from the top of your deck. For each card discarded in this manner, reduce the amount of damage you take by 100.
Note: "Power Wall" was first used by Zane in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Darkness Within". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CYBER SELLER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A man outside a used car lot, which includes a Cyber Dragon among the cars.
Card Description: Offer as a Tribute one Machine-Type Monster on your side of the field with the word "Cyber" in its name. Then choose one the following effects:
- Gain Life Points equal to the Level of the Tributed Monsters x 300.
- For every multiple of four in the Level of the Tributed Monster, draw one card.
Note: "Cyber Seller" first appeared in "Legend of the Sorcerer Kings"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lords of Chaos
The Peculiarity of Raum, Harbinger of the Apocalypse
The following information is written in the journals of Straumus, field commander of the armies of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa.
The demon lord known as Raum is clearly a peculiar case. According to the story, as he himself tells it, he was born a powerful demon prince, on the same power level as Orcus and Demogorgon, far in the future, an instant before an apocalypse that ended the universe. Since then, he's aged in reverse – as time passes, Raum becomes more knowledgeable about a future that only he has experienced. His great wisdom, unusual for demons, has made him a paragon of prophesy. Soothsayers and fortunetellers turn to Raum for information about the future, which he's willing to share – for a price.
For a demon, Raum does not look formidable. He appears as a withered old man, deteriorating and crippled, who hides his fragile form in dirty, grey robes. He becomes more decrepit each year. Raum does not know why he is aging, but he expects to fade from existence entirely soon, perhaps even within the next century, and the suspicion that he has not yet fulfilled the "purpose" of his creation now drives almost all of his decisions. After millennia of contemplation, he has come to the conclusion that he was created by a powerful entity of Law to prevent the apocalypse from happening. However, his chosen means of doing so clearly identifies him as a being of Chaos.
Raum hopes to use his knowledge of the future to trigger an apocalypse in the present – a suicidal bid to prevent himself from ever being created in the first place. The universe would be destroyed earlier than it would have been, but at least he would have prevented the later annihilation. Further, by erasing himself from creation, he would be absolved from the responsibility of being involved. He is already heavy with the guilt of being involved in the apocalypse at all, and views absolution as the only cause worth fighting for now.
Exactly how Raum intends to carry out his goals is uncertain. As far as demon lords go, Raum's actual power is not very potent. His Abyssal realm, known as Damanscus, has deteriorated as much as he has. No demonic armies guard its boarders, and Raum has exerted no energies fortifying its defenses. The reason that no other demon lord has conquered it yet is because it has no strategic value at all, and all of its resources were mined and exhausted years ago.
The Wind Dukes are smarter. They watch Raum carefully, well-aware of his plan to bring about the end times. They would have taken him out long ago, if not for the possibility that some greater power of Law did indeed create him as part of some grand plan. Their researchers comb every copy of every text written by the entities of Order for any mention of Raum's name. If they should find concrete proof that Raum's claim is untrue, the Harbinger of the Apocalypse might not survive much longer.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coming up next:
The goal is in sight, but the heroes are pestered by the Goblin of Greed. And after a case of theft is made known, Chelsea is forced to duel him… And is forced to do so without Penelope. What is the motive behind this Fiend? The title of the chapter may give you a clue. "The Root of All Evil" is coming up next.