We are back for the next Duel! This one will get a little "spooky"! Hehe!
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Hope of Six
Chapter 74: Demon Arc - Part 12
"Rio? Rio, can you hear me?" A concerned voice called out.
With a groan, Rio came to, eyes fluttering open. "Yeah, Ryoga." She said after a second. "But I've got a headache." Her head throbbed, like she had banged it against a hard wall. Slowly she got to her knees, holding her hand to the top of her head and rubbing it softly.
"That should pass." Shark said to his sister. "Can you stand?"
"I think so." Rio replied as she stood up. Her brother helped her up, which she appreciated. Eventually, Rio's headache subsided and she finally took a look around. To her surprise, the Kamishiro siblings found themselves in front of an rundown looking house, which was in the middle of the open, corrupt terrain of the Astral World. "W-What is this place?"
"No idea. This old dump was here when we crash landed." Shark answered.
Rio then gasped, remembering what happened. "The cyclone! We were all trapped inside! Where's…?" The blue haired girl made a frantic look around, but she saw no one around. "Ryoga! Where is everyone else?!"
"We got split up. It's just the two of us here." Rio's brother told her.
Rio frowned with worry. "Yuma… Ruri… all our friends…" She looked back at the old house. "Any chance someone we know is in there?"
Shark narrowed his eyes at house suspiciously. "I don't know. Not that I'm not worried about our friends' whereabouts, but I'm a tad more concerned about the fact that an old house just so happens to be here on the Astral World of all places."
"Who do you think…" At that moment, the front door to the house slowly creaked open. Only darkness could be seen within. "Lives in there?" Rio finished her question.
"I doubt anyone friendly." Shark said.
Just then, they heard an eerie giggling came from the house, followed by an equally eerie female voice. "Ryoga and Rio Kamishiroooo. You are both invited to join me for a little get together. I might know a thing or two about your missing friends… maybe Hehehe. Don't be shy. Come on in. I'll be waiting for you… in the parlor. Heheheheeeeee!"
Shark and Rio glanced at each other warily.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Shark asked.
Rio nodded. "We're basically being invited to a trap of some kind in a potentially haunted shack."
"Agreed. Next move?" Shark said with a smirk.
His sister returned the smirk. "Spring the trap."
With that, the siblings strapped on their Duel Disks before they stepped inside the house. The moment they entered, the door slammed shut behind them. The pair jumped slightly from that. "I hate it when that happens." Shark muttered.
"I'm not too fond of it either." Rio replied.
With the door closed, the two saw nothing but black. They stood still, not able to see where to go. Then to their left, about a dozen small candles were floating in the air. Six of them levitated on one side and the other six on the opposite side. The candles formed a path that led into a hallway up ahead.
"That's totally not creepy, don't you think Ryoga?" Rio commented, turning to her to brother… only to find that her brother wasn't standing next to her anymore. "Ryoga? Ryoga! Where are you?!" No answer came from her now missing sibling. 'But how? He was right here with me just a second ago! There was no way he could have been taken without making some sort of sound!' Rio thought frantically.
"Your brother is here with me, little Rio. Come. Don't keep us waiting. Tehehehe." The candles' flames flared for a brief moment before settling down to their normal size.
Rio tightened her fist and steeled her resolve. "You want me… here I come." She then began walking through the path the floating candles had formed. Once out in the hall, more candles could be seen. They led Rio to the left end of the hall, which had a door with a number of small ghosts painted all over it. Without hesitation she opened the door, revealing a staircase that went downward. There was a flickering light coming from below. Slowly, Rio walked down the stairs, seeing more paintings of spooky creatures on the walls as she went. "Vampires. Werewolves. Mummies. Whoever lives here sure loves famous movie monsters." Rio said to herself. Before long, she reached the bottom, now seeing the source of the light… and it was not what she expected.
In what would be considered the basement actually looked like a graveyard. There were several blank tombstones spread out on the floor, which instead of a floor turned out to be soft mulch covered with grass. In the very center was the source of the basement's light… which was a green cloaked figure with glowing gold eyes. The figure threw off the cloak to reveal a silver skinned young girl with pale white hair in a black dress. She looked like a solid ghost. The girl giggled when Rio approached. "Hello Rio. I'm pleased you got my invitation. I am Sabrina, member of Lady Hiretsuna's Vanguard and your very gracious host. Welcome to my little party…" Sabrina said while spreading out her arms in a theatrical manner. "Or rather, your soon to be afterlife party. Hehehehe." She concluded with a bunch of little ghosts floating around her.
"Vanguard? Does that mean there are others out there just like you?" Rio asked, now starting to worry about her other friends. Could they also be hunted by more of Hiretsuna's goons?
"Of course. There are several of us, and we each have our own "targets" to eliminate. You just happen to be mine." Sabrina said with glee. "We each have our own stories. Mine happens to be a bit of a downer with a "killer" ending." She then gave a deep dramatic sigh, apparently preparing herself to tell an unpleasant tale. "You see, I used to be a goth girl that was really into monster movies. You can probably tell from the decor." The girl said while waving a hand to emphasize the interior decorating. "One night, me and some friends attended a Halloween party dressed as our favorite monsters. Mine was a ghost wearing a witch's dress, as you can tell." Sabrina pointed at her current appearance. "We were all having fun, and everything was going great… until a certain someone decided to pull a prank on yours truly that was meant to scare and humiliate me…"
"I'm guessing it did more." Rio said, having a feeling where it was going.
Sabrina sneered. "That prank was a bucket filled with tomato paste and pig guts splashing on me from above. I was dancing with this guy I "may" have had a crush on when it happened. It was beyond disgusting, believe me. One minute, the whole crowd was laughing their asses off, the next… they were all screaming when they saw me die from a severe allergic reaction to the tomato paste."
"Okay… that was actually pretty bad." Rio commented honestly.
"You have no idea. There was so much of that horrible stuff that there was no time for anyone to get me the medical treatment I needed! So, within a minute or so, I was a nothing but a costume wearing corpse on the dance floor covered in swine and vegetable gunk! I died from a prank gone wrong! How messed up is that?!" The ghost girl said very angrily.
"I imagine quite a bit." Now Rio felt sorry for Sabrina… but not by that much. Sabrina did after all capture Shark and locked him in a cage. Fortunately, Rio's sympathy didn't last long after what she heard next.
"And you know what was going through my mind when I was dying? Aside from not being able to breathe, all I could think of was how much I hated that bitch Stacy for pranking me! I hated her so bad that I wanted her to die! Oddly enough, my own death led to my wish coming true." Sabrina then showed a very sadistic grin. "My departing spirit was somehow found by none other than Lady Hiretsuna herself. She made me an offer I simply couldn't refuse. If I agreed to serve as part of her Dark Vanguard, she would give me the power to get my revenge on Stacy for killing me."
"You accepted and became what you are now." Rio surmised.
"Oh, I sure did." Sabrina said evilly. "After my new mistress gave me this sick getup and these ghostly gifts, I used them to enter Stacy's place unnoticed and strangled her to death while she was sleeping. To make the nightmare more complete, I did it with my face covered with tomato paste… the very thing she killed me with. I honestly never had so much fun in my life… or rather my afterlife. Hehehe."
Rio had heard enough. "That was a rotten thing, what had happened to you Sabrina. You didn't deserve to die, but neither did Stacy." Sabrina huffed from the insult, clearly not agreeing with her. "You took another person's life, even though your death was an accident. I'm sure Stacy never meant to kill you. But you crossed a line. That's in the past anyway. Right here and now… you have someone I came here for. Where is my brother?" She demanded.
Sabrina held up a hand, indicating Rio should look up. Above them, a large cage hung like a chandelier with Shark as it's sole occupant. Hanging around the cage were a bunch of human skeletons with ropes around their bony necks. He appeared unconscious, but otherwise unharmed.
"As you can see, he's just "hanging around". Although it looks like he's decided to take a nap. At least he's got company up there." Sabrina giggled again.
"How did you capture him without me noticing? He was standing right next me." Rio inquired heatedly.
Sabrina smiled mischievously, hands on her hips. "Same way I got the drop on Stacy without her knowing a thing until it was too late. My ghost powers are quite a thing." She said viciously.
"I'll bet." Rio said. "I don't suppose you would let him go if I asked you to?" She asked. Unsurprisingly, the ghost girl shook her head.
"Afraid not. If you want him back…" She had a Duel Disk with a spider web design appear on her left arm. "You'll have to win against me. Ready for a Duel of frights, Rio Kamishiro?" She challenged with a laugh that would send a chill down someone's spine.
"Bring it on Sabrina! I'm not afraid of you!" Rio fearlessly declared as she also activated her Duel Disk.
'Not yet… but you will.' Sabrina thought darkly as the battle began.
"DUEL!"
(Rio: 4000) (Sabrina: 4000)
"I'm taking the first turn. My turn! Draw!" Sabrina declared. "I play a Field Magic card, Ghostrick Museum!" As that card was played, the graveyard basement changed to resemble a large museum exhibit full of popular horror monsters in glass cases. "You will witness it's scary Effects very soon! Until that time, I Set 1 card facedown and end my turn. Show me what you've got, ice girl!"
"Be careful what you ask for, Sabrina. My turn! Draw!" Rio was suspicious form the fact that her opponent Summoned no Monsters. 'It could be that Sabrina simply had no Monsters to Summon, but I doubt I'm that lucky. Maybe her facedown card is meant to protect her?' She had a way to know, and she wasn't going to hesitate to try it. "By discarding a WATER Monster, like Aurora Wing, I can Special Summon Zero Knight from my hand!" (WATER; Level 5; ATK: 1500; DEF: 1500) A purple haired woman wearing a suit of armor made of ice and held a ice sword appeared.
"Planning to strike fear in me with that?" Sabrina taunted.
"Nope. Not her." Rio said. "Since Zero Knight was Summoned with that Effect, I can play a Field Magic card of my own from my Deck! I play Ice Fire World!" The dueling field changed again. Now the museum setting was completely frozen over with ice and large jagged ice formations that cropped up at the four corners of the area. "I see your Field card is still in play." Rio pointed out, since Sabrina's Museum wasn't destroyed.
"Hehehe. Did you think that you Earth Duelists were the only ones to know of the new Field Magic rule? Think again! You played your Field card, but I still have mine!" Sabrina replied confidently.
Rio wasn't deterred. "As long as I got my Field card active, I should be good! Now for the Effect of Ice Fire World! If a WATER Monster is used for an Xyz Summon, it can be treated as 2 Monsters! I Overlay my Level 5 Zero Knight! With this 1 Monster treated as 2, I build the Overlay Network! Appear! Number 94! Priestess of the Spirit World with a heart of ice, show that clear and bright soul! Xyz Summon! Princess of Polar Ice - Crystal Zero!" (WATER; Rank 5; ATK: 2200; DEF: 1600) An blue and purple armored woman holding a crystal javelin appeared with a turquoise "94" on it's dress.
"Ohhh. Your scary Number is out already! I think I'm starting to get goosebumps!" A seemingly shivering Sabrina said, holding her arms around herself, sounding afraid.
Of course, Rio didn't buy it. "I doubt you get scared that easily. Time to get down to business! Battle! Crystal Zero, Direct Attack! Crystal Javelin!" Rio's Number was set to throw it's weapon and deal some damage…
Sabrina grinned. "You're right Rio: I'm not scared at all! I activate the Monster Effect of Ghostrick Frost in my hand! When my opponent's Monster launches a direct attack, I can switch it to facedown Defense Mode!" Rio cursed when she saw her Monster disappeared as it switched battle positions. "Then, after succeeding, I can Special Summon Frost from my hand also in facedown Defense Mode!" A new facedown Monster showed itself on the ghost girl's Field. "I have nothing to fear when I know I can screw you in the end! Hehehe!"
"I'm not completely screwed yet. My attack may have failed, but my WATER Xyz Monster is still on my Field! That's all need to Special Summon Ljod Migratory from my hand!" (WATER; Level 5; ATK: 1000; DEF: 2200) A blue armored crystalline bird with a staff in its beak materialized on the Field. "After that, I Set 1 card facedown and end my turn."
"Heh. So far I've got no reason to be scared of you, ice girl." Sabrina taunted.
"I promise that's gonna change." Rio replied. "Speaking of being scared, I'm not either."
"Oh I think you will when you see what I have in mind. My turn! Draw!" Sabrina smirked. She was sure she would give Rio a good scare after revealing her plan. "Trap card open, Ghostrick Panic! This allows me to switch any number of facedown Defense Mode Monsters I control to face-up Defense Mode! Then, if any of them are "Ghostrick" Monsters, then I can switch the same number of my opponent's face-up Monsters to facedown Defense Mode! I only have 1 facedown Defense Mode Monster, which we both already know is a "Ghostrick" Monster! And by flipping my Ghostrick Frost to face-up Defense Mode, your only face-up Monster gets the reverse treatment!" Rio watched as her own Monster is now out of sight facedown while Sabrina's Frost, which appeared to be a little snowman wearing a colorful scarf and had a black pouch with a scary face on it is now visible face-up. (DARK; Level 1; ATK: 800; DEF: 100)
Rio was confused by this move. "What was the point in flipping my Monster facedown? It is still in Defense Mode and your Monster is too weak to take it down. You can't get to my Life Points."
"Believe me, I will. And you're going to eat your words like treats from a candy bucket! Which reminds me, I play Ghostrick Treats! Since I now control a face-up "Ghostrick" Monster, I can draw 5 extra cards!" Sabrina then cackled like a wicked witch. 'These cards are sure to give my opponent even more trouble. But first…' "Because I control a "Ghostrick" Monster, I can now Normal Summon another! Today's choice is Ghostrick Mary!" (DARK; Level 1; ATK: 100; DEF: 1600) An old mirror appeared with an upset looking young girl trapped inside the reflective glass.
'Two Level 1 Monsters…' Rio began to wonder if her opponent would actually do it. She did.
"Now I will Overlay my Level 1 Ghostrick Frost and Ghostrick Mary! With these 2 Monsters, I also build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Mount your pale horse and ride into the night with your head held high… with your hand! Appear! Ghostrick Dullahan!" (DARK; Rank 1; ATK: 1000; DEF: 0) A white as a sheet horse holding a black armored rider emerged. The rider's head was detached and was being held by it's left arm. "Like my headless rider? His Effect makes him even scarier! Dullahan gains 200 Attack Points for each "Ghostrick" card I control, like my Ghostrick Museum!"
(Ghostrick Dullahan's ATK: 1000 + 200 = 1200)
"It's still not strong enough to break through either one of my Monsters!" Rio pointed out.
Sabrina cackled again. "It won't have to! I have an Xyz Monster that is stronger and scarier! And all I need to do to bring her out is to use another "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster I control as Material, except another copy of what I'm now getting out! With my Dullahan, I build the Overlay Network again! Xyz Summon! Devilish little girl got that kicked out from above cause she was too naughty! Now show what you truly are and prove yourself! Ghostrick Spoiled Angel!" (DARK; Rank 4; ATK: 2000; DEF: 2500) A black dressed fairy with black feathered wings with some white tipped feathers popped into view in place of the previous Xyz Monster. It winked at Rio with a devilish grin to match it's controller.
'That can definitely blow away my Crystal Zero while it is in Defense Mode. Good thing I'm prepared for that.' Rio thought, sure that her Monster would be protected…
"I activate Spoiled Angel's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can attach a "Ghostrick" card from my hand to my Xyz Monster! I'm giving her my Ghostrick Mansion! Now my spooky cutie has 4 Overlay Units! Hehehe!"
"Why is the number of your Monster's Overlay Units so important?" Rio questioned.
Sabrina waved a finger at her. "Oh you'll see! But first, I'm taking a big bite out of your Life Points with my Monster!"
"Not with my Monsters protecting me!" Rio declared.
"They can't help you, not when the Field is in my favor!" Sabrina said.
"What does that mean?" Rio demanded.
"My Ghostrick Museum is about to play a very nasty trick on you, Rio! See, while this Field Magic card is active, only "Ghostrick" Monsters can attack! Also, Monsters can't attack any Monsters that are in facedown Defense Mode, but on the upside…" The ghost girl paused for dramatic effect. "Monsters can attack the opponent directly if that opponent's Monsters are all facedown in Defense Mode!"
"What?!" Rio nearly shrieked. Now she understood her enemy's plan, and it was not good for Rio herself.
"Yes! There it is! That's the freaked out face I was hoping to see!" Sabrina exclaimed with sick delight. "With both of your defending Monsters now facing down, you're now vulnerable! Battle! Ghostrick Spoiled Angel, Direct Attack! Failed Angel's Arrow!" With a pink bow, Sabrina's Monster fired a dark pink arrow that flew past Rio's Monsters and struck Rio in her left shoulder. She yelled from the strong impact and nearly fell to her knees.
(Rio: 4000 - 2000 = 2000)
"Ow. That arrow seriously hurt…" Rio muttered painfully to herself, holding her injured shoulder. She looked up at her still unconscious brother. 'I'm just glad Ryoga didn't see that. I've got to win this and save him before this gets any worse…'
"Because my Monster inflicted Battle Damage to you, Ghostrick Museum forces it to switch to facedown Defense Mode!" Spoiled Angel disappeared like it's weaker counterparts did. "But trust me, you haven't seen the last of my scary Ace! Because a "Ghostrick" Monster I control inflicted Battle Damage to you, I can play my Ghostrick Tombstone Magic card to destroy 1 Magic card of yours! Your Fire Ice World has been snuffed out!"
'There goes that advantage.' Rio thought miserably as all the ice everywhere melted away, leaving only Sabrina's Field card still in play.
"I think that's enough scare tactics for now. Hehehe. I Set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."
'Things aren't looking good. I've got to fight back. I can't let her get that Monster back up…' Rio thought determinedly. She was still unnerved by the unknown Effect it had that Sabrina didn't explain yet. Her worst case scenario was that it had an instant win effect. She truly hoped that wasn't it. If it was… then she would be really screwed. Until she knew for certain, she had to keep fighting. "My turn! Draw!" As she was trying to shake off the pain, Rio glanced at her drawn card and her eyes slightly widened. 'This should definitely help!'
"Continuous Trap, Ghostrick Night! As long as this card is active, you can't Flip Summon while I control a "Ghostrick" Monster! So now both your Monsters stay facedown! I've got you pinned!" Sabrina gloated.
"Wrong!" Rio shouted, halting her opponent's taunting. "My Ljod Migratory may be stuck in facedown Defense Mode and cannot attack, but I can use it in another way! I Sacrifice it to Advance Summon another Ljod Migratory!" A second copy of Rio's Monster appeared in the place of it's former copy. "Because Ljod Migratory is a Level 5 Monster, I only needed one Sacrifice to call it out!"
"Tch." Sabrina grunted, only slightly annoyed that her opponent found a way out of that restriction.
"With that done, I can now use my Monster's main Effect! During my Main Phase, I can detach 1 Overlay Unit from a Xyz Monster I control, then I can Special Summon a Level 3 or 4 WATER Monster from my hand or Graveyard, but with it's Effects negated! By detaching my facedown Crystal Zero's only Overlay Unit, I can bring out the Aurora Wing I discarded earlier!" (WATER; Level 4; ATK: 1200; DEF: 1600) A blue and green bird sparkled onto the Field. "Now for the last part! If the Monster I Special Summoned is to be used for an Xyz Summon of a WATER Monster, it can be treated as a Level 5 Monster! And that's what I'm doing now!"
'She's Xyz Summoning again? What could it be?' Sabrina wondered as Aurora Wing's Level changed from 4 to 5.
"I Overlay my Level 5 Ljod Migratory and my now Level 5 Aurora Wing! With these 2 Monsters, I build the Overlay Network again! Winged Princess of Ice! Shatter the icicles that bind you and freeze what may endanger you! Xyz Summon! Appear! Reort Harpyia, the Sub-Zero Bird Princess!" (WATER; Rank 5; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2100) A more humanoid version of Migratory emerged, now carrying the same weapon as one of the Monsters used for it's Summon.
"Big deal! So you got a new chilly Monster to play with! But you still can't attack with it, thanks to my Ghostrick Museum!" Sabrina reminded her opponent. To her surprise, Rio gave a confident smile.
"That's where this comes in! I Equip Wings of Silence to my Reort Harpyia! The Winged-Beast Monster Equipped with this Magic card gains 300 Attack Points and is unaffected by the effects of my opponent's Magic and Trap cards!"
(Reort Harpyia, the Sub-Zero Bird Princess' ATK: 2500 + 300 = 2800)
"Crap." Sabrina cursed. She didn't think Rio could turn the tables like that.
"Not only can my new Monster attack now, it is also strong enough to destroy your only defense! Whatever it's big Effect is, I'm not giving you the chance to activate it Sabrina! Battle! Reort Harpyia, attack Ghostrick Spoiled Angel! Ice Pierce!" The icy creature lifted up it's sharp and deadly weapon, poised to shatter away it's target…
Sabrina panicked. "Oh no you don't! I activate the Monster Effect of Ghostrick Lantern in my hand! When my opponent attacks me directly or attacks a "Ghostrick" Monster I control, I can negate that attack!" Just before Rio's Monster could land the destructive blow, a dark cloud appeared and stopped the attack.
"No!" Rio shouted in dismay.
"Close, but not close enough! Then, if the attack was successfully negated, I can Special Summon Ghostrick Lantern in facedown Defense Mode!" Another facedown Monster lay next to Spoiled Angel. "Your newly Equipped Monster may be safe from my Magic and Traps, but not from the Effects of my Monsters! Got any other icy tricks you want to try?"
Rio gritted her teeth and balled her fists in frustration. She thought she had Sabrina that time, only she didn't. "I end my turn." She replied reluctantly.
"I didn't think so." Sabrina said in a smug tone. "I'm about to make this Duel a lot scarier for you! My turn! Draw!" She was looking forward to see Rio's terrified face when she saw what was about to occur. "I'm Flipping my Spoiled Angel to face-up Attack Mode!" Sabrina's Ace Monster came back into view. "Then I play Ghostrick Shot! This handy Magic card will let me Special Summon a "Ghostrick" Monster from my hand or Graveyard, then I can change a facedown "Ghostrick" Monster I control to face-up Attack Mode! From my hand I Special Summon Ghostrick Ghoul (DARK; Level 3; ATK: 1100; DEF: 1200), then I Flip my facedown Ghostrick Lantern to face-up Attack Mode!"(DARK; Level 1; ATK: 800; DEF: 0) The former Monster grotesque creature with bones showing throughout it's body and huge claws, while the latter was a floating figure with a glowing smiling face inside the mouth of a hat wearing jack-o'-lantern.
'What does Sabrina plan to do with those?' It can't be for another Xyz Summon; their Levels are different.' Rio tried to guess. Her answer was revealed.
"I activate Ghostrick Ghoul's Monster Effect! Once per turn, during my Main Phase 1, I can make the Attack Points of a "Ghostrick" Monster I control equal to the combined original Attack Points of all other "Ghostrick" Monsters currently on the Field until the end of my opponent's next turn! The total Attack Power of both Ghostrick Ghoul and Ghostrick Lantern is 1900, which is how much more powerful my Spoiled Angel gets!" Sabrina exclaimed excitedly as her Ace glowed dark pink and black from it's power boost.
(1100 + 800 = 1900)
(Ghostrick Failed Angel's ATK: 2000 + 1900 = 3900)
"Not good." Rio muttered.
"Quite a powerful effect, wouldn't you say ice girl?" Sabrina didn't give her opponent a chance to answer before explaining more. "The only downside to this is that the only Monster that can attack this turn is the Monster that received all that power. That's not an issue, though. Before she strikes, I'll use Spoiled Angel's Effect again to attach Ghostrick Yeti to it from my hand… making her have 5 Overlay Units! Then, I banish Ghostrick Shot from my Graveyard to attach a "Ghostrick" card from my Graveyard to a "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster I control! My Ghostrick Treats card should be a good treat for it!"
"6 Overlay Units now. Why is she building them up?" Rio asked herself, still unnerved that she doesn't know what other effect Spoiled Angel had…
"Time for some more scary action! Battle! Ghostrick Spoiled Angel, attack Reort Harpyia, the Sub-Zero Bird Princess! Failed Angel's Arrow!" The fallen angelic Monster prepared to fire another arrow right at Rio's Monster…
"Not this time! Trap card open, Iceberg! When an opponent's Monster attacks one of my WATER Monsters, that attack is negated!" Sabrina grunted as her Monster's arrow exploded into dark pink dust. "Then after that, I can destroy a Magic or Trap card my opponent controls! Since you blew away my Field Magic card, I'll destroy yours!"
"Hey! Meanie!" Sabrina complained that she lost her Field card as well. With a blast of ice chunks, Ghostrick Museum was disintegrated, resulting in the dueling area being returned to normal.
"Now nothing can stop my Monsters from attacking you!" Rio said, her turn to be smug.
Sabrina sneered at first, but then she threw her head back and laughed. Rio was perplexed by the reaction. When Sabrina spoke again, it was in a high cold voice. "You think you have a chance because you got rid of my Field card? Foolish girl! Because you negated the attack of one of my "Ghostrick" Monsters, I can play my facedown Quick-Play Magic card, Ghostrick Tricks! With this, I can attach a number of "Ghostrick" Monsters from my Field and Deck equal to the number of "Ghostrick" Monsters I control to my "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster! I control 3 Monsters, so I can attach that many cards to my Ace! I attach the Ghostrick Ghoul and Ghostrick Lantern on my Field and Ghostrick Werewolf from my Deck to my Spoiled Angel… giving it a outright scary total of 9 Overlay Units! With that, I end my turn!"
"Sabrina, why is it so important to build up your Monster's Overlay Units? Don't you think you've kept it to yourself long enough?" Rio demanded, tired of not knowing what she was truly dealing with.
Sabrina cackled once more. "You want to know so badly? Alright. I am so close to victory, I might as well "spoil" it. Hehehe." She waited a few more seconds before she finally revealed what was so scary about her Ace… with a truly scary face. "You see Rio, if my Ghostrick Spoiled Angel gets 10 Overlay Units… I AUTOMATICALLY WIN THE DUEL!" She revealed with another shrilly laugh.
"Crap. Just what I was afraid." Rio cursed with gritted teeth.
Sabrina loved seeing the frustration on her enemy's face. "You now truly understand the horror of what you're up against! Just one more Overlay Unit and it's all over for you! Just go ahead and try to stop me!"
Rio took a deep breath to calm herself. True, her evil ghostly adversary was just one step away from victory, but the Duel was not over yet. She still had a chance. She just needed to draw the right card to turn it all around. "I'll do more than try, Sabrina… I will take you down! My turn! Draw!" She glanced at her drawn card…
"No matter what you have, my horror show will consume you in the end!" Sabrina taunted.
Rio ignored the taunt… and instead smiled. "Sabrina… 9 is the highest number of Overlay Units your Monster is going to get and I will prove it! First, I banish my Iceberg Trap from my Graveyard to destroy WATER Defense Mode Monster I control!" Her facedown Number was instantly blown to pieces, which definitely confused Sabrina.
"What was the point of destroying your own Monster?" She demanded.
"Easy: So that I can bring it back! I play my Glacial Burst Magic card, allowing me to Special Summon a WATER Xyz Monster from my Graveyard that was destroyed by a card effect! Return, Crystal Zero!" Rio's Number Monster reappears to battle once more.
Once more, Sabrina was slightly annoyed that Rio found yet another loop hole to get her Monster back in Attack Mode. "Big deal! My Spoiled Angel is still so much stronger than both of your Monsters! You can't beat it!" She meant what she said. If Rio found someway to destroy her Ace, she had a way to protect. Unfortunately for her…
"This should prove you wrong! I activate the Monster Effect of Reort Harpyia! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can reduce the Attack Points of an opposing Monster, like your Spoiled Angel… to 0!"
"WHAT?!" Sabrina shrieked while watching her Monster lose all it's power. She had not expected that tactic. 'Dammit! I was planning to banish Ghostrick Tricks from my Graveyard to prevent the destruction of a "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster I control through battle this turn! But my Monster needs to have at least 2000 Attack Points for it to work. But with all of it's Attack Points gone…!'
"I've got you now Sabrina! With both my Monsters face-up and nothing stopping them from attacking, you've got nothing! Battle! Reort Harpyia, attack Ghostrick Spoiled Angel! Ice Pierce!" Once more, the icy Monster moved to shatter it's enemy to pieces… and this time it succeeded.
(Sabrina: 4000 - 2800 = 1200)
"No! Stop! I don't want to lose! I'm too scared to lose!" Sabrina begged like a frightened child, only to fall on deaf ears.
"Sorry, but I'm finishing this! Crystal Zero, Direct Attack! Crystal Javelin!" With that final attack, Sabrina of Hiretsuna's Vanguard was defeated.
(Sabrina: 0)
At the moment of her loss, Sabrina exploded into a cloud of mist before vanishing entirely… followed by an echoing scream. Rio covered her ears from the painful noise.
"This is one of the reasons I don't watch horror movies." She complained to herself. After the screaming ended, the cage holding her brother also started to fade. Knowing what was about to happen, Rio moved quickly to get into position. Once the cage was completely gone, Shark fell down and landed right into his sister's arms. "Gotcha." She then groaned a little. "Though I think you should lay off the Calamari for a bit."
After laying him down, Rio watched as the rest of the house disappeared. It all faded within a matter of seconds. Now they were back in the nightmarish terrain of the Astral World. Shark's Astral Priest power still worked, keeping both siblings safe on the ground.
It was then that Shark finally woke up. "Rio… what the hell?" He looked around, understandably confused. "Where's the house? What happened?"
Rio filled him in what he missed. "After I beat Sabrina, she faded along with that haunted house of hers."
Shark shook his head and sighed. "Man. I can't believe I got captured so easily. And by a creepy she ghost no less."
"I won't tell if you won't." Rio said with a small grin.
Shark grinned back at his sister. "Deal."
"I doubt any of you will tell anyone anything." Shark and Rio turned to see another green cloaked figure nearby. His head was lowered.
"Oh great, another one." Shark complained. "And you would be?"
The male figure came closer. "Someone who wants nothing more than to destroy you, Ryoga Kamishiro. Or rather formerly known as… Nasch."
Shark and Rio's eyes widened. "What did you just call me? Who the fracking hell are you?!" The former almost yelled the question, now becoming afraid himself.
The figure was almost upon them and raised his head up. With the hood on, the face was still hidden. But the eyes could be seen… one red and one blue. "The one… who will end you."
"What in the…?" Rio started to ask, but got interrupted when a flashing light appeared right beside her and her brother.
"Gahh! Damn what is that light?! I can't see!" The figure complained while covering his eyes.
The Kamishiro siblings were surprised by who just appeared after the light faded. "Kaito! Droite!"
"Glad we found you two." A smiling Droite said, relief in her voice.
"Are you two alright?" Kaito asked.
"We're fine. But how did you find us? Do you know where the others are?" Shark questioned.
"We'll catch up later. Right now, we need to go." Droite then held the crystal Kyla gave her. "Shark, Rio, place your hands on this crystal along with me and Kaito." Shark and Rio followed her instructions. The four were immediately covered in the same light as a second ago.
By the time the multi-eyed cloaked figure regained his eyesight, it was too late. His target and his companions were gone. He cursed again. "Dammit! How the hell did they escape?!" He stomped on the ground hard with his foot. "Well, no matter. Ryoga Kamishiro may have gotten away from me this time. But when I find him again… there will be no escape for him!" With that he turned, swishing his cloak as he did so, and vanished into the darkness.
To be continued.
