Chapter 18: The Leaders' Resolve
Playmaker had encountered Lightning and Bohman and has challenged them to two separate duels alongside Ai. Should Lightning and Bohman win, Playmaker will surrender the Ignis to them, but if they lose, Bohman and Lightning must switch sides. With Ai occupied with Bohman, Playmaker is left facing Lightning.
Playmaker: 4000 LP
VS
Lightning: 4000 LP
"I'll go first, if you don't mind." Lightning opted to go first.
Turn 1: Lightning (4000)
"To start, I'll summon Armatos Legio Gladius." A white statue of a sword-wielding warrior appears. (Level 2/0/800)
"And thanks to his special ability, I can add Armatos Colosseum to my hand." A card slips out of his deck and he places it in his hand.
"And now, I shall illuminate my circuit!" The arrowhead portal above opens. The warrior statue enters the down arrow. "I Link Summon Link 1 Armatos Legio Decurion!" He summons forth a gladiator with a large metal plume and a crimson cape. (1000/↓)
"Still using your Armatos Legio, I see." Playmaker commented. "Such a predictable combination."
"Oh, Playmaker. If it isn't broke, why fix it? I activate my Armatos Colosseum!" Lightning plays his Field Spell. The area around them changes into a colosseum.
"Whoa. If we had known we'd be here, I'd have brought popcorn." Yuma joked.
"In that case, you should stick around. You already have a front row seat. When Armatos Colosseum is activated, I add an Armartos Legio in my deck to my hand." A card slips out of Lightning's deck and he takes it.
"Next, I discard Armatos Legio Plumbata from my hand to activate Armatos Colosseum's effect. I can re-summon Gladius from my Graveyard next to Decurion's Link." Lightning's statue monster reappears behind Decurion. (Level 2/0/800)
"But why stop at two monsters when I can play a third? I send Armatos Legio Sica from my hand to the Graveyard so that I can summon Armatos Legio Falcata." Lightning declares his next move as Sica descends to the Graveyard and a statue with stone bolas appears. (Level 3/0/1300)
"And I'll use Falcata and Gladius to illuminate my circuit." The arrowhead portal open's again. Falcata and Gladius enter the portal, lighting up the left and right arrows. "I Link Summon Link 2 Armatos Legio Centurion!" His Link 2 monster is a silver armored warrior armed with a spear. (1700/←→)
"That's the same moves that beat Specter and the Shepherd." Playmaker noted.
"Next, I use Armatos Colosseum's effect once again. I discard Armatos Legio Scutum and summon Plumbata and Sica next to my Centurion's Links." Two more statues appear beside Centurion. Sica is armed with a dagger and Plumbata wields a crossbow. (Sica: Level 1/0/400; Plumbata: Level 2/0/1500)
"Now, I activate Plumbata's ability. When I summon Plumbata next to an Armatos Legio's Link, I can add an Armatos or Judgment Spell or Trap in my deck to my hand." A card slips out of Lightning's deck and he retrieves it.
"I'm gonna guess the card's Judgment Arrows." Yusei said.
"Next, I set Plumbata in the Link Arrow to Link Summon a second Armatos Legio Decurion!" The portal opens again and Plumbata enters it, lighting up the down arrow. A second Decurion appears on Centurion's left. (1000/↓)
"I've seen this setup before." Yuya said.
Yugo's spirit appears. "Yeah. It's when Ai and Bohman used that card in their duel."
"I'm sure you seen this card before, during your duel against Ai." Lightning said.
"You mean…?"
"That's right, Playmaker. It's the card I retrieved using Plumbata's ability. And I'll activate it right away." Lightning activates Judgment Arrows (↖↑↗).
"Five points for me." Yusei said.
"We both know that whenever a monster next to Judgment Arrows battles, its attack points are doubled during damage." Lightning reminded him.
"Yes, which means Judgment Arrows can make your monster stronger than mine." Playmaker noted.
"Exactly right, and I'll illuminate my circuit once more." The arrowhead portal opens once more. "The summoning conditions require at least 2 Armatos Legio monsters. I set Decurion and Centurion in the Link Arrows." Both monsters enter the portal, lighting up the left, right, and down arrows. "From the dawn of the universe until its eventual end. There is only one constant… Light! And now I shall coalesce this brilliance. I Link Summon! Link 3 Armatos Legio Legatus Legionis!" Lightning's Link 3 monster is a knight on horseback. He and the horse sport shimmering white armor and the knight is armed with a sword." (2400/←↓→)
"A Link 3 monster next to Judgment Arrows. How troubling." Yugi commented.
"Next, Legatus Legionis' special ability activates. By sending a Level 4 or lower Armatos Legio on my field to the Graveyard, I can summon a different Armatos Legio next to Legatus Legionis." Lightning declared. "So, I'll be trading Sica for Armatos Legio Falcata." The dagger-wielding statue disappeared, and the bola-toting statue appears next to Legatus Legionis. (Level 3/0/1300)
"So, he does all that just from four cards?" Jaden asked.
"Lightning's tactics are just like his motives: predictable."
"I place this face-down and end my turn." Lightning ends his turn with one face-down card.
"Lightning, your strategies are all the same, no matter how many times you try and change it." Playmaker said.
"Well, maybe it would be fun to see you try to defeat it first. Of course, it might not be possible." Lightning challenged Playmaker to stop his strategy.
Turn 2: Playmaker (4000)
"Oh, it's possible, and I'll make it so. I draw!" Playmaker draws his card.
"To start, I summon Widget Kid to the field!" A laser-toting child in blue clothing appears. (Level 3/1500/900)
"And when Widget Kid is summoned, I can summon another Cyberse monster from my hand in Defense Mode. Come, Garbage Collector!" The hovering trash bin with bits of data stashed inside appears. (Level 2/100/1900)
"Of all the monsters, you have a trash bin and a kid?" Lightning taunted.
"They have powers you couldn't comprehend. Such as this. Garbage Collector's special ability lets me return Widget Kid to my hand and summon a Cyberse monster from my deck that has the same Level." Playmaker declared as Widget Kid retreated to Playmaker's hand. "Come forth, Flame Bufferlo!" In Widget Kid's place is a buffalo with flaming horns and tail. (Level 3/1400/200)
"And I have what I need to create my circuit!" Playmaker prepares to Link Summon. The arrowhead portal opens. Garbage Collector and Flame Bufferlo enter the portal, lighting up the up-right and down-right arrows. "I Link Summon! Link 2 Splash Mage!" A blue-garbed mage appears with his staff. (1100/↗↘)
"And when Flame Bufferlo leaves the field, I can discard a Cyberse monster from my hand to draw two cards." Playmaker discards a card from his hand and draws two from his deck.
"And I can use Splash Mage's ability to resurrect a monster from my Graveyard. Return, Garbage Collector!" The trash bin with a face returns onto the field. (Level 2/100/1900)
"Once more, I'll create the ultimate circuit!" The portal opens again. "The summoning conditions require at least 2 Effect monsters. I set Splash Mage and Garbage Collector in the Link Arrows." The monsters enter the portal, lighting up the up, down-left, and down-right arrows. "I Link Summon! Link 3 Decode Talker!" Playmaker's signature purple-armored warrior appears with its sword. (2300/↑↙↘)
"Decode Talker…" Lightning breathed.
"Surprised, Lightning?" Ai spoke to his fellow Ignis. "Decode Talker was the very first Link monster we obtained together. And it was also the very card that defeated me."
"It what?!" Lightning gasps.
"Exactly. And if that wasn't enough, play close attention to this! Since I Link Summoned a monster, I can summon Parallel eXceed next to its Link!" A small version of Playmaker's Xyz Monster appears (Level 8/2000/2000)
"The only downside is its Level, Attack and Defense are cut in half." Playmaker informed him as his monster gets weaker. (Level 8→4/2000→1000/2000→1000)
"Normally, that would be a problem, but I see it as opportunity, because when Parallel eXceed is summoned, I can summon a second one from my deck. And like before, its Attack, Defense, and Level are halved." Playmaker said as a second Parallel eXceed appears beside the first one. (Level 8→4/2000→1000/2000→1000)
"He's got two Level 4s now." Jaden pointed out.
"Yeah, and I have a feeling what's next." Yuya added.
"An impressive feat. You're planning on Link summoning another monster, aren't you?" Lightning guessed.
"Not quite. You think I'm using these monsters to Link Summon, you're mistaken. And you will pay the price. I overlay both Level 4 Parallel eXceeds in order to build the Overlay Network!" Playmaker puts his hands over one another, symbolizing the two monsters stacking on top of each other. The two Parallel eXceeds turn into bits of data and enter four small red circles within an X-shaped cybernetic array seen below Playmaker. Once they are set, data stream-like energy flows from the tips and forms a light-blue Overlay Network.
"The boundary between order and chaos break down to manifest as the fangs of devastation! I Xyz Summon! Rank 4 Firewall eXceed Dragon!" A violet and black dragon with a large X-shape on its head appears with a roar and its wings form a large blue X. Its two Overlay Units circle behind it. (Rank 4/2500/2000/OLU: 2)
"An Xyz monster?" Lightning said.
"That's the least of your problems, Lightning. I now summon Dreamweaver! I can summon her next to a Link Monster's link." Playmaker's monster is a drowsy humanoid girl in a nightgown with light blue marks on her forehead and arms. (Level 5/2200/1000)
"Next, Decode Talker's special ability activates. For every monster next to Decode Talker's Links, it gains 500 Attack Points." The field layout shows Decode Talker in the right-side Extra Monster Zone with Firewall eXceed Dragon in the center Main Monster Zone, Dreamweaver in the far-right Main Monster Zone and Armatos Legio Falcata in the Main Monster Zone in front of Decode Talker. "Power Integration!" Decode Talker's sword glows purple as it gains power. (2300→3800)
"And when Firewall eXceed Dragon is linked to a Link monster, its own ability gives it 500 Attack Points for each of their Link Arrows." Playmaker continued. "Decode Talker is Link 3, so it gains 1500 Attack Points!" The Xyz monster roars as its power rises (2500→4000)
"An impressive feat, yet utterly pointless." Lightning assumed.
"We shall see. I activate my Spell, Cynet Crosswipe!" Playmaker plays his Spell card. "By tributing my Dreamweaver, I can destroy one card that is on the field." Dreamweaver disappears from the field and Decode Talker is weakened. (3800→3300)
"Awesome! That means he can get rid of Judgment Arrows!" Yuma said.
"And if Judgment Arrows leaves the field, then all of Lightning's monsters next to its links will be destroyed." Yugi clarified.
"I'm quite aware of how the card works, which means I know how to stop it. I activate Armatos Gloria!" Lightning activates his trap. "As long as this card's in play, no other card on the field can be destroyed or banished by effects or abilities. Of course, if this card is ever targeted, all my monsters will be destroyed."
"What!?"
"That means no matter what Playmaker does, Judgment Arrows will be protected." Yuya said.
"Fine. If I can't get rid of your monster, then I'll just destroy it the old-fashioned way. Decode Talker, attack and destroy Armatos Legio Legatus Legionis!" Playmaker commands his monster to attack Legatus Legionis.
"You underestimate the dueling abilities of the Ignis, and your monster will pay the price!" Lightning declared. "Since Legatus Legionis is linked to my Armatos Legio Falcata, it negates Decode Talker's abilities until the end of damage, meaning Decode Talker loses its power boost." Falcata's stone bolas transfer to Legatus Legionis. The horse-riding warrior throws the bolas, binding Decode Talker. (3300→2300)
"Oh no! That means Decode Talker will be destroyed!" Yusei shouts.
"What's worse is that Judgment Arrows will double Legatus Legionis' attack points!" Jaden pointed out as Legatus Legionis gets stronger thanks to Judgment Arrows. (2400→4800)
"Watch out!"
"I activate my Spell, Link Pressure!" Playmaker plays his Spell. "By sending a Cyberse monster in my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, Decode Talker gains 1000 Attack Points for each of its Link Arrows." A card slips out of Playmaker's Extra Deck. "I'm sending Firewall Dragon to the Graveyard. And Decode Talker becomes even stronger than Legatus Legionis." Decode Talker breaks out of the stone bola and powers up. (2300→5300)
Decode Talker and Legatus Legionis clash swords. The fight goes on for a minute.
"Hold on. Why isn't Lightning's monster destroyed?" Yuma wondered.
"It is simple, really. Due to Link Pressure's effect, the opposing monster can't be destroyed in that battle and any battle damage Lightning would take becomes 0." Astral noted as Armatos Legio Legatus Legionis drives back Decode Talker.
"Then why would he do that?" Yuma asked.
"To protect Decode Talker. What else?" Yusei said.
"And now that he knows what Armatos Legio Falcata can do, he can destroy it." Jaden agreed.
"No." Playmaker corrected. "Even if I focus on taking down any of the monsters linked to Legatus Legionis, Lightning can exchange them for another Armatos Legio in his Grave."
"You are correct, my friend." Lightning agreed.
"But that does not mean you can win. eXceed Dragon, attack Decurion! Tempest Reckoning!" The dragon takes aim at Decurion and attacks.
"Judgment Arrows doubles Decurion's attack points." The Link Spell illuminates, powering up Decurion. (1000→2000)
"But it won't save you." Playmaker said as eXceed Dragon's attack destroyed Decurion. The shockwave sent Lightning back. (Lightning: 4000→2000 LP)
"And now that the battle's over, I'll activate Firewall eXceed Dragon's special ability! By using two Overlay Units, I can summon a Link 4 Cyberse monster from my Graveyard and link it to this card. Return, Firewall Dragon!" The white-armored dragon with blue wings appears beside the Xyz Monster. (2500/←↑→↓)
"Now that Firewall Dragon is linked to Firewall eXceed Dragon, it gains 2000 more Attack Points, making its new Attack Points 6000!" Playmaker's Firewall eXceed Dragon roars as its power rises exponentially. (4000→6000)
"Now, I'll place three cards face-down and end my turn." Playmaker declares the end of his turn with three face-down cards.
"An impressive display, I'll give you that." Lightning complimented. "But even those paltry monsters stand no chance against what I have planned."
"Then make your move." Playmaker challenged.
Turn 3: Lightning (2000)
"But of course. I draw." Lightning draws his card. "I activate Card of Sanctity."
"Card of Sanctity?" Yugi wondered. "That lets both players draw until they hold 6 cards in their hand." Playmaker draws five cards while Lightning draws six. "Why would he do that?"
"I'll bet he's planning to find something that can help him." Yuma deduced.
"Playmaker." Lightning spoke to Playmaker. "You're not the only duelist who has made some adjustments to his deck."
"What kind of adjustments?"
"I will show you, but first, I shall activate Armatos Colosseum's effect." Lightning said. "By discarding an Armatos Legio monster, I can revive as many different Armatos Legio from my Grave next to Legatus Legionis' links. I'll send Armartos Legio Scutum from my hand to the Graveyard and bring back Armatos Legio Falcata and Sica." Lightning's Scutum falls into the Graveyard and Falcata and Sica emerge next to Legatus Legionis. (Falcata: Level 3/0/1300; Sica: Level 1/0/400)
"He brought back his monsters." Yusei noted.
"I'll bet you he's planning to Link Summon again." Yuya guessed.
"I can see you're about to Link Summon once more." Playmaker assumed.
"Not exactly." Lightning corrected him. "As I said, I've upgraded my deck exponentially. And I'm about to show you one of my newest powers firsthand. I activate Armatos Rite!" Lightning reveals a Ritual Spell.
"A Ritual Spell?!" Yuya gasps.
"Surprised? I regret not being able to utilize this new power. And this is the perfect opportunity to make up for lost time. With the power of Armatos Rite, I tribute Level 7 Armatos Legio Falx." The Level 7 Cyberse monster disappears as a glowing magic circle appears between Lightning and Playmaker. "As the power of light illuminate the beacon of hope shines on all who seek justice! I Ritual Summon! Level 7 Armatos Legio Ferro Imperator!" Emerging from the magic sword is a gladiator in regal blue clothing with a large staff and a shield. (Level 7/2600/2000)
"An Armatos Legio Ritual Monster." Playmaker eyed the new monster. "So, this is the new power you mentioned."
"Indeed, it is, and it'll bring you down. I summon Armatos Legio Dolabra." Lightning's new monster is a white statue with a long whip. (Level 4/900/1400)
"And now, I have everything I need to play my greatest monster. But before that, I'll use Dolabra, Falcata and Sica to illuminate my circuit!" The arrowhead portal appears. The three white statues enter the lower row of arrows. "I Link Summon! Link 3 Armatos Legio Tribunus Militum!" Lightning's next Link Monster is a warrior in shining blue armor with a white cape. (2000/↙↓↘)
"That's the monster he used against Specter." Playmaker remembered the card.
"Correct, and thanks to Armatos Colosseum, I can discard an Armatos Legio in my hand to summon Gladius, Scutum, and Falcata next to Tribunus Militum's links in Defense Mode." Gladius, Scutum, and Falcata reappear behind Tribunus Militum. (Gladius: Level 2/0/800; Falcata: Level 3/0/1300; Scutum: Level 3/0/1800)
"I'll bet he's planning on using them to summon Magnus Dux and cripple Playmaker's cards." Ai guessed.
"And now, I'll use Falcata to illuminate my circuit again." The portal opens again. Falcata enters the down arrow. "I Link Summon Link 1 Armatos Legio Decurion!" The sword-toting Decurion appears. (1000/↓)
"Guess not…" Ai said, seeing he was wrong.
"But Gladius and Scutum are feeling left out. I'll use them to illuminate my circuit for a third time." The arrowhead portal appears again. The two white statues enter the portal, lighting up the left and right arrows. "I Link Summon Link 2 Armatos Legio Centurion!" The spear-wielding warrior emerges again. (1800/←→)
"I don't get it. Why on earth would he summon weaker Link Monsters?" Jaden asked.
"I'll bet you he's planning to use them for an even greater Link Summon." Yusei deduced.
"Our spectator is correct." Lightning confirmed. "As I said before, you're not the only duelist who has upgraded their deck."
"What makes you say that?" Yuma asked.
"From my binds within Bohman, I saw your duel with him and how he was able to create not one, not two, not three, but four Link 5 monsters." Lightning clarified. "Upon my reincarnation, I have trained day and night until I mastered the powers Bohman once wielded. And now's the perfect opportunity to show you the extent of my true power!" The arrowhead portal appears for a fourth time. "The summoning conditions require at least 4 Armatos Legio Link monsters!"
"Say what?!" Yuma gasps.
"4 Link Monsters?!" Jaden shouts in shock.
"I set Decurion, Tribunus Militum, Legatus Legionis, and Centurion in the Link Arrows!" Lightning declares as the four Link Monsters enter the portal, illuminating the left, right, down, down-left, and down-right arrows. "Prepare to fall victim to the military's most devastating soldier that has defeated many throughout time itself! I Link Summon Link 5 Armatos Legio Rex!" Lightning's Link 5 monster is a warrior in white and gold armor riding a gigantic Tyrannosaurus Rex with dark yellow scales. (4000/←↙↓↘→)
"No way!" Yuya gasps.
"Lightning has a Link 5 monster?!" Yugi yells.
"That's right, Yugi Muto. And this Link Monster can't be targeted or destroyed by effects or abilities. And if it attacks a monster, all battle damage is doubled." Lightning informs them.
"That means the only way it can be destroyed is by an attack." Yusei said.
"That is much easier said than done. I activate Armatos Legio Rex's special ability!" Lightning declares his next move. "Once a turn, I can choose a monster on your field that was summoned from the Extra Deck. And based on its Level, Rank, or number of Link Arrows, that monster isn't allowed to attack, change battle modes or use its abilities for that many turns. So, I'll just use it on Decode Talker!" Armatos Legio Rex lets out a screeching roar that paralyzes Decode Talker.
"Aw man! That's not fair!" Ai complained.
"You can attack me all you want; you won't be able to win." Playmaker challenged.
"I concur, Playmaker. My Armatos Legio Rex has power that dwarves yours. Armatos Legio Rex, attack Firewall eXceed Dragon!" Lightning commands his attack.
"Why would you attack a monster that's stronger?" Playmaker questioned Lightning's strategy.
"That's for me to know, Playmaker."
"Well, just to be safe, I activate Doppler Phase Coating!" Playmaker plays his Trap. "I can equip this Trap onto a Cyberse monster, preventing you from destroying it in battle once per turn." A blue veil wraps itself around eXceed Dragon.
"Your monster will be saved, but your Life Points are a whole different story, especially when I activate Armatos Legio Rex's second ability! Since Judgment Arrows is on my field, I can use my remaining Spell/Trap Zones as a Link Spell."
"You can turn Spell and Trap Zones into Link Spells?!" Playmaker gasps.
"That's right, and its powers will be utilized right now! When my Armatos Legio Link monster attacks your monster, it loses its special abilities and its Attack Points become 1000." Playmaker's Xyz monster roars in pain as its Attack Points drop. (6000 → 1000)
"Even with your Trap card, it won't protect you from imminent defeat." Lightning declared. "After all, you remember that Judgment Arrows doubles Rex's Attack Points." Judgment Arrows glows, raising Rex's strength. (4000→8000)
"Normally, he'd take 7000 points of damage, but with that Rex's ability, Playmaker's about to take 14,000 points of damage!" Yusei stated.
"14,000?!" Ai yelped in horror. "That means unless Playmaker does something to stop him, he's finished!"
"Goodbye, Playmaker, forever!" Armatos Legio Rex fires a beam of yellow light from its giant mouth as it strikes Firewall eXceed Dragon.
"Playmaker! No!"
"I activate my Spell Cynet Backdoor! By banishing my Firewall eXceed Dragon from my field, I can add a Cyberse monster from my deck to my hand that has fewer Attack Points than my monster's original Attack Points. I choose to add Balancer Lord to my hand." Firewall eXceed Dragon disappears in a burst of blue pixels. A card protrudes out of Playmaker's deck and he places it in his hand. "After that, my Firewall eXceed Dragon returns to the field on my next Standby Phase with the power to attack you directly."
"You may have saved your Xyz monster, but I can still get rid of either one of your other two monsters and wipe away your Life Points." Lightning said.
"I'm afraid you won't get that chance." Playmaker countered. "When the monster equipped with Doppler Phase Coating leaves the field, it's destroyed." Playmaker's Trap card explodes in yellow pixels. "And when Doppler Phase Coating is destroyed during a battle, your Battle Phase automatically ends." Lightning scowls.
"That was a close call." Yuma said.
"Too close if you ask me." Yusei agreed.
"You are delaying the inevitable, Playmaker. My Link 5 monster is invincible. With Judgment Arrows, I can double my monster's attack points and lower yours to a measly 1000." Lightning taunted. "You may as well admit defeat, Playmaker, while you still can."
"No. You already lost."
"Come again?"
"Your Link monster is powerful, but not invincible." Playmaker said as he prepares to draw.
Turn 4: Playmaker (4000)
"And this is how I'll bring it down!" Playmaker challenged. "I draw!"
"Since we're now at this turn's Standby Phase, Firewall eXceed Dragon returns to my field. And its special abilities give it 500 Attack Points for every Link Arrow my two Link monsters have." Playmaker declares as his Xyz monster resurfaces. (Rank 4/2500→6000/2000)
"To start, I summon Widget Kid." The laser-toting kid in blue appears. (Level 3/1500/900)
"And by summoning Widget Kid, I can summon a Cyberse Monster from my hand in Defense Mode. Rise, Clock Wyvern!" A dark green dragon with purple wings appears. (Level 4/1800/1000)
"And by cutting my Wyvern's attack points in half, I can summon a Clock Token." A small purple token appears beside Firewall Dragon. (Level 1/0/0; Clock Wyvern: ATK 1800→900)
"I'll bet you intend to Link summon another monster, but wait, to do that, you need to sacrifice your Decode Talker. Too bad." Lightning taunted.
"Whoever said I have to right now?" Playmaker smirked, earning a confused glare from Lightning.
"I activate my Trap: Link Refund! By returning Decode Talker to my Extra Deck, I can draw one card for each one of its Link Arrows. Since Decode Talker is Link 3, I get to draw three cards." Decode Talker disappears. Playmaker draws three cards from his deck and Playmaker's Xyz monster becomes weaker. (6000→4500)
"Why would you send one of your best monsters back to your deck?" Lightning asked.
"For this. I create my circuit!" Playmaker declares as the arrowhead portal appears. "I set Widget Kid and my Clock Wyvern in the Link Arrows." The two monsters enter the down and down-left arrows. "I Link Summon Link 2 Cyberse Witch!" A beautiful witch in silver form-fitting robes appears with her scepter. (800/↙↓)
"And there's more where that came from. I create my circuit again. I set my Clock Token in the Link Arrow." The Token enters the down arrow in the portal. "I Link Summon Link 1 Linkuriboh!" Ai's favorite Link Monster appears with a playful wink. (300/↓)
"And I activate Cyberse Witch's special ability. By banishing Link Pressure from my Graveyard, I can add Cyberse Magician and Cynet Ritual to my hand." Playmaker declares as Link Pressure vanishes from the Graveyard and two cards stick out of Playmaker's deck. He takes them. "Furthermore, when Cyberse Witch uses this ability, I can bring back a Level 4 or below Cyberse monster from my Graveyard. Return, Clock Wyvern." Clock Wyvern resurfaces. (Level 4/1800/1000)
"Next, I activate Cynet Optimization! With Cynet Optimization, I can summon a Cyberse monster from my hand. Appear, Balancer Lord." The white-armored warrior appears. (Level 4/1700/1200)
"And thanks to Balancer Lord's special ability! I pay 1000 Life Points to summon another Cyberse monster this turn." Playmaker said as his Life Points diminish. (Playmaker: 4000→3000)
"But before I take advantage of that, I will create my circuit." Playmaker declares. The arrowhead portal opens again. "The summoning conditions require at least 2 Effect Monsters. I set Balancer Lord and Cyberse Witch in the Link Arrows." Balancer Lord and Cyberse Witch enter the portal, lighting up the up, down-left, and down-right arrows. "I Link Summon Link 3 Decode Talker!" The purple-armored Code Talker reappears, sword in hand. (2300/↑↙↘)
"With Decode Talker back in play, it gains 500 Attack Points for every monster next to its Links. Power Integration!" Decode Talker powers up. (2300→3300)
"And Firewall eXceed Dragon's special ability gives it 500 Attack Points for each of Decode Talker's Links, for a grand total of 6000 points!" eXceed Dragon powers up. (4500→6000)
"Next, with Balancer Lord's special ability, I summon Cyberse Synchron." Playmaker's disc-shaped Tuner monster appears. (Level 1/100/100)
"Now I activate Cynet Fusion!" Playmaker plays a Spell. "With it, I can summon a Cyberse Fusion monster. I fuse Linkuriboh and Clock Wyvern." Linkuriboh turns into blue energy while Clock Wyvern becomes red energy. "By fusing my monsters, I merge them into a new, more powerful creation! I Fusion Summon Cyberse Clock Dragon!" The purple-scaled evolution of Cyberse Clock Dragon appears with a mighty roar. (Level 7/2500/2000)
"An Xyz Monster and a Fusion monster." Lightning noted.
"Next, since there is a Cyberse monster on my field, I can summon Backup Secretary!" The pad-toting woman in purple appears beside Firewall Dragon. (Level 3/1200/800)
"And I'll activate Cyberse Synchron's ability. It doubles Backup Secretary's Level from 3 to 6."
"He's going for a Synchro Summon now." Yusei noted.
"Now, my Level 1 Cyberse Synchron tunes Level 6 Backup Secretary." Playmaker declares his next move as the two monsters dissipate into energy, reforming into two sets of rings, one green and the other purple. Tags point to the two rings displaying the levels of the two monsters and the purple ring has six concentric circles. The two rings change to a bright blue color before merging into a single thin ring. The ring now splits into seven identical rings that rotate clockwise while small green rectangles form a ring that rotates in the opposite direction, forming a tunnel. The display reveals the levels of the Tuner and non-Tuner before the new monster's level takes their place.
"Watch as the flash of lightning strikes from the far reaches of the universe! I Synchro Summon! Rise, Cyberse Quantum Dragon!" The white-armored dragon with dark blue large wings emerges with a roar. (Level 7/2500/2000)
"Xyz, Fusion, Synchro, what is with all that pointless summoning?"
"You're about to find out, Lightning. I activate Cynet Ritual! I tribute Level 7 Degrade Buster that is in my hand. I Ritual Summon! Break the barriers of reality, Cyberse Magician!" A green-haired magician in gray and green robes appears, scepter in hand. (Level 7/2500/2000)
"Unbelievable! Playmaker has brought out his strongest monsters from each of the summoning methods!"
"Fusion, Ritual, Synchro, Xyz, Link… I've never seen such a lineup in my life." Ai said in awe.
"It matters not. Those monsters are powerless against my Armatos Legio Rex." Lightning laughs. "Face it, you're finished."
"Wrong." Playmaker's response earned a puzzled glance from the Light Ignis. "Individually, they stand no chance against your most powerful monster, but when they unite together, they become a force to be reckoned with."
"What do you mean by that?" Lightning asked.
"You're about to find out. Watch, Lightning, as I create my ultimate circuit!" Playmaker declares as the arrowhead portal opens above. "The summoning conditions require at least 4 Effect Monsters. But I will be using all 6 of my monsters. I set Cyberse Magician, Cyberse Clock Dragon, Cyberse Quantum Dragon, Firewall eXceed Dragon, Decode Talker, and Firewall Dragon in the Link Arrows!" The six monsters enter the portal one by one, illuminating the up, left, right, down, down-left, and down-right arrows.
"What's going on? What's happening?" Lightning asked.
"Your defeat." Playmaker said. "From the deepest chasms of the Cyberse, the energies of its denizens manifest together into its most devastating form! I Link Summon Link 6 The Ultimate Firewall Dragon!" Playmaker's new monster is an evolved form of Firewall Dragon, with traits inherited from Firewall Dragon Darkfluid. There are bits of its dark purple armor that symbolize each of the 6 Ignis. (3500/↑←↙↓↘→)
"Impossible! A Link 6 Monster?!" Lightning gasps.
"That means you were able to surpass even me." Bohman commented.
"That's right. And for every Cyberse monster that's in my Graveyard, my Ultimate Firewall Dragon gains what is known as a Firewall Counter. And in case you lost count, Lightning, I now have 11 monsters in my Graveyard, so now, my dragon gains 11 Firewall Counters." Ultimate Firewall Dragon roars once more. (Counters: 0→11)
"Now's the time to strike. Ultimate Firewall Dragon, attack Armatos Legio Rex!" Playmaker's Link 6 monster takes off into the air and its wings ignite.
"But your dragon has less Attack Points than my monster, remember?" Lightning reminded his opponent.
"That's where you're wrong. During battle, Ultimate Firewall gains 2500 Attack Points for every Firewall Counter it has. Tempest Charge!" Ultimate Firewall roars as is attack points skyrocket. (3500→31000)
"31,000 Attack Points?!" Bohman gasps in shock.
"Go, Ultimate Firewall, attack!" Playmaker commands his monster to battle.
"Have you forgotten what my Armatos Legio Rex can do? Since Judgment Arrows is in play, my Spell and Trap Zone is treated as a Link Spell, one that weakens your monster." Lightning tells him.
"It won't work!" Playmaker counters, earning a gasp from Lightning.
"I activate another one of Ultimate Firewall's special ability! When you use a card or effect against any of my monsters, I can remove a Firewall Counter to negate its activation. Karma Absorption Gear!" Ultimate Firewall Dragon's counter disappears, and it dispels Rex's powers. (Counters: 11→10; ATK: 31000→28500)
"NO!"
"And there's more: whenever it uses that ability, it gains 2500 Attack Points until the End Phase of this turn." Ultimate Firewall Dragon roars once more. (28500→31000)
"No… This can't be… Even with Judgment Arrows doubling my Rex's Attack Points, there's nothing I can do to stop it!" Lightning trembled with horror, just as Rex's Attack Points double thanks to Judgment Arrows. (4000→8000)
"This is the end for you. Ultimate Firewall Dragon, destroy Armatos Legio Rex and bring an end to his tyranny! Ultimate Tempest Terahertz!" Ultimate Firewall Dragon unleashes a devastating beam of purple energy that envelops Armatos Legio Rex. The dinosaur mount screeches in pain as it evaporates from the attack. Lightning is sent flying from the shock of the attack, letting out a yell that could be heard from miles away. (Lightning: 2000→0)
Once the dust settled, Playmaker was the only duelist standing. Lightning laid flat on his back, defeated.
"No way…" Yuya said in awe. "He won. Playmaker just won."
Playmaker approached the downed Ignis. Lightning chuckled as he lay defeated. "I'm... impressed, Playmaker. No wonder you defeated Ai."
"Now do you understand what this war means to us?" Playmaker asked.
"Indeed, I do." Lightning admitted before standing up. "Perhaps I made the mistake of joining Shade and his allies."
"Well, it's not too late to rectify it."
"You are correct. After all, I did make a promise to join you if I lost, and an Ignis always keeps his word." Lightning concedes to Playmaker. "Well, Bohman, it appears that we are to assist Playmaker and his allies from here on."
"Very well." Bohman complied.
"What will you do now?" Jaden asked.
"While you go and gather your Link Crystals, we'll go and track down the rest of the Ignis. I'm sure Flame, Windy, and Earth will understand once they find out that Lightning's an ally now." Ai said. "Well, we better get going. Good luck in the tournament." With that, Ai, Aqua, Lightning, and Bohman teleport out of the area.
"There they go." Yuma said.
"What do we do now?" Yugi asked.
They thought about what to do next when they hear someone running their way.
"Who's that?" Yuya asked.
"Hey, that's Kylie." Jaden identified her. She manages to catch up to them. "What's the problem?"
"You got to help. It's Alexis, Tea, and the other girls. Someone's taken them!" Kylie explained to them.
"What?!" Yusei shouts.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't heard from Skye since the tournament started." Playmaker noted. "Soulburner was to rendezvous with her at the Den City Plaza."
"Do you know where they are?" Yugi asked.
"Sorry, no."
"Hold on. I think I can track them down by locking onto Alexis' signal." Yuya said. "If Alexis was able to send an SOS signal to Kylie's Duel Disk, then perhaps they're all in one location."
"Good idea, Yuya." Yugi complimented. "Lead the way." They have unanimously decided that Yuya will lead them on a rescue mission.
Fan-Made/OC Cards
Armatos Legio Plumbata
Level 2
LIGHT/Cyberse/Effect
ATK: 0/DEF: 800
If this card is Normal or Special Summoned and is now linked to an "Armatos Legio" monster, add 1 "Armatos" Spell/Trap or 1 "Judgment" Spell/Trap except "Spellbook of Judgment" from your deck to your hand.
Armatos Legio Falcata
Level 3
LIGHT/Cyberse/Effect
ATK: 0/DEF: 1300
You can send 1 other "Armatos Legio" monster from your hand to the GY; Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only use this effect of "Armatos Legio Falcata" once per turn. If your "Armatos Legio" Link Monster linked to this card battles an opponent's monster, negate that monster's effect(s) until the end of the Damage Step.
Armatos Legio Falx
Level 7
LIGHT/Cyberse/Effect
ATK: 300/DEF: 1500
You can banish 1 "Armatos Legio" monster from your hand or GY, except "Armatos Legio Falx"; special summon this card from your hand. If a "Armatos Legio" link monster you control would be destroyed by battle while this card is in your GY that was used as a material for a link summon, you can banish this card from your GY; it is not destroyed. While this card is in the GY, "Judgment Arrows" cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects, except by the effects of "Armatos Legio" card(s).
Armatos Legio Ferro Imperator
Level 7
LIGHT/Cyberse/Ritual/Effect
ATK: 2600/DEF: 2000
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Armatos Rite". "Armatos Legio" monsters and Link Spell Cards linked to this Ritual Summoned card are unaffected by your opponent's card effects. (Quick Effect) You can target 1 "Armatos Legio" Link Monster that is currently linked; banish monsters your opponent controls, up to the target's Link Rating. You can only use this effect of "Armatos Legio Ferro Imperator" once per turn. If this card is destroyed and sent to the GY: You can target "Armatos Legio" monsters in your GY, whose total Levels are equal to this card's Level; Special Summon them in Defense Position, and if you do, they cannot be destroyed this turn.
Armatos Legio Dolabra
Level 4
LIGHT/Cyberse/Effect
Once per turn, you can (Quick Effect): Target 1 "Armatos Legio" monster in your Main Monster Zone; move that target to another of your Main Monster Zones. Halve the ATK of a monster that battles with a "Armatos Legio" monster linked to this card.
Armatos Legio Rex
LIGHT/Cyberse/Link/Effect
ATK: 4000/Link 5
Link Arrows: Top, Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right
4+ "Armatos Legio" link monsters
Cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects. If this card battles an opponent's monster, any battle damage it inflicts to your opponent is doubled. Once per turn, target 1 monster your opponent controls that was special summoned from the extra deck; it cannot attack, change battle positions, or activate its effects until the end of the nth turn. (N = the level, rank or link rating of the targeted monster.) If this card is destroyed by battle, special summon up to 5 "Armatos Legio" link monsters from your GY or extra deck. If you have a "Judgment Arrows" on the field, you can treat the spell & trap zone as if you have a link spell in your other zones with this effect.
● If a "Armatos Legio" link monster battles an opponent's monster, negate the effects of that monster it is battling, also, the ATK of the monster it is battling becomes 1000.
Dreamweaver
Level 5
LIGHT/Cyberse/Effect
ATK: 2200/DEF: 1000
If you control 2 or more Cyberse monsters, except "Dreamweaver", you can Special Summon this card (from your hand) to your zone pointed to by a Link Monster. You can only Special Summon "Dreamweaver" once per turn this way.
The Ultimate Firewall Dragon
DARK/Cyberse/Link/Effect
4+ Effect Monsters
This card's name is also treated as "Firewall Dragon" and "Firewall Dragon Darkfluid". When this card is summoned, you can place Firewall Counters for each Cyberse Monster in your graveyard on this card. During the Battle Phase, this card gains 2500 ATK for each Firewall Counter on this card. Once while face up on the field (Quick Effect), you can send monsters from the graveyard or/and field to the hand up to the number of Firewall Counters this card has. When your opponent would activate a card or an effect that affects your monsters (Quick Effect), you can remove 1 Firewall Counter on this card, negate the activation, and if you do this card gains 2500 ATK until the end of your turn.
Armatos Rite
Ritual Spell
This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Armatos Legio" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute LIGHT monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can shuffle this card and 1 "Armatos Legio" monster in your GY or that is banished to your Deck; add 1 "Armatos Legio" monster from your Deck to your hand, also, Special Summon 1 "Armatos Legio Token" (Cyberse/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 500).
Link Refund
Normal Trap
Target 1 Link Monster you control; return it to the Extra Deck, then draw card(s) equal to its Link Rating. If that monster was returned to your opponent's Extra Deck, draw 2 additional cards.