Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.

Author's Note: This is the official last Chapter of C'est LaVie. Sadly, I will be unable to post my Tenth Anniversary fanfic for some time; I have many projects that need addressing, and it is one of the many. For now, I present you this, and hope it will tide you over. Also, thanks to my friends Arynis, Allana and Cohen from the Janime forum for letting me use them as characters. They will play an important role in my next and concluding fanfic after my Tenth Anniversary one.

Chapter 40 – The Scars After the Battle

"Are you ready to behold the power of my Monster (ATK: 3400) for real, Judai? Yusei?" Placido questioned, looking at both men with the card in his hand still pointed at them. "If not, then I suggest you surrender now, before I truly make you suffer." While he said this, a strange electrical charge arose along the different pieces of the track; then, in a patchy work, the pieces of the track began changing from the neon green to an intense crimson, outlined in yellow and with smoky black patches.

"We're running out of time," Judai and Yusei both said under their breath, unwittingly in unison. Both of them then looked on as the entire Circuit converted, slowly but surely; and then without any warning, the electrical storm beneath them began to intensify, bolts shooting in every single direction at once.

"Battle! I attack Dragoequites with Wisel!" Lighting up the boosters on the rear of its legs, the now-headless gigantic monster once again shot towards its foe; this time, it slashed its equally-sized opposing beast in half, from head to crotch, with the blades on its arm. As a green line appeared across the monster, it exploded viciously, causing Judai to smack into the console of his D-Wheel.

Yusei: LP 500

Judai: LP 500

Placido: LP 3500

"Are you alright?" Yusei questioned of Judai, who lifted his face from the console to reveal a bleeding injury directly above his right eye and left temple. Looking at Yusei with a confident smile, he signalled that he was still fighting; and then, he turned to Placido, his arm folded.

"And now, Judai, prepare to face defeat," Placido sneered. "Due to the effect of Wisel Attack 5, Dragoequites' power goes to your Life as damage Goodbye!" Pointing its arm at Judai, the gigantic robot prepared to fire a burst of energy at the monster; but before that could happen, Judai unfolded his arm and revealed a set card.

"Trap Card Open: Fusion Back! I Special Summon 1 Fusion Monster that was destroyed this turn from my Cemetery. Return, Surging Dragon Knight – Dragoequites (ATK: 3200, LV: 10)!" In a flash of light, the form of the gigantic dragonic monster appeared behind Yusei and Judai, its javelin on its back and its hands open.

"I activate the effect of Dragoequites," Judai revealed. "Any damage I receive from a card effect is negated, and then I inflict said damage to my opponent as normal!" Watching Placido grunt, Yusei smiled as he saw the burst of green energy shoot from the machine monster's arm, only to hit the left arm of the dragon and vanish. Then, the monster shot an identical burst from its right hand.

"If this attack is allowed to get through," Yusei realized confidently, "Placido will have a mere 300 Life Points left for my turn. If Judai has anything useful set, we'll take him apart!" As his thought finished, however, Placido burst his bubble by extending his arm out to reveal his own set card on the field.

"Trap Card Open: Wise Convert! While I control Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity, any effect damage I receive is added to my Life Points instead; thus, your attack will replenish the loss inflicted before!" Before even getting to hit Placido, the attack simply burst into pieces, integrating into Placido's body and causing his Life Points to shoot back up.

Yusei: LP 500

Judai: LP 500

Placido: LP 6700

"His Life Points are even high than they were earlier!" Yusei realized, now seeing a very large problem for them. "And even with Dragoequites to redirect effect damage, we can't touch his Life Points because of his Wisel Guard 5. What do we do now?"

"We shot him what we're made of," Judai told him, his Yubel eyes beginning to flash in sync with his heartbeat, "and take down those pieces in your next turn!" Saying such an idea to Yusei actually made the latter gasp, while Placido simply sneered at him.

"I'd love to use Speed World 2 to further boost my Life," Placido told them, reaching for two cards in his hand, "but I'd rather save them for when I eliminate that annoying monster. Then, I can truly take you down. I set 2 cards and end my turn."

"I have to trust you, Judai..." Yusei though, reaching for his Deck and snapping up a card. "I draw (Yusei: 6 SPC/Judai: 6 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC)!" Once he saw the card in his hand, and looked at Judai, he was given a nod by his friend, and realized that he had to go on the offensive now. "Battle! I attack Wisel Guard 5 with Dragoquites!" Roaring, the monster reached onto its back and pulled up the javelin, shooting into the sky and pointing its weapon for an attack.

"Trap Card Open!" Judai issued at that time, showing off yet another set card. "Thanks to Strike Slash, Dragoequites gains 700 points (ATK: 3900), and it will inflict Penetration Damage this turn!" With that a burst of flames shot from the long javelin, striking into the shield of the robot's right arm and bouncing off. When they deflected, the flames shot around to Placido, who took the associated damage with a small grunt of pain.

"You might have hit my Life Points," Placido reminded them, "But don't forget that Wisel Guard 5 is never destroyed by battle."

"I can fix that," Judai added. "I can activate multiple Magic and Trap Cards now, remember? Trap Card Open: Fusion Burst! By halving Dragoequites' power (ATK: 1950), I inflict its new power as Battle Damage to one opposing monster! I'll deal Wisel Carrier 5 the battle damage!" Pointing its javelin again, the monster then shot another burst of energy straight through the connecting waist of the monster's legs, making them both explode violently while the shockwave struck Placido hard.

Yusei: LP 500

Judai: LP 500

Placido: LP 5050

"Now, I activate the Speed Spell – Power Crash!" Yusei declared, revealing his card that very moment. "With my Speed Counters at 4 or higher, I destroy two opposing monsters whose Levels sum to less than a monster I control. Without Carrier to protect your monsters, I destroy Wisel Guard 5 and Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity!"

"Like I'd allow that!" Placido responded. "Permanent Trap: Fork – Divergence! I change the target of an opposing effect to a different Machine! I'll have you destroy Wisel Guard and Wisel Attack 5!" Yusei's card then appeared into view and fired two beams of energy, whose blasts struck the arms of the robot and smashed them. With them gone, only the centre of the Machine remained.

"Trap Card Open!" Placido then added. "Wise Gravitation! When 2 or more Wisel Monsters I control are destroyed in one turn, I resurrect a Wisel Guard, Attack, Top and Carrier from my Cemetery! Return, Top 5 (ATK: 1100, LV: 5), Attack 5 (ATK: 2000, LV: 5), Guard 5 (DEF: 2800, LV: 5) and Carrier 5 (ATK: 1400, LV: 5)!" With a burst of green energy, the head and limbs of the gigantic machine suddenly regenerated into place, making both Judai and Yusei look up upon it with a scared expression.

"I… set 2 cards, and I Summon Rock-Stone Warrior (DEF: 1600, LV: 4)," Yusei said weakly, putting down two cards and having them vanish before the monster made of multiple different-sized rocks appeared before him in a crouching position, turning blue save for its glowing eyes. "I…end my turn."

"Pathetic," Placido sneered. "I draw (Yusei: 7 SPC/Judai: 7 SPC/Placido: 6 SPC)! Battle! I destroy your Dragoequites with Wisel (ATK: 4500)!" As with before, the machine monster rose up and swung its glowing arm at the monster; and as it did, Yusei held up a card and tried to act strong.

"I activate the effect of Effect Veiler! I discard this monster and negate Wisel Infinity's effect until the End Phase! In other words, your monster is destroyed!"

"That's what you think!" Placido responded. "Thanks to Fork – Divergence, I will change the target of your effect to Wisel Attack 5, meaning your monster and your Life Points are still toast!"

"Then… I activate a Trap Card! Top Scrap! I send the top 5 cards of my Deck to the Cemetery to negate the Battle Damage and draw 2 cards!" Taking his top 5 cards and throwing them into the Cemetery, Yusei then pulled 2 new cards as his monster was cut in half, leaving Judai with no monsters.

"It doesn't matter anymore!" Placido responded. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2, and I remove 4 Speed Counters (Yusei: 7 SPC/Judai: 7 SPC/Placido: 2 SPC)! Take this, Yusei!" Once again the four lights disappeared from around his eye, while a burst of energy shot from it at Yusei; but then, a card appeared in front of Yusei and took the bullet.

"I activated the effect of the Damage Eater in my Cemetery," Yusei explained, causing a card from his Cemetery slot to slide out into his hand. "By excluding this card from my Cemetery, I convert my damage into healing." Instantly Yusei's Life Points shot up by a dramatic amount, allowing him to stare on confidently.

Yusei: LP 2900

Judai: LP 500

Placido: LP 5050

"A minor inconvenience at worst," Placido chastised. "I set one card and end my turn." With this new card on his field, Judai looked on with a very tense look, reaching for his Deck and snapping up his card instantly.

"It's my turn (Yusei: 8 SPC/Judai: 8 SPC/Placido: 3 SPC)!" Looking at the card he had in his grasp, he instantly threw it into the tray and revealed it. "I activate Speed Spell – Power Draw! With my Speed Counters at 8 or more, all players draw 3 cards!" With that Yusei, Judai and Placido all grabbed their Decks and pulled up 3 cards in quick succession; then, Judai reached for his own console.

"Next, I remove 7 Speed Counters and draw one card (Yusei: 8 SPC/Judai: 1 SPC/Placido: 3 SPC)!" he added, grabbing a fourth card from his Deck and seeing them all. "This hand... if I can survive a single turn, I have a real chance at beating Placido!" "I set 4 cards and end my turn!"

"A 4-card set, is it?" Placido questioned. "Clearly you're shaping up for a big move. Shame I'll take you apart first! I draw (Yusei: 9 SPC/Judai: 2 SPC/Placido: 4 SPC)!" Looking at Judai with a dark sneer he added, "Since Rock-Stone is not on your field, I can eliminate you completely! I direct attack with Wisel!"

"Trap Card Open!" Judai yelled. "Forced Convert! When my opponent declares a direct attack, I negate the attack and Special Summon 1 Monster with 500 or less ATK from my Cemetery. Come, Card Gunner (DEF: 400, LV: 3)!" Before the monster could even move, it was forced to not shift from its position at all; then, Judai's small robot rejoined his field, crouching as with before.

"Next, I activate Necro Gardna's effect from my Cemetery, and negate the attack that Battle Return would allot you!" Taking the card out from his Cemetery, Judai revealed it to Placido, who simply clenched his fist.

"Then I shall have to end my turn; but since I'm holding 7 cards, I'm forced to discard one." Holding up a card from his hand, he instantly threw it into the Cemetery; then, with fie in his eyes, Yusei reached for his own Deck.

"I draw (Yusei: 10 SPC/Judai: 3 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC)!" When he saw the cards that were in his own hand, he looked at them disapprovingly. "I also remove 7 Counters (Yusei: 3 SPC/Judai: 3 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC)!" Once he was holding yet another card, he took it and 3 other cards to throw down onto the tray. "I set 4 as well, and end my turn."

"How utterly boring," Placido jeered. "Allow me to finish this! I draw (Yusei: 4 SPC/Judai: 4 SPC/Placido: 6 SPC)!" Once he was holding his card, Placido pointed at Yusei and yelled, "Battle! I'll eliminate Rock-Stone Warrior! And even without Battle Damage, I will defeat you through effect damage!"

"I won't allow that!" Yusei yelled, watching as the arm of the machine cut his monster into shards of rock instantly. "I activate a Trap Card: Revenge Damage! With this card, I negate a monster effect inflicting damage, then for turns equal to its level I negate a weaker monster's effect! I'll negate Wisel Top 5 for 5 turns!" When the beam shot from Placido's monster, it simply struck the card and shot back at the monster's head, making it short out.

"Then I'll defeat you all the same," Placido added. "I remove 4 Speed Counters (Yusei: 4 SPC/Judai: 4 SPC/Placido: 2 SPC)!" As with the last many times, Placido's 4 orbs disappeared and a blast shot at Yusei; but again a card appeared on his field.

"That trick is getting old," Yusei added. "I activate Damage Polarilyzer!" Grunting, Placido watched as his beam fizzled out like a short circuit, then all three men drew a single card from their Decks.

"Then I end my turn," Placido added, taking two of his cards and throwing them away into the Cemetery. Clear annoyance showed itself on his face; he hadn't expected such opposition in the face of the Ultimate Wisel, even from 2 Legendary Duellists. Now he found his entire strategy was seemingly moot.

"You're gonna wish you'd been able to defeat me earlier," Judai added, reaching for his Deck. "I draw (Yusei: 5 SPC/Judai: 5 SPC/Placido: 3 SPC)!" Pointing to his own set card, he added, "I activate Neos Convert! With Neos in my Cemetery, I remove a Fusion Monster from play and Summon a Neos Fusion Monster with the same level with its effect negated this turn. I remove Dragoquites!"

"What?" Placido questioned, watching as the monster from earlier came back into view for a second. Then, a pillar of rainbow energy came into view, slowly revealing the large, armoured and feathered form of one of Judai's strongest monsters, whose own size was slightly greater that Placido's machine.

"Come forth, Rainbow Neos (ATK: 4500, LV: 10)!" As the energy died down, Judai's powerful monster took on its full form, its green eyes glaring down at the machine below. "Next, I activate my Trap Card, Neos Burst, and skip my Battle Phase to send all monsters to the Cemetery my opponent controls whose points are below my summoned monster!"

"No!" Placido yelled, watching as rainbow lasers shot from four of the gems on the monster's massive wings. They then struck the legs, arms and head of the monster, covering them in rainbow energy before they simply dissolved away, leaving nothing but the central core again (ATK: 0).

"I'm not done!" Judai yelled. "I activate my last card: Neos Cross! With a Neos Fusion Monster in play and Neos in the Cemetery, I revive a monster with 2500 or less original ATK in Defence Position! Return, Yusei's ace monster: Stardust Dragon (DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" Yusei's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning at hearing these words, the expression only growing stronger while his white dragon came back into view in a crouching pose, screeching.

"Judai! You're amazing!" Yusei yelled, completely ecstatic at such a reversal with a mere 3 Trap Cards. "We're guaranteed a win at this rate!" While Judai set 2 cards from his hand, Yusei pulled his card from the Cemetery and put it into play, making the move official.

"That Yuki Judai..." Placido thought angrily. "He's more powerful than I thought. I can try and bring back my parts, but that serves no purpose now... because that Rainbow Neos can simply erase all my monsters. It looks like I have no choice; I have to use that card..."

"Trap Card Open!" Placido yelled, revealing a set card from his second turn. "The Last Selected One! This card is activated by sending all the cards on my field and in my hand to the Cemetery!" Once he said this, all of his Magic and Trap Cards, and his core monster vanished, and then he threw his entire hand into the Cemetery.

"Next, I select a single card in my Deck, and send everything else to the Cemetery!" Confusing both men with this move, Placido pulled out his entire Deck and grabbed a single card, sneering; then, the rest of his cards were thrown away, and he placed the last remaining card back in his Deck.

"What's his angle?" Yusei questioned. "Only one card left in his Deck, no hand and no field; he'll lose in his next turn. He must have some sort of angle; even if he has any draw he wants, he's only got that one."

"Maybe," Judai responded, "but that card's clearly worth throwing his Deck away." Then, in a solitary frame of memory, his face converted into an expression of horror and he yelled out, "he's added that card to his hand!"

"You're too late to save yourselves this time," Placido said strongly, grabbing his solitary card. "I draw (Yusei: 6 SPC/Judai: 6 SPC/Placido: 4 SPC)! And with the card I now hold, I can finally banish both of you to Judecca permanently!"

Landing their four-winged dragons in the streets, the Signers and company jumped down onto the ground and prepared to move out; but before they could do that, they were greeted with a familiar site. They had landed, completely by chance, below the Neo Domino City Hospital; and, looking up in the window on the fourth-from-the-top floor, they saw a man in a very long black coat jump down from there.

"Kaiser!" Johan realized, raising his fist in triumph while Hell Kaiser fell. Part way down, the man reached for his Deck and pulled out a single card, playing it and creating the form of his composite metal green, brown and grey metal dragon wrapped around the building.

Once it has materialized, everyone was horrified to see a red blot of energy shoot down from the Circuit and strike the monster, making it explode into energy instantly. Hell Kaiser, cringing at this, made his eyes glow light blue as the pieces changed into black fog, reforming and allowing him to hand on its metal maw on his own two feet.

Looking back up, the man turned and signalled up to the floor to follow. Immediately the forms of O'Brien and Kenzan jumped down from the building, holding Asuka between them, and also landed on the large metal structure. The monster then quickly lowered its head to where the four could jump down; then it dissolved, leaving the group standing on their own.

"The Circuit is growing even more unstable," O'Brien realized, looking up at the bolts and seeing them arcing in every direction. "If it is powered by Momentum, which is a living energy in the hearts of humans…" Nobody completed the chilling thought he was putting out; but everyone instantly cringed on the inside, knowing full-well what he meant and that it was true.

"Look out!" Asuka suddenly yelled, pointing as a bolt of the red energy shot down straight towards Jack, too fast for him to react. However, it did not reach him; for another bolt of energy, much like an arrow, struck the end of the bolt and the two thus cancelled each other out. Then, a green-robed figure jumped down from the top of a six-story building, a Duel Disc mounted on his arm like an archery bow.

"Who are you?" Kiryu questioned, seeing the figure instantly and watching as they landed, pulling their hood down and revealing a pair of gold eyes, long blond hair, and a rather thin face with conviction.

"You can call me Arynis," she added. "I'm with Team Medieval from Hungary; and, more relevant right now, I'm a friend of Judai's. As are my two cohorts." With that the brunette woman and tanned man Arynis had been with earlier stepped out from an alley, the former wearing a Duel Disc like a sword and shield and the latter one much like a Star of David.

"My name is Marc Cohen, of Team Nazareth from Israel," the man explained, turning to indicate his female counterpart. "This is Simone Allana, of Team Bataille from France. Like Arynis here, we're friends of Judai; and I take it that you're all aware of what's at stake, being his allies as well."

"There's lots of injured people in this area," Yugi told the three people. "Can you at all help us with securing them?" The response was unable to come right away; because three more red bolts of energy came down, clearly seaking the Duel Discs, that caused the three to turn.

First to react, Marc reached for his own Duel Disc and put a card onto one of the points of the star. "Come, Dive Dragon King of Mist Valley!" Instead of summoning the monster, the attack was completely dowsed in a field of dense fog, which faded with the attack.

Next, the woman, Simone, reached for her own Duel Disc and revealed a card, putting it into play. "I Summon Crusader of the Sacred Order!" Instantly a swordsman in rather old-looking armour came into view, jumping up into the path of the energy to stop it with his shield and slash through it with his sword.

Lastly, Arynis put a card into play, adding, "Rise, Darkbolt Archer!" Standing behind her, a tall, thin monster in black armour with bows built into its forearms appeared, firing two more arrows into the path of the oncoming attack and stopping it cold. "That's exactly why we have to act fast."

"Indeed, but what can we do?" Yugi questioned, seemingly somewhat despaired. "Even if we can save these people, unless Judai and Yusei win it's all in vain."

"Don't even go there with us!" Jack bellowed at the man. "As long as those two are fighting, nothing is in vain. We have to put all our faith in them, and do what is needed of us!" Hearing these words, Yugi brought himself back to a face of conviction, nodding as the entire group started to run in the direction of the others.

"Yusei and Judai… they truly are my successors as Kings of Duellists…"

"Are you ready to feel the true terror of the Aeons?" Placido asked of his two opponents, both of them becoming visibly rattled by such a question. Before they could even provide a response, a series of cards slid from his Cemetery, creating three large coloured auras that took on the form of the orange, blue and white mechanical giants respectively.

"When al cards are on my opponent's side of the field," he explained, "I can remove from play Machine Emperors Wisel, Skiel and Grannel from my Cemetery, and invoke their ultimate form." One by one, the three gigantic machines all dissolved into particles of energy in green, blue and orange respectively, fusing into a single red sphere at their centre and bursting upwards towards the sky, and downwards through the ground, into an entire red column of light.

"Appear now: Ultimate Machine God – Machinecle Infinity Cubic!" Just as the three combatants passed by the centre of the Infinity loops, where the beam was centred, the erupting column expended and released the form of a tall, mechanical cylinder-like structure with a rounded top and a three-pronged structure much like a 3-part Infinity symbol on its side. Parts of its form instantly began to shift and reposition, until its entire body extended out into a gigantic robotic torso, pair of legs and face.

"Next, when this Monster is Special Summoned, it calls upon its two arms: Machinecle Assault (ATK: 0, LV: 12) and Machinecle Defend (DEF: 0, LV: 12)!" On either side of the glowing red machine monster, smaller cylinders appeared and extended out into a pair of arms – the left bearing a massive blade and the right a massive shield – and both attached themselves to the sides of the new monster, flexing to show that they functioned. Inside their Infinity Symbols, a glowing green core formed; and then a third formed inside the centre, in glowing red.

Then, as the monster look up its place, the column of red energy at the centre of the Circuit pulled itself into a sphere at the centre, electricity encasing it. Within it then appeared the form of the mechanical comma-looking object, the lines along its form now glowing red and its entire form pulsating like a massive heart.

"What is…?" Yusei has time to stammer out before the energy once again erupted upwards. This time, it took on the shape of the chiselled body which Placido had summed before, complete with the limbs, a sun-looking structure on its back supporting two wing-like objects, and the carved face adorned with glowing yellow eyes. "Is… is that…?"

"This is my true form…" Placido said, his voice having once again changed to that of the disembodied, deep voice of Zone. "And this Machinecle Infinity is my body, complete with power to symbolize my reign. Machinecle Assault will automatically give my Machinecle Infinity Cubic twice the attack power of a monster it attacks, as well as inflicting Penetration Damage; and should you attack, Machinecle Defend will absorb the attack with twice as much DEF."

"It what…?" Judai asked, his face growing ghost-white as he saw the sneer of victory on his opponent's face. "Double our power and Penetration Damage? That… can't be…"

"Be gone, foolish mortals who dare to tread on the grounds of Gods! Battle! I attack Stardust Dragon with Machinecle Infinity Cubic (ATK: 5000)!" Instantly, the bladed arm of the robot began to glow red and spark electrical current; then, it swung itself at the dragon below, the blade alone dwarfing the dragon.

"Trap Card Open!" Judai finally managed to say coherently, showing off a set card. "I activate Neos Barrier!"

"Using an attack negating card won't work," The god voice told them, sounding superior and as though all hope for his enemies had been lost. "Alpha Omega Defend also negates any card effects which affects Alpha Omega Infinity!"

"That's not what this card does," Judai told him. "I activate it by releasing a Neos Fusion Monster with no cards in my hand; therefore, I sacrifice Rainbow Neos!" Instantly the form of the gigantic warrior broke apart into particles of rainbow energy, collecting around Judai's field and creating a barrier. "Next, I end the Battle Phase; and for every 1000 points of ATK the opposing monster had, I draw 1 card." Reaching for his Deck, Judai pulled all 5 cards on one shot, leading to a dark growl by the opposing figure.

"Then you are safe for this turn," he told them, his voice showing no register of failure. "With no cards left, I am forced to end my turn."

"I think we're safe from him right now," Yusei thought, trying to be calm but feeling his heart pounding in terror. "Still, I know he must have some back-up plan; there's no way he'd risk losing from a Deck-Out." "It's my turn (Yusei: 7 SPC/Judai: 7 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC)!" Upon seeing the card in his hand, he reached to his Cemetery, watching as two cards slid out.

"I activate the effect of Tuning Miner from my Cemetery," he explained. "By excluding this card, I Special Summon 1 Level 1 Monster from my Cemetery. Come back, Tuning Supporter (DEF: 300, LV: 1)!" With one of the two cards stashed away, he placed his small yellow robot onto the battle tray, where it crouched and turned blue. "I also summon Boost Warrior (ATK: 300, LV: 1)!"

Reaching into his hand, he also put down his rocket-wearing monster, giving him a pair of monsters which he pointed to. "I now Tune Boost Warrior to Tuning Supporter!" Starting its rockets, said monster jumped up into the sky, where it became a single green ring. The other monster then jumped into it, where its body dissolved into light.

"The clustering hopes will bring forth a new possibility," he chanted. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! The power of hope, Synchro Tuner, Formula Synchron (DEF: 1500, LV: 2)!" Out of said light then emerged the crouching form of the small blue race car-like robot, crouching as Yusei reached for his Deck further. "Because of Tuning Supporter and Formula Synchron's effects, I draw 2 cards!"

"Are you two done drawing cards rampantly?" Zone asked in annoyance while Yusei looked at the cards in his hand.

"Not quite," he responded. "I activate Speed World 2's effect; and by removing my 7 Speed Counters (Yusei: 0 SPC/Judai: 7 SPC/Placido: 5 SPC), I pull one last card!" Once he had added said card to his hand, Yusei took the whole mess of cards and threw it down onto the tray, leaving himself an empty hand but a plethora of set cards. "I end my turn."

"Next turn is the deciding turn," Yusei thought as he reviewed his set cards. "If I can keep myself calm, I can Accel Synchro in my next turn; then, with the help of my cards, I'll by pass his monster and defeat him."

"Time to say goodbye (Yusei: 1 SPC/Judai: 8 SPC/Placido: 6 SPC)," Zone told both of them, reaching for his Cemetery as a card slid out. "By skipping my Draw Phase, I immediately return Infinity Blast from my Cemetery to my hand." Once said Trap Card was within his grasp, he instantly threw it down into the tray. Looking at him nervously, Judai knew what was in store for him next turn.

"Fare thee well, Fudo Yusei.," he added. "I attack Stardust Dragon with Machinecle Infinity Cubic (ATK: 5000)!" Once again swinging its arm down upon the small monster, said machine struck the dragon with such force that it screamed out in pain, the electricity so volatile it jumped to Yusei and gave him an instant shock.

"Trap… card… open!" he yelled out, revealing one of his new three set cards. "With Spirit Force, I negate my Battle Damage and return Boost Warrior to my hand. And also, with the Shield Warrior I discarded with Top Scrap, I negate Stardust's destruction by battle!" As the two cards slid from his Cemetery, Yusei again stashed one away and put the other back into his hand; and then, the blade withdrew from his dragon, leaving it scratched but standing.

"I end my turn," Zone stated, turning to Judai with a glare of hatred. "And let me guess; the Fusion Genius has some magic equation with which to defeat my monster? I'd like to see that. After all, I want a fight to warm myself up before destroying your city!" Looking over at the monster from the centre of the Circuit, Judai watched it raise its hand to the sky; and at the centre of the swirling clouds, what appeared to be the sky itself began to part. And a red light then shone through that blanketed the ground below.

"What… the fuck…?" Yusei asked as he watched it too, not believing what he saw. Above them where a huge section of the sky had once been, the form of a huge red star now shone; and then the Circuit below their feet began to pulsate as well. Very soon, the three combatants saw its form shift into that of a stone building, a spiral-shaped monolith with two entwining paths jutting out from its form. At its centre, its form glowed with the sane crimson energy as the God within it now did.

"Is this…?" Judai asked, Zone inferring what he meant while the being's body further rose from the spiral building up to its knees. "No… don't tell me that this is…!"

"This is the completed form of the Circuit," Placido's voice added, finally returning before it was drowned back out by Zone's. "With this vessel completed, when this duel ends in my victory it will be the end of your city. For this Circuit is a device more powerful than any you know; it is the true form of Momentum itself."

"How can that be?" Yusei questioned, watching as they sped along one of the winding stone tracks while the city-sized building towered over Neo Domino and Satellite. "This is… this is the power of the human soul…?"

"No; it is the form which Momentum was given eons ago. It is from this object that your souls draw this power; so I shall return you all to it, and then put its power to good use."

"I won't let that happen!" Judai responded, clenching his fists. "I made a vow long ago that I would fight for justice; and now I will fight to defeat you, no matter the sacrifice! I draw (Yusei: 2 SPC/Judai: 9 SPC/Placido: 7 SPC)!"

"Trap Card Open: Infinity Blast!" Zone revealed. "Since I control 3 Machinecle Monsters, Judai, you shall now receive 2400 points of effect damage. While normally that is a small amount, you only have 500 Points left anyway. May you be put to rest like a true hero for your valour." Instantly the forms of the three objects making up the gigantic robot blasted energy at Judai; but to the God's surprise, their impact struck Judai's small robot and not him.

"I activate Surging Guard," Judai responded. "With this Trap Card, I negate an opposing damage effect my destroying my monster. And now, until your next End Phase, I receive no effect damage!"

"That's hardly salvation," Zone responded, "considering my all-powerful being here."

"I'll take it down," Judai responded. "I activate Speed Spell – Angel Baton!" Once he had snatched up his two cards, he took one of them and threw it into the Cemetery before reaching for another one. "Next, I activate Speed Spell – Over Fusion, and exclude Fusion materials from the Cemetery to Fusion Summon a monster until the End Phase!"

Five cards then slid from Judai's Cemetery, and as they came into view he described, "I exclude Neos, Neospacia Gunner, Another Neos, N-Air Hummingbird and N-Glow Moss, and I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero… God Neos (ATK: 2500, LV: 12)!" With a burst of light, Judai's field was joined by a gold-armoured, winged warrior larger than his last monster; one who floated facing the opposing machine, ready to fight.

"I remove from play Speed Fusion from my Cemetery to Special Summon Magic Striker (ATK: 600, LV: 3)," he revealed, showing off a blue-clad small figure holding a zigzagged staff. "Next, by excluding Rainbow Neos, I have God Neos gain 500 ATK (ATK: 3000), and then I activate my monster's effect; by releasing card Excluder, I return your monsters to your Deck!"

"What?" Zone questioned in complete disbelief, watching as the large warrior converted its smaller cohort into a burst of energy and flung it into the opposing robot. The entity then watched as the two arms of said robot warped off the field; and the cards reappeared in the otherwise-empty Deck slot, leaving the torso all alone.

"I switch Stardust to attack Position (ATK: 2500)!" As the white dragon spread out its body and rose higher, Judai turned to his other monster and yelled, "Battle! I attack Alpha Omega Infinity with God Neos! Legendary Strike!" Six orbs of different colours then appeared in the monster's hand, before it flung the whole mess of energy straight at the opposing monster; but Zone simply sneered at this action.

"Foolish mortal. When Machinecle Infinity is attacked, its power becomes that of the opposing monster (ATK: 3000)! And then, when it is destroyed, it simply returns next turn; so you attack is wasted, and this game is over."

"Yes, this game is over; but that's because my attack is not wasted," Judai responded, revealing a card from his hand. "I send Honest from my hand to the Cemetery, and I add the power of Machinecle Infinity to God Neos (ATK: 6000)!" While the deity watched in complete shock, he saw the burst of energy from the shock go straight through his monster, causing a massive explosion that struck his body at full force.

"Then I shall activate an effect from my Cemetery," Zone responded, a card sliding out from his arm while he held it up. "Due to the effect of Infinity Releaser, I reduce all of my Battle Damage to 0." As a result of said effect, even as the monster was reduced to a mass of energy particles, his Life Points were completely untouched by the attack.

"Then in that case, go Stardust Dragon! Direct attack! Shooting Sonic!" Rearing up, the dragon finally launched its attack straight into Placido's torso and straight through, creating a massive explosion as the man and his D-Wheel collapsed onto their side, spinning out as Yusei and Judai shot past.

Yusei: LP 2900

Judai: LP 500

Placido: LP 2550

"So you have managed to bypass the body of my servant," the voice of the God resounded, now emanating from the glowing red being instead of Placido's body. "I am certainly impressed; but without the ability to defeat me now, it's a wasted effort. Due to Infinity Releaser, I receive no damage for the rest of this turn. Speed World 2's effect cannot defeat me."

"Then I…" Judai responded, looking to his hand for any sort of sign for what to do. "I… set 2 cards." Taking the far left and right pieces of his hand, Judai placed them onto the tray before adding, "Next, due to the effect of Formula Synchron, I draw one card."

"Then I assume your move is finished," the God added, watching Judai glare at his freshly-drawn card and making such interpretation. "Then for my Draw Phase, I return Infinity Blast to my hand." On Placido's body, lying alongside the pathway of the floating object, said card ejected itself from the body of his arm, resting in its place with nothing to grab it.

"Next, I shall activate the effect of my Machinecle Infinity, and Special Summon it again; then, it shall call forth its limbs from my Deck." In a burst of crimson light, the form of the gigantic robot once again rose up from the body of the Momentum, hovering over the two and almost eclipsing the light from the red star.

"Battle! Be gone, Yuki Judai, as I attack and destroy God Neos with my Machinecle Infinity (ATK: 5000)!" With said command, the left arm of the robot once again burst into the sparking red light, preparing to strike at Judai's monster with full force. Judai, looking down at his cards, saw panic and terror in the reflection of his eyes; but then, he saw a red light emanate from Yusei, who had regained a strong composure.

"I won't let something like that happen!" Yusei shot back, pointing at the two monsters behind him while he reached for his cards. "You forget; there is a new power in my Deck which you handed down to me. You said I was to be tested with it; and now, I will show you that I can pass!"

"You what?" The God blurted out, watching as the form of Yusei's small robot burst out into a beam of light. From said light emerged two green rings, which shot over the head of his white dragon before morphing into a rainbow light along the leading edges of the dragon.

"The clustering crystal dreams will unlock the door to a new evolution," Yusei chanted, holding out his blank card while his Signer mark let off a brilliant glow. "Become the path its light shines upon! Accel Synchro!" With that the form of the white dragon concentrated into a green beam of light, accelerating until it vanished; then, a burst of light shot out from the chest of the God, turning neon green.

"This is…" Judai realized, looking up at the light with an awestruck look while it rose into the air. The light then solidified into the form of the white, black and green dragon Yusei had spawned earlier; its claws poised for battle and its long wings, tail and neck curled into a matching pose. The green glowing eyes on its mouth less face matched the intensity of the God's; and it let off an aura that showed its power.

"Surpass the boundaries, Shooting Star Dragon (ATK: 3300, LV: 10)! And right now, I activate Shooting Star Dragon's effect," he added, holding up the card while the remainder of its text appeared. "By excluding this monster until the End Phase, I negate one opposing monster's attack!" Folding its wings and elongated sections together, the dragon shot a burst of energy much like a green comet into the form of the opposing machine, stopping its cold.

"You've already called upon the power of your new monster," Zone realized. "Then I'll set one card and end my turn." As though manipulated by an unseen puppeteer, Placido's right arm grabbed his card from the Cemetery and threw it into a slot on his tray. "I end my turn."

"I draw!" Yusei yelled, reaching for his Deck with renewed confidence while he pulled his next card. Moments later, however, the card that had been set appeared beside Placido's downed body, shooting a beam of energy straight through Yusei's chest that made him cringe with the card in his hand.

Yusei: LP 500

Judai: LP 500

Placido: LP 2550

"I activate a Trap Card…" Yusei stated, preparing to reveal one of his two remaining set cards. Before he could activate it, however, he was stopped by a strange vibrating sensation throughout the object below them. The faces of Placido, Judai and Yusei all grew tense at the feeling below them. The electricity which had ceased to spark so ravenously now returned; but this time, in a dark purple variation which produced an uneasy feel.

"What's going on here…?" Placido questioned, watching while the God above him looked over in the direction of the Old Momentum below the Momentum Circuit. Said being could only watch as a sudden and uproarious burst of purple energy rose up from the tower of the old structure, its explosive force tearing the building apart before striking the sky and creating a wave-pattern.

"Oh my God!" Judai screamed, watching while more purple electricity burst down from the pulsating energy flow, colliding with the Momentum below them and creating an energy reaction. The entire form of the structure below them burst into a radiating red glow, casting a bright pulse of light that drowned out the red star above them.

Moments later, a massive explosion from the energy cross-reaction triggered and swept across the sky, radiating a shockwave of such force that buildings cracked from street to top, windows shattered and stretches of bridge collapsed into the rivers below.

Looking up on the massive sight, the four remaining Signers grasped their arms in agony, watching their Birthmarks pulsate and burn intensely on their arm. It felt to them as though the marks would be ripped from their bodies; and the others looked up upon the skies above, the ominous light filling the night sky.

"What… is this…? I…" Yugi suddenly declared, receiving a strange feeling within his being. Holding up his Duel Disc, he could see that it too was resonating and casting a purple light over him; but before he could analyze it further, it erupted into a column of energy around him. The burst lasted for less than a second; and by the time it passed, nothing remained of the Legendary Duellist.

"Yugi-san… Judai and… Yusei as well…" Aki observed, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "They're all gone… vanished without a trace… Are they…?" she didn't want to complete the horrid thought with words; but knowing exactly what she meant, everybody turned inwards and took up a solemn pose, trying not to let tehri grief consume them.

The energy burst from the Old Momentum then fell silent, and immediately following that the sky began to reform itself in patches over the star above. In seemingly no time the burning red star had disappeared from view; and as it faded, the energy from the Momentum above died out and its red glow fell away. Cracks began to form along the pathways surrounding the centre structure, eventually causing them it break into dust and leave the floating building in the sky, casting its shadow over a city beaten and broken.

At the epicentre of the blast from the Old Momentum, Kyojo and Yusuriha had been flung against the stone ways of the device's hole, knocked so hard that they could barely feel or sense where they were. Their eyes were burned and their skin blistered, their clothes torn and their nerves in agony; but most of all, a sense of agony consumed them. The agony of failure.

"What… have we allowed to unfold…?" Kyojo questioned, slowly sitting up to look at his smashed Duel Disc and his cards scattered all over the epicentre, along with Yusuriha's. Beside his left leg sat one card in particular that caught his damaged sight; his own card Trident Dragion, had returned to its original state, set free from Paradox's earlier attack.

"But… Taiyou's Stardust…" he deduced, seeing it sitting a few feet away from the card he had just grabbed. The card's image was completely gone, replaced with a black void; and the entire card's form was dulled and faded.

"Taiyou… your monster is…" Kyojo started, picking up the card and trying to turn to his friend to show it to him. Then, he noticed something he had failed to see from his eyes stinging earlier: Taiyou had completely vanished from the room, with no sign of him to be had. "Taiyou… Taiyou, where are you…? TAIYOU!"

Kyojo didn't notice from his screaming the cloaked figure standing at the top of the pit, glowing red eyes glaring down upon him in a fixed gaze before turning and simply walking away…

"What the fuck was that supposed to be?" Alessandro questioned uncouthly, thrusting his fist into the arm of the throne. "What a disgraceful mess, El Capitan… the Circuit is failed, the Signers divided, Paradox still running rampant, that blasted machine has erupted again; and worst of all, our actions are now known to the people of this city…"

"Placido…" Lucciano sighed, more sadly and in a lamenting tone. "What… what happened to him in that blast…?" Before she could elaborate further, a warning alarm began to sound in the background; and several display screens came up, revealing the presence of armed soldiers marching through the building.

"That Akutsu…" Alessandro snarled, recalling the brown-haired, scatter-brained scientist with whom he had met after taking Lucciano's place as an Emperor of Yliaster. "He and that little troll Jaeger must have called the United States Armed Forces from the nearby base on us! When I get my hands on him…"

"We can worry about punishing traitors later!" Lucciano shouted back to her counterpart, her voice filled with emotion. "Jose, Alessandro, one of you two; answer me!"

"There is no way to know until we can secure the Final Momentum," Jose finally responded to Lucciano's earlier comment, his expression solemn. "But Alessandro is right; our cover is coming apart, and we can no longer keep ourselves secret here."

"We need to secure what's left of El Capitan," Alessandro then deduced, standing up while his robes converted into energy form and changed from blue and white to simply white. "Then we'll get out of this place, and let nobody know anything further. For right now this project is on hold."

Nodding, Jose and Lucciano stood up in unison, each one of them vanishing from the room in the very same moment. Behind them, the plasma screens and the observation orb shattered into energy form, followed closely by the thrones as they cracked and crumbled. The coursing energy line along the ceiling and walls fell silent, and the floating orbs forming Infinity Symbols stopped moving and likewise shattered into energy.

Seconds later, there came a resounding thud when two armed soldiers burst in through the doors of the room, having reached it quickly due to their access to several covert pathways and transporters. From behind them a man dressed in a more formal, commanding officer's uniform stepped in, assuming the front position and giving his two soldiers the hand signal to lower their weapons.

"Well, the place seems more deserted than a ghost town," the man said it himself in English, his Wisconsin accent marking his place of origin. "Whoever or whatever was here did a pretty good job of covering their tracks; but I know that there's been activity here." Turning back to his soldiers, he looked them square in the eye and gave the agenda.

"Seal off the building with barricades or whatever necessary. No persons without authorization, Public Security or otherwise, enter or exit without our clearance. Inform the Mayor that until further notice, the Public Security Maintenance Bureau's office is under the possession of the United States Armed Forces."

Card of the Week – Placido

Ultimate Machine God – Machinecle Infinity Cubic

LIGHT

Level: 12

Family(s): [Machine/Effect]

Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play 5 different types of "Wisel", "Skiel" and "Grannel" Monsters from your Cemetery, when your opponent controls a monster and a Magic or Trap Card and you control no cards. When this card is Special Summoned, Special Summon 1 "Machinecle Assault" and 1 "Machinecle Defend" from your Cemetery. Other monsters you control cannot declare an attack. If this monster is selected as an attack target, its ATK becomes equal to that of the attacking monster. If this card is destroyed, Special Summon it during your next Standby Phase, ignoring the summoning conditions.

ATK/ ?

DEF/ ?

*And so ends my longest fanfic yet; but I'm just getting warmed up… Review if you wish.*