Yu-Gi-Oh! D.T.
Chapter 13: Majestic Roar, Rise of the First Guardian
January 14, 3051 4:28 PM
The blonde keeper of the temple sat in her sleeping chamber, gently stroking her long, flowing hair in an attempt to calm herself. She had just been told of important news by one of the guests in the temple, an unforeseen development in the series of events she had predicted. She had only felt the presence of one new guardian, but as it turned out, there was another one.
Taking a deep sigh, she pushed back her hair and stood up, walking out of her room. A week ago, she had decided that she would guide a new guardian down the path of light instead of darkness, but even now, she still hadn't taken a step out of the temple. She had come up with several reasons: the guardian needed to come to terms with their feelings alone before she could approach them, the guardian was not ready to be told the truth just yet. But in the end, she understood that these were just excuses. The truth was that she was afraid, afraid of going outside for the first time in over a decade.
Even as she paced back and forth along the hallway next to her bedroom, the priest's heart raced with anxiety and frustration towards the terrifying prospect of actually taking initiative, as well as the disaster that could unfold if she didn't do her job properly. Sighing once more, she was reminded of how much she hated herself for being so weak. As a priest, she didn't have to fight herself. However, knowing that the guardians risked their lives to protect the earth, she felt that it would be unfair if she didn't try her best to support them. And yet, here she was, moping around in the temple instead of doing what she knew she should be doing.
All of her thoughts pointed to one thing: she was a failure.
Sighing a third time, she returned to her room and collapsed on her bed, exhausted from thinking and tired of the aching in her heart.
January 14, 3051 6:12 PM
Sitting cross-legged on his leather swivel chair in his office and staring blankly out the window, Gareth felt the nervous pulses of his heart and cold streams of blood coursing through his body, its temperature unusually low from having not budged an inch for hours in his inefficacious attempt to rationalize the events which had taken place almost two weeks prior. Though most of the shock had left him, Gareth was still heavily affected by the lurid occurrence he bore witness to, a supernatural event which days of research had failed to explain.
If there was one thing Gareth detested more than anything else, it was not understanding something. Any time there was a concept or principle he didn't fully comprehend, he found it painstakingly difficult to proceed without spending days or even weeks learning about it, compulsively studying it and analyzing it until he was certain he had committed it to memory and understood it completely. While part of this particular character trait stemmed from his erudite pride, the primary source of Gareth's obsession with knowledge was his belief that all the problems in the world were caused by a lack of understanding. Every crisis, every tragedy. They were the inevitable result of the ignorance of irresponsible human beings who had acted poorly in response to events they did not fully comprehend. Gareth, with his view of himself as an individual who could not afford to make such careless mistakes, did everything in his power to avoid such problems by fully understanding a situation, analyzing all his options, and making the optimal move.
Unfortunately for him, these restrictive prerequisites prevented him from taking effective action in a timely manner, an lamentable quirk that irritated the members of his company's board, especially his chief of finance. Even worse was when he remained silent about his concerns, keeping his company in the dark as they waited impatiently for him to make a decision. But in his current predicament, Gareth simply couldn't inform them about what he had witnessed, as he deemed the likelihood that they would believe him to be incredibly low. But there was another reason. Ever since his father's company was usurped, he had distrusted the motives of everyone around him. One insanity claim was all it would take to weaken his hold over D.T. Corporation and a testimony of his card taking physical form and inflicting real damage would do nicely to fit that criterion.
It was thus that he decided he could not trust anyone with this information, except perhaps the only other individual who had seen it. Even though Gareth didn't know why or how his monster had come to life, he now understood that the Dark Chaser's corpse on the highway, brutally decimated beyond human ability in his duel against Eric, was most likely the result of a similar phenomenon. More than ever, he wanted to talk to Eric, to confide in him, to find comfort in someone equally scarred and traumatized by what he had seen and done.
But he knew it wouldn't happen. Eric, the fragile person that he was, was in no condition to talk to anyone at the moment. Having seen the nasty side of the world, Gareth was spared his sanity and reason. However, Eric had no such experience. Without ever having seen death and suffering, Eric had been responsible for the murder of a human being. Unintentional as it may have been, the amount of shock he must have experienced, in addition to the grief of losing his most beloved card and being conflicted about his belief in his father's teachings, was profound enough to corner him into a depressive state of confusion and anguish.
Between failing to understand a dangerous supernatural occurrence, managing a company whose members he was constantly suspicious of, fighting a war against an evil organization, and worrying about his best friend all on his own, Gareth was, in a word, stressed. Feeling a sharp sting as he closed his eyes, he was reminded that he hadn't slept very much in the last few days. His body felt stiff from sitting all day and his throat parched from having never left his office for hours. Lowering his head to repress a yawn, Gareth stood up and walked to the couch against the side wall of the room, deciding that he couldn't think properly in his current condition and needed some rest.
Laying on his side, Gareth continued to work his mental gears, ceaselessly trying to think of possibilities and solutions to the plethora of problems he was dealing with. It wasn't until minutes later that he finally exhausted himself and fell asleep.
January 14, 3051 11:49 PM
Screaming hoarsely as an excruciating shock ran through his body, Gareth fell off the couch on which he was sleeping, crawling and reaching desperately for his duel disk which rested on his desk five meters away. After a few moments of staggering, Gareth finally managed to press the button which dispelled all DED's around his vicinity. However, to his complete and utter surprise, this had absolutely no effect as he continued to be ravaged by the electrical current coursing through his body.
What the hell is going on? Gareth thought to himself.
Since his youth, he had always exhibited high duel energy readings, so he was confident he wouldn't die from a DED. But from the power and duration of this attack, he knew that this was no ordinary DED. Even worse was the fact that the shot had struck him close to the heart. If it weren't for his internal duel energy resisting and delaying the flow of the DED current, he would've long been dead. Despite the pain he was experiencing, Gareth was alive for now, but he didn't have long before the DED overcame his duel energy. If he didn't do something soon, his life would be forfeit. Gareth frantically scanned his room, looking for something, anything, that could save him.
On the verge of death, with his flesh being seared by the agonizing flow of electricity through his body, Gareth groaned in pain as his mind raced with information, gathering all the knowledge that could aid in his survival.
DED's weaponize duel energy by discharging it in the form of electricity.
Electricity is the flow of negative-charged electrons to the most positive destination, in other words, the ground.
Electricity travels the path of least resistance.
Contact with conductors such as metal facilitates the transfer of electrons.
Collecting and processing these facts with all his mental capacity in a matter of seconds, Gareth hopped to his feet, dashed towards the opposite wall of the room, and lunged at the steel barbell he kept for personal exercise. Expertly, he placed both hands on the bar and lifted his entire body up, orienting himself in a horizontal position like a gymnast would on a pommel such that the electrical current was redirected down his arms, through the barbell, and into the ground, avoiding his heart, brain, and other vital organs. Only when the sharp sting of electricity left his fingertips did Gareth finally let go and collapse on the floor, panting from fear, adrenaline, and exhaustion.
His body and mind both numb, Gareth leaned his back against the wall, trying to catch his breath. It was then that his vision began to blur and an acute pain shot through his brain, reminding him that he had just been abruptly awoken from his sleep. Tired, breathless, writhing in pain, sleep-deprived, and frightened by his near-death experience, Gareth wanted nothing more than to pass out. And perhaps he would have done so too, had it not been for two factors.
The first was the fact that he had previous experience with middle-of-the-night assassination attempts, so the ability to act under uncomfortable conditions was something that had been ingrained in his body, even if his mind had long forgotten it.
The second was the shrieking alarm that echoed throughout the entire building after the sensors reacted to the shattering of the window. Stirring and chattering noises indicated that the members of his company who had worked the night shift or resided within the building had begun to initiate their security protocols.
Gareth had designed these protocols in case the building was ever breached or attacked, but he never expected the Dark Chasers to be able to use a DED from such a long distance. If a sniper was at work, then everyone in the building was in danger. As CEO and leader, Gareth felt the obligatio to take responsibility for his mistaken assumption by protecting his subordinates and dealing with the assassin himself. Taking a deep breath, Gareth slowly walked out of his office, maneuvering so that he wouldn't be visible from the window the sniper shot through.
"What the hell is going on?" Dylan Hewitt asked impatiently as he met Gareth outside his office.
"Tell everyone to go to the basement," Gareth commanded, walking down the hall in long strides.
"Why?" Hewitt demanded. "What's happening? Give me the details."
"Sorry," Gareth said, stepping into an elevator. "This is an emergency. Get everyone to safety. I'll take care of this myself."
As the elevator doors closed, the chief of finance clenched his fists and furrowed his brows.
Damn you, he thought bitterly.
Reluctantly, Hewitt sped across the hallway, informing the employees he passed by of Gareth's instructions and asking them to relay the message.
January 15, 3051 12:27 AM
A bearded, brown-haired man in his mid-fifties sat at the roof of the tallest building in Muto City, looking into the scope of a DED sniper rifle, the latest invention developed by his organization. His breath was steady, his body calm and relaxed. He was in the perfect state of mind for the job he was undertaking: the assassination of Gareth Basilius, the leader of the most threatening anti-Dark Chaser organization. He had done everything correctly: he stalked his prey, he waited for his greatest moment of vulnerability, and most importantly, he made his mark. Yet, by some turn of events, Gareth Basilius was still alive.
He had determined that the cause of his failure was the incompetence of these new duel energy weapons being used by the Dark Chasers, overgrown tasers whose power depended on how good a person was at playing a silly card game. This man hated everything about the combat methods employed in this new era of technology, from the weapons used to the kinds of people chosen to use them. He missed the old days, when a bullet was a bullet, when a gun was a gun, when the only skills needed to kill someone were good aim and the guts to pull a trigger. No duel energy, no Duel Monster cards, no bullshit.
But now, he had no choice. He had to keep shooting until his target dropped dead, and from the size of his prey, he estimated that it would take quite a while.
As he adjusted the zoom settings on his scope, he noticed a flash of red pass by from behind the D.T. Corporation building. Raising his head, the man gave a satisfied smirk.
"Trying to run, are we?" he said to himself aloud.
Picking up his weapon, the brown-haired man ran across the rooftops, calculating the path of Gareth Basilius' duel runner based on its speed and direction while trying to find the best angle to shoot from at various vantage points. Back when he was in the police force, he was lauded as one of the best marksmen for his intuitive prowess at relocating and setting up quickly while still accurately hitting his targets. He enjoyed the ego-boost from his colleagues' compliments, but really, he attained the utmost joy from successfully completing his missions. There was something he just loved about doing the thing he was best at, something that made him feel like he was following through with his life's calling and fulfilling his purpose, even if that purpose was taking the lives of others. That was why he was so furious with the sudden ban on firearms which followed the integration of non-lethal Duel Monsters technology in society, an epidemic which even found its way into the work he loved so much, a curse which took away what was dearest to him. That was also why he joined the Dark Chasers, an organization which promised him the same thrill he felt thirty years ago.
Admittedly, it didn't feel the same, but it was good enough. Even though he wasn't using his weapon of choice, even if a DED didn't guarantee death on impact, the euphoria he felt right before he pulled the trigger was still there. The same excitement from being so confident in his skills, from knowing that the fate of a human being lay in his hands, was enough to give him all the pleasure he could ever ask for, to give his life meaning.
This was the high he was now experiencing, as he took perfect aim with his target in sight, his finger ready to pull the trigger as soon as Gareth Basilius fell in line with his crosshair. His heart beat faster as he felt his blood churning through his veins, filling with the sweet nectar of joy and success. And then, when the moment came, he pulled back his finger and his lips curled upwards to form a twisted smile.
But to his shock and dismay, he felt no recoil and nothing came out of his barrel.
Rage fumed throughout his body as he realized that he had been deprived of his moment of glory, his moment of climax. Gritting his teeth, he swirled around to meet the gaze of a pair of dark, piercing eyes from ten meters away.
"How?" he muttered bitterly.
"That duel runner you've been chasing around was just a decoy to draw your attention away from me," Gareth explained. "At the angle that your first DED was shot from, I deduced where you were."
"That doesn't explain how you managed to find my new position," the brown-haired man grumbled. "You shouldn't have been able to know where I went."
"Finding that out was even easier," Gareth said. "If you wanted to get the best view of the city and still keep vision of the D.T. Corporation building, this tower offers the ideal angles."
"And I suppose you think you're smart," the man frowned. "You've managed to survive my shot. You've managed to sneak up on me. But now, you've dug yourself into your own grave."
"I don't think so," Gareth replied, raising his activated duel disk. "I'm a strong duelist, you know?"
"That's what I'm talking about," the man said, pulling out his own standard issue duel disk. "I'm not a duelist."
"I suppose not," Gareth agreed, checking his handheld identification device. "You're a killer, isn't that right, Lieutenant Michael Pollard? Or should I call you Dark Chaser Captain Bloodstone?"
"I don't care what you call me," he replied dryly. "You're going to die either way."
"Duel!" both shouted simultaneously.
"I'll go first," Gareth asserted. "I summon the Tuner monster Fire Spirit of the Sword."
A scarlet portal formed beside Gareth, revealing a silver broadsword surrounded by a serpentine spirit of flames.
(Fire Spirit of the Sword: Level 3/FIRE/Pyro/ATK-0 DEF-2000/Effect: Once per turn, you can equip or unequip this card to a Warrior type monster. This card can be used for a Synchro Summon while equipped to a monster. (A monster can only by equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed, destroy this card instead.))
"Next," he continued, "I activate my Spell card Prodigy of Fire, which summons itself as a monster."
Another portal formed, unveiling the infant spellcaster wielding a pair of swirling fireballs in his hands.
(This card is treated as a monster and a trap (Warrior type/Fire/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1200). If this card is destroyed as a monster, deal 500 points of damage to your opponent. If this card is destroyed as a Spell, discard 1 card from your opponent's hand)
"I'm tuning level 3 Fire Spirit of the Sword with level 4 Prodigy of Fire," Gareth declared. "A burning flame of the soul smolders brightly! Kindle the fire of destruction! Synchro Summon! Burst forth, Houka Lizard!"
Forming into separate spheres of fire, Gareth's monsters collided forcefully against one another, condensing and melting into a gargantuan mass of lava, which hardened to create a sculpture with the likeness of a prehistoric dinosaur. Suddenly, without warning, a trail of flames erupted from the lizard's spine, shattering the rock to reveal a ferocious beast whose metal scales shined with a pale luster.
(Houka Lizard: Level 7/FIRE/Reptile/ATK-2600 DEF-1500/Effect-You can pay 1000 Life Points to destroy one card on the field)
"I set 3 cards," Gareth said. "Turn end."
"Tame," his opponent mumbled.
"What?" Gareth asked.
"Your move," the brown-haired man growled, "it's too tame."
"Try me," Gareth said, furrowing his brow.
"Summoning a flashy monster," the man grunted. "Setting a couple of traps to respond to anything I might do. Do you think we're playing a game?"
"I'm not following," Gareth replied.
"I'm saying you're treating this like a game," he said. "Do you expect me to summon a stronger monster and attack you? Or maybe you think I'm going to play defensively, baiting you to attack me before springing a trap on you? Please, I'm not so naive as to treat this like some game. This is life or death. If you win, I'll be done in by your anti-DED machine and completely at your mercy. If I win, I'm going to hit you with my DED until you're a burning carcass. This isn't a game, this is war. I'm not going to play fair, I'm not going to play by your stupid rules."
"Again," Gareth said through gritted teeth, "I'm not following."
"Then I'll educate you," the Dark Chaser smirked. "I summon Terran Geodysseus."
The ground before the brown-haired man collapsed, revealing a muscular human warrior clad in traditional Greek armor made of rock.
(Terran Geodysseus: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/ATK-1500 DEF-400/Effect: When a Spell card is activated, decrease the ATK of 1 monster on the field by 500. If the targeted monster has 0 ATK, destroy it and inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK)
"A Terran deck," Gareth noted. "Nothing I can't handle."
"No," the man refuted. "This is the only monster in my deck."
"What?" Gareth exclaimed. "How can you be so confident if your chances of drawing that monster are so low? Don't tell me you stacked your cards before the game? That's impossible! Your duel disk should have automatically shuffled your deck at the beginning of the duel!"
"Like I said," the Dark Chaser said, "I'm not going to play by the rules of some ridiculous card game. Duel disks shuffle cards by repeatedly gripping a random section of the deck, pulling it out, and stacking it on top of the deck. I trimmed all of my cards except my desired starting hand so it will always end up at the top of my deck."
"You bastard," Gareth cursed. "You're nothing but a cheat."
"Call me whatever you want," he grinned maliciously. "In the end, the winner isn't the person who plays by the rules; it's the person who remains standing after everything is over."
"We'll see about that," Gareth growled.
"I activate the Spell card Magic Shuffle," the man said, continuing with his turn. "I shuffle my deck and reveal the top card. If it's a Spell card, I can add it to my hand. But of course, since the rest of my deck is composed of Spell cards, there's no way it won't be."
(Shuffle your deck and reveal the top card. If it is a Spell card, add it to your hand. Otherwise, shuffle it back into your deck)
"Damn you," Gareth said through gritted teeth.
"That's not all," the Dark Chaser smiled. "Since I activated a Spell card, your monster loses 500 ATK."
Swinging its sword, the rock-covered warrior slung a boulder at the metal lizard, causing it to howl in pain and huff in fatigue. (Houka Lizard: 2100 ATK)
"Now," the brown-haired man said, "I activate another copy of Magic Shuffle, lowering your monster's ATK even further!"
Once more, a rock was thrown at Gareth's monster, which screeched and fell to one knee. (Houka Lizard: 1600 ATK)
"And here's my last one," he grinned.
For the third time, a rock flew at Houka Lizard, exploding upon impact and prompting a pitiful shriek and Gareth's annoyance. (Houka Lizard: 1100 ATK)
"If you think it's over," the Dark Chaser smirked, "then think again. I activate my Spell card Fortune Draw. I declare a card type and reveal the top card of my deck. If I'm right, I get to add it to my hand. Of course, I'll declare Spell type, and of course, I'll be right."
(Declare 1 card type. Reveal the top card of your deck. If the revealed card is the card type you declared, add it to your hand)
Gareth watched in pure disdain as his opponent drew a card and motioned for his monster to throw another rock, shattering the plate of metal it struck and inciting a terrible scream. (Houka Lizard: 600 ATK)
"I don't think I need to tell you what's coming next," he smiled cruelly. "I activate another two copies of Fortune Draw."
With one blast of rock followed immediately by another, Gareth's monster took a fatal blow to the chest, falling backwards and collapsing on the ground, so weak that it was unable to stand back up. (Houka Lizard: 0 ATK)
"Now it's over," the man smirked. "I activate my Spell card Boom and Bust. I look at the top 2 cards of my deck, choose 1 to add to my hand, and choose 1 to send to the Graveyard. Now, Terran Geodysseus' effect activates, destroying Houka Lizard and dealing you 2600 damage!"
(Reveal the top 2 cards of your deck. Add 1 to your hand and send the other to your Graveyard)
"Don't get your hopes up," Gareth growled. "I activate my Trap card Extreme Combustion! Houka Lizard gains 1000 ATK!"
As the Dark Chaser's monster launched yet another rock at the severely injured reptile, Houka Lizard erupted in flames, melting the rock before it made contact. (Houka Lizard: 500 ATK)
(All of your monsters gain 1000 ATK. At the End Phase, their ATK become 1000 less than the original ATK. During your next End Phase, they regain their original ATK)
"You're only stalling," his opponent said with an unimpressed expression. "I activate two more copies of Boom and Bust."
Unable to respond any further, Gareth watched in helpless dismay as two boulders smashed into Houka Lizard, who gave a harrowing scream before exploding into jagged chunks of metal, splashing onto Gareth like shrapnel and shredding away at his Life Points. (1400/4000)
"It's over," the brown-haired man proclaimed. "Terran Geodysseus, attack directly and send him to Hell."
"Don't underestimate me too much," Gareth snarled. "I activate my Trap card Flame Blast! I remove from play Fire Spirit of the Sword and Houka Lizard to lower your monster's ATK by 1400!"
"I said it's over," the man countered. "I activate the Quick Spell Terran Barrier. My monster can't be targeted by any Spells or Traps this turn."
"Damn it!" Gareth shouted, furiously despairing over his dire situation.
As two balls of fire were launched at Bloodstone's monster, a protective layer of earth rose from the ground, shielding the warrior and allowing it to slash a defenseless Gareth in the chest. Upon landing on the ground, a humongous cloud of smoke covered Gareth's field, obscuring everything before the Dark Chaser.
Sneering satisfactorily, the Dark Chaser began to walk away when he noticed a shining ring at his feet, indicating that the boundaries to which he was confined by the anti-DED device were still in place. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to see his opponent behind a dissipating layer of dust, standing frustrated but still erect opposite him. (400/4000)
"What the hell?" the Dark Chaser groaned. "How did you live?"
"I guess you don't know your own card effects," Gareth smirked. "Terran Geodysseus's effect is a mandatory effect that triggers when you play a Spell card. Since I no longer had a target on my field, it targeted itself by default and lowered its own ATK."
"Son of a-," the brown-haired man cursed in agitation.
"Maybe treating this like a game is more important than you thought," Gareth jeered.
"My ass," he retorted. "You've got no chance. I activate the Continuous Spell Terran Wall. Terran monsters can't be destroyed by battle."
"But since you activated a Spell," Gareth said, "your monster loses another 500 ATK."
Grimacing slightly, Bloodstone watched as his muscular warrior clutched its shoulder in pain. (Terran Geodysseus: 500 ATK)
(While this card is face-up, Terran monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle)
"Doesn't matter," he said flatly. "You can't destroy my monster and you can't possibly deal me enough damage to finish me in one turn."
"Oh but I can," Gareth grinned, drawing a card. "You're going to regret not finishing me. I summon Skilled Kindler!"
A small area in the ground melted into a pool of lava, invoking the emergence of a bare-chested street performer swinging a pair of flaming sticks.
(Skilled Kindler: Level 3/FIRE/Spellcaster/ATK-1500 DEF-200/Effect-If you Normal Summon this card, you can Special Summon a level 3 or lower Beast type monster from your hand or deck. If you do this, both monsters are destroyed at the End Phase)
"Skilled Kindler lets me summon a level 3 Beast from my deck," Gareth explained. "I summon the Tuner monster Burning Chimera!"
The kindler used its sticks to create a ring of fire, out of which leapt a hideous beast with the head of a lion, a goat's head protruding from its back, and a snake as a tail. As it landed on its legs, the monster's fur ignited, burning with a glowing orange flame.
(Burning Chimera: Level 3/FIRE/Beast/ATK-1300 DEF-1000/Effect-If this card is used for the Synchro Summon of a Fire attribute Beast type Synchro Monster, increase the ATK of that monster by its level x300 until the End Phase)
"I'm tuning level 3 Burning Chimera with level 3 Skilled Kindler," Gareth declared. "A burning flame of the soul smolders brightly! Kindle the fire of hope and justice! Synchro Summon! Roar proudly, Leoferno!"
Engulfing itself with flames, the street performer transformed into a jet of orange fire, swirling around Burning Chimera and enshrouding it in a dancing coat of embers. Churning violently, the mass of fire which stood before Gareth began to mold and shape itself into the figure of a quadrupedal animal. Lowering its head before swinging it upwards, the beast unleashed a powerful howl into the air, brushing away all the flames that surrounded it to reveal the mighty lion of fire.
(Leoferno: Level 6/FIRE/Beast/ATK-2400 DEF-1800/Effect- If this card destroys a monster whose original ATK is greater than that of this card, deal 1000 points of damage to your opponent. When this card is destroyed in battle, you can deal 800 points of damage to your opponent or Special Summon a Fire attribute Tuner monster from your Graveyard)
"Like I said," the Dark Chaser scoffed, "you can't finish me with that monster."
"Burning Chimera's effect activates," Gareth said, ignoring him. "When it's used to Synchro Summon a Fire attribute Beast type monster, that monster gains ATK equal to three hundred times its level. Leoferno is level 6, so it gains 1800 ATK, giving it a total of 4200 ATK."
"Not bad," the brown-haired man nodded, "but still not good enough."
"Not yet," Gareth smirked. "I activate Burst into Flames! I decrease your monster's ATK by 800. Now that your monster's ATK is 0, I have more than enough ATK to finish you off."
Gareth's flaming lion opened its mouth to release a jet of cinders at his opponent's monster, setting it afire and weakening it to the point of no resistance.
(When your opponent's monster attacks or is attacked by your Fire attribute monster, decrease that monster's ATK by 800. If its ATK is greater than that of your monster, you can negate all battle damage this turn and draw 1 card)
"I see," the Dark Chaser said, closing his eyes. "As they say, you're a genius at this game."
"Resorting to flattery?" Gareth poked, smiling satisfactorily at his assured victory.
"Not quite," he grinned back. "You see, you may be better than me at playing this game, but as I've said before, I'm not playing by your rules."
Reaching into his back pocket, Bloodstone pulled out a cylindrical device with his thumb over a switch at the top. Though he didn't recognize it, Gareth had immediately guessed what it was.
"If you think you're the only one who can predict your opponent's moves," the brown-haired man smiled maliciously, "then you're sorely mistaken. I set a DED bomb on the first floor of your company building, right over the basement where you probably evacuated your workers to. When I press this button, the explosion will collapse the floor and the debris will fall into the basement, killing all your beloved employees."
"You bastard," Gareth cursed through gritted teeth.
"Call me whatever you like," Bloodstone replied. "But it doesn't change your situation. So, are you sure you want to attack me?"
Clenching his fists, Gareth closed his eyes and bowed his head, mentally berating himself for having made such a tactical error. He knew his opponent was a professional sniper, so he should have guessed that such an individual would have made a contingency plan in case his shot failed. Sending all of his employees to the basement was the single most foolish decision he could have possibly made. Sure he could blame his fatigue or his troubled state of mind, but in the end, it didn't change the fact that he was responsible for endangering the lives of those who placed their trust in him. He didn't have anyone to blame but himself. Gareth knew that this was his only chance to win the duel, but if he didn't comply with the Bloodstone's demands, everyone at headquarters would die. Under such circumstances, the choice was obvious. The most he could do in this situation was stall for as long as he could and hope that a miracle happened.
"I set 1 card," Gareth mumbled. "Turn end."
"Good choice," the brown-haired man smirked. "But now, it's really over. I activate three copies of the Spell card Invest and Return. I discard 1 card, mill 1 card, and draw 2 cards."
As Bloodstone performed this action three times, his monster flung three rocks at Leoferno, striking it and damaging it to the point of wobbling legs and helpless whimpers. (Leoferno: 900 ATK)
(Discard 1 card and send 1 card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. Draw 2 cards)
"Now, I activate two copies of Spell Recycle," the Dark Chaser continued. "I discard 1 card to add 2 Spell cards from my Graveyard to my hand."
Two more boulders flew at Gareth's monster, covering it in dark bruises and rendering it so crippled that it collapsed on the ground, unable to even look up. (Leoferno: 0 ATK)
"Any last words?" the brown-haired man sneered.
"Just make your move," Gareth snarled angrily.
"As you wish," Bloodstone smiled. "I activate Invest and Return, destroying your monster and dealing you damage equal to its original ATK!"
"I activate my Trap card Fire Wall!" Gareth countered. "When my monster is about to be destroyed, I can prevent its destruction and halve all battle damage until the End Phase of this turn!"
As the final rock was thrown, a massive screen of flames erupted from the ground, incinerating it and sparing Gareth's monster from certain doom.
(If a Fire attribute monster is selected as the target of a card that destroys a monster or about to be destroyed in battle, halve all battle damage. No monsters can be destroyed this turn)
"You shouldn't have done that," Bloodstone chuckled, brandishing his switch.
"You son of a bitch," Gareth grumbled. "I did what you said. I didn't attack you last turn."
"I don't remember saying you could defend against my attacks," he snickered.
"You sadistic, conniving scoundrel," Gareth barked. "Have you really no shame for what you're doing?"
"The only shame I feel is that this didn't happen sooner," he replied. "On second thought, here's maybe another. It's a shame that your employees are going to die because you didn't listen to me."
"I'm the one you want," Gareth pleaded. "Leave them out of this!"
"I gave you a chance," Bloodstone smirked. "And you wasted it."
"Please!" Gareth shouted. "I'll do anything!"
"Too late!"
Holding out the switch for his desperate opponent to see, Bloodstone pushed down on the switch, triggering a massive explosion of energy from the first floor of the D.T. Corporation building. As the ground began to rumble and black clouds of smoke arose from below, Gareth's eyes widened as blood drained from his face and his skin grew pale. Bearing a dark expression of hopelessness and despair, Gareth succumbed to his mental and physical weariness, falling to his knees.
The shock from the realization that he had single-handedly sent everyone in his company to their graves was too much for him to bear. For Gareth, who had sworn to fight to protect innocent people from pain and sadness caused by the actions of evil men, the fact that he had not only failed to protect them, but also played a role in their deaths, had driven him to the darkest realm of despair. Clutching his chest, Gareth gasped heavily as he tried to catch his breath, his composure shattered and his confidence obliterated. With everything that had happened, Gareth's heart was broken.
I failed, Gareth thought miserably to himself. After everything I worked for, after everything I've been through, all I've done was make promises that I couldn't keep. All I wanted to do was rid the world of evil, but the only things I managed to destroy were the lives of innocent people. Because I was arrogant. Because I thought I was strong enough. Because I wanted to be a hero. But in the end, I couldn't do anything. Eric, my employees, everyone who believed in me, they suffered at my incompetent hands. I let them all down.
As he breathed heavy gasps with a despondent expression, Gareth lay wretchedly on the floor, his mind filled with nothing but melancholy thoughts.
Maybe this is fate, Gareth thought as he looked blankly at the moon in the sky. Maybe this is some kind of divine punishment for trying to do something that was impossible to begin with. Maybe that light we've all dreamed of and strived towards was never reachable in the first place. If this is really the end, then maybe this is a fitting way to die, being mocked by the ever distant light which I so foolishly reached towards. Indeed, there's no salvation for a sinner as contemptible and irredeemable as me.
Gareth slumped on the floor, resigned to both his defeat and his death.
However, something happened that made him raise his head once more. Something strange and miraculous.
"What a pitiful sight," a deep, growling voice suddenly rang in Gareth's head.
Gareth stared at the sky, believing that he was hearing the voice of the god he never believed in. Whimpering softly, he came to believe that he was losing his mind.
"And here I thought that you of all people would hold strong in the face of despair," the voice said. "Truly, I'm disappointed in you."
"Sorry," Gareth replied softly. "I just don't know what to do anymore."
"Of course you do," it responded. "You stand up and fight."
"To what end?" Gareth asked with a shaky voice. "No matter how much I fight, no matter how hard I try, I can't protect anyone."
"Does that mean you were wrong?" the voice posed. "Does the fact that you failed mean that you were mistaken in your ideals? Can you truly believe that everything you stood for was incorrect?"
"It doesn't matter," Gareth muttered. "Ideals don't mean anything if I don't have the strength to carry them out. In the face of evil, I don't have the courage to abandon my honor and smite my foes. I can't win."
"What you call courage I call weakness," the voice proclaimed. "True courage is the ability to stand for what is right and just no matter what storms one may endure. No matter what hardships come your way, you must stand firm and steadfast in your beliefs. From your failures, you must have the courage to rise once more."
"But I'm tired of enduring," Gareth sighed. "I'm tired of seeing people suffering and I'm tired of not being able to do anything about it. How long am I supposed to try my best only to see everything fall apart right in front of me? Every time I regain the slightest bit of hope, something happens that spits in my face and tears it to pieces. Now, I just don't have the will to continue anymore."
"You have a pure and just heart," the voice said, "and you have a strength that's incontestable by anyone. But because of that, you walk a long and difficult path ridden with hardships. If what you lack is the will to endure the pain you encounter along your path, then I will give you the will. Where your heart is dark, I will give you light. Where your spirit is weak, I will give you strength. Where your soul is afraid, I will give you courage. But I cannot do this alone. You must show me you have the resolve. What is your reason for fighting? What is it that you truly wish for? What is it that ignites the fire in your heart?"
At that moment, the smoke that rose from the explosion at the D.T. Corporation building began to recede as the duel energy emitted from the blast slowly assimilated back together, undoing all the damage it did.
"What the hell is happening?" Bloodstone exclaimed, shocked at the supernatural phenomenon he was witnessing.
Then, the particles of energy dissipated into the air in a light continuous stream, flowing gently in the air into Gareth's duel disk. He watched in absolute awe as the top card of his deck glowed with a bright yellow, filling his body with a comforting sensation of warmth and an undaunting feeling of power. Gareth didn't know what was happening, but for some reason, the despair he felt before had vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of courage that allowed him to pull himself together.
What is my reason for fighting? Gareth asked himself. Revenge? Pride? Duty?
Then, Gareth found his answer. He couldn't have been fighting all this time on the basis of such weak and ingenuine motivations. He was fighting because he wanted to save people from the same horrors he had to endure, horrors that the Dark Chasers would inflict on the entire world if left to their devices. Gareth didn't fight because he wanted revenge for what happened to him, or because of some vague sense of noblesse oblige. He fought because he wanted to, because it was just the person he was and the person he wanted himself to be. Until now, Gareth felt a heavy burden on his back, a burden to be powerful and flawless to achieve his goals. But the truth was that he was nowhere near the impossible expectations he placed on himself, and nowhere near strong enough to do everything alone. That was why it was so important for him to keep fighting in times of crisis, why he couldn't mope and complain when things were tough. Because he wasn't perfect. Because he was weak.
But weakness isn't something I should be ashamed of, Gareth acknowledged. I have a long way to go if I want to beat the Dark Chasers, and crying about it isn't going to help. I need to become stronger, and only by overcoming my weaknesses can I evolve. No matter what happens, I need to keep my resolve, to keep the fire inside my heart burning.
At that moment, trails of energy seeped from Gareth's body, rising into the air like blazing flames and illuminating the night sky.
"What the hell are you?" the Dark Chaser asked, his expression filled with fear.
"I am the inextinguishable flame of justice," Gareth declared solemnly. "It's a flame that burns with a promise to sear the evil which corrupts the world and to bring light to those oppressed by darkness."
He had no idea what had happened or why it had happened, but he was thankful for it. Whatever it was that had spoken to him, whatever this glowing card was, Gareth now knew what must be done.
"My heart may be weak and afraid," he said to himself, "but I swear that I will never allow this flame to be tainted or put out ever again. So give me the power to let my flame burn with all my might!"
Clenching the top card of his deck, Gareth forcefully swung his arm in a long arc, leaving a shining trail of iridescent light.
"I summon the Tuner monster Regalia of Light!" Gareth declared.
Particles of white light emerged from Gareth's chest, sparkling vividly as they gathered together to form a golden pentagonal crest, engraved with the image of a benevolent goddess surrounded by a forest of luscious trees. This was unlike any monster Gareth had ever seen, in shape or spirit. Something about this glistening crest radiated an ethereal brilliance, shining so brightly that all nearby shadows seemed to have disappeared.
(Regalia of Light: Level 2/LIGHT/Divine-Beast/ATK-0 DEF-0/Effect: When this card is used for the Synchro Summon of a Synchro monster, that monster is unaffected by Monster, Spell, or Trap card effects until the End Phase of the turn in which it was summoned)
"I'm tuning level 2 Regalia of Light with level 6 Leoferno," Gareth announced boldly. "A burning flame of the soul smolders brightly! Kindle the luminous fire of truth and courage! Synchro Summon! Ignite and descend, Auric Flame Griffon!"
Rising steadily, the sparkling crest phased through Leoferno, leaving a small emblem on its forehead and invigorating it with the strength it had been deprived of before vanishing into specks of light. Overflowing with power and energy, Leoferno roared mightily as golden flames engulfed its body, causing it to grow to a tremendous mountain of fire and light with the vague semblance of a lion. Fiery wings sprouted from the creature's back as majestic steel armor materialized on its head, torso, and limbs, reflecting a rich golden color. Finally, the eminent beast unleashed a powerful and deafening howl, dissipating the remaining flames to reveal its silky orange fur and flowing mane of crimson fire. The titan which now stood on Gareth's field was the manifestation of his will and determination, burning with flames of passion and radiating with the light of justice. This was Gareth's new power, the evolution of his strength that corresponded to his pledge of unyielding faith in his ideals.
(Auric Flame Griffon: Regalia of Light + Leoferno/Level 8/FIRE/Divine-Beast/ATK-3000 DEF-2400/Effect: Once per turn, you can destroy all other cards on the field and inflict 500 points of damage to each player for each card destroyed respectively. When this card is removed from the field, you can Special Summon 1 material monster used for the Synchro Summon of this card from your Graveyard)
"What the hell is that thing?" Bloodstone gasped, his face flushed with fear and trepidation.
"This is your judgment," Gareth replied sternly. "For your remorseless acts of wickedness and evil, for your cruel and sinful disregard for life, this card will be the arbiter which brings you to justice. I activate Auric Flame Griffon's effect. Once per turn, I can destroy all other cards on the field and deal 500 points of damage for each!"
With one earth-shattering stomp, the mighty flaming griffon conjured a plethora of enormous blazing geysers, illuminating the field with pillars of flickering fire and incinerating everything within sight. The simmering heat of the flames, as well as the sheer power exuded by Gareth's monster, was enough to bring the Dark Chaser opposite him to tears. (400/3000)
"This is the end," Gareth proclaimed. "Auric Flame Griffon, attack directly! Golden Flame of Judgment!"
Tilting its head back before chucking it forward with all its might, the gargantuan mythical beast unleashed a powerful torrent of scarlet flames, laced with spirals of golden light. Squealing sharply as he was knocked back by the sheer force of the griffon's attack, Bloodstone flew several meters before landing prostate, rendered completely unconscious by the relentless flurry of flames which devastated both his mind and body. When the attack finally subsided, Gareth squinted his eyes as he observed his surroundings: a hellish battleground utterly enveloped in tremendous waves of ruthless flames, with the victim lying utterly still in the center. (400/0)
Fearing for the man's life, Gareth ran to the Dark Chaser and placed his fingers at his carotid artery to check his pulse, hoping desperately that he was still alive. Closing his eyes and taking a deep sigh of relief, Gareth smiled as he confirmed that his opponent had not been killed.
Standing up, Gareth started to walk away when he noticed that the flames which surrounded the field had disappeared, but the griffon he had summoned did not. It stood exactly where it was with its tremendous figure and towering presence, exuding an aura of unparalleled majesty. As Gareth stared into its large golden eyes, an enchanting feeling rushed through him, entrancing him with its charisma and ensuring him that everything was going to be okay.
For someone like Gareth who couldn't stand not knowing something, he was at the end of his wits as to what in the world was currently happening. Yet, strangely, he didn't feel suspicious or distrusting of the supernatural beast standing in front of him. In fact, he felt a warm sense of familiarity or camaraderie with it, like they understood each other despite only having met minutes ago, like they shared an inexplicable connection in their hearts. Maybe it was because it had allowed him to win the duel in his greatest time of need. Maybe it was because it had saved him from despairing over his failure and compromising his beliefs. Maybe it was because it had reminded him of his true purpose. He didn't know what it was. But at this point, he didn't really care. He knew the creature which stood before him was on his side.