That same evening, Homanu was lying on his bed, staring at the bedroom ceiling. Earlier in the day, he had a Game Duel, which was exactly what he offered to Kero in an attempt to change his mood before their brief fallout. While the two reconciled, Kero wasn't able to tag along with him, for he himself was ill in bed for having one too many pieces of mizu yokan.
As Homanu thought about it, it probably was a good thing that Kero wasn't able to accompany him. After all, what Homanu had just experienced would likely never leave his thoughts.
About forty-five minutes earlier, Homanu participated in a Game Duel in one of Alba Litora's alleyways. But much like the duel between Mira and Hawk, Homanu was dueling in an attempt to rescue an innocent bystander. The victim in question was a stout man in his early sixties with purple eyes, perfectly groomed yellow hair, and spiky gray bangs.
His attacker was a boy around the same age as Homanu, with unruly light brown hair, intimidating gray eyes, and a slightly muscular build. He was dressed in a gray sleeveless shirt underneath a black leather vest, black bedazzled wrist bracelets, tattered onyx pants, and brown combat boots. On front of the shirt was a logo resembling a face comprised of black mist with eyes and a mouth of sinister white, and a pair of horns jutting from the cheeks. Underneath the face was three playing cards: a six of clubs, a six of diamonds, and a six of spades. The D-Gear he wore had a black dial, and projected a red blade.
Concerning the ongoing duel itself, there was only one monster on Homanu's field: Nitro Avenger Fireheart, his orange-suited fiery ace that closely resembled himself. Homanu's opponent, on the other hand, was not so lucky, for he had no monsters to defend himself.
"Game over, Karamar!" Homanu shouted. Stretching out his arm, he commanded, "Fireheart, end this!" Fireheart flung a yellow-orange fireball from his fist directly at Karamar. After he was knocked down, a virtual screen displaying Homanu's profile with 'WIN' written underneath popped open.
As Karamar slowly got himself up, he seethed through his gritted teeth as he glared at Homanu, anger clearly written across his eyes. "You lost, Karamar," Homanu said to his defeated opponent, "so you'll have to leave this guy alone, like you said you would!"
"Okay, fine!" Karamar shouted, stomping a foot on the gravel. "But mark my words, Ishako – you haven't seen the last of Devil's Hand, and you certainly haven't seen the last of me! I will find you again – and when I do, you will regret everything – not just for beating me, but for ditching our gang!"
"I'd like to see you try," Homanu said, completely unmoved as he crossed his arms.
"You will!" Karamar vowed, turning to run out of the alleyway. Once he was sure that there was no sign of him, Homanu turned his attention to the old man. "Don't worry, sir," Homanu said, "he's gone now."
"Thanks, son," the elderly man said, coughing a bit. "I really owe you for saving my hide back there."
"Please, it was nothing," Homanu said reassuringly. "I'm just glad you're alright."
"Oh, nonono, I insist on rewarding you for your brave heroics!" the man said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. It looked just like Mira's, except this necklace had a small ruby tablet encased inside a yellow tag, all hung by an orange string. On the tablet itself was the carving of a crude volcano, complete with what appeared to be a magma chamber.
Homanu knew this tag looked awfully familiar, and he quickly found out why. "This… this looks like the kind of necklace Mira got!" he gasped.
"Hmm… Who is this 'Mira' you speak of, son?" the man asked.
"She's… she's my friend," Homanu explained. "She was rescuing some kid not too long ago, and he gave her a necklace like this one." Upon hearing himself say those words, a wild hypothesis flashed across his brain. "Are you Eiko?!"
"Nope," the man replied, shaking his head. "Never heard of the little fella. But please, keep it – you've earned it after what you've done for me. Now, I'd best be on my way." He quietly left the alley.
"Wait! Sir, I have some more questions!" Homanu called. But the man refused to listen – he kept on walking, ignoring Homanu all the way.
Homanu had no idea why a stranger like the man he just rescued would give him something this valuable as a reward, especially since it closely resembled the kind of necklace Mira got some few days ago. But the bustling streets of Alba Litora was probably not the best place for speculations. Besides, it was getting close to curfew. With no other choice, Homanu sighed and headed back to the orphanage, the necklace tucked carefully in his pocket.
That was all Homanu remembered, even as he continued to stare at the ceiling. But it wasn't long before he reached into his shirt's collar and pulled out the exact same necklace he received from the mysterious man, volcano carving and all.
'Why did that guy give me this necklace?' the quizzical and concerned Homanu thought. 'Why is this the same kind of necklace Mira got? And if this really is the kind of necklace Mira got… are people gonna think I'm going crazy, too?' Those were just a few of the questions that came to Homanu's mind as he continued to worriedly reminisce over the events that led up to him acquiring this unknown artifact.
YU-GI-OH! CHRONIXII
LEVEL 1-11
RETURN OF DEVIL'S HAND
Back at the mysterious Mesoamerican altar, the girl in dark gray and yellow, Jupiter, had just finished her announcement to her subjects below, and started descending the stairs. Her three cronies were dressed in white futuristic robes, each one individually having differently colored accents: violet, orange and red.
"Our time… is nigh, Mistress Jupiter?" the figure in white and violet queried in a male voice. "Does this mean another Wielder has actually been found?!" He was among the shortest of the members and, based on the pitch of his voice, presumably the youngest. Green eyes shone from underneath the hood.
"Well, it's about time something happened! I was getting sick and tired of doing nothing but fucking my time away!" the one in white and red rudely remarked in a male Cockney accent, crossing his arms. Blue eyes shone from underneath the hood.
"C'mon, Mars, don't be so impulsive!" the boy in white and violet playfully teased. "I'm sure Jupiter's gonna tell us when we'll move out, sooner or later!"
The last of the three figures, the one in white and orange robes, remained silent. Not much else was known about this figure, other than they were around the same height as the boy in white and purple, and that golden eyes shone from underneath the hood.
"Mercury's right, Mars," Jupiter firmly spoke once she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Even if the third of the six Wielders has been revealed to us, it's still not the proper time for us to execute our assault upon them. We must wait until there are enough to traverse through to the other worlds!"
"Yeah, Mars!" Mercury teased. "You really need to learn to be patient!"
"And you need to watch your mouth, Mercury, unless you want a fat lip!" Mars threatened, violently holding a gauntlet-clad fist dangerously close to the face of the boy in white and purple.
"That's enough, you two!" Jupiter shouted, ceasing the quarreling. "If we are to succeed in cleansing these worlds of impurity and sin, it requires everyone's utmost cooperation! And that especially includes you two!"
"Yes, Mistress Jupiter…" Mercury and Mars bitterly obeyed.
"Good," Jupiter said, ignoring the reluctance in their reply. Suddenly, she noticed something, and proceeded to place her fingertips on her forehead in frustration. "Argh, where on Earth is Uranus?! It's of vital importance that he knows about this!"
No sooner were those words spoken when a cluster of spring green digital pixels formed before the robed figures. The pixels transformed into a tall, slender man with dyed electric green hair with the bangs gelled into a wave, dressed in white with green accents. It merely consisted of a long-tailed jacket with trimmings of two different shades of green, over a jumpsuit with boots that had lime green trim and soles. He also wore a wrist-length forest green gauntlet on his left hand, which included an emerald in its center. The white mask he wore resembled the Krana Vu, its green symbol being an upright male gender symbol with a dot in the center loop. Red lights shone through the eyeholes.
"Sorry I'm late!" the entering man said rather snootily, much to the annoyances of his colleagues. "If you're going to be the best Knight of Itzamna, you certainly have to look your best!"
"Well, you're not the best Knight we've had," Jupiter scolded, "and how you look is certainly of no importance!"
"Seriously, Uranus," Mars complained, "are you trying to be a total fuckup like Ganymede was?!"
"Mars, I can handle this!" Jupiter scolded at Mars. Her reaction made Mars slouch bitterly as he crossed his arms. Returning her focus to Uranus, Jupiter continued, "As I was telling the others before your tardiness, the third of the six Wielders has been revealed!"
"Oh, how wonderful!" Uranus cheered flamboyantly, completely oblivious to Jupiter's criticisms towards his behavior. "That means we're gonna go and destroy those Wielders!"
"No, it does not – not yet, anyhow!" Jupiter barked. "We must wait until enough Wielders have been revealed!"
"But how long will that be?!" Uranus whined, falling to his knees. "I wanna destroy the Wielders now! How else will I please the almighty Itzamna?!"
'If you truly wish to please me,' a deep male voice spoke, 'then you shall oblige to the orders of your superior, and wait until the proper moment to purify these worlds.'
One would assume that the voice was coming out of nowhere, but the robed figures knew exactly where it came from. It came from the faint silhouette of a large monolith-like robot whose red runes began to shine. The center carving was the pattern of the Krana Xa, with eleven connected circles forming a crude cross, four of which were in between the intersecting points.
"Great Itzamna!" Uranus heavily gasped. He immediately began bowing before the monolith, much to the increased annoyances of his accomplices. "Oh, Great Itzamna, how I am honored to be in your presence! But please, I must know – why are we not yet permitted to annihilate these Wielders?! Especially me, your newest but most devout servant whose greatest desire is to assist you in purifying all these worlds?!"
'Because,' Itzamna sternly replied, 'as Jupiter has just said, and as I am about to reiterate, it is not yet the proper time to traverse into the other worlds. Remember what happened to Ganymede, when he defiantly disobeyed his superior's orders and battled against the duelist chosen as one of the Wielders?'
"I most certainly do," Jupiter replied bitterly. "And yet, I should realize that his defiance has served some purpose…"
'Indeed. But even if Ganymede's reckless defiance did reveal the existence of another Wielder, he nevertheless lost his life in the process! That is why I am strictly forbidding you from letting your own impulsiveness from getting the better of you! Understand?!'
"Y-Yes, Great Itzamna!" Uranus whimpered, getting himself up.
'Good,' said Itzamna. After a brief pause, he continued, 'Jupiter, any reports on the body I am to possess?'
"Great Itzamna," Jupiter fearlessly confessed, "I regret to inform you that we were too preoccupied with seeking out the identities of the remaining Wielders – thus, we didn't put much dedication into finding your vessel. But I can guarantee that we will find that person soon!"
'I hope so, Jupiter. My current state is the only way I can be in your presence, for my spirit currently cannot exist in the physical world without a physical host. My presence is of the utmost importance if I am to truly assist you in purifying these worlds!'
"I understand that completely, Great Itzamna. I still don't know how or when we'll find your vessel – but rest assured, we will!"
'Good – because the ultimate plan for interdimensional purification must not fail!'
No one said a word to this bold declaration. Instead, the robed figures expressed their approval by dropping to one knee and raising their hands high towards the monolith that was their divine leader.
Five days had passed since the events at the hospital Mira was at. It was now the crack of dawn, and Sister Golas was standing outside the doorway of the orphanage, along with Homanu and Kero, both of whom were still in their sleepwear. All of them looked as if they were expecting something or someone to arrive – and indeed, they were.
A small hovercraft resembling a transit bus pulled up by the orphanage's entrance gate, and only one passenger boarded off: Mira Yukiko, who was back in her everyday attire.
After the bus pulled off to resume its route, there was silent tension between Mira and the three at the entrance door. About ten seconds later, Mira began to walk towards the group. She did not hurry or slow her step – though she had to admit, she was fearing the worst. But to her surprise, once she was close enough, Sister Golas ran to embrace her.
Mira was perplexingly surprised at this sign of affection – especially since, previously, Sister Golas harshly berated her and severely punished her. "Wait, what's going on?!" Mira cried. "I thought you were angry with me! What's with all the sudden love?"
"Mira," Sister Golas replied, sighing in relief as she released her hold, "I'll admit, I was upset about what you did by endangering yourself like that, and I still am. But I should've known better than to let my anger get the better of me. And besides – like the Story of the Runaway Son, I am more than thankful that you've come back to us!"
"I… I don't know what to say!" the flattered and heartfelt Mira said.
"Homanu, isn't there anything you wanna say to Mira?" Kero teasingly asked Homanu, nudging him with his elbow.
Hearing this made Mira focus her attention onto Homanu, who just stared at her, afraid to even speak. He, too, berated her back in the hospital; but the fallout between him and Kero made him realize that a good part of it was his fault for obsessively caring for her wellbeing. What's more, he got a necklace just like Mira's, and he couldn't tell her about it – and not just because he'd feel like a hypocrite that way. But as far as apologies went, he knew what had to be done.
"Mira…" he said hesitantly. He paused to take a deep breath, and then resumed, "…I'm sorry."
"Sorry? For what?" Mira asked.
"I… I was being too overprotective," Homanu explained, still struggling to admit most of what happened to Mira was his own fault. "I got so worried about you, what with all the talks about this 'pink thing' and the way you've been blankly staring into space… I guess I got a little carried away…"
"Homanu… I forgive you," Mira said, stretching out a hand with a gentle smile. Homanu immediately grasped it, rebuilding their friendship. "Sister Golas must've read you the riot act for a change, didn't she?"
"Actually, you have Kero to thank for all this," Sister Golas said as Kero cheerfully waved at Mira. "Around dinnertime on the day we came to see you, he and Homanu had a bit of a fallout that was about to turn violent. Thankfully, I stopped it just in time. But if Kero hadn't behaved the way he did back there, I wouldn't have been able to scold Homanu like that, and he probably would've never seen the error of his ways!"
"Wow, imagine that," Homanu chuckled. "Kero overreacting actually fixed things for a change."
"Yep!" Kero chirped. "Me overreacting like that made it all be- HEY!" The realization of this remark made the insulted and embarrassed Kero hunch over and cross his arms, pouting all the while.
"Ah, don't be upset, lad," Sister Golas said, patting Kero on the shoulder. "The important thing is that Mira's back home with us, and that all the drama between her and Homanu is water under the bridge!"
"Yeah, we really couldn't have done it without you," Mira said, earning her a heartfelt blushing smile from Kero. Then she asked Sister Golas, "So, now that we've had our little reunion… what does that mean for me and my current punishment?"
"Well," Sister Golas replied, "after the near incident we've had here, and the realization that I let my emotions get the better of me, I have been pondering about what to do about your punishment. I've eventually decided that while I'm still holding on to your Disk for the time being, I'll ease it to a week instead of three months."
"That sounds fine, Sister Golas," Mira said with a gentle smile.
"Good," said Sister Golas. "Now c'mon, let's get you inside and washed up; breakfast will begin in a few hours, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of people who can't wait to see you." Mira nodded as she and the others headed inside the main building.
A little over two hours later, it was time for breakfast. The group of friends sat at their usual table, with Mira still in her regular attire. And while the other orphans that were present wanted to focus on eating, at least half of them were considerate enough to properly welcome Mira back.
"Boy, it's great to be back; eh, Onee-chan?" Kero chirped with a mouth full of food.
"I'll say it is," Mira replied. "I was starting to get sick of eating nothing but hospital meals these past couple of days…"
Just then, Reggie slowly entered the cafeteria, yawning and rubbing one of her half-open eyes. But they immediately shot open as soon as she saw Mira sitting at the table. "Mira! You're back!" she squealed. Without wasting a second, she rushed over to Mira and tightly hugged her.
"I'm glad to see you too, Reggie," Mira said, gently hugging her back.
"Alright, Reggie," Sister Golas said, approaching the table, "I know you're excited to see Mira back, but your little reunion can wait after breakfast."
"I'm sorry, Sister Golas," Reggie said, still smiling. "It's just that I haven't seen Mira in, like, forever!"
"Reggie, she's only been gone for about a week," Homanu corrected her.
"Well, a week sure feels like forever!" Reggie whined.
"But of all the orphans to return, why did it have to be Mira of all people?!" a voice rudely remarked. It belonged to none other than Yuri, who was scowling directly at Mira.
"Yuri Kensho, that's a terrible thing to say!" Sister Golas scolded. "Mira has been hospitalized, and this is how you welcome her back?!"
"Don't worry, Sister Golas," Homanu comforted his caretaker. "I'll bet Yuri's just acting like that 'cause Mira beat him during the unveiling of Fusion Monsters, and that he couldn't handle her criticism towards him."
"I know why he's really upset!" Reggie interrupted. "All this is because Arthur chose Mira to be his opponent at that event, and not him!"
"Well, I'm sure you're upset for not being chosen, too!" Yuri remarked. Actually, Reggie was rather upset about it, but felt too insulted to even comment.
"That's quite enough, Yuri!" Sister Golas firmly spoke. "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior any longer! Apologize to Mira right now, or-"
Her disciplinary action was interrupted by a rusty wrench being hurled from the outside, shattering through one of the stained-glass windows of the orphanage and hitting a nearby wall, creating frantic panic inside. No one was hurt, but Sister Golas was scared out of her mind. As Yusaku tried his hardest to calm all of the panicking orphans, Homanu ran to the caretaker's aid. "Sister Golas! Are you alright?!" he cried.
"I… I… I don't know, l-lad!" the aghast Sister Golas replied, hyperventilating a bit. "I-I'm just surprised that someone would even do such a thing!"
"Well, it can't be the first time it's happened, can it?!" Mira cried, also rushing to Sister Golas's aid.
"It is for me! When I established this orphanage in this city, the officials promised me that the chances of this hospitable organization of God being desecrated like this were second to none!"
Homanu curiously took a closer look at the weapon used in the attack. His eyes widened in horror as he saw a bright red '666' painted on the handle. "Oh no… this can't be!" he gasped. He immediately ran out of the cafeteria, and then the main building.
"Homanu, wait!" Mira called. She and Kero hastily followed him out of the orphanage.
As soon as he stepped foot outside, Homanu ran to the side of the building where the vandalism occurred. When he did, he horrifyingly stopped dead in his tracks as he discovered the culprit's identity: a boy about Homanu's age, with unruly spiky light brown hair and intimidating gray eyes.
"It's you… Karamar!" Homanu silently gasped.
Indeed, the vandal was none other than Karamar – the same thug Homanu defeated only recently. Karamar was just as shocked to see Homanu, but hatred was clearly written all over his face. "You…!" he hissed.
"I can't believe you'd actually do something like this!" Homanu shouted, whipping the wrench before Karamar. "And at an orphanage, no less!"
"I can't believe that you would just leave Devil's Hand like that!" Karamar shouted back, defiantly taking a step forward. "You were one of the best gang members we've ever had! Hell, you were one of my best friends, even!"
"Those days are dead, Karamar!" Homanu argued. "True, I joined your gang when I had nowhere else to turn… But then you started attacking the weak and innocent for no reason, and I couldn't stand it!"
"Y'know, you always were a softie!" Karamar taunted. "'Oh, boo-hoo! I don't wanna pick on those poor defenseless shits anymore!'"
"Very funny!" Homanu sarcastically remarked through his gritted teeth, clenching his fists in disgust. "You'd better leave us alone right now, before things get ugly!"
"Not until we have a rematch, Ishako!" Karamar demanded.
"Is that why you've been throwing wrenches through the windows of orphanages?!" Homanu cried, his disgust increasing.
"Yeah, like I've been doing nothing but that for the past five days!" Karamar spat. Calming down, he continued, "If you must know, I've been looking for ways to blow off some steam ever since I lost to you yesterday. But deep down, I was hoping we'd cross paths again – and in a way, I knew we would. I just didn't think it'd be so easy – or so soon, for that matter!"
"Well, we've crossed paths, so mission accomplished," Homanu said uncaringly. "But I'm still not gonna duel you!"
"Oh, you're gonna duel me!" Karamar snarled. "'Cause if you don't, well… let's just say that I hope this orphanage of yours has the proper insurance, and then some!"
Upon hearing this kind of threat and the implications that came along with it, Homanu knew he had no other choice. "Fine…" he growled. "You'll have your stupid rematch. But it's gonna be a bit, since I obviously don't have my Disk with me."
"Well, as long as we're still gonna have a rematch!" Karamar said. He handed a folded piece of paper to Homanu, which he cooly grabbed. "That's where we'll be having our duel – don't keep me waiting!" With a huff, he turned and fled from the orphanage.
"Homanu, are you sure you wanna duel that guy?!" Kero cried as soon as Karamar was out of sight.
"Kero, weren't you listening?!" Homanu shouted. "If I don't duel him, Karamar will do more damage to our orphanage, or worse!"
"Homanu's right," Mira said. "There's not much else he can do!"
"But… but what if Homanu loses?!" Kero whimpered. "What's gonna happen to our orphanage then?!"
"Kero, relax," said Homanu. "I know Karamar all too well. I'll admit, he does have some pretty powerful monsters he's easily able to bring out. But with the way he duels, it's pretty much like beating a dead horse. If I was able to beat him all those times back then, I'm sure I'll be able to beat him now!"
"Okay… but be careful," Mira said, placing a hand on Homanu's shoulder.
"I will," Homanu said with a nod. As soon as Mira released her hold on him, Homanu boldly turned and headed back inside, his two friends following him.
"Homanu?" Sister Golas worriedly asked as soon as he approached the entrance to the main building. "What was all that commotion outside?"
"Sorry, Sister Golas," Homanu solemnly replied with a light sigh, "but I don't have time to explain. Right now, I have an orphanage to save." He boldly headed upstairs to his bedroom.
Sister Golas's eyes widened with fear as she quickly learned what Homanu was implying. "Wait, he can't possibly mean-" she said.
"I'm afraid he does," said Mira. "Homanu has no choice but to duel the creep who threw that wrench, or else he'll do more damage to this place!"
"But don't worry, Sister Golas!" Kero chirped, patting Sister Golas's back. "This is Homanu we're talking about here – he'll blast that guy into next week, no sweat!"
"I should hope so!" Sister Golas wailed as she clasped her hands in prayer.
"C'mon, Kero," said Mira, "let's get my computer set up so we can see how Homanu does."
"You got it, Onee-chan!" Kero said, goofily saluting Mira. Mira playfully rolled her eyes as the two headed upstairs.
Ten minutes later, Homanu arrived at his destination: a junkyard in the outskirts of Alba Litora, which just so happened to be the very same junkyard where he had his first Game Duel against Kero. After about another minute of walking through the junkyard, there stood Karamar, his Disk on his wrist. "I see you've finally arrived," Karamar bitterly greeted his opponent.
"Well, you pressured me into dueling you, so I didn't have much of a choice!" the frustrated Homanu shouted. "But know this, Karamar: I've beaten you plenty of times before while I was still a part of Devil's Hand, and this time won't be any different!"
"You're right, you did," Karamar snarled. "But this time, I'm ready for you! Now let's go!" With this bold declaration, he raised his Disk high and projected its red blade.
Homanu said nothing but activated his Disk, projecting its yellow-orange blade. Afterwards, the Game Duel Field Card with the same artwork as Wasteland moved up to the center of both Disks' touchscreens. "Now activating Game Duel Field: Game World, Wasteland," the computerized female voice spoke during this sequence. The entire scenery transformed to resemble the wasteland pictured on the card.
'Hope you're ready for another ass kicking, Karamar!' Homanu determinedly thought.
"Game Duel, game start!" both duelists shouted.
KARAMAR: 4000 LP / HOMANU: 4000 LP
"Since I challenged you, I'm gonna start!" Karamar declared. His Disk's ring appeared, five stacked cards materializing in front of the topmost ridge. He ruthlessly drew the five cards.
"Karamar, I'm telling you, this duel's meaningless!" Homanu argued. "I've beaten you plenty of times before, so I already know what cards you have!"
"Well, see if you recognize this card!" Karamar boasted, grabbing one of the cards in his hand. "I summon Cybernaut Troll in Attack Mode!"
He ruthlessly slapped the card onto one of his blade's floating zones. A red hexagonal portal appeared, and a mechanical orc furiously leapt out of it. It was clad entirely in black steel armor, and its main weapon was a spiked metal club. [ATK: 1600]
Homanu was shocked by his opponent's monster. "I've never seen you use that card before!" he exclaimed.
"Surprised? You should be!" Karamar sniggered. "I have an entirely new deck full of monsters ready to pummel you to a pulp! And this 'Wasteland' Terrain's certainly gonna help, since it powers up my Cybernauts, all of whom are of the Cyborg Type!" The mechanical orc let out an intimidating growl. [ATK: 1600 – 1800]
"But it doesn't end there! I summon Cybernaut Mage in Attack Mode!" He took another card from his hand and slapped it onto one of his blade's floating zones. Another hexagonal portal appeared, and another mechanical troll emerged out of it. This time, it was slender, clad in magenta armor, wore a stereotypical mage's robe that was black, and carried a staff that almost resembled the Minus Staff. [ATK: 800 – 1000]
"As long as I have Cybernaut Mage on my field, each and every one of my DEMON MAGIC Cyborg-Type monsters gain four hundred Attack Points! Plus, you're only allowed to attack my DEMON MAGIC Cyborg-Type monster that has the highest Attack Points!" Homanu went agape upon hearing that. Meanwhile, the mechanical troll mage raised its staff as both it and the mechanical orc were briefly shrouded by a sinister violet aura. [ATK: 1800 – 2200] [ATK: 1000 – 1400]
"Oh my God!" Kero cried. He and Mira were in her bedroom, witnessing Karamar's opening move on her computer. "I can't believe that jerk was able to power up his monsters just like that! Where do you think a guy like him would even get a new deck like that?!"
"I don't know," Mira concernedly replied. "But Homanu had better be careful!"
Homanu, himself, was just as aghast at the revelation of Karamar acquiring a new deck, and one that would power up his monsters so easily. "Alright, Karamar, I wanna know where you got that new deck of yours!" he demanded. "Knowing you, there's no way you'd be willing to change it so soon!"
"That's none of your business!" Karamar shouted, almost defensively, as he grabbed two cards in his hand. "In the meantime, I'll place these two cards face-down, and end my turn!" Within a single swipe, he slid the cards through his blade's outermost horizontal slots. Two cards materialized before fading from sight.
Homanu was still suspicious of Karamar. 'He's not gonna tell me where he got that new deck… typical,' he muttered in his mind. 'But if this new deck of his is anything like his old one, then it's gotta contain a bunch of Level Four monsters with high Attack Points – if that's the case, then they gotta have potential drawbacks to them.' A sense of determination flashed through his brain. 'His deck may have changed, but the way he chooses to duel hasn't!'
"It's my turn!" he said aloud. Five stacked cards materialized in front of his ring's topmost ridge, which he drew. He carefully looked at his opening hand, then set his eyes on one of the cards he drew.
"First, I'll place this face-down," he said, sliding a card into his blade's centermost horizontal slot. A card materialized before it disappeared.
"Then I activate the Spell Card, Blasting Vein!" he continued, swiping another card through one of his blade's horizontal slots. This time, a card materialized before transforming into a FIRE Spell Card picturing a classic Duel Monsters card being engulfed in flames. "It makes me destroy a face-down Spell or Trap Card on my field, but then I get to draw two cards!" Without warning, the card he just set reappeared, only to be engulfed in the same flames pictured on the card. Afterwards, two stacked cards materialized in front of his rings topmost ridge, which he drew.
"Next, I summon Nitro Blaster in Attack Mode!" He took a card and slapped it onto one of his blade's floating zones. A yellow-orange portal appeared, and a male warrior with unruly light gray hair and a dark gray gas mask with blue lenses leapt out of it. He was clad in an orange jumpsuit, and was equipped with shoulder pads, leg guards, and a laser cannon weapon in place of the right forearm, all of which were red and cybernetic. [ATK: 1000]
"I activate Nitro Blaster's effect! By sending up to three cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, I get to destroy a monster on your field whose Level is equal to the number of cards I sent! I'll go ahead and remove the top three cards, to destroy your Level Three Cybernaut Mage!" Three cards shot out of his ring's topmost ridge before transforming into yellow-orange pixels. Without warning, the pixels became blue as they transferred to the warrior's canon weapon, which began glowing blue inside.
"But there's more! If I have less than five FIRE-Attribute cards in my Graveyard, you also take one hundred points of damage for each one!" He quickly checked the contents of his Graveyard on his Disk's touchscreen. "I have four such cards, which means that after Cybernaut Mage is destroyed, you'll lose four hundred Life Points!"
The red-and-orange-armored warrior aimed its cannon at the mechanical troll mage. [LV: 3] In an instant, the warrior fired a lustrous blue laser at the mage, completely vaporizing it. The laser attack also struck at Karamar, who winced in pain. [LP: 4000 – 3600]
"And with Cybernaut Mage gone, Cybernaut Troll loses its power boost!" Homanu reminded his opponent. [ATK: 2200 – 1800]
"Maybe so," Karamar fumed, clenching a fist, "but Cybernaut Troll's still stronger than your Blaster!"
"You just never learn, do you?" Homanu sighed, shaking his head contemptuously. "In Game Duels, we can Normal Summon however many monsters we want – and that includes Tribute Summons!"
"Wait… is this going where I think it is…?!" Karamar demanded, slowly succumbing to fear.
"You bet it is!" Homanu beamed. "I sacrifice my Nitro Blaster to Tribute Summon my Nitro Battlehorn!"
The cannon-equipped warrior dissipated into pixels. Afterwards, another yellow-orange portal appeared, and a robotic animal resembling a rhinoceros leapt out of it. It was clad in crimson armor with silvery white accents, and its main weapon was a chrome laser rifle for its horn. [ATK: 2000]
"Shit, I forgot about that card!" Karamar fumed through his gritted teeth.
"You forgot about plenty of my cards in all the duels we've had," Homanu mockingly reminded him, "such as Battlehorn's effect! During the turn I summoned this card, I get to shuffle up to five FIRE-Attribute cards in my Graveyard back into my deck. And when I do, Battlehorn will gain one hundred Attack Points for every card returned! And after I use this effect, Battlehorn will be capable of inflicting piercing battle damage while it's on the field!
"I return four cards from my Graveyard to my deck to power up Battlehorn by four hundred points!" His ring appeared once again, and four streaks of yellow-orange light shot out of the green-slotted ridge. The streaks were absorbed into the robotic rhino's horn, who stomped one of its feet on the ground as it unleashed a triumphant roar. [ATK: 2000 – 2400]
Karamar was startled by the predicament he was in, but a wicked and overconfident grin spread across his face as the thought occurred to him. "And you're calling me a dumbass!" he cackled. "Last I checked, you had five FIRE-Attribute cards in your Graveyard – and you only shuffled back four?! Aww, was someone scared of making their little action figure too strong?!"
"I have my reasons…" the annoyed Homanu grimly replied.
"Y'know, he kinda has a point," said Kero, quizzically scratching his head with his finger. "Why didn't Homanu shuffle all five of his FIRE-Attribute cards into his deck like he could've?"
"I'm not sure," Mira replied, crossing her arms. "But I'm starting to think that whatever card he chose to leave alone must have some good use to him…"
"I place two cards face-down!" Homanu resumed, back in the duel. He took two cards from his hand and swiped them into two of his blade's horizontal slots. Two cards materialized before fading from view.
"Let's battle! Battlehorn, destroy his Cybernaut Troll!" The robotic rhinoceros unleashed a red laser from its horn, striking at the mechanical troll and vaporizing it. The laser also struck at Karamar, who winced in pain. [LP: 3600 – 3000]
Once the attack was over, Karamar shouted, "You've just activated my Trap Card: Revenge Soul!" With a wave of his arm, a BLACK MAGIC Trap Card appeared. Its artwork depicted a grey fiendish claw emerging out of a pit of water. "Since you destroyed one of my monsters in battle, I get to take any Monster Card that's in my Graveyard and return it to my hand!" His ring appeared, and a streak of red light shot up from the green-slotted ridge into his hand.
Homanu, however, was unphased. "My turn's done," he said, rather bitterly.
"Your turn won't be the only thing that's done!" Karamar shouted, drawing the three stacked cards that materialized in front of his ring's topmost ridge. After examining the cards he just drew, a wicked grin stretched across his face. "Especially not when I have all the cards I need to beat you!
"I summon the Cybernaut Mage I got back with my Trap Card, and another one to boot!" He grabbed two of the cards in his hand and slapped them onto his blade's outermost floating zones. Two red portals appeared, the mechanical troll mage emerging out of each one of them.
"But they won't be here for long, because I sacrifice them both to summon my ultimate weapon!"
Both mechanical mages dissipated into pixels. Afterwards, a pillar of sinister violet light shot up from behind Karamar. Emerging out of the pillar was a hulking mechanical demon clad in dark red steel armor mixed with some black, with a pair of monstrous red eyes that were practically bloodshot. Its head was horned and demonically draconic, and its main weapons were black steel gauntlets with red razor-sharp nails. Three unlit hexagons inside each other were on the monster's chest.
"I SUMMON THE UPGRADE MONSTER – CYBERNAUT BEHEMOTH, DESTROYER RAMARAK!" Karamar bellowed as the monstrous machine unleashed an ear-piercing roar. [BASE ATK: 2000 / GRADE: BASE] Homanu slowly stepped back in fear by the sight of this monstrous creature.
"Whoa, what a monster!" Kero cried, trembling in fear.
"Be careful, Homanu!" Mira pleaded.
Back at the duel, Karamar took sadistic delight at Homanu's shock towards his newly summoned ace. "If you think my monster's scary now, just wait!" Karamar laughed. "I inject with a special Core Spell – Thunder Upgrade Core, Super!" He revealed a Core Card whose artwork was nearly identical to that of the frequently used 'Upgrade Core – SUP', except the hexagonal graphic was tinted yellow and appeared to be surrounded by electricity. Furthermore, next to the hexagonal graphic in the upper right corner of the card was the THUNDER Attribute.
"'Thunder Upgrade Core'?!" Homanu cried in disbelief. "What does that do?!"
"Oh, you'll find out, soon enough," Karamar sinisterly replied. "But for now, it's time to inject Ramarak with this card, bringing it to its 'Super' Grade!" He viciously swiped the revealed Core Card underneath Ramarark's card form. Afterwards, two of the innermost hexagons on Ramarak's chest lit up bright blue, and small sparks formed around the mechanical behemoth's gauntlets. [GRADE: BASE – SUP / BASE ATK: 2000 – SUP ATK: 2500 / CORE: 0 – 2]
"And since Ramarak's a Cyborg-Type monster like the rest of my Cybernauts, he gets stronger from this Terrain!" Ramarak unleashed an intimidating growl. [SUP ATK: 2500 – 2700]
"But why stop there? I activate my face-down card, Dark Ruler's Necromancy!" A DEMON MAGIC Spell Card materialized beside him. Its artwork depicted Dark Ruler Ha Des standing outside of a demonic castle with his hand stretched over the dirt. Arising from the earth were two copies of Winged Minion.
"Since there's a DEMON MAGIC-Attribute monster on my field that has twenty-five hundred or more Attack Points, I get to resurrect two Level Three or lower DEMON MAGIC-Attribute monsters from my Graveyard! Return, my two Cybernaut Mages!" The two mechanical troll mages arose from the dirt next to the mechanical behemoth. [ATK: 800 – 1000] [ATK: 800 – 1000]
"And don't forget – Cybernaut Mage powers up my Cybernauts by four hundred points! But since I have two, they're all gonna gain eight hundred points, instead!" He cackled as the two mages raised their staffs, unleashing the sinister violet aura that shrouded all three of his monsters. [ATK: 1000 – 1800] [SUP ATK: 2700 – 3500] [ATK: 1000 – 1800]
"Cybernaut Ramarak's Continuous Base Effect also kicks in! Each and every monster on the field will lose Attack Points equal to their original Defense Points! Of course, it's no problem to me, since my regular monsters have zero Defense Points, and Upgrade Monsters don't have any Defense Points to begin with! You, on the other hand, aren't so lucky!" Without warning, the rhinoceros robot knelt down weakly. [ATK: 2400 – 900 / DEF: 1500]
"Then I activate Ramarak's Super Effect! By using one Core, he'll gain Attack Points equal to the combined Levels of all the Cybernauts on my field, multiplied by one hundred, until the end of your next turn! Since the total Levels of both my Cybernaut Mages are six, Ramarak will gain six hundred extra Attack Points!" The outer hexagon on Ramarak's chest turned off. [CORE: 2 – 1] Afterwards, the sinister violet auras that were already shrouding the mechanical troll mages transferred to Ramarak, who unleashed an intimidating roar. [SUP ATK: 3500 – 4100]
"Battle! Cybernaut Ramarak, attack his Nitro Battlehorn!" Ramarak unleashed a deathly spiral of dark violet digital fire from its mouth, striking at the robotic rhinoceros and completely incinerating it. The flames also struck at Homanu, who desperately tried to protect himself from the flames, but to little avail. [LP: 4000 – 800]
"The effect Ramarak inherited from Thunder Core now activates! Since it destroyed your monster in battle, you lose one hundred Life Points for every card in my hand and on my side of the field – and I count a total of four!" Ramarak stretched out one of its claws and unleashed a wave of blue electricity directly at Homanu, bringing him down to a knee. [LP: 800 – 400]
Struggling to get himself up, Homanu weakly shouted, "I activate the Trap Card, Volcanic Revenge!" A FIRE Trap Card materialized on Homanu's field, its artwork depicting Volcanic Hammerer unleashing fire from its mouth directly at Skull Knight materialized. "Since you destroyed my Level Five or lower FIRE-Attribute monster, you lose Life Points equal to the destroyed monster's Level, multiplied by two hundred! So that's one thousand points of damage you're gonna take, Karamar!" Five fireballs shot out of the card, striking directly at Karamar. [LP: 3000 – 2000]
"Pull as many cheap tricks as you want," Karamar taunted, "your field's still wide open! But lucky for you, my Cybernaut Mages aren't allowed to attack you this turn." A wicked, almost overconfident grin stretched across his face. "But I guess it doesn't matter, 'cause there's not much else you can do now, is there?" He once again laughed at his opponent's predicament, much to Homanu's frustration.
"Not good, not good, not good!" Kero wailed, tightly hugging Mira in panic. "Homanu's down to six hundred Life Points, and Karamar has three powerful monsters on his field! What's Homanu gonna do?!"
"The only thing he has to do," Mira said concernedly. "Find a way to turn this duel around, and save our orphanage!"
"But how's he gonna do that in this situation?!" Kero fearfully argued.
"He'll find a way," Mira calmly replied. Her eyes slightly narrowed as she thought, 'I hope…'
Back at the duel, Homanu seethed at his opponent in frustration. 'I can't lose this duel…!' he frustratingly thought. 'Especially not when our orphanage is at stake… and especially not to the likes of him!'
"It's my turn!" Homanu shouted as his ring appeared around his wrist. After four stacked cards materialized in front of the red-slotted ridge, he vigorously drew them with the utmost bravery. After eyeing at the cards he just drew, hopeful determination flashed across his eyes.
"I re-summon an old friend of mine: Nitro Blaster!" he shouted, slapping the card onto one of his blade's floating zones. Another yellow-orange portal materialized, and the cannon-equipped warrior leapt out of it. [ATK: 1000]
This mildly startled Karamar, for he hadn't forgotten about Nitro Blaster's effect. "I don't know what you're trying to pull," he said, "but it won't work this time! I activate the Trap Card, Dark Ruler's Supremacy!" A DEMON MAGIC Trap Card materialized on his field, its artwork picturing a wickedly smiling Dark Ruler Ha Des unleashing a terrifying roar at an attacking Terrorking Archfiend stopped dead in his tracks. "For the rest of this turn, you can't destroy my DEMON MAGIC-Attribute monsters with your monsters that have less Attack Points than them!" A phantasmal version of Ha Des's face briefly emerged out of the card and grinningly roared at Homanu and his cannon-equipped warrior.
"Oh – and don't forget that Cybernaut Ramarak still weakens all of your monsters!" The cannon-equipped warrior clutched its right arm. [ATK: 1000 – 400 / DEF: 600]
"I haven't forgotten," Homanu said with calm defiance, "and I actually have other plans in store for you!"
"So go on, then!" Karamar taunted. "Show me what your so-called 'plans' are!"
"Okay, but only because you asked for it!" Homanu shouted, grabbing another card in his hand. "I summon Devil's Hand Wanderer Fireheart in Attack Mode!"
He slapped the card onto his blade's centermost floating zone. Another yellow-orange portal appeared, and a teenage boy boldly walked out of it. He closely resembled Homanu himself, his attire almost identical to Karamar's, complete with the Devil's Hand logo embroidered on his tattered sleeveless shirt. [ATK: 1200]
"And luckily for me, Wanderer Fireheart doesn't have any Defense Points, meaning he won't lose any Attack Points!" Wanderer Fireheart fiercely stared up towards Ramarak with defiance in his eyes. [ATK: 1200 / DEF: 0]
"Wh-Whatever!" Karamar shouted, getting slightly nervous. "My Cybernauts are still stronger than your damn monsters, and always will be!"
"That's where you're wrong," Homanu solemnly said, much to Karamar's annoyance. "It's not a matter of how powerful your cards are – it's all a matter of whether or not the duelist knows how to use the cards they possess! And I'll show you what I mean right now!
"I activate my face-down card, Fireheart's Redemption!" A FIRE Spell Card materialized beside him. Its artwork depicted Homanu's thug counterpart standing before several Devil's Hand gang members lying unconscious in an alley. The lone victor appeared to be staring up at a sunbeam that shone upon him.
"By sending two FIRE-Attribute monsters on my field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon my own ace right from my hand!" Both Wanderer Fireheart and the cannon-equipped warrior were engulfed in red-orange flames as they merged into a fiery pillar. During this sequence, Homanu chanted:
"Lost and misguided Wanderer Fireheart has finally seen the error of his ways! With his purification and his new devotion to protecting the weak, his fiery eyes have truly opened!
"Special Summon! Burn – NITRO AVENGER FIREHEART!"
The flame pillar immediately diminished, and in its place was the fiery warrior in the orange jumpsuit decorated with flames, closely resembling Homanu himself – the same ace the real Homanu used in his duel against Kero. [ATK: 2400]
"My fiery friend has once again made his debut – and just like Wanderer Fireheart, he's got no Defense Points, meaning he won't be weakened by your Ramarak!" Avenger Fireheart simply smirked as he struck a pose. [ATK: 2400 / DEF: 0]
"Flashy special effects will get you nowhere," Karamar snarled, "especially since you could've just summoned the fuckin' thing by regularly sacrificing your monsters! …But I guess it still doesn't matter, 'cause it's still weaker than Cybernaut Ramarak! Plus, thanks to my Cybernaut Mages, Ramarak's the only monster you're allowed to attack!"
"Actually," Homanu corrected his opponent, "there's a reason I brought out Fireheart with my Spell Card. During the turn I Special Summon Fireheart with Fireheart's Redemption, he immediately gains six hundred Attack Points!" A fiery red-orange veil briefly shrouded Fireheart. [ATK: 2400 – 3000]
"I'm afraid there's more! Since I sent Wanderer Fireheart to the Graveyard to activate this card, I get to take two different FIRE-Attribute cards in my Graveyard, and return them to my hand!" His ring appeared once again, and two streaks of yellow-orange light shot out of the green-slotted ridge and appeared as cards in Homanu's hand.
"I send two FIRE-Attribute cards from my hand to the Graveyard to activate Fireheart's effect!" Two cards materialized in front of Homanu. After swiping his fingertips across them, they transformed into yellow-orange pixels that transferred to Avenger Fireheart's fists, which in turn transformed into fireballs. "Now all monsters on your field whose original Attack Points are twenty-four hundred or below immediately get destroyed! Time to say goodbye to your Cybernaut Mages!"
"NO!" Karamar wailed. But it was too late. Avenger Fireheart thrust both of his fists directly at the two mechanical troll mages, unleashing a fiery streak from each fist that incinerated each mage into melting heaps of slag.
"Now that your two mages are gone, your Ramarak loses his power boost!" And sure enough, Cybernaut Ramarak let out a weakened growl. [SUP ATK: 4100 – 3300]
"But even if you do destroy my Ramarak, it still won't be enough to defeat me!" Karamar shouted.
"Actually, I have one more card left to use," Homanu solemnly corrected him. "Remember when I used Battlehorn's effect earlier, and shuffled all but one of my FIRE-Attribute cards from my Graveyard back into my deck?"
"Yeah?" Karamar said, almost suspiciously.
"Well, that very card I didn't return to my deck is now back in my hand, thanks to Fireheart's Redemption," Homanu solemnly explained. "And now that I do, it's gonna be game over for you! I activate the Spell Card…
"FLAME POSSESSION!"
He vigorously swiped the card through one of his blade's horizontal slots, and a FIRE Spell Card materialized beside him. Its artwork depicted the iconic Salamangreat Heatleo being shrouded in flames, with the red magical circle used for Reincarnation Link Summoning above it.
"I… I've never seen you use that card before!" Karamar gasped, slowly stepping back in fear.
"I only got this last week, and had to go through quite a lot to acquire it," Homanu said. "But I haven't really gotten a chance to use it, but now is as good a time as any! As for what it does, it lets me choose two monsters – one on the field, and one in my Graveyard. And for the rest of this turn, the Attack Points of the chosen monster on the field becomes the same Attack Points as the chosen one in my Graveyard!
"For this card, I choose the Cybernaut Ramarak on your field, and the Nitro Excavator in my Graveyard!" Without warning, a small yellow and orange machine materialized beside Homanu. Its small arms had drills for its fingertips, and even its bottom resembled an excavation drill. "Oh, and by the way, Nitro Excavator's Attack Points… are zero!" [ATK: 0]
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" the horrified Karamar shrieked. Without warning, Ramarak unleashed a cry of agony. [SUP ATK: 3300 – 0]
"It's all over, Karamar!" Homanu shouted. "Avenger Fireheart, attack Cybernaut Ramarak and end this duel!" Avenger Fireheart unleashed a massive fireball directly at Cybernaut Ramarak, who roared in agony as he was incinerated by the attack. The fire also struck at Karamar, who was flung backwards and slammed into a virtual crumbled wall. [LP: 2000 – 0] A virtual screen displaying Homanu's profile with 'WIN' written underneath popped open before the field returned to normal.
"OH MY GOD, HOMANU WON!" Kero wildly cheered. He and Mira were overjoyed at Homanu's victory, although Kero's visual excitement was more evident. "DID YOU SEE THAT, ONEE-CHAN?! HE ACTUALLY BEAT THAT CREEP!"
"He did more than that," Mira said. "He actually saved our orphanage – he's a real hero!"
Back at the dueling area, Karamar still lay in defeat against a pile of scrap, just as Homanu was walking up to him. "Game over, Karamar," Homanu said angrily. "You lost the duel, so scram!"
"You… lucky… fuck…!" Karamar seethed through his gritted teeth as he got himself up. "I can't believe it – I have an entirely new deck, and I still lost to you! You, who never wanted to try to do anything new or different! You, who would never change!"
"What?! I have too changed!" Homanu shouted back. "I ditched your gang because I couldn't stand to see you assaulting the weak and defenseless any longer! And you're saying I'd never change?!"
"I'm not talking about you ditching Devil's Hand!" Karmar berated. "You know goddamn well what I'm talking about – your pathetic taste in card types, and how you refuse to use anything newer than Ritual or Fusion Monsters, even before Game Duels rolled in! Think about it, Ishako – even you know what I'm saying is true, but you're too scared to admit it! You're out of date! You're a disgrace as a duelist!"
Homanu trembled as those words stung him. Unable to bear it any longer, he tightly closed his eyes and tore out of the junkyard in despair. "Coward!" Karamar loudly taunted as his opponent ran.
But no sooner was there no trace of Homanu when the touchscreen of Karamar's D-Gear began flashing repeatedly. Bringing it up to his face, he pressed his finger on the touchscreen. "Yeah, whaddya want?" he rudely greeted the caller on the other end.
"I don't have time for that kind of attitude, young man!" an electronically altered male voice spoke from the Disk. "I need to know if there's anything to report!"
"There is – I lost the duel, even after you gave me that new deck!" Karamar spat.
"I was watching the entire duel, so I know that you lost. But I don't care about that – I need to know if Homanu's one of the people we're looking for!"
"How the hell should I know?! You told me about this whole 'chosen six' bullshit when you gave me my new deck, and I still don't know what you're talking about! And even if I did, I wouldn't even know how to tell if he's one of those six guys you're looking for!"
The mysterious caller let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. "Well, so much for Plan A. I suppose now we should move on to Plan B. I know that one of Homanu's greatest flaws is that he cares for his friends – so much so that he'd go beyond the limits to ensure their safety. That's why I've come up with this plan, in case the other one fails. You know what to do?"
"I know exactly what to do," Karamar replied with a wicked grin.
"Good. Don't fail me, Karamar!"
"Trust me, I won't," Karamar said wickedly as the call ended. "Watch out, Ishako," he vowed, "'cause we're gonna cross paths again. And this time, I'm gonna show you no mercy!"
FEATURED CARD – LEVEL 1-11
Flame Possession
FIRE/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT You did not already activate "Flame Possession" this turn.
EFFECT Choose 1 face-up monster on the field and 1 monster in your Graveyard. The ATK of the chosen monster on the field becomes [the ATK of the chosen monster in your Graveyard, until the end of this turn.
GIICHI CORPORATION CARD DATABASE
Cybernaut Troll
DEMON MAGIC/Cyborg – Effect/4/1600/0
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position after the battle, and its battle position cannot be changed until the end of your next turn, except with a card effect.
Cybernaut Mage
DEMON MAGIC/Cyborg – Effect/3/800/0
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT Face-up DEMON MAGIC Attribute Cyborg Type monsters on your field gain 400 ATK. Your opponent can only attack the face-up DEMON MAGIC Attribute Cyborg Type monster on your field with the highest ATK (their choice, if tied).
Blasting Vein
FIRE/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT Destroy 1 Set Spell/Trap Card on your field.
EFFECT Draw 2 cards.
Nitro Blaster
FIRE/Pyro – Effect/4/1000/600
REQUIREMENT Send up to 3 cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard.
EFFECT Destroy 1 face-up monster on your opponent's field whose Level is equal to [the number of cards sent to the Graveyard to meet this requirement]. Then, if you have 5 or less FIRE Attribute cards in your Graveyard, inflict damage to your opponent equal to [the number of FIRE Attribute cards in your Graveyard] x 100. This turn, you can only attack with FIRE monsters.
Nitro Battlehorn
FIRE/Pyro – Effect/5/2000/1500
REQUIREMENT During your Main Phase that you Normal Summoned or Special Summoned this card.
EFFECT Choose up to 5 FIRE Attribute cards in your Graveyard. This card gains ATK equal to [the number of chosen cards] x 100. Then, shuffle the chosen cards into the Deck. If you use this effect, while this card is face-up on the field, it inflicts piercing battle damage.
Revenge Soul
BLACK MAGIC/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When a monster on your field is destroyed by an opponent's attack.
EFFECT Add 1 monster from your Graveyard to your hand.
Cybernaut Behemoth – Destroyer Ramarak
DEMON MAGIC/Cyborg – Upgrade – Effect
ATK {BASE 2000 / SUP 2500 / ULT 3000}
CORE {SUP 2 / ULT 4}
Must first be Normal Summoned by Tributing 2 DEMON MAGIC Attribute Cyborg Type monsters, and then can be Special Summoned.
REQUIREMENTS
●CONTINUOUS BASE EFFECT / Grade BASE or higher
●SUP EFFECT / Grade SUP: 1 CORE
●ULT EFFECT / Grade ULT: 1 CORE
CONTINUOUS BASE EFFECT Face-up monsters on the field lose ATK equal to [their original DEF].
SUP EFFECT This card gains ATK equal to [the combined Levels of all face-up DEMON MAGIC Attribute Cyborg Type monsters on your field] x 100, until the end of your opponent's next turn.
ULT EFFECT This card gains ATK equal to [the combined ATK of all other face-up DEMON MAGIC Attribute Cyborg Type monsters on your field, until the end of your opponent's next turn. This turn, you can only attack with this card.
Thunder Upgrade Core – SUP
THUNDER/BASE/Core Card
During the End Phase, if the injected monster's CORE is 0, eject this card.
REQUIREMENT Inject only into an Upgrade Monster that can become the SUP Grade.
EFFECT Once this card is injected into a monster, it acquires its SUP CORE. While this card is injected into a monster, it becomes the SUP Grade, also each time it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict damage to your opponent equal to [the number of cards in your hand and on your field] x 100.
Dark Ruler's Necromancy
DEMON MAGIC/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT You have a face-up DEMON MAGIC Attribute monster with 2500 or more ATK on your field.
EFFECT Special Summon 2 Level 3 or lower DEMON MAGIC Attribute monsters from your Graveyard face-up to your field. For the rest of this turn, the monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack, you cannot Special Summon other monsters, and you can only attack with DEMON MAGIC Attribute monsters.
Volcanic Revenge
FIRE/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When exactly 1 face-up Level 5 or lower FIRE Attribute monster on your field is destroyed by an opponent's attack or their card effect.
EFFECT Inflict damage to your opponent equal to [that monster's Level] x 200.
Dark Ruler's Supremacy
DEMON MAGIC/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster.
EFFECT This turn, face-up DEMON MAGIC Attribute monsters on your field cannot be destroyed by the effects of monsters on your opponent's field that have less ATK than them.
Devil's Hand Wanderer – Fireheart
FIRE/Warrior – Normal/4/1200/0
Once a member of a vicious gang, he has defected and wandered the endless streets, hoping to find redemption.
Fireheart's Redemption
FIRE/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT Send 2 face-up FIRE Attribute monsters on your field to the Graveyard.
EFFECT Special Summon 1 "Nitro Avenger – Fireheart" from your hand or Graveyard face-up to your field. This turn, it gains 600 ATK, it cannot be destroyed by your opponent's Trap Card effects, also it inflicts piercing battle damage. Then, if you sent "Devil's Hand Wanderer – Fireheart" to the Graveyard to meet this card's requirement, you can choose up to 2 different FIRE Attribute cards in your Graveyard, except "Devil's Hand Wanderer – Fireheart"/"Nitro Avenger – Fireheart"/"Fireheart's Redemption", and add them to your hand.
Flame Possession
FIRE/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT During a turn you have not activated "Flame Possession".
EFFECT Choose 1 face-up monster on the field and 1 monster in your Graveyard. The ATK of the chosen monster on the field becomes [the ATK of the chosen monster in your Graveyard, until the end of this turn.
Nitro Excavator
FIRE/Pyro – Effect/2/0/0
REQUIREMENT Send this face-up card from your field to the Graveyard.
EFFECT Add 1 FIRE Normal Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII…
As Mira, Homanu, and Kero celebrate Homanu's victory against Karamar, the Devil's Hand begins to exact their revenge! Homanu swiftly gets knocked out while his friends get abducted. But as he lies unconscious, Homanu gets transported to the otherworldly location of Jocotitlan Crater. There, he must undergo the same kind of Trial Mira went through, to prove his worth as a Wielder! Will Homanu succeed, especially in time to rescue his friends? Find out in Level 1-12: The Trial of Courage! Game Duel, game start!