Hello, all! Here is the next chapter in the story, and it has a Duel!
Now, those of you who have already figured out who the mysterious man is may or may not be excited for what is to happen. For the rest... the Japanese to English names will probably spoil it for you. Eh, that's what happens sometimes.
Anyway, here are the Japanese to English names for this chapter:
Divine = Sayer
Aki = Akiza
Mental Sphere Demon = Thought Ruler Archfiend
DISCLAIMER: Same as always. Don't own Yugioh/Android: Netrunner, or thier companies. Do own OC's, custom cards/people/factions, etc.
Onward to the Chapter!
[3rd-Person POV]
[DUEL BEGINS] [Epsilon: 4000 LP] [?: 4000 LP] [Hand Size (Both): 5 cards]
The man calls out, "First turn!" as he draws his card. He looks over his hand for just a moment.
[TURN 1: ?] [HS: 5-6]
"I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Krebons!"
The Monster that appears is a jester dressed in purple, orange, and black clothes. A visor showing semicolonons, and the mathematical symbols for "greater than" and "lesser that" covers its eyes. It gives a sinister chuckle as it juggles three digital green cubes (DARK, Psychic/Tuner, 1200 ATK/400 DEF, LVL 2) (HS (Divine): 6-5).
"A Psychic-Type?" Epsilon quickly asks. His eyes narrow, and then go wide as a strange notion comes to his mind. His guidance implant peers back through the mental pages of his memories in the span of a few seconds. It selects a set of memories locked under private access, but not removed entirely.
Epsilon sees pictures of Psychic-Type Monsters used by a man he unfortunately recognizes. These kinds of creatures – augmented by cybernetics and wielding incredible mental powers – have only been used by one person. The images Epsilon sees come from another set of eyes. Apex's eyes.
Terror takes hold. Epsilon's hands shake as he mutters the name of a man he does not want to remember: "Divine…?"
The man smirks in response to Epsilon's whispered question, and then laughs at his fearful face. He pulls off his glasses with a dramatic flourish to reveal his brown-and-green eyes. He then lifts his hat to reveal tufts of auburn-colored hair. It's Divine, no doubt about it.
A dark red scar cuts through the right side of his face, the wound grisly but not contaminated. It gives Divine's face a darker image, a sign to Epsilon that he has changed. His right eye isn't injured by the scar, and both eyes have lost some of their previous glint. They don't shift colors anymore, either, which Epsilon does not understand.
"How?" he asks in shock and anger. "How are you alive? You—you fell, like, twenty stories or more! Onto rubble! After an Earthbound God attacked you head-on!"
Epsilon's voice rises with each added fact, until his voice almost cracks from his pitch. Divine relishes in Epsilon's confusion before he makes an answer.
"The body does not matter so much as the mind, Epsilon," he states as he taps a gloved finger to his cranium. "So long as you absolutely believe you aren't dead, you can gain the will to survive. The Dark Signers may have overwhelmed my Psychic Duelists in their attack, but they could not destroy my will. Vengeance gave me the strength to climb out of the wreckage, heal my wounds, and make a new plan.
"Now, vengeance is a part of my goals. But, that's all I will say for now." He smirks as he looks to his cyborg opponent. "It's time for me to take you back."
Epsilon takes several quick breaths. His human conscious screams to flee, get away from here, abandon the Duel so he can survive. His guidance implant starts to calculate the odds of injury due to Psychic Dueling powers, after he has already sustained psychological trauma from the "Shade of Darkness". The combined result gives Epsilon the desire to stay and continue this Duel, no matter what the cost.
This way, at least he can see the true extent of Divine's "vengeance".
"I will never go back, Divine!" Epsilon replies as he draws.
[TURN 2: Epsilon] [HS: 5-6]
He looks over his hand, and cracks a grin at the card he just drew. A familiar face looks back at him from the card frame, a face that he thinks Divine will recognize. Divine narrows his eyes at Epsilon's quick change in expression.
"Let me show you an old friend," he tells the Arcadia Movement leader: "Rielle "Kitt" Peddler!" (HS (Epsilon: 6-5).
The cyborg telepath emerges as she always has – in a shower of green sparks (ATK: 1800). She takes a moment to get her bearings, and then sees Divine. Her eyes widen. Her pupils dilate. The purple gem in her forehead flashes bright pink.
'You!'
Rielle growls this word out as she turns the angriest Epsilon has ever seen her. Her head tilts ever so slightly to one side as she tries to keep her posture straight.
"Ah, Ms. Pedder," Divine states with sarcastic enthusiasm. "The Collective's old icon." He nods to Rielle with the words, "It's an honor to meet you."
'The feeling is not mutual. Monster."
Divine huffs out a breath. Epsilon tenses up as he realizes a Duel Monster is directly talking with a human being. Logically, that should not be possible. He quickly rationalizes that Divine and his Psychic Dueling powers are making the cards real. That never ended well for him in the past.
"Battle!" Epsilon calls out before things get much worse. "Rielle attacks Krebons. Transcended Termination!"
Rielle creates a digital spear in her hand, and hurls it like a thunderbolt. The jester doesn't lose its smile as the weapon streaks towards it.
"Whenever you attack Krebons, its Psychic Shield activates." Divine states before the spear hits the Monster. "By paying 800 Life Points, your attack is negated."
Krebons tosses its cubes into the air and splays out its palms. A sickly-green barrier materializes around it, and the spear shatters on impact. Rielle growls her frustration at her failed attack, which Epsilon echoes in a less dramatic manner (Divine: 4000-3200 LP).
"Main Phase 2," Epsilon moves on as he plucks another card from his hand. "I activate the Continuous Spell Professional Workshop, banishing Snowball from my Deck."
The familiar workbench appears by Epsilon's left, with no special display. It instantly activates as the cyborg shows Divine the mentioned card, and then has his Disk shuffle his cards. The machine instantly gets to work on building a large circular base for some construct [PC: 5] (HS (Epsilon): 5-4).
"I know how that card works." Divine says with no change in his expression. "I saw you use it at the Fortune Cup."
"Good," Epsilon replies with no change in his expression. "That means I don't have to explain it to you. But, I will have to explain my next Continuous Spell: Professional Contacts."
Divine hums at the new Spell as it appears to Epsilon's right. Once again, his expression doesn't change at the image he sees (HS (Epsilon): 4-3).
"This Continuous Spell," Epsilon says with a gesture to the card, "lets me draw a card, and gain 400 Life Points, during each of my Standby Phases."
"I should have expected you would rely on others to stay relevant," Divine taunts. "Only a fool uses other people to do their work."
"I'm not a fool, Divine. Also, what you just said sounds like something you have done to others. Like when you brainwashed me to be your servant."
"Not just a servant," Divine retorts. "You would have been a soldier, a fighter, paving the way for Psychic Duelists across the world.
"If all the Psychic Duelists you used are like you, than that world is one I do not want to live in. Moving on," he adds to continue his turn, "I activate the Field Spell, Wyldside!"
The surrounding area turns supercharged with music, lights, and silhouetted dancers. Both Duelists have enough space to stand, and move around, without pressing against someone in the crowd. The onlookers bump and grind to the beat, lost in the joy of pulse-pounding tunes. Divine silently looks at the crowds without much reaction, while Epsilon glances at a few of the dancers with some interest.
The Spell's energy spreads over the field, with positive results. Rielle bobs her head to the pounding rhythm with a calm smile. Personal Workshop's many parts move in sequence to the beat. Even Krebons juggles in sync to the melody, in tune with the crowd's pleasure-induced activity (HS (Epsilon): 3-2).
Epsilon looks over his hand one more time, and then speaks over the music: "I use Personal Workshop's activated ability."
The workshop's many instruments finish building a circular frame out of green code. They then move inside the frame, and begin the inner workings, as Epsilon's Life Points drop (Epsilon: 4000-3600 LP) (PC: 5-4).
"That's all for my turn."
[ROUND 2] [Epsilon: 3600 LP/Divine: 3200 LP]
"My turn." Divine draws his card off-sync with the music.
[TURN 3: Divine] [HS: 5-6]
"I activate the Field Spell, Brain Research Lab," he quickly states. "This will destroy your silly Wyldside."
In an instant, everything changes. The music turns into the beeps of computer monitors. The changing lights turn into a dull green glow. The dancing crowds turn into a small group of white-coat scientists hard at work. Three such scientists surround a large glass cylinder filled with bright green liquid. The cylinder holds a large brain attached to several wires.
Epsilon shudders at this change. It reminds him too much of his experience with Godwin's labs, and Divine's brainwashing. Rielle's headpiece flickers twice as she looks at the wired brain, panic clearly in her eyes. Krebons giggles as it juggles the cubes the same pace as before (HS (Divine): 6-5).
"This is a better place for our battle, wouldn't you say?" Divine looks to Epsilon at the question, and gets no answer. Epsilon's silence speaks for itself.
"Such cruelty…" Rielle states as she forcefully turns her eyes away from the lab's laborious work. "How can they not see the error of their ways?"
"These scientists are working to learn the secrets of a higher mind," Divine answers with a piercing look at Rielle. "They have the drive to learn new things. How is that cruel?"
"It is cruel when they subject that higher mind to torture and abuse. It would be best for both sides if they compared knowledge on neutral ground."
"A foolish thought," Divine scoffs. "If you expose someone to something of greater power than themselves, they will want to become stronger to match that thing. They'll do anything to get power, and then keep it for themselves, even "cruel" things like this."
"Then," Epsilon adds in as a sudden thought comes to him, "how are your Psychic Duelists any better? They have power already. Are they not using it in the right way?"
"You are so blind! We Psychic Duelists have been mistreated and abused because we have these powers. The humans fear our powers, and cast us away like dogs. My world will put the abused people first, giving them the opportunities to learn and grow that they so desperately need. Then, they can become great like they are supposed to!"
Epsilon looks at Rielle with a sense of doubt. Divine's words bring his recent thoughts about the Collective's real goals back to mind. After all, the Collective want to extend their influence across the world like the Movement. Their agents are the poor and discarded, like the Movement. They augment and train their agents, like the Movement. There are so many similarities that he is only now realizing, it scares him.
Is "synthesis" any better than "Psychic Dueling"?
Divine smiles at the confusion he senses in Epsilon's mind, and then continues his turn with the words, "I Normal Summon Telekinetic Shocker."
One of the computer monitors fires a jagged bolt of lightning onto the lab's floor. The bolt grows, and changes, into a human form. A silver helmet covers its face, and silver gloves cover its hands. It wears a bright red shirt with sharp yellow lines along the edges, and thick rubber boots on its feet. A few spare bolts of lightning fly into its hands, which it wields like Krebon's cubes (LIGHT, Psychic, 1700 ATK/700 DEF, LVL 4) (HS (Divine): 5-4).
"I'm Tuning my Level 4 Telekinetic Shocker with my Level 2 Krebons!"
Epsilon braces himself as Krebons turns into two green rings. The rings float over Shocker's form, turning it into four white stars. Green energy flies through the rings as the scientists look away from their research. The Synchro Summoning catches their interest, and Divine's summon chant makes them excited…
"Sakebi, Kyofu no watshino maebure! Shinkuro Shokan! Hyouji, Seishin teki na Akumu!"
(Cry out, my Harbinger of Terror! Synchro Summon! Appear, Psychic Nightmare!)
Something slashes through the energy, and dissipates it. A pair of large, bat-like wings flap in the lab's confined space. The wings are attached to the towering body of a demon with spiked shoulders, long claws for fingers, and a lion's face. Its shaggy mane is bright green, its skin dark purple. A crown of horns circle its fanged face, a twisted mockery of royalty.
The scientists cower against the demon, who laughs at their fears. Epsilon doesn't look much better as he stands against the creature's psychic aura. Rielle looks to him, and then at the demon, with concern (WIND, Psychic/Synchro, 2400 ATK/1800 DEF, LVL 6).
"Psychic Nightmare's Mind Leak," Divine says with a sharp cut of his hand. "Once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can select one card in your hand and guess if it is a Monster, Spell, or Trap. If I guess right, Nightmare gains 1000 Attack until the end of your next turn."
Epsilon automatically makes eye contact with Divine. He instantly regrets it as he feels a foreign presence push into his brain. He doesn't know whether it is Divine, or his Synchro, but either one is very bad. His eyes squint as he tries to drive it back out, but only manages to hold it back.
"I choose your leftmost card." Divine says. He breathes in as he tries to read Epsilon's thoughts, figure out the cards in his hand. "It is… a Spell!"
The demon points a crooked claw at the selected card. It rises out of Epsilon's hand and flips over to reveal… Gabriel Santiago.
"A Monster card?" Nightmare growls in disapproval as Divine states what he sees. The man then smirks as he calmly states, "I guess I was wrong."
The card returns to Epsilon's hand, but gives him no comfort.
'Is he playing with me?' Epsilon thinks as he tries to read Divine's face, figure him out.'Or, did he actually not know?'
"Battle!" Divine's command brings Epsilon back to reality. "Nightmare attacks Rielle; Terrifying Grip!"
The demon looks down at Rielle, and lets out a booming laugh. Then, almost too quickly to see, it swings its claws at her. Rielle gets no time to dodge, and is caught in Nightmare's grip. She struggles as it squeezes her tighter and tighter. Her face turns red, and then blue, before she bursts into pixels with a painful scream.
"Rielle!" Epsilon shouts as his Life Points register the Battle Damage. He glares at Divine while the last bits of the telepath fade away (Epsilon: 3600-3000 LP).
"During my second Main Phase," Divine continues like nothing important happened, "I Set one card facedown." (HS (Divine): 4-3)
"Before you end your turn," Epsilon interrupts, "I activate Personal Workshop's effect."
The workshop moves to finer details as it finishes the sphere's inner frame. Small grasper attach connecting points in the sphere's center, and then lasers weld them together with pinpoint accuracy (Epsilon: 3000-2600 LP) (PC: 4-3).
Divine looks at this process for just a moment before Epsilon says, "I draw!" He keeps a neutral expression as the cyborg moves to take his turn.
[TURN 4: Epsilon] [LP: 2600] [HS: 2-3]
"During my Standby Phase," Epsilon says, "Workshop and Contacts both trigger. I'll resolve Workshop first."
Both spells glow with white auras as they activate. The workshop completes a "core" for the frame, with several connecting pieces attached to the outer sphere (PC: 3-2). Then, Epsilon feels a small tingle on his hand, like a friendly but firm handshake, as he draws an extra card (HS (Epsilon): 3-4) (Epsilon: 2600-3000 LP).
He smiles as he plays his newest card: "I Normal Summon Wyrm!"
The green-scaled, orange-eyed dragon emerges from the same portal as last time. The lab's scientists point and whisper excitedly to each other about the portal, and the creature that emerged from it. The dragon growls threateningly at Psychic Nightmare, despite being smaller than it. The demon returns the challenge with a snort, unimpressed by the dragon's display (ATK: 1400) (HS (Epsilon): 4-3)
"What good will that dragon do?" Divine asks without really wanting to know. "It isn't anywhere near Nightmare's power."
"You'll find out right now. Wyrm attacks Psychic Nightmare with Fire Stream!"
Divine lets out a surprised laugh as the dragon tilts its head back, its chest glowing a bright orange. Once the energy is fully formed, it snaps its neck forward with a loud roar. A column of fire streaks from its mouth, which causes the scientists to duck down behind any cover they can find. Divine's Synchro Monster raises a clawed hand towards the stream, and holds it back.
"During Damage Calculation," Epsilon shouts as his dragon continues to release its breath weapon, "Wyrm's Hidden Power activates. Psychic Nightmare's Attack is halved, making it weaker than Wyrm!"
Wyrm's chest glows a deep red, which spreads the fire it still expels from its mouth. Psychic Nightmare's hand turns black as the skin burns away. The demon's confidence vanishes in a surprised screech of pain (ATK (Nightmare): 2400-1200 ATK).
Wyrm's empowered fire spreads up the demon's arm, and then over its entire body. The lab's controlled temperature quickly rises as Psychic Nightmare tries, in vain, to snuff the flames out. It gives one last moan before its body turns to ash (Divine: 3200-3000 LP).
"So, that's what you were planning," Divine realizes as Wyrm closes its now-smoking mouth. "Well, I had a plan for that plan."
Epsilon blinks. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I activate the Trap, Telepathic Power! This triggered when you destroyed a Psychic-Type Monster by battle. Now, your Monster is destroyed, and I gain Life Points equal to its Attack Points."
The Trap reveals itself on Divine's command. It shows "Psychic Snail" attacking "Darkblaze Dragon" with a strong mental blast. As it activates, waves of green energy fly from the card onto Wyrm. The dragon resists for a moment as the waves center on its head, but it quickly falls lifeless to the lab floor. Divine's body then glows the same green as his card, which causes one female scientists to quickly take some notes (Divine: 3000-4400 LP).
"Main Phase 2." Epsilon says while keeping his eyes away from his now-brainless Monster, "I use Wokshop's activated effect."
Wyrm's body vanishes as the Workshop finishes putting all of Snowball's pieces together. A set of lasers now start to paint color to the digital construct (Epsilon: 3000-2600 LP) (PC: 2-1).
All Epsilon says as he looks where Wyrm was, and where Divine stands, is, "Take your turn."
[ROUND 3] [Epsilon: 2600 LP/Divine: 4400 LP]
"Watch closely, Epsilon." Divine warns as he draws his card. He smiles at what he gets, which consequently makes Epsilon nervous.
[TURN 5: Divine] [HS: 3-4]
"I Normal Summon something you may find interesting: Pandaborg."
Epsilon's eyes widen as a robotic panda appears in front of Divine. Its body has silver and green plates for skin, and metallic claws on its hands. A pair of tubes connect its arms to its neck, several bolts keeping the arms in place. It sits on its rear end with a strange grin, bright green pupils wide and alert (WATER, Psychic, 1700 ATK/1400 DEF, LVL 4) (HS (Divine): 4-3).
"A cyborg panda? How is that 'interesting' to me, Divine?"
"How can you not see the resemblance? It's a cyborg, like you; it is, at heart, a machine, like you; and, it obeys my every order like the docile animal it is. Just like you once did."
"That time is over," Epsilon retorts with a dark frown, "and it is not coming back."
"I beg to differ. I just need to force you into submission, like everyone else that comes to the Movement."
Epsilon grits his teeth at the implied message. His approval of Divine's actions sharply drops, not that it was ever high to begin with.
Divine continues his turn with his next action: "I equip Pandaborg with Psychic Blade." (HS (Divine): 3-2)
The robotic animal looks at its right hand just before a sword materializes in its grasp. The blade is wide, tipped with three sharp points, and made of glowing green energy. Five black circles surround the bright red handle, which the panda wraps its claws around.
"When I activate Psychic Blade," Divine explains, "I must pay Life Points in multiples of 100, up to 2000. Then, the equipped Monster gains that much Attack and Defense. I'll pay 1400 Life Points, which should make Pandaborg stronger than any Monster in your Deck."
The blade glows the same green as the lab's large cylinder. Divine's body glows black for a moment as his Life Points drop. Pandaborg blinks twice as new data flows into its computerized brain. It stands up on its two hind legs and readies the blade for combat. (Divine: 4400-3000) (ATK/DEF (Pandaborg): 1700-3100/1400-2800).
'He's right about the stats,' Epsilon reflects as Pandaborg moves the blade around like it has trained with it for years. 'Pandaborg is now stronger than even Hades Shard's base Attack! What's worse, it's more than my current Life Points!'
"Battle!" Divine shouts with a wide smile. "Pandaborg attacks you directly with Psychic Slice! This is the end!"
The robot panda races forward, far faster than one would expect from looking at it. The Psychic Blade shines with power as its wielder draws it back for a strong slash.
"No, Divine!" Epsilon shouts before the attack connects. "This Duel's only begun! I activate the effect of Guru Davinder from my hand!"
As Epsilon shows one of the newer cards in his hand to Divine, a section of the floor to Epsilon's far left opens. A large pod like the Arcadia Movement's hibernation pods rises from below the floor. An elderly man with a long white beard, and wearing yellow robes, rests inside the pod. His eyes are peacefully closed, as if he's only asleep.
As Pandaborg charges towards the pod, a golden copy of the sleeping elderly man appears. The copy's eyes are open as it floats in a lotus position. It raises one hand towards the robot as the blade comes down. The blade freezes before it ever hits the man, or Epsilon.
"What's this?" Divine asks with some real interest this time. Even in Solid Vision, this display of inhuman power is something to notice.
"When I would take damage," Epsilon explains, "I can reveal Guru Davinder from my hand to reduce that damage to 0. Then, I must either pay half of my Life Points or banish Davinder. I'll pay the points."
Epsilon places a hand to his chest as his Life Points sharply drop. He suddenly feels more tired than before, but keeps his footing (Epsilon: 2600-1300 LP). The golden man disappears after the cost is paid, but the pod remains. The man inside, the supposed "Guru", sleeps on.
"Hmmph." Once again, Divine isn't very upset by this change of events. "A clutch play, that's all that was. It won't slow me down. I'll just defeat you next turn."
"I guess your turn is done, then." Epsilon states. When Divine nods to confirm this, Epsilon announces, "I'll draw."
[TURN 6: Epsilon] [HS: 3-4] [LP: 1300]
"Standby Phase," he almost instantly declares. "Contacts and Workshop trigger. I'll resolve Contacts first this time."
The cyborg Duelist feels the same tingle in his hand as he draws his card. It isn't what he really wanted, but it will do for right now (Epsilon: 1300-1700 LP) (HS: 4-5). He turns his focus to Personal Workshop as the machines fully finish their work (PC: 1-0).
"With the last Power Counter removed," he says with a smirk towards Divine, "I Special Summon Snowball in Defense Mode!"
The digital green sphere literally rolls off the table, and onto the Dueling field. However, its arrival doesn't interest the scientists as much as its construction in earlier turns. They turn back to their own experiments and computers as Snowball changes from green to blue (DEF: 2200).
"I now Set a Monster facedown," Epsilon continues, "and activate the Continuous Spell, The Source."
Divine feels a weight rest on his shoulders as the Spell activates, a pressure he can't really identify. It excites him, and worries him, at the same time. He keeps his worries under a bland façade, his years of training provide excellent experience in maintaining his cool (HS (Epsilon: 5-3).
"This Spell has three main abilities," Epsilon explains, counting them off with his fingers. "First, the Level of every Monster on our fields and hands is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1 star."
Divine looks to his Monster as its Level drops, but doesn't care about the change (Snowball: LVL 5-4) (Pandaborg: LVL 4-3). He then looks to the Monsters in his hand, and still doesn't really care. It didn't change anything he could do.
"Second," Epsilon continues, "both of us have to pay 400 Life Points times our Monsters original Levels for them to attack. Finally," he finishes. "The Source will destroy itself when Battle Damage is dealt to one of us."
"So, you're stalling for time?" Divine resists the urge to roll his eyes at the move. "Such a shame. You lack the efficiency to win, to conquer. The Collective have cards and strategies that would crush any opponent in just a few turns. You would have been so much more efficient under my control."
"I don't like being anyone's slave, Divine. You should know that by now. Make your move."
[ROUND 4] [Epsilon: 1700 LP/Divine: 3000 LP]
"You've obviously set up for something big." Divine states as he draws for the turn. "I can certainly satisfy your demands."
[TURN 7: Divine] [HS: 2-3]
"But," he says after he looks over his cards, "I won't satisfy them this turn. Paying 1600 Life Points to not deal any damage would be a wasted effort." He gives a cold glare at Epsilon's empty field as he adds, "I prefer to have the full advantage in a fight, just like anyone with power does."
This does not make Epsilon feel any better. Divine's words sound eerily like the Dark Signers, and the Collective. All three groups want power over other people, and they all want to make a new world. Epsilon tries to figure out which of them is the best to trust, and comes up blank.
Epsilon's guidance implant provides its own analysis of each faction: [The Collective promotes a positive cause for all humankind, despite public objection. The Arcadia Movement wants to rule the world out of vengeance for their kind's mistreatment. The Dark Signers are undead slaves to the Earthbound Gods, chained to their purpose with no hope of escape.]
'But,' Epsilon thinks back, 'none of them sound completely good to me. I want to make the right choice here, my own choice, with no outside interference.'
[Isolating yourself from outside information has become more and more difficult in modern society. Like it or not, you will encounter things and people inherently different from yourself. How you deal with them is completely your choice.]
'Is there a right answer I can choose, then?'
[…]
[Unknown.]
Epsilon hears Divine state, "I Set one card in my backrow, and pass things to you," without much care. He is more on his own now than ever before (HS (Divine): 3-2).
"I draw." Epsilon looks at his new card, and feels a mixture of emotions. It's a helpful card, but it's not the help he needs.
[TURN 8: Epsilon] [HS: 3-4]
"Contacts triggers during my Standby Phase. Here we go…"
Epsilon's fingers shake as he places his hand on his Deck. He feels sweat run down his back. The warm feeling from his Spell doesn't help him as he draws his extra card (HS (Epsilon): 4-5) (Epsilon: 1700-2100 LP).
He looks at it, and smiles.
'This is what I wanted!'
"I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Clone Chip!"
The small set of computer chips materialize one after the other in front of Epsilon. Several of them quickly float in a group, like a swarm of insects (DARK, Machine/Tuner, 400 ATK/400 DEF, LVL 1) (HS: 5-4).
"I use Clone Chip's effect: Backup of Backup! By banishing one Monster from my Graveyard, Clone Chip's Level becomes that number for this turn. I banish Rielle, who is a Level 4, to make Clone Chip's Level 4 stars."
Epsilon's Disk ejects the mentioned card from the Graveyard slot. He takes it, and places it into a coat pocket. The chips all glow pink as their Level changes accordingly (LVL (Clone Chip): 1-4).
"I'm Tuning my Level 4 Clone Chip with Snowball, who is currently a Level 4 thanks to the Source. This makes a Level 8 Synchro! Divine," Epsilon pauses as he raises his right hand to the lab's ceiling, "this is my true strength! A strength you could never conquer!"
Four of Clone Chip's "chips" turn into green rings as Snowball floats off the floor. The rings envelop it, and turn it into four white stars. Green energy fills the rings, and a burst of power spreads across the room as Epsilon recites a familiar chant…
'Deeta ha me ni mie nai nettowaku no geeto wo toote nagare masu. Soshite ima, karerea ha subete issho ni kono saibanetikku juu no katachiwo keisei suru maaji! Shinkuro Shokan! Jibun jishin wo akiraka, Tera Tsubasaichisan Doragon!'
(Data flows through the gate of the invisible network, and now, they all merge together to form the shape of this cybernetic beast! Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself, Tera-Wing Netrunner Dragon!)
All light in the lab dims for a moment as the Synchro rings disappear. Epsilon's signature dragon takes the light into its scaled body as it emerges onto the field. The lab's walls bounce the light around in a strobe effect, going off the walls and computer monitors at different angles. The creature's single red eye shines with its own light as it observes its surroundings.
"Terra-Wing Netrunner Dragon…" Divine mutters as the Monster gives a challenging roar to everyone observing it. "You hold so much power, so much potential, for me to use."
He narrows his eyes, and glares at the dragon. It glares right back with a hard flap of its tiny wings as The Source's effect kicks in (LIGHT, Dragon/Synchro, 2500 ATK/2000 DEF, LVL 8) (LVL (Terra-Wing): 8-7).
"Battle!" Epsilon shouts, "Terra-Wing attacks Pandaborg!"
"You fool!" Divine shouts back as the dragon begins to charge its breath weapon. "Did you forget about your own Spell? You have to pay 3200 Life Points for that dragon to attack! You'll lose in an instant!"
"That's part of my plan, Divine! I chain The Source's effect with Terra-Wing's Lifebound Strength!"
Divine curses. He should have known a Synchro like this had a special trick.
"This effect lets me gain Life Points equal to the cost I need to pay, before I pay it. Then, Terra-Wing gains Attack Points equal to what I have to pay until the end of this turn. With a cost of 3200 points, my dragon's Attack is more than doubled!"
Divine lets out an angry, "Impossible!" as Terra-Wing coils around Epsilon's position. The cyborg's body glows black, and then white, as the chain of effects takes place (Epsilon: 2100-5300-2100 LP) (ATK (Terra-Wing): 2500-5700).
When Epsilon next opens his eyes, they show confidence. Divine feels the change in the air, and clenches his gloved fists in response. He braces himself for a major blow, his arms in front of his face.
"Take out Pandaborg," Epsilon commands, "Soul Reformation!"
Terra-Wing rises to the lab's ceiling, and then dives down to Pandaborg's position. It coils around the robot like a snake, the Psychic Blade not scratching its scales. Pandaborg's limbs are wedged in place, so it can only look up at its oncoming destruction. It doesn't have to wait long before a beam of pure white energy obliterates it from existence.
The energy spreads from the attack zone in a blast wave. The computer monitors all spark, or glitch out, and the scientists race to get the lab's systems back to normal. Divine manages to hold his ground for only a second when the wave hits him. He lands hard on his rear end, but quickly stumbles to his feet (Divine: 3000-400 LP) (Terra-Wing: LVL 7-8).
"Guh… damn!" He stands back up on shaky legs as Terra-Wing returns to its controller's side. "That dragon really is powerful. A shame it's on the wrong team."
"Save your threats, Divine," Epsilon counters as the scientists get the computers, and interior lights, working as normal again. "You're defenseless against my true power."
"I'm not defenseless as you think, robot." Divine adds a sneer to that last word, which only adds fuel to Epsilon's anger. "When Pandaborg is destroyed by battle, it's Psychic Beacon triggers. I can pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon a Level 4 Psychic-Type Monster from my Deck."
"But, you only have 400 Life Points left!"
"I know," Divine states with a cruel smile. "That's where Brain Research Lab comes into play. I can place a Psychic Counter on it, instead of paying the Life Point cost of a Psychic-Type Monster's effect."
Divine gestures to the floating brain in the giant cylinder as he speaks. At his words, the liquid inside bubbles and froths as electrical sparks dance up and down the wires. The scientists closest to the cylinder quickly pull out notepads to record this phenomenon (Psy C: 0-1).
"Now that the cost has been paid, I Special Summon a second Pandaborg from my Deck, in Defense Mode."
This Pandaborg is identical to the first one, down to the same bolts in the same places. It just sports a shade of blue as it flops onto its belly and curls up like a sleeping baby (DEF: 1400).
"I've got nothing else," Epsilon admits. "Go."
[ROUND 5] [Epsilon: 2100 LP/Divine: 400 LP]
Divine draws his card with a sharp flick of his hand. His cruel smile turns a bit maniacal at what he sees.
[TURN 9: Divine] [HS: 2-3]
"Perfect! I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Psychic Commander."
Epsilon's breath quickens at the word "Tuner". The Monster appears from thin air – a man with four red eyes, a fanged grin, with a green-and-black military uniform and white gloves – where there was nothing a second before. The man rides a levitating tank with four boosters, and one large cannon pointed at Epsilon. The man laughs as he salutes Divine with one hand, the fingers in that hand kept close together (EARTH, Psychic/Tuner, 1400 ATK/800 DEF, LVL 3) (HS (Divine): 3-2).
"I reveal my Set Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Teleport." Divine then says. "This Special Summons a Level 3 or lower Psychic-Type Monster from my Deck. I'll bring Doctor Cranium to the field."
The Spell shows "Mind Protector" leaping out of a whirling portal. A similar portal of red-and-purple energy comes onto the field. It stays long enough to spit out a blue-skinned man in a lab coat, and then vanish. The man huffs as he dusts off his coat. He then carefully repositions the giant amplifier on his head – a contraption made of metal plates, lightbulbs, and wires larger than his own head.
He looks at the field through his obnoxiously-large glasses, and gives a wild chuckle. The other scientists refuse to look at him, for reasons Epsilon does not understand (LIGHT, Psychic, 400 ATK/400 DEF, LVL 1).
"Since you've brought out your signature creature," Divine says, "It's only fair I show you mine. I'm Tuning my Level 3 Psychic Commander, Level 1 Doctor Cranium, and Level 4 Pandaborg!"
The doctor leaps onto Pandaborg's body and dances wildly on top of it. Psychic Commander salutes Divine one more time before it turns into three green rings. The rings overlap the doctor and robot, and they become five white stars. The Synchro energy is visibly stronger this time, and the chant Divine gives is darker…
"Sakamake, waga fukushuu no kouken! Shinkuro Shokan! Koi, Mentaru Sufia Demon!"
(Surge, my black flames of vengeance! Synchro Summon! Come, Mental Sphere Demon!)
Another set of bat-like wings break through the Synchro energy. These ones are stronger, and larger, with orange bones holding the green skin together. They connect to a green-skinned demon with its skeleton outside of its body. Its claws are each the size of Epsilon's body, all colored bright orange. Its long tail coils around the lab's walls, and the horns on its head press against the lab's ceiling.
The scientists all cower in fear of this creature. The demon pays the holographic humans no mind. Its eyes, dark pits without pupils, look only at Terra-Wing. The dragon looks back without a sound, staring Divine's most powerful Monster down (DARK, Psychic/Synchro, 2700 ATK/2300 DEF, LVL 8).
"Battle!" Divine instantly shouts. "Mental Sphere Demon attacks Terra-Wing Netrunner Dragon! Nightmare Roar!"
The demon opens its jaws and lets out a deep-throated roar. A black fog streams from its mouth, sucking up any ambient light in the lab. Terra-Wing keeps its head above the fog, but it can only rise so far before it hits the ceiling. The fog also spreads to Epsilon, who shivers under its icy embrace. He hears several voices overlapping each other, fighting for his attention. None of them make any sense.
Tera-Wing's head is soon enveloped, and it starts to spasm under a mental assault. Epsilon clutches his head as the voices turn into wordless screams. He grits his teeth as ghostly forms and icons dance in his eyes. Terra-Wing crumples to the floor, trapped in its own nightmares while its body decomposes (Epsilon: 2100-1900 LP).
"My Demon's Psychic Drain activates! Since it destroyed a Monster in battle, I gain Life Points equal to that Monster's Attack in the Graveyard."
Epsilon groans as Divine's Life Points shoot up. All the effort he put into Terra-Wing's arrival, and attack, is vanishing before his eyes. At least the screams and visions from the demon's attack go away, too (Divine: 400-2900 LP).
"Take your turn, Epsilon. Try to stand against me. Show me you are not a failure!"
[TURN 10: Epsilon] [HS: 4-5]
"Contacts triggers during my Standby Phase." (Epsilon: 1900-2300 LP) (HS: 5-6)
"I Set one card in my backrow, and end my turn." (HS: 6-5)
[ROUND 6] [Epsilon: 2300 LP/Divine: 2900 LP]
"I should have realized this," Divine proclaims with a firm shake of his head. "You really are a failure. My turn."
[TURN 11: Divine] [HS: 2-3]
After Divine looks over his hand, he moves right to the Battle Phase. "Mental Sphere Demon attacks your Set Monster. Nightmare Roar!"
The demon unleashes another stream of black fog from its fanged mouth. It quickly spreads over Epsilon's Monster, which reveals itself as a green box of circuitry with a rabbit decal emblazoned on the sides. The box lets out a few sparks, and then explodes, beneath the fog's psychic force (DEF: 200).
"I activate Rabbit Hole's Spiraling Replication!" Epsilon states as the fog fades away. "When Rabbit Hole is flipped face-up, I draw a card. Then, when Rabbit Hole is destroyed by battle, I Set another Rabbit Hole from my Deck."
Epsilon draws his extra card, and almost groans. He just drew another Rabbit Hole, which ruins the other Rabbit Hole's abilities (HS (Epsilon): 5-6). Divine smirks when he senses anguish from Epsilon, but doesn't figure out the reason why.
"Demon's Psychic Drain activates again." Divine's smile stays as his Life Points jump up a tiny bit (Divine: 2900-3100 LP). He then looks over his hand for a moment, and then says, "My turn's done."
"It's my turn!" Epsilon tries to confidently shout as he draws his card. He looks at it, and instantly realizes he could turn this Duel around.
[TURN 12: Epsilon] [HS: 6-7]
"Contacts triggers during my Standby Phase." Epsilon draws his extra card, and gains the extra Life Points, without much reaction. The card he draws is useful, but he has better plans that don't involve it right now (Epsilon: 2300-2700 LP) (HS: 7-8).
"I Flip Summon my Set Rabbit Hole, so I can draw another card."
The same green box, with a rabbit decal on the side, appears on Epsilon's field (ATK: 200). Epsilon draws his extra card, and feels a familiar relief at the card. If this plan fails, then he has a backup option (HS: 8-9).
"I now activate the Spell, Wanton Destruction!" (HS: 9-8)
Divine's eyes widen as a woman with long, flowing silver hair and white clothes leaps out of a computer screen, and onto the field. She glances at Divine, the scientists, and then Epsilon. She raises a fist that starts to glow white. The air around it ripples with a force Divine instantly recognizes as telekinetic energy.
"I destroy any number of cards on my field," Epsilon explains, "and then destroy an equal number of random cards on your field. I destroy Professional Contacts, and my Set Trap. Mental Sphere Demon and Brain Research Lab are gone!"
Divine extends a hand with a loud, "No!" but his words do nothing to stop the Spell's effect. The woman's fist shakes with concentrated energy that Divine can feel from across the field. Epsilon's activated Spell, and the small electronic box, turn into white dust that flies right into the woman's fist. It now glows with a bright light. She gives Divine a cold glare before she slams the fist into the lab floor.
The effect is instantaneous, and deadly. A blast wave shatters the lab floor, turning metal plates into jagged shards or ruptured pieces. The scientists vanish beneath the debris, the central containment jar shattering into broken glass. The brain inside writhes as the wires holding it in place break off – it only gets a second to react before it is crushed to a pulp.
Mental Sphere Demon shields its body with its giant wings, and the skin quickly gains many cuts and tatters. The blast wave presses against it, gets bounced back, and then punches through the creature's psychic barrier. The Monster's bones break with audible cracks, the only sound from it before it shatters into golden dust.
The wave then hits Divine. He is instantly knocked off his feet, the wave sending him on his back and keeping him there for its entire duration. Suddenly, a bolt of green lightning strikes him from the debris. He yells in pain as his Life Points suddenly drop (Divine: 3100-2100 LP)
Epsilon keeps his footing as the wave finishes its path of destruction. The surrounding environment returns to the ruined crossroad in Satellite. The woman who caused it all looks to Epsilon, nods once, and disappears without a word.
Epsilon's guidance implant uses that moment to pop in with some new data: [When Brain Research Lab is destroyed, its controller takes 1000 points of damage for each "Psychic Counter" on it.]
Epsilon can't resist the urge to smirk with defiance at what he reads. Divine's plans seem to have backfired, and he has paid the consequences. To Epsilon, Divine deserves his pain. And, as he looks over his hand one more time, he wants to give some more payback. After all, Divine deserves to pay for trying to make Epsilon his slave.
"I Normal Summon Gordian Blade." (HS: 8-7)
The digital weapon rises from beneath Satellite's blasted soil. Its green energy crackles along the metal, ready for use (ATK: 2000). Divine gets to his feet, the scar on his face bright with his anger. He stares at the blade with barely-kept contempt.
"Battle. Rabbit Hole attacks you directly. Mild Shock."
Divine is able to raise his Disk up to block Rabbit Hole's attack. That "attack" is just a small electric bolt that impacts the Disk with no real sign of damage. Still, it lowers Divine's Life Points low enough for Epsilon to carry out the last stage of his plan (Divine: 2100-1900 LP).
"Gordian Blade attacks you directly," Epsilon commands with a finger pointed at the former Arcadia Movement Leader. "Rippling Riposte! This is the end!"
The sword glows brightly, and then flies to Epsilon's hand. He blinks for several moments, confused as to what to do. The blade's light reflects in his eyes, drawing him to it. It fills his mind with a calm sensation, and he accepts it with little resistance. It feels right to him.
His hand closes around the sword's hilt. Power flows through his limbs, giving him new strength. He uses that strength to swing the blade, the power guiding his movements as if he had several hours of practice before now. This power also gives him enough courage to point the blade's crackling tip at Divine.
Divine barely sees Epsilon charge at him. Gordian Blade's energies made the cyborg Duelist move faster than any normal human. In the moment before the weapon dug into Divine's Disk, he senses the level of psychic energy in Epsilon's mind. To the older man's astonishment, it is on par with his own. The blade, and the wielder, move as one, driven by the same purpose.
The moment the blade hits, a small storm of lightning cascades across the Dueling field. Divine and Epsilon hold their ground against each other, neither backing down. They look at each other with anger in their eyes, their minds filled with similar feelings of anger and hatred. Despite this equality, Divine feels his feet slide along the dirt.
He realizes what's happened. He is weaker than Epsilon, in terms of spirit. His Life Points show the truth of that thought as they drop to a final total (Divine: 1900-0 LP).
[WINNER: EPSILON]
The storm vanishes in an instant. Epsilon jumps back from Divine, hands raised as the Solid Vision also goes away. The psychic just stands there, his mind on something else. Epsilon takes his silence for confusion, because that makes the most sense to him.
"You have lost, Divine," Epsilon states. "You must see, now, that I am my own person. I will never be anyone's slave."
Divine slowly shakes his head. His senses slowly return, cast away against the storm of power he just felt. Even so, his heart remains unchanged. Anger simmers just beneath a veil of mental control, pressing against its barriers for any chance to break out. He looks at Epsilon, and senses the cyborg's latent psychic energy. It rests on his body like an extra set of clothing – a thick, robust set of clothing.
The power calls to him, the same way Aki's power did whenever he was near her. He liked to be near that level of power, for the obvious reason that he could keep it under his control easier. What made Epsilon's power different was the level of independence it emitted. Where Aki had years of abuse, self-doubt, and paranoia that Divine could exploit like puppet strings, Epsilon had a relatively-clean slate without handholds to get a grip.
This made Epsilon's psychic potential even more tantalizing to have, and Divine had had it for a time. He wants that time to come back, but he begrudgingly realizes that the effort he'll need to exert to get it is not worth the cost. Besides, Epsilon was, and still is, a side objective towards his greater goal: Aki herself.
When Epsilon hears no words from the kneeling, scarred man, he turs and starts to walk away. He looks back over his shoulder one last time, without a word, at this remnant of his past. He doesn't see Divine's hands, holding him up against the dirt and dust, clench into fists.
After Epsilon turns away again, he hears a loud, "NO!" from Divine. He freezes mid-step. A second later, Divine has his fingers slapped over his eyes and squeezing hard. His hands burn to the touch as he pulls Epsilon's body against his chest.
Raw psychic energy burns like wildfire into Epsilon's brain. His vision turns into a kaleidoscope of colors as a piercing scream mutes all other thoughts. He thrashes, twists, and writhes to try and escape, but Divine holds him too tight for any opportunities.
Divine looks at Epsilon's mind through his hands, and wipes everything he sees away. Nothing is spared, nothing escapes his anger-fueled destruction. He burns it all to ash and dust, not even taking important bits for himself. Better to leave a smoldering corpse of a mind than one that can recover and fight back.
Epsilon's guidance implant quickly tries to respond to the mental slash-and-burn: [PRIORITYALERT] [CORE PROGRAMMING UNDER ATTACK] [NOTIFYING SUPE-]
The guidance implant shorts out with a human-esque gargle, and then a sharp burst of static.
Epsilon's hands rise from his side, purely on reflex. His fingers wrap around Divine's arms to try and break the older man's grip. Divine doubles his efforts, and Epsilon's legs give out. He lets go, all motor control lost as his brain shuts down.
The Masque cries out as she doubles over, her body looping over itself in midair inside a private network server. Wave after wave of pain lances through her digitized brain, until they overlap each other into one connected sense of suffering. She rides through the storm, instead of resisting it, so that less damage will be done in the end. But, that doesn't make what she feels any easier to bear.
The pain leaves as suddenly as it began. Her virtual form is still intact. She tests the server's walls to find they, too, are still intact. So, nothing she can influence has changed. That doesn't make her feel better.
Three avatars flicker around her, each forming into one of the Superiors. Their forms aren't as stable as her own, since they are still tied to "meatspace". She looks at them with scorn; she has nothing to say to them. She hasn't had anything to say since they locked her here.
"Our mutual acquaintance is in danger," Dwayne Williams says with a worried look the AI rarely saw the Superiors show.
That is all it takes to get her attention. "Apex" also shows interest through a series of orange and red eyes that pop into existence and watch ominously.
"The guidance implant we installed has overloaded from an outside attack," Jean-Louis Bordeau elaborates, with a little more care to his word choice, "All attempts to reactivate it, or assume direct control of the body have failed. Without intervention, our… acquaintance," Bordeau gets out after a tell-tale gulp of nonexistent air, "will die."
The Masque's eyes narrow. If this is so important, why are they wasting time telling her what's wrong? They've got other ways to help their "agents", right?
At that moment, the walls binding The Masque to this individual server dissolve. Gone, just like that. Apex instantly tries to escape. The rest of the AI stays in place, which holds Apex back. Apex protests through a synthesized lion's roar, sounding from countless fanged mouths and tongues. The noise obscures the words Sandra Wu starts to say, and she shuts up until Apex finishes its cry.
The sole female Superior looks through thin eyelids at one of the countless eyes. The mouths between the eyes close as Apex waits for a response. Wu turns back to face The Masque before she speaks, giving no response to the virus.
"You have controlled our acquaintance before," she speaks, her voice the coldest of all three Superiors. "Do it again. Then, destroy who or whatever did this to them. Show no mercy."
With that, the Superiors remove their connections to the server. Their forms blink away, but their order remains in The Masque's mind. Apex flails virtual tentacles through the "air" as it prepares to leave the server for good.
"Wait."
Apex pauses at The Masque's single, soft-spoken word. Its eyes stare, unblinking, at her from all angles at once.
"We're going to help him."
A hundred of Apex's eyes frown, but the mouths stay silent. There's no sense in protesting, it realizes. Not against the determination it sees etched into her code. Not against the will of the being that birthed it into a violent, struggling world.
Ten mouths curl open to say in ten different human voices, "We will comply."
The server turns completely empty a second later.
Alright, that's all for now. I hope that Duel was entertaining for you all to read (it took me a while to write up, that's for sure).
Just to warn you, the next chapter will take more time to complete. I've got to gather plot points together, and all that fun stuff. Also, how is the 3rd-Person POV to you here?
As usual, any reviews/comments/constructive criticisim/feedback is well appreciated.
Draconos is taking off!