Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.
Chapter 14 – Yliaster's New Threat! A Challenge to the Signers
The following morning, at around 5a.m., Judai, Yusei and Taiyou were standing up on the roof of the Poppo Time building, starting out at the city as they leaned against the walls with crossed arms. The duel the night before had given them much success, but the calm that followed – it simply didn't sit right.
"Perhaps Yliaster and the Infinity Trio have been planning for us to fall to X," Judai suggested, earning a quick and stern retort from Yusei.
"No, that's too easy. Placido would be smarter than to believe something like X would defeat us."
"Then what was its purpose?" Taiyou asked rhetorically and in a whisper. In his current spirit form, which he needed to revert to after the duel, he was invisible and silent to Yusei, but Judai still heard and saw him loud and clear. Thus, Judai repeated him to Yusei. "Are they… testing us?"
"That could be; but testing us for what?"
"Taiyou," Judai inquired, getting the spirit's attention. "You said the Saviors are the force which they want us not to unlock, right?" When the man nodded and Judai referred that to Yusei, he added, "Did they maybe… want to see if we even could?"
"Why would they need to know that?" Taiyou asked. "The Saviors are just evolved forms of the Signer Dragons…"
"…Which weren't at the Ancient Battle with the Earthbound Gods," Judai recalled. "The Saviors are fairly new, in fact; not even Taiyou knew of them prior to their summoning, did you?"
"Master Endymion told me of them after he checked the hall of records," he explained, "but I hadn't heard of them prior, no. They're not part of the Legend."
"Then we'd be the first Signers to summon them," Yusei realized, just as dawn began to break and light swept over the two humans' faces. "Placido would want to know if we could… but if even the original Signers didn't know of them, how does he?"
Without speaking, Judai pulled out a cell phone and pressed a button for the speed dial menu. In a second he said in English, "It's Judai. I need you to do some research on creatures known as the Savior Dragons, in relation to Mythology." After a split second pause he asked in Japanese, as though repeating a question, "Which kind?"
"Well, the Ancient Battle occurred 3000 B.C., so the people of the stars; but the Mythology they appear in is Inca," Yusei stated, which Judai repeated over the phone in English.
"How long do you think the research will take?" After a second of two he asked, in a very surprised tone, "That long?" Then, he said, in a resolved voice, "Well, call me if you learn anything. You keep it real too, Professor. Alright, Goodbye."
"Who was that?" Yusei inquired as Judai put the phone away. Turning back to him, Judai replied in Japanese,
"Professor Nicholas Carswell. He's a historian and mythologist, who lives in Canada." As both Taiyou and Yusei raised eyebrow he added, "I met him when I went to a museum in Ontario, while I was traveling abroad."
"And this Professor… Thomas, was it?" Taiyou questioned. When Judai nodded, he added, "He knows about the Signer legends?"
"He did a thesis on them a few years ago." After Judai told Taiyou this, he laughed a little bit, and the quibbled,
"If this guy were Japanese, it would have been too convenient."
"What's all the commotion about?" Aki's voice suddenly asked as the woman stepped up onto the roof, dressed in a long black flowing nightgown and satin slippers and walking over to Yusei, giving him a kiss.
"Judai may have found us a way to track the history of the Saviors a bit better," Taiyou informed her, knowing that unlike her boyfriend Aki could see and hear him.
"That's excellent," Aki said to Judai, stepping over o give him a quick kiss as well. Just the both Jack and Crow stepped up onto the roof as well, dressed in their street clothes, followed closely by Luca.
"All the Signers," Judai stated. Turning a confident check, he smiled and added, "And soon, all the Saviors."
Back in the B.A.D., Paradox was standing in the centre of a ring of Duelists, sneering below his mask while his eyes glowed through and black energy shot from his left hand into the bodies of five dragons around him.
The first was a large orange dragon with a beige underbelly and with a green gem on its forehead; when the black hit it, its wings and its upper jaw were changed to a black-and-white metal mask with striping features, a blue gem, and black lines where its eyes had been. "No! Tyrant Dragon!" He yelled out in concern as the dragon disappeared in a warp, the card turning into black energy and shooting onto Paradox's Duel Disc while the dragon reappeared behind him.
Second, a segmented golden metal dragon with fan-like wings and two-digit hands and feet, was struck by the darkness and its wings and face changed to black-and-white metal with white stripes, with a very similar pattern to the previous monster. It and its cards then warped to Paradox as the man yelled, "Kaiser Glider!"
Third to be changed was a blue dinosaur-like dragon with no wings but large yellow spines along its entire body; its face changed to black-and-white metal while its arms changed to white, its spikes becoming Cybernetic as it and its card joined Paradox. "My Tri-Horn Dragon!" the man yelled.
The fourth dragon to be corrupted appeared as a red segmented dragon with a large white horn on its head; its left right turned black and its left white, the wings becoming a mix and the horn grey. It and its card also warped over, making its use scream, "White-Horned Dragon!"
Lastly, an eagle-like purple-red dragon with a blue gem on its forehead, a long lizard tail below a feathered one, shoulder pads and a large body; its shoulders, face, neck and head changed to a mix of grey, white and black metal, and it joined Paradox in the final zone while the man yelled, "Horus!"
Sneering, Paradox snapped his fingers and laughed darkly while each dragon roared and shot a black fire stream at its original owner, making them all fly backwards and fall to the ground, the five monsters and the men disappearing into blackness as Paradox returned the all to the Deck. Turning, he took fifty steps over to the Old Momentum hole and jumped in, landing on his feet below.
Pulling 5 cards from his Deck, he held up the new 5 Dragons to the glowing Momentum, causing the glow to expand and light up the room. Looking down, he saw the previous five cards sitting at the top of the control panel, and when he put the new five with them the controls lit up as well. "Soon, very soon…" he whispered under his breath.
Back at the Poppo Time, Kiryu was sitting in an old dark room by himself, a hardened and bitter look on his face. He had not spoken to Crow since the day before, when the Black Feather incident knocked him back, and it was starting to put a damper on Crow's morale.
Suddenly, Kyojo stepped into the room, leather trench coat still on overtop of a dark red sleeveless shirt, black skinny jeans and a pair of black cowboy boots, and tapped Kiryu on the shoulder. "You still sulking over what happened yesterday?" the man asked in a somber tone, only for Kiryu to turn away with a jaded grunt.
"I have nothing to say to you, Summoner," was Kiryu's reply. "So you can take your pretentious attitude and its bad American accent, and shove it…" As he said this, Kyojo grabbed him by the collar, spinning him around and lifting up Kiryu to be at eye level with the Texan. A stunned look on his face, Kiryu simply looked back at Kyojo just as Yusei, Taiyou and Judai entered the room.
"Don't get pissy with me boy," Kyojo scathed. "You're getting all bent out of shape over an accidental incident during a duel with one of your best friends. You did far worse to Yusei as a Dark Signer, so drop it. And you know what? If you're gonna be a whiny bitch, I don't want you here. Understood?"
"You think you scare me?" Kiryu asked suddenly, smacking Kyojo across the face and knocking his sunglasses off to make him drop Kiryu. Kiryu then made a point of stepping on and crushing Kiryu's shades, and as such received a dark glare from the man's orange eyes. "Who the hell made you in charge around here, Yankee?"
"I'm getting fed up with your attitude, boy," Kiryu threatened, grabbing Kiryu by the throat and prompting Yusei and Judai to run forward to pry them apart. "Keep in mind I'm the Lead Summoner at this establishment…"
"That's debatable," Taiyou cut in, making Kyojo sag his head for a second before going on.
"Fine, I'm one of the Lead Summoners at this establishment, and it's our job to formulate the plan and help the Signers. You're doing nobody any favours by being a prick."
"I don't need to take this from you, fag," Kiryu snapped, turning to leave. "I didn't sign on to be your punching bag; I signed on to help my friends. But I don't intend to do that if all they're going to do is beat on me and insult me."
"Break it up you two," Judai issued, grabbing Kiryu by the wrists to try and make his point. "Neither one of you is being agreeable out of stupid spite."
"I didn't ask you, you stupid ginger," Kiryu spat, pulling his wrists away from Judai and slapping him upside the head. "Mind your own fucking business." With that Kiryu turned and stormed out of the room, then the building in a fit of rage, leaving the group standing there in a huff.
"Why do the ones with Tourette's always seem to find me?" Kyojo asked rhetorically, looking around and seeing a mess created by Kiryu's outburst.
"Let him go," Taiyou stated as Yusei turned to follow. "We don't need that kind of negativity when we have something to accomplish." Sighing, Yusei turned back to Judai and walked over to him, seeing that Kiryu's swing had split Judai's lip.
"Are you alright?" Yusei asked Judai, who put his red sleeve up to his mouth to catch the bleeding. "I'm sorry about Kiryu's behaviour; I would have thought that with how much Kiryu owed you he'd be more polite."
"Don't bother," Judai responded, taking his sleeve away from his lip. "I'm surprised you didn't slap me that hard after you found out Aki was my ex."
"Wait…" Taiyou stated, getting their attention. "You used to date… Oh my god…"
"Yeah, get over it," both Yusei and Judai said at once, just before Crow stepped into the room.
"Hey, Yusei," Crow said, getting the denim-clad duelist's attention before adding, "You wanna have a practice ride?"
"I guess," Yusei stated, Judai handing him a helmet from a shelf on the wall of the room. "Yeah, sure," he added, turning a happier cheek. "I guess we could both use the practice."
"Sounds like it's worth seeing," Judai said in a disappointed sigh, "but I'm staying here to help Luca practice."
"Well, that makes my job easier," Taiyou stated. "Alright, I'll stay here with you guys; Kyojo, you watch them."
"Sounds like a plan," the Texan stated, looking down at the floor. "Maybe afterwards I can buy a new pair of glasses."
***
At around 10a.m., Judai and Luca stood on the roof of the Poppo Time building, standing opposite each other while Taiyou, Johan and Aki stood to the side. "Are you ready for this?" Judai asked the girl, to which she nodded in reply while they both activated their Duel Discs and drew 5 cards.
"I'll take the first turn," he then added. "Draw!" However, as soon as he pulled his next card, a crackling sound echoed out and he fell onto his knees, then his face. Everybody then looked behind Judai to see a young dirty-blond woman with a crystal earring on a chain from her left ear.
Stepping on Judai's back, the woman stated, "sorry little man, but this one's mine."
"Who the hell are you?" was Taiyou's reply, clearly furious with the woman as everyone else was.
"My name is Reggie Mackenzie," she explained, sneering. "You can call me Mac. Now, you're probably wondering why I'm here." Without waiting for an answer from the others, who simply stared on, she picked up Judai and threw him to the side of the field.
"Judai!" Aki yelled right before she and Johan yelled over to the man, helping him to his feet while he still twitched from the shocking. They pulled barbs from his back which appeared to be from a tazer, and they took his aside while Mackenzie pulled out a Duel Disc.
"You see, I'm here to claim your Savior Dragon, Signer," she stated, staring at Luca. Placing her Deck into the Disc and pulling 5 cards, she issued, "That is, if you even want to see it unlocked."
Acting slightly offended by this, Luca responded, "I'll not lose Ancient Fairy's Ultimate form to you."
"Then let us begin," Mac issued, pulling a sixth card for her turn. "I activate the effect of Hecateris: by discarding this card, I add the Permanent Magic, Palace of the Gods – Valhalla, from my Deck to my hand, where I activate it." Placing the card down, the field changed to a Parthenon-like silver field with red curtains and a throne at its rear.
"An Angel Deck," Taiyou muttered, crossing his arms. "Luca will be having a tough time here."
"Once in one turn," Mac explained, holding up a card, "I can Special Summon 1 Angel from my hand if I control no monsters. Come: Goddess of Light – Tethys (ATK: 2400, LV: 5)!" Shining, the card created a tall, thin female clad in white and with two wings floating behind her back. "Next, I set 2 cards and end my turn."
Luca: LP 4000
Mac: LP 4000
"Draw!" Luca declared, snapping up her card. "I summon Rose Bird (ATK: 1800, LV: 4)!" Appearing in front of Luca, there appeared a mostly green plant-like bird whose wings included rose blooms, which took up a splayed position and screeched. "I set 2 cards and end my turn."
Out on the roads of Neo Domino, pursued by Kyojo, Crow and Yusei continued their Riding Duel which they had begun mere moments ago. Crow's field included his armoured black monster (ATK: 2500, LV: 7) and another, dark purple winged monster with a shotgun-like weapon that also had a blade on the end. Yusei's field included his Shield Warrior (DEF: 1600, LV: 3), the large warrior holding a massive thin shield, as well as two set cards.
Yusei: LP 1700
Crow: LP 4000
"It's your turn Yusei," Crow yelled back, his hand containing two cards. "But good luck getting past Armoured Wing and Arms Wing (ATK: 2300, LV: 6)."
"You know I can do that," Yusei said, Kyojo tagging silently behind him. "It's my turn Draw (Yusei: 6 SPC/Crow: 6 SPC)!" he yelled, picking up a card and grabbing it along with one of the three cards already in his hand. "Speed Spell – Angel Baton! I draw 2 cards and discard 1 card." Picking up his two cards quickly, he saw one and placed it into the Cemetery before holding up a familiar card.
"You're activating a second Speed Spell – Angel Baton?" Crow questioned, surprised at such a move. "Bad hand?"
"On the contrary," Yusei corrected, pulling two new cards and discarding yet another one. "Come, Junk Synchron (ATK: 1300, LV: 3)!" From a blue vortex emerged Yusei's orange mechanical warrior with an engine on its back, a scarf around its neck and a pull chord located at its waist. "Due to this monster's effect, I Special Summon 1 Level two or lower monster from my Cemetery. I select the Bolt Hedgehog I discarded a moment ago (DEF: 800, LV: 2)."
With a wave of its hand, the orange monster summoned back Yusei's small furry rodent whose back was lined with the shafts and heads of many bolts. "Next, I tune my Level 3 Junk Synchron to my Level 2 Bolt Hedgehog and my Level 3 Shield Warrior!" Pulling its pull start chord with its right hand, the orange monster's rear engines revved and it changed into three white ors that became green rings, surrounding both monsters and making them into five white orbs, then a column of light.
"The clustering forces will become a hammer to strike the earth," he then chanted, surprising Crow as he had never heard this chant before. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Junk Destroyer (ATK: 2600, LV: 8)!" Appearing from the column of light, there arose a massive monster which was mostly orange and grey, with a towering bulky form and a large pair of fists.
"What is that?" Crow asked in astonishment. "Some new Synchro Monster?"
"When Junk Destroyer is Synchro Summoned Successfully," Yusei explained, "I destroy one card my opponent controls for every nom-Tuner used in this Monster's Synchro Summon."
"You what?" Crow asked as the two fists of the monster were raised up into the air, coming squarely down on his two monsters, shattering them instantly. "No! This isn't good!"
"And it's about to get worse!" a male voice suddenly yelled out seemingly from nowhere, causing everybody to look around. Soon, diving off one of the above ramps came a white D-Wheel bearing a green Infinity Symbol on the front of it, which came crashing down upon Crow and caused him to wipe out.
"Crow!" Yusei yelled out in dismay, seeing his friend going sliding across the roads.
"Hang on boy!" Kyojo finally yelled out, sweeping his bike low to grab Crow's shoulder and hoist him up, getting the D-Wheel back to a vertical position and allowing Crow to take control again.
"Thank you, Kyojo," Crow said before turning his attention to the other, new D-Wheeler. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!"
"The name's David Rabb," the man explained, taking off his helmet. He was revealed to have the same dirty blond hair as Reggie, the same dangling earring, and the same all-over white clothing. "Any Signers," he added, putting his helmet back on, "it's time to Riding Duel!"
Pressing a button while letting out a guttural laugh, Yusei's entire field, Life Points and SPC reset, all the card from his Cemetery sliding back out. Reluctantly, Yusei put them all back in his Deck, where they shuffled. "Very well, David! Let's settle this!"
"That's what I thought," David replied, pulling 5 cards from a Deck compartment in the console of his vehicle. A tray then folded out as Yusei pulled five cards, and so both yelled,
"Riding Duel! Acceleration!"
Yusei: LP 4000
David: LP 4000
"I'll take the first turn," David explained as a green Infinity Symbol appeared around both players, making Yusei slightly nervous before it disappeared again. "I summon Quantity (DEF: 400, LV: 1)." Appearing beside David from a blue vortex, there came a small silvery robot with a single light for a face, which crouched and turned blue. "I also set 2 cards. Then, I end my turn."
"What is this guy's plan?" Yusei wondered. "He knows that monster will never protect him for long. Oh well." "It's my turn! I draw (Yusei: 1 SPC/David: 1 SPC)!" Looking at his card, Yusei reached for one already in his hand and declared, I Summon Rock-Stone Warrior (ATK: 1800, LV: 4)!" With that Yusei called out a rather thick and powerful-looking figure composed of many rocks, whose only face consisted of two yellow eyes on a slab of stone. "Battle!"
Lunging forward, the massive stone figure took a swing at the robot and smashed it, making pieces fly out all over the place. "Trap Card Open!" David declared. "Scrap Replacement! When a Machine-Type monster I control is destroyed and sent to the Cemetery, I send all copies of that monster from my Deck to the Cemetery." Reaching for his Deck, two more of the monster slid out and he placed them into the Cemetery, sneering.
"In return, I draw one card." When his Deck finished shuffling, he took a card from the top of it and placed it into his hand, leaving Yusei asking questions in his own mind.
"I set 2 cards of my own," Yusei declared, placing down two of his own cards before they disappeared. "I end my turn."
"Draw (Yusei: 2 SPC/David: 2 SPC)," David stated, reaching for the card he had drawn moments earlier. "Speed Spell – Angel Baton! I draw 2 cards, and send one card in my hand to the Cemetery." Picking up two cards at once, he sneered as he took one of them and placed it into the Cemetery before playing the card he drew for his turn.
"I summon Quality (DEF: 1500, LV: 3)," David then stated, calling forth a slightly larger robot with a more complex face, a shield on one of its arms and more brass-coloured armour. "Then, I set 1 card and end my turn."
"Draw (Yusei: 3 SPC/David: 3 SPC)," Yusei then declared, pulling a new card and reaching for another card. "I activate Speed Spell – Spell Slip! BY activating this card, I copy the effect of a Speed Spell my opponent played in their last turn, provided I can meet its SPC requirements! Come, Angel Baton!" With that the transparent image of the card appeared from David's Cemetery as Yusei pulled two cards and dropped one of them into the Cemetery.
"You're using my own cards now?" David questioned. "That's a rather clever strategy, but I wouldn't bet on it working."
"Bet on it!" Yusei yelled, holding up his own Speed Spell – Angel Baton. "I activate Angel Baton again!" Pulling two more cards, he immediately took one and threw it away before saying, "I Summon Junk Synchron (ATK: 1300, LV: 3)!" As with his last duel, Yusei called out his orange mechanical monster before a card slid out of his Cemetery, holding it up. "Due to Junk Synchron's effect, I Special Summon Speed Warrior (DEF: 400, LV: 2)."
Yusei then slapped down a card that invoked a grey, green and brown warrior whose feet were wheeled, almost like roller blades, and who more a fighter pilot's oxygen mask. "And next, because I control a Tuner Monster, I Special Summon Boost Warrior from my hand (ATK: 300, LV: 1)!" Slapping down the card, Yusei called out a tall, thin warrior with a pair of rockets strapped to his back.
"I tune my Level 3 Junk Synchron to my Level 4 Rock-Stone Warrior!" With that the orange monster again pulled its pull chord and became three green rings, surrounding the rock monster and changing it into a yellow outline containing 4 white orbs, which became a beam of light.
"The clustering forces will split into a silver arrow," Yusei declared. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Archer (ATK: 2300, LV: 7)!" Out of the light them emerged a fairly tall monster with mostly grey armour, but also a tall orange face that opened to reveal a blue orb inside. There was fletching on its forearms, the left of which had a bow attacked to it with an arrow at the ready.
"Nice!" Crow yelled out. "Yusei can start doing some real damage!"
"Since I Synchro Summoned while I have Boost Warrior in play," Yusei explained, "I have that 1 monster gain 300 ATK for as long as it remains face-up on the field (ATK: 2600). Next, I send Level Stealer from my hand to the Cemetery and I Special Summon Quick Synchron (ATK: 700, LV: 5)!" Placing a card into his Cemetery, Yusei put down the last card in his hand to call out his blue cowboy-like robot, gun in hand.
"I activate the effect of Level Stealer," Yusei declared. "When it's in my Cemetery, by decreasing the Level of my Junk Archer by 1 (LV: 6), I Special Summon it (ATK: 600, LV: 1)." A blue beam shot from the archer and revealed a black ladybug-like monster whose rear carapace was a level star symbol. "I Tune my Level 1 Boost Warrior to my Level 2 Speed Warrior and my Level 1 Level Stealer!"
Starting his boosters, the warrior changed into a single green ring, which the other two monsters shot through to become outlines of themselves. These then changed into 1 and two white orbs, respectively, and formed a column of light. "The clustering arms will call upon a new weapon of war," Yusei chanted. "Become the path its light shines upon. Synchro Summon! Appear, Arms Aid (ATK: 1800, LV: 4)!"
"Awesome!" Kyojo yelled out just as the creature broke through the light. Revealed was a massive mechanical firearm with five red claw-like digits, a black main hand section, and several segments of grey armour topped off my a gold-trimmed metal panel at the rear.
"Next, I activate the effect of the Bolt Hedgehog I discarded," Yusei explained. "Since the Tuner monster Quick Synchron is in play, I Special Summon it from my Cemetery (ATK: 800, LV: 2)!" Out from a blue vortex once again emerged the furry hedgehog with bolts lining its back, which squeaked as Yusei made his next move. "I activate Quick Synchron's effect, and treat it as Nitro Synchron, so I can Tune it to my Level 2 Bolt Hedgehog!"
Several cards then appeared in front of the cowboy-like creature, one of which it shot just before turning into five white orbs that became green rings. These rings then surrounded the smaller monster, changing it into light as Yusei chanted. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior (ATK: 2800, LV: 7)!"
Out of the light then emerged his most-green, horned warrior with massive form, rockets on its back and arms, and black sections of its body. "I activate my Trap Card: Synchro Draw!" With that Yusei revealed the Trap Card he had not used since his Duel with Darkness, several months before.
"What is that trap card?" David asked in irritation. "Does it mean you turn is still going on and on?"
"This Trap Card activates if I control 2 or more Synchro Summoned Synchro Monsters," Yusei explained. "Now, I draw 1 card for each Synchro Monster I control, plus one; but if I draw any Tuner Monsters, I must discard them." With that Yusei fanned up four cards, which he looked at quickly and said, "No Tuner Monsters were drawn."
"That's a pretty sweet Combo Yusei's set up," Crow realized. "He gave himself three powerful monsters, four new cards, and most importantly a chance at a victory."
"I activate the effect of Junk archer, to…" Yusei started before David cut him off.
"Sorry," David said smugly, "but Quality's effect prevents him from being targeted by opponent's Monster Card effects."
"That's true," Yusei replied, remembering that particular fact about the monster. "And, it has another effect which I am familiar with. I attack your Quality with Nitro Warrior! Dynamite Knuckle!" The green warrior's rockets on its forearms lit up and it shot forward, lunging into the machine monster and causing it to explode.
"Good job," David declared, "But I activate Quality's other effect! When Quality is destroyed by battle, I Special Summon every Quality in my Cemetery [(DEF: 400, LV: 1) x3]." With that a vortex produced three of the smaller, more basic machines from the Cemetery in a crouching position.
"Yes, but now I may activate Nitro Warrior's effect," Yusei pointed out. "When it destroys a monster by battle, I change an opponent's Defence Position monster to attack position and attack it as well. I select Quantity (ATK: 500)." The machine on the far left then changed to a standing position and its blue armour returned to silver.
"At this time," David declared, "I activate my Trap Card: Undying Class! I release the Quantity you targeted and another one, and I Special Summon 1 Level 7 or higher monster from my Cemetery. Return, The big SATURN (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)!" As the machine that was standing and one of its counterparts vanished, a beam of light shot up from the Cemetery that gave the silhouette of a large mechanical monster.
"What… is that creature?" Crow asked din disbelief, just as the monster appeared from the light. The monster was black and grey metal, a central rounded body with a red orb at its centre with a pair of tanks mounted on its back, a glowing yellow ring around itself, a pair of thrusters that resembled the stumps of legs, a pair of gigantic floating forearms with massive fists, and a smaller head with blue eyes and a crown-like structure.
"Because of the effect of Quantity," David pointed out, "All Machine-Type Monsters besides Quantity gain 400 ATK (ATK: 3200), and if I control another Machine-Type monster besides Quantity, then you cannot attack Quantity. Not that it matters; Nitro Warrior's second effect is now negated by the removal of its target from the field."
"I know," Yusei stated, looking up at the gigantic monster before him. "The big SATURN... one of the Legendary Planet Series... I'll need my Deck's full power in the fight..."
"Is summoning that monster truly the best you can do, Signer?" Reggie inquired of Luca, who merely looked on and gave a dark glare of non-amusement. "Then in that case, behold my Deck and its power. Draw!"
"Reggie's Angel Deck stands to be a huge threat to our young Luca," Taiyou realized. "If she can swarm the field with Angels before Luca can even fight back, it's all over."
"I activate the effect of Tethys," Reggie declared, flipping around a card in her hand – more specifically, her most recent draw. "Because I drew the Angel-Type monster Zeriel, I may draw yet another card." With that Reggie placed the card in her hand and drew again, revealing a second Angel-Type Monster and drawing for a Third time.
Sneering with herself, she then held up her first card and said, "I summon the Tuner Monster Zeriel (DEF: 300, LV: 1)." In front of Reggie them emerged the form of a golden statue-like angel with a large head and small wings, followed my another card. "Permanent Magic: Court of Justice!"
"Another Permanent Magic," Johan realized, just before a large stone and metal ring with the statues of two small, round angels materialized high above their heads and the top of the palace.
"Once per turn, if I control a Level 1 Angel-Type Monster, I may Special Summon 1 Angel-Type Monster from my hand. Come, The splendid VENUS (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)!" A shower of light then descended down from the ring, through which a large angelic figure slowly descended. Its female form was covered in bronze metal, its right hand held a gold staff like a dream catcher, it had four snow-white wings, its face was covered over, and its dress ended in a feather-like pattern with no legs below.
"That monster…" Aki recognized. "It's in the Legendary Planet Series. Where did Yliaster get access to such cards?"
"While Zeriel is in play," Reggie explained, "all my Angel-Type monsters gain 500 ATK (ATK: 2900) (ATK: 3300). Next, due to VENUS, your monsters that are not Angels lose 500 ATK (ATK: 1300) Go, Venus, attack Rose Bird!" with that the tall, metallic angel created a shining beacon from its staff, temporarily blinding Luca and the crew while the monster in front of Luca exploded.
Luca: LP 2000
Reggie: LP 4000
"When Rose Bird is destroyed in Attack Position," Luca explained, "I can Special Summon 2 Level 2 or lower Plant-Type Tuner Monsters from my Deck. I select Weed (DEF: 400, LV: 2) and Spore (DEF: 800, LV: 1)!" On either side of Luca emerged a monster. On her left there appeared a grass-like gremlin which crouched and turned blue, and on the other a white orb-like monster appeared and did the same.
"Then I attack Weed with Tethys," Reggie declared as the other monster raised her wings, producing a blast of light that struck the monster; but to Reggie's surprise, it bounced off and struck the other monster, shattering it. "What's this?"
"If Weed would be destroyed by battle," Luca explained, "I can destroy another monster I control instead."
"Then I activate Fairy's Blast," Reggie declared, flipping up her Permanent Trap Card. "When a monster is not destroyed by battle with an Angel-Type Monster, it will simply be destroyed by this effect instead." Suddenly, the monster in front of Luca exploded, making her cover her eyes again.
"I end my turn," Reggie declared. "Come, Signer; show me your true power."
"Draw!" Luca declared.
Standing in front of the Old Momentum Generator, Paradox looked upon the glowing orange energy with his golden eyes glowing through his mask. "I think it's time I found something with a bit more substance," he thought. "Perhaps... another of the Five Dragons..."
Pulling a card from his Deck, he saw the card he had taken from the fake Jack and declared, "Come! Sin Red Daemon's Dragon!" Holding the card to the air, he called out a dragon whose basic form was that of Jack's red and grey dragon; but its chest, wings, shoulder and shins were covered in black metallic armour with grey details, and a face-mask which was right half black and left half white. The creature let out a massive roar, golden eyes glowing through lines on its mask.
"Red Daemon's, open the door to the Dominion of Beasts!" Paradox instructed, pointing at the glowing generator. A mere second later, the dragon lit up its right fist in black flames and striking the Momentum with it. Seconds later, a section of the Momentum's vertical cylinder opened up and revealed a white glowing gateway, which Paradox walked through with a sneer on his face just before the Dragon vanished behind him.
When the light subsided, Paradox found himself at the base of the Dragon Temple, staring up at the monolithic structure through his mask, almost in awe. Stepping forward, he brought himself up onto the staircase and quickly to the top of the structure, where he saw the truly interesting part.
There, surrounding the main Throne Room of the building, were five obelisks. Four of them had different colours – one red, one light blue, one a much darker red, and one black (this one having rubble at its base) – that bore one of the Five Dragons each and one of the Saviors each, the latter closer to the top. The last one was very basic sandstone, shorter than the others and only bearing the remaining Dragon: Ancient Fairy.
Looking to his right, this last Obelisk and the red one bearing Black Rose Dragon and its Savior Counterpart. Locking in on this one, he produced a blank card with a black border from his pocket and pointed it at the carving of the Base Dragon. A black beam then shot off the card, surrounding the carving in blackness.
"What's happening?" Aki asked, drawing the attention of the others to her Deck which was now glowing black. Off the Deck suddenly shot a black geyser of flames, inside of which emerged the mostly red flower-like dragon with thorned, black stem-like limbs, neck and tail, and a trail of red petals off the back of its head.
"Black Rose Dragon!" Taiyou yelled out. "Something is very wrong in the Dominion World!" Suddenly, the dragon roared out and flexed its wings, dispersing the black flames before the dragon itself disappeared in a flash of light.
"What just happened?" Aki then asked, shocked at what had just happened. Taiyou, however, seemed to know then answer; for under his breath he muttered,
"Master Endymion… You did it…"
As Paradox was attempting to absorb the spirit of the dragon, his attention was broken by the sound of sudden movement. Turning to look, Paradox was flung aside by the striking of a staff against his face, making it fall off while he slammed into the stone base of the light blue obelisk bearing the Star Dragons. Slumped against the base, Paradox saw through his uncovered eyes the 7-foot-tall form of Endymion, clad in his purple and gold armour and cloak and staff in his hand.
"Who dares intrude upon the Sacred Dominion's Altar of the Dragons?" Endymion then questioned threateningly, to which Paradox simply smiled insanely and let out a psychotic laugh.
"Who am I, Endymion?" he repeated as he got to his feet, disturbing Endymion that he had been addressed by name from a human he did not know. "I am Paradox," was the simple, amused reply to the rhetorical question.
"Paradox?" Endymion questioned through his eye mask, sounding shocked. "It cannot be so."
"Oh, but it is so," Paradox stated, eyes glowing again. "Behold, my Servant!" Once again holding up the corrupted dragon form earlier, he recalled the twisted transformation of Jack's Red Daemon's Dragon, growling at Endymion and angering him.
"Thou dare to remake a Sacred Dragon into such a twisted and demonic form?!" the magician yelled, half a second before the dragon roared and threw its now burning fist at him. Jumping up, Endymion extended his arm so the end of his staff would take the full brunt of the blast, and for a second or two he held his ground; but then the dragon overpowered him, and he was shot back to the ground and almost over the edge of the stone temple.
Suddenly, the sound of a muffled scream caught Paradox's attention. Turning, he saw the black-cloaked form of a young woman with tanned skin, half of her hair a dark grey that was almost black while the other half was a deep purple. Her green eyes and the amber gem on a chain around her forehead attracted the attention of Paradox, which Endymion noticed. "Kanako, run!" he yelled out, just as Paradox pointed the black card at her.
Before she even had the chance to register the command, a black burst of energy shot from the card, going straight through the girl and rising into the air. There, another version of the rose-like dragon, this one having glowing crimson outlines to all its petals instead of the regular black and white, and it screamed within the flames as Paradox said,
"So, you are indeed Enjou Kanako, the Summoner girl who once bore the form of Yubel and the keeper of Black Rose Dragon." With that the form of the dragon completely disappeared into the blackness and the energy from it all retracted into the card, and Kanako's form slumped and fell all the way to the base of the steps.
"Kanako!" Endymion yelled, turning back at a now laughing Paradox. "You bastard and cur! That girl was a Summoner, my Apprentice and a Guardian of the Dragons!"
"The girl still lives," Paradox answered after he stopped laughing, a dark smile still on his face. "Or at least, as much as anyone who resides here can live. All I wanted was the dragon; I left her soul intact."
"Even such, this mockery and disgrace will not be tolerated in my Kingdom!" Endymion yelled, firing a purple blast of energy into the chest of the dragon still behind Paradox and causing it to explode. "This shall be settled here! I wager against that Dragon's soul…"
"Save the wagers Endymion," Paradox said callously. "All I desire is this Dragon; you have nothing to interest me. Even so, I will duel." With that a purple glow engulfed Paradox's Duel Disc and it turned on, while a purple and gold-trimmed Duel Disc formed on Endymion's left arm.
"DUEL!"
Endymion: LP 4000
Paradox: LP 4000
Card of the Week – David
The big SATURN
Type: DARK
Level: 8
Family: [Machine/Effect]
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned from the hand or Deck. Once per turn, activate by discarding 1 card and paying 1000 Life Points. Until the End Phase, this card gains 1000 ATK. When this card is destroyed by an opponent's card effect and sent to the Cemetery, both players receive damage equal to this card's ATK.
ATK/ 2800
DEF/ 2200
*What is Yliaster truly planning? Only time will tell. Review if you wish.*