YuGiOh 5D's: Konami/Kazuki Takahashi
CFGX: "This here will be a song-fic. All rights go to the artist Elisa."
"There's only one way out this realm," the man said as he revealed his duel-disk, "But we won't let you get away so easily?"
"He's right," Ice Queen said, "This place holds the only known route from this dimension. And unfortunately, he is the one guarding our escape."
"I have to duel?!" Margaret questioned, "But I don't have my deck or a duel-disk!" suddenly her duel-disk appeared with her deck inside.
"You were saying?" the man laughed.
"You should know there is no turning back," Ice Queen said, "If you ever want to return to the human world, you know what must be done; this person must be defeated in a duel." Margaret nodded and activated her duel-disk.
"You've just dug your own grave!" the man laughed and activated his own duel-disk, "And once I put you six feet under, always remember that it was Baron Dark that sent you there!"
"DUEL!"
YuGiOh 5D's
Reverse of Arcadia
Ride 48: Shadow of Doubt
Part 2: Evil Dead
Magic: 8000
Baron Dark: 8000
"Since I'm the master of this tower, I'll go first," Baron drew his first card, "And I'll start by playing this: (5) Bone Crusher(4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000), in ATK mode!" a live skeleton appeared wearing barbarian-like stone armor and held a stone hammer with its end lying on the floor (ATK: 1600), "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn." a reverse-card appeared, "Now make your move, child, and make it count."
"Fine; it's my turn," Magic drew her sixth card, "I place a monster face-down and end my turn." a reversed monster appeared.
"We're not partway into the duel and you decide to play in defense mode?" Baron teased as he drew his next card, "At this rate, you will never escape this place! But for now, I'll set this monster in defense mode. And then Bone Crusher will crush your little face-down! Attack!" the skeleton raised its hammer and prepared to destroy Magic's set card, before it flipped opened and revealed a masked sorcerer with white hair.
"The hidden card you attacked is the spellcaster Aqua Madoor!" Magic smiled, "And since my monster's DEF power's greater than Bone Crusher's ATK, you take the difference as damage! Now defend with Torrent Wave!" with a wave of its arms the Aqua Madoor created a wall of rushing water. The attacking monster got caught against the wall of water and was pushed back.
Magic: 8000
Baron Dark: 7600
"That's a lucky move." Baron growled.
"It's my turn!" Magic drew her next card, "I release Aqua Madoor to advance-summon Neo Aqua Madoor!" Aqua Madoor remained the same, but a chilling air seeped from it (DEF: 3000), "He may look the same but his DEF will be stronger than ever! That ends my turn!"
"My move," Baron started his next turn, "And I reveal my face-down monster (6) Des Lacooda(3/ATK: 500/DEF: 600)!" a mummified camel appeared from underneath his set card, "And once it's flipped over, I can activate its special-ability and draw one card! But that's not all, its second effect allows me to place it face-down, so I can use its effect over and over again!" the Des Lacooda hid itself back under its card, "Then, I'll summon (7) Goblin Zombie(4/ATK: 1100/DEF: 1050) in DEF mode," a gruesome alien being appeared with a sword in hand (DEF: 1050), "I end my turn."
"My turn," Magic drew her next card, "I summon Cold Enchanter in ATK mode!" Cold Enchanter appeared with her staff ready (ATK: 1600), "And by sending 2 cards from my hand to the graveyard, I can place 2 ice-counters onto Cold Enchanter and increase her ATK power by 300 each!" Magic discarded Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier and Blizzard Warrior; Cold Enchanter's staff transformed into a sword made of ice (CTR: 2/ATK: 2200), "Cold Enchanter, attack that Bone Crusher!" Cold Enchanter sliced Bone Crusher in half before it shattered into pixels.
Magic: 8000
Baron Dark: 7000
"With that, I end my turn!"
"My turn," Baron drew his next card, "I merge my Spirit Reaper with Nightmare Horse by means of Polymerization!" a portal appeared and a mummified spirit beast in the shape of a horse appeared; riding on its back was a sinister looking grim reaper in a purple cloak carrying a scythe, "From those two monsters I form (8) Reaper on the Nightmare(5/ATK: 800/DEF: 600)!"
"A fusion-monster with only 800 ATK points can't mean anything good." Magic grimaced.
"And you're about to find out why!" the mounted reaper galloped over Magic's monsters and then swung its scythe down through her.
Magic: 7200
Baron Dark: 7000
"My new monster can leap through your line of defense and attack you directly! And that's not all it can do, you have to discard one random card from your hand as well!" Margaret grudgly sent her Cyber Shark to the graveyard, "Next I'll flip over Des Lacooda and draw a card thanks to its special-ability!" Baron drew another card before flipping Lacooda back down again, "Now I set another monster in DEF mode and end my turn." another reversed monster appeared.
"It's my turn," Magic drew her next card, "I send Dragon Ice from my hand to the graveyard to add another Ice Counter onto Cold Enchanter, giving her 300 more ATK points (CTR: 3/ATK: 2500), "Next my Cold Enchanter attacks your reaper!" the Enchanter swung its sword against the mounted reaper, but the attacked monster phased through the blade as some sort of spiritual apparition, before it reformed itself back to its physical form.
"I forgot to mention, my Reaper on the Nightmare can't be destroyed in battle."
"But I bet you still take damage!"
Magic: 7200
Baron Dark: 5300
"I place 1 card face-down and end my turn!" a reverse-card appeared.
"It's my turn," when Baron looked at his next card, he smiled, "I sacrifice my Goblin Zombie to summon the powerful (9) Ryu Kokki(6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000) in ATK mode!" once he placed the card on the duel-disk, a pile of bones gathered on the ground and then formed into a giant, hulking monster, "But before we get to attacking, the effect of Goblin Zombie activates when it's sent to the graveyard, which then allows me to add a monster with 1200 DEF points," he then added a card to his hand from his deck before shuffling his deck, "And Des Lacooda's still on my field, so I can summon it again and use its special ability to draw yet another card!" he drew another card before flipping the monster back face-down, "Ryu Kokki, attack Neo Aqua Madoor!"
"But that monster doesn't have enough ATK points! It's too weak!" Magic's argument was ignored as Ryu Kokki raised its fist. Neo Aqua Madoor formed a shield of ice right before the bone monster collided with it.
Magic: 7200
Baron Dark: 4700
But Ryu Kokki kept pounding at the way, chipping it piece by piece. Soon it managed to shatter the barrier and smash the Neo Aqua Madoor under its weight.
Baron laughed as he watched Magic witness her monster shatter into bits of light, "I guess I should've told you that Ryu Kokki can destroy any monster it battles regardless, as long as its opponent is either a Warrior or a Spellcaster. And unfortunately for your Neo Aqua Madoor, it was a Spellcaster! Finally, I'll switch my Reaper to DEF mode!" the Reaper's steed settled itself onto the ground (DEF: 600), "That's all I'll do for my turn."
"Then it's my move!" Magic drew her next card, "Cold Enchanter, attack Ryu Kokki!" Enchanter ran towards Ryu Kokki with her sword in hand.
"I guess you weren't paying attention when he destroyed your other monster!" Baron crowed.
Cold Enchanted jumped in front of the bone monster and brought her sword down on it, cleaving it in two as she landed. It was now the Baron's turn to be bewildered as he watched Ryu Kokki fall into dust. "I was paying attention. And for a name like 'Cold Enchanter', you'd might think she's a spellcaster-type monster. But if you ever read the fine-print on the card you'd know she's actually an aqua-type. And while I give you time to reflect on that I'll end my turn with a face-down card."
"It's my turn!" Baron drew his next card, "I summon over Des Lacooda in ATK mode, and use its effect to draw another card, then use its effect to flip it back face-down! Next I switch Reaper on the Nightmare to ATK mode and attack you directly!" the Reaper slashed at Magic again.
Magic: 6400
Baron Dark: 4700
"I'll end my turn there."
"My turn," Magic drew her next card, "I summon Blizzard Dragon in ATK mode!" a dragon with frosty light-blue scales appeared (ATK: 1800), "Cold Enchanter attacks Reaper on the Nightmare with Ice Blade!" the Enchanter slashed at the Reaper.
Magic: 6400
Baron Dark: 3000
"Now it's Blizzard Dragon's turn to attack!" the dragon fired a stream of freezing fire which the Reaper blocked with its scythe blade, leaving Baron Dark to take most of the damage.
Magic: 6400
Baron Dark: 2000
"Now I activate Blizzard Dragon's special-ability! Once a turn, one of your monsters gets frozen and can't attack or activate their special-ability! Go, Blizzard Breath!" the dragon breathed once again and encased the Reaper and its steed in a block of ice.
"No! If my Reaper is targeted for a card-effect then it's automatically destroyed!" Baron cried as his monster then shattered.
"That ends my turn."
"And now it's my turn!" Baron drew his next card, "I activate the spell card Cost Down! By discarding one card from my hand I can lower the levels of all the other monsters in my hand by two," he sent a card from his hand to the graveyard, "Next I flip over the Des Lacooda on my field, and you know what that means!" he then drew another card, "And now, I'll sacrifice my monster to summon (10) Despair from the Dark(8-6/ATK: 2800/DEF: 3000) in ATK mode!" the camel wat them engulfed in a black substance and was consumed before it took the shame of a giant, hulking demon (ATK: 2800), "Now attack and destroy Cold Enchanter with Void Crush!" the beast reached out its clawed black hand for the Cold Enchanter.
"I activate my trap card!" Magic revealed her reverse-card, which shows Gogiga Gagagigo bracing a strong wind from White Night Dragon's wing-beat, while being partially frozen in the process, "White Night Wingbeat not only stops your monster from attacking, it also distributes Ice Counters equal to half of that monster's level! With the combined effort of Cold Enchanter and Blizzard Dragon, they cast a strong burst of wind which forced back the demon, encasing various parts of his body in ice (CTR: 4).
The Baron growled, "I end my turn!"
"Then it's my turn!" Magic drew her next card, "And since there are 4 more counters on the field, Cold Enchanter gains an additional 1200 ATK points (ATK: 3700)! Enchanter, eliminate the Baron's monster with Ice Blade!" the Enchanter cleaved the shadow-beast in two.
Magic: 6400
Baron Dark: 1100
Cold Enchanter: (ATK: 3700-2500)
"Now Blizzard Dragon, attack the only monster he has face-down!" the dragon blasted away Baron's set card, which was revealed as a stone jar with a face inside.
"You just destroyed my Morphing Jar!" Baron said, "And with its flip-effect, both of us need to discard our entire hand, then draw five new cards!"
Magic discarded Geomancer of the Ice Barrier before redrawing her hand. "Then I'll place 1 card face-down and end my turn."
"It's my turn now!" Baron drew his next card, "First I'll activate my Gift Card trap card, increasing your life-points by 3000!" Magic watched in confusion as her life-points increased.
Magic: 9400
Baron Dark: 1100
"I summon (11) Endless Decay(5/ATK: ?/DEF: 0) in ATK mode!" another mysterious monster appeared from the card; it was humanoid in appearance covered mostly in dirty bandages, especially around its arms where they formed into bulky clubs (ATK: ?).
"How did you summon a level-5 monster?!" Magic wondered.
"When I have 2000 or less life-points, I can special-summon Endless Decay from my hand! But there's more: his ATK power it then set equal to half your life-points the moment he arrives on the field!"
Magic gasped, 'He must have let me riddle down his life-points on purpose! And that must be why he gave me all those life-points just now, so he can counter with an overpowering monster!'
Endless Decay: (ATK: 4700)
"Since you special-summoned a monster to your field, I can send 1 card from my hand to the graveyard to special-summon Dragon Ice to my field!" Magic discarded Medium of the Ice Barrier and revived her Dragon Ice in DEF mode (DEF: 2200).
"Endless Decay! Destroy her Blizzard Dragon with Mummified Smash!" Endless Decay swung its giant clubbed hand at the dragon and crushed it into pixels.
Magic: 6500
Baron Dark: 1100
"Not one of your monsters in your deck can stand up against the might of my Endless Decay!" Baron laughed, "I end my turn!"
'As long as the Baron has that monster on the field, he can destroy any monster I summon before I can even use them! And even if I throw out my entire hand to power up Cold Enchanter, her ATK points will still be 400 points behind! But there might be another way...' "It's my turn!" Magic drew her next card, 'No monster in my deck can hold up against that thing! But what if I battle it with 2 monsters at once? Let's find out!' "First I activate the spell card Gift of the Yuki-Onna! This allows me to send a level-7-or-higher WATER monster from my hand and replace it with 2 more cards from my deck!" she discarded White Night Dragon and drew two more cards, "Next, I summon the tuner-monster Reese the Ice Mistress!" the gun-wielding mermaid appeared from the card (ATK: 800), "And then I'll tune her with Dragon Ice to synchro-summon one of my best and powerful monsters!" both monsters achieved the synchro-process as Magic chanted:
"The cold whispering winds fills the land with their song, gaze upon the form of purity it creates. Synchro Summon!"
"Chant, White Glacier Dragon!" the silver-furred, crystal-winged dragon appeared from the synchro-summon. Its wings furled out as it crouched to the floor (ATK: 2750), "Next, I send 2 more cards to the graveyard to add 2 more Ice Counters, giving Cold Enchanter 600 more ATK points!" Magic discarded two Mother Grizzlies and increased Cold Enchanter's sword's size (CTR: 5/ATK: 3100).
"Beef up that Enchanter as much as you want, by the time it's strong enough to do any harm to my Endless Decay it'll be too late!" the Baron laughed.
"Then it's time I add a little extra firepower! And it'll be a cold day before I let you lay a bunch of dirty bandages on any more of my monsters! So that's why I'll activate this next card Gift of the Martyr! This spell lets me release a monster on my field, like my Cold Enchanter!" the Cold Enchanter vanished; all that was left in her place was a fog of cold air, "Then I get to add up all her ATK points to another monster! That means all of Cold Enchanter's power will become part of White Glacier Dragon; that includes all the extra power Cold Enchanter gained from accumulating all those Ice Counters!" the freezing vapors expanded and surrounded White Glacier Dragon; it solidified forming into armor of ice on its forelegs, a helmet, down its spine to a long blade at the end of its tail. Even its wings grew extra blades of ice (ATK: 5850).
Baron stood flabbergasted seeing the dragon's new form, "But with that kind of power..."
"It'll be enough to take out your Endless Decay!" White Glacier Dragon opened wide its maw and let particles of white light gather around it. It condensed and expanded into a large mass barely squeezing out of its mouth, "And all your life-points with it!" with a toss of its neck the dragon fired a large stream of white light widening to the size of the dragon itself. The energy engulfed a wide area and consumed the undead beast, and the Baron with it...
"Ant that's that..." the massive blast caused plumes of smoke and dust to rise and obscure the area. When the dust settled, there was nothing left on the opposing field, except the opponent.
Magic: 6500
Baron Dark: 1100
"That can't be! My dragon prevents any trap cards from activating whenever she attacks! That attack should've wipe out your life-points!"
"I've heard about the fabled White Glacier Dragon and its effect. I may not have used any spell or trap cards, but I used my monster to see to my survival!"
"But the only monster you had was destroyed! Unless..."
"Unless I can use the monsters in my hand! Let me introduce you to a new pet of mine..." suddenly a small round creature. It had decayed gray fur, and heavy red eyes, "Say hello to my (12) Kurizombi(1/ATK: 300/DEF: 200); by removing it in my graveyard from play, it absorbs the damage of a single battle! Then, I can revive a zombie-type monster who's DEF is equal or lower than the damage I would have taken! Since Kurizombi absorbed 1050 points of damage, I can summon a monster with the same amount of DEF at most! And the monster that will go nicely will be my Goblin Zombie!" Kurizombi vanished and the undead goblin returned to the field in DEF mode (DEF: 1050).
"Then I'll play this card face-down an end my turn." Magic set a card from her hand and the effect from Gift of the Martyr expired (ATK: 2750).
"Then I draw!" Baron drew hes next card, "And to begin my turn I activate a field-spell!" as he placed the card into his ejected field-spell space, the floor below them began to tremble. The walls around them suddenly sank into the ground. Magic soon found out that the floor itself was rising.
"What's going on?!"
"We're on our way to our new arena!" something strange happened to the Baron as a black aura surrounded him. His skin shriveled until it clung to his bones his hair grayed until it was dry and white. Soon Margaret was looking at a living skeleton, its eyes flashed red and its teeth shown, canines grown long. The platform finally reached the top of the tower, now outside in the open. "This will be the site of your new grave! Welcome, to Zombie World!"
Meanwhile...
At the control tower of the Hummingbird, perfectly parallel lines of violet fire wound their way here and there. Beyond the tower, down on the track, Jack and Carly faced each other on their runners across a span of ground. Jack had just activated the trap Changing Destiny, and Carly had Fortune Lady Earth on the field.
"I know you're still in there, Carly," Jack held up the cracked and battered glasses Carly once wore, "You may be a Dark Signer on the outside, but the real you is still there inside; the girl who wants to make the world a better place! And I'm gonna get her back."
"Yes... Jack.. no! This is the real me!" Carly turned and rode away, Jack riding after her.
"Carly, wait!"
"Wait for what, Jackie, more of your mind games? It's my destiny to be a Dark Signer and yours as well; together we shall rule the world! I showed you what the future holds, don't you see?! It's pointless to resist!"
"You're wrong! The future hasn't been decided for either of us yet! You have fooled me with that illusion, but you also showed me the light!"
Flashback...
"That's right, when I was lost, you were there to help me find my way!"
"It's not too late, Jack," said Carly, "It's just, like, a-a do-over. You can use what you've learned and go forward. Think of it this way; old Jack lost in the battle against Yusei, and *new* Jack was reborn. You can do it again; you can go back to the Satellite and right your wrongs. You can say sorry to your friends, and things can be like they were before."
...End Flashback.
"Those words ring out truer now than ever, and that's why I'm not going to give up! Not to mention why I played that Changing Destiny card; ya see other than negating your attack, Changing Destiny has a second ability! And once activated, either your life-points receive a nice little power boost, or my life-points get completely run over by its effect. And the choice is yours, Carly."
"Mine?"
"That's right, and since Fortune Lady Earth has 2800 ATK points, either you regain 1400 life-points, or I take 1400 points of damage. So go ahead, think it over!"
'There's nothing to think about. He only has 800 life-points left; if I make him take the damage, the duel will be over.' "You fool!" Carly declared with a dark smile, "Why did you even bother negating my Lady Earth's attack?! You knew it would just come to this."
David: "She's right! What's Jack thinking playing Changing Destiny if it means risking his own life-points?"
Jason: "Think of it this way: if she still has an ounce of humanity in her, Carly'll do what's right."
"Yes, to you making a choice, and like I said, I believe the real you is still in there! And that she'll make the right choice! So what's it gonna be, Carly?"
'It will be as I've said all along. I will win this duel, you will become a Dark Signer. And together we will rule a new era of darkness! Now, to make it official!' "I select the option that deals damage to-" she then gasped as Jack watched, calm and serious, "To... to..." her thoughts tripped back to times before, in example when she first ran into Jack trying to escape from the hospital, "To your..." to where they fought a shadow-drone, to where they went to the amusement park, to where they watched the sunset at the monorail. Suddenly, as a subtle heartbeat can be heard, and something within Carly gives... "I select the option that leaves your life-points untouched." Jack's trap glowed, and causes her to shine bright with sparkles trailing behind her, as though burning the shadows away. She opened her eyes, clear and white.
Jack: 800 (3)
Carly: 4000 (5)
"Carly...!" Jack sped up to ride beside her, "Is it really you?!"
"She looked over her shoulder, a little shaken, "I think!" she whimpered.
"Oh, thank goodness you're back!"
"I'll say. I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through here, Jack."
"No, i-it's not your fault! That dark energy you were inflicted with is to blame! But thankfully, it seems to be gone now."
Carly smiles with relief, "At last!"
Suddenly she winced, as the Hummingbird sign on her arm burned. She gripped it with her other hand, groaned and gasped as it hurts her. Dark energy began to flow from it, surrounding her.
"Carly! What's happening?!" Jack gasped.
"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?!" a dark voice hissed in Carly's head, "When you are marked with the darkness, you are marked for life!" She lifted her head and screamed; the purple fog around her formed itself into a figure standing over her, giving shape of the Hummingbird Earthbound, Aslla Piscu.
"So, then! You're the monster that's pulling the strings on all of this!" Jack roared in the shadows.
"Quite right. And I'm not finished with Carly yet...! Destroy him!" the immortal hissed. Her eyes closed for a moment, then spring open again, glowing pure purple. Veins stood out on the edges of her cheeks. Carly pulled ahead and Jack chased after.
"Welcome to Zombie World!"
"Zombie World...?" White Glacier Dragon pained groan caught Magic's attention as its appearance twisted. Its wings melted nearly completely and its flesh corroded until it became an undead version of its former self, "What've you done to my White Glacier?!"
"That's the power possessed by Zombie World! Any monster on the field and graveyard is changed into zombie-type! So whenever you try and summon a monster, it'll automatically turn into a zombie the moment it steps out to the field! And what's more, every other monster in your hand at least lvl-6 can't be advance-summon, except for zombie-type!"
"What?!"
"That's right! Look around you! You've been walking on enemy territory! And now, you will know the full extent of my power! Now on to the duel! First I activate my face-down card, the permanent-trap Imperial Iron Wall! This card makes sure that no cards can be removed from play!" a giant wall of cold grey steel erected around the field, "Next I summon (13) Zombie Master(4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 0) in ATK mode!" a pale, white-haired man in ripped and ragged clothes appeared (ATK: 1800), "Now for his special-ability: by sending a monster card in my hand to the graveyard , I can revive a level-4-or-lower zombie monster from the graveyard! And I'll use it to special-summon (14) Beast of the Pharaoh(3/ATK: 400/DEF: 600)!" a buffalo-like creature wearing a large golden mask appeared (ATK: 400), "Then I place a card in my hand on top of my deck! By doing that, I can revive my (15) Plaguespreader Zombie(2/ATK: 400/DEF: 200)!" a twisted zombie made from the body parts of various creatures appeared (ATK: 400).
"I don't like the looks of that thing," Magic held her nose and scrunched her face when she smelled something rancid, "or the smell!"
"Then don't expect it to get any better, because now I activate the spell Level Tuning! This decreases the level of each monster on my field by one!"
Goblin Zombie: (Lvl: 3)
Zombie Master: (Lvl: 3)
Beast of the Pharaoh: (Lvl: 2)
Plaguespreader Zombie: (Lvl: 1)
"Finally I'll tune Plaguespreader Zombie with Beast of the Pharaoh and Goblin Zombie!" the pudgy zombie moaned before his rotting flesh peeled apart and let a single ring float out. The synchro-gate enlarged to descended to the floor and encircled Goblin Zombie and Beast of the Pharaoh; their frames reduced into five total stars before they turned a deathly crimson. They crackled with energy and sank into the floor, turning the space inside the gate a glowing black as Baron Dark chanted:
"Cankered souls for an everliving shell, combine as one to create the titan from hell! Darkest soul, Evil's courier, serve me as my skeletal warrior! Synchro-Summon!"
The red pool of energy flashed before erupting in a torrent of light. It then died down leaving the ground with red cracks seeping with smoke, "Arise, (16) Archfiend Zombie Skull(6/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1200)!" a larger monster came crashing out from the earth. Its body of rotting flesh was held by a skeletal frame complete with a pair of red-tipped claws, a pair of cracked and ripped wings and a set of horns on its head (ATK: 2500), "Now that Goblin Zombie and Beast of the Pharaoh have been sent to the graveyard, I can activate their special-abilities! That means I can add another zombie-type monster to my hand, so long as they have 1200-or-less DEF!" Baron added another card from his deck, "And when Beast of the Pharaoh is used in a synchro-summon, I can special-summon a zombie monster in my graveyard that's level-4-or-below! And the monster I choose to revive will be the (17) Paladin of the Cursed Dragon(4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200)!" an undead white armored dragon appeared mounted by a knight with cracked white armor (ATK: 1900), "And now I activate his special-ability, which lets me special-summon any level-4-or-lower zombie-type monster in your graveyard to my side of the field!"
"But I don't use zombies!"
"Already forgotten about my Zombie World field-spell? Every monster you summon and every monster sent to the graveyard are turned to zombies! And the monster I'll be summoning will be the first monster I sent to the graveyard will Endless Decay! Rise, Blizzard Dragon!" Magic's dragon appeared on Baron's field; its scales were dirty and its flesh corroded (ATK: 1900).
"Now I equip Zombie Skull with Violet Crystal, increasing its ATK and DEF by 300!" a purple crystal was pierced into the zombie's chest, pumping it with dark energy (ATK: 2800/DEF: 1500),
"I activate White Glacier Dragon's special-ability!" Magic reached for her graveyard slot but felt a sharp shock when her hand came near it. "Ouch!"
"You must have forgotten that Imperial Iron Wall is still in play! You can't remove any card from the current duel! Archfiend Zombie Skull! Attack the White Glacier Dragon with Infernal Lightning Strike!" the clouds began to rumble while dark-red lightning coursed around its claws. It then launched its energy towards the sky, creating a lightning storm which fired a bolt of electricity that destroyed the dragon.
Magic: 6450
Baron Dark: 1100
"And now you're at the mercy of a direct attack! Go my zombies!" Zombie Master fired bolts of violet lighting from his fingertips while Paladin of the Cursed Dragon fired a stream of blue flame from its mouth and Blizzard Dragon spat out its ice breath, all of them hit Magic dead-on.
Magic: 950
Baron Dark: 1100
"I'm taking the lead now!" Baron laughed as he set two reverse-cards, "And there are more zombies to come!"
"It's my turn..." Magic drew her next card and looked at it, 'Glacier Wall! Ugh, but I can't use like I used to because I have to remove a WATER monster from play to keep it on the field! It'll only be useful of a single turn but it's better than nothing...' "I play this card face-down! It's your move!"
"It's my turn," Baron drew his next card, "Now when Plaguespreader Zombie revives by its own effect, it would normally be removed from the game! But with Imperial Iron Wall on the field, it's back in the graveyard, so I can use it's effect over and over again!" he place a card in his hand to the top of his deck and his chimeric zombie was revived (ATK: 400), "And now I'll tune it with your Blizzard Dragon for another synchro-summon!" the zombie tuner's synchro-gates were placed on the floor around the dragon, whose stars melded below the floor as the Baron chanted:
"Cankered souls of underworld's prison, bring back the carcass of your ruthless patrician! Darkest soul, Evil's courier, serve me as my skeletal warrior! Synchro-Summon! Arise, (18) Revived King Ha Des(6/ATK: 2450/DEF: 0)!"
With a harsh cry, another zombie clawed its way from the earth, this one clad in regal dark-purple-and-crimson robes with a breastplate decorated with skulls over its chest, and a regal crown adorned with purple gems (ATK: 2450).
"I activate my trap card White Ice Fortress!" Magic's reverse-card quickly lifted and a wall of ice rose between the two opposing fields, "Your field-spell doesn't affect the attribute of monsters so good luck getting past that!"
"Be careful what you wish for! I activate Zombie Master's effect and discard the last card in my hand to revive Bone Crusher!" Zombie Master zapped the ground near him and the barbarian skeleton was revived (ATK: 1600), "And when Bone Crusher resurrects from the graveyard, his special-ability gets activated, an ability that destroys a spell/trap card on your field!" Bone Crusher raised its hammer and swung it at the wall, shattering it to pieces, "You White Ice Fortress could have bought you one more turn but I guess you'll just have to lose right here!"
"Not of I play my Ice Wall!" Magic activated her second trap, "So now you'll have to skip your battle-phase this turn!"
"I supposed you did manage to stall for another turn."
"Then I guess it's my move!" Magic started her next turn, "I activate the spell card Pot of Greed!" she drew two more cards, "Next, I summon Mother Grizzly in DEF mode!" a blue grizzle bear appeared, the field-spell then making it rot into its zombie form (DEF: 1000), "Now I activate The Dark Door spell card! From now on only one monster per player can attack each turn! It's your move!"
"My turn!" Baron drew his next card, "And I'll play the spell Pot of Avarice! By returning five monster cards in my graveyard to my deck, I can draw two new cards!" Des Lacooda, Nightmare Horse, Reaper on the Nightmare, Despair from the Dark and Endless Decay were shuffled back into his deck before he drew twice more, "Now I activate The Shallow Grave! This spell allows both of us to summon a monster from our respective graveyards face-down in DEF mode!" both players set a monster on their field. "And now I attack your Grizzly with Ha Des! And every monster he destroys have their effects negated! Go, Infernal Swarm!" Ha Des spat out a swarm of locust that hovered around the bear and consumed it. "And after placing a card face-down, I end my turn!"
"My turn!" Magic drew her next card, "And I flip over the White Night Dragon that I summoned face-down!" her card lifted revealing the dragon of pure ice. Nothing seemed to have changed in appearance, until it made a roar that sounded strained and sickened (ATK: 3000), "Attack and destroy Zombie Master with White Blizzard!" White Night Dragon fired a blast of ice.
"I activate the Shift trap card!" Baron's reverse-card lifted, "This redirects your attack to another monster on my field!" Zombie Master switched positions with Baron's set monster who took the hit, revealed as Morphing Jar. Both him and Magic drew five cards, the latter being the only one to discard her hand.
"I place a card face-down and end my turn!" a single reverse-card appeared.
"My turn!" Baron drew his next card, "And I activate the Everliving Underworld Cannon!" a pile of bones snapped together to form a small cannon, "Next I'll activate Zombie Master's effect and revive Plaguespreader Zombie from the graveyard!" the mismatched zombie returned (ATK: 400), "Now for the effect of my Underworld Cannon, which deals 800 points of damage each turn I revive a zombie-type monster from the graveyard!" vapors formed around the cannon's barrel, vapors that formed into a groaning skull that fired itself and smashed into Magic.
Magic: 150
Baron Dark: 1100
"And now I tune it with my Cursed Dragon for one last synchro-summon!" the process repeated itself as the Baron chanted:
Cankered souls whose horrors are far beyond description, merge into one and mark the graves with my foe's inscription! Darkest soul, Evil's courier, serve me as my skeletal warrior! Synchro-Summon!"
After the ritual was complete a corroded dragon spring out from below. It was an immense serpentine dragon with rotted grey flesh, an glowing red orb blazing in its chest and its eyes burning with crimson. Its only limbs were its immense wings, which were crowned with scythe-like talons, and its tail ending in a barbed point, "Arise, (19) Doomkaiser Dragon(6/ATK: 2400/2000)!" the rotting behemoth gave a deafening roar as it landed, its serpentine body coiling up under it (ATK: 2400), "And when Doomkaiser Dragon comes to the field, I can resurrect any zombie monster in your deck and control it as my own! And do you want to know the monster I decided on?"
"You wouldn't!" Magic scowled.
"That's right! I use Doomkaiser's effect and summon White Glacier Dragon as my own monster!" Doomkaiser Dragon hovered over the floor and buried its tail inside. When it reeled back it managed to pull out the ice dragon by its neck. Soon Magic was facing both the Baron's dragon and her own in his zombie army, "And not only do you have to deal with my zombies but your own dragon as well! Now to get rid of that pesky White Night Dragon! And to do that, I'll combine the power of two spell cards: Stumbling and Swords of Concealing Light!"
Black fog began to surround Magic's field, "What's going on?!"
"Your field is being shrouded in a veil of shadows! The darkness will press down on your monsters, forcing them face-down and in DEF mode!" a set of glowing black swords appeared floating around Magic and her monsters. The fog thickened until she could not see the field or even her monster, "White Glacier Dragon, attack the White Night Dragon!" White Glacier fired at the fogged dome and watched as bite of ice shattered outward, "Your only powerful monster has failed you! And to further ensured my victory, I play this last spell card, Different Dimension Capsule!" a mechanical sarcophagus appeared behind the Baron's monsters, "This card allows me to send a card from my deck into the capsule, removing it from play! Then, in my second standby-phase, I can add that card to my hand! And the card I decided to use will be the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon!" the Baron can hear Magic gasp from inside the fog, "That's right! In two more rounds, I'll use the Mystical Space Typhoon to blow away your Dark Door spell card! And once its gone, nothing will stop me from taking the rest of your life-points! And you also have my other two spells to worry about: while my concealing swords prevents any of your monsters from switching their battle-positions, my Stumbling card switches every card you summon to DEF mode! So even if you manage to summon a powerful-enough monster, the smothering pressure of the swords' darkness will force it to its knees, where it will remain for the duration of the duel! Only two turns left! Now make your move!"
"Fine!" Magic drew her next card, 'If he thinks those monsters are safe because of that combo of his, I got just the card to get rid of his monsters!' "I guess I should be thanking you for laying out that Morphing Jar for me, because now I can activate spell card Lightning Vortex! By discarding 1 card from my hand, I can destroy every monster you have on the field!" the clouds began to rumble again with thunder.
"You fool! You don't honestly think it'll be that easy, did you?" Archfiend Zombie-Skull raised its arms and formed a barrier around the Baron's monsters to protect them from the lightning, "Zombie-Skull protects every zombie monster from card effects! You just wasted a powerful spell card!"
"Then I activate another spell, Salvage! This lets me add 2 WATER monsters from my graveyard with 1500-or-less ATK to my hand!" Magic retrieved 2 water-attribute monsters, "Now I summon Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier in DEF mode!" the snowbird appeared, changed into zombie form (DEF: 800). "My turn's over!"
"Patience, little girl, for soon it'll be all over!" Baron drew his next card, "Archfiend, attack Defender of the Ice Barrier!" the archfiend's lightning incinerated the bird; Magic drew another card from its ability, "You only have one turn left! I suggest you make it count while it can!"
"My turn," Magic drew her next card, "I set a monster on my field and end my turn with 1 card face-down!" the swords around her vanished and the fog lifted.
"Prepare to face oblivion!" Baron drew his next card, and the capsule vanished, adding its content to his hand, "And now the card that will finalize your destruction! Mystical Space Typhoon with decimate your Dark Door spell!" he activated the card and sent a whirlwind that destroyed Magic's continuous-spell card, "Now my Archfiend Zombie-Skull, attack her only monster!" the archfiend fired its electrical attack at Magic's face-down, which revealed itself to be Reese the Ice Mistress in her zombie form (DEF: 800).
"Reese can't be destroyed in battle by any monsters level-4-or-higher!" Magic's monster formed a barrier of ice against the archfiend's attack.
"All you did was prolong your suffering! And I have something that will make it even worse! I sacrifice Zombie Master to summon the (20) Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon(7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000)!" Zombie Master was then engulfed in an inferno of blue hellfire. Then a pair of giant wings rose from it followed by a black body, giving form of a large, decaying black dragon. It hovered over the smothering fire with its three-pronged wings (ATK: 2400).
"Did you say 'Red-Eyes'?!" Magic gasped.
"Surprised already? I can still activate another card, Pyramid of Wonders!" when the Baron activated his continuous-spell, a large glowing pyramid descended from the clouds with its point facing the arena, "As long as I have this in play, all zombie-type monsters on my field gain 200 ATK points for each monster on your field! And if one of them would be destroyed, all I have to do is sacrifice Pyramid of Wonders!"
Zombie Master: (ATK: 2000)
Archfiend Zombie-Skull: (ATK: 3000)
Revived King Ha Des: (ATK: 2650)
Doomkaiser Dragon: (ATK: 2600)
White Glacier Dragon: (ATK: 2950)
"Now you have an entire army of near-immortal zombies to contend with! Your favorite dragon has turned against you! And even if you do manage to summon a monster powerful enough, it will be forced into DEF mode! The best you can do is watch helplessly as I snuff your monsters one by one until I have your own monster devour you!" the Baron cackled, "Let's see how much more you struggle until I end this once and for all!"
"Just watch..." Margaret drew her next card, "It's time I got rid of those zombies and bring my White Glacier back! I activate my face-down..."
"Archfiend Zombie-Skull protects my zombies from card-effects! We've been over this!"
"I never said I was going after your monsters! I activate the trap card, Spell Purification!" Magic's reverse-card flipped up. "By sending a card from my hand to the graveyard, every continuous-spell card on the field is destroyed!" the trap surged with green energy before it formed into a growing dome, reaching across the field until it reached the Baron's Stumbling and Everliving Underworld Cannon, destroying them both. Even the giant pyramid shattered from the sky, neutralizing the zombies' extra power.
Zombie Master: (ATK: 1800)
Archfiend Zombie-Skull: (ATK: 2800)
Revived King Ha Des: (ATK: 2450)
Doomkaiser Dragon: (ATK: 2400)
White Glacier Dragon: (ATK: 2750)
"Now I can summon a monster without any hassle! And I'll start by playing Raging Eria!" the water-familiar charmer appeared, changed by the field-spell (DEF: 1500), "And as the Charmer of Water, I can use her special-ability to release another monster on my field in place of another WATER monster from my hand! So by sacrificing Resse I can summon the Ice Queen that's in my hand!" Ice Queen appeared in place of the sacrificed monster. She seemed unchanged by the effect of Zombie World (ATK: 2900), "Ice Queen, attack the Zombie-Skull with Frigid Authority!" Ice Queen pierced the floor with her staff and created a bridge of large ice crystals sent towards the archfiend and froze it on content. The Zombie-Skull shattered afterwards.
Magic: 150
Baron Dark: 1000
"My Archfiend!" Baron Dark gasped.
"Now I place 1 card face-down and end my turn!" a reverse-card appeared.
"This isn't over!" the Baron drew his next card, "I activate the Pyramid Energy spell card! This increases the ATK of all my monsters by 200 until the end of the turn!"
Zombie Master: (ATK: 2000)
Revived King Ha Des: (ATK: 2650)
Doomkaiser Dragon: (ATK: 2600)
White Glacier Dragon: (ATK: 2950)
"White Glacier Dragon, attack the Ice Queen!"
"I activate my trap card, (5D's)Torrential Force!" Magic's reverse-card flipped up, showing the charmer Eria summoning a giant tidal wave similar to Torrential Tribute, "This card negates an attack made towards a WATER monster!" a wall of rushing water sprout up and shielded Ice Queen against the dragon's attack, "And if the monster attacking is a water-attribute monster, every monster with an ATK lower than the attacked monster is wiped off the field!" the excess water created a tidal wave that washed over the field. When all the water drained away through the iron wall every other monster on Baron's field was gone.
"Then I'll activate Nightmare Steelcage, so no one attack for two rounds!" a large iron cage appeared, "I end my turn!"
"Then it's my turn!" Magic drew her next card, "I set 1 card face-down!:
"My turn!" the Baron drew his next card, "I also set a card face-down!"
"My turn!" Magic drew her next card, and passed her turn, letting the steelcage dissolve.
The Baron then drew his next card, "I activate Pot of Greed!" he drew two cards from his deck, "Next I activate the spell Magic Planter! By sacrificing my Iron Wall trap card, I can draw two more cards!" the giant metal wall dissolved and the Baron drew twice more. The second card made him cackle with relief, "This is just what I needed! I activate the spell card Monster Reborn!" as the Baron played the card, a large ornament with a red gem on the center appeared, "And with it's power I revive my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" the ornament flashed before it was replaced by the undead red-eyes (ATK: 2400), "Finally I activate this trap, Strike Slash! A trap that increases my dragon's ATK power by 700, making it stronger than your Ice Queen!" the dragon let out a piercing shriek (ATK: 3100), "Now my Red-Eyes will wipe out your Ice Queen, along with the rest of your life-points! Attack with Infernal Darkfire!" the dragon released a blast of burning blue hellfire. "It's over!"
"Now yet! I activate my trap card Defense Draw!" Magic's flipped reverse-card created a barrier around her, which protected her as the Ice Queen was reduced to ash, "And not only does it absorb battle-damage from this battle, I also get to draw 1 more card from my deck! As for Ice Queen, the moment she's destroyed while having at least 3 spellcasters keeping company, I get to add a spell card from my graveyard to my hand!"
The Baron growled, "Fine then! I place a card face-down to end my turn!" he glared at the reverse-card he just set, silently scheming, 'Go ahead! Even if you're able to summon some sort of trump card this trap will bring an end to your nuisance!'
"Alright, my turn!" Magic drew her next card, "This is it! I summon Silent Magician in ATK mode!" the small child-like spellcaster appeared (ATK: 1000), "Now I activate the Level Up spell card! Now my Silent Magician becomes a LV8 monster!" the spell card emitted a bright light that enveloped the magician.
"Why bother! She'll just become a zombie like all the others! Whatever used to bring you to this world will be worthless to you! After all, zombies cannot use magic!" the Silent Magician completed her LV8 form. But unlike all the other monsters Magic summoned this duel she still retained her human-like spellcaster status. "What? How come she hasn't corroded like the others?!"
"When Silent Magician levels up she's immune to any and all spell spell cards! So your Zombie World has no effect! But you don't have to take my word for it!" the Silent Magician pointed her staff upward and fired her white magic at the sky. It forced the clouds open, showing a blinding light from above. The Baron and his dragon soon felt they were on fire. Baron Dark felt to his knees as the light washed over him. Soon his bones were covered in flesh again "That's the way out! Now if only I had a pair of wings..." she used her own copy of Monster Reborn that she retrieved with Ice Queen's help and revived her White Night Dragon. The light from the heavens protected her from Zombie World's power (ATK: 2750). Magic then grabbed onto the dragon's forearm, holding tightly, while Silent Magician jumped onto her back, "C'mon! The sooner we leave this place the better!" White Glacier stretched her wings and flew towards the light.
A stream of hellfire suddenly blocked their path and was now faced with the pain-staked zombie dragon, mounted by the now-human Baron Dark, chasing her "I will not let you escape this place!" he screeched, "This is not the first time a mortal came to Zombie World! And I will make sure it won't be the last! Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon! INFERNAL DARKFIRE!" the dragon fired one last burning stream.
"Silent Magician, counter-attack!" with help from the ice dragon, Silent Magician unleashed her own version of Sub-Zero Blaze and the two attacks collided. Both fought of against each others' blast; but in time she was able to push back the undead dragon's flames. White Glacier's frozen blast was a stone's throw away to destroy the dragon...
"Mheh... ghehah... Ghehahahaha, AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is the moment I've been waiting for! I activate my trap card: Deal of the Phantom!" when the Baron activated the trap, a golden brooch with a violet gem embedded itself on top of the dragon's head, intensifying its flames and pushing back the magician's attack, "When this card is activated, my Red-Eyes gains the power of all its fallen allies, to atune of 100 points per monster in my graveyard!" the flames surrounding the dragon grew stronger. Magic could hear the cries and screams of all the zombies he had sent to the grave. Their anguished made the dragon's hellfire stronger, while the spellcaster began to lose her strength (ATK: 3900). Red-Eyes kept pushing back and was a short ways from incinerating its target...
The sound of metal piercing flesh has head just before the dragon felt itself become weak. It was losing its power and was having its flames pushed back. "What?! That can't be!" the Baron looked below him, past the dragon, and what he found almost made his eyes fall out: a large golden rod was pierced in the dragon's underbelly. "What did you do?!"
"Activate quick-play!"
"I activated the only card I had left in my hand, Forbidden Lance!" Magic replied as she clutched the dragon's arm. "It grants a monster invincibility against other spell and trap cards, at the cost of 800 of its ATK points! Now your dragon's cut off from your Deal of Phantom trap!"
Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon: (ATK: 1600)
"Silent Magician, obliterate the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon Silent Magic and finish them off!" with a sudden burst of magic, Silent Magician managed to push back the dragon's breath, its force slammed it and its master down on the giant tower, and even further down through the arena floor. The magician's power reached ground floor and then caused the entire tower to collapse from the ground up.
Magic: 50
Baron Dark: 0
Taking this opportunity, the White Glacier Dragon flew up to the gap in the sky. As the clouds gathered behind them, Margaret watched as the tower was then nothing more than a huge pile of rubble...
Everyone gave a cry as light poured from the Ener-D Reactor, they watched in awe as a column of white light shoots up out of it. And from the column shot out a lair of white wings.
"Look!" Trudge gasped. "Up top there! Is that..."
The light blew out and relieved the White Glacier Dragon, with Margaret still in tow. The dragon lingered towards the cliff where Yusei and company were, until her fore-claws gripped the edge and allowed her master to debark. Margaret felt light as she stepped off and practically tumbled over her feet, letting Yusei and Trudge catch her.
"Magic, are you alright; what happened?" Yusei asked as he supported her.
Margaret moaned before she was able to answer, "Wow... Yusei you just missed one heck of a duel..."
"Uh, you feelin' okay, Magic?" Crow asked.
"Uh, what exactly happened down there?" Trudge wondered allowed.
"Hey, give 'er a break, wouldja!" Leo pleaded, "She's just a little shaken up, that's all!"
"I'm fine," Margaret smiled, grateful to be surrounded by friends who care about her. "Thanks for looking out for me."
"No prob," Crow nodded seriously, "Now to look out for the rest a' the world, and there's no time to spare!"
"In that case, we'd better get a move on!" Leo added.
"Right! We have to seal the remaining 3 towers by sunset," Yusei insisted, "Or the king of the netherworld will resurrect! Let's move!"
"Release Carly!" Jack demanded.
"Only if you manage to beat me in a duel, Jackie! So let's get back to it!" the possessed Carly cried as she activated a speed-spell card from her hand, "I play Curse of Destiny! When this card's in play I can place two curse-counters on my Fortune Lady Earth. Then, by removing a counter, I can deal you damage without attacking," two foggy purple tentacles came from the card and trapped Lady Earth's arms against her sides; she was silently screaming. They hardened into chains. Her skin turned the color of charcoal, with glowing markings, and her big, round glasses glowed red, "However, since my Lady Earth already attacked, I have to wait until next round to play it! Next, I'll end my turn by playing two face-downs. Your move; but this time don't waste it on trying to get Carly back, that's not happening!" Aslla laughed evilly.
"Very well; then I'll just remove you from Carly the old-fashioned way: I'll knock you out of here with sheer force! Here goes!" Jack drew his next card, "Since there are monsters only on your field, I can summon Vice Dragon from my hand. But since I'm summoning him by way of his special ability, his ATK and DEF points are halved!" the violet-scaled, green-winged dragon appeared(ATK: 2000-1000/DEF: 2400-1200), "Next I'll summon Dark Resonator from my hand!" the fiendish tuner appeared (ATK: 1300), "And as you're about to see, it resonates quite nicely with my Vice Dragon! That's right: level-3 Dark Resonator tunes level-5 Vice Dragon, and synchro-summons the ravenous Red Dragon Archfiend!" the two monsters combined and formed Jack's colossal blazing beast (ATK: 3000).
"Quite a mighty beast! In fact, a personal favorite of mine," Aslla smirked, "shame that he won't be staying for too long. I activate the trap, Class Change! It increases my Fortune Lady Earth's level by one; and since her level increased, she also gains 400 ATK points, making her stronger than your dragon," she laughed Earth's power increased (ATK: 3200), "But as good as her first special-ability is, Jackie, her second one is even better: it deals 400 points of direct-damage to you! Let 'im have it!" at command, Earth light up like a lightning rod, and fired a bolt of electricity at Jack.
Jack: 400 (4)
Carly (Aslla): 4000 (6)
"Your life-points are like the flame on a flickering candle," Aslla cackled, "It's just a matter of time before the darkness takes hold!"
"If that's the case, I think I'll buy some more time! Go, Speed Spell - Half Seize!" Jack placed the spell card on his console, "Now since I have 3-or-more speed-counters, half of your monster's ATK points are deducted and added to my life-points!"
Fortune Lady Earth: (ATK: 1600)
Jack: 2000 (4)
Carly (Aslla): 4000 (6)
"And that means my Archfiend is back on top of the food-chain!"
"A lucky move." Aslla growled.
"Sorry, but, my flame? It's not burning out anytime soon! In fact, things're about to get really fired up! Red Dragon Archfiend, attack!" Red Dragon swiped at the Fortune Lady and destroyed her, its burning flames sweeping away at the Dark Signer.
Jack: 2000 (4)
Carly (Aslla): 3600 (6)
'There. Please tell me that released Carly!' Jack hoped. As they zoomed around another corner, Carly veered off the track and, with a scream, into the purple fire around the edge, "Carly! What's happening?! Please! Please! Talk to me! Are you all right?!"
Her runner reappeared out of the wall next to him, and he moved away to give her space. Carly winced with pain from the fire, with fury in her glowing eyes, "There is no Carly!"
"You lie!"
"Now, let's continue. I activate Inherited Fortune," she activated her reversed trap, "With this trap card in play I'm allowed to summon two more Fortune Ladies next round, to replace the one you destroyed during this turn!"
"Next I'll play a face-down," a reverse-card appeared on Jack's field before vanishing, "That's all for now." 'Time's running out. I have to do something, but what?!'
"My draw!" Aslla started her next turn.
'That last attack left Carly weaker than ever,' Jack thought, 'one more strike and I could lose her for good!'
"First, due to the effect of Inherited Fortune, I get to summon two Fortune Ladies! Rise, (1) Fortune Lady Wind(3/ATK: ?/DEF: ?) and (2) Fortune Lady Water(4/ATK: ?/DEF: ?)!" two more Fortune Ladies appeared, one in green and the other in blue (ATK: 900/1200), "Next, I'll activate Water's V2 ability! It allows me to draw one card for every Fortune Lady on my field! And since I currently have two, it looks like you're in double-trouble!" she drew two cards and gave a dark smile, "Eheheheheheheh! Oh, yes! I've been waiting for this moment!" her two Fortune Ladies melded together and rose to the sky, "I release Fortune Lady Water and Wind, and summon the all-powerful, the almighty-"
"The what?!"
Above them, tendrils of black cloud were swirling like the aerial view of a hurricane around the Immortal's seal, "Oh, Jackie, simply imagine your worst nightmare and you'll have your answer! Behold, as five thousand years pass and a portal to the netherworld opens! Behold the terrifying manifestation of what will be when all of the spirits of the Satellite are swallowed by darkness!"
'Sounds like I'm about to get a sneak-preview of what's to come should the Dark Signers get their way!'
"I see the fear in your eyes, and you're wise to tremble! Descend, Earthbound Immortal Aslla Piscu!" a column of purple light explodes from the seal, connecting the earth and the heavens. Jack shielded his face, prepared for the worst, then lowered his arm to stare as the Hummingbird Immortal rises from the mist, its markings burning like fiery lava as it spread its wings and shrilled a strange, resounding note (ATK: 2500). "This is but a taste of what the rest of the world has to look forward to! Now, prepare to feel the wrath of the shadows!" the immortal charged, ready to pierce Jack with its long large beak.
'If that behemoth strikes me, I'm done for! There's only one chance.' "I summon forth (3) Battle Fader(1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)!" Jack slapped a monster on his console and a strange bat-like creature hung with a golden bell-ringing pendulum appeared (ATK: 0), "Fader can be summoned whenever I'm attacked directly; and, thanks to its special ability, this round's battle-phase ends, and your attack is cancelled!" Battle Fader rang its bell again and again, and waves of sound spread from it, forcing Aslla Piscu back.
"Guess I'll just settle for a face-down, then!" Aslla growled, "Your move! And it will be your last!"
"Then get ready, because you had better believe I'm gonna use it to save Carly! After all, I'm not the only one she means something to: y'see Carly made me feel something nobody else ever has! When she did, I could believe in others. By reaching me Carly reached so very many of us!" Jack placed a hand over his heart, "And I can feel every last one of them with me right now! You may have the shadows on your side, but I have the light!" Jack and his runner then glowed a faint red. "What's this?"
(Cue: REAL FORCE)
Yusei gasped aloud, sensing something, so did Luna, and undoubtedly, Akiza. Soon each of their Marks vanished.
"Your Mark; it's glowing!"
"Then that could mean one thing," Jason replied as his Mark went away, "It's about time Jack makes a comeback!"
neraisadameta yubisaki ga sasu
unmei wa zetsubou? sore to mo kibou?
yuragi no naka de jushin shiteyuku
kanashimi ni mo makenai
yuuki dake o kudasai
Piece by piece, the Mark of the Crimson Dragon appeared on Jack's back, glowing brightly; along with Jason's Mark on his arm, 'My friends! I can feel their power inside me! I can feel their strength!' he then noticed another glow, and looked at his deck to see the top card shining gold, 'And I'd say something's telling me to put it to good use! So let's!' Jack drew his next card and turned it over; the card was... 'Majestic Dragon! But if I use this, then...'
taisetsu na mono mamoru tame
"tsuyosa" wa aru to shinjiteru
'Then you'll win, Jack.'
Jack looked at his opponent; her eyes were still glowing with pure evil. "Carly...! Is that you?!"
'Yes... I'm here!' Jack closed his eyes, isolating him from all distractions of the real world, 'You must listen carefully.'
"Of course!"
'You've done all you can, but it's time you forgot about me.'
"Don't say that!"
'Now, you must do what you can to save the world. There's too much at stake not to!'
"Rubbish! Just hold on, I'll find a way to save you yet!"
saving our future issho ni
ashita e no doa hiraita sora e tobitatou
'No! You have to win this duel and win it now!'
"But if I attack, then you'll be lost to the Netherworld!"
'And if you don't, I'll still be under the Dark Signers' control. Should the darkness win this match, a lot of people will be absorbed into the shadows! You must do this, for me!'
to aru sekai no hate de
kakenuketeku real force
hikari o hanatte!
"Carly... If these are your wishes, then very well. I'll do as you say."
'They are, Jack. Thanks.'
'Here goes, Carly. This one's for you!' As he looked at the sneering face of his Aslla, he saw Carly as he remembered her looking back at him, "Now, then, let's give it to those Dark Signers! I summon Majestic Dragon!"
mujikaku na mama ikiteyuku no o
shiawase to yobu nara itami erabou
sukyan shita tte minukenai hodo
mune no oku no chikai ni mayoi nante nai no
The shining dragon of miracles appeared, glowing with exalted radiance (ATK: 0), "No ATK points, no problem; because thanks to him, my level-8 Red Dragon Archfiend and level-1 Battle Fader are tuned up and tricked out to synchro-summon something that has some serious bite!"
hohoemiaeta shunkan ga
namida ni kawaru sono mae ni
Archfiend and Battle Fader shed their frames into nine total stars. The shining stars aligned with a single synchro-gate, surrounded by the glowing pink phantom of Majestic Dragon. The whole scene flashed as Jack chanted:
"A lone single polished light, become the true high-ruler and illuminate the earth! Shine your light! Synchro Summon!"
'That's right, from out of these three comes one! And he's got one thing on his mind: taking you down!" Jack's runner lifted from the track and he disappeared into the flash of green light... "I give you the Great Soul; the (4) Majestic Red Dragon(10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000)!" a large plume of living flame exploded and hatched a giant get dragon. The dark-shaded scales the Red Dragon Archfiend had were replaced by a sleeker hide, with more illuminate shades of red. The four giant, blade-tipped wings supported it in the dark sky. The Majestic Red Dragon roared, shining with blazing aura (ATK: 4000).
shooting our destiny
mienai
kokoro no kizu o iyasu nukumori tsutsumu kara
tatta hitotsu no negai
tsuranuiteku real force
kiseki o koeteku
"When Majestic Red Dragon attacks, all monsters on the field in DEF mode are destroyed after the battle. And the saving starts now, because Majestic Red Dragon negates the ability of your monster; and then he gains the ATK points of those monsters until the end of the turn! In other words, the almighty power of your Earthbound Immortal Aslla Piscu..." Majestic Red breathed a fiery light at the Immortal, and imprisoned it in a huge shell of red glass (ATK: 6500). '...Is now mine!"
"You won't attack me, you'll hurt little Carly!" Aslla gasped as she just witnessed her Immortal weaken.
"You're right, and I won't let her make that sacrifice." Jack replied before looking down at his console, at the reverse-card he placed, 'At least, not alone. Which is why I still have a face-down to play: Shock Wave. When it's activated, if a monster on the field is destroyed then both players take damage equal to that monster's attack-points. And since I can use Shock Wave to destroy Majestic Red Dragon, Carly and I will both take enough damage to lose this duel at the same time! It's what must be done!' "We'll be together again soon, Carly. Not the way I had hoped, but together nonetheless, and that's the only thing that matters!"
keep on believing
(hitori ja nai)
keep on braving
"Oh, Jack, you're wrong! You have another destiny in store! Remember?"
seou ashita ga omokute mo
mugen no ima ga tsuzuku you ni
Jack, alarmed to hear this, tried to act fast, went for the button to activate his face-down. "No, Carly! It's already done!"
"I activate the trap, Earthbound Release!" Aslla played her reverse-card.
Jack stopped short of the button, shocked. "What?! But..."
"With this in play, all monsters on the field are destroyed. And then you take damage equal to all their attack points! In other words, Jackie, you've lost!"
"You're wrong! My dragon's ability is still in play, so your effect is negated and you take the damage, not me. But why would you make such a careless move unless...!" Jack's face lit up in realization "Unless, of course! It's Carly! She must've used the last bit of strength she had to force your hand, and save me!"
saving our future issho ni
ashita e no doa hiraita sora e tobitatou
to aru sekai no hate de
Carly's trap shot a blast of fire out, shattering the red glass and caused a huge explosion. Jack's dragon flew out of the plume of smoke of dust it caused, and fired a huge fireball at Carly, which she was riding straight into.
kakenuketeku real force
hikari o hanatte!
"I told you, Jack. You have another destiny in store for you. And as much as I appreciate you willing to sacrifice everything for me, it's important that you fulfill it... After all, you're going to be king, Jack!"
Jack had realized all too late that he couldn't stop her. As he desperately called her name, she ran straight into the fireball. Flung free of her runner, she landed on the ground with a moan.
Jack: 2000 (5)
Carly (Aslla): 0 (1)
Jason and David watched lines of fire vanished from the earth, as though they were never there. The Hummingbird's sign faded from the sky.
"I'd say this battle's over." David said.
"Right. Now to find Jack," Jason added.
Jack had flung aside his runner and helmet, and hurried to Carly's side, "Carly! Carly! Just hang in there, Carly. You hear me?" He gently shook her as she lied limply in his arms, battered and unconscious.
She opened her eyes, dazed and blank, but their normal color; and looked up at him, "Yes, Jack... I hear you." Carly replied in a feeble voice, half-whisper.
"You're gonna make it through this."
"I know... Jack... I will... but not here."
"No, don't say that. Look; I saved these for you." He took her broken glasses out of his pocket and gently placed them on her face.
"Ahh...! Thanks, Jack..." She smiles up at him. "But I don't want you to worry about me. Even though the netherworld is calling for me, I-I'll be all right. I'm not scared. And you shouldn't be, either. We'll be together again, someday."
"You're right. I'm going to do whatever it takes to bring you back. I'll never give up hope, and I'll never stop fighting for you, Carly!"
"I know, Jack... That's why you're my number one...! Now then, I'm afraid it's time I get going..." they hugged one last time, and she started to turn the grey of stone as he embraces her, 'Goodbye, Jack...' now entirely charcoal-grey, wisps of her form began to evaporate, until Jack was only hugging air. Her glasses clattered to the ground. Jack snatched at the air, then hunched over, shaking with emotion as he knelt on the ground, 'Carly...'
"Jack!" the turbo-duelist did not move a muscle as Jason and David walked towards him. "Hey, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, thank you!" Jack snapped defensively. He clenched his fist, and got slowly to his feet, looking up at the sky. 'I won't ever forget everything you did for me...' he stood as he quietly watched a shower of purple sparkles flit through the air.
'And I won't forget you, Jack! You see? I told you I'd be all right!'
DUEL-MON DATABASE
(1) Fortune Lady Wind
Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] Level 3 ATK/? DEF/?
Attribute: WIND
Description: This card's ATK and DEF are equal to its Level × 300. During each of your Standby Phases, increase the Level of this card by 1 (max 12). When this card is Normal Summoned, you can destroy a number of Spell or Trap Cards your opponent controls equal to the number of face-up "Fortune Lady" monsters you control.
(2) Fortune Lady Water
Stats: [Spellcaster/Effect] Level 4 ATK/? DEF/?
Attribute: WATER
Description: Each Standby Phase, increase the Level of this card by 1 (max 12). This card's ATK and DEF are equal to its Level x 300. When this card is Summoned, draw 1 card for each face-up "Fortune Lady" monster you control.
(3) Battle Fader
Stats: [Fiend/Effect] Level 1 ATK/0 DEF/0
Attribute: DARK
Description: When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, then end the Battle Phase. If this card is Special Summoned with this effect, banish it when it leaves the field.
(4) Majestic Red Dragon
Stats: [Dragon/Synchro/Effect] Level 10 ATK/4000 DEF/4000
Attribute: LIGHT
Description: "Majestic Dragon" + "Red Dragon Archfiend" + 1 non-Tuner monster
Once per turn, you can negate the effect(s) of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls, and have this card gain ATK equal to the negated monster's ATK, until the End Phase. When an opponent's card or effect that would destroy this card is activated, negate the activation and destroy that card. Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of this card. If this card attacks, destroy all Defense Position monsters on the field after damage calculation. During the End Phase, return this card from the field to the Extra Deck, and Special Summon 1 "Red Dragon Archfiend" from your Graveyard.
(5) Bone Crusher
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 4 ATK/1600 DEF/200
Attribute: EARTH
Description: When this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard by the effect of a Zombie-Type monster: You can target 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls; destroy that target. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Special Summoned: Destroy it.
(6) Des Lacooda
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 3 ATK/500 DEF/600
Attribute: EARTH
Description: Once per turn, you can flip this card into face-down Defense Position. When this card is Flip Summoned, draw 1 card.
(7) Goblin Zombie
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 4 ATK/1100 DEF/1050
Attribute: DARK
Description: When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Send the top card of their Deck to the Graveyard. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Add 1 Zombie-Type monster with 1200 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand.
(8) Reaper on the Nightmare
Stats: [Zombie/Fusion/Effect] Level 5 ATK/800 DEF/600
Attribute: DARK
Description: "Spirit Reaper" + "Nightmare Horse"
This card is not destroyed as a result of battle. Destroy this card when it is targeted by the effect of a Spell, Trap or Effect Monster. This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly even if there is a monster on your opponent's side of the field. If this card successfully attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, your opponent discards 1 card randomly from his/her hand.
(9) Ryu Kokki
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 6 ATK/2400 DEF/2000
Attribute: DARK
Description: At the end of the Damage Step, if this card battled a Warrior or Spellcaster-Type monster: Destroy that monster.
(10) Despair from the Dark
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 8 ATK/2800 DEF/3000
Attribute: DARK
Description: When this card is sent from your hand or Deck to your Graveyard by an opponent's card effect: Special Summon this card.
(11) Endless Decay
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 5 ATK/ ? DEF/ 0
Attribute: DARK
Description: If you have 2000 Life Points or less, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: This card's ATK becomes half the opponent's Life Points.
(12) Kurizombi
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 1 ATK/300 DEF/200
Attribute: DARK
Description:You can banish this card from your graveyard when you would take battle-damage from a monster controlled by your opponent; the damage from that attack becomes 0, then you can special-summon 1 zombie-type monster from your graveyard whose DEF is lower than or equal to the amount of damage you would have taken.
(13) Zombie Master
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 4 ATK/1800 DEF/0
Attribute: DARK
Description: Once per turn: You can send 1 monster from your hand to the Graveyard, then target 1 Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon that target. This card must remain face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect.
(14) Beast of the Pharaoh
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 3 ATK/400 DEF/600
Attribute: EARTH
Description: If this card is sent to the Graveyard for a Synchro Summon, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type monster from your Graveyard.
(15) Plaguespreader Zombie
Stats: [Zombie/Tuner] Level 2 ATK/400 DEF/200
Attribute: DARK
Description: You can return 1 card from your hand to the top of the Deck to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. If you do, remove this card from play when it is removed from the field.
(16) Archfiend Zombie-Skull
Stats: [Zombie/Synchro/Effect] Level 6 ATK/2500 DEF/1200
Attribute: DARK
Description: "Plaguespreader Zombie" + 2 or more non-Tuner Zombie-Type monsters
Face-up Zombie-Type monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects.
(17) Paladin of the Cursed Dragon
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 4 ATK/1900 DEF/1200
Attribute: DARK
Description: Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type monster that was destroyed by battle from your opponent's Graveyard to your side of the field.
(18) Revived King Ha-Des
Stats: [Zombie/Synchro/Effect] Level 6 ATK/2450 DEF/0
Attribute: DARK
Description: "Plaguespreader Zombie" + 1 or more non-Tuner Zombie-Type monsters
Negate the effects of Effect Monsters destroyed by battle with Zombie-Type monsters you control.
(19) Doomkaiser Dragon
Stats: [Zombie/Synchro/Effect] Level 6 ATK/2400 DEF/1500
Attribute: FIRE
Description: "Plaguespreader Zombie" + 1 or more non-Tuner Zombie-Type monsters
When this card is Special Summoned, you can select 1 Zombie-Type monster in your opponent's Graveyard and Special Summon it to your side of the field in Attack Position. Destroy it when this card is removed from the field.
(20) Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon
Stats: [Zombie/Effect] Level 7 ATK/2400 DEF/2000
Attribute: DARK
Description: You can Tribute Summon this card in Attack Position by Tributing 1 Zombie-Type monster. When this card destroys a Zombie-Type monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon that monster to your side of the field.
Kenichi: "Three generators down and only two to go! We finally finished activating the backup consoles but our mission isn't over yet! Not only we have to beat the remaining Dark Signers, there's another faction in Satellite we thought we dealt with! Next time on Reverse of Arcadia: Second Chances! See 'ya next time!"
DUEL-MON TRIVIA-
Hey duelists! Did you know:
"There's an actual real-life rapper whose stage-name happened to be named after a monster used in this chapter. Try guessing who it is before the next one..."
Please Read and Review.