"Duel!" I shouted as my Duel Disk came to life upon my voice.
[Yuna Sano: 4000 LP]
Staring at Anubis and the ominous plaques levitating in the air, I realised that this duel would be pretty different from the one I'm familiar with. While I get to have a counter that shows how many life points I currently possess, Anubis does not have anything like it, resembling a duel back in ancient times.
So, everything comes down to my imagination...
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, envisioning the image in my head. If I couldn't see his life points, I must use my imagination. When I finally opened my eyes, a fake counter was visualised behind the sorcerer, allowing me to get a much clearer picture.
"Since you're the challenger, will you be kind enough to let me start first?" Anubis asked slyly.
"Suit yourself," I muttered while drawing five cards
"Very well, then let me begin!" He spoke eagerly as a plaque floated into his palm, "I will cast my spell, Trade-In, to relinquish my Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen, to conjure two new tablets into my hands."
"Ogdoadic?" I muttered in disbelief, "Where in the world did you get this?!"
"I have no obligations to answer you." Anubis chided, "But if you defeat me, perhaps I might satisfy your curiosity. I shall continue!"
"I cast my second spell, Snake Rain, to discard Flogos, the Ogdoadic Boundless and discard four more of my spirits from my inventory." Four new tablets appeared before our eyes, and Anubis clenched his fists as they crumbled to specks of dust.
"Finally, since I control no monsters, I will use the power of Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant and revive it from my graveyard!"
One of the tablets that was destroyed restored itself, and the hieroglyphics began to glow. Soon, a monster burst forth from within and landed on the field.
{Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant: 0 Defence}
It was a pitch-black cobra adorned with Egyptian ceremonial armour. Upon seeing me, the serpent hissed and spat saliva onto the ground. Unlike the 3D projections from the Duel Disks, these monsters felt more lifelike than any I had ever seen.
"Then, with the power of Nunu, I will sacrifice it and summon another one of my spirits! I will call upon my Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light!"
A mass of dark smoke surged and coiled around Nunu, Ogdoadic Remnant. A horrifying screech and gurgle echoed through the air, sending shivers down my spine. As the smoke dissipated, a colossal monster clad in gold armour stood before us. Instead of legs, its lower body was a writhing, tangled mass of slithering snakes, creating a grotesque and unsettling sight.
{Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light: 2400 Defence}
"When Nunu left this realm while it was summoned through its revival power, the spirit will be banished instead," Anubis explained. "Then, when Keurse is summoned, I can use its power to bring back Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant as well!"
{Nauya, the Ogdadic Remnant: 2000 Defence}
"Nauya's power allows me to bring out the Ogdoadic Serpent Strike from my inventory. Then I will cast this spell!"
*Booom*
The room trembled as the spell activated, coating our environment with its power. Anubis smiled at the sensation while I frowned. "I will sacrifice Nauya and summon Aleirtt, the Ogdadic Dark!"
*Roar*
Standing in Nauya's place was a fierce beast clad in golden armour and adorned with spikes. With the head of a cobra, the monster had thick, muscular arms and legs, each finger and toe tipped with sharp, pointy claws.
{Aleirtt, the Ogdadic Dark: 2000 Attack}
"The power of Keurse called upon Nauya so that it will be sent to the banishment realm. However, with Aleirtt's ability, I'm able to recover Nauya and Nunu from the banishment realm."
"Then it's my turn! I will draw!" I shouted while glancing at my hand, "First, I will play the spell of Fusion Deployment. This spell allows me to reveal the Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon in my extra deck and special summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!"
As soon as I inserted the card into my Duel Disk, I felt my strength ebb away, dropping me to my knees.
"Tsk..." I clicked my teeth at the uncomfortable sensation, clenching and unclenching my fists in confusion. Staring at the white dragon standing before me, I could feel a connection between me and my monster.
[Blue Eyes White Dragon: 3000 Attack]
Dwelling on the feeling, I gradually understood my situation as I recalled the lore behind Duel Monsters. Back in Egyptian times, Duel Monsters wasn't just a game; it was a method people used to kill each other.
However, unlike in the past shadow games, this feeling was much worse, probably due to the fact that this duel was much more traditional than any I have played before. Well, it's not common for people to battle an old spirit...
"Well, well," Anubis commented upon seeing my weakened state, "With your pathetic form of a soul. Can you even summon a single spirit?"
Sensing the warm liquid trickling down my cheek, I smiled wryly, "You should stop worrying about me and continue this duel." I remarked while grabbing the second card from my hand, "I will summon Chamber Dragonmaid!"
[Chamber Dragonmaid: 1800 Defence]
"With Chamber Dragonmaid's effect, I will add Dragonmaid Changeover from the deck to my hand!" I explained as Anubis furrowed his brow.
"It's time for me to activate my trap, the Offering to the Snake Deity! By sacrificing my Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light, I will kill the two spirits you control!" Anubis declared
"I won't let that happen!" I yelled, "I will respond with my quick-play spell, Dragonmaid Send-Off! By returning Chamber Dragonmaid to my hand and summoning Palor Dragonmaid instead!"
With a wave, Chamber Dragonmaid vanished, and another young maid took her place. Glancing around, Palor Dragonmaid smiled at me before gazing at Blue-Eyes White Dragon in awe.
[Palor Dragonmaid: 1700 Defence]
As the spell shot towards my two monsters, it suddenly dispelled, leaving Anubis confused as Palor Dragonmaid danced around teasingly.
"Since your spell only targets Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Chamber Draognmaid, by removing one of them from the field, the spell will be nullified!" I explained confidently, and Anubis clicked his teeth.
"Since that has been resolved, Palor Dragonmaid's effect will trigger! When she is special-summoned, I can send Dragonmaid Lopar from the deck to the graveyard!"
"You have triggered the spell of Ogdoadic Serpent Strike. When you send a monster from your inventory to the grave, I will be able to do the same."
"That will be fine. I will activate the spell Dragonmaid Changeover!" I announced as a portal appeared beneath Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Using Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field and Chamber Dragon in my hand as materials, I will fusion summon House Dragonmaid!"
[House Dragonmaid: 3000 Attack]
"Now, I will battle!" I shouted, "During my battle phase, I will activate Parlor Dragonmaid's effect to return her to my hand! Then I can summon Dragonmaid Lopar from the graveyard!"
Grinning, Parlor Dragonmaid jumped into the air, performing a flip. As if it was magic, she transformed into a beautiful dragon with green fur.
[Dragonmaid Lopar: 2700 Attack]
"With House Dragonmaid, when another Dragonmaid Monster I control returns to my hand, I can target your Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light and destroy it!" I declared, and a beam of light shot out of House Dragonmaid's finger, piercing the serpentine warrior.
"I will battle! House Dragonmaid and Dragonmaid Lopar. Go!"
Dragonmaid Lopar charged, and she bit into the beast's shoulder. Aleirtt roared in rage and tried to fight back, but the dragon easily dodged before finishing the monster with her claws.
{Anubis: 4000 LP -> 3300 LP}
"The path is cleared, House Dragonmaid. Charge!" I yelled, and the dragon dashed towards the sorcerer with murderous intent."
"Not so fast!" Anubis smirked and revealed his second spell, "This concealed spell is called Snake Whistle! When one of my spirits is destroyed, I will be able to call upon a low-tier reptilian spirit from my inventory, Nauya, protect me!"
{Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant: 2000 Defence}
Blocking House Dragonmaid's path appeared a tall serpent. The snake hissed as she unleashed her punch, and the monster exploded into pieces. Frustrated, House Dragonmaid and Dragonmaid Lopar returned to my side of the field as I helplessly continued to my turn.
"In my second main phase, Dragonmaid Larpor will return to its maid form. After that, I will set one card face-down and end my turn." I muttered grimly as the two maids glanced at me apologetically.
[Dragonmaid Palor: 1700 Defence]
"Ku ku ku..." Anubis chuckled and stared at me with pity, "It was certainly a much better attempt that's better than those two, at least. But don't let that get into your head because it's my turn!" He announced with a broad smile as a new tablet formed around him.
"During your stand-by phase, I will use House Dragonmaid's effect and summon Chamber Dragonmaid from my graveyard." I interrupted, trying to set up a defence that would allow me to survive whatever the sorcerer was planning.
[Chamber Dragonmaid: 1800 Defence]
"Tsk... Then, first, I will conjure the environmental spell, Ogdoadic Origin!" Swirls of shadows began to grow on the walls and all over the room like vile roots. The veins slithered and squirmed as if they were alive, creating a disgusting texture.
"Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant will be revived since I control no other monsters," Anubis smirked and resummoned the serpent.
{Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant: 0 Defence}
"Like before, Nunu will be sacrificed to revive Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light, and Keurse will bring back Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant."
{Keurse, Ogdoadic Light: 2400 Defence}
{Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant: 2000 Defence}
"With Nauya's power, I will retrieve the Ogdoadic Water Lily spell into my hand. Now I will also revive Aleirtt, the Ogdoadic Dark, by banishing Nauya!" Anubis spoke as he gradually rebuilt his entire field.
{Aleirtt, the Ogdoadic Dark: 2000 Attack}
"In response, I will activate Dragonmaid Tidying!" I yelled and revealed my trap card, "This card allows me to target my Parlor Dragonmaid and your Aleirtt, the Ogdoadic Dark, to return both monsters to the hand."
"Then, with the effect of House Dragonmaid, I can target your Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light and destroy it!" I pointed at the two monsters as they disappeared from the field, restarting Anubis's progress.
"How bothersome..." Anubis muttered with an annoyed smile, "Next, I will use the Flogos, the Ogdoadic Boundless's ability to relinquish Aleirtt and return Flogos to my hand. Then, with the power of the Ogdoadic Serpent Strike, I can send Flogos back to my graveyard to summon my most potent spirit, Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord!"
Suddenly, an intense energy swept through the room. Trembling, I glanced at my arm, where goosebumps crawled up my skin. All the shadows condense into one place, forming a massive moving tower.
{Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord: 3100 Attack}
"When I discarded a spirit, I could also revive the second lord, Nephilabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord!!" Anubis cackled as a second enormous serpent emerges. Similar to Ogdoabyss, the monster shared a resemblance to a serpent with wings but with the upper body of a man clad in gold.
{Nephilabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord: 2200 Attack}
"With Nephilabyss's power, I will be able to summon his queen! I will call upon the spirit of Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen!"
{Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen: 2700 Attack}
"Next, I will use the spell the Container of Greed, which allows me to retrieve two tablets from my inventory. Then I will summon my spirit, the Zohah, the Ogdoadic Boundless!"
{Zohah, the Ogdoadic Boundless: 1500 Attack}
"Finally, with Amunessia's power, since your spirit was reborn from the graveyard, I can send it back! Now you have no spirits protecting you!" Anubis cackled with confidence as my Chamber dragonmaid disappeared from the field, "Attack my spirits, attack!"
"During the end of your main phase, I will activate Dragonmaid Ernus's effect to discard the card and special summon Nurse Dragonmaid from my hand!"
[Nurse Dragonmaid: 1600 Defence]
"When Nurse Dragonmaid is summoned, I'm able to summon Chamber Dragonmaid from the graveyard!"
[Chamber Dragonmaid: 1800 Defence]
"Annoying, kill them!" Anubis ordered, and the monsters charged at the frightened maids.
"In the battle phase, I will activate Nurse Dragonmaid and Chamber Dragonmaid's effect. Chamber Dragonmaid allows me to return her to the hand to summon House Dragonmaid while Nurse Dragonmaid will also transform back to Dragonmaid Ernus!"
[House Dragonmaid: 3000 Attack]
[Dragonmaid Ernus: 2600 Attack]
"Like before, when a Dragonmaid Monster returned to my hand, I would be able to target one monster and destroy it! I will choose the Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord!" I shouted, and the House Dragonmaid fired the same magic, piercing through the Overlord's armour.
"How annoying..." Anubis muttered and glared at me, "However, you have triggered the effect of my Ogdoadic Origin! When one of my reptilian spirits is destroyed, I can also choose one of your spirits and send it to the grave!"
The veins suddenly lash out, wrapping around House Dragonmaid's limbs. As the restraints tighten, House Dragonmaids burst into particles of light and vanished from my field.
"Now, my spirits, attack!" Anubis laughed as the Ogdoadic monsters approached my dragon.
Amunessia swung her staff, and Dragonmaid Ernus let out a painful cry before collapsing. As the dragon disappeared, I suddenly felt a slight loss of strength as my life points dropped slightly.
[Yuna Sano: 4000 LP -> 3900 LP]
Although I was relieved that I didn't feel that much pain, that thought would soon go out the window when the two remaining monsters lunged towards me with merciless eyes.
*Swish!*
Zohah swung its massive halberd, and I felt a sharp pain across my body. Gasping, I clutched my side in agony. Before I could momentarily recover, a purple fireball struck me in the chest, sending me across the room.
"Sano!" Ishizu screamed as my back hit the wall hard, creating a loud thud.
[Yuna Sano: 3900 LP -> 2400 LP]
[Yuna Sano: 2400 LP -> 200 LP]
Panting for breath, I hesitantly touched my body. My clothes were torn from the attack, but there was no injury on my body. Just like the duel with Marik, the pain and damage were definitely real; there's no doubt about that. But why wasn't there a wound?
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I instinctively turned my head. Beside me stood House Dragonmaid as she smiled at me. While shocked by the appearance of the spirit, my eyes were glued to the massive cut across her shoulder as blood seeped into her clean uniform.
Behind her, I also saw the rest of the dragon maids frantically slapping Parlor Dragonmaid in the back, putting out the flames on her clothes.
"Why are you here..." I muttered in disbelief, "And your wounds..." Smiling, House Dragonmaid patted my head and shrugged.
Although she didn't speak, I could understand the gist of what she was saying. Presumably, it was something like being a dragon, and this much damage wasn't that serious for someone like her.
Helping me stand, the House Dragonmaid pointed at my deck with a severe expression. "Ah, right," I answered stupidly, "We're still fighting. I will try my best..."
All the maids nodded with a relieved smile before transforming into golden particles. Standing up, I grunted and took a deep breath. Glaring at Anubis, he whistled in admiration.
"You're still standing after that, huh? Your spirits were more tenacious than I thought..." He praised, "Let's continue. I will use the spell Ogdoadic Water Lily to discard Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant, from my inventory. Then I will be able to revive the Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord!"
{Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord: 3100 Attack}
"Now it's your turn." He said, and I nodded.
"I will draw!" I declared and glanced at my life points. It was evident that I could no longer afford a single mistake. Typically, I would have felt nervous, but instead, I felt strangely calm, probably desensitized by the amount of dangerous situations I get myself into...
"First, I will discard the Dragonmaid Lorpar from my hand and negate Ogdoabyss's effect for the rest of this turn. Next, I will activate Dragonmaid Hospitality to special-summon Dragonmaid Lorpar from the graveyard."
[Dragonmaid Lopar: 2600 Attack]
"Then, I will add back Dragonmaid Changeover from my graveyard by returning Dragonmaid Lopar to my hand. Now, I will activate Dragonmaid Changeover; using Dragonmaid Lopar and Chamber Dragonmaid in my hand, I will summon Dragonmaid Sheou!"
*Whoosh*
Beautifully, Dragonmaid Sheou appeared, and she grew at Anubis fiercely. Glancing at her shoulder, I noticed the wound had disappeared, and I sighed with relief.
[Dragonmaid Sheou: 3500 Attack]
"Next, I will normal-summon Nurse Dragonmaid, and she will revive Chamber Dragonmaid from the graveyard!"
[Nurse Dragonmaid: 1600 Defence]
[Chamber Dragonmaid: 1800 Defence]
"When Chamber Dragonmaid is summoned, she allows me to add Dragonmaid Welcome to my hand." I explained while searching through my deck, "Then I will activate Dragonmaid Welcome; this spell allows me to recover Dragonmaid Changeover from the graveyard!"
"Also, when Dragonmaid Welcome is on the field, all my monsters will gain one hundred attacks or defence for each Dragonmaid Monster I control!"
[Dragonmaid Sheou: 3500 -> 3800 Attack]
[Nurse Dragonmaid: 1600 -> 1900 Defence]
[Chamber Dragonmaid: 1800 -> 2100 Defence]
"Afterwards, I will banish Dragonmaid Tidying in my graveyard to revive the House Dragonmaid in my graveyard!"
[House Dragonmaid: 3000 Attack]
[Dragonmaid Sheou: 3800 -> 4200 Attack]
[Nurse Dragonmaid: 1900 -> 2300 Defence]
[Chamber Dragonmaid: 2100 -> 2500 Defence]
[House Dragonmaid: 3000 -> 3400 Attack]
"Now, I will activate Dragonmaid Changeover again! Using House Dragonmaid and Chamber Dragonmaid on the field, I will fusion summon Protostar Dragon(OCG)!!"
Jumping into the portals, the two Dragonmaids vanished, and a new dragon emerged. Covering in white and black scales, the creature looked like a being from space. The dragon had claws sharp as knives, massive wings and green orbs embedded all over its body; the monster roared at my calling.
[Protostar Dragon: 2500 Attack]
[Protostar Dragon: 2500 -> 2700Attack]
[Dragonmaid Sheou: 4200 -> 4000 Attack]
[Nurse Dragonmaid: 2300 -> 2100 Defence]
"When Protostar Dragon is summoned, I can destroy cards you control equal to the number of light or dark monsters I used as materials! I will choose over your Ogdoabyss and Amunessia, destroying them!"
The green orbs in Protostar Dragon's body began to glow as it gathered energy. Unleashing a pulsating breath, the two Ogdoadic monsters were swept away as they dissolved into nothingness.
"Have you not learned? With the power of Ogdoadic Origin, I can also target one of your spirits and send it to the grave!" Anubis shouted as the dark tendrils around the room attacked once more.
"However, before they reached Dragonmaid Sheou, the dark tendrils exploded, and the dragon roared triumphantly."
"With Dagonmaid Sheou, once per turn. When you activate an effect, I can negate it! Then, after, I can summon House Dragonmaid from the Extra Deck!"
[House Dragonmaid: 3000 Attack]
[House Dragonmaid: 3000 -> 3200 Attack]
"Now I will battle, and Nurse Dragonmaid will transform into Dragonmaid Ernus!"
[Dragonmaid Ernus: 2600 Attack]
[Dragonmaid Ernus: 2600 -> 2800 Attack]
"Dragonmaid Ernus, attack Nephilabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord!" I yelled as the pink dragon danced around Nephilabyss before slamming him against the wall with her tail.
[Anubis: 3300 LP -> 2700 LP]
"Protostar Dragon, destroy Zohah, the Ogdoadic Boundless!" Once again, the dragon unleashed a green beam, obliterating the monster.
[Anubis: 2700 LP -> 1700 LP]
"House Dragonmaid, this is our payback! Attack Anubis's life points directly!" I shouted confidently, and she dashed past me with a satisfied smirk.
"Wait!" Suddenly, my voice travelled loudly through the room, and House Dragonmaid froze, her fist inches away from Anubis's face. Gasping in shock, the sorcerer collapsed onto his rear.
As Anubis met my gaze, relief seemed to wash over him. Gradually, a nervous smile formed on his face, "Wh... What's wrong? Are you too scared to kill me?"
"Well, you seemed to make the right choice; how about this? If you end this duel now, I will tell you everything you need to know! You must be curious about how I got this powerful, right?!"
"Are you saying you will tell me?" I repeated with a small smile, much to Ishizu and House Dragonmaid's disbelief.
"Of course! Of course! I swear in my name!" Anubis frantically answered, and my eyes softened.
"S... Sano?" Ishizu uttered in a daze, and I laughed.
"W... What's so funny?" Anubis questioned nervously, sensing the strange atmosphere.
"Nothing. I wasn't planning on accepting the deal anyway." I shrugged, and his expression crumbled.
"Why?!" He screamed, "Don't you want to know who's behind all this?!"
"Well, I have some idea..." I replied, "But that's not the main reason I stopped the attack anyway."
"Then...Why..." Anubis gulped as a sharp glint reflected from my pupils as I smiled. While I am a significant fan of Yugioh, in the end, I'm still an otaku at heart, so if such a good opportunity were presented to me suddenly, it would be too much of a shame to throw it away.
Staring at Anubis pitifully, I apologised in my head, "House Dragonmaid, come here please." I gestured, and the maid approached me with a slight tilt of her head. After whispering some instructions, the smile on the dragon's face returned as she approached Anubis while cracking her knuckles.
"H.. Hold on, please hear me out!" Anubis begged as the House Dragonmaid forcibly made him stand, "Lady, you're not going to really kill me, are you?!"
[queue the Jotaro Kujo theme]
"~Yare Yare Daze~" I muttered and turned my back towards him, "You really can't stop whining, can't you? But don't worry, I will make sure to shut you up real soon..."
Swiping my hand along my imaginary hat, I pointed at Anubis with disdain, "Go! Star Plat... I mean House Dragonmaid!"
*BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG*
At my command, House Dragonmaid tossed Anubis into the air. With insane speed, she unleashed a barrage of punches, hitting every part of his body dozens of times in a matter of seconds.
*BOOOOM*
Finally, letting out all of her pent-up rage, House Dragonmaid landed a final punch directly in his face, sending him flying across the room before leaping up and his face, smashing him back onto the floor...
{Anubis: 1700 LP -> 0 LP}
-----------------------------
I hope you enjoy it