Crystal

"He should be here soon," Crystal said, checking her phone. "It's about time."

She leaned against a railing of the bridge they were standing on. It was overlooking the beach below. The sun had gone down hours ago, shading the city of Miraflores in darkness, with only the glittering windows of its buildings and the orange glow of the streetlamps.

Tyrannus inspected his fingers, still finding it odd that he had five of them. "Who?" he asked.

"My boyfriend, Amistad."

"Boyfriend? Isn't it just...friend regardless of the gender?"

Crystal laughed. "No, a boyfriend means...well, it's friendship but at a higher level."

"Love?"

"Yes. That's what it's called when two friends find love. And when they make vows to be together forever, they get married and are then called husband and wife."

"Interesting?" Tyrannus said, scratching his chin. "You humans have strange customs. When our species find a bond, we're simply called mates."

"I can be your mate," Patty said, looking over the bridge.

"You already have one!" Melody said, shoving her aside with a thrust of her hip. "Make room for the single!"

"You can have Nick if you want!" Patty said, shoving her back with her butt. "You Hellenic harlot!"

"Harlot! I'll show you, you American two-timer!" She activated her Duel Disk. "Winner gets him!"

"Loser gets my loser boyfriend!" Patty shouted back.

Tyrannus backed away so the two girls could have their Duel. He stood next to Crystal and leaned forward. "What are they doing?"

"They'll never learn," Crystal said, shrugging. Patty summoned her Lich Lord, King of the Underworld, Invader of Darkness, and Zera the Mant in one turn, after spending five minutes doing complicated combos.

Crystal rolled her eyes and led him away from the Duel. As she did, Melody summoned Angel of Zera and Archlord Kristya. The ground rumbled as the two monsters did battle and the girls controlling them activated Trap and quick spells to counter their every move. Jeannie watched from behind Patty, jumping up and down with joy as she clapped her hands.

"Don't worry about them," she said. "They're...immature. Listen, I'm sorry about Yuri. He meant a lot to me, too. I've known him since we were really little."

BOOM! Patty's Zera the Mant slashed Athena across the chest, reducing Melody's Life Points to 5300.

"There was nothing I could do for him," Tyrannus said, looking sadly at the moon. The zippers on his jacket jingled with each step. The horn of Melody's Harvest Angel of Wisdom blew loudly causing the metal railings to vibrate violently. "Ever since I was hunted down by Anrogontos Delgado thousands of years ago, I've been confined to that card."

"You were hunted?"

"I was a curse inflicted upon the land," Tyrannus said, approaching the rail to look out to the ocean. "I terrorized the jungles of Feldia for years and years, keeping the last descendants of Norman the Conqueror neutered."

"Who is this Norman the Conqueror I keep hearing about?"

Athena was brought back to the field with Monster Reborn and she smashed her staff on Zera the Mant's head, destroying him and dealing damage to Patty's Life Points.

"A powerful warrior from a time before the ages," Tyrannus answered. "He stopped the malice of Odiva and her son, Zorc. When he vanquished the great evil, he was crowned as the Supreme King of the World. He was the first to wield the Divine Beasts and he taught the first Men to speak and to build their own kingdoms and a great deal many things. Simply put, our world would not be what it is without him. He produced children after he married Naddia, Goddess of Storytellers and Songs. The bloodline got muddied over time until only one pureblood family was left. The House of his firstborn son, Delgedonnion, First of the Stars in your tongue. It became the Great House Delgado. They were the last family who had a pure line to Norman the Conqueror. And they fled to Feldia to live out the rest of their days. I was created as a fell beast. My task was to hunt them down."

"Who would force you to do such a thing?" Crystal cooed sympathetically, placing her hand on his back.

"My creator, Denethon. He was one of the Eyar, grand wizards sent from the Halls of Horakhty to protect our world. But he was consumed by darkness, as were many from his order. He gave life to me and ordered me to kill all the sons and daughters of House Delgado and end the line of Norman the Conqueror. For ten years, I brought a plague upon their household and their kingdom. Until a great warrior named Arogontos slew me and sealed my soul into the card that Yuri played. But by the time they slew me, it was too late. I had already damaged the family's bloodline. I did my job. Only female heirs were left. The power the last pureblooded sons felt when they had me, made them lustful. They soiled the family with bastards. All they had left of Norman the Conqueror's legacy was in the name of his firstborn son. I was forced to suffer through the curse I inflicted upon their House. I became nothing more than a playing card."

"Tyrannus?" Crystal said softly, placing her hand on his arm. "I am so sorry."

"It wasn't all bad. I was given a second chance by Tunak, Goddess of the Dinosaurs and creator of the Ancient Beasts. I was bound to serve the House until I proved myself loyal to them. I did until Yuri was born. When he was, I felt a bond between he and I. You can imagine my surprise when I learned he was a pureblood of the House."

"But how can that be?" Crystal asked. "I thought the bloodline ended."

"I suppose it didn't," Tyrannus said. The ground shook when Patty attacked with Diabolos King of the Abyss. A vast, purple explosion erupted behind them. "Yuri's blood was pure. He is a descendant of Norman the Conqueror. Perhaps I missed something or someone."

Crystal chuckled. "Maybe you did. You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?"

Tyrannus chortled at the thought. "They were a House with divinity surrounding it. Perhaps you're right. There's only one person who knows the truth, and I seek to find him."

"And I'll help!" said Crystal. "You can count on me."

Tyrannus smiled at her, and when he did, Crystal felt her heart melting. If this was like those Animes she saw on television, hearts would be popping around her face like bubbles right about now. He's so gorgeous, she thought. How could something so primeval become something so...so magnificent? His beauty far and away exceeded that of Amistad's.

Suddenly, Tyrannus grabbed her hand and held it tight. He brought it to his lips and kissed it. "I've seen Yuri hang around enough knights to know this is a way of saying thank you to lovely ladies. And you are indeed a lovely lady."

"Corny," whispered Crystal. "But keep going."

"What is going on here!" shouted Amistad.

Crystal gasped, releasing her hand from Tyrannus's grip. "Amistad! You...you're here!"

Amistad placed both hands on his hips, bobbing his head up and down in irritation. "Yes, I am here. Were you expecting I would be gone forever!?"

"No!" cried Crystal.

"I detect anger in his voice," said Tyrannus. "If you become aggressive with the lady, I will have to hurt you."

"That lady is my girlfriend, asshole!" shouted Amistad. "Hands off of her right now!"

Patty and Melody stopped their Duel. "Uh-oh," Patty said. "The boyfriend is here."

Nick, Tyson, Carter, and Mario came running towards the bridge as fast as they could.

"Guys!" said Nick. "You're all here and safe! Patty!"

"Hi, baby," Patty said. "Glad you made it out of Greece safe and sound."

"What is the meaning of this!" Amistad shouted. "Is this why you asked us to split up?"

"No!" Crystal shouted. "No, you've got it all wrong, Amistad! Please, it's not what it looks like."

Amistad would hear none of it. He stormed towards her, fists balled up. His blood boiled. Tyrannus had a feeling he was going to hurt her. And then, he disappeared into a puff of black smoke. Lightning flashed from within the cloud like a thunderstorm.

Black Tyranno emerged from the cloud, taking two giant steps in front of Amistad.

Amistad screamed and fell backward, landing hard on his butt. Nick, Tyson, Carter, and Mario were all frozen in fear. Their legs quaked and shimmied as if telling their owners to make a run for it while they still could. But it was no use. Black Tyranno's leering gaze had them paralyzed.

Crystal ran in front of Black Tyranno, holding out her arms to act as a shield for Amistad. "Oh, no, no, no, Tyrannus. Please, don't do anything. He's my best friend in the world. I love him. He felt cheated." She looked back at him apologetically. "And I'm sorry he thought that way."

"C-C-Crystal," Amistad babbled. "That...that's a Black Tyranno!"

"He's Yuri's Black Tyranno," Jeannie pleaded from behind the beast. "And he's a friend, too. Please, everyone, stop fighting!"

"Crystal, what the hell is going on?" Amistad said, getting back up.

Black Tyranno turned back into smoke. When it cleared, he stood once again in his human form. His beauty made Amistad insanely jealous despite him learning that the dinosaur that was about to eat him was his true form.

"This is Yuri's Black Tyranno?" Nick asked, getting closer to the group. He was still sweating profusely and trembling from the shock of encountering the beast that chased them all over Athens last time. "That's impossible."

Patty chuckled as she leaned against Tyrannus. "After all we've been through, Nick. I'd believe just about anything. This guy here really is the dinosaur Yuri used back in the day."

"Is this form your only form?" Amistad asked. "Or is it one of many."

"I can change into many forms," Tyrannus answered. "But the girls prefer this one. I suggested many others but..."

"That's all I need to know!" Amistad said, activating his Duel Disk.

"What are you doing, Amistad?" Crystal asked. "Tyrannus -that's his name - he knows how to get Yuri back. He can help us."

Amistad growled. "He can, I have no doubt about that. It's this pretty-boy form he chose that's making me angry. If I didn't know any better, Crystal, I'd say you were getting pretty attached to him."

"Excuse me! What the hell are you saying?!"

"I'm saying Black Tyranno can stick around, so long as he takes another form. If you can't agree to those terms, then let's have a Duel. You win, you can keep walking around like that. But if I win, you stay inside your card and never come out until we need you. Got it!"

"NO!" shouted Crystal. "Amistad, don't do this. That card was a prison for him. You have no idea what it was like!"

"Stay out of this Crystal! I've seen you get chummy with guys before and it led to more problems between us."

"This is no time to be jealous!" Crystal yelled, stamping her foot on the ground.

Tyrannus took a few steps towards Amistad. He held up his wrist and conjured a black and gold Duel Disk.

"We have terms," said Tyrannus. "You win, I remain as a card. I win, I can walk in this world freely taking any form I please."

Amistad nodded. "Good boy. Now stop talking and draw your cards. IT'S TIME TO DUEL!"

This would be the first time he himself played in a Duel. Being a Duel Monster himself, Tyrannus figured he had what it took to bring down Amistad and his deck of Noble Knights.

Amistad turned around and ran to the other side of the bridge to give space for the holograms. Crystal, Melody, Jeannie, and Patty huddled one side of the bridge, while Nick and the rest of the companions stood on the other.

"Kick his ass, Amistad!" cheered Mario. "Knock that pretty-boy down! He'll think twice before putting his grubby hands on Crystal again!"

"Ugh, that voice," Patty groaned. "Can't believe we have to hear that again."

Amistad drew his first card. "I play the Spell Card, Heritage of the Chalice, adding Noble Knight Medraut to my hand. Next, I'll summon him to the field. Next, I equip him with Noble Arms -Caliburn!"

The knight's steel sword was replaced by one made of magical metal with glowing neon lines in the middle of the blade.

"With this card, I can increase my Life Points by five hundred each turn. And my Noble Arms will increase my Noble Knight's attack by five hundred. Then I'll use his effect to Special Summon my Noble Knight Borz in defense position. Now, I tribute them both to conduct a Link Summon!"

"Link Summon?" Tyrannus muttered.

"Baby, when did you learn how to Link Summon?" Crystal asked, still standing behind Tyrannus.

That did not sit well with Amistad. "Don't worry about it," he answered poisonously. "Allow me to introduce, Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights!"

Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights

ATK/1600

LINK -3

Amistad used Isolde's effect to dump five Equip-Spell cards from his deck to the Graveyard to summon Noble Knight Eachtar. Then he tributed them both for another Link Summon. He conjured a lively young witch with magenta-colored hair and revealing gear called Summon Sorceress.

Mario saw the girl and whistled like a cartoonish wolf. "More! More!" he said lustfully. "Got any more hot cards like her in that deck of yours, Amistad, eh? Eh?"

"Shut up," Amistad told him with a stern tone. He was pissed off and was in no mood for cheerleading or jokes. For him, this was no regular Duel. This was a war for Crystal's heart. Even though he was wrong, he held a strong belief that Tyrannus had captured Crystal's heart. He would not stand for that.

Using his Summon Sorceress' effect, he summoned another Eachtar and Noble Knight Laundsallyn, which he overlayed to summon his best monster.

Even though he was told to keep his mouth shut, Mario balled his fist and cheered for his friend anyway once the tall, gallant knight was rendered on the field.

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigas

ATK/2200 DEF/2200

Rank 5

"Wow!" said Jeannie. She had seen him before when Amistad Dueled Melody in Greece, but his presence still filled her with wonder and excitement.

Amistad went into a rage when he shouted at Artorigas to activate his effect. Artorigas took three of the Equip-Spells Amistad sent to the Graveyard and boosted his strength to 3700. He then gave Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigas the shield and sword known as Noble Arms Destiny, making him almost untouchable.

On his first turn, Amistad already summoned an all-powerful knight of filled the Holy Spirit and equipped with legendary artifacts that made him a demi-god.

"What do you got to stop that, pretty-boy?" Mario jeered. "It's your move! Show us what you can do."

"Dayum," said Tyson. "Look at that monster, would ya? Amistad really knows how to play his Noble Knights. I mean just look at that thing."

"Oh, I am," said Carter. "Aside from those drop-dead gorgeous looks, that knight's attack points are off the charts. I wonder what the new kid can do."

"I think he's got something planned," said Nick. "He doesn't look phased at all."

Jeannie tugged Patty's sleeve timidly. "Patty? Can Tyrannus win? How can he beat that Sacred Noble Knight?"

"I don't know, baby," Patty said, keeping a close eye on Tyrannus. "I have a feeling he can pull something off. Remember, he once fought alongside Yuri. He's got to have some experience."

Tyrannus did. On his first turn, he conjured Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, Overtex Quatlus, and Giant Rex.

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno forced Artorigas face down and moved in for an attack. Amistad was too quick for him, using a trap card called Shadow Spell, encasing Ultimate Conductor Tyranno in shadowy-black chains. His ATK went down by 700 points.

Amistad was safe...or so he thought.

Tyrannus activated the effect of his Overtex Quatlus to negate the activation of the trap and destroy it. But Amistad used his Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit to negate the activation of the flying dinosaur's effect, canceling it out and destroying it at the same time.

"I set these two cards face-down," Tyrannus mumbled.

Amistad balled his fists until the knuckles cracked. "Now my Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigas is free to attack. Your Ultimate Conductor Tyranno is strong, but thanks to my Shadow Spell trap, he's become as sick as a dog.

"I am not done with my turn yet, boy!" Tyrannus seethed. "I use the spell, Mystical Space Typhoon. Your spell is no more and my Ultimate Conductor Tyranno is free. Now, I end my turn."

"He's still weaker than my Sacred Noble Knight! Eres bien estupido, no? I will show you what happens when you disrespect my knights. Artorigas! Show that overgrown lizard your power!"

"I don't think so!" Tyrannus replied with a snigger. "I activate my Trap, Time Chain!"

Amistad gasped. Purple chains slithered out of Tyrannus' trap card and wrapped themselves around Artorigas and Ultimate Conductor Tyranno.

"What have you done?!" Amistad shouted. "He's trapped!"

"Of course," said Tyrannus. "Not only does my trap save my Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, but it removes him and your Sacred Noble Knight from the Duel for two full turns."

"Noble Knight Iyvanne, attack his Sabersaurus now!" Amistad shouted on the sixth turn of the Duel.

His green-armored knight pointed at the horned dinosaur Tyrannus summoned and commanded his faithful companion, a colossal pet lion, to attack it. The lion roared. Jeannie screeched and covered her ears, already pounding from the deafening roars of the

"I won't lose to you!" Amistad shouted. He overlayed more monsters he special summoned to create the new King of the Noble Knights.

Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin

ATK/1500 DEF/2500

Rank 4

But Tyrannus was also quick to call on something. He banished from his Graveyard five Dinosaur-Type monsters with different names and called forth a monster that Crystal and the others had ever seen before. He summoned a most peculiar creature. A hybrid of human and prehistoric beast. He had the body of a well-built giant human being but had the head of carnivorous saurian with tan-colored scales. His eyes were brilliant green mixed with fiery amber. He wore a black chestplate with a hood and a long black scarf around his head that dropped to his legs. He sported a crown of two black horns on his head.

There was a bright flash from the sky, and then a black sword hued with neon red light on the one side of the blade and neon blue on the other tumbled down and smashed into the ground in front of it. The gems inlaid on the guard, hilt, and pommel were glowing red and blue as well. The creature hissed through his sharp, pearly-white teeth. He stood up. His legs were long and double-jointed with thick thighs and he had a long tail tipped with a sharp blade glowing blue and red.

"What is that?" cried Patty.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out!" said Crystal.

"Behold!" shouted Tyrannus. "Kraxes the Assassin of Kings! This is a beast I created myself. Born from my anger. My pain. My suffering. My thirst for revenge taking the form of flesh and blood and bone. And you will be the first to suffer his wrath!"

Kraxes the Assassin of Kings

ATK/2000 DEF/2500

LV 7

"Kraxes, activate your special ability!"

The dinosaur held up his sword. An arcane glyph formed beneath his feet. From it rose the bones of all the dinosaurs that had fallen in the Duel. Sabersaurus, Sauropod Brachion, Dark Tyranno, Giant Rex, Black Stego, and the last set of bones belonged to Black Tyranno, whom Tyrannus discarded from the deck to activate Kraxes's ability. Crystal was shocked to see that Kraxes had an unusual connection with the Black Tyranno, especially if it needed him to be sent to the Graveyard to use Kraxes's unusual ability. The Black Tyranno's bones turned into bright green ectoplasm that oozed into Kraxes's body, increasing his ATK to 4600.

Then five mysterious figures dressed in red hooded coats with black gauntlets, boots, and helmets crafted in the shape of Black Tyranno appeared out of the arcane glyph. They had their hands locked in prayer. Their prehistoric hymn turned the bones of the fallen dinosaurs into energy which then soared into their bodies. Kraxes held up his sword, pointing it to the Peruvian night sky.

The hooded prehistoric priests formed into a circle over the battlefield and took flight. They went higher and higher until they were miles above the city. The priests then conjured a blood red arcane circle the slowly spun over the city of Miraflores. Lasers rained down from the arcane circle like a storm of death.

The three remaining knights, Custennin, Sacred Noble Knight Artorigas, and High Laundsallyn readied their weapons and moved faster than the speed of light, blocking each laser with all their might. But the laser kept falling and falling and falling until finally, everything was still. The three knights had survived the assault, but the fell to the ground exhausted. The priests had done their work. The attack reduced the ATK points of Amistad's monsters to 0.

"Oh n-n-no," murmured Amistad. He too fell to his knees, dumbstruck at the power this Kraxes monsters had. "Oh, God, n-n-no."

Tyrannus stood where he was. He snapped his fingers and pointed at the three weakened knights. Kraxes growled. He raised his sword and whispered: "Long Live High King Yuri."

And then vanished.

He suddenly appeared behind Custennin. He jabbed his sword into the knight's back and vanished. Custennin grunted and wheezed before he shattered to pieces. Kraxes then reappeared behind Laundallyn and cut off his head before vanishing again.

He appeared before the fallen Sacred Noble Knight Artorigas and then proceeded to slash him over and over and over again. The onslaught of slashes went on for ten, agonizing seconds before Kraxes finally delivered the final blow, ultimately striking Sacred Noble Knight Artorigas 1000 times.

Artorigas grunted, spitting out gobs of blood. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he turned into orbs of light that slowly floated into the sky and disappeared.

It took a while for Amistad to realize what happened. Just mere seconds after his Life Point counter dropped to zero, it hit him.

Kraxes could attack multiple times. His attack was 4500 and all three of his monsters had 0 ATK points. That one monster dealt more than 13,000 points of damage.

"Wow..." babbled Patty. "Incredible power."

She heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw Bailey coming towards the bridge with a plastic tray filled with chicken.

"Did I miss something?" she asked. She saw Amistad on the ground. Nick, Tyson, Carter, and Mario were behind him marveling at the black dinosaur swordsman standing in front of them.

Jeannie wiped sweat from her brow. "Uh, well, my brother and the others are here."

"I can see that," Bailey said, closing the lid of her tray. "What's going on here? What's all this? What was that? You could see all the way from Lima."

She stopped talking when she noticed Tyrannus slowly walk past his prehistoric monstrosity and towards Amistad. He leaned forward and held out his hand.

"Come," he said. "No more fighting. You are a strong Duelist. There can be so much more we can do if we work together."

Amistad's pride kept him from taking his opponent's hand. He looked at Crystal. She held both her hands on her chest, and then she nodded, pleading for him to take it and accept the alliance. Amistad sighed and grabbed Tyrannus's hand. He was pulled up to his feet with great force.

"Who are you?" Tyson asked, finally breaking his silence. "Do you know what happened to our friend, Yuri?"

Tyrannus shook his head. "I know as much as you do at the moment. Now, you said there was a Duelist to find here, did you not?" He turned to look at Bailey.

"Yes, I did," Bailey replied immediately. "The top Duelist in all of Peru. From what I learned, he uses monsters based on these things." She reached for a poster, which she kept tucked in her waistband. She unrolled it and showed them the famous Nazca Lines. "I heard these things have the same power as a Divine Beast. If there's a Duelist you need to kick ass against this masked dude, this is the guy."

"Then we must go find him at once," said Tyrannus. "And you must win those games at any cost. War is coming to our world." He looked at the sky sadly. "And we need Yuri now more than ever."

Suddenly, a portal opened beneath their feet. "I did not open this!" shouted Tyrannus.

"What's going on?" Crystal shouted.

They all screamed in horror as they felt themselves being lifted off the ground. And then, it sucked them all inside and they were gone from the world forever.

Fin

A/N: Hello, everybody. I just wanted to say thanks a lot for checking out my story. It's been a while, but it's finally done. However, it's been a long and bumpy road to get here. I apologize for all the constant changes. I admit I had some very unrealistic goals in my head which kept me changing it over and over and over again. And constant trial and error seeing what worked and what didn't. What didn't work was adding all those random stories and making it into some story that it's not with all those chapters and tales that had nothing to do with Yuri's life. It added a lot of confusion and even whiplash because the story started getting ridiculously long.

And there were even some days when I felt like giving up and it disappeared. However, I learned that's not the way to handle things. Don't ever give up no matter how hard things may seem. Always keep on pushing. When first started, I never even dreamed my fanfic would be so followed the way it is now and I've reached past 100 reviews, which is amazing. Thanks, everyone!

This might have annoyed a lot of people, and for that, I apologize. I've learned much since I first started this story, including where I want to take it. This is it. There won't be any new chapters after this, but if something new pops up, it'll be something extra around the beginning, mostly duels, because they're fun to write and they come into mind lots of times — but they won't affect the plot of the story.

It's time for me to also finish the other stories I've posted, the next one being Cora and A Kingdom of Ebony. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your continued support. A couple of my friends and I are planning to start a YouTube channel where we will be doing dramatic readings of this story. One of my friends will be making art and another is going to add sound effects and music. If that's something you'd like to see, let me know. Send me a PM or comment in the reviews if that's something you would like to see.

Thanks again. Stay safe and stay healthy and always support your family and friends.

-TheSingingSword