Hi everyone. Welcome to chapter 22.
Ilia, what do we have with the reviews?
Ilia: ''Hmm, not much, for once. Most reviews were very enthusiastics about the card game. Although, there have been a few who really didn't like it, or didn't like the mood whiplash.''
Uh, I mean… I guess it's true that Chapter 19 and 20 were pretty rough, and then Chapter 21 was a fair bit more lighthearted, but to be fair, almost nobody after Chapter 19 had any hope for this fic to have a shot at a good ending, so Gemini getting a breather was kind of needed.
Plus, this is a RWBY fic. The show literally followed-up Pyrrha's death by starting Volume 4 with a comedic moments-filled fight against a Geist and Ruby laughing at Jaune's bunny hoodie.
A bad moment followed by a more lighthearted one is kinda par for the course. Granted, a game of Yu-Gi-Oh to save Atlas is pretty cracky on paper, but Gemini has been building Yu-Gi-Oh in Remnant since Chapter 2.
Look me in the eyes and dare tell me there was no build-up or that it came out of nowhere. If something 20 chapters in the making is an ass-pull, then how many chapters would be needed?
And it's not like the humor present in last chapter hasn't been there since the beginning of the fic.
Ilia: ''Then we have Mkuros, who tells you to not dwell on your past past critiques of the show.''
… Eh, sure. I think I've made my point anyway, so I can stop extending the Author Notes for this.
Ilia: ''Reader 451 joked about Gemini owing child support to Salem.''
Eh, Salem is free to bring Gemini to court to force him to pay. XD
Ilia: ''We're pretty much done now.''
Disclaimer: RWBY is the creation of Monty Oum. Yu-Gi-Oh is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. I made neither of those.
Now, it's time to D-d-d-d-duel!
(What am I even doing with this story? It was supposed to be a RWBY fic.)
Gemini: 8 000 LP
Sibyl: 8 000 LP
''Father! Since I am the one who issued the challenge, I'll let you decide who starts first!'' Sibyl declared.
''Then I will start first!'' I said.
My starting hand was Heart of the Underdog, Giant Soldier of Stone, Metalmorph, Gravity Bind, and Level Limit – Area B. Not too bad.
''I activate Heart of the Underdog! Then I set a monster and a card, and end my turn!''
''Then it's my turn. I draw!'' Sibyl said. ''I summon Archfiend Soldier in attack position!''
The purple-armored fiend, draped with a dark cloak, appeared on the field, bracing its blade for battle. There was something… off, about the hologram. For a moment, I thought I heard the sound of its feet hitting the ground. I had to have imagined it.
Archfiend Soldier: 1 900 ATK
Sibyl continued. ''Then, I activated my Field Spell; Mystic Plasma Zone, bringing the ATK of all DARK monsters on the field up by 500!'' It also lowered the DEF of all DARK monsters by 400, but if she wasn't playing monsters with high DEF in the first place, then it didn't matter.
Archfiend Soldier: 2 400 ATK
The opponent's gain in attack wasn't the biggest problem, however.
''W-what is happening to the sky?'' Robyn asked, eyes widened in shock.
Above our head, dark purple clouds had gathered high in the sky, covering all of Atlas as blue bolts of plasma moved through the unatural phenomena and forcing Atlesian airships to go to lower altitudes to avoid being caught in it.
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''General Ironwood,'' an officer spoke through Ironwood's radio, as he stared at the ominous cloud formation, ''the Grimm, they've gotten stronger!''
''What? How?'' And why? They already had the staff. Whatever they did to the sky, what was the point of doing this after they had defeated Atlas and were about to destroy the kingdom? This didn't make sense.
''Ah, wait. The Grimm are hitting us harder, but they also seems more vulnerable? They die more easily to bullets.'' The officer on the other end of the line said.
What was happening!?
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''Surprised?'' Sibyl taunted. ''This Grimm Disk is connected directly to the Shrine of Darkness.-''
''The what?'' Joanna asked, only to be ignored by Sibyl.
''-With the magic from the God of Darkness,-''
''God of Darkness? Wait, so the Two Brothers are real!?'' Robyn exclaimed, incredulous. She too, went ignored by Sibyl and I. These two will get with the program eventually. Maybe.
''-imbuing this Duel with real magic, the monsters and magic we use become real. Well, almost. They won't actually inflict any damage if we attack directly, that'd kind of ruin the game.''
''Wait, so this isn't Duel Monster, this is an actual shadow game?'' Ruby said.
''Then let's continue this shadow game!'' I said.
''All we're missing is the show's ost to help set the mood.'' Ruby said.
''Do you want me to play it, friend-Ruby?'' I heard Penny's voice in my head, even though she was standing next to us and had clearly not said anything. Was she using the Chat option to talk directly in my head?
''You can do that?'' Ruby asked.
''Yes. When analyzing the Archive, I may have made a copy of its content.'' Penny said, shifting a little and giving me a guilty look. ''Should I not have?''
''Nah, it's fine. Can you play Powerful Strenght?'' I said, drawing confused look from Robyn and Joanna, who weren't in the conversation.
Penny nodded, before the playing the sound file, the sound coming out of her mouth. ''I have set the mood.'' Penny said, somehow not disturbing the music as she talked.
Sibyl grinned, tapping her foot on the ground. ''Cool, make sure to loop it. Now, Archfiend Soldier, attack his face-down monster!''
''Not so fast! I activate my Trap Card: Gravity Bind! Your monster is too high level to be able to attack!'' I said, as a field of Gravity appeared around the Duel's zones and forced the Archfiend Soldier on his knees.
''Then I end my turn!'' Sibyl said, visibly unbothered by tha Trap Card.
''My turn, I draw!'' I grinned as I saw the card I drew, and showed it to my opponent. ''Since the card I just drew is Jerry Beans Man, a normal monster, I can draw another card!'' This time, it was Mammoth Graveyard. I showed that one, too. ''A normal monster! I draw!'' Dragon Zombie. ''Normal monster! I draw!'' Seven Tools of the Bandits, a Trap Card.
''I set a monster and two card and end my turn!'' I said. I didn't have a monster that could beat her Archfiend Soldier for this turn, but I was getting rid of it next turn.
''I draw! I summon Sangan!'' Sibyl said as the three-eyed furball appeared on the field with a shrill cry, the claws at the end of its green limbs ready to scratch.
Sangan: 1 500 ATK
''Sangan, attack the set monster!'' On Sibyl's order, Sangan scuttered at the rising Defense position Mammoth Graveyard before ripping its bones apart. ''With that, I end my turn!''
So we didn't need the screen to make our monsters attack? Sibyl had just done so with a vocal command alone. Oh, this was going to be fun.
''You remember this is really important, right?'' Ruby asked me, having picked up on me taking way too much fun from this.
''Of course I do. I draw!'' I said. Another Heart of the Underdog. Not a normal monster, but if the first one was destroyed, it would come in handy to have a replacement in my hand. ''I summon Dragon Zombie, who also beneficies from your Field Card's bonus.''
… Oh. Oh, good God. The stench was horrible. I pinched my nose, trying to protect myself from the terrible smell of rotting dragon flesh, while Robyn and Joanna stepped as far away from me and my side of the field as they possibly could. I couldn't blame them.
It wasn't a problem when the monsters were only holograms, but now that they were 'real', I regretted putting any Zombie-Type monsters in my Deck.
Penny looked unbothered by the smell. Lucky her. I was barely able to keep my stomach inside me.
Dragon Zombie: 2 100 ATK
''Bleurgh. After that, I change my Giant Soldier of Stone into attack position and activate Metalmorph! I equip Metalmorph to Giant Soldier of Stone, turning him into a Giant Soldier of Metal.'' To not confuse with 'Giant Soldier of Steel', which was a Xyz monster that didn't exist yet.
Well, I said that, but 'Giant Soldier of Metal' looked exactly like 'Giant Soldier of Steel'. I knew for a fact that this wasn't something programmed in the game. Must be a change caused by magic.
'Giant Soldier of Metal': 1 600 ATK.
I grinned. On top of giving 300 more ATK, Metalmorph also gave the equipped monster ATK equal to half of the monster it battled. But only if the equipped monster was the one to attack. The best part is that it copied the ATK, not the original ATK. A subtle difference, but in this case, it meant the 500 ATK given by the Field Spell also contributed to the attack my monster would gain during the battle.
''Giant Soldier of Metal, attack Archfiend Soldier!'' I ordered. My monster walked up to the demon and raised its blade of steel. The Archfiend Soldier attempted to strike back first against the soldier of metal attacking him, but his 2 400 ATK was no match against 2 800 ATK, and my monster's blade cleaved right through Sibyl's.
Of course, after that, my monster went back to 1 600 ATK, since that effect of Metalmorph only raised the ATK during the battle itself.
Gemini: 8 000 LP
Sibyl: 7 600 LP
First blood was mine, but why stop here? ''Dragon Zombie, attack Sangan!''
Dragon Zombie opened its rotted mouth and let out a wave of pestilent breath that destroyed the furry little monster.. I knew Sangan's effect would activate by doing so, but leaving it to sit on the field would just make things worse in the long run.
Gemini: 8 000 LP
Sibyl: 7 000 LP
''Thanks to Sangan's effect, when he's sent from the Field to the Graveyad, I can add a monster with 1 500 ATK from my Deck to my Hand!'' Sibyl announced. ''I add another Sangan!''
My eyes narrowed in suspicion. Using Sangan to search Sangan? That was an option, but usually you'd want to use Sangan to search for a monster you needed for your strategy. So what she just did was kind of a waste of time. Unless… Ah, of course. Sangan must be the only, or strongest, Level 3 monster in her Deck, hence why she needed another one. She just couldn't attack otherwise.
''I end my turn!'' I said.
''I draw!'' Sibyl grinned as soon as she caught a glimpse of the card in her hand. ''I activate Graceful Charity!'' Oh no, now she got to draw 3 cards, though she had to discard 2. Of course, if she was anything like me, then her Deck had cards she wanted in her Graveyard, so the 'discard 2' was likely not a disadvantage. ''I discard 2 Darklord Marie to the Graveyard.'' Sibyl declared.
Knew it. At least them being in the Graveyard only had the effect of giving 200 Life Points per standby phase to their owner. It was a bit annoying, but gaining LP was about the least effectual effect a card could have on a Duel. Unless your entire Deck was built around that, but that wouln't really make for a great Deck strategy.
With 2 of them, that would make a total of 400 LP every turn.
''I summon Witch of the Black Forest!'' Sibyl said. The purple haired, black robed Witch appeared, keeping two of her eyes closed, the third one on her forehead was the only one open.
Witch of the Black Forest: 1 600 ATK.
Ah. So not Sangan. I she summoned a Level 4 monster, then that must mean-
''Then I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Gravity Bind!'' Yep, saw that coming. Oh well.
With my Gravity Bind destroyed, nothing stopped her witch's attack. Except for my monsters being either as strong or stronger than she was. So either she was planning self-destruct against my Giant Soldier of Metal, or she was going to use an equip card.
''I equip Megamorph to Witch of the Black Forest!'' Called it.
Megamorph was a card that either doubled or cut by half the original ATK of the equipped monster, depending on if the controller's LP were lower or higher than the opponent. Since Sibyl's LP were lower than mine…
A purple haze surrounded Witch of the Black Forest, as her power grew.
Witch of the Black Forest: 2 700 ATK
''Witch of the Black Forest! Attack Giant Soldier of Metal!'' Sibyl ordered. The witch casted a blast of dark magic that broke the monster of metal apart.
Gemini: 6 900 LP
Sibyl: 7 000 LP
Due to my loss of Life Points, her witch's attack was lowered, at least.
Witch of the Black Forest: 1 050 ATK
Now I could kill her easily. Or so I thought.
''Then I enter my Main Phase 2, and use Polymerization!'' Sibyl said. Ooooh, I see. That was why she wanted to search for Sangan earlier. ''I fuse my Witch of the Black Forest with the Sangan in my hand, to Fusion Summon Sanwitch!''
The new monster, a small, green humanoid monster with three eyes and wearing robes that looked like a RPG cleric, staff included, appeared on the field.
Sanwitch: 2 600 ATK
'Then, thanks to Witch of the Black Forest's effect, since she was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add 1 monster from my Deck to my hand! As long as that monster as 1 500 DEF or less! I choose Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands! Then I end my turn!''
Manju!? I thought she based her Deck on Fusion Summoning Sanwitch, but she had a Ritual Monster as well? At least Ritual monsters were difficult to bring into the field, so I had some time left before that became a problem.
''I draw! Dragon Zombie, a Normal Monster! I draw again.'' It was Raigeki Break this time. Perfect!
''For the love of the gods, please don't summon another of that stinking monster!'' Joanna begged me from where she was. She didn't need to.
''I summon Jerry Beans Man!'' Yes, I knew summoning the other Dragon Zombie was my best move, but I could barely handle the smell of the first one. I wasn't putting myself through suffering a second one simultaneously if I could help it. From the relieved looks on the two women's faces they agreed with me. ''Then I activate Level Limit – Area B.''
Sibyl gasped. ''But then, my Sanwitch!''
''That's right! All monsters Level 4 or higher are forced into defense position, that includes your Sanwitch!'' And since Mystic Plasma Zone lowered Sanwitch's DEF by 400...
Jerry Beans Man: 1 750 ATK
Sanwitch: 1 200 DEF
''Jerry Beans Man, destroy Sanwitch!'' I ordered.
''Yay, food fight!'' Ruby said, drawing a smile out of the corner of my lips.
The floating bean warrior, with its little blue cape, tiny sword, and bean-shaped shield, drove its blade into the magical fiend. Of course, since Sanwitch had been forced into defense position, Sibyl took no damage.
''Then, Dragon Zombie, attack Sibyl directly!''
''Kya! No, don't you dare, you foul smelling horror!'' Sibyl panicked, as the foul breath washed over her.
True to her earlier words, the monster's attack didn't actually hurt her. But the smell was bad enough that she still doubled over and emptied her stomach on the ground. Or, well, she vomitted black tar, due to being a Grimm. It was equivalent.
''Whyyyyy? What have I done to deserve this?'' Sibyl whined.
''What you've done!? How about attacking our home and threatening to destroy it!?'' Robyn shouted. She had no sympathy to spare for Sibyl.
''Oh, right. That's fair.'' With that, Sibyl slowly crawled back to her position as my opponent.
''Ugh, the smell is going to stick on me until I die, isn't it?'' She complained. ''So, where were we again?''
''At you taking 2 100 damage and me following up with setting a card in my Main Phase 2 before ending my turn!''
Gemini: 6 900 LP
Sibyl: 4 900 LP
''Oh, right. In that case! I draw!'' Sibyl said. ''In my Stanby Phase, I gain 400 LP thanks to the two Darklord Marie in my Graveyard!''
Gemini: 6 900 LP
Sibyl: 5300 LP
''Then, I set a card face-down and summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!'' Sibyl said. Manju was a grey monster whose entire amorphous, metallic body outside of its head, as its name indicated, was made entirely of arms. ''Thanks to its effect, I can add, from my Deck ot my hand, either a Ritual Monster or a Ritual Spell Card! I add Curse of the Masked Beast!''
Uh, oh.
''What's that monsteragain?'' Ruby asked. ''I think I saw it in the show, but I don't really remember it.''
''It summons The Masked Beast, a powerful monster with 3 200 ATK.'' I told Ruby. ''Remember the Tag Duel between Yugi and Kaiba against the two masked guys?''
''Oh, right. The guys who booby-trapped windows with bombs.'' Ruby said. ''I think they lost pretty badly, too. But The Masked Beast is still a pretty strong monster.''
''Yes, and with the field, it would be sitting at a lofty 3 700 ATK.''
''Good thing attack points aren't everything, right?''
I nodded. ''Yes. I already have a few things prepared that could deal with it.'' Even without Raigeki Break, Level Limit – Area B would force it in defense, which was much lower than it ATK and would be further lowered by the Field Spell. I could easily kill it, as long as she didn't destroy my Continuous Spell.
''Manju is forced in defense position, and I end my turn!'' Sibyl said.
''I draw!'' Another Raigeki Break. Not exactly what I wanted, but I'll take it. Could come in handy. ''Jerry Beans Man, attack Manju! Then, Dragon Zombie, attack directly!'' Yes, I knew. I should have summon the Dragon Zombie from my hand. No thank you. Again, one was enough.
''Gah! Not again!'' Sibyl said after her Manju was destroyed and Dragon Zombie was about to attack. ''I activate Call of the Haunted, and bring back one of my Witch of the Black Forest, which is promptly forced in defense!'' Call of the Haunted always summoned in attack, but with Level Limit – Area B, Dragon Zombie attacked a monster in defense position. Meaning Sibyl lost no LP. ''Phew, that was a close one. I use Witch of the Black Forest's effect to add another Manju to my hand!''
So she would have the cards required to summon it soon. At least it wasn't a threat… For now. ''I end my turn!''
''I draw! I gain 400 LP.'' Sibyl said.
Gemini: 6 900 LP
Sibyl: 5700 LP
''I summon Manju, which allows me to add The Masked Beast to my hand! Then I set a card and end my turn!'' Sibyl said.
That was quick. ''I draw! Sonic Duck is a Normal Monster, so I draw again!'' Oh, Mirror Force. Neat!
''Quack!'' The green duck, wearing a bucket on its head, made itself known by sound as much as by sight.
''Sonic Duck, attack directly!'' I ordered.
Sibyl wasn't about to let that happen, however. ''I activate Wall of Revealing Light! I pay 3 000 Life Points!''
Gemini: 6 900 LP
Sibyl: 2 700 LP
A huge wall of light appeared between her monsters and mines, blocking any possible attack from me. Wall of Revealing Light was a Continous Trap card that stayed on the field and only allowed an opponent monster to attack if their ATK was higher than the Life Points paid at its activation.
That was fine. I had a monster in my Deck that wouldn't be troubled by Wall of Revealing Light. I only needed to fill up my hand a little. ''Then, since I can't attack, I set a card and end my turn!''
''I draw!'' Sibyl said. ''And then gain another 400 LP!''
Gemini: 6 900 LP
Sibyl: 3 100 LP
Was Wall of the Revealing Light the reason she added a little LP recovery in her Deck? To compensate for her defense eating up so much of her Life Points?
Sibyl took a look at my side of the field. ''I'll trust in my wall to protect me and end my turn!''
''I draw! Jerry Beans Man, I draw again!'' Monster Reborn, this time. With my second Raigeki Break and second Heart of the underdog still in my hands, that made four cards. ''I end my turn!'' I said.
''Then I draw and gain another 400 LP.'' Sibyl said.
Gemini: 6 900 LP
Sibyl: 3 500 LP
Sibyl grinned, visibly happy with her draw. ''First, I activate Heavy Storm!'' Fuck! ''All Spell and Trap cards on the field are destroyed!'' That meant her wall and field were gone, but so was my Area B, Raigeki Break, Mirror Force, and Heart of the Underdog. Ouch.
That'll teach me to put 4 cards in my Spell/Trap zones. I was such an idiot.
The cloud and plasma bolts in the sky disappeared, bringing back the clear sky that was previously above Atlas. ''Then, I activate my other Mystical Plasma Zone!'' Nevermind, the sky turned dark again. ''And I activate Curse of the Masked Beast, tributing Darklord Marie and Vorse Raider from my hand, to Ritual Summon The Masked Beast. Appear before me, wicked beast whose masks each contains a curse of evil and harm!''
With her chant, a terrifying monster appeared to face me. It was a grotesque almagation of shapes and color. A teal mask serving as a face on a red head, an orange torso and arms, the chest ardored with a mask, a blue belly with its own mask as well. Even the scepter the foul beast held ended in a mask.
The Masked Beast: 3 700 ATK
''Witness my monster and tremble before its fell might. Feel the terror of a thousand curse as the darkness engulf everything! This is the unholy power of-''
''Gods, what even is that monstrosity?'' Robyn blurted out, interrupting my opponent.
''Fufufufu. It is a mighty fiend, filled to the brim with dark curses!'' Sibyl said.
''It's just a beatstick that was summoned by a minor antagonist in the show. It doesn't even have extra lore or anything, which means she's making all that shit up.'' I said.
''Dad! Don't cramp my style!''
''Your 'style' just make you sound like an edgy chuuni. Find a better one!'' I said. ''And it's still your turn, by the way!''
''Oh, right. The Masked Beast attack Dragon Zombie!'' At Sibyl's order, The Masked Beast rushed Dragon Zombie and smashed it with its staff, mercilessly crushing my monster in an instant.
Gemini: 5300 LP
Sibyl: 3 500 LP
As Dragon Zombie disappeared, so did its foul odor. The air went back to feeling fresh, and I didn't feel like I was trying to hold back from vomiting anymore.
Totally worth the loss of Life Points.
''And with that, this is your turn, father!'' Sibyl declared.
''Then I draw!'' I grinned. This was exactly the card I had been waiting for since the beginning of this Duel. About time.
In my mind, I heard Ruby gasped as she saw the monster I just drew. ''That card, that's…''
''First, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Giant Soldier of Stone!'' The card appeared on the field, emanating a bright light as Giant Soldier of Stone jumped out of the card and into a Monster Zone. ''Then I set a card, before activating Heart of the Underdog!''
''Gem!? What are you doing? That's going to leave him with almost no ATK!'' Ruby asked.
''It wouldn't have enough to defeat The Masked Beast this turn anyway. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.'' I muttered to Ruby, before raising my voice so Sibyl could hear it clearly. ''Then I Tribute Jerry Beans Man, Sonic Duck and Giant Soldier of Stone!''
Sibyl gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. ''A Tribute Summon with three monster!? Then, that means…''
''That's right! Penny, please be a dear and change the sound file to God's Anger.'' Penny nodded and changed the ost. Good girl. ''I summon one of the three god cards: The Heavenly Dragon King, Slifer the Sky Dragon!''
…
…
…
There was an awkward silence as nothing appeared.
''Wait, hang on. Where is he!? I did everything right-'' I started, but I was cut off by the feeling of the air around us suddenly getting heavier as we felt Slifer's presence before we saw him.
Wha- Oh, right… The monsters were real… Did that meant I summoned an actual god?
We looked up in the sky, only to see a long, serpentine form whose shadow could be seen in the clouds of Sibyl's Mystic Plasma Zone.
… I knew Slifer was physically the biggest of the three egyptian god cards, but seeing him for real made him even more imposing.
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In Atlas' command center, the communication officers were in panic. The kingdom's radars had picked up movement in the dark, eery clouds over their heads.
Something enormous. Something bigger than an Atlesian Battleship, or any of the Grimm they were currently fighting against.
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General Ironwood looked up to the sky. Watching the elongated shadow hidden in the clouds, that could be seen thanks to the blue plasma bolting around in the airborne formation.
Why would the enemy bother with a Grimm like that? With the relic in Salem's possession, Atlas had already lost, and nothing could be done about it. Or rather… With a monster of that size, Salem never needed to take the relic in order to destroy Atlas.
Then, the creature in the sky descended below the cloud, its double-mouthed head broke through the dark sky as the rest of its body followed, exposing its majestic and powerful form to the eyes of the people of Atlas.
That thing… Now that it could be seen clearly, Ironwood realized it wasn't a Grimm. It lacked the black color and white bone-like armor of the monsters, and was instead covered in red scales.
It was a dragon. Not a Grimm Dragon, but a legitimate dragon, like those of old myths and legends. Like the Two Brothers, whom Ozpin had said their true forms were that of dragons.
James never put much thought into religion before, but if he remembered things right, then the God of Light was the one with the more snake-like body, like Mistral depicted dragons in their legends, while the God of Darkness looked more like dragons were in Vale's legends.
So that meant… The being he was seeing here… Was that the God of Light himself?
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The Schnee Manor had been ignored by the Grimm during the battle, but that didn't mean it wasn't in high alert.
Whitley was being escorted to a safe location by the SDC's private security, when he caught a glimpse of something red in the sky.
Whitley had taken the habit of hanging out at the shop Flax managed on a regular basis, playing the card game. He may not have watched much of the show, but cultural osmosis made it impossible for him to not recognize the monster, nay, the god, flying in Atlas' skies.
So Whitley stared, his mouth gaping in shock at the unbelievable sight.
H-how? Yu-Gi-Oh was a work of fiction. Or at least it was supposed to be.
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Slifer the Sky Dragon: 1 000 ATK
''Gods,'' Robyn muttered, ''I doubt anyone in Atlas or Mantle missed that thing.''
True, with Slifer's size, and the fact he was flying in the air with nothing blocking the view, everybody in the kingdom could see him clearly, provided they weren't holed up somewhere without a window.
… There was no way this was going to bite me in the ass later, right?
''For how big it is, isn't it a little weak?'' Joanna wondered aloud.
''Oh, ye of little faith. There is more to power than mere brute force. Just watch.'' I said. ''And with this, I end my turn!''
Sibyl's eyes narrowed. Even if I had kept Heart of the Underdog and Raigeki Break in my hands, Slifer would only have 3 000 ATK, not enough to kill The Masked Beast. Thus, I might as well make use of my Trap to protect him this turn.
It was obvious that my set card was going to hurt her on her turn, but she still had to attack Slifer while her monster was stronger than him. What else could she do? Wait until I drew enough cards for Slifer to destroy The Masked Beast?
''I draw! And with 3 Darklord Marie in my Graveyard, I gain 600 Life Points!'' Sibyl said, both of us knowing that this turn wouldn't be a pleasant one for her.
Gemini: 5300 LP
Sibyl: 4 100 LP
Then, Sibyl entered her Battle Phase, which was what I was waiting for. ''The Masked Beast, destroy Sli-''
I cut her off. ''I activate my Trap; Raigeki Break! I discard my Jerry Beans Man to destroy 1 card on the field, and I choose The Masked Beast!'' The Trap card flipped face-up as I pointed my finger at the ritual monster, and a single streak of thunder erupted from card to struck The Masked Beast.
But Sibyl hadn't finished her turn. ''Tch! I activate Monster Reborn to bring back The Masked Beast!''
Once again, the Spell Card appeared above a Monster Zone, on Sibyl's side this time. The Masked Beast jumped out of it.
And in reaction to the monster being brought back, Slifer's second mouth opened.
''Every time a monster is summoned on my opponent's field, Slifer attacks with his second mouth to reduce their points by 2 000!'' I said, before waving my open hand toward the resurrected monster, my fingers dramatically spread open. ''Slifer, Lightning Shot!''
A ball of purple electricity shot out of the god's higher mouth, and hit the smaller but powerful monster dead center. The Masked Beast screamed in pain, but held out, although it had lost over half of its power.
Slifer the Sky Dragon: 0 ATK
The Masked Beast: 1 700 ATK
It was still able to defeat Slifer, but the Battle Phase of this turn was finished, so I got to draw before it could attack again. As long as the first card I drew was a normal monster, then Slifer would have enough ATK to win.
I really needed to completely change my Deck, though, because victory or defeat depending on my next draw was a big sign that I still needed to rework my Deck. It was fine for playing against random people on Patch, but if this bullshit currently happening was going to happen again, then I needed something more.
But for now, I should focus on this Duel.
Sibyl gulped, knowing as well as I did that my next draw was going to be critical. ''I end my turn!'' Sibyl said, as she didn't have any cards other than her only monster on the field.
''I draw! Dragon Zombie, a normal monster!'' That I will gladly not summon, and not just because I needed to let Slifer accumulate some power. ''I draw again!'' Gravity Bind. I didn't need that card at this point, but eh. That gave me just enough ATK for Slifer.
Slifer the Sky Dragon: 2 000 ATK
''Slifer, destroy The Masked Beast! Thunderforce Attack!'' This time, Slifer opened his lower mouth, and electricity gathered in his mouth before being unleashed in a large beam of thunder.
Sibyl leaped to her left to avoid being caught in the attack aimed at her monster. The reason why became obvious when the attack ended. Even if the monsters' attacks passed through people, it still damaged inanimate objects. Slifer's attack shaved part of the building's roof off, making a hole starting from where The Masked Beast was and continuing until it reached the end of the roof.
If she hadn't gotten out of the way, she'd have fallen to the floor below, as the roof we were standing on crumbled under her feet.
Holy crap.
Gemini: 5300 LP
Sibyl: 3 800 LP
Only 300 damage, but that was going to get much higher during the next turns. This Duel was mine. ''I end my turn!''
''Are you seriously going to just ignore the damage that just happened?'' Robyn asked me, incredulous of how I was rolling with it as if there was no problem.
''Actual magic has been involved since the start of this duel. I'd rather focus on what I need to do to win than waste my energy on every 'surprising' bits of nonsense.'' I said.
If the woman had anything to say after that, it stayed unsaid as Sibyl declared the start of her own turn.
''I draw, and gain 600 Life Points!'' Sibyl said, taking only a look at her new and only card. ''I set a card and end my turn!''
Gemini: 5300 LP
Sibyl: 4400 LP
Either she was bluffing with a Spell Card, or she got a good Trap. It will make no difference.
''I draw!'' Seven Tools of the Bandit. So I didn't draw any extra cards this turn. Shame.
Slifer the Sky Dragon: 3 000 ATK
''Slifer, o mighty god, attack Sibyl directly! Thunderforce Attack!'' I ordered.
As Slifer's lighting was about to hit her, Sibyl's Trap Card flipped face-up and a force field blocked the dragon's attack.
''Ah, you fell into my trap! I activate Mirror Force! Now Slifer will be destroyed by his own attack!'' Sibyl said. Then her eyes widened in surprised when, instead of destroying my monster, Mirror Force broke apart under the divine electric beam and Slifer's attack continued toward her.
Gemini: 5300 LP
Sibyl: 1400 LP
Sibyl had survived the attack, but only barely.
When the attack ended, it left a hole in the bulding's roof, and my opponent had disappeared from our sight. Then Sibyl jumped out of the hole, a trail of black blood on the side of her head. She must have hit her head when falling with the broken roof.
''Isn't that going a bit too far, for a 'game'?'' Robyn asked, though not out of concern for Sibyl, of course. ''At this rate, this facility will be destroyed.''
''Don't worry. The next direct blow from Slifer will end this.'' I said. Or at least, it better, because the only reason we still had room on the roof was because it was large to begin with.
''Ugh, why did Mirror Force not work?'' Sibyl asked, looking directly at me. ''It should have destroyed your monster.''
I grinned. ''This is no monster. This, is a god.'' I wanted to use that line so much, eh.
''… You gave Slifer the anime effect, did you?'' Sibyl guessed right.
''Sort of. The whole 'divine hierarchy' thing as been replaced with an immunity to monsters with a lower level than him, so he's technically slightly nerfed compared to the show. But outside of that, yes, he's been left pretty much as powerful as in the show.'' I said. There were also a few other stuff missing, but still closer to the anime than Konami's version.
''… Fine. I surrender.'' Sibyl sighed.
''Really?'' Well, I didn't mind the Grimm going away now instead of later.
''Yeah, if I can't destroy him with card effects, then I have nothing left in my Deck that can beat him. Beside, another attack, and we won't have a roof to Duel on anyway.'' Sibyl admitted. Then she shook her head. ''Really, what were you thinking, dad? That's just going to break the game. As much as it's cool for the god cards to be at full power, priorising the balance of the game is just common sense.''
I got to use another line I loved for the first time, yay. ''I have transcended common sense!'' I suddenly yelled, stretching my arm to the side dramatically, with my hand open, fingers upward.
''… I can see that.'' Robyn deadpanned. ''So, can we have this staff thing back now?''
''Oh, sure.'' Sibyl handed me the Staff of Creation. ''The whole 'dropping Atlas on Mantle' was an empty threat anyway. Even if I had won, the kingdom would have been fine.''
''Really?'' I raised an eyebrow.
''Yeah, destroying the kingdom wasn't Salem's plan in the first place. Her plan was to use the staff to threaten Penny to follow me back to Evernight Castle, so that she could rip her Aura Fragment out of her and make another Grimm out of it, like me.'' Sibyl said.
She was being surprisingly open with Salem's plans… ''You're not actually loyal to Salem, are you?''
''Who is Salem?'' Robyn asked, Joanna and her being out of the loop.
''Oh, Salem is-''
I raised my hand to cut Sibyl off. ''Maybe we should have this talk away from unwanted ears.''
Surprisingly enough, my 'daughter' nodded, apparently willing to follow my word on this.
''Unwanted? Whether you want it or not, it's our home that was attacked and threatened. We're involved whether you want us to be or not.'' Robyn said.
''I mean, she make a good point.'' I heard Ruby says. ''At this point, we might as well just tell them.''
Should I? I doubted it. Most people who heard the full truth about Salem either surrendered to her or gave up on fighting against her. The main cast was an exception, but even amongst them, Ruby was pretty much the only one who didn't almost gave up and stepped out of the war. The only one who managed to resist the Apathy's power, even if only partially.
As much as I thought that either running away or surrendering to Salem to work for her were stupid decisions, the risk of unintentionally giving Salem more agents wasn't something I wanted to take. I couldn't handle those she already had in the first place. Plus, this Robyn woman was a politician, so that pretty much guaranteed that she was double-faced and self-serving under that pretense of caring about Mantle.
Thinking that a politician genuinely gave a crap about the people was like thinking that a prostitute was sleeping with you because she liked you. I'd say the prostitute was probably more honest, but I never hired one so I wouldn't know.
Still, Ruby was right. These two already heard too much. What should I do?
Before I came to a decision, Penny spoke up. ''Excuse me, friend-Gemini, shouldn't the Grimm currently attacking the city be our priority?''
Right, that was the most urgent problem. ''Fine, that talk can wait until that problem is solved. Sibyl, I believe you have your end of the deal to hold.'' She did say she'd stop the attack and retreat if I won.
''Sure. I was planning to make the Grimm retreat anyway. But if the Grimm suddenly ran away, people would ask questions, so I've got a better idead now.'' Sibyl said with a mischievous smirk. ''Just order Slifer to destroy the army of Grimm.''
''Wait, that would work?'' I asked in surprise.
''It would. The monsters, despite being made real through magic, are made to have their attacks phase through anything with a soul. It can't directly hurt people or animals, but the Grimm that aren't me or Augur are fair game.'' Sibyl said. Ah, so that Augur guy I killed earlier was another Grimm person like her.
He was attacking Penny. I felt no guilt.
I threw a look at the army of monster fighting the Atlesian's ships in the air. ''Slifer, hear my request! Destroy the army of Grimm and save this kingdom!''
Slifer rose back up in the air above Atlas, before opening its lower mouth and unleashing his beam of thunder on the side, pointedly aiming between the atlesian battleships to hit only the Grimm. The attack punched a hole into the swarm of Grimm, killing dozens of Grimm, many of which were Wyverns half the size of the Dragon Grimm at the Fall of Beacon.
In response to the god's aggression toward them, the Grimm charged at the red dragon, leaving the atlesian army alone. That just made them easier for Slifer to hit without causing friendly fire on Atlas.
''There. Like that, Slifer should be able to destroy the Grimm without accidentally hitting Atlas' ships.'' Sibyl said. So she was the one who commanded them to do that?
If so, then it was appreciated. Also, I took note of how she apparently didn't need to speak aloud or be heard by the Grimm to be able to control them.
As the Grimm flew toward him, Slifer opened his second mouth and shot balls of purple electricity at them, culling their numbers further before unleashing another beam from his other mouth. Then the Grimm reached him and the battle turned into a close-quarters one. If it could even be called a battle.
The Grimm's attacks did nothing to the Heavenly Dragon's hide, while he easily killed them in return, whether it was by bitting down on them, or by moving through the air and smashing the sides of his gargantuan body into them. Of course, just because the Grimm were close to him didn't stop Slifer from firing more thunder attacks from his mouth.
This wasn't a battle, but a one-sided massacre.
''This is so cool.'' Sibyl muttered to herself. Then, after only two minutes of this 'fight', when there was only a small part of the Grimm left, she spoke up. ''Alright, I think that concludes the day.'' Following her words, the people of Atlas were witness to the Grimm fleeing away. All in the same direction, which only made them easily wiped out by a last blast from Slifer.
Then Sibyl close her Grimm Disk, ending the connexion between our respective disks and causing both Mystical Plasma Zone and Slifer to disappear.
With the end of the Duel, Penny ended the music… Should I feel bad about using her like a giant, sapient music player?
''I so need to find a way to pull this off again without the need for your Grimm Disk.'' I said to Sibyl.
''Agreed. This was awesome!'' Ruby said. Although Sibyl wasn't convinced I could pull this off.
''Good luck, you'd first need a source of magic and then somehow manage to connect it to a Duel Disk.'' Sibyl snorted. ''Not exactly feasible.''
''Hmm. Perhaps not.'' Still, I was getting a few ideas. ''Either way, I believe it's time for us to talk.''
''Oh, yes. I'm sorry, but I have some pretty bad news for you. But first,'' Sibyl said, before seizing me by the shoulders, shaking me slightly as she continued, ''you need to go back to Patch and quick! Salem sent Tyrian to kidnap Ruby, so he has to be stopped!''
''… A little late for that.''
/-/
In the donjon under Evernight Castle, a young farm boy was kept imprisoned.
A few months ago, a large man named Hazel showed up at his family's farm and captured him. He was brought here, before the scary Grimm woman. who took a look at him, offered a dark smile, and ordered for him to be thrown into a cell.
Since then… Oscar has been pretty much left alone in there. His captors only interacted with him to bring him food, otherwise leaving him in his boredom.
Except for one, Sibyl. Despite being a Grimm person like the mistress of this castle, this one was… nice? She brought him books, a tv with movies and show cds, and even board and card games that she played with him.
He'd rather be back at his aunt's farm, to see the Sun again, but she was trying her best to alleviate the boredom he felt.
/-/
Penny, Sibyl and I were sitting inside my airship as we traded intel. Robyn and her friend got a call from the other two of their group, and in the hand decided to rejoin with them and make sure they were all fine instead of pressing me for answer. Perhaps because she knew I was unwilling to tell her anything if I could help it. Or perhaps because she was already overwhelmed enough by today's event as things were. Or because Slifer blasting his attacks around the building meant the military was going to come check on here soon, and them finding her on the site of a top secret lab would be... not illegal, given the special circumstances, but it would make things awkward. Probably a mix of the three.
Either way, Sibyl and I took a few minutes to quickly exchange intel. From me, Sibyl learned what happened to Ruby, and from Sibyl, I learned about Salem creating both her and this Augur, two human Grimm created from pieces of my soul, linked to the Shrine of Destruction and able to just respawn whenever they were killed. Sibyl also clarified that her mission in Atlas was to capture Penny and bring her to Salem so that the Queen of the Grimm could create a third one.
Really, really glad Sibyl didn't actually want to do that. Especially since Augur and her were apparently Level 100. I call hax.
Also, despite touching me, Sibyl's soul wasn't absorbed into mine. According to her, that was due to her Aura Fragment being firmly linked to the Pool of Darkness, the magic of the God of Darkness. This meant that I wasn't at risk of killing Sibyl by accident. That was a good thing.
It also meant I couldn't get rid of Augur permanently. That was bad.
She also told me about how Salem's side had confirmed that most of my fragments were kept by Ozpin at Beacon. That explained why I'd never heard of another one's location. Then she told me about Oscar.
''Salem imprisoned Oscar? Fuck...'' I swore at the news Sibyl delivered. According to her, Salem originally wanted to amputate all four of his limbs, to make sure Ozpin would be unable to do anything once he'd reincarnate into Oscar. Sibyl was the one who pleaded in he kid's favor, but she only managed to convinced Salem to keep that for once Ozpin would be dead.
''And as if that wasn't enough, Ruby is… God…'' Sibyl rubbed her head. ''At least you managed to pull a miracle to save her soul. Hi Ruby.'' She waved her hand toward no one in particular. ''Happy to meet you, though I wish it was in better circumstances.''
''Hi.'' Ruby said, before lowering her voice into a whisper, as if Sibyl could hear her otherwise. ''It's kinda weird to see a non-evil Grimm.''
''… Ruby says hi.'' I relayed. Sibyl's lips curled up in a smile despite the situation.
''So… What do we do, now?'' Penny asked.
That was the one trillion Lien question, wasn't it? ''First, Sibyl, would you be able to go put the Staff of Creation back at its place and close the door of the vault?''
''Nope!'' Sibyl answered without hesitation. ''I mean, I could bring the staff back, but the Grimm I left to guard the entrance of the vault have been cleaned up by now. Since the place would be secured by the atlesian military and I don't have anymore Grimm on hand, I'd just get shot before I could get close.''
''Ah, so even if the staff would end up back there, the door would stay open and anyone would be able to walk through and destroy the kingdom.'' That complicated matters, but I might have an idea to fix this. ''As long as the staff isn't used to create something else, it will continue to create energy to keep Atlas in the air, right? Regardless of where it is?''
Sibyl nodded. ''Yep, that's how it works. Could be on the other side of Remnant and it'd still power Atlas.''
I grinned. ''Then I think I know what to do with the staff.''
''Oh! Is it crazy scheme time?'' Ruby asked.
''You bet it is.'' I said. Sibyl raised an eyebrow at me. ''Sorry, I was answering Ruby.''
''What is this scheme you came up with?'' Penny asked with wide, curious eyes. She was adorable.
''I was planning to use the Lamp of Knowledge to learn who would be able to make Ruby's new body. I could use the opportunity to lock the staff in the vault while I'm at it. The hard part would be getting Raven to cooperate, but I've got an idea for that as well.''
''Eh? Yang's mom? Are you sure that's a good idea?'' Ruby asked, aware of how dangerous the woman could be.
Sibyl looked torn at the idea. ''That sounds incredibly risky… But I suppose you wouldn't be this confidant about it if you weren't sure you could pull it off. Still, I wish I could accompagny you.''
''You have to go report to Salem, is that right?'' I guessed.
''Yeah… But can you at least take Penny with you?''
''No.''
''Why, friend-Gemini?'' Penny asked, confused. ''I'm sure I would be able to help. I only need to replace the swords of Floating Array that were broken by Augur.''
I shook my head. ''That's not my concern. Penny… You only just lost your father. Stay in Atlas, be there for his burial, and take the time you need to mourn.'' I said in a soft tone.
Penny's face fell. ''But… You need help.''
''And you need to say goodbye to your father.'' I said. Penny nodded, and I gave her a hug.
She hugged me back, her arms squeezing my sides. It hurts a bit, but I stayed silent. She needed this.
''… How are you feeling?'' I asked her.
''I'm fine. *Hic*'' Penny mumbled, before hiccuping.
''Penny.''
''I… Father is d-dead.'' Her grip tightened around me. ''He's gone, my only family, and it hurts so much.''
''… It always hurts to lose someone.'' I said, before thinking of something. ''But you're not alone, Penny. You still have family left.''
''I do?''
''You were made with a part of my soul, right? In a way, it's like we're related, so you can consider me family if you want.'' I said, smiling. God, I hoped I wasn't overstepping.
Penny didn't seem to think I was, though, as she smiled. ''You mean it?''
''Yes. If you want, you can call me your big brother.'' Dr Polendina was her father, and I wasn't going to take that spot from the man.
''Big brother-Gemini?'' Penny said, trying out the words. Then she hugged me harder.
''Argh! Penny, too tight. Too tight.'' I squeaked out, barely able to emit sound.
She let me go immediately, with obvious guilt on her face. ''Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-''
I cut her off by giving her another hug. ''It's alright. Just be careful to mind your strength. You're a lot stronger than most people.''
Then Sibyl joined in the hug. A good thing that Penny was safe from having her soul absorped by mere touch after it became re-linked to my semblance. ''I, for one, am happy with Penny being my auntie.'' Sibyl said.
''Ah, I'm happy too, niece-Sibyl?'' Penny said, though she sounded a little unsure. Things did get complicated fast today.
But apart from that, weren't we such a cute little family?
Our hug was interrupted by a scroll ringing. Couldn't be mine, since I put it on silence due to receiving anrgy texts from my sister demanding I get back to Vale. I checked my scroll to be sure, and nope, it wasn't mine.
Also, wow, I had over a hundred death threats from Yang. And the number was rising.
''Yang…'' I heard Ruby's uneasy whisper, as she too could see the death threats. Some off them were… very imaginative. And graphic.
''Oh, sorry, that's mine.'' Sibyl said, taking out a scroll from a pocket inside her dress. ''Hello?''
''Your army is defeated. Surrender at once, and you'll receive a fair trial for your crimes.'' A familiar voice came out of Sibyl's scroll.
… Why did Winter had Sibyl's number?
''Aww, snow angel, you called me. But we can't, we have to wait until I'm 18 before you lock me up in your family's donjon and have your wicked, torrid way with me.'' Sibyl said. On the other side of the line, Winter sputtered.
Excuse me, what?
''Y-you degenerate!'' Winter said, but too baffled to sound as firm as she no doubt intended to.
''Wait until we're in bed and I'll show you just how 'degenerate' I can be, hot stuff.'' Sibyl said.
''Oh, this is gold.'' Ruby said, clearly more amused by Sibyl's antic than Winter was. Or maybe it was because of Winter's reaction that she found it funny.
''The only gold here is in my electronic components, friend-Ruby.'' Penny said.
Sibyl gave Penny a strange look, but Winter spoke first. ''Penny? Is that you? What are you doing? That girl is an enemy and a threat against Atlas, you must subdue her immediately.''
''Negative, Winter. My Floating Array has been damaged during the Grimm's assault, I am not combat ready.''
Winter's breath stopped for a moment as she heard the new. ''Then you are in danger. Quick, you must flee!''
''Negative. The enemy has already been defeated.'' Penny said, confusing Winter further.
I took Sibyl's scroll from her hands. ''I'll take it from here. Hello, Winter.''
''Gemini?'' Winter's eyes narrowed as she tried to understand what was going on. ''When did you get back to Atlas? And why are you and Penny talking so casually to the enemy?''
I sighed. ''I came to Atlas due to urgent personal matters and happened to run into Penny and then into the enemy commander. Well, both of them.''
''There is another one like that girl!?'' Winter's face showed a mix of surprise and horror.
''Yes. I killed him and then Sibyl approached me in an attempted to recruit me. I didn't accept, obviously, and that lead to a one versus one duel. I won against her and destroyed her army of Grimm, though I supposed you noticed that last part.'' I said.
''You destroyed the army of Grimm? Are you saying that dragon was your doing!?''
''Yep. Don't expect me to be able to pull that one off again, though.'' I warned her. ''That was only possible due to special circumstances.'' I couldn't just summon a god on demand.
''I-I…'' I could almost hear her brain struggling to keep up with the situation. To be fair, it was kinda out there. ''What even was that thing?''
''Err… That was Slifer.''
''Who?'' Winter asked. Right, I guess she never gave a glance toward Yu-Gi-Oh. I'd have been surprised if she had.
''I'm kind of pressed by time, right now. Penny can give you and General Ironwood a full report. As for the dragon… It's a god from the card game I made. Anyone familiar with those can tell you what Slifer is, really. You can just ask Whitley.''
''… A card game?'' Winter repeated, completely lost. '''Card games' don't crush entire armies of Grimm!''
''They do now.'' I said. ''Anyway, I gotta go. Since the door of the vault has been left open, putting the Staff of Creation back here is a huge security risk for Atlas. So I'll be taking care of that particular problem and make sure Salem can't get her hands on the staff.''
''Salem? Staff of Creation? What are you on about?'' Winter asked, even more confused than before.
''Oh. Guess that means it's above your security clearance. Sorry.'' I hoped what I told her already won't get her in trouble. ''You'll have to ask General Ironwood. He's the one with the authority to reveal Atlas' state secrets. And I'm sorry for the trouble my daughter caused. Have a nice day.''
''Daughter? Wait-''
*Click* I ended the call.
I'd be worried about openly calling Sibyl my daughter in front of Ironwood's men, but Penny couldn't lie for crap anyway, so trying to hide that was an exercise in futility.
''Hey, I hadn't finished talking to her.'' Sibyl pouted.
''Yes, you were. Don't flirt with a woman a decade older than you, especially while you're still a minor.'' I said. Also, due to the marriage contract with Weiss, Winter was pretty much Sibyl's aunt-in-law.
''You can't tell me what not to do, you aren't- Wait, no. You are my father. Fuck.'' She swore.
''And don't swear.''
''Ugh.'' Rolling her eyes, Sibyl didn't grace that last bit with a response. ''Winter isn't a decade older than me anyway. She's only 9 years older.''
''She's still an adult and you're still a minor. My point still stands.''
''But she's Winter! She's like Weiss, but better in every aspect. I don't understand why you went after Weiss.''
''That's because I didn't. Jacques forced a marriage contract on us. Weiss and I actually hate each other.''
''Wait, really?'' Sibyl's eyes widened in surprise. ''Uh, that does make sense, now that I think about it. Ah, anyway, Are you sure you don't want to come back with me to the Land of Darkness?''
''Why would I want to do that?'' I said with a raised eyebrow.
''To seduce Salem and keep her too pregnant to plot her conquest of the world? She's been on a dry spell for thousands of year, the chances of her being sidetracked by the hormones are actually pretty good.'' Sibyl said, looking at me expectantly.
She couldn't really think I'd agree to that, could she? ''I'm not fucking Salem.'' I said. I couldn't even count the amount of red flags that woman had. Plus, I was pretty sure I introduced enough nonsense to Remnant today without having to go and echo White Sheep.
''Yes. Good decision.'' Ruby said through her teeth, angry at Sibyl for even proposing the idea.
Sibyl sighed. ''Yeah, that's about the answer I expected.''
''Why did you even ask if you know I'd refuse?'' I said. The more time passed, the more disgusted I was at the idea of shacking up with Salem. The braggings right for sleeping with the most powerful woman on Remnant was just not worth it when said woman was Salem. She killed her daughters, for fuck's sake. Yes, she didn't aim her magic at them, but she still crumbled a castle on their head in a fit of rage.
''… I just want little siblings.'' Sibyl pouted.
''Best I can do are half-siblings.'' I snarked, though I wasn't saying outloud that was thinking specifically about kids with silver-eyes. I still felt my cheeks heat up a little, though. ''Either way, you're going to have to wait until I'm an adult, because right now I'm literally just 14.''
''Yes. Once we're adult. Not a moment sooner. Each things in its time.'' Ruby said, just keeing to add something to the previous bit. She was probably embarrassed.
Sorry, Ruby.
Also, fuck. A robot body wouldn't cut it to make kids, wouldn't it? Argh. Whatever, bring Ruby back, then figure out how to have kids.
''I do not believe I would want Salem as a sister-in-law.'' Penny said. Thanks Penny.
''Alright, alright. It's probably the right choice anyway.'' 'Probably!?' ''I guess I'll be going back to the McEvil Castle of Doom on my own, then.'' With that, she shoved her scroll into the green crystal poking out from her chest. ''C'mon, dad, stab me.''
''… Excuse me?'' I knew she said Augur and her just respawned, but still…
''Dying is quicker to get back to Everknight Castle. I could do it myself, but you might as well get xp from it.'' Sibyl said with a smile, as if she wasn't asking me to kill her.
''I know killing you won't stick, but I'm still not comfortable doing it… Can I kill Augur a second time instead?''
''Don't be like that. You'll need every bits of strength you can get your hands on if you want to keep yourself and those you care about alive.'' Sibyl said before giving me a wide grin. ''I've got plenty of green mushrooms in reserve.''
''What does mushrooms have to do with you not staying dead, niece-Sibyl?'' Penny asked, not getting the reference.
''I'd like to know too.'' Ruby said.
''Video game reference, don't worry about it you two.'' I answered them, before turning toward Sibyl and taking out Gambol Shroud. ''You're sure you'll be okay?''
Sibyl's grin turned into a timid smile. ''It's great to know you accept me and care, dad, but you really don't need to worry. I'll be perfectly fine. I died tons of times already.''
… That wasn't something I was happy to hear.
I sighed. ''Fine, fine. I'll try to make this quick.'' I raised Blake's sword and moved, the blade about to pierce Sibyl's skull.
But before the weapon touched her, I froze. For a moment, the image of Ruby superimposed on Sibyl, as my mind was brought back to several hours earlier, when… Ruby…
I came back to my senses after a few seconds, to find that I had recoiled away from Sibyl and had fell on my ass. All three girls were calling out to me, worried about my reaction.
My breathing slowed down, and I only just now noticed I was breathing harder than normal. At the same time, I noticed the tears starting to run down my cheeks.
''God, dad, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?'' Sibyl asked, her voice filled with guilt, and a hint of confusion.
''I… I have to be.'' I answered. Okay or not, I couldn't stop now.
''Big brother-Gemini… You are not okay.'' Penny said. I winced. ''The state you're currently in indicates that you suffers from shock, possibly post-traumatic stress disorder.''
''What!? Is that true?'' Ruby asked.
''I don't know.'' I said, my mouth moving faster than my mind. ''I mean, shock is a definitive yes. I literally saw my gi- best friend die only a few hours ago. But PTSD? Maybe. It depends. It's only PTSD if it last long-term. Otherwise it's just shock and it'll fade away in… I don't know, a couple of days?'' How did PTSD work again?
''Then take a few days to recuperate before going to see Raven.'' Ruby asked.
''I can't do that, Ruby.'' I said, sure of myself on that. ''For one, General Ironwood probably has enough questions for me that if he got his hands on me, I'd be tied down for weeks at least. With Salem on the move, we may not have weeks.''
If I was Salem, with knowledge of the canon's future timeline, I'd consider Raven the best target to go after, once Cinder had the Fall Maiden's power. Not the best because she'd be easy to beat, but because she was already a known quantity, heavily disliked by Ozpin's faction, and in a remote area where nobody would hear of her death until months after the fact.
Sure, Raven was stronger than Cinder, even when the later had the full powers of a Maiden, but that was nothing the support of Cinder's minions, Hazel, Tyrian… and now Augur, couldn't fix. The only issue was her semblance…
My blood froze in my veins. ''Sibyl! Has Salem hinted in anyways that she was going after Raven soon?'' I asked, my previous state all but forgotten and my voice sharp enough to cut steel.
''Eh? No, she didn't.'' Sibyl answered. ''She even forbade from going after Raven for now, at least for as long as Ozpin's side doesn't make a move toward her first. But she might change her mind after her current plans were ruined. I can't honestly pretend I can predict how she'll react to a god showing up and saving Atlas. I wouldn't be surprised if Augur would bring up the idea, at least.''
''Then I must get the lamp and be back in Vale ASAP.'' I said.
''Why is that? Wouldn't it be wiser to approach the situation carefully? Rushing could lead you to fail.'' Penny said.
''Maybe, but if Salem decides to go after Raven, the first smart move would be to cut off her escape routes to prevent her from running away. And with her semblance…''
''Her 'escape routes' are the rest of Ruby's family.'' Sibyl finished, her eyes widening in fear.
''No… Please, anything but that.'' I heard Ruby whisper in horror.
Justified horror. If Salem went after Yang… She was much stronger than in canon, on par with Neo. Maybe slightly stronger. But even Neo had submitted to Cinder out of fear for her life.
Yang wouldn't stand a chance.
''Penny!'' I spoke, with a commanding tone. ''When you make your report to General Ironwood, make sure to insist on the possibility that Salem may target Yang and the rest of her family. Ozpin must be warned. Also, we have to make sure that Watts doesn't learn that Sibyl isn't actually loyal to Salem. Since everything Ironwood would know, Watts would, Sibyl secretly being on our side must be kept out of your report. Can I trust you with this?''
''Yes. It will be done.'' Penny said, giving me a salute as she did.
''Sibyl!'' My daughter stiffened. ''I want you to contact me and leak Salem's plans to me whenever you can. Take my contact informations to do so.'' She nodded, and we quickly exchanged numbers.
''If we work together, we can do this. We can save the world from Salem, and stop her from taking away our loved ones.'' I said, earning me nods from the two girl. Maybe even from Ruby too, but I couldn't see her. ''There is no need to despair. Thus, we will not. Understood?''
''Understood!'' All three girls said in unison.
''Sibyl, you swear death will not stick to you?'' I asked for confirmation's sake.
''I swear. You do not need to fear for me, father. I am immortal.''
''Then I wish you well. Be careful.'' I said, before hardening my grip on Gambol Shroud.
She knew what that meant, and lifted her chin to expose the bottom of her skull. I stab through her jaw and pierced the brain.
For a moment, I felt the weight of her dead body on my arm, before it disappeared as her body, including the fragment of my aura serving as her soul, disintegrated, leaving only her clothes behind.
I dropped the sword, my hands shaking too much to be able to continue holding it. Penny hugged me, and after a minute or two of her holding me, I went back to normal.
''Thank you, Penny.''
''It's a pleasure. Are you sure you are in a state to continue, though?'' She asked, worried.
''No. I'm not really sure about a lot of things right now. Only that I don't have other options but to try.'' I said. Truth be told, I wanted nothing more than crash on a couch and pretend my worries didn't exist.
But I first had to do what I must before I could do what I wanted.
There might be no guarantee that Salem would go after Raven soon, but I needed to go to the Branwen tribe anyway, so just in case, I should hurry and get back to Vale before Salem had the time to start attacking Yang, Mr Xiao-Long or Mr Branwen.
''Oh… Alright then. Just try to not push yourself too hard, okay?'' Penny said.
''I second that.'' Ruby said. ''Seriously, Gem, there's no point in doing all this if you don't come out of it alive and well, too.''
''I know, I know.'' I said, starting to get a little exasperated. ''That goes for you as well, Penny. If you ever feel alone and want to talk to friends, don't hesitate to use the Chat function to talk to Ruby and I. We'd always be happy to talk.''
''Really? I can?''
''Of course you can. Doesn't matter how far we are, we're still friends and we're not abandoning you.'' Ruby said.
Penny smiled. Even if her father's loss hurts, the future had hope to latch onto, and she wouldn't walk toward it alone. ''Thank you, friend-Ruby, big brother-Gemini.''
After a last hug, Penny stepped out of The Brick, and I stored Sibyl's clothes in a corner of the airship before taking flight as my newfound sorta-adopted little sister waved me goodbye.
I waved back, before accelerating out of Atlas and toward Mistral.
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Slifer the Sky Dragon's effect in A Wicked Game:
(This card is also treated as a Dragon-Type monster.) Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Set). This card's Normal Summon cannot be negated. When Normal Summoned, cards and effects cannot be activated. Cannot be Tributed by your opponent. Cannot leave the field by the effects of Spell/Trap cards. This card is unaffected by the effects of any monster whose Level is lower than this card's Level. During the End Phase, negate the effects of any card that affected this card during the turn. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the number of cards in your hand × 1000. When your opponent Summons a monster, reduces its ATK or DEF by 2000, depending on its Battle Position. If that monster's ATK or DEF is reduced to 0 as a result, it is destroyed.
Time to go meet birb auntie.
This chapter's name is a reference to the Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged's parody name. 'Slifer the Executive Producer'.
Next chapter will be named 'Bomberman'.