So, what is up with the countdown whenever an enemy Number holder loses? What will happen that countdown reaches zero? After these next two Duels, you will finally get an idea. Let's go! And Happy New Year!
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Hope of Six
Chapter 71: Demon Arc – Part 9
"Here it is. Heartland New Tower." Durbe said as he, V, and Mizael gazed before their destination. In front of the trio stood two tall towers standing next to each other with a built in Duel Monsters stadium on each. One tower had a blue colored stadium while the other had red. On the top, between the towers was a globe surrounded with stripes. The biggest stripe had spelled out "HEART LAND" with a big heart nestled between the two words.
"So two of the Numbers that were detected in this theme park are in those towers." Mizael said.
"Each of those stadiums will most likely have a Number holder waiting." V surmised. "I suggest we split up. Mizael will take the Red Stadium, while Durbe and I will tackle the Blue Stadium."
"Understood." Both former Barian Emperors acknowledged.
"Let's get this done. Watch yourselves." Mizael said before he headed inside his tower.
"You too." Durbe told his companion before he turned to the older man next to him. "I am feeling uneasy about this."
"I feel the same. These Numbers showing up spread out in this theme park, it seems that they want to be found here. Like they are setting something big. Still, we have a job to do. We must do it." V said as he and Durbe marched toward their tower. They had no idea how right they would be before all is said and done…
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
On the far end of the Red Stadium stood a white cloaked figure, waiting. He had been waiting patiently for his opponent to arrive, and he felt his patience was about to pay off. "Yes. I can feel it. Soon, the game shall be played... and will end with me as the winner." After a moment, the door on the other side opened to reveal a new figure approaching. "At last. An opponent."
As he stepped out onto the stadium, Mizael noticed right away that he wasn't alone. "To whom do I have the pleasure of defeating?" He called out to whoever he was about to face off against.
The figure threw off the cloak to reveal a long haired masked man wearing traditional Japanese clothes and a mask shaped like the mouth of anonithat cover his nose and mouth. "I am Hishakaku." He said while holding a fan in front of his face. "Yourself?"
"Mizael." The young man introduced himself as he took his spot on the stadium floor.
"Mizael, I will face you in your final game. You will fall before me."
Mizael narrowed his eyes. "If you believe that…" He took out his D-Pad. "Then you are more delusional than I would have expected. I have no intention of losing to some masked man with ill intentions."
Hishakaku didn't seem perturbed by the insult. "I am confident in my victory. I shall take your "king" and crush it beneath my feet!" He replied while he also took his own D-Pad.
"Duel Disk Set! D-Gazer Set!" Shouted both Duelists.
"AT Vision, Link Established." Said the computer voice from both D-Pads. Once the holographic background appeared around them, the opposing players began their showdown.
"DUEL!"
(Mizael: 4000) (Hishakaku: 4000)
"I shall allow you to move the first piece." Hishakaku offered.
"You mean play my first card?" Mizael questioned, confused by the different gaming terminology.
"Of course." Hishakaku replied.
"Alright. My turn. Draw!" Mizael didn't know anything about his new enemy nor what kind of abilities his Number possessed, but he needed to be prepared for any assault and plan his counterattack accordingly. "I Summon Heliosphere, the Supreme Shield Dragon!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 0; DEF: 1900) What appeared to be a pair of wings with no solid body and a long dark neck with a dragon's head materialized into view. "While this is the only face-up Monster I control, you cannot attack. I Set 1 card facedown and end my turn."
" A dragon." Hishakaku muttered softly to himself. 'He started with a dragon. Maybe this game will turn out to be interesting…' "You have played your first piece. Now I shall play mine! My turn! Draw!" He briefly glanced at his card before focusing on his opponent. "I play a Field Magic card called Line World!" At once the stadium floor changed to resemble a giant Shogi board (a board with many rows of square positions).
"What's this?" Mizael asked, surprised by the change.
"This may be Duel Monsters, but for me, it's now a game of Shogi! In this game, I am the master!" Hishakaku declared before moving on. "Next I shall Summon Line Monster Silver General!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1000; DEF: 1000) A slender silver armored warrior with a sword and shield appeared on the Monster Zone directly in front of the Zone on Heliosphere's left. The Monster also had a Shogi piece with the Japanese symbol for "Silver General" placed over it's face. "Due to the Effect of Line World, every "Line" Monster gains 500 Attack Points!"
(Line Monster Silver General's ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500)
"Your Monster may be stronger now, but it still cannot attack my Monster." Mizael reminded his enemy.
"Attacking your Monster was never my plan." Hishakaku said, concerning Mizael. "I now activate Silver General's Monster Effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon Line Monster Gold General in any of my opponent's 3 Monster Zones in front or adjacent to it!"
'He's Summoning a Monster onto my Field?!' Mizael thought in shock.
"Fall onto my enemy's Field, Line Monster Gold General!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1100; DEF: 1000) On Mizael's Monster Zone directly in front of Hishakaku's Silver General was a bulky man in gold armor holding a spear and a shield appeared. Like it's counterpart, the Monster's face was covered by the Shogi piece with the symbol for "Gold General". "Because of Line World, my Gold General also gets a boost!"
(Line Monster Gold General's ATK: 1100 + 500 = 1600)
"What are you planning Hishakaku?" Mizael demanded.
The masked man chuckled. "You are about to witness it firsthand! When Gold General is Special Summoned on my opponent's Field by the Effect of a "Line" Monster, I can return an opponent's card to their Deck if it is in the same column! Your facedown card is such a target!"
"Tch." Mizael grunted in annoyance that his Trap got sent back to his hand.
"It is not done! Because it was a Trap card that got returned, Gold General moves to my Field!" The golden Monster jumped diagonally to a Monster Zone next to Silver General. "Lastly, the Levels of my Monsters go up by 2 since they are now side by side!" Hishakaku declared as his Monsters' Levels went up from 4 to 6.
'It's coming.' Mizael thought wearily.
"I Overlay my now Level 6 Line Monster Silver General and Line Monster Gold General! With these 2 Monsters, I shall build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear! Number 72! Mighty tower piece on the board! Move through a line to check your enemy into submission! Chariot's Rook!" (EARTH; Rank 6; ATK: 2500; DEF: 1200) Hishakaku's Number looked like a multiple legged machine with two big spiked wheels for arms. Each wheel had a "Rook" symbol in the center. Lastly, a red "72" showed itself on the upper left side of it's chest. The Number also glowed on Hishakaku's own chest while the familiar corruptive aura surrounded the Duelist.
"So that's your Number?" Mizael asked his opponent.
"And the game piece that will end your game! Being a "Line" Monster", Chariot's Rook gains more power from Line World!" Hishakaku declared while his Number powered up.
(Line Monster Chariot's Rook's ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000)
"No matter how strong your Number is, my Heliosphere still prevents you from attacking!" Mizael reminded his enemy.
"Not after this it won't! I activate Chariot's Rook's Monster Effect! By detaching one of it's Overlay Units, I can destroy all cards my opponent controls in the same column as my Number! Your shield dragon is right in my Ace's line of sight! Rolling Crush!" A massive energy beam blasted apart Mizael's only defense. "What's more, when a card is destroyed while Line World is in play, that card goes to the Graveyard of the player that destroyed it!"
"What?! My Monster is going to your Graveyard?!" Mizael shouted in disbelief.
"It does! Which means there is practically no chance for you to get it back!" Said the masked Number holder, to Mizael's anger. "And now you are vulnerable! Battle! Line Monster Chariot's Rook, Direct Attack! Rook Roll!"
A devastating assault from the Number sent Mizael flying, screaming in pain before hitting and sliding a little on the stadium floor.
(Mizael: 4000 - 3000 = 1000)
"As you can see, your chances of winning this game are slim to none! Next time, I will end you! Until then, I shall end my turn."
Mizael groaned and ached as he struggled to get up again. "Dammit. That hurt." He muttered to himself. He knew that at this point, he couldn't hold back. "If it's a battle of Numbers you want, I will be more than happy to oblige! My turn! Draw!" He would make sure to make good on his word before he beats his adversary to the ground. "I Summon Tachyon Cloudragon!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 300; DEF: 250) A miniature black and purple armored dragon flew onto the Field. "I activate Tachyon Cloudragon's Monster Effect! By Sacrificing it, I can Special Summon a "Tachyon" Monster from my Deck or Graveyard, except a copy of itself! From my Deck, I Special Summon Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Primal!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 2500) A more grownup version of the smaller dragon appeared in it's place. Seeing it in action reminded Mizael of the Over-One Hundred Number he used during his time as a Barian Emperor. Except this time, he would fight to save the world instead of trying to destroy it.
Hishakaku was visibly surprised by the Monster. 'Galaxy-Eyes?!' This brought back memories of a Monster with a similar name, used by the Duelist that defeated him some time ago. He swore to himself he would not lose to such a Duelist again. "You cannot hope to defeat my Number with a non-Number!" Hishakaku brought up.
"The Number I promised is coming." Mizael assured him calmly. "When Tachyon Primal is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add an "Tachyon" Magic of Trap card from my Deck to my hand! I am taking a Trap called Tachyon Spiral Galaxy! Then, because I control a "Tachyon" Monster, I can Special Summon Tachyon Galaxy Dragon Knight from my hand! (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 2200) A gray and purple humanoid dragon in black armor appeared next to Tachyon Primal.
'This is it.' Hishakaku thought eagerly.
"Time to back up my claim! I Overlay my Level 8 Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Primal and Tachyon Galaxy Dragon Night! With these 2 Monsters, I also build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear! Number 97! Dark dragon of myth! Manifest your overpowering shadow onto the world! Dragon Shadow God – Dragravion!" (DARK; Rank 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 3000) Replacing the dragons is a towering black and gray dragon with blue eyes and a gold running along the under portion of it' body. It also had black horns and a long black mane. Lastly, a bright blue "97" was visible on the upper portion of the dragon's left wing. "While Tachyon Galaxy Dragon Knight is attached as an Overlay Unit, my Monster is also treated as "Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon"."
Hishakaku narrowed his eyes. "I see you've Summoned your Number in the Monster Zone on your far right, out of range of my own Number's Effect. Smart of you. Also, as I expected, you favor dragons like my previous opponent."
"Your previous opponent?" Mizael questioned.
"He proved tougher than I expected and beat me in a game I felt sure I would win. But I have no doubt I will strike you down." The masked man said confidently.
"Don't be so sure." Mizael warned. "Battle! Dragravion, attack Line Monster Chariot's Rook! Shadow Blaze!" A torrent of sparkling black fire shot out of the dragon's mouth and sped toward the enemy Monster, which used it's wheels to try to keep the flames at bay.
"Fool! If your plan was for both our Numbers to destroy one another due to their same Attack Points, then you are sadly mistaken! While Line Monster Gold General is still an Overlay Unit, the Xyz Monster it is attached to cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn! Meaning your Monster is the only one that gets destroyed!" Chariot's Rook was beginning to push the fire back toward it's attacker.
"Not quite! Because I technically control a "Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon" Monster, I can activate the Tachyon Spiral Galaxy Trap Card in my hand!"
"A Trap activated from his hand?!" Hishakaku exclaimed in great surprise.
"Until the end of this turn, a "Galaxy" Dragon Monster I control cannot be destroyed by battle and is unaffected by any other card effects, except it's own!" Dragravion withstood it' own attack and remained on the Field. "My true plan was to destroy your Number during the attack while preventing mine from being destroyed using my Trap, but you also managed to keep your Monster from facing destruction. I shall succeed next time. I will just Set 1 card facedown and end my turn."
"It is I that shall succeed in winning the game, not you! I will never lose to another Dragon Duelist again! My turn! Draw!" Hishakaku proclaimed as he began his next turn.
'Who is this other Dragon Duelist that he keeps talking about?' Mizael wondered. Could it be someone he knew? Maybe. Also, he saw how Hishakaku reacted to the appearance of Tachyon Primal. Not so much as the dragon's appearance but rather it's name. Mizael saw the masked man react strongly when heard the "Galaxy-Eyes" part of the name. Like he had heard that part before…. Mizael's own eyes widened, coming to a starting realization. 'Could this man have dueled against Kaito and lost?!' All further thought was pushed away when his opponent made his next move.
"My Line Monster Chariot's Rook gains a new Effect from having "Gold General" as an Overlay Unit! If my opponent controls a Monster with equal or more Attack Points than a "Line" Xyz Monster I control, you take damage of that same amount of Attack Points! Both of our Monsters have 3000 Attack Points, so now you lose! It is now checkmate for you!" A gold spot on Chariot's Rook's main body began to glow brighter with each passing second…
"No, it is not! Trap card open, Damage Alteration! If I'm about to take damage from a card effect, I can make that damage 0!" At this, the glowing gold spot dimmed before disappearing entirely.
"Damn you!" Hishakaku cursed, suffering from yet another setback.
"After that, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Deck with Attack Points equal to the damage I would have taken! I Special Summon a second copy of Tachyon Galaxy Dragon Knight!" Another copy of the humanoid dragon warrior appeared before it's master.
Hishakaku was not happy. "You will not get away with this! I Summon Line Monster Cruel Bishop!" (EARTH; Level 3; ATK: 500; DEF: 600) A dark robed man materialized to perform his task. "On the turn it is Normal Summoned, Cruel Bishop destroys itself and the Monster occupying the Monster Zone diagonally on the left or right! Your Xyz Monster is in one of those Zones!"
"That will not work! Dragravion cannot be targeted by my opponent's card effects!" Mizael said with a smirk.
"Dammit! Your second Tachyon Galaxy Dragon Knight will have to do then!" Hishakaku cursed before both Monsters instantly exploded into nothing. "Remember, due to Line World, your Monster goes to my Graveyard as well as mine! On my next turn, it truly will be game over for you! I end my turn."
Mizael frowned. "It will not be my end Hishakaku, but yours. I have no intention of losing to the likes of you! My turn! Draw!" Mizael felt assured of his victory by the card he just drew. "This is how I will defeat you! I activate Dragravion's Monster Effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can reveal 2 Dragon "Number" Monsters with different names from my Extra Deck and/or Graveyard, except for another copy of Dragravion! After that, I can Special Summon one of them to my Field and attach the other to it as an Overlay Unit!"
"He has more Dragon Numbers?!" Hishakaku exclaimed in surprise.
"Appear! Number 46! The thunder roars! The lightning flashes! Manifest yourself, my golden dragon! Ethereal Dragon – Dragluon!" (LIGHT; Rank 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 3000) A dragon very similar to Dragravion appeared on it's right. The two main differences between them were that the second dragon was gold and white and that a gold "46" was on the tip of it's right wing.
At that time, Dragluon turned its head toward Mizael and the ghost of a stout old man with a long white beard showed itself to him. The old man smiled and nodded. "Go Mizael. Show him what a Dragon Master is capable of."
Mizael nodded back. 'I will… Jinlon.' The ghost disappeared back inside the Number it came from. Mizael then resumed his turn. "Also from my Extra Deck, I am attaching Number 17: LeVice Dragon as Dragluon's Overlay Unit!" A blue, sea serpent-like dragon with a yellow "17" on one of it's five horns briefly showed itself before turning into a ball of light that circled the Summoned dragon. While he felt this Number's brief connection to Shark upon first receiving it, Mizael suspected Astral believed a "Dragon Master" like Mizael himself would be a more suitable fit… especially given Dragravion's Effect. "Due to Dragluon's Effect, it cannot be targeted for attacks and neither of us can target it with card effects while I control another "Dragon" Monster!"
"So both your Dragluon and Dragravion are tough to get rid of by battle and card effects?" Hishakaku questioned with noticeable irritation.
Mizael only smirked. "One dragon represents light, the other darkness. I like to think they balance each other pretty well in situations like this."
The Shogi obsessed man scoffed at him. "It doesn't matter! Neither of your Dragon "Numbers" are strong enough to defeat my Chariot's Rook without being eliminated themselves!"
"That won't be necessary! I play the Magic card that will allow me to strike you down where you stand: Dragon Pulse!" At once, both of Mizael's Monsters glowed a bright red color.
"What is this?" Hishakaku questioned.
"The beginning of your end! Dragon Pulse inflicts damage to you equal to the combined original Attack Points of all "Dragon" Xyz Monsters I control! Dragluon and Dragravion have 3000 Attack Points each…"
Hishakaku came to a horrible realization, his body trembling as a result. "But! But that means…. NO!"
"Yes! With the power of my dragons, you are finished! Be gone, Hishakaku!" With the bright red flash, the enemy Duelist yelled painfully as he was knocked down, defeated.
(Hishakaku: 0)
Before the Dragon Master's eyes, Hishakaku began to slowly fade away into nothingness. Just before he was gone completely, he began muttering to himself. "It has happened again. I lost to another who commanded dragons… how humiliating. You must be grinning from this aren't you… Kaito?" All that was left was the Number he used in the Duel.
When he picked it up, Mizael mused over his fallen enemy's words. "So I was right. It was Kaito he talked about earlier. I wonder when he…" He paused when he saw a peculiar sight. Above him, a dark cloud formed into a solid black "2". After a few seconds, it too vanished from sight. "What was that? What did that "2" mean?"
He then glanced upward and saw something he didn't notice before. On the globe above the towers, a circle was shown with the numbers 1 – 5 around it. The 3, 4, and 5 were darkened. The 1 and 2 were lit up in blue light, before the 2 turned dark like the others. Only the 1 remained.
"What in the…" Mizael gasped, dread filling his heart. 5 Numbers were detected in this theme park, and apparently the numbers on the globe lost their light when a nearby Number holder was defeated. Most of the other Number holders must've been taken down already. What would happen if all of them were to lose…. "I've got to warn the others!" Mizael then raced out the stadium to get to the other tower before it would be too late.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
At around the same time Mizael entered the Red Stadium, Durbe and V had arrived in the Blue Stadium. Waiting for them was a large bare chested man wearing a black cape and some kind of mechanical device covering his mouth. He had two stars, one on his forehead and on his belly. He also had spiked Mohican hair style and another device over his right eye.
"Ah, so two enemies approach my fleet? No matter who you are, you will be blasted away into the blackness of space!" Said the large man.
"Fleet? I don't see any fleet? What did he mean?" Durbe asked after quickly scanning the area.
V shrugged. "Perhaps he's one of those delusional types that believe anything relating to aliens and space ships are real."
"I guess." The former Barian Emperor replied before turning his attention to the person before them. "Who are you?"
The man got out his D-Pad from one of the boxes on his utility belt. "I am Eviluder, former Commander of the First Faker Fleet, now Supreme Commander of the Absolute Hiretsuna Fleet! I am here to carry out my mission to destroy all enemy forces Yuma Tsukumo sent out to thwart us!"
"Hiretsuna Fleet?" The two Duelists said in surprise.
"So you do work for her after all." Durbe surmised.
"And you seem to know Yuma personally." V guessed.
Eviluder growled. "That brat bested me in our battle, but that shall not be the case here! I will destroy you both!"
"Don't be so sure of yourself! If Yuma has defeated you, then it should be no problem for us!" Durbe retorted while he and V also got out their D-Pads and D-Gazers.
"Duel Disk Set! D-Gazer Set!" Shouted the three Duelists.
"AT Vision, Link Established." Said the computer voice from their D-Pads. Immediately afterward, the two vs one shown down got underway.
"DUEL!"
(Durbe: 4000) (V: 4000) (Eviluder: 4000)
"As the more experienced space fighter, the first move is mine! My turn! Draw!" Eviluder declared. "For my first move, I Summon Starship Adjust Plane!" (WIND; Level 3; ATK: 500; DEF: 600) A three pronged blue and black space craft emerged with two cannons protruding beneath it. "I then Set 1 card facedown and end my turn. Use whatever strategy you see fit, but know that I will obliterate it with my superior combat experience!"
"You are too full of yourself." V said with disdain. "My turn! Draw!" Despite the pompous his opponent's pompousness, V felt Eviluder should not be taken lightly. "Because I control no Monsters, I can Normal Summon Arcjet Lightcrafter without a Sacrifice!" (LIGHT; Level 9; ATK: 0; DEF: 2100) A sleek, light gray spaceship with yellow fins on it's rear engines appeared before it's master. "I next play Hologram Projection, a Continuous Magic card will allow me to Special Summon it with the same name, Type, Attribute, Level, ATK, and DEF as another Monster on the Field! I'm choosing for it to copy my Arcjet Lightcrafter!" Green light covered V's Monster briefly before a hologram version of the Monster separated itself. "Now, I will Overlay my Level 9 Arcjet Lightcrafter and Hologram Projection! With these 2 Monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear! Number 9! Fate I have been burdened with, swallow the galaxies, and descend here as a vast earth! Canopy Star – Dyson Sphere!" (LIGHT; Rank 9; ATK: 2800; DEF: 3000) Hovering above the stadium was what appeared to be a very large space station. It was shaped like a black metallic cone with 5 large panels around a golden sphere with a bright red light in the center. A purple "9" was located on two panels in the center sphere.
"Well now! It seems I'm not the only one with intergalactic weapons, and yours is quite a sight!" Eviluder exclaimed. "But of course, size matters not. It is the capabilities of the weapon itself!" 'Something this fool will learn the hard way!' He thought to himself.
"We will determine which of our "weapons" is superior. I Set 1 card facedown and end my turn."
"I can tell that you will be the more troublesome of my adversaries. No doubt of that." Eviluder commented.
"Don't underestimate me Eviluder! My turn! Draw!" Durbe said confidently before he began his first turn. "First, I Summon Colonel on C-String!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 1400; DEF: 1600) An old man dressed in a blue military uniform and a red cap appeared on the Field. "I activate my Colonel's Monster Effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower "Warrior" Monsters with different names from my hand in Defense Mode! I'm bringing out Crimson Sentry (FIRE; Level 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 1200) and Command Knight!" (FIRE; Level 4; ATK: 1200; DEF: 1900) The first chosen "Warrior" was a long, silver haired woman in armor and holding a twisted and spiky bow. The second was another woman, but with long blond hair and word red armor and a purple cape. "The Effect of Command Knight raises the Attack Points of all "Warrior" Monsters I control by 400, including Command Knight itself!" The three Monsters glowed red briefly as they powered up.
(Command Knight's ATK: 1200 400 = 1600)
(Colonel on C-String's ATK: 1400 400 = 1800)
(Crimson Sentry's ATK: 1500 400 = 1900)
The space villain scoffed by his second opponent's choice of Monsters. "Humph! You play with old fashioned warriors instead of high tech weapons? I'm not scared of them!"
"I am getting started!" Durbe retorted before continuing. "I Overlay my Level 4 Colonel on C-String and Crimson Sentry! With these 2 Monsters, I also build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear! Number 44! Eternal virtues, awaken from your ancient slumber, and become the wings that race through the sky! White Winged Horse – Sky Pegasus!" (LIGHT; Rank 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 1600) Durbe's personal Number was a white armored horse with crystalline blue wings and bright yellow "44" on it's right shoulder plate.
Just then, the spirit of a white armored blond man appeared next to Sky Pegasus. He and Durbe gazed at one another and smiled. "At last, my old friend, we fight side by side once again." Said the armored man.
Durbe nodded. 'It has been indeed been too long, Mach. We will show this enemy what we can do… together.' Mach nodded back before vanishing from Durbe's sight. "Since I have another Monster on my Field, none of your Monsters cannot target my Command Knight as an attack target!"
"Is that so? Your flying pony hardly seems any better." The Number holder condescendingly after seeing Durbe's Summoned Number.
The previous Barian Emperor didn't appreciate his Ace being insulted. "My Number is not to be taken lightly any more than myself! I activate the Effect of Sky Pegasus! Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy 1 Monster my opponent controls unless my opponent pays 500 Life Points to negate that Effect! I will try to destroy your Starship Adjust Plane! What option do you choose?"
Eviluder smirked behind his metal mouth piece. "Isn't it obvious? I'm paying 500 Life Points to shield my Starship from being blown to space dust! I have thwarted your pathetic plan!"
(Eviluder: 4000 - 500 = 3500)
"Have you?" Durbe asked, still smiling.
This confused the Number holder. "Meaning what?"
"There is more to Sky Pegasus' Effect! When my opponent pays Life Points, they take damage equal to amount they just paid! Which means you just lost another 500 of your Life Points!"
"You what?!" Eviluder blurted out before took a small blast from Sky Pegasus.
(Eviluder: 3500 - 500 = 3000)
"A good opening." V complemented his partner.
Durbe nodded back appreciatively before returning his attention to his arrogant enemy. "You may have kept your Monster in play, but you still lost more Life Points than you would have liked. I Set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."
"Grr." Eviluder growled. "You have quickly become an irritating pest! I shall vaporize you first! My turn! Draw!" He chuckled wickedly. "My revenge starts here! Since one of my opponents controls an Xyz Monster, I can Special Summon Starship Spy Plane from my hand!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1100; DEF: 500) A silver disk shaped space craft with orange and blue materialized itself on the Field. "Spy Plane's Monster Effect! When it is Special Summoned, I can return a Magic or Trap card my opponent controls to their hand! My target for this is that facedown card!" He pointed to one of Durbe's cards, which instantly went back to his hand.
"Well that's an unexpected annoyance." Durbe grumbled after his Intrigue Shield got sent back to his hand.
"Next is the Effect of my Starship Adjust Plane! Once per turn, I can make my Monster's Level and the Level of another Monster on the Field become equal to their combined total Levels! In this instance, my Level 3 Adjust Plane and my Level 4 Spy Plane both become Level 7 Monsters!"
'What Number will he have?' V wondered.
"I Overlay my now Level 7 Starship Adjust Plane and Starship Spy Plane! With these 2 Monsters, I too build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Launch! Number 42! Black vessel of space! Fly in from across the stars! Shoot targets with your deadly laser fire and do not relent! Standby in Defense Mode! Galaxy Tomahawk!" (WIND; Rank 7; ATK: 0; DEF: 3000) A big, sleek black ship shaped like a sting ray flew in. Blazing on top of the left wing is a dark red "42". Eviluder also had that "42" glowing in the star on his belly.
"It has 3000 Defense Points!" V said in surprise.
"Oh yes! With this power boost, my fleet shall plow through yours to victory!" Eviluder said in glee.
"Your one ship "fleet" won't be able to to do much in Defense Mode." Durbe pointed out.
Eviluder snickered. "It will do all it needs to do! I activate the Effect of Galaxy Tomahawk! Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can Special Summon as many Battle Eagle Tokens to my Field as possible but will all be destroyed during the End Phase! Come, my glorious fleet!" (WIND; Level 6; ATK: 2000; DEF: 0) The 4 Tokens that shot out from underneath Galaxy Tomahawk's open hanger bays were smaller and lighter colored than the original. "What's more, my Tokens are all treated as "Number" Monster, just like the Monster that brought them forth! Which means…" The large space man pointed at Durbe. "You and your Number will not survive this! Battle Eagle Squadron, Engage! Battle Eagle Unit 1, open fire on Sky Pegasus! Proton Launch!"
"Target acquired. Launching first wave of missiles." Called out a deep voice from one of the smaller space vessels. It had just opened up it's underbelly…
"I won't let you! Trap card open, The Forceful Checkpoint! When an opponent's Monster has declared an attack, I can look at their hand! Then, if that hand contains a Monster, I can not only negate that attack, but I can also make my opponent discard a Monster from their hand!" Durbe pointed at his enemy. "Now, show me your cards!"
Eviluder snarled beneath his mouth piece as he revealed his remaining cards… one of which was a Monster.
"With that, your Token's attack is negated and your revealed Monster is discarded!" Durbe declared as his opponent sent his Monster to the Graveyard. At the same time, the Token's opening closed up again.
"You've only stopped one of my attacks! I still have three more!" Eviluder reminded him. "Battle Unit 2, attack!" The second Token started to open it's bottom half next.
"When I control "Sky Pegasus", I can play a Trap, Sky Barrier, from my hand! It can prevent up to 2 opposing Monsters from attacking me this turn! That's a couple more that won't touch my Number!" Durbe countered further. The second Token closed up as well. "Also, I can draw 1 card!" The card he drew would come in handy on his next turn…
Eviluder grunted. "I still have one fighter left! Try to stop this! Battle Eagle Unit 4! Attack!" The remaining unaffected Token began to make it's move…
"He won't have to!" V interjected. "Trap card open, Neverending Nightmare! When an opponent's Monster with 2000 or more Attack Points attacks, I can negate that attack!"
"Damn you!" Eviluder cursed as his last attack was also halted.
"There is more! Since that attack was negated, I can inflict damage to you equal to half that Monster's Attack Points!"
"Gahhh!" The large man yelled as his Life Points took a bigger hit that time.
(2000 / 2 = 1000)
(Eviluder: 3000 - 1000 = 2000)
"Thank you!" Durbe said to his dueling partner, who nodded back with a smile.
Eviluder trembled with fury. "You damn space bugs! How dare you prevent my fleet from striking you down?! You shall be treated in kind! I play Starship Cutting Laser, which lowers both of your Life Points by 500 for each "Starship" Monster I control! Now your both your lives are also cut in half!"
With a swift and surprisingly painful red laser, Durbe and V lost a great deal of their Life Points.
(V: 4000 / 2 = 2000)
(Durbe: 4000 / 2 = 2000)
"I have one more surprise! I play Starship Energy Core! This Magic card increases my Life Points by 900 for each "Starship" Monster I control! 5 ships mean 4500 Life Points!" He laughed before he briefly glowed blue.
(5 x 900 = 4500)
(Eviluder: 2000 4500 = 6500)
"He's a resourceful one." V commented, disgruntled by the vast difference in Life Points.
"Not to mention tenacious… but so are we." He said confidently. A statement his partner fully agreed with.
"Next time, your lives shall be wiped out along with your pitiful fighters! I Set my last card facedown and end my turn. All Battle Eagle Units! Return to base!" With that command, the four Tokens turned around and flew back inside Galaxy Tomahawk.
"This guy is no pushover." Durbe noted.
"Agreed." V said. "Nor is his Number. But we will defeat him. We just need a way to "bypass" his Monster's defense."
"I'm sure we will." Durbe told him. "Any ideas?"
"I will start. Be ready to follow." V advised calmly before turning to his opponent. "Eviluder! Our counterattack begins now! My turn! Draw!" With the cards he held, the elder Arclight sibling formulated a plan to take down the evil man. "I play a Magic card, Shield & Sword! Until the end of the turn, the Attack and Defense Points of all face-up Monsters on the Field are switched around!" As he said this, Command Knight's Attack Points became 1900 (which increased to 2300 via it's Effect), Sky Pegasus' became 1600, Dyson Sphere and Galaxy Tomahawk's both became 3000.
"Switched?!" Eviluder shouted, stunned. This meant that his Number had 0 Defense Points now. Luckily, it still wasn't quite defenseless…
"Now for another Magic card, Back-Up Rider! Until the end of this turn, 1 Monster on the Field gains 1500 Attack Points! I am choosing… your Galaxy Tomahawk!"
(Galaxy Tomahawk's ATK: 3000 + 1500 = 4500)
"Why would you make raise my Starship's offensive power? It is still in Defense Mode! This doesn't change the fact that you still cannot break through!" Eviluder pointed out.
V smiled. "I do not plan to "break through"your defense… only move around it!"
"Huh?" The evil space man asked, stumped.
"Now that your Monster's Attack Points are higher than mine, I can activate Dyson Sphere's Monster Effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, my Number can attack you directly this turn!" V revealed.
"A direct assault?!" Eviluder gasped.
"This should deal some damage! Battle! Dyson Sphere, Direct Attack! Brilliant Bombardment!" The red light in the center sphere began to charge up for the attack…
"A great Fleet Commander has to have more than one defense strategy, and I have one! Trap card open, Tomahawk Cannon! When I control "Galaxy Tomahawk", I can negate your Monster's attack and destroy it! Your attempt was futile!"
V looked strangely calm when Dyson Sphere vanished in an enormous explosion of fire and metal. "Perhaps… but I can settle for the next best thing. I play my Monster Reborn Magic card to Special Summon my Monster back! Be restored, Dyson Sphere!" In a right flash, V's Number was back where it originally was. "Now will play the final card in my hand, Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force!"
"Rank-Up-Magic?" Eviluder questioned.
"It allows me to Special Summon an Xyz Monster that is 1 Rank higher than the Monster I'm using as Material! I build the Overlay Network once more! Chaos Xyz Change! Appear! Chaos Number 9! Star that covers the whole of heaven, harbor all of the natural world inside you, and now, descend here! Spectral Canopy Star – Chaos Dyson Sphere!" (DARK; Rank 10; ATK: 3600; DEF: 3200) A more menacing space station appeared in place of the first one. It resembled a giant metal flower covered in thorns with energy panels that looked like dark orange and purple veined outer petals and sold dark purple inner petals. A much thicker "9" showed itself on the same spot as the first version of V's Number.
"A Chaos Number?!" Eviluder shouted in shock, having never seen such a thing before. "My battle history has no information on this type of weaponry!"
"Chaos Numbers are improved versions of their original forms! I will demonstrate! I activate one of Chaos Dyson Sphere's Monster Effects! For each Overlay Unit it holds, you take 500 points of damage!"
"Damn you!" Yelled the Number holder, fuming that he got damaged again.
(Eviluder: 6500 - 500 = 6000)
"I activate another Effect of Chaos Dyson Sphere! I can detach all of it's Overlay Units to inflict 800 more points of damage to you for each one!"
"Gahh!" A peeved Eviluder shouted as he took yet another hit.
(Eviluder: 6000 - 800 = 5200)
"That should do it for me. I end my turn. At this time, the Attack and Defense Points of the remaining Monsters that were altered are returned to normal." V stated before the other Monsters respective position points were changed back to their original values.
"You will most definitely pay for that when I am cleared to attack again! That is, after I clip your friend's horse!" Eviluder declared, staring hatefully at the winged horse that he felt was mocking him.
"Your remaining Life Points are the only things that are getting clipped! My turn! Draw!" Durbe retorted, knowing what he had to do, thanks to V. "I will be the one to strike you down! I play Sky Warrior Signal! For each Xyz Monster on the Field, I can Special Summon the same number of copies of "Sky Warrior" from my Deck! 3 Xyz Monsters means all 3 Sky Warriors will show themselves!" (LIGHT; Level 4; 1400; DEF: 1400) A trio of knights in silver white armor now stood alongside Sky Pegasus. All three of them also had their Attack Points increased to 1800 via Command Knight's Effect.
"More old fashioned knights? I don't see the threat whatsoever with them." Eviluder said with a hint of worry.
"They aren't the threat you should be concerned with!" Durbe told him. "I Overlay all copies of Level 4 Sky Warrior! With these 3 Monsters, I will build the Overlay Network again! Xyz Summon! Appear! Number 10! Warrior with armor bright as day! Ride out on your valiant steed and meet your enemies head on! White Light-Knight – Illuminator!" (LIGHT; Rank 4; ATK: 2400; DEF: 2400) A thicker plated knight with a blue gem on it's chest and carried a sword appeared mounted on a silver and blue armored horse. A bright orange "10" was visible on the knight's right shoulder plate. "Like with my other "Warrior" Monsters, my new Number gains a boost from Command Knight!"
(White Light-Knight - Illuminator's ATK: 2400 + 400 = 2800)
"No better than your pony! It still cannot breach my Galaxy Tomahawk's defense any better than your other Monsters!" The large space man said arrogantly.
"You completely misread my intentions." Durbe said with a smile. "I activate Illuminator's Monster Effect! Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can send 1 card from my hand to Graveyard before drawing another card!" When he drew his new card, Durbe knew victory belonged to him and V. "Next, I activate another Effect of Sky Pegasus! I can Equip it to another "Number" Monster I control! Illuminator, mount onto Sky Pegasus!" In a flash of white light, the armored steed that Durbe's second Number was riding was replaced by his first Number.
'Why would he Equip his two Numbers together?' Eviluder wondered.
"During the turn that Warrior's Spirit was discarded, I can make the Attack Points of a "Warrior" non-Xyz Monster the same as a "Warrior" Xyz Monster! As of now, my Command Knight has the same Attack Power as Illuminator!" Both of Durbe's Monsters had 2800 Attack Points there and then.
"Still not enough!" The enemy Duelist shouted angrily, still not seeing the point.
"For what I'm about to do, it is." Durbe assured him. "I have one last card to play, Cross Attack! This handy Magic card allows me to choose one of 2 Monsters I control that have the same Attack Points… and have that chosen Monster attack directly this turn!"
"No! Not that again!" The large man complained, knowing that he couldn't stop it this time. This meant that his facedown Spaceship Barrier Trap card wouldn't work, since it relied on a "Starship" Monster he controlled to be attacked.
"You shall not stop this! Battle! Illuminator, Direct Attack! Flying Sword of Piercing Light!" With a great neigh and a flap of it's wings, Sky Pegasus carried Illuminator up and over Galaxy Tomahawk, allowing it's rider to slash Eviluder with the sword it wielded.
(Eviluder: 5200 - 2800 = 2400)
"Dammit! I promise that I will erase you from my star maps when my next turn comes!"
Durbe chuckled. "Actually "Fleet Commander"… you have no next turn."
"Excuse me?" Eviluder questioned nervously.
"The "Number" that Sky Pegasus is Equipped to can attack twice each Battle Phase!" Durbe revealed, to the horror of his enemy.
"W-WHAT?!" He shouted, shocked by what that meant. "THIS HAS TO BE A SEVERE MISCALCULATION! MY BATTLE PLAN IS FULL PROOF! YOU CAN'T!"
"I have, and I did! Illuminator, attack directly one last time! Finish it!" Durbe commanded as his Equipped Monster pair flew out and attacked Eviluder once more, knocking him down hard.
(Eviluder: 0)
Once the Duel was over, V and Durbe cautiously approached their fallen enemy. V knelt down and picked up the Number card that had been dropped.
"Another… defeat." Eviluder complained without understanding. "How could this have happened again? How…?" He groaned before his body turned to dust and was blown away by the wind.
"Well, that's that." Durbe said.
V nodded. "Yes. Let's leave and meet up with the others. With luck, they also had…" He stopped when he saw a big, dark shape forming above them… a shape that took the form of a "1".
The pair eyed it for a second before it also disappeared.
"What was that?" V asked.
"I don't know." Durbe replied, sounding just as unsure.
Then, without warning, a huge gong like sound erupted from above nearby. V and Durbe turned to see that the globe above the New Heartland Tower had changed. It was no longer showing a hologram of the planet. Instead… it became a pulsating, massively black "0".
"What is happening now?" Durbe questioned.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
At the same time, in his lab, Dr. Faker watched his screen with growing alarm. "It can't be! This… this just isn't possible!"
"What's going on Dr. Faker?" Akari asked, sounding very concerned.
It wasn't just her. Kazuma, Mirai, and Luna were also seeing the N.T. monitor with her. Only, it wasn't just showing Heartland City anymore. It now presented multiple blinking dots… everywhere.
"If the N.T.'s readings are correct, then there are "Number" cards becoming active and are on the move… all over the planet!"
To be continued.