AwesomeJohn Writes: Yu-Gi-Oh! DE/DA Crossover Special!: A Threat To Us All

Hurray! Dark Marco! I like Dark Marco. I think I did a good job showing the contrast between Marco and his dark side as well here. Marco sees no point in talking to the shadow beings, but Dark Marco loves to hear himself talk, and uses the presence of these enemies as an excuse. We also get to see Karen's Soul magic fully manifest here for the first time. I try to limit her power when I can. The idea is that she draws power from inspiration. She creates things, sometimes from other things.

Because Duel Monsters inspires her, her powers manifest as creatures and characters from Duel Monsters more easily than, say, characters from Star Wars, or military weapons, or anything like that. And when she is inspired to the point of an epiphany, she can grant wishes, like when she came to the realization that she would do anything, even brave the pain of her past, to save John and her other friends from Blackheart, and she was able to destroy the Dark Duel Force's Shadow Items and heal her Soul. In the right situation, Karen is the most powerful character that I've ever written.

Chapter Ten

The Last Defender

Dark Marco

"Ah," I said, flexing my fingers with great relief, "finally. I've been itching to get in on this thing."

I shot my opponent a wicked, showy smile, "I only wish you were a sentient creature so that you could feel what I'm about to do to you, but oh well. Dark Draw!"

There was a flash of dark light as I pulled my spirit card. "Reveal," I declared, "the Trap card 'DNA Alteration' (2200 -> 1200), turning all monsters in both Graveyards Dark, and allowing me to Special Summon 'Dark Armed Dragon'!"

My monster, a huge black dragon in silver armor, spikes and drills protruding from his back and his various joints, appeared with a vicious roar, flexing his sword-like claws (ATK: 2800).

"I remove from play all monsters in my Graveyard," I declared confidently, "to destroy your Shadow monster, as well as the two of the three Wisps of Darkness that I expect you to summon."

My monster swung his claws, and waves of energy erupted from them and traveled along the ground, cutting the Shadow monster to shreds, and dispersing two of the Wisps that he left behind.

"Next," I declared with savage anticipation, "I reveal 'Dragon's Rage' which Marco set earlier, to give my Dragon monsters Piercing, and I attack the final Wisp."

My monster thrust his claws through the Wisp and dug right into my opponent (3500 -> 700), but he didn't seen to mind. In fact, he didn't react at all, which I found a little bit more than annoying.

"End," I growled, my dragon growling right along with me. My opponent drew his next card, and like a relentless machine he calmly summoned another of the Shadow Soldiers, and played two Shadow Spells, one of which increased the intensity of the Soldier's aura, and the second of which sapped the strength from my monster. His Soldier lunged and cleaved my monster's head off (1200 -> 800). I cursed as my opponent finished his turn with a face-down card.

Ria

I was done talking to this faceless, emotionless thing. I played my 'Pot of Greed' in silence, drawing two additional cards, and I set two cards, my 'Monk' standing defiant at my side, his Attack and his ability renewed, still protected by my Trap. At least he was protected until my opponent played a Shadow Spell which summoned the Shadows around and above us to reach out and pierce and destroy 'Lone Wolf'.

I smiled evilly, Go ahead, walk right into my Trap!

My opponent silently commanded the massive Shadow God to attack, and I revealed my two set cards. I discarded my 'Gust Fan' and my 'Invigoration' cards, and my monster's defiance turned to rage, ala 'Rising Energy'. An aura flared around him, crackling in my ear, and his power soared (ATK: 1300 -> 4300).

"Kill it," I said simply, and my 'Monk' launched himself at the God, but before the two mighty creatures could meet in battle, my opponent revealed a Trap which caused his God to melt into a Hulk and a Behemoth.

"What?" I said as the two weaker monsters attacked my 'Monk', and he struck them down with ease, punching the Hulk clear through the chest, and kicking the 'Behemoth' back into the Shadows (4000 -> 2200). I was thoroughly confused, until my opponent gestured to the five Wisps floating all around him. They billowed violently and swelled, growing larger and swirling together as they rose up into the air, becoming a massive duplicate of the swirling vortex of Shadows which had started all of this in the first place. This Shadow Entity reached down like a funnel cloud, pouring over my field, destroying my monster, and dealing damage to me equal to his Attack (2100 -> 0). By the time the Shadow Vortex receded, fading from the field, I was lying on the ground, unmoving.

Rachel

My opponent didn't waste any time proving my various apprehensions justified. It played a Shadow Spell which transformed into another Wisp, and my opponent tributed both of its Wisps to summon a Shadow Hulk, which struck my 'Barbaros' down with just one blow, reducing my Life Points to an uncomfortably low total (1200 -> 800). I gasped. The Shadow Game was really beginning to take its toll, but I was nowhere near ready to give up yet.

"I play 'Card of Sanctity'," I declared, renewing my hand, "and I play 'Monster Reincarnation', discarding 'Super War-Lion' to return 'Barbaros' to my hand."

I took my mighty beast from the Graveyard, exchanging it for another Beast, and I took 'Barbaros' and another card from my hand and placed then into my coat pocket, "Now, I remove 'Barbaros' and 'Machine Lord Ur' in my hand from play to combine them on the field," a red robot with beam guns for arms appeared alongside 'Barbaros', opening up to form armor which wrapped around him, the two beam guns transforming into energy lances which he gripped firmly, "forming 'Machine King Barbaros Ur'!"

My monster roared (ATK: 3800).

"But that's not all," I continued. "I increase the Attack of my monster with 'Megamorph'," my monster doubled in size and power (ATK: 7600), "and I increase his power further, and bypass his effect, which prevents him from damaging your Life Points, by playing 'Forbidden Chalice'."

My monster's beam lances glowed with holy light (ATK: 7600 -> 8000), and I commanded, "Kill that thing."

Beams of light erupted from 'Barbaros'' weapons, cutting right through the Shadow Hulk, slicing its master to pieces, sending him back to the Darkness, but leaving behind three of the menacing little Wisps for my next opponent to use to its own ends.

John

The Core Creature, of course, took full advantage of the opening that I'd left. Lucky for me he seemed to either have drawn a bad hand, finally, or he'd simply drawn Spell and Traps which he didn't yet need to play, because to my relief he didn't summon anymore monsters, only attacking with 'Gorz'.

I sighed, Even if he had summoned another monster, there's a chance that I would have survived, but this way I'll actually have some Life Points left to work with.

"Reveal," I declared, "the Spell card 'Residual Reflection', removing two monsters in my Graveyard from play to reduce damage from an attack to zero."

Transparent images of my 'Megacyber Girl' and 'Dark Master - Zorc' appeared and deflected 'Gorz''s blades.

"This has the added benefit," I explained, "of restoring my Life Points via 'Soul Absorption'."

Energy from the spirits of my removed monsters poured into me as they faded again from the field, and I felt the strain of the Shadows lessen upon my body (1400 -> 2400).

I smiled, forcing myself to appear confident, hoping that I could throw my opponent off balance, or at least confuse him, "You just keep coming, and I'll keep fighting you back until you've got nothing left."

My opponent didn't react, though I hadn't really expected him to. Honestly, my tough front was more for me than for him, I realize that now.

I glanced down at my deck, I survived one more turn, but something needs to change soon, or eventually that's going to stop happening.

Dark Marco

Frustrated by my inability to cause my opponent pain, I just wanted this whole thing to be over, so I said that as I drew, and smiled, "Well, this should help with that. I play 'Allure of Darkness', drawing two cards and removing 'Hunter Dragon' in my hand from play."

I drew again, and smiled, "Check this out! I play 'Burial from a Different Dimension', returning two of my removed from play monsters to my Graveyard, and 'Monster Reborn', reviving 'Dark Armed Dragon'."

My monster reappeared in a swirl of darkness and roared. I removed two more monsters in my Graveyard from play to unleash my monster's ability yet again, cutting down the Shadow Soldier and his Wisp, and I declared my dragon to attack. He breathed a stream of black flames on the enemy, incinerating him.

I laughed as another Shadow Creature stepped up, and I said, "Gimme your best shot!"

My opponent summoned a Shadow Phantom, which phased through my dragon and slashed me across the chest with its claws. I gasped and fell to my knees (800 -> 0). "When I said I wanted this to end," I said, "this really isn't what I meant."

My hair turned black and fell back down into the ridiculous style that Marco wears, and I blacked out.

Rachel

Another Shadow Duelist stepped up, tributing both Wisps to summon a Shadow Beast, which immediately slumped, weakened, shedding wisps of shadow which reached toward 'Barbaros', creeping up his body, draining his strength (3800 -> 0).

"No," I exclaimed as the Beast pounced, ripping my beast apart, hitting me with ribbons of darkness which trailed behind the monster's claws. I staggered (800 -> 0), and I fell.

And suddenly only Karen was left standing, holding back half a dozen monsters summoned by various Shadow Creatures with the glowing construct summoned up by her Soul in the shape of the 'Millennium Shield'. She was weakening, but when she looked around and saw that her allies had all fallen already, she redoubled her efforts. Her Soul flashed, and so did her construct, knocking the Shadow monsters back, and then the construct morphed into 'Black Luster Soldier', cutting the monsters to pieces. Karen stumbled, but she caught herself, looking with determination at the Wisps which formed. 'Black Luster Soldier' morphed into 'Dark Magician Girl', who blew the Wisps apart with a spell. Karen regained her footing, and 'Dark Magician Girl' morphed into a shining construct of the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', which unleashed its mighty beam at the Shadow Creatures which had summoned those monsters.

Karen, assuming that her enemies where defeated for the moment, dropped to her knees, gulping down air. She was trying not to let show just how exhausted she was, even allowing her construct to fade to conserve energy. Just then, in the cloud of dust kicked up by the dragon-construct's attack, she saw movement, and a Shadow Phantom emerged from it, barreling toward her. She stood, and her Soul flashed, vaporizing the Phantom, Wisp and all, just as its claws struck her in the chest. She staggered, and collapsed, unconscious, caught moments before she hit the ground by a lanky man with shaggy hair and a stubbly beard, wearing a lab coat over jeans and a t-shirt, who placed her gently at his feet.

Prof stood up to his full height and stepped past Karen to face the remaining Shadow Creatures. He looked around, "I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, but it looks like you've hurt quite a few people, several of whom are friends of mine, while trying to get past them to the young man fighting the more powerful being behind me."

He shored up his stance and activated his Duel Disk, the Shadow Millennium Eye gleaming, "Understand that you won't get by me so easily."

Card of the Day:

Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür

Played by: Rachel