Infernity Mirage


XXVIII: Rainbow Gravity

In this world of swirling inconstant shadows, where light was almost virtually non-existent and twilight hung in the skies in a promise of either dusk or dawn, there was no concept of morning. Inhabitants must have slept and awoke according to the cycles of their bodies, as it had been for as long as anyone could remember. It was a system that worked, so there was no reason to question it. A system that worked... for almost everyone except us, even a week after Youkai's appearance in the kitchen.

Twilight still hung in the skies as we set out for the Temple of Skulls, armed with the necessities and packs provided by our gracious host, all ten of us on the road and following the unusually spry Uncle and Kagari, whose only task was to guard Uncle. Not that Uncle really needed it, in my opinion, but who knew?

"Erm, Shimotsuki-san," Ayame hesitantly murmured to Shimotsuki. "Are you sure... that Misawa-san is headed to this temple?"

"'If we begin with certainties, we shall end in doubts; but if we begin with doubts, and are patient in them, we shall end in certainties,'" Shimotsuki quoted. "It is our only lead, after all. He might have ransacked it, he might not have. Either way, it is our only way."

"I... haven't really seen the Spirit world before," Johan whispered in amazement as we trekked on a path leading through a forest, the path itself smooth and worn well over time. "Well, except for when Duel Academia was transported to the other dimension. It was a lot nastier then."

"The circumstances differ," Shimotsuki pointed out, looking up now that we have passed some distance from the Castle of Mist. "Uncle, Kagari-san, are there likely to be bandits about?"

"Aye, no," Uncle sighed. "Usually the bloody ninjas camp out a bit farther, but bandits? This ain't Sogen, we should be marginally safe for now."

"And... Duellists?" I asked, recalling the Doomcaliber Knight and his deck.

"A few, not many expected," Uncle concurred. "What Duel spirits there are would usually fight with their natural weapons, or use a DuelDisk. No one wants to die unless their pride demands it."

"I heard an interesting story of the Lord of Pandemonium," Kaido sounded extremely interested. "He disappeared a few years ago, right?"

"Aye," Uncle spoke. "For what rhyme or reason, no one quite knows, but the Lord of Pandemonium has raised his head for the first time in a calm decade or so. This old mind occasionally forgets, but these old bones remember fighting against the past Lords of Pandemonium. Yet, the war has not ended, no matter how many has lost their lives in killing the past lords."

"The end of the war...that is the job of the military," Kaido slyly analysed. "The person who kills the king, that is an assassin."

"Kaido," Shimotsuki instructed. "What of the situation?"

"That we can cover in lunch," Kaido smugly murmured. "I am sure that even the Elder will be surprised to know the 'truth' of this war."

"The 'truth'?" the Elder scoffed. "The Great Yokai War was a result of order enforced throughout this lawless land for a long time. That's the truth."

"True," Kaido agreed. "The shogun rules all the land he surveys, including but not limited to quite a few villages, a few castle towns, and acres of land yet to be accessed. Pioneer villages and small settlements are common and the Yokai, as our enemy is named, rife about, but the Six Samurai army protects those few towns. That, and the strength of the samurai castle, is what stopped Nowaki from taking over the Castle of Mist."

"Eh?" we all exclaimed.

"But, Ariyashi-san, there was a whole army!" Ayame pointed out.

"You, have you read those old records until your head is out of whack?" Ryuuki joined in.

"Both of you, what's the effect of Shien's Castle of Mist?" Kaido pointed out.

"What's that got to do- oh." Satsuki caught on.

"Ah, the Hyakki Yakou would have been disadvantaged," Uncle growled. "Tactically, to attack our Castle of Mist was a dumb idea."

"No, that was a skirmish," Kaido interjected. "When we stop for lunch, the full story shall be told. If this is a quest, then we might have too many people, but a bard needs to tell his story slowly."


"Interestingly, food is the basis of the economy about here," Kaido began as we sat in a clearing for lunch. "They even use the koku system. Mostly the system is run on barter trade, but interestingly enough they know the concept of currency, which is in implementation around here, I suppose due to Misawa-san."

"That's stupid," Satsuki muttered. "Then how does anyone buy anything?"

"I suppose that for a world able to create gold and silver but limited on food, food seems to be worth its weight in gold." Kaido answered absently. "But, think about it. The shogun rules this land, and the people pay tribute to him in food in exchange for security provided by the Six Samurai. In exchange, the Six Samurai army and the shogun uses this food to pay for armaments, defences, Spells, traps, the works needed to maintain an army, defending the villages and innocent Duel spirits with their very bodies and blood. Am I right, Elder?"

"Call me Uncle," Uncle corrected grudgingly as Kagari just looked blank. "Yes, the people pay tribute to our shogun, and in exchange we protect them."

"In the end, the one with the most food is the shogun," Kaido tidily led back. "A flow of goods and food is established, thus creating an abundance of resources despite the notable frugality of the people. But, the number one threat about here is the Lord of Pandemonium."

"Yeah," Rex slowly nodded. "Then?"

"What if... the Lord of Pandemonium is eliminated?" Kaido now posed. "The villages about here have Duellists of their own, and Duel spirits can well take care of themselves. When that happens, the villages would probably stop paying tribute to the shogun since the need for external security has dropped. The trade flow between villages suffer, because then blacksmiths, craftsmen, almost every trade save the agriculture sector will be all but destroyed with the disappearance of their largest customer, the Six Samurai. There will be many Duel spirits with useless skills and little to no ability to farm, and even then arable land is limited. Whole villages may well face famine."

"That..." Kagari whispered.

"Furthermore, the... society around here is created precisely by the villages banding together against the common enemy of the Lord of Pandemonium," Kaido continued. "Of course, it may well be the same with the Hyakki Yakou. The previously tribal mindset of demon clans forgotten, that they gathered together under the banner of the Lord of Pandemonium and consolidated his power to fight the Six Samurai, a convenient army that threatens everything. Just like guerilla bandits... a constant threat that may strike anywhere at any time requires more security to guard against, doesn't it?"

"Within these sixteen years since the Lord of Pandemonium disappeared, truly there has been minor scuffles and disobedient villages," Uncle noted. "Those incidences have all but disappeared since the Lord of Pandemonium returned. But... when Haou invaded the Dark World, the Dark World quickly fell."

"The Dark World is a world where villages of other Duel spirits are prosecuted and hunted by the Dark World Army," Kaido pointed out. "The villages themselves were, to put it indelicately, too scattered to put up much of a resistance to a whole army, and their standing army was decimated before by Haou. When a government loses, in the eyes of the people it will lose sovereignty. Although how this Haou built up such an army so quickly would be quite interesting..."

"Enough with arguing the impossibilities of conscription," Ryuuki cut in. "What's the point?"

"He's right," Johan agreed. "Even with such a function, the Lord of Pandemonium is a threat that must be destroyed, right?"

"Right now, our mission is not 'to kill the Lord of Pandemonium'," the Professor finally spoke up. "Our objective is 'to save Nowaki and Misawa-san'. Right now, with the tale of the Lord of Pandemonium from Kagari, and Uncle's contributions, we are closer to understanding the Lord of Pandemonium and his reason for existence. What Kaido has said, means that this Great Yokai War has arranged societies about itself to further propagate its cause, and that its abrupt end would mean the end of society of the floating world. Utter chaos would reign if another ambitious general forcibly takes over the land, and these peaceful times would becomes just a memory. Revolution..."

"Revolution..." Uncle murmured deeply.

"Revolution...?" Kagari whispered.

"Long and bloody wars for a struggle of power," Kaido answered. "The conflict of the Lord of Pandemonium, and the armies of Shien has become so vital to maintain your floating world to this extent. If the war was to stop..."

He gripped his fist out, before letting his fingers fly in a gesture to convey an explosion. "The floating world comes crashing down."

"Previously, the heroes that died to kill the lord that returned each time..." Uncle muttered, balling his fists. "If I've known...!"

"If it's the responsibility of the military to end the war, then it is the responsibility of the king to find the destination," Satsuki said, looking significantly at Shimotsuki. Even I was eyeing Shimotsuki with something akin to respect.

"Even if we succeed in 'rescuing' Nowaki, the Lord of Pandemonium would still have 'disappeared'," the Professor realised. "If the Lord of Pandemonium is gone, will his vassals scatter..."

"...or will a new Lord of Pandemonium arise?" Shimotsuki finished for him. "The next one might well come after Nowaki and Misawa-san too. We must eliminate the problem at the very root itself to get anywhere. Just like to stop the cycle of sacred kings and sacrifices..."

"We don't know how to proceed," Ayame whispered. "Then, Shimotsuki-san, if we were to try a different approach...?"

"Of course, that means nothing if we look in hindsight," Shimotsuki coldly answered. "The spirit world has nothing to do with the human world, after all. I have no interest in building the foundations of an economy here on top of resolving a societal problem that will only bring headaches in the long run."

"Why, you, Shimotsuki!" Ryuuki exclaimed.

"Shimotsuki-san, don't you care about this world as well?" Ayame asked.

"I have no object to do so, but, here we have a smart man and one with the ear of the shogun to put these practices in place and resolve the issues," Shimotsuki pointed out. "Our objective right now are at two. One is 'rescue the Misawa'. The other is 'remove the seals of the Millennium Items and end the cycle of pain'. There are ten people here, not including those two with a vested interest in restoring the 'balance of worlds'. Amongst the ten of us, there are those with some form of specialised knowledge of the human world. Doubtless the Elder has realised that."

"...Ojou-sama, your intelligence astounds this old man," the Uncle grinned widely as Kagari stared in amazement. "You could have brought anyone with you on this quest, but specifically, you demanded the shogun's advisor for this, as well as the successor. Obviously, you weren't thinking about guides."

"I noticed that Kagari-san was too informal with the shogun himself and you," Shimotsuki easily answered. "Even though he is a Kagemusha, the other samurai do not treat him as a disposable body double, but rather as a priceless treasure. Even the shogun seems more tender with him. Obviously, Kagari-san is more than a mere servant, no?"

"Either we have gotten soft, or you are astounding," the Elder smirked. "Yes, this brat is extremely close to the shogun."

"U- Uncle!" Kagari stuttered. "You said that-!"

"Well, the secret is out," Uncle laughed. "Might as well 'fess up."

"So, Kagari-san is a very important person as well?" Ryuuki drawled, interested.

"Then, why is this bog shot being dragged out with us?" Rex scoffed.

"True," the Professor noted. "Rex, it's the plan called 'isolate and educate'."

"During this journey, there will be a lot to talk about," the Elder clarified. "What better to talk about when running to our deaths than a hope for the future?"

"Contact is contact, even if contact is established in unfortunate circumstances and the benefits are not immediately apparent," Shimotsuki easily answered. "Of course, Kaido will be demanding his payment as well. Economically, socially and politically, your world is much less than the human world as humans focus on survival above all, enough to have forgotten about magic and ancient legends, particularly those of the twelve dimensions."

"Thus, to collect information and prove these legends and prophecies true, this trade is conducted," Kaido smirked like a canary that ate a whole bowl of cream. "Well, Elder? That memory of legendary tales that will be remembered in my hands, that story of magic, in exchange for a chance at the future?"

Uncle smirked, the lines of his face pulled tight as his eyes crinkled. "Indeed... Kagari."

"Ah, yes?" Kagari blinked at him.

"If it's the responsibility of the military to end the war, then it is the responsibility of the king to find the destination," Uncle laughed. "Before you is an empress. During this time, take this opportunity and learn well, for this conversation will be one of the most important ones for the sake of Ukiyo itself."


"So, we've been heading west for... how long already?" I panted as we stumbled along at a comfortable pace into a rocky valley shrouded partially in mists. "Bloody lack of time..."

"Well, our direction is primarily west," Uncle scoffed. "Towards the land of the departed we go, past the Castle of Mists to the edge where the floating world touches the land of the Illusory Gods."

"The Illusory Gods?" Shimotsuki enquired.

"Osiris, Obelisk, Ra," Uncle sighed. "The gods who made the beginning, the present and the end, creator of Exodia and the ones who serve the finisher."

"Atum," Kaido inferred. "I didn't know that even the floating world would even connect to the fields of Aaru."

"Three thousand worlds in a single thought," the Elder quoted. "That is the best way to understand the realms of the spirit. The fields of Aaru... we call it the Necrovalley. And their capital, the Necropolis. The Yokai cannot survive in Necrovalley, so they come here, and we cannot send them back. Persistent..."

"How convenient," I scoffed. "That where the Three Illusory Gods are is close to where we have to go."

"Convenient," Rex repeated flatly. "Right..."

"So, are we close to it?" Ayame murmured.

"My legs... won't take much more," Satsuki gasped.

"Me too," Ryuuki muttered.

"We'll break at the next suitable place," Shimotsuki scanned the sparse forest we had found ourselves in, tucked away into a valley between two tall mountains, the sides streaked lightly with colours. "I have a feeling... that this valley is very familiar."

"True..." Kaido muttered seriously, and all the Psychic Duellists tensed up just as the squawks began.

"Above!" Shimotsuki ordered.

All of us dove just as claws began to dive down, four DuelDisks slotted and activated at the same time.

Wings outspread, the winged humanoid being glared at us harshly, the Elder and Kagari in particular. "You, Chan! We told you we don't care for you samurai!"

"I'm not leading an army here," Uncle raised in hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm just bringing these travellers through the valley."

"Well, they look plenty capable of finding their own way," the humanoid cracked his knuckles. "But, there's a toll. Leave your valuables here, then you go. For you, Chan..." he emphatically crunched his knuckles. "I think the Lord of Pandemonium won't mind if I deliver you in pieces."

"Uncle, they seem to know you," Ayame muttered to Uncle as we backed slightly from the hostile Duel Monster.

"Aiyah, the laws of the shogun may have made it rather restrictive on the valley," Uncle hissed in answer. "We face many besieging armies, especially in the cardinal directions. The East X-Sabers, The South Flamvell, the North Ice Barrier, and the West... Mist Valley. Otherwise, there would be chaos. And this man... is the Executor of the Mist Valley..."

"That land your shogun is on was ours," the Executor growled. "Fight me!"

"Sorry, Ojou-sama, but it looks like my life's cut short," Uncle smirked.

"Who on earth would pay a toll to go through here?" Rex growled. "You're with that Lord of Pandemonium, aren't you?"

"Heh, didn't think you'd catch on so fast," the Executor laughed. "Our tribe's power wasted away because of these crappy samurai and those vultures of Flamvell and Ice Barrier. People Running About should remain people running about! Learn your place, leave, or be our slave for life! Hahaha!"

"How about a Duel?" Kaido stepped up before the smirking Executor. "If I win, then your tribe lets us go free. If you win, then do as you like."

"Ha! You'll eat those words alright!" the Executor laughed as a DuelDisk appeared on his arm. "Let's do it, then!"

"But, Ariyashi-san, you'll die!" Ayame protested. "Is it worth it?"

"That depends on the result of the Duel," Kaido easily answered as he pulled his hand of cards in answer and activated his DuelDisk.

"Duel!"

Kaido: LP 4000

Executor: LP 4000

"Draw," Kaido's every action was even. "I reveal in my hand Spellbook of Wisdom, Spellbook of Goethe and Spellbook of Secrets to special summon from my hand the beautiful High Priestess of Prophecy!"

With a wave, the pink-haired magician appeared [2500/2100].

"Now, I activate the Spell, Spellbook of Secrets, to search out Spellbook of Power from my deck," Kaido announced briskly, so different from his usual style. "I set two cards and activate the Spell, Swords of Revealing Light. Turn end."

"Draw!" the Executor smirked. "I activate the Field Spell, Divine Wind of Mist Valley!"

The scene changed to psychedelic pastel colours and above, the cries of birds could be heard.

"Now, I summon Mist Valley Thunderbird [1100/700] to the field" the Executor chuckled as the bird appeared. "Then, I bounce Thunderbird back to my hand to special summon Mist Condor [1400/400 → 1700/400] from my hand. By the effect of Divine Wind of Mist Valley, the tuner monster Mist Valley Soldier [1700/300] is special summoned from my deck when a Wind Attribute monster I control is bounced back to my hand. And, Mist Valley Thunderbird special summons itself when bounced!"

"So this is the swarm power of Mist Valley," Satsuki hissed. "It's right on par with Black Feathers!"

"Tuning, level three Thunderbird to level four Soldier!" the Executor cackled. "Oh, these winds of the coming storm! Blow the mist off to show the terror of our hold over the skies! Synchro Summon! Descend, Mist Valley Thunder Lord!"

With a thud and a rumble of the ground, the large green-skinned winged humanoid creature appeared [2600/2400].

"I end my turn," the Executor laughed. "Well, take your turn before my Thunder Lord kills you. Then, I'll help myself to you poor souls, heh-eh."

"What a disgusting creature," Shimotsuki commented as Ayame shrank back slightly.

"Draw," Kaido patiently glanced. "I activate the set Spell, Spellbook of Wisdom, and use the effect that protects my High Priestess from traps."

The Executor grimaced, but said nothing as the magician twirled about.

"Now, I activate the Spell, Spellbook of Power, to give my High Priestess one thousand attack power [2500/2100 → 3500/2100] until the end phase of the turn," Kaido announced as the Executor looked alarmed. "With that settled, I now activate the Spell, Spellbook of Goethe. I banish the three Spellbook cards in my grave to pay for the cost of banishing one monster you control, your Thunder Lord."

"What?" the Executor yelled as his Thunder Lord vanished. "B- But, Swords of Revealing Light-!"

"Only stops you," Kaido pointed out. "Battle, High Priestess, destroy that Mist Condor! Arcana Force!"

The Executor cringed as the force of the attack sent him skidding back.

Executor: LP 4000 → LP 2200

Kaido: LP 4000

"Heh, so you drew first blood," the Executor growled. "But, next turn you're finished."

"Trap card, Enlightenment," Kaido's face was carefully blank. "When a Spellcaster Type monster destroys a monster by battle, I can activate this, and allow that monster another attack."

"W- What?" the Executor was falling to his knees. "Please... mercy..."

"Were you going to sell us out?" Kaido demanded.

"Y- Yes! Our tribe needs money, and life in the valley's been getting worse with the Realm of Light and the bloody Castle and you guys! No one respects us anymore!"

"Exactly what's the purpose of this Lord of Pandemonium?" Kaido asked.

"You don't know...?" the Executor whimpered. "That malice against those People Running About, who forgot us and try to kill us, those People should learn their place! Right under we Duel spirits! This game of Duel Monsters is more than what you think it! As prideful warriors, we stand proudly to fight rather than use the cheap tricks those People Running About use! This world is only for those Duel spirits who have the power to snatch what they want! Weaklings have no place here!"

"Like that... you pretty much ruined your argument right there," Kaido commented. "High Priestess, Arcana Force."

Boom, the Executor shattered into a hundred shards right there, fading with the winds.

Executor: LP 2200 → LP 0

Kaido: LP 4000

"...and end your misery." Kaido finished, his bangs shielding his eyes.

"Well, he's still alive," Shimotsuki pointed out as a clawed hand twitched on the ground. "Let's go."

"Oi, Shimotsuki, you're going to leave him there like this?" Rex yelled.

"Well, we're going to be running from those right now," the Professor pointed up to where the swarm of Mist Valley members were hovering. "Because there's no way we can fight them all."

"Let's run!" Uncle called.

"Don't run away when you started this!" we all yelled as we ran along as well.

"We'll have to split up for now," Johan panted. "I'll go with Chase-kun, Yusei can go with Ryuusei, Satsuki go with Ayame, Ryuuki, follow Kaido, Rex, go with Setsuka. Uncle, Kagari, can you find you own way? Scatter!"

We were too panicked to argue, even as Shimotsuki was yelling something indecipherable to Johan as we turned down one of the forest-edged paths from the valley, the sound of wings rushing right behind us.

"Wait, where are we going?" I bellowed to Johan.

"Anywhere but here!" came the answer.

"Dammit, we're lost!" I realised as the Mist Valley creatures swooped down-

"Well, that's just rude."

-and a scythe lopped off its head, blood spattering Nadeshiko pink furisode and an elaborate yoko-hyogo hairstyle, the smell of camellia oil rich and heady as the being landed neatly on her geta clogs. A slender black scythe, its handle decorated with miniature skulls, swung from long delicate fingers attached to a blue-tinted wrist that was lightly covered by a pink sleeve. Blood, crimson and drying, still stained the blade even as the killed Mist Valley creature vanished in a burst of gold.

"Ara," the courtesan woman murmured, her voice husky and her eyes gleaming with something close to avarice. "You have a death wish, to come so close to the Hyakki Yakou."

"Huh?" I yelped, backing off. "No! We just accidentally ran here!"

"You're... part of that demon army as well?" Johan asked.

"Oh, how remiss of me," the woman murmured. "I am Yugao, the Maiden of Macabre, although I prefer to be referred to as a Geishadow. One of the Lord of Pandemonium's trusted lieutenants, my speciality lies in espionage and... assassinations~"

We both nervously took a step back as a drop of blood pooled at her feet.

"Sapphire Pegasus, summon!" Johan called, the winged Pegasus appearing to stand between us and the murderous Geishadow.

"Do you think that would stop me?" Yugao conversationally spoke.

"Be careful, Johan," the horse talked. "This Duel spirit is more powerful than you see."

"This world is ruled by the Duel," she said as her scythe morphed into a DuelDisk. "Those who come across the Hyakki will be trampled by it."

I gulped. Then what about Youkai...?

"I'll be your opponent," Johan unlocked his own DuelDisk as well. "You seem quite confident in your Duelling skills."

"Oh, that is a thought," Yugao chuckled.

"Duel!"

Yugao: LP 4000

Johan: LP 4000

"My turn, I draw," Yugao looked at her hand. "Lucky~ I play the Continuous Spell, Sad Story – Sorrowful Memories. Then, I summon Reptilianne Servant [100/100] to the field in attack mode and set a card. Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" Johan barked.

"At this time, the effect of Sad Story – Sorrowful Memories activates," Yugao announced. "During each player's draw phase, if they draw a monster card, they must shuffle it back into the deck."

"Ah..." Johan reluctantly put the card back into the deck. "I-"

"When Reptilianne Servant is on the field, neither player can summon monsters," Yugao informed him.

"...I set two cards and end my turn," Johan reluctantly announced.

"Draw," Yugao smirked as she turned over the green card. "No monster cards. I activate the Continuous Spell, Sad Story – Dreadful Day. Reptilianne Servant, attack Johan directly."

"Argh!" Johan flinched as he was hit.

Johan: LP 4000 → LP 3900

Yugao: LP 4000

"Turn end," she announced.

"Draw!" Johan glanced at his card as he drew. "It's a Spell!"

"Then you may hold onto it," Yugao replied as Johan grimaced. "How lucky for you."

"I set two cards and end my turn," Johan grimaced. He was really disadvantaged here, I could tell.

"Draw," Yugao glanced at her hand. "Because I drew a trap, I shuffle it back into my deck. Now, I play the Continuous Spell, Sad Story – Unwavering Truth. Now, I activate the trap, Sorrowful Chain, and special summon from my deck Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings!"

Leathery wings spread out, the feminine-looking violet-tinted dragon roared as it appeared on the field [1900/2600].

"When there are other face-up monsters on the field, Reptilianne Servant is destroyed," Yugao murmured as the black snake imploded. "My tragic dragon queen, direct attack! Tragedy Stream!"

"Ah!" Johan cringed as he was blasted.

Johan: LP 3900 → LP 2000

Yugao: LP 4000

"When the queen dragon inflicts battle damage, you must discard a card from your hand and I can draw a card," Yugao smirked. "Since the draw is conducted outside the draw phase, the Sad Story cards cannot affect it. Turn end."

"That's pretty bad, Johan-san!" I called from the sidelines. "The Crystal Beasts need to be normal summoned first, right!"

"With Reptilianne Servant gone, I can normal summon!" Johan answered. "Draw!"

"Too bad, the Sad Story cards mean that whatever you drew must be shuffled back," Yugao smirked as Johan put the card back into the auto-shuffle.

"I activate the Trap, Mine Blast!" Johan called. "Now, I send the top five cards of my deck to the grave. During my next draw phase, I cannot draw. Now, I summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus [1800/1200]!"

"Now we're here!" the horse whinnied as it appeared.

"When Sapphire Pegasus is summoned, I can place a Crystal Beast from my hand, deck or grave into my back row," Johan declared as a hunk of blue cobalt appeared. "I choose Cobalt Eagle. Now, I activate the Spell, Golden Rule, equipping it to Sapphire Pegasus and then placing Ruby Carbuncle and Emerald Tortoise from my deck into my back row. Using Golden Rule, I special summon Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger [1600/1000] from my hand!"

"That's more like it!" the white tiger roared as it appeared.

"Topaz Tiger, attack!" Johan ordered. "When Topaz attacks, his power increases by four hundred [1600/1000 → 2000/1000]! Topaz Incisor Shred!"

"Go!" the dragon roared as it died.

Yugao: LP 4000 → LP 3900

Johan: LP 2000

"Now, Sapphire Pegasus, direct attack!" Johan called. "Sapphire Tornado!"

"Che!" Yugao flinched as the attack struck.

Yugao: LP 3900 → LP 2100

Johan: LP 2000

"Now, I activate the Trap, Rainbow Gravity!" Johan called. "When all seven Crystal Beasts are either on the field of the grave, from my deck or grave, ignoring summoning conditions, I can special summon one Rainbow Dragon! Come, the ultimate Gem God, Rainbow Dragon!"

Large wings spread, opals glittering along its serpentine white body, the dragon of the rainbow appeared in a flash of bright light [4000/0].

"F- Four thousand?" Yugao coughed. "The Rainbow Dragon... so you're that person..."

"Rainbow Dragon, direct attack!" Johan called. "Over the Rainbow!"

The dragon roared as it pounded mercilessly on her.

Yugao: LP 2100 → LP 0

Johan: LP 2000

"That person... do I know you?" Johan blinked in surprise.

"You..." her fingers scrabbled for her scythe, her beautiful face twisted in hate. "For your sake, that accursed Haou killed whole worlds and my daughter... return my daughter..."

"J- Judai...?" Johan swallowed nervously. "I heard that Haou was bad, but... for this...!"

"I'll kill you... then that Haou... will forever live with that sorrow... just like me..." Yugao coughed. "The Lord of Pandemonium... will take you... Johan Andersen, the fates curse you..."

Even as she faded into the gold of death, never did she stop cursing even as Johan grimaced and denied and cried.


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