Apologies for the wait between chapters. My normal routine has been a bit disrupted lately.
Thank you to Aqua girl 007 for assisting me with writing the part where Kuriboh finds the Supreme King. I have put ** to mark the start and end. It was a great help because I am not overly familiar with him, having only seen the episodes which include him once, a long time ago!
Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer. I do not own Yugioh. But I really wish I did.
For the Sins of the Father.
Chapter 28.
The Battle for Souls. Part. 1
Watching those hapless humans running towards him in an attempt to save their Pharaoh, amused Zorc. Humans were always so eager to show their bravery, by rushing to their doom. It made his job of destroying them so much easier.
Soon his army of shadows would march across their peaceful little afterlife, devouring every soul standing in their path.
"Release Pharaoh Atem immediately?" Seto ordered. As he approached, he gave a sideways glance at Bakura. What was he doing here? He would challenge him later, but right now he had other priorities. He glared straight at Zorc.
These feeble humans were the only thing standing in the way of his victory, but they would be easy to defeat. The tall one posturing and issuing threats, made him laugh out loud. "Or you will do what exactly... Priest?"
Seto's body language immediately became even more hostile. Zorc had hit a nerve by not addressing him as his favoured, Lord, or Pharaoh.
Aknamkanon approached and stood alongside Seto. "Do not try to reason with that demon Seto," he stated calmly. "We must fight to free my son." He would not show his fears and give Zorc the pleasure of taunting him.
"Three Pharaohs? It's my lucky day! Destroying all three of you will give me ultimate power."
Seto growled in retaliation. "Someone shut this beast up?"
"I will do my best Lord Seto." Karim joined Bakura, to assist in his assault on Zorc's parasitic snake. If they could get rid of that thing, it would be a whole lot easier to attack Zorc.
Isis and Shada immediately went to help Mana and Mahad. Both were now recovering from intercepting Zorc's attack and were slowly getting back onto their feet.
As he got closer to Zorc, Aknadin was feeling less brave. He could feel terror rising within him, as past memories of being possessed came flooding back.
Zorc held out his free hand and squeezed it into a mocking fist, gripping Aknadin in an invisible hold, causing him to collapse onto his knees, clutching at his head.
"Aknadin..Our mind link still exists. You are still under my control... I will use you as I did before."
"N no.. I..I will.. not.. allow you. Not again..." Aknadin pleaded. " ..help?"
Hearing his desperate plea, the old saying that blood is thicker than water, struck right at Seto's heart. No matter how much he told himself that he hated Aknadin, he could not stand by and watch Zorc destroying his own flesh and blood. "Father?" He called. "Don't let this evil creature control you! If you truly are my father, you will not let him possess you again."
Father! He called me father?! "Seto, my son..." He reached his hand out, and Seto took hold of it in a firm grip, pulling him up to stand.
Aknadin could feel Seto's strength flow through their touch, strengthening his resolve and swelling his heart with pride for his son. Deep down there was still a bond that existed between them.
With Seto's help and using all of his willpower, he pushed Zorc out of his mind, closing the link that Zorc had forced on him. "In the past my desire to save Egypt from invasion, and my own selfish need to see my son crowned King, allowed you to take hold of my soul Zorc. But I have defeated the darkness in my heart and I will take my rightful place beside my son, as a loyal priest and as his father. Together we will fight to defeat you once and for all."
His statement seemed to shake Zorc for a moment, leaving him slightly vulnerable. The two people he had relied on to do his dirty work in the past; Bakura and Aknadin, were now fighting against him?! It was only a fleeting glimpse of vulnerability but it was enough to give them all hope that they could win this fight.
It also caused Zorc to momentarily release his grip on Atem, which enabled Atem to suck in a much needed gasp of air and shout out in defiance. "You are the weak one Zorc, you depend on the darkness in peoples hearts for your survival. We will show you that our hearts are strong and full of hope. You will never defeat us. NEVER."
Zorc snarled at him and tightened his grip on the struggling Pharaoh. "You have breathed your last words... Pharaoh." His grip started to tighten to the point where Atem felt that unless his friends could do something to save him, he would lose his own personal fight for survival.
A loud screech suddenly cut through the cloying darkness, catching every ones attention. The wing beat of a large dragon could be felt as it pushed the shadows from its path.
From his position on board Curse of Dragon, Yugi could just about see that his friends had been joined by Seto and the other priests, but he couldn't see Atem among them.
Curse of Dragon had emerged from the Crevasse almost a mile from where Zorc towered over them. He circled high in the sky and flew above them so that Yugi could conduct a visual scan, before making his move.
What Yugi saw as he flew over, shocked him to the core. Atem was in the clutches of Zorc! He felt a sudden jolt in his heart when Zorc started to crush Atem. It was the same feeling of pain that Atem had felt when Yugi was gravely injured, and tried to feel for him through their link. He had to do something to save his friend...fast.
::::::::::::
The inhabitants of Kul Elna watched in horror as darkness spread over the land. A blanket of shadow had descended upon their village.
They had been trapped in these shadows for what they believed would be for all eternity; until Pharaoh Atem and his reincarnation in the modern world, had freed them from the millennium items. They were not about to give up easily! Not when they had only recently found peace.
In the distance they could see Zorc towering above the now blackened Nile delta.
Bakura's mother gasped at the sight. She had that terrible feeling; the feeling often referred to as mothers instinct, which caused her chest to ache. "No, Akefia!" She turned to her husband Raia. "You must go and find him? I fear he has made an enemy of Zorc."
"What about you? I should stay and help defend the village."
"No! You must go. Take Meriptah and find my son, please? My brother Padaset will protect me."
Raia hesitated a moment before agreeing. "Okay, but stay strong. You must not let the shadows take you." He kissed her, before he and his brother Meriptah, took up their weapons, mounted their horses and sped across the desert towards Zorc. They were completely unaware that Bakura was assisting the Pharaoh and his priests in battle.
::::::::::::
The ground was suddenly shaking. From their positions slightly behind Seto and the others, Mana and Mahad, turned in the direction of the noise and saw to their horror that the ground was starting to erupt and Shadow Ghouls were emerging all around them.
Kuriboh swooped down towards Mana, showing off his new found ability to fly using his newly formed wings. "Kureeeee...," he nodded and Mana immediately understood.
"You found Yugi? He is okay?" She smiled and patted his head. "And yes, I do love your wings."
Kuriboh nodded his body in confirmation, awaiting his next orders.
"Thank Ra." She breathed a sigh of relief. Prince would be devastated if anything were to happen to Yugi.
In the chaos she had been unaware of the peril Atem was in. She was about to look over towards where she thought he was standing, and give him the good news about Yugi, when Mahad shouted at her.
"Mana?! We need your help..?" Mahad was busy firing blasts of Heka to destroy the advancing Shadow Ghouls.
Two strangers on horseback, carrying archery bows, suddenly appeared. Dismounting their horses, they took up positions next to Mahad and Shada.
"Here take this?" A tall handsome, muscular man, with wild blond hair and dark brown eyes handed a spare bow and a sheath of arrows to Shada.
For a moment Shada was slightly stunned and hesitated. This man was almost identical to Bakura! "You're Bakura's father?"
"Yes, I am Akefia's father, Raia. This is my brother Meriptah. We have come to join the fight to save Kemet from eternal darkness."
Despite their efforts, Defeating the Shadow Ghouls was proving difficult. As soon as they destroyed them, a new one would re-form. There were just too many of them, and they kept on advancing. If this continued, it would not be long before they would all become too exhausted, and start making mistakes. They would be overwhelmed unless they could get some extra help.
Taking Kuriboh's body in her hands she looked into his large owlish eyes. "Kuriboh, can you go back to the Realm of Beasts and seek out the Supreme King. We need him to bring his army to help us."
"Kurrrrrr.." He agreed.
"And tell him it's urgent, the afterlife is under attack."
Proudly flapping his new wings, Kuriboh shot up into the air. A swirling vortex appeared and he dove straight for it. With a pop, he vanished.
::::::::::::
Back in Bakura's cave system hideout, Alain was getting restless. He could hear rumbling in the distance and the ground kept shaking. They needed to get involved. If they were going to die, he at least wanted to go down fighting, not hiding like a rat in a drainpipe.
"What is going on?" Pierre was now feeling much better and recovering from his earlier ordeal.
"The others have gone to fight the demon that possessed you. We should go and help them?"
Pierre grimaced. "I don't know if I can. What if he takes over my body again?"
"We won't let him! Come on? I don't want to die in this cave. I have to fight." He picked up a mace and what looked like a sword from the Roman era.
"What about this gold? We can't leave it?" Pierre as always was obsessed with treasure; this was starting to infuriate Alain. The obsession for treasure was the reason they had ended up here in the first place.
"Yes we can," he barked, "it's not ours to take. If we survive, maybe you can come back for it?" With that said, he marched to the back of the cave and started making his way up through the passageway.
Grumbling Pierre decided to join him. Deep down Alain was right, they couldn't stay here. He grabbed a sword, along with an ornate shield. These at least would be worth something.
::::::::::::
In the Dark World, inside his fortress, the Supreme King stood inside his chambers. He was clad in his battle armour. Normally, Judai didn't like wearing battle armour indoors when he was not in battle or presenting himself to his subjects, but he was going through rough times and wanted to wear his armour to be on the safe side.
Yubel was sick, ever since she was struck by the Light of Destruction. It made Yubel sick mentally and emotionally. For the several years, he had watched the woman he loved slowly wither away before his eyes. Not only that, she was a dear friend, giving up everything in this life and the next to stand by his side in battle and in his every day life. She deserved better then this.
Judai had a plan that might be able to help to stop Yubel's pain, but he was still not sure if he was able to do it. After all, it was very risky. But if there was anything he could do to help, he would. Yubel would tear the dimensions apart in order to save him if he was in her place; and he wanted to do the same thing for her.
Because of his anger and sorrow, he let Zorc escape, despite best efforts to stop him. How could he have let something like this happen? The Gods tasked him to guard the Shadow Realm! He did not want to make the same mistake twice. He will make that thing pay.
Suddenly, a portal appeared and Winged Kurioh flew out of it. Judai was taken back for a moment, blinking. After shifting his eyes around the room for a moment to ensure no one was watching, he showed a smile as his friend flew towards him.
"Hello, Aibou. You should not scare me like that," Judai said, smiling at his friend and running his hand across his soft fur.
Realisation suddenly struck him; this was not his Aibou! This was Yugi and the Pharaoh Atem's little friend, Kuriboh, only he had gained his wings?!
Things must be more serious than he thought. "What brings you here? I thought you were assisting in the battle?"
'Judai,' Kuriboh spoke. 'Mana wanted me to send a message on her behalf. Zorc has gained more strength and now is planning to go into the world of the living. Pharaoh Atem needs reinforcements in order to help fight.'
With a curt nod, he replied, "Thank you."
The Former Babylonian Ruler walked out of his chambers while Kuriboh with wings, floated beside him.
Spotting one of his generals, he flashed his gaze towards her and straightened his shoulder. "Tell the troops to prepare for battle. Zorc's attacks are getting stronger and we need to send in the troops to help fight."
"Yes, sire."
A little smirk crossed the Ruler's face; he will make that creature pay.
::::::::::::
Urging Curse of Dragon to loop around, so that he was behind, and out of Zorc's line of vision, Yugi attacked. His dragon swooped down firing a breath of flame at the back of Zorc's head. The attack didn't really hurt Zorc too much, but it did catch him off guard. He twisted round and made an attempt to punch Curse of dragon out of the air, using the hand that was gripping Atem.
Yugi moved quickly. As Curse of Dragon dodged the punch, he swung his sword at Zorc's wrist, giving it every ounce of strength he could. The blade sliced deeply into the inside of Zorc's forearm severing a tendon and rendering the demon's hand useless.
Atem was flung into the air, when Zorc lost his ability to grip onto him.
As Yugi withdrew his sword from Zorc's arm, he caught a glimpse out of his peripheral vision, of Atem flying through the air. "Catch him?!" He shouted, hastily pulling the dragon up, before it could fly away. Curse of Dragon understood and managed to intercept Atem before he could fall to his doom.
Atem landed awkwardly on Curse of Dragons back, just behind Yugi, causing pain to sear through his damaged ribs. Unable to hold on due to the agony he was in, he started to slide off the dragon's back. Curse of Dragon was flying upwards again to avoid Zorc's angry blast of retaliation, so Atem braced himself for what would be a long fall; right into the clutches of Shadow Ghouls. "Yu..gi?!" He gasped with what little air was left in his lungs and reached a hand out desperately.
Yugi turned to check that Atem was safely on board and was horrified to find that due to his injuries Atem was unable to cling on and was starting to slide off the dragons back. Instinctively he locked his hand around Atem's outstretched arm. "Grab my wrist? I've got you," he shouted.
Atem immediately clamped his hand around Yugi's wrist in response so that they had a firm hold, enabling Yugi to pull him up. Atem ignored his discomfort and managed to get one leg properly over Curse of Dragons back. He wrapped his arms around Yugi's torso and clung on as best he could.
"Thank Ra, you are okay Yugi.. I was worried I had lost you," he mumbled painfully.
"And I thought I was about to lose you!" Yugi shouted back and pointed down to the Shadow Ghouls advancing on their friends. "Are you okay if I attack? Our friends need help."
"I am." Yugi felt Atem nodding against his shoulder.
They swooped down and Curse of Dragon swept over the front line of Ghouls, covering them with a sheet of flames. The Ghouls screamed as they burned; melting away, back into the ground.
The attack Yugi had just made on Zorc had shaken the demon, so Bakura and Karim took their chance. The parasite had lost concentration for just a split second when its host was injured. Bakura leaped over its head and slammed his sword down with force, slicing right through its body and severing it from Zorc. The creature writhed and thrashed in its death throws, knocking the sword from Bakura's hands in the process. The creature was still not finished, it twisted round and lunged at Bakura. He braced himself for its attack, but it never came.
"Take that?! You vile abomination." Karim rammed the ten foot long staff, which had a sharp, barbed arrowhead on the tip, right down its throat, stopping it dead. It dropped to the ground with a thud and was still.
He placed his foot on its head and pulled the staff back out, dragging most of the creature's throat out with it.
"Nice one priest. I owe you." Bakura snatched up his sword and they beat a hasty retreat to re-group with their colleagues.
Zorc had felt the injury they had inflicted and was now really pissed off. He was hurt and needed to find a way to distract them so that he could recover some strength. A wounded beast was a dangerous beast.
"Father?!" Seeing his father and uncle had joined the battle took Bakura by surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Your mother sent me." He pulled back his bow and released an arrow, which struck one of the creatures in the chest causing it to disintegrate. "These Shadow Ghouls are attacking people, she was worried about you. When we saw the Pharaohs and their priests were in trouble, we had to help. It is good to see that you too, are doing your duty to help save Egypt my son."
"That was not my original motivation, but it seems that is how it has turned out!" He lunged at a creature that had managed to get a little too close for comfort, and decapitated it. He had not had this much fun in a long time.
I hope you enjoyed that? The battle is still a long way from being won! No cliffhanger this time either ;-)
Wishing you all a very prosperous 2015.
Please review.
