The frozen wasteland was silent, even the wind seemed oddly hushed. It was like the very enviroment itself was bracing itself for the showdown between the two battlemages. Standing roughly 20 feet away from each other was a gambling drifter with his head low by the name of Jaques LeRoux and almost directly inline with him was an unknown knight clad in battle armor. Neither of them spoke, but the voice of the 'Tall Man' Mr Kuro could be heard in the ether.

Don't panic young man, you're still at school, or at least your physical body is. This duel will all be over in a second in real time, and you will be comfortably sleeping after I am finished with you.....know that this was not my original intention, but just like you and your fellow ring wielding students, I too have a destiny to fulfill, now prepare your cards.

In the spirit realm where Kuro and Kyogi were inhabiting the decks were now in their hands and they began to to Draw:

I first summon the Elite Maruader and both my War Axe and Glacier Guard!!

The rangy pirate appeared out of nothing and while gripping his flintlock and rapier he trudged through the snow fairly slowly attempting to find a decent range to aim a shot before closing in. While the Unkmown Knight now armed with his Axe and Shield was dashing much faster towards LeRoux, getting ready for melee combat.

Kyogi's world had warped, his heart had stopped beating. It felt like time itself had come to a halt and his life had ended, an eternity and an instant both happening at once. Now he was in a strange new land, or rather, he was watching over a strange new land. He felt his own presence, but not a physical body. It's as if the boy had become a ghost, a spectator in a showdown that he got caught up in. He saw two figures standing in a frozen wasteland, a knight and a fancily dressed criminal. Somehow, Kyogi felt like he was supposed to be the criminal.

"...Interesting. So that's what these rings were for."

Kyogi muttered to himself and moved his astral hand a little, right before hearing a voice ring out in his head. It was the voice of the other person in this realm, the 'Kuro' he met earlier. He explained how Kyogi's body was still at school. How time was 'frozen' as this showdown was about to happen. It looked to be some sort of game, but the boy figured the consequences for losing were a bit more strict as opposed to a regular game of Mythic Cards.

"I'm flattered you'd choose me as an opponent, Kuro-'Sensei'! I don't have any intention of losing, however..."

Kyogi felt a deck of cards floating around him in this astral space, picking out two cards from the floating pile. He first observed his opponent's moves, careful to not make his decisions too quickly. The opponent summoned an unarmored pirate and some weaponry in this frigid wasteland. As far as the boy was concerned it wasn't a smart move. He already had a counter lying in wait. Now, in the event that this 'Kuro' person still managed to get the upper hand, Kyogi hoped his little backup plan had caught wind of the situation...

"As for me, I'll summon my Lava Stinger and Hell Dragoon."

Kyogi took the two cards and crushed them in his hand, causing two portals to open on the battlefield. Jaques dodged backwards as a lava-covered scorpion materialized in front of him, acting like a barrier between the two battle-mages. A little further away an armor-clad demon rose from the ground and swung once with its mighty lance, bellowing out a fierce roar. Flames oozed from the lance, melting a bit of snow underneath the creature.

"Hell Dragoon, focus on the Elite Marauder!"

Kyogi commanded his support card and then continued to observe, watching it take a running start and then leap up into the air. Meanwhile, Lava Stinger would claw at Kuro if he came close or fire a shot at them if they didn't.

It Begins

Hmm you've never done this before, but I bet that play came natural to you didn't it, I guess the ring really did choose you....

The Hell Dragoon lanched itself in the air for it's signature diving attack on the Elite Maruader. But the pirate was not a drunken fool like most others in his crew, and bravely took at aim at the Dragoon as it fell towards him and let loose with a flintlock blast.

The shot hit the Hell Dragoon heavily in the midsection, causing major damage, but gravity was on it's side as it maintained its falling trajectory, and the pirate couldnt use his agility in the deep snow and was helpless as the demon impaled him with one swoop of his lance, destroying the marauder instantly.

Meanwhile the Knight charged towards Jaques only to find a large Lava Stinger in his way that shot a blast of lava at him. The Knight raised his Glacier Guard and managed to block the attack, but the shield was wiped out in the process. Now holding his war axe he decided to hurl it at the Battlemage, sacrificing a moment to react to the Lava stinger's pincers as he closed in.

The Lava stinger clipped the Knight for 18% damage and the War Axe grazed Jaques for 8% damage.

Blasted creature!!! Take this!

Kuro summoned a Fine Katanna and slashed hard against the stinger, cutting off one of it's pincers but not quite killing it. He then Summoned a Shadow Agent who appeared on his right flank, and another War Axe as he ran past the injured scorpion and continued to rush towards Jaques.

Having fun, Kyogi?!

Kuro: 88%
Kyogi: 92%

Hell Dragoon, Lava Stinger, Shadow Agent are still in play.

"Hrk-!"

Kyogi recoiled in his spirit body as he felt the impact of the blow on his battle-mage. It didn't hurt too incredibly much, but the shock of not expecting it caught Kyogi off-guard. He held his arm, but knew there wasn't actually a wound to cover.

"I-I guess the damage in these games is as real as it gets, huh...?"

The boy muttered to himself again as he took another moment to assess the situation. Both his creatures were damaged pretty badly and probably wouldn't survive for much longer, and having either of them come to the opponent would be risky in this situation as Jaques is directly in their path. So in this case, the best option open to him would be to...

"Dragoon! Stinger! Ignore the opponent and hold off the Shadow Assassin!"

The Dragoon was weak, but it still leapt up in the air for what would probably be its final leap. The Lava Stinger fired another blast in the direction of the shadow agent, intent on scorching the very earth of this battlefield. Meanwhile, Kyogi took another card floating around him and crushed it. In an instant, Jaques was holding the Spiked Club. Instead of running away, the gambler charged ahead and tried to match the knight blow-for-blow. As this was happening, Kyogi plucked out another card. He hesitated for a moment, but there wasn't any point in holding back here.

"To my side! Ryuji The Oni!"

As Jaques charged, another creature rose from his right. It had a humanoid shape, but the skin was gray and their head looked like the flat maw of a toothy dragon. From the back of its head grew a long, brown mane and the tribal cloth dangling from its hips showed it wasn't afraid of a fair fight. The demon licked its blade and rushed in with frightening agility, coming at the knight from the side in order to make it a two-on-one.

The winds were now howling, except they were not winds at all, they were the spirits of the wasteland, all cheering and clamoring for blood as the two battlemages duked it out. The Shadow Agent was now set upon by the two injured monsters first the Hell Dragoon rising up for its final drop. The Agent was a very skilled ninja who had figured out the falling trajectory as soon as the attack began and expertly hurled two shurikens at the dragoon once he was at the peak of his jump which knocked him out of the air, and sent him crashing to the floor to his death.

That's right! good shot! Now finish off that scorpion!

The Shadow Agent rushed towards the Lava Stinger, not slowed at all be the snow. Although visibility wasnt great, the black ninja outfit made him easily identifiable in the frozen white background and so a stealth attack was impossible. The Ninja closed in for a katanna strike and managed to cut off the other pincer, but the Lava Stinger with it's last breath sprayed a shot of magma on the ninja as it died. Having no armor, the Shadow Ninja was instantly killed, screaming as his he was cooked alive.

Now the Knight was in close quarters with the drifter, just as he was about to swing his axe, Jacques returned with a swing of his spiked club, which had slightly more reach than his axe. In a split second, he summoned another Glacier Guard to block the club, which did some minor frostburn damage to Jacques for 4% and chose to throw his axe at the newly summoned Ryuji The Oni instead, who easily dodged the Axe as he closed in.

Argghhh I didn't know you had that Card? Fine, no more holding back.....Time to make a wish!

Kuro summoned Wishful Princess, as she shot out from the ground in a plume of purple smoke holding one of Kygoi's cards The other Hell Dragoon. He also summoned another Fine Katanna and slashed at the Oni right next to him, who parried the attack, and did 8% damage to the Knight.

Lastly he summoned another Elite Marauder who rushed towards Jacques, again fairly slowly looking to even the odds, while the newly stolen Hell Dragoon leapt in the air and attempted to skewer the drifter.

Kyogi: 88%
Kuro: 80%

Ryjui The Oni, Hell Dragoon (stolen), Elite Maruader are in play.

Kyogi felt the cold wash over him as the frostbite from Glacier Guard took effect, but he didn't mind it. He had to think quick now; there wasn't any more time to think. The opponent was playing quickly, but Kyogi had been counting cards.

"Oh, is something wrong Kuro-Sensei? You're burning through an awful lot of cards..."

Jaques grinned as Kyogi taunted his opponent, his astral hand reaching out and grabbing another card. Kyogi was getting used to this fight, but it looked like his opponent wasn't much to begin with. The boy crushed his card and went on to grab a few more.

"Dragonette!"

A female clad in some skimpy-looking dragon-scaled armor appeared behind Jaques, reeling as she did. Despite the cold the woman wasted no time in jumping into the air, getting ready to intercept the flying Dragoon while Kyogi prepare his next few moves.

"How about I stop holding back?"

Kyogi's disembodied voice was calm and collected as he played his next three cards. Two HellBats flew in from behind Jaques, but ignored the knight he was fighting. Instead, they circled around and made their way toward the Elite Marauder, intent on holding him off instead. Ryuji, meanwhile, was still fighting alongside the criminal as a new weapon card materialized in said criminal's hand: A Fine Katana. Jaques swung at his adversary, baiting out a blade lock with them.

Kuro's head was throbbing, the pain and stress from the battle was catching up to him, he knew the young opponent would be adept, but he wasn't expecting the duel to be this challenging. Kyogi's ability to stay calm and strategise under pressure was shocking to say the least.

After I'm done burning through these cards, I'll burn a hole through your body!

The Dragonette met the stolen Helldragoon in the Air and stuck him with a very effective lalnce thrust, doing major damage, but this Dragoon had the wishful princess's added vitality, and was able to grit through the attack and continue his own decent..

Meanwhile Ryuji, had just attacked the Knight again for a further 10% damage with a claw swipe, and darted backwards to evade any counter attack. The Oni's skill was truly terrifying. Kuro was desperate and summoned Jack's Bomb panicking and not knowing quite who to throw it at.

The Elite Maruader was a skilled swordsman, but the unwieldy nature of two weapons along with the unfriendly terrain of deep snow effected his defense. He was able to get off a jabbing thrust with his rapier to hit Jacques for 6% damage but wasn't able to block the Katanna strike, which wounded him heavily. In his final breath he attempted to aim a flintlock pistol blast at the gambler, but the hasty shot missed, and hit Ryuji The Oni in the face! The bullet cracked the mask of the demon and he fell to one knee, only to be shafted by a hell dragoon's falling impale, which finished the powerful Oni off.

Still holding Jack's Bomb and watching his second Elite Maruader die, he threw the explosive directly at Jacques in rage, hoping to do a large amount of damage but the explosion was blocked partially both by the Dragonette and one of the summoned HellBats which didnt survive the explosion. The Dragonette was wounded but still alive, and Jacques took no damage.

Blasted Bats! why does your deck contain suck foul things?...Ahhhhh

Two large fangs of the second hellbat sunk deep into the knight's shoulder where the armor was weak. The draining bite inflicted 8% damage, The Knight summoned his own Fine Katanna to slash at the Bat which damaged it but didn't kill it, as it was full of fresh blood vitality.

He lastly summoned the Water Siren, which appeared in a small ice lake a couple of from where they were fighting and began to sing. The Dragonette began limping over towards the beautiful song, although she was trying her best to resist. Summoning his 2nd Shadow agent who appeared a few feet behind him, the Knight attempted to create a little distance by back stepping away.

Kyogi: 82%
Kuro: 62%

Water Siren, Dragonette, Hell Dragoon, Hell Bat, Shadow Agent are in play

Kyogi clutched his side, feeling the sting of the rapier very vividly. If he felt all this pain, then his opponent must have had it much worse. That pleased him; it meant Kuro must have been panicking. For all the adult's talk of sending Kyogi into a coma it seeked ironic to see them lose their cool so easily, helped by getting beaten by someone who had never played before. The boy felt himself toppling over even though he wasn't standing, courtesy of the impact the Hell Dragoon made with the floor, shattering the oni on his field. It was annoying, but Ryuji had served its purpose. Now all Kyogi had to do was deal with the remaining pests, as it looked like this was Mr. Kuro's last stand...

"Ah, should I play something more familiar? In case, I'll summon my own Shadow Assassin."

Kyogi spoke calmly as he crushed the support card in his hand, another Shadow Assassin spawning on the field to fend off Kuro. At the same time, Kyogi observed the Siren on the other end of the battlefield. It looked like his Dragonette was getting distracted by her, but Kyogi needed the dragon-clothed warrior to hold off the Hell Dragoon. Jaques couldn't get any faster to the creature than his Dragonette, so Kyogi opted to play his Standard Crossbow card, firing off a bolt aimed squarely at the siren's head. With any luck it would kill the creature and free Dragonette from her spell.

Now Kyogi was in a pickle, however. He was out of support cards, so the creatures he had on the field were the best it was going to get. The two Shadow assassins were evenly matched, but if Kyogi's went down it would form a problem. So, he summoned another Fine Katana and had Jaques rush at the Shadow Assassin Kuro summoned. His Hellbat would keep the opponent distracted for long enough to give him this opening, and the Shadow Assassin would not likely survive a two-on-one attack.

"Are you having fun, Kuro-'Sensei'?" Kyogi echoed as he watched his plan put into motion.

Kuro's shadow agent wasted no time in hurling shurikens at Jacques which manage to stike the gambler for 3% damage. But the pesky hell bat was still in play and began biting the un-armored warrior, the ninja was able to strike him back with a few hand strikes, but the bat was able to keep himself strong with his enemies blood. Meanwhile, the gambler had shot a crossbow at the Water Siren which at the short range she was at, wasn't a difficult target at all and was stuck in the head with the dart, killing her instantly.

Freed from the siren's spell, the Dragonette leaped in the air to meet the wounded Hell Dragoon in combat, and with both of the damaged warriors attacking viciously, managed to kill each other in mid air before they crashed to the ground.

Sadly for Kuro the opponent's plan worked perfectly, his own shadow agent, was too busy trying to swat away the Hell Bat, and was in no position defend himself when Jacques cut him down with a Fine Katanna. Kuro was stunned, shaking with fear and panic and it showed in his battlemage's body language.

Who....who the hell are you, boy?

Kuro summoned his final War Axe and threw it with speed and desperation, and it actually paid off, hitting the Gambler for 20% damage landing square in his thigh. The Knight's sole focus on his target would be his undoing, as it was just enough time for the Shadow Agent to get on his blind side and deliver devestating leaping slash, causing a very heavy 38% damage.

What.....how did I get blindsided...in the snow?

The Knight dropped to one knee. The Hellbat was closing in for another attack.

Kyogi: 60%
Kuro: 24%

Shadow Agent, Hellbat are in play.

"Ahck-!"

Kyogi cried out in pain when the war-axe hit Leroux, gritting his spectral teeth to bite back the sensation. This match had been fun, but the pain was one thing he could have done without. Still, it was pretty much over. Not only did the opponent not summon any more creatures, he hurled that weapon at Jaques in what looked like a last-ditch effort. This showed the boy that Kuro was out of options, the very thought giving him a wicked smile that reflected on the gambler's features. The battle-mage calmly stepped forward towards the opponent, giving his support creatures a signal to stop them from attacking.

"Well, this has been fun, Kuro-San. I've learned a lot about these rings thanks to you," Kyogi told his opponent as he had the gambler take a few calm steps forward, all while taking the last card he'd be playing out of his deck.

"But, you know, I honestly didn't want a fight. I figured you'd be willing to talk things out, but you initiated a duel all of a sudden... I didn't really have a choice, you know? I had to defend myself."

As Kyogi continued to speak, he crushed the card he was holding: the Dread King's Hammer. Jaques caught the heavy hammer as it dropped into his hands, standing over the knight with the sharp end pointing down. Jaques gave the knight a good kick to knock them on their back, then planted his foot on their chest to stop them from getting back up.

"Ah... but nevermind. You asked who I was, right?" Kyogi spoke in a friendly tone. The dreadful hammer's bladed end then got stabbed downwards, plunged into the gut of Kuro's battle-mage.

"I'm the victor of this match."