It's finally happened…
The Devil's Fruit's true purpose has become apparent, and it wasn't the well of great power that we initially thought. It was a magical catalyst that could be used to transform humans who ate it into Duel Spirits.
Dark Necrofear said that the form I got would be dictated by my dreams and subconscious desires. Could that be true? Did a vampire lurk deep down in my soul that was waiting to get out?
Maybe Dark Necrofear was a liar. She is a demon after all, and I wouldn't be surprised. Whether she did or not, I've become one of the predators of the night. The curse that Penelope endured is now one that I'm going to have to endure.
Going into this duel frightens me now. Not because I might lose, but because I might win. If I defeat this guy, will I be tempted to attack him the way a vampire normally does when a victim is at his mercy?
I have no choice but to accept his challenge… But the dread still hangs over me. The future is uncertain…
What will happen to me?
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CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unrequited
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
In the portal leading to the Core, Dark Necrofear leaned back in her alcove, chuckling with evil glee.
Yumi and her allies had fallen for it like a house of cards. Daala could go through with her plans now.
Right now, she was waiting for Yumi's other allies to show up, as she knew they would. The perfect ending to her day would be crushing them, and hopefully gaining a soul or two, if any of them weren't AIs.
She was very surprised to see three Mokey Mokeys fly down the hallway. She was even more surprised to see them fly towards the portal.
"Stop right there!" she shouted, standing up.
The small Fairies paid her no heed, and flew through the portal.
Dark Necrofear was about to chase them, but she stopped.
Why bother? They posed no more threat to Daala than mosquitoes. Daala could swat them with ease. She wasn't going to waste her energy chasing down three weak Fairies…
Of course, if she had noticed the globe of light that the three Mokey Mokeys had been surrounding, she may have thought differently…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chelsea wandered through the mist, just as the others were at this moment.
She placed her hand over her chest, just as she had done every minute for the last five minutes.
Her heart was still beating, and she was still breathing. She hoped that meant she was still alive, although she really didn't know whether or not a vampire's organs normally continued to function or not.
At least she could go off that diet when she finally got home. Looking at herself, the change had made her lose about fifteen pounds.
But could vampires even eat normal food at all? That was the big question. If the answer was no, she might never be able to enjoy pizza or cheeseburgers again… And that was probably the least of her concerns.
She remembered reading Interview With The Vampire. She remembered reading how the vampire who was being interviewed (Louis – that was his name, if she remembered correctly) was morally averse to killing humans to survive, so at first, he fed on animals, mostly rats.
The thought of that made her a little squeamish. Weren't rats rabid? Could vampires contract disease? If they could, even preying on humans would give them a lot of problems in this day and age…
She wondered if it was possible to buy blood from blood banks and similar suppliers if you weren't a hospital or university.
She found herself wondering what blood tasted like. It was probably very salty. She had heard of black pudding, a type of sausage that was a traditional breakfast food in Scotland, made using the blood of pigs or cattle, among other ingredients. Germany had its own version called blutwurst. But any version was almost impossible to find in Japan, and even it if was more widespread, she wouldn't have found it appealing. She did hear that the blood made it high in protein…
Maybe that's why the stories about vampires always said they were very strong. The blood they drained from victims gave them a lot of protein.
An idea came to her… Could she survive if she found a place that sold black pudding?
As she thought of this and many other possibilities that might arise from her current situation, the fog started to lift.
She looked around. She was in a beautiful garden. Trees of oriental design and lovely shrubs and bushes were neatly arranged around various statues depicting the gods and goddesses of ancient Japan.
"This place…" muttered Chelsea. "The Domino arboretum. I've been here once… But when?"
"I'll refresh your memory," said a voice.
Chelsea turned to meet the new enemy, and he appeared in a dark shadow. It was a tall man, dressed in a dark suit, with a long, black cape, with a collar with a silver spider web design. His arms were completely covered with brown hair, like those of some beast. He had long, stylish brown hair, and his face would have been handsome, if the left half of it were not tattooed by a similar spider web pattern.
"A Vanity's Fiend?" asked Chelsea.
"That's right, Chelsea," said the Fiend. "I'd say the Devil's Fruit was very good to me… And to you too. You look more beautiful that ever!"
"Uh, pardon me…" replied Chelsea. "Do I know you?"
The Vanity's Fiend frowned.
"Come on, Chelsea," he said, with a hint of anger. "Don't tell me you don't recognize my voice…"
Chelsea looked at him.
"Uhm, should I?" she asked.
"I'll give you a hint," he said, sounding a little angrier. "May 1st of last year."
Chelsea thought for a minute.
"Yeah, I went to the arboretum that day…" she muttered. "No, some boy took me there… Eikou, I think his name was…"
"That's all you remember?" shouted the Fiend.
"Eikou?" asked Chelsea. "Is that you?"
"Of course it is," replied the Fiend. "And you broke my heart."
"It was just a date!" protested Chelsea.
"It was just a date…" muttered the Fiend. "Chelsea, I had wanted it for a long time. I had fallen for you a year earlier, and it took me that long to get the courage to ask you. I was thrilled when you said yes. But after it was over, you never called, and never acknowledged me in the least."
Chelsea laughed.
"We go on one date, and you think that gives you the right to marry me?" she asked. "You're demented!"
"And I'm a powerful Fiend now, much stronger than any vampire," said Eikou. "And Daala welcomed me into her group."
He gestured, and a standard-issue Duel Disk appeared on his arm.
"So I'm going to make you pay for rejecting me. We're dueling right now."
Chelsea sighed.
How hard could it be? she thought. I just have to try hard not to lose control of myself…
Eikou grinned.
She may have ignored me, he thought, but I certainly didn't ignore her. I've been preparing for this duel for a long time, and my whole strategy is one that can defeat any Zombie Deck. I can't possibly lose…
Both Disks activated.
"Game on!" they both said.
(Chelsea: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Eikou: 8,000)
"Let's go!" laughed Eikou, drawing a card.
He looked over the six cards in his hand. He took one, and set it on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That will do for now," he said.
Chelsea quickly drew a card.
"I activate Pot of Greed!" she shouted, playing the card.
"Already?" asked Eikou. "Sure you don't want to save that?"
Chelsea ignored him, and made two draws.
Perfect! thought Chelsea, looking at the seven cards. I couldn't have asked for a better hand…
"I play Call of the Mummy!" she shouted, as the Continuous Spell appeared.
"Hold on, Chelsea," said Eikou. "Before you actually use that Spell, it's only fair to warn you about my Deck Lord power."
"Deck Lord power?" asked Chelsea.
She looked at Eikou.
"Oh my god, you're Vanity's Fiend!" she shouted. "Don't tell me you can negate Special Summonings?"
"No, I can't," replied Eikou, closing his eyes. "Unless I was actually on the field, which would be foolish. However, Special Summoning is going to help me in the long run, because I gain 500 Life Points whenever it happens."
Chelsea looked at him.
That's got to be an Extraordinary Power… she thought. How far has this freak gone to get back at me? How many of Joan's duelists has he beaten?
"I Special Summon Vampire Lord," she said, slowly.
In a burst of energy, Vampire Lord appeared. (2,000/1,500) Eikou glowed with energy.
"Next, I Normal Summon Zombie Werewolf!"
In another burst, Zombie Werewolf appeared, and made a howl. (1,200/1,200)
"Zombie Werewolf, attack his Monster with terror claw!"
Zombie Werewolf pounced at the facedown Monster. Skelengel appeared on the card, and was blasted to pixels.
"Now I get to draw one card," said Eikou, making a draw.
"Fine," said Chelsea. "Vampire Lord, attack him directly, with Children of the Night!"
Vampire Lord's eyes glowed, and he lifted his cape. The scourge of bats flew at Eikou, and he groaned as they hit him.
"I activate Vampire Lord's effect," said Chelsea. "I'm telling you to discard a Spell Card."
Then Eikou grinned evilly. He took his deck from its holder.
"Your wish," he said, "is my command…"
He chose a card and discarded it…
Then Chelsea was startled, as a dark shadow with an evil face appeared in front of her.
"Wha…" she said.
Then she screamed as it grabbed her by the throat and started to strangle her. She fell to her knees as it vanished.
(C: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 6,500)
"What happened?" she gasped.
"The Spell Card I discarded was a special one," replied Eikou, "called Grip of Despair. When my opponent's card effect causes it to go directly from my hand or deck to the Graveyard, that opponent takes 1,000 points of damage.
"I have two more copies in my deck… And I have three copies of Despair From the Dark, and three Trap Cards that are activated in a similar way. In this duel, your vampires' effects are only going to hurt you."
Chelsea slowly got up.
"I… end my turn…" she muttered.
Eikou drew a card.
"I play Graceful Charity," he said, as a Spell Card appeared. "I'm sure you don't need me to explain how this works…"
He quickly drew three cards.
And I know just what to discard, he thought, as he discarded two cards.
"Now, I throw three cards facedown…"
He fit three cards in his Disk, and three facedown cards appeared.
"Then, I play the Spell Card, Soul Taker, to destroy your Vampire Lord."
He played the card, and a blast of energy shot from it, blowing Vampire Lord to pixels.
"Talk about dumb!" shouted Chelsea, as a golden glow surrounded her. "I gained 1,000 Life Points because of that, and due to Vampire Lord's effect, he'll be back next turn!"
"Only if he's in your Graveyard, which he won't be," replied Eikou. "I summon one of my secret weapons… The dreaded Blazewing Butterfly!"
He played the card, and a ball of fire appeared in midair in front of him. The ball turned into a small creature. Sure enough, it was a butterfly, although its wings were apparently made of fire. (1,500/1,500)
Chelsea almost laughed.
"A butterfly?" she asked. "That's your secret weapon?"
"Watch it," replied Eikou. "Fire is one of the few things that can actually kill a vampire.
"Now, I play the Spell Card, Double Summon."
The Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.
"You see, Blazewing Butterfly is a Gemini Monster. So to use its effect, I have to summon it twice. So I'll use this second Normal Summon to unleash its effect."
Blazewing Butterfly's wings grew to twice their size, and burned more fiercely.
"Its effect lets me sacrifice it, to Special Summon from my Graveyard any Gemini Monster except a Blazewing Butterfly. When I do that, the Special Summoned Monster comes with its effect, without having to be summoned twice.
"So I sacrifice my Butterfly…"
Blazewing Butterfly vanished.
"To summon the Gatekeeper of Hell… I call forth… Il Blud!"
In a dark shadow, a hulking creature appeared where Blazewing Butterfly had been. Chelsea stepped back in shock. It was probably the most hideous thing she had ever seen. Almost its whole body was one big torso, with a tiny pair of arms and legs, dressed in what looked like a dirty prison uniform. A long ball and chain was attached to its right leg. The front of the uniform was unzipped, revealing two hideous eyes, a big nose, and a toothy, grinning mouth, placed right on the torso. (2,100/800)
"UGH!" shouted Chelsea. "What is THAT?"
"Didn't you hear me?" asked Eikou. "It's Il Blud, the most powerful Zombie you'll likely ever meet."
"That's not the strongest," said Chelsea. "Probably the ugliest, but I've seen stronger."
"Attack Points aren't everything," replied Eikou. "Il Blud has a very powerful effect, and as I said, since it was summoned using Blazewing Butterfly, I can use it right now. You see, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Zombie from my hand, or from either Graveyard.
"So hand over Vampire Lord!"
Il Blud's eyes glowed with a demonic red light, and Vampire Lord appeared next to it. (2,000/1,500)
"Oh, crap…" muttered Chelsea.
"Vampire Lord…" commanded Eikou, "attack Zombie Werewolf with Children of the Night!"
The swarm of bats shot towards Zombie Werewolf, and the lycanthrope howled. It shattered into pixels.
"Seems I can use Vampire Lord's effect against you," laughed Eikou. "I think I'll choose Monster."
Chelsea took her deck and looked though the cards.
I know what he's up to, she thought. The more Zombies in my Graveyard, the more chances he has to use that thing's effect…
She smirked.
Well, let's see just how much he's truly prepared…
She chose Pyramid Turtle, and discarded it.
"I use Zombie Werewolf's effect," she said. "I get to Special Summon another one from my deck."
A second Zombie Werewolf appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,700/1,200)
"Il Blud," ordered Eikou. "Attack with Death Breath!"
Il Blud roared, and breathed a stream of foul, green gas at Zombie Werewolf. The Werewolf turned to bones and disintegrated.
"I summon my third Werewolf!" shouted Chelsea.
A third Zombie Werewolf appeared, now in Attack Mode. (2,200/1,200)
This is bad, she thought. He gains 500 Life Points each time a Special Summon is made… And that round alone, there were four Special Summons! Special Summoning is what Zombies do best!
(C: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 8,500)
"My move!" she shouted.
She drew a card.
"Zombie Werewolf, attack his Il Blud!" she shouted.
Zombie Werewolf howled, and pounced at the Gatekeeper of Hell.
"Nice try," said Eikou, as one of his facedown cards lifted. "I activate Offerings to the Doomed!"
A blast of pure energy shot out of the card, and Zombie Werewolf exploded into triangles.
Chelsea growled.
"I'll set a Monster," she said, as a facedown Monster appeared. "Then, I'll toss two cards facedown, and activate Mirage of Nightmare."
Two facedown cards appeared, and the Mirage card appeared.
"Sorry, Chelsea," said Eikou, with a chuckle, "but this time, I'm leaving you cold…
"Go, Call of the Haunted!"
Anther facedown card lifted, and a weird Monster appeared, looming behind him. It was a ghostly phantom, ten feet tall and twice as wide as it was tall, its whole body covered with ancient runes. (1,100/1,900)
"What the…" said Chelsea.
"I knew all about your Mirage strategy," he said, "so I included a strategy of my own to deal with it. Meet Protector of the Sanctuary. With this guy on the field, you can't draw outside your Draw Phase. That means your Mirage card has been frozen."
Chelsea gasped as her Mirage of Nightmare froze solid, covered with a sheet of frost.
She looked at the last card in her hand.
"I… I have to end my turn…" she muttered.
"My move," said Eikou, reaching for his deck.
"Hold it!" said Chelsea.
"What?" asked Eikou.
"You played Offerings to the Doomed, genius," she said. "You can't draw this turn."
"Oh… yeah…" muttered Eikou.
Looks like someone isn't as smart as he claims to be, thought Chelsea.
"Well, fine then," continued Eikou. "I'll start by moving my Protector to Defense Mode."
Protector of the Sanctuary crossed its arms in a more protective position.
"Then, I attack with Vampire Lord!"
The swarm of bats shot towards Chelsea's facedown Monster. Zombie Master appeared on the card, and was blown to bits.
"Il Blud, attack Chelsea directly!"
Il Blud exhaled its foul breath again.
"You triggered my Trap!" shouted Chelsea. "Hallowed Life Barrier!"
One of her facedown cards shot up, and she discarded the last card in her hand, her Axe of Despair. A dome of energy surrounded her, and the blast of filth was halted.
"Well," chuckled Eikou. "Seems you have nothing left now… I move to my second Main Phase, and use the effect of Il Blud again."
Il Blud's eyes glowed again, and Zombie Master appeared on his side of the field. (1,800/0)
"I've got you outnumbered four to none," he said with a laugh. "And I got 500 more Life Points to boot. I end my turn…"
(C: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 9,000)
Chelsea nervously drew a card.
In a burst of dark energy, Zombie Werewolf appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,200/1,200)
"What?" said Eikou. "Where did he come from?"
"You aren't the only one with a great Deck Lord power," said Chelsea. "Thanks to Marie the Fallen One, and I really should thank her if I ever see her again, I have a Greater Power called Deathless Zombies. Quite simply, any Zombie I control that's Level Four or less has Vampire Lord's rejuvenation effect.
"Since you destroyed Zombie Werewolf with a Spell Card, he comes back now."
She placed the card she had drawn in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.
"That's all I can do."
"HA!" laughed Eikou, drawing a card. "I'm willing to bet that facedown card is nothing more than a big bluff. And I'm pretty sure that your other one is Emergency Provisions. You always play that with Mirage of Nightmare."
"Just how long have you been spying on me?" asked Chelsea, with a frown. "Are you some sort of stalker?"
"Long enough," said Eikou. "I've been studying you for a long time, and I've been waiting for this duel for so long…"
"Why?" asked Chelsea. "What did Daala promise you? She promised you me as a reward, right? Well, I doubt she'll ever honor that bargain."
"We'll see…" replied Eikou.
He looked at the card he had drawn.
"I'll use Il Blud's effect to summon Pyramid Turtle from your Graveyard…"
He glowed with golden energy again, as Pyramid Turtle appeared on his side of the field in Attack Mode. (1,200/1,400)
He took the bait, thought Chelsea. Whether or not I can do anything with it… It's all up to chance…
"Next," he said, playing the card he had drawn, "I play the Equip Spell, Black Pendant."
An amulet set with a dark jewel appeared around Zombie Lord's neck.
"See this, Chelsea?" said Eikou. "It doesn't look very good on a male Monster, does it? If you hadn't left me hanging, maybe I could have gotten you something just as beautiful. I had rich parents."
"Too much jewelry ruins an outfit," replied Chelsea. "The only stone that a woman truly needs in her life is her wedding ring. Everything else is just expensive stones and precious metals that are only good for flaunting."
"Well this stone has more value than just decoration," said Eikou. "It boosts Zombie Master's Attack Score by 500 points."
(2,300/0)
"All right! Vampire Lord, destroy her last defense!"
The swarm of bats shot at Zombie Werewolf, and the lycanthrope shattered.
"Il Blud, attack directly! Death Breath!"
Il Blud breathed its foul breath, and this time, there was nothing Chelsea could do to avoid it. She made a face, and clutched her stomach.
Feel like I've been doused in Pennzoil… she thought.
"Pyramid Turtle, dust of decay!" shouted Eikou.
Pyramid Turtle breathed a blast of sand and grit, and Chelsea started to sweat.
"Zombie Master, wrath of the undead!"
Zombie Master lifted his arms, and shot his burning bolts of lighting. Chelsea screamed and was knocked flat on her back.
(C: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 10,000)
"It's your move," said Eikou. "Make it if you can…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chelsea's mind was in a fog. She didn't think she even had the strength to stand.
Then to her surprise, a hand reached down to her.
Her eyes cleared.
"P… Penelope?" she asked.
"Yes, it's me Chelsea," said the Duel Spirit. "I'm still here. You need help, and that's what I'm here for."
"He's too strong!" gasped Chelsea. "His strategy is too well thought out!"
"Nonsense," said Penelope. "The reason you're doing poorly is simple… You're scared.
"You've undergone a drastic and terrible change. You've crossed the line from humanity to vampirism. And Chelsea, when anyone makes this change at first, they are scared. I doubt Dracula himself was very calm when he first woke as one of the undead.
"Let me tell you, you are far less scared than most are. Most young vampires panic, and make stupid mistakes that cost them their very soul…"
"My soul?" asked Chelsea.
"Yes," said Penelope. "Listen, and listen well. I didn't panic when it happened to me. It wasn't my faith or dedication to the Almighty that let me keep my soul, but that did help prevent me from losing it eventually. Unless the reason they become vampires is because of the evil they have exhibited in life, vampires have their souls when they first make the change.
"I knew I had to feed, but I resisted the urge to prey on humans. As much as it disgusted me, I fed on animals… Cattle, horses, forest animals… yes, even rats when I had to…
"You see, Chelsea, so long as a vampire never preys on a living human, his heart continues to beat, and his soul remains intact…
"But the instant he makes his first kill upon a human and crosses that line, his heart grows cold, and he becomes a true monster… All the goodness in him is lost, and his soul becomes dead.
"You didn't panic Chelsea, and that's good. Most young vampires panic, and make that mistake early. So many could have been saved if they had only remained calm."
"So… What do I do?" asked Chelsea. "Spend my life hunting rats and stray dogs to survive?"
"Well, Chelsea…" said Penelope. "You're different than the ones I spent my whole life fighting. You're both a vampire and a Duel Spirit. And one of the Twelve Dimensions is populated almost entirely by Duel Spirits who are Zombies. I've never been there myself, but one has to wonder how vampires there survive, when almost every member of the population is something they cannot feed on. Vampires cannot feed on other vampires. I know that firsthand."
Chelsea looked at her.
"So… You think maybe the vampires in this dimension have another way?" she asked.
"It's possible," said Penelope. "And I'm sure they'd tell you if you asked nicely.
"And you can defeat this lout. All you need to do is get over the fear you have, and start thinking clearly.
"It's your move…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chelsea slowly got up.
"Wow…" chuckled Eikou. "Still trying to win?"
"You bet!" shouted Chelsea. "Draw!"
This next card had better be a good one…
She drew one card.
No! she thought, looking at it.
It was Vampire Genesis.
I can't even use my Call of the Mummy to summon this guy! I've got nothing, and next turn…
Wait… Of course!
"I use my other Deck Lord power!" she shouted. "I send this Monster back to my deck…"
She placed Vampire Genesis back on her deck.
"And in return, I get to search for a Zombie that's an equal or lower Level."
She took a card from her deck, and then reshuffled.
"Now, I summon my second Zombie Master!"
In a burst of dark flames, another Zombie Master appeared. (1,800/0)
"Attack the Pyramid Turtle!" shouted Chelsea.
Chelsea's Zombie Master shot a volley of lightning bolts, and the Pyramid Turtle was blown into a cloud of sand. Eikou winced.
"I activate Pyramid Turtle's effect!" he shouted.
"Oh, no you don't!" snapped Chelsea. "You clearly didn't read the rule book right!"
"Huh?" asked Eikou.
"When a search Monster is destroyed," explained Chelsea, "like Pyramid Turtle, the one who gets to use its effect is the one whose Graveyard it goes to. My Pyramid Turtle, my Graveyard, my effect. You should have researched this more.
"And I choose to summon… Lich Lord, King of the Underworld!"
In an explosion of dark energy, the dark-robed, skeletal sorcerer, with black, feathered wings appeared on her side of the field. (2,400/1,200)
"Well, fine," chuckled Eikou. "Attack Il Blud…"
And as soon as you do, he thought, I'll activate my facedown Tailor of the Fickle, transferring Black Pendant to him. This duel will be mine…
"Lich Lord…" ordered Chelsea, "destroy Protector of the Sanctuary! Unholy blight!"
"Huh?" said Eikou.
Lich Lord blasted a bolt of dark magic at the huge specter, and the Protector groaned. It shattered like glass.
"I forgot all about that crazy thing!" gasped Eikou.
"It's your move, Eikou," replied Chelsea. "I'm still in this…"
(C: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 9,900)
"We'll see about that!" snarled Eikou. "I have 9,900 Life Points, while you have only 1,500!"
He drew a card.
"Hold up, Eikou!" shouted Chelsea. "Your Protector is gone, so my Mirage of Nightmare is defrosted!"
The ice encasing the Spell Card shattered, and Chelsea quickly drew four cards. Eikou gasped.
"Now, Emergency Provisions!" she shouted, as one of her facedown cards lifted.
The large mouth appeared and consumed the Mirage card.
"So you got more cards!" cursed Eikou. "You can't use any of them until next turn, and I'm ending this duel before then!
"I use Il Blud's effect to Special Summon Zombie Werewolf!"
Il Blud's eyes glowed again, and Zombie Werewolf appeared on Eikou's side of the field. (1,200/1,200) Eikou glowed with energy again.
His facedown card lifted.
"Next, I activate Tailor of the Fickle! Now, my Black Pendant goes from Zombie Master, to Il Blud."
The Pendant vanished, and reappeared on Il Blud. Zombie Master fell to an Attack Score of 1,800, while Il Blud rose to 2,600.
"Il Blud, attack her Lich Lord!" ordered Eikou.
"I was hoping you'd do that," said Chelsea. "I activate… Rush Recklessly!"
Her last facedown card lifted, and Lich Lord's Attack Score shot up to 3,100. Eikou gasped in horror.
Il Blud breathed its Death Breath, but Lich Lord shielded it with its arm. It blasted a powerful spell from its staff, and the Gatekeeper of Hell's eyes bugged out before it exploded into a puddle of stinking residue.
Then something happened that Chelsea didn't expect. Vampire Lord, Zombie Werewolf, and the Zombie Master on Eikou's side of the field burst into pixels.
"What?" she said. "Why…"
"Il Blud has an unfortunate weakness…" growled Eikou. "When it leaves the field, all the Zombies that were summoned with its effect are destroyed.
"But since Black Pendant was destroyed, you lose 500 Life Points!"
Chelsea groaned as a red aura surrounded her.
Eikou fit his last two cards in his Disk.
"I set a Monster, and one facedown card, and then end my turn…" he said, as a concealed Monster and a reversed card appeared.
(C: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 9,900)
"My move," said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"See this?" she said, holding up a Spell Card. "It's my own Graceful Charity!"
She quickly played it, and drew three cards.
She smirked. One of them was Vampire Genesis. She quickly discarded The Kick Man and Vampire's Curse.
"Next," she said, as another Spell Card appeared. "I play Book of Life. I bring Vampire Lord back from my Graveyard."
Vampire Lord appeared again, and looked at Eikou with an expression of hate. (2,000/1,500)
"And I'm removing your Protector of the Sanctuary from play, too. No way are you using that thing against me again."
The card fell out of Eikou's discard slot.
"Don't forget," said Eikou, as he glowed with energy, "I gain 500 Life Points."
"Want more?" asked Chelsea. "I'll give them to you until you choke on them! I remove Vampire Lord from play, to Special Summon Vampire Genesis!"
Vampire Lord vanished into a blur of light, and with a flash of lightning, the powerful vampire deity appeared. (3,000/2,100)
"Zombie Master, attack his Monster!"
Zombie Master cast his lighting, and a Morphing Jar appeared on the card, right before it was vaporized. Eikou sneered. He drew five cards, while Chelsea discarded the three cards in her hand and drew five new ones.
"Lich Lord, Genesis…" ordered Chelsea. "Attack him directly!"
Eikou screamed as Lich Lord's unholy blight slammed into him. He screamed even louder as Vampire Genesis rammed into him in his Crimson Shroud. He fell over.
"I'll set one card facedown," said Chelsea, as a facedown card appeared, "and that will be all…"
(C: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,500)
Eikou was very nervous now. He drew another card.
"First," he said, "I play Polymerization. I'll use it to fuse together my second Il Blud, and my second Blazewing Butterfly."
The two Monsters appeared on the field, and then combined in an aura of pure light.
"By fusing any two Gemini Monsters together, I can Fusion Summon the Superalloy Beast Raptinus."
In a flash of blue light, a large Dragon appeared on Eikou's side of the field. It had metallic, blue scales, which were glowing with an eerie energy. Like any Dragon, it had large wings and claws. (2,200/2,200)
"Next, I activate my facedown card," he said, as his reversed card lifted. "Birthright. Since Gemini Monsters are considered Normal Monsters while in the Graveyard, I can bring one Blazewing Butterfly back."
In a flash of fire, Blazewing Butterfly appeared again. (1,500/1,500)
"Now, with Raptinus on the field, all Gemini Monsters gain their effects, as if they were summoned twice. Thus, I can sacrifice my Butterfly to summon Il Blud again, with no strings attached."
Blazewing Butterfly vanished, taking the Birthright card with it, and Il Blud appeared once again. (2,100/800)
"And I'm not done…" he continued. "I play Foolish Burial. Now, I get to send any Monster from my deck to the Graveyard."
The Spell Card appeared. He took a card from his deck, and discarded it.
"Then, I'll use Il Blud's effect… But, I'm going to summon a Monster from my own Graveyard this time."
"The one you just put in there, right?" asked Chelsea.
"You learn fast," chuckled Eikou. "I summon Despair From The Dark!"
With a loud, haunting laugh, a huge, dark, evil-looking shadow with claws and a demonic face loomed over Eikou's side of the field. (2,800/3,000)
"And I'm still not done," continued Eikou. "I Equip Il Blud with my Axe of Despair."
He played another card, and the ugly axe appeared in Il Blud's small right hand. (3,100/800)
"I'm still going to beat you!" shouted Eikou. "Il Blud, attack Vampire Genesis!"
Il Blud's terrible maw opened, and the vile toxin shot at Vampire Genesis.
"Not so fast!" shouted Chelsea. "I activate… Mystical Space Typhoon!"
Her facedown Spell Card flipped up, and the cyclone flew across the field. The Axe of Despair flew from Il Blud's grasp, and then exploded. Vampire Genesis knocked the blast aside, and Il Blud choked before exploding again.
"You destroyed it!" screamed Eikou.
"And that's not all," replied Chelsea.
Despair From the Dark exploded into pixels as well.
"I'm not done with you!" shouted Eikou. "I still have Raptinus! Attack her Zombie Master!"
The Superalloy Beast's eyes glowed, and they shot a blast of brilliant energy at Zombie Master. He exploded into shards.
"I end my turn…" muttered Eikou.
(C: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 6,100)
"My move," said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"I play my own Monster Reborn," she said, as the Spell Card appeared. "And you know what? I think I'll raise a Monster from your Graveyard."
The ankh appeared, and a hulking form appeared on Chelsea's side of the field…
"My Il Blud!" screamed Eikou.
It was indeed Il Blud. (2,100/800)
"That's right," said Chelsea. "Thought I'd give this guy a whirl. And you were right, I learn quickly. Especially where Zombies are concerned. So, I'll use my Normal Summon for this turn to activate its effect."
Il Blud glowed with that eerie green energy again.
"Next, I'll use Il Blud's effect to Special Summon The Kick Man from my Graveyard."
Il Blud's eyes glowed, and The Kick Man appeared. (1,300/300)
"Then, I'll use The Kick Man's effect to Equip him with my own Axe of Despair."
The Axe appeared in The Kick Man's hands, and his Attack Score rose to 2,300.
"Next, I'll play my own Premature Burial, to bring back Vampire's Curse."
She played the card, and the elderly, winged vampire appeared. (2,000/800)
"And finally…" she said. "I'll summon my Deck Lord to the field. That would be me, I guess…"
She stepped forward into the last vacant space. (1,550/1,550)
(C: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 8,100)
"Wait a minute…" said Eikou.
"Vampire Genesis," ordered Chelsea, "destroy Superalloy Beast Raptinus! Crimson Shroud!"
Vampire Genesis collapsed into his blood-red cloud, and flew at the dragon, blowing it to bits.
"Il Blud, attack directly with Death Breath!"
Il Blud belched its toxic breath at its former master, and Eikou screamed again.
"Kick Man, quick-stick-kick!"
The Kick Man leapt up, and kicked Eikou in the teeth. He staggered back, struggling to keep his footing.
"Vampire's Curse, you next! Night Shade!"
Vampire's Curse formed a ball of black energy, and threw it at Eikou. The Vanity's Fiend fell to his knees.
"Now I'm going to finish you personally," she said. "And I must say, you had this coming…"
She leapt at Fujita, as if by instinct, and then clocked him across the jaw with her fist. He toppled over.
(C: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 0)
Chelsea took a deep breath as her Monsters vanished. She looked at Eikou. He had tears in his eyes.
"It didn't have to be like this, Chelsea…" he sobbed. "I wouldn't have had to do this if you had only not cast me aside…"
Chelsea looked at him again. What was she worried about? There was no temptation… In fact, the thought of attacking him like a vampire did kind of disgusted her. Penelope was right… She was more in control than she had thought.
She put her hand on her hip.
"Well, Eikou," she replied, "maybe if you had simply called me a second time instead of waiting for me to do it, things would have been different. But, I guess you just lacked the courage. Heck, it's nothing to be ashamed of… Calling a girl to ask for a date is one of the hardest things for a teenage boy to do.
"But, you know, as the immortal Alfred Lord Tennyson once said… 'Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all'."
Eikou closed his eyes. He burst into green fire, and vanished. In his place was a glowing portal.
Chelsea paused. She took her deck, and looked through it until she found Penelope. She looked at the card.
"Thanks for the pep talk, Penelope," she whispered. "Maybe it won't be so bad, once I find out how to handle it. After all, you did…"
She smirked.
"And maybe someone will write a story about me, like they did with you… And maybe in four hundred years, there'll be a trading card game like Duel Monsters, and someone will put my image on a card, like dad did with you…"
She walked into the portal.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GRIP OF DESPAIR (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Despair From The Dark strangling Vampire Lord with a dark cemetery in the background.
Card Description: This card is activated when it is sent from your hand or deck to your Graveyard by a card effect controlled by your opponent. Inflict 1,000 points of direct damage to your opponent.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Eikou's Deck Lord: "Vanity's Fiend": "Special Recharge": Gain 500 Life Points whenever a Monster is Special Summoned. (Extraordinary Power) "Nullification": You may disregard the effect that states that "Vanity's Fiend" cannot be Special Summoned if you desire to summon the Deck Lord to the field. (Minor Power)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chelsea's Deck Lord: "Vampire Lady": "Deathless Zombies": If one of your Zombie-Type Monsters that is Level Four or less is destroyed by an opponent's card effect, you may Special Summon it during your next Standby Phase. (Greater Power) "Zombie Swap": You may shuffle one Zombie-Type Monster from your hand into your deck to search your deck for a Zombie-Type Monster that is an equal or lower Level than the one you sent back to your deck. You may use this effect once per round. (Intermediate Power)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lords of Chaos
The Faceless Lord: Jubilex
What is there to say about the Faceless Lord? What purpose does he serve? Of all the demon lords that populate the Abyss, Jubilex may be the simplest (and thus the easiest to understand) in terms of his goals and drives. Put simply, he has none that anyone knows about.
Jubilex is the self-titled Lord of Slimes and Oozes, although it is likely that no-one except Zargon would ever challenge him for that title. Those who have seen him and escaped alive describe him as a giant mass of disgusting protoplasm, much like the smaller amoeboid monsters that populate his incredibly hostile Abyssal realm. He might have once been a servant of a powerful Elder Evil named Tharizdun (who will be covered later) but Tharizdun was imprisoned long ago, and Jubilex apparently doesn't care about taking steps towards his former master's release.
Jubilex is often called the Lord of Nothing by other demon lords. He doesn't do much except consume and destroy everything he can get his tendrils around. He hates everything, and revels in destruction for its own sake. Other demons despise Jubilex, yet most see him as a threat only to those who are stupid enough to come near him, so they are wise enough to leave him alone.
Jubilex would go unnoticed by mortals too, if not for the danger posed by those who worship him. The Faceless Lord doesn't recruit or encourage worshippers; he likely doesn't even know of those who do, and even if he does, he certainly doesn't reward them for their loyalty. However, a few insane or demented souls do worship Jubilex as a god, and this is when dangerous activities have occurred in the mortal world.
Worshippers of Jubilex are always nihilists or madmen who seek destruction on a large scale. By studying what little information there is on Jubilex (which, unbeknownst to them, is usually provided by cults of Tharizdun, which can be a far more potent threat), they are able to cast spells of forbidden knowledge, bringing horrible creatures of slime and decay to the mortal world.
The worst instance of this happening occurred three-hundred years ago in Europe, when the largest group of Jubilex's cultists to date managed a ritual that summoned a creature that appeared to be the most powerful servant of Jubilex – a giant, black, ooze-like creature called Darkness Given Hunger. The cultists' presumption that they could control the giant ooze was proved incorrect when it devoured them, and then went on a rampage through the rural area where it was summoned. Fortunately, it's summoning set off an alarm that the Wind Dukes responded to, and they were able to arrive before Darkness Given Hunger reached a more populated area. It was a great stroke of good luck that the ritual was not cast in an urban area to begin with, or the creature might have killed thousands before they arrived to deal with it.
As for Jubilex, he simply exists. Demons regard him as a sort of divine garbage disposal, a cast-off by-product of a more powerful entity. Of course, if Tharizdun ever returned, perhaps Jubilex would gain a more concrete purpose… Whatever it would be is anybody's guess.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coming up next:
Curran returns! Empowered by the Core, holding a new deck, and more dangerous than ever, she's back. But rather than choose one of Yumi's friends as the target of her misguided anger, she chooses to confront Yumi herself. Next chapter, Curran forces Yumi into a duel with special house rules. Yumi will get to use one of the cards that the Testament gave her, and the end of the chapter may surprise you.
"Guessing Game" is coming soon.