YuGiOh! 5D's Regin of Darkness Chapter 3: The Terror of Armageddon, a yu-gi-oh! 5d's fanfic

Yes, yes, I know, it's been a while. I've been busy with other things and didn't get the time. However, the wait is well-deserved, since I present Chapter 3. Finally, you'll get to see the end of the duel between Zhark and the strange 'Blackjack'. How will this end up? Does Blackjack have some way to turn this around or will he become just another victim of the New Order? That's for me to have known when writing this and for you to find out right now by reading it. ~ClearDrago

Last time on the Reign of Darkness, Zhark has met up with an old friend, that is, before he joined the New Order, who calls himself 'Blackjack'. Now seen as an enemy of the New Order, Blackjack has had no choice but to defeat his old friend. Despite everything played, Zhark has managed to counter every strategy Blackjack has thrown his way. Now, Blackjack faces down one of the Dark King's own signature monsters, the Exploder Dragonwing, and is about to see how his former friend fell to the grip of the New Order.

Duel Recap

Zhark: 3400
VS
'Blackjack': 2000

Zhark's Field: Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (2800/2400, Face-up ATK), Exploder Dragonwing (2400/1600, Face-up ATK)

Blackjack's Field: Destroyer – Greed (2500/0, Face-up ATK), A face-down DEF position monster, Apocalyptic Realm (All "Destroyer" monsters +400/+400)

Zhark grinned widely, despite not having field control. The presence of one of his King's famed monsters, Exploder Dragonwing, was enough to give him a psychological control. That, alongside the third coming of his Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, that duel really tensed up both duelists. After all, even with these two monsters, Blackjack still had field control with his Destroyer – Greed, whose ATK power was being boosted up to 2900 thanks to his field spell.

Zhark then spoke, saying, "You see, I didn't choose to follow the path I'm on now. I was shown the right way, saved!" Blackjack retorted with, "You were corrupted and brainwashed into serving those two! Our goal should have been to take down the Dark King and Queen. From there, we'd have no problem restoring the evolution of this world." However, Zhark yelled back, "Quitaru and I like this world the way it is and there's nothing you're going to say that's going to make us think otherwise!"

Zhark then raised his right arm, his dragon head dark mark glowed brightly as a large flaming geoglyph in the shape of the dark mark on Zhark's arm rose up from the ground. When the massive form finally finished forming, a dark mist started forming, covering everything. Blackjack yelled out, "What kind of trick are you playing here, Zhark? What's with this mist?", to which the dragon-wielding duelist called, "I'm going to show you how I was saved from death, among other things. You see, the last thing you may recall was Rex Goodwin's downfall. Little do you realize is that was my King and Queen who took him down. Also, if you're looking for that wimpy dinosaur user, Ken, you might as well give up. It's all thanks to him that the Signers got away! I'm sure he's still suffering within Aslla piscu for that fatal mistake." Blackjack asked, "But what about you, Zhark? How did you turn into a servant of those two?" Zhark smiled and replied, "Well, lucky you! That's what I'm going to show you anyway. You see, I was shown the right path and saved by a wonderful spirit who goes by the name of Darky!" The Immortal host cringed slightly upon hearing the name of one of the Dark Queen's six Fortune Ladies, monsters whose level and attack power raised at each standby phase.

Once the mist started clearing, Blackjack saw several images appear before him. The first was Zhark backing away, running behind a massive greenish-brown dragon. The dragon glared angrily at a pair of women, with a massive black and orange hummingbird hovering behind them. One of the women was dressed in a black and orange dress which exposed her waist, fingerless gloves that went up to her lower arm, black hair that extended behind her in a fan-like arc, blue eyes that had a black sclera, with a triangle-like marking on her face next to her left eye, and wearing an active duel disk on her arm. The second woman had dark purple hair that had bat wings from it, matching purple eyes, wearing a purple dress and holding a staff that has a dark purple colored amulet on one side and a scythe-like blade on the other. Whereas the black-haired woman was glaring at the massive brown dragon, the purple haired woman smiled widely as she watched Zhark running away.

The mist covered his view again, then faded, showing another image. This one was of Zhark, back against a wall in terror, with the purple haired woman pressing a hand against his chest, holding him against the wall. Her sinister smile was evident of her intent as her eyes were half-way closed, her face just inches away from his. His eyes on the other hand, were opened wide with terror, as if reflected in his eyes was the understanding of what she was about to do. Finally, her other arm reached around the boy's shoulders and pulled him in, her eyes closing the rest of the way the moment her lips made contact with his. The fear in his eyes started fading as a purple glow flashed in his eyes. Then, Zhark's eyes also closed, but not quickly or impulsive, but slowly as he started leaning into the woman's kiss.

The dark mist obstructed Blackjack's view again, as Zhark's voice spoke again, "Just so you know, I left those worthless pieces of metal I used to call the Neo Cybers there, save a certain secret that would threaten the New Order if it ever got out. As for my dragon deck, my Queen removed the Dragon Gods and sealed them away, considering their power too dangerous to the New Order. I received new cards; Many of them, you've already seen, others you'll be fearing for the rest of your days when you do see them." Finally the mist vanished completely, revealing them to be back in the Apocalyptic Realm, the dragon head geoglyph having faded completely.

Blackjack looked to Zhark, who was now holding his hand cards in his right hand, showing the bottom of his Dark Signer duel disk. Zhark called, "Don't believe me? Then perhaps this will prove everything to you!", using his hand cards to point out a smudged purple mark on the bottom of his duel disk. Blackjack muttered, "What is that mark, anyway?" Zhark, could obviously read his opponent's doubts, and called out, "I'm guessing you're wondering what the smudge is. Well, I can assure you, it's no hologram or crayon! That's real purple lipstick; proof that I was shown the path of salvation by Darky's kiss." After giving the now stunned duelist a few moments to absorb this information, Zhark lowered his duel disk again, saying, "Now then, I believe we have a duel to finish."

Blackjack quickly came back to his senses, calling, "Well, of course! After all, you may have one of the Dark King's monsters, that doesn't mean you'll win this duel. After all, my Destroyer – Greed still has more power." Zhark retorted with, "Well, then I'm guessing you didn't expect this! Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon attacks your set monster! Darkness Metal Flare!" Once more, the Darkness Metal Dragon unleashed a massive glowing blazing fireball, which shot at Blackjack's set monster, which opened up to reveal a massive fat demon, that had extra mouths on its belly. However, the bulky form didn't last long when exposed to the Darkness Metal Flare and was quickly wiped out.

With no other moves, Zhark said, "That'll end my turn." Blackjack called, "Fine, my turn!", drawing his two cards, thanks to the effect of his Destroyer – Greed. Taking a look at his hand, Blackjack called, "I'll start by activating my Flawed Ritual Summoning, special summoning my Destroyer – Pride!" Once again, a summoning circle and priests appeared and once more, a dark energy emerge from the summoning circle. When the energy faded, it revealed a skeleton figure holding a mirror.

Destroyer – Pride
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
Type: Zombie/Effect
ATK/DEF: 1800/1000
Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase 2, you may roll a six-sided die. If the result is even, you opponent skips their next Draw Phase. If the result is odd, you skip your next Draw Phase.

However, this wasn't the end, not by a long shot. With that, Blackjack called, "Now I'll activate the effect of my Field Spell, Apocalyptic Realm. I release my two Destroyer monsters as well as Apocalyptic Realm itself and 1500 life points so I can special summon one of my three most powerful monsters. Appear now, Destroyer – Armageddon!", grabbing a card from his hand and slamming it onto his duel disk.

Blackjack: 500 (2000 – 1500)

Both Greed and Pride glowed red and finally exploded. A card, representing the field spell appeared above Blackjack and, like the monsters, also glowed red and exploded. The destroyed metropolis of the Apocalyptic Realm faded, once again showing the ruins of the Goodwin Manor. Then, a single card appeared on the field, depicting a massive moon-sized meteor crashing down onto a planet's surface. This was the Destroyer – Armageddon, the end of the world.

Zhark, however, knew about this monster, if it can be called a monster. Armageddon had no physical form when on the field and was instead represented by its card, which turned or flipped to represent Armageddon's battle position. Armageddon's presence also instilled a fear into the opponent, causing them to feel a certain dread, a certain terror, like the world was going to end at any moment. However, Zhark was able to hide that dreadful feeling quite well, having built up a tolerance to its influence. Blackjack called, "Now then, Destroyer – Armageddon will strike down your Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" The Armageddon card started glowing a red color as its attack was declared. A few moments later, Darkness Metal Dragon roared madly and finally exploded in a mighty blast, knocking Zhark to the ground.

Zhark: 1700 (3400 – (4500 – 2800 = 1700))

Zhark managed to stand back up, calling, "You're just delaying the end. I've still got more life points than you!", to which Blackjack retorted, "I'm not done yet. In my Main Phase 2, I'll activate Destroyer – Armageddon's effect!" Armageddon's card on the field glowed yellow as a dark hand holding a black six-sided die with white spots on it appeared out of the Armageddon card that was on the field and tossed it into the air. The die rose up before coming down and tumbling to the middle of the field before stopping on a…"One, an odd number! That means all cards you control are destroyed!" The massive hand of Armageddon came forward, growing massive in size and grabbed at Exploder Dragonwing, crushing the monster in its grasp. The explosion caused a massive wave of gales, which knocked Zhark back down. With his field clear, the massive hand returned into Armageddon's card, after which Blackjack called, "GO!"

Zhark struggled to, but managed to stand up, muttering, "Dang it. Even though Armageddon can't attack next turn, he might have a strong enough Destroyer in his hand to finish me off. But, I'll finish him off first!", then shouted out, "My turn!", drawing his one card. Upon looking at his hand card, Zhark grinned wildly, his eyes glowing dark purple, as he yelled, "You're finished! If you though Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon was my strongest monster, I'll make you think again!" He placed the card he just drew into his spell and trap zone, calling, "I'll start by playing my Dragonus Way – Symbol of Calling." A card materialized, depicted a dragon-like creature rushing into a battleground.

Dragonus Way – Symbol of Calling
Type: Continuous Spell
Effect: If you activate another "Dragonus Way" card, shuffle this card to your Deck. Once per turn, during the Main Phase, the turn player can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type monster from their hand.

Zhark continued, "I'll use that effect to summon my Luster Dragon.", the sapphire-covered dragon materialized onto the field. "Now I'll normal summon the Dark Tuner – Cannibal Dragon!", placing the last card of his hand onto the field. Blackjack retorted, muttering, "Dark…Tuner?", as a small black dragon, it's defining feature being its large jaws materialized onto the field.

Dark Tuner – Cannibal Dragon
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
Type: Dragon/Dark Tuner
ATK/DEF: 1200/600
Effect: When this card is Summoned, remove any number of Dragon-Type monsters in your Graveyard from play. This card's level is increased by the combined level of all monsters removed by this effect. You cannot remove a monster if this card's level would be increased above LV12.

Zhark called, "Now I'll activate Cannibal Dragon's effect. As its name suggests, it's a cannibal that consumes other dragons in order to gain their level. So I'll feed it Exploder Dragonwing and Guard of Flamvell, that way it's level can be increased by 8." The two cards materialized in front of the Cannibal Dragon, which it quickly devoured up. Blackjack called out, "What do you intend to do with a level 12 monster that weak, anyway?", to which Zhark grinned manically, eyes glowing dark purple once again, and called out two simple words…"Dark Tuning!" This got Blackjack worried, since dark tuning could only mean a Dark Synchro monster was on the way. "I'm Dark Tuning my level 4 Luster Dragon to my Level 12 Cannibal Dragon!"

Cannibal Dragon's Level: LV4 - +7, +1 = LV12

Dark Tuning: 4 – 12 = Negative 8

Cannibal Dragon started glowing a dark color before it faded into nothing, but not before spitting out 12 level stars from its massive jaws, which rose and then descended onto Luster Dragon, passing through the monster. Luster Dragon roared wildly for a few moments before it turned into a frame-like form. The 12 level stars from Cannibal Dragon quickly surrounded and destroyed the 4 level stars of Luster Dragon, destroying themselves in the process, 3 of Cannibal Dragon's stars per 1 of Luster Dragon's stars. Once all sixteen stars had been wiped out, Luster Dragon finally exploded. From the remains shot out 8 black colored level stars, which circled around each other.

Blackjack yelled out, "What kind of Dark Synchro monster do you have? Knowing you, it's probably a dragon. If I'm correct, not even that one can beat Armageddon." Zhark answered back, "I'm not using that weak One-Hundred Eye Dragon of Kiryu's, if that's what you're thinking! What I'm calling forth will end you!", then holding his arms up, he started to chant, "When the shrine of the Dragon Realm is toppled, the reborn overlord rises up from the Underworld, covering it's domain in eternal darkness." Dark lightning sparked in the circle formed by the dark stars as Zhark chanted, which left Blackjack worried as to what exactly was his former friend was summoning. Suddenly, a dark energy pillar rose up, consuming the 8 dark stars, and then some. "Dark Synchro! Consume all in Shadows, Dark Dragonic Overlord – Ksonet!" The dark energy pillar dissipated, revealing the massive dark form of a large pitch-dark colored dragon, which roared loudly. Blackjack yelled out, "No way? That thing…what kind of thing is that?" Zhark laughed manically before replying, "This is my new Ace Monster, the Dark Synchro monster, Dark Dragonic Overlord – Ksonet!"

Blackjack suddenly realized Ksonet's attack power and called, "Wait! That thing's attack and defense…they're undefined!", however, Zhark called out, "Well, that's because I haven't activated Ksonet's effect yet! When he's Dark Synchro Summoned successfully, he consumes the souls of all the other Dragon-Type monsters in my graveyard, removing them from the game." Blackjack was now terrified of the black dragon in front of him, which started glowing with an evil dark power, as five cards appeared in front of it. These five featured Dragon Seer, Cannibal Dragon, Masked Dragon, Luster Dragon, and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. The five cards were consumed by the darkness emitted by Ksonet, which caused them to fade into the aura.

Zhark called out, "In case you don't know, Dragon Seer is an 1100/500 monster, Masked Dragon is 1400/1100, Luster Dragon is 1900/1600, Cannibal Dragon is 1200/600, and Darkness Metal Dragon is 2800/2400! Just in case you're bad at math, I'll tell you now that Ksonet has 8400/6200 stats, more than enough to end you once and for all!" Blackjack looked at his hand. There was nothing he could do to stop that creature from wiping out the rest of his life points. Perhaps…he made a mistake summoning Armageddon when he did. If it was a mistake, it was one he was about to die for making. Zhark called out, "Now, Dark Dragonic Overlord – Ksonet, end this weak excuse of a duel! Attack Destroyer – Armag-", however, before Zhark could finish his attack declaration, a lazy-sounding voice yelled out, "Hey, Zhark! You there?"

Both duelists turned their attention in the direction of this voice, which revealed a black haired kid wearing a black over shirt with white and red shirts underneath as well as black slacks and white shoes. Around his neck was a silver pair of earphones as well as a grey bag. The boy was also wearing sunglasses, which covered up his eyes. Zhark sighed, calling out, "This better be important, Gabe; I'm in the middle of a duel.", to which the kid replied, "You bet it is. That blackbird guy's been spotted nearby, just so you know." Zhark knew who this kid was talking about, and knowing that Crow was his first priority, Blackjack could wait. Zhark quickly called, "I'll be there in a moment. I just need to wrap this up quickly." Gabe simply said, "Alrighty, I'll go on ahead." And walked off.

As on as Gabe was out of sight, Zhark grabbed Ksonet's card off of its slot, then deactivated his Duel Disk, Ksonet's image fading away, as he called out, "Looks like you've lucked out. I've got more important matters to deal with, so I'll spare you just this once. However, mark my words, next time, I won't show you any mercy of any kind, so enjoy this while it lasts!" With those last words distributed, Zhark walked off, following Gabe's path. Blackjack sighed with obvious relief that this wasn't the end of either him or Zhark. However, the tough part was getting Zhark back from the Dark King and Queen…no, from Fortune Lady Darky's grasp.

Deactivating his own duel disk, Blackjack continued on his way to his own hideout within the ruins of Neo Domino City. However, there was still one more person within the region, who came over and hid out watching the duel the moment the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon first came on the field. This person watching the duel was a girl with blue eyes and light brown hair as well as holding an instant film camera, along with two pictures that had been recently taken. Right now, she was looking at one of those pictures, which showed Ksonet, glaring downwards with a killing intent in its eyes. After a few moments more of looking at Ksonet, she placed another recently taken photo on top, which displayed Zhark with a wide grin on his face.

Taking out a pen, she wrote on the bottom of the picture, "Zhark, my true love forever.", followed by a heart. Smiling softly as she looked at the picture of Zhark, the girl muttered to no one in particular, "One of these days, Zhark, I'll have you and when I do, I'll enjoy every moment of my life with you. I don't care how bad this world gets, I'll have all I need when I've got you by my side."

Finding the remains of whatever building it was before, Blackjack entered into a hidden passage which led into what was the building's basement when it was standing. Walking into the main chamber, Blackjack called out to the other occupant, a young girl who turned to face the new arrival, "I'm back. I finally found him…the host of Quitaru.", looking to the duel disk that sat at the table near her. Blackjack passed the young girl who was sitting there and walked up to a table, where a small chest sat. Opening the case, he pulled the deck out and looked at the top card, which showed a massive mecha with large arms, legs, and a head that appeared too small for its body. Blackjack placed the deck on the table where the girl sat, next to the sliver duel disk, which was shut down, its field zones folded within the center zone, which folded up into the graveyard slot.

The girl then asked, "Are you sure you found him? Do you even know his name or what kind of deck he used?" He replied, "I'm sure of it. His name is Zhark and I thought he was killed by the Dark King and Queen, but when I met him, he showed me he was worse than dead. He had actually fallen under their service and we need to bring him to his senses and show him that what he's been doing is the wrong thing. I can trust you'll use the Neo Cybers against him when you meet him and do all you can to defeat him and bring him here. Right?" The young girl answered back with another question, "So I should just hold into the Neo Cybers and keep on using my own deck until I find this Zhark?"

Blackjack replied with, "Exactly. I'll get you a description of what Zhark looks like and what kind of deck he uses. I might as well tell you this now because your life might depend on it. Do not, under any circumstances, let him summon a monster called Dark Tuner - Cannibal Dragon. That thing will lead the way to his most powerful monster and once he gets that out, the duel's practically over.", having seen Cannibal Dragon and the dreaded monster it led to, Ksonet, firsthand. "Also, I'm sure I've warned you about Earthbound Immortals before. Zhark has one as well, so be careful he doesn't get that out either, especially since his Immortal's effect protects it from destruction. I'll also get you information on those cards of Zhark's deck you have to be wary of, so be careful when you duel him."

She nodded while answering, "I'll do the best I can. I just hope it's good enough to beat him, wherever he is now." Blackjack continued and muttered to himself, "That Gabe kid I saw mentioned something about Crow. I wonder, how long has he survived and will he survive this time? If so, he could really be helpful." The girl turned to Blackjack and asked, "What are you muttering about?", to which Blackjack, after a few moments of silence, replied, "Well, there's something else I'd like you to help me with. There's another duelist, named Crow, who I'd for you to be on the lookout for. He could be one of the important keys we need to get Zhark back."

Crow: Ha! So, looks like Zhark's come to play as well. I'll tell you this right now, you'll never catch me, Crow-sama!

Zhark: You really think I'd risk myself against you after I'd just recovered from a previous duel? Besides, I've got a better opponent for someone of your level, Crow! He'll burn you to a crisp…literally!

Crow: We'll see about that! Next time, The Overflowing Inferno!

Today's Key Card

Destroyer – Armageddon
Attribute: Dark
Type: Fiend/Effect
Level: 10
ATK/DEF: 4500/2500
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by releasing 4 "Destroyer" monsters you control or by the effect of "Apocalyptic Realm". Once per turn, during your Main Phase 2, you can roll a six-sided die. If the result is even, destroy all cards you control. If the result is odd, destroy all cards your opponent controls and this card cannot declare an attack during the next turn.

Gabe: Wha? Why isn't there any info on Ksonet?

ClearDrago: Ksonet is a very important monster. It'll be described when it shows up as a Key Card.

Gabe: Don't you mean IF it shows up?

ClearDrago: I mean WHEN it shows up because it will be a Key Card later on. Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna go cower in fear of Ksonet. *does so*

The Words of ClearDrago

That brings this duel to a wrap. Now the questions remain...why exactly is this girl obsessed with Zhark? What is her name? Can Blackjack really be trusted? What will become of Crow now that Zhark is hot on his trail? Well, that's what next time is for and those questions and hopefully more, will be answered next chapter. Until then, keep your PCs/labtops tuned...somehow. ~ClearDrago

Obligatory Copyrights Zone (Names listed as Japanese/English and yes, JACK ATLAS must have his name in all caps here.)

The idea of Yusei Fudo, JACK ATLAS, Aki Izayoi/Akiza Izinski, Luca/Luna, Lua/Leo, Crow Hogan, Carly Nagisa/Carly Carmine, Rex Goodwin, Rudger Goodwin/Roman Goodwin, and Misty Lola/Misty Tredwell © Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

The idea of the cards used in this Fan Fiction © The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, Original Card Game, Anime, and Custom Cards created by ClearDrago, GladiatorM88, and Shisarakage.

The idea of the Nazca Earthbound Immortals (Aslla piscu, Ccapac Apu, Ccarayhua, Chacu Challhua, Cusillu, Uru, and Wiraqocha Rasca) © The Nazca Lines in Peru