Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster GX Fan Fiction ❯ The Darkness of Destiny ❯ The Grand Masterpiece ( Chapter 6 )

The Darkness of Destiny

 

Chapter 6

 

The Grand Masterpiece

 

Zane looked down at his briefcase and flipped it open, scanning the rows of cards there before closing it. He took one last look at his deck and slipped it into his Duel Disk.

 

“Come on, Zane,” Shroud called from the door. “Your public awaits.” Zane scowled and stood up, marching past Shroud into the arena. The lights of the arena flashed on as Zane entered.

 

“And now folks, tonight at the Kaiba Dome, we proudly present the first of eight matches to determine the true champion of the Leagues!” The announcer cried. “I'm Gene Wilkins here tonight to bring you this epic match! Entering the arena, the dark king of the Leagues, Zane Truesdale!” Shroud stopped at the entrance gate as Zane walked into the center of the arena. The doors at the other end of the arena opened wide.

 

“And his opponent, from parts unknown in Europe, the dueling musician, Zephon Maestrom!” The duelist loomed over seven feet tall, and was thing and bony in a long black rode. His eyes stared through Zane as he stepped into the middle of the arena. “Will the opposing duelists shuffle each other's decks.” The two traded cards, and began shuffling.

 

“So, you are the infamous Zane Truesdale who wields the deck of darkness,” Zephon chuckled, his voice barely a whisper. “You are making quite a racket in the leagues. But I fear you are nothing but a single movement in this grand composition.”

 

“Whatever,” Zane muttered, handing Zephon his deck and taking back his own. “Let's just hurry up so I can win,” The two walked back to their respective sides of the arena.

 

“Alright, let the duel begin!” The announcer yelled.

 

“Let's duel!” Zane roared, snapping out his Duel Disk. Zephon merely smiled and pressed a thin finger to the activation button of his own disk.

 

-Zane LP: 4000, Zephon LP: 4000-

 

“I'll begin, my dear Zane,” Zephon said, drawing. “I summon `Dark Composer' (1500, 1000).” A monster in a long black robe with pale skin appeared in front of Zephon. “But, what is a composer, without a great instrument to play?” The Field slot on Zephon's disk slid out. “I play the Field Spell `Great Organ'!” The ground shook as a gigantic pipe organ burst from behind Zephon, towering to the ceiling. The keys alone were the size of a human. “I will place two cards face-down, and end this movement. Your turn, Maestro Truesdale.”

 

 

“Yeah, sure,” Zane snarled, drawing. “I summon `Volcanic Dragon' (2200, 0000)!” A large black and red dragon with a mane of flame down its back burst out from a plume of fire. “Volcanic Dragon, attack!” Zane cried. The dragon stomped across the field and raised a claw as Dark Composer looked up.

 

“I am afraid I shall have to call a stop to that piece,” Zephon said. “I play `Dark Note - A Sharp'!” A floating black music note appeared in front of the Dark Composer and pulsed. Volcanic Dragon groaned and stumbled back. “This note halts your composition and turns its power back on you,” Zephon explained. The Great Organ blared a loud note, and Zane cried out as he was hit by a wave of sound.

 

-Zane LP: 1800, Zephon LP: 4000-

 

“You…I'll place one card face-down and end my turn,” Zane snarled.

 

“What a move, Zephon just stopped Zane right in his tracks! It's truly a battle of the best!” The announcer shouted.

 

“My movement,” Zephon nodded. “I activate Dark Composer's special ability. Now instead of drawing, I can add a Dark Note card from my deck to my hand.” Zephon fanned out his deck, picked his card and slipped his deck back. “Next I activate `Dark Note - B Flat'. By sending another Dark Note to the Grave, I can draw two cards. Now, I dismiss `Dark Note - C Sharp', and draw two cards.” Zephon drew, and smiled. “Now, the next note! `Dark Note - D Flat'! It destroys two cards, at the cost of turning a monster's strength against me!” The organ blared again, and Volcanic Dragon and Zane's trap exploded. Zephon cringed as a second sound wave hit him. “And now, Dark Composer, attack Zane directly! Noise Crush!” The composer screeched loudly, and Zane cringed. A blast of electricity shot up his arm, and he collapsed as Shroud grinned behind him.

 

-Zane LP: 300, Zephon LP: 2500-

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“I hope I'm not too late,” Alexis panted, running down the hall of the Kaiba Dome. She pushed past a vendor and ran up the steps to the stands. “I knew it,” she hissed, staring out at the arena. She looked up at the display overhead. “Zane's losing already?” She muttered, looking down at him. “What's going on?” she watched Zane climb to his feet for a moment, then ran to get a better view.

 

“What a devastating turn of events! Zephon seems to have Truesdale on his knees on his second turn! I've never seen this pro get manhandled like that!” The announcer protested.

 

“My…move,” Zane growled, drawing. “I summon `Cyberdark Keel' (800, 800)! And I'll give him the power of the Volcanic Dragon in my Graveyard!” The black serpent glowed (3000, 800) as red bands of energy wrapped around it. “Now Dark Keel, attack!”

 

“Halt! Reveal `Dark Note - E Flat'!” Zephon cried. “It returns your monster to the hand, and restores Life Points equal to its power!” Cyberdark Keel roared as another torrential sound wave threw it back. Alexis screamed and clenched her eyes shut as the hologram crashed into the stands and vanished. Zane gasped and whirled around.

 

“Alexis?” He whispered, looking up.

 

“Zane, keep your mind on the duel!” Shroud snapped. Alexis opened her eyes and gulped as she noticed Zane staring at her.

 

-Zane LP: 300, Zephon LP: 3300-

 

“Maestro Truesdale, I am not finished!” Zephon called. “Now, `Dark Note - F Sharp'! This card lets me name a card and send that card in your hand to the Grave!” Zane turned. “Now, Cyberdark Keel, I banish you!” Zephon said. Zane scowled and sent the beast into the discard slot. “And now, F Sharp's second effect! Send another Monster from your deck to the Grave!” Zane fanned out his deck and chose his card.

 

“Zane has been blocked from an offense at every turn. It seems that the defeat of this pro may be imminent! Can he turn things around?” The announcer asked.

 

“I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn,” He said.

 

“Very well,” Zephon smiled, drawing. “Now, `Dark Note - G Flat'! I name a type of card, and both of us send a card of that type to the Grave from our decks! And I choose Monster!” Zane and Zephon both discarded their cards.

 

“Was there a point to that?” Zane asked. Zephon smiled as his long, white hair began to fly about his head.

 

“Yes. For now, it is time! Behold, my masterpiece, my grand composition!” Zephon held up a card from his hand. “I activate the Spell card `Magnum Opus'!” He crowed. The ground shook, and Alexis looked up as the dome lights flickered. Suddenly, Zane was blown back in a burst of wind as the Great Organ behind Zephon burst into a deafening display of music. The gigantic keys clicked along the board, sending a barrage of eerie music into the arena. Dark Composer glowed and vanished in a sparkle of dust. Zephon held his arms and tossed his head back in laughter.

 

“That's Zephon's signature card!” The announcer screamed. “But it's never been this strong before! What is going…AHHHHH!” The announcer screamed as feedback hit his headphones, and he ripped them off. Zane struggled to his feet and slowly walked back into place. Seven holograms appeared in the air above Zephon.

 

“Now, by offering my Dark Composer as Tribute!” Zephon shouted over the music. “I combine the power of the Dark Notes in my Graveyard! When the seven Dark Notes, Dark Composer, and the Great Organ are combined, the ultimate musical masterpiece is played!” The holograms flashed into a musical scale, and the organ suddenly stopped playing. As the people around the arena slowly got up, seven black music notes wrote themselves onto the scale. Then, the Great Organ let out a final blast of sound. Zane hit the back of the arena, and the glass on the announcer's booth shattered as a dark form rose beside Zephon. It had limbs of twisted brass pipes, lines of musical score tattooed around its arms and legs. Its hands and fingers were pipe, and its feel looked like piano pedals. What looked like a skirt designed to look like a keyboard was wrapped around its lower body. It had a large, heavy hammer, a large white beard, and a face covered in music note markings. The thing looked like a living, breathing, human pipe organ.

 

“Behold the ultimate monster, `Crescendo, King of Dark Music' (3000, 2500)!” Zephon cried. “Now it is time to bring this piece to a close! Crescendo, Dark Wave!” The giant roared and slammed its hammer into the ground, sending a shockwave across the arena.

 

“Zane!” Alexis screamed. Shroud's eyes went wide.

 

“Sorry, but your piece has a sour note!” Zane roared. “I reveal `Power Wall'!” Zane's deck glowed and started flinging cards into the air. A second shockwave appeared and zoomed towards Crescendo. “By sending thirty cards in my deck to the Grave, I can stop your attack!”

 

“Not quite, for there is a secret you must know,” Zephon chuckled. “When Crescendo attacks, he drains the energy of all Dark Notes in the Grave, gaining five hundred points for each of them!” Zane scowled as the dark musician (6500, 2500) glowed red.

 

“I play my second face-down card `Shrink'!” He replied. “It cuts your monster's power in half.”

 

“Maybe, but you'll still feel my Crescendo!” Zephon roared. The second shockwave vanished as the first hit, knocking Zane back.

 

-Zane LP: 50, Zephon LP: 3300-

 

“I end my turn, and my Crescendo's points go back to normal. It's over, Maestro Truesdale!” Zephon called as Zane got up. “Now, surrender!”

 

“You'll pay!” Zane roared, drawing his last card. He looked down at it, and sneered up at Zephon. “I activate `Overload Fusion'! Now, I can call forth any Dark-Attribute Machine-type Fusion monster, as long as I remove the monsters in my Grave from play!” The dark monsters appeared behind Zane. Alexis gasped - she had heard about Zane's trademark monster, but never seen it up close. The head of Cyberdark Horn flashed and burst apart from the body. Cyberdark Edge vanished, leaving only the wings behind. The wings and head clamped onto Cyberdark Keel with a flask of sparks.

 

“I summon `Cyberdark Dragon'!” Zane cried. The dark machine roared loudly, and Zephon's eyes went wide. “Now, I offer him the power of my Volcanic Dragon, giving him an extra twenty-two hundred points! Then, for each card in my Grave, another 100 points!” Cyberdark Dragon (6600, 1000) glowed a dark purple.”

 

“My music…” Zephon whimpered.

 

“Now, I could win right now, but you managed to break my Power Wall! So you've really pissed me off today!” Zane snarled. “I activate `Limiter Removal'! This doubles the power of my Dragon, to 13, 200!” He declared. Zephon screamed. Sparks flew as the dark's body cracked and snapped.

 

“Cyberdark Dragon, it's time to bring this musical to a close! Destroy him!” Zane commanded. The dragon fired a blast of flame. Zephon's eyes flashed as the metal of the Great Organ superheated and melted into slag. Crescendo let out a bellow of anger as the blast consumed him.

 

-Zane LP: 50, Zephon LP: 0000-

 

The crowd cheered as Zephon fell to his knees. Zane took a deep breath, and gasped as a fist slammed into the back of his head.

 

“That was close,” Shroud snapped. “Next time, you better win by a bigger margin.” Zane gritted his teeth and stood up to follow his manager.

 

“Zane!” Alexis called, jumping down into the arena. Zane stopped as the graduate ran up to him.

 

“What are you doing here?” He muttered, looking down at her.

 

“I wanted to see you. It's been a while,” Alexis replied, not sure how to approach him. They had been best friends once, but that was years ago, back when he was a little more…sane.

 

“Yeah. I heard you joined the leagues,” Zane replied, nodding. It had only been a long time for her, for him, it was a couple days.

 

“Yeah, I got a guy to help me train, A…a guy,” Alexis explained, cutting herself off before she mentioned Aster's name. Probably not the best idea to mention him around Zane.

 

“Oh? I hope sore your sake he knows what he's doing,” Zane replied, narrowing his eyes. She couldn't possibly mean Aster, could she? That would explain why he was hanging around her the other day during the duel.

 

“Yeah, he's good, he's helping me a lot,” Alexis replied.

 

“Mr. Truesdale!” Shroud called. Zane looked up. “Come on,” Shroud ordered.

 

“My manager,” Zane replied. “See ya around, maybe,” Zane walked past Alexis to the exit, and Alexis bit her lip.

 

“Zane!” she called. Zane stopped, but didn't turn. “Would you, maybe, like to get lunch sometime? I'd like to catch up,” Alexis asked. Zane was silent for a moment, then kept walking. Alexis sighed.

 

“I'll think about it,” He called. Alexis smiled slightly and nodded, watching him go.

 

Maybe it's me, but Zephon's signature card here sent me into flashbacks of Forte from “Beauty and the Beast”.

 

Whew, a long “Custom Cards” section today! But I think creating a whole new theme kinda warrants that!

 

Dark Composer

4-Star DARK Fiend

ATK: 1500

DEF: 1000

During your Draw Phase, instead of drawing, you may add 1 “Dark Note” card from the deck to your hand.

 

Great Organ

Field Spell

Destroy this card when you do not control “Dark Composer”.

 

Volcanic Dragon

4-Star FIRE Dragon

ATK: 2200

DEF: 0000

When this card inflicts damage to your opponent's Life Points or destroys a monster in battle, send 1 card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard.

 

Dark Note - A Sharp

Trap

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”. Negate an opponent's attack and inflict damage to the opponent equal to the attacking monster's ATK. The Battle Phase is now over.

 

Dark Note - B Flat

Trap

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”. Discard 1 “Dark Note” from your hand, and draw 2 cards.

 

Dark Note - C Sharp

Spell

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”. Select 1 “Dark Note” card from your deck and add it to your hand.

 

Dark Note - D Flat

Quickplay Spell

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”. Select 1 face-up monster and receive damage equal to its ATK. Destroy 2 cards on the field.

 

Dark Note - E Flat

Trap

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”. Name a card, and discard 1 card with that name from your opponent's hand. Your opponent selects a card of the same type (Spell, Trap, Monster) from their deck and discards it.

 

Dark Note - F Sharp

Trap

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”. Return one monster on the field to the owner's hand, and gain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK

 

Dark Note - G Flat

Spell

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”. Both players discard a card from their deck of a type of your choosing (Spell, Trap, Monster).

 

Magnum Opus

Spell

Activate only when you control “Great Organ”, “Dark Composer”, and you have seven “Dark Note” cards in your Graveyard that all have different named. Offer 1 “Dark Composer” as tribute to summon “Crescendo, King of Dark Music” from your hand, Deck or Graveyard.

 

Crescendo, King of Dark Music

8 Star DARK Fiend

ATK: 3000

DEF: 2500

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. When this card attacks, increase the ATK of this card by 500 for each card in your Graveyard with “Dark Note” in the name. During the End Phase, this card's ATK becomes its original value.