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 18 – Placido's True Intentions, Demons vs. Machine EmperorWisel
At dusk, Yusei and Judai were standing opposite each other on the top of the Poppo Time Building, Judai holding up a Deck in his hand while Yusei held his Duel Disc on his arm already. "Are you ready for me, Yusei?" Judai asked, looking on with a competitive smile.
"Bring it on, Judai!" Yusei challenged, placing his Deck into the Duel Disc and causing it to shuffle. Judai, smiling at this phrase, placed the Deck in his hand into the Duel Disc where it too automatically shuffled. With that both players pulled a full hand of five cards, staring at each other with competitive smiles.
Judai: LP 4000
Yusei: LP 4000
"Let's to, Yusei," Judai declared, reaching for his deck. "It's my turn. Draw!" When he pulled up his card, he held up it and two cards from his hand and declared, "I Fuse Sparkman and Necro Darkman!" A swirling vortex then appeared behind him that released Judai's gold and navy warrior, as well as a red warrior with crimson eyes and grey skeleton-like armour.
"Appear now, Dark Brightman (ATK: 2000, LV: 6)!" When the two monsters spiraled together, they released a grey-skinned warrior in red, blue and gold armour who had on a visor with a gold spark on it. "Next, I set 3 cards and end my turn," Judai informed, placing the remainder of his hand into the slots on the tray.
"Judai's started the game from a very advantageous point," Johan observed. He, the Signers, Lua and Kyojo stood to the left of the players, watching while they made each and every move without acknowledging them.
"Draw!" Yusei declared, snapping up his top card and reaching for one in his hand. "I activate One for One! By sending by sending Bolt Hedgehog in my hand to the Cemetery, I Special Summon the Level One Tuning Supporter from my Deck (ATK: 100, LV: 1)." As Yusei put his card into the Cemetery, his little yellow robot appeared on his field; then, he reached for another card.
"I Summon Junk Synchron (ATK: 1300, LV: 3)!" Placing his card down onto the tray, Yusei's monster was joined by his orange robot-like warrior with pull chord, and then a card slid from Yusei's Cemetery. "Due to the effect of Junk Synchron, I Special Summon Bolt Hedgehog from the Cemetery (DEF: 800, LV: 2)."
Right beside the other two cards, Yusei placed the one from his Cemetery onto the tray and called up his small furry animal with bolts along its back; and then he explained, "For this Synchro Summon, I treat Tuning Supporter as a Level 2 Monster. I tune my Level 3 Junk Synchron to my Level 2 Bolt Hedgehog and now Level 2 Tuning Supporter!"
Pulling its pull chord, the orange monster changed into three white orbs that became green rings, surrounding the other two monsters to change them into four white orbs. "The clustering shouts will become a silver arrow and split the air," Yusei chanted as his four orbs formed a vertical column. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Archer (ATK: 2300, LV: 7)!"
From the light, Yusei's orange warrior armed with bow appeared and opened its face to reveal its eyes; but, as it did, Judai sneered. "Counter Trap: Hero Discord! With an E-HERO Fusion on my field, I negate an opponent's Synchro Summon and exclude the summoned monster!"
Without warning, the monster warped off Yusei's field without any trace, leaving Yusei looking on in surprise. "Yusei's not off to a good start at all," Jack realized. "He got suckered by Judai's play and now his Synchro Summon is for naught."
"Due to the effect of Tuning Supporter, I draw one card," Yusei stated, slowly and calmly pulling his card from his Deck. "I set 2 cards and end my turn."
"Draw!" Judai declared, snapping up his card and turning it around instantly. "Come: Edgeman (ATK: 2600, LV: 7)!" With that Judai's gold bladed warrior instantly appeared and Judai reminded, "I summon this card without release due to the Necro Darkman in my Cemetery."
"Trap Card Open: Slip Summon!" Yusei declared. "When my opponent Normal Summons a monster, I Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. Come: Shield Wing (DEF: 900, LV: 2)!" Slapping his last card onto the tray, Yusei summoned up a crouching pterosaur-like green monster with feathered wings that took up a crouching pose and screeched.
"I Attack Shield Wing with Edgeman!" Judai then stated, his warrior extending its blades and rushing Yusei's monster at full speed. It cut glowing slashes across the monster without destroying it; however, Yusei still felt the stings of the attacks.
Judai: LP 4000
Yusei: LP 2400
"And, just like Edgeman," Judai informed, "Dark Brightman inflicts Penetration Damage. Battle!" The grey monster then jumped into the air and shot a bolt of black lightning at the crouching monster, making the electricity bounce off and strike Yusei. The man stood his ground, but he looked back in dismay.
Judai: LP 4000
Yusei: LP 1300
"At the end of the Battle Phase," Yusei declared, "I activate Recharge Damage! I draw three cards for two successful attacks!" Yusei then reached for his Deck and grabbed three cards in one go, putting then into his hand.
"I end my turn," Judai stated. "That means Slip Summon that Shield Wing returns to your hand." Just like it had appeared, Yusei's monster warped off the field as the card reappeared in Yusei's hand. "Come on Yusei; I know you can do better than that!"
"It's my turn," Yusei declared. "Draw! I Special Summon Level Warrior (ATK: 300, LV: 4)!" With a blue vortex opening up, Yusei summoned through it his red warrior with brown ape, three stars along its form and a fourth appearing over its head. "Next, I Summon Hyper Synchron (ATK: 1600, LV: 4)!"
With that done, he also summoned out a small blue robot with twin tanks on its back, a grey face with elfin ears, and folded yellow chest plates. "I Tune my Level Four Hyper Synchron to my Level 4 Level Warrior!" Opening up its chest, the monster released four white orbs and exploded; these orbs formed green rings that surrounded the other monster.
"The clustering hopes will become a new shining star," Yusei then chanted, his monster changing into 4 white orbs and then a column of light. "Become the path its light shines upon. Synchro Summon! Take Flight, Stardust Dragon (ATK: 2500, LV: 8)!" Out of the light then took the form of Yusei's huge white dragon, its wings enveloping the field and its body glowing white.
"Due to the effect of Hyper Synchron, the Dragon-Type monster Synchro Summoned using this Tuner Monster gains 800 ATK (ATK: 3300)!" As the white aura died down, the dragon growled as its power rose; however, second later, it disappeared in a flash of light that blinded everyone, and then reappeared behind Judai.
"I activated the Permanent Trap, Conspiracy of the Piano Tuner," Judai explained, a sneer on his face. "When my opponent Special Summons a Synchro Monster, I take control of said monster." With Yusei's expression tense, he reached into his hand and stated,
"I Set 2 cards and end my turn."
"Not so fast!" Judai yelled out, the white dragon suddenly sparking. "The Monster Synchro Summoned using Hyper Synchron is excluded during the End Phase." Roaring out, the dragon continued to spark until it warped off the field; when Yusei saw his monster disappear, he sank down onto his knees in shock.
"That was a dirty move on Judai's part," Jack grunted. "A real duelist would have faced that monster head on, not stolen it so nobody could use it."
"Judai…" Yusei gasped out, still in shock while he got back on his knees. "Why… why would you do that to Stardust? We both had a bond with that dragon!"
"You think Placido will have such compassion?" Judai asked coldly, staring back with a dark expression. "If this is what I'm doing, then just imagine what he'll do!" Everyone was amazed to hear these words from Judai, and Johan was even a little depressed-looking. "Draw!" Judai then declared.
"You're just going ahead with this?" Johan yelled in question, confused at Judai's harsh actions.
"I'm here to do what Yusei asked me to," Judai replied simply, turning back to Yusei and declaring, "I attack your Life Points directly with Edgeman!"
"Trap Card Open!" Yusei declared as the golden warrior made its way over to him. "Holy Barrier – Mirror Force! I destroy all of my opponent's attack position monsters!" The warrior then bounced off a transparent barrier that appeared, making it explode before a beam of energy struck the other monster and destroyed it as well.
"Permanent Magic: Mirage of Nightmare!" Judai declared, unphased. "I end my turn."
"Draw!" Yusei declared, pulling another card from his Deck. Before he could make a move, Judai's card started to glow and he drew four cards. "I Summon Drill Synchron (ATK: 800, LV: 3)!" Holding up his card, Yusei called out a small ball-shaped monster with drill arms, a drill on its forehead and tread legs.
"Next, I activate the effect of Bolt Hedgehog and Special Summon it from the Cemetery (ATK: 800, LV: 2)!" A blue vortex then emerged to release the monster, and then Yusei pointed at his set card and flipped it. "Permanent Trap: Limit Rebirth! Return, Tuning Supporter (ATK: 100, LV: 1)!"
With the card sliding out of his Cemetery, Yusei held up the card and returned the small robot to play, watching Judai look on in contempt. "I Tune my Level 3 Drill Synchron to my Level 2 Bolt Hedgehog and Level 1 Tuning Supporter!"
The round monster suddenly spun its drills around, making each one emit a green ring before the monster exploded. They then formed a vertical column which the two other monsters rose up into, where they turned into three white orbs and then a column of light.
"The Clustering forces will become a steel drill to pierce the earth," Yusei then chanted, holding up a new Synchro Monster. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Break it apart, Drill Warrior (ATK: 2400, LV: 6)!"
Out of the light then emerged a bulky brown armoured warrior with a drill for a right hand, a yellow scarf, a white face and a blue gem on its chest. Yusei then drew a card from his monster's effect and then smiled at what he drew. "Ready, Judai?"
"Bring it on," Judai challenged, sounding more hostile than last time.
"I equip Synchro Armour to Drill Warrior, which gives it 500 extra ATK (ATK: 2900). Battle! Attack Judai directly!" Lunging forward, the monster started up its drill and struck Judai with it, making him stagger on his feet and look back with an aggravated expression.
Judai: LP 1100
Yusei: LP 1300
"Instant Magic: Emergency Rations!" Judai declared, flipping up his set card. "I send Mirage of Nightmare and my lingering Conspiracy of the Piano Tuner to the Cemetery to recover 2000 Life Points!" Both of the cards in front of Judai then dissolved, leaving Judai with no cards as his Life Points shot up.
Judai: LP 3100
Yusei: LP 1300
"Damn, that was almost an instant win for Yusei," Crow stated. "Oh well; he'll get Judai in the coming turns."
"That's not the case," Judai replied. "I'll show you that I'm not backing down!"
"Then prove it by taking your turn!" Yusei dared the redhead, who simply stared back tensely.
"Very well," Judai stated. "Draw!" Looking at the card in his hand, he spun around a card and declared, "I activate Spellbooks in the Pot, allowing both of us to draw 3 cards." With that card on the tray, both Yusei and Judai picked up 3 cards in quick succession; and then Judai held up another one.
"I activate Fusion Recovery, and return Sparkman and Fusion to my hand!" When they two cards slid back out, Judai held up the Magic Card and two cards he had just drawn; then he declared, "I Fuse Featherman and Burst Lady!" The two monsters then appeared in front of the vortex and fused, creating the green and red monster with one wing and a dragon's head.
"Behold: Flame Wingman (ATK: 2100, LV: 6). Next, I Summon Sparkman (ATK: 1600, LV: 4)!" Judai then placed the other card he brought back onto the tray so he could call up the blue and gold monster to fight with his. "Next, I activate Skyscraper!" Judai then opened his Duel Disc's Field Zone so he could call up the city-like field on the roof, leaving all the monsters standing in the centre square.
"Go, Flame Wingman, attack Drill Warrior!" The green and red monster then jumped forward, opening the dragon's head to shower the drill monster in flames. "When an E-HERO attacks, it gains 1000 ATK it is has less power than its target (ATK: 3100)." However, unlike what Judai had expected, the monster stood strong.
Judai: LP 3100
Yusei: LP 1100
"Sorry," Yusei replied, "but monsters equipped with Synchro Armour cannot be destroyed by battle!"
"Then I guess the time has come to put an end to this!" Judai yelled, holding up a card to the sky that made a huge whirling cloud above the duel. "Instant Magic: Super Fusion! I discard from my hand Elemental Hero Clayman, and I fuse my two monsters!" Jumping up into the air, Judai's two monsters met below the clouds and then spiraled into them, a lightning bolt raining down.
"Appear now: Shining Flare Wingman (ATK: 2500, LV: 8)!" When the lightning died away, the glowing silver monster that Judai had used often appeared behind him, and his Cemetery glowed. "Shining Flare Wingman gains 300 ATK for each E-HERO in my Cemetery, and right now I have 8 (ATK: 4900)!"
"No! With that much attack power… Yusei…!" Crow gasped out, not liking the idea that Judai had defeated his friend so easily. However, instead of attacking, Judai growled lightly and turned around before saying,
"This duel is over, and it's my victory." With that he started to walk away and the Solid Vision died down; Yusei fell on his knees in shock at the experience, while everyone else looked on in complete confusion and disgust. Just then, Jack ran up behind Judai and grabbed him by the wrist, spinning him around and then picking him up by the collar.
"What the fuck was that about?!" the blond bellowed to the agitated Judai. "How can you be so disrespectful to such a close friend?"
"If you're going to talk about disrespect, you need to look right at Yusei," Judai snapped back. "He showed today a fatal flaw in the strategy of this group; too much sentimental attachment to that dragon. When it disappeared, his will broke and he stopped dueling; he just stared playing around. That's disrespect."
Even though Yusei seemed to agree, bowing his head in shame, Jack tried to take a swing at Judai for his comment. Instead of that, however, Judai caught the fist instantly and spun Jack's fist around, the pain making him drop Judai. Giving a disgusted glare to the group, Judai simply spat, "I have had it with the disrespect I'm shown by this big imbecile and the rest of you miserable prats!"
Once again Jack tried to punch Judai, and once again he failed; Judai punched him in the stomach before he could even swing his own fist, and then he punched Jack in the head to knock him over. "I don't need this kind of hostility. If it's come down to this, then I'll fight Placido on my own!"
Judai then proceeded to walk over to the side of the building and jump down into the streets below, where he grabbed his D-Wheel and turned it on. Before he left, though, he heard a voice yell, "Hey wait!" from the top of the building. Seconds later, Johan jumped down and ran over to where he was. "If you're going it alone, then I'm with you."
Nodding, Judai offered Johan a spare helmet so he could get on the back of the vehicle. Once there, Judai revved the engine and then gunned the accelerator, making the vehicle peel out and ride off into the setting sun, towards Neo Domino.
Back up on the roof, Jack brought himself to his feet shakily and then bluntly stated. "Good riddance. We won't need that prick on our team in order to get anything done."
"You're one to talk Jack!" Aki yelled at the man, making him turn and face his accuser. "You've done nothing but treat Judai badly since he joined our ranks."
"Seriously man!" Crow yelled, raising his fist. "You need to respect the man if you want him to stay around."
"Says the man who wailed on him at the warehouse," Aki accused, causing Crow to turn away and also bow his head in shame. "More than one of us have treated Judai with more than a little discontent, and up until now he's put up with it all."
"I have to agree with Jack on this one," Lua boldly stated, the slap he received from his sister not quenching his point. "Judai hasn't done anything useful for us."
"How can you say that after he took that attack for you, and then saved you from drowning?" Luca criticized. "Judai's the one who brought us together with his friends and with the Summoners. He's the one who helped us defeat Darkness, the one who revived Kiryu, and the one who gave Yusei the morale to defeat Godwin."
"Let him go for now," Kyojo stated disdainfully, a somber expression on his face. "Going after Judai right this minute will only make things worse; if we give it some time, we'll actually get somewhere." To this, everybody nodded in agreement.
***
A few days later, Judai and Johan were stationed just down the street from a large section of the Tops which had been cordoned off for Placido's event. Having found out who was on the list, they devised a plan to slip into the party unseen. Looking at huge crowd of people and the multiple security guards, Judai activated Yubel's eyes and then split her from his body.
"Are you ready for this mission?" Judai then questioned of her, getting a confident grin in reply. Wrapping her wings around herself, Yubel changed into a glowing orange form and cast it out, revealing the form of a tall, tan woman with an amber gem on a chain below her hairline, a flowing black dress with puffed shoulders, striking green eyes and fine silvery hair.
From his pocket Judai then pulled a fake ID card and an invitation to the party, which he handed to Yubel's disguised form. "There's a service entrance around the back," Johan explained. "Judai and I will get in that way, and we'll meet you in the underground."
"Very well," Yubel replied, her voice much softer and younger-sounding due to her disguise. She then turned away and started to walk towards the party, her documents in hand and a smile on her face. She got to the doorway quickly, where she was greeted by a man in a white-jacketed suit.
"May I see some identification please?" he asked, prompting Yubel to hand him the ID card and the invitation. On the ID card was the picture of her disguise and a name that matched the altered invitation; but then the man looked on his checklist of guests and stated, "You're not on this list, ma'am."
"Then there must be some mistake," she replied, acting genuinely surprised. "Why would my name be on this invitation if I wasn't invited?"
"Well, I see your point ma'am," the man replied, handing her back the identification. "I'll let you in, but don't cause any trouble or you will regret it."
"I won't trouble you at all, sir," Yubel innocently said, slipping her identification into a pocket on the side of her dress. "Good evening." With that Yubel slipped into the party, the plan having been executed perfectly. Seeing all the people inside a single, large hotel building, she waked towards that building and entered, where she saw a huge number of people.
"Excuse me sir," she asked of an official-looking man by tapping him on the shoulder. "Could you by any chance tell me where the toilets are?"
"Certainly, ma'am," the man stated kindly. "They're down that hallway on the right, just before the stairwell."
"That's perfect, thank you," she said courteously and with a smile. Turning, she walked through the crowd to where the hallway he mentioned was; then she stepped all the way to the end, and opened the door to the stairwell. Once the door was closed, she followed the stairs down to the basement floor, at which time she got out of the stairwell and into a large empty area about 100 feet tall. Normally, it would be a subway junction; but for the party, this section was closed off, so the room was empty.
"What are we doing here, madam?" a suave voice suddenly asked from behind Yubel, making her turn around to see a tall, thin man with a medium build dressed an a similar suit to the others; but he had a red left eye, and his right eye was covered by an eyepatch.
"I'm sorry," she stated. "I got off at the wrong floor."
"I don't believe you," the man flatly replied. "You're in a disguise; I can see it. You're a Duel Spirit." Surprised that he had been able to tell, Yubel was caught off-guard when he drew a sword from a scabbard next to his pant leg and shot a burst of energy from it, striking her in the shoulder and spinning her around and onto the ground.
Satisfied, the man put his sword back and waked towards the fallen woman, getting there quickly and turning her over. When he did, he was shocked to see that her shoulder had worn away to reveal two spikes and some dark red scales on the arm. He realized too late who it was; because Yubel picked him up by the ankle and flung him back.
"You have a keener eye than I had previously thought, Placido," Yubel stated in her normal voice, getting her feet and then changing back to normal in a burst of orange energy. "And now I learn you can sense Duel Spirits as well; I'm impressed."
"That's certainly an interesting impression to have of me, after what I've been doing to your partner as of late," Placido stated, not noticing movement above him among the steel I-beams of the structure. "I do apologize for that; but you see, I had no choice. He stood in my way."
Suddenly, Placido heard a noise and jumped back a split second before Judai fell to the ground with a steel pipe in his hand, which would have hit him in the head. He also jumped aside as Johan came down with a similar weapon, leaving him with no injuries and seemingly without any reaction. "I see the two of you managed to enter as well."
"You need to train your guards better," Judai replied smugly, he and Johan both standing up and dropping their pipes. "It wasn't even a fight to get past them."
"Thank you; I shall add that to my list of things to accomplish as Director," Placido replied stoically. "Now if you'll excuse me, your best course of action is to leave and spare yourself aggravation and misery."
"Such an interesting demands to make for someone in the submissive position," Judai taunted, sneering as the other two mirrored his expression.
"What nonsense are you spouting on about?" Placido asked, not amused as he thought they were simply wasting his time.
"You see, if we go up to the party now, we'll have to admit we got past your security staff," was Judai's reply. "That's more harmful to your reputation than anything else which can happen."
"Very well; but I refuse to condone violence with guests at this party. We'll settle this in a more civilized manner." At that moment, he pulled out a Duel Disc and strapped it to his arm, activating it and causing a glowing Infinity Symbol to appear on the dome.
"Let's go Johan," Yubel stated, looking at him and smiling confidently. "Let's show him the power of chaos." With that Yubel disappeared in a burst of light; and when it cleared, Johan's attire had changed to a sleeveless, purple trench coat-like device held together with many straps, some straps on his arms, and black pants and boots. His irises had turned orange, and he looked on at Placido with a dark expression.
"Then I shall duel against you in this form," Placido stated aloud. "That's it Yubel; show me the Three Demons." A Duel Disc then materialized onto Johan's arm; one with a mostly red body, with purple section, and a blade that instantly split out into three along a pivot point. They were shorter as they got farther forward, with the last two having 2 of each Zone and the last one.
When the Duel Disc triggered, a Deck appeared in Johan's Duel Disc and he pulled 5 cards from it. Opposite him, Placido also pulled out five cards, and then a glowing green Infinity Symbol briefly flashed around them.
Johan: LP 4000
Placido: LP 4000
"I'll take the first turn," Johan stated, his voice darker than normal from Yubel's power. "I draw." He then looked at his card for all of a second before holding it up and stating, "I Summon Chaos Core (ATK: 0, LV: 3)!" Out of a black mist then appeared the form of a skeletal black creature whose form resembled a bird's, but whose head contained a yellowy face and whose rib cage contained a glowing orb. "I set three cards and end my turn."
"Draw," Placid stated, pulling up another card and then flipping around one from his hand. "I activate One For One, and I send the monster card Wise Breaker in my hand to the Cemetery to Special Summon Wise Core from my Deck (ATK: 0, LV: 1)." Placido then called up a vortex that released his white egg-like monster, before he played another card.
"I activate the Instant Magic: Trap Booster! By discarding one card from my hand, in this case Klein's Labyrinth; and I activate one Trap Card from my hand." Revealing a card as he placed a second one in the Cemetery, he declared, "I activate Torrential Tribute! Because a monster was summoned, I destroy all monsters on the field."
"What?" Johan asked, somewhat annoyed as the card appeared and caused his black monster to explode. Just then, instead of exploding right away, Placido's monster opened up vertically and released a glowing green orb before its pieces shattered. Then, the orb changed into a vertical column of light.
"When Wise Core is destroyed by a card effect," Placido explained, the silhouette of a tall robotic figure appearing in the light, "I may call out the five components of Machine Emperor Wisel: Wisel Infinity (ATK: 0, LV: 1), Wisel Top (DEF: 0, LV: 1), Wisel Attack (ATK: 1200, LV: 1), Wisel Carrier (DEF: 1200, LV: 1) and Wisel Carrier (DEF: 600, LV: 1)!"
With the light dying down, Placido revealed his monster as the tall, white mechanical monster with the glowing red light face, the blade on its left arm, the pontoon-like legs, and the shield on its right arm. "Combined, my Wisel Infinity has the total attack strength of all my monsters (ATK: 2500). Battle!"
"Trap Card Open: Call of the Living Dead!" Johan declared. "Return, Chaos Core (ATK: 0, LV: 3)!" With the card flipped up, there appeared a big black ball of smoke that released the skeletal monster.
"Then I will discontinue my Battle Phase," Placido replied, clearly aware of the effect of Johan's monster. "During the Main Phase 2, I activate Card of Death, and I…"
"I don't think so!" Johan declared. "Trap Card: Mirror of Chaos! When a Chaos Monster is on my field, I send the Three Demons from my Deck to my Cemetery to negate an opponent's Magic Card effect!" Snapping out the three cards from his Deck, Johan spun them around and placed them into the Cemetery as Placido's card turned into black fog and dissolved.
"I guess I have no choice but to end my turn," Placido said stoically, not seeming to care about the previous exchange. Interestingly to him, even after its resolution, the card remained on Johan's field, but its picture and lore were changed to match that of his negated card.
"Draw!" Johan declared, placing the card in his hand before pointing at the floating card and stating, "I activate the secondary effect of Mirror of Chaos! During the Standby Phase of the turn after the Magic Card is negated, I apply its effect as my own. Thus, I draw two more cards from my Deck!" In a split second Johan reached for his Deck and pulled two new cards, gaining a surprised and somewhat nervous look upon seeing one of them.
"This card..." Johan thought in his normal voice, envisioning himself in a black background while he remembered his last duel teamed with Yubel. "If that happens again..."
"You have nothing to fear this time, Johan," Yubel's voice stated in his mind as she appeared beside him on that black void. "I have acquired a host of power which will allow me to handle the Demons on my own. I simply need you to play them."
"Very well." Snapping back to the moment, Johan's darkly confident face returned as he pointed at the skeletal creature and stated, "I release Chaos Core, and I call upon the Dark Summons God (ATK: 0, LV: 5)!" In a wisp of smoke, the dark creature dissolved into a tall black-skinned creature with scaly skin, horns and a blue gem on its head, long claws, and a red rode over its lower body.
"The move is finally set up," Placido thought, smiling. "Just a bit more Johan Yubel;, and you will play into my hands."
"By releasing my monster," Johan stated as his monster's form changed into a black, foggy outline, then into a huge vertical column of black that whipped up strong winds before it split into three columns; one red, one blue, one yellow, "I Special Summon, ignoring the Summoning Conditions, God Flame Emperor Uria (ATK: 0, LV: 10), Descending Thunder Emperor Hamon (ATK: 4000, LV: 10), and Phantom Demon Emperor Ravel (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!"
Out of the three columns of light then arose the forms of three enormous, demonic creatures with massive forms, long talons and dark, guttural growls. The first, from the red column, emerged a massive red serpent whose arms were modified into transparent, clawed pings and whose leathery grey face was inside a secondary maw resembling jaws, complete with blue gem and four horns.
Second to emerge, from the yellow column, there appeared a huge skeletal dragon made from dull yellow bones, with huge scoops on its hands, a huge pair of wings with green membrane that extended onto its tail, and a wide head with a grey upper jaw, a blue gem and horns with membrane on them.
The final one, out of the blue column, appeared as the tall, human-like demonic form of a tall, blue monster with purple leathery skin on certain places and chiseled features on its chest and abdominals. Its wings were massive, its tail segmented, and horns adorned its face that gave it a demonic appearance. Together, all three monsters growled and shook the winds, making Judai step back and Placido look up in awe.
"During this turn, the Special Summoned Monsters cannot attack," Johan explained, "but I do not need them to in this case. Magic Activate: Death by Dimensional Fusion! I exclude the Three Demons and fuse them together!" Roaring, all three monster changed into smoke that was their own colour plus a jet black; this smoke rose into the air and it swirled together, forming something like a black hole.
"Mighty beast whose form corrodes the soul with terror and hatred," Johan chanted, "Rise up from the Darkness of Chaos, the pit of Madness! Appear Now: the Ultimate Phantom Demon, Chaos Phantom Demon Armityle (ATK: 0, LV: 12)!" All of a sudden the black hole exploded into a black fog, which descended and covered the whole field while a demonic growling rang out.
As the fog started to part, a massive monster several times the size of the previous creatures began to arise from the ground. It was a twisted compilation of their features, with dull yellow skeletal features along its chest, wings and its long, serpentine lower body. Its right arm was a demonic one with long talons, its left a red serpent's head, and its real head had two faces mounted vertically and large, webbed horns.
However, before Johan could proceed, he noticed that Wisel had disappeared from the opposite side of the field and Placido himself was nowhere to be found. Even Judai could not see what had become of him, and so he looked around with a sweeping motion. Still, he did not see the form of the man.
"Are you looking for me?" Placido's voice suddenly asked as the man appeared beside Johan, dressed in his Yliaster robes and his metal Infinity eye patch and with no Duel Disc on his arm. Sneering, he quickly pulled the sword from its scabbard, with reflexes almost too fast to see.
"Watch out Johan!" Judai yelled; but his cries meant nothing. Before Johan could react, Placido grabbed him by the left wrist and swung his sword down, making both Johan and Judai close their eyes. They then heard the sound of the sword cutting, but Johan felt no pain, and when they both opened their eyes, what they saw confused them both.
In his right hand, Placido clutched the severed left arm of Yubel, the wing-like Duel Disc extended from it and the card of Armityle on the tray. The Duel Disc from Johan's arm had disappeared, and overtop of him appeared the form of Yubel with her left arm sliced off just below the elbow. Putting his sword back in its sheath, he put his bare left arm out in front of his and held the severed arm level to it.
"What are you…?" Judai asked quietly, all of a sudden gasping when he understood what would happen. "Wait… no, don't!" Sneering, Placido rammed the stump of the severed arm into his hand, causing a burst of orange light to consume him and make the other two close their eyes. Placido's chuckling could be heard by them, which worried them.
When the light subsided, the sleeve of Placido's robe had been torn away just below the elbow, the severed Yubel arm having replaced his human arm and a series of veins connecting its flesh to his own human flesh. A dark aura then consumed him, making his Infinity Symbol glow with the blackness and his eyes' highlights glow purple.
Holding his arm to the sky, the huge demonic monster started to growl angrily, turning and looking down at Judai and Johan. The latter of the two started to back up slowly, a startled look on his face and an angry look on Judai's. All of a sudden, Placido snapped his fingers and the mouth of the monster started to spew black smoke, which cracked the concrete of the room.
As this happened, Placido's aura changed from black to green and his Infinity eye piece did the same. Understanding what was happening, Judai charged the man and grabbed onto his just below the ribcage, Placido looking down in amazement before he and Judai both warped away.
"Judai!" Johan and Yubel both yelled before they started to cough from the black fog the giant demon was producing. Turning, Yubel's form faded back into Johan and the man then ran off into the darkness, following the entrance he had used to get in. As he got father and farther away, the demon stopped releasing the black fog and it reared up, growling while its entire body changed into the black fog and began to seep into the very building.
Upstairs, the guests who had been partying without a care as to the disappearance of their host, had become very concerned as they saw the black fog start to seep out from the staircase in the hall and the vents. At first they thought a fire had broken out and the sprinklers had malfunctioned; but when it started to eat through the walls, they realized something was terribly wrong.
Screaming and panicked, the people all began to run out through the entrance of the building, the guards having abandoned their post to also escape the toxic fog. When everyone had gotten out into the streets, they watched in horror while the fog filled up the entire lower floor of the building; then it seeped out and consumed the entire exterior of the building, dissolving it as though it were made of nothing more than plaster.
Standing on the roof of the building opposite the hotel, Paradox watched the entire event unfold, sneering behind his mask as his eyes lit up the markings on the face of said mask. "I see you finally let your destructive side out, by dear friend Placido," he thought, chuckling at the idea. "You may prove useful to me after all." With that he disappeared into a flash of black light, leaving no evidence of his presence.
On the other side of where the building had been, in the shadows of an alley, Johan stood in the darkness with Yubel's spirit floating opposite him, his clothes still those Yubel gave him but his eyes normal. Glowing orange, Yubel's arm below the elbow regenerated in plasma from where Placido had cut it off, with particles integrating downwards to reform the lost tissue.
Forming the Duel Disc on her arm, Yubel pulled out the Deck from it and fanned through its contents. "He got all four of the Phantom Demons," she confirmed. "There's no telling what he could do with those monsters in addition to his Machine Emperors."
"What's our next course of action?" Johan asked in his normal voice. "Without Judai, we need to find somebody from the rest of the group to combat Placido. With those creatures in his hands, you and I alone cannot stop him."
"Did somebody say they were in need of assistance?" the familiar voice of Kyojo suddenly questioned, he and Yusuriha suddenly stepping out of the shadows. "That was a pretty interesting commando run you two just made; very cowboy."
"We need to find Placido, Jose and Lucciano and take back the Demons," Yubel clarified. "Placido suckered us and took them by force, and Judai went with him trying to get them back."
"I see," Yusuriha pondered, looking back with a puzzled look on her face. We shall need Taiyou's help for this."
"Then I shall find him and enlist his assistance." With that Yubel warped out of existence, leaving the three humans standing in the alleyway as the crowds of guests started to thin and disappear.
Stepping through the hallways of the City's Citadel, Taiyou found a tall pair of gates with runic writings on them and stepped inside, revealing a huge room almost like a library with several balconies at which various figures stood. It appeared they had been in the midst of a discussion, and Taiyou's entry had interrupted them; for they all began to stare at him as he headed to one of the platforms.
"I apologize form my tardiness," he stated to the general assembly as he made his way up to the platform where Endymion stood. "I had matters to which it was imperative I attended." Bowing in apology, he stood beside the taller, older magician in his new outfit: his trench coat had been replaced by a pair of doubled shoulder pads with a waist-length cape that covered his upper arms, in the same colors.
"The Council recognizes the efforts and actions of Endymion and his apprentice to help protect the citizens of our humble world…" a female magician began; one clad in black and silver robes, with an ornate headdress and a sun-shaped staff on her back.
"Actually," Endymion stated, correcting the woman, "Taiyou is no longer my apprentice; he is my Knight, my Cavalier."
"The Cavalier of Endymion," Taiyou stated under his breath. "I like the sound of that."
"Why has he suddenly gained the right to be promoted?" the magician woman inquired, with all the magicians' eyes falling upon Taiyou to explain himself.
"It is because of me, Norsewemko" Taiyou retorted confidently, "that the Signers have now unlocked, for the first time in the history of their world and ours, all five of the Legendary Savior Dragons." This statement created a huge stir among the assembly, to which Taiyou's only reply was a satisfied smile.
Card of the Week – Yubel
Chaos Phantom Demon Armityle
Type: DARK
Level: 12
Family: [Demon/Fusion/Effect]
Effect: "God Flame Emperor Uria" + "Descending Thunder Emperor Hamon" + "Phantom Demon Emperor Ravel"
ANIME/CHAPTER: This card cannot be Special Summoned outside the effect of "Death by Dimensional Fusion". This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. Once per turn, if this card is in face-up Attack Position, you can select 1 monster your opponent controls and inflict 10000 points of Battle Damage to that monster. During your Main Phase, activate by giving your opponent control of this monster until the end of the turn. During the End Phase, remove from play all other cards in the controller's side of the field.
OCG/TCG: This card can only be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck by excluding the above Fusion Material Monsters you control (the magic card "Fusion" is not used). This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. During your turn only, this card's ATK is increased by 10000 points.
ATK/ 0
DEF/ 0
*It would appear that a real advantage has gone to the wrong person. Review if you wish.*