Chapter Text
[Central Academy Outskirts - Abandoned Dorm - 3:33 AM]
Duel!
Panik/Titan: 8000 Life Points
Alexis/Oleander: 8000 Life Points
“I will begin this duel” Panik declared with a sinister smirk as he drew his opening hand.
Turn 1: Panik’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
“First of all, I will use Genta, Gateman of Dark World’s effect!” He wagged the card before dumping it into his GY “By discarding him, I’m able to add the Field Spell known as The Gates of Dark World!”
The card in question ejected itself from the former eliminator’s deck, which was promptly slapped in his Field Spell Zone; the ground rumbled, and behind the duo of creeps, a massive stone gate emerged, its doors swinging open to reveal a lavender-colored portal.
“This card will not only boost all of our Fiend-Type monsters by three hundred points, but will also allow me to banish a fiend from my graveyard, to discard a card, and then draw one card.” He smirked as a sinister light started to emanate from his GY. “And I will do it now!”
“I banish Genta, to discard my Beige, Vanguard of Dark World!” He removed one card from his GY, discarded one, and promptly drew a card.
The portal behind Panik started to crackle with energy, and from it two grotesque-looking monsters appeared; one was wearing a scarf while carrying a greatshield, while the other wore a pair of goggles and wielded a spear.
“When Genta is banished while I control a Dark World card, I can immediately Special Summon it.” He then pointed at the other monster. “And if Beiige is discarded, I can Special Summon it.”
Both monsters roared in unison as their forms were enveloped by the field spell's sinister energy, their muscles bulging considerably and their height increasing.
[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World - ATK: 1600 → 1900]
[Genta. Gateman of Dark World - DEF: 1800 → 2100]
“A Dark World user are we?” Oleander mused while cupping his cheek. “Not a bad choice for an archetype; easy to use and easy to master.” He then smirked, “Perfect for a simpleton like you.”
"You talk a lot of shit for someone who is about to be face-down on the ground crying for Mommy, Panik angrily shot back with a snarl.
“This one knows some pretty big words.” The purple-haired duelist giggled, “Color me moderately impressed!”
Panik was about to open his mouth to speak but was stopped when his partner placed a hand over his shoulder and shook his head. Huffing, he picked two cards and jammed them in his Spell/Trap Zone.
“Now that the children are done arguing,” Alexis placed two fingers on the top card of her deck. “Then it is my turn!” She roared as she yanked her card.
Turn 2: Alexis Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
“I will use Polymerization!’ She slapped the card in her duel disk before picking three cards in her hands. “I will fuse Lunalight Crimson Fox, Black Sheep, and Purple Butterfly!”
Three anthropomorphic creatures appeared: one looked like a fox, the other one a sheep, and the third one a butterfly, their forms being enveloped in ethereal reds, blues, and greens, respectively, before merging and erupting in a flash of light.
The light subsided, and in the place of the three figures stood a singular one; it was a tall woman with the features of a wolf wielding a massive curved sword.
“Say hello to Lunalight Sabre Dancer!” The blonde proudly declared her monster’s name as the wolf woman assumed a combat stance. "And not only will she gain two hundred attack points for every Beast-Warrior-Type monster in my graveyard or banished, but she also can't be targeted by your card effects!"
[Lunalight Sabre Dancer - ATK: 3000 → 3600]
"She's beautiful." Oleander blushed, which was only intensified when Sabre Dancer winked at him.
"I will now use Black Sheep's effect from my graveyard!" A shimmering light emanated from Alexis GY as Purple Butterfly was ejected. "Since she was used for a Fusion Summon, I can return a Lunalight monster from my graveyard to my hand."
[Lunalight Sabre Dancer - 3600 → 3400]
The light in Alexis GY color changed from silver to crimson as it suddenly shot toward Beiige, hitting the fiend square on the chest and bringing it to its knees.
"And that was Crimson Fox's effect." A small smile appeared on the blonde's lips. "Since she was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, I can target a monster you control and reduce its attack to zero."
[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World - ATK: 1900 → 0]
"Lastly, I will use Purple Butterfly's effect!" She flipped the recently added card and once more slid it into her GY. "By discarding her, I can make a Lunalight monster I control and make her gain one thousand attack points!"
Once more the light in Alexis GY changed color, this time to a rich purple before it enveloped Sabre Dancer, making the wolf woman howl as her attack points increased.
[Lunalight Sabre Dancer - ATK: 3400 → 4600]
"Way to go, girl!" Oleander cheered. "Now I see why people call you the queen of the Obelisk Blue!"
"Sabre Dancer, attack!" The blonde roared the command as she punched the air in front of her, causing Sabre Dancer to leap high in the air while raising her sword above her head, preparing to deal a devastating blow.
However, the attack never reached Beiige, as Sabre Dancer was repelled by a translucent barrier, sending her crashing back to Alexis's side of the field.
“I would’ve been sweating, honestly,” Panik commented before Genta stepped to the side to reveal the former eliminator’s newly flipped-over card.
Which was Depth Amulet
“Every time one of you brats tries to attack me, all I need to do is discard a card.” His smirk grew as he discarded a card. “And I will now use Broww, Huntsman of Dark World’s effect, which allows me to draw one card.”
“He’s good…” Alexis, weary, declared as she watched her monster get up.
“The guy was Pegasus's top Eliminator during Duelist Kingdom for a reason.” Oleander let out a sigh as his smile disappeared.
“Good to see that my fame precedes me,” The former Eliminator proudly declared while puffing his chest a bit.
“Said Eliminator that got beaten by Yugi when the same was using his grandpa’s deck” Oleander quipped as his smug-smirk returned in full force. “A deck that was trash even by that time’s standard.”
“Why you…!”
“I will set two cards face down.” The blonde slid two cards in her Spell/Trap Zone.
“Then it is my turn to show you two true darknesses.” Titan ominously declared, “I hope you two made your peace, because I will make sure to send your souls to the Shadow Realm.”
“Y-you what?” Alexis asked, looking positively mortified.
“Not again with this,” Panik grumbled under his breath. “Just ignore him, girlie; he loves this grift of saying he will send people to the Shadow Realm…”
"Yeah, I figured that out pretty quick," Oleander nonchalantly commented as he checked his nails for dirt. "Not only are Shadow Games completely bogus, but even if they are true, he doesn't have a Millennium Item."
"Then how do you explain THIS!" He roared while pulling a familiar object in the shape of a pyramid. "I got the Millennium Pendant in my hands."
"It's called the Millennium Puzzle, dumbass." The purple-haired duelist rolled his eyes. "And last I saw it, it was comfortably around Yugi Muto's neck."
"So this isn't a Shadow Game." Alexis then let out a sigh of relief.
"I mean, they can still do some real damage to us," Oleander shrugged, seeming indifferent to the very real danger of physical harm.
"I told you it was a waste of money buying that toy." Panik growled as he side-eyed his partner. "And you didn't even bother to learn the blasted thing's name."
"And how else am I supposed to strike fear into the hearts of our victims?" Titan angrily countered.
"How about through actual skill?" The former Eliminator nonchalantly shot back.
Titan was about to say something when he was interrupted by the sound of Alexis clearing her throat; shooting a glare at the blonde, he saw her motioning to his duel disk, urging him to continue his turn.
Turn 3: Titan’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
“I will cast the spell known as Advanced Ritual Art.” A card ejects itself from the creep’s duel disk. “I will send a Normal Monster from my deck to the graveyard in order to meet the requirement for the Ritual Summoning of a Ritual Monster.”
“Was it really necessary to clarify that you were going to Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster?” Oleander chimed in, sounding genuinely confused.
“I am with the cabbage-haired brat, Thomas.” Panik couldn't help but nod.
“The hell did you just call me?!” The purple-haired duelist roared, balling his fists indignantly.
"Can you two please stop?!" Alexis interjected, absolutely fed up with the kindergarten level of the squabble between the two of them.
"He started it!" Both of them shouted in unison while pointing an accusatory finger at one another.
"And the monster I selected for the aforementioned summon...!" Titan spoke between gritted teeth as he picked a card in his hand and slapped it in his Monster Zone. "Will be Archfiend's Awakening!"
Blue sparks emerged from the ground before none other than Summoned Skull emerged from it, though this iteration had some differences, namely his horns, which looked sharper and slightly elongated, and the blue electricity that surrounded his body, said sparks that intensified as the monster's attack was boosted.
[Archfiend’s Awakening - ATK: 2500 → 2800]
“I will now use the Equip Spell known as Raregold Armor!” He raised the card above his head, and it transformed into a flash of light, enveloping the newly summoned monster and adorning it with a gilded white armor. “Now you brats are forced to attack Archfiend’s Awakening, which cannot be destroyed either by battle or by card effect that isn't from a Ritual Monster.”
“But you will still take damage~” Oleander sang while wagging his finger.
“Oleander, while your attempts at lighting up the mood are appreciated, I would rather that you please stop talking.” Alexis spoke with a deadpan tone as she side-eyed her partner.
“Can you blame me?” The purple-haired duelist raised his hands. “Look at him; he’s trying so hard to be broody and dark, but that’s just goofy!” He motioned toward a very angry Titan.
“Gotta say, it’s hard to argue against the cabbage-haired brat when he makes good points like those,” Panik spoke while picking his nose.
"Will you stop siding with him?!" Titan snapped as he turned to face his partner.
"And you could stop giving them ammunition." Panik countered with a toothy grin.
"Says the man who a mere moment ago was arguing with the same child..." The masked creep growled as he picked a single card and shoved it in his Spell/Trap Zone. "You're up; go!"
"Okay, time for me to shine!" Oleander cracked his neck as he enthusiastically drew his next card.
Turn 4: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
“First I will play my very own Polymerization!” Oleander slapped the card in his duel disk, but before it could properly activate, a bolt of lightning smited it.
“By paying two thousand Life Points,” Titan began as a sinister red aura surrounded his body and started to sap his Life Points. “Solemn Warning negates your card.”
Titan/Panik: 8000 → 6000 Life Points
“Talk about killing my vibe.” The purple-haired duelist, weary, commented as his shoulders slacked, but he recovered some of his usual air before picking a card: “In this case I will play Predaplast by revealing a Predap card from my hand.” He revealed Predaplant Squid Drosera. “I can place a Predator Counter on your monsters up to the number of revealed cards.”
From beneath Archfiend’s awakening feet, a monster resembling a tree emerged; the demons struggled but were unable to stop one of the vines from the plant abomination from stinging its shoulder. With its mission complete, Squid Drosera burrowed once more in the ground.
Archfiend's Awakening roared in pain as a flower burst through its chest, shattering its armor; the flower bloomed to reveal a cluster of eyeballs.
"While that Predator Counter on its own does nothing more than reduce the level of your monster all the way to one." He picked another card as he smirked, "I can do some pretty interesting interactions with my cards; for example, now that you have a monster with a Predator Counter, I can Special Summon this!" He slapped the card on his duel disk. "Meet Predaplant Heliamphorhynchus!"
A shriek was heard deep in the forest, and from the treeline, a plant creature in the form of a pterodactyl appeared; the plant abomination touched down on the field, shrieking at the duo of creeps.
"I will now Normal Summon Predaplant Squid Drosera." He picked a card and placed it in his Monster Zone without much fanfare as the familiar tree-like Predaplant once more burst from the ground.
"And now to close the wonderful act." He slid two cards in his Spell/Trap Zone.
“Then I guess it is back to the old grind with me.” Panik cracked his neck before yanking his next card.
Turn 5: Panik’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4
“Time to bring some friends to this party.” Picking a card from his hand, he slid it on his duel disk. “I will use Dark Corridor, which allows me to add a Dark World monster to my hand.” He picked an ejected card. “And then I discard a card.” He then discarded the newly added card.
A cackle echoed in the air, and from a dark fog, a new grotesque monster appeared beside Sabre Dancer. This one, being small and grinning from ear to ear, the diminutive demon turned to face Alexis before sticking its tongue out at her.
"What the hell is that thing?" The blonde recoiled in disgust as saliva started to drool from the fiend's tongue.
"It was the card I discarded." The former Eliminator clarified, "Ceruli, Guru of Dark World, whose effect Special Summons it to your side of the field." Panik them grinned menacingly. "And that little guy will make me discard a card."
"Sorry to interrupt, but I activated the Trap Card known as Fusion Duplication!" He jabbed a button on his duel disk, flipping the card over. "This card Banishes Polymerization or any fusion card from my grave and copies its effect!"
The trap card started to shimmer and distort as it began to morph into the familiar sight of Polymerization.
"And I will fuse my two Predaplants in order to bring out a toxic nightmare!" The purple-haired duelist pointed at his monsters, his eyes already sparking with purple energy as the visage of Starving Venom started to materialize above his head.
Both monsters were turned into specs of light that were promptly absorbed by the dragon’s shadowy visage before it erupted in a flash of purple light as it let out a mighty roar. The light subsided, and in its place stood Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.
Upon touching down on the field, the dragon got on all fours and assumed a defensive stance in front of its master, snapping and growling at the two thugs as if daring them to approach.
“That’s one big dragon…” Titan commented while gulping.
“Oh trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Oleander chuckled darkly as he felt the same sensation of euphoria taking a hold of me. “But by all means, continue your play; I’ve already done my part.”
"Like I was saying, Ceruli's effect makes the opponent, in this case yours truly." Panik motioned to himself. "Discard a card."
The former Eliminator snapped his fingers, causing Ceruli to shoot a bolt of black and golden lightning straight at Panik's hand, causing one of the cards in his hand to be disintegrated.
Soon after thunderous steps echoed from The Gates of Dark World, getting louder and stronger by the second, Alexis was staring at the structure with apprehension while Oleander displayed mild interest.
From the depths of the Dark World another demon appeared; however, unlike the other ones, this fiend was far from grotesque. Quite the contrary, the monster had a regal air to it; Beiige and Genta hurriedly stepped out of the way, bowing as the massive demon walked past them.
"Say hello to Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World!" Panik proudly declared as he motioned to his newly summoned monster.
[Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World - ATK: 2500 → 2800]
"And since he was discarded by an opponent's card effect, not only does he Special Summon himself, but now I get the choice of either destroying all of your Spells and Traps or Monsters!" He then brought his hand down and pointed at the monsters. "And I choose to wreck your guys!"
Reign-Beaux cracked his neck as the crest embedded in his chest started to shimmer with washed-out colors, and with a mighty roar, the demon released a blast that completely obliterated all the monsters on Alexis and Oleander's side of the field, leaving nothing but a pile of ash that used to be their monsters.
"Starving Venom left this world too soon... sniffle sniffle." Oleander spoke in a mocking display of sadness before he gave the two thugs a predatory smile. "But it is my dragon who will have the last laugh."
Before Panik could ask what he meant by that, he was surprised when various vines suddenly burst from the ground, enveloping all of the monsters on his side of the field, with the exception being Archfiend's Awakening, who managed to create a barrier to protect itself.
"You see, Starving Venom is a very, very vengeful creature." The purple-haired duelist explained as he watched in glee the vines lift Panik's monsters from the ground. "And since it was destroyed, it will take all of your Special Summoned monsters to hell with it!"
The fiends roared in unison as the vines tightened their grip on them before their agonizing roars were silenced as a sickening crunch reverberated across the forest, and then monsters went limp before being dragged into the ground by the vines.
"This kid is sick..." Titan wearily commented, thankful for the effect that prevented his monster from suffering such a grueling fate.
"I see that thing is still on the field." Oleander cupped his cheek, completely unbothered by the fact that both he and his partner were wide open. "Ah well, it's more fun like this."
“So that’s how you want to play, huh?” Panik growled before picking a card in his hand and shoving it into his Spell/Trap Zone. “I will use the card known as Dark World Accession!”
The translucent ghosts of the recently destroyed monsters alongside Titan's Summoned Skull appeared behind Panik, their forms being bathed in dark energy before being absorbed by the gates.
“I will combine these fiends in order to create the true ruler of the Dark World!”
The ghost's forms started to shimmer and be distorted as they were absorbed by the portal whose color started to be drained; soon the entire structure’s color scheme consisted of nothing but black and white, and it didn’t stop there.
Everything around the portal lost its colors, and not long after the entire surrounding area had its color drained, giving the forest a surrealistic look.
From the portal a demon appeared, this one having a more humanoid appearance to it; his body was made out of some kind of inky substance that dripped with every step he took. In his hand he held a staff that had Reign-Beaux's crest firmly embedded on the top. Clorless' unamused gaze swept across the field, eventually landing on Alexis and Oleander.
"Bow before Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World!" Panik's roar echoed across the now monochromatic forest. "Upon being Fusion Summoned, two things will happen, the first one being you punks will lose every single one of your cards!"
"In this case I will use my set Predaplanning." Oleander said in a dry tone of voice. "By sending a Predaplant from my deck to my grave." He picked a card and revealed it to be Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra before dumping it. "I can place a Predator Counter on all of your monsters."
Clorless grunted as he clutched his chest; from it a grotesque-looking flower burst, ripping through his robes. Once bloomed, it revealed a mouth with various rolls of sharp teeth. Snarling, the Chaos King used his staff to release a blast that finished whipping the field.
[Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World - Level: 12 → 1] (Predator Counter(s): 0 → 1)
"And here's Clorless's second effect: he will gain one thousand attack points for every monster used on the fusion, and I've used five monsters!"
The spirits of the monsters momentarily appeared behind Clorless, where they were then promptly absorbed by the monster, causing him to let out a mighty roar as his attack points skyrocketed.
[Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World - ATK: ? --> 5000 --> 5300]
"Clorless, destroy those pesky brats!" The former Eliminator pointed at the duo. "Monochromatic Annihilation!"
"Archfiend's Awakening attack with Underworld Skyfire!" Titan roared as he mimicked his partner's motion.
Clorless brought his staff close to his face while muttering something in a foreign language. To his left, Archfiend's Awakening placed his two claws together and started to channel energy into his talons. Then the monsters released their attacks; the combined might of Clorless Blast and Archfiend's Awakening thunders caused a giant explosion to erupt, kicking a huge cloud of dust.
Silence hung in the air as Panik used that moment to catch his breath. Once he had recovered enough of his breath, he started to giggle, which soon became a full-on howling laughter. He then checked his duel disk in order to see the Life Points of his opponents drop to zero so that he may... he may...
Oleander/Alexis: 8000 → 2550
He then felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard a sinister giggle come from within the dust cloud; lifting his gaze from his duel disk, he watched the cloud dissipate to reveal Alexis down on one knee and Oleander, who was still standing, a sinister violet aura in the shape of his ace monster surrounding him.
"H-how?" Titan sputtered. "The combined attack from both of our monsters should have been more than enough to wipe out your Life Points!"
"When I activated Predaplanning, I didn't send any ordinary monster." He wagged his finger while clicking his tongue. "Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra's effect allows me to banish a Predaplant from my grave and return another banished monster back to the grave to half the battle damage we would have taken from Clorless; in this case, I banished Squid Drosera in order to return Lunalight Crimson Fox."
"Oleander, are you okay?" Alexis wearily asked as she got back up on her feet. "You're kind of scaring me right now."
"I'm feeling fantastic." He giddily declared before taking a deep breath and refocusing his attention on his opponents. "But I think it's high time we stopped playing with our food and jump straight to the main course already; I'm famished. " He rubbed his tummy while humming to himself.
"I—I end my turn." Panik sputtered the words as he side-eyed his partner, who was equally put off by the purple-haired brat's sudden change in attitude.
"In that case it is my turn!" Alexis loudly declared as she yanked her card, all the while trying her best to keep her attention on the duel at hand.
Turn 6: Alexis' Turn - Cards in Hand: 0 → 1
"I will play Roll of Fate!" She slapped the card on her duel disk, causing a die to appear on her hand. "I will draw cards depending on the dice's result, but then I must banish cards from the top of my deck equal to the number of cards I drew."
Taking a deep breath and closing her hand around the dice, she prayed that she'd draw the right amount of cards, and then with a swift motion, she threw the dice. It spun on the ground for a few moments; everyone watched intently. It landed on a four.
Alexis promptly yanked eight cards from the top of her deck; four were added to her hand, and the rest she shoved into her deck holster. She smirked upon seeing the cards she drew.
"I will use a second copy of Polymerization!" Sliding the card into her Spell/Trap Zone, the blonde picked two monsters and dumped them into her GY. "I will fuse my Lunalight Kaleido Chick and Emerald Bird to Fusion Summon Lunalight Cat Dancer."
The two cards in Alexis' hand became specs of blue and red light that merged into a single larger spec of purple light that started to take form. Once the light subsided, before Alexis stood a new monster, a woman with cat features wearing a colorful outfit; she stretched a bit before assuming a defensive position.
"I will now set one card face down." She jammed a card in her Spell/Trap Zone. "And that's it for my turn."
Depth Amulet started to crack before the piece of jewelry exploded into a million pieces; however, Titan and Panik were too focused on the duel to care about the loss of the card.
"Then it is my turn!" Titan declared as he yanked a card from his deck.
Turn 8: Titan's Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4
"Archfiend's Awakening, get rid of that wench!" The masked individual roared as he punched the air in front of him, causing his monster to unleash an electric blast straight at Cat Dancer.
Yet before the attack could reach the cat woman, she retaliated by hurling four kunais; the weapons dispersed in midair, dividing Archfiend's Awakening attack and weakening it to the point where once it reached its mark, it did nothing more than puff her fur a bit.
"Cat Dancer cannot be destroyed by battle." Alexis stated with a confident smirk. "So, you two can't beat her."
"I-I..." Titan's gaze switched from Alexis to Oleander, who was staring at him like he was a slab of fresh meat. "I end my turn."
"Time to feast..." The purple-haired duelist purred as he took his sweet, sweet time drawing his next card.
Turn 8: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 0 → 1
"I will activate the card known as Pot of Avarice." Oleander gleefully revealed the card. "I will shuffle five monsters from my graveyard back into my deck in order to draw two cards."
Five cards were ejected from Alexis and Oleander's GY, Starving Venom being among them; the purple-haired duelist wasted no time in shuffling them in their respective places before yanking two cards from the top of his deck. The viciousness of his smile intensified as he saw them.
"First of all, I will Normal Summon a creature known as Possessed Dark Soul!" Slapping the card in his duel disk caused a torrent of flames to erupt in front of him. The flames' intensity subsided as they began to take the form of a horned humanoid figure.
"Possessed Dark Soul is a very special monster, for you see." He motioned to the demonic figure before him. "I can tribute it in order to take control of all monsters on your side of the field that are level three or lower." He chuckled darkly. "Riddle me this, prey: What do Predator Counters do?"
"They reduce the level of all monsters to...one." Titan said in a crestfallen manner as the realization dawned upon him.
" Precisely. " The purple-haired duelist confirmed, his voice dripping with venom.
Oleander snapped his fingers, causing Possessed Dark Soul to shriek before its form suddenly dissipated into wisps of fire that wasted no time in darting toward Archfiend's Awakening and Clorless and burrowing in their foreheads. Both fiends were then engulfed in flames, disappearing from the duo's side of the field only to reappear on Oleander and Alexis's side of the field, their eyes now devoid of life.
"I could end this duel right now if I wanted to, you know." Oleander pointed out before he wagged the last card in his hand. "But I'm going to do it on my own terms."
Jamming the card on his Spell/Trap Zone, the card revealed itself to be Polymerization; both of Oleander's recently acquired monsters' became specs of light that orbited around him, his eyes glowing with a familiar purple energy as Starving Venom's visage loomed over him. The visage opened its maw and devoured the two lights, the shadows that composed its body dissolving away, giving way to the dragon's physical form.
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon locked eyes with the two thugs, and to say that the dragon was pissed off would be the understatement of the month; rearing its head back, the dragon let out a terrifyingly powerful roar that caused Titan to shrink on the spot, Panik, on the other hand, somewhat kept his cool.
"Alexis." Oleander's voice cut through the tense silence that had settled shortly after the dragon's second coming. "Be a dear and use Sabre Dancer's effect to boost Starving Venom's attack."
The blonde just stood there frozen for a few moments; she was kicked back into action when Oleander and Starving Venom simultaneously turned their heads to face her, giving the blonde a sharp look.
"By banishing Sabre Dancer from my graveyard." She began as she pressed a button on her duel disk with a trembling finger. "I'm able to increase the attack points of a Fusion Monster on my field by three thousand."
Sabre Dancer's ghost hovered over Alexis; the wolf woman scowled upon seeing Starving Venom, who growled in response, but the ghost complied as its form disintegrated into silver-colored wisps of light that enveloped and empowered the dragon.
[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon - ATK: 2800 → 5800]
"Any last words before we tear you two limb from limb?" Oleander tilted his head to the side.
"P-please, I-I'm sorry." Titan began speaking while shaking uncontrollably.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no." Oleander's expression suddenly got a whole lot more serious as he shook his head. "You don't get to pull the shit that you just did and then grovel for mercy when your back is against the wall."
"Is that so?" Panik inquired in a defiant tone before he opened his arms wide. "Then come on, brat, hit me with everything you got!" He roared from the top of his lungs. "If I'm going down, I'm going down like a man!"
"At least this one has the guts." The purple-haired duelist commented before smirking viciously. "But not for long."
Snapping his fingers once more, Starving Venom opened its maw, purple energy being channeled as a sphere of cracking energy started to materialize. The dragon's eyes flashed for a moment before it unleashed a gigantic blast that carved a warpath toward the two thugs. Titan screeched as he tried to protect himself, but Panik didn't move an inch as the attack got closer and closer. Once the blast hit their targets, it exploded with a thunderous roar that shook the forest.
Titan/Panik: 6000 → 200
The cloud of smoke cleared itself to reveal the two thugs on the ground, their movements minimal and their breathing shallow. Oleander watched the whole thing with mild interest while Alexis stared at the scene unfurling in front of her in pure horror.
"Go ahead, Alexis." Oleander side-eyed the blonde. "Finish it."
"Oleander, please calm down." She began cautiously while reaching forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We have practically won; no need to kick them while they are down."
"They tried to hurt Jaden." Oleander countered with a growl. "The least we can do is make it hurt. "
"I understand you; I'm angry at them too." She motioned to the two downed thugs. "But you're going to be no better than them."
"I can live with that." He responded with a noncommittal shrug. "Now hurry up; I want to be done with this clownfest."
Seeing as she was not going to get through to him, she turned her attention back to the duel at hand, her gaze going from her monster, which was switched to attack position before the battle phase started, to the two thugs. Closing her eyes, she did a sharp motion with her hand, praying that the attack didn't hit them too hard.
Cat Dancer pulled a single kunai and took aim; she launched the weapon, which landed on a patch of dirt between the two creeps. While the attack didn't make contact with them directly, it was enough to register as a successful attack.
Titan/Panik: 200 → 0
Oleander/Alexis: 2550
Winner(s): Oleander/Alexis
“Coward.” Oleander snarked as he side-eyed Cat Dancer and Alexis.
Before the holograms disappeared, the purple-haired duelist started to make his way to the downed thugs; once close enough to Titan, he proceeded to press his foot on top of his neck. The thug tried to free himself, but he was too weak to do so. Wheezing for air, he looked up at Oleander with tears streaming down his pleading eyes.
“Oleander!” Alexis exclaimed as she rushed to him. “Please, stop!” She pleaded while taking hold of him, trying and failing to get him off the thug's throat.
And at that moment, Oleander finally came to his senses, all of the sadistic satisfaction having disappeared as it was replaced with horror; removing his foot from Titan’s throat, he stumbled backwards as he fell on the ground alongside Alexis. Scrambling back to his feet, he saw that Titan had stopped breathing.
Did... did he just...
Thankfully, the thug took a deep breath as his body suddenly jerked into action. Rushing to him, Oleander was quick to adjust the position of his head to facilitate breathing. Meanwhile, Alexis was quick to pull her PDA and dial the emergency contact to the academy's security.
Amidst all the chaos, Oleander managed to catch a glimpse of Starving Venom's card, which had fallen on the ground.
That does it; once he was done with Banner, that card was going to sleep with the fish.
He is not a monster.