[A/N]
I forgot to mention this last time, but this Ao3 version is live, (up to chapter 4), so you can go there if you prefer the formatting on that site. Also, the Duels have music, and there's images of the Numbers when they're summoned (it's sort of like the cut-ins from Master Duel). And, there's less bot comments, too!
For now, I'll focus on reformatting those chapters for Ao3, so don't expect more chapters to come anytime soon.
With that said, let's open the game.
Duel 13
Will Power - No. C102
Weiss sulked in her dorm room. Outside, the sky had begun to turn orange. Classes should end soon, and that means the insufferable red blot she calls her roommate will appear soon.
With a heavy sigh, Weiss pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them.
She feels like shit.
Weiss has a penalty game scheduled for the coming Friday. Every Duel she has participated in has resulted in her loss. Every time she Duels, everyone has found some way around her Number, whether it's flipping it face-down, negating its effects before she can use it, or simply beating over it.
And, she's still missing her third copy of 'Nibiru'.
Why? Why, why, why? Weiss undeniably has quite possibly the strongest card in the game. So why has she suffered loss after loss after loss. Her win/lose ratio is in the gutter.
"This is embarrassing…!" Weiss hissed through her teeth.
On her nightstand, her phone begins to buzz. For a moment, Weiss considered not answering it. And she almost didn't. She was curious about who was calling her, however. So, she got off her bed and reached for it.
'Jacques Schnee.'
God damn it.
Weiss raised her shaking thumb, tapped the screen, and brought to her ear. "Good afternoon, Father," she said in a quiet voice.
"Weiss," Jacques said in a cold voice. "I've been reviewing your Duel Records lately." As his voice trailed off, Weiss couldn't help but flinch. She should've seen this coming, but it still surprised her just how quickly Jacques took action. It wasn't even that hard to search someone's record. All you had to do was type in their Duelist I.D. in KaibaCorp's database.
"You have…?" Weiss asks in a quiet voice. There was a grunt of affirmation on the other side.
"Needless to say, I am… very disappointed in you, my daughter," Jacques said. Weiss clenched her fist. "When you said you wanted to attend Beacon, it was under the excuse–"
"I wasn't making any excuses, Father," Weiss said defensively.
"Quiet." Weiss hissed. Her mouth clamped shut. "You said attending Beacon would improve your skills. Yet, I only see evidence of the opposite. I see loss, after loss, after loss."
"I…!" Weiss began, her mind ran out a mile a minute to come up with an excuse. "I was simply caught off guard by the average skill level of Beacon's students, that's all."
"However, you have Number 102," Jacques countered. "You should not be losing to anyone, Weiss." Weiss grit her teeth. She knows she shouldn't be losing. But hearing it come from Jacques' mouth makes it sound insulting. It makes her sound inferior.
"Father…" Weiss bit her lip anxiously. "There are other people with Number cards at this school."
"...what?" Jacques growled slowly.
"There are other Duelists with Numbers cards at this school," Weiss repeated slowly, emphasizing each word. Jacques was silent at the other end of the call for a moment, then two. Weiss wondered what exactly he was thinking about.
"I see. I suppose that somewhat explains some of your losses," He grumbled. Weiss smiled briefly. "But don't expect me to believe that's the cause of all your defeats."
"Of course not, Father," Weiss nodded. She secretly hoped that would've been enough to excuse her poor performance. She also hoped there wouldn't be any sort of ultimatum, but alas.
"Weiss, you came to this school, so I expect you to improve. If you don't improve your Duel Record by next Friday, I will personally drag you back to Atlas. Understand?" Weiss flinched at his scathing words.
"I understand, Father…" Weiss responded with a whisper. The line cut off there, but Weiss kept her phone next to her ear for a few moments.
"...bastard," She hissed underneath her breath. She tossed her phone back on the nightstand, which then clattered onto the floor. At the same time, Ruby opened the door and heard the crash.
Her silver eyes scanned the room and spotted the now cracked phone on the floor. "Did something happen?" Ruby asked.
"I got jumpscared," Weiss said plainly. Ruby raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
"Alrighty then…" she nodded. The room fell into an awkward silence. "You didn't get lunch with the rest of us today. Or dinner."
"You really think I'd eat anything from the mess hall?" Weiss said.
Ruby shrugged. She placed her bag onto the bed, reached into it, and pulled out an apple. "Still, you should eat something. We're going to need a lot of energy soon." Weiss looked at Ruby with a frown as she said that.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked as she took the apple. She took a bite out of it.
"Blake and Yang were attacked by a Number user earlier today," Ruby said. Weiss spat out the apple she just bit into.
"WHAT!?" Weiss shouted.
"In between classes, Blake and Yang were attacked by a Number," Ruby reiterated. "Luckily, Yang managed to beat them, and she took it away."
"Sh-she took it…?"
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I just said that." She said in a deadpan voice. Weiss frowned at Ruby's tone. It sounded insulting.
"That sounds super vague! What, did she grab the deck box and snatch it? Use a card to take control of it?" Weiss asked.
"Well, Yang won a Duel, and then 17 sort of… raised her hand, and she like… spiritually grabbed 47 out of the person she Dueled against? Something like that," Ruby said with a shrug. "Yang's not even entirely sure what happened. We're going to go talk to Ozpin tomorrow morning to see if he knows anything about what happened." Weiss nodded.
"I see, I see…" Weiss crossed her arms under her chest and hummed silently. If someone like Yang can obtain a Number by defeating someone in a duel, then surely, so can she.
Now, she just has to know where to find out who to take one from…
Weiss grabbed her phone, brushed away the broken glass and went towards her news app. As Ruby began to take her schoolwork out of her bag, Weiss scrolled their various news articles to find something that vaguely resembled like some sort of attack.
Eventually, she found one. "Ah ha…" There was going to be a protest in front of the Vale City School District building, regarding faunus children and the items given to them to hinder their senses.
If any sort of attack would happen today, it would be there. Weiss smirked, got up from her bed, and strutted out of the room. Ruby noticed her and raised an eyebrow.
"Weiss? Were you going?" She asked.
"The bathroom," Weiss said haughtily. She closed the door behind her.
"...Oh, so she's a terrible liar, too," Ruby groaned. She shook her head and entered the bathroom that was next to her closet door.
Sometimes, it pays to be filthy rich. It doesn't matter if Beacon was a bit out of the way from the rest of Vale, if you offer enough money, somebody will be willing to drive you if you can pay for the drive and the gas bill. Though… if your name ends with 'Schnee', then they might get second thoughts.
Weiss never understood why the company, and by extension, her name gets so much hate. They provide a great service for the world; they deserve respect. They save failing business, hire faunus workers, and, most importantly, supply dust for the Duel Force. Remnant would be a lot worse off with them.
Alas, nobody respects hard working businessmen who run companies.
So, Weiss has to put on a disguise. She now wore a green bomber jacket and black leggings, and also had a pair of sunglasses to cover her eyes. She hid her recognizable hair underneath a hat, and her long ponytail was tucked underneath jacket. It was the perfect disguise.
Weiss tossed a wad of Lien at the driver and briskly walked out of the stuffy vehicle. It smelled like sweat. She adjusted her collar and hat to make sure absolutely no white was peeking out.
After walking down a few blocks, Weiss eventually found her destination. In front of a small building with the Vale City logo on the side of the entrance, there was a small gathering of faunus and… normal people, to Weiss' surprise. They had gathered at the front steps of the building, marching and carrying signs.
Weiss rolled her eyes at the display. They carried signs like 'Don't Scar My Child', and 'You Can't Tame Us', and other dribbles like that. "Don't they know equal rights have already been passed…?" She whispered to herself as she watched them march.
"At a glance, I suppose it does look silly. In a cynical way, I suppose." Weiss flinched at the elderly voice that came from behind. Slowly, she turned around and saw an elderly, hunched over woman with a walking stick (and smaller than her). Her hands were covered in bandages.
"Huh? Wh-whaaaa? What are we talking about? I'd never thought of such a thing…!" Weiss murmured awkwardly. Her fidgeting made the older woman giggle.
"Ha ha, definitely not!" She said with a laugh. With her bandaged hands, she awkwardly raised her walking stick and pointed to a small boy in the crowd with awkwardly sized shoes with a bulge on the back of the heel. "See him? That's my grandson. He's a platypus faunus, just like his father. He even inherited his spurs, ha ha…!"
"Spurs…?" Weiss asked. The woman nodded.
"Platypi have poisonous spurs, you know. Why, I remember one day the baby boy accidentally nicked me with them. I was out for two hours, ha ha haaa!" Weiss' eyes bugged out at the nonchalant comment.
"Oh, relax. Platypus venom isn't deadly, and since we're partly human, it's not nearly as painful, either. I'm just glad my boy can defend himself."
"But… What if he doesn't use it to defend himself?" Weiss asked. She cringed at how the question sounded, especially to someone who might sympathize with the small child, but the woman just gave her a good-natured smile.
"It's not as easy as you think. There's glands on his heels that produce venom. If we get rid of the spurs, we'd also have to remove a good chunk of his heels, too." Weiss blinked. "And if we did that, he won't be able to walk correctly, much less run."
"I…" Weiss looked down at her feet. The old woman examined her face carefully.
"In the 60s, there were no protections against such bodily modifications," The woman continued, watching as Weiss slowly moved her eyes to the bandages.
"Y-you're hands…?"
"They were my claws. I had my nails removed to protect the other children. At least, that's what the principal at the time said," She revealed. Weiss grimaced and held onto her wrists tightly.
"But, everythings alright now, isn't it?" Weiss asked. The old woman shrugged.
"Well, children with feathers, fur, small tails, and ears aren't at risk," The old woman commented, which made Weiss smile. "But what about those with sharp claws like me? With venom, like my grandson, or anything that can be considered 'dangerous' by non-faunus?"
Weiss felt uncomfortable. She doesn't like feeling uncomfortable. She shook her head.
"Think of it like this," The old woman then said to get Weiss' attention. "What if… you were born in a world where everybody only has one eye, and you were born with two. How would you feel if someone told you they had to remove one eye so that you weren't deemed a threat?"
Weiss raised one hand to the scar over her left eye. "I'd…"
Thankfully, something else happened for Weiss to ignore the uncomfortable thoughts for now.
Somebody walked out of the district building; a man in a brown suit and white tie. His eyes were narrowed. Strapped to his other arm was a mass-produced Duel Disk.
"Oh no…" Weiss gasped. Even from this distance, she could see the Number 72 on the right side of his neck.
"Great… What is this about, then…?" The man hissed. The protestors walked towards and surrounded him.
"What's this about!?" One mother with tail feathers walked up to him and shoved a paper into his face. "Stop sending me these! I'm not going to remove my son's talons! They're a part of him!"
"I can't stop my son from molting! What do you expect me to do, make him pluck all his feathers off?"
"My child's prehensile tail is a part of her! How would you like it if I told you to stop using your dominant hand!"
Weiss watched as the parents voiced their frustrations to that man with the Number. They were angry that their animal features were being demonized, and some were being requested to be removed. But the man didn't react; he stared blankly in front of him, seemingly not even registering the people there.
"A… A-any moment, now…" Weiss whispered. To herself.
The man grit his teeth.
"You guys… just keep demanding more, and more." he screwed his eyes shut, and opened them. "I've had enough!"
Weiss blinked as a large wooden figure appeared before them; it was red and light brown, and in front of it were two spiked wheels with shogi pieces in center. Weiss' eyes widened as the wooden monster growled deeply and launched its pieces forwards.
They crashed into the ground behind, breaking in parts of the streets. The protestors yelled in fear as Number 72 loomed over them. Its spiked wheels started to turn rapidly, and when it lowered them to the ground, the friction against the asphalt sent sparks flying everywhere.
"That was just a warning shot…" The man slurred as he walked at the frightened crowd. "Now get out! Next time, I won't miss!"
"My boy!" The old woman yelled. As Number 72 ominously moved towards the protestors, with it's spiked wheels whirring loudly.
And then, Glorious Halo punched the side Number 72, knocking it to the side. "What in the world!?" Number 72's host gasped as another blow from Number 102 knocked it to the ground.
"What in the world is going on…!?" The echidna woman cried out. She looked towards Weiss, who's expression was a mixture of shock, fear, and defeat. The Number 102 was glowing on the back of her neck.
Weiss blinked, then turned around. "What are you doing? Get out of here!" She urged the old woman. "Call the cops and the Duel Force!"
"Oh…! Yes, of course!" She and the rest of the protestors fled the scene, just as Number 72 picked itself back up. It launched its shogi pieces at Number 102, who caught the spiked wheels before it could move behind its shoulders. While the Numbers had tried to restrain each other, Weiss marched up to the man in the suit.
"You!" Weiss yelled, getting his attention away from the Numbers. "How dare you, what do you think you're doing!"
"These assholes were blocking my way out!" The suited man snarled as he loomed over Weiss, casting a shadow over her. "Can't they see that they're little protest is harming me?"
"They just blocked the entrance! And you just tried to kill them!" Weiss shouted back. The man snarled and pushed her away.
"Get out of my way. I don't have time for this," He said. He grabbed Weiss' shoulder and pushed her away. Weiss nearly tripped and fell down the stairs, but she grabbed his shoulders to keep her steady.
"Absolutely not," She said in an even, tight voice. "You don't deserve your Number, not after that stunt you pulled. I'll take it from you."
The man narrowed his eyes angrily at Weiss. "No, you won't. You won't take my power from me!" The Numbers disappeared, and returned to their cards. Weiss and the man than placed themselves on the center of the street in front of the district building and activated their Duel Disks.
Brans J. Armstrong (4000 LP) VS Weiss Schnee (4000 LP)
DUEL!
"I summon 'Inzektor Dragonfly'!" Brans placed his card in the center zone, and in front of him, a man in red armor, with four transparent wings, and a black bodysuit that wielded a crossbow appeared, (LV 3 / 1000 ATK).
"And by discarding my 'Inzektor Ladybug', I can activate the Spell Card 'Zektrike Kou-ou'!" Weiss took a step back as she heard a motorcycle rev up as the card appeared on Brans' field. "This card lets me Special Summon 'Inzektor Giga-Mantis' from my deck!"
Weiss ducked and yelped as the motorcycle depicted on the art flew out, carrying with it a heavily armored man in green with two large bladed tonfas (LV 6 / 2400 ATK).
"Now, I activate the effect of my 'Inzektor Dragonfly'! I can equip the 'Ladybug' I discarded to it!" Brans exclaimed as the motorcycle disappeared. 'Dragonfly' tossed its crossbow away and then clenched its fists. Black and red disks appeared on the monster's chest, hips, and joint guards. "And, when my 'Ladybug' is equipped to a monster, it gains its ATK and LV!" The tokusatsu man yelled, the wings buzzed quickly (LV 3 to LV 5 / 1000 ATK to 1500 ATK).
"Now, I will activate my 'Ladybug's' effect! By sending it to the grave, this will make these boosts remain until the end of the turn!" The disks disappeared from 'Dragonfly', but that only made its wings buzz faster. "This also activates 'Dragonfly's' effect! Now, I can Special Summon an 'Inkektor Giga-Weevil' from my deck!" 'Dragonfly' grabbed it's crossbow again and fired at the space next to it. A portal appeared, and a bulkier man in dark gray with a long and thin snout piece appeared (LV 6 / 2600 DEF).
"He's got two monsters with the same level, now…" Weiss murmured to herself. She glanced worriedly at Brans, who began to hiss in pain. He grabbed his right wrist, and on the back of the hand blazed the Number 72.
"I overlay my Level 6 'Giga-Weevil' and 'Giga-Mantis'!" Brans yelled. The Overlay Network glittered to life, with thousands of gold stars shimmering as two dark beams of energy fell into it. "I Xyz Summon Rank 6! Appear, Number 72: Line Monster Chariot's Rook!"
The Overlay Network exploded, and a giant shogi board appeared; tilted upwards on its side. The individual tiles on the board flew out of their spaces, and thin branches started to grow from them. They formed into the same figure as before, hardening into the thin light brown and red wooden doll with two shogi pieces in its spiked wheels.
The yellow core in the center of its head glowed. The spiked wheels whirred rapidly as the Number 72 was branded onto the left side of its chest.
[Number 72: Line Monster Chariot's Rook]
[EARTH / Beast-Warrior / Xyz / Effect]
[2500 ATK / 1200 DEF]
(AKA "Number 72: Shogi Rook")
(EARTH & DIVINE)
"I activate my 'Rook's' first effect! I can move it from the rightmost Monster Zone to the next space on the left and then summon my 'Inzektor Giga-Cricket' on the Zone it left!" Brans placed his card in its new zone. Chariot's Rook lifted itself into the air and placed itself on the new zone. It left one shogi piece on that Zone, and once Rook settled in its new spot, the shogi pieces opened, and a new armored man with oversized claws walked out (LV 5 / 2000 ATK).
Weiss hissed in annoyance. A Number this earlier into the game, especially one that can special summon a card from the hand for free, was annoying, but nothing she can't handle. She can still win this duel handily.
Then, Brans started to shake again. Weiss' eyes widened when she noticed the Number 19 on his chin.
"I overlay Level 5 'Giga-Cricket' and 'Dragonfly'!" He shouted again. A guttural yell came from his mouth as another galactic overlay Network appeared in front of him, drawing both monsters inside. "I Xyz Summon Number 19! Freezerdon!"
Weiss flinched as the Network exploded, and a massive gust of ice-cold wind pushed her back. Frost rose from the floor as a giant ice needle began to crack. Strong, muscular limbs began to burst out from the ice, tied to a massive horned beast with four thick wings on its back. The monster clenched its fists, and howled into the air, with thick mist leaving its mouth as it roared.
A glowing Number 19 was tattooed onto the beast's right pectoral.
[Number 19: Freezerdon]
[WATER / Dinosaur / Xyz / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 2500 DEF]
(AKA "Number 19: Freezadon")
(WATER & DIVINE)
"I activate Freezerdon's effect!" Brans continued. Weiss watched with bated breath as the monster lurched forwards and ate one of its overlay units (2 OU to 1 OU).
"Now, Freezerdon's automatically activates! Since an Overlay Unit was removed from an Xyz Monster, all Xyz Monsters I control gain 500 ATK and DEF!" Weiss smirked at that comment. Based on his wording, it seemed like that effect was mandatory. Freezerdon howled loudly, and mist left the monster's mouth. It surged around 19 and 72, adding frozen, sharpened armor to both their bodies. (2500 ATK to 3000 ATK / 2500 DEF to 3000 DEF).
"Now, Freezerdon will let me add a Number Spell/Trap from my deck to my hand!" Brans added.
"A Number Spell/Trap…?" Weiss gasped softly.
"I add Numbers' Overlay Surge to my hand!" A Continuous Trap broke free from Number 19's back and then disappeared. "I set two cards face-down, and end my turn. At this time, Freezerdon's boost wears off." Weiss frowned lightly as the armor melted off the two numbers, and landed on the floor with a wet splat (3000 ATK to 2500 ATK / 3000 DEF to 2500 DEF).
"Hmph. If that's the best you can do, then my victory has already been assured! I draw!" Weiss exclaimed. She looked at the card she drew, and–
This is terrible. While her face remained impassive, inside Weiss was screaming in panic as she drew 'Shining Angel', which did little to fix up the stunning mess that was her starting hand. She can't perform any sort of Special Summon this turn
Still, she can fix this. She just has to get lucky…
"I activate 'Cards from the Sky'," She began, her voice only a little shaky. "By banishing one LIGHT Monster from my hand, and giving up my ability to enter the Battle Phase and Special Summon this turn, I can draw 2 cards."
"What…?" Brans murmured loudly. "Who would play such an awful card?"
"It's not awful!" Weiss shot back. "I banish 'Consecrated Light'!" Weiss reached into her new cards, and hoped to all that was holy and numerical that she didn't get any duds. "I draw!" Nervously, she looked at her hand and saw 'Guiding Light' and 'Explossum'.
"I activate the effect of 'Explossum' from my hand!" Weiss yelled out. Brans gasped as small blue tapir suddenly appeared on Freezerdon's head. "Now that 'Explossum' has been equipped to Number 19, it will be destroyed once the last Overlay Unit has been removed! Also, you have to remove one Overlay Unit during each of your Standby Phases from it!"
Brans shocked expression turned to one of mild annoyance. He looked down from the sleeping tapir and glared at Weiss with a bored expression. "Is that it?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss shot back. "I just destroyed your Number!" She shook her head. "Whatever. I set a monster and two cards face-down. I end my turn!"
Brans scoffed. "If that's the best you've got, then I win this turn! I draw!" He shouted.
"Not so fast! Explossum's will make your Freezerdon explode, first!" Weiss interrupted. The tapir on the frozen dinosaur began to shift and snore angrily. Weiss smirked at her self-assured (minor victory), but Brans had other plans.
"Once per turn, when a Number Xyz Monster has to detach an overlay unit, Freezerdon lets me banish the top card of my graveyard face-down instead!" Weiss gasped as a wave of cold energy filled the air, and completely froze 'Explossum'. "So much for your so-called 'strategy'." The heiress took a step back as the two monsters glared at her.
"Now! I activate Chariot's Rook's effect! I move it to the center monster zone, where your set monster and 'Explossum' are!" The wooden figure and both shogi pieces lifted themselves up again, and placed themselves in the center. "Then, I activate Chariot Rook's second effect, by detaching an overlay unit!" Said unit flew into Chariot's Rook yellow core, which made the shogi pieces glow (2 OU to 1 OU).
"And, because an Overlay Unit was removed, Freezerdon boosts my monsters stats by 500!" Weiss clenched her fists tightly. Her nails dug into the pliant flesh of her palms as the frozen, spiked armor reappeared on both monsters. (2500 ATK to 3000 ATK / 2500 DEF to 3000 DEF).
"Now, Chariot's Rook will destroy all cards you control in this column!" In an instant, the spiked wheels launched themselves forward, shattering 'Shining Angel' and 'Explosum'.
"No!" Weiss yelled as her primary defense shattered right before her eyes. Brans didn't let up once he saw her fearful expression.
"And now, I will switch Freezerdon to Attack Mode!" Weiss stepped back as the dinosaur stood up on its two hind legs and roared (3000 ATK to 2500 ATK).
"I attack you directly! Go, Freezerdon!" The frozen dinosaur roared loudly, and cold air began to freeze in its mouth, forming into a giant icicle. With a loud roar, Number 19 threw its head forward and launched the giant icicle directly at Weiss.
"I activate 'Counter Gate'!" Weiss yelled out. A gate appeared in front of her and intercepted the icicle, causing it to shatter. However, the shockwave from the blow slammed into Weiss and knocked her away.
"Agh–! Kyaaaah!" She skidded across the street, the friction tearing her legging as and her soft skin. She landed with a thud on her back. Her knees were scraped and bleeding, and her arms were covered in scratches. "Argh…!"
With a grunt of effort, Weiss pushed herself onto her feet. Her knees ached painfully, and she shivered as warm blood trickled down to her ankles. "'C-counter Gate'... negates the attack, and then I get to draw a card…!" Brans snarled but nodded.
Weiss drew, and examined the card she received carefully. "And then, since I drew a monster, I can summon it to the field! 'Star Seraph Scepter'!" Weiss staggered lightly as she placed the card on the Duel Disk. Her signature staff appeared on the field, and for a moment, its gentle glow reinvigorated her (LV 4 / 1800 DEF).
"And, when 'Scepter' is summoned, I can add a 'Star Seraph' monster from my deck to my hand. I choose, 'Star Seraph Sentinel'." Weiss staggered as her deck shuffled and automatically ejected the card.
"So, you've managed to survive, huh? Fine, I don't mind extending this. Chariot's Rook! Attack 'Star Seraph Scepter'!" The shogi pieces rose into the air, and they rocketed towards the glowing staff. Before the attack landed, Weiss activated her second face-down.
"I activate 'Stained Glass of Light & Dark'!" Weiss yelled just as the shogi pieces were about to destroy her monster. "Now, since I control a Fairy monster, I get to draw three cards, however, I must place two cards from my hand on the bottom of my deck."
As she returned her cards, the spiked wheels shattered the rod. Once Weiss drew, the spiked wheels slammed into her and started to spine. Weiss wailed in pain as they tore into her arm, breaking the skin and sending backwards once more (4000 LP to 2800 LP).
Weiss' arms now bore multiple long cuts, crisscrossing across her skin from her elbow to the edge of her wrists. She stood back up, trying her best to ignore the painful sensations.
"Still up…!" Brans growled. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Numbers' Overlay Surge!" He shouted. Weiss barely managed before she found herself being slammed into the ground again. The time, her head whipped back, slamming into the concrete with enough force to make her dizzy (2800 LP to 2200 LP / 2 OU to 3 OU).
"This card activates if I destroy a monster by battle or card effect with a Number Xyz Monster. I can attach any card from my grave to a Number monster, and then you take damage equal to the Number's Rank!" Brans explained, though, Weiss could barely hear it. Her entire body felt heavy as she laid on her back and caught her breath.
Slowly, she managed to lift her body. One eye was partially closed as she glared at the two Numbers. "It won't be long before I wreck you completely, and take your Number for myself. I end my turn!"
Weiss nodded. She stood up, at which point her hat fell off, and her long white hair came down to her back of her knees. She hissed and spat out a glob of blood from her mouth and grabbed her deck.
"...draw…!" Weiss hissed quietly. "I summon 'Star Seraph Sentinel'!" A new metal fairy appeared, which had curved wings and a vaguely bird shaped body, but also an arrow track along its spine, which also made 'Sentinel' part crossbow (LV 4 / 1000 ATK). "I can summon it if I control monsters. Also, when it is summoned, I can summon another 'Star Seraph' monster from my deck or grave, however, that monster is banished if it leaves the field. I summon 'Star Seraph Scripture'!"
Weiss staggered as she reached for her deck, but she quickly regained her footing for long enough so that she could reach into her deck and summon the Fairy shaped as a book (LV 4 / 1600 ATK).
"Then, I activate 'Scripture's' effect! By sending 'Transaction Rollback' from my hand to the grave, I can bring back my 'Star Seraph Scepter'!" The holy book opened its pages, and then Weiss grabbed another card from her hand. "Then, since I activated a Fairy Monster's effect, I can summon 'Protecting Spirit Loagaeth' from my hand!" Between the 'Star Seraphs', an angel with long blonde hair and four red wings (LV 7 / 2400 ATK).
Once it appeared, the pages from 'Scripture' began to shake and scatter, which caused and allowed the golden scepter to fly out (LV 4 / 1800 ATK).
"When 'Scepter' is summoned, it lets me add 'Star Seraph Saber' to my hand…!" Weiss said. She then gestured to her humanoid angel. "Then, I activate 'Loagaeth's' effect! I target my 'Star Seraph Sentinel', and your 'Numbers' Overlay Surge'. When this effect resolves, your trap will be banished, and 'Sentinel' will be switched to defense mode." Brans furrowed his brow.
"In that case, I will use Chariot's Rook's effect, by banishing the top card through Freezerdon's! And, I will chain my Rook first effect to move it in front of your 'Scepter'!" Slowly, Chariot's Rook moved, and slammed its pieces into the staff once more. Afterwards, 'Loagaeth' swung her staff, blasting the Continuous Trap and setting 'Sentinel' on the floor (1000 ATK to 1200 DEF).
"I Normal Summon 'Star Seraph Saber'!" Weiss weakly placed the card in her zone. A large golden and red claymore appeared where 'Scepter' was struck down. "Now, I overlay my Level 4 'Scripture', 'Sentinel', and 'Saber'!" Weiss felt a familiar burn on the back of her neck as her three monsters spiralled upwards into the air, and crashed back down into the Overlay Network.
"Come forth, Number 102: Holy Lightning - Glorious Halo!" After the explosion, the large golden bowman appeared on the field, and whirled around to aim its bow forwards.
[Number 102: Holy Lightning - Glorious Halo]
[Light / Fairy / Xyz / Effect]
[2500 ATK / 2000 DEF]
(AKA "Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry")
(LIGHT & DIVINE)
"What's more is that Glorious Halo is granted an ability by 'Sentinel', since it was used as an Overlay Unit! Now, all monsters you control lose 500 ATK!" Brans looked up, and saw that Glorious Halo now had an angelic crossbow in their hand. They aimed it upwards and fired; the arrow burst in the air, and streams of light began to rain down.
"Hmph! I activate the Counter Trap, Numbers Protection! This card will negate Number 102's effect, and destroy it!" Brans countered, the card flipped up, and a shield of Numbers blocked the arrows from raining down on Rook and Freezerdon. Once all the arrows had been absorbed, the shield tilted downwards and fired a beam at Glorious Halo. Weiss' Number crossed its arm over its just to block the attack, but it staggered backwards. Her eyes widened as she saw the light fade from it's body.
"When Glorious Halo would be destroyed, I can remove all of its Overlay Units instead!" Before the beam could pierce through her monster, the Overlay Units around Number 102 flew towards the trap and caused it to disappear. Glorious Halo fell to one knee; its body was steaming, and there was a large scorch mark in the center of its chest (3 OU to 0 OU, LIGHT & DIVINE to LIGHT).
"Glorious Halo may have lost its divinity, however, doing so also weakens your monsters!" Weiss shouted.
"What are you talking about?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Weiss smirked, and simply pointed to Number 102. It rose to its feet and released a loud yell, causing a field of static electricity to shoot out from its body. The blast engulfed 19 and 72, making both of them stagger to the floor (2000 ATK to 1250 / 2500 ATK to 1750 ATK).
"They lost 250 ATK for every Unit removed to protect Glorious Halo. And, not only have they been weakened, but their effects can also no longer activate or resolve!" Brans gasped as he watched his monsters struggle to recover from the blow they've been dealt.
Weiss gritted her teeth. She was in a good position right now, but who knows how that might last. She needs more monsters on the board, immediately. "I pay half my LP and banish 'Transaction Rollback' from my grave to activate it's effect! I target 'Stained Glass of Light & Dark', and then 'Transaction Rollback' will copy it's effects!"
"Which means you will draw three, and then shuffle back two from your hand," Brans grumbled. Weiss eagerly nodded, even as her Duel Disk sparked and shocked her (2200 LP to 1100 LP).
"That's three more chances for me to beat you with! I draw…!" She muttered weakly. Once she did, her eyes brightened at the cards she drew. "I activate the Spell Card 'Overlay Capture'! Now, I can remove all of Freezerdon's Overlay Units from it, and then Glorious Halo will gain this card as a Unit!"
"You…!" Brans growled. Freezerdon wailed angrily as its sole Overlay Unit was taken and sent to the graveyard (1 OU to 0 OU, WATER & DIVINE to WATER). Meanwhile, 'Overlay Capture' appeared in front of Number 102, and became a shining sphere that orbited around the Number (0 OU to 1 OU, LIGHT to LIGHT & DIVINE).
"That means Number 102 regains its divinity!" The energy from the Unit beamed into Glorious Halo, and repaired the damages across its body.
"And now, I enter the Battle Phase! 'Protecting Spirit Loagaeth' attacks Freezerdon!" The four winged angels raised her staff and blasted the frozen dinosaur with a beam of lightning. Without it's Overlay Units to protect it, the beam pierced through the monster and it exploded. Shards of ice pricked Brans' skin as he took damage for the first time this duel (4000 LP to 2850 LP).
"You…!" Brans growled. "...Whatever. Since my Number monster was destroyed, Numbers Protection is set to my field once more!" Weiss hissed in annoyance as the Counter Trap appeared from a portal to the graveyard, and then placed itself face-down.
"That won't matter!" Weiss boasted. "Glorious Halo! Attack Number 72!" Her newly invigorated monster roared with power as it drew back its bow and took aim at the weakened wooden doll. "Go! LIGHTNING CLUSTER!" An arrow of pure light was released and crackled with energy as it pierced through the monsters' chest. The lightning from the electrified bow crackled against the wood, which caused it to ignite and explode.
Brans yelled out in pain as the backlash from the attack and heat from the fire pushed back against him (2850 LP to 2100 LP). He collapsed on the ground, but quickly pushed himself back.
"There…!" Weiss breathed out once Brans' field was empty of monsters. "Now, with no cards in your hand… and only a useless trap on your field, you have no chance of beating… me!" Weiss' vision turned blurry from the blood loss. She staggered forwards to regain her footing, but didn't pass out yet.
Brans snarled at her. "Don't you dare think you've yet, just because my Numbers are gone. You should know that they are more than just normal cards. And I'll show you… just what I mean!" Brans yelled as he drew his card, but he didn't bother to glance at it just yet.
"I activate the effect of Numbers' Overlay Surge from my Graveyard!" He suddenly declared, which made Weiss flinch. "I banish this card, and then for every Number Xyz Monster that was destroyed last turn, I get to draw one card!"
"Number 19 and 72 were both destroyed, so I draw two cards!" He glanced at his new cards, and smirked wickedly. "I activate Numbers' Reincarnation! Now, I return Chariot's Rook to my Extra Deck, summon back my 'Inzektor Giga-Mantis' and 'Giga-Weevil', and then immediately Xyz Summon my Chariot's Rook once more!"
Weiss took a step back as the two tokusatsu insects appeared in front of her, and immediately flew into the Overlay Network. "Return once more, Line Monster Chariot's Rook!" And as the monster she worked to destroy reappeared, a sinking feeling appeared in the bottom of her heart as it appeared in front of her monster.
"I… can't do anything…!" With the Counter Trap on the field, she can't use Glorious Halo's effect to weaken Chariot's Rook. She needs it to protect her Number.
Brans chuckled. "That's right…! There will be no escape for you! I activate Rook's effect!" The monster's Overlay Unit fell into it's core, and Chariot's Rook rammed its pieces into Glorious Halo's chest (2 OU to 1 OU).
"Nghh…!" Weiss stumbled backwards as the impact and horrible grinding sound irritated her ears. "Number 102 will detach its Overlay Units to protect itself!" Eventually, with the last bit of strength from Glorious Halo's unit, it managed to knock away 72's shogi pieces (1 OU to 0 OU, LIGHT & DIVINE to LIGHT). It released a wave of electricity afterwards, making Chariot's Rook stumble (2500 ATK to 2350 ATK). "Now, my monsters can't be destroyed…!"
"That's what you think. But, I have ways of circumventing your monster's continuous effect, like this Spell Card! I activate the Equip Spell 'Power of the Guardians'!" Brans laughed mockingly at Weiss as a shimmering aura enveloped his monster, making it howl loudly.
"Number 72 attacks 'Loagaeth'! And now, my Equip Spell gains a counter, and raises my monster's ATK by 500 points!" Cyan eyes went wide as Rook's shogi pieces grew in size (2350 ATK to 2850 ATK).
Weiss shrieked as the shogi pieces ripped her angel apart. Feathers, metal and wind crashed into her and knocked the air out of her. She was sent flying backwards, her body skidding across the floor until she crashed into the side of a car with enough force to cave it in (1100 LP to 650 LP). Her vision became blurry as she tried to recollect herself.
"When… 'Loagaeth' is destroyed…!" Weiss said. She stumbled out of the wreckage and fell to her knees. Her forehead was bleeding. Warm blood trickled down her left, scarred eye. "Glorious Halo… is immune to battle destruction for the rest of this turn…!" The feathers gently fell on top of the wounded Number, allowing it to stagger to its knees.
"Is that so…?" Brans looked at his hand. "Fine. I end my turn here. You look like you can barely stand, ha ha ha!"
Weiss glared at Brans as he laughed. "I…!" She didn't get to finish her retort, as she retched out blood from her throat and fell further down. She used her hands to support herself, but they are already beginning to shake.
"You kids, always so eager to fight for your beliefs, even though you know nothing of the real world!" Brans shouted at Weiss. "Faunus are inherently more dangerous than humans! They have additional abilities, and we have none!"
Weiss, slowly, angled one eye to glare at Brans as he started to rant. "But people are so stubborn! They view change as a threat to safety, not the cause! If their parents teach them how to use their dangerous animal characteristics, then the faunus will turn against us! We'll have another war, and the true humanity will be pushed to the wayside!"
"No, that's wrong!" Brans gasped. Weiss felt a pair of warm hands on her shoulder gently lift her up.
"Your…!" Weiss raggedly breathed out. The platypus kid from earlier, the one that was the echidna woman's grandson, helped her up slightly.
"My mama didn't teach me to use my pointy things to hurt people!" The kid shouted at Brans, which only angered him further. "I won't hurt anyone! I'm not like you!"
"Lies!" Brans shouted at him. "You're all liars!"
As he yelled, Weiss looked around the street. The protestors from earlier were still here, or maybe they came back. Some looked at her with anger, and others sympathy.
"Didn't… I tell you to leave…?" Weiss gasped.
"And leave you here all alone?" Weiss turned around and saw the echidna woman. "Weiss Schnee…?"
"I…!" Weiss flinched at the sound of her. She can hear them. She can hear them shouting her name. It was a loud, excited roar coming from behind her. "You hate me, don't you? You're hear to see me… suffer?"
"Of course not! Whatever gave you that idea?" The old woman laughed good naturedly. "We don't know why you're here, Miss Schnee. But, you're fighting for us, aren't you? That's why you wanted us all to leave and handle this villain by yourself, didn't you?"
…Is that the reason why? Weiss isn't so sure anymore. She felt that the Numbers were her priority, yes, but…
These people are fighting to live the way they want. To keep someone else from dictating every moment in their life. Weiss gritted her teeth hard.
"I think… I understand, now…" She whispered to herself.
"All of you, leave!" Brans shouted, but his words were lost to crowd's cheers. Cheers for Weiss to get up, to continue the duel.
"No…!" Weiss' eyes began to glow. Soon, cool, ice-blue flames burst from her irises as she forced herself to stand up. "You leave! I DRAW!"
Brans yelped as Weiss grabbed another card from her hand. "I activate 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to destroy Numbers Protection!"
"You dare?" Brans yelled. A powerful flew from the card and surrounded his face-down; the turbulent winds made it shatter.
"And then, I activate the Spell Card, Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force!"
"R-rank-Up what…!?" Brans stepped back and watched as a collection of dark purple clouds appeared in the sky. Red lightning crackled between the clouds as Glorious Halo transformed into a dark red sphere of energy. "This card Ranks Up Glorious Halo into another monster that's one Rank higher!"
Glorious Halo roared as it spiralled into the sky, and disappeared inside the eye of the storm above them.
"Go! Chaos Xyz Evolution!"
In a faraway continent with dark skies and blackened land, there was a massive door with a symbol of Barian's Force carved into it, and chains wrapped around it
The red gem in the center glowed, and the chains shattered. Streams of light pushed the door open.
"I rebuild the Overlay Network with Rank 4 Glorious Halo!" Weiss shouted. The clouds above them exploded, releasing dark green and black energy; the inverted colors of an Overlay Network's supernova.
"Appear, Rank 5! I Xyz Summon Number C102: Unholy Lightning - Noble Daemon!"
Number 102 came crashing back down, but it had transformed into a much stronger form. Gold and yellow had turned silver and black. Its legs and arms were now lightly armored, with sharp pieces jutting out from knees and elbows. On its upper body, crimson chaotic energy coursed inside of it, running through like blood. And instead of a longbow, the monster now wielded a black-tipped spear that it effortlessly twirled between its sharp fingers.
Number C102 clenched its free hand tightly as the Number 102 blazed on the lower half of its right wing, and a red spiked crystal stabbed itself into the ground in front of it.
[Number C102: Unholy Lightning - Noble Daemon]
[LIGHT / Fairy / Xyz / Effect]
[2900 ATK / 2400 ATK]
(AKA "Number C102: Archfiend Seraph")
(LIGHT & DIVINE)
"What… is that thing…?" Brans staggered backwards as the Chaos Number tilted its head down to glare at him.
Weiss, despite her injuries, found the strength to smirk at him. "And then, Barian's Force drains your Number of its Overlay Units!" Brans let out a panicked shout as Chariot's Rook was blasted by a red beam from Noble Daemon that struck its core. The Overlay Unit that orbited around it flew away, and transformed into a diamond shaped red crystal that joined its twin (1 OU to 0 OU / 1 OU to 2 OU)
"Now, I activate Noble Daemon's effect!" The crystal it just absorbed rose into the air and flew into the tip of Number C102's spears (2 OU to 1 OU). The weapon crackled with dark red lightning as the monster hoisted it over its shoulder and aimed it at Chariot's Rook. "Your monster's ATK becomes 0!"
"Think again! If Chariot's Rook uses its effect to move Zones, it can also dodge any targeted effects!" Brans said.
"Then it's a good thing this effect doesn't target," Weiss added. Brans gasped.
Noble Daemon tossed its spear, and it cleanly pierced through Chariot's Rook, making the wooden doll fall to the ground with a heavy clank (2850 ATK to 0 ATK).
"Now, Noble Daemon! End this! Chaos Boltstorm!" With a powerful shout, Number C102 launched itself at the downed Rook. With ferocious intensity, Noble Daemon ripped its spear out of 72's chest, and then stabbed it through the monster's head. Chariot's Rook let out a sharp cry as its body began to crack and shatter.
"No! Nooo, this can't be!" Brans yelled as the shrapnel crashed into his body. His neatly pressed suit became covered in soot and small cuts as the blast from his monster's destruction flung him into the air. "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
(2100 LP to 0 LP)
GAME!
"I… won…!" Weiss let out a ragged, bloody breath as Brans landed on his head and went limp. Number C102 walked towards her and gently raised her hand, making sure to not cut her even more with its sharp claws. A spectral hand shot out and reached into Brans' body. He twitched as Weiss yanked it free, and pulled two cards out from him. Freezerdon and Chariot's Rook were now in her hands. They were hers.
Noble Daemon disappeared shortly after. With nobody to support her, Weiss' lost her balance and began to topple. Just as she was about to collapse, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and gently place her on the ground. She was barely able to hear someone call for a medic.
Weiss' dull eyes managed to catch a glimpse of purple, black and blonde before she went unconscious.
[Number C102: Unholy Lightning - Noble Daemon]
[LIGHT / Rank 5]
[Fairy / Xyz / Effect]
[2900 ATK / 2400 DEF]
4 Level 5 LIGHT Monsters
(This card's name is also always treated as "Number C102: Archfiend Seraph")
This card's Attribute is also always treated as Divine. Your opponent cannot tribute this card. If this card was Xyz Summoned from the Extra Deck, your opponent cannot remove this card from the field (by battle or card effect), except by "Number" Xyz Monsters, DIVINE monsters, or cards empowered by the Numeron Code. The previous effect cannot be negated (From this point on, these effects will be referred to as [Divine Chaos]). If this face-up card would be destroyed (by battle or card effect), you can remove 1 Xyz Material from this card instead. If you do, decrease the ATK of all monsters your opponent controls by 1000. (Quick Effect): you can detach one Xyz Material from this card; one monster your opponent controls has it's ATK changed to 0, also negate it's effects. If this card has "Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry" as Xyz Material, it gains this effect:
If an opponent's monster activates an effect while its Current ATK is not equal to its Original ATK, negate the activation and destroy it.
[Number 72: Line Monster Chariot's Rook]
[EARTH / Rank 6]
[Beast-Warrior / Xyz / Effect]
[2500 ATK / 1200 DEF]
2 Level 6 Monsters
(This card's name is also always treated as "Number 72: Shogi Rook"
[Number's Divinity]
Once per turn, during either player's turn: you move this card to another unoccupied Monster Zone on your field, then, you can Special Summon 1 Level 6 or Lower Monster into the Zone this card was moved from. If you activated this effect in response to an opponent's card effect targeting this monster, this card is unaffected by that effect. (Quick Effect): you can detach one Xyz Material from this card; destroy all cards your opponent controls in this card's column.
[Number 19: Freezerdon]
[WATER / Rank 5]
[Dinosaur / Xyz / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 2500 DEF]
2 Level 5 Monsters
(This card's name is also always treated as "Number 19: Freezadon")
[Number's Divinity]
You can activate each of the following effects of "Number 19: Freezerdon" once per turn.
If a "Number" Xyz Monster you control would activate its effect by detaching an Xyz Material, you banish the top card of your deck face-down instead. You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; add 1 "Number" or "Numeron" Spell/Trap, except "Numeron Network", from your deck to your hand, OR if you do not have a "Number" Spell/Trap in your deck at the start of the Duel, you can manifest 1 from outside your deck instead. If an Xyz Monster you control detaches it's Xyz Material; you can make all Xyz Monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF
[Star Seraph Sentinel]
[LIGHT / Level 4]
[Fairy / Effect]
[1000 ATK / 1200 DEF]
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only Special Summon '"Star Seraph Sentinel" this way once per turn this way. If this card is summoned: you can Special Summon 1 "Star Seraph" monster from your hand or deck. An Xyz Monster that was summoned using 3 or more monsters on the field, including this card on the field, as Xyz Material gains this effect:
If it is Xyz Summoned: all monsters your opponent controls lose 500 ATK.
[Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force]
[Spell Card]
Target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon, from your Extra Deck, 1 "Number C" or "CXyz" monster with the same type as the target, but 1 Rank higher, by using it as Xyz Material (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to the target also become Xyz Material on the summoned monster). Then, if possible, detach all Xyz Material from a monster your opponent controls and attach it to the summoned monster as Xyz Material(s).
[Numbers' Overlay Surge]
[Continuous Trap]
If a "Number" Xyz Monster destroys a card(s) by battle or card effect: you can attach one card from your GY to it as an Xyz Material, then inflict damage to your opponent equal to that Monster's Rank x 100. If this card is in your GY (except the turn it was sent there): you can banish this card from your GY; draw 1 card for each Xyz Monster you controlled that was destroyed last turn.