Mizutsu LP: 3700
Number 36: Mermonstrosity: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 6/ATK 3000/DEF 2200 – 2 OLU
Number 36: Mermonstrosity: ATK 3000 → 3200/DEF 2200 → 2400
Spell & Trap Card Zone: Lemuria, the Forgotten City [Field Card]
Matt LP: 2400
Hero of Eoseuleum – Eiyu: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2400/DEF 1600
Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card
Mizutsu couldn't stop laughing. "Yes! Yes! I've done it! My Number is here!" He paused briefly to glare at Matt. "Of course, that means ya'll gonna disappear, pal!" That sent him into another bout of cackling.
Matt was having a very different reaction to the Number. Fear... pure... unbridled... This thing was about as different from Number 17 as physically possible. While both Numbers had possessed the same eerie presence, Passion Aurora had at least been somewhat restrained, and he had been facing a cautious and considerate opponent.
This was very different. Both this Number and its owner were wild, untamed, and completely free. There was absolutely nothing stopping it from going on a rampage and quite possibly killing everyone nearby. Indeed, what he could see of its face was staring at him with pure malice. To make matters worse, he was certain that Mizutsu would not hesitate to order it to destroy everything. The holder was just as bloodthirsty as the Number.
The spectators were just as worried. "Damnit!" said Dan. "I'd hoped that he wouldn't Summon that thing before Matt beat him."
"Bit of a pipe dream, there," Leah replied, looking at him. "Remember what happened to us?"
"Yeah..." said Dan, now even more nervous. "What happened to us is exactly what I'm scared of..." Leah gasped, understanding his meaning.
"Don't even think I'm done, old pal," Mizutsu growled. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, Overlay Force! So by detaching one Overlay Unit from Mermonstrosity, it gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase!" The Mermaid Knight Overlay Unit spiralled into the Spell Card being held up my Mizutsu, which in turn enveloped the Number in a crimson aura.
Number 36: Mermonstrosity: 2 → 1 OLU
Number 36: Mermonstrosity: ATK 3200 → 4200
"GAHAHAHA! Battle!" Mizutsu cried. "Mermonstrosity, annihilate his Hero of Eoseuleum!" The hideous merman let out a deafening roar, which sent ripples across the water. It's strange orange claws opened impossibly wide.
Matt responded the only way he could. "I activate the Trap Card, Mirror Force!" The Trap Card flipped up, and let off a piercing array of light. 'Numbers can only be destroyed in battle by other Numbers, but they're still vulnerable to card effects,' Matt thought desperately. 'I need to get it off the field quickly before it really hurts someone!'
Mizutsu was laughing again. "Ya naïve fool!" He shouted. "Did ya even bother to check on my cards? While Tetraform Mollusc is attached to a WATER monster as an Overlay Unit, that monster is unaffected by any Trap Cards that don't specifically target it!" The rays from Mirror Force enveloped the Number, but parted to reveal it still alive and very angry. "Now where was I... ah yes! Mermonstrosity, do ya thing!" Its shoulder-tentacles shot out quickly, the orange claws latching onto Eiyu's arms. The warrior cried out in pain, pulling at the claws even as it was dragged towards the Number. Matt was just as helpless as his monster. He couldn't do a thing. Eiyu was pulled even closer to the Number; so close that they were almost touching. Mermonstrosity took one last look at the warrior – unrestrained malice practically dripping from its eyes – then whipped its tail round with blinding speed. Eiyu took the full force of the hit. It gave one final desperate cry of agony, before exploding violently.
Matt didn't even have time to scream. The shockwaves slammed into him, throwing him several feet backwards. He landed with a loud splash, dazed and injured.
And at that exact moment, he saw things very differently...
Matt LP: 2400 → 600
Things were just as bad for Matt's spectators. The shockwaves had been massive, and had swept James, Katie, Leah, and Dan off their feet. They were winded, but were still struggling to stand up, clinging to each other for support.
Mizutsu was observing the destructive scene he'd created with perverse joy. He couldn't contain himself. "HAHAHA... MUAHAHAHA... it's incredible! The Numbers... their power... it's unbelievable! And it's mine! It's all mine!" Briefly, he calmed himself. "I'll be ending my turn there."
Number 36: Mermonstrosity: ATK 4200 → 3200
He looked at his downed opponent with mock sympathy. "Ah, what's wrong there, champ? Y'all done already? C'mon pal, you're a fellow Number holder, ya should know how powerful they can be. C'mon now, up you get. Show me that power. Show me my prize! Or are ya just... too... scared?"
Slowly, gingerly, Matt raised his head. Looking at Mizutsu, he wasn't seeing a deranged Number holder. He wasn't even seeing a polite and cheerful guy he'd met earlier.
He was seeing himself.
He thought back to when he had dueled Hideo. In that duel, Matt had behaved exactly the same as Mizutsu was now. And now he was reacting in the same way that Hideo had done – with fear and pain. The tables had been turned quite dramatically. Matt let his head fall back, too exhausted and hurt to keep it up. Despite that, he was smiling, resigned to his end. 'Fate sure has a cruel sense of humour…' he thought with amusement.
Mizutsu lowered his duel disk in disappointment. "Awe, ya disappoint me buddy. I was expecting at least a little more outa ya. But if ya done already…"
"He's not!" Mizutsu turned to the others. It was Leah who had shouted at him. "And he won't be anytime soon! So shut up and be patient!"
The hideous Number bristled with outrage, and the symbol on Mizutsu's cheek flared in response. "What did ya just say, brat? Ya feeling real brave all of a sudden!"
"Brave enough to wipe the floor with someone like you!" Leah retorted. In reality, she was not feeling brave in the slightest. Her fists were clenched tightly to stop her hands from trembling. Even though she had her own Number, the sight of this Number holder still unnerved her. But it was ok. She had no intention of actually dueling him. It was all part of the plan.
"Come on, Matt!"
"Hey Matt, get up! Quickly!"
While Leah kept the deranged Number holder distracted, the other three had taken it upon themselves to make Matt get up, which mainly involved shouting.
Matt listened to them shouting at him, and felt his perspective shift once again. He had once been that person – the insane duelist completely possessed by one of his own cards. But he wasn't anymore. He had changed. But neither was he a helpless victim like Hideo had been, hurt and alone.
Things were different because he was different. He wasn't going end up another victim. He wasn't alone in this duel. He wasn't being continually pestered by that accursed crowd. He had real friends, who were sticking by him despite what an incredible jerk he'd been, and despite all the danger. And even through all that, they still didn't want him to lose or get hurt.
"I... have friends..." he muttered.
It felt amazing to say.
Then he stood up. His strength had long since left him, so it was only sheer willpower that allowed him to do so. Mizutsu glanced at him, cruel amusement in his eyes. 'My friends…' Matt thought, still struggling to believe it himself. 'I won't let you down!'
"My turn, draw!" He had plenty of injuries, but at that moment he wasn't registering any of them. He was completely zoned in, acting solely on instinct. "I activate the effect of Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa in my hand. If all the monsters currently in play are on your field, I can banish one Spell Card from your Graveyard to Special Summon this card from my hand." A Legendary Ocean flew out of Mizutsu's Graveyard, and dissipated. "Appear, Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa!" The monster appeared once again, wearing basic black armour, and sported the Eoseuleum crest on the side of its neck.
Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800
"Next you'll use the Spell Card, Candlelight Aura!" The card he held up flashed white and vanished, only to reappear in Mizutsu's duel disk. He looked at it in confusion. "This card is activated as your card, and once activated, you have to target one Eoseuleum monster on the field and destroy it."
"Well I don't have much of a selection, now do I?" Mizutsu snarled. "Whatever. I target Tsubasa."
Matt grinned. "And as luck would have it, Tsubasa is unaffected by Spell Cards." Once again, the Spell Card shot a superheated wave of energy at Matt's monster, and once again, Matt's monster was unharmed. Matt immediately dove into his next move. "And while I'm at it, I think I'll Special Summon this card as well. Appear, Assassin of Eoseuleum – Shikaku!" This monster had a streamlined black armour, and six pitch black daggers each with the Eoseuleum crest.
Assassin of Eoseuleum – Shikaku: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000
"This card can be Special Summoned from my hand if my opponent activated a Spell Card during this turn. Also, when it's Summoned in this way, I can destroy any one monster you control. I target Number 36: Mermonstrosity!" Shikaku leapt into the air and flung all six of its daggers at the Number.
"Good luck with that, kiddo!" Mizutsu shouted. "My Number is completely immune to monster effects!" All six daggers rebounded from the Number's torso as though it were made of stone. The Number itself didn't even flinch.
"That's harsh..." Katie muttered. "Unaffected by monster effects and Trap Cards, and can't be destroyed by battle unless it's by another Number. That means its main weakness is Spell Cards, and Eoseuleum Decks don't use a lot of those..." The others nodded, but said nothing, waiting to see what Matt would do next.
Matt closed his eyes, trying with all his might not to think about what he was about to do. "Level six Assassin and Blader of Eoseuleum... Overlay!" The two monsters didn't need to be told twice. With a battle cry, both changed into purple amorphous masses and shot upwards. Where they had been, a whirlpool began to form, on Matt's field this time, edged with the same galaxy-style portal. It span faster and faster, pulling water into it at a fantastic rate. Mizutsu staggered, struggling to stay upright. Both Xyz Material Monsters spiralled into the portal, and were immediately whipped out of sight. "I… I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The raging waters erupted upwards. "Rise up! Number 51: Dark Excalibur!"
A dull black sphere of metal rose out of the residue - spinning the water away - with wicked-looking spikes sticking out of the sides. Streaks of red shot across the sphere, etching intricate patterns, and the sphere began to separate along them. Slowly, the sphere changed its shape - separating, reconnecting, and slowly changing - into the likeness of a warrior in pitch black armour. It wore no helmet, and was outlined with a red glow, which only made it look darker. The fearsome spikes were now attached to its shoulders. The creature stretched out its arms, its blood-red cape billowing out behind it, then reached behind it and drew its sword with a shout. The sword was split at the handle, so it appeared as two blades running up from the hilt. The blade itself was covered with runes, and the red number 51 was visible on the front of the monster's right shoulder. Its two purple Overlay Units circled it.
Number 51: Dark Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU
Matt flinched as the dark red fifty-one etched itself onto the back of his hand, and braced himself for the invasive consciousness invading his soul. It didn't come. He breathed a sigh of relief, and distractedly rubbed his right wrist, where the metal band was still firmly attached. 'It's safe…' he thought. 'It's really safe… haha, how silly. All that worrying for nothing.' He smiled; his first true smile in a long time.
Mizutsu was looking a lot less sure of himself now. "That thing... it's the Number I was looking for. I won't let it escape..."
He babbled on, but no-one was really listening. Dan, in particular, was observing the interaction between the two enemy Numbers with great interest. Mermonstrosity was shifting restlessly, cracking its knuckles, snarling, itching to rush forward and demolish the enemy. Dark Excalibur, on the other hand, was simply standing there, looking at the enemy Number with a dispassionate, vacant scowl.
Or so it appeared. Matt could feel exactly what the Number was really feeling. Its rage was titanic, colossal, and very frightening. But it was exactly as Leah said: it was like looking down a tunnel. A small flicker of emotion on the edge of Matt's consciousness – that's all it was. Briefly, Matt wondered how such a small strip of metal could hold back such rage and power like that. To him, it was like using an A4 sheet of paper to hold back a tsunami.
Having not listened to a word Mizutsu had been saying, Matt cut him off mid-sentence. "Go, Dark Excalibur! Attack Mermonstrosity!" Number 51 raised its sword high and uttered a battle-cry. The force of its shout sent ripples across the water.
"Ya what?" Mizutsu shouted. "What're ya doing? My Number's a lot stronger that yours!" Mermonstrosity roared in agreement.
Matt took a deep breath. "I activate the Trap Card, Rising Energy!" The Trap Card flipped up. "By discarding one card, one of my monsters gains 1500 ATK until the End Phase." He discarded Dark Blade.
Number 51: Dark Excalibur: ATK 2800 → 4300
"Ya kiddin' me!" Mizutsu cried, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.
"No." Matt said flatly. "Dark Excalibur, destroy Mermonstrosity! Crimson slash!" Number 51 shouldered its sword and ran across the surface of the water towards 36. The merman swung its tail around to meet it. The warrior ducked under the tail, then brought its sword upwards in an uppercut, which sliced diagonally across 36's chest. The agonised Number cried out in pain. Drawing back, Number 51 steadied its blade, then lashed out one more time, stabbing the beast straight through its chest. The impaled monster thrashed about briefly, then exploded throwing up sand, water and smoke. Mizutsu staggered back, but managed to stay upright, the glowing number on his cheek flickering erratically.
Mizutsu LP: 3700 → 2600
'Almost there,' Matt thought desperately, reaching underneath Dark Excalibur's card. "Number 51's effect activates. When it destroys a monster by battle, I can detach one of its Overlay Units to let it attack again immediately." The smoke cleared, and revealed that Dark Excalibur was still standing exactly where it was, still towering over Mizutsu. Matt pulled one of the cards out from under his Number. The corresponding Overlay Unit spiralled out of orbit and into Dark Excalibur's sword, which lit up along its entire length.
Number 51: Dark Excalibur: 2 → 1 OLU
"No! Wait!" Mizutsu begged.
Matt gritted his teeth and ignored him. "Direct attack! Crimson slash!"
Up. Down. One swift motion. An explosion of water and sand, and a horrible scream. And then it was over.
Mizutsu LP: 2600 → 0
Matt LP: 600 [WINNER]
Matt half expected Dark Excalibur to remain on the field after the final buzzer. But it obediently disappeared along with the waters of Lemuria, and the augmented reality faded away.
Matt went to remove his D-Gazer, but was startled by something tugging at his wrist. He looked down. It was the metal band, glowing pure white and pulling at his arm. "They also have the ability to pull a Number out of a defeated opponent." Remembering the Professor's words, he allowed his arm to be guided upwards by the band. White tentacle-like things extended from the band, vibrant against the setting sun, and entered the downed body of his opponent – most of them into his chest, a few into the side of his face. Mizutsu stirred weakly and moaned, his face clenched. Matt wondered what was happening.
Finally, Matt felt another slight tug, and the tentacle things retracted from inside Mizutsu's chest, carrying with them a card. The few that had entered his face also retracted, carrying with them a small glowing sphere with the Number 36 on it, which quickly dissipated. The strange structures deposited the card in Matt's hand, and returned to the band. Matt examined the card – Number 36: Mermonstrosity... so it was true...
Quite suddenly, he keeled over. He couldn't help it, he was just so exhausted. His head hit the sand with a dull thump.
The last thing he was aware of was shouting voices, running feet, and the blue glow of Mermonstrosity's number etching itself onto his left hand, before he fell into the welcome abyss of sleep...
Author-made cards:
Hero of Eoseuleum - Eiyu
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2400/DEF 1600
When a player activates a Spell Card: You can Tribute 1 DARK monster you control; Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.
Tetraform Mollusc
Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1900
Cannot be Special Summoned. While this card is attached to a WATER Xyz Monster as an Overlay Unit, the attached monster is unaffected by Trap effects that don't target it.
Blader of Eoseuleum - Tsubasa
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800
If your opponent controls a monster and you don't: You can target 1 Spell Card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target, then Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.
Assassin of Eoseuleum - Shikaku
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000
If your opponent activated a Spell Card previously during this turn, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When you do: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy that target.
Number 36: Mermonstrosity
Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 6/ATK 3000/DEF 2200
2 Level 6 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is unaffected by the effects of Effect Monsters.
Number 51: Dark Excalibur
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000
2 Level 6 monsters
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is unaffected by Spell effects. If this card destroys a monster by battle: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately attacks again. While this card has no Overlay Units attached to it, you cannot activate Spell Cards.
Overlay Force
Spell Card
Detach 1 Overlay Unit from a face-up Xyz Monster you control, then target that Xyz Monster; that target gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase.
Fun Fact #21: We originally planned a slightly different ending to this duel, which involved Matt destroying Lemuria the Forgotten City with a Very Special Trap Card. Nevertheless, this ending is significantly awesome, so that Very Special Trap Card will be revealed at a later date.
Fun Fact #22: A WATER Deck without Frogs or Mermails? I know, crazy isn't it?