Chapter 27: Battle of the Beasts.
They opened the doors and were left speechless at the sight before them…
Having rescued their friends from New Order and seemingly on the verge of escape the group was in high spirits till that moment, the moment it felt like the ground had fallen out beneath them.
Outside over thirty New Order Operatives were waiting for them led by the Black General.
*Clap, clap, clap*
"Well done Atlas, you made it here in record time." Wyvern praised.
"Was there even anything at the Docks then?" Drake asked as he passed Flip over to Yuma.
"Of course there was. There was a whole host of challenges, puzzles and traps designed to wear you down and slowly lead you here for the final trap, me. All of it was Silvers idea of course. I told the fool it was too complicated but even I didn't think you would be able to skip the entire game he set up for you and race straight to the finish line." She was impressed.
Although their plan had gone almost completely off-track Wyvern wasn't worried. She was even pleased that Hal's ego had taken a hit from Drakes actions. To think, all that time and effort wasted. Although Drake hadn't been slowly exhausted over a series of trials like they planned before coming here to this isolated prepared battlefield, neither had the New Order operatives that were meant to run those trials. Instead they were all now here with her and she intended to use them.
"Attack!" Wyvern ordered her troops.
All the New Order members began to materialise their monsters. About a dozen Orichalcos Gigas were summoned at once, bashing their fists onto the ground and roaring their battle cries. Joining them were a number of other Orichalcos monsters, like the spiky spider like eyeball Orichalcos Kyutora, the molten winged beast Orichalcos Malevolence and even a single Orichalcos Shunoros which towered over the others like a metallic giant doll.
There were even some beasts Drake was unfamiliar with, a type of armoured cyclopean dragon, a pack of skeletal two headed wolfs and a flock of flying black crystal swords.
"RUN!" Shouted Drake to the others, pointing back the way they just came from.
As the group retreated Drake began to summon his own monsters to block the entrance.
"Defend us, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Spear Dragon! And the Alexandrite Dragon!"
Drakes three dragons took to the skies and began to attack the charging Orichalcos monsters. Although Drake wanted to just let loose his strongest beasts and blast them to pieces, he knew he didn't have enough energy to battle an army of monsters like this. They had to get out of here.
"Go Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Using the powerful spell card, Drakes Blue-Eyes fired off a powerful destructive blast of energy which swept across the New Order army, it wiped out half the Gigas in an instant but the rest of the monsters remained untouched by hiding behind the protective barrier of Orichalcos Kyutora. Soon those Gigas which had been destroyed revived themselves gaining even greater power.
Spear Dragon entered aerial combat with unknown crystal swords and cyclops dragons, blasting out with streams of hurricane winds, as Alexandrite Dragon blocked the storehouse doors from the fiery breath of Orichalcos Malevolence with its crystal scaled body.
Outnumbered and overwhelmed Spear dragon soon crash landed as its wings were shredded by the sharp edge of the crystal swords and it was then swarmed by the waiting Gigas. Meanwhile Orichalcos Shunoros and Blue-Eyes engaged in a titanic duel. Fortunately it seemed Shunoros's summoner lacked the necessary strength to deploy Orichalcos Aristeros and Dexia from the titan but it still seemed to be an even match. That would soon change as the one eyed dragons flanked Drakes beast and began to spit out some kind of black smoke towards the white dragon.
The Orichalcos Kyutora and the skeletal wolves seemed to take a support role staying near the summoners to prevent Drake from using his monsters to attack them directly.
The scene was like something out of a Kaiju film, but Drake had no time to enjoy it. He knew he had minutes at most before all his monsters were swamped and destroyed, even a Blue-Eyes would be helpless against such numbers. He had to get the kids out of here. Having retreated back into the warehouse which only had the one exit New Order probably thought that they had the group trapped.
If they did then they were then they had little experience in thinking outside of the box. To one capable of materialising monster a simple wall wasn't that much of an obstacle.
"Vanguard of Dragon! Clear us a path!"
---
The Silver General Hal was watching everything that was going on at the sport stadium back at New Order headquarters besides his King. They had taken over the stadiums entire security system, added their own remote monitors and installed both Network blockers and a holographic camouflage projection system preventing anyone from seeing in or out without their knowledge. All in order to create an inescapable trap.
While he was the mastermind behind the operation he wasn't on the scene himself, because for an assault like this he preferred the hands-off approach. Let someone like Wyvern take the risks of fighting on the front line. He was the brains not brawn. But he was really feeling uncomfortable, he had promised his King a grand show of strength, skill and intelligence, only to have almost the entire plan overturned at the first hurdle.
How had this Drake done it? Hal felt cheated, but so long as they achieved their objectives it wouldn't matter.
He cheered as he watched Drakes monsters get crushed one by one, and with all of them trapped in that storehouse it was time for this game to come to a close-!!
*BANG*
On the monitors A dark grey skinned dragonoid smashed its way out of the back of the storehouse, clearing a path for the familiar group of duellists to make a break for it. The Silver General grew worried for a moment, worried that things were about to go horribly wrong. Then he remembered, even if things went bad, they still had his trump card.
---
"Go!" Drake told the others. "Make for the main street, they won't follow there." He said pointing to the road between two buildings, it was the fastest way to leave the area and the shortest distance to a more public area. Drake felt that if they could break out of this trap and make it to a populated area then they could escape.
At least he thought they would. After all, if New Order didn't fear public exposure then they could have set this kind of trap up back at that residential street instead of just using one masked member and going through all this trouble to bring them to this deserted location.
At the moment Faker seemed to be ignoring the danger of New Order, but if they created a big public spectacle for the masses, that would likely force Faker to take action in order to calm the public's fears. At least that was what Drake thought.
They weren't going to make it at this rate, those flying monsters would catch up to them long before they reached more populated areas.
"Look out!" cried Cathey.
With a moment of inattention one of those strange crystal flying swords skewered his Vanguard of Dragon that was guarding the rear, so Drake stopped and decided to make a stand. The others noticed and also stopped.
"Come forth, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!"
Drakes dragon burst into being like a miniature sun as its Shining Neutron Blast cut through the sky like a laser beam, felling monster after monster in a row. Taking to the sky on its platinum wings the Shining Dragon fearlessly charged at its enemies and began a fierce dog fight overhead. Meanwhile the ground forces advanced at a break neck pace, a charging line of Orichalcos Gigas followed by the various other monsters and their summoners.
"What now?" Yuma fearfully asked. Ever since meeting with Astral, he and his friends had been through a lot, crazy robots, evil Numbers, and all sorts of weirdos, but this was perhaps too much for any of them.
"Don't worry, I promise to protect all of you." Drake solemnly said.
Drake wanted to block them with another mighty beast but with the summoning of five monsters and the loss of four of them he was running low on strength and couldn't spare the energy, so he waited. He had a plan.
As the Orichalcos monster got closer to Drake and his group the buildings either side of them forced the monsters to gather closer and closer together as they struggled to be the first to rip into the humans in front of them.
When the time was right Drake recalled the Shining Dragon to him, drawing the few remaining flying beasts along with it, it was time. The tightly grouped monsters were now a perfect target.
"Go Shining Nova!" Drake ordered his dragon.
Shining Nova, the only ability of the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon from the movie 'The Pyramid of Light' that wasn't given to the TCG version of the card, its ultimate power. When building his deck Drake had had the choice between versions of this card, so why would he settle for anything less than the true Shining Dragon created by Pegasus to face off against the Egyptian God cards.
By sacrificing itself Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's Shining Nova could unleash an overwhelming power in the form of a pillar of light that would destroy any card. Drake hoped to achieve a bit more than that now.
Following Drakes command the Shining Dragon flew high in the sky over the mob of Orichalcos monsters below and a great blue/white pillar of light suddenly engulfed it, piercing down from the heavens above and through its gleaming metal body, downward and onto the mob of monsters below.
Seeing the edge of the pillar ended just meters away from them…
"Get down and cover your eyes!" Drake urgently warned everyone as he threw the ones too slow to act down himself before doing his best to cover the girls bodies with his own.
Moments later a huge energy then blasted out of the Shining Dragons core gems in a silent explosion, which destroyed the dragon and then, guided by the pillar of light, fell downwards and obliterated everything within its area of effect. The beasts below didn't even have time to scream before they disintegrated into particle and vanished from existence, their summoners collapsed from the feedback with blood leaking from their nose and ears.
Even the Gigas could not revive under such powerful destruction. Leaving only the towering Orichalcos Shunoros, whose slow speed had caused it to lag behind the others, and a couple of stragglers to threaten Drakes group now, but they made no move.
"Wow…"
They were speechless, even Drake was shocked. He honestly didn't expect to be so lucky as to get all those monsters with just a single ability. Even if that ability was practically a super nuke, its area of effect was still limited.
Looking at the deep and massive perfectly circular hole in the ground just a few meters from where they were standing Drake made a note to never use that ability at such close range again. It had even cut a section out of the buildings either side, the edges of the tarmac, bricks and steel girders were still glowing yellow from the heat.
The thought of being hit by such powerful energy left him shivering.
And even though they had not been hit, Drake still felt like the back of his neck had suffered a bad sun burn. But atleast that seemed to be the worse they had suffered, without his warning who knows if any of these kids would have been blinded by that lightshow just now.
They had to get moving, they-!!!
Before Drake could make a move, a Duel Anchor was launched from the other side of the pit and latched onto his duel disk. The Black General had made her move!
"Fall back, he's mine." She ordered the few standing Members of New Order to retreat and withdraw their monsters before tending to their wounded.
Her heart was aching as she looked at the devastation that had been unleashed. She had no idea this man was so powerful. A force of more than thirty members was close to a third of their combat forces in Heartland city at the moment and they had been practically wiped out by one man. New Order could not afford any more loses, nor would she risk a battle of monsters again.
With her foot she kicked a stone into the pit before her, she listened but did not hear it hit bottom.
So powerful, she wanted it, she wanted him. A crazy smile broke out on her face.
It was time to Duel!
"Yuma, Astral, all of you get going now." Drake ordered. With that duel anchor in place he wasn't going anywhere for the moment.
"We...We can't just leave you here…"
"Tori's right! We can-"
"I'll be fine, its just one duel and I will be right behind you. Now get going." Drake interrupted Yuma.
Even if he was facing down one of the Generals of Order, Drake was not afraid. This was his mission and besides, he still had Critias in his corner.
"He's right Yuma, and your friends may still be in need of medical attention." Astral persuaded his friend.
"…Fine, but you better promise not to lose."
"Always, I have a Duel Carnival Championship to win still don't I?"
Drake felt relief as the group of seven set off, he didn't think he could hold back the shaking of his legs much longer. That Shining Nova had really drained him but he couldn't let those kids know that or they might not have left.
"So are we duelling or what dear boy?" Wyvern taunted, she didn't care about the others, they weren't part of her orders now.
"Get set to get decked Wyvern!"
"Promises, promises. Lets Duel!"
[Turn 1 – Wyvern LP:4000 Hand:5, Drake LP:4000 Hand:5]
"Ladies first, I draw! You know, we actually have a lot of things in common you and I." Wyvern teased as the two of them faced off against each other separated by a seemingly bottomless pit.
"Right… You're part of a cult that wants to rule the world by sacrificing innocent souls to an evil beast. We have so much in common." Sarcasm dripped from Drakes words.
"You will see, I set a monster face down and two more cards and end my turn. Your move."
[Turn 2 – Drake LP:4000 Hand:5, Wyvern LP:4000 Hand:3]
"Draw."
Drake was breathing heavily and his skin was clammy as he eyed his cards. He couldn't afford to be careless in his current condition.
"I summon <Assault Wyvern> to the field and attack your facedown monster!"
[Assault Wyvern – Lv4 ATK:1800/DEF:1000]
"Your monster destroys my <Red-Eyes Baby Dragon>."
[Red-Eyes Baby Dragon – Lv3 ATK:1200/DEF:700]
[AW ATK:1800 > REBaD DEF:700]
Wyverns adolescent black dragon was blasted apart with a pitiful cry.
"By destroying my dragon you activate its effect, which allows me to summon from my deck the Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Then my baby Equips its self from the grave to the monster I just summoned, giving it an addition 300ATK."
*Roar!*
[Red-Eyes B. Dragon – Lv7 ATK:2400 > 2700/DEF:2000]
The iconic black dragon took to the field, flying out of the dark pit below. On its back sat the young dragon Drake had just destroyed. Is this what Wyvern meant when she said the two of them were similar? Both of them users of legendary dragons. Blue-Eyes White Dragon that represented power and pride, and Red-Eyes that embodied potential and violence.
Speaking of Blue-Eyes…
"Your Dragon isn't the only one will an ability. When Assault Wyvern destroys a monster I can tribute it to special summon a dragon from my hand, so come on out <Blue-Eyes White Dragon>!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon – Lv8 ATK:3000/DEF:2500]
*ROAR!*
Drakes Blue-Eyes enter the field from the sky above with a heaven shaking roar. White verses black, red verses blue, it was a face off almost as iconic as Blue-Eyes verses Dark Magician.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack Red-Eyes with White Lightning!"
[BEWD ATK:3000 > REBD ATK:2700 – Wyvern LP > 3700]
*Bang!*
Blue-Eyes lightning breath blasted down destroying Wyverns monster as it cried out its unwillingness. The baby dragon on its back falling back into the pit below with a wail.
"Argh… When my Baby Dragon is sent to the grave while it was equipped to a monster, I can add a level 1 dragon from my deck to my hand. So I add <The Black Stone of Legend>. Next I activate my trap <Red-Eyes Spirit> to special summon my Red-Eyes dragon back to the field in defence."
Wyvern wasted no time in restoring her dragon, but compared to Drakes Blue-Eyes it had always been clear in the history of Duel Monster just which of them was the strongest.
"Then I just need to destroy it again, I play the quickplay spell <Dragon's Fighting Spirit> this card now gives my Blue-Eyes an additional attack for each specially summoned monster you currently control. White Lightning Attack!"
[BEWD ATK:3000 > REBD DEF:2000]
Again Drakes monster once more proved its dominance by blasting the inferior Red-Eyes into bits. If this was really all a General of New Order was capable of then Drake had to admit, he was not impressed.
"I'll end my turn with a face down. Your move."
"Cocky boy, you've already lost. You just don't know it yet."