My name is Kurtis, the Shadow Spawn of Wind. But you already knew that. I have a question for you… Is there anyone in your life who constantly compares you to someone else?

You may have been picking up not-to-subtle hints that my siblings and I weren't the first Shadow Spawn. Mom had six other children that we know about, five centuries ago. The first Shadow Spawn weren't her enforcers. For all practical purposes, they ruled Arcadia. Mom put each one in charge of one of its major communities, Petalburg, the Great Tree, Glitzville, Twilight Town, Keelhaul Key, and Poshley Heights. Rogueport was ruled by the guy who has Grodus' position now, and the Fahr Outpost… Well, that was a small community at the time, and I really don't know who was in charge.

Believe it or not, Arcadia was in much better shape with them in charge than we are now. Mom was able to cover her iron fist with a velvet glove, and rarely had to remind folks that she was there at all. It wasn't the best place to live, but frankly, as far as the 16th Century went, you could have done worse. It was the closest her subjects ever came to being content with what they had…

So what went wrong? Well, it all fell apart when a dark portal opened in the sky and Gearville sprung up overnight…

But that's a long story I won't get into. The point is, the first Shadow Spawn were better than we were, it seems, and she reminds us of it constantly. It seems that we'll always be second best…

If you answered "yes" to my original question… Then maybe you know how we feel…

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DUEL FIFTY-TWO

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Swallow's Nest

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The residents of Twilight Town were sleeping a lot better recently. For the first time that any of them could remember, the Creepy Steeple was silent, and its dreaded tone was no longer bothering them. The nightly dances in the town square (which the three teenagers had been entirely correct in assuming were meant to drive away evil spirits) seemed to have a small sense of hope surrounding them now.

Still, as Sean slowly walked the path from the town towards the infamous structure, he had a feeling that something sinister was around…

Unlike Ryo and José, he was alone. He never worked well with others anyway.

As he walked down the path he stopped. He looked back and forth.

There was no doubt about it now. Something was following him, hiding in the shadows off the trail…

"Stop hiding in the shadows and show yourself!" he shouted.

"As you wish…" said a sinister female voice.

As he watched, a demonic reptilian creature loomed above him, standing fully nine feet tall. It was all Sean could do to keep but screaming as the evil eyes of Vennominaga, the Deity of Poisonous Snakes glared at him.

"Kind of liked it better when you hiding in the shadows…" he muttered.

"Submit," demanded the demon.

"Never!" replied Sean, mustering up some courage.

"Then duel…" replied the Duel Spirit.

Her eyes glowed, and five globs of green poison appeared in front of her, and slowly changed into large representations of cards. Sean trembled a little as he activated his Duel Disk…

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Meanwhile, Stan, Andy, and Francesca were still in the dark, ominous chamber. They really didn't want to look at the thing on the dais, but common sense told them they had to keep a close eye on it.

"Feeling okay?" asked Francesca, to Andy.

"Strangely, yes…" said Andy.

He looked at the Dragonfire Warlock again.

"Before I played this card, I was scared and exhausted… But when he appeared… Then all of a sudden, I wasn't afraid anymore, and there was a surge of energy…

"It was almost like…"

"Heads up, people!" shouted Stan.

They looked up, and saw that a flaming portal was starting to appear on the palm of the monstrous hand again, this time with green flames.

"That thing is starting something new…"

Then, once again, the invisible force grabbed them, and yanked them through, just as it did before.

0000000000

As they were dumped on the ground again, a cold breeze greeted them.

To their shock, they seemed to be outdoors. They seemed to be on a very large ledge halfway up a mountain. The shelf-like ledge they were on was flat and slightly larger than the room they left, with the mountainside in front and to the sides of them. Behind them was a cliff edge… They peered over slightly, looking at a long drop with a stony bottom below. Around them were a few dead trees.

To their surprise, one of those trees had not one, but a flock of Yata-Garasu. They all let out loud caws, and then flew off into the sky.

"We can't still be inside the Palace of Shadow…" said Francesca.

"Well, yes and no…" said a voice that they recognized.

They turned around, and saw Kurtis, perched on a rocky outcropping. He was wearing armor much like Melissa's, but royal purple in color.

"This is a pocket dimension of sorts…" he continued. "Technically, it rests inside the Ethereal Plane, which is sort of an… 'in-between' place."

"In-between place?" asked Stan.

Kurtis leapt off his perch, landing in front of them.

"Ever read The Chronicles of Narnia?" he asked.

They nodded.

"In one book, there was a place called the Wood Between the Worlds. I believe that it was a forest full of trees and springs, but little else. Each spring was a portal to a different reality. That's an example of an in-between place.

"The Ethereal Plane is like that… It's sort of a large void that's mostly empty, but can be used to travel between other worlds. And it's full of pocket dimensions like this. Some are very small, like this one, while others are the size of nations.

"What makes this one different is, there only door is the one that leads to and from the Palace of Shadow. Although, that door can lead to several actual locations in the Palace. Mom has a lot of these places…

"She can't enter them herself, at least not anymore, but we can. While the Palace itself is the focal point of her power, these places are the equivalent for us."

"Look, Kurtis…" said Andy, "this is all interesting, but… What happened to Melissa?"

Kurtis sighed and looked at him with a sad look.

"It's… really not my place to discuss that…" he said.

"Kurtis…" said Francesca.

"Silence!" shouted the Shadow Spawn of Wind.

He lifted his left arm, and like Melissa before him, a Duel Disk unfolded on his gauntlet.

"It's my duty to duel you, and that's just what I'm going to do."

"Me?" said Francesca.

"Believe me," replied Kurtis, "I'd love nothing more than to duel Stan and fight those phony Djinns of his, but that simply isn't possible this time."

"Kurtis, why can't you just say no?" asked Francesca. "I'm starting to honestly think that you guys don't like this any more than we do."

Kurtis looked at her. He shook his head.

"Do you know what mom does to traitors?" he asked.

"Uh, no…" she said.

"Well, I do," he replied. "And that's the answer to your question."

He took a card from his deck, and held it forward.

"My Deckmaster… Will be Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

There was an explosion accompanied by a shockwave behind him, and a Dragon rose out of the ground, not the Pet Baby Dragon he used in the previous duel with Stan, but the older, bigger, adult one. (2,000 ATK)

"It's not the best Monster these days… But as I think you've already discovered, Deckmaster effects can be very different from actual effects."

No kidding… thought Francesca, as she took her deck from the holder. And the reason it tends to be impractical is because it's Level 7… But if he's bold enough to summon it to the field, he can get around the problem of needing two sacrifices to summon it, potentially making it deadly…

Still, at least it's fairly obvious that he's still using his old deck, and it should be easy to find a Monster with a lower score…

"I choose D.D. Unicorn Knight!" she shouted.

The horned Warrior holding a trident appeared. He looked at her, and nodded. (1,800 ATK)

"Then you have the first move…" said Kurtis. "You friend Stan was lucky last time… But this time, I'm gonna blow you away!"

(Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Kurtis: 8,000)

Francesca made her first, draw and looked at her hand of cards.

Not the best, but I should be okay for now… she said.

She set a card on her Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared in front of her.

"I'll end there…" she said.

"Then I draw one card…" said Kurtis, as he made a draw.

"I first activate… The Spell Card, Hysteric Sign."

"Eh?" said Francesca, as he played the card. This was a new one to her, and Andy and Stan had never seen it either.

"By playing this card, I get to take a specific Spell Card from my deck…" he said.

He took a card from his deck, and held it up. It was Elegant Egotist.

"This one, to be precise. But I'll save it for later…"

He put it aside, and chose another card.

"Then, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon…"

"Huh?" said Stan, as he played the Quickplay. "But… The only card you can destroy is…"

"Exactly…" replied Kurtis. "My own Hysteric Sign."

The Continuous Spell shattered.

"I'll let you guys think about that for a minute… For now, I'll summon Harpie's Brother…"

He played the card, and in a gust of wind, a tall, male Winged Beast with leather clothing, a red mask over his eyes, hawk wings, and red metal claw on his right hand, alighted on the field. (1,800 ATK)

"I would have thought you could do better than that," said Francesca.

Oh, but I can, thought Kurtis, but I'm in no rush…

Harpie's Brother spread his wings and took the air, then swooped upon Francesca's set Monster. Nimble Momonga appeared and then shattered.

"Why, thank you," she said, as two more set Monsters appeared.

(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 8,000)

"I'll set one card, and end my turn…" said Kurtis, as a reversed card appeared behind Harpie's Brother, "which means that the more potent effect of Hysteric Sign comes into play. See, because it went to the Graveyard this turn, I can take three cards from my deck with different names that all have the word 'Harpie' in their name."

Three cards materialized in his hand, alongside the other ones.

Okay, that's probably bad… she thought.

She made a draw.

Although… In all likelihood, that card he set isn't anything to worry about – probably. He likely just set it so he would only have six cards when he ended his turn and wouldn't have to discard any…

"I flip both my Nimble Momongas into Attack Mode," she said, as the two cards flipped up, and the two flying squirrels leapt forward. (1,000 ATK x2)

"Then, I summon Key Mouse!"

She played the card, and the small rodent with a key on its tail appeared. (100 ATK)

"Then," she said, as all three Beasts flew into the sky, "Key Mouse can give my two Momongas a Tune-up!"

(*2 + *2 + *1 = *5)

Thunder Unicorn appeared as thunder rolled. (2,200 ATK)

Well THAT'S a surprise… thought Kurtis.

"I use Thunder Unicorn's effect to lower the Attack Score of Harpie's Brother by 500 points!" she shouted.

The Winged Beast grunted as his Attack Score fell to 1,300.

"And then she'll attack!"

Lightning flashed from the Beast's horn, and Harpie's Brother quickly shattered.

(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 7,100)

"Guess he should have thought twice about trying to fly in a thunderstorm," she thought. "I'll end there…"

Kurtis drew. Then he quickly set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared in his Monster Zone.

He looked at her.

"Not saying all too much this time, are you?" she replied, as she made a draw.

The card was Call of the Haunted. Her other cards were The Big March of Animals, Egotistical Ape, Battle-Tuned, Monoceros, and Synchro Rider.

She looked at Monoceros for a minute, and then at the three Spell Cards.

Better save those for now… she thought.

Thunder Unicorn blasted lightning from her horn again. Flying Kamakiri #1 appeared kneeling on the card, and shattered.

"Uh-oh…" said Andy.

"That's right…" said Kurtis. "I'll use my bug's effect to summon Harpie Lady 1 to the field."

There was another surge of wind, and the first of the Harpies, the one with red hair worn long, appeared. (1,300 ATK)

"And as I'm sure you remember, her effect grants all Wind Monsters on the field 300 more Attack Points…"

(1,600 ATK)

He's planning something… thought Francesca, as she took the Call of the Haunted card and fit it into her Disk. This looks like the same strategy he used before, but…

If there's one thing I've learned about people who work for the Queen, they aren't predictable.

"It's your move, Kurtis…" she said.

"Then I draw," said Kurtis, as he made his draw, "and I'll summon Harpie Lady 2 as well…"

He played the card, and the Harpie with shorter hair with the pompadour appeared. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,600 ATK)

"Then, I'll use the Elegant Egotist card I got from that Spell I played to summon the third Sister."

A kaleidoscope of colors shot out of the Spell Card, and Harpie Lady 3 flew out of the pattern. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,600 ATK)

Kurtis took another card from his hand.

"I recall the last time we met," he said, "that your friend over there questioned why I used a copy of each Harpie, when multiple copies of Harpie Lady 1 would have been better."

He played a Spell Card, and the three Harpies took to the air, screeching with joy.

"Dance of Ruin!" he shouted, as the three of them started to dance in mid-air. "Because the only Monsters I control are these three specific ones, I can use this Spell to pay 1,000 Life Points to destroy every Monster on the field except them!"

"Huh?" said Francesca.

Then lightning crashed down, blowing Thunder Unicorn into little pieces.

"Fortunately for you," he said, as the three Harpies landed again, "you're safe for now, because they can't actually attack… So I'll end my turn there…"

(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 6,100)

Now I'm SURE this is bad, thought Francesca, as she made a draw.

Elephun…

"All right, Kurtis," she said, "first I'm using Call of the Haunted to bring Thunder Unicorn back…"

The Trap Card lifted up, and the steed leapt back onto the field. (2,200 ATK)

"Next, I'll ditch Elephun from my hand in order to Special Summon Egotistical Ape!"

She discarded the card, and the small monkey appeared in front of her. It gave a death glare to the three Harpies, and then its demonic shadow rose behind it. (1,200 ATK)

"Doing so lowers its Level by Elephun's Level, meaning it's Level 3. Meaning I can Tune my Level 3 Egotistical Ape and my Level 5 Thunder Unicorn…"

The Tuner soared into the sky, with the Unicorn galloping after. The shimmering rings formed around them as lightning flashed in the sky.

"Thunder rolls! Lightning strikes! Combine to form a Beast that truly embodies the storm!"

(*3 + *5 = *8)

"I Synchro Summon… Lightning Tricorn!"

Once again, the powerful three-horned steed appeared, her mane billowing in the wind. (2,800 ATK)

"Impressive…" said Kurtis.

"I'll show you impressive," said Francesca.

She threw a card into her Disk, and the Battle-Tuned card appeared.

"Now I can banish Egotistical Ape to give her a 1,200-point boost!"

(4,000 ATK)

"Attack Harpie Lady 1 with Super Giga Volt Charge!"

The Harpie shrieked as the unicorn sped towards her. A power blast of lightning as they collided blew the winged virago to little pieces and knocked Kurtis on his back.

Kurtis groaned a little as the Attack Scores of the other two Harpies fell back to 1,300.

(F: 9,000) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)

"Not so tough when you don't have hostages to threaten, are you?" she asked.

"Actually Fran…" said Kurtis, as he slowly got up.

He looked at her for a minute.

"You didn't hear this from me but… One of the biggest reasons why I didn't use the full extent of my power back then was because I didn't want any unnecessary casualties.

"But now that we're alone…"

He drew a card.

"…and I don't have to worry about such things, I can show you how strong I really am!"

"I think you're bluffing…" said Francesca.

"Once you see my next Monster, you'll think differently," replied Kurtis. "First, I summon Harpie Queen."

He played the card, and a new Harpie appeared. She had the same skimpy outfit as the others, but the similarity ended there. She had more pronounced talons, larger wings with white feathers, and long, aquamarine hair worn in a ponytail with a golden headband under her bangs. (1,900 ATK)

"Now, the Spell Card, Harpie Lady Peahen Formation," he said, as he played a card.

"Say what?" said Francesca.

She and her friends watched as the three Harpies closed their eyes, and glowing, golden motes in a shimmering aura started to fly around them. Then, lovely peacock tails sprouted from their backs.

"What…" said Stan. "What's the point?"

"I'll tell you what the point is…" replied Kurtis. "That accessory is more than just cosmetic, it ups their Levels by two…"

Then the familiar vortex appeared, and the three Harpies turned into orbs of energy.

"…which means, by building the Overlay Network, I can use these three Harpies to summon the most powerful of their kind…

"I summon… Harpie Empress!"

Thunder rumbled again, and a shadow appeared on the mountaintop behind Kurtis. Then the figure spread her wings, and flew down to the field between him and Francesca…

It was a Harpie far more intimidating than the others, wearing a feathered purple Mardi Gras mask and purple bustier, with purple wings and the same talons that the other Harpies had…

Still, even with a mask, it was impossible to hide some very distinguishing facial features, along with a familiar hairstyle, both of which made her a dead ringer for someone who was long associated with the cards that Kurtis was using… (2,600 ATK)

"No… Way…" said Francesca.

"Oh, NOW I get it!" shouted Stan. "The name 'Kujaku' means 'peahen' in Japanese!"

"Why in the world would anyone have made a card that looked like Kujaku Mai?" asked Andy.

"Why not?" asked Kurtis.

"Why not?" shouted Andy. "Well gee… If I remember correctly, Pegasus had a little… spat with her back when she was having her little identity crisis which kinda ended badly for him, and seeing as he's in charge of the company that designs these cards…"

Kurtis crossed his arms.

"Odd…" said Kurtis. "You seem to be rather quick to defend a man who set up the entire Duelist Kingdom Tournament as a way to take control of Kaiba Corp and was willing to steal the souls of both Kaiba brothers and Yugi's grandfather in order to bring back his wife. Not to mention associate with brutal thugs like Panik in the process."

"Uh…" said Andy.

"What's the old saying?" asked Kurtis. "I think it went, 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'? I hardly think he was in any position to cast stones at Mai for making a similar mistake. For all you know he designed this card as a way to show no hard feelings, and it wasn't until after Mai retired that this card was printed."

Good lord… thought Andy, as he started to hold his head. Something is seriously wrong when someone who wants to kill you starts to make sense…

"But anyway…" said Kurtis. "Harpie Empress has some potent effects… First of all, for every Harpie Lady on the field, she grants each one 300 Attack Points. And because another of her effects grants her that name while she's on the field and my Graveyard, she benefits from her own effect."

(2,900 ATK)

"And it's only gonna get worse…"

He took Harpie Queen's card, and discarded it.

"By getting rid of one Overlay Unit," he said, as the Empress' eyes started to glow with silvery light, "she can summon one of her subjects from my Graveyard."

There was a soft, silvery light as Harpie Lady 1 appeared again. (1,300 ATK)

"That means they both gain 600 Attack Points from Empress' effect, and 300 from Harpie Lady 1's effect, 900 total."

(Harpie Empress: 3,500 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,200 ATK)

"Uh…" said Francesca, nervously. "That's… Still not enough to take on my Monster…"

"I know…" said Kurtis. "Fortunately, I have this…"

Francesca gave him a strange look as he played a Continuous Spell she had never seen before. It has a picture on it of a goblin in an expensive-looking three-piece suit with a briefcase.

"It's a little thing called Goblin Negotiator," he said. "And now that he's on the job, I end my turn…"

Francesca looked at Harpie Empress closely for a minute, and then drew a card. She put it aside, and then looked at her own Monster.

"Lightning Tricorn, attack Harpie Empress!" she shouted.

Tricorn lowered her horns, and a bolt of lightning shot from them… Then, to Francesca's shock, a shimmering aura of energy appeared between the two Monsters, blocking the blast.

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?" asked Kurtis. "I can use Goblin Negotiator's effect once per turn, to negate an attack you make against a Monster.

"The downside is, when I choose to use it, you draw once."

Francesca looked at her deck, and then made one draw.

"Good lord…" shouted Andy. "Once per turn? Harpie Empress already has 3,200 Attack Points, and it's going to get stronger each turn! He only needs to negate one attack per turn, the one from Tricorn!"

"And eventually she'll be even stronger than Tricorn…" added Stan. "At which point Fran will be facing an army. That was probably the idea the whole time…

"Clearly, Kurtis wasn't bluffing."

"Everything's… under control guys…" said Francesca, nervously.

Well… she thought. Maybe for now it is…

000000000

On the road to Twilight Town, sweat rolled down Sean's face. This was not going well.

He had two set cards in his Spell Zone, and two Monsters, Dark Ruler Ha Des (2,450 ATK) and Illusory Snatcher (2,400 ATK), but both had been trapped behind his opponent's Swords of Revealing Light for the past three turns. The evil goddess also had Bitelon (2,400 ATK) and Granadora (1,900 ATK) along with 8,500 Life Points (the higher amount than she started with due to Granadora's effect) while Sean had only 4,500.

Sean let out a sigh.

"Just move..." he said. "At least your three turns are up..."

The glowing swords faded away.

"My draw..." she said.

A glob of poison appeared in front of her, forming into an image of a card.

"Muh, huh, huh, huh, huh…" she chuckled.

Okay, I really don't like the sound of that… thought Sean.

Then both of Vennominaga's two Monsters simply vanished.

"I banish both of the Reptiles I control and the four in my Graveyard…" she proclaimed, as a huge, dark creature started to rise above her. "Cower before the might of… Evil Dragon Ananta!"

The nightmarish Monster was a giant snake with seven heads, the central one having a demonic face and wearing a crown. It wore a metal breastplate where all seven of its necks met, shaped like another snake-like face. (3,600 ATK)

"Three-thousand-six-hundred?" gasped Sean.

"Ananta's Attack and Defense Scores are 600 times the number of Reptiles I just banished," said the dark goddess. "And it's only going to get worse…"

Two Equip Spells revealed themselves.

"I use Surge of the Banished and Destruction Insurance! The first will increase Ananta's Attack Score by 300 points for each of my banished Monsters with the same Type as she."

(5,400 ATK)

"While the second will deal damage to you equal to half her Attack Score if you destroy her with a card effect!

"And defeating her in battle is unlikely given how powerful she is, as your Dark Ruler is about to find out…

"Attack! Devour him!"

Ananta stuck, quicker than Sean's eyes could follow, grabbing Dark Ruler Ha Des with its central mouth and swallowing him. Sean fell over, clutching his chest.

(Sean: 1,550) - - - - - - - - - - (Vennominaga: 8,500)

Vennominaga looked Sean in the eye, much the same way that a rattlesnake tended to look at a mouse…

"Do you yield?" she said.

"Never…" he growled.

"Then I end my turn…" she said, "and use Ananta's effect to destroy Illusory Snatcher!"

The creature's fourteen eyes glowed, and Sean's other Monster shattered.

"So please, fight on all you like… It whets my appetite…"

Sean got up… Then he gave a cold look to the Duel Spirit…

He whipped the top card off of his deck.

"You know, lady…" said Sean, "and I use the term loosely… I'm starting to think that Andy may have had a point when I dueled him…

"All my life I've been hiding from imaginary evils, wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing all because of things I really had no control over, and I've got almost nothing to show for it… My life would have been a whole lot more productive if I had spent my time concentrating on real problems…

"Maybe my life would have been a lot more productive if I had worried more about real evils like you!"

He played the card he had drawn.

"I use Reload!" he shouted.

He quickly fit his five cards into his deck, then reshuffled, and then drew five new cards.

"It ain't over till it's over, as they say…" he said, as he played a Spell Card. "I activate Monster Reincarnation! I'll toss this card…"

He discarded Skull Knight.

"…and then get my Dark Ruler back…"

He took the card from his discard pile, and put it with the others.

"Then, I'll activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted, as one of his Trap Cards lifted up. "And summon the Monster I just tossed…"

In an aura of darkness, an armored figure holding a curved sword with a bare skull for a face appeared. (1,000 ATK)

"Now, I sacrifice my Skull Knight…" he said, as the armored Fiend turned into an orb of darkness, "to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des again!"

In another looming, dark shadow, the Lord of the Underworld rose onto the field again. (2,450 ATK)

He glared at Vennominaga and her Monster as his grip tightened on the goblet her was holding… Then it broke into little shards of glass.

"Next, when Skull Knight is sacrificed to summon a Fiend-Type Monster," continued Sean, "I get a bonus… Another Skull Knight!"

As he said that, a second of the Fiend knights appeared next to Ha Des. (1,000 ATK)

Then Sean's other Trap Card lifted up.

"Then I use the Ultimate Offering Trap Card!" he shouted. "I'll pay 500 Life Points to make a second Normal Summon this turn…

"And sacrifice my second Skull Knight…"

The second Knight vanished.

"…for Caius the Shadow Monarch!"

There was yet another dark aura of shadow, and a giant in grey armor, slightly hunched over, with a tattered cape and a face resembling that of a bat's, appeared where the smaller Fiend was. (2,400 ATK)

"Uh… oh…" said his opponent.

"Oh, that's right…" said Sean, with a smirk. "I take it you know that when Caius is Normal Summoned, it obliterates one card on the field."

He pointed to Evil Dragon Ananta, and it simply faded away, like a shadow fading in the sun.

"And guess what?" continued Sean, as the two Equip Spells shattered, "your Equip Spell is worthless, because that didn't count as destroyed. What's more, when that effect is used on a Dark Monster, like it just was, Caius does 1,000 points of damage!"

The Shadow Monarch put its hands together, and a Dark Core appeared in its hands. He threw it at the wicked goddess, and she shrieked.

(S: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 7,500)

"Are you quite done?" she hissed.

"Not by a long shot…" said Sean. "Because Caius is a Fiend, I get a third Skull Knight…"

Again, a Skull Knight appeared in front of him.

"And finally…" he said, as he held up his last card, "I banish three Fiends in my Graveyard…"

Illusory Snatcher and the other two Skull Knights appeared above him, and then vanished in ripples of light…

Then, two glowing, evil eyes appeared in the darkness. Slowly, their owner stepped out of the shadows, and Dark Necrofear revealed herself. (2,200 ATK)

Vennominaga said nothing…

"At a loss for words now, I see…" said Sean, as the four Fiends cast sinister glances at the Deity of Poisonous Snakes.

"Get her…"

What happened next was brutal, and some might have called it cruel if it had happened to someone who you could feel sorry for. Ha Des threw a bolt of destructive energy, Caius threw another Dark Core, and Dark Necrofear stared without blinking, her Doom Murder Gaze meeting Vennominaga's eyes…

Finally, Skull Knight made a mighty blow with its falchion, knocking the huge serpent goddess over…

(S: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (V: 0)

Slowly, Sean walked over to where she had fallen… She was gone… Only a puddle of venomous ichor seemed to remain…

Sean took a deep breath, and took out his mobile phone.

"Merlow?" he said into it. "Yeah, I'm fine… I got rid of of her…"

0000000000

Back at the strange, mountainous "pocket dimension", as Kurtis has called it, Kurtis made a draw.

"I use the second use of Harpie Empress' effect…" he said.

He discarded Harpie Lady 3's card, and Harpie Queen appeared in the same shimmering aura. (1,900 ATK)

"Three Harpies means a 1,200 point bonus for all three of them," he said.

(Harpie Empress: 3,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,500 ATK, Harpie Queen: 3,100)

"Well, it's clear why you admire Mai so much," said Stan. "Your strategy is really little more than what her original strategy was, using card effects to boost the Attack Scores of a limited selection of Monsters."

"And if I recall correctly," said Andy. "It didn't work."

"Her idea was sound, it just needed work," said Kurtis. "On that note, I'll just end my turn."

She drew a card.

Beast Striker? she thought. Lovely… If I summoned this guy, he wouldn't last long…

"Attack Harpie Empress again!" she shouted.

Again, Lightning Tricorn tried to charge…

"I use Goblin Negotiator's effect again!" shouted Kurtis, as Tricorn charged.

Again, the wave of energy appeared, blocking her advance.

"Did you really think that would work?" asked Kurtis.

"Honestly, no…"replied Francesca, as she drew a card. "But at least I get one draw…"

If he manages to summon another Harpie, she thought, that Empress will be stronger than Lightning Tricorn, and he won't even need that Spell Card…

And if SHE goes down, those other Harpies…

She looked at them. She didn't like the way they were looking at her.

Well, I can't attack both of his Harpies in one turn… Well, I could, but not with both my Monsters winning…

But… Maybe I can trick him into sending Harpie Empress into a battle that she'll lose…

"I'll move to Main Phase 2," she said, "and banish this card…"

She held up Card from a Different Dimension, and it disappeared.

"…to Special Summon Monocerous in Defense Mode…"

There was another aura of light, and the heavy-set, long-horned unicorn appeared, sitting on its hindquarters. (1,000 ATK)

"Next, I'll summon Beast Striker," she continued.

She played the card, and the savage-looking, hammer-wielding, tusked Beast appeared. (1,850 ATK)

"Then, I'll ditch one card…" she said, as she discarded Synchro Rider, "to use Beast Striker's effect and Special Summon Moja in Defense Mode."

The small, cute critter appeared next to Beast Striker. He looked at it and smirked. (100 DEF)

"Then I'll throw a card face-down," she said, as a set card materialized behind her Monsters, "and then it's your move."

When he summons another Harpie, she thought, Empress will have 4,100 Attack Points, just enough to defeat Lightning Tricorn…

But… With The Big March of Animals set and four Beasts on the field, this might just work out…

"I draw…" said Kurtis. "Then I use my Empress' final Overlay Unit to summon Harpie Lady 3."

He deftly threw Harpy Lady 2's card into his discard slot, and the blue-haired Harpie appeared.

(Harpie Empress: 4,100 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Queen: 3,400)

Come on, you little… thought Francesca.

"Then I use my Deckmaster effect," he said, as Harpie's Pet Dragon's eyes glowed with green, eldritch light. "I can use it a total of three times, making all my Harpie Ladies unable to be destroyed by Spell and Trap Cards for the remainder of the turn.

Boy, is he gonna be surprised, thought Francesca.

"Then, I use the Equip Spell, Chthonian Alliance," said Kurtis.

"Say WHAT?" shouted Francesca.

As Kurtis played the card, Harpie Empress' eyes glowed with a hellish, red light, and a dark shadow surrounded her.

"Judging from your reaction," said the Shadow Spawn of Wind, "I take it you've heard of it. It causes her to gain 800 Attack Points for every Monster on the field with the same name.

"And since all four of my Monsters have the name 'Harpie Lady' due to their effects…"

Harpie Empress spread her wings, and hovered slightly above the ground… (6,500 ATK)

"A Harpie that's stronger than the F.G.D.," said Stan, looking at her in awe. "There's got to be some deep meaning behind this, but… I have no idea what it is…"

"Attack Lightning Tricorn now!" shouted Kurtis, as Harpie Empress swooped upon the Synchro.

"I activate The Big March of Animals!" shouted Fran, as her Spell Card lifted up. "It gives all my Beasts 200 Attack Points for each Beast I have!"

Lightning Tricorn shot up to 4,800 Attack Points, while Beast Striker went up to 2,650.

"Not enough, I'm afraid…" said Kurtis, as a long, glowing whip appeared in Harpie Empress' hand.

With a crack, she lashed it, and the impact hit Francesca like a sock to the gut as Lightning Tricorn shattered. She fell on her behind, clutching her stomach.

She coughed a couple times…

"I use… Her effect…" she said through coughs.

Thunder Unicorn slowly rose onto the field, sitting in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)

"I'll deal with her in a minute…" said Kurtis. "For now… Harpie Queen, destroy her Beast Striker!"

The Queen swooped at the hulking primate, and his hammer flew from his hands before he shattered. Then the hammer shattered too.

(F: 6,550) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)

"Harpies 1 and 3… Thunder Unicorn and Moja are yours."

The two Harpies swooped on the two Beasts, foot-talons first. They landed hard, crushing them and blasting them into minute triangles.

"Moja has an effect too…" muttered Fran, as she stumbled to her feet. "I get to… Take a… Level 4 Beast from my deck…"

She took her deck from the holder, and took Chain Dog from it.

Not sure what good it's gonna do me, she thought.

Kurtis set a card in his Disk, and a face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"Move…" he said.

Francesca shook a little as she drew a card.

She trembled a little.

"Uh, Fran?" said Kurtis. "Do I need to remind you what your own cards do?"

"Huh?" said Fran.

"You banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn," he said. "Remember?"

Francesca looked at him oddly. She took the card from her pocket, and then drew twice. She really wanted to believe he was being generous, but seeing as the effect also let him draw twice, it was hard to…

Still… she thought with a smirk as she saw what she drew, I'm not complaining!

"You like Wind so much, Kurtis?" she shouted. "How's this for Wind? I play Heavy Storm!"

She played the card, and a hurricane started to blow over the field. Kurtis' Trap Card lifted up.

"I chain-activate The Transmigration Prophecy!" he shouted. "I'll use it to send Harpie Lady 2 back to my deck, and Thunder Unicorn back to yours!"

Then Goblin Negotiator and Francesca's inert Call of the Haunted shattered.

Francesca smirked as she shuffled her deck.

"Well, isn't that a shame…" she said. "Well, if one windstorm isn't enough… I sacrifice Monocerous!"

The Beast turned into a globe of light, a fluffy pink cloud appeared in front of her.

"Have I got a girl for you, Kurtis!" she said.

Slowly, the cloud turned into Flurrie. (1,800 ATK)

"What do say about that?" she said.

"Uh…" said Kurtis. "How about 'oops' and 'take cover'?"

"You got that right," said Francesca, as she discarded Card From a Different Dimension and Chain Dog.

Flurrie took a deep breath, and then blew her Merciless Gale Force, causing a virtual typhoon over the mountain valley. The flock of Harpies shrieked as the spun out of control and were blown backwards, shattering as they slammed against the mountain wall behind Kurtis.

"Whoa…" said Stan.

"Double-whoa…" said Andy.

Okay… thought Kurtis. Time for plan-B…

"I can't attack this turn, naturally," said Fran, as two face-down cards appeared behind Flurrie, "so I'll set these two cards… and that's all for me."

Kurtis drew a card, then casually glanced at Francesca.

"I summon Harpie Channeler," he said.

As he played the card, a new Harpie appeared, one that was very different than the others. Her outfit still showed a lot of skin, but wasn't like the one worn by other Harpies at all; this one wore a white crop-top and breechcloth. He red hair was worn in rather fancy pigtails, her wings were black, like those of a very big raven, and she held a wooden staff tipped with a crescent head decorated with feathers. (1,400 ATK)

"Huh?" said Francesca. "Never saw her before…"

"She may seem to have only 100 Attack Points more than the other Harpies," replied Kurtis, "but she can be far more deadly…

"First of all, like the Queen and the Empress, she's considered to be a Harpie Lady while on the field and the Graveyard…"

"Just how many Monsters like that are there?" shouted Andy.

"Also," said Kurtis, not seeming to notice the comment, "by discarding a Monster from my hand with the word 'Harpie' in its name…"

He took Harpie Girl from his hand, and discarded it.

"…I can Special Summon another one from my deck in Defense Mode, except another Channeler. So I'll summon the Harpie Lady 2 I sent back to my deck last turn…"

The redheaded Harpie reappeared, kneeling and covering herself with her wings. (1,400 DEF)

"Next…" he said, "I use Monster Reborn to summon Harpie Lady 1 back from the Graveyard…"

The glowing Spell appeared in front of him, and the first sister appeared standing on it on an aura of holy light. (1,300 ATK) Her Attack Score rose to 1,600, while Channeler's rose to 1,700.

"Then, I build the Overlay Network again…" he said, as the vortex appeared, and the three Winged Beasts were drawn into it.

"I summon… Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon!"

There was another blast of green, fiery energy, and a Dragon appeared from out of the vortex. It wasn't as big as the Dragon standing behind Kurtis, but was bigger than the Baby version; still, it seemed to be the same species as the Dragons that the Harpies seemed to keep as pets, and have the same taste in jewelry. (2,000 ATK)

Kurtis looked at Francesca with a smile she didn't like…

"Attack Francesca directly!" he shouted.

The Dragon breathed a cone of chilling frost, ignoring Flurrie completely and plowing into Fran. To say it took Fran by surprise was an understatement… She didn't even have time to shield herself from it, and tumbled backwards from the powerful ambush.

(F: 4,550) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)

"No… way…" said Stan. "It didn't even use an Overlay Unit!"

"This Xyz works a little differently than most," said Kurtis. "It doesn't need to expend its Overlay Units to use its effects, but it can only use its effects so long as it has them. And it loses one every time I end my turn.

"And in addition to being able to attack directly, you aren't allowed to attack any Monster with the word 'Harpie' in its name except her, so long as she has them.

"Now then… I'll set one card…"

A face-down card appeared behind the Dragon.

"And I'll end my turn, which, as I said before, means that she loses one of her Overlay Units."

She took Harpie Lady 1's card and discarded it.

"A facedown card…" muttered Francesca. "Whatever could it be?"

She was being sarcastic, of course. She knew exactly what it was, and knew that it was big trouble.

She drew a card, looked at it, then at the rest of her cards, Flurrie, and her two set cards.

This is NOT gonna be pleasant… she thought.

She set two cards, first causing a set Monster to appear, then a third set card in her Spell Zone.

But if I can survive one turn, I may just turn this around…

"Flurrie, move to Defense Mode," she said.

Flurrie crouched, and crossed her arms. (1,200 DEF)

"It's your move, Kurtis…" she said, nervously.

"Now it ends…" he said, as he drew a card.

His Trap Card lifted up, which, as Francesca expected, was Hysteric Party. He discarded a card (Pot of Avarice) and the first Harpie to appear was Harpie Empress (2,600 ATK), then Harpie Queen (1,900 ATK), and then Harpie Ladies 1 and 3. (1,300 ATK)

The eyes of the Empress and Harpie Lady 1 glowed, and then all four Harpies glowed with green energy… (Harpie Empress: 4,100 ATK, Harpie Queen: 3,400 ATK, Harpie Lady 1: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 2,800 ATK, Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon: 2,300)

"Next, I use the second use of Deckmaster's effect," said Kurtis, "making my Harpies unable to be destroyed by card effects this turn…"

The large Dragon's eyes glowed again.

"It's over, Francesca…" said Kurtis, as his own eyes started to glow. "By the way… If you happen to see my father when you get to Hell, tell him I always thought he could have saved everyone a lot of grief if he hadn't been so gullible!"

Hell? thought Francesca, as sweat poured down her face even more than before. Good lord… Is that… Is that what happened to Melissa?

The same thought was crossing Stan and Andy's minds too… Was the Queen so vile that she had not only forced her children to wager their lives, but their souls as well?

"Mirage Dragon, attack Francesca directly again!" shouted Kurtis.

The Dragon belched her cone of frost again. This time, fortunately, it didn't come as the surprise that it did last time for Francesca… Still, that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Now for your two Monsters…" said Kurtis.

Harpie Lady 3 flew towards Flurrie. With one swipe of her claw, the Wind Fairy shattered.

"I activate… Option Hunter!" shouted Fran, as one of her Trap Cards lifted up. "Now I gain Life Points equal to Flurrie's Attack Score!"

Kurtis fidgeted a little. Then Harpie Lady 1 swooped on the set Monster, Uni-Horned Familiar, and crushed it in her talons.

Harpie Empress lashed her whip, and then flew towards Francesca…

Another of her Trap Card lifted up, revealing Draining Shield. The whip crashed against an invisible shield, and energy flowed into Francesca.

Unfortunately for her, she had nothing left to defend herself as Harpie Queen made a rush for her. She made a painful cry as the talons raked across her stomach, bringing her to her knees…

(F: 3,250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)

Francesca felt her stomach…

Blood… That attack had torn through her shirt and left a very real wound underneath… If Harpie Empress' attack had hit, that one may very well have eviscerated her…

As she got up, Flurrie and Ms. Mowz appeared next to her.

"This is insane…" she said. "Does Kurtis even realize what he's doing?"

"Maybe, maybe not…" said Ms. Mowz, sounding more serious than she usually did. "What he said to you a minute ago… Do you realize what it means?

"He said, 'If you happen to see my father when you get to Hell, tell him I always thought he could have saved everyone a lot of grief if he hadn't been so gullible.' Very strong words."

"Yeah, he hates his father…" said Francesca.

"Not necessarily hon," said Flurrie. "Think about it… What would have happened if his dad hadn't been so gullible as to fall into the Queen's clutches?"

Francesca looked at Kurtis, and slowly, the realization started to come to her…

This was someone who actually regretted being born. He despised his own existence.

But as terrible as the stakes of this duel seemed to be… She knew that it was either him or her…

Her last Trap Card lifted up as the two Companions vanished.

"I use Shock Draw!" she shouted. "I took a total of 5,700 points of damage that turn, so I get five draws."

If I can just get my Mystical Space Typhoon… she thought, as she started making draws, I can destroy Hysteric Party and wipe out all four of those Harpies.

Then her eyes almost popped out of her head when she looked at the five cards…

No Mystical Space Typhoon… But…

"It's still my move!" shouted Kurtis.

He fit a card into his Disk, and a set card appeared in his Spell Zone.

"There…" he said.

Here goes… thought Francesca, as she made another draw.

"I summon Lock Cat," she said, as the feline with the lock amulet appeared. (1,200 ATK)

"Its effect lets me bring Key Mouse to the field," she said, as the small rodent appeared. (100 DEF) "And Chain Dog's effect lets me summon him too!"

As the bull terrier appeared, a low rumble of thunder sounded in the background. (1,600 ATK)

"I Tune together my Mouse, Cat, and Dog…" she said, as the three Beasts flew into the sky, as two more streaks of lightning flashed through the sky…

(*1 + *3 + *4 = * 8)

The storm started to intensify as Eachthighern the Fairy Stallion appeared in an aura of light. (2,000 ATK)

Fran nervously took a card from her hand. Thunder rolled again, lightning flashed.

"Because I have a Light, Beast-Type Synchro Monster on the field…" she said. "I can summon my best Monster…"

A spiral of light started to form as the thunder turned into a virtual cacophony…

Then, she appeared. At first, she looked like Lady of Unicorns, but far more intimidating, far more real. No, more than real… Larger than life. She had the same halter top, breechcloth, and scimitar, but all were of better quality… And those weren't the only things…

"She's beautiful…" gasped Andy.

That was an understatement to say the least. This woman's beauty seemed beyond words. Flawless porcelain skin, hair the color of flaxen tied back in a long braid, large green eyes that were both gorgeous and wild at the same time… She had a body and face that even a supermodel would sell her soul for. Even so, there was no mistaking the strength she held too, the power she exuded… Clearly, while Francesca's Unicorn's used the storm as a weapon, it called this woman master… (2,600 ATK)

"Now, there is one catch to this…" said Francesca. "Because I summoned Warrior Maiden of the Storm this way, then if I ever don't have a Light, Beast-Type Synchro Monster, she's destroyed, and if she's destroyed at all

"Well, with my Life Points where they are, let's just say I lose, and leave it at that…"

Warrior Maiden of the Storm lifted her weapon.

"Wipe out Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon!" she shouted. "Tempest Blade!"

The Warrior's mighty scimitar crackled with energy, and she swung it downwards, causing a mighty blast of lightning to blast towards the Dragon, tearing the rocky ground apart as it did. The Dragon let out a roar of agony before the blast literally ripped it apart.

The four Harpies looked on with fright.

"There goes your direct attacker," said Fran, "and now that she's gone, she can't protect your Harpies either…"

She played a Quickplay Spell.

"And I'll use Enemy Controller to move Harpie Lady 1 to Defense Mode!"

The Harpie struggled, but it was too strong for her, forcing her to her knees. (1,400 DEF)

"Oh, that's right…" said Stan. "Harpie Lady 1 and Harpie Empress can juice up their Attack Scores… But those effects don't do much to help with defending."

"Right," said Fran. "And that makes her and easy target for Eachthighern."

The Fairy Stallion blasted a beam of radiant light from his horn, vaporizing the Harpie. Kurtis grunted.

"I gain 1,300 Life Points from Eachthighern's effect," said Francesca. "And with Harpie Lady 1 gone, the others lose the bonus they get from her, and part of the bonus from Harpie Empress."

(Harpie Empress: 3,500 ATK, Harpie Queen: 2,800 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 2,200 ATK)

(F: 3,250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,400)

"I'll set these two cards, and then end my turn," as two face-down cards appeared.

"Okay, Fran, this is it," said Kurtis, as he made a draw. "Twice now, I've used my Deckmaster effect to protect my Harpies from being destroyed… And twice now, you've survived by a technicality, seeing as the set cards you had to protect yourself weren't the type that destroy Monsters…"

"Well… This time, I wised up."

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Trap Stun," he said. "This puts all Traps off limits this turn, period.

"Now, I seem to recall you saying that if she goes, you'd lose enough Life Points to lose the duel…"

"Possibly, but I should also tell you that she isn't as easy to hurt as she seems," replied Fran. "See, there's a lot more to her bond with Synchro Monsters of the Light, Beast variety.

"So long as I have one, like Eachthighern, she can't be attacked."

"Easily fixed…" said Kurtis. "Harpie Queen, attack that Stallion!"

Stan and Andy tensed as the Harpie closed in on the Synchro.

"The relationship works both ways!" shouted Fran. "If I lower Warrior Maiden's Attack and Defense Scores by 500 points apiece, your attack can't destroy him!"

Harpie Queen clawed at the Fairy Stallion. Warrior Maiden closed her eyes as her Attack Score fell to 2,100, and Francesca grunted a little. But Eachthighern stood firm.

"Then I'll just attack it again!" shouted Kurtis.

Harpie Empress flew towards the unicorn, holding her whip high.

"I can use that effect more than once!" shouted Francesca.

Then she screamed in pain as the whip hit, Warrior Maiden's score fell to 1,600, and Eachthighern still withstood it.

Kurtis sighed.

"All right, third time's the charm…" he said.

Harpie Lady 3 flew at the Synchro.

"Oh, you wish…" said Francesca, as Warrior Maiden's Attack Score fell to 1,100. She only felt a small twinge this time, and Eachthighern was still standing as strong as ever.

(F: 750) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,700)

"Seems all three of your attacks failed," said Francesca.

"Not all of them," replied Kurtis.

They all looked at him.

"Wait…" said Stan. "He means Harpie Lady 3's effect! When she battles a Monster, that Monster can't attack for two rounds…"

"Well…" said Andy. "At least he can still protect Warrior Maiden…"

"Yeah," replied Stan, "but Warrior Maiden can only protect him with her effect two more times."

Actually, only ONE more time, thought Francesca. I had to lower her Defense Score too, and using the effect three times brought it down to 500.

"I'll set this card," said Kurtis, "and that will be all…"

Francesca made a draw. She looked at it for a minute.

"While you're thinking of what you're going to do with that…" said Kurtis.

His Trap Card lifted up.

"Calypso's Curse?" asked Francesca. "Don't like the look of that…"

"Oh, you'll like its effect even less…" replied Kurtis. "Keep your Monsters away from my Harpies, or you'll regret it.

"You see, if any of them are defeated this turn, then on my next turn, all I'll have to do is trigger the effect of this card, and send it to the Graveyard to deal 800 points of damage for each one you strike down.

"Your Life Points are at 750 right now… It would finish you off if you destroyed even one."

The card that Francesca had drawn was Sunlight Unicorn…

"It all depends on this…" she said.

She threw the card on her Disk, and the shining unicorn with a blue-mane appeared. (1,800 ATK)

She hesitated as her hand hovered over her deck.

Then she flipped the top card.

"All right!" she shouted, as she turned it forward. "It's Mage Power!

"But before I use it, I'll use my Deckmaster effect, and pay 500 Life Points to recover one of my banished Beast-Type Tuner Monsters."

Her points fell to 250 as Egotistical Ape appeared in her hand.

"Then," she said, as she discarded a card, "I'll discard Hypnocorn to summon it…"

The fiendish-looking primate appeared for the second time. (1,200 ATK)

"…and its effect lowers its Level to 1."

Then one of her two set cards lifted up.

"Then, by playing Rage Resynchro, I can Tune it with Warrior Maiden of the Storm…"

The monkey flew into the sky, and lightning flashed again as the Maiden followed. She turned into a gleaming, golden form before the two of them faded away…

(*1 + *7 = *8)

Lightning struck again, and Lightning Tricorn burst out of the ground. (2,800 ATK) –) (3,300 ATK)

"Next, I'll Equip Mage Power to Sunlight Unicorn," she said, as she played the card, "and with two cards in my Spell Zone, she gains 1,000 Attack Points."

(2,800 ATK)

"Next, I'll summon my Deckmaster to the field too…" she continued. "D.D. Unicorn Knight… You're up…"

The bestial Warrior stepped forward, and nodded. (1,800 ATK)

"All right…" said Francesca. "Let's take them down…

"Sunlight Unicorn… Attack Harpie Queen!"

The Beast and the Winged Beast looked each other in the eye, with very unpleasant expressions… Then the two rushed at each other…

An explosion shook the whole field as they were both incinerated.

"It was a draw!" shouted Stan.

"Yeah, but look!" shouted Andy. "Without Harpie Queen, the other two Harpies are 300 points weaker!"

(Harpie Empress: 3,200 ATK, Harpie Lady 3: 1,900 ATK)

"Which means Lightning Tricorn is just strong enough to bring down Harpie Empress!" added Francesca. "Attack with Giga Volt Charge!"

For what would likely be the last time in this duel, Tricorn charged, striking Kujaku Mai's lookalike in the stomach and blowing her into minute pieces.

"Yes!" cheered Andy. "That means the last one loses the entire bonus!"

It was true… Harpie Lady 3 had fallen to her base Attack Score of 1,300.

D.D. Unicorn Knight pointed his trident, and a blast of fiery energy shot from it, eradicating the last Harpie and knocking Kurtis down on one knee.

(F: 250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 3,100)

"Congratulations..." growled Kurtis. "You managed to defeat them all...

"But you haven't defeated me, and Calypso's Curse is still going to finish you off on my next turn."

"And just who said I was done?" asked Francesca.

Her last Trap Card lifted up. It was Synchro Out.

Kurtis turned pale as Lightning Tricorn vanished, and Egotistical Ape (1,200 ATK) and Warrior Maiden of the Storm (2,600 ATK) appeared.

The Beast's shadow flew at him, its dark claw going right through him, and sending a deathly chill through his body.

Francesca paused.

"Kurtis…" she said. "I…"

"What?" he said, with a bitter tone. "Hesitating? Are you afraid to strike me down because of what mom said she'd do to us for losing?

"Trust me, Francesca… You three are the only ones who care…"

"Francesca!" said a voice.

Francesca looked up, and saw that Warrior Maiden of the Storm was looking at her.

"What choice do you have Francesca?" she said. "You have no cards left in your hand… Nothing to destroy that Trap Card…

"Kurtis won't hesitate on HIS turn…"

Francesca bowed her head. She knew she was right…

"Attack him directly!" she shouted.

The Maiden lifted her sword, and there was one final clap of thunder s she drove it home one last time…

(F: 250) - - - - - - - - - - (K: 0)

The storm was silenced. Kurtis was out cold.

A dark portal appeared behind Kurtis, just like it did when Melissa had fallen. The three of them forced themselves to look away as the shadowy hands reached out to grab the Shadow Spawn of Wind.

Fortunately, they didn't have to do so for long. Again, the portal behind them opened, and they were seemingly kicked thought it.

0000000000

"This is insane Iris!"shouted Francesca, as she got to her feet in the dark chamber again, screaming to the ceiling. "Don't you have any decency in you at all? Is there nothing you won't sink to?"

She sighed. She really hadn't expected an answer, but it felt good to say it.

She sat down, and remembered what Kurtis had said.

It isn't unusual for a parent to be angry at a child. Nor is it unusual for parents to scold their children.

But sometimes, the things a parent says can go too far, and hurt their child too much. They can say downright horrible things that they might regret saying later.

One of the worst things an angry mother can tell her son is that she wished he was never born…

It seemed that the Shadow Queen was such a bad mother that Kurtis actually wished this on himself…

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GOBLIN NEGOTIATOR (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A portly goblin wearing a black, three-piece business suit and a fedora, carrying a briefcase and holding a document.

Card Description: Once per turn, when your opponent declares an attack against a Monster you control, you may negate that attack. If you use this effect, your opponent draws 1 card.

Note: "Goblin Negotiator" was first used by Manjyome in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Blinded by the Light (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0000000000

DESTRUCTION INSURANCE (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: The image on this card was unclear.

Card Description: When the Equipped Monster is destroyed by a card effect, the opponent of this card's controller takes damage equal to half the ATK of the Equipped Monster.

Note: "Destruction Insurance" was first used by Kinomiya Kodo in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "The Profiler". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

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HARPIE LADY – PEAHEN FORMATION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Similar to "Harpie Lady – Phoenix Formation" with a lavender peacock in place of the phoenix.

Card Description: Activate when you control at least 2 face-up "Harpie Lady" Monsters. Each "Harpie Lady" Monster you control that has a Level has its Level increased by 2.

0000000000

HARPIE EMPRESS (Monster Card)

Winged Beast/Wind/Xyz/Effect/Rank 6/2,600ATK/2,800DEF

3 Level 6 WIND Monsters

Effect: This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady" while it is on the field or in your Graveyard. Increase the ATK of all Monsters on the field named "Harpie Lady" by 300 for every "Harpie Lady" on the field. Once per turn, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower WIND Monster from your Graveyard.

Note: "Harpie Lady Peahen Formation" and "Harpie Empress" were both created by MultiplePersonas and first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Tournament of Shadows."

0000000000

SURGE OF THE BANISHED (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Warrior, and D.D. Assailant leaping from the Different Dimension Gate.

Card Description: Increase the Equipped Monster's ATK by 300 for each of your removed from play Monsters with the same Type as the Equipped Monster.

Note: "Surge of the Banished" first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Ascension".

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DANCE OF RUIN (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The silhouettes of the Harpie Lady Sisters flying in a violent thunderstorm.

Card Description: Activate when you control only 3 Monsters, the Monsters you control are all in Attack Position, and the original (printed) names of the 3 Monsters you control are "Harpie Lady 1", "Harpie Lady 2", and "Harpie Lady 3". Pay 1,000 Life Points. Destroy all Monsters your opponent controls. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn.

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CALYPSO'S CURSE (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: The three Harpie Lady Sisters fleeing (on foot) in a mountainous terrain under a dark, cloudy sky, with Harpie Queen's angry face among the clouds.

Card Description: Activate only during your opponent's Standby Phase. During the turn this card is activated, each time 1 or more "Harpie" Monsters you control are destroyed (except for "Harpie's Brother"), place 1 "Retribution Counter" on this card per "Harpie" Monster destroyed. During your next Standby Phase, send this card to the Graveyard and inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent for each "Retribution Counter" it has.

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WARRIOR MAIDEN OF THE STORM (Monster Card)

Warrior/Light/Effect/Lvl7/2,600ATK/2,000DEF

Effect: You may Special Summon this card (from your hand) if you control a face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If this card is destroyed after being Special Summoned via its own effect, you take 2,000 points of damage. If this card is Special Summoned via its own effect and you do not control a face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster, destroy it. This card cannot be targeted for an attack if you control at least 1 face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If a face-up LIGHT Beast-Type Synchro Monster would be destroyed (by battle or by card effect) you can reduce the ATK and DEF of this card by 500 to prevent it from being destroyed.

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"Harpie's Pet Dragon": Dragon/Wind/Lvl7/2,000ATK/2,500: "Harpie Bodyguard": At the start of the duel, place 3 Bodyguard Counters on this card. During your Standby Phase, you may remove 1 one Bodyguard Counter from this card; if you do, all "Harpie Lady" Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by Spell, Trap, or Monster effects this turn.

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"D.D. Unicorn Knight": Warrior/Light/Lvl4/1,800ATK/900DEF: "Primal Portal": Once per turn, you may pay 500 Life Points to add of your banished Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast Monsters to your hand.

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It seems the true battle has started. It seems that our heroes might have at least a few new allies… And to keep their sanity right now as they make their way through this nightmarish gauntlet, they might need them…

Next:

Bleck: First Melissa, then Kurtis… It will be Tyson next, no doubt… For the proxy of an Exarch of Chaos, Iris is remarkably well-structured…

When she wants to be, anyway. In fact, that's one thing that sets Graz'zt apart from other demons, he's far more organized than most of the chaotic hordes.

Maybe too much so… All is going well…

Soon I can put my true plan into action… At last I will reveal myself to the Shadow Queen, at last I will have my revenge!

Heh, sorry… Couldn't resist making the reference there… Bleh-ha-ha-ha-ha!

For now, "Wild Fire" is coming soon.