Chapter 33: Rampage
The destruction started instantly and spread rapidly. The 300-foot-tall creature named Holactie had emerged from the ocean beside Academy Island just yesterday. Its presence kicked up waves so violent that they swallowed the harbor and the emergency ships docked there. The bridge between the harbor and the rest of the island was bent out of shape so no one could get to the ships even if they were still usable. The waves were so high they even slapped the Slifer dorm, which was closest to the water. Fortunately, no one got hurt, but everything on the first floor was flooded, including the common room and both Dr. Kerr's room and office. The initial suggestion was for everyone to double up with the upstairs rooms, but Dr. Kerr managed to convince Dr. Lankford that six people per room was too many, especially in a building that might get hit again. So everyone in Slifer was relocated to DA-Rec for safety.
Holactie's cataclysmic oceanic disturbances created a trail of widespread destruction in its wake reaching all the way across the Pacific Rim. When it first appeared, Holactie had kind of ambled to the north so slowly that it was still visible at noon. It devastated much of the Japanese coast, especially Chiba and Kanagawa, and territories northward into Russia and the Koreas. Towering walls of water over 100 feet high obliterated coastal cities.
But as the day wore on, Holactie turned southward and began to speed up. By nightfall, it had disappeared into the fog that had rolled in with the unrelenting tropical storms. Its advance veered east, bringing the devastation to the west coast of the Americas. Tsunamis bore inland for miles in many areas, reducing homes and businesses to rubble. The California-based reporter focused on the beaches of Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu, and beyond before switching to show how entire bayside communities from Long Beach to Palos Verdes were simply erased from existence. Over 800,000 people were displaced in LA County alone, with the death toll still being calculated but feared in the tens of thousands. Death counts and economic estimates were still rolling in around the Pacific Rim.
All that, and Holactie hadn't even reached land yet.
Further south into Mexico and Central America, as well as Taiwan and the Philippines, the hurricane force winds and rains proved just as destructive. The two-hundred-mile-per-hour winds effectively leveled cities and resorts. Mud slides and flash flooding ruined many inland areas as well. Countries farther south hadn't been hit yet, but they were already being ravaged by the same tropical downpours that plagued Duel Academy.
When Holactie entered US territorial waters, that's when the US Navy entered the picture.
"Early this morning, the 300-foot-tall creature began moving towards the Hawaiian islands from its origin point near Japan. The Pentagon has dubbed the creature Archangel due to its angelic appearance. The US Navy's 7th Fleet, which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Akatsuki and its full carrier strike group, immediately sortied to engage the unknown threat.
"As the Archangel closed within 200 miles west of Oahu, naval commanders threw everything they had at stopping the creature before it could make landfall. The carrier launched a full strike package of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters, joined by F-15 Eagles from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. The jets employed Maverick air-to-ground missiles, Joint Direct Attack Munitions, guided bombs, and 20mm cannon fire in blistering strafing runs on the kaiju. Anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles were unleashed by Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers. Even the main guns of the Akatsuki's 5-inch cannons opened up at maximum range.
"Incredibly, the barrage of highly explosive ordnance seemed to have little effect. Although part of the Archangel's body appeared to be covered in gold armor, its white skin is equally thick with weapons bouncing off or barely penetrating. Unfortunately, the Archangel's counterattack… was devastating. The monster reared its gigantic head and appeared to channel some sort of mystical energy. A brilliant aura of pure light shimmered into existence, fluctuating like an eerie electrical field. Then, concentrated beams of energy lashed out, obliterating ships and swatting planes with grotesque tentacles of pure power. In a matter of minutes, two carrier strike groups were vaporized. Smaller vessels were effortlessly scattered like bathtub toys.
"New storms whipped up following the attack: monumental waves, cyclones and waterspouts hundreds of feet high, all churning the seas into a nightmare. At least 70% of the naval forces arrayed against this leviathan are estimated to have been lost. The Navy are attempting to regroup outside the storm systems. But if those lightning-like energy beams can't be stopped, then Hawaii may already be lost. Even nuclear weapons would be useless against the Archangel. I can't imagine what could possibly bring down something wielding such otherworldly power."
Cary had been watching the report in the common room with Kasumi, Emily, and Cee-Cee, but it was Mitsuro who stormed out in a huff. No one bothered to ask why she was upset. Everyone was upset about the kaiju attacks. Cee-Cee flipped the channel to an entirely different report, and yet the destruction was so similar.
"A crisis unlike any other is rapidly unfolding deep within the arid deserts of Egypt. What began as reports of people seemingly turning to salt near the port cities soon revealed itself to be an unholy horror. The monstrosity has come to be known as Archfiend. This creature is unlike any ever reported—not a physical behemoth but rather a mass of malevolent energy. The mere touch of the Archfiend's miasma is enough to sap the spirit and life essence from any living being. Healthy individuals are not even desiccated before they turn to dust.
"The Archfiend first appeared in the Mediterranean, but now it slithers across the land as a giant snake, consuming lives as it heads west. Entire communities in the Nile River delta vanished in mere hours. Once vibrant towns are now bleak, scorched landscapes littered with eerie salt dunes. Egypt's military forces were among the first responders but their tanks, artillery, and aircraft proved useless as every weapon so far merely sailed through the incorporeal body of the Archfiend.
"With conventional weapons failing, world authorities and paranormal organizations are turning to more arcane and experimental means of attack. Psychics, sages, and mystical savants are being gathered to expel or banish the evil spirit form through meditation, mantras, and channeling spiritual energies. Meanwhile, fanatical cultists have purposely entered the miasma, seeking to merge their spirits with the dark entity. Whether out of religious belief or sheer fearful sacrifice is yet to be determined."
Now it was Kasumi's turn to stomp away from the couch. "Can we turn it off now?" Cee-Cee did so without hesitation.
Emily asked, "Are you doing alright?"
The tears in Kasumi's eyes belied her desire to be tough. Nervous laughter escaped her lips. "No, of course I'm not alright. The world is clearly coming to an end."
"We don't know that," said Cary. But just because it felt like the brave thing to say doesn't mean it made sense. She wasn't even sure what she meant by it.
"What else could it be?" asked Kasumi. She was so agitated that the tears flowed more freely now. And she was right: There was no other way to describe such mass destruction in the wake of two gargantuan kaiju except The End of the World. "Clearly nothing can stop those things. They're invincible, and one of them just sucks the life out of everything it touches. So if we don't get swallowed by a storm, then we'll get turned to salt."
For a minute, no one replied this time. It was impossible to argue with her. Maybe she was wrong—someone had sealed those gigantic monsters away once upon a time, after all. But how did they do it? Was it still possible? What was the connection between those monsters and the nine god cards?
Mitsuro came back in the room steel-faced. She noticed the TV was off. "Finally lost your nerve?"
"Where did you go?" snapped Kasumi. Poor girl was picking the wrong fight just because she was scared about something else.
"I had a phone call to make."
Cee-Cee frowned. "That was your dad's fleet, wasn't it?"
"It was."
Emily asked, "Did he answer? I can't imagine what you're going through right now."
Mitsuro puffed out her chest and scoffed. "He's a U.S. Navy SEAL for crying out loud. Amphibious special ops, hostile environment training, the works. If anyone can navigate magical hurricanes, it's him and my brother." The bravado in her voice sounded hollow as she glanced away, jaw tightly clenched. Another uneasy silence fell over the group—the tenth since Holactie first appeared.
"I just wish I was out there instead of stuck in this preppy hellhole," Mitsuro finally muttered, breaking the tension. "I could be providing recon overwatch from a Navy SEAL Delivery Vehicle right now instead of studying for some pointless exams."
"Or you could drown in a magical storm," said Cary. Mitsuro glowered at her, but Cary didn't care. "How much reconnaissance could you do in these storms? With fog so thick we can't even safely leave the dorm? Our cell phones barely work. We're lucky to get a TV signal."
Mitsuro said, "My phone is fine. Just waiting for my mother to report back what she learns from Naval HQ."
Cee-Cee said, "Yeah, my phone is also fine. Let me see yours for a second." Not that she was asking. She leaned across the couch and ganked Cary's phone before getting an answer. But unless she found something wrong with it, then Cary's phone was fine, and it was just the people on the other end who weren't answering. Dave and Erica had been silent for two days. Even messages to Justin and Andy didn't get through. Matt was the only person outside the Obelisk Girls' dorm who sent Cary any messages, though he barely provided any proof of life since leaving the Slifer dorm.
Kasumi grumbled, "We shouldn't be here anymore. They should send us home."
"Through what mode of transportation?" asked Mitsuro. "The harbor is a shambles and the ships are wrecked. And no medical helicopter is going to fly through this torrent. This is exactly why I'm frustrated: We're stuck here."
Cary said, "Maybe we're safer here anyway." She could deal with the dirty looks that came her way. "We don't know what's going on yet. Those things weren't just… living… underwater for ages. There would have been signs. They came from somewhere else."
Emily hummed. "You mean, like, from another world?"
Mitsuro pointed at her. "I think you might be right. The kind of kaiju magic that just kicks up crazy storms like that can only come from another realm of existence. Something happened that let those things loose in our world. We just have to figure out how to put them back." No matter how tough Mitsuro wanted to appear on the outside, she was just a scared teenager on the inside—terrified she might have lost her naval hero father and brother to an unholy force of nature no one could have prepared for.
Unfortunately, before everyone was remanded to their dorms while the storms passed, the bunker that housed the real god cards was surrounded by an impenetrable cloud. Cary wondered whether the constant rain and fog did anything to erode the protective barrier, but she also worried about what she would do if she actually did get inside that bunker to confront the card thieves. Ideas about how to undo the magic were in short supply.
That moment was when Dr. Houtz stuck her head in the room. "Oh, good. You're all here. Plus Mitsuro. Please go pack a bag. Take your toiletries, medication, a change of clothes, and whatever you'll need to survive for a few days at DA-Rec."
"Why are we going there?" asked Cee-Cee. "Are we in danger?"
"Not immediately. But we decided it will be easier to keep all of you safe if you're all in the same place where we can pool our resources."
Emily asked, "Aren't there boys already living at DA-Rec?"
"There are about to be more of them. But you'll have your own space, and the boys will be separated under threat of castration." She winked, which made Cary unsure whether she was serious.
Mitsuro had to return to her own room, yet she was the fastest to pack up. "I told you I had a basic military upbringing," she said. Somehow she stuffed two changes of clothes, toiletries, pads, her laptop, all her notebooks, and a lock into her backpack.
"What's the lock for?" asked Emily.
"To keep the rest of you from getting into my pack," she answered. Cary wasn't quite so paranoid, but Kasumi was and asked to borrow a lock. Cary had to remind her that there were day lockers at DA-Rec, both inside the locker rooms and out in the atrium.
More girls already waited by the front door. In fact, Cary had never seen so many people gathered in the foyer at one time, even at orientation. Orientation mainly targeted new students, but now girls from all three years were gathered together.
"Everyone knows where we're going?" asked Dr. Houtz. It didn't matter that she was dramatically outnumbered because everyone stopped to listen when she spoke.
"What's going on?" asked Wikolia. She had her arm around Lei, who looked like she had been crying. Not that Cary could blame her.
Dr. Houtz said, "Please just trust me for now and wait until we get to DA-Rec so I only have to explain it once."
"But it's dark outside and this feels like a pointless trip," said said Jeri.
"I know," said Dr. Houtz. "The truth is that we aren't one hundred percent sure what's going on right now, but we are sure that you will all be safer if we gather together at DA-Rec."
Syd asked, "What are you ninety percent sure of?" Dr. Houtz didn't answer, but she did look worried. "Eighty percent?" Again, the professor shook her head. Syd just shrugged but appeared to be resigned to follow Dr. Houtz's lead. The other girls looked similarly complacent, despite the extra grumbles from Jeri and a few other girls.
The weather hadn't improved at all since Holactie appeared. The grounds were still covered in fog so thick that it was difficult to see even with the streetlights on and the sun still an hour away from sunset.
"Stay together!" shouted Sergeant Stilson. Cary found three of the campus police officers flanking the dorm entrance. So Dr. Houtz wasn't shepherding them alone. The fact that she needed a police escort made Cary extra curious what danger they were in. It couldn't be Holactie or the other monster. After that naval failure, the police would do jack shit to them. Were they worried about Howard, Lana, and Anand? At least they were human-sized and presumably still weak to bullets.
Almost halfway there, Emily pointed across Cary toward the beach. "That sounds like a duel." When she focused, Cary heard the sounds of air rushing around like what happens when hologram projections move around, plus the sound of a Life Point counter falling a lot. She would have ignored the sound and stayed with the group, except the group splintered into factions mostly curious about the fog duel.
"That's Jim," said Laura. Of course she could identify him in the dark: Rumor was that she and Jim Martel would secretly hook up after hours or in utility closets. (Naturally, she denied everything, but the gossip remained.)
She couldn't immediately identify Jim's opponent, though. The fog was too think, plus there looked like an extra layer of fog covering the opponent from head to toe. But even when a face is invisible, the deck tells all: Jim's opponent played Crystal Beacon, which shone brightly enough to cut through the fog, followed by placing Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200) on the field. Three crystals disappeared from the field as lightning struck the ground: Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (10: 4000|4000) rose from that spot. Its features were obscured by the fog, but it couldn't completely hide a body that covered the entire field.
Only one person had that card. "Why is Erica dueling Jim right now?" asked Cary. Not that anyone had an answer, except for maybe Dr. Houtz, who tried to usher everyone toward DA-Rec.
Cary tried to watch as three monsters on Erica's field destroyed all three monsters on Jim's field. One of his cards was Nimble Momonga, which gave him an extra 1000 LP on destruction and explained why Jim's points were so high. But Hamon's effect dealt an extra 1000 LP in damage when destroying a monster, so the effect was nullified.
Erica: 3500 LP, 1 card
Jim: 6300 LP, 5 cards
"I got this," said Jim. "Dark Hole. Even Hamon's not immune to that because this card doesn't target."
But Hamon didn't have to be immune when Solemn Judgment negated his Spell Card. It cost Erica half her Life Points, but that move was a no-brainer.
"Okay then. I'll play Battlin' Boxer Switchitter (4: 1500|1400) again." It was hard to see his cards completely, but the Battlin' Boxers had been Jim's latest deck theme, so Cary had seen them before. "That means summoning Battlin' Boxer Sparrer (4: 1200|1400) from my Graveyard. And I can summon another one from my hand." The second Sparrer went to defense position. "And I'll overlay Switchitter (4) with Sparrer (4) for Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke (4: 2200|2000) again." Overall, that was a good card. It gave a lot of protection to other Battlin' Boxers to save them from destruction.
But it was up against a god card.
Erica: 1750 LP, 1 card
Jim: 6300 LP, 2 cards
It turned out that one of Erica's shrouded cards was Chaos Sorcerer. With his effect, the targeted monster wasn't destroyed but banished, meaning Lead Yoke did nothing at all to protect himself from that effect. Jim only had one monster left to protect himself, and it shattered when pierced with that sapphire unicorn horn. That left Hamon (4000) and Constellar Omega (2400) free to trample all over Jim's remaining Life Points.
Erica: 1750 LP, 2 cards
Jim: 0 LP, 2 cards
When the lights faded, everyone disappeared in the fog. Cary couldn't see either duelist moving around anymore, except that it looked like maybe both of them fell to the ground.
"What happened?" asked Laura as she stomped forward. She sounded more annoyed than concerned. She was still barely visible when she stopped moving away. Her leg kicked a couple of times as she said, "Get up, Jim."
Office McDaniel said, "Ms. Guertin, we need to go."
A raspy voice cut through the fog with just one word: "Duel." The voice was otherworldly, like it had the base of Erica's voice but layered with two hundred voice changers on top.
"You sound like you've been awake for days, Erica. Get some sleep," said Laura.
"Duel energy," said the ten thousand Ericas.
Dr. Houtz shouted, "No!"
But Laura was too flippant to hear it. She had already scoffed at Erica. "You can barely stand, but I'll duel you anytime, Dawkins."
McDaniel said, "No dueling. Stay with the group."
But all the vgor drained from Dr. Houtz. "It's too late. She already accepted." There was such defeat in her voice, like she saw herself as a failure for letting anyone get into a duel. "Everyone else, keep going to DA-Rec."
Officer Rader already had Jim thrown over his shoulder. "I'll carry him."
Sergeant Stilson said, "I'll stay and bring Ms. Guertin when the duel is over."
"Be careful," said Dr. Houtz. "She'll be weakened temporarily, but she'll still know you're there. Any energy is better than no energy, even right after she feeds."
What the hell was she saying? She made Erica sound like a vampire. Like a dueling vampire. Is that what Erica meant when she said duel energy? Is there something in the air that she feeds on during a duel? And why? Surely that couldn't replace actual nutrition.
The student group followed Dr. Houtz toward the recreation center—everyone except Kasumi. Cary understood why she was upset. She had spent more time with Erica than she had with even Matt or Cary. As her mentor, Erica had helped Kasumi develop her skills and become a more formidable duelist. Cary felt compelled to stay and watch with her friend.
Laura was way too cocky considering the fog made Erica look like a legitimate ghost. "As if the school didn't have enough problems without adding your childish, spooky behavior. You're a senior. You should act your age."
She got no response out of Erica, which always frustrated Laura even more.
"Fine. I've wanted a real rematch ever since you left our team to become a Guardian—none of these ridiculous intramural rules. First is Foolish Burial." She buried a card from her deck in the Graveyard. "I'll set one card in the back and summon Amazoness Princess (3: 1200|900). She brings an Amazoness Spell to my hand. She also brings Amazoness Baby Tiger (2: 500|500) to the field in defense mode by its own effect." Her warrior was youthful and more muscular than Cary ever wanted to be, and her pet looked like an oversize kitten covered in stripes. "So now I can play Amazoness Call to pick out an Amazoness card from my deck. And then I'll activate Amazoness Village, which means all my Amazoness monsters get an extra 200 points." The field sprouted huts that looked like they were constructed from straw or bamboo or a similar reedy plant.
"Your turn."
Laura: 8000 LP, 2 cards
Erica: 8000 LP, 5 cards
Erica's cards were harder to follow because of her position in the fog. But Kasumi knew her deck and the Crystal Beast cards well enough by now to identify them by the way their colors shimmered in the holograms.
"Crystal Tree," said Kasumi. "So she'll get a Crystal Counter every time a Crystal Beast goes to the backfield." The field flashed again, this time much dimmer as it just appeared that a four-legged creature rolled onto its back. "Crystal Bonds, so she gets a card to her hand and also a Crystal Beast in the backfield." It was Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth, judging by the amber color of the crystal.
"One Crystal Counter so soon," Cary muttered.
Erica played a monster next, and Kasumi continued narrating. "Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200), which puts another Crystal Beast in the backfield." The new gem had the same blue hue, so it was another Sapphire Pegasus. The Crystal Tree disappeared at that moment, replaced by another sapphire gem and a topaz gem. So she lost the tree but had four Crystal Beasts in her backfield already.
Then she played a card that flashed but didn't show a steady color. Kasumi shrugged, but Laura answered the inherent question: "Rare Value. I'll get rid of one of your Sapphire Pegasus."
"Oh. The opponent picks a Crystal Beast to remove, then you draw two cards."
And Erica's next card flashed far brighter than any of her cards had so far. Neither of them could identify the card through the fog, but the appearance of lightning on the field suggested that it helped her take Hamon out the deck and straight to her hand. Thanks to the Crystal Beasts, Erica already had three Continuous Spell Cards ready to offer as Tribute. But she had further preparations to make, first activating Fallen Paradise, which didn't change the environment much, but Kasumi recognized the twisted tree and all the glowing eyes that appeared from its knots.
And then Erica played one that Laura read out loud: "Cerulean Skyfire. I don't know that one. Are you forging cards just to make your deck stronger?" That sounded like the kind of baseless and un-thinking accusation that Laura would throw around. Never mind that Kaiba Corp wouldn't allow fake cards to activate on their Duel Disks. Some rare duelists just synchronize so well with the god cards that they seem to find special support cards that no one else knew about.
But whatever that card did, Erica didn't need it: She simply did what Cary expected by removing her three Crystal Beasts to summon Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (10: 4000|4000). No amount of fog could fully hide a creature that summoned lightning. And one of the bolts struck a tree just yards away from where Cary and Kasumi hid. Cary gasped but Kasumi screamed as a large limb dislodged from the tree and crashed to the ground.
Even Laura was temporarily distracted. "Okay, who's responsible for that? The Solid Sense shouldn't be vandalizing the woods. I'll have another complaint for Dr. Aseel."
Erica didn't care. She continued throwing cards and activating effects. "Fallen Paradise is a special card," said Kasumi. "By having a Sacred Beast on the field, she can draw two cards once per turn." Shit, that was a good card effect. Good enough to make Cary jealous for not having a Sacred Beast.
Hamon (400) launch a powerful bolt of lightning at the Amazoness Princess (1200). Cary bit down hard as the power of the holographic storm was enough to rattle the ground.
"Nice try," said Laura. "Amazoness Onslaught. I can summon a new, stronger Amazoness to my field." Her card rose, but nothing happened on the field, as if her Trap Card stalled. "What? Cerulean Skyfire negates my effect?" Not only that: Hamon (4000) switched to defense position.
On the upside, Erica's turn ended. Laura was up against a god card, but she hadn't taken any damage yet.
Laura: 8000 LP, 2 cards
Erica: 8000 LP, 4 cards
"I'm not scared of a Sacred Beast Card," said Laura. "I'll summon another Amazoness Princess (3: +1400|900) and use her effect to pull another Amazoness card to my hand. I'll activate Amazoness Call again, to take another Amazoness card from my deck." She hummed the kind of pleasurable sound that got her teased around Jim. Happy with her hand, Cary assumed.
"Now I'll attack."
Cary could have screamed in surprise. Kasumi almost did, too.
Amazoness Princess (1400) targeted Hamon (4000) for attack. "Attacking triggers Amazoness Princess's effect, but it also triggers Amazoness Onslaught's effect. First, I summon Amazoness Queen (6: +3100|1800) and give her 500 extra points plus 200 for Amazoness Village, and then I summon Amazoness Tiger (4: +2900|1500) in defense mode." A larger woman with battle scars aplenty and a full-size, snarling tiger. "Tiger's effect means you can only attack him, while Queen's effect protects all Amazoness monsters from destruction."
Of course Laura would rather brag about her strategy instead of waiting for her opponent to figure it out the hard way. But none of that negated the fact that Amazoness Princess (1400) launched an attack against a monster three times her power. Laura was hit with the 2600 points of blowback.
Laura hollered and staggered as her LP fell. "What the hell was that?" Cary didn't see what happened, but her voice was strained, as if she had been physically punched and struggled to catch her breath.
"Duel energy," said Erica in her raspy, multiplied voice.
"Is that supposed to answer the question?" Some of Laura's strength must have returned for her to turn snippy so quickly. "Whatever. The next effect of Amazoness Onslaught triggers now: When your monster survives battle with an Amazoness, it's banished. And the best part is that the effect doesn't target, so god cards aren't immune." Cary couldn't see clearly, but it looked like multiple Amazoness warriors ambushed Hamon and actually managed to overpower him through sheer numbers.
"Now that your only dangerous monster is out of the way, Amazoness Queen (3100) can destroy Sapphire Pegasus (1800)." At first, Sapphire Pegasus left behind a gem version of itself, but the Amazoness Onslaught activate again to banish it from the field. "Now my second Amazoness Princess (1400) attacks directly. And Amazoness Princess has an effect where, during her attack, I can send my first Amazoness Princess to the Graveyard to summon Amazoness Swords Woman (4: +1700|1600) to the field in defense position." Not the largest of the women, but maybe the most ripped.
"And now, it's your turn."
Laura: 5600 LP, 2 cards
Erica: 8000 LP, 4 cards
Maybe Laura was in the lead now, and maybe she had found a way to overpower a god card. She had proved herself as an Obelisk-level duelist of Duel Academy. But she was still way too fucking cocky about this duel that wasn't over yet, and when her opponent was ranked Number 4 in the school.
"It's another Crystal Tree," said Kasumi as Erica activated another prismatic card. "And Crystal Blessing, so she gets two Crystal Beasts from the Graveyard in her backfield." When that Spell burst into light, it left two sapphire gems on the field, plus Crystal Tree received a Crystal Counter. She played another card that just cycled a light through the fog like a beacon. "Crystal Beacon, which summons a Crystal Beast from the deck." She selected Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle (3: 300|300), judging from the scarlet shimmer that came with the card.
And that started a summoning trend. "When Ruby Carbuncle is summoned, she also summons her backfield cards as monsters." So Erica picked two Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200). And both of their effects activated, placing both an emerald green gem and an amethyst purple gem in the backfield. And the air pressure suddenly felt heavy again.
Lightning struck the field as Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (10: 4000|4000) revived from the Graveyard, taking Emerald Tortoise, Amethyst Cat, and Cerulean Skyfire as its Tribute fodder.
"You can't revive a god card from the Graveyard," shouted Laura. Her tone was somewhere in between whiny and indignant. "That's not a real effect! You must be cheating!"
Shock of all shocks, Erica didn't care what Laura had to say. Neither did their Duel Disks, for that matter. It definitely recognized Hamon because Fallen Paradise activated and gave Erica two more cards again. On top of that, she sent away her Crystal Tree so that she could transform the three Crystal Counters into a blue gem and two rainbow-colored gems.
She also played a card that sent a rainbow from one end of the field to the other. "Rainbow Bridge, maybe?" said Kasumi. "She gets any Spell or Trap with Crystal in the name from her deck." Then she activate Crystal Bond again, with the same effect where the Carbuncle rolled onto its back for belly rubs. She took a card to her hand and also placed Ruby Carbuncle in her backfield.
She played another card that obliterated her backfield and pelted all visible cards with glittering shrapnel. "That's Crystal Abundance, I think. It costs four Crystals in the backfield…"
"I know that one," said Cary. "It's her OTK card. It sends everything to the Graveyard and then lets her revive as many Crystal Beasts as the number of Laura's cards she sent away." And since Laura had four monsters, a Field Spell, plus one in the backfield, that meant Erica could fill her monster zones to capacity.
Which she did with two Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200), Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth (4: 1700|1600), and two Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon (8: 3000|0). Her Pegasus cards placed two more gems in the backfield, but none of that mattered. She had enough points on the field to beat Laura even with a full Life Point counter.
Laura: 0 LP, 2 cards
Erica: 8000 LP, 2 cards
At first, Laura just staggered like Jim had done. "What is…" she started to ask, but she stopped as if she simply ran out of energy. In a quick and painful slump, her body fell like a coat slipping off the rack. Sergeant Stilson dove for her immediately, scooping her off the ground and then dashing toward DA-Rec as quickly as he could while carrying a stout teenager.
Like before, shadows engulfed Erica even more than just being shrouded by fog. But unlike last time, she didn't stay down. Only seconds passed before she was up on her feet again. Power, confidence, and hunger radiated from her. Though her face was nearly invisible, her eyes began to shine crimson. Piercing through the fog like a knife, her eyes trained on Cary and Kasumi.
"Run!" said Cary, and she was up and running in a flash, following the exact path that Sergeant Stilson took. Terror stopped her from even looking back to see whether Erica followed them.
Cary missed the Obelisk Girls dorm. Despite sharing a room with Kasumi and a suite with Emily and Cee-Cee, there was a lot more privacy there. Shortly after everyone had evacuated Obelisk Girls, the professors and police also evacuated Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue. DA-Rec was large overall but the actual rooms were severely limited, especially when the entire student body was present at the same time. The girls were all stuffed into two lecture rooms at night while the boys were spread across the basketball courts and the multi-purpose room. The professors and staff had a system to keeping the genders separate, but there were flaws: Two boys had already snuck into the girls' rooms at night, and one girl had snuck into and hidden in the multi-purpose room twice.
And somehow the professors believed that studies could go on uninterrupted. By the third day of having class in the same place where they slept, nearly a quarter of the students just stopped changing out of their pajamas. There were verbal reprimands, but Cary wasn't sure whether there was any follow-through on threats of punishment.
But the worst part was the clinic room, where they set up all the students with the unknown disease. Their symptoms included dehydration, some kidney failure, lack of reflexive response, and more noticeably, they were comatose. Dr. Nagell was still running tests to figure out if there was any biological basis for their condition. Jim Martel and Laura Guertin were examples where the student just slept constantly despite all external stimuli. Nineteen other students were found in the same condition. By this point, every student they found outside of DA-Rec was comatose, which didn't bode well for the nine students and three staff members who were still unaccounted for, not counting the eight Guardian Duelers who were reported to be actively spreading the sickness.
Just shy of a week stuck inside DA-Rec, Cary wondered whether the risk of coma was worth it to go outside for a while. Of course, the astroturf field was fenced off, so they could technically find fresh air, but the sun hadn't made uninterrupted contact with the ground since Holactie first showed up. The fog that covered Duel Academy was starting to seem permanent. And so were the kaiju. Holactie had already consumed Hawaii and started toward the mainland. The giant serpent in Egypt was Armityle, and it was almost done storming across Northern Africa on its apparent trajectory into the Atlantic Ocean.
As had become routine when lectures ended, Cary and a lot of other students grabbed seats in the dining hall and just hung out, either doing homework, play testing their decks, or otherwise occupying time until the next meal was ready.
The forlorn expression on Kasumi's face made even Cary feel dejected. It was just so unnatural for such an effervescent girl. "No word from Matt," she assumed.
Kasumi shook her head. "He's not responding to text messages." Neither had to say any more: Matt was most likely comatose by now.
Cee-Cee asked, "Are the messages being delivered?"
"It doesn't matter if he can't respond," said Kasumi.
"But if the messages are delivered, it means his phone is still powered on and receiving a signal. He left three days ago, didn't he? That's a long time for his phone battery to stay charged."
Syd said, "Maybe we'll find it eventually, plugged in wherever he was trying to take cover before the sickness got him." She shifted in her seat before asking, "What are the odds he found Bryan?" Bryan had disappeared even before Slifer Red was flooded and the students relocated to DA-Rec. Even then, Matt had been worried that Bryan would succumb to whatever disease was afflicting the Guardian Duelers. If only he knew then what everyone else knew now, he might have stayed where it was safe.
"Are you worried about Dave?" Cee-Cee was looking at Cary, who wouldn't find the right, not-sarcastic words to respond. "Sorry. Dumb question. Miyu's been super-worried about Justin. Haruki wishes he could do something, too. I imagine you're even more upset."
"Do you think this is the end of the world?" asked Emily.
"Not today. Fats is cooking," said Jack. Cee-Cee blushed and tried to hide behind her toolkit, but Cary gave him an accepting head nod, acknowledging his attempt to lighten the mood. When the professors said they wanted everyone to help with the chores, they had assumed that someone as mechanically inclined as Cee-Cee would be good in the kitchen. Somehow, she found a way to make a salad explode. Fats, on the other hand, was even better in the kitchen than the paid staff. Honestly, Cary couldn't understand why no one's first thought was that the fat guy would know the most about food.
Fats said, "Still have another hour before I can get back there." All their work assignments were strictly scheduled. Purportedly that was to enforce studying requirements and efficiency, but it could also be just because the professors enjoyed making up rules.
"Things are just getting worse," Emily continued. She glanced at Fats and added, "Not the food. Just the world situation."
"I knew what you meant."
Syd tapped the table, looking bored. "End of the World, you say. So that means these monsters come from the Shadow Realm?"
"What?"
"Isn't that what the old legends say? The Shadow Realm is where the most dangerous spirits live. Whenever someone taps into shadow magic, they risk letting the monsters loose."
Emily nodded. "That's what the comas are, I think. The Shadows infected their bodies and drained their spirits so they're barely alive."
"But not dead?" asked Jack.
"Right. The Shadows continue to feed on them even now. If everyone dies, then they stop being food."
From the next table over, Thomas Estrada scoffed loudly. "That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard."
With her voice totally level, Syd asked, "What do you think causes it?"
He said, "It's just potent knockout gas."
Cary asked, "The Guardian Duelers are the ones out there dueling people and putting the losers into comas. Where did they get enough knockout gas for so many people?" Never mind that Cary never saw Erica do anything that looked like dispersing knockout gas after her duels. And if she had, wouldn't Sergeant Stilson have been knocked out when he got close enough to grab Laura?
"Two of them are taking chemistry this semester," said Nick Sims, also sitting at Thomas's table. "I bet Dr. Apple was happy to teach them how to synethesize a few batches."
Emily said, "We never learned that in class."
"Duh, they did it outside of class," said Thomas. "They couldn't have all of you knowing about what they were doing."
"But one of those two Guardians is right over there." She pointed to the table where Yul Tan sat with several other students from Obelisk and Ra. His was literally the only green jacket in the entire building. He had migrated the DA-Rec at the same time as the Ra Yellow dorm did, claiming that all of his roommates at the Guardhouse had disappeared.
Fats said, "Maybe the Guardians aren't in control. Maybe it's like Syd said: The Shadow Realm opened but only a little bit, so the Shadows came through and inhabited their bodies."
"So they're just vessels to give the shadows a physical body," said Syd. She made a face and a sort of half-nod. "That sounds consistent with legend."
Jack asked, "So the Guardians are running around feeding people to the Shadow Realm. But why isn't Yul doing that?"
Mitsuro had been sitting at Thomas's table because it used to be quiet. Now she felt forced to look up with a scowl. "Maybe it's because he gave his god card to Dr. Aseel."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Five days ago, I saw him hand it to her. He said something about how it was producing a painful sensation and he wanted someone else to keep an eye on it."
Emily asked, "Does that mean we have to keep an eye on Dr. Aseel now? What if she starts trying to feed people to the Shadows instead?"
Cee-Cee said, "I don't think she has it anymore. I watched her give a card to Dr. Apple the other day. At the time, it looked like it was just a note card or an RFID badge, but I'm sure it was a card with a scarlet picture on it."
"So they're handing it around to each other," said Syd. "Odd behavior, unless they're being smart about an object that holds mystical influence over people. By sharing it around, the Shadows don't have long enough to take over any one of them."
A moment of silence passed through the table. If everyone was in the same boat as Cary, then they were exhausted, confused, and almost ready to give up. But as Cary thought about what Syd said—the Shadow Realm and all the stories about it—an idea entered into her mind. "What if we were able to beat the Guardians in a duel?"
No one responded right away, but Cary gleaned their general mindset from their expressions. Syd and Kasumi seemed to like the idea, but everyone else was more on the side of incredulity. Fats said, "That sounds dangerous."
"Who's going to win a duel against the Guardians?" asked Jack. "They're the top duelists in the school, maybe or maybe not augmented by shadow magic," he added, motioning to Emily. She just nodded, looking even more concerned than before.
Syd said, "Maybe me."
Cee-Cee asked, "Really? Are you sure?"
"I'm… more experienced than the average student here."
"A former pro," said Cary. She shrugged off the veil of secrecy because literally everyone knew already about Syd's past. Just no one bothered to tease her about it because few could compete with her, so no one wanted to piss her off.
And she still wouldn't confess, but at least she didn't deny it. "I might have the best chance of everyone here."
"I'd think the professors have the best chance," said Fats. "No one's stronger duelists than they are."
Except the alumni who beat them and broke their spirit keys, thought Cary. And even if they didn't lose once already, they all looked exhausted all the time. It was a lot of work keeping students safe when the facilities were limited. Even Dr. Houtz, who was bubblier than most social media influencers, had dark circles around her eyes without the use of makeup. More professors were sitting through lectures than ever before, too tired to stand for the hours on end required to finish a full lesson. Even Dr. West was worn down. No way they could handle the Guardians in their current condition.
Emily said, "It's not smart for anyone to go try. No one here is on the same level as the Guardians."
Kasumi looked to Cary. "It's a bit risky, but what if they wear down in between duels? Remember how Erica looked almost asleep after her duel against Jim? It made her a bit sluggish against Laura."
"But she still won both duels," said Cary. "Emily's right. We're not on their level. Best to let it drop."
A bit later, Fats left the table to go help in the kitchen. A while after that, the staff served one of the only meals that ever came out of a gym kitchen not as a smoothie. After eating, people were more likely to split up. Some went to designated bedrooms to sleep early, some wandered around too restless to relax, some looked for quiet spaces to study, and very few bothered to take advantage of the facilities and actually exercise. Cary was absentmindedly walking around the track that circled the atrium when she saw Haruki and Miyu arguing with Dr. Aseel. She left her ear buds in to remain inconspicuous, but she never turned them on in the first place. She wanted the opportunity to listen in on every conversation nearby while giving the appearance that she couldn't hear anything.
"I can't approve any students leaving for any reason. Dueling against the Guardians is just the worst possible reason on the entire list."
"Gima said that dueling has origins in magic," said Haruki. "If I can win, maybe he will overcome the magic. We can work together to win against the rest." So others were coming up with the same plan. Maybe Haruki and Miyu might even stand a chance against them.
"Not acceptable," said Dr. Aseel. "It's too risky. As talented as you are, Gima is better. Not that I support the magic theory… But if we pretend that he's been overtaken somehow, then he'll be even better than usual. They're all better. Even Dr. West can't take them on right now."
"Then let us try."
"Discussion is over." Dr. Aseel walked away without even waiting for a response. Haruki and Miyu didn't chase after her. They just stood there looking both dejected and resolute at the same time.
Her teammates on Team OTK were strong, but Cary recognized reality, that there was one other duelist inside of DA-Rec who knew what it was like to be a Guardian Dueler and was capable of dueling on par with them. She stopped walking and sent a text message to Yul Tan, asking him to come talk to her privately.
She only waited ten minutes before he stepped out of the elevator next to the track. "Hello," he said simply.
Skipping the small talk, she said, "You and Dave used to practice together all the time, didn't you? You were roommates in your first year?"
"Yes."
"I think Dave's in trouble."
He nodded. "I heard rumors."
She hesitated. "My family is losing their minds because Dave won't answer his phone. They've been begging me to ignore the rules and go find him myself. The only reason I haven't is because I know I'm not good enough to beat him yet. However, you became a Guardian Dueler even before he did. In your first year together, you consistently ranked higher than him."
"I am not better anymore."
"You can still match him, though. You've both improved through the years. Right now… he's not even in control of himself."
Yul tilted his head. "You think he is hypnotized?"
"Maybe. Or possessed. Either way, the Dave running around the island right now putting people in comas is not my real cousin. And maybe that's the opening for you to beat him."
He gave a deep sigh, as if considering the request and trying to weigh all the odds. "Even if I build a special deck, Dave might win. He is the best in school."
"I have to beg you, the same way my family begged me: You're the only Guardian Dueler who didn't turn evil. Please help me get my cousin back."
Now we're a little bit into the same major conflict as the second arc of my first draft. (Third arc this time because I drew out the length of the Limitations Tournament so much.) As I've said before, some events will change but the key plot points are pretty much the same. I got some feedback last time that people didn't like the use of the professors as the trump cards against the Guardian Duelers, so that's why I made them the Spirit Key holders this time and threw in some realistic exhaustion, which would make them seem less viable as the heroes this time. I agree, it makes them a bit more human and removes their appearance as being "untouchable".
Fun fact: I decided to pull a DCEU and make some of these events a bit grittier, trying to apply actual consequences to these events. What purpose is there to unleashing real gods among the world if nothing actually happens, right? But since Duel Academy isn't their target, the everyday life for students can be relatively calm while the monsters are elsewhere, though I made sure to throw in some damage to the island and, of course, the prevalence of Shadows.
For reference, I'll be happy to accept more OCs for the future arcs, but I'll probably stop mentioning it here—just to stop sounding like I'm begging. Thanks again to those who contributed OCs.
* Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X
* Jack Hansbury...same name, with a period
* Emily Li...Amourenvie
* Iracema "Cee-Cee" Silva...HardWrapping
* Tamah "Fats" Fatu...Vstriker
* Sydney King...TC-For-Short