Clearly Blackheart didn't realize that Hiro was The Duelist. This begs the question of how he expected that the Duelist would revive himself. He definitely knew prophesy of the Forgotten Duelist. Did he expect the Duelist to be resurrected through John? Is that why he took John as his host? Even I don't know the answer to this for sure. Part of Blackheart's character is that he does things which amuse him, even if that means overlooking details which might be important to his success.
Chapter EighteenThe Legendary Duelist Reborn!
Lawrence vs. Monty, and Blackheart vs. The Forgotten Duelist!
Monty
“Your move was pretty impressive,” I told Lawrence, still seething, though I barely remembered why, “but mine will be even more impressive. I start out with the ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ in attack mode.”
A sorcerer in dark robes appeared, holding a jewel-tipped staff (ATK: 1900).
“Next I play ‘Brothers By Rite’ to summon a second monster, my ‘Skilled White Magician’, by halving the Attack of the 'Magician' already on the field, and then place one Spell Counter on the summoned monster.”
A second staff-wielding sorcerer appeared, this time in white, a crystal attached to his robes lighting up (ATK: 1700).
“Next,” I explained, “my 'Skilled Dark Magician' gains a Spell Counter as well from the Spell's residual energy.”
A crystal on the dark sorcerers’ garbs lit up as well.
“Finally I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ in combination with ‘Serial Spell’, letting me toss out my hand and draw four cards. This also adds two more Spell Counters to each of my monsters.” Two more crystals lit up. The six crystals flashed brightly. “I sacrifice my ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ and my ‘Skilled White Magician’,” I declared, “to summon ‘Dark Magician’ and ‘Buster Blader’.”
The purple-clad, green-staff-wielding sorcerer (ATK: 2500) and the armored warrior with the massive sword (ATK: 2600+500=3100) appeared to either side of me.
“You may have great power Lawrence,” I said, insultingly, “but power cannot overcome intelligence.”
Hiro, the Forgotten Duelist
I opened my eyes. My mind was clear. Clearer than I could remember. I looked down at myself through yellow/white bangs. I was wearing a brown t-shirt under a long white jacket and khaki pants, and golden chains around my wrists and neck. Also around my neck hung a sparkling clear crystal sphere with a golden streak in it, like a shooting star. The Duelist’s Soul.
I looked around me. The others were pale and out of breath, but they were otherwise okay as they watched me with interest.
“It worked,” I said, “I’m ready.”
“But you don’t have any cards or a Duel Disk,” said Karen. “What do you plan to do?”
I raised my left arm and in a swirl of light a white and tan disk, similar to the Dark Disk, appeared there effortlessly. In the deck loader was a deck of Duel Monsters cards.
“Don’t worry” I said, smiling as I marveled at how much I had forgotten about the scope of my own power, “leave everything to me.”
I turned and I began walking toward the half-ruined temple. As I walked I called back to the others, “The building is unstable. Wait here for me to come back.”
I looked back over my shoulder. Karen nodded, “We’ll be here.”
I looked back at the temple and smiled, “Blackheart, here I come!” I walked slowly around the temple until I came to a nearby entrance and made my way inside. Once I was in the main hall I found myself facing the left side of Marik’s throne. To my left was the rubble created when John and Hiro, or I should say John and, I summoned ‘Great Maju Garzett’ to face the God ‘Osiris’. Sitting on the arm of the throne, facing me, was my Dark Side, the evil spirit Blackheart. His head was down and his eyes were closed.
“I’ve been waiting for you Remnant,” he said. Then he looked up, smiling. But when he saw me his smile disappeared.
“You!”
“Yes,” I said. “Just as you managed to restore your full strength by stealing a body that could command a Duelist’s Soul, I was able to restore my power by mixing Soul Energy with the Soul of Chaos.”
Blackheart smiled and chuckled, “I underestimated you. But it doesn’t matter. Whether I underestimated you or not, the game that I have set in motion is one that I cannot lose. I can already control any one God, and soon I will have the power to control all three.”
“Then I still have time to kill you,” I said, “because I know that you won't risk using anything but the three Gods together to finish me. Only they can destroy my spirit so quickly and so completely that the bond still tying us together won't translate some of the damage back to you.”
Blackheart jumped down from his seat and stood to face me. “You’re as cocky as ever,” he said, “thinking that you know what I would be willing to risk. I wish to kill you with the three Gods to prove my mastery over them, and you. I care little about my own welfare as long as I survive.
“So let us begin, and prove once and for all which of us is stronger,” said Blackheart as the Shadows around us deepened. “The loser,” Blackheart explained, “will have their spirit claimed by the Shadows. I’d bet this body too, but you don’t have a body of your own to bet against it.”
"All the better for me," I replied. After all, Blackheart's body, and its true mind buried deep within, was the only part of him that I hoped would survive this battle.
I raised my Duel Disk. Blackheart summoned the Dark Disk, took a deck from his belt, and placed it in the deck loader.
“I start,” said Blackheart, “with the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards, and follow up with ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three more.” He drew two cards, and then drew three more, discarding two cards afterward. I paid little attention to what they were.
“Finally,” he continued, “I summon ‘Bowganian’ and place two cards face-down.” The spherical machine with the massive eye appeared, crossbow in hand (ATK: 1300).
“I see that you’ve changed John’s deck to suit your darker nature," I noted. "John would never use a card as sneaky and underhanded as ‘Bowganian’.”
“I’m not John,” said Blackheart, laughing. “My strategy is one you've never seen before.”
Monty
“‘Dark Magician’ kills the ‘Cave Dragon’ with Dark Magic,” I declared, “and then my warrior attacks directly.”
‘Dark Magician’ fired a ball of dark energy at the flightless dragon, incinerating it, and ‘Buster Blader’ swung his sword, releasing an energy pulse that hit Lawrence in the gut. He was pushed back, sliding several feet, be he managed to remain standing (8000+2000-2500-3100=4400). Despite the fact that he had survived, I saw his body shimmer and unravel into strands of Shadow for just a moment before the strands wove back together.
“I place a card face-down,” I said, “and end my turn.”
Lawrence shot me a fierce look and said, “I don’t know what your problem is, but I won’t let my Power Deck fall! I summon the ‘Red-Eyes Black Chick’!”
A small dragon with piercing red eyes appeared at Lawrence’s side, letting out a squawking roar (ATK: 800).
“Time to grow up little chick,” said Lawrence with a confident smile. “Become the black dragon of legend,” the small dragon grew until it was over twenty feet tall, “the ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ (ATK: 2400)!”
The mighty black dragon roared.
“Now,” said Lawrence, “I bathe my dragon in darkness.” The black dragon summoned darkness to his body. When the darkness dispersed it revealed a similar but vastly different dragon with glowing red markings spanning his body. “My ‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’ gains three hundred Attack for every Dragon in my Graveyard (ATK: 2400+ (300x3)=3300).”
“And ‘Buster Blader’,” I countered, “gains five hundred Attack for every Dragon on your field and in your Graveyard (3100+(500x3)=4600).”
“That’s why,” said Lawrence, “I’m combining my ‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’ with the Force card, ‘Riryoku’, cutting the Attack of ‘Buster Blader’ in half and increasing the Attack of my ‘Red-Eyes’ by the amount of Attack that your ‘Blader’ lost.”
Power transferred from my monster to his, and his monster’s power grew (‘Buster Blader’: 2300/‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’:5600).
“‘Red-Eyes’,” Lawrence commanded, “Attack with Darkness Black Fire Bullet!”
Black fire built in the dragon’s mouth.
“Reveal ‘Spellbinding Circle’,” I countered, “ensnaring your monster.”
“Chain,” said Lawrence, “the Trap card ‘Dragon’s Bead’, discarding a card from my hand to negate your Trap and destroy it.”
The magic circle appeared and shattered instantaneously, and my warrior was incinerated by the Dragon’s attack (8000+2300-5600=4700).
“Now,” said Lawrence, a smug look spreading across his face, “I reveal my second face-down card ‘Call of the Haunted’, summoning the monster that I discarded for ‘Dragon’s Bead’. You should remember it. I’ve used it before.”
There was a flash of light and a white dragon with the brilliant blue eyes appeared at the ‘Darkness Dragon’’s side.
Lawrence smiled wide. “‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, Burst Stream of Destruction!”
The white dragon fired his mighty beam attack, vaporizing the ‘Dark Magician’ with a single hit (4700+2500-3000=4200).
This is getting out of hand, I thought, now too desperate even to be angry, I have to summon my real ace monster soon or I’m going to die!
Hiro
“For my move,” I said, “I’ll summon my ‘Pharaonic Protector’.” A mummy appeared wearing new-looking ancient Egyptian royal garbs, a tall head dress, and a white mask. He had two long red ribbons hanging down behind him (ATK: 900).
“Next,” I continued, “I activate ‘Thousand Energy’, increasing the Attack of my monster by one thousand for just long enough for him the launch a suicide attack (900+1000 =1900).”
The ‘Protector’ rushed ‘Bowganian’, jumped, and thrust his palms toward the machine. The ribbons on his back came alive, glowing with a faint red light, and stretched out in the direction of his outstretched palm, crushing the machine to pieces. Then the mummy became wisps of smoke and disappeared.
“Now,” I said, “I play ‘Book of Life’, reviving my ‘Protector’ and removing your ‘Bowganian’ from the game.” A book appeared, glowing with a golden light, and ‘Protector’ reappeared, crouched down, his arms crossed over his body (DEF: 0). Blackheart scowled as he took the ‘Bowganian’ card from his Graveyard and placed it in the deck box at his waste.
“That,” I concluded with absolute confidence, “ends my turn.”
Card of the Day:
Bowganian
Played by: Blackheart
Blackheart uses this monster often enough that I figured it should go here sooner rather than later.
Original Cards in This Chapter:
Original Cards in This Chapter:
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