First, an announcement.
I'd like people to stop posting reviews saying I got the effects of anime-only cards wrong based on what Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia says. That website is not the most reliable source. It is not affiliated with Konami or Upper Deck, and its interpretations are mostly guesses. I use Janime as my source, which actually reads the text of the cards when they appear on the Japanese version. Thus, I trust them more than Wikia.
On to this chapter.
I remember playing Dungeons and Dragons with some old friends that I haven't seen in years, when a question came up: Who'd likely win a fight between fiends and undead? The gaming group was pretty split on the answer. Questions arose about what kind of fiends, and whether they could count such undead personalities as Strahd and Lord Soth. I don't believe we ever came up with an answer. (We agreed that Lord Soth's unholy army could likely stand up to any fiendish invasion and likely be victorious.)
The chapter that follows features this very conflict: Fiends against Zombies.
Which creatures of darkness will rule the night on Duelatopia?
Read on…
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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
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Ever-Shifting Chaos of Limbo
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Sam versus Chelsea
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It was ten 'o clock at night.
Yumi was still awake. She was going over some cards as she reworked her deck for the last time.
She looked at one: Cosmo Queen.
"Nah…" she muttered, tossing the card aside, "I've got three double-Tribute Monsters as it is…"
She looked at another one: Ebon Magician Curran.
"Nah," she said, tossing it with the other one. "She's cute, but… She really belongs in a different type of deck…"
She turned to her room's computer.
It was set at a certain entry on the Industrial Illusions website:
Gren Maju Da Eiza.
Yumi shook her head. Its name meant "Red Lotus Beast". She wondered who the heck had come up with that. It didn't fit. In Buddhism, lotuses were symbols of purity. They were representations of the place where virtues grew from.
In fact, Buddha had been born from a lotus blossom, making the flower the symbol of a divine birth and creation. What did a lotus have to do with a demon that could do nothing but destroy?
And the red lotus, specifically, represented the original nature of the heart. It was the lotus of love, passion, and compassion.
Humph, she thought.
The only thing that Monster had ever done to express love was trying to administer the kiss of death…
She would figure that out later. She had to prepare her deck so it could defeat an uber-powerful Chaos Fiend.
She looked at the card's description and the information. It was fairly straightforward… Not many rulings…
It did have a few weaknesses… If it was Equipped with Megamorph, its Attack Score would become zero. But she could only place an Equip Spell on it on her own turn. By then it might be too late.
Skill Drain would also reduce its Attack Score to zero, but that Trap Card would also cripple many of her own Monsters…
She paused.
But not the Monsters in her second deck… Maybe she could…
Then her face fell as she realized something…
She didn't have any copies of Skill Drain with her, and there was no way she could get any before she had to duel him. Duelatopia's card stores weren't open this late, and they had likely closed for the finals anyway. She doubted that Ren and Chelsea had any either.
She looked at her deck, and then she looked at the boxes of cards she had brought with her…
She was going to think up a foolproof plan, if it took all night…
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In Chelsea's suite…
Ren held Chelsea closely, as she slept soundly in his arms. He gently stroked her hair.
He was glad their duel was over. Now it was behind them, and he would never have to hurt her again. As much as he had wanted to go all the way in this tournament, he could at least support her now.
He wondered what Sam was going to pull out of her bag of tricks… Sam could be a nasty opponent… But then again, Chelsea was no pushover…
They'd just have to wait and see…
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Sweat beaded down Rasputin's face. He was working at a steady pace on something in front of him – a liquid concoction the color of a bruise.
Right now, he was using a mortar and pestle to grind seeds into powder. Once they were the consistency of fine sand, he poured them into the mixture.
He watched as it changed color, turning to red, then blue, then green, then clear.
He held his chest…
In history, only one alchemist was known to have made this formula and actually use it. When he went too far, he was caught, and he was burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft…
Once he had been executed, the judge who had sentenced him ordered his victims executed via beheading… But not because they had committed any crimes…
The judge ordered them executed as mercy-killings, because no one knew any other way to help them…
Perspiration beaded on Rasputin's forehead as he lifted a small tube of blood-red liquid.
He remembered what Erik had said to him during their duel…
"I think I can read you pretty well… You have no idea how powerful toys can be. When you were a kid, you likely lived in a pretty disciplined environment… Your parents and whatever servants they had raising you likely made you concentrate on your lessons, and gave you almost no toys to play with. They likely thought them to be frivolous.
"What a shame…"
Erik actually hadn't been far off in that regard. His father had been a magistrate, at a time when such men were greatly respected.
Respected? They were feared…
He had demanded discipline at all costs in raising his son, wanting to mold him into an adult with a respectable future…
Rasputin wiped more sweat from his forehead…
"The final ingredient…" he muttered, looking at the tube. "I just have to add this… And it will be done…"
His hand shook as he lifted the tube.
"ERGH!" he cried, holding his head. "What am I doing? I have to fight this!"
He took some deep breaths. His hand reached for his chest.
His hand was now right above the hidden pocket, where unknown to him, was the crucifix he had put there…
"I don't want the Charms that badly…" he muttered. "It isn't worth…"
He clutched his head and cried out in pain again, letting go of the place where the holy symbol was.
His other hand, the one holding the tube, shook. He had half a mind to dump it down the drain in the sink, and more than half a mind to drink it and hope that the vile stuff would kill him… It wasn't meant to be drunk…
He regained his composure. With a blank look on his face, he poured the contents of the tube into the mixture.
He stared at it, as it turned pink, and vapor emitted from the top of the beaker…
After about a minute, the liquid had evaporated, leaving a fine, granular powder in the beaker.
Rasputin picked it up.
"It's finished…" he said, in a slow monotone. "Yumi… beware…"
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The next morning, it was even hotter than it was the day before. Despite the heat, the Colosseum still filled up quickly, as the guests certainly didn't want to leave yet.
At the stroke of noon, a Baby Dragon flew down to the center of the arena. Then a Time Wizard appeared in a puff of smoke, and cast a powerful spell. A time warp opened, and the Baby Dragon aged and grew, turning into a more powerful Thousand Dragon.
It breathed a gout of flames in the air, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Fireworks went off.
"Hello, Duelatopia!" came a familiar voice from the announcer's booth. "In case you missed us yesterday, and I pity you if you did, I'm Ben Fulton."
"And I'm Natalie Malone," said the other announcer. "We hope everyone watching at home has set their VCR, DVR, or whatever you record with, because if the semi finals are anything like the quarter finals, you're gonna want to watch them again and again!"
"As you may recall yesterday in our first match," said Ben, "the prophesy of Ragnarok turned out to be quite accurate, as Sam's Fiends soundly defeated Olga's Valkyries."
"After that," continued Natalie, "Ren's Dark Warriors went up against Chelsea's vampires, and in a close match, the undead legions came out on top."
"Once that was done," said Ben, "Nicholas attempted to use a creature that seemingly couldn't be beaten to hinder the Princess of Games… But Chronopsis the Chronomancer wasn't as invulnerable as he thought, and Yumi came out on top."
"And lastly," said Natalie, "in what was likely the most thrilling match of the day, Erik's toy army took on Rasputin's Elemental Spirits, in a duel that was one turnaround after another, leading to a draw."
"And for those of you who don't know yet," said Ben, "due to the official ruling set forth by Siegfried Kaiba, the duel will remain listed as a draw… However, Rasputin will progress to the semi finals due to his standing in the duel at the time of the last play."
The crowd didn't seem to approve of this announcement. There was a lot of grumbling and a few shouts towards the VIP booth.
In the VIP booth, Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea were watching Rasputin and his cohorts. They were a little surprised.
"I know it's hot," said Ren, "but that guy seems to be sweating more than he should. You think he's nervous about dueling you, Yumi?"
"I don't think so…" replied Yumi. "There's something else…"
Olga and Nicholas were just as worried.
"So what's the plan from our great leader?" asked Olga. "Are you going to make that same wager with Yumi?"
Rasputin looked at the deck on his Disk.
"Just… Just leave me alone for now…" he muttered.
"Are you okay?" asked Olga. "You're sweating…"
"I don't sweat," he grumbled, "I perspire…"
The shrugged, and went to their seats. Rasputin wiped his brow.
I'm perspiring like a pig… he thought, nervously.
Chelsea looked at Sam. She leafed though her deck, and took out Penelope.
"Okay…" she whispered. "We're gonna show her who's boss… We beat her, and we'll be dueling Yumi in the last match."
Meanwhile, Sam was shuffling her own deck, and chuckling softly.
"Heh, heh…" she whispered. "Chelsea will make a fine appetizer before we go after Yumi for the main course…"
She looked at one of the cards.
"The thrill of using a new card… It never gets old… Has a nice smell too…"
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The holographic system had transformed the field into an ice rink. A Blade Skater was performing a routine on the ice. She finished with a pirouette, followed by a perfect chasse. She bowed before the crowd, and then vanished.
"Okay, that was… interesting…" said Ben. "But let's get into the heart of the matter. We have two young ladies ready to pound each other senseless!"
"Indeed," said Natalie. "Introducing, the Queen of the Undead, Chelsea Ramset!"
Chelsea appeared on one end of the arena, and waved as her supporters cheered.
"And her opponent," continued Natalie, "the Consort of Ha Des, Samantha Arachne!"
Sam appeared on the other side of the arena, and her own supporters cheered.
"Tear her apart, Chelsea!" shouted Ren.
The two duelists walked up to Sheena, who was standing in the middle as always. As Sheena approached her mother, the elder Arachne took a moment to turn her microphone off.
"Just a warning again, Sam," she whispered. "If you never make it to duel Yumi and make the wager, you automatically lose the wager."
"I know, mom, I know…" replied Sam.
"Okay, ladies…" said Sheena. "Let's have a clean duel, as always, even though our arena this time is going to be anything but…"
She placed a card in her Field slot.
"I give you… The Ever-Shifting Chaos of Limbo!"
At that moment, the whole world seemed to erupt into energy and fall apart. The surroundings were best described as just that – chaos. Around the two duelists was a void, in which were chunks of matter, solid, liquid, and gas, as well as balls of fire. And it was not still. The chaos churned and blew like a storm of mixed-up, elemental soup.
Sam and Chelsea were facing each other on two small islands of rock, five meters apart.
Delmato appeared between them out of the storm.
"Okay ladies," he said, "we may be in the Realm of Ultimate Chaos, but this duel is still gonna have rules. So follow them!
"Game on!"
The two Disks activated.
(Chelsea: 8,000) ------------------- (Sam: 8,000)
"And the battle is well-waged!" said Ben. "Who will be the victor in this primordial power struggle?"
"We'll soon see, won't we?" said Chelsea, making her first draw.
She looked over her cards.
"All right, Sam," she said. "I'll start by playing… Call of the Mummy."
She fit a card into her Disk, and the Spell Card appeared.
"Now, I'll use it, to throw Blood Sucker out in Attack Mode."
In a burst of dark flames, Blood Sucker appeared, with a big grin on its face. (1,300/1,500)
"Then, I'll Normal Summon Zombie Werewolf."
Zombie Werewolf appeared, and let out a howl. (1,200/1,200)
"Then I'm throwing down two facedown cards."
Two facedown cards appeared in two bursts of light.
"My side is stacked already. Let's see if you can match that."
"Chelsea…" said Sam. "No-one can match what I'm about to do…"
She drew a card.
"I'll start by playing this Spell Card…" she said. "The powerful Card of Safe Return."
She played a card, and a card appeared on her side of the field, with the image of a crawling man with three cards hovering over him.
"This Continuous Spell Card works as follows: Whenever a Monster is Special Summoned from my Graveyard, I get to draw one card.
"And trust me, with my new strategy, that's going to be happening a lot.
"Next… I play the Spell Card, Dark World Lighting! Now I can vaporize one of your facedown cards!"
There was a violent clap of thunder, and lightning blasted from the heavens, blowing Chelsea's Widespread Ruin to shards.
"And this card has a second effect," continued Sam. "It now requires me to send a card in my hand to the Graveyard…"
She flipped a card in her hand around.
"And I choose Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World."
She discarded the card.
"But he won't stay in the Graveyard long, because when his card is discarded by a card effect, he's instantly reborn on my side of the field."
In an aura of darkness, an especially ugly-looking demon appeared in front of Sam. His skin was wrinkled, his broken teeth twisted into an evil grin, with curling horns on each side of his head. He wore armor made of bones and leather, a metal band over his eyes, and carried a spear. (1,600/1,300)
"Ugh!" gasped Chelsea.
"You haven't seen anything yet," said Sam. "Like I said, Card of Safe Return now lets me draw one card…"
She made a draw, and looked at it.
"Now, since I haven't Normal Summoned yet, I think I'll summon another Beiige."
She played the card, and a second Vanguard, a twin of the first, appeared. (1,600/1,300)
Yumi got up out of her seat.
Dark World Fiends? she thought, getting nervous.
She paused.
"What's the matter?" asked Ren. "You worried about Chelsea?"
"No…" replied Yumi. "Although Sam's deck may well be more powerful than her older one, I'm more worried about her than I'm worried about Chelsea…
"I hope for Sam's sake that she knows what she's doing!"
"Prepare yourself, Chelsea…" said Sam, with a chuckle. "These two footsoldiers are merely a preview to the untold horrors lurking in Dark World!
"Beiige number one… Shish-kebab her Blood Sucker!"
The first Vanguard rushed at Blood Sucker and speared it through the gut with his spear. Blood Sucker howled, and burst into pixels.
"You triggered my Trap!" shouted Chelsea. "Go, Thirst of Blood!"
Her Trap Card lifted.
"Now I can summon a low-level Monster with the word 'Vampire' in its name," she said, looking through her deck. "So I'll bring out Vampire Lady!"
In another burst of black flames, Vampire Lady appeared, kneeling and shielding herself in Defense Mode. (1,550/1,550)
"Oh, fine…" muttered Sam. "Second Beiige, attack the Vampire Lady!"
The other Beiige stabbed at the vampire with a downward thrust, and she shattered into triangles.
"It's your move," said Sam.
(C: 7,700) ------------------- (S: 8,000)
Sam drew a card, as an arc of fire mixed with water cascaded over her.
"Zombie Werewolf…" she ordered, "attack the Beiige on the right!"
"Huh?" said Sam.
Zombie Werewolf lunged at the Vanguard. He snarled, and drove his spear into the Zombie, blowing him to pieces.
"I may have lost 400 Life Points," said Chelsea, "but now I get to summon another Werewolf, and he's even stronger."
In another burst of dark energy, Zombie Werewolf appeared again, angrier than last time. (1,700/1,200)
"Now he'll finish what the first one started…" said Chelsea.
The Werewolf slashed at the Vanguard with its claw. The Fiend gasped and dropped its spear, before exploding into pixels.
"I place one card facedown, and activate Mirage of Nightmare," said Chelsea.
A facedown card and the Mirage card appeared in front of her.
(C: 7,300) ------------------- (S: 7,900)
"A clever strategy by Chelsea, and she gains the advantage," said Natalie. "But I have a feeling that this is just starting."
"You bet it is!" shouted Sam.
She growled as she drew a card.
"I'll crush you under my foot like the insect you are…" she growled.
"What?" asked Chelsea.
Sam shook her head.
"Uh, nothing!" she said with a nervous grin. "It was… nothing…"
"Well, now I get to draw four cards," said Chelsea.
She made four draws.
"Now, I activate… Emergency Provisions."
Her facedown card lifted, and a mouth consumed the Mirage card.
"So you handled that mirage pretty well," said Sam, looking at what she had drawn. "But I assure you, the terror I'm about to unleash will be no illusion!"
She paused.
"Well, okay, technically it will be an illusion, but, uhm, you get the idea…
"Anyway…
"Prepare yourself, Chelsea. The Monster I'm about to summon is a Fiend whom the citizens of Dark World believe is their king… Although, they also know that he is hopelessly insane. I summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World!"
A maddening laughter echoed through the void, and another ugly Fiend appeared. He was tall and gangly, with grey, rubbery skin, long limbs ending in claws, and think, tangled, ropy hair. The only thing he wore that might have indicated royalty was a long cape made of blue fur. (1,800/400)
"He's their king?" asked Chelsea. "I kind of expected someone stronger."
"Wait until you see what he can do," said Sam. "Brron, attack the Zombie Werewolf with lunatic lunge!"
With the skill of an Olympic-level athlete, the Mad King of Dark World leapt into the air, landed on his hands, and then in one swift motion, delivered a kick to Zombie Werewolf with both feet. Zombie Werewolf was thrown backwards with a howl before shattering.
"Nice," said Chelsea. "Too bad this isn't Wide World of Sports. I activate Zombie Werewolf's effect, to summon my third one!"
With a howl, another Werewolf appeared. (2,200/1,200)
"And I activate Brron's effect," said Sam. "When he damages your Life Points, I get to discard one card from my hand.
"And I discard this one… One of the two generals of Brron's unholy army… Sillva, Warlord of Dark World."
She discarded the card.
"And just like Beiige," she continued, "when Sillva is discarded due to a card effect, he is instantly resurrected to the field."
A glowing aura of pure silver appeared next to Brron, and another demon appeared. This one had the same fangs and grey skin, with the bat-like wings and devilish horns of an atypical demon, and was dressed in elaborate silver armor. He held a curved scimitar in his right hand. (2,300/1,400)
Card of Safe Return glowed, and Sam drew a card.
"My Battle Phase continues, Chelsea," she said. "Sillva, destroy the last Werewolf with dark quicksilver!"
Sillva hissed, and slashed with his sword, sending a blade of sliver energy towards Zombie Werewolf, that literally cut it in half. The pieces shattered into bits.
"Beiige… Attack Chelsea directly!"
Beiige rushed and stabbed Chelsea directly in the navel. Chelsea screamed as he actually pushed and twisted the point of the spear. She fell to her knees as he finally let go.
(C: 6,500) ------------------- (S: 7,900)
"HA, HA, HA!" laughed Sam. "How does that feel, Chelsea? Want more? I got lots more…"
Yumi shook her head in her seat.
"Poor Sam…" she muttered.
"Poor Sam?" shouted Ren. "Yumi, Chelsea is the one who just got nailed…"
"Ren, let me explain…" said Yumi. "The Dark World cards are powerful, but they're incredibly hard to control. They were created with the images of ancient beings of primordial chaos and evil, demons who knew secrets about the very origins of wickedness. These creatures were spreading evil before there even were mortals to tempt with it.
"Anyone who uses those cards risks succumbing to the ultimate darkness. Sam thinks she's controlling those cards, but if she doesn't come to her senses, they're going to be the ones controlling her…
"Better duelists than her have tried to use these cards… They've always led to disaster."
Erik was listening, and a look of horror was now on his face.
"What… What can we do?" he asked.
"Well, for starters…" muttered Yumi, "we pray that Sam included one important card in that deck. It isn't truly necessary in a Dark World Deck, but she might have included it, given her usual strategy. And it might give her the power to regain control."
Sam smiled as Chelsea gasped for breath. She placed a card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"That's it for me for now, Chels," she said. "You can either stay down, or get up and keep taking it. If I were you, I would stay down."
Sweat beaded down Chelsea's face as she got up. She looked at Sam with a look of fury.
She drew a card and looked at it.
She played a card, and Graceful Charity appeared in front of her. The angel materialized in a shower of sparking motes. The three Fiends sneered at the seraphim, but she gave them a dirty look.
Chelsea drew three cards and looked at them. She discarded two of them and smirked.
"You want to play dirty, Sam?" she asked. "Fine. Let's play dirty. I use Call of the Mummy to summon Vampire Lord!"
She played the card, and the vampire appeared in front of her. He frowned at Sam and her three Fiends. (2,000/1,500)
"Vampire Lord?" asked Sam. "Bela Lugosi over there doesn't scare me. Sillva will eat him."
"Oh really?" asked Sam. "We'll see about that. First, I'll Normal Summon my second Vampire Lady."
She played another card, and Vampire Lady appeared next to Vampire Lord. The two vampires turned to each other and nodded. (1,550/1,550)
"Now, as for your presumption that Sillva would defeat Vampire Lord… Wrong. I play Rush Recklessly."
She played the card, and Vampire Lord hissed. His Attack Score rose to 2,700.
"Attack the Warlord of Dark World!" shouted Chelsea. "Children of the Night!"
Vampire Lord leapt up into the air and hovered for a minute. He unleashed a storm of bats from his cape, and Sillva let out an unholy scream as he was eaten alive by them.
Sam growled.
"So much for him," said Chelsea. "And now we get to Vampire Lord's effect. I declare Spell Card."
Sam frowned and looked through her deck. She found a copy of Gateway to Dark World and discarded it.
"Before you end your turn," said Sam, returning her deck to her Disk, "I'd like to activate my Trap Card if I may…"
Her facedown card flipped up.
"The Forces of Darkness?" asked Chelsea, looking at it.
"This lets me take two Dark World Monsters from my Graveyard, and add them to my hand," said Sam.
Two cards slipped out of her discard slot, and she took them.
"So now Sillva and my first Beiige are waiting in the wings again."
Chelsea frowned.
"I'll play a facedown, and end my turn," she said.
A facedown card appeared.
Sam drew a card.
She smirked when she saw what it was.
"All right, Chelsea…" she said. "It's time to take a trip down memory lane. Did you ever see The Wizard of Oz when you were a kid?"
"Who didn't?" replied Chelsea.
"Then this will be a treat," said Sam. "I play the Spell Card, Golden Road."
As she played the card, the scenery behind her changed. The fabled Yellow Brick Road appeared behind her, and the magnificent Emerald City loomed in the distance.
"How does that old song go, Chelsea?" she asked.
"Somewhere… Over the rainbow… Bluebirds fly… Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can't I?"
She chuckled.
"The heroine of that movie who sung that song got her wish… Although I must say, I don't believe a tornado is the most pleasant form of air travel."
Chelsea glared at her.
"Oh, you're trying to distract me!" she shouted. "Just explain what the heck your Spell Card does!"
"It's an incredibly rare card that benefits both of us," said Sam. "We both get to draw four cards… But then we discard two from our hands."
Lovely… thought Chelsea, making four draws. That means she'll get to activate the effects of two of her nightmares.
She looked at the six cards in her hand, and then discarded Symbol of Heritage and Sangan.
"I'll start by discarding Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World," said Sam, discarding one of her cards. "And when I do that, he destroys one of your Monsters. Kahkki, execute her Vampire Lord."
A phantasmal creature appeared behind Vampire Lord. It looked like a short, stout, egg-shaped Fiend with beady eyes and broken teeth. It drove a long knife between Vampire Lord's shoulders, and he screamed before shattering into shards.
"You're kidding, right?" said Chelsea. "You do know what happens when Vampire Lord is destroyed by a card effect?"
"Yeah, he'll be back next turn," replied Sam. "But I'm gonna hurt you badly this turn. Next, I discard Kahkki's companion, Gren, Tactician of Dark World. And when that happens, he can destroy one Spell or Trap Card."
Another spectral Fiend appeared in the center of the arena. This one was tall and impossibly thin, with an enlarged cranium. He wore a green cape and spectacles, and carried a musty-looking tome.
"Gren, wipe out her Trap Card!" shouted Sam.
Gren raised his free hand, and fired a bolt of energy, blasting the facedown card to pieces.
"You actually fell for it!" laughed Chelsea. "You just destroyed my Zombie Bed, sucker!"
"WHAT?" shouted Sam.
A large, stone coffin appeared on Chelsea's side of the field.
"Now I get to summon back a Zombie from my Graveyard," said Chelsea. "And I sent a good one there with Graceful Charity. Let's all welcome…"
The coffin exploded into shards of rock…
"…The Midnight Caller!"
In an aura of fiery, dark energy, The Midnight Caller arose in front of Chelsea. His eyes glowed with feral light… (2,400/1,000)
Crap! thought Sam. My plan backfired!
The Emerald City crumbled to pieces, and was consumed by the storm of chaos.
"I move Beiige and Brron to Defense Mode, and set another Monster in Defense Mode," she said.
Beiige knelt and held his spear in his lap, while Brron knelt and covered himself with his cape. A facedown Monster appeared next to them.
She glared at Chelsea.
Chelsea drew a card.
"As promised, Vampire Lord returns…"
A dark coffin appeared on the field. It opened, and Vampire Lord stepped out, more than a little angry. (2,000/1,500)
"Now, I Normal Summon my final Vampire Lady!"
In another burst of energy, the third female vampire appeared. (1,550/1,550)
The four vampires looked at Sam with hungry eyes…
"Vampire Ladies…" ordered Chelsea, "wipe out Beiige and Brron!"
The two vampires leapt at the two Fiends, and slashed with their claws. The Vanguard and the Mad King burst into particles.
"Vampire Lord, take out her last Monster!"
The swarm of bats shot at the card, and another Vanguard appeared on it before exploding.
"And then there's the Caller! Attack Sam directly with dark curse!"
The Midnight Caller pointed at Sam, and she screamed as a dark aura surrounded her, sucking the breath out of her lungs.
She fell to her knees.
(C: 6,500) ------------------- (S: 5,500)
"Chelsea has made an impressive turnaround!" exclaimed Natalie. "Sam is gonna need something big to get out of this."
Sam got up, and took a few deep gasps…
"My… move…" she muttered.
She drew a card.
She smirked.
"Heh, heh…" she said. "Chelsea, don't think I didn't come into this duel unprepared. I put a little something in my deck with you in mind…"
She showed her the card.
"It's a little guy called a Marionette Mite. By discarding it from my hand, I can take control of one opposing Fiend or Zombie for one round. So I think I'll take your Midnight Caller."
She discarded the card, and the Midnight Caller gasped. He was yanked over to Sam's side.
Sam looked at him.
"Cheer up…" she muttered. "At least now you're on the winning side…
"But not for long. I'm going to sacrifice him to summon Brron's other general…"
The Midnight Caller vanished.
"I summon Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World!"
In a brilliant, golden aura, a new Fiend appeared. He looked similar to Sillva, with the same demonic horns and wings, but with golden armor. He carried a large, golden battle-axe. (2,300/1,400)
"Attack her Vampire Lord!" ordered Sam. "Dark gold rush!"
Goldd slashed with his axe, and a blade of golden energy shot towards Vampire Lord, blasting him into dust.
"And that's all for now…"
(C: 6,200) ------------------- (S: 5,500)
Chelsea frowned, and drew another card.
"Oh, I'll just move my two Monsters to Defense Mode, and that will do," she said.
The two Vampire Ladies knelt down, and folded their arms.
"My turn again?" asked Sam.
She drew a card.
"I play… Dark World Dealings," she said, playing a Spell Card. "Now, we each draw one card, and then discard one from our hands."
Chelsea growled, and drew one card. She looked over her hand, and discarded Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower.
Sam drew a card, and then smirked.
"I'll discard Sillva again," she said, discarding a card. "I'm sure you remember him."
In a flash of silver energy, Sillva appeared again. (2,300/1,400)
Card of Safe Return glowed, and Sam drew another card.
"Now, I summon Zure, Knight of Dark World."
In another aura of darkness, a Fiend with upward-curving horns on the sides of his neck and a mouth full of shark-like teeth, dressed in armor and a cape, holding a longsword walked out onto the field. (1,800/1,500)
"Let's clean up…" said Sam. "Zure, Sillva, attack her vamps!"
The two Dark World Fiends leapt at the Vampire Ladies and slashed with their swords, cutting them down.
"Goldd… get her."
Chelsea screamed as the Wu-Lord's axe plowed into her, and she fell on her behind.
(C: 3,900) ------------------- (S: 5,500)
"This duel is going back and forth," said Ben. "Anything could happen at this point… I can hardly wait to see what comes next."
Chelsea got up and brushed herself off. A column of fire shot up from the void underneath her.
"What next, he says?" she asked.
She drew a card.
"I'll show you what next. I play Premature Burial."
She played the card, and her Life Points dipped as Vampire Lord appeared on her side of the field. (2,000/1,500)
"Now, Vampire Lord, begone… I banish you to summon Vampire Genesis."
Vampire Lord vanished, and the hulking, muscular vampire deity appeared. (3,000/2,100)
Sam took a step back.
"Well, Sam…" said Chelsea. "I guess the shoe's really on the other clawed foot, huh?
"Especially because I'm making Genesis even stronger with a powerful Spell… Genesis Crisis!"
She played the card, and Vampire Genesis glowed with black fire.
"With Vampire Genesis on the field, this Spell Card lets me add a Zombie from my deck to my hand every round," continued Chelsea, taking her deck. "And right now, I'm going to do that to bring my second Vampire Lord to my hand…"
She took the card from her deck, and showed it to Sam.
"And now, I'm going to use it to activate Genesis's effect. Since Vampire Lord is Level Five, I can discard him to summon a Vampire Lady from my Graveyard."
She discarded the card, and Vampire Genesis howled. Vampire Lady appeared in a burst of dark energy. (1,550/1,550)
"All right… Vampire Genesis… Destroy her Wu-Lord!"
Vampire Genesis burst into his crimson shroud, and Goldd screamed. Cracks appeared on his golden armor. Finally, he exploded into golden shards.
(C: 3,100) ------------------- (S: 4,800)
"Goldd is vanquished," said Chelsea. "It's your move."
Sam growled, and drew a card.
"I move Zure and Sillva into Defense Mode, and set another Monster in Defense Mode," she said.
The two Fiends crouched in Defense, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Then I place two cards facedown."
She fit a card into her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.
"End…"
Chelsea drew a card.
"I activate the effect of Genesis Crisis again," she said, taking her deck. "This time, I'm going to add Penelope to my hand."
She took the card from her deck.
"And since Penelope is Level Seven, I can discard her to use Genesis's effect, and summon The Midnight Caller from my Graveyard."
She discarded the card, and Genesis howled again. The Midnight Caller appeared in another dark aura. He glared at Sam angrily. (2,400/1,000)
"All right everybody…" said Chelsea. "All together now…"
Three dark auras blasted towards Sam's side of the field, and Sillva, Zure, and her facedown Monster, revealed to a Fiend that looked like a weird cross between a reptile and ape, with red scales, holding a dagger.
"That facedown Monster was Scarr, Scout of Dark World," said Sam, taking her deck from the holder. "He isn't a very good fighter, but when he goes down, I get to take any Monster from my deck with the words 'Dark World' in its name, so long as it's Level Four or less."
She looked at her cards.
"Now let's see here…"
She went over her remaining cards – of which there weren't a whole lot – and finally chose one.
"So, is that your turn?" she asked, adding it to her hand.
"Yeah," said Chelsea.
This next move is going to be harder to pull off than the safety top on that bottle of prescription flu remedy I had to take last winter, thought Sam. But I'm gonna have to try it…
"Watch out!" she shouted, drawing a card.
As she added it to her hand, her eyes started to burn like embers...
"It ends now, Chelsea," she said, in a voice that sounded like a demonic parody of her normal voice. "The streets of this city will run red with your blood!"
"Whoa, whoa, Sam!" shouted Chelsea. "Take it easy! There's something wrong with you!"
Sam smiled evilly…
"On the contrary," she said, still in that horrid voice, "I've never felt better!"
One of her facedown cards lifted.
"I activate a Trap Card. It's called Mind Crush. Now listen closely…
"I state the name of any card I can think of. Then I get to see your hand. If the card I named is in your hand, you have to send it to the Graveyard. However, if I'm wrong and it isn't, I have to send a card in my hand to the Graveyard.
"Now, let me think…
"The card I name is…
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
"What the Hell?" shouted Chelsea. "Sam, you know damn well that I don't have that card in my deck!"
"Well, let's check and make sure," said Sam, motioning with her hand. "You can't be too certain, you know…"
Chelsea angrily turned her hand of cards around.
Sam shrugged.
"Guess I was wrong…" she said, as a card in her own hand glowed.
Yumi got up.
"She did that on purpose…" she said. "She's playing a Dark World Deck… She wanted to have to discard one of her own cards! It was the perfect strategy!"
"Oh look," said Sam, discarding the card. "I just discarded someone who's eager to meet you. His name is Celeri, Guru of Dark World."
"Let me guess…" muttered Chelsea. "That means he's summoned to the field."
"Yes, but there's a little twist this time," replied Sam. "He isn't summoned to my side of the field. He's summoned to your side of the field."
Chelsea was shocked to say the least as a Monster materialized next to her vampires. It was a short, stocky, scaly Fiend with a bald head, tusks, and two downward-pointing horns on the sides of its head. It knelt and shielded itself in Defense Mode. (500/300)
"And you're being so helpful, why?" asked Chelsea.
"You'll find out soon enough," said Sam. "First, I still get to draw a card from Card of Safe Return."
She drew one card.
"As for why I'm doing this," she continued, "it's because Celeri has another effect. When he's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, the opponent of his controller must choose one card in her hand and discard it.
"Since you're technically his controller, that means I discard another card…
"But I get to choose which one this time…"
The embers in her eyes burned fiercer. She lifted one of the cards in her hand, and it burned with black fire...
"Remember when I said that the residents of Dark World believe that Brron is their king?" she asked. "That's a fiction. In reality, Brron answers to a secret ruler who passes his edicts through him. Only a privileged few know of the existence of the true king of Dark World…
"This Monster's effect is so powerful, I can only Special Summon him via discard if my opponent's card effect makes me discard him. And since Celeri is under your control, that condition is fulfilled."
She discarded the card. The void of chaos darkened…
"Arise… Come forth, Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World."
Lightning flashed in the distance. A bonfire appeared in front of Sam. It spread out, forming into a pit of bubbling lava. A hulking creature started to rise from the pit…
The Fiend stepped out, the same one whom Sam had fought in the shrine. The gemstones on his chest glowed with multicolored light, and his sasumata burned with dark fire.
The crowd was silenced…
(2,500/1,800)
"Ho boy…" muttered Chelsea.
Card of Safe Return glowed, and Sam drew another card.
"Now…" said Sam, adding it to her hand, "I activate his effect. He can either destroy all your Monsters, or all your Spell and Trap Cards…
"Since I could care less about your Call of the Mummy, I'll choose the former."
Chelsea quickly glanced at her hand.
No Monsters… she thought, starting to panic. I can't use Midnight Caller's effect!
Reign-Beaux raised his right hand and glowed with an aura that was both dark and full of flickering colored lights… Then Vampire Lady, Vampire Genesis, The Midnight Caller, and Celeri, Guru of Dark World were surrounded by the same aura…
Then the four Monsters on Chelsea's side of the field exploded into atoms.
Chelsea glared at Sam.
"Still defiant, eh?" asked Sam. "Reign-Beaux, you know what to do…
"Attack her directly with Dark Spectrum!"
The Overlord twirled his sasumata around, and aimed it at Chelsea. The whole void turned black as he shot a bolt of the same multicolored energy. Chelsea screamed bloody murder as it hit her in the chest and stabbed into every pore…
She collapsed.
(C: 600) ------------------- (S: 4,800)
"Chelsea is hurt bad," said Natalie. "She's taken a lot of direct hits so far. I don't know if she can continue at this point…"
Chelsea's eyes slowly opened…
With sweat pouring down her face, she pulled herself up. She picked up her cards, and staggered to her feet, clutching her chest.
"Still trying to win?" asked Sam. "Pathetic. I've got the best Monster ever out now!"
"And I'm very disappointed in you, Sam," said Chelsea, with a scowl. "What are you now, the Consort of Reign-Beaux? Man… 'Consort of Reign-Beaux', that really sounds better than 'Consort of Ha Des'."
Sam gave a look of shock.
"Ha Des?" she said in surprise.
"In case you didn't realize it," said Chelsea, "I was being sarcastic."
Sam looked at her strangely.
"What is with you, Sam?" asked Chelsea. "Throughout this whole tournament, Ha Des won you one duel after another. In that Yami no Oujou, when losing might have meant dying, he let himself be sacrificed to give you enough strength to win.
"And now… You've dumped him… For this upstart with a mere fifty more Attack Points and an effect that you can't even rely on. I hope that the thrill of wiping out my side was worth betraying your best Monster."
Sam looked at Chelsea. She held her forehead for a minute…
She shook her head, and the embers in her eyes went from blazing to smoldering.
She looked down. She was mortified…
She looked at Reign-Beaux…
"I… I didn't betray him…" she muttered, in a voice that was closer to her real voice. "Ha Des is still my consort… He's the real King of the Underworld. Reign-Beaux is nothing more than a ruler of a crumbling, decaying empire that Ha Des will take over someday, once he gets around to it…
"And I'm gonna prove it… It's still my turn…"
She took a card from her hand.
"I place this facedown…"
A facedown card appeared.
"Then I activate my Trap Card… Rebirth Judgment!"
Her first facedown card lifted, revealing the image of a boy's face, the right half of which was cybernetic.
"Now, I name one Type of Monster, and for as long as this card is in play, all Monsters in both our Graveyards are considered that Type.
"I name Fiends. Did you get that?"
"Yes, I got that," said Chelsea. "But I don't see the sense in it. What good would it do you to turn the Monsters in my Graveyard into Fiends?"
"Because, I saw your duel with the real Midnight Caller, remember?" replied Chelsea. "And I remember your ace card, Penelope. She needs Zombies in your Graveyard to gain power. Otherwise she's weak. With this card in play, you don't have a single Monster left that can take out Reign-Beaux.
"I end my turn."
Sam looked at her facedown card.
Even if she does manage to summon something stronger, she thought, my Bark of Dark Ruler will win me this duel.
Chelsea drew and looked at her hand.
She was close, she thought, but she was only partially informed…
"Sam," she said, "when I summoned Penelope in that duel, you only saw one of her effects, not both of them."
"BOTH of them?" shouted Sam.
"I play Monster Reincarnation," said Chelsea. "So, I toss one card, to bring Penelope back to my hand."
She discarded the card she had just drawn, Coercive Magic Eyes, and Penelope came out of her discard slot.
"Now I'll use Call of the Mummy to summon her," she continued.
In a burst of light, Penelope appeared on the field. (1,000/200)
"And as for that other effect I was talking about? When she's summoned, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are destroyed, including THAT one!"
Sam gasped. Her Rebirth Judgment, Card of Safe Return, and Bark of Dark Ruler shattered to pieces, along with Chelsea's Call of the Mummy.
"Now the Monsters in my Graveyard are Zombies again," said Chelsea. "And in case anyone here lost count, there are ten of them there."
Penelope glowed.
(5,000/200)
"Oh no…" muttered Sam.
"Penelope," ordered Chelsea, "attack Reign-Beaux with Light of Vengeance!"
A blinding light erupted from the vampire slayer. A look of panic appeared on the Overlord of Dark World's face. He screamed and dropped his weapon and turned to run, but a beam of pure light blasted him to gibbets before he made it a second step.
Sam was knocked backwards by the backlash. She got up, holding her chest in pain…
"Humph…" said Chelsea, shaking her head. "Ha Des never tried to run when your opponent's Monster attacked him. He had pride. Seems your Overlord just proved that he's little more than a bully and a coward when things turn against him.
"You know, that probably explains just why he uses Brron as a puppet ruler. Hide in the shadows, draw all the would-be assassins and revolutionaries towards a decoy while you remain perfectly safe.
"Maybe that's the whole reason he rules a 'crumbling, decaying empire'.
"And you gave up Ha Des for him…"
"She's right…" said Ren. "That big, bad Monster is a sheep in wolf's clothing."
"Make your move…" said Chelsea.
(C: 600) ------------------- (S: 2,300)
Sam blinked again…
The embers in her eyes were fully extinguished now. She gasped for breath.
"Chelsea has sent Reign-Beaux over the rainbow!" exclaimed Ben. "And with her best Monster on the field, Sam is gonna need a miracle to turn this one around!"
"So Sam," said Chelsea. "We gonna finish this, or are you gonna throw in the towel?"
"Listen to me, Chelsea," said Sam. "I never end a duel while I still have Life Points left. I'll finish the duel…"
She drew a card.
"…but I can honestly say, I'll finish it on my own terms."
It was Premature Burial. She looked at her other three cards.
No… she thought. I have no Monsters to defend with! If I use Premature Burial, the Monster I summon will be in Attack Mode… One attack from Penelope, and I'll lose…
She looked at another Spell Card that was in her hand.
This is my only chance… she thought. But it's a gamble… If Chelsea wins it, I lose…
But I have no choice… I'm running out of options… Besides, with all the extra drawing I've done, I'm down to less than half a deck!
"All right, Chelsea…" she said, playing a Spell Card. "I play… Premature Burial. I'll bring the big coward back…"
The ground in front of her split, and Reign-Beaux rose out of the ground. (2,500/1,800)
"But if he thinks he's in charge this time, he's sadly mistaken.
"Now I play this… the Spell Card, Hand of Ha Des!"
"Huh?" said Chelsea, as the Spell Card was played.
"Listen carefully, because this is complicated," said Sam. "I have to have a Fiend-Type Monster on the field to play this card. Then, each of us picks up cards from our decks until we each pick up a Monster. Whoever draws the Monster that has more Attack Points gets to destroy one of her opponent's Monsters on the field, and also gets to keep the Monster she picked up. All the other cards are shuffled back into our decks, including the picked up Monster, in the case of whoever gets the weaker one."
"What on Earth?" asked Erik. "Why would she do that?"
"Well, she's basically betting the farm," replied Ren, nervously. "If she gets a stronger Monster than Chelsea, she wins. If not, she loses. Because whoever loses won't have anything to defend against a direct attack."
Both Chelsea and Sam snatched a card off of their decks as the crowd tensed.
"Ha!" laughed Chelsea, showing her the card. "My Curse of Vampire! Beat that!"
"Oh really?" said Sam, quietly, looking at the card she had picked up.
She flipped it around.
It was Dark Ruler Ha Des.
"That's gotta hurt."
A huge, gruesome claw erupted out of the ground on Chelsea's side of the field, and grabbed Penelope. She screamed, and was pulled under.
"Well," said Sam. "It was a good duel, Chels. Now I'll…"
She paused.
"You know something, Chelsea?" she said. "I could attack you with Reign-Beaux, but you were right. His empire may have been powerful long ago, but maybe it's best to keep it buried.
"Using him and the rest of these things… What was I thinking?
"So… Reign-Beaux, get lost… I'm sacrificing you to end this with my real headliner."
The Overlord of Dark World scowled angrily before he vanished into grains of light.
Then Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared in a burst of dark energy. (2,450/1,600)
"All right, Ha Des…" shouted Sam. "Finish Chelsea off with Stygian blast!"
Ha Des hurled his bolt of black fire, and Chelsea cringed. She groaned, and then collapsed on her back.
(C: 0) ------------------- (S: 1,500)
Delmato walked up to Sam.
"Sam is the winner!" he shouted, holding her hand up.
Some members of the crowd cheered. Others were silent.
Erik sighed in relief.
"Well, Chelsea lost…" muttered Ren. "But at least Sam came to her senses and didn't turn evil…
"Well… uhm… at least not more evil than she usually is…"
"Yeah…" muttered Yumi. "We can thank the maker that she was attached enough to Ha Des to include him in that deck. Like I said, he isn't truly necessary in a Dark World Deck. And her favorite card let her see the truth.
"What Chelsea said may have been meant as scolding, but it helped a good deal."
She looked at Sam as someone helped Chelsea up.
Well, thought Yumi. Sam is headed for the final round… If I manage to defeat Rasputin next, it will be me versus her…
I'll concentrate on Rasputin for now. He's the greater threat at the moment…
"Attention everybody," announced Sheena. "There will be a one-hour intermission. Get some refreshments, stretch your legs, and get back here, because after sixty minutes, Yumi faces Rasputin in the second match of the semi finals!"
Yumi looked at Rasputin, who had been watching the duel between Sam and Chelsea in stony silence.
I'm ready for you, Rasputin… she thought. Bring it on… I'm ready for that ugly Fiend…
But first… I think I'll get a cheeseburger…
"Ren…" she said. "Chelsea's gonna need to be comforted when she gets back here, and you can do that better than I can. I'll be back when I can. It depends on how long the lines are."
Sam slowly walked off the field.
No one saw the spirit of Dark Ruler Ha Des behind her, looking at her…
He wasn't very happy…
In fact, a look of incredible anger was on his face…
The demons of Dark World proved to be no match for Sam's iron will. Still, she has won her semi final duel, and has moved closer to her long-awaited match with Yumi. But can Yumi defeat Rasputin to meet her rival in the final round? Rasputin will certainly have something to say about it…
0
0
0
GENESIS CRISIS (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A demonic face wreathed in flames.
Card Description: If there is no "Vampire Genesis" face-up on your side of the field, destroy this card. If this card is destroyed as a result of "Vampire Genesis" being removed from your side of the field, destroy all Monsters on your side of the field. Once per round, during your Main Phase you may search your deck for one Zombie-Type Monster and add it to your hand.
Note: "Genesis Crisis" was first used by Camula in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Field of Screams (Part Three)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
REBIRTH JUDGMENT (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: The face of a young boy with the right half cybernetic.
Card Description: When you activate this card, declare one Type of Monster. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all Monsters in both Graveyards are considered to be the Type you declared.
Note: "Rebirth Judgment" was first used by Zane in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Tough Love". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
HAND OF HA DES (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Dark Ruler Ha Des holding a skull in his claw and grinning.
Card Description: You may activate this card when you have at least one Fiend-Type Monster face-up on your side of the field. Both you and your opponent pick up cards from the top of your decks until both of you pick up a Monster Card. Whoever picks up the Monster with the higher base ATK may destroy one of his opponent's Monsters on the field, adds the picked up Monster to his/her hand, and shuffles his/her other picked up cards back into his/her deck. Whoever picks up the Monster with the lower ATK shuffles all of his/her picked up cards back into his/her deck. (In the case of a tie, this effect is rendered invalid.)
0
0
0
GOLDEN ROAD (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: The Road of Yellow Brick, leading up to a beautiful Emerald City.
Card Description: Both players draw four cards from their respective decks. Then, both players discard any two cards from their hands.
Note: "Golden Road" first appeared in "Dark Messiah".
0
0
0
CELERI, GURU OF DARK WORLD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 500
DEF: 300
Card Description: When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, Special Summon this card in face-up Defense Position to your opponent's side of the field. When this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, the opponent of the controller of this card chooses one card in his hand and discards it to the Graveyard.
Note: "Celeri, Guru of Dark World" was first used by the spirit of Brron, Mad King of Dark World in a third season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
Chelsea: Yumi… Rasputin looks different this time… He looks more nervous than you do…
Ren: What the hell are you planning, Rasputin? Can it be that the big bad guy actually has stage fright?
Erik: I tried my hardest, but I only managed a draw. But it can't end in a draw this time, Yumi. This is a duel that you have to win… You'll have to try even harder.
Anastasia: There is no try, Erik. Yumi will
Coming up next, "Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus; Yumi versus Rasputin."
It's time for a rematch, with the whole world watching…