I was immediately on alert when a sudden attack that cause me to being split apart from Yuto. And no. It was not attack. Just ordinary earthquake. Japan is often hit by these. Had the city was anything like Maiami, it would be alright. Just be careful for aftershock. But in ruined city of Heartland?
The only thing that made me still retain my calmness is the fact Yuto contact me. Saying he will found another way since the debris was too much for him to remove manually and trying to use his monster is just asking for trouble. He was alright and know the way. Worst case scenario, he will summon Dark Rebellion and split up the earth to escape—and we're hoping that was not the case. As for me... I just had to go down the path we originally decided to. There's landmark where we agreed to meet and regrouped back.
He warned me to be careful since I am on my own.
(It was sweet of him to not hovers around me protectively. To trust me that I am capable duelist just like the rest of us, not mere damsel in distress just because some creepy old guy with weird and freaky collection issue is after me—
—Euterpe, why are you facepalming?)
At least I have surprise element in case I'm about to get overwhelmed.
It was not too long before I encounter an Obelisk Force soldier.
Yes. An Soldier. As in, just one soldier. Not multiple.
Either this one split off from the group, or powerful (or cocky) enough to go off alone.
There was a beat of silence as the soldier notice my presence. As if gazing intently at me.
"So it was true." The Soldier hummed.
There's something nagging me. Something about the presence (music) was muffled.
"...veiled." What? "The presence is veiled. Maybe an amulet or something. Powerful enough to block me from peering deeper. Trust me, I try. Something about this one bug my mind but I can't explain why."
Someone from Academia can do magic? Has same ability as I do? Only stronger?
Not good.
Not good at all.
The Soldier finally finished with internal debate and look at me. "What do you know about Ante rules?"
"Quite good." I replied. Tense. "I mean, isn't Duels with Academia is always Ante Duel? The loser become card, after all."
Well. I don't carded people. Yuya would be severely disappointed at me if I sunk that low.
(I wonder what he would say if he knows I let others carded defeated soldiers. I hope he understand my reasoning. This is warzone I am in.)
"...change the bet." Muffled as it was, I can hear the aura around my opponent-to-be become frigid. The kind I heard from Kurosaki when he was angry about something but forced to hold it back. "I win, do me a favor."
In other words, going to Academia.
Yeah. No.
"I got your back."
I know and thank you.
"Then." I raised my hand. "Shall we dance?"
My opponent take out something. A coin? No. An Othello disk.
"Black, I go first. White, you do."
The coin then thrown into the sky. Spun, before land.
Black.
DUEL
Obelisk Force LP: 4000
Yuzu LP: 4000
"I set five cards. My turn is done."
Traps. All traps.
It honestly reminds me of Yuto. During his first duel against Sawatari, this is what he do.
"My turn then. Draw." Six cards, one is spell, the rest are monsters. Perfect. "I set Scale 2 Scherzo the Melodious Diva in my right Pendulum zone and Lacrimosa the Melodious Diva in my left Pendulum Zone!"
Scherzo the Melodious Diva | Level 6 | Light
Fairy / Pendulum / Effect / PS 2
ATK 2200 / DEF 1200
Pendulum Effect: Once, draw three cards but skip your next draw phase
Monster Effect: If all monsters you controls are Melodious Monster, banish one monster from your hand or side of field, this card's attack doubles until end of the turn
Lacrimosa the Melodious Diva | Level 3 | Light
Fairy / Pendulum / Effect / PS 8
ATK 1000 / DEF 1600
Pendulum Effect: If all monsters you controls are Melodious monster, once per turn (Quick Effect) you can negate activation of a spell card and if you do, destroy it
Monster Effect: Once per turn, taattack. Your opponent can't activate card effect in response of activation of this card effect.
"...Pendulum...? That was..."
"I activate Scherzo's Pendulum effect! Once per duel, at cost of skipping my next drawing phase, I can draw three cards."
"Continuous Trap Card: Anti-Spell Fragrance. You and I must set a spell card before activating them on next turn."
FFFFFFFFFFFFF—
Pendulum Card cannot be SET! As monster, yes, as Spell? NO!
Stars damn it!
Fine then, I'll just summon. "Swing, Pendulum of Melodies! Let this song reverberate across the universe! Pendulum Summon! Opera the Melodious Diva, Elegy the Melodious Diva! Elegy's effect! When she is special summoned, all Melodious monster I control gain 300 attack!"
Opera the Melodious Maestra | Level 4 | Light
Fairy / Effect
ATK 2300 / DEF 1000
Elegy the Melodious Diva | Level 5 | Light
Fairy / Effect
ATK 2000 / DEF 1200
Opera the Melodious Maestra ATK 2300 --> 2600
Elegy the Melodious Diva ATK 2000 --> 2300
"Battle then. Elegy."
"Trap Card Open: Magical Cylinder."
Oh for love of—STARS FUCK IT!
Yuzu LP: 4000 --> 1700
The only thing that keep it from being worse is that I start with Elegy and not Opera.
"Opera?"
"Trap Card open: Mirror Force."
I take it back! Is there anything I am allowed to do?!
"Set your cards?"
Here's to hoping my opponent doesn't have backrow removal. "I set a card and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw. Trap Card activate: Secret Barrel. I inflict 200 damage per cards on your field and hand."
Yuzu LP: 1700 --> 700
Ow...
"I set a card. I end my turn." I can feel the gaze on me. It was appraising... and found me wanting. "I've heard a lot about you. I thought it would be harder. I am... quite disappointed at how underwhelming it is."
I feel vein throbbed at my forehead.
"Y-Yuzu..."
I am going to enjoy shoving down those words back where it come from!
"My turn. Draw. I activate Ritual Spell Card: Overflowing Melody! By tributing Mozarta from my hand, I can Ritual Summon Melodious Monster! Sing, O Divine Choir! Sing a Requiem! Ritual Summon! Hildegard the melodious Maestra!"
Overflowing Melody (Ritual Spell Card)
You can use this card to Ritual Summon any "Melodious" Ritual monster by using Fairy-Type monsters from Hand and/or Field whose level equals or exceed the level of Ritual Monsters. "Melodious" Ritual Monster that has been Summoned by this card effect cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects until the end of this turn.
Hildegard the Melodious Maestra | Level 7 | Light
Fairy / Ritual / Effect
ATK 2400 / DEF 1900
You can summon this monster using "Overflowing Melody" Ritual Card. When this card is special summoned, target a melodious monster in your graveyard with level equal or less than this card. Special summon it. You can only use this effect once. If this card is in the graveyard, you can banish this card, target one card that is banished or in the graveyard and return it to your hand.
She bowed slightly to me. I return her bow.
I can activate her effect to special summon. But in case there's a trap waiting...
"Battle."
"Trap Card Open: Blazing Mirror Force."
"Overflowing Melody's effect! The Ritual monster summoned by this card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect the turn they are ritual summoned!"
Obelisk Force LP: 4000 --> 1600
"I end my turn."
I was right in not summoning monster aside from Hildegard. They won't have same protection as she does.
"My turn. Draw. I summon Dinomorphia Diplos and send a Dinomorphia card to the graveyard. You also lose 500 lifepoints."
Yuzu LP: 700 --> 200
"Then I activate Trap Card: Assault on the GHQ to destroy my monster and send top two cards you control to the graveyard. I banish Dinomorphia Domain and special summon Therizia. I end my turn."
"One would think you would fusion summon using trap cards. I mean, so long your lifepoints can be halved, it would work."
I was taken aback when my opponent scowled-half-snarled.
Not at me. Wait. At me. But not me me. More like... at what I am saying.
Oops.
I think I stepped on minefield.
"Make your move." That was serious amount of restrain to keep growl out of voice.
O-Okay... "My turn. Draw." Ah. Good. "Battle. I attack your monster! Then I activate Score the Melodious Diva's effect to reduce your monster's attack into zero!"
Dinomorphia Therizia ATK 2000 --> 0
Obelisk Force LP: 1600 --> 0
I sighed in relief.
I was lucky I don't see the (in)famous Fusion Trap Card in action. Otherwise, I'm done for. Still... It feels like fighting Floren-nee. Those traps that hinders opponent. What she calls it again? Oh yes. Metagaming.
"Well..." A voice drawled. "You're not half-bad..."
I look at my opponent, who was still standing. I guess I still have hard-ingrained habit from Action Duel back home to NOT injure my opponent. It was against You Show Duel School's spirit to harm your opponent if you can avoid it—and it was crime, anyway. It's one thing to accidentally harm someone, it's different thing to purposely doing so.
(Sawatari Incident popped on my mind. Euterpe, reminds me to hit him when I see him again.
"Consider it done.")
So, the Obelisk Soldier I just fought is no worse for wear. Except for the helmet is thrown off in shockwave from the final attack. Revealing...
Oh.
Well.
This...
This is awkward. And can be potentially a bad thing.