Disclaimer: Not mine, theirs, not the states.

LONG time since last update, I know, but here I am.

Anyway, last chapter heated up the duels of Enzeru, Yami, Kagome, Yusuke, Joey, and Kaiba, five of which are against the members of the dreaded Band of Seven.

This chapter keeps up those duels, with a few saved for later to save time. But more importantly…this is the final chapter of Force of Darkness, hear my cry. Due to popular demand, I have split it into arcs, so don't worry, this tale will live on, just in separate stories.

Chapter 45: The Drums of War! End of the Beginning

Yusuke vs. Kazuya

"Heh, what's some little punkass bitch like you doing in New Paradigm, Urameshi? This place ain't for toddlers, ya know."

"Well, it sure isn't for schizos, either."

Beneath his false bravado, Yusuke had to admit he did not like his new situation. Kazuya, while weak in any case, was certainly no pushover, and he imagined that this was the case as a duelist as well. Still, if he was as good at dueling as he was in combat, Yusuke doubted he would lose.

"Anyway, Urameshi, since you've already attacked, why don't you wrap this up already? I've got things to do and people to kill, ya know."

"Yeah, sorta figured. Anyway, I'll set a card to end my turn."

"That all? Heh, this is gonna be cakewalk. My move!"

Of course, Kazuya had not forgotten the attack of Hino-Kagu Tsuchi, and as such tossed what remained of his hand into the graveyard before drawing. But by good fortune, he had drawn just what he needed anyway.

"Heh, not bad for a topdeck, if I do say so myself. I activate the Magic card, Crusade Fallback, which can only be activated if I have four or more Templar monsters in my graveyard. For each one I am allowed to draw one card, plus another two, so long as I pay 1000 life points and remove each Templar from play. That comes out to four, I think; the three you chopped up, and the one Sensui discarded for Guard of Card." (Yusuke: 2100/ Kazuya: 900) With only one motion, Kazuya drew out a fresh set of cards, now even stronger than before as far as hand advantage was concerned.

"Well now, looks like it's time to mix things up a bit. I summon Fire Storm Teutonic to the field in attack mode! And of course, when he's special summoned, I can summon another Teutonic from my hand so long as his defense is less than 2000, and I select Starburst Teutonic!"

Almost simultaneously, Kazuya was able to summon two new monsters from his hand. The first monster, dressed in golden chain mail wreathed in flames, was helmed by a pig's head bassinet and armed with a blazing spear. The second was equipped with plate armor, a sugarloaf bassinet, and a broadsword, all made out of glowing platinum. And of course, both obtained the dark power of Atlantis (1900/1800) (2700/2300)

"I'm not even close to done. Next, I'll activate the Magic card known as Teutonic Enlistment, letting me draw cards equal to the number of Teutonic monsters I have in play. I'll follow that up by activating Called to Crusade, which lets me summon another Templar or Teutonic to the field, and I'm going after Tempest Teutonic!"

Kazuya's next monster was equipped more for swift blitz combat than anything; lightly armored in green leather and thin yet sturdy mail, he was equipped with a pair of light daggers which had their own air current flowing around them, which seemed to correspond with the fact that he was floating in midair. (2900/2800)

"And now for the finishing touch. I activate The A. Forces, which increases the attack of every warrior in play by 200 for each warrior and spellcaster on the field. And since I only have Teutonics in play, you can guess what type they are."

At that moment, all three of the soldiers of God crossed their blades as one, drawing from each other power, confidence, and an overall sense of unity. It would have been touching…were it not for the fact that the man who had caused this was a psychotic with a Messiah complex. (2500/1800) (3300/2300) (3600/2800)

"Alrighty, detective, it's time to send your sorry ass packing! Tempest Teutonic, slice and dice his Hino-Kagu Tsuchi!"

But at this, Yusuke gave one of his famous overconfident grins.

"Who said you'd get to attack him? I activate the Quick Play known as Sacrifice Reversal, which lets me sacrifice my Hino-Kagu Tsuchi and summon Spirit monsters from my graveyard whose total levels are less than his. Say hello again to Shikikami, Yata-Garasu, and Spirit Forgemaster, all in defense mode"

Just seconds before the Teutonic could deliver the killing blow to Hino-Kagu Tsuchi, said fire spirit vanished almost instantly, to be replaced by the paper spirit, the over-sized crow, and a gangly old blacksmith with a thin leather apron and a Bronze Age hammer. (200/100) (0/0) (1150/1700)

"Heh. That's all you've got? Oh well, I guess this won't take long at all, then. Forget the fire bitch; go after his last three monsters!"

With attack orders on hand, the Teutonics charged forward to do battle once more: the soldier of wind sent twin columns of air towards Yata Garasu, reducing him to feathers upon impact, the soldier of fire made five swift, deadly thrusts, perforating the blacksmith, and the soldier of light had only to kick the paper spirit before it dissolved outright.

"You can't beat me, Yusuke. It took me just one turn to whip your sorry ass back into the corner where you belong, and soon it'll all be over. I'd start saying my goodbyes right about now."

"Yeah, right. Look, Kazuya, you're just as much a sorry duelist as you were a fighter, so don't get too comfortable yet."

"You'll see in a moment, bitch. But for now, I'll set a card, and it's your move."

Of course, given Yusuke's current position, such a move with any serious results would likely be difficult, if not impossible. It would take nothing short of a miracle.

And by good fortune, a miracle is just what he drew.

"Heh. Hey, Kazuya, how's your gun arm doing these days?"

"What's it to ya?"

"Eh, I'm just asking. I mean, you know how I kicked your ass last time when you pulled out your special talent? Now seems as good a time to do the same."

"Bullshit. You beat me last time cuz of a fucking FLUKE! You know it and I know it, and this time you won't get that lucky!"

"Well, luck'll have to do with it this time; hell, a LOT to do with it! I play King's Ransom, dropping 1000 lifepoints to draw three cards. Not a bad deal for a game breaker. Next, I'll set a face down card, and summon the monster I won in my first duel of this tournament: Kinetic Soldier!"

To himself, Kazuya choked back a long stream of obscenities as he watched Yusuke summon his next monster. This was, in all seriousness, the ultimate antidote to any warrior deck, capable of taking out any one of his monsters with one strike. And as he watched the cerulean armored cybernetic warlord step onto the field. (1350/1800)

"Ya know, when I put this thing into my deck, I thought it could be useful pretty much only as a shield, but with a 2000 offense and defense gain against warriors, who's complaining right now besides you?"

"Heh. It's not like it matters; your monster doesn't have the strength to end this right now."

"Really? Well, maybe a little number called Mage Power will change your mind."

At this, two words passed through Kazuya's mind.

Oh shit.

"A musclehead like you knows about United We Stand, right? Well, this is his little brother, and as you can guess it works for Magic and Trap cards, giving a 500 point boost for each in both stats. And in spite of it being only a 1000 points, it's more than enough to kick your sorry ass!" (2350/2800) "Kinetic Soldier, let's wrap this up! Attack his Fire Storm Teutonic!"

With a metallic roar from deep inside his enhanced stomach, the mighty technological soldier levelled his weapon of choice and opened fire on the inferno warrior, a hailfire of golden orbs of plasma coursing through the air and searing it. Every shot was on target, each prepared to decimate Kazuya and what remained of his forces.

And yet…

No, this is too easy. Even Kazuya couldn't be taken down this fast.

In the back of his head, barely noticeable, Yusuke could hear the small, puny voice of logic trying to whisper something in his ear; when that method failed, it resorted to whoops and catcalls that still eluded him.

And then, as if a bolt of lightning had slapped him, Yusuke saw something, something set deep in his opponent's soul that could not be pierced without a sense of knowledge regarding such things. Yusuke had this knowledge, of course, but only after enduring a trial of fire.

He saw his opponent then. Not Sensui, and not Kazuya. Deep within the Seal-dominated eyes of the duelist across from him, he could see who was really in control.

Things had changed since the two had last fought, and now the former detective saw his enemy…the true Dark Angel.

Shinobu…

Unfortunately, it was too late to call off the attack, and just as Yusuke saw what he was up against the barrage of energy punched a triad of holes directly into the inferiorly outfitted Teutonic. The blood spilled came out like a surge, and within seconds the body ceased to be.

Smoke poured from the attack crater, clouding Yusuke's view of both Kazuya and the other Teutonics. It did not bring him any comfort, and only caused his panic to escalate further. Somehow he knew that this battle was far from done, and he was not sure how long he could keep up the fight. The Seal of Orichalcos was beginning to take its toll upon him, much more than any other duel or fight previous; it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to it outright.

"Yo, Kazuya, your soul gone yet?"

It was a miracle that Yusuke's voice didn't crack from the strain, and a miracle again that he did not scream upon hearing the next words out of his enemy's mouth.

"I am afraid that Kazuya is no longer with us. As in our previous battle, he has proven himself to be far too weak to be of use, so I shall be your opponent for the remainder of the duel."

It took only a second for him to recognize that voice; this was the ring leader, the head honcho of the Chapter Black incident. But if this really was Shinobu, then there were several questions that needed to be answered.

Sadly, there would be no time, for at that moment a single flash of seraphic golden aura pierced through the thick smoke, to reveal Yusuke's true enemy…the man that had killed him the second time.

Looking at his enemy, bathed in the divine glow of his own supernatural aura, the result of his technique known as Sacred Energy blending with the near infinite darkness of the Seal of Orichalcos, the madman's successor as Spirit Detective felt a shiver of pure, undiluted terror course through his body. This new form of power was not one he was quite used to, having only seen it in its pure form in times past, and he could tell that Shinobu had far surpassed his original strength.

Yet his eyes were the same; in spite of the dark influence of the Seal of Orichalcos, his eyes were still haunted, innocent of the world's ways. No longer was he dueling a surrogate, and he knew now that the duel was about to take a serious turn for the worse.

"Hm, it has been far too long, Yusuke."

"The feeling's mutual, Shinobu. Looks like we're gonna get to settle the score after all, seeing as my old man's not likely to interrupt me again. And speaking of dried-up has-beens, I've gotta ask you something: what the hell are you doing back here? You already saw Demon World, you've got your damn justification; what more can you want?"

"Come now, Yusuke, did you really think my plan was so simplistic as just seeing Demon World? If that's so, then you don't know me too well at all."

"So there was some truth to Sensui and Kazuya's plans after all."

Shinobu chuckled at this, and suddenly Yusuke felt the small spark of anger he had formed when he faced the sociopath last start to return.

"I guess you could say that. Granted, Itsuki insisted on standing in the way before I could execute them, but I had ways around his little tricks, especially since I had outside help.

"You see, eliminating Itsuki was a fairly simple task, one I left to Kazuya after my spirits had gained enough strength to communicate and move around; I was fortunate that the six-armed devil was able to freeze up the time-space continuum in his sphere of influence. It was escaping that proved difficult, due to the unusual nature of Itsuki's talent, and soon enough I realized I was trapped in limbo. With no obvious means of executing my plans I decided to wait, hoping someone would pick up on my energy signals like what happened with Elder Toguro. And someone did."

"Is he the guy that gave you the freaky field spell?"

"You've grown in intelligence, haven't you? To be fair, I was not sure who the man was at the time nor how he found me; all I knew for certain was that he was called Dartz, and that he had an aura of power which matched, if not surpassed, my own. Whatever the case, he was quick to make me an offer: he would release me and grant me the strength he held, so long as I agreed to serve his purpose. And with a few hours of conversation I realized our goals were one and the same.

"It was not long after that when I realized what Dartz had done; in the last heated moments of our battle, he was responsible for the creation of a minature barrier which held off the brunt of your father's attack, and also for the escape route from Demon World itself. Sensui and Kazuya did not take kindly to this, and the former swore vengeance upon him for interfering. I, however, was happy to accept his help, and in his hidden fortress far from prying eyes he gave me the stone you see upon my hand, a fragment of the boundless might that is the Seal of Orichalcos which cured my illness and increased my energy. He also gave me the Magic card form of that power, and augmented my dueling deck with the strength of the Holy Knights.

"Dartz and I see the world differently than you or the Pharaoh; yes, I know of Yami no Yuugi, and in fact he shall be the next to fall. You try and protect this world, this ever eternal nightmare, and you cannot accept the possibility that it is not worth saving. We of the Seal know better; we know that this world is bloated with sin and greed, with everyone in society pointing their guns at each other, and we are the ones who shall bring it down.

"I told you I went to Demon World to find out how my enemy lived, Yusuke, and I told you that I had seen what I needed to. Well, I did, and now I know that I have been correct this entire time! Even demons are more civilized than you; at least they have a semblance of honor! But it will not matter. Soon, your soul shall awaken the wrath of the Leviathan, and this entire cesspool of treachery and wickedness shall have the judgment of God cast unto them! There's nothing you can do!"

Yusuke could say nothing to this. After all this time, after what he had seen and heard, Shinobu held ever high his torch of vendetta against humanity, and now he had more than enough power to take that vendetta to the world.

But then he recalled something very important.

"Heh, I hate to break it to you, but you can't really do that unless you beat me, can you? And since your life points just took a heavy hit…"

He was right, of course; an attack of that strength could surely not have been endured. The duel was over, and Shinobu's new weapon had turned on him.

"I have to disagree. Perhaps you should recheck your numbers." (Yusuke: 1100/ Shinobu: 10)

"You see, when you attacked my monster, I was able to activate the continuous trap Deathcheat Stopwatch, which can only be activated by removing my entire graveyard from play when my life points are reduced to zero. Before I lose I am granted one life point for each two levels of my monsters in play at the time, plus four additional life points for the last monster destroyed in battle, and at the end of every one of my turns I shall lose one life point until I am reduced to zero permanently. However, as long as this card is in play I cannot take battle damage apart from direct hits."

"So in other words, this has become a timed match."

"That's the basic idea of it."

"Fine by me. I'll set a card and wrap things up." Damn it, at this rate I'll never be able to defeat him…

"It's my move, and now the time has arrived to end this." Perfect. This is your end, Yusuke, and soon this world of indulgence and sin shall fall to the Seal.

"It's over. I activate the Magic card, Last Line of Offense, which allows me to sacrifice all of my Teutonic monsters in play. I can then special summon monsters from my deck with total levels equal to or less than the sacrificed Teutonics. Of course, the summoned monsters must be of a specific type of monster…namely, the final class of Holy Knights known as the Paladins! So I sacrifice my monsters to summon Ether Paladin Lumos and Paladin Spierel in attack mode!"

Before the monsters were even summoned, Yusuke could tell that this match was about to take a seriously nosedive for him, and seeing the soldiers only confirmed this theory. Lumos, a tall and empowering soldier of God, was equipped with shimmering copper armor that seemed to emit its own light, a shield that was made of steel-reinforced opals, and a massive broadsword which was surrounded by an almost divine flame. Spierel, only a few inches shorter than Lumos, wore radiant silver chain mail, and held in each hand a crystal mace. (2600/2200) (1800/1300)

"Next, I shall summon Paladin Xellos in attack mode, and now it is time for you to see the true power of my Paladins. Firstly, Lumos increases the attack power of every Paladin in play by 100 times their level. Next, Spierel increases the attack of every Paladin by 300 points, while Xellos gives every Paladin 100 attack points for every such monster on the field. Finally, my A. Forces card gives each monster 600 extra attack points, and the Seal of Orichalcos grants all my monsters 500 more attack and defense points!" Of course, before any of this could take place, the monster, a diamond chain mail armored archer, came upon the field. (1900/1200)

It was truly a horrific prospect, and Yusuke could do absolutely nothing to stop the tremendous surge of force he was about to face. However, somewhere in his mind he must have found it funny that the beings meant to do battle with darkness were serving it. (4700/2700) (3600/1800) (3700/1700)

"Your monster's power up won't save you this time, Yusuke! Ether Paladin Lumos, destroy his Kinetic Soldier with Sanctified Finality Blade!"

However, even before the monster could attack, Yusuke had counteracted.

"Reveal face down card, Channel Spirit Medium! When it's activated, only one monster can attack this turn, and the modes of all of my monsters in play are switched! Granted, I have to pay 100 life points for each level of my monster, but those are the breaks." (Yusuke: 800/ Shinobu: 10)

Undeterred, the holy knight charged forward and sliced into his mechanical foe, reducing him to seared metal and synthetic flesh upon impact, and Yusuke thanked God that he didn't have to see the eyes again.

"Impressive, Yusuke, but I doubt you can keep this up for much longer. There's only so much stalling you can do, and once you run out of defensive maneuvers I will strike you down. So go ahead and take your next turn; it's only a matter of time. (Yusuke: 800/ Shinobu: 9)

In his heart, the detective knew that he was right. Within a few more turns he would run out of traps, and the only card in his hand was a useless Magic card. The situation was almost hopeless.

Damn it…I have to do something, or this time I'll die for good. Heart of the Cards, you'd better kick in real soon…

Unsure of what to do next, Yusuke reached for his deck, heart raging in his ears as he drew ever closer to a win or loss. If he screwed up now, it was over. Everything came down to this, and the fate of everyone he knew and loved- Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tea, Botan, Genkai, Keiko - would be decided on that one draw.

Heh. This is how Yugi must have felt when he dueled Pegasus…

Somehow he was able to keep his hand steady, and reached for one of his cards. He did not know what would happen, but he expected it would not turn out well.

He did not expect what happened next. At that very moment, his entire deck began to glow with an ominous light, something he had not even seen in Spirit World.

"The hell?"

Yusuke could not believe it; some kind of unspoken power was emerging from his cards, and so was a soft, melancholy voice that resounded in his ears.

Yusuke…you have been chosen.

And without warning, the spirit detective felt a strange sensation of vertigo run through his veins as his soul was dragged from his body and into his deck…

Kagome vs. Jakotsu

"Alright, Jakotsu, it's time for me to turn this around!" Ok, it's not going to be easy, but if I can pull this off I may have a chance of getting what I need to put this pervert down once and for all. "First off, because he was destroyed last turn, Yuken is resurrected for half of the number of turns he was originally on the field face up, and he's being reborn in defense mode." Once again did the street tough angel step forward onto the field, little different in his mannerisms than he was before death except for his crouched position. (1800/1800) "I'll then set two cards face down, and that shall end my turn."

Jakotsu, to say the least, was more than a little surprised by the turn of events which had transpired; for such a seemingly furious and immature little brat, Kagome had been playing with her head thus far, and was thus able to set up what might or might not have been an excellent defense. However, there was only so long that this could last; both Dragon Lady and Dark Paladin gave Jakotsu total control of the playing field, and Masquerade Swordsman's attack power would give him the extra attack power he needed to end the match once and for all.

It was finally time to end their little strife, and that turn would be the deciding point.

"Heh. It's over for you. I activate the ability of my Dragon Lady, which allows me to destroy one of your face down cards using her effect. Looks like it won't be doing too much for the moment…"

Unfortunately, for Jakotsu at least, this was exactly what Kagome had hoped would happen.

"Nice try! I chain with the card you just targetted, Solar Ray, which deals you 600 life points worth of damage for every Light monster on my side of the field!"

In the split second the Dragon Lady had hesitated to use her effect, her target had instantly gone on the offensive, sending out a ray of solid light towards her unsuspecting master. Unable to stop it, Jakotsu was hurtled backwards for at least ten feet before he was able to regain his footing again, and when he did the mercenary felt as though his ribs had been crushed into themselves. (Kagome: 3500/ Jakotsu: 900)

You're gonna pay for that one, you little wench. Heh, you're gonna pay for it right now…

"Nice try, Kagome, but not nice enough. See, my monsters are still able to attack you, and with their current strength you won't win! Masquerade Swordsman, attack and destroy her Yuken, and this time make sure he stays that way!"

Deciding to take a rather more brusque attack tactic in this case, the genteel soldier charged forward, rapier extended at least a foot in front of him to skewer the seemingly immortal angel. He knew the attack would have to be instantaneous; Yuken's ability would not be able to activate if it was destroyed this turn.

The gritty angel reached for his pocketknife, ready to strike back when he glanced over to see his mistress give him a slight shake of the head. In spite of being a ruffian, Yuken knew perfectly what this meant, and thusly remained in his position.

Surprisingly, he remained calm and easygoing, even as the blade punched through his jugular and out the back of his neck.

"Poor dumb bastard never saw it coming. It's too bad, though; he was kinda cute in a bad boy sort of way."

Kagome gave an aggravated sigh at this; her grandfather had always warned her that guys only ever wanted one thing, and it looked like this was the case for Jakotsu, albeit with a different focus. But then again, she wasn't exactly complaining as to how it turned out.

"Thanks much, Jakotsu; you just let me activate my face down card, Baptism in Justice, which lets me draw a number of cards equal to the level of a monster which destroys one of my judges!"

But as Kagome drew her cards, the severity of the situation occurred to her; not only were her face down cards prey to the Dragon Lady, Jakotsu's Dark Paladin would be able to short out her Magic cards if he had enough cards on hand. And of course, the Swordsman was no easy prey either.

It would not be easy to pull a victory out of the situation, not at all. Yet she knew exactly how to pull it off…if she could draw the card she needed.

"Hey, keep your eyes on the match, huh? Dark Paladin, wrap this up!"

Without hinderence or any sense of fear, the aptly named super magical slashing swordsman used a different method of combat than the others, opting instead to use his magic to glide across the arena floor and carve the final remaining monster of Kagome's field, effectively disabling her draw advantage.

"Well, looks like this won't take too much longer. In fact, why don't you just give it up already? I'll just chop you up nice and fine and fry you up for that three-eyed freak Bankotsu talked to about this job." Course, you won't be the only thing getting cooked tonight, not at all…

Kagome hated to admit it, but her death was fast becoming a reality to consider if she could not pull off her next turn just right. The four cards she had drawn would be enough to end it…but only if the next card she drew was the right one.

"I'm not finished yet, Jakotsu. I'll never be finished, not until the duel is over."

"Don't mouth off to me! I'm about to end this once and for all, so I figure I'll end the turn here and now."

With that, Jakotsu leaned back and decided to watch the miko twist in the wind. The duel was almost done; all he would have to do was survive one more turn and it would all be over.

Kagome knew this, and knew that her next draw would be the deciding one.

"Let's end this! My move!"

With the final flick of the wrist, Kagome drew out her final card, the key, the defining component of what was to happen next. She held out all other thoughts and blanked the world away, all to focus on that single draw.

And when she saw the card…

"This is it, Jakotsu; you can't hide anymore! I activate the Magic card, Lightning Vortex, discarding a card from my hand to destroy all of your face up monsters in play!"

With that, Kagome slipped one of her cards into the graveyard and watched as the thunders began to roar overhead. C'mon, take the bait…

"HA! What kind of an idiot are you? I activate the effect of Dark Paladin, discarding a card of my own to negate your Raigeki wannabe!"

It was with an incredible sense of arrogance that Jakotsu slipped his last card into the grave, allowing his paladin to strike back, and strike back he did. With a mighty swing of his blade, the magical soldier sent a crackling arc of mystical energy into the very core of the spell, effectively breaking the clouds apart.

"You really thought that could beat me with that, didn't you? I mean, come ON, didn't you see the big guy in the black and blue armor on my field?"

"I did, Jakotsu…and I also knew that you'd negate that."

Kagome, who had thus far been looking either sick or exhausted in the duel so far, now had a very strange look on her face, a smirk of victory she rarely, if ever, flashed.

"I wanted you to negate that card so I could play this Magic card, Monster Reborn, and resurrect the monster I just discarded: Yudenki- Judge of Heaven!"

Now, under normal circumstances the magic of Monster Reborn entailed the appearance of a golden ankh upon the field. In this case, however, it was a platinum crucifix that caused the resurrection, and from said cross emerged one of Kagome's mightiest monsters.

The seraph that now emerged from the grave truly deserved that title; hovering a yard above the ground, he stood at a height of eight feet tall, dressed in robes of purest white decorated only with a small wooden cross on his chest, while on his back six massive golden wings spread out to illuminate the field. His face, while a youthful one, reflected wisdom held since the dawn of time, and his silver hair gleamed with the intensity of the first starlight. (2900/2400)

Jakotsu, however, did not care about the summoning of such a monster as this.

"Sorry, Kagome, but you've forgotten one thing. Remember, even if you can destroy my Dragon Lady, you still have the Masquerade Swordsman to deal with, and he'll be more than enough to take you to pieces."

"Not really. See, with the card I have in my hand it won't matter. I activate the Magic card, Holy Wings, and I'm gonna equip it to Yudenki, increasing his attack by an amount equal to his level times 100. It also gives him some more abilities, but it's not like that'll make much difference."

With that statement, Jakotsu felt a thousand needles of ice pour into his flesh, watching petrified as a second set of wings burst out from Yudenki's back, except these pinions were made of crystal which caught and refracted the light from the other wings, creating a rainbow colored aura around the divine being. It was a truly incredible sight for any of the devout who saw it, but for the murderer it was not so much a miracle as a death warrant. (3700/2400)

His previous arrogance was now his undoing, and for a few seconds Jakotsu began to tremble. Was this how it would all end, right here in some grungy hotel built by a fascist and controlled by a demon with a God complex?

Heh…looks like I'm not gonna spend much time with you after all, Yami. But I'll be back; just you wait 'n see…

Kagome didn't notice this thought, of course, and simply raised her eyes to meet Yudenki's. It had been a tremendous pain in the ass, but now the time had at last arrived to wrap the match up.

"Yudenki, it's time to end this! Attack Jakotsu's Dragon Lady with Sanctifying Light of the Inner Soul!"

With that one command instilled into his mind, the mighty judge of the heavens spread out his palm and extended it, reaching towards the pagan that had threatened his bretheren, and with his divine will a single white crucifix manifested itself upon said palm. For only a moment, nothing happened, but that was all the time Yudenki needed to summon his power.

A brilliant flash of light erupted from the apex of the cross, far stronger and much more resplendent than any that could be used by Saturn, and spread to encompass the entire dueling field. Nothing was unexposed, and all was shown as it was in the truest sense.

And for the shortest time, in a motion so swift it almost passed both by, the duelists felt a single breeze run across their cheeks, the breath of angels…

…followed immediately by a horrific roar of sound and light which tore massive gouges in the fabric of the arena, shredding and coursing across every square inch of the hallway and curling around Jakotsu's monster. Try as it might, the Dragon Lady could not escape the fury of the attack, and within seconds was reduced to nothing but ashes.

However, the attack was not close to done, for soon afterward fires of heaven streaked across the field from the remnants of the Dragon Lady, scorching all else that stood to counteract God's will, and thusly sailed to strike down Jakotsu. That was their purpose, and they were set upon it with all that held them to the world.

Jakotsu looked on in silence, unable to turn away as the final component of the attack sailed towards him. Normally, he would panic, or even shriek, but in this case he knew his safety was guaranteed.

Course, now would be a good time to get me the hell outta here!

And whatever being Jakotsu's inner ramblings were directed to, they seemed to comply, for at that moment he felt something tugging him downwards into darkness. It consumed him outright, and within seconds he knew no physical senses. However, he was indeed relaxed; after all, this was what had been previously arranged.

Finally.

Of course, this swift change in motion was not noticed by Kagome, who was too dazzled by the nature of her own monster's attack to see anything of the sort. (Kagome: 3500/ Jakotsu: 0)

When the light of the attack finally did clear, with the notable exception of the spots now swirling in Kagome's eyes, the miko stepped apprehensively forward, waiting to see if her opponent was waiting to kill her; her priestess energies could disable Jakotsu, but not for longer than a few minutes, so she would have to be cautious.

C'mon…where are you…?

It took a while for her to get it straight that Jakotsu had vanished, for reasons that eluded her apart from possible obliteration by the attack, a theory soon to be discarded when she saw that there were two perfectly intact golden keys in the position where the killer had last stood. By strange coincidence, this was where Kagome had first been linked up to her Duel Gauntlet, and this made her wonder as to what exactly destiny really was.

Funny. First a well changes my life, and now some dingy hallway in a crusty hotel is doing the same…

Yes, life had dealt her some rather strange blows in time past, and once again she was forced to wonder two things: what plan the world had in store for her, and whether anyone else felt this way in the world.

But there was no time for considering this, and Kagome's swift actions of collecting her prize reflected this. There was another duel going on…one even more important than hers.

Joey vs. Varon vs. Bui and Suikotsu

For obvious reasons, the reactions that were resultant of Varon's latest card were, in the basest of terms, quite mixed: Suikotsu had an expression that combined confusion, arrogance, and an underlying sense of dread; Bui, able to maintain his own calm as best he could, was rapidly screening his options to counteract the cornerstone of the Armor Deck he was up against; and Joey was both celebrating and cursing the bad memories of a card that was now serving him, to an extent at least.

Varon, however, was nothing short of ecstatic. It had been far too long since he'd been able to use the power of Armor Gravitation, and now it was time to make good use of it.

"Now, most of you know how this works already, but for kitty-claws here I'll spell it out. When it's played along with my Psychic Armor Head, I'm allowed to special summon up to four other Armor monsters from my deck to the field. However, that's not all it does. See, so far I've been playing my armor in separate pieces; this time, I'm gonna unite them as one!"

Yes, Bui was all too familiar with this strategic variation on the Armor deck, and he also knew that it posed a far greater threat to him than anything yet played so far…especially if he went with his deadliest combination, as it seemed likely he would do.

"Alrighty then, it's time to bring out the Borgman! I use the effect of my Armor Gravitation to special summon Active Guard, Over Booster, Trap Buster, and Big Bang Blow from my deck to the field!"

At that very instant, a rather unusual occurrence took place, for where once was an empty field was now a set of five components of armor: the Psychic Armor Head with which they had been called, a pair of heavy cybernetic, silver and blue boots with miniature jet boosters built into the heels, and two mechanized gauntlets of the same color and style that appeared to have a sort of skeletal appearance to the knuckles. By themselves they did not seem all that intimidating, and in fact their stats lessened any fear for anyone who had never seen them in action before. (0/1000) (0/500) (0/0) (0/0)

Already Bui was beginning to shake in terror; he had not for a moment anticipated that Varon would be using Armor Gravitation so early in the match, and now he was exposed on the field with a monster with 2500 attack points.

Suikotsu, having never actually seen this play, was not overly impressed by what he saw before him, and Varon was quick to pick up on this.

"I know what you're thinking; why'd I make such a fuss about four new monsters with no attack points? Well, why don't I show you? Armor, gravitate!"

With that one command, Varon allowed himself to become the focal point of his five components of armor, letting their fairly effective artificial intelligence take over and link to his body. And link they did, and to great effect.

The first component to attach was the Big Bang Blow, splitting in two and form-fitting itself around Varon's left arm, a movement copied by the Trap Buster. Next came the Over Boosters, fitting elegantly to his legs and snapping into place, while in the internal workings the initial firing light was armed. This was followed by the Active Guard sliding onto his torso as would the more primitive forms used in medieval Europe. Finally, the Psychic Armor Head was set into place, connecting to the rest of the armor and unifiying its movements to the will and brainwaves of the wearer, who just happened to be Varon.

It took about a second for the helm's viewport to lock into place, and the second it did an HUD similar to that used by military targeting systems manifested itself before his eyes. With this, Varon was able to examine the field around him with an almost seamless perspective on what an opponent might attempt for a counterattack, and it had been of good use thus far.

Within seconds the helmet was reading off what it had gathered from the fields. The most obvious threat was Bui; with his armor at the strength it was he wouldn't stand much of a chance in an offensive maneuver on his part. However, the threat of a trap was still present, so he would have to tread cautiously.

Or I could just blow through his life points; yeah, that's the way. But first things first…

"Before I do anything, I'll activate one of the equip cards in my hand, known as Big Bang Focus Emitter, which lets me direct my Big Bang Blow's effect to only one field, and since you two chumps are dueling as a team, it's safe to say you'll fit the bill. Course, I can only use this effect once and it converts to a 700 point boost at the end of this turn, but it'll be worth it."

Unseen again was Bui's fearful expression, but this time it could be heard by Suikotsu as the sound of knashing teeth worked its way over to him to cause no end of aggravation on his part.

"I assume that those sissy motions of yours mean the effect scares you?"

"It should scare you as well, Suikotsu. When Big Bang Blow attacks, it automatically wipes out all monsters in play. Combined with his Focus Emitter, it essentially means he'll clear our field out."

"And this scares you why? I mean, that Armor deck can support itself with other monsters."

Varon watched with some amusement as the two duelists bickered like an old married couple, confident in the knowledge of his own monster's ability…one which he would activate at that very moment, especially with the help of his latest enhancement, which appeared as a gauntlet with twin hydraulic pistons leading into kinetic energy knuckles.

It was time to kick some ass.

"Alright, you two, time to watch the birdy!"

For a moment, both Joey and Suikotsu looked at the second and foremost Armor duelist in a state of disbelief; it was fairly easy sometimes to forget that Varon was an extremely skilled duelist by virtue of his seeming light-heartedness. However, it was when faced with the Borgman, with Varon's full strength, that one realized what a truly frightening opponent he could be, especially with his signature crusher blow.

"BIG BANG BLOW!"

And with that one mighty declaration, Varon was on the move, Over Boosters pumping a highly concentrated form of adrenaline and other such hormones into his bloodstream to make him blitz forward as though he was a marathon runner. Of course, this was merely to build initial speed for what happened next, for within a moment or so the jet rockets built into the Over Boosters roared into life, catapulting Varon through the air at ungodly speeds matched only by those such as Hiei.

Both Joey and Bui could tell what was going to happen next, and Suikotsu could tell that it would not end well at all.

Varon could easily tell the string of such emotions as he hurtled through the air, being very careful so as to keep a basic area lock onto his target. Luckily the Psychic Armor Head did most of the work, but he could never be too careful.

Overall, however, it did not take long to wrap the whole thing up. Within seconds Varon was in striking range of the second Armor duelist, and that was more than enough reason to land the attack.

The strike was at an unprecedented rate of speed, and if either duelist watching blinked they would miss it, but neither did, and so they bore witness to an incredible display of strength and skill. All it took was one punch from Varon's Big Bang Blow to trigger the effect, and within an instant both Bui and his monsters were sent hurtling into the air by a massive explosion, one that would likely have killed the duelist were it not simply a hologram.

In spite of that, Bui proceeded to curse as he tumbled to the ground, his armor destroyed and his life points quite the worse for wear. (Joey: 3900/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 500/ Suikotsu: 4800))

"All right. Since Suikotsu has no monsters, Big Bang Blow won't do a thing to him, so I'll wrap up with a face down card. Take it away." (700/0)

"Hrm. I'll do more than that, Armor duelist. Draw!"

Suikotsu may have had the most life points at that point, but he knew that his circumstances were, at best, abysmal. Joey's monster, at 2800 attack points, had more than enough power to eliminate Bui in the next round, and Varon's Big Bang Blow alone could deal quite a hefty chunk of damage. If combined with similar cards, then the situation would be just about hopeless.

However, in spite of his near psychopathic bloodlust, Suikotsu was also at heart a doctor…a theory which worked for both healing and destroying if applied right.

"Alright, I activate the Magic card, Disproportionality Serum! When activated, all duelists in play are allowed to draw cards until their hands are equal to the difference of levels between the strongest monster in play and the weakest, along with one additional card. In this case, the total would be five, but that's not where my card ends. For every card I play during this turn, I will gain 200 life points during the end phase, meaning I can circumvent the flaw in Damage Ointment."

Each duelist, at this, drew out their cards, left even more bewildered at the tremendous inconsistencies in Suikotsu's strategy. It seemed he constantly fluctuated from full-out offensive to a life point boosting machine, and it also appeared that his personality shifted to match the new strategy. And while it seemed inefficient, it was certainly keeping everyone on their toes.

"Now, on to part two. I summon Mephistophelean Surgeon to the field in attack mode!"

Suikotsu's next monster, as could be expected, was of an occult and rather grotesque persuasion. Standing like a hunchback over his tools, the demonic practioner of medicine was green-fleshed and multi-armed, and upon each such arm was a triad of razor sharp claws dripping with the blood of his intentional malpractices. (1550/750)

"Now, as you can likely guess from my monster's name, it has something of a medical following, namely, the ability to deal 700 life points of damage whenever it destroys a monster. And thanks to my Equip card, Sacrilege Chainsaw, destroying a monster won't be much of a problem thanks to its 1000 point attack boost and an increase of 500 points when attacking a monster whose level is higher."

With that said, the devilish surgeon was endowed with the most horrific weapon any doctor could control: a massive chainsaw, formed of black steel and equipped with a jagged, flesh-rending chain. (2550/750)

"And now, Armor duelist, it's time for me to end your pathetic involvement in this duel! Mephistophelean Surgeon, destroy his Psychic Armor Head!"

With his commands deepset into his tremendously warped mind, the not so good doctor began to hobble towards Varon, his chainsaw roaring into life as he positioned it in a way that could very easily botch a surgery. Everyone knew that if the blow connected, Varon's role in the duel would end on the spot.

Joey, knowing this and also knowing what would happen should that occur, simply leaned back and smirked.

Shouldnt've done that.

"Sorry, Suikotsu! I activate the Trap card, Armor Reversal Fist! All I have to do is discard an Armor monster from my hand, and I can automatically destroy any monster attacking another Armor on my side of the field!"

Bui, of course, had known this was coming, with the exception of what specific card Varon had planned on using. One of the key weaknesses of an Armor deck was the fact that it very rarely had a lot of overall offensive power, so the real skill of anyone using it was the skill of protecting those weaker monsters. And Varon had clearly mastered that aspect of it.

You are indeed stronger than I expected, Armor duelist, and Joey Wheeler is also a formidable opponent. Perhaps it is time I myself drew out my real power…the true might of my Armor deck…

And luckily for Bui, he had drawn out that power.

Varon did not notice any of this contemplation, only caring about the sudden opportunity to put the "good doctor" in his rightful place, and with that purpose he swung his empowered fist directly into the attacking surgeon's face, smashing it to pieces and decapitating the monster on impact.

"Damn it! How long do you intend to stall, Varon!"

"Long as it takes to kick your ass."

Suikotsu's ire, which had been steadily building over the past few days, was nearing the breaking point as he watched the Armor duelist slowly dismantle his scheme. Everything he had heard about these two from Sesshomaru was completely inaccurate, and it was quickly becoming obvious that he had been duped.

I see. The son of a bitch wants to get Wheeler out of the way, so he's having us guage his skills to figure out a way to beat him. Clever, Sesshomaru, but I'm afraid that now that I know what I'm up against…you won't have a chance to find out.

"Alright then. At any rate, I'll move into my Main Phase 2, and activate Past Reprieve Medication, which shall grant Bui and I life points equal to the level of a monster destroyed in one battle phase during this turn times 100, along with 1000 extra life points, and luckily for me those life points are added when the next turn starts, meaning they too avoid the backlash of Damage Ointment. And with a card face down, I end my turn."

This statement also had another effect, as Joey watched Suikotsu's life points rise slightly. (Joey: 3900/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 500/ Suikotsu: 5600))

"Ok then, it's time for me to take over this circus! Draw!" This too had a dual effect, for the other card Suikotsu had played kicked in at the moment of Joey's draw. (Joey: 3900/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 1900/ Suikotsu: 7000))

Jesus, this guy's life points just won't stay down. And I've got a bad feelin' about the knight in gruesome armor over there…

Still, in spite of a worsening situation and with no monsters in play, Joey had to admit his hand was looking pretty good.

"Ok, first off, I summon Marauding Captain to da field in attack mode, and I'll use his ability to summon Gearfried the Iron Knight from my hand!"

With those words, Joey called forward his monsters, namely the battle-worn commander armed with twin swords and the black iron-clad soldier who had locked himself away from swords. (1200/1400) (1800/1600)

"I'm not even close to done. Next, I'll play the Magic card, Reinforcements of the Army, which lets me add a level four or lower Warrior monster from my deck to my hand. Finally, I'll play the card I just drew this turn. Care to guess what it is?"

Suikotsu gritted his teeth in anticipation, waiting to see what Joey had in mind. Bui was also in a similar state; however, he had a very real…and very frightening…idea of what he was dealing with.

"Well, you took too long, but thanks for playing. Now, let's show 'em what's behind card number one: Release Restraint!"

At this, Bui stepped back a ways, but did not seem terribly shocked; he had been able to detect just what Joey had planned. Suikotsu's venom-filled look indicated he had had no such preparation, as did the muffled exclamation of "oh fuck" he uttered soon thereafter.

Joey was obviously elated at these expressions, and knew that he was ready to kick some mercenary ass with his new attacker.

At about this time, the Marauding Captain stepped aside, being very familiar with who really lived inside the shell of Gearfried the Iron Knight. In fact, many years ago they had both battled in the great war which had torn their nation asunder, and he had seen how all of existence had shuddered at the calling of Gearfried's true wrath. He had seen firsthand the fury of his great blade, how whole armies had been ripped into bloody tatters with one swing of the sword.

"Ok, people, say goodbye to Gearfried the Iron Knight, and hello to Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

Gearfried's armor had, at this point, started to crack along the seams, his unchanging iron face splintering as every single safety lock that bound his power was broken. All that held his boundless energy in check fell to pieces, and soon the armor itself dissipated from the raw power.

Keep your eye on the birdy, Suikotsu. This one's gonna be a photo finish.

The resulting flash was incredible, blinding everyone participating in the duel and causing spots to appear in the eyes of the few desperate to live out there. But when said flash subsided, the end result was anything but artistic. In fact, it was downright savage.

The true form of Gearfried, aptly named Gearfried the Swordmaster, was essentially a hulking mass of muscle that seemed also to have a sort of finess to it. Standing at least a foot taller than Bui, which was no mean biological feat, Gearfried's flowing black hair and tribal-medieval fusion loincloth indicated he was indeed a being of a rare and noble, if bloodthirsty, lineage. (2600/2300)

"'Course, strong as my Swordmaster is, he still needs a little extra juice, and I think a little number called Polymerization can help with that. Fuse Gearfried and Gilford together to summon Ares- Father of the Sword!"

Varon, having been watching Joey intently since the duel began, gave a small whistle of surprise and admiration. He'd heard of the monster Joey had just played, and it was a very rare and powerful one.

Heh. Wheeler might just stand a chance in this duel…

As Joey's words were uttered, the two legendary soldiers were absorbed into the magic of Polymerization, and as they were fused together a faint sound of baritone trumpet could be heard around them, like the call to war of an ancient civilization it was.

After only a moment, the source of those sounds could be determined, for from the fusion portal roared an entire army of medieval soldiers, armed to the teeth with daggers, spears, swords, and crossbows. And leading them was a giant of a man, towering at a horrific twelve feet in height and clad in golden armor styled in a fashion similar to that of the Greeks, armor which stretched over his rippling form. In each hand he held a sword: his left held the weapon of Gilford and his right held the giant claymore that Gearfried had once used. His face was disguised beneath a Spartan helmet fashioned of bone, but pitch black, curled hair was evident beneath it, and blood dribbled from his mouth as much as his swords. (3200/2000)

"Okay, let's start with the basics. First off, when he's summoned, I can special summon any Warrior from my hand to the field, so I'll start by summoning the Goblin Attack Force I added to my hand this turn with Reinforcements of the Army." As Joey said this, a new monster, or rather, a collection of brass-armored orcs equipped with melee weapons, appeared on the field. (2300/0) "Next, if I summon such a monster, I'm allowed to special summon Soldier Tokens to the field until all field zones, two in this case, are filled!" At this, two of the warriors Ares had called to the field were summoned, while the rest set up camp behind him. (1000/1000) x2

"Now, you're probably wonderin' what these little guys do, so I'll explain it. See, once per turn, I can flip a coin, and if it comes up heads I can sacrifice a Token and special summon any Warrior monster from my deck to the field as long as his total attack is less than that of the total of the strongest and the weakest in play, besides Ares, of course. If tails, I lose a monster from my deck and the Token goes bye-bye. So let's see what's gonna happen!"

With a hand well practiced in coin flips, Joey pulled out a 100-yen piece from his pocket and chucked it into the air, watching with intent eyes as it spun about. If he pulled this off, his field would be pretty much unstoppable.

The coin slowed its spin as it fell back to earth, and it became the focal point of everyone involved in the duel. If he got it right…

It took only a moment to see the end result…a result Joey had hoped would come up.

"OH YEAH! It's heads, baby, and I'm usin' it to summon Freed the Matchless General from my deck!"

The effect initiated itself like the flow water, seamlessly replacing the Soldier Token with the hardened general of the unnamed Warrior monster army. (2300/1700)

"Alright, now it's time to do some damage! Course, Ares can't attack because he was fused, but that doesn't mean the others can't do their part! Goblin Attack Force, attack Bui's life points directly!"

Screaming at the top of their lungs, the miniature army of goblins began drunkenly charging the now defenseless Armor duelist, who simply stood his ground as if nothing was wrong. All he did was carefully remove a card from his hand and slide it into the graveyard…and it was then that Joey realized the gross error of what he had done.

"I activate the discard effect of one of the monsters in my hand, namely the effect of the Barrier Skin Armor; when discarded during the turn of a direct attack, I am allowed to reduce any damage from such attacks for the turn to 0, an effect which counts for the entire field."

Joey, in spite of frustration towards the failed attempt on Bui's life points, had to admit it was an impressive move as he watched a thin layer of psychokinetic energy wrap around his enemy's entire body and intercept every blow made by the goblins. Still, they would have to find a way to break through both Suikotsu's rapidly increasing life points and Bui's crafty evasions of destruction.

"Gyahh…fine, I'll end my turn."

"Good; now, Joey and Varon, it is high time I show you the real power that this deck of mine is capable of. I draw!"

The mighty Armor soldier, with one sweep of his massive forearm, saw victory staring him in the eyes. This was the card he had been waiting for, the card which would cement his victory.

"Alright, let's start with the activation of the Field Magic card known as Dark Gravity, a card which allows me to use all of my field zones to summon Armor monsters." Bui's words preceded a sudden drop in temperature as each duelist and monster felt their density almost triple.

"Next, I shall activate one of my deadliest cards: Backup Gravitation, which can only be activated if I have no monsters on my side of the field. It allows me to special summon Armor monsters from my deck equal to or less than the number of monsters my opponents have, so in this case, I will summon nine new Armor monsters from my deck: Mass Mech Knuckles, Super Nova Shield, Shadow Boots, Blast Shell, Meteor Knuckle, Rocket Booster Zero, Virtue Plate, Tactical Armor Helm, and Hyper Body! "

Joey, hearing this horrific number, almost vomited onto his hand. Not even Varon had ever been able to bring out that many monsters before.

Varon was aware of Joey's surprise, but was more aware of the shaking in his knees. This was the true power of Bui's deck; he should have known from the start based on the sort of Armor he was using.

No…he's going to use it…I don't believe it…

None of these emotions slipped by Suikotsu's keen eye. He could practically smell the fear emanating from his opponents; he could feel their heartbeats pick up a violent tempo. This was why he dueled, this incredible sense of awareness and knowledge. For Suikotsu, dueling was all about the inspiration and sensation of terror; the look of utter defeat and realization of it was all the victory he ever needed.

In that regard, Bui's latest tactic was the ultimate victory.

Hm. You're better than I expected for a brutish lummox…

And as for Bui, he felt a strange, almost alien sensation run along his skin. Not since the first summoning of his Battle Aura had he felt like this; for him, this was the true meaning of the duel, the thrill of power, of strength, of the warrior's spirit. He knew that at the core, Duel Monsters was a game of combat, and as such he felt a certain attachment to it.

Joey understands that, I imagine. He knows what the duel is about…and he knows what will happen to him because of it.

Bui was ready. He had been ready since he first studied this power and learned to use it properly. No one he was aware of had survived in a duel where he used this power; it was the reason Hiei had found him, this unspeakable force he wielded. This was the full might of the Armor deck; it was what made people create the decks, and likely what had inspired Varon to construct his own deck.

It was time to unlock that power. It was time…to release the Machina Juggernaut.

Yami vs. Renkotsu

Meteor of Destruction. It was certainly a card Yami could have lived without ever seeing again, and he almost wondered whether Renkotsu had played the card with previous knowledge of his history with it; it certainly wouldn't surprise him if that was the case. Add to that Renkotsu's dangerously skilled handling of life point damage cards thus far, and it made for a very dangerous mixture.

"Heh. I can see from the look on your face that you've figured out exactly what I plan to do, Pharaoh. You see, in addition to inflicting 1000 points of damage to your life points, Meteor of Destruction forces one of your monsters to attack, an effect which normally would be more beneficial to you. However, since the only monster I have in play is Mine Golem, you will have to attack him instead. This means that combined with Meteor of Destruction you will lose 1500 life points, and that's enough to end this duel."

A sudden flare of raw power surged up behind and above Renkotsu's head, manifesting itself as a portal to some other plane of existence that Yami was all too familiar with. He knew exactly what was going to happen; he had seen it before.

So it was no surprise to either of them when a tremendous sphere of flames burst from the vortex at unimaginable speeds that was capable of inflicting massive damage to whoever it struck. It was both horrific and beautiful at once, like a gladiator fight, and Yami knew that if he was hit by the attack, the duel would be over then and there.

"Hm. It was certainly an interesting challenge, but I'm afraid that you simply couldn't stand up to me after all."

Yami, staring directly at the oncoming meteor, did not hear Renkotsu's taunt. At that point, he wasn't really listening to him at all. However, he did intend to let the pyromaniac know that he was watching the match.

"Sorry, Renkotsu, but I can't let you win this duel. The fates of too many people are riding on this tournament, and I won't let your deluded master hurt any of them! I activate my face down card, Barrel Behind the Door!"

"What! There's no way you could have that card! In all the duels I studied, never once did you use it!"

"Hm. It seems you were misinformed, and now you're about to pay the price!"

As Yami said this, a small hatchway opened up in the magic and trap zone directly in front of him, revealing an ancient device which quite strongly resembled a long-range artillery piece. However, as was the manner of the trap card itself, the device was not meant to fire its own ammunition; it was designed to launch back similar offenses.

It was for this reason that the cannon adjusted itself so that it would be directly in the path of the Meteor of Destruction when it struck. And when it did, things were going to get really ugly, really fast…for Renkotsu, at least.

Damn it…of all the traps the Pharaoh could have used, it had to be that one…

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Within mere seconds the meteor had slammed into the cannon, but instead of destroying the weapon it was absorbed and loaded into the muzzle. Once this had been accomplished, the Barrel Behind the Door swiveled downwards and shifted its position so that it was pointing directly at Renkotsu.

"Cannon launch!"

The trap only needed that one command for it to fire its newfound ammo back to whence it came, and almost as soon as it was launched it connected with the target, sending Renkotsu hurtling through the air and into a wall. (Yami: 1500/ Renkotsu: 2500)

"And in case you forgot, Renkotsu, the other effect of Meteor of Destruction still activates, since Barrel Behind the Door only negates damage. Now, Crystal Baron Sage, destroy Renkotsu's Mine Golem!"

The flow of Yami's strategy was almost perfect as the aforementioned necromancer lifted his mace and poured his own brand of black magic into the crushing head of its main tool of destruction, whereupon he hurled the mace with all his might directly at the walking land mine.

The result was nothing short of catastrophic. The split second the attack struck, something triggered in the programming of the Mine Golem and enough nitroglycerin was set off to tear apart a city block quite easily were it not a hologram. As it stood, the only result was a blinding inferno which engulfed the field and seared both duelists.

And when it was over, the two were still standing, if considerably weaker for the wear. (Yami: 1000/ Renkotsu: 350)

"Hm. It appears your plan has backfired, Renkotsu, rather severely, I might add."

"HA! You may have negated my Meteor of Destruction, but I still have my own artillery to fall back on! I activate the Magic card, Wave Motion Cannon!"

Yami could not really say he was surprised by the move; if Renkotsu was the master of "burn" techniques, then it was inevitable he would have played Wave Motion Cannon at some point or other.

"Heh. This duel is just about over, Pharaoh. As soon as I reach my next main phase, I'll fire the cannon, causing you to lose 1000 life points and the duel. I knew you wouldn't be able to defeat me, even if you could counter my strategy as effectively as you did, but just to be safe I'll activate another Magic card, Wave Motion Shot! In exchange for not drawing on my next turn while Wave Motion Cannon is in play, I can destroy cards on your side of the field equal to the number of cards I played this turn, meaning your entire field is reduced to ashes!"

With a wave of his hand, Renkotsu set the Wave Motion Cannon to work, grinning slightly as it hurled massive shells of electrically charged fire onto his enemy's field, levelling it and everything he had left to fight with. Soon enough Yami was left defenseless, staring down defeat in his opponent's next turn.

"Now, to seal my victory. Because three of your cards were destroyed at once with this effect, I can summon three Wave Motion Token monsters to the field in defense mode to protect me in case you summon a monster. Also, these tokens will prevent you from destroying Wave Motion Cannon unless you destroy them first."

And in a deliberate spitting in Yami's eye, the Wave Motion Cannon performed one more deed: the generation of three hyperactive spheres of electrical energy that appeared not to have developed the concept of rest or any form of sitting still. (0/0) x3

"Hm. There's nothing you can do. You have no monsters to attack me, and I'm about to take this duel with a card you can't destroy. It's over, so I'll end my turn."

You made it seem like this was going to be some kind of blowout, Hiei. The Pharaoh is skilled, yes, but not quite as much as you made me think. In any event, it will be over soon, and then the real fun will begin.

By now Renkotsu imagined that Jakotsu had been bested already; in all seriousness he was the least skilled duelist of the Band of Seven that actually knew how to play the game. This, of course, meant that his escape route had been enacted, and it also meant that the pyro duelist could now do things his way.

"Ready to lose, Pharaoh?"

"Not today, Renkotsu. You've played well, but I cannot let you win this duel."

"As if you have a choice! You're backed into a corner with certain death staring you right in the eye, and you say that you will not lose? HA! Don't try and sell me the Heart of the Cards, Pharaoh; I've never bought into it at all."

"It doesn't matter if you buy into it or not; it will still be the instrument of your undoing. My move!"

A draw. A single flick of the palm, with everything riding on the result. This was the truth of the duel, the simple, ever-present reality of it. To pin all the hopes, dreams, and stakes upon something as random as a card draw took great strength of will and incredible conviction, and it was this conviction that was the essence, the soul of the true duelist. Those that could tap it and control it were almost invincible, and to be able to do this was the mark of a champion. How they did it was unknown, and many thought it was sheer stubbornness, but

Up until that day, Yami's conviction had come from those around him, his friends and comrades, and the desire to protect them. But now, the pure source of his drive was much simpler.

It was in the form of an attractive miko with whom he knew he would spend the rest of his days with. And it was with her strength, her love, that he drew the deciding card.

"Well, are you ready to accept defeat, Pharaoh? After all, as it stands the odds of you emerging victorious are slim to none."

Yami needed only look at the card to see what had to be done, and knowing this he grinned slightly.

"Hm. Well, it appears I have beaten those odds."

His cool words and confident demeanor struck a chord in Renkotsu that sent a cold feeling of terror into his veins. How could he be so certain of his victory with the situation he was in?

Something's not right here; it's almost as if he was able to draw any card he wanted from his deck…

"This duel is over, Renkotsu, and I have just drawn the one card that will end it. You see, I realized that in order for me to beat you, I would have to match you wit for wit. In other words, to defeat you, I had to think-and duel- like you."

It only took Renkotsu an instant to put two and two together, and when he realized what card Yami was talking about his eyes widened in horror.

"No…not that card…"

"Yes, Renkotsu, I have indeed drawn the card known as…Rapid Fire Magician!"

The final summon of the duel, usually resulting in the calling of an incredibly powerful monster or an unholy effect juggernaut, was instead used to summon forth a relatively weak monster, for what stood before the two duelists was a svelte spellcaster with light lavendar hair dressed in clothing similar to that of the Chaos Sorceror. However, unlike the previous mages, this particular monster was armed with twin staves, and surrounding him were ten flaming orbs of channeling stone. (1600/1200)

"Now, as I said to you before, in order to beat you, I must duel like you, and Rapid Fire Magician will allow me to do just that. You see, whenever I activate a Normal Magic card, I can deal you 400 points of damage…meaning that once I play one final card, this duel is over."

Renkotsu could not believe it. The Pharaoh had pulled it off; in the face of unbelievable odds, he had drawn the one card he needed to end the game. It simply made no logical sense!

How could he have done it? He undid me…with one little card!

"And now…the end. I activate the Magic card, Brave Attack, which shall total the attack strength of all my current monsters in play and allow me to use that attack strength in one battle. However, that is not at all why I played it, as you're about to see. Rapid Fire Magician, use your effect to end this duel!"

It was almost over, and all that had to be done was to deliver the final blow, as Yami's magician was about to do. With one great summoning of power, the slim magician sent a barrage of orbs from around him directly towards Renkotsu, each smashing into his gut and leaving a slight singe in the process. The rate of fire increased as the orbs circled about, each dealing an increasing amount of damage and increasing the assault rate until it became like a machine gun firing, hence the monster's name.

And after only a few minutes, the barrage was done…as was the strongest duelist of the Band of Seven. (Yami: 1000/ Renkotsu: 0)

Damn it…how did he do it? How could he have pulled it off? Against astronomical odds he was able to draw the one card he needed to win; it doesn't make any sense!

"It's over, Renkotsu. It was a close match, but I was able to defeat you and your plans."

Listening to the Pharaoh gloat, watching as his Duel Gauntlet returned to standby mode, and slowly realizing his deck, his ultimate burn deck, had been defeated, Renkotsu felt the embers of his own wrath begin to flare up. He would not accept defeat, not now, not ever again.

"Heh. You really think you've won, Pharaoh?"

Renkotsu, with the mark of death in his eyes, slowly and carefully stood up from his quasi-fetal position he had been forced into, locking eyes with his new nemesis. He may have lost the duel, but he would not accept defeat. It would end here, even if he couldn't get the Puzzle through proper means.

"Don't think for even a second that I'll let you walk away from this alive. You see, while the others you faced may have allowed you to live after they lost their duel, I will not be so merciful. When you get right down to it, this entire tournament is all about survival…and if I kill you, that's one more day Jagenshi lets me live."

Renkotsu's eyes flared now in hate as he extracted something from his body armor, and soon enough Yami was facing the business end of a flintlock pistol.

"Now, Yami no Yuugi, it's time I send you on the road to hell, courtesy of the Band of Seven!"

Yami knew he had to react fast; his Mind Crush technique required a certain amount of time to initiate, time he did not have thanks to the range of Renkotsu's weapon. And since he had no immediate access to any sort of weaponry he could use, the solution was obvious.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yami reached up and grabbed the barrel of the pistol, forcing it away from him just as Renkotsu pulled the trigger. Luckily, the shot did not hit the door or anything else which could result in the harm of anyone innocent, embedding itself in the wall quite snugly.

"You just don't take a hint, do you!"

His first attack plan having failed quite miserably, Renkotsu jumped backwards and stood in a combative position, ready to set the entire room on fire if he needed to.

"I don't know how egotistical you are, Pharaoh, but it won't matter. I'll send you to your grave if I have to cremate everyone in this whole damn building!"

Yami, seeing that Renkotsu was quite serious in this threat, drew out part of his power in a standby effect. If the pyromaniac tried anything, he would be ready for it.

However, luck was on Yami's side that day, for just as soon as the two warriors were ready to do battle, the fire user pressed his left hand to his ear, as if receiving a signal from some unknown source.

Renkotsu, of course, knew what this was about. He had been afraid that this would happen.

Damn it, of all the times he could have called, it had to be now…

"Hm. Well, it seems that we'll have to finish this some other time, Pharaoh. As it stands, there's something else that needs to be done."

What!

"This is far from over, Yami no Yuugi. And believe me, we will be meeting again."

With those chilling words, Renkotsu turned around and bolted for the window, in a mad dash to escape the room. Yami was soon to follow, palm ready to enact the magic he had summoned. However, before any attacks could be made, the fire mercenary had crashed out the window, leaving nothing behind of his presence save broken glass and a glistening key where he had stood for the duel.

Yami could not believe it. Had Renkotsu really been so desperate for an escape that he had thrown himself out of the window of a ninth floor hotel room? No, he wouldn't be that stupid.

There was only one explanation, therefore. Somehow Renkotsu must have had some kind of escape route in order. However, from what Yami could see outside the window there were no such vehicles that could have been used for that effect, which meant only one thing.

Somehow Renkotsu had been able to use some sort of magic that would allow an easy teleportation from his location, and as far as Yami could tell only Hiei had that kind of power.

So, whatever happened in this duel wouldn't matter, since Renkotsu, and most likely Jakotsu as well, would have an escape route. It was all set up for us, a brilliant contingency plan to reuse two of his strongest warriors.

One thing was certain, though: Renkotsu would definitely be back for vengeance or assignment, whichever he so chose…

"Uh…Yami…is it over?"

The Pharaoh almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the squeaky voice of Shippo pop out from under the couch; he had been so wired from the duel he had not seen the kitsune hide himself.

"Yes, Shippo. You can come out now if you want."

It did not surprise Yami too much that the little fox did not immediately remove himself from his hiding place. From what he had heard, Shippo had encountered the Band of Seven before, and it was doubtful that he would want to face them again.

Yami himself had to admit that the Band of Seven was going to be a fearsome opponent. He had just barely been able to defeat one of them in a duel, and if he was correct about their capacities in hand-to-hand combat then he was in quite a bit of trouble.

But until then, he would deal with whatever Hiei, Naraku, and Dartz sent after him. He had done it before, and he would do it a hundred times again if he had to.

I don't care how long it takes. I'll defeat whoever they send after me to defend the people I love…

This was more true now than it ever was before, because in those days he had been fighting for friends and family, but now…he was fighting for the woman who had made his dreams reality.

Kagome…my strength…

He was ready. He had been ready since the day he was born, and now it was time to prove it. Yami knew his skills were up to snuff, and with the cards that had served him so well in the past he would win this fight too.

"Yami?"

The Pharaoh had been so focused in his thoughts that he had not heard the shattered door open behind him, and it was only upon hearing the seraphic voice flow from the threshold that he turned to see his lady love. She had never looked more beautiful, especially since the wide smile on her face was one of victory, instead of a mask as she had done before.

It was that one smile, that single expression which was, in a very real sense, Yami's everything.

"Kagome?"

"I heard everything from behind the door! Oh, Yami, I can't believe you did it! You beat Renkotsu! Oh, I'm so happy I could burst!"

Her eyes lit up like the fires of the most beautiful star, her face was gleaming in jubilation, and in that moment, in Yami's eyes, Kagome transcended womanhood and became, quite simply, an art form, more so than even Kikyo had been…and that was saying something.

But as Kagome began running towards him, arms outstretched to embrace him again, the Pharaoh felt a sudden, horrific sensation of dread as he sensed a tremendous demonic aura speeding towards him. It was truly horrific; the aura was moving at unimaginable speeds that even Hiei could not match, and it was closing directly on him.

No…no, it's not headed for me. It's headed for…NO!

"Kagome, stop!"

But it was too late. From directly in front of Yami, more specifically his shadow, a lightning swift humanoid-looking being shot forward and made a direct beeline for Kagome. She did not scream, cry, or even stop running. The movement was so quick that her expression had no time to change, and within an instant, the mysterious soldier had scooped Kagome into his arms.

"KAGOME!"

Yami was all but devastated as he looked upon his beloved, gripped in the vice-like clasp of a shadowy being that had no name or face; every detail about him was artfully concealed in darkness. All he could tell for sure was that he was emitting a tremendous demonic aura, one that was at least an A-Class if he remembered demon classification correctly.

But after a moment, the demon did speak in a throaty, almost strained voice, which was more than can be said for the stunned miko.

"Hm. It's about damn time you let your guard down, Pharaoh. I couldn't even get within an inch of you and the priestess while you were all lovey-dovey…"

"Who are you, and what do you want with Kagome!"

The monster said nothing for a moment, using a deep chuckle as his response.

"Honestly, I don't care about her. If it were up to me I would have filleted her esophagus already, but apparently my superiors need her alive. And before you start asking, I was sent by Hiei, and he gives you this message: you can have your little toy back if you want, but you'll have to find her first. Believe me, I'm not going to make it easy for you."

Yami could not believe how blind he had been. The duels of Renkotsu and Jakotsu, the seperation, it had all been set up so that Hiei would win either way…

"Don't act so surprised, Pharaoh. Jagenshi has you cornered in any event; he controls all the doors, he holds all the keys, and he will stop at nothing to get your little trinket…including the death of this piece of eye candy here."

"Put her down, now! You have no idea what you're doing!"

"I beg to differ, Pharaoh Atem. My superior has every single facet of his plan figured out, and he knows exactly what to do next. But until then, I really do have to get back to the main base, and Kagome's coming with me, whether you like it ot not."

By now Yami had been able to summon his power to a full usage point, and he was mere seconds from enacting it when he realized that Kagome, who had fallen into a faint from terror, would also receive the brunt of the Mind Crush. There was nothing he could do.

"Hm. I knew you were too weak to do anything."

And with those biting words, the nameless being slipped away into the darkness that spawned him, escaping Yami's eyes and his wrath...and taking Kagome with him.

He could not believe it. She had slipped through his fingers again…and it was all his fault.

Kagome…

The blood began rushing through his head as the shock overtook him. He was seeing it all: Hiei, Naraku, Dartz, the nameless shadowshifter, but most of all the woman he had loved and lost…

It was all too much, too soon. Everything was falling to pieces and he could do nothing about it. Why couldn't he stop them? Why were his enemies able to do this? Why? WHY?

And with those last thoughts fresh in his mind, the once proud king felt his knees give out beneath him, sending him back into the darkness he knew so well.

Hiei's Fortress

"Hn. So, both Renkotsu and Jakotsu have returned, have they?"

"Yes sir, and so has Akuren. For the most part, they report that the plan was a success, aside from the dual losses, of course."

"It is of no surprise to me. Those idiots could not duel on the level of the Pharaoh or his whore, but it does not matter. At any rate, is Kagome in our custody?"

"Yes, Akuren is imprisoning her as we speak. Do you want a more…ahem…personal encounter with the maiden, sir?"

Listening to the soft-spoken attendant on the other side of the phone, Hiei could not help but consider the option presented him. He had succeeded in capturing the priestess, and he needed something to occupy his time since Serenity had gotten boring. And Kagome certainly was a voluptuous young lady…

But no. Even if he were certain he could survive sex with a miko, he had many other details in his plan which needed attention, so the more carnal appetites would have to wait.

"I'll pass. We still need to prepare the final units if we can enact the coup by deadline, and we've yet to brief Schwarzvald and Kagura on their roles yet. Also, the other three members of the Band of Seven involved in duels are still unaccounted for."

"Very well, sir. I'll leave you to your business, then."

Hiei did not even bother to hear what the man had to say as he hung up; as a whole he found his ordinary subordinates to be idiotic, and a hassle he would rather not have. Still, they were vital to the success of his latest endeavor, if only on a small scale.

In any event, he had more important matters to deal with, and to say the least he was on pins and needles, though he would never admit it to anyone save Kurama. This, of course, was not an option, so he kept his mouth shut, and instead focused on what he had to do.

Vera, you insolent little worm, you have no idea of what I intend to do. While you and your idiots pore over the "plans" I gave you, I shall be formulating your end, and the end of all my enemies. I have the equipment and the manpower, thanks to your stupidity, and my Inner Circle has more than enough power to bury you and the remains of your washed-up military.

And Vera wouldn't be the only one. Thanks to Kagura, he had been able to locate Naraku in the city, and with luck he would exterminate that problem. As for Dartz, it would only be a matter of time before one of the DOOM Soldiers screwed up and lead him to the base.

But the most important factor - the focus of the entire war - was that of the Pharaoh and his comrades, and he had special plans for them…oh, the plans he had for them all…

"Heh. So much to do, so little time…and you're not being very helpful, are you?"

Hiei's words were spoken to someone that could not been seen, heard, or even smelled, which made dealing with him excruciatingly difficult. The only real time he could be found was when he appeared before the dark leader of the Black Shadow, and that was on his terms alone. It was a major pain in the ass, as Genkai would say, but for the power he received because of it was well worth the aggravation.

It only took a few moments for the being to respond, although not in a way that could be detected by any of the senses five. It was more a feeling, a tremendously bone-chilling feeling that made most who dealt with it too nauseous to continue on, but since Hiei was well-versed in the Shadow Realm and the Demon Realm he knew how to deal with it.

'I have done what you bade, Jagenshi…and in the process lost one of my strongest warriors…a loss for which I shall be retributed…'

Hiei had to admit that the wheezing and drawn-out "speech" the dark being spoke to him in had gotten quite tiresome, and to him seemed more for theatrics than anything. Still, it certainly was more favorable than the other voice which spoke to him in his mind.

"You shall be, and sooner than you think. In fact, I've provided you with the proper materials for that retribution, or Akuren has, at least."

'Ah yes…the reincarnation of Kikyo, the one named Kagome…yes, she will serve me well, better than Tea Gardener would in any case…'

"So then you are ready?"

Although he could not literally hear it, the creature of shadow chortled in glee, a phlegmy and overly disgusting laugh which for some reason reminded Hiei of what he had first perceived Mukuro to be. Of course, unlike Mukuro, he would gladly eviscerate the demon were he not invaluable to his plan.

'Yes…my Shadow Game is almost complete…and when the Pharaoh comes to me I shall spring the trap…with little Kagome as the bait…'

"See to it that you do. And remember, you have only one shot, so don't fuck it up."

'There is no chance of that, Jagenshi…I have waited far too long for this moment…to fail in my planning now…'

"Good. Now, I am afraid I have several other matters to attend to, namely involving the battle which shall reshape this city, so it would be wise for you to begin preparations."

'Yes, yes…the time has come…'

And after a few moments, the being had vanished from Hiei's mind, which was not at all an unpleasant turn of events for the demon. He hated dealing with that revenge-driven monstrosity, but since his hatred for Yami was almost as great as his own, he would tolerate him…for the moment.

It won't matter. My plan is already set into place, and there is nothing any of you can do to stop me. Even as we speak, my soldiers are preparing to strike down my enemies, the Band of Seven is ready to exterminate all opposition, and my left and right hands shall stand by my side through it all.

Yes, it was all going so perfectly. With a minimum of setbacks, his plans had all gone as scheduled…and now it was time to put it all into use.

Knowing this, Hiei, deciding to take a small break before getting to work, sat down in his armchair and extracted a small charm from around his neck. It was an intricate device, a masterfully carved dragon hewn from the tear of an ice apparition. A true work of art for any real connoisseur, and were the decoration any less meaningful he would have pawned it in Demon World in a heartbeat.

But he didn't. This…was all the family he had left. This was the only link to the past; to Yukina, to Mukuro, to his service in Demon World. He had burned all his bridges and lost every family member he had, but at least this was still there, to remind him of what had been…and what was to be.

Hiei knew that this would be the dawn of a new era for him, and this charm would help him bring it to light. Yet there was one great obstacle, one he would overcome if it killed him.

Pharaoh…this tournament is the end of you and your friends…forever.

End of Arc One

(Looks back.) Wow, almost three years, and it's only just begun. Hard to believe this took as long as it did.

Anyway, in the next arc of the FODHMC Saga, entitled "Rising Darkness, Burning Light" (title thanks to Time Mage), Enzeru, Kaiba, and Yusuke end their duels, as Roger ponders what he is dealing with in light of these new circumstances. Inuyasha seeks out Raphael for vengeance, Joey faces a new machine soldier, and Yami must struggle through the tournament without Kagome. But who is this new dark warrior Hiei has hired, and what are his dastardly plans for the city?

Find out in the next story of this series, "Rising Darkness, Burning Light"!

Ok, original card time.

Bui- Black Death X

Kagome- Time Mage

Jakotsu - Mine

Yami- Mine

Varon - Mine

Suikotsu - Mine

Joey - Mine

Renkotsu - Mine

Yusuke - Mine (and mebbe Time Mage, not sure)

Sensui - Time Mage

Well, that's it for Arc 1. I'd like to thank everyone for putting up with the late updates and long chapters, and here's to Arc 2...AKA, the War for New Paradigm. See ya then!

And now, I'm off to Remix!