Valkyria : So many updates await all of you tonight and I'm proud that I was able to get them out at the time I promised myself. Enjoy the story and I see you at the end!

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the anime/manga Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Aqua and Tenebrae.

The sounds of battle had faded away, leaving the fields almost eerily quiet. It reminded Atemu of the battle between his ancestor, Emperor Aldan, and the King of Atlantis, Marcellus. In fact, that had been exactly like this. Both sides had halted their attacks and, like eager children, turned to watch their rulers duke it out. Without a doubt, this battle between Dartz and himself would decide the future of their countries. The very thought of putting Dartz six feet into the ground caused a rush of excitement to flow through him.

Flipping backwards to avoid the columns of water Dartz brought forth, Atemu landed on his feet and unleashed three large waves of shadow magic, charging towards Dartz slightly behind his third wave. Once he'd deemed himself close enough, Atemu jumped, bringing his blade down and slicing through the shield Dartz brought forth. Before he could jump back, Dartz unexpectedly broke the shield and blasted him with a torrent of water, knocking him back and to the ground harshly. Atemu had no chance to collect himself before Dartz was suddenly upon him, bringing his spear down. Atemu rolled out of the way; grabbing his blade from the ground and pushing himself up.

Atemu forced his blade into a forward strike, narrowly missing Dartz's neck. Bringing it back, he swung again, this time colliding with Dartz' spear. He quickly pushed down, forcing Dartz back a step.

"Very good," Dartz panted out. "I expected no less from the Emperor of Elysian; the so-called prodigy and savior."

"And I expected no less from the King of Atlantis," Atemu countered, staring into the man's possessed eyes, "the man who turned out to be nothing but a puppet of the Gods. What are their plans for you, I wonder?"

"You mock me," Dartz hissed, "but, you fail to realize that you are a puppet of the Gods just as I am."

Atemu snorted, breaking their contact. "Me? A puppet? You must be mistaken. I am not the one who is sacrificing his people to the will of a God."

"Oh, but you are," Dartz sneered. "Are you not bringing your people to the battlefield solely for the reason of protecting your precious consort? Just as I did, you ordered your soldiers to their deaths."

"That may be true," Atemu acknowledged bitterly, "but, there is a difference between you and I, Dartz. I did not force my people here on false beliefs! 'To protect the Seer from blood-stained Elysian hands', is that what you told them? When the real reason is because you wanted nothing more than to satisfy your greedy God!"

"So what if I did?" Dartz chortled. "My people are devoted to me and Leviathan. Why, they would jump into the very pits of hell if I so desired it."

"You underestimate them, Dartz." Atemu brought his blade down, once again colliding with Dartz' spear and creating a series of sparks. "Your people will not be so willing once they discover that you think of them as nothing more than pawns."

Pulling away, Atemu thrust his sword forward and growled when Dartz managed to match him strike for strike. Ducking when Dartz attempted to take his head off, Atemu dragged his blade along the ground and brought it up in an upwards slash, making a sizable dent in Dartz' armor and knocking the man onto his back. Rushing forward, Atemu made to plunge his sword into Dartz' heart, but connected with the Atlantian's shoulder when Dartz quickly moved to the right.

Atemu jumped back when Dartz waved his left arm, releasing a torrent of water. Jumping into the air, Atemu quickly landed back on his feet and plunged his sword into the ground, releasing a wave of shadow spikes. As he moved to take his sword out, Dartz slammed a palm onto the ground, sending a multitude of water columns his way.

Atemu moved out of the way, cursing when his blade flew in the air because of one of the water strikes. With his sword lost for the moment, Atemu shaped his shadow magic into a bow and arrow and fired several shots in Dartz' direction. He felt a sense of triumph as one of his shadow arrows impaled Dartz' hand, making him drop the spear.

Pulling the shadow string taut, Atemu prepared to fire again when a strike of lightning caught his attention. Atemu narrowed his eyes as he heard Dartz chuckle from his crouched position.

"What is it that you find so funny?" Atemu aimed the arrow at Dartz' neck. "Do you want to get the last laugh in before you die?"

"No," Dartz stared at him and Atemu tensed as he noticed that Dartz' eyes had become a dark blue, "but, do you know that we water mages can manipulate water any way we please?"

Without another second of hesitation, Atemu fired the shadow arrow, not deterred when Dartz stopped it mere inches from his neck. Dissipating the bow, Atemu manipulated his shadows into a spear and launched it; giving him the time he needed.

"Emerge from the darkness and devour the corrupt soul that stands before you! Hellhounds! As his shadow hounds emerged from the ground, Atemu charged slightly behind them, only to come to a halt when Dartz stood from the ground and destroyed them.

"Surround the one that stands before you and melt the flesh from thy bones! Acid Daggers!"

Holding his hands in the air, Atemu created a barrier around himself as the spell flew towards him finishing off his remaining hounds. His heart twisted as one of the smaller ones released a pained howl before bursting into shadows.

"How long do you think that pathetic shield is going to hold against my spells, Emperor?" Dartz chuckled. "Crush! Drown! Envelop! Fall down upon thy foe and cover all! Tidal Wave!"

Atemu released a sharp breath as a large wave of water came down on him, cracking his shield to an irreparable point. With no choice, Atemu took a deep breath and destroyed his shield submerging himself. He was swept back harshly and landed on the ground several feet away. Coughing, Atemu rose from the ground only to be knocked back by another blast of water.

"Is this all Elysian has to offer?" Dartz taunted loudly. "Is this the so-called prodigy of Elysian!"

Atemu felt a flash of red-hot anger at Dartz' insults. Rising to his feet, Atemu melded his shadows into a blade and ran towards Dartz, narrowly managing to dodge the onslaught of water magic. Deeming himself close enough, Atemu brought his blade down and slashed Dartz across his chest plate. Shattering his blade, Atemu called forth a multitude of shadows and grabbed Dartz, slamming him into the unforgiving ground harshly. Lifting the Atlantian up again, Atemu moved to command the shadows to slam Dartz down again when the Atlantian disappeared in a flash of yellow light.

Atemu looked around frantically and tensed as he felt an all-too familiar presence at his back. He grunted as he felt the metal tip of a weapon against his neck.

"I wonder," Dartz drawled from behind him, "what Elysian would do without its Emperor? Will it fall into decay? Or will it prosper with the Seer at its head?"

Atemu growled as Dartz put pressure on his back with the spear. "Your overconfidence is sickening."

Dartz chuckled, dragging the spear slowly up Atemu's spine. "Really? I find it to be one of my more redeeming qualities."

"Tell me," Atemu began, dragging his hand to his waist for the knife resting there. "Why does Leviathan want Yuugi so badly? What plans does he have for him?"

"Is this a last request?" Dartz questioned.

Atemu grasped the knife and glanced at Dartz over his shoulder. "Yes, if you are going to kill me, I deserve to know what your God wants with my consort."

"Very well, I shall tell you what you desire. I am, after all, a merciful man. The Seers are Ra's children. All citizens of Elysian are, of course, but the Seers are Ra's true children for they hold a very small portion of his blood and magic. That's what gives them the ability to see the future and, as an added bonus, gives them absolute quintessence of the element they hold. Do you know who the very first Seers were, Emperor Faenor?"

"Jaden Yuki, and Syrus and Zane Truesdale."

"That's right, but there was one other who was erased from the history books. I believe he was a part of your bloodline, yes?"

"Yusei Fudo was erased from the history books of Elysian in order to preserve his honor as a Seer, something you wouldn't know about." Atemu hissed.

"Preserve his honor?" Dartz chortled. "Or preserve his sacrifice as a vessel to Ra during the Ethereal War? Oh, and let's not forget about his guardians Kalin Kessler and Jack Atlas."

Growling, Atemu unsheathed his knife and swung at Dartz, roaring in outrage as the Atlantian disappeared in a flash of yellow light. "How dare you?! Yusei Fudo was an honorable man and I will not allow you to mock him."

"He was nothing more than a pathetic vessel, Emperor!" Dartz taunted. "Nothing more, nothing less."

Atemu spun around, and managed to jump back as Dartz fired another water blast. Quickly bringing a shadow blade to his hands, he parried as Dartz brought his spear down.

"You're one to talk," Atemu snapped, pushing Dartz back, "you are nothing but a puppet yourself!"

"I may be a puppet, but at least I was willing." Dartz thrust his spear forward, smirking when the tip of his weapon caught Atemu on the side wounding him. "I wonder if Yusei was willing…"

"Silence!" Atemu hissed, clutching his bleeding side. "You know nothing-"

"I know everything." Dartz cut in smoothly. "I know that Leviathan plans to preserve the Seer as his personal vessel. But you do know what needs to happen first, right?"

Taking his hand off his wound, Atemu furiously charged towards Dartz, bringing down his shadow blade on the spear harshly again and again until he heard the strong wood crack. He wouldn't let it happen. He wouldn't let Yuugi die so that Leviathan could his body as a vessel.

Atemu jumped back as Dartz unexpectedly dropped his spear and, with a wave of his hand, sent a strong wave of water towards him. Seeing an opening, Atemu charged forward and plunged his shadow blade into Dartz' chest and twisted the sword, Atemu pushed it deeper before pulling it out and bringing a spray of blood with it.

Atemu watched with a sense of sick satisfaction as Dartz fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Taking a deep breath, Atemu suddenly became aware of the triumphant cries of his soldiers and cries of surrender coming from the Atlantian soldiers. Looking around, he spotted Timaeus and Hermos standing next to Bakura; all three commanders were looking at him with weary relief. Timaeus and Hermos bowed their heads and Atemu felt a small surge of sympathy for the Generals, who were now without a King.

Turning away, Atemu stared down into Dartz' quickly dulling eyes. "It's over."

"Is it?" Dartz rasped weakly. "Do you really think it's over, Emperor?"

Atemu quickly brought the tip of his shadow blade over Dartz' neck. "Shall I take your head to make it official? Can't have you jumping me with a surprise attack, can I?"

Dartz pulled his bloodstained lips into a weak smile, his pale lids closing over dulling eyes. "Fool, you will realize that I will win in the end."

Once he'd seen that Dartz' eyes were closed and his body was still, Atemu pulled his blade away and finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. It was over. It was truly over. Turning around, he raised his blade into the air and grinned weakly as his soldiers roared louder.

"This war is over, my people! Elysian is triumphant!"

"Is it? Is this war over, Emperor of Elysian?" a voice whispered into his mind. Atemu tensed and lowered his blade, the noise of his people fading away. He slowly turned to Dartz' cooling body to see it glowing red. He hissed and gripped his shadow blade. Maybe it would have been better if he'd decapitated the man after all.

Atemu watched, horrified, as Dartz' body rose from the ground and the red aura surrounding it grew brighter. He vaguely heard the cries of horror coming from the soldiers, and Timaeus and Hermos crying for him to get away. Atemu couldn't take his eyes away as Dartz' once luminous blue hair became black and the broken silver and blue armor disappeared and was replaced by black and red robes. He stepped back and dropped his shadow blade as Dartz' eyes snapped open to reveal red ones.

"Leviathan?" Atemu breathed in horror as Dartz - or maybe Leviathan? - floated to the ground, his silk robes billowing out behind him.

"No, I am not Leviathan. That weak and pathetic God was slain by my hand two years ago. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Zorc, God of Darkness and creator of the nation of Sylvantia."

Atemu shook his head in part denial and part fear. He could only watch as Zorc looked around with obvious curiosity. His vermilion eyes glowing with power. Atemu shuddered when those eyes locked onto his own.

"Where is he? Where is Ra's child?"

Clenching his fists, Atemu swallowed back his fear and scowled. "I will not tell you where he is."

Zorc raised an eyebrow at Atemu's refusal. "Still confident, Emperor of Elysian? It is just like Ra's mortal-bound children to act out. He never was good at keeping them on a leash."

Atemu gave the Dark God a weak smirk. "Like you were, my lord? You were good at keeping your precious Sylvantians well-trained. So much so that they feared you and brought themselves almost to the brink of extinction."

Zorc narrowed his eyes. "You are definitely a cheeky one, Atemu Faenor." Zorc snapped his fingers and Atemu fell to his knees as the energy was taken from his body. "I do not like cheeky ones such as yourself. Now, I will ask you one last time, where is Ra's child?"

"All around you." Atemu chuckled breathlessly. "We are all Ra's children."

Zorc released an over-exaggerated sigh. "Very well, if you will not tell me." Zorc teleported himself directly in front of Atemu. "I guess I will just have to find out for myself."

Atemu grunted when Zorc placed a palm on his forehead. As he tried to move away, he suddenly found himself rooted to the spot. He could only stare helplessly as Zorc read his mind. The God pulled away and Atemu hunched over, further drained from the process.

"I must say," Zorc murmured. "Yuugi Motou is certainly a beautiful young man, Atemu. You are very lucky to have obtained his hand in marriage, despite the circumstances."

"You will not touch him." Atemu hissed weakly. "I will make sure of it."

"Poor little Emperor," Zorc purred darkly. "You think you can defeat me, a God?" Zorc reached forward and grasped Atemu's chin tightly. "It is too bad that you will never get the chance to try and see if you can defeat me. You see, you have outlived whatever usefulness you had. As a matter of fact, all of you have outlived your usefulness."

"You-!"

"Shatter! Obliterate! Devour! Wipe out all of the souls that stand before you and drag them to the pits of the underworld! Dark Apocalypse!"

Yuugi jumped as the necklace Timaeus had given him slid off his neck and dropped to the ground. Frowning, Yuugi bent down to pick it up and, much to his despair, found that part of it had cracked. Before he could think further about it, a deep growl caught his attention.

"Fenrir?" he called, rising from the floor to see the wolf at the balcony doors. "What's the matter?"

"Something is coming!" Fenrir lowered his head as his growl deepened. "Get inside! Now!"

"But-"

"Do as I say!" Fenrir roared.

Yuugi flinched at the order and nodded weakly. As he quickly gathered his books, he turned to the view of the city and frowned as he saw a cloud of darkness coming towards them.

"What is that?" Yuugi whispered, narrowing his eyes at the large black cloud. He watched in fascination and fear as it smoothly covered the city in darkness. What was it and where did come from? He had no more time to think about it as his grandfather's voice reached his ears, frantic and anxious.

"Yuugi!" Sugoroku cried out, coming outside and grabbing his arm as soon as he was within reach. "Get inside, quickly now!"

Yuugi opened his mouth to reply when he felt Fenrir tug on his robes and forcibly drag him inside, causing him to drop his books. "Fenrir-" he gasped sharply as he discovered that the darkness had already covered more than half of the city. He tried to tug his robes free from Fenrir's teeth. "I'm fine! I'll walk inside, Fenrir!"

"Watch out!"

At his grandfather's warning he was roughly pushed behind the older man and Fenrir. He reached a hand forward as he saw his grandfather become swarmed in a bright green light. With his heart pumping against his chest, he grasped the elderly man's robes knowing full well what was about to happen.

"Grandfather! Don't-"

"Surround and halt the throes of time of thy souls that stand before you! Ethereal Barrier!"

"Sugoroku!" Fenrir roared in despair. "No!"

Yuugi felt his entire body become enveloped in a green light, but he paid it little attention as he watched in despair as his grandfather collapsed to the cold ground. He didn't have the time to be shocked as the darkness rushed towards him and knocked him back and through the open doors of the balcony. He landed harshly on the ground of his chambers, moaning weakly as the pain quickly caught up to his brain. Slowly raising his head he spotted his grandfather and Fenrir through the shadows that now covered the room.

He shuddered as another wave of pain rushed through him. He was surprised that flying into the room hadn't made him pass out. Using his palms as a brace, Yuugi weakly rose to his feet and limped back to the balcony, falling to his knees once he'd reached his grandfather. With a shaking hand, he shook his grandfather's shoulder in an effort to wake him up, but a part of him, the dark and cynical part, already knew.

It knew that his grandfather was dead.

A/N : Whew! What a chapter, eh? I bet you guys never expected Zorc to come into the picture, eh? Where is Leviathan though? Or was Leviathan even around this whole time? Questions, questions, which will be answered in the next few chapters. When I say that it's going to get worst before it gets better I mean it.

Thanks for reading!