(æ)lohim

by Kim Chang-Ra

Three minutes, twenty-two seconds. That's how long it takes for a simple test run at the Leo Corporation to go horribly wrong. In the midst of the chaos, a programmer has disappeared, and his creation is the only witness. As Kōtsu Masumi and her friends investigate, however, they soon discover more sinister forces at play—and its source could very well be among their inner circle.

10. X

X

Leo Duel School

3:35 P.M.

"Himika-san?"

The chairwoman of LDS didn't immediately hear her name being called. Her fingers continued to fly over the keyboard with an alacrity Himika hardly ever knew she'd possessed. Such was the urgency of the moment—and, she suspected, the intensity of the coffee she'd had an intern fetch for her a few minutes ago.

"Himika-san?"

"What?!" The question came out rather more snappishly than she'd intended. She hastily cleared her throat.

The receptionist hardly sounded the slightest bit abashed. "Sorry to bother you, but I have a gentleman on the phone who's asking to speak to you," she replied. "He says he is the residence manager in charge of the housing complex where J.D. Crowley lived, and that he has information regarding the woman who was listed as his roommate."

So absorbed was Himika in her work that this new development registered as only the slightest of speed bumps in her train of thought. "Tell him I'm in a meeting—an urgent one," she said shortly, pausing briefly to adjust the phone she'd cradled in between her right ear and shoulder. "Give him my office email; whatever he has to tell me, he can send it through there."

"Yes, ma'am." The line clicked, and went dead.

Himika now turned her attention to the mobile she'd perched on her other shoulder. "All right, Shirai," she sighed, glancing back at her computer screen. "I've gained access to all of the code listings for Project #1610217."

"Good." There was a faint noise from the other end of the line; it sounded as though Shirai was wiping off his sweaty brow. "With Seika currently active, we should be able to find every single line of code it's managed to introduce into Q's systems, and devise a countervirus to keep it from killing any more people."

"We couldn't have done this earlier?" Himika asked testily. "Before any more people had died in the first place?"

"Viruses can be coded to wipe their tracks," answered Shirai. "Once they've done whatever their programmer designed them to do, they can execute a kill command that not only removes the viral sequences from the victim's coding, but any lines of code that refer to any aspect of said virus as well. Makes it harder to track down and fight."

A pause. "The risk of further casualties was a calculated one, Himika-san. What matters is that have Seika trapped now. The moment it revealed itself to the LID, it gave us the chance we needed to break into its programming; from there, forcing it into a Duel with them will keep it from erasing the same code that allows it to function. So it's up to us to ensure from there that the dozens it's already killed don't turn into hundreds or even thousands."

Himika could hear the heaviness in Shirai's voice, and knew this was weighing on him just as much as it was her. To save a family, abandon a man, she thought, remembering the old quote; to save the village, abandon a family.

It had been decades since she'd last had to learn the Mahabharata in school; this one passage had been one of the few from those days that had been stuck in her mind since. Sacrifices, she had come to understand, were not only necessary, but required of every human that had ever drawn breath on this earth—and the higher your standing, the more demanding those sacrifices would become. It was easy to guess why it had returned to her now, in a time all too appropriate for the choices Himika had had to make over the past twenty-four hours and change.

Yet Himika knew the quote did not stop there. To save the country, abandon a village, she continued to think; to save the soul … abandon the earth. She knew this last all too well—for there was a soul, somewhere out there, that she held to be far more precious than any material wealth her position had ever given her. There was a soul that she knew, in her heart, everything hinged on. But as much as Himika wished that soul to be saved from a terrible fate—as much of her wealth and standing as she would sacrifice to make that wish come true—she knew that to do so would damn the world as she knew it, and all the other worlds she knew to exist would be damned with it.

For Akaba Himika knew better than anyone else in all of Japan—almost anyone else—of the war the Lancers were fighting out there, and she knew that no matter how it ended, the world would never be the same for it. None of its wounds would ever be fully healed; indeed, there were some that, unfortunately, could not even be allowed to heal, or else the world would never learn from its mistakes, and thus risk repeating history all over again.

So she would continue to sacrifice—as often as she could, to ensure that such horrors would never become a reality.

Returning from her reverie, Himika put in a few more keystrokes, and watched line upon line of coding spill over her computer screen once again. "All right—I'm in," she said to Shirai.

"Good. From here, we can search the listings for any bit of code you need to find—viral or otherwise. However, I should tell you now, Himika-san—"

"Yes?"

"You're not using Google here—you can't just type in any random thing and expect an auto-correct function to fix your mistakes. You have to know precisely what you want to search for—down to the way it's spelled, and even punctuated. Otherwise, this is going to take a lot longer.

Himika remembered the lines of code those technicians, Tanaka and Sakamura, had showed the LID earlier that day. "Well," she thought, stretching out her fingers for what looked to be another marathon of typing, "I can think of a few things to speed things up … "

She set her jaw, and typed into the search bar: seika•exe.

"One moment—Nakajima," Shirai said just then, before she could commence her search. There was a brief judder of noise from her mobile's speaker.

Then: "Himika-san, I've been advised of an update regarding the LID's engagement of Seika."

The chairwoman could hear the worry in her aide's voice. "How much time do we have?"

There was a pause. "Not enough."

---

Masumi kept on staring at the patch of cracked road where Gongfu had been swallowed, as if some part of her was hoping those events had just been some horrible hallucination, and that the Synchro Monster would burst out of its prison as easily as bursting a soap bubble.

The Fusion user had been on the business end of Shen's ace monster before; experience from that Duel had been a large part in her strategy today. She had been counting on Shen Summoning Gongfu to activate its effect the moment it hit the field, returning as many of Seika's precious field as possible back into its Deck—the more Dracomet monsters that went into its Summon, the more cards it could affect.

Yet Seika had planned for this, somehow—no doubt the virus, with how thoroughly it had compromised Q, had been having a peek at all five of their Decks in the process. It now knew each and every one of the cards they used, and pieced together the strategies that used them, as if each was its very own.

"I am to blame for that," Shen conceded, "but I take comfort in knowing my efforts were not entirely in vain. Look there." He gestured to the hulking form of Infernoid Beelzebul, its many arms and gleaming claws extended outwards in an attack stance, ready to shred whatever it touched—

Masumi frowned. An attack stance? I thought Beelzebul had been Summoned in Defense Position, she thought wildly; yet here it was in Attack Position—and a single look at the field, reproduced on the screen of her Duel Disk, confirmed it. But how was this possible? Seika couldn't change its monsters' battle position without a card effect!

Then it hit her. Seika hadn't changed anything at all—or more accurately, it hadn't been the one to change anything.

"My Leyline of Dracomet," Shen declared, "gains an additional effect while there are no less than four Dracomet monsters in my Graveyard with different Attributes! This effect will not only switch every monster my opponent controls into Attack Position—but will also prevent them from Setting monsters as well!

"I do this for my brothers—whom you needlessly slaughtered before my eyes like so many sheep!" the Synchro Duelist barked. "Battle Phase! Satellarknight Sham—attack Infernoid Beelzebul!"

Masumi cocked a fist in relief—Shen had somehow managed to snatch a victory, however minor it might be, from what she'd thought would be utter defeat. The cunning action was enough to make her wonder if filling his Graveyard with enough Dracomets to utilize his Leyline had been part of the plan all along.

Sham, meanwhile, had nocked another golden arrow onto his bow, sighting down its length straight for Beelzebul. It fired, and the missile flew straight and true—passing through the demon's armored neck dead center, causing it to vaporize into a million photonic shards—and continued on to Seika without even slowing down. Again the virus howled in apparent pain as the arrow pierced its body, making its Life Points tumble further still to 1600.

"Next," Shen continued, placing another card on his Duel Disk, "I will activate the Spell Card: Path of Dracomet. I use this to target three Dracomet monsters in my Graveyard, shuffle them into my Deck, and then draw two cards."

He did so. Masumi thought she could see something flicker across Shen's face that looked remarkably like irritation. But it passed, and the Synchro user added, "Furthermore, since one of the monsters I shuffled was the Gongfu you destroyed"—he glared defiantly at Seika—"it will return to my Extra Deck instead."

Then Shen exhaled, standing up straight. "I will end my turn with that."

The Fusion Duelist did not sound altogether reassured by Shen's tone. The only reason he would have robbed himself of his own Graveyard advantage, as he had done with Path, would have been in the hopes of getting one more monster in his hand, or one last card to Set, so as to rebuild the field he'd lost this turn. It seemed that neither of the cards Shen had drawn would allow him this advantage.

Nevertheless, Masumi also knew things were looking better than they could have been; Seika, despite the setbacks it had caused, had now lost more than half of its Life Points before they'd even gotten halfway down their fighting force. After the virus, Hotene would be up next—and her strategies, Masumi knew, were always something to see.

"My turn." Seika barely seemed to move as another card materialized in its grip. "During my Standby Phase, I can activate the effect of Flood of Purgatory, and Special Summon an Infernoid Token to my field." Moments later, that was exactly what it did—and presently, another bulb-like construction materialized between them (Level 1: ATK 0/DEF 0).

"Next, I activate both of my Continuous Traps," Seika went on. "First, my Awakening Purgatory will send two Infernoid monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard during each of my Standby Phases. Then, my Rising Purgatory lets me target 1 of my banished Infernoid monsters, and return it back to my Graveyard."

Masumi bit her lip as cards flitted hither and thither before Seika, materializing right in front of him, or flashing into more blue flame just as quickly. This was exactly the sort of playing style she'd been hoping to avoid—the same strategy she'd been hoping Gongfu could have disrupted.

"Now, I activate my Sublimation of Purgatory," continued the virus, "and discard a card to add another Purgatory Spell or Trap Card to my hand." Several cards after that: "I now banish the Infernoid Token on my field—and the Infernoid Satan I sent to my Graveyard to activate my Sublimation—to Special Summon this from my Graveyard!"

Fires leaped up before Seika as Masumi recalled the complex Summoning procedure of the Infernoids—how only the higher-Leveled creatures among them could be Summoned from the Graveyard. Inwardly, she braced herself.

"Descend!" growled Seika. "Infernoid Asmodai!"

Masumi saw only a large shadow above her, silhouetted in the flames before and behind Seika—before a tremendous THUD shook the earth. The impact dispelled the inferno just enough to reveal the biggest creature Seika had yet Summoned this Duel: a construction of gold, bronze, and gunmetal gray that towered over the LID, almost inch for inch the height of the apartment building where Crowley had lived (Level 5: ATK 2200/DEF 0).

The long, thin staff in Asmodai's claws swung through the air with an ominous hiss, aiming straight at the LID as its owner let loose a menacing growl. Masumi gulped at the silent threat.

"Battle Phase." Seika's own growl was eerily similar in tone to that of the monster it had Summoned. "Infernoid Asmodai—attack Satellarknight Sham!"

Asmodai hefted its staff, raising its bladed tip into the air. Such was the monster's height, and the size of its weapon, that the edges actually scraped the flaming ceiling of Seika's Field Spell. Wisps of blue flame tumbled from their seat on high, where they came to rest on Asmodai's staff, wrapping it in yet more fire.

Then the Infernoid—with a quickness that belied its bulk—lashed out with that staff at Sham, fatally striking the monster right on its skull. There was an explosion of bright blue, a rush of flame—and the tellarknight was simply gone. But the explosion that had vaporized it yet remained, enveloping the LID in superhot flames.

Masumi and Yaiba—being the furthest from the detonation—were seared, but unhurt. Hotene was closer, which left her curly hair faintly singed at the tips, and her eyes wide as coins from the near miss. Fuyu and Shen, though, had been mere feet behind Sham and its violent demise; the Fusion user could not help but cringe as she saw both boys fall backwards from the force of the blast. Even the sight of the LID's collective Life Points falling to a still-decent 3200—twice as much as Seika's own total—did little to sooth matters.

Especially since Seika wasn't done taking its turn. "Infernoid Asmodai's effect," the virus had announced, before Sham had even faded from view. "If it inflicted battle damage this turn by attacking an opponent's monster, I can discard 1 random card from my opponent's hand." A pause. "Any opponent's hand," it added with a smirk.

Any of our hands?! Masumi glanced at the cards in her own hand, and felt the tension in her body augment another notch. While her favored card was not one of them, there was enough for her to provide a killing blow—if Hotene and Yaiba didn't finish Seika off first. But if the virus were to get rid of even one of these …

Asmodai, however, seemed to have a mind of its own. Even as Masumi dithered where she stood, its bladed staff had flared with fire a third time, slicing outward like a whiplash—straight for Shen's hand. There was a CRACK, and the Synchro user stumbled backward; the lash of flames had nipped his hand hard enough that he'd lost his grip on the cards he was holding. One of them now tumbled to the cracked road; Masumi saw it long enough to recognize it as his Suanni, Dracomet of Fire—before flames consumed it in the time it took to blink.

Fortunately, even as she felt her heart leap into her mouth, Masumi remembered these flames were of mere Solid Vision—hardly even hot to the touch, let alone capable of burning cards—as seen when Shen picked up his discarded monster, shook it in his hand to rid it of flames, and slid it into his Graveyard with a frown.

Seika watched the scene with detached satisfaction. "I Set one card," it finished, floating a card into its massive Duel Disk, "and end my turn with that."

"Awesome!"

Masumi hadn't been looking at Hotene when she'd shouted out the single word, and so hadn't caught the look on the tiny Duelist's face until just now.

Usually, LDS' ace student of the Junior Fusion circuit was known for being a very flighty and impulsive girl. Being nine years old and change—almost a full year under the usual entrance age for the Leo Duel School—was a big reason for that; Hotene, child prodigy though she was, much preferred to spend her day bouncing around in the diabolically entertaining Gravity Sixteen, besting as many Duelists as she could in her favorite Action Field, in her favorite place to expend her considerable, youthful energy.

Sometimes, however, Masumi would see a change in her childish behavior. It was almost as though Hotene became a different person when she had something to prove, whether big or small. The Fusion user had seen it once before in their first encounter, when Hotene had pressured Masumi into Dueling together in the hopes of being the best Fusion Duelist outright in LDS. She'd seen it again later that night, in a nightmare she'd done her best to forget.

But now that change had come over Hotene once more as she'd drawn her card: her wide, sparkling grin had sharpened itself into the leer of a shark streaking for the kill. Masumi—though she knew Hotene still needed as much work on her poker face as the day they'd first met—saw the gleam in both teeth and eyes, and felt inwardly grateful that they were both fighting on the same side today.

"I activate the second effect of my Rising Purgatory!" Seika cut in just then. "During my opponent's Standby Phase, I can target an Infernoid monster in my Graveyard, and return it to my hand!" Scarcely had it spoke when a card floated out from a slot in its Duel Disk, to hover just above its giant metal blade.

"Blah, blah, blah!" Hotene shot back derisively. "Doncha know it's rude to interrupt a girl when she's talking?"

She didn't bother to wait for an answer. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Spirit Beast's Promised Return! I can use this card to banish a Spirit Beast monster from my hand—an' then," she added, slipping a card out from her hand, "I can Special Summon a Spirit Beast monster that's either banished or in my Graveyard!"

Including the one she banished to pay the card's cost, Masumi realized as Hotene declared, "So I'm gonna Special Summon my Spirit Beast Tamer Rera in Defense Position!" A teenaged, fiery-haired girl in a green cloak and dress shimmered onto the field just then, clutching a carved wooden staff at its feet as it knelt in front of her Summoner (Level 1: ATK 100/DEF 2000).

"An' then," Hotene went on, "I'll Normal Summon my Noble Spirit Beast Apelio in Attack Position!" Something leapt out of the fires that surrounded them: a bearlike creature of dark red fur and flaming mane, growling ominously at Seika before settling down at Rera's side like a faithful watchdog (Level 4: ATK 1800/DEF 200).

Masumi felt a sudden surge of excitement inside her as Rera began to chant under her breath, in a language perhaps known only to her. Instinctively, she had realized the sort of field Hotene was building up.

The tiny Duelist had seen her looking. "Now I'll activate my Apelio's effect!" grinned the tiny Duelist, winking mischievously at her counterpart. "Once per turn, if I can banish a Spirit Beast card from my Graveyard, every Spirit Beast monster on my field gets an extra 500 ATK and DEF for the rest of the turn! So I'm gonna banish my Promised Return!"

Apelio roared, longer and louder than usual as the flames in its mane and tail began to crackle, with a fresh point gauge of 2300/700 blipping into view above it. A similarly fiery aura coursed over the still-chanting Rera as well, as her own gauge crept upwards to 600/2500.

"An' now," Hotene cried, her shark's smile wider than ever, "I'm gonna banish my Apelio an' my Rera from my field—so that I can Special Summon this from my Extra Deck! Get ready!"

At last, Rera got to her feet, her eyes shining with destructive intent as they stared down Seika. It reached out to Apelio—who, like her, held out a paw in its companion's direction. All the while, it kept on growling, longer and louder than ever, refusing to tear its gaze from the virus:

"Now, when the bond between man and beast is at its strongest," Hotene was chanting, hands raised out at arm's length, "the blazing inferno will be united with the burning hearts of our prime!"

For an instant, the tips of Rera's fingers were seen to barely graze the pads of Apelio's paw. The blazing aura that had enveloped them continued to grow stronger, wrapping their whole bodies, consuming them—

And then a burst of light—too white to be from any fire—erupted in the middle of the Dueling field, forcing Masumi to cover her eyes even as she mentally cheered at what was happening—

"Contact Fusion!" cried Hotene, clasping her palms together. "Appear! Tamed Spirit Beast Apelio!"

A bellowing roar, loud enough to shake Masumi's bones, shook the entire street as Hotene's ace monster emerged onto the field: a ferocious, lion-like creature the size of her father's car, burning a hundred different shades of red and orange from teeth to tail-fur (Level 6: ATK 2600 » 3100/DEF 400 » 900). Rera, brandishing its staff aloft, rode astride the monster, holding on tight as if attempting to stay her mount from attacking here and now.

In that moment, Masumi forgot that they were likely Dueling for their lives; the sight of Hotene displaying her full range of talents was one that would never get old to her. For the practice of Contact Fusion—a method of Fusion Summoning that used no Fusion effects whatsoever to bring their monsters out—was a rare one, even inside LDS. It was the reason she still stood unmatched in the Junior Fusion circuit—and had also been the reason she had been so sought after by Academia a month ago. They had attempted to claim her abilities for their own use—no doubt to cause more destruction than they already had—but Masumi and her friends had put paid to that scheme for good.

"Battle Phase!" Hotene stabbed out at Seika with a stubby finger. "Tamed Apelio, attack Infernoid Asmodai—an' make it hurt!" she shrieked as Apelio lunged forward with a mighty leap, clearly intent on doing just that.

It was the perfect monster for Hotene to Summon, Masumi knew; Tamed Apelio could not be affected by any card effects whatsoever while it was attacking—though it was a shame that this had to include Noble Apelio's own ATK boost as well, she noted as she watched Tamed Apelio's gauge dip back to 2600. The Fusion user had learned the hard way that this shielding effect even extended to Action Cards, making it particularly formidable in those kinds of Duels; the bruise she'd absorbed after that had taken the better part of a week to disappear. To see Seika suffer as she had that Duel gave her no end of catharsis.

A resounding BOOM, loud enough that Masumi instinctively cringed, filled her ears just then: Apelio had bulled headlong into Asmodai's chest, sending the demon horns over armor-plated tail onto the road. Another roar and a leap sent Hotene's monster crashing onto the Infernoid's chest with all four of its flaming paws, caving the monster in and splintering it into hard-light shrapnel. Several particularly large pieces ripped through Seika, and though it caused no damage to the virus, Masumi still cheered as she watched its Life Point gauge dip further still to 1200.

Suddenly, winning this Duel didn't seem so unlikely now.

---

Leo Duel School

3:45 P.M.

Himika pushed herself back from the computer, attempting to give her aching fingers another break. The screen was currently displaying an excerpt of her latest efforts at slogging through the code listings for Q:

Vg1 = GetHandl {tool•exe} tempCall {itm•temp}

Vg2 = GetHandl {assembler•exe} tempCall {itm•temp}

if Scale(Vg1, Vg2) set

› on \u00e6_lohim•obj call {qprot, qmass, svni•exe} set to on

› on \u00e6_lohim•obj tfer root ctrl {svni•exe}

› on \u00e6_lohim•obj call {termec} set to off

› on \u00e6_lohim•obj run \u00e6_lohim•exe

Her first search for seika•exe had been less than successful; both lines that had matched her search had already been shown to her earlier today, courtesy of Tanaka and Sakamura. It had, however, served its purpose by giving her a few more parameters on which to attempt another search. One of them—\u00e6_lohim•obj—had proved much more successful, and much more concerning as well; it told her just how thoroughly Seika had infiltrated Q.

As Shirai explained to her over the phone, the command would start by linking several of Q's primary functions together—its entire database of protocols, qprot, as well as its ability to generate and manipulate hard light with mass, or qmass—and then turning them on remotely. "No doubt in conjunction with seika•exe," he told her, "which we already know is designed to link our city's Solid Vision network with that other executable file—svni•exe.

"What worries me most is the line that follows that," Shirai went on. "If I'm reading it right, this command actually transfers the entire root control path to svni•exe. Whatever that file is, it's got complete control over Q right now. Worse still, that next command turns off the terminal echo function of whatever computer is running the program, which makes it harder to trace the location of that svni file, or the source of the commands that concern it."

Himika's fingers were already flying over the keyboard. "Maybe we can find out what it is, then."

She typed in: svni•exe. A brief moment passed while the computer worked her request—until:

ERROR: Insufficient hardware to execute file.

Before Himika could properly react to this, the window began to pixelate—and so, too, did the rest of her screen.

The chairwoman swore at the top of her voice as she realized what was happening, and stabbed the power button with her finger. The monitor went black not long after—but by the time it did, the distorted screen had already reformed into a single line of text that made Himika's blood boil in her veins:

ΩΩWΩΩEΩΩEΩΩPΩΩFΩΩOΩΩRΩΩYΩΩOΩΩUΩΩRΩΩDΩΩEΩΩAΩΩDΩΩ

There was no one inside the room, which was unfortunate for Himika. She could feel her fingers trembling with rage as she picked up her phone.

"Nakajima." She spoke through teeth clenched so hard that her dentist would find nothing but powder come her next visit, if she wasn't careful. "I want Shirai in front of my desk now. Seika just tried to hack into my computer. I may have stopped it in time—but even a reboot is going to set us back." Meaning, she added in her head, that any hope of using the LID as a decoy to divert Seika's attention had likely fizzled before her eyes.

She didn't give her aide a chance to react to the grim news. "And Shirai—you had better be hearing this, because I will only make this offer once. If you want to continue your future with LeoCorp, you will help me to find the persons responsible for whoever infected Q—and you will help me to put their goddamned heads on spikes!"

The chairwoman hung up before either man had a chance to ask if she was being metaphorical.

---

Elsewhere, Seika was heard to chuckle to itself—though the LID, oblivious to what had happened in Himika's office, were too elated in how their Duel had been going so far that they didn't stop to care.

Hotene had surveyed Asmodai's destruction at the hands of her Apelio with a particularly wide smirk, before Setting a pair of cards to end her turn. "That's what you get for hurting my friends, meanie!" she was shouting at Seika, as Apelio's point gauge returned to its usual 2600/400. "An' you won't be laughing for long when Rika-tan gets out of hospital—'cause she's gonna be so mad at you for tryin' to hurt me, too!"

"She should have known better than to get in my way," Seika rumbled back at her dismissively, materializing a fresh card out of thin air to begin its next turn. "Your friend's actions were meaningless—and if she dies, her death will be just as meaningless as well. Is that something you're prepared to live with," it leered at the little girl, "for the rest of your life? To know that she died for nothing?"

Hotene looked stricken at the thought of losing her best friend. Her wide smile had vanished as quickly as a blown light bulb; the usual bounciness of her blonde hair was nowhere to be seen, and her blue eyes shone with tears.

"You're wrong … " she squeaked. "They told me Rika-tan was all better … she'll be out of the hospital soon … "

"Back in her home in Maiami City, safe and sound," Seika finished for her. "Yes, yes, yes. But there's something you maybe haven't noticed by now: I AM Maiami City." It spoke the last four words with a malicious sneer that infuriated Masumi. "You, and everyone who lives here, are mine now.

"Flood of Purgatory's effect! During my Standby Phase, I Special Summon another Infernoid Token to my field!" For the third time this Duel, another bulblike token materialized in front of the virus (Level 1: ATK 0/DEF 0).

"Next, Awakened Purgatory's effect! During my Standby Phase, I send two Infernoid monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard!" A pair of cards floated out from Seika's Duel Disk, long enough for the LID to see them before they were slotted in a different section of the device.

"Now, my Rising Purgatory's effect! During my Standby Phase, I target a banished Infernoid monster, and return it to my Graveyard! I return my Infernoid Satan!" It did so. "And finally, my Sublimation of Purgatory's effect—I discard a card, and add another Purgatory Spell or Trap from my Deck to my hand!"

Only the tension that surrounded the circumstances of their current Duel kept Masumi from getting bored of all these constant effects being activated during Seika's Standby Phase all the time; instead, she settled for growing merely annoyed. While the loss of Shen's Gongfu had been a major blow, the Fusion Duelist knew well that the longer they could stall for time, the more chance Himika had of finding a remedy for their predicament. Perhaps Seika's many Spells and Traps would, however inadvertently, prove to be a greater boon than any of their tactics could have achieved, and it was this thought that continued to assuage her mind as the Duel continued on.

"I now banish the Infernoid Token on my field," Seika hissed, "and the Infernoid Satan in my Graveyard to Special Summon another Infernoid monster from my Graveyard by its own effect! Descend! Infernoid Belphegor!"

Masumi took a step back as Seika's Token vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She remembered this monster all too well; it had been half of the reason she'd lost to Seika in their first encounter. Already she could see its flat, horned head rearing up from the flames behind Seika, its bluish-gray armor glinting dully in the firelight as it plodded onto the field.

Metallic wings unfurled, and a blast of air dispelled the fire to reveal Belphegor in full: an ugly, hulking demon that filled the street completely, taller and wider than Asmodai even in its hunched-over stance (Level 6: ATK 2400/DEF 0). The blades that tipped its segmented tail sliced through air and asphalt with equal impunity, leaving gashes in the road and shearing through several cars that had—fortunately—been abandoned since the start of the Duel.

"Since the Levels of the monsters on my field do not yet exceed 8," cried the virus, "I am still able to Special Summon Infernoid monsters! Therefore—I banish both the Infernoid Astaroth and the Infernoid Beelzebul in my Graveyard, and Special Summon this from my Graveyard as well! Descend! Infernoid Ba'al!"

Another high-level Infernoid?! Masumi could not help but shake where she stood. Seika was slowly but surely approaching the field it wanted: enough Infernoids in its Graveyard to Special Summon the high-leveled monsters it used to beat them into the ground.

She remembered this monster, too, as it dropped from the sky like a meteor with a storm of wings, shaking the earth beneath it—knew all too well the draconic smirk it had worn when Seika had Summoned it in their first Duel. But the size of the monster still left her agog in shock: as tall as Belphegor, but half as broad at the shoulder again, the tip of its own tail whipped about in the air, like a cat that was staring down a mouse (Level 7: ATK 2600/DEF 0).

"Battle Phase!" bellowed Seika. "Infernoid Ba'al—attack her Tamed Apelio!" Ba'al charged forward with a horrible, shrieking battle cry, its slavering jaws ready to sink into the neck of Hotene's monster—

"Nuh-uh!" The tiny Duelist threw out her hand. "Tamed Apelio's second effect! I can return it to the Extra Deck, then target a banished Spirit Beast Tamer an' a banished Noble Spirit Beast—an' Special Summon them both in Defense Position! So I'll bring back my Spirit Beast Tamer Rera an' my Noble Spirit Beast Apelio! Contact Out!"

Rera leapt into the air, using her mount as an impromptu springboard, and performed a graceful backflip onto the field, landing in a three-point stance beside her loyal steed (Level 1: ATK 100/DEF 2000). Apelio itself seemed to shrink where it stood; the flames that had adorned its mane and fur had died down to a merry blaze rather than an inferno to rival the flames that continued to burn around it (Level 4: ATK 1800/DEF 200).

"What are you doing?" Masumi wondered out loud. "You're just giving that thing two weaker targets to attack!" She knew they wouldn't lose any Life Points over it, since both of Hotene's monsters were in Defense Position—yet the monster they'd combined into during the previous turn had been enough to best both of Seika's monsters.

So why—?

"Infernoid Ba'al!" rumbled the virus. "Attack Spirit Beast Tamer Rera!"

But even as Ba'al's mouth opened wide to devour the teenaged monster, Hotene was wagging her finger bossily. "You can't do tha-a-at!" she sang. "Trap, activate: Combination with the Spirit Beast! If I control any number of Spirit Beast monsters, I can destroy monsters on the field up to that number!"

Masumi felt like singing herself as her eyes took stock of just how many monsters Hotene controlled—and how many Seika controlled. She can wipe out its field with just that one card!

The fiery aura that had subsumed Rera and Apelio once before now enveloped them again as Rera thrust out its staff at the now-blazing Apelio. The lion-like beast let out a roar—and then that aura exploded outwards in a sheet of flame, consuming Belphegor and Ba'al until they were little more than shadows—

Masumi had to cover her face against the wall of heat that had flared up from the explosion, but she heard the sound of at least one of Seika's monster being reduced to hard-light dust. She smiled beneath the crook of her elbow at Hotene's cunning move.

Moments later, the heat had died down to the point that Masumi judged it safe to look up. She did—and promptly felt the grin slide off her face at what was in front of her.

Seika's Belphegor was gone—but its Ba'al was still on the field.

"Wha—?" Hotene was too stunned to speak more than a single syllable at a time. "How?!"

"During my first turn of the Duel," Seika replied, "I discarded the Quick-Play Spell: Apostles of Purgatory to activate my Sublimation of Purgatory's effect. If any Infernoid monsters I control would be destroyed by a card effect, Apostles' effect lets me banish it from my Graveyard, instead of destroying one of those monsters."

Masumi grit her teeth. Damn. At least Hotene had managed to remove half of Seika's damage potential—which kept their Life Points that much safer for the time being.

"Well, that stinks," pouted Hotene. "I can still do this, though—'cause my Noble Apelio's effect can be activated during anybody's turn, too! I'll banish Combination with the Spirit Beast from my Graveyard, an' give all my Spirit Beasts another 500 ATK and DEF for the rest of—"

She broke off here. Something on her Duel Disk screen had caused her eyes to bug to the size of tennis balls, and her jaw to slacken to roughly the same size. Exactly what was causing that to happen became apparent just a moment later.

"How'd my Combination get banished already?!" the tiny Duelist shrieked. "I swear I put it in my Graveyard!"

"Oh, it was in your Graveyard," purred Seika, damnably. "But, you see, your Combination never destroyed my Belphegor at all—I Released it instead, so that I could activate its second effect."

A shocked Masumi felt her expression beginning to rival Hotene's own. That monster had another effect?!

"Once per turn," Seika went on, "during anyone's turn, I might add—I can Release one of my monsters, then target a card in my opponent's Graveyard and banish it—like that Combination I know you were hoping to use again."

Hotene looked too red in the face to even speak, and so settled for stamping her little feet on the road. Masumi couldn't blame her; once again, Seika was proving to be one of the most devious opponents she'd ever faced.

"There's no need to be so mad at me," the virus smirked at them. "Consider where you are now. You're five children, fighting a superior entity whose Deck you can't even begin to understand. Getting angry will only cloud yourselves to the inevitable truth: you are going to lose this Duel."

It leaned in closer. "And you," it hissed, speaking slowly and deliberately, "are all going to die."

"Oh, will you just shut up?!" bellowed Yaiba. "Like hell we're going to lose to you today!"

Seika didn't bother dignifying the Synchro Duelist's boast with a response. "Enough! Infernoid Ba'al! Press on with your attack—and destroy that infernal Rera!"

As Ba'al advanced on the hapless Rera, something occurred to Masumi at that point. Seika was drawing its power from Q—a supercomputer, an artificial entity—yet the burst of emotion it had displayed just now sounded human.

Then she remembered that Q had been designed to not only imitate the appearance of any Duelist it faced in battle—but also their behavior and mannerisms as well. Seika's infectious programming, evidently, had reached these abilities by now, and was even now turning what had once been a cold and calculating virus into a frothing-at-the-mouth madman. The thought of a computer virus behaving like a human being made the Fusion user shudder, for reasons she could not adequately explain.

Ba'al, meanwhile, had dipped its fanged jaws once more—only to be rebuffed by the flames that had, yet again, spread out over both Rera and Apelio.

"Quick-Play Spell: Bond with the Spirit Beasts!" declared Hotene. Her curly hair was devolving into an even-more-tangled frizz, and her blue eyes still sparked with childish fury. But that shark's smile was back on her face once more—which made the reveal of her other Set card all the more worthy of celebration, in Masumi's opinion.

"When I activate this card," the tiny Duelist grinned, "I can banish 2 Spirit Beast monsters I control—an' then, I can Special Summon a Spirit Beast monster from my Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"

The fire in her eyes looked as bright as the flames that burned over Rera and Apelio, consuming them once more. "An' I know just the monster to bring out." She clapped her hands together.

"Contact Fusion!" Hotene screamed. "Appear! Tamed Spirit Beast Apelio!"

Seconds later, Hotene's ace monster barreled out of the inferno with a bellow that chilled to the bone, even in Seika's hellish Field Spell. Apelio and Rera, now joined as one monster, both stared down Seika's lone monster with even more intent to kill than before (Level 6: ATK 2600/DEF 400).

"These Spirit Beasts of yours … " Seika growled. "You're proving to be even more annoying than you were last night. Battle Phase! Infernoid Ba'al—attack Tamed Apelio!"

Ba'al launched forward, but Apelio was ready: it leapt right for the mecha-demon with the speed, roar, and momentum of an average freight train. The two monsters connected with a shockwave that shattered glass—on the windshields of the closest cars, and the windows of the buildings either side—sending the LID stumbling.

The blow was a mortal one—for both monsters; Apelio had butted Ba'al right in the chest, crumpling its metal frame as if it was aluminum foil. But Ba'al had no intention of dying alone; its claws raked at Apelio's back ferociously even as it toppled backwards to the ground. Rera was dislodged from her mount in the assault, hitting the asphalt with a wet-sounding SMACK, never to stir again. Apelio and Ba'al followed suit not long after; their combined weight shook the earth for blocks around as they tumbled to the road. Both creatures disintegrated into photonic dust soon after; Rera's body faded into thin air as well—but the brutality of the battle was to linger with Masumi and her friends for much longer.

"Did you know that was going to happen?" the Fusion user asked Hotene. The tiny Duelist shook her head; her face looked pale with shock, and her smirk was nowhere to be found.

"Turn end." Seika, on the other hand, showed no sign of being rattled by the vicious fight.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" it mused. "You've grown so used to the thought of Real Solid Vision being used to form creatures of fantasy that fight each other—fairies and demons, warriors and dragons, machines and even plants. But behind every fantasy lies that one immutable spark of reality. Real Solid Vision is real. Duel Monsters are monsters.

"Why, then, should their battles not affect the real world?" it asked. "For that matter, why should they not fight like monsters?"

Masumi could not find an answer to that.

"I have taken your world of fantasy," Seika gloated, "and cracked it down the middle to expose the reality behind a lie your headmistress has done her damnedest to conceal: the Solid Vision your Leo Corporation marketed as a tool for children's entertainment … is nothing more than a nascent weapon of mass destruction. And the longer this Duel goes on, the sooner this world will begin to see an even bigger truth."

"Which is?" Masumi crossed her arms.

"If this weapon is not used," Seika spoke, slowly and deliberately, "then Academia will not stop with the Xyz Dimension. They will exterminate everything."

Silence. Masumi felt her jaw hanging slack from her mouth. Nor was she the only one; Yaiba seemed to have forgotten where he was completely—let alone that it was his turn. Shen, Hotene and Fuyu were trading glances that reflected each other's surprise.

"Don't act so shocked," Seika chided them. "Of course I know about the Dimensions; I've interfaced with just about every last one of Q's systems—including," it added, "its memory banks. And the files I saw in there, even those restricted to all but the most senior LeoCorp personnel … all that has happened, all that is yet to come … "

There was a long, hissing noise that Masumi needed some time to realize was a sigh. "No one I have killed has ever died a meaningless death," Seika told them. "If you knew the things I saw in those files, you'd know then and there why I had no other choice but to kill them."

"Why don't you tell us now—save us the time?!" Fuyu demanded.

The virus chuckled again. "To answer that, I'd have to tell you much more than your human minds could ever hope to process. Suffice it to say that if you had a choice between dying to me or to Academia … you'd choose me. And not only that," it sneered, "but you wouldn't even hesitate."

"That doesn't even make sense!" Masumi shot back. "Academia doesn't kill people, they seal them into cards! I mean," she added hastily, "what they're doing is wrong—but unlike you, they stop short of actual murder!"

She knew from Himika that Hokuto, Professor Marco, and—she could only hope—all the other victims of the Maiami Championship yet remained within the cards that contained them, kept under tight security she knew not where. Nor did she wish to find out; Masumi did not trust her emotional stability to last for long should she ever encounter Hokuto inside his card.

"As I said, you know very little of the whole story," Seika hissed. "There is no known method to reverse the process that sealed those people. It is even likely that Academia deliberately designed that technology to be irreversible. By capturing them, therefore, in cards by a process that cannot be undone, do they not consign their victims to a fate worse than any death I could give them?"

Masumi scoffed at this. "So—that's it, then? That's your motive for attacking this city—our home?! You found something inside Q that made you decide to kill people, so that Academia couldn't seal them up—and you think you're being more humane than they are because of it."

She did not bother at all to contain her disgust. "If even one word of that is true," she said, "then I've never heard a plan so stupid—or so sick."

Yaiba spat at Seika. "You really are a virus. No one is that psychotic—man or machine. And if you think we're going to let you kill one more person after hearing all that," he yelled, "then you're dead wrong! MY TURN!"

The force with which he drew his card created a gust that Masumi could feel against her bare arm.

"Rising Purgatory's effect!" Seika cried out. "During my opponent's Standby Phase—"

"I don't care!" snarled Yaiba, slapping a card on his blade even as Seika levitated another Infernoid from its Graveyard slot into its hand. "I'll start by Summoning XX-Saber Boggarknight in Attack Position!"

Yaiba's monster whirled onto the battlefield with a swish of bright red, unfurling into a scarlet-caped, silver-armored warrior (Level 4: ATK 1900/DEF 1000). The sword in its hand cut through the air in crisscrossing slashes, before stopping with the tip of its blade pointed right at Seika.

"Then," Yaiba continued, "because Boggarknight's effect lets me Special Summon another X-Saber monster from my hand when it's Normal Summoned, I'll Special Summon the Tuner monster XX-Saber Fulhelmknight, also in Attack Position!" Seconds later, a second red-cloaked warrior landed on the cracked road, this one with long blonde hair and a smile that looked as sharp as the segmented whip-blade it slashed through the air (Level 3: ATK 1300/DEF 1000).

Masumi felt a surge of elation as Yaiba's field took shape. If he wanted to, he could Synchro Summon right now—and win this Duel in the process. But she knew Yaiba well enough to know that this field was only the beginning of his textbook strategy—he was a Duelist who didn't do anything piecemeal. Only when he had built his field to its fullest extent would he strike with the overwhelming force that had earned his status as LDS' Synchro circuit rep.

And sure enough: "Next, since I control at least two X-Saber monsters," Yaiba declared, "I Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll from my hand—again in Attack Position!" Now a third flash of red, the biggest one yet, had dropped onto the field with all the force of a lead weight—its impact cracked the road even more, raising dust in its wake. By the time it cleared, the massive form of Faultroll was already standing between its companions—taller by a foot than either and at least three times as broad, with gleaming red armor and a massive sword that all but the strongest of men could not hope to lift, never mind to yield (Level 6: ATK 2400/DEF 1800).

The presence of this new monster was not lost on Masumi. What little of Synchro Summoning she cared to know had come from watching Yaiba's prowess at the method time and again. But the Fusion Duelist had noted the Levels of each monster her friend had brought onto the field, and knew instinctively that he intended to deliver the crushing blow—right here, right now.

"Now," grinned Yaiba, "I'll Tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 4 Boggarknight!" The warriors either side of Faultroll now lunged into the air, much farther than even Shen's super-strength could have carried him. Greenish-white nergy raced from their forms, turning Fulhelmknight into a green mass that expanded into a trio of glowing rings, while Boggarknight had shrunk to a gleaming point in the sky—only to divide into four of them just as quickly, encircled by the rings that had once been its companion:

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

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

And come forth Souza did: one second, it was a shadow, veiled behind sheets of blue fire. The next, it was a living cannonball, vaulting onto the field with enough momentum to leave a crater where it hit the road. Its tattered red cloak, hardly even singed by its trip through this Solid Vision hell, billowed as if alive while Souza, that giant among men, brandished twin swords at Seika—grinning with insane bloodlust all the while (Level 7: ATK 2500/DEF 1600).

"But I'm not gonna stop there," Yaiba hissed at the virus, "not after all the evil things I've been hearing you say! I activate my Faultroll's effect—once per turn, I can target a Level 4 or lower X-Saber in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field!"

His grin was just as big as Souza's. "One guess at which monster I'm bringing back!"

Masumi didn't even need that one guess; the choice was clear to her even before Faultroll had smashed its blade into the sundered asphalt beneath it, even before Fulhelmknight had emerged from the cracks beneath, tossing her golden hair as if nothing had happened (Level 3: ATK 1300/DEF 1000). Nor had her thoughts stopped there—it was clear as crystal why Yaiba had chosen to Summon that monster even before that familiar green-and-white glow had begun to envelope both it and Faultroll.

"Now I'll Tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight again," Yaiba shouted, "this time, with my Level 6 Faultroll!" Both monsters leapt into the fiery skies, lost to sight within seconds—but the burst of green light that followed, and Yaiba's chanting with it, told Masumi exactly what was coming:

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

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

If Souza was a giant among men, Gatmuz was a behemoth among giants; Yaiba's ace monster hit the field with all the force of a meteor, shattering the road completely and creating a shockwave that overturned every car in sight. The silver armor that encased every inch of its body was a dazzling thing to see—combined with the pristine red cape that swished from around its shoulders, and the massive double-edged blade it grasped in its hand, it looked as though the Synchro user had Summoned a god of war (Level 9: ATK 3100/DEF 2600).

"XX-Saber Gatmuz' effect!" Yaiba stabbed out his finger at Seika as though it was his very own sword. "By Releasing an X-Saber monster, I can discard a random card from my opponent's hand! I'll Release my Souza!"

Souza knelt to the ground, his body glowing with light. There was a blinding FLASH, and then it was gone—leaving nothing behind but a surge of energy that was sucked into Gatmuz' blade as swiftly as it had been born. Gatmuz leveled its weapon at Seika—and fired that energy right at the virus. It just barely grazed one of the three cards Seika had been levitating as part of its hand; seconds later, that card had been disintegrated into yet more fragments of hard-light.

"I hope you've got some way of bringing that monster back, Yaiba," Masumi remarked as she gazed at the spot where Souza had been. She wasn't too worried, though—Gatmuz would be enough for what was to come.

"Don't worry, Masumi—the last thing I want to do is to leave you with an empty field." Yaiba was grinning. "And speaking of empty fields—Battle Phase!" he bellowed. "XX-Saber Gatmuz—attack Seika's Life Points directly!"

With a mighty heave, Gatmuz swung its blade aloft, rushing forward with a juggernaut's abandon, straight for the hated virus—

"Trap, activate: Azure Flames of Purgatory!" hissed Seika just then. "When I activate this card, I can Special Summon an Infernoid monster from my hand, with its effects negated until the next turn!"

Masumi's curse was drowned out in the massive wall of cerulean flames that had erupted between Seika and Gatmuz, the latter of whom had screeched to a halt even as it had sliced downward for the coup de grâce. When those flames dispersed, it was to reveal the largest monster Seika had yet Summoned—in this Duel or any other—and one that Masumi had been hoping against hope to never see again.

"Descend!" Seika screamed. "Infernoid Adramelech!"

Like some devilish imitation of a phoenix rising from its pyre, the full form of Adramelech burst onto the field with little other preamble. Its bluish-gray body was a veritable wall of spiked and sharpened metal, half as high again as the apartment complex through which Seika had made its explosive entrance. Burnished wings cast shadows aplenty over the field, heavy claws clenched with malicious intent, and all eight of the tube-like plugs in its body were blazing with hellfire (Level 8: ATK 2800/DEF 0).

The knowledge that Yaiba's monster was not only stronger—if only slightly—but also raring to attack again due to Seika's Trap causing a replay, was all that soothed the hatred and fear that had been boiling in tandem within Masumi. While she hated the fact that Seika would survive to take one more turn yet again, Masumi had every confidence in Yaiba allowing the LID to survive so that she could provide the killing blow.

She studied the cards in her hand, and the sight was promising; although the Fusion user would not be able to bring out any of her ace monsters this turn, perhaps that was for the best. There was a time and a place for wanting to use your pride and joy, but with how Seika had been treating the pride and joy of every Duelist it had been fighting—Fuyu's Deltatheros, Shen's Gongfu, Hotene's Tamed Apelio—Masumi wanted to leave nothing to chance.

Meanwhile: "XX-Saber Gatmuz—attack Infernoid Adramelech!"

Yaiba's shriek melded, almost seamlessly, with the sing of wind against his ace monster's blade as Gatmuz rushed for the gigantic demon. That blade flashed once in a downward arc—and with a mighty BANG, something exploded within the Infernoid as the Synchro Monster's sword cleaved it down the middle. Both halves of Adramelech toppled either side of its Summoner against the adjacent buildings, causing bits of brick to rain down onto the sidewalk below—and Seika's Life Points to drop to 900.

Just inside the red zone. Masumi saw this—and on top of being grateful that everyone who'd been watching the confrontation unfold had had the sense to evacuate, felt a sense of triumph far greater than any she'd felt this Duel—

—until both halves of Adramelech, and Gatmuz not long after, began to glow with a horribly familiar light.

Damn it! Masumi thought, feeling her emergent triumph deflate completely. I forgot that card was still on the field!

"The second effect of my Sublimation of Purgatory," Seika said smugly. "After damage calculation involving an Infernoid monster, I can send it to the Graveyard to banish both monsters that battled."

Yaiba's face had gone so slack that Masumi suspected he'd not lasted long enough in his own Duel to see this other effect of Seika's infernal card. All he could do was watch in horror as Gatmuz burst into a million swirling motes of photonic dust, with Adramelech following suit bare moments later—leaving behind, once again, a barren field for both Seika and the LID.

It took a long time before Yaiba could recover enough to get on with his turn. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to go this far," he said sullenly, "but I've got no other choice. Since I have at least two X-Sabers in my Graveyard, and no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Gardestrike from my hand in Attack Position!"

He swiped a card on his blade, causing another red-cloaked monster to appear before him; this one, a wolf-like beast brandishing a vicious ripping edge that curved across its arm from palm to elbow (Level 5: ATK 2100/DEF 1400).

"Two cards face-down—turn end!" The Synchro Duelist slipped all but one of the cards in his hand into his Duel Disk, looking equal parts relieved that he could salvage the field advantage he'd lost, and chastised for what he must have thought was a rookie mistake.

Seika, apparently, was thinking the same thing. "You almost had me there," it said conversationally as it began its turn. "It stings, doesn't it? Knowing you have what it takes to defeat your foe—only to watch your best-laid plans crash and burn? It's like I was saying—fantasy and reality. One cannot exist without the other in its shadow."

It began to telekinetically swipe cards hither and thither. "Since it is my Standby Phase, I Special Summon an Infernoid Token to my field with my Flood of Purgatory!" Then, as yet another metallic bulb materialized before it (Level 1: ATK 0/DEF 0): "I send 2 Infernoid monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard via the effect of Awakened Purgatory, and return 1 banished Infernoid monster to my Graveyard with the effect of Rising Purgatory!

"Next," Seika declared, "I activate the Continuous Spell: Soul Absorption—and now—"

"Trap, activate: At One with the Sword!" Yaiba interrupted, throwing out his hand to reveal one of the cards he'd Set the previous turn. "If the only monster on our field is an X-Saber monster, I can target that monster, and treat it as an Equip Card for that monster! So I'll target my XX-Saber Gardestrike—and then, At One with the Sword lets it gain an extra 800 ATK!"

Masumi smiled as Gardestrike made a flourishing pose with its arm-blade, which seemed to shine even brighter in the firelight as its owner's point gauge rose to 2900 ATK—just enough, she knew, to withstand an assault from any one of Seika's Infernoids!

"As I was saying," repeated the virus, as if nothing had happened, "by banishing the Token on my field, and the Infernoid Lucifugus your Gatmuz so kindly discarded to my Graveyard last turn, I Special Summon Infernoid Ba'al back from my Graveyard! Descend!"

No sooner had it said this than the red-and-gold metallic bulk of Ba'al hit the field with the force of a bomb, spreading its wings to their fullest extent and staring down the LID with cruel intent (Level 7: ATK 2600/DEF 0).

"I think it's time that I let you in on another hard truth," Seika hissed. "What do you know about the law of equivalent exchange?"

"In order to receive, something equal must first be given," Shen answered. "It is self-explanatory."

"And more applicable than you realize," replied Seika. "The first law of thermodynamics: energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can neither be created nor destroyed. Your Solid Vision network requires a power grid sufficient enough to reproduce the cards in your Deck, and all the audio and visual effects that come with them. What you might not know is that this law can be applied to more than just energy.

"Exhibit A: my Soul Absorption," Seika explained. "Every time a card is banished—regardless of who controlled it, or where it first existed—I gain 500 Life Points for each banished card!"

Masumi felt her skin begin to prickle. For a very brief moment, she wondered if this new sensation had been her uneasiness at the implications of what this card could accomplish for Seika. Because his Infernoids relied on banishing other Infernoids just to be Summoned, a card that could heal Seika every time a card was banished was exceedingly dangerous. The stinging feeling only intensified a brief moment later, as she watched the virus' LP gauge creep upwards to 1400—knowing that this one card had just made it that much harder for the LID to win.

And then—one brief moment after that—Masumi felt that stinging erupt into a full-blown, white-hot pain.

She didn't even remember twisting her mouth open to scream more loudly than she'd ever screamed in her life; nor did she feel herself topple to the ground. The agony was more intense than anything she'd never experienced before: a pain that seared flesh, bone, and soul with equal impunity—a pain that could not be assigned any form whatsoever, for even as Masumi would try, that pain would intensify, mutate into a wholly new excruciating torture. Rusting hooks became burns from acid, which then became white-hot needles piercing every pore of her skin—

And then it was gone. Masumi heard her ears ringing—only to realize moments later that it wasn't just that, but the echoes of her own friends' screaming. Through groggy eyes, she saw Yaiba and Hotene, Fuyu and Shen—all lying on the ground, feebly stirring from what must have been the same pain she'd been feeling. Hotene was sniffling where she lay; the tiny Duelist was convulsing so violently that Masumi could not be sure if she was crying, or if the pain had been that intense for the little girl that the shock of it was still coursing through her body.

She wondered, idly, if this had been on par with the torture they'd been subjected to during the Shaddoll incident … or if it had been, somehow, even worse.

"Wha—?" Yaiba's body was twitching as though he'd just undergone a seizure, and his speech was slurred. "Wha—jus—penned?"

"The first law of thermodynamics," Seika said, as if that explained everything. "Energy can be transformed from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed." A pause. "That includes life energy, incidentally.

"My Soul Absorption can replenish my Life Points," the virus went on. "But because it does not draw from the Life Points of others, that life energy has to come from somewhere—such as the Solid Vision of this Action Field. Solid Vision, that—if you haven't noticed by now—" it added, "I can control completely thanks to Q. So I took the process one step further; I manipulated that Solid Vision so that it could interact with your very own bodies, and thus create the pain that the five of you have just felt."

" … Why?" It took all of Masumi's breath to voice that single word.

"To prove a point," Seika answered simply. "As I said, energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transferred or transformed. Ergo, life cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be given."

The virus' blue eyes flashed. "And taken away."

By now, Yaiba had finally gotten to his feet, but he had to lean on his bamboo shinai to do so. "You're a monster," he managed to growl. "You don't even care that you're killing and torturing human beings and their kids, do you?!"

Seika laughed, an eerie noise to hear from a computer virus. "Monster? Please. To call me a monster would imply I'm just as human as you—that you and I even think on the same level. But I'm not human, am I?"

Yaiba, gritting his teeth, only spoke five words. "Trap, activate: Gatmuz' Emergency Orders!"

Masumi whirled around. Another Trap?!

"When I activate this card," the Synchro Duelist spoke, "I can target two X-Sabers in my Graveyard, and Special Summon them both! I'll bring back my XX-Saber Faultroll, and my X-Saber Souza—both in Attack Position!"

Two gigantic portals flared either side of Gardestrike. To its left rose the daunting form of Souza, twin swords brought to bear and a manic grin on his face even after his sojourn in the Graveyard (Level 7: ATK 2500/DEF 1600); to its right gleamed the crimson armor and gigantic blade of Faultroll (Level 6: ATK 2400/DEF 1800). Both monsters were gazing right at Seika, as if determined to make the virus pay for what it had done to their Summoner.

"You should have kept them where they belonged," Seika sneered. "You believed you could use them as a wall to protect against my Infernoids—but I have many Infernoids … and many ways to bring them back.

"I banish my Infernoid Asmodai and my Infernoid Belphegor from my Graveyard," cried the virus, "and revive my Infernoid Adramelech! Descend!"

Oh no. Masumi hadn't even registered the monster's name in her mind—it mattered so little to her now. The moment her ears had heard the word "banished", she'd instantly tensed in horror of what she knew was coming. Even as the bluish-gray hulk that was Adramelech had reappeared on the field, growling sinisterly and flexing its iron-gray claws (Level 8: ATK 2800/DEF 0), the Fusion user could only stand and await the inevitable.

Adramelech roared—and before Masumi could blink, agony seared through her body again. She felt her eyes rolling into the back of her head; her vision was beginning to turn gray—and all the while, she felt her flesh sizzle and peel as if by red-hot knives, only to crawl inside her skin like the venom of so many hornet stings—she could hear her friends screaming with her as Seika continued to torture them with its mastery of Solid Vision—

It was gone. Masumi felt herself retch on the ground before she'd even become aware of where she was. Yaiba was coughing, gasping for air; she could hear nothing from the others. A quick look around showed Hotene, Shen, and Fuyu all motionless where they lay; an ashen Yaiba was stumbling towards them, trying to heave them to their feet despite the aftershocks that wracked his body.

"C'mon … " he was saying, "get up, Hotene … we still need you up here … please don't drop on us now, Fuyu … "

But Seika, ever relentless—ever remorseless—appeared determined to kick them all while they were down. "Battle Phase," it hissed, its LP gauge now at 2400 thanks to the cursed Soul Absorption card it controlled. "Infernoid Ba'al—attack X-Saber Souza!"

Souza crossed its blades, ready to meet its foe head-on—but Ba'al was as agile as it was enormous; the fell machine-demon rushed for the Synchro Monster as if bidden by the devil himself. It butted Souza to the ground, scattering its two swords with a swipe of its claws. One of the blades just barely grazed Yaiba's side, sending his and the LID's collective LP gauge to 3100. Before Souza could react, Ba'al's ugly head dipped downward, jaws opened wide—

Masumi was grateful there was nothing left in her stomach: the sight of Souza's demise was not one she'd expected to witness in a Duel. She'd closed her eyes at the worst part, of course—what it had done to her Paz last night was still in sharp focus—but that still didn't block out the noise of metal teeth gnashing, ripping apart its prey with animal voracity.

Very little of Souza remained when next Masumi chanced a glimpse of the field—and even those grisly remnants were fast fading into their component photons. Two more X-Sabers still remained, however—and only one of them would be strong enough to withstand another attack.

"Infernoid Adramelech," bellowed Seika, "attack XX-Saber Faultroll!"

The demon didn't even bother with a physical fight; it heaved backwards, opening its beaked mouth—and vomited a torrent of blue fire at the armored warrior. The hellish noise drowned out any sound Faultroll might have lived long enough to make before it was incinerated.

The flames kept on going even after Yaiba's monster was no more, rushing for the Synchro user without so much as pausing. Yaiba ducked, and perhaps that saved him from further torment—but the flames still licked at his clothing long enough to show the LID's gauge dropping again, this time to 2700.

"Infernoid Ba'al's effect," smirked Seika. "At the end of the Battle Phase, if it battled a monster, I can banish 1 card on the field—like your XX-Saber Gardestrike!"

No! Masumi could only watch helplessly, remembering how that effect had helped dismantle her field in her own Duel, as Ba'al thrust out the spear in its claws, piercing Gardestrike before it could even lift its blade.

Then—as if they and that monster were linked—Soul Absorption's effect kicked in for a third time, and Masumi and the others cried out in agonizing, indescribable pain. Frigid claws were sinking into the Fusion user's chest, piercing her very heart and wrenching it into shreds; red-hot metal was coursing through every blood vessel in her body—

FLASH. As quickly as Gardestrike vanished from view, in that burst of light, the pain left Masumi again, and she dropped to the ground on one knee. She had only the strength to lift her head, glaring at Seika with wordless hatred.

Behind her, she heard Yaiba groaning as he tried to recover his footing. The others were totally silent, and totally motionless; Masumi did not wish to find out if they were merely lying there, waiting for the pain to fade once more—or if the worst had already happened—

"Turn end." A satisfied Seika laughed, watching its LP gauge climb further still to 2900. "Is this all you can do, now?" it taunted the LID. "Is this the only strategy that you can muster against me? To cause more damage to me than I am to you?"

It sighed. "Fantasy and reality—I'm going to keep on saying it until all of you drop dead. However strong your monsters, however complex your strategies in using them—the cold, hard truth is that you're still—just—children." It emphasized each word with deadly sincerity. "And like children, you lash out at the inevitable in your ignorance, when things don't go your way."

"That's not being a child," Masumi retorted. "That's not even being ignorant. It's called being human, Seika. And we humans don't give up without a fight!"

Her fingers tensed. "My turn—DRAW!"

When she did, it was as though all the pain had left her; it felt as though the Fusion user was in her element again. The feel of the card in her fingers, the pleasure of stomping out this monstrous threat to her—their—hometown; both of them filled her aching veins with an unquenchable fire that none of Seika's demons could smother.

She took a glance at the cards in her hand, feeling that furious flame spread into each one, igniting the fresh rock that had been spinning in her mind, waiting to be cut into her next flawless gem—

—grind at the preform—

—sand at the edges—

—lap at the surface—

—polish for good measure—

Her eyes flicked to the card she had just drawn—

Et voilà.

"Rising Purgatory's effect!" Seika was saying. "During each of your Standby Phases, I can target an Infernoid monster in my Graveyard, and return it to my hand!"

Masumi didn't care any more than Yaiba had—it wouldn't help Seika now.

"I activate the Spell Card: Gem-Knight Fusion!" she shrieked, slapping the card on her blade hard enough to sting her hand. "With this card, I can fuse monsters on my field or in my hand for a Fusion Summon!"

She took a pair of cards out from her hand, sliding them and her prized Spell into her Graveyard. "I choose to fuse both the Gem-Knight Obsidia and the Gem-Knight Ganet in my hand!"

From the corner of her eye, Masumi saw the echoes of both Gem-Knights—one in gleaming jet-black armor, the other vivid blood-red—materializing either side of her, rising into the air. The skies above the field distorted, dispelling the towering flames long enough to reveal the swirling portal above, into which her monsters now headed:

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

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

The first she saw of the Fusion Monster was a black shadow half as tall as Masumi again, dropping from the portal that had birthed it like a lead weight and causing the street to crack further still. By the time the dust had settled, the scarlet armor of Rubyz could be seen in its entirety, its wearer uttering a growling battle cry at the Infernoids across the field (Level 6: ATK 2500/DEF 1400).

"Gem-Knight Obsidia's effect!" Masumi cried out. "If it's sent from my hand to the Graveyard—no matter how or why—I can target a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it! So I'll bring out my Ganet, in Attack Position!" The scarlet knight she'd caught a glimpse of earlier now shimmered to Rubyz' right, raising a burning fist into the air (Level 4: ATK 1900/DEF 0).

"Next!" Masumi swiped another card. "I Normal Summon Gem-Knight Sanyx in Attack Position!" To the left of Rubyz, a second monster took shape before her: another armored knight, this one red-and-gold, with bands of milky white throughout, brandishing a heavy ball and chain with spikes as long and wide as her palm (Level 4: ATK 1800/DEF 900).

"You fail to impress me, Masumi Kōtsu," Seika said dismissively. "I know that Gem-Knight Spell of yours inside and out. You won't risk using its effect to bring it back to your hand—you won't risk giving me even more Life Points just so you can show me how good at Fusion you believe yourself to be!"

At this, Masumi grinned. "Your mistake is thinking I even need to use that effect, Seika."

"Hm?" The eyes of the virus dimmed a little. That only made Masumi's smile all the bigger. For she knew there was more than one way to bring out a Fusion Monster; and as the best Fusion Duelist in all of LDS—no matter what Hotene might have to say about it—Masumi knew how to use just about every one of them.

"I activate the Spell Card: Particle Fusion!" she screamed. "With this card, I can fuse monsters on my field for a Fusion Summon! I choose to fuse my Gem-Knight Ganet with my Gem-Knight Sanyx!"

Light flared from overhead as another vortex threatened to wipe out the flames below. Both Sanyx and Ganet floated inside, leaving nothing behind but a surge of even brighter light that drowned out Masumi's chanting:

"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!"

A second Gem-Knight fell to the earth with a THUD. This one was taller and broader than Rubyz, though not by much (Level 7: ATK 2200/DEF 1950). Red-hot fists, dripping with molten metal that sizzled on the asphalt beneath, clenched a massive blade that glowed with all the heat of an industrial smelter.

"Particle Fusion's effect is still active!" Masumi shouted at Seika. "After I activate it, it's immediately banished from my Graveyard—

"Did you even hear what I said about my Soul Absorption's effect?" Seika asked, with just a hint of irritation. "It doesn't have to be my card that gets banished—it can be any card, by any effect and at any time, that lets me gain 500 Life Points."

The virus leered at Masumi. "And you know what that means—all too well."

But the Fusion user only smiled back at him. "Doesn't matter—because banishing Particle Fusion also lets me target one of the monsters I used as Fusion Material for Madeira—and then, Madeira gains ATK equal to that monster's original ATK until the end of the turn! And I'm going to target," she yelled, raising her voice even more, "my Gem-Knight Ganet!"

Madeira's sword blazed with incredible heat. Some of the molten metal that dripped off its fists now ran down the length of its blade, hardening into a pair of vicious ripping edges and causing the monster's point gauge to skyrocket to 4100—

Masumi felt the prickling of her skin once more—the only sign she knew it was coming—before the agony flared across her body like so much of the fire that encircled the LID. But whether because the cells in her body had become numb to the pain now—or because she knew she was about to win this Duel—it had become less noticeable to her now. It no longer felt like an old enemy, a reminder of failures past—but merely an old friend, and the success that came with a thousand of those failures.

And so—"Gem-Knight Rubyz' effect!" the Fusion user screeched, not even paying attention to Seika's own Life Points ascending further still to 3400—it didn't matter how high they climbed now, because: "Once per turn, I can Release a Gem- monster on my field—and have Rubyz gain ATK equal to the ATK that monster had on the field! That's right!" she taunted the virus, who had shrunk backwards upon hearing this effect. "You can do the math, Seika— you don't even need a supercomputer to know what that means, Seika!"

At the last word of this, Rubyz and Madeira had crossed blades with each other, as if guarding the way to Masumi from Seika. Now the armor of Madeira began to glow, as if the furnace-like heat that blazed from its sword was being fueled from within—before suddenly being encased in consuming fire that ran down the blade of Rubyz' axe and over its armor, sending its gauge higher and higher until stopping at an unbelievable 6600.

"This Duel is over—and SO ARE YOU!" Masumi screamed. "BATTLE PHASE!"

She didn't bother declaring a target for her Rubyz to attack, nor did it matter to her: Seika's Life Points weren't high enough to absorb a hit from her monster to Adramelech—let alone to Ba'al. This Duel had been one of the most hard-fought in her memory, and one of the most traumatic for it … but it was over now; she had won …

Rubyz, meanwhile, hurtled for Seika's field like a shooting star on legs, leaving a trail of melted footprints in the asphalt behind. It swung its axe with a mighty heave; Masumi's eyes didn't see which of the Infernoids it had hit, owing to the colossal explosion that followed, spreading throughout the field in the blink of an eye. In her mind, she thought it might have been Adramelech—

Then the sheet of fire washed over her. The pain was searing, and she felt her hair curling up from the intense heat—but the victorious feeling in Masumi's chest was more than enough to keep her from falling to the ground once more.

She held up her Duel Disk, watching the numbers of Seika's Life gauge plummet further and further towards zero. 3000 … 2500 … 2000 …

… 1500 …

… 1000 …

… 500 …

… 100 …

…

… 100 …

…

… 100 …

…

Masumi felt the bitter taste of horror fill her throat as she whirled upon Seika's field. No! … How?!

There was nothing there, nothing but the continuous roar of the flames from the virus' Field Spell; both Infernoids had been blown to kingdom come. There were still some pieces of both Adramelech and Ba'al scattered here and there that had not yet faded into hard-light dust. Rubyz itself was detaching a piece of what looked like Adramelech's beak from the blade of its axe. So how—

Wait, she thought. Rubyz can't attack more than once—not without another card effect. So why were both Infernoids destroyed, when her monster had only attacked one?!

A horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. Had one of them—?

"You almost had me," Seika rumbled. "If I didn't have another Infernoid on my field, I'd be a goner. However … Infernoid Belphegor's second effect—the one that lets me Release a monster I control to banish a card from my opponent's Graveyard—is not an exclusive one."

Banish a card?! Masumi felt a sudden sinking feeling in her heart as the pain of the fires from Rubyz' attack suddenly registered.

Oh no …

"Oh, yes," Seika smirked. "All of my Infernoids share that effect—including the Adramelech your monster attacked … and the Ba'al I Released to activate it."

Through her disappointment and rage, Masumi understood. She'd been right about it not mattering whether her Rubyz had attacked Adramelech or Ba'al—just wrong about whether Seika would survive it or not. But it had—and the sliver of Life Points to which it now clung felt all the more damning to the Fusion Duelist.

She'd come so close—and yet remained so very far from victory.

"I—" she choked back angry tears—"end my turn." At this last, the fires that coursed over Rubyz' armor now dimmed; its effect, along with that of Particle Fusion, had concluded with the end of her turn, sending its ATK plummeting back to its original 2500.

"Before I kill you, I want you to take stock of where you are, Masumi," Seika hissed, drawing a card to begin its turn. "Look at what you've done—the reality that was always going to be the result of your fantasy of finally beating me. You've come closer than ever—and look at what your efforts have cost you. Look around."

Though she did not want to, Masumi felt her eyes, and then her neck, slowly swiveling round to her left. The sight of what lay next to her hit her like a punch to the gut: Hotene, Shen, and Fuyu lying on the cracked pavement in various states of wear and tear. All were breathing, but some were only just; Hotene was shaking where she lay—whether from crying or from pain, Masumi could not tell. Yaiba was half limping, half crawling to where Fuyu was sprawled on the road, poking him gently with the butt of his shinai, coaxing him to please get up—

"Burn their bodies into your mind, Masumi Kōtsu," Seika sneered at her. "Carry their faces with you for what little moments of time remain to you. Because I want you to know, before I end your life … that you did this. You killed these children—just as I will kill you … right here, right now."

Masumi was too wracked with emotion to even care about anything at this point. She didn't register Seika progressing through its Standby Phase yet again, Summoning an Infernoid Token or putting yet more monsters into its Graveyard. All that she could think about was the disappointment she felt in herself for not being able to win this Duel, because of monsters she still didn't properly understand—or of horror for the children she'd spent the last month or more fighting alongside, becoming the best of friends that fire could ever forge.

But most of all, she felt the pit in her stomach widening further and further still, swallowing her whole—and she wondered if Seika might have been right … that she really had led these people to their death.

"Watch now, Masumi," Seika hissed. "It's long past time I showed you what my Infernoid Deck is capable of. First, I activate the Continuous Spell: Void Dream of Purgatory. While this card is on the field, every Infernoid monster on my field becomes Level 1, though any battle damage they inflict will be halved!"

Level 1?! Already Masumi was beginning to realize the ramifications of this Spell. The Summoning restrictions of Seika's monsters no longer mattered anymore; it could Special Summon as many as it wanted until the loss of battle damage no longer mattered, either.

"Finally," growled Seika, "I banish the Infernoid Token on my field, the Infernoid Asmodai in my hand—and the Infernoid Adramelech in my Graveyard—to Special Summon this from my Graveyard!"

Masumi was thunderstruck, remembering the effect of Soul Absorption. He's banishing three monsters this time?!

That was all the time she had to think before a wall of pain smashed into her body once more. The Fusion Duelist felt herself convulsing where she stood as every hellish sensation possible, from red-hot barbed wire to insects gnawing at her insides with sharpened mandibles, wrapped around her body and sank into her flesh—the world was going dark around her; she couldn't hear any sound at all save her own screaming—

She fell backwards when it finally stopped—had it been seconds? Hours? Masumi wondered—before the source of the darkness and silence finally registered: the fires of Seika's Field Spell were gone, as was the roaring sound that had filled her ears while they blazed. Blessed silence now took its place—but why was it so dark?

Instinctively, Masumi had glanced upward, wondering if perhaps this Duel had taken so long that the sun had set—but that was far from the case. For she was now seeing the source of the darkness that now covered the field, blanketing the destruction below in its shadow—for that was what it was—

"Descend!" roared Seika. "Infernoid Nehemoth!"

Masumi could not speak—terror had choked her throat to where she couldn't even make a sound at the monster that filled the sky above her.

She could only describe it as a massive, mechanical dragon that could have wrapped its whole length around the Leo Duel School. Translucent blue wings blocked out every cloud in the sky, casting the shadows that surrounded the LID. Blood-red ripping edges that could have cleaved through entire buildings jutted outwards from its body, and at its back was a massive ring of metal that resembled nothing so much as some diabolical halo (Level 10 » 1: ATK 3000/DEF 3000).

"Oh, my God … " Masumi heard Yaiba mumble the words from some distance away, but did not acknowledge them. She was too horrified at seeing just what sort of monster Seika had been keeping from the LID all this time—even if, she knew, that it wouldn't be enough to defeat them this turn.

"When Infernoid Nehemoth is Special Summoned," Seika bellowed, its Life gauge now sitting at 1100 thanks to Soul Absorption, "I can activate its effect—and destroy all other monsters on the field!"

Masumi gulped—though she knew the LID was still safe, due to Seika's own Continuous Spell, the notion of having to survive till their next turn with an empty field was an ill one indeed.

High above, meanwhile, Nehemoth had opened its tiny jaws—tiny only by comparison to the rest of its gargantuan body; they were still wide enough to swallow a bus—and blasted a jet of blue fire straight down onto the field. It hit with the force of a bomb; Gem-Knight Rubyz was reduced to a pile of warped and melted armor within seconds, before bursting into a cloud of hard-light shards soon after.

"And finally," hissed Seika, "I'll banish not one, not two … but all three Infernoid Dekatrons—two from my Graveyard, and another from my hand—to Special Summon this from my Graveyard as well!"

Masumi felt as though the collective bottom had dropped out of her insides. Another triple-banish Infernoid?!

An unearthly noise rent the air in two just then—a horrid, howling shriek that felt more painful than any manipulation of Seika's Solid Vision. Perhaps it was meant as yet another manifestation of Soul Absorption's effect—as evidenced by the virus' LP gauge climbing even higher to 2600.

Then Masumi saw a long streak of metal, slithering across the sky and gliding on four wings whose span could have shamed an airliner. The length of the enormous monster kept on coming and coming and coming—hundreds of feet long, certainly, perhaps even thousands—

"DESCEND!" thundered the virus. "INFERNOID LILITH!"

The monster called Lilith roared again—the same high-pitched howl that had assaulted Masumi mere seconds ago—opening vast jaws that crackled with electricity, wide enough to swallow trees whole. Its serpentine body slithered behind Seika, like some gigantic, horned snake-demon either rearing its head to strike, or crush it in its massive coils (Level 9 » 1: ATK 2900/DEF 2900).

The sight of the monster spread ice water throughout Masumi's veins. For she had seen the point gauges of both monsters; combined with the knowledge of Seika's Void Dream, she had done enough mental math to realize the horrible truth that was staring her in the face.

We lost … she could only gape. We just lost …

"Infernoid Lilith's effect," Seika sneered. "When it is Special Summoned, I can destroy every Spell and Trap on the field that isn't a Purgatory card!"

But Masumi wasn't listening, even as what little field the LID had left disintegrated before them—her gaze had flown to Yaiba. The Synchro user, alone of the rest of the LID, was the only one doing more than simply stirring on the ground. He was cradling a groggy Fuyu, and limping closer to Shen; Hotene had managed to roll over on her back in the meantime, only to stare with growing terror at the twin monsters Seika had Summoned.

"BATTLE PHASE!"

Masumi took one look at the blue flames dripping from their jaws—then ran for the tiny Duelist without a second thought, before Seika had even bellowed the words. She could not abandon her friends now—she could not leave them to die alone—

"Infernoid Lilith—"

—she skidded to a halt in front of her, dropping to her knees—

"—Infernoid Nehemoth—"

"Hotene!" Masumi called out, shaking the little girl by her shoulders. "Look at me—I want you to look straight at me—don't tear your eyes away from my face, whatever happens!"

The eyes of the Junior Fusion ace were swimming with tears, and Masumi felt their wetness as she clutched Hotene as tightly as she could, held her as tightly as possible to her breast as she was able—

"Attack their Life Points directly—SLAY THEM ALL!"

There was no time—Masumi could see the light blooming above her; she heard the rush of hellfire coming, heard Lilith and Nehemoth roar gloatingly in victory as they prepared to obey Seika's command—she closed her eyes—

Pain.

Nothing of what Masumi had felt up to this point—nothing that Soul Absorption had ever subjected her to—none of it even remotely compared to the searing, piercing, sizzling, and shrieking that pushed the capacity of her senses past the breaking point. Her vision was white; her throat was raw; she could take no more of it—she had to give in—

please let it end let it be done I want it to stop I just want to—

And then—as if some higher being had heard her—it was over.

The squeal of five Duel Disks—of five screens bearing a single LP gauge, now wholly depleted to zero—barely even registered in her ears. She hardly felt herself toppling to the side of Hotene, whose eyes were perfectly round, staring unblinking into the now-empty sky—

Nor did she feel something seize her by the scruff of her shirt, hauling her bodily into the air, or hear the sounds of four other children who were being treated likewise—

"You survived their attack. Q will immortalize your names for that." Seika's voice sounded miles away, even as its blue eyes looked straight at Masumi. The Fusion user stared back without seeing anything. "But when I am finished with your city … your names will be all that's left of you—and your people."

The Solid Vision that gripped Masumi clenched … her throat was feeling tighter and tighter …

"Goodbye, Masumi Kōtsu." A pause. "Goodbye, LID."

There was nothing she could do … nothing she could even say …

flash

"What?!"

The light had only slightly managed to brighten Masumi's failing vision; enough of her hearing remained that she thought it might have been a bolt of lightning.

Then the tightness around her neck had left her; the Fusion Duelist felt herself falling to the ground, landing on her back with a hard enough bump to feel it even through the numbness of her skin—

"What is this?!" Seika was growling. More flashes of lightning had appeared, causing stars to dance in Masumi's eyes. Snaps and sparks popped in her ears, growing louder and louder, bit by bit—

With the greatest effort it had cost her—or ever would again—Masumi cracked open a heavy eyelid by a millimeter.

The black cloak of Seika was thrashing about wildly; its Duel Disk was throwing off sparks after sparks, and its eyes were flashing with a combination of surprise and rage. The edges were fuzzing and fritzing every so often, it was as though she was looking at the virus through a rapidly closing screen door—

"No—what's going on?!" it bellowed. "Why now? Why—?!"

An explosion of lightning, bigger than any yet seen by far, ripped through the road, blinding Masumi and sending her sprawling. Seika was nowhere to be seen; it had disappeared in the chaos, for reasons the Fusion user could not fathom. Had it turned invisible again? If so, then why—?

She had no more time to think on it; the world was slipping into silence. Her body had gone completely leaden; her vision was growing darker by the moment. Masumi did not bother to put up a fight. She let the silent blackness and merciful numbness overtake her, relaxing her body to accept the inevitable, and she knew nothing more …

---

A/N: WELP OKAY this got away from me. Again. At least I finished the big Duel—well, one of them.

The bits of code you've been seeing so far—or more to the point, the ones that haven't been butchered by how this site is formatted—are in homage to Jurassic Park (or completely rip it off, depending on how you see it). Either way, it is and still remains one of my favorite books to read (and films to watch) in the history of ever.

(Also, Seika's taunt to Himika was much more complex than I eventually decided on; this site somehow butchered that, too. Argh.)

Anyway, I'm going to put (æ)lohim on the back burner for a bit so I can allow my fingers to relax and turn my concentration elsewhere. Finding apartments, keeping up with work schedules—my boring adult life, basically. The next chapter ought to be shorter as a result, but by no means will it be a breather; there's a lot of stuff I'd like to address in it—so you won't want to miss a thing.

Stay tuned till then, and thanks for reading! – K