A New Duelist Legend

by AngelOfBlades

The Assault on Duel Academy: As East Duel Academy is under siege from the forces of the dark, unexpected heroes my rise... and fall. The games are over. The war has begun.

21. Sectarian of Secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.

A/N: The author's notes will now be at the bottom of the fic, because they make more sense there. Of course, that does mean I will no longer say "On with the fic!"

Yu-Gi-Oh GX – A New Duelist Legend

Chapter 21 - Sectarian of Secrets

Tsukanna laughed, and her eyes widened madly. "Meet Cursed Spirit! He's an unstoppable spirit of pure Darkness, and I'm about to give him leave to rip you to shreds!" She pointed. "Cursed Spirit, attack Earth Hammer now! Dark Abyss!" The spirit flung out one of its arms, and a ball of black energy appeared in front of Earth Hammer. The dark ball produced a massive vacuum that sucked the stone hero inside of it.

TLP: 7600

JLP: 6600

Tsukanna smirked. "Cursed Spirit's effect activates now, dealing you damage equal to half your monster's attack, as well as giving me an equal number of life points!" Cursed Spirit let out an unearthly wail, causing Jaden to clutch his ears and scream. Tsukanna on the other hand, seem to enjoy the evil screech.

TLP: 8800

JLP: 5400

Tsukanna began laughing madly once again. "Face it, Jaden. With the power of Cursed Spirit combined with my expertise in Shadow Games, my victory is assured." She sneered at the winded Jaden. "You don't have a chance!"

Jaden grimaced. "Maybe I don't have a chance, but I'm still not going to give up!" He slid a card off of his deck, then smirked. "One of the new cards Vincent gave me… awesome!"

Jaden slammed the card onto his disc. "I activate Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands!"

Tsukanna sneered as she drew. "Going for broke, are we?"

Jaden didn't respond, instead examining his new hand. "Alright!" He shouted, "I'll summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in defense mode!" Burstinatrix, clad in her flame-red costume, appeared on Jaden's field, crouching. (1200/800)

He examined his hand and smirked. "That's all for this turn."

"Alright." Tsukanna said, drawing. "You're keeping things simple, so I will as well. Cursed Spirit, attack!" The humanoid shadow creature gestured, and another miniature black hole appeared in front of Burstinatrix, and the flaming hero was sucked in. Cursed Spirit let out another unearthly wail, causing Jaden to clutch his head and scream again.

TLP: 9400

JLP: 4800

"I'll set one card and end my turn." Tsukanna said. "This is starting to get boring. I thought you'd be somewhat of a challenge."

Jaden drew. "Oh, I'll be more then enough of a challenge for you." He grinned. "I summon Elemental Hero Avian in attack mode!" The winged hero flew onto Jaden's field, posing heroically. (1000/1000)

"Next," Jaden said, "I'll activate Miracle Fusion, removing Avian and Burstinatrix from play to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" A shining portal appeared on Jaden's field, and the red and green heroes jumped inside. After a moment, Flame Wingman flew out. (2100/1200)

Tsukanna snorted. "Is that all?"

"Hardly!" Jaden replied. "Next, I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back Sparkman!" The shining ankh appeared on his field, and Sparkman emerged from inside it. (1600/1400)

Jaden flipped another card in his hand around. "Next, Polymerization!" Sparkman and Flame Wingman were both sucked into a vortex, and after a moment, a shining silver form emerged. Jaden grinned. "Meet Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" (2800/2100)

Tsukanna sneered. "So what? That big flashlight's power is equal to Cursed Spirit's!"

"Not for long!" Jaden replied, smirking. "Shining Flare Wingman's effect gives him 300 attack points for each Elemental Hero in my graveyard, and there are five!" A nimbus of light surrounded shining Flare Wingman as his attack power shot up. (2800/2100)—(4300/2100)

Tsukanna's eyes bulged. "Crap."

"Shining Flare Wingman!" Jaden yelled, "Attack Cursed Spirit with Shining Power!" Shining Flare Wingman's nimbus of light grew and it charged Cursed Spirit. Shining Flare Wingman buried his fist deep inside Cursed Spirit's chest, and the manifestation of darkness dissipated with a shriek.

TLP: 7900

JLP: 4800

"Now," Jaden continued, "Shining Flare Wingman's other effect activates, doing damage to you equal to your monster's attack!" The nimbus of light surrounding Shining Flare Wingman intensified until it was blinding, and Tsukanna shrunk back.

TLP: 5100

JLP: 4800

Tsukanna gestured, and her set card flipped up. "I'll activate Soul Funeral! When a monster on my side of the field is destroyed as a result of battle, I can remove it from the game to summon a monster from my deck that's at least three levels lower! Cursed Spirit was level eight, I'll now summon the level five Gravekeeper's Priestess!" A swirling dark portal appeared on Tsukanna's field, and the white-robed priestess appeared from it, brandishing her ankh-shaped scepter. (1600/1900)—(2100/2400)

"The effect of Gravekeeper's Priestess grants her 300 attack points for each Gravekeeper in my graveyard." Tsukanna continued, "That's 900." The white-robed priestess was surrounded by spectral versions of Gravekeeper's Curse, Gravekeeper's Chief and Gravekeeper's Spear Solder, boosting her attack. (2100/2400)—(3000/2400)

"Now," Tsukanna sneered, "Are you done? I'd very much like to kill you."

Jaden nodded, and Tsukanna drew a card, giving her seven cards in her hand. She briefly scanned them before selecting one, which she placed on her disc. "You know what, Jaden?" She asked, "That overgrown lightbulb of yours has one major weakness – it's defense is lousy. I summon Gravekeeper's Assailant in defense mode!" The hooded Gravekeeper assassin shimmered onto Tsukanna's field, brandishing her black-glowing Kris. (1500/1500)—(2000/2000)

"Gravekeeper's Assailant, attack!" Tsukanna yelled, "Assassin's Strike!" The assassin dashed forward, and Tsukanna grinned. "I'll also activate the effect of Gravekeeper's Assailant, which lets me switch your monster to defense mode!" Gravekeeper's Assailant jumped over Shining Flare Wingman's head and kicked him in the back, doing no real damage but shifting the massive hero into a crouch.

TLP: 5000

JLP: 4800

"Now," Tsukanna continued, "Gravekeepers' Priestess, destroy that thing with Arcane of the Ancients!" Gravekeeper's Priestess shot a beam of white light from her ankh, shattering Shining Flare Wingman into a million pieces.

Tsukanna sneered. "I'll just set these two cards facedown, then end my turn."

Jaden drew, bringing his hand up to three cards. "Tsukanna," Jaden said, "Get a hold of yourself! This isn't really you!"

Tsukanna just snorted. "This is as real as I get, Jaden! Now are you going to make your move, or do you forfeit?"

Jaden frowned and slid a card from his hand onto his disc. "I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards, the discard two!" He slipped three cards off of his deck, then slid two into his graveyard. He placed another card onto his disc. "Now I'll use The Warrior Returning Alive to bring Bladedge back to my hand."

Tsukanna sighed. "And now you use the effect of the Necroshade you discarded to summon Bladedge without tributing anything."

"Got it in one!" Jaden replied, slamming a card onto his disc. "I summon Elemental Hero Bladedge!" The shining golden hero appeared on Jaden's field, brandishing his armblades. (2600/1800)

Tsukanna sighed. "And now," She said irritatedly "You attack, activate Rush Recklessly and destroy my Gravekeeper's Priestess."

Jaden just grinned. "You're two for two! Bladedge, attack with Golden Cutter!" Bladedge charged, and as he did, Jaden slammed a card from his hand onto his disc. "During the damage step, I activate Rush Recklessly, increasing the attack of Bladedge to 3200!" Bladedge's charge sped up, and he slashed through Gravekeeper's priestess, shattering her easily.

TLP: 4800

JLP: 4800

"That your turn?" Tsukanna asked. Jaden nodded, and Tsukanna laughed as she drew a fifth card. "I've been underestimating you, Jaden. You've got more power then we ever thought."

"What do you mean, power?" Jaden asked, "And who's 'we'?"

"You're going to die. You don't need to know the answers to either of those questions." Tsukanna sneered. "All you need to know is that if the Shadow Riders cannot possess a power, we destroy it!"

Jaden blinked. "Shadow Riders?"

Tsukanna stared, than smacked her forehead. "Crap! I did it again! Damn is, Spider is going to kill me!" Se blinked, then smacker her forehead again. "CRAP!"

"So," Jaden said, "Whoever's making you do this is a member of the Shadow Riders named Spider!"

Tsukanna sighed. "Let's just get on with the duel before I spout anything else idiotic."

"I swear, Tsukanna," Jaden said, "I'll find the person who's making you do this and free you!"

Tsukanna appeared stunned for a moment. "Jaden…" Then her gaze hardened. "Who ever said I was being forced?"

"I can just tell by the way you're dueling." Jaden said, "You don't really want to do this at all."

Tsukanna frowned. "You know, I was considering taking it easy on you, but you're starting to piss me off." She hit a button on her disc and the Field slot popped open.

Jaden blinked. "You're getting rid of Necrovalley?"

Tsukanna grinned. "Sort of. I'm playing a very special field card that can only be used when Necrovalley is on the field and you have at least one monster…" Necrovalley popped out and she slid the new card into her field slot. "Welcome to the Depths of the Royal Tomb!"

Instead of the landscape of Necrovalley fading, it shifted. The ground appeared to move underneath the two duelist's feet. They traveled inside one of the openings in the canyon wall, deep into an inner chamber of the massive labyrinth. Gravekeeper's Assailant glared murder at Bladedge, outraged that he would intrude in such a sacred place.

Tsukanna smirked. "Let me explain the mechanics of this spell. First, it performs the same functions as Necrovalley. Also, this deep in the tombs, there are plenty of secret passages that my Gravekeepers can exploit." She snapped her fingers and one of the walls opened up, and a Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier appeared from the opening, also glaring murderously at Jaden's hero. (1500/1000)—(2000/1500)

"In game terms," Tsukanna continued, "That means that each turn, I can special summon a level four or lower Gravekeeper from my deck." Tsukanna made an irritated gesture. "Of course, Depths of the Royal Tomb will convert back to plain old Necrovalley when you don't have any more monsters on your field, but I think I can work around that."

Jaden grimaced.

Tsukanna simply sneered. "I want to keep my new field card around for a while, so I think I'll just end my turn there."

Jaden pulled a card off the top of his deck. He slammed it onto his disc. "I activate Pot of Greed! Now I can draw two cards!"

"Now!" Jaden yelled, "Bladedge, attack Gravekeeper's Assailant!"

"Hold it!" Tsukanna yelled, "I'll activate Big Red Bulls-Eye! By discarding a card from my hand, I can change the target of your attack to my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!" A small goblin appeared and painted a bulls-eye on Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier. Bladedge changed directions and slashed the Spear Soldier in half.

TLP: 4000

JLP: 4800

Jaden smirked. "I'll end my turn with that."

"Will you, now?" Tsukanna asked, "Well, I'll end your turn with this! I activate my other trap, Vengeful Spirits!" The trap flipped up, and four black spirits appeared on Jaden's field. "This trap," Tsukanna said, "Summons Spirit Tokens to all open spaces of your field during the end phase of a turn when you destroy one of my monsters. When the tokens are destroyed, you take 500 damage." Jaden looked at the creepy spirits and shivered. (0/0)x4

Tsukanna slid a card off of her deck and grinned. "Now that I don't have to worry about my field card, I can concentrate on killing you." She snapped her fingers and another wall opened, revealing another Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier. (1500/1000)—(2000/1500)

Tsukanna pointed and yelled, "Let's start mopping this up! Assailant, turn Bladedge to defense mode, then attack! Assassin's strike!" Gravekeeper's Assailant clutched her Kris and dashed around Bladedge. The larger hero couldn't react to her moves fast enough and gave her the opportunity to plunge her Kris into his back. The golden hero convulsed for a moment and shattered.

Tsukanna sneered. "Now for those tokens… and I'll remind you that Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier pierces through defense mode monsters." She pointed and the Spear Soldier charged, driving his weapon through one of the tokens, which screeched and shattered.

TLP: 4000

JLP: 2800

"Also," Tsukanna continued, "We can't forget about the effect of the token, which deals you 500 points of damage when it's destroyed." An unholy wail pierced the air, and Jaden clutched his ears.

"I think I'll just end my turn with a set card." Tsukanna finished.

Jaden drew, and as he did, he was assailed by a wave of dizziness. His vision blurred, and he fell to one knee.

Tsukanna grinned. "It looks like you've been using a bit to much power protecting yourself from my attacks. You're almost out."

Jaden shook off the dizziness and rose. "I'm not done yet!"

"Yes you are." Tsukanna replied, "Next turn I'll just run over another one of those tokens with Spear Soldier and turn another attack mode with Assailant, you'll take 5000 damage, and you'll lose."

Jaden grimaced, then looked at the card he had drawn, and his expression changed to a smirk. "I don't think so, Tsukanna!" He slid another the card onto his disc. "I activate another Miracle Fusion, fusing Wildheart and Bladedge into Elemental Hero Wildedge!" The heroes swirled together, and the armored berserker appeared on Jaden's field, brandishing his sword. (2600/2300)

"Wildedge, attack all of her monsters!" Jaden yelled. The hero charged forward, and decapitated Tsukanna's monsters with a couple of quick slashes.

TLP: 2800

JLP: 2800

Tsukanna laughed madly. "I truly applaud you, Jaden. You're closer to beating me then any of my opponents have ever been."

"What about Zane?" Jaden asked.

Tsukanna frowned. "Feh. I was going easy against him."

"You didn't look like it…"

"SHUT IT!" Tsukanna ripped the top card off of her deck. She sneered when she saw it. "Well, I guess I win."

Jaden blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm about to summon a special monster," Tsukanna said, "One that can only be summoned when I have at least five Gravekeepers in my graveyard and Necrovalley or Depths of the Royal Tomb on the field…" There was a crackle of dark power as she placed the card on her disc. Tsukanna began grinning. "Let's all give a warm welcome to Gravekeeper's Patriarch!" The monster that appeared was a lean Egyptian man in the traditional robes of the Gravekeepers. He had a black turban on his head and carried no weapon. (2800/2400)

"He doesn't have any effect beyond being super-easy to summon," Tsukanna said, "But I think that's enough, don't you?"

"He's stronger then Wildedge, but I don't see how he's going to beat me…" Jaden said.

"Silly me!" Tsukanna said, "I almost forgot! I activate Windstorm of Etaqua!" A powerful whirlwind swept over Jaden's field, and the three remaining spirits grew arms and assumed an aggressive posture while Wildedge crouched defensively.

"Now do you see?" Tsukanna asked.

Jaden sighed. "Before you do this, look me in the eye and tell me that you really want to."

Tsukanna looked Jaden straight in the eyes and stared for several seconds. Without a hint of a quiver in her voice, she said, "I want to do this."

Jaden recoiled as if he had been punched in the gut.

"Gravekeeper's Patriarch, attack a token!" Tsukanna yelled, "Eternal Arcanum!" The turbaned Gravekeeper charged a ball of black energy between his hands, and then released it as a massive beam. It blew through the token and struck Jaden. For a few seconds, he knew only pain.

After that, he knew nothing.

A/N: Yeah, yeah, yeah, Jaden lost, and you all either hate me or think Tsukanna is the biggest Mary-sue in all creation. Or both. Well, I wasn't satisfied with the way the story was going, so I decided to change it. If that was a good idea or not remains to be seen. Anyway, this is just the tip of the crazy, character-shattering things I have planned, so if you're a fanatical anime purist, I suggest you leave now.

Next Time: This chapter is so secret, all you get is the title! Don't miss "Chaos Sorcerer"!