Prologue
“Not yet.”
The small breath’s message was drowned out by the coordinated cheers of vibrant audience pouring down from the spectator stands, as the stadium lights burned brightly in the cool evening hallmark of Zurich in summer. The weather was dry, but it was as hot and stuck as a marsh down on the focii of attention -- two of the best Brave Duelists clashing on a holographic stage so large that the very cards they played dwarfed their figures, and the horseshoe terminals they stood in.
“Not yet,” the player in the West Corner huffed, watching his opponent with a keen eye.
“
Diablo Dagger!” called the player in the East Corner, his avatar mirroring his actions to call out the card. The spell formed around him in clusters of levitant blades, then zinged off at their intended target.
The West Corner player watched the projectiles close a bit more, then leaned off to the right. His avatar above, wrapped in regal fur cloak did the same, shooting off on a contrail of white-golden mana. The Diablo Daggers spiralling in on him as he twisted and dodged, leaving the missiles to chase his randomly arcing smoke.
“
Leutendes Licht!” West Corner called out with a wave from skywards to floorwards. This was followed by the fleeing image in the same action, bringing up a faint chime and a triangular magic array spreading out from his feet. As the image backpedalled, a hail of sparks scattered from the array, catching each dagger in sequence and erupting them into a blinding rage of mana explosions.
“There’s still more!!” East Corner roared as he closed in fists glowing. “
LION’S RAKE!!”
“Not yet.”
The East player cast off another card into the graveyard, and the avatar grew claws of cackling blue lightning. West Corner raised another array of the same shape and blocked, sending sparks screaming throughout the stadium and rocking the bass as each slammed into the perimeter field. West’s shield held for a while, then shattered with force, putting space in between the duelists. This was met with a crescendo of enthralled fans.
[JACKET BREAK 3!] declared an unseen announcer.
[What a comeback! Even with 3 shields left, Gaul the Great has managed to push Cayenne from 5 to his 2nd last Jacket! The Saint King of Niflr cannot withstand this much longer! What will the Prodigy Lion do next?]
“You’ve got 2 Jackets left, and your deck is empty,” his opponent taunted then raised his claws.
“Is that all you’ve got, Saint King?!”
Cayenne flipped up the card that he just received from the Jacket hit, and looked up with confidence.
“Right now!”
“...Heh?” the silver-haired Gaul watched on in surprise as the West Corner cast his first ceremonial spell in several turns.
“
Big Damn Arrival!” Cayenne called. “I return three cards from my graveyard,
Erik,
Baelog and
Olaf, to the playing field.”
At the command of their lord, three massive hulks of metal materialized between Gaul and Cayenne.
“Che! After all that effort to destroy them...!”
“I’m not done yet! As a price of Big Damn Arrival, I discard a card from my hand.”
Cayenne tossed the next piece into the graveyard face-up, and Gaul turned pale.
“
Fenrir?!”
Cayenne is grinning now. “Yes, I discard the Prime of Niflr and use Fenrir’s Cycle Effect -
ONLY ONE CRASH!”
“
YES, MY LORDO!” The three giants huffed, then blasted into the sky as mana from Fenrir’s command formed a tornado of power, sweeping Gaul aside.
“Argh!”
“Let’s go!” Cayenne roared. “
VALKYRJA FORMATION!!”
His avatar mirrored the soulful scream, then darted into the tornado, giving off a tremendous blast of Light that drowned everything out, grounding Gaul in this thundering wake and forcing much of the onlookers to shield their eyes. It died down soon after, leaving just a shining titan floating effortlessly in the sky.
“
The Peerless Hero of the Frozen North,” Cayenne threw a punch, then another before whirling around and firing off all verniers as his visors lit up. “
Is now present!”
[It's here!] Roared the announcer over en mass hysteria.
[Cayenne plays his trump card, Throne of Niflr, Slavinnor!!]
“One-hit sure kill!” The boy followed up with power fed into his fist, forming a giant Belkan cross around it. He then swung forward in a hard-driving straight.
“
INFINITE JUSTICE!”
The maximized avatar, now a good six times the size of Gaul, did the same and launched the shimmering cross upon a trailing of forever-extending steel coupling, rocketing towards Gaul at jet-stream speed.
“Like hell I’m just standing here!”
Gaul took off in a different direction, and the Belka cross swerved after him. Magic power grew with each passing second, and the punch-cross accelerated, matching the Prodigy Lion turn for turn, closing in all the while, before finally enveloping in golden flame.
“You got to be kidding...!!”
Another supernova erupted across the animated battlefield, the massive hit smashing all three of Gaul’s shields most graphically, while Slavinnor coolly retracted his arm.
[Winner! Cayenne Porche!] echoed the overly-enthusiatic commentor.
[The Saint Card Knights wins this round!]
Half the crowd roared with cheer as the other half clapped humbly for the victor. Cayenne jump up with a whoop of his own, waving to the cheering half and bowing to both sides of the stadium.
“Hey, Gaul!!” He yelled into his mike. “Good game!!”
“Yeah, that was fun!” Gaul waved back. “Enjoy your victory this time, I’ll get it back real soon!”
“I’ll be waiting!!”
“Cayenne!!”
“Porche-kun!!”
“Onii-chan!!”
“Hel! Samia! Papri--”
Cayenne only had a bit of time to acknowledge before a flurry of frock and sundress collided bodily into him.
“You were totally awesome out there, Cayenne!” Squealed the tallest girl cuddling the hero deep within her chest, rubbing her face against his like a cat. “I never doubted you for one moment!!”
“Onii-chan is the best!!” The other tiny girl with hair as red as a paprika chilli squeaked from his waist.
“Popular as always, aren’t you?” Samia who stood further back, deadpanned at Cayenne with a faint smirk.
“I’m noth enfjoyingpt this toop much!” The Duelist griped while being smothered by Hel.
“O’
really...”
“Very well done, Sir Cayenne,” spoke another voice as the boy resteadied himself with the two glompers still piled on him. “You have done the Card Knights proud.”
“Don’t mention it!” Cayenne said, scratching the back of his head in humility. “I was just out there having fun, Miss Carym Garcia.”
“I see,” Carym nodded all-knowingly. “Well, I think you won’t mind what happens next then.”
“What is going to happen...?” Cayenne asked as the Cardinal produced an envelop with a Brave Duel seal.
“Assemble your team, Sir Cayenne. You’re going to Japan.”
Card 00: A Wind Blows from the North