The Merkants are not the only sect I remember in my long, ageless life. Another one that comes to mind is a now-disbanded cult that once arose in the Dimensions called the Opposition.
The Opposition's creed was quite straightforward. They would support no idea except their own, and oppose every idea, philosophy, creed, and system except their own idea.
This group showed no favorites. If they were active on Earth today, they would rally against the NRA one day, only to speak out against PETA the next. Any group foolish enough to help them oppose the group they were currently opposing, thinking they had found allies for their cause, would quickly find the Opposition taking blows against them as well.
Why did the Opposition do such a thing? It was not because they were anarchists who wanted to tear down the establishment. Not at all. They wanted to help the establishment.
You see, the Opposition believed that adversity made people stronger. Want to make a cause noticed? Let the people who believe in it fight for it. By opposing a belief, it is strengthened, they said. Thus, the Opposition believed that what they were doing was for everyone's good.
The Opposition lasted a great deal longer than most folks thought it would, but it still didn't last. It made a lot of enemies, as you might imagine, and eventually, it made one who was too powerful. It seemed that their presumption wasn't quite right. Too much opposition to a belief, and it will be crushed. Which is just what happened to theirs.
The foe I am facing may well be my ultimate opposition. As a lord of the Higher Plane, I represent Good, Law, and Light. This creature opposes all three concepts.
It's time I stopped being a spectator… And I can… I've faced opposition this strong before… It's how I became strong myself.
Duel…
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CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
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Contradiction
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Guardian Angel Joan paced back and forth in the common room of the temple. Her brow furrowed with worry, despite the fact that she knew Yumi had defeated Slade, the Frozen Wastes were secure, and the Elemental Heroes were free.
One thing she was worried about were the cards Slade had used. She had absolutely no idea where they had come from. As far as anyone knew, the Evil Hero cards had vanished into the darkness from whence they had come when Jaden's dark side could no longer dominate him.
But she would figure that out later. More importantly, Daala had cut all the communication systems in Xanadu, and that was never good news.
Every time this happened, it meant one of her most powerful duelists was a target of either Daala herself or a member of her mysterious inner circle. And each time that happened, Joan's side lost a powerful member. She sadly remembered the defeats of Alexis, Syrus, Tyranno… And so many others… Each time, it started with the communications going dead, preventing her from sending help.
Then she heard a crash. The lights started to dim.
She turned her head.
The silent alarm!
She had never heard it before, but she had trained every day for the day when it would go off… An enemy had breached the walls of the temple.
She walked towards the source of the alarm, and as she did, her left arm glowed, and a silvery Duel Disk appeared on it. She knew this would happen eventually… As much as she had worked to fortify the temple, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before Daala found a flaw.
She cautiously peeked her head around a corner. The vault. Its door was torn open.
She looked inside, but didn't go in.
"No!" she gasped.
The four capsules had shattered, and the four cards depicting the Apocalyptic Monsters were charred ashes.
A shiver ran down her spine. Four enemies? She didn't know if she even had a chance.
She closed her eyes and concentrated…
Not four… she thought. Just one… It's…
Her eyes opened wide.
"By Shinato's name!" she exclaimed.
Fear crept into her bones as she made her way back to the main room, carefully looking over her shoulder at every five feet. He wasn't going to ambush her…
She walked into the room.
"I'm not playing hide and seek!" she shouted. "Show yourself, Demise!"
A fiendish laughter echoed through the hall.
"As you wish…" said a deep voice.
Joan flinched a little, as the tall, hulking form appeared out of the shadows. It was a seven-foot-tall demon in black armor, his face a fiendish-looking skull with downward-curving horns. He gripped a huge battle-axe in both hands.
"Like the Trojan Horse," said Joan, with a frown. "You were too careful… You didn't disguise yourself as one Duel Spirit and let yourself be identified, but as four separate ones. Four Duel Spirits of higher Levels than yourself, so that your true form could break out of any restraint that I secured them in."
"It wasn't the first time I divided myself into more than one entity," said Demise. "When the Supreme King started to subjugate Dark World, I saw an opportunity.
"Yes, he was a ruthless tyrant after my own heart, but I was still planning to overthrow him. So to conceal myself, I split myself in two, taking the form of Skilled Dark Magician and Skilled White Magician. In those forms, I swore allegiance to his cause.
"All went well until that meddling Aster Phoenix pushed me to my limits, and forced me to assume my true form. I got sloppy, and was beaten by his Bloo-D. Fortunately, Ruin had stayed hidden in the shadows, and was able to find where I was. Few prisons can hold us for long, especially when one of us is free. The two of us were planning our next scheme within a week."
"And you were beaten at that one by Cosmo Queen," said Joan, closing her eyes. "And now you took the form of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I cannot imagine a less fitting disguise…"
"Huh?" asked Demise. "I'd say they were quite fitting for one who wants to bring about ultimate doom!"
"Didn't you even take time to sit down and read Revelations?" asked Joan. "The Horsemen are supposed to be servants of the Almighty, sent to bring about the end times so that He can pass final Judgment upon humanity. They were divine messengers, not demons. Maybe servants of a wrathful God, but still servants of God, whom a beast like you had no right to imitate."
Demise chuckled.
"That's all well and good, Joan," he said. "But it hardly matters now… I've left those four bodies behind, and I'm my own handsome self again. All my true powers are restored, and I can duel with my own hands. Once I defeat you, your little insurrection will be at an end…"
Then both of them heard shouts.
"Joan, we're here!" screamed Yumi's voice.
The five teenagers rushed into the main room, quite out of breath.
"Oh, we're too late!" gasped Ren.
"No, you're just in time!" exclaimed Demise, lifting his axe. "I was actually hoping you'd come… My darling Ruin is suffering in the wild jungles of Carceri because of what you did, and even I don't know how to help her find a way out! Do you know what Carceri is like? Hot, humid, with mosquitoes the size of rats. And you don't want to know how big the rats are!"
"Fortunately, the snakes keep them in check," replied Joan. "The Great Prison is a deserving fate for such a sadist."
"But business before pleasure, I always say…" snarled Demise.
He slammed his axe to the ground, and a circle of dark flames surrounded him and Joan.
"That will provide us with a decent-sized arena," he growled. "You can't get out, and your allies can't get in. Once I defeat you, your own dictum will no longer be able to protect you, and once Daala deals with you, it will no longer protect any member of the rebellion."
His axe turned to dark energy, forming an Anarchist Disk on his left arm.
"You have to defeat me first," replied Joan.
"Not a problem!" replied Demise. "I have a feeling that you've stayed hidden in this temple for so long, your actual dueling skills have slipped!"
"We'll see, won't we?" said Joan.
"Joan, we're still here!" shouted Chelsea. "Even if all we can do is give you support, we're still here!"
Both Disks activated. No catch phrase was shouted… They simply drew five cards and stared at each other…
(Joan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Demise: 8,000)
"Prepare to lose," said the King of Armageddon, making his first draw.
He looked at his opening hand.
It seems that necklace Daala put on Brron is doing the job perfectly, he thought. I got just the deck I wanted…
"I'll start by playing a powerful, yet unpredictable Spell Card," he said. "It's called Dangerous Machine Type-6."
He fit the card into his Disk, and with a rumble and a burst of sparks, a huge machine rose behind him. It looked like an electrical generator, with the numbers one through six on its face.
"What the heck?" asked Erik. "Is he playing a Gamble Deck?"
"I don't think so," said Yumi. "I doubt he'd hedge a duel this important on luck."
"Next," continued Demise, "I'll summon Zure, Knight of Dark World."
In a burst of shadowy energy, a Fiend that they had last seen in Gansley's hands appeared. It was a tall, ugly demon, with shark-like teeth, grey skin, and upward-curving horns on the side of his head. His body was decorated with bones, and he wore a blue fur cape. He held a longsword. (1,800/1,500)
"NO!" shouted Sam.
Poor Sam… thought Yumi. Ever since her bad experience with her own Dark World Deck, these Fiends have rubbed her the wrong way.
"And that will do for now," said Demise.
Joan drew a card.
"I summon…" she said. "Jain, Lightsworn Paladin!"
A flash of light appeared on Joan's side of the field, and a beautiful form stepped out of it, a knight who was the polar opposite of the one on Demise's side of the field. It was a female Warrior, clad in decorated, glowing plate armor and a flowing red cape, holding a radiant shield and a sword of pure light. (1,800/1,200)
"A Lightsworn?" asked Ren.
Demise chuckled again.
"Who's that, Joan of Arc?" he asked. "Some sort of reference to your name? Our Monsters have equal Attack Points, in case you didn't notice. If she attacks, they'll both die."
"Actually," said Joan, "my Monster has an advantage over yours. When she battles an enemy, she gains 300 Attack Points.
"Show him, Jain! Attack Zure with crusader's blade!"
Jain let out a battlecry and charged at Zure. Her Attack Score rose to 2,100 as she slashed at the Fiend in the chest. Zure groaned and dropped his sword, and then shattered into shards.
(J: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,700)
"Fine, you win round one," muttered Demise. "But Zure was just a decoy to lure you out, and I'm far from finished."
"And my turn isn't finished," said Joan. "I set one card facedown, and then play the Field Spell, Realm of Light."
A facedown card appeared, and then she placed a card in her Field Slot.
The common room of the temple faded away, and changed to an outdoor city scene. Huge, soaring cathedrals of ancient design surrounded the duelists and the spectators, with incredibly beautiful architecture. However, for a place called Realm of Light, it wasn't illuminated at all. It was night, and the city was dark.
"Some Realm of Light," chuckled Demise. "They'd better have a word with their electrician."
"I end my turn," said Joan. "And that means another of Jain's effects activates, causing me to send two cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard."
She took two cards from her deck, looked at them, and discarded them.
"HUH?" gasped Sam. "What kind of stupid effect is that? Your own Monster causes you to lose cards?"
"She's not the only one who does," replied Joan. "But this does have benefits. For example, every time cards go from my deck to the Graveyard, one of the thousand lamps in the Realm of Light is lit…"
A lamp in the city lit.
"And for each lamp that is lit, all Monsters with the word 'Lightsworn' in their names gain 100 Attack Points."
Jain rose to (1,900/1,200).
"Then it's my move," said Demise.
He drew a card.
"My Dangerous Machine now picks a number…"
Dangerous Machine Type-6 sparked and whirred. The numbers glowed, until finally, only the four remained lit.
"Four," said Joan, with a grin. "That means I get a free draw."
She drew a card.
"You'll need it," replied Demise. "As for me, I play Pot of Greed."
He played the card, and drew twice.
"Next, I play the powerful Card of Safe Return," he said, as a Spell Card appeared. "This lets me draw once whenever a Monster is Special Summoned from my Graveyard."
"And with Dark World Decks," said Sam, "that happens an awful lot of the time."
"Now, I play the Spell Card, Dark World Lighting!" shouted Demise. "Now, I can wipe out one facedown card."
Lightning flashed, and a bolt fell from the sky, blowing Joan's Draining Shield to pieces.
"Now I have to discard one card from my hand," continued Demise, discarding a card. "But that benefits me, because I just discarded Sillva, Warlord of Dark World. By doing so, he's summoned to the field."
In a burst of shadow, a new Fiend appeared. It was an atypical demon, with horns, wings, and claws, dressed in silver armor and carrying a sword. (2,300/1,400)
"I get to draw once, due to Card of Safe Return," he said, drawing a card.
"Now, I Normal Summon Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World."
Another Fiend appeared, this one with a skull-like face and ropy skin, dressed in bone armor. He held a spear. (1,600/1,300)
"So, Joan…" asked Demise. "Have you been exercising while hiding in this temple, or have you let yourself go soft? Let's find out.
"Sillva, attack Jain! Dark silver stream!"
Sillva slashed his sword down, and Jain let out a cry before shattering into shards of light.
"Attack her directly, my Beiige!"
The Vanguard lunged at Joan.
"JOAN!" screamed everyone.
Joan made almost no reaction at all as the Fiend stabbed her in the chest with its weapon.
(J: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,700)
Ren laughed nervously.
"Joan's not soft!" he laughed. "She's hard as steel!"
"So she is…" growled Demise. "But her ability to take it and her ability to beat me are two different things."
Two facedown cards appeared in front of him.
"I'll end with these…"
Joan drew a card.
"I summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress," she said.
She played a card, and another radiant being appeared in front of her. It was a woman dressed in a flowing white gown with gold trim, a gold tiara, and holding a gold scepter. (1,700/200) –) (1,800/200)
"I end my turn," said Joan. "And since Lyla is on the field, I send three cards from my deck to my Graveyard…"
She took three cards from her deck and discarded them. Another lamp lit in the city, and Lyla's Attack Score rose to 1,900.
"This is insane!" shouted Chelsea. "Joan's Monsters are forcing her to mill her own deck!"
"I'm even more confused as to why she didn't attack Beiige with Lyla," said Erik. "Is she afraid of those facedown cards?"
Demise drew a card.
The Dangerous Machine started again, and the lights flashed. They stopped on the three.
"That means I get to draw a card now," he said, making a draw.
He looked at it, and added it to his hand.
"Now, I activate the Trap Card, Fine."
One of his facedown cards lifted up.
"This lets me discard two of my cards."
He chose two cards, and then discarded them.
"And THAT lets me activate THIS!"
His other Trap Card lifted.
"Forced Requisition?" gasped Yumi.
"What does that do?" asked Ren.
"That's bad…" said Yumi. "From this point on, every time he discards a card from his hand, Joan will have to discard one from hers."
"But I benefit more," continued Demise. "One of the two cards I discarded was Broww, Huntsman of Dark World. This lets me make another draw."
He drew a card.
"The other one was Gren, Tactician of Dark World. When discarded, he destroys one Spell or Trap Card.
"So say goodbye to your Realm of Light!"
An incredibly thin, almost gaunt Fiend appeared, wearing spectacles and holding a tome. It raised a hand, and fired a blast of darkness at the heart of the city. An explosion rocked the Realm of Light…
But, when the smoke cleared, the city still stood.
"Impossible…" gasped Demise.
"The Realm of Light has a sturdier foundation than most Field Spells," said Joan. "If you try to destroy it, I can protect it by extinguishing two of its lamps."
Lyla fell to an Attack Score of 1,700.
Demise clenched his fists.
"You have no facedown cards!" he shouted. "So it's curtains for her! Sillva, destroy her!"
Sillva rushed at Lyla…
Then, Necro Gardna appeared between them. He punched Sillva in the face, and the Fiend was thrown backwards.
"HUH?" said everybody.
"Necro Gardna is an uneasy ally of the Lightsworns," said Joan, as the Dark Warrior vanished. "The self-milling effect has several upsides."
"I set one Monster in Defense Mode and end my turn!" shouted Demise.
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Then I draw," said Joan, drawing a card.
"Your Forced Requisition is a powerful card for your deck, Demise," she said. "How little you knew that my means of eradicating it was staring you in the face even as you activated it."
"Huh?" asked Demise.
"By switching Lyla from Attack to Defense Mode," continued Joan, "I can destroy your Trap Card."
Lyla knelt and shielded herself, and glowed with an aura of light. The Forced Requisition card was blasted to pieces.
"Maybe so…" growled Demise. "But to do that, you had to move her to Defense Mode, where she's weak."
"She's not staying around," replied Joan. "I sacrifice her…"
Lyla vanished.
"To summon one of the more powerful Lightsworn… Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"
This time, the burst of light that appeared on Joan's side of the field was far more intense. A beautiful form flew out of the Realm of Light. She was clearly an angel, dressed in plate armor similar to Jain's, with glorious, feathered wings, and long, blue hair tied in a long ponytail. She held a glowing two-handed sword. (2,300/200)
"Now, I activate Celestia's effect," said Joan. "When she's summoned by sacrificing another Lightsworn, I can send four cards from my deck to the Graveyard, and she can destroy two cards on the field."
She discarded four cards, and Celestia started to glow with even more intense light. Sillva and Beiige cringed in pain, and then shattered into pixels.
"My Realm gains another lamp," continued Joan.
Celestia grew to an Attack Score of 2,400.
"And also, one of the cards I just discarded was Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. When he goes directly from my deck to the Graveyard, he's summoned to the field."
In another flash of light, a radiant Beast-Warrior appeared. He had a wolf-like head and shining, white fur. He was dressed in a pure white breastplate, shorts, and a breechcloth, all with gold trim, and carried an ornate halberd. (2,100/300) –) (2,200/300)
"Wulf, destroy his facedown Monster."
Wulf snarled, and made a chop with his weapon. A reptilian, simian Fiend with red skin appeared on the card, and shattered.
"You destroyed Scarr, Scout of Dark World," said Demise. "Now I get to add any Dark World Monster that's Level Four or less to my hand."
He took a card from his deck and looked at it.
"But will it protect you from Celestia?" asked Joan.
The Angel flew at Demise and made a slash with her sword across the Fiend's armor. Demise let out a shout and took a step backwards.
(J: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,300)
"Joan's not doing half bad," said Erik.
"But if this self-milling keeps up," replied Sam, "she might deck herself out."
"Don't worry, children," said Joan. "My deck had forty-five cards to start with. It makes up for that problem."
"Who are these Lightsworn, anyway?" asked Ren. "Some army of defenders for the Higher Plane?"
"No," chuckled Joan, taking a card from her hand. "The Lightsworn are indeed an army of the Higher Plane, but they specialize in offensive tactics. They've stormed Pandemonium more times than you can count, and most evil races fear their coming.
"To end my turn, I'll play Pot of Avarice."
She played the Spell Card, and five cards slipped out of her discard slot. She shuffled them into her deck, and drew twice.
"Makes sense that she would have that," said Erik.
"My move," said Demise, drawing a card.
The Dangerous Machine whirred again, and electricity flashed. It landed on the four.
"That means I get to draw again," said Joan, drawing.
"Fine!" shouted Demise. "At this rate, I will deck you out!
"I summon the avatar of the Spirit whom we have to thank for providing me with this deck… Brron, Mad King of Dark World!"
In a burst of shadowy flames, Brron appeared. However, he was fast asleep, and still restrained by his straitjacket.
"WAKE UP!" shouted Demise.
Brron shook his head, and came to.
"Eh?" he said. "Demise? I was having the best dream… Heh, and you were in it too!"
"Spare me the details, Brron," said Demise. "You're still asleep. But I've transported your dream self here. And you're going to help me finish off Joan."
Brron looked at Joan and her two Lightsworn.
"Eh, I have no idea what's going on…" said the Mad King. "But if you say so…"
He flexed his muscles, and ripped out of the straitjacket. (1,800/400)
"Next," continued Demise, as a Spell Card appeared on the field, "I'll activate Shrink, to cut your Angel down to size."
Celestia glowed with a dark aura, and her Attack Score fell to 1,250.
"Attack!" shouted Demise. "Lunatic lunge!"
The Mad King let out an insane laugh, and threw himself at Celestia. With one swipe of his claw, she exploded into globules of light. Joan cringed a little.
"Now I activate Brron's effect," continued Demise. "When he dishes out damage, I get to toss one of my cards…"
He discarded one of his remaining two cards.
"And since the card I discarded was Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World, he's summoned to the field."
In another burst of shadow, another demon appeared. He looked similar to Sillva, except that his armor was – naturally – gold, and he held a battle axe. (2,300/1,400)
"I get to draw once due to Card of Safe Return," said Demise, drawing a card, "and my Battle Phase continues. Goldd, attack Wulf with dark gold rush!"
The Wu-Lord slammed his axe down, and a blast of gold energy blasted towards the Beast-Warrior. Wulf howled, and then shattered.
(J: 5,350) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,300)
"The scores are almost even," chuckled Demise. "I'll set this facedown, and take a break."
He played his last card, and a facedown card appeared.
"Come on, Joan!" shouted Ren. "Show this ugly freak!"
"Who's ugly?" said Brron, turning to him.
"Not you, I meant Demise," replied Ren. "But yeah, you're pretty ugly too."
Joan drew a card.
"I play Solar Recharge!" she exclaimed, as a Spell Card appeared.
A bright light flashed above her head.
"First, I discard one Lightsworn Monster from my hand…"
She discarded Ehren, Lightsworn Monk.
"Then I get to draw twice…"
She made two draws.
"And then, I send the next two cards on my deck to the Graveyard…"
She discarded two more cards from her deck.
"Another lamp in my Realm is lit…
"Then, I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner."
In another flash of light, a new Lightsworn appeared. It was a young woman with short, blond hair and richly tanned skin, dressed in a white halter top and skirt combination, with a tiara on her head. (1,000/1,000) –) (1,200/1,000)
"Not the strongest I've seen," chuckled Demise.
"Not bad considering that she's Level Three," replied Joan, "and considering her powerful effect. I discard one card…"
She discarded her copy of Exchange of the Spirits.
"…and I get to Special Summon a Lightsworn from my Graveyard, up to Level Four. I choose to summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior."
A new Lightsworn appeared, and this one was definitely a male. He was a muscular Warrior, whose armor resembled a cross between that of a celestial knight and a barbarian, if such a thing were possible. His black hair was long and wild. He carried a decorated pole-axe. (1,850/1,300) –) (2,050/1,300)
"Garoth, wipe that smile off that ugly creature's face!" shouted Joan. "Attack Brron!"
"Hey, wait a minute…" said Brron.
The Warrior made a slash with his axe, and the Mad King exploded.
"Looks like he's going to be having nightmares," scowled Joan. "I set one card…"
A facedown card appeared.
"Then I end my turn, and due to Lumina, I have to send three cards from my deck to the Graveyard…"
She discarded three cards.
"This activates Garoth's effect. Whenever I discard cards due a Lightsworn's effect, his effect requires me to discard two additional cards. Once I've done that, for each of them that are Lightsworns, I get to draw one card."
She took two cards off her deck and looked at them.
"However, neither of them are Lightsworns…"
She discarded them.
"Since I discarded cards due to Lightsworns' effects twice, my Realm gains two more lamps, and my two warriors gain more power.
Garoth grew to an Attack Score of 2,250, while Lumina grew to 1,400.
(J: 5,350) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,050)
"Is anyone keeping track?" asked Chelsea. "How many cards does Joan have left in her deck?"
"Well, if she did indeed start with forty-five cards…" said Yumi. "I believe… Nineteen. She's going through her deck fast, but she can still manage it. I think she has yet to summon her ace."
"How do we know her ace isn't in her Graveyard?" asked Erik. "She might have discarded it."
"She likely has Monster Reincarnation," replied Sam. "In fact, I'd wager she has three copies of it."
Demise drew a card. The Dangerous Machine started to whir again. It started to spark and shudder. Finally, it landed on the one.
"HA!" laughed Ren. "Now you have to discard a card in your hand!"
"Actually," said Demise, "doing so would be my pleasure."
"Huh?" said Ren.
"Because," replied Demise, "the only card in my hand is my second copy of Beiige."
He discarded it.
"And when he's discarded, he's summoned to the field."
Beiige appeared in a burst of shadow. (1,600/1,300)
"And best of all, I get one draw, due to Card of Safe Return."
He drew a card.
"That's why he played Dangerous Machine in the first place!" shouted Yumi. "Dangerous Machine Type-6 has six outcomes, but the only one that's truly debilitating to the user is the one result.
"But with a Dark World Deck, even the one result can become a benefit!"
"Now, I'll play my own Pot of Avarice," continued Demise, as he played the card.
He played the card, and Zure, Gren, Broww, Sillva, and his first Beiige slipped out of his discard slot. He reshuffled them into his deck, and drew twice.
"Now to clean up," he said. "Beiige, attack Lumina!"
Beiige charged, and speared the Lightsworn Summoner in the naval. She gave a cry and shattered.
"Goldd, destroy her Warrior!"
Goldd slammed his axe down, and the dark gold rush blasted towards Garoth. He exploded into triangles.
"It's your move…" he said, crossing his arms.
(J: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,050)
Joan drew a card.
"It's time to show you just what this self-milling effect can accomplish," she said. "I activate my Trap Card…"
Her facedown card lifted.
"Glorious Illusion. This Trap lets me raise one Lightsworn from my Graveyard, so long as I send two cards to the Graveyard for each round that it remains on the field."
Jain appeared in a burst of light. (1,800/1,200) –) (2,200/1,200)
"But that won't be happening, because Jain won't be staying. I sacrifice her…"
Jain smiled broadly before she vanished into motes of light…
"…to summon Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!"
The Dragon that appeared was smaller than most Dragons, but also more beautiful than most. It was covered with a coat of pure, white fur, had white, feathered wings, and a mane of shining, golden hair. It was covered with the same gold trim as all the Lightsworns before it. (2,000/1,600)
"I've seen stronger Level Six Monsters," chuckled Demise.
"Fool," said Joan. "Gragonith can be one of the mightiest of the Lightsworns if used at the right time. For each Lightsworn with a different name now resting in my Graveyard, Gragonith gains 300 Attack Points. And due to the discarding effects of every Lightsworn that has come before him, nine different Lightsworn now reside there."
(4,700/1,600)
"It's a celestial Shadow Ghoul!" shouted Ren.
"Don't forget…" replied Joan. "He gains 400 more Attack Points from my Field Spell…"
(5,100/1,600)
"Fifty-one hundred…" gasped Demise.
"And by the way…" added Joan. "Defending is pointless against Gragonith, because he inflicts battle damage via attacking Monsters in Defense Mode."
"I think we've found her ace!" laughed Erik.
"Gragonith…" exclaimed Joan, "attack Beiige with radiant burning beam!"
The Lightsworn Dragon blasted a bolt of pure, burning light from its jaws, striking the Vanguard of Darkworld and eradicating him in an explosion that threw the King of Armageddon off his feet. Yumi and her friends cheered.
(J: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 1,650)
"I end my turn," said Joan, "and due to Gragonith, I send three cards from my deck to my Graveyard…"
She discarded three cards.
"And my Field Spell gains another lamp, so Gragonith becomes even stronger…"
(5,200/1,600)
"And to think we were worried," laughed Chelsea. "Joan is kicking some serious A!"
Demise angrily drew a card.
The Dangerous Machine started to glow, spark, and shudder again. Then it landed on the six.
"Looks like your Machine is about to go boom," laughed Ren, as the Dangerous Machine started to sizzle and smoke.
"I activate Emergency Provisions!" shouted Demise, as his facedown card lifted. "I'll sacrifice it before that happens!"
The Dangerous Machine vanished into grains of light.
"I set two cards facedown and end my turn!" he said, as two facedown cards appeared. "Do your worst!"
(J: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,650)
"Your wish is my command," said Joan, as she drew a card. "Sorry, Demise, but your Traps are about to become worthless…
"I play the Spell Card, Cold Wave!"
"Yeah!" shouted Ren. "Joan is gonna win!"
"No she isn't…" chuckled Demise. "I was hoping she'd do that…"
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"In response to your Cold Wave, I activate Dark Deal!"
"NO!" screamed Sam.
Everyone looked at her.
"What does that do?" asked Erik.
"Something bad…" gasped Sam.
"I'll tell you what it does…" chuckled Demise. "I give up 1,000 Life Points. Then, Joan's Cold Wave's effect is negated, and then changed, given a new effect. Now, its effect causes her to select a card from my hand at random, and discard it."
Joan's eyes narrowed.
"You only have one card in your hand!" she growled.
"Well…" chuckled Demise. "Then I guess you're stuck with this one…"
He discarded the card, and a bonfire of pitch-black flames and choking smoke erupted on Demise's side of the field.
"It can't be…" gasped Sam.
"Oh, but it is…" laughed Demise. "The avatar of the true ruler of Dark World, the only aspect of the legendary Colorless left in existence…
"I summon Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World!"
From out of the inferno, the diabolic Overlord appeared. He was seven feet tall, and muscular, with a skull-like face with ram's horns. Four colored gemstones were embedded in his chest, and vast, fiendish wings sprouted from his back. He held a long sasumata with a golden blade. (2,500/1,800)
"I get to draw once due to Card of Safe Return," said Demise, drawing a card, "and since he was summoned by your card's effect, his own effect activates. I can either destroy all your Monsters, or all your Spell and Trap Cards.
"I think I'll destroy… Your Monsters."
A wave of black fire shot towards Joan's side of the field, and Gragonith roared. The Dragon was blown to shards.
"No…" gasped Yumi.
"It's still my move, demon!" shouted Joan.
She played a card, and a defensive Monster appeared facedown.
"That will do," she said.
(J: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 1,650)
Demise made a draw.
"Now let's have some fun…" he said. "I summon Broww, Huntsman of Dark World."
In another burst of energy, a new Fiend appeared. This one had the same bone armor and a fur cloak, and had two arms, one normal-sized and the other ogre-sized. He carried a box and arrow. (1,400/800)
"Goldd, destroy her last Monster."
Goldd slammed his axe down, and the gold rush blasted towards the facedown card. An old man in priestly vestments holding a leather-bound tome appeared kneeling on the card, and was blown to pieces.
"So much for Aurkus…" muttered Joan.
"Broww, attack her directly!" ordered Demise. "Black arrow!"
Broww aimed his bow and fired, striking Joan in the chest. Joan flinched a little and held the wound.
"Now, attack, my Reign-Beaux!" shouted Demise. "Wave of destruction!"
The Overlord twirled his sasumata and fired a burning bolt of black energy, hitting Joan dead center. For the first time, Joan screamed…
She fell to her knees…
(J: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 1,650)
"Why don't you just stay down?" asked Demise. "Your best Monster has been crushed, and mine is still standing strong."
"Don't listen to him, Joan!" shouted Ren.
"I don't intend to…" muttered Joan.
Sweat was falling down her face, but she slowly stood up.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"Oh, you are a plucky one…" chuckled Demise.
He placed a card in his Disk and a facedown card appeared.
"Now I'm done…"
Joan drew a card from her deck, which was now definitely starting to thin.
"I play a second Pot of Avarice," she said, playing the card.
"You're allowed to have two copies of that?" asked Erik.
"I think you're allowed to have three," replied Yumi. "No one is dumb enough to waste space in a deck with multiple copies… But with a deck like Joan's it makes perfect sense."
Five cards slipped out of Joan's Graveyard. She shuffled them into her deck, and then drew twice.
"All right, demon," she said. "I play the Spell Card, Charge of the Light Brigade!"
"Charge of the Light Brigade?" chuckled Demise. "If I remember human history correctly, that was the name of a British cavalry charge during the Crimean War… One that ended in disaster."
"And I suppose you're an expert on events that led to massacres, Demise?" asked Joan. "This Spell Card will lead me to something that its reckless namesake could never have achieved… Victory.
"It works as follows. First, I send three cards from my deck to the Graveyard."
She discarded three cards.
"Once I've done that, this Spell Card works just like Reinforcement of the Army for Lightsworns, letting me search for one that's Level Four or lower. My deck may have only thirteen cards left, but I'm relatively certain that the one I need is there!"
She looked at the remaining cards in her deck.
"And it is!" she said, taking a card. "I'll set it in Defense Mode!"
A facedown Monster appeared.
"I throw down a facedown card, and end my turn," she said, as a single facedown card appeared. "This duel is not over yet!"
"No, but it might as well be," chuckled Demise, drawing a card.
Hmm, Nightmare Wheel… he thought, looking at it. Could come in handy…
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"I activate The Forces of Darkness," he said. "Now, I get back two Dark World Monsters from my Graveyard."
Two cards slipped out of his discard slot.
"Now I'll summon one. You remember Brron, don't you?"
In another burst of shadow, Brron appeared again.
"Ah, good to be back!" he cackled. (1,800/400)
"Now let's finish this," said Demise. "Goldd, destroy her Monster!"
Goldd slashed with his axe, and the blade of gold energy tore towards the card. A large wolf with pure white fur wearing shoulder guards and leg guards like the armor of the previous Lightsworns appeared on the card and shattered.
"That was Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter," said Joan. "And his Flip-Effect lets me destroy any one card on the field."
Ryko appeared again, in a spiritual form made of pure light. He pounced and tackled Reign-Beaux, knocking him over. The Overlord struggled, but one bite to the throat, and the demon shattered into triangles.
Demise stepped back in shock.
"Then," said Joan, "I have to discard three cards from my deck…"
She discarded three cards.
Demise looked at his facedown card.
Curses… he thought. My facedown card is Gateway to Dark World… But since I already summoned this turn, I can't use it!
Oh well… As if I really needed it…
"Brron, attack her directly!"
Brron rushed at Joan, bearing his claws.
Joan's facedown card lifted up, and Negate Attack appeared. Brron was thrown backwards.
"Oh, I see…" muttered Demise. "You're hanging on to dear life, stalling and hoping for a miracle. Well trust me, it isn't going to happen!"
He looked at the Nightmare Wheel card. He fit it into his Disk, and it appeared facedown.
"Just move!"
Joan drew a card.
She looked at the Trap Card.
"I activate my Spell Card," said Demise, as one of his facedown cards lifted. "Gateway to Dark World! Now I can bring one Dark World Monster back from my Graveyard!"
Reign-Beaux appeared in another burst of black fire. (2,500/1,800)
"So tell me, Joan," he asked, "did you draw the miracle you were hoping for?"
"I'm a lord of the Higher Plane, Demise," replied Joan. "I make my own miracles."
She placed a card on her Disk.
"I summon the King of Rubble."
In a dark shadow, an ominous-looking Monster appeared. Seated on a throne made from a chipped-away boulder that was floating in the air, he had glowing red eyes below a crown that was made of scrap metal, and was dressed in a tattered, purple robe. (0/0)
"Huh?" asked Demise.
"I know, I know," said Joan. "You're thinking, zero attack points. But King of Rubble has a powerful effect if summoned at the right time.
"If I have at least thirty cards in my Graveyard, and right now I have thirty-two there, I can activate a Trap Card from my hand every round.
"The Trap Card I choose to activate is… Beckoning Light."
She threw the card in her Disk, and King of Rubble's eyes glowed. The Trap Card appeared on her side of the field.
"Now, I toss every card in my hand…"
She discarded her two cards.
"And for each card I discarded, I get to recover a Light Attribute Monster from my Graveyard. With most of my deck there, I have much to choose from."
Two cards slipped out of her discard slot.
Fine, thought Demise. Summon Gragonith again if you're somehow able to. I'm prepared for it this time.
"Yumi and her friends were wrong, by the way," said Joan, ominously. "Gragonith was never my ace card…"
"She has someone even stronger?" gasped Ren.
"How is she gonna summon it?" asked Erik. "She already made her summon for this turn…"
"And even if she could make another," said Chelsea, "she only has one Monster to sacrifice…"
The lights of the Realm of Light all went dark.
"What's going on?" asked Demise.
"I'm about to summon the mightiest resident of the Realm of Light…" said Joan. "The ancient guardian of this city who answers the call of the Lightsworn only in the most dire emergencies…
"He can only appear when at least four different Lightsworn are in my Graveyard, and I have more than enough… Appear before me…
"Judgment Dragon!"
A literal explosion of light erupted, and this time, it was blinding. The Dragon that appeared was no less beautiful than Gragonith, but he was far larger, and far more intimidating. He was covered with feathers that seemed to have been sculpted out of pure silver, with vast, feathered wings, and a face that reflected timeless wisdom. (3,000/2,600)
"I'm not afraid of that!" shouted Demise.
He was about to activate his facedown card…
"You will be once you hear about his effect," said Joan. "I pay 1,000 Life Points, and he destroys every card on the field except himself."
Demise stopped short.
"He does?" he shouted.
Judgment Dragon started to glow.
"Wait!" shouted Demise. "Stop!"
There was no stopping it. The glow continued to intensify, until it became overwhelming. King of Rubble was blown into shards of rock. Demise's Trap Card was burned to a cinder, and the buildings around them were turned to ash. The four Dark World Fiends screamed, and then they erupted in light from the inside out. Their armor and weapons fell to the ground, smoldering, and then disintegrated. Demise himself was thrown to the ground.
"Your Dragon is nothing but a thief, Joan!" screamed Demise, looking up. "He stole that move from me!"
"Well, Demise," said Joan, "to paraphrase one human actor, do you know what the difference is between Judgment Dragon and you? My Dragon makes it look good.
"I think I've proven that my skills have not slipped. And I must say, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. If the risk wasn't so great, I would gladly duel Daala's forces more often. Before I end this, I have a message for Daala, whom I know is watching.
"If she wants to challenge me, she can come to this temple, and I'll gladly let her in. But only her, and only if she first agrees to wager the Crown of Xanadu.
"Judgment Dragon… Attack directly! Ultimate divine light!"
Judgment Dragon breathed a blast of divine flames at the King of Armageddon, and he screamed in agony…
(J: 200) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 0)
The barrier holding Joan in shattered.
"Begone, demon…" she said, her eyes glowing in anger. "Go and join your beloved in the prison of Carceri…"
Demise screamed again, and then vanished in a burst of smoke and soot.
His cards fluttered to the ground like dead leaves, and then vanished.
"All right!" cheered Ren.
As Joan's allies ran up to her, they had no idea that two Duel Spirits had been watching the duel the whole time. Through dimensional magic, they were viewing it from the Astral Plane, unseen, and unheard.
One of them was Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, and the other was Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World.
"That's a shame," said Celestial. "I suppose it was inevitable, really…"
"Ah, what are you gonna do?" asked Goldd. "It's all Brron's fault. Folks have a low opinion of Dark World ever since he ruled the place. Personally, I don't even think Colorless exists."
"I hope he doesn't," sighed Celestia. "You folks are having enough trouble just keeping order in that place without the citizens believing in urban legends. Besides, even if Colorless does exist, he'll never come unless another copy of the Super Polymerization card is created."
"And we don't want that…" muttered Goldd.
"Indeed," said Celestia. "One attempt was quite enough. If I were you, I'd make a deal with Ha Des."
"We've considered it," sighed Goldd, "several times. Once we're desperate enough, we just might…"
He sighed.
"So… Wanna go for a drink?"
Celestia sighed herself.
"Fine, fine," she said, "but we're going to my bar. That Lower Planar ale they serve at your place could burn a hole in my armor…"
Goldd laughed.
"As if the Elysium honey mead that they serve at your place is any less strong!" he replied.
They turned and vanished.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Daala was sitting at her dinner table. Skull Knight was sitting at the other end (he had been invited – usually Daala ate alone).
"So what's the move now, milady?" asked Skull Knight. "Will you actually challenge Joan?"
"I'm considering it," replied Daala. "It seems the only way to get rid of her at this point…"
Alexis walked up, and silently placed a tray with a bowl of soup in front of her.
"Thank you Alexis," said Daala.
"We have other things to do tonight first," said Daala, spooning it into her mouth, "and…"
She made a face.
"Alexis!" she said. "This is cold!"
"It's vichyssoise, milady," said Alexis, in a dull monotone.
"Huh?" asked Daala.
"It's supposed to be cold," replied Alexis, in the same monotone. (She had been brainwashed a long time ago.)
"Oh…" said Daala.
She tasted it again. She looked at her watch. It was almost eight o'clock.
"Skull Knight…" she said. "After dinner, you will escort me to a place where I have an appointment…
"I'm going back to the Core…"
Skull Knight gulped.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi and her friends were hugging Joan.
"Now, now, children, calm down," she said. "We have more to do, and bigger problems,"
"We've secured all six Realms," said Sam.
"Yes," said Joan, "but still I worry. Daala's power to manipulate Chaos is great, as proven by Slade's cards. Industrial Illusions never created the Evil Heroes."
She sighed.
"When Jaden Yuki was dominated by his dark side, the Supreme King, his deck was corrupted, and formed the Evil Heroes, dark parodies of his Elemental Heroes. They vanished when Jaden's benign personality regained control.
"How Daala managed to recreate them, I have no idea."
She waved her hand, and a trapdoor opened in the floor.
"But we still have much to do… Behold, the portal!"
The tall, crystal spire she had been working on last night rose out of the floor. It glowed with light.
"At midnight," said Joan, "my patron will arrive from the Higher Plane, and it will draw power from all six Realms, and open a gateway that will enable my army and Freed's army to access the Core itself!"
"So what's the plan?" asked Yumi.
"While our rank and file troops deal with whatever army Daala has," said Joan, "you five, along with Sheena, Jesse, Mako, Aster, Atticus, and Zane will storm Daala's palace itself, liberate her prison, and deal with her inner circle."
"And I'll confront Daala herself," added Yumi.
"Hopefully," said Joan. "I just wish we had time to search for this Testament… But my research has failed to find its location…"
There was a ringing noise.
"A visitor?" she mused.
Yumi cautiously opened the door to the outside, and everyone looked out.
Vita was standing there, and three Mokey Mokeys were floating around her head.
"Vita?" asked Yumi.
"You want the Testament?" asked Vita. "Follow me…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KING OF RUBBLE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 1
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Card Description: Once per turn, if you have 30 or more cards in your Graveyard, you may activate a Trap Card from your hand.
Note: "King of Rubble" was first used by Yusei in an episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lords of Chaos
The Quandary of Dagon, Sage of the Abyss
Thanks to the Queen of Chaos, the obyrith race is truly a race in decline in the Abyss, dominated completely by the younger race of demons. However, some traces of their power still remain. Dagon is one of these traces.
An ancient demon, Dagon was a being with power over water, and considerable might. Resembling a giant cross between a sea serpent, mollusk, and shark, he could command every aspect of his ocean realm in the Abyss, causing fierce gales, storms, and even hurricanes on his whim. When the Queen rallied the obyrith lords against the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, he was one who refused her call, and he was so powerful, she decided not to raise her tentacles against him. When her armies were decimated in the sacred Vale, Dagon knew he had made a wise choice.
Today, due to his advanced age and flawless memory, Dagon is held as an oracle and seer among demons. They come to him with offerings in return for knowledge of the Abyss that only he can provide, knowledge that predates the current race. Dagon has built a mighty power base with these offerings, keeping himself secure from any attempts to strike against him by any forces of Law that threaten his kind.
Mortals too often contact Dagon, hungering for the vast knowledge of ancient times that he can tell. However, mortal conjurers must be cautious, and have wills of steel to make the attempt, because dealing with obyriths is never safe. More than one demonologist has been driven mad by trying to commune with Dagon.
There is another factor that makes Dagon invaluable to demons. Oftentimes, a demon is born, or otherwise created, that is recognized as exceptional. Usually, this happens with only a minimal amount of fanfare. However, sometimes, when an exceptional demon is born, Dagon will take notice, and send a command to the demon's parents – or whoever was responsible for its birth – to bring it to his domain. Few demons are foolish enough to refuse.
Once there, Dagon takes one look at the young demon, and speaks to it, stating a prophesy. These words supposedly foretell an important fact about the demon's future, and often speak of terrible situations for someone involved. No one has ever doubted Dagon's words, for his prophesies in these situations have always come to pass eventually. How they come to him is a mystery, but like most prophesies, they must be studied and interpreted right, or they may lead to disaster…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
If ever there was a good time to end a chapter, that was it.
Coming up next, we finally learn Vita's secret. Why is this fic called "Soul of Silicon"? Prepare to find out! And Yumi is challenged in part one of a two-part test to receive the divine aid that the Testament consists of. "The Soul" is coming soon.