Chapter 88: One's belief can boost one another
Chapter 88: One's belief can boost one another
[Yuna's POV]
When the smoke settled, I slowly approached the crater where Anubis lay. House Dragonmaid had caused far more damage than I had anticipated. His body was covered in bruises, and several bones were clearly broken. If Anubis weren't an evil, powerful spirit, he would undoubtedly be dead.
Sensing my presence, Anubis coughed in pain and opened one of his black eyes. "Y... You..."
"You lost," I muttered coldly, reaching for the Pyramid of Light artifact hanging around his neck.
Too weak to resist, Anubis watched as I took the artifact from him. As I examined it with interest, the artifact suddenly glowed. Two faint blue orbs emerged from the centre and flowed towards Marik and Odion.
As the orbs entered their bodies, their eyes snapped open, and they gasped for breath. Confused by the situation, they frantically looked around before being tackled to the floor.
"S... Sister?!" Marik spoke agitatingly as Ishizu hugged him.
"You idiots..." She cursed at them angrily before bursting into tears. "Do you know how scared I was?!"
"But the spirit..." Odion muttered, looking around before meeting my gaze. Eventually, piecing things together, he nodded at me.
Once I was sure they were both okay, I turned to the Pyramid of Light in my hand. Without a second thought, I smashed the artifact against the ground, shattering it into thousands of pieces.
"Ke ke ke..." Anubis chuckled weakly as his muscles began to shrink and evaporate. "Do you really think this is over?"
"... Are you still talking?" I uttered coldly, and the sorcerer smiled.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. You will find out eventually..." Anubis laughed as his body crumbled. "Till we meet again..."
Frowning, I watched as the remaining parts of Anubis turned to dust. On the ground, I noticed several tablets still seeping dark smoke. When the smoke dissipated, they transformed into Duel Monster Cards, and I cautiously picked them up.
Unsurprisingly, I could sense the malice of the spirits residing in these cards. Unwilling to destroy them, I stored the Duel Monster Cards in the system for later use; they might prove helpful in the future...
[3rd POV]
When Yuna crawled out of the crater, she approached the Ishtar siblings, who were still embracing each other. Hearing her footsteps, Ishizu raised her head, and her eyes widened. Pushing Marik and Odion out of the way, she frantically hugged Yuna in tears.
"Thank you... Thank you so much..." Ishizu cried with relief, and Yuna chuckled, "Miss Sano... You really are a beacon of light shining upon the..."
Suddenly, Ishizu paused, her expression turning rigid. Confused, Yuna tilted her head and glanced at the two brothers, who displayed contrasting reactions. Meeting Yuna's eyes, Odion, flustered, quickly looked away while Marik stared at her blankly, like an idiot.
"Miss Sano... Your..." Ishizu's face flushed, and Yuna looked down hesitantly.
Following their gaze, Yuna slowly lowered her head and froze. During the battle, she stayed safe thanks to the sacrifice and protection of her spirits. However, her clothes hadn't fared as well...
Holes riddled her jeans, exposing Yuna's legs to an alarming degree, and her upper body hadn't been spared either. The buttons on her shirt had been ripped off by Ogdoadic Zohak's halberd, revealing Yuna's stomach and bra.
Feeling the slight wind against her chest, Yuna finally became aware and frantically covered herself with her hands. Blushing, she glared at Marik, who was still in a trance. "Y... You!"
Odion desperately nudged Marik's shoulders, snapping him back to reality. "Hold... Hold on, Miss Sano, it was an accident! Please, I don't have any other intentions!"
As he stood up, Marik's foot slipped, and he fell forward in slow motion.
*Ripppppp*
Subconsciously reaching out, Marik's fingers grasped what was left of Yuna's shirt, completely tearing it from her body. Falling face first, Marik blinked stupidly and timidly raised his head. Seeing the horrified expressions on Ishizu and Odion's faces, he nervously glanced at his hand, where the remaining pieces of fabric rested between his fingers.
Before his eyes, Yuna's upper body was completely exposed, with only her bra covering her chest. This was enough to make Marik's mind go wild, causing him to have a minor nosebleed. "A... Ahhh..." Marik uttered in a daze, "I... I didn't mean to Miss Sano! It was an acci...." *BAM*
Before he could finish, Odion punched Marik in the back of his head, and his eyes rolled up his socket. In one smooth motion, he took off his cloak and draped it over Yuna's shoulders.
" "...Forgive him..." He coughed and muttered awkwardly. Even Odion felt that Marik might not get away with this one.
"Let... us just go..." Ishizu answered stiffly, and she glared at her brothers in disappointment, "Miss Sano, I will provide you with some clothing as soon as possible."
Nodding shyly, Yuna followed the siblings as they slowly made their way out of the tomb. An awkward silence hung over them as they tried not to mention what had transpired earlier. Being his saviour, the two siblings both knew how hard Marik worked to redeem himself under Yuna's eyes; however, after today, all his effort seemed to have gone down the drain...
[Yuna's POV]
When we finally emerged from the ruins, the soldiers cheered. Watching the celebration, Ishizu smiled with relief as the massive weight was lifted off of her shoulder. Laughing alongside Odion, she tightly held my hand, asking me whether I would like to stay at her mansion for a few days.
Although the offer was tempting, I wasn't able to due to time constraints, so I immediately boarded the plane that took me back to America.
Next Day...
I yawned tiredly as the plane finally landed. Dressed in new clothes, I left the airport with circles under my eyes. Thankfully, I informed Kaiba in advance, and a car was already waiting
for me outside.
"Big Sister!" Mokuba exclaimed and ran towards me.
Smiling, I patted his head as he excitedly dragged me to the car. Once inside, he began to ask about my trip to Egypt, unaware of the real reason for my visit. With a pang of guilt, I lied, telling him that it was an enjoyable place despite my almost near-death experience.
"How's Kaiba..." I asked and tried to divert the conversation as he began to ask questions that were too difficult to answer.
"Big Brother? He's doing well, but he seemed to be very worried about Big Sister, you know?" Mokuba replied with a knowing smirk, "He would've picked you up himself if something troublesome didn't appear."
"Something troublesome?" Concern plagued my face, "Is he okay?" I questioned and smiled sheepishly at Mokuba's teasing gaze.
"It's not that serious. It's just that some guy got caught playing under a fake name. He claims to be Big Brother's greatest rival, and they're duelling right now." Mokuba explained.
"I see..." I muttered with a nod, remembering the plot in this arc.
By the time we arrived, Mokuba and I were escorted back to the stadium, where I could hear the audience inside going wild. Being led to the private viewing booth, we stumbled upon Pegasus, who was watching the duel with delight.
"Pegasus..." I greeted calmly as Mokuba hid behind me, still terrified of what had happened
in the past.
"Miss Sano!" Pegasus smiled brightly upon my arrival, "It was a delight to see you."
Staring at Pegasus suspiciously, Mokuba moved to the corner of the room while I stood beside him. Gazing out of the massive window, I watched the two familiar figures duelling in the
Duel Arena below.
"Who do you think will win?" Pegasus asked curiously while twirling his wine glass, "You should have some idea, no?"
Watching the duel in play, my brows furrowed while trying to recall the original scene. Right now, thanks to my intervention, Kaiba's deck has improved significantly. While Zigfried's skill level will probably remain the same, but there's also the off chance that he will take my
advice to heart.
"Kaiba would win..." I answered thoughtfully, and Pegasus chuckled.
"Are you sure that response wasn't from how you're feeling towards him?"
"...No..." I replied while shaking my head, "Kaiba is stronger... That is a fact..."
Smiling, Pegasus hummed, "Kaiba-boy sure got a lot of pressure now since Miss Sano has so much faith in him." He joked while observing me from the corner of his eye, "By the way that Miss Sano is looking at me, is there a question you want to ask?" "This..." I showed him one of the Ogdoadic cards, "...Do you know anything... about this?"
"If you're asking whether I created this card, then, unfortunately, no." Pegasus smiled, "As I said, Miss Sano, although I commercially distributed the concept of Duel Monsters across the world, these spirits have existed for eons. While in the past they come in the form of stone tablets, it's not surprising that spirits have a new way of appearing in the physical world." "Why do you think I didn't question anything when Miss Sano herself is revealing cards even I don't know," Pegasus smirked, and I pouted sheepishly. However, now that I have confirmed that Pegasus has nothing to do with this, I'm certain who's really behind this. Watching me deep in thought, Pegasus laughed, "It seems you have
figured it out."
"Yes..." I answered grimly.
"Nonetheless, I believe you can pull through. You always seemed to persevere, Miss Sano." He shrugged nonchalantly as he resumed watching the duel.
"Why... are you so interested... in me so much?" I asked in silence, and he turned to me with a
glint in his eyes.
"Hmmm?" Pegasus took a long sip of his wine and smiled, "Well, like I said, Miss Sano seemed to have a talent for finding these silly situations, and it never seemed boring. Besides,
as someone who saved my life, how could I dislike you? Do you not feel the same?" "Just don't do... anymore soul stealing..." I muttered, and he laughed.
"Of course, I have my fair share of that." Pegasus smiled nervously under my glare, "Really,
really, I won't do it again!"
"Nn..." I grunted and focused intently on the duel.
"It's not looking good, is it?" I heard him comment, and I stared at Kaiba intensely. While it
wasn't as obvious, I could tell that Zigfried was gaining an advantage. However, I felt myself
remain completely calm.
"Kaiba would win..." I spoke with conviction, "He will definitely win..."
[3rd POV]
Seto gritted his teeth at the annoyance before him. There were already so many things
preoccupying his mind, yet another trouble was served before him. While Seto could have ignored it, his provocation was too irritating for his pride to bear.
As the duel began, Seto found himself constantly losing focus. Knowing where Yuna went,
Seto found himself being distracted, and despite receiving the message that she was returning, he wanted to see if she was safe.
Because of that deep anxiety, Seto found two of his Blue Eyes White Dragons banished from the game and his monsters destroyed, leaving him weak and defenceless...
"I will activate the effect of Pegasus's Wing!" Zigfried's confident tone snapped him out of
his thought, "Since I can control a Fortune Chariot in my graveyard, I can halve the attack of my Valkyrie Brunhilde, and this turn, she can attack directly!"
[Valkyrie Brunhilde: 2200 -> 1100 Attack]
"Now, Valkyrie Brunhilde, attack his life points!" Zigfried shouted, and the warrior charged.
"In response, I will activate my trap card, Shrink, which further halves the attack of your
pathetic monster!' Seto yelled, and the Valkyrie's size decreased.
[Valkyrie Brunhilde: 1100 -> 550 Attack]
*BOOOOM*
[Seto Kaiba: 1100 LP -> 550 LP]
"What's wrong, Seto Kaiba?!" Zigfried exclaimed, "After all that talk, is this all that you can
amount to?!"
"Tsk..." Seto clicked his teeth, "Be quiet and keep playing, or are you here just to bark like a
dog?"
Bothered by Seto's response, Zigfried scowled deeply, leaving wrinkles on his face, "Fine, I will end my turn here..."
[Valkyrie Brunhilde: 550 -> 2200 Attack]
"Then it's my turn," Seto muttered while gazing at the crowd, "Because your Nibelung's Ring
was still attached to my XYZ-Dragon Cannon, I will be able to draw two cards instead of
one..." "I will start with Graceful Charity to draw three cards, then discarding Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Polymerisation! Afterwards, I will banish my Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Pandemic Dragon from my graveyard and summon Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the
End!"
Appearing on the field stood a dragon covered in green scales. Silver-coloured keratin that acts like armour around its joints, spine and wings. A luscious orange mane ran down its head,
and with the keratin growing around its face, it created the appearance of the helmet of a
knight.
[Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End: 3000 Attack]
"Since you have summoned a monster, Valkyrie Brunhilde will gain an additional five
hundred attacks!"
[Valkyrie Brunhilde: 2200 -> 2700 Attack]
Ignoring Zigfried's comment, Seto continued his move, "I will then set a card and activate
Emergency Provision. By sending the card I have just set, I can gain one thousand life points!" [Seto Kaiba: 550 LP -> 1550 LP]
"Finally, I will activate the effect of Chaos Emperor Dragon and pay one thousand life points,
and then I will send all cards in both of our hands and field to the graveyard. Then you will be
inflicted three hundred damage for each card sent by this effect!"
[Seto Kaiba: 1550 LP -> 550 LP]
Chaos Emperor Dragon roared, and the gem embedded in its chest glowed. Before Zigfried
realised what had happened, Chaos Emperor Dragon exploded, destroying everything on the
field, and the crowd cheered at the exciting sight.
[Zigfried von Schroeder: 2600 LP -> 1100 LP]
Now, both Seto and Zigfried have nothing in their hands, their field empty. Seto stared at the
barren field and glared at Zigfried, "I will end my turn here..."
Scowling, Zigfried cautiously drew a card. Glancing at the card he just pulled, his face lit up
into delight, "Looks like lady fortune is shining upon me. I will activate Pot of Greed, drawing two additional cards from my deck!"
"Afterwards, I will activate Magical Alms! Upon activation, this card will grant me one thousand life points! Then, during either of our turns, we can declare how many spell cards we
will use that turn, and both of us will gain five hundred life points equal for each spell correctly predicted!"
[Zigfried von Schroeder: 1100 LP -> 2100 LP]
"However!" Zigfried pointed at Seto with a crooked smile, "If the player activates fewer spell
cards than they have declared, they will take one thousand damage for each spell card they
said they would play!"
"I will start!" Zigfried smirked, "I predict that I will play at least one spell this turn!"
[Zigfried von Schroeder: 2100 LP -> 2600 LP]
[Seto Kaiba: 550 LP -> 1050 LP]
"The spell I will activate is none other than Final Light! By paying one thousand life points, I
can special summon one light monster from my graveyard, and you will also be able to
summon one monster with two thousand or fewer attacks from your graveyard!" Zigfried explained, "I will choose my Valkyrie Brunhilde!"
[Zigfried von Schroeder: 2600 LP -> 1600 LP]
[Valkyrie Brunhilde: 1800 Attack]
"Then I will choose my Assault Wyvern..." Seto muttered grimly and retrieved the card from
his discard pile.
[Assault Wyvern: 1100 Defence]
[Valkyrie Brunhilde: 1800 -> 2300 Attack]
"Now, I will battle, Valkyrie Brunhilde, attack Assault Wyvern!" Zigfried ordered, and the warrior mercilessly slashed the dragon apart...
"How is this Seto Kaiba?!" Zigfried laughed, "This is what you deserve!"
Seto gritted his teeth in frustration, his eyes hesitantly staring at his deck. Whatever he draws
now will decide the very outcome of this duel. Yet, as his hand touched the deck, Seto felt nervous and lost as he froze in motion.
'I have to win...' He thought with resolve, 'I will never lose no matter what...' Suddenly, his phone vibrated and broke Seto out of his concentration. Taking out the device,
he stared at the message in silence. [Yuna Sano: Lookup.]
Raising his head, his gaze subconsciously wandered to the private booth of the stadium.
There, through the glass, Seto spotted the girl that had been plaguing his mind for days.
Although dressed in a different outfit, her long blue hair couldn't be hidden, and her smile shined brightly at him.
Seto instantly felt an overwhelming relief, and he gradually calmed down. Focusing intently
on her face, he watched as Yuna's mouth began to move.
Do... your best!
While being distant apart, it was as if her voice flowed directly towards him, and Seto
awkwardly scratched his ear. Without him realising it, a brief flame flickered in Seto's eyes, and he smirked.
"Of course..." Seto relaxed and stared at his deck, "I will draw!" As he slowly picked up the card, his eyes widened, and he smiled.
"Zigfried," He called and crossed his arms, "I promise to defeat you this turn." "What, are you insane?!" Zigfried growled, you only have one card. What in the world can you
do with it?!"
In response, Seto held up four fingers, "I will show you; all it takes is four spells."
[Seto Kaiba: 1050 LP -> 3050 LP]
[Zigfried von Schroeder: 1600 LP -> 3600 LP]
"I will start by activating the Card of Demise!" Seto shouted eagerly, "This card allows me to
draw until I have five cards in my hand! Next, I will activate Spell Reproduction to discard Absorb Spell and Cost down to recover the Dimension Fusion from my banish zone!" "Then I will proceed to activate Dimension Fusion! I will pay two thousand life points, and then I can summon as many monsters that were in my banishment zone!"
He explained, and five white portals appeared on each grid on the field. "Return my
dragons!!"
[Seto Kaiba: 3050 LP -> 1050 LP]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon: 3000 Attack]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon: 3000 Attack]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon: 3000 Attack]
[Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon: 2500 Attack]
[Cave Dragon: 2000 Attack]
"Don't forget, Valkyrie Brunhilde's power will also increase!" Zigfried shouted nervously as
he stared at the five dragons growling before him. [Valkyrie Brunhilde: 1800 -> 4300 Attack]
"With this, everything will be complete once I activate my final spell card, Polymerisation!
Using all three of my Blue Eyes White Dragon, I can summon the ultimate life form! Feast
your eyes on the most powerful of all dragons in its fully evolved glory! Show yourself, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The three Blue-Eyes White Dragon soared into the air. The dragons spun gracefully in the air
as they began to merge and blind everyone in a white light. When the light vanished, flying in
the air was a massive dragon.
It boasts three fearsome heads, each with piercing, glowing blue eyes and jaws bristling with sharp teeth. The dragon has a sleek and muscular body, supporting its enormous wings and limbs with sharp claws. A blue energy crackled around the monster's body as the dragon unleashed a devastating roar that left the audience with chills.
[Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: 4500 Attack] [Valkyrie Brunhilde: 4300 -> 3300 Attack]
"Now, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Valkyrie Brunhilde! Use Beam of Destruction!"
Following Seto's command, the dragon howled and unleashed a white laser from its mouth.
The beam swept through the field, completely engulfing Valkyrie Brunhilde whole.
[Zigfried von Shroeder: 3600 LP -> 2400 LP] Seto gazed calmly as the smoke gradually cleared, revealing Zigfried's arrogant grin. In frontn/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
of him stood Valkyrie Brunhilde, completely unharmed. "Unfortunately, your plan won't work!" Zigfried exclaimed, "If you're not aware when my
opponent declares an attack on Valkyrie Brunhilde, she can lose exactly one thousand defence, and my monsters won't be destroyed by battle this turn!" Staring at Zigfried, Seto smirked before bursting into laughter. Caught off guard by Seto's
unexpected reaction, Zigfried frowned, "What is so funny?!"
"I'm laughing because you think I haven't considered that?" Seto retorted, "Behold, let me
explain to you the effect of Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! While I have a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in my extra deck, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will be able to attack three times this turn(anime)!!!" "What!?" Zigfried shrieked, "No!"
"Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Valkyrie Brunhilde again!" Seto yelled, and the
dragon's second mouth opened, firing the same attack. *BOOOOM*
[Zigfried von Shroeder: 2400 LP -> 1200 LP]
"This is the end, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Attack!!" Seto roared as the dragon roared,
opening all of its mouths simultaneously-the three white beams combined into one,
overwhelming the Valkyrie as the beam shot towards Zigfried...
*B0000000000M*
[Zigfried von Shroeder: 1200 LP -> 0 LP]
I hope you enjoy it!