Chapter 40: Traps, Traps and more Traps

Chapter 40: Traps, Traps and more Traps



I will apologise once more for the delay, but it's here, so I hope you enjoy it. Also I seemed to made a mistake, apparently Battle City happened all in one day, which sounded absured to me. So who cares at this point, I don't think a lot people realised it as well

[Odion Ishtar: 4000 LP]

[Yuna Sano: 4000 LP]

"I will go first," Odion declared: "I'm activating my field spell card, Temple of the Kings (Anime)."

The surroundings beside them began to change. The alleyway was transformed into an ancient Egyptian mausoleum with pillars, torches and a limestone structure. Behind Odion rises an empty gold throne that glistened under the fire and a monumental staircase that reminded Yuna of the same annoying stairs back in the Duelist Kingdom.

"Whenever Temple of the Kings is activated, I could activate traps the same turns they were set." Odion explained: "Then I will set three traps onto the field and end my turn."

"My move! I will use Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my deck." Yuna declared.

"Not so fast," Odion interrupted her: "I activate my set card, Magic Jammer and discard one card to negate your Pot of Greed."

As soon as the green pot appeared on the field, it shattered into thousands of pieces, and Yuna instinctively raised her arms as the virtual shards flew towards her.

Undeterred by the offset, Yuna continued: "I will use Foolish Burial and send one card from my deck to the discard pile." She glimpsed at Odion, who shrugged in response: "Then I summon Paladin of Felgrand!"

A young knight with blond hair appeared before Yuna. The warrior readied his sword, prepared to strike at any sudden enemies.

[Paladin of Felgrand: 1700 Attack, 600 Defence]

"With Paladin of Felgrand's effect, I can attach Arkbrave Dragon to this card," Yuna explained while slipping her Arkbrave Dragon into her spell and trap slot. However, before she could activate Paladin of Felgrand's second ability, Odion interrupted her.

Odion: "I will use Torrential Tribute and destroy all the monsters on the field."

Deadly blue flames consumed the area, and Paladin of Felgrand was engulfed in the fire. Soon, the disaster ended, and the knight had long vanished.

"Tsk..." Yuna clicked her teeth: "I will set one card and end my turn."

"I will draw..." Odion muttered: "First, I will activate Temple of the King's effect and banish one monster card from my hand, allowing me to summon it later. "Then I will set my Embodiment of Apophis, subsequently activating it!"

A reptilian monster was summoned onto the field. The beast wore a dark blue and gold chest blae with a sword and shield in each hand. On the back of the creature was the body of a serpent that slithered disgustingly.

"The trap card, Embodiment of Apophis, will be treated as a monster upon activation," Odion explained.

[Embodiment of Apophis: 1600 Attack, 1800 Defence]

"Then I will tribute my Embodiment of Apophis and summon the End of Anubis!"

The reptile dissolved into black mud and gradually merged into the physique of a humanoid jackal. It has sharp and deadly claws, pale purple skin, and two large sickles attached to the ornament on its neck.

[The End of Anubis: 2500 Attack, o Defence]

"While The End of Anubis is on the field, all spells, traps and monsters that target a card in the graveyard will be negated! Also, it's no longer possible to activate effects in the graveyard!" Yuna: !!!

Odion smirked: "Now, The End of Anubis, attack!"

The jackal monster leapt into the air, throwing itself towards Yuna. Watching the monster's jaw approaching, she pressed the button on her duel disk and the card she placed earlier flipped up.

As the End of Anubis struck, a forcefield blocked its attack, launching the monster into one of the pillars.

"I will use the trap, Negate Attack, and I can target your End of Anubis, stopping it from attacking and ending the battle phase."

"Very well," Odion reacted calmly: "It's your turn."

Yuna nodded and observed the field. Odion still has one face-down card on the field. However, that's nothing compared to the significant obstacle that was The End of Anubis. It was a monster that specifically countered her playstyle and locked her main strategy of using her graveyard.

Yuna: "I activate Graceful Charity and draw three cards from my deck while discarding two cards."

She stared at her hand thoughtfully before sending her Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords and Starliege Seyfert into the graveyard. While Yuna couldn't use their effects now, it would change once she dealt with that monster first.

"I will set a monster and end my turn," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"My turn!" Odion shouted and added a card into his hand: "I will summon Royal Keeper. Rise again, warriors that guard this sacred ground!"

A tall coffin rises vertically from the ground. The coffin's lid burst with a boom, and a zombified mummy emerged. The monster wields an old spear and shield, wearing golden jewellery that has lost its shine.

[Royal Keeper: 1600 Attack, 1700 Defence]

"Now, Royal Keeper, attack!"

Despite being a century-old corpse, the zombie maintained its fighting form and unleashed a swift strike with its spear. The face-down monster was revealed as Dragon Knight of Creation leapt out of the card.

Sadly, the knight was weaker and perished under the attack: "Now you have no monsters to defend you, so go End of Anubis!"

"Not so fast! Dragon Knight of Creation's defeat has triggered Keeper of the Shrine's effect in

my hand!"

Before the jackal's claws could land, the Keeper of the Shrine arrived on the field and tanked the attack, sacrificing himself for Yuna's safety.

"I will pass my turn," He said reluctantly: "Show me what you can do."

"No need to tell me," Yuna remarked: "First, I will use Card of Sanctity, allowing both of us to draw until we have six cards, then I will use Magical Mallet (anime)! I can send any number of cards, including this spell, to my deck, and then I can draw the same amount of cards."

Choosing three cards from her hand and the Magical Mallet on the field, Yuna returned them to her deck, and her duel disk automatically shuffled it for her. Finally, she added four new cards and nodded with satisfaction.

"Then I will activate Polymerisation! Fusing Herald of Creation and Lightpulsar Dragon in my hand!" Yuna shouted and showed Odion the two monsters: "I will fusion summon Mysterion the Dragon Crown!"

A golden wyvern with a long body appeared in the sky. On top of the dragon was a person dressed in ceremonial golden armour that matched the dragon's appearance.

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

"Fusion Summoned monsters won't be able to attack the turn they were summoned!" Odion

reminded Yuna with a frown.

"That's why I use this spell, Quick Attack! Then Mysterion the Dragon Crown can attack this turn!" Yuna yelled: "Now, Mysterion the Dragon Crown, crush the End of Anubis!" Energy gathered in the rider's palm, and she fired a bright beam from her hands. The laser vaporised the End of Anubis into nothingness, and Yuna felt a huge weight lifted off her chest.

[Odion Ishtar: 4000 LP -> 3500 LP]

"I will end my turn," Yuna said with a relieved expression. The End of Anubis was defeated, and she felt a deep weight lifted off her chest.

Odion was impressed by Mysterion the Dragon Crown's power and felt his excitement soar: "I

draw! First, I activate my trap card, Curse of Anubis! All effect monsters on the field will be changed into defence positions, and their defence stats will be changed to zero! Lastly, they cannot switch positions except by a card effect!"

On both Royal Keeper and Mysterion's chest, there appeared a symbol of the eye of Anubis. The tattoo's colour brightened, and the two monsters felt a massive pressure that forced

them to the ground.

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

[Royal Keeper: 1600 Attack, 1700 -> 0 Defence]

"Now, I will activate a second Embodiment of Apophis and summon the trap as a monster."

[Embodiment of Apophis: 1600 Attack, 1800 Defence]

Odion grinned and pointed at Mysterion the Dragon Crown: "Attack!" Embodiment of Apophis slithered towards the monster and swung its sword. Under the

restraint, Mysterion the Dragon Crown fell helplessly to the attack and left the stage.

"My turn!" Yuna declared: "I will use Card of Demise and draw until I have five cards in my hand, but I have to discard my hand on the fth turn! After that, I will banish Mysterion the Dragon Crown and Keeper of the Shrine in my graveyard and summon Darkflame Dragon!" A reddish portal manifested out of thin air, and a slim dragon with obsidian scales emerged. The monster landed before Yuna and shrieked, excited at being summoned for battle.

"Then I will summon another Keeper of the Shrine onto the field, then use Polymerisation again!"

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

"Another one?!" Odion exclaimed as Darkflare Dragon and Keeper of the Shrine transformed

into shadows.

"Using two dark monsters on the field, I fusion summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

The shadow transformed into a slimy puddle on the floor. Suddenly, an arm burst out of the liquid, its claws leaving marks on the walls. The abomination pulled its massive frame out of the darkness, and Odion felt intimidated by its presence.

[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 2800 Attack, 2000 Defence]

The power he couldn't sense from Mysterion the Dragon Crown could be detected now. Odion's gaze met with the dragons, and he glanced at his trembling hand: 'So that's one of her

spirits... How vexing....'

Odion clenched his fists: "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon won't be able to attack this turn."

"I know," Yuna said: "Him being here is enough. I'm using Pot of Greed to draw two more cards before ending my turn."

Being familiar with Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's ability, Odion realises that Yuna wasn't speaking empty words. If Starving Venom Fusion Dragon were to die, it would bring along any monsters Odion specially summoned with him.

Odion touched his chest, where his heart was beating erratically. The enthusiasm of a duel, he had never truly felt this sensation before. Regarding Duel Monsters's ranking, Odion would be above the mid-level range, even more powerful than some well-known figures. While he's still below his brother and sister, Odion wasn't a simple pushover.

So, knowing that he's being pushed to his limits in this duel, he couldn't help but smile:

"Looks like I can't hesitate any longer."

"First, I will use Pot of Greed to draw two cards." Odion said: "Then, I will activate the

Temple of the Kings' effect and tribute half of my life points!"

[Odion Ishtar: 3500 LP -> 1750 LP]

Odion spread his arms and laughed as a light shot out of his body and injected into a blazer in

the middle of the staircase.

"By sacrificing my life points, I can summon the monster I have banished from my hand on the previous turns!" Odion smiled as the temple behind him lit up with a brilliant golden light: "I will summon my strongest monster and my companion, Mystical Beast of Serket!"

Yuna felt goosebumps as a gurgling shriek entered her ears. She glanced up and saw a humongous insect crawling on the ceiling of the buildings. The monster resembled a purple scorpion, with armoured spikes, sharp pincers, claws at the end of each of its legs and a tail with a stinger dripping with venom. There was a symbol of the eye of Anubis carved onto its

back, and the eye glowed ominously as the beast rested on the temple stairs. [Mystical Beast of Serket: 2500 Attack, 2000 Defence]

"Then I will set two cards and activate them both through the Temple of the Kings effect!"

Wait... Discard Arkbrave Dragon?

Odion's eyes widened: "No...."

"Yes! Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand will be reborn on your next stand-by phase, and your

Mystical Beast of Serket is done for!"

"Tsk..." Odion clicked his teeth and glared at Yuna: "So no matter what I do, Divine Dragon

Lord Felgrand will be summoned."

He was deeply impressed by Yuna's thorough planning, and in his heart, he accepted defeat.

But, despite this, Odion will still fight with everything he gets!"

Without fear, Odion drew his card and frowned. He stared at the new card with a complicated

expression.

'Do I have to play it here?' Odion thought and gazed at the card he drew earlier.

As Odion reached for it with his other hand, he froze. His head spun wildly, and his

surroundings warped. Suddenly, he stood behind a throne in an old, musty temple...

"Master..." Odion gasped and immediately knelt on the floor, prostrating at the man sitting on the throne.

"What do you think you're doing?" Marik questioned nonchalantly: "It's the first day, and you're already using that card."

"I apologise," Odion said nervously: "My opponent is simply too strong." "You're not a bad duelist, Odion." Marik pointed out with curiosity: "Who's the one that can even back you into a corner?"

Under Marik's gaze, Odion hurriedly explained his situation. As he talked about Yuna, her sudden arrival and the Duel King's status, as he spoke, Odion noticed that his master was

listening keenly. Marik stroked his chin and hummed: "So there's another variable to my plan..."

"Odion," Marik said sternly: "Don't play that card for now; we still couldn't pinpoint who owns Obelisk the Tormentor, and even if it's a counterfeit, I don't want to reveal its existence

yet."

Odion's face inst ctively scrunched up: "What.... do you think I should do?" "Forfeit," Marik responded as it was the most obvious answer: "It's only a game." "Understood..." Odion answered and suppressed the fighting spirit in his heart. Satisfied, Marik disabled the link, and Odion returned. Everything that transpired only lasted for a second in the real world. He glimpsed at Yuna, who was smiling as she raised her hand.

"Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, bani...."

Odion: "I surrender."

[Yuna POV]

I let out a weird sound as what he said caught me off guard. Odion closed his eyes in contemplation and sighed. Eventually, he reached into his pocket, and my body tensed with suspicion. Suddenly, Odion threw something, and I hurriedly caught the item in my palm. When I opened my hand, I was surprised to see a locator card and beside it was the Mystical Beast of Serket.

"You have won this duel; by rules, you will take my Locator card and rare card." Odion turned his back: "It's just a suggestion but I recommend you to forget what happened

tonight."

I shivered and nodded frantically, my head bobbing up and down like a bobblehead on a turbocharged spring. Odion hummed and stared into my eyes in silence. Finally satisfied, Odion quietly left, and his figure disappeared into the dark alley. When he's gone, I let out the breath I had held this entire time. Geez, I should stop getting myself killed... Suddenly, I froze when I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I sneakily reached into my trousers, where I placed my taser. When the stranger was close enough, I spun around and

stabbed at the figure with the stun gun.

BZZZZT

I felt the end of the taser plunging into the person's skin. However, to my shock, they grasped

my wrist and pulled me towards them. Losing balance, we crashed against the wall, and I

groaned as my hand scraped against the floor.

"W... what are you doing..."

My eyes widened, and I lifted my head. I stared at Kaiba, who glared at me while gritting his

teeth in pain. I was still stabbing the Taser into his left shoulder and quickly pulled the

weapon away.

Kaiba took a deep breath and rubbed where my taser struck him. I stared at him in disbelief:

"Why..."

He snorted and let go of my wrist: "I heard that some suspicious individuals may hinder the

Battle City tournament prowling in this area."

Kaiba picked up the Locator card and Mystical Beast of Serket: "Seems like you have already dealt with them."

Out of the blue, Kaiba fell onto his knees. Realising that the taser had done more harm than

expected, I tried to support him.

"Injured," I pointed out: "Need rest."

"And who's fault do you think that was?" He sharply retorted, and I averted my gaze out of

guilt.

"Sorry..." I muttered pitifully.

I felt his body stiffening before he sighed exasperatedly: "Something like that is nothing,

however, you're much more wounded than me." pointed at my hand, and that's when I noticed the cut below my palm where I grazed my

Kaiba

hand. The wound was red, and it was oozing blood. Thankfully, I had brought bandages for

emergencies, but applying them with only one hand was difficult.

Noticing my struggle, Kaiba took the bandages and began wrapping them around my injury. I

watched with disbelief as his action caught me off guard.

"Why..." I asked and stared at him in confusion.

"Clearly you're struggling and it's pitiful to watch," Kaiba answered. Despite his rough attitude, his movement was extremely gentle, as if he was very experience

with something like this. Sensing my thoughts, Kaiba explained that when he was young, Mokuba tended to hurt himself falling, and he had to be the one to attend to his injuries. "Mokuba... lucky..." I said with a small smile.

Kaiba shrugged as he finished wrapping the bandages: "It's what was expected of me as the

elder brother."

"That's... nice... of you" I praised him sincerely as it's probably one of the few good points about this guy.

He seemed flustered by the compliment and stood up, leaving me confused as he began

walking back the way he came: "Not... chase criminals?" "If they would still follow the tournament rules, I will overlook it for now."

Not knowing what Kaiba was thinking, I followed quietly, and our journey was uneventful.

When we exited the alley, a black limousine was waiting for us. I gulped in awe as Kaiba urged

me inside.

There's so much space if I lay flat on the ground. There's still enough room for me to spread

my arms. We sat across each other and the soft leather seat made me relax my guard. Kaiba

knocked on the black-tinted windows behind him. The car began to move as if right on cue,

and we left the dark street.

The ride was eerily silent, and I glanced at Kaiba, crossing his arms and resting with his eyes closed. With nothing to do, I fiddled with my duel disk and noticed the blood stain from my cut earlier. Trying to clean the device, I reached for the tissue box across the table between us. "Is it comfortable?" Kaiba asked out of the blue as his eyes snapped open and stared at me.

I flinched in shock, and I was visibly startled. Luckily, I managed not to fall out of my seat.

Kaiba snorted in amusement while I glared at him annoyingly: "What?"

"The duel disk," He gestured: "Was it to your liking?" I realised that Kaiba was talking about my duel disk. I took the duel disk off and placed it on

my lap. This duel disk was amazing and only possible thanks to Mokuba's kindness.

"It's... great...." A soft smile appeared on my face without me realising. However, I hurriedly turned my head and hid my happy expression. Kaiba nodded with satisfaction: "Good."

Finally, the car stopped at the entrance of my apartment building. At this point, I couldn't

bother to ask how he knew where I lived because he managed to take control of the entirety of Domino City for a card game. Speaking of knowing my address, didn't Mokuba arrive at my

front doorstep not so long ago?

I exited the car and stared at Kaiba through the window: "Thank... you..."

"Instead of thanking me, you should be begging for forgiveness." Kaiba dismissed my gratitude with a snort: "Do you know how much I hate when people waste my precious time." With nothing to refute, I could only stare at the floor in shame. Kaiba scoffed and rested his

chin on his hand. He sighed and tapped with his finger: "Next time, don't go somewhere so

dangerous."

Huh, what did he say?

Before I could respond, the car drove off, leaving a white trail behind them. Scolding me then

telling me to stay safe? I seriously can't get that guy...

[1] In Battle City, you only allow to have six cards always, however, it can be ignored when you

use the card Infinity Cards, which was what String (Bad guy with slifer) used against yugi

Hope you enjoy it! How about a review?]