Announcements
This is a quick notice that I'll be going back and making a change to the effects of Zahhak's previously revealed Cydevil Link Monsters. Previously, they all had effects that Special Summoned up to two Cydemon monsters from the Graveyard in Defense Position; the change I'll be making is that when those monsters are summoned, their effects will be negated. This is to make the Cydemon Deck more balanced while also making my writing easier. I can't go back to the chapters because the time limit on the Doc Manager expired, but these changes will be made to the cards on my profile page.
Also, I have an update. In the previous chapter, I had announced that I wanted to add a female OC Enforcer. Well, after receiving so many OC offers and thinking it over, I've decided to change my plans. I won't be introducing an OC Enforcer; instead, I'll be introducing the Stahlritter, a trio of female duelists within Ouroboros who aren't Enforcers as they've sworn their loyalty to a certain individual instead of the organization itself, though their strength can be compared to the Enforcers. I already have the names, backstories, and Decks of two of them figured out, while I only have the Deck of the third fixed. I still need a name and backstory for her. And in keeping with the theme of the other two, her avatar ID has to be the name of a mythological goddess. If anyone has naming suggestions, I'd appreciate them.
Responses to Reviews
Thank you to HunterHQ, savagemaster1999, TheBlazingButterfly777, Noobmaster, FlameFireZero X, Jason, Xaria, D3lph0xL0v3r, ZarcEternal, pokemonking0924, SakushiRyu, DivadX, Anonymous, Duel Prediction, Unknown, yuman28, Ambiguous, Ethan Kironus, E.T. 2000, British jack, JaneValentine007, Unnamed, Big duels, KettouRyuujin, and Guests for reviewing Chapter 63.
HunterHQ: No, Thaumiel was absorbed by the Tower. Though that experience did give Jormungand the inspiration to write this escape program.
DivadX: Thaumiel's actions did lead to Diana quitting Ouroboros, but it was also finding Sylphid and adopting her that made Diana change.
Anonymous: Aqua hasn't had the opportunity to do so; I don't know the range of her powers, but from what I saw, she needs to be face-to-face with them. After all, she didn't figure out what Lightning's complex was when she saw Lightning's and Spectre's duel.
Ambiguous: No, Thaumiel and Baira were in different prisons, mostly because Thaumiel was arrested in a different city. As for Ouroboros and Jormungand, if that could have happened, they wouldn't have let it get that far.
E.T. 2000: My opinion of Borreload Riot Dragon is that its release will have no impact on Fifth Circuit or Hidden Memories at all. I'm not replacing Ravenous Dragon.
Unnamed: Cam and Tagoma had a head start on Lightning, and Lightning's ability to interact with the real world is limited.
Once again, thank you for the reviews and I hope you all enjoy Chapter 64!
Chapter 64: The Queen and the Demon
In a black landscape, Morningstar and Zahhak stand back-to-back. The two walk away from each, Morningstar's eyes closed. His eyes then open and they both spin around, right arms raised. Their fists connect, generating a flash of light. When the light fades, Mirror LINK VRAINS is shown, with the title "Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories" overlaying it.
Yasutake, Sachi, and Masako are shown on one side of a picnic table, across from Yusaku, Takeru, and Aoi. Takeru talks animatedly and Masako laughs heartedly while the others lightly smile. At a nearby table, Cam and Emily are sitting and chatting with a standing Kusanagi, coffee and hotdogs in front of them. Back at the first table, Masako whispers in Sachi's ear while smirking, making the other girl blush as Yasutake and Aoi give her flat glares.
Kengo Dojun is standing in front of a grave that he places flowers on. Emma is off in the distance, holding her own flowers and watching with a frown. Yukaro is shown slumped over a hospital bed, his head in his hands and a wild look in his eyes. Akira is watching a monitor, his hands steepled and concern in his eyes. The monitor shows Go Onizuka strapped to a chair and performing an exercise. Hayami looks over Akira's shoulder nervously while Queen watches smugly in the background.
Takeshi and Katsumi appear standing outside an arcade, talking amicably with each other. Shizuka walks past them, listening to music on her headphones. She briefly stops and turns her head to look at them out of the corner of her eye, then turns and continues walking. At a nearby table, Kenshin, Ryoken, and Spectre are shown drinking coffee. Ryoken then smirks and raises his left hand. He snaps his fingers.
Morningstar and Playmaker appear, back-to-back, with Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary and Decode Talker appearing behind them. They then spiral downward and are replaced by Cassiel and Soulburner, who have Cyseraph Blazing Uriel and Salamangreat Heatleo behind them. Heatleo fills the screen with orange flames, and when they dissipate, Blue Maiden and Lilith appear, Marincess Marbled Rock and Magical Musket Mastermind Ottokar behind them. They are then replaced by Galahad and Persephone, Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos and Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss behind them.
The screen cuts to the interior of a palace, where Bohman sits cross legged, his eyes closed. His eyes open and glow. Windy is then shown, wearing a cape and eyepatch, riding Stormridership Bahamut Bomber through Mirror LINK VRAINS. Far below him, in a field of flowers, Jin Kusanagi stands with Lightning as the Ignis raises his hand, a legion of Armatos Legio Centurions and Decurions forming behind him, with Armatos Legio Magnus Dux in the center. The screen pans to show Diana and Goldie across from the Light Ignis. The duo sweeps their right arms to the side as VirtuaBeast Cryptograph Chimera appears and roars.
Techbane and Sylphid are shown back-to-back in shadows, their heads lowered. Techbane raises his head to face Merlin, while Sylphid raises hers to face Thaumiel, anger in her expression. Galahad appears riding his D-Board and plays a card. Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos appears behind him. The screen changes to Go Onizuka with Dinowrestler King T Wrextle next to him. Soldier of Chaos's blade then meets King T Wrextle's fist, making sparks fly. Galahad's and Go's faces are shown over the monsters, with Galahad shouting while Go's face remains blank.
Spectre appears and smirks, Sunavalon Dryanome growing behind him and two Sunvine Thrashers on either side. Terminus takes his place, Subterror Behemoth Fiendess and Subterror Behemoth Hydrossuary appearing behind him. The two monsters breathe blue flames and envelop the screen. When the flames dissipate, Revolver appears, Borreload Savage Dragon, Borreload Furious Dragon, and Borreload eXcharge Dragon behind him. The dragons roar and then glow with green, purple, and yellow energy.
A chain whips across the screen, before pulling back and reattaching the scythe top to its handle. Cydevil Prideful Helel swings its scythe down and connects with Cyspirit Savage Shogun's sword. Sparks fly as Morningstar and Zahhak are revealed on their D-Boards, facing each other with Morningstar's face set in a grimace. The screen changes to Cassiel, Cyseraph Guardian Michael with her, facing off against Merlin, who is supported by Witchcrafter Haine and Witchcrafter Golem Aruru.
Lilith and Terminus are then shown, back-to-back, their hands raised. They bring their hands down, and Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar and Subterror Behemoth Fiendess appear and shoot blasts of energy and fire. The blasts impact, but when the smoke fades, Jester is shown unharmed. His mask then breaks, his face splitting into a sadistic grin as his Infinity Transformation takes hold. He raises his own arm as Life Force Trihexa forms behind him and roars.
Morningstar and Zahhak face off against each other in a field of flowers. The former raises his arm as Cyspirits Savage Shogun, Cosmic Crusader, and Martial Mameluke materialize behind him. The three Cyspirits then merge and form Cyspirit Superior Seraphim, who faces off against a massive twelve-winged figure wrapped in shadows.
Yasutake is then shown with Sachi, the two on a hill of grass and the former sleeping with his head in the latter's lap, a pine tree in the background. Sachi looks down on Yasutake's face, a loving smile on her face. Yasutake opens his eyes and both look upwards as the screen jumps to the sky and sun.
Morningstar watched as the purple sphere disappeared. "They ended the broadcast," Cypher noted.
"Lilith won her duel and defeated Thaumiel," Morningstar said with a frown. "But instead of being absorbed by Mirror LINK VRAINS like Blood Shepherd and the others were, Thaumiel logged out."
"Ouroboros must have come up with a countermeasure to that problem," Cypher said morosely. "Hopefully though it will keep them from logging back in; I don't think we can deal with an unending battle."
"Even if they can, we don't have to defeat them," Morningstar pointed out. "We just have to defeat Lightning and Bohman."
"True. But getting to them is the larger challenge."
Lilith glared at where Thaumiel had disappeared before closing her eyes with a sigh. She sat down on the grass. "Even if he escaped, I still managed to win. I'll worry about Thaumiel later. I need to focus on the rest of Ouroboros now." Her lips turned into a scowl. "And I'll start with Zahhak. I need to know what connection he has to my father's death," she muttered.
Lightning stood in his palace and forced himself to calm down. "Ouroboros having a way out of Mirror LINK VRAINS is annoying, but it's not something I need to worry about right now. Actually, now that I think about it, it might be an advantage." He opened a communication line. "Jester, I just spoke with Zahhak. He told me about your little escape program."
"Did he? Well that was rude; I was hoping to surprise you in case I lost."
Lightning ignored that. "Will Thaumiel be able to log back in? Can he come back to challenge Lilith again?"
"Oh, he would love that, I just know he would," Jester chuckled. "But unfortunately, he can't. The program that let him log out also cut off his access to Mirror LINK VRAINS. He would need to reobtain it to come back or open the gate that Playmaker and the others came through; either of which would at least take several hours. So I'm afraid he won't be doing any more fighting."
"Inconvenient but unavoidable. Very well. I've already decided that I'll be handling the next duel. After I finish my opponent, Zahhak will be dueling next."
"I have no issue with that; considering the point of eliminating them one at a time is to make them lose hope, putting our strongest out there will hurt the most."
"My thoughts exactly."
Cassiel picked her way through the pine forest and slid down a mulchy slope. She then reached the tree line and walked out with a gasp. Evidently, the forest she had landed in was actually on top of a mountain, and all she could see before her was a steep and rocky slope.
She grit her teeth. "I can't traverse this. I'll have to wait here until that barrier goes down." Then she blinked at a sound and looked up. Cassiel's eyes narrowed as the purple sphere reappeared. "Someone's dueling again. Who is it?" Her eyes widened when the sphere displayed an image. "Spectre?"
Morningstar scowled as the sphere showed Spectre standing across from Jin and Lightning. "So it's his turn next."
"So… we're rooting for Spectre to win?" Cypher asked hesitantly.
His partner shook his head. "Let's be honest; we're rooting for Lightning to lose."
They watched as Lightning and Spectre talked about free will and about what it meant to be strong or weak. And about how Lightning's war led to Earth's death.
"So Spectre did have a connection to Earth," Cypher mused morosely.
"And yet, Spectre is part of a group dedicated to killing the Ignis," Morningstar reminded him. "I'm sorry if this sounds callous, but if Spectre and Earth met, there's a good chance they would have been enemies."
"I know. But thanks to Lightning and SOL, we'll never know."
It was after that discussion that Lightning and Spectre started their duel. And Lightning shocked everyone by performing an Extra Link on the first turn by using Judgment Arrows and his Armatos Legio monsters.
"A first turn Extra Link," Cypher said in surprise. "I knew Lightning was fast, but this is excessive even for him."
"Excessive or not, Lightning has locked down the Extra Monster Zones," Morningstar pointed out. "Spectre's Deck relies almost entirely on Link Summoning; with this, Lightning's locked down almost his entire Deck." His eyes narrowed. "But I have a feeling this won't slow Spectre down too much."
As it turned out, Morningstar was right. But even he hadn't expected Spectre to steal Judgment Arrows from Lightning and use it to clear the Extra Monster Zones before bringing out Sunavalon Dryas. However, Morningstar had to admit he was more curious about Spectre's claim that Lightning had a complex; a secret he never told anyone. Especially since Spectre's statement noticeably annoyed Lightning.
"Do you have any idea what Spectre's talking about, Cypher?" the former hunter asked his partner.
The Silver Ignis narrowed his eyes in thought. "No, I don't. I didn't know Lightning as long as Ai or Flame did, but even when I was in Cyberse World, we mostly talked about our own evolution and the paths Cyberse World would take. Though if Spectre is right, then this complex might have something to do with why Lightning started this war."
Morningstar nodded in agreement and turned back to the duel. Lightning, in noticeable irritation, turned to a defensive strategy with Legatus Legionis and Galea. Spectre responded by filling his field with Link Monsters and broke Lightning's formation with an empowered Sunvine Thrasher, though Morningstar had to admit he was impressed that Lightning was able to reduce the potential damage to only 700. Then Spectre blew Morningstar's expectations out of the water by forming his own Extra Link before expanding it to fill his field with an Extra Link Full Mode.
"Well… this was unexpected," Cypher said in awe. "I remember what Spectre was capable of from your data on him, but this…"
"Yeah. It's surprising." Morningstar felt his eye twitch as the camera focused on Spectre's face. "Though I don't think it's something to blush about…"
In his own room, Zahhak watched the duel and sighed. "So wasteful…"
"You think you know me? Stop looking down on me!"
And then Zahhak chuckled. "Ah. You're finally letting your true colors show, Light Ignis."
Cypher narrowed his eyes. "I've never seen Lightning lose his cool like this."
"Don't forget, it's Spectre," Morningstar said. "He has a talent for getting under your skin."
They watched as Lightning lost more of his temper before shattering Spectre's Extra Link with a Spell Card. "Divine judgment, huh?" Cypher muttered. "It seems he's forgotten; we aren't gods."
Morningstar narrowed his eyes as Lightning used his Spell Card to bring out a new Link-3 Armatos Legio, then brought out a Link-4 with 3000 attack points. The former bounty hunter's eyes then widened when Lightning used said monsters to negate the effects of Spectre's cards and return Judgment Arrows to his hand, which resulted in the destruction of every monster on Spectre's field except Sunavalon Dryanome. Lightning then used Judgment Arrows and Magnus Dux to destroy Dryanome and defeat Spectre in a single attack.
Morningstar grimaced as Spectre hit the ground and his consciousness data was taken by Lightning before the footage cut out. "It seems that even with what knowledge we had from his duel with Blood Shepherd, we still underestimated Lightning," he said.
"Yeah," Cypher said morosely. "I'm not too broken up about Spectre's loss, but this still isn't good for us. We'll need to make up for it."
"Lilith took out Thaumiel, but now that Lightning has taken out Spectre, that means we're tied for one loss each," Morningstar continued. "We probably have more people on our side, but considering the skill level that Lightning and Zahhak have shown…"
"Yes. We can't afford to assume our numbers give us an advantage."
Windy cackled from Echo's shoulder. "Well done, Lightning! Victory is well on the way now!" His eyes narrowed. "So, who's next? Who do we want to drive to despair next?"
"That's easy." Windy turned as Lightning returned. "We agreed to take turns, and now that I have gone, it's time for Ouroboros to fight again." Lightning tilted his head. "Isn't that right, Zahhak?"
"Yes." The man's voice came out over the comms. "I've already decided on my opponent."
"Oh? Are you going to take Morningstar out?" Windy asked excitedly.
"…No," Zahhak answered. "Tempting as it is, I think I'll give him a preview of what's to come. But don't worry; I won't touch the Ignis holders or Revolver. I'll leave them to you." He cut the line after saying that.
"That human really is arrogant," Windy said dismissively. "Though I suppose his skills justify that arrogance. Anyway, once he's done, I'll be taking Revolver. I'll pay him back for these injuries!"
"No, you won't," Lightning said.
"What?! Why not?!"
"You've lost your cool," the Light Ignis answered simply. "You can duel Revolver later, but first I'll want you to defeat someone else."
Windy's eyes narrowed before he sighed. "Alright, if that's what you want, Lightning. So who will I be dueling?"
"After Zahhak finishes his duel, you'll have yours. And then next up will be Techbane. Bohman will likely duel Blue Maiden after that."
"So if not Blue Maiden… You mean-!"
Persephone grimaced as she climbed over a large rock. This was getting irritating. Ever since she'd fallen into this gulch, she'd been walking in the hopes to find a way out. Except her hopes of such an exit had proven to be for naught.
I need to find a way out of here, she thought. Especially if I'm dueling next. The broadcasting sphere had been too far away for her to see what had been happening, but someone had taken that into consideration by amplifying the volume so she could hear what was happening. She'd been delighted to hear Lilith defeat Thaumiel and disheartened to hear Lightning defeat Spectre. Knight of Hanoi or not, he had still been an ally against the Light Ignis.
And now someone else will be next. And I can't duel in this place. Persephone kept walking down the trail for a few minutes before she found something other than rock faces: a cave. Her eyes narrowed. This is most likely a trap. But I don't have much of a choice, do I? With that cheerful thought, she headed into the cave.
After a few minutes of navigating through the darkness with the light of her Duel Disk, she entered a large cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites hung all around her and a band of water circled the cavern. Or perhaps there was simply an island in the center of an underground lake connected by a few bridges. And in the center of the cavern was…
Persephone's eyes narrowed. "I found you, Zahhak."
The masked and armored man was standing in the center, his arms crossed. "It took you long enough," he said dismissively.
In the corner, Frog and Pigeon materialized in a panic. "Where are we?!" They turned around and gasped. "Ah! It's Zahhak! And Persephone!"
"The Queen of LINK VRAINS!" Pigeon said excitedly. "If anyone can defeat this scary man, it'll be her!"
Cassiel looked up as the pink sphere reappeared. Her eyes widened. "That's-!"
"Zahhak," Morningstar muttered.
"And Persephone," Cypher added.
"So he's up next," Revolver noted. His eyes narrowed. "I assumed he would go after Morningstar first. It seems he's following the Light Ignis's scheme."
"As dangerous as Zahhak is, this can also work for us," Terminus mused. "If he duels Persephone, we can see more of his Deck, and any potential changes that were made to it after it was taken."
Lilith's eyes narrowed. "Zahhak," she muttered. "I don't know what part, if any, you played in my father's death… but you having those cards says you know something. I'll have you give me answers before this is over."
Persephone walked into the cavern proper and stood opposite Zahhak with a scowl. "I know you're here to duel me, just like Thaumiel and Lightning. But before we begin, I have a question."
"What's that?"
The Charisma Duelist's eyes narrowed. "Why did you attack Nebula?"
"Nebula… Ah, you mean Hana Adachi." Zahhak lowered his head. "Let me correct your misconception: I did not attack her. She challenged me."
Persephone blinked. "What?"
"She confronted me in LINK VRAINS and took offense to my informing her of how weak she and you are," Zahhak explained. "She challenged me to a duel, and when I refused, she insisted. She realized her failing shortly before her loss."
"…If that's the case, then why did you take her consciousness data?" Persephone asked through gritted teeth.
"Because that is what happens when one loses against an Enforcer. We do not play around or go easy on our opposition, and nor do we destroy what we can use." Zahhak tilted his head. "Since you asked your question, I have one of my own. Why do you care about that? Nebula's consciousness data was freed, was it not?"
"Yes, she was," Persephone said with a grimace. "She woke up and left the hospital a few days ago. But that doesn't change the fact that you hurt her, traumatized her, and used her for a sick experiment. I won't forgive you for what Ouroboros did to her! Nor for what you did to Galahad!"
"I see. So it is revenge you seek. How pointless." Zahhak raised his head again. "I will say this once: Surrender. I am the strongest duelist here. I have not lost a duel in eight years, and before my duel with Morningstar, it had been four years since I took any damage at all in a duel. My victory is not a probability; it is a certainty. Surrender now and save me the time of dealing with this."
Persephone glared at him. "You really are arrogant. I saw your duel with Morningstar; I know you are strong. But there are no certainties in life. I refuse to surrender. I will defeat you! And even if I fall, one of the others will rise up and defeat you in my place!"
"No, they won't." Zahhak raised his Duel Disk. "If you will not surrender, then further talk is pointless. Let us get this farce over with." Persephone narrowed her eyes at his attitude as she raised her own Duel Disk.
"Duel!"
Persephone: 4000 LP
Zahhak: 4000 LP
"I will take the first turn, and show you just why challenging me is so foolish. By discarding Cydemon Earl, I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Cydemon Shrine! Once per turn, if I control no monsters, Cydemon Shrine can Special Summon a 'Cydemon' monster from my hand or Graveyard in Attack Position. But before I activate Shrine's effect, I'll activate the effect of Cydemon Earl in my Graveyard! Once, when it is in the Graveyard, I can add a 'Cydemon' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand. I'll add and then activate the Field Spell Card: Cydemon Pillars!"
"Uh oh," Cypher intoned, his eyes narrowing. "That's not good."
"While Cydemon Pillars is active on the field, my Dark Cyberse monsters gain 300 attack points and are unaffected by your monster effects." Persephone grit her teeth at that.
"Persephone's Deck uses a lot of monster effects," Ai noted.
"Which means that Zahhak's Field Spell Card will hinder her strategy greatly," Playmaker inferred.
"I activate Cydemon Pillars' effect! Once per turn, I can send one Dark Cyberse monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Cydemon Knight to the Graveyard. Next, I activate Cydemon Shrine's effect to Special Summon Cydemon Earl from my Graveyard!" A fiend with red skin, sharp teeth, and pointed ears emerged from a dark red magic circle. The monster wore a bloodred robe over a black cuirass, and a black shoulder cape over said robe. The monster sneered as it tilted its bald head.
Cydemon Earl ATK 2000→2300 DEF 600→900 LVL: 5
"I summon Cydemon Pawn!" A bald, black-skinned demon wearing a black cuirass and red vambraces and greaves appeared, beating its small black wings.
Cydemon Pawn ATK 600→900 DEF 600→900 LVL: 1
"Cydemon Earl's effect activates! Once per turn, if there a 'Cydemon' monster in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Cydemon Token in Defense Position!" A black cocoon appeared on Zahhak's field, only for it to unfurl and reveal that it was a pair of black wings with red spines attached to a small black demon with red eyes, red shoulders, red knees, and a red loincloth. The demon hissed as it curled its clawed hand and feet.
Cydemon Token ATK 0→300 DEF 0→300 LVL: 2
"Cydemon Pawn's effect activates! Since it was Normal Summoned, I can draw cards equal to the number of Dark Cyberse monsters I control. I control three, so I draw three cards."
Persephone narrowed her eyes. "Three monsters. And all three are Dark Cyberse monsters…"
"A Link Summon is coming," Morningstar muttered.
"Appear, the circuit of infinite darkness! The summoning conditions are two or more Dark Cyberse monsters. I set Earl, Pawn, and Token in the Link Markers!" The three monsters turned into red whirlwinds and entered the left, bottom, and right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub!"
A tall gray-skinned fiend emerged from the portal and spread its four wings, but said wings were unlike the other Cydevil monsters' wings; those had been feathered or bat wings, but these were shaped like a fly's wings, with the edges colored red and the wings themselves colored black. Also unlike the previous Cydevil monsters, this one had a prominent gut, exposed by the black armor that covered its torso. Black rerebraces covered his shoulders, black vambraces covered his forearms, black gauntlets with red claws covered his hands, and black greaves and boots with red gems in the knees covered his legs. A black skull helmet with red eyes sat perched on the fiend's head, and long black hair fell down to his shoulders. Unlike Prideful Helel however, whose hair had been lustrous and perfect, this monster's hair was dirty, disheveled, and frayed. A glint of madness gleamed in the fiend's solid red eyes as he bared his sharpened fangs. He held out his right hand as a black medium-sized war hammer with red spikes arrayed on one side materialized. The fiend laughed from the right Extra Monster Zone as he lazily swung his hammer.
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2300→2600 LINK-3 ←↓→
"A new Cydevil Link Monster!" Playmaker exclaimed.
"Oh, Zahhak's playing defensively," Cypher realized. "That makes sense, but it's bad for Persephone."
"What do you mean?" Morningstar asked.
"Edacious Beelzebub gains 300 attack points for each face-up Continuous Spell and Trap Card on the field," Zahhak continued. "And while it is on the field, my Spell and Trap Cards cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effects of linked monsters."
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2600→2900
"That's what I meant," Cypher said. His eyes narrowed. "But neither of those is Edacious Beelzebub's real power."
Persephone frowned as she looked the monster over. "The word 'edacious' is an adjective that relates to eating. Since your Link Monsters are based on sins, I assume that this one corresponds to gluttony?"
"That's right," Zahhak confirmed. "And like the rest of my Cydevils, Edacious Beelzebub embodies his sin… or inflicts it on others."
Persephone blinked. "What are you-?" Her eyes widened before she checked Edacious Beelzebub's information. She promptly paled. "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered.
"Save your complaints for when you're in real trouble. I Set one card. I end my turn." Zahhak tilted his head. "The outcome of this duel is inevitable; the only question is how long will you last? Do try to keep up with me."
His opponent narrowed her eyes. "Oh, don't worry; I'll do more than keep up with you! My turn! Draw!" Persephone looked at her card and frowned. This would undoubtedly help Zahhak just as much as it would help her… but if she could get the card she needed, then it should be fine. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Hand Destruction! This card lets each player discard two cards, then draw two cards!"
"That card is dangerous for the Cydemons," Cypher noted. "Since they all have effects that activate in the Graveyard, that will give Zahhak more options."
"But at the same time, it also helps Persephone," Morningstar said. "Her Burning Abyss monsters have effects that activate when sent to the Graveyard." His eyes narrowed. "In the end, this duel will likely be defined by their mastery of the Graveyard."
"I will discard Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss."
"Then I will discard Cydemon Marquis and Cydemon Sacrifice."
The two then drew and Persephone smirked on seeing what she drew. But before that… "I activate the effects of the Graff and Libic that were sent to the Graveyard! Now, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Deck and a Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from my hand with its effects negated. Come, Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A large humanoid fiend with horns on its head and manacles on its wrists appeared, alongside a thin masked fiend with wings and long nails. Both monsters appeared in Attack Position.
Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 3
Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 800 DEF 2000 LVL: 3
Persephone's smirk widened. "I'll admit, your Deck is impressive, Zahhak. It's certainly powerful. But it has a very important flaw!"
"Oh? And what flaw would that be?" Zahhak's question was delivered in a tone of utter boredom.
"That you need monsters in the Graveyard! I activate the Spell Card: Soul Release! This lets me banish up to five cards from any Graveyard!"
"Yes!" Soulburner cheered. "That's brilliant!"
"The Cydemon Deck functions by having monsters in the Graveyard," Playmaker said. "So by banishing monsters from the Graveyard…"
"His monsters lose their effects!" Cassiel realized excitedly.
"I banish Cydemon Earl, Cydemon Knight, Cydemon Marquis, Cydemon Pawn, and Cydemon Sacrifice from your Graveyard!" Persephone declared. "So go ahead and banish your cards, Zahhak!"
"…How foolish." Persephone blinked at Zahhak's bored statement. "Were you not listening earlier? I said that I have not lost in eight years. Did you think that I maintained such a victory streak by allowing my dueling to have such an obvious weakness?"
"What?"
"Continuous Trap activate! Cydemon Gula!" The card showed a massive dinner hall, filled will tables covered in food. Cydemon monsters sat at all the tables, and Edacious Beelzebub sat at the center table's head, surrounded by numerous dishes and a whole carved ham in his right hand. "So long as Gula is on the field, cards in my Graveyard and my cards on the field cannot be banished by your card effects!"
"What?!" Persephone gasped.
Revolver narrowed his eyes. "So he had a card like that."
Jester chuckled and rested his head in his hand. "Everyone who's seen him duel thinks they can exploit a weakness like that, only for him to yank the carpet out from under them. But we are Enforcers for a reason: we are the best at what we do. Underestimate us at your own peril."
Persephone grit her teeth. Since she already targeted Zahhak's cards, Soul Release resolved without doing anything.
"Since a Continuous Trap Card is now on the field, Edacious Beelzebub gains more attack points."
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2900→3200
"Also, I activate Cydemon Gula's additional effect! Once per turn, I can return one 'Cydemon' monster in my Graveyard to my Deck, then send a different 'Cydemon' monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I return Marquis to my Deck and send Cydemon Bishop to the Graveyard!"
"So that card not only prevents his cards from being banished, but it also lets him exchange his monsters in the Graveyard for new ones." Terminus grit his teeth. "How annoying."
…This is alright, Persephone thought. Even if I can't banish his cards, I can still win this! "I summon Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A pink fiend with a wooden staff and wings appeared.
Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 100 DEF 2100 LVL: 3
"Level 3 Rubic tunes Level 3 Cir! The poet's guide to hell and purgatory! Ascend to the earth and perform once more! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" A redheaded man in a white shirt and black vest emerged from the light at the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position, strumming a golden guitar.
Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500 DEF 1000 LVL: 6
"A Synchro Monster," Zahhak breathed.
"Since Cir was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Libic!" A blue-skinned winged fiend appeared in Attack Position and hissed.
Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1300 DEF 700 LVL: 3
"Virgil's effect activates! I discard a 'Burning Abyss' card to shuffle one of your cards into your Deck! I discard Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to shuffle Cydemon Pillars into your Deck!" Zahhak watched calmly as his Field Spell Card disappeared.
"With that card gone, Edacious Beelzebub is weakened and can now be affected by Persephone's monsters," Cypher noted.
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 3200→2900
"As Alich was sent to the Graveyard, I can target a monster on the field and negate its effects until the end of the turn! I negate Edacious Beelzebub's effects!" The overweight demon moaned as a gray aura briefly enveloped him.
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2900→2300
"Virgil is now stronger than Edacious Beelzebub," Soulburner noticed.
"I activate the Spell Card: Pre-Preparation of Rites! This lets me add a Ritual Spell Card from my Deck to my hand, as well as a Ritual Monster from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand so long as its name is listed on the Ritual Spell." Persephone took two cards from her Deck, then held up one. "I activate the Ritual Spell Card: Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss! I Tribute the Level 3 Libic and Level 3 Scarm to Ritual Summon! The contract has been made! The demon who guards the fifth circle inherits these two souls. Ritual Summon! Rise, Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss!" A winged and armored red-skinned fiend emerged from the pillar of light, swinging blue and red swords in Attack Position.
Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss ATK 2700 DEF 2200 LVL: 6
"And now Ritual," Zahhak muttered. "I will grant you this: what you lack in raw power, you make up for in variety."
I would use Malacoda's effect, but I don't have a 'Burning Abyss' monster in my hand to use it, Persephone thought. She pointed to the field. "Battle! Malacoda attacks Edacious Beelzebub! Abyssal Slash!" Malacoda spun his swords, which burst into flames, and charged Zahhak's field, only for the man to nonchalantly gesture to his field.
"I activate the effect of Cydemon Bishop in the Graveyard! Once while it is in the Graveyard, I can target a Dark Cyberse monster I control, and until the End Phase, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. I target Edacious Beelzebub!"
"But you will still take damage!" Persephone pointed out.
"I activate the effect of Cydemon Knight in my Graveyard! Once while it is in my Graveyard, I can target my Dark Cyberse monster, and until the end of the turn, any damage I would take that is equal to or lower than that monster's original attack points is reduced to 0! I target Edacious Beelzebub!" Persephone gasped as Malacoda's swords impacted with Edacious Beelzebub's hammer, only for the Link Monster to push Malacoda off.
"Impressive," Lightning allowed. "He uses the effects of his monsters in the Graveyard to protect both his Life Points and his monsters on the field. He really is a versatile duelist."
Persephone grit her teeth. With Edacious Beelzebub unable to be destroyed by battle and with Zahhak unable to take damage that wasn't greater than 2300, there was no point in Virgil attacking. "I Set one card. I end my turn. During the End Phase, since Scarm was sent to the Graveyard this turn, I can add a Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Tour Guide From the Underworld to my hand. In addition, Alich's effect ends, so Edacious Beelzebub no longer has its effects negated."
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2300→2900
"My turn! Draw!" Zahhak looked from his card to Persephone's field. "That was a better attempt than most, but still ineffectual. Allow me to show you how an Enforcer duels. Cydemon Gula's effect activates! I return Cydemon Earl to my Deck and send Cydemon Rook to the Graveyard. Next, Edacious Beelzebub's effect activates! Once per turn, if it points to no monsters and I have three or more 'Cydemon' monsters in my Graveyard, I can target one of your face-up monsters and place it in your Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell Card!"
Playmaker's eyes widened. "What?!"
"I target Malacoda! Void of Gluttony!" The fiend leered it turned its hammer around and the spikes moved to create a maw. The maw created a vacuum that sucked Malacoda into the hammer. Persephone watched in horror as her Ritual Monster disappeared into the void, only for its card to reappear on her own field.
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2900→3200
"Seriously?!" Ai gasped. "A Link-3 has an effect like that?! The hell were you thinking, Cypher?!"
"…I know I shouldn't be happy considering an enemy's using it," Cypher said, his inner conflict evident. "But a part of me can't help but feel proud of how powerful the Cydemon Deck turned out."
Persephone grit her teeth. Zahhak had just taken out one of her strongest ace monsters. And he'd done it without sending Malacoda to the Graveyard, so she couldn't use its effect.
"You have lost your ace monster. Now I will drive you further into despair. I activate the Spell Card: Cydemon Shuffle!" The card showed the cards of Cydemon Knight, Cydemon Duke, and Cydemon Pawn all on a table, a hand picking up Pawn and about to place it on top of a Deck. "I return up to three 'Cydemon' cards in my Graveyard to my Deck, and then I can send an equal number of 'Cydemon' monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard. I return Cydemons Bishop, Knight, and Sacrifice to my Deck to send Cydemon Bishop, Cydemon Earl, and Cydemon Marquis to my Graveyard."
"A card that trades cards from the Graveyard for cards from the Deck," Revolver summarized with a glare.
"I activate the effect of Cydemon Earl in the Graveyard! Once, I can add a 'Cydemon' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Cydemon Pillars to my hand."
"He retrieved his Field Spell after Persephone returned it to his Deck," Flame commented.
"I activate the Field Spell Card: Cydemon Pillars! All Dark Cyberse monsters I control gain 300 attack and defense points and are unaffected by your monster effects."
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 3200→3500
"Cydemon Pillars' effect activates! Once per turn, I can send a Dark Cyberse monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Cydemon Knight to the Graveyard. I activate the Equip Spell Card: Cydemon Maiden and equip it to Edacious Beelzebub." Edacious Beelzebub's hammer disappeared and was replaced by a black chain. Attached to the end of that chain was a person-sized black and red iron maiden, opened to reveal the spikes within. "While Cydemon Maiden is equipped to a monster, that monster cannot be targeted by your card effects and increases its attack points by 200 for each Dark Cyberse monster in my Graveyard." Persephone's eyes widened. "Right now, there are six such monsters."
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 3500→4700
"Battle! Edacious Beelzebub attacks Virgil! Since Shrine is on the field, you cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards when my Dark Cyberse monsters attack until the end of the Damage Step! Gula Impact!" The demon laughed cruelly as it swung the iron maiden on its chain before launching it at Virgil. The man panicked as the iron maiden opened and he landed inside. Virgil cried out in pain as the iron maiden closed, sending out an explosion of red energy that made Persephone cry out and stumble backwards.
Persephone: 4000→1800 LP
"2200 points of damage in a single attack and turn," Lightning said. "Well, he is efficient if nothing else."
Persephone grit her teeth. "You may have destroyed Virgil, but since he was sent to the Graveyard, I can-!"
"You're wrong," Zahhak interrupted. "When the monster equipped with Cydemon Maiden destroys your monster in battle, I can return that monster to your Deck."
"What?" Persephone watched with wide eyes as a red light shot out of the iron maiden and hit her Deck.
"Since Virgil was sent to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard, its effect doesn't activate. I Set one card. I end my turn."
Morningstar frowned. "That Deck really is troublesome."
"On paper, its strategy is simple," Cypher said. "Build up a single Link Monster while using Graveyard effects to advance your strategy. But that same strategy is ridiculously durable to the point it's almost impossible to overpower." The Silver Ignis's eyes narrowed. "Persephone is good, but she's outmatched. She can't win. Not against that Deck and especially not against someone who's mastered it."
Persephone glared at her opponent. "I was already aware that this duel wouldn't be simple. But even then, I underestimated just how difficult it would be." Her eyes narrowed. "But even so… I can't give up now. To avenge Nebula and save Galahad… I'll still defeat you! My turn! Draw! I summon Tour Guide From the Underworld!" A pink-haired girl in a blue suit appeared.
Tour Guide From the Underworld ATK 1000 DEF 600 LVL: 3
"Tour Guide's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 3 Fiend monster from my hand or Deck with its effects negated. From my Deck, I Special Summon Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A winged fiend with the bottom half of a centaur appeared in Attack Position.
Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1400 DEF 0 LVL: 3
"It's time to get serious!" Persephone declared, her eyes narrowing further. "I activate the Field Spell Card: Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss! While this card is on the field and I control a 'Burning Abyss' monster, your monsters lose 500 attack points! And while Cydemon Pillars protects your monsters from my monsters' effects, it does nothing against my Spell effects!"
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 4700→4200
"Appear, the circuit of the underworld! The summoning conditions are two Level 3 monsters. I set Calcab and Tour Guide in the Link Markers!" Persephone's monsters entered the bottom-left and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss!" An armored humanoid with three heads emerged from the portal and swung its red sword from the Extra Monster Zone.
Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss ATK 500 LINK-2 ↙↘
"Do not forget," Zahhak interjected, "that Edacious Beelzebub's effect keeps your linked monsters from targeting my Spell and Trap Cards with their effects."
Persephone grimaced at that reminder but gestured to her field. "Calcab's effect activates! When it is sent to the Graveyard, I can return a Set Spell or Trap Card to the owner's hand. I'll return your Set card to your hand!" Zahhak showed no outward reaction to his card's disappearance. "In addition, since I Special Summoned a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Extra Deck, Inferno's effect activates! I can now add a 'Burning Abyss' monster and/or a 'Burning Abyss' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." Persephone took two cards from her Deck.
"She's gathering resources," Aqua stated. "Those cards will be needed for her dueling."
"Yes," Blue Maiden agreed. "Persephone's Deck is highly versatile, but it is limited in offensive power and takes a lot of cards to use effectively." Not unlike my Trickstar Deck, she thought.
"Cherubini's effect activates! Once per turn, I can send a Level 3 monster from my Deck to the Graveyard to increase a 'Burning Abyss' monster's attack and defense points by that monster's attack and defense points. I send Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to increase Cherubini's attack points!"
Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss ATK 500→1500
"Graff's effect activates! Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Deck. Come, Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" The horned and manacled fiend reappeared in Attack Position.
Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 3
Persephone gestured to her field. "Trap activate! The Traveler and the Burning Abyss! This Trap Card lets me target any number of 'Burning Abyss' monsters in my Graveyard that were sent there this turn and Special Summon them in Defense Position. Resurrect, Calcab and Graff!" The winged centaur-fiend reappeared, alongside a black and red winged draconian fiend.
Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1400 DEF 0 LVL: 3
Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1000 DEF 1500 LVL: 3
"Three monsters, all Level 3," Zahhak muttered. "I see. How interesting."
"I overlay my Level 3 Cir and Graff! The poet who traversed the infernal lands! Let your story reach a new generation! Xyz Summon! Rise, Rank 3! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" A dark-haired man in a red tunic emerged at Cherubini's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position, two orbs circling behind him.
Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK 1000 DEF 2500 RNK: 3 OU: 2
"And now she tries Xyz," Merlin muttered. "But for her to summon a monster with 1000 attack points in Attack Position…"
"Dante's effect activates! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can send up to three cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard and increase Dante's attack points by 500 for each card until the end of the turn!"
Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss OU: 2→1
"I send three cards to the Graveyard!" Persephone took the cards and revealed them. They were Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss, and Foolish Burial. "Since I sent three cards to the Graveyard, Dante gains 1500 attack points!"
Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK 1000→2500
"Cagna's effect activates! Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can send a 'Burning Abyss' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send The Terminus of the Burning Abyss to the Graveyard. In addition, since I detached Cir from Dante to activate its effect, Cir's effect activates! I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Graveyard. Resurrect, Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" The winged pink demon with a staff reappeared in Defense Position.
Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 100 DEF 2100 LVL: 3
"And now your Tuner monster is back. I see."
"Level 3 Rubic tunes Level 3 Calcab! The poet's guide to hell and purgatory! Ascend to the earth and perform once more! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" The man in the hat and vest with the guitar reemerged from the light at Cherubini's bottom-right Link Marker in Attack Position.
Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500 DEF 1000 LVL: 6
"Link, Xyz, and Synchro Monsters all on the field at once," Zahhak commented, looking over Persephone's field. "Some might praise you for this. I will not. You should know that none of those monsters will help you defeat me."
"Not on their own, no," Persephone admitted. "But I didn't summon them just to fill my field. I brought them out to fulfill the requirements for the card that will defeat you!"
"Oh?"
"I activate the Spell Card: Ninth Circle of the Burning Abyss!" The card showed a massive frozen lake, with frozen people sprinkled across the ice. And in the distance, covered by shadow, was a single massive figure with six wings. "I can only activate Ninth Circle when I control two or more 'Burning Abyss' monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck. And when Ninth Circle is activated, the effects of your face-up Spell and Trap Cards are negated, and for the rest of the turn, you cannot activate Set Spell or Trap Cards or the effects of cards in your Graveyard!"
There it was. A shift. A small change in Zahhak's posture. It was miniscule, but it was enough to show how surprised he was. "What?"
Persephone smirked. "You weren't expecting that, were you? And before you think about chaining Bishop's or Knight's effects to Ninth Circle, you should know that it has an additional effect that takes hold when I control three or more 'Burning Abyss' monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck: it prevents you from activating cards or effects in response to its own activation!" Zahhak watched as ice encased not only Cydemon Pillars, but also Cydemon Shrine, Cydemon Maiden, and Cydemon Gula.
"Yes!" Soulburner cheered. "With his cards' effects negated, Edacious Beelzebub's attack points drop!"
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 4200→2700
Cypher chuckled. "Well, that's a surprise. I didn't think she'd have a card like that. But if she makes full use of this opening, then she might just be able to win."
"Especially since Cydemon Pillars' effect being negated means Virgil can affect Edacious Beelzebub with its effect," Morningstar agreed.
"Since you can't activate the effects of cards in your Graveyard, you can't protect yourself from damage or protect Edacious Beelzebub from destruction," Persephone said. "I activate the effect of Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss in my Graveyard! By banishing it and discarding a 'Burning Abyss' monster, I can add a 'Burning Abyss' card from my Deck to my hand. I'll discard Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and add Charge of the Burning Abyss to my hand. Since it was sent to the Graveyard, Barbar's effect activates! I banish up to three 'Burning Abyss' cards from my Graveyard to inflict 300 points of damage for each banished card. I banish The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss, and Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A red glow appeared around Zahhak, though the man didn't react.
Zahhak: 4000→3100 LP
"Huh." Jester tilted his head. "Well I'll be; she actually managed to damage him. She better not think that means she can win."
"I activate the Spell Card: Charge of the Burning Abyss!" The card showed a panicked Dante and Virgil running through a hellscape, chased by a massive minotaur. "I draw and reveal a card, and if that card is a 'Burning Abyss' monster, then all 'Burning Abyss' monsters I control gain attack points equal to that monster's attack points. But if it isn't, then I send that card to the Graveyard." Persephone drew and smirked. "I drew Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, who has 800 attack points!"
Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss ATK 1500→2300
Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500→3300
Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 2500→3300
"Virgil's effect activates! I discard a 'Burning Abyss' card to shuffle one card on your field or in your Graveyard back into your Deck. I discard Scarm to shuffle Edacious Beelzebub back into your Extra Deck!"
"If this works, then Zahhak's field will be empty!" Ai said excitedly.
"How naïve," Zahhak intoned, making Persephone's eyes widen. "Did you think I would not have a countermeasure in case you pulled something like this. I activate the effect of Cydemon Prince in my hand!" The card showed a skinny, black-skinned fiend with solid red eyes, red claws, and folded black wings wearing stylized black armor underneath a red cape, with a black crown embedded with rubies atop its head. "By discarding it and a 'Cydemon' Spell or Trap Card, I can activate that card's effect!"
"What?" Persephone gasped.
"A monster version of Double Spell?" Terminus said in surprise.
"I discard Cydemon Prince and Cydemon Shadows!" The Spell Card showed a cave covered in black shadows, with red eyes appearing along the walls at set intervals. "This Quick-Play Spell Card's effect lets me target a Dark Cyberse monster I control. And until the end of the turn, that monster is unaffected by your card effects!" Persephone's eyes widened further. "I target Edacious Beelzebub! So not only does Virgil's effect not work against my Link Monster, but neither does your Field Spell's effect!"
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2700→3200
Persephone grit her teeth. "Even if your monster is unaffected by my card effects, I can still destroy it! Battle! Dante attacks Edacious Beelzebub! Inferno's Enlightenment!" The man raised his hand and sent a bolt of blue fire at Zahhak's Link Monster.
"Edacious Beelzebub's effect!" Zahhak declared. "If it would be destroyed by your card, I can destroy a face-up Continuous Spell Card instead! I destroy Cydemon Shrine!" The bolt impacted Edacious Beelzebub, only for the frozen over Spell Card behind it to shatter and for Zahhak to flicker.
Zahhak: 3100→3000 LP
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 3200→2900
Persephone growled. "Even if you prevented its destruction, the damage you'll take from the next attack will be even higher! Virgil attacks Edacious Beelzebub! Purgatio Rhapsody!" Blue fire shot out of Virgil's guitar and impacted Edacious Beelzebub.
"Once again, Edacious Beelzebub's effect destroys a Continuous Spell Card on the field. I destroy Malacoda!" This time, the card that shattered was the one on Persephone's field, making Zahhak flicker.
Zahhak: 3000→2600 LP
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2900→2600
Persephone's grimace turned into a smirk. "Since Malacoda was destroyed, it was sent to the Graveyard. And when Malacoda is sent from the field to the Graveyard, its effect activates! I can now target a card on the field and send it to the Graveyard!"
"Edacious Beelzebub remains unaffected by your card effects, including those of cards in the Graveyard."
"Yes. But Cydemon Gula isn't!" This time, Zahhak's Continuous Trap Card shattered. "And since Gula is gone, Edacious Beelzebub's attack points drop to normal!"
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub ATK 2600→2300
"The final attack! Cherubini attacks Edacious Beelzebub! Inferno Slash!"
"But their attack points are equal!" Ai exclaimed. Cherubini swung its red sword, which got caught against Edacious Beelzebub's iron maiden.
"Cherubini's effect activates! If it would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can send one other card I control to the Graveyard instead. I send my Field Spell Card Inferno to the Graveyard!" Cherubini's sword finally cleaved through the iron maiden and continued on to Edacious Beelzebub. The fiend cried out as it was cut in two and exploded. When the smoke cleared, Zahhak was shown with an empty field save for his own Field Spell Card.
"She did it!" Lilith said with a smirk. "She destroyed his monster!"
"Now that the Battle Phase is over, Dante's effect changes itself to Defense Position," Persephone said, smiling to herself. "I end my turn. During the End Phase, as Scarm was sent to the Graveyard, I can add a Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from my Deck to my hand. Furthermore, the effects of Cherubini, Dante, Ninth Circle, and Charge all come to an end."
Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss ATK 2300→500
Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK 3300→1000
Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK 3300→2500
Persephone smirked. "It looks you underestimated me. Don't assume victory is automatically yours like that again."
"…Heh heh…"
Persephone blinked at the sound that came out of Zahhak's mask. She blinked again when she realized what it was. Laughter.
"Oh dear," Merlin sighed. "Now she's gone and got him excited. This is going to end badly for her."
"…You're right," Zahhak conceded. "I did underestimate you. But that only means one thing." The eyes of his mask gleamed red. "It means that I actually have to try." Persephone shivered at the tone in his voice. "My turn! Draw! I activate the effect of Cydemon Marquis in my Graveyard! Once while it is in the Graveyard, I can add a Spell or Trap Card that's in the Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Cydemon Shrine to my hand. And then, by discarding Cydemon Duke, I can activate the Continuous Spell Card: Cydemon Shrine! Since I control no monsters, Cydemon Shrine's effect lets me Special Summon a 'Cydemon' monster from my hand or Graveyard in Attack Position. Resurrect, Cydemon Knight!" A black horse covered in red armor emerged on the field, ridden by a fiend in red and black armor carrying a cavalry saber.
Cydemon Knight ATK 2200→2500 DEF 600→900 LVL: 6
"I activate the effect of Edacious Beelzebub in my Graveyard! Once, I can Special Summon up to two 'Cydemon' monsters from my Graveyard in Defense Position with their effects negated. Resurrect, Cydemons Bishop and Marquis!" A demon in robes wielding a short black scepter appeared, along with a fiend in a black military uniform wielding a fencing saber.
Cydemon Bishop ATK 1600→1900 DEF 600→900 LVL: 3
Cydemon Marquis ATK 2400→2700 DEF 600→900 LVL: 6
"He has three monsters again," Cypher noted, narrowing his eyes. "A Link-3 is coming."
"Covetous Leviathan?" Morningstar guessed.
"That would be strong enough," Cypher agreed. "But… I get the feeling Zahhak wants to show off a little."
"Appear, the circuit of infinite darkness! The summoning conditions are two or more Dark Cyberse monsters. I set Bishop, Knight, and Marquis in the Link Markers!" The three monsters become red whirlwinds and entered the bottom-left, top, and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Cydevil Rapacious Mammon!" A tall, gray-skinned humanoid in black armor that covered his body except for his stomach emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone, four black wings with red spines at his back and an elongated spear in his right hand.
Cydevil Rapacious Mammon ATK 2200→2500 LINK-3 ↙↑↘
"Uh oh," Cypher said, his eyes widening. "That one is the weakest Cydevil monster, but it has useful effects. Especially…"
"Rapacious Mammon's effect! When I have three or more 'Cydemon' monsters in my Graveyard, it gains 200 attack points for each monster in the Graveyard!"
Persephone's eyes widened. "What?!"
"Eh?!" Ai gasped. "But she's sent a lot of monsters to the Graveyard over her last turn!"
"Right now, there are twenty-one monsters in the Graveyard," Zahhak continued, "so Rapacious Mammon gains 4200 attack points!"
Cydevil Rapacious Mammon ATK 2500→6700
"6700 attack points?!" Soulburner exclaimed. "That's overkill!"
"Persephone can't survive a hit from that monster," Flame said.
"On top of that, Rapacious Mammon also keeps linked monsters from targeting monsters on the field with their effects," Cypher said.
"I activate the effect of Cydemon Pillars! Once per turn, I can target my Dark Cyberse Link Monster and move it to my Main Monster Zone it points to. I move Rapacious Mammon to my center Main Monster Zone."
"To keep Persephone from taking advantage of the top Link Marker," Playmaker theorized.
"Rapacious Mammon's effect activates! Once per turn, when I have at least three 'Cydemon' monsters in my Graveyard and it points to no monsters, I can add a 'Cydemon' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." Zahhak took the card from his Deck, then gestured to his field. "Battle! Rapacious Mammon attacks Virgil! Lance of Avaritia!" The fiend's spear lit up with red energy as he spun it before bringing it forward, firing a beam of crimson energy at the guitar holder.
Persephone grit her teeth. "Your Cydemon Shrine may keep me from using Spell and Trap Cards, but it does nothing against monster effects! I activate the effect of Chaos Spirit in my hand!" The card showed a ghastly white ghost with a pale spine and two skeletal arms outstretched. "Since my Light monster was targeted for an attack, I can discard Chaos Spirit to negate the attack!" A white barrier appeared around Virgil. The crimson beam impacted the barrier and dispersed. "Chaos Spirit's effect then lets me add a Light or Dark monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Graff to my hand."
Cypher's eyes contorted in the shape of a smirk. "I've said it before but I'll say it again: the Cydemon Deck is one of the strongest Decks out there. But one key weakness it has is that it focuses all that power on a single monster. So when that monster can no longer act…"
"Zahhak can't do anything," Morningstar finished with his own smirk.
"Hmm." Zahhak showed no outward reaction to Persephone's outwitting him, but Persephone liked to believe he was feeling annoyed right now. "I suppose that if I can't defeat you this turn, I'll have to wait for next turn. But before that… I think I'll correct another misconception of yours."
"What? What misconception?"
"That there is nothing I can do. In fact, there is plenty that I can do. Starting with this! I activate the effect of Cydemon Prince in my Graveyard! Once while it is in the Graveyard, I can target one of your monsters and negate that monster's effects until the end of the turn. I negate Cherubini's effects!"
"Why Cherubini?" Cassiel wondered.
"I activate the Spell Card: Cydemon Torture!" The card showed Cyangel Cupbearer strapped to a torture rack, four Cydemons Pawns standing around him and laughing at his pain. "Since I control a Dark Cyberse Link Monster, I can destroy a monster you control to halve your Life Points!"
Persephone's eyes widened. "What?"
"I destroy Dante!" The dark-haired man exploded at Zahhak's words and Persephone gasped and stumbled from the resulting shockwave.
Peersephone: 1800→900 LP
Cydevil Rapacious Mammon ATK 6700→7100
"Cydemon Torture then increases my Life Points by the amount of Life Points you lost."
Zahhak: 2600→3500 LP
"He undid almost all the damage Persephone inflicted," Soulburner growled.
Persephone grit her teeth but gestured to her field. "Since Dante and the attached Graff were sent to the Graveyard, their effects activate! I can now add a 'Burning Abyss' card from my Graveyard to my hand and Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Deck. I'll add The Terminus of the Burning Abyss to my hand and Special Summon another Cir!" Another horned and manacled demon appeared, this time in Defense Position.
Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 3
"I Set one card. I end my turn. I shall grant you this: you are as resilient as Morningstar. But whereas he had the potential to defeat me, you only have the capability to stall me. This will be your last turn, Persephone. I suggest you make it count."
The Charisma Duelist glared at him. "Last turn? Maybe you're right. But that's all I need to hear. I'm the #2 Charisma Duelist. The Traveler and the Queen. I didn't reach that position by giving up just because I'm at a disadvantage! I'll defeat you, Zahhak! I'll avenge Nebula and free Galahad! My turn! Draw!"
"I activate the effects of Cydemons Bishop and Knight in my Graveyard!" Zahhak declared. "By targeting Rapacious Mammon, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects for the rest of the turn, and any damage I would take that is equal to or lower than its original attack points becomes 0!"
Persephone smirked. "That's rather reactionary of you, Zahhak. Are you just a little nervous?" While she put on a brave front, Persephone was grimacing on the inside. Rapacious Mammon's attack points were ridiculous, and now the only way she could inflict damage would be if it was greater than 2200. In other words, her best option was…
"A single attack," Morningstar muttered, reaching the same conclusion as her.
"Virgil's effect activates! I discard Graff to return Cydemon Pillars to your Deck!"
"Sorry, but that trick only works once." Zahhak gestured to his field. "Counter Trap activate! Cydemon Luxuria!" The card showed a shadowed handsome gray face with a lecherous leer cupping the face of a terrified woman, his solid red eyes shining. "If you activate a card or effect while I have at least a single 'Cydemon' monster in my Graveyard, Cydemon Luxuria negates the activation of your card and banishes it!" Persephone's eyes widened in panic as her Synchro monster disappeared. "Furthermore, for the rest of the turn, Cydemon Luxuria's effect makes it so my cards on the field and in my Graveyard are unaffected by your card effects."
"That means she can't weaken Rapacious Mammon or remove it," Playmaker said with a frown.
"Isn't this guy's Deck really unfair, though?!" Ai complained.
Persephone grit her teeth. "Even if you keep your Field Spell, I can still win this! I activate the effect of the Graff I discarded to Special Summon Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from my Deck!" A blue-skinned humanoid dragon with spikes attached to its wrists appeared in Attack Position.
Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK 1100 DEF 900 LVL: 3
"I activate the Spell Card: The Terminus of the Burning Abyss!" Persephone declared. "This card Fusion Summons a 'Burning Abyss' Fusion Monster using monsters from my hand or field! I fuse Cherubini, Cir, and Draghig on my field! Through hell and purgatory, enlightenment is reached! Become the avatar of paradise! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 9! Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss!" The violet tornado dissipated, revealing a man in white, gold, and purple robes wielding a wooden and golden staff at the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.
Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss ATK 2800 DEF 2500 LVL: 9
"So now you attempt Fusion Summoning," Zahhak mused. "But since you sent more monsters to the Graveyard, Rapacious Mammon gains more attack points."
Cydevil Rapacious Mammon ATK 7300→7900
"Draghig's effects activate! I place a 'Burning Abyss' card from my Deck on top of my Deck. I'll place Return to the Burning Abyss on top of my Deck."
Zahhak's eyes glowed. She didn't activate Cir's effect… It is possible she just doesn't need it.
"Dante's effect activates! Once per turn, I can discard a 'Burning Abyss' card to draw a card. I discard Farfa and draw!"
Cydevil Rapacious Mammon ATK 7900→8100
"Farfa can banish a monster until the End Phase," Terminus noted. "But since Rapacious Mammon is unaffected by monster effects, there's no point in activating its effects. No, the real point of that move…"
"…Was to get that particular card to her hand," Revolver said, unknowingly finishing his comrade's train of thought.
Persephone frowned at her card before she played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Return to the Burning Abyss!" The card showed the gates from The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, with Dante and Virgil standing in front of them, the former sweating nervously. "This card shuffles all 'Burning Abyss' monsters in my Graveyard back into my Deck!"
"Oh?" Zahhak tilted his head.
"Right now, there are seventeen 'Burning Abyss' monsters in my Graveyard. I shuffle all seventeen into my Deck and Extra Deck! And with fewer monsters in the Graveyard, Rapacious Mammon's attack points are reduced!"
Cydevil Rapacious Mammon ATK 8100→4700
"She reduced Rapacious Mammon's attack points, but it's still too powerful," Cypher said.
"Return to the Burning Abyss has one more effect. For each monster that was shuffled into my Deck, a 'Burning Abyss' monster I control gains 300 attack points!"
"What?" Jester gasped.
"Seventeen monsters were shuffled into the Deck, so Dante gains 5100 attack points!"
Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss ATK 2800→7900
"Dante is stronger than Rapacious Mammon!" Soulburner exclaimed.
"And its attack points are high enough to inflict damage," Flame added. "But not enough to end this in one attack."
"I activate the effect of Charge of the Burning Abyss in my Graveyard!" Persephone declared. "By banishing it and targeting Dante, Dante gains 1000 attack and defense points until the end of the turn!"
Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss ATK 7900→8900 DEF 2500→3500
"Dante's attack points are high enough!" Ai said excitedly.
"She can end this with a single attack now!" Playmaker said.
"This is the end, Zahhak!" Persephone declared. "For Nebula and for Galahad! Battle! Dante attacks Rapacious Mammon! Paradise's Enlightenment!" The dark-haired man raised his staff and fired a beam of golden light at the gray-skinned fiend. The fiend's master stood impassive behind it.
"…This duel had but a single result since it began. I stated as such before this duel started. And yet you did your best to change that outcome.
…If nothing else, I will acknowledge your tenacity."
Zahhak gestured to his field. "I activate the effect of Cydemon Rook in the Graveyard!" Morningstar's and Cypher's eyes widened. "Once while it is in the Graveyard, battle damage is reduced to 0!"
Persephone's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
A red barrier formed around Rapacious Mammon. "Due to the effect of Cydemon Bishop, Rapacious Mammon cannot be destroyed by this battle, and while the damage is greater than Rapacious Mammon's original attack points, Cydemon Rook's effect reduces the damage to 0." The golden beam impacted the barrier and exploded. But when the smoke cleared, Rapacious Mammon and Zahhak were unharmed.
Persephone stared wide-eyed at the field. She… She remembered this move. It was how Zahhak set up Morningstar's defeat. And she remembered that Zahhak had sent Cydemon Rook to the Graveyard during the third turn. But between her own moves and Zahhak's closing off all other paths…
…He had been right. She never had a chance to win.
"Do you end the Battle Phase?"
Persephone blinked as Zahhak's words. She grimaced. "Yes."
"In that case, Cydemon Rook's effect Special Summons itself from the Graveyard, so long as I banish it when it leaves the field." A heavyset fiend in red armor swinging a black mace appeared in Attack Position.
Cydemon Rook ATK 1800→2100 DEF 600→900 LVL: 4
Cydevil Rapacious Mammon ATK 4700→4500
Persephone stared at the field. At the monster she couldn't overcome. But… she refused. She refused to let her despair be visible. She set her stance and glared at her opponent. "I end my turn. During the End Phase, the effects of my Spell Cards end, and Dante's attack and defense points return to normal."
Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss ATK 8900→2800 DEF 3500→2500
Persephone glared at Zahhak while he impassively faced her. For what felt like an eternity, the two just stared at each other.
"Well?" Persephone broke the silence. "Go on. It's your turn now. Aren't you going to make a move?"
"…You have no defenses," Zahhak finally said. "No means to stop my attack. All I need to do is have Rapacious Mammon destroy Dante and I win."
"Yes. I'm aware of that. No need to gloat."
"And yet, you are not in despair. You are not afraid to lose. Instead, you are defiant. Why?"
Persephone glared at him and sneered. "You're wrong; I am afraid. You are a fearsome opponent, more so than anyone I've ever fought before. But I will not go out afraid or acting cowardly. I am Persephone, the Queen and the Traveler. If I am going to lose, then I'll do so with my head held high!"
"…I see. Then I will respect your courage by granting you a meaningful defeat."
The Charisma Duelist blinked. "Meaningful…?"
"My turn. Draw. Appear, the circuit of infinite darkness! The summoning conditions are two or more Dark Cyberse monsters. I set Rook and Link-3 Rapacious Mammon in the Link Markers!" The monsters entered the left, right, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows. Morningstar's eyes widened. That pattern-! "The embodiment of pride who demands obedience! Link Summon! Appear! Link-4! Cydevil Prideful Helel!"
A gray humanoid figure with eight feathery wings emerged from the portal. Black armor and a black hip cape with a red interior covered his body. A black scythe formed in its hand. The man lifted his perfect face and sneered in disdain from the Extra Monster Zone.
Cydevil Prideful Helel ATK 3000→3300 LINK-4 ←↙↘→
"That monster," Morningstar muttered.
"The second strongest Cydevil," Cypher added.
"The monster that defeated Morningstar," Revolver growled.
"Since Rook was Special Summoned by its effect and left the field, it is now banished." Zahhak paused to look Persephone in the eye. Despite the powerful demon in front of her, her face held no fear. No cowardice. Just impatience.
"This is my acknowledgement of your courage," Zahhak said. "Take pride in that. Battle! During the Battle Phase, when Prideful Helel points to no monsters and I have four or more Dark Cyberse monsters in my Graveyard, Prideful Helel's attack points become double its original attack points!"
Cydevil Prideful Helel ATK 3300→6300
"Prideful Helel attacks Dante! Ruin of Superbia!" The fallen angel swung its scythe, sending the head off on a long chain.
Persephone watched as the chain wrapped around her Fusion Monster. She planted her feet as the head impaled the blue-haired man. And she raised her arms to cover her face as he screamed and exploded.
"Persephone!" Blue Maiden exclaimed, watching the smoke cloud in horror.
When the smoke cleared, Persephone was shone to still be standing, her field empty.
Persephone: 900→0 LP
"Boss, Persephone lost!" Pigeon reported in a panic.
"That's impossible!" Frog exclaimed. "Persephone is the Queen! She doesn't lose! H-How terrifying is this guy?!"
Persephone lowered her arms from her face and glared as Zahhak approached her. She glared at him as he stared back.
"They'll win," she declared. "Playmaker and Morningstar; they'll defeat you and Lightning."
"…Perhaps," the armored man allowed. "But you will not be around to witness that." He raised his right hand that crackled with red lightning.
Persephone didn't react as her avatar turned red and started to break apart. She didn't react as her legs and arms disappeared. Her expression, her posture, her gaze… none of them changed as she met Zahhak's eyes unflinchingly. Not until her eyes themselves disintegrated, and all that was left was a crimson sphere in Zahhak's fist.
Lightning tilted his head. "Victory as expected. It seems my initial impressions were right; Bohman needs at least six Ignis before he can match this Enforcer."
Morningstar grit his teeth as the sphere cut out. "Persephone and Spectre have lost," he said.
"But at least Lilith defeated Thaumiel," Cypher pointed out.
His partner nodded. "Bohman, Lightning, Windy… and Jester, Merlin, Techbane, and Zahhak. It's eight against seven. No matter who comes after us… we can't afford to lose."
Persephone vs. Zahhak
This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel.
Turn 1: Zahhak
Zahhak activates the Continuous Spell Card Cydemon Shrine, discarding Cydemon Earl to do so. As Cydemon Earl is in the GY, Zahhak activates its effect to add 1 "Cydemon" Spell/Trap Card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cydemon Pillars to his hand. Zahhak activates the Field Spell Card Cydemon Pillars. While Cydemon Pillars is on the field, Dark Cyberse monsters Zahhak controls gain 300 ATK/DEF and are unaffected by Persephone's monster effects. Zahhak activates Cydemon Pillars' effect to send 1 Dark Cyberse monster from his Deck to the GY. He sends Cydemon Knight to the GY. As he controls no monsters, Zahhak activates Cydemon Shrine's effect to Special Summon 1 "Cydemon" monster from his hand or GY in Attack Position. Zahhak Special Summons Cydemon Earl (2000→2300/600→900/5) from his GY in Attack Position. Zahhak Normal Summons Cydemon Pawn (600→900/600→900/1). As he at least 1 "Cydemon" monster in his GY, Zahhak activates Cydemon Earl's effect to Special Summon 1 Cydemon Token (0→300/0→300/2) in Defense Position. Zahhak activates the Normal Summoned Cydemon Pawn's effect to draw cards equal to the number of Dark Cyberse monsters in his Main Monster Zone, but he cannot add cards from his Deck to his hand for the rest of the turn. Zahhak draws 3 cards. Zahhak uses Cydemon Earl, Cydemon Pawn, and Cydemon Token to Link Summon Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub (2300→2600/3/←↓→) to the right Extra Monster Zone. While Edacious Beelzebub is on the field, Zahhak's Spell and Trap Cards cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effects of linked monsters. Edacious Beelzebub gains 300 ATK for each face-up Continuous Spell/Trap Card on the field. (Edacious Beelzebub: 2600→2900). Zahhak Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.
Turn 2: Persephone
Persephone draws. She activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Hand Destruction, which has both players discard 2 cards and then draw 2 cards. Persephone discards Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, while Zahhak discards Cydemon Marquis and Cydemon Sacrifice. Both players then draw 2 cards. As Graff and Libic were sent to the GY, Persephone can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her Deck and Special Summon 1 Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from her hand with its effects negated. She Special Summons Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (1600/1200/3) from her Deck and Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (800/2000/3) from her hand, both in Attack Position. Persephone activates the Spell Card Soul Release, which lets her target up to 5 cards in any GY and banish them. She targets Cydemon Earl, Cydemon Knight, Cydemon Marquis, Cydemon Pawn, and Cydemon Sacrifice in Zahhak's GY. Zahhak activates his Set Continuous Trap Card Cydemon Gula. While Gula is on the field, cards in his GY and cards he controls cannot be banished by Persephone's card effects (Edacious Beelzebub: 2900→3200). Zahhak activates Gula's effect to return 1 "Cydemon" monster in his GY to his Deck, then send 1 "Cydemon" monster with a different name from his Deck to the GY. He returns Cydemon Marquis to his Deck and sends Cydemon Bishop to the GY. Persephone Normal Summons Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (100/2100/3). Persephone tunes Level 3 Rubic to Level 3 Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to Synchro Summon Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss (2500/10000/6) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Cir was sent to the GY, Persephone can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her GY. She Special Summons Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (1300/700/3) in Attack Position. Persephone activates Virgil's effect to discard 1 "Burning Abyss" card, then shuffle 1 card Zahhak controls into his Deck. She discards Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and shuffles Cydemon Pillars into Zahhak's Deck (Edacious Beelzebub: 3200→2900). As Alich was sent to the GY, Persephone can target 1 face-up monster on the field and negate its effects until the end of the turn. She targets Edacious Beelzebub (Edacious Beelzebub: 2900→2300). Persephone activates the Spell Card Pre-Preparation of Rites, which lets her add 1 Ritual Spell Card from her Deck to her hand, then add 1 Ritual Monster from her Deck or GY to her hand whose name is listed on that Ritual Spell. She adds Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss and Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss to her hand. Persephone activates the Ritual Spell Card Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss, Tributing the Level 3 Libic and Level 3 Scarm to Ritual Summon Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss (2700/2200/6) in Attack Position.
Malacoda attacks Edacious Beelzebub. Zahhak activates the effect of Cydemon Bishop in his GY, targeting Edacious Beelzebub. Until the end of the turn, Edacious Beelzebub cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. Zahhak then activates the effect of Cydemon Knight in the GY, targeting Edacious Beelzebub. Until the end of the turn, any damage Zahhak would take that is equal to or lower than Edacious Beelzebub's original ATK becomes 0. The attack continues, but Edacious Beelzebub isn't destroyed and Zahhak takes no damage. Persephone Sets 1 card. She ends her turn. During the End Phase, as Scarm was sent to the GY, Persephone can add 1 Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from her Deck to her hand. She adds Tour Guide From the Underworld to her hand. In addition, Alich's effect ends (Edacious Beelzebub: 2300→2900).
Turn 3: Zahhak
Zahhak draws. He activates Cydemon Gula's effect to return Cydemon Earl to his Deck and send Cydemon Rook to the GY. As it points to no monsters and he has at least 3 "Cydemon" monsters in his GY, Zahhak activates Edacious Beelzebub's effect to target 1 face-up monster Persephone controls and place it face-up in her Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. Persephone cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect. He places Malacoda in her Spell & Trap Zone (Edacious Beelzebub: 2900→3200). Zahhak activates the Spell Card Cydemon Shuffle, which lets him shuffle up to 3 "Cydemon" cards in his GY into his Deck, then send an equal number of "Cydemon" monsters in his Deck to the GY. Zahhak shuffles Cydemon Bishop, Cydemon Knight, and Cydemon Sacrifice into his Deck, then sends Cydemon Bishop, Cydemon Earl, and Cydemon Marquis to the GY. Zahhak activates the effect of Cydemon Earl in his GY to add 1 "Cydemon" Spell/Trap Card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cydemon Pillars to his hand. Zahhak activates the Field Spell Card Cydemon Pillars, which makes his Dark Cyberse monsters unaffected by Persephone's monster effects and increases their ATK/DEF by 300 (Edacious Beelzebub: 3200→3500). Zahhak activates Cydemon Pillars' effect to send 1 Dark Cyberse monster from his Deck to the GY. He sends Cydemon Knight to the GY. Zahhak activates the Equip Spell Card Cydemon Maiden, equipping it to Edacious Beelzebub. Edacious Beelzebub cannot be targeted by Persephone's card effects and gains 200 ATK for each Dark Cyberse monster in Zahhak's GY (Edacious Beelzebub: 3500→4700).
Edacious Beelzebub attacks Virgil. As Cydemon Shrine is on the field, Persephone cannot activate Spell/Trap Cards when Zahhak's Dark Cyberse monsters attack until the end of the Damage Step. Virgil is destroyed (Persephone: 4000→1800 LP), with the effect of Cydemon Maiden returning Virgil to the Extra Deck instead of sending it to the GY. Zahhak Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.
Turn 4: Persephone
Persephone draws. She Normal Summons Tour Guide From the Underworld (1000/600/3). As Tour Guide was Normal Summoned, Persephone can Special Summon 1 Level 3 Fiend monster from her hand or Deck with its effects negated. She Special Summons Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (1400/0/3) from her Deck in Attack Position. Persephone activates the Field Spell Card Inferno, Realm of the Burning Abyss. While she controls a "Burning Abyss" monster, Inferno's effect reduces Zahhak's monsters' ATK by 500 (Edacious Beelzebub: 4700→4200). Persephone uses Calcab and Tour Guide to Link Summon Cherubini, Ebon Angel of the Burning Abyss (500/2/↙↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Calcab was sent to the GY, Persephone can target 1 Set Spell/Trap Card on the field and return it to the owner's hand. She returns Zahhak's Set card to his hand. As Persephone Special Summoned a "Burning Abyss" monster from her Extra Deck, Inferno's effect lets her add 1 "Burning Abyss" monster and/or 1 "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap Card from her Deck to her hand. Persephone adds Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and Ninth Circle of the Burning Abyss to her hand. Persephone activates Cherubini's effect to send 1 Level 3 monster from her Deck to the GY, then increase the ATK/DEF of 1 "Burning Abyss" monster by the sent monster's ATK/DEF until the end of the turn. She sends Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY and targets Cherubini (Cherubini: 500→1500). As Graff was sent to the GY, Persephone can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her Deck. She Special Summons Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (1600/1200/3) in Attack Position. Persephone activates her Set Trap Card The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, which lets her Special Summon any number of "Burning Abyss" monsters from her GY that were sent there this turn in Defense Position. She Special Summons Calcab (1400/0/3) and Graff (1000/1500/3). Persephone overlays Level 3 Cir and Graff to Xyz Summon Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss (1000/2500/3) to Cherubini's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position. Persephone activates Dante's effect, detaching 1 Overlay Unit (Dante: 2 OU→1 OU) to choose a number between 1 and 3, then send that many cards from the top of her Deck to the GY, and for each sent card, Dante gains 500 ATK until the end of the turn. Persephone chooses 3 and sends Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss, and Foolish Burial to the GY (Dante: 1000→2500). As Cagna was sent to the GY, Persephone can send 1 "Burning Abyss" Spell/Trap Card from her Deck to her GY. She sends The Terminus of the Burning Abyss to the GY. As Cir was sent to the GY, Persephone can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her GY. She Special Summons Rubic (100/2100/3) in Defense Position. Persephone tunes Level 3 Rubic to Level 3 Calcab to Synchro Summon Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss (2500/1000/6) to Cherubini's bottom-right Link Marker in Attack Position. As she controls at least 2 "Burning Abyss" monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, Persephone activates the Spell Card Ninth Circle of the Burning Abyss, which negates the effects of all face-up Spell & Trap Cards Zahhak controls and prevents him from activating the effects of cards in the GY or Set Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the turn. And since Persephone controls at least 3 "Burning Abyss" monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, Zahhak cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of Ninth Circle of the Burning Abyss (Edacious Beelzebub: 4200→2700). Persephone activates the effect of Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss in her GY, banishing it and discarding Barbar to add 1 "Burning Abyss" card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Charge of the Burning Abyss from her Deck to her hand. As Barbar was sent to the GY, Persephone can banish up to 3 "Burning Abyss" cards from her GY and inflict 300 damage to Zahhak for each card. She banishes The Traveler and the Burning Abyss, Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss, and Cir (Zahhak: 4000→3100 LP). Persephone activates the Spell Card Charge of the Burning Abyss, which lets her draw 1 card, and if that card is a "Burning Abyss" monster, all "Burning Abyss" monsters she controls gain ATK equal to that monster's ATK until the end of the turn, but her monsters cannot attack directly for the rest of the turn. If it is not a "Burning Abyss" monster, she must send that monster to the GY. She draws Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (Cherubini: 1500→2300) (Dante: 2500→3300) (Virgil: 2500→3300). Persephone activates Virgil's effect, discarding Scarm and targeting Edacious Beelzebub, but Zahhak activates the effect of Cydemon Prince in his hand, discarding it and Cydemon Shadows to activate the latter's effect. Cydemon Shadows' effect lets Zahhak target 1 Dark Cyberse monster he controls, and for the rest of the turn, that monster is unaffected by Persephone's card effects. He targets Edacious Beelzebub (Edacious Beelzebub: 2700→3200). Virgil's effect resolves, but Edacious Beelzebub is unaffected.
Dante attacks Edacious Beelzebub. As Edacious Beelzebub would be destroyed by Persephone's card, Zahhak activates its effect to destroy 1 face-up Continuous Spell Card instead. He destroys Cydemon Shrine (Zahhak: 3100→3000 LP) (Edacious Beelzebub: 3200→2900). Virgil attacks Edacious Beelzebub. Zahhak activates Edacious Beelzebub's effect to destroy Malacoda instead (Zahhak: 3000→2600 LP) (Edacious Beelzebub: 2900→2600). As Malacoda was sent from the field to the GY, Persephone can send 1 card on the field to the GY. She sends Cydemon Gula to the GY (Edacious Beelzebub: 2600→2300). Cherubini attacks Edacious Beelzebub. As Cherubini would be destroyed by battle, Persephone activates its effect to send 1 other card she controls to the GY instead. She sends Inferno to the GY. Edacious Beelzebub is destroyed. At the end of the Battle Phase, as Dante attacked, it is changed to Defense Position. Persephone ends her turn. During the End Phase, as Scarm was sent to the GY, its effect activates, and Persephone adds Abyssal Spirit to her hand. In addition, the effects of Cherubini, Dante, Ninth Circle, and Charge of the Burning Abyss end (Cherubini: 2300→500) (Dante: 3300→1000) (Virgil: 3300→2500).
Turn 5: Zahhak
Zahhak draws. He activates the effect of Marquis in his GY to add 1 Spell/Trap Card from his GY to his hand. He adds Cydemon Shrine to his hand. Zahhak discards Cydemon Duke to activate the Continuous Spell Card Cydemon Shrine. As he controls no monsters, Zahhak activates Cydemon Shrine's effect to Special Summon Cydemon Knight (2200→2500/600→900/6) from his GY in Attack Position. Zahhak activates the effect of Edacious Beelzebub in his GY to target up to 2 "Cydemon" monsters in his GY and Special Summon them in Defense Position with their effects negated. He Special Summons Cydemon Bishop (1600→1900/600→900/3) and Cydemon Marquis (2400→2700/600→900/6). Zahhak uses Bishop, Knight, and Marquis to Link Summon Cydevil Rapacious Mammon (2200→2500/3/↙↑↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Rapacious Mammon gains 200 ATK for each monster in the GY (Rapacious Mammon: 2500→6700). Zahhak activates Cydemon Pillars' effect to target Rapacious Mammon and move it to a Main Monster Zone it points to. He moves Rapacious Mammon to his center Main Monster Zone. As he has at least 3 "Cydemon" monsters in his GY and it points to no monsters, Zahhak activates Rapacious Mammon's effect to add 1 "Cydemon" Spell/Trap Card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cydemon Luxuria to his hand.
Rapacious Mammon attacks Virgil. As her Light monster was selected for an attack, Persephone activates the effect of Chaos Spirit in her hand, discarding it to negate the attack, then she can add 1 Light or Dark monster from her GY to her hand. She adds Graff to her hand. Zahhak then activates the effect of Cydemon Prince in his GY, targeting Cherubini and negating its effects until the end of the turn. As he controls a Dark Cyberse Link Monster, Zahhak activates the Spell Card Cydemon Torture, which lets him destroy 1 monster Persephone controls and halve her LP, then gain the same amount of LP. He destroys Dante (Persephone: 1800→900 LP) (Zahhak: 2600→3500 LP) (Rapacious Mammon: 6700→7100). As Dante and Graff were sent to the GY, Persephone can add 1 "Burning Abyss" card in her GY to her hand, then Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from her Deck. She adds The Terminus of the Burning Abyss to her hand and Special Summons Cir (1600/1200/3) in Defense Position. Zahhak Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.
Turn 6: Persephone
Persephone draws. Zahhak activates the effects of Cydemon Bishop and Cydemon Knight in his GY, targeting Rapacious Mammon. Until the End Phase, Rapacious Mammon cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and all damage Zahhak would take that is equal to or lower than Rapacious Mammon's original ATK becomes 0. Persephone activates Virgil's effect, discarding Graff and targeting Cydemon Pillars, but Zahhak activates his Set Counter Trap Card Cydemon Luxuria (Rapacious Mammon: 7100→7300). As Persephone activated a card or effect while Zahhak has at least 1 "Cydemon" monster in his GY, the activation of that effect is negated, and Persephone's card is banished. Virgil is banished, also for the rest of the turn, Zahhak's cards on his field and in his GY are unaffected by Persephone's card effects. As Graff was sent to the GY, Persephone activates its effect to Special Summon Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (1100/900/3) in Attack Position from her Deck. Persephone activates the Spell Card The Terminus of the Burning Abyss, which lets her Fusion Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" Fusion Monster using monsters from her hand or field. She fuses Cherubini, Cir, and Draghig to Fusion Summon Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss (2800/2500/9) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. (Rapacious Mammon: 7300→7900). As Draghig was sent to the GY, Persephone can place 1 "Burning Abyss" card in her Deck on top of her Deck. She places Return to the Burning Abyss on top of her Deck. Persephone activates Dante's effect to send 1 "Burning Abyss" card from her hand to the GY to draw 1 card. She sends Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to the GY and draws (Rapacious Mammon: 7900→8100). Persephone activates the Spell Card Return to the Burning Abyss, which lets her shuffle all "Burning Abyss" monsters in her GY into her Deck and target 1 "Burning Abyss" monster she controls. Until the end of the turn, that monster gains 300 ATK for each shuffled monster. She shuffles 17 monsters into her Deck and targets Dante (Dante: 2800→7900) (Rapacious Mammon: 8100→4700). Persephone activates the effect of Charge of the Burning Abyss in her GY, banishing it and targeting Dante. Until the end of the turn, Dante gains 1000 ATK/DEF (Dante: 7900→8900/2500→3500).
Dante attacks Rapacious Mammon. Zahhak activates the effect of Cydemon Rook in his GY, reducing the battle damage to 0. Rapacious Mammon is not destroyed due to Cydemon Bishop's effect. At the end of the Battle Phase, Cydemon Rook (1800→2100/600→900/4) in Special Summoned in Attack Position (Rapacious Mammon: 4700→4500). Persephone ends her turn. During the End Phase, Return to the Burning Abyss's and Charge of the Burning Abyss's effects end (Dante: 8900→2800/3500→2500).
Turn 7: Zahhak
Zahhak draws. He uses Rook and Link-3 Rapacious Mammon to Link Summon Cydevil Prideful Helel (3000→3300/4/←↙↘→) to the Extra Monster Zone. As the Special Summoned Rook left the field, it is banished.
During the Battle Phase, as Prideful Helel points to no monsters and Zahhak has at least 4 Dark Cyberse monsters in his GY, Prideful Helel's ATK becomes double its original ATK (Prideful Helel: 3300→6300). Prideful Helel attacks and destroys Dante (Persephone: 900→0 LP). Zahhak wins.
Zahhak:
Cydemon Earl
Attribute: DARK Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 2000 DEF 600 Level: 5
Once, while this card is in your GY: You can add 1 "Cydemon" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. If there is at least 1 "Cydemon" monster in your GY, this card gains the following effect:
-Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Cydemon Token" (Cyberse/DARK/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Defense Position.
Cydevil Edacious Beelzebub
Attribute: DARK Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↓→
2+ DARK Cyberse monsters
Spell/Trap Cards you control cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effects of linked monsters. Once, while this card is in your GY: You can target up to 2 "Cydemon" monsters in your GY; Special Summon them in Defense Position with their effects negated. If you have 3 or more "Cydemon" monsters in your GY, this card gains the following effects:
-Once per turn, if this card points to no monsters: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; place that card face-up in your opponent's Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation. This card gains 300 ATK for each face-up Continuous Spell/Trap Card on the field. If this card would be destroyed by your opponent's card, you can destroy 1 face-up Continuous Spell Card on the field instead.
Cydemon Prince
Attribute: DARK Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1200 DEF 600 Level: 2
Once, while this card is in your GY, you can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; negate its effects until the end of the turn. If there is at least 1 "Cydemon" monster in your GY, this card gains the following effect:
-(Quick Effect): You can send this card and 1 "Cydemon" Spell/Trap Card (from your hand) to the GY; apply that card's effect.
Cydemon Gula Continuous Trap Card
Cards in your GY and cards you control cannot be banished by your opponent's card effects. Once per turn: You can return 1 "Cydemon" monster in your GY to your Deck, then send 1 "Cydemon" monster with a different name from your Deck to the GY. During your End Phase, if there are no "Cydemon" monsters in your GY, destroy this card.
Cydemon Shuffle Normal Spell Card
Target up to 3 "Cydemon" cards in your GY; return them to your Deck, then send an equal number of "Cydemon" monsters from your Deck to the GY. You can only use 1 "Cydemon Shuffle" once per turn.
Cydemon Maiden Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a DARK Cyberse monster. The equipped monster cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects, also it gains 200 ATK for each DARK Cyberse monster in your GY. If the equipped monster destroys your opponent's monster by battle: You can return that monster to the opponent's Deck.
Cydemon Shadows Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 DARK Cyberse monster you control; until the end of the turn, that monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects. You can banish this card from your GY and target 1 DARK Cyberse monster you control; halve that monster's ATK, and if you do, it can attack your opponent directly this turn. You can only use 1 effect of "Cydemon Shadows" per turn, and only once per turn.
Cydemon Torture Normal Spell Card
If you control a DARK Cyberse Link Monster: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it, then halve your opponent's LP and gain LP equal to that amount. You can only use 1 "Cydemon Torture" per turn.
Cydemon Luxuria Counter Trap Card
When your opponent activates a card or effect while you have at least 1 "Cydemon" monster in your GY: Negate the activation of that card or effect, and if you do, banish it, also for the rest of the turn, your cards on the field and in the GY are unaffected by your opponent's cards or effects.
Persephone:
Chaos Spirit
Attribute: DARK Type: [Fiend/Effect] ATK 1100 DEF 0 Level: 3
When your opponent's monster declares an attack while you control a DARK or LIGHT monster: You can discard this card; negate the attack, then add 1 DARK or LIGHT monster from your GY to your hand, except "Chaos Spirit". You can only use this effect of "Chaos Spirit" once per turn.
Ninth Circle of the Burning Abyss Normal Spell Card
If you control 2 or more "Burning Abyss" monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck: Negate the effects of all face-up Spell & Trap Cards your opponent controls until the end of the turn, also your opponent cannot activate Set Spell/Trap Cards or effects that activate in the GY until the end of the turn. If you control 3 or more "Burning Abyss" monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of this card. You cannot activate "Ninth Circle of the Burning Abyss" while this card is in your GY.
Charge of the Burning Abyss Normal Spell Card
Draw 1 card and reveal it, then, if the card is a "Burning Abyss" monster, increase the ATK of all "Burning Abyss" monsters you control by that monster's ATK until the end of the turn. If not, send the card to the GY. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY and target 1 "Burning Abyss" monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK/DEF until your next Standby Phase.
Return to the Burning Abyss Normal Spell Card
Target 1 "Burning Abyss" monster you control; shuffle all "Burning Abyss" monsters in your GY into your Deck, then increase that monster's ATK by 300 for each shuffled card until the end of the turn. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY and target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; reduce that monster's ATK/DEF by 1000 until the end of the turn. You can only use 1 effect of "Return to the Burning Abyss" per turn, and only once per turn.
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 65 – Hunter's Spirit. The war within Mirror LINK VRAINS continues with Windy facing Soulburner, only for their duel to end in flames. With the losses at 2-a-piece, Morningstar is approached by the next challenger, a young man desperate to save his grandfather…
Question of the Chapter
We now have four Cydevil Link Monsters who represent sins: the sins of envy, pride, greed, and gluttony. Which sins are you hoping to see next the most?
Author's Notes
Thank you to Haoh Ryu Z-ARC and SakushiRyu for providing feedback on the OC cards of this chapter, and to ThePLOThand for helping me keep count of which monsters were in the Graveyard. And to those curious, Edacious Beelzebub's hammer is based on the Hero's Relic Crusher from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Well, this chapter took a long time to bring out. Part of that was because of distractions in my everyday life, part of that was video games, and part of that was because I've just been feeling exhausted going through this. But I'm hoping that feeling will disappear sooner or later; I fully intend to finish this story, as well as Fifth Circuit.
The first part of this chapter was the duel between Lightning and Spectre, or more specifically Morningstar's and Cypher's reactions to it. I'll admit to disliking reiterating anime events unnecessarily, but I felt that the duo's reactions to the duel and Spectre's claims were worth adding in.
The rest of the chapter, and the main focus, was the duel between Persephone and Zahhak. It was fun to come up with new Cydemon cards, especially ones that counter the Deck's obvious weak spots like Cydemon Gula. That said, it was exhausting to keep track of all the cards that were sent to the Graveyard and how many monsters were in said Graveyard, which is part of the reason this chapter took so long to write. And like many people thought, it ended in Persephone's defeat and another hint of just how strong Zahhak is. Our heroes have a very uphill battle before them, don't they?
That said, Persephone did well. She actually managed to damage Zahhak, even if only a little, and her defiance and unwillingness to show fear earned some of Zahhak's respect. This earned her a dignified defeat and an acknowledgement that led to Zahhak using Prideful Helel to defeat her.
Thank you for reading Chapter 64 of Hidden Memories. I apologize for the delay, but there will likely be another one since I need to finish the duels for both Chapter 65 and Chapter 35 of Fifth Circuit. I want to ensure quality over timeliness, so I hope all of you will be patient.