Chapter EighteenBonds, Part Two
“This should be fun,” said Emperor, his previous condescending attitude returning. “In fact, I’m excited that you’ll get to see my Deck of Royalty before you die. Let’s take it slowly, shall we. After all, I want to show off more than just a sampling of my perfect deck.”
He drew six cards and continued, “I begin by summoning my ‘Emperor Sem’ in defense mode.”
A jackal-like spirit creature with bat-like wings and a ghostly tail making up the rear half of its body appeared at Emperor’s side. He scratched the creature behind the ear (DEF: 2200).
“This beast is an emperor over the dead,” Emperor explained, “and yet it is my servant. That is the height of my authority in this world, and in the Shadows.”
“I’m not impressed,” I told him. “Any Shadow Duelist can project their will on a creature and then claim to be that creature’s rightful ruler.”
Emperor’s only response was to glare at me. He was a bit more insecure than he let on, but that didn’t change the fact that he was strong enough to defeat Greg, a Duelist that everyone I’d talked to since joining the Elite had insisted was invincible. ‘Emperor Sem’ wasn’t a terribly threatening card, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to be on guard against whatever additional cards my opponent’s deck might contain. There was one type of card in particular that could be very effective when combined with ‘Sem’. A type of card that I was worried I couldn’t handle.
But I pressed forward. I’d made Emperor a promise, that he would answer for all that he’d done, and I meant it.
“I’ll show you how to mount a real defense,” I told my opponent. “I play ‘Double Summon’, allowing me two Normal Summons this turn instead of one. I summon ‘Guardian Statue’,” a living statue with massive arms appeared, only to disappear a moment later in a swirling light, “and sacrifice it to summon the ‘Heiracosphinx’.”
An Egyptian Sphinx monster with the wings and head of a falcon appeared by my side, standing nearly ten feet tall (ATK: 2400).
“I give up my attack for the turn,” I continued, “to play ‘Gathering of the Sphinxes’. This allows me to Special Summon ‘Criosphinx’ from my deck.”
Another Sphinx, this time with a humanoid torso topped with the head of a goat, appeared at my other side (DEF: 2400).
“Since I can’t attack, I simply set a card, and end my turn.”
“I thought you were going to show me something impressive,” Emperor mocked. “I guess I was wrong. Let me show you how childish your supposed ‘real defense’ really is, but shattering it.”
He drew, and I waited, anticipating his next move, “I play my ‘Double Summon’, summoning ‘Samsara Kaiser’, and tributing him to summon ‘Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch’!”
‘Samsara Kaiser’, a stout warrior in flat gray full body armor, a blue cape, and a helmet shaped like a thimble appeared and went the way of my ‘Guardian Statue’, replaced instantly by a ten-foot-tall warrior in red armor, wreathed in fire (ATK: 2400).
“When ‘Thestalos’ is summoned,” Emperor explained, “he burns up the last card in your hand, and, if it’s a monster, he deals damage to you equal to the Level of that monster times one hundred.”
I discarded my ‘Stone Dragon’, and this time it was my turn to scowl as fire flickered around me, draining away my Life (8000-700=7300).
“When ‘Samsara Kaiser’ is tributed,” Emperor continued, “he’s returned to my hand afterward,” the sacrificial monster ejected from Emperor’s Graveyard and returned to his hand, “and whenever one of my monsters is Tribute Summoned, ‘Emperor Sem’ allows each of us to choose a card from our Graveyard and return it to the top of our deck, is we so desire.”
“I don’t have any card that I want to return,” I told him.
“I didn’t think so,” he replied. “Since I don’t have any cards in my Graveyard, neither do I. But I will set two cards before ending my turn. In mere moments your defenses will crumble.”
“I’d believe you,” I replied, “but so far I haven’t seen you play a single card that I can’t handle.
“I draw,” I declared, “and I play the card I just drew, the Spell card ‘Miracle Rupture’. I send ‘Megarock Dragon’ from my deck to the Graveyard to draw one card.”
I did as the card commanded, and upon drawing my newest card, I smiled. I’d gotten just what I needed to complete my combination and retake control of the field. Now that I knew for sure that Emperor was using the rare and (to me at least) mostly unknown Monarch monsters, gaining control of the field was of utmost importance.
“Next,” I continued, “I activate the Spell card ‘Dragon’s Mirror’, fusing ‘Stone Dragon’ and ‘Megarock Dragon’ in my Graveyard together into one.”
The jagged-stone-armored ‘Stone Dragon’ and the massive, four-legged, wingless ‘Megarock Dragon’ appeared together on the field. They broke apart into individual stone pieces and then came together. The many pieces compressed together into a form a bit smaller than either of its components. The new monster was draconic, with a multi-segmented tail. His stone armor was made of layered, sweeping curved plates, and he had two curved horns protruding from the sides of his small head. In place of wings, long, curved blades swept up from his back, each blade inlaid with two bright blue sapphires. He held an additional sapphire in each hand.
“This is the ultimate evolution of the ‘Stone Dragon’,” I explained with pride, “the ‘Jewel-Stone Ryu’!”
My dragon roared (ATK: 2600).
“My monster attacks your ‘Monarch’,” I commanded. The two sapphires that the dragon held rose into the air at the dragon’s encouragement, shining beans of blue light into the dragon’s open mouth. Light traveled down the dragon’s blade-like wings, coming from the sapphires embedded there, traveling up his neck, and joining with the light in his jaws. There was a flash as the dragon prepared to unleash that light.
“Reveal,” said Emperor, unconcerned by the imminent attack, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Ultimate Offering’. I give up five hundred Life (8000-500=7500) and tribute ‘Thestalos’ to summon ‘Raiza the Storm Monarch’!”
‘Thestalos’ was engulfed in a tremendous fire, and another armored warrior, its helm shaped vaguely like the head of a bird, appeared, its armor gleaming green. My dragon attacked, but ‘Raiza’ summoned up a magical wind so powerful that the dragon’s attack was dispersed and the dragon itself was blown clear off of the field.
“When ‘Raiza’ is Tribute Summoned,” Emperor explained, “his effect returns your ‘Ryu’ to the Fusion Deck.”
I took a deep, calming breath. I thought I’d understood the power of the Monarchs before, but in that moment I realized that I’d underestimated them from the start. They literally gave their masters the powers of strong monsters and strong Spells rolled into one, with their only weakness being that they needed a tribute to be summoned, and Emperor’s deck overcame that weakness with ease.
Emperor saw my distress and smiled, “I see that you’ve come to understand the situation you’re in. With this deck I can summon my Monarch monsters without hassle, giving me the freedom of complete field domination, just as a true emperor has total dominion over his land and his people.
“Plus, I can do this,” Emperor explained. “‘Sem’ returns ‘Thestalos’ to the top of my deck. You’ll pass again, I believe.”
I grimaced. Emperor was leagues ahead of me, and there was little I could do about it, but I wouldn’t give up. I couldn’t.
“I still have my ‘Sphinx’ cards,” I declared. “‘Heiracosphinx’, attack ‘Sem’!”
“I activate the effect of ‘Ultimate Offering’ again,” Emperor explained (7500-500=7000), “to set one monster from my hand in face-down defense mode. And because the number of monsters on the defender’s field has changed, you must re-declare your attack.”
What should I do? I wondered, desperate. His set monster is probably just ‘Samsara Kaiser’, so attacking and destroying it wouldn’t harm me at all, but if I attack again, he’ll have another chance to tribute a monster for any Monarch that he might have on hand. But, if I don’t attack, he’ll have the same chance not only at the end of my Battle Phase, thanks to ‘Ultimate Offering’, but during his own turn. If I force him to summon now, it will cost him more Life.
I looked from Emperor’s monsters to his remaining face-down card, Of course there’s always a chance that Emperor only summoned another monster to fulfill the requirements of a Trap, and that attacking now would be walking right into it.
I only have one choice, “I end my turn.”
To my surprise, or, I suppose, to my relief, Emperor did nothing as my Battle Phase ended.
“And that is why I’ll win,” said Emperor as he drew his next card. “You are so afraid of me that you can’t even call my bluffs. I tribute the face-down ‘Samsara Kaiser’ to summon ‘Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch’ back to the field, and to return ‘Kaiser’ to my hand.”
The fiery Monarch returned.
“Reveal,” Emperor declared, “the Continuous Trap card ‘By Order of the Emperor’. While I control this Trap, I can negate the effects of any Monarch I summon, and draw one card instead.”
Emperor drew again, and his smile widened, “Activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards, and I tribute my ‘Emperor Sem’ (7000-500=6500) to summon ‘Kuraz the Light Monarch’!”
The demonic jackal faded into smoke, and a radiant golden Monarch appeared in its place, his arms raised up to strike.
“When ‘Kuraz’ is summoned,” Emperor explained, “instead of attacking, he can destroy any two cards on the field, and the owner of those cards gets to draw two cards.”
Beams of light shone from the Monarch’s hands, vaporizing my Sphinxes, and I drew two cards. A rather unfair deal if you ask me.
Emperor flashed me a wicked grin, “’Thestalos’ and ‘Raiza’ attack.”
The wind and fire Monarchs combined their powers into a fiery whirlwind that washed over me, scalding my skin and singing my cloths and hair. I couldn’t help but cry out (7300-4800=2500).
“That’s enough for now,” said Emperor, quite pleased with himself. “Go, and don’t feel bad if you want to surrender. I completely understand.”
I have to turn the tables now, I thought as I stared into the helmeted faces of three immensely powerful monsters, looming over me like an unpleasant omen, If I don’t, I’ll die.
I looked over my field, at my one set card, and then back at the two cards in my hand, remembering that Rachel, Prof and Marco were standing with me just outside of the veil of Shadows, depending on me, placing their futures in my hands.
If I die, Emperor will get Rachel’s Necklace, and he’ll control the world.
I felt my expression grow hard, I will not let that happen!
I drew, “Activate my ‘Pot of Greed’.” I drew my two cards, and everything began to fall into place, like a rock slide revealing a diamond in the rough.
“I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” I declared, “to revive my ‘Heiracosphinx’.”
The falcon-headed monster reappeared with a fierce squawk/roar (ATK: 2400).
“And I activate ‘A Shallow Grave’,” I continued, “allowing you to set you fallen ‘Emperor Sem’ onto the field, and allowing me to set any monster from my Graveyard in exchange.”
I chose a card to set on the field. Emperor did the same. I knew what his monster was, and I had no doubt that he knew that my monster was ‘Guardian Statue’.”
“Finally,” I concluded, “I set another monster, and I play ‘Shifting Shadows’, paying three hundred Life (2500-300=2200) to shroud my hidden monsters in deep shadows so that they can change places unseen, gaining a chance to avoid your attacks.”
Shadows covered my side of the field. They rolled like black fog as my monsters shifted within them.
“Plus,” I explained, “while I control ‘Heiracosphinx’, if you try to attack one of my face-down monsters, he’ll move protect them. You can’t attack them, and thanks to ‘Shifting Shadows’ you don’t even know which of my monsters to target with an effect. I end my turn.”
“This duel has gone on long enough,” said Emperor, fed up. “I wanted to show you my deck as a last courtesy before killing you all, but you’ve proved to be far too annoying to endure. I tribute ‘Emperor Sem’ to summon ‘Mobius the Frost Monarch’, a monster with the power to destroy not only ‘Shifting Shadows’ but your set card, the last obstacles to my attacks.”
A blue-armored Monarch with a helm like the head of a penguin joined the others, calling up a freezing wind that coated my cards in a deadly frost, making them brittle. They would shatter in moments.
I smiled.
“Reveal,” the ice around my face-down card didn’t prevent it from flipping up and into position, “the Trap card ‘Waboku’! Before it’s destroyed, my Trap summons an ancient spiritual to protect my monsters from harm. Looks like you won’t be ending anything anytime soon.”
As a barrier formed around my monsters, Emperor angrily and reluctantly passed the turn, unable to attack, but still four Monarchs strong.
Card of the Day:
Jewel-Stone Ryu
Played by: Rocky
Mostly because it's the first original card that I ever made for Rocky.
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