Vector Nightmare Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 Kinda running out of excuses for lateness >.> I fully intended to be a lot further down the path to completing this story by now, but real life has gotten in the way so much. Anyway, better late than never, eh? This chapter concludes the fifth story arc in a hopefully satisfactory manner, leading us up to the events of the sixth, and final, arc. According to my planning, three Extra Chapters will follow this one, as well as an Interlude - so it will be some time until arc 6 finally begins, though I hope the time between updates will lessen from now on. Ahem. Anyway, here goes chapter 60, which is quite a long one, though not the longest in this arc. Enjoy. [spoiler=Chapter 60] [center][b][u]Chapter 60:[/b] Indestructible True Strength[/u][/center] Maya woke up gasping, drenched in sweat. Yuusuke anxiously moved towards her, but she waved him away, even though it still felt difficult to keep her eyes focused. She stood up, grabbing the edge of the bed - she had been lying on a bed? - for support. "Where... are we?" She said, still a little wobbly on her feet. "Still the virtual world, I'm afraid." Yuusuke said, smiling broadly at her. "We're at my Duelist Home. And yes, the song's still playing, which means that we're probably just as screwed as before." His smile widened. "Still, you worried me to death out there. It's such a relief to have you back." And without warning, he wrapped his arms around her. "H - hey!" Maya complained as she tried to push away. However, she quickly relented, letting herself sink in the embrace. She could feel everything more vividly now, as if her world had become more vibrant, more... alive. She buried her face in Yuusuke's shoulder for a moment. She was... [i]herself[/i] again. "So, will you tell me what happened?" Yuusuke asked, standing up. Maya followed suit, straightening her dress. By becoming whole, she had also gained the memories Sinclair had acquired while they had been separated, and that included, aside from vast usable knowledge, a few interesting abilities. "Later." She replied. "First, this." And as briefly as possible, she explained everything she knew about the current situation. It wasn't the complete picture, but it was close to it, and it was more than enough to process for now. "We must leave Ebony in Ivory's hands, for now." Maya said. "We need to deal with Eizan, who is trying to take advantage of the situation for something even Sinclair did not know, and Dunkan, who, if Ebony is thwarted, will be able to regain control of the portal to the Nexus. For that, we need to go to the Arc Cradle." "How do we get there?" Yuusuke asked, ready to leap into the action again. Maya smiled. The fight against Jacqueline could not have been an easy one, but Yuusuke had pulled through. "Like this." She waved her hand, and a portal appeared before them. "Impressive." Yuusuke muttered ruefully, following her into one of the main chambers of the Arc Cradle. "Just wait." --- Kiishiro stared listlessly at the behemoth that had appeared before them. He had not seen anything like this before. Its oppressive darkness overshadowed everything, even the impending end. The only thoughts that formed into his mind were ones of despair. "Don't lose your focus!" He heard Ivory shout at him. "We can beat that creature, but only if you come to your senses! If you keep this up, not only your mother, but the rest of the world will die!" "Bold words, for someone who is about to be annihilated by Ccapac Apu." Ebony said coldly. "I've been waiting a long time for this. Battle!" "You can't strike me down with just that." Ivory retaliated. "I know full well your Earthbound God's weakness! Instant magic, Cyclone! This will destroy your Field spell, and along with it, dissolve the magic binding your beast to this realm." A strong wind picked up, threatening to wipe out even the huge stone gate that was towering over Ebony. [spoiler=Cyclone][b]Cyclone[/b] SPELL / Quick-Play Select 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field. Destroy it.[/spoiler] "I won't let you do that." Ebony said. "The Counter Trap, Magic Drain. This will negate your Spell card unless you discard another one from your hand - but as you have no cards left in your hand, you can't do anything about it!" The effect of Ivory's card disappeared, and along with it, the chance to destroy the frightening God. [spoiler=Magic Drain][b]Magic Drain[/b] TRAP / Counter Negate the activation of an opponent's Spell Card, and destroy it. Your opponent can discard 1 Spell Card to negate this card's effect.[/spoiler] "Now, to resume what I just started. Ccapac Apu, attack Ivory directly!" Boosted by the Field Spell, the giant's 3300 attack points were more than sufficient to wipe out Ivory's diminished life. However, the silver-haired girl did not flinch even as the giant fist came down crashing on her. "Trap card, Guard Block." She announced. "I can now negate the battle damage from this attack, and draw once." The God's monstrous hand was blocked by an invisible barrier, the collision causing powerful shockwaves to spread out over the plateau, threatening to toss Kiishiro down the slope. He held his ground mechanically, grabbing a nearby rock for support. [spoiler=Guard Block][b]Guard Block[/b] TRAP / Normal Activate only during damage calculation during your opponent's turn. The Battle Damage you would receive becomes 0. Draw 1 card.[/spoiler] "Fine, if that's the way you want to go about it." Ebony's expression was unreadable - no frustration, no anger, nothing. Her calculating, cold eyes settled on Kiishiro for a moment, before turning back to her sister. "Gate of the Dark World has an additional effect. It lets me remove from play Reign from the Graveyard and discard Broww from my hand, in order to draw once. However, Hunter of the Dark World - Broww's effect activates when discarded, letting me draw yet again. I'll settle with two reverse cards. Turn end." [spoiler=Hunter of the Dark World - Broww][b]Hunter of the Dark World - Broww[/b] DARK / Fiend Level 3 1400/800 If this card is discarded from the hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, draw 1 card from your Deck. If this card is discarded from the hand to the Graveyard by your opponent's card effect, draw 1 more card from your Deck.[/spoiler] Kiishiro drew a short, pained breath. It was his turn again, and one that he dreaded to take. Both sisters' eyes were focused on him, measuring him, trying to decipher which way he would be swayed. To try and save his mother, who had been dragged into this mess solely because of him, and risk condemning the entire world? Or to kill her, personally murder the person he loved the most, for a chance to save the world? There were no guarantees that refraining from striking down Ebony, even forfeiting the duel, would save his mother. There were no guarantees that he could save the world, even if he did sacrifice his mother to defeat Ebony. He could lose everything, he would most likely lose everything. And in the slim chance he managed to save something, he'd have to sacrifice everything else. "The longer you stall, the easier it gets for me." Ebony's mocking words snapped him out of his thoughts. "It won't be long until enough energy has been pumped through the portal to overload even the Nexus." She pointed at the instrument behind her. "If you don't manage to stop it by then - if it's not already too late to stop it - it will be over." Kiishiro did not respond, which only caused Ebony's smirk to widen. "My sister can probably still turn the tables on me. The battle could go either way. The deciding factor is you, Sanjou Kiishiro. You should decide where you stand, quickly." "And how am I supposed to do that?" Kiishiro snapped. "How do I know that if I help you defeat us, you'll save my mother?" But Ebony only burst out in a fit of laughter. "Save her? My child, you are being quite delusional." She sneered. "With noone to stop me, I will end the world and build it anew. There will be nothing [i]left[/i] of her to save - and you've known this all along. You understand it, and you still can't make your choice and strike me down. That doesn't make you some sort of tragic hero. That makes you a coward. You are not fit to be here, boy. You are not fit for this responsibility. You are only a part of this by sheer accident, and I'm going to enjoy exploiting that fact." Kiishiro gritted his teeth, but he said nothing. He knew he wasn't supposed to be here - how could [i]anyone[/i] be? He knew he was a coward. But he tried his best with what he had available to him. And right now, he had nothing. "I'm going to give you an opportunity, if you're so invested in this delusion." Ebony continued. "Defeat her." She pointed at Ivory. "She is my main concern, not you. If you beat her, I won't need to use your mother as leverage. I'll release her, and I'll fight you on even terms. I may have Ccapac Apu on the field, but you are ahead in card advantage, and you already know my monster's weakness. These terms shouldn't be too bad for you, no?" Kiishiro clenched his fists. How could he opt for such an alternative? "I... I can't - " "Still can't decide? Maybe this will help you." Ebony raised her right hand, and a long, slick black-bladed dagger appeared between her fingers. Without hesitation, she plunged the edge into her upper left arm. She barely winced, but it still took Kiishiro a moment to realize the meaning of that action. Within the crystal cage, Sanjou Kotomi screamed soundlessly as she clutched her arm. Deep crimson ran between her fingers. "Unlike myself, blood loss can kill her, you know." Ebony said nonchalantly. "Or pain, for that matter." "You - !" Kiishiro lunged forward, though even he was uncertain if he was darting for Ebony, or for the cage. He was so absorbed in his attack that he failed to register the warning cry from somewhere deep inside his mind. A white flash caught the edge of his vision, and he barely had time to turn and see Ivory fire an arm-thick stream of lightning towards his direction. The blast caught him square in the chest, and before he could even brace himself for the fall, he passed out. --- "How crude of you." Ebony mocked. "The instant he becomes a threat to you, you dispose of him like that." "I merely saved his life." Ivory retorted coolly. She cast a glance at Sanjou Kiishiro. His field and Life Points remained intact, however, as he was unable to take his turn, the order passed on to her. "He is too important to my plans to be allowed to die for such a trifling matter." "Trifling matter? You insult me." Ebony smiled. "I do admit, I like it better this way. Bring it on!" Another card flashed into existence in front of Ivory. Unfortunately, her field was void of monsters - however, her reverse card was almost ideal for this situation. She just had to wait for the proper timing to use it. In the meantime, she still had options. "I summon Dragunity Legion, and activate its effect." A green-feathered avian fighter, clad in silver armor and wearing large gauntlets ideal for hand-to-hand combat, appeared on the field, shortly followed by the horned, shield-bearing dragon steed. "Dragunity Phalanx equips itself to Legion!" [spoiler=Dragunity Legion][b]Dragunity Legion[/b] WIND / Winged Beast Level 3 1200/800 When this card is Normal Summoned, you can select 1 Level 3 or lower "Dragunity" Dragon-Type monster in your Graveyard, and equip it to this card as an Equip Card. You can send 1 "Dragunity" card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard to select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls, and destroy it.[/spoiler] "Legion's effect activates. I send Phalanx to the Graveyard, in order to destroy Earthbound God Ccapac Apu!" Ivory commanded. The dragon-rider duo flew off at high speed, aiming to slam full-force against the giant's bulk. "I activate Safety Zone." Ebony said. "By attaching itself to my Earthbound God, this card prevents my creature from being destroyed or targeted by all card effects." A transparent barrier surrounded the great monster, and though Legion leapt off its steed just in time to avoid collision, the dragon rammed straight into the shield, and instantly disintegrated. [spoiler=Safety Zone][b]Safety Zone[/b] TRAP / Continuous Activate only by selecting 1 face-up Attack Position monster. That monster cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects, or be destroyed by battle. It cannot attack your opponent directly. When this card is removed from the field, destroy that monster. When that monster is removed from the field, destroy this card.[/spoiler] "Then I'll set one card face-down." Ivory placed the final card she held on the field. It would all ride on the next turn. "Turn end." "It's time for me to wrap things up here." Ebony said with a sinister smile. "Draw. Ccapac Apu may not be able to attack directly thanks to the effects of Safety Zone, but it can certainly attack your monster, and with it, take out the rest of your Life Points! Ccapac Apu, attack Dragunity Legion!" However, as the ominous black hand reached down to crush the tiny winged knight, Ivory grinned. "That's what I've been waiting for - Trap, activate! Godbird Attack!" Her monster was engulfed in bright red flames and leapt off against the incoming strike, a blazing trail following its comet-like course. "By releasing the Winged Beast monster, Dragunity Legion, I can destroy two cards on the field. I'll target your Field Spell, as well as one of your reverse cards." It passed through the intangible creature, and slammed straight into the massive granite gate, while the aftermath of the fire swept through Ebony's field, obliterating one of her face-down cards. [spoiler=Godbird Attack][b]Godbird Attack[/b] TRAP / Normal Tribute 1 Winged Beast-Type monster to select 2 cards on the field. Destroy them.[/spoiler] "Your monster may be immune to destruction from my own card effects, but it's still vulnerable to its own." Ivory pointed out. The dark gates crumbled and collapsed, leaving only rubble behind. The curse that bound Ccapac Apu to this world dissipated, and before Ebony's enraged eyes, the giant was sucked back into the earth, returning to its slumber. Safety Zone was blasted away with it, along with her concealed Mirror Force. That left each of the sisters with only one reverse card on the field, and no monsters. "I'll activate this Magic card." Ebony said coldly, regaining her composure. "Shallow Grave allows us both to Special Summon a monster from our Graveyards, in face-down defense position." She did not name the monster she was recovering, but Ivory knew it was her Metamorpot. As for herself, she picked out Angus - having nothing with a useful effect for this situation in her Graveyard to revive, she based her choice on attack strength. [spoiler=Shallow Grave][b]Shallow Grave[/b] SPELL / Normal Each player selects 1 monster in their Graveyard and Special Summons it in face-down Defense Position.[/spoiler] "I'll end my turn with that." Ebony said quietly. The machine behind her churned and writhed. As she called out one more of her cards, Ivory could hear its mournful lament intensify. Even if she could win, she still had no clue about how to stop it. --- Kiishiro opened his eyes to a startling sight. He was surrounded by darkness, broken only by the glowing, imposing visage of Black Rose Dragon hovering in front of him. The dragon loosed its shrill cry, and Kiishiro thought his own pain was reflected in his monster's scream. "What could I have done?" He asked mournfully. "How could I have murdered her like that?" He wasn't expecting any answer, but surprisingly, the dragon flapped its wings vigorously. Black Rose turned around and began flying away from him. "Wait!" He called out, speeding after the great red-and-black dragon. "Where are we going?" As fast as he tried to run, though, Black Rose quickly disappeared from his view, leaving only a faint crimson afterlight behind. Kiishiro came to a halt, panting from exertion. So, even his own monster had abandoned him, left him trapped in this black emptiness, with no escape until the world itself vanished into oblivion. At least, he thought bitterly, he probably wouldn't have all that long to wait. Unless Ivory somehow managed to prevent it. He did not blame her for attacking him - in fact, he should have known just what fate awaited him if he tried to attack Ebony directly. But his nemesis had been correct. Fate had played a terrible game, forcing him into a battle he was not capable of fighting. And now, many more people would have to pay the price. "Kiishiro." He jerked his head upwards at the voice, so familiar, so... nostalgic. Relief was quickly replaced by caution and doubt, though, as he recognized his mother, standing directly in front of him. She was clad in a pure white dress, and her expression bore no fear or pain. She was glowing, much like Black Rose Dragon had, and regarding him with kindness. However, Kiishiro was not about to fall for an illusion. "You are not real." He stated firmly. "My mind is playing tricks on me." "It is not your mind that brought me forth, but your heart." Kotomi said gently. "We hold the people we love in our hearts so close. In the depths of our feelings, we know them even better than they know themselves. I am who you see before you, and if you doubt everything else - do not doubt your own heart." "That's just a convenient outlook." Kiishiro said bitterly. "My mother is imprisoned and in agony, because of me, and either the world's about to end, or she is about to die. And I can't do anything about it, if I'm not dead already." "You are not dead, and neither is she." The spectre of his mother whispered. "As long as we draw breath, there will always be hope. As long as our feelings pulse in our hearts, and resonate with the feelings of the people we care about, we will not fall to despair. Noone asked you to be a hero, Kiishiro. But you must cast away your illusions. If your mother could speak to you in truth - what would she tell you to do? What would I tell you to do?" "She'd tell me to sacrifice her, so I could save myself the world." Kiishiro said darkly. "She'd tell me that she'd gladly give her life away for me, and she would mean every word. But - " "Wrong." The interruption caught him by surprise. "You're wrong." Kotomi's visage moved closer and embraced him tightly. Kiishiro buried his face in her shoulder. "What would she say?" He whispered helplessly. "That you need to believe in yourself. That you need to believe in your feelings, and what you've forged up until now. That even if you fall to despair, as long as you keep believing - there will always be a shard of light within the darkness." A flurry of rose petals wrapped around them, and Kiishiro felt his body rise to the air, riding on the wind of hope. And as the image of his mother dispersed into a lucid mist, she whispered to him. [i]You are never alone.[/i] --- [i]Perfect.[/i] With this card in her hand, Ivory was quite confident that she could initiate a reversal. "I flip summon Dragunity Angus, and summon Dragunity Pilum." She said. A short, bulky green-skinned dragon materialized next to the hawk-mased warrior. "Though its effect would allow me to Special Summon a Dragunity warrior from my hand, I have none now. But the real benefit lies here." [spoiler=Dragunity Pilum][b]Dragunity Pilum[/b] WIND / Dragon / Tuner Level 3 1400/1000 When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Winged Beast-Type "Dragunity" monster from your hand and equip this card to it as an Equip Card. If this card is equipped as an Equip Card to a monster, the equipped monster can attack your opponent directly. If it attacks using this effect, the Battle Damage it inflicts to your opponent is halved.[/spoiler] "Synchro Summon..." Ebony muttered as both of Ivory's monsters shattered into motes of white light. "Indeed. I tune my Level 5, Winged Beast monster, Dragunity Angus, to my Level 3, Dragon monster, Dragunity Pilum!" The illuminated shadow of the warrior condensed into five silver stars, crossing through three large circles. "Synchro Summon! Behold, the mightiest of the Dragunity Knights! Dragunity Knight - Barcha!" A massively evolved version of the small, spear-headed dragon came into view, with a long, serpentine body featuring powerful arms and wings. On its broad head, Angus stood, its own wings spread wide to maintain balance, and its bow at the ready. [spoiler=Dragunity Knight - Barcha][b]Dragunity Knight - Barcha[/b] WIND / Dragon / Synchro Level 8 2000/1200 1 Dragon-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Winged Beast-Type monsters When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can select any number of Dragon-Type "Dragunity" monsters in your Graveyard, and equip them to this card. This card gains 300 ATK for each "Dragunity" card equipped to this card.[/spoiler] "Barcha's effect activates when it is Synchro Summoned - it can retrieve and absorb any Dragon type Dragunity monsters in the Graveyard. So I'll choose four! Phalanx, Brandistock, Pilum, Partisan!" The four dragonic creatures flew into view from the clouds that have formed above, joining the fray - each of them became a globe of light, and they began spinning in circles around Barcha. "First of all, for every Dragunity equipped to it, Barcha gains 300 extra attack points, to a total of 3200. Second, thanks to Partisan's effect, Barcha is treated as a Tuner monster - and with the effect of Phalanx, I'll Special Summon it to the field in defense mode." One of the spheres transformed back into its dragon form, settling down next to the much larger dragon, its wings crossed defensively in front of it. "Barcha loses 300 points, but it doesn't matter, because it can now attack twice during a single turn. So I'll dedicate the first attack to getting rid of your reverse monster." The creature reared its head, and released a devastating breath attack that instantly blasted away the granite pot in front of Ebony. Five new cards instantly appeared before each of them. "And now, for the finishing strike." Angus drew back the bowstring, the weapon mounted with a lethal arrow that could be fired at pinpoint accuracy even at that distance. Ivory cast a regretful glance at the crystal cage. Sanjou Kotomi now lay in a heap on the ground, barely breathing. She had not been able to save the boy's mother, and Kiishiro would be forever twisted to darkness for it. But she had to choose the lesser of two evils - and if the world were to end now, none of this would matter. "Battle Fader, stop her!" Ebony cried out, launching one of the cards in her hand to defend herself. The pendulum demon's shockwaves blocked the arrow's course. Frustrated, Ivory let one of the cards she was holding position itself vertically behind her monsters, filling up her entire Spell and Trap card zone. [spoiler=Battle Fader][b]Battle Fader[/b] DARK / Fiend Level 1 0/0 When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, you can Special Summon this card from your hand and end the Battle Phase. If this card is Special Summoned with this effect, remove it from play when it is removed from the field.[/spoiler] "You can't beat me like that." Ebony said, adding a new card to her hand. "Last time it took [i]years[/i] to resolve our conflict. This will most certainly take a while, but unlike you, time's on my side, and the longer we take, the more impossible it becomes for you to stop me regardless of the outcome." Ivory gritted her teeth. She was right. A conclusion would not come easily. All along, an external factor was needed to tip the scales. But who? The fighting down at the cavern had ceased, everyone involved apparently having fled, or perished. Kiishiro was unconscious. There was noone left to - A movement caught her eye. Kiishiro, sprawled on his back, stirred and moaned, pushing himself up to his elbows. He seemed disoriented at first, but as he took in the scene, he quickly jumped onto his feet. "So, our little hero is up and running again?" Ebony mocked. "Too bad your time in the spotlight is over, boy. I have no further need for you." She reared her arm, and before Ivory could do anything, a streak of black flames leapt towards Kiishiro. The boy did not blink. He raised his arm, where the dragon's right claw mark pulsed intensely. As the flames closed by, a transparent red sphere formed around him. The attack bounced off the barrier, washing its perimeter with harmless sparks, leaving Kiishiro inside untouched. Frowning, Ebony ceased her assault - at that instant, the protective aura wore off. Kiishiro glared at Ebony, newfound determination having replaced his despair. Ivory did not know what had happened to him while he was seemingly unconscious, but his expression was far from the defeated, hopeless mask he had worn before. "We'll beat her." He said, his eyes never leaving Ebony. It was not a heated, bold declaration. He had spoken calmly, as if simply reciting a fact. His opponent noticed his tone, too, as she let out a high-pitched chuckle. "You are delusional. Your dragon mark may be able to protect you against my attacks, but it won't help you survive this. I activate the Field Spell, Sealing Array of Light! While this card is in effect, I can declare a monster type, and any monsters of such a type that are summoned will not be able to attack until the next turn. My choice will be Dragon types." Ivory grimaced - this meant that most of her high-powered monsters were now severely hindered. But that was only a small part of the problem - the appearance of a Field spell meant - [spoiler=Sealing Array of Light][b]Sealing Array of Light[/b] SPELL / Field Declare 1 Type of monster. Any monster of the declared Type cannot declare an attack during the turn it is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned.[/spoiler] "I activate my face-down Devil Sanctuary, Special Summoning a token to my field." Ebony said. "And now..." Both Ivory and Kiishiro shied back in fear, knowing what was about to come. [spoiler=Devil Sanctuary][b]Devil Sanctuary[/b] SPELL / Normal Special Summon 1 "Metal Fiend Token" (Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0). It cannot attack. When this Token battles, the opponent takes any Battle Damage its controller would have taken. Pay 1000 Life Points during each of your Standby Phases. If you do not, destroy the "Metal Fiend Token".[/spoiler] "I release my token, as well as Battle Fader, to Advance Summon this!" The earth rattled and the sky rumbled as unholy energy warped and twisted through the ancient runic stone overhead, spreading out into the geoglyph of a giant lizard, floating in mid-air. "Descend, Earthbound God Ccarayhua!" Emerging from the ground like a black haze, a creature almost as tall as Ccapac Apu, although much leaner, and shaped like a bipedal lizard, now towered over them. Glowing green markings crisscrossed its humongous shape, outlining its features. Sharp teeth beckoned in its half-open mouth, while giant arms spread out to its sides, maintaining its balance. [spoiler=Earthbound God Ccarayhua][b]Earthbound God Ccarayhua[/b] DARK / Reptile Level 10 2800/1800 There can only be 1 face-up "Earthbound God" monster on the field. If there is no face-up Field Spell Card on the field, destroy this card. Your opponent cannot select this card as an attack target. This card can attack your opponent directly. When this card is destroyed by a card effect, except by its own effect, destroy all cards on the field.[/spoiler] Ebony looked up at her creature and laughed wildly. "Even if you can fight this beast, it's already too late. Look!" She pointed upwards. To her horror, Ivory saw cracks in the air, slowly expanding like an ominous tapestry. The conceptual weight of the battle fought here, coupled with the proximity of the Nexus, was unraveling reality, and now it had reached a literal breaking point. Within minutes, the Outer Sphere would break completely - and then it would be over. They had lost. "Not yet." Both women turned to look at Kiishiro, regarding him as if he had gone mad. However, his expression was completely serious. He was gazing up, too, but not at the Earthbound God - not even at the shattered sky. He was looking above, where the ceiling of the cave was vaguely visible, and the foundations to the Aria Tower lay. "Not yet." He repeated. "More time... we have to buy them a bit more time." "Your time is up, boy." Ebony said coldly. "You will be finished here. Ccarayhua can attack directly. Kill him!" "Kiishiro!" Ivory shouted as the giant lizard attempted to pulverize the boy with its giant arm. But Kiishiro stood firm, and the reptilian hand slammed straight into him... but at the last second, the crimson sphere reappeared, this time brighter than before - no matter how Ccarayhua prodded, it was unable to penetrate its defenses, and finally retracted its limb. [center][i][b]Ebony[/b] - LP: 1900[/i] [i][b]Thunderbolt Knight[/b] - LP: 1500[/i] [i][b]Ivory[/b] - LP: 1300[/i][/center] "Fine, have it your way." Ebony growled. "I place three cards face-down. Turn end." "Then, it's time to counterattack." Kiishiro said. He raised his arm, mark glowing, and drew another card. --- The Arc Cradle was in turmoil. Quite unexpectedly, Aizawa Yuusuke and Kirizaki Maya had returned with news from the underground battlefield. Dire news, too - the situation had escalated into open warfare, and the final battle was still being fought. At least it seemed as if one of Duel International's top executives had been defeated - one less enemy to contend with when the time came. One less, but many more left. Neither Sugita nor Kiishiro had returned, and after a quick, private conference with ZONE, Yuusuke and Maya had both left in a hurry. Christina felt out of place in the hectic control room. By ZONE's orders, everyone was preparing for an attack on the Aria Tower. This emergency plan was a last ditch effort to wrestle control of the portal to the Nexus, and contain the disaster as much as possible. The chances of success were almost nonexistent, but it was the only option left. Bando Takechi and Jinrei Yenma were preparing for the upcoming battle. Christina found herself wishing they had had more time. That she had been able to learn more, remember more. But as it was, she was being tossed right into the end of the world, with no more than a couple of days' worth of preparation. [i]Stay focused.[/i] Dryad spoke inside her head. [i]We will guide you.[/i] "Hey, guys..." Yenma suddenly muttered, sounding surprised. Christina snapped her attention back to the situation at hand, and noticed that her arm was glowing again with the mark of the left dragon's claw. She turned to Yenma, and the wings were emblazoned on his own skin, the two shapes pulsing wildly. "Do you reckon Kiishiro..." "He needs our help." She whispered. She did not know how she had arrived at this conclusion, but she instantly knew it to be true. With Takechi watching intently, the pair rose their hands, hoping that their will would be enough to support Kiishiro. The room exploded in crimson light. --- "I summon Debris Dragon!" Kiishiro shouted. "Then, I use its effect to revive Spore from my Graveyard. And now I tune my Level 6, Splendid Rose, to my Level 1, Spore!" He felt the power he had summoned flow through him, as his monsters scattered in six emerald stars filing through a single azure ring. "Synchro Summon! Shine, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" The majestic holy dragon materialized through a mist of light, glowing with a radiant luster. Its bright eyes looked at him, and it cried out reassuringly. Kiishiro felt its warm light surround him. [i]Its in your hands now.[/i] [spoiler=Ancient Fairy Dragon][b]Ancient Fairy Dragon[/b] LIGHT / Dragon / Synchro Level 7 2100/3000 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect. Once per turn, you can destroy a Field Spell Card. If you do, gain 1000 Life Points, and you can add 1 Field Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler] "Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect activates." He said. "By destroying a Field Spell, I can regain a thousand Life Points, and search my deck for a Field card of my own." Ancient Fairy took to the air, passing along the cracks in the atmosphere. She was accompanied by an unearthly howl, and a green shroud followed her path. It did not seal the openings, but it suspended them, preventing them from expanding. In the meantime, Ancient Fairy shot a stream of azure at the field, destroying the binding circle that would have prevented her from attacking. [center][i][b]Ebony[/b] - LP: 1900[/i] [i][b]Thunderbolt Knight[/b] - LP: 2500[/i] [i][b]Ivory[/b] - LP: 1300[/i][/center] "No!" Ebony yelled furiously. "If it's going to be this way, I activate Destruct Potion! This Trap card will destroy Ccarayhua, and when it does, I'll regain Life Points equal to its attack. But also, when this Earthbound God is destroyed by any means other than its own effect, all other cards on the field are destroyed!" [spoiler=Destruct Potion][b]Destruct Potion[/b] TRAP / Normal Select 1 monster you control. Destroy it, and gain Life Points equal to its ATK.[/spoiler] "I can't let that happen." Ivory intervened. "My face-down Wrath of God triggers, and at a cost of a card from my hand, I can negate Ccarayhua's effect." Ebony writhed in frustration. [spoiler=Wrath of God][b]Wrath of God[/b] TRAP / Counter Discard 1 card. Negate the activation of an Effect Monster's effect and destroy that Effect Monster.[/spoiler] [center][i][b]Ebony[/b] - LP: 4700[/i] [i][b]Thunderbolt Knight[/b] - LP: 2500[/i] [i][b]Ivory[/b] - LP: 1300[/i][/center] "At least it looks like she's finally catching a break." Ebony said, pointing at the cage. Apparently rejuvenated by this restoration of Life Points, Kotomi was now standing, looking around bewildered. "You don't really want to hurt her again, do you?" She asked. "Not your poor mother, right?" "Ancient Fairy Dragon attacks directly." Kiishiro never missed a beat. The great creature spread her wings, and the light of the sun flowed through them, blasting Ebony backwards. He snapped his head around anxiously, but thankfully, just as he had hoped for - prayed for - no harm seemed to have befallen his mother. [center][i][b]Ebony[/b] - LP: 2600[/i] [i][b]Thunderbolt Knight[/b] - LP: 2500[/i] [i][b]Ivory[/b] - LP: 1300[/i][/center] "How... how is that possible?" Ebony yelled, alternating her glares between her opponent and her prisoner. "Ancient Fairy's holy light will only purge evil." Kiishiro explained. "It won't affect her." "Perhaps, but this doesn't apply to your other monsters." Ebony pointed at Tytannial and Debris Dragon, who still stood, poised to attack. "It doesn't." Kiishiro agreed. "But I've made my resolve. This way... this way, it won't last long. Tytannial..." He breathed in. [i]God, stop me.[/i] "...direct attack." For a moment, it looked as if the attack would go through. Ebony seemed stunned, unable to even move to avoid the incoming flurry of petals. But then - "Scape Goat, activate!" She howled, and four small sheep-like creatures of various colors appeared before her. One was swept away by Tytannial's blast, but the remaining three still held. [spoiler=Scape Goat][b]Scape Goat[/b] SPELL / Quick-Play If you activate this card, you cannot Summon other monsters this turn. Special Summon 4 "Sheep Tokens" (Beast-Type/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Defense Position. The "Sheep Tokens" cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute Summon (or Set).[/spoiler] "Debris Dragon, press on." Kiishiro continued, and the silver dragon let loose a silver breath that shattered the second token. "I place a card face-down. Turn end." Ebony made as if to move, but Ivory waved her hand, and another card appeared in front of her. "You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" She asked. "I summon Dragunity Militum!" A silver-armored swordsman with blade-like wings appeared. "Once per turn, Militum can call out a Dragunity monster from the Spell and Trap card zone. I'll bring out Partisan, and then I'll tune the Level 4, Dragunity Militum, to the Level 2, Dragunity Partisan! Synchro Summon!" Swept up in a wild gale, a new dragon rider appeared, a winged, whip-wielding rider mounted on a glowing silver serpent. "Dragunity Knight - Gae Bolg!" [spoiler=Dragunity Militum][b]Dragunity Militum[/b] WIND / Winged Beast Level 4 1700/1200 Once per turn, you can select 1 "Dragunity" card in your Spell & Trap Card Zone, and Special Summon it.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Dragunity Knight - Gae Bolg][b]Dragunity Knight - Gae Bolg[/b] WIND / Dragon / Synchro Level 6 2000/1100 1 Dragon-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Winged Beast-Type monsters If this card attacks or is attacked, during the Damage Step you can banish 1 (only) Winged Beast-Type monster from your Graveyard, to have this card gain the ATK of that monster until the End Phase.[/spoiler] "Barcha is still equipped with Brandistock, which means he can take care of both of your tokens." The last two goats were obliterated by twin arrows launched from the dragon's back. "And now, Gae Bolg!" "Call of the Living Dead!" Ebony said desperately. "I revive Grapha from the Graveyard!" "Oh no you don't! Seven Tools of the Bandit!" Kiishiro's card flipped open. "I pay a thousand Life Points, but I can negate your Trap!" Ebony turned to him furiously, but it was already too late. [spoiler=Seven Tools of the Bandit][b]Seven Tools of the Bandit[/b] TRAP / Counter When a Trap Card is activated: Pay 1000 Life Points; negate the activation and destroy it.[/spoiler] [center][i][b]Ebony[/b] - LP: 2600[/i] [i][b]Thunderbolt Knight[/b] - LP: 1500[/i] [i][b]Ivory[/b] - LP: 1300[/i][/center] "I remove Dragunity Angus in the Graveyard from play to trigger Gae Bolg's effect." Ivory continued. "Its power will rise by Angus' attack points." The great silver wyrm absorbed the power of its rider, its total attack strength rising to 4300. "I won't be defeated!" Ebony snarled, raising her hand. The soaring dragon knight, akin to a meteor, collided with her barrier, and though she was pushed back by the force of the impact, her shield held. Her Life counter, however, was not spared. Kiishiro sighed deeply. They had won. [center][i][b]Ebony[/b] - LP: 0[/i] [i][b]Thunderbolt Knight[/b] - LP: 1500[/i] [i][b]Ivory[/b] - LP: 1300[/i][/center] "You lost, now release her, and stop that thing!" Kiishiro shouted. Thanks to Ebony blocking the impact of that last attack, his mother had not been harmed, and, as if sensing that something was going on, was now anxiously waiting near the edge of the crystal wall. However, Ebony merely laughed, a cruel sound. "Don't think you've won yet! I'll kill you both and be done with it!" She raised both arms skywards, summoning more power. The cosmic instrument behind her screeched and glowed, constantly increasing in intensity. Waves of pitch-black energy wrapped around Ebony, shrouding her until she was barely visible under the dark veil. "Appear from the everlasting darkness!" Black holes began appearing all around them, as the red veil that had been protecting the Outer Sphere began fading away. "Come to me, cursed spirits!" One-Hundred Eye Dragon materialized beside her, its multitude of eyes glowing a sinister purple. Next to it, Grapha, Goldd and Siilva came into existence. "If that's the way you're gonna do it..." Ivory growled. "Kiishiro, listen to me. She has gathered a lot of power, but it is at an extremely unstable state. I'll keep her monsters occupied - you just try to break the Symphonic Arsenal. Return from the Different Dimension!" Her last reverse card flipped open. "Come back to me, Misteil, Vajuranda!" Kiishiro was already placing cards on his Duel Disk, the mark on his arm glowing ever brighter. Black Rose Dragon, and Blackfeather Dragon materialized next to Ancient Fairy, the three transcendent creatures soaring towards where the frozen instrument lay. Under their cover, Kiishiro ran, too, but to a slightly different direction. "Oh no you don't!" Ebony screeched. The three Dragunity Knights circled around the Dark World monsters. Vajuranda's javelin struck against Siilva's arm blades, causing silver and black sparks to fly all over the air. Goldd's halberd barely managed to parry Gae Bolg's assault, before lunging for a vertical slash that the dragon rider managed to avoid nimbly. Barcha danced away from the phantom dragon's corrosive breath attack, before launching a flurry of arrows - though they barely grazed Grapha, they aggravated the creature enough to make it loosen its offensive focus. Misteil was using its superior speed to dodge One-Hundred Eye Dragon's deadly rays, luring the behemoth away from the others. But as his own monsters had just flown over to where the Symphonic Arsenal was, preparing to unleash their attacks, Kiishiro himself, having almost reached the crystal cage, was vulnerable to the tails of black flame that lashed after him from Ebony's fingertips. There was no time for him to react, no time for him to draw a card - he could only stumble backwards, still fatally within range of the attack - A black, long gun with a blade attached to its end slashed at the air, nullifying the fire whips. Kiishiro recoiled in surprise as the form of Black Feather - Arms Wing, only visible as a blur due to the speed of its movements, hovered protectively before him. He looked back to see Sugita standing a few feet away from him, ready to unleash his other two Black Feather Synchro monsters. His expression was stern and focused. Kiishiro nodded in thanks. "I'll be damned if I let you insects mock me like this!" Ebony, beyond control now, screeched. Two more stones appeared in the sky, and a massive earthquake rippled through the area. "Run away!" Kiishiro yelled at Sugita. "She's going to summon more Earthbound Gods!" However, at that moment, Ebony faltered slightly. The power was becoming too much for her to handle all at once. She staggered back, and the rune stones vanished, while the rest of her monsters howled as they began fading away. "Now!!" Ivory ordered. They needed no more encouragement. Black Rose Dragon released a deadly stream of rose petals from its wings. Ancient Fairy spread its wings, and cast pulses of searing light forward. Blackfeather Dragon reared its head and unleashed a spiralling beam of crimson and black light. The three attacks struck the body of the Symphonic Arsenal simultaneously, and though they could not damage it, their combined holy power resonated with the force that pulsed within, fighting it, neutralizing it. Ebony, who was linked to its energies, was caught off-guard and recoiled as all the power she had assembled was forcefully tugged out of her in the blink of an eye. The crystal cage dissipated, and Sanjou Kotomi fell on the ground listlessly - driven to the point of exhaustion, but still breathing. Ebony's monsters exploded in a huge burst of black energy, tossing Kiishiro, who had immediately charged in her direction, backwards. Everyone was forced to seek refuge from the force of the explosion. A few moments later, though, the aftermath cleared out enough to restore visibility - and brought an astonishing sight to everyone's eyes. The Symphonic Arsenal had melted down to a semblance of its original shape. Its light had faded away, and for the first time since it had began, the melody of destruction had been silenced. The reverse flow of energy between this world and the Nexus had ceased. Looking at the cracked sky, Kiishiro could only hope it was not too late. Hovering above the plateau, Black Rose Dragon, Ancient Fairy Dragon, Blackfeather Dragon, Black Feather - Arms Wing, Armored Wing, and Lone Silver Wind, as well as the Dragunity Knights Barcha, Vajuranda, Gae Bolg, and Dragunity Arms Misteil, dominated the hotly-contested arena. Complete victory. "Oh, no." Ivory's choked words snapped his attention to the situation at hand. Alarmed, he looked down - and screamed in despair. Somehow, in the chaos, Ebony had recovered enough to crawl to where the crystal prison had been. She was now kneeling next to his still unconscious mother. It seemed as if it was taking all her effort to just stand upright, but she still grinned at him, her face a mask of cruelty. "I'm not done with you." She warned. "Whatever it takes, I'll make you suffer for this. I'll be looking forward to our next meeting." And before anyone could as much as blinked, she opened a portal right in front of her and disappeared, dragging Kotomi with her. Two pairs of hands grabbed Kiishiro by the shoulders before he even realized he had begun to run forward. "Let me go!" He demanded. "I must save her!" "If you try to chase after Ebony now, she'll trap you and kill you." Ivory said. "There's nothing more you can do here." Kiishiro thought he hadn't heard right. "She's my mother!" He said incredulously. "We stopped her plan as you said - now I have to save her!" "Kiishiro, listen to me." Sugita said. "We may have stopped Ebony, but this is only a temporary reprieve. Look." He pointed at the sky. Indeed, the cracks were still there, still expanding, if much more slowly. "The portal to the Nexus is extremely unstable now. The world... it's ending. ZONE has a plan - if we attack the Aria Tower now, we might catch them off-guard. We might still have a chance to stop this disaster. But we need you." Ivory stood in front of him, looking straight into his eyes. "I promise, I'll do everything in my power to find my sister and save your mother. But you need to follow your own path. That's what she would have wanted you to do. You're the only one who can do this." For a long moment, Sanjou Kiishiro stared up, at the distant ceiling, at the chaos that lay beyond the confines of this cavern. So much to fight for. So little to fight with. To turn his back on his mother, again, or to turn his back on the rest of the world? Simple, so simple, in theory, but the reality was vastly different. Finally, he sighed, defeated. "Let's go." One by one, their monsters dissipated into thin air, leaving behind a multi-colored aura that shrouded the plateau. He motioned, and a portal appeared. The only way was to march forward, even if that meant never looking back. "Please, save her." He whispered as he walked past Ivory, who nodded solemnly. Without another word, followed closely by Sugita, he disappeared into the blackness, returning to the Arc Cradle. One more battle won. Won, yet why were they now closer than ever to their doom? How much more until this madness ended - one way or another? [/spoiler] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sage Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Awesome chapter as always Well worth the wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 First of, Maya has super abilities. Not because of the Wicked Gods, but because of Sinclair and presumably something done to / abilities given to her by Eizan. K... Given the length of time since the last chapter, would have prefered the first chapter of the duel been a 'this is the state of play' to remind us who had what out, life points, etc. Like you get at the start of every two parter in the anime, just to keep us up to speed. When Kiishiro came back and had all those monsters out I just lost track. Barcha was equipped with Pilum so could have attack directly twice without Ebony being able to get Battle Fader in hand. Although its not a bad thing this mistake was made as it allowed the duel to continue (I've made enough misplays in my duels). Since it wasn't used for a direct attack at any point, you can just replace Pilum with Darkspear. The flurry of counter traps during each others turn at the end of the duel was great though, as was Sugita (awesome dude that he is) Yenma and Christina's involvment. As for the shenanigans afterward, bad girl refuses to honour agreement, shock horror. Surprised she survived and escaped, since there is enough to deal with in the last arc (I take that will last longer than the normal 12). I'm actually dissapointed a bit, although maybe because the wait drove up expectations to unreasonable levels. So now mostly everyone on the 'good guys' team is gathered in Arc Cradle, and Dunkan's posse is in their tower. Ferguson is running around somewhere like a loose cannon, as is Ebony although Ivory is in pursuit of her. Can't predict anything for Arc 6 at this point; except a guess at Christina vs a begrudging Lee (forced into God Mode against her since he seems an alright chap) early on. Looking forward to the extras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted October 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2011 Hmm, super powers. Not exactly. Increased knowledge, that in turn gives her access to interesting stuff, such as opening portals wherever. Arc 6 will be exactly as long as its predecessors, 12 chapters. Some of them may be longer than what we've seen so far, but I'm keeping it at 12. Since I've interjected this arc, I don't need more. The problem is that I started writing this chapter way back, almost as soon as I posted the previous one. But you are right - every two-parter should have a small recap, regardless of how close they are posted. Because I keep track of the duel statistics in a separate way, I don't encounter that problem while writing. But it's a fact that will be a given in the final arc, at least. The funny thing is, I originally had Darkspear instead of Pilum. Can't even remember why I changed that. Probably because Pilum is more useful / likely to see in a Dragunity deck than Darkspear. Ah well. Well, this is a minor spoiler, but... not everything will be resolved in the 12 chapters of the final arc. Suffice to say, not every one of the 12 Extra Chapters will take place in the past, and not absolutely everything will be right and rosy after the finale, either. So... yeah. Anyway, for now, you'll all be happy to know (even if 'all' refers to just the two readers that still follow this closely enough) that you won't have to wait ages for a new chapter. Extra Chapter 7, which continues the side story of the Element Cycle that began earlier in this arc and provides some background on three of the less prominent characters of the main cast, has been finished and is now available for your reading pleasure. I'm hoping for a relatively short gap until Extra Chapter 8, which will conclude the Element Cycle finals. EDIT: And by now available I mean just as soon as I figure out why the damn spoilers have been butchered again in this "update" and how to fix them >.> Seriously, why can't they just... leave them be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted October 24, 2011 Report Share Posted October 24, 2011 [quote name='~ Epic Hero - Saber ~' timestamp='1319415714' post='5596726'] Hmm, super powers. Not exactly. Increased knowledge, that in turn gives her access to interesting stuff, such as opening portals wherever. Arc 6 will be exactly as long as its predecessors, 12 chapters. Some of them may be longer than what we've seen so far, but I'm keeping it at 12. Since I've interjected this arc, I don't need more. The problem is that I started writing this chapter way back, almost as soon as I posted the previous one. But you are right - every two-parter should have a small recap, regardless of how close they are posted. Because I keep track of the duel statistics in a separate way, I don't encounter that problem while writing. But it's a fact that will be a given in the final arc, at least. The funny thing is, I originally had Darkspear instead of Pilum. Can't even remember why I changed that. Probably because Pilum is more useful / likely to see in a Dragunity deck than Darkspear. Ah well. Well, this is a minor spoiler, but... not everything will be resolved in the 12 chapters of the final arc. Suffice to say, not every one of the 12 Extra Chapters will take place in the past, and not absolutely everything will be right and rosy after the finale, either. So... yeah. Anyway, for now, you'll all be happy to know (even if 'all' refers to just the two readers that still follow this closely enough) that you won't have to wait ages for a new chapter. Extra Chapter 7, which continues the side story of the Element Cycle that began earlier in this arc and provides some background on three of the less prominent characters of the main cast, has been finished and is now available for your reading pleasure. I'm hoping for a relatively short gap until Extra Chapter 8, which will conclude the Element Cycle finals. EDIT: And by now available I mean just as soon as I figure out why the damn spoilers have been butchered again in this "update" and how to fix them >.> Seriously, why can't they just... leave them be? [/quote] Yeah, the increaed knowledge of what Sinclairs seen and been exposed to makes sense, and portals to a degree as we had seen her do that. Just hinting at more was supposed to be a tease, but I was kinda not feeling it personally. You say that, but don't Yuusuke and Maya have only one copy of each Lightsworn/Fabled in their decks, including some that no-one in their right mind would use? Can't remember and its 5am here, so I'm not going to check their decks. We can check that at the Interlude anyway. Looking forward to it. Damn YCM, they keep stuffing around with stuff that doesn't need to be changed, but when it comes to new stuff that everyone actually wants like Xyz monsters they do nothing #FuckedUpPriorities Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Extra Chapter 7 is now available below. I think I did rather well with this one. As I said before, Extra Chapter 8, which will conclude the Element Cycle mini-arc, will be up next, hopefully quite soon. Enjoy. EDIT: Thanks to a slight accident, italics, bold etc have been purged from this chapter. It's still perfectly readable, but I'll fill them in some time in the following days when I have the time to sit through it. [spoiler=Extra Chapter 7] [center][b][u]Extra Chapter 7:[/u][/b] Earthquake[/center] During the first match of the Element Cycle's final rounds, which would be conducted consecutively rather than simultaneously, both Takechi and Sugita had been allowed to observe from inside the Duel Field, Crystal Halls. It was an arena as majestic as the Sky Ocean, where Sugita had defeated Yuko, or the Earthwall, where Takechi had bested Danjuro. And now the two that had been defeated during their last matches would duke it out in order to claim the third place. They were in a vast underground chamber. The floor was lined with ice, cleanly reflecting the unnatural light that filled the cavern. The walls were frozen, too, sparkling like diamonds. Surrounding the arena was an elevated platform, which could serve as spectator seats, but was currently only occupied by the two other duelists. It was carved out of black crystal, gently melding with the arctic environment. Ice sculptures lined the walls, and the center of the chamber, where the duel would take place, was like a frozen lake. "So, who do you think will win?" Takechi asked Sugita idly. In this field, all of Yuko's monsters would get a power boost, but at the same time, Danjuro could draw one extra card during the duel. Takechi found it an amusing coincidence how the Crystal Halls, rather than a water-based arena, seemed tailored almost perfectly for Yuko's Ice Barrier monsters. Sugita shrugged. "They are both quite capable." He said. "However... in these conditions, Danjuro has the technical advantage." "What makes you say that?" "Simple. He uses high-power monsters that are unlikely to be influenced by the 300-point-boost. And, if he's using cards like Barbaros, there is no doubt which card is the centerpiece of his strategy. He did not use it against you, but with Yuko relying on monster effects..." Takechi nodded thoughtfully. It looked as if this could be an interesting match yet. --- Yuko took a deep breath. She might have fallen during the previous round, but she would not stay down. The referees finished describing the characteristics of the battle. Danjuro got the right to decide the turn order, and picked the first move. Only one thing left now. "Duel!!" Blightbringer - LP: 4000 Aurora - LP: 4000 "I'll start things off. Draw." Danjuro said. He smiled faintly, as if he could see something Yuko couldn't. "I'll begin by setting a face-down card. Then, I call the monster Giant Rat in attack position. Turn end." [spoiler=Giant Rat]Giant Rat EARTH / Beast Level 4 1400/1200 When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 EARTH monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck in face-up Attack Position.[/spoiler] Two oddities, right from the first turn. First of all, a monster like Giant Rat was best placed in face-down defense mode, to avoid unnecessary loss of Life Points and lure the opponent to attack. Second, the average player would first finish summoning monsters, and then set any necessary Spell and Trap cards. She had witnessed enough of Danjuro's match to know he belonged to that category. For an action that should be almost second nature to a duelist, deviating from that norm meant that some special circumstance was at hand. It was almost as if he didn't want to forget placing the card. There was no question that it was important. How could she circumvent it? She examined her hand. This would do nicely. If her opponent thought she'd be lured into fruitlessly attacking Giant Rat, he was in for a surprise. "I summon Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier." She said. Seamlessly, from the icy floor, a purple-clad fighter brandishing a kunai and a boomerang rose, as if it was a natural extension of the scenery. "When I control only Level 2 or lower monsters, Water Reflection can attack directly! And thanks to this arena, it gets 300 extra points!" The assassin disappeared, but Yuko could catch its movements from the edge of her vision as he slid behind her opponent, poised to strike. [spoiler=Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier]Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier WATER / Aqua / Tuner Level 2 1200/800 If the only face-up monsters you control are Level 2 or lower monsters, this card can attack your opponent directly.[/spoiler] "A good strategy, but I cannot let it go through so easily." Danjuro said. His Trap card revealed itself by flipping upwards. "Skill Drain..." Yuko muttered. Her opponent's Life Points fell down by a thousand, but that was a small price to pay. From now on, any monster she summoned would have its effects negated. [spoiler=Skill Drain]Skill Drain TRAP / Continuous Pay 1000 Life Points. The effects of all face-up Effect Monsters are negated.[/spoiler] Blightbringer - LP: 3000 Aurora - LP: 4000 "The effect of this card means that Water Reflection can no longer touch me." Danjuro mentioned. "Perhaps so, but due to the power boost, it still has enough power to take down Giant Rat!" The warrior slashed at the rodent, which exploded without much resistance. Blightbringer - LP: 2900 Aurora - LP: 4000 "At this moment, Giant Rat's effect activates, calling forth an Earth monster with 1500 attack points or less from my deck." Blightbringer said, and a card was ejected from his deck pile. He picked it up and glanced at it briefly, as if wishing to confirm its identity, before placing it on a monster card zone. "Green Gadget is Special Summoned. [spoiler=Green Gadget]Green Gadget EARTH / Machine Level 4 1400/600 When you Normal or Special Summon this card, you can add 1 "Red Gadget" from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler] Yuko regarded the toy machine carefully. It was probably meant for a sacrifice, given her opponent's earlier fight. She had nothing in her hand that could somehow stop that. However, she had the perfect card to bait out any particularly troublesome combinations, while at the same time conserving her own resources. "I set one card face-down." She announced. "Turn end." "Then, I draw." Danjuro said. "I summon the Tuner monster, Jutte Knight." A bespectacled dwarf of a man, carrying a large bottle on his back and wielding a needle-like sword, appeared on the field. [spoiler=Jutte Knight]Jutte Knight EARTH / Warrior / Tuner Level 2 700/600 Once per turn, you can change 1 face-up Attack Position monster your opponent controls to face-up Defense Position.[/spoiler] "What?" Yuko couldn't contain her surprise. "A Synchro Summon?" "Indeed." Danjuro said confidently. "I wouldn't be as foolish as to concentrate my entire deck on a single strategy. I tune my Level 4, Green Gadget, to my Level 2, Jutte Knight!" The two monsters spiralled into the familiar formation, four stars running through two concentric circles. "Synchro Summon! Knight of Earth - Gaia Knight!" Wild galloping echoed through the crystallized arena, as a monster appeared with a thunderous roar. A mechanical centaur, wielding twin red lances in its powerful hands, appeared next to Danjuro, impatiently striking the ice with its hooves. [spoiler=Knight of Earth - Gaia Knight]Knight of Earth - Gaia Knight EARTH / Warrior / Synchro Level 6 2600/800 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters[/spoiler] Yuko exhaled softly. She had been expecting a big move, but Gaia Knight was not much to worry about. True, it outclassed her monster in strength, but it was one of the select few Synchro monsters that did not have an effect. Of course, with Skill Drain on the field, none of their monsters actually had an effect. Though she was about to take some damage, she thought it better if she kept her hidden card for later. "Gaia Knight, attack Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier!" The earthen warrior charged, thrusting one of its spears forward, which effortlessly stabbed through the assassin's body, obliterating it utterly. Yuko recoiled from the impact, only slightly lessened by the fact that her monster was powered-up. Her Life Points fell to a level even with her opponent. Blightbringer - LP: 2900 Aurora - LP: 2900 "I will set a card face-down. That's all for now." Yuko sighed as she drew her card. None of her monsters were particularly useful, with Skill Drain on the field, and she had no way to destroy it just yet. She would have to hold on for a bit. "I set a monster, and set one more card face-down. Turn end." --- "What do you think?" Takechi asked Sugita. The wind user frowned, glancing at the field. "Skill Drain puts her in a precarious position." He said. "Her deck works off monster effects - all she can do now is stall." "And that guy, he seems to be playing more carefully now than before." Takechi said thoughtfully. "This is shaping up to be a pretty good match." --- "It is my turn." Sakakibara Danjuro was thoroughly enjoying this match. As a duelist, he preferred the high-speed combat he had enjoyed in the semi finals. But this tactical pace suited him just fine. Rather than victory itself, what he wanted to see was his strategies expand and dominate the battlefield. And right now, one of his plans was in full bloom. "God Beast King Barbaros is a monster that can be summoned without release." He flipped over the card in his hand. "However, that means its original attack falls down, from 3000 to a mere 1900. Of course, that isn't a problem, not with Skill Drain on the field." The monstrous centaur wielding the drill-like crimson lance appeared next to the knight, reminiscent of two jousters preparing to take on their opponents in the arena. Of course, no lancer of the medieval times could have stood up to those creatures. [spoiler=God Beast King Barbaros]God Beast King Barbaros EARTH / Beast-Warrior Level 8 3000/1200 You can Normal Summon or Set this card without Tributing. If you do, its original ATK becomes 1900. You can Tribute 3 monsters to Tribute Summon this card. When you do, destroy all cards your opponent controls.[/spoiler] "Gaia Knight, get rid of her defensive monster." He commanded. With remarkable ease, the warrior plowed one of its spears through Yuko's reverse card, annihilating it. "The card you just destroyed is called Skreech." Yuko explained, retrieving it from her Duel Disk. "When it is destroyed, I can send two Water monsters, directly from the deck to the Graveyard." Danjuro didn't pay much attention to that. [spoiler=Skreech]Skreech WATER / Reptile Level 4 1500/400 When this card is destroyed by battle, select 2 WATER monsters from your Deck and send them to your Graveyard.[/spoiler] "Let's wrap this up! Barbaros, direct attack!" "I'm going to intercept that strike." Yuko said. "Trap card, open! Call of the Living Dead revives Skreech from the Graveyard!" [spoiler=Call of the Living Dead]Call of the Living Dead TRAP / Continuous Select 1 monster from your Graveyard and Special Summon it in face-up Attack Position. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card.[/spoiler] "Even with the 300-point boost, your monster isn't enough to withstand this attack." Danjuro said. The green-scaled mutant fish was obliterated once more, and his opponent's Life Points took another severe hit. Blightbringer - LP: 2900 Aurora - LP: 1700 "Maybe so, but this means I get to activate the effect of Skreech again." She picked out another two cards and discarded them. Danjuro frowned. She had a lot of Water monsters in her Graveyard right now. It was inevitable that she had a plan to reverse this situation. "I'll end my turn with another face-down card." He said finally. He smiled inwardly. Iseya Yuko - this was a good challenge. --- "Draw." Yuko said, without missing a beat. The conditions were almost set, all she needed was... Perfect. "As you may have noticed, my Graveyard has been filled by the effect of Skreech. This allows me to use the Magic card Salvage, and retrieve two of these cards. The cards I choose are, first, my Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier. And second, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier." Her hand size now increased to five, she shuffled her cards to conceal their order, smiling faintly. [spoiler=Salvage]Salvage SPELL / Normal Add 2 WATER monsters with an ATK of 1500 or less each in your Graveyard to your hand.[/spoiler] "And now, everything is ready. I activate Triangle Formation of the Ice Barrier!" "Oh, no!" Danjuro gasped as he recognized the significance of that card. "Ah, yes. Triangle Formation of the Ice Barrier can only be activated if I display three Ice Barrier monsters with different names in my hand. I choose Water Reflection, Cryomancer, and Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier." Her three cards flew away from her hand, hovering in front of her while glowing with a bright azure light. "Then, Triangle Formation destroys one of your cards." Skill Drain was covered by a sheet of ice, before exploding to pieces. "And finally, one Ice Barrier monster from my hand is Special Summoned!" Two of the cards she had revealed vanished, to return themselves to her hand, whereas the final one began pulsing with energy, before shifting into the form of the monster sealed within, a knight clad in bulky snow-white armor of elaborate design. Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier was not a monster that could stand up to Barbaros or Gaia Knight, but Yuko's turn had just begun. [spoiler=Triangle Formation of the Ice Barrier]Triangle Formation of the Ice Barrier SPELL / Normal Reveal 3 "Ice Barrier" monsters with different names in your hand to select 1 card your opponent controls. Destroy the opponent's card and Special Summon 1 "Ice Barrier" monster from your hand.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier]Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier WATER / Warrior Level 5 2000/2000 When this card is Tribute Summoned, Special Summon 1 "Ice Coffin Token" (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 1000/DEF 0) in Attack Position to your opponent's side of the field. This Token cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon.[/spoiler] "Since you already saw him, I'll summon Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier." The dark-skinned magic-wielder appeared next to the knight. "And I think it's obvious what comes next... I tune my Level 5, Water monster, Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier, to my Level 2, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!" Sugita had stopped her from summoning this monster, but there was nothing her opponent could do right now. "Synchro Summon!" The two monsters scattered into crystal snowflakes, which united into two rings formed of pure ice, which created a passageway leading upwards. Five white stars crossed through, and a violent blizzard picked up over their heads, giving way to a new creature. "Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" The beast that appeared seemed to be made exclusively of glowing sapphires and crystals, surrounded by a crimson luster. It was a dragon with a bulky, powerful body, hovering in the air with the aid of its powerful wings. [spoiler=Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier]Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier WATER / Aqua / Tuner Level 2 1300/0 While you control another "Ice Barrier" monster, Level 4 or higher monsters cannot declare an attack.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier]Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier WATER / Dragon / Synchro Level 7 2500/1700 1 Tuner + 1 or more WATER non-Tuner Monster. Once per turn, you can discard up to 2 cards to the Graveyard to select the same number of cards your opponent controls. Destroy the selected cards.[/spoiler] "I call priority on Gungnir's effect." Yuko said hastily. "This lets me discard up to two cards, in order to destroy an equal number of cards you control. For now, though, I will only discard this one, in order to get rid of Barbaros." She placed Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier back in the Graveyard, and the Beast King, who maintained its attack strength despite the destruction of Skill Drain, was encased in a tomb of ice and blown to shreds. It was a temptation to get rid of both of Danjuro's monsters and attack directly, however, she knew that wouldn't suffice to finish the duel, and she had to maintain some resources in order to stay ahead. "Now, thanks to this field we're fighting on, Gungnir receives an extra 300 points. This puts it ahead of your Gaia Knight! Gungnir, attack!" Her opponent made no move to defend his creature as it was obliterated by the dragon's crystal breath. Blightbringer - LP: 2700 Aurora - LP: 1700 Now a thousan Life Points separated them, and Danjuro held more cards than she did, even if his field had been emptied of monsters. She couldn't suppress her unease. Gungnir would not survive Danjuro's next turn, and perhaps neither would she. However, she had a way to prevent that. "During the second Main Phase, I activate the Spell card, Variety Out. I return Gungnir to the deck, to Special Summon a number of Tuner monsters from the Graveyard whose total Level equals seven." The crystal dragon vanished in an azure mist, replaced by four glowing shards of light. "So I summon the Level 2, Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier, the Level 2, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier, the Level 2, Deep Sea Diva, and the Level 1, Fishborg Gunner." The two Ice Barrier monsters, followed by the mermaid songstress, and a fish sealed inside a glass case attached to the body of a submarine robot, all appeared on her field. [spoiler=Variety Out]Variety Out SPELL / Normal Return 1 face-up Synchro Monster you control to the Extra Deck to select and Special Summon a Tuner monster(s) from your Graveyard, whose total Levels equal the Level of that Synchro Monster. You cannot Synchro Summon the turn you activate this card.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Deep Sea Diva]Deep Sea Diva WATER / Sea Serpent / Tuner Level 2 200/400 When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Sea Serpent-Type monster from your Deck.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Fishborg Gunner]Fishborg Gunner WATER / Fish / Tuner Level 1 100/200 If you control a face-up level 3 or lower WATER monster: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. If this card is used as a Synchro Material Monster, all other Synchro Material Monsters must all be WATER.[/spoiler] "Quality over quantity, I see." Danjuro scoffed at her array of monsters. "Don't think they will protect you for long. It is my turn - draw! I summon Machine King Ur!" The conical contraption that appeared would have been very bad news for Yuko, as it could obliterate all her monsters single-handedly. However, there was one thing that had been overlooked. [spoiler=God Machine King Ur]God Machine King Ur EARTH / Machine Level 4 1600/1500 This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. Any Battle Damage this card inflicts to your opponent becomes 0.[/spoiler] "Do not forget that, while Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier is on the field and I control another Ice Barrier monster, none of your Level 4 or higher monsters may declare an attack." Yuko said. "Your Machine King cannot declare an attack." "That won't matter once I activate Shield Crush!" Danjuro said. "I can choose any defense position monster on the field and obliterate it!" [spoiler=Shield Crush]Shield Crush SPELL / Normal Select 1 Defense Position monster on the field and destroy it.[/spoiler] Suddenly, Yuko felt very glad for her decision to save the card she had placed face-down during her first turn. "I activate Divine Protection of the Ocean Dragon God!" She announced. "This card's effect lasts for the entire turn, and prevents all of my Level 3 or lower Water monsters, namely, all of my monsters, from being destroyed - either by battle or by card effects." Shielding bubbles rose around Yuko's monsters, protecting them from harm. [spoiler=Divine Protection of the Ocean Dragon God]Divine Protection of the Ocean Dragon God TRAP / Normal Until the End Phase of this turn, all face-up Level 3 or lower WATER monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.[/spoiler] "I see, so you will survive this turn." Danjuro said. "Next turn, I'll have to face the problem of Water Reflection attacking directly." Yuko did not respond - she merely stared at her opponent confidently. Dajuro shook his head. "I activate my face-down Angel Lift, reviving Jutte Knight in attack mode. And then I tune my two monsters together, to Synchro Summon my second Gaia Knight!" [spoiler=Angel Lift]Angel Lift TRAP / Continuous Select 1 Level 2 or lower monster from your Graveyard and Special Summon it in Attack Position. When this card is removed from the field, destroy that monster. When that monster is removed from the field, destroy this card.[/spoiler] Surprised, Yuko watched a copy of the monster she had destroyed earlier appear again on the field, rearing its head in defiance of her invincible wall of monsters. Well, he certainly wasn't making this easy for her. Water Reflection could bypass that monster and attack directly, but the same did not apply for the remainder of her forces. "That ends my turn." Danjuro said smoothly. "Draw." Yuko's hand trembled slightly as she picked out another card. They were in the final stages of the game now, and her options were not what she would have liked. However, the same could be said for her opponent, who had nothing to deal with her Cryomancer and Water Reflection combination. "I switch Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier to attack mode." She said. With her unit empowered to 1500 points, she only needed two direct attacks to finish this off. If her opponent didn't find a way to break her defenses in the next turn, it'd be over. "Water Reflection's effect activates, allowing it to attack directly since none of the monsters on my side of the field are above Level 2. Battle!" The aquaborne assassin slithered soundlessly behind its target, slashing at him with its daggers. Blightbringer - LP: 1200 Aurora - LP: 1700 She looked carefully at the last card in her hand. Certainly, this monster was something she would definitely want to summon in this situation. But, what to release for it? She could easily use Fishborg Gunner or Deep Sea Diva, but - She frowned. What was this sensation? That face-down card of Danjuro's... she felt something strange about it. And there was something odd about the fellow's last turn. He did not seem frustrated or even the least bit anxious. Instead, he seemed collected. As if he was waiting for something. When was that card placed on the field? It had to have been before Gungnir was summoned. A way to destroy summoned monsters? To stop attacks? No, either would have been used already. A duelist would tend to use a card if it would create the advantage at a specific moment. However, the way this guy had been playing - it was as if he had been waiting for something. And if that card was what she thought she was, then she feared that what he had been waiting would occur in the next turn. A duelist would preserve his card if it meant that it could be used later, to determine victory. "I sacrifice Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier." She said. "To Advance Set a monster in face-down defense position. Turn end." --- "Alright, I don't get it." Takechi scratched his head. "She released her victory method and at the same time disbanded her best defense. Why'd she do that?" "To avoid losing." Sugita said, his eyes locked onto that reverse card on Danjuro's field. --- "Good intuition there." Danjuro complimented his opponent. Indeed, if she had left Water Reflection in attack mode, he would have triggered his second Skill Drain during his turn, and finished the match instantly. However, this required a different method. He had almost all the pieces that were needed in his hand - just needed one more. "By the rules of this arena, one time only during this duel, I can draw once." The topmost card of his deck began shimmering, and he picked it up. He smiled - his deck had never let him down before. "Now... I release Knight of Earth - Gaia Knight, to Advance Summon Earth Emperor Granmarg!" The ground rattled with explosive force, as the earth opened up to swallow the centaur knight and reveal a large clay golem. Its shape was similar to a large cylinder, with pieces of armor attached to its upper body. "When it is Advance Summoned, Granmarg destroys one face-down card on the field, such as your troublesome concealed monster." He might not be able to win this turn, but at the very least, he could destroy all monsters available on Yuko's side of the field. The rock-formed monarch raised its arm, and the ground under Yuko's concealed monster was blasted by an invisible force. Yuko scowled as her monster, Raiho, Brave General of the Ice Barrier was obliterated. [spoiler=Earth Emperor Granmarg]Earth Emperor Granmarg EARTH / Rock Level 6 2400/1000 When this card is Tribute Summoned, destroy 1 face-down card on the field.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Raiho, Brave General of the Ice Barrier]Raiho, Brave General of the Ice Barrier WATER / Warrior Level 6 2100/2300 When an effect resolves that was activated by your opponent's Effect Monster on the field, they can discard 1 card. If they do not, that effect is negated.[/spoiler] "And now, I remove from play the Beast-Warrior monster, God Beast King Barbaros, and the Machine monster, God Machine King Ur, in my Graveyard from play! I Special Summon Beast God Machine King - Barbaros Ur!" The devastating union form of the gods of machines and beasts appeared before him, easily wielding its twin lances. [spoiler=Beast God Machine King - Barbaros Ur]Beast God Machine King - Barbaros Ur EARTH / Beast-Warrior Level 10 3800/1200 You can Special Summon this card from your hand by removing from play 1 Machine-Type monster and 1 Beast-Warrior-Type monster in your hand, field, and/or Graveyard. When this card battles, any Battle Damage to your opponent becomes 0.[/spoiler] "And finally, the last card in my hand." He flipped it around. "I activate the Spell card, Miracle Synchro Fusion! This lets me perform a Fusion Summon using monsters in my Graveyard. I target both Gaia Knights! Fusion Summon!" The two identical creatures appeared again on the field as spectres, galloping towards a massive convergence in the air above them. A spiralling portal appeared and swallowed them, only to release a new, much stronger warrior. "Descend, Knight of Earth and Sky - Gaia Drake!" A knight brandishing two lances, clad fully in gold-and-black plate that glistened, reflecting the aurora light of the arena, and riding a ferocious winged black horse, now flew next to Barbaros Ur, on the other side of Granmarg. [spoiler=Miracle Synchro Fusion]Miracle Synchro Fusion SPELL / Normal Remove from play, from your side of the field or your Graveyard, the Fusion Material Monsters listed on a Fusion Monster Card that lists a Synchro Monster as a Fusion Material Monster, and Special Summon that Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) If this Set card is destroyed by an opponent's card effect and sent to the Graveyard, draw 1 card.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Knight of Earth and Sky - Gaia Drake]Knight of Earth and Sky - Gaia Drake EARTH / Beast-Warrior / Fusion Level 10 3500/2800 1 "Knight of Earth - Gaia Knight" + 1 non-Effect Synchro Monster This card cannot be targeted by, or destroyed by, the effects of Effect Monsters.[/spoiler] "And now, I attack." He said. "Gaia Drake, destroy Fishborg Gunner! Barbaros Ur, deal with Deep Sea Diva! And Granmarg, obliterate her Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!" Obediently, the three earth monsters annihilated the dwindling wall of creatures protecting Yuko, leaving her with absolutely nothing. "My turn is over." He said, satisfied that there was no hope for reversal now. He had won. --- Shaking fingers held out a card that Yuko did not dare to look at. Would she be defeated, again? Shamefully depart from the final rounds as the only duelist with two losses in her record? Was her mother right? Was she simply wasting her time, instead of working on what she was good at? No. I won't give up! And, as if by pure miracle, the card she had drawn was the only one that, perhaps, could offer a way out of this situation. "I activate Jar of Avarice." She said testily. "This returns 5 monsters in my Graveyard to my deck. Afterwards, I can draw twice." She examined the cards that lay in her discard pile carefully, while Danjuro waited with a collected expression on his face. It was obvious he considered the match won. One card or two cards did not make a difference - there was simply no way Yuko could reverse this situation. However... [spoiler=Jar of Avarice]Jar of Avarice SPELL / Normal Select 5 Monster Cards in your Graveyard. Return those cards to the Deck, then draw 2 cards.[/spoiler] "I return General Raiho, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier, Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier, Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier, and Deep Sea Diva to the deck." After her cards shuffled automatically, she placed her hand on top of the slightly thicker pile. Three almost undefeatable monsters. Skill Drain. Somehow, she had to get past all that. "..." With those two cards, she could not win. She could not, unless... she looked at them more carefully. And slowly, a way unraveled before her. The timing had to be correct, everything had to be flawless. But if she managed... Keeping her face as neutral as possible, she selected one of the cards, and turned it around to show it to her opponent before placing it in her Spell and Trap card zone. "Crest of the Ice Barrier activates, adding any Ice Barrier monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier, and summon it." [spoiler=Crest of the Ice Barrier]Crest of the Ice Barrier SPELL / Normal Add 1 "Ice Barrier" monster from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler] "How soon you forget." Danjuro said idly. "My reverse card is Skill Drain. It negates the effects of all monsters on the field. I activate it now, paying a thousand Life Points. Your direct attacks are blocked. Blightbringer - LP: 200 Aurora - LP: 1700 "Oh, on the contrary." Yuko said with a delighted smile. "I was counting on you to do that." "What are you getting at?" Danjuro frowned, annoyed. "At this." She revealed her second reverse card. "I activate Miracle Fusion! Just like Miracle Synchro Fusion, this lets me fuse monsters in my Graveyard by removing them from play - but the target must be an Elemental Hero monster. So I fuse Elemental Hero Ocean and Fishborg Gunner!" [spoiler=Miracle Fusion]Miracle Fusion SPELL / Normal Banish, from your side of the field or your Graveyard, the Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on an "Elemental HERO" Fusion Monster Card, then Special Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.)[/spoiler] "Ocean!" Danjuro said, shocked. "When did that - ?" "The fourth card sent there by Skreech." Yuko said coolly. "Appear from the frozen arctic! Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" A lean fighter in pure white armor emerged from within a gale of ice-cold wind, shrouded by a veil of crystal snowflakes. [spoiler=Elemental Hero Absolute Zero]Elemental Hero Absolute Zero WATER / Warrior / Fusion Level 8 2500/2000 1 "HERO" monster + 1 WATER monster Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card gains 500 ATK for each face-up WATER monster on the field, except "Elemental HERO Absolute Zero". When this card leaves the field: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.[/spoiler] "You must have miscalculated something." Danjuro said. "Skill Drain negates Absolute Zero's effect. It won't get the bonus from Water Reflection of the Ice Barrier - therefore, even if you attack Granmarg, it will still fall 100 points short of beating me." "I fear the miscalculation lies on your part." Yuko responded. "You forget we are fighting in the Crystal Halls - all Water monsters enjoy 300 extra attack points. Which, thanks to you activating Skill Drain right now, is enough to finish you off!" "No!" Danjuro cried out as Yuko's monster slashed at the stone emperor, obliterating him utterly. "No! I was careless, my Life Points - !" However, it was too late. His counter dropped to zero, and he hung his head in defeat. Blightbringer - LP: 0 Aurora - LP: 1700 "Those few points, if it hadn't been for them - !!" He lamented. "It wasn't a matter of just those few points, though." Ryusaki Sugita said suddenly. Him and Takechi had moved closer to the arena, and were looking appraisingly at the two duelists. "Yuko-san could have attacked Gaia Drake instead. With Gaia's effect negated, Absolute Zero's own effect, activating in the Graveyard, would have destroyed all three of your monsters, leaving you open for Water Reflection's attack. Your downfall was your own Skill Drain - the trump card you intended to use in order to win the duel." "Still, it was a battle well-fought." Bando Takechi said. "We're going to have a tough time showing you guys up in the finals." Yuko smiled weakly. The intensity of those last turns had taken its toll on her. However, she was happy. She had proven to herself that she could do this - that she was good at this. "I'm sorry." She offered to Danjuro politely. "Nah, you're not. I am." Her opponent teased. "However, I can live with fourth place - for now. I'll be looking forward to getting my revenge in the national tournament." After some more idle chatter, and the official announcement by the tournament referees, though, the air grew tense, the mood serious. It was time for the final battle - the one that would determine the ultimate victor of the Element Cycle. [/spoiler] EDIT 2: Thanks to more damage done by the 'update', I can't edit in a hyperlink in the first post. Ah well. 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Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Somehow, not quite sure how, you wrote Hero Kids instead of Green Gadget when you Synchro Summoned the first knight. But pretty cool (facedesk) duel, to have it play out like that. Seeing vairety in Yuko's deck was great (seeing Variety Out in here deck was great). So you're saying we can't put hyperlinks in the opening contents anymore? 0_o How can taking away and away and away from something possibly be considered 'updating'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted October 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Derp. Remnant of an earlier draft, in which - you guessed it - Hero Kids was used. I dunno, it was probably just a bug that froze my whole browser when I tried to edit a hyperlink. I'll see if it works now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 [quote name='~ Epic Hero - Saber ~' timestamp='1319664793' post='5601969'] Derp. Remnant of an earlier draft, in which - you guessed it - Hero Kids was used. I dunno, it was probably just a bug that froze my whole browser when I tried to edit a hyperlink. I'll see if it works now. [/quote] Could have worse, seen in another fic someone summon 'Mystical Space Typhoon' in attack mode, with a hyperlink. Looking forward to EC 9 more than 8, as much as I love Sugita. Nothing more than the unknown factor really, but that couldn't be avoided. *Points you mat last chapter of Armageddon, not making any attempt to be subtle whatsoever* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blademac Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 I believe Aurora could have lost. If her opponent had waited until the battle phase to activate his skill drain. Then he would have been victorious. If Aurora summoned absolute zero, then water reflection couldn't have attacked directly. If Aurora attacked [b]Knight of Earth and Sky - Gaia Drake[/b], the Gaia would have survived due to it's effect. If Aurora did not summon absolute zero and attempted to attack directly, then her opponent activates skill drain during the battle phase to prevent the attack. All in all, amazing chapter. It really shows how the pressures of the finals can take it's toll on a players nerves. Very well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexadin Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 I just missed 2 chapters, really? I thought it would be like 5, anywho. @Chapter 60: Erm, isn't using a force outside of card effects to stop the attack considered cheating? Not that I wouldn't understand someone doing so in that situation, but it does make the entire point of dueling kinda pointless. Wow, Ebony really is one though little bugger. @Extra Chapter 7: blademac there is right, Aurora could've lost if he played his cards right. But other then that, it was a nice duel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Despite the lack of updates, there has been significant progress lately. I'm about 2/3 done with Extra Chapter 8, which is going to be longer than any of the previous Extra Chapters. I have finished one, and am close to finishing a second, of the final three Extra Chapters that will be posted during the final arc. And, I'm wrapping up the final Interlude yet. So rest assured, though it's taking some time, the overall progress of the story is decisively moving forward, thus lowering the time between future updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brinolovania Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 OK, it's been over a month since the last post. What's up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted December 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 Due to my limited time, I realized there was no way I could keep up a regular posting schedule. I decided to freeze updates until I got a comfortable head-start on the story. It will take a while, but when I do start posting again, I'll hopefully be able to present the rest of the story in a timely fashion. The exact time of the restart is yet undecided, but I have planned it to be within the first week of the new year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsianGuy1137 Posted December 28, 2011 Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 I'm sorry to hear about the hiatus, or maybe not if it's because you're developing a social life (possibly involving girl(s) which automatically trumps everything else) but whatever the case, best of luck with life in general. I've taken a hiatus of my own from reading this for a while, but I've resumed lately, and it's still as incredible as I remember it being when I first started. Not even halfway through yet so I have some work to do. Again, best of luck with stuff. Hope to hear from you soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted December 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 Alright, here goes. This has been long in the making, but the continuation of Dead Zone is at hand. Now, you'll all be pleased to now that I've not been sitting idle over these past quiet months. I have written a good chunk of Dead Zone's final part, and am prepared to follow up with a more orderly posting schedule. Dead Zone will officially relaunch on January 1st, 2012, with Chapter 61. To prepare you for this monumental event, the fourth Interlude is now ready and available. Unlike previous Interludes, this is much more thorough, exploring each of the multitude of characters in greater depth and detail. Additionally, there are two more sections to be found. The first is the Background Information, which provides some useful trivia regarding aspects of the story you might have wondered about, clearing up and summarizing a lot of the technical or metaphysical mumbo-jumbo involved. The other section is called Timeline. It will provide a quick rundown of the events that happened before the story's beginning, as well as provide a timestamp for the start point and the current point of the story, so it is easier to grasp the chronological background and general timeframe. With all this information, old readers who have been, understandably, out of touch with the story for a while, can catch up quickly without having to read it again (of course, reading it again would probably be better). One thing you may have noticed is missing are decklists. This is because all decklists will be gathered and compiled at the end of the story, and posted separately for easier reference. Anyhow, for now, rejoice in this festive time, for the hour of rebirth draws near. [spoiler=Interlude] [center][b][u]Interlude:[/u][/b][u] Starlight Road[/u][/center] [spoiler=Part 1 - Characters] ================================================== [u][b]Protagonists[/b][/u]: [spoiler=Sanjou Kiishiro] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Sanjou Kiishiro [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 18 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.68m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 71kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short-cropped [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Brown [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Thunderbolt Knight [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 34 (first appearance) | ?? (current) [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Glass Stream [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.85 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Green [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Plant deck (Chapter 1) > [REG] Black Rose Dragon deck (Chapter 25+) > [RID] Black Rose Dragon deck (Chapter 8+) > [REG] Plant deck (Extra Chapter 2) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS ZONE (Chapter 1) - Loss > [RID] VS Ghost (Chapter - Win > [RID] (w/ Greyblade) VS Sinclair & CrossWing (Chapter 13-15) - Win > [REG] VS Fire Spirit Envoy Hiita (Chapter 25) - Win (Interrupted) > [REG] VS Elemental Master Dryad (Chapter 26) - No conclusion > [RID] VS Gawain (Chapter 31) - Loss > [REG] VS Ebony (Chapter 37-38) - Loss > [REG] VS Nightshade (Chapter 44) - Loss > [REG] VS Ivory VS Ebony (Chapter 59-60) - Win (w/ Ivory) > [REG] VS AI (Extra Chapter 2) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Sanjou Kiishiro was the first person to be trapped in the virtual reality at the time Duel International's scheme was set to motion. He was dragged there by ZONE, who was searching for the people that had received the blessing of the Crimson Dragon, the Signers, in order to create a force capable of opposing Duel International. Sanjou Kiishiro quickly received his Signer mark and his signature dragon, Black Rose Dragon, and after intensive training in ZONE's fortress, the Arc Cradle, he was able to defeat mundane opponents such as the Ghosts, but received a warning from the mysterious entity who called herself Ivory to not place his trust in ZONE and his plot. Sanjou Kiishiro became more involved in the war as he gave the second of the Signer Dragons to Yenma, and located and claimed the third. Not long thereafter, a small group led by one of Duel International's top executives, Sarunoki Moboro, infiltrated the Arc Cradle. Kiishiro fought against and was defeated by Ryusaki Sugita. Before he could come to terms with his defeat, Ebony appeared in the Arc Cradle in the form of Kiishiro's mother, Sanjou Kotomi, who had been captured by her. Ebony sought to rid herself of Sanjou Kotomi's leftover consciousness that had been used to escape her own prison, but the meeting led to a duel which Ebony won, but failed to deliver the finishing blow. Kiishiro fell to despair, losing sight of his purpose. When Ebony activated the Symphonic Arsenal, Kiishiro and Sugita attacked her under ZONE's orders. Kiishiro and Ivory joined forces against Ebony, and after a grueling fight manipulated by Ebony's schemes, they managed to prevail, though once again failing to capture her and free Kotomi. Kiishiro was finally convinced to abandon his quest for revenge, and returned to the Arc Cradle, preparing to fight to stop Duel International from reaching the Nexus.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Aizawa Yuusuke] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Aizawa Yuusuke [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 18 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.76m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 73kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Galahad [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 55 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Exalted Cross [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.88 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, flowing [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Lightlord / Chaos deck (Chapter 2+) > [RID] Lightlord / Chaos deck (Chapter 39+) > [REG] Light Knights deck (Extra Chapter 1) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Ghost (Chapter 2-3) - Win > [REG] VS Ghost (Chapter 9-10) - Win > [REG] VS Doveren (Chapter 17) - Win > [REG] VS Dread_T (Chapter 27-28) - Win > [RID] VS Stiyel Crystal (Chapter 39) - Interrupted > [RID] VS Stiyel Crystal VS Jacqueline Devereaux (Chapter 40) - Win (w/ Stiyel Crystal) > [RID] VS Firesoul (Chapter 51-52) - No conclusion > [REG] VS Gaia Queen (Chapter 55-56) - Win > [REG] VS Sinclair (Extra Chapter 1) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]After Kiishiro was trapped inside the virtual world and his real body fell into a coma, Yuusuke embarked on a quest to find out what had happened to him and save him. From the very beginning he had to face a Ghost, one of Duel International's newly-created artificial intelligence dueling programs. He managed a narrow victory, but failed to reach any definitive conclusions, so he sought the help of his friend, Nakazawa Shugo, in order to penetrate into the company's secrets. This backfired greatly, as Shugo also disappeare, and Yuusuke was forced in another duel against the Ghosts. The continuation of his search led her to meet Jacqueline Devereaux, who taunted him and forced him to fight Shugo, that had been turned into a mindless, advanced form of the Ghosts, a Cataphract. Despite winning that duel, too, Yuusuke was now haunted by the reality that he had killed a person, and to make matters worse, his own father fell into Sarunoki Moboro's trap and was held captive. To free him, Yuusuke was forced to trust Jacqueline, which led him to free his father, but also be foced into a duel against his closest friend, Maya. Despite the overwhelming odds, the two managed to break Jacqueline's plot and defeat her, but her purpose had already been accomplished. Yuusuke learned the truth about Maya and was taken to the Arc Cradle by Ivory, where he finally came face-to-face with Kiishiro. When Jacqueline took Maya hostage, and Adam Fergusson kidnapped her, Yuusuke had to fight for her again. Just when they were about to die, though, Ivory saved them, and to combat the Symphonic Arsenal, took them to the underground chamber where Ebony was waiting. Yuusuke entered the final battle against Jacqueline, and overcame her God Mode. Yuusuke saved Maya after she was trapped in a different dimension, and together they returned to the Arc Cradle, resolving to finish the war they had started.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Kirizaki Maya] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Kirizaki Maya [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 18 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese (1/8th), Korean (1/8th), Ukrainian (1/2nd) [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.58m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 55kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Petite [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, straight [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Stiyel Crystal [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 92 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Avalon [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.68m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Silver [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Waist-length, straight [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Inca deck (Chapter 5-6) > [RID] Chaos Demon Roar God deck (Chapter 11+) > [REG] Chaos Demon Roar God deck (Chapter 21+) > [REG] Chaos Angel deck (Chapter 57-58) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS King of Dead (Chapter 5-6) - No conclusion > [RID] VS Ghost (Chapter 11) - Win > [REG] VS Sinclair (Chapter 21-22) - Win (Interrupted) > [RID] VS Ghost (Chapter 29-30) - Win > [RID] VS Galahad (Chapter 39) - Interrupted > [RID] VS Galahad VS Jacqueline Devereaux (Chapter 40) - Win (w/ Galahad) > [REG] VS Kirizaki Ryouga (Chapter 49-50) - Win > [REG] VS Sinclair (Chapter 57-58) - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona (Alternate)] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Sinclair [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 34 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.60m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, straight [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Hazel [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Inca deck (Chapter 21-22) > [RID] Inca deck (Chapter 13-15) > [REG] Chaos Angel deck (Chapter 57-58) > [REG] Sea Serpent deck (Extra Chapter 1) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [RID] (w/ CrossWing) VS Thunderbolt Knight & Greyblade (Chapter 13-15) - Loss > [REG] VS Stiyel Crystal (Chapter 21-22) - Loss (Interrupted) > [REG] VS Stiyel Crystal (Chapter 57-58) - Loss > [REG] VS Galahad (Extra Chapter 1) - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Even though she had become the European champion, after the death of her parents, Maya concealed her identity using an illegal dual account and moved to Japan. She befriended Aizawa Yuusuke, but when the latter decided to dive into the virtual world in a quest to save Sanjou Kiishiro, Maya, who had already had a taste of Duel International's scheming, tried to dissuade him. Regardless, she ended up assisting him in his fight, and entered the virtual world again under her original account in order to find the truth. She was manipulated into a duel against Cornelius Klein, Duel International's European representative and a man from her recent past. She fought against the Devil Gods, terrible creatures with power that went beyond the virtual world. When she destroyed them, Klein perished and the cards became hers, but later she found out that Klein was already dead before their duel had even begun. She decided to stay away from the virtual reality, but that changed when Yuusuke got back into it. She fought a Ghost in her first Riding Duel, but then discovered that her alternate account, Sinclair, had not only been purged, but also revived as an opponent. She was trapped into fighting her, which would invariably lead to their mutual destruction, but Yuusuke managed to pull her out of the virtual world just in time. She faced one of the Machine Emperor monsters, and met with her grandfather, Kirizaki Ryouga, both in the real and subsequently in the virtual world, where she discovered a few tidbits of her past and learned to use the Devil Gods. The time for the final confrontation with Sinclair came when Maya and Yuusuke joined Ivory. Sinclair pulled her into an alternate dimension, where Maya relived her past until she could regain her strength and confidence. She reclaimed the lost paart of herself by assimilating Sinclair and returned to the virtual world with Yuusuke's help, where they decided to join forces with ZONE.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Jinrei Yenma] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Jinrei Yenma [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 15 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.57m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 62kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, flat [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Grey [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Greyblade [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 23 (first appearance) | 26 (later) [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Shadowind [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.68 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short cropped [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Grey [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [RID] Dark Simurgh deck (Chapter 13+) > [REG] Wind / Dark deck (Extra Chapter 9) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [RID] (w/ Thunderbolt Knight) VS Sinclair & CrossWing (Chapter 13-15) - Win > [RID] VS Vortexflame (Chapter 23-24) - No conclusion > [RID] (w/ Vortexflame) VS Abbadon (Chapter 45-46) - Win > [REG] VS Harpie Ladies (Extra Chapter 9) - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Yenma became involved in the war in the virtual world when two artificial intelligence programs attacked him shortly after he obtained a D-Wheel. With Kiishiro's help and his newly acquired Signer Dragon, Blackfeather Dragon, he managed to overcome them, though his troubles did not end there. He was trapped by Sarunoki Moboro, who was attempting to stop ZONE's plans in the Arc Cradle, and forced into a fight against Bando Takechi. Takechi seemed to have the upper hand, but then the space they were in collapsed after Yenma summoned Blackfeather Dragon, causing them to fall in the Zero Zone, where they were saved by Ivory. After being attacked by Draco Ross, they realized that Ivory's sister, Ebony, had taken advantage of the distraction to escape her imprisonment. They returned to the Arc Cradle, unbeknowst to them still followed by Ross, and witnessed Kiishiro's duel against Ebony. Ebony's escape resulted in Draco Ross being corrupted by her power, and he blindly attacked Yenma and Takechi in his God Mode. The pair defeated him conclusively. Yenma and Takechi were kept out of the raid against Ebony's underground stronghold, recovering their strength for the upcoming battles.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Christina Neville] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Christina Neville (Reesha) [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 17 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Ethiopeian [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.63m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 58kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, braided [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Green [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Nightshade [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.77 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Green [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, flowing [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Hazel [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Elemental Master Dryad deck (Chapter 44+) > [REG] Gem Beast deck (Extra Chapter 2) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Thunderbolt Knight (Chapter 44) - Win > [REG] VS Ghost (Extra Chapter 2) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]A long time ago, Christina was taken from her family and used to test Duel International's artificial intelligence systems. After a duel which went too far, she collapsed and lost her memories, while Abraham Lee faked her death in order to free her. Christina was raised in an adopted family in Europe, but it wasn't long after Duel International's scheme initiated that she began feeling a tug towards the virtual world. Following her instincts, she entered the Duel Terminal system, and found out a portion of the truth concerning her past. With the aid of the benevolent spirit, Elemental Master Dryad, she travelled to the Arc Cradle and met Sanjou Kiishiro and Jinrei Yenma, who, like Christina herself, were meant to wield the Signer Dragons, and obtained her own, Ancient Fairy Dragon. Though for most of the subsequent fights she remained safely inside the Arc Cradle, training in recovering her memories and abilities, it will not be long until she, too, is dragged into the fray.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Ryusaki Sugita] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Ryusaki Sugita [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 18 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.71m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 68kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Straight, Shoulder-length [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Light blue [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Gawain [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 71 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Eagle Cove [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.92 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Silver [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Dark Blue [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [RID] Black Feather deck (Chapter 31+) > [REG] Black Feather deck (Chapter 54+) > [REG] Mist Valley deck (Extra Chapter 6- [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [RID] VS Thunderbolt Knight (Chapter 31) - Win > [REG] VS Firesoul (Chapter 54) - Win (Interrupted) > [REG] VS Aurora (Extra Chapter 6) - Win > [REG] VS Vortexflame (Extra Chapter - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Ryusaki Sugita, winner of the Element Cycle tournament, was called by Sarunoki Moboro along with Takechi and Yuko, to help him accost a supposed hacker. Sugita played along with that part, despite his suspicions that something was terribly wrong about Duel International. When Takechi and Yenma fell into the Zero Zone, Moboro enlisted Ryusaki and Yuko for the attack against the Arc Cradle. Sugita fought Kiishiro and defeated him, which granted him access to the interior of the fortress. There, he witnessed Sarunoki Moboro's God Mode and his demise after his defeat at ZONE's hands, which convinced him to stop associating with Duel International, and instead help stop their plans. In order to deal with Ebony's Symphonic Arsenal, which was destroying reality, Kiishiro and Sugita were sent against her. Sugita engaged in battle with Adam Fergusson, the American champion, and nearly defeated him before the duel was interrupted, failing to get the answers he sought. After he helped Kiishiro prevail against Ebony, they returned to the Arc Cradle.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Bando Takechi] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Bando Takechi [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 16 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.75m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 74kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, unkempt [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Vortexflame [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 69 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Hellspike [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.85 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Orange [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Dark Brown [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Flamvell / Laval deck (Chapter 23+) > [RID] Flamvell / Laval deck (Chapter 33+) > [REG] Flamvell / Laval deck (Extra Chapter 5- [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [RID] VS Greyblade (Chapter 23-24) - No conclusion > [REG] VS Draco Ross (Chapter 33-34) - Win > [RID] (w/ Greyblade) VS Abbadon (Chapter 45-46) - Win > [REG] VS Blightbringer (Extra Chapter 5) - Win > [REG] VS Gawain (Extra Chapter - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Takechi, Sugita and Yuko, the three top duelists from the recent Element Cycle tournament, were recruited by Moboro against Jinrei Yenma. The impulsive Takechi engaged in a Riding Duel against him, but before the battle could be concluded, the space they were fighting in collapsed, dropping them both to the virtual world's Outer Sphere, the Zero Zone. They met Ivory, who decided to help them, and after an encounter and duel with Draco Ross, which Takechi won, they left the Zero Zone in order to hunt down Ebony. After Draco Ross was corrupted by Ebony's power, Takechi and Yenma teamed up to face and destroy him. Throughout the subsequent battle against Ebony, Takechi remained in the Arc Cradle.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Iseya Yuko] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Iseya Yuko [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 16 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.56m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 59kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Auburn [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, Straight [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Aurora [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 64 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Neptune's Throne [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.65 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blue [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, split into two strands in the front [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Light blue [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Ice Barrier deck (Extra Chapter 6-7) > [REG] Ice Barrier deck (Chapter 32+) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Gawain (Extra Chapter 6) - Loss > [REG] VS Blightbringer (Extra Chapter 7) - Win > [REG] VS ZONE (Chapter 32) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Iseya Yuko, along with Sugita and Takechi, appeared with Moboro to stop what they had been told was a hacker, and then used to attack the Arc Cradle. While Sugita stayed behind to fight Sanjou Kiishiro, Yuko entered the fortress and directly engaged ZONE, however, ZONE quickly overwhelmed and defeated her. After watching the fight between ZONE and Moboro, who had activated his God Mode, Yuko became so frightened that she fled the virtual world - however, what she returned to wasn't in a much better shape. She was contacted by Yuusuke's mother, Aizawa Hikari, and provided her with information concerning the events that had occured inside the virtual reality.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] ================================================== [u][b]Allies[/b][/u]: [spoiler=Sanjou Kotomi] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Sanjou Kotomi [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 56 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Grocery store owner [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.59m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 62kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Ponytail [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Black Magician Ritual deck (Chapter 19-20) > [REG] Black Magician deck (Chapter 47) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Ebony (Chapter 19-20) - Loss > [REG] VS ?? (Chapter 47) - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Sanjou Kotomi's son, Kiishiro, was the first in a long series of people to fall into a coma while trapped inside the virtual reality. Kotomi, who knew nothing of the true events that took place in the Duel Terminal system, only prayed for a way to save her son. Due to the weakening of the boundaries between realities, Ebony, who was trapped inside the Zero Zone, managed to make contact with her and lure her into the virtual world, where she used Kotomi's virtual persona as a vessel to escape her prison, trapping Kotomi instead. Kotomi remained a prisoner within her own mind - however, as she explored the world that she could not escape, she began grasping a new possibility.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Aizawa Hikari] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Aizawa Hikari [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 43 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Head of the Japanese medical union [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.61m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 65kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Hikari first became involved in the war raging inside the virtual world when Yuusuke was trapped into a duel by one of the Ghosts, and subsequently fell into a brief coma after the space he was fighting in collapsed. As a prominent doctor, she was confronted by thousands of similar cases as people began falling in Duel International's trap at huge numbers. She helped Yuusuke forcefully drag Maya out of the virtual world, barely saving her life. When her husband was kidnapped, she received instructions from Jacqueline Devereaux on how to help Yuusuke free him, which she was forced to follow. Finally, she and Taihito discovered part of the truth regarding Miyataka Eizan, and warned Yuusuke, who had returned to the virtual world, that he was a huge threat that had to be dealt with.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Aizawa Taihito] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Aizawa Taihito [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 46 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International Japanese Branch Employee, Technical Research Division [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.64m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 78kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Balding [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Taihito's position in Duel International started heading for the worse when his son was involved in what seemed like a mere corporate scandal. It wasn't long until Taihito was deemed a threat, though, and Sarunoki Moboro took care to imprison him inside the virtual reality. Jacqueline used this fact to gain Yuusuke's trust, allowing the latter to successfully free his father. Upon returning to the real world, Taihito used his knowledge of Duel International and the Terminal system to research how they could be thwarted.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=ZONE] [spoiler=Real-World Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: ZONE [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 87 (apparent) [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Time Machine God deck (Chapter 32+) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Aurora (Chapter 32) - Win > [REG] VS Nebula Emperor (Chapter 35-36) - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]When his own reality was annihilated by its proximity to a Nexus, ZONE escaped in the interdimensional floating fortress, the Arc Cradle. For a long period of time he traveled across different worlds, until he ended up in Duel International's virtual reality. After realizing the schemes of its creators and the dangers such schemes would pose, he resolved to stop them and brough the Arc Cradle inside the Duel Terminal world, searching for those chosen by the Crimson Dragon in order to aid him. After recruiting Sanjou Kiishiro, ZONE mostly remained in the background, letting Kiishiro bring Jinrei Yenma to the fold. Later, he took a more active role, fighting off Duel International's attack on the Arc Cradle, and orchestrating the attempt to stop Ebony's plans.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Ivory] [spoiler=Real-World Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Ivory [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Aether Dawn [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.60m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Petite [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Platinum [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, flowing [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Green [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Dragunity deck (Chapter 59-60) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Thunderbolt Knight VS Ebony (Chapter 59-60) - Win (w/ Thunderbolt Knight) [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Ivory represents the conscience of the virtual world, personified into a human form. She wields great power and control of the virtual reality. She first appeared to Kiishiro, warning him against ZONE, whom Ivory viewed as an intruder. Then, she saved Takechi and Yenma, who had fallen into the Zero Zone in which she resided. After aiding them in learning how to exert control over the virtual reality, she went back to the Arc Cradle with them, chasing after Ebony, her sister, who had escaped the prison Ivory had forced her in many years ago. However, she failed to stop her after the fight with Kiishiro, and Ebony took control of the Symphonic Arsenal, a dangerous weapon which began tearing reality asunder. To stop her, Ivory teamed up with Kiishiro, and though they were almost defeated by Ebony's tricks, they eventually prevailed. Even if the Symphonic Arsenal was destroyed, averting the danger, Ebony escaped once more. Ivory promised to chase her down and free Kiishiro's mother.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Elemental Master Dryad] [spoiler=Real-World Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Elemental Master Dryad [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.62m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Gold [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, flowing [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Elemental Master Dryad deck (Chapter 26) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Sanjou Kiishiro (Chapter 26) - No conclusion [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]One of the few spirits that reside in the virtual world. She was appointed by Ancient Fairy Dragon to guard the Fairy Ring. When Kiishiro arrived at the area, seeking the dragon card, Dryad fought him for it. Though the duel ended without a conclusion, Dryad allowed Kiishiro to take the card. Later on, Christina Neville, who had lost her memories in this place after being saved by Ancient Fairy, arrived, and Dryad joined her in order to assist her in recovering her past, and fighting off Duel International's threat. Dryad now accompanies Christina in spirit form.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] ================================================== [u][b]Enemies[/b][/u]: [spoiler=Gregory Dunkan] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Gregory Dunkan [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 44 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: American [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: CEO of Duel International's American Branch [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.85m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 83kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Lean [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, straight [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > ?? [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > N/A [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]The mastermind behind Duel International, the virtual world, and the plan to reach the Nexus. He has been manipulating events for more than two decades, establishing his dominance even in the group of Duel International's supposedly equal elite. He constructed the Aria Tower in order to house the portal to the Nexus and remained there in order to control it and safeguard it, while he manipulated his allies in order to deal with the threats that arose. However, his plans went further astray than he had been able to account for, and he was faced with considerable crisis, still unwilling to leave the tower. With his diminishing number of associates and several enemies approaching from all directions, he still maintained his calm, and after Ebony was at least temporarily thwarted, he set the plan to control the Nexus in motion.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Lynette Rayleigh] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Lynette Rayleigh [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 29 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: American [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International American Branch Employee, Sales Division Head [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.78m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 61kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, straight [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Hazel [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > ?? [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > N/A [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Perhaps the strangest out of the nine core members of Duel International, she appears quite carefree and innocent at first glance. From the beginning, she chose to remain in the background, staying close to Gregory Dunkan. She was shown to be quite astute when she warned him about Jacqueline's betrayal, a prediction which turned out perfectly accurate. Later on, while she was supposed to be searching for the lost Pylon, she went to observe the duel between Jacqueline and Yuusuke. She indirectly helped Yuusuke win, and after his victory, when he collapsed, she safely transported him to his Duelist Home for unknown reasons, not even claiming the powerful card which he had gained access to.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Abraham Lee] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Abraham Lee [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 50 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: African-American [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International American Branch Employee, Chief of Human Resources [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.76m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 107kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Plump [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, curly [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Green [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > ?? [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > N/A [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Despite his position in Gregory Dunkan's group, and its alleged goal, Lee is in fact a rather docile, humane person. He saved Christina Neville from her fate years ago by keeping the fact that she was actually alive after she nearly died a secret. After he realized the dangers posed by the Nexus, and that nothing would be achieved by tapping into it except destruction, he began discreetly working against his former associates, sending to Christina her original deck and plotting to steal one of the Pylons. This attempt was thwarted by Inoue, who had become suspicious of him. Strangely, Lee was able to catch a glimpse of the Crimson Dragon in the past, a trait shared only, so far, with Sanjou Kiishiro and Christina Neville, who were both fated to become Signers.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler= Nakahara Inoue] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Nakahara Inoue [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 32 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International Japanese Branch Employee, Secretary of the Anti-Hacker Division [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.53m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 58kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Petite [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, curly [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > ?? [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > N/A [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]One of Duel International's core members. Extremely intelligent, she has been orchestrating a large part of the operations both inside and outside the virtual world. She was originally working closely with Takizawa, but after he disappeared, she began answering directly to Dunkan. She disobeyed her orders to search for the last Pylon in order to keep watch for Abraham Lee, proving her sharp intuition as she intercepted Lee when he was about to tamper with the system. Before they could resolve this, though, Eizan infiltrated the Aria Tower, diverting them from their confrontation. Inoue was assigned the task of studying the disks Eizan had brought, which revealed the deaths of Sannosouke Takizawa and Jacqueline Devereaux.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Ebony] [spoiler=Real-World Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Ebony [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.64m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, flowing [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Green [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Black Magician deck (Chapter 19-20) > [REG] Dark World / Earthbound God deck (Chapter 37+) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Sanjou Kotomi (Chapter 19-20) - Win > [REG] VS Sanjou Kiishiro (Chapter 37-38) - Win (Interrupted) > [REG] VS Lorelei (Chapter 53) - Win > [REG] VS Thunderbolt Knight VS Ivory (Chapter 59-60) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Ebony represents the personified will of the virtual world, and is ruthless and brutal, even borderline insane at times. Deemed a great threat, she was trapped by her sister, Ivory, in a separate space inside the Zero Zone. She managed to free herself by using Sanjou Kotomi as a vessel, and upon leaving her prison, swore to get revenge. She hunted after Sanjou Kiishiro in the Arc Cradle in order to free herself from Kotomi's remaining influence, but her attempts were hindered. Subsequently, she found and claimed the Symphonic Arsenal by beating its guardian, Lorelei, and initiated it in order to reverse the flow of energy that came through the Nexus, causing a greater catastrophe. Various groups appeared to oppose her, but in the end only Kiishiro and Ivory herself reached her. After a grueling duel, in which Ebony tried to manipulate Kiishiro against Ivory, Ebony was defeated. Refusing to surrender, she used Sanjou Kotomi as hostage in order to flee once more, with Ivory hot on her trail.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Miyataka Eizan] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Miyataka Eizan [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Former Duel International Employee [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.54m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 46kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Atrophic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Balding [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Grey [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: EH [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.76m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Shoulder length, rich [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Psychic deck (Chapter 41) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Takizawa Sannosouke (Chapter 41) - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Miyataka Eizan is the name of a man who was one of Duel International's promineent employees a long time ago, crucial in the development of the virtual world system. After Duel International began massively trapping people in the virtual world in order to gather the required energy to open the portal to the Nexus, Miyataka set his own plans to motion, reviving certain duelists such as Mike Nicholson, Kirizaki Maya's alter ego Sinclair, and Ylaidus in order to furthen his, still shrouded in mystery, goals. What is assumed to be his real world persona was killed when Takizawa entered his house and shot him, but he was revealed to still exist inside the virtual world, where he dragged Takizawa and killed him after a brutal duel. Though his motivations and goals are still unclear, except that they relate to causing chaos, Eizan is still, directly or indirectly, responsible for a lot of the developments inside the virtual world, and has shown special interest in Maya.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Adam Fergusson] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Adam Fergusson [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: American [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: ?? [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Firesoul [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.96 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Red [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Orange [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [RID] Jurak deck (Chapter 43+) > [REG] Jurak deck (Chapter 54+) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [RID] VS Ghost (Chapter 43) - Win > [RID] VS Galahad (Chapter 51-52) - No conclusion > [REG] VS Gawain (Chapter 54) - Loss (Interrupted) [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Adam Fergusson is the standing American champion, and at first glance a pretty laid-back fellow. However, he is deeply involved in the terror currently rampaging across the virtual world. He was originally part of Project REVOLT, a plot by Ylaidus, Adam, and his brother Thomas, to intercept Duel International before they could reach the Nexus and claim its power for themselves. Their progress was thwarted when Aizawa Taihito discovered part of the project and reported it, resulting in its obliteration and the death of Ylaidus and Fergusson's brother. Adam continued the project in secret, eventually managing to complete it. He was attacked by a Ghost using the Machine Emperor Grannel Infinity, which almost caused him to be defeated, but he managed to prevail and, using his formidable resources, kidnapped Maya in order to force Yuusuke into a duel, which would cause the circuit Road to Tomorrow to breach into the Nexus. This failed, and Fergusson left Yuusuke for dead. As he sought an alternative, he met Ylaidus, whom he had thought dead. Ylaidus opened a portal for him, which led deep underground where he met and fought against Ryusaki Sugita. After he was almost defeated, he took advantage of a distraction in order to escape. It is unknown where he is now, or what he will do next.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Howard Rowen] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Howard Rowen [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 43 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: American [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International American Branch Employee, Head of Technical Research [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.71m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 93kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Plump [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, combed back [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Howard Rowen is one of Gregory Dunkan's employees. He participated in the testing of the Machine Emperor Wisel against Mike Nicholson and witnessed the boy's subsequent demise. He was convinced to cover up the incident. The extent to which he remains involved in Duel International's plots is unknown.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Ghost] [spoiler=Real-World Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Ghost (varies) [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.85m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Ally of Justice deck (Chapter 2-3) > [RID] Wisel Infinity deck (Chapter 7) > [RID] Zombie deck (Chapter > [REG] Exodia deck (Chapter 9-10) > [RID] Koa Kimeiru deck (Chapter 11) > [RID] Skiel Infinity deck (Chapter 29-30) > [RID] Grannel Infinity deck (Chapter 43) > [REG] Red-Eyes Black Dragon deck (Extra Chapter 2) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Galahad (Chapter 2-3) - Loss > [RID] VS CrossWing (Chapter 7) - Win > [RID] VS Thunderbolt Knight (Chapter - Loss > [REG] VS Galahad (Chapter 9-10) - Loss > [RID] VS Stiyel Crystal (Chapter 11) - Loss > [RID] VS Stiyel Crystal (Chapter 29-30) - Loss > [RID] VS Firesoul (Chapter 43) - Loss > [REG] VS Nightshade (Extra Chapter 2) - Win [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Ghosts are artificial intelligence programs created by Duel International. Their main purpose was to act as frontline troops, luring duelists into duels which would result in their consciousness remaining trapped inside the virtual reality. The appearance of Ghosts remained roughly the same, even though it fluctuated slightly in special occasions. At various points, Ghosts appeared to engage several of Duel International's opponents, but most of these efforts were fruitless. Gregory Dunkan used Ghosts for his initial testing of his secret weapons, the Machine Emperor cards. Eventually, Ghosts were largely replaced by the Cataphracts, Jacqueline's advanced version that used already existing player accounts to host the artificial intelligence programs, vastly increasing their capabilities.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] ================================================== [u][b]Deceased[/b][/u]: [spoiler=Cornelius Klein] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Cornelius Klein [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 61 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: German [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: CEO of Duel International's European Branch [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.72m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 84kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Grey [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Balding [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: King of Dead [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 100 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 2.15 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Devil God deck (Chapter 5-6) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Stiyel Crystal (Chapter 5-6) - No conclusion [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Cornelius Klein was a mysterious man, at first glance working closely with Gregory Dunkan and the others in their attempt to seize the Nexus. However, it was later revealed that his own agenda ran way deeper, and he had planned a lot of things, especially regarding Kirizaki Maya, whom he had come in contact with in the past. After the latter entered the Vision Cathedral, Klein intercepted her and had her duel him, however, it was a ploy to have Maya acquire the Devil Gods, the three phantasms comprising one of the Pylons. Klein had been killed earlier that day, but he possessed some unknown means to prolong the life of his consciousness in the virtual world, presumably the same as Miyataka Eizan used. Even so, he perished when Maya destroyed the two Devil Gods.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Mike Nicholson] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Mike Nicholson [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 20 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: American [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Beta-tester for Duel International [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.83m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 74kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Hazel [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: CrossWing [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 38 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Thunder Hawk [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.86 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blue [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Spiky, medium-length [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Grey [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [RID] Dragon deck (Chapter 7-15) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [RID] VS Ghost (Chapter 7) - Loss > [RID] (w/ Sinclair) VS Thunderbolt Knight & Greyblade (Chapter 12-15) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Mike Nicholson worked as a beta tester for Duel International on the newly-implemented Riding Duel system. He was put in a duel against a Ghost, wielding a deck based around a monster never seen before, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity. The duel ended quickly with the Ghost emerging victorious, and Mike perished on the spot. He was later revived in order to attack Jinrei Yenma along with Sinclair, but was unsuccessful.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Nakazawa Shugo] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Nakazawa Shugo [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 18 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.73m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 73kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Regular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, combed to the side [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Hazel [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Doveren [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 13 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.90 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Muscular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short cropped [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Six Samurai deck (Chapter 17) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Galahad (Chapter 17) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Yuusuke tampered with Shugo's Duel Terminal account in order to discover the truth about what had happened to him inside the virtual world. This was intercepted by Duel International, and Shugo, fearing legal repercussions, followed their instructions and entered the system. His mind was purged and he was maintained as a Cataphract, used to fight Yuusuke when he tried to search for him. After being defeated by Yuusuke, he died.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Hozuki Takeru] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Hozuki Takeru [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: ?? [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Dread_T [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 86 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.87 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Athletic [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Spiky [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Ally of Justice (Chapter 27-28) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Galahad (Chapter 27-28) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Takeru, a high-ranked duelist from a previous national tournament, began working for Duel International. The insidious company did not hesitate to take advantage of his unstable mentality and bloodthirsty nature, and used him as a weapon to fulfill their plans. Takeru was assigned to guard Yuusuke's father, who had been incarcerated by Moboro. With Jacqueline's aid, however, Yuusuke entered the virtual world and defeated him, resulting in his death.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Sarunoki Moboro] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Sarunoki Moboro [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 57 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International Japanese Branch Employee, Head of Technical Research [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.69m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 66kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Lean [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Balding, combed back [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Nebula Emperor [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 100 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 2.36 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Bulky [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Red [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Worm deck (Chapter 35-36) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS ZONE (Chapter 35-36) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]A high-ranking member of Duel International, Sarunoki Moboro was a man prone to obsessions. He murdered Cornelius Klein when he suspected his betrayal, and when that failed to prevent the loss of a Pylon, he desperately sought a way to make up for it. He first had Yenma attacked and Aizawa Taihito imprisoned in order to reduce the threat to their plans, and then led a group of powerful duelists inside the Arc Cradle. He used Yuko's duel against ZONE to study the latter's deck and formulate counter strategies, and proceeded to engage in battle with him, activating his God Mode in order to ensure victory. ZONE was able to win regardless by displaying an extremely versatile strategy, and Moboro died after his mind was wiped out by the God Mode.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Takizawa Sannosouke] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Sannosouke Takizawa [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 69 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: CEO of Duel International's Japanese Branch [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.55m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 93kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Plump [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Grey [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Balding [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Brown [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Black Solomon [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 100 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.55m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Plump [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Grey [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Balding [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Genex deck (Chapter 41) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS EH (Chapter 41) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]As an integral member of Duel International's core group, it became Takizawa's assignment to search for the man named Miyataka Eizan, after his name was located in the defected Cornelius Klein's documents. Takizawa's research yielded some surprising results, and with the aid of Nakahara Inoue he was finally able to track the man down. Takizawa went to his apartment and killed him, but he actually fell into Eizan's trap and was brought into the virtual world. There, Eizan forced Takizawa into a duel at high stakes. Even after Takizawa activated his God Mode, he was unable to overcome his opponent, and he died after losing the duel.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Draco Ross] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Draco Ross [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 45 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Unknown, presumably from Eastern Europe [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International European Branch Employee, Financial Consultant [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.93m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 86kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Bulky [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Shaved [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Blue [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Abbadon [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 100 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 2.25 [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Bulky [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: ?? [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Red [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Inverz deck (Chapter 33-34) > [RID] Inverz deck (Chapter 45-46) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Vortexflame (Chapter 33-34) - Loss > [RID] VS Greyblade & Vortexflame (Chapter 45-46) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]A ruthless, powerful, efficient and proud man. He began working with Duel International for noble purposes, but lost sight of his goal. He chased after Jinrei Yenma and Bando Takechi in the Zero Zone, which led to him being defeated by Takechi. He continued pursuing them into the Arc Cradle, but was caught in the aftermath of a teleportation spell Ebony cast in order to escape. The dark power shattered his mind, and he became an instrument of destruction following only his impulse for revenge. He engaged Takechi and Yenma again in his God Mode, and was finally defeated by their combined power. [/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Kirizaki Ryouga] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Kirizaki Ryouga [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 75 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Japanese (1/2nd), Korean (1/2nd) [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Former Yakuza Boss [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.79m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 102kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Muscular [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Grey [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Short, balding [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Infernity deck (Chapter 49-50) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Kirizaki Maya (Chapter 49-50) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]A large-scale criminal boss, as well as Maya's grandfather, he took her to his home in Japan after her parents died. Maya fled from him after he tried to use her status in order to seal important deals with Duel International through Cornelius Klein. He still kept a close eye on her, and when the chaos erupted, he invited her in order to give her some things Klein had left with him for her. With that job completed, Ryouga entered the virtual world, where he hoped to attain immortality. He faced off against Maya for that, but was defeated and killed when Maya summoned one of her Devil Gods.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Jacqueline Devereaux] [spoiler=Real-World Persona] [b][u]Name[/u][/b]: Jacqueline Devereaux [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 34 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: French [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Duel International European Branch Employee, Design Division Head Artist [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.68m [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 56kg [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, loose [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Black [/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Gaia Queen [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: 100 [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: Emerald Dream [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 2.12m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Brown [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, wild [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: Green [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [RID] Naturia deck (Chapter 40) > [REG] Naturia deck (Chapter 55-56) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [RID] VS Galahad VS Stiyel Crystal (Chapter 40) - Loss > [REG] VS Galahad (Chapter 55-56) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]Having experienced the dread a world's death can cause, Jacqueline was more than eager to join Gregory Dunkan's research group when she was given the opportunity, wishing to be able to stop such a catastrophe. She followed the group's line of action obediently, designing most of the cards used for the Pylons, and the special decks Duel International's top agents used. After Aizawa Yuusuke's first mingling with their plans, she perceived him as a threat that needed removing, but, unwilling to kill him outright, she had him face various traps, including killing his own friend that he had come to save. In the end, she managed little more than to ignite Yuusuke's spark for retribution. At the same time, she began realizing that Dunkan's goals were contradictory to her own desires, and betrayed Duel International, joining forces with Eizan while planning to play both sides of the field. This proved impossible as Eizan ruthlessly manipulated her, forcing her to dance to his tune as any chance of salvation slowly faded away. Left with no options, Jacqueline engaged Yuusuke in a last battle, and before she died she managed to reveal her true self to him, and grant him a new power with which to move forward, trusting that he could achieve the goal she had not managed to reach.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Lorelei] [spoiler=Real-World Persona]N/A[/spoiler] [spoiler=Virtual Persona] [b][u]Avatar Name[/u][/b]: Lorelei [b][u]Duelist Rank[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]D-Wheel[/u][/b]: -- [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 1.68m [b][u]Figure[/u][/b]: Slim [b][u]Hair Color[/u][/b]: Blonde [b][u]Hair Style[/u][/b]: Long, braided [b][u]Eye Color[/u][/b]: N/A [b][u]Decks[/u][/b]: > [REG] Symphonic Arsenal Lorelei deck (Chapter 53) [b][u]Record[/u][/b]: > [REG] VS Ebony (Chapter 53) - Loss [/spoiler] [spoiler=Summary]The embodiment of the virtual world's fate. Unlike Ebony and Ivory, she is not a personification of a naturally-born concept, rather, she was artificially constructed by Miyataka Eizan, and has served to keep the unfathomable power of a terrible weapon, the Symphonic Arsenal, sealed. After she helped guide her Maya to a series of battles that would help her come to terms with her past, take control of her present, and save her future, she was attacked by Ebony, who aimed to take the power of the Symphonic Arsenal for herself. Lorelei almost managed to kill her by using the Arsenal's tremendous power as a weapon, but Ebony outwitted her and then destroyed her while leaving the Symphonic Arsenal unharmed. Later on, the instrument itself was destroyed by the Signer Dragons, and the remnants of Lorelei that were trapped in it disappeared completely.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] ================================================== [/spoiler] [spoiler=Part 2 - Background Information] [spoiler=Virtual Reality and Duel Terminal System]Virtual reality systems represent a relatively new technology. They are meant to emulate an imaginary world, and bring the users into such a world via their brains. They became wildly popular for a short period of time, but fell victim to the general technological recess that followed the first few decades of the twenty first century. At that time, Duel International developed their own virtual reality system, the Duel Terminal, which would quickly become by far the most successful implementation of the technology. However, Duel International knew very well that even an artificial world was no less real, and were planning to use their virtual reality in order to access the Nexus. The Duel Terminal system was structured based on a beehive model. Numerous subspaces, called Duel Fields, comrpised its main body. Those areas were not connected physically, but via simple space-warping methods. The original of each Duel Field is maintained in the central archives, and an imperfect copy of it is created from the servers upon request to host a particular duel. The exceptions are special areas which only exist once and are not replicated, instead being directly accessed. In a virtual reality, the creation of a virtual persona is necessary, which will become the avatar of one's thoughts and actions inside that world. Such an avatar can take virtually any form, although ideally, a shape close to the original body will be chosen in order to prevent difficulty in adjustment. Such an avatar is controlled via the brain, with the signals filtered through the terminal system used to access it. What the virtual persona experiences will also be transmitted to the brain with appropriate signals - unless those signals are carefully regulated, this can result to numerous risks - an injury taken in the virtual world can result in corresponding mental trauma, and in the most extreme cases, even death, in the real world.[/spoiler] [spoiler=The Nexus and Different Worlds]The world of Dead Zone utilizes a loose interpretation of the multiverse theory. There are multiple, possibly infinite worlds, that exist parallel to each other. The space in which all worlds are located in is called the Void. In a rough representation, each world would be a small island in an infinite, black sea. Each world is protected from the Void by a layer known as the Outer Sphere. The Outer Sphere protects the world from outside interference and prevents interaction between different worlds. Often, tiny breaches appear in the Outer Sphere - these are called, collectively, the Gap. Through these holes, minor interaction with different worlds is possible. When a phenomenon occurs inside a world that did not originally belong to this world, that phenomenon is called a phantasm. Phantasms are generally perceived as miracles or great disasters. However, such interference which disrupts the natural order of the multiverse is a chaotic factor. Chaos leaves a residue in the Void, which accumulates into a Nexus. A Nexus acts as a huge mass of energy, created and enlarged when phantasms cross from their world into the Void. Realities conceptually close to the Nexus begin to experience a gradual weakening of the Outer Sphere, which results in even more phantasms crossing through, and an even faster growth of the Nexus, which draws those chaotic realities to it like a magnet. When a world gets too close, the Nexus completely burns away the Outer Sphere, and the world is annihilated completely - excluding phantasms that already have the capability of cross-dimensional travel. Because the Nexus is essentially a concentration of energy, it has been theorized that it can be used as a power source. Gregory Dunkan and others, who had been able to grasp the concept of the Gap, and possessed the funds to furthen their research, began searching for a way to tap into that power without destroying their world. The solution they created was to draw the Nexus close to their reality, and then contain its energy using an artificially constructed virtual reality to act as a buffer between their own world and the Nexus, and a group of phantasms that, together, could offset the destructive portion of the energy released by the Nexus. They divided those phantasms into three groups of three, calling each group the Pylon, and integrated them into a large-scale control system. They believe that, if they can safely tap into the power of the Nexus, they will be able to produce miracles. There is another factor besides space (the crossing over between worlds) that violates order and produces chaos. That is time travelling, traversing back and forth in the timeline. Because this is a phenomenon even more rare and dangerous than dimensional travelling, not much is known about it. Most phantasms immediately cross from one world to another, and do not remain in the Void for any period of time. A few of them have the capacity to survive inside the Void, and roam freely through it, passing by myriads of worlds. Only one such creature is known, the Crimson Dragon. There is a technological construct that is able to emulate this ability, the interdimensional fortress Arc Cradle. Other phantasms include the Crimson Dragon's servants (which include the Signer Dragons - Blackfeather, Ancient Fairy, and Black Rose Dragon), the monster groups used as Pylons (which include the Devil Gods - THE DEVIL'S AVATAR, ERASER and DREADROOT), the Time Machine Gods, the Earthbound Gods and One-Hundred Eye Dragon, all of the special monsters used by Duel International's top executives, and several other creatures, such as Chaos Soldier - Envoy of Creation.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Artificial Intelligence Programs]In order to finalize their plan and gather enough energy to open the portal to the Nexus, Duel International used the virtual reality as a battlefield, forcing people to fight for their lives, and gathering energy from their struggling minds and the concepts that were materialized. For these purposes, they employed the use of specially-designed AI programs. These were called the Ghosts, and had basic behavioral patterns, unnatural bloodthirst and wielded various high-end decks. The interference of various powerful duelists capable of defeating the Ghosts led to the need for more advanced measures. Jacqueline Devereaux, responsible for this development, created the Cataphracts. The Cataphracts were artificial intelligence programs loaded into the virtual shell of a person after that person's mind was erased. The vastly increased capacity for storing and analyzing data proved critical in the effectiveness of the Cataphracts over the Ghosts, however, they did not have a chance to be used as effectively. It must be noted that, until a person is actually defeated in a duel and their brain is utterly destroyed, they are kept in a pseudo-living state required to sustain the functions of the Cataphracts. It is unlikely they are able to recover from that state. Notable Cataphracts: Nakazawa Shugo. The final evolution of these projects was produced not by Duel International, but by Miyataka Eizan. He dubbed his creations Sabers. They were unlike the Ghosts and Cataphracts in that they did not utilize artificial intelligence to function. Eizan rebuilt detroyed virtual entities, essentially reviving them even up to the point where they regained their consciousness and character. He then chose whether to utilize various techniques to increase their ability to duel, often at the expense of other functions, or leave them as they were. The Sabers were mostly bound to Eizan's control, but they still exerted some measure of free will. Notable Sabers: Sinclair, Ylaidus. A side line of this research are the forms used by Duel International's executives, the God Modes. An entity that exists inside the virtual world receives signals from somewhere - for living people, that is their human brain that exists in the real world. By replacing the source of those signals with massive prebuilt databases of knowledge, they were able to turn themselves into ultimate dueling machines. However, this power came at a price. Prolonged use of the God Mode could be disastrous, and as the God Mode was pushed closer to defeat, it was forced to overwrite an increasingly larger part of the user's brain in order to accommodate the complex algorithms required for victory. Defeat, or even getting close to defeat, would mean certain death. So far, Cornelius Klein, Sarunoki Moboro, Sannosouke Takizawa, Draco Ross, and Jacqueline Devereaux have all used their God Modes, but due to the fact that they were faced by superior opponents, they were defeated and, invariably, killed.[/spoiler] [/spoiler] [spoiler=Part 3 - Timeline] • December, 2012: A famous "world end" date, theoretically proven to be a fluke. However, due to the destruction of another reality, near our own, a certain group of people began growing aware of the multiple reality system. • 2013: Duel International is first constituted, then only a small company based in Japan, focused on the design of board games. • 2017: Gregory Dunkan obtains control of Duel International, merging it with several other companies. Using his resources, he begins extensive research on virtual reality systems, hoping to gain understanding of the actual different worlds. • 2019: Sanjou Kiishiro, Aizawa Yuusuke, and Kirizaki Maya are born. • 2025: The Duel Terminal system is officially released to the public. • 2027: The first national tournaments take place inside the virtual world. Due to various bugs, and generally low attendance, they were largely a failure. • 2028: The Crimson Dragon appears in the sky for the first time. Duel International constructs a base for its servers in Africa, performing experiments inside the virtual world. An Ethiopeian girl named Reesha is used in these experiments, and after her apparent death, secretly released by Abraham Lee. • 2032: The second national tournaments of the Duel Terminal system take place. Kirizaki Maya is crowned the champion in Europe, Adam Fergusson in America, and the yet unnamed duelist Ylaidus in Japan. • 2034: Maya moves to Japan with her grandfather, Kirizaki Ryouga. Soon after she leaves his house, and buys an apartment to live by herself. • April 27th, 2037 (noon): Kiishiro faces off against ZONE in the virtual world, and falls into a coma. [Chapter 1] • May 7th, 2037 (evening): Ebony is defeated by the combined efforts of Ivory and Kiishiro, ending the threat of the Symphonic Arsenal. [Chapter 60] [/spoiler] [/spoiler] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 The end is nigh... Posting on Saber's behalf to bump thread/seperate his posts, but looking forward to the thrilling conclusion. Wish to say in public now, thank you for all the exciting action and moving storytelling this story has provided, as well as the inspiriation and the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Thanks for the support, Matt ^^ Happy New Years to everyone. Anyway, so it was said, and so it will be done. Chapter 61, heralding the beginning of Dead Zone's final arc (minus some ending stuff), is online now. This is where everything starts coming together, plots are revealed and unraveled, and the story culminates to its explosive finale. It all starts with this - Blow from the Blind Spot. Focused on characters who largely remained on the background until now, this chapter will, along with the following one, demonstrate the final preparations from all sides, as the decisive battle draws close. Enjoy, and comment again please ~ [spoiler=Chapter 61] [center][b][u]Chapter 61:[/u][/b][u] Blow from the Blind Spot[/u][/center] "Mother?" Quickly, Iseya Yuko climbed down the stairs. When she had returned home earlier, her mother had not been there, and despite herself, Yuko had been quite worried. Therefore, the sound of keys against the front door's lock caused her relief. That relief, though, soon turned to fear, as she observed the person who walked through that door. Iseya Ayami's normally impeccable image was a haggard mess. Her face was marred by a bloodied brow, a swollen eye, and cut lips. Her clothing was torn apart, and bruises covered her arms and legs. She slumped against the wall, and to her horror, Yuko noticed the long trail of blood following her. Yuko screamed, rushing towards her. She barely caught her before she collapsed, paying little heed to the blood flowing from the large wound on her back that seeped through her fingers. Between sobs and cries for help, help that would not come, of course, she managed to drag her to the couch. Stumbling, she rushed to the bathroom where the medical supplies were kept. She did not know what a meager first aid kit could manage against injuries of such extent, but it was all she had to work with. When she returned, carrying a hastily-filled bucket of hot water - it was a miracle they still had running water - and whatever bandages and antiseptics she could find, her mother had regained some semblance of consciousness. "It is... an open revolt out there." Even breaths seemed difficult for her. Yuko nodded frantically, trying to soothe her. When she had returned from Duel International's office, Sugita had predicted this situation, and they had used the smaller roads, avoiding the places where the chaos would make it difficult to traverse, but they had seen the situation in some of the larger streets. Nothing short of warfare could describe that horror. A whole world, turned into a battlefield of insanity. If she had went through that, it was no wonder that her mother would end up in such a state. "Listen, Yuko..." The girl applied whatever bandages she could to her mother's wound, trying to stem the blood flow. "While I was still at the office, I heard some things... this disaster... it's linked to the cases from before... Duel International is - " "I know." Yuko realized that every labored word was a huge burden for her mother. "I know. Don't speak any more. I'll call a doctor, a hospital..." "Silly girl." Ayami caught her hand as she tried to leave, smiling softly between fits of coughing. "Nothing of that sort works any more... the world is done for. Please, Yuko..." Hesitantly, Yuko sat on the floor next to her mother, cradling her hand in hers, tears running freely from her eyes. "Whatever I may have said, I always wanted to... be there for you. Even if I thought your decisions were wrong, I always wanted to support you... because, I..." [i]Love you.[/i] Fifteen minutes later, Yuko, with her limited first aid training, had patched up her mother's injuries as well as she could. After managing to sterilize the wound, she had stitched it to keep it from opening again. It was a rough job, but Yuko hoped it was enough to keep her condition steady. Keep her alive for a while. She smiled feebly. She'd never have imagined that she'd be able to do anything even remotely close to stitching a wound. Life-and-death situations had a way of bringing up hidden talents and nurturing skills one never even knew they had. And finally, the seed that had been planted during her earlier conversation with Aizawa Hikari began to bloom. Yuko made her resolve. To truly protect that which was dear to her, to salvage this world of chaos, it was necessary to return to the field of battle. --- Gregory Dunkan took a deep breath. Even now, after all these decades of preparation, this was no easy step to take. The song of chaos had stopped, and in its aftermath lay the final chance to seize the Nexus. The time before everything would spiral too much out of control was minimal. It had to be done now, or the chance would be lost forever. He had woven the scenario many times in his head. Ideally, all opposition should be silenced, all uncontrollable factors eliminated, by the time this crucial moment came. True, he was a realist - he knew that nothing would go just according to plan. But he had not imagined such a mess. Of the eight people he originally had to work with, only three were left. Klein had betrayed him. Moboro had been destroyed during that failed invasion of the Arc Cradle. They still had no idea of how Ross had fallen, but thanks to the 'present' left by the man claiming to be Miyataka Eizan, he had a very clear picture of Takizawa's and Jacqueline's deaths, and it was all the more disturbing. For all these sacrifices, they had made very little progress. Eizan was still on the loose. ZONE's group, based in the Arc Cradle, was a looming threat over his plans. And the number of renegades who just seemed to have nothing better to do than oppose him at every possible chance was growing by the hour. It was time to put an end to all of this, fast. He had taken every possible precaution. He had gathered the Machine Emperors, and assembled all of Jacqueline's remaining Cataphracts. Between them, they should be able to delay any possible invasion long enough for the Nexus to be at least partially tapped into. And then... Then what? Gregory Dunkan had spun that moment a million times in his head, yet he was no closer to reaching a conclusive answer. What would happen, when he embraced the impossible energies assembled inside this monstrous storage of power, this conglomerate of chaos? He had no answer. The Pylons would prevent the Nexus from getting close enough to their real world to incinerate its Outer Sphere completely. In the meantime, inside the virtual world, Dunkan would use the Portal to take the power within him. He could not say for certain that he would survive it. He could not say for certain that the world would survive it. But he had to do it. Normally, from this exact moment, up to the literal breaking point where the Nexus would be just close enough for Dunkan to touch, but just far enough to not outright end the world, six hours would pass. Long before those six hours passed, everyone in both the real and the virtual worlds would be obliterated. Hence, the Pylons. However, it was not that simple. Releasing those great phantasms would attract the Nexus much faster. Their precise calculations had indicated that the activation of the control system would speed up the process by a factor of two. There was no point in delaying any longer. Dunkan had long delegated all forms of control of the Aria Tower, and what was left of the virtual world that still remained in a stable enough state to control, to his own personal panel, which he brought up. Three things to be done. The first was easy - a press of a button, and a message was transmitted. An order, which would utterly shut down the virtual world from the real one. There need not be any further interferences. The second one was a bit harder. He had to find a way to deal with his two remaining pawns in the Aria Tower. Both of them had exhibited very unnerving behavior at this late hour. He couldn't afford any slip-ups now. He had enough trouble with his enemies to be able to deal with the treachery of his own subordinates. Thankfully, he had made provisions for such a scenario, too. He relegated the necessary orders. Now, things should flow according to plan. And finally, the very last step. The activation of the Pylons. He took a quick look at the display. The original plan involved three Pylons with three points each. Thanks to Klein's betrayal and Jacqueline's sloppiness, the third Pylon now featured only two points. Nakahara had been able to produce an alternate version of the previous formation to accommodate for this change. With just one, minor alteration to cover for an unforeseen possibility, it would suit his purposes just fine. "The end is here." Dunkan muttered. The work of a lifetime culminated in this single instance, as the appropriate option was selected. Always extremely confident in himself, Dunkan had never seen the need to implement verification checks after inputting commands in those systems he personally handled. But in this case, he had made an exception. [i][b]Confirm Choice? YES | NO[/b][/i] Only a slight trembling of the finger. Only a fraction of a second's worth of hesitation. And the final call was made. [i]Time left: 2:59:59[/i] --- The timing had to be perfect. Abraham Lee knew that if he was off - a second too early, a second too late - everything would be ruined. At the moment that the control system was activated - that was the instance where he would make his stand. In front of him was a large horizontal holographic panel, demonstrating graphic representations of the two worlds, the real world and the virtual world, as large spheres, now mostly overlapping one another. A short distance away was the massive white vortex of the Nexus. And, placed symetrically in a polygon around both the Nexus and the two worlds, eight small bulbs of light, now extremely faint. The skeleton of the control system, and the core of Dunkan's plan. Quickly, Lee input a set of orders in a smaller panel that he had conjured next to him. Ever since he had received his orders, a few minutes ago, he knew that the time was coming. He could not allow Gregory Dunkan to control the Nexus. If he managed to do that, then it would be too late to save anything. Even if tampering with the control system would make the situation that much more unstable... it was a risk that had to be taken. Each of the eight spheres began pulsing softly, intensifying in strength. It was time. Quick as a viper, Lee pressed a single button. The image of a small grey matrix briefly appeared in the hologram, surrounding one of the eight points, until it lost its light, and then vanished completely. A card took form in Lee's hand. Almost reverently, he dematerialized it. He had done it. At that instance where the control system would be initiated, the Pylons were vulnerable. And Lee had used that miniscule window of opportunity to remove one of the points. Just one would hopefully not result in the construct collapsing outright. Just one would be enough, to completely destroy all hopes of tapping into the Nexus, for the time being. He turned to leave, intent on getting away as quickly as possible. His work was not done yet - he still had to find a way to actually prevent the Nexus from wiping everything out. However, just as he turned around, he came face-to-face with Nakahara Inoue. Her expression was cold, calculating, searching. No anger, no concern, no surprise. "He told me you would pull off something like this." She said, slow emphasis placed on each word. "He knew all along... and now, it is time for you to die." "If we fight this close to the portal, we will [i]all[/i] die." Lee retorted, backing away slowly. They were in a circular chamber with four doors leading to various other areas of the Tower. If he could make a dash for one before Nakahara did anything stupid... "Where do you think you're going?" Inoue snapped, raising her hands. Instantly, the floor under his feet shattered to reveal black tendrils that shot upwards, binding his legs and arms. But then, her own eyes opened widely in shock, as the cracks spread to envelop the entire floor. Before either of them could react, they were falling, collapsing into a bottomless black abyss. --- When Nakahara Inoue opened her eyes, it took them a few seconds to adjust to the dark chamber. It took her brain no time at all, however, to register her situation. They were in a dark room. Her legs were chained to a raised platform, attached to an antique dueling arena, the likes of which had been scrapped from the planning stages of the virtual reality. Spikes surrounded her platform, spikes taller than herself. The arena dominated most of the room, which was closed in by black walls, smeared with macabre red streaks. There was no ceiling to be seen, but several crystal chandeliers sent a sickly golden light across the chamber. The floor, if any, was hidden by a misty veil of black smoke. "Oh no, please no..." She whimpered, pushing herself up. "Not this..." Lee, standing on the other side of the arena, had also returned to consciousness, looking around him bewildered. Inoue hardly paid him any heed. "Welcome to my arena." A voice said grandly. Miyataka Eizan took form on the side of the arena, his feet touching a newly-materialized platform. "Please, no!" Inoue gasped, turning to him. "I - I did everything you ordered! I served you well, didn't I?" "You did most of what I asked you to do, but you did not pay enough attention to what I told you [i]not[/i] to do." Eizan said sternly. "I explicitly told you not to disrupt the portal to the Nexus. Haphazardly using direct manipulation of the virtual world like that goes directly against my orders. Reality is already so fragile that a minor disturbance could unravel it entirely. You should consider yourselves fortunate I stopped you as soon as I did." Inoue's face must have grown deathly pale, because Eizan looked at her and laughed. "Do not be so afraid. I did not bring you here to punish you. Instead, I'm giving you a chance to finish what you shouldn't have started. Your opponent is here. Defeat him in fair combat, and claim your prize. But, you two aren't allowed to use God Modes for this battle. I'll kill you if you do." And with this off-hand warning, Eizan disappeared in a wisp of white fog, his chuckle resonating in the empty space. Inoue turned around desperately, materializing her deck. Now, all choices had been abolished but one. Fight, to survive. Nakahara Inoue was a person that valued two things, and two things only. Her second priority was power. Her first priority was her own life. Shortly after Sarunoki Moboro's demise, she realized that neither of those values would be freely available to her if she remained in Dunkan's circle. Being Takizawa's close advisor, she learned virtually everything about the research on Eizan, and she was able to get a secret head start on her co-worker. When she reached Eizan, he demonstrated to her power as she had never experienced it before. She instantly pledged her loyalty to him. She was the one who manipulated the events so that Jacqueline Devereaux would also join Eizan's side, without knowing Inoue's true allegiances - this was Inoue's own idea, to create a diversion in case suspicion arose. And she was the one to have discreetly created the data that Jacqueline used to lure Takizawa to Eizan's trap. She did not think much of double-crossing her old associates - it was a game of backstabbing and personal aspirations to begin with. It was only now that she realized just how badly she'd been outplayed at it. Miyataka Eizan and Gregory Dunkan were both strategists. They would use their subordinates and associates as pawns, distractions, while they executed their plans. And when they outlived their usefulness - well, this was the result. There was still a chance, though. The card that Abraham Lee had taken from the Pylon. That, alone, was a phantasm of formidable power. If she could get her hands on it, she had, at the very least, a hope for survival. To do that, there was a target that had to be eliminated first. To his credit, Abraham Lee had regained his composure rather quickly. No sooner had Eizan left than he had also prepared himself for the upcoming fight, perhaps realizing the uselessness of trying to avoid it. Not realizing that he was dead whether he won or lost. There was no way that fool would be able to wield the Pylon's point against Eizan. No, Inoue had to take it from him, and to do that, she had to kill him. "You've been working with him all along." Lee said. He was not accusing her - merely observing the fact. "You really thought Miyataka Eizan was the better option? Or the lesser of two evils?" "My thoughts are none of your business." Inoue snapped. "I did what I had to do. Prepare yourself!" Lee shook his head, seemingly unwilling to accept the situation. Nonetheless, his deck was placed on the appropriate slot of the arena's panel before him, and the system activated. [center][i][b]Nakahara Inoue[/b] - LP: 4000[/i] [i][b]Abraham Lee[/b] - LP: 4000[/i][/center] "Draw." Inoue said coldly. She was not going to lose - there was no way she could lose. "I summon Ritua Abyss!" The Ritua deck, based on the largely forgotten mechanics of Ritual Summoning, was a deck that, rather than create a rapidly diminishing burst of power, aimed to maintain a consistent presence while whittling down the opponent's resources, and increasing one's own. Trap the enemy in a situation where no options are left for them, a slow, but certain victory - this was her way of fighting. A bipedal monster whose head was grotesquely fused with the body of a shark appeared on the field. "The effect of Abyss lets me add a Ritua monster to my hand, provided it has less than a thousand Defense points. I add Vision Ritua, and activate its own effect, sending it to the Graveyard." She picked the card that was automatically removed from her deck, and immediately placed it on the slot underneath the stack of cards. "Now, I can add any Ritual monster from the archetype to my hand." She dragged yet another card out of her deck, but did not demonstrate it to her opponent, smirking as she placed it amongst the others in her left hand. "I set a card. Turn end." [spoiler=Ritua Abyss][b]Ritua Abyss[/b] WATER / Fish Level 2 800/500 When this card is Summoned: You can add 1 "Ritua" monster with 1000 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand, except "Ritua Abyss".[/spoiler] [spoiler=Vision Ritua][b]Vision Ritua[/b] WATER / Sea Serpent Level 2 700/500 If you Ritual Summon a WATER Ritual Monster, this 1 card can be used as the entire Tribute. You can discard this card; add 1 "Ritua" Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler] "It is my turn." Lee said softly. "Why did you go that far, Inoue? Going along with our mad plans, and betraying them for something worse? What is it that drives you?" "I could ask the same of you!" Inoue shouted. "Didn't you also believe in this? What good did it do to you to regret it now? It's too late. I just chose the method that will allow me to survive!" "At the expense of everything else?" Lee asked incredulously. "What will you sacrifice to stay alive?" "Everything." Inoue's voice was ice. "And your life will be the least of those sacrifices." Lee shook his head. "I summon Vairon Vanguard!" A floating, silver construct, equipped with two arms wrapped in armguards the same golden color as the wings that sprouted behind its back, materialized before him. Like a mechanical angel, it floated in the middle of his field, defiantly staring at the opposing monster. [spoiler=Vairon Vanguard][b]Vairon Vanguard[/b] LIGHT / Fairy Level 4 700/500 When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard: You can draw 1 card for each Equip Card that was equipped to this card.[/spoiler] "Vairon, is it?" Inoue asked, her lips twisting into a smirk. "The harbingers of peace, they will lend and combine their strength to their allies, bringing every force together to overcome disaster. But they have a dark side, too - the moment something becomes a threat to them, even a former ally, they will turn their power to destroy it. Sounds just about right for you, who'd sacrifice even his allies for the vaunted greater good!" "I'm not like that." Lee said steadily. "I believe in the value of life - I won't throw it away." "Yeah, I know." Inoue taunted. "That little girl you saved nine years ago, Christina, wasn't it? I think that was the name she ended up with after you arranged her escape. Part of your admirable nobility, no doubt, to protect her. Is that why you stole the Pylon? To hand it over to her?" Lee's mouth opened and closed, unable to utter a word. She had known about Christina all along? Seeing his expression, Inoue laughed. "You people are all the same. Plotting and planning, thinking you're the only ones in the world who know best. Thinking you're too smart to be found. Thinking you can get away with everything! But I'm better than that! When I was fourteen years old, already a pro at hacking, I stumbled upon some strange correspondence through the internet. I traced it back and uncovered the whereabouts of an infamous Yakuza boss. It was with great pride I presented the information that led to his capture, however..." Her smile turned ugly. "Power rules. The guy was too powerful. He barely spent a fortnight in jail before he got bailed out. And of course, he found me." She was not smiling now, her face twisted between rage and pain. "My father was the first to die, trying to scare off the mafia with a baseball bat. They thought it a fun game - rather than use their guns, they took his bat away, and killed him with it. Even after most of his head had disappeared, he was still screaming, begging for them to rape, kill me and my mother, as long as they left him alive. They didn't follow up on that leave alive part, but they certainly took a liking to his suggestions." She waved her hand, and the upper part of her black dress vanished, leaving her body bare from the waist up. Lee gasped in horror. Her stomach was scarred and stitched back so many times, it seemed as if the skin itself was cracked. "They killed my mother and left me for dead." Inoue continued her grotesque story, replacing her attire. "I somehow survived long enough for an ambulance to arrive, and managed to stay alive. Of course, it could hardly be called a life any more. The only thing that kept me going was revenge. Revenge, and survival. To survive, I needed power. And I got it. I entered the underground, made my name for myself. And I killed them, every single one of them. Indirectly, yes - I never dyed my own hands red. But they're all dead. And you will soon share their fate." She tapped the stack of cards to her right. "That is why this is my deck. My cards will bide their time, gather resources - but inevitably, in the end, the opponent will fall to their demise." Lee weighed his words carefully. "I cannot even begin to imagine what you've been through." He said slowly. "But this is wrong. Your revenge never freed you from the shackles of your torment. No matter what you do, no matter how much power you gain - if you follow that path, you'll never be released!" "Shut up!" Inoue snarled. "We've come this far, and you're still babbling about that? I will kill you here, and Dunkan is next. Now make your move!" Nothing else to be said, then. "Fine." Lee sighed. Had he been foolish, for hoping she would listen? He was simply a hypocrite, he knew - he had committed the same sins as all the others, and regret and betrayal did not abolish him of those. But he had hoped that somehow, there would be a way. There was not. "I activate Vairon Filament." Twin claw-like appendages attached themselves to Vanguard's arms. "This Equipment Spell card allows my attacking Vairon monster to prevent all your Spell and Trap cards from being activated, until the end of the battle. Now go, Vairon Vanguard! Destroy Ritua Abyss!" [spoiler=Vairon Filament][b]Vairon Filament[/b] SPELL / Equip Equip only to a "Vairon" monster. If the equipped monster attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. If this face-up card on the field is sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Vairon" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler] Inoue tried to say something, but growled as she realized she was helpless to prevent this attack. The Vanguard floated swiftly over to the humanoid shark, cutting the creature down with its newly acquired claws, and Inoue's face went deathly pale. To his terror, Lee watched an iron spike sprout through his opponent's torso, a foot or so of blood-soaked metal protruding from her abdomen. "This... is your true self." Inoue spoke with great difficulty, coughing blood. "This pain... I will return to you a thousand times over!" [center][i][b]Nakahara Inoue[/b] - LP: 3200[/i] [i][b]Abraham Lee[/b] - LP: 4000[/i][/center] Lee shook his head. Despite all he had seen - this couldn't be. It had to be some sick, twisted nightmare. What part of... [i]this[/i] was what he had wanted, all those years back, when he had dreamt of the wonders that could be found out there, beyond the limits of the world? "I end my turn." He mumbled desperately. "Draw!" Inoue gasped, trying to keep her breath level, even with her normally lethal injury. In this world, it was a miracle she could stay conscious, alive, with that wound, but he supposed it had a lot to do with the arena they were fighting in, and with Miyataka Eizan's own twisted rules. Then, he realized something else. In his stupor, he had neglected to set any form of protection, and that meant - "I will make you scream. I activate Ritua's Ceremonial Water Mirror." An azure round mirror, surrounded by an ornate golden frame, materialized in front of Inoue. "I sacrifice Eviritua Mind Ogress from my hand!" The spectral image of a blue-haired, black-clad female riding a giant fish-like creature with massive, open jaws and fins similar to butterfly wings, appeared in front of the mirror, before being absorbed by a blue spiral emanating from within. The Aquamirror began pulsing with energy, and cracked, shattering to pieces. "Ritual Summon! Eviritua Gustkrake!" A base formed of eight flailing tentacles, golden armor covering the torso, and a vaguely humanoid upper body, head featuring rich crimson hair - the new creature was imposing, but this was only the beginning. [spoiler=Ritua's Ceremonial Water Mirror][b]Ritua's Ceremonial Water Mirror[/b] SPELL / Ritual This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Ritua" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. You can shuffle this card from the Graveyard into the Deck to target 1 "Ritua" Ritual Monster in your Graveyard; return that target to your hand.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Eviritua Mind Ogress][b]Eviritua Mind Ogress[/b] WATER / Aqua / Ritual Level 6 2500/2000 Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must first be Ritual Summoned. You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Ritua" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Ritual Summoned: Target up to 5 cards in any Graveyard(s); shuffle those targets to the Deck.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Eviritua Gustkrake][b]Eviritua Gustkrake[/b] WATER / Aqua / Ritual Level 6 2400/1000 Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must first be Ritual Summoned. You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Ritua" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Ritual Summoned: Look at up to 2 random cards in your opponent's hand, and shuffle 1 of them into the Deck.[/spoiler] "First, Gustkrake's effect. When Ritual Summoned, I can verify two cards in your hand - then I can select one of them, and it goes back to your deck." The images of two of Lee's cards appeared in the arena. Raise Dead and Vairon Ohm. Inoue smirked. "I'll send back Raise Dead. You won't be needing that. And now, Ceremonial Water Mirror's effect activates from my Graveyard. I can shuffle this card to my deck, and in return, add the Mind Ogress that I released to my hand. Lee grimaced - with this, the gap between the number of cards in their hand had been eliminated, and she had the overwhelming advantage. What was worse, she hadn't even Normal Summoned a monster yet. "Normal Summon." Inoue held up another card, as if she had read his thoughts. "Ritua Chain. By this card's effect, I can confirm the top three cards of my deck, and if I happen to find a Ritual monster, or a Ritual Spell card, I can demonstrate it to add it to my hand." Her choices appeared in front of her, their backs turned to Lee. She scowled. "Unfortunately, no such card exists here. I will return these, then." The images of the cards vanished. "And move onto the main show. Chain, break down his Vanguard!" There was nothing to be done. Lee watched in desperation as the amphibian lizard tossed its chain at the Vairon monster, its edge piercing right through the robot's body. Pain blossomed in his left arm, and he looked at it in terror to see it had been pierced by small, spiked rods. He understood now - these injuries did not impend their movements. But the pain was real. [center][i][b]Nakahara Inoue[/b] - LP: 3200[/i] [i][b]Abraham Lee[/b] - LP: 3800[/i][/center] "I'm just getting started." Inoue said sadistically. "Gustkrake... direct attack!" The beast's arms moved, and a shockwave of water, propelled by a strong wind, shot towards Lee. He instinctively tried to shield himself, but the liquid cut like glass, spreading numerous wounds all over his body. A large metal rod emerged from the ground, piercing his leg. He screamed in raw agony. [center][i][b]Nakahara Inoue[/b] - LP: 3200[/i] [i][b]Abraham Lee[/b] - LP: 1400[/i][/center] "There is nothing you can do." Inoue whispered. "It's all over. You could have had a painless death, but you chose the hard way, pointlessly prolonging your agony." Lee looked at his body, already battered to what should be an inch of his life. Yes, he should give up. Plead for mercy, even when he knew none would be given. What other option was there? Even if he won, he'd be too badly hurt to do anything - Eizan would finish him off without a second thought. Then... [i]I cannot give up.[/i] The realization was sudden, but nonetheless firm. Even if there was nothing left, even if this was his final hour - he owed at least this much. If to noone else, then to the little girl he had saved from the clutches of death. If only to reaffirm that that had been the correct choice. If only to determine that he had done something of value, however small. To solidify that conviction. "I... draw." A fourth card in his hand. A figment of hope. "I set a monster, and then set a card. Turn end." "You choose to fight even now?" Inoue asked coldly. She was in control again - her facade of iron had returned. "Very well. Draw." She surveyed the cards in her hand, then the condition of the field, her eyes straying to Lee's reverse card. Apparently, she decided against waging more of her hand, in case it was a card capable of initiating a turnabout. "Gustkrake, attack that concealed monster!" Another shockwave plowed through the hidden card, revealing an angel with four bright, golden wings, quickly obliterated by its force. "The monster you destroyed is Shine Angel." Lee said. "Since it was defeated in battle, I can Special Summon any Light monster from my deck, provided its attack is 1500 points or lower. So I will call forth a second Shine Angel." [spoiler=Shine Angel][b]Shine Angel[/b] LIGHT / Fairy Level 4 1400/800 When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 LIGHT monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck, in face-up Attack Position.[/spoiler] "Nice strategy." Inoue said. "Except for one detail - Shine Angel Special Summons in attack mode. And that means - Ritua Chain! Strike it down!" His second monster was obliterated, causing another drill-like spike to pierce his sides, causing him to howl in a burst of pain. [center][i][b]Nakahara Inoue[/b] - LP: 3200[/i] [i][b]Abraham Lee[/b] - LP: 1000[/i][/center] "I Special Summon... Vairon... Cube." He growled. An ornamental silver box, with arms and legs protruding from its sides like a miniature robot, materialized in place of the fallen angel. [spoiler=Vairon Cube][b]Vairon Cube[/b] LIGHT / Machine / Tuner Level 3 800/800 If this card is sent to the Graveyard for the Synchro Summon of a LIGHT monster: You can add 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler] "Only a thousand Life Points to go." Inoue whispered. "I promise they'll be painful. I set a monster - turn end." Lee drew another card. He had somehow managed to maintain some advantage, but Inoue still outnumbered his monsters. He needed to move quickly. "I summon Vairon Ohm!" He declared. Another floating golden robot, armed with two large projectors, appeared in mid-air. "Ohm can target an Equipment card in my Graveyard and remove it from play - then, on my next turn, I can add that card to my hand. I'll remove Vairon Filament." He dragged the card from his Graveyard to the side. Inoue's eyes narrowed. [spoiler=Vairon Ohm][b]Vairon Ohm[/b] LIGHT / Fairy Level 4 1500/200 When this card is Normal Summoned: Target 1 Equip Spell Card in your Graveyard; banish that target. During your next Standby Phase, add it to your hand.[/spoiler] "And now - I tune the Level 4, Vairon Ohm, to the Level 3, Vairon Cube!" Golden strands of light burst forth from the Tuner monster, splitting its shape into three parallel rings, while the mechanical angel dissolved into four silver stars that filed across them. "Synchro Summon! Descend, Vairon Sigma!" From within that bright pillar, a new form emerged, an argent floating robot similar to Ohm, except much larger, with golden rings framing its strangely shaped body. [spoiler=Vairon Sigma][b]Vairon Sigma[/b] LIGHT / Fairy / Synchro Level 7 1800/1000 1 LIGHT Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner LIGHT monsters When this card declares an attack, if it is the only monster you control: You can equip 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck to this face-up card.[/spoiler] "I was wondering when you'd get serious, but this is what you bring out?" Inoue said mockingly. "That thing will barely draw a stalemate with Chain, much less defeat Gustkrake." "It may look weak now, but that will change." Lee retorted. "Vairon Cube, when it is used as a Synchro material for the summon of a Light monster, can search out any Equipment card in my deck and add it to my hand. I choose Mage Power, and equip it to Vairon Sigma! This will increase its attack power by 500 points for every Spell or Trap card on my field, and I count two." Sigma's attack rose to 2800, and Inoue cursed in dismay. [spoiler=Mage Power][b]Mage Power[/b] SPELL / Equip The equipped monster gains 500 ATK and DEF for each Spell and Trap Card you control.[/spoiler] "Also, as you may have noticed, there are no other monsters on my field right now." Lee pointed out. "You say that as if it's a good thing." Inoue said dismissively. "It is, for when Sigma attacks while it is the only monster I control, its effect triggers." Sigma began glowing with a golden luster. "Any Equipment card from my deck can be instantly attached to it, such as this one! Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce!" Twin rapiers, glowing faintly under the unearthly lighting of the arena, appeared hovering before Sigma. Instead of powering it up, though, the Vairon monster's attack plummeted to 2300, only to quickly rise to 2800 again thanks to the appearance of another Spell card. [spoiler=Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce][b]Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce[/b] SPELL / Equip Send 1 card from your hand to your Graveyard to equip this card. Decrease the ATK of a monster equipped with this card by 500 points. A monster equipped with this card can attack twice during the same Battle Phase.[/spoiler] "Normally, I'd have to discard a card to attach these, but by Sigma's effect, this requirement is bypassed. The Twin Swords have two effects - one of them reduces the equipped monster's attack by 500 points. The other allows it to attack twice during the same Battle Phase. And since Sigma can equip more cards to itself with every attack..." "As if I'd let you get that far! Trap card, open! Dimensional Imprisonment seals away your monster by removing it from the game, before it can complete its attack!" Sigma was sucked into a spiralling vortex that opened between it and its intended target, the two cards equipped to it vanishing into motes of light. [spoiler=Dimensional Imprisonment][b]Dimensional Imprisonment[/b] TRAP / Normal Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Remove from play the attacking monster.[/spoiler] "That won't be enough to stop me. Trap card! Miraculous Descent can return to the field any removed from play Angel monster, like my Vairon Sigma. Revived, it can once again attack, and use its skill! The one I choose this time... Vairon Material. It will increase Sigma's attack by 600 points." Inoue watched in outrage as her hopes of stopping Lee's attack fell short. "Now go, Vairon Stigma! Destroy Ritua Chain!" Armed with its newly-acquired gunblade, the creature slashed at the lizard, eradicating it with one hit. Inoue screamed as the further loss of Life Points caused a hook to fly up to her shoulder and tear away a part of her skin, revealing the bone underneath. Lee tried not to look at her, not to look at the woman he was mutilating. It was impossible. [spoiler=Miraculous Descent][b]Miraculous Descent[/b] TRAP / Continuous Select 1 of your Fairy-Type monsters that is removed from play and Special Summon it. When this card is removed from the field, destroy that monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card.[/spoiler] [spoiler=Vairon Material][b]Vairon Material[/b] SPELL / Equip Equip only to a "Vairon" monster. It gains 600 ATK. If this face-up card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Vairon" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler] [center][i][b]Nakahara Inoue[/b] - LP: 2600[/i] [i][b]Abraham Lee[/b] - LP: 1000[/i][/center] "I... end my turn with a face-down card." His voice was shaky. He couldn't see the expression in Inoue's lowered face, as she gripped the edges of the console in front of her for support. But he could feel the raw, unmitigated hatred emanating from every fiber of her being. --- Two distinct noises attracted Howard Rowen's attention. The first was an incessant beeping from a device attached to his ear, too small to be detected without electronic aid. The second was loud banging, doors breaking down, shouts, orders, commands. The first one was a thousand times more disconcerting. Rowen had been made privy to a lot of things during his long career in Duel International. However, he could never have even begun to imagine the full extent of the truth, as Gregory Dunkan explained it to him two days after the Nicholson incident. He had been frightened, terrified - but he had no choice left. He'd either go along, or he would die. Duel International's headquarters in America was empty, barring him. Or at least, had been empty. It seemed as if the government was finally reaching the truth. But it was too late, all too late. The message had been sent. Rowen moved over to one of the computer terminals in the large room, already booted up, and began inputting a series of commands. He removed the microscopic device from his ear and plugged it into the appropriate socket, entering a few more orders. A loud beeping noise echoed throughout the chamber, and after a couple of seconds, the screen went completely blank, with only a message written on it in huge red letters. [i]Duel Terminal System - Complete Shutdown[/i] The room's reinforced door exploded, leaving not even a trace of the thick metal. Two dozen men in full-body black suits, wearing reinforced helmets and kevlar vests, each armed to the teeth with various weapons, entered the chamber in haste, but all they found was a middle-aged man laughing wildly, as the screens in the room went off one by one. It was done. The Duel Terminal world had been completely and utterly shut off from this reality. Noone inside, not even Dunkan and the others, could leave, and noone outside could enter. This was the final step before the control system would be activated, and the Nexus would be reached. Minutes later, as he was forcefully dragged to an armored vehicle outside the building, Rowen wondered if he had made the right choice. One glance at the cracked sky, at the blood-red sun, was enough to convince him. He had definitely chosen the correct path. For if he tried to oppose Dunkan, if he tried to oppose... [i]that[/i], he would beg for the death sentence he was probably on his way to receive. If the world lasted that long. --- Yuko allowed herself to be enveloped in the darkness of the transition between the real world and the virtual one. She felt sick to the core, submerging herself into the nightmare she had escaped from only a few hours ago - but she held on, firmly, to her resolve. The world shimmered into blackness, and Yuko felt a peculiar sense of numbness, as if her consciousness was slowly dragged away from her body. It was a sense one got used to after a few dives into the imaginary reality - but that sense became repulsive, now that Yuko understood the bridge she was about to cross, the danger she was walking into. She - Something was wrong. Everything flashed black and red, and before she could move to the virtual world, messages appeared all around her. [i]Duel Terminal System - Complete Shutdown[/i] [i]No![/i] She thought frantically. ZONE had speculated of this - that at some point, Dunkan would completely lock down the virtual reality in order to both prevent further interference, and set his plan in motion. What would happen to her, caught in-between worlds as all bridges between them were destroyed? She desperately tried to grasp for something, anything, but there was only darkness, oppressive, palpable darkness, that surrounded her immaterial consciousness and suppressed it. Yuko screamed in soundless agony as her limited senses flew away, forsaking her, alone, in this nothingness. The final thing she felt was a powerful tug, as if someone was jerking her violently. She struggled to remain conscious, to respond to that pull - but she was too weak. The black world consumed her. [/spoiler] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Coming back in fantastic fashion. I like the way this duel was half on the cards, but as explained when I originally suggested it, it didn't make sense for it to happen until now. It could also viably go either way, although either way Lee is screwed. I do hope he can have his moment of redemption and take his opponent down with, but who knows. I wasn't in any suspisious of Inoue's betrayal either by the way, that was a nice shock. As was her back story and how the Ritua relate to her, which I was wondering how they would even though I knew she was using them. I'm not familiar with their kind and only recently became aware of the DT storyline of them selling out and joining the Verz against the other groups. How her father did... the quite repulsive thing he did... no wonder she's the woman she became. Shutdown was a bit of an overly drastic word at first, I thought he was going to switch it all off for some reason. Not simply lock in and out. As for the final and unfortunate disaster... who knows... but it can't be good for anyone. I've just had a thought, but I'll PM you with it so I don't spoiler anyone. It's probably a ridiculous suggestion. Throughly engrossing and can't wait for more. Which will hopefully be delivered more smoothly now you're getting a head of steam up again. Yay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reinforce Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Very interesting chapter [spoiler=contains spoilers of chapter 61]Great chapter that, I like the explanations of why the decks go together with Lee and Inoue. I didn't see Inoue's betrayal coming at all. I'm guessing that the point removed is Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder and that he is planning to give it to Christina along with her Crystal Beast deck.[/spoiler] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brinolovania Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Card might be Vylon Omega. Cause Burning Soul for gg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sage Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Wow... That was epic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Hang on. Hang on. When Yuki left Sugita at Duel International headquarters a few hours ago? How many chapters of the last chapters have taken place within the last 24 hour in story period exactly? I've just lost my gimmick! It stands to logic of course, it just seemed like it was over a few days, rather than one. Dunno why but the shots of the chaos in the real world, the spaceship thing, losing water and electric and stuff, et all, seemed to make it seem like longer. Dunno why it would, it just did. This would have been where a fuller timeline would have helped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks for the comments, everyone! Very glad to see we kept some readers around. I obviously won't reveal what the card is yet, but those were some good predictions. Now, this is from memory, but Arc IV and Arc V pretty much cover the same day, May 7th. Arc VI starts basically at night before May 8th. The disasters in the real world start basically on the morning of the 6th. I hope there are no inconsistencies - gonna have to check things carefully to check for those. I always intended Dead Zone's largest part to take place in a matter of a few days, but this is indeed a bit of a shorter timeframe than I had anticipated. Perhaps some slight retconning will be necessary, but for now, it's fine. Yuko actually returned home around noon, and her mother returned late in the evening, so she basically jumped in right on time for the virtual world lockdown (guess that would've been a better word there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synchronized Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I thought 61 was awesome. I've had trouble keeping up with this story so I've found myself (still) attempting to catch up and try to get a better understanding of where everything fits in, but I'll get there, soon enough. The way you literally grip readers on the words and description is just an awesome talent. The duel itself was awesome and when you've got two people with things they're ashamed of (or at least in Lee's case), it makes for an interesting "which one do you dislike less" sort of scenario. The backstory was explained really well, and the way it was straight to the point without sugar coating anything only made it better. Really nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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