IX

Seven LP gauges flickered onto the screens of seven Duel Disks as the battle commenced—six of them displaying 4000; the seventh, 24000. Seven hands drew five cards each, and the air around all seven Duelists instantly turned electric with anticipation.

For Masumi, that anticipation was so palpable that she could feel the hairs on her neck standing on end. She knew full well the last words Ito had spoken to her in her last dream: you will either win … or you will die. One way or another, this was to be their final battle—winner takes all. Whoever lost this Duel would lose for good—and she had no intention of losing tonight.

"Well, Masumi," Hokuto remarked, from the other side of Yaiba, "this is your party. Want to take the first turn?"

The Fusion user was already reaching for a card in her hand. "You didn't even have to ask," she laughed daringly. "We'll all take our turns before Ito: I'll go first, then Yaiba, you—and finally, Hotene, Shen and Fuyu. That way, it'll be that much harder for Ito to deal with our field, since he won't be able to attack anything we have on his first turn—but whatever he Summons, we can attack, and cripple his Life Points before he can lower ours!

"Now!" Masumi yelled. "I activate the Spell Card: Gem-Knight Fusion! I choose to fuse the Gem-Knights Ganet and Obsidia in my hand for a Fusion Summon!" Two burly figures, respectively clad in red and black suits of armor, soared into the vortex that had formed above her, lost to sight in an instant.

"Crystal of burning resolve! Sharp jet-black darkness!" declared Masumi. "In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance!

"Fusion Summon! The one who pursues justice! Gem-Knight Rubyz!"

The gleaming battleaxe of the giant, scarlet-armored Fusion Monster (Level 6: ATK 2500/DEF 1400) swung through the air, and Rubyz let out a threatening growl as his eight-foot-tall form stepped between Masumi and the flaming shadow, hefting the blade of his weapon directly at Ito.

"Next, Gem-Knight Obsidia's effect!" Masumi cried out. "If it's sent from my hand to the Graveyard for any reason, I can target a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon that target! I choose Ganet!

"Then," she added, as Ganet (Level 4: ATK 1900/DEF 0) sailed out of a dark portal and alongside Rubyz, "I activate the other effect of the Gem-Knight Fusion in my Graveyard! By banishing 1 Gem-Knight monster in my Graveyard, I can return it back to my hand! So I'll banish Obsidia!"

No sooner had it been placed back in her hand than: "Now, I'll activate Gem-Knight Fusion again! This time, I'll fuse the Gem-Knight Ganet on my field with the Gem-Knight Sanyx in my hand for a second Fusion Summon!"

The hurricane of light that had vanished bare moments ago now reappeared just as quickly, sucking in Ganet and a second, red- and white-banded knight while Masumi shouted to the heavens:

"Crystal of burning resolve! Gem of crimson fire! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance!

"Fusion Summon! The one who pursues retribution! Gem-Knight Madeira!"

The bronze-armored monster that leapt from the vortex was bigger and broader than Rubyz, if not quite as strong (Level 7: ATK 2200/DEF 1950). In place of a massive axe, it wielded a equally huge blade of sizzling red-hot metal, clenched tightly in one of its molten fists as it landed next to Rubyz. The heat it exuded felt like a warm furnace—which in the freezing cold of this dream was a paradise to Masumi.

Two Fusion Monsters on her first turn was a good opening start—not the best she'd ever had, but good enough. Rubyz' effect would provide Masumi the chance to punch a hole in Ito's sizable LP—to the point where further attacks might be able to keep Ito from paying any LP to make one of her friends switch sides. Madeira's effect, on the other hand, would allow her to bypass any nasty traps or card effects Ito might have lying in wait for her. Then, if she drew a monster next turn, Masumi could Summon that, then Tribute it with Rubyz' effect to increase its ATK, delivering yet more damage.

Satisfied with her field so far, she looked at the last card in her hand. Perfect. "I set one card," Masumi said, slotting Gem Enhance into her Duel Disk, "and I end my turn. Yaiba, you're up!"

"It's about time!" Yaiba grinned. "First, I'll summon XX-Saber Boggarknight in Attack Position!" A tough-looking humanoid in spiky silver armor and a vivid red cape charged to his side (Level 4: ATK 1900/DEF 1000), slicing its sword through the air.

"Since Boggarknight was Normal Summoned, I can activate its effect," said Yaiba, "and Special Summon a Level 4 or lower X-Saber monster from my hand—and I'll choose to Summon the Tuner monster XX-Saber Fulheimknight!"

A swirl of red appeared beside Fulheimknight, revealing a tough-looking blonde woman in orange armor, wearing a cloak much like Boggarknight's, and carrying a segmented, many-edged weapon that looked equal parts sword and flail (Level 3: ATK 1300/DEF 1000).

All right! Masumi thought. He's going to Synchro Summon on his first turn!

"I'm not done!" Yaiba went on. "Since I control two X-Saber monsters, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll from my hand!" Fulheimknight and Boggarknight leapt aside to make room for the huge man in red powered armor that had just entered the field (Level 6: ATK 2400/DEF 1800). Faultroll swung a glowing sword as long as Masumi was tall, and likely just as heavy; he, too, growled menacingly at Ito as he took up position.

"Now," said Yaiba, the grin on his face wider than ever, "I'll tune my Level 4 Boggarknight with my Level 3 Fulheimknight!" The blonde warrior disappeared in a flash of light, transforming into a trio of orbs that leapt into the air, widening into emerald rings as Yaiba began to intone:

"Wielder of crossed blades of light! Trample over this mountain of corpses!"

"Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! X-Saber Souza!"

The earth shook beneath the footfalls of the new arrival: a giant of a man in a tattered red cape and gunmetal-gray armor, grinning like a demon as it slashed twin swords through the air (Level 7: ATK 2500/DEF 1600).

"And I'm still getting started!" Yaiba crowed. "Once per turn, I can activate Faultroll's effect, and Special Summon a Level 4 or lower X-Saber from my Graveyard! I choose to revive XX-Saber Fulheimknight!"

Masumi felt her face split in a grin despite herself. He's going to do it, she thought excitedly, watching Faultroll stab the earth with its massive blade, opening a portal through which the graceful figure of Fulheimknight sailed.

"Now," continued Yaiba, "I'm going to tune my Level 6 Faultroll with my Level 3 Fulheimknight!" For the second time in as many minutes, Fulheimknight disintegrated into three rings of glowing green light, settling around Faultroll:

"Let your silver armor shine!" Yaiba yelled. "Crush the hope of all who oppose you!

"Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 9! XX-Saber Gatmuz!"

The new Synchro Monster easily dwarfed Souza; easily fifteen feet tall, and clad head to toe in serrated armor that looked every bit as sharp as the massive sword slung over its crimson-cloaked back (Level 9: ATK 3100/DEF 2600). Gatmuz roared a taunting battle cry at the shadow that faced it; Masumi had to wonder why Ito wasn't knocking his flaming knees together in fear by now at the already daunting field he was facing.

"One card face down, and I end my turn," Yaiba finished, breathing heavily as he slotted in one last card. "What do you say, Hokuto? Think you can top that?"

The Xyz Duelist's smirk looked so authentic that for a moment, Masumi forgot Hokuto wasn't actually real, and it was to her chagrin that she remembered how he'd come to be in her dream in the first place. "I'm tempted to try," he said, "but I'd rather save my best for last.

"First," he declared, swiping several cards on his blade, "the Continuous Spell Cards: Sacred Belt, and Star Sign of the Sacred! Sacred Belt's effect prevents the effects of any LIGHT monster on the field from being negated! Next, I Normal Summon Sacred Gredi in Attack Position!" A slender, horned figure in silver-white armor took shape in front of him, carrying a diamond-headed mace in its right hand (Level 4: ATK 1600/DEF 1400).

"When Gredi is Normal Summoned, I can activate its effect," Hokuto continued, and Special Summon a Level 4 Sacred monster from my hand! I'll Special Summon Sacred Kaust!" Beside him, a silver-armored centaur grasping a golden bow galloped out of thin air, and took up position next to Gredi (Level 4: ATK 1800/DEF 1700).

So he's bringing that monster out on his first turn, Masumi thought with a smirk. That will definitely slow Ito down.

"Sacred Kaust's effect!" shouted Hokuto. "Up to twice per turn, I can target a monster I control, and either raise or lower its Level by 1! I choose to target both Gredi and Kaust, and raise their Levels by 1!"

Kaust fired two arrows from its bow in quick succession. Each one arced skyward, lost to sight straightaway—then, Masumi closed her eyes from the sudden brightness of the explosions that had flared in the sky. Pyrotechnics rained down upon the field, showering both of Hokuto's monsters in stardust; a few seconds later, Masumi's Duel Disk confirmed that both of their Levels were now 5. She grinned in anticipation.

"Now, using the Level 5 Sacred Gredi and Sacred Kaust," Hokuto declared, "I construct the Overlay Network!" Both of his monsters glowed with yellow light, disintegrating into glowing afterimages of one another as they were sucked into the multicolored galaxy that had suddenly erupted at Hokuto's feet from out of nowhere.

"Light of the stars," he chanted, lightning and thunder erupting around him, "descend and shake this very earth!

"Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Sacred Pleiades!"

Another armored knight, half as tall again as either of the Materials that now orbited its body, sailed out of the portal and landed next to Hokuto with a crunch of pulverized asphalt (Rank 5: ATK 2500/DEF 1500). The mirror-polished blade of the golden weapon it carried glinted with the light of the alien sky above as Pleiades swung it about with absolute grace.

Of the Extra Deck monsters that had yet been Summoned in this Duel, Masumi knew that Pleiades was almost certainly the most powerful of them. Where her monsters and Yaiba's relied more on strength and aggression, Hokuto's Pleiades relied more on its Xyz Materials, which could be detached to return any card on the field to the hand. Even if Ito brought out any one of his Fusion Monsters, Hokuto could simply activate his monster's effect before they had a chance to attack—and poof, no more Midrash, no more Egrysta. Best of all, because Extra Deck monsters couldn't exist in the hand, they had to go back to the Extra Deck, making them harder to Summon on account of their previous Materials being far out of reach in the Graveyard.

"Because I Summoned a Sacred Xyz Monster," Hokuto continued, "the effect of my Star Sign of the Sacred now activates, and lets me draw a card!" That card was added to his hand with a flourish. Hokuto briefly inspected the card, shrugged, and slid it into his Duel Disk. "I'll Set that card to end my turn."

"Me next, me next, me next!" Hotene blurted out the moment Hokuto had finished his turn; the little girl had been bouncing on the soles of her feet for what must have been ages, clearly eager to show what she could do.

"First, I Summon Spirit Beast Tamer Elder in Defense Position!" The grizzled man that Masumi had seen Hotene play once before now appeared again before the tiny Duelist, sitting cross-legged—his carved staff in his lap—and looking quite serene in contrast to the armored figures around him (Level 2: ATK 200/DEF 1000).

"Spirit Beast Tamer Elder's effect activates when it's Normal Summoned," explained Hotene, "an' lets me do a second Normal Summon this turn! An' I'm gonna Summon … Noble Spirit Beast Kannahawk!"

Masumi whirled in her direction. Kannahawk?! She'd never seen Hotene play a monster with that name at any point this afternoon—and certainly not during their Duel! The Fusion Duelist stared wild-eyed as a black-winged bird swooped down next to Elder, its dark plumage sparking with electricity (Level 4: ATK 1400/DEF 600).

"Once per turn, Kannahawk's effect lets me banish a card from my Deck," Hotene said, swiping a card from her Deck and sliding it into a compartment in her Duel Disk. "An' then, during the second Standby Phase after I activated this effect, that card is added to my hand!"

Masumi frowned. That was a rather slow effect, she thought, not at all up to speed with the modern Duel Monsters game these days. She must be planning something, she thought.

"Now," Hotene smirked, "I can banish my Elder an' my Kannahawk to Summon this!"

Masumi realized what was about to happen even before Kannahawk stretched out its sparking right wing, offering it to the Elder, who was reaching out with his left hand just enough so that his fingers just barely grazed the feathers of Kannahawk. Then, a blinding white light obscured them both, forcing Masumi to shield her eyes again.

"When the bond between man and beast is at its strongest," Hotene recited, "the howling wind will be united with the unshakable pillar of wisdom!"

"Contact Fusion! Appear! Tamed Spirit Beast Kannahawk!"

Several things happened at that point: the light from the two monsters' union had faded, replaced by an older, more majestic-looking Kannahawk, large enough for the Elder that had been fused with it to sit comfortably upon its neck (Level 6: ATK 1400/DEF 1600). Lightning arced from Kannahawk's wings, blinding Masumi while the thunder echoed painfully in her ears.

But even through the shock of seeing a whole new Fusion Monster from Hotene, a greater shock lay fifty feet in front of Masumi. For Ito had seen the spectacle as well—but the entity's reaction had been almost the same as Masumi's; it was apparent that Ito had not been expecting Hotene to Summon this monster at all.

"Magnificent … " Masumi could hear it whisper amidst the continual crackle of Kannahawk's lightning. Had she been hearing things, or did Ito sound almost reverent just now? Was the act of Contact Fusion unknown even to a Duelist whose mastery of Fusion exceeded even Masumi's own?

"I'm just getting started, hothead!" Hotene taunted Ito. "I'm activating Kannahawk's effect! I can return this card to my Extra Deck, an' then Special Summon two of my banished monsters if I do! I Special Summon Noble Spirit Beast Kannahawk in Attack Position an' Spirit Beast Tamer Elder in Defense Position! Contact Out!"

Masumi's confusion increased further still as she watched Elder dismount from Kannahawk, separating into two monsters once again (Level 4: ATK 1400/DEF 600; Level 2: ATK 200/DEF 1000).

What on earth is that girl doing? she wondered. She Fusion Summons a monster, only to de-fuse it moments later?

"Now, I'll activate Noble Spirit Beast Kannahawk's effect again!" said Hotene, swiping a card from her Deck. "I banish a card from my Deck, an' after two of my Standby Phases, it's added to my hand! Then, I'm gonna banish Kannahawk and Elder once again!"

Huh? Masumi was well and truly lost now as she watched both the old man and the bird reach for one another a second time, and just barely touch.

"Contact Fusion! Appear! Tamed Spirit Beast Kannahawk!"

Once again, the regal hawk and its loyal rider soared into the air (Level 6: ATK 1400/DEF 1600) emitting enough electricity to power a small town. The whole time, Masumi had kept her gaze trained on Ito; though she could not see the entity's face, this time she was certain Ito was very happy to see Kannahawk's reappearance—too happy.

Something isn't right here.

"Now I'll activate Kannahawk's other effect," Hotene continued, swiping cards hither and thither. "Once per turn, I can target two of my banished cards, an' return them to the Graveyard—an' then, I can add a Spirit Beast card from my Deck to my hand!" A single card jutted from the little girl's Deck, swiped up in her stubby fingers.

"I'll Set that card, an' one more card, an' then I'll end my turn," she finished as she placed two cards in her Duel Disk, grinning fit to burst at having achieved two Contact Fusions in a row—if only for the exact same monster. "Okay, Shen-chan! Let's have some fun!"

"'Shen' will do just fine, thank you very much," the Synchro user said shortly as he slid a pair of cards onto his own Duel Disk. "Now, then. First, I will activate the Continuous Spell: Dracomet Leyline. Next, I will Summon the Tuner monster Jiaotu, Dracomet of Darkness in Attack Position."

Masumi watched the familiar sinuous form of Jiaotu swirl onto the field (Level 2: ATK 0/DEF 2000) while Shen continued, "Since I control no other monsters, I may activate the effect of Jiaotu: by sending two Dracomet cards from my hand to the Graveyard, I may Special Summon two more Dracomet monsters from my Deck—one with 0 ATK; the other with 0 DEF—although they will be banished during the End Phase of this turn. I will send Bixi, Dracoment of Water, and Pulao, Dracomet of Wind from my hand to the Graveyard—and then I will Special Summon Taotie, Dracomet of Evil and the Tuner monster Liwen, Dracomet of Light.

"In addition," Shen went on, as two more shimmering dragons began to phase into being on either side of Jiaotu, "Dracomet Leyline gains effects according to the number of different original Attributes possessed by all Dracomet monsters in my Graveyard. When there are two such attributes, for example, all Dracomet monsters I control will gain 500 ATK."

At the exact moment Jiaotu's ATK strength was bumped up to 500, its cohorts took physical form: on its left, the snarling, tattooed bulk of Taotie (Level 5: ATK 2200 » 2700/DEF 0); to its right, the tiny, shining scales of Liwen (Level 1: ATK 0 » 500/DEF 0). Masumi observed the field, deep in thought.

He got both his Tuners on the field that quickly? That was risky—especially if he wasn't able to use his Liwen this turn. A banished Tuner was worse than useless in a Synchro Deck if its owner didn't have a way to bring it back.

"Now," said Shen, "I will tune my Level 5 Taotie with my Level 2 Jiaotu!" Both dragons soared into the night sky, the smaller of the pair dividing into a pair of rings that encircled its companion as Shen chanted:

"Seething phantom of darkness. Reach out from the void, and devour the unworthy with your shadow!

"Synchro Summon! Descend from the stars! Level 7! Yaizer, Dracomet of Wickedness!"

A flash of green lightning from the glowing remnants of Taotie illuminated the monster that lay beyond: gray scales and rippling muscle, every inch of the dragon's body ablaze with crackling energy (Level 7: ATK 2600 » 3100/DEF 2100). Blood-red eyes narrowed at the burning shadows that made up Ito's form.

It certainly was imposing, Yaizer, thought Masumi as she stared at the creature; however, there was a big problem. Activating Yaizer's effect required Ito to have a monster on its field; since Ito hadn't even played a card yet, that effect couldn't be activated until Shen's next turn. By that point, the only other monster on Shen's field right now—Liwen—would be banished because of Jiaotu's effect—

She suddenly stopped as it hit her. No—no, it would not.

"Next," Shen declared, "I will tune my Level 7 Yaizer with my Level 1 Liwen!" For the second time, two dragons soared high into the air. Liwen performed a rapid loop-the-loop as its shimmering body instantly streamlined into a single ring that encircled the far larger Yaizer

"Shining phantom of light," rumbled Shen. "Unleash your true power, and give birth to a radiance that consumes all in its path!

"Synchro Summon! Descend from the stars! Level 8! Gongfu, Dracomet of Brightness!"

Masumi inwardly cheered as she watched Shen's ace monster glide gracefully onto the field (Level 8: ATK 2300 » 2800/DEF 2600). The glistening, golden-brown body of Gongfu reflected the light of the massive energy-threads strung miles above them, dazzling the field and making Masumi see stars.

"Next, I will activate the Spell Card: Dracomet Path," said Shen, apparently electing not to activate Gongfu's effect—presumably, Masumi guessed, because Ito controlled no cards to be shuffled back into the Deck. "I may target three Dracomet monsters in my Graveyard to return them back to my Deck; once I do, I will draw two cards."

Several cards were jutted here and slotted there, and before long, Shen was adding a pair of new draws to his hand. "Finally—"

"Ho-o-o-old on a sec!" Hotene suddenly cut in. "I was hoping you'd play something I could chain my cards to! Trap Card, activate: Ambushed Spirit Beasts! This lets me target a Noble Spirit Beast an' a Spirit Beast Tamer that's either banished or in my Graveyard—an' I can Special Summon them both in Defense Position! I choose to Summon Noble Spirit Beast Petolphin an' Spirit Beast Tamer Wen!"

Masumi blinked as two more monsters appeared from twin portals on either side of Kannahawk, disgorging the same pink dolphin and the same small girl Hotene had Summoned inside Gravity Sixteen earlier that day (Level 4: ATK 0/DEF 2000; Level 3: ATK 1500/DEF 1000). The repeated Summoning of Kannahawk, and Hotene's strategy, was immediately explained.

She planned this all along, Masumi thought, impressed. By first banishing those monsters with Noble Kannahawk's effect, Hotene could then set up her Graveyard with Tamed Kannahawk's effect. That must be how she got the Trap Card she just activated; after that, it was only a matter of waiting until one of us activated a card effect she could chain that trap to. Shen's Continuous Spell wasn't able to do that—but that Spell Card afterward was.

The Fusion Duelist surveyed the field, finding it hard to believe this girl was only nine years old—she was a Dueling prodigy, and no mistake about it. Still, her strategy wasn't completely perfect. Hotene won't be able to do anything with either monster this turn, if I remember their effects right—but it's still a nice defensive wall for now.

Not bad … not bad at all.

That was when Hotene yelled: "Quick-Play Spell: Bond with the Spirit Beast! I can banish two Spirit Beast monsters I control, an' Special Summon a Spirit Beast monster from my Extra Deck!"

Masumi's mouth fell open as fin and fingers touched one another, glowing with light. She's going to do another one—and on someone else's turn?!

"When the bond between man and beast is at its strongest," shouted Hotene, "the swirling tempest will be united with the purest mind of childhood!

"Contact Fusion! Appear! Tamed Spirit Beast Petolphin!"

Sure enough, just like in her previous Duel with Masumi, a large armored dolphin swam through the air, swirling around Hotene with a piercing squeak, while its rider brandished a staff at Ito (Level 6: ATK 200/DEF 2800).

Hotene giggled, sounding rather like the dolphin she'd just now Summoned. "Okay—I'm done now," she told Shen sweetly, batting her eyelashes while her smile threatened to swallow her head whole, messy hair and all.

Masumi wasn't about to blame her—that was a very nice trick Hotene had managed to pull off. Even the simplest of Battle Royales were all too often undone without proper communication among Dueling teams. Masumi had seen what happened when a lack of that communication caused Duelists to play cards that missed the timing, or otherwise didn't start chains because their effects didn't let them. That Hotene was so young, and knew so much about the intricacies of the Duel Monsters rules spoke volumes about her.

If Shen had been annoyed by how the tiny Duelist had upstaged him, he didn't show it in the slightest. "As I was saying," he said, "I will Set two cards, and end my turn." He placed the two cards he'd just drawn inside his Duel Disk, having had no other cards in his hand at the time. "By your leave, Rokkaku Fuyu."

The Xyz user jumped at the sound of his name. "Huh? Oh … right." He cleared his throat, taking a very deep breath and a very long look at Hokuto, before he made his move.

"First," he rasped, "I activate the Spell Card: Dual Summon—which lets me Normal Summon up to twice this turn. Then, I'll Normal Summon Satellarknight Vega in Attack Position." A purple-robed, white-gold armored figure that Masumi remembered seeing earlier that levitated to his side (Level 4: ATK 1200/DEF 1600).

"Once per turn, if Vega is Summoned," explained Fuyu, "I can Special Summon another tellarknight monster from my hand. I choose to Summon Satellarknight Deneb!" The graceful form of a winged, pure white humanoid joined Vega in front of Fuyu.

"Once per turn, if Deneb is Summoned, I can add another tellarknight monster from my Deck to my hand," Fuyu said, retrieving a card that his Deck had spat out at that precise moment. "I'll use my second Normal Summon on that monster—Satellarknight Altair!" To the other side of Vega, a second winged humanoid figure in white-gold armor settled into place on Fuyu's field (Level 4: ATK 1700/DEF 1300).

Masumi watched that field take shape with bated breath; Fuyu now had three Level 4 monsters—there was no way in hell he wasn't going to Xyz Summon this turn. She just hoped it wasn't going to be Triver—that was the absolute worst monster Fuyu could bring out in this situation. On top of automatically clearing the field when their opponent didn't control any monsters, its other effect was just too random; there was no guarantee that Fuyu wouldn't send the wrong card to the Graveyard—he'd be wasting an Overlay Unit for nothing. Nor could they run the risk that every single card in Ito's hand had a destruction effect that would almost certainly mess up their field presence.

However, she was not unduly worried. He wasn't that bad of a Duelist, no matter what Yaiba said about him being inconsistent; Masumi knew Fuyu wouldn't use Triver unless he had no other choice but to clear the field. Besides, he had Hokuto to rely on—if only an echo of him—and if the exchange she'd seen earlier was any indication, that was enough for Fuyu to ensure he wouldn't lose his head and commit any amateur mistakes.

"Now—with my Level 4 Altair, Deneb, and Vega," the Xyz Duelist cried, "I construct the Overlay Network!" All three Satellarknights burst into swirls of golden light, spiraling once around the field before they were sucked into the galaxy that had formed at his feet. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, all but drowning out Fuyu's chanting.

"Shining knight of the summer sky, whose blade was forged in the blazing wrath of the stars, cut down your foes with blinding light!"

"Xyz Summon! Come forth before us! Rank 4! Stellarknight Deltatheros!"

Within the darkness of the swirling Network, three rings of light extended outward, intersecting into a glowing, rapidly expanding triangle that burst from the vortex with the speed of a fallen star. Like the petals of some flower, the triangle unfolded into a broad shield taller than any Duelist in the alley, carried by the same ten-foot-tall warrior that had ended Fuyu's Duel against Masumi earlier tonight (Rank 4: ATK 2500/DEF 2100; ORU 3).

"Stellarknight Deltatheros' effect," Fuyu explained. "While any Overlay Units remain attached to it, no Duelist can activate cards or effects in response to any monsters I Summon—normally or otherwise."

In other words, none of his Summons can be negated, thought Masumi—and because they're all LIGHT monsters, Hokuto's Sacred Belt means their effects can't be negated when they're Summoned, either. She was beginning to understand why the two Xyz Duelists were so formidable in Battle Royales together.

"One card face-down, and I end my turn," finished Fuyu, exhaling as he slotted a card into his Duel Disk. "Not bad, huh, Hokuto-san?" His companion flashed a quick thumbs-up at him, beaming with pride.

Masumi couldn't fault Fuyu. Just about everyone save for herself and Hokuto had brought out their ace monsters upon their very first turn. It was quite possible that their field could not possibly be any stronger right now.

She did some mental arithmetic, adding up the total ATK values of all the monsters they controlled. The result was pleasantly surprising: just over nineteen thousand, as things stood right now—not quite enough to take out Ito in one blow, whether he Summoned any monsters or not. But that was assuming none of Masumi's friends Summoned any more monsters during their next turns, either—and Masumi herself could add a few thousand points of damage if her monsters attacked in the right order. If all went well, they could deal enough damage to Ito that—while still not enough to defeat him—would prevent the entity from paying enough Life Points to resurrect any fallen enemies.

But what happened next all depended on Ito—and damned if Masumi didn't think that made her uneasy.


"Finally, it's my turn," sighed Ito, placing one card onto its Duel Disk and sliding another in its Graveyard. "Quick-Play Spell: Special Hurricane. By discarding 1 card, I can destroy every Special Summoned monster on the field."

Masumi swore at the top of her voice—not even caring that there was a nine-year-old girl three Duelists away. Not that it would have mattered, anyway—the storm that had suddenly blown in from out of nowhere was loud enough that any Duelist cursing at their sudden misfortune wouldn't have been heard to do so at all.

I don't believe this! Masumi thought angrily as she watched Rubyz and Madeira disintegrate into hard-light dust, followed swiftly by Yaiba's Souza and Gatmuz, Hokuto's Pleiades, and who knew how many other monsters. One card—Ito plays one measly card, and our entire field just got blown out of the water! And the way Ito had been talking … it was almost as though he was anticipating they would Special Summon so many monsters.

Ugh … I knew something wasn't right about all this, she fumed. At least I still have Gem Enhance—if I draw a monster next turn, I can Tribute it to bring back Rubyz or Madeira. Probably Madeira, she decided; its effect would better protect it since she could attack next turn.

Besides, all was not lost just yet: "Tamed Spirit Beast Petolphin can't be destroyed by any card effects at all!" yelled Hotene over the shrieking wind, sticking out her tongue at the shadow entity. Masumi would normally have scolded her for the bad manners—but considering what Ito had just done, perhaps she could let it slide just this once.

"An' I'm also gonna chain Tamed Spirit Beast Kannahawk's effect to your Special Hurricane!" the tiny Duelist crowed. "I'll return it to my Extra Deck, an' then Special Summon two of my banished monsters in its place! I choose to bring back Noble Spirit Beast Kannahawk an' Spirit Beast Tamer Elder! Contact Out!"

Masumi had lost count how many times the old man (Level 2: ATK 200/DEF 1000) and his avian friend (Level 4: ATK 1400/DEF 600) had popped up by now, but she was glad they did. At least Hotene had some way of defending herself—as long as she had monsters to banish, Special Summon, and banish again, her Tamed Spirit Beasts were as good as invincible.

"I believe I will add to that chain, if you do not mind," Shen called out as the storm of Special Hurricane continued to rage on, revealing his face-down card; Masumi realized then that he too had lost his ace monster to Ito's Spell—Gongfu was nowhere to be seen. "Continuous Trap: Dracomet Creation. Whenever a Dracomet monster is destroyed by battle or card effect, I may Special Summon another Dracomet from my Deck. I choose to Summon Bi'an, Dracomet of Earth."

No sooner had he said this than the tiger-dragon Masumi had remembered seeing in the plaza earlier that afternoon shimmered into being (Level 3: ATK 1600 » 2100/DEF 0). So he still has a little bit of offense after losing Gongfu, she thought. That was good—the last thing any of them needed to be right now was completely defenseless.

And speaking of … but Fuyu was already speaking. "I'll chain Stellarknight Deltatheros' final effect to Dracomet Creation!" he rasped; Masumi had to hold up an ear to hear what the Xyz user was saying, so faint was his voice against the storm. "When it's sent from the field to the Graveyard for any reason, I can Special Summon a tellarknight monster from my Deck. I choose to Special Summon Satellarknight Unuk!" Moments later, a slender humanoid with a white-armored "tail" had leapt forth onto the field; Masumi raised an appreciative eyebrow at its ATK score (Level 4: ATK 1800/DEF 1000).

"Once per turn, when Unuk is Summoned," Fuyu went on, sliding a card out of his Deck and into a compartment on his Duel Disk, "I can send another tellarknight monster from my Deck to the Graveyard." As he did so, the winds of Special Hurricane finally died away, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging over the dreamscape.

Ito made a grumbling noise that sounded most unlike an anthropomorphic collection of shadow and flame. "If you are quite finished!" it snapped. "I do have a turn to complete, and I would rather complete it tonight, thank you."

"No one's stopping you," Masumi retorted. "Make your move, and be quick about it."

"I intend to," Ito hissed. "Now, the monster I discarded to activate Special Hurricane just so happened to be Shaddoll Beast. Once per turn, when it's sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can draw 1 card."

He did so. "And would you look at that," Ito smirked, revealing the card for all to see. "The Spell Card: Shaddoll Fusion. Of course I'll activate that! Because as you well know, Masumi, when my opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck—any opponent at all," he added, with a glance at Hotene and her Petolphin, "I can fuse monsters from my Deck in addition to my hand and field to perform a Fusion Summon! I choose to fuse Shaddoll Lizard and Shaddoll Hound from my Deck!"

Masumi caught the faintest glimpse of two purplish-black puppets, both suspended by glowing strings that pulled them inexorably into the familiar tempest of shadows and dark energy that heralded Ito's monsters.

"Dark threads of the otherworld," chanted the entity, "bind the shadows to your will! Fusion Summon!"

Here we go. Masumi bit her lip, ready for the inevitable.

"Extinguish the light of hope in the hearts of men! Rise now, El Shaddoll Midrash!"

The dragon-puppet that Masumi knew looked so much like Shen's Pulao, Dracomet of Wind emerged from the vortex, its golden beak snapping at thin air, growling at the Duelists before it (Level 5: ATK 2200/DEF 800).

Masumi stole a quick glance at Hotene, who'd uttered a soft cry just now; her curly hair had completely deflated, and her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. For the first time, Hotene actually looked scared, and the Fusion user couldn't blame her in the slightest.

"It's okay, Hotene," she called out, trying her best to soothe the girl even as Midrash's bulbous eyes leered down at them. "The big bad dragon's not going to hurt you." That, at least, was true; Petolphin was one of the best shields a Duelist could hope to have in this situation—a high-DEF monster that couldn't be destroyed by card effects.

"If I were you, I wouldn't go around making promises you can't keep," Ito's voice sneered at them; somehow while Masumi had been occupied with Hotene, the sentient mass of flaming shadows had leapt atop Midrash, standing between the puppet-dragon's horns like some horrible imitation of a conquering hero.

"Now, then—Shaddoll Lizard's effect! Once per turn, when it's sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can send another Shaddoll monster from my Deck to the Graveyard—and that monster will be Shaddoll Hedgehog." The entity slid a card into its Graveyard slot. "Now for Shaddoll Hedgehog's effect—once per turn, when it's sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can add a Shaddoll card from my Deck to my hand." An instant later, one such card jutted outward from Ito's Deck, and was snatched up a moment later.

"And lastly, Shaddoll Hound's effect," Ito went on. "Once per turn, when it's sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can change the battle position of any monster on the field—for instance, that Tamed Spirit Beast Petolphin!" A vaguely canine shadow lanced outward from where Ito stood, straight for Hotene's monster. The dolphin and its rider lurched upwards in an attempt to avoid it, signifying its switch into Attack Position.

Masumi was vexed, but not terribly so; Hotene had enough time to switch Petolphin back into Defense Position again if she ever felt the need. What concerned her more was that Ito had chosen to go after Hotene specifically; was it trying to scare the little girl? If that was true, the entity certainly appeared to be succeeding—the trembling Fusion Duelist Masumi now saw looked nothing like the willful, devil-may-care child she'd met in Trampo-Land.

"Now, I'll Normal Summon another Shaddoll Hound in Attack Position," declared Ito, as a second canine puppet materialized on its field (Level 4: ATK 1600/DEF 900), its head and legs bound by more glowing threads, which it snapped at to no avail; Masumi felt rather unnerved by the violent action.

"After that—Equip Spell: Nephe Shaddoll Fusion," Ito said. "I can activate this card by declaring an Attribute—let us say, FIRE—and by equipping this card to a Shaddoll monster like my Hound, it now becomes that Attribute!

"The next effect of Nephe Shaddoll Fusion," Ito told them, as Shaddoll Hound began to glow a bright orange color, "lets me fuse the equipped monster and any other Shaddoll in my hand or on my field for a Fusion Summon! I choose to fuse my Hound with the Shaddoll Dragon in my hand!"

Impulsively, Masumi bit her lip, not even caring that this was the first time she'd seen a Fusion Summon achieved with an Equip Spell. She knew what was coming next.

Another vortex of light and shadow bloomed over Ito's head, sucking in the Hound and turning it into a faint streak of whirling orange, swiftly joined by a sinuous dragon-like shape of formless blackness:

"Dark threads of the otherworld," the entity bellowed, "bind the flames to your will! Fusion Summon!"

Masumi held her breath, bracing her body and mind for the appearance of the giant that was coming—whose shadow she could see taking shape inside the hurricane—

"Burn away the foes who dare to defy your power! Rise now, El Shaddoll Egrysta!"

When it came, Egrysta leapt out of the vortex at such a great height that its massive shadow was cast over Masumi and the other five Duelists alongside her. Seconds later, the car-sized feet of Ito's Fusion Monster shook the earth, causing everyone to stumble as the corroded warrior drew itself to its full, building-sized height (Level 7: ATK 2450/DEF 1950).

"Shaddoll Dragon's effect activates!" Ito howled. "Once per turn, when it's sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can target a Spell or Trap Card on the field, and destroy it—so I think I'll target your face-down card, Masumi!"

Damn it. Masumi knew she could not activate Gem Enhance now, having no monsters to Tribute to activate its effect. Cursing Ito, she slid the card into her Graveyard slot.

"I set one card face-down, and I end my turn," Ito finished at long last, slipping a card into his own Duel Disk—leaving a suddenly vulnerable Masumi unsure as to what she was supposed to do from here. She was handless, fieldless … as defenseless as defenseless could be.

I need to be beyond lucky with this next draw, she thought with a long look at the top card of her Deck, or I am dead.


Beside her, Yaiba was eyeing Ito's Fusion Monsters with an expression of great unease. "I don't get it," he huffed. "He goes to all that trouble to Fusion Summon two monsters in one turn—but neither one looks all that strong. Big, sure"—he cast a look at Egrysta—"in fact, really, really big … but not strong. What gives?"

"This is no ordinary Field Spell Ito's using," explained Masumi. "Cursed Shadow's Snare is the very core of his Shaddoll Deck. Look at our monsters." She'd almost forgotten about that blasted Field until Yaiba had mentioned the comparative strength of Ito's field presence; a quick look downwards at the large number of shadows spreading out from the monsters her friends had Summoned immediately confirmed her suspicions.

Yaiba now saw them too, and looked even more concerned. "Every time a card effect sends one of his monsters to the Graveyard," Masumi told him, "this Field of his gains a counter that weakens our monsters' ATK during each of our turns—you see those shadows?" She pointed to Hotene's Petolphin—the nearest monster to them—and counted the shadows that spread out from underneath the dolphin's hovering form. "Six of them—one for every Shaddoll Ito sent. That means while it's our turn, every monster we Summon automatically loses 600 ATK."

The Synchro user winced. "That's a game-changer, all right," he sighed. "I've been in more Duels than I can count where 600 ATK ended up being the difference between a win and a loss."

"It gets worse," Masumi said sullenly. "This Field is also what lets Ito use our monsters in his Fusion Summons. All he has to do is remove three of those counters—and you saw how quickly it took him to get twice that many."

Yaiba stared at Ito, looking rather pale. "How do we beat something like this?"

"Good question." Hokuto had been listening in, and his gaze was fixed on Masumi even as he spoke. "Is there anything more that you can tell us about these Shaddolls, Masumi?"

Masumi shook her head. "Not enough." She gestured at Midrash and Egrysta. "I don't know much about these Fusion monsters here, for one thing—I never lasted long enough against them to find out their effects."

"Ito never used their effects on you?"

"No. I did try looking them both up in the database after the first duel I had against them," Masumi told him. "But I still didn't find anything on them. That's what's been bothering me about this whole thing. Someone goes through all the trouble of classifying this entire Deck … but then purges it from the Duel Monsters database anyway. Cards, strategies … even the Duelist who used them. Gone. No one else knows anything about these Duel Mon … "

She never heard her voice trail off into nothingness, nor was she aware of Yaiba and Hokuto looking expectantly at her, waiting for her to finish. Her gaze had locked tightly on Ito; her stomach seemed to be dropping through an endless abyss as an unpleasant realization had suddenly occurred to her …

"I am an idiot," she blurted out, making Yaiba jump. "It was right in front of me this whole time! No one else knows anything about these Duel Monsters … except the Duelist who uses them!"

She took a step forward. "Isn't that right, Ito?!"

The chuckle that issued from the entity was colder than any winter on earth. "I was beginning to think you'd never figure it out," it hissed, every word oozing with barely suppressed mirth. "Gaining access to your database took a great deal more effort than I thought, and I knew sooner or later someone was going to notice such sloppy work. You're as brilliant as any diamond out there, Koutsu Masumi. I'm glad you were the one to find me first."

The Fusion user ignored the compliment. Ito was the hacker, a stunned voice inside her head kept saying over and over again. Ito was the one who altered the database. It was him all along.

… But how is that even possible? Masumi thought, totally confused. Who the hell is this guy? What is he?!

"That having been said," Ito went on, "I don't like that you went all the way to the top just to make sure your voice was heard. When you got the chairwoman of LDS personally involved in this, you forced my hand—left me with no other choice but to employ some drastic measures. I'm quite lucky that I've come to know you so thoroughly, or we might not all be here tonight."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Yaiba shouted at him. "You're just part of a dream. You're nothing but a figment of Masumi's imagination—you couldn't possibly know anything about what she's done!"

"Oh, I am very real, I can assure you that," Ito smirked. "Masumi's known I was real ever since she found out about the database being altered—haven't you, my dear?"

Silence. Masumi sensed five pairs of eyes slowly being trained upon her.

"Masumi?" Shen's dark eyes were like flint. "Is this true?"

She couldn't speak—a lump had worked its way into her throat. "I … I don't know," she choked out. "I want so badly to believe I'm wrong … but I just don't … I don't …

I don't want to admit it's possible because there's no way it can be possible how can Ito exist in the real world and the dream world at the same time why is he doing this to me

why

WHY

WHY

"Masumi!" She felt a pair of rough hands shake her shoulders.

"Don't let him get to you!" Yaiba bellowed at her, spittle flying in her face. "This is not the time to fall to pieces—we've still got a Duel to finish here. And if you aren't in any shape to Duel Ito, then none of us have a chance!"

The Synchro Duelist stopped shaking Masumi; stars were dancing in her eyes as she tottered to her feet—when had she fallen? Had she lost her balance just now? She didn't bother asking—she knew Yaiba was right. This was no time to panic.

Slowly—once, twice, thrice, and again—she took a deep breath, at once calming her nerves and allowing her mind to focus. Her eyes took in the field—on both her side and Ito's. She noted the monsters, their positions and their strength; while she did so, her fingers slowly but surely reached for her Deck.

Grind out the preform … it all came down to this one single card … sand away the edges … if this was the card she needed, then she might just survive to make a counterattack … lap at the surface … if it was any other card, then there was nothing she could do against the onslaught of Fusion …

"My … TURN!"

Polish for good measure.

Et voilà.

Filled with a sudden invigoration of hidden strength, Masumi slapped her card on the Duel Disk with such violence that her palm stung for moments afterwards. "I summon Gemresis in Attack Position!" she shrieked as the glinting armor of her armadillo-like monster uncurled into a threatening stance (Level 4: ATK 1700/DEF 500).

"Don't forget about my Cursed Shadow's Snare," chided Ito; as if on cue, half a dozen tendrils of translucent shadow now spread out from Gemresis' claws, lowering its ATK to a mere 1100—but Masumi didn't care.

"Gemresis' effect activates when it's Normal Summoned," she told Ito, "and lets me add a Gem- monster from my Deck to my hand!" And I know exactly which monster to find, she thought.

Once she'd searched it out successfully: "Now I activate the effect of the Gem-Knight Fusion in my Graveyard! I'll banish Gem-Knight Ganet to return Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand!"

Several swiped cards later: "Now, I'll activate that Gem-Knight Fusion! I can send monsters in my hand or my field to my Graveyard for a Fusion Summon! I choose to fuse the Rock-Type Gemresis on my field … with this second copy of Gem-Knight Obsidia in my hand!"

It was the perfect counter, she thought in elation. Only one monster in her Deck could be Fusion Summoned with this particular combination of monsters—Gem-Knight Zirconia. It didn't have any powerful effect to its name—or any effect at all, for that matter. What it did have was 2900 ATK—just enough to take out Ito's Midrash, no matter how many of those damned monsters he'd sent to his Graveyard. And even better—

"El Shaddoll Egrysta's effect!"

Masumi's mind skidded to a halt as she heard Ito roar the words. Uh-oh.

The derision in the entity's voice could have cut diamonds. "Once per turn," Ito said, "I can negate the Special Summon of a monster, destroy that monster, and then send a Shaddoll card from my hand to the Graveyard!"

No! Masumi didn't know whether her mind or her mouth had spoken the single word—all that was racing through her mind was the one hope she had of regaining control in this Duel … gone in a flash before her very eyes.

"I negate the Summon of your Fusion Monster—and then, I send Shaddoll Hedgehog from my hand to the Graveyard," Ito smirked. The pleasure in its voice at having robbed Masumi of her chance made her skin crawl. "Shaddoll Hedgehog's effect now activates, and lets me add a Shaddoll card from my Deck to my hand."

Masumi was no longer listening to him, though. Zirconia—once destined for the chance of finally breaking through Ito's defenses—was reluctantly relegated to her Graveyard with fumbling fingers. But all was not lost yet.

"Gem-Knight Obsidia's effect," she growled. "When it's sent from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Gem-Knight Normal Monster in my Graveyard—and it just so happens there's one in my Graveyard now!"

Gem-Knight Sanyx was one of an especially rare subtype of monsters known as a Dual monster. These monsters were treated as Normal Monsters in the hand or Graveyard, as well as on the field—however, they could all be Normal Summoned while they were still on the field, provided their controller hadn't already used the one Normal Summon allowed by the rules of the game.

Masumi was well aware she'd already used that Normal Summon to bring out her Gemresis. Sanyx, however, was only one of three Dual monsters in her Deck. All three of them synergized with one another to some degree—but bringing them all out was often so slow that she rarely had the chance to take full advantage of any of their Dual effects.

But something was wrong—her Graveyard wasn't ejecting Sanyx. Confounded, Masumi tried forcing the slot open, but to no avail. She wondered if maybe her Duel Disk might have malfunctioned; such complex machines needed regular, proper maintenance, and Masumi was not as devoted to the laborious task as she knew she ought to be.

What the hell?!

A sudden flashing from her Duel Disk distracted her—and moments later, her confusion had redoubled. "A Dueling error?" she repeated, reading the tiny message bubble that had appeared on the screen. "What's going on here?!"

"El Shaddoll Midrash's effect." Ito's sneer felt colder than ever as he stroked the horns of his puppet steed. "While it remains on the field, it cannot be destroyed by my opponents' card effects … and no Duelist can Special Summon more than once per turn."

"No way!" Yaiba and Fuyu shouted in perfect unison.

Neither boy was alone; the revelation of Midrash's effect had sown outright pandemonium among Masumi and her allies. Hotene's jaw was slack, her mouth in a perfectly circular O. Shen's dark eyes were wide beneath his hairless brow—the most emotion he'd yet shown up to this point. Masumi herself was rooted to the ground, shell-shocked.

"You can't be serious," she could only whisper—there had to be limits to how utterly broken a card's effect was! She'd never come across an effect this nasty since … since … it was on the tip of her tongue … when was the last time she'd faced a monster with such a devastating effect?

"Well, of course I'm being serious," Ito hissed from atop Midrash's head. There was no longer any pleasure in the entity's voice, only an icy, malevolent venom that stabbed at Masumi's insides like so many thousands of needles. "It's long past time that someone had to be, when it came to turning your knowledge of Dueling against you. You at the Leo Duel School pride yourselves on the monopoly you hold over Extra Deck Summoning. My Deck was created specifically to take that monopoly away from you—Fusion, Synchro, Xyz … even Pendulum Summoning.

"To put it quite simply," growled Ito, "I was born and bred to defeat the likes of you!"

"He's right, Masumi." Yaiba's face had gone as white as chalk. "We're in trouble. As long as Ito has those two monsters out, we can't Special Summon any monsters at all. Not one. That means no Synchro—

"—no Xyz—" growled Hokuto.

"—and no Fusion," realized Masumi, swearing under her breath again as the full ramifications of this turn of events sank in. Even if we do manage to Special Summon anything, she thought, Ito will just negate it with Egrysta, fill his Graveyard with even more Shaddolls, which is going to weaken our monsters even further with that Field Spell … and that makes even our Normal Summoned monsters in danger of being used as Fusion Material themselves …

As if that wasn't enough, we're in a dream—which means all the damage we take in this Duel might as well be real.

Her jaw went slack. " … We're in trouble," she echoed Yaiba. There's no possible way things can get any worse.

"If that's what you really think, then you're all just as arrogant as the rest of your school," Ito scoffed. "None of you even know the meaning of the word 'trouble'—because your friend is wrong, Masumi. I am more than a mere figment—and you are in more than just a mere dream."

"What are you talking about?" an incensed Yaiba shouted. "Stop playing games—what do you have against my friend?"

"Nothing at all," said Ito. "She and I are so very much alike, you know. Two Duelists, unparalleled in their mastery of Fusion Summoning … I knew that it was only a matter of time before she would come to seek me out. It's only natural that power should be attracted to a much greater power."

Seek out Ito?! Masumi was hopelessly confused now—between the sudden shift in the Duel and Ito's continued taunting, it was a wonder her brain was still functioning.

"Why would I want to seek out someone like you?!" she snarled. "I told you, I want nothing to do with you or what you represent! You've already admitted you're connected to the Fusion Dimension," she added, to looks of blank shock from her friends. "As far as I'm concerned, that makes you one of the invaders that destroyed the lives of people I hold very dear to me!"

She took the time to glance at Hokuto out of the corner of her eye. "You are a monster, Ito," Masumi spat. "Maybe you're innocent of the crimes that those Duelists committed, but in my eyes, you're still just as guilty as they are for letting those crimes happen. I swear on my honor as a Duelist that I will make you answer for them!"

Ito laughed, long and loud—a high-pitched laugh that sent spikes of ice down Masumi's spine.

"You ask me about 'why'?" it hissed. "Don't you remember why you came to see me in the first place?"

"Why do you care?" Masumi shot back. "Besides, you were the one who came to see me first!"

"Was I?" Ito's voice was dangerously soft. "Look behind you."

Something in that tone of voice told Masumi she should do everything in her power not to—but a small part of her was certain she already knew what she would find. Slowly, on leaden legs, she turned on her heel … and felt her stomach plummet right out of her body when she saw it:

I, MÆTH

"That's why you came to see me." Ito's whisper felt deafeningly loud. "All this time, you've been in search of æmæth: the truth of God … never knowing that what you might find would lead you to your end—to mæth."

But Masumi paid it no heed. Her mind was working at light speed, swallowed up, spat back out, and swallowed up once more by the gigantic letters that continued to stare back at her as though they were alive.

"You're so close now, Masumi," Ito breathed silkily in her ear, as if to a lover. "Use that brilliance to pierce the shadows that guard the truth. See the face behind the veil … and know that at long last, you have found æmæth."

Æmæthmæthtruth and death … Masumi had learned of æmæth first, even though she had not understood the meaning of the ancient Word until later … she had seen mæth as well, but not until after she'd learned of it from—

Grind.

Sand.

Lap.

Polish.

Et voilà.

Masumi whirled around so quickly she almost lost her balance. "It can't be … " she mumbled.

But even as she stared wild-eyed at what was happening to Ito, she knew there was no other explanation. "This is … this is impossible … "

The walking fire-shadow was mutating once again before her. The inferno that made up Ito's body was smoothing out—each individual tongue of purple fire bending into rigid, solid shapes, stretching and contorting into images no flames could ever reproduce. Now the fire itself was slipping away, slowly cast off from the legs up like some exotic négligée, collecting on the cracked asphalt, forgotten …

Masumi could not move. Her limbs had been turned to lead; her lips felt as though they'd been sewn shut. All she could do was stare in horror at the newest incarnation of the nightmare that had tormented her for nights on end, and the days that followed, knowing its true form was far more terrifying than she had ever imagined …

Deep inside, she was now well aware that she'd been dead wrong: there was indeed a way that things could get much, much worse.

"I … am truth … " said the voice of Ito.

Like the last gasps of a sputtering candle, the violet shadow-flames that enveloped the entity were swept away from its formless head before disappearing entirely, extinguished at last. Masumi, trembling from head to toe, felt the last of her insides shrivel up as she finally saw the face lurking beneath …

"And I … am death," said the voice of Dr. Gwendolyn Grimm.


A/N: Full disclosure: I may be writing these next few chapters under the influence of Halestorm's 'Mz. Hyde'. I regret nothing.

So. We've come to the final Duel at last, and with it, the final reveal—or at least, the beginning of them both. There're still some questions to be asked in the chapters to come, a lot more answers to be given as well—and of course, weaving all these plot threads into a six-on-one Duel that hasn't even begun to get interesting will prove a right mountain to climb.

I'll be on holiday break over the next two weeks or so to visit the family (Star Wars VII, here I come!), so climbing that mountain's going to take a little more time. Two chapters in one week hasn't completely tired me out, but I don't want to take any more chances with another burnout.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Because the fun has just begun … (evil laughter) - K