Yugioh/ML Chapter 21
Exaltation
"You wished to see me?" Luka asked of his superiors in the virtual conference room.
"Yes." The Bishop answered. "We are pleased to inform you that we are officially reinstating you to your previous position as Chief of Security."
"Thank you, good sirs. I won't let you down."
"You better not." The Rook stated. "Your top priorities are to find a way to destroy that Cluster, restore all the people that have been corrupted, and reclaim all the kwami in there. Yes, even Ladybug's."
So it's true. The alliance with Ladybug has expired. "You can count on me. Those kwamis are as good as yours."
"To aid you in your quest," The Knight added. "one of our squadrons was lucky enough to catch one of the kwami before they bonded with a human. Your sister Juleka may be able to make good use of it. Talk to the research department."
"Yes, sir."
…
Of all the rooms in the Sol Technologies building, Juleka thought the research building was by far the most boring. Before she had entered it for the first time years ago, she thought they would be making crazy lab experiments and cool inventions. Instead, it was far more mundane, the staff focused on making slight tweaks to the Link Vrains experience.
However, this was somewhat offset by the being they had; a kwami in the shape of a red tiger, contained in a remote server and displayed on a screen for them. It was currently making rude gestures and saying things that had prompted the researchers to mute it.
"So, this is the kwami I'll be bonding with?"
"Yes, we believe so." One of the researchers answered. "However, we've made very little headway in making it bond. Perhaps if we had a little more time-"
"I don't think this is something you can force." Juleka interrupted. "Can you let me into that remote server?"
"Yes, we could. But I would heavily advise against it, as the kwami seems to be hostile."
"Can't imagine why." Juleka sarcastically commented. "I mean, we've only captured her and taken her hostage. Let me in, I can persuade her."
The researcher was about to protest further, but Luka interrupted. "Do as she says. That's an order." He sheepishly nodded and led Juleka to a special chamber.
Before Juleka logged in, she used a setting on her duel disk to change her avatar's appearance. Instead of Reflekta, she appeared to the kwami as herself.
Both Juleka and the kwami were both on a single platform in an endless void. Once the former had appeared, the latter turned to face her.
"You! Let me out, NOW!" The kwami's voice was unnaturally amplified on the last word, pushing Juleka almost to the edge.
Not letting herself be intimidated, Juleka puffed up her chest and yelled at the top of her lungs. "SHUT UP!"
There was an uneasy silence as the kwami looked at her with a surprised expression, then broke into laughter.
"I like you, human! You're nothing like those pushovers up there! What's your name?"
"Juleka." She slowly took some steps away from the edge of the platform. "I'm here to convince you to bond with me."
The kwami flew around Juleka, observing her from every angle. "That's a tall order, especially since you work for those lousy nerds who captured me!"
"You mean the nerds in the lab coats up there? I don't work for them, they work for me!"
"You don't say? But all the same, why do you want my power?"
"I assume you've heard of the human-kwami hybrids in Link Vrains?"
"Yes, a great tragedy! Are you proposing that we work together to save them?"
Juleka nodded. "In exchange, the kwami will be placed under Sol Technologies' care. What do you say?"
After taking some time to think, the kwami nodded in return. "You have a deal. I, Roaar, shall bond with you!" She then flew into Juleka's duel disk, and Juleka felt a force like she was riding a mechanical bull ride that had gone berserk. All the while, her body began a wondrous transformation.
…
Within Link Vrains, a particular hybrid had begun taking control over the others. The human was once Chloe Bourgeois, a spoiled rich girl who largely used Link Vrains as a platform to gain popularity. Now she was Queen Bee, a bee-human hybrid who summoned bees that took control of anyone they stung.
When Queen Bee saw a human in a purple tiger outfit racing towards her, she naturally attempted to take control of the intruder using her swarm. But to her surprise, the intruder yelled with such a ferocity that her bees were pushed away.
"How dare you hurt my subjects like that! I, Queen Bee, shall remind you who is in charge here!" Queen Bee then lifted herself up with her wings and flew over to race her new opponent.
Back in the human world, the various researchers analyzed Juleka's condition and reported that her vitals were stable, which pleased Luka.
"Juleka, you are clear to engage."
"Acknowledged. However, my new username is Purple Tigress." With that, Tigress engaged Queen Bee and readied her duel disk, prompting Queen Bee to do the same.
"I shall go first, of course." Queen Bee declared. "I activate the field spell Honeyhex Hive!" All around them, a giant honeycomb structure formed. "This magnificent palace shall allow me to summon a drone each turn." Out of one of the hexes, a small robotic bee appeared and flew to Queen Bee's side. (Level 1/Attack 500)
"Appear, my beautiful circuit! The summoning conditions are one Cyberse monster. I'll set my Honeyhex Drone token in the link arrows. Link summon! Appear, Honeyhex Gardna!" A robotic humanoid bee appeared, carrying an energy shield. (Attack 1000/Link Arrows Bottom) "Next, I activate the continuous spell Honeyhex Nest! Once per turn, I can target 1 Honeyhex link monster I control and summon a drone to a zone it points to." Another drone appeared behind Gardna's shield. (Level 1/Defense 500) "I shall set a card and end my turn here. Also, the effect of Honeyhex Hive protects my Honeyhex link monsters from being attacked as long as I control a drone, so don't bother."
"I draw!" Tigress cried out. "I summon Cyberwarrior Thrasher!" A fighter made of holographic lines appeared, baring claws on his hands. (Level 4/Attack 1700) "I then activate my continuous spell Cyberwarrior Discipline. During the end phase, any Cyberwarrior monsters I discarded by their effects will be returned to their hand. I then set a card."
"Thrasher, attack her Drone! Claw Thrash!" Thrasher charged forward, slicing its claws as it ran towards the drone. "I then discard my Cyberwarrior Hammer from my hand, giving Thrasher the ability to deal piercing battle damage!" Thrasher gained a hammer as it got close enough to the drone to attack.
"I activate the effect of Honeyhex Gardna. Once per turn, I can completely negate the damage I would take from a battle involving a Honeyhex monster I control." Gardna threw his shield so that it blocked Thrasher's hammer swing. The shield still cracked as Thrasher pushed through and obliterated the drone. "I then activate my continuous trap Honeyhex Sting! Whenever my drones are destroyed, the monster responsible for such a crime gains a sting counter, preventing it from attacking or activating its effects."
A stinger appeared on Thrasher's back, immobilizing it as the hammer disappeared. "I end my turn." Tigress declared. "During the end phase, I gain Cyberwarrior Hammer back."
"I draw! I use the effects of Hive and Nest to summon two more drones!" A drone appeared behind Gardna, and one appeared to the left of that drone. "Appear again, my beautiful circuit! The summoning conditions are two Honeyhex monsters. I set my two drones in the link arrows! Link summon! Appear, Honeyhex Archer!" An archer similar in design to Gardna appeared, carrying a crossbow. (Attack 2000/Link Arrows Left, Right)
"I then activate the spell Honeyhex Migration! A number of drones equal to Archer's link rating shall appear." Another pair of drones appeared next to Archer. "This triggers Archer's effect. Each time a drone graces my field, you take 300 damage for each one!" Archer fired two shots at Tigress, each hitting her in the chest. (Tigress 4000-3400)
"I then activate the equip spell Honeyhex Swarm Sword! Honeyhex Archer gains 500 attack for every drone I control." Archer placed its crossbow in one hand as a sword appeared in the other. (Honeyhex Archer attack 2000-3000) "Archer, slay that wayward warrior for your queen!" Archer flew towards Thrasher and sliced it in two in an instant. (Tigress 3400-2100)
"Don't think I'm out yet!" Tigress replied. "I activate my face-down Cyberwarrior Revenge, special summoning another Cyberwarrior to avenge Thrasher. Appear, Cyberwarrior Uppercut!" Another holographic warrior appeared, performing the move it was named after upon its arrival. (Level 4/Attack 1600)
"How uncouth. I end my turn."
"Don't listen to her, Tigress!" Roaar objected. "You can do anything you set your mind to, you just have to give it your all!"
"I draw! I activate the effect of Cyberwarrior Revenge in my graveyard, banishing it to return Thrasher to my hand. Now, Cyberwarrior Uppercut, attack her drone token!" Uppercut rushed towards the drone, ready to pelt it with its fists. "I then discard Cyberwarrior Slasher from my hand to activate its effect. Uppercut won't destroy that monster in battle, but after the damage step, it can go again!" Uppercut's fists grew sharp claws.
"How useless." Queen Bee complained. "What's the point of attacking if you can't destroy it?"
"Because I'm also discarding Cyberwarrior Mirage for its effect. This turn, whenever Uppercut attacks, I can special summon a Cyberwarrior token." After Uppercut thrashed the drone with its claws, an afterimage of Uppercut appeared next to Tigress. (Level 4/Attack 1600) "Uppercut, attack again!" The fighter attacked the same token again, finishing the job. After it was finished, a second duplicate appeared, making three Uppercuts in total.
"I hope you didn't forget the penalty for destroying my drones!" A stinger appeared on the back of the original Uppercut, paralyzing it yet again.
"I haven't. I end my turn, returning Thrasher and Mirage."
"I draw! Appear, my beautiful circuit! The summoning conditions are three Honeyhex monsters. I set Honeyhex Gardna, Honeyhex Archer, and my Honeyhex Drone token in the link arrows. Link summon! Appear, Honeyhex Queen!" A large robotic queen bee appeared, flying by very tiny wings. (Attack 3000/Link Arrows Bottom Left, Bottom, Bottom Right) "The effect of Swarm Sword now activates, equipping itself onto Queen since Archer was used to summon it!" Archer's sword appeared next to Queen, floating in the air.
"I now activate the effects of Hive and Nest, summoning two more drones!" As before, a pair of drones appeared before the queen, this time in attack position. (Honeyhex Queen Attack 3000-4000) "I then activate the effect of Honeyhex Queen! Once per turn, I can special summon another drone to a zone it points to!" Queen opened its mouth, and a third drone flew out from it. (Honeyhex Queen Attack 4000-4500) "Queen also makes my drones have attack equal to her own, so now they are all overwhelming powerhouses of destruction!" Each of the drones began to glow bright red. (Attack 500-4500)
"My first drone, wipe out her Uppercut!" The drone flew over to the original Uppercut with blinding speed.
"I activate the effect of Cyberwarrior Blocker in my hand! By discarding it, I can negate the attack on my Cyberwarrior, then, if I control 3 Cyberwarrior monsters, end the battle phase." Uppercut blocked the drone's assault with a well-timed guard, and the drone was forced to back off.
"Fine. It's not as though you can stop me anyway. I end my turn."
"Actually, I've already won." Tigress' bold statement unnerved Queen Bee. "I draw! Appear, my overwhelming circuit! The summoning conditions are three Cyberwarrior monsters. I set Cyberwarrior Uppercut and my two Cyberwarrior Mirage tokens in the link arrows! Link Summon! Appear, Cyberwarrior Devastator!" A large, bulking man in black armor with an intimidating expression appeared with a roar. (Attack 3000/Link Arrows Top, Right, Bottom Left) "I then activate my skill, giving Devastator infinite attack this turn. CLOUT!" As Tigress yelled the word as loud as she could, Devastator was bathed in a red aura. (Devastator Attack 3000-4165-7819-9999-MAX)
"I won't let you use that attack!" Queen Bee protested. "I activate my own skill, preventing your monster from attacking or activating its effect this turn. Sting!" A yellow and black top appeared in Queen Bee's hand, then pulsed red. She stung Devastator with it, paralyzing the monster.
"That won't stop me! I activate the spell Cyberwarrior Finishing Move! This spell deals damage equal to Devastator's attack, but it can't attack this turn."
Queen Bee began to panic as Devastator began to move again. It punched into the air facing Queen Bee, and an energy wave emanated from its fist, wiping out Queen Bee's field and knocking Queen Bee unconscious. (Queen Bee 4000-0) The hybrid fell back down onto her makeshift throne, mercifully not a great fall.
Tigress activated a function on her duel disk, and a set of chains shot out from it and into Queen Bee. The chains pulled out a bee kwami from her body, turning Queen Bee back into Chloe Bourgeois.
"Pollen!" Roaar flew out of Tigress' duel disk to Pollen, hugging her.
"Roaar? Where am I?" Pollen groggily asked.
"Don't worry about that. This nice human is going to take you somewhere where you will be safe, I promise."