There have been three months since Sora had rejoined her friends. While autumn and the first part of winter represented their little holiday in which they all rested at the Ark with Shubham and his friends, the last week of December saw them back to their hero duties. The Duel Masters tournament ended with Tamma's victory, which was fortunate for them, but their new enemy Roger Thornton still had many surprises for them. Those included kidnapping their wounded friend Tiger and blackmailing them with his safety in exchange for Tamma's tournament prize – Kiramaru, Great Miracle. This led to our heroes going on a New Year's Eve quest against the madman, facing his servants, everything culminating with a confrontation between Roger and Blane in the eleventh hour. Unfortunately, victory was on the side of the pianist, and he managed to complete his Zero card collection, using their power to open a gate to the creature world through which the Zeniths would pass over into the human world and take over everything.
Everyone stared with terror in their eyes at the gate through which the titanic beings known as Zeniths were slowly approaching their world. Roger enjoyed every last second of what was happening, for it was his hour, the hour of shadows. After many years of plotting and waiting, victory was his at last.
"Rad!" Tabitha shouted as she and Subaru dragged the now unconscious Blane away from the dueling table.
"What?" the racer responded and ran to them.
"Go to the UFO and try bringing it as close as you can to the castle. We need to get everyone to safety as quick as possible."
"But Tabitha, will anyone be safe with the Zeniths free to rampage in our world?" Subaru questioned.
"Of course not, lad, but what would you prefer? To have us all here in the lion's cage, or to retreat and plan a counterattack from somewhere safe?" the witch brought up.
"She's got a point, egghead. I'll go get the UFO so we can all get the hell outta here!" Rad said and turned around to run away.
"Please, you promised to return after midnight, don't let us down now…" the blonde woman thought as she stared at the starry sky.
The shadows of the Zeniths fell upon Roger, the man's eagerness growing bigger and bigger in those moments that were probably the longest of his life… But then something unexpected occurred, as mechanical noises began to echo in the entire roof. Rad stopped just a step from the entrance into the tower and turned around to see the TARDIS gradually materializing next to Tabitha, Subaru and Blane. In a matter of seconds, its door opened and much to everyone's surprise, a female figure walked out. She wore a red cape, white bikini and boots, her red hair arranged in a loop, her green eyes showing nothing but determination. It was none other than Rita. Sora discretely smiled and whispered under her lips:
"She's here at last."
Putting on a heroic pose, the girl walked to the one sitting beneath the gate and then she interrupted his moment of intense euphoria by shouting:
"Howdy there, brother! Long time, no see!"
"What the…" Roger ceased his laughter and turned to see his sister. "Rita?! What are you doing here?" he jumped on his feet, surprised by the unwelcomed guest.
"Ah've grown pretty tired of always standin' by and seein' ya doin' the Devil's work, so Ah've decided the time's come to take some action, in mah own way!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Y'all gonna see!"
Turning her head to the portal, Rita waved both her hands which got surrounded by strongly bright white auras, and with a shout she said:
"Don't ya guys even think of comin' here!"
All of a sudden, the Zeniths froze. Roger stared in disbelief and then he uttered:
"But… how is it even possible for you to…?"
"Y'got yer surprises, dear bro, Ah've got mine as well." Rita smirked as she turned to the rest. "People, say hello to the chosen zero duelist!"
What followed was a wave of gasps from the younger ones, along with the verbal reactions.
"Did I hear that well?" Luna asked.
"My ears must be playing tricks on me again. I should've cleaned them before going out." Edo reflected.
"Chosen… zero duelist?" Rad repeated with skepticism.
"Now that was an unexpected turn of events, right?" Ren whispered to Tsugumi.
"Yeah, let's hope that she will be of any use to us." the blonde girl responded as took a better look at Rita's new clothing.
"The Zero is not a civilization; it's an absence of a civilization. How does it have its own chosen duelist then?" Subaru wondered.
"You see, lad, even those creatures which wanted to ascend beyond the limits of the five civilizations had to be represented by someone." Tabitha explained."I know, this claim is preposterous, but if you think better about it, it does make sense."
"And it is the Proof's will." the Doctor said as he stepped out of the TARDIS as well.
"You did come back!" the witch smiled happily.
"You know I never break my promises…" the man smiled and then he thought. "…that often."
"Doctor, I know this isn't exactly the best time, but mind filling us worthless peasants in with I don't know… what you did in this whole time when we needed your help?!" Subaru picked on the one with the bowtie.
"Indeed I will, Ferrari, but I think it would be better if our little cowgirl friend did it for us!"
"Is it so hard to remember one single n… I mean, I'm all ears, Rita!"
Nodding to Subaru, the girl cleared her throat and began the explanation everyone was waiting for, surprisingly in a clear and accent-less English:
"Alright, people, I suppose it's time you all knew what was going on behind your backs. As some of you may know, my name is Rita Thornton, and I was born to a modest farm family with my brother, Roger. We lived a normal life in peace and harmony, until that fateful day when Roger met with the creature that is now his avatar, Beethoven. The Zero has corrupted him, it has taken away most of his emotions, it is the reason he has turned into the monster we now see today. But here I come in front of you all and tell you from the bottom of my heart… that he is not truly like this. I know that somewhere, deep down inside that cold shell, my brother is still there."
"How touching… and foolish. Your brother has died the moment he made the pact with Beethoven." Roger replied with the same emotionless calm he had before.
"I refuse to believe that, brother!" Rita countered. "I know that the Lord will help you open your heart and see the right way. I know that I will have you back and we will be a family again. This is why when Tabitha and Sora accosted me at the UFO and told me that I was destined to be the chosen zero duelist and the one who would reform the Zero, I accepted without hesitation, because I knew it was the only certain way I could stop you."
"You? Stop me? I have the power of Zero and of the Zeniths in this right hand of mine! Just what in the world do you think will help you stop my glorious plan? A stupid title? Hah, don't make me laugh, dear sister!"
"No, Roger, it's not just a title, it is a way of life, and I worked hard to earn it. As you probably know, the Zero civilization's Zeniths are high costing and they require lots of mana. Sora taught me the ways of Nature and its acceleration and offered me the best spells she could find for such a deck. Also, the Doctor himself took me to the Nature civilization with his TARDIS so that I could meet with the bearers of mana, the Snow Faeries. They trained me in their ways, they helped me communicate with the Zeniths and so I understood what they really need. After their defeat at Kiramaru's hands, they no longer need a new place to conquer, what they truly need is a place to belong, as there is no Zero civilization for them to live in. And that place… is the creature world!"
"You fool! The Zeniths are proud beings that surpassed the weakness of owning a civilization and reached the true state of primordial purity – the Zero. It is what Shangri-La wanted for the entire creature world, to eradicate the five civilizations and return it all to Zero. And their defeat at Kiramaru's hands just meant that they had to seek their world of Zero somewhere else… on our planet! And if it means that I, Roger Thornton, must be their messenger of doom, then so be it!"
"Beethoven's influenced you the wrong way, brother. And he is also being influenced badly by someone… that someone is Shangri-La. The only reason this is now happening is because of Shangri-La's selfish wish to turn everything into Zero. Trust me, all other Zeniths are tired of fighting, they want nothing more than to live in peace along with the rest of creatures."
"Not if I have something to say about it!" Roger said as his right hand glowed bright white and he fired a beam upon the portal, the Zeniths slowly beginning to unfreeze. "You always stuck your tail where it was none of your business!"
"Y'always got in the wrong business!" Rita replied with her usual Texan accent and then she fired white beams from both her hands which countered her brother's power, refreezing the Zeniths.
Angered that he could not complete his ritual, Roger walked to his sister with a threatening pose and said:
"I warn you, Rita, don't stand in my way! I don't want to do something that I might regret…"
"Then do it, it wouldn't be the first time ya did…" the cowgirl replied with a saddened voice which confused her brother. "Oh, and Ah almost forgot…"
Rita stretched her right hand to the gate of circles and one card disappeared from them, reappearing in her hand. It was Kiramaru, Great Miracle.
"Mah new avatar…" she smiled.
"Hey, I rightfully won that card!" Roger protested.
"Like all other cards? Ya stole them all, ya didn't win them! Now Ah'm takin' them back! Just like ya took mah King Command Dragons…"
"The King Command Dragons were mine right from the beginning, I just took back what I gifted you when we were young!"
"Then this Zenith's all mine now!"
"Oh, we'll just see about that, won't we, dear sister? I have defeated the strongest of those chosen duelists and even that wannabe Dragon user. You're nothing more than an ant in my path to glory!"
"Yer speakin' of mah friends…"
"Friends? I don't have any friends, I just have Zeniths!"
Rita took a good look into her brother's eyes. Their coldness had surpassed human levels; the few shreds of emotion that they had left were slowly fading away. Soon, he would become nothing more than a robot, a pawn for the Zeniths he adored ever so much. This was the price her bored brother had to pay for his aspirations of glory. But she would correct his mistake, not only because the world needed it, but because it was her duty as a sister to protect her brother, even from himself. Taking out her deck, she shuffled Kiramaru in it and declared:
"Roger, the time has come!"
"In the honor of our poor and uneducated family that doesn't really deserve it; I will give you one chance to leave before I would hurt you." Roger offered.
"Then hurt me!" Rita exclaimed as she put her deck on the dueling table where once Blane stood.
"You asked for it!" the pianist replied as he took out his deck as well.
The two siblings put their decks on the tables, set their shields, drew five cards each and thus their match began, everyone else paying attention at yet another match that would most likely decide the fate of the world. If Roger won, the Zeniths would begin their invasion, but if by some miracle Rita would manage to defeat her brother, everything would go back to normal.
Roger began by placing Codeking Wilhelm tapped in his mana zone. Rita drew a card and put Evolution Burst – Into the Wild in her mana zone. Roger drew as well, put Codeking Mozart tapped in his mana zone and ended. Rita's turn came again, she drew, put Intense Vacuuming Twist in her mana zone, tapped both cards and showed a Nature spell, saying:
"Ah cast Faerie Life."
The top card of her deck – Radio Roses, Zenith of "Wisdom" – went into her mana zone, after which she ended. Roger drew, put Necrodragon Abayo Shabayo in his mana zone and tapped all three cards, showing a Nature spell as well.
"I cast Hardcore Roulette!"
The top card of his deck which was Mitsurugi Boost, Matchless Dragon Demon went into his mana zone. Then the two revealed the top cards of their decks, Roger getting Codeking Mozart and Rita getting Wedding, Zenith of "Celebration". Both cards had a cost of 11, so even if it was a tie, Roger won and got to return Hardcore Roulette to his hand. The cowgirl began her turn by drawing and charging mana with Faerie Gift. Then she tapped all four cards and revealed a Water spell, saying:
"Ah cast Intense Vacuumin' Twist."
She then looked at the top five cards of her deck and she selected Prelude of Horror which went into her hand. Roger chuckled at that move, for players usually selected a Fire or Nature card to activate Intense Vacuuming Twist's bouncing ability. Regardless, he drew and put Child Festival of Faerie Fire in the mana zone. Afterwards he tapped three cards and revealed the same spell from before.
"I cast Hardcore Roulette once more!"
The top card of his deck – Trueking Viola Sonata – went into his mana zone. Then they both played Hardcore Judge again and revealed the top cards of their decks, Roger having Necrodragon Odol Needle and Rita having Evolution Burst – Into the Wild. It was 6 VS 6, so once more Roger returned the Nature spell into his hand. Then, tapping his remaining three cards, he cast it yet again, the top card of his deck which was Mendelssohn going to his mana zone. Again they played Hardcore Judge, Roger getting Child Festival of Faerie Fire and Rita getting Pixie Life. It was 3 VS 2, so once more Roger won and got the spell back into his hand.
"He's ramping his mana zone quick, Ah've gotta step up mah game." Rita thought as she charged mana with Hanzou, Menacing Phantom and then she said. "Ah cast Shrine of Rebirth and send Faerie Life and Intense Vacuumin' Twist to mah mana zone. Then Ah cast Seventh Tower!"
"Heh…" Roger chuckled as he saw Intense Vacuuming Twist and Onimaru "Ogre", Golden Dragon and Kiramaru, Great Miracle land in his sister's mana zone, after which she ended her turn.
Roger eyed the card that he lost. He would have done anything to get it back once more, and if crushing his own sister was the price he had to pay, he would have gladly done it. Placing Mendelssohn in his mana zone, he tapped five cards and revealed another Nature spell while saying:
"I cast Mystery Cube!"
Roger's entire deck shuffled itself and then it revealed a multicolored Dragon that had a cost of 9, power of 12000 and belonged to the civilizations of Darkness, Fire and Nature. The red haired man grinned as he put the card in the battle zone and said:
"I put Codeking Wilhelm in the battle zone! With his effect I send Kiramaru, Great Miracle from your mana zone into the graveyard! Then I put the top card of my deck to the mana zone."
"No…" Rita gasped as she saw the green armored red headed Dragon that had purple wings which was wielding a sharp electrical staff appear in the battle zone, its terrifying roar sending Kiramaru from her mana zone into her graveyard, as well as sending Beethoven, Zenith of "Horror" from Roger's top deck into his mana zone.
"I also cast Hardcore Roulette!" Roger continued and the top card of his deck which was Mystery Cube went into his mana zone. "Hardcore Judge!"
This time the top card of Roger's was Mendelssohn while Rita's was Falconer, Lightfang Ninja. It was 2 VS 3, so Rita won and Roger could no longer return the spell to his hand. But that did not matter, as he had increased his mana enough. The cowgirl analyzed the situation better. Both of them had nine mana and Roger had Codeking Wilhelm in the battle zone and two cards in his hand while she only had a Prelude of Horror in her hand. All that she needed was to draw a Zenith and she would finally get the upper hand against her brother.
"Come on, deck, Ah need yer help now more than ever!" Rita thought as she drew, but then she stared at that card, surprised by that turn of events, speaking in the end. "Heh, this can do too!"
"Oh?" Roger reacted as she put Prelude of Horror into her mana zone and tapped six cards.
"Ah summon Cyber N World!"
A black robot with long arms and white external armor appeared, thing which caused the cards from both graveyards to be shuffled back into their decks along with the cards in their hands, after which both players got to draw five new cards. Rita tapped two more mana and said:
"Ah cast Faerie Life!"
Another Prelude of Horror went from the top of her deck into her mana zone. Again two cards were tapped and she continued:
"Ah also cast Pixie Life!"
Evolution Burst – Into the Wild went into her mana zone and then she chose to return Radio Roses, Zenith of "Wisdom" to her hand, after which she ended. A slick smile appeared on Roger's face and two cards went into his mana zone from the top of his deck, those being Codeking Wilhelm and Mendelssohn.
"But how?" Rita's jaw dropped.
"In case you forgot, whenever you put a card into your graveyard, Codeking Wilhelm sends the top card of my deck to my mana zone." Roger explained as he drew a card. "And now it's time to end this – I summon VAN Beethoven, Zenith of "Fighting"!"
A white armored Dragon with long blonde mane, a rainbow sol key shaped shield in its left hand and a rainbow spear in its right hand appeared in the battle zone. White waves came out of the shield and then Cyber N World disappeared, its card returning to Rita's hand.
"VAN Beethoven…" Subaru mumbled as he stared with fear at the might of Beethoven's new incarnation.
"Rita, watch out, that's the card that crushed Blane!" Rad shouted with great worry in his voice.
"Mah Commands and Dragons are now unable to reach the battle zone…" Rita remarked.
"Brilliant observation, dear sister, I'm starting to have a slightly better opinion about you, though slightly…" Roger said as he tapped the multicolored creature in his battle zone. "Codeking Wilhelm, triple break her shields!"
Giving out a war cry, the Dragon swung its electrical staff and fired a strong lightning bolt which zapped away three of Rita's shields. The girl stared with worry at the three cards which went into her hand, as none of them were shield triggers. Unfortunately for her, not even the next card she drew would help her. The only creatures in her hand were Cyber N World and Radio Roses, the rest being cost reducing spells or mana acceleration spells. Sighing, she placed Cyber N World in her mana zone and said:
"Mah turn, Ah cast not one, but two Prelude of Horror! With their effect, Ah summon Radio Roses, Zenith of "Wisdom" for free!"
"What the…" Roger's eyes widened as he saw the grey electromagnetic Zenith with two cannons on its shoulders materialize in the battle zone, after which he lost the other four cards in his hand which were Trueking Viola Sonata, Necrodragon Abayo Shabayo, and two Mitsurugi Boost, Matchless Dragon Demon.
"When Radio Roses is summoned in the battle zone, Ah draw up to five cards and ya discard up to five cards!" Rita announced as five cards went from the top of her deck into her hand. "Ah end mah turn here."
"And this shall be your last turn!" an angry Roger threatened as all eleven cards in his mana zone tapped themselves. "I summon Codeking Mozart!"
A giant black Dragon dressed in a sharp black and golden armor with purple spears at its edges appeared in the battle zone and with its weapon it stabbed the electromagnetic Zenith, the creature destroying and the card of Radio Roses returning to its owner's hand due to Eternal Omega.
"Codeking Wilhelm, break her final shields!" Roger ordered and once more the Dragon zapped the girl's shields, leaving her defenseless. "It's over…"
The heroes stared at Rita with worry. It was indeed over, the duel had been lost. The only question that filled their heads was if there would be anything that could stop the power filled behemoth that Roger had become. But for the time being, they had to prepare to face the upcoming invasion, for nothing would have stopped the Zeniths from that point on. In the end, all that the cowgirl did for her friends was to buy them some time.
"For my entire life I used to believe in the strength of our brother-sister relationship, in the strength of our family's unity." Roger confessed, Rita looking at him with saddened eyes. "But now I see that even this has fallen to the true power of Zero. It was nice knowing you, Rita!"
"Roger…" the girl sobbed.
"VAN Beethoven, todomeda!"
The red haired girl lowered her head and waited for the Zenith to do the finishing move. But just as it fired the multicolored lasers from its spear and shield, Rita raised her head with a determined look on her face and shouted:
"Oh no, this ain't the end, not even on mah dead body!"
"What?" a surprised Roger asked as he saw a plane creature appear and get in the way of his attack, receiving the full blow and exploding.
"Ninja Strike 4, Ah summon Falconer, Lightfang Ninja and block VAN Beethoven!" Rita exclaimed.
"Why you little…"
Cheers came from the crowd of heroic duelists, for she had managed to survive for one more turn. Now all she needed was to either get rid of Roger's three creatures or win the game right then and there.
"Come on, creatures, Ah need yer help now more than ever…" Rita thought and all of a sudden her right hand erupted with a flame-shaped burning white aura that amazed everyone.
"Kaijudo energy…" Roger noticed.
In the next moment, Rita drew her card and a victorious smile appeared on her face, one that worried her brother. Twelve cards got tapped in her mana zone and she revealed the card she had drawn while saying:
"Roger, the era of the King Command Dragons ends here and now – Ah summon Kiramaru, Great Miracle!"
"Impossible…" the pianist gasped.
A giant humanoid with long white hair, wearing a black mask, a pair of black pants and a white armor, wielding a large purple sword in its left hand and a sol key shaped shield in its right hand appeared by Rita's side, its body shining bright white in the night's darkness.
"When Ah summon Kiramaru, we play Hardcore Judge three times. Each time Ah win and reveal a creature, that creature is put in the battle zone. Also, each time Ah win and reveal a spell, Ah cast that spell for free. Also, all of mah creatures get speed attacker!" Rita explained.
"Don't you get so cocky. Let's see if you get to win any Hardcore Judge." Roger reminded her.
"Hardcore Judge!" the siblings shouted and revealed the top cards of their decks in the same time.
The top card of Roger's deck was Beethoven, Zenith of "Horror" while the top card of Rita's deck was Onimaru "Ogre", Golden Dragon. It was 10 VS 11, so Rita won and Onimaru "Ogre " appeared in the battle zone.
"Heh, Onimaru "Ogre" has Red Command Dragon in its race, VAN Beethoven sends to the graveyard." Roger reminded her.
A white armored hybrid between a Human and a Dragon wielding a purple sword appeared for a short time in the battle zone, staring into VAN Beethoven's red eyes.
"Brother, I will save you!" Onimaru promised and then his soul came out of his dissipating body and entered the body of Kiramaru.
"Eternal Omega, Onimaru "Ogre" goes back to mah hand!" Rita said.
Once more they played Hardcore Judge, Roger getting Codeking Wilhelm and Rita getting Wedding, Zenith of "Celebration". It was 9 VS 11, so Rita won and a white armored angelic Zenith wielding two shields appeared by Kiramaru's left side. For the final time the siblings played Hardcore Judge, Roger getting Codeking Mozart and Rita getting yet another Wedding, Zenith of "Celebration". It was 11 VS 11, a tie on the cowgirl's favor and then a second Wedding appeared by Kiramaru's right side.
"No, Kiramaru turns those two shield burners into speed attackers…" Roger mumbled with fear.
"Go, my Weddings, burn all of his shields!" Rita shouted and both angels fired white beams from their shields which incinerated all five of Roger's shields, the pianist staring with disappointment at the cards which went into his graveyard, those being Mendelssohn, Necrodragon Abayo Shabayo, Mystery Cube, Necrodragon Odol Needle and Codeking Wilhelm. "Brother, this is for all the lives ya've tormented! Kiramaru, todomeda!"
The humanoid Zenith jumped in the direction of the pianist and aimed its sword at him. However, the red haired man did not give up that easily. His right hand got surrounded by Zero kaijudo energy that was stronger than ever before and he pointed at Kiramaru and shouted:
"You filthy peasant, I won't let you ruin my dreams! VAN Beethoven, take down Kiramaru!"
Heeding its master's order, VAN Beethoven flew towards Kiramaru and its spear battled with the bigger Zenith's sword until the blade cracked the Dragon's weapon and went straight through its armor. Giving a cry of defeat, the Zenith of "Fighting" had his entire body explode, the only thing remaining being a humanoid with long white hair, blue armor, a blue mask on its face, a golden spear in its right hand and a golden sol key shaped shield in its left hand.
"Shuramaru…" a relieved voice came from the humanoid Zenith's mouth.
"Onimaru!" the lost brother yelled. "I'll show them the greatest miracle in the two of us!"
With that being said, Shuramaru's body got surrounded by a white light and entered the larger body of Kiramaru, the Golden Twins finally being reunited inside it. Then, with a battle shout, Onimaru and Shuramaru aimed the large purple sword at Roger and declared:
"Todomeda!"
Roger could do nothing but scream in fear as he received the defeating blow. As he flew in the air, the Zero kaijudo energy from his right hand disappeared, the white glove with the Zero civilization's symbol burning into nothingness and leaving said hand naked. When the attack was over, the pianist fell defeated on the red carpet and Kiramaru's body disappeared into thin air. What followed next was a large wave of cheers from everyone. It was over. Roger had been defeated at long last. Rita walked to the portal and snapped her fingers, unfreezing the Zeniths. Then, with a threatening voice, she spoke to them:
"What are y'all still doin' here? Move yer butts back home and don't ya ever dare come to this world without mah permission!"
The Zeniths immediately heeded the order of their duelist and tucked tail between their legs. The portal thus disappeared and it began raining with Zero cards upon the castle's roof.
"Heh, it seems that Christmas came early!" Tabitha said as she claimed a Zeta-File, Zenith of "Mystery".
"Christmas was last week." Subaru reminded her.
"Well then Christmas came early in this New Year!" the witch reasoned.
All of a sudden, a bright blue light covered them all and a familiar voice echoed in their ears, those who were once chosen duelists immediately recognizing it.
"My duelists, I know it has been a long time, but at last I have brought you the final member of your team, Rita Thornton, the chosen zero duelist!"
"Impossible, the Proof of Duel Masters…" Subaru whispered.
"But how…" Rad wondered.
"My spirit will live on forever as long as there are duelists in this world who keep playing. Tonight Rita has proven herself worthy of representing the Zero by both taking its power from her brother and foiling the plans of Shangri-La. As such, not only did she bring peace between the Zeniths, but she also spread their power all over the world, which means that everyone is once again able to summon creatures into the human world once more. The Victory cards are no longer exclusive for this power."
"But that means…" Tabitha tried speaking only to be interrupted.
"With the ordinary duelist being able to kaijudo duel once again, your responsibility of taking care of your fellow man has once again returned. Now go, Tsugumi Shirayama, Edo Kanda, Subaru Geki, Rad Flames, Sora Rukkora… and Rita Thornton! May the chosen duelists be Proof of the eternity of Duel Masters…"
The voice then disappeared along with the light, the six mentioned duelists all looking at each other. Rita stretched her hand first, Sora put her hand on hers, Rad on Sora's, Subaru on Rad's, Edo on Subaru's and after a few moments of hesitation, Tsugumi also put her hand.
"Team!" the six of them shouted.
A few feet away from them, the reunited Doctor and Tabitha admired the scene.
"It's so nice to see the kids once more as a team." the witch stated.
"Yeah, it was a long journey preparing Rita, but boy did it pay out in the end!" the Doctor admitted.
"And all for the greater good… I'm proud of you!"
Before the Doctor could say anything, Tabitha caught him in an embrace and kissed him passionately, the man blushing at the reward for his efforts. Barely getting up on his feet and witnessing that his plans had been fully foiled, all that Roger could do was mumble with great shock:
"No…"
"What'd ya say?" Rita asked as she turned to her brother.
"You bastard… how dare you…" Roger uttered.
"Bastard?! Ah'll show ya bastard! It's back to our farm in Texas with you, mister!" the angry sister caught his ear, the brother suddenly growing in fear upon hearing the last statement. "Oh yes, yer not getting' away this time, ya lazy bum! Ma and Pa can't wait to put yer fancy ass to some good ol' work!"
"Hahaha, I'm dying here!" Rad laughed.
"How ironic… and suited…" Subaru coldly commented.
"Roger's going back to the shovel! Roger's going back to the shovel!" Edo chanted mockingly like a child bully.
"Heh, my job here is done." Sora spoke to herself as she admired the duelist in which Rita had grown up.
"Not yet!" a voice spoke from above, prompting the green haired girl to look up.
"What the holy carrot?!" she shouted with amazement as she saw a portal opened and a wooden hand reach out, grabbing her and pulling her up.
"Sora, where are you going? Wait for me!" Edo said and then he grabbed the green haired girl's foot, both of them disappearing in said portal.
The sun's rays were falling upon the prosperous grounds of the Nature civilization's realm, feeding its plants. Many rivers fell from its mountains down through its rich forests and ended up in the ocean. Outside on the beach, a Deathblade Beetle was patrolling the area, making sure that no creature from the Water civilization would dare attempt an invasion. Inside the forest, a tribe of Hustle Berries was cutting down branches of a few trees to make itself a new home. A few feet away from them, a solitary Cavern Raider was supervising their action, trying to guarantee their safety. A shadow fell upon them all, and they looked to see Don Grill, Flavor Chief passing by and making his way to the center of the forest. In his protective hands were both Sora and Edo, the nature duelist confused of the reason she had been taken there while the water duelist was amazed of the sights beneath them.
"I hope the journey was not too harsh for you, Sora-sama." Don Grill said.
"I will survive, Don Grill." the green haired girl replied. "Tell me, with what purpose did you bring me here?"
"Our former leader who is now resting in the World Tree has called upon you, Sora-sama. He needs to discuss something urgent… in private." the tree-like creature alluded as it stared at Edo, who began sweating.
"Nice meeting you too, Donny?" the brown haired boy laughed nervously.
"Worry not. He will wait outside with you." Sora concluded.
"We are here." Don Grill looked ahead, the two duelists doing the same.
In the very center of the forest lied a large tree, its trunk as big as an entire city, its large branches covering the sky like clouds.
"Halt!" Fiona, Horn of Protection shouted and the giant Horned Beast jumped off one of the World Tree's branches and landed face to face with the Flavor Chief. "With what purpose did you bring humans to our world, Don Grill?"
"They aren't ordinary humans, Fiona. Look better at them." Don Grill said as he revealed both Edo and Sora.
"Chosen nature duelist, is it actually you?!" the old and wise Horned Beast gasped.
"Yes, it is I, Sora Rukkora." the green haired did a respectful bow.
"Forgive me for standing in your way." Fiona apologized and stood aside. "You may proceed inside the World Tree… but by this I mean just you, chosen nature duelist."
"Aw man, why does she always get the good stuff?" Edo complained.
"I'll be back, guys!" Sora promised and then she jumped off Don Grill's hand and fell into a hole that led inside the World Tree's trunk.
The chosen nature duelist wandered through the passageways of the World Tree's body, on her way seeing many creatures that survived by living inside its body such as newborn Wild Veggies, cults of Snow Faeries, Tree Folks that were extensions of the World Tree itself, as well as different tribes of Beast Folk that preferred worshipping the core of their civilization rather than pursuing activities normal to their kin such as farming or fighting for territory. In the end she stepped inside a large cave in which she saw a green gooey cocoon in which a Dragon was sleeping. The cocoon was connected to the rest of the tree through many tentacles and it seemed as if it was feeding the entire gigantic plant. Sora approached it with awe and mumbled:
"Diruga Vejida, is it actually you?"
"Sora, my chosen duelist, it has been a long time." a voice came from the slumbering Dragon's body, the girl heeding its call and walking straight to the cocoon, kneeling in front of it humbly.
"Indeed it has, after all these years." Sora recalled. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Ever since I chose you, I had been keeping my eyes on you and everything you did. You lived up to your title during these three years, but you needed more time to prove that you actually captured the essence of our civilization. In these past three months, however, you have matured."
A mirror appeared on the cocoon's exterior, showing the fateful moment when Sora reunited with her friends, as well as the hours in which Sora helped Tabitha build her current deck, followed by those in which she trained Rita in the ways of Nature, all culminating with the cowgirl's victory against her brother, at which the chosen nature duelist played part as well.
"You nurtured your friends, you fought for their unity, you shared with them your knowledge and you trained them with kindness and patience, just like Mother Earth did with those that she gave birth to. With this you have passed the final test. You have met all the requirements necessary for a representative duelist of Nature: a spirit of nurturing, unity and kindness. Thus I deem you worthy of owning the Book of Nature!"
Sora's jaw dropped as a large book with a gooey golden cover that had two overlapping green zigzags came out of Diruga Vejida's cocoon and went into her hands. On the same cover it had 'The Book of Nature' written.
"Inside it you will find the entirety of the Nature civilization's knowledge. Use it well, Sora, and keep making our civilization proud!" the final words of Diruga Vejida echoed and the Dragon returned to its slumber.
"I promise I will!" Sora put her hand on her chest and left.
Foreword (Page 1)
This is the book of the Nature civilization in which all of its knowledge is contained. Reading it, you will learn how to use this civilization at its best potential in any sort of deck, as well as learn about its history and its creatures.
Introduction (Page 2, which contains a large image of the Nature civilization's symbol)
The Nature Civilization is a monocolored civilization that is distinguished by a green color frame and is represented by a tribal design consisting of 2 overlapping zigzags.
History (Page 3)
This section deals with the history of the Nature civilization which is being split into many periods. Here is the index of how it is organized:
Chapter 1: An overview of the Nature civilization
Chapter 2: The beginnings of the Nature civilization
Chapter 3: The wars against Darkness, the alliance with Light and the Megapocalypse
Chapter 4: The defeat of the Survivors, the new Fiona Woods wars and the awakening of the Ancient Dragons
Chapter 5: The Shattered Rainbow and the new alliances
Chapter 6: The Cross Gear wars
Chapter 7: The Arc Seraphims, the Dreammates and the battles against the Phoenixes
Chapter 8: The Rise of the Gods
Chapter 9: The Sengoku Battles
Chapter 10: The return of the Gods
Chapter 11: The leadership of Kankuro and the expansion of the Zeta
Chapter 12: The Alien invasion and the Hunter resistance
Chapter 13: The Zenith invasion
Chapter 14: The Oracle uprising, the Outrage rebellion and the present day
Chapter 1: An overview of the Nature civilization (Page 4)
A dense jungle covers the largest continent, home to the Nature civilization. Here in the hot, humid climate, vegetation grows tall and thick and little sunlight is able to penetrate the vast canopy above.
The World Trees have grown so tall and store so much energy, they almost touch the cities in the Light world. Their stored energy has resulted in a distortion of gravity on the Nature world, creating an overpowering gravitational pull. Creatures from other civilizations are unable to function freely in this unrelenting atmosphere.
Although there are many races in this unique ecology, there are no cities and no one race governs. Instead it is a society where "might makes right," and even Beast Folk, the most advanced of the races, possess only a rudimentary level of technology.
To survive the oppressive gravity on this continent, Nature creatures have developed extraordinarily muscular physiques.
The more advanced races practice the art of body tattooing. Designs often represent religious icons, based on their belief in animism or spiritual worship. The most commonly used symbol is an "eye."
In the past, Nature inhabitants paid little attention to the other civilizations. Now the search for more hospitable surroundings by Darkness and Water civilizations poses a serious threat to the Nature lifestyle. Avoidance of inter-civilization war is no longer an option in the struggle for survival.
Interactions with other civilizations:
The Nature Civilization is allied with the Light and Fire civilizations.
The Nature Civilization is enemies with the Water and Darkness civilizations.
Races:
Balloon Mushroom
Beast Folk
Colony Beetle
Earth Dragon
Emerald Monster
Gaia Command
Giant
Giant Insect
Green Command Dragon
Horned Beast
Mystery Totem
Snow Faerie
Tree Folk
Wild Veggies
Wonder Trick
Shared Races:
Alien (All civilizations share this race)
Arc Seraphim (Shared with Light)
Creator (Shared with Light, Water and Darkness)
Dreammate (Shared with Fire)
Dynamo (Shared with Light, Water and Nature)
Egg (Shared with Darkness and Fire)
God (All civilizations share this race)
Hunter (All civilizations share this race)
Knight (All civilizations share this race)
Lost Crusader (All civilizations share this race)
Lunatic Emperor (All civilizations share this race)
Oracle (All civilizations)
Origin (All civilizations)
Outrage (All civilizations)
Outrage MAX (All civilizations)
Pegasus (Shared with Light)
Phoenix (All civilizations share this race)
Saint Head (Shared with Light)
Shinobi (All civilizations share this race)
Soul Command (Shared with Water)
Spirit Quartz (All civilizations share this race)
Survivor (All civilizations share this race)
Tristone (Shared with Darkness and Fire)
Vehicle Bee (Shared with Fire)
Unknown (All civilizations share this race)
World Bird (All civilizations share this race)
World Command (All civilizations share this race)
World Dragon (All civilizations share this race)
For a more in-depth study upon the Nature civilization's races, turn to page 86.
Unique abilities:
Generally high power-to-cost ratio
Adding of cards to mana zone
Searching the deck for creatures
Power-limited unblockability
Moving creatures to and from mana zone
Breaking of shields when blocked
Forcing certain blockers to block
Reduction of creature or spell cost
Cancelling Shield Trigger effects
Power Attacker (shared with Fire)
Putting Creatures into the Battle Zone For No Cost
Gameplay (Page 63)
This section deals with the impact upon the meta of the Nature cards and how they should be used.
The Nature Civilization focuses primarily on increasing cards in your mana zone and low-cost, high-power creatures.
Chapter 1: Mana zone (Page 63)
The Nature civilization rules over the mana zone, so let us see what good cards it does have:
1.1 Basic mana accel
Bronze-Arm Tribe / Hormone, Maxim Bronze are basic turn 3 mana accel.
Dreaming Moon Knife / Poisonous Mushroom / Yattar Wan, Adventuring Fox are mostly beatdown material for decks that have important evolution creatures like Cosmo Cebu Lambda.
Evolution Burst - Into the Wild is a weaker version of Seventh Tower, though its removal effect could sometimes be good too.
Faerie Life / Living Lithograph are basic turn 2 mana accel.
Hyperspatial Faerie Hole into Quatro Fang, Soul Gang Leader is good for hyperspatial-based decks.
Jasmine, Mist Faerie is basically Faerie Life in creature form, which offers more advantages.
Seventh Tower can give you three mana cards, sometimes for free.
1.2 Niche mana accel
Baban Ban Ban, Earth's Blessing is crazy accel, mostly for decks like Miramisu.
Child Festival of Faerie Fire is seeing some use in Dragon decks like Drama and Miramisu.
Eco Aini is nowadays a staple in Drama.
Faerie Crystal is good boost for Zero decks.
Faerie Miracle is a core card for all-civilization decks such as Miramisu.
Gachinko Roulette is used in many mana ramp fatty decks.
Geo Bronze Magic has seen little use in Miramisu.
Holy Land Rebirth was used in combo decks with graving cards such as Colorful Dance.
Ochappi, Pure Hearted Faerie recycles cards from your graveyard to the mana zone, mostly in combo with cards such as Kodamanma.
Pixie Life is basic turn 2 mana accel and mana recovery for Zero decks.
Shrine of Rebirth got restricted due to its high versatility with graving and strike back cards.
Timeless Garden is turn 2 mana accel for decks that rely on evolution creatures.
1.3 Mana recovery
Geo the Man, Earth Titan is the best since he is both a psychic and a creature that allows mana recovery at the end of your turn.
Kabra Katabra is a shield trigger which allows mana recovery.
Rolling Snowman is the cheapest mana recovery out there.
Titan Giant boosts your mana, has mana recovery and is a solid double breaker. That's a +3 right there.
1.4 Creature spam from the mana zone
Codename Hungry Elegance is good for Zenith Turbo decks.
Goemonkey! Snake-Handed Boss was one of the main engines of N EX, used to spam Bolbalzak Ex from the mana zone and make more mana.
Great Hercules, Giant Insect is obviously great for Hunter beatdown decks.
Sanctuary of the Mother works great with decks that have evolution creature finishers.
Savage Earth is an alternative way of spamming fatties in decks like Miramisu. Due to its strong combo with Onishura, Golden Twins which could spam cards like Onimaru "Head", Victory Rush with ease, it got restricted.
Chapter 2: Removal (Page 65)
Father Earth is good for beatdown decks, sometimes it's great when comboed with Magnum, Fast Attack Puppet.
Leaf Storm Trap is good for control decks.
Natural Snare is the basic removal of Nature.
Princess Cub, the Crusher is Nature's main anti-rush card.
Ragmal, Spirit Knight / Silver Scoop are cheap removals that can be recovered or respammed from the mana zone.
Chapter 3: Draw (Page 65)
Evolution Totem is good for decks that rely on evolution creatures such as Cosmo Cebu Lambda.
Hustle Castle is by far the best draw for Nature, mostly for control decks and sometimes teamed up with Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian.
Lifeplan Charger is good for mana ramp fatty decks.
Shaman Totem could be good, but with the removal we have nowadays it is sort of unreliable.
Chapter 4: Cost reducing (Page 65)
Faerie Gift is amazing, being the core card of many combo beatdown decks.
Kerasas, Start Dash works great for beatdowns.
Kirino Giant is the basis for Giant decks.
Chapter 5: Finishers (Page 65)
Balga Raizou, the Super-Heavenly Nova can spam up to three Dragons, being a favorite in decks like Drama and Miramisu.
Chapter 6: Other interesting cards (Page 66)
Aurora, Izanai's Invitation is the core of Snow Faerie beatdown, mostly comboed with Faerie Gift.
Colorful Dance is a strong graving card in a civilization that doesn't rely on graving.
Courtney, Summer Breeze Faerie works quite well with Space Charge and Mana Arms.
Dandy Eggplant is a highly versatile card that aids Grave Evolution decks and graving decks altogether. It also created a ridiculously strong combo with Inferno Gate and Bolmeteus Sapphire Dragon.
Don Grill, Flavor Chief is ridiculously easy to spam and the main finisher of Wild Veggies Beatdown.
Geo Crashing Miranda, the Dimensional Force is an extremely versatile card, capable of grabbing a very, very wide range of psychic creatures. Also, combining it with Faerie Gift allows a player to get Victorious Ryusei Kaiser out on turn 3, crippling the opponent severely.
Inka, Karma's Curse Crest disables creature shield triggers and Ninja Strikes.
Kishima Giant is unusual because it's discard for Nature.
Mana Crisis is one of the core cards of Mana burn control decks, but it also comboes quite well with cards like Victorious Ryusei Kaiser, Time Tripper, Shadow of Stagnation and Batou Shoulder, Shadow of Fiction.
Mystery Cube is used to spam fatty creatures for free. Today it is the core of Miramisu.
Mystery Hippo is an alternative way to fuel one's graveyard or trigger certain Loop combos.
Terradragon Drapi is a cost 1 triple breaking fatty that in certain situations can come out quickly in the battle zone. It comboes with Dark Lupia quite well too.
Chapter 7: Decks in which Nature cards are most used or required (Page 67)
This is an index to the decks that will further be expanded upon in the following pages.
-Rush (Mono-Nature, Darkness/Nature grave evolution, Fire/Nature)
-Beatdowns (Bombazar beatdowns ~banned~, Emperor Marco beatdown, Beast Folk beatdown, Giant Insect rush, Wild Veggies beatdown, Snow Faerie beatdown)
-Hyperspatial beatdowns (Hyperspatial Genji beatdown, Mad Romanov beatdown ~banned~, Lambda Beat, Miranda Gift, Gift beatdown)
-Turbo decks (Bolmeteus Sapphire Turbo ~banned~, Alphadios Turbo, Dorballom Turbo, N EX, Zenith Turbo, Kaiser "Demon Fang")
-Combo decks (Water/Nature Turbo Trigger, Eggplant Sapphire ~banned~, Heavy Death Metal, Romanesk Reanimation, Sir Virginia Reanimate, Chirico Dragon ~banned~, Romanov Sign, Romanov Reborn, Miramisu, Cyber G Hogan spam, Crimson Sorge ~banned~, IFormulaX-tra Win)
-Control decks (Mana burn control, Hyperspatial control)
-Tribal decks (Drama, Giant Insect rush, Giant, Wild Veggies beatdown, Snow Faerie beatdown)
And so Don Grill brought back both Sora and Edo to the castle. The Doctor and Tabitha decided to accompany Rita and Roger back to Texas while the reunited chosen duelists and their friends returned home with their UFO. But little did they know that Tsugumi helped Ren sneak in on that ride as well. Most of them were asleep after that long journey, with the exception of Sora who was enjoying the contents of her newly acquired book in her room, Luna who was staring at the moon and silently mourning Tiger, and Subaru and Rad who were in the ship's control room, the racer piloting the vehicle back home.
"Leona is dead, Tiger is dead, and all for Roger's dreams of power…" Subaru sighed.
"Subaru…" Rad muttered.
"Poor Blane, he will hardly cope with such losses, especially after tonight."
"We all lose things in life, egghead, but that only makes us value even more the few things we have left."
"Wow, once again you say something way deeper than what I'd expect from you." the black haired one remarked.
"What can I say? Times change us all." the red haired one replied and then he took a quick glance at his colleague and thought. "Soon, Subaru, soon…"
