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 34 – The Undying Rage Within! Sudden Death Duel, Kyojo vs. Paradox
Riding alongside each other, Paradox and Kyojo were in the midst of starting Riding Duel, their D-Wheels primed and their hands drawn. "I'll take the first move," Kyojo snarled, his desire to avenge his friends forcing up his rage.
"Do as you wish, miserable human," Paradox responded, an impassive look upon his face under his mask. "But I doubt it will help you; after all, it failed to help any of your friends."
"Well then I'll show you what the first turn can mean. I draw!" The instant the card was into his grasp, he snatched up 2 other cards from the sleeve of his hand and placed them into the tray. "I Summon Masked Dragon (DEF: 1100, LV: 3)!" Generating a blue vortex, Kyojo spawned his red and white bone-armoured dragon in a crouching position, where it instantly turned blue. "I set 2 cards and end my turn."
"Oh, what's this then?" Paradox chastised, looking at Kyojo via the monitor. "I thought you wanted to show me the same pain as I've supposedly caused you. I'm still here, and I felt nothing. I suppose that makes you and out-and-out liar, doesn't it?"
"You watch your tongue to me hos!" Kyojo snapped, giving Paradox the finger with his right hand. "You've fucked with my friends these past few weeks, and I've been a fucking asshole myself to have allowed it. But no more! I'm gonna enjoy tearing you limb from limb."
"Are you done with your little speech?" Paradox questioned, sounding rather irritated. "Because you're truly starting to bore me. It's nothing new; none of you bastard humans were a gold challenge; well, except perhaps Hell Kaiser, but he lost anyway…"
"He didn't lose to you!" Kyojo shot back, clearly growing more and more angry. "All you did was hurt him so badly he couldn't continue, and then you retreated. You're not a duellist at all; you're a fucking chicken-shit coward!"
"How dare you talk to me that way?" Paradox finally shouted, clenching his grip around his two throttles on his D-Wheel. "The last pathetic anthropoid to talk to me that way; I choked the life out of her. But I digress; I'll show you true pain now. You know not true anguish until you've seen everyone you love torn apart before your very eyes."
Turning back to his Deck, Paradox let out a light cackle as he drew his card without words (Kyojo: 1 SPC/Paradox: 1 SPC); then, he took a single card from his hand and spun it around. "From my Extra Deck, I choose to exclude my Cyber End Dragon!" In an instant Hell Kaiser's three-headed mechanical dragon emerged with an inorganic roar, completely covered in blackness and eyes glowing yellow.
"What the fuck is…"
"Become one with the darkness, Sin Cyber End Dragon (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!" IN a flash, the dragon was completely consumed by the shadowy power, changing its form into the white, black and grey-armoured version that Crow had faced, with all of its heads snarling at Kyojo.
"Sin Monsters are summoned by excluding their normal form," Paradox explained. "They also can only exist with a Field Magic in play, none of my other monsters can attack, and only 1 Sin Monster may be in play at once. After that, their effects are based on their original counterpart."
"Hold on; then you mean…"
"Sin Cyber End Dragon inflicts Penetration Damage!" Roaring darkly, three streams of black energy shot from the jaws of the monster; but before they did, Kyojo was quick to flip 2 set cards.
"Hold on hos! I activate Damage Condenser by discarding Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon; and I chain Damage Gate to that! Thanks to these two effects, after I take damage, I get to reap the benefits of their effects!" Seconds later, the energy struck and exploded the dragon with a resounding crash; and then Kyojo was struck by their power as well, masking him scream in pain while his D-Wheel spun out for about 5 seconds.
Kyojo: LP 1100
Paradox: LP 4000
Grunting in pain, Kyojo reached onto his tray and threw his 3 face-up cards into the Cemetery; but a second later, another card slid from the Cemetery slot and he grabbed it, holding it up. "Due to Damage Gate, I can instantly Special Summon a monster from my Cemetery whose ATK is within my taken damage; come back, Red-Eyes (ATK: 2800, LV: 10)!"
With a flash of energy, Kyojo's monster re-ascended to the field; the metallic black wyvern with red trim and gemstones, which snarled at Paradox while 2 cards slid from Kyojo's Deck. "Next, due to Damage Condenser, the same occurs from my Deck. Come on, Tyrant Dragon (ATK: 2900, LV: 8)!"
In an instant, a fireball emerged that spawned the orange-scaled dragon right beside Kyojo, snarling as well while Kyojo held up the final card. "Last, but not least; since Masked Dragon was destroyed by battle, I Special Summon Boost Dragon from my Deck (ATK: 1500, LV: 3)!"
The last monster to appear, a smaller dragon with long, thin wings wearing what appeared to be jet boosters, and a long tail which resembled injection wires for a fuel system. "Well there you go; I had 1 monster earlier, and now I have 3."
"Such a display is formidable, but far from invincible," Paradox responded. "Especially after I set 4 cards. Well, come now; show me that pain you promised me, or prove yourself a liar."
"I never make promises I don't intend to deliver on!" Kyojo warned. "I Draw (Kyojo: 2 SPC/Paradox: 2 SPC)! And then, I activate Boost Dragon's effect; by releasing this monster, I add 1500 extra points to one dragon I control until the End Phase (ATK: 4300)!" The smallest dragon then rose into the air and dissolved into green energy, attaching to the larger metal dragon and boosting its power.
"In the turn this effect is used, I cannot Normal Summon or set," Kyojo stated. "However, I can certainly activate Darkness Metal's effect; I Special Summon my monster from the Cemetery again (ATK: 1500, LV: 3) and use it to power up Tyrant Dragon (ATK: 4400)!" For a quick instant the small dragon appeared again, only to change back into energy and infuse into the other dragon a moment later.
"Time to start delivering on that damage I promised you! Red-Eyes, destroy Sin Cyber End Dragon! Darkness Metal Flare!" The metallic black dragon was quick to create and fire a burst of energy from its jaws, shooting straight through the chest of the metal beast and into Paradox's body on the D-Wheel. The monster then exploded outright; but rather than show pain, Paradox simply revealed a set card.
Kyojo: LP 1100
Paradox: LP 3700
"I activate Sin Tune," he revealed, reaching for his Deck. "After a Sin Monster I control is destroyed, I can use this effect to draw 2 cards." With a second Paradox had pulled the 2 cards from his Deck and placed them in his hand; then, with a dark chuckle, he watched Kyojo's agonized face.
"That was an outright trap," he realized, hitting himself mentally for falling for the oldest trick in the book. "He wanted that dragon destroyed so he could replenish his cards; and he still has 3 set cards. Fortunately for me, Tyrant Dragon is immune to traps." "Battle! I attack you directly with Tyrant Dragon!"
"I don't think so!" Paradox insisted, pointing to another card on his field. "I activate a Trap Card!"
"Sorry boy, but Trap Cards don't work on Tyrant Dragon!"
"Who said this Trap Card was intended for your Dragon?" Paradox questioned slyly, watching Kyojo's dumbfounded-ness as the blast hit him square on and he was shrouded in smoke. Pitch-black smoke; not the kind produced from fire, but the kind that enveloped the metal dragon earlier.
When the smoke lifted completely, Paradox's Trap Card was right beside him and a black card floating in front of him; then, he held up his Trap Card and explained it. "Due to the effect of Sacrifice of Darkness, I negate a direct attack's Battle Damage; then, I add one Sin Monster with an identical Level from my Deck to my hand."
Watching intently, Kyojo saw the card that was floating fall slowly into Paradox's grasp, where he simply stashed it into the compartment on his D-Wheel for his hand. "Anything else you'd like to show me?"
"Growling, Kyojo grabbed the remainder of his hand and simply threw it down onto the tray. "I set 3 cards and end my turn."
"What a waste of time. I Draw (Kyojo: 3 SPC/Paradox: 3 SPC)!" Sneering under his mask, Paradox placed his drawn card into his hand and grabbed the one that was produced earlier. "Now, to show you a monster you'll be familiar with. I exclude Red Daemon's from my Extra Deck…"
"No!"
"…and call forth Sin Red Daemon's Dragon (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)!" Out of the D-Wheel spawned a darkness that wrapped around the form of Kyojo's red and grey dragon, converting its form into the twisted version that Crow before him was shown. "And next, I equip Sin Arms to this monster among my face-down cards!" Instantly a Trap Card was revealed upon Paradox's field; one that encased his monster in a black fog-like aura.
"Due to this card, my monster inherits 500 extra points (ATK: 3500), plus half those of its attack target. Go, destroy Tyrant Dragon (ATK: 4950)!" The dragon before Paradox then created a black fireball on its hand; one that, as it show towards its target, grew larger. However, Kyojo once again responded with a Trap Card.
"Don't think so! I activate Guard Block!" Pulling a single card from his Deck, Kyojo watched painfully as one of his best monster was simply incinerated by the vile beast before him; and before it even returned to its place, Paradox flipped his last Trap Card.
"I activate the Permanent Trap, Sin Strike! When a Sin Monster destroys a monster in battle, if my opponent has another attack target, then once per turn it gains an additional attack (ATK: 4900)!" Watching angrily, the dragon took its claws and slashed across the chest of Kyojo's dragon; but before any damage reached him, he was forced to use another card.
"Go, Trap of Darkness! For 1000 Life Points, I exclude my Guard Block from my Cemetery and use its effect!" Once again, Kyojo drew and was forced to look upon his dragon's form as it exploded; then, with a look of complete anger, he showed off his last set card.
Kyojo: LP 100
Paradox: LP 3700
"I activate Recharge Damage!" Pulling all 3 cards from his Deck in an instant, Paradox simply laughed at the man and looked to his own cards, sneering.
"How sad. You may have gotten a whole new hand; but it cost you every card you had. My dragon, on the other hand, is still here; and so long as it is here, it will obliterate every card in its path."
"Like I'd let that happen!"
"You have no choice, pathetic human. I'll destroy you; just like you destroy this world with your greed, hatred, violence… or have I got the wrong Ryukishi Kyojo, the former Duel Mobster?" When Kyojo gave no reply other than a growl, Paradox simply placed 2 cards onto the tray silently, ending his turn without speaking.
"I Draw (Kyojo: 4 SPC/Paradox: 4 SPC)!" "I'm way under the safety line here. I have 100 Life Points and he has 4 Speed Counters. If he has any Speed Spells in his hand at all, he can end it; but not if I play to his battle aggression." "I activate the Speed Spell – Angel Baton!"
"All you seem to do is draw cards and do cheap tricks. How about a real move?" Paradox criticized, watching Kyojo draw 2 cards and take one from his hand into his Cemetery.
"I set 2 cards. Then, in the End Phase, I exclude Red-Eyes Wyvern and call on an old friend… Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (ATK: 2800, LV: 10)!" Taking one of the cards out of his Cemetery, Kyojo called back up his massive black metal wyvern with a loud roar, giving Paradox a sense of things to come.
"An impressive monster; but one that I've defeated with ease already. And now, I'll show you that your monster is worthless, just like you bastard humans! It's my turn (Kyojo: 5 SPC/Paradox: 5 SPC)!" Looking at his card only for a second, Paradox pointed and yelled, "Battle! I destroy your Wyvern with my Red Daemon's (ATK: 4900)!"
"Don't think so! I activate my Trap Card: Calamity of the Wicked! When a Monster my opponent controls attacks, all Magic and Trap Cards are instantly destroyed!" Kyojo simply sneered as his own set card and Paradox's 4 cards shattered into shards of their images; then, two cards slid from Kyojo's Cemetery and he held them up.
"A good trick, reducing my Dragon's power to normal (ATK: 3000)," Paradox complemented, "but it's still not enough. You still lose!"
"Try again," Kyojo responded, showing off the two cards. "I exclude my Great Dragon's Heart and my Boost Dragon; and so now, all the power of Boost Dragon goes to Wyvern for the turn (ATK: 4300)! Counterattack!" Roaring viciously, another ball of energy shot from the jaws of the dragon, completely exploding its aggressor.
Kyojo: LP 100
Paradox: LP 2400
"How's that?" Kyojo questioned. "You're receiving damage from a human like me! How does that make you feel?"
"Simple-minded anthropoid," Paradox sneered, a card sliding from his Cemetery as Kyojo spoke. "I activate the effect of Sin Spirits. If both this set card and one of my Sin Monsters is destroyed in the same turn, by excluding this card, I Summon a Sin Token with the same ATK, DEF, Level and Type as the aggressor (ATK: 4300, LV: 10)!"
Watching in horror, Kyojo saw dark energy pull itself into the shape of his dragon; then, it solidified into a version of his dragon with the Sin mask and wings; one which made a blood-curdling, evil roar which was unlike the original monster. "Go! Sin Token, destroy Red-Eyes Darkness Metal!"
Roaring, both dragons quickly formed the red and white orbs of energy in their mouths, each one firing theirs into the chest of the other and exploding both of them. "Now, behold and comprehend the thought and feel of complete despair and solitude; the loss of everything you have piece by piece, the same way I felt it so long ago."
"What kind of garbage are you trying to sandbag me with?" Kyojo questioned hostilely. "You talk about losing everything, watching what you love being destroyed; but what have you ever loved? What did you have that was important to you? The answer is nothing! You never truly called anything special!"
"You dare utter that insult to me!" Paradox snapped, his eyes beginning to glow through his mask. "I know more about loss and pain, than you ever could!"
"But see that's the thing," Kyojo responded harshly. "Those who have lost can understand the pain of others; they can empathize. They do not spread that same misery and anguish among other innocent people. The only monsters that can do something so twisted are those who felt nothing to begin with!"
Gasping angrily at Kyojo's comment, Paradox simply grunted and reached for a card in his hand before slapping it onto the tray. "I shall enjoy shredding your hope, before your body; and I'll show you that pain through Sin Ultimate Gem God – Rainbow Dragon (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!"
Once the card was upon the tray, a series of rainbow sparks and bolts emanated from the Duel Disc and formed into an aura of rainbow energy. This then became surrounded by the black aura, and forged it into the black-armoured white dragon Paradox had attained against Endymion. Snarling, the beast simply fell into line with Paradox's D-Wheel and continued on.
"I end my turn at this point; because I know that you cannot continue. Should you choose to, you will simply continue to lose everything you put into play; then your Life Points and your fighting spirit will crumble at my feet; and then I'll show you a true agony, a crushing despair the likes of which your mortal brain cannot even comprehend."
"This Paradox guy... he's too strong..." Kyojo realized, feeling the sweat pouring down his forehead and hearing his loud, fast heartbeat. "I've been searching for somebody like Taiyou since he passed on... somebody who could give me the duelling fight I could otherwise only dream of... but, this guy is just so far above me... can I even hope for a miracle...?"
"To think, I once looked up to you Kyojo," Taiyou's spirit said in the back of Kyojo's mind, his form illuminated in the blackness of Kyojo's thoughts. "You need to collect yourself. Ryukishi Kyojo... you're the strongest duellist I ever faced, and nobody can topple your reign. But you're a calculating Duellist; rushing head-first into battle is not your forte. Fight not as a demon of vengeance, like all those people we had to face; fight as a true duellist, and fate will guide victory into your hands."
Snapping his eyes back open, Kyojo looked to see his hand, which had just been trembling, to be completely still. His heart beat normally, and he was focussed again. "I've got a lot of work to do to make up for all this lost time; but here it goes!" "I draw (Kyojo: 6 SPC/Paradox: 6 SPC)!"
Looking down upon all the cards in his hand, he saw only one which offered any promise at this time. "All of these other cards... they're just no good to me now. But my Deck has just given me a sign; and I'll follow its will, fighting to the end." "I activate Speed Spell – Over Speed!"
"Gambling on your Deck at a time like this?" Paradox questioned. "That's quite a bold move; I hope for your sake, miserable human, that it pays some dividend."
"Due to this card, I give up all Speed Counters I have right now, and any I gain for the next 3 Standby Phases (Kyojo: 0 SPC/Paradox: 6 SPC)!" Having played this card, Kyojo fell far back behind Paradox, just within range of sight; but as he did, a pair of cards shot out from his Cemetery.
"In return, I add one monster of 3 or fewer stars, and one Magic or Trap Card, from my Cemetery to my hand. I choose Masked Dragon and Damage Gate; and then I summon my Masked again (DEF: 1100, LV: 3)!" As with the first turn of the duel, Kyojo's dragon appeared before him in a crouching position and turned blue.
"I also set these 2 cards and end my turn!" "Paradox could have ended this duel at any point by now; instead, he chose to go with the battle method. That tells me that either he has no Speed Spells in his hand, or he's not going to use them. Since he doesn't seem a completely straightforward guy, my bet is the former. That card will keep me safe for now!"
"I draw (Kyojo: 0 SPC/Paradox: 7 SPC), and I activate my Speed Spell – Sin Burst! This card can only be activated if I have 7 or more Speed Counters, by selecting 1 Sin Monster in my Cemetery and one on my field who share a Level. Due to this, I exclude Sin Cyber End from my Cemetery; and until the End Phase, Sin Rainbow will gain its effect."
"Do your worst…" Kyojo stated calmly, looking at Paradox with nerves of steel.
"Hmm… your will has yet to break I see. Very well; I'll change that! Battle! Sin Rainbow, eliminate Masked Dragon and his Life Points! Chaos Rainbow!" Coiling around to face Kyojo, the white dragon opened its jaws wide and released a black-outlined burst of rainbow energy, shooting straight at the dragon; and before that hit, Kyojo sneered and showed a card.
"I activate Super Enrich Formula Z!" With the card on his field, Paradox growled while a green glow surrounded Kyojo. When the blast hit the dragon he controlled, the shockwave shattered the card but nothing more. "Thanks to the extra 4000 Life Points, I have pulled myself above the Safely Line."
Kyojo: LP 1200
Paradox: LP 2400
"True as that may be," Paradox stated calmly, "your Life Points are a mere half of mine."
"I still have more monsters than you," Kyojo stated, flipping his card, "or have you forgotten Damage Gate? Return to me, Red-Eyes (ATK: 2800, LV: 10)!" Once the card was up, the blue vortex spawned the gigantic black dragon once again; and as it did, a card slid from his Deck as well.
"Next, Masked Dragon's effect gives me a dividend; say hello Dread Dragon (ATK: 1100, LV: 2)!" Placing this card onto the tray created the brown-looking dragon with a large mouth, dreadlocks for hair and short, thin arms; this creature took up formation beside its host and snarled, looking at Paradox angrily.
"A Tuner Monster; that can only mean a Synchro Summon is about to occur," Paradox realized, sneering. "I set two cards and end my turn." With the last of his hand on the tray, Kyojo turned to his own Deck, fire in his soul, and prepared for his one shot at the win.
"Draw (Kyojo: 0 SPC/Paradox: 8 SPC)!" he issued, looking at his card and gaining a gasp of relief when he saw it. "I activate Red-Eyes' effect; I Special Summon Tyrant Dragon from my Cemetery. Of course, this costs one sacrifice; so farewell, Red-Eyes!" Roaring, the black dragon simply burs into flames, creating in its wake the orange and beige dragon anew (ATK: 2900, LV: 8). "Next, I place 2 cards face-down, and I tune my Level 2 Dread Dragon to my Level 8 Tyrant Dragon!"
Roaring out, the smaller dragon breathed out 2 white orbs before disappearing; once in the air, these orbs became green rings. Then, the larger dragon also roared and rose up into them, its body becoming a glowing yellow outline containing 8 white orbs along its length. In a flash, the entire thing burst into light, then fire.
"The ruler of Hell will now converge upon the earth," Kyojo chanted, holding up his ace card, "to extinguish the wicked souls and ignite the pyres of dogma! Synchro Summon! Incinerate, Trident Dragion (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)!" Bursting from the massive light, Kyojo's gigantic dragon loomed overtop of the smaller white dragon before Paradox, its heads growling as Kyojo's field became engulfed in flames.
"Due to this monster's effect, I now destroy my 2 set cards." Seconds later, two burning cards emerged on Kyojo's side of the field and flipped up, exploding and taking the flames with them. "But now, I can attack with it three times this turn."
"Attacking thrice with a weaker monster is a wasted effort," Paradox declared. "What exactly do you hope to accomplish?"
"The two set cards I destroyed tell the story," Kyojo explained. "First up, Dummy Marker lets me draw one card because it was destroyed; rather an innate effect." Once he had pulled his card, however, two more cards slid from his Cemetery, and he held them up to Paradox in order to create a stir.
"The other one is a second Great Dragon's Heart," he explained. "And by excluding it and Masked Dragon, Trident gets a boost for this round (ATK: 4400)! Go, barbecue that impostor of a dragon with Lucifer's Firestorm!" The middle head on the dragon's body then let out a vicious demonic roar before a burst of fire shot from it, exploding the white dragon on contact and making Paradox's D-Wheel stagger and actually lose ground on Kyojo.
Kyojo: LP 1200
Paradox: LP 2000
"The gap is slowly narrowing," Paradox realized aloud, "but it's a futile effort! Look upon my second Sin Tune!" Immediately Paradox reached for his Deck and grabbed two new cards, leaving Kyojo to conduct his Battle Phase peacefully.
"Let's see those cards save you from this! I double direct attack with Trident Dragion!" At that very moment both other heads on the dragon's body let out huge fireballs shooting straight at Paradox; but in reply, Paradox simply placed both of his cards into the Cemetery.
"Sorry to disappoint, but the last two cards were both Sin Gardna," he explained. "These two monsters can be discarded to negate 1 direct attack, and add 1 Sin Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Both fireballs stopped just short of hitting Paradox, their forms condensing completely into two cards and floating into Paradox's hand.
"I lost my chance to kill him outright; but I can still win this match. The last three cards in my hand will see me do a victory lap. On my next turn, I start gaining Speed Counters again; but more importantly, if I've read this right, I still have a chance to win."
"I set 3 cards. With my End Phase now here, Trident loses all its extra power (ATK: 3000); however, this game is in the home stretch."
"Indeed it is," Paradox agreed. "So prepare to crash and burn! It's the last turn (Kyojo: 0 SPC/Paradox: 9 SPC)! I Summon Sin Parallel Gear (ATK: 800, LV: 2)!" Surprisingly to Kyojo, Paradox's monster was nothing more than a small robot made mostly of golden gears, black sheet metal and some wiry-liking parts; however, Paradox also held up a card from his hand, and this made Kyojo nervous.
"Sin Parallel Gear is a most unique Tuner Monster," he revealed. "I can only Synchro Summon a Sin Synchro Monster with it; however, the Material I use can be one straight from my hand!" Watching Kyojo gasp, Paradox added, "I Tune my Level 2 Sin Parallel Gear to my Level 8 Sin Light and Darkness Dragon!"
Emerging in ghostly form, the white and black dragon from Paradox's match with Crow emerged and the gears on the other monster started turning. All but the two largest gears of its body then disappeared; these turned into green rings to surround the large dragon, changing it into 8 white orbs and then a column of light.
"Born from the Threshold of the Dimension of Darkness, time to lower the curtain on the Stage of Destruction!" Paradox chanted, a card materializing into his hand from black energy before he placed it onto the tray. "Synchro Summon! Destroy all, Sin Paradox Dragon (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!"
From the light first extended two long, grey wings; long and thin, with a white ribbed structure and tipped in three blade-like spikes. Next, three-clawed, three-jointed legs with spikes on the knees appeared, along with a lengthy segmented tail ending in a wedge-shaped stylized blade. Finally, the rest appeared as a mask-like face with two glowing red eyes in sunken shadows, and a chest with a yellow honeycomb gem on the front of it.
"What a powerful monster… To think that such a monster would exist, at the same level as my Trident Dragion, or the Saviour Dragons… and have such high power."
"When Sin Paradox Dragon is Synchro Summoned, its effect Special Summons one of my excluded Dragon-Type Synchro Monsters; come back to be, Red Daemon's Dragon (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)!" In a flash of black flames the grey and red dragon appeared, its very form constrained within that black energy and its growling laboured and pained.
"Next, its power is subtracted from all of your monsters for this turn (ATK: 0)!" Gasping completely at such a move, Kyojo could only watch as his monster's power disappeared. "Now go, Sin Paradox, and eliminate that weak dragon and its master!"
"I don't think so!" Kyojo yelled, revealing the first of his three Trap Cards. 'I activate Holy Barrier – Mirror Force! Say goodbye to your monsters!" Rainbow-looking cracks then began to form over the entire bodies of both creatures, causing them to shatter and explode; then, in their absence, the power of the Dragon before Kyojo rose again (ATK: 3000).
"A clever counter; but not one I did not foresee!" Paradox issued. "Trap Card Open: Sin Mirage! When a Sin Monster is destroyed by a card effect, I Special Summon all Sins that were destroyed this turn back onto my field (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!" A beam of black energy then reappeared beside Paradox, releasing once again the form of his titanic grey masked dragon with a low, guttural growl.
"Now, let's try this again wit your Mirror Force used up! Sin Paradox, break Trident Dragion to pieces! Burst of Dark Worlds!" The dragon opened its mouth with such force that it cracked its mask and split in two, revealing grey leathery jaws with a double row of white recurved teeth; from its mouth, a blast of black energy shot at Kyojo and his dragon; but first, Kyojo played a set card.
"Permanent Trap: Great Dragon's Soul! Instead of being destroyed, Trident loses 300 ATK and DEF!" The blast of the monster then struck Kyojo's dragon in the chest; the energy thus bounced off and struck Kyojo, who cringed in pain while he received his most intense shock yet.
Kyojo: LP 200
Paradox: LP 2000
"That monster's power... so wicked and vile. It's almost as though it's born... from Paradox's very rage itself. I've never seen a creature so wicked."
"Your dragon may be safe now (ATK: 2700/DEF: 2500), but that does not mean you are," Paradox reaffirmed, his monster's mouth closing and the mask self-repairing as he spoke. "In my Main Phase 2, I activate Speed World 2's effect; and I remove 4 Speed Counters (Kyojo: 0 SPC/Paradox: 5 SPC) and have you take 800 damage due to the Speed Spell – Tyrant Force in my hand!"
"Counter Trap: Damage Polarilyzer!" Kyojo issued, getting Paradox to snarl. "That damage effect is negated, and we both draw a single card!" "Come on Deck: Give me an answer for that effect!" Reaching for his Deck, Kyojo snatched up a single card and slowly pulled it to his face; but to his dismay, he saw nothing but his Debris Dragon. "No... my Deck failed me..."
"You couldn't save yourself in the end," Paradox issued, barely even looking at his drawn card. "Accept your demise like the ragged old cur you are. I pay 4 more Speed Counters (Kyojo: 0 SPC/Paradox: 1 SPC) and end this little charade!" Before Kyojo could even react, a burst of energy on the console of his D-Wheel caused it to completely explode; as Paradox turned to watch, he saw the fireball go shooting up into the air, then simply fall to the ground and slide to a stop.
"Ryukishi Kyojo," Paradox muttered to himself as his D-Wheel returned to Drive Mode. "Not even worth fearing anymore." A second later, however, Paradox was surprised and angry to see that a form came stepping out from the fire, Kyojo over its shoulders, before laying him down upon the ground. Looking closely, Paradox recognized on their face the form of Endymion's mask; and so he knew all at once who it would be.
"Even after all these years, your friend hasn't grown enough that he doesn't need you to save him," Paradox chastised, the angry look on Taiyou's face under his mask causing the eye pieces to glow. "No matter though; now I have a chance to face you, and extinguish you just like your old master."
"You scum," Taiyou hissed under his breath, watching as Paradox got off his D-Wheel and stepped onto the road. "Attacking my friends like this, destroying my world; I will stop you, and nothing will get in my way."
"Then you and the other Summoners can meet me at the Old Momentum at midnight tonight; while Placido entertains the Signers, I'll entertain your lot. After all, you're just dying to learn about the Signer of Destruction, are you not?"
"Filth," Taiyou simply hissed back, watching as Paradox got back onto his D-Wheel and shot off into the distance.
"An entertaining way to spend a few minutes, but how does that help us?" Alessandro inquired of Placido, both men having watched the duel and the brief confrontation to its end. "What did we gain from that?"
"The Circuit," Placido explained, turning to Alessandro as both their screens turned off. "That duel used so much energy that the Circuit gained 2 more sections. At this rate, only a few more duels will give us a completed Circuit before the Signers and I meet."
"That's great, El Capitán," Alessandro responded, his tone and face changing to become more enthused. This lasted a mere few seconds, as he then asked, "So… how do we get those last duels with so few Riding Roids left?"
"Go back to Jose and Lucciano," Placido instructed, half-answering the question. "You and he can do as you wish; it's time I took things into my own hands." Looking down, his eye and the Infinity patch on his eye plate glowed red as Placido jumped from the edge; then, drawing his sword, he created the red vortex again, emerging a second later in his riding form on top of Terrible Omen.
"Very well, El Capitán," Alessandro declared, placing his right hand on his chest and nodding before he disappeared. Meanwhile, Placido simply fell to the ground on his D-Wheel, starting up the boosters and shooting along at break-neck speed.
"Direct attack with Red Daemon's Dragon!" Jack yelled, watching as his Dragon blasted a hole straight through another Riding Roid; only this time, none sprung back up in its place. "I think that's the last of them."
"No more on our radars," Kiryu responded; however, a second later his expression turned panic and he gasped. When both Yusuriha and Jack looked at him in concern he added, "There's a signal coming up on us fast; and several signals behind us are…"
Before he could even finish, the sound of several explosion and screams in the background drew everyone's attention behind them. The first thing they saw was a large, white anthropomorphic creature in the far distance; however, as it neared, they realized what they were looking at. "Wisel…!" Yusuriha gasped.
"It's that guy…" Jack said bitterly. A second later, his suspicion was confirmed when Placido's form sped into view, just a few feet behind Jack; and then he pulled a card from his Deck, sneering as he did so.
"I activate Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect," he stated flatly, "and I absorb Red Daemon's Dragon!" Shooting up beside its master, the gigantic white robot revealed itself to be in the state it had achieved in the field with Dark Glass; then; its Infinity Symbol shot out tentacles that wrapped around the red and grey dragon, dissolving its form into a flaming aura around the left arm (ATK: 6500, LV: 1).
"You bastard!" Jack yelled angrily. "Starting a duel with such an advantage!"
"Staring a duel?" Placido questioned. "You misunderstand; Dark Glass and I duelled during Battle Royal Mode, so defeating him did not reset my field! Now go, Machine Emperor Wisel! Smash his Strong Wind Dragon!" Letting out a mechanical groan, the monster jumped forward and sliced its bladed arm straight through the body of the green dragon on Jack's field, creating a huge pressure wave that got Jack rocking back and forth.
"Jack!" Both Kiryu and Yusuriha yelled in unison, watching as Jack just barely got lined back up before Placido made another move.
"Permanent Trap: Wise Returner! Once per turn, if Wisel equipped with a Synchro Monster destroys a monster in battle, it can attack a second time by releasing that Synchro monster!" Before Jack could even realize what was about to happen, the arm of the machine lost its aura and swung straight into the Wheel of Fortune; this resulted in an explosion, leaving the vehicle to fall onto its side and spin out while everyone else moved on.
"Such power to defeat Jack in a single turn," Kiryu realized, watching as Placido set 2 of the 3 cards in his hand. "But I'll bring it down! It's my turn (11 SPC)! I set one card, and I'll activate the effect of Infernity Death Dragon (ATK: 3000, LV: 8)! I skip its attack and destroy Wisel, taking half of its 3500 Points out of your score!"
"I don't think so!" Placido countered. "I activate the effect of Wisel Carrier 3; once per turn, I negate an effect to destroy a Wisel or Infinity Monster and destroy it!" Watching intently, he saw Kiryu's shock when the legs on the machine glowed white, launching several beams of energy that struck the four-eyed dragon and destroyed it.
"Then I have no choice but to switch One-Hundred Eye Dragon to Defence Position (DEF: 2500, LV: 8) and end my turn." Saying this, his multi-eyed dragon closed all of its eyes save for the one on its forehead; then, it curled up its arms and turned blue.
"Such a move is a wasted effort!" Placido insisted, reaching for his Deck. "I draw (12 SPC), and I absorb One-Hundred Eye Dragon as well (ATK: 6500)!" In a split second the tentacles returned, attaching to and assimilating the black dragon into a purple aura around the monster's arm. "Now go, Wisel! Destroy Bogart Knight!"
"We'll see about that!" Yusuriha yelled, not intending to end up like Jack. "Trap Card: Magic Cylinder! Prepare to receive your own attack points as damage!" However, before her card even started to work, two red laser beams from the face of the machine monster struck it and smashed it, leaving Yusuriha to wonder what had happened.
"Have you forgotten that Wisel Top 3 can negate Magic or Trap Cards?" Placido questioned, watching slyly as his robot's arm crashed into the brown-skinned monster before Yusuriha and explode it, deactivating her D-Wheel and making it spin out as well.
"Yusuriha!" Kiryu yelled out, smashing his fist into his console for being unable to stop the madman behind him. "I'll make you pay for this!"
"There's nothing you can do!" Placido jeered. "I release One-Hundred Eye Dragon (ATK: 3500)! Direct attack!" In a quick second Kiryu learned himself the true pain as the bladed arm shot into his body; he could feel the internal shock. "And now, I give up 4 Speed Counters and reveal Speed Spell – Final Attack!"
Without so much as time to respond, Kiryu's D-Wheel was shocked and then forced to fall onto his side, leaving all three people to have fallen onto their paths while Placido shot off into the distance, his Machine Emperor still in play.
A few seconds later, Placido felt himself slip into a tranquil state, so that he could communicate with his deity. Sure enough, in a few seconds, his body appeared inside the white misty void, in cloaked form, while the God-Machine appeared before him.
"Master," he declared, getting down onto one knee. "It won't be long now. In a few hours the Circuit will be complete, and my plan will bring you into this world. And then, we can begin our reformation." Interestingly, to speak to this God, Placido used 'ware' instead of 'ore' to refer to himself ('waga' for his possessive pronoun) and 'nanji' instead of 'anata' or 'omae' for the Deity, contrasting his usual pronouns.
"Very good," the Deity's voice spoke from around him, making Placido smile confidently as he rose back to his feet. "You have done well, my servant; and though this road we have traveled is long and winding, it seems effective."
"Two roads converged in a forest," Placido paraphrased, "and I took the one less traveled upon. Those in the past who have tried to change the way things occur in this world; they have neither the power nor the connections to take it so. Yliaster, the organisation you created, has made that possible."
"And so it has done an excellent job of keeping the wicked ones at bay," the God agreed. "But even now, they are ravaging the human world, something that I will not tolerate."
"That is why we need to call you into our world," Placido asserted. "We are stronger than the wicked ones, but we are far too few overall to stop them. Even if he Signers were not in our way, this would be a most difficult battle."
"Then maybe we can use them on our own side. The boy known as Fudo Yusei has received a portion of my power through that Dragon." Upon hearing this, Placido recalled seeing the beast and realizing that he had been right; then, the God added; "if he can be persuaded to join our ranks, we may stand a fighting chance."
"Using the WRGP was just supposed to draw in the wicked ones; but it seems it brought us far more than that," Placido sneered, realizing the true purpose of this venture as he spoke of it. "You knew this would occur; that one way or another, the Signers, the Summoners and the Darkness of Justice would play into your revival."
"Provided Paradox does not completely interfere with the Circuit's completion, then all shall go according to plan."
"At best Paradox can delay the completion," Placido reassured the God. "Decalibrating the Old Momentum means when it overloads, it will explode and disappear for good. Paradox will be trapped; and then the energy we have collected can go towards completing an even greater circuit."
"Excellent..." The God spoke, the machine being consumed in the red energy aura. This the changed into a chiselled-looking upper body, glowing yellow eyes and a glowing trio of orbs on its chest; green, blue and orange. A second later, Placido simply snapped back to reality; then, he pulled from his pocket 3 Ritual Monsters; 2 were Level 10, the last 12. "Not long now... soon, you will descend upon this world, the greatest and lost Aeon."
Card of the Week – Paradox
Sin Paradox Dragon
Type: DARK
Level: 10
Family: [Dragon/Synchro/Effect]
Effect: "Sin Parallel Gear" + 1 or more non-Tuner "Sin" Monsters
CHAPTER: When this card is Successfully Synchro Summoned, activate by selecting 1 excluded Dragon-Type Synchro Monster. Special Summon that monster. It cannot attack and its effect(s) is negated. Until the End Phase, all monsters your opponent controls lose ATK equal to the ATK of the summoned monster.
ANIME: When this card is Successfully Synchro Summoned, activate by selecting 1 Dragon-Type Synchro Monster in your Cemetery. Special Summon that monster. 1 monster your opponent controls also loses ATK equal to the ATK of the summoned monster.
ATK/ 4000
DEF/ 4000