Chapter 18: The Duel of Fates Part 2
Despair was weighing down on Amy like a rock. She was in the duel of a lifetime, as in her life was on the line and the fate of the world was dependant on her winning said duel. Domino City was bathed in darkness with nothing but black as far as the eye could see and Lord Hallows would only expand that darkness to the world as a whole if he couldn't be stopped. It looked very hopeless for Amy. She'd lost some of her best cards thanks to Soul Absorbing Bone Tower's effect, she had a powerful Fusion Monster on the field but Hallows was too well protected for it to mean anything as he kept getting monster after monster on the field to defend himself and he now had Destiny Board in play with two letters already spelling out doom for Amy. She only had two monsters and a face-down card that wouldn't be of much help and the only card left in her hand was Kaibaman, which was useless because she didn't have her Blue-Eyes White Dragon to summon it with. Unless Amy drew something good now, she was in for a big loss and Hallows would be the new ruler of the Earth, which would become a planet-sized Shadow Realm for him to rule over.
"I can taste your fear, little Amy…and it's delicious!" Hallows purred sadistically, "Jack and Kazuki were equally as terrified when Destiny Board came into play and won the duel for me! I wouldn't be so afraid of losing this duel Amy. In fact, you should thank me for when I defeat you, you'll be reunited with your precious brother and boyfriend."
"I should thank you for sending me to a place where I'll suffer endlessly along with Jack and Kazuki? Some reunion!" Amy snorted.
"Fine, if you'd rather be ungrateful then appreciate what I'm doing for you, I'll just make this hurt even more!" Hallows crooned.
He drew his next card and studied it. He grinned with pleasure, pleased with what he'd drawn.
"I'll set one card face down and call it a turn." Hallows declared.
Amy watched as the hologram of Hallows's face-down card materialized onto the field. That made her very nervous. What did he have in mind now? On the plus side, it meant Destiny Board didn't have enough room for all its Spirit Messages so Hallows was unintentionally sabotaging his own efforts. But knowing him, he'd activate the card anytime he liked so he could free up room for more Spirit Messages. She wasn't safe by any means! Amy drew her next card. To her annoyance, she'd only managed to draw Koumori Dragon. Like Gamma the Magnet Warrior, its attack stats were identical to Soul Absorbing Bone Tower's defence points. Neither it or Gamma could destroy it and Black Skull Dragon would only be allowed to attack the Fox Token as Soul Absorbing Bone Tower couldn't be destroyed if another Zombie Monster was in play. Hallows would be able to successfully stall her for another turn!
"It won't make a difference but there's nothing wrong with building up my forces." Amy sighed, "I'll just play Koumori Dragon in Attack Mode."
Her purple dragon materialized onto the field beside her other two monsters. And just like them, it too was transformed into a Zombie-type monster thanks to Zombie World. Amy watched as her dragon began to sport a decayed and rotting appearance. Thanks to its purple scales and it being a dragon, it bore a close resemblance to Dragon Zombie as a result of this transformation. After playing her dragon, Amy ordered Black Skull Dragon to attack the only remaining Fox Token Hallows had on the field. If Hallows didn't draw any other monsters on his next turn, Soul Absorbing Bone Tower would be wide open for an attack. Hallows did have a face-down card but Amy was willing to take the risk if it meant whittling down his defences. Black Skull Dragon opened its jaws and blasted a huge ball of flames towards the Fox Token. It looked as if it was going to be destroyed until…
"Not so fast Amy! For I activate Negate Attack!" Hallows declared.
"WHAT?! You have that card too?!" Amy exclaimed in horror.
"He sure does I'm afraid." Chloe confirmed, "He used that card against Jack to slow him down for Destiny Board too."
The girls could only watch in dismay as Black Skull Dragon's attack hit an impenetrable barrier that kept him and his monsters safe from all attacks. Amy had essentially wasted a turn with this move and had achieved nothing at all.
"I always have Negate Attack handy to slow down my opponents once Destiny Board is active." Hallows gloated, "This card has won me more duels than even Destiny Board itself as it usually provides very useful defence for me to stall my opponents until either Destiny Board wins for me or I can keep myself alive long enough to counter attack! It may interest you to know especially that this card was what caused Kazuki to lose his duel to me." he added for no real reason other than to twist the knife in Amy.
"It was?" Amy asked.
"Yes. You should've seen it my dear. He had his Five-Headed Dragon ready to wipe out the rest of my Life Points but I had Negate Attack lying in wait to defend me. The look on his face could've made a demon cry in sympathy for him!" Hallows explained, "I only wish you could've watched as it happened!"
Amy's fists trembled. Now she understood how Kazuki had lost to Hallows despite his superior duelling skills. If it wasn't for the fact Negate Attack had saved her life many times in her duels, she would've resented that card for being the one that cost Kazuki his soul. At least she would never use her own Negate Attack to steal souls like Hallows did. With no other choice, Amy ended her turn. Her heart sank as another Spirit Message appeared on the Destiny Board, this one spelling the letter "N". Chloe began to feel scared. She couldn't bear the thought of watching her friend lose her soul. It was horrible enough losing Jack this way, she couldn't lose Amy too! Hallows cackled as his victory grew ever closer for him.
"Only two turns left and another soul is mine to feed off of!" Hallows crowed excitedly, "And given the duelling energy you have, I bet I can eclipse even more of the world in darkness! After I'm through with you, I'll seek out the one called Yugi Muto and claim HIS soul next! And maybe I'll steal Seto Kaiba's too! Those two will give me the energy to eclipse the entire world in shadows! Oh yes…I'll succeed where my predecessor never could and rule the whole world with the power of the Shadow Realm!"
Amy and Chloe's ears pricked up.
"Hold the phone there Hallows, did you just say…predecessor?" Amy asked.
"You mean the Shadow Realm had someone else in charge before you came in?" Chloe asked.
"Well obviously! Why do you think I said "predecessor"?" Hallows snorted sarcastically, "I'm only the Keeper of the Shadow Realm, I didn't create it. No…the Shadow Realm was created by the legendary demon Zorc Necrophades centuries ago back during the times of Ancient Egypt. He was destroyed by some pharaoh of great power whose name has been lost to time. I do believe he was known as "Atem". With Zorc gone, the Shadow Realm had no one in charge…until I came in. You could say that I became the new manager with Zorc's destruction, but I prefer to call myself the new ruler." he explained.
"Was Zorc anywhere near as hideous and as vile as you?" Amy muttered.
"You should consider yourself lucky he's gone for good!" Hallows retorted, "He puts even me to shame with his great power! I'm still unnerved how that blasted pharaoh ever destroyed him! Regardless, I rule the Shadow Realm in his stead and I'll do his name proud by conquering this pathetic world and allowing the shadows to rule everything!"
"No way Hallows! That'll never happen!" Amy growled, "Even if I don't stop you, I bet Yugi could! Or Kaiba! Or maybe even Joey could kick your ass as well! If it's not me that stops you, some duellist out there will!"
"They'll fall just as the others have." Hallows dismissed, "Enough talk. Your soul is calling out to me and I want it now!"
He drew his next card.
"Now I call to the field my Master Kyonshee, but he won't be sticking around for long." Hallows announced, "You see, Nine-Tailed Fox has a useful ability. If it's in the Graveyard, I can tribute two monsters in order to Special Summon it back from the Graveyard!"
"No fucking way! Its effect activates both in your hand AND the Graveyard?!" Amy exclaimed incredulously.
"I'm afraid so!" Chloe cut in, "It's how Hallows used it against Jack when they duelled! And because he's Special Summoned it…"
"I know, I lose two more cards from the top of my deck." Amy said bluntly.
Master Kyonshee and Hallows's only remaining Fox Token disappeared from the field and Nine-Tailed Fox returned in a whoosh of flames, appearing directly beside Soul Absorbing Bone Tower. Amy watched helplessly as the Bone Tower sent away two more cards from her deck. To her horror, one of them was Trap Master! It was her last hope of getting rid of Destiny Board and now it was gone along with Spellbinding Circle! She could've used Trap Master to destroy Imperial Custom and leave Destiny Board vulnerable to any other Spell/Trap removal cards but nope, just like Remove Trap it was gone!
"Judging from your reaction, I think those cards were very important." Hallows sneered, "And given your resources are starting to run out, I'd suggest against attacking Nine-Tailed Fox next turn as you'll only lose more cards. Oh and don't try defending yourself either as when it's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, it can inflict piercing battle damage!"
"It can?! Well shit!" Amy cursed, "So it's either I attack it with Black Skull Dragon and just lose more cards or I put my weaker monsters in Defence Mode and still lost Life Points!"
"Exactly!" Lord Hallows crowed, "Isn't it a pain when you're in a situation where no matter what happens, you suffer regardless? Now Nine-Tailed Fox, destroy Gamma the Magnet Warrior!" he ordered.
The kitsune roared viciously and pounced towards Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Amy reached for her Duel Disk, intending to activate her face-down card. It was Waboku. All she had to do was activate it and stop Hallows's attack. She'd receive no battle damage for the rest of this turn and her monsters would be safe. But she decided against it. No, let Gamma go to the Graveyard. At least if she eventually drew Delta the Magnet Warrior, she could let it get destroyed too and use its effect to banish her Magnet Warriors and Special Summon Valkyrion from her Deck. Valkyrion's 3500 attack points would especially come in handy in this duel! Amy took her hand away and left Waboku face-down. Nine-Tailed Fox continued its assault and Gamma the Magnet Warrior was sent to the Graveyard. Amy was down to 2700 Life Points from this attack. Hallows narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Hmm…you seem to have a face-down card but you chose not to use it." he murmured suspiciously, "What are you up to, Amy?"
"Never you mind." Amy muttered, "I'm not telling you shit Hallows. You're just gonna have to find out."
"If you're planning to use that Magnet Warrior strategy that helped you stop Jack the Ripper, you're mistaken if you think that'll save you here!" the Shadow Keeper growled, "Destiny Board will finish you off before you ever get to execute that strategy!"
"Don't be so sure about that." Amy said coldly.
Hallows scoffed and ended his turn. He knew that Amy was bluffing. Even if she get Valkyrion the Magna Warrior out, what good would it do her? She'd have three monsters which would only be able to attack Nine-Tailed Fox and then both its Fox Tokens. Destiny Board would still finish her off! But Hallows noticed a flaw in his strategy. Imperial Custom was taking up space on his board. He needed one last extra space to complete the message or else it wouldn't work. He had to hope he drew Dark Sanctuary next turn. Amy had noticed this too.
Imperial Custom may be protecting Destiny Board, but it's also gonna slow Hallows down as it's taking up that one space he needs to finish off. Amy thought, That could play to my advantage…I hope.
She was about to draw her next card to begin her next turn but suddenly, something ran up to her and grasped her in a tight hug while sobbing uncontrollably. It was Chloe. She had hold of Amy as if determined never to let her go.
"Oy! Relinquish yourself from the duelling arena you insolent brat!" Hallows snarled angrily.
"NO!" Chloe screeched, "I won't let you take my best friend away! Stop this duel right now! I won't let you take Amy's soul like you did Jack and Kazuki!"
"Get off of my victim right this second and stand on the side-lines like the pathetic little cheerleader you are or else I'll give you more pain than you've ever experienced in your miserable life!" the Shadow Demon roared demonically.
"No pain could be worse than what you've been doing to my friends!" Chloe retorted, "Go ahead! Torture me for all I care! Anything's better than losing another friend's soul to you!"
"Hallows, back off!" Amy called out hastily, "I'll handle this."
Hallows huffed in annoyance.
"If Chloe doesn't vacate the field in five minutes, I'll declare this a forfeit and I win by default." he said coldly.
Amy nodded understandingly and turned to Chloe.
"Please Chloe, you gotta let me continue." she said softly, "I'm still in the duel, right? I can still win here."
"But how?!" Chloe sobbed, "You haven't got any cards left that can stop Destiny Board! You're trapped! Oh Amy, I can't bear to watch you lose! Please don't go on with this!"
"Chloe, if I don't, I lose my soul anyway because if you don't leave now, Hallows will declare it a forfeit! I've got no choice in this matter. Either I lose to him or you cause me to lose via forfeit. I'm sorry Chloe, but I have to go on."
"But…!" Chloe began.
Amy put her hands on her friend's shoulders.
"Please Chloe. You must." Amy insisted, "For my sake, and for Jack and Kazuki's, let me go. Besides…"
She leaned closer and whispered something into Chloe's ear. That seemed to have the effect Amy wanted for Chloe finally released her. She took off her glasses so she could wipe her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I just can't bear the thought of losing you." the blonde bookworm snivelled, "If you don't make it…just know you're the best friend I've ever had." she said softly.
"I know. And you're mine too." Amy said kindly.
Chloe walked off the duelling arena and retook her position on the side-lines. Hallows rolled his eyes with disinterest.
"How disgustingly saccharine." he spat, "What a waste of time that was…draw your next card and get a move on already! The Shadow Realm calls to you!" he demanded.
"The Shadow Realm can piss off because I ain't going there!" Amy shot back, "My draw!"
She drew her next card and looked at it. Her eyes widened in amazement as she saw what she'd drawn. It was just the card she needed to get rid of Destiny Board! But she couldn't let Hallows suspect anything. She forced herself not to get excited. She kept her face blank so as not to make it seem like she had anything useful.
"Nothing I can do really other than set a monster in Defence Mode and end my turn." she said grimly.
As her turn ended, another Spirit Message appeared on the field. Only one more was needed and Destiny Board would claim another victory for Hallows. Ironically, Amy's attempt to make it seem like it had been a useless draw only made Hallows more suspicious. It didn't help that Amy had pulled off that trick already against the Fiendish Five so what made her think he'd fall for it? The skull-faced demon drew his next card and smirked.
"If you think you can pull that trick on me Amy, it won't work." he crowed, "Whenever you act like that, your card's actually useful. You must be hoping I'll be stupid enough to attack that face-down monster. Well unfortunately for you, I'm not going to attack. Why do I need to? I'm obviously going to win next turn so there's no point in attacking! Besides, I don't trust your monster or your face-down card so it'll be safer if I stay my hand for now."
Unbeknownst to Hallows, that was exactly what Amy had hoped he would do. While attacking the face-down monster would've done what she wanted, not attacking it suited her just fine as she could Flip-Summon it and still use its effect. She just had to hope Hallows didn't have any cards that could banish her's. To her relief, Hallows had only drawn a second Pot of Greed. He played it and drew two more cards. Hallows looked at them both with pleasure.
"Just what I hoped for." he purred, "I'll set a monster in Defence Mode just as you have." he began, setting his monster face-down on the field, "And next, I'll play the card that will allow Destiny Board to complete its message in spite of Imperial Custom taking up space. Zombie World must sadly depart…as Dark Sanctuary takes its place!" he declared.
Zombie World disappeared from the field as Hallows played Dark Sanctuary. As a result, Amy's monsters all returned to their normal appearances now they were no longer Zombie-types. But that was only a small ray of light compared to everything else as Dark Sanctuary turned the field into a hideous twisted nightmare world with eyes and mouths everywhere and a red sky looming over the arena. Amy shuddered. She would've preferred it if Zombie World had stayed as this was even worse!
"This place makes your castle look welcoming." Amy said bluntly, "So what's the deal with Dark Sanctuary?"
"While it's in play, I can Special Summon any Spirit Messages in my Monster Zones when Destiny Board activates its effect." Hallows explained, "Oh and I wouldn't risk attacking me as I can toss a coin and if I call it right, your attacks are negated and you lose Life Points equal to half of its attack. So despite Imperial Custom taking up space, Dark Sanctuary means I can still finish off my message and win the duel once and for all!"
Amy allowed Hallows this moment to gloat and laugh to himself. She knew he wasn't going to win on this next turn anyway, not with her face-down monster that was going to put an end to the whole thing! The Shadow Demon ended his turn and passed over to Amy for what he was sure was going to be the last turn of the duel…but it wasn't. As Amy's next turn began, she drew her next card and suddenly broke down into mocking laughter. Chloe smiled with glee. It was nice to hear Amy laughing again, especially in a tough situation like this. She was sure that Amy had just what she needed to turn this duel around. Hallows recoiled.
"What's the meaning of this?! How can you possibly be laughing?!" he demanded.
"Because I'm gonna break your entire strategy to pieces, freak!" Amy jeered, "You may have stopped me from using Remove Trap and Trap Master…but you forgot about my Absorbing Jar!"
She Flip-Summoned her face-down monster. The moment Absorbing Jar was revealed, the entire field was swept with a tornado that blew over both duellists and destroyed every single Spell and Trap card currently in play. Absorbing Jar swallowed them up, grinning mockingly at Hallows as if to say "Sorry bud, no Destiny Board win for you!" Hallows could only watch in dismay as Destiny Board, Imperial Custom, Dark Sanctuary and all its Spirit Messages were wiped out by Absorbing Jar. This was impossible! How could he have lost when he was so close to victory?!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YOU DESTROYED MY INSTANT WIN STRATEGY! HOW DID YOU DO IT YOU INSOLENT CHILD?! HOW DID YOU BREAK THROUGH DESTINY BOARD AT THE LAST MINUTE?!" he roared angrily.
"Because of you, dipshit!" Amy taunted, "I mean if it wasn't for your Soul Absorbing Bone Tower throwing away cards in my deck, I would NEVER have drawn Absorbing Jar in time! So all I can say is thank you for that!"
"Who knew that tower would end up being the key to Hallows's undoing?" Chloe snickered, feeling much happier than before now she knew Amy was safe.
"If I'd known that blasted tower was going to help you stop my Destiny Board, I'd never have played it!" Hallows growled irritably, "Destiny Board may be gone, but I'm not done yet! I warned you already, I will NOT be denied! Your soul will be mine regardless of how I claim it! My deck has many more surprises in store for you Amy Spears and because of Absorbing Jar, you may have helped me out in that regard…" he added with a sinister smile on his bony face.
"Yes, yes, I know, you and I draw cards for every Spell and Trap Absorbing Jar destroyed." Amy said dismissively, "I only had one so I only draw one whereas you get to draw six. But I doubt those six cards will help you much."
She drew her extra card and grinned happily. She'd drawn Delta the Magnet Warrior! Now if it ended up in the Graveyard for any reason, she'd be able to use her Magnet Warrior strategy to help win the duel! But for this turn, she could help Kazuki get some sweet revenge…
"Now it's time I played the card Kazuki gave me." Amy declared, "Zombie World's gone so I can Tribute Summon non-Zombie Monsters again! As a result, I sacrifice my Koumori Dragon and my Absorbing Jar so neither of them are targets for your strong monsters. And with their sacrifices, I call forth the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Hallows recoiled in fright as the majestic, all-powerful Blue-Eyes White Dragon made its terrifying debut in this duel. It started off as a ball of light and then the light exploded and out of it emerged the legendary dragon. Blue-Eyes roared menacingly, its roars echoing all around the duelling field. Chloe clasped her hands together excitedly. Amy had the very card that Kazuki had given her on the field and it was ready to lay the pain on Lord Hallows! Amy looked over to the soulless Kazuki, who was staring ahead blankly. Neither he nor Jack had changed their expressions since the duel had begun.
"Kazuki, this is for you!" Amy declared, "With the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon in play, I'll win this duel for sure! It and Black Skull Dragon make for the ultimate duo that will stop any threat that comes my way! Now my dragons, destroy Nine-Tailed Fox!"
Black Skull Dragon was up first, taking aim at Nine-Tailed Fox and blasting it to ashes with a huge breath of fire. Amy knew that she was taking a risk here as Nine-Tailed Fox would only Special Summon two Fox Tokens again and cause Hallows's Bone Tower to discard two more cards from her deck but it would be worth it to dwindle down Hallows's defences and take off more of his Life Points. Nine-Tailed Fox was destroyed and Hallows was 1000 Life Points lighter than before, down to only 3700 thanks to her dragon's attack. With Nine-Tailed Fox's destruction, two Fox Tokens were Special Summoned in its place again, meaning Soul Absorbing Bone Tower would remain protected from attacks thanks to there being other Zombie Monsters in play and once again, two cards were thrown to the Graveyard. Amy watched as Twin-Barrel Dragon and Shrink were the next to disappear from her deck. Both of them could've been useful to use at some point but at least she was still in a good spot with her most powerful monsters currently in play. Hallows's defences wouldn't stand up to two monsters with over 3000 attack points between them. Now Black Skull Dragon was done, Blue-Eyes White Dragon was next to attack with its signature White Lightning. One of the Fox Tokens was disintegrated into nothing by the attack and Hallows was left with only two monsters to defend him, neither one with enough defence points to put up any kind of defence for him. Once they were gone, he'd be wide open for an attack and the duel would be her's!
"Woohoo! That was amazing Amy! You showed that freak what for!" Chloe hollered, "You broke through Destiny Board and now you have him on the ropes! There's no way you can lose this duel now!"
"You bet Chloe!" Amy agreed, "Hallows will never have the power to stop my all-powerful dragons! You may as well surrender this duel now you bone-headed freak!" she taunted, "What can you possible do now that I've destroyed your instant win strategy?"
"I have plenty more tricks up my sleeves you arrogant little brat!" Hallows snarled, "Remember, I still have my Bone Tower on the field and as long as it's there and I can keep exploiting its effect, I can eventually mill your deck dry. I doubt you have that many cards left after how many times I've used it already…"
Amy's face fell. Hallows was right. If she couldn't destroy his tower, her deck could eventually be milled until there were no cards left. In a duel, a deck out marked an instant defeat so even with Destiny Board gone, Hallows could still potentially win the duel. Amy also noticed Hallows still had a Fox Token and a face-down monster. What if he decided to sacrifice them both now to summon his Nine-Tailed Fox again? As long as Hallows had two monsters to sacrifice, it could be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. He could potentially repeat this process until eventually, her deck was drained. And then there was the fact he now had six new cards to use because of Absorbing Jar. What cards did he have to use now? Amy was beginning to worry if her Absorbing Jar play would backfire catastrophically on her like Hallows's Bone Tower backfired on him just now. All she could do for now was hope for the best and hope Hallows had nothing but useless cards to use from now on.
The Shadow Keeper studied his new hand. He had three monsters, two Traps and one Spell Card to use and he already knew what he was going to do with this new hand. Amy may think she had him cornered but he was going to show that he can be very dangerous to deal with when cornered. He'd make her pay for ruining his perfect strategy to win this duel!
"You may have foiled my main strategy little Amy, but I can win this duel with other strategies I have as a backup in case Destiny Board fails." Hallows purred, "And thanks to you, I can make a move that will more than pay you back for daring to make a fool out of me!"
"Oh god, what's he got this time?!" Chloe shrieked worriedly, "I've only seen him use Destiny Board so I have no idea what else his deck can do!"
"All we can do is watch…" Amy concurred.
"First of all, I summon Tristan, Knight of the Underworld in Attack Mode!" Lord Hallows announced, summoning his new monster.
Amy watched as a skeletal knight atop a horse appeared on the field in between Soul Absorbing Bone Tower and the last remaining Fox Token. Amy was puzzled. Why play it in attack mode? Its 1800ATK points were useless against her two dragons! But Hallows wasn't done yet.
"And now it's time to reveal my face-down monster. It won't be a pleasant welcome for you for you'll be face-to-face with my Poison Mummy!" the Shadow Keeper declared.
His face-down monster flipped up and revealed a gruesome, bandaged up figure with a single eye and mouth exposed (1000ATK/1800DEF). Poison Mummy didn't seem like much at first but Amy quickly understand why Hallows had Flip Summoned it. The moment Poison Mummy revealed itself, a blob of poisonous acid shot out from its body and struck Amy directly in the chest. She cried out in pain and thanks to this being a Shadow Game, the acid felt like it was actually burning her. Amy staggered and rubbed her chest as 500 Life Points were lost from Poison Mummy's effect. Trust Hallows to have a monster with a burn effect hiding face down! With only 2200 Life Points left, Amy could see that Hallows was taking any opportunity he could to shave off more Life Points. If he couldn't get past her strongest monster, than he had to find other ways to get her Life Points down to zero.
"Are you alright?!" Chloe shrieked.
"Just peachy." Amy muttered, "If you think 500 Life Points matter to me, you're wrong! You'll need a whole army of Poison Mummies before that becomes a worry to me!"
"That I'm aware Amy, but I don't need more Poison Mummies to strike this decisive blow to you." Hallows crowed, "You see, I flipped it face up not just to use its effect, but to also exploit Tristan's effect. You see, he gains 300 extra attack points for every other Zombie-type Monster currently in play. I have three so that's 900 extra attack points!"
Amy could see that Hallows wasn't bluffing. Tristan was now up to 2700 attack points thanks to the presence of Soul Absorbing Bone Tower, Poison Mummy and the last remaining Fox Token. But it made no difference. It was still too weak to destroy her dragons.
"Big deal bonehead. 2700ATK still isn't enough to destroy Blue-Eyes or Black Skull Dragon!" Amy shot back.
"I'm not finished yet." Hallows retorted, "Tristan still needs a little extra boost…so I'll give him one by equipping it with Sword of Dark Destruction!"
Amy watched in shock as Tristan's sword was replaced with a whole new sword that was bigger than before, had a long red blade and added 400 extra attack points to Tristan. It was now at 3100 attack points! It was still too weak to destroy Black Skull Dragon, but it was strong enough to destroy Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Amy swore to herself. Just as she'd feared, her Absorbing Jar play was backfiring on her! She'd given Hallows a new hand that had allowed him to get past at least one of her dragons!
"At least now I'll have one less dragon to deal with!" Hallows sneered, "Tristan, slay the Blue-Eyes White Dragon now!"
Tristan's horse whinnied and galloped towards Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Tristan raised up the Sword of Dark Destruction it now wielded and swung it. It sliced Blue-Eyes White Dragon's head clean off its body with a single swipe of the sword. Blue-Eyes White Dragon was destroyed and Amy was brought down to 2100 Life Points. Amy was sure Hallows was doing this just to spite her and Kazuki both at once. There was no other reason to be doing this. At least next turn, Black Skull Dragon could destroy Tristan and render Hallows's power-ups useless in the end. But her opponent still wasn't done yet. It seemed he still had another move to make.
"I now enter my second Main Phase." Hallows went on, "And for that second Main Phase, I shall activate Nine-Tailed Fox's effect. I'll sacrifice my last remaining Fox Token and my Poison Mummy in order to Special Summon it back from the Graveyard! Welcome back my pretty!" he cackled.
Poison Mummy and the last Fox Token disappeared from the field and back came Nine-Tailed Fox in a whoosh of flames. Hallows had summoned it back in Defence Mode to protect his Life Points some more. Amy cursed again. Just as she'd feared, Hallows had decided to use Nine-Tailed Fox's ability to come back! Now Soul Absorbing Tower could drain away two more cards from her deck. Amy watched as Axe of Despair and Electric Lizard were next to disappear into the Graveyard. Amy's deck was looking very light. She was sure that there weren't a lot of cards left now. If this duel went on for too long, she would deck out and lose the duel anyway! Destroying Destiny Board had only delayed the inevitable for her!
"I don't blame you for looking worried my child." Hallows crowed, "If I can keep bringing back my fox, I'll eventually drain your deck dry with my tower. Even if you destroy Nine-Tailed Fox again, it'll only Special Summon two Fox Tokens again and still trigger my tower's effect! And then I'll sacrifice them again to bring back my fox and repeat the process until eventually you deck out! Your soul will still be mine after all!"
He laughed with glee at how hopeless the situation was looking for Amy. The red-haired teen hated to admit it, but Hallows was right. She had to do something and fast or else she would still lose in the end!
"And just to add further torment, I'll finish off by setting two cards face-down." Hallows concluded, "Now I know you have no Spell and Trap removal left to use, I'm safe to use these. I must thank you once again for that Absorbing Jar of yours, otherwise I never could've pulled all this off for this turn!"
The two face-down cards appeared on the field behind Hallows's monsters. Amy gulped. Great, now she had two potential Trap Cards to worry about! The duel was starting to feel like everything was stacking up against her. She'd lost several of her best cards thanks to Soul Absorbing Bone Tower, Hallows was able to keep abusing its effect and he had two possible traps lying in wait for her. How was she going to get out of this one? It was feeling like she'd exchanged one defeat for another. Could she even turn this duel around in the end? Amy considered.
Hopefully I can get Monster Reborn out. she thought, Thanks to Hallows's tower, I have a monster in my Graveyard that would be very useful for me right now. And I can still pull off my Magnet Warrior strategy given I now have Delta the Magnet Warrior in my hand. I just need for it to go to the Graveyard first.
The only trouble was did Amy risk making a move with what she was up against…?
Destiny Board may be gone but Amy isn't safe yet! Hallows may still be able to win here for his Bone Tower keeps draining her deck and now he has a powered up monster and two face-down cards to worry about. Will the duel turn back into Hallows's favour or can Amy pull off another miracle? Find out in Part 3 next time...
Trivia: This duel was originally going to be two parts but I felt it needed to be split into three so this chapter wouldn't feel too long.