Chapter FourteenThe Emperor’s Four, Part Three
Prof
Brock laughed at me. Like, a real, full-bellied laugh. It was pretty funny.
“You do realize that you still take Battle Damage even if your monster can’t be destroyed, right?”
“Yep,” I answered, not sure where he was going with his line of questioning.
“And that my monster’s Piercing effect lets him damage your Life even while your monster’s in defense mode?”
“Yeah.”
Brock nodded, “Alright, your funeral. ‘Flame Ogre’ attacks ‘Kozaky’.”
The massive ‘Ogre’ threw a fiery fist at my demon scientist. The powerful punch was stopped by the barrier that was ‘Heart of Clear Water’, but the flames coming off of the monster’s fist curled around the barrier, scorching me (6150+700-3000=3850).
“I end my turn,” Brock concluded. He was sure of his monster and its power, even more so after seeing me end my turn once without doing anything. He thought that I thought that he was too strong to fight, just as I’d planned. “Hurry up,” he taunted, “and try to actually do something this time. I’m getting bored.”
I drew my card, barely concealing a mischievous smile.
“I end my turn,” I said simply. I saw my opponent’s nostrils flare with anger.
“Okay,” Brock announced, “this was funny at first, but now you’re just mocking me. I equip my ‘Ogre’ with ‘Dark Energy’, raising his power by another three hundred (3000+300=3300), and I attack again!”
The ‘Ogre’’s fire turned dark, and he punched again. The flames curled around my monster and rolled over me. I raised my arms, protecting my face from being burned (3850+700-3300=1250).
“Take that!” my opponent cried, fuming.
I suppressed a chuckle, Okay, he’s had enough. It’s time to finish this.
Rachel
“Activate ‘Miracle Fusion’,” said Zero, “removing ‘Ice Edge’ and ‘Practitioner’ in my Graveyard from play to Fusion Summon a second ‘Elemental Hero Absolute Zero’.”
A seven-foot-tall block of ice appeared. Bits of ice fell away until all that was left was the form of a second warrior in icy armor, identical to the first (ATK: 2500+500 =3000). I steeled myself up in preparation for the skirmish to come.
“My monsters attack,” Zero commanded, and both ice warriors moved to strike. ‘Rock-Lizard’ came under attack first.
“I remove the final ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ in my Graveyard from play,” I countered, “to save my ‘Rock-Lizard’ from damage.”
The familiar wall of lightning appeared to deflect the blow meant for ‘Rock-Lizard’. The ‘Hero’ pressed his attack. Lightning glanced off of ‘Absolute Zero’’s armor, flashing alongside Zero’s face. In that moment, with his face alight, I saw a glint of expression in his eyes. I was getting through to him. I caught myself smiling and stopped quickly.
My ‘Rock-Lizard’ was protected from its opponent’s attack, but ‘Chimera’ wasn’t so lucky. It was slashed in half. One half disappeared, but the other morphed back into the lion-like ‘Gazelle’, the half of ‘Chimera’ with the highest attack, ready for the counterattack I had planned for the following turn (DEF: 1200).
“When ‘Chimera’ is destroyed,” I explained, “I get to summon back one of his component monsters.”
“I was ready for something like that,” Zero replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “I activate ‘Dimension Explosion’. I return the second ‘Elemental Hero Absolute Zero’ to my Fusion Deck, and in exchange we each get to summon up to two of our monsters that have been removed from play. I summon the monsters used to create my monster,” the small ice warrior, ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’, reappeared alongside ‘Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier’ (800+500=1300 /1300+500=1800).
“And I re-summon my two ‘Thunder-Pegasi’,” I countered, the pair of two-headed thunder beasts appearing at my side (DEF: 2000 (each)).
“I was ready for that too,” Zero explained. “Reveal ‘Chain Disappearance’. I can only activate this card when one or more monsters are summoned, but it removes from play every one of those monsters with one thousand Attack points or less, as well as any monsters in your deck that share their name.”
A chain made of shadows pierced my two monsters, and they faded away, and the third ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ ejected from my deck.
“The Attack power of ‘Absolute Zero’ rises,” my opponent explained, “for each Water monster on the field with a different name (ATK: 3000+1000=4000), but ‘Absolute Zero’ isn’t the ‘Hero’ that you really have to worry about right now. ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’, attack ‘Gazelle’!”
The small warrior, easily the least intimidating warrior I’d seen my opponent summon, cut my horned beast to pieces in an instant. I frowned and thought, Maybe I should have focused on summoning the Fusion component monster with the highest Defense instead.
Either way, it was my turn again, and I still had a plan.
“I draw,” I declared, “and I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw again. Next, I reveal the Trap card ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive the monster I discarded earlier,” a centaur in armor, carrying a red-jeweled staff, appeared at my side, “my ‘Chiron the Mage’ (ATK: 1800). I can discard any Spell to destroy any Spell or Trap you control using ‘Chiron’’s effect. So I discard ‘Heavy Storm’ to destroy ‘Umiiruka’.”
‘Chiron’ twirled his staff and then aimed at the hologram of Zero’s Field Spell. It shattered, and suddenly we were back in the tunnel that we had never actually left. I was feeling pretty good, so before I continued I decided to try again to get through to Zero.
“So, Zero, if you’re in the Duelists of the Order, then you must have experienced some kind of tragedy that drove you to it. Wanna tell me what it was?”
Zero ignored me.
Fine I thought. “If you won’t answer then I guess we’ll just keep fighting instead. I’ll play ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.”
I replenished my hand, and Zero did the same.
“Now that your Field is gone,” I continued, “and your monsters are weakened (ATK: 500/ 1300/3500), I finally have the opening I need. I play ‘Double Summon’, allowing me to summon ‘Machine Lord Ür’,” a floating, red mechanical torso appeared (ATK: 1600), “and to tribute both ‘Chiron’ and ‘Rock-Lizard’ to summon my most powerful monster, the Great Spear, ‘Beast King Barbaros’!”
‘Rock-Lizard’ and ‘Chiron’ gave way for the black-lion-bodied warrior, his shield and spear in hand. He let out a mighty roar (ATK: 3000).
“‘Machine Lord Ür’ may have low Attack,” I explained, “and he may not deal you damage when he attacks, but he can attack as many monsters as I want each turn. I play ‘Wild Nature’s Release’ on ‘Barbaros’,” the entire corridor shook as ‘Barbaros’’ power grew, radiating from his body in waves (ATK: 3000+1200=4200), “and I attack with the ‘Machine Lord’!”
‘Machine Lord Ür’’s wing-like arms transformed into beam guns and he fired, sweeping the beams over both ‘Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier’ and ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’, destroying them both in an instant. With fewer Water monsters in play, the power of ‘Absolute Zero’ fell further (3500-1000=2500).
“‘Barbaros’,” I commanded, “destroy the Hero with Deadly Legion!”
‘Barbaros’ lifted his lance, and the air shuttered. He thrust his lance, and reality seemed to ripple around him. The lance hit ‘Absolute Zero’ (7200+2500-4200=5500), and ‘Absolute Zero’ shattered into a cloud of shards that hung ominously over the field.
“When ‘Absolute Zero’ is destroyed, his special ability destroys every monster that you control,” Zero explained.
“Duh,” I replied. “Why do you think I waited so long to kill it? I was waiting until I was ready with the Trap card ‘Divine Wrath’.”
I discarded a card, and lightning fell from the sky and spread from one ice shard to the next, vaporizing them all. I placed my right hand on my hip and looked smugly at my opponent, “It’s all for the better anyway. A ’Hero’ monster doesn’t suite a villain like you.”
Zero’s face twitched, and his cheeks flushed red with anger. But it faded, and Zero was stoic once again.
I smiled, Well, it looks like I might have found the hot topic that will get me through that thick head of yours, and the magic that’s controlling it. This might be easier than I thought.
“I finish my turn,” I declared, “by removing the ‘Barbaros’ and ‘Machine Lord Ür’ cards from play, I combine my monsters together,” ‘Machine Lord Ür’ opened up, its weapon arms separating from its body. ‘Barbaros’ dropped his shield and weapon, and the ‘Machine Lord’’s body wrapped around ‘Barbaros’’ body like armor. He picked up one of ‘Machine Lord Ür’ weapons in each hand.
“Zero,” I announced, “behold my ultimate card, ‘Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür’ (ATK: 3800)!”
Rocky
I drew to begin my turn, and another of the floating flames produced by ‘Final Countdown’ appeared overhead, making for a total of five. That gave me another fifteen turns before I’d lose by default, burned up by those flames and fifteen more just like them. Fifteen turns at most. That was if my opponent did nothing else to accelerate the countdown.
The way C.D.’s been playing, I thought, I give this duel another five turns, and that’s being conservative. I have to act fast.
“I set a monster,” I began, “and I reveal another ‘Rock Bombardment’.”
I sent another monster from my deck to the Graveyard, my ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’. The pieces of my monster appeared overhead and shattered. The shards pelted my opponent and his Life Points fell further (3500-500=3000).
“You gave up a lot of Life Points to execute your combo,” I said, “and that makes you vulnerable. Depleting your Life Points will be easy.”
I was trying to sound more confident than I was, to throw my opponent off, but C.D. saw through my façade.
“You don’t believe that,” said C.D. “You’re going to die today, in this tunnel, and you know it as well as I do.”
“Don’t count me out yet,” I argued. “I play ‘The Shallow Grave’. We each take a monster from our Graveyard and set it on the field.”
We did, neither of us knowing what monster the other had chosen.
“Go,” I concluded defiantly.
“That’s what I thought,” said C.D., “You’re helpless against my combo!” He drew, and the sixth flame appeared, joining the others. I noticed that the flames were forming a ring surrounding the field of play.
“In my Standby Phase,” C.D. declared, “I reveal two copies of ‘Pyro Clock of Destiny’, moving the turn count forward by two.”
Another two flames appeared.
“I also reveal my ‘Pyro Clock of the Future’,” my opponent continued. “I discard two cards to accelerate the turn count by four.”
Four more flames appeared overhead, making a total of twelve.
I think I was wrong, I thought. I think I might only have one more turn.
“The cards I discarded were both ‘Clock Magician’,” C.D. explained. “I remove them from play, accelerating the turn count by another four!”
Ghostly images of the almost cartoonish magicians appeared, holding their clock-ended staves high. The hands of the clocks spun rapidly, and four more flames appeared in the sky, joining with the others. The magicians disappeared.
“My hand’s empty again,” said C.D., his wicked expression on full display in the light of sixteen flames, “so I’ll play another copy of ‘Card of Sanctity’.”
My opponent drew, and his face lit up.
“I was actually worried for a second that I might not draw what I needed. See, I have a reputation to uphold. I’m known for the fact that none of my opponents have ever lasted past my third turn after ‘Final Countdown’ has been played. I thought for a second there that I wasn’t going to draw what I needed to make that happen. But I was wrong. I play ‘Dimensional Reversal’, discarding ‘Timeater’ to return ‘Clock Magician’ that was removed from play to my Graveyard,” an image of a spinning clock appeared, and then faded away, bathing the field in light, “and I remove it from play again the accelerate the turn count further!”
‘Clock Magician’ reappeared, summoning up more flames, making a total of eighteen. Eighteen out of twenty.
“And now, just to play it safe,” C.D. concluded, “I discard my ‘Time Wizard’ to activate ‘Lightning Vortex’, destroying every one of your face-up monsters.”
I watched as my ‘Stone Statue’, ‘Gigantes’, and ‘Destroyer Golem’ were struck by lightning and vaporized before my eyes. A feeling of dread flowed through me. My entire offense was gone.
“When you draw again,” C.D. explained, “the count will move to nineteen. When your turn ends, and my turn begins, the turn count will reach twenty and you will lose! You can’t attack me. You’ve already lost!”
As I prepared to begin my final turn, looking over my hand of mostly-useless cards, I wondered if my opponent was right.
Marco
“Nothing’s indestructible,” I told my opponent, staring down the pair of jelly angels, “not even you ‘Gelen Duo’. I’ll find a way to get through them.”
I drew. I didn’t get what I wanted, but I did get something that was potentially just as good. After all, drawing more cards is rarely a bad thing.
“Activate ‘Pot of Greed’,” I declared, pulling two more cards from my deck. I couldn’t help but frown with disappointment.
Well, I’m gonna win, I thought, but I’ll have to rely on him again to do it.
I scowled, I don’t like it, but… “I set three cards and pass.”
“Then it’s time for me to get this show on the road!” said Spark. “I draw.”
Spark smiled, proud, “I play the ultimate symbol of my heavenly favor, ‘Card of Sanctity’.”
Long story short, we drew a bunch of cards. Not that it mattered that much.
“Next,” Spark continued, “I play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy the troublesome crystal ‘Dragon’s Treasure’.”
A precise funnel of wind struck the crystal embedded in the armor of my ‘Dragonic Knight’’s chest. The crystal shattered (3100-300=2800).
“My ‘Gelen Duo’ is two monsters in one,” Spark explained, “so I can tribute if for a monster that would usually require two sacrifices. A monster like ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’!”
Oh, well, I thought as the twin fairies were replaced by another of Spark’s trademark dragons, that’s just plain dandy.
“Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” Spark continued, “to revive the ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’ destroyed earlier!”
There was a flash of red light and the dragon that I’d managed to destroy a few turns ago, the first ‘Goryu’, returned with vengeance in its eyes.
And that just makes everything sooo much better. This is gonna hurt.
“My original dragon attacks,” Spark declared, “destroying your ‘Knight’.”
The revived ‘Goryu’ breathed a beam of light that engulfed my monster, burning him up (5800+2800-2900=5700).
“And the second dragon attacks directly!”
At its masters command, Spark’s newest dragon attacked as well, bathing me in that deadly light (5700-2900=2800).
I was wrong, I thought, gasping. That hurt way worse than I thought it would.
Rachel
“My ‘Elemental Hero’ isn’t through with you yet,” said Zero. “I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing together two monsters in my hand, ‘Elemental Hero Ocean’ and ‘Blizzard Warrior’!”
A fish warrior and another copy of the icy, dual-blade-wielding knight appeared and merged in a flash of blue light. The light swirled outward, and ‘Absolute Zero’ appeared, surrounded by a cloud of icy air.
“Behold the return of my ultimate monster!” Zero exclaimed in dramatic fashion. “‘Absolute Zero’, attack ‘Barbaros’!”
“My monster won’t roll over for your weak ‘Hero’,” I declared, once again focusing on the relationship between he and his monster, trying to reach the boy inside. ‘Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür’, destroy it now!”
My beast fired his beam guns, just as the icy warrior drew back to strike, blasting the warrior apart. He became shards of ice that hung above his conqueror.
“My ‘Hero’ takes your monster with him,” Zero explained, and the shards of his monster shot toward me, shredding ‘Barbaros’ in seconds. My opponent’s turn ended there, and I drew to begin my own.
“I set a card,” I declared, “and I end my turn. Let’s see what else you’ve got.”
Card of the Day:
Beast King Barbaros
Played by: Rachel
Four Emperor's Four, four dueling main characters, four duels spread out
over four chapters. Because the four duels are spread out so much, I'll
choosing the Cards of the Day from all four chapters as if they are one. "Barbaros" here is a scary card. As powerful as "Blue-Eyes White Dragon", capable of being summoned easily, and also capable of destroying every card that your opponent controls if you devote more resources to its summoning that usual. It even has an upgraded form. A truly versatile beast that makes up the backbone of the deck of the Queen of Beasts.
Original Cards in This Chapter:
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