Cherreads

Chapter 24 - Chap 23: Number attack!!

*BOOM*

"Alert everybody! There's currently an emergency, our security found some bombs plant around the arena, please evacuate the area immediately!" After the explosion, Mr.Heartland quickly took the micro and informed everyone in the arena to leave immediately.

Ryuji look at his calm manner guessing that he's the one who plant the bombs, maybe to hide the secret of Number monster from the normal citizens or something. He doesn't care much and focus back to the duel. But he soon realizes he forgets an important thing.

"RYUJI!" He quickly turns his head to the observe area and see his friends calling for him. Amid the chaos, their shouting at him worrying.

Ryuji quickly turn face to face with Mr.Heartland, hoping he could take them away. He doesn't want to run away without finish the duel and he didn't know what will happen to Riko if he didn't deal with the Number monster now.

Mr Heartland nod at him silently and quickly orders his bodyguard to take them away. Even though duelist in Yu-Gi-Oh world have superhuman strength, they're still just a kid now so it takes no effort for the bodyguard to take them away despite their struggle.

Ryuji let out a heavy sigh, prepare himself mentally for the scolded their will give him later. "Alright, now no one present to bother us. Take your turn, Riko-san."

Riko has remain unmoved throughout the entire time, only when she hears Ryuji call for her did she begin to move. Then with an arrogant and sharp voice unlike her natural voice: "My turn, draw!"

Ryuji quickly flip his trap card. "I activate Evo-Singularity; I target Evolsaur Lios and Evoltile Megachirella; I Special Summon Evolzar Lars from my Extra Deck and attach those two to it as materials."

[Evolzar Lars, atk: 2500]

Now, on Ryuji field there're 2 monster that can destroy any Number monster dare to set foot on the field. Solda can destroy any Xyz Summon, Lars can negate it effect if it's immune to effect destruction. Even Mr.Heartland feel he will be having trouble dealing with this field.

"I'm not done; I activate Tornado Dragon effect; detach the last material from this card and destroy your Piercing the Darkness!" The dragon releases a typhoon piercing through the card leaving Riko back field completely empty.

"Tch! If you have nothing else, then I will make my move. I activate Transaction Rollback in my graveyard; I can banish this card from your GY and pay half your LP, then target 1 Normal Trap in your GY; this effect becomes that card's activation effect. I target Breakthrough Skill in my graveyard.

Its effect is: Target 1 Effect Monster your opponent controls; negate the effects of that face-up monster your opponent controls until the end of this turn. I target your Evolzar Lars!"

[Riko, LP: 850 -> 425]

Evolzar Lars only can't be target with monster effects so naturally it can be negated by Breakthrough Skill effect. It also can't negate back because Evolzar Lars can only target face-up card, this condition is different from both Evolzar Dolkka and Evolzar Laggia whose doesn't care where the card is when it activates its effect. Evolzar Lars is still stronger in Ryuji opinion since it's a mighty 2 times omni-negate.

"Then I activate Breakthrough Skill effect in my graveyard; I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 Effect Monster my opponent controls; negate the effects of that target until the end of this turn. I negate your Evolzar Solda." After activating two trap cards directly from her graveyard, Riko successfully make Ryuji field full of none effect monster except for Dragonlark Pairen who is useless right now since there's no monster Special Summon from the graveyard.

Ryuji watch helplessly and silently vow to himself that he will soon spread this 'happiness' to others, the trap heaven. But he did not know that what he feel right now is exactly what others feel when they keep getting negate by his Evolzar.

In a world where almost, everyone values the monster atk, the clash of two strong monsters, a duelist like himself and Riko are exception.

Unaware of Ryuji thought, Riko said excitedly. "Now both of your Evolzar are useless, you have no way to stop me anymore! I activate Graceful Charity; I draw 3 cards, then discard 2 cards."

Ryuji frow as Riko send two cards to her graveyard, that mean she didn't discard his Polymerization. 'Why did she keep that card? I don't think she have a fusion monster to use that card.'

Riko don't let him wonder for long. "I activate the effect of both card that just been sent to the graveyard! First, I activate Card of Compensation which let me draw 2 cards, I chain it with the second card Archfiend Heiress.

Archfiend Heiress effect resolved; I add Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning to my hand. Next, I draw 2 cards."

Ryuji watch silently; he doesn't even want to complaint anymore. 'Sigh... I have to get use to this soon. This is anime world after all.'

"I tribute 1 Summoned Skull to Summon Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning in attack position!"

[Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning, atk: 2500]

"Next I activate Equip Spell Supervise; This card can only be equipped to a Gemini monster. It becomes an Effect Monster and gains its effects. Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning is a Gemini monster and now it'll gain its effect; Once per turn: I can destroy all face-up monsters my opponent controls with DEF lower than this card's ATK. Every monster on your field has DEF lower than 2500 so all of them will get destroyed!"

*Boom Boom Boom* After multiple thunder attack, Ryuji monsters got completely wipe out.

Ryuji watch while silently clenching his fist. 'If I shout out loud "I can't do anything" will I get a power boots?'

Riko continue "I enter Battle Phase! I use Summoned Skull to attack you directly!" Before she even finished her comment, she already sees Ryuji reach out for his graveyard and pull out a card. She knows far too well which card it's and can't do anything about it. 'How many time that card stop my victory anyway?'

Ryuji: "Stegocyber effect; I Special Summon this card in defense position and the battle damage I take from your Summoned Skull become 0."

[Stegocyber, def: 2400]

Riko: "Tch! Then I attack your Stegocyber with Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning, this time your Stegocyber will get banished!"

Watching the obstacle on her way to winning finally gone for good, Riko nearly jump in delight.

"Hmph! Don't you think that's all I'm gonna do! I overlay both monster on my field to Xyz Summon!" Two archfiends turn into two points of light and merge together.

Instantly, the blue sky got cover in deep red color, the monster flies out from the cosmic vortex towards the sky. Ryuji and Mr.Heartland focus on the monster to see what this Number monster look like.

Riko speak with excited, almost maniacally. " Let the red moon replace the sun, cover the world in red light. Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon!"

[Number 24, atk: 2400]

"Hahaha! Did you see this? This is my new power, are you ready to be destroy?" Riko speak while the red light in her pupils get brighter.

Ryuji look at the half dragon half vampire monster with interested since he has use it a lot back then. 'So, this is a Number monster she gets huh? If I remember correctly then this thing has revived effect, right? Combine with a similar effect to both Book of Moon and Man-Eater Bug, and a cherry on top is Number resistance in anime, it's quite trouble to deal with.'

Zombie was always on Ryuji top 5 favorite type list, when Vampire deck first release, Ryuji has built a Xyz Deck around it, a Number with Vampire vibes naturally won't escape his Extra Deck.

(In case you are curious, Ryuji/My favorite type are: Dragon - Dinosaur - Machine - Zombie - Fiend)

If it some hardcore Yu-Gi-Oh fan, there will know instantly that this monster has never appear in any Yu-Gi-Oh series include Zexal. But Ryuji has never finished Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal so he didn't know that.

More confident than before thank to the present of the Number monster, Riko continue her play. "Because Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning leave the field, Supervise will get destroyed and activate it effect; Target 1 Normal Monster in my GY; Special Summon it. I Special Summon Summoned Skull in my graveyard in attack position."

[Summoned Skull, def: 1200]

"Next, I activate the effect of Action Magic - Full Turn in my graveyard; During my Main Phase, if this card is in my GY, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can discard 1 Spell; Set this card. I discard Polymerization to activate this effect. I set 2 cards and end my turn." Riko throw the last card on her hand towards Ryuji, the latter didn't even check and sent the card straight to the graveyard.

"Although I don't want to interrupt your duel, but this is an emergency so I hope you can hear me out." Mr.Heartland rise his voice outside the field so Ryuji can hear clearly. "The monster you are facing right now is a-"

Before he can finish, Ryuji cut him off right away. "Monster from the same origin as your duel spirit? And from its name, I guess there's even more of those things out there."

Ryuji voice contains no surprise, no confused or anything at all. Mr.Heartland ask Ryuji with a bit interested: "What make you think it have the same origin as my spirit, if I remember correctly, you have never seen it."

Ryuji answers nonchalant. "Because of that dark, sinister aura your spirit has that I can feel it from 100 meters away. Not gonna lie, a monster like that truly fit a politician like you. Now, could you explain what exactly happened to Riko?"

He only want to show off his non exist intelligence a little, if he say more than he should be then it will be bad if Mr.Heartland or worse, Dr.Faker to suspect he know something more about the secret of Number or their plan then he will lose his current comfortable life.

Mr.Heartland still hide his emotion behind the political smile begin to explain about the Number monster. "Number monster are cosmic entity come outside of earth. What's their origin, how they were created are still unknown.

But we can be sure that most of those are not fond of humanity, right now I can only make theory that they're about 100 Number monster in this world and they have shown some supernatural ability beyond normal duel spirit. And they can even take control of a duelist they found suitable; overtime the duelist soul will get consume by them.

The reason why I fund so many orphanages is to find a promising seedling to train and make them become the one to capture all Number monster on the world and bring peace back to this world, such person we call them Number Hunter. Among those seedlings are you, Ryuji! I want to ask you to join us and become a Number Hunter to protect humanity, what do you think?"

Mr.Heartland walk closer and held his hand towards Ryuji, who alongside with Number 24 was being stunned by Mr.Heartland shamelessness.

Mr.Heartland: 'Although Dr.Faker said I can only tell him about this after he enroll into the academy, but this is a special situation so he can't blame me!'

Number 24: 'When did us Number become the ultimate villain against humanity? And how did this man say such righteous thing while using a Number himself!?' Number 24 never feel so wronged in its life.

Mr.Heartland of course know his word are pure nonsense and it'll never be able to convince Ryuji, so he immediately moves closer and whispering to Ryuji. "Our group also have many benefits like alway provide with the most advanced equipment, access to almost every Duel Monster cards we have. Also, we can give you 1 Number monster for free if you join us, in the condition that you manage to tame it. What do you think?"

Ryuji slowly turn to him and said with a righteous tone. "I will join you, but not because those extremely tempted benefits you say but because I want to protect this world the invasion of those evil Number monster."

Under the astonishing eyes of Riko and Number 24, the two-man casual agree to work together to catch all Number monster. Before walk out of the field, Mr.Heartland give Ryuji a bracelet.

"This device called Photon Hand, when you defeat a Number user, you can use this device to forcefully separate the Number out of the duelist soul."

Ryuji frow a little as he received the bracelet. "Then what about the duelist soul? Will there any harm to them?"

Mr.Heartland shrug his shoulder. "If it's someone infected by Number for a long time then the device will take the duelist soul as well since it's impossible to separate their show by then. But in Riko case, since the Number didn't fully infect her soul yet, the device will cause a little damage to her soul at best, she perhaps will have to hospitalized for a few days, but she'll recover soon."

If the opponent is some adult, then Mr.Heartland will declare on the spot that every person choosing by Number monster are bad person and Ryuji didn't have to feel guilty when capture their soul. Unfortunately for him, the opponent is a 12-year-old girl so if he says that then Ryuji may never trust him again. (Although he has never trusted a villain working as politician like him)

After hearing Mr.Heartland explain, Ryuji think for a moment before opening his mouth again. "You know, I don't like to take a risk so how about we do this an easy way? After I defeat Riko, I won't capture the Number monster that infected her. Instead, I would leave it for her to tame it herself, if she managed to then perhaps you can try to recruit her."

Mr.Heartland eyes widen a little, he calculates the possibility of Ryuji idea. 'That girl talent in duel is not bad, if she really manages to tame the Number then there's no lost for me at all.'

"That's a tempted idea, Ryuji-kun. But what if she fails to tame the Number or didn't agree to join my organization?"

Ryuji answer with impatient. "If she fails to control it then I will personally deal with it, as for convince her to join you, didn't that the thing you best at, manipulate young people to be your subordinate. Now, please get the fuck out of the field, I have to win the duel first."

"Oh, my bad. I get too committed on our talk just now." He quickly leaves and lets Ryuji and Riko have their two-person moment. Of course, not in a romantic way.

After sending the nuisance away, Ryuji turn face to face with Riko. "Sorry for let you wait, now let continue our duel. My turn, draw!"

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I'm tired

But I can't sleep

Not when it's looking at me

Not until morning

when it finally leave me alone

I can only sleep at school

When my friend around it won't do anything

Yet it still there, I can see it

My friends also see it too

Like me, they're tired

But they bravely face it while I hide

I want to sleep but there's not enough time

Only by escaping to this digital realm did I have a chance to rest

Right here, I bury these words

9 8-1-20-5 12-9-20-5-18-1-20-21-18-5

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