Renegades: A New Dawn
Chapter XII: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Part I (The Strongest God, Icaron?!)
As Hannah stood there, possessed, Lydia and Freja were panicking, confused as to what was happening. 'Hannah, this really ain't funny.' 'What's going on with you? You've been acting real strange all day, what aren't you telling us?' Her voice was different, sounding somewhat rougher and distorted.
'If only you knew! If only you knew all these secrets! But please, this isn't Hannah – she's long since gone. I am Icaron! The lord of the brave, you call me. You worshipped me. But you betrayed me! You betrayed me by welcoming in the unworthy. As such, it is required that I eliminate you all! I eliminate you, and then the entire world starts over again!'
A large orange and black duel disk then erupted out of "Hannah"'s right arm, before surrounding her entire body as a ring around her waist, and the eye opened up on her head, as she grinned madly. 'Now let's dance!' Lydia and Freja looked at each other, before activating their duel disks.
'Now, let's lay down some ground rules. As I am outnumbered by 2:1, you will start with 4000 Life points each, whilst I will start with double that amount – 8000. I will start, and then you will have your turns. If you survive that long that is.' 'We're going to get Hannah back.' 'There's no chance of that!'
Icaron LP:8000 vs. Lydia Mckinna LP:4000 and Freja Mckinna LP:4000
Turn 1: Icaron: 'I shall start as we agreed. I summon the Spirit monster Maharagi (Atk:1200). When this monster appears, I am allowed to look at the top card of my deck. Then I return it to the top or bottom of my deck. And I will choose the top.'
'Next I will activate a Spell card called The True Name. With the power of this card, I can declare the name of a card which I believe to be on the top of my deck. If I predict correctly, it is added to my hand. Otherwise, it is banished.'
'But… you know the top card.' 'Don't you get it Fre? He knows the top card so he can add it to his hand.' 'That is correct. I predict the top card of my deck is Fires of Doomsday.' The card was then revealed to be Fires of Doomsday, and the possessed Hannah laughed manically. 'The True Name has an additional effect. If I correctly predict the top card of my deck with it, I am allowed to summon a Divine-attribute monster from my deck.'
An earthquake then started up, making Lydia lose her balance. 'Prepare to bow down to me in defeat as I summon out the legendary god, Obelisk the Tormentor (Atk:4000).' 'How… how did you?' 'I have infinite power! And I activate Rule of Might! Normally an Egyptian God would go to the great beyond during at the end of a turn where it was summoned by any other means than normal. But with Rule of Might, monsters of mine don't have to leave the field due to their own effects. I will end my turn with two face-downs.'
Freja: 'I draw. I'm about to make you wish you'd never touched Hannah! I activate One for One. By sending one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can summon Datacorn (Atk:0).' 'Erm when were you going to tell me about that Fre?' 'Laters, k? When Datacorn is summoned, I can summon a Data Acorn Token (Atk:0).'
'And now I can activate Spirit of Ascension! Because I control two monsters, I can revive a monster from my graveyard as long as it's a Light-attribute monster, but I lose Life points equal to it's Attack. I summon Arcana Force 0 – The Fool (Atk:0).'
'Three pathetic cretins? Reminds me of this place.' 'Yeah? Well you're going to regret every saying that about us! I lay waste two my three monsters.' Freja then went wide-eyed as she made her move. 'I summon Arcana Force EX: The Dark Ruler (Atk:4000).'
'You dare to take on Obelisk? What a fool!' 'The only fool here is you. When the monster summoned by Spirit of Ascension is sent to my graveyard, I can banish both Spirit and The Fool from my graveyard, and then Fairy monsters on my field can't be destroyed by battle or targeted by your effects until the end of your next turn. And now for the effect of my Arcana Force!'
As Freja produced a coin, Icaron laughed. 'You think that you can beat me by playing games of chance?' 'We're the Renegades – nothing is ever to chance.' 'Of course, your little party piece. Well, considering that was granted by me, I have the power to take it away.'
Freja then flipped the coin, and it landed on Heads. 'I may not have my powers, but I do have a loaded coin. With the Heads effect of The Dark Ruler, it can attack twice. Sadly, I can't attack this turn though, so I'll just end my turn there.'
Lydia: 'Leave this one to me. I draw. I activate Machine Angel Ritual. This allows me to dismiss Djinn Releaser and Prognosticator of Rituals from my hand and Ritual summon Cyber Angel Natasha (Def.:1000).'
'Natasha's ability activates when it's Ritual summoned. I can target anything on the field, and I gain Life points equal to half it's Attack. I choose The Dark Ruler (Lydia LP:4000-6000). Now I activate Incarnated Machine Angel. This protects my Cyber Angel in battle. I end my turn with a face-down.'
Icaron: 'It's my turn again. I activate Scapegoat. By giving up the ability to summon another monster this turn, I am granted with four Tokens (Atk:0)x4.' 'Do what you like, we're safe.' 'Against Obelisk? You're never safe. By tributing but two of my tokens, I can destroy every pathetic cretin you control. And it gets worse, because with Coffin Seller, you will both lose 300 Life points. Fist of Fury!'
Obelisk's fists glowed white, and it shot it's huge fists at both Fairies, destroying them and blasting straight into the girls, knocking them the ground (Lydia LP:6000-5700, Freja LP:4000-3700). 'Next I will summon Obelisk's Footsoldier (Atk:1400). And when I control one Footsoldier, I can summon another one from my deck at the princely sum of 700 Life points (Icaron LP:8000-7300, Footsoldier Atk:1400).'
'Footsoldier number 1, attack Lydia directly.' The first soldier ran at Lydia, stabbing her in the leg as she screamed in pain, and blood flowed out of her leg, like water in an ocean (Lydia LP:5700-4300). 'And the second Footsoldier is attacking Freja.' The other soldier marched, stabbing Freja in the throat, causing her to bleed from the head (Freja LP:3700-2300).
As both girls were down, Blair saw what was going on, and hid behind a bannister, to observe, phone in hand, ready to call for help. Icaron meanwhile, just grinned. 'I end my turn. As long as I have Obelisk on my field, neither Footsoldier can be destroyed in battle, and I take no damage from battles involving them.'
After a number of minutes, Freja stumbled back up to her feet. 'Fre, take a moment' 'I'm fine! One… one attack isn't keeping me down.'Icaron then chuckled. 'Foolish child. I will not stop until I take your last breath away from you!'
Freja: 'I'm not going to let you do that. I draw. I activate my face-down Backhanded Fate. Because you destroyed an Arcana Force monster last turn, I can bring it back, ignoring the summoning conditions, and it gains the opposite effect to what it had on the field. I revive Arcana Force EX: The Dark Ruler (Atk:4000).'
'With Backhanded Fate, Dark Ruler gains it's Tails effect. So when it's destroyed, it takes every other card on the field with it. Attack Obelisk's Footsoldier.' The Dark Ruler blasted out a dark light from both heads, removing the soldier from the field, before it came straight back. 'Because I have Obelisk on the field, my monster is not destroyed, and I take no damage.' 'I end my turn with a face-down.'
Lydia: 'And I draw. I activate Shard of Greed. During each of our Standby phases, this gets a counter. When this has two counters, I can send it to my graveyard and draw a card. I'll lay a monster face-down and end my turn.'
Icaron: 'You dare to stand against me still? How foolish of you.' The being possessing Hannah then chuckled. 'I suppose I shouldn't be angry, I should enjoy dismantling you little bugs. I activate Comet of the Great Gods. This most destructive card reduces the Attack points of any monster on your field by 2000 points, as long as I have an Egyptian God on my field.'
A large comet appeared in the sky, crashing into The Dark Ruler, and taking one of it's heads off (Atk:4000-2000). 'Obelisk, attack The Dark Ruler with Fist of Fate.' The huge twin-fisted assault from the Egyptian God obliterated Freja's boss monster, and slammed straight into her, throwing her into a nearby staircase (Freja LP:2300-300).
As Freja lay there, unconscious, Lydia ran over to her. 'Fre, speak to me.' There was no reply, so Lydia looked back up at Icaron. 'Let me take her turn.' 'I don't care who takes her turn. I'll still destroy you both. My turn is ended.'
Lydia: 'I draw (Greed Counters:1). I activate Swords of Burning Light. With this on my field, you can't attack me. But the card is destroyed if I summon a monster, or if I have five or more cards in my hand. I end my turn with another face-down.'
Icaron: 'Stalling then? That will only increase the enjoyment I get out of this! I draw. I will pass on my turn. You are lucky.'
Lydia: 'I draw. I activate Advanced Ritual Art. By sending Normal monsters from my deck to the graveyard, I can Ritual summon. But by banishing my two Ritual Djinns from my graveyard, they count as a total Level of 6. Meaning I just have to send Gyakutenno Megami to my graveyard, and summon out Herald of Ultimateness (Def.:3000).'
As the alight swords faded, Icaron laughed. 'So you finally decided to stop stalling?' 'I'll do whatever I have to in order to protect my sister. I activate Extra-Foolish Burial. It costs half of my Life points (Lydia LP:4300-2150), but I can send an Extra deck monster straight to my graveyard. And with Holy Ascendance, I can summon from my graveyard, a Light-attribute monster with 1000 or less Attack points. It's not allowed to attack though, and it's summoned to an opponent's field. They then gain Life points equal to it's Attack. I summon to Freja's field, Herald of the Arc Light (Def.:1000, Freja LP:300-900).'
As Freja started to get up, she seemed confused. 'What's your monster doing on my field sis?' 'Protecting you. Take your time, I'm fine.' 'If only you were.' 'I end my turn with a face-down.'
Icaron: 'Your end will soon be here. With the cost of discarding a single card, I am allowed to call upon the power of Apprentice Illusion Magician (Atk:2000). And I activate the ability of Obelisk the Tormentor once again. By tributing two Goat Tokens, I can destroy your monsters.'
'I activate the effect of Herald of Ultimateness. By discarding a Fairy, your effect is negated and destroyed.' 'By tributing Obelisk's Footsoldier, he is safe from your effects this turn. Apprentice Illusion Magician, attack Herald of the Arc Light.'
As Lydia watched on, Freja managed to activate her face-down. 'Go Scrubbed Raid! I send a card from my field to the graveyard to negate the attack.' Freja was protected by a large blue barrier just as the attack from Illusion Magician hit. 'I will end my turn there.'
Freja: 'I draw. Why are you doing this?' 'That is none of your business little mouse.' 'I ain't no mouse! I activate Pot of Greed to draw two new cards. I end my turn with two face-downs.'
Lydia: 'And I'm up. I activate Spell Doctor. By banishing a Spell card from Freja's graveyard, I can add any copies of that Spell card from my deck to my hand, but they're banished at the end of the turn. I choose Pot of Greed. And now I can activate two Pot of Greeds, to draw 4 cards. I end my turn with two face-downs.'
Several miles away
Phil and Maddy were still enjoying their evening, when Maddy looked at her phone. 'I've got a text from Blair.' 'That's a novelty – Blair texting.' 'It says "Shit storm going down at base, being dealt with, get back as soon as possible.'
Phil immediately got his wallet out. 'I'll pay, you get in the car.' 'Who's driving?' 'Me – I'm a quicker driver.' 'What's that supposed to mean?' 'Exactly what I said.' After returning, Phil got his coat, and they left in a hurry, before roaring off in the supercharged Impreza.
In the base
Icaron: 'ENOUGH! Your stalling has become an irritant! I activate Binding of the Great Gods! While this is on the field, all of your monsters have their effects negated. And neither of them can activate effects in response.'
Ghostly hands surrounded both Heralds, and started crushing them, stopping them from moving. 'We're not going to let you win.' 'You don't get the choice. I activate Sacred God's Wrath. This destroys all your Spells and Traps, and then one Egyptian God on the field can attack up to thrice this turn.'
Lydia then looked over at Freja, as the cards were destroyed. 'I think we're done Fre.' 'Well we're going out together.' 'Obelisk the Tormentor, crush these pathetic specimens straight into hell!' As Obelisk charged up a double-fisted attack, Lydia and Freja stood together, hand in hand, before both Heralds were annihilated by the pulverizing attack, and both girls were punched through the staircase, embedding them in the wall (Lydia LP:2150-0, Freja LP:900-0).
As Hannah's possessed body laughed, both Lydia and Freja were covered in a bright orange light, which burned away at their bodies, until there was nothing left of them but their duel disks. The Renegade god then called out. 'Come out come out wherever you are, I want to destroy you!' As Icaron absorbed the souls of the twins, Phil and Maddy arrived back.
'What in the world is happening here?' Icaron then spoke through Hannah, and Phil recognised the voice as it spoke. 'I'm sure you recognise me don't you? I'm the one who spoke to you, I'm the one who gave you what you needed to stand up. And now I will be the one to take it away from you.'
'Why?' 'Because you have made… unfortunate decisions. Decisions which you stand by despite numerous warnings of unsuitability. I giveth power, and power I taketh away. Now challenge me if you dare, but you had best win, lest you end up like your friends.'
Maddy then looked over, and immediately realised who had been taken. 'Dad, it's Lyds and Freja – they've gone.' 'How do you know it's them?' 'Easy – Freja and Astrid are the only lefties we've got here. And Astrid's probably somewhere in the North Sea by now.'
Phil then started to get enraged. 'Right, you're going to pay for this! I'm about to teach you a lesson that you'll never ever forget.' As he went to grab his duel disk, Maddy stopped him. 'Think about this. Don't do something you'll regret, don't be rash.' 'I'm not being rash. You really think I'm going to lose?' A red cord with a multi-pointed hook then flew past Phil's face, before attaching to Icaron's duel disk.
As Icaron pulled away in confusion, Blair swung down on the other end, before hooking it to her duel disk. 'Blair, what are you doing?' She just looked around at Phil with conviction. 'Trust me.' She then turned to Icaron. 'With this modified duel anchor, neither of us can leave until one of us has won. So you can stop thinking about the final boss and start thinking about the underboss. Because I'm challenging you.'
A second anchor then soared past, attatching to Icaron's duel disk as well. As everyone looked around, Rio was stood there, holding a bazooka. 'Damn I think I missed.' Blair and Rio then gave each other the thumbs up, as she faced Icaron down. 'If you want to get to Phil and Maddy, you have to go through me first!'
Icaron's eyes glowed red. 'Ah the scourge… the cancer of the club.' 'Gee, I don't smell that bad do I? It's not my fault we've not got a walk-in shower here.' 'You're the cancer, you came in as an outsider, your only quest was to destroy the club from inside!'
Rio then got fired up, and using a walking frame, activated her duel disk. 'I get it – you don't like me because I'm a Barian. Well guess what – they can go to hell for all I care! I renounced my Barian identity when I joined the Renegades. I've fought for the cause in every battle we've had! I even took a bullet just to make sure the revolution survived!'
Phil seemed shocked at this. 'Wait… you're saying you' 'Yeah I am. I jumped in front of the bullet, fully expecting to die. And I'd do it all over again. Because I'm no longer afraid!' She then looked to Blair, who smiled at her. 'Fancy getting the band back together?' 'Sure thing Rio. Ready to freeze them?' 'As long as you're ready to shine like a diamond.'
'Fine, I will take you both on. The rules apply like before.' 'Yeah, we get it. You have 8k life, we have 4k each, you have a turn then we both take our turns. No big deal.' 'I will enjoy this one – I will eliminate the scourge of the Renegades once and for all!'
Icaron LP:8000 vs. Blair Flannigan LP:4000 and Rio Kastle LP:4000
Turn 1: Icaron: 'I will start. I lay a monster face-down and end my turn with two face-downs.'
Blair: 'I draw. I activate the Spell card Brilliant Fusion. This allows me to Fusion summon by using monsters from my deck. I'll fuse Gem-Knight Garnet and Electromagnetic Turtle to Fusion summon Gem-Knight Seraphinite. Because it was summoned with Brilliant Fusion though, it loses all it's Attack (Atk:2300-0).'
'Next I'm going to activate Sacred Sword of Seven Stars. By banishing the Level 7 Gem-Knight Crystal from my hand, I can draw two cards. Now I'll use the effect of Seraphinite, which lets me Normal summon twice this turn. So I summon Granadora and Gem-Knight Lazuli (Granadora Def.:700, Lazuli Atk:600).'
'When Granadora is Normal summoned, I gain 1000 Life points (Blair LP:4000-5000). And now I activate Gem-Knight Fusion, to fuse together Seraphinite, Lazuli, and Gem-Knight Sapphire to Fusion summon Gem-Knight Master Diamond (Atk:2900).'
'Because Lazuli hit the graveyard due to a card effect, she can add Garnet back to my hand. For every Gem-Knight in my graveyard, Master Diamond gains 100 Attack points (Atk:2900-3200). I end my turn.'
Rio: 'I draw! I activate Water Hazard, so if I control no monsters, I can summon a Water monster from my hand. I choose Aurora Wing (Def.:1200). Next I summon Blizzard Falcon (Atk:1500). And I activate Wings of Silence. This gives my Falcon 300 more Attack points and total immunity to Spell and Trap cards you control (Falcon Atk:1500-1800).
'And when Blizzard Falcon's Attack goes up, your points go the other way. Blizzard Mirage.' The sharp-winged falcon swooped in from a high angel, striking Icaron, who laughed the damage off (Icaron LP:8000-6500). 'Is that really the best you can do?' 'I'll end my turn with two face-downs.'
Icaron: 'That's it? Pathetic. I will reveal my set monster, Scapeghost (Atk:0). When it is revealed, I can summon as many Black Sheep tokens as I have monster spaces. So that will be four (Def.:0)x4. Now I will tribute Scapeghost and two of my Tokens, to summon Obelisk the Tormentor (Atk:4000).'
'Obelisk, attack and destroy Aurora Wing.' 'I activate Damage Diet. This halves the damage that I take this turn.' Obelisk's fists shot through Aurora Wing, leaving but a single feather, before smashing into Rio's face (Rio LP:4000-2600).
As Blair went over to check on Rio, she got straight back up, sporting a black eye. 'Is that all you've got? Because I'm still here. And because she was destroyed in battle, so is Aurora Wing (Def.:1200)' 'You won't be for too much longer. I activate the Spell card March of the Monarchs. While this is on the field, Tribute-summoned monsters on my field are unaffected by all your card effects. So if you ever wish to beat Obelisk, you'll have to do it face-to-face. I end my turn with another face-down.'
Blair: 'I draw. I activate Pot of Greed, to draw 2 cards. I'll switch Master Diamond to Defence mode (Def.:2500), lay another monster face-down and end my turn.'
Rio: 'I draw. I'll place a monster face-down and end my turn with another face-down.'
Icaron: 'I draw. You can try to hide, but it will not succeed. I activate the effect of Obelisk the Tormentor. By tributing my two remaining Black Sheep tokens, I can destroy all your monsters. Fist of Fury!' Obelisk's fists glowed white, and launched a blinding light, which destroyed everything on the field.
'Next I will discard one card to summon Apprentice Illusion Magician (Atk:2000). Illusion Magician, stamp that Barian scum into hell!' As the attack came in, Rio watched it, and then acted at the last possible moment. 'Go – Renegade's Rebirth.' A shield was then erected over both of the Frozen Diamonds, as Phil shouted encouragement.
'What manner of trick is this?' At this moment, Rio's confidence seemed to start rising. 'Renegade's Rebirth activates when two or more monsters have been destroyed in the same turn. I'll burn away half of my Life points to bring back every monster that was destroyed this turn. Also, your turn ends immediately.'
Rio then screamed in pain and rage as she was engulfed in an explosion (Master Diamond Atk:3200, Aurora Wing Def.:1600, Aurora Wing Def.:1600, Rio LP:2600-1300). 'How dare you!' As Rio lay on the ground, Blair looked on, concerned. 'C'mon Rio! Don't cripple yourself!' She then got back up to a knee. 'Give me a few could you?'
Blair: 'Fine – I draw! I'll switch both Aurora Wings to Attack mode (Atk:1200)x2. Next I activate my face-down Cross Attack. Because I control two monsters with the same Attack, one of them can attack directly. The other one can't attack though. You don't mind me borrowing Aurora Wing do you?' Rio just smiled at her. 'Do it.'
'Good. Next I activate United We Stand. With this, one monster on the field gains 800 Attack for each monster on our side. I choose Aurora Wing (Atk:1200-3800). Aurora Wing, attack with Shimmering Snow!' Aurora Wing flew overhead, and rained down freezing snow onto Icaron, getting the first sign of a grimace (Icaron LP:6500-2700).
'Grrrrr! I will not have you embarrass me. I will defeat you all! I activate Endurance of the Great Gods! When I take more than 3000 points of Battle damage, I can gain Life points equal to the strongest monster on the field's Attack or Defence. Which is Obelisk with 4000 Attack.'
As the girls watched on in despair, Icaron glowed white, and his points increased again (Icaron LP:2700-6700). 'I end my turn with another face-down.'
Icaron: 'You fool – you have left your partner fully exposed. Unless that means' Blair then gave a sly smile. 'That's right – all I care about is winning. I'm ready to cut the deadwood.' Phil meanwhile, was blowing a gasket. 'What the hell Blair? What's going through your mind! This isn't you!'
Icaron then grinned madly again. 'Obelisk the Tormentor, destroy the Barian scum!' 'Not a chance – I activate my face-down Zero Gravity. This changes the position of every monster on the field.' 'Due to the effect of my Spell card, Obelisk is unaffected.' 'I know. It's not your monsters I was interested in (Aurora Wing Def.:1600, Aurora Wing Def.:1600, Master Diamond Def.:2500).'
Obelisk punched Aurora Wing straight into the ground, destroying it. It's a good job I can defend myself isn't it? When Aurora Wing is destroyed, it can bring itself back (Def.:1600).' 'I end my turn with a face-down.'
Blair: 'My turn. I activate Pot of Greed, to draw two cards. Next I summon Gem-Knight Garnet (Atk:1900). And because Garnet's Level 4 or below, I can equip it with Infected Mail. Thanks to Infected Mail, Garnet can attack directly this turn. Flaming Iron Fist!'
Garnet's fist was set alight, before slamming into the sternum of Hannah's body, reducing the points in a wheel of fire (Icaron LP:6700-4800). 'You left yourself open there. I hope the minor damage was worth it.' 'It was. Especially now the other effect of Infected Mail sends Garnet straight to my graveyard. I'll end my turn.'
Rio: 'I draw. I activate Shard of Greed and end my turn.'
Icaron: 'I draw. I lay a monster face-down in Defence mode. Next, Obelisk will destroy Master Diamond.' Obelisk smashed straight into Master Diamond, which resisted, before eventually breaking into hundreds of pieces. 'I end my turn with a face-down.'
Blair: 'My draw. I summon another Garnet (Atk:1900). Attack his face-down monster.' Garnet slammed it's fist straight into Icaron's monster (Gravekeeper's Spy Def.:2000), making the attack backfire (Blair LP:5000-4900). 'When Spy is flipped face-up, it summons out another one from my deck (Atk:1200).'
'I'll set a monster and end my turn.'
Rio: 'My turn (GC:0-1). I'll overlay my two Level 4 Aurora Wings to build the overlay network, and summon Ice Beast Zerofyne (Atk:2000). And Zerofyne, I'll activate your ability girl! By detaching an Xyz material it freezes the effects of every card on your field. And for every face-up card on the field, Zerofyne gins 300 Attack until my next Standby Phase. Perfect Freeze!'
Zerofyne flew gracefully through the air, freezing all of the great god's cards as it did so, before shining blue as it's Attack points increased for the 7 cards on the field (Atk:2000-4100). 'Zerofyne, attack Gravekeeper's Spy! Icicle Storm!'
'I activate my face-down Guard of the Great Gods. This reduces any Battle damage I take by 1000 because I have a God card on the field.' Zerofyne rained down razor-sharp icicles, which destroyed Spy and rained down on Icaron (Icaron LP:4800-2900). 'I end my turn.'
Icaron: 'My turn. I activate the Spell card Precious Cards from Beyond. When a monster is Tribute-summoned with at least two tributes, I draw two more cards. For now however, I will activate a Field spell called The Seal of Oricalchos.' A large green circle then spread throughout the hall, with a pentagram criss-crossing through the circle. "Hannah"'s eyes then glowed red, as did Obelisk's.
'With this on the field, Obelisk gains 500 Attack points (Atk:4000-4500). Now attack and destroy Ice Beast Zerofyne! Fist of Fate!' Obelisk slammed it's fist into Zerofyne, who shot off icicles which had no effect, and the explosion blasted Rio head-over-heels, before slamming into a door face-first (Rio LP:1300-1200).
As Rio lay there, Phil and Maddy ran over to her. As Phil got near though, she pushed his hand away. 'Don't… don't… count… me… out. Give… me time.' 'Rio, stop being stupid, let me take over from you! You're in no condition to be duelling.'
Rio then struggled back up to her feet, blood pouring from her mouth. 'I'm not… giving up.' Rio then gave an exhausted smile. 'Don't be stupid.' Blair then shouted over. 'Let her do it Phil. She's not going to listen. Rio Kastle is too boneheaded to take simple advice from anyone!' 'Speak for yourself, lesbo lord.'
While this was going on, Icaron laughed. 'This is glorious – we have finally found somebody who sees what we see. That the scum from the other dimension should never have infiltrated what we have here.'
Icaron then spoke using Hannah's real voice. 'Blair, if you just concede the duel now, if you leave the Barian for me to defeat and destroy, you don't have to suffer. You can be part of the new era of Icaron's Army. You can be whatever you want to be, just like I've always told you. All you have to do is help get rid of the Barian by not standing in his way. Trust me on this one.'
While Icaron ended his turn with a face-down, Blair looked daggers at Rio. 'This sounds… acceptable. No, it feels like more than that. It feels correct, as if this is what I should have been doing all along. Perhaps… perhaps everything bad HAS been because of Rio. Perhaps I am being held back, and I should betray her. Like I've always been betrayed… it's my destiny.'
Blair: 'It's my destiny… I draw. I'll end my turn with a face-down.'
Rio: 'Fine, if you won't help me, I'll just have to help myself. I activate Pot of Avarice. By returning five cards from my graveyard to my deck, I can then draw two new cards to replace them. Both of which are going face-down.'
Icaron: 'It's my turn, and your end Barian! Obelisk, I command you to attack now! Destroy the scum with Fist of Fate!' As the fists hurtled towards each other, Rio and Blair stared at each other, and then both made the Renegades salute, as Blair revealed the ruse.
'I activate my face-down Fusion Barrier. This allows me to negate your attack by sending a Fusion monster from my Extra deck to the graveyard. Then I can draw a new card to replace it. If it's a material listed on the Fusion monster, then I can discard it and draw another card. So I'll ditch Gem-Knight Ruby.'
Blair looked at the card she drew, and just added it to her hand. Icaron meanwhile, was raging. 'How dare you!? You dare to insult me? You will pay for your charade.' Blair then laughed. 'You're the one who's going to pay. What – did you really think I was going to abandon my partner and best friend?'
'Despite what the one you admire most said?' 'It wasn't Hannah though was it? It was you pretending to be Hannah. Just because it looks like her and sounds like her, doesn't mean it is her. It was just you trying to put me off my game. And it didn't work.'
'You left your partner exposed though.' 'The key to successful teaming is always being able to predict what the other one is thinking.' 'We had it planned all along. And you walked straight into our trap.' 'And for your information, you're the only scum here. What – you decide to take control of Hannah just for no reason even though she's on our side? That's just low. That's the lowest of the low.'
'Am I really? Well you wouldn't be saying that if you knew the truth. But slugs like you don't deserve to learn the truth. Perhaps if you reconsidered your position, I might share it.' 'You know what, how about we beat the truth out of you while we're beating you and your Gods to a pulp. Because the Egyptian Gods might be legendary, but they sure as hell ain't unbeatable.'
Blair: 'I draw. I activate Magic Planter, to send Brilliant Fusion to my graveyard and draw two cards. Next I activate Monster Reborn, to bring back an old favourite. Meet Gem-Knight Master Diamond (Atk:2900-3600).' 'Who cares – you have to destroy Obelisk by battle. And with 4500 Attack points, you'll have a job doing that.'
Blair then started messing around with her arm, before her cast popped off. 'That's better. Now what you were saying about destroying Obelisk in battle? Well I'm thinking I might just do that this turn, you know, get it over and done with?'
As Icaron laughed, Rio jumped in, blood covering her bottom lip, her face battered and bruised. 'I activate Call of the Haunted. This revives a monster from the graveyard. I choose Gem-Knight Garnet (Atk:1900).'
'And I activate Master Diamond's effect.' 'It's effect?' 'What – you thought Master Diamond was just a big bruiser? He's truly a commander of his forces. And he can use the power of his fellow soldiers. By banishing a Level 7 or below Gem-Knight Fusion monster from my graveyard, Master Diamond adopts it's name and effect. I choose the Level 6 Gem-Knight Ruby (Atk:3500-3400).'
'Now for Ruby's effect. By tributing Gem-Knight Garnet, Ruby gains it's Attack points. Now what was that about taking on Obelisk? (Atk:3400-5300). Master Diamond, attack with Burning Broadsword Blitz!'
Master Diamond's sword turned red, and was lifted into the air, catching fire, before slicing through the middle of Obelisk, melting straight through as Obelisk punched the Fusion monster, to no avail, destroying it in a plume of fire (Icaron LP:2900-2100).
As Blair and Rio smiled at the loss of Obelisk, Icaron was getting increasingly infuriated. 'You think you can destroy me? That will NEVER happen! I will destroy you ALL!' 'I end my turn with a face-down (Atk:5300-3400).'
Rio: 'I draw. Master Diamond, finish him off!' 'Too bad – I activate Will of the Great Gods. This negates your attack, and then I can add a monster from my deck to my hand.' 'I don't like the sound of that.' 'And so you shouldn't. Now end your turn.' 'Not just yet. You remember my Shard of Greed don't you? Well it has two Greed Counters now, so I can send it to my graveyard and draw two cards. One of which is going face-down. I'm done for the turn.'
Icaron: 'Ah good, my turn. I activate this – the Spell card Monster Reincarnation. All I have to do is discard one card, and then I can add a monster lying in the grave to my hand. I choose Obelisk. Next, I activate The Shallow Grave. Now we all have to bring a monster back from our graveyards face-down.'
'Fine – I'll bring back Gem-Knight Lazuli.' 'And I'll set Aurora Wing.' 'Now you slugs have brought back monsters, I'll choose Scapeghost. And I'll also activate my face-down Desert Sunlight, which forces my Scapeghost face-up (Atk:100). And when it's flipped, I summon three Black Sheep tokens (Atk:0)x3.'
'I draw two cards thanks to my Precious Cards. I'll also activate Monster Reborn to revive Apprentice Illusion Magician. Now I will tribute my three Tokens in order to summon back Obelisk the Tormentor (Atk:4000). Next, I can activate Soul Exchange. This enables me to tribute one monster you control as if it was my own. So I can tribute Scapeghost, along with Illusion Magician and your Aurora Wing to call upon another god! Show yourself, Slifer, the Sky Dragon (Atk:?).'
'First of all, I get two more cards thanks to my Spell card. Now the Attack of my Slifer is increased by 1000 for every card in my hand. My hand has three cards, so that's 3000 points (Atk:3000). You'll never defeat both of my gods, at least not before your entire life is depleted.'
Blair then looked over at her partner. 'Rio, we CAN do this. We simply have to believe in ourselves and believe in our skills. We can win and we will.' 'You're right Blair. We're going to slay ourselves a god!'
To Be Continued
Next time: The face-off between Icaron and Rio and Blair continues. What surprises does Slifer have in store? What tricks do Rio and Blair have in reserve? And who will fall after the final god is revealed? Next time: Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter XIII: The Nightmare Before Christmas Part 2: Ascendant Wings!