Chapter XXI
End of the Unnatural Night
My heart stopped as I pulled on the door. But I quickly reminded myself of what must be done. I walked into the room…and was horrified by what I saw. There was a large black marble statue of Satan in the back of the room, designed in some sort of evil imitation of the Statue of Zeus. In his right hand, he held his trademark trident, and in his left, a medieval glass bottle that glowed with unearthly light. I shuddered to think what was in it. In front of the statue was an unholy altar, stained with blood and decorated with images of all manner of demons. To the right of the altar was the worst sight. It was Lily, still trapped in her statuesque prison. It was hard to hold back the tears from seeing her like that, but I had to remain strong.
"Ah, the last prince of Atlantis," said a voice, and a figure emerged from the darkness. It was none other than Thatehos himself. His remaining eye was pure red; the other was sealed shut by a scar. He was the tallest old man I ever saw: seven feet in height. He held a pure gold staff in his right hand, topped by a dragon's head holding a ruby orb in its jaws. His black robe bore a blood red pentagram on the chest. His lined face wore an incredibly dour look.
"We meet at last, murderer," I said. "You're going to pay for what you did to Lily, and my family, especially Samuel."
"Brave words, warrior. But you cannot save her. I have seen my victory, and Lord Satan shall conquer this pathetic planet," Thatehos said triumphantly.
"Not while I draw breath," I said with just as much determination.
"I destroyed you once, and I can do so again," the priest said as he equipped a Dark Duel Disk to his left arm.
"This time, it will be different," I said as I equipped my own. Our Life Points set at 8,000.
"None that have seen my cards have lived to tell about them. I summon Serpent Man in Attack Mode," Thatehos said. A snake-like creature as tall as a man, sporting muscular arms and wearing battle armor (1800/1500) appeared on the field, ready to fight. Thatehos was right about one thing: I've never seen that card before. I looked at my hand, and saw that I drew Cyber Dragon (2100/1600), Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800), Hero Barrier, Guardian Grarl (2500/1000), and H-Heated Heart.
"That won't stop me. I summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode, and I equip it with H - Heated Heart," I said. The robotic dragon appeared on the field, and its Attack Points rose to 2600.
"Cyber Dragon, destroy his monster!" I ordered. The machine fired an intense stream of power at the Serpent Man, destroying him and reducing Thatehos's Life Points to 7,200.
"A fleeting victory at best. I activate two Spell Cards: Monster Reborn and Necronomicon," Thatehos said. A card displaying a terrifying-looking spellbook appeared on the field as the Serpent Man reappeared.
"What does that do?" I asked.
"It allows me to summon Yig, the Father of Serpents without a sacrifice," the priest explained. An enormous anthropoid being emerged, his skin resembling that of a dinosaur's, with a snakelike tail in his backside, his head like that of a cobra, and red and black feathers decorating it (2300/2100).
"And as the Father of Serpents, Yig gains 300 Attack Points for every Serpent Man on the field with him," he explained further. True to what he said, Yig's Attack Points increased to 2600.
"And here's another spell that the Necronomicon can cast. I can increase the Attack Points of a monster by 700, and I'll cast this spell to make Yig stronger." The Necronomicon card glowed, and Yig roared and hissed fiercely as his Attack Points increased further to 3300!
"Father of Serpents, destroy the Cyber Dragon!" Thatehos commanded. Yig charged and tore apart the Cyber Dragon, destroying it and reducing my Life Points to 6,800.
"Serpent Man, attack his Life Points directly!" he said again, this time with sadistic glee. The creature's sword cut through me, reducing my Life Points further to 5,000!
This can't be. The duel just started and he already has some of his strongest monsters out. There must be a way to destroy them, I said as I drew again. The card I got was Mirror Force. Just what I needed!
"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in Attack Mode, and I lay one card facedown," I said as the superheroine appeared on the field.
"Is that all you can do? No wonder my curse killed you so easily. To be honest, I've been wanting to use it on you, and your escape from Hell ruined my victory," he explained, first strangely glad at remembering using it, and then bitter again when he mentioned the second part.
"Well you won't cast it again," I said.
"After my monsters are done destroying you, you'll wish I did. I summon another Serpent Man, and thus make Yig stronger," Thatehos said. Another such creature appeared on the field next to its master, and Yig's Attack Points increased again to 3600.
"Yig, destroy that puny wench!" Thatehos ordered.
"Not so fast! I activate Mirror Force!" I said quickly. The Trap Card unveiled itself, and all three of Thatehos's monsters were instantly destroyed.
"I'm glad those freaks are gone. Burstinatrix, attack his Life Points directly!" I said. She jumped into the air and threw an enormous fireball at Thatehos, burning him and reducing his Life Points to 6,000.
"You haven't won yet, and you never will either. I summon a Deep One in Attack Mode, and I activate the Seal of Satan," he declared. All the torches in the room erupted as the Spell Card was activated. No animal spirit appeared, though. This time, the evil energies making up the Seal flowed from Thatehos's very being. The ring formed around us, and the pentagram filled in, completing the Seal. Hopefully, this would be the last time I ever see it. As it completed, a hideous creature appeared on the field. It was hunched over like a gorilla, and had a large chest and arms like one, but it was covered in grayish-green fish scales, except for its white chest and stomach. Its face was like that of a barracuda redesigned to human proportions, complete with large lidless eyes, and spines ran along the center of its back. The gills on its neck continuously opened and closed. Its stats read only 1700/1000 for a short time, as they quickly became 2700/2000.
"Deep One, destroy Burstinatrix!" Thatehos ordered. The fish thing ran toward Burstinatrix on all four of its webbed hands and feet, and bit her fiercely, destroying her and making my Life Points 3,500!
"You cannot stop me. When a Deep One inflicts any kind of damage to you, I can summon another one," Thatehos explained. Just as he said that, another Deep One appeared.
"Now that they're here, I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization. I combine my two Deep Ones to make their queen: Mother Hydra, Queen of Y'ha-nthlei!" he continued. The two sea creatures combined and became a truly horrible monster. It was enormous, towering over the both of us, and was terrible to behold. Her skin was like a human's, but rotting in many places. Her face was indescribably ugly, and a proboscis emerged from a hole that I could only assume was a mouth. Her stats were 2200/2400, and quickly became 3200/3400.
"Mother Hydra, attack his Life Points directly!" Thatehos commanded. The sea creature took only two strides and struck me with her enormous claws, sending my Life Points plummeting to 300! I was already one attack away from defeat!
"How does it feel, Atlantean? You came all this way to save your beloved, but you have found only darkness. Your death awaits," Thatehos said with dark triumph in his voice.
"I'm not done yet!" I said as I got back to my knees and drew again. Thatehos remained unmoved by my bravery. I got…Pot of Greed.
"I place a card facedown and I activate Pot of Greed, with which I can draw two more cards," I said as I activated it. The extra cards I drew were Elemental Hero Necroshade (1600/1800) and Graceful Charity.
"Well, it seems like I get three more cards. I activate Graceful Charity," I said confidently, happy that my luck was turning around. The new cards I drew were Angel's Mirror, Skyscraper, and Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800).
"I activate two more Spell Cards: Angel's Mirror and Skyscraper," I said. The room seemed to disappear as the skyscrapers appeared. Once again, the Angel's Mirror card shone brightly as it appeared. However, Thatehos retained his grim demeanor.
"And guess what? Since one of the cards I sent to the Graveyard was Elemental Hero Necroshade, I can summon Elemental Hero Bladedge without a sacrifice," I said. The golden armored warrior appeared on the field, ready for battle.
"Bladedge, take out Mother Hydra!" I said confidently. Thanks to the new setting, Bladedge's Attack Points skyrocketed to 4600. He rushed and powerfully punched Mother Hydra, destroying her and reducing Thatehos's Life Points to 4,600. I just hope I could get my Life Points back up, though. Who knows what else he'd attack me with?
"You're a fool to think you can defeat me. I summon my third Deep One, and he'll destroy your Bladedge," Thatehos declared. A third fish man appeared, and he leapt toward Bladedge, ready to bite.
"That's what you think. I activate the Trap Card, Hero Barrier," I said. An energy shield appeared around Bladedge, stopping the Deep One's attack. Now that it was my turn again, I drew and got my second Pot of Greed.
"What do you know? I activate Pot of Greed again," I said, and drew two more cards. I got Nutrient Z and Elemental Recharge.
"I activate Elemental Recharge, which would normally give me 1,000 Life Points per Elemental Hero, but thanks to Angel's Mirror, I now get 2,000," I said. Indeed, my Life Points increased to 2,300.
"Bladedge, destroy that Deep One," I continued. Empowered by Skyscraper once again, Bladedge powerfully punched the Deep One, reducing Thatehos's Life Points further to 2,700. All right, I was going to defeat him after all!
"Now what were you saying about destroying me again?" I asked confidently.
"Your death is still sealed. I'm going to summon one of the most powerful of my monsters. I summon Cthulhu, the High Priest of Darkness!" Thatehos roared. Suddenly, the field became covered in water, which started to bubble and boil violently. Then, enormous whiplike tentacles emerged slowly and menacingly. What emerged next was probably more horrifying than Mother Hydra. If it weren't for my determination to carry out my mission, I'd have probably gone insane just by looking at this nightmarish creature. It was probably even taller than Mother Hydra, and a lot uglier. Its body looked like that of a man, but its skin was a disgusting shade of green. I saw were the tentacles were coming from. The creature's head was like an octopus, its writhing tentacles obscuring its mouth. That was probably a good thing; I didn't want to see what was in it. Great dragonlike wings emerged from the creature's back, completing its otherworldly appearance. Its stats were 3000/2500, but they quickly shot up to 4000/3500.
"Look upon Dread Cthulhu and tremble, for he has foreseen your destruction and the rise of my master! And he'll start with your puny monsters. Cthulhu, obliterate Bladedge!" Thatehos commanded. Cthulhu was suddenly energized by the Necronomicon, and its Attack Points rose to 4700. The monster's tentacles shot forth and ensnared Bladedge. They started pulling on his armor-clad body to rip him apart. I couldn't bear to watch. Cthulhu completed his killing, and my Life Points went down to 200! Great, I was back where I started. I caught a glimpse of the statue Lily was turned into, and hoped she could forgive me.
"You cannot stand against the coming Darkness," Thatehos said. I drew again, and got…
"I activate the Swords of Revealing Light!" I said. The shining blades fell from the sky and covered Thatehos's side of the field. Hopefully I could get some time.
"You can put as much faith in light as you can, but the darkness always prevails," Thatehos warned. "I activate my secondary Monster Reborn, and bring back one of my Deep Ones." One of the fish creatures appeared on the field, but thanks to my spell, he couldn't attack. I drew a card as well, and got E - Emergency Call.
"I activate the Spell Card, E - Emergency Call. With this, I can add an Elemental Hero to my hand," I said. I flipped through my Deck, and got Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400). I would save him for later.
"I summon Father Dagon, King of Y'ha-nthlei," Thatehos said. Next to the Deep One, a creature appeared. It was nowhere near as ugly as Mother Hydra, but nonetheless terrifying. It was nearly as tall as Cthulhu, and looked like an oversized Deep One, but its arms were long like those of an orangutan, and its head looked more reptilian. It had Attack and Defense Points of 2500 and 2100 respectively, but thanks to the Seal of Satan, they rose to 3500/3100.
"As the main ruler of the Deep Ones, Dagon gains 200 Attack Points for every Deep One on the field with him," Thatehos explained. True to what he said, Dagon's Attack Points rose to an additional 3700. I hoped I could destroy him soon. I drew again, and got R - Righteous Justice.
"I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in Defense Mode, and I activate R - Righteous Justice. With this, I can close the Necronomicon - permanently," I said. Sparkman appeared on the field, crossing his arms defensively, and just as he did, the Necronomicon card disappeared. Thatehos looked especially angry at this turn of events.
"You will pay for that, Atlantean. I may not be able to attack you, but I can still do this. I activate a Spell Card of my own, Shadow over Innsmouth. With this, I can sacrifice my Deep One and give Father Dagon a very special ability: he can attack your Life Points directly!" he declared. The Deep One disappeared, and Father Dagon roared as his newfound power started to activate.
"Dagon, destroy the Atlantean scum and end this duel once and for all!" Thatehos roared. Father Dagon charged toward me and unleashed another mighty roar. He ferociously swiped me with his claws, reducing my Life Points to 0…or so Thatehos thought. The priest looked surprised when I got back up, which did not match his complexion.
"What's this? It cannot be! How are you still alive?" he said.
"Thanks to a little friend I like to call Nutrient Z. So now I just have 700 Life Points left," I explained confidently as the Trap Card disappeared.
"You may have been lucky this time, but it won't happen again," Thatehos said.
"Yeah - for you," I said as I drew again, and got O - Oversoul.
"I activate O - Oversoul, with which I'll bring back an old friend: Burstinatrix," I said. Burstinatrix returned to the field, ready for battle once more.
"You can't keep stalling like this, Atlantean. Because once this turn ends, I will destroy you. And I'll start by activating just a couple more Spell Cards. I'll start with Cost Down. By sending one card to the Graveyard, I can turn Nyarlathotep, the Grand Duke of Chaos into a Level 7 monster," Thatehos began. I was suddenly worried.
"Which means…" I began.
"Which means I can now summon him with only one Tribute. I activate the second Spell Card in my plan: Ritual of the Crawling Chaos. With this ritual, I can exchange Father Dagon for Nyarlathotep, and once your swords expire, you're doomed," the priest continued. A terrible darkness fell over the field, and Father Dagon was whisked away. In his place appeared another monster. It looked like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, but his skin was pitch black, and instead of the symbols of the Egyptian gods, he wore terrible indescribable ones. He looked at me with the utmost contempt. As usual, his stats of 3200/2900 quickly rose to 4200/3900.
"I still have a Deck in my hand," I said bravely, and drew one more time. It was…my third and final Pot of Greed.
"I activate Pot of Greed one more time," I said, and once again drew two more cards. I got…Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) and HERO Flash!
"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode, and I activate the Spell Card, HERO Flash!" I said. The stone warrior appeared on the field next to his fellow Elemental Heroes.
"What good will that do you, Atlantean?" Thatehos asked.
"That's easy: first, I'll remove the following cards from play: H - Heated Heart, E - Emergency Call, R - Righteous Justice, and O - Oversoul," I began. The four cards I mentioned appeared on the field, spelling "Hero". "Secondly, I'll bring out one more Elemental Hero: Avian." The winged warrior (1000/1000) appeared on the field to join his companions. "And here's the grand finale. Now that they're all here, they'll attack your Life Points directly. Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, Sparkman, show that maniac what you've got. Show him what Atlantis is made of!" The four heroes looked confidently at their quarry, and all of them became engulfed in energy. Avian became enshrouded in green light, Burstinatrix in red, Clayman in yellow, and Sparkman in blue. All four heroes, now greatly empowered, charged to Thatehos and practically obliterated him, sending his Life Points plummeting to 0.
"Atlantis has been avenged, Thatehos. My kinsmen can now rest in peace, and your reign of terror is over," I said, glad that it was no over. But something was off. Even though Thatehos's Life Points were now 0, his two monsters were still present and only now did the Swords of Revealing Light disappear.
"Hey, what's going on? Didn't I just win?" I asked aloud. Just then, Thatehos looked up, his face like that of an irate dragon and his red eye matching the fires of hell itself.
"I am through playing games with you, Demetrios!" he roared with the voice of a demon. He reached for his Deck and drew one more card.
"This card will destroy you once and for all! I activate the Ritual Spell Card, Throne of Chaos! I sacrifice Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu to summon the most powerful monster of all! I summon evil itself, Azathoth!" the priest shouted. Both monsters disappeared, and the most terrible sight I ever saw appeared above the field. It looked like a chaotic mass of red and gold slime. Of course, "slime" was the best word I could think of, for I had no idea what this thing was. In the center of this chaos, an enormous red eye opened. Despite the creature's lack of a face, the eye looked at me with the most terrible contempt, as if it hated me just for existing. But the creature's appearance wasn't the only thing that was so terrifying about it. Its Attack and Defense Points were…Infinity!
"Look in horror upon evil itself, Atlantean! You cannot ever hope to destroy this creature! You will die, and your world with you!" Thatehos continued to roar in his demoniac voice. As much as I hated to admit it, he may have been right. How could I defeat something with infinitely many Defense Points alone?
"I'll show you the power of Azathoth. Destroy his Clayman!" the priest commanded. The eye fired an intense beam of evil red energy, which completely annihilated Clayman. The clay warrior's body disintegrated down to the subatomic level, and was destroyed terribly. How can I destroy something like that? I wondered desperately. I quickly switched my remaining monsters to Defense Mode and drew one more card in the hopes of proving him wrong. I got Burst Return.
"I activate the Spell Card, Burst Return. Everyone, come back," I said. Avian and Sparkman returned to my hand, leaving Burstinatrix as my sole defender. Thatehos laughed demonically.
"What's this? A sacrificial lamb? You Atlanteans are so funny," the priest said, still chuckling.
"You won't be laughing when you see what I have next," I said. I didn't wait for my next turn; I had to act now. I drew again, and got…one of the cards I couldn't see earlier, Legend of Heart.
"I activate one final Spell Card, Legend of Heart," I declared. This time, Thatehos did not laugh.
"What? You actually have that card?" he asked, and I thought I could hear shock in his voice.
"I sacrifice 500 Life Points and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to activate it, and then I remove Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos from play," I continued without answering his question. Burstinatrix disappeared, and all three Legendary Dragons appeared in her place. Suddenly, a wave of golden light descended from the sky and washed over the Dragons. They…started to change. In a matter of moments, they became human. They turned into the three generals I saw in my vision of the battle between Thatehos's demonic forces and Atlantis! I somehow returned them to their rightful selves.
"We have returned!" Timaeus declared.
"Atlantis has need of us," Critias said.
"And we have answered," Helmos concluded. All three drew their swords.
"In the name of Atlantis, we have been reborn!" they said in unison as they raised their swords together. I added mine in the mix.
"Lord Demetrios, you're alive!" Helmos said.
"How did you survive?" Timaeus asked.
"I don't have time to answer that now. Atlantis does indeed need you again," I said, pointing at Thatehos and Azathoth with my sword.
"Thatehos! You will pay for what you've done to our homeland," Critias said angrily.
"I think not, Atlantean. Azathoth is omnipotent; he can never be destroyed. Attack!" the priest said. All three knights jumped out of the way.
"Are you guys all right?" I asked.
"We will be," Helmos assured me.
"How can this be?" the priest asked again.
"Thanks to Critias's special ability. I activated Mirror Force from the Graveyard," I said. But I knew I couldn't keep it up forever. I needed to do something else, so I drew one more time. I got Relay Soul. This might come in handy.
"I lay a card face down," I said.
"Is that wise, my Lord?" Timaeus asked me.
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," I said.
"You're beginning to try my patience, Atlanteans. Azathoth, attack again!" Thatehos said. The nightmare struck out another tendril of slime, and this time struck Timaeus! My Life Points came down to 0, but I was far from defeated.
"I activate the Trap Card, Relay Soul. I'm sorry to do this to you, but I summon the Cure Mermaid in Defense Mode," I said. The beautiful mermaid (1500/800) appeared on the field.
"You certainly have a knack for stalling for time, prince," Thatehos said.
"Actually, that was my plan. We're in the same situation now. Once our forces are gone, we're defeated. And I think I know who that'll be," I said. The Cure Mermaid smiled at me as she healed my Life Points to 800.
"And since Critias and Helmos are still here, I can bring back Timaeus," I continued. A stream of light appeared, and Timaeus was returned to life.
"Satan will triumph! Azathoth, destroy the Cure Mermaid!" the priest roared. The monster's eye looked at her with ill intent, and fired another tendril. It came right for her!
"Not so fast!" Helmos said. He leapt in front of the Cure Mermaid and blocked the attack.
"What? But how?" Thatehos asked in shock.
"Simple. Helmos can emulate the effect of any effect monster in my Graveyard. And I chose the Cyber Dragon for his quickness," I explained.
"Lord Demetrios, we cannot fight this demon individually," Critias said to me.
"We must unite our swords," Timaeus added.
"You're right. I don't think we can take another blow like that," I said. "Timaeus, Critias, Helmos, unite your swords!"
"At once, my Lord!" all three knights said simultaneously. They crossed their swords again, and combined into a single entity, the Knight of Destiny. They became…my Atlantean self! It was as I was in the antediluvian days of Atlantis. He was wearing the proud golden armor I once saw him (or should I say me?) wearing, and wielding the very sword I hold now. His Attack Points were also infinitely many.
"No! This cannot be!" Thatehos said in shock.
"You will pay for your heinous crimes, Thatehos, and it will be by my blade," the Knight of Destiny and I said simultaneously. The warrior charged like a rhinoceros, shouting at the top of his lungs and raising his sword. He leapt and came eye to eye with Azathoth.
"Justice has come!" the knight and I said in unison. He slashed Azathoth across the eye twice, and thrust his sword deep into the organ. Azathoth let out a tremendous roar, and…it seemed like something was pulling on him. The knight jumped back down and joined me on the ground.
"NOOOOO!" Azathoth shouted, and we could see what was pulling on him. It was a supermassive black hole of sorts, drawing him into its infinite black abyss. In a matter of moments, all traces of the monster were gone, and suddenly, the black hole went supernova and exploded spectacularly. I won the battle. Atlantis was avenged, and Lily was saved.
"You will pay for this, Atlantean!" Thatehos roared, and grabbed his staff, raising it above his head while pointing with his left hand at me. Suddenly, he gasped, and stopped. I noticed that his eye started to darken and sink, and he became really wrinkly. I realized what was happening. Thatehos was dying. He was over 10,000 years old, and now it was catching up with him. His skin started to rot away, revealing the decaying muscles and organs underneath. His lower right arm bone broke in half, and when the staff fell to the ground, the ruby orb in the dragon's mouth shattered like glass, and the staff itself also started to rot and decay. In only a minute, only Thatehos's skeleton remained, and it wasn't long before even that started to disintegrate. Even his robes started to rot. In another minute, Thatehos was reduced to a pile of dust. The millennia-old sorcerer, who caused so much pain and suffering, was no more.
"Your Highness, Thatehos is no more," Timaeus said.
"Atlantis is avenged," Critias added.
"Yes, but there's one more thing that needs doing," I said as I walked to the statue that was once Lily. It was hard to keep back my tears as I looked into the ruby face. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around the statue's body. Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos held their hands over their hearts. I don't know what made me do it, but I kissed the (literal) ruby lips. As I continued kissing her, I felt something. It felt like…I was being kissed back. I don't know, but I also felt soft hands caressing my back and shoulders. Could it be? I opened my eyes…and saw Lily…coming back to life! I backed away, and saw that Lily was gradually turning back from ruby into flesh and bone. She smiled as I watched, and I hugged her tightly again.
"Lily...I'm so glad you're back. You have no idea what I went through," I said.
"It's all right; we're together again, mon amour, as it should be," Lily said, her voice as sweet as ever. We kissed again, loving and fondly remembering the feel of it.
"Is it over? Is Thatehos gone?" she asked.
"Yes. That's all that left of him," I said, pointing to the pile of dust.
"I've never felt more relieved," Lily said.
"Me too. Let's get out of here," I agreed. I sheathed my sword.
"Generals, you're dismissed," I said.
"Yes, my Lord," the knights said simultaneously, and they disappeared.
"What was that all about?" Lily asked confusedly.
"It's a long story," I said as we walked out of the chamber. I noticed something as we walked out. Whatever was causing the glowing in the glass bottle in Satan's left hand flew out of it and scattered in all directions. What could that be? We opened the doors and left the chamber.
"Lily, are you all right?" Téa asked.
"Glad to be able to move again," Lily answered with a chuckle.
"Congratulations, Demetrios. You've won," the Pharaoh said, and he turned back into Yugi Moto.
"And I'm glad I did. Don't ask about Thatehos's cards," I said.
"Hey guys, come quick! You're not going to believe this!" Tristan said, almost out of breath. All four of us followed him back to the courtyard. None of us could believe what we saw. Once where there were statues, the place was full of life. Everyone was becoming mobile again after so much time being immobile. The dog owners were happily reunited with their pets.
"Uh, Yugi, would you mind explaining what just happened?" Bakura asked him in his usual shy voice.
"It's a long story," Yugi said with much embarrassment.
"I'll say it is," we heard Marik say as he got back up. We also heard clapping.
"Well done, Yugi Boy. You undid the curse," Pegasus told us.
"Actually, we should be thanking you, Pegasus. That card you were holding onto saved us all," Lily added.
"Ah, so you made good use of the Angel's Mirror?" he asked further.
"I'll say it did. Who would have thought that a seemingly ordinary card game would be the key to saving the world?" I said.
"Welcome to our world," Tristan said with witty sarcasm.
"Things are just getting better from here," Téa said. I looked up, and saw a dragon flying in the night sky.
"Your welcome," I whispered as it disappeared from sight. "All right, everybody. Let's get out of this old relic and never return." It wasn't long before the monastery courtyard was empty.
"Hey guys, look!" Tristan said. We followed him, for one member of the courtyard remained. We all noticed it. Joey started to stir. He opened his eyes, finally.
"How long was I out?" he asked groggily.
"Who cares? It's good to have you back," I said proudly.
"Wait, so it's over? Thatehos is gone?" he asked.
"He sure is," I answered.
"I'm glad that's over with," Joey said, glad to be awake.
"I couldn't agree more," I said.
"Don't worry, my love. Soon, we'll be home, and we can get on with our lives," Lily assured me, wrapping her arms around me. I was about to hug her back, until I heard Moon Shadow neighing frantically. Suddenly, the ground started to shake.
"Time to go!" Joey said. We all ran as quickly out of the monastery as we could. In only a short time, it was reduced to a pile of rubble. But oddly, the statue of Satan still remained.
"Why is that still standing?" I wondered, and slowly walked toward it.
"D, please don't. I can still sense something evil in the area," Lily advised.
"I'll be all right," I assured her. No sooner did I say that than the evil thing appeared. It was Thatehos's spirit! He was a pale ghost, but he looked just as terrible in death as he did in life. He looked at me with utmost fury, and then flew into the statue of Satan.
"Looks like we have another fight on our hands," I said as I drew my sword. Suddenly, the ground started to tremble again as…the statue came to life! His hand crushed the glass bottle, as it was no longer needed. The statue's passive face started to distort and twist as it roared furiously. The left half of the face started to crumble, and an enormous blood red orb appeared where the eye used to be. The now living statue emerged from its throne, and the claws on its hands became longer and sharper, and dragonlike wings emerged from its back.
"It can't be! He's alive again!" Yugi said, and quickly turned back into the Pharaoh. The statue looked down at me, and was insanely furious.
"You cannot escape the Master's vigilance!" he roared, and thrust his enormous fist right at me! I rolled out of the way just in time; the ground trembled as he punched it. I saw some kind of red energy seep from the statue's body, and once again the Seal of Satan formed around us, sealing us in.
"Why won't you die?" I asked.
"I will complete my destiny! Satan shall conquer this world as he has many others, and I'll start with you, Atlantean scum!" he said. He charged and kicked me with his goat-like hooves, sending me across the supernatural arena and slamming into the energy barrier, which shocked me half to death! Lily gasped at the punishment I was receiving.
"This has gone on long enough! I don't care about that Seal thing; I'm helping him out!" Joey said angrily as he brought out his Duel Disk.
"Joey, what are you doing?" Téa asked.
"Helping out my friend. Hey D, say hello to your reinforcements: Gearfried the Swordmaster, Gilford the Lightning, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Joey said. All three of his monsters appeared in an instant. "Guys, show that Thatehos creep what you're made of!" His two warriors charged and hacked at Thatehos with their enormous swords, while the Dragon flew above the battlefield and bombarded the demon with its fireballs. Thatehos simply kicked away the warriors and fired a beam from his red eye, shooting down the Dragon.
"Stupid mortals! I have the powers of darkness on my side! You cannot destroy me! Satan is forever!" he roared.
"You will not have your destiny, Thatehos!" the Pharaoh shouted as he prepared his own Duel Disk. "I summon Black Luster Soldier, Buster Blader, and Dark Magician!" His own monsters appeared on the field to join Joey's. "Attack that demon!" All six monsters ganged up on the living statue, and I joined in the fray. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon unleashed the strongest fireball it could muster, while the Dark Magician did the same with his magic. The extra-powerful attacks caused an enormous explosion.
"Wow! Nothing could survive that!" Joey said, confident that our adversary was destroyed. Suddenly, an arm emerged and waved away the smoke. The statue's marble body was starting to break, but it was not destroyed! There was demonic flesh pulsing under that stony skin.
"You've got to be joking!" Téa said.
"None shall defy me!" Thatehos roared, and with only a few swipes of his claws, all four Warrior-Type monsters were destroyed, and with a couple of spells, the Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon were destroyed as well.
"Now it's my turn," I said as I prepared my Duel Disk as well.
"Timaeus, Critias, Helmos, it is time to strike!" I said. The three knights appeared once more to aid their general.
"What? The Dragons are knights?" Joey asked with confusion.
"They are now," I said.
"This is no duel, Atlantean! This is death!" Thatehos shouted, and charged toward me again. I drew my sword again, and all four of us prepared to fight. Timaeus swiped at the creature's leg, which caused it to stumble. Critias and Helmos jumped and cut at its neck. Thatehos breathed hellfire at us, knocking us all back. Thatehos got back up, and was about to make another of his sacrilegious taunts, but then an energy beam came out of nowhere, which blasted his chest open, showing a crystalline heart. My eyes widened with surprise as I saw this turn of events. I turned around, and saw Lily with her Duel Disk on her left arm and XYZ-Dragon Cannon behind her, its cannons smoking.
"Thanks," I said, still surprised by it.
"Lord Demetrios, the enemy is vulnerable! Strike now!" Timaeus said. I nodded to him and ran toward Thatehos, sword in the air. He tried to grab me, but I dodged his enormous hand and climbed up his leg as quickly as I could. He tried stab me with his claws, but I jumped up just in time and got to where his heart was.
"This is for Atlantis!" I said, and thrust Dragon Claw into the heart. Energy started to glow intensely from the breakage, and Thatehos started to roar again.
"And this is for Lily!" I said again, and did it again. This time, the hole I made was larger, and the heart exploded from all the energy being unleashed. Thatehos roared again, louder than ever, and the energy outflow became so bright and intense that the statue exploded!
"D!" Joey said.
"No…" Lily said. Suddenly, I flew backward from the blast and landed hardly on the ground. I don't know how I survived, but I could hardly see straight. The last thing I remember seeing was everyone running up to me, and then a red rose growing alone out of the ground, and then, Lily kneeling down next to me and saying, "Don't worry, mon amour, everything will be all right…" That was the last thing I heard before becoming completely unconscious.
Epilogue
Suddenly, I could start feeling again, and I could feel a soothing presence over me. I opened my eyes, and saw Shandara standing over me, along with Timaeus, Critias, and Helmos.
"Shandara? Boy am I glad to see you," I said.
"Yes, I'm glad to see you too, Demetrios. I'm very proud of you. You've overcome the greatest challenge this world has ever faced, and prevented Thatehos from unleashing Hell on the Earth," she said, hugging me tightly. I was a little confused by this, seeing as how professional she acted before, but hey; who would turn down a hug from an angel?
"And not only that, my Lord, you avenged Atlantis as well," Timaeus added.
"Because of your courage, we have become human again, as it should be," said Critias.
"We can rest in peace now, with the greatest of the Atlantean heroes," Helmos said.
"Hey, that reminds me. Shandara, where are we, exactly? Eh, am I alive too?" I asked, letting go of her embrace.
"In a manner of speaking, I'm afraid," she said hesitantly.
"I was afraid of that," I said, not liking the idea of dying again.
"I wouldn't worry too much. I have a feeling you'll be waking up very soon. As for us, we'll be returning to Heaven," Shandara said, as she and the Atlantean generals became bathed in holy light.
"Farewell, Lord Demetrios. We'll see you again someday," Timaeus said.
"Thank you, all of you. When you see my family up there, hail them for me," I said, and the light faded, and everyone was gone. But where did that leave me now?
"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Beaumont, but his chances don't look good," the doctor said, trying not to sound too curt. Lily's eyes were already glassy with tears and lack of sleep, while I was lying in a hospital bed, all my wounds taken care of, but I was in a deep coma. The graphical line on my heart rate monitor was flat for a few inches, then would jump a little, and go back to flat, and so on. Only the faintest of breaths came out of my nose. The doctor left the room, not because he was cold or uncaring, but because he did not want to see Lily suffering. She reached across my unresponsive body.
"No, please don't die. We've been through too much already," she said, unknowingly but instinctively hugging me and holding my head up to her chest, nuzzling it in her cleavage. She began to cry again, terrified at the thought of losing me. The tears flowed down her face once more, and a few dripped down onto my own. Suddenly, a miracle happened. The heart rate monitor started to skyrocket, and I could slowly but surely start moving again. I slowly opened my eyes, and while my vision was blurry, I could see nonetheless. I could hear as well, and I could hear Lily's crying. I slowly reached up and wiped the tears away.
"It's…all right, Lily…I'm…still here," I said weakly. I haven't regained strength in my voice yet, but that was enough. Almost immediately, Lily stopped crying.
"Demetrios, you're alive!" she said, and hugged me as tightly as she could. I felt a little suffocated from it, but I was glad to be able to receive it once more. Reluctantly, she let go of me and ran out of the room.
"Everyone, he's all right! He's alive!" I could hear her say happily. Suddenly, the room filled up. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa all poured in, all of them glad to see me alive and mobile again. I was glad as well. Thatehos and the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise were both gone forever, and we could now get on with our lives.
A year later, Seto Kaiba opened one more tournament: The KC Grand Prix. Lily and I gladly participated, welcoming the fights against normal duelists as opposed to insane ones infused with demonic powers. We may not have won, but we had a good time all the same. Yugi Moto was the victor, after trouncing Leon von Schroeder, the younger brother of the nearly defunct Schroeder Corp CEO, Zigfried von Schroeder. Later that year, Yugi and company headed to Egypt for some adventure or another. I could not join, for Lily and I got married after the Grand Prix ended. We've been happily married ever since, and have one son, Luke, named after my father. He has quite the knack for dueling, and even dreams of becoming the next King of Games. Lily and I hope to help him accomplish that goal.
But what happened to the surviving members of the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise, those that merely had their souls sucked out instead of being banished to hell? Well, without their master, they became demoralized and disarrayed, but they died shortly thereafter under mysterious circumstances, to say the least. Graveshade, however, was not one of them. It turns out he actually died 900 years ago; the magic of the Orichalcos was the only thing keeping him alive. When Thatehos's power was broken, so was the Orichalcos, and Graveshade turned to sand and dust.
Some events have gone on in the world of dueling as well. Seto Kaiba, being the altruist he is (though he would never admit it), has decided to build a school devoted to the art and game of Duel Monsters. It will be called Duel Academy, and is currently under construction.
Pegasus seemed quite interested in the Sacred Beast Cards (the three monsters Samuel used against me), and did a lot of research on them. Deeming them incredibly dangerous, a man by the name of Sheppard volunteered to take the cards into safekeeping.
And so, after that hair-raising and terrifying adventure, things quieted down considerably. Especially considering that natural plants and animals have returned to where Thatehos's monastery once stood, leaving no evidence that the Esoteric Order of the Dark Sunrise ever staked out there. Now are peaceful days, spent with my loving wife and dueling with my son. I don't know if these days of peace will last forever, but right now we're just enjoying them as they come.
Of course, this journey was not the only one I had. Even in the afterlife, I continued to have many amazing adventures. And so, this story shall also be told…
Oh yeah, before I forget, here's a good laugh to go out on. I know, some people might say the ending was a little too sweet, so here's a funny alternate ending:
The heart rate monitor started to skyrocket, and I could slowly but surely start moving again. I slowly opened my eyes, and while my vision was blurry, I could see nonetheless.
"...am I dead?" I asked with much grogginess.
"Yes," Joey answered.
"NOOOOOOO!" I said. Of course, this produced more sweat drops than laughs.