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CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

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A Crisis Looms

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Yumi versus Samen

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Yumi lay on the floor of the room, unconscious, with terrible dreams going through her mind…

Finally, Anastasia's gentle voice urged her awake.

"Yumi?" said Anastasia. "Yumi…"

Yumi groaned and slowly sat up.

She shrieked as she saw that she was as naked as an infant.

"Calm down," said Anastasia. "No one has come in. Get dressed. Something terrible has happened. Just whatever you do, don't take off that Crown!"

Yumi scrambled to her feet and looked for some clean clothes.

"Oh, Anne…" she said, almost sobbing. "I had the worst nightmare… I was facing Rasputin, with his Rod…

"And all of a sudden, his hair turned into Marik's style, and his Rod turned into the Millennium Rod, and he was trying to use it on me!"

"That… that's kind of what actually happened, Yumi…" said Anastasia, with a sigh. "You escaped, but your friends… uh, they weren't so lucky…"

Yumi pulled on her pants and shirt, trembling with fright.

"Spill it, Anne!" she shouted. "What happened?"

"Rasputin discovered something the Rod of the Ancients could do," replied Anastasia. "A terrible, horrible power…

"Unus the Undying apparently had a master plan… He wanted to subjugate and enslave the other Sorcerer Kings.

"So he enchanted his Charm so it would be able to cast a powerful spell that would be focused through their Charms, bending them to his will…

"But for some reason, he was never able to cast the spell.

"Now… Rasputin has cast it. And the current owners of the Charms… Ren, Chelsea, Sam, and Erik… They have fallen victim to it."

Yumi held her head and sat down on her bed.

"But…" she said. "I have two of the Charms… How did I resist it?"

"It's only a theory on my part," said Anastasia. "But… I think that Machius the Wise was Unus's chief rival, and he was on to Unus's scheme. So he enchanted his own Charm, the Crown of Souls, to protect himself. Since it was yours, it protected you."

Yumi touched the Crown.

"Yeah…" she said. "It was protecting me from something…"

She started to cry.

"What do we do, Anne?" she said, sobbing. "We have to save them!"

"I don't know!" replied Anastasia. "I don't even know where they are now, if they are still alive…

"The most I could do is try to file an emergency petition to contact their own guardian angels, but it would take hours, and…"

Then, they were both startled by a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. It was soft and gentle, but had a sinister tone.

"Yumi… Yumi… Oh, Yumi…"

Yumi looked up.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"Someone you've seen before," said the voice. "Take your Duel Disk and come to the arena."

"Why?" asked Yumi, angrily.

"You want your friends back right?" asked the voice. "I can give you a better chance than you would if you took your chances alone. But you'll have to earn it…"

Yumi waited a few seconds, but the voice didn't speak again.

The Pharaoh appeared beside her. She looked at him and Anastasia.

"I've seen week-old fish that smelled better than this," she said. "Any ideas?"

"There's a dark presence here that I haven't felt in a long time," said the Pharaoh.

"I remember this aura… I could never forget it… It was the same type of aura exuded by Saurius…"

"Saurius?" shouted Yumi. "That demon that gave my dad so much trouble? He can't be back!"

"Not likely," said the Pharaoh. "He was pretty soundly defeated. But this is clearly a very similar aura."

"I swear…" said Yumi, scrambling for her Disk, "if I survive this, I'm going to give up card games and start building model ships…"

She sighed.

"Well, maybe…"

She picked up the Gale Shield, and put it on. She picked up her deck…

As she did, her pouch containing her side deck fell off the bedside table, and a single card fell out.

Yumi looked at it. It was the card Jaden had given her.

Yumi looked at the odd Trap Card…

"Okay, Jaden…" she muttered. "I'll take your word for it…"

She shuffled it into her deck.

"Hold on, everyone…" she said.

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The floor of the huge Colosseum was dark. The crowds were long gone.

Yumi wandered in, knowing in her bones that whatever lurking in here meant her no good…

"All right…" she said, "I know you're here… Show yourself!"

In a multitude of fiery blasts, a group of bonfires sprouted around the place, lighting up the arena floor in a hellish glow.

Yumi saw a figure standing in front of her…

She couldn't believe it…

"Samen?" she gasped.

"In the flesh, so to speak," said the Ascender.

"But…" said Yumi. "The Princess of Chaos…"

"Could not possibly have killed me," interrupted Samen. "She was a very minor noble among the aristocracy of Chaos, while I was under the protection of one of the mightiest powers of Law.

"Had it been Graz'zt, I would have been worried… Orcus, and I would have been frightened… Demogorgon, and I likely would have tried to flee. But she was a minor player, so the only one who was truly in any danger at that point was Erik."

Yumi's eyes narrowed.

"Who the Hell are you?" she asked.

"Depends," he replied. "What Hell are you speaking of? Why don't I show you my true form, Yumi, and maybe then you'll start to understand…"

He glowed with a flaming aura, and his horns, hooves, and tail appeared, and his eyes glowed red.

Yumi stepped back in fear.

"Who am I?" he asked. "I am a tempter and a dealer in souls… Humans call my kind harvester devils, ones who have, for untold millennia, tempted mortals with promises of power. With each soul we take, the powers of the Hells grow stronger… Evil gains power with each spirit drawn into the darkness…"

"A demon…" gasped Yumi, wiping sweat off her brow. "Rasputin is in league with demons…"

"Not demon, Yumi, devil," said Samen, shaking his finger. "And a less intelligent devil would likely have gotten mad for you making that mistake, because demons are our hated enemies.

"Demons are creatures of Chaos, while we are creatures of Law. If you want to know the biggest differences, in a nutshell…

"Demons want to destroy the world… Devils want to conquer it.

"Demons want to consume you… Devils want to enslave you.

"As for me working for Rasputin… I was only pretending to do so. My true employer is a much greater power…"

"Who?" asked Yumi.

"He is known as The Lord of the Second Circle, and The Iron Duke," replied Samen. "A devil more ancient than humanity, whose power even predated the Orichalcos… Dispater, the Lord of the Iron City of Dis."

"I'm not impressed," said Yumi. "If he's such a big shot, why did he send some flunky instead of coming himself?"

Samen glared at her.

"Here's the deal, Yumi," he growled. "You want your friends back, right? Well, I'm willing to make you a little bargain…

"Even if you find your friends, how do you intend to free them? With your good looks?"

"I've got this!" shouted Yumi, lifting up her Disk.

"Won't work…" said Samen, shaking his head. "You can't free them from Rasputin's spell with your own skills. And attempts to reason and plead with them will fall on deaf ears. It won't be as easy as what Yugi did to free Joey from Marik's spell. Unus's powers were far superior to any spell cast by the Millennium Rod, and it can't be broken by the same methods.

"My master and I had nothing to do with their current situation. Rasputin did it to them independently from us. But due to our working with him, we know a little about the situation they are in.

"Here's what I'm willing to offer…

"We duel, and you ante your two Shadow Charms. If you lose, they're mine.

"But… If I lose… I'll give you something incredibly valuable: information. I'll tell you exactly how the Rod's spell can be broken. Because you can rescue them… If you know how to."

Yumi sighed.

"Seems like an uneven wager," she said.

"It's the best I'm able to offer," said Samen.

"Since when do people like you duel, anyway?" asked Yumi. "I didn't think that folks like you were much for fair fights."

Samen chuckled.

"Yumi…" he said, "since time immemorial, devils and the chaotic demons have been struggling in the horrible Blood War, a war that can not possibly end any way except with the annihilation of one side.

"Most Blood War battles are conflicts between enormous armies, in bloody skirmishes that are so huge, they'd make D-Day look like a four-year-old child's birthday party.

"But… There are times when small groups of demons and devils, or even single powerful ones from each side, fight…

"Now, mortals learned many things from us… But we learned many things from mortals as well. Duel Monsters is one of them. In the infernal planes, in very recent years, we have at times enjoyed this contest as a way of settling differences.

"Of course, the nature of the Lower Planes twists the energy. There, the duels are real, and the loser is vanquished… Forever."

"What fun…" said Yumi. "And between you and me?"

Samen just looked at her with a smirk.

"Yumi!" said the voice of the Pharaoh. "You realize that if you lose this duel, Rasputin will have all of the Charms."

"Well…" replied Yumi. "Then we'd better not lose…"

She looked at Samen nervously.

"Take your time to decide, Yumi," he said. "But Rasputin won't wait forever. Very soon, he will get your friends to relinquish their Charms. Then… Who knows what he will do to them. His hunger for power may well grow… He may find out some other things that the Rod can do…

"He might need to sacrifice a victim or two to some dark forces to get more power, and he has four available right now who are all too willing to sit still…"

"All right!" shouted Yumi. "I'll duel you!

"Happy?"

She turned to the Pharaoh.

"Here goes…" she muttered.

"You're frightened, aren't you?" asked the Pharaoh.

Yumi paused. She nodded slightly.

"Yumi, that is to be expected," he replied. "These beings emit a supernatural aura of fear around them that they use to intimidate mortals. The fear they cause has nothing to do with courage.

"But they aren't invincible. Mortals have defeated these creatures in the past. Your father did nobly. If your will is strong enough, you can overcome it, and face him as you would any other opponent."

Her Puzzle glowed like a beacon, and in a flash of light, the change overtook her.

"As if I was scared of that dumb Spirit of the Pharaoh Deck anyway…" she said.

"Not using it anymore…" replied Samen, as the Disks activated. "I'm using my real Deck."

Yumi looked at him.

"Game on!" they shouted.

(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Samen: 8,000)

Samen heard a deep voice in his head.

"Samen, listen carefully," said the voice. "If you win, the deal between us and Rasputin will be finalized.

"If you lose, it will be rendered void, and I can stop granting him what he has already been getting.

"In other words, we come out ahead either way. However, for the sake of dignity, I'd prefer you not lose. This whole ordeal has been embarrassing enough as it is."

"I won't fail you, master," replied Samen.

"Let's begin, shall we?" he said out loud. "You make the first move."

Yumi drew her first card.

"I'll start by playing… Pot of Greed," she said.

She played the card, and then drew two cards.

She looked at them, and added them to her hand.

"I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and two cards facedown," she said.

In three flashes of light, a defensive Monster and two facedown cards appeared.

"Your move," she said.

"I will…" he replied.

He made a draw.

"I summon…"

He placed a card on his Disk.

"…Shien's Footsoldier."

In a flash of energy, a small creature appeared in front of him. It looked like a humanoid monkey or something, dressed in feudal, Japanese-style leather armor, and a conical helmet. He carried a simple spear. (700/300)

Yumi raised an eyebrow.

"What?" asked Samen. "Am I confusing you?"

I was kind of expecting Fiends, thought Yumi, and that clearly isn't one…

"I set this facedown, and end my turn…" said Samen.

He placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind the Footsoldier.

"Shien's Footsoldier?" asked Yumi. "As in Tenkabito Shien?"

"Perhaps," said Samen. "I guarantee, that whoever Shien is, you'll meet him shortly."

Yumi drew a card.

"I summon Magician's Valkyria!" she shouted.

She played the card, and in a burst of light, Valkyria appeared. (1,600/1,800)

"I activate my Trap Card!" exclaimed Samen, as his facedown card lifted.

"Hallowed Life Barrier. Now, by simply sending one card in my hand to the Graveyard…"

He discarded one card, Rivalry of Warlords.

"…my Life Points are safe for this turn."

"But your Monster isn't," replied Yumi. "Valkyria… Destroy Shien's Footsoldier!"

Valkyria cast her lethal spell. The small primate shrieked, and exploded into shards.

"Thank you…" said Samen, with a sinister grin.

He took his deck from the holder.

"When Shien's Footsoldier falls in battle, he can call for backup. Case in point, I get to summon a Warrior from my deck who's Level Three or less…

"Of course, it can't be just any Warrior… It has to be a special one… A member of a team of Warriors whose names are the stuff of legend…

"A team known as the Six Samurai!"

"Six Samurai?" replied Yumi. "I've… I've heard of them…"

"You're about to meet them…" said Samen. "The one I choose to summon now is Six Samurai – Yaichi! Appear!"

A column of water shot up in front of Samen, and when it receded, an armored figure stepped out. He was dressed in black armor and a crested helmet, with golden seams. He held a long, composite bow and carried a quiver of arrows by his side. (1,300/800)

Yumi paused.

"Do you know anything about these guys?" she asked her partner.

"Not a clue," he replied.

Yumi looked at her facedown card on the left.

He's too weak to defeat Valkyria, she thought, but just in case…

"I end my turn," she said.

Samen chuckled as he drew a card.

"I summon a second member of the Six Samurai," he said, playing a card. "Come forth, Kamon!"

A bonfire of flame appeared next to Yaichi, and a new Warrior stepped out. He was dressed in leather armor and a helmet, and had soot all over his face. At first, he appeared to have no weapon… But looking closer, you could see that his armor was stocked with dozens of primitive explosives. (1,500/1,000)

"Kamon is a really fun guy," said Samen, with a chuckle. "In fact, he's a real blast, if you get my point.

"Now, let me explain how the Six Samurai work. Each one has his own unique ability. But he can only use it if there's another Samurai on the field with him. This is a group that truly knows the value of teamwork.

"And now I'll activate Yaichi's effect. If I forfeit his attack this round, he can destroy one facedown Spell or Trap Card."

Yaichi pulled back his bow, and shot an arrow, skewering one of Yumi's Trap Cards. Her Mirror Force lifted up and shattered.

"Now, Kamon…" he said. "Attack her facedown Monster with Greek fire grenade!"

Kamon held out his palm, and a small flame lit in it. He pulled one of his explosives from his bandoleer, and lit the fuse…

He hurled it at the facedown Monster. Magician of Faith appeared on the card before she was blown to bits.

"Thank you…" said Yumi.

Her Pot of Greed slipped out of her discard slot, and she took it.

"To end my turn…" said Samen, opening a slot on his Disk, "I'll play the Field Spell, Shien's Castle of Mist."

As he played the card, mist started to rise around the arena…

When it cleared, Yumi shivered. They were in a courtyard full of dark trees, with ravens perched in their branches, with a misty surface covering the ground. An ominous castle of Japanese design was looming behind Samen.

"This is the Six Samurai's home turf, Yumi," said Samen, "and they designed it with intimidation in mind. Here, they strike such fear in their enemies, that anyone who tries to oppose them is weakened. In simpler terms, if your Monsters try to attack them, they'll be doing so with 500 less Attack Points.

"I end my turn…"

Yumi hesitated.

She drew a card.

"I play Pot of Greed again," she said.

She played the card, and drew twice again.

Huh? she thought, looking at them.

It's the Trap Card Jaden gave me… And just when it would be useful…

"Valkyria may not be able to attack them, but she can defend," she said.

Valkyria knelt, and held her scepter in her lap.

"I'll set another Monster in Defense Mode too…"

A facedown Monster appeared.

"And I'll set another card facedown…"

She set the card, and a facedown card appeared next to the other one.

Samen drew a new card.

"I activate Yaichi's effect again!" he said with a laugh.

Yaichi fired his bow, and Yumi's A Hero Emerges was blown to pieces.

"Now I summon… Samurai – Zanji!"

A globe of pure light formed on the field, and a new Warrior appeared in it. He wore the traditional armor of the Samurai, in gold and orange hues, and carried a glowing yari. (1,800/1,300)

"Zanji…" ordered Samen, "attack Valkyria! Rising sun strike!"

"Huh?" gasped Yumi.

Zanji charged at Valkyria, and slashed at her with his weapon. The Spellcaster screamed and shattered into bits.

"HEY!" shouted Yumi. "That should have been a draw!"

"Are you forgetting that the Samurai have special abilities?" asked Samen. "When Zanji attacks a Monster that is in a face-up position, that Monster is destroyed automatically, regardless of the battle's actual outcome.

"So… any questions?"

"One…" said Yumi. "Why the heck are you using these cards?"

Samen chuckled.

"You were expecting Fiends, right?" he said, crossing his arms.

He sighed.

"Everyone always expects us to use Fiends… You know Yumi, it's a stereotype that we don't like. You're forgetting that most of my opponents are also fiends, and if we all used the same type of deck, it would get predictable."

"But Samurai?" asked Yumi. "What gives you the right? If Jade were here, she'd have a fit…"

"I'll gladly tell you," said Samen. "According to legend, the real Six Samurai, the six brothers whom these cards were based upon, were masters in the art of warfare.

"And my master, the Iron Duke Dispater, is the patron of war and intrigue.

"All his minions who are duelists use Warriors of some form or another. The lower ones use toolbox decks. Others use more advanced Warriors… The erinyes under his command often use Amazons, while harvester devils who aren't as high in the rankings as me have decks similar to your friend Ren…

"As one of his favored servants, I command the power of the Six Samurai…"

"I hesitate to ask what sort of deck he plays himself," muttered Yumi.

"Dispater isn't one who likes to fight personally," replied Samen. "He almost never confronts an enemy directly. He exercises caution and doesn't take risks. So he wouldn't be one to duel an enemy."

"So he hides in his tower like a coward and lets his servants do his dirty work for him?" asked Yumi. "Not very dignified for the patron of war."

"Watch your mouth!" shouted Samen. "He's watching us right now!

"And by the way, it's your move…"

Yumi drew a card.

"I set one card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode," she said.

A facedown Monster appeared next to the other one, and a facedown card appeared next to her first one.

"I end my turn…" she said.

"Draw," said Samen, drawing a card.

"I play my own Pot of Greed," he said.

The evil jar appeared in front of him, and he drew two cards.

He smirked as he looked at them.

"To start…" he said, "I play Reinforcement of the Army."

He played the card, and took his deck from the holder.

"Now I can bring Samurai – Irou to my hand, and then summon him."

A dark shadow formed on the field. A Warrior wearing a dark kimono, with long, black hair, with a visor over his eyes, holding a katana, appeared out of the shadow. (1,700/1,200)

"Now…" he said, "since I have at least two Samurai on the field, I can Special Summon their liege… Meet Great Shogun Shien!"

A huge bonfire, even bigger than the one that appeared when Kamon was summon, erupted in the center of Samen's field. Two glowing eyes peered out of it…

Yaichi, Kamon, Zanji, and Irou bowed their heads and knelt as a hulking figure walked out of the flames. It was a huge man dressed in full plate armor of Japanese design, colored fiery red, his face covered with colorful war paint. He held a blazing katana in his right hand.

He shouted a fierce battlecry… (2,500/2,400)

"You mentioned Tenkabito Shien?" said Samen. "Once, a long time ago, this mighty Warrior was known by that name… But his skill grew, as did his power and influence. Eventually, he gained followers, who grew into an army. Eventually, the man once known as Tenkabito Shien earned the title of Shogun.

"And his powers are great, Yumi… So long as he's on the field, you are only allowed to use one Spell or Trap Card per turn."

"Only one?" gasped Yumi.

"Yes, but I'm getting rid of one of them," continued Samen. "Yaichi…"

Yaichi fired his bow. The arrow hit one of Yumi's cards…

Samen was surprised to see that it was Double Spell.

Curses! he thought. She caught on fast… She knew I was going to keep using Yaichi's effect, so she planted a decoy!

Well, I'll have the last laugh…

"Irou, attack her facedown Monster on the left! Setting sun strike!"

Irou slashed with his katana at the facedown card. Skilled White Magician appeared on the card, and shattered into bits.

"Let me guess…" moaned Yumi. "Irou automatically destroys any facedown Monster…"

"AND he negates their Flip-Effects," added Samen. "Shien, destroy her other Monster! Sword of burning pride!"

Shien raised his katana, and it burned with white hot flames. The flames shot towards the other facedown Monster, and Yumi's second Magician's Valkyria was incinerated.

"Kamon… Zanji… Attack her directly!"

Kamon hurled one of his explosives at Yumi, and she screamed as fire licked at her skin. She barely had time to catch her breath before Zanji slashed across her chest with his yari.

She fell to her knees.

That… that really hurt… she thought.

She looked at Samen.

I should have known…

"That's right, Yumi," said Samen with a laugh. "We can create Shadow Games better than any Millennium Item can. Devils breathe the very essence of Shadow… In this type of game, we can dominate any mortal."

"We'll see about that…" said Yumi.

(Y: 4,700) -------------------- (S: 8,000)

This is bad… she thought. I'm down to almost half my Life Points, he has all of his, and I'm outnumbered five Monsters to none! I gotta do something fast…

"My move!" she shouted.

She drew a card.

"Only one Spell Card per turn, huh?" she said. "Well here it is… I play Premature Burial."

She played the card, and Valkyria appeared in front of her. (1,600/1,800)

"Now I'll summon… Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

In a burst of darkness, Breaker appeared, holding his sword up high. (1,600/1,000) –) (1,900/1,000)

"I just have to give up 300 of his Attack Points, and Breaker can destroy one Spell or Trap Card. So…

"I'm tearing your Castle down. Breaker, destroy Shien's Castle of Mist!"

Breaker's shield glowed with powerful energy, and a virtual earthquake struck the field. Samen gasped as the Castle collapsed into a pile of rubble, and the courtyard disintegrated back into the mists that formed it.

"Now I'm getting rid of that annoying Yaichi!" shouted Yumi. "Magician's Valkyria… Take him out!"

Valkyria aimed her staff at Yaichi and prepared to fire.

"Zanji!" shouted Samen. "Defend Yaichi!"

As Valkyria fired her blast, Zanji leapt in front of Yaichi. He was blown into pixels.

"Huh?" asked Yumi. "How'd they do that?"

"Heh, heh…" chuckled Samen. "The Six Samurai will do anything to protect each other, Yumi…

"All of them share one effect in common. If one of them would be destroyed – by anything – another one can take the fall for him."

Yumi frowned.

"Breaker, you attack Yaichi!" she shouted.

Breaker leapt at Yaichi with his sword…

This time, Irou leapt in front of him. He was blown to pieces.

"A noble try, Yumi," said Samen, "but all for naught…"

Yumi paused.

"My turn is over…" she muttered.

(Y: 3,900) -------------------- (S: 7,400)

Samen drew a card.

He grimaced.

"Seems I have to do this…" he muttered. "I play Card of Sanctity."

He played the card, and a flash of light lit up the night sky, and coins fell from the stars.

Samen drew four cards, and Yumi drew five.

Samen looked them over.

"First thing I'm going to do…" he said, "is take out your Magician's Valkyria. And since Kamon's effect lets him destroy any face-up Spell or Trap, that's easy to do…"

Kamon hurled an explosive at the Premature Burial card…

"Go, Magical Dimension!" shouted Yumi, as one of her facedown cards lifted. "Now I can sacrifice Valkyria, meaning Kamon loses his target!"

Skilled White Magician vanished, and the explosive fell to the ground, a dud.

"Now I get to Special Summon someone new," she continued. "I summon… Dark Magician!"

In a burst of energy, Dark Magician appeared on the field, striking a pose. (2,500/2,100)

"Then I get to destroy one Monster," she said. "And I choose Shien!"

"Sorry, Yumi, but Shien is staying," replied Samen. "Like his underlings, if he would ever be destroyed, one of them can take the fall for him."

Kamon shattered into shards.

"And I'm not done!" shouted Samen. "I summon Samurai – Yariza to the field."

With a rumble, a figure dressed all in black burst out of the ground. He wore a black hood and mask over the lower half of his face, and carried a nasty-looking spear with a glowing blade, connected to a long cord which was, in turn, connected to a pack on his back. (1,000/500)

"That's a Samurai?" asked Yumi. "He looks more like a Ninja."

"According to one legend of the Ninja," replied Samen, "they were actually a special type of Samurai who specialized in covert and espionage missions. Everyone needs spies now and then, Yumi, but not everyone can broadcast it.

"Now, I'll use Yaichi's effect to destroy your last facedown card."

Once again, Yaichi fired his bow, and Yumi's Trap Card shattered…

Yumi grinned…

"Thank you…" she said. "You just destroyed a special Trap called Hero Medal. When it's destroyed, I get to shuffle it back into my deck, and then draw one card."

"No fair!" shouted Samen.

"It's totally fair," said Yumi, shuffling her deck.

Thanks again, Jaden, she thought.

She drew one card.

Samen growled.

I can take out her Dark Magician if I attack him with Shien, he thought, but then, I'd lose one of my Samurai. I can't risk that yet…

"Yariza, attack her directly!" he shouted. "Leaping dragon strike!"

Yariza leapt into the air towards Yumi, ignoring Dark Magician and Breaker completely, and jammed his spear into Yumi's torso. She screamed and fell over.

"In case it hasn't sunk in yet," said Samen, "Yariza's ability is the ability to attack directly.

"Shien… Torch her Magical Warrior!"

Shien slashed with his katana, sending a stream of flames at Breaker and burning him to a crisp.

(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 7,400)

Samen glared at Yumi.

"Your move…" he said.

Yumi gasped for breath. She drew another card.

"Go, Monster Reborn!" shouted Yumi, as the holy ankh appeared.

Skilled White Magician appeared again. (1,700/1,900)

"Him again…" growled Samen.

"Let's see Yaichi survive now," said Yumi, with a smirk. "Dark Magician, attack Yaichi! Dark magic attack!"

Dark Magician cast his lethal spell. Yariza leapt in front of Yaichi, and was blown to bits.

"Unless Shien can do the same thing, Samen," said Yumi, "you can't protect him again…"

Samen growled…

"Skilled White Magician… finish the job…"

The white mage fired a blast of pure light. Yaichi cringed and dropped his bow before he shattered into pixels.

"Now that he's gone," said Yumi, "I'll set two cards facedown, and that will be all for my turn."

Two facedown cards appeared in flashes of light.

(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 5,800)

Samen growled as he drew a card.

"I play… Graceful Charity," he said.

Yumi certainly did not expect an angel to come to Samen, and one didn't… But someone did come. Someone who looked like a fallen angel. It was a beautiful, but sinister-looking young woman, with blue skin and hawk-like wings, dressed in a trashy outfit that exposed way too much skin, with a sword slung to her hip.

Samen nodded to her as he drew three cards.

"Who was THAT?" shouted Yumi, as she disappeared.

"An erinyes devil," said Samen, discarding two cards. "Like my kind, they are tempters… But unlike I, who tempt mortals of power, they tempt those of passion."

"I thought Erinyes was another name for the Furies," replied Yumi.

Samen gave a nervous laugh…

"Heh, heh… Those three has-been hags?" he said. "They… uh… They likely copied the name from us…

"Uhm, anyway… Now where was I?

"Oh, yes… I play my own Premature Burial, and I'll bring back someone I just discarded. Come forth, Samurai – Nisashi!"

A whirlwind tore across the field, and a new Samurai appeared. He was muscular, wore a metal breastplate with green highlights, and held the classic paired Daisho as a weapon. (1,400/700)

"Nisashi has a powerful effect," said Samen. "He can attack twice per round."

"You need another Samurai on the field for him to do that," replied Yumi.

"Then I'll get one," said Samen, playing a card. "I play The Warrior Returning Alive."

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

"You remember Yaichi, don't you?" he asked.

Yaichi appeared on the field again. (1,300/800)

"Yes, and I'm happy to see him," replied Yumi.

"Huh?" said Samen.

One of Yumi's facedown cards lifted.

"Go, Dark Renewal!" she shouted.

The dark coffin appeared in front of her, and the lid opened. Skilled White Magician and Yaichi were both sucked inside. The lid slammed shut.

Yumi grinned. Energy flowed from the coffin…

Magician's Valkyria stepped out, and knelt in Defense Mode. (1,600/1,800)

Samen grinned.

"You're grasping at straws, Yumi," he said. "Pretty soon, your luck is going to run out.

"Shien! Attack Valkyria!"

Shien swung his fiery blade, and Valkyria was burned up.

(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 5,000)

"My move!" shouted Yumi.

She drew a card.

"I place one Monster in Defense Mode, and a card facedown…" she said.

Two facedown cards appeared, one horizontal and one vertical.

"Then I attack with Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician cast his dark spell, and Nisashi was blown to bits. Samen cringed.

(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 3,900)

Samen growled. Then he grinned.

"Well, Yumi…" he said. "An interesting situation we have…

"I have Shien, you have Dark Magician… A battle between them would result in a draw…

"Unless I had one of my Samurai on the field, in which case he would survive. Let's see who's luck is better…"

He made a draw.

He chuckled as he looked at it.

"Well, Yumi," he said. "It seems that mine was better after all! I summon Chamberlain of the Six Samurai!"

He played the card, and an odd figure appeared next to Shien. It was a Warrior who looked like all four of his limbs and one eye had been replaced by cybernetics, put together in a haphazard fashion. He clutched a katana in one bionic hand. (200/2,000)

"That doesn't look very impressive," said Yumi.

"True," said Samen. "He's just the Six Samurai's supporter. But he's better than nothing – since he has the words 'Six Samurai' in his name, I can use him to activate Shien's effect, and when he attacks your Dark Magician, my Chamberlain will be destroyed instead of Shien.

"Shien… Attack Dark Magician!"

Shien lifted his katana…

"Go, Draining Shield!" shouted Yumi.

Her Trap Card lifted, and as the fiery blast shot towards her side, a protective dome sprang up. Yumi glowed with energy.

Samen glared at her again.

He fit a card into his Disk, and it appeared facedown.

"My turn is over," he said.

He looked at the facedown card.

And this duel will be soon too, he thought. One way or another…

(Y: 4,500) -------------------- (S: 3,900)

Yumi made a draw.

"I play… Mausoleum of the Emperor!" she shouted.

She placed the card in her Field Slot, and the arena darkened. The two temples rose, one behind each duelist, with the narrow bridge between them, and the dark basement below, where the Terracotta Army lurked.

Yumi sighed and looked at her facedown Monster. If it didn't pan out, she had wasted her one Spell Card on something that was worthless right now.

This is my only chance to turn this duel around… she thought. Come on, give me something good here…

"Now," she continued. "I flip my Morphing Jar into Attack Mode."

Her facedown Monster flipped up, and the ceramic jar with its giggling, one-eyed occupant appeared. (700/600)

"I'm sure you know what that means," said Yumi.

The two of them discarded their hands, and then they both drew five cards.

Yumi grinned.

"I pay 2,000 Life Points for two Terracotta statues," she said.

Two statues floated up in front of her.

"Now I'll sacrifice them, to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!"

The statues shattered, and the mighty Chaos Mage appeared out of the darkness. (2,800/2,600)

"Oh… no…" muttered Samen.

"You got that," said Yumi. "That means I get a Spell Card back…"

Pot of Greed slipped out of her discard slot.

"Now… My Morphing Jar attacks your Chamberlain!"

The shadowy shape in the jar darted forward, striking the Chamberlain in the chest. He groaned, and burst into shards of metal.

"Now that he's gone…" said Yumi, "Dark Magician of Chaos… Attack Great Shogun Shien! Scepter strike!"

Dark Magician of Chaos twirled his staff, and sent a shockwave crashing towards the Shogun. Shien screamed and dropped his katana, before exploding in a burst of fire and smoke.

"Shien…" muttered Samen. "Gone…"

"And he's staying gone," said Yumi, "because Dark Magician of Chaos's effect removed him from play.

"And I'm not done with you yet… Dark Magician… Attack that soul stealer directly!"

Samen screamed as Dark Magician cast his powerful spell, hitting him in the torso.

Samen clutched his chest.

"You're no fun any more, Yumi…" he growled.

"My friends have been enslaved…" said Yumi, "I've been forced into a duel with a spawn of Hell, my head is still pounding like a drum… Can you please tell me what was supposed to be fun about this in the first place?"

She stared at him for a few second.

"Since Shien is gone now," she said, "I'm free to play another Spell Card, so I'll play the Pot of Greed I just got back."

She played the card, and drew two cards. She looked at them, and added them to her hand.

She took a card from her hand.

"I'll place these facedown, and end my turn."

Two facedown cards appeared next to her other one in flashes of light.

(Y: 2,500) -------------------- (S: 600)

Samen drew a card.

A fiery aura started to surround him.

"Okay, young warrior," he said. "It's time to show you what I'm truly capable of…

"You may have vanquished my men once… Let's see if you can do it a second time…

"I activate the Trap Card… Backs to the Wall!"

His facedown card lifted, showing a picture of four crystal statues of four of the Six Samurai.

"This card is so powerful," he continued, "that in order to use it, I must pay all my Life Points except 100 of them. But since I only have 600 left, it's no big deal."

"Oh?" asked Yumi. "And what the heck does it do to require such a… YAAH!"

Five flashes of light appeared on his side of the field, and Irou (1,700/1,200), Yaichi (1,300/800), Kamon (1,500/1,000), Nisashi (1,400/700), and finally Zanji (1,800/1,300) appeared on his side.

Samen chuckled.

"As you can see," he said, "I get to Special Summon from my Graveyard as many Samurai as I have room for."

"That's… not good…" said Yumi.

"Next," said Samen, taking a card from his hand, "I sacrifice Irou to summon Grandmaster of the Six Samurai."

Irou vanished into grains of light, and a tall Warrior appeared. It was an old man with long, white hair and a beard, with an eyepatch over his right eye, wearing grey and blue clothing. He held a longsword that he had pointed down. (2,100/800)

"Now I'll use Yaichi's effect," said Samen. "I'm certain you remember how it works…"

Yaichi fired his bow, and Yumi's Staunch Defender card was blown to pieces.

"Of course, Yumi…" said Samen, taking two more cards from his hand, "you still have two more facedown cards, and I can't get rid of them this turn, so attacking with only 100 Life Points left would be the height of stupidity. So rather than attack, I'm going to boost my Life Points by playing Mystik Wok…

"But why sacrifice one of my Monsters, when I can combo it with Soul Exchange and take one of yours?"

The two Spell Cards appeared on his side of the field. Dark Magician of Chaos vanished into grains of light.

"You're gonna regret that, pal," growled Yumi.

"Oh, a threat," replied Samen. "I'm so scared. I'm no fool, Yumi… I don't like your Dark Magician either, so I'm not about to let him off. I play Offerings to the Doomed."

He played a Spell Card, and a gruesome claw reached out of the ground and seized Dark Magician. It pulled him under.

"Of course," continued Samen, "since I played Soul Exchange, I have no choice but to skip my Battle Phase. But… I can still play The A. Forces…"

He played another Spell Card.

"Now, for each Warrior I have on the field, each one gains 200 Attack Points."

All five of his Warriors glowed with energy. Yaichi rose to an Attack of 2,300, Kamon rose to 2,500, Nisashi to 2,400, Zanji to 2,800, and the Grandmaster to 3,100.

Samen placed his last card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

"It's your move…" he said with a sinister smile.

(Y: 2,500) -------------------- (S: 2,900)

She must think I'm an idiot, he thought, playing Offerings to the Doomed and using every card in my hand… Little does she know how many duelists I've crushed with this very same setup… I don't need any new cards next turn… I have all I need right now.

Yumi looked at her deck. Sweat started to pour down her face. He had five powerhouses, and she didn't have much…

It all comes down to this… she thought.

She snatched the card off the top of her deck.

"I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer…" she said, playing a card.

Kycoo appeared in a dark aura. (1,800/700)

"I activate a Trap Card!" shouted Samen. "Go, Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!"

His facedown card lifted.

"Say goodbye to your Monsters!"

A blazing ball of fire shot towards Yumi's side of the field…

"GO!" screamed Yumi. "ESCAPE!"

Before the fireball hit, Morphing Jar and Kycoo vanished. The flames hit only bare ground, leaving a scorch mark.

"Huh?" said Samen. "Where did they go?"

Then he noticed that Yumi had activated a facedown card.

"Immortality Class?" he said with a look of disgust. "What does that do?"

"By activating this Trap," said Yumi, "just before your Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan hit, I was able to sacrifice my Monsters. Since the Monsters that were on my side of the field at the time you activated that Trap were taken off the field, it became a waste.

"And now, as a result of that sacrifice, I'm able to Special Summon a Level Seven or higher Monster from my Graveyard."

Dark Magician appeared in a burst of fiery, dark energy. (2,500/2,100)

"I told you that you would regret what you did, Samen. Next, I activate Rush Recklessly."

Her last facedown card lifted, and Dark Magician's Attack Score rose to 3,200.

"Well, fine…" said Samen. "Attack if you dare… Have you forgotten the special ability that all of the Six Samurai share? No matter which one you attack, I get to choose which one dies. That means my Grandmaster will be the one taking the hit.

"And guess what, Yumi? Due his second effect, I'll be able to return him to my hand right away, and due to his first effect, I can Special Summon him next round. So all my Samurai will be here on my next turn.

"If you set a Trap, Yaichi will destroy it. If you play a Spell that you have to reveal, Kamon will destroy it. And the bonus from The A. Forces will still make my Grandmaster strong enough to defeat him.

"Bottom line, Yumi, you lose."

"No…" said Yumi, "you do… You're clearly a product of the source of evil, Samen, because you suffer from one of the classic villainous handicaps…

"You're overconfident."

She played a card in her hand, the one she had just drawn.

"I play Diffusion-Wave Motion!"

"Diffusion-Wave Motion?!" shouted Samen.

"Oh, you've heard of it?" asked Yumi, narrowing her eyes. "Since Dark Magician IS Level Seven, he can use it.

"By paying 1,000 Life Points to cast this powerful Spell, my sorcerer's attack transforms from a line, to mighty wave, and spreads across your entire army!

"And not only can he strike down every Monster on your side of the field, those Monsters are rendered powerless as far as their special effects are concerned."

Samen's eyes opened wide.

"But… if my Samurai can't use their effects…" he said.

"…then when one of them is attacked, another one can't take the fall for him," said Yumi. "And with each one that goes down, the benefit from The A. Forces will go down for the others."

She turned to Dark Magician.

"Time to end this," she said.

Dark Magician nodded.

"Attack!" shouted Yumi. "Wipe him out with fierce dark wave!"

Dark Magician raised his staff to the heavens, his eyes glowed with pure energy, and an aura of crackling, magical power surrounded him…

A volley of dark balls of burning flames shot towards Yaichi, and he was incinerated. Then Nisashi followed, then Kamon, then Zanji…

The final bolt struck the Grandmaster. He howled and fell to his knees before blowing into pixels. The impact threw the harvester devil off his feet…

"It's over, Samen!" shouted Yumi.

(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (S: 0)

Yumi has defeated the insidious harvester devil… It would appear that she has won the wager. But can any information that she might gain from this honey-tongued tempter be the truth? This horrible night may only be beginning, and Rasputin may well be preparing to make a last stand, where safety will be thrown to the wind… And aside from her spiritual guide and her guardian angel, Yumi stands alone while making the final approach…

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IMMORTALITY CLASS (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A Return Zombie and a Lizard Soldier with Zoa looming behind them.

Card Description: Tribute two Monsters on your side of the field. Special Summon from your Graveyard a Level Seven or greater Monster.

Note: "Immortality Class" was first used by Marcel in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Awakening of the Rainbow Dragon". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

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Yumi: I'm… alone…

Rasputin's fortress looms over the skyline, and Ren waits just inside the entrance hall…

Anastasia: Scared Yumi? It's okay to be scared… The end game is starting, and all we have to go on is the word of a devil.

We can only hope that your skills and my guidance will be enough as we start to scale this foreboding fortress… Because so much is at stake…

Yumi: My hands won't stop shaking…

Anastasia: Coming up next: "True versus False; Yumi versus Ren".

Yumi: Ren… I'll use the weapon of your soul to break the chains binding it…