"I Tribute three Fiend-Type Monsters on my Field—Gravekeeper's Guard and two Black Flame Tokens!"
"I Special Summon my strongest Sacred Beast, Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel!"
As Odion raised the card in his hand high, the Gravekeeper's Guard that had just appeared on his Field, along with the two Black Flame Tokens, transformed into fiercely burning, ethereal blue soul flames.
Within the wall of fire that reached the sky, the two single eyes of the Black Flame Tokens aligned, emitting a yellow glow. Accompanied by a roar, the true form of the phantom image behind Odion, which had previously battled The Winged Dragon of Ra—Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel—appeared!
Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel [Level 10 / Dark Attribute]
[Fiend-Type / Special Summon / Effect Monster]
[ATK 4000 / DEF 4000]
Although two of the Monsters offered as Tribute were merely Tokens, Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel's ATK and DEF were not reduced. Like Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, its stats were a fixed 4000. The moment it appeared on the Field, Hayato detected a surge of Corrosive Magic, far more intense than that of the other two Sacred Beasts, bearing down on him.
"Ding~" The Millennium Ring on his chest automatically glowed, dispelling the Dark Power. Hayato looked up at the colossal Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel, which stood like a towering Giant reaching the heavens, his expression extremely serious. "You finally Summoned it, Odion."
"In that case, I guess I can't go easy in this Game, can I?"
"Try if you can, Duelist King." After Summoning Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel, whether it was because he resisted absorbing the Life Points provided by the Sacred Beast Card, or because Odion's personal Will was stronger, he did not become as frenzied as Weevil or Hesiod.
Perhaps, it was also because Marik, from his location, was maintaining a psychic Link with him using the Millennium Rod?
"Following Master Marik's orders, I will Attack you with Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel, Hayato." Odion commanded with a wave of his hand, adding, "I'll warn you beforehand: Trap Cards are Nullified against Sacred Beasts, and Spell Cards only last for one Turn."
"Go, Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel, annihilate the Ojama Knight in Attack Position, Heavenly Ravaging Fist!"
Just as the other two Sacred Beasts were designed in reference to their corresponding Egyptian Gods, Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel's design prototype was the Obelisk the Tormentor in Kaiba's hand.
Not only were their appearances similar, Obelisk the Tormentor possesses the ability to Tribute two Monsters to Increase its ATK to infinity, and Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel also has the ability to Tribute Monsters to Increase its ATK, though it is far inferior to Obelisk the Tormentor.
However, even without using its ATK Increase Effect, just by looking at Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel's 4000 ATK as it raised its right fist, ready to strike, and the Ojama Knight on Hayato's Field in Attack Position with 0 ATK, a sense of danger could be felt.
Facing the incoming giant fist, Hayato unhesitatingly Activated one of the two Set Cards in his Back Row: "Rather than letting you just Destroy it, I might as well stir-fry the Ojama Knight and eat it. I Activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Mysterious Chinese Pot, Tributing my Ojama Knight on the Field, and then my Life Points recover by its DEF value!"
"Eek!" Hearing Hayato's words, the Ojama Knight turned its head in disbelief and stared at Hayato. Just as it was about to plead for mercy, it despairingly discovered that its Armor had welded its mouth shut. It could only emit the strange squawks of a Shocker Combatman, unable to say anything else!
As a large iron ladle scooped the Ojama Knight into an iron pot for stir-frying, turning it into a rather peculiar-looking stir-fry dish served before Hayato, Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel also triggered a Battle Replay due to the loss of its Attack Target.
Hayato: 4000 → 6500 LP
"Increasing Life Points to avoid being One-Turn Killed by Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel, huh? In that case, I'll just Direct Attack the Duelist!"
"Attack again, Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel, Heavenly Ravaging Fist!"
"Heh heh, I was waiting for this moment!" Hayato, seeing Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel Attack again, Activated his other Set Card: "In response to Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel's Direct Attack, I Activate the Trap Card, Power Barrier!"
"When I take Battle Damage, the Damage becomes Nullified, and for every 500 points of Damage, I Discard one Card from the top of my Deck!" As he spoke, Hayato reached out and caught eight cards that popped out of his Duel Disk, then tossed them away. "I'm practically sending my entire Deck to the Graveyard! Your Attack is useless!"
The giant fist, larger than Hayato himself, crashed down like a meteorite. But before Hayato, eight cards, revealing only their backs, formed a protective shield that completely blocked the impact. However, as the Cost for blocking the Damage, as Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel withdrew its fist, the eight cards were sent to Hayato's Graveyard.
"Although Sacred Beasts are not affected by Trap Effects, you used a Card that targets the Battle Damage you receive, huh?" Odion frowned, seeing Hayato's Life Points increase rather than decrease. "Then, End Turn."
Odion: 3800 LP, Hand 1
Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel [ATK 4000]
After a round of Attack and Defense, Odion held a complete advantage on the Field. In only his second Turn, he had Summoned the mighty Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel, at the mere Cost of 200 Life Points. As for Hayato, although his Life Points were as high as 6500, his hand and Field were completely empty.
It seemed Odion had the greater chance of winning?
Despite the dire situation, Hayato showed no signs of tension on his face; instead, a confident smile appeared: "My Turn, Draw!"
"Then, I Activate the Effect of Pot of Greed, and Draw two more Cards."
Looking at the two cards he Drew, Hayato couldn't help but look up at Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel on Odion's Field. "To deal with you, this Card really is the best, isn't it?"
"I Activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn, to Special Summon one Monster from either Graveyard to my Field."
Odion frowned: "It's useless. No matter if you Revive the Ojama Knight or the Goblin Attack Force, they will be no match for Sacred Beast Emperor Raviel."
Hayato caught a card that popped out of his Graveyard Zone and held it in his hand, chuckling, "Who said I was going to Revive them?"
"The Monster I'm Reviving, is clearly this one!"
On Hayato's empty Field, a golden Solar Disc rose!
(This chapter is also for an FGO Halloween event (side note), many people are guessing Archimedes will be available this year.)
(Also, it's already FGO 2.6 this year; if he doesn't become available soon, FGO might shut down next year after the final chapter (if Nasu's words are to be believed).)
(end of chapter)