A/N: Welcome to the special EXTRA LONG conclusion to this arc! At the end of the chapter, I will announce the name of the upcoming follow-up fic that you can look forward to seeing in a few days. This is a big chapter though. Not only is it the finale of the arc and the longest chapter in the whole fic, the truth is revealed about Koyou, new cards appear, and tons of dueling happens.

Episode 20: The Endgame Project

I came to surrounded by stars. It took me a moment to release I was actually in some kind of atrium on the roof of a building, all the wall and the ceiling were made of glass, like a greenhouse, but completely clear. Beneath me was a beautiful granite floor marked as a duel field. I found my duel disk nearby. I checked the deck and everything was there. I was even back in my own clothes. I stood painfully, my wounds still aching, but not as much as I thought they would.

"So how are you doing? You look completely lost." the voice of Divine reached my ears and I whipped around to face him.

Seeing the bastard, I charged, "DIVINE!" I only got a step before my head was wracked with pain so intense that it frove me to my knees.

Divine smiled, "So that proves it. You indeed Omega. You have the failsafe that keeps you from attacking me."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the future! A future in which with the power of the Crimson Dragon I will be able to reshape the entire world in my own image! A world where psychic duelists are where they belong! As overseers of the entire planet!"

"With you ruling over them all?"

"Of course. I've come a long way since I was just Goodwin's little stooge."

"Goodwin?"

Divine chuckled, "That's another story for another day. Right now I'm curious as to how much you remember."

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because I'm interested. You weren't supposed to have any free will at all, much less emotions. Imagine my surprise weeks ago when you broke out of the lab and immediately started rebuilding the original Koyou's deck? You were like a machine intent on doing something you weren't built to do. You gave me a lot of trouble, but letting you run wild and pretend to be him, refining your in-born power, turned out quite well."

"What do you mean original?"

He smirked, "What? Did you think the power of the Crimson Dragon resurrected you? Usually, only messiahs are reborn like that. Don't be so arrogant. I made you. You're just a clone I put together from the treasure trove of DNA your family was fool enough to leave unguarded."

"You deviled my grave just to get some DNA sample for your little pet project? Have you no decency?"

"No, of course not. Not a shred. Decency is over-rated. Really though, can you blame me? Despite all the funding I've been given over the years to awaken the Crimson Dragon, I didn't make any progress until now."

"Why me?"
He laughed, "Oh, you really don't know? I imagine you wouldn't. It's simple though. Kaigen Kou is special. He's got a unique connection to the forces of the universe. He's like a Signer in that sense, but so much more! While Signers only draw upon one aspect of this crazy universe, Kaigen has access to the full spectrum! What better material to work with than his seed? I was right too! You've proven that your genetic code was perfect for the creation of my own Signers!"

I looked to my mark, what he was saying made sense. It explained why I had amnesia, why my mark looked nothing like a real one, but it didn't explain why I could remember things. If I was a clone, why was I having all these feelings? Feelings are supposed to be an aspect of the soul. A xerox copy shouldn't have them even if they are identical. "You're lying... that's impossible!"

"Search your feelings, Koyou, you know it to be true!"

I tried again to charge him and again was seized by the alleged failsafe in my brain, "You bastard! You inhumane bastard! You can't just play with lives like this!"

"I can do whatever I like. Whose going to stop me? Securities? Thanks to Goodwin funding this whole show before casting it aside for the real thing, I have the whole police force in my pocket. Goodwin dares not act against me when I have so much dirt on him."

"I'll kill you!"

"That's impossible. Literally. Now be a good boy and say hello to your brothers. They've missed you."

I sensed people behind me and turned to see something truly horrifying. Four of me. Even dressed the exact same. Each with their own randomly designed false mark. The spoke in unison, mindlessly, without emotion, "Duel."

Divine laughed, "Now, all the 'Signers' are together, and the ritual to revive the dragon can begin! You, the first to establish a link to the real power, shall duel each in turn, waking each up!"

"You can't expect me to just cooperate with you."

He sneered, "You don't have a choice. I hold all the cards. Remember? Don't you want to see Aki again? Or did you concede to stop the facade of being Koyou Kou?"

The first clone stepped forward, "Duel."

Divine clapped, "Good boy, Alpha! You're so eager! Now play nice with your brother."

The clone nodded, "Duel."

I gritted my teeth, "Dammit!"

We activated our duel disks, "Duel!"

Alpha: 8000 vs "Omega": 8000

My mark throbbed like crazy as the duel system selected Alpha to go first, "I set one monster face down, and activate the field spell Zombie World." Suddenly the duel arens became a haunted field of endless corpses, "This field spell turns all monsters on the field and in both gravyards into zombie types."

"How appropriate!" Divine giggled.

"Turn end."

I placed a hand to my deck, and felt a strange energy flow into my deck. Strangely it got very slightly thicker. I shoved that aside for the moment and drew my starting hand and one more card. I was stunned. I'd drawn a monster I'd never played. It wasn't even in my... Suddenly my brain was wracked with pain. As if trying to make room for something that shouldn't be there. Images, voices, they matched too, for the first time.

"Here, Koyou. You wanted a warrior gemini deck so I pulled some strings and got these."

"Dad, thank you! A warrior version of Tuned Magician! And this one-"

"Koyou. Never compare yourself to me or your deck to mine. Even if you play the same archetype, our decks are different. I'm proud of you, and really happy. You kept insisting on mbeing like me, but still became your own duelist. That's really something."

I felt like tearing up, then and as I stood on that wretched field staring at one of the cards Dad had given me. They were one of a kind. Based off drawings I'd done as a kid. I looked at my mark and thought about what this odd development meant. The Crimson Dragon was on my side, that much was certain. Thanks to that, I was really and truly battling with my true deck. Even if I was a clone, I wasn't just Omega. I was, and will forever be, Koyou Kou.

"I summon: Tuned Swordsman!" A knight in silver armor appeared wielding a sharp sword and a shield engraved with a synchro ring. Level four, Water attribute instead of wind, if not for Zombie World it would be Warrior type, and the chief difference between it and Tuned Magician was 1900 attack and 1500 defense.

Divine was taken aback, "What? That's impossible! That monster isn't even in your deck!

I ignored him, "Next I activate Supervise! Equipped to Tuned Swordsman this card activates him as an effect monster. He is now a tuner, but I'm not going to use his effect yet. Instead, I activate Gemini Spark! By tributing a level four gemini monster, I destroy one card on your field. I destroy your set monster!" Raising his sword into the air, Tuned Swordsman became a bolt of lightning the struck down on the set card, destroying Alpha's Pyramid Turtle. "I can also draw one card." A pillar of fire erupted from where my swordsman had been as I drew, leaving the gemini restored in its wake, "When Supervise is sent to the grave it revives one normal monster from there. Now, I attack directly! Synch Slash!"

My monster tapped his sword to the shield, drawing a synchro ring from it and hurling it with a slashing motion. It struck home, but Alpha didn't flinch.

Alpha: 6100 vs Koyou: 8000.

I wasn't done, "Next I activate the spell card, Stranger's Compensation! By sending a non-effect monster, like the inactive Tuned Swordsman, to the grave I draw two cards." I did so. Two cards face down will end my advance for now"

Alpha drew, "I summon Goblin Zombie." a rotting goblin appeared on the field with only 1100 attack, "Direct attack!"

I extended my hand towards a trap, "Trap card open! Birthright! This card revives a normal monster in my grave to the field in attack mode. Care to charge 1900 points?"

"I set a card. Turn end."

I drew, "Trap card open! Ultimate Offering! By spending 500 of my life points I can gain an extra normal summon on my main phase, or your battle phase. First I normal summon Future Samurai from my hand. Go! Future Samurai attacks Goblin Zombie!"

He took the damage, "When Goblin Zombie is sent from the field to the graveyard I add I zombie monster with 1500 or less defense from my deck to my hand. I add Plaguespreader Zombie."

"Tuned Swordsman, direct attack!" the attack tore into Alpha, drawing blood. Regardless, Alpha had no reaction to it. "I activate Ultimate Offering, spending 500 life points to activate Tuned Swordsman! I'm tuning my level four Tuned Swordsman to my level four Future Samurai!" Tunded Swordman thrust his shield forward, the shield emitting four rings horizontally before the swordsman vanished, From behind Future Samurai dove into the rings and tranformed into an outline of himself and then four stars, "Fist of stone crushes bone, breath of fire purges ire! Synchro shokan! Charge on through, Black Brutdrago!" the monster roared to life, looking like his usual living weapon self. Both of our marks lit up and began throbbing, "I activate Black Brutdrago's effect!" I held up a gemini and discarded it, a hologram of it appeared in front of my dragon, only to be inhaled and shot straight into the clone's face down. "Preemptive Punishment! By discarding a gemini, I destroy one of your spell or trap cards. Now I end with this card face down."

Alpha: 3700 vs Koyou: 7500

Divine grew tense, "That monster he discarded... I've never seen it before."

Alpha drew, "Spell card: Book of Life. I remove from play Future Samurai and and revive one zombie monster in my grave. I revive Goblin Zombie."

I grimaced, but it wasn't a big deal.

"I summon Plaguespreader Zombie." the rotting dwarf-like corpse tuner appeared. "Spell card: Soul Taker. I destroy Black Brutdrago and you gain 1000 life points."

My dragon fell into a pile of magma and I smirked as an armored figure rose from it, "When Black Brudrago is destroyed, I special summon one gemini monster from my grave, that monster I treated as having been second summoned." The lava fell away from the revived monster, revealing a heavily armored woman with short blond hair and a crown. Level 6, Wind attribute, normally Warrior-type, 2400 attack, 1000 defense, "I summon Joan the Just Monarch! When this card is second summoned, I special summon a removed from play warrior-type monster Return! Future Samurai!" Joan raised her hand in a rallying cry and Future Samurai answered the call.

Alpha proceeded as if I hadn't done anything, "I tune my level two Plaguespreader Zombie to my level four Goblin Zombie!" My mark throbbed, but it didn't feel quite like when the Signers summoned their dragons, "Synchro summon. Doomkaiser Dragon!" A large dragon resembling a rotting Chthonian Emperor Dragon appeared on the field it even had the same 2400 attack. "I activate his effect, special summoning a zombie-type monster from your graveyard. Thanks to Zombie World I can summon Tuned Swordsman to my field." a rotting version of my monster rose from the dead. "I activate the effect of the Plaguespreader Zombie in my grave, placing on of my cards on the top of the deck to special summon him from the grave. When He leaves the field he leaves the game. I tune my level two Plaguespreader Zombie to my level 4 Tuned Swordsman."

"Twice?" I said, shocked.

"Synchro summon. Doomkaiser Dragon. His effect activates. I special summon Black Brutdrago from your graveyard."

"What?" Ridiculous! He got three synchros to his field in one sweep, one of them an enslaved undead version of my own dragon!

"Black Brudrago attacks Joan the Just Monarch!"

I reached for a trap, "Trap card open! Gemini Booster! This card equips to a gemini monster I control and raises its attack by 700. Joan's attack is now 3100!" Struck by a surged of power from the trap, Joan drew a sword and cleaved Brutdrago in two. "Sorry buddy, but your fall in not in vain. Because effects triggered on destruction are activated in the graveyard, and he is sent back to my graveyard, I use his effect to revive Tuned Swordsman in defense mode!" The warrior appeared, hunched behind his shield.

The turn wasn't over, "My first Doomkaiser destroys Future Samurai."

My monster was wrecked by a gout of necrotic fire, "Gah!"

"My second destroys Tuned Swordsman!"

Alpha: 3700 vs Koyou: 7700

"Turn end."

"My draw!" Deliciously marvelous draw, "Equip spell card: Assault Armor! I can only equip this to a warior-type that is the only monster I control. It boosts Joan's attack from 3100 to 3900, but not for long. I can send Assault Armor to the grave to empower Joan to attack twice in the same battle phase. Now go! Joan attacks the first Doomkaiser Dragon! Justice Clash!" Joan drew her sword and charged, decapitating the first dragon, "And the next! Justice Clash #2!" Another head rolled. "Turn end!"

Alpha: 2300 vs Koyou: 7700

Alpha drew, "I activate Call of the Haunted, special summoning Doomkaizer Dragon from the graveyard in attack mode. Turn end."

"That's all you've got?" Divine shouted, furious.

"My draw! I summon Evocator Chevalier! Joan attacks Doomkaiser Dragon!" the dragon fell again, "Evocator Chevalier, finish this! Direct attack!

Alpha: 0 vs Koyou: 7700.

Alpha was thrown backwards from the attack and to the ground, not getting up. The next stepped forward. Divine grinned "Good, good. Now let's see how long you can keep this up. Shuffle your deck back together and start over."

I looked at my life counter, "My counter didn't reset."

"Shuffle your deck and start over."

I went wide-eyed, "You expect me to beat four people in a row with one set of 8000 life points? Without keeping my field?

He grinned even wider, "I have to push you to your limits if I'm going to get access to the Crimson Dragon."

I had no choice but to listen to him, so a shuffled all my cards back into my deck

Divine smiled, "Get him, Beta!"

"Duel!"

Koyou: 7700 vs Beta: 8000

The system selected me to go first, so I drew my starting hand and one more card. There was more delectable memories within that hand of six cards, "I activate the continuous spell card Future Fusion. With this card, I reveal a fusion monster in my extra deck and then send the listed material components from my field to the graveyard. In two turns the revealed monster is special summoned to the field. I reveal Superalloy Beast Raptinus and send Tuned Swordsman and Phoenix Gearfried to the grave. Next I summon Dual Gardna!" A short but sturdy warrior appeared, lightly armored, but wielding a double-headed axe with a blade larger than his entire body. Level 3, Earth attribute, warrior, and tuner with 1500 attack and defense. Why summon in attack mode? "I set one card and end my turn."

Divine sighed in frustration, "What's with all these new cards? I looked at your deck, know of these were in it!"

Beta drew, "I summon Mother Grizzly. Quick-play spell card: Shrink. Your Dual Gardna loses half its attack points. I attack with Mother Grizzly."

With now only 750 attack, Dual Gardna was torn down by the bear's 1400. "Grr, When Dual Gardna is destroyed in battle, I send a gemini from my deck to the graveyard, I send Future Samurai. Also I chain my face down: Desperate Tag. When a face up attack position monster I control is destroyed in battle, I special summon a level four or lower warrior type monster from my hand. I summon Gemini Scorpion!" The trusty dark armored warrior appeared and from his shadow flew Blazewing Butterfly. "When he's summoned, he brings a level 4 or lower gemini with him."

"Turn end."

Koyou: 7050 vs Beta: 8000

I drew, "I equip Supervise to Blazewing Butterfly, activating him as an effect monster. His effect tributed him, then revives a gemini as an effect monster. Be reborn, Tuned Swordsman!" the silver knight appeared, a pillar of fire reviving Future Samurai, "I'm rollin' now! Supervise hitting the grave revives a normal monster. I spend my normal summon to activate Future Samurai, removing Phoenix Gearfried from play to destroy Mother Grizzly!" the bear was cut in half, "Now! Tunded Swordsman, Gemini Scorpion, Future Samurai, all of you direct attack!" The three swrodsmen tore Beta's body and life points apart. "Now I'm tuning my level four Tuned Swordsman to my level four Future Samurai! I don't feel like doing the chant so just get out here! Synchro shokan! You know the drill, Black Brutdrago! Turn end!"

Koyou: 7050 vs Beta: 2900

Beta drew, "I activate Heavy Storm, destroying all spell and trap cards on the field. Next, I discard one car to activate Lightning Vortex, destroying all monster cards on the field." With a simple couple of spells my field was cleared. "I summon Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier and attack you directly.

"Gah!"

Koyou: 5750 vs Beta: 2900

"Turn end."

"Duel end!" My mark throbbed again as I drew, "I activate the effect of Dual Gardna. During my standby phase if I control no spell or trap cards I can special summon Dual Gardna from my grave to the field." Dual Garda returned and was immediately tributed. "I tribute Dual Gardna to summon Joan the Just Monarch!"

Divine groaned, "That again?"

"Spell card: Double Summon! With this card I gain another normal summon this turn. I use it to awaken Joan's power! When she is sencond summoned, I special summon a removed from play warrior-type monster. Look at what I've got!" Joan raised another rallying cry and Phoenix Gearfried answered. The king and queen of gemini were assembled on the field, "Chew on this! Joan the Just Monarch attacks Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!" The monster shattered, the shards tearing hard into Beta, "Phoenix Gearfried, direct attack! Falling Cutter!" I downward slash released a fire blade, blowing Beta back and ending round two.

I was panting a bit as the third stepped forward over his fallen brothers. Divine chuckled, "Getting tired already? Think just under 6000 will get you the rest of the way?"

"These guy's suck, no problem."

Divine smirked, "The last two are the strongest ones." he turn to the third clone, "Get him Gamma!"

"Duel!"

Koyou: 5750 vs Gamma: 8000

The system gave Gamma the first turn, "I activate Cold Wave. Until my next Standby Phase neither of us can use or set spell or trap cards. Next I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin."

Crap! Lightsworn! I curse my barely above mid-level life points. This round was going to leave me awfully fragile for the next, if I even made it past this one. He'd even locked down half of my first turn with Cold Wave.

"Turn end. During my end phase, Jain's effect sends the top two cards of my deck to the grave." an effect activated as the second hit the grave, "Wulf. Lightsworn Beast's effect activates. When he is sent to the graveyard via a card effect, he is special summoned."

An 1800 that powered up when attacking, and a 2100 to boot. Plus I couldn't even set traps or use spells. I was going to take a hit... "My draw!" looking at the card, it was my best shot. I could capitalize the best I could, "I set a monster, turn end."

"I draw." Gamma started his turn. I set a monster, I then attack your set monster with Wulf, Lightsworn Beast."

My set Dual Gardna shattered and pulled its weight again, "Through the effect of Dual Gardna, I send Future Samurai from the deck to the grave."

"I attack directly with Jain, the Lightsworn Paladin."

"Gah!"

Koyou: 3950 vs Gamma: 8000

"I set a card, the end my turn."

"I draw."

Gamma activated his trap, "I activate Beckoning Light, discarding my hand and retrieving a number of light monsters from there equal to the number of cards I discarded. I add Judgment Dragon, Lumina, Honest, and Garroth."

There it was... my opening I wasn't going to get an attack in with that Honest in hand, but he was two light monsters short of bringing out the infamous game ender Judgment Dragon. I had a shot, and I'd had it in my hand from the start. "I set a monster, then set three cards. Turn end."

Gamma drew, "I summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior. I flip summon Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter and his effect activates, destroying the first card you set."

Yes! He'd prioritized traps over direct attacks and went after the decoy. I had to resist jumping for joy.

"I then send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard."

I clenched my teeth nervously. He just had to send two lightsworn to the grave to end it all. None of the three was a lightsworn.

"Garoth's effect triggers. When a lightsworn effect sends cards to the grave I send two more and draw a card for each Lightsworn monster this effect sent." he only sent one thankfully, and drew a card. "I attack your set monster with Wulf."

Gemini Soldier flipped, "Quick-play spell, all gemini on my field are treated as effect monsters. Gemini Soldier's effect protects it from destruction in battle and summon a level four or lower gemini from my deck. I summon Blazewing in defense."

"I attack again with Jain."

My soldier shattered, I summon Tuned Swordsman in attack!"

"Lastly, I destroy Blazewing with Garoth. Turn end. Jain sends two cards to the grave, Garoth sends two more." Garoth sent two lightsworns, so Gamma drew two cards.

I smiled as I drew, "Trap card open! Birthright! I revive Gemini Soldier in attack mode. Next a spell card: Swing of Memories." It was fitting, "this revives a normal monster from my grave for one turn. I revive Future Samurai. I normal summon Tuned Swordsman, turning him into and tuner. Now I tune my level 4 Tunded Swordsman with my level two Gemini Soldier and my level four Future Samurai." I started panting, the endurance match was starting to get to me. The clones only had virutal solid attacks, but I was already wounded, so I was really taking a beating. I didn't have the strength to do the chant, "Sychro summon! Ally of Justice – Decisive Armor! I activate his effect. Since you control a light monster I can discard my entire hand." I discarded the only card in my hand, "You reveal your hand and send all light monsters contained there to the graveyard. Lets see how many of your draws were monsters!"

Gamma revealed his hand. I smiled as he sent his entire hand to the grave. He had a hand of six light monsters and I could see 8000 attack points combined on just three of them. I had gotten off a lucky shot.

"You now take damage equal to the sent monsters combined attack points: 12050! Go! Anti-Light Battery!" the center plat of my monster fired an huge beam, blowing Gamma clear across the room and into a glass wall, shattering it. If not for the fact he'd mostly hit a metal support, he would have flown straight through and off the roof.

I collapsed to my knees as the fourth and final clone stepped forward. Divine was dumbfounded, "What the hell? You... just blew him away straight through all that on his field!"

I laughed, "Light decks are very unlucky against me. Bring the next on. Sure you don't need a couple more to finish me off you little bastard?"

Divine laughed at my insolence, "Excellent. Good to see you have some fight left. I'd hate it if you didn't make it through the ritual. Don't fail me now, Omega." he looked to the clone, "Try to do better against him, Delta."

"Duel!"

Koyou: 3950 vs Delta: 8000

I could hardly move, much less back up my boasting. I was hurting so much for my wounds, and my mark was burning so hot my arm might as well have been on fire. Delta was selected for the first turn, but I could barely pay attention as he summoned an Armageddon Knight and used its effect to send a dark monster to the grave, ending his turn.

After seeing that last deck, his excuse for a signer dragon is probably Dark Armed Dragon... God! I can't keep this up! Dammit Yusei! Appear at random and save me already! Dad... do something! Aki... I wanted to save you so badly... I can't even save myself! I clenched my mark and struggled to my feet. I placed a hand on my deck and poured every bit of frustration in drawing my starting hand. All my need to win went into my cards and I drew my starting hand a one more card. I looked at it and was stunned.

I moved almost with machine-like efficiency, "My turn. I activate Future Fusion, revealing Raptinus and sending Chthonian Emperor Dragon and Tuned Swordsman to the grave. I summon Blazewing Butterfly. I equip Supervise, I tribute Blazewing to bring back Tuned Swordsman, Supervise returns Blazewing to the field. Battle. I destroy Armageddon Knight with Blazewing, then attack directly with Tuned Swordsman."

Koyou: 3950 vs Delta: 6000

"I tuned my monsters together for Black Brutdrago."

Delta drew, summoned a 1500 Legendary Fiend in attack and set a card. It was Mirror Force or something like it. I didn't care. I had drawn the most damage part of my certain kill combination.

"My draw. I discard a Gemini to destroy your set trap. Battle. Black Brutdrago attacks Legendary Fiend."

Koyou: 3950 vs Delta: 4500

I triggered the death knell, the strongest combination in my true deck, "Trap card, Destruct Potion. I destroy Black Brutdrago and gain life points equal to its attack: 3000." My life points skyrocketed, "Black Brutdrago's effect activates! When he's destroyed I revive a gemini in my grave as an effect monster. I revive Chthonian Emperor Dragon! Thanks to his effect and your clear field, he'll be attacking you directly... twice! Go! Dual Flame Doom!" Two fireballs detonated on Delta, bringing a stunningly quick end to the duel. I grinned, then fell to my knees again from fatigue.

I heard a whale-like sound from above and my mark resonated. I looked up and beheld the Crimson Dragon in all it's glory. I'd summoned it or something... I guess. The ritual must have worked.

Divine laughed maniacally, "Yes! It's mine, it's all mine! It's here and Nobody can stop be from bending it to my will!" Suddenly the dragon started fading, winking in and out of existance, "NO! Stop! COME BACK! Everything I've worked for!"

It vanished, and I laughed at him, "Looks like it will only stick around for real Signers."

Divine turned and glared at me, "You won't make a fool of me again. We'll keep trying and trying until it works! If I have to I'll make you duel Aki over and over! I will have the Crimson Dragon!"

I fell over from exhaustion, blacking out. I heard Divine calling me useless then making a call for someone to put me in a cell. Then I lost consciousness.

TO BE CONTINUED IN:

YuGiOh! 5D's: Reverse of Arcadia (as if you didn't expect it to be named after the next DS game in the series lol)

Coming Soon!

A/N: Whew! That took a lot out of me! Getting that much done in a day (especially with all the duels) was really tiring! I fell like Koyou right now! The follow-up fic will be up within a few days. I may or may not need a break after this exhausting chapter... Imma go pass out, but look forward to the upcoming Dark Signer arc and make sure you review! Include an overall opinion of this part of the fic and the events in your review if you have time.