Dueling life in a futuristic world

 ‘What the fuck?’

 I turn around again, but just like last time, there’s no one there.

 ‘Ness, I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I’m not in the mood today!’

 After rebuffing Ness, I look down at the card I drew. “Alright! First, using the effect of ‘Destiny Hero – Dasher’, I special summon ‘Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm!’”

 Close to the two specters and blazing hero, another dark figure forms; a white dragon with wide wings and black body armor. Its scaly tail glistening with the flames of Destiny Hero Destroyer while mandibles form around its mouth.

 Raising my arm, I declare. “Darkwurm! I use your effect!”

 Darkwurm rises, it becomes shrouded in a shadowy aura that contrasts with the intense glow emanating from its body. With a piercing screech, the creature announces its presence. *RWAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!*

 I take ‘Supreme King Gate Zero’ from the deck before finally declaring. “With that, I move from the Draw Phase.”

 [Standby Phase, Main Phase 1]

 The General looks on with his empty field and comments. “You’re really getting into it. Almost makes you look like the Vill—”

 “Shut the fuck up!” I interrupt before he can spew more bullshit—like how I’m the villain, when he was fully prepared to mow down a hotel full of civilians—and move on with my turn. “I set one card face-down and activate ‘Supreme King Gate Zero’ to my pendulum zone.” — The toroid object elevates on my right.

 Looking at my empty hand, I go on. “I use the effect of ‘Destiny Hero – Celestial’ from the grave. With it, I banish Celestial and Dasher to draw two cards!”

 I nod to myself, revealing one of the two. “I activate the effect of ‘Magicians’ Soul!’ This card allows me to send ‘Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver’ from my deck to the graveyard to special summon it to my side of the field.”

 A new ghostly figure rises to join my army of specters.

 The General looks at the creatures in front of him with a puzzled expression. “Magicians, Pendulums, Performapals, Artifacts, Heroes,” he lists, shaking his head. “What kind of aberration of a deck did you scrounge up? It’s all over the place. Even a nine-year-old could make something more consistent…” He pauses, deep in thought. “But I’m guessing that’s simply how we think about it, isn’t it?” he asks, seeking clarification. “For you, that deck makes perfect sense, isn’t that right?”

 Inhaling deeply through my nostrils, I muster up the best poker face I can in this situation before responding. “Mostly,” I reply, “you people think too small.” Without skipping a beat, I issue a command: “Circuit materialize.”

 An octagon forms above the field, with me raising my arm to reach it. “Let me show you what my deck can do; With Link – 2 ‘Artifact Dagda’ and ‘Magicians’ Soul’ I Link Summon! Come on out! ‘Selene, Queen of the Master Magicians.’”

 The sound of clashing metal echoes throughout the chamber as the specter and mace artifact rise into the air, merging into the Link Circuit. Suddenly, a blinding explosion of light fills the space, making me look away and shield my eyes. As the light fades, a woman with long, flowing blond hair appears, dressed in a pristine white Greek dress. In her hand, she wields a massive bow, its golden shine adding to the bright light. Three spheres of light shine brightly on the bow, each one pulsing with energy. Surrounding the woman, two more spheres of light hover, casting an ethereal glow on her face.

 “With Selene, I pay 3 spell counters to activate her effect. With it, I call ‘Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver’ from the grave.”

 As Selene draws her bow, a spectral arrow begins to take shape, drawing energy from the surrounding spheres. With a final release, the arrow streaks past my creatures and slams into the ground. There, it transforms into a mage illuminated by blue flames dancing above its head.

 “Using Dissolver’s effect, I fuse it with Supreme King Gate Zero on my pendulum scale. Behold the dragon that emerges from the depths! Spread your wings and let your venom spread across the skies! I summon you through fusion! Rise up, ‘Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom!’”

 The two monstrous creatures merge into a swirling vortex of deep purple, and from within a blast of darkness emerges a magnificent dragon. Its wings shimmer with a brilliant, lime-green light, casting an eerie glow on its dark purple body, which is adorned with stripes of the same energy emanating from its wings. The beast’s horns are sharp and pointed, jutting forward with an air of ferocity and intimidation. The sound of its mighty roar echoes through the air, sending shivers down the spines of all who hear it.

 “Unfortunately, Starving Venom Dragon doesn’t work alone. And that’s when this comes in!” I say while revealing my face-down card: ‘Instant Fusion.’ “By paying 1000LP, I fusion sum-ARRRGHGGGGG!!!” I’m interrupted by dark sparks running over my body.

 ‘I’ll never get used to that.’

 “F-Fusion Summon! I call onto you! ‘Lyrilusc – Independent Nightingale!’”

 Before me, a being resembling a human but with avian characteristics materializes. Its long, feathered arms spread out behind it, creating a soft rustling sound as they move. The creature’s feathers vary in shades of blue and red, with hints of gold shining in the light. As it steps closer, I notice a faint scent of freshly cut grass emanating from its form. The sight of this creature is both fascinating and slightly unnerving, as its piercing scarlet eyes seem to be studying me intently.

 As I continue to observe, absorbed in my task, the General interrupts my concentration with a question. “What exactly am I supposed to be seeing?” he asks. “A jumbled assortment of monsters with varying archetypes and levels of power?”

 I can’t help but break into a sadistic grin as I speak. “Just you wait and see,” I say confidently. “With the help of these two monsters, I activate the effect of Starving Venom and copy Lyrilusc’s ability.”

 As the purple dragon grows, a deafening roar echoes through the air. Its body expands and stretches, almost tripling in size. The scales on its skin shimmer and gleam with its own light, creating a dazzling display of color. The pungent spell of rotting fruit fills the air as the dragon’s attack points surge from 2800 to an astonishing 6800. Meanwhile, the ground trembles beneath its massive weight, sending shockwaves through the surrounding area.

 This grabs the attention of General Tychon as he staggers and stutters. “S-Six thousand attack?”

 “That’s right.” I confirm. “And that’s not even it. I activate the new effect of Starving Venom. You see, the effect my dragon copied from Independent Nightingale makes it gain attack points equal to its level times 500. Nightingale is only level 1, meaning it only gains 500 attack points with its own effect, but Starving Venom is level 8…”

 “So that’s where the attack comes from…” The General completes. “Starving Venom and Lyralusc – Independent Nightingale may be completely unrelated monsters, but they can be used together with terrifying results.”

 I smile. “I’m glad this ‘Rookie’ can teach the General some tricks, but that’s not even the best part… Nightingale has another effect based on its level… Once per turn, I inflict damage equal to its level times 500… that means—”

 Tychon takes a step back. “4-4000 direct damage… My god…”

 Pointing at the General, I order. “Starving Venom! Use your effect! Cutting Whirlwind!”

 The dragon beats its massive wings with such force that the air around it begins to swirl and twist, creating a violent tornado. But that’s not all. As the whirlwind grows stronger, an array of spectral feathers materializes out of thin air and hurtles towards the vortex. The General finds himself enveloped in the tempest, and the sharp edges of the phantom feathers slice through his armor with a deafening screech. The metallic clangs of the blades striking his armor resonate through the air, adding to the cacophony of the raging storm. Despite his best efforts to shield his face with his arms, the sharp feathers leaves stinging cuts and gashes searing into his skin. I can spot raw flesh all the way from where I stand.

 Yet, he grits his teeth and bears the pain, refusing to show any sign of weakness. Instead, he grunts. “GGGNNN!!!”

—

 A dozen meters away from the duel

 A woman with long platinum blond hair looked on in terror. Her body armor was severely damaged, most of it useless by this point. But protect her, it had. Without the titanium composite between her and that explosion, she would’ve been a stain on the pavement…

 But now, there was another threat, one related to the incident from before, but now much more dangerous. “Commander… What the hell did we get into?” was all she could say as she looked behind the cover of a fallen tree at the ongoing duel.

 “D-duelist shit, Vanessa. That’s what…” her comrade croaked next to her.

 She looked down over at him, examining his wounds. “You still good?”

 But he shook his head, raising his hand to just above his waist. “I can feel blood on my under-suit— Ng! I don’t know if I’m gonna make it…”

 Turning away from the developing duel, lieutenant commander Vanessa looked to her comrade. “She got you pretty bad.” She leaned in and applied pressure on the spot.

 “AAHHH!! SHIT!” He groaned in response.

 Vanessa’s lips turned into a light smile. “The big bad captain can’t handle a little pressure? Man the fuck up!”

 Grinding his teeth, the captain replied. “Yeah, yeah, shut up. We need to get out of here.” His eyes whizzed around the park’s entrance. “When that duel’s up, we’re going to have a rampaging teenage girl or our beat up commander, no in-between.”

 The lieutenant joined him, looking around. But all that she could see were her downed squad members and remember the one who did this to them. “Crazy to think a crazy 18-year-old schoolgirl could do all of this… Duelists are scary.”

 “And temperamental.” The captain added, his voice fading.

 Noticing this, Venessa turned to see him pale. “What the fuck, dude! You’re not gonna die on me, you tard!” She stopped applying pressure and ripped the chunk of armor below out of the way, revealing a wound too grisly to describe. But she didn’t freeze. Instead, she took a pen and stabbed it next to the wound.

 “ARRRHGHGHHHH!! YOU FUCKING BITCH! WHAT DID YOU D—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”

 Under the melody of blood-curdling screams, the skin around the wound turned a pale pink and started healing over at an accelerated rate. The handiwork of a concoction of nanites grabbing non-critical tissues from various places around the body, depositing it in and around the wound to heal it quickly. The side-effect? Agonizing full-body pain so bad some would rather die than be saved by it.

—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!” I hear someone scream behind my opponent.

 Cocking an eyebrow, I ask. “You’re team, General?”

 Done catching his breath and now cut all over, he replies in a weak voice. “What remains of it…”

 My eyes lean down to the puddle of blood forming around the general’s boots. “Well, it looks like you’ll be joining them soon… Circuit Materialize,” I raise my arm and say in a neutral tone. “Using Link - 3 ‘Selene’ and ‘Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale’, I link summon.”

 The monsters ride into the Link Circuit, lighting up the left, right, down, and up, link arrows.

 ‘It’s a shame such an interesting duel ends with you, but I’m not throwing this duel just to inflict more pain… That would be stupid.’

 ‘Or amusing.’ I hear a response in my head.

 ‘Ness, I don’t know what got into you today, but we’re talking about this later.’

 ‘Who’s Ness?’ ‘It,’ asks.

 ‘Hardy harr, hilarious goddess…’

 Done talking with my ‘imaginary’ ‘friend’, I slam the finishing card down on my duel disk. “Accesscode Talker!”

 A massive burst of light emits from the Link Circuit, and Accesscode’s glistening silver and gold armor shows through it. His massive spear forms next, and it grabs it firmly with in its right hand.

 As my summon descents to join the rest of my army, I declare. “The on-summon effect of ‘Accesscode Talker’ activates! By targeting Selene in the grave, its attack points raise by 3000!”

 The General grunts and raises his arm. “N-Not gonna happen! I reveal my trap card, ‘Eternal Soul!’ By using its effect, I can special summon a dark Magician from the graveyard.”

 A large stone table appears on his side of the field, followed by a dark magician exiting from the inscription on the stone tablet. Following this, his other continuous spell, ‘Dark Magical Circle’ shines.

 He grins and declares . “This activates the effect of ‘Dark Magical Circle.’ Once per turn, if a dark magician is special or normal summoned on my side of the field, I can banish one card. Say goodbye to your Accesscode!”

 The small magical circle engraved on the floor grows to encompass the field, and right away, my new summon breaks apart.

 I close my eyes and take a deep breath through my nose. ‘Ok, this guy is pissing me off. It’s not like this will make any difference… Except in over damage.’

 ‘Why do mortals cling to life so pathetically? He could’ve died a warrior’s death, but chose to save himself instead.’ I hear another dark thought pass through my mind, but elect to ignore it.

 My eyes shoot wide open. “This won’t matter and you know it. Battle!”

 [Battle Phase]

 Looking him in the eye, I tell. “As you must be aware, if you know much about your deck, ‘Eternal Soul’ can be both a blessing and a curse.” Turning to DPE, I order. “Destroyer! I will use your effect. With it, I target DPE itself and Eternal Soul!”

 As the flames surrounding the Destiny Hero intensify, a wave of scorching heat spreads across the dueling field. Yet, the Hero remains unfazed. The flames shift in color, transitioning from a deep red to a bright orange before finally settling on a weak white. As the Hero itself disintegrates, it charges towards the stone table that stands before my opponent, shattering it into pieces amidst a burst of flames.

 I stand back with a satisfied smirk on my lips. My eyes squint at the General, before telling. “This is the end.”

 From the shattered remains of the stone tablet, a vibrant purple aura bursts forth, enveloping the dark magician in its eerie glow. Once towering and confident, the magician now writhes in agony, his screams filling the air as he crumbles into shards of glass.

 I almost feel bad for the summoned creature, but with an empty field, all that stands between me and victory is that last face-down card. “I command you, ‘Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom,’ to bring me victory! Let your venomous nature strike and seal our triumph!”

 As the massive dragon parts its jaws, a putrid purple aura seeps out from deep within, enveloping the air with a sickly stench. The aura grows stronger by the second, pulsing with an ominous energy.

 Yet the General doesn’t look timid and instead announces. “Trap reveal!”

 The one face-down card on his field hinges up, showing itself to be ‘Magician Navigation.’

 General Tychon takes a card from his hand and lays it on the duel blade. He announces, “Using ‘Magician Navigation,’ I can bring forth ‘Dark Magician’ from my hand in attack position, as well as another dark spellcaster from my deck.” He pauses for effect before continuing, “And this time, I choose another ‘Dark Magician’ to summon in attack position.”

 On the field, two recognizable monsters materialize as two Dark Magicians. They wear pointy purple hats, partially covered by gem blue robes with strange form-fitting purple armor underneath.

 As I let out a sigh, I can’t help but express my frustration. “You know very well that this won’t make a difference, General,” I say. “If you had thought it through, you would have summoned them in defense mode.” With a quick command, I direct my monster to alter its attack. “Starving Venom, change your target to Dark Magician and continue your attack!”

 The air around Starving Venom crackles with an intense energy, and suddenly, the powerful aura it built up bursts into a vibrant purple light. A deafening roar echoes through the space as a massive projectile hurtles towards the Dark Magician. The air sizzles with the sheer force of the attack, and a pungent smell of rot and decay fills the air.

 Dark Magician raises its staff and conjures a protective barrier around itself. The barrier shimmers with a bright blue light, but it’s no match for the overwhelming power of Starving Venom. The projectile’s impact shatters the barrier, leaving the Dark Magician to be engulfed by the attack.

 But that’s when the General clicks his tongue. “Tlick, tlick, tlick. And that’s what makes you an amateur, Yuumi. If you were thinking straight, you wouldn’t have attacked with your strongest monster. From my hand I activate ‘Kuriboh’!”

 Just as the deadly projectile is about to engulf General Tychon, a nearly transparent ball of fur with large, goofy-looking appendages appears out of nowhere. This strange ghost-like creature forms another barrier between the projectile and General Tychon. But, unlike the barrier around the now destroyed ‘Dark Magician,’ this barrier manages to hold back the attack until it finally disperses.

 ‘Oooooo a swing and a miss! Another turn like that and you’ll be rotting away in a cell making long-distance calls in no time!’

 I take a step back, stunned. ‘Magician Navigation… and Kuriboh?!’ My face reddens with anger, my heart rate increases, and my fists clench as I take in the unfairness of the situation. I can feel the heat rising inside me, my jaw clenched tight. “What kind of bullshit luck is that!?”

 The General looks on with a cheeky shit-eating grin plastered all over his scarred face. “Well then, was this all? Is the mighty penta-summoner unable to account for negations and hand traps? I expected more from you.”

 “Fuck off—” Just as I’m about to go off on the General that he was lucky, I stop myself. From there, I close my eyes and  lean down, drawing in deep breaths. ‘I need to calm myself down. If I keep going like this, I will just be making more dumb mistakes… But what was that? I can get Magician Navigation being a card he set down. He also used it last turn. But why would Kuriboh even be a consideration? There are numerous other attack negation hand traps better than Kuriboh. Still…’ I look at my hand and field. ‘I have to pass… There’s nothing else I can do for this turn… Fuck. I blundered… Even with this deck…’

 ‘Oh yes, you did. Maybe dueling just isn’t right for you? You know, there’s no shame in admitting you need some help.’

 I shake my head. ‘Get the fuck out, Ness.’

 ‘Again, not Ness.’ It repeats, but even if that’s the case, I have other things to worry about right now than the voices in my head.

 Leaning back up to face the General, I say. “Tch, what an unlucky shit show this was…" I look around his field and then mine. “Well, if you’re so confident, then go ahead. Clear my board. End of Turn.”

 [ End Phase ]

 The General lips curl into a wide grin. “That I will…”