Yugioh [835-837] (Patreon)

Chapter 835: The Advent Church

"Nyaa?"

"Nyaa Nyaa Nyaa?"

"Hello? Is the phone connected, Nyaa?"

A string of cat-like greetings came from the other end of the phone. Kira, working at his desk in his personal laboratory, replied casually.

"I'm here, I'm here. What's up, professor?"

"You know I'm your professor, and yet you still give me so much work."

Lyman sighed repeatedly, expressing how tough the cat life was.

"If you called just to ask for less work—"

"That's not it."

Lyman replied offhandedly.

"The bug kid we caught last time, there's some progress. Their group, the Advent Church, aims for the arrival of some evil god as their ultimate goal."

"Evil god? Did they specify which one?" Kira asked.

"No, they just call it the evil god."

Kira was puzzled.

"Even their own members call their deity the evil god?"

That was unusual. Strange organizations weren't uncommon, but usually their gods were only called evil gods by outsiders. Internally, they always believed their deity was the true god, guiding them to light and righteousness.

If a god's official title was just "Evil God," that was something new.

"Alright, so we don't know which god it is. But since you called, I assume you've found out something?" Kira asked.

"Of course. The bug kid knows more than that dino kid last time. In their duo, the bug kid was in charge of handing over assignments. We got the location of a congregation site.

Our scouts have already checked it out and confirmed there are suspicious people still gathering there.

But since we don't know their exact identities or strength, it's safest to have a capable duelist handle the cleanup."

Kira thought for a moment, mumbling to himself:

"If this was before, I'd probably go in person. But now I'm too busy. Unless it's urgent, I'd rather send a reliable person."

Clearly, he'd just gotten lazier, Lyman thought to himself. Dumping all the dirty work on a cat—doesn't your conscience hurt?

"Professor, you're not thinking I'm slacking off, are you?" Kira suddenly asked.

"Nyaa!?"

Lyman yelped in surprise.

"When did you learn to read minds? Wait, no, absolutely not, Nyaa!"

Reading minds over the phone?

That's just too much.

"But to be clear, I've been so busy lately I'm thinking of asking for a vacation. And that gathering site is far away. I'm a cat, I don't want to go on a long business trip."

Before Kira could say anything, Lyman quickly declined.

"Find someone else, okay?"

"No problem, professor. Take a break." Kira chuckled. "You don't have to worry about the Advent Church for now. As it happens, I have a reliable acquaintance in that area for a tournament. I'll ask him to check it out when he's done."

"Nyaa?"

Lyman tilted his head.

A tournament?

Sounds like a professional duelist.

…

Advent Church Gathering Site

A huge cathedral, the air oppressively silent. Beneath the towering dome, the light was swallowed by thick stone walls and stained glass, leaving only a faint glimmer struggling through, interweaving with the deep hues to create a stifling beauty.

Black-robed followers gathered quietly in the dim space, their shadows stretched by the weak candlelight. Each wore identical black robes with hoods, pale faces half-hidden in the shadows.

"Everyone knows why we've gathered today. Let's get straight to the point."

A black-robed figure spoke.

"The spirit is gone."

"I said before those two kids were unreliable," someone snorted, "Their abilities don't match their hype."

"Maybe we should work together and capture it. All other activities can wait.

It holds the key to 'The Lost Land'. The awakening of the evil god is the Church's ultimate goal."

"No one says it's not important, but it's not that simple."

The leader-like black robe spoke gravely.

"The spirit was lost in the territory of the Knights of Hanoi. We don't know exactly who took it, but worst case, it could already be in their hands."

Someone else snorted, "So what? The Advent Church is the vanguard of the evil god, here to rule this world. If we cower before a local gang, what's the point of our existence?"

"He's right, I think—"

But before he could finish, a cold wind swept through the church. All the candles suddenly went out, darkness engulfed the space.

The speaker's words were abruptly cut off, replaced by a long, strange scream. But soon, even the scream was swallowed by the darkness, vanishing.

Everyone was shocked.

"William? What happened, are you there?"

No response.

Everyone stood up.

"Don't panic."

Someone flicked on a lighter. Church rules forbid electronics inside the cathedral, so this was all he had for light.

But in that flickering flame, everyone saw it.

A demon, cloaked in a wide cape, behind the follower with the lighter, stretching out its claws.

Everyone saw it—except the one holding the lighter.

"Watch out!"

"Behind you!"

People shouted, some tried to intervene—but it was too late.

Stunned by the shouts, the follower didn't even have time to react before those claws yanked him into the darkness. The single spark of light was instantly extinguished, darkness swallowing everything once again.

"We're under attack!"

"What is that thing?"

"Defend! Defensive formation!"

Only the leader-black robe kept calm, activating his duel disk and slamming a monster card onto it.

A flash exploded—a knight in holy white armor appeared above the darkness.

Divine Knight Ishzark!

A Light-attribute holy knight, radiating a dazzling glow upon summoning. The whole church was illuminated, darkness scattered, and the intruder finally revealed.

"Up there!"

With a shout, all the followers looked up.

On the second-floor corridor, a silver-haired young man in a white suit sat on the railing, legs crossed, smiling down at them.

Beside him floated the demon who'd attacked earlier—Destiny HERO - Doom Lord, arms folded, cape fluttering.

"Well, you caught me." Aster smiled, "So, who's up first?"

Chapter 836: Aster VS The Bishop

"Aster Phoenix!"

The black robes recognized him and were even more surprised.

"Who's in charge here?" Aster asked, scanning the crowd.

They exchanged glances.

After a moment, the leader stepped forward.

"Me." He pointed at himself. "I'm the bishop here. Speak to me."

"You?" Aster looked him up and down, then nodded. "Alright. Let's make this quick."

He glanced at his watch.

"I've got about an hour before my flight. Sorry, but I'll wrap this up fast."

Such a dismissive attitude made everyone angry, but the bishop signaled them to calm down.

"Genius rookie Aster, we've heard of you.

But as far as I know, our Church has no grudge with you."

"True." Aster smiled. "I'm just helping a friend take care of you, but time's short. Since you're in charge, I'll deal with you first."

The bishop snorted, swirling his robe.

"Looks like a fight is unavoidable. But taking me down won't be easy."

He also activated his duel disk.

"Duel!" x2

[Aster, LP4000]

[Bishop, LP4000]

"I'll go first. Draw."

The bishop drew, then set a monster face-down.

"Next, I activate this card."

He slotted another card into his disk.

"Spell card 'Swords of Revealing Light'! For the next three turns, your monsters can't declare attacks!"

Aster frowned.

"Hey, are you stalling on purpose because you know I'm in a hurry?"

The bishop ignored him. "My turn ends."

"Alright. My turn."

Aster drew.

"Draw!"

"Activate spell 'Destiny Draw'—discard a 'Destiny HERO' from my hand, draw two cards!"

He pitched a Destiny HERO, drew twice, and instantly revealed one.

"Activate spell 'Pot of Greed', draw two more cards."

"Then, spell 'D-Spirit'! If no Destiny HERO is on the field, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Destiny HERO from my hand."

He revealed the card.

"Special Summon 'Destiny HERO – Diamond Dude'!"

[Diamond Dude, ATK 1400]

"Diamond Dude's effect: once per turn, reveal the top card of my deck. If it's a spell, send it to the graveyard, and I can activate its effect next turn. If not, send it to the bottom."

Aster drew.

Of course, Aster's Diamond Draws never missed.

"Spell card 'Card of Adversity'." Aster revealed it. "So it goes to the graveyard, and I'll activate it next turn."

"Next, activate spell 'Over Destiny'!" Aster declared. "Target a Destiny HERO in my graveyard, and special summon a Destiny HERO from my deck with less than half that one's level.

Only, the special summoned monster must be destroyed at the end of the turn."

The bishop said, "The Destiny HERO you discarded just now…"

"That was 'Destiny HERO – Malicious', Level 6." Aster smiled. "So I can summon a Level 3 or lower Destiny HERO from my deck.

Come on! Destiny HERO - Doom Lord!"

The very monster floating beside him appeared, crouched in defense.

[Destiny HERO - Doom Lord, DEF 800]

"Then, Malicious's effect in the grave: banish this card, special summon another Malicious from the deck.

Come on! Destiny HERO – Malicious!"

[Malicious, ATK 800]

"Then I tribute Malicious, Diamond Dude, and Destiny HERO - Doom Lord—three monsters! To summon my highest-level Destiny HERO—

—Destiny HERO - Dogma!!"

A brilliant beam of light crashed into the battlefield. A heavy-armored warrior appeared, eyes sharp as an eagle, body tall, armor gleaming coldly.

[Destiny HERO - Dogma, ATK 3400]

"Three tributes for a monster like that on turn one… as expected of pro star Aster."

The bishop paused, then sneered.

"But no matter how strong, under 'Swords of Revealing Light', it can't attack."

"I know." Aster chuckled.

"I haven't normal summoned yet.

Now I summon 'Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious' in attack position."

[Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious, ATK 800]

"Lastly, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Such a ferocious start, but in the end, that's it?" the bishop mocked. "My turn, draw!"

He drew a card—but before he could act, Destiny HERO - Dogma's eyes flashed menacingly. A powerful energy burst from him, mirrored beneath the bishop's feet as if to crush him.

"Uggh!"

The bishop groaned. It was so sudden, he nearly fell.

[Bishop, LP4000 → LP2000]

"What the…!?"

He stared at Destiny HERO - Dogma.

Aster grinned: "Destiny HERO - Dogma: while this card is on the field, at the start of your opponent's turn, their life points are halved." (Anime effect.)

This effect was nerfed on the real card—it only activates once, on the turn after Destiny HERO - Dogma is summoned. In the anime, it activates every turn.

"Burning half my life right away—dangerous guy."

The bishop glared at Destiny HERO - Dogma.

"Can't let you stay!"

He immediately played his next card.

"Activate spell 'Dark Core'! Discard a card to banish a face-up monster on the field!"

He discarded a card.

"Banish 'Destiny HERO - Dogma'!"

Chapter 837: Burned to Death?

"'Dark Core' banishes 'Destiny HERO - Dogma'!"

The twisted core radiated black lightning, warping space itself. The energy grew, ultimately swallowing Destiny HERO - Dogma whole, twisting and spinning him away into the black vortex until nothing remained.

"Hmph. You wanted to keep burning my life while stalling with attacks? That won't work on me!"

The other cultists jeered too.

"Looks like the pro player is just so-so."

"Little brat, go home!"

"You're nothing before the bishop!"

Aster ignored the trash talk, still smiling calmly.

"If you think 'Dark Core' is just offense, you're naïve." The bishop revealed the card he discarded, which flashed with golden light in the grave. "When I played 'Dark Core', I discarded this—

Zeta Reticulant!"

He showed the monster card, and an alien with crystal claws and a body covered in purple gems flickered on the field.

"Zeta's effect: while in the grave, whenever an opponent's monster is banished, I can special summon an 'Eva Token' in defense."

"Since I just banished Destiny HERO - Dogma, I special summon an Eva Token!"

[Eva Token, DEF 500]

"Next, the effect of another Zeta in my hand!" the bishop continued. "By tributing the Eva Token, I can special summon Zeta from my hand.

Descend, Zeta Reticulant!"

A pillar of purple light descended, crystals floating in the air, forming into a furious alien form, claws slashing.

[Zeta Reticulant, ATK 2400]

"Banishing my monster while prepping your ace—so that's your deck's focus?" Aster understood. "Banishing for control, huh?"

The bishop smirked: "It'll also be the last deck you ever face.

I flip my set monster—

Flip summon 'Des Lacooda'!"

[Des Lacooda, ATK 500]

"When Des Lacooda is flipped, I draw one card."

He drew.

"Now battle!

Zeta Reticulant, attack 'Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious'!"

Zeta roared, slashing at Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious.

Aster countered: "I activate trap 'D-Shield'! When a Destiny HERO in attack position is attacked, equip this card to it.

'D-Shield' to Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious!"

Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious crouched, shifting to defense, floating stones forming a shield before him.

"Equipped monster switches to defense, and can't be destroyed by battle!" Aster said.

[Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious, DEF 800]

Zeta's full-force attack was blocked by the floating shield.

"Tch, can't be destroyed by battle?" The bishop frowned.

Now he was stuck too—unless he had a piercing effect, as long as Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious was on the field, he couldn't deal damage.

"Battle phase over. But I activate Des Lacooda's effect:

Once per turn, it can return to face-down defense."

Des Lacooda set itself again.

With both sides locked, Des Lacooda became a card-draw engine every turn.

"I set another card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Aster declared. "Last turn, Diamond Dude's effect:

Since I revealed a spell, I can activate its effect this turn."

His graveyard flashed with golden light, the spell's phantom appearing.

"Last turn I revealed 'Card of Adversity'.

If my opponent controls a special summoned monster and I control none, I draw two cards."

The bishop said: "But you have 'Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious'—"

"I know."

Aster smiled.

"But Diamond Dude's effect means I only activate the effect, not the cost.

So I draw two cards."

He drew, then revealed one.

"Quick-Play Spell 'Burial from a Different Dimension'—return up to three banished monsters to the grave."

The bishop: "You've only banished one."

"Right, I return 'Destiny HERO - Dogma' to the grave!" Aster said. "Then, activate 'Call of the Haunted' to special summon a monster from the grave in attack.

I revive 'Destiny HERO - Dogma'!"

Of course, the real Destiny HERO - Dogma can't do this—he needs three tributes to be summoned, even if he was previously summoned correctly. But like Jaden's Elemental HERO fusions in the anime, Destiny HERO - Dogma can be revived after a proper summon in this story.

"Return to me, Destiny HERO - Dogma!"

[Destiny HERO - Dogma, ATK 3400]

The bishop gritted his teeth.

"This damn hero again?"

But he quickly calmed down.

"'Swords of Revealing Light' is still active, it's only your second turn. Even if you revive your ace, you can't attack."

"Yeah, I know."

Aster smiled.

"So I summon 'Destiny HERO - Dunker'."

[Destiny HERO - Dunker, DEF 1700]

"Destiny HERO - Dunker's effect: send a Destiny HERO from hand to grave to inflict 500 damage!"

He pitched a card, Destiny HERO - Dunker leapt up and spiked a glowing ball right at the bishop's face.

"Ugh!"

[Bishop, LP2000 → LP1500]

The bishop's face darkened, unease rising.

Damn… Am I going to get burned to death before Swords expires?