AJ: -yawns-…

Bil: Hey-yo Loser. How's my favorite stupid apprentice?

AJ: Must you always criticize?

Bil: Yes.

AJ: Coot. –smacked across face with hilt of sword- OWWW!!

Bil: I've taught you better than that. Remember what I always said?

AJ: Uhh…if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all? –beat across the head again-

Bil: NO! Don't insult your Master. And if you must insult your Master, at least grace his time by making it worthwhile!

AJ: I thought your saying was "It's all fun and games till someone gets hurt….then it's freaking hilarious". –Smacked across the face again- NOW WHAT!?

Bil: You didn't quote me exactly! I actually dropped the F-bomb in that one!

AJ: I don't like swearing. –Smacked across the face again- WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?!?!?!

Bil: Free.

Chapter 50: Counter-Assault: Triple Contact Fusion!

"Then I'll take that as ending your turn," Saiou replied. "My Turn, Draw! And because the card I discarded was The Hermit, and because I have an Arcana Force monster on the field, I am allowed to bring him back and draw another card!" he looked at his new cards. "Next, I activate the Spell, Sword of Emperor! By discarding one card from my hand, the effects of all monsters on your side of the field are negated for this turn. So, I'll get rid of The Hermit for the time being, and then, your Wingman's attack decreases!"

The hero did lose the sheen on his armor, and soon became overpowered by the giant ball of light on Saiou's field. The warmth the hero had been emitting immediately disappeared, as the monster's attack decreased back to its original status. "There's only enough room for one type of light on this planet, and it is the Light of Ruin!" Saiou declared. "Arcana Force XXI, destroy that mortal!" The alien didn't need to be told twice. It fired a laser from the eye it had, and had it travel across Judai's field. The hero never stood a chance, as the laser cut the Wingman like a hot knife through butter, causing it to explode.

Judai again screamed out in pain, causing all those in the audience to either look at him with pity, or look away entirely. Judai dropped to one knee and began gasping for air as the pain subsided. His friends all called out to him, but his hearing seemed to have been dulled, as he could hardly hear them. 'Great, no cards in my hand, no monsters out, and he's got a 3600 attack point juggernaut on his field! I need to get going, or he'll finish me off in the next turn!' the boy thought as he glared across the field. 'C'mon Miracle-boy you gotta do something! If you ever needed to be a hero, now's the time!"

"I think I'll let you live for now," Saiou smirked.

"Judai," Asuka whispered, "come on…"

"He's got nothing left, it'll all revolve around this draw whether he'll survive. It'll be the beginning of the end if he doesn't draw something here," Fubuki muttered somberly.

Judai slowly climbed to his feet and raised his arm to his deck. "Here I Go, Draw!" he declared as he tore a card from his deck.

(Saiou's Life Points 3000, Judai's Life Points 1900)

Judai looked at his card before revealing it. "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive! With this spell, I can return one Warrior-Type monster from my deck to my hand. I'll select Elemental Hero Bubbleman! Now, because Bubbleman's the only hero in my hand, I can Special Summon him to the field in defense mode! And because he's the only card on my field, I'm allowed to draw a pair!" Judai peered at the two cards. "I'll set two cards, and that's it," he stated as he slid both cards into their appropriate slots.

"How quaint," Saiou cackled, making Judai's brow furrow, "You plan on protecting yourself with that? Fine then, Draw! And I'm sure you've seen it enough by now to know what happens when The Hermit is in the Graveyard," Saiou guessed.

"Yeah, I know," Judai grimaced, "You get him back and you can draw again."

Saiou did so and grinned at his new additions. "First, I'll summon Arcana Force I, The Magician! Plus, it gains 500 attack points because of Light of Ruin!" The monster appeared on the field, and spun around until Judai commanded it to stop. Saiou's eyes gleamed gleefully as it stopped Upright. "Now, it's original attack points double when a Magic Card is used. And what do you know? I'm going to use two right now!"

"First, I'll activate the Spell, Sword of Clubs! By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on the field. So, I think I'll send my Hermit to the grave again, and in turn destroy your left facedown!" Several hundred black daggers appeared on the field, all pointing towards Judai's card. The daggers rushed forward and skewered the card, which flipped up and shattered.

"Thanks for that," Judai smirked.

"What?"

"The card you destroyed was Dummy Marker. When it is destroyed, I'm allowed to draw a card. But, since it was destroyed by a Spell, I get to draw two cards," the Osiris duelist explained as he drew his pair.

"Fine then, but my Mage still has his attack points doubled," Saiou flared. "Now, I activate the spell known as Arcanatic Deathscythe!" Saiou declared. "By sending an Arcana Force monster to the graveyard from my deck, you take damage equal to the attack of any of your destroyed monsters!"

"But that means…!" Sho gasped.

"Judai's still in trouble," Manjoume finished, "and it's not just those shackles, this time."

"Go and destroy his Bubbleman!" The odd creature hurled a beam of energy in the direction of Bubbleman. An explosion occurred leaving no trace of the Hero. Judai roared in anguish as more of his Life Points diminished.

"Now, Arcana Force XXI, attack him directly and end this!" Saiou roared. The humongous alien loomed over the broken duelist across the way and charged up a powerful blast in front of itself. The creature fired the giant laser at the hero, who reached for his duel disk.

"Trap…Open!" he declared as the blast exploded inches in front of him.

Saiou, knowing that the card must've saved the boy, waited for the dust to clear before declaring the end of his turn. Standing in front of Judai was a transparent version of the hero he had just destroyed. "Hero Spirits," Saiou muttered, before licking his lips. "Judai, you truly are the most antagonistic duelist I have ever met. Most would've either surrendered from such a beating and submitted willingly to the Light by now."

"I'll take that as a complement," Judai smirked, though wearily. It was clear that the duel was taking its toll on the young duelist. The boy began coughing sharply, covering his mouth instantly. He felt a warm sticky fluid on his palm, and didn't need to look before knowing it was blood. 'God, I hope that's not my lungs…'

Saiou's eyes narrowed, before he noticed what it was. The man grinned devilishly. "Turn end."

"My turn, Draw! I'll activate Graceful Charity!" He drew three cards before discarding Hero Kid and Heroic Sacrifice. "Next, I activate the spell, The Shallow Grave! We are now both able to special summon a monster from our Graveyards in defense mode. I'll summon Hero Kid!" The junior hero appeared in a flash of light.

"Now I activate his special effect! When a Hero Kid is special summoned, I can bring out two more from my deck!" Two more Hero Kids appeared on the field and bent down on the field in defense position.

"Fine, I'll bring out Arcana Force IV, The Emperor!" Saiou called. The card of the monster appeared on the field and began rotating above the monster. Once again Judai declared it to stop, and once again, it halted in the Upright position. Now, the attack of all monsters on my side of the field with Arcana Force in their name increases by 500!"

"I'll set one," Judai sadly stated. "That's all for me,"

"My turn, Draw! Return Hermit!" Saiou took the card from his Graveyard and drew another from his deck. 'I could probably win the duel this turn, with The World's effect, but that facedown worries me.' Saiou mused. 'I'll let him live for this turn, and punish him for defying me some more.' Saiou licked his lips greedily. "Now, I'll switch The Emperor to attack mode, and have all three of my monsters will attack your Hero Kids!" All three creatures fired their attacks at the only shields Judai had on his field and all three energy bolts struck true, decimating Judai's field.

His friends all watched, and in turn winced, as the electricity flowed rapidly from the shackles. Judai howled in pain from the destruction of his monsters. Judai dropped to his knees and clutched his chest in agony, causing many of those in the audience to claim that the duel had gone too far. There was a dead silence in the entire arena except for the painful breaths coming from Judai.

"Aniki…" Sho whispered mournfully.

"How can he take so much pain?" Areka muttered in a shocked voice. "He's quivering from all the electricity that has flowed into him."

"This is bad," Kenzan grunted, "very bad."

Fubuki's eyes narrowed. "I just wish there was something we can do," he whispered. "He's all alone out there."

Asuka looked on worriedly at the boy, before Fubuki's words registered in her mind. 'All…alone…?' she mouthed.

"No, he's not," a soft voice mentioned behind her. Asuka and Manjoume whipped around and saw Cyber Tutu standing behind her.

"Wh-wh-wh-who're you!?!?!" Manjoume gasped.

"She's my Duel Spirit," Asuka told him quietly, so as to not grab the attention of the others. "One of them, anyway. All my Cyber Girls are my Duel Spirits."

Manjoume looked back and forth between Asuka and Cyber Tutu, who smiled sweetly at the boy. For some reason, however, the card's sweet smile made him sweat with worry. "I'll have to ask later…"

"Asuka-kun," the girl began, "he's only alone if you guys allow it to be that way."

Asuka looked at the girl inquisitively, but then her eyes widened. "That's it!" she shouted, startling the group around her.

"What's it?" Momoe inquired.

"Yeah, what's going on, Asuka-san?" Junko asked.

Asuka stood up and cupped her hands to her mouth. "Judai! C'mon, we all believe in you! You've got to stand up!"

They all looked at her. "Asuka, what are you doing?" Sho questioned.

"It's just as my brother said," Asuka told them, "Judai is all alone out there. The only way to help him out is to cheer. I wish there was something else, but it's all we can do. But if that's all I can do, then I will do my best to make sure I can help out whatever little I can!"

Sho and Kenzan looked at her oddly, before looking at each other and nodding. "Let's go, Aniki!" Sho called.

"Yeah, Aniki! You have to get up!" Kenzan added. "You can't beat that Light of Ruin while on your knees!"

"We believe in you, Judai!" Momoe cheered.

"You can still fight!" Junko continued.

"You aren't out of it yet!" Misawa stated loudly. "You just have to go until you've drawn your last!"

"Drop-out!" Manjoume shouted, "If you lose to that fool, then I'll never forgive you! You better get off the ground now!"

"Judai you have to win!" Fubuki bellowed. "My sis won't be able to live with herself otherwise!" Asuka smacked Fubuki in the back of the head, before he muttered inaudibly, "Well, it's true…"

"You can do it!" Areka cried. "You may be an arrogant nuisance, but that's why you always battle till the end!"

Soon the whole arena began resounding with clamoring. Most were incoherent because he was focused on fighting to gain his footing, but Judai could tell from the way Saiou growled as he looked back and forth, that at least most were aimed positively at him. 'Well…' he grunted to himself, 'can't disappoint my adoring public, now can I?' Slowly, woozily, carefully, he used his strength to lift himself off the ground. He almost stumbled as he reached his feet, but regained his footing immediately. He gave a thumbs up in the direction of his friends.

Saiou growled in irritation. "You just won't stop…"

"I have a habit of doing that," Judai smugly grinned. "Besides, this is getting way too interesting for me to quit, just yet. I plan on sticking around for the duration."

"If that's how you want it…" Saiou looked at his hand and selected a card. "I'll set one card and end."

"Good, Draw!" he looked at his hand and smirked. "I'll first activate the Spell, Combat Contact! I can only activate this card when I don't have any cards on my field. When I do, I discard a Neo-Spacian from my hand and another from my deck. So, I'll toss Aqua Dolphin from my hand and Flare Scarab in my deck. Now, I get to draw cards equal to the number of monsters you control plus one!" He took four cards from his deck.

"Don't forget, when you activate a Spell card, my Magician's attack points increase." The creature's attack increased to 3200.

"How's Judai supposed to beat three monsters with at least 2400 attack points!?" Manjoume growled.

"We just have to have faith," Asuka responded quietly.

"Go ahead and increase your monster's attack! I'll now activate Miracle Fusion! By removing Fusion-Material Elemental Heroes on my field and in my graveyard from play, I can Fusion Summon an E-Hero! So, I'll remove Elemental Heroes Bubbleman, Burstinatrix, Clayman, and Avian in order to create, Elemental Hero Electrum!"

The four heroes appeared on the field above Judai's head before being surrounded by a golden light, and disappearing. The golden light glowed brighter, and caused Saiou to shield his eyes. "What is that!? What kind of Light is allowed to blind me!?" he screeched. His feeling wasn't shared, as the crowd gasped and chattered dreamily at the fantastic light show.

The light flashed brightly and descending from it came Elemental Hero Electrum. Judai grinned, saying, "Elemental Hero Electrum has an effect. All cards removed from play are now sent back into the owner's decks and then shuffled." He did this with his four heroes after stating the hero's effect. "Now, Electrum! Attack his Emperor!" Judai declared as he pointed at Saiou's monster. The Hero leapt up in the air and glowed with a bright golden light, forcing Saiou to shield his eyes again. The image of the monster shattered and Saiou roared in pain as his Life Points dropped by 500.

"Now, I'll activate Damage-Off Zone! Now all damage you give to me is reduced by half!" Judai stated as he slid the card into its slot, while pressing the button on his disk. "I'll pass it off to you, now."

"It's about time! Draw!" He looked at his card. "I'll now activate the spell, Reverse Reborn! With this, I can special summon one Arcana Force monster from my graveyard and place it in the Reversed position! I'll special summon The Emperor to the field!"

"Due to his effect, all my monster's attack points are lowered by 500, but they're still more than enough to defeat you, especially since my Mage's attack increases by!" Saiou howled happily. "So first, The World will attack your hero!" The World's attack burst through Electrum's stomach, causing the hero's image to disperse. Judai roared in agony, though his Life Points only decreased by one hundred.

"Next, my Mage shall attack you directly!" The creature launched a ball of energy at Judai, who reached for his duel disk and pressed a button.

"Magic Card, Open! Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" Judai declared. A small furry creature appeared on the field in front of Judai, who winced as the blast destroyed the little creature, causing him more damage due to voltage.

The creature immediately pooped up next to Judai's head, and quipped in its squeaky voice to check on him. "D-don't worry…Aibou," Judai weakly assured it. "I'm still in this…Thanks for saving me pal." The Duel Spirit cooed in response before disappearing back into its deck.

"He may have saved you now, but you won't be so lucky this time!" Saiou declared, annoyed at the prolonging of the duel. "I activate The World's effect! By sacrificing two of my monsters, I can skip your turn and immediately go to my next one!" A light glimmered around the two creatures, as they disappeared from sight. "Now, Arcana Force XXI, attack Judai directly!" Asuka shielded her eyes as the laser fired and struck Judai right in the midsection. He groaned in grief as he was shocked once again. However, the duelist didn't fall to the ground, nor did his Life Points lower to zero. Saiou frowned.

"Surprised?" Judai weakly chuckled, as he coughed into his hand again.

"More so to the fact that I forgot Damage-Off Zone's second effect than anything else," Saiou stated.

"Apparently," Judai grinned. "When I decrease my Life Points in half, I can send Damage-Off Zone to the Grave and reduce the Battle Damage of one of your attacks to zero."

Saiou growled in anger. "I'll end."

"Then I'll go, Draw!" He looked at his new card. "I activate Pot of Greed! So I draw two more!" He looked at his two new cards and smiled. "Well, Saiou, I should congratulate you. I have never had to do this before."

"What's Aniki gonna do?" Sho wondered aloud.

"If I knew, I'd tell you," Areka answered.

"Whatever it is," Fubuki stated, "I've got a feeling it's gonna be something rather impressive."

Saiou's sadistic eyes narrowed slightly. "You've never had to do what before?"

"You'll see," Judai told him. "First, I activate the Spell, Ancient Rule! With this card, I can Special Summon one Level Five or higher Normal monster from my hand! Guess what? I have Neos right here! And since he fits the qualifications, I'll summon him!" He placed the card onto his duel disk and the hero spun in the air before gracefully landing on the ground.

"Next I play Contact Soul! While my Neos is out, I can special summon one Neo-Spacian from my deck, hand, or Graveyard to the field! I think that Flare Scarab in my Graveyard is a pretty good selection."

"But that's not all, now I'll summon from my hand Neo-Spacian Glow Moss!" Judai announced. "Now, get ready, cause I'm gonna summon a new monster!"

'But we've already seen both Glow Neos and Flare Neos. What else could he possibly summon…?' Saiou thought. His eyes widened even more so than they were. "Unless…"

"Go Neos, Glow Moss, and Flare Scarab!" Judai ordered pointing his index finger into the air. "Triple Contact Fusion!"

"Triple Contact Fusion!?" Saiou exclaimed.

The three beings leapt into the air and collided in the ceiling that had suddenly changed to look like Outer Space. A bright light flashed overhead and caused everyone to cover his or her eyes except for Judai.

Descending from the din came a new being who began to glow like a star. The hero was plated in shining silver armor with long flowing red hair. The creature had golden armor on its head, covering everything but its mouth, on its forearms, which protruded out past his elbows, and chest. He bore black tights from his waist to his shins, below which were covered by golden boots. The alien stepped on the ground, gaining gasps of delight from the crowd as he did so.

"Let me be the first to introduce you to Nova Neos (3000/2500)!" Judai smirked. "And he has a special effect. Once per turn, he is allowed to destroy one card on the field. So say good bye to your monster!" Judai held up a clenched fist. "Go, Nova Neos! Solar Flare!" The hero's armored forearms began glowing, as he charged up for his assault.

"Permanent Trap Open, Magician's Curse!" Saiou declared. "I am allowed to redirect the target of an effect against an Arcana Force monster to another target, other than this card. This comes with a price, however, as each and every time I do so, you draw a card."

Judai drew a card and looked at it before smirking back at Saiou. "It doesn't really matter to me, because the only other card on your field is that Light of Ruin!" The hero sliced the air with his arms, casting two golden razor-like beams to fly across the field and slice into the star sitting over Saiou's field. The star erupted into a blaze of glory and went off like a fireworks display. Saiou watched in horror the white star dissipated.

The temperature in the room immediately increased, and became more comfortable. "JUDAI!!!!" Saiou howled in rage, "YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR SUCH A TREACHERY!!!!"

"I'm not done yet," Judai smirked, "because now, whichever type card my Hero destroys, I get to take one card from my deck of the same type and add it to my hand. For example, since your card I destroyed was a Field Spell, I get to add a Field spell to my hand. So, I'll add my Neo Space to my hand and activate it!" Judai held up his duel disk in front of him so the Field Spell slot could open. He placed the Field Spell into place. Instantaneously, from Judai's side of the field, a large multi-colored atmosphere appeared around the hero and Saiou, sealing them from the crowd.

"So now, my hero gains 500 attack points from my Field Spell," Judai grinned. "Oh, and there was one more thing I forgot to mention, my Hero gains an extra four hundred attack points for every card on the field!" Neos began to glow with a golden fiery aura, as his attack points increased to 5100.

"WHAT!?" Saiou screamed shocked. "5100 ATTACK POINTS!?"

"Wow!" Areka cheered. "What a hero!"

"Aniki just came out of nowhere created an ultra-powerful monster!" Kenzan called.

"Go get him, Aniki!" Sho hooted.

"GO, NOVE NEOS!" Judai directed as he jabbed his index finger at Saiou's monster. "SUPER NOVA!" The hero drew its arms and legs close to its body before launching them out with his palms open and his legs outstretched. A bright reddish-gold light erupted from the hero and began to consume the field. Saiou looked on in psychotic rage and fear as his precious Arcana Force monster was incinerated into a giant heap of charred nothingness before disappearing from the field.

Saiou roared in pain as his shackles sent a large amount of electricity through the man's body, taking with it 2000 of Saiou's Life Points. The man slumped to his knees and panted heavily from the pain, his head lowered to the ground. Judai frowned slightly. "Hey, Saiou?" Judai called. "Are you ok?"

Something could be heard from the inside of the man. It had a croaking sound to it, before it became discernible. It was laughter, a cold, hard, evil laughter. Judai felt his insides freeze as he saw the man slowly climb to his feet, his head still lowered to the ground. "Incredible, Judai," the man stated painfully, "absolutely incredible."

"Uhh…thanks?" Judai instinctively stated.

"Sorry, I just never thought anyone could push me as far as you have just done so," Saiou explained. "Excuse me if I'm a little overwhelmed. It almost pains me to tell you that with your last move," the man began as he lifted his eyes to a vicious, sadistic glare at the boy, "you just sealed your fate."

AJ: I'd normally talk about the story, but I'm gonna let it over to Sho and Judai for this one. I have to go to school now, anyways.

Bil: Wait! How'm I s'posed to insult you now!?!?! GET BACK HERE!

Sho: That was great Aniki! AHH! What is that thing!?!?

Judai: Arcana Force EX!? That thing is huge!

Sho: Not to mention ugly! Aniki, in order to win, you must defeat that!? Please hurry!

Next Time: Episode 51: Cast Down The Bounds Of Fate! Seraph Neos Flies Into The Future

Judai: This is it Saiou! The final turn!

(Urgent: I realize I screwed up. I tried to change Sword of Clubs to a Quick-Play Spell, but the last time I used it I had it listed as a trap. Seemed simple, right? Well, Stupid Me accidentally put the chapter into number 45 instead of 46. Ironically, it is right after I cleaned out my comp, so I have to re-type it. I will do so after I finish this. Count on it.)