Previously, on Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Arcane Chronicles: CyberV and Ami stumbled upon Kuno, Void's sister, who was in short order targeted by McMike. CyberV intervened, and McMike challenged him to a shadow game, with Kuno's freedom and CV's soul on the line. Meanwhile, Ramesus captured Allis, and when StrongMan attempted to save her, he lost a shadow game and was transformed into a voodoo doll.


Allis watched as the world grew darker all around her. Restrained by Fury and Shadow, she had no hope of escape. Her would-be rescuer, StrongMan, had already paid the price of defying Ramesus, the psychotic leader of the Evil Duelists.

Even now, Ramesus casually tossed the doll that had once been StrongMan into the air, catching it like it was a toy.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" asked Ramesus.

Allis didn't answer, but cringed.

"I'll take that as a yes. And I don't blame you. I used to be, too. A long time ago."

"W-what do you want with me?"

"All in good time, my dear. All in good time. You see, it's been quite a while since I had... ahem... a captive audience. I rather enjoy it."

Fury snickered at that.

"Why are you doing this?" she found herself asking.

"An intelligent question, my dear. A very intelligent question." The darkness seemed to shift and began to shoot forward, creating a large corridor that Ramesus began walking down. Shadow and Fury dragged her along it as well. "And thus, you shall have your answer... Here, in my private hall of memories."

"A hall of... memories?"

"Yes, and do stop parroting me, won't you? It's tiresome. You should feel privileged, my dear, for you're about to learn the entire story... The origin of the future ruler of the world..."

And her world went white...


Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Arcane Chronicles: Past and Present Danger

Episode 29: Ramesus: Origin of Evil (Part 1)

Written by: Aaron (CyberV) Thall and Ramesus


CyberV and McMike exchanged glares. Standing in the center of arena 7, the intensity between them was palpable.

Watching from the sidelines, Nat, Ami, Void, and Kuno watched as a deadly shadow game was about to be unleashed.

"Last chance to back out," said CyberV. "I won't be held responsible for what happens once it begins."

"No, you really won't," said McMike with an arrogant smirk. "And when I bag Kuno AND your soul, Ramesus'll make me his new second."

"Not happening. My Rocket Warrior deck'll take you down." CyberV extended his disk to play mode. "IT'S DUELIN' TIME!"

"Maybe," said McMike as his disk activated, "but I go first. Oh, and to make it interesting... if I destroy your Rocket Warrior, I automatically win."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Ami.

"THAT DIRTY...!" cursed Kuno.

"Surprised?" asked McMike. "It's my shadow game, and I make all the rules."

"Be careful..." whispered Nat.

"Just draw." CV narrowed his eyes.

McMike: 8000

CyberV: 8000

McMike drew. "Perfect. I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke in attack mode!" A powerful warrior appeared on the field.

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke: 1800/1000

"And now I'll equip him with this: Fuhma Shuriken!" A spell card rose up, and a large shuriken appeared on Sasuke's back.

"Here's how it works," said McMike. "The Shuriken grants one ninja on my field an extra 700 attack points."

"Not exactly complicated..." muttered CV.

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke (equipped) : 2500/1000

"Oh, but there's more. You'll find out later. But for now, I'll make things hard on you by playing the permanent spell Stumbling!" A second card appeared on the field. "Now all monsters have to be summoned in defense mode!"

'Not good...' thought CV. 'He's already got me completely on the defensive. With a 2500 point attacker on the field, almost anything I put out will get annihilated before I can mount a counter attack.'

"That'll do for now. But the suffering starts on my next turn."

"Fine!" CyberV drew. "Just what I needed." He smirked. "I SUMMON MY ROCKET WARRIOR IN DEFENSE MODE!" Rocket Warrior, who had been watching the duel, suddenly became visible and flew to the field, kneeling down on a holographic representation of his card, shield raised.

Rocket Warrior: 1500/1300

"You'd better have a plan," he said. "Because I do NOT like that crazy thing on the guy's back!"

"I don't like it either, buddy. But don't worry, I just drew the perfect card to buy me some time."

"Why did he summon a monster that could lose him the duel?" asked Void. "It makes no sense."

"CV and Rocket Warrior are connected," said Nat. "They trust in each other, and if anyone can get through such an unfair stipulation, they can."

CyberV placed a spell card into a back slot. It appeared on the field. "Now I'll activate a spell called Rocket Warrior Defense Squadron!"

"There's no such card!" yelled McMike.

"Oh, but there is," said Nat. "Ami and I saw it for ourselves three months ago."

"You did?" asked Kuno.

"Yes," said Ami. "Apparently it's one of a kind... made by Pegasus himself."

"How on earth did he get a unique card?" asked Void.

"Long story," said Nat.

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it," said CV. "Since it's the only one made. In fact, I should probably warn you that my decks have all been upgraded in the last few months, and are full of cards that NO ONE has ever heard of outside Industrial Illusions."

"That... That's a lie!"

"Believe what you will," said CV. "In any case, now my spell activates! COME ON OUT DEFENSE SQUADRON!" Three of the monster zones on the field began to glow. Suddenly, three more Rocket Warriors appeared, one blue, one yellow, and one red.

"ROCKET WARRIOR RED!"

"ROCKET WARRIOR BLUE!"

"ROCKET WARRIOR YELLOW!"

"...I am NOT shouting my name, you guys..." Rocket Warrior sighed. "At least they aren't posing..."

All three struck poses.

"ROCKET WARRIOR DEFENSE SQUADRON!"

"...Never mind..."

The three new Rocket Warriors knelt down.

"In case you haven't figured it out, when this spell is equipped to Rocket Warrior, it automatically allows me to summon three token monsters that share his attack and defense strength." CV shrugged. "Me, I love 'em."

Rocket Warrior tokens: 1500/1300 x3

"They'll die soon enough," said McMike.

"We'll see," said CV. "Now I'll place three cards facedown and end my turn." Three holocards appeared.

"My turn then," said McMike, drawing. "I summon Marauding Captain in defense mode!" An armored soldier appeared, crouching. "And when Marauding Captain is normal summoned successfully, he lets me summon another monster with 4 stars or fewer from my hand! And I choose another Marauding Captain!" A twin to the first monster appeared.

Marauding Captain x2: 1200/400

"They also have an interesting effect. As long as Marauding Captain is on the field, you HAVE to attack him first, so even if your Squadron manages to survive this turn, you'll have an interesting time trying to attack me, since their special abilities protect each other!"

"He's right," said Nat. "A Marauding Captain Lock is like a recursive loop. They protect each other. I've heard the same thing can happen with Magician's Valkyria. Get two on the field, and they're basically immune to any attack."

"But that means...!" Ami gulped. "This is bad, isn't it?"

"Very," said Void. "Especially since my old friend still has an attack."

"What do you mean IF my Squadron survives the turn?" asked CV.

"It's simple," said McMike. "The card has a fatal flaw. It's an equip spell, which means that it's destroyed if I kill the monster using it! In other words, I annihilate Rocket Warrior, I destroy four monsters at once!"

"Is that true?" asked Kuno. "Can he really destroy four monsters in a single attack?"

"It's true," said Void. "And there's nothing CyberV can do about it."

"Here we go! Prepare to see your entire defensive line wiped out!" He grinned. "And you know why? Your Rocket Warrior's in face up defense mode, and Sasuke's special ability will destroy him!" Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke leapt into the air. "NOW ANNIHILATE THE WARRIOR OF THE BALANCE BY ATTACKING HIS DUEL SPIRIT! FUHMA SHURIKEN!"

The Grandmaster drew the gigantic shuriken and prepared to throw...


"I see another of my minions has taken it upon himself to do battle with the Warrior." Ramesus sighed as the left side of the hall of memories shifted, revealing the battle between CV and McMike. "Hmmm... Quite the predicament the Warrior's in. But no matter, my dear..." The image changed, becoming an office before Allis' startled eyes.

"After all, you're here for a very different reason."

"Where are we?"

"You are gazing upon the room where events were set into motion. It's boring, but critical to get through. Bear with me, my dear..."

The image wavered slightly, revealing a man everyone in the world recognized: Seto Kaiba. He was sitting at the desk, all business. He was, oddly, smiling slightly at the man seated before him.

"You made good time. Excellent." Kaiba was pleased, a rare enough occurrence.

"You pay me very well to be efficient, Mr. Kaiba," said the man.

"My father," said Ramesus, explaining. "He was an accountant for Kaiba many years ago. Keep that in mind, because it's going to be very important."

"Very true," said Kaiba. "And I don't like to waste time, so I'll get right to the point. My backers inside Hamon International are getting anxious. They want my final offer for their company, and they want the offer made in person."

"In person, sir?"

"Yes, and unfortunately, they're located in Cairo. I don't have time to go to Cairo right now... Which is where you come in."

"...I understand, Sir. I'll get packed right away." Ramesus' father started to get up.

"I'm not finished!" barked Kaiba.

He sat back down, wincing.

"It also comes to my attention that you haven't had a vacation in the last two years. Unacceptable. Your diligence is admirable, but you have to make time for your family as well..." Kaiba glanced at the "card" around his neck, a locket containing a picture of Mokuba. "You'll find the necessary files on my private jet at Domino International." He held up an envelope. "And here are three tickets. Take your family with you, and don't come back for a week. Understood?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Kaiba," said Ramesus' father.

"That was... weird..." said Allis, momentarily confused.

"My father had been an ally of Kaiba's during his takeover of Gozoboro Kaiba's company. He was the one that arranged a critical buyout of company stock. Seto Kaiba considered him a valuable ally, maybe even a friend. Which, I'll never know. Not that it matters," said Ramesus.

The scene shifted. Now they were on a jet flying over a vast desert.

"Shortly afterwards, we arrived in Egypt. Unfortunately, the vacation was about to become a nightmare for me."

Despite her fear, Allis couldn't help but watch as a young boy that just had to be Ramesus practiced with his deck.

"And my Ryu Kokki attacks for the win!" he exclaimed with all the enthusiasm a child should have.

His mother glanced at the card and scoffed. "Such a hideous thing. What is it about these cards that attracts children so? They'll warp your brain, young man."

"They will not!"

Allis, Shadow, and Fury all paused and looked at Ramesus. He shrugged.

"What can I say? A mother knows these things."

"Don't sass your mother, son."

"But Dad..."

"Henry, I know Mr. Kaiba's involved with these... things... It's really not helping."

"My association with Seto Kaiba has no influence on our son's love of Duel Monsters at all."

"The man flies a jet that looks like a dragon."

"Well, certainly that's not the BEST example..."

"Uh huh..." Ramesus' mother was obviously not impressed by the response. "And of all the cards he could use, ZOMBIES? They'll give him nightmares!"

"He spends one night talking in his sleep about wanting to eat brains..."

There was another pause. Ramesus shrugged again.

"So I did a little rewrite on the dialogue. Sue me. This part was boring."

"Well, we did try designing a different deck for him..."

"Watapon's so BORING..." whined Ramesus. "And Marshmallon can't do anything good. That deck was for little kids."

"Yugi Mutou uses both those cards, mister."

"This," said Ramesus' mother, "is steering towards that old saying about everybody jumping off a cliff."

"It was at that minute," said Ramesus, "that we got to experience that saying first hand."

A muffled explosion was heard, and suddenly, the entire cabin jerked violently. The pilot's voice came in over the P.A.

"Strap yourselves in, folks. Looks like a flock of birds flew right into our turbines! We're going to have to make an emergency landing!"

"All I remember of the next five minutes was screaming, falling, and the dread that comes with imminent death." The scene went black.

Ramesus smirked. "Not unlike how the Warrior must feel at this moment. Shall we take a break to watch? Yes, I think so."

The wall shifted again, returning to the duel.


"If that attack goes through," realized Nat, "it's all over!"

"That's right!" exclaimed McMike. "END IT NOW!"

"Not quite," said CV with a smirk. "REVEAL TRAP CARD! GO SHADOW SPELL!" The middle facedown card rose up, and chains shot out of the ground, wrapping around Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke.

"NO! MY ATTACK!"

"Your attack has been cancelled," said CV. "Shadow Spell's seen to that. Now your monster can't attack, or change it's battle position. AND, as a bonus, it removes every single extra attack point the Fuhma Shuriken gave him."

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke (equipped) :2500/1000 -700 1800/1000

"WHEW!" Rocket Warrior breathed a sigh of relief. "WAY too close."

"But... How..." McMike glared at CyberV. "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!"

"You want an answer? It's simple... For a ninja, you're incredibly obvious."

McMike glared at him.

"Shall I go on? I think so, since you're obviously dim. The second you summoned your Sasuke, your plan was obvious. You think I've just been doing classes all year? I've practically had half the team forcing me to brush up on strategies the Evil Duelists are likely to use. With a ninja deck, there's only so much to expect. Sasuke's ability, combined with Stumbling and your decree about Rocket Warrior, made the plan transparent as glass. Force me to only summon in defense mode for the entire duel, wipe out any monsters with Sasuke or other creatures with similar removal effects, and wait for a Rocket Warrior to hit the field out of desperation."

CV smirked. "A soft lock, coupled with a barrier created by your Marauding Captains, just in case I managed to get a monster to survive long enough to go to attack mode. It's genius, as long as your opponent doesn't expect it. I have to say, I'm disappointed. I thought ninjas were SNEAKY."

Void smirked at that. "Looks like he DID pay attention. Miracles happen, I suppose."

"Huh," said Nat. "Haven't seen him pull a Kudo for a while."

"He just needs a bowtie..." said Ami, enthralled.

"Grow up..." sighed Kuno.

"Besides," said Nat. "He DOES have one."

Kuno gave her a look. "PLEASE tell me you're kidding."

"She's not..." said Void, chuckling.

"Oh lord, THIS is who I rely on for my freedom?"

Mcmike growled. "Just because you got a lucky draw, doesn't make me believe you were ready for my strategy." He looked at his hand. "Two cards facedown and that ends my turn." Two holocards appeared.

"Good," said CV, drawing.

"Yes, it's very good," said McMike. "REVEAL DUST TORNADO!" One of the cards he'd just set rose up, and a fierce wind began to blow. "Dust Tornado can destroy one spell or trap on the field, and I'll use it to free my Grandmaster! Destroy Shadow Spell!" The vortex formed and shattered the chains, freeing Sasuke, who returned to McMike's side.

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke (equipped) :2500/1000

"I'll see your trap and raise you one," said CV. He tapped a button on his disk, and one of his face downs rose up. "An old favorite: BAD REACTION TO SIMOCHI!" CV grinned.

"It's been a while since I used this card, so let me explain. As long as Simochi's active on the field, any effect that would raise your life points will take them away instead. Effects like my Upstart Goblin spell card!" He placed it into a slot. "Now I can draw one card. Now, normally, you'd gain a thousand life points, but with Simochi on the field..." The card glowed. "It takes them away instead!"

A dark aura surrounded Mcmike as CV drew his card.

McMike: 7000

CyberV: 8000

"And look," said CV, glancing at his card. "I drew Pot of Greed! Two more cards for my hand!" He drew twice more.

"Oh, look at the goodies!" said CV in a voice not unlike the Joker. "Just what I need to get rid of Stumbling!" He held it up. "MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON! Perfect for those duels where you just gotta destroy that one pesky spell card on the field. And I think I'll do that. DESTROY STUMBLING NOW!" Another vortex appeared, shattering Stumbling.

"Blast it..." McMike grit his teeth. Without Stumbling, his soft lock would fall apart.

"Now I'll switch Rocket Warrior to attack mode." Rocket Warrior stood up.

"Finally, I get to stretch my legs!"

"You'll be doing a lot more in a minute, buddy."

"No, he won't," said McMike. "With two Marauding Captains on the field, you can't attack me!"

"Well, that's not exactly true," said CV. "But first things first. Rocket Warrior Yellow, right now, I'm afraid I need a heavier hitter."

"No problem. I go for the greater good!" He saluted.

"Now I'll sacrifice Yellow to bring out a mighty machine called Needle Burrower!" Yellow faded away as a new monster took the field, a mechanical scorpion.

Needle Burrower: 1700/1700

"Summon all you like," said McMike. "I told you it's useless!"

"Not really," said CV. "See, Marauding Captain's effect only works on warrior monsters. Which means it's a good thing I drew this! REVEAL DNA SURGERY!" CV's final facedown rose up.

"Brilliant," muttered Nat.

"DNA surgery's generally regarded as a pretty weak trap, but in cases like this, it's the best defense. You see, now that it's on the field, I can change the type of all monsters on the field. What say we go machine, eh?" As CyberV said it, all of McMike's monsters transformed into mechanical versions of themselves. CV's own monsters, either already machines, or mechanical warriors, remained largely the same in appearance.

"NO!" McMike was horrified. "YOU CAN'T!"

"I can," said CV. "NEEDLE BURROWER! ATTACK HIS FIRST MARAUDING CAPTAIN WITH RAZOR TAIL!" A blade covered tail lashed out and sliced the mechanical Marauding Captain in half. It exploded.

"And now his special ability activates," said CV. "For every star on the Captain's card, you lose 500 life points! He had three, so say goodbye to 1500!"

Needle Burrower reached out with it's claw and grabbed McMike for a minute.

McMike: 5500

CyberV: 8000

"But, you know, I deal with machines enough as it is, so I'll get rid of DNA Surgery with the spell Emergency Provisions!" CV held up the card. "Now I can sacrifice a card on the field, like my DNA Surgery, and gain 1000 life points! Not that I really need them..." DNA Surgery faded away.

McMike: 5500

CyberV: 9000

"Then why?"

"Well, aside from needing the room on my disk," said CV as the monsters on the field returned to normal, "I couldn't very well equip Rocket Warrior with the next card if he wasn't a warrior. GO BALLISTA OF RAMPART SMASHING!" He activated the card, and Rocket Warrior's sword was replaced by a massive club. "The Ballista increases the attack of one warrior monster by 1500 points."

Rocket Warrior (equipped) : 3000/1300

"And for kicks, I'll add Big Bang Shot! It adds another 400 points and transfers any excess damage done to defense monsters directly to your life points."

Rocket Warrior (equipped) : 3400/1300

"Oh, THIS is gonna hurt..." Void winced.

"ROCKET WARRIOR, DESTROY MARAUDING CAPTAIN WITH BIG BANG BALLISTA BASH!"

"With pleasure!" Rocket Warrior blasted forward and slammed the Ballista into the Captain's chin, knocking him backwards and shattering him.

McMike: 2500

CV: 9000

"That ends my turn," said CV.

Rocket Warrior (equipped) 3400/1300 -1500 1900/1300

"He's winning," said Kuno.

"Not yet," said Ami. "McMike still has that facedown. No telling what it might be."

"Don't worry, Kuno," said McMike. "It'll all be over in a few minutes. You'll see."

Kuno couldn't help but agree.


"Hmmm... Looks like McMike isn't doing so well." Ramesus shrugged. "That's what happens to minions that get ambitious and act without approval."

"Don't you care about anyone?!" demanded Allis.

Ramesus pondered that for a minute. "No." He laughed. "It's actually quite liberating. I mean, look at poor StrongMan. He cared, and look what happened to him!" Ramesus pulled out the voodoo doll. "Although, in retrospect, maybe I should make him a talking doll instead." The doll glowed and changed, becoming larger. Ramesus pulled a string on it's back.

"YOU SICK DEMENTED FREAK JOB! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I'LL-" The voice cut out before the phrase could finish.

"Hmmm... I don't see this toy doing well on the market, do you?"

Allis glared at him while Shadow and Fury chuckled.

"Alas, that is neither here nor there..." He casually tossed the doll to Fury, who casually pulled the string.

"WHEN I GET OUTTA THIS, I'M GONNA RIP OUT YOUR TONGUE AND BEAT YOU TO-"

"I think he needs a longer string, boss."

"Agreed. A detail for later, I suppose. In any case, it's time to return to the narrative."

The image shifted to show the remains of the jet, lying broken in the desert.

"When I awoke, I was alone... The pilots and my parents... None survived. How I managed to make it through the crash I'll never really know. All I do know is that all of a sudden, everyone I ever loved had left me all alone in a strange place. I was terrified. I had never been alone before. I had no concept of how to survive. A child with a Duel Monsters deck wouldn't last long at all.

"How much time passed... I can only guess. My vision was blurring and my strength fading by the time the nomads found me. They carried me back to their camp, gave me water and food... I could not understand their language; I communicated largely through trial and error.

"I came to know their leader's name to be Busiris. Whatever else he attempted to tell me was lost... Until the moment I recognized that many of them bore the same symbol upon themselves that Yugi Mutou wore around his neck. A strange golden eye. They called it the Wdjat, and it was obviously a symbol of power... Even as a child, I was not stupid.

"But for some reason, Busiris always kept me from touching any of the Wdjats. I could not figure out why. And, of course, being a child, curiosity becomes a mandate, regardless of the consequences.

"I waited until the 10th day after the crash. As night fell, I snuck through the camp, searching for a Wdjat. I found one on a makeshift table that Phinehas, Busiris' son, had constructed."

Allis watched as young Ramesus hesitated, fearful but excited all the same.

"I reached for it... and it seemed to pulse, like a thing alive."

Allis could see it now. "What in the world...?"

"But I gathered all the courage that I could, and I grabbed it. All at once, the world was filled with a golden light that could not be dampened.

"For 30 seconds, I thought I had died. Then the light faded, and I was again in the camp, and there were voices. Many startled voices coming towards me. I had heard tales of desert pirates and the like. Despite my time among Busiris' people, I was afraid. I turned to start to run... Only to find his strongest follower, Oba, blocking my path.

"You have made a grave mistake. Your last."

"I had never heard any of them speak english before. That scared me even more than the light. I suppose that's why I never realized that Oba grabbed me by the neck and touched a pressure point, knocking me unconscious."

The scene went black, then shifted, changing to a strange stone room with torches.

"I soon found myself inside what I would soon discover to be an ancient pyramid, lost to the sands of Egypt. As I looked around, I could see only one exit, and it was blocked by a massive door.

"Then, I heard, Oba's voice."

"Child, you have tampered with powers beyond your ken. Atonement must be reached. If you pass this test, you shall live and become one of us, the Scarab. If you fail, your soul will be lost for all eternity."

Allis watched as slots opened along the walls, and dozens of scarabs began to enter the room, crawling everywhere.

"The test is simple, boy. Find the Scarab with the Wdjat you touched, and place the wdjat into the proper slot on the door... Before they devour you."

"I backed up, terrified. I looked at the scarabs... EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE had a Wdjat on it's back! It was impossible!"

"You should feel honored. You may be the youngest human to ever play a shadow game... GAME... START!"

Allis watched as the scarabs came towards Young Ramesus. He screamed in terror...

"Don't look away," said Ramesus. "The best part is yet to come."


"I'm not finished yet!" yelled McMike as he drew. "I'll start by revealing my trap card! NINJITSU ART OF TRANSFORMATION!" The card rose up and glowed. "Since you've made Grandmaster's effect basically worthless, I might as well trade him in for a stronger creature! With this card, I can replace him with a beast monster three levels higher! A MIGHTY BEAST LIKE BIG KOALA!"

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke glowed and grew, transforming into the biggest koala the planet had ever seen.

Big Koala: 2700/2000

"And that's not all," said McMike. "Now that he's in my graveyard, the second effect of Fuhma Shuriken activates! IT TAKES 700 OF YOUR LIFE POINTS!"

The shuriken flew through the air and went right through CV's shoulder.

"ARGH!" CV staggered.

McMike: 2500

CyberV: 8300

"Not so bad..." said CV. "Got an itch I'd been meaning to scratch."

"Cute," muttered McMike. "Now, since that was a special summon, I can still set a monster, like this one." He set a monster card facedown. It appeared on the field.

"Now, Big Koala! Destroy his Needle Burrower with Australian Body Slam!" Big Koala rose up on it's hind legs and stomped forward. CV could only watch as it leapt and flopped on top of Needle Burrower, which erupted.

McMike: 2500

CV: 7300

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn," said McMike as a card appeared.

"Come on..." said Ami. "One good attack and Mcmike's finished!"

"He has to be careful," said Void. "Those face downs could be anything, and if he loses his Rocket Warrior, he loses the duel."

"Better make that draw a good one..." muttered Nat.

CyberV drew. "I was wondering when you'd show up..." he said to the card. He glanced up at McMike. "Sorry, McMike, but this duel is just about over." He slammed his final card into a monster slot. "I SUMMON MY NEWEST MONSTER: SNIPE HUNTER! IN ATTACK MODE!" A bizarre creature with a blaster appeared.

Snipe Hunter: 1500/600

"What in the world?" Kuno was confused. "I've never seen anything like it. Look, it has a roulette wheel on it's weapon!"

"What are you up to?" demanded McMike.

"It's simple. First, I switch Rocket Warriors Blue and Red to attack mode. Then I smile and tell you that Snipe Hunter's about to win the game for me, thanks to his special ability. You see the numbers on that wheel attached to his gun? He's going to spin it, and if it comes up 1 or 6, nothing happens. However, if it's anything else, he can automatically destroy one card on your side of the field."

CV smirked. "Well, ya gotta ask yerself, punk... Do ya feel... lucky?"

Snipe Hunter spun the wheel.

"It's all in the hands of destiny now," said Nat.

"He's got a 2 in 3 chance of winning," said Kuno. She looked at Void. "If McMike loses, are we really going to let this CyberV harm him?"

"It's the rules," said Void, resigned. "McMike's done all this to himself. If he loses, it's his own fault."

"I... see..."

The wheel slowed... and stopped.

"It's a FOUR!" announced CyberV. "And that means he does his thing! SNIPE HUNTER! ATTACK HIS FACEDOWN SPELL WITH EFFECT SNIPE!" Snipe Hunter took careful aim and fired, his blast puncturing the facedown card, which rose up to reveal Call of the Haunted, which shattered.

"Blast it..." muttered McMike.

"Now I activate the special abilities of Blue and Red! By sacrificing them, they'll each take 500 attack points away from Big Koala!"

"Later!" said Red.

"Finish it," added Blue.

As they faded away, Big Koala glowed.

Big Koala: 2700/2000 -1000 1700

"Now it's time to end this!" said CV. "ROCKET WARRIOR! DESTROY BIG KOALA NOW!"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Rocket Warrior launched into the air and slammed into Big Koala, shattering the gigantic beast utterly.

McMike: 2300

CyberV: 7300

"Now everything depends on what this facedown monster is," said CV. "If it's a removal monster, I lose. If it isn't, I win." He looked at McMike, squarely in the eyes. "And I don't think you're lucky enough to pull that off. SNIPE HUNTER! ATTACK HIS DEFENSE MONSTER!"

Snipe Hunter took careful aim and fired through the card.

There was a collective held breath... until Magician of Faith appeared and shattered.

"YES!" Ami cheered. "It's almost over!"

Mcmike cursed under his breath as he chose Stumbling from his graveyard. It was useless now. The girl was right. It was over. He only had one ace left up his sleeve.

"I DRAW!" McMike looked at his card. "NO! NOT NOW!" He gaped at the card and fell to his knees. He dropped his card, which revealed itself to be Roc from the Valley of Haze. "I... I can't summon him... I don't have anything to sacrifice..." He looked at Stumbling, which was absolutely worthless to him. "I... Pass..."

"It's over, McMike." said CV as he drew. "You lose. ROCKET WARRIOR! SNIPE HUNTER! FINISH IT!" Snipe Hunter took aim again, directly at McMike. Rocket Warrior readied the Ballista.

Which was when Nat suddenly tackled him, knocking both of them to the ground.

"What the?! Nat, why'd you do that?!" CV rubbed his rear as they got up.

"THAT'S why," she said, pointing to where CV had been a moment before. Several kunai stuck in the arena floor. If she hadn't tackled him, he would have been killed.

"But... How...? Who?" Ami and Void turned slowly towards Kuno, who chuckled.

"And I was so close, too..." She darted forward, leaping into the air, flipping, and landing between the Good Duelists and McMike.

"KUNO!" yelled Void. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"My job," she said with a smile. "You see, big brother, I was never in any danger. I joined Ramesus MONTHS AGO." She glared at Nat. "And if she hadn't noticed the glare of my kunai, that would have been the end of the Warrior."

She turned to face CV. "And now it's MY turn, Warrior of the Balance. You don't know my deck. You don't know my skills." A blood red wdjat appeared on her forehead.

"Kuno... Don't..." Void heard himself begging.

"And if you thought ONE ninja was trouble... NOW YOU HAVE TWO!"

CV glared at the traitorous girl. "It's gonna be one of those days..."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next time: Origin Continued: Rise of a Villain (Part 2)