A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT OR YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THEIR CREATORS!
Chapter 25: An Earthbound Immortal's Strength
The King of the Underworld continued to make its way to the geoglyph while Goodwin continued his talk about fate. Meanwhile, Akiza, Leo, Luna, Trudge, and Mina were watching anxiously from the sidelines.
Jack pulled up in front of his two partners to make his move. "I don't know much about God and bonds. But I will surpass them. It's my move!" he declared and drew his card. "I set a face down. Next I summon Magic Hole Golem (Attack 0/ Defense 2000). Now with Magic Hole Golem's effect, I can attack you directly with Mad Archfiend. But his attack must be halved (Mad Archfiend: Attack 900)." Mad Archfiend attacked with it showering his with its Bone Splash attack while Goodwin's life points dropped to 7900.
"Jack, don't joke around. You can't get rid of our bonds that easily," Crow told him. "I activate Shadow Dance. This inflicts an extra 1000 points of damage to you Goodwin." Goodwin's life points dropped to 6900.
Yusei held his hand over his heart for a moment while he said, "We all have bonds. The bonds of a Signer and our friends. I activate a face down, Rising Rush! This allows me to special summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500)."
"I end my turn. Your go, Yusei," Jack stated.
Yusei began his turn and drew his card. "I tune Junk Synchron and Max Warrior together and synchro summon. Rise up, Junk Archer (Attack 2300/ Defense 2000)!" he declared. "I activate its effect. This allows me to remove Moon Dragon Quilla from play until the end phase." Junk Archer fired an arrow through Quilla making it disappear. "Now Junk Archer will attack you directly."
"I activate, Offering to the Immortals! This negates the attack and allows me to summon two Ceremonial Tokens (Attack 0/ Defense 0) as well as add an Earthbound Immortal from my deck to my hand," Goodwin declared. He laughed and showed them his Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca card.
"Okay, that's just playing dirty," Crow accused.
"I set two face downs," Yusei finished. And due to it being the end phase, Moon Dragon Quilla returned because Junk Archer's ability finished.
Goodwin began his turn. "I release my two monsters to tribute summon," he declared. The Earthbound Immortal heart appeared in the sky and sucked the people in the vicinity into it. A flash of light appeared around the heart before Goodwin called, "Arrive, Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca (Attack 1/ Defense 1)!" The condor descended from the sky and spread its wings and it hovered above the stairway.
Yusei, Jack, and Crow worriedly look up but their attention was quickly directed by the noise coming from the King of the Netherworld. The King of the Netherworld had spotted Wiraqocha Rasca and launched an army of smaller condors from its body in the direction of the Earthbound Immortal. The condors circled the duel circuit while Goodwin laughed in triumph as he called that his plan was reaching its climax.
A few of the small condors began to sneak up on Yusei to attack him. Just as he noticed, Black Rose Dragon struck them. Ancient Fairy Dragon was fighting off others as well. Leo, Mina, and Trudge cheered Yusei, Jack, and Crow on.
Yusei turned back and began to talk to Goodwin about how bonds and friendship could surpass fate. But Goodwin continued his turn and activated Wiraqocha Rasca's effect at Yusei.
"I looked up to the legendary man from the legend. He taught us to be strong and never give up," Crow commented. One of the smaller condors struck Crow causing him to slightly move off course but, thankfully, did no major damage. "I activate Life Exchange! This switches your Immortal's attack to me."
"Wait, Crow!" Yusei exclaimed but it was too late.
The attack hit Crow in a massive blast and threw Crow off the geoglyph and dropped his life points to 1. Crow quickly switched the Blackbird to flight mode and flew through Moon Dragon Quilla who was destroyed due to Life Exchange. With Quilla gone, Sun Dragon Inti rose again.
"I activate Blackwing Anchor, releasing Blackwing Armor Master," Crow declared. He then landed on the circuit again causing damage to the Blackbird, which he fell off of.
Goodwin teased Crow about the legendary man and set a card before ending his turn.
Crow looked up ahead at the Blackbird. He still had one life point left and the card Blackwing Anchor continued to flash on their monitor. "Our bonds haven't broken yet," Crow said before he collapsed and was excluded from the duel.
Furious for what Goodwin did to Crow, Jack began his turn. "I summoned Sinister Sprocket (Attack 400/ Defense 0). Now I tune it with my Magic Hole Golem and Mad Archfiend to synchro summon, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)! Next I activate, Half Straight. This halves Red Dragon Archfiend's attack and allows me to attack you directly if you have a monster with a higher attack (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 1500)," he declared. "Now Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Goodwin directly!"
"I use Sun Dragon Inti's effect to reduce its own attack to 0, meaning your Red Dragon Archfiend can't attack directly since it no longer has the lower attack. And since Wiraqocha Rasca cannot be selected as an attack target, Red Dragon Archfiend can only attack Inti," Goodwin fought.
"But then both monsters would be destroyed," Jack commented in a low, frustrated growl.
"I activate my face down, Scrubbed Raid!" Yusei played. "Jack, you need to use its effect to send Red Dragon Archfiend to the graveyard and end the battle phase."
"Jack, you should take the path of a true king," Goodwin told him.
"Jack, don't listen to him," Yusei tried.
"I betrayed my friends to become King," Jack reflected.
"The King I knew would never make a mistake as big as trusting on bonds. Or friends," Goodwin stated. "You should eliminate Yusei."
"Well, I'm not that King anymore. Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Inti!" Jack retorted. Goodwin's life points dropped to 5400 while Jack's dropped to 2500 due to Inti's effect. "I end my turn with a face down." Quilla was revived due to its ability. 'It was Carly who taught me about love, bonds, and friendship. I'm not going to stop until this is done,' Jack thought.
Yusei started his turn. "I use Junk Archer's effect to remove Moon Dragon Quilla from play," he declared.
"I activate Destruct Potion, destroying Quilla and allowing me to gain life points equal to its attack," Goodwin retorted and his life points rose to 7900. Inti was revived due to Quilla's absence. "Look how futile I made of Junk Archer's effect."
"I end my turn," Yusei declared.
"I dare you, try to fight and defeat me," Goodwin called and he laughed malevolently about creating a new world.
Yusei turned as the King of the Underworld drew closer, sending his minions to attack the two Signers who were dueling. Fortunately, Akiza and Luna were fending them off with their Signer dragons.
With the King of the Underworld approaching, Goodwin called down, "The King of the Underworld is getting closer. And when he arrives, you Signers will be sacrificed and the darkness will reign. But first, we must take some destruction."
"No matter what, we will keep fighting," Yusei retorted.
"That's right. We won't give up," Jack agreed.
Goodwin began his turn. Yusei then realized as he thought, 'Goodwin's going to attack Jack since his field's open.' And it worried Yusei.
"I play Fiendish Chain. This negates the effect of your Sun Dragon Inti and stops it from attacking or being tributed," Jack declared.
"You once said that no matter how much a person casts aside, people don't become lonely. But people fall into loneliness easily and that loneliness is death. Before death, a person thinks of neither his friends nor himself, much less about bonds. It's obvious since he falls alone," Goodwin stated. "Just return to your former self, Jack. When you were the King of Turbo Duels by restoring your feelings of loneliness and despair." Jack looked at him with a glare. "I use the effect of Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca to reduce Jack's life points to 1!"
The attack was sent and Jack's life points fell. "If my life points are below 1000, Fiendish Chain is destroyed," Jack commented.
"Look, Jack, and feel the death before your eyes. King of the Underworld, take him as your sacrifice!" Goodwin ordered. The King of the Underworld sent a blast across the city in the direction of the duel, causing Jack to lose control of his duel runner. "Do you feel death and despair?"
"I feel despair and loneliness, but only because death isn't before us," Jack replied. Jack crashed into the geoglyph and he flew off from his duel runner, excluding him from the duel along with Crow. But still, as Yusei left, Jack said to Yusei, "Even if my duel runner isn't beside you, my feelings are." He looked at his face down that he had set earlier.
"Even if our life points are at 1, our feelings are at 10,000," Crow added.
Leo, Trudge, and the others encouraged Yusei from below.So the guardian continued to duel saying, "I've got everyone's feelings."
"Are you trying to lessen the fear of death before your very eyes?" Goodwin asked. "I set one face down and end my turn."
Yusei drew his card to take his turn. "I activate Junk Archer's ability," he declared.
"I activate Passion Baimasse negating your ability and destroying your monster," Goodwin fought.
"I summon Shield Warrior (Attack 800/ Defense 1600) in defense mode. I set one face down and end my turn," Yusei declared.
"Is Shield Warrior everyone's feelings?" Goodwin asked. "That defense is meaningless against Wiraqocha Rasca. I shall let you taste death and loneliness. Bonds don't exist." He took his turn. "I'll take you where Jack and Crow are. I activate the effect of my Earthbound Immortal, reducing your life points to 1!" Everyone called for Yusei to watch out as the attack hit.