Chapter 17: Kageru vs Aria Pt.2 Mirror of Horrors

It was now Aria's turn. "I think I've educated you enough. I draw..First, I shall flip my facedown Gishki Ariel to Attack Position." Aria tapped her facedown, thus activating its flip effect once again. It seemed as though every play Kageru made only increased her hand advantage more and more. "This time...I shall add Gishki Mind Augus to my hand. Next, from my hand I shall discard the Gishki Shadow I obtained last turn and activate its ability; Now I can add a Gishki Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand."

"Ritual monsters?" Kageru wondered and thought."I've seen a bunch of those in the old collectors books and I know how they work, but man I haven't seen any in play before."

Aria searched her deck continuously and gained access to just about any card she needed. So far all of the cards she played allowed her to take anything she needed and prepare. The crowd watch in amazement as Aria quickly thinned out her deck.

"Man Castelle is on a role. I don't think he's got a chance."

"Yeah, but Hinodama's got field advantage.."

Aria prepared to go for the offensive. "Now...I shall summon Gishki Beast in Attack mode!" A green-skinned amphibian appeared with a large mane, horns and fins. It opened its wide jaws filled with rows of sharp teeth. It wore what seemed to be a necklace witht the shape of a very peculiar mirror. The shape resembled that of the ritual spell that Aria added to her hand.

Gishki Beast LV4 WATER/Beast
ATK 1500 DEF 1300

"I activate my Beast's special ability; When he is summoned, I can special summon a LV4 or lower Gishki monster from my grave in Defense Mode. I shall revive the Gishki Shadow I discarded this turn. Come to me." The green amphibian roared and used the necklace to call spirits from the grave. Aria's discarded monster was revived. It took the form of a dark blue fish-like sorcerer, wearing a dark cloak and a staff. It also wore a charm that resembled the shape of the strange mirror.

Gishki Shadow LV4 WATER/Sea Serpent
ATK 1200 DEF 1000

"It's time." Aria proclaimed as she fixed her glasses. "Prepare yourself Hinodama Kageru. For I shall activate the Gishki Aqua Mirror ritual spell!" The winds blew as an immense power channeled towards her activated spell. She then began chanting a summon as she called on her monster. "Great Mirror of Creation, accept my offerings to you, as I give you the sacrifice of life. Let all who draw breath take part in a new creation. I call on the being who judges unworthy souls. Come to my aid and join me in bringing judgement to my enemies!"

"Urggh, no big deal." Kageru thought. "If I'm right Ritual Monsters need the spell along with monsters that require at least a total number of stars. She's gonna end up wasting at least 4 cards for one monster."

Aria snickered in amusement. "Heh. Do you actually think that the powers I possess are not worth such a mere sacrifice? The Gishki clan is known for using mundane forbidden arts that involves tributing the souls of the living and nature itself to summon its powerful beings. And if I may also add, when my Gishki Shadow is used as a sacrifice, he can satisfy the need for souls and fulfill the summon requirements himself."

"What!?" Kageru reacted with shock as Aria will now have 3 monsters including in it, a powerful new ritual monster to her side. A giant golden mirror then appeared on Aria's field and Gishki Shadow began chanting some sort of encantation. It then looked at the mirror which transformed its reflection into what looked like a vicious and powerful creature. The mirror created a magic sigil around its sacrifice and began draining its life force. As Shadow's lifeless body withered away, a new creature emerged in its place. It looked like a large amphibian with a long fin on its back and a murky pink skin. It wore a chest plate of gold that extended down to its tail.

"!?" Kageru and the crowd watched in horror at the appearance of Aria's new monster.

"Take thy soul and heed thy call! Evigishki Soul Ogre!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre LV8 WATER/Aqua
ATK 2800 DEF 2800

Gai asked as he looked at the large creature. "Isn't that...Gishki Shadow?"

"Only bigger and badder..." Tetsu added in.

Aria explained proudly as she stared upon her powerful new monster with the students mumbling around her. "That is correct. This here is true evolution. My Gishki Shadow has offered its life along with the life force of other souls only to be reborned. Stronger and far more powerful than anything you can imagine. This is the strength of the Gishki clan."

Kageru stared speechless at the sight of his new adversary. He quickly turned to Aria who made haste at exhibiting the abilities of her new monster."I activate my Soul Ogre's effect; once per turn, I can discard a "Gishki" monster from my hand and select a monster on your field. That monster will return it to the deck. I shall select your Firedog."

"Firedog!?" Tetsu wondered why Aria didn't select Kageru's Uruquizas which was obviously stronger.

Gai felt that he knew the answer. "When you think about it, Uruquizas has only 400 DEf, which means...You don't think-"

"She knows what Kageru's trump card is?" Tetsu also came into realization.

The large amphibian's eyes glowed. It then absorbed the life force of the monster discarded by Aria, which was her Evigishki Mind Augus. It then releasedthe energy straight onto Firedog and sent it back to Kageru's deck. While Aria seemed as though she used up a card, like her summoning, the cost would be however only return to benefit her more. "I activate the effect of the Aqua Mirror lying in my graveyard. By returning it to my deck, I can return one Gishki Ritual Monster that is also resting in my grave back to my hand."

From the grave, rose Aria's mirror which glowed with power, revealing the reflection of Evigishki Mind Augus, before releasing its soul from within. The mirror then transported back to Aria's deck, waiting to be used again, and Aria's once discarded monster returned.

"Man! It's almost like she didn't even pay the cost, and at the same time, she can use her Aqua Mirror again." commented Gai.

"! This isn't good.." Kageru grew worried as he looked towards Aria's field full of three monsters. He knew that he was about to recieve an enormous amount of damage this turn. To make things worse, it seemed that Aria knew fully well what Kageru's ace card was.

Aria prepares her call to attack. "Let us see if you can endure this. Soul Ogre, rid Uruquizas out of my sight." The large amphibian took lifeforce from within and concentrated it on its sharp claws. It then rushed at Uruquizas, grabbing it by its neck and skewering it with its hand. The energy from its claws then went through Uruquizas and pierced Kageru in the shoulder.

"Urrrrghhh!" Kageru fell to one knee as he held his shoulder in pain. "This is..."

Kageru LP 8000-700=7300

"Now Ariel, attack Hinodama directly." The young sorceress chanted a spell, forming a magic sigil around Kageru. The sigil created a large bubble which trapped and drowned him from the inside."Glupp! Urrrrgggll!" The watery prison eventually broke, and Kageru was set free, choking from the intake of water.

Kageru LP 7300-1000=6300

The crowd wondered what was happening. Kageru's friends were worrying. Aria looked down at her opponent with a cold lifeless expression. She seemed unsatisfied and hastily called her attack. "I'm not through yet. Gishki Beast..devour him." The beast leaped on Kageru, pinning him down and biting his already injured shoulder. He yelled in extreme pain.

"GGAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Kageru LP 6300-1500=4800

The crowd gasped in horror. The group gasped as they saw how real the attacks were. They couldn't believe that the monsters before them were simply holograms. They called on their friend who was now groveling on the ground in pain before them.

"Kageru!"

"Are you okay buddy!"

"What's going on here!?"

The beast growled at its injured prey, still pinning him down to the floor. A small cut bled through Kageru's shoulder.

"That's enough for now. Return to me. As much as I wish to attack, that...would be against the rules." Aria called back her monster, which obediently followed and ran back to her field.

Kageru barely managed to get up as he held his bleeding shoulder. His face still struck with horror as each attack replayed through his mind back and forth over and over. "Whaa...What the...The damage...the damage was urgh!...it was...real!?"

"!? What!?"

"Huh!? Real!?"

"Seriously!?"

Aria didn't deny it and explained. "Yes...It's just like I told you. These wars. These battles. Everything. It is all real. The damage you just took; That is reality. Now are you convinced at how serious this is? Duel Monsters...is not mere child's play. It is the mask that hides the face of true conflict. And as always in every conflict, the weak and inferior are the first to fall, and the strong ones survive. The question now is; Who is the inferior one in this duel? And who shall reign victorious?"

Kageru, while still struggling from his wounds could not even grasp everything that occured as reality. He kept on denying it in his mind, hoping the pain would subside like a dream. "It's not real...urk...It can't be.."

Aria looked at her opponent with disgust. "Pathetic. Come now Kageru. It has only been my second turn. You have only yet experienced a mere fragment of my ability."

Maira and the rest of the crowd we're shocked with horror. "How... how can that.." "Be..?" Sugar completed her sentence, as thier eyes shook with fear. Maira grinted her teeth together, "Dad's stories... Sugar, I want you to go home." she took Sugar off her shoulders.

"What!?" Sugar said in disbelief, "No, no, no! Maira, please!"

"No, it's to dangerous now! this is isn't a regular duel! it's like.. like.."

"Like a cowboy shoot out duel, where someone could get-"

"Hurt." Maria quickly spat out before Sugar said something she REALLY didn't want to hear. "Now, go home. I'll make sure Kageru doesn't kill himself. Tell grandpa and grandma about this and ask if they know anything about the new duel disks, go!"

"Maira... I don't think this is the duel disk.. daddy-"

"No, Sugar!" Maira grabbed her sister's shoulders and shook them. Her sister hushed herself but looked worriedly, and frightenedly, into her older sister's eyes. "Go... please, Sugar. Just go and see what you can find out." Maira's eyes were hidden, but Sugar knew Maira was just worried out her.

"Okay, sis. I'll wiki it." she smiled, trying to make a joke of it, as she patted her sister's head. "Make sure Kageru doesn't die!" she called out and ran off, the people around her heard her words and started to nervously chitter-chatter amongst themselves about the real life danger this could all mean.

"I swear, I'll sue the company for all it's worth if anyone dies." Maira whispered her threat and held in a tight fist. Getting back up from her knees, she looked back at the duel.