//------------------------------// // Chapter 33: The Ultimate Duo - Fire and Light!! // Story: Dueling is Magic! Many Futures // by Wolfgang //------------------------------// Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Chapter 33 The Ultimate Duo - Fire and Light!! /*********************\ The Day Before You were wrong, you know. For the past hour since Crow’s departure, Jack’s mind had been silent. One thought stirred in his head as he approached the glass tower. He shook his head. “I wasn’t wrong,” he muttered. “They were all wasting their time.” Morale was low. The celebration was helping. Jack shook his head again. His D-Wheel came to a stop just outside the doors to the tower. ...have it your way. His mind went silent after that. ***** What was that? Jack wondered. When did that happen? “Battle!” shouted Kazama. “Chaos King Archfiend, attack Hot Red Dragon Archfiend! Chaos Fury!” The tall fiend flew at the red dragon, claws outstretched. “Kazama, what are you doing?!” said Spike. “Chaos King Archfiend isn’t strong enough to beat that dragon!” “Not true, Spike,” said Kazama. “Chaos King Archfiend’s effect activates: When it attacks, I can switch the Attack and Defense Points of all monsters my opponent controls until the end of the Battle Phase. Go, Chaos Decree!” Jack’s dragon began to glow. A point counter appeared to show the change. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend ATK/2000 DEF/3000 LV 8 “I activate a Trap,” said Jack. “‘Synchro Deflector’! When a Synchro Monster I control is attacked, it negates the attack and destroys a target opponent’s monster. ‘Maiden with Eyes of Blue’ is destroyed!” Chaos King Archfiend’s claws struck an invisible barrier. Hot Red Dragon roared and a bolt of energy shot away from the barrier toward Spike’s monster. “Maiden’s effect activates!” said Spike. “When she’s targeted by a card effect, I can Special Summon ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ from my hand, deck or Graveyard. Reveal the pure white spirit within!” “What?!” shouted Jack. The Maiden threw her arms out to her sides. The patterns on her dress and her blue eyes began to shine. A white light emerged from her chest, growing and shaping itself into the legendary dragon. As the bolt destroyed the Maiden, Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared, announcing its arrival and declaring vengeance. Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK/3000 LV 8 “Impossible!” shouted Jack. “No one should have that card but Seto Kaiba! Even in his old age, he wouldn’t dare let it out of his possession!” “Someone’s going to have to tell me who this Kaiba guy is when we get back to base,” grumbled Spike. “I Set one card face-down and end my turn,” said Kazama. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend ATK/3000 DEF/2000 LV 8 “My turn!” said Jack. “I summon ‘Flare Resonator’ in Attack Mode. Next, I activate Hot Red Dragon’s effect to destroy all Attack Mode monsters in play. Crimson Prominence!” Pillars of fire erupted from the ground and consumed every other monster in play: Chaos King Archfiend, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Flare Resonator. “Kaz, why do you think Jack destroyed his own monster?” Spike asked. “I’m not sure,” said Kazama. “Maybe whatever happened to him did more than just erase his memories of us.” “You mean,” said Pinkie, “that he’s not as sharp as he used to be?” Kazama nodded. “Something weird is going on here,” Spike said. “I don’t know what, but it’s affected Jack’s mind. Kazama, we have to win this!” “Battle!” Jack yelled. “Hot Red Dragon, attack the little drake directly! Absolute Judgment!” “I activate ‘Call of the Haunted’!” said Spike. “With its effect, I Special Summon ‘Maiden with Eyes of Blue’ from my Graveyard in Attack Mode!” Maiden with Eyes of Blue ATK/0 LV 1 “You think me a fool, yet you summon this weakling instead of Blue-Eyes White Dragon,” Jack scoffed. “Hot Red Dragon, attack-” His finger was pointed Kazama, but he hesitated. He shook his head, then pointed at Spike’s monster. “Attack Maiden with Eyes of Blue!” Jack’s dragon spat out a fireball. It raced toward the Maiden, but she began to glow again and the flames struck pulsating white barrier. “Maiden’s other effect activates!” said Spike with a grin. “When she’s targeted for an attack, I can negate that attack and change her Battle Position, then I can Special Summon one ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ from my hand, deck or Graveyard.” “Another one?!” Jack said. Through the barrier and the fireball erupted another white dragon, roaring and spreading its wings. Jack grit his teeth and Set three cards before ending his turn. “My turn,” said Spike. “I activate ‘Silver’s Cry’! This let’s me Special Summon a Dragon-Type Normal Monster from my Graveyard.” A blue portal appeared on the ground and Spike’s first Blue-Eyes flew into the room from within the circle. “I switch Maiden back to Attack Mode. Now I activate another Continuous Trap: ‘Castle of Dragon Souls’,” said Spike. “Once per turn, I can remove a Dragon-Type monster in my Graveyard from play to target a monster I control and give it seven hundred Attack Points. I target Maiden with Eyes of Blue, and respond with her effect to Special Summon a third Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!” A massive castle appeared behind Spike. The gates opened and the ghost of Alexandrite Dragon appeared from within. It flew toward the Maiden and disappeared into her. The Maiden’s eyes began to glow and a third blue-eyed dragon emerged onto the field. Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK/3000 LV 8 Maiden with Eyes of Blue ATK/700 LV 1 “From my hand, I activate the effect of ‘Rider of the Storm Winds’,” Spike continued. “I can equip this monster from my hand or field to a Dragon-Type Normal Monster I control. Another human, a man with white hair appeared above one of Spike’s dragons, landing at the base of its neck. His outfit was elaborate, but had the same white dragon designs on his tunic as the Maiden. In his hand he held a long staff adorned with a glass dragon wing at the end. “Battle!” shouted Spike. “Blue-Eyes, attack Hot Red Dragon! Storm Wind Burst!” The dragon spat out a blue-white beam of fire and electricity. Its rider swing his staff and a cyclone appeared around the stream of energy. “I activate ‘Red Carpet’!” shouted Jack. “If I control a Dragon-Type Synchro monster, this card Special Summons two ‘Resonator’ monsters from my Graveyard.” Jack’s Flare and Dark Resonator monsters reemerged onto his field, each one crossing its mallet and tuning fork in front of itself. Flare Resonator resembled Dark Resonator, but had flames on its back and a fire symbol on its robe. Flare Resonator DEF/1300 LV 3 Dark Resonator DEF/300 LV 3 “Blue-Eyes, continue your attack!” Spike ordered. The spiralling beam of fire, lightning and wind raced onward to Jack’s dragon. It stretched out a burning claw and pushed forward. When its hand had almost reached the mouth of the white dragon, the beam exploded. “Rider of the Storm Winds’ effect: If the equipped monster would be destroyed, I can destroy Rider instead,” said Spike. The smoke cleared and Blue-Eyes White Dragon was still there. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend, however, had been destroyed. “And now you are left with a choice,” said Jack. “I have two monsters in play, but one of them cannot be destroyed in battle once per turn.” “That’s why he destroyed Flare Resonator last turn,” said Spike. “Okay, fine. Blue-Eyes White Dragons, attack Dark Resonator.” Spike’s remaining dragons fired bursts on Dark Resonator, destroying it. “Main Phase Two,” said Spike. “Level One ‘Maiden with Eyes of Blue’, tune with the Level Eight ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’!” The Maiden closed her eyes and disappeared, leaving a single bright star behind. It flew over to one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons and drew a green Synchro ring around it. The dragon turned orange and was stripped away. The eight stars that remained formed a straight line in the circle. “A cry echoes from the heavens as dragon and beauty become one,” chanted Spike. “A stalwart protector descends from the sky! Synchro Summon!” Green-white light enveloped the stars and circles. A shadow appeared inside the light. “Spread your moonlight wings, ‘Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon’!” The light vanished. Hovering in front of Spike was a huge, silver dragon. Its arms and legs were very muscular. Large, wing-like fins rested on the sides of its face, ending in two small tusks next to its mouth. Segmented armor ran along its back and down its tail. It spread its leathery gray wings and roared long and deep. Its blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight streaming in through the ceiling. Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon DEF/3000 LV 9 “Azure-Eyes’ effect activates,” said Spike. “When it’s Special Summoned, all Dragon-Type monsters I currently control can’t be targeted or destroyed by card effects until my next Standby Phase.” “I activate the Trap Card ‘Tuner Capture’!” said Jack. “When you perform a Synchro Summon, the Tuner monster you used is Special Summoned to my side of the field.” The Maiden reappeared in the room, now under Jack’s control. “I don’t know how you acquired the power of ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, but you obviously don’t know how to fully utilize it,” said Jack. “You could have destroyed both of my monsters had you thought about it.” “What’s he talking about?” Spike asked Kazama. “I know,” said Pinkie. “Didn’t you see Dark Resonator’s Defense Points? It only had three hundred. You powered up Maiden with Eyes of Blue by seven hundred Attack Points. She could’ve destroyed Dark Resonator, and your last dragon could’ve attacked Flare Resonator.” “Oh,” said Spike. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I end my turn.” “My turn,” said Kazama. “I activate the Spell Card ‘Sound of Fire’. If there is a non-FIRE ‘Reverb’ monster in my Graveyard, I can add ‘Reverb Mobius’ from my deck to my hand. Now I summon ‘Reverb Mobius’!” A new robot appeared on Kazama’s field. It wore a silver helmet with curving red lines moving next to the crest and down to the dark red visor. Its arms and legs were red with silver plates on them. A red and orange brace with a golden sword rested on the back of its left wrist. Its red and silver body was transparent, and a golden light in the shape of a Mobius strip danced inside. Reverb Mobius ATK/1300 LV 3 “I activate Mobius’ effect. When he’s Normal Summoned, I take eight hundred points of damage, and I can draw one card.” “Your Life Points didn’t go down,” said Jack. “Explain yourself!” “That’s another effect of ‘Sound of Fire’,” Kazama said as he drew a card. “Once this turn, all damage from a card effect is reduced to zero. I activate ‘Monster Reborn’ and Special Summon Chaos King Archfiend from my Graveyard, then I Set a card and end my turn.” Life Point Count Kazama: 2600 Hand: 2 Chaos King Archfiend ATK/2600 LV 7 Jack snorted. “My turn,” he said. “I activate ‘Descending Lost Star’ to Special Summon Hot Red Dragon Archfiend in Defense Mode. Its Level is decreased by one, its Defense Points become zero, and its effects are negated.” The muscular dragon reappeared on the field, kneeling with its arms crossed in front of its chest. It was also colored blue now. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend DEF/0 LV 7 “Level One ‘Maiden with Eyes of Blue’, tune with the Level Seven ‘Hot Red Dragon Archfiend’!” said Jack. “The pulse of the king now forms a line here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! I Synchro Summon my very soul, ‘Red Dragon Archfiend’!” The room shook with the roar of Jack’s dragon. It lacked the lines and jewels of its counterpart, but Kazama, Spike and Pinkie Pie all remembered its terrible power. It spread its wings and roared again, short flames bursting from the sides of its mouth. Red Dragon Archfiend ATK/3000 LV 8 “There it is,” said Kazama. “Jack, what the heck was that other dragon you played? Where did you get it?” “The King should be able to deal with both insurmountable defense and crushing offense,” Jack said. “I created this card with the power I obtained in the B.A.D. area.” “The bad area?” Pinkie asked. “What’s so bad about it?” Kazama shook his head. “It’s an acronym,” he said. “It stands for ‘Barbaric Area after Damage’. It’s where the old Momentum reactor is. For a long time after Zero Reverse, it was exactly what it sounds like: A barbaric area riddled with thugs, bandits, and robbers. It definitely wasn’t the safest place on the planet, especially after the Dark Signers appeared.” “Dark Signers?” asked Spike. “Yeager can explain when we get back,” said Kazama. “Right now, we have to focus!” “Hold on a sec,” said Spike. “Jack, you said you created that card with some power you got. What power?” “You will not last long enough to find out,” Jack said. “I activate ‘Red Dragon Vase’. If I control ‘Red Dragon Archfiend’, I can draw two cards. Now I Summon ‘Attack Gainer’ to the field.” Attack Gainer ATK/0 LV 1 “Level Three ‘Flare Resonator’ and Level One ‘Attack Gainer’, Double Tune with the Level Eight ‘Red Dragon Archfiend’!” Jack’s Tuner monsters vanished in flames. Four rings of fire emerged from where they had stood, and wrapped themselves around Jack’s dragon. They began to spin so fast that the fire became a blurred ball of orange, yellow and red. “The Devil is tamed and his power taken, my servant shall roar as the fires of Hell! Synchro Summon! Rise from the inferno, ‘Red Nova Dragon’!” A new dragon burst through the flames and roared long and deep, spreading its wings as wide as they would go. It glared down at Kazama and Spike with burning yellow eyes and snorted at them. A wisp of smoke escaped its nostrils. “Flare Resonator’s and Attack Gainer’s effects activates,” said Jack. “When they are used as Synchro Material, Attack Gainer lowers the Attack Points of a monster my opponent controls by one thousand until the End Phase, the Synchro Monster that I Summoned gains three hundred Attack Points from Flare Resonator. Red Nova Dragon also gains five hundred Attack Points for every Tuner monster in my Graveyard!” Red Nova Dragon ATK/5300 LV 12 Chaos King Archfiend ATK/1600 LV 7 “Battle!” Jack shouted. “Red Nova Dragon, attack Chaos King Archfiend with ‘Devil Finisher’!” The great dragon’s wings erupted into fire as it rose into the air. The flames engulfed its entire body as it fell, spinning, toward Kazama’s monster. “I play ‘Perfect Reverberation’,” said Kazama. His face-down card flipped up and revealed a Trap Card. “This card negates your attack and makes the Levels of all monsters I control the same as the Level of Reverb Mobius.” The twisting light inside of Reverb Mobius flared out of its body and formed a shield in front of it and Chaos King Archfiend. Fire and teeth struck the barrier, but couldn’t break through it. The dragon repeatedly struck the barrier. That’s when they saw it. “Kazama!” Spike shouted. “Look!” Snakes were beating themselves against the shield. Their bodies were made of blood-red light and their eyes glowed yellow. The dragon growled and roared, then flew away, the serpents vanishing into its body. “Jack, what the heck was that?” Kazama yelled. “What’s wrong with Red Nova Dragon?! Answer me!” Jack snorted. “I Set a card face-down and end my turn,” he said. “If you survive this duel, you may find out why. Your move, drake.” Reverb Mobius ATK/1300 LV 3 Chaos King Archfiend ATK/2600 LV 6 to LV 3 “My turn!” said Spike, swiping a card from his deck. “During my Standby Phase, Azure-Eyes’ effect activates, resurrecting ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ from the Graveyard. Go, Silver’s Cry!” The silver dragon opened its jaws and roared, its cry ringing throughout the theater. A Graveyard portal appeared over the floor and a white dragon flew out. Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK/3000 LV 8 “I activate ‘Cards of Consonance’,” Spike continued. “By discarding a Dragon-Type Tuner monster with a thousand or less Attack, I can draw two cards.” Spike slid a card into his Graveyard, then drew two more cards from his deck. “The card I discarded was ‘The White Stone of Legend’, so its effect activates, adding a ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck to my hand. Now I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing the two Blue-Eyes’ on my field with the one in my hand. I Fusion Summon ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!” A third Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared, but all three vanished just as quickly. A new dragon emerged from a swirling portal. Three heads came first, then claws, then wings. Each head roared individually, creating a reverberating cacophony. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon ATK/4500 LV 12 “Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. A worthy opponent to be sure,” said Jack, “but its power still falls short to that of Red Nova Dragon.” “I Set a card face-down and end my turn,” said Spike. “Get ‘im, Kazama!” “My turn!” said Kazama. “Level Three ‘Reverb Mobius’, tune with the Level Three ‘Chaos King Archfiend’!” Reverb Mobius rose into the air as the glowing mobius loop inside its body began to grow. The machine’s body vanished and three stars appeared along the outline of the loop. The loop itself vanished and the stars drew green rings around Chaos King Archfiend. Its body became an orange outline and the three stars inside formed a straight line. “Burning heart of the new ruler, tap into chaos with the fire within!” said Kazama. “Synchro Summon! Rise with bravery, ‘Chaos King Burner’!” Emerging from the pillar of light that had formed came another thin monster. Its body was a bright red with a carved sapphire in the middle of its chest. The golden mask was the same as Chaos King Archfiend’s, but a jet of fire flared behind it. It lacked the fiery wings of the Archfiend on both its back and its arms. Instead, it had two thin shoulder braces and jets mounted on its elbows. Chaos King Burner ATK/2500 LV 6 “Reverb Mobius’ effect activates, letting me draw one more card after I use it as Synchro Material. Now I equip Burner with ‘King’s Light’. Chaos King Burner, attack Red Nova Dragon!” An aura of yellow-white light appeared around the Synchro Monster. It jumped into the air and brought its fists down on its target. The jets on its arms activated and its speed increased dramatically. “Kazama, what are you doing?!” shouted Spike. “Taking out that dragon,” said Kazama. “Chaos King Burner’s effect activates! When it attacks a monster, that monster’s Attack and Defense Points are switched until my opponent’s next End Phase. On top of that, King’s Light increases the equipped monster’s Attack Points by one thousand during the Damage Step.” “You won’t get that far,” said Jack. “I activate Red Nova Dragon’s effect! During my opponent’s turn, I can remove it from the game. During this turn, I can also negate one attack.” “I play the Trap Card ‘Reverberation Breakdown’! By discarding a card, I can choose a ‘Reverb’ monster in my Graveyard and negate the effects of all monsters on the field with the same Attribute until the End Phase.” “Then I activate ‘Half or Nothing’!” said Jack. “You can either halve the Attack Points of your monster, or you can end the Battle Phase. The choice is yours.” “Kazama, there’s no way you can win now,” said Spike. “You’ve gotta stop.” Kazama nodded. “I end the Battle Phase,” he said. “I activate ‘Resounding Promise’. I remove two ‘Resound’ monsters from my Graveyard, then draw two cards. I Set two cards and end my turn.” “My turn,” said Jack. He stared at the card he drew. “You asked what was wrong with Red Nova Dragon. There is nothing wrong. The true source of its power is simply breaking out. I Release ‘Red Nova Dragon’ and Advance Summon ‘Earthbound Immortal Red Nova’!” ***** The Black King looked up from the notes and cards scattered across his desk. He felt something. He stood and walked over to the windows that faced the bay. Dark clouds had appeared over Satellite, and a purple glow could be seen. “The seed of darkness has grown wild in Jack Atlas,” said the shadow behind him. “I did not anticipate this.” “I should go stop him,” said the Black King. “I know that glow.” “Let him be. I can still sense the darkness in his heart. It has released the most fearsome of the Earthbound Immortals. He is dueling. We should wait.” “Wait for what? If he goes on a rampage, it will undo everything!” “If he wins, he may rampage. We can use this as a distraction. The resistance will have to deal with Jack Atlas first, which gives us time.” “And if he loses?” asked the Black King. “Then we destroy the resistance ourselves, from the inside.” ***** The theater was bathed in blood-red light. The body of a giant man loomed behind Jack, sitting atop the coiled body of an enormous snake. Many more snakes sprouted away from the thing’s tail, each one waving itself in the air, letting out the occasional hiss at Kazama, Spike, and Pinkie Pie. The face of the man, long and distorted beyond nature, grinned at them, yellow eyes flaring as he bared his teeth. Earthbound Immortal Red Nova ATK/0 LV 12 “‘Earthbound Immortal’? But... but that’s impossible!” said Kazama. “The Earthbound Immortals were defeated years ago! And there were only seven of them! Jack, where did you get that card?” “I found this creature while wandering in the B.A.D. area. At Old Momentum,” said Jack. “It called out to me and tried to make me its servant... I subdued it instead, and made it my servant.” “Worry about that later,” said Spike to Kazama. He turned to Jack. “How’d you Advance Summon it with only one Release? It’s a Level Twelve monster!” “Earthbound Immortal Red Nova can be Advanced Summoned by Releasing a single DARK monster that is Level Ten or above,” Jack explained. “I activate the Field Spell ‘Eye of the Gods’. When activated, the effect of an ‘Earthbound Immortal’ on my field that prevents it from being attacked is negated. And as long as this Field Spell is in play, monsters cannot be changed to Defense Mode, except by with a card’s effect.” “Not good,” said Spike. “What’s more, Red Nova gains several more effects now that there is a Field Spell active,” Jack continued. “It is unaffected by your Spell and Trap effects, it can attack each monster you control once, and it gains the Attack Points of all DARK monsters in my Graveyard.” Four of the crimson snakes burrowed into the ground, then came back up, each one with a different monster lying limp in its jaws: Red Dragon Archfiend, Dark Resonator, Hot Red Dragon Archfiend, and Red Nova Dragon. Earthbound Immortal Red Nova ATK/10800 LV 12 “Earthbound Immortal Red Nova, attack Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!” Jack ordered. “Hellfire Gorgon Barrage!” “I play ‘Zero Gravity’,” said Spike. “Monsters in Attack Mode switch to Defense Mode, and Defense Mode monsters go to Attack Mode.” “Did you forget that Red Nova is unaffected by opposing Spells and Traps?” laughed Jack. “No,” said Spike. “But I bet it can’t inflict piercing Battle Damage.” Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon DEF/3800 LV 12 A storm of crimson snakes struck Spike’s monster, biting it all over its body. The image of the Ultimate Dragon shattered as the monster itself was destroyed. “You saved yourself from one attack, but not from all of them! Red Nova, attack Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!” Jack said. “Dark Subjugation!” The red demon reached out a hand toward the silver dragon, a wicked grin spreading across its face. Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon ATK/2500 LV 9 “My turn to play a Trap,” said Kazama. “I activate ‘Resounding Exchange’! If there’s a ‘Resound’ monster in my Graveyard, I draw one card, and until my next turn’s End Phase, Spike takes no further Battle Damage!” A fist clenched around the silver dragon and it vanished from sight. Then the creature’s hand opened and a ball of fire flew out and knocked Spike to the ground. “Spike!” cried Pinkie. “Spike, you okay?” Kazama called. “Yeah,” groaned Spike as he sat up. “What was that?” “Earthbound Immortal Red Nova’s effect,” said Jack. “When it destroys a Synchro Monster by battle, that monster’s controller takes damage equal to its Attack or Defense Points in the Graveyard, whichever is higher.” Life Point Count Spike: 1000 Hand: 2 “Red Nova’s attack continues!” said Jack. “Earthbound Immortal Red Nova, attack Chaos King Burner! Dark Subjugation!” The red demon grabbed Kazama’s monster and crushed it, then released another fireball that flew straight for Kazama. It struck him and exploded, knocking him to the ground. He groaned and sat up. A white aura appeared around him. “‘King’s Light’ has one final effect,” said Kazama. “When it’s sent to the Graveyard because the equipped monster was destroyed by my opponent, I can draw one card and gain one thousand Life Points.” Life Point Count Kazama: 1100 Hand: 3 Jack growled. “I Set one card face-down and end my turn,” he said. “My turn,” said Spike. “Spike,” said Kazama. “I need you to summon the biggest LIGHT monster you possibly can. Can you do it?” “I can,” said the drake, “but nothing I play can get over ten thousand Attack Points.” “It doesn’t have to,” said Kazama. “Trust me.” Spike nodded. “I activate ‘Re-Fusion’,” he said. “By paying eight hundred Life Points, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster from my Graveyard and equip it with this card. I Special Summon ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!” Three sharp heads emerged from a portal in the ground. The rest of the dragon followed, three roars echoing throughout the room. “I’m not done yet,” said Spike. “When a Dragon-Type monster is Special Summoned, I can activate ‘Adamantine Sword Revival’, which Releases that monster and Special Summons ‘Diamond Head Dragon’ from my deck in Attack Position to the same side of the field. I Special Summon ‘Diamond Head Dragon’!” The three-headed Ultimate Dragon vanished in a swirling light. A portal appeared and an enormous green dragon emerged from inside. Diamonds covered its face, back, shoulders and tail. It roared and swung its diamond-tipped tail around. “Diamond Head Dragon’s original Attack Points are one thousand points higher than the monster that was Released to summon it,” said Spike. Diamond Head Dragon ATK/5500 LV 8 “Due to the effect of the Field Spell ‘Eye of the Gods’, your monster must declare an attack this turn,” said Jack. “What you just did was pointless. You were better off with an empty field.” “I equip Diamond Head Dragon with ‘Dragon Shield’,” said Spike. Brown, red, and white armor clamped down onto the arms, head, wings and tail of Diamond Head Dragon. “Now it can’t be destroyed by battle, and I take no damage from its battles. I end my turn.” “Before you can, our monsters must battle,” said Jack. Diamond Head Dragon roared and a storm of diamond shards erupted from the diamond horn on its head. Red Nova blocked the storm with the palm of his hand, then swiped at it, sending it back at the dragon. It folded its wings in front of itself to block the attack. “My turn,” said Kazama. “I activate ‘Reverberating Rebirth’ and ‘Reverberating Light’. Rebirth Special Summons a ‘Reverb’ Tuner monster from my Graveyard if my Life Points are two thousand or less. ‘Reverberating Light’ can be activated if there’s a ‘Reverb’ monster in my Graveyard while my Life Points are fifteen hundred or less, and it Special Summons a ‘Reverb’ monster from my deck. From my Graveyard, I Special Summon ‘Reverb Mobius’!” The red robot reappeared on the field in a flash of light shaped like its namesake. “Release your heart from the armor of vengeance and fly to the future! I Special Summon ‘Reverb Hikari’!” Reverb Tsurugi reappeared on the field. Its armor began to glow brighter and brighter, until it exploded away from the robot. Its body was clear and had a line of blue light inside, slashing around in triangular patterns. Reverb Mobius ATK/1300 LV 3 Reverb Hikari ATK/1400 LV 3 “Next, I summon ‘Resound Supplier,” said Kazama. His new monster was a shorter warrior with a round, childlike head. His armor was mostly silver with a few red lines running up and down the sides. His left arm had a small buckler shield attached to it. White circles bounced within its gray face. Resound Supplier ATK/700 LV 2 “I activate Resound Supplier’s effect,” Kazama continued. “When it’s Normal Summoned while I only control ‘Reverb’ monsters, I can draw one card.” Kazama drew his card and glanced at it. “It’s here!” he said. “I activate ‘Ultimate Duo’! This card can only be activated if I control exactly two ‘Reverb’ monsters, and its effect changes based on their Attributes. Since I control a FIRE and a LIGHT monster, any Synchro Monsters that I Synchro Summon this turn gain a hundred Attack Points times their Levels until the End Phase. Level Three ‘Reverb Hikari’, tune with the Level Two ‘Resound Supplier’!” Hikari crossed his arms in front of his chest, then threw them out to his sides. The slashing light in his body burst out and began moving around Resound Supplier. The little warrior raised his shield into the air and his body was stripped away, leaving only two stars behind. The light suddenly shot down through the two stars and a pillar of light appeared around them. “Shining heart of the new ruler, show us the light that chaos brings! Synchro Summon! Rise with justice, 'Shining Chaos King'!” The new Synchro Monster had the same thin body as the previous Chaos Kings, but this one was sky blue and had a pure white, carved moonstone on its chest. Nothing else adorned its arms, back or shoulders, but rays of light shone out from behind the golden mask. Shining Chaos King ATK/2000 LV 5 “Resound Supplier’s effect activates. When it leaves the field, I take one thousand damage. Next, I activate the second effect of ‘Reverberating Light’. If the monster it summoned was ‘Reverb Hikari’ and I Synchro Summon with it, I draw two cards. But I’m not done yet,” Kazama continued. “Reverb Hikari and Shining Chaos King’s effects activate! When Hikari is used as a Synchro Material Monster, I gain one thousand Life Points and draw one card. During the turn that it was Synchro Summoned, I can have Shining Chaos King lose all of its Attack Points, and one of your monsters loses the same amount of Attack Points. Thanks to ‘Ultimate Duo’, Shining Chaos King gained one thousand Attack Points.” Shining Chaos King ATK/3000 to 0 LV 5 Earthbound Immortal Red Nova ATK/7800 LV 12 Life Point Count Kazama: 1100 Hand: 4 “Now, Level Three ‘Reverb Mobius’, tune with the Level Five ‘Shining Chaos King’! Golden bravery of the new ruler, fight onward to the chaotic future! Synchro Summon! Rise with your sword, 'Chaos King Knight Burner'!” Chaos King Knight Burner ATK/2700 LV 8 “Thanks to Ultimate Duo’s effect, Knight Burner gains eight hundred Attack Points until the End Phase. On top of that, since it was the only monster I controlled when I Synchro Summoned it, Knight Burner also gains two hundred Attack Points times its Level until the End Phase.” Once again, the Chaos King changed its appearance, this time to a gold and red body, a sparkling sapphire embedded in golden armor on its chest. A jet of fire shout out from behind the golden mask. A crimson blade rested on its left wrist. Chaos King Knight Burner ATK/5100 LV 8 “I activate Knight Burner’s other effect,” said Kazama, sliding one card from his hand into the Graveyard slot of his Duel Disk. “By discarding one card, one monster you control loses eight hundred Attack Points.” “I activate ‘Fiendish Chain’,” said Jack. “Your monster cannot attack and its effects are negated!” Green chains appeared and wrapped themselves around the Knight Burner. “Knight Burner’s own Attack gain remains despite its effects being negated,” said Kazama. “That doesn’t matter,” said Jack. “What can you possibly do now?” “I have a few more cards to play, Jack,” said Kazama. “I activate ‘Leeching the Light’! This increases the Attack Points of all monsters I control by the Attack Points of one LIGHT monster my opponent controls!” “I get it now!” said Spike. “Let me give you some extra help with that. I activate the effect of ‘Castle of Dragon Souls’! By banishing ‘Rider of the Storm Winds’ from my Graveyard, Diamond Head Dragon gains seven hundred Attack Points!” Diamond Head Dragon ATK/6200 LV 8 Chaos King Knight Burner ATK/11300 LV 8 “Battle! Chaos King Knight Burner, attack Earthbound Immortal Red Nova!” ordered Kazama. “Did you forget that your monster cannot attack?” asked Jack. “No,” said Kazama. “But you forgot that I have one last face-down card. I activate ‘Reverberation Force’! During the Battle Phase, I can discard a card from my hand and banish a ‘Reverb’ monster from my Graveyard so that a Synchro Monster with the same Attribute gains five hundred Attack Points and becomes unaffected by the effects of other Trap Cards! Chaos King Knight Burner, break your chains and attack with Blade Overload!” Chaos King Knight Burner ATK/11800 LV 8 Earthbound Immortal Red Nova ATK/7800 LV 12 Knight Burner raised its arms and broke the green chains that had enwrapped it. It braced its sword in front of itself and ran forward. Knight Burner leaped into the air and slashed the red blade. Fire and light ran down the blade of the sword and extended its length. Red Nova attacked with several of the serpents on its body, but all were cut down by the sword. As Knight Burner fell back to the ground, it raised the sword above its head and brought it straight down through Red Nova’s body, cutting the beast in two. It exploded with a deep howl. Life Point Count Jack: 0 Hand: 0 The holograms of the duel faded away. “Jack!” cried Kazama. He and his companions ran up to the stage and jumped up, then ran to Jack. Kazama knelt down next to him. “Jack, are you okay?” Jack opened his eyes. “Kazama?” he said. “What... what happened?” “Spike and I just dueled you,” Kazama replied. “Do you remember it?” “I... I think so,” said Jack as he sat up. “You... won.” “Jack?” said Pinkie. Jack looked over at her. “I’m sorry I made you angry back at the hideout. I should’ve just let you leave the party if you really wanted to.” “Leave the- ah!” Jack yelped, placing his hand against his head. “Jack!” said Spike. “I’m fine,” said Jack. “Just... a lot of memories.” He looked back up at Pinkie. “Pinkie Pie, I’m the one who owes you an apology. I wasn’t myself, but that doesn’t excuse my actions. I’m sorry I hit you.” “It’s okay, Jack,” said Pinkie. “Jack, I need to ask you something serious,” said Kazama. “Do you remember the last monster you summoned?” Jack shook his head. “I can only remember bits and pieces of the duel. What was it?” “An Earthbound Immortal,” said Kazama. “Red Nova.” “Red Nova?!” Jack repeated. He took his deck out of his Duel Disk and found the card. “So you broke free of your prison, did you?” he said. He laid the card on the floor, stood up and backed away. He put his right fist over his heart. Fire wrapped around it and his eyes began to glow red. He held up his hand and red streams of light appeared out of the card on the floor, moving into the palm of Jack’s hand. The card faded away and all that remained was a red light that Jack gripped tightly. He pushed it into the Extra Deck slot of his Duel Disk. “Red Nova is the most powerful Earthbound Immortal in existence,” said Jack. “So powerful that even the Dark Signers feared to use it. But with the power of my Burning Soul, I sealed its power into my ‘Red Dragon Archfiend’ and created ‘Red Nova Dragon’. I don’t know why it was able to break out, but it must have been how I created that new card, ‘Hot Red Dragon Archfiend’.” Jack looked at each of the three friends that came for him. “Let’s go back to headquarters,” he said. “There are more people I should apologize to.” Green fire wrapped itself around Spike and he shrunk back to his baby dragon size. “Let’s hurry up!” he said. “The sun’s starting to set and Twilight will be worried sick about us.” Jack nodded and the four of them set off. /*********************\ Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Jack is back to his former self and is returning to the resistance’s base. But when he and the others arrive, they find it overrun with Dark Troopers. As they try to escape, the Dark Troopers corner them. Suddenly, an unexpected ally appears... Chapter 34 The Return of Paradox /*********************\ Featured Card Chaos King Knight Burner FIRE Level 8 Warrior/Synchro/Effect "Reverb Mobius" + 1 or more non-Tuner LIGHT monsters When this card is Synchro Summoned: While this card is the only monster you control, it gains ATK equal to its Level x 200 until the End Phase of this turn. (This ATK gain remains even if this card's effect is negated.) Once per turn: You can discard 1 card to target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses 200 ATK x its Level. ATK/2700 DEF/2700 Earthbound Immortal Red Nova DARK Level 12 Fiend/Effect You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 Level 10 or higher DARK monster. "Earthbound Immortal" monsters cannot be Summoned while this card is face-up on the field. During the End Phase, if there is no Field Spell Card active: Destroy this card. While no Field Spell Card is active, the following effects are negated: ● This card can attack your opponent directly. ● This card is unaffected by your opponent's Spell/Trap effects. ● This card cannot be targeted for attacks, but does not prevent your opponent from attacking you directly. ● When this card destroys a Synchro Monster by battle: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK or DEF in the Graveyard (whichever is higher). ● This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. ● This card gains ATK equal to the ATK of all DARK monsters in your Graveyard. ATK/0 DEF/0