Hyper Runners: Duel Legacy

All Character © Respective creators
Elemental Knights © TheBlackCrow2

Chapter Eleven: Taking the Heat, Part 2

Marcus and his rival, Akira "Rev" Seta, were in a real bind at this point. They had come across he fiendish Pyro, whose true name was Ignite, and seemed to hold an advantage over him. But that was before he had summoned a Level 12 monster – a feat only accomplished by the Egyptian Gods. While Ignite had Order VIII – Flurry of Dancing Flames (3000/2600), the team of Marcus and Rev had the Gedo Mazo (4000/0) and Elemental Knight – Inferna (2300/1600).

Ignite (4500) – Marcus (3300) – Rev (4000)

"That's what this is all the fuss is about." Rev said disapprovingly. "That monster isn't worthy enough to lick my shoes."

"Looks can be deceiving." Ignite grinned. "In fact, I failed to mention its special ability."

"What special ability?" Marcus asked.

"On the turn it is summoned," Ignite said dramatically. "Flurry of Dancing Flames can destroy one monster and subtract its attack points from the owner's life points."

"What?!" The duo exclaimed.

"That's right!" Ignite cackled wildly. "So say good bye to your little idol!!"

The Flurry of Dancing Flames twirled the twin chakrams within its hands, igniting the metallic weapon on a spiral of fire. The humanoid monster pushed itself off the ground and hovered above until it was level with the Gedo Mazo's blindfold. Still in midair, the Flurry of Dancing Flames twisted around and tossed its weapons for the blind statue. The chakrams had nearly reached its intended target until...

"I activate Inferna's special ability!" Marcus shouted.

"What?!" The others – Duel Spirits included – exclaimed.

"If my opponent activates a monster effect, I can redirect it to Inferna instead!" Marcus yelled.

Elemental Knight – Inferna swung her flaming chains and captured the chakrams in midair just a few feet before reaching the Gedo Mazo. The pyro knight pulled back her chain, redirecting the assault in her direction. Inferna bowed her head in anticipation before the flaming chakrams sliced her body into three parts before obliteration. And due to The Flurry's special ability, Marcus was assaulted by the flaming chakrams and nearly dropped out of Yusei's Runner.

Ignite (4500) – Marcus (1000) – Rev (4000)

"I'll give something, kid." Ignite complimented. "You've got some real guts."

"And I'm not even done yet." Marcus groaned; the attack felt surprisingly real. "When Inferna is destroyed by a monster effect, I can special summon one fire monster from my deck. And I summon Elemental Hero Heat in defense mode!"

A tall humanoid character with, what seemed to be, golden skin appeared on the field. He wore silver armor with crimson flame markers appearing occasionally, a crimson-red red crown, and a burning fire symbol in his chest (1600/1200).

"Nice work, kid." Ignite smirked. "You just might amount to something after all."

"Kiva..." Rev thought. "Why did he protect me?"

"Because that's what teammates do." Deva Path answered.

"Well, I say that ends my turn!" Ignite submitted.

"And now it's my draw!" Marcus announced, taking a card from his deck. Because he received heavy damage from the Flurry's abilities, his Speed Counter took an all time low (11-5-7). "Now I sacrifice Elemental Hero Heat to summon Elemental Hero Neos!"

The flaming warrior evaporated into particles of light, setting the stage for a recurring hero. A tall and well-built warrior with metallic-silver skin appeared on the field. His markings were derived from red and blue pigment with a blue opal on his chest and three blades on his head and forearms (2500/2000)

"Then I throw down another face-down and call it a turn." Marcus finished, setting a second card on the field.

"My turn." Rev stated, drawing his next card (12-6-8). "Now I activate the Gedo Mazo's special ability and remove the Flurry of Dancing flames from the game!"

The blind statue ripped open its jaws once more and expelled the spiritual serpent that the others were quite familiar with. Now imagine the shock on their expressions when the Flurry of Dancing Flames threw his chakrams and split the serpent in two. The remains of the spirit returned to the sanctuary within the Gedo Mazo's throat.

"What did you do?!" Rev snarled.

"I guess you haven't heard." Ignite grinned. "Order monsters aren't affected by monster effects. Nice try."

"Grr....I end my turn." Rev hissed.

"And that would make it mine." Ignite said, drawing his card (12-7-9). "Now to get rid of that pesky Neos!"

The Flurry of Dancing Flames ignited its chakrams and lashed them towards the spatial warrior. But the impending victory was short-lived when an invisible barrier forced the flaming weapons back to its owner.

"Why does this not surprise me?" Ignite smirked.

"That's because it shouldn't." Marcus said, revealing one of his face-downs. "Because once I activated Hero Barrier, your attack was negated for the turn. And that's not all..." He revealed his second face-down. "By attacking me, you activated my trap: A Hero Emerges. Now you must randomly select one card from my hand, and if it's a monster, I can summon it."

"You sound confident." Ignite said. "All right, I choose the one of the far left."

"Nice choice." Marcus said eagerly. "Now I summon Elemental Knight Hydrus!"

Another knight emerged onto the field in a wave of water. He was present with a sapphire-blue chest armor and helmet with a small visor covering his eyes, fishnet clothing covering his arms and legs, and carrier a long silver trident (1700/800).

"Well, if you're done." Ignite smirked. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"My draw!" Marcus shouted, drawing his next card (12-8-10). "Yubel, you think this will work."

"Trust me, this is a sure-fire tactic." Yubel said confidently. "Trust me, it never failed before."

"I'll take your word for it." Marcus replied before speaking. "Now I summon Elemental Knight Chill!"

A female knight appeared on their field, looking ready for battle. She was covered in sparking diamond armor with matching high-heeled boots and elbow-length gloves. Her diamond helmet covered her face and held a long white ribbon as she carried a powerful silver claymore on her back (1800/1200).

"And because there is another water monster of the field, Chill's effect allows me to draw two cards." Marcus stated as he collected his prizes. "Now I activate Neos ultimate technique – Contact Fusion!"

"Contact fusion?" Ignite repeated.

"So the legends are true." Rev thought.

"Contact Fusion is the precursor for Synchro Summons." Deva Path stated. "It allows certain monsters to be returned to the deck to summon fusion monster without the use of polymerization. It is a very rare tactic."

"Now by returning Neo and my two knights to special summon Knight of Neo Space!" Marcus declared.

The two knights bowed their heads to the Elemental Hero and transformed into small spheres of energy. The spheres were then absorbed by Neos through the opal on his chest. The hero of Neo Space exploded in a ray of power, which quickly reformed into a layer of multi-colored armor. His helmet and shoulder blades were made of ruby, his chest armor was emerald with a small topaz in the heart, his gauntlets were sapphires, and his greaves were made from obsidian. The ultimate knight had been unleashed (3000/2000).

"How do you like me now?!" Marcus laughed.

"Impressive." Ignite thought. "Maybe he is an Elemental after all."

"This may end up losing my Knight, but it will get that fire freak out of the way." Marcus shouted, throwing out his fist. "Go, Knight of Neo Space! End that pyromaniac with Wrath of the Elements!"

The rainbow knight drived forward with its fist surrounded in a flow of multi-colored energy. In most situations, this would end with the both monsters destroyed. But the Flurry of Dancing Flames pushed back the rainbow knight with its chakrams and watched amusingly as Knight of Neo Space was captured by a metallic sphere.

"What the?" Rev questioned.

"Sorry, but I expected this much from you." Ignite smirked. "That's why I played my trap card: Anti-Fusion Device. This card instantly destroys one fusion monster on the field."

"No!!" Marcus screamed.

But there was no stopping it. Marcus watched the tragedy of one of his greatest monsters be destroyed in a seismic blast created from the mechanical trap. The Marked Duelist was now defenseless.

"I...I end my turn." Marcus said defeated.

"And once my turn comes around, it's game over for you, kid." Ignite said joyfully.

"Kiva..." Rev thought.

"Whatever move you make now, it better be the right one." Deva Path forewarned.

"My move!" Rev proclaimed, drawing his next card (12-9-11). "And to start of, I switch the Gedo Mazo on Kiva's side of the field."

Everyone was greatly shocked by this, but their suspicions were confirmed when the Gedo Mazo stepped away from its master and placed itself in from of Marcus. Since the two younger plays were on a tag-team, Ignite knew they weren't breaking any rules – they were allowed to share cards. But Marcus, who had grown to despise Akira, felt grateful to him.

"And with the Gedo Mazo out of the way, I can Summon Jet the Hawk in Attack mode!" Rev continued coolly.

The newest addition from Marcus' original deck appeared. He was a humanoid emerald hawk with five jutted head feathers and a tuft of white feathers of his chest. He wore white gloves with black/red cuffs, red boots with black flames designs, and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles (1500/900).

"Now I activate the Speed Spell: Extreme Gear – Type J!" Rev continued, placing the card.

A green/white board shot from the card and aimed towards the hawk. Jet glanced over his shoulder and back flipped onto the Extreme Gear, attempting to show off as Marcus had expected.

"When a monster uses Extreme Gear, it becomes a Rider." Rev explained. "And in exchange for ending my battle phase, I can attack an opponent directly."

"These kids have all kinds of tricks." Ignite thought.

The emerald Rider kicked off the ground aboard its Gear and made a drive towards the Pyro Duelist. The Flurry of Dancing Flames stared shockingly at the green blur that passed it. Jet revealed a set of feathered fans with green plumage and swiped them across Ignite's Runner. The effects of the direct attack also took effect on his speed counters (11-9-11).

Ignite (3000) – Marcus (1000) – Rev (4000)

"And thus I end my turn." Rev finished.

"Heh! You've got a lot of spunk!" Ignite smirked, drawing his card (12-10-12). "And now I attack Jet the Hawk with Flurry of Dancing Flames!"

The pyrokinetic beast ignited his chakrams, twirling them within his hands. The Flurry dived forward and crossed his weapons together, slashing a large 'X' in the hawk's chest. With the destruction of his monster, Rev suffered his first backlash of the duel (12-10-11).

Ignite (3000) – Marcus (1000) – Rev (2500)

"And that conclude my turn." Ignite finished.

"I guess that means it's my turn." Marcus said, drawing his card (12-11-12). Judging by the expression on his face, the Marked Duelist had a bad hand. "And that ends my turn."

"What are you going to do now?" Yubel asked concerned.

"It's not what I'm going to do." Marcus answered, staring at his partner. "It's what he's going to do?"

"What am I going to do?" Rev thought hesitantly; his hand hovered over the deck. "There isn't a single card left in this deck to take out that monster. Ugh, what was I think about handing over the Gedo Mazo?!"

"It's because you had faith." Deva Path answered. "You trusted him."

"But what will faith do for me at this point?" Rev questioned.

"Why don't you take another look at your teammate?"

Rev shifted his eyes over to Marcus and received a surprise. Instead of worrying about a possible defeat, the Marked Duelist's eyes were blazing with inspiration and determination. Marcus, despite their mutual hatred for each other, had faith in his partner. And without their notice, the necklaces of both riders began to resonate with a soft glow. Equally, their eyes transformed to the color of their respective necklaces. But they weren't the only ones.


---China---

A blue haired female sat on a pile of rocks beneath the starry sky. She was staring at her necklace – a red gemstone with the kanji for fire etched into the stone. She was so curious of her gemstone's reaction that she failed to notice her eyes were a demonic-red.

"Well, this is certainly different." She said interestingly. "What do you think, buddy?"

A sound growl was heard.

---New York---

A blood female stood in the alley of a busy street, attempting to block of the noise of the busy streets. Like the others, she had also noticed the sudden glow of her necklace – a black gemstone with the kanji of darkness etched inside. Her own eyes were unnaturally dark and lacked pupils, giving her an evil gaze.

"Hmm..." The woman hummed. "This is the sign of a new threat."

"Then we shall destroy it." A monstrous voice whispered. "Just like all others."

---Australia---

A young boy with savagely, waist-length green hair was hanging upside-down from the trees, ignoring the pack of hungry tigers. The hanging boy watched his own glowing necklace – a yellow gemstone with the symbol of light etched inside. But unlike the others, his eyes were pure white instead of the necklace color.

"Ooh, pretty..." The boy commented. "It's so shiny."

"And as you usual, you space out to your own world." A booming voice shouted, scaring off the tigers.

---Satellite---

The young girl who had watched the battle between the Gedo Mazo and Perfect Chaos Dragon a couple of weeks ago was kneeled to a man whose face was hidden in the shadows. Though his face could not be seen, his necklace rested against his chest – a green gemstone with the kanji of wind etched inside.

"Boss, is that what I think it is?" The girl gasped.

"Yes, Nami." The man said softly. "The powers of the Elementals have been awakened. Rayquaza can feel it as well.


Back to the duel, Rev's deck suddenly reacted to their unknown powers and shot a card into the duelist's hand. The Akatsuki Duelist was caught off guard, but managed enough to look at the face of the card. It was a Speed Spell Card with the six elemental symbols forming a ritual circle.

"I've never seen this card in my life." Rev thought, looking back to his hand. "But now...it could be just what I'm looking for."

"Hey, are you going to make your move or what?!" Ignite yelled impatiently.

"I'll make my move all right!" Rev snarled. "I activate the trap card: Call of the Haunted to bring back Jet the Hawk!"

The road burst open, revealing the emerald hawk returning from the grave (1500/900).

"And now I summon, Chaos Zero!" Rev continued.

The warrior of water regained a physical form on the field (1200/1600).

"And now I tune Chaos Zero with Jet the Hawk!" Rev exclaimed.

Upon the command, the aquatic guardian deformed into a puddle of water and moved beneath Jet. The remains jumped up around the emerald hawk, forming a large bubble around the beast. The silhouette of Jet remained only for a moment before blending with the rest of the bubble.

"The cruel ocean waves calm at you presence and soothes the savage soul!" Rev chanted darkly. "Appear from the depths, Perfect Chaos Dragon!"

The water bubble reformed and expanded into the serpentine form of Marcus' former signature (2800/1600).

"And now I activate Speed Spell: Elemental Ritual!" Rev shouted, placing the new card on the field. "This card acts as a fusion spell. And I choose to bring together Perfect Chaos Dragon and the Gedo Mazo!!"

A large ritual circle appeared on the street around the duelist, bearing the symbols of all the elements. The Gedo Mazo took its place over the symbol of earth while Perfect Chaos Dragon hovered over the water symbol. Both titans faded into their respective symbols, creating an explosion of energy in the center.

"Arise, Elemental Lord of Jungle!!" Rev commanded.

Emerging from the black was a humanoid creature at least eight feet tall. The creature had dirty brown skin with one golden eye staring through the layer of vines covering its head. It wore a thick suit of leaves and vine with occasionally roots sticking out from its body and carried a polished wooden shield (3500/2700).

"Whoa, that is big!" Ignite shouted.

"And it doesn't end there, right, Rev." Marcus smirked.

"Right." Rev nodded. "Because now I activate the Speed Spell: Master Emerald!" He played the card on the field, revealing an emerald ten times larger than normal. "At first, it lowers monster's attack points to 0. But then it absorbs your monster's attack points and makes them its own!"

Flurry of Dancing Flames (0/2600) --- Elemental Lord of Jungle (3000/2700).

"Elemental Lord of Jungle!" Rev commanded. "Attack with Shield of Gaia!"

The Elemental Lord of Jungle brought its shield backwards and then released when tossing it forward. The Flurry of Dancing Flames desperately tried to ignite its chakrams, but failed dismally. And just like that, the humanoid warrior was sliced in two by the wooden weapon. The shield had almost made it to Ignite to end the duel, but the Pyro Duelist disappeared in a spark of fire before it could finish.

Duel Victors: Marcus and Rev

"Hey, where'd he go?" Marcus questioned as they stopped their Runners.

"Looks like he got away again." Rev said unconsciously, watching the Elemental Lord fade away. "But I can assume that next time, he will not be holding back. I will prepare for him when he does."

"Akira..." Marcus said softly. The Akatsuki Duelist stiffened slightly – this was the first time he was ever referred to by his true name. "What happened back there; I was really impressed. Maybe...you're not such a stuck up jerk as I once thought. Perfect Chaos Dragon would have never listened to you if you were."

Both duelists sat their in awkward silence, wondering who would make the next move. Without warning, Rev tossed a card to Marcus, who fumbled to capture the card. When looking back at the card, he was amazed and grateful to know that Amy Rose had been returned to him.

"Consider this a gift." Rev said, turning away. "If you want to regain the rest of your cards, you must face me in the final round."

"The final Round of what?"

Before Rev took off down the round and returned to his home within the Tops, he left one final message.

"The Ultimate Duel Tournament..."


Meanwhile, Ignite made a return visit to an unknown location in a confined room. The tiny room was filled contained only darkness and a single stone throne in the center of the room. The Pyro Duelist kneeled to the throne at the same moment a new character appeared from nothingness within the seat. He wore the same cloak and uniform as the defeated rider, but with his hood still up to envelope his face in mystery.

"What do you have to report?" The man asked.

"You hunch was correct." Ignite nodded. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a file for his superior to take. "Marcus Kiva and Akira Seta are definitely the Elementals of Earth and Water. Two of the six guardians have been revealed."

"That is good." The man nodded, looking through the file. "Your mission was a complete success."

"I do have one question, master." Ignite said curiously. "I was able to defeat the Tail Signer with ease. Why did you stop me from taking his birthmark? Aren't they necessary for our plan?"

"We will have them in due time." The leader stated. "For now, let's see how far our spy will progress."


Unity unlocks the path to victory. Will Marcus be able to retrieve his deck in the Ultimate Duel Tournament? Who are these other Elementals? And what plans does this unknown organization have? Find out on the next Hyper Runners!

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Duel Report:

Name: Jet the Hawk

Attribute: Wind

Type: Winged-beast/ Effect

Level: 4

ATK/DEF: 1500/900

Effect: By offering one speed counter, this card can attack twice in one turn.