YuGiOh

YuGiOh! Nightrise

Well, here's the new fic. I didn't expect to post it so fast, but hey, here it is, for your reading enjoyment. I was very happy with the positive response I got to Advent of Power, and I hope that this one will get the same level of feedback.

PROLOGUE

Pain. That was the first thing that Joey Wheeler felt as he slowly dragged himself to his feet. He noticed that he was still in the same, large room where he had dueled Dartz… And lost miserably. Grimacing, he looked around, slowly rubbing his throbbing temples. He had been taken by the Orichalcos once before, and he knew that waking up hurt like hell.

Suddenly, it hit him. He was awake. That meant the Tournament of Shadows was over. He glanced around wildly, and saw resident rich-boy as well as that arrogant kid standing in the doorway, slowly trying to make their way to the stairs. Both seemed to be in terrible shape.

"Hey! Rich boy!" he called out hoarsely. The tall brunette whirled around, an expression of mixed shock and disdain on his face. "So you're awake," he growled.

Joey was too tired to retort. "Does this mean it's over?" Kyle nodded affirmatively. "Yugi probably defeated that Ishtar freak." Joey's eyes went wide.

"Did you say Ishtar?"

Kyle grimaced at this. "A lot of things happened while you were taking your little nap, mutt," growled Kaiba. "As it turned out, Ishtar purposely lost to Dartz, and through some weird hocus-pocus crap, he got free from the Orichalcos. Last I saw him, he went up to the terrace to duel Yugi. Not only that, but that English Bakura kid dropped by to duel as well."

Normally, this would have sent Joey racing up to the terrace. But he was far too weak for that. He looked around, and noticed that the prone forms of Zane Truesdale, Ryou Bakura, and Kevin Hunter were beginning to shift as well. Zane was the first to shift into a sitting position. He gasped in pain, holding his ribs.

"Are you okay?" asked Joey, turning to face him. "I… I think that last attack from Dartz broke a rib. No, I'm not okay."

When Ryou got up, Joey was glad to see that it was their English friend, and not his dark side. Kevin struggled to his feet, and seemed so tired that he couldn't speak.

"I think we'd better go and find Jaden and Alexis," said Zane, slowly getting to his feet. "Good idea," responded Joey. "I think that if the three of you," he indicated Zane, Kaiba and Kevin, "Go and find them, we'll go up and have a look at Yugi."

The other three agreed. Slowly, they went their different directions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Apocalypse…" It was all Yami could say. Other words did not leave his mouth. He was speechless.

The towering man stared at him, as if his emotionless, cold eyes would bore a hole through Yami. "I have arisen out of eons of imprisonment to bring Armageddon to this plane of existence, and every other one as well. I will not kill you now, for you have done me a favor by aiding in my release, mortal. Enjoy the last rays of twilight. Night is coming."

The voice sounded like broken pieces of class in an ice bucket, with all the sharpness of glass and coldness of ice. The voice cut through Yami's barriers and pierced his core. It shook his heart and soul. He had never heard a voice like this. Somehow, he knew that Apocalypse, if that really was his name, was speaking the truth.

"But… But how did I release you?" he whispered.

Apocalypse seemed amused, if it was actually possible for an entity like himself. "When you defeated your foe, your negative emotions provided the last amount of dark energy I needed to break through my prison. Enjoy the fact that you have caused the utter destruction of every single dimension that exists."

With that, he was gone. He had seemingly disappeared into the rising sun, and was soon a speck of black in the horizon. After a few more seconds, he had completely disappeared.

Yami fell to his knees, his eyes glazing over. Joey was barely able to catch him before he hit the ground.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The wraith was a terrible sight to behold. He was about six foot three, but height didn't really matter when you floated above the ground most of the time. He was covered in a black cloak, but one could wonder if the cloak was exactly what he was, and if there was anything underneath it at all. It covered his feet, if he had any, and was frayed and tattered at the bottom. He had a hood, one that covered his head. When he looked down, one could not make out his features. The hands that were seen extended from his black sleeves were pale, and spider-like. The wraith had a very unhealthy look to him.

He spoke in a calm voice, yet one that would send shivers down the spine of a normal man. "Our fears have been realized. Apocalypse has escaped."

His companion was his polar opposite. She was a woman of such beauty, that words could not describe her. She was dressed in a flowing, white gown, that seemed to radiate light. Her features were soft and caring, with shining blue eyes, and a smile that seemed to light up the world. Fiery red hair fell to her shoulders. Her skin was slightly tanned. But aside from her incredible good looks, she had a tired look around her. One could tell she was exhausted.

"We must act," she said in a musical voice, one that seemed to carry the sound of a violin.

The two were in a very serene place with a great deal of natural beauty. The soft, green grass blew in the wind, and the quiet crooning of various birds could be heard. The vegetation was quite light, with a few flowering plants and trees here and there.

The ground underneath the wraith seemed to have rotted. The grass had turned black, and the soil seemed devoid of any nutrients. A flower near him was dead as well. Slowly and gracefully, the lady walked over to the flower, and bent down. She touched it, and its bent stem erected itself. The colorless petals turned a fiery red.

"You know the rule, Life," said the wraith in his hollow voice. The lady, apparently called Life, stood up, and closed her eyes. "Of course. Members of the Infinity Council cannot do battle under any circumstances. Last time around was an exception… He had grown too strong. But he must be even stronger now, Death. He broke free of the Oblivion Star."

Death fixed the lady with a distant stare. "I do not think so. He has used his servants all over the planes of existence to gather power from various battles. There has been a rather large series of battles on Earth, specifically battles involving Shadow Magic."

Life looked up from the grass, suddenly surprised. "Shadow Magic? The Pharao-…."

"He has returned. I believe this was Apocalypse's doing. He triggered the return of the Millennium Items, in order for a large power-struggle to take place. The Atlantian was involved as well. Even by our standards, some of these mortals are quite powerful. Eventually, however, the Pharaoh prevailed. He defeated his enemy with utmost hatred and anger. This last negative emotion was what Apocalypse required to break out of his bonds."

There was silence.

Finally, Life spoke. "We cannot fight him, Death. If we do, then we will not be able to hold back. If we destroy him, the resulting release of negative energy will cause indescribable pain and destruction. No… A former Infinity Council member cannot be destroyed by another member."

"Then what do you propose?" said Death coldly.

Life was silent again. Finally, she spoke. "The Pharaoh. He is powerful. He can fight Apocalypse."

"Ridiculous. Mighty though he is, Apocalypse will crush him under the heel of his boot. No, we must meet with Order, Chaos and Creation. We will need to decide whether we set out to destroy him ourselves, or if we should enlist the help of mortals."

Life closed her eyes. "We will have to do so eventually to decide on a long-term strategy. But do remember… Apocalypse will not waste time. He will resurrect his Horsemen. Even if we confront him eventually, the destruction he causes before that will be catastrophic. He will want energy released in order for him to consume it."

Death nodded. "You speak correctly."

"Therefore, I propose we use the Pharaoh to hold off Apocalypse up until we decide on a long-tem method of battle." Death considered. "Very well. It is necessary. However, it is strictly provisional. We cannot rely on a single mortal to keep Apocalypse at bay."

Life shook her head. "I did have another idea."

Death stared at her blankly. "What?"

"The Wolf Demon General." For a second, Death was silent. "That is a good proposition. The remaining Demon Lords will also be needed. I will do the needful, and make sure that they meet the Pharaoh and the other Chosen Duelists. When they do meet, I expect you to brief them."

"Very well, brother."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel Pilkington had been your average sixteen year-old. At least up until about five and a half years ago. The experience had left him changed, and somehow, he was now your not-so average twenty-two year old.

To start with, he had won a place in the Duel Monsters Tournament held by the Shadow Corporation, along with his friends Deondre Anderson, and CJ Anderson (they are not related). It had been a brutal and cut-throat tournament to begin with, for all kinds of creepy and weird duelists had gotten in.

And it only got weirder when Daniel realized that there was an ancient, five thousand year-old demon spirit inhabiting his mind. The spirit went by the name of Rikuo Amero, and was apparently a Wolf Demon General from feudal Japan. And Giovanni Garlin, the host of the tournament, was the vessel of Rikuo's five thousand year-old adversary, the Torture Demon who went by the name of Kilomet Sestros.

The battle was a long and brutal one, not without tough times. At first, Daniel and Rikuo rarely got along, but eventually, they got closer. In a heart-stopping two on one duel against Sestros, Rikuo and Daniel found themselves working with the legendary Yugi Moto. Finally, Rikuo did the impossible and defeated his oppressor.

Over a period of time, they not only destroyed the remnants of the Shadow Corporation, but were also forced to face Sestros again. This was only a prelude to a terrible duel against a demon mage called Valeus, who planned to kill every human on Earth and allow demons free reign.

During the last adventure, Rikuo and Daniel had acquired different bodies. Sharing a body had been a strange, yet amazing experience. The two were as close as brothers.

Daniel was about five foot ten, and quite lean. He had light red, messy hair that flowed down to the small of his back. Dark brown, soft eyes did not give away the real determination that was contained in this individual. He had a red-furred wolf's tail that he keeps wrapped around his waist like a belt, a pair of red-furred wolf ears on top of his head, and strangely short claws. Considering he was a half-demon, his physical appearance was not too much of a giveaway. Dressed in a silver T-Shirt and black jeans, he was not too bad-looking, it was just that he tended to be incredibly nervous around girls.

Still, he had actually managed to have a conversation with a girl without fainting during his last adventure, and was now dating that same girl. He gave a small chuckle as he remembered his first date with Jennie. That was about five years ago.

His friends CJ and Deondre were also with him right now, as they got into Daniel's truck to go meet Rikuo. For some reason, the 5,016 year-old demon had e-mailed each one of them, urgently asking them to come to his house immediately. Confused, they agreed. After all, it was unwise to agree with one of the most powerful duelists, human or demon, on the planet.

CJ dominated whichever room he was in. He stood six foot four, and weighed a hefty one hundred and ninety pounds. He was African-American, and his overall intimidating appearance served to scare off anyone who wanted to cause trouble. He lost his temper very often, and this resulted in his friends calling him a gorilla. Upon discovering that he was the Horse Demon Lord, he had taken it hard, but not as hard as Deondre…. He wore a red T-Shirt and blue jeans.

Deondre Anderson was slightly muscular, with neat black hair that reached his shoulder. He had a pair of black dog ears similar to Daniel's, as well as short claws. Upon discovering that he was the Dog Demon Lord, he had not taken it well, and it had taken him a few months to deal with it. He was dressed similarly to Daniel, with a silver jersey and black jeans.

"What do you think Rikuo wants?" echoed CJ's deep voice as Daniel started up the truck. The engine cranked to life, and they pulled out of his drive-way.

Daniel shrugged. "He's never sounded so frantic before. I could tell, even across the e-mail. Anyway, he might be upset if we don't come." CJ grunted. He had experienced Rikuo's super-human strength a number of time, although he had been able to use his own demonic powers to counteract them when he mastered them.

Deondre was silent. Somehow, he didn't have a good feeling about this…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Die, little man, die!" shouted Rikuo maniacally, slamming his fingers from button to button on the PlayStation3 joystick. He was playing a first-person shooter, and despite the enthusiasm he voiced, he found it incredibly boring.

Honestly, playing a modern video-game entailing usage of these cowardly and boring weapons was not befitting of an ancient demon general who had more experience in battle then every soldier on Earth put together. But then again, it was one of the few ways to relieve him of boredom.

Sighing as he shot down his last opponent, he flopped down on the couch. This was really boring him.

He couldn't even get into fights. Though he was only five foot ten, his slotted-amber eyes were enough to scare off most tough guys. His black wolf's ears and tail did nothing to tone down the wild and intense look he carried about him. Even the messy hair that went down to his lower back seemed scary.

He gave a sigh, and was about to play another round, when he heard a knock on his door. His ears perked up. He trudged to his door, and opened it, only to see Daniel, CJ and Deondre. "What are you doing here?" he asked, confused.

"You called us here," said CJ irritably. Rikuo shook his head. "Meh, why would I call you guys to my house, ape-horse?"

Before the Horse Demon Lord could retort, there was a call from outside the apartment. "Rikuo?" he called out. All four turned to see the silver-haired man in a flowing trench coat. It was Ryu Zaytel, alias Jourgen Politamus. The Dragon Demon Lord.

"What are you people doing outside my house?!" exploded Rikuo. "You were the one who called us, right?" said Ryu wearily.

"No," said a stone-cold voice behind Rikuo. Everyone whirled around to see a wraith standing there. He wore a black cloak that covered his feet, and was frayed and tattered at the bottom. He had a hood, one that covered his head. When he looked down, they couldn't see his face. The hands that were seen extended from his black sleeves were pale, and spider-like.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" roared Rikuo.

"You will find out," replied the same, emotionless voice. Suddenly, Rikuo yawned. "I said… I said… Who the he-… Who the hell are-…." He was on the floor, snoring like an elephant's trumpet. The others soon followed.

Death did not say anything. It was time for the Demon Lords to get acquainted with the Chosen Duelists.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I still can't figure out who that floating guy was," muttered Joey to Ryou, as they made their way to the elevator. First, they planned to pick up Tea, and then would proceed down where they would meet the other three with Jaden and Alexis.

Ryou shrugged. "I asked the spirit of the Ring as well. He has no idea. But for some reason, he seems to have told Yami something that bothered him."

Yami had given control of their body to a confused Yugi. When questioned by his friends, Yugi simply said that Yami had locked himself in his soul room, and refused to speak to him.

"Something else to deal with," growled Joey. "How can you be so sure?" replied Ryou. "Hey… If a big, black armored guy floats down from the sky and says something to Yami that makes him close everyone else out of his life… It's definitely something bad. And hey, name me one time when we don't have to deal with this kind of stuff."

Ryou shrugged. "Touché."

Suddenly, as the elevator reached their floor, it opened to reveal a woman of such breath-taking beauty, that they all stopped in their tracks. All being males below twenty-five, it was an awkward experience. The lady was dressed in a white robe, with fiery red hair and shining blue eyes. She had a smile that seemed to radiate pure light.

"Who… Who are you?" said Kaiba, the only one among them, besides Yugi and Ryou, who was able to control his hormones.

"I am Life." With that, they were all unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rikuo wearily opened his eyes. "When I find that damn wraith I am going to…" He stopped short. He didn't expect to see what he had just witnessed.

Around him were a number of people, some of whom he recognized, others whom he didn't. One of the other standing figures was a young man with tri-colored spiky hair. He had blonde bangs and a pink stripe that went around the outer part of his spikes, with black filling in the rest. His eyes were violet. He wore black leather pants, a belt that hung off to the side, a black muscle shirt, and a long sleeved blue jacket.

"Moto?" he asked, surprised. Yugi turned to look at him. He squinted, and then gasped. "Don't tell me…"

Rikuo smirked. He noticed that Daniel had woken up next to him. Yugi glanced at the red-haired duelist. "Daniel. Good to see you. Care to explain what the hell is going on here?" The half-demon shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

They looked around them and absorbed their surroundings. It was a large, spacious room with no furniture at all. There were no doors. It was like someone had locked them in an asylum. Rikuo snorted as he noticed a man with brown hair brown hair that went down to his neck, but was trimmed up, and piercing dark blue eyes. He wore a white trench coat with a black undershirt and black leather pants. It seemed Kaiba was still around.

Meanwhile, CJ, Deondre, Ryu, Joey, Kevin, Kyle, Zane, Jaden, Alexis, Ryou also got to their feet. They also saw two people whom they did not expect to see. One as Siegfried Reinhardt, a duelist whom they had worked with a number of times to combat the Shadow Corporation. He was just the same as ever, with long brown hair and a jacket and jeans combo. He had a tail wrapped around his waist as well.

With a heavy German accent, he spoke. "Can someone tell me what is going on?"

The Demon Lords shrugged. But none of the others even paid attention. They were all looking at Tea Gardner's prone form. "Why isn't she getting up?!" hissed Yugi, kneeling down. He checked for a pulse, and heaved a sigh of relief. At least she was still alive.

A laugh came from behind them. It was a clear, musical laugh, one that could leave even the saddest person in a good mood. They turned around, only to see the beautiful woman whom Yugi and his friends had seen before they fell into unconsciousness.

"You!" roared Kyle.

The woman shook her head. "I am sorry if you were offended by my actions." Her voice was just as melodious and soft as her laugh. "But you must understand, the circumstances compelled me to do so. It was essential that every single one of you accompanied me here."

Just as she finished speaking, the tall wraith materialized beside her. Rikuo roared in anger. "YOU!"

The wraith looked at him, and he stopped. They didn't gasp or scream, for the sight was too chilling for that. There was no face inside the hood. It was pure blackness, and all they could see were two, floating, crimson eyes.

"There is no time for this."

Seto stepped forward. "Why? Where are we? And in any case, why did you bring us here?"

The woman sighed. "We will explain. First, however, we will introduce ourselves. I am Life." She glanced at her companion. "He is Death."

This would have incited a good many snorts from a number of the group, but for some reason, be it Life's stunning beauty or Death's unnerving qualities, no one did so. It was something in her voice that made them understand how deadly serious she was.

"I assume that not one of you has heard of the Infinity Council." She received blank stares from everyone.

"Very well," she sighed. "I will explain. The Universe is balanced by six essential forces, Creation, Life, Order, Chaos, Death and… Apocalypse." She left it hanging. Yugi gave a small gasp, but everyone else was quiet. These words meant nothing to them.

"These six forces are embodied into entities. These entities sit as the members of the Infinity Council, overseeing the various stages of existence. There is Creation, myself, Order, Chaos Death… and Apocalypse. Our names are self-explanatory."

She gave another sigh. The exhaustion was apparent in her face. "I will be brief. Twenty-seven thousand years ago, the Infinity Council was divided. Apocalypse rose up against us. The fundamental law of the Universe states that we cannot fight among ourselves or destroy each other. Therefore, we were forced to seal him in a prison known as an Oblivion Star. It is a concentration of archaic energies. It was apparent that in his weakened state after his battle with us, he would not be able to break out. Less than fifteen minutes ago, we were proved wrong."

Even Rikuo did not speak. For some reason, there was a tiny hint of bitterness in her voice.

"It seems like Apocalypse has drawn energy from the many Shadow Games that have been played out. Truth be told, he has manipulated people for eons, using his enormous mental capabilities and his servants throughout the world, in order for scenarios to occur that release a lot of energy. He siphoned this energy into himself. It seems that eventually, he has been able to break free."

They were silent. Finally, Joey spoke up. "And how does this concern us? Other than the obvious fact that he obviously plans to destroy pretty much everything, considering his name."

Life nodded serenely. "As of now, we assume that is his aim. After all, he wished to cause an early Apocalypse during his last uprising. Our wish is for you to keep him at bay while we think of a new solution."

Rikuo snorted, as did CJ. Some others muttered among themselves, while the remainder were silent.

Yugi spoke first. "How do you expect us to take him on? First of all, you have barely told us anything about him and the Infinity Council. Plus, if we are to believe your words, he is about as strong as a god. We cannot contend with that kind of power."

It was Death who replied. His cold voice was slightly softer, but not much. "Your concerns are agreeable. However, the less you know about us, the better. The Infinity Council has a long, subtle, and sometimes terrible history that should remain buried. It is not for mortals to uncover. Also, Apocalypse is not at his previous level of strength. He had to use a great deal of power to break out of the Oblivion Star. We do not wish for you to destroy him. We just want him kept at bay until we find a solution."

Kaiba replied coldly. "Really? And what might this solution be? And how will it take you to find it?"

Death glared at him. "Do not presume to speak to me in such a manner, mortal." Before he could say anything else, Life intervened.

"Please. We may have sounded too pressuring. We are asking you. It is for the greater good. We require you to prevent him from wreaking a great deal of destruction that will kill many innocent people, before he attempts to cause a universal destruction."

Yugi closed his eyes. "For seven years, I've dealt with people like him. Maybe on a smaller scale, but they wish to similarly cause pain. It is not something I can allow. I love this world. I will not allow him to do this. I may be a firefly compared to a star, but I will do what I can."

He snapped them open, and looked at Life. Meanwhile, Joey walked up to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've got my support, pal. You're not alone in this. You never will be." Yugi gave his friend a thankful smile.

Slowly but surely, Kaiba grudgingly walked up. "If I'm to believe you, this individual has been responsible for a number of incidents that have caused me great inconvenience. I will not allow him to go unpunished. Because of him, my brother was kidnapped twice. He will pay, whoever he is."

Ryou joined them, a smile on his face. He glowed slightly, and his soft features carried the malevolent grin of the Spirit of the Ring. "This bloke cannot destroy the Universe before I take over. Meh, he's probably just some wannabe villain who uses a lot of smoke and mirrors. I'll help you on a purely provisional basis."

Zane, Alexis and Jaden stepped forward. "I have a moral obligation to this," said Zane softly. "I have hurt people in the past. Too many. I will now wash away my sins my aiding in stopping this madman." Jaden and Alexis nodded in agreement. They clasped each other's hands tightly. Kyle walked towards them as well.

All eyes were on the Demon Lords. Rikuo was looking at Death. "Correct me if I'm wrong. Are you saying that this freak is responsible for not only the black deeds of Kilomet Sestros, but the bids for power by Yamidra and Valeus as well?"

Life nodded. Rikuo cracked his knuckles. "Revenge is a dish best served cold," he growled. "Last time I checked, it was November." Daniel nodded and placed a hand on his yami's shoulder.

"Sestros killed me. And he turned me against my sister. And a whole lot of other nasty things. If Apocalypse is responsible for this, there will be hell to pay from his side."

CJ and Deondre nodded affirmatively. "Daniel's been our friend for a long time," said the towering giant of a duelist. "We've stuck with him through everything. And we're not going to leave him alone with the irritable wolf now." He ducked a punch from Rikuo.

Ryu and Siegfried nodded quietly. "I think I speak for both of us when I say that actions such as his cannot go unpunished," said Ryu softly.

Suddenly, Seto glanced around to see Kevin Hunter. He had a nervous expression on his face, along with a slight bit of anger. "Well, Hunter?" he said crisply. "Are you on board or not?"

The teenage duelist glared. "Just shut up, won't you?! I hate you, I hate every one in this room. I have been through enough in my life rather then having to deal with some weirdo who apparently came down from the sky and said that he would destroy the world. I WILL NOT WORK WITH YOU!"

There was silence. This was followed by the sound of a heavy thud. It was the sound of Kyle stepping forward and lashing out with his fist, catching Kevin on the cheek. The dragon duelist stumbled, and fell over in shock. "You little, pathetic excuse for a human being," whispered Kyle, flexing his fingers.

"This is not the time for your petty grudges. The life of every single person on Earth is at risk. And you think of your father's loss to Kaiba in a duel?" Everyone else was silent as Kevin got to his feet. He was glaring at Kyle, and was about to speak when he found himself slammed against the wall. Kyle's hand was wrapped around his collar.

"You are pathetic. Pathetic," he whispered. He pulled back his fist, but felt a palm descend on it. It was Yugi. "Don't do this, Kyle" he said softly. "It's his choice." Kyle closed his eyes for a minute, and with a sigh, let Kevin go.

Life's hand was glowing a strange purple. "If that is your wish, then I will create a portal for you to leave. However, leaving now will result in losing your memories of everything that has been said here. You will also lose your memories of your involvement with Marik Ishtar, and your hatred of Seto Kaiba. We cannot afford him to be impeded."

Kevin glared. "Fine! Anything to get away from you freaks!"

Life sighed, and her fist relaxed. A strange portal appeared next to her. It was made of a swirling purple, with tinges of other colors as well. On the other side was complete blackness. Without a second thought, Kevin entered it, his features marred with an angry grimace all the while. The portal disappeared.

There was an unnatural silence in the room. Everyone had thought Kevin to be a repentant individual.

"That's that," said Jaden grimly. "Now, since we've all agreed to help you, do you mind telling us exactly what we need to do?"

Death nodded. "Before Apocalypse was imprisoned, we sapped him of his powers of immortality. He was invulnerable to every kind of harm. He was impervious to physical harm, as well as various forms of energy attacks. He was unaffected by Shadow Magic, and was also indifferent to a very unusual and arcane form of murder… It is known as purging the soul of an entity. I will not go into the details," he said, at the blank look on their eyes. "It is a very complex form of magic that is beyond your means. Finally, there is the Touch of Death."

It sent a shiver down everyone's spines. For some reason, they knew this last one did not bode well.

Life took it up. "Death has the unique ability of destroying the life force of a being by touching it. He channels his negative energy into the entity, and this reacts badly with its life force, destroying it. On the other hand, I am the complete opposite. I can channel positive energy, which fixes the remaining pieces of a shattered life-force, bringing life into a body."

Death spoke again. "Apocalypse, just like the other five of us, was immune to these five methods of death. We feared that leaving him his immortality would leave him with enough strength to break through the Oblivion Star. Therefore, we scattered the various abilities across the cosmos in the form of Seals. We need you to recover these Seals and bring them to us in order for us to destroy them, thus making Apocalypse even more vulnerable."

It was Daniel who replied. "How do we know where the Seals are?"

"Upon your return to Earth, we will send you an envoy who will give you this knowledge. In the meantime, we will begin to prepare for the destruction of the Seals."

"Return to Earth?! You mean, we're not on Earth?! Where the hell are we, then?" gasped CJ. "That is none of your concern," replied Death.

Seto stamped his foot angrily. "How do you expect us to help you if you're not giving us any details?!"

Once again, Life smiled. "The less you know about the Infinity Council, the better. Do not worry. You will be transported back now. You will also be provided with a means of transport from the location of one Seal of Immortality to another."

There was silence. Finally, Yugi spoke. His tone sounded distressed. "What about Tea?" He indicated the prone form of the gorgeous brunette lying on the ground next to him. Life closed her eyes. "It is an especially nasty story."

"Tell me."

"Very well. It seems that Apocalypse was manipulating her. The dark energy boosted her dueling skills, and she was forced to go face the God of Death under the pretense of getting revenge. Do not worry, she did not wish to do anything of the sort. The duel was too much for her moderate physical stamina, and therefore, she is unconscious even after the duel." Yugi relaxed. There was silence for a moment.

Inevitably, it was Rikuo who spoke. "So how are we going back to Earth? And it better not be that damn sleep-….. sleep-…." He, along with every single person in the room, were all lying on the floor, some snoring louder then others.

"Take them back," said Death coldly. Life nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jason walked into the casino by himself. It was an odd feeling to finally be out here by himself, but then again, it was something unusual for a twenty-one year old such as himself to be promoted to the Field Ops of his organization. He took a seat at the bar, and spoke curtly to the barman.

"One glass of water. Mineral." The barman raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Jason nodded, and turned away to look at the massive Las Vegas casino. With a shrug, the barman pulled out a large bottle of Swiss water from below and poured a glass of it. He disdainfully pushed it towards Jason, who caught it in one of his large hands. He downed it in a single gulp.

He leaned against the bar and looked across the casino, trying to find signs of what he was looking for. Passing girls gave him smoldering looks; he ignored them. He was a good looking guy, but this wasn't time to waste. If he actually picked up a thread here, it might lead to a major victory for his organization.

Standing six foot two, he was quite lean, although muscular at the same time. He had jet black hair that fell over his forehead, but didn't cover his dark, large eyes. He was clean-shaven, and was right now wearing a gray T-Shirt, with a black jacket. He also wore khaki jeans. Inside his jacket was his expensive DD3.

He glanced over to the blackjack table. One of the gamblers had an uncharacteristic confidence about him. Stepping forward, Jason saw that he was already on nineteen, with a jack and a nine. This was to be the third round of dealing, and the dealer was about to pass him by, when the man ordered him to wait. Everyone seemed surprised. Which idiot would ask for another card on nineteen?

Amazingly, the man did. Only an ace or a deuce could save him. To the shock of the other gamblers, and the delight of the man, it was the deuce of clubs. Grudgingly, the remaining gamblers drew their cards. Each one went bust, or was too far below twenty-one to be any threat. Greedily, the man scooped up three hundred thousand dollars worth of winnings.

For about another fifteen minutes, Jason watched him from one of the slot machines. Twice more he drew on incredibly high figures, and won each time. That night, he made a total killing of one million, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

As it neared midnight, the casino got even more crowded. The man seemed to have decided he had won enough for the night. As he exited the casino, Jason followed him, observing his target from a distance. The man was five foot six, and quite thick around the middle. Dressed in a cheap accountant's attire, it was a wonder they even allowed him into the casino.

Silently, Jason followed his target through the darkness. He made no sound, but the eeriness made his nerves tingle, just like they always did. The man turned around suddenly, and Jason stopped, hidden in the shadows.

They stood like that for a minute, and the man suddenly took off at full speed. Jason sighed, and within five lopes of his long legs, he had caught up. Grabbing the man's collar, he slammed him against a wall. "Hello, Dent," he said grimly.

The man tried shouting for help, but Jason punched him full across the face. He collapsed to the ground. Jason dragged him into an alley, and threw him against a rubbish dump. "Do you think I'm an idiot, Dent?!" he shouted angrily. The small man groaned and tried to heave himself up, but found himself slammed against the wall again.

"We know of Paradias' new ventures. Our intelligence is far better then yours." Dent spoke up. "C'mon…. Becker. I've got over a check for over a million bucks with me. Surely you'd like some of…" He was cut off as Jason threw him to the floor.

"I don't want your money," he whispered. "I want to know exactly how many operatives does Paradias have in Las Vegas who use their abilities to milk the casinos." Dent didn't answer. Jason pulled him up.

"Believe me, you do not want to make my angry." Dent winced and gestured to his bleeding lip. "I think I'd have figured that out by now."

Jason grudgingly let him go. "Here's a deal. We'll duel. If I win, I'll take you back to headquarters and you'll be questioned there. If you win, and Hell happens to freeze over, I'll question you here and be done with it. Do we have an agreement?"

Dent frowned. "That's not fair… You get to question me anyway!" He then noticed that Jason had raised his fist. "Ok… Ok. I'm not a hardcore criminal. I just use Paradias for money. I don't exactly want to have to go back to your damn headquarters…. Fine, I'll duel you."

He pulled out a Duel Disk from his jacket, and Jason did the same. Jason positioned himself at the opening of the alley, so that Dent couldn't make a run for it. The fat man groaned at this, and Jason allowed himself a grim smile. "Don't worry, Dent. By the time I'm done with you, you won't be able to exit from here."

(Jason: 8000, Dent: 8000)

Jason drew his six cards. "Perfect… Just what I need to deal this idiot a quick and decisive victory." He set a brown-backed card horizontally across his Duel Disk. "I set one card facedown in defense mode and end my turn."

Dent gave a nervous chuckle. "I summon Camouflage Marine (1500/1600)!" A man dressed in green combat gear appeared. His attire, as well as the green paint on his skin was obviously intended for a camouflage. He carried a Sig Sauer gun in one hand, and a long knife in the other. He glared at Jason, who didn't seem to care.

"Attack now!" The Marine sheathed the knife, and took a shooting position. He let lose a bullet, and Jason's monster flipped up to reveal a small dragon with rusty red scales. It tiny wings flared out in an attempt to scare off the attacker, but they didn't help any more then the metal mask on its face. It was hit by the bullet, and died instantly.

"Thank you for destroying Masked Dragon (1400/1100)," said Jason. "Now I can special summon a dragon with fifteen hundred or less attack points to the field. I choose Armed Dragon LV3 (1200/900)." A short, fat, orange and green dragon with various spikes on its back appeared. It had long, thin claws for hands, but it kept its arms to itself.

Dent swallowed. He knew what was coming. "Camouflage Marine returns to my hand at the end of the turn, and lets me special summon another monster in facedown defense mode." The Marine disappeared, and Dent plucked the card off his Duel Disk. He set a facedown card horizontally.

Jason drew. "I play Level Up, sacrificing Armed Dragon LV3 to summon Armed Dragon LV5 (2400/1700)." Armed Dragon glowed and then grew into a large, angry looking black and brown dragon, with a red face and many spikes. It had unforgiving, yellow eyes.

"Then I summon Luster Dragon (1900/1600)." A sapphire dragon with strong powerful arms and legs, bone like wings, and ruby colored eyes appeared onto the field with a small roar. The Armed Dragon LV5 nodded at it, obviously impressed by its power.

"Luster Dragon, destroy his facedown monster." Letting out a small roar, the dragon opened it's jaws as ruby energy filled came beaming out. With a simple spitting motion, the dragon released a sphere of ruby colored energy, which quickly went flying across the field. Once it neared the face down card image, the card image vanished and was replaced by a small man in gray armor. He had a similar helmet, and held a long sword. He screamed in shock as he was vaporized.

"There goes Chthonian Soldier (1200/1400)," grumbled Dent.

"Armed Dragon LV5, attack directly."

Moving forward with its clawed hands raised, the dragon began spinning his arms rapidly and slashed the sorcerer with both hands. Grasping his chest in pain, the gambler slid backwards a little bit, but managed to stay standing.

(Jason: 8000, Dent: 5600)

"I end my turn," grunted Jason.

Dent drew. "I summon Blackjack Dealer (1900/900) in attack mode!" A man dressed in a black suit appeared. He had a white shirt, which was covered by a black jacket. He also had a large, black top-hat, and held a deck of cards in his hands.

"When he's summoned, I send twenty-one cards from my deck to my graveyard." Jason raised an eyebrow as Dent pulled out his deck He selected twenty-one cards, and put them in his graveyard slot. He was left with about sixteen or seventeen cards left in his deck.

"Then I play Quick Summon. This will let me summon another monster, known as the Chaos Necromancer (?/0)!" Darkness swirled on the field, until a blue, orange, gold and black-armored being started rising from the center of its cyclone. Four blue, tentacle-like legs fell from the center body of the being, which itself seemed to be very random. Insect-like wings were on the back of the being, and two, glaring, red eyes were stationed at the top-front of the flying monster.

"This guy gains three hundred attack points for every monster in my graveyard. Since I just sent fifteen to the graveyard, his attack points are huge!" The monster glowed slightly, and its attack points went through the roof (4500/0).

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

Chaos Necromancer started glowing with dark light, and suddenly a raging explosion was set forth from the beast, engulfing the Armed Dragon LV5. It gave a cry of pain, and attempted to withstand the attack, but it was impossible. With a croak of pain, its armor gave out and it was vaporized.

(Jason: 5900, Dent: 5600)

"I end my turn," said Dent haughtily.

Jason was not unduly worried. "I sacrifice Luster Dragon for Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600)." The beautiful dragon was suddenly hidden by black flames. From the flames, large silver wings came out, along with a long silver tail, a pair of powerful talon legs, and finally the main body of the silver metal dragon was seen. It still looked like a large bird, but a much more powerful bird.

"Then I play another Level Up, sacrificing this Horus to summon his next form. I call upon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 (3000/1800)." A large sphere of black flames surrounded the silver dragon in a flash. From the flames came a larger set of silver metal wings, a longer tail, stronger talon legs, powerful silver arms, and at long last, a large silver head. With a massive roar, the flames dispersed.

"Where does this guy get such powerful cards?!" thought Dent worriedly.

"Horus, destroy Blackjack Dealer." Roaring once more, the dragon beat its massive wings. Lifting off of the ground, the dragon opened it's jaws, revealing black flames in it's mouth. Breathing out, the flames came spewing out in a stream straight for the black-suited man. He ran for it, but found himself blocked by the alley wall. He was left to an undignified death as he was vaporized by the flames.

(Jason: 5900, Dent: 4500)

"I set a card and end my turn."

Dent drew slowly. "I summon Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective (2000/0)!"

A massive piece of flesh slowly rose up from the field. In the center of the flesh was a single eye that had a blue iris. Small flames of red energy seemed to be pouring off of the creature while it simply hovered in position.

"Chaos Necromancer…. Destroy his Horus!" Once again, the necromancer let lose a wave of energy at Jason's field. This dragon was more powerful then the last, but it was very apparent that it too was far too weak to stand up to the devastating power of the unholy sorcerer on Dent's field.

"Command Silencer," were the two words that Jason said clearly and coldly. A large totem pole appeared and let lose sound waves. The Chaos Necromancer stopped its attack, and Jason drew one card.

"Damn!" muttered Dent. "I end my turn. Unfortunately, the effect of Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective is that it is destroyed on the same turn that it is summoned." The single lump of flesh began twitching and suddenly exploded, leaving nothing of the creature.

Jason drew slowly. "I play Riryoku. I can now slash your Chaos Necromancer's attack points in half, and add the same amount to Horus." Dent gulped as the weird abomination on his field began to glow. It gave a small moan as its attack points shrunk (2250/0). At the same time, the titanic dragon's level of power was now at an insane level (5250/1800).

Roaring loudly, the dragon released a stream of black flames, which instantly engulfed the weaker necromancer. The creature was quickly burned up, leaving no traces of its existence. "That was low," muttered Dent.

"Deal with it."

(Jason: 5900, Dent: 1500)

With that, Jason ended his turn.

Dent drew nervously. "Go, Smashing Ground! This destroys one monster on your field with the highest defense points. Since you only have Horus, he's going to be destroyed." Nothing happened. In fact, the card shattered. "What in the… You cheated!" said Dent, pointing an accusing finger at Jason.

Jason replied calmly. "As a matter of fact, that was Horus' effect. I can negate and destroy any magic card I want. That's why your Smashing Ground failed." Dent nervously placed a monster in defense mode. "I end my turn."

It was back to Jason. "Time to end this. I play Graceful Charity." With a faint smile, Jason drew three cards and slid two into the graveyard. "Then comes Premature Burial. At the cost of eight hundred life-points, I can special summon Cave Dragon (2000/100) in attack mode."

A large, green dragon appeared on Jason's field. It was very largely built, and its scales glinted in the Las Vegas night. It had no wings, but to compensate, it possessed a number of spikes on its back, along with two glinting red eyes. Its spiked tail waved about as it growled in anger.

"No…" whispered Dent. "Cave Dragon, attack his facedown monster." With a growl, the green dragon belched out a wave of fiery energy at the facedown monster. It seemed like a second Chthonian Soldier (1200/1400) was not enough to withstand the attack, and was immediately destroyed.

"Horus… End it." Dent screamed in shock as the massive silver dragon opened its maw, razor sharp teeth glinting. With a roar, it let lose a wave of black fire that swept across the alley, coming straight for him. The alley was too narrow to dodge, and he couldn't run in any direction. All he could do was wait until the blast hit him, knocking him off his feet.

(Jason: 5100, Dent: 0)

Jason nodded to his monsters, each of whom gave a friendly roar before disappearing. He de-activated his Duel Disk before walking up to Dent. The gambler got to his feet, and as Jason's hand encircled his collar, he knew that all chances of escape were over.

"We're going downtown," muttered Jason, pushing Dent towards the opening of the alley. He tensed, knowing that they were in the open now. He placed a reassuring hand on the .38 service handgun in his pocket. He didn't like these toys, but when you played with stakes as dangerous as the one he played, you had to be ready for anything. Paradias was made up of sick, demented freaks.

His convertible Porsche was waiting by the curb. He pushed Dent towards the passenger seat. "Get in." Slowly but surely, the gambler obeyed. However, just as he opened the door, Dent collapsed.

Jason stood there in shock for a second, and then instinctively looked around. He was just in time to see a black form retreating from the terrace of a building adjacent to them. The form was carrying a gun. He swore, and quickly bent down. When he turned the man to check his pulse, he was greeted by a bloody bullet wound. Dent was dead, victim of a textbook kill.

Obviously, Paradias was not pulling punches.

There was no point waiting with Dent. The least Jason could do was go after the assassin. He tore across the empty street. Luckily for him, this part of Vegas did sleep, so there was probably no witness. The cops would pick up Dent's body, and they would never be able to trace it back to Paradias, or the organization which Jason represented.

He entered the apartment building, only to be stopped by a guard. The man spoke wearily. "Who are you visiting?" Jason didn't have time for this. He could either talk his way through it, or knock out the guard and be done with it. He was just about to raise a fist, when a black form rushed out of the corridor.

"No one, really," muttered Jason as he took off after the assassin, leaving a confused guard standing behind. He hadn't even seen the assassin enter the building.

The two were racing through the Las Vegas street, until the assassin leapt onto a motorbike that had been parked by the curb. Jason knew that he would never catch up on foot. Once again, he tore back to his car and Dent's corpse. Leaping into the driver's seat, he paused to give Dent's body a sad glance before starting up the engine and speeding towards the bike that was not to far ahead. Dent was not a good man, but he wasn't a criminal either. He didn't deserve to die.

Slamming his foot down on the accelerator, Jason watched as the speedometer climbed to sixty miles an hour. That should have been enough to catch up with the assassin. Either the man was a hired killer, or perhaps was one of Paradias' own. If the case was the latter, he would be even more useful then Dent.

Suddenly, at the most inappropriate of all times, his cellphone rang. With one hand still on the wheel, he ripped it out of his pocket, and jammed it to his ear. "HELLO!" The caller replied calmly. Jason frowned. "Oh, sorry. Dent was killed, I am in pursuit of the hostile. What? Forget it? Why?" The caller's tone turned urgent, and Jason's frown became bigger.

"Apocalypse? Are you sure?" The caller simply growled in reply. "Fine. I'll leave this for another time." Without a second look at the bike, he turned his car around and sped off in the opposite direction.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Now, did anyone understand a word of what is going on? No? Good. That was my intention. This is going to be a HUGE fic, I'm estimating a length in the range of sixty chapters, perhaps more. All of my chapters will have an average length of about seven to eight thousand words, sometimes longer.

Anyway, I know this might have seemed rushed. However, it takes place right after the events of Advent of Power, which is obviously why everything is picking up so fast. A lot of things, such as the explanation provided by Life and Death may have seemed haphazard, but believe me, that was my intention. No need for you guys to find out everything so fast… Heh heh.

Rikuo, Daniel, CJ, Deondre, Siegfried and Ryu all belong to Wolf General. Jason, and every other OC belongs to me. However, an OC belonging to a great friend of mine will appear later in the fic. The nature of his role will be kept secret for now…

As always, please read and review.