Read and review!

Whee... and it goes crazy!


Turn Six: Ring of Destruction

Meanwhile, Kaiba vs Adamson...

Adamson: LP 3800, Mist Valley Falcon [2000/1200], Mist Valley Thunderbird [1100/700], Divine Wind of Mist Valley, 2 face-down cards.

Kaiba: LP 4000, Blue Eyes White Dragon [3000/2500], Cave Dragon [2000/100], Lord of D. [1200/1100], 1 face-down

"Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack the Mist Valley Falcon!" Kaiba commanded. "Horobi no Burst Stream!" (Burst Stream of Destruction)

White lightning crackled as the dragon's maw aimed towards the stoic winged warrior, loosing a single cannonball of lightning that incinerated immediately. The piteous cries of the Mist Valley Falcon would have torn at the hearts of lesser beings, but assuredly not Seto Kaiba. Adamson staggered back as the Duel spirit monster was incinerated.

Adamson: LP 3800 → LP 2800

"Cave Dragon, destroy Mist Valley Thunderbird!" Kaiba continued. "Grand Flames!"

The dinosaur-like dragon loosed a blast of flames that singed at the opponent and incinerated the yellow winged beast, whose owner stepped back in shock from the heat.

Adamson: LP 2800 → LP 1900

"Finally, my Lord of Dragons," the CEO continued unabated. "Strike him down!"

A punch from the warrior in bone armour was enough to send Adamson skidding back. The Texan doubled over, hugging where the Lord of Dragons' fist had impacted moments before.

Adamson: LP 1900 → LP 700

"I have no more monsters handy to hit you with," Kaiba scoffed. "I end my turn."

Adamson continued to cough as his free hand wandered to his DuelDiskTM.. "My turn," he grated. "Come on, I gotta do this… Once this thing is over, I can get to Mist Valley… we can wander freely through the canyons, just us... right, my winged ones?"

The quiet cry of a bird echoed.

"No," the cowboy straightened up, still wincing. "We're still fighting. We're doing this for our dream, my deck. So, don't give up yet... come on, and give me the devil's luck! I draw!"

Garth Adamson broke into a grin as he saw the new card. "Great! I play the Spell card, Double Summon! This allows me two normal summons in a turn. My first normal summon is another Mist Valley Thunderbird [1100/700]!"

The yellow-plumaged bird appeared upon the field again.

"My second normal summon is Strike Ninja! [1700/1200]" Adamson announced as the ninja monster appeared on the field. "Then, I activate the face-down Trap card, Ninjutsu Art of Transformation! I sacrifice Swift Black Ninja to summon the strongest Mist Valley monster, Mist Valley Apex Avian! [2700/2000]"

There was a musical cry rivalling that of the Harpie Lady Sisters as from the skies descended another bird of yellow plumage, this one easily ten stories tall, its tail feathers flying about as it gave another cry of battle towards the great dragon, who roared back.

"I set another card, and end my turn," Adamson smirked. Try to attack, and the surprise I've got in store for you is going to hit hard...

He's up to something, Kaiba snorted at the transparent ploy. No power nowadays... Against Yami and Yuugi and those like them, maybe the Mist Valley monsters would be a pain, but this chicken is scrap before the Blue Eyes. Still, that Trap card... I'll have to draw first.

"My turn," the CEO drawled. "I draw."

Perfect.

"I activate from my hand the card, Heavy Storm!" Kaiba ordered.

"Mist Valley Apex Avian, effect activate!" Adamson yelled as the giant bird began to glow. "I can choose a Mist Valley card to send back to my hand, and in exchange negate any card effect! I choose Mist Valley Thunderbird to be sent back to my hand, and your Heavy Storm is destroyed! Sorry, no destroying my cards for ya!"

Kaiba only frowned as the smaller yellow bird disappeared and his Heavy Storm was destroyed. What irritated him further was the re-appearance of the smaller bird.

"Oh, right, when Mist Valley Thunderbird is sent back to my hand, I can automatically special summon it to my side of the field," Adamson grinned.

Kaiba gritted his teeth, formulating a plan. "I play the Spell card, Card of Demise. I draw until I have five cards in my hand." He looked over the drawn cards and found himself almost smiling.

"I set down another three cards and end my turn." Kaiba grated.

"Perfect," Adamson growled. "My turn. I draw!" He grinned. "I play the Spell card, Fissure, and destroy the Lord of Dragons!"

The warrior monster panicked slightly as the ground cracked beneath him and the warrior fell into the Graveyard. Kaiba only grimaced further.

"Then, I play the Spell card, Rush Recklessly!" Adamson continued gleefully. "Increasing the attack of my Apex Avian by seven hundred points!"

The giant bird cried once more as it glowed. [2700/2000 → 3400/2000]

"Go, my Apex Avian!" Adamson proudly called. "Attack the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Slicing winds built up around the winged beast as it batted huge wings and called towards the Blue Eyes, who only roared back.

"Not so fast," Kaiba growled. "I play the Trap card, Ring of Destruction! I choose to sacrifice my Cave Dragon, so each of us take two thousand points damage!"

"What!" Adamson yelled, before he grinned. "I activate the effect of Apex Avian! I return Mist Valley Thunderbird to my hand and negate Ring of Destruction"

"No way," Kaiba grinned. "Activate Counter Trap card, Divine Wrath! I discard a card, negate the activation of an Effect Monster's effect, and, get this, I destroy that effect monster! Your Apex Avian faces the wrath of the divine!"

"What the–! My Apex Avian!" Adamson yelled.

A single bolt of lightning shot down from the surprisingly clear sky and struck the giant yellow bird, which screamed as it disintegrated and shattered into shards. A ring of grenades attached together appeared around the Cave Dragon's neck and exploded, holographic shrapnel flying indiscriminately. Kaiba only winced slightly as the shrapnel hit some not very vital areas, but definitely minor compared to Adamson.

Adamson: LP 700 → LP 0

Kaiba: LP 4000 → LP 2000

"And, because you would insult my Blue Eyes White Dragon," Kaiba growled. "You will face its wrath! Go, Blue Eyes! Burst Stream of Destruction!"

"Help me!" Adamson moaned to his deck, turning to run.

"No you don't!" Kaiba was clearly on a roll as the Blue Eyes White Dragon roared again. "Puzzle card!"

"Keep it!" the cowboy screamed as his hat was knocked aside by the whipping winds of the city, throwing the Puzzle card towards Kaiba.

The CEO deftly caught it. "Kisara," he growled. "Hunt him down. Bring him to me."

The agreeing roar of the Blue Eyes White Dragon echoed down the street as it took flight.


"Batman to Metro Tower," the caped crusader growled into the earpiece. "Repeat, Batman to Metro Tower. Come in, please."

"... Bats?" Flash's voice sounded over the airwaves. "Oh, thank god, Watchtower's going nuts over you four disappearing off the map. Where're you now, anyway?"

"Listen," he growled. "The four of us are technically in Metropolis, but we're trapped in a… Field Spell?" He turned to Jounochi.

"Skyscraper Two, Hero City, to be exact," Jounochi confirmed. "It's cast over the city, so you're technically in Metropolis, except that… well, no one from the populace who's not a Duellist, has no Duel spirit, or not attuned to the shadows, can see you."

"We're stuck in a Somebody Else's Problem field." Batman decided that popular culture had invented some very descriptive, if inaccurate, terms, and was the fastest way to get the urgency of their message through to the speedster.

"Don't worry, Batman's calling in..." Flash's voice faded momentarily.

"Batman," Superman's voice came in. "Where are you? What's your status?"

"…horribly lost," Batman resignedly replied. "And apparently, until they take down the field, we're going to remain horribly lost. Good news, I confirmed my hypothesis."

"What?" Superman replied.

"Get J'onn down," Batman growled. "There's a whole group of rogue Duellists capable of summoning monsters. Once the field goes down, the city is in danger. Get J'onn, find the caster, protect the caster until another field takes over. Believe me, there are several nasty things here that we can't fight, and this is supposed to be an urban area…" the frequency gave way to static. "Get... put Flash on."

"Batman? Batman!" Superman yelled into the microphone, only to be received by static before he switched channels, leaving Flash to grab another headset. "Metro Tower to Watchtower. J'onn, get down here. We have a situation."

"J'onn here," the green Martian's voice floated through. "What's wrong?"

"Get down here," Superman stoically replied. "We have a caster to find."


"I do not sense him," the Last Martian plainly answered later, having teleported to the Metro Tower almost immediately. "Batman has, in effect, disappeared off the face of the earth, as have Green Arrow, Hawkgirl and Zatanna."

The Man of Steel stoically nodded. "It was too simple anyway. But, what I don't understand is, why would Batman ask you to find the caster?"

"Magic requires focus," the green Martian thoughtfully murmured. "And such a focus would be on the caster's thoughts at all times. Someone with my capabilities would definitely be able to find it, assuming that they are not hidden."

"So, maybe you could..." Superman hopefully began.

"The Pharaoh is hidden, as are the others," J'onn severely began. "I would not risk it anyway."

"What's going on?" Green Lantern John Stewart, marched into the Metro Tower command base. "Why is the Tower on alert?"

"It's a Duel Monsters tournament in the city, and I'm stuck here on injuries," Flash motioned to his arm in a sling. "Damn, I can't even go out in civvies to look," he whined.

"Batman and his team have dropped off the grid," J'onn informed the Green Lantern in a more direct way than Flash. "Superman believes that this tournament has something to do with this, given how the tournament started at the same time-frame as the various monster attacks. Batman had initially planned to search for monsters during the tournament, but now their status is... unclear. With this… field spell… over the city, we cannot find them or any of the tournament participants."

"So you're going to telepathically search for whoever is doing this?" Lantern nodded.

"I will try," the green Martian solemnly nodded before closing his eyes.

Orange pupil-less eyes immediately snapped open soon after. "No, it is too dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Lantern incredulously repeated.

"There are certain… malevolent minds in the vicinity," J'onn slowly clarified. "I had managed to lock onto the caster before I was thrown out by a fiendish spirit which attempted to kill me and very nearly succeeded. I do not believe that we can trace the caster telepathically. I can direct you to the last place he was at, but that spirit which guards his mind may have already given him due warning."

"Heroes against someone who plays card games," Green Lantern slowly stated. "What's the worst that could happen?"


Warily, the four heroes grouped together, facing the gold behemoth towering before them. It had to be taller than Superman by about half a foot, and two green jewels studded the shoulder plates on either side. From each of its forearms stretched a long blade, gleaming in the afternoon sun.

Batman held up both hands in a surrender position. "I am the Dark Knight of the City of Gotham," he pronounced clearly. "Peace, Blade's Edge."

"Obviously," the gold behemoth politely replied. "Two chosen Duellists and Ma'ik accompany your way. I presume then that you are dealing with the rogue cards floating about, Dark Knight?"

"You know him, Bats?" Green Arrow registered, amazed.

"As we know you, Emerald Archer," Eyes the colour of topaz flickered to Green Arrow, who winced before the eyes wandered. "The mirror magician, and the descendant of Ra. The company you keep, Dark Knight."

"Are the rest around here somewhere?" Batman asked, looking around.

"The majority of us responded to our caller's call," the Elemental Hero slowly replied. "I believe Avian and Burst Lady* take the field as Flame Wingman now."

"Flash," Batman roughly spoke. "Elemental Hero, Flame Wingman. What the hell is that?"

"Huh? Bats?" the Fastest Man Alive replied. "Er... Flame Wingman, oh right, Fusion monster. You use the Polymerization card to fuse Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix* together–hang on, why–?"

"I'm having a conversation with Elemental Hero Bladedge," Batman growled. "And somehow the subject matter got lost."

"Gods, you serious?" Flash squeaked, for lack of a better term. "I wanna switch places with you!"

"Batman out," he turned out the earpiece.

"A pleasure to meet you, chosen Duellists," the Elemental Hero bowed to Jounochi and Mai. "Friends of the light and dark, you are here to assist the Dark Knight then?"

"Pharaoh's running around somewhere," Jounochi confirmed. "We, well they," he indicated the heroes, "need to find him."

"My caller will call for me soon," Bladedge nodded. "The Pharaoh is in a Duel with the Prince against two others right now. If we hurry, I can take you to him before I leave to answer my caller."

He then turned to the blonde Egyptians, bowing low. "King and Prince of the Grey," he pronounced. "It is a pleasure to see you in the Hero City."

"Battle City," Malik shrugged. "What can you say, it's too much fun."

"Elemental Hero Bladedge," Marik said. "You will take Jounochi, Mai and the heroes to the Pharaoh. We'll be wandering about."

"Very well then, prince of light," Bladedge bowed, before ushering the group away.


*Essentially the same character. Burst Lady is the Japanese name for Burstinatrix.


"I don't like that look," Green Arrow grumbled. "Those blondes are trouble."

"You shouldn't," Jounochi sharply replied. "That look means that they're about to try something potentially illegal and we better run. Damn, I need Puzzle cards."

"One track mind," Mai shook her head. "So do I."

"How can you continue to play games knowing that you're in danger?" Hawkgirl demanded, walking alongside them.

"Notice how we knew those monsters?" Mai replied. "Those wolves, they're all Duel Monsters. They belong to the game. We're players in this game, and you're in our battleground. You might insist that this is not a game, but it is, and the stakes are higher than you realise. Even we don't know the stakes at risk."

"We're Duellists," Jounochi scowled. "We don't give up even when the going gets rough. Besides, things were wilder during the Kanto Regional this year than whatever the bad guys this time are cooking up in this city."

"What happened during that time?" Batman asked with some trepidation.

"Bakura." Jounochi sagely replied, before shivering. Having met the white-haired one before, Batman could sympathise.

"Mai!" A high-pitched voice called as a woman wearing a yellow short qipao with her hair done in twin buns ran up to the blonde female Duellist.

"Vivian," Mai scowled. "When did Kaiba invite third-rate Duellists like you into Battle City?"

"Oi!" the identified Vivian yelled. "This from the woman who went missing for half a year before coming back to the Duelling circuits. So, what happened?"

"None of your business," Mai scoffed. "Well, you'll do as a sacrificial lamb for my raze through this Battle City."

"You take that back!" The kung-fu Duellist pointed at Mai. "We'll settle this in a duel! Then you'll see who's doing the razing!"

"Right!" Both Duellists glared at each other, such that the tension ratcheted up.

"Erm, I think we're missing something here," Zatanna gulped. "Aren't we supposed to be finding someplace safe?"

"That's you four," Jounochi pointed out. "We are supposed to be duelling to collect Puzzle cards to get to the next stage."

"It's just a game," Green Arrow stated. "Why so serious?"

The Dark Game was played by many, powerful magicians who competed by summoning monsters to battle, pitting monster against monster, a voice whispered in the back of the Dark Knight's mind. Backed by spells and traps... and not every game ended with the shake of a hand and a promise to fight again... Such was the nature of battle...

Batman shook the thoughts out of his mind.

"Bladedge," Jounochi's voice had turned soft. "Please escort them to Yami."

"Of course, friend of the Pharaoh," the gold behemoth nodded before motioning to the heroes, who left with the collective feeling that they had been on the verge of death, leaving the Duellists behind.

"Civilians should be evacuated," Hawkgirl stated, about to turn back.

"They're right," Batman shook his head. "No, we leave them. They can obviously take care of themselves."

"They're civilians playing a game," Green Arrow snorted. "How?"

Bladedge stopped. "I too am a part of the game, Emerald Archer. I would appreciate that you do not belittle my existence."

Green Arrow froze momentarily before continuing to walk. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"You are within our domain," Bladedge shook his head. "Here, the monsters, magic and traps become real. Those with the power may tap into the magic as they wish, as can the monsters such as I. You would do well not to insult the game here, lest you insult the wrong being. I understand that you are young, and I have the capacity to know that you did not understand better. I know Fiends who would crush you where you stand for less."

"Those... Duellists took down the wolves pretty easily," Zatanna blinked.

"No lone wolf in the Shadow Realm has yet to reach any significant threat," the Elemental Hero shrugged. "Wolves are threatening in packs, but can be eliminated easily, save perhaps in their home domain. Furthermore, they were weak Duel spirits with an equally weak chosen. For those of the second rank such as the one favoured by fortune and the Lady of the Harpie, they are easy prey."

"What about the blondes?" Hawkgirl asked. "I noticed that you didn't talk about them."

The Elemental Hero froze momentarily before he relaxed to answer. "They are the same as the Pharaoh and the Prince, and the Thief King and his jewel."

"And what does that mean?" Green Arrow asked with some trepidation.

"They are guardians of the shadows," It was Batman who replied. "As far as Yuugi Mutou told me the last time we held talks."

"You've met them before, Bats?" Green Arrow asked.

"It is hard to do dinner with complete strangers, Emerald Archer," Bladedge replied with some amusement as they turned another corner. "As to the nature of those talks, let us just say that the undersea kingdom nearly brought about an undersea war and leave it at that, shall we?"

"That's still pretty vague," Zatanna mused.

"I cannot truly say any more," Bladedge replied. "We are held to secrecy as to the true business of our realm." He gave a long sigh. "If only the lord of the Undersea Kingdom would understand that."

"The Pharaoh is planning something," Batman muttered.

"What he does is to protect us from the humans," Bladedge answered. "And the humans from us. There are those who would disrupt the balance of shadows and destroy, simply because they wish to. Yet, it is often humans that are the greatest help, as well as the biggest threats."

"What?" Zatanna blinked.

"Mirror magician, think," the Elemental Hero's voice was patient, not judgemental at all. "The Shadow Realm and its inhabitants are what they are, and that is their nature. They did not choose what they are, only the actions that allow them to survive. Humans can choose, and some choose the better, while some choose for the worst. Monsters are born monsters, but humans made their choice. And in doing so, when they ally with us, they drag us down with them. In comparison, which is the greater threat?"

No one said anything as they walked.

"The Pharaoh is here," the Elemental Hero suddenly stopped, the heroes almost walking into him. "And my caller calls. I must leave now. Fare thee well, Dark Knight and companions." Shadows erupted and enveloped the behemoth in smoke before dissipating, leaving an empty spot where the behemoth once stood.

"Dark Knight," purred the baritone that sent shivers crawling on Green Arrow's skin as the hero heard it. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here."

Even an idiot could not miss the sarcasm. Green Arrow fingered his bow, Hawkgirl her mace, and Zatanna her wand. Batman chose to glare at the speaker, to no effect.

"I would like to know how did I end up someplace other than Metropolis as well," Batman replied neutrally.

Violet eyes twinkled as Yuugi looked to his darkness. "See, I was right!"

"Yes, you are, aibou," Yami agreed, enveloping the other vertically challenged Duellist protectively in his arms. "It seems that the Dark Knight here is compatible."

At this moment, the World's Greatest Detective could only register a single thought: What?

"Still, I expected you to come alone," Yami mused. "Why deviate this time, Dark Knight of Gotham?" Crimson eyes focused. "Are you afraid?"

Batman kept silent.

"This does not matter, does it?" Yuugi looked at Yami.

The dark frowned. "It would merely mean that we would have to move faster. If the presence of the Justice League is detected by them before this stage is completed, they might just choose to dig their feet in and place their last stand here. That, of course, is one of the worst-case scenarios."

"You are not telling us something," Batman finally spoke, glaring at an unrepentant Yami. "Who is behind this, what are your intentions and, why?"

"The who is an organisation of rogue Duellists," Yami flatly replied.

"Our intentions are to stop them," Yuugi blinked.

"As for why..." the small one's brow furrowed. "That answer is rather obvious."

The Batman nodded for them to continue.

"Think, Dark Knight," Yami said. "This game is in a world of fantasy and illusion. If they win this game, they can get to their aim. Which so far seems to be the destruction of everything, using the most destructive Ritual monsters known in the game."

"That's a game," Zatanna pointed out. "Hate to burst your bubble, but cards do not Armageddon make."

"Having seen what I can do with those cards, would you doubt so?" Yami replied tonelessly. "Malik once used the monsters of darkness and laid down three people in comas before we defeated him. Bakura once succeeded in destroying the world through a role-playing game. Who is not to say that there is more to the cards than you perceive?"

"Garlandolf, the King of Destruction," Yuugi stated. "Ruin, the Queen of Oblivion. Demise, the King of Armageddon. He will have to use these with the necessary power to call upon them to this realm. These three monsters are some of the most destructive and powerful in the realm, and herald the beginning of the end. Especially the Ritual Spell used to summon the last two. It's called End of the World."


Duh, Duh DUUUUUUUHHHHH! (The Sealed Miracle)