A couple people have requested for me to write a Berserk Yuya v.s. Battle Beast duel...and unfortunately, I've decided to stop taking requests (you can find the reasons why in the latest chapter of Arc V Duels: Who will Win?). :[

HOWEVER, I have been thinking about doing something different: I will write ANOTHER psychological one-shot that will have Berserk Yuya...actually, maybe something even farther than that. XD Yep...you can thank Soul of Innocence - Aamuet for the idea (sorry I didn't tell you about this...it was REALLY sudden).

If you know me by now, then you know the recipe for this treat: add two cups of Ritual of Destruction, three tablespoons of The Black Truth, a whole solution of True Darkness, and a dash of some of Soul of Innocence - Aamuet's one-shots! Then, bake in the oven (CorinnetheAnime) for a full hour and then cool for five minutes. The result will be a delicious, wonderful one-shot that will blow your minds...maybe. XD

Sorry, I had to. XD XD XD XD XD But with that said, this one-shot is...pretty intense, just to warn you. I've tried to do a...darker and more realistic version of Yuya's thoughts. However slightly OOC he may be or think, it's just an interpretation. ;) Despite this, I'm rating this particular one-shot as a T...because it's probably the most INTENSE and violent Arc V one-shot I wrote...as of yet.

However, this is still nothing in comparison to my earlier DP works (If anyone remembers The Life of Cujo, they'll remember the explicit murders and canine cannibalism). So...nothing has surpassed that yet.

Also, I have recently bought a "Word of the Day" app, so my vocabulary has grown a little larger as a result. If you don't recognize a word in this one-shot, I'll list it in the end Author's Notes and translate its meaning. ;) You won't be completely lost.

ENJOY! :D

Why...why did they have to fall? Why did they have to...die?

They didn't deserve it...Academia wasn't supposed to win so easily, but the images of their defeats and the aftermath were forever imprinted in his mind, locked in the confines of his memories, unable to disappear...and leaving him unable to forget.

"Tsukikage..."

His breaths grew panicked and harsh, and his efforts to keep himself calm failed. Shell-shocked, scarred for life...whatever the case was, Yuya would always remember that.

"Crow..."

Seeing that bright light, that horrifying purple light that overwhelmed and blanketed his friends one by one, that light that transformed them into little pieces of cardboard...it left Yuya's mind in an utter wreck and his heart in pain. There was no longanimity, no peace for him anymore...not after witnessing the fates of his fellow comrades and close friends.

"Gongenzaka..."

Immense grief overwhelmed him, and his chest ached from sorrow. He lost the strength to stand, crumbling to his hands and knees before the last of his carded companions. He couldn't even look at it, fearing that the image would haunt his nightmares forever...just like the others.

"Sawatari..."

He was the last one...well, other than that duelist that they call "Battle Beast", who turned out to be responsible for the deaths of most...if not all of his fellow Lancers and friends.

And he was next...perhaps, it was for the better if he gave into defeat...

No...it didn't matter if he was scarred along the way, he wouldn't let Academia win. This war had gone way too far, and he would do anything to ensure that no one else suffers from the plight. His friends would want him to continue on after all, even if he himself was defeated...

But the knowledge that Academia...that those barbarians had technically killed his friends without remorse or pity, that they had murdered countless others in the dimensions, that they would take any means necessary to achieve victory by inflicting war and suffering on those they deemed inferior...it made him want to vomit.

In reality, he was alone in that arena...all alone, save for the monstrous creature that still lurked within the shadows of the jungle, the Battle Beast.

Yuya was scared, helpless as he looked wildly around his wild surroundings, the anxiety of the situation quickly getting to him. Growls filled the air around him, and he knew that he was trapped, having no chance to escape.

Yuya was broken and vulnerable...and a different foe took advantage of that rare opportunity, his voice making the boy stiffen and grasp his head.

"Alone...You are all alone...thanks to them. Give into your true self, Pendulum of Ruin...and avenge your dead friends!"

Something deep inside his heart tempted him again and again to take his revenge, to rage against those who dared to take delight in the suffering of innocents. Yuya had half a mind to submit to its requests, to let the voice inside him take over his mind and body...but he knew exactly what would happen if he succumbed.

He wouldn't stoop to such a level, especially concerning revenge. True, he wanted to make Academia suffer...but that didn't mean it was the right thing to do.

"No...I won't do it."

"Will you LET them kill more people? They will only continue in their assaults for as long as they live...unless you let me take action. I know you want them to pay...Pendulum."

"No, I won't." He clutched his pendant, his eyes fixated more on the steady glow instead of his surroundings as the growls of the other duelist grew larger and more intense. "I won't let you take revenge for anything, you monster!"

Silence permeated the atmosphere for a few moments. Yuya breathed a sigh in relief...until a furious roar echoed through his mind.

"To think you actually had a choice in this, Pendulum of Ruin...let me remind you that you can't control me, no matter how hard you try! Everything will fall before my power...and you won't stop me from ensuring that!"

Yuya's pendulum suddenly glowed...and a sharp pain erupted in his chest, making him yelp from the shock. He gripped his heart tightly, his eyes scrunched tightly as the torment coursed through his body. He dropped to his hands and knees as the pain elevated in certain areas of his body, mostly his back, shoulders, and head.

It was as if something was trying to tear itself out of his body...and he screamed loudly from the agony.

"What...what is happening to me?" He was too enveloped in his own pain to notice the two eyes in the darkness of the forest, emitting an eerie, yellow glow. "This feeling...are you doing this?!"

To enter blindly into a paroxysm a rage...that wasn't like him at all. That was only the desire of the darkness inside him, moaning and crying out to be released, wanting to avenge his fallen friends by destroying anything in its path. It wanted this, not him.

And he wouldn't let it.

However, being too wrapped in his own thoughts and battle against his inner darkness, Yuya failed to acknowledge the Battle Beast running and lunging towards him...until it was too late. The force of the animalistic hunter's fist sent the boy flying back with a yell, skidding across the ground and receiving more injuries and scrapes as a result.

His head crashed against a slab of rock, forming a trail of blood that started to seep from the impact. He could barely open his eyes in time to see the man...or was it a beast...stalking towards him, his mouth wide open and growling, his tongue sticking out. It was...a very unsettling sight, to say the least.

However, the pain in Yuya's chest skyrocketed as the dark entity resting inside him gave another powerful roar, using this opportunity to break free from the confines of its weakened host. Yuya tried to fight back with all the strength he had left...but his current physical and psychological state were in utter chaos. His body suffered too much...

"This is the chance for change! Break my prison, Pendulum, and let me destroy the enemy!"

"No...I won't set you free!" Another spike of pain caused the boy to curl over on his side, his pendulum gleaming ominously as his pupils started to glow white.

The Battle Beast crept closer to his location...

"I've shown you the auguries, the foretelling of my return, and how it's your destiny to fulfill it! I have waited for this day after so long, and I will do anything to ensure that my enemies...that this entire world and its pathetic sheeple will FALL!"

"NO!"

Another growl resounded as a pair of hate-filled eyes glowed ominously...but it wasn't from the Academia hunter this time.

"You are too weak, Pendulum...so I will take control now, whether you like it OR NOT!"

There was a pregnant pause of foreboding silence...and a black aura suddenly appeared around the boy.

Then, before he knew it, Yuya's sight was swallowed in absolute blackness as he screeched in utter pain, his body contorting and transforming as the darkness took full possession over him. Too weak to resist, he felt the pressure in his back and arms increase to an unbearable point, feeling as if they were on fire...but he couldn't see what was happening to them.

His sense of touch slowly grew dull...but to the outside world, the Battle Beast stopped abruptly after seeing the horrific change that fell upon his prey. Although...it appeared that he was hunting another predator...

The sickening sound of cloth ripping filled the air as black scales and glowing white membrane emerged from the boy's school jacket, eventually being revealed as two pairs of dragon-like wings, flapping madly in the air. Specks of blood was visible from the shoulder areas they had emerged from, proving that the transformation was very physical...and very painful for the boy.

Next came the tail, pitch-black in color and having three pronged tips at the end, sharper than a double-edged sword's blade. It swished back-and-forth in a dangerous manner, finally thumping down on the ground and curling next to the boy's body...

The growls emanating from the dark entity grew deeper and more animalistic, and the boy quickly twisted over and rolled his head from side to side, clawing at it as a pair of black horns poked out from amongst his red-and-green hair, the tips ending in a wide, blade-like shape with two ends, like that of an anchor.

The boy then ducked his head and wrapped his wings and tail around his form, shaking violently as the waves of pain coursed through his form. Yuya wasn't aware of any of this happening, but he could tell that something was very wrong...

But it didn't take long for Yuya to succumb to the darkness. He was gone...forever.

Bearing a psychotic glare in his eyes, the Battle Beast watched as a new predatory rival shakily rose to his hands and knees, black scales decorating the edges of the boy's arms and hands, the tips of each finger baring a deadly claw. He lowered the rest of his transformed body as his crimson eyes locked with the Beast's, the white pupils appearing long and feline-like.

At the warning growls, the Battle Beast stiffened before crouching down, ready to attack. Owari howled in anger, rushing at him on all fours with his claws outstretched. His eyes flashed brightly...

"I'll KILL you first!"

A flourish of dark crimson specks splattered against the ground as a pained cry echoed through the air.

Alright...yeah, thank my good friend for the Dragon Yuya idea. XD I mean, the...um, PHYSICAL Dragon Yuya idea (not counting We are One). Please check her stories out, because they are SO AMAZING! :D

Anyway, here are the words that I've added from the app:

Longanimity = Calmness in the face of suffering and adversity; forbearance

Paroxysm = any sudden, violent outburst; a fit of violent action and emotion (there's another definition to this word, but it refers to disease)

Augury = A sign of what will happen in the future; an omen (plural is auguries...I think)

Sheeple = People compared to sheep in being docile, foolish, or easily led (ha, Owari had fun with this word)

Yep...that's pretty much it. I'm not gonna go overboard with the new vocabulary, but it's nice to add a little more flavor to my writing. Plus, poetry is one of my subjects in school, so my style of writing is going to change a little bit (I'll probably add a little more depth and literary devices).

Anyway, do whatever you like! And until next time, this is CTA out! AND GOD LOVES YOU! :D