John defeats his opponent! Will he arrive in time to save his friends? No, no he won't.
Chapter Twenty-ThreeThe Beasts Attack!
Sacrifices
I stood with my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ at my side, beside Karen and one of her strongest monsters, against Shin and his ‘Dark Simorgh’. The powerful Winged Beast was weaker than Karen’s monster and only a stone throw above mine in terms of Attack, but that didn’t make me feel much better in light of the incredible dark aura that I felt from it.
In short, the monster worried me. I was anxious to learn of it special abilities, on the off chance that doing so might put my anxiety to bed.
“It’s like a corrupt version of the monster that your cousin uses,” Karen told me.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “but the aura is way different. You can feel that it’s even more powerful than Amanda’s monster.”
“My monster is more powerful than you can imagine,” Shin said, interrupting my dialogue with Karen. “Of course that monster,” he continued, gesturing toward ‘Master of Oz’, “still presents a threat, so I’ll play ‘Shrink’ to bring your monster down to a more manageable size.”
“I don’t have anything to stop that,” said Karen, sounding frustrated.
“Damn,” I said, “neither do I.”
As we spoke, the Spell took effect, and the ‘Master of Oz’ shrunk to half his original size, and half his original power (4200/2=2100).
“No,” said Karen under her breath, and it hit me that she was in a bad place. Her hand was empty and ‘Master of Oz’ had been her last gambit in a duel riddled with mediocre luck.
“‘Simorgh’,” Shin commanded, “attack! Black Tornado!”
A funnel of violent wind, colored black by the dark energy used to summon it, appeared as ‘Dark Simorgh’ flapped its powerful wings. The tornado poured over the shrunken ‘Master of Oz’ and quickly overwhelmed him, tearing him apart. More of Karen’s arms and torso disappeared into the shadows as her Life decreased even further (3700+2100-2700=3100). I watched her grit her teeth against the pain of Shin’s Shadow Game. That made me mad.
“Just because my monster has less Attack than yours,” I told Shin, “don’t expect your monster to stick around. I draw!”
I looked over my hand, Bingo!
“I set a card,” I said, but as soon as my set card appeared as a hologram on the field, that hologram was blown from the field by a dust devil charged with black energy. The card itself leapt from my Dark Disk, and I caught it.
“Sorry,” said Shin mockingly, “but you can’t set any cards in the presence of ‘Dark Simorgh’.”
I smiled, “Oh well. It’s not like the card I tried to set was needed to destroy your monster.”
“What?” Shin asked, surprised.
I ignored him, “I equip my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ with ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’, increasing his attack by eight hundred.”
The armor on my monster’s arm stretched out over his hand and extended to become a long, thin, sharp blade (2200+800=3000).
“‘Megacyber’,” I commanded, “attack! Megacyber Slash!”
‘The Fiend Megacyber’ charged his blade with intense black and yellow static energy and lunged at his massive foe.
“Let’s see if your ‘almighty’ monster is mightier than this!” I exclaimed, just as my warrior brought his sword down, slashing the giant bird in half from head to talon (6350+2700-3000=6050).
“I set a card,” I declared, “and I think this time it’s gonna stick.”
“And just because you beat ‘Master of Oz’,” said Karen, “don’t expect me to be out of this. I summon ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’ to attack directly!”
The red-coated swordsman appeared and lunged at Shin instantly at his master’s command. As the warrior’s sword passed through Shin’s body, a portion of his torso along the point of impact dissolved into shadows, and his Life Points fell even further (6050-1700=4350), but Shin didn’t seem to mind. His expression was somewhere between amused and excited.
“Very interesting,” Shin said, as if making note of the behavior of a bug at his feet. “You two are a bit stronger than I anticipated. Though I guess I should have known you would be trouble. My second duel with you, John, showed you to be quite capable. Still, you have nowhere near won this duel. In fact, you’ve only helped me out.”
What? I wondered, but I didn’t have time to contemplate. Shin selected two cards from his hand and pocketed them as he had the two monsters removed from play to summon ‘Dark Simorgh’ in the first place.
“I remove another Dark monster and another Wind monster from play,” Shin declared, “this time from my hand, to revive my monster!”
The obsidian bird rose again with a shrieking cry as it spread its glistening wings.
“And you haven’t even realized my monster’s true purpose, have you?” Shin asked, full of pride, and the significance of his previous words became clear.
“In fact, you’ve only helped me out.”
Oh no!
Shin saw my expression fill with dread, and he laughed, “Finally, you get it! Finally you understand my monster’s power. By removing monsters from play to summon ‘Simorgh’, I’ve set up for the ultimate swift swarm strategy! I pay two thousand Life Points to activate the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’, summoning all of the monsters that were removed from play!”
More of Shin’s body dissolved (4350-2000=2350), and a ripple appeared in the air overhead. From that ripple descended ‘Harpie Lady 1’ and ‘Dark Valkyria’, alongside two more monsters, a muscular swordsman with white hair and ashen skin, and a taller, more elegant ‘Harpie’, which I recognized as ‘Dark Grepher’ and ‘Harpie Queen’ (ATK: 1700/ATK: 1900).
“I follow through with ‘Giant Trunade’,” Shin continued, “removing every Spell and Trap from the field, and clearing a path for my monsters. I also set a card.”
Karen’s ‘Toon Kingdom’, my face-down card, and my ‘Fusion Sword’ disappeared from the field, prompted by a gale force wind, and a hologram depicting a face-down card appeared at our opponent’s feet. Karen looked over at me, and her look said it all. She knew Shin could kill either one of us. It was only a matter of which one.
I had to make sure he made the right choice.
In a very showy manner I started laughing and pointed at Shin’s monsters, “Are those really the best monsters you’ve got? Pathetic! Just like you. You’re just a darker, paler imitation of your other self. Hell, more than half the monsters I’ve seen you play are exactly the same, just darker, paler copies of other peoples’ cards!”
I saw Shin’s nostrils flare. He was fuming mad.
“John,” Karen said fearfully, “stop! Do you know what you’re doing?”
I ignored her, “I guess your ‘Simorgh’ is pretty impressive, though. My cousin uses a monster a lot like it. Of course she’s a little girl.”
Shin’s face twisted, enraged, “I’ve had enough of your insults! ‘Simorgh’, attack!”
‘Simorgh’ raised her massive wings, prepared to strike.
“Get him for me,” I told Karen under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear. Tears welled up in her eyes.
‘Simorgh’ flapped her wings, and the resulting whirlwind ripped my ‘Megacyber’ apart (4800+2200-2700=4300). Another portion of my body faded away.
I wonder what losing my entire body will feel like.
I waited to find out as Shin stood facing us, thinking.
Come on, I pleaded silently. You can’t hurt Karen. Attack me and ignore her!
But either Shin saw the desperation in my eyes, or he decided that seeing Karen die at my side would cause me even greater pain than dying myself, because his next command was, “My remaining monsters attack the girl.”
“No!” I cried. “No, attack me!”
“Sorry,” Shin replied sarcastically, and I had to watch as his monsters combined their attacks and struck. Karen screamed. She reached for my hand, and I reached for hers, but before our fingers could touch, she dissolved into smoke. She was gone.
I’m not sure how long I stared at the spot where she’d been. I was too stunned to remember. It wasn’t until I recovered from the shock that an idea formed in my head.
Without looking up, I focused, and my Soul of Darkness glowed. Its magic confirmed my suspicions.
“You aren’t carrying any cards or charms infused with magic, and you don’t have any Shadow Items. Your power to create this Shadow Game comes from the Beasts, doesn’t it?”
Shin smiled, “Of course it does. My masters give me everything I need to increase my power to levels beyond my wildest imagination!”
“Well then,” I said, finally looking again at Shin, fire in my eyes, “if I want to get Karen back from the Darkness, I guess I’m going to have to beat them. Too bad for you, you’re in my way.”
I placed my hand on the top card of my deck, and my Soul flared as I called, “Destiny Draw!” I pulled my card, knowing exactly what it would be.
“Your ‘Simorgh’ is a powerful monster,” I told Shin, “a more powerful monster than I gave it credit for, but it’s still no match for my next card. There’s a long tradition in Duel Monsters of monsters with female counterparts, and my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ is no different.
“While you control more monsters than I do,” I explained, determination resonating in my voice, “my next monster can be summoned without tribute.”
There was a burst of white, yellow and black light and a female figure appeared. She wore white armor decorated with yellow and black, and a visor over her eyes. Protrusions affixed to the armor from her shins down to her feet resembled blades, and she held her right leg up in a ready position, prepared to strike. She had long yellow hair, and blade-like “wings” hung on her back. She was a vision of grace, deadly and precise.
“Shin,” I announced, “meet my ‘Megacyber Girl’ (ATK: 2000).
“Next,” I continued, “I play ‘Graceful Charity’.”
I drew three cards, and I discarded two, including the ‘Mirror Force’ returned to my hand earlier by Shin’s ‘Giant Trunade’ Spell. I felt my own energy permeate my cards yet again as I drew.
“I equip my monster with two cards,” I told Shin, “the Spell cards ‘Assault Armor’ and ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’.”
The blade on my monster’s raised leg grew longer and sharper, and she was surrounded by a burning aura (2000+800+300=3100).
“I release the ‘Assault Armor’,” I declared, “to allow my monster to attack twice during this turn.”
The aura shattered, and my monster shot forward and spun, kicking, and slashing ‘Harpie Lady 1’ and ‘Dark Grepher’ across the chest, destroying them both in an instant (2350+1600+1700-2800-2800=50).
“Ha!” Shin chided. “Your attack was impressive, but you came up short! I’ve survived, and by next turn I’ll have beaten you!”
I smiled, “Don’t count on it, because I still have one more card to play! Activate ‘Against Overwhelming Odds’. When my ‘Megacyber’ monster is left alone facing multiple monsters, I can activate this Spell by paying half of my life (4300/2=2150), allowing a ‘Megacyber’ monster of my choice can attack you one more time!”
I didn't even notice as most of my body up to my chest was ripped away, as my monster was once again surrounded by an aura, and she jumped up from below ‘Simorgh’’s head, kicking and slicing clear through it.
“Shin,” I announced, “you lose (50-100=0).”
“This is impossible!” Shin cried in disbelief. “My masters promised me power, power greater than the two of you. Power greater than everything!”
“You don’t seem to get it, you moron!” I replied angrily, my rage barely contained, as Shin’s body faded before my eyes. “The Beasts were afraid of me and Karen. Why would they give you a power greater than the power they feared? Think on that while the darkness grips your soul.”
Just as realization finally struck him, my opponent faded into oblivion. Mind controlled or not, I didn't care of he ever came back.
As streamers of darkness poured into the gaps in my form, restoring my body, I turned toward the school, the darkness around me falling away, ready to press forward no matter the cost, because if I didn’t, I’d never get Karen back.
And if I didn’t get Karen back, then what was the point of anything?
Sheppard
I stood facing the Sacred Beast known as ‘Raviel’, my weakened and then powered up ‘Cyber Ogre’ at my side. Even with its strength boosted beyond original levels (ATK: 3100), my ‘Ogre’ was no match for the demon that loomed over us (ATK: 4000). I looked to my left, at Thomas and Ria. They both looked determined, despite the fact that their monsters were even further from ‘Raviel’’s level of power than mine.
I was still looking at them as vulnerable, inexperienced students. It had never occurred to me that they were Duelists of a high caliber as well, and that they were each busy hatching their own plan to bring about the demon’s downfall.
Or at least trying to…
“It’s my turn,” said Thomas, a fire in his eyes, “and I’m gonna even up the odds a bit. Your Sacred Beast cards are parallels of the Egyptian God cards,” he reasoned, “which makes them level ten monsters. That means that my Continuous Spell card ‘Burden of the Mighty’ will reduce your demon’s Attack power by a full one thousand!”
Raviel roared and slumped, as if he were holding up an invisible force that only weighed him down more the more he struggled (ATK: 4000-1000=3000).
“‘Raviel’ is still more than a match for you,” Armityle told Thomas, “no matter how much you weaken him.”
“I’m not planning to stop at weakening him,” Thomas replied sharply. “I plan to destroy him with this! I activate ‘Reverse Trap’, inverting the effects of ‘Burden of the Mighty’ during this turn, giving your monster more power!”
The Sacred Beast’s burden became an aura that burned around him (ATK: 3000 -> 5000).
“And I reveal my final face-down card,” Thomas concluded, “‘Overworked’, destroying every monster on the field with more that its original Attack!”
He looked over at me, “Sorry, Prof.”
But I was too impressed to worry that my monster would be destroyed as well, because if Thomas’ Trap were to succeed, that would mean that he'd destroyed one of the most powerful monsters in the game!
Of course I should have realized that a Duelist as powerful as my friend Kagemaru would be prepared for such a contingency, leaving Armityle prepared as well.
Energy began to flow from the aura around ‘Raviel’, forming an energy orb in the air above the demon which threatened to explode, but before it could, the orb was dispersed.
“Reveal,” Armityle declared, “the Trap card ‘Dark Bribe’. You draw a card, but your ‘Overworked’ card is negated.”
Thomas frowned, “Then I change my ‘Ignis’ to defense mode and I end my turn.”
‘Ignis’ transformed into a long wisp of smoke and fire that wrapped around Thomas several times protectively, and the Beast’s power fell once again as the effect of ‘Reverse Trap’ ended and the effect of ‘Burden of the Mighty’ was reapplied (ATK: 3000).
“Good try, Tommy,” said Ria, drawing her next card, “now let me take it from here. Because ‘Monk Fighter’ is the only monster I control, I can reveal ‘Lone Wolf’, the ultimate card to be used with a solitary fighter with no options left!”
An aura burned to life around ‘Monk Fighter’, and I understood Ria’s purpose for summoning such an insignificant-seeming monster.
“This card prevents my ‘Monk Fighter’ from being destroyed,” Ria explained, “and because ‘Monk Fighter’ has the power to meet an enemy attack with his entire being, I won’t take any more damage than he will when he attacks your Sacred Beast with ‘Kaminote Blow’, the God’s Hand Attack!”
An aura burned around the fists of the ‘Monk Fighter’, and I saw a flash of real fear in my friend’s eyes as Armityle realized what I already had, that Thomas and Ria were a threat to him as well.
“‘Kaminote Blow’ destroys any monster that battles with my ‘Monk’ this turn!” said Ria, and she declared, “‘Monk Fighter’, attack!”
The ‘Monk’ lunged, but moments before its fist could reach the demon, a strange standing device with a large lens on it appeared, a beam from the lens swept over ‘Raviel’, and the demon seemed to shimmer out of existence.
“Reveal,” Armityle announced defiantly, “the ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’, moving my monster forward in time to the end of the turn.”
“Then my ‘Monk Fighter’ will attack directly instead,” Ria declared, switching gears without missing a beat. The ‘Monk Fighter’ lunged at Armityle and struck with his powerful fist, slamming the foe in the chest (7300-1300=6000).
“At this rate,” Ria mocked, “you won’t last much longer. I end my turn.”
“And I begin mine,” I declared. “Your monster returns, but it is still affected by ‘Burden of the Mighty’, leaving it vulnerable to the attack of my ‘Ogre’.”
‘Raviel’ returned in a flash and met my ‘Ogre’ with a defiant roar.
“Your ‘Raviel’’s reign over the field has ended,” I told Armityle with equal defiance. “‘Cyber Ogre’, attack!”
My machine raised its claws and charged. I was confident that my attack would succeed, but as soon as I saw the look of confidence return to my opponent’s face I knew that I’d been wrong. Inches from the demon ‘Raviel’, my ‘Cyber Ogre’ was swallowed by a hole in space itself.
“Your monster fell through the portal into the ‘Dimensional Prison’,” Armityle explained, sounding quite proud of himself for being so completely prepared.
Of course he was prepared, I thought. He’s been prepared for everything that we’ve thrown at him so far. I would expect nothing less from a Duelist using Kagemaru’s deck. I should have waited to attack until I was sure.
“I’m not through with you yet,” I told Armityle. “I discard another card from the top of my deck to Special Summon another ‘Cyber Mite’.”
Another of the insect-like robots appeared.
“I tribute ‘Cyber Mite’,” I continued, “to summon one of my most powerful cards, the ‘Cyberdark Magician’!”
The ‘Mite’ disappeared and was replaced by a black-clad version of the ‘Dark Magician’ made famous by the King of Games, Yugi Muto. He had white hair, glowing green eyes, and visible circuits attached to different places on his body. He crouched down and raised his staff defensively (DEF: 2100).
“When your monster is Normal Summoned,” Armityle explained, smirking, “‘Raviel’ summons a ‘Phantasm Token’ to his side.” A smaller demon resembling ‘Raviel’ appeared (ATK: 1000).
“I draw,” Armityle continued, “and I begin with ‘Enemy Controller’ on the ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’.”
A giant game controller appeared in the air alongside Armityle, plugged itself into ‘Ignis’, and ‘Ignis’ readied himself to battle (ATK: 1500).
“Next,” Armityle declared, “I tribute ‘Phantasm Token’ to summon the fearsome ‘Doom Shaman’.”
A horned demon with a combination of fur and scales covering its body, a long tail, and a golden staff in hand replaced the ‘Phantasm’ (ATK: 2400-600=1800).
“I tribute ‘Doom Shaman’ to activate ‘Raviel’’s effect,” Armityle explained, “Increasing his Attack by twenty-four hundred during this turn (3000+2400=5400), and I attack ‘Ignis’!”
I looked desperately at Thomas. What could I do? Thomas looked afraid, and yet he stood strong as ‘Raviel’ Absorbed ‘Doom Shaman’ into its claws and them raised those claws to strike.
“I reveal-,” Ria began, obviously meaning to use at least one of her two traps to save Thomas at the expense of whatever combination she’d been preparing, but Thomas wouldn’t have it.
“No,” he interrupted. “Save it and get this guy next turn.” Ria looked like she was on the verge of crying, or yelling, it was hard to tell, but she nodded reluctantly.
“Reveal,” Thomas called, “the Trap card ‘Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai’!”
‘Raviel’ thrust his claws, but they passed right through ‘Ignis’ as his body turned to living flames. The claw attack hit Thomas instead (2500-5400=0).
“Alright ‘Ignis’, buddy,” said Thomas to the living flame at his side, as his body faded away, “one last time. Attack!”
The last of Thomas’ body disappeared into the Shadows. ‘Ignis’, enraged by the loss of his master, burst forward, curling around the outstretched arm of ‘Raviel’ and hitting Armityle, engulfing him in fire. He cried out (6000-1500=4500).
Thomas was gone, but he’d achieved what I realized had been his goal. He’d remained brave in the face of possible death, and he’d given his last breath to hand us the one thing that we simply didn’t have anymore.
He’d given us hope.
Card of the Day:
Megacyber Girl
Played by: John
Every good Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist needs a female counterpart to his main monster, and in the case of John, I had to make my own. It isn't perfect, but I think it turned out okay, and it certainly turned the duel around.
Original Cards in This Chapter:
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