Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, your nutty buddy is back once more with another exciting chapter of Yugioh: Chaos Unleashed! A lot is going down this chapter, so strap yourselves in and be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of a lifetime! It's only going to get more hectic from here!

The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5Ds, Yugioh ZEXAL, Yugioh ARC-V, and Yugioh VRAINS are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation and Kazuki Takahashi! Please support the official release!

Chapter 40: The Blue-Eyes Strike Back!

Domino City, mid 1990s

The voice of Joey Wheeler echoed around the alley. "All right Red-Eyes, blast this sucker back to the future and end this duel! Take out dat Terrorking Archfiend with your Inferno Fire Blast!" His reliable dragon roared and blasted the Fiend type monster, knocking over the hooded grunt with the shockwave of the explosion.

Grunt LP: 0

"Nice job, man!" Tristen cheered as the black flames died once more. They'd been running around downtown all day, Dueling grunts and trying to get answers from them, but they'd always managed to slip away, whether it was by smoke bomb, flash grenade, or a more interesting escape that involved one of their capes and lighter fluid that had really annoyed Joey. "You got him!"

"Yeah, I know," Joey grunted, not quite as excited as his friend. These Chaos Movement grunts, as he had learned when Mai had been a little more successful in an interrogation, were really starting to grind his gears. Try as they might, they couldn't get any meaningful information out of them besides that this "Master" individual wanted him out of the way for whatever reason. A small explosion in front of the grunt obscured him in a cloud of smoke. "And there they go again!" A breeze cleared the smoke quickly and sure enough, the skull-mask-wearing Chaos Movement grunt was gone, like he'd never been there.

"You've been Dueling all day and yet we still don't have any answers," Tristen groaned.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Joey snapped. "Ya think I didn't notice? I want to help Yuge out, but I'm tired of takin' on these small fry. Bring on someone like that Mika chick! I can take on those freaks all day."

"Well, no point in standing around here," Tristen said, rubbing the back of his head. "Let's see if we can find someone else and get them before they disappear." A high-pitched roar echoed around the alley, a red glow coming from behind them.

"What the?!" Joey yelped, remembering the roar from a couple nights prior, right before Yugi and Kaiba had disappeared. The two friends spun and beheld the Crimson Dragon flying right at them.

"What's going on?!" Tristen yelled, covering his face instinctively. When he lowered his arms, the red glow of the Crimson Dragon had disappeared, as had his friend. "Joey?" He wasn't too surprised to hear no response. A look of horror suddenly came over his face. "How am I going to explain this to Mai?!"

New Domino City sometime in the 22nd Century

The Master watched eagerly, feeling the power of the universe flowing through him. With each person transformed by the Chaos, he grew stronger. Oh how liberating this was! At long, long last, his plans were coming to fruition! Not even the Doctor could stop him now! He breathed deeply, the rainbow mists of chaos filling his lungs and saturating his body with even more power. What had taken him hours to accomplish earlier would now only take him a few minutes. A part of the Master wished someone else would die, so that he could take their soul and place it in a new body to serve his will. Perhaps his latest minion could kill one of these two legendary Duelists. Screw the timeline, those two had been a thorn in his side long enough that he didn't care about any implications of time paradoxes. He was the Master, he controlled the Chaos, the very same Chaos that had existed in the time before time and would exist long after the sands of infinity finally came to a halt. He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Yami LP: 8000

Black Luster Soldier Atk: 3000

Giant Soldier of Stone Def: 2000

Yusei LP: 8000

Junk Berserker Atk: 2700

Shield Wing Def: 900

Mystery Woman LP: 8000

"I activate Soul of the Dragon," the woman said, playing the card she'd just drawn on her Duel Disk. "By skipping my Battle Phase, I Special Summon one Level Four or lower Dragon from my Deck. Appear, Totem Dragon!" A small mechanical dragon appeared in front of her, coiled up.

Totem Dragon: Atk 400, Def 200, LV 2

"Why would she forfeit her Battle Phase just to bring out that little dragon?" Yugi wondered aloud as his spirit floated next to the Pharaoh. "She's either planning to Synchro Summon something or she's going to sacrifice it."

"You're right, Yugi," the Pharaoh said quietly. "Fortunately we are well prepared." He still had a nagging feeling that he was missing something. Something about this Duelist was bugging him, and it wasn't just that she was a creation of the Master. But what was it? His gut told him that Dueling was going to give him the answer, though he wasn't sure if he was going to like it.

"I now sacrifice Totem Dragon," their opponent continued, the monster disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. A white light began to grow behind her. "The white heaven that soars free, manifest yourself as the spirit of the White Dragon and join my side. Tribute Summon! Dragon Spirit of White!" The roar of a dragon reached the ears of the legendary Duelists, hauntingly familiar.

"No way!" Yugi gasped as the dragon appeared. It looked much like Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon, albeit it was smaller and had a blue tinge to its wings.

Dragon Spirit of White: Atk 2500, Def 2000, LV 8

"Could it possibly?" Yami asked himself, looking at this new dragon.

The woman's silver eyes glared at him. "Dragon Spirit of White's effect activates. When it's Summoned to the field, it can banish one of your Spell or Trap cards on the field." She pointed at the left Trap card on Yami's Field. "I banish that card." The Dragon Spirit of White roared, blue flames frothing around its mouth. It fired a blast of blue flames at the card, which flipped upright to reveal itself to be the Magic Cylinder Trap before it disintegrated under the assault.

Yami growled as he pocketed the card. "That's a powerful ability."

The Master's cackle got his attention. "And it's only the beginning, young Pharaoh."

The woman played another card on her Duel Disk. "Because I control a Level Eight Light Attribute Dragon Type Monster, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster Whelp with Eyes of Blue from my hand." A small grey and blue speckled dragon appeared in front of her, reminding the Pharaoh of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon once more, but as a newly hatched dragonling.

Whelp with Eyes of Blue: Atk 800, Def 400, LV 1

"Eyes of Blue," Yusei repeated, meeting Yami's concerned gaze. He merely nodded.

A slot opened up on the woman's Duel Disk. She used two fingers to take a card from her hand and gently place it in the slot. "I activate the Field Spell, Lost Paradise of the White Dragon." A temple appeared behind the woman, which reminded Yami of the renderings of the Temple of the Oracle at Delphi, pictures he had seen while observing Yugi doing his history homework. It was a grand temple, graced with silver, white and blue decorations, the shades of blue varying throughout the temple to give it an appealing view. More Greco-Roman style pillars began to surround the Duel arena, rising up through the mists of chaos with a low rumble. Dragons decorated the pillars, similar to the pattern on the woman's dress. A single statue stood in the center of the temple altar, shaped in the form of a dragon that Yami knew all too well.

"She's using a Deck built around the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Yami exclaimed as he beheld the new Field Spell.

"But how?" Crow squawked in alarm, knowing just how powerful the Blue-Eyes could be. That alarm turned to anger, as he remembered the last woman he knew who used the Blue-Eyes and how this puppet was disgracing her memory.

The Master laughed as he loomed out of the colorful mists. "Octavian Pegasus released five Blue-Eyes White Dragons to commemorate Kaiba's life, not just three. Didn't you ever wonder where the last two went? After snatching up those two beasties, it was a simple matter of introducing the power of the Chaos to those cards and bringing these Blue-Eyes a power that not even Seto Kaiba could ever hope to attain! All I needed was a Duelist who could use them. I couldn't find one who would serve me that could contain their power, so I decided to make one." He indicated the woman in front of him, who merely glared at her opponents from under her hood, glowing silver eyes the only feature visible. "So my dear, why don't you show them part of what I've created!"

A slight tilt of the hood was the only indicator that the woman agreed with the Master. "Lost Paradise of the White Dragon's effect activates. I draw one card because I control a monster related to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon." She drew a card slowly, a shockwave of power stirring the mists again as she added it to her hand.

Yusei glanced at Yami. "My gut tells me that her Field Spell doesn't just let her add more cards to her hand. We're going to have to be careful." The Pharaoh nodded.

"Level One Whelp with Eyes of Blue Tunes with Level Eight Dragon Spirit of White," The small dragon leaped into the air, dissolving into a single star that expanded into a lone silver ring. The Dragon Spirit of White leaped into the ring and dissolved into eight more stars.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Yugi said as he watched the Synchro Summon begin.

"Shadow of a blinding light," the woman chanted, eliciting a surprised kraw from Crow, "take in the power of Chaos and rise up! Become the ultimate defender of the White Dragon's Maiden, Kisara's ultimate shield!" The stars erupted into a blinding silver light. "Synchro Summon! Descend from the Chaos, Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon!" A bulky silver dragon shaped much like the Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon that Yami had faced so long ago appeared, though it was much more menacing. One wing was covered in pitch darkness, the other in blinding light as both wings flapped and blew away some of the mists in front of the woman, the powers of chaos churning around both Monster and Duelist. One eye glowed a sky blue, the other a dark navy blue as Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon curled up around the woman, guarding her.

Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon: Atk 1000, Def 4000, LV 9

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Her dragon roared a challenge at the legendary Duelists.

Yami blinked in surprise. 'Blue-Eyes are best used on the offensive, why would she bring out a defensive dragon? Could it be she's stalling for time instead? We'll need to figure out what that dragon's special abilities are as well, because there's more than one way to get rid of a wall Monster.'

"So what's your game here?" Yusei asked, clearly addressing the Master. "Are you too weak right now to face us? Could it be you've placed this soulless Duelist here because you've lost too much strength starting up your little ball of chaos?" There was a hard edge in the Head Signer's voice. He was ready to dish out some serious payback. After all the Master and his minions had been doing to the Satellite, Yami could tell that Yusei was eager to end this.

The Master frowned for a moment. It was true that activating the Kaosunokido had taken nearly all of his strength, and that he was buying time to recover so that he could use the full power of his Chaos Deck. Even though Yusei had picked up on this temporary weakness, there was nothing he could do to take advantage of it, not while she stood in their way. The Chaos Movement Leader smiled broadly. "If you think I'm so weak right now Yusei, then why not take my little Blue-Eyes girl down and take me on?"

"Don't mind if I do," Yusei retorted. "Yugi, you're up. Show them what you're made of." Crow let out a kraw to get Yusei's attention, giving him a gentle peck on his ear. "Ow, Crow, what's up?" He listened to Crow's bird speak for several seconds before sighing. "Sorry Crow, I can't exactly understand you." The Signer-turned-bird ruffled his feathers, clearly irritated that his message wasn't getting across. He looked at Yusei, then at the woman across from them, then back to Yusei and back to the woman once more. The Head Signer nodded. "Yeah, I'm trying to take her down quickly, we want you back to your old self as soon as possible." Crow let out another caw, flapping his wings once in frustration. His keen bird eyes had seen something under that hood and he was trying to let Yusei know what he suspected, something whose confirmation he dreaded

"Right," Yami nodded, sensing that despite Yusei's willingness to end this, he was still as collected as ever. He didn't have to worry about Yusei Dueling below his high standards. If anything, Yami realized with a grin, he might have to work hard to keep up at the blistering pace that Yusei was about to set. "It's my turn, I draw!" He glanced at the card and played it immediately. "I activate my Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." He drew said cards swiftly, smirking as he saw what they were.

"Nice draw!" Yugi cheered as he saw the cards as well. "We can get rid of the Dragon and attack directly!"

"Right, partner," Yami agreed. "I activate the Magic Card Ancient Rules! Now I get to Special Summon one Level Five or above Monster directly from my hand! My ever-faithful companion, master of the arcane arts, come forth Dark Magician!" With a flash of purple and black smoke, the famous Dark Magician appeared, staff held at the ready. The Dark Magician glanced back at the Pharaoh, nodding before facing the dragon across from him.

Dark Magician: Atk 2500, Def 2100, LV 7

"Next I activate the Magic card Thousand Knives!" the Pharaoh continued. As the card said, a thousand knives appeared around the Dark Magician. "Because I control my Dark Magician, I can destroy one monster on the field! So say goodbye to your Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon!" The Dark Magician waved his staff and launched the knives towards their opponent's dragon.

"Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon's effect activates," the woman began, her Synchro monster holding its wing of darkness in front to take the knives, absorbing them with no adverse effect. "For three turns after Cerulean-Eyes is Special Summoned, it's immune to all of my opponent's Spell and Trap card effects."

"So my Thousand Knives was wasted," Yami growled in frustration. "But there's more to taking down a powerful wall monster than with Spells and Traps, right Yusei?"

The Head Signer grinned. He'd hoped that Yugi would anticipate his Trap. "You got it! I activate my Trap, Gift of the Warrior!" The Trap flipped face up, the artwork showing Elemental Hero Avian desperately sharing power with Elemental Hero Busrtinatrix. "Now until the End Phase of this turn, I can reduce the Attack points of one Warrior Monster on the field to zero and increase the Attack points of another Warrior monster by the same amount! I give Junk Berserker's twenty-seven hundred Attack points to the Black Luster Soldier!" Yusei's Synchro Monster slumped as a red aura flowed from his body towards Yugi's Ritual Monster. The Black Luster Soldier flourished his sword as the red aura glowed on his body.

Junk Berserker Atk: 0

Black Luster Soldier Atk: 5700

"One more thing before I attack," Yami began, removing the Giant Soldier of Stone from his Duel Disk and placing it in the Graveyard. "I sacrifice my Giant Soldier of Stone to call out the Summoned Skull!" A bolt of lightning struck the Giant Soldier of Stone, shattering it with the raw power as the demonic archfiend appeared in the blast.

Summoned Skull: Atk 2500, Def 1200, LV 6

"That'll be enough to put a serious dent in your puppet's Life Points," Yami declared, pointing a finger at the Synchro Dragon. "Black Luster Soldier, take down that Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon now! Chaos Blade Attack!" With a wordless word cry, Yami's Ritual Monster charged, red aura infused into his blade. The Black Luster Soldier leaped high into the air, slashing through the light and dark wings of Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon and slicing the head of the dragon clean off.

The woman appeared unmoved by the loss of her dragon. That, coupled with the Master's chuckle, told the Pharaoh that he had activated some sort of Trap. "Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon's second ability; when destroyed by battle, it destroys the monster that destroyed it and inflicts half its current Attack points to you as damage." The dragon's body faded from sight, but the light and dark auras flew towards Black Luster Soldier, causing the Ritual monster to shatter and buffet Yami with shards of light and darkness.

Yami LP: 5150

"My Trap now activates," she continued. "Blue-Eyes Mirage brings back a Light Attribute Level Eight or higher Dragon type monster destroyed in battle. Revive Cerulean-Eye Chaos Guardian Dragon." In a flash of oppressing light and blinding darkness, her Synchro Monster reappeared in front of her with a roar.

Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon: Def 4000

The Pharaoh scowled. That was a powerful ability to be sure, and he had nothing he could do to take it down again this turn. What was she stalling for? "Then I'll end my turn."

Junk Berserker Atk: 2700

The Master chuckled. "That's what I thought."

"Don't worry Yugi, I got this," Yusei said. "She's going down. It's my turn, I draw!"

The Master flinched, apparently sensing something. "What's this?"

The Mark of the Crimson Dragon flared on Yusei's arm as he drew his card. "What's going on?" The roar of the Crimson Dragon echoed faintly throughout the room.

The Master growled, casting his senses throughout the orb of chaos he'd created. "That damn dragon." He saw what the Crimson Dragon was doing and chuckled. "So that's how it's going to be you overgrown red lizard. Fine then, bring whoever you want, it won't stop me now."

"What's the Crimson Dragon doing?!" Yusei gasped as the glow on his arm flared brightly before dimming back down to its normal glow.

"I don't know, but hopefully it's aiding us in its own way," Yami deduced. He met Yusei's gaze. "Now let's focus on taking down this woman and then the Master."

Yusei nodded as he glanced at the card he'd drawn. "And I know just how I'm going to do it!"

Duel Room A

"My soul is raging! It's my turn!" Jack yelled as he drew a card.

Jack LP: 4000

"Let's see what you have what it takes to challenge me!" Julius declared, his field of Gladiator Beasts ready and raring to go.

Julius LP: 2000

Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz Atk: 2700

Gladiator Beast Nerokius Atk: 2900

Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor Def: 3000

Gladiator Beast Andabata Def: 2800

Jack smirked. Julius felt a twinge of fear go down his spine. That was the triumphant smile of a predator who was ready to take down his prey. But what could the former Turbo King do against his current set up? With Red Dragon Archfiend, he could either get rid of his two defensive monsters or destroy one of his offensive Gladiator Beasts and deal a little damage, even if he were able to get past his facedowns and his Assault Fort. Perhaps Bario was right to hang back and observe. Still, Julius was determined not to fall here.

"I Summon Vice Berserker in Attack mode!" Jack announced. A purple and blue demon appeared, arms crossed arrogantly.

Vice Berserker: Atk 1000, Def 1000, LV 4

"Next I activate my Double Summon Spell card, allowing me two Normal Summons this turn!" Jack continued, the Spell card glowing green briefly before he placed it in the Graveyard.

"Then show me what you're bringing out!" Julius challenged, pounding a fist against his armor. He knew that Jack didn't have many Level Four Tuner Monsters, and those that he did have often had special requirements, like his Trap Eater and Top Runner. He was ready for the Exploder Dragonwing Synchro with his Gladiator Beast War Chariot Trap. Even if Jack was prepared for that Trap somehow, he had a Mirror Force Trap set as backup. There was no way Jack was going to get past his defenses.

"With pleasure!" Jack countered, playing a card on his Duel Disk. "I Summon forth the Flare Resonator Tuner Monster!" A little fiend looking much like the Dark Resonator appeared, flames burning along its back.

Flare Resonator: Atk 300, Def 1300, LV 3

"Next I activate the Equip Spell Synchro Boost to my Flare Resonator!" Jack continued, a red aura appearing around the little fiend. "This boosts his Attack by five hundred points and increases his Level by one!"

'A pity I didn't have my Disarm Trap in my opening hand,' Julius thought to himself. 'This'd be the perfect time to activate it to negate his Spell's effects. Oh well, I'm well prepared for his ace dragon as well.' Out loud, he addressed Jack with a laugh. "This is how it should be, right Atlas? Your soul against the souls of my gladiators! Come on then!"

"I'm going to make you regret ever thinking about challenging the great Jack Atlas!" the Wings Signer said, holding his glowing right arm over his chest, his Mark of the Crimson Dragon pulsing ominously. "Level Four Flare Resonator Tunes Level Four Vice Berserker!" The Flare Resonator rang his tuning fork before turning into four stars that expanded into large green rings. Vice Berserker jumped into the rings and turned into four more stars. "The ruler's heartbeats will now fly through here! Bear witness to its creation-shaking power!" The stars aligned with the rings and erupted into a brilliant black and crimson light as a red glow flashed in Jack's eyes. "Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Dragon Archfiend!" With a roar that shook the very foundation of the room, Jack's ace monster emerged from the light, eyes glowing a dangerous yellow.

Red Dragon Archfiend: Atk 3000, Def 2000, LV 8

Bario watched from the shadows. 'Red Dragon Archfiend can be a troublesome card. Let's see how Julius deals with it after it powers up thanks to Jack's Synchro Materials.'

"Both of the monsters used to bring out my soul now activate their effects!" Jack said, glaring at Julius with glowing red eyes. "Since Vice Berserker was used for a Synchro Summon, by paying two thousand Life Points, my Red Dragon Archfiend gains two thousand Attack Points!" The red glow disappeared from Jack's eyes, transferred into an aura that flowed from his body into his dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend roaring as it absorbed the power.

Red Dragon Archfiend Atk: 5000

Jack LP: 2000

'Damn it all, I can't negate that effect because Vice Berserker isn't on the field,' Julius thought grimly to himself as he glanced at his facedown cards. 'Same with Flare Resonator.'

Flames surrounded Red Dragon Archfiend as Jack continued his move. "Next, because Flare Resonator was used as Synchro Material, Red Dragon Archfiend gains another three hundred Attack points!" The flames were absorbed into Jack's ace monster, who roared a challenge at Julius.

Red Dragon Archfiend Atk: 5300

"That's a lot of Attack Points, but having power is one thing," Julius taunted. "Knowing how to wield that power is something else entirely."

"Believe me, Julius, I know how to use power," Jack growled. "That's the difference between us. You put your spirit into several monsters, splitting it like so many tiny crystal shards, while I put m whole heart into my true ace, my very soul Red Dragon Archfiend! Because we've both paid two thousand Life Points, but you're the one that's staring into the face of defeat!"

"Then let's see this power you've hoarded into one monster!" Julius challenged.

"You'll see it all right," the former Turbo King shouted. "I activate my Spell card Scarlet Security!"

The gladiator's grey eyes widened. "What?!"

"Because I control my soul, Red Dragon Archfiend, I can now destroy all the Spells and Traps on your field!" Jack announced, pointing at the assortment of cards behind the Gladiator Beasts. "Go Red Dragon Archfiend and show him true power!" Jack's ace monster flapped his wings, black and red flames beginning to fill the room.

"Not yet!" Julius shouted, "I activate my Trap, Fake Spell!" The card flipped up and revealed a little green goblin looking shocked at a scroll. "Since you activated an effect that destroys a Spell card, I can destroy this card to protect my Gladiator Beast Assault Fort from destruction!"

"Maybe so, but the rest of your Spells and Traps are gone!" the Wings Signer declared. A green glow appeared around the Trojan horse on Julius' side of the field, guarding it from the flames, but the two remaining facedowns on Julius' field as well as the Coliseum surrounding them shattered, turning the arena back into a normal looking Roman amphitheater. "And with the demise of your Coliseum, your Gladiator Beast's Attack Points decrease!"

Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz Atk: 2600

Gladiator Beast Nerokius Atk: 2800

Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor Atk: 2400

Gladiator Beast Andabata Atk: 1000

"Impossible," Julius gasped. His defenses were gone just like that, though he still had one card left that would save him.

"Additionally, I activate the Spell Card Red Dragon's Vase!" Jack continued. "Because I control Red Dragon Archfiend, I get to draw two cards!" He drew the cards swiftly, eyeing them before moving on with his turn. "Battle! Red Dragon Archfiend, Attack Gladiator Beast Nerokius now! Absolute Power Force!" With a thunderous roar, his ace monster flew forward, flames gathering around his fist.

"I activate the effect of my Gladiator Beast Assault Fort!" Julius shouted. "Once per turn, I can designate a Gladiator Beast and save it from being destroyed in battle. Additionally, I take no battle damage!" The bat-like Gladiator Beast held his giant wings in front of him protectively, guarding himself from the overwhelming power of Red Dragon Archfiend's attack. Despite being knocked backwards, Nerokius survived the attack. Julius chuckled. "My Life Points are safe."

Jack grinned. "Are you sure about that?" He grabbed one of the cards in his hand.

"Say what?!" Julius' face paled.

"Never forget that the King is always three steps ahead!" Jack announced as he played the card in his Duel Disk. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Revenge Attack! Now since I couldn't destroy your monster in battle, I add one thousand Attack points to my Red Dragon Archfiend and he gains an additional attack this turn!" The power of the card flowed into his ace monster, who roared as he gained even more power.

Red Dragon Archfiend Atk: 6300

"Sixty-three hundred Attack points?!" Julius gasped. "But how?"

"You'll kneel before your King!" Jack declared. "Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz! Absolute Power Force!" The servant of the Crimson Dragon left the sprawled Nerokius behind and charged the dinosaur-like Gladiator Beast, flames surrounding his fist once again. With a mighty blow, Red Dragon Archfiend destroyed the Gladiator Beast Fusion and surrounded Julius in flames.

"NOOOOOOO!" Julius cried as his armor was blown off his body, leaving him in his undershirt and shorts. The gladiator fell to his knees, using his sword to try and stay upright. His other Gladiator Beasts shattered as the flames from the Red Dragon Archfiend's attack spread throughout the room, igniting most of the underground arena with its power.

Julius LP: 0

"There's only one King, and he does not share power!" the Wings Signer shouted. "Learn your place, worm!" Red Dragon Archfiend roared in agreement before it faded from view, the scorched arena all he left behind. Jack's purple eyes grew wide as he beheld the gladiator's transformation. Julius was silent; he knew the consequences of failure. His body quickly turned to marble, leaving the former man a mere statue like the Roman Emperors he'd loved so much. Despite being turned to marble, Julius' gaze met Jack's, and the Wings Signer would never forget to look on Julius' face of utter horror and humiliation for as long as he lived. The room was quiet, save for the crackle of flames.

"Why don't you stop hiding in the shadows and come on out?" Jack demanded, looking around. "I know you're there!"

A frigid breeze blew across the arena, blowing out the flames from Red Dragon Archfiend's blast. A cold but familiar voice greeted Jack's ears "You've got a keen eye to have noticed me. Well done, Atlas. Your run ends here." A sudden blizzard appeared in front of Jack, forcing the Wings Signer to cover his face. When he lowered his arms, Bario Aisu stood in front of him, ice covering his half of the arena.

"My reign is only beginning!" Jack declared as he removed the cards from his Graveyard and returned his Red Dragon Archfiend to the Extra Deck, shuffling his Deck as he put it in his Duel Disk once more. "You'll rue the day you royally pissed off Jack Atlas!"

Bario raised an eyebrow. "You didn't strike me as one to have an emotional attachment to the girl slain at the entrance."

"Normally I couldn't give two figs about someone like her, but she happened to be someone my friend loved," Jack said, his purple eyes glaring into Bario's cold icy blue eyes. "The King will not allow his friend to go unavenged. I'm going to thrash you now. Expect it to hurt." Jack wouldn't admit it, but he has been glad that Crow had found someone to love even in the most unexpected of places, much like how he'd found love in a certain green-haired reporter when he'd least expected it. To have seen it taken away in an instant and to see Crow go off the deep end like that had hurt Jack. Now was the time to take it out on the Chaos Movement, especially one of the men who'd been a part of that fateful Duel.

"Even though I had no part in the girl's death?" Bario asked icily.

"You did have a part," Jack shouted, pointing at the Frigid Barricade. "You may have not directly done it, but you're a part of this Chaos Movement, therefore you're all responsible for what happened to her and Crow! I'm not stopping until you and all of your Movement lie defeated at Jack Atlas' feet! Now come! Entertain the King!"

Bario held up his arm, the armor on his right arm transforming into a Duel Disk. "Jack Atlas, though you only took one turn to defeat Julius, that gave me more than enough insight on your Dueling strategies. You will fall here, by my hand in a true Duel, starting with eight thousand Life Points."

"Fine by me," Jack said, "You want to prolong your suffering at the hands of my Red Dragon Archfiend? Fine, I'll be happy to oblige!"

"DUEL!" both men shouted.

Jack LP: 8000

Bario LP: 8000

Jack decided to move quickly. "I'll take the first move! It's my turn, I draw!" He played the card he'd just drawn on his Duel Disk. "I Summon Archfiend Interceptor in Attack mode!" A demonic looking American football player with four extra arms sprouting from its back appeared.

Archfiend Interceptor: Atk 1400, Def 1600, LV 4

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn!" The Wings Signer concluded. "Go ahead, attack me!"

Bario didn't rise to the bait. "My turn. I draw." Again, a cold breeze blew, ice spreading out from Bario's feet to cover most of the arena. Jack couldn't suppress a shiver at the sudden drop in temperature. The Field Spell slot on Bario's Duel Disk opened as Bario moved to play the card he'd drawn. "I activate the Field Spell, Sacred Grounds of the Ice Barrier." Pillars of ice began to jut up from the ground, the golden snowflake-like symbol of the Ice Barriers inscribed on each pillar. Snow covered the ground as the landscape seemed to shift from the arena to arctic tundra, the Aurora Borealis floating in the sky above.

"Do you really think that the cold will chill my raging soul?!" Jack scoffed, amusement in his tone. "I've dealt with colder winters in the Satellite."

"The temperature has only just begun to drop," Bario said coldly. "Sacred Grounds of the Ice Barrier has several effects, but for now I'll merely activate this first effect. Once per turn, I can perform an additional Normal Summon with an Ice Barrier monster. Appear, Samurai of the Ice Barrier." A flurry of snow rose up next to him, forming into a man in icy blue armor, wielding a katana that looked sharp enough to split an atom.

Samurai of the Ice Barrier: Atk 1800. Def 1500, LV 4

"Sacred Grounds of the Ice Barrier's second effect," the Master's Guardian continued. "Ice Barrier monsters gain three hundred Attack and Defense points."

Samurai of the Ice Barrier: Atk 2100, Def 1800

Bario played another card on his Duel Disk. "My second Summon. Come, Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier." A tattooed man in red, yellow, and purple sleeveless robes appeared, a green gem pulsing gently on his forehead.

Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier: Atk 1500, Def 1000, LV 4 Atk 1800, Def 1300

Bario inserted a card into his Spell and Trap zone. "Next, since I know you're looking to bring out your ace monster, I activate the Spell card Soundproofed. Now neither of us can Synchro Summon until the end of my next turn." His face never changed, but Jack could detect a hint of triumph in his voice.

"My soul won't be sealed for long," Jack declared. "The King has other ways of battling in the meantime!"

"We'll see," Bario said simply. "I use the special ability of my Prior of the Ice Barrier to Special Summon it from my hand." A hooded man in blue Ice Barrier themed clothes appeared, staff held at the ready.

Prior of the Ice Barrier: Atk 1000, Def 400, LV 2 Atk 1300, Def 700

The Frigid Barricade held up his hand. "Battle. Samurai of the Ice Barrier, attack Archfiend Interceptor. Ice Blade!" His warrior's sword began to glow icy blue with power as Samurai of the Ice Barrier charged. Red energy appeared within Archfiend Interceptor's arms.

"When Archfiend Interceptor is attacked, you lose five hundred life points," Jack said with a smirk. "Go Demon's Interception!" His Archfiend Interceptor flung his ball of energy at Bario right before Samurai of the Ice Barrier decapitated the unfortunate demon. A wave of frost buffeted Jack as he took the damage stoically, while Bario used his sword to slash at the attack from Archfiend Interceptor and reduced the blow.

Jack LP: 7300

Bario LP: 7500

Bario didn't waste any time following up on that attack. "Prior of the Ice Barrier and Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier now attack you directly." Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier laid his hands on Prior of the Ice Barrier's shoulder, power flowing from the monk-like monster into the sage-like monster. With the power boost, Prior fired an icy blue blast at Jack, who raised his arms protectively to take the attack. Jack gasped as the cold energy sapped the strength from his body, then growled as he saw ice covering his arms after the attack ended. His arms were numb from the cold as he shook off the ice, which only fueled his seething rage.

Jack LP: 4200

Jack grinned. "You've fulfilled the conditions of my Trap. I activate Spacegate!" The Trap flipped open, revealing the card artwork as three spheres of light began to orbit the Trap. "Now this Continuous Trap gains a Gate Counter for every attack you made this turn, and once it's gained enough counters, well," Jack smirked. "You'll find out soon enough. You've attacked me three times this turn, therefore Spacegate gains three Gate Counters!"

Spacegate Gate Counters: 3

"Interesting," Bario said, sounding as though he were being informed about the average amount the citizens of New Domino City saved on their tax returns. "Your flame shall be extinguished soon, Atlas. I place a card facedown and end my turn."

"My flames will burn as long as my will to Duel, and that will never die!" Jack declared. "My blazing soul is too hot for you to handle. It's my turn!" He drew a card, staring down the cold defender in front of him.

Duel Room B

Melissa LP: 4000

Number 28: Titanic Moth: Atk 2900, Def 1800, Rank 7

Doom Dozer: Atk 3300, Def 2200, LV 8

Metamorphosed Insect Queen: Atk 3300, Def 2000, LV 7

Kaiba LP: 4000

"It's my turn!" Kaiba shouted, "I draw!" He added the card to his hand, looking at the opening six cards he'd drawn.

"Come Kaiba," Melissa said calmly, "What has your ancient Deck have to offer against my army of insects?"

Kaiba smiled, beginning to shake. Matthias frowned as he observed the first Blue-Eyes Duelist. That was not the shiver of fear. The sound of Kaiba's growing laughter reached their ears, startling both Chaos Movement minions. 'What did he just draw?'

Kaiba's laughter reached a crescendo as he shook, tapering off quickly as he composed himself. "You talk a big game, but an insect is still an insect!" Melissa gulped nervously as Kaiba glared at her, all mirth gone from his face. "I'm going to show you why you're nothing but another bug to be crushed. If you didn't realize just how much better I am than you, you'll find out now! I activate Polymerization!" A swirling portal of blue, green, and orange energy appeared above Kaiba's head as he played the Spell card in his Duel Disk.

"No way!" Melissa gasped. There was only one Fusion monster that Kaiba was famous for playing, and she had a gut feeling that she wasn't going to be lucky enough to see a mere Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon.

'The odds of him having those four cards needed are less than one percent,' Matthias thought to himself, stunned. 'But I watched him shuffle those cards! He didn't play any tricks or shuffle in any manner that would've ensure his Blue-Eyes would be on top! So how?!'

"I send the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my hand to the Graveyard!" Kaiba announced, his three dragons materializing briefly before disappearing into the portal. "Witness the incredible creature of unsurpassed power! Witness my three legendary machines of destruction come together as one! Witness my ultimate servant come forth to the field! Fusion Summon! Descend now, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The portal exploded into several lightning bolts which struck the field in front of Kaiba, forming into the famous three-headed form of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba's Fusion monster roared as it fully materialized, embodying Kaiba's internal rage.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Atk 4500, Def 3800, LV 12

Melissa did her best to calm her suddenly rapidly beating heart. Staring down an enraged forty-five hundred attack point monster would unnerve plenty of people, but she was prepared. With her Negate Attack Trap set on the field, she would be able to avoid damage this turn and hopefully draw a card that would help her take down that Ultimate Dragon. Her other Trap was intended to destroy the backrow that Kaiba would no doubt lay down, as he always relied on several Traps in his Duels, and he would likely set one facedown after his attack was negated. "Impressive, Kaiba."

"You haven't seen anything yet," the Kaibacorp executive growled. "I activate the Equip card Dragon's Treasure and equip it to my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! This boosts the Attack and Defense points of my Dragon type monster by three hundred!" A giant green gem appeared behind the Blue-Eyes Fusion monster, a green aura flowing into its large body.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Atk 4800, Def 4100

"I'm sure you thought your facedown cards were going to save you," Kaiba taunted, glaring at his opponent. "Let me relieve you of any idea that you ever stood a chance against me, you worthless bug! I activate the Magic Card Neutron Blast!"

Matthias started. Melissa was doomed to fall in this one turn kill that only happened in one out of several million potential opening hands in a standard forty card Deck. The odds of Kaiba repeating such a feat against the cyborg were even smaller, small enough to the point where Matthias was certain that he'd fare much better against the first Blue-Eyes Duelist than poor Melissa had fared. He was glad that he had backed off now, as that near-impossible hand would not be able to affect him.

"W-what does that do?" Melissa asked, trembling as she feared the response.

"This card can only be activated when my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is on the field," Kaiba explained as a silver aura appeared around his Fusion monster. "Now my mighty Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon gets to attack three times this turn, and as an added bonus, you can't activate any Spells, Traps, or monster effects when I declare an attack!" He smirked in satisfaction when he saw her green eyes grow wide, magnified by the large glasses she wore.

"Impossible," she whispered, dread clutching at her heart.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack the Metamorphosed Insect Queen now!" Kaiba shouted, holding out his hand dramatically. "Ultimate Burst Stream!" His Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared as the head on the right fired a beam of white energy at the transformed version of Weevil's famous Insect Queen, disintegrating the monster effortlessly. The backlash of the attack caused the Insect Duelist to stumble backwards.

Melissa LP: 2500

Kaiba was relentless. "Now my mighty Dragon, destroy that Doom Dozer! Ultimate Burst Stream!" The head on the left fired a beam identical to what the head on the right shot and obliterated the massive centipede-like monster much like the Insect Queen had been. Melissa was knocked off her feet from the explosion of the attack.

Melissa LP: 1000

"Please," she begged, looking up at Kaiba, terrified. "Have mercy!"

Kaiba's face never changed as he stared her down. "An insect begging for mercy. Don't make me laugh. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Number 28: Titanic Moth with all your power! ULTIMATE BURST STREAM!" The middle head of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fired a blast of blue energy, the other two heads joining in with twin white blasts. The three beams swirled about each other, striking the Number XYZ monster and eliciting a screech of pain from the moth-like monster. The beam passed through the Titanic Moth without destroying the massive insect, striking a freezing fear in Melissa behind it and causing her to scream in agony, a scream that would ring in Kaiba's ears for a while.

Melissa LP: 0

Purple and golden smoke hid Melissa's now squirming form, but Kaiba cared little for those theatrics. "Insects will always be insects." He turned his attention from the fading Titanic Moth and his first opponent to the cyborg that was glaring at the Kaibacorp executive. "You're next," he declared, pointing at Matthias.

"I disagree Kaiba," Matthias replied flatly, ignoring the small kitten-sized moth that emerged from the smoke as the green flames died. The little patch of nature that had been Melissa's side of the field was quickly overtaken by the machinery that Matthias loved. "For you now face me, the Master's right hand man."

"Exactly the half of a man I was hoping to face," Kaiba taunted. "You and your pathetic Deck are going to pay for what you've done." He took out his Deck from his Duel Disk. "My Blue-Eyes hunger for revenge! And I have just the perfect Deck to take you down!" To Matthias surprise, Kaiba removed five cards from his Deck, placed it back in his Deck box and took out another Deck from a blue Deck box with silver highlights, a lone white dragon claw emblazoned upon it. Kaiba removed three cards from that Deck and placed in with his first Deck, shuffling the five cards he'd taken from his Deck into the other Deck and placing it in his Duel Disk. The cyborg's keen eye caught a glimpse of Polymerization being added to the Deck before it was lost in the shuffle. As far as he'd known, Kaiba had only used one Deck, changing cards in and out as Dueling began to evolve, but never had Kaiba been known for having multiple Decks on hand. Something was off.

"You may have some hidden Deck but your cards aren't up to date compared to mine," Matthias said, maintaining his calm demeanor. "And I shall show that your victory over Melissa was a fluke, a literal one in a billion-"

"I know the odds, you walking computer," Kaiba interrupted, "Unlike you, I don't need a calculator."

"Make all the jests you want," Matthias continued, not missing a beat. "Just in case you somehow manage to pull off another miracle draw like your last Duel, we shall Duel at eight thousand Life Points, a true Duel to determine your fate."

"Fine by me," Kaiba growled, the anger in his tone evident. "I'm looking forward to taking you apart piece by painful piece! Your pathetic excuse of a Dueling style will be nothing to the fury of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"The Cyber Dueling style has been battle-tested for many generations," the cyborg countered. "We've defeated plenty of Duelists who rely on brute force like you and your Blue-Eyes over the years. Your defeat will be no different."

"When I'm through with you, you're going to realize that nothing is like the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba declared.

"Let's Duel!" both Duelists shouted.

Kaiba LP: 8000

Matthias LP: 8000

"You may have the first move," Matthias conceded.

Kaiba placed two fingers on the top of his Deck. "I don't need more than one turn to dismantle you, you robot wannabe. It's my turn! I draw!" He looked at the card he'd drawn, eyes widening as he took it in. A quick skim over the rest of his hand gave him a strategy. The potential of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his hands was truly unlimited. He added the drawn card to his hand and plucked out another one. "In order to Special Summon this monster, I need to reveal a certain card from my hand. Say hello to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" He flipped the card around and revealed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his hand, but Matthias' eyes grew wide as he realized the artwork of the legendary dragon was not like the cards Kaiba had used in the past.

The cyborg composed himself quickly. There was only one logical explanation for this. "You took that girl's Deck, didn't you?" The first Blue-Eyes Duelist met Matthias' gaze. The cyborg could see a flame in them, a blue flame that burned strongly, a flame of rage. He could handle rage, having dueled Thomas several times.

Kaiba's response was almost expected, ruthless businessman that he was. "It's not like she was going to make use of it where she's at, no thanks to you. Now, since I've revealed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand, I can Special Summon the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon to the field!" The floor in front of Kaiba erupted in blue and white flames, a dragon very much like the original Blue-Eyes White Dragon soaring through the portal the flames created and roaring, ruffling Matthias' clothing with its power. Blue energy could be seen pulsing through this new dragon, unlike the original Blue-Eyes, and when the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon flared its wings, a blue light shone from within.

Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8

"I place two cards face down, and end my turn," Kaiba concluded, the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon sending a keening howl to the heavens, as though it were mourning the loss of its former owner. "You're going to pay for what happened! This I swear!"

"I highly doubt that," Matthias said coldly. "I draw." He played the card immediately and a large, serpentine robot appeared. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I Special Summon Cyber Dragon in Attack mode."

Cyber Dragon: Atk 2100, Def 1600, LV 5

Kaiba smirked. "Your so-called dragon is pathetic compared to my Blue-Eyes!"

"That won't matter," Matthias countered. "I activate the Spell card Evolution Burst. Because I control a Cyber Dragon, I can now target and destroy any card you control. Evolution Burst, destroy the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!" The cyborg's metal dragon screeched and sent a burst of flames at the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, overwhelming the unfortunate dragon and destroying it.

"Next I Normal Summon Proto-Cyber Dragon," Matthias announced, a stripped-down version of the Cyber Dragon appearing next to the original metal dragon.

Proto-Cyber Dragon: Atk 1100, Def 600, LV 3

"This card's name becomes Cyber Dragon while it is on the field," the cyborg informed Kaiba, grabbing another card from his hand, "Which enables me to activate Polymerization, to fuse my two monsters into the Cyber Twin Dragon." Both machines disappeared into the portal of green, orange, and blue that appeared above Matthias.

'Interesting,' Kaiba thought to himself. 'He has a Fusion monster requiring only two of his signature monsters. Perhaps I ought to create something similar for my Blue-Eyes.'

"Fusion Summon!" Matthias declared as the energy burst out of the portal. "Appear, Cyber Twin Dragon!" Living up to its name, a twin-headed Cyber Dragon appeared, a metallic roar its call.

Cyber Twin Dragon: Atk 2800, Def 2100, LV 8

"Battle," Matthias continued. "Cyber Twin Dragon, attack Kaiba directly. Double Evolution Burst!"

"I activate my facedown card!" Kaiba said as the Fusion Monster charged its attack. "Go Counter Gate!" A large square-like gate appeared in front of him to absorb the blast from the first head of Cyber Twin Dragon. "Your direct attack is negated and I get to draw one card. If it's a monster, I can Normal Summon it in Attack Position!"

"Go ahead and draw then," Matthias said calmly. He had no fears about what Kaiba could potentially Normal Summon, not with there being no monsters on the field to protect himself.

Kaiba looked at the Deck he was using. That Alexandrite Dragon of hers would be very useful right about now. "I draw!" He looked at the card he'd drawn and frowned. It wasn't Alexandrite, but he had Life Points to spare, for now. "I Normal Summon the White Stone of Legend in Attack mode!" A brilliant white stone, which looked more egg-like than stone-like to Kaiba, appeared in front of him.

The White Stone of Legend: Atk 300, Def 200, LV 1

"Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice per turn," Matthias said. "Double Evolution Burst!" The Cyber Twin Dragon roared as its second head blasted the White Stone of Legend with another attack, this one shattering Kaiba's monster and scorching him with flames. Kaiba remained upright against the onslaught, one arm protecting his face as the rest of his body got singed.

Kaiba LP: 5500

"When you destroyed the White Stone of Legend, you activated its special ability," Kaiba said as he placed the destroyed monster in the Graveyard. "Now I can add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Deck to my hand!" He removed the Deck from his Duel Disk, thumbing through it until he found the card he was looking for, flipping it around to reveal it was indeed a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and added it to his hand. He shuffled his Deck once more and replaced it in his Duel Disk in one smooth motion.

"I place a card facedown and end my turn," the cyborg finished, apparently not worried about Kaiba having two copies of his ace monster in his hand.

"It's my turn," Kaiba began. "I draw!" He glanced at the card and laughed before playing it on his Duel Disk. "It's just like looking in a mirror! I Summon Kaibaman in Attack mode!" Matthias felt a twinge of amusement as what looked like a long-haired Kaiba wearing a red undershirt and a Blue-Eyes shaped helmet appeared in front of the Kaibacorp executive, arms crossed in the same arrogant manner Kaiba was famous for.

Kaibaman: Atk 200, Def 700, LV 3

"I activate Kaibaman's special ability!" the first Blue-Eyes Duelist continued. "By sacrificing him, I can bring out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand!" As quickly as Kaibaman had appeared, he disappeared, creating a portal of white energy in front of Kaiba. A familiar roar greeted their ears, a warning of what was to come.

"How very interesting," the cyborg murmured to himself, enjoying the thrill of the Duel and the conflict that lay ahead.

"My pride," Kaiba began as the first claw of the Blue-Eye White Dragon reached out of the portal. "My very soul!" The second forearm of Kaiba's ace grasped the other side of the portal. "The embodiment of both, my loyal servant!" The head of the White Dragon emerged as the legendary engine of destruction began to pull himself out of the portal. "Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Another roar came from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's maw as he emerged fully from the portal, floating above Kaiba's head with some flaps of his powerful wings.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8

"Well then Kaiba," Matthias said, staring down the enraged Blue-Eyes across the field from him. "Let's just see the power of your soul then!"

"With pleasure!" Kaiba shouted, meeting the gaze of the cyborg. The true battle was about to begin!

Duel Room C

Alex LP: 4000

Grandmaster of the Six Samurai: Atk 2100, Def 800, LV 5

Legendary Six Samurai – Kizan: Atk 2100, Def 800, LV 4

Legendary Six Samurai – Kageki: Atk 1700, Def 2000, LV 4

Shadow of the Six Samurai – Shien: Atk 2500, Def 400, Rank 4

Shien's Dojo Bushido Counters: 5

Kuno LP: 3500

Amazoness Empress: Atk 2800, Def 2400, LV 8

Amazoness Pet Liger: Atk 2500, Def 2400, LV 7

Akiza LP 4000

"It's my turn!" Akiza said, fear in her voice. Getting slowly turned into your ace monster would do that to a person. She did her best to ignore her now clawed hands as she drew two cards as per the handicap that Alex had given her. "I draw!"

"Better plan this next move carefully," the strained mental voice of her dark side commented. "I like being human."

"We cannot afford any mistakes," Akiza's submissive side said. "I suggest you stay quiet and let our host concentrate."

Her dark side seemed only mildly concerned. "Just letting her know the stakes. Being a dragon would suck."

"Shut up," the Foot Signer growled, looking at the two cards. Perfect. "I Summon White Rose Dragon in attack mode!" A smaller version of her Black Rose Dragon appeared, though this mini-dragon appeared more elegant than Black Rose Dragon, as well as being covered in white rose petals compared to the red petals of Black Rose Dragon.

White Rose Dragon: Atk 1200, Def 1000, LV 4

"When this monster is successfully Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon another 'Rose Dragon' from my hand," Akiza informed her opponents, playing the second card she'd drawn carefully on her Duel Disk, trying to avoid damaging the cards with her rather sharp new claws. "Come forth, the Tuner monster, Red Rose Dragon!" Another mini Black Rose Dragon appeared, this one with green leaves as its wings and two large bright red roses growing from its back.

Red Rose Dragon: Atk 1000, Def 1800, LV 3

"I know what that means," Alex noted grimly.

"Level three Red Rose Dragon Tunes with Level four White Rose Dragon!" Akiza announced. Red Rose Dragon let out a cute little roar before it dissolved into three stars that expanded into green rings. White Rose Dragon elegantly glided into the rings, turning into four more stars that aligned within the rings.

"It's coming," Kuno said simply.

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world!" the Foot Signer chanted, holding her hand high. "Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom!" The stars erupted into a brilliant purple light behind Akiza. "Synchro Summon! Appear Black Rose Dragon!" Her ace monster emerged from the light with a roar, flapping her wings and sending a whirlwind of black rose petals dancing around the room. The room shook with the power of the Black Rose Dragon and the pain in Akiza's head began to intensify.

Black Rose Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 1600, LV 7

The Foot Signer sank to her knees, feeling something start to push out from the base of her spine. "What's…happening?"

Maid Akiza was the first to deduce the catalyst. 'It's our Dragon! Somehow she's causing the transformation to progress along, despite the fact it should have stopped when we began the Duel!'

'My dragon?!' Akiza thought, managing to glance up at her ace monster. How was she to Duel when her best monster was causing her to lose her very humanity? Maybe she should just eat her opponents. 'No!' She shook herself, trying to keep the draconic thoughts out of her head.

'Quick, use her special ability before your tail gets too big for your clothes,' Dark Akiza snapped.

'Right,' the Foot Signer realized. She had to get it off the field. Akiza looked up at her opponents. "I activate Black Rose Dragon's special ability! When she's successfully Summoned, I can destroy all cards on the field! Go Black Rose Gale!" With a roar, the Black Rose Dragon turned into a swirling storm of black petals and a sudden hurricane sprang up within the room.

Kuno shielded her face. "Amazoness Empress' ability activates and protects my Amazoness Pet Liger from destruction!" Amazoness Empress leaped in front of her pet liger, arms spread wide as she shielded Amazoness Pet Liger from the barrage of rose petals. The Empress took the pain silently, dissolving amongst the petals as well as Alex's Six Samurai monsters and all their facedown cards. Amazoness Pet Liger let out a mournful roar as the petal storm died, leaving only it on the field.

Akiza straightened, feeling the beginnings of a tail pushing out behind her. Mercifully, the transformation seemed to have stopped once more. She moved to brush a rose petal off her forearm and was horrified to find that it was in fact growing out of her arm. "Oh no…"

'So we're in a 2v1 Duel, trying to not get turned into a dragon by some weird power, and now we can't use our ace monster,' Dark Akiza summarized. 'Why don't you focus on keeping your humanity and I'll Duel?'

"Because you like using Black Rose Dragon too much," the Foot Signer growled. At least she'd cleared almost all the cards off the field.

"Amazoness Empress' effect now activates!" Kuno announced, interrupting Akiza's internal debate. "Since Amazoness Empress was destroyed by my opponent, I can now Special Summon Amazoness Queen from my hand, Deck, or in this particular scenario, from my Graveyard! Revive Amazoness Queen!" The blue haired warrior lady glimpsed briefly during the Fusion Summon of Amazoness Emperor appeared, holding her large thick scimitar at the ready. The Amazoness Queen smiled as Amazoness Pet Liger rubbed against her affectionately.

Amazoness Queen: Atk 2400, Def 1800, LV 6

'We're going to need some defenses against those two monsters,' Maid Akiza noted grimly. 'Quick, move to bring out one of your new Synchro monsters.'

"I'm working on it," Akiza muttered, glancing at the rest of her hand. Black Garden was going to be helpful, but she had to bring out her monsters first, to avoid giving them both Rose Tokens. First things first, she had to set up her Graveyard. She had two monsters in her hand that would both be better off in her Graveyard, and with her Normal Summon for the turn effectively wasted, it was going to take some serious Dueling. Luckily for her, she had just the card that could get her monsters in the Graveyard. Before that, however, she had some effects that had had been triggered when she'd Synchro Summoned her Black Rose Dragon. "First things first, since Red Rose Dragon was sent from the field to the Graveyard for the Synchro Summon of Black Rose Dragon, I can Special Summon another Rose Dragon from my Deck and add a certain Spell or Trap card from my Deck to my hand! I Special Summon Blue Rose Dragon from my Deck in Defense mode!" A small variation of the Black Rose Dragon, this one with blue rose petals adorning its wings.

Blue Rose Dragon: Atk 1600, Def 1200, LV 4

"I'll then add the Spell Card Frozen Rose from my Deck to my hand," Akiza said as her Disk identified the card she'd declared and spat it out from the Deck, shuffling her Deck after she drew the card out. "Next my White Rose Dragon's ability activates! Since it was also used as Synchro Material, I can send a Level four or higher monster from my Deck to my Graveyard, a monster like my Level eight Marina, Princess of Sunflowers!" Once again her Duel Disk pushed out a card from her Deck, but this time Akiza placed it in her Graveyard.

Kuno scowled. That, combined with Blue Rose Dragon's special ability, meant that Akiza had some powerful Plants to choose from if they destroyed that Blue Rose Dragon. They were going to have to play this carefully. "So you managed to wipe out a good chunk of our field. It won't matter, for Amazoness Pet Liger forces you to attack it before you can attack anyone else!"

Akiza ignored the ninja woman. "I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards and discard two." She drew the three cards and discarded the two monsters she desperately wanted in the Graveyard.

"I see why the Crimson Dragon chose you," Alex said, a hint of admiration in his tone. "You are truly a worthy adversary in this final battle to change the world!"

"We don't have to do this," Akiza said, meeting the gaze of his dark grey eyes. "You see what the Master is doing to me." The Foot Signer held up her hand, her claws on display. "Who knows when he might betray you too?"

"So long as I remain loyal to him, he shall remain loyal to me," Alex replied, conviction in his tone. "You've come far, Black Rose Witch, but this is where your journey ends, one way or another." He placed his hand on his katana hilt, the meaning of his gesture not lost on Akiza.

"Win or die, got it," Akiza said, realizing that there was no reasoning with these two. "Well then it's your funeral! I activate the Seed of Deception Spell card to Special Summon one Level two or lower Plant type monster from my hand, a monster like my Copy Plant!" A small tree-like shrub sprouted in front of her, a single eye glaring out from the wood.

Copy Plant: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1

"Copy Plant's ability activates," the Foot Signer continued, "Once per turn, it can copy the level of a Plant type monster on the field! I choose to copy Blue Rose Dragon's Level of four!" Her Copy Plant began to grow, sprouting branches and leaves until it resembled the Blue-Rose Dragon a few yards to its left.

Copy Plant LV: 4

'She wouldn't use Blue Rose Dragon for a Synchro Summon, would she?' Kuno wondered to herself, 'Not when its destruction effect would be that much more useful to her.'

"Dark Verger's effect activates in my Graveyard," Akiza announced. "When there's a Plant type Tuner monster on my field, I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard in Attack mode!" A black two leaf clover sprouted next to her Copy Plant, two eyes opening on each leaf.

Dark Verger, Atk 0, Def 1000, LV 2

"Sent there by the effect of Graceful Charity, no doubt," Alex muttered.

"Level four Copy Plant now Tunes with Level two Dark Verger!" the Foot Signer said, her two monsters floating into the air. Copy Plant burst into four green rings as Dark Verger dissolved into two bright stars. "The beauty of nature engulfs the entire world! Guardian of roses, rise! Synchro Summon!" The stars erupted into a brilliant green light, flowers emerging from the light. "Appear, Queen of Thorns!" An alluring plant-woman hybrid emerged from the light, large Venus-fly trap like hands snapping in anticipation.

Queen of Thorns: Atk 2200, Def 1800, LV 6

"She's never used that Synchro monster before," Kuno noted grimly. "What other surprises will she have in store for us, since she's apparently not going to rely on her ace monster?"

Akiza placed a card in her Deck's Field Magic zone. "I activate my Black Garden!" Vines began to sprout all over the field, encircling the three Duelists within a cage of dark vines, black roses sprouting here and there.

"Oh great," Alex groaned. Black Garden was going to hamper his monsters, and with Akiza's timing with that particular Field Spell, her Queen of Thorns was going to be difficult to get over. Still, with Kuno having her two monsters on the field, there was a good chance he wasn't going to have to worry about the Queen of Thorns when his turn finally came again.

"I may not be able to get over your monsters this turn," Akiza admitted, looking at the three cards left in her hand. It was going to have to do; she couldn't afford to leave anything to chance. "But that doesn't mean I'm done in this Duel. I place three cards facedown and end my turn!"

"It's my turn!" Kuno began, drawing a card. Having spent her entire hand last turn only to have it wiped out by Black Rose Dragon's ability irritated her, especially since her Amazoness Onslaught card had been the Trap destroyed. She looked at the card she'd drawn and scowled. Amazoness Willpower wasn't going to help her much this turn. Those facedowns on Akiza's side of the field were mildly troubling, though she knew that one of them was the Frozen Rose Spell card, something that wouldn't defend Akiza from her attacks. The other two worried her, but there was no point in playing defensive in a two on one Duel, not when her partner was relying on her to make a play. "I'll place a card facedown on the field."

"You're going to get rid of that Queen of Thorns, right?" Alex asked, glancing in her direction.

Kuno's glare told him all he needed to know. "Battle! Amazoness Pet Liger, attack Queen of Thorns now! Golden Liger Claws!" Amazoness Queen pointed at her rival across the battlefield and the Amazoness Pet Liger roared a challenge, golden energy forming into massive claws around his paws. "When Amazoness Pet Liger attacks an opposing monster, he gains five hundred more Attack Points!"

Amazoness Pet Liger Atk: 3000

Akiza allowed herself a smirk in this tense situation. Time to get rid of two pesky Amazoness monsters. "You activated my Trap card! Go Wall of Thorns!" Amazoness Pet Liger's charge was stopped by the sprouting of several thick, thorny green vines, which formed into a wall in front of Akiza's monsters. "Since you attacked a Plant type monster, all your Attack position monsters are destroyed!"

"They what?!" Kuno gasped. Amazoness Pet Liger leaped into the wall, trying to charge through it, but was torn apart by the thorny vines. The vines then exploded, sending several large thorns outwards that skewered the unfortunate Amazoness Queen as she tried to save her Liger.

"You can't write me off that easily," Akiza taunted.

The ninja growled in frustration. She shouldn't have been so careless. Regardless, she had something to revive her Empress. "I end my turn."

"My turn now!" Alex shouted, drawing a card. Most of his hand has been burned in setting up his opening field last turn as well, but he seemed to be in a slightly better state than Kuno at the moment. For now, he had to play some defense. "I banish Legendary Six Samurai Mizuho and Shinai from my Graveyard to Special Summon Enishi, Shien's Chancellor from my hand!" Images of the legendary Six Samurai flashed over his head before disappearing into the card he played on his Duel Disk. A man approaching the end of his prime appeared, gray tinges in his hair showing his age. He wore the robes of an advisor to the shogunate and a katana on his hip.

Enishi, Shien's Chancellor: Atk 2200, Def 1200, LV 6

"Queen of Thorns' ability now activates!" Akiza interrupted. "Since you Summoned a non-Plant type monster, you need to pay one thousand Life Points!"

Alex started. "Say what?!" His exclamation was punctuated by the Queen of Thorns raising an arm and releasing a cloud of spores that washed over him and drained his energy.

Alex LP: 3000

The samurai warrior scowled. "Fine, you just made your Queen of Thorns a target!"

"It's not going to be with your monster's Attack points!" Akiza said as a large rose began to sprout next to her. Vines reached out from the Black Garden and began to ensnare Enishi within its grasp. "Since you summoned a monster, Black Garden now cuts your monster's Attack points in half and summons a Rose Token to my side of the field!" The Rose Token bloomed in attack position on the Foot Signer's side of the field.

Rose Token: Atk 800, Def 800, LV 2

Enishi Atk: 1100

"Attack points don't matter when Enishi is involved," Alex shouted. "I activate his special ability! By foregoing his ability to attack this round, he can destroy one monster on your side of the field! Go Samurai Assassination!" Enishi drew his blade, sizing up the plant-lady across the field from him before he threw his sword, piecing Queen of Thorns' heart and destroying her.

'Now what?' Dark Akiza asked dryly. 'Our new Synchro is gone.'

"There's another Synchro in our Extra Deck," Akiza muttered reassuringly. "Just shut up and hope we draw something that can Summon it."

"I place a card facedown and end my turn." Alex concluded. "Now come Witch! You'll have to give up Rose Tokens when you Summon your monsters, because your Blue Rose Dragon isn't going to serve as a wall for much longer!"

"I could always destroy my Black Garden now," Akiza replied, but she paused before starting her turn. How she was going to attack this problem was going to depend on the cards she drew this turn. "It's my turn!"

Duel Room D

Leo LP: 4000

Luna LP: 4000

Sunlight Unicorn: Atk 2500, Def 1700, LV 4

Allana LP: 4000

Kirion, Twilightsworn Warlord: Atk 1700, Def 1400, LV 4

Curious, Twilightsworn Tyrant: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 8

Draco LP: 4000

"It's my turn!" Draco announced. "I draw!" He added the card to his hand and selected another. "I activate the Gold Sarcophagus Spell card and banish Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders from my Deck!" A large bulky earthen-like dragon appeared briefly over his head before disappearing. "And since he was banished, I can add an Earth Attribute Dragon Type monster from my Deck to my hand, like my Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles."

"Weren't these things banned from public tournaments?" Leo asked Luna, straining to remember what he'd been taught in Dueling history.

"Yeah," Luna replied worriedly. "Which means we're in trouble."

"I activate Lightning, Dragon Ruler of Drafts' special ability!" the Ruler of Dragons continued. "By sending it and another Dragon or Wind type monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms from my Deck! So I discard Lightning and Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles from my hand!" A sudden whirlwind sprang up in front of Draco. "Behold, as the powers of wind coalesce into one and create a dragon that shall rule the very skies above! Come forth, Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms!" A large white and grey streamlined dragon appeared from the whirlwind, roaring as it alighted on the battlefield.

Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 7

Leo grinned. "That's not more powerful than Luna's Sunlight Unicorn!" Luna merely rolled her eyes. There were more to monsters than Attack points.

"I'm not done," Draco said, plucking two more cards out of his hand. "I activate Burner, Dragon Ruler of Sparks ability and discard it and my Eclipse Wyvern from my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon my Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos from my Deck! Behold as the powers of fire coalesce into one and create a dragon to rule the fires of hell!" A pool of lava appeared next to Tempest and a large red and black dragon rose up from the lava, flaring its wings dramatically.

Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos: Atk 2800, Def 1800, LV 7

"That might be more of a problem," Leo groaned.

"I take my two Level Seven Dragon Rulers and Overlay them!" Draco announced, Tempest and Blaster turning into green and red orbs respectively and rising into the air, a small galaxy forming in front of the Ruler of Dragons.

"Overlay?" Leo asked, unsure of what was happening as the two orbs dropped neatly into the galaxy.

"It's that thing that Mika did against Yusei in the Turbo Duel!" Luna realized. "That weird Summon from the future!"

"With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Draco yelled. "Oh great eye that sees all, come before me and seize control of our foes! XYZ Summon! Appear, the ruler with the dazzling pupil, Number Eleven, Big Eye!" The galaxy erupted with power in front of him and a large cone with a giant eye at the top appeared, a gold ring with the number eleven emblazoned upon it encircling it. The same number eleven appeared on Draco's hand. Two golden orbs circled the Number monster, an indicator of the Overlay Units.

Number 11: Big Eye: Atk 2600, Def 2000, Rank 7, OLU 2

"I place a card facedown and activate the Spell Card Super Rejuvenation," Draco continued. "During my End Phase, I draw as many cards as I sent Dragon type monsters to the Graveyard during the End Phase. Since I sent four dragons to the Graveyard, I move to my End Phase and draw four cards!" He drew the cards from his Deck. "My turn is done."

"Well then it looks like it's my turn!" Leo said, a little less enthusiastic than before. He drew a card unceremoniously and studied his hand. 'Well, if Luna is going to be the sword, since she's a Signer, then I'm going to have to be the ultimate shield! And that means I'm going to have to get rid of those Traps they've set, especially that Light Spiral since we're going to need every card we can get!'

"You got this, Leo," his twin said encouragingly.

"Right," Leo said, grabbing a card. "I activate my Spell card Twister! By paying five hundred Life Points, I can destroy a face-up Spell or Trap on the field! Say goodbye to that Light Spiral Trap card!" A small twister appeared around Allana's Trap card and shattered the beam of light emanating from it.

Leo LP: 3500

Allana merely smiled, eyes crazed as her hair floated above her head. "You really think that Trap card mattered? Ha! Oh dear child, you've merely taken the bait. But go ahead, summon a monster, try to attack us! The Chaos shall determine who wins and who loses!"

"She's lost it," Luna murmured. "Nobody can attack this turn." She glanced at her brother. "Don't worry, Leo."

"Who's worrying?" Leo said, failing to hide the quaver in his voice. "I'm Summoning Morphtronic Boarden in Defense mode!" A little mechanical skateboard appeared, transforming into a humanoid form and crouching down in front of Leo.

Morphtronic Boarden: Atk 500, Def 1800, LV 3

"I'll place four cards facedown and end my turn!" Leo finished. He was going to defend Luna with all his might.

"Looks like it's my turn!" Allana cackled. "I draw!" She looked at her hand of three cards, pausing as she thought of her next move.

"I'm going to activate my Continuous Trap card Morphtronic Monitron!" Leo announced. "Now I can change the position of one of my Morphtronic monsters when I summon it!"

"Useless," Allana hissed, "I Summon Jain, Twilightsworn General in Attack mode!" A man in dark robes and dark silver armor with gold highlights appeared, holding a glowing red sword.

Jain, Twilightsworn General: Atk 1800, Def 1200, LV 4

"Jain's ability now activates!" Allana continued. "By Banishing the Level six Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon from my Hand, I can reduce the Attack and Defense of a monster on the field by the Level of the banished monster times three hundred! So let's take away eighteen hundred points of Attack and Defense from that Sunlight Unicorn! Ha ha ha ha!" Jain lifted his great sword, a beam of darkness shooting from the blade and striking Luna's Sunlight Unicorn on her chest. The Beast type monster slumped, energy drained from withstanding the beam.

Sunlight Unicorn: Atk 700, Def 0

"You're not going to attack her!" Leo shouted. "I activate my Trap Morphtronic Bind! Now since I control a Morphtronic monster, Level four and higher monsters you guys control can't attack or change battle positions!" A light blue aura appeared around Morphtronic Boarden and the aura spread to all three of Allana's monsters. Leo waited for the light to spread to Big Eye, but the aura stopped at the Twilightsworn General.

"There's more than one way to deal damage, boy," Allana snarled, joy disappearing from her face. "I activate the continuous Trap, Twilight Barrage! For every monster with Lightsworn in its name that doesn't battle this turn, I can inflict three hundred points of damage to one of my opponents! So then, boy, since you're stopping me from attacking me this turn, why don't you take all nine hundred points of damage?!" Her mismatched eyes gleamed with anticipation as her three monsters touched their various weapons together, a blast of light and dark energy knocking Leo off his feet.

Leo LP: 2600

"Leo!" the Claw Signer cried, turning to see her brother slam into the back of the little red sphere of energy that her Mark was projecting, protecting the both of them from this madness that had been released.

"It's all right," Leo groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "I'm all right." He met Luna's gaze, the Claw Signer seeing the determination in his eyes. "I'm going to protect you, Luna, don't worry about me. I'll take all the damage to keep you safe." He got to his feet, glancing at one of his Traps. He really hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

The Lady of Twilight scowled at their camaraderie. She had her field spell in her hand, but she knew how Luna's Ancient Fairy Dragon worked. She would bide her time until the Ancient Fairy Dragon had been dealt with. "With that done, I shall end my turn."

"It's my turn!" Luna began, glancing back at her brother before she drew a card. "Draw!" Time to take things to the next level. "In order to Special Summon this Tuner monster, I need to return one Equip Spell from my side of the field to my hand! I return the Horn of the Unicorn from my Sunlight Unicorn back into my hand and Special Summon Luxianne, Fairy of the Forest!" A little armored fairy with long green hair holding an oaken staff in her hands appeared as the Horn of the Unicorn disappeared from Sunlight Unicorn's head.

Sunlight Unicorn: Atk 1800, Def 1100

Luxianne, Fairy of the Forest: Atk 800, Def 1000, LV 3

"Next, Level three Luxianne Tunes with Level four Sunlight Unicorn!" Luna announced. Luxianne giggled as she turned into three bright stars, those stars expanding into three bright green rings. Sunlight Unicorn jumped into the rings and dissolved into four more stars as Luna began her chant. "The holy light of protection, now cross and become eternal life! Synchro Summon!" A gentle blue light appeared within the rings as the stars aligned. "A regal birth, come forth Ancient Fairy Dragon!" The blue serpentine ace of Luna's Deck weaved her way out of the light and settled on the field in front of the Claw Signer.

Ancient Fairy Dragon: Atk 2100, Def 3000, LV 7

"Next I'll equip my Horn of the Unicorn on my Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna continued, the ice-covered horn appearing on her ace monster.

Ancient Fairy Dragon: Atk 2800, Def 3700

"All right!" Leo cheered. "Let's show them what for, Luna! I activate my Continuous Trap, Power-Up Connector! This card becomes an Equip card to my Morphtronic monster! Now my monster can't attack, but I can transfer their Attack points to any monster on the Field!" A little electronic plug appeared next to Morphtronic Boarden. "I Equip Morphtronic Boarden with my Power-Up Connector!" Sparks began to fly between the two machines.

"That's a cute little Trap card," Allana sniggered. "Too bad it won't save you."

Leo glared at her. "Oh yeah? We'll see how you like it when I give Ancient Fairy Dragon another five hundred Attack points!" The sparks surrounding Morphtronic Boarden streamed towards Ancient Fairy Dragon, who gave a toothy grin towards Leo in gratitude.

Ancient Fairy Dragon Atk: 3300

"I Normal Summon my Fairy Archer in Defense mode!" Luna continued. A petite fairy with large blue eyes and large pretty wings appeared next to the Ancient Fairy Dragon, large crystal bow at the ready.

Fairy Archer: Atk 1400, Def 600, LV 3

The Claw Signer pointed at Allana. "Fairy Archer's effect now activates! She hits you with four hundred points of damage for each Light Attribute monster on my field! Since I have two Light monsters, you take eight hundred points of damage!" Her Fairy Archer aimed her bow at Allana.

"I don't think so," the Lady of Twilight cackled. "I activate Chaos Life! Since you're reducing Life Points through a card effect, I negate that damage and regain Life Points by that amount!" She held up her hand, dark energy swirling around it as Fairy Archer fired a crystal arrow at her. The arrow disappeared into the vortex and appeared to fuel Allana's energy.

Allana LP: 4800

"Then let's take those Life Points down a bit!" Luna said. "Battle! Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack Kirion, Twilightsworn Warlord now! Eternal Sunshine!" Her ace monster flared her wings, sending a wave of light energy that burst through the Twilightsworn's defenses and destroyed the monster, buffeting Allana with the remnants of the attack.

Allana LP: 3200

"Oh how cute," Allana giggled as she straightened up. "I remember when I was a slave to the light. But the darkness has liberated me!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and Duel, Allana."

"You'll see I'm right in time," she said simply.

"I place a card facedown and end my turn," Luna concluded.

"My turn then, I draw!" Draco began. He glanced at the card before adding it to his hand. "Number 11: Big Eye's effect activates! Once per turn, by removing an Overlay Unit I can take control of one of your monsters!"

"Say what?!" the twins said together. One of the glowing golden orbs of energy disappeared into the Number Monster and a beam of red light shot out from the large eye, ensnaring Ancient Fairy Dragon.

Number 11: Big Eye OLU: 1

"Let her go!" Leo shouted as Ancient Fairy Dragon thrashed in vain as she was dragged across the field onto Draco's side. Another flash caused Ancient Fairy Dragon to lie still.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon," Luna whispered in fear. "No…"

"You let Luna's monster go!" Leo yelled.

"I don't think so," Draco said simply. "Though I cannot attack you this turn with my Big Eye and your Morphtronic Bind prevents the Ancient Fairy Dragon from attacking, I have removed your Signer's Ace monster from your side of the field and you, boy, are no threat whatsoever. I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Oh man oh man," Leo groaned, realizing it was his turn. "What am I going to do?! That's Luna's monster on the enemy's field, I can't destroy Luna's monster! What am I going to do!?"

Luna looked at her brother, a dazed look in her eyes. Her best monster was gone, but she hadn't given up hope. "Leo."

He looked at his twin. "Luna?"

"Leo, you can do this," she said, smiling at him. Leo nodded, redoubling his resolve. His twin sister was counting on him, he couldn't let her down now.

The Master's Chambers

"Then I know just how to do it!" Yusei said, playing the card he had drawn. "I activate the Tuning Spell card, which allows me to add a Tuner monster from my Deck to my hand, a Tuner like my Road Synchron! The only drawback is that I have to send cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard equal to the Level of the Tuner I added to my hand, in this case four cards for the Level four Road Synchron!" He glanced at the cards he was sending to the Graveyard, smirking as he saw a couple of cards he preferred in the Graveyard. His Duel Disk spat out a card after he was done. "Regen Warrior's effect activates! Since he was sent to the Graveyard by way of a card effect, I can Special Summon him from the Graveyard! Revive Regen Warrior!" A man in red and blue skintight clothing appeared, flames dancing along his arms and head.

Regen Warrior: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 4

"Then I'll Normal Summon Road Synchron!" the Head Signer continued. A yellow robot riding two giant wheels appeared.

Road Synchron: Atk 1600, Def 800, LV 4

Yusei grinned. "Level four Regen Warrior now Tunes with Level Four Road Synchron!" Road Synchron turned into four stars which expanded into four large rings. Regen Warrior flew into the rings and dissolved into four more stars as Yusei began his chant. "Gathering hopes will evoke a new horizon! Become the path its light shines upon!" The stars aligned in the rings and erupted into a brilliant pillar of light as Yusei held his fist in the air. "Synchro Summon! Dash onward, Road Warrior!" A large white and blue armor robot warrior appeared, a sword clenched in his right hand.

Road Warrior: Atk 3000, Def 1500, LV 8

"Road Warrior's effect activates!" the Head Signer announced. "I can Special Summon a Level two or lower monster directly from my Deck! So say hello to my Speed Warrior!" A man in streamlined armor clearly built for speed appeared from the portal that Road Warrior created, ready for battle.

Speed Warrior: Atk 900, Def 400, LV 2

Yami nodded approvingly. "Cerulean-Eyes may be guarded against Spells and Traps, but it isn't immune to monster effects, like that Junk Berserker, right Yusei?"

"That's exactly right!" Yusei said, pointing at the dragon. "That monster is going down! Battle!"

The Master was staring off into the distance, observing something unseen to the legendary Duelists. The mists began to swirl around him, his body seemingly fading into the mists. "You'll have to excuse me gentlemen, I seem to have a wayward minion to address."

"Get back here!" Yusei snapped, but to no avail as the Master disappeared. He clenched his fist, feeling his nails trying to dig into his skin through his gloves. "Fine, I'll take it out on your puppet then. Junk Berserker, attack that Cerulean-Eyes Chaos Guardian Dragon now!" The large metal berserker sent a howl to the heavens before charging with his massive axe held high.

The woman placed a hand on her head as the Master disappeared, no longer a paragon of calm. "What…"

The Head Signer was too angry to notice. "Junk Berserker's effect activates! Scrap Rage!" A red aura flared brightly around his Synchro monster, his axe doubling in size. "When he attacks a Defense position monster, that monster is automatically destroyed before damage calculation! Now take out her wall monster and open her up to attacks!" His Junk Berserker howled once more in response, striking Cerulean-Eyes with a tremendous swing, slicing the Dragon in half. The twin wings of light and darkness that had been attached to Cerulean-Eyes transformed into pure energy that exploded and eviscerated Junk Berserker. Yusei took the damage unflinchingly. "Your dragon's effect may have destroyed my Junk Berserker, but that's left your Life Points wide open!"

Yusei LP: 6650

Yugi's spirit appeared next to Yami. "Look at her, she doesn't seem like herself with the Master gone!" The woman had staggered with the loss of her dragon, both hands holding her head. The silver glow from her eyes underneath the hood was gone.

"Something's wrong here," Yami murmured to himself.

Yusei was merciless. "Road Warrior, Speed Warrior, attack her Life Points directly!" His remaining two monsters both charged forward, delivering punishing blows to the woman and knocking her to the ground, her hood getting blown off and revealing long silver hair that hid her face as she lay stunned on the star covered ground beneath their feet.

Mystery Woman LP: 4100

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Yusei said, satisfied with his turn. He'd dealt major damage to her and with the Master gone, she didn't seem as capable a Duelist. "Where's is he? Tell that coward to get out here!" Crow took off from Yusei's shoulder, gliding over to where the woman lay. "Crow?!"

Yami glanced at the Head Signer, getting his attention. "Yusei, I think Crow has the same gut feeling that I have."

"What gut feeling?" Yusei watched as Crow landed next to the stunned woman, using his beak to try and move her hair around to see her face. A glimpse of silver on her face made the Signer-turned-bird freeze. The cry that escaped his beak tore at Yusei's heart, for even as a bird he knew when his friend was in pain. "What is it?"

Satellite Highway

"What do you want?!" Thomas yelled angerly at the Crimson Dragon as it encircled him. Was this it? Was the dragon god finally going to give him his retribution for serving the Chaos Movement? He couldn't fall here. He had to save Allana. He didn't know how, but he just had to save her. The high-pitched roar of the Crimson Dragon answered him, which was met by the roar of several monsters that were now roaming the Satellite. Thomas watched the Crimson Dragon circle him several more times before a sudden human yell from within the dragon met his ears. A young blonde man was flung out of the depths of the Crimson Dragon, wearing blue jeans and a green jacket over a light blue t-shirt. He landed unceremoniously in a heap in front of a stunned Thomas while the Crimson Dragon flew back into the heavens, no doubt preparing to help its Signers in this final battle.

"What da heck is goin on here?!" said the blonde, a voice that Thomas had only heard in the Duel Monsters history holos.

The Black Dragon took a step back unconsciously, fear gripping his heart. "G-g-great grandfather?" he whispered, watching Joey Wheeler get to his feet, looking at him warily.

"Who da heck are you?" Joey demanded, trying to take stock of his surroundings. The colors here were weird, it looked like there were Duel Monsters rampaging around this run down town, there was a man with a fancy looking motorcycle much like the one Mika had nearby, looking at him as though he'd seen a ghost, and the Crimson Dragon was nowhere to be seen. "Where on Earth am I? Cuz it sure as heck don't look like I'm in Kansas anymore."

"But why?" Thomas said to himself. "Why would the Crimson Dragon bring my great-grandfather here now?"

"Whaddya muttering to yourself?" Joey demanded, getting to the point. "Are you with those Chaos Movement idiots?"

Thomas, taken back by Joey's abrupt accusation, began to splutter. "I, well, I wanted to, you know-"

A voice Thomas really didn't want to hear right now spoke up. Rainbow colored mist began to swirl around the two of them. "Oh of course he's with my little Chaos Movement. And he's going to Duel you, isn't he?"

"No!" Thomas shouted as the Master emerged from the mists, standing between the two. "The Master!"

"So you're the guy who sent Mika after me and my friends," Joey said, activating his Duel Disk and staring down the Master. "All right then spooky, why don't you Duel me then? You mess with my pal Yugi and you mess with me, Joey Wheeler, the Godfather of Games!"

The Master merely laughed. "Little Joey, little Joey, you talk a big game, but no amount of luck would save you from me. So I'm going to give you a fighting chance and let you catch up with your family here."

"Family?" Joey repeated, glancing at Thomas. "Him? He don't look like anyone from my family!"

"May I introduce to you, dear Joseph Wheeler, your great-grandson," the Master said, indicating a stunned Thomas. "Thomas Aka, best Turbo Duelist of the Chaos Movement."

"He ain't no family of mine if he's workin for you," Joey said, glaring at Thomas. The Black Dragon could only glance away in shame. "Even if he is my great-grandson."

"But-" Thomas said, then flinched as the kanji for dragons began to light up on his arm and red flames began to encircle them.

"No 'buts' little Thomas," the Master cackled, the mists beginning to obscure his form again. "You're going to Duel your ancestor if you ever want Allana to resemble her old self again. Have fun! I have two pesky Duelists to torment! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"

"That's probably Yugi and Kaiba if I know them," Joey said. He took out his Deck and shuffled it quickly, putting it in his Disk. "All right Thomas, let's see if you got some Duelin skills, since you didn't get my brains clearly."

"I don't-" Thomas said, then paused as his Duel Disk activated and shuffled his Deck.

Thomas LP: 4000

Joey LP: 4000

"What can I do?" the Black Dragon asked himself. "I want Allana back, but I can't go against my own great-grandfather…"

"Since you're not doing anything, I'll go first," Joey said, drawing six cards. "And I'll start by Summoning my Little Winguard in Defense mode!" A little blue armored warrior with a sword and shield appeared, holding up his shield to guard Joey.

Little Winguard: Atk 1400, Def 1800, LV 4

"I'll then place two cards facedown and end my turn," Joey said. "Let's see whatcha got you pink-eyed motorhead!"

Thomas had to fight back a surge of anger. Duels back in his great-grandfather's time had insults flying as often as cards, for Joey this was just another opening salvo to try and get his opponent's off guard. He knew most of his great-grandfather's pre-professional career Deck and how luck based it had been. He shouldn't have had anything to worry about in this Duel, but he knew there was a much more sinister purpose to the Master forcing this Duel. The Black Dragon sighed. Time travel was a bitch.

The Master's voice echoed. "Now now Thomas, don't you dare hesitate, or Allana will never see the light again."

"Allana," Thomas whispered, clenching his hand into a fist. He had no choice. His red eyes met Joey's brown eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't afford to lose." He drew five cards to form his starting hand. "It's my turn! I draw!"

The Master's Chambers

"What is it?" Yusei asked, trying to ignore the sudden dread gripping his heart and causing his stomach to turn. The woman pushed herself onto her elbows, her silver hair obscuring her face from Yami and Yusei. Crow was close enough to see her face and froze, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

The woman looked at the two legendary Duelists in confusion, as though she didn't know where she was. Her eyes were no longer glowing silver, but instead blue eyes peeked out from behind her hair. Her voice was quiet, but hauntingly familiar, no longer constricted by whatever power the Master was using over her. "Help…me…"

"It can't be," Yami gasped.

"There's no way!" Yugi gaped.

"What's this?" the Master's voice echoed around the chamber. "My new Blue-Eyes girl trying to show some free will? Well we can't be having that now can we? Time to get your game on dear!" The Master reappeared in the mists behind her, holding up his glowing, golden right hand. The woman clutched at her head, a wordless scream of agony coming from her throat as the Master reasserted his control over her. Her cry of pain ended and she forced herself back to her feet. Her eyes opened and they were glowing silver with energy again. Marks on her face began to glow silver as well, tracing from the outer edge of her eyes down her cheeks before cutting back in towards her nose for an inch before continuing down to her chin. In one smooth motion, she shook her hair out of her face.

Yusei was stunned when he saw her. "Impossible!" He didn't know how, only that the Master had somehow done it. "But I saw her buried!" And yet there she stood, perhaps a little fuller of figure than before and with bright silver hair, but her face and her marks were unmistakable. Dani Aoimoku, or some facsimile of her lived.

"And indeed, her old body lies buried behind your hideout," the Master said, stepping forward and placing glowing hands on her shoulders lovingly. "But there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to take the soul of Crow's beloved Dani and use it myself. It was simple to make a new human body for her" His gaze turned to the angrily hopping Crow-turned-crow and with his left hand threw a ball of dark energy that Crow narrowly avoided, taking to the air and cawing with rage. "Now, with the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, you both will be crushed and this planet will be mine at long last! Hahahahahahahahahaha! Show them little Dani!"

"My turn," she said, voice back to sounding strained. She drew a card silently.

"Leave her out of this!" Yami demanded. "She doesn't belong to you!"

"She belonged to me the moment she gave up her life to protect HIM!" the Master snapped, indicating the Head Signer. "What better way to show her the folly of her ways than to make her destroy the very man she sacrificed her life to protect? Revenge has never been so sweet, especially since it gave me an opportunity to infuse a Blue-Eyes White Dragon with pure Chaos! Now activate the Ritual!"

"You can fight him!" Yusei shouted to her as she added the drawn card to her hand and plucked out another card. He held up his arm as Crow winged over, settling on his shoulder once more. He could feel the shock and anger coming from Crow, as well as a faint hope. Yusei could only pray that he could answer Crow's silent prayer for help.

"My Ritual Magic card activates," Dani said, giving no indication if she had heard his plea. "Chaos Form." A large metal portal appeared behind her, eight marks around its edges. "I send the Level eight Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to complete the Ritual requirements." The image of the legendary dragon appeared above her head, dissolving into eight white stars that embedded themselves into each of the eight marks on the portal.

Yami's eyes widened. "An eight-star Blue-Eyes Ritual?! What could it be?"

Dani began chanting, silver eyes pulsing with power. "Ancient annals and whispered warnings tell of unbridled fury and peerless rage, of a power at the ultimate level and the calm before the unstoppable rampage. Feel beneath you as the ground is shaken with the power of the Chaos UNLEASHED!" Darkness burst from the portal, a deep roar sending a chill down the legendary Duelists' backs.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Yusei deadpanned. Two Ritual Summons in one Duel. What were the odds?

"Ritual Summon!" the female Blue-Eyes Duelist shouted, no trace of her former self. "Destroy everything, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!" The portal behind her exploded with energy, darkness cascading upwards and taking the shape of a giant dragon. Double the size of a normal Blue-Eyes White Dragon, energy crackled through the massive wings, which reminded Yami of the wings of the Winged Dragon of Ra. Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon landed on the ground in front of Dani, roaring a challenge at both Duelists.

Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon: Atk 4000, Def 0, LV 8

"Behold, the Blue-Eyes evolution as a result of the Chaos!" the Master began, pride in his voice at his creation. Purple lightning struck the field several times, summoned by the mere presence of the Ritual monster. "The dragon that shall bring you to your knees! Your time is over! The age of Chaos has begun! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Familiar faces in new places, the Duels must go on! I decided to correct the wrong I'd made in chapter 1 and have finally brought Joey to the Satellite. I gave the rivals a chance to shine, and now the final battles are well and truly underway. Oh yeah, and there's a certain lass I brought back, hope y'all don't mind that bit. The worlds of Yugioh are getting tied together, one way or another. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

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Question for the Chapter: Now that VRAINS is done and the 7th series of Yugioh has been confirmed to be in production, where do you think they'll go from here? What would you like to see happen in the next generation of this card game we all love? Me personally, I'd love to have a meta where I can abuse the Synchro monsters I love again, but I'm 99% sure that's not going to happen, not so long as Link monsters remain a thing.

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To StardustFan19: You're very welcome. Reviews like that are very heartening to read as an author, as the lack of decent stories on this site (I know there are plenty of gems out there, but it's like 1 good story for every 10 not so good stories out there, a lot of them just being some teenage shipping story that often doesn't even pertain to the actual story of the universe they're in) is something I aim to help correct. But I'm doing my best to give the rest of the cast their moments, as we'll see in this climax, so I hope you'll keep on reading my friend! Thank you again for the review!

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Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always trying to improve. That, and seeing your comments really helps motivate me to continue writing. I'm sure you guys understand what that feels like.

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Follow me on twitter, at nuttybuddy792 for nutty shenanigans, as well as to get a link to my Discord server in my twitter bio. I'll respond a lot faster on Discord, so feel free to join.

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Follow me on twitch, at nuttybuddy792, for a variety of games (mainly Nintendo and Sony, but I play more than just those two) as well as the occasional story writing stream so y'all can see my thought processes as I work on various works.

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Until the next chapter my friends!

From your Nutty Buddy,

The Eagle Nut