"So this is the place," Yumi murmured, stepping into the Obelisk Blue female dorm room. The air was thick, the light bulb hung shattered from its socket, the window glass lay scattered across the floor, and the walls, ceiling, and even the floor were covered in thick, web-like fibers that looked disturbingly organic.
"Yeah," Midori muttered, narrowing her gaze as she scanned the dim room. "Find any leads yet?"
Yumi shrugged. "Not yet."
While Lyman and Midori were busy searching for clues, Yumi decided to take the easy route. As he summoned a swarm of tiny, fuzzy creatures, over forty Kuriboh monsters, bouncing and floating around the room like an army of curious puffballs.
To anyone who couldn't use Spirit Energy or see spirits, the room would've looked empty. But to those who could, it was a different story, a sea of Kuribohs investigating every crack and crevice.
Midori crossed her arms, raising a brow. "Just how much Spirit Energy do you even have?"
Yumi ignored the question, watching the Kuribohs scatter before finally stretching his arms. "Welp, I'm done here. You guys can handle the rest."
He left them to it, making his way back to the Slifer Red dorm, where he could rest in peace and print new cards to release some of the Spirit Energy inside him.
Or so he thought.
"Yumi, let's duel."
Celina's voice came from above, her head poking down from her upper bunk. Her expression was deadly serious, the kind that instantly killed any hope of pretending he didn't hear her.
"Heh? I don't wanna," Yumi said flatly, turning away.
"No," Celina said, jumping down with a thud. "I need your help with this."
Before he could protest, she grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him out of the dorm, ignoring his resistance.
Celina: "Wait, there was resistance?"
Moments later, they stood in the open field behind the Slifer Red dorm, the breeze rustling the trees as the setting sun painted the sky orange.
"Do we really have to do this?" Yumi asked again.
"Yes." Celina took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Look… I know you've probably already figured out why the others and I have these."
She lifted her Spirit Key hanging around her neck.
"Both you and your sister already took down two people after them. But there are still at least five more out there. I need to see how far I've come, where I stand. That's why I want to duel you." She activated her Duel Disk with a sharp click, its core whirring to life. "So take this seriously."
Yumi stared at her for a moment, and seeing the seriousness on her face. He really wanted to tell her that there is no reason to even hold onto those useless keys.
In the original work. The so-called "seven keys to seal the Sacred Beast" was actually just a cover.
The process of sending Seven Shadow Riders to snatch the keys through a Shadow Game was the purpose in itself. The three Sacred Beasts are demons that feed on the spirit energy of duel monster spirits. The energy generated by the duelists in the duel could become food for the Sacred Beasts to a certain extent.
So even if the Seven Shadow Riders were all defeated, the outcome won't change. It is the spirit energy provided for the three sealed Sacred Beasts on the island through the Shadow Game that truly matters.
Of course, the Spirit Keys must also be kept locked up, too, or else when enough Spirit Energy is provided, the keys will be controlled to directly open the Sacred Beasts seal.
But the Spirit Energy from the first two Shadow Games had been stolen by him, siphoned away before reaching the Beasts.
Which means, the Sacred Beasts were still starving in their seal.
"Then give me your best," Yumi finally said, a small grin forming as he activated his Duel Disk.
The two stood opposite each other, the mechanical hum of their disks filling the air.
"Duel!" x2
[Yumi, LP 4000]
[Celina, LP 4000]
"I'll go first. Draw!"
Yumi drew his opening card, glancing over his hand before sliding one card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Quickplay Spell, Sky Striker Mecha - Hornet Drones. Special Summon a Sky Striker Ace Token to my field in defense position."
Blue data particles flickered into existence, swirling like digital fireflies before converging into a shimmering hologram, a blue-tinted image of Raye standing protectively before him.
[Sky Striker Ace Token, 0 DEF]
"Now," Yumi continued, smirking as he drew another card from his hand, "I tribute my Warrior monster to Special Summon, Flame Aegis - Homura!"
The token dissolved into data dust, and in its place, a pillar of flame erupted from the ground. The fire swirled and condensed, forming the shape of a young woman with neck-length crimson hair and blazing red eyes.
Her armor gleamed, short red and black plating with gold and green accents, fingerless gloves, and a high-neck short-sleeved top paired with matching thigh-high boots. Red shorts hugged her frame beneath a flowing, multi-colored scarf-like cape that flickered like living fire, a golden tiara resting above her head.
[Flame Aegis - Homura, 2400 ATK]
Celina's brow twitched as she eyed the card's figure. "How come you always get new female monsters?" she asked, her tone a mix of disbelief and irritation.
Homura's curves are quite... large, having a perfect hourglass figure. Enough to make those simp in the academy drool.
"What does that suppose to mean? I have more than just female monsters." Yumi casually replied, while Homura gave a gentle smile, causing Celina's lips to twitch, not sure whether he was pretending to be clueless or just messing with her.
Yumi only smirked, placing two more cards onto his Duel Disk. "I set two cards face-down."
Twin holographic cards shimmered into existence behind Homura.
"Spell Card, Take Over 5, send the top five cards from my deck to my grave." He drew five cards from the top of his deck and slid them into his Graveyard slot with a smooth motion.
"Then I activate Trail Veiler's effect from my hand by discarding it," Yumi said, holding up the card before sending it to his Graveyard. "When I do, I can banish one card from my Deck. During my second Standby Phase after this card's activation, I can add that banished card to my hand."
He thumbed through his deck, selecting a single card. "I banish Polymerization."
Sliding his deck back into place, Yumi looked up at Celina with an easy grin. "Turn end."
"That's it?" Celina asked, her brows lifting slightly. The opening was far tamer than what she was used to seeing from him.
"Yup." Yumi replied with that same disarming smile, the kind that only made her more suspicious.
A 2400 ATK monster on turn one was solid, but for him, it was almost... restrained. Which was exactly why she didn't trust it.
"My turn! Draw!" Celina declared, drawing her card with a quick flourish.
Before she could continue, one of Yumi's face-down cards flipped up.
"Trap card, Power Balance!" Yumi snapped his fingers as one of his face-down cards flipped open. "I can only activate this card while I have no cards in my hand. You have to discard half your hand, and I get to draw the same number of cards that you discarded."
Celina froze. "I knew it!" she shouted, glaring at him.
Reluctantly, she picked three cards and sent them to her Graveyard, while Yumi drew three new ones with a satisfied grin.
"I activate Lunalight Silver Hound's effect!" Celina countered, raising her Duel Disk as her Graveyard slot pulsed with light. "When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon one Lunalight monster from my deck!"
A crescent moon appeared, bathing the field in silver light as the image of a silver-furred fox girl let out a howl before fading.
"I Special Summon Lunalight Gold Leo!"
She placed the card down, and a goofy-looking lion girl materialized with a grin, performing a playful dance before crouching down with her arms crossed.
[Lunalight Gold Leo, 1600 DEF]
"When this card is Summoned, I can add one Lunalight monster from my deck to my hand, then discard one card." Celina quickly searched her deck, plucked out a card, and discarded another.
"I add Lunalight Crimson Fox, then discard Lunalight Green Kitty. And you already know what that means."
Yumi smirked. Of course he did, he was the one who printed that card for her.
"When Green Kitty is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I draw one card. But since it was sent by a Lunalight effect, I draw another card."
She drew two fresh cards and added them to her hand, confidence returning to her eyes.
"And that's not all," she said with a smirk. "While Gold Leo is on the field, if a Lunalight monster is sent to the Graveyard, I can add one of them back to my hand."
The same card she just discarded reappeared from her Graveyard slot.
"I add Lunalight Green Kitty back to my hand."
"Smart play," Yumi admitted, watching her momentum build.
Celina grinned and slid another card into her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization!"
The card flared to life… then abruptly fizzled out, losing color before shattering into holographic fragments.
"What?" Celina blinked in disbelief, turning her glare toward Yumi, who was still smiling.
"Trail Veiler's effect," Yumi said casually. "It negates the effects of all cards with the same name as the one it banished, as long as it remains removed from play."
Celina's eye twitched. "You sadistic bastard."
"Thank." Yumi said cheerfully as she sent the ruined Polymerization to her Graveyard.
"That wasn't a compliment!" she hissed. "Then I activate the Spell, Lunalight Fusion!"
A crescent moon flared to life above her as she revealed two cards from her hand. "I fuse Lunalight Purple Butterfly and Lunalight Crimson Fox!"
The two demi-human monsters appeared behind her, leaping into a spiraling vortex of light.
"Fusion Summon, Lunalight Cat Dancer!"
From the vortex emerged a tall, lithe cat woman with sharp eyes that gleamed with predatory delight, her gaze locked on Yumi like he was something to devour.
[Lunalight Cat Dancer, 2400 ATK]
Celina smirked. "Both monsters' effects trigger when sent to the Graveyard by a card effect! Purple Butterfly increases my Cat Dancer's ATK by 1000, and Crimson Fox targets your Flame Aegis - Homura and sets her ATK to zero!"
[Lunalight Cat Dancer, 2400 -> 3400 ATK]
[Flame Aegis - Homura, 2400 -> 0 ATK]
"Get ready, Yumi!" she declared. "I activate the Spell, Lunar Eclipse!"
A crescent moon appeared above her field, glowing with radiant silver.
"As long as I control a Lunalight monster, they can't be affected or targeted by your Spells or Traps until the end of your next turn!"
She snapped her fingers. "Next, I activate Cat Dancer's effect! By tributing another Lunalight monster I control, the first time your monsters would be destroyed by battle this turn, they aren't. Plus, Cat Dancer can attack all of your monsters, twice!"
Gold Leo vanished into a shower of golden light.
"Battle! Cat Dancer, attack Flame Aegis - Homura!"
The cat woman lunged forward, her movements fluid and deadly. "When Cat Dancer declares an attack, you take 100 damage!"
"Trap Card, Rainbow Life!" Yumi countered with a grin, flipping his last face-down. "By discarding one card, until the end of this turn, every time I'd take damage, I gain that much Life Point instead."
Celina: "..."
The cat dancer's claws clashed against Homura's massive crimson blade, sparks flying as neither monster fell.
[Yumi, LP 4000 -> 4100 -> 7500]
"Go on," Yumi said with a teasing smile. "You've got one more attack."
Celina's eyelid twitched. "...Turn end."
As the holograms flickered, both monsters' ATK values returned to normal.
[Lunalight Cat Dancer, 3400 -> 2400 ATK]
[Flame Aegis - Homura, 0 -> 2400 ATK]
"My turn! Draw!"
Yumi drew his card, then grinned.
"I remove the two copies of Take Over 5 from my deck and the one in my Graveyard to draw three cards!"
The three cards were removed from play.
"Now," he said, sliding a card onto his Duel Disk, "I Normal Summon, Sky Striker HERO - Yumi!"
A the monster slowly formed, looking identical to Yumi but with a different set of clothes.
[Sky Striker HERO - Yumi, 1000 ATK]
He raised a hand, and the hologram of his red-haired partner turned to light. "Since I control a 'Yumi' monster, I can send Flame Aegis - Homura to the Graveyard to Special Summon her other half, from my hand, deck, or grave!"
Homura's body glowed with radiant energy as her fiery aura shifted to gold. The flames cooled, reshaping into gentle light that formed a new figure.
Stepping forth was a young woman with long blonde hair, fair skin, and brilliant golden eyes. Her attire mirrored Homura's design but inverted in tone, a short white dress with black accents, golden and green ornaments, twin green crosses upon her chest armor, and a matching golden tiara.
Yumi extended his hand forward. "Show yourself, Light Aegis - Hikari!"
[Light Aegis - Hikari, 2800 ATK]
Hikari stepped onto the field with a confident smirk, with one hand pressing against her hip.
"Battle, Hikari attack Cat Dancer!" Yumi commented, and Hikari flicked her hair before rushing forward, holding a large, jagged white sword in her hand.
The blade crashed into the cat girl.
[Celina, LP 4000 -> 3600]
"Cat Dancer can't be destroyed by battle!" Celina called out.
"I know," Yumi replied calmly. "That's why Hikari's effect activates, after damage calculation, she banishes the monster she battled."
A surge of white light engulfed Cat Dancer, erasing her from the field in a burst of particles.
Celina: "..."
She froze, staring at the empty space where her ace monster once stood. "...If your sister weren't on this island, I might've pounded you already," she muttered darkly, barely containing her frustration.
Yumi just chuckled. "Go, Yumi, direct attack!"
The holographic version of himself stepped forward with almost lazy movements and threw a single punch; Celina barely felt anything.
[Celina, LP 3600 -> 2600]
"I set four cards face-down."
Four holographic cards appeared behind his monsters.
"Next," Yumi continued, his tone composed, "I activate Hikari's effect. When I control a 'Yumi' monster, I can equip her to him. The equipped monster gains her ATK, DEF, and her effect."
Hikari dissolved into radiant light, her form reshaping into a gleaming white sword that descended into Sky Striker HERO - Yumi's grasp.
[Sky Striker HERO - Yumi, 1000 -> 3800 ATK]
"Turn end," Yumi said simply, his expression calm, but his field told a different story.
Celina exhaled slowly, staring down the newly empowered hero. "...You're such a pain in the ass."
Yumi smiled. "You say that every time."
Celina closed her eyes, exhaling softly as she steadied her breathing. Her finger rested lightly on the top of her deck.
"Draw!"
The card slipped free in a clean motion, its edge cutting a faint white arc through the air.
Without hesitation, she slammed it onto her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card, Duel Gate! I banish this card and another copy from my graveyard to draw two cards!"
Her hand hovered over the deck again, but before drawing, she glanced up at Yumi.
"You're not gonna do anything?" she asked, suspicion already flickering in her eyes. She could tell those face-downs, and the card still in his hand, were designed to screw her over the moment she drew.
"Nah, go on," Yumi said casually, his grin as effortless as ever.
Celina narrowed her eyes, then drew two cards in one smooth motion. "Fine. Then I activate the Spell, Anti-Magic Arrows!"
She placed it down sharply, the holographic projection erupting into a storm of glowing arrows that rained down on Yumi's field. "You can't activate your face-down Spells or Traps this turn!"
"Heh!?" Yumi flinched as the barrage struck, sealing his set cards beneath a shimmer of suppressive magic. Even though he'd been the one to supply her with cards, Celina had clearly gone beyond his expectations, using her Duel Points to buy her more packs from the school's shop.
He knew about Anti-Magic Arrows, but had always dismissed it as too unfair to use in his own deck.
"Spell Card, Graceful Charity! Draw three, discard two!"
Celina drew three cards in a flash, her expression unreadable as she sent two to the grave.
"Next, Spell Card, Monster Reborn! Bring back, Lunalight Gold Leo!"
Golden light erupted on her field as the goofy lion girl reappeared, crouching low and letting out a confident roar that sounded like a meow.
[Lunalight Gold Leo, 1600 DEF]
"Gold Leo's effect! I discard Green Kitty to add Cyan Bat from my deck to my hand!" She tossed the monster card to the grave and held up a different one with a grin.
"Now, Green Kitty's effect, since she was sent to the grave, I draw two more cards!"
Two more cards slid into her hand. "And Gold Leo's second effect activates, I return Green Kitty to my hand!"
Then she slammed another card onto her Duel Disk. "I activate Lunalight Cyan Bat! By banishing Silver Hound from my graveyard, I can Special Summon her!"
A cyan-blue humanoid bat girl appeared on the field, wearing a one-piece gray-and-yellow suit. Her large wings spread wide, casting a faint blue hue across the field.
[Lunalight Cyan Bat, 2200 DEF]
Celina raised her Duel Disk again, and a card ejected from the graveyard slot. "Next, I remove Purple Butterfly from play to Special Summon, Green Kitty!"
A small green cat girl appeared, her summer dress fluttering with a light breeze, a wide sunhat perched atop her head.
[Lunalight Green Kitty, 1200 DEF]
"Get ready, Yumi." Celina's smirk widened, her tone sharpened with confidence. "Because now, I Tribute my three monsters, to Tribute Summon!"
Her three Lunalight monsters shone brilliantly, their forms dissolving into radiant streams of light that spiraled together into a single pillar. Within that brilliance, a pair of burning crimson eyes snapped open.
"Come forth! Beast King Barbaros!"
The massive beast-man stepped from the fading light, his mane flowing with primal energy. His muscular frame gleamed beneath thick armor; in one hand, a colossal lance; in the other, a broad shield. His roar shook the field.
[Beast King Barbaros, ATK 3000]