Episode 61. - Five Times The Blurring Squid

The World Champion's entourage had arrived on the east coast of the United States at last. They were short one of the previous party. Andrei Vlad had remained in Europe rather than crossing the Atlantic with Ryoma and Sniper. Ryoma had rested up, and now seemed his old self again. Currently, he was getting something to munch on quickly, before the final duel of the tournament came to its conclusion and he was required to face the winner. He had fully expected Yodaz to be there, since this was close to where they had first met, but one of the duelists had told him that the former Champion was on the other side of the country. That was all they could tell him.

"Proclamation of Death on your Aqua Soldier," Libra's opponent sighed, "And Locomotiver, finally, to discard it. Attack your Splash Zebrafish with Magris."

Sniper was close enough to watch the battle, as the Gel Fish swirled all around the Vizier of Magnetism, finally dragging it into the water with a mighty splash. There was a surge of electricity, then the water exploded upwards, showering back down upon the duelists in their minds.

Libra's opponent ended their turn. Her hand was empty. They had been holding her off for quite some time now, and many of her creatures had been destroyed. Their hand of cards was now empty as well. This was going to be close. She drew her next card, and smiled.

"Dark Reversal, to bring back my Aqua Soldier, and summon it yet again. End turn."

"You've got to be kidding me!" the duelist fumed, running a hand through his orange-dyed hair. He drew his card now and cursed it. Another Locomotiver. Nothing to discard. No shields left. No blockers available. He ended his turn. Libra drew her final card, summoning it just to increase her own Kaijudo. Shtra.

"Aqua Soldier! Todomeda!"

For some reason he was not aware of, Sniper felt as if Libra took great pleasure in defeating this particular opponent. It seemed as if there were a rivalry that he was not privy to, but whatever the reason, her Soldier delivered a blow of gargantuan psychic proportions, stunning her defeated adversary for a moment. Their expression locked into a grimace of discomfort for awhile before the effect wore off and they shook her hand grudgingly.

Ryoma came up right then, his mouth full. He needed not speak, as he took the place of the losing duelist and shuffled his cards, before deploying his shields. When he finally did speak, it was with a quizzical tone, towards Libra.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"You eliminated me from the World Championship tournament," Libra replied coldly. Ryoma sent Holy Awe to his mana zone, creating the Kaijudo link between the two instantly. The storm clouds began to form over the gently rippling ocean.

"Ah. Yes. It's been a long time. How have you been? I heard you were at the North American championship also. Your deck must have improved quite a bit."

"Illusion Fish to mana. End turn."

Ryoma noted that she did not seem to feel very much like talking to him. He tried to cast his mind back, to see if he could remember exactly why she would harbor hostility toward him after all this time, but nothing came to mind. He did not truly remember the duel that had eliminated her from that competition.

"Terror Pit to mana," he said now, darkening his clouds further. The contrast of light and darkness played odd tricks on the ocean surface. The nearby duelists that were receptive enough to the imagery, seemed perplexed. The amount of tension between the two duelists did not show at all in the mindscape. It seemed far more like the calm before the storm.

"Critical Blade to mana," Libra said, "Summon Emeral."

Her primary intention had been simply to summon something to attack with. Her memory of Ryoma's deck made her feel as if attacking him as swiftly as possible was her best option. Now, her avatar came to her, with a further feeling. Her hand contained a Crystal Lancer. She could not summon the card, nor did she want to place it in mana.

"Activate effect to swap shield. End turn."

She took up an Illusion Fish. Not exactly what she wanted, but at least exchanging the positions of the two cards was better than the way it had been before. Ryoma charged more Light mana. Forbos, Sanctum Guardian. Libra remembered the Champion's avatar well. Her next card was Vile Mulder, Wing of the Void. She spent quite some time now thinking of what was best to do. She had both an Aqua Soldier and a Miracle Quest that she could play. It took a long time to decide which card would go into her mana and which one would be played.

"... Miracle Quest. Emeral, break shield! Ikei!"

The shield shattered with no trigger, and she drew her two cards, ending her turn. Ryoma nodded, charged Nature mana, and cast a Faerie Life. The card increased his mana with a Fire card. The event caused Libra to smile. The card charged was his Q-Tronic Gargantua, his most powerful creature, and the one which had defeated her so simply in their last clash over a year ago. Now, at least one of them was out of her way.

"Summon Blazosaur Q," Ryoma smirked, taking advantage of the Faerie Life's effect to get a creature out. One that could stop her Emeral, also. She frowned again. This duelist seemed to often do unexpected things. She drew her card. Another Aqua Jolter. Not exactly a good thing.

"Aqua Jolter to mana. Summon Vile Mulder, Wing of the Void. End turn."

The great Demon Command reared up out of the dark ocean, looming powerfully over the small land mass that was the center of Ryoma's world. Ryoma was not at all hesitant in his next move, charging more Fire mana.

"I summon Forbos, Sanctum Guardian!"
The Guardian descended as it always did, the sky seeming to split for it as it came into the battle zone from above, bringing with it a new dark power. Libra recognized the feeling before she was shown the card. Lost Soul.

"So the Guardian thinks we can be held off with such a spell? Let's give him no time to cast it..." Shtra snickered evilly. This was her specialty. Misdirection and the removal of the primary option. Libra drew her next card, but her next move was predetermined.

"Aqua Jolter to mana. Cast Spiral Gate on your Sanctum Guardian!"
A waterspout now rose out of her dark ocean, swirling towards Forbos. It swept and banked to the side, Ryoma momentarily seeming almost confused. This was not exactly an occurrence he was used to. Returning Forbos to be summoned again was often one of the worst things an opponent could do. The water soon caught up with the Sanctum Guardian, and the spout went powerfully into the sky, to return it from whence it came.

"Summon Scout Cluster," she continued, "Mulder, double break! Ikei!"

The huge Demon Command surged forwards, its movement causing the water to spread out in a wake behind it. It crashed into Ryoma's island's shields with devastating force, triggering a Mana Nexus. Ryoma's Holy Awe card became his shield. The other shield did not trigger.

"If anything, he will attack Mulder if he can. Let Emeral break again. We must strike quickly. It no longer matters what the shield is. Forbos' return will seriously affect our efforts regardless."

"Emeral, ikei!"
The shield also did not trigger. Ryoma had two remaining now. The original fifth shield and the set Holy Awe. The crowd around began to buzz with new interest. She was fast, as always, but that speed usually came at a great price. An opponent like Ryoma could gain vast amounts of energy from her attacking nature. Her turn ended, and her Kaijudo settled.

"So this is what you are..." Ryoma nodded, "Interesting. Lost Soul to mana. Summon Forbos, Sanctum Guardian, yet again. This time I will take a Mana Nexus. End turn."

"You're quite prepared, aren't you... Since everything is about to be tapped anyway, Illusion Fish, to mana, summon Propeller Mutant."

The programming of the Scout Cluster now kicked in, requiring it to return to 'base' as the new creature was summoned. Libra simply sent it out again, alongside the Propeller Mutant. It was necessary to force Ryoma's hand as much as possible, and a set Holy Awe only had one course of action that could deal with it. Trigger it.

"Mulder, double break! Ikei!"
Her Kaijudo now crashed against his, as did the mighty wave that came in with her Demon Command. Ryoma was not quite sure why she was so serious about this duel, but he braced himself regardless, his power backlashing as the Holy Awe triggered, stunning her remaining forces. It had been her only real option, but at the same time, it did not leave him with too many. He drew his own card and pushed back against her energy with a mighty surge of his own.

"Searing Wave to mana, cast Apocalypse Vise! Destroy everything but Mulder!"

Libra cringed. She had expected, and hoped, that he would have to cast the Mana Nexus instead, though doing so would have been almost as problematic to her. Now, her creatures were sizzled away, and the Blazosaur made its charging attack. Mulder's great weakness was revealed then. The creature's body, though huge, had no way of healing from the injuries inflicted on it by even the relatively smaller Blazosaur. Thrashing against the Rock Beast, it eventually destroyed the Blazosaur, but soon sank into the water, the deep purplish-red of its blood seeping out into the ocean around the island.

Ryoma now cringed also at the dark imagery Libra's mind produced, but she was smiling as Mulder sank. Ryoma had only lost a Faerie Life card by the effect of igniting the body of her Hedrian, but Libra was still ready for her next move. She drew the card and sent it to mana. An Aqua Soldier.

"Summon Splash Zebrafish, to return my Aqua Soldier to me, and summon it also. End turn."

Ryoma sent a Holy Awe to his mana, causing his Kaijudo to illuminate the sky yet again. Libra responded with her own surge of power, apparently more to show him that she had not been intimidated, than anything else. He cast Volcano Charger now, to sizzle her Soldier away even as it stepped out onto the shore of his island. A Death Smoke followed this, to infest the body of the Zebrafish and end its existence also. Now, her hand of cards was empty as well as her field.

"Perhaps you will show me what you meant so long ago... about being able to fight under these conditions..." Forbos now told Shtra, seeming sincere. The Cyber Lord's mood seemed to instantly change from irritable to elated.

"You do remember me! I knew you wouldn't forget!"

Libra drew her card, and summoned the Aqua Soldier again, playing a Dark Reversal to return the Zebrafish to her hand also. Ryoma sighed slightly. He definitely remembered her now. The last time he had faced her, her deck had not been as strong, and he had still been playing with Gallia Zohl. Now, that Soldier was going to keep coming at him for quite awhile.

"As long as it never attacks, we are fine. We can keep casting."

Ryoma nodded, but he still could not afford to cast the Lost Soul he now put to mana. He would have to take a different approach.
"Summon Smash Horn Q. Activate the effect of my Sanctum Guardian, to get another Volcano Charger to cast on your Soldier. End turn."

"Ha. You all never attack. One of these days I'm going to find a way to use that to my advantage. Aqua Soldier to mana, and Splash Zebrafish to take it out again and summon it. End turn."

"You're trying to draw me out. To calculate beyond my capability. There's no limit to my capability, dear. Summon Forbos, Sanctum Guardian, and retrieve and cast Searing Wave!"

The flame energy burst out of the ground, torching away the Soldier and Zebrafish. Ryoma placed his Searing Wave card from his mana zone into the graveyard also, and ended his turn.

"Crafty enough. I haven't seen that card in awhile. Though, there's no limit to my capability either, so you might want to rethink your strategy. Summon Aqua Soldier and Propeller Mutant."
Her voice still sounded confident, but her Kaijudo was weakening. Now Ryoma could get two spells for every summon, more than enough to stop nearly anything she could throw out.

"Doing so will slow him down also. Just keep the Soldier on the attack. Another is sure to appear."

Ryoma charged new mana on his turn. A Smash Horn.

"Alright, let's finish this the hard way. Since we can both keep this up indefinitely, we'll see how well you handle the power that defeated you before. Blazosaur, to search out a Dimension Gate, and cast the Gate to get a Q-Tronic Gargantua. Now you only have one turn, and it cannot possibly be enough. Mana Nexus. To generate a new shield. Holy Awe."

"Nice..." Sniper commented, his arms folded, as he watched the Champion's deft tactics. A nearly perfect use of his mana, and now, his opponent was trapped. To attack would doom any creature she attacked with, as well as any that came with it. From a hand of nothing, there was nearly no chance of making this work.

"Ah, you really have thrown a serious wrench in my gears, haven't you..." she muttered, drawing her card now, "But, I suppose this is history repeating itself. There's still a way. Do you remember the last time? I hope so. Dark Reversal!"

Her Scout Cluster seemed to be rebuilt, returning to her as it so often did. She sent it out again beside the Mutant and Soldier, and ordered the Soldier to make the attack...

The Holy Awe blast did not seem to bother her at all this time, though it immobilized even the creature that would have been her blocking defense against the Gargantua's evolution. It did not truly matter. As long as that was Ryoma's final shield, there was nothing that could save her directly.

"I would think it impossible to have enough trigger cards to make me lose from here," he said, drawing his card and charging mana, a Faerie Life, "Blazosaur, evolve into Q-Tronic Gargantua! By the power of Forbos, I now cast Dimension Gate!"

Through the dimensional rift, came another Blazosaur, which now joined the others on the field, completing the true evolution of the Survivor, and making Ryoma able to declare now, with no hesitation...

"Q-Tronic Gargantua! World Break!"
The great one arose, mighty and terrifying, surging its power, and that of its allies, focusing it through the mighty storm that now raged around Libra. She seemed unafraid, almost as if she truly believed that victory was imminent, or at least possible.

Not one single shield triggered, much to Ryoma's surprise. Not even the original one she had set with the Emeral was actually a Trigger card. Libra smiled, looking at the cards that now came into her hand.

"How nice of them all to go there. I wouldn't really have had much use for any of these."

She showed her hand now. An Emeral, Aqua Soldier, Snake Attack, and not one, but both, of her Crystal Lancers.

"You seem far happier than I'd expect, given that you lost, and seem to not like me..." Ryoma said calmly.

"What?" Libra now wondered aloud, looking at him, "Who ever said that? I was mad because my deck was so ill equipped to face you before, and I could barely keep up. I wanted you to see that I'd improved, but if you didn't even remember me, that would have been a pointless wish, wouldn't it?"

"Then wouldn't it be the deck that improved, not you, really?" Ryoma asked, gathering up his cards, "You seem the same to me."

"Oh..." she said now, sounding disappointed. Her effort had been somewhat wasted if Ryoma thought she was just lucky or simply had better cards than before. This was not, apparently, what the Champion meant, as he clarified it a moment later.

"When I last met you, I did not think that you were unskilled, merely that in that particular duel you had been bested. There's no shame in that, is there? Tell me, though, do you find that I am particularly different myself? I have not had a chance to duel anyone else from that day, besides Shinji Nykahrii."

"No... not really... you seem more... clear, in what you do, now, but as for what you seem to aim for and wish for, it is not different."

"So you don't think the whole Nexus bit is a little unnecessary?" he asked now, laughing.

Libra seemed surprised. The World Champion, who had just defeated her, was asking her questions about how his deck ran. Unsure of whether or not she was being humored, she simply answered as truthfully as she could manage.

"What do you mean? It seemed very effective just now..."

"Well, the major change I made to the deck was adding the ability to Nexus Holy Awe repeatedly so that decks like yours, or faster ones, would not be able to run me down in the time it took to get my main strategy into effect. I thought that would make it seem 'different', actually."

"Oh, well that was just a matter of me not noticing exactly. As you can tell, my strategy against decks that do not attack me is simplistic. I do not pay attention to what exactly is holding me off, I just try to keep summoning."

Ryoma nodded. She definitely did that. Exhaling now, he found himself very tired. So tired, in fact, that he felt the need to head for the nearest chair other than the one he had been sitting in, to rest himself. Libra did not move from her seat at all. She simply stretched out in a rather unladylike fashion and groaned.

"Too much..." she muttered, falling into her mindspace. There, Shtra, Phal, Forbos, and a nearby Mini-Titan Gett, now shimmered.

"Tired?" Phal asked, its thoughts carrying over as laughter, "I was going to warn you two that you were overexerting yourselves, but you seemed so into it I was loath to interrupt. That, and the fact that you both throw an awful amount of power around..."

"They definitely do that, yep!"
They could now identify the Mini-Titan as the avatar of a boy who looked to be in his early teens, one who had been watching the duel intently, and now had not dispersed with the rest of the crowd nor actually buzzed around Libra or the Champion with questions or comments. Since neither of them were currently answering anyways, he was probably the one with the most chance of having any such question answered.

Shtra seemed to 'sit' also, the lower half of its body becoming a puddle, and the appendages protruding from its head also dipping into this puddle. The Mini-Titan poked the watery one with its finger, apparently amused. Shtra ignored this.

"What an exhausting experience..." the Cyber Lord noted now, "And so much data to process. But thank you... For bringing me peace and resolve."