A.N.: Thank you very much for everyone who reviewed! Thank you so much for the support! Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated and I'd be very glad if you constantly review, to tell me how the chapter went. So sorry for the long delay, but to make up for it, I've written a long chapter. This is a special chapter.
As always, flames will be laughed at and constructive criticism is welcome. Read and Review!
The
Hero
Chapter Nine
"…it may be time after all," he murmured, "…for another dragon to rise."
Mokuba gazed up at him, quietly awed, and he was then staring at the amulet that Seto had clutched in his tunic. "You mean to say… that your amulet… Is a dragon?" he carefully moved his eyes to the glittering white banner in the wind that seemed to defy all else, waving in its own audacious glow of white light. "…like the one in your banner?"
Seto said nothing in reply, knowing that no answer need be said. He turned back to where his opponent stood, now near the barricade, surrounded by five pages, who were busily attaching some extra pieces of armor on him, and fitting him with his headdress. The rubies on the black dragon helmet's eyes glinted menacingly as his sister supplied him with his five amulets of choice. Seto looked rather shabby as opposed to all that pomp, but there was something about the way he held himself that made the other prince—decked in gear as he was—somehow diminished.
Finally, the Prince of Wingild chose to acknowledge him again. "Do you assume to Duel me with such meager fittings?"
"Do you assume to look majestic by wearing black chunks of metal that will weigh you down the moment my Summons force you to be agile?" Seto easily replied.
There was a smattering of laughter and applause from the crowd at this, and the blond prince looked rather startled at the reply, before he collected himself again and replied haughtily, "Your Summons won't be able to let their claws fall upon me! You, Seto of Gilheim, have so far shown only one amulet of Magic and one amulet of Summon. I am armed with two Summons. My sister is armed with three amulets of Magic. Do you really think you stand a chance?"
And fearlessly, Seto looked him in the eye. "Yes."
There was a murmuring wave of whisperings, hissing out like small fires, up and down the crowd. Surely the odds were insanely overwhelming, and, confident as he was, there should be no way by which this Dueler could possibly hope to win.
Unless of course, there was something he wasn't telling anybody.
Screaming filled the arena as the crowd parted again, ducking the chunks of debris that were flying in from the battle. The ground shook violently, as though threatening to split. One after another, the crashes resounded on the whole arena as two great Summons continued their combat in the field.
The Raider that Seto had summoned and the Knight that was Jonouchi's summon—the knight was massive, heavily decked in great black chunks of armor that nearly made him impenetrable—continued to clash violently, the Raider slashing at the Knight, whose armor deterred most of the damage as he attacked in return. Though most notably, the Raider should have been more powerful than the Knight, the Lady Shizuka had called for a Magic amulet's assistance. A great sword had made itself apparent for the Knight's use, therefore making it stronger.
Seto leapt backwards, his sandals skidding on the dusty earth. He glared at the Knight that had yet again tried to slash at him directly and was stopped by his Raider from doing so. He found, in effect, that his previous strategy of waiting to see what Jounouchi's Summon can do was not going to be applicable this time. The monarch that watched from the throne above had spiked his temper enough to want to finish this as soon as possible. Besides, Jounouchi was as reckless as he was overconfident, and had his Summon come at him at every viable opportunity. It would be a hindrance.
The axe and sword clashed again in a great flash of light and both Duelers were thrown backwards by the force of the power given out. Seto raised his broken shield to buffer most of the blow but Jounouchi's armor kept him so anchored that he barely moved three feet from where he was standing. When Seto lowered his shield, it must be confessed that he took quite a hit, though he kept standing, glaring at Jounouchi so that he could've set him aflame.
"Niisama!" Mokuba yelled, gripping the railing from where he was, alarmed. Seto's arm was bleeding. "Niisama, are you all right!"
This elicited no response from the teen on the field. Ryou raised himself up on the barrier, watching with a color-drained face. Anyone could see that he was injured, and that shield was no good now. Especially since its straps were what were causing the injury. "Seto!"
Seto was already unstrapping the shield from his arm as he ran down the field, circling Jounouchi his Raider hacking away at the Knight who was giving chase. Throwing the now useless shield down near the grate, he dived just in time to evade an incoming crack of marble from one of the columns that had just been smashed.
Jounouchi was getting impatient and he looked at his sister. "Come on! Let's strike him down!"
Shizuka, who was already looking rather apprehensive—her brother had never been held off for so long before—nodded and quickly raised another green-tinted amulet.
"Oh no you don't," Seto growled as he skidded to a stop. He grabbed his own Magic amulet and power blasted out of it before Shizuka had a chance to allow her card to take effect.
The arena was rocked by the power of Seto's typhoon. This time, more powerful than ever, people were forced to clutch to the railings and banisters. Lightning struck from the skies followed by deafening roars of thunder as the wind blew, howling at their ears. Shizuka screamed—the two amulets that she had been holding were blown away. At this Knight's sword of advantage now evaporated.
Seto's supporters in the arena erupted into deafening cheers. "He's done it!" Isono roared from his place, clapping a hand on his armored knee, much to the surprise of the other centurions. "That Knight's to be mincemeat now, I tell you!"
"Yeah, get him!" Mokuba shouted in jubilee, bouncing up and down.
"He's done it! Even at such odds, he's done it!" Ryou leapt up in delight in spite of himself in a most un-prince-like manner, so much so that the other nobles stared at him. He flushed deeply but was unable to keep the smile on his face as he looked out over the barricade, watching in excitement.
Even Seto couldn't help but smirk, seeing the prince so jubilant out of the corner of his eye. Over the powerful wind, Seto roared, "Raider! Slash the Knight now!"
And, in effect, the Raider charged with a deadly roar towards the Knight across from him, axe raised and poised to kill. Jounouchi swung around. "NOW, Shizuka!"
There was a split second of power. Then a tremendous crash that sent everyone leaping to their feet. Dusk billowed and exploded from the arena and there were cries and gasps all around as they realized that Seto's Summon seemed to have been swallowed up by the very earth—a deep hole had appeared in its path, obliterating it.
Gasps sounded at the arena as Jounouchi now gave a triumphant smirk at Seto. "There goes your Summon, Seto of Gilheim." He whipped out his armored hand. "You're now defenseless! It's time to end this! Knight—destroy that impudent Dueler!"
The Knight charged forward at Seto at shocking speed for one armed so heavily. Ryou leapt to his feet with a gasp, face paling as Seto made no move to evade the attack. "Seto!" he cried out. He would've leapt into the field had Anzu not had pulled him back over the barricade. "Are you crazy?" she demanded.
Ryou only tugged back his tunic, heart in his throat as he watched, horror-struck. Atemu raised his eyebrow from where he sat. Here it comes…
The Knight made to deliver a devastating blow at the blue-eyed Dueler—a blow that was known to have destroyed barricade walls in the arena—when there was a tremendous crack of power and blinding light. It blasted out right over the entire coliseum, sending people raising their arms over their eyes defensively.
Jounouchi staggering at the light now looked up. "What the—?"
Ootogi leapt to his feet. "It's a barrier!"
And indeed, in a resplendent crack of dark violet light that symbolized a trap, the great glowing holy barrier was illuminated where the Knight had struck. Seto remained unharmed beyond the barrier and the force of the blow was suddenly rebounded at the Knight, who was instantly obliterated by his own blow. The force was so strong that it set Jounouchi slamming into the ground.
The arena exploded into deafening cheers. "He's all right!" Mokuba cheered, leaping up. "He's destroyed Prince Wingild's Summon! Way to go!"
Ryou burst out into a laugh of relief, clutching the sapling he still held, and Seto grinned spitefully at Jounouchi, who was being helped up by his sister. "You didn't think it was that easy, now, did you…?"
Jounouchi spat blood out to the ground. "Did you?" and with that, he pulled out another golden amulet. A hush fell over the crowd. The prince, glaring malevolently now said, "You've used up all your options, including that little surprise of a barrier you posses. I didn't think I'd want to use this on you, but you leave me no choice!"
He raised the amulet up to the sky. "Come to me now—my dragon!"
There was a tremendous crash of power. Instant darkness reigned as the sky was filled with dark thunderous clouds. A blaze of fire erupted from the ground, lava red, and joined with the blackness around. The ground began to shake violently again and a number of people in the audience screamed as the ground actually split. Shizuka had long taken cover by the barricade. The shapeless dark took form when it melded with the lava red fire—and morphed into a massive dragon that roared ominously.
The sky cleared, revealing the dragon in its full form. Jounouchi burst into a laugh. "It's all over now! My dragon is undefeated! You will die here in this field, Dueler!"
With the wind whistling in his ears, Seto glared up at the dragon, hating it. There was no way he was about to let Jounouchi win this match with such a Summon. Carefully, he clasped at the amulet around his neck. It began to pulsate in warmth, flooding him, like light. But even as the dragon roared and Jounouchi began his commands, Seto made no move yet again, allowing his enemy to make the first reckless dash—as everyone so far knew that he had no other Summon besides the Raider.
Ryou watched him anxiously before finally, he could take it no longer. This was beyond the bounds of chivalry—it had to be, there should be no way this could be a fair fight—and he began running up the bleachers, his sandals slapping noisily at his heels. "Your Majesty! Emperor Atemu! Please, if I may…"
The Emperor, smiling most amusedly at the on goings, now turned his piercing amethyst gaze at him. For a minute, Ryou quailed, but this wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Emperor or not, he had to agree with his thought. "Well—you see…"
"Is something wrong, Highness?" Yugi asked, blinking at him a little in concern.
Ryou decided to turn address the other prince instead; the Prince Yugi was the gentler of these two, and perhaps he might receive the remark with less scathing results. "Surely…this cannot be fair grounds…?" he stammered. "He is but a single Dueler—with no Caster even!"
But Yugi smiled at him. "But Highness, that is his choice, is it not? Not all Duelers have Casters, right? Perhaps he has none simply because he doesn't need one…?"
Atemu snorted. "That may be true, Yugi, but the odds are quite serious, though. Faced with both Jounouchi and Lady Shizuka…I'd be stunned if blood was not drawn early into the match. And now that Jounouchi has his second Summon…"
Realization dawned on the white prince. Heart pounding, Ryou looked up. "Then you have known, sire—and you agree! That these terms are not equal! And yet you've allowed it to go on! It's beyond the bounds of chivalry, sire!"
It was the wrong thing to say. Even Yugi seemed to wince as he leaned back the moment Atemu turned that powerful gaze onto the Liyir prince. Instantly Ryou felt a surge of dread go through him, his body growing cold as the glare fastened its intensity on him. Swallowing hard, he winced as the monarch spoke.
"Are you questioning me and my integrity, prince?" he asked in a tone that was quiet. When the emperor's voice went quiet, it was usually dangerous. "Do you forget your place?"
Ryou bit his lip, feeling the surge of danger rivet him, as though trying to take hold of him. Was it just his imagination, or did a flash of black flicker through the Emperor's eyes?
It most likely was not, because even Seto, from all the way on the ground, detected the danger. He looked up at the sign of danger and saw darkness in the Emperor's person, rising from the crown on his head. Ryou stared back at the Emperor, white with terror. He could see the darkness as well, and it was beginning to creep up on him.
A strange laughter rang in Ryou's ears—but there was no one laughing around him—it must be just in his head yet again. But that laughter was reaching out to that dark power and Ryou held it at bay—whatever it was. Such powers were dangerous and evil. He leapt backwards.
"Get him!" Jounouchi yelled to his dragon. And the great red-eyed black dragon gave such a powerful roar that the people took cover. Beating its great wings it rushed at Seto, firing a tremendous blow of power that rocked the ground.
But Seto knew that something else was at stake and he simply no longer had any time for such foolish nonsense that was the Prince of Wingild. His eyes were trained on the Emperor in the royal box and the Prince who was being mesmerized into the dark power.
From above Malik watched, a grin beginning to form on his lips. This was it, the most crucial moment of all and it was time to set things in motion—he raised his staff.
Mokuba's yell rang loud and clear as the dragon's shot raced, "Niisama!"
There was an echo of power. For an instant it was silence, before the most powerful crack of power the Coliseum had ever experienced blasted out from where Seto stood. Light of incredible intensity flooded the City of Dulle—defying the darkness that had previously been called by the dark dragon. The Coliseum walls began to crack and light blew out from the amulet that was now releasing so much power that it was going to tear itself from Seto's neck.
The blue eyes of the Dueler were now as blue as flame and from the amulet exploded the massive white dragon that glowed of intense light. It was blindness in an instant and so powerful was the dragon that it blew over everyone in the Coliseum. The Emperor was thrown off-track and his darkness over Ryou was blown back. Yugi clutched onto the throne as Ryou raised his arms, the wings of his headdress fluttering in the light.
Isis watched, eyes wide and horror struck. "The White Dragon!"
"I don't believe it…" Mokuba's eyes were as wide as saucers, the light reflecting off of them.
Jounouchi yelled as he got flung into the stone barricade at the force. Seto ignoring the blown back Jounouchi roared up at the monarch, "Get away from him!"
The massive white dragon, drawn by the fury of its Summoner, then unleashed a powerful blast of blue and white light that not only completely obliterated the black dragon that lay in its path, but it also shot a its blow right at the Royal Box.
And now Malik, with his blond hair blowing, made his move. Though the shot would've hit the Box barricade and not intended to harm the monarch directly, his power forced the blast up as a direct attack to the Emperor who sat at the topmost row.
Ryou screamed and dived for cover in the lower rows which were quickly getting evacuated by the screaming royals.
"Emperor!" Yugi cried, looking up in horror. Atemu did not move, though he looked startled, also not expecting the blast.
There was a great crash that caused an entire wall to crumble. The fury and the light in Seto's eyes died away and his thinking cleared the instant this happened. He saw that a great Summon had been called out to shield the Emperor. A creature indescribable was floating before the Emperor, having absorbed the blow and seemingly unharmed by it. The Emperor, though wide-eyed, stood unharmed behind it.
The Master Sorcerer Pegasus was holding the golden amulet that had called out the creature, and he glared down at Seto. In ringing tones, he proclaimed, pointing to Seto, "This Dueler had launched a direct attack upon our Emperor! Guards! Seize him and throw him into the dungeon!"
"No!" Ryou gasped into the awestruck silence of the audience, getting to his feet and running to the Emperor, to be held back by Ootogi and Honda. "Emperor, please!" he cried out. "Don't do this to him!"
"He shall die at dawn!" Atemu said, when he got his voice back. He now looked furious as he turned to Ryou "And that is final! And if you pursue the matter any more, Prince Liyir, you will die with him! You are to be confined in the Pyramide for grounds of treason!"
"Leave him be!" Seto yelled from the field, livid, taking a step forward. "This has nothing to do with him!"
"Retract your Summon, Dueler!" said the captain of the soldiers all of whom were pointing spears and swords at him. "Now!"
The Dragon roared again. Though some soldiers stepped back, Seto held his ground, furious at this interference. He hadn't intended to directly hit the Emperor—he knew that, surrounded by his officers, this wouldn't have hit him anyway—only to draw him away, but somehow his shot got redirected.
Malik smirked evilly from where he stood. With his cloak billowing in the wind, he watched the result of his handiwork. "This is going even better than I planned…"
Ryou tore away from Honda and Ootogi and leapt into the field, running towards Seto. He'd be damned to seven hells before he was going to let this happened—that light show had more than confirmed his thoughts of him. Seto was more than possibly the last chance of the Empire—there was no way he would allow him to die at daybreak.
Seto saw him running to him. "Stop!" he said in warning—too late.
Atemu, seeing this, nodded to the nearest guard. He snatched up Ryou, holding him securely and letting his spear rest on his neck. "That is enough, Prince Liyir!"
"Let him go!" Seto thundered.
"This is treason, prince!" Pegasus declared. "Shall you die with this assassin, then?"
The Dragon waved its wings at Seto's command but the guard let the tip sink into Ryou's neck a little further. Blood was drawn. Seto froze. "Retract your Summon," the guard hissed, sensing Seto's reluctance to let the prince get hurt. "Retract your Summon now or you will both die!"
If Liyir dies, the Empire will be lost to the dark wasteland… Seto ground his teeth. I can't believe this! He shouldn't have run in! He glared at the boy. But instead he saw Ryou shaking his head urgently at him.
"No…" he whispered. "Go…leave here, please… Take your Summon and go—" he cut off in a choke as the guard pushed the spear against him again.
Atemu glared at him. "What shall it be, Seto of Gilheim? Either way, you both die. And I'll have no problems with killing a traitor and an assassin."
The crowd watched, horror-struck at the proceedings. Seto weighed his options. At this point…there were none left. In the one hand, he falls, and he would have failed. But he had already failed, hadn't he? He hadn't managed to kill the Emperor. Not yet anyway. But if the boy prince dies, then even if he did kill the Emperor, the wasteland will destroy the Empire.
What he needed now was time. And from what he can tell, dawn was still a long time in coming.
There was a shudder of power, and the Dragon began to be retracted into the Amulet. Ryou cried out, "Don't!"
Seto did not move, furious by the choice he had to make. But the instant the dragon was gone, Ryou was released and the guards swarmed up at him, throwing him into chains. His amulets were seized from him. From where he watched, Mokuba stood horrified.
Ryou was pulled off by Honda and Ootogi. "Seto…" tears laced his eyes. "Why…?"
Atemu made his declaration. "The assassin dies at dawn! Things are to be later settled with the Prince Liyir! As of now, this tournament is over!"
And with that, he departed, Yugi at his heels.
Ryou took a last glance at Seto as they were drawn apart. To his surprise, there was no defeat in the Dueler's eyes. There was a light of determination. And he decided perhaps…it was that light he would go with.
Cards
that are introduced in the chapter:
Jounouchi's Cards
Gearfried the Iron Knight
Legendary Sword
Trap Hole
Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Seto's Cards
Mirror Force
Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Pegasus' Cards
Relinquished
And
finally we're getting somewhere! Seto and Ryou are gonna
have to figure out a way to get out of the mess Malik's put them
in… XD Please please PLEASE review! It really helps!
