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 25 – Last Resort of Infinity! Target: Sherry Leblanc
On the battlefield of the Dominion of Beasts, Taiyou suddenly saw the light recede from the massive clash and reveal what had become of the two Magician Leaders. A crater had formed in the ground from the massive attack, and now the two of them were lying within that pit. Scared for his master, Taiyou ran to the edge and slid down the hole.
When he got to the crater's edge, he saw the hundred of so remaining Bureaucracy soldiers all standing around Norsewemko's half of the crater. Her unconscious form their exploded into particles of light; but as for Endymion, he remained alive and conscious, but badly wounded and having trouble breathing.
Jumping down beside his master, Taiyou looked down upon Endymion and knelt down, grabbing the Magician's hand with his own. Endymion then looked over and saw him; and between raspy breaths, Endymion managed to say, "Taiyou… my greatest warrior… You fought well today. This world… needs warriors like you; and you… will continue to serve it well…"
"Stop saying things like that!" Taiyou said emotionally, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. "You survived! You'll be fine too in a few days!"
"No, my dear Taiyou… my time… in this world… is done." Reaching for his face with his left hand, he pulled off the black horned mask to reveal his eyes – light yellow scleras, red irises and almond-shaped pupils – and he handed it to Taiyou, placing it in his lap. "This world… is you Empire… now…"
"Don't go!" By now Taiyou had tears streaming down his face and could barely keep his eyes open; but still, Endymion managed to speak to him calmly.
"Fear not, Taiyou…" Endymion said, smiling to Taiyou as he spoke, reaching for Taiyou's Deck and pulling a card from it. Seeing the card of himself, he held it up to his chest and finally stated, "I… will always… be with you…" Finally, the Magician closed his eyes and his body dissolved into yellow particles of light as Norsewemko had' but unlike with her, these particles then fused into the card and gave it a yellow aura which glowed briefly before dying down.
At first, Taiyou simply collapsed to the ground, crying like a child who had lost his parents, and he stayed this way for about a minute. However, after that, he managed to snap back a bit from his despair and picked up his old master's mask, putting it over his face and hiding his blood-shot eyes behind the yellow one-way lenses. When several of Endymion's former soldiers gathered behind him, Taiyou simply turned to them and asked in a gruff tone,
"What are we waiting for? We have a funeral ceremony to arrange." With that he turned and stepped out of the hole, standing before the soldiers of Endymion and bowing to them in the traditional style of mourning. Then, Taiyou looked down at the Endymion card in his hand, and placed it in his Deck before walking off into the valley.
Approximately one week later, back in Neo Domino City, Judai, Jack and Kyojo were among the various levels of steel beams making the frame of a new building. After the hotel had been destroyed by Armityle, work ad been set in place to rebuild it; and all fifty levels of the skyscraper, plus its foundation, had already been finished.
The three men were there for a very specific reason: they had learned on a tip from Ushio that a person of interest in one of Syd's old cases was doing unknown, unusual business on the construction site at night time. Seeming suspicious and guessing that Infinity was somehow involved, they had made quick time getting from Poppo Time to the Construction Site.
Now, Jack was chasing the man along the 42nd floor of the building, with Kyojo on the level below him in case the man tried to jump down for an escape. Following the man dressed in black clothing to seem invisible at night, Jack had a hard time seeing the man completely, but he could see him and hear him well enough to follow.
However, as he was running along one of the steel structures, the man decided to jump onto a beam still suspended from a crane. Before Jack could even attempt this, the man grabbed a steel section of pipe and threw it at Jack, who thus had to jump off to one side to dodge the assault. Thus, the man sneered under his balaclava while he jumped down to the level below, on the beam just beside Kyojo.
"Not so fast hombre!" the Texan yelled out, jumping across the beam and putting the man into an instant headlock. Thinking that his element of surprise had the man beat, Kyojo stepped backwards so he could turn and pin the man against the vertical beam; but unfortunately, the man elbowed Kyojo in the head and make the back of his skull strike the beam, so he was forced to let the man go.
However, the man didn't see Judai on the next level below, so when he jumped down he was completely startled to see the red-jacketed man standing on that level, right hand on his hip and a confident smile on his face. "Going somewhere?' Judai then asked him coyly; and thinking that being taller and buffer meant he could beat Judai, the man rushed him and tried to grab him by the throat.
To his surprise though, Judai managed to grab him by the collar and the right shoulder first, picking the man up and pinning him to a vertical beam a few feet above the old one. Realizing his position, the man then reached into his pocket and produced a taser, ready to shock Judai; but before he could, Judai turned his eyes to Yubel's and manifested her powers, causing the electricity to jump ff him back onto the man himself.
After only a couple of seconds the man dropped his taser from the pain and Judai shoved him down into the joint between horizontal and vertical steel. With that done he yelled up to Jack and Kyojo, "Good news guys, I caught the rat!" Then, Judai looked back down at his captive and bent down, pulling back his hood just as Jack and Kyojo jumped down behind him.
Stepping aside, Judai allowed Kyojo to pick up the man by his collar and ask him, "Who in tarnation are you? Ushio didn't give us your name, so now we're asking you."
"What makes you think I have anything to say to you?" the man asked arrogantly and hostilely, slapping Kyojo in the face as he did so. In reply, Kyojo shoved the man into the steel beam again, and then threw him down on the horizontal beam.
"We are not screwing around here!" Jack roared at the man, stepping on his back before letting go and picking him back up. "Start talking, or I'll make sure it's the last thing you say!" With that Jack threw his back and the man stood up, staring back defiantly.
"You know what they'll do to me if I talk to the cops?" the man asked, once again being hostile. "If I say anything to you police guys, they'll do things to me you can't even imagine."
"We're not fucking cops," Judai said to the man with crossed arms. Starting up again in his and Yubel's voices he added, "We're the people who are going to get everything we need from you, or WE will do things beyond anything you can imagine them doing."
"What are you?" the man asked in terror, trying to step back from Judai but being pinned against the beam when he ran out of room. When Judai was standing a mere foot away from him, his left forearm glowed with dark orange flames until it morphed into Yubel's demonic claw and his eyes changed back into hers.
Sneering, Judai then said in both voices, "We are your undoing." Wasting no time, Judai grabbed the man by the face with the demon claw, causing an energy surge that reversed the colour scheme for a split second and created black electricity from his face. The man then screamed in terror as Judai looked on sternly and the other two watched in disbelief.
"Okay, okay!" the man yelled in a muffled way from below the demon hand, allowing Judai to release his grip and lower his arm to his side. The man's eyes no longer reflected any light but seemed black, his pupils faded, and he slumped weakly against the beam as he shook in terror. "The name's Bokuru, and I'm a drug dealer."
"That's not useful information to us," Judai and Yubel said in unison, "and you're lying. We know you were connected to Syd before he died, and he was dealing in stolen D-Wheels, not drugs." Reaching into his pocket, Judai pulled out 3 pictures: one of Placido, one of Lucciano and one of Yusuriha, and asked, "Did one of these people ever approach you for a business transaction?"
Looking at the figures carefully, Bokuru soon pointed to the two females among the pictures and shakily said, "Yeah, that's them right there. They two of 'em showed up at my place of business and told me they were taking half our product or we were going to jail."
"And how many D-Wheels did they take from you?" Jack asked of the man, looking impatient for an answer.
"None of the actually," the man replied quickly. "They looked them over looking for some secret compartment. Said that one of them had a card they were looking for… Oh, what was it called? Z-ONE; yeah, that's it."
"Z-ONE?" Kyojo inquired, putting his fingers to his chin and pondering. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure in a full body suit quickly jump down from the other side of their level to the level below it; then he pointed to her and said, "Hey, who the hell's that?"
Looking quickly, Bokuru said quickly, "That's nobody I know." Without waiting for anything more, the three friends and Bokuru all started down the levels after the figure, who seemed to stay a level ahead of them without any effort. Within five minutes they had reached the bottom level, and then the ground as the figure began to dart off into an alley.
However, when the group followed her into the darkened area, they were stopped instantly when they saw the figure in her body suit standing right in front of them, and then all of a sudden she was on the ground, fling backwards and to the left. Everyone then turned when they heard Bokuru let out a pained grunt, and watched him slump to the ground, dead.
Looking down at the body, Kyojo saw that a card had been thrown straight into Bokuru's Carotid artery; and he saw that the card was a copy of Thunder Bolt. Looking back over, they saw that Sherry had fallen on the ground, slashed across the arm by the same card, and so Judai ran over to her and grabbed her to check if she was alright.
"Are you alright?" Judai then asked, getting no reply other than a confused and scared look. It then became clear to him that the figure did not speak Japanese, and so he then asked in English, "I asked if you were alright."
"Je m'excuse," was the whimpering reply by the woman, which made it clear to Judai why she had not known Japanese. "Je ne peux pas parler le Japonais bien; seulement le français et un petit peu de l'anglais."
"Pourquoi est-ce que vous avez couru?" Judai then asked in a rather seamless French accent, getting a surprised look from both Kyojo and Jack.
"How do you know how to speak French?" Kyojo then inquired, asking the question on his hand Jack's minds.
"While I was traveling, I spent 2 months in Paris and 1 month in Quebec," Judai explained. "I learned enough French to get along with the people."
"J'avais peur des hommes qui veulent me tuer," the woman then replied, giving Judai a sense of the graveness before he conveyed the same message to the others in Japanese. "Ils on déjà tué mes parents pour quelque chose qu'ils avaient."
"What could they possibly have had that would have been worth killing for?" Jack asked, only for Sherry to reach into her pocket and pull out a single card.
"How nice to see you get some use out of your language skills," Judai heard a female voice ask from the shadows of the alley ahead. Watching angrily, Judai saw a woman in a white cloak with the hood out step from the darkness, a glowing blue Infinity symbol under her hood.
Looking back over at the figure, Judai gave them a dark glare and said scathingly, "What do you people want now?" The only sort of reply was for the figure to lower the hood of their cloak, revealing the sneering face of Lucciano and causing the glow of the Infinity symbol to extinguish.
"We've been looking for you for quite some time, Sherry Leblanc," Lucciano said, prompting the figure to pull off the section of their suit over their head. This revealed a train of long blond hair and a pair of sparkling blue eyes, though the anger and terror in her features overshadowed this.
"Why are you after me?" Sherry managed to ask in Japanese with her French accent still present, pointing a finger accusingly at the Infinity woman. "I know you're the ones who've been sending Yliaster members after me for years; you're the ones who threatened my life unless I dropped from the WRGP. You owe me an explanation at the very least."
"Very well," Lucciano replied, closing her eyes briefly. "You are in possession of an object which we have been seeking for quite some time, and until you relinquish it we will not allow you out of our sight. You see, should what you have fall into the wrong hands, then there is no hope for this world."
"I don't believe you!" Sherry replied angrily, getting to her feet along with Judai. "None of your people have ever approached me and demanded such an object; nor did they approach my parents for that reason before they murdered them."
"Believe what you will," Lucciano succinctly stated as a glowing blue Infinity symbol formed and surrounded the two women. "But know this; you will not leave this place unless you can earn your freedom from this circle."
"Don't accept, Sherry," Judai warned loudly, annoying Lucciano and causing Sherry to snap back and look at him. Raising her hand to Judai, Lucciano created a blue aura around Judai that seemed to bind him; but he simply activated Yubel's powers and shattered it, his glowing orange and green eyes glowing back at Lucciano's Infinity symbol.
"You can't stop her now, Judai," Lucciano replied in a dark manner. With that she produced two Duel Discs, one with each arm, and threw a right-handed model with her left hand over to Sherry before putting on her own left-handed Disc.
"I won't let you simply have your way with her if you've caused such terror for her already!"
"You believed her Judai?" Lucciano scoffed, looking at Judai with a half-sinister half-sympathetic smile. "She told you she doesn't speak Japanese well; clearly she speaks it fluently. What else did she lie to you about?"
"People don't lie about the deaths of family," Judai shot back, denying the implication.
"Nevertheless, this is between me and her anyway."
"Elle a raison, Judai," Sherry said back to the man behind her. Nodding, Judai understood that he was to back out, so he stepped backwards over the barrier and back in line with Jack and Kyojo; all of whom watched intently and with crossed arms while Sherry put on the Duel Discs.
"Are you ready to forfeit your treasure, girl?" Lucciano asked, a sadistic twinge in her voice as she pulled out her glowing blue Deck and placed it into the Duel Disc, causing the glow to spread to her while Duel Disc and then her whole body.
"If you're going to claim a prize," Sherry argued, "then I want you to offer me something for my victory."
"Very well," Lucciano replied. "If you should win, then I'll have nothing more to do with you." After hearing this, Sherry pulled out a Deck from her pocket and threw it into her Duel Disc, activating it, and pulling five cards from her Deck as Lucciano did the same.
"DUEL!"
Sherry: LP 4000
Lucciano: LP 4000
"I'll take the first turn," Lucciano insisted, drawing a card as she said this; then, she took the card she had drawn and held it up. "I Summon Sky Core (ATK: 0, LV: 1)." With that the form of the blue egg-like structure materialized to Lucciano's right before she took a second card from her hand and jammed it into a Magic and Trap Card Slot. "Next I set one card and end my turn."
"Then I draw," Sherry declared, pulling another card from her hand and activating it. "I activate the Magic Card, Solar Exchange. By discarding one Lightlord monster, I draw 2 cards from my Deck and send 2 cards from my Deck to the Cemetery. I discard Lightlord Paladin Jain." Holding up the mentioned monster, Sherry placed it into the Cemetery and drew 2 cards before taking 2 more cards and throwing them away.
Seconds later, however, one of the two cards slid back out of her Duel Disc and a tall white monster resembling a werewolf, wearing silver and gold-trimmed armour, a green war-skirt and carrying a long gold staff. "You see, when Lightlord Beast Wolf is sent from the Deck to the Cemetery by a card's effect, it Special Summons itself (ATK: 2100, LV: 4)."
"The self-mill strategy," Jack said under his breath. "Lightlords are excellent at getting to their best cards."
"They're a huge part of the Tournament scene in the Western World," Kyojo informed, Judai nodding to attest to this.
"Next, I release my Wolf to Summon Lightlord Angel Celestia (ATK: 2300, LV: 5)!" All of a sudden the existing monster changed into a beam of light and released a tall, angelic form with white-feathered wings, blue hair topped by a halo, a decorated staff and the same type of silver and gold armour. "And now, due to its effect, I send my top 4 cards to the Cemetery and destroy your two cards!"
Reaching for her Deck, Sherry took 4 cards and threw them all into the Cemetery before her monster created a beacon of light on its staff, shooting said light at Lucciano's monster and set cards and causing them to shatter. However, there then appeared a blue column of energy from the ground, making Sherry wonder what had happened.
"When Sky Core is destroyed," Lucciano explained, "I Special Summon the pieces of Machine Emperor Skiel to the Field: Skiel Infinity (ATK: 0, LV: 1), Skiel Top (ATK: 600, LV: 1), Skiel Attack (ATK: 1000, LV: 1), Skiel Guard (DEF: 300, LV: 1) and Skiel Carrier (ATK: 400, LV: 1). Fuse together!" With that the blue light unfurled itself into the shape of the long serpent-like creature with spindly wings and the open silvery Infinity Symbol on its chest.
"Machine Emperor Skiel (ATK: 2200, LV: 1)," Judai said under his breath. "It's less powerful than Wisel, but its pieces have more tricks than that one, so this will be a very dark chapter in the duel."
"In addition," Lucciano revealed, "Since Dummy Marker was destroyed by an opponent's effect, I draw 2 cards." With that Lucciano smiled darkly as she pulled up 2 new cards from her Deck and placed them in her hand.
"I'm not scared of your little composite monster," Sherry stated, pulling a card from her hand and flipping it around. "I activate Reinforcements of Light, and I send 3 cards to the Cemetery to add Lightlord Summoner Lumina to my hand!" Reaching for her Deck, Sherry threw out 3 more cards and pulled a monster from her Deck; then, yet another card slid out of the Cemetery and she held it up.
"Because I sent Lightlord Rapier to the Cemetery, I equip it to Celestia for an extra 700 ATK (ATK: 3000). Now, I'll attack Skiel Carrier with Celestia!" As she said this, the staff of her monster changed into a glowing white blade with a golden, twisted handle and the equipped angel shot at the wings of the monster' but strangely, the tail of the monster swung into the path and the blade was reflected.
"Sorry, but once per turn my Skiel Guard allows me to negate an attack on my Skiel monsters. For right now, that means my monsters cannot be harmed."
"That maybe the case, but with the power of my Angel my Life Points are safe as well," Sherry retorted. "And just in case you feel like trying something, I set 2 cards and end my turn."
"Then I'll take my turn," Lucciano stated, reaching for her Deck and pulling a seventh card into her hand. "I activate the Magic Card, Sky Wave, and evolve my Machine Emperor Skiel to Machine Emperor Skiel 3!"
"What?"
"I call forth Skiel Top 3 (ATK: 800, LV: 3), Skiel Attack 3 (ATK: 1200, LV: 3), Skiel Guard 3 (DEF: 900, LV: 3) and Skiel Carrier 3 (ATK: 600, LV: 3)!" in a flash of blue light the wings, tail, cannon and head of the strange monster were replaced by brand new pieces. First, the head was replaced by a long, cone-like structure that unfurled a long segmented neck and a crest of spikes on its back before opening 4 red eyes and attaching itself.
Second, a dragonfly-like creature emerged and folded its wings, legs and body into a cube-like cannon and attached itself to the underside of the main body. Then, a centipede-like creature appeared and folded its head into a plug, attaching like a many-feathered tail with two spikes on its end. Finally, another dragonfly-like creature appeared and folded into 2 long, saw-like wings and attached on the back of the creature, and it screeched out loudly (ATK: 3000, LV: 1).
"Just like Wisel, Skiel has the ability to transform by upgrading to stronger parts," Lucciano informed. "Next, I activate the effect of Skiel Attack 3, and I send it to the Cemetery to summon Skiel Attack 5 from my Deck (ATK: 1400, LV: 5)." With this the cannon on the underside disappeared and was replaced by a beetle-like object, which also folded into a cube-like cannon and attacked itself to the main body (ATK: 3200). "Due to this monster, Skiel may direct attack the opposing player."
"Not quite," Sherry declared, flipping her card. "I activate my Permanent Trap: Direct Border! Battle Damage from Direct Attacks becomes 0!"
"You should be less impulsive my dear," Lucciano scolded. "Waiting until I attacked would have meant you escaped unharmed; now, my stronger monster will crush your Angel. Battle! I attack Celestia with Skiel 3!"
"Not so fast!" Sherry countered, flipping her other card and making Lucciano cringe. "I play my other Permanent Trap, Lightlord Barrier. When a Lightlord is attacked, I may send my top 2 cards to the Cemetery and negate that attack." Taking her top two cards and throwing them into the Cemetery, Sherry watched as a glass dome formed around her monster just as the cannon fired a blue beam of energy, shattering the dome but causing no harm.
"And in addition, a second Wolf was sent to the Cemetery," Sherry declared, the card reappearing and conjuring the werewolf-like monster again with a roar, "it is Special Summoned to the field (ATK: 2100, LV: 4)."
"Then I set 4 cards and end my turn," Lucciano said in annoyance. "Good job escaping my wrath this turn, but unfortunately you cannot keep that up forever; or should I say, your Deck can't."
"She's right," Judai informed. "Thanks to all her effects, her Deck is already down to 20 cards. With how Lightlord Decks function, she could be out of cards in as little as two turns."
"Then this will be a very short duel," Jack realized, looking at the field and casting a frustrated glare at Lucciano.
"Draw!" Sherry declared, pulling another card from her Deck. "I release Wolf to Summon Lightlord Dragon Gragonis (ATK: 2000, LV: 6)." Again the monster disappeared into light, this time to be replaced by an armoured white dragon with a golden mane and tail like a horse, and a pair of small forearms but long legs.
"This monster gains an additional 300 ATK for each different Lightlord in my Cemetery. At this moment, that number is 4 (ATK: 3200), making it equally as strong as your monster. Thus, I attack your Skiel Carrier 3 with my Gragonis!"
"Due to the effect of my Skiel Guard 3, Skiel Monsters cannot be destroyed in battle," Lucciano informed. However, the attack of the dragon still appeared in the form of a white blast from the dragon's mouth, shooting at the wings and striking them, creating an explosion.
Seconds later, however, Sherry felt a strong pain in her body and screamed out as she fell onto one knee, her Life Points falling. Looking back, she watched as the smoke cleared and Lucciano was standing there, smirking with a card flipped over on her field. "I activated Dimension Wall, and due to this all Damage from that attack is redirected to you."
Sherry: LP 1400
Lucciano: LP 4000
"Maybe," Sherry said as she got back to her feet, "But I still have my Angel! I attack your Carrier with her!" Jumping forward, she slashed at the wings of the giant monster, creating a white glowing mark; however, Lucciano then opened another card and created a mirror that showed Sherry, right before the blade shot into that structure.
"I activate Torture Mirror," Lucciano stated. "When I would receive Battle Damage of 2000 or more, I can negate that damage and give 1000 Damage to the opponent." With that Sherry felt another strong sensation of pain and she clutched at her chest, watching as all but the last of her Life Points were taken away.
Sherry: LP 400
Lucciano: LP 4000
"I set one card," Sherry said before reaching for her Deck. "In the End Phase, Gragonis sends my top 3 cards to the Cemetery." Grabbing for her Deck, Sherry took 3 cards and inserted then into the Cemetery. "Now I end my turn."
"Draw," Lucciano stated, pulling one card from her own Deck. "Now, I activate a Trap Card known as Gift of Greed, allowing you to draw 2 cards." Watching, Sherry pulled 2 cards from her own Deck and looked at them before Lucciano snapped her fingers, opening her last card. "I activate my Trap Card: If We Die, We Die Together!"
Watching in terror, Sherry threw out the three cards in her hand as Lucciano did the same, and directly after that both players pulled 5 new cards from their Decks and suffered 300 points in damage.
Sherry: LP 100
Lucciano: LP 3700
"Now that my hand is buffed and your Deck is down to 9 cards," Lucciano teased, indicating Sherry's incredibly small Deck, "I think I'll cast the Magic Card Lightning Vortex. I discard a second Sky Core, and Destroy every monster you control!" Watching in terror, Sherry saw lightning crash down from the sky and strike her two monsters, causing them both to explode. "Next, I set one card."
"Is that all?" Sherry asked, seeming rather annoyed at the current state of affairs.
"I'm afraid not," Lucciano stated. "I activate the Permanent Spell Destiny Trigger. I activate this card by sending my top card to the Cemetery." As she said this, a dark grey hand holding a bone-shaped explosive object and she pulled a card from her Deck to hold up, revealing a Monster Card and throwing it into the Cemetery.
"Now, I end my turn."
"Draw!" Sherry declared, pulling a card from her Deck and revealing a Magic Card. Then, she grabbed one already in her hand. "I Summon Lightlord Summoner Lumina (DEF: 1000, LV: 3)." Placing the card horizontally onto the tray, she called up a tan-skinned blond female in a white dress up into a crouching position and turned it blue before taking a card in her hand and throwing it away.
"By discarding one card, I Special Summon Lightlord Magician Lyra (ATK: 1700, LV: 4)!" She then called up a white-robed female with dark hair and a gold staff in hand, who then took up a crouching position. "Next, by changing this card to Defence Position (DEF: 200), I destroy your Destiny Trigger!"
As she said this, her monster also took up a crouching position and turned blue before the set card on Lucciano's field shattered. "Hold on, what just happened?"
"I activate the effect of my set card, Power Trigger," Lucciano informed, holding it up. "If my opponent activates a card effect that destroys cards, I may send this set card to the Cemetery to negate that effect."
"Very well," Sherry stated. "I set 2 cards. In the End Phase, my two monsters mean I must send 6 cards to the Cemetery." With that Sherry grabbed all but two of her monsters and threw them into the Cemetery, leaving her Cemetery brimming with cards and her hand the same size as her Deck.
"Draw," Lucciano stated. "Now, I attack your Summoner with Skiel Attack 5!"
"I activate Divining Light!" Sherry countered, flipping her Trap Card. "I send my two Lightlords to the Cemetery and add two Magic or Trap Cards from my Cemetery to my hand. I choose Tempest and Cold Wave." With that her two monsters disappeared and her two said cards slid from her Cemetery into her hand, where she placed them carefully.
"Then I set two card and end my turn," Lucciano stated, placing the last of her hand onto the tray.
"Draw!" Sherry declared, pulling a card that was then revealed as a Monster card. Seconds later, the hand pressed the button and exploded, creating a shockwave that struck Sherry, making her fall on her hands and knees in pain.
Sherry: LP 50
Lucciano: LP 3700
"Get up Sherry!" Judai yelled in concern, his own expression mirrored by Jack and Kyojo.
"This does not concern you Judai," Lucciano replied before looking back at Sherry with sadistic pleasure. "Very soon I'll claim my prize and she'll be out of our way."
"I'm not done yet!" Sherry countered, getting to her feet and looking at Lucciano with a look of hatred. "You might have knocked my Life Points almost to Zero, and my Deck maybe down to 2 cards, but I can assure you that my Deck remains strong. I'll show you! Magic Activate: Cold Wave! In the next two turns, Magic and Trap Cards cannot be set or activated!" With that declared, a wave of frost covered over both of the set cards before Lucciano and started on Sherry's card; but then, she smiled.
"I Chain my Trap Card, Light of Convergence! I discard my hand and return the same number of Light-Type Monsters to my hand." With that she placed all 5 cards into her Cemetery and watched as five Light Monsters shot back out, including one that made her smile.
"Next, I'll point out that in my Cemetery there are six unique Lightlord Monsters: Wolf, Grangonis, Celestia, Garos, Lumina and Raikou. Thus, I have cleared the Summoning Conditions to my ultimate monster. Come, Judgment Dragon (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)!" With that a huge column of light burst up from the ground behind her, which revealed the silhouette of a huge dragon within it.
Seconds later, that light was dispelled by a stronger light that revealed a glowing white dragon the size of the local buildings. Its entire body was covered in snow white feathers along with its massive wings, it had a name of hair off its head and tail, its clays and eyes were red, and it had two long whiskers like a Chinese Dragon of myth. Having appeared, it roared out angrily and shook the ground, scaring Lucciano slightly.
"Judgment Dragon has the ability to destroy all other cards on the field for 1000 Life Points," Sherry pointed out. "However, as you know, I don't have enough Life Points for that effect; but even so, it has enough Attack Strength for a massive burst. Battle! I attack your Skiel Carrier 3 with Judgment Dragon!"
Roaring out, the dragon opened its jaws and blasted a beam of golden light straight at the wings of the monster; and though they survived, the resulting explosion caused Lucciano to be struck with energy and collapse onto her own knees, unable to avoid the damage this time.
Sherry: LP 50
Lucciano: LP 1100
As soon as the blast was gone, Lucciano brought herself back to a standing position, watching the confident smile on Sherry's face as she reached for another card in her hand. "Next, I set one monster and end my turn." "This Duel is in the bag. The last card in my Deck is a second Judgment Dragon, which I'll draw next turn. And just in case that fails, I have my set monster to deal with her."
"So, I bet you think you have everything you need in your possession," Lucciano asked, pointing at the gigantic dragon standing behind Sherry and in front of Judai, Jack and Kyojo. "You'd be wrong. One strike from my Skiel, and that's all."
"I doubt that will suffice," Sherry replied confidently, looking at her hand as she said this. Seconds later however, the glowing blue Infinity Symbol around them began to pulsate and grow more intense, which caused Sherry to start to stagger and put her hand on her knee to steady herself.
"Your reaction says otherwise," Lucciano sneered, watching as Sherry suddenly dropped her hand and fell onto the ground, on her hands and knees while she panted heavily. Sherry then tried to push herself up with her arms, but it was to no avail and she quickly collapsed face-down upon the ground.
"Sherry!" Kyojo yelled out loud, Judai running over to the Infinity Barrier and stopping short. "You bitch! Why are you doing this to her?!"
"You people are far too gullible," Lucciano chastised. "Sherry Leblanc's parents are alive and well, living in Paris with their son Marc Leblanc. Sherry is the middle name of Mrs. Leblanc; nobody by the name Sherry Leblanc even exists."
"What are you talking about?" Jack asked in disbelief. "Then who is she?"
"Her name is Sherry Deville, and she's a French Secret Service officer. She was sent here by the French Government to investigate Yliaster, under the statement that she was involved in the WRGP. That story she fed you was all one of many fabrications she's made. And we do not tolerate fraud."
"Whether that's true or not," Judai stated, raising his Duel Disc, "the duel isn't over yet. Sherry still has 50 Life Points and 1 card in her Deck, as well as all those cards in play. You didn't win."
"Then care you to step up and take me on?" Lucciano challenged.
"Maybe not me," Judai stated before Yubel's voice joined him, "but I'd certainly be willing to take you on." With that an orange aura of flames appeared on Judai and separated from him, taking on the solid form of Yubel and returning Judai's eyes to normal.
"I'll take Sherry's place and her Life Points," Yubel declared, her Duel Disc growing out from her Left arm and a Deck solidifying in its slot. "The same stakes will apply. So, do you have any arguments?"
"Arguments? Why would I argue with the chance to defeat such a thorn in our side?" With that Yubel reached for her Deck and pulled 5 new cards, the Solid Vision from Sherry's Duel Disc wearing off and the Life Point Counter on Yubel's setting itself while Sherry's deactivated.
Yubel: LP 50
Lucciano: LP 1100
In the darkness of his lair, Paradox was continuing with his work, completely unphased by the incident at Godwin's mansion. In fact, the time that had passed had given him the chance to get farther into his project. He was now a week farther into Godwin's old work, and now he was on the verge of something he considered grand.
"So this is the place you consider your little hideout," Placido's voice mused, causing Paradox to turn to his left and pull off his mask. Looking back with his glowing eyes, he saw the glowing green and yellow Infinity marks of Placido and Jose; then, their bodies began to glow in the colour and their forms became visible.
"What are you doing here?" Paradox asked defensively, taking up an aggressive position while Placido simply gave back his confident smile, amused at Paradox's reaction.
"I expected more than a carbon copy of Rex Godwin's work," Placido scorned, stepping closer to the taller man. "I must say, I'm disappointed in your inability to go beyond the work of a failed scientist."
"Godwin only failed because you discarded him," Paradox replied in hostility, a ghostly version of himself splitting off from his body and imitating his pose. "It was you who led the Godwin Brothers down the path to ruin, and then you threw them away when they no longer suited your purposes!"
"Godwin was my partner every step of the way," Placido retorted, countering Paradox. "He was as much my cohort as Lucciano and Jose. See, unlike you Paradox, I don't feel the urge to kill everyone I meet; I can actually get what I need by cooperating with others."
"You're a sociopath!" Paradox accused, pointing at his enemy. "You don't simply use others; you twist them into monstrous demons with God Complexes, then you discard them when they no longer suit your needs."
"I'm the sociopath, am I?" Placido questioned in amusement, putting his hand against his chest. "You should take a closer look at yourself, Paradox; you're so twisted that you're incapable of human connection. Fortunately for you, that gives me a use for you."
"What?" Paradox asked in amazement, only to understand when Placido drew his sword and slashed Paradox across the chest, knocking him backwards. Then, Placido jumped so that his feet were to either side of Paradox's abdomen and held his sword above the man's forehead, ready to plunge it.
Just then, Paradox managed to grab a throwing knife from his pouch and throw it up into Placido's Infinity eyepatch, causing blood to spill down upon Placido's face but not causing the man any harm. Instead, Placido simply put his sword back in its scabbard and picked Paradox up by the collar, the knife still in his eye socket, and said, "I guess you forgot about that."
With Jose looking on in disgust, Placido threw Paradox into the side of the reactor, giving him a huge electric shock and making him slump to the floor. Turning around, Placido looked back at Jose with a confident smile and ripped the knife out of his eye socket, throwing it to the ground. Then, he turned back to Paradox and pulled his sword out again, pointing it at his forehead.
"It's time we put your talents to good use," Placido stated sadistically. With that he plunged the sword's tip into Paradox's forehead, making the man scream in pain and Jose cringe in disgust while a burst of green energy formed at the sword tip. A second later Placido removed his blade and the orb burst like a bubble, forming a glowing green Infinity symbol where the scar would have been.
Opening his eyes, Paradox's ghostly form disappeared and his glowing yellow eyes changed to green. Then, the man stood up and placed his right hand on his chest before bowing to Placido; then he asked, "What is my first instruction?"
"You are by now familiar with the Z-ONE card I take it?" Placido asked. When Paradox nodded he added, "I need to use that card to get to a specific point in time, and I need you to connect me to that time."
"If you can bring me the card, I can connect you to it," Paradox informed. "What time exactly are you after?"
"I need to reach the Battle City V2 Tournament," Placido informed. "Yugi's Legendary Egyptian God Cards have enough power in them to fuel my next project; and I need access to both them and the Legendary Nameless Pharaoh."
"Then I will complete the connection as soon as I have the card," Paradox answered. Smiling, Placido turned and walked over to Jose, raising his sword to the air. Seconds later its blade lit up and he swung it downwards, creating a slash in the very reality before them. Thus, both men disappeared into the glowing green energy created, leaving only Paradox in his chamber.
Seconds later, however, the Infinity symbol on his forehead shattered and his eyes returned to yellow. Sneering, he turned back and thought to himself, "Those Egyptian Gods will provide enough power to complete my project. This has proven quite a lucrative venture."
Card of the Week – Sherry
Judgment Dragon
Type: LIGHT
Level: 8
Tribes: [Dragon/Effect]
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except when there are 4 or more "Lightlord" Monsters with different names in your Cemetery. Activate by paying 1000 Life Points. Destroy all other cards on the field except this card. During your End Phase, send the top 4 cards of your Deck to the Cemetery.
ATK/ 3000
DEF/ 2600
*Spoiler alert: Yugi next chapter. Review if you wish.*