Lee here, to welcome you once again to another chapter of Dual Guardians! Thank you for continuing to read this series as our upload schedule continues to be rather slow. This chapter will, to no one's surprise, I'm sure, be focused on Atsuko's duel against the mysterious masked figure Jupiter. How will she deal with it? Can she defeat her enemy and protect her friends? And how will we ever thank Eneko95 enough for being our beta?
Chapter 35
War of The Planets
Skies of Jupiter
Purgatory
Atsuko - 8000
Jupiter - 8000
The two Duelists drew their cards, looking at one another as the circle under Jupiter glowed brightly. Both guessed it meant he would begin this Duel.
"Ah, fate is being quite kind to me today," he snarked before looking at his hand. "I'll kick things off by activating an interesting Spell called Magical Contract Door. This allows me to choose a Spell card from my hand and add it to yours."
A patch of darkness nearby transformed itself into a small, arched iron door with two glowing red half-circles; one near the top, and one about where a mail slot would be if it were a real door. Jupiter flipped through his hand and stuck a single card into the lower circle.
As soon as he let go, the card and door vanished, rematerializing on Atsuko's side with a faint swoosh. The upper circle opened slightly, and Jupiter's card emerged like a credit card popping out of an ATM.
"Okay… why would you give me a Spell card?" Atsuko asked, raising an eyebrow as she took the offered Spell card—Veil of Darkness. The door dissolved back into the darkness, and she added it to her hand.
"Why does anyone do anything? Sheer absolute boredom," Jupiter replied nonchalantly. "But what makes this card interesting is that now, I can add a Level 7 or 8 Dark monster from my Deck directly to my hand."
Soon enough, a single card ejected out as he grabbed it and revealed it to her. Using her Visor, she got the card's details and her eyes widened when she saw it was The Grand Jupiter (8/2500/2000), one of the Legendary Planet monsters.
"Next, I summon my Infernal Dragon (4/2000/0) in Attack Mode."
The shadows on the ground morphed upward as it took on a new shape. After solidifying, a pair of black and red bat wings snapped open from the figure's back, dispelling the shadows to reveal a bipedal and hungry-looking black dragon. Sword-like spikes grew from its knees, while a black frill and triple-spiked scales protected its neck and shoulders respectively. The end of its snaking tail held three particularly nasty-looking spikes in a vague trident shape.
"I'll finish my turn by putting a card facedown," he said as the card materialized before him. "Your move."
The Slifer student glared at her opponent, ignoring his remark and drawing.
"I set two cards facedown and this monster in Defense Mode. That'll do for me, so back to you."
Soon enough, her three cards appeared on her side of the field as she let out a sigh to compose herself. She couldn't help but be infuriated with her enemy after her trip down memory lane.
'I can't—I won't let him get to me again. Since I have no clue what his Deck is, I gotta keep calm and play him as any other Duelist,' she thought to herself.
Jupiter chuckled as he drew.
"What say we find out what your mystery card is, huh? Go, Infernal Dragon! Skewer that monster with your Trident Tail!"
The dragon roared, charging its tail with dark energy and flying forward. With one quick motion, it thrusted its tail forward with great force and stabbed the card.
A rather large, bright yellow baby bird wearing half an eggshell like a hat appeared on the end of Infernal Dragon's tail. One feather on its head curled upwards into a question mark shape. Its cute little eyes glared at Jupiter in pain.
Before disappearing, the two egg shells it wore glowed brightly and broke apart. The pieces scattered across the Field as one hit Atsuko's Deck.
"Thank you for destroying my CheepCheepCheep (1/300/200)," Atsuko began. "When it's flipped up, it allows me to Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Tuner Monster from my Deck. Come on out, CockaDoodleDoo (5/1600/2000) in Defense Mode!"
The piece that flew into Atsuko's Deck illuminated her cards, and allowed a single card to be ejected. She grabbed it and placed it in face-up Defense Mode. Soon enough, a new egg emerged from a portal on the Field and hatched quickly, revealing a fluffy-feathered white rooster with a red tail and a comb shaped like a question mark. Three little hamsters rode on his back like the world's strangest pony.
"How very quaint," Jupiter deadpanned. "If that's all your cloyingly cute monsters do, then I end my turn, which activates the effect of Infernal Dragon. Unfortunately, as he attacked this turn, I must send him to my graveyard. Such is the way of darkness."
A new shadow construct emerged from the ground, this time solidifying into a hand the same size as Infernal Dragon. The hand took hold of a front leg before stretching out to cover its midsection, at which point it began retreating into the shadows. To Atsuko's surprise, Infernal Dragon folded its wings and bowed its head rather than make any attempts to escape the hand. If she didn't know better she'd swear it looked almost resigned, like the look Nick sometimes got when he was stuck cleaning his and Barclay's room yet again.
"Your move, farm girl."
She took another deep breath and drew, looking at her hand and thinking what her next move would be.
'I still don't know what deck he's using; not going to let that get to me either,' Atsuko thought.
She then saw one particular card and knew it was time to act.
"Let's see how you handle my Kamui, Hope of Gusto (2/200/1000) in Attack Mode!"
A small whirlwind emerged next to the rooster, from which a young green-haired man with matching eyes and a greenish-beige coat stepped forward. The rest of his clothes were also different shades of green, except for light grey thigh-highs that went just over his leather boots. He carried a small wooden staff topped by an egg-shaped sapphire in his left hand.
"First farm animals and now an amateur mage?" Jupiter remarked. "Are you serious? Even the fat chicken made a better first impression."
CockaDoodleDoo narrowed its beady eyes at him and chirped in what was probably supposed to be a threatening way.
"I am serious. Mock them all you like, but remember that CockaDoodleDoo is a Tuner Monster and I now have someone else to work with."
He didn't say anything, only raising an eyebrow under his mask.
"Now I bring together my level 5 Doo with my level 2 Kamui to Synchro Summon my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (7/2500/2000) in Attack Mode!"
The rooster's hamster riders jumped off its back and began chasing each other in a circle, while the bird itself flew up and over Kamui's head. Soon Doo and its little friends were glowing and burst into three rings around Kamui. The mage thrust his also-glowing staff into the air with a shout, causing a pillar of green light to shoot up around him.
Just moments later, a black and white dragon with a striped tail almost as long as its body literally clawed through the pillar with both arms. Its eponymous wings were translucent green; combined with the light blue armor-like parts on its body, it gave the dragon a more futuristic look than Atsuko's other monsters. The six claws on each hand and sharp yellow eyes were all natural, however.
"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this," Jupiter remarked with surprise.
"Go, Clear Wing! Attack him directly with Cyclone Shimmer!"
Her beast roared, summoning a powerful spiral of wind in front of itself that glowed with energy, sending it forward.
A confident smile appeared behind his mask.
"You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" he questioned. "I activate my facedown, Pinpoint Guard! This allows me to Special Summon a level 4 or lower monster from my Graveyard in Defense mode, in this case my Infernal Dragon!"
When he finished, the ground once again molded up, and Infernal Dragon reappeared. This time, however, it stayed on the ground and had its wings held over itself like a shield.
"And there's a bonus to this card; When said monster is on the Field, for this turn only, it can't be destroyed in battle or by another card's effect."
A shadow barrier sprung up around Infernal Dragon, dispersing the cyclone and turning its impact into merely a few gentle breezes.
"And since I Special Summoned a monster from my Graveyard, I can now Special Summon my Doppelwarrior (2/800/800) from my hand in Defense Mode."
Unlike the shadow constructs for Infernal Dragon, a portal opened and a generic-looking human in black military gear and a faded yellow scarf jumped through, making a perfect three-point landing. His free hand held a strange-looking sort of machine gun, which he pulled in towards himself as he moved to a defensive crouch.
"What a shame, your big shiny dragon couldn't take me down after all," he said in a pseudo-sympathetic way. "Unless you've got another surprise up your sleeve?"
"Just wait and see," she replied in annoyance. "I end my turn."
"Good, that means I can move this Duel along," he said while drawing.
After seeing the card he drew, a sudden burst of energy emerged from his body. Atsuko felt its force on her side, prompting her to hold her arms up in protection.
She could tell that Jupiter was done fooling around.
"I was personally hoping to make this a bit more entertaining," Jupiter began saying. "Show you the futility of this defiance towards my masters. However, bringing out an actual threat sours the mood. So be prepared, for I am about to take this to the next level! First, I sacrifice both my monsters in order to Tribute Summon the first of my two champions, The Grand Jupiter in Attack Mode!"
The entire area soon changed into a new location, deep space as planets and stars appeared randomly across the void. Both monsters looked up, prompting Atsuko to do the same as she saw one planet come closer to them.
In seconds, both monsters jumped up towards the planet, transforming into energy that merged with it. Then the planet itself cracked in half like an egg to reveal the monster at its core.
A humanoid giant in green and yellow armor floated serenely before them. Its helmet looked almost identical to Jupiter's mask, down to the bat ears and the blue gem in the center of its forehead. Wing-like constructs stuck out of the monster's back, and it had powerful-looking yellow claws on its hands. But most noticeable and shocking of all, its namesake planet swirled in the center of its torso, complete with some of the moons.
The giant landed with a deep, reverberating thud, shaking the entire floor and causing Atsuko to fall over despite her best efforts. She looked up and was shocked to find Grand Jupiter's helmet no longer clearly visible. It felt like she was trying to spot a bird on top of a skyscraper. Clear Wing looked like a toy car next to a monster truck.
"Next, thanks to the fact that I Tributed a Dark monster, I can special summon my second champion and further complete my triumph. Kneel before Darkest Diabolos, Lord of the Lair (8/3000/2000) in Attack Mode!"
Something began pushing through part of the floor, and Atsuko felt more than heard rumbling beneath her. The disturbed area got bigger and bigger, like a hand pushing through stretched-out cloth, before the shadows eventually broke open with several metallic snaps and screeches. Jupiter's new monster let out a bone-chilling roar, rattling the broken chains that still hung from its wrists and neck.
Like Infernal Dragon before it, Diabolos was jet-black, vaguely humanoid, and had vicious-looking spikes in strategic places across its body (mostly the joints). Glowing red lines streaked in between its scales and down its torso like a current. A pair of curved horns sprouted from the sides of its head, just below sharp blue eyes and a crest that reminded Atsuko of bat wings. The dragon's literal bat-like wings certainly enhanced that effect.
Atsuko didn't even try to suppress a shudder as she got back to her feet. Grand Jupiter's sheer scale was plenty intimidating on its own, but the raw unfiltered malice radiating from Diabolos made her feel like a rabbit stuck in a fox's den.
"Diabolos! Eradicate her dragon with Void Burst!"
His dragon opened its mouth and began collecting dark energy there. Seconds later, he released it with another demonic roar, piercing Clear Wing through the chest.
Atsuko's monster bellowed in pain and managed a shaky landing before it exploded into light. The blast was just barely big enough to cover Atsuko as well, and she couldn't help a cry of pain as the light and heat hit her.
Atsuko - (8000 - 7500)
Jupiter - 8000
"Don't think your suffering is over yet! My giant still has an attack, and you're wide open! Grand Jupiter, Meteor Stream!"
The titan lifted one arm upward, focusing some sort of dark energy on the palm of its hand. Seconds later, a large asteroid veered off course and landed in Grand Jupiter's hand. It then crushed the rock in its claws and swung down towards Atsuko, releasing a small and highly localized meteorite shower headed straight for her.
Each rock hit with a small, but still field-shaking explosion. Considering how many there were, it was no surprise to Jupiter that his opponent's side was soon covered in a cloud of dust and smoke, or that he heard the distinct sound of someone falling to their knees.
Atsuko - (7500 - 5000)
Jupiter - 8000
Jupiter let out a sigh of joy at the fireworks show he'd created for his amusement, saddened to see the fun end. However, surprise soon replaced his sadness. Atsuko was on one knee in the middle of the dust cloud, undamaged apart from some small tears in her clothes. She was, however, panting and trembling slightly in pain.
Though it soon diminished as her mark glowed, healing half of the wounds she got afflicted with. Surprise showed on her face as she looked at the hand with the mark on it.
"Huh, interesting," Jupiter remarked with a curious tone. "My masters mentioned that the Gate and Key could potentially be shared. Though to actually see it… I'll be sure to let them know after I take down their wielders and present it to them."
The Slifer student's look of surprise turned to focus after hearing that, grabbing her cards from the floor and standing back up.
"Don't write your victory speech yet, this Duel isn't over," Atsuko declared as she drew. "First, I'll start by summoning my second Kamui to the Field."
Once again, the winds blew as the young lad reemerged from them.
"Next, I'll activate my own Spell card, Creature Swap! Each of us has to pick one monster we control and give it to the other for the rest of the duel."
"Well now, seems you've got some fight after all," he replied. "Very well, I'll pick Grand Jupiter to switch."
"And since it's my only monster, Kamui will be my choice."
A large white chain wrapped itself around each monster, pulling them to the center and then their "opposing" sides of the field.
Eventually, Grand Jupiter was now standing behind Atsuko while Kamui was standing in front of Jupiter. Their chains disappeared before they took their original stances.
She turned her head to look at her new monster, seeing its size and feeling a bit intimidated by its massive size. Despite that, she looked back at her opponent when he began clapping.
"Bravo, young lady. That's an impressive power play," he said approvingly. "But can you handle my giant's power?"
Atsuko didn't reply as she moved her Duel Disk arm close to her face, pressing on the display of her Field with her other hand to look at Grand Jupiter's card. The text popped up on her visor like before, allowing her to read properly what it said.
A few seconds later, she nodded to herself before taking action.
"Ok, I activate Grand Jupiter's Effect; By discarding two cards from my hand, I now have the power to absorb one of your monsters and add its strength to his Attack Points."
After discarding her Gusto Gulldo (3/500/500) and Gusto Falco (2/600/1400), Grand Jupiter bellowed a war cry as its armor moved out of the way, giving the impression that only its planet held the monster together.
"And I'll be taking Diabolos!"
The arena shook under their feet. Small pieces of the shadows broke off and started circling towards Grand Jupiter's planet like water going down a drain.
"Well, that's a decent start, paying attention to the card text. Too bad you wasted those two cards!" said Jupiter mockingly.
The dragon dug all four of his limbs into the ground, bracing himself as if Grand Jupiter had simply created a gale rather than tapped into its namesake's gravitational pull.
"No one subjugates the Lord of the Lair! Any effect targeting Diabolos is useless!"
Atsuko clenched her fist in frustration as the gravity well dragged Kamui across the field.
As the young man entered the planet itself, Grand Jupiter's armor became lighter green, and a few pieces now bore faintly glowing rune circles.
Grand Jupiter- (2500 - 2700)
It still wasn't enough to beat Diabolos. Luckily, Atsuko had the beginnings of a backup plan.
"I'll place one card face down and end my turn by activating Grand Jupiter's second effect; When it becomes the End Phase of my turn, I can release the monster that he absorbed and Special Summon it back to the Field."
Jupiter's chest opened once more, releasing Kamui as it took the spot next to the beast, only now in Defense Mode.
Grand Jupiter - (2700 - 2500)
Jupiter drew, looking at the card before adding it to his hand, and grabbing another one.
"For my turn, I'll activate the effect of Ahrima, King of Wickedness (4/1700/0) from my hand. By discarding him to my Graveyard, I can add one Lair of Darkness Field Spell from my Deck to my hand."
As he inserted his monster into the Graveyard, a single card ejected out as Jupiter grabbed it, inserting the card into a second slot on the opposite side of his Duel Disk.
"Welcome to the realm of Diabolos! Behold the abyss!"
The Duel Disk began beeping as it released a dark fog. Wherever it passed, the ground turned into a rocky wasteland, occasionally with a broken stone pillar rising up for effect. Storm clouds gathered overhead, and at the first rumble of thunder small cracks opened all over the field.
For a brief moment Atsuko thought there was something wrong with Jupiter's duel disk, that maybe he hadn't done something right. Then smoke hissed out from the cracks, twisting into demonic faces with glowing purple or green eyes.
A misshapen black castle burst out of the ground behind Jupiter, lit by almost neon green torches. Diabolos flew up to it and perched on the roof like its throne.
"As long as this card remains on the field, all Monsters in play are considered Dark monsters along with their original attribute."
Sure enough, Kamui's leaf-green hair darkened to almost black, and Grand Jupiter turned a rich shade of purple.
"Now then, Diabolos does not suffer treason lightly, especially from its own allies! Show her who's in charge, Lord!"
The dragon took off, reaching the top of Grand Jupiter with a few flaps of its mighty wings. Even from her limited vantage point she could see his entire body shimmer with energy. Diabolos then began what she could only describe as the punching equivalent of a rapid-fire artillery barrage; the cracks that appeared in Jupiter's armor certainly spoke to its power.
With a roar and a final punch that landed just above the planet, Diabolos shattered Grand Jupiter's chest plate; the titan shook all over before exploding into a black pillar of pure energy.
Atsuko - (5000 - 4500)
Jupiter - 8000
Atsuko was on her knees, panting as the dust from Diabolos' attack settled. Even with her mark healing her, the pain wasn't going away entirely.
"You only have yourself to blame for this mess you're in, you know," Jupiter chided. "It's really astonishing how many heroes simply don't know when to quit. Tell me, is the pain and suffering worth whatever you think it's worth?"
Atsuko looked up at him. He wasn't wrong; magical manipulation or not, she had willingly chosen to go into the cave, followed her past self at the water pump, certainly decided to Duel him with no outside motivation. Nor, she realized, did she know exactly why his plans were something that needed to be stopped, only that they were dangerous.
Then she remembered something Sera had said after Nick and Barclay had revealed their plan at the train station.
"Are you asking us if we think you two are worth dying for?"
It echoed in her mind as she thought about the two boys. They were her friends and fellow Slifer dorm mates. And even if she didn't know all of their history, one thing was clear to Atsuko.
They put themselves in danger for everyone. How could she not want to do the same for them?
Her mark glowed and surrounded her body in the last of its power before disappearing. The pain disappeared with it, and she even felt a little refreshed.
She stood up, giving her opponent a defiant look before drawing her next card.
"So be it, then. You'll get the hero's death you clearly desire," he said in probably-faked disappointment. "I'm warning you now, it won't be merciful."
"I can't die yet. I promised all my friends I'd be safe," she replied. "And I won't let the two friends waiting for me down! I can't take back what I did, and I can't change what happened in my past, so I have to put all my efforts into changing my future!"
With that speech, she looked at the card she drew, surprise appearing on her face. Atsuko then closed her eyes for a second, seeing the faces of all her friends once more and her father before opening them with renewed determination.
"It's time we finish this once and for all! I activate the Spell Quill Pen of Gulldos! Thanks to its effect, I can select two Wind monsters from my grave and return them to my deck. It also means I can return any card on the field to its owner's hand."
A rune circle appeared on the floor around Kamui, who closed his eyes and began chanting something. Two of the runes floated up off the ground and entered her Duel Disk, which ejected Clear Wing and Cheepcheepcheep for her to grab. Once she'd put them in their respective slots, the cards shuffled. Kamui then pointed his staff at Jupiter, the remaining runes flashed light green, and Jupiter's facedown card returned to his hand in a puff of feathers.
"And before you open your mouth to insult me or spew more nonsense, keep in mind that it's still my turn," Atsuko continued. Whether he actually had intended to say something she couldn't tell through the mask, but she figured it was a safe assumption. "Now I activate the Continuous Trap Powerful Rebirth! As long as this is active, I can revive any level four or lower monster in my Graveyard. Rise, Gusto Gulldo!"
Kamui's rune circle glowed brightly, and a pillar of wind carrying something small shot up from the center. A tiny cyan bird then soared out of the pillar and landed next to Kamui, who smiled and adjusted its green spiked helmet affectionately.
The bird squawked indignantly but made no further protest.
"My Trap's second effect also activates; now that Gulldo is back, he gains an extra level and 100 Attack and Defense points as well."
Her beast shrieked as it glowed brightly, growing slightly larger than normal.
Gulldo - (3/500/500 - 4/600/600)
"With my level four Gulldo and my level two Kamui, I'm going to bring out the card that will win me this Duel! I tune both my monsters in order to Synchro Summon Daigusto Sphreez (6/2000/1000) in Attack Mode!"
Kamui smiled as he jumped onto Gulldo, shrieking and flapping its wings to fly upward into the void's black sky. Before getting too high though, the rider jumped off as his mount shrieked before releasing the energy inside its body, transforming itself into three green rings. Said rings quickly gathered around Kamui, supporting him in midair before the green pillar exploded into being. Once he was fully engulfed, a new, taller figure moved down through the fading light.
A pink-eyed woman with long green-turning-red hair gently landed in front of Atsuko. She wore oversized gold rings on her shoulders, green athletic shorts and long socks under a white crop top and loincloth combo, and a tiara shaped like a small oval wheel on her forehead. A wooden staff with two small blue crystals and a rough stone spearhead completed the look.
"That's the monster meant to defeat me?" Jupiter remarked with a mocking chuckle. "Even if that woman's Attack wasn't a thousand points lower than Diabolos, they simply aren't in the same class. None of your mages or feathered runts can stand up to a dragon, get that through your head already."
"You're right, but when did I say that's what I was after?" Atsuko replied, making Jupiter look at her with confusion.
He lifted his Duel Disk and tapped the screen to display her card in greater detail. Then he did a double-take and looked back at her with actual surprise. "That's… interesting."
"Oh look, you're also smart enough to read the card text," Atsuko mocked. "First, since she was successfully Synchro Summoned, Sphreez's effect activates; I can now pick any Gusto from my Graveyard and add it directly to my hand."
After saying that, Sphreez spun her staff and slammed it on the ground. Another green circle of runes appeared as she began an incantation. After a few seconds, it glowed brightly as Atsuko's Duel Disk also glowed.
A single card ejected from the Graveyard, which she grabbed and revealed it to be Gusto Gulldo.
"And since I didn't do a Normal Summon this turn, I can bring Gulldo back to the Field in Attack Mode."
Once again, a portal opened as the bird cried out and landed next to Sphreez.
"How many more sparrows are you planning to Synchro Summon?"
"A few, but they won't be Synchro Summons. Sphreez, as you saw, has a deadly additional effect; whenever a Gusto monster attacks and falls in battle, you take whatever damage I would have gotten instead of me!"
Even with his mask, Atsuko could see the surprise via his body motion. He really didn't expect his opponent to actually have something dangerous like that.
"Go, Gulldo! Attack Diablos!"
The bird surrounded itself with wind and flew up toward Diabolos with a shriek. The dragon swatted it away almost carelessly, and Gulldo disappeared on its way down.
However, its wind swirled itself into an arrow and shot past Diabolos to hit Jupiter directly in the chest.
Atsuko - 4500
Jupiter - (8000 - 5500)
He held his chest in pain, looking at Atsuko as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure what.
"Lastly, since Gulldo was destroyed in battle, his effect activates and I can special summon any level two or lower Gusto monster in his place. And I choose my Gusto Egul (2/200/400)!"
Instead of a portal, a small forest-green raptor with red eyes and a white head emerged in a puff of feathers. Like Gulldo, it wore spiked green armor decorated with the Gusto pinwheel (or large shuriken, depending on who you talked to) and had sharp red eyes.
"And it's still my battle phase, which means one thing…"
Jupiter dropped his cards on the ground and held up his hands in the universal sign for 'I surrender.'
"Wait, please! I didn't sign up for this, they forced me into it, please—!"
Egul shrieked and mimicked Gulldo's attack, being destroyed once again by the beast as another wind arrow launched right at the person and hit him once more. His cries of pain echoed across the dimension.
Atsuko - 4500
Jupiter - (5500 - 2700)
"There's a reason I picked this deck," she began to explain. "It's like how I was; ambitious and persistent. I always kept going even when it seemed hard, and thanks to you, I finally got that back. I'm sorry you were tricked into doing all this. Whoever 'they' are, I'll make sure they face the music if or when I find them. Promise."
Jupiter was breathing heavily, holding his chest in pain, but managed to look at her and nod.
"So… are you conceding the match?" she asked. She had to admit, she was a little surprised someone on the "other" side was willing to just give her a victory.
"Ha ha… this can only end one way, unfortunately for my dignity."
Atsuko's expression turned sad. "I see… Now where was I?
"Like Gulldo, Egul's effect lets me Special Summon a level four or lower Non-Tuner Gusto monster to my Field when it's destroyed. Say hello to Winda, Priestess of Gusto (4/1000/400)!"
And for the third and likely final time, a new monster appeared from a pillar of light that appeared next to Sphreez as it died down to reveal its appearance.
A young woman with long green hair and eyes stepped forward. She wore a tan coat over a simple white dress, short shorts, leather armguards, and a belt and pendant engraved with the Gusto symbol. She carried a silver staff with a glowing emerald and its own tiny pair of skeletal wings atop it.
"I'm so sorry about this. Go, Winda! Sacred Twister!"
Winda raised her staff to the dark clouds still above them, closing her eyes in prayer. A patch just above Diabolos' head turned a somewhat lighter grey and began to stretch down to surround him, spinning faster and faster as it went.
Diabolos roared defiantly and dispelled the funnel cloud with a powerful flap of his wings. The clouds and wind that weren't dissipated instantly whooshed back across the field and hit Winda head-on, completely destroying her.
Before it could reach Atsuko, however, Sphreez took off her tiara and threw it like a Frisbee into the half-broken spell. The clouds dissipated further, but the wind now carried Sphreez's tiara (and of course some spell energy) to the base of the dragon's castle.
Jupiter's screams as the wind and newly-empowered tiara slammed directly into him made Atsuko cringe guiltily.
Atsuko - 4500
Jupiter - (2700 - 700)
It took everything for Jupiter to stay standing as his cloak and mask were all but destroyed with rips and tears, showing cuts and wounds all over his body and parts of his face.
Atsuko wiped a few tears from her eyes, taking one last deep breath before finishing things once and for all.
"Despite what you did, I can't find it in me to hate you. I hope that brings you some peace...
"Sphreez, finish the fight."
The warrior twirled her staff in front of her, summoning a much bigger twister than Winda had managed. Rather than attempt to dispel or overpower this one, Diabolos simply braced himself and allowed the funnel cloud to harmlessly collide with him.
Sphreez slammed her staff on the ground, and the winds converged on Jupiter, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground for the final time.
Atsuko - 4500
Jupiter - (700 - 0)
Soon as the counter hit zero, the entire area began to shake violently as a blinding light emerged and shined brightly, causing Atsuko to cover her eyes as it covered her.
Duel Academy
Eventually, the light died down and allowed Atsuko to finally open her eyes.
It took a few seconds before her vision was able to come back, making her realize that she was back on the cliff. It was almost as if she never moved from that spot.
Her confusion of whether it was real or not disappeared when she felt sharp pain course through her body. Though it wasn't too severe as before, making her able to keep on her feet without too much struggle.
"Wait… what about—?"
She spotted her opponent facedown on the ground not too far from her, clothes torn apart from her attacks. "Wow, I must've hit harder than I thought."
She limped towards him, kneeled down, and laid a hand on the side of his neck. She sighed in relief; whatever else, he still had a pulse and was going to be alright.
Then a demonic whistle sounded throughout the area. Atsuko flinched and covered her ears, looking around to see where that noise was coming from.
But before long, a light shone on Jupiter's unconscious form. A darkened spirit slowly rose from it, moving as if it were wading through mud.
As it rose, it equally slowly took the shape of a human man. It looked Atsuko in the eyes and nodded slightly. "Thank you…stranger…" it whispered before fading away entirely.
With that, the host's clothes also changed from a shredded cloak to sweatpants and a black muscle shirt. The mask disappeared as well, and when Atsuko rolled him over she realized she recognized him.
He was an Obelisk student in her class, though he looked far more tired than usual.
Atsuko sighed in resignation before leaning against a tree close by. She closed her eyes, took some deep breaths, and moments later she was fast asleep, unaware of any future dangers.
Well, that was quite an insane duel, and a short one at that. Ray here and I'm wrapping up this chapter with a shout-out to all those who're continuing to support us by reading our story. Thanks again for your continued support and we appreciate it greatly. Also, I know some likely read the manga and know the Legendary Planets aren't as big as we described. We're just having a little fun with it and we hope people will like it. Stay tuned, because we continue this crazy arc with Laura.