Chapter 20: The Drill Sergeant of Destruction

From his throne room, Emperor Shade watches the Doktor's overwhelming defeat against Yuya. "So, the Doktor has failed to get his revenge against Yuya."

"That's what happens when he underestimates a dueltainer." Sanders spoke.

"On that, we agree, Sergeant." Mr. Heartland agreed as he walked in.

"What do you want now?" Sanders questioned.

"Now, now, I'm just here to give you your next mission." He reveals a video still of Soulburner. "This duelist bears the codename 'Soulburner'. I want you to duel and defeat him."

"No problem. I'll take him down easy." Sanders complied.

"You may as well, or else you'll meet the same fate as your colleague." Shade warned him. Sanders simply breathed a look of worry on his face before warping away.

"Soon, it's only a matter of time before the Six Stars of the Universe are mine." Shade smirks, letting out a malicious chuckle.

Meanwhile, Soulburner arrives in the Den City Plaza looking for Blue Maiden, but he doesn't see her anywhere.

"That's strange. I was supposed to meet her here just as she left the SOL Tech building." Soulburner said to himself. "Hey! Blue Maiden! Where are you!?"

"Looking for someone?" Soulburner turned around to see Sergeant Sanders.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? Son, you're speaking to the one and only Sergeant Sanders. I was the toughest, most disciplined duel instruction at Duel Academy in the Fusion Dimension." Sanders introduced himself. "At least, I used to be before all my students turned traitor and locked me up! But thanks to Shade, I lead and train a new army now; one that actually follows orders."

"You lead Shade's army? Not good."

"I know it isn't, for you. And to answer your question, that Blue Maiden girl's been locked up in the Doktor's laboratory. And if you plan on rescuing her, think again! Shade and Mr. Heartland tasked me to take you down." Sanders informed him as his Duel Disk booted up.

"I better warn you: you're biting off more than you can chew. My good friend is Link VRAINS' savior, Playmaker." Soulburner's Duel Disk powered on.

"All the more reason to take you down." He smirked as the next two words began the showdown.

"Let's duel!"

Soulburner: 4000 LP

VS.

Sanders: 4000 LP

"I'll be the one to start us off." Soulburner analyzes his starting hand.

Turn 1: Soulburner (4000)

"First things first, I'll summon Salamangreat Foxy." Soulburner plays a blue-furred fox with a flame tip. (Level 3/1000/1200)

"When I successfully Normal Summon Foxy, its special ability lets me check the top three cards of my deck for a Salamangreat card. The card I pick gets added to my hand and the others get shuffled back into my deck." Soulburner pulls from his deck the top three cards, revealed as Jack Jaguar, Falco, and Fury of Fire. "I choose to return Falco and Jack Jaguar to add Fury of Fire to my hand." He returns the two monsters to his deck, which is then shuffled, and places the Spell card in his hand.

"Next, since I successfully summoned a Salamangreat, I can summon Salamangreat Fowl from my hand." His next monster is a hen with flaming tailfeathers. (Level 4/1800/200)

"You really think a fox and a chicken can defeat me?" Sanders laughs.

"Maybe not, but what I have next will surprise you. I blaze the Circuit that scorches the path to the future!" He summons forth the eight-arrow circuit portal. "I set Salamangreat Fowl in the Link Arrow." The flame-tailed hen turns into a red energy twister and enters the down arrow, illuminating it. "I Link Summon! Link 1 Salamangreat Balelynx!" His Link Monster is a small lynx-like creature with a flame on the tip of its tail and pistons on its back that shoot flames. (500/Link 1/↓)

"And thanks to Balelynx's ability, I can search my deck for Salamangreat Sanctuary in my deck and add it to my hand." A card slips out of his deck after shuffling. Soulburner takes the card and shows it to Sanders.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to defeat me." Sanders taunted.

"In that case, I'll use these monsters to Link Summon once again." Soulburner calls out the portal again. "I set Salamangreat Foxy and Balelynx in the Link Arrows." They enter the portal, illuminating the up and down arrows. "I Link Summon! Link 2 Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf!" His next Link Monster is a wolf in armor with a flaming chest plate. (1800/Link 2/↑↓)

"And that's not the only monster I'm calling out. Since I Link Summoned this turn, I can summon Salamangreat Mole next to Sunlight Wolf's Link." He summons a mole with flaming claws clad in armor. (Level 1/0/0)

"And since I summoned it next to my Wolf's Link, my canine's special ability activates, letting me return a Salamangreat monster in my Graveyard to my hand. Come on back, Salamangreat Foxy." Soulburner's Foxy returns from his Graveyard and he places it in his hand.

"And I'll blaze my Circuit once again." Soulburner opens the arrowhead portal once again. "The summoning conditions require at least 2 Fire Effect Monsters, which is exactly how many I have. I set Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf and Mole in the Link Arrows!" Sunlight Wolf and Mole turn into energy. Sunlight Wolf's energy twister splits into two before it enters the portal along with Mole, illuminating the up, down-left, and down-right arrows. "I Link Summon! Link 3 Salamangreat Heatleo!" Soulburner's ace monster appears with a mighty roar, claws ready for combat. (2300/Link 3/↑↙↘)

"That overgrown kitty cat's got nothing on me compared to what I have in store for you." Sanders scoffed.

"Really? Perhaps these two face-downs will change your tone." Soulburner places two cards face-down, signaling the end of his turn.

"I'd normally look to Flame for any advice he has, but with him no longer in my duel disk, I'm on my own." Soulburner's thoughts echo in his head. "Go on, let's see what you got, Sergeant!"

Turn 2: Sanders (4000)

"Oh, I'll give you what I got, and then some." Sanders accepts his challenge. "I draw!"

Sanders sees the card he draws. "I'm about to give you a lesson in fierce battling by activating Test Fusion!" Sanders plays the spell he just drew. "Thanks to its effect, I can send Test Ape and Test Tiger to the Graveyard." He sends the two mentioned monsters to his Graveyard. "So that I can fuse these two wild beasts together! You think your Heatleo's king of the jungle? Then this next monster' about to send him off his throne! I Fusion Summon! Front and center, Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor!" Sanders' deer-based tamer in red appears, weapon in hand. (Level 8/2400/3000)

"I activate Editor's ability! I can pick a Gladiator Beast that's in my Extra Deck and summon it to my field. I choose to call Gladiator Beast Domitianus from my Extra Deck to the front line!" Tamer Editor uses its energy whip to call forth a serpent-like monster with armor and weapons based on its brethren. (Level 10/3500/1200)

"I've never seen that kind of Gladiator Beast before." Soulburner said in awe. "But I'm not scared."

"You should be, because now that there are two Gladiator Beasts out on the field, I can use Editor's special ability to destroy one monster on the field, and its owner takes damage equal to that monster's Attack Points. And the monster I choose to destroy is your Salamangreat Heatleo! That means 2300 points of pain is coming your way!" Sanders' Tamer Editor lashed its whip at Heatleo.

"Heatleo's flames won't be going out that easily. By banishing Balelynx from my Graveyard, Heatleo isn't destroyed." Balelynx vanishes from the Graveyard and a barrier deflects the whip.

"I don't know what I find more annoying, your smug overconfidence or your blasted cards. Well, let's see how high and mighty you are when Editor declaws your Heatleo. Attack!" Sanders commands Editor to attack. It fires a yellow energy beam from the chest orb.

"Not bad, but you have a lot to learn if you want to beat me. I send Salamangreat Raccoon from my hand to the Graveyard to activate its ability." Soulburner discards Salamangreat Raccoon. "When you attack my Salamangreat monster, I gain Life Points equal to your monster's Attack Points and Heatleo can't be destroyed in battle this turn." Salamangreat Raccoon appears and forms a flame shield.

"That's where you're wrong! Domitianus has its own ability! Once a turn, any monster's special ability is cancelled out and destroyed." Sanders declared as Domitianus let out a roar at Salamangreat Raccoon.

"You'll never put out my fire! I activate Salamangreat Roar!" Soulburner activates one of his Traps. "Since I have a Salamangreat Link monster out, Salamangreat Roar negates any Spell, Trap, or monster ability, and destroys it. Which means, Domitianus' ability has been sunk!" A blast of fire shoots from the card and destroys Domitianus. "Now I can gain Life Points equal to Editor's Attack Points." (Soulburner: 4000→6400)

"You may have stopped Domitianus, but you're still taking damage." The beam strikes the shield. Soulburner twitches from the shock of the attack. (Soulburner: 6400→6300)

"100 points of damage, that's nothing."

"We'll see about that. I end my turn." Sanders declares the end of his turn.

"Your students say that you're the greatest duel instructor in the Fusion Dimension." Soulburner said. "But I'm not seeing what you are capable of."

"You have the nerve to say such things to me?!" Sanders barked. "Next turn, I'm about to wipe that smirk off your face!"

Turn 3: Soulburner (6300)

"Next turn? My deck will make sure there isn't going to be a next turn." Soulburner said. His hand starts blazing. "I draw!" A trail of flame follows his hand movement. He sees a new kind of Salamangreat.

"I summon Salamangreat Hummingbird!" Soulburner's new monster is a hummingbird with flames shooting from its wings. (Level 3/300/1900)

"A Tuner Monster?!"

"That's right, and Hummingbird's got a handy special ability. When I summon it, I can revive a Level 4 or lower Salamangreat from my Graveyard. Rise again, Salamangreat Fowl!" The flame-tailed hen rises again. (Level 4/1800/200)

Sanders laughs. "You really think a couple of birds are going to help you defeat me?"

"Didn't they teach you not to judge a book by its cover? Perhaps it's time for me to make a student out of the instructor." Hummingbird and Fowl become energy rings. "Because I'm tuning Level 3 Salamangreat Hummingbird with Level 4 Salamangreat Fowl!" The two sets of energy rings become a single thin ring. The Levels of the two monsters are displayed before they're replaced by the Level of the Synchro Monster. "The claws of fury ignite to wield the flames of justice and scorch its enemies! I Synchro Summon! Level 7 Salamangreat Corona Tiger!" A white tiger in silver armor and flaming claws emerges with a roar. Flame streams shoot out from its helmet and tail. (Level 7/2300/1800)

"You can Synchro Summon?"

"That's right. I've learned what I can from Playmaker, and I was able to use my knowledge to upgrade my deck." Soulburner said. "And now's the time to witness my new power firsthand. But first, I activate Salamangreat Sanctuary!" Soulburner plays his Field Spell. "With this, I can use a Salamangreat Link Monster to Link Summon another copy."

"You what?"

"Go, Reincarnation Link Summon!" Soulburner shouts as Heatleo transforms into a tornado of flame and enters a pink energy portal. "Rise again from the valley of flames, Salamangreat Heatleo!" Heatleo re-emerges from the portal with a powerful roar. (2300/Link 3/↑↙↘)

"What good is using one monster to summon another?"

"Because Heatleo has a special ability that it can only use when it's Reincarnation Link Summoned. And I'm about to use it right away. Salamangreat Heatleo can make a monster's attack points the same as another monster in my Graveyard. I'm changing Tamer Editor's attack points to match those of Salamangreat Mole: a great big 0!"

"Zero?!" Sanders gasps.

"Flame Possession!" Heatleo fires a blast of flame from one of its claws that hit Tamer Editor. The Beast-Warrior bellows in pain. (ATK: 2400→0)

"Are you crazy?!"

"Now for the big finish. Since I have a Salamangreat monster with a Level, I can summon Salamangreat Monkey." Soulburner's new monster is an orange-furred monkey in armor with flames on its feet, back, and tail. (Level 4/1600/1400)

"And since Salamangreat Monkey is next to Heatleo's Link, I can tribute it. Now Heatleo's Attack Points are doubled for the rest of the turn." Monkey disappears in a burst of green pixels. The flames on Heatleo burn hotter and larger. (ATK 2300→4600)

"4600 Attack Points?!" Sanders said in total horror.

"More than enough take down your Life Points! Salamangreat Heatleo, attack…"

"Stop right there!" Sanders commanded, cutting off Soulburner. The latter held on to his move. "You probably don't know this, but I'm the only one who knows where that minx Blue Maiden and her friends are. You beat me, and you'll never find out."

"So then, even if I win, I'll never find and rescue Blue Maiden?"

"Exactly. So, if you have the courage to rescue Blue Maiden, I suggest you forfeit the duel and get to the lab."

As much as Soulburner wanted to head out and save Blue Maiden, he can't quit the duel. He was so close to defeating him. Just as he was about to surrender, a holographic video screen materialized, revealing Playmaker. Sanders scowled as the bad timing.

"Playmaker!" Soulburner smiled. "Good timing. I came to the plaza, just like Ai asked, but instead of finding Blue Maiden, this Sanders guy found me and challenged me to a duel. I was just about to head over to where she is."

"There's no need." Playmaker declined the offer before Blue Maiden and Yuya stepped into view.

"What?!"

"Sorry about the holdup, Soulburner. I was about to head to the plaza when those troopers jumped me." Blue Maiden apologized.

"Well, at least you're safe."

"Thanks to Yuya."

"Hold on! How did you get free?! And where's the Doktor?!" Sanders questioned them.

"Let's just say you'd be in quite a shock if I told you." Yuya chuckled. Sanders gasps in surprise.

"Soulburner, we're heading back to the base." Playmaker reported.

"Cool. I'll meet you guys there after I wrap things up here." Soulburner told them as the video call ended. Soulburner glared at Sanders. The latter winced at his stare. "Tried to pull a fast one on me, huh?"

"Wait, you don't understand!" Sanders said.

"Oh, I understand. I understand that you'd do anything for a victory." Soulburner said. "But you don't always get what you want. And you're about to see why. Salamangreat Heatleo, attack and destroy Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor!" Soulburner commands Heatleo to attack.

"No, please, have mercy!" Sanders pleaded.

"Too little, too late. Heatleo, let's finish this! Blazing Strike!" Heatleo becomes enveloped in a tornado of fire and rushes towards Tamer Editor. The attack breaks through and Heatleo strikes a finishing pose just as Tamer Editor explodes. The explosion sends Sanders flying with a loud scream and sends him into a nearby fountain, smashing it. A little water streams down from the fountain's remains onto Sanders' head. (Sanders: 4000→0)

"A word of caution, Sergeant: the next time you play with fire, you're sure to get burned." Soulburner warned the defeated Sanders. He then disappears, leaving Sanders soaked and humiliated.

Shade sees the climax of the duel. "The Fusion Dimension's most decorated soldier and he still lost." He turns to some soldiers. "Send a medical squad to retrieve him and bring him to the recovery chamber. I'll have a word with him later."

"Yes sir." The Troop Captain saluted.

"And Captain, tell Gozaburo that he is to face Jack Atlas at Mt. Orichalcum."

"Of course, but why Mt. Orichalcum?"

"Simple: there's no better place to put out a phoenix's flame than a volcano." Shade grinned maliciously.