Ride 9: Cycle of Hate

Luke strode forwards, facing Nick. His opponent glared daggers at him, standing there like a pillar of shadows as he set down his deck.

"You think just because you got back some cards you'll win?" Nick growled. "No. I'm going to beat you. You're still just a pathetic shadow. A weak imitation of what he was. And besides, this deck already beat you."

Luke shook his head. "I let you convince me that I was weak... I hated myself for what I did back then. But now I get it. You're the one who doesn't get it at all. The Luke you know is the shadow. And now, Nick... I'll show you who I really am!" He drew a card from his deck, setting it down, then shuffling the deck and setting it into place.

Nick scowled, his face distorted and twisted with anger. "I guess I'll just have to show you true strength, then. The strength born when you realise the truth of this world! The strength you used to have, before your pathetic friends stole it from you!"

"They're not pathetic," Luke retorted. "They never gave up on me, not even when I gave up. And I get it now. I understand how many people care. You're wrong! And I was wrong, back then. Isolating yourself and fighting alone isn't what makes you strong. I'll prove that to you here and now. Stand up, Vanguard! Kuraudia!"

"Stand up, Vanguard! Greedy Hand!" Nick roared.

The Motion Figure System activated, forming the gothic castle around them. The skies overhead were torn asunder by lightning and howling winds as their Vanguards appeared, facing each other. Greedy Hand glared furiously at Kuraudia, who stood tall and proud [Greedy Hand – 5000 Power] [Kuraudia – 4000 Power].

"I draw," Luke called. "Ride, Marron!" Kuraudia transformed in a flash of light, Marron rising and staring down Greedy Hand with a determined expression [Little Sage, Marron – 8000 Power]. "Kuraudia moves out, and I end my turn!" Kuraudia took shape once again, hissing fiercely at the Dark Irregular opposite [Kuraudia – 4000 Power].

Luke
Hand: 5
Front Row: Empty/Little Sage, Marron/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Kuraudia/Empty
Damage: None

Nick
Hand: 5
Front Row: Empty/Greedy Hand/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Empty/Empty
Damage: None

"Draw," Nick growled. "I Ride Alluring Succubus." With a wicked smirk, the succubus took form, clenching her talons [Alluring Succubus – 7000 Power]. "Succubus' skill. I Soul Charge, then Greedy moves to the rear-guard."

[Soul Charge – Flirtatious Succubus – No Trigger]

Greedy Hand reappeared, his expression as twisted and cruel as before [Greedy Hand – 5000 Power]. "Call, Prisoner Beast!" Roaring, the beast took shape beside his vanguard [Prisoner Beast – 8000 Power]. "Prisoner Beast attacks Marron!"

"No guard!" Luke called in return. Prisoner Beast lunged, raking its monstrous claws over Marron, who howled in pain. Slowly, Luke made a damage check, steeling himself.

[Damage Check – Knight of Silence, Gallatin – No Trigger]

As soon as he set the card down, the shock glove hummed into life, sending its vicious current surging through him. Luke wavered, his knee weakening for an instant, but he thought of the friends stood behind him and the thought gave him strength to keep him standing.

Nick scowled. "So you can resist it now, huh?"

Luke looked at him. "It still hurts. But it hurts you too. All of you." He frowned. "This isn't how you get strong."

"Boosted by Greedy Hand, Succubus attacks!" Alluring Succubus lunged at Marron, her pretty features twisted into a snarl of anger [7000 Power + 5000 Power = 12000 Power]

"No guard!" Luke called again.

"Check... Draw Trigger! Power to Succubus, and I draw!"

[Drive Check – Hysteric Shirley – Draw Trigger]

As Nick made a draw, Succubus struck, tearing her claws over Marron's face. As the sage recoiled, the demoness leapt away, leaving Luke to make his second Damage Check.

[Damage Check – Pongal – No Trigger]

The shock glove struck again, sending electricity ripping through Luke. A gasp of pain escaped him and he shook, clutching the fight table for support until it ended. When he came to, Nick was staring at the card he had just put into his damage.

"Pongal... so you've put that dragon back into your deck," he smirked. "Maybe that'll show you how weak you are right now. If I crush your dragon with the power of this new deck."

"Soul Saver Dragon is a symbol," Luke murmured. "I used her as a tool back then, but now she'll be the proof of how I've changed. That's why she's here, to prove something. To show that I trust in my friends just like they care about me."

Nick laughed. "Friends again? It was those people who failed him back then! If they hadn't lost to Team Avalon, he'd have been the champion! That's what everyone knows deep down! The only reason he failed was because those two were weak and pathetic!" He pointed at Mary and Peter, glaring at them. "All they've ever been is an anchor around his neck, dragging him down and holding him back from his true potential!"

"No!" Luke retorted. "They're what gives me the strength to fight on. They're my precious friends, and they're what gives me power. They came here to help me fight against you, and I'm going to use the courage they've given me to see this fight through to the end. To your defeat, Nick! And I'll use Soul Saver Dragon to do it!"

"We'll see," Nick muttered. "I end my turn."

VFS09

"Did he take anything else besides Soul Saver and Pongal?" Peter asked.

Mary checked. "No, he didn't. He must just want to use Soul Saver here."

"Well, she works with the deck he's built... let's just hope it's enough," he murmured.

VFS09

Nick
Hand: 6
Front Row: Prisoner Beast/Alluring Succubus/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Greedy Hand/Empty
Damage: None

Luke
Hand: 5
Front Row: Empty/Little Sage, Marron/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Kuraudia/Empty
Damage: Knight of Silence, Gallatin (U), Pongal (U)

Luke made a draw, checking the card and considering. "I Ride Knight of Determination, Lamorak!" Marron faded into light, Lamorak rising in his place [Knight of Determination, Lamorak – 10000 Power]. "Now, I call Barron and Toypugal!" The giant sage rose up beside Lamorak, supported by the fluffy white puppy [Great Sage, Barron – 8000 Power] [Toypugal – 6000 Power]. "Boosted by Toypugal, Barron attacks!" Barron raised his staff, casting a bolt of lightning from it at Alluring Succubus [8000 Power + 6000 Power = 14000 Power].

"No guard!" Nick snarled. The lightning flashed into the Succubus, smashing her into the ground as Nick checked his damage card.

[Damage Check – Fallen Seraphim, Samael – No Trigger]

Though the shock glove activated, Nick barely reacted to it at all.

VFS09

"Samael... he wasn't using that when I saw him fight Luke before," Mary murmured, confused.

"He did say he had a new deck."

"If he's using Samael... then what's this new deck based around?"

VFS09

"Boosted by Kuraudia, Lamorak attacks!" Luke cried. Roaring a battle cry, Lamorak charged at Nick's Vanguard, raising his massive axe [10000 Power + 4000 Power = 14000 Power].

"No guard!"

"Drive Check... no Trigger," the young man called.

[Drive Check – Swordsman of the Explosive Flames, Palamedes – No Trigger]

Lamorak struck, the axe falling and ripping across Alluring Succubus' chest. The demoness cried out in pain as the knight leapt away, Nick performing another damage check and standing there stoically.

[Damage Check – Alluring Succubus – No Trigger]

"You think you've made us even, don't you?" Nick sneered. "You haven't. I'll prove that next turn. You can say you've changed all you like, but in the end, you're still nothing without him. Friends won't make you strong, not the way he did. After all, those two have never done anything but drag you down."

"No, they haven't!" Luke retorted angrily. "You don't know what you're talking about at all! You don't know what it used to be like! For so long, the only person I really had was Mary. And all she had was me. Alone, we'd have been crushed by the world, but together we were strong! That's what I've realised! That was what I was a fool to abandon! And I'll prove it to you now!"

"Just try," his opponent laughed. "You just try and win. And when you fail, I'll show you what strength really is. I'll make you become him again, I'll force you to be strong and abandon those pathetic weights, and he'll come back."

"I end my turn," Luke concluded.

Luke
Hand: 4
Front Row: Great Sage, Barron/Knight of Determination, Lamorak/Empty
Back Row: Toypugal/Kuraudia/Empty
Damage: Knight of Silence, Gallatin (U), Pongal (U)

Nick
Hand: 6
Front Row: Prisoner Beast/Alluring Succubus/Empty
Back Row: Empty/Greedy Hand/Empty
Damage: Fallen Seraphim, Samael (U), Alluring Succubus (U)

"Stand and draw," Nick growled. "I Ride Werwolf Sieger!" Shadows tore through Alluring Succubus, ripping through her and forming into the vicious black werewolf [Werwolf Sieger – 10000 Power]. "Prisoner Beast moves back. Call! Devil Blade, Berith! Doreen the Thruster! Flirtatious Succubus!" Three figures arose, a demon clad in black barbed armor wielding two scimitars, a psychotically-smirking elf girl in black wielding daggers, and finally a succubus clad in black leather [Devil Blade, Berith – 8000 Power] [Doreen the Thruster – 6000 Power] [Flirtatious Succubus – 9000 Power]. "Flirtatious Succubus' skill lets me Soul Charge!"

[Soul Charge – Dark Knight of Nightmareland – Critical Trigger]

Since a card went into my Soul, Doreen and Berith get 3000 Power each!" The two units blazed with dark aura, readying their respective weapons [Doreen the Thruster – 9000 Power] [Devil Blade, Berith – 11000 Power]. "Boosted by Greedy Hand, Sieger attacks Lamorak!" Sieger lunged, howling fiercely [10000 Power + 5000 Power = 15000 Power].

"No guard!" Luke retorted.

Nick smirked. "Check... no Trigger."

[Drive Check – Doreen the Thruster – No Trigger]

Sieger struck with a howl, its claws raking over Lamorak, who staggered back. Luke made a Damage Check, gasping as the shock glove activated.

[Damage Check – Soul Saver Dragon – No Trigger]

Luke stared at the lost form of his dragon. He still had two more somewhere in his deck, but to lose one here was still disheartening.

"With a boost from Doreen, Flirtatious Succubus attacks!" Nick declared mercilessly. Now Flirtatious Succubus lunged at Luke's Vanguard [9000 Power + 9000 Power = 18000 Power].

"No guard!" The succubus struck, tearing her talons over Lamorak's face viciously.

[Damage Check – Toypugal – No Trigger]

"With a boost from Prisoner Beast, Berith attacks!" Nick roared. With a roar of his own, Berith lunged, his wicked scimitars raised to strike [11000 Power + 8000 Power = 19000 Power].

"Elaine, guard!" Luke cried. The beautiful green-haired elf took form in a flash of light, crying out as Berith slashed his scimitars into her. The elf shattered into motes, leaving Luke's vanguard unharmed.

Nick smirked. "You're already at four damage. See? You can't stand up against me. Not as you are. Right now, you're far too weak. How can you like being this, when before you were fighting at the top of Nationals? You had everything and you threw it away just because those pitiful two lost. Why? Because they're your friends? But there's no such thing! You heard Sabrina's story, and you were there when her 'friends' turned their backs on her. No one cares about the weak, and that's just the pitiful truth. No one cares. Not unless you're strong. As soon as you're not, you're abandoned. You can be idealistic all you like, but until you realise that, you're only going to be crushed by the truth."

"No... that's not the truth," Luke murmured. "Peter said something... and I understand it now. What he was getting at. Revenge won't solve anything for any of you. You think it will, but it doesn't. And in the end, you're just left chasing revenge endlessly. That's the real tragedy. That's what's really horrible. I put you on this path. But in the end, we're just part of a cycle."

Nick frowned. "What?"

Luke stared across the faces around him. He took in the resentment in their eyes, so contrary to the warmth in Mary's. Then he spoke again. "I became the way I did because I was beaten. There was a girl I met one day..." Speaking about her brought the memories back. He was reminded of the terrible dragon slaughtering its own allies and then turning its monstrous lance on him. His hand strayed to his chest as he remembered the feeling of it striking him, leaving nothing but pain behind.

"Wh... what?!" Luke cried as the dragon struck, cutting down her Rearguards as its form burned with power. Then it struck, stabbing through Stardrive Dragon with a terrible blow of its weapon. His dragon screamed in mortal agony as lance and claws murdered it, lance ripping through its heart, claws squeezing the life from its throat. "Stardrive! No!"

The dragon crashed to the ground, and he fell to his knees, broken by the terrible defeat. "I... no..."

"Imagine yourself... so pathetic... so weak," she said. "You're nothing. You have nothing. And yet you sought to challenge the strong with such weakness." She paused. "Remember this, you naïve boy. The powerless are nothing but insignificant little insects, to be ruled by the strong and crushed when no longer needed. But the powerful can dominate everyone, and demand the respect and fear of others. So long as you continue to be so petty and sentimental, you'll never find yourself standing in the world of the strong." She smirked. "Now... fall at my feet in despair and know your place!"

He cried out, clutching his head and dropping his cards, sending them cascading to the ground as he began to fall.

"She crushed me... completely..." he remembered. "And even then, my friends helped me. I was stupid to give up on them after that. But I did, because I couldn't move on. I kept thinking, wondering why I lost. And in the end I decided it was because I wasn't like her. That's just it. You made the same mistake. You lost to me and I humiliated you, and I'm sorry for that. But we've all fallen into that cycle."

No one spoke.

"That girl beat me, and I started to hate. I beat you all, and you started to hate," he murmured. "It's a vicious cycle that never ends, not until someone says no and chooses to move on rather than chasing revenge. Why should we keep letting that cycle continue?"

Nick glared at him. "You... you really are just a shadow. Hate is what gives us strength! How can we have the motivation to get strong if we don't feel hate burning in our hearts?! Hate is what drives everything, in the end. We hate the people who have more, who are more successful, who are more powerful. And our hatred drives us to get more money, more fame, more power. Until we've overtaken everyone."

"The world isn't like that! Just because you feel hate drives everything doesn't mean it does!" Luke retorted. "It's not hate that's driving me now, I'm not fighting like this because I hate you! I'm fighting like this for my friends! For the people who I care about... and the person I-" He glanced back at Mary as he spoke.

"Shut up!" Nick snarled. "That's insipid! Is that your power? Friendship? Love? No! Those things aren't what made him strong. He was strong because ultimately he despised the weak for having nothing to offer him, and the strong for being more than him! I understand that because he taught me that that's how the world works! You resent those who are stronger and you want to surpass them! That's all! I'll prove that to you before this fight is done! I end my turn!"

VFS09

Mary stared at Luke as he began his turn. "The person you..." she murmured. Unconsciously her hand clutched the box more tightly as she recalled the letters within, in their childish scrawl.

"The cycle of hate," Peter said quietly. "That's just it. That's what's driven this." He looked at her. "You understand, Mary? If we just crushed them and left... we're just perpetuating that cycle."

She nodded, remembering her anger at Wes. "Yeah. I understand."

He looked back at the fight. "We may still need the police. Maybe Luke'll get through to some of the others, but Nick won't be convinced. I can tell. He's gone beyond hate, in a way. He's taken what Luke said and turned it into his own philosophy, and he's filled the others with it."

"You got through to Sabrina in the end."

"I hope so," he sighed. "These people chose this path, but Nick was the one to show them it. I can tell now. He's the one who gathered them, the one who made them want revenge so much."

"Show them, Luke," Mary spoke quietly. "Show them that they don't need hate."

VFS09

Nick
Hand: 4
Front Row: Devil Blade, Berith/Werwolf Sieger/Flirtatious Succubus
Back Row: Prisoner Beast/Greedy Hand/Doreen the Thruster
Damage: Fallen Seraphim, Samael (U), Alluring Succubus (U)

Luke
Hand: 3
Front Row: Great Sage, Barron/Knight of Determination, Lamorak/Empty
Back Row: Toypugal/Kuraudia/Empty
Damage: Knight of Silence, Gallatin (U), Pongal (U), Soul Saver Dragon (U), Toypugal (U)

"Stand and draw," Luke called. "Noble king, raise your sword which commands the dragons! Open the path to the world of light! I Ride White Dragon Knight... Pendragon!"

Light surrounded Lamorak, forming into a gleaming white sword. From the light, Pendragon emerged, taking the sword in his hands and landing beside Luke. The White Dragon Knight readied his legendary blade, gazing with those royal blue eyes [White Dragon Knight, Pendragon – 10000 Power].

"Pendragon's skill!" Luke declared. "When I Ride him, Pendragon gets 5000 Power!" Pendragon glowed with holy light as he spoke [White Dragon Knight, Pendragon – 15000 Power]. "Now, Pendragon's Limit Break!" The white circle ignited above Pendragon as Luke checked the top five cards of his deck. "There's no Gade 3 here, so I can't Superior Ride." He shuffled the cards back into the deck.

"Even if you could Superior Ride, what would it have done?" Nick scoffed. "That's a useless Limit Break. I'll just have to remind you what a true Limit Break is, won't I?"

"I call Palamedes and Young Pegasus Knight," Luke retorted. Roaring with flames, Palamedes rose up and brandished his scimitars, while the pegasus-riding knight formed behind him [Swordsman of the Explosive Flames, Palamedes – 10000 Power] [Young Pegasus Knight – 6000 Power]. "Kuraudia's skill, she goes into my Soul to give Palamedes 3000 Power. And since a Royal Paladin went into the Soul, Barron and Pegasus Knight get 3000 Power!" The three units glowed with white light [Swordsman of the Explosive Flames, Palamedes – 13000 Power] [Great Sage, Barron – 11000 Power] [Young Pegasus Knight – 9000 Power].

"Come on, then!" Nick snarled.

"With a boost from Pegasus Knight, Palamedes attacks! Palamedes' skill! Since I have two Grade 3 Royal Paladins, he gets 3000 Power!" Luke called. Palamedes charged, blazing with overwhelming holy flame [13000 Power + 3000 Power + 9000 Power = 25000 Power].

"No guard!" Palamedes struck, tearing the fiery scimitars through Werwolf Sieger and hurling the werewolf away in a burst of roaring flames. Nick snarled with pain as his shock glove activated.

[Damage Check – Werwolf Sieger – No Trigger]

"Pendragon, attack!" The White Dragon Knight rushed forwards gracefully, raising his shining sword.

"Blitzritter guards! Flirtatious Succubus Intercepts!" Nick roared in answer. The lightning-wreathed elf formed before his vanguard, joined by the Succubus [10000 Power + 10000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 25000 Power].

"Twin Drive, check!" Luke cried. "First! No Trigger!"

[Drive Check – Flash Shield, Iseult – No Trigger]

"And second... Heal Trigger! I give the Power to Barron and I heal one Damage!" He discarded Gallatin from his Damage Zone, placing the glowing Heal Trigger into his hand.

[Drive Check – Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine – Heal Trigger]

Pendragon struck in an arc of glorious light. His sword swung too fast to be seen, the two guardians bursting into darkness in an instant as the knight retreated before Sieger.

"With a boost from Toypugal, Barron attacks! Since I have two Grade 3 Royal Paladins, Toypugal boosts for 3000 more Power!" Barron raised his staff and cast a bolt of lightning over the field at the snarling beast as Toypugal barked behind him [11000 Power + 5000 Power + 6000 Power + 3000 Power = 25000 Power].

"No guard!"

The lightning flashed into Sieger, smashing the werewolf back against the castle wall. Nick made another Damage Check, gritting his teeth in response to his shock glove's activation.

[Damage Check – Prisoner Beast – No Trigger]

A silence fell as the attack ended. For a moment, the two fighters just stood there, staring at each other. Luke's expression was calm, pitying and firm, Nick's was harsh, vicious and full of hate.

"You think you've won this?" Nick murmured, his voice like poison. "I can see your little brain thinking it. You think you've got ahead. Well, you haven't! I'm still in control!"

"Are you?" Luke asked. "Or are you just being driven by hate? You say you're in control, and in the end, I guess you were. You brought these people together, didn't you? You found people who hated me and you convinced them to try and find revenge."

"Yeah," Nick retorted. "I did. I wanted to get him. So much. So I went online and I went asking, and soon enough, I found people. People he'd beaten, people who hated him but couldn't find a way to get back at him. I brought them together and I gave them a way to do it. But in the end, I have to thank him, for filling so many people with hate. Now do you see? Hate is what caused this entire situation. It's what took mediocre fighters and drove them to get strong! You think any of our precious little champions weren't motivated by it? That Team Avalon weren't driven by hating everyone who stood above them? Hating the system which let those people get there?"

"That system was a fraud," Peter cut in from across the courtyard. "You should know, you've been associating with the sort of people who make it possible."

Nick laughed. "Who cares?! In the end, all of us are driven by hate! And I'll show you all now... the power which hate provides!"

"Hate is a poison," Luke retorted. "You give in to it and suddenly all you can think about is getting back at people. I know how it feels. There wasn't a waking moment where I didn't think of that girl and how much I wanted to do to her what she did to me. I wanted to beat her, humiliate her. Break her like she broke me. That thought never went away. It drove everything I did. Hate isn't what drives us. Hate is an obsession which consumes us. But we don't have to give in. I gave in in a moment of weakness and it turned me into a monster! But now I see how wrong I was. And I know what I'm truly fighting for here, not for hate, but for my friends. For friendship... and for love. I'll overcome your hate with those precious things! I'll withstand your hatred and I'll defeat it! I end my turn!"

Luke
Hand: 3
Front Row: Great Sage, Barron/White Dragon Knight, Pendragon/Swordsman of the Explosive Flames, Palamedes
Back Row: Toypugal/Empty/Young Pegasus Knight
Damage: Pongal (U), Soul Saver Dragon (U), Toypugal (U)

Nick
Hand: 3
Front Row: Devil Blade, Berith/Werwolf Sieger/Empty
Back Row: Prisoner Beast/Greedy Hand/Doreen the Thruster
Damage: Fallen Seraphim, Samael (U), Alluring Succubus (U), Werwolf Sieger (U), Prisoner Beast (U)

"Stand and draw," Nick snarled. He glared at Luke across the field. "Is that it? A friendship speech? You really are nothing like him. Weak. Tied down by your 'friends'. Pitiful. He was strong and isolated and glorious. What do I have to do? Maybe I should break your precious friends. Leave them shattered. Maybe that'll fill you with hate."

"Leave them alone," Luke said firmly. "You want me. Not them."

"But I don't want you!" his opponent howled. "That's just it! You're not him! That's what I realised the moment I saw you back then! And I've been trying so hard to make him come back, but he's buried in that pathetic shell! Chained up by friendship, by insipid love! Love! Is that all it really took? To turn him into you...?"

"That wasn't me. This is who I am."

Nick didn't say anything, staring with hatred the likes of which Luke had never seen. "He was... incredible. Too powerful for me. He was everything I wanted to be and yet everything I hated. He made me feel powerless. I was so helpless before him... and his power thrilled me... I want him back. Together we can beat anyone! Everyone will crumble before us! So I have to make you hate again, hate so much you'll have no choice but to become him! So I'll beat you and then I'll hurt your friends. Every way I know. I'll cut them and break them. And I'll make you watch. Every. Single. Second. I'll hurt them when you scream for me to stop." He looked insane, his features twisted by mad anger.

"Nick..." Wes said, sounding distinctly uncomfortable.

"No! Get them!" Nick barked. No one moved. "Get them!" Two or three people broke from the crowd, looking horrified at what Nick had become, but too afraid of him to disobey. They moved towards Mary and Peter, who stood back to back, hands up and ready to fight. "And while your friends are busy, I'll put an end to this." He took a card from his hand, turning it so Luke could see what it was.

He remembered this card. It was what had torn through Palamedes so easily before, beaten him like it was nothing. "I'm not afraid of him."

"You should be," Nick laughed cruelly. "Imagine it. Your friends broken and shattered at my feet. Everything you love torn to pieces. And yourself, lying amidst the ruin, filled with unending hatred! That's what I'll do to bring him back!" He held the card up at arm's length, roaring words filled with venom. "Come from the shadows... and shatter every last piece of light! Even the stars will die before your hatred! Ride... the vanguard..."

He threw down the card with a roar, and the castle around them exploded with terrible darkness. The streams of darkness tore over the field, battering Luke's Royal Paladins with solid shadow, obscuring every source of light and drowning it. Then the streams converged on Sieger, ripping the werewolf apart before it could even scream. The shadows exploded and became sharp, tearing through the air and slashing the stone all around as a terrible figure emerged from their heart. Hollow dark eyes glared over the field, the figure radiating a malice the likes of which Luke had never felt. A skull adorned its chest, its hair a wild mane of black and its skin ravaged by time and dark magic. The man was clad in a bodysuit which seemed to writhe and twisted around him, as though he wore solidified shadows. Red ribbons emerged from the bodysuit, writhing madly around him like snakes made of blood.

The man hovered in mid-air, simply glaring at Luke with those terrible, empty eyes as dark wind radiated from his form, buffeting the forms of Luke's units and driving them back. Nick roared his new vanguard's name, glaring at Luke with a gaze full of hatred. "Dark Lord... of... ABYSS!" [Dark Lord of Abyss – 11000 Power]

VFS09

"That card..." Mary whispered in shock as she and Peter beheld the terrible form of Nick's vanguard. "That's what that deck's based around."

"Dark Lord of Abyss," Peter muttered grimly. "That's one of the strongest cards the Dark Irregulars have right now. I don't know how Nick got hold of it, but Luke's in for a tough fight."

"Don't fight," one of the thugs around them said in what was probably meant to be a soothing way. "We don't want to hurt you."

"Your boss there does," Peter snapped in return. "We're not coming quietly."

"Then we'll just have to make you," another said.

"You don't want to do this," Mary protested. "Nick's gone mad. You can see that."

The thugs hesitated. "Maybe, but he's still stronger than us," one muttered. "And that's the rule. Whoever's strongest is in charge."

"Wait until the fight's over," Peter suggested. "You don't have to get your hands dirty if Luke wins."

One of them laughed. "Are you serious? That kid already lost to Dark Lord of Abyss once. No way he'll beat it this time."

"He will," Mary whispered. "I know he will. He's fighting for us."

"How cute," a thug chuckled. "Now, come with us, girl!" He lunged for her, but she ducked around his blow and kicked out. Her foot caught him in the groin and he tumbled to the floor with a gasp of pain.

"We're not giving up without a fight," Peter snapped, punching the thug lunging at him in the nose. The man staggered back with blood leaking from his nostrils, glaring at Peter furiously. "Our friend's fighting for us." As the man lunged again, Peter caught him with a backhand punch which knocked him away.

"So we'll fight for him too!" Mary added, kicking another man.

VFS09

"Guys..." Luke murmured, watching his friends fight.

"I'd worry about yourself," Nick growled. "I call Berith!" A second Berith rose in front of Doreen the Thruster [Devil Blade, Berith – 8000 Power]. "Greedy Hand's skill! I Counterblast and Greedy Hand goes into the Soul, then I put a Dark Irregulars into my Soul from the deck!" He turned over a Damage, taking a card from his deck and putting it into the Soul alongside Greedy Hand.

[Soul Charge – Werwolf Sieger – No Trigger]

"Since I Soul Charged two cards, Doreen and Berith get 6000 Power each!" The three units readied their blades, smirking viciously [Doreen the Thruster – 12000 Power] [Devil Blade, Berith – 14000 Powerx2]. "I call Doreen the Thruster !" A second copy of Doreen appeared behind his Vanguard [Doreen the Thruster – 6000 Power].

"Doreen boosts! Attack Pendragon, Dark Lord of Abyss!" The Dark Lord raised his hands, conjuring a wall of bladed shadows which he then hurled at Pendragon [11000 Power + 6000 Power = 17000 Power].

"No guard!" Luke cried.

"Check..." Nick sneered. "First. No Trigger."

[Drive Check – Fallen Seraphim, Samael – No Trigger]

"Second... Draw Trigger! My right hand Berith gets the Power and I draw!"

[Drive Check – Hysteric Shirley – Draw Trigger]

Dark Lord of Abyss' shadows struck, slashing into Pendragon and effortlessly rending through the knight's majestic armor. The White Dragon Knight screamed in pain as spears of shadow ripped through him, falling to his knees and supporting himself with his sword as the shadows dispersed. Dark Lord of Abyss merely glared over the field with those black eyes, not even gloating, which somehow made him feel more terrifying.

"Damage Check..." Luke murmured.

[Damage Check – Margal – Draw Trigger]

As the card hit the Damage Zone, he was instantly consumed by the force of the electric shock. Something was wrong, it hadn't been this intense before. Now everything seemed to burn and he was screaming in agony, falling to his knees and collapsing.

"Luke!" his friends screamed from somewhere, but he couldn't tell where. The world seemed lost to the agony writhing through his veins, and he just wanted anything, anything to make the pain stop-

Then it was over and he was lying there, gasping into the ground, trembling.

"What was that?!" Mary cried.

Nick gave a mad little chuckle. "I just turned the settings on the gloves up to maximum, that's all."

"W-... why?" Luke choked out as he struggled to stand.

"I'll make you suffer all I can until he comes back."

"You bastard!" Mary shouted at him. "You... you just wait! When we're done with you-"

"But you won't even get to me," Nick murmured. "All that's going to happen is I'm going to win this fight, and then you'll be nothing but things for me to break. Until he comes back, and we can fight together..."

"You're insane!"

"Am I?" he whispered, his voice cold and harsh. "Am I really?"

"Draw Trigger..." Luke said weakly as he finally stood. "Power to Pendragon... I draw..." He slowly made a draw, staring at his hand.

"It doesn't matter," Nick leered. "Boosted by Prisoner Beast, Berith attacks... Palamedes!" The left Berith charged, scimitars gleaming with wicked light [1400 Power + 8000 Power = 22000 Power].

"I... don't guard..." Luke murmured. Berith struck and Palamedes cried out as he was cut down.

"With a boost from Doreen, the other Berith attacks!" Now the second Berith charged with a ferocious howl [14000 Power + 5000 Power + 1200 Power = 31000 Power].

"No guard!" Berith's blades tore into the wounded Pendragon, cleaving through his savaged armor and making him cry out in pain.

[Damage Check – High Dog Breeder, Akane – No Trigger]

Luke's scream was added to his Vanguard's as he made the Damage Check, collapsing to his knees as the enhanced shock tore through him. Once more Mary and Peter cried out in concern as they desperately fought the thugs around them, but he could barely hear them.

Nick laughed. "I didn't think it would be so easy."

"Shut up! Shut up, you bastard!" Mary howled at him as her elbow connected with a woman's face.

"He's just lying there! I guess it didn't take much to defeat someone so pathetic!"

Luke heard Nick's taunts as though from far away. His whole body ached and screamed for him to just give in. But then he thought of his friends. All the people who were waiting and hoping. Everyone from the Cardfight Club. Everyone from the shop. His parents. Team Avalon. Peter. Mary.

Nick's laughter stopped abruptly as Luke's hand rose, catching the edge of the Motion Figure System. The young man rose weakly, his whole body trembling, eyes full of pain. But there was a determination in how he forced himself to stand which couldn't be denied.

"Just give in!" Nick finally shouted. "Why won't you just give up?! Why won't you let him come back?! Why?!"

"Because... I'm... stronger than you think..." Luke gasped out. He took several deep gasps, before speaking again. "And because I have people depending on me. People who care. People I have to fight for, because they're my friends, my family. And there's someone I can't... I can't let down again."

Anger was plain on Nick's face. "Love, again?! Is that it?!"

Luke nodded. "There's someone I truly love. Someone I'm fighting for even now. I'd do anything for her... but the first thing is winning this fight." He stared at Dark Lord of Abyss now. "That card beat me once before. But I won't lose to it, not again. I'm going to fight with everything I have, for the person I love and for all the friends who want me to come back safely. And I'm going to beat you for all of them!"

VFS09

Card of the Day:

Dark Lord of Abyss
Grade 3/Twin Drive!
Dark Zone – Human – Dark Irregulars
11000 Power/No Shield/Critical 1
Activate [V]: [Limit Break 4, Counterblast 2] Soul Charge 2, and this unit gets [Power]+1000 for each «Dark Irregulars» in your soul until end of turn.
Continuous [V/R]: If you have a non-«Dark Irregulars» vanguard or rear-guard, this unit gets [Power]-2000.
Residents of darkness... we shall end the light!

A former man who fell into darkness over his obsession over the talents of many. He was corrupted out of the fact that the residents of his village rejected him out of fear of the enormous amount of magic displayed when he was born, despite not losing control of it even when infused with the blood of the devil. As a result, his childhood was a misery. The dark influences in his exhausted soul horrify even the darkest devil, and he barely resembles his humanoid self. However, deep inside, he is still just a man. Despite this, people fear him as the Dark Lord of Abyss, the man who fell into darkness in order to see the powers that come with darkness.

VFS09

Card Stats:

Devil Blade, Berith
Grade 2/Demon – Dark Irregulars/8000 Power/5000 Shield
Auto [R]: During your main phase, when a card is put into your soul, if you have a «Dark Irregulars» vanguard, this unit gets [Power]+3000 until end of turn.
Don't worry. I'll grant you an honorable death by the sword.

(Devil Blade, Berith was created by me.)

VFS09

Next Time:

Ride 10: Believe in my Existence