This is not good. Arlene looked down at the ground for inspiration on how to beat Mendoza. When that failed she looked up at Mendoza's Abyss Magician (2500/0300). If I destroy it with a card effect, I lose 2500 life points and she summons another Abyss monster. If I destroy it in battle she just gets another Abyss monster. Wish there was another option...
"I summon Balance Warrior Boru (0500/0500) in attack mode, and set a card face down. That's it." Mendoza watched her life points go down.
Mendoza: 2800
Arlene: 1200
"An annoyance, however the duel will be over before the Abyss Monsters' side effects become a problem." She picked up a card.
"I activate Threatening Roar, so you skip your battle phase this turn." Arlene announced. Mendoza sighed.
"Are you going to admit it yet?" Arlene scowled.
"What, that you think I can't win?" Mendoza nodded. "Don't get comfortable just yet. I can still turn this around."
"Hmph. Nothing but false hope. I summon Abyss Swordsman (0900/1200) in defense mode and end my turn." Arlene picked up her card and her eyes widened as she looked at her card. Then she smiled at Mendoza.
"False hope, eh? I activate The Search for Ultimate Balance! Now by paying half of my life points and not performing any kind of summon this turn, I get to special summon Ultimate Balance Knight (2500/1550) from my hand, deck or graveyard!"
Mendoza: 3300
Arlene: 0600
"And how will that help? My Abyss Magician has the same attack points. You even gave me 500 life points thanks to my spell absorption magic card!"
"I'm not finished. I activate Recovery Cannon, which increases my monster's attack by 300 (2500/1550 - 2800/1550)! Even better, when a monster equipped with recovery cannon destroys a monster, I gain life points equal to that monster's attack points! So destroy Abyss Magician!" The knight in grey armour shot a bolt of energy which dissolved Abyss Magician.
Mendoza: 3500
Arlene: 3100
"Not bad, Arlene. However, now I get to summon my Abyss Hatchling (0000/1000) in defense mode. Are you done?"
"Not yet. I remove the Light Aura from Boru! In case you didn't know..."
"I know perfectly well what your Balance Warrior does!" Mendoza snapped. She seemed very irritated that Arlene didn't think she would know. "Your monster gains a Light Aura every time a monster is normal summoned or flip summoned, and you can remove Light Auras from it to draw a number of cards equal to the Auras." Arlene removed a counter and picked up her card, then signalled the end of her turn causing Mendoza's life points to drop further.
Mendoza: 3200
Arlene: 3100
"I'll set one card face down and end my turn."
"Okay then. I summon Balance Warrior Kirud (1500/1500) and then I'll activate Ultimate Balance Knight's effect! This allows me to add one Light or Dark Aura to all Balance Warriors on the field, so I choose Dark Aura!" Ultimate Balance Knight shimmered as two Dark Auras shot out of it and began circling Boru and Kirud. "Now I'll activate both monster's Dark Aura effects! I'll remove a Dark Aura from Kirud to inflict 800 points of damage to you and remove one Dark Aura from Boru to discard a card in your hand!" Mendoza sighed as she randomly sent a card to the graveyard and lost 800 life points.
Mendoza: 2400
Arlene: 3100
"Now, Kirud destroy the Abyss Hatchling!" Kirud rammed into Mendoza's monster - a small egg with yellow eyes protruding out of it. As it shattered there was an ear splitting roar as the egg mutated into a large dragon.
"I must thank you for destroying my Abyss Hatchling in battle." Mendoza said while gazing up at her latest monster. "Now it's replaced by my Abyss Dragon (2950/0700) who is more than capable of destroying your monsters!" Arlene shrugged, amazed at herself for not being a shivering wreck.
"I'll get Kirud to destroy your Swordsman!" Mendoza tutted as her monster was replaced by another Abyss Soldier. "I'll finish with a face down card."
Mendoza: 1900
Arlene: 3100
Mendoza was starting to glance frequently at her life meter as she made her turn.
"I summon Abyss Lancer (0700/1500) in defense mode, and now my Abyss dragon will attack your Balance Knight!"
Mendoza: 1900
Arlene: 3100
"I don't take any battle damage from Ultimate Balance Knight," Arlene explained.
"I knew that!" Mendoza snapped, now seeming very jumpy.
"Well, it's my move now," Arlene told Mendoza. "I'll summon my Balance Warrior Hyan (1800/1200) to the field, and activate Artificial Aura! I now pay 3000 life points to add 3 Light Auras to Hyan! And then..." Arlene shivered slightly at the memory of the card she was about to play, "I activate Disrupting the Balance! Now I can send my Hyan with 3 Light Auras on it to the grave and summon from my fusion deck Warrior of the Light Aura - Hyan (3000/1200)!" Mendoza's life points went up as Hyan began to glow. He grew taller and his tattered robes stitched together before being concealed with armour.
Mendoza: 2400
Arlene: 0100
"Next I'll remove the Light Aura from Kirud to gain 800 life points, and activate Warrior of the Light Aura - Hyan's ability called recycle, which activates when a Light Aura would be removed from a Balance Warrior. I get to activate the effect without removing the Aura and it's transferred to Hyan instead! Even better, when Hyan has a Light Aura when he battles, he gains 500 attack points! So Hyan, destroy the Abyss Dragon!" Hyan charged at the dragon as the Aura around him raised his attack (3000/1200 - 3500/1200)
Mendoza: 1850
Arlene: 0900
Mendoza replaced her Dragon with another Hatchling. Arlene then destroyed the second Abyss Swordsman which was replaced by an Abyss Lancer. Arlene then shifted Boru into defence mode causing it to explode as it was destroyed. Mendoza turned white as Arlene ended her turn, lowering Mendoza's life points.
Mendoza: 1150
Arlene: 0900
"You can't beat me, you...you amateur!" Mendoza shrieked at Arlene. She frantically scanned her cards, then her body sagged as she realised defeat was near. "I surrender." Arlene looked on in shock as Mendoza's life points hit zero.
Mendoza: 0000
Arlene: 0900
"But you could have..." Arlene began, but the duel examiner simply shook her head.
"There is no card that would have allowed me to win before my Abyss monsters reduced my life points to zero. I was simply saving time." The Fate cards now appeared to choose Mendoza's punishment. She stared at them for a few seconds. Then...
"NO!" Arlene and Mendoza jumped at the sound of Fay's voice. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke. "You can't do this! It can't end this way! You didn't have to play those stupid cards in the first place! So why..." Fay broke down. Mendoza looked nonplussed.
"It's what I agreed to when I was chosen to duel. I accept my fate." She picked one of the cards, which turned to reveal The Death of Fate.
"No..." Fay was shaking. "Not that card...NO!" Mendoza was already rising up into the air, and Fay was desperately trying to pull her down. Mendoza struggled against Fay before becoming too weak to do so and eventually not moving at all. Fay screamed and crumpled to the floor, trying hard not to throw up. Arlene felt awkward watching this and tried to comfort her, but Fay swiped at her. Arlene sat down on the ground and waited for Fay to recover.
Erick Guerra was being followed.
It was a little boy that looked no older than 10, but had never aged in all the time he had followed Erick. Erick had often gone up to the boy and asked him questions, only to get blank stares in response. Whenever he tried to call the police the boy vanish, only to return several hours later. Erick was about to go up to the boy in a futile attempt to make him talk when his phone rang.
"Hello? Erick Guerra speaking?" A hearty voice greeted him from the other end.
"Erick! How are you? The island plan running smoothly?" Erick nodded, then remembered the man on the other end couldn't see him.
"Yes, sir."
"Good good! We're having a bit of trouble with Fay Britt. She's travelling with a companion and has already beaten two of our duelists! So. I want you to duel Ms. Britt!" Erick was stunned.
"Me, sir?"
"Is there a problem?" The man on the other end had become very serious. Erick jumped at the change of tone and fumbled with his hair as he answered quickly.
"No of course not! Just tell me where they are!" The man on the other end became jovial once more.
"Excellent! I'll text you the location! I just love texting! Oh! And before I go, there's something else you should know as well."
"Yes, sir?"
"Ms. Britt has become to much of a nuisance to capture, so just use the Fate cards. She can just die for all I care!" The man on the other end gave a booming laugh, then the line went dead. Erick ended the call and turned to the little boy, who had a look of hurt in his eyes.
"What are you staring at? Clear off." The boy looked at him for a few more moments...then spoke for the first time since Erick had met him.
"You're a bad man, Mr. Guerra!" Then he ran off. Erick simply looked on, at a loss for words.
New cards...
Abyss Swordsman
ATK: 0900 DEF: 1200
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
Type: Warrior
Image: A small soldier dressed in black robes with a large sword.
Effect: If this card is removed from the field, by removing this card from play you may special summon a monster from your deck to the field with "Abyss" in its name. During your opponent's end phase, if this card is in your out of play zone you take 100 points of damage.
Abyss Hatchling
ATK: 0000 DEF: 1000
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
Type: Dragon
Image: A black baby dragon's head poking out of an egg.
Effect: When this card is removed from the field, by removing this card from play you may special summon from your deck "Abyss Dragon". During your opponent's end phase, if this card is in your out of play zone you take 100 points of damage.
Abyss Dragon
ATK: 2950 DEF: 0700
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
Type: Dragon
Image: A Dragon with a dark aura surrounding it. It has leathery wings and and spikes protruding from its belly.
Effect: If this card is removed from the field by a card effect, by removing this card from play destroy all cards on your opponent's side of the field, and afterwards draw 1 card. If this card is removed from the field and sent to the hand or deck, by removing this card from play destroy all cards on your opponent's side of the field, then your opponent discards 1 card from their hand. During your opponent's end phase, if this card is in your out of play zone, you take 100 points of damage.
Abyss Lancer
ATK: 0700 DEF: 1500
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
Type: Warrior
Image: A small soldier dressed in light armour with a lance drenched in blood.
Effect: If this card is removed from the field, by removing this card from play you may special summon a monster from your deck to the field with "Abyss" in its name. During your opponent's end phase, if this card is in your out of play zone you take 100 points of damage.
Warrior of the Light Aura - Hyan
ATK: 3000 DEF: 1200
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
Type: Warrior
Image: Balance Warrior Hyan wearing silver armour holding a majestic sword.
Fusion Requirements: Balance Warrior Hyan with 3 Light Auras.
Effect: This card can only be fusion summoned by Disrupting the Balance. When a Light Aura would be destroyed to pay a cost, the cost is negated and this card receives the counter instead. This card gains 2 Light Auras instead of one from card effects. This card cannot accumulate Dark Auras. This card gains 500 attack points for every Light Aura it has. Remove 4 Light Auras to destroy all magic and trap cards on the field.