Hyper Runners: Duel Legacy
All Character © Respective creators
Elemental Knights © TheBlackCrow2
Chapter Seventeen: Hidden Pain of God, Part 1
Ruki and Namura returned to the lobby with Kohan following shortly behind. Immediately, they were praised by a good percentage of the remaining duelists for defeating a Sacred Beast – the strongest of them to say the least. The only ones who didn't seem interested were Rev, Kai, and Kana, who had returned a short while ago.
"Even I have to admit that was impressive." Amaya acknowledged. "It took some real skill to take down a card equal to the Egyptian Gods."
"It was nothing, really." Namura said shyly.
"It was all thanks to this card." Ruki grinned excitedly, holding up the card of Silver the Hedgehog. "We would have been screw if it wasn't for this baby."
"Looks like your short-term memory finally pulled through." Marcus commented, taking back his card. His eyes traveled over the face of the card, sighing in sweet relief. "It's good to know not everyone is gone."
"It's good to know you finally remembered me!" The Marked Duelist jumped backwards as Silver appeared to his right. "Do you know how long I was stuck in there?! Those Experiment monsters are insane! One more day and I was about to lose it!"
"Looks like he already lost it." Yubel murmured.
"I think we can all agree that was an exciting match." Hazama chortled happily. "Now let's see whose dueling next."
Meanwhile, the Signers were continuing to enjoy their stay in the top box. Unlike the fans sitting in the stands, the former heroes were treated to a five-star deluxe meal, which amazingly disappeared ten minutes later. Crow was scarfed down everything he could get his hands on and some times had to wrestle Leo for a piece of meat. Luna, Akiza, and Jack were a little more civilized than them, but the champion was constantly talking about himself during the meal. The only one who wasn't present was their leader.
"Where is Yusei anyway?" Crow asked after successfully ripping the meat from Leo's jaws. "Isn't he supposed to wait for Marcus' next match?"
"He said he had something very important to do." Akiza answered sadly. "But he didn't say what it was. Actually, I'm kind worried about him."
"He's been acting funny ever since he saw that Sacred Beast card." Leo added; stealthily steal the meat back from Crow. "You think it might have freaked him out."
"Whatever the case is, he knows about it more than us." Jack commented.
Back on the Dueling Platform, Hazama seemed in better spirits since the match between Kana and Hikari. The audience was still talking loudly over the previous match and hardly allowed space for the master of ceremonies to speak. Then once again, the white-haired man merely raised his hand to stop them.
"I'm sure you all want to recount that exciting match, but we must move on!" Hazama announced. "Now lets move on to our next competition: Akira Seta and Nami Kimura vs. Nick Magus and Haru Xavier!"
The crowd was once again caught in a roar of cheers – the loudest so far – as the four duelists walked out to the Dueling Platform. Most of the admiration was directed to Akira "Rev" Seta as he was the crowd favorite to win the Ultimate Duel Tournament. Being an unknown talent from an unknown location, Nami wasn't really recognized – that was how she preferred it. The silent duelist took this opportunity to examine her opponents before the match started.
Her first inspection was over Haru Xavier - A teenaged boy with sapphire-blue hair and the look of superiority on his expression. He wore he wore a red, long-sleeved shirt with a spiked symbol on the front, a pair of black jeans, white sneakers, and the black jacket with its sleeves ripped off.
Her eyes then caught his partner, Nick Magus. The boy was definitely shorter than his partner and had flat dark hair falling close to his shoulders. He wore a white, short-sleeved shirt, a pair of navy-blue jeans, a pair of dirty-brown soldier boots, and a necklace made from spiked beads of metal. Nami was continuing her observation when she noticed Nick was holding out his hand to her.
"Hey, let's have a good match." Nick grinned eagerly.
"Uh...likewise." Nami said awkwardly, hesitantly shaking his hand.
"I hope I get a chance to show off my best move." Nick chuckled lightly. "My family took a flight all the way from America just to see me duel. I plan on dueling my hardest and make them proud."
Nami had to admire the boy's determination. But with her sharp eyes, the silent duelist managed to catch a glimpse of something unusual about Rev's demeanor. The Elemental was clenching his fist tightly and shaking actively – he was angry for some reason. Keeping this thought in mind, Nami joined her partner on one side of the field while their opponents took the opposite end.
"Let the third match begin!" Hazama announced.
"Duel!" The four shouted together.
Rev (4000) – Nami (4000) – Haru (4000) – Nick (4000)
"My turn, first!" Haru declared, drawing his sixth card. "And to start off, I play Mirage Dragon in attack mode."
A serpentine dragon appeared on the field. It contained golden armor that secured its entire body, flowing blue hair emerging from the back of its helmet, and a scythe blade protruding from its tail (1600/600).
"Then I play one card facedown and end my turn." Haru concluded as he set the card.
"My turn." Nami said shortly, drawing her sixth card. "And I start with Infernity Guardian in defense mode."
As she set the card on the field, a vortex of fire suddenly ignited. When the sparks of fire subsided, a metallic-dark panel appeared with a flaming skull in the center formed in its place (1200/1700).
"Then I equip it with Rod of Silence – Kay'est." Nami continued, playing the spell card on the field. "Any monster equipped with this card increases their defense by 500 points and makes them immune to spell cards."
Infernity Guardian – (1200/2200).
"I end my turn." Nami finished.
"My move!" Nick shouted eagerly. "First, I'm going to activate the spell card: Hand Destruction." He placed the card on the field for all to see. "When this card is played, everyone has to send two cards from their hand to the graveyard and draw two more cards."
The four duelists followed as they were instructed, but Rev seemed to take the longest to decide. His eyes were wondering across his hand, trying to think of the best strategy for this situation. Finally, he selected two cards and deposited them into the graveyard slot. Nami – her eyes quicker and sharper than any normal human – noticed that one of them was the Path of Pein – Deva. What was he planning?
"And then I'll play a personal favorite of mine: Decoy Dragon!" Nick continued.
At that moment, a small and smooth turquoise dragon appeared of the field, batting its ruby-red eyes adorably (300/200).
"And with that, I end my turn." Nick smirked victoriously.
Up in the top box, Luna was squealing happily at the sight of the cuddly baby dragon, commenting on how "cute" it was. Leo found it a little strange how such a pathetic creature could be considered adorable, but he has been known to have the sensitivity range of a teaspoon. All the while, the older Signers had other thoughts on their mind.
"What the hell is that kid thinking?" Crow questioned incredulously. "That weak monster couldn't even take out a petit moth and he's playing that card in attack mode. Boy, not a bright head on that kid."
"Appearances can be deceiving." Akiza stated seriously. "Only those who truly understand the power behind that beast could master it."
"What power?" Crow asked.
"There's a reason it's 'Decoy' Dragon." Jack stated. "Just keep watching."
Back at the Dueling Platform, Rev had already drew a card from his deck and scanned the field. With Mirage Dragon on their field, his traps were rendered useless. And then there was the problem with Decoy Dragon. The beast was truly weak, but Nick had obviously had to the trouble to prepare that card. Perhaps it would be best to avoid it.
"To begin my turn, I summon Path of Pein – Animal in defense mode." Rev said.
The feminine warrior appeared on the field – its multi-ringed eyes remained unblinking (1100/900).
"And when the Animal Path is on the field," Rev continued. "I can summon one Level 4 or below beast-type monster from my hand! And now I summoned Possessed Ram in attack mode!"
The Animal Path clapped her hands together and pressed them to the ground, forming a cloud of smoke. When the smoke subsided, a ram three times the size of its summoner appeared with giant black rods piercing its bulking body (1800/1000).
"Now Possessed Ram, attack Mirage Dragon!" Rev commanded.
The colossal beat snorted and pressed its hoof into the ground, shaking the foundation slightly. The controlled monster lowered its curved horns and charged ahead for the golden dragon. Mirage Dragon hissed mercilessly and floated backwards, trying to escape the superior monster. Just when the Possessed Ram was about to make contact, a wall of multi-colored light appeared and repelled the controlled beast backwards, obliterating it from existence.
"What happened?" Rev growled.
"He activated his trap card: Mirror Force." Nami stated, pointing to the card before it faded. "Mirror Force has the power to stop an attack and destroy all monsters in attack mode on an opposite side of the field. It is fortunate that you only had one attacking monster on your field."
"Yeah, lucky." Rev muttered sarcastically. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
Back at the lobby, the remainder of the duelists weren't paying much attention to the duel. For some cases, it didn't really seem worthwhile. But Marcus was watching the match intently, ignoring Ruki's constant jabbering. The only reason the Marked Duelist was watching the match was in hopes of seeing any of his former cards once again.
"Not much of a duel." Amaya commented as she stood behind them. "They're not really putting themselves out there."
"It might not look like much but they're planning their next move." Marcus said confidently. "Haru and Nick both use dragon deck, which means they compliment each other. And judging from what I've seen with Nami, her specialty relies in her defensive skills. Rev needs to find a way to make it work with his full-force tactic."
"You're actually quite wrong." The group looked over as Trace approached them. "Nami only uses defensive monsters as a starting point for her true strategy."
"True strategy?" Namura questioned.
"It's your time, Nami." Trace thought hopefully. "Time to show everyone how much you have grown."
Back at the Dueling Platform.
"My turn!" Haru shouted, drawing his next card. "And now I summon Spear Dragon in attack mode!"
A prehistoric dragon with stone-like navy skin, two extended wings under its arms, and a nose as sharp as a spear appeared on the field (1900/0).
"This is one of my favorites." Haru grinned deviously. "When Spear Dragon attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference in their attack points is dealt straight to your life points. Spear Dragon, attack the emo girl with Spear Shooter!"
The prehistoric dragon extended its wings and took flight and soared close to the roof of the dome. Once catching the Animal Path in its sight, Spear Dragon curved and spirals downwards with its pointed nose ahead. The Animal Path was defenseless as the dragon's spear-like nose stabbed through its chest and was obliterated. The dino dragon then glanced at Rev before stabbing at his Duel Disk.
Rev (3000) – Nami (4000) – Haru (4000) – Nick (4000)
"Not bad, huh?" Haru grinned superiorly. "Unfortunately, Spear Dragon has to move into defense mode after it attacks, but I can work with that. That leaves you wide open for an attack! Mirage Dragon attack directly with Illusion Strike!"
The armored dragon blended with the background for a moment, vanishing from sight. As Rev looked back and forth for his attacker, Mirage Dragon suddenly reappeared with a collection of rainbow lights in its mouth. The golden beast unleashed its power directly in Rev's face, forcing the Akatsuki Duelist to his knees.
Rev (1400) – Nami (4000) – Haru (4000) – Nick (4000)
"It hurt's doesn't it?" Haru smirked.
"Not as much as this will." Rev said coolly. "I activate my facedown card: Chakra Receiver!" He revealed the trap of a red-haired man with a number of black rods in his back. "When I am attacked directly, you receive the same amount of damage as I do. And in addition, I take control of your monster."
The trap card shot a horde of black spikes from the picture, which pierced Mirage Dragon. The armored beast screeched shrilly as the black rods pierced its armor and its green blood dripped across its golden armor. When Mirage Dragon looked back to its former master, the golden beast possessed purple, multi-ringed eyes. Haru, panicking briefly, dropped back to the ground as his former monster unleashed a blast of rainbow energy upon him.
Rev (1400) – Nami (4000) – Haru (2400) – Nick (4000)
"Grr...You'll pay for that." Haru vowed. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"My draw." Nami said as she swiped her next card. "Due to Rod of Silence – Kay'est I can summon Guardian Kay'est on the field!"
As Nami set the card, a tower of water suddenly sprung up between the duelists. As the aquatic tower rained over the four, rev noticed a faint shadow forming within it. The water was finally absorbed into the floor, revealing the new monster. The creature resembled a mermaid with its ocean-blue tail, grassy-green hair, and the jellyfish-like rod in its hands (1000/1800).
"And now Guardian Kay'est will destroy you Spear Dragon." Nami said shortly.
"I activate my trap card: Shift!" Haru exclaimed, revealing his card. "When an opponent attacks, I can switch my current monster with another on my side of the field."
"But you don't another monster." Nami said pointed.
"True, but I do have a partner." Haru grinned, pointing to Nick. "And I exchange my Spear Dragon for his Decoy Dragon!"
The Spear Dragon vanished in a blur and was replaced by the miniscule dragon. The innocent dragon remained ideally, unknown to its true eyes glinting menacingly. Guardian Kay'est stuck out her rod and unleashed a mesmeric blast of light. Then the platform exploded with a thick cloud of smoke covering the two fighters. Just when everyone thought they knew the outcome, Guardian Kay'est was tossed out of the cloud and exploded into pixels of light.
Rev (1400) – Nami (2100) – Haru (2400) – Nick (4000)
"Wha?" Nami questioned. "How could something so little defeat my Guardian?"
"I don't think it was so little." Rev said.
And he was right. Decoy emerged from the smoke cloud unharmed, bring along a new friend to the game. A colossus dragon with shimmering orange scales, lengthy blue-green wings, frills on the side of its face, and a shining emerald glowing in its forehead. The dragon master roared intensely to display its overwhelming power (2900/2500).
Up in the top box.
"Whoa, when did he summon that card?!" Crow shouted shockingly.
"That's the effects of Decoy Dragon." Jack explained. "When a monster declares an attack on Decoy Dragon, the current owner of that card can special summon a level 7 or higher monster from their graveyard. That is what makes Decoy Dragon so rare and valuable."
"But when did he...?" Leo asked.
"It was when Nick played Hand Destruction." Luna stated. "They must have planned ahead of time and waited for the best moment to summon it." She looked back at the duel. "These guys really work well together."
"I think this will be the first time Akira loses a duel." Akiza murmured.
Back at the Dueling Platform, Nick had just got finished explaining the effects of Decoy Dragon before it returned to his side. Sighing heavily, Nami had placed one card facedown and submitted her turn. Now it was Nick's turn. The dragon master swiped a card from the top of his deck and glanced at it quickly. Nami's powers of careful observation allowed her to catch Nick's faint smile, which meant he had drawn a winning card.
"Looks like you two are out of luck." Nick said confidently. "It was a really nice duel, but we need to move on. I summon Magna Drago in attack mode."
A crater of lava appeared on the field, expelling the newest creature from its depths. The summoned dragon was red as the lava it had emerged from and was no bigger than the Decoy Dragon (1400/600).
"And the best part is that Magna Drago is a tuner monster." Nick grinned, turning to his partner. "It wouldn't be too much trouble to borrow your Tyrant Dragon, would it?"
"If it means killing these guys off, go straight ahead." Haru nodded.
"Then I tune my Level 2 Magna Drago to Haru's Level 8 Tyrant Dragon and my Level 2 Decoy Dragon!" Nick yelled eagerly.
The lava serpent roared before dissolving into its star form, which eventually transformed to the synchro rings. Tyrant Dragon and Decoy Dragon flapped their wings and took off into the skies, phasing through the rings. The two beasts were then reverted to their star forms before being engulfed by a powerful beam of light.
"The highest of creatures takes fight and covers the land in its glow!" Nick chanted. "Hail Forth, Miracle Dragon!"
The light subsided a moment after, giving the duelists to opportunity to discover their newest opponent. A glimmer-yellow dragon with golden scales that effortlessly beat Raviel in terms of length. The golden dragon was forced to coil its body around the platform and bow down to prevent hitting the ceiling. The dragon itself had seven ruby-red eyes, four curved spikes protruding from its skull, and four white feathered wings curled into its back (3200/3100).
"Ever seen a card like that before?" Rev questioned.
"No." Nami answered shortly.
Back at the lobby, those who originally weren't watching became captivated by the appearance of the Miracle Dragon. There were very few dragons in existence that had ever reached that high of a level before – very few duelist survived to tell the tale. Marcus and Trace both watched with worry on their expression as the glowing beats edged closer to its prey.
"This tournament is full of surprises, isn't it?" Amaya asked rhetorically.
"And I thought fighting Raviel was tough." Ruki sighed. "I'm glad I'm not going up against that thing."
"I think we should all count ourselves lucky." Namura said, looking at his redheaded friend. "Hey, if Rev loses, that means he'll have to give up your deck earlier than expected. That will help you in the next round."
"I suppose so." Marcus nodded.
While everyone was distracted by the godly dragon, Amaya's gaze was fully on the Marked Duelist. Or more specifically, his necklace. That was the only link to Marcus' connection with the Elementals and to his unknown past. If she wanted to, he could take it right now. The anxious duelist reached out slowly while no one was looking – her hand was just a few centimeters away – when she heard a voice.
"Not now..."
Amaya pulled her hand back and looked to the doors on the opposite side of the room. Hoping no one would catch her; she slowly slipped across the room and stealthily exited. She never noticed Kai's suspicious glare. The choppy-haired duelist quickly shut the door behind her and turned, finding a new arrival to the tournament. This person wore the same uniform as Ignite except the hood covered his face and the zipper stopped at his waist. Out of the corner of her eyes, Amaya noticed his left arm was covered in bloody bandages, which the unknown figure tried to hide.
"Up and about, are we?" Amaya smiled devilishly. "I thought Ignite would have pinned you to your bed before letting you continue to injure yourself."
"I can take care of myself, Void." The character said in a feminine voice. "Anyway, you were about to make a crucial mistake. It's too early to be hunting the Elementals. Not all of them have been properly located yet. If you had acted, our plans would have been set back by ten years. The Leader would not have been merciful."
"I suppose." Amaya grumbled. "So what else do you need?"
"I have a message from the Leader himself." The female stated.
The trials of the Elementals grow more serious. How will Rev and Nami counteract this powerful beast? Will they be able to pull out a winning card? And what is Amaya's relation with the Eternal organization? Find out on the next Hyper Runners!
Please, read and review.
Duel Report:
Name: Chakra Receiver
Type: Trap Card
Property: Counter Trap
Description: When a monster attacks directly, the user of the monster receives equal damage. The attacking monster is controlled by the user of this card for three turns.
