DARKNESS VS. DARKNESS
It had only been several days ago that it was announced a new tournament would be held that would change the way people duelled. Hayku couldn't see what was so special about it.
There had to be something more interesting to do than just crushing amateur duellists with impunity.
The system was simple, there were ten duelling arenas for a normal duel, or a tag team match between four duellists, two on each side. Each match won would grant the winner (or winners) an amount of points equal to his or her remaining life points. This score was kept on their duel disk, and each duellist started out with 0 points. When a duellist lost a duel, he or she would lose 8000 points. When the score counter reaches 0 or lower, then they were knocked out of the tournament. Whenever a duellist reached 15000 points, they were allowed to descend to the next level through inserting their duel disk into a scanner which was placed next to an elevator descending down to the next level. What was down there nobody knew, as only two others have gone down so far.
There were some duellists who used the God cards. This little triviality didn't affect Hayku or his ability to duel in the slightest, for he was perfectly capable of taking on a God card, whichever one came his way- mainly because he had one of his own and knew how to use it.
The metallic corridors echoed with his footsteps as he marched down towards the elevator. His score had topped at a grand total of 15650 points, well over the mark which he needed to gain access to the next level.
As he reached the scanner, which was basically a hole in the wall with a niche for the duel disk to be slotted in. Hayku undid the clasp fastening the disk to his forearm, and slotted the device into the niche. There was a moment of silence, then an electronic beep registered affirmative, and an electronic voice rang out.
"You have successfully gained a score of fifteen thousand, six hundred and fifty points. Congratulations, duellist, the next level awaits you."
The doors to the elevator opened. Hayku retrieved the duel disk, took his time fastening it to his forearm comfortably once again, and entered the elevator. the doors closed behind him, and he felt his stomach lurch as the conveyance descended at high speeds, accompanied by a rising hum.
The interior of the elevator was totally featureless save the fluorescent lights in the ceiling, and the door at one end. There were no buttons, and not even railings adorned the walls, as they often did.
The pitch of the hum slowly descended, and the elevator slowed. Finally, the doors slid open once again, revealing another metallic corridor just like the one he had left.
As he stepped out, the door slid shut behind him, and he heard the elevator rise again.
Walking through the corridor, which only had a door at the other end, a voice rang out over the speakers set into the ceiling.
"Welcome, duellist, to the second level of this tournament. This will test your skills as a duellist against a range of decks and themes. There will be five duellists waiting for you, one after the other. As you proceed through this challenge, your life points will be restored between each match, but should they drop to zero at any time, you are eliminated. Good luck, your first challenge awaits you."
The door at the end of the corridor slid open smoothly as Hayku neared it. He guessed it must have been an automatic door, but he didn't see any sensors.
The chamber beyond was eerily dark, lit only by the bare necessity of lighting thanks to one, lonely, ancient-looking lightbulb above his head. The walls were of natural rock, and dripped with water as if it was sweating in the cold dampness.
A spotlight suddenly lit up, highlighting a figure at the other end of the chamber.
"My name is Mort, and I will be the first duellist you will be facing."
He was a skinny man, almost anorexic, but he moved with a grace that belied his thin frame. Strapped to his left arm was a duel disk. Hayku regarded him with cool eyes.
"Very well, shall we begin, then?" Mort said as he grinned unpleasantly. He raised his arm, and the two parts of the duel disk snapped together. His voice was dry, almost rasping at the sandpaper-like material that must have constituted his throat. As he stepped forward, the spotlight died, once again bathing the chamber in darkness, save for the glow emanating from Mort's duel disk, and the paltry light from the single bulb.
Hayku didn't say a word, merely mirrored his opponent's actions as his duel disk activated.
Mort 8000
Hayku 8000
"Since you are the challenger, I will of course let you go first."
"You will regret that," Hayku deadpanned, he was unfazed by the strange settings, nor was he unsettled by his opponent's strange appearance as he was lit by the glow from his duel disk, and his voice- which constantly made Hayku want to clear his throat.
"Oh, I very much doubt that," Mort rasped as he chuckled, a dry hiss at the back of his throat.
Hayku drew his first card, and pondered his first move.
"I will set one monster face down, and set two magic/trap cards face down. I end my turn."
"Oh dear, playing careful now are we?" Mort grinned toothily as he drew a card off the top of his deck. "I too will set one monster face down, and two magic/trap cards. Your turn."
"At the end of your turn, I activate face down trap card Dust Tornado, wiping out one of your traps."
Mort laughed again, "very well, my Compulsory Evacuation Device is destroyed before it can be put to good use."
In a storm of feathers and gale force winds, Mort's face down card was shattered, and sent to the graveyard.
"My turn again, I flip my face down monster face up, activating my Night Assailant's (200/500) special effect, destroy your face down monster!"
A figure wrapped in ragged robes leapt from the card, wielding a twisted blade, its arms glowing with unnatural light. Its weapon descended upon Mort's face down monster, and destroying it instantly. There was a momentary image of a magician, before the card was sent to the graveyard.
'An Old Vindictive Magician, lucky he didn't get a chance to activate that.' Out loud, Hayku slapped another card down onto his duel disk. "Now I summon my Giant Orc (2200/0) in Attack mode!"
a hulking, ogre like figure appeared on the field, brandishing a giant femur as a club, it growled at Mort, saliva dripping from its jaw. He didn't even flinch.
"Giant Orc! Attack his life points directly!"
"Not so fast, boy! Activate face down trap card Compulsory Evacuation Device! Say goodbye to your Orc!"
In the middle of leaping at Mort, the Orc was abruptly encased in a dome-like machine. There was a brief count down, and the Orc was launched into the darkness above them with a despairing howl. The monster card returned to Hayku's hand, 'so he had another one down...'
"Night Assailant, attack his life points!"
The assassin leapt forward again, this time slashing his blade down at Mort himself. Mort shook his head as he smirked.
"There goes my life points."
Mort 7800
Hayku 8000
'I still have one face down trap, that should protect me for now if he attacks.'
"I end my turn."
"Very well," Mort said as he drew a card. "I activate the magic card Soul Exchange to sacrifice your Night Assailant for my Vampire Lord (2000/1500)!"
An opulently-dressed figure appeared on the field, flinging open his black cloak with a flourish of his arm. He grinned at Hayku, and he noticed that its fangs were unnaturally long.
"Unfortunately, I cannot perform my battle phase in the same turn, so I end my turn."
Hayku frowned almost imperceptibly, 'what's he trying to do? He knows my Giant Orc will annihilate his Vampire Lord. And he hasn't even set a magic/trap card...'
"I summon my Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode, and annihilate your Vampire Lord!"
This time the Orc managed to complete its attack, bringing its bone club down to smash against the Vampire Lord's skull, caving it in. The vampire was sent to the graveyard.
"My Giant Orc switches to defence mode after its attack, and I end my turn."
"All right! My turn again! I summon my Zombyra the Dark (2100/500) in attack mode, and I activate the magic card Book of Life!"
A cloaked warrior resplendent in skull-adorned armour appeared on the field, legs set apart in an aggressive stance. There was a flash of light, and a green tome appeared beside it, accompanied by the sound of unintelligible chanting the background.
"I remove your Night Assailant from your graveyard out of play and special summon back my Vampire Lord! Zombyra, attack and destroy his Giant Orc!"
"Not so fast! I activate face down trap card Magic Cylinder, and reflect Zombyra's attack back to your life points!"
As Zombyra flew towards the crouching Giant Orc, a cylinder abruptly appeared in front of him, sucking it in. As soon as it disappeared, another cylinder appeared beside the first, and tipped over as if to pour something. Zombyra came screaming out of the cylinder as if launched from a cannon, hitting Mort full on. The man stagger a few steps, but was otherwise unfazed as his monster returned to the field.
Mort 5700
Hayku 8000
"You call this a challenge? I've nearly taken down half your life points, and you haven't even hurt me yet," Hayku stated.
Mort smiled, "you've seen nothing yet, boy. Vampire Lord, destroy Giant Orc!"
The vampire leapt forward, claws unsheathing themselves from his fingers and fangs from his gums. The Orc stood no chance as it was abruptly ripped apart in a display of intense violence.
This was nothing more than a sham. Some challenge this was. He smirked as he drew his next card. "I sacrifice both your monsters for my Lava Golem (3000/2500)!"
Flames erupted froth from the ground, engulfing both of Mort's monsters. A giant shape consisting completely of red hot lava rose out of the ground. A cage snapped shut around Mort, and he was raised up into the midst of several clawing skeletons, all of which were trapped in the giant humanoid shape. The heat haze looked so real Hayku swore he could almost feel the intense heat, he began to sweat.
"I set a magic/trap card face down, and end my turn."
As Mort drew his card, one of the clawing arms gouged his arm, inflicting further damage to his life points.
Mort 4700
Hayku 8000
"Enjoying hot, flaming death yet?"
Mort smirked, "it wouldn't be recommended. I now sacrifice your Lava Golem for my Ryu Kokki (2400/2000), getting rid of it for good!"
A monster made completely of skulls burst through the middle of the Lava Golem, sending burning bits of lava all over the place. The skeletons shattered, and the cage was pulled asunder as the Lava Golem died.
"Ryu Kokki! Attack his life points directly!"
"I don't think so! Activate quickplay magic card Scapegoat to special summon four Sheep Tokens (0/0)!"
In a flash of light, four balls of fluff appeared in the air in front of Hayku. Each sheep token was a different colour, and looked complacent as they floated about. The Ryu Kokki rampaged forward, and smashed one of the sheep apart in a shower of blood and gore.
Hayku drew another card, and laughed, "looks like my deck is offering you no mercy, Mort! I switch one of my Sheep Tokens into attack mode, and I play the magic card Creature Swap!"
Two arrows in a circular formation appeared on the ground, and one of the Sheep tokens were transferred to Mort's side while the massive Ryu Kokki changed to Hayku's side.
"Guess what, boy? I activate my third and final Compulsory Evacuation Device! And my Ryu Kokki returns to my hand!"
Again, the dome-like machine appeared, encasing Ryu Kokki. The brief count down was followed by a massive blast as Ryu Kokki was launched into the air, the monster card returned to Mort's hand.
Hayku growled, that had been a total waste of a good magic card! "Have it your way! I switch another of my Sheep Tokens into attack mode, and attack your Sheep Token!"
One of the sheep floated gently forward, and came into contact with the one on Mort's side of the field. The moment they touched, both disappeared in a gentle pop.
"I set a magic/trap card and end my turn."
There was a pause as Hayku examined his hand after drawing another card. "I set a monster in face down defence mode, and end my turn."
Hayku drew again, and growled as he saw which card he drew, 'this is useless to me right now!'
"Very well," he said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "I set another magic/trap card and end my turn."
Mort smiled as he drew, "I set another monster face down, and end my turn."
'What the hell's he trying to do?' Hayku thought as he drew his next card. "I summon Archfiend Soldier (1900/1600) in attack mode! Attack his face down monster!"
The spiky demon warrior growled, leapt forward, and slashed his sword overhand at the face down card. There was a brief struggle, and the image of a giant turtle with a pyramid on its back appeared, and shattered. However, the pyramid was left behind.
"Fool! You've just destroyed my Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400)! Now I get to special summon one zombie from my deck with a defence of 2000 or less! I special summon my second Ryu Kokki (2400/2000)!"
The pyramid stood still for a moment, and abruptly crumbled to dust as another bone construct emerged from its ruins.
A blast of blue energy screamed down from above, and slammed onto the playing field. All the monsters were annihilated in the storm of energy, and when everything cleared, not a single one was left alive.
Mort raised an eyebrow, "what was that?"
"That was my trap card Torrential Tribute, which destroys all monsters whenever someone summons one onto the field," Hayku said grimly. "I end my turn."
"So be it." Mort was smiling as he drew another card. "I summon Spirit Reaper (300/200) in attack mode! Attack your life points directly!"
The robed figure hissed, and flew at Hayku, its giant scythe raised. It swept the weapon down in one massive stroke, destroying a card in Hayku's hand as well as dealing damage to his life points.
Mort 4700
Hayku 7700
"No! My Snatch Steal!" Hayku was shocked, he had never expected this, Snatch Steal had been one of his better cards. Firming his resolve, he felt suddenly determined not to let this small setback allow him to lose the duel.
Hayku drew, and growled in satisfaction as he saw what was in his hand. "First, I will set one monster face down, and now I remove three Fiend monsters from my graveyard out of play to summon my Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)!"
The robotic, puppet-like monster appeared on the field, shrouded in an aura of darkness as it cradled a broken doll in its arms.
"Dark Necrofear! Attack and destroy his Spirit Reaper! Dark Terror Force!"
The aura around Dark Necrofear abruptly expanded, and sent slivers of icy cold despair into Hayku's mind. He bore this though, as he knew Mort's Spirit Reaper and his life points would be experiencing far worse.
As the darkness faded, Hayku was surprised to see the Spirit Reaper still standing, "what! Why is your Spirit Reaper still alive!"
A rasping, hissing sound filled the air as Mort laughed, "there's a reason it's called 'Spirit' Reaper, boy. You might have hurt my life points, but you haven't touched my Spirit Reaper."
Mort 2800
Hayku 7700
'I can't believe it, he's nearly lost, and he's not even affected by it.' Hayku thought as he gave over the turn to his opponent.
"I'll first switch my Spirit Reaper into defence mode, and I play Nobleman of Crossout on your face down card!"
A knight appeared on the field, slashing his sword down at Hayku's face down card. A worn, wooden mask appeared briefly in the air before it was sent out of play. 'I was counting on my Mask of Darkness to bring my Torrential Tribute back too...' Hayku thought.
"I end my turn."
Hayku drew another card. Useless. "I end my turn," he slumped.
Mort raised an amused eyebrow, "my, my, aren't we demoralised." He drew.
"First, I'll equip the magic card Ekibyo Drakmord on your Dark Necrofear."
Dark Necrofear suddenly began shaking uncontrollably, and its body began to corrode before Hayku's eyes.
"Don't worry, you only have two more turns until your Dark Necrofear is no more than dead matter."
"You think so? I activate face down quickplay magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy your virus."
In a storm of cleansing wind, the affliction was wiped out, and the magic card sent to the graveyard.
"I end my turn."
Hayku put a hand on his deck, and prayed silently, he had to get rid of that Spirit Reaper if he wanted to win. 'Come on, deck.'
With a flourish, he drew his next card. Lady Luck was not with him, he realised.
"I summon another Archfiend Soldier in attack mode, and end my turn."
"Enjoying my Spirit Reaper? You should be," Hayku grinned as he drew another card from his deck. "Ah yes, finally, the card I was waiting for. I sacrifice my Spirit Reaper to summon my Dark Dust Spirit (2200/1800)! And using its special effect, I destroy all other face up monsters on the field."
Hayku watched in despair as a sandstorm whipped up, shredding both his monsters and sending them to the graveyard.
"Dark Dust Spirit, attack his life points directly!"
The crimson, spike-studded spirit raised both its arms, fingers splayed. A blast of sand so intense it could have stripped paint off a car hit Hayku head on. He coughed, and choked on the substance, feeling each little grain bite into his skin like sandpaper. As quickly as it had started, the storm died down.
Mort 2800
Hayku 5500
Hayku was breathing hard, spitting sand out of his mouth and trying to shake off the aftereffects of the attack. he shouldn't have let that one through. 'Oh well, at least my Dark Necrofear can return from the graveyard and control his monster...'
As if reading his thoughts, Mort laughed in his dry, rasping hiss. "Because my Dark Dust Spirit is a Spirit monster, it returns to my hand at the end of the turn, denying your Dark Necrofear his special ability!" The Dark Dust Spirit's image wavered, and faded as the monster card returned to Mort's hand.
"And just before I end my turn, I set one magic/trap card."
Hayku was still trying to get sand out of his mouth as he drew his next card. He was desperate now, and Mort probably knew it. "I play Swords of Revealing Light, and end my turn."
Three blazing swords slammed down into the ground around Mort, lighting up his skull-like features, still grinning.
"I end my turn," Hayku tried to keep the weariness out of his voice, with little success. This duel was taking more out of him than he thought, and he wondered what his opponent was going to do next.
"I draw, set one monster card face down, and end my turn," Mort's move was simple, yet it sent a shiver of paranoia down Hayku's back. What was the monster he had just set?
This place was getting to him. He had never duelled in almost total darkness before, and he could feel it working away at his mind. At least the Swords helped to dispel some of his fears.
"I draw... and end my turn."
Mort laughed as one of the swords shimmered, and disappeared. There were two more left now. "Not doing so well now, are we?" His grin turned really unpleasant as he drew.
"Here's a taste of your own medicine, boy! I play Mystical Space Typhoon, blowing your Swords away!"
When the winds had died down, the swords had disappeared, leaving Mort free to attack Hayku's life points directly.
"I now sacrifice my face down monster for another Ryu Kokki (2400/2000)! Attack his life points directly!"
Hayku couldn't do a thing as the lumbering monstrosity threw out an arm made of skulls, lengthening it and smashing into his chest. Hayku screamed in pain, and fell flat on his back.
Mort 2800
Hayku 3100
He staggered to his feet. In a matter of turns, his opponent had reduced his life points down to almost a third of its starting value. The pain in his chest told him there was going to be a nasty bruise there later.
He barely managed to draw his next card.
"I set one magic/trap card face down, and one monster face down. I end my turn." He had to build up his defences, and he knew these two cards were as good as any.
"Hmm... not much of a choice here for me, yes? Ryu Kokki! Attack his face down monster!"
Again, the arm stretched over the distance, and slammed into Hayku's face down monster, sending it to the graveyard. However, something was wrong.
"I activate my Newdoria's (1200/800) special effect! Drag his Ryu Kokki down to the grave with you!"
Two arms seized Ryu Kokki around its body, and dragged it roaring down to the graveyard.
"How did you like that, Mort?" Hayku sneered.
Mort merely smiled, "I commend your move, boy. However, I anticipated that you would do such a thing. I now set one monster face down, and end my turn."
'Bastard, I'll show you just what my deck can do...'
"I summon a Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode! Attack and destroy his face down monster!"
The Orc roared, and smashed its club down onto the face down monster. The Pyramid Turtle's head was completely pulverised as it died, leaving behind only the pyramid on its back.
"Not a smart move, boy! I now special summon my third and last Ryu Kokki (2400/2000) onto the field!"
The pyramid burst into flames, lighting up the area briefly before crumbling to ashes. And from the pile of ashes rose a Ryu Kokki, the red orb set into its chest glowing with unnatural light.
"My Giant Orc switches into defence mode after its attack, and I end my turn."
"Ah, yes, finally. Ready to die yet, boy?"
Hayku braced himself, he had to be ready for anything now.
"First I will pay 800 life points to play Premature Burial and special summon my Vampire Lord back from the grave! Rise once again, my creature!"
As the vampire again rose from the grave, Mort's life points dropped.
Mort 2000
Hayku 3100
"I now remove my Vampire Lord from play to special summon my Vampire Genesis (3000/2100)!"
The vampire writhed as a terrible transformation came upon it. In a burst of bloody flesh and expensive cloth, a new, more terrifying monster rose. Its indigo body was backed by a pair of massive wings as it gnashed its teeth, and laughed coldly.
"Now, I use my Vampire Genesis' special effect to discard my Despair from the Dark (2800/3000) to special summon back another Ryu Kokki (2400/2000)! Ryu Kokki! Attack and destroy his Giant Orc!"
The Orc's body was completely pulverised as it was sent to the graveyard.
"Now my creatures! Attack his life points directly!" there was a note of insane glee in Mort's voice as he declared his attack.
"Not so fast! I activate my face down quickplay magic card Scapegoat!"
"Another one, eh? Well let's see how they stand up to the power of my monsters! ATTACK!" Mort's eyes were wide with feral insanity as his monsters leapt to do his bidding, pulverising two of the balls of fluff that now floated in front of Hayku.
He didn't know what to do now, there were three insanely strong monsters in front of him, and all he had to defend himself with were two balls of fluff.
As he drew his next card, however, hope again flared within his mind. 'I just need to hold out for one more turn now...'
He didn't let this show however, as he played another card. "I play Pot of Greed, and draw two more cards... then I set one more magic/trap card, and end my turn."
Mort's expression had transformed from the calm, almost mocking one to the face of a madman. His lips were drawn back, and his eyes were so wide that for a moment he looked like a skull in the dim light of his duel disk, highlighting his face from below.
"Ryu Kokki! Vampire Genesis! Attack his monsters and his life points!"
Two more sheep were mercilessly crushed, reduced to nothing more than balls of bloodstained fur and gore. The stench of dead bodies was starting to permeate in the air, and Hayku wrinkled his nose at the smell.
"I activate my third and last Scapegoat!" he yelled as Mort's Vampire Genesis reached towards him. Hayku felt no pity for the poor sheep token that was smashed against the chamber's wall, sliding down to land in a bloody heap as it died.
Mort cackled, "not long now, boy. Soon, I will have your soul!"
Hayku kept his fear in check. There was something seriously wrong with this now, but his victory was in his grasp and all he needed was one last card...
As he tentatively looked at the card he drew, his weary expression turned to one of triumph. "Prepare to lose the game, Mort! First I will play the magic card Premature Burial, special summoning back my Giant Orc (2200/0)."
Mort 2000
Hayku 2300
"Now I summon another Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode!" he slapped the card down on his duel disk, and watched as another hulking Orc appeared on the field.
Mort hadn't caught on with what he was doing, his expression hadn't changed. "None of your monsters are strong enough to destroy any of mine! Are you suicidal! Not that I mind..." He burst into a fit of insane laughter.
Hayku gritted his teeth as he made his next move. "Laugh this up, you freak. I now sacrifice my three remaining Sheep Tokens to special summon Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" he cried triumphantly.
Three sheep tokens were sacrificed as Hayku called upon his God. A wind whipped up, carrying with it flames that burnt and twisted everything it came into contact with it. A sense of deeply-rooted horror rose up, suppressing all other emotions as the God descended. His blue form was adorned with massive spikes, and two gigantic wings whipped the air into a frenzy as He landed, shaking the earth to its core. The gem on His forehead glowed a bright blue as it laughed a deep, cruel laugh. All the monsters on the field visibly cringed away from the massive monster.
Mort's face didn't change, though Hayku could tell he was terrified. "I activate my face down trap card Waboku, denying you the chance to attack this turn! If you think I die so easily, think again! You have three monsters to take care of, and next turn I will win this!"
Three robed priestesses materialised in the air in front of Mort's monsters, forming a holy barrier through which nothing could penetrate, even a God.
Hayku laughed now, venting all his frustration and despair in a single, drawn out, mocking laugh. Obelisk laughed along with him, His deep, cold voice making the sound all the much more terrifying. The sense of terror and dread deepened, but Hayku's faith in Obelisk shielded him from most of the adverse effects generated by the presence of his God.
He snarled as his laugh died down. "Who said I needed to attack you to destroy you utterely? Prepare yourself for your doom! I sacrifice both my Giant Orcs to annihilate all of your monsters, and deal 4000 damage to your life points! Obelisk! I sacrifice to you two of my worthiest monsters! SMITE YOUR ENEMIES, AND REND THEIR SOULS FROM THEIR BODIES!"
Both Orcs writhed as their souls were fed to the God. Obelisk opened His jaws, and roared his rage at the skies. His entire body began to glow blue, illuminating the entire chamber, and throwing back every shadow that dared to cringe in the recesses of the room. In an awesome display of power, Obelisk released His energy in one massive burst that sent shockwaves through the foundations of the building. Hayku watched as the enormous burst of energy completely vaporised all of his opponent's monsters, screaming towards a horrified Mort. His mouth was wide open, and both his arms raised as if to shield himself from the divine energy.
The shockwave hit him, sweeping him off his feet and slamming him back against the rocky wall of the chamber. The thunder of its impact was so loud Hayku thought he was going to go deaf for a second. The paltry light bulb overhead and the numerous spotlights that had remained unused in the darkness above shattered, sending shards of broken glass and twisted metal raining down upon both duellists. Obelisk's bulk suddenly moved, and shielded a surprised Hayku from the deadly downpour.
Mort 0
Hayku 2300
As everything calmed, Hayku stood up again. The concrete floor was littered with glass and twisted bits of metal. In some places the smooth concrete had been shattered, as if something massive had stepped on them, and crushed them under its immense weight.
Hayku was panting, every breath came with difficulty, his heart pounding at the rate of several hundred beats per hour.
After surveying the scene, he realised bits of metal and glass weren't the only things in this chamber.
What he saw made him gape.
Bits of shattered bone, the remnants of a skull here, and half of a giant femur there, were scattered amongst the glass and metal. There were also piles of burnt flesh, broken and ripped open as if they had been opened with a can opener and then roasted over an open fire. The air was full of the stench of death, and burnt meat.
On one corner, slumped against a wall, was the broken form of Mort. Hayku picked his way gingerly amongst the debris, avoiding the piles of broken flesh and trying not to gag at the sight of them. He felt blood run down his arm where a few stray pieces of flying debris had caught him unawares.
Mort was laid against the wall, his expression contorted in one of sheer terror. His duel disk lay in pieces, and only the main part remained strapped to his forearm. Likewise, his deck was scattered around his body, some cards were so mutilated they were no longer recognisable as cards. Mort's body was twisted, one of his arms bent at an angle it was never designed to be bent at.
But he was still breathing, a ragged, shallow sound from his blood mouth.
Which was when Hayku realised something else.
He could see in the dark.
The lights had been shattered, and yet his eyesight was as unaffected as if the entire room was lit by fluorescent lights. He knew it was dark, but his eyes weren't agreeing with him.
Another part of him suddenly took over; the part which felt indifferent towards the gory piles of smoking flesh; the part which actually relished in the destruction he had caused. This was the darker part of him that knew just how to activate Obelisk's special ability, and had no qualms about using it even though it inevitably led to the death of his opponent- or rather the destruction of his soul.
His mind had no say in this now, only his darkness had control of his body- the rest of him had been shoved into the back seat.
He smirked, for a moment revealing teeth too sharp to be from a human mouth. "Death shall run rampant through this world, and Darkness shall rule all," he intoned, giving Mort's body one last contemptuous look before giving it a kick, and then exiting through the door which now opened near where his opponent had stood.
There was far more to this tournament than anyone could bargain for, and his darkness had learnt this during the duel, though his real self was far too shocked at the consequences to try and face it. The smirk on Hayku's face did not diminish as he walked through the brightly lit corridor onto his next challenge.