Judai sat on the hospital bed, convulsing uncontrollably and perspiring profusely. He huddled his knees to himself, pathetically. His rapid breaths echoed in the chamber, as he desperately tried to calm himself, but simply was unable to do so. A towel was draped over his shoulders, barren of his trademark red blazer, and was already drenched in the salty wetness that poured from the HERO-user's body.

Ayukawa took the towel away, handing Asuka another, who started wiping the boy's forehead. The youth barely dipped his head once gratefully, but refused to look at her or any of their friends. Shou gently rubbed the brunette's back, in an effort to relieve some of the stress.

The Osiris Red busied himself by muttering a mantra. "I didn't lose…I didn't vanish…No one's gone…They're still here…"

"Aniki, take it easy," he muttered. "We're all here. The Duel's over, now."

The infirmary had become fuller recently. Manjoume was wrapped in his bed, while two other occupants resided in beds, themselves. Edo was resting peacefully in one after his Duel with Saiou, while Lynd was tending to the Prince of Misgarth in another bed.

The Prince was little more than confused from his time in the Society and violently being ripped from the diviner's control. However, his disorientation did have Ayukawa impose a stay for overnight observation upon him.

The hospice was crowded with several people now crowding around the occupants. Many questions burdened their minds, but it was clear most of those who had the knowledge were unable or unwilling to actually inform the individuals in question. Eventually, they would have to grill the Osiris Red.

It was Misawa who spoke first to the HERO-user. "Judai, I know this is difficult for you," he began, "but, what exactly happened out there?"

Judai buried his head in his arms, huffing morbidly. "You all saw what happened," he started. "I lost it. I don't know what happened—one minute I was Dueling Prince Ojin, and the next I was seeing red. I started seeing myself losing...and I couldn't let it happen."

"You couldn't let it happen?" Kenzan inquired. "I know you couldn't lose to him, as a Society of Light member, but what couldn't you let happen?"

The brunette gripped his upper arms tightly, but couldn't release anything informative. "I..."

Lynd rose to her feet and bowed to the group of friends. "Part of the blame lies with myself, I'm sad to say," she vigorously apologized.

"What do you mean?"

Lynd glanced at the HERO-user somberly, whose only reaction to her gaze was to turn his head away. She sighed heavily, but continued. "Judai-san...he seemed rather averse to helping out My Lord, in the first place. Or rather, it was like he was preoccupied with something...yet, despite his clear reservations, I kept pressuring him into action..."

"What?"

"Judai..."

"Aniki..."

He kept his gaze hidden from his friends.

"Judai-kun, I think it's time you leveled with us what's going on, here."

"Nii-san!"

The elder Tenjoin stepped into the infirmary, a grin gracing his features, but his piercing through the youth in front of him. He pulled up a chair and leaned against the back of it, glancing at the boy.

"Fubuki-san..."

"We're not here to judge you, Judai-kun. We've all noticed how you've been acting today," the Obelisk gestured towards their friends. "It's partly our fault, as well, for not trying to reach out to you." He shook his head. "No...it's my fault. I assumed you just needed your space, so I didn't let Lynd-san inform the others about how you reacted to her request. I shouldn't have kept your friends from reaching out to you, or, at the very least, reached out to you myself.

"However, it's become apparent that something happened. And this something clearly affects all of us. I think you'll feel better talking about it, instead of keeping it bottled up."

The boy peered through his arms at the older man. "...Fubuki-san..." For the first time, he looked at all of his friends; an accusatory look didn't exist among them. "Everyone..." He gritted his teeth, biting back the emotion that welled up inside of him.

Chapter 24: Pillars of the Academia! The Blizzard Prince vs. "Hell Kaiser" Ryou

Before he could even stop himself, the story of what happened the previous night spilled out of his mouth. Once unlocked, the words flowed from him without pause, informing those present of everything. Meeting the Ojamas in the forest, confront Saiou, the visions he showed, his plans for the satellites in Misgarth, all of it was revealed to those listening in. By the end of his story, his mind was weary, but his spirit felt a bit lighter, the tension of keeping everything sealed within finally released from him.

The eyes of his friends lingered on him as he finished his story, heavy from the new information they had discovered from his story. "The Light of Destruction…and the Darkness of Creation…" Misawa exhaled harshly.

"This is a battle that's been going on for millennia," Kenzan stated. "Since the beginning of time…and Aniki and Edo were..."

"…fighting with something like that weighing on them…?" Momoe whispered.

Lynd turned her head away. 'As I thought…Judai-san and Edo-san…they already were…'

Judai firmly shook his head. "That's not it," he replied. "I was worried about losing…If I lost everything…everyone…you'd all be gone…"

"Judai…"

"But you won, right?" Areka insisted. "You fought and you won! All you have to do is keep winning…" Her voice trailed off at the end when she saw the brunette shudder violently at her statement.

"But I don't want to…" He glanced at his open palm. "Against Prince Ojin…I wasn't thinking about anything but not losing. It didn't concern me what happened to him…to anyone else…I was only considering how to absolutely annihilate him…" He clenched his fist tightly and grimaced. "I don't want to lose myself again…" Judai inaudibly whispered.

The room fell silent at his statement. His friends looked to each other, unsure of how to approach the situation. Judai had certainly conquered Prince Ojin, but it sounded as if he wasn't focused so much on enjoying the Duel or saving Ojin as much as he was trying to claim vengeance on the royal during their battle.

A chime echoed in the hospice over the Public Address System. "The final match of the GeNex Tournament Quarterfinals will begin in 15 minutes. Would Contestant Tenjoin Fubuki and Contestant Marufuji Ryou please make their way to the arena?"

The Obelisk rose from his seat. "It looks like it's my turn, now." Instead of nearing the door, however, he stood over the HERO-user on the bed and placed a hand on his shoulder. Not expecting the gesture, the youth glanced at it.

"I expect you to watch this Duel," he sternly ordered. "You're going to be facing one of these next two opponents in the Semifinals. I won't allow you to give anything but your best when you face the winner."

"Fubuki-san…"

"Nii-san…Just what are you—?"

He winked at his sister, turning around and leaving Judai and the others with the sounds of the infirmary. Not sure of what else they could do, several of the underclassmen followed the elder Tenjoin out of the clinic towards the arena. Soon, the only ones left were those admitted plus Lynd still watching over the Prince of Misgarth, Asuka, Shou, and Kenzan.

"Why did your brother want Aniki to watch his Duel?" the Dino-Duelist wondered aloud.

Asuka shrugged at the first-year student. "I'm not quite sure. If I had to guess, he wants Judai to learn something in his Duel with the Kaiser." She turned back to her friend, who still wouldn't meet anyone's eyes, then back to Manjoume slumbering in the adjacent bed. She turned to Edo and Prince Ojin in the beds opposite the HERO-user.

"This tournament has become quite dangerous," Shou stated. "First because of the Duels with the Society of Light members…then Saiou introduced the Damage Amplifiers...and now…"

Ryou stood at the entrance to the Duel Arena, waiting for the official introductions of the last match to take place. Resounding footsteps drew his attention to his approaching opponent. The Pro Duelist hardened his stare.

The Obelisk Blue's face drooped from its purposeful gaze at the menacing glare he received, holding his hands up in surrender. "Scary, scary!" he joked. "How'm I supposed to match that intensity?"

'You'll never change,' the older Marufuji sibling scoffed. "How's Judai?"

"He needs some time and a little push, but I believe he can pull through. In the meantime, I plan on advancing past you in the tournament to face him, myself."

Hell Kaiser huffed in response. Chronos-sensei announced the arrival of the last two competitors to the tournament. Smoke and explosions paved the path for the Duelists as they both entered the stadium to various reactions, Ryou getting many jeers, while Fubuki received most of the cheers, especially from the females in the audience. They took their positions on either side of the field, ready to perform.

The Pro ignored the response he received, while the Red Eyes-user acknowledged the crowd with a charming wave that made many of the girls in the audience swoon.

Fubuki readied his Duel Disk with aplomb. He noticed his opponent taking a much more serious tone to the proceedings and grinned. "Take it easy," he laughed. "Too many of these Duels have been far too grave, so far. This is supposed to be entertainment. Why're you being so serious?"

His opponent smirked hungrily. "Because, while you're sitting there and playing to your home crowd, I'll just enjoy myself by overwhelming you on my path to Judai."

It was the Tenjoin's turn to scrutinize his opponent. "Think what you want, but I'm going to Duel my way. However, if you think I'm just going to let you leave without a fight, I think you're going to be disappointed." Though his assurance remained, the nonchalance was no longer alight in the student's eyes.

"If you were to pull such a feat, I'd be sorely dissatisfied," the Pro contended, activating his own SolidVision generators.

"DUEL~!"

"I'll take the first move." Hell Kaiser took a card from the top of his Deck. "Draw!"

He glanced at it and placed it onto his Duel Field in Attack Position. "Summon, Proto-Cyber Dragon!" (1100/600) A smaller, less complete version of the Pro's main robotic dragon appeared on the field with a robotic howl.

The Pro slid a card into his Spell/Trap Zone. "Set one card, end turn." The back of a Duel Monsters card appeared on the Cyber Ura-Duelist's field.

"For all of your posturing, that was a fairly subdued opening move," Fubuki snorted.

His opponent merely grinned. "Just because I'm not as impetuous as you, doesn't mean I'm not firing back with everything I've got."

"Impetuous?" The Obelisk Blue spat. "I wouldn't call it that, but I'll definitely show you how hot-blooded my Deck can be right off the top.

"My turn, Draw!" He tore a card from his Deck and placed another card onto his Duel Disk. "Red-Eyes B. Chick is summoned!" (800/500) A small egg with a pair of burning red eyes peering from a hole on the side of the shell appeared on the Duelist's field.

"Activate effect! I sacrifice Red-Eyes B. Chick to Special Summon Red-Eyes B. Dragon from my hand!" (2400/2000) A pillar of light erupted from the tiny egg, which shimmered from view. Through the pillar dove a menacing black dragon, bearing down on the opposing weaker robotic beast.

"I'm not done! Tributing Red-Eyes will allow me to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" (2400/2000) A malicious black flame enveloped the fiendish dragon, transforming it into a much more malevolent beast. Multiple wings had sprouted and a tight, glimmering armor encased the lizard. Its crimson eyes flashed ferociously, waiting for the order to attack.

"Red-Eyes' Monster Effect activates," Fubuki explained. "For every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard, it gains 300 ATK." A sinister aura flared from the creature, who released a blood-curdling screech. (2400 ATK + 600 = 3000 ATK)

A card flipped face-up on the Pro Duelist's field in retaliation. "Continuous Trap – Cyber Network activates!" Kaiser declared, motioning to his revealed card.

The new card caused the brunette to pause. "Cyber Network...?"

The pro snatched his Deck from the Deck Slot on his Duel Disk. "While this card is on the field, I can activate its effect during either of our turns. While a Cyber Dragon is on the field, I can remove a LIGHT Machine-type monster in my Deck from play." He fanned the Deck out, chose a card and revealed it. "I'll banish Cyber Dragon." He shuffled his Deck, returned it to its slot, and slid his card into his Deck Holster.

"You're removing your own cards on purpose...?"

Shou and Kenzan watched the Duel from the infirmary. Kenzan turned to his senior classmate. "Marufuji-sempai, did Hell Kaiser use that card before?"

Shou furrowed his brow. "I don't remember seeing it and he never used it against me in our Duel."

Fubuki regarded the Continuous Trap from his side of the field. 'Removing from the Deck...the meaning behind it is...'

"What's wrong?" the Pro called. "It's still your turn."

The Obelisk Blue clenched his fist determinedly. "I won't know be sure unless I move forward." He gestured at the opposing monster. "Battle! Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon attacks Proto-Cyber Dragon!" The dragon reared back, conjuring up a fireball from its throat.

"Darkness Giga Flame~!" The beast flung its head forward, launching a series of fireballs at the opposing monster. The black flames overwhelmed the helpless droid, incinerating the monster with ease. Kaiser shielded himself from the extreme power of the creature, as it tore emphatically at his Life Points. (Kaiser's LP: 4000 – 3000 + 1100 = 2100 LP)

"Set one card. End turn." A hologram of the back of a card appeared in front of the Duelist as he slid it into position.

"My turn, Draw!" Ryou took a card from his hand. "Pot of Greed! Draw 2 cards.

"I send a card from my hand. Spell Card, Tribute to the Doomed activates!" The Pro placed an Effect Monster into his Graveyard Slot and revealed his Spell.

"One targeted monster on the field will be destroyed," the pro informed his opponent of its ability. "The target is Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" A series of musty, faded bandage wraps shot out from a dimensional portal and raced to enwrap their target to drag it into the abyss.

Fubuki hastily pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Reverse Card, open! Magic-Reflection Armor—Metal Plus! I'll equip it to my Red-Eyes!" The dragon before him began to modify. The red-and-black scales upon the beast changed to a metallic silver, reflecting the light from the stadium brilliantly.

The moment the wraps tried to snare the dragon, the singed and burned away from the beast. The ancient bindings vanished back to the portal they came from, shattering the Spell card's image in the process.

Kaiser's brow furrowed at the reaction of his card. "My card was negated…"

The Fubuki nodded eagerly. "The monster equipped with this Armor cannot be targeted by Spell Cards. Those cards are instantly negated and destroyed."

"I thought as much." He snatched another card from his hand and slammed it onto his Duel Disk. "Cyberdark Edge, summoned in Attack Position!" (800/800) The enormous robot rose from a series of sparks from the projectors, hovering ominously over the field in front of the Pro Duelist.

"When this card is Normal Summoned, Cyberdark Edge's effect activates." A red-and-white dragon that was at least as tall as its owner, but much smaller than the Cyberdark monstrosity, appeared. The beast squealed and squirmed as it struggled mightily against its captor. A wrenching screech erupted from the creature as the cold tendrils from the beast tightened their grasp. A multitude of cables and tubes injected into the creature, which slowly fell deathly silent.

Misawa and the others cringed as they watched from the crowd. "That poor dragon…" Momoe breathed soberly.

Kenzan turned to his fellow Ra Yellow classmate. "What are those cards!?" he roared. "Is he absorbing the life energy from that monster!" Shou bit his lip as he didn't answer, already bearing witness to his brother's strategy once.

Judai peered up from his spot on the bed, now viewing the battle on the monitor. "Kaiser…"

"What the hell is this…?" the Dragon-user gaped. "What are you doing to your own creature!?"

Kaiser smirked cruelly. "I can equip a Level 3 or lower Dragon-type monster from my Graveyard to it. It gains the ATK of the monster equipped to it. I equip Masked Dragon—that I sent as the cost for Tribute to the Doomed—with an ATK of 1400. Therefore, Cyberdark Edge's ATK rises to 2200!" The syringes and wiring began extracting power from the very being of the dragon, energizing the machination. (800 ATK + 1400 = 2200 ATK)

"That's one hell of a power-up," Fubuki granted. "But it still doesn't match the ATK of my Red-Eyes."

"Cyberdark Edge can change its attack to a Direct Attack to the opposing player. Any Battle Damage done in an attack of this method is halved.

"Go! Counter Burn~!" A series of silver energy slashes flew from the creature and tore towards the Obelisk Blue opponent. He shielded himself with his arms as the attack tore at his Duel Disk and Life Point meter, dropping it my over a quarter. (Fubuki's LP: 4000 – 1100 [2200/2] = 2900 LP)

"End turn."

"My turn! Draw!"

He glanced at his new card. 'I've gotta keep the pressure on. I have to keep this Duel at a frenetic pace. Maybe then he'll…' Kaiser's brow furrowed at the man's pause.

"I'll sacrifice Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon equipped with Magic-Reflection Armor—Metal Plus! Come to me, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." (2800/2400) A black flame licked the creatures limbs, clambering from beneath it before fully overtaking the form of the beast. The dragon's brilliant metal armor lost its luminous silver palate, now charred and blackened with plating similar to the creature it dwarfed across the field.

The crowd gasped at the newest creature Fubuki revealed in the Duel. "Red-Eyes had a further evolution?" Misawa gasped.

"Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon…"

"Nii-san…!"

Fubuki clenched his fist fervently. "Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's Effect allows it to gain 400 ATK for each Dragon in my Graveyard." (2800 ATK + 1200 [3*400] = 4000 ATK)

"Red-Eyes...Darkness Metal Flare~!" A stream of ebony fire blazed from the mouth of the obsidian dragon, converging on the target. The inferno swathed the eerie machine in a cloak of vile embers.

"Cyberdark Edge can negate a destruction by battle by sending its equipped monster to the Graveyard, instead." The hologram beneath the symbiotic droid shattered unceremoniously, leaving the creature attached to it unharmed. (2200 ATK – 1400 = 800 ATK)

"However, the Battle Damage will still carry over," Fubuki declared. The Pro grit his teeth as the LP Meter on his Duel Disk dove even lower than it was. (Kaiser's LP: 2100 – 4000 + 2200 = 300 LP)

"Set one card. End turn." He peered up from his field at the opponent across from him. "How is it? My upgrades to the Red-Eyes Deck?"

The blue-haired Duelist chuckled lightly at the question. "As good as I always remembered it," he announced. "But, it's still not quite good enough to defeat me."

"Oh?" Fubuki exhaled exasperatedly. "You seem to be in quite a pinch right now to be saying that, don't you think?"

The Kaiser grinned expectantly at the monster that stood before him. "I'm always craving for more. A battle with you is just enough to whet my appetite." Fubuki huffed at the enthusiastic response, but couldn't let his hand stop shaking in earnest.

Areka scoffed at the random interaction between the two opponents. "What's with them?"

"I dunno...it almost seems like..." Misawa paused, trying to collect his words.

Shou's eyes widened at the gleam in his older brother's eye. 'His eyes...they're just like...!'

He turned his head around and saw Asuka surveying him, nodding in recognition of his thoughts. They both turned to their brown-haired friend, who had started watching the Duel at some point. Both of them had the same inclination.

'Aniki...Judai...are you watching...?'

"Draw!" He inspected the dragon from his vantage point, probing questions that rose into his mind. 'He sacrificed Red-Eyes equipped with Metal Plus, which negated Spell Cards targeting the equipped monster. There's a safe bet that ability has been passed down to this monster. Then...'

"I tribute Cyberdark Edge..." the hologram rippled and vanished from view, "...Come out, Cyber Dragon!" (2100/1600) The card released a howl generated from the grinding of metal that pierced the arena. It lowered in front of its controller, sitting atop its card.

The crowd 'oooh'ed and 'ahhh'ed at the appearance of the signature creature he used so often at the Academia. For his part, Fubuki whistled low at the impressive nature of the beast, even if it was far from striking in comparison to his own. "Cyber Dragon…It's been a while since I've stood across from it."

Shou appraised the move with awe. 'Nii-san…You haven't given up the Cyber Dragons yet…?'

"From my hand, I activate the Spell – Evolution Burst!" The card's hologram rose from particles of light revealed to the field.

"Evolution Burst…?" the Obelisk Blue whispered. "A card specifically used for Cyber Dragons?"

"I can only activate this card while Cyber Dragon is on my field," the Kaiser confirmed. "And Cyber Dragon cannot attack when it's used. In exchange, I destroy one card on my opponent's field!

"I know your Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon probably inherited the Spell Targeting negation…so I'll settle for your facedown card." The automated serpent opened its mouth and unleashed a stream of blue lightning directed towards the card sitting in front of Fubuki.

Fubuki chortled at the opponent's analysis. "Your conjecture is close. My Red-Eyes did inherit that ability…but it's an evolution because it surpasses that." He took a card from his hand and placed it into his Discard Slot. "Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's effect! Magic Reflection~!" The black dragon fired a burst of energy that crashed into the lightning conjured by the opposing beast. The combative energies mixed and grew into a large cacophony of sparks and light, before the blue rush from Kaiser's field dissipated under the overpowering might of Fubuki's creature. The residual fire shattered the hologram of the Spell, completing the negation.

"And, the card I sent was Troop Dragon. With another Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard, Red-Eyes' ATK rises further!" (2800 + 1600 [4*400] = 4400 ATK)

"Cyber Network's Effect activates," Kaiser continued without pause. "I banish another LIGHT Machine-type monster from my Deck." His Deck ejected a second card that he placed in his Deck Holster. "Set one card. End turn."

Fubuki pressed a button on his Disk. "Continuous Trap – Dragon's Rage! All of my Dragon-type monsters deal Piercing Damage. Your Cyber Dragon is no longer protecting you from my attacks." Kaiser remained unflappable.

"Draw!" He immediately pointed at the Defending monster. "Battle! Red-Eyes attacks Cyber Dragon! Darkness Metal Flare~!"

"With Dragon's Rage active, this attack could finish off Kaiser!"

"Fubuki-san…!"

"Nii-san…"

"Reverse Card, open! Cyber Portal!" A vortex appeared behind the mechanical beast and swallowed the creature whole. "When a Machine-type monster I control is targeted by an attack, I can return it to my hand and Special Summon a Level 4-or-lower Machine-type "Cyber" monster from my Deck to the field in Attack Position." The swirling dimension ejected a second beast in similar stature, although smaller and fleshier.

"Cyber Valley is summoned!" (0/0)

The Dragon Duelist growled in response. "0 ATK…Kaiser…are you already giving up the fight…?"

"Cyber Valley has three effects while it is on the field," the Pro maintained. "I'll be using his first effect. When targeted for an attack, I can remove him from play to draw 1 card and end the Battle Phase." He took a card from his Deck and glanced at it as his opponent's attack dissipated.

The Obelisk Blue clicked his tongue at the crafty mechanics the Pro used, but he grinned at his opponent. "Hell Kaiser, this has been one hell of a battle, hasn't it?"

The Pro Duelist returned the smile with his own greedy smirk. "It's been a while since I enjoyed a Duel this much. There's very little left in this battle, though. And I think you know how this is going to end."

"Really?" the Obelisk Blue countered. "I still have a card in my hand. Your key card will be of no use to you, even if you manage to draw it, you know."

Asuka was astounded by their interaction. "I've never seen Kaiser have this much fervor…Not since…" Visions of the Graduation Duel with Judai from months prior raced passed her vision. In that Duel, she noticed the Third Year she considered her second older brother caught the sparks of Judai's passion and felt a fire light within him, causing him to crack a smile and look like he enjoyed himself. She had never seen such an expression on the boy, before.

"Nii-san…"

"Draw!" He gestured to the hologram of his Trap Card. "On my 3rd Standby Phase, Cyber Network's effect destroys it!" The card's image shattered like brick through a window.

"When this card is sent from my field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon as many banished LIGHT Machine-type monsters as possible to my field." He extracted his two cards from his Deck Holster. "Come to me, my Cyber Dragons!" (2100/1600) Two more of the robotic dragons appeared on the field in attack position. "Monsters summoned by this effect cannot attack and cannot activate any of their effects."

"Then the meaning is…"

The Pro revealed his drawn card. "Spell Card, Power Bond! By materials for a Machine-type Fusion Monster to the Graveyard, I can perform a Fusion Summon."

"As if I'd let you…!" Fubuki sent his last card to the Graveyard. "Magic Reflection~!" The image was shattered by a spine-tingling shriek from the beats controlled by the Obelisk Blue student. "I'll send Cave Dragon to the Graveyard to negate a Spell Card's activation, destroying it!"

Kaiser furrowed his brow. "You sent another Dragon, which means…"

"…Red-Eyes' ATK powers up to 4800!" Fubuki conceded. (2800 ATK + 2000 [5*400] = 4800 ATK)

"But why did The Kaiser activate it when he knew Fubuki was going to negate it…?" Junko squirmed in her seat, puzzled.

Momoe considered for a moment and then expanded her eyes in astonishment. "Could it be…?"

Misawa nodded at the dark-haired female student. "Hell Kaiser wanted Fubuki-san to use up the last of his negations." The Ra Yellow glowered darkly. "And he sacrificed his key card in order to do it..."

Confirming their suspicions, the Pro reached for a second card in his hand. "Field Spell, Fusion Gate!" A massive contortion of clouds churned overhead of the Duelists, causing lightning and thunder to reverberate through the stadium.

"Now, I don't need a Fusion card to perform a Fusion, anymore," Kaiser explained, while Fubuki grimaced. "I'll fuse the Cyber Dragon in my hand with the Cyber Dragons on my field." The three monsters were absorbed into the absolute whirling current above the field and combined into one.

"Come to me...Cyber End Dragon!" (4000/2800) The three-headed mythical beast descended from the skies, electricity dancing across its magnificent form. The beast, easily the size of its opponent, towered over the field, it's metal bodyframe gleaming in the bright lights of the arena.

It roared mightily—a combination of grinding gears and something primal—challenging its foes. Red-Eyes returned with zeal. If one were to examine the combatants, themselves, it seemed as if they were silently joining the parade of powers, demanding that each other match their intensity. So loud was it, that several of the audience had to cover their ears from the intensity of the cry.

Instead of matching, however, Fubuki began to chuckle, which grew into outright laughter. "Amazing! Absolutely tremendous, Kaiser!" he hooted. "In this situation, I'm thrilled that you were able to summon your ultimate monster!

"However, although you were able to bring him out, I'm afraid your ATK of 4000 just isn't going to cut it, anymore."

"You and I both know that I have one more card in my hand," Kaiser grumbled.

The Obelisk Blue nodded. "I'm just wondering what the hold up is. If you've got something, then show it to me! Hell Kaiser, Marufuji Ryou!"

"Quickplay Spell, Limiter Removal! This doubles all of my Machines ATK!" (Cyber End's ATK: 4000*2 = 8000 ATK)

"Battle! Go, Cyber End! ETERNAL EVOLUTION BURST~!"

"Don't give in! Red-Eyes! DARKNESS METAL FLARE~!"

The two massive blasts screamed towards one another, colliding in a mass of black fire and white lightning, making for a dazzling spectacle of clashing energies. The add mix of contrasting colors blazed brilliantly, blinding several of the spectators sitting too close to the action. The sphere of clashing waves slowly swelled into a ball that matched the size of the beasts that created it, eventually overshadowing them. The blast overtook the Dragon-user's side of the field, obliterating the dragon, leaving only the beast on the Pro's field still standing, defiantly howling as its hologram faded with the dying generators. (Fubuki's LP: 2900 – 8000 + 4800 = 0 LP)

The crowd stood in silent awe of the result. The victor deactivated his Duel Disk and placed his Deck in his pocket. The unsuccessful Obelisk Blue grunted, rose to his feet, after taking a few breaths from taking the full front of the attack from his opponent. "Kaiser!"

The Pro glanced up at his prey. Fubuki breathed heavily, releasing the tension from his battle. "I'll let you have Judai, this time. I was hoping to fight him and make sure my message got through, but I'll leave that to you. Don't go easy on him."

Kaiser snorted. "I wouldn't even if you had asked me to. I intend to win this Tournament." Fubuki laughed at his continuous ferocity, which did little to lighten the Pro's mood.

Judai stared in admiration of the battle that unfolded before him. "That Duel..." he murmured. "What was Fubuki-san trying to tell me...?"

Shou: Fubuki-san...Nii-san...that was an exhilarating Duel.

Fubuki: Wasn't it, though!? I just hope I was able to get through to him.

Shou: Nii-san?

Fubuki: No, I could feel what Kaiser wanted long before our battle even took place. He's still searching for it.

Shou: Is that so...

Next Time:

Chapter 25: Bewildered Warriors

Shou: Ehh? Manjoume-kun vanished!?

XXXXXXXXX

New Cards This Chapter:

'Hell Kaiser' Marufuji Ryou

Proto-Cyber Dragon

***/LIGHT/Machine-Effect

1100/600

This card's name becomes Cyber Dragon while it is face-up on the Field.

Cyber Network

Continuous Trap

Fanfic Effect: Destroy this card during your 3rd Standby Phase after activation. Once per turn, if Cyber Dragon is on the field, you can banish one LIGHT Machine-type monster from your Deck. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, Special Summon as many of your LIGHT Machine-type monsters as possible, and if you do, destroy all Spell/Trap cards you control. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot activate their effects and cannot attack.

CG Effect: Destroy this card during your 3rd Standby Phase after activation. Once per turn, if Cyber Dragon is on the field, you can banish one LIGHT Machine-type monster from your Deck. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, Special Summon as many of your LIGHT Machine-type monsters as possible, and if you do, destroy all Spell/Trap cards you control. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot activate their effects. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect.

*-Cyber Valley would also have been Special Summoned by this effect, but since it didn't affect the outcome of the Duel, I didn't not describe its entrance.

Tribute to the Doomed

Normal Spell

Discard 1 card, then target one monster on the field and destroy it.

Masked Dragon

***/FIRE/Dragon-Effect

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 Dragon-type monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck.

Cyber Dragon

*****/LIGHT/Machine-Effect

2100/1600

If your opponent controls a monster, and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand).

Evolution Burst

Normal Spell

If you control a Cyber Dragon, target one card your opponent controls and destroy it. Cyber Dragons cannot attack the turn you activate this card.

Cyber Portal

Normal Trap

When a Machine-type monster you control is targeted for an attack, you can return it to your hand. Special Summon one Level 4 or lower LIGHT Machine-type Cyber monster in Attack Position from your Deck and make it the new Attack Target.

Fusion Gate

Field Spell

While this card is on the field, either player can Fusion Summon without using Polymerization, but the Fusion Material monsters are banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard.

Cyber End Dragon

**********/LIGHT/Machine-type

4000/2800

Cyber Dragon + Cyber Dragon + Cyber Dragon

A Fusion Summon of this monster can only be made with the above Fusion Material Monsters. If this card attacks a Defense position monster, this card deals piercing battle damage.

Tenjoin Fubuki

Red-Eyes B. Chick

*/DARK/Dragon-Effect

800/500

You can send this card you control to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 Red-Eyes B. Dragon from your hand.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon

*******/DARK/Dragon-Effect

2400/2000

Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon

*********/DARK/Dragon-Effect

2400/2000

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 1 Red Eyes B. Dragon and cannot be Special Summoned other ways. This card gains 300 ATK for each Dragon-type monster in your Graveyard.

Magic Reflection Armor—Metal Plus

Continuous Trap

Equip this card to a monster you control. Negate Spell Cards that target the selected monster and destroy them.

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon

**********/DARK/Dragon-Effect

2800/2400

Fanfic/Anime Eff:

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Can only be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 1 Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon equipped with Magic-Reflection Armor—Metal Plus and cannot be Special Summoned other ways. This card gains 400 ATK for each Dragon-type monster in your Graveyard. Negate the effects of a Spell Card that targets this card and destroy it. You can discard 1 card from your hand to negate the activation of a Spell Card and destroy it.

CG Eff:

You can Special Summon this card from your hand by banishing 1 Dragon-type monster you control. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Dragon-type monster from your hand or Graveyard except Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon.

Troop Dragon

**/WIND/Dragon-Effect

700/800

If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you can Special Summon 1 Troop Dragon from your Deck.

*-Was discarded by Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's Effect.

Cave Dragon

****/WIND/Dragon-Effect

2000/100

Cannot be Normal Summoned while you control a monster. This card cannot declare an attack unless you control another monster.

*-Was discarded by Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's Effect.

Dragon's Rage

Continuous Trap

If a Dragon-type monster you control attacks a Defense position monster, inflict piercing battle damage.