A disclaimer, just to be safe.
In the following chapter, the antagonist quotes a line that was made by a very respected celebrity. It may seem wrong of him to use the words of such a person, and that is true.
Keep in mind, I have nothing but respect for the man that he quotes from. The fact that the antagonist in this chapter uses one of his quotes is not meant as any attack towards him or his ideals at all. This would not be the first time a villain quotes from someone with far greater morals than he. The reason I used the quote was, it was the best one that fit.
On to the chapter.
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CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
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Ren versus Nicholas
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Turnabout
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The cloud cover over Duelatopia was thick now, but it had lessened a bit. The number of possessed Ascenders had shrunk down considerably. A few of the less powerful demons were starting to abandon their hosts, thinking they would make an excuse when they got home. Among demons, loyalty was never a very big trait.
A few powerful ones and a few egotistical ones had remained behind.
Right now, in the Entertainment District, one of them was in trouble, and he knew it. He had erected an energy barrier of sorts to keep his opponent – who happened to be Tucker – from getting away. However, he didn't know what he was going to do once the duel ended, whether he was victorious or not. No less than ten Centurions had weapons pointed at him from outside the barrier, ready to fire as soon as they detected the slightest weakening in it.
However, his pride was so great, that he would not surrender. He was determined to win this duel, even if it meant dying once he did.
As far as the situation went, he had a Cocoon of Evolution on his side of the field in Defense Mode (0/2,000) that had been on the field for four rounds, and it was Equipped with Mist Body. He also had two facedown cards (Tucker was almost certain that one of them was Judgment of Anubis). Tucker had three Ancient Gear Soldiers (1,300/1,300 x3) and one Ancient Gear Beast (2,000/2,000) all in Defense Mode. Tucker had 3,000 Life Points remaining, while his opponent had 3,500.
"You're going down, mecha-man," said the Ascender, drawing a card. "It's time for my Moth to hatch."
"Hold on!" shouted Tucker. "It's only been five rounds! I still have one more round!"
One of the Ascender's facedown cards lifted up.
"I activate Pyro Clock of Destiny!" he shouted.
A large, stone clock with hands made of fire appeared in the air above him.
"This moves the turn count one round forward," said the Ascender. "So my Cocoon counts as being on the field for six turns."
The Cocoon of Evolution tore open, and a gargantuan creature burst out of it. It was a gigantic moth with a thirty-foot wingspan. (3,500/3,000)
"Meet my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth," he said. "And now it's going to turn your Beast into scrap."
The huge Moth flapped its wings, causing a virtual hurricane. Ancient Gear Beast exploded into slag.
"I place a card facedown, and end my turn."
Tucker drew a card.
"I play… Graceful Charity," he said.
C'mon, gimme something… he thought.
He drew three cards.
Lovely… he thought, looking at them. NOW I draw Offerings to the Doomed. But that card he just set is clearly My Body as a Shield…
He looked at his other cards.
Hey… Dare I try it?
Well, I'm not getting any younger…
He discarded two of his cards.
"You might as well throw in the towel," said the Ascender. "Not even the Ancient Gear Golem could beat my Moth."
"Not the normal Ancient Gear Golem, no…" said Tucker, slowly.
"Huh?" asked the Ascender.
Tucker played a Spell Card.
"I play… Magic-Gear!" he shouted. "This lets me sacrifice all my Ancient Gear Monsters on the field. So, I'll sacrifice my three Soldiers…"
The three Ancient Gear Soldiers vanished.
"In return for that, I get to Special Summon three different Ancient Gear Monsters, one from my deck, two from my hand. And I can even disregard the summoning requirements."
A veritable earthquake struck the field, and the Centurions watching leapt up in surprise, as three twenty-foot-tall titans burst out of the ground on Tucker's side and loomed over the field. (3,000/3,000 x3)
The Ascender stepped back in shock.
"Th-th… three Ancient Gear Golems?" he said with a stutter.
Then he smirked.
"Well, unless you can make one of them stronger…" he said, nervously.
"I'm not going to make them stronger…" said Tucker with a sinister smirk. "I'm going to use them to build something stronger…
"I play Polymerization!"
He played the card, and all three Golems shattered into pieces of broken metal…
Then the pieces started to piece together…
"By combining my three Golems together, I can create the most lethal medieval Machine that was ever built…"
A dark form started to rise…
"The Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem!"
The creature that was now looming over the field was fully twice the size of Ancient Gear Golem. It was like a mechanical centaur, with four legs supporting a humanoid torso, giant, clawed arms, and gears, pistons, and spikes all over its armor. (4,400/3,400)
The Ascender turned white…
Tucker grinned.
"You know…" he said, "in the days when the Ancient Gears were used as siege engines, this one didn't see much use… The reason is painfully obvious… The mere sight of it was enough to send a whole army fleeing for their lives!
"Swat his Moth! Mega-mechanized melee!"
Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem's mighty claw fell down, smashing Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth to pieces, causing the ground to shake. The Ascender shielded himself as his Life Points fell to 2,600.
"I'm not done with you yet!" shouted Tucker, taking the last card in his hand. "Next, I play… Offerings to the Doomed!"
"Say what?" asked the Ascender. "But… I have no Monsters left…"
"I know…" said Tucker, with a grin. "The Monster I'm going to destroy… Is my Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem."
He played the card, and the colossus shattered into shards.
The Ascender laughed out loud.
"That was the dumbest, stupidest, most idiotic…" he laughed.
Then he stopped laughing…
The regular Ancient Gear Golem was now on Tucker's side of the field. (3,000/3,000)
"My Ultimate Golem has a powerful effect," said Tucker. "When it's destroyed, I get to summon a normal Golem from my Graveyard.
"And since Offerings to the Doomed is a Quickplay, my Battle Phase continues…"
Ancient Gear Golem lifted its fist, and slugged the Ascender hard. He was thrown against the wall of the barrier as his Life Points fell to zero.
The barrier vanished as the black cloud fled from the Ascender's body. The Centurions wasted no time rushing in.
"You okay?" said one of them to Tucker.
"I think so…" he said.
"I know it's none of my business," said the Centurion, "but where in the world did you get a card that rare?"
Tucker sighed and took the Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem out of his discard slot.
Rasputin, he thought, you were a snake… Controlling my mind, using me as a common assassin…
But… You gave me the cards to make my deck much stronger…
So I'll consider us even.
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Rasputin watched nervously, as a tall form in the same room as him watched three scenes unfolding.
In one, they saw Olga vanish after losing.
In another, they saw Zovarik defeated and gotten the better of by Janustein.
In the third, they saw the scene where Tucker triumphantly won using his lethal Golem combination.
"Olga has deserted us," said the figure, in a powerful voice.
"And just how is that my fault?" growled Rasputin. "Who could blame her? Maybe she thought her body would be snatched if she stayed around. I didn't give you permission to have your friends steal the Ascenders' bodies."
"Don't worry," said the figure. "They're strong, they'll recover…"
"After having nightmares for months…" replied Rasputin.
"Whatever," said the figure. "We needed a distraction. Perhaps you would have liked the Centurions to have tracked down Yumi and found her before she'd have gotten to where she is now. Or even worse, to have found you.
"Even worse, Rasputin, without them on the streets, the celestial forces would turn their attention here. They already know that demons are invading Duelatopia, but when they decide to act, they'll send forces to the streets, and leave us alone. Believe me, Rasputin, you haven't known fear until you've faced the holy swords of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa! If you want them pounding on the door of this keep, I'll gladly release the Ascenders and tell all my allies to go home."
Rasputin glared at her.
"Well, you've been a big help," he said, angrily. "I don't know why he wanted me to work with you if all you're going to do is stand around…"
He stopped short as the figure glared at him.
"Soon," said the figure. "You see, Rasputin, most predators have three aspects to the hunt… Stalk, chase, and kill.
"My people add another… Stalk, chase, terrify, and kill. The prey has been stalked… We've chased, and we've caught. But not enough terror has been inflicted for a satisfying kill.
"Whether Nicholas succeeds in this matter or not, soon I will be able do more than just 'stand around'. I don't know why, but for some reason, that clock seems to be an epicenter of power on Duelatopia. Just a little while longer, and not even the Centurions with their miraculous technology will be a threat.
"Then I might go and handle them myself… All we truly need at this point is Yumi. Then we can dispose of the others, leave before the higher powers show up, and sink this island to the bottom of the ocean for all I care.
"Until then… Let's simply watch."
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The clock faces read eleven-thirty.
Chelsea knelt over Yumi.
"Poor Yumi…" she muttered. "Why won't you wake up?"
Yumi muttered something in her sleep, and her hand moved.
"Guys… guys!" shouted Chelsea. "She's moving!"
"Well, it's something…" said Ren. "Let's hope it isn't just a reflex…"
Anastasia looked at the clock with worry.
"Something wrong, Anne?" asked Sam.
"The evil seems to grow with each passing minute…" she said. "I might as well tell you…
"Demons are invading this island… Whatever their plans are, I don't know. Clearly, Rasputin might have gotten in over his head.
"It isn't a full-scale invasion like it was with Saurius, but a more subtle one.
"It's almost as if…"
She paused.
It came to her…
The activity on the streets is just a diversion… she thought. The real danger is somewhere else.
She closed her eyes and concentrated.
Vaguely, she saw an image. A temple made of glass, hovering in the night sky over the ocean…
But she had no idea what it was.
"I've got a question for everyone," said Enrique, who didn't even know about Anastasia.
He pointed to Louis, who was slumped against the wall, unconscious.
"How come he collapsed after losing, but Olga managed to run off?"
Everyone thought for a minute.
"Anne?" asked Ren.
"I don't know…" she replied. "Clearly, something is amiss in this whole situation…"
The strange door appeared again.
"Everyone, look sharp!" shouted Ren.
They all got up to face the door as it opened.
As they expected, Nicholas walked out. He had a look of fury on his face as he slammed the door behind him.
"Where's my sister?" he demanded. "Where is Olga?"
"We don't know," said Ren. "And if you're looking for trouble, buddy, you've found it."
Nicholas chuckled. He lifted his Disk.
"So, you want to defend Yumi," he said. "Very well… But I won't be as easy on you as Olga was with Chelsea. We'll soon see how well your soft flesh stands up to hard metal!"
"Soft?" said Ren, activating his own Disk. "I work out every day… And that was really smart, advertising your strategy, Mr. Machine Duelist.
"And if you think I'm scared of any Machine Deck, think again. I took down three Satellite Cannons, after all."
"Really?" said Nicholas, shuffling his deck. "I doubt you've seen any Machines like the type I have… This deck I'm using has cards that… Well, technically, I shouldn't be using them. They're cards from a style of dueling practiced only by a privileged few…"
He placed it in his Disk.
"But… I can handle them… It wouldn't be the first time tonight that the taboos were broken."
"Think you can take me?" asked Ren. "Just try it!"
The Disks activated.
Nicholas heard a voice in his head.
You know what to do, Nicholas, said the voice. Just keep them occupied for a while… I just need some time while I gain my full power. I'll spare you should you lose, and you'll get what you've wanted for so long…
Nicholas nodded.
"Game on!" he shouted.
(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Nicholas: 8,000)
Some sounds started coming from Yumi. She started moaning and crying.
"Yumi?" said Chelsea, who was still kneeling over her.
"We just have to hold them off for a little while longer," said Ren, drawing his opening hand.
"Easier said than done," said Nicholas, drawing his first card.
"To start, I'll place a card facedown on the field."
He fit a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
He stared at Ren.
"I end my turn…"
Ren gave him a strange look.
"What?" said Nicholas. "Something wrong?"
"No Monsters?" asked Ren, drawing a card. "This should be interesting…"
He looked at the card.
"I activate… Graceful Charity."
He played the card, and the beautiful angel appeared.
But something was up this time. An expression was on her face that no-one could make out. It looked like a cross between worry and fear.
Ren slowly drew three cards. He looked over his hand.
He finally discarded Chthonian Soldier and Familiar Knight.
"All right…" he said. "I summon Dark Blade to the field…"
In a burst of shadow, the armored, Dark Warrior appeared. (1,800/1,500)
"Next, I'll play this…"
He fit a card into his Disk, and a familiar Continuous Spell appeared.
"Frontline Base?" asked Nicholas. "That Spell doesn't scare me."
"We'll see about that," replied Ren. "I'm using it to Special Summon Pitch-Dark Dragon."
He played another card, and the smallish, Dark Dragon appeared. (900/600)
"Like I said…" said Nicholas, taking a card from his hand, "it doesn't scare me!"
He threw a card on his Disk.
"I summon Cyber Dinosaur in Attack Mode!"
There was an explosion of energy, and a huge robot T-Rex, made of silvery metal with sharp claws and fangs rose up on his side of the field. (2,500/1,900)
"WHAT?" shouted Ren. "How could you summon that thing during my turn?"
"It's Cyber Dinosaur's special ability," said Nicholas. "When you Special Summon a Monster from your hand, I get to Special Summon this one from mine."
Ren paused.
"Well, that makes things harder…" he said. "Harder, but not impossible. I Equip Dark Blade with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade…"
He played the card, and Dark Blade's swords vanished, replaced by a long, sharp katana. (2,600/1,500)
"Now I'll combine him and Pitch-Dark Dragon!"
The Dragon bent down, and Dark Blade climbed on his back. (3,000/1,900)
"Dark Blade… Attack!"
Dark Blade flew into the air on his mount, and with one swipe of his sword, Cyber Dinosaur exploded in a blinding flash. Nicholas shielded himself from the burning debris.
(R: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 7,500)
"Score one for our side…" said Sam.
"Clever…" muttered Nicholas. "But it's my draw now…"
He drew a card.
"I set another card facedown, and end my turn."
A second facedown card appeared next to the first.
Ren looked at him strangely again.
"Okay, so you're doing nothing but hiding behind Trap Cards," he said, drawing a card. "Well then… It's your funeral!
"I summon Getsu Fuhma!"
He played the card, and in another burst of darkness, the lovely female ronin appeared. (1,700/1,200)
"Actually, Ren," said Nicholas, "I do have a Monster on the field… It's just a special one…"
One of his facedown cards lifted, and a shadowy, ghostly form crept out of it.
"A Trap Monster?" said Chelsea.
"A very special Trap Monster called Cyber Shadow Gardna," said Nicholas. "It's a shadow Monster that will appear during your turns until you destroy it. And as far as its Attack Points go, it always has exactly the same Attack Points as whatever Monster that's attacking it. Simply put, it can't be defeated!"
"Oh, is that so?" asked Ren. "Well, I'll fix you, smarty pants… I already thought up a way to beat it.
"Dark Blade… Separate from Pitch-Dark Dragon!"
Dark Blade leapt off of his steed, and fell to an Attack of 2,600.
"If your shadow Monster copies the Attack Score of the Monster that's attacking it, I simply have to attack it with my weakest Monster.
"Pitch-Dark Dragon…"
The ghostly shadow changed shape, turning into a duplicate of Pitch-Dark Dragon. (900/600)
"…attack the Cyber Shadow Gardna!"
Two blasts of dark flames shot at each other. There was an explosion, and both Monsters were incinerated.
"Not bad…" said Nicholas. "That was pretty clever… But I have another Trap…"
His other facedown card lifted. It was a frightening picture of a woman fleeing into an alley, away from a monstrous beast.
"It's called Byroad Sacrifice. Since my Monster was destroyed, I get to summon a Cyber Ogre from my hand."
"Huh?" asked Ren. "What the heck is a Cyber Ogre?"
In an explosion of energy, a huge, hulking creature appeared on Nicholas's side of the field. It suggested a robotic demon… Or a demonic robot. Whatever it was, it was ten feet tall, metal, and ugly. (1,900/1,200)
"THIS is a Cyber Ogre," said Nicholas.
"Ugh!" gasped Ren, looking at the metal Monster. "Hey, wait a minute… It only has 1,900 Attack Points… Dark Blade can take it apart…
"Dark Blade… destroy that ugly thing!"
The Warrior leapt at the huge Machine…
"I activate Cyber Ogre's effect!" shouted Nicholas. "Which I can do by sending a second Cyber Ogre in my hand to the Graveyard."
He quickly discarded a card. A glowing dome of force surrounded Cyber Ogre, and Dark Blade's sword bounced off of it.
"It not only negates the attack of your Monster, but it increases the Attack Score of my Ogre by 2,000 points until the next time it battles."
Cyber Ogre glowed with a fiery aura, and then rose to an Attack Score of 3,900.
Ren frowned and looked at Nicholas.
"All right…" he growled. "I end my turn…"
"Then I draw one card…" said Nicholas, making a draw.
"And I got just what I needed… First, I activate Premature Burial. I'll bring back the second Cyber Ogre that I just discarded…"
He played the card, and another Cyber Ogre rose out of the ground. (1,900/1,200)
"Now…" he said. "I could wipe out both your Monsters with two attacks… But I've got a much better idea…"
"They say that two is greater than one… But with Cyber Ogres, combining two of them gives you something where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts."
He played another Spell Card.
"I play… Polymerization. Now I'll fuse my two Cyber Ogres together."
A dark vortex opened, and both of the Machines were swept up, and sucked through it.
"What the devil is he summoning?" said Enrique.
"Looks like we'll find out…" said Erik.
The portal opened wider, and a huge, metal claw came out. The rest of the creature started to crawl out…
The Machine that emerged would have stood thirty feet tall if it stood upright. However, it had a metallic, snaky trunk in place of legs, and held itself up on its bulky, clawed hands. Its head was faceless and expressionless, and it was covered with sharp edges. The whole thing radiated one aura – strength. (2,600/1,900)
"Meet Cyber Ogre 2," said Nicholas. "Not a very original name, I'll admit, but then, this guy is anything but subtle.
"So what are you gonna do now?"
"I can deal with it," said Ren. "I've dealt with worse… And hate to break it to you, but that is NOT greater than the sum of its parts. If that were the case, its Attack Score would be over 3,800. As it is, its Attack Score is exactly the same as Dark Blade's."
"Only when it's not attacking," said Nicholas. "When it attacks, its effect activates, and it gains Attack Points equal to half the target's Attack Score."
"Cyber Ogre 2… Flatten his Dark Blade."
The enormous Machine lifted its giant claw, and its Attack Score started to go up, rising until it stopped at 3,900. Its claw crashed down, crushing Dark Blade as both Ren and Getsu Fuhma cringed from the impact.
(R: 6,700) -------------------- (N: 6,700)
"Get the picture?" asked Nicholas, taking the last card in his hand. "In battle, this thing can defeat practically anything.
"I'll set another Monster in Defense Mode, and that will be my turn."
A facedown Monster appeared next to Cyber Ogre 2.
Yumi started to moan louder and writhed in her sleep.
"Yumi?" said Chelsea. "Can you hear me? If you can hear me, say something…"
"Let's hope she wakes up soon," said Erik. "Ren needs all the support he can get at this point."
"Ren is facing a formidable Monster, yes," said Anastasia. "It can likely beat any Monster it attacks. Its weakness is, it can be destroyed in battle more easily when it's being attacked, when its effect doesn't activate. But Ren would somehow have to summon a Monster with at least 2,600 Attack Points."
"Darn…" said Chelsea. "Even his Queen would only manage a draw… I wonder if he still has Litmus Doom?"
Ren drew a card. He looked at it.
Well, it's worth a shot… he thought.
"I remove Chthonian Soldier from play," he said, "to summon La Sombra!"
A card slipped out of his discard slot, and the sexy, masked, female buccaneer with a whip materialized on his side of the field. (1,800/1,000)
"Okay, Nick," said Ren. "Now you have to draw one card…"
"I know how it works…" muttered Nicholas.
"All right!" shouted Chelsea. "If he draws a Spell, La Sombra can reduce that thing to a pile of scrap!"
Nicholas drew a card.
"All right," he said, showing it to Ren. "It's the Trap Card, Astral Barrier."
Ren sighed.
"Not exactly what I hoped for…" he replied. "But at least that means she gets to attack you directly…
"La Sombra… Go!"
La Sombra leapt into the air, and slashed downward with her whip, lashing across Nicholas's torso. He grunted and staggered backwards.
"I'll move Getsu Fuhma to Defense Mode, and then end my turn."
Getsu sheathed her sword, and then knelt in Defense.
(R: 6,700) -------------------- (N: 4,900)
I wonder why the heck he even has Astral Barrier? he thought. It doesn't exactly fit in with the theme I'm seeing so far…
"My draw…" said Nicholas.
He drew a card.
"I activate Pot of Greed," he said, playing the card.
He made two draws.
"Perfect," he said. "Next, I play Mystik Wok. I'll sacrifice my Ogre to boost my Life Points."
He played the card, and Cyber Ogre 2 vanished into grains of light.
"But don't think you or your whip maiden are safe. Because I'm playing Monster Reborn to bring him right back."
The glowing ankh appeared, and Cyber Ogre 2 appeared on the field again.
He took the Astral Barrier card, and placed it in his Disk. A facedown card appeared.
"Cyber Ogre… Attack La Sombra!"
Cyber Ogre 2 lifted its claw, and its Attack Score rose to 3,500. It crashed down, squashing La Sombra flat. Ren cringed.
(R: 5,000) -------------------- (N: 7,500)
"Your move…" said Nicholas.
Ren quickly drew a card.
That's it, he said, looking at the Spell Card.
"I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma, to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!" he shouted.
Getsu vanished, and the stronger shadow Warrior appeared, holding her sword menacingly at the huge machine. (2,100/1,400)
"Now I play… Rush Recklessly!"
He played the card, and Penumbral Soldier Lady's Attack Score rose to 2,800.
"GO! Destroy his Cyber Ogre 2!"
Penumbral Soldier Lady leapt into the air, and sliced downward, cleaving the huge Machine down the middle. Sparks flew, and the giant metal beast exploded into a burst of slag.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Ren. "So much for that… I end my turn…"
(R: 5,000) -------------------- (N: 7,300)
Nicholas growled as he drew a card.
But then his face lit up as he saw what it was.
"Well, Ren…" he said. "You destroyed my Fusion Monster…
"But I can summon another one… And I think he may look familiar to you…
"The card I just drew is incredibly powerful and incredibly rare… There are only eight known copies, and until a few months ago, all eight were in the hands of the upper echelons of the Cyber Style of dueling…
"But Rasputin was able to procure a copy for me, seeing as the retired duelist who had it was careless about where he kept it. It works well when facing certain duelists. I was planning to use this against Yumi too, by the way… Call it retribution for the way she beat me in the finals."
He played the card. It was a Spell Card with a grim picture of a glowing portal above a junkyard.
"It's called Scrap Fusion. Now, I name one Fusion Monster that's in your Fusion Deck, like Dark Blade the Dragon Knight. Since the two Fusion Material Monsters for it are in your Graveyard, they are now removed from play."
Ren growled as Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon fell out of his discard slot.
"And then we get to the fun part," continued Nicholas. "I get to summon the Fusion Monster… From YOUR Fusion Deck!"
In a burst of energy, Dark Blade the Dragon Knight materialized on Nicholas's side of the field, holding his twin swords high. (2,200/1,500)
"You gotta be kidding…" said Ren.
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" asked Nicholas. "Dark Blade… attack Penumbral Soldier Lady."
Dark Blade swooped at the female Warrior. She looked at him with an expression that seemed to ask, "Why?"
Then his blades hit her, and she burst into pixels.
(R: 4,900) -------------------- (N: 7,300)
"You're gonna pay for that, Nicholas!" shouted Ren.
"It's my move…"
He drew a card.
"And since you have me outnumbered two Monsters to none, I can now summon The Fiend Megacyber!"
In an explosion of energy, the armored, cybernetic Warrior appeared. (2,200/1,200)
"I'm not done…" he continued, taking the last card in his hand. "I'll also summon Mataza the Zapper."
He played the card, and Mataza somersaulted onto the field, and drew his katana. (1,300/800)
"You think I'm scared?" said Nicholas. "Dark Blade has exactly the same Attack Score as your Megacyber."
"That's the idea," said Ren. "Fiend Megacyber, attack Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!"
"Huh?" said Nicholas.
The Megacyber looked at Dark Blade for a second. Then he shrugged, and charged at the mounted Warrior. Dark Blade charged at him in return…
Dark Blade's sword and The Fiend Megacyber's fist struck each other, and an explosion ripped through the field, eradicating both Monsters. Everyone watching cringed from the impact.
"Good grief!" shouted Erik. "He actually did it!"
Yumi started to moan even louder.
"I'm not done!" shouted Ren. "I'm going after your little mystery Monster next!
"Mataza, go!"
Mataza the Zapper charged at the facedown Monster with his katana drawn. The Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and the shadowy, one-eyed thing screamed and darted out before Mataza slashed it to ribbons.
"Thank you," said Nicholas, discarding the card in his hand. "You're too kind."
"Yeah, well, that helped both of us," said Ren, as they both drew five cards.
"And I'm not done! Mataza gets two attacks. So attack him directly!"
"Uh oh…" said Nicholas, as the ronin charged at him with his blade.
He shouted as the katana slashed across his chest.
Nicholas held his chest in pain as Ren looked over the five cards he had drawn.
"I'm ending my turn, Nicholas," said Ren. "I can't wait to see what comes next…"
(R: 4,900) -------------------- (N: 6,000)
Nicholas drew a sixth card.
"What next?" he asked. "I'll show you…
"First, I'll place a second card facedown. Then I'll summon Nanobreaker."
A facedown card appeared. Then the coldly beautiful, female android holding her glowing sword appeared. (1,600/1,800)
"I could attack Mataza with her, but attacking you would be more effective.
"I'm going to wipe out your ronin by playing Soul Taker."
He played a Spell Card, and a blast of energy shot at Mataza. He was blown to shards.
"You dirty…" muttered Ren.
"Read the fine print, Ren," said Nicholas. "Soul Taker has a cost… Your Life Points go up by 1,000 now."
Ren glowed with golden energy.
"But…" said Nicholas, "you aren't keeping them… Nanobreaker, attack him directly!"
Nanobreaker leapt at Ren, and slashed at him hard with her blade. Ren grunted and took a step backwards.
(R: 4,300) -------------------- (N: 6,000)
"Still my turn," said Nicholas. "I play… Dark Designator."
"What?" asked Ren, catching his breath. "What are you up to?"
"You know how it works," said Nicholas. "I name any Monster I can think of, and if it's in your deck, you add it to your hand.
"And I name Crescent Moon Queen…"
Ren nervously looked though his deck until he found the card. He knew Nicholas wasn't letting him have it because he was being generous…
"Next…" said Nicholas, with an evil grin, "I play… Exchange!"
"You son of a…" shouted Ren.
"No…" said Chelsea, sadly.
"You heard me," said Nicholas, walking up to Ren's position. "In case you haven't caught on yet, kindly hand over the Queen."
Ren grit his teeth as he gave him the card.
"Thank you," said Nicholas. "Now I'm sure you'll find this quite an… uneven trade, but those are the breaks…"
There was only one card left in Nicholas's hand. It was Gift of the Martyr.
Ren angrily snatched it.
Nicholas chuckled.
"Well…" he said. "I've got your best card, and all it cost me was my Gift of the Martyr. Good luck finding a way to use it."
"You're nothing but a thief, Nicholas," said Ren, as he walked back to his side.
"Nothing but a thief?" asked Nicholas.
He chuckled.
"I beg to differ… I'm a great thief!"
He paused.
"We all had our dreams, you know… I didn't want to become a thief at first, when I was a poor boy on the streets of London. What I dreamed about at first was being a stand-up comic…"
"Don't make me laugh!" shouted Ren.
Nicholas chuckled.
"Good one," he said. "But when I found out how easy being a thief was, I figured that it was the best way to get ahead in the world.
"Allow me to quote from the great Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.:
"'If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.'
"What Rev. King meant when he said that, wherever your lot falls in life, you should do it to the best of your ability, and be proud of your ability to do it.
"My lot fell to be a thief, so I set out to be one of the best. Maybe it wasn't an honorable profession, but it helped me survive.
"You know… Being with Rasputin is a better life than what I had before… Most would agree to that. Instead of being some poor street rat, I've been heir to a criminal empire…
"But there's a problem with being the heir to a man who desires immortality above all things… The problem is, you may never get your inheritance. Sure, he promised to share the immortality with me and Olga, but I didn't want to live forever as a right-hand man. I mean, in America, everyone watches the World Series, but no-one remembers the teams that came in second place."
"Uhm, well, I do," said Erik. "Last year, it was Arizona and Boston…"
"DON'T interrupt me in the middle of a monologue!" shouted Nicholas.
"Well sor-ry!" muttered Erik.
"Anyway," continued Nicholas, "I've been watching him gain power and wealth for a long time, with one goal in mind… Taking it from him once he reached the apex. Then the incredible power would be mine…"
"That's terrible, Nicholas," said Ren.
"Oh, is it?" asked Nicholas. "Come on, Ren, is it really that bad to steal from someone who didn't get his own wealth honestly? What's wrong with one thief stealing from another? At least I'm not hurting any honest folks anymore. Unlike Rasputin, who does it all the time. With all the pain he's caused you, you should be glad I'm taking him down.
"And there's more… The ambassador…"
"The one who made me dress like this?" shouted Sam, angrily.
Nicholas nodded.
"She gave Olga and me a glimpse of riches beyond compare…" he said. "Gold and jewels that the King of England couldn't obtain. It will all be ours once the plan goes through… You were a fool for rejecting the position as her apprentice, Sam. Having to wear lingerie is a small price for the rewards you would have reaped…"
"I get to keep one thing by rejecting her," said Sam. "My pride. And I think you're blinded by greed."
"I'm more than willing to share," said Nicholas. "If Yumi doesn't want to do it the hard way, I'll share it with her. If she refuses…"
"You'll force it on her, most likely," said Ren. "Not gonna happen…
"I believe it's my turn…"
(R: 4,300) -------------------- (N: 6,000)
He drew a card.
"You may have my best Monster, Nicholas," he said, adding the card to his hand, "but you need two Monsters to summon her, and right now, I only see one.
"Soon to be none… I summon my second Dark Blade."
He played a card, and the armored, sword-wielding Warrior appeared again. (1,800/1,500)
"Attack Nanobreaker!" he shouted.
"I activate… Astral Barrier!" shouted Nicholas, as one of his Trap Cards lifted. "This can turn your attacks into direct attacks."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Well, if that's really what you want…" he said.
Dark Blade charged at Nicholas.
"I activate another Trap!" shouted Nicholas. "Spirit Barrier!"
His other facedown card lifted, and a dome of energy formed around him, deflecting the blow.
"The Astral/Spirit Combo!" gasped Anastasia. "An impenetrable defense… So long as Astral Barrier stands, his Monsters are untouchable… And so long as Spirit Barrier stands, HE'S untouchable…"
Ren glared at him.
"I end my turn…" he said.
Nicholas drew a card.
"I summon Cyber Raider," he said.
In a burst of energy, another android, this one wearing blue spandex and a helmet, appeared next to Nanobreaker. (1,400/1,000)
"I end my turn…"
It's now or never… thought Ren.
He drew a card.
He played it, and the Pot of Greed appeared on his side of the field. He drew two cards.
Let's see, he thought, looking at them. Heavy Storm… That's good… and…
Double Spell…
He stared blankly at it for a minute.
"Ah, heh, heh, heh, heh!" he laughed. "Oh, I just got the craziest idea!
"So crazy, it might actually work…"
"Huh?" said Nicholas. "What?"
"Show you in a minute," said Ren. "First, I play… Heavy Storm!"
The tornado tore across the field, and the Astral Barrier and Spirit Barrier cards shattered.
"Lucky…" growled Nicholas.
"I'm not through with you yet!" shouted Ren. "Next, I play The Warrior Returning Alive. I'll bring back Mataza the Zapper."
He played the card, and took Mataza from his discard slot.
"And now he's coming back…"
In a burst of energy, Mataza appeared again. (1,300/800)
"I'm still not done!" he said. "Now for my crazy idea.
"I play… Double Spell. Now, for the cost of one Spell Card…"
He played the card, and discarded his Magical Mallet.
"…I can use one Spell Card in your Graveyard…"
He chuckled.
"Guess which card I'm gonna use…"
A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field…
"My Scrap Fusion!" shouted Nicholas.
"You got it!" laughed Ren. "I'm using it to summon your second Cyber Ogre 2!"
An explosion erupted on Ren's side of the field, and the enormous form of Cyber Ogre 2 rose behind his two Warriors. (2,600/1,900)
"Turnabout is fair play, Nicholas!" shouted Ren. "You stole my Monsters, so I'm stealing yours."
"But how did you know…" gasped Nicholas.
"…that you had a second one?" asked Ren. "I used my brains. Cyber Ogre 2 is a Level Seven Monster, just like my Queen. Just like Cyber Dinosaur too. So my Queen had two uses for you…
"Attacking me… And sacrificing using Metamorphosis, to summon this guy."
"Well, fine!" shouted Nicholas. "Attack if you want. Mataza can't defeat either of my Monsters. You'll have to attack one of them with Cyber Ogre, which means you'll fall short of dealing enough damage to finish me."
"Actually, I'm not going to attack with Cyber Ogre 2 at all," said Ren. "I'm going to finish you with my own Monsters."
As Nicholas was trying to comprehend what this meant, Ren played another Spell Card.
"I'm using the card you let me have," said Ren. "I play Gift of the Martyr! Now I can send tall, dark, and gruesome to the Graveyard, to boost Mataza's power."
Cyber Ogre 2 vanished into grains of light, and Mataza roared as energy flowed into him… (3,900/400)
"Dear lord…" muttered Nicholas.
"Dark Blade, attack Cyber Raider!"
Dark Blade made a slash with his sword, and the spandex-clad android exploded.
"Mataza, attack Nanobreaker!"
Mataza made a savage swipe with his katana, cutting Nanobreaker in half.
"Don't forget, Mataza gets to attack twice…"
"No... don't…" stammered Nicholas.
He let out an agonizing scream as the ronin's sword slashed into him, and he collapsed.
The duel was clearly over…
(R: 4,300) -------------------- (N: 0)
Nicholas held his head. He was dizzy and breathing heavily. His eyes were blurry as Ren walked up to him.
Then he was startled as an aura of black flames appeared around him.
"No…" he said. "NO! You promised! You promised to spare me if I lost!"
I told a fib, Nicholas, chuckled a voice in his head. I'm afraid your role in this campaign has reached its conclusion.
You quoted that proverb well, but you forgot about another famous one…
There is no honor among thieves.
But you did admirably… You delayed them just long enough… I can finally face them myself…
I'll have a little fun with them before I simply annihilate them. As for you… Sleep for now… Enjoy your dreams before you must wake up and greet a much more grim reality…
Nicholas's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
"What was that all about?" asked Ren.
He reached down, and picked up the Crescent Moon Queen card.
Yumi's eyes opened with a start.
She sat up with a gasp.
"Yumi!" shouted everyone.
Yumi groaned and held her stomach. She tried to say something, but only a moan came out.
"Yumi?" said Chelsea.
Yumi spoke weakly.
"Everyone…" said Yumi. "I'm afraid Louis, Olga, and Nicholas were stalling."
She pointed to the clock.
Everyone looked, as the minute hand clicked to midnight…
And then, every gear in the huge belfry stopped moving. There was no chime.
"Someone's coming…" moaned Yumi. "And I'm not sure if this one is interested in playing games…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Commander Descartes was writing something down on a clipboard as another Centurion walked up to him.
"What's the status quo?" he asked.
"Let's see, where do I start?" asked the Centurion. "Twenty-five members of the League of Ascension have been apprehended since the breakout, but all of them are unconscious and in the infirmary. Ten of them are the escapees.
"Also, Dr. Janustein brought a woman to the infirmary that clearly needed serious medical attention. He claimed she was his wife."
Descartes stared at him.
"His wife?" he asked. "A very unlikely scenario, but not impossible given what has transpired tonight.
"Hmm…
"Are all the legitimate guests accounted for?"
"Most of them…" said the Centurion, nervously.
Descartes looked at him.
"Define 'most'," he said.
"Well, the five remaining finalists seem to be missing," he said. "According to security cameras, they left their suites in the Colosseum shortly before this crisis started."
Descartes thought for a minute.
He pushed a switch on his wristband, and a set of buttons folded out of the gauntlet.
"If I know Yumi Mouto's family," he said, "she's likely the target of the one behind this whole fiasco…
"The Holographic Tower might not be working, but this strange magic is powering the Disks somehow, so Yumi should still be wearing hers… It shouldn't take long to track her down…
"Let's hope it isn't too late…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi pulled herself up, into a sitting position against the wall.
"Everyone look sharp…" she muttered. "I'm sure someone is coming, and I'm still in no position to deal with whoever it is yet…"
"Rasputin?" asked Erik.
"Maybe…" she said. "But personally, I don't think so… Whatever is coming is more powerful than anything we've seen so far. Something of dark evil… Comparable to Marik…"
"Marik?" asked Chelsea. "How can you tell?"
Yumi looked up and saw the Pharaoh beside her.
"Someone here has had firsthand experience," she said. "We have to…"
She was interrupted again, as the door appeared, this time surrounded by an aura of dark flames…
It slowly creaked opened…
The figure that stepped out was a woman that most of them had never seen before, about six feet tall, with a curvaceous figure. She was wearing an outfit similar to Sam's – lingerie, cape, and boots – but it was all black rather than white. Her face was covered by a mask that seemed to be made of black iron, which was expressionless. Her hair was rich blonde, and fell to her waist.
"It's her!" screamed Sam. "The ambassador! The bitch who made me dress like this… I'm gonna…"
"Sam, you're overreacting…" purred the woman, in a sultry, husky voice. "I think you look adorable…"
Sam growled…
"Adorable…" she snarled, starting to walk towards her. "I'll give you adorable… I'm going to rip that bra off of you and strangle you with it…"
The ambassador looked at Sam as she approached her. Then she raised her hand, and an aura of dark flames surrounded Sam. Sam gasped, and cringed in pain.
"On your knees, Sam…" said the ambassador.
She lowered her hand. Sam struggled, but the evil spell forced her to knees.
"Let her go!" shouted Erik.
The ambassador relaxed her hand. The flaming aura lessened a bit, although it didn't disappear, and Sam took some deep breaths.
Then she waved again, and a similar aura appeared around Ren, Chelsea, Erik, and Enrique. They all felt like a slight burning sensation was slowly consuming their skin.
She clenched her fist, and they fell to their knees too.
"What are you doing?" shouted Ren.
"You kids don't seem to understand…" said the ambassador, with a chuckle. "I'm not like Yumi's family's old enemies, who need to duel their enemies to do away with them… I could kill you all right now if I wanted to… Burn you all to cinders with the fire I've set on you right now…
"And I'm afraid I'm tired of you all anyway, so unless Sam is willing to become my apprentice again…"
"Not a chance, bitch," said Sam.
"Well, then," said the ambassador, "then this is your last stand…"
"You're just going to kill us in cold blood?" asked Chelsea.
The ambassador nodded.
"Not all of you," she added. "Yumi over there is still worth something to me alive…
"But tell you what…"
She held her left arm out, and it glowed with shadowy energy. A Duel Disk appeared on her arm, one made of black steel, covered with sharp blades.
"I have a little time," she said, "so I'll grant one of you a last request. No sense in not enjoying myself a little…"
She lifted the Disk.
"So… Who's it going to be?
"Who wants to duel one last time?"
The situation has turned very dark indeed. The mysterious ambassador has appeared, and while she wants to duel, she has no intention of letting the heroes live, regardless of the outcome. It's clearly a lose-lose situation… Is there any way out?
Perhaps there's something that she doesn't know about. But for now, they'll just have to pray…
0
0
0
MAGIC-GEAR (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A gear floating in a blue void surrounded by bubbles.
Card Description: Tribute three "Ancient Gear" Monsters on your side of the field. Special Summon one "Ancient Gear Golem" from your deck, disregarding its summoning requirements. Then, Special Summon as many copies of "Ancient Gear Golem" from your hand as possible, disregarding their summoning requirements.
0
0
0
ANCIENT GEAR ULTIMATE GOLEM (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Machine/Fusion/Effect
Attribute:
Earth
Level:
10
ATK:
4,400
DEF:
3,400
Card Description: "Ancient Gear Golem" + "Ancient Gear Golem" + "Ancient Gear Golem"
When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of a Defense Position monster, inflict the difference as battle damage to your opponent's Life Points. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card is destroyed, Special Summon one "Ancient Gear Golem" from your Graveyard, disregarding its summoning conditions.
Note: "Magic-Gear" and "Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem" were first used by Crowler in a fourth season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (These cards may eventually become real, according to rumors stated about the "Light of Destruction" set.)
0
0
0
CYBER DINOSAUR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Machine/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
7
ATK:
2,500
DEF:
1,900
Card Description: When your opponent Special Summons a Monster from his hand, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.
Note: "Cyber Dinosaur" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.
0
0
0
SCRAP FUSION (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: A glowing portal above a junkyard.
Card Description: Choose one Fusion Monster that is in your opponent's Fusion Deck. Remove from play the Monsters in your opponent's Graveyard that are listed as fusion material for the chosen Monster. Special Summon the chosen Monster from your opponent's Fusion Deck to your side of the field. (This is considered a Fusion Summon.)
Note: "Scrap Fusion" was first used by Sheppard in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Schooling the Master". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
Erik: Just who is this woman? Who is she an ambassador for?
Yumi: Whoever she is, Erik, she means business, and you need to duel her to buy time.
Anastasia: Erik, you may not have known it, but since the time you've started dueling, you've been preparing for this very moment. You may be the one who can save everyone from this threat.
But we need time…
Erik: I'll try my hardest… We'll see if I'm truly up to snuff…
Anastasia: Coming up next: "Thirty Minutes of Desperation; Erik versus the Deck of Darkness".
Yumi: We believe in you, Erik…