章節 46: Occult Duelist, Bakura Ryou!

[3rd POV]

"Hey Yugi, who do you think will win?" Tea asked while staring at the two duelists on the field.

"It should be Sano-san, right?" Tristan chimed into the conversation: "She did defeat the other you after all."

"I don't want to choose a side. Let's watch and find out." Yugi said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"It doesn't matter!" Serenity said with confidence: "Yuna will win no matter what!"

Under their warm gazes, Serenity cheered with passion. Sensing something strange, Yugi glanced behind him and noticed his best friend, Joey, patting his chest.

"Is there something wrong?" Yugi asked.

"No, it's just I'm relieved..." Joey muttered: "I think I managed to avoid getting killed..."

Yugi: ??????

Gesturing for his friend to come closer, Joey began to whisper what he said about Yuna earlier. Gradually, as the story progressed, Yugi's frown deepened, and he stared at Joey in disbelief.

"So you got to keep it a secret!" Joey begged, clasping his hands together in a praying motion: "My dignity as an older brother is on the line here!"

Sighing exasperatedly, Yugi patted his best friend's shoulder: "As your friend, I want to help you, but whatever happens between you and Sano-san is entirely your undoing."

"What's this about Yuna?" Serenity suddenly appeared between them and questioned curiously.

"Oh, nothing!" Joey said in a panic: "We're just discussing who will win the duel."

"Ah, Big Brother must have insight on how this duel will turn out, right?" Serenity exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes: "After all, Big Brother said he's stronger than Yuna!" Silence dominated the spectator field as everyone turned to the embarrassing Joey in shock.

Tea: "You really have no shame, huh..."

Tristan: "I can't help but pity you sometimes..."

Joey couldn't help but smile, although his outlandish claims had attracted the attention of two people he least wanted to encounter at the moment.

Mokuba: "From what I remember, that's not how you and big sister's duel turned out."

Seto: "What a piece of trash...."

Usually, Joey would've argued against the arrogant Blue Eyes enthusiast, but in this situation, he could do nothing but bite his tongue. Detecting this awkward atmosphere, it doesn't take long for Serenity to feel suspicious: "What really happened in that duel?"

"Well, you see, your goofball of a brother here got trashed so badly he...." Suddenly, Joey lunged at Tristan before he could speak further. However, he had already said too much...

"Joey Wheeler..." Serenity pouted: "You lied to me."

"Wait, Serenity, I can explain!"

"There's nothing to explain." She said sternly: "Once big sister finishes her duel, you better apologise!"

"Big sister..." Joey croaked and collapsed.

Listening from the side, Seto hummed. No matter how much he despised Joey's presence, eavesdropping on what they were saying, he couldn't help but glance at Mokuba and feel that they had something similar after all.

[Yuna's POV]

I could hear a commotion from the sideline, and I felt myself being embarrassed when my name was mentioned numerous times. But that anxiety vanished as I stared at Yami Bakura.

"Let's not keep them waiting and begin." He smiled, and the shadow beneath his feet expanded, covering the entire field. I felt the ominous darkness enveloping the ground and subconsciously cringed in discomfort.

"There's no need for me to explain what's happening, right?" Yami Bakura taunted: "We will duel, and only one of us will make it out of here alive."

"I will go first!" Bakura proclaimed: "I summon Headless Knight!"

From the shadows, a suit of armour rose from the ground. It was armed with a massive sword and shield while its head was missing, reminding me of a Dullahan.

[Headless Knight: 1450 Attack, 1700 Defence]

Yami Bakura then ended his turn and gazed at me with anticipation. I was a little confused by his lacklustre turn, but since the opportunity was presented to me, I will finish this as early as possible!

"I summon Evilswarm Zahak!"

Appearing on my field was a dragon with three heads, wings and a long tail. Its body was covered by some futuristic machinery while exposing some of its purplish flesh.

[Evilswarm Zahak: 1850 Attack, 850 Defence]

"Interesting, it's a card I have never seen before," Yami Bakura commented.

"Don't worry, there's more in store." I retorted: "Evilswarm Zahak, attack the Headless Knight!"

The three reptilian heads snapped at my command and, in unison, opened their mouth. Unleashing a deadly red beam, the Headless Knight was instantly incinerated.

[Bakura Ryou: 4000 LP -> 3600 LP]

"I will end my turn," I declared and observed Yami Bakura like a hawk, eager to know what he had in plan.

Yami Bakura calmly drew a card from his duel disk: "I will summon The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams."

*BAM*

Suddenly, a bed appeared out of nowhere and dropped onto the ground, creating a loud sound. There was a very pale person sleeping on the bed, and the man seemed to be convulsing as if he were possessed. Gradually, a horrifying spirit wielding a sabre emerged out of the man's chest.

[The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams: 1300 Attack, 1800 Defence]

"Then I will set two cards and end my turn."

'Another normal monster?' I thought in bewilderment. There were two set cards this time, but still, I expected more...

"I summon Dragon Knight of Creation!" I shouted, summoning my reliable noble knight: "Now, my monsters, attack!"

[Dragon Knight of Creation: 1800 Attack, 600 Defence]

The knight rushed towards the ghost, its blade shinned a golden light, and he cleanly sliced the spirit in half.

[Yami Bakura: 3600 LP -> 3100 LP]

"Then, upon destroying your monster, I will activate Dragon Knight of Creation's effect and send one Level Eight dragon from my deck to the graveyard!"

"Now, Evilswarm Zahak, continue the assault and attack Bakura directly!"

On command, Evilswarm Zahak fired another barrage of lasers, this time towards Yami Bakura. He gritted his teeth as the lasers exploded beneath his feet, dropping his life points considerably.

[Yami Bakura: 3100 LP -> 1250 LP]

"Finally, I will use Dragon Knight of Creation's second effect to discard my Keeper of the Shrine in my hand, and by sacrificing my knight, I can special summon one Level Seven or Eight Dragon monster from the graveyard." I shouted and raised my hand into the air: "I will special summon Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!"

Placing his sword into the ground, the Dragon Knight of Creation burst into a wave of light. The light expanded and dispersed, revealing the form of a massive golden dragon.

[Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: 2800 Attack, 2800 Defence]

"Using Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand's ability, I will banish the Headless Knight in your graveyard, and it will gain four hundred attacks and defences!"

[Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: 2800 -> 3200 Attack, 2800 -> 3200 Defence]

"I will end my turn here," I said as Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand roared with vigour. Unfortunately, I didn't have any traps I could set, so my back row was empty, but with Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, my safety should be secured.

Yami Bakura stared at his low life points and smiled: "Perhaps it's time to begin."

Drawing a card, Yami Bakura began to yell from the other side: "First, I will use Foolish Burial to send The Potrait's Secret from my deck to the graveyard. After that, I will use Graceful Charity!"

Adding three cards to his hand while discarding two, Yami Bakura said in a calm tone: "Finally, I will banish The Potrait's Secret, The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams and the Goblin Zombie I discarded through the effect of Graceful Charity. With these three sacrifices, I will be able to summon my trump card, Dark Necrofear!"

Three wailing souls burst out of Yami Bakura's duel disk and dived into the ground. Together, they began to merge into the shape of a tall humanoid. The shadow dispersed, and what was revealed to me was a tall female demon with blue skin, a bald head and pointy ears.

In her arms was a half-broken doll resembling an infant. The doll's body moved, and its beady eyes stared at me, causing my body to shiver.

[Dark Necrofear: 2200 Attack, 2800 Defence]

"Now, Dark Necrofear, attack Evilswarm Zahak!"

The demon suddenly appeared behind my dragon and raised her arm. There, I saw the gleaming reflection of her metallic claws as she swung the weapon down onto my monster's back, killing it.

[Yuna Sano: 4000 LP -> 3650 LP]

"Upon destruction, I can activate Evilswarm Zahak's effect to destroy one level five or higher monster on the field, and I will remove the Dark Necrofear!"

*BEEP*

A loud audible alarm sounded from Evilswarm Zahak's body, and the beeping became more erratic by the second. Too late to retreat, the monster exploded, and Dark Necrofear was caught in a sea of flames.

"Additionally, I will use the Keeper of the Shrine's effect in my graveyard. If a dragon monster leaves the field, I can special summon this card!"

[Keeper of the Shrine: 0 Attack, 2100 Defence]

Watching his strongest monster getting destroyed, I couldn't help but be wary as Yami Bakura's reaction was calm.... Too calm.

"When Dark Necrofear dies, I was able to activate its effect!" He smirked: "I will be able to activate the field spell Dark Sanctuary directly from my deck!"

*RUMBLE*

Akin to an earthquake, the ground behind him shook as a tall, red castle emerged. Instantly, the darkness enveloping us was washed away; instead, it was replaced with a bloody sky that felt way more intimidating.

"Finally, I will set a monster and end my turn; however, with the effect of Dark Sanctuary, I must tribute a monster in my end phase, or else it will be destroyed." Yami Bakura shrugged: "Naturally, I will choose the set monster."

I really can't wrap my head around Yami Bakura's plan. Right now, it was apparent that I was in a more favourable position, and his life points could easily be wiped out from one attack. But still, my instinct was telling me that I should remove Dark Sanctuary as soon as possible...

"I will activate Pot of Greed!" I shouted: "Which allows me to draw two cards!"

"Next, I will activate Polymerization!!" Showing the Herald of Creation in my hand, I pointed at the Keeper of the shrine and declared: "Using these two monsters as materials, I will fusion summon Mysterion the Dragon Crown!"

Plummeting from the sky appeared a warrior dressed in flashy golden armour and her mount, a gigantic eastern dragon. The dragon's size was so big that it wrapped around the entire blimp, creating an unreal feeling.

Hearing the gasps from the crowd, I remembered that Yugi and his friends hadn't seen this card yet, and all of a sudden, I wanted to brag.

[Mysterion the Dragon Crown: 3000 Attack, 1500 Defence]

"Then, I will use Quick Attack! Allowing Mysterion the Dragon Crown to attack the turn it was summoned!" I pointed at the set card: "Now, Mysterion the Dragon Crown attack!"

Gathering energy in her hands, the rider fired lightning out of her palms. But before the attack could land, Yami Bakura instantly flipped over a trap card.

Yami Bakura: "I will activate Call of the Haunted to revive the monster I tributed earlier, Earthbound Spirit!"

[Earthbound Spirit: 500 Attack, 2000 Defence]

The lightning struck the monster, and the Earthbound Spirit erupted in flames, turning into ashes in a span of a second: "Your field is empty! Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, finish him!"

Following Mysterion the Dragon Crown, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand unleashes an orange breath that will ravage Yami Bakura's entire field. However, to my shock, instead of reaching him, the breath suddenly changed trajectory and struck me!

"What..." I mumbled and staggered backward.

Staring at Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, I noticed something emerging from its chest. A ghastly spirit reveals itself and wanders back into the bloody castle. Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand patted its body in confusion, and it didn't know how something this ominous was hiding inside.

"You must be confused, but it's straightforward." Yami Bakura began to explain: "Once per turn, Dark Sanctury will create a spirit called the Ghos of Dark Sanctury. The ghost can possess one of your monsters, and if that monster attacks, you will lose life points equal to half of the monster's attack state while I gain life points equal to that amount!"

Truth to his words, my life points began to drop while Yami Bakura's life points rose.

[Yuna Sano: 3650 LP -> 2250 LP]

[Bakura Ryou: 1250 LP -> 2850 LP]

"I... I will end my turn..." I fumbled at my words, and his grin widened.

"How about we make this duel more exciting?" Yami Bakura smiled: "Before your turn ends, I will play my set card: "Destiny Board!" [1]

Beside Yami Bakura, a black smoke manifested in midair and a skeletal hand burst out of the cloud, tearing the smoke away. There stood a floating skeleton covered by a robe, and in his hand was an ouija board.

"With Destiny Board's effect, during your end phase, Destiny Board will create a Spirit Message "I", "N", "A", and "L" in this order. Once all letters are placed, I will win the duel!"

I gritted my teeth as the situation became more troublesome than I thought. I helplessly watched as the skeleton began to move the plank on the Ouija board, directing it to the letter "I", and the alphabet appeared in a bright colour.

"Three more turns to go," Yami Bakura smirked: "Will you be able to defeat me by then?"

So I only got three turns...

I only have two options: either I deplete Yami Bakura's life points until then, or I should find a way to remove the trap card entirely.

"My turn," Yami Bakura said while adding a card from his duel disk: "I will set a card and a monster face down and end my turn here,"

"But due to the effect of Dark Sanctuary, I must sacrifice a monster to keep the spell activated. I will tribute my face-down monster that was placed earlier."

Yami Bakura smirked with confidence, and I frowned. His arrogance was really annoying, and I would do anything to wipe that smile off his face.

"Three more turns," Yami Bakura reminded once again: "So enjoy your life while it lasts because it will be all over soon."

"It's my move..." I muttered, deep in thought: "First, I will use Card of Sanctity and draw until I have six cards in my hand."

"Then I will use Card Destruction, sending my entire hand into the graveyard, and I can draw the same number of cards."

Discarding my cards, I drew the same amount with a calm expression: "Next, I'm using my spell card, Return of the Dragon Lords, to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the graveyard!"

Thunders illuminated the dark clouds as a third roar pierced through the arrow. Contrary to the golden colour of my two dragons, an elegant silver dragon landed between them.

[Blue Eyes White Dragon: 3000 Attack, 2500 Defence]

With three powerful dragons on my field, it's enough to brute force my way through Yami Bakura's defences! While he could still use the effect of Dark Sanctuary, I could tank the damage, and my remaining monsters could finish him off.

"Go! Mysterion the Dragon Crown, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand and Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack!"

In unison, my monsters charged, eager to be the first to tear my opponent apart. Yami Bakura gritted his teeth and hurriedly activated his set card: "I will use Fiendish Chain and bind your Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!"

Chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around the massive body of my golden dragon. Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand struggled desperately, but it wasn't able to escape its binding and roared helplessly.

"While Fiendish Chain is on the field, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand won't be able to attack or activate its effect." Yami Bakura announced.

"Tsk..." Ignoring the strange sense of deja vu, I clicked my teeth: "I will end my...."

"I won't let you," Yami Bakura shouted: "First, I will use my second Call of the Haunted to revive the monster Earthbound Spirit in defence position!" The muddy minion returned, and I swear it was smiling smugly at me.

[Earthbound Spirit: 500 Attack, 2000 Defence]

"Then I will activate Battle Route. If I control a monster, you must attack no matter what!"

I cursed as Blue Eyes White Dragon ignored my orders and charged, lunging at the Souls of the Forgotten. However, as expected, Blue Eyes White Dragon suddenly swung around and struck me with its claws.

[Yuna Sano: 2250 LP -> 750 LP]

[Bakura Ryou: 2850 LP -> 4350 LP]

"Mysterion the Dragon Claw, destroy that ugly guy!" I snarled.

Finishing what Blue Eyes White Dragon can't do, Mysterion the Dragon Crown wiped away Earthbound Spirit from the field. With nothing left to do, I set a card face down and reluctantly ended my turn. Immediately, the floating skeleton moved the plank to the letter "N".

Two more turns left...

"I will first summon Sangan." Yami Bakura's voice brought my attention back to the duel. There appeared a small brown furry creature, and the best description I could give was that it looked like Kuribouh's weird cousin.

[Sangan: 1000 Attack, 600 Defence]

"Then I will activate Monster Reborn to revive my Dark Necrofear in defence position from the graveyard!"

[Dark Necrofear: 2200 Attack, 2800 Defence]

"Finally, I will enter the battle phase and pass on my second main phase." Yami Bakura announced, leaving slightly confused: "I will set two cards and replace my Dark Sanctuary with Savage Colosseum!"

The bloody castle disappeared, and what took its place was a massive Roman stadium. Yami Bakura laughed and spread his arms: "With Savage Colosseum, you must attack if you can or else monsters that don't attack will be destroyed. Also, the controller of those monsters that attack will gain three hundred life points."

I see, so he's intentionally ended his battle phase to avoid the effect of the Savage Colosseum...

I quietly uttered a curse. Now, Yami Bakura has forced me to battle. With Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand still being locked down, I can only fight using two of my dragons and both targets aren't that great.

"Fine, if you want me to attack, I will!" I shouted angrily: "Mysterion the Dragon Crown, attack Sangan!"

"Before that, I will activate my trap, Two-Pronged Attack, tributing my Sangan and Dark Necrofear to destroy Mysterion the Dragon Crown."

Dark Necrofear and Sangan threw themselves against my monster. Together, they created a massive explosion, killing them.

"Sangan's effect has been activated. I can add a monster with one thousand five hundred or fewer attacks into my hand." Yami Bakura explained.

"Damn it... Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack while he's defenceless!"

"You can certainly try!" Yami Bakura yelled: "I activate Dimensional Wall. All battle damage will be transferred back to you! It's over!"

Blue Eyes White Dragon struck a barrier, and the area illuminated an ominous hue. Swiftly, the shield launched a laser at my face.

*BOOOOM*

Yami Bakura laughed in delight as he found enjoyment in watching me cause my own downfall. Unfortunately for him, though, I'm not going down that easily.

"I activate Waboku. My monsters won't be destroyed this turn, nor will I take any battle damage."

While I'm not focused on Waboku's primary effect, the trap card's second effect managed to save me from destruction...

"I will set a card and end my turn." I gritted my teeth as the letter "A" manifested in the corner of my vision.

"I got good news: with Savage Colosseum on the field, if you attack, you can actually gain three hundred life points." Yami Bakura teased: "So be grateful."

[Yuna Sano: 750 LP -> 1050 LP]

I crossed my arms and ignored him. Yami Bakura glanced at the Ouija Board, grinning with ecstasy: "I will activate Monster Reborn and revive my Dark Necrofear."

[Dark Necrofear: 2200 Attack, 2800 Defence]

"Then I summon Jowgen, the Spiritualist!"

A monster that resembled a Buddhist monk was summoned onto the field. The monk was dressed in a white ceremonial robe, and he slammed his staff onto the floor, creating a jingle sound with the bells.

[Jowgen The Spiritualist: 200 Attack, 1300 Defence]

"I will activate Jowgen The Spiritualist's effect," Yami Bakura yelled while sending a card into the discard pile: "By discarding a random card, I can destroy all monsters that have been special summoned!"

Jowgen, the Spiritualist, swung his staff and fired an array of magic, destroying my Blue Eyes White Dragon and his Dark Necrofear.

"As intended, when Dark Necrofear was sent to the graveyard, it allowed me to activate my second Dark Sanctuary!" Yami Bakura grinned: "Rise again, my sturdy fortress!"

The Bloody Castle reemerged from hell, replacing the Savage Colosseum. Once again, the sky was plunged into a deep shade of red.

"Finally, I will use Card of Demise to draw until I have five cards in my hand." Yami Bakura said: "To make sure, I will play The Dark Door. With its effect, we can only attack with one monster."

Damn...

Another troublesome card has surfaced. As Yami Bakura set two more cards and ended his turn after tributing his Jowgen, the Spiritualist, I couldn't help but praise him for pushing me this far. But I think it's time to end this once and for all.

"I will draw!" I shouted.

"First, I will use Foolish Burial to send one monster from my deck to the graveyard, then I play Monster Reborn to summon Paladin of Felgrand in attack position!" I shouted, and a young blond knight appeared on the field.

[Paladin of Felgrand: 1700 Attack, 600 Defence]

"I activate Paladin of Felgrand's effect to equip Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand to himself." I quietly caught my breath: "Then I will play Ruins of Divine Dragon Lord and use its effect to turn Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand into a dragon token!"

[Dragon Lord Token: 0 Attack, 0 Defence]

"Then, with Paladin of Felgrand's second effect, I will tribute him and the token to summon Arkbrave Dragon from my graveyard!"

A bright light engulfed the Paladin of Felgrand and the Dragon Lord Token. Gradually, the light dimmed, and a small green emerald dropped onto the ground. A few seconds gone by, the emerald glowed, constructing a massive figure of a gold and white dragon.

[Arkbrave Dragon: 2400 Attack, 1200 Defence]

"With Arkbrave Dragon's ability, when it was summoned from the graveyard, I can banish all the traps or spell cards on the field, and it will gain two hundred attacks for each card!"

Arkbrave Dragon puffed up its chest and unleashed a green beam that covered the entire duelling arena. However, to my dismay, no matter how much I waited, none of the cards actually disappeared, and Arkbave Dragon's attack did not increase.

"Do you think I haven't thought of that?" Yami Bakura smirked: "I activate my set card, Imperial Iron Wall. While this trap is active, we can not banish any cards!"

I bit my lips as my first plan was thwarted. However, I won't give up now; there's still more I can do this turn, and I will genuinely give Yami Bakura a run for his money!

"I will activate the effect of Keeper of the Shrine in my graveyard to special summon him," I said, getting as many materials on the field as possible.

[Keeper of the Shrine: 0 Attack, 2100 Defence]

"I will use my second Card of Sanctity to draw until I have six cards!" I said and shamelessly filled my hand: "Then, I activate Return of the Dragon Lords and summon Darkstorm Dragon from my graveyard!"

A considerable tornado arrived on top of the blimp, and the illusion felt so real that I thought it would really hurl me into the air. On top of the tornado was a black dragon with a skinny frame but massive wings that were almost as big as our aircraft.

[Darkstorm Dragon: 2700 Attack, 2400 Defence]

"Darkstorm Dragon is a Gemni Monster, which means that currently, it's treated as a normal monster." I explained: "However if I sacrifice my normal summon this turn, I will able to transform it into an effect monster!"

Hearing my words, Darkstorm Dragon howled at the sky, and the membrane on its wings flashed brilliantly.

"Darkstorm Dragon's effect! I will send my Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lord to the graveyard and destroy all traps and spells on the field!"

The statue of Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand shattered as a Darkstorm Dragon flapped its wings, sending a cascade of wind towards Yami Bakura.

"Damn you..." He growled: "I will use Solemn Judgement and pay half of my life points to negate the activation of Darkstorm Dragon's effect!"

Before the wind reached him, an old man dressed in a white robe stood in the centre of the field. He spread his arms and reflected the sharp wind towards my dragon and destroyed it.

[Bakura Ryou: 4350 LP -> 2175 LP]

"What are you going to do now? Yuna Sano!" Yami Bakura shouted.

"What I'm going to do?" I smiled: "This is just the beginning! I will play Double Summon, allowing me to normal summon twice this turn!"

"Tributing Arkbrave Dragon and Keeper of the Shrine, I will be able to summon my last trump card, White Night Dragon!"

My two monsters on the field vanished, and a new dragon revealed itself. It has glistening blue scales that resemble crystals, wings, jagged spikes that run along its body and a thin head that lacks pupils.

[White Night Dragon: 3000 Attack, 2500 Defence]

"Now, White Night Dragon, attack Bakura!"

"You fool!" Yami Bakura shouted: "Have you forgotten Dark Sanctuary's effect? You will...."

Before he can finish his sentence, he hears something crumbling behind him. Turning around, Yami Bakura gasped as the bloody castle began to fall apart.

"H.... How..." He muttered.

"It's White Night Dragon's effect! If a spell or trap card targets this card, it will be destroyed instead!"

White Night Dragon dived towards Dark Necrofear. The dragon raised its slender arm as Yami Bakura closed his eyes: "Looks like I have been outplayed..."

BOOOOM

[Bakura Ryou: 2175 LP -> 0 LP]

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[1]In the show, the letters in the destiny board were not counted as traps because of Dark Sanctuary for some reason. So, for this, I just decided not to turn them into traps altogether.