I came to Xanadu because I felt it was my duty. I had created the equipment that had allowed Daala to seize control of Xanadu, which allowed her to make her demands, and take five youngsters, one of them my daughter, hostage.
It was my duty, and since then, I've taken on several responsibilities that came with it.
A few days ago, I was one of the most powerful women in Japan. Now I'm a member of a rebel army, an outlaw in this tyrannical government. I've walked into a war that, like it or not, I'm a part of.
And yet, I have no regrets. Actually, sharing Yumi's adventures is quite invigorating.
I'm doing part of my new duty now, and this creature has challenged me. I'm pretty sure I can beat him. The only problem is, I'm suspicious as to why someone like this came to make a challenge.
Even worse, I have a feeling he knows I'm on to him…
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CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
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Diversion
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Nicholas and Olga looked down the street.
"Keep your ears open," said Nicholas. "These creatures might attack by ambush…"
Then they heard strange music echoing through the night air.
"I recognize that melody…" muttered Olga. "It's from an old cartoon… Merry-Go-Round Broke Down."
Then they heard two sets of chuckling laughter from in front of them. Both of them stood their ground.
In two showers of motes, a Crass Clown and a Dream Clown appeared ten paces away from them.
"Well, lookee here!" chuckled the Crass Clown. "Looks like we found a two-for-one sale!"
"More like a baker's dozen!" laughed the Dream Clown.
"Really smart," said Nicholas. "You guys are something else… A man once said that everybody loves a clown, but let's face it… You guys aren't exactly Emmet Kelly."
The two clowns chuckled and lifted their Duel Disks.
"Yeah?" laughed the Crass Clown. "Well, you two have a choice. You can surrender, or you can fight!"
"We choose to fight!" shouted Olga. "We'll take you on, two-on-two!"
"You're on!" shouted both of the clowns at once.
The Life Point counters all set…
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The irony was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. At least Sheena thought so.
She was the president of Kaibacorp, the world's largest gaming company. Just last year, she was fourth on Forbes' list of the world's richest female CEOs. She was close personal friends with the Prime Minister of Japan, and several members of U.S. Congress.
And now… She was on guard duty.
She didn't mind… She had volunteered, in fact. She figured that the whole situation she was in had turned her status topsy-turvy. At least this was better than some of the jobs she had worked before Siegfried had hired her.
She looked at her watch. It was ten-forty-five. As she stood outside the entrance to the temple, she suddenly got whiff of a bad odor coming from somewhere.
"Someone has a bad case of BO," she muttered, making a face.
She looked around. She looked to the right, and then to the left.
Then she caught sight of two glowing eyes.
The eyes belonged to a humanoid figure, about six feet tall, muscular, with black skin. He had diabolic horns, pronounced fangs, and a black beard. He was dressed only in a loincloth.
"An Ogre of the Black Shadow?" muttered Sheena.
"Hey, doll-face," said the Ogre, in a gruff voice. "Catch!"
As he said "catch", he threw a stone axe at her. Fortunately, she had already been prepared to dodge it. Being trained as a Centurion back in Duelatopia made it hard to hit her with such a primitive weapon.
The Ogre laughed, and started backtracking away from her.
"Get over here, wise guy!" said Sheena, now rather annoyed. "You can't hide from me! I could find someone with that stench in a snowstorm!"
She started to follow him, and then actually started to chase him.
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"We're lost, aren't we?" asked Sam.
"Course we aren't," said Ren. "We came in this way…
"No, wait, it was this way…"
"I agree with Sam," said Chelsea, taking out her mobile. "We're lost, and I'm calling Joan to get help."
She dialed the phone.
"What?" she said. "Dead again?"
Yumi sighed.
"Daala is up to something," she said. "She's making full use of her control over Xanadu, not only to kill communications, but to alter the very terrain, making us take the wrong paths. We may go one way, and be going in the opposite direction that we think we're going in.
"This is truly Chaos at work…"
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Sheena finally cornered the Ogre (she thought) in a large ruin.
"What's the big idea, pal?" she asked. "Did you actually think Joan was going to bother with a dirty thug like you?"
The Ogre laughed. He lifted a Duel Disk.
"So, then," he said, "Joan can't be bothered with some 'dirty thug' like me, but you can?"
"I'm taking every Spirit that makes threatening moves seriously," said Sheena. "I'm not about to let some grunt sneak up on me. And speaking of dirty, you really stink, you know that?"
"Hey, whaddaya expect?" chuckled the Monster. "I'm an Ogre of the Black Shadow. I could go take a bath and come out smellin' all rosy if I wanted to… But you ever see an ogre who smelled springtime fresh? If I did that, the other Beast-Warriors would think I was some sorta nutcase!"
"What do you want?" shouted Sheena.
"Well," said the Ogre. "I'm kinda what you would call a 'low man on the totem pole' of Daala's army. But I had a thought… If I took on someone as big as Sheena Arachne, and walloped her butt good, I'd go up a few notches."
"Daala's army is going to be fighting our army in a few hours," said Sheena. "This isn't exactly the time to be thinking about promotions."
The Ogre activated his Disk.
"Scared?" he asked.
Sheena activated hers.
"Oh, please…" she said. "I've seen moldy cottage cheese that was scarier than you.
"Game on!"
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Sheena had no way of knowing that when the Ogre showed up, Daala herself was hiding nearby, concealing herself invisibly in a pocket dimension.
Once Sheena had chased the Ogre away and she was sure they were out of earshot, she phased back into view, and stood in front of the front door of the temple.
"Joan!" she shouted, boldly. "I've come, and I've come alone! I accept your challenge, and I wager the Crown of Xanadu!"
There was dead silence for a minute or two…
The front doors slowly opened. Daala grinned.
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(Sheena: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Ogre of the Black Shadow: 8,000)
"I'll try ta make this as painless as possible…" chuckled the Ogre, making his first draw.
He looked over his hand.
"I set this, and then this."
Two facedown cards, a Monster and a Spell or Trap, appeared.
"An' I'm done…"
Sheena made her draw.
"Going defensive, huh?" she asked. "Well, I'm not! I summon Insect Knight!"
In a burst of light, the mantis warrior appeared, holding his sword. (1,900/1,500)
"Attack!"
Insect Knight flew forward with a drone of wings, flying towards the facedown Monster…
And then, it was thrown backwards in a blast of electricity.
Crouching on the card was an odd creature. It looked like a large horse with two heads, which was glossy black on one side of its body, and bright crimson on the other side. (700/2,000)
"You're gonna need somethin' tougher than that ta crack my Phantom Beast Thunder-Pegasus," said the Ogre.
A Phantom Beast? thought Sheena.
"It's your move," she muttered.
(S: 7,900) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 8,000)
The Ogre made a draw, and then played a Continuous Spell Card.
"I play… Branch!" he said. "We'll get to that in a minute.
"Next, I'll get rid'a my Pegasus…"
Thunder-Pegasus vanished.
"…to summon this handsome guy… Berfomet!"
In an explosion of darkness, a hulking Fiend appeared. It had four arms with claws, vulture-like wings, a hairy, muscular torso, and ram-like horns on its head. (1,400/1,800)
"When he shows up," continued the Ogre, taking his deck, "I get to take Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts from my deck.
"Now, I play Polymerization!"
The Spell Card appeared. Gazelle appeared on the field, and both it and Berfomet swirled into two murky colors.
"Let's all have a hand for… Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!"
Nearly everyone had seen the Fusion Monster that appeared next. It was one of Yugi Mouto's signature Monsters. If you were one who had not paid much attention to his duels, it was best described as a two-headed, horned lion, with feathered wings and a snake in place of a tail. (2,100/1,800)
"Swat her Insect Knight!" shouted the Ogre. "Pummeling pounce!"
Chimera roared, and leapt, tackling Insect Knight. The Insect shattered. Sheena cringed.
(S: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 8,000)
"Had enough?" asked the Ogre.
"Not by a long shot," replied Sheena, drawing a card.
"I summon Chainsaw Insect!"
With the roar of chainsaws, the large beetle with the serrated mandibles appeared. (2,400/0)
"Next," she said, as a Spell Card appeared, "I play Double Summon. And I'll use its effect to summon my Des Mosquito."
Another Insect appeared. This one was a humanoid mosquito, holding a long, metal spear. (500/500)
"That's weak!" laughed the Ogre.
"Not as weak as you think," replied Sheena.
Des Mosquito glowed, and two antennae appeared on its head.
"When Des Mosquito is Normal Summoned, it gets two antennae. Each one gives it 500 more Attack Points."
(1,500/500)
"What's more, if you try to destroy it with a card effect, it can survive by shedding one of those antennae.
"Chainsaw Insect, attack Chimera!"
Chainsaw Insect rushed at the Fusion Monster, and with a savage slash, Chimera was no more.
"I get to draw one card 'cause of your bug's effect," said the Ogre, making a draw. "And 'cause of my Monster's effect, I get ta bring back one'a the Monsters I fused to summon it."
Berfomet appeared on the field, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,400/1,800)
"And, thanks to Branch!, I get Gazelle back too!"
Gazelle appeared, also in Defense Mode. (1,500/1,200)
"Des Mosquito!" shouted Sheena, "destroy Gazelle! Des stinger!"
Des Mosquito flew at the King of Mythical Beasts, and stabbed it with its spear. The Beast exploded into triangles.
"I end my turn," she growled.
(S: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 7,700)
The Ogre drew a card.
He looked over his hand again. He had one of his most powerful Monsters right now, and he could have summoned it at this point if he wanted to.
But he didn't want to.
Most people thought that ogres, by nature, were dumb. And the sad fact was, it was true with most of them.
But despite his course language and his body odor, which was typical of ogres, it wasn't true with him. He was quite clever for an ogre. And he was more than capable of following the very specific orders that Daala had given him before he came here.
She had said:
"If you can defeat Sheena, congratulations. If you can't, don't feel too bad. But winning or losing doesn't matter. What you must do is provide a distraction, and make the duel last for as long as you can. Drag it out for as long as possible.
"Just don't play a Stall Deck. We don't want your intentions to be obvious."
Those were his orders, and he was going to follow them loyally.
He set a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That oughta… Do it…" he said.
Sheena quickly made a draw.
"I summon Neo Bug!" she shouted.
The green, scorpion-like Insect appeared. It clapped its pincers. (1,800/1,700)
"Neo Bug, attack his mystery Monster!"
Neo Bug scurried forward. The Monster that appeared on the card was a bird-like creature with golden feathers and wings in place of arms. It was blown to bits.
"Chainsaw Insect, destroy Berfomet!"
Chainsaw Insect scurried forward, and made a slash, cutting Berfomet in two.
The Ogre grinned, and made another draw.
"Des Mosquito, attack him directly!"
The Ogre winced a little, as Des Mosquito stabbed him with its spear.
(S: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 6,200)
He grinned.
"What don't kill me only makes me stronger," he said.
Sheena looked at him.
"I just don't get it," she said, shaking her head. "What did Daala promise you guys? What did she offer you to make you want to join her unholy army?"
The Ogre frowned.
"Well, not that's it any'a your business," he said with a scowl, "but most'a us just don't like humans all that much.
"Wanna know why I decided to join her? I used ta live in one'a the Dimensions where primitive Spirits were the most common. Beasts, Beast-Warriors, Winged Beasts, Dinosaurs, stuff like that. I was one'a the lucky ones who found a way ta travel ta Earth, an' watch unseen.
"I didn't bother tyin' myself to a card like some Spirits do. I knew that no duelist would wanna use an Ogre of the Black Shadow, cause non-Effect Level Four Beast-Warriors with my scores went outta style when Vorse Raider showed up. So I just watched.
"And ya know what made me mad? Duelists who treated the cards like crud!
"Oh, sure, they kept their Secret Rares an' Holofoil Special Editions protected like valuable treasure, but they stuffed their common cards in boxes an' stashed 'em like junk. Bein' Secret Rare doesn't increase the chance that a card will draw a Spirit to it one bit! In fact, there are more Spirits in Commons, 'cause there are so many more'a those! But these brats never considered that…
"How many Duel Spirits have spent countless hours alone in the darkness 'cause someone threw their card in a closet and forgot about it? Even worse, how many have been thrown back to their home dimension, crash landing 'cause their card was destroyed and they were torn from the world of humans forcefully?
"That's why I joined Daala's army! She offered us a chance ta get even!"
Sheena stared at him.
She didn't know what to say. Was she guilty of doing the very thing he accused duelists of doing because of the vast library of cards she kept in the Kaibacorp building for research purposes? How many cards in that huge place had Spirits in them?
"I… end my turn…" she finally said.
"Then I draw," said the Ogre, drawing a card.
His facedown card lifted.
"I play Call of the Haunted," he said.
In a flash of light, Thunder-Pegasus appeared again. (700/2,000)
"The Monster I'm going to summon next is Level Seven. However, 'cause of one of its effects I can bring it out with one sacrifice if the Monster I use as a sacrifice is a Phantom Beast, like itself.
"So… Goodbye Thunder-Pegasus…"
Thunder-Pegasus vanished, and the ground started to rumble.
"…and hello, Phantom Beast Rock-Lizard!"
The ground cracked, and a huge creature rose out of it. It looked like a monstrous centaur made of rock, with huge, rocky fists. (2,200/2,000)
"That was a waste," said Sheena. "My Chainsaw Insect will eat it alive."
"Oh, really?" replied the Ogre. "Remember that bird-like thing you deep-sixed last turn? It was another Phantom Beast called a Cross-Wing. And when it's in my Graveyard, all Phantom Beasts on the field get 300 more Attack Points."
Rock-Lizard glowed with energy. (2,500/2,000)
"Okay, that could be bad…" muttered Sheena.
"Rock-Lizard…" ordered the Ogre, "smash her Chainsaw Insect!"
The Rock-Lizard ran forward with a noise that sounded like an avalanche. It punched Chainsaw Insect, crushing it like a bug.
"I get another card 'cause of your Insect's effect," he said, making a draw. "And, when Rock-Lizard squashes a Monster, you get clobbered for 500 more Life Points…"
Sheena screamed as a boulder flew at her, striking her in the chest. She fell over.
(S: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 6,200)
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"This is hopeless!" said Chelsea.
"We need someone who's an expert," said Erik. "A tracker, or a survivalist, or something…"
"Uhm, I've got an idea…" muttered Sam.
"Well…" said Ren, "it can't be worse than what we've been doing so far…"
Sam activated her Disk, and took a card from her deck.
"I summon Mad Archfiend!" she shouted.
In a burst of dark energy, the snarling, drooling demon appeared. It growled a little, and looked around.
"How's he going to help?" asked Ren. "He's insane, in case you didn't realize…"
"So was Hannibal Lechter, and he was still a genius," said Sam. "The thing is, yes, he's insane, which means he looks at the world in a whole different way. Maybe, just maybe, the spell of Chaos that has us so confused won't be as debilitating to someone like him, and he can use his instincts to find his way to Nexus."
It seemed like Sam actually had something. Mad Archfiend stopped snarling for a minute, and started sniffing the air like a bloodhound. It looked down one path, and then another.
"You know…" said Yumi, "that actually makes sense in a strange way… If you want to fight a spell of Chaos, use someone who's already thick with Chaos."
Mad Archfiend growled, and made a beeline down one of the paths.
"Follow him!" shouted Yumi.
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"My… move…" groaned Sheena.
She drew a card.
Good… she thought, looking at it. This will take out that thing…
"I move my two Monsters to Defense Mode," she said, "and set another one in Defense Mode…"
Neo Bug and Des Mosquito crouched and shielded themselves, and a third defensive Monster appeared.
"…and that's all."
The Ogre drew a card.
"I summon my secret weapon," he said. "Phantom Beast Wild-Horn."
In a blast of arctic air, a hulking Beast-Warrior appeared. It had the head of a moose with large antlers, tattoos on its fur-covered torso, and was dressed in fur clothing. It carried a sword that was also shaped like an antler. (1,700/0)
"A moose?" asked Sheena. "That's your secret weapon?"
"Don't knock it," replied the Ogre. "And don't forget, with Cross-Wing six feet under, he gains 300 more Attack Points."
(2,000/0)
"Now, I play Path to Destiny. If a Monster is a Beast-Warrior, like yours truly, I can Equip it with this card, an' it lets that Monster attack directly."
Sheena grit her teeth as Rock-Lizard glowed…
Rock-Lizard slammed its fist into the ground, and a shockwave shot towards Sheena. She tried her best to brace herself as it tore through her.
She gasped for breath.
"Then there's Wild-Horn!" laughed the Ogre.
Wild-Horn snorted with fury, and slashed at Neo Bug with its sword. The Bug shattered. Sheena cringed in pain again.
"Forgot to mention," said the Ogre, "Wild-Horn has a trampling effect."
(S: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 6,200)
Sheena gave him a strange look…
Then she looked at Des Mosquito…
Neo Bug had 1,700 Defense Points… she thought. Des Mosquito only has 500…
And yet, he chose to attack Neo Bug with Wild-Horn instead of Des Mosquito…
Why would he deliberately choose the target that would do far less damage?
Unless…
Then it hit her.
"This is a diversion, isn't it?" she shouted.
"Eh?" asked the Ogre.
"You're purposely dragging this duel out!" shouted Sheena. "You're keeping me occupied so that another member of Daala's army can strike somewhere that's truly important!"
The Ogre chuckled.
"Maybe I am, and maybe I ain't," he replied, with a sinister grin. "But what are you gonna do about it? I ain't lettin' you out of this duel. The only way you can end early is if you forfeit, and if you forfeit, you lose."
Sheena looked at her deck.
He's right, she thought. And we all knows what happens if I lose. I'm gonna have to win quickly.
"My draw…" said.
She drew a card.
"I flip my Man-Eater Bug into Attack Mode!" she shouted.
Her facedown card flipped, and the huge, savage Insect appeared. (450/600)
It leapt at Rock-Lizard.
"Aw, crud, my Rock-Lizard is a gonner," chuckled the Ogre.
Rock-Lizard burst into an explosion of rock.
"But guess what? That's still good, because when Rock-Lizard is trashed by your card effect, another of its effects is activated, and you lose 2,000 Life Points!"
"Huh?" said Sheena.
Then she screamed as a whole shower of rocks fell on her.
She slowly got up.
"I'm not done with you…" she growled. "I move Des Mosquito to Attack Mode…"
Des Mosquito stood up.
"Then, I sacrifice Man-Eater Bug…"
The Bug vanished.
"…to summon Saber Beetle!"
The Insect that appeared next could best be described as a giant rhinoceros beetle with a giant frontal horn, which was glowing with energy. (2,400/600)
"Attack his Wild-Horn!" she shouted.
Saber Beetle scurried forward, and stabbed Wild-Horn with its weapon. The Beast-Warrior groaned, and then shattered.
"Des Mosquito, attack him directly!"
Des Mosquito flew forward and stabbed the Ogre again. He staggered backwards.
(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 4,100)
The Ogre chuckled.
"Spunky…" he said.
He drew a card.
"I play Premature Burial," he said. "Guess who I'm bringin' back?"
He played the card, and the ground split open again. Rock-Lizard appeared once again. (2,200/2,000) –) (2,500/2,000)
"Flatten her Saber Beetle!" he commanded.
Rock-Lizard punched Saber Beetle, smashing it flat.
Sheena screamed again, as another boulder hit her in the gut.
(S: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 3,300)
"It's your move…" he said.
Sheena drew a card.
All right! she thought.
"Oh, I'll move all right," she said. "I remove two Insects from play…"
Man-Eater Bug and Neo Bug fell out of her discard slot. She quickly pocketed them.
"…to Special Summon my Doom Dozer!"
Once again, the ground split open, but this time, it was on Sheena's side of the field. The enormous, blood-red centipede appeared, and roared. (2,800/2,600)
"Whoo-wee!" said the Ogre. "You're a big one, ain't you?"
"Stuff it!" shouted Sheena. "I'm taking out your Lizard! Doom Dozer, attack!"
The huge centipede lunged at Rock-Lizard…
…only to be thrown back when an aura of electricity surrounded the Beast-Warrior.
"What happened?" asked Sheena.
The Ogre held up a card.
"I used the effect of my Thunder-Pegasus," he said. "Remember him? By removin' him from play when a Phantom Beast on the field is attacked, I can save my Beast, and reduce the damage all the way to zero."
Sheena growled.
"I'll set a facedown, and another Monster in Defense Mode," she said. "I'll get your Rock-Lizard next turn."
A reversed card and a facedown Monster appeared.
The Ogre laughed, and drew a card.
"Well," he said, "since Branch! is no good any more, I'll get rid of it."
He played a Spell Card.
"I play Magic Planter. This lets me ditch my Spell Card, and then draw two cards."
A cluster of vines sprang up, and consumed the Branch! card. The ogre made two draws.
He looked at them.
"Something you should know about large members of the deer family…" he said.
He played one of the cards, and a second Wild-Horn appeared. (1,700/0) –) (2,000/0)
"They always gather in herds.
"Next, I play Foolish Burial."
The Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.
"I'll use it to toss a second Cross-Wing," he said, as he discarded a card. "That boosts my Phantom Beasts even more."
Rock-Lizard grew to an Attack Score of 2,800, while Wild-Horn grew to 2,300.
"Now, I play a card I included especially for you and that big bug… Kishido Spirit."
A Continuous Spell appeared on his side of the field.
"Now, my Monsters can attack Monsters with equal Attack Points without being smashed themselves.
"And you know somethin'? I think I've stalled long enough… I'm gonna end this…
"Rock-Lizard… Destroy Doom Dozer!"
Rock-Lizard charged forward, and punched the immense myriapod. Doom Dozer roared, and then shattered.
"No…" gasped Sheena. "It was my best card…"
Then she groaned as a bolder hit her again.
"Wild-Horn…" shouted the Ogre, "stomp her facedown Monster!"
Wild-Horn charged at the facedown Monster. A large, black beetle with a skull printed on its back appeared on the card, and was cleaved in half.
"A Skull-Mark Ladybug?" shouted the Ogre.
"You were expecting another Man-Eater Bug?" said Sheena with a scowl. "It has 1,500 Defense Points, so I only lost 800 Life Points, and then, due to its effect, I gained 1,000 back. I'm still in this."
(S: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 3,300)
"Not for long," growled the Ogre. "My Rock-Lizard has 2,800 Attack Points, so you're gonna need a pretty big Monster ta take it out. An' don't forget, if you take it out with a card effect, you lose 2,000 Life Points, an' that's more than you've got.
"Make your move…"
Sheena quickly drew a card.
"I activate… Pot of Greed," she said.
She played the card, and the evil jar appeared. She quickly drew two cards.
That's the ticket… she thought, looking at them.
She played one of them, and a Continuous Spell appeared on her side of the field.
"If I can't summon a Monster that's stronger," she said, "I'll make your Monsters weaker. I play… Burden of the Mighty!"
"Huh?" said the Ogre. "Burden of the Mighty?"
"Burden of the Mighty causes all of your Monsters to lose 100 Attack Points for each Level they have," said Sheena, with a grin. "As they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall…"
The two Phantom Beasts roared. Rock-Lizard fell to an Attack Score of 2,100, while Wild-Horn fell to 1,900.
"Next," said Sheena, as her facedown card lifted, "I play Call of the Haunted to bring back my Skull-Mark Ladybug."
In a flash of energy, the discolored tick appeared. (500/1,500)
"Then, I sacrifice both my Monsters…"
Des Mosquito and Skull-Mark Ladybug vanished.
"…to summon my Metal Armored Bug!"
In an explosion of dirt, dust, and rock, a giant beetle with a solid, steel exoskeleton burrowed its way to the surface. (2,800/1,500)
"Eek…" muttered the Ogre.
"I gain 1,000 more Life Points from my Ladybug's effect," said Sheena, as she glowed with energy. "And now, my Bug is going to take out your Rock-Lizard!"
With an even more thunderous rumble, Metal Armored Bug charged at Rock-Lizard, and crushed it under its huge bulk. The Ogre reeled from the blow.
(S: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 2,600)
"All right, now I'm angry…" he growled.
"I set one card facedown," continued Sheena, "and that ends my turn."
A facedown card appeared.
The Ogre snarled as he drew a card.
"I set a Monster," he said, "and then move Wild-Horn to Defense Mode."
A facedown Monster appeared, and then Wild-Horn knelt, and crossed its arms over its chest.
"I end my turn."
"Draw," said Sheena, drawing a card.
"Metal Armored Bug, turn his Wild-Horn into venison!"
The giant Insect charged, and flattened the Beast-Warrior.
"Your move, Ogre, and I don't think this is going to last much longer…"
The Ogre snarled, and drew a card.
He chuckled to himself when he saw what it was.
"I play Mystical Space Typhoon!" he shouted, playing it.
The cyclone ripped across the field, and Burden of the Mighty was blown to pieces.
"Now," he continued, "I play Monster Reincarnation. I'll ditch one card in my hand…"
He played the Spell Card, and discarded a second Berfomet.
"…to get back my Rock-Lizard. Now, I'll sacrifice my facedown Gazelle to summon him again!"
The facedown Monster vanished, and Phantom Beast Rock-Lizard appeared with a roar. (2,200/2,000) –) (2,800/2,000)
"My Kishido Spirit is still here," he chuckled, "making my Phantom Beast one giant fly swatter.
"Attack that overgrown cockroach!"
Rock-Lizard charged at Metal Armored Bug…
"I'll teach you to insult my Monsters, you unwashed hypocrite!" shouted Sheena, as her facedown card lifted. "Go, The Transmigration Prophesy!
"This Trap Card lets me return two cards in either Graveyard to the owners' decks. And I'm going to return two cards to your deck… Your two Phantom Beast Cross-Wings!"
The Ogre's deck glowed.
"But that means…" he gasped.
"That's right…" said Sheena, with a grin. "They can't power up the Phantom Beasts on the field anymore."
Rock-Lizard fell to an Attack Score of 2,200. It tried to punch Metal Armored Bug, only to have it clamp its mandibles on its hand. The Bug slammed the Phantom Beast to the ground, where it shattered into shards of rock.
(S: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 2,000)
The Ogre of the Black Shadow looked at the one card left in his hand.
"I play Monster Reborn," he muttered.
The ankh appeared in a flash of light, and Rock-Lizard appeared again, crouching and shielding itself in Defense Mode. (2,200/2,000)
"Just move…" he growled.
Sheena drew a card.
"I play my own Premature Burial," she said, playing the card. "I'll bring back my Saber Beetle."
Sheena glowed with red energy, as Saber Beetle appeared on her side of the field again. (2,400/600)
"By the way… Saber Beetle has the exact same effect as your Wild-Horn. Allow me to demonstrate…"
Saber Beetle rushed at the Rock-Lizard, and it was blown into a blast of pebbles. The Ogre reeled from the blow.
"Now, Metal Armored Bug, attack directly and finish him off!"
Metal Armored Bug grabbed the Ogre of the Black Shadow in its mandibles, and he screamed…
It dumped him on the ground.
(S: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 0)
Then he started laughing. He started laughing hysterically.
"What's so funny?" asked Sheena.
The Ogre got up.
"You may have beaten me good," said the Ogre, "but I'm pretty sure that my mission was a success. If the other duel lasted as long as this one did without Daala winning, she would have won by decking her opponent out.
"Well… smell ya later…"
Then he started running in the other direction.
Sheena was about to chase him, but she stopped short.
"What the heck did he…"
She turned and started running back to the temple.
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Nicholas and Olga were in big trouble right now.
They only had 2,600 Life Points left, while the two clowns had their full total of 8,000.
Nicholas had Yaichi (1,300/800), Nisashi (1,400/700), and Irou (1,700/1,200) in Attack Mode and a facedown card. Olga had a facedown Monster in Defense
Crass Clown had Castle Gate in Attack Mode (0/2,400) and Spirit Barrier. Dream Clown had Super Conductor Tyranno in Attack Mode. (3,300/1,400) Even worse, it was his turn.
He chuckled, and drew a card.
"I summon Cannon Soldier," he laughed, as the Machine appeared. (1,400/1,300)
"Now, I sacrifice it, to use my dino's effect. Get 'em!"
Cannon Soldier vanished, and Super Conductor Tyranno blasted a bolt of energy at the two duelists. Nicholas and Olga screamed as their Life Points fell to 1,600.
"I'm done…" chuckled Dream Clown.
Gotta do something… thought Olga. Next turn, his partner will be able to sacrifice that Dinosaur to use Castle Gate's effect, and we'll lose.
She drew a card.
"I flip Zolga into Attack Mode," she said.
Her facedown card flipped up, and a mysterious, dark, robed figure with a single eye and a helmet, floating in mid-air appeared. (1,700/1,200)
"Next, I play Monster Reborn."
She played the card, and Hysteric Fairy appeared next to Zolga. (1,800/500)
"Now, I sacrifice both Monsters…"
Zolga and Hysteric Fairy vanished into grains of Light.
"…to summon Splendid Venus!"
In a burst of light, a powerful-looking female angel appeared. She wore golden ceremonial armor, had four feathered wings, and carried a bejeweled scepter. (2,800/2,400)
"And since I sacrificed Zolga to summon her, we gain 2,000 Life Points."
Their Life Points rose to 3,600.
"Big deal!" laughed Dream Clown. "She can't beat my dino!"
"Yes she can," replied Olga. "When she's on the field, all Monsters except Fairies lose 500 Life Points."
"Eh?" said Dream Clown.
Super Conductor Tyranno fell to 2,800 Life Points. It growled as it and Venus looked each other in the eye…
Splendid Venus fires a blast of pure light at the huge Dinosaur. At the same time, the Dinosaur breathed a bolt of energy at Venus. The two blasts collided, and both Monsters were incinerated in a great explosion.
"Sweet Christmas!" shouted Dream Clown, cowering.
"That ends my turn," said Olga.
"You'd better have a plan…" said Dream Clown, turning to his partner.
"Don't worry, said Crass Clown, drawing a card. "We still have Castle Gate…
"I summon Dark Elf…"
He played the card, and the dark, evil twin of Mystical Elf appeared. (2,000/800)
"Now, I sacrifice her to use Castle Gate's effect… Monster Cannon!"
Dark Elf vanished, and Castle Gate pointed its arms. There was a sound like artillery firing, and both Nicholas and Olga reeled from the impact. Their Life Points fell to 2,600.
"What do you say to that?" asked Crass Clown.
"I say…" said Nicholas, "it's my move…"
He drew a card.
"I play Six Samurai United," he said, playing the card. "Then, I summon Six Samurai Kamon."
The Continuous Spell Card appeared, and then the explosives-laden Samurai appeared. (1,500/1,000)
"Now, I can ditch my United card to draw one card…"
The United card vanished, and he made a draw.
"Then, I play Double Summon. I can make another Normal Summon now. And I use it to summon Six Samurai – Zanji."
In a burst of light, the naginata-wielding Samurai appeared. (1,800/1,300)
"Now… Kamon, destroy that Spirit Barrier!"
Kamon lit the fuse of one of his explosives, and threw it at the Trap Card, blowing it to pieces.
"Uh oh…" said both the clowns at once.
"Zanji, attack the Castle Gate!" shouted Nicholas.
Zanji leapt at the huge building, and slashed at it with his weapon. Castle Gate shuddered, and cracks appeared all over it. Then it collapsed into a pile of rubble.
"But how?" gasped Crass Clown. "It can't be destroyed in battle!"
"It wasn't," replied Nicholas. "It was destroyed by Zanji's effect. And you still took damage."
The two clowns groaned as their Life Points fell to 6,200.
"And you're both defenseless! Irou, attack Dream Clown directly!"
Dream Clown screamed as Irou slashed at him with his katana. Their Life Points fell to 4,500.
"Yaichi, you next! Aim for Crass Clown's stomach… You can't possibly miss."
Crass Clown howled as he was hit in the gut by Yaichi's arrow. Their Life Points fell to 3,200.
"And finally, Nisashi can attack twice, meaning he has one for both of you. Go, Strike of the Driving Gale!"
Nisashi dashed to Dream Clown and then to Crass Clown, slashing at both of them with their weapons and knocking them over. Their Life Points fell to merely 400.
"They still have 400 Life Points, Olga," said Nicholas. "Can you remedy that?"
"Mercy, please!" shouted Crass Clown.
"We give up!" shouted Dream Clown.
The fell to their knees.
"Well, that's more like it," said Nicholas. "Now, just deactivate your Duel Disks like good scum, and start talking."
"Who's leading this army of Duel Spirits?" asked Olga.
"Uh… Uhm..." muttered Dream Clown.
"It's… It's Freed…" said Crass Clown, nervously.
"Liar!" screamed Nicholas. "Freed the Matchless General would never work for Daala."
The two clowns looked visibly nervous. It almost looked as if they expected Nicholas not to believe them.
"Uhm…" said Dream Clown. "He's… He's kind of hard to describe… Look… He's using Kaibaland as a base… We'll gladly take you there to meet him…"
"Just leave our names out of it!" said Crass Clown.
"Perish the thought," said Olga. "Lead on."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
As Sheena ran up the hill to the temple, she saw Yumi and the others run up from the opposite direction.
"You're back!" she exclaimed.
"After going through a virtual maze," replied Yumi, as they ran up the hill. "Daala's clearly trying something new."
"I know," said Sheena, "and I don't like it at all…"
The doors to the temple opened.
"Joan!" shouted Yumi. "Joan!"
There was no-one in the common room. The place seemed empty.
"Let's not panic yet, people…" said Sam.
"Where the heck is Joan?" asked Ren.
"We were hoping you folks could tell us," said a voice from the door.
They all turned around, and saw five duelists they knew enter. Jesse, Mako, Aster, Atticus, and Zane, and all of them looked worried. Aster was carrying an extra Duel Disk.
"What happened, people?" asked Yumi.
"We were gathering Joan's troops from the six Realms to prepare for the assault," said Atticus, "and when we came back fifteen minutes ago… No Joan."
"All we found was this…" said Aster.
He handed her the Duel Disk.
Yumi looked at the deck, which was half-used. Clearly, this Disk and deck had been used in a duel recently.
She looked at the cards.
"Okay, now we can panic…" she said. "Lightsworn Monsters… This belongs to Joan!"
"She was beaten?" exclaimed Mako. "By who?"
"By Daala, personally," said a voice.
"Everyone turned, and saw General Freed enter.
"I came to tell Joan that my army stands ready to march," he said. "But when I entered Nexus, I ran into Daala, and she and a Masked Beast Des Gardius had Joan as their prisoner. I tried to stop them, but the Fiend delayed me long enough for Daala to escape, taking Joan with her."
Freed slammed something to the ground. It was a Mask of Remnants.
"I slew the foul abomination… A lot of good that will do Joan…"
Yumi rubbed her chin.
"Daala defeated Joan…" she muttered. "I don't get it… Daala is no slouch, but I don't see how she could have beaten Joan's Lightsworn Deck… We saw the duel with Demise. Joan had several ways to defeat practically any Dragon. Even the F.G.D."
She turned to everyone present.
"We may have taken six Realms, but we haven't weakened Daala. She's become stronger somehow…"
"What I don't get is why Daala decided to capture when she could have killed," said Zane. "So long as Joan is alive, the rebellion is still protected by her dictum, even if she herself isn't."
Yumi sighed.
"Daala's goals are as fickle as Chaos itself," she said. "Joan may not even be alive. Daala may have another reason for not arresting the whole resistance.
"And if Joan is alive, it may not be for long.
"In cases like this, we have to assume the worst… We must assume…"
She swallowed hard.
"We must assume that Joan is dead."
There was dead silence for a few seconds.
"Zane, you're second-in-command," continued Yumi. "It's up to you to do whatever Joan had planned once her patron gets here."
"That's a tall order, Yumi," said Zane. "I don't even know who this patron is! That was one thing Joan didn't share with anybody."
"Well, you'd better prepare fast!" replied Sam. "Because according to my watch, he'll be here in ten minutes!"
"Jesse!" shouted Zane. "Find the manual controls to raise the portal. This assault is going through for as long as we're able to."
"You got it!" said Jesse.
He ran to a large winch at the other end of the room, and gave it a large turn. The trapdoor opened, and the crystal spire started to rise out of the floor.
"Oh… no…" said Yumi, looking at it.
There was a very large crack in the side of the crystal.
"I'm guessing that Daala tried to destroy it, but that was all she managed…" muttered Ren. "What are we gonna do?"
"Pray that it somehow still works," said Chelsea. "But we're gonna have to do an awful lot of praying…"
As she finished these words, the room became awash in light…
They turned. The light was coming from the giant throne that dominated the far end of the room. The one that they didn't know the purpose of, and were too polite to ask.
The light became blinding…
As the light started to decrease (but not go away entirely) a majestic, titanic form appeared sitting on the throne. He had blue skin, and silvery hair tied in a long topknot. He was dressed in royal, pure white, silken robes, and a golden circlet was behind his head resembling a halo. Four glorious feathered wings were behind his back. His mere presence filled the whole room with an aura of divine energy that could not be ignored.
Six humans, five AI programs, and one Duel Spirit looked up in wonder at the immense form of Shinato, King of the Higher Plane…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DES MOSQUITO (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Insect/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, place two Counters on it. This card gains 500 ATK for each Counter placed on it by its effect. If this card would be destroyed by a card effect, you may remove one Counter from it to negate the destruction.
Note: "Des Mosquito" is a real card that has not yet been released in the United States. (Note that it has indeed been released for the TCG, but only in European versions).
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PATH TO DESTINY (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: Two Samurai about to ambush each other from behind the corner of a building.
Card Description: Equip only to a Beast-Warrior Type Monster. The Equipped Monster may attack directly.
Note: "Path to Destiny" was first used by Atticus in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Pop Goes the Duel". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MAGIC PLANTER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A basin full of water and vines and shrubbery, emitting eerie steam.
Card Description: Send one face-up Continuous Spell Card that you control to the Graveyard. Draw two cards from your deck.
Note: "Magic Planter" was first used by Aki 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 Enigma of the Monoliths of Cantha
They have stood motionless since before recorded history. Only a select few knows their purpose, and they don't like what they know. The Monoliths of Cantha are a sleeping power that would threaten the world if they ever awoke.
The Monoliths of Cantha were discovered roughly one-thousand years ago by the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, and they consider themselves very lucky that they found them first. After a battle with a powerful demon lord who was trying to open a portal in a subterranean cavern system, they discovered an underground cathedral where these five large statues stood.
Each Monolith is twenty feet tall, hulking, blocky, and vaguely humanoid. Four of them are made of white stone, and stand in a circle facing each other. The fifth is made of black stone, and stands outside the circle, facing out.
The Monoliths seem to move slightly when viewed out of the corner of one's eye, but this apparent illusion stops when one looks at them with a full glance. Most remarkably, no-one can sleep in the cathedral in which they are housed without suffering terrible nightmares, unless he has done so several times. Most importantly, the Monoliths radiate a powerful aura of Chaos, something that the Wind Dukes noticed immediately.
The Wind Dukes inspected the cavern, and it had apparently not been built by any human civilization that they knew of, and had been there much longer than any recorded history that existed on Earth. But years later, they found a set of ancient scrolls called the Scrolls of Cantha that told the purpose of these statues; whoever or whatever Cantha was, no-one knows, but the scrolls were written in the ancient language of the obyriths, a language they knew only too well.
Apparently, the Monoliths are forerunners of alien colonization from an unknown dimension. Their colonization party consisted of four females (the white Monoliths) and one male (the black one). For unknown reasons, the alien race that sent them to Earth either couldn't or wouldn't awaken its representatives. The Monoliths remain unconscious and immobile until they can somehow awaken and make contact with their home realm. Once that is done, they will "purify" the world they have arrived on before starting to reproduce their own spawn.
The Wind Dukes quickly realized that "purify" likely meant "kill all life that could interfere". They decided to destroy the Monoliths before anything could awaken them. They first tried picks and hammers… Then explosives… They tried every form of demolition, mundane and magical, that they knew of, but nothing could make as much as a blemish on the five creatures.
The Wind Dukes resigned to the fact that the Monoliths were indestructible as they were, and the only way to destroy them was to awaken them first – probably. But since they had no idea just what they were capable of when awake, they decided not to try, and simply to watch the cathedral, keeping their knowledge secret.
Unfortunately, their knowledge slipped. Over the years, doomsday cultists and worshippers of Chaos found other copies of that scroll, and embarked on missions to awaken the Monoliths. Each time, the Wind Dukes responded, raiding the cathedral and raining death on whatever cult was trying to make the attempt.
After a very close call, the Wind Dukes decided to form a group to make a permanent base within the cathedral. They trained several strong warriors to withstand the nightmares that the Monoliths cause, and resolved to guard them until the end of time, if that was necessary.
In the meantime, research is done towards finding a weakness that can be used to destroy them. After all, guarding them forever may not be possible, and the Monoliths' race may one day decide to awaken them from long distance. The Monoliths of Cantha are one group of foes that frustrate the Wind Dukes the most, despite the fact that combat between the two groups has never truly occurred.
There is one irony of the whole situation. Since the Scrolls of Cantha were written in the obyrith language, it hints at a relation between the Monoliths and that race. Perhaps the obyriths were allies, cohorts, rivals, or enemies of the Monoliths' race. Maybe they were even responsible for them not being able to awaken the Monoliths. Possibly, they know of a weakness that could be exploited. But the obyriths are the last race that the Wind Dukes would go to for advice. The demons intended nothing less than their extinction when the Queen of Chaos led them, and the Wind Dukes responded by decimating them. There are many ironies in the universe, and this is one of the biggest.
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Coming up next:
With or without Joan, the assault on the Core is going through! Next chapter, the Big Five return, and they aren't the only ones, as the rebellion forces their way into the very heart of Xanadu to make the last stand. It's Jesse versus Gansley! Aster versus Krump! And Freed's army of Warriors versus anything in their path! And lest we forget who the stars of this fic are…
"Battlezone" is coming up next!