Episode 48. - Covert Island Assault Unit

The announcements regarding the quarterfinal matchups had put nearly every duelist on edge. Yodaz would have to face Shu Lon again, a prospect that he disliked, and one that seemed to make Shu equally uncomfortable for some reason. Amera-Lynn's opponent would be Rusty, leaving her to wonder just how she was going to stop his evolutions if he managed to get them into play, and leaving him with the worry of what would happen if he could not.

Burner seemed more confused than anything else, considering that his opponent was ten years old and apparently undefeated for the day. Finally, Libra would be attempting to assault what had come to be known as the 'Island Fortress'. Siddhant Sutar's deck had crushed anything it encountered for the entire day, and getting through defenses like that took more skill than Libra herself felt she had.

It did not help her mood much that she would be the first one to duel in the quarterfinal match.

"At least we don't have to sit around and get all nervous..." Shtra conceded, but even the thoughts of her avatar were disjointed. Something about Siddhant outright scared her, and she was not sure what it was, yet.

Siddhant sat calmly opposite her as she took her seat, and suddenly, a flash of Kaijudo made her freeze. Now, at least, it was clear what she had been afraid of. Siddhant was already waiting for her in the zone. The huge figure looming near him, she had seen as 'avatar' often in those with Kaijudo, but never in one who actually had more than a fanboyish obsession with the power of the card.

"Bolmeteus..."

A reaction very akin to a powerful grin, was projected into her mind now.
"Welcome, little Cyber Lord. I wish you luck getting in. You will need it..."

The factors of the duel were accounted for. The fairest outcome would be most likely if Siddhant went first. Libra nodded, and began to plot the best strategy to adopt when Shtra's power would not provide an outright advantage. Siddhant began with a surge of Kaijudo that made Libra almost fall back in her chair. His first card to mana... Bolmeteus itself.

"I've been waiting all day for a real opponent. Don't disappoint me..." the dragon growled, the cybernetic timbre in its 'voice' resonating across the mindspace. Immediately, the other duelists clustered around the table. The other six finalists went to the sides, apparently unanimously wishing to watch this clash without being aware of the cards in the player's hands.

"What's going on? Why does my head feel like this?" Gene whispered quickly to Yodaz, as he watched Libra place an Illusion Fish in her own mana zone and end her turn, her own psychic power now seeming to creep into Siddhant's, looking for weak points.

Yodaz answered by linking Gene's mind to the collective mindspace of the duelists. The judges had been quite right in deciding to make every match happen one at a time. There was little or no safety to be had when something like this was going to be the level of power used, not even if there was only one duel.

Siddhant grinned, and sent a Corpse Charger to his mana zone. Libra drew her card, and seemed to pause. For a duelist to think so hard on their second turn was almost unheard of, but those around could see why. There was always a chance of early defense when the first mana was fire.

"Summon Emeral. The Mutant would remove his hand, but then we may be unable to summon the Spider. Swap the shield and use it as bait for Bolmeteus later."

Libra hesitated. She would rather hold the Spiral Gate she now had in case she needed to actually cast it on Bolmeteus or something similar, but she followed instruction anyway, charging the Propeller Mutant to mana and summoning Emeral, transforming one shield. The card that came to her hand was another Emeral.

Siddhant's island fortress now sent out its first anti-personnel weapon.
"Eureka Charger to mana. Crimson Hammer. End turn."

Libra nodded. Emeral vanished in a flaming crash attack, as she had expected. Siddhant's Kaijudo seemed to warp space for a moment in its intensity, and Libra surprised herself by surging her own forward to match it. She drew her card. Another Bone Spider.

"Could have done it the other way after all..." she thought to herself, but Shtra reassured her that what had been done, had indeed, been best. She placed the Emeral in mana and summoned the Spider. Siddhant's energy died to a low hum.

"You strategize well for these assaults, Cyber Lord. Bringing troops that survive my main weaponry."

"I have to. From what I have heard, your fortress is protected by both yourself and your brother Bazagazeal. I don't have time to spare in getting there before you can wake him."

Siddhant smiled even as Bolmeteus grinned again. Somehow she had found out exactly what she was up against. Normally, this would have been a bit of an unfair advantage, but she was not able to change her deck mid-tournament. Only strategy. That meant...
"You bring forces like that to every duel? I think I can see how you might have made it here."

Libra pouted, unsure of if she was being patronized or not. Gene stood watching in almost wonderment as Siddhant sent a second Eureka Charger to mana, and cast a third, charging power in the area around his island, and surging a wave of mindbending energy toward Libra. She drew her card at the last second, to deflect it, and instantly placed the Miracle Quest she had drawn in her mana zone.

"I summon Splash Zebrafish."
The whirlpool of life returned her Illusion Fish from her mana zone to hand. The Bone Spider made the first attack, and to her dismay, triggered the first trigger. Crystal Memory.

Bolmeteus oversaw the activation of the teleporter. Libra could not see what went to Siddhant's hand, but she had a fairly clear idea of what it would need to be. There was no quick fix for her current creatures that would give him an advantage of his own, besides Corile or an Aqua Surfer.

Sure enough, the Surfer appeared next turn, washing her Bone Spider away. Siddhant had added an Aqua Hulcus to his mana zone, and their Kaijudo was now clashing at a level that was making the weaker duelists literally back off and in some cases even 'take shelter'.

"Genius. This league made the midgame defense weaker, so he moved his late game defense up to the midgame and simply does not bother with the previous midgame defense cards..."
This observation came from Trox, an event which startled Gene. He was still not clear on how the 'ranges' of Kaijudo worked, but Amera-Lynn was standing slightly behind him, and in his mind's eye, he turned to find himself standing just in front of a towering Demon Command. An unsettling feeling to say the least. Moreso when Corile, also slightly behind him, but to his right, added an opinion...

"This one is a true tactician. He can not only hold her off, but now he knows how many triggers he will be able to rely on to save him from her assaults. Though if there is one thing that can be said for Shtra's forces, it is that they will keep coming forever..."

Libra drew her card, an Aqua Soldier, sent it to mana, and resummoned her Spider. She could not risk letting her opponent use anything less than an Apocalypse Vise on their next turn. If she hit another Trigger now, at least there would be nothing on the field that could fall to another Crimson Hammer.

"Zebrafish, ikei!"
The shield did not trigger this time. She seemed satisfied. One Vise down, maybe another three to go?

Siddhant charged another Aqua Hulcus to mana.
"Very good. You can push my limits after all, little lady."

The energy surge was huge. The Apocalypse Vise strained under the struggles of the Bone Spider and Zebrafish, but eventually did crush them both. The power of his enemies to make him use the stronger defenses of his fortress, seemed to somewhat impress Bolmeteus.

"He's not going to give us time. He's coming soon himself. Or worse, Bazagazeal..."

Libra nodded to her avatar. Despite her trepidation, she knew she would have to 'test the waters' and see if Bazagazeal was indeed ready. Things were not quite over even if the great dragon was, but they certainly could get bad very quickly.

"Aqua Soldier to mana. Summon Illusion Fish."

Yodaz grimaced. He had never seen her send so many Soldiers to mana before. The duel was straining her, and even the space around the table seemed to have lost all sound. The perceptions of anyone within range were altered. This was getting dire.

Siddhant played another Aqua Hulcus to mana. An event almost as unlikely as Libra giving up Soldiers. Now, his Kaijudo crashed forward so powerfully that Yodaz, Amera, and even Burner and Shu staggered backwards. Gene yelped in something akin to pain. Only Libra and Arielle seemed truly unaffected. Bolmeteus' roar echoed through their minds as the mighty one stomped out of the volcano fortress' front gate.

Libra smiled when her next card came, and her own energy surged, sweeping Siddhant's back, in a display of power rivaled only by the one he had just shown in the summon. It was fitting, therefore, that such power was used to reverse that summon.
"Spiral Gate, and summon Aqua Soldier!"

The skinny little Liquid Person ran up the 'beach', watching as the liquid energy beneath Bolmeteus sent it through a strange dimensional warp, not into oblivion, but rather simply back whence it came.

"Illusion Fish, ikei!"
She feared no trigger. If there was one, it would be a problem, but not as big as it could be. There was none. Her turn ended, her energy now at least slightly dominant.

"Brace yourself..." Yodaz whispered to Gene, as Siddhant sent an Invincible Cataclysm to his mana zone.

"Apocalypse Vise!"
Again, the balance of power shifted. Drastically. The Soldier and Fish were crunched in the Vise, but of course the Soldier at least could manage to retreat even in its now-gaseous state. Siddhant had not been able to bring Bolmeteus back into play, but his mana zone had grown.

Libra carefully considered the number of cards in her adversary's hand. Obviously she would not be attacking now, to increase it. One of those three cards was Bolmeteus. The others could be just about anything, but at least a third Vise was unlikely.

"Critical Blade to mana, summon Aqua Soldier and Bone Spider. End turn."

Siddhant drew his card, and considered his options. He was just about to place the Invincible Cataclysm into his mana zone and cast an Energy Stream, when Bolmeteus stopped him.
"This one is full of tricks. We will need to strike decisively. Hold our main weapon for that purpose. We will have to do without the extra resources."

"Energy Stream to mana, cast Volcano Charger on your Aqua Soldier, and summon Bolmeteus."
The roar again filled their minds. The situation was reaching its peak, and from within Siddhant's volcano, a mighty rumbling of gears and seismic power could be heard. Libra shuddered. If it were Bazagazeal back there, things would be almost unsalvageable.

"I summon Aqua Soldier again, and cast Miracle Quest. Bone Spider, ikei!"
The creature shattered a shield without it triggering. Siddhant breathed easily. He knew what the last one was, though Libra did not. She drew her two cards, and was surprised when her Kaijudo did not manage to push Siddhant's back. She assumed it was because she had not been able to touch Bolmeteus, but now, with a Lancer in her hand, she could at least hope to counterattack if the great dragon charged.

Siddhant felt the energy around the area chill, and quickly guessed what was going on. The situation made him somewhat uneasy. He was running out of resources, and was still one turn short of being able to cast the Cataclysm spell to finish the duel. More importantly, the lone Surfer was about to be defeated in battle, leaving him with only Bolmeteus. He shuddered for a moment, and Bolmeteus laughed.

"She actually made us rely on the next card... if it does not stop that Soldier..."

Siddhant drew the card quickly, to extinguish that line of thought. He nodded. It was over. It was not something he had particularly needed to worry about. Nearly half his deck, at that point, would have been an effective enough way to remove one Aqua Soldier. This card, was practically the best he could have asked for.

"Corile, on your Aqua Soldier. Surfer, attack the Bone Spider. Bolmeteus, obliterate shields. Ikei."

Libra winced as her energy was crushed back. She did not know what his final card in hand was, but in a deck like this one, every card was fundamentally some form of defense. Most importantly, Bolmeteus was now safe to attack... and it did, destroying her shields utterly, the set one being the first to go.

Siddhant now relaxed, realizing for the first time just how tired both he and Libra were. If the card had been destructive but not a creature, she would have the chance of summoning the Soldier and casting Spiral Gate on his great Dragon, forcing him into a nearly endless sequence of trying to hold the Liquid People off before any of them could evolve. He would need Locomotivers for that, and he currently had none in hand. The fact that his last shield was a Terror Pit, and he knew this, was not quite comforting enough. Corile had saved the day, somewhat. The duel was over.

"Too strong..." Shtra finally admitted, the little Cyber Lord collapsing, even as Libra summoned the Vile Mulder and Aqua Soldier. Siddhant would need to be able to stop her within two cards, and hope that whatever Corile hit, was not the final trigger card that would give her victory.

Libra was not prepared at all for what Siddhant actually did.
"Lost Soul, to mana. Cast... Invincible Cataclysm! Bolmeteus, todomeda!"

The rumbling now revealed its purpose as the volcanic island erupted, the lava flow and magma shower heralding a full barrage from the fortress' cannons, which destroyed all her remaining shields utterly, even as Bolmeteus charged in to deliver the final attack. Libra's Kaijudo seemed to shimmer powerfully as the event occured, then drop out of phase altogether. Yet, she weathered the assault, and shakily stood, to shake her opponent's hand. In order to do so, she had to put her own cards down on the table.

"Thought so..." Bolmeteus growled, as Siddhant spied the Crystal Lancer there, "Seems that I was 'saved' from your vanguard unit, little Shtra."

"Y-yes..."

"Hm. Very well. It was a challenge I have not had in a while."

"Th-thank you."

Bolmeteus' laughter faded into the distance, leaving the decisive imprint of 'You're Welcome' on Libra's mind. Amera caught her when she swooned, and helped her away from the table, as Yodaz gathered up her cards for her.

"I almost don't want to face that one again..." Amera noted, looking back over her shoulder at Siddhant as he moved to make room for Arielle to climb into his chair. Yodaz caught what she said, and now began to wonder to himself if even Shu could stop one with that level of power.

"Why think about it?" Corile pointed out, "We are going to stop Gigazald first..."

Nicholas Burner now slid into his seat opposite Arielle Dumas. She looked at him innocently. The judges had considered the factors. She would go first. She sighed.

"What's the matter?" Burner asked, "You don't want to go first? You can still let me, if you want..."

"It's not that. I know who you are inside. I can't beat that yet. Nobody plays it anymore so I don't get to practice or fix it so I can..."

Burner looked at her almost skeptically, wondering if she meant his aggressive fire-style, or Valdios specifically. She charged nature mana. He charged fire. Her forest sprung up, but his heated wasteland was already seeming far larger. Her nature mana followed, and she summoned a Poisonous Mushroom to place an Aqua Hulcus in her mana zone. Now, Burner could sense her sadness.

"Hey... don't get so down. It can't be that bad... Dava Torey, Seeker of Clouds, to mana. Summon Mini-Titan Gett!"

"Aww... yes... it can. You've won already unless I draw Shtra right now..." she murmured, drawing her card and placing it to mana. A Forbidding Totem. She cast a Faerie Life, sending another of her Tangle Fists to her mana zone. Spreading her influence and forest would not be enough. She knew this all too well, but her Kaijudo still pushed back against that of Nicholas Burner, even as he drew his card.

"Emeral to mana, summon Pyrofighter Magnus. Gett, ikei!"
The young human skidded across the wasteland, firing at the shield. There was no trigger from it. The Pyrofighter followed this, there and gone again before anyone could even see what had happened. The second shield did not trigger either.

"Don't tell me she got this far, and undefeated, without any triggers..." Valdios remarked.

Arielle drew her card, charged a Thorny Mandra to mana, and summoned an Aqua Knight. A good move against nearly any other situation or opponent. This was not her regular opponent, though. This one had far too much speed and power, and even Nicholas was now noting that something about this environment was causing both his Kaijudo, and his deck, to go far beyond normal...

"Dava Torey to mana. Mini-Titan Gett, evolve into--"
In the minds of everyone around, the realization echoed at once. Armored Blaster Valdios. The card, practically forgotten by many in the wave after wave of new effects and abilities that could now be wielded. Four mana. Six thousand power. Double Breaker. 'Speed Attacker'.

"Valdios, ikei!"
The artillery barrage crashed Arielle's shields. No trigger occurred. Valdios was sure of it now. There were no triggers in this little one's deck. Yet, somehow, she had been cutting through the ranks of other duelists all day.

"Divine Riptide to mana. Aqua Knight, ikei..."
The shield broke. The outcome was meaningless to Arielle. She had lost already. She had known that from the time her young mind had shown her who she was up against.

"Didn't you have... anything that could stop me? Anything at all?" Valdios now asked the Tangle Fist, as Jagalzor went to mana and Magnus reappeared to accompany Valdios in for the finish.

"I myself could have become Dual Fang, and crushed you, were it I, and not the Knight, that had been summoned, but the very card that made summoning Dual Fang possible was the one that put me in the mana zone..."
Arielle Dumas sighed and gathered up her cards. Her inexperience had finally been her end.