Chapter 7: The End

First Justin, then Erica, and Bryan to cap it off. Every Guardian of a Sacred Beast disappeared. Search parties turned up zero sign of any of them, almost like they physically vanished from the island.

But the biggest shock was the disappearance of Lucy from her room overnight. Even Andy, surrounded by people in the infirmary, disappeared without as much as a peep. Whoever this Alpha character was, he was getting better at kidnapping the Guardians… so good he was almost in two places at once; four more students fell into comas within a half hour of one another on separate ends of the campus.

Dave was remanded to police custody, everyone knowing full-well that he was the next target and held the only remaining god card in Academy possession. Slifer the Sky Dragon was the first god card owned by the very first King of Games; to lose that card would be the ultimate disgrace to the Academy. And Dave needed protection to make sure that he would be available to defend the campus if the gods were amassed as an antagonistic force.

"I don't see what difference that would make," Matt commented. "They're cards."

"They're the cause of all these comas," Dave assured him. Matt still thought the magic idea was a little ridiculous, although he had that little twinge of doubt in the back of his mind. Even if magic god cards—by definition—defy logic, they did make a convenient explanation for the strange events on campus.

Dave added, "Perhaps the most distressing news is that this guy Alpha can use all the god cards."

"Really?" Cary asked. "I didn't think that was possible. Didn't you say it's almost impossible for someone to have the energy to play even two god cards?"

Dave shrugged. "Apparently that wasn't true." He quietly revealed the shining red card in his deck. It was shimmering even before he touched it; Matt had a hard time denying that there was something special about a card that could be its own night light.

"Wow," Kasumi uttered. "Does it always do that?"

"No. This is new. This is what makes me believe in all those stories that say the god cards are magic. Slifer has felt heavy for weeks now, and it keeps shining regardless of my making contact with it."

"What does it mean?" Matt asked, noting that there was obviously something up with this card for it to shine without a flashlight.

"I don't know. Usually a god card will only shine when a worthy duelist channels a bit of his or her own energy through the card; the spirit of the card responds by harmonizing with the duelist's energy, thus creating a shine on the surface of the card. For Slifer to shine without having energy channeled through it… Maybe Slifer's spirit is awakening."

Matt heard the comment, but he just couldn't comprehend it.

"Why don't you tell me all about the god cards?" he requested of Dave. "I know everyone knows everything about them, but I'm not as experienced as everyone else. Maybe I can help pick out something in the story that makes sense. Start from the beginning."

Cary and Kasumi didn't object, and so Dave began to tell the history of the god cards as he knew it, accompanied by a picture montage on the laptop he was using:

"The Egyptian God Cards were among the earliest cards ever created by Pegasus J. Crawford. The story goes that only one copy of each card was created because everyone involved in the project claimed to be haunted by wicked spirits, and so Pegasus had to create the cards by hand. When he, too, began to experience the haunting, he sent the cards to Egypt to have them sealed within the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh said to control the gods ages ago; his hope was the god cards would never be found and whatever spirit was attached to them would be locked away in that tomb forever.

"A descendant of the pharaoh's tomb keepers discovered their power and desired it for himself, however. Seto Kaiba, the founder of our school, caught wind of the god cards and organized the Battle City Tournament to gather them in one place. Eventually, Yugi Mutou, the first King of Games, won the tournament and all three god cards. Rumors say he was able to use them without being haunted by spirits because he was the reincarnation of the ancient pharaoh.

"Seto Kaiba retired from dueling, but his younger brother Mokuba, using data collected during the Battle City Tournament, decided to create newer versions of the god cards to use in tournament play. He patterned each new card after the Egyptian gods, giving them similar, but more reasonable, effects. They became known as the Sacred Beasts.

"But there must be something about the design of the god cards that is particularly attractive to the spirit world; the Sacred Beasts suddenly started haunting the people who came in contact with them and affecting the way certain cards could play. They were sealed away beneath Duel Academy as a way to keep them hidden and yet keep an eye on them at the same time. There was an incident in the Academy's history in which the Sacred Beasts were unleashed, but they were quickly quelled and Mokuba Kaiba retrieved them.

"The Kaibas placed the Sacred Beasts in the same tomb as the Egyptian God Cards to make sure they would stay hidden. But tomb raiders stumbled upon them and sold the cards on the black market. Collectors and duelists around the world were haunted by the cards until one man found them and renewed the seal over the cards. The spirits could no longer haunt the users, and so the god cards were all used in the dueling world to earn and steal big money.

"Finally, Seto Kaiba came out of retirement and spent six months retrieving all six god cards. Seto Kaiba hardly believed in the idea of spirits being sealed within playing cards, but he still wanted them somewhere he could keep an eye on them, and his own Duel Academy seemed like an excellent place. It would help the students learn about some historically significant cards and his technology would basically follow the gods around. Fortunately, the mysterious seal on the cards was a lasting one, and so the students were hardly at great risk."

When Dave's montage ended, Kasumi said, "It sounds like the seal has faded."

"Good bet," Dave agreed. "That means the gods can be dangerous to the people who use them, but even more dangerous to the people who face them. I heard Pr. Baker say that all the students who have been falling comatose lost in duels to the god cards."

Matt started chuckling, but only because laughter was his way of dealing with an illogical turn of events.

"It's not funny," Cary snapped. "This is a problem for everyone. The Guardians are all but one kidnapped and the rest of the students are falling into comas. We're all at risk."

"That's exactly why the police want to keep me here," Dave explained. He looked over the room, one of the offices with lots of books and locked files, a big desk, and a cot with a pillow and blanket. "It looks like this is my home for the night."

"Did they at least give you something cool to play with?" Matt asked.

Dave cracked a grin as a force of habit. "No. No weapons or badges or anything."

"Bummer."

Cary was not amused. Her cousin was the next target of some kidnapper who was so good that he left zero trace behind. Some students were leaving campus until the police could find the guy; Lakisha's and Jess's parents were among those worried enough to bring their kids back home for a while. Dave was surer of the quality of the police force.

"You three should get home."

Cary shook her head vehemently. "No. Why? We should stay with you."

"No, you should get some sleep. I'm surrounded by police officers and dispatchers, and I don't need you guys here talking in the background, worrying Monica any more than she already worries about me while I'm on the phone with her."

Cary and Kas thought that was a little stupid, but Matt knew that a proud guy has an easier time talking to a girlfriend when there are no other people around to embarrass him about it. He convinced Kas and Cary that nothing special could possibly happen just by the three of them staying overnight in the police department.

"I'm coming to check on you first thing in the morning," Cary assured him before she kissed him and bid him goodnight.

Dave watched his friends leave, then closed the door to the office he was borrowing and pulled his phone from the wall where he was recharging it. His second speed dial number was Monica's and the only one he called more often than his voicemail.

"Hey, honey," he said after she picked up. "I have a little more information to divulge about the missing Justin issue I mentioned." Dave proceeded to give Monica the Reader's Digest version of the events on campus, from Justin's kidnapping to the rest of his roommates disappearing and the students falling under mysterious illnesses.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner. Everyone thinks I'm the next target; that's why they've got me staying in the police department until they find the guy."

Monica proceeded to list the reasons he should come home from the academy immediately and let the police deal with it. She used the urban legends about the god cards and how dangerous they are as evidence to support her position.

Dave took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Monica. There's a chance I won't be able to talk to you for a while… but I can't just let someone else take the hit for me. Just know that I love you very much, and I will do everything I can to come back to you." With that, he hung up the phone and turned it off before she could fight with him.

He looked around the room again. It was fully stocked, but there were no windows. That meant Dave was going to have to get creative if he wanted to be unnoticed on his way out. At least he knew where he was going.

----------

The Guardian house looked normal from the outside; only a single light was on in Dave's room and another was on in the kitchen, both visible from the back of the house. Dave was outside looking in, however, and so he obviously wasn't the one in his room. It was likely an officer or two, hoping to catch the kidnapper in the act when he came after Dave. Curious how that was going, Dave crept next to the window and peeked inside.

A young officer, wearing clothes almost identical to Dave's, lay limp in Dave's computer chair. He considered the possibility the officer just passed out, but the fact that his computer was currently in the process of rebooting suggested some sort of power surge. There are only two ways a power surge could knock out a police officer sitting in a rubber chair, and Justin already outfitted Dave's computer with all kinds of safeguards against random electrocution.

"He's already been here."

"I'm still here."

Dave whipped around and saw a cloaked figure standing in the moonlight. The figure was entirely clothed in black, just as Dave remembered: a black cloak covering a black tunic and big sunglasses covering a blank face. He wore a black, Battle City Duel Disk on his arm and his voice was still altered by a mechanical voice filter.

But there was something different. He looked shorter by about a foot and smaller by at least twenty pounds. And there was something about the soft, sharper appearance to his chin; Dave remembered it being rounder and more prominent. How can a person lose so much mass in only a week? Even god card magic can't do that.

"You're not Alpha," he said.

The figure cracked a grin, even though it didn't take a licensed detective to figure out the difference between this person—a woman, he guessed—and the Alpha who crashed the administration building.

"I go by Omega."

Dave chortled. "Clever."

"Alpha has collected all three Sacred Beasts. When I defeat you and obtain Slifer, I will have all three Egyptian Gods."

"Why do you want them?"

"The god cards have access to a higher plane of existence, a collective consciousness known to you and the conspiracy theorists as The Shadow Realm. That collective conscious is what makes the god cards a source of infinite power. All it takes is a will of sufficient magnitude to harness that power. We have the strength of will: We are the Alpha and the Omega."

Dave smirked. "Cute. Where are my friends?"

"They're safe, and they are closer than you think. You will discover firsthand that when I finally hold Slifer the Sky Dragon, I will have no reason to bother any other students."

When Omega lifted her arm and activated his Duel Disk, Dave did the same. But before he could load his deck, Omega interrupted him and tossed him a card. He gazed with surprise upon Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"I thought I left this at the police department," he commented.

Omega started beaming with pride. "I took it from your hiding place as soon as you left the department. And just because I know you're curious… Yes, everyone there is now in the same condition as that officer in your room."

Dave figured as much. It was tough enough for him to convince the dispatcher to pretend he was still in his room; there's no way she just let Omega wander into and out of the department without an escort, and he doubted Omega could actually walk through walls.

"Why give the card to me? You want it so badly? Just keep it."

"Slifer has not finished with you yet. Before it can reach its full potential, you have to lose a duel."

"You know that rarely happens to me, right?"

"This will be one of those times."

Dave added Slifer to his deck and loaded the deck into his Duel Disk. "When I win this, you release my friends and tell me what you've done to the police and the students."

"Deal. Now let's duel." Omega drew her opening hand, then quickly drew a sixth card; she was of the mindset that the first person to draw gets to start the game.

"Spell Absorption will start this duel; every time a spell is played, I gain 500 LP. I'll use it now when I play Dimensional Fissure; now every monster sent to the Graveyard will be removed from play instead. I'll add Soul Absorption, which gives me another 500 LP every time a monster is removed from play. Then I'll activate Confiscation, a spell that lets me pay 1000 LP to look at your hand and send a card to the Graveyard."

Dave revealed his hand: Exodia the Forbidden One, Chainsaw Insect, Sangan, Reckless Greed, and Appropriate.

"I'll have you discard Exodia's head, but my Dimensional Fissure removes him from play. I'll end by setting a monster." Dave 8000: Omega 8000 + 500 + 500 + 500 – 1000 + 500 = 9000.

Dave's first turn and he already lost the opportunity to summon Exodia for an instant win. That left Slifer the Sky Dragon and the rest of the cards in Dave's deck.

"I'll set two cards and a monster, as well."

"That's it?" Omega scoffed. "I'll summon Thunder King Rai-Oh (4/1900/800) and flip summon my D.D. Scout Plane (2/800/1200). Rai-Oh (1900) will destroy your monster."

"No, he won't," Dave countered. "Destiny Hero – Defender (4/100/2700) has a much higher defense than your monster's offense."

"You must have just drawn that," Omega noted. "Take your turn." Dave 8000: Omega 9000 – 800 = 8200.

Dave drew his next card and considered his hand. Thanks to Rai-Oh and Dimensional Fissure, he couldn't use Sangan's effect to grab another monster from his deck. He hoped Appropriate would get him through the deck quickly enough to find Slifer the Sky Dragon, but many of his cards worked better if his monsters were in the Graveyard and not removed from play.

"I'll activate Appropriate; as long as it stays on the field, I draw two cards every time you draw one outside your Draw Phase. Next I'll summon my Chainsaw Insect (4/2400/0) to attack your Thunder King (1900). My Insect's effect lets you draw a card at the end of the Damage Step, and Appropriate gives me two cards, as well. I'll set one more card and end my turn." Dave 8000: Omega 8200 – 500 + 500 = 8200. Rai-Oh was removed from play by Dimensional Fissure, and Omega gained the 500 points from Soul Absorption.

"My turn," Omega spoke. "Your Defender (2700) gives me another card during my Standby Phase, which means you get to draw two more cards, I suppose."

"Indeed," Dave said. Now he had a fresh hand.

Omega grinned to herself. "I'll play Delinquent Duo, a spell that costs 1000 LP and randomly sends one card from your hand to the Graveyard, then forces you to discard a second card."

Dave randomly lost the Left Arm of the Forbidden One, which was removed from play by Dimensional Fissure. He purposefully discarded Sangan because its effect wouldn't help Dave anytime soon, anyway.

"Now I'll summon D.D. Assailant (4/1700/1600) to attack your Chainsaw Insect (2400). When D.D. Assailant is destroyed in battle, both monsters are removed from play. We both still draw from Chainsaw Insect's effect, though."

"I know," Dave replied.

"I'll set a card and end my turn." Dave 8000: Omega 8200 + 500 – 1000 + 500 + 500 + 500 + 500 = 9700.

Dave thought to himself, 'This duel is going to take forever. She keeps gaining Life Points and I'm going to deck out before long.'

"I'll activate my Reckless Greed trap to draw two cards if I skip my next two Draw Phases. Now I'll play the Double Summon spell, and I'll summon Right Arm of the Forbidden One, then I'll play Soul Exchange to use your monster as a Tribute for Slifer the Sky Dragon (10/+5000/+5000)."

The Duel Disks both crackled as an enormous red dragon materialized from the trees. Whereas most holograms projected by the Duel Disks were pretty transparent, Slifer seemed perfectly solid, almost like a real, three-dimensional object. Dave noticed the discrepancy, in part because he never saw a Slifer hologram look so flawless before.

"Slifer gains 1000 points per card in my hand, but I can't attack during this turn because of Soul Exchange. I'll end my turn."

"During the End Phase of a turn when my D.D. Scout Plane (1200) was removed from play, I get to summon it back to my field in defense mode." Dave 8000: Omega 9700 + 500 + 500 + 500 + 500 + 500 = 12,200.

"Good luck beating Slifer (5000)," Dave commented.

"I'm ready," Omega challenged. "I'll set—"

"I'll chain Light of Intervention; this trap prevents any monster from being set on the field. You have to summon your monster face-up and subject it to Slifer's special ability." Omega grudgingly flipped D.D. Warrior (4/1200/1000). "When a monster with fewer than 2000 defense points is summoned, Slifer destroys it instantly."

"I remember. I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"I'll summon another Chainsaw Insect (4/2400/0) and attack you directly, letting you draw a card and me draw two more. Now Slifer (+7000) will attack you directly for an enormous chunk of damage."

Omega laughed. "I'll chain Inferno Tempest, a spell that activates when I take 3000 LP damage in one go. All the monsters in our decks and Graveyards get removed from play." Dave 8000: Omega 12,200 – 2400 – 7000 = 4600.

Dave narrowed his eyes as he set one card. Why would she make a move like that? Slifer was the strongest monster on the field, and without any monsters, there was no way she could beat him. On the other hand, both players' decks were trimmed significantly, so maybe she was counting on Appropriate to make Dave deck out. The Fiber Jar he still had in his hand would protect him from that event, however.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon…" Omega uttered. "The god card owned by the first King of Games. It is an amazing sight, and a nearly unbeatable monster."

"Then how do you plan to do it?"

Omega grinned. "I'm not going to beat Slifer… I'm beating you." She smiled at her hand. "I'll set one more card and end my turn."

Before Dave could even draw, Omega activated her cards. "I'll play two copies of D.D. Dynamite, each of which hits you directly for 300 points of damage per card you have removed from play."

Dave couldn't believe it. He was certain she was going to deck him out—that was how Yugi Mutou beat Slifer in its first Battle City appearance—but she managed to strike him for each of the fourteen monsters he had removed from play. Dave 8000 – 4200 – 4200 = 0: Omega 5600.

"There's a first time for everything," Omega assured him. "Even big name duelists like Seto Kaiba and Judai Yuki didn't go undefeated throughout their lives. It doesn't make me think any less of you, Forbidden Dave."

Dave couldn't even muster the strength to ask what was happening now. He was losing consciousness rapidly. Everything around him became dark and his vision clouded. Maybe this was the Shadow Realm spoken of in legends.

"Now that you'll be working for the Shadows, you'll become even stronger."


I've pretty much decided that I'm done with this. I love dueling a lot, but it seems so difficult to come up with a dueling story that can hold my attention. Maybe I'm my own harshest critic, but despite how pleased I was when I came up with this story arc, I'm having trouble believing it's any good because no one has anything to say about it. I will probably close out this arc before I quit writing about duels, just in case I actually do have any quiet fans out there. The next chapter will showcase members of both Team Lockdown and Team OTK attempting to take back the god cards. How do you think that will end?

There is no official version of Slifer the Sky Dragon yet; the following description is the card effect I am using (based on the show, the games, and the existing Egyptian effect cards):
Slifer the Sky Dragon
Stars: 10
Attribute: Divine
Type: Divine-Beast/Dragon/Effect
ATK: X000
DEF: X000
"You must Tribute 3 monsters to Normal Summoned or Set this card. This card's Normal Summon cannot be negated. When this card is Normal Summoned, the effects of Spell, Trap, and Effect Monsters cannot be activated. This card cannot be targeted by the effects of Spells, Traps, or Effect Monsters. If this card is Special Summoned, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. The ATK and DEF of this card are equal to the number of cards in your hand × 1000. When your opponent successfully Summons a monster with 2000 DEF or less, destroy that monster."