CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: A Game of Shadows

It's a bit short by my standards, but I felt like ending it at a particular point. And btw…. Chapter 50! Huzzah!

Blight found himself stammering.

He had never before been so nervous when speaking to his Master.

"My lord… My powers did not affect him at all. It was as if he was-…."

Apocalypse turned his gaze to him and fixed him with a frosty glare. The Horseman immediately shut up.

"Your incompetence is substantial, but I cannot envision Haou, Sylar or even Quinn doing any better in your place against this particular opponent. There is a particular quality about him that I have only seen in one other."

Blight desperately wanted to know what that quality was, but knew better than to ask.

Apocalypse continued as if his oldest servant were not even present.

"He has the ability to work outside the influence of the Infinity Council. I know who he is."

He then lapsed into deep thought again, and then spoke with an air of finality.

"Assemble the other Horseman, and have my army ready for battle. It is time, I think, for the Legion to be made aware of the fact that they do not have free reign over this plane of existence."

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Staring out into the empty darkness, with the jeep maintaining a relatively smooth line of motion across the sand, Joey felt strangely at peace, for the first time in quite a while.

Ishizu was driving, with Odion in the front seat with her. Zeruge, Marik and Joey himself were somehow squeezed in the back.

Odion and Zeruge seemed to be in a trance of sorts, maybe asleep.

Marik looked quietly aware of his surroundings.

"Joseph," he uttered, breaking the silence.

The Brooklyn duelist turned to him.

"I know it will be difficult for you to forgive me for all that I have allowed to happen to you'll," he said quietly. "But I hope that if I am successful today, you will at least make a small effort to do so."

"Gee, your 'alter ego' nearly kills me, and then lets Dartz imprison the souls of me and nearly all my friends," mumbled Joey sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure digging up your dad's grave will make it all better."

Marik smiled bleakly. "In time, my friend, in time."

They then lapsed into silence, with nothing except the sound of the desert wind in their ears.

Joey pretty much lost track of time, but was jolted to his senses when Ishizu grinded the jeep to a halt.

He rummaged under the seat and came up with a torch, switching it on.

He aimed it in front of him, and could not contain a small gulp.

They were at the foot of a massive hill, which seemed to rise and dip in an alternating wave form as far as eye could see. There was a similar one a few hundred feet away, and in between the two was a crevice that continued on through the middle, dipping lower and lower.

Through the middle of the valley were a large number of sandstone buildings, varying in size.

"The Valley of the Kings," murmured Ishizu.

"Isn't that where Pharaohs were buried?" demanded Joey.

The holder of the Millennium Necklace nodded. "It is.. However, the tombs of a number of nobles, including Tombkeepers, are located near the mouth of the Valley."

She took the torch from Joey and shone it on a particular sandstone building.

"To access the room where our forefathers have been laid to an eternal rest, one must enter that building. The part above the ground is actually the tip of the iceberg, one must then proceed underground through a series of tunnels and chambers. I will guide you to the entrance of the room of the test, Marik, but once we reach there, I cannot proceed further. Only the patriarch of the Tombkeeper family is allowed to take the test; if I entered I would be killed."

Marik nodded slowly.

He then turned to Zeruge and Joey. "Thank you, both. I will do my utmost not to let you both down."

He walked over to Odion and gave him a rough, one-handed embrace.

"If anything happens to me, please, take care of her," he whispered to the large man.

He then took Ishizu's hand firmly, and with a final smile to the other three, the two siblings made their way into the Valley of the Kings.

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Sylar was perched like a hawk on the very edge of the building that Marik and Ishizu were entering.

He smiled a dark smile to himself and absently stroked the head of the reptile that had curled itself around a pillar next to him.

This would be fun.

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Marik let out a grunt as he pushed the large sandstone door open a crack, allowing them just enough space to slip through.

The passageway they had entered was pitch-black. He fished into his pocket and came out with a flashlight, which he then flicked on.

Ishizu consulted a scrap of paper she had with her in the faint light.

"We need to proceed all the way to the end, and then take the first corridor to the right. Then we proceed down the stairwell."

Her brother nodded, and they silently continued.

While they did not talk, both were as nervous as they had ever been. There was always something frightening about breaking into the burial place of one's forefathers.

"The test," he muttered quietly, breaking the tense silence. "Do you have any idea what it might be, sister?"

"I only wish I did," she replied, after a beat. "I will say this, it is certainly not for the faint of heart. The legend speaks of a well."

Marik quirked an eyebrow. "A well?"

She shrugged. "I know not the details; the texts are extremely vague."

She then paused. They were at the top of the stairs.

"Marik, this is your last chance. You do not have to do this."

He smiled faintly. "I know that sister. However, we are now past the point of no return. I would never be able to live with myself if I did not continue."

No further words were issued as they proceeded down the winding stairs. It took them a good minute, meaning they were at least two levels beneath the ground.

By the time they reached the bottom, Ishizu took the flashlight and shone it around her. The floor was still sandstone. Along the walls were torches who's flames had died a very long time ago. On the floor were random strewn ornaments, and, she noted with a shiver, bones. The ceiling seemed infinitely higher than them.

Directly across from them was another door.

She turned to her brother.

"This is as far as I can accompany you. On the other side of that door is the tomb of our father, and his."

He nodded. She looked into his eyes, and was struck by the degree of self-confidence she saw in them.

"Good luck, Marik."

He clasped her hand and smiled.

"Thank you, sister. I will not let you down."

With that, he stepped toward the large oak door, pushed it open, and disappeared inside.

Ishizu stood there for a moment, no real thoughts entering her mind.

She swung the torch around, and then froze.

The stairs were gone.

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Sylar was hovering near the ceiling, and it was all he could do to contain a burst of cackles.

The look on her face was priceless.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ishizu blinked, and then looked again.

The stairs were just gone. There was no sign of even the tall cylindrical well in which they were contained.

She did not panic yet, and instead swung the torch to all four corners of the room.

There was no sign of the staircase that she had used to descend to the tomb.

The uneasy feeling of claustrophobia crept over her, but she was able to keep her head. This was surely some mind game that the Tombkeepers had installed with their dark magic all those millennia ago. It took all her self-control not to start shrieking for help. Instead she bit her tongue, trying to use the pain to draw her focus away from the predicament, and began searching for another exit route.

She could not follow Marik into the tomb. Only male members of the family were allowed to give the test. Entering that room would be akin to signing her own death warrant.

No, she had to find another way out. She trailed the torch over every inch of the wall, and finally settled on a small opening in the wall opposite to the one Marik had gone through. It was only about four feet high by four feet wide, but seemed to lead into a tunnel of sorts.

She walked over to the wall, and put the torch in between her teeth. It took all her strength to haul herself into the hole. There was not enough space to stretch her arms out, so she had to continue using the torch between her teeth.

She made slow and painfully progress into the darkness which the thin pencil of light was barely able to pierce.

Suddenly, she stopped short.

A hiss.

A coiling green shape flitted in front of her.

A hiss.

A snake.

She let out a horrified scream, dropping the torch in the progress. It was a mad scramble backward, as he bumped her limbs against the sides of the tunnel and hurt them. Within about half the time she had made it forward, she fell out of the tunnel in a heaving, sweating and bleeding mass of flesh and bone.

Now she had no light as well.

The terror almost caused her to black out then and there, but she forced herself to stay calm. She breathed in and out deeply, causing her heart-rate to subside just a little.

"You've dealt with much worse… You can get through this. There is no snake in there, this is too far below ground for something like that to survive. Just get through it."

Her body had stopped shaking, somewhat.

Taking another breath, she forced herself up and back into the tunnel. She crawled forward at a painstakingly slow pace, having to take care not to once again bump the various scrapes and bruises on her arms and legs.

When she reached the point at which she had dropped the flashlight, she then had to scramble around to find it in the dark. She found it, flicked it on, and cursed when it started flickering. Evidently the torch had been damaged when dropped, and she was unsure how long the light would last.

She clasped it between her teeth again, and began using her limbs to propel her forward once more, this time extra wary.

After what seemed to be an eternity, she came to a fork. The tunnel seemed to split into two, with both going in opposite directions. She paused, slightly disconcerted about where to go. It only now occurred to her that these tunnels might eventually come up in the middle of the desert.

She began crawling back, hoping to sort it out in her head, when she bumped into a hard wall behind her.

She gasped, unable to turn her entire body around in the confined space. Instead, she was forced to crane her neck painfully around, somehow shining enough light to see that the way she had come in by was blocked.

How the hell was this happening?

Her entire body began shaking again. The claustrophobia was creeping up once more. Having lived their entire lives in what was literally a small hole in the ground, the Ishtar siblings had sworn never to return to such a place once they had left. She hated confined spaces.

Now, she had no option. She could wait there and sob, but that would only waste however much time was left for the torch's light. She began crawling toward the tunnel on the right.

She moved for another few minutes, and suddenly, the pressure on her shoulders disappeared. She blinked and turned her head up. The ceiling was getting higher.

She continued, and soon, she was able to stand up straight quite easily. She took the torch out of her mouth and shone it around her in confusion. She seemed to be in another dark room, but this one was much bigger. It was a hall of sorts.

Then, all the calmness vanished as she heard another hiss.

She swung the torch around in terror. This time she realized that she was not imagining things. A scaly black reptilian form was visible, writhing on the ground not three meters from her. She recoiled and gasped in shock, dropping the torch as she took a few horrified steps back.

This time, the torch broke completely and the light went out.

But even as this happened, a torch on the opposite wall seemed to flicker on.

Illuminated underneath it was a larger form. It was a cobra, the desert variety. It seemed very angry, balancing just on the tip of its body with its hood flared out in anger.

More hisses sounded in the large empty space. She looked around in horror, and new snakes seemed to be visible every where her glance fell.

She felt for the hole behind her in desperation, thinking that maybe the other tunnel would be safer, but the entrance seemed to be gone. She fell to the ground and rolled into a ball, covering her head with her hands.

"I'm going to die here, these creatures are going to kill me-…"

"Get up, woman," sounded an ice cold voice from the other side of the room.

She turned to see a man standing near the torch, a green snake wrapping itself around his leg, and another curling over his shoulder.

He wore a brownish-military green trench coat, which hovered of the top of his heels in a strangely Kaiba-esque fashion. He also had a heavy black jacket of sorts covering most of his torso. His face was barely visible, with most of it being covered by what seemed to be a large gas mask. His mouth and nose were fully obscured, as were most of his cheeks by the straps. Military cut short hair framed two piercing brown eyes.

"Who… Who are you?" she choked.

The man reached up with a gloved hand and detached his mask momentarily.

Ishizu's hands flew up to her mouth.

"Oh my God…!"

He snapped it back on. "My name is Sylar."

"Tristan… What happened to you-…" she began, but was cut off by a thunderous roar.

"MY NAME IS SYLAR!" he howled, taking a step toward her. The hissing of the snakes began to grow even louder and more angry, and she collapsed into a terrified heap against the wall.

He breathed in for a moment, and then continued in a deathly quiet voice.

"The human race… requires punishment. I am among the ones who will met it out. We will begin right now."

A Duel Disk had appeared on his arm. It was metallic, with a tinge of green to it. It was a lot older and looked more worn out than the regular DD2s. On the side of it, the initials 'CV' were branded onto it in a deep black.

Ishizu gasped as he felt a large, thick, scaly form wrap around her legs.

"You can play this game of shadows. For every life-point that you lose, the boa constrictor that is around your legs right now will start winding tighter. If the count hits zero, then it will crush you alive."

Ishizu began straining and fighting with all her strength, but the snake was far too strong. Breaking free was quite hopeless.

"A Shadow Game has commenced, you wench," spat Sylar. "What arrogance can lead you to believe that you are beneath its rules."

She stopped struggling and clasped a hand over her Millennium Necklace, hoping for some inkling of what to do.

In her mind's eye, a sudden vision flashed, depicting a large armored form that could only be Zeruge grappling with this man who claimed to have been Tristan Taylor. Then, there was nothing.

"What happened to you? How can you be him-…" she pleaded once more.

"Silence!" he enunciated in his blank, emotionless voice.. "Duel."

She sighed. Through her life, she had seen enough sociopaths, such as her father and Yami Marik, to realize that they could not be reasoned with. She did not for a second believe that this lunatic was Tristan Taylor, who had died months ago. However, she could only play his game and stall, in the hope that Zeruge would come in search of her.

An old DD2 flashed into existence under her arm. She reached down under the strain of the tightening snake and picked it up, shivering every time she felt the scales against her legs.

She always carried her deck with her, even if she very rarely dueled. Maybe this time, that act of foresight would come in handy.

Sylar fired off his holo projectors and drew six cards.

(Ishizu: 8000, Sylar: 8000)

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Zeruge stirred.

Odion and Joey looked at him.

"Something is wrong," he muttered. "She shouldn't be taking this long."

"Maybe it's a long way down-…"

"No," replied Zeruge definitively. "She was supposed to join her brother until the entrance, and then return here. Either they have not been able to reach there for some reason, or she is facing an obstruction on the way back."

He flexed his fingers.

"I am going after her."

Odion shuffled his way in front of the demon in panic.

"Please…! Those tombs are sacred! None but a Tombkeeper may enter!"

Zeruge fixed him with a hard look.

"Do you think that at this point I am afraid of the wrath of a dead king whom I was probably far more powerful than to begin with anyway?"

He gently pushed the smaller man aside.

"Joseph, you wait here with Odion. If there is trouble, make for the jeep and leave."

"Right, because I travelled halfway across the world just to run away?" snapped the duelist in reply. "You can go down into that hole in the ground if that's what you want, but I'm staying right here until everyone returns."

Zeruge shrugged.

"Very well. Be careful, in that case."

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"I set one monster facedown in defense mode, and one more facedown card" quivered Ishizu. Two card appeared in front of her. One was vertical, the other horizontal.

"That ends my turn."

He snapped the top card off his deck.

"Normal spell, Snake Rain, activate."

He flipped a card around to show her a card that depicted a pair of explorers cowering in fear as a number of snakes descended from trees above them.

"One card is discarded. Four reptile-type monsters are sent from my deck to my graveyard."

He first slid one card into his graveyard from his hand, and then pulled out his deck. He then selected four cards from his deck, which joined the first one.

"Normal summon, Cyber Venom – Acid Lizard (1900/1800)."

A horrifying, bipedal reptile appeared on Sylar's field. It stood perhaps eight feet tall, and had ugly, brownish-green skin. It was roughly humanoid in shape, but far more muscular. It had the flat head of a snake, with a blue tongue and metal fangs visible as it hissed out at Ishizu. Strapped to its back was a vat of acid, with two wires connected its fangs to the vat. As it hissed again, drops of acid dripped off its teeth, corroding the floor beneath it.

"Acid Lizard gains one hundred attack points for every machine or reptile monster in my graveyard. I sent four via Snake Rain, and discarded another for its cost. Therefore, Acid Lizard will gain five hundred attack points."

The evil looking reptile growled as its score began to tick upward (2400/1800).

"Acid Lizard, kill."

It let out an ear-piercing screech and charged across the field. The brown-backed card flipped over to reveal what seemed to be a half invisible angel. Its body was completely transparent, but gloves, shoes and a crown were all visible. Clasped in the gloves was a bow and arrow. It seemed about to take aim at the oncoming attacker, but the motion was not completed in time, as the Acid Lizard sank its burning fangs into where the angel's neck would have been. Its body materialized for a bare moment, before going up in flames.

Ishizu gagged suddenly and almost fell over, as the boa began to tighten in a painful fashion.

(Ishizu: 6000, Sylar: 8000)

"But, my Skelengel (900/400) was in defense mode," she managed.

"Acid Lizard deals Piercing Damage," informed Sylar.

Ishizu struggled to digest this. A level four monster with a base attack score of nineteen hundred had an attack-boosting and a Trample damage ability? What kind of cards did this Sylar have access to?

"Even so, I draw one card by Skelengel's flip effect," she managed.

The Horseman did not miss a beat, flipping another card in his hand around.

"I can discard Cyber Venom – Sinister Naga (500/350) whenever you draw a card outside of your draw phase, and draw two cards myself in return," he boomed.

A green cobra appeared for a moment on his field, with metal plates covering half its body. It disappeared soon after, but its master's hand size was increased by a net of one card.

He looked over his cards for a moment, and then slid another two cards into the magic/trap card zone.

"End turn."

Ishizu drew.

"I activate Monster Reborn, special summoning Skelengel from my graveyard in defense mode."

The invisible angel reappeared on her field.

"Then, I tribute it to call upon Majestic Mech – Goryu (2900/1800) in attack mode!"

Instantly, a white dragon like creature materialized onto the field. It had many bands of white on its body, with its mid-section, which was close to its head, having a pair of metal wings attached. A majority of its body appeared to be golden sparkling energy, which was somehow retained in the white bands.

"Goryu, attack his Acid Lizard!"

The levitating beast let out a battle cry and then spat out an orb of golden energy in the direction of Sylar's monstrosity.

"Zero Gazer, activate," interrupted Sylar. "The attack points of your attack target is reduced to zero, but I draw one card."

The Acid Lizard let out a cry of shock as its score tumbled down (0/1800), and it was shattered into millions of tiny pixels by Goryu.

Sylar, however, did not even seem like he had felt the damage.

(Ishizu: 6000, Sylar: 5100)

"Why would he do that?" she wondered.

It was as if he read her mind.

"Merely so that I can chain Damage = Reptile!" he continued with a condescending smirk.

A trap card depicting a large green snake looming over a red-headed duelist flipped up on his field.

"This continuous trap allows me to special summon a reptile-type monster from my deck who's attack points are equal or less to the damage I took through battle."

Ishizu gasped. "But he took 2900 damage!"

"Come forth, my Cyber Venom – Mecha Conda (2600/2300)."

Appearing in front of Sylar was an enormous anaconda. Its body is covered in jet black metal plates that are changing colors to blend in with the jungle foliage, the upper half of its body de cloaking as its jaws, mechanically altered with metal hinges allowing it to open its jaw at almost a complete 180 degree angle. The initials 'CV' are branded on its bladed tongue.

"Complete your move."

The priestess looked at her hand, confusion entering her thoughts. She had done a large amount of damage, but had not expected Sylar to summon out another powerful monster so quickly. She would need to preserve Goryu.

"I activate Brightening Future. Until the end of the turn, any angel-type monster on my field is unaffected by the effects of monster, spell, or trap cards: including itself! Now, Goryu's effect states that it will be destroyed at the end of the turn if I tribute just one monster to summon it. Thanks to Brightening Future, that will not be the case."

"A lamb for slaughter."

"I end my turn," she mumbled, shaking her head and trying to ignore his taunts.

Sylar snapped the top card off his deck.

"Come, Cyber Venom – Metameleon (1200/800)."

Appearing next to the terrifying anaconda was a large, mutated chameleon. As one would expect with all chameleons, it had no definite color. Every time it shifted, its skin turned from blue, to black, to red, continually. However, parts of its skin were replaced by pieces of metal, which seemed to have computer chips in them, and 'CV' inscribed on them. It seemed every time the creature moved, the chips directed what color it would change to. It left its lower jaw hanging out loosely, a large object which Ishizu was hoping was not the creature's tongue flicking in and out.

"Metameleon's effect deals you two hundred damage for every machine-type monster in my graveyard."

Ishizu blinked. "Machine?"

Before the next thought could even form in her mind, the chameleon let out a disturbing hiss, one that seemed to cause even the Mecha Conda to take notice, and its tongue splashed out and latched onto Ishizu's arm.

She looked down in horror and disgust to see the long red thing wrapped around the area above her wrist. Suddenly, the chameleon changed color again, and white hot pain began to flash in Ishizu's eyes. She would have fallen over if not for the boa around her legs. She screamed until her throat was hoarse, but the pain would not end.

Finally, when it seemed like it was over, and the beast retracted its tongue, Ishizu felt another, familiarly horrible sensation around her legs. She barely opened her eyes to see the boa beginning to curl its way upward, and tighten its grip on her. She literally could not budge from that spot.

(Ishizu: 4800, Sylar: 5100)

"Now, I will activate Mecha Conda's effect," continued Sylar. "By skipping his attack, I can remove from play one monster on your field."

Before he even finished speaking, the cybernetic reptile curled itself backward like a spring, and then pounced across the field. Goryu looked up in time, but was helpless to do anything as the bloodthirsty beast of death wrapped itself around him, similar to what Ishizu was undergoing at that time.

Within seconds, the angel was on the floor, completely wrapped up in the anaconda's coils. It then suddenly contracted, and following a sickening crunch, Goryu stopped writhing. The snake then uncoiled itself, and opened its mouth to an almost 180 degree angle, swallowing the once powerful angel completely.

Ishizu was unable to look, but at the same time unable to tear her eyes away from the gruesome scene she had just witnessed.

"Mecha Conda will gain one Corpse Counter when this effect is used. That is not of your concern, however. Metameleon, make her wish she had never been born."

The terrible tongue shot out again. This time it wrapped around her waist, beginning to drag her towards the waiting and leering Mecha Conda and Metameleon. She cursed loudly again and again, batting away at the tongue with her hands as hard as she could. However, the boa began to tighten itself once more, and the pain effectively ended her resistance.

Her vision went temporarily blank. By the time she was able to see again, she found herself face to face with the disgusting yellow eyes of Sylar's mechanized chameleon, who's tongue was only just uncurling. She let out a sharp shriek and dragged herself across the floor as far as the boa around her feet would allow her.

(Ishizu: 3600, Sylar: 5100)

"It is now your move."

Ishizu drew weakly. She knew she had no hope of winning this duel. Sylar was arguably the most powerful duelist she had ever seen. Not Yugi, not Kaiba, not even Yami Marik had access to such devastating cards, as well as the knowledge to use them so effectively. Her only hope of survival was to prolong the duel a little more, in the hope that it would afford Zeruge enough time to catch onto the fact that she had not emerged yet and then find her.

"Hyster-… Hysteric Fairy (1800/500), come."

In a burst of angel feathers the female angel was born. The swirling mass of feathers coalesced into the tall figure of his angel. She wore a school uniform, clutching books in one arm. Small dovish wings extended from her back, and she absent mindedly adjusted her glasses.

"Attack… Metameleon."

The fairy gave her mistress a look of concern, but then nodded and flew across the field, white energy forming in her hands.

She threw it at the weaker Cyber Venom monster, which resulted in a small explosion that covered Sylar's field for a moment.

When it cleared, the target, as well as Sylar's life-points, seemed completely unaffected.

The Egyptian woman was too drained and in far too much pain for the horror to even register with her.

"When another monster is in play, Cyber Venom – Metameleon cannot be targeted by an attack," said Sylar coldly.

Ishizu's head lolled back, and she almost felt like welcoming the darkness that would emerge and take her very soon. She was by no means a fatalist, but the truth was, she would give anything for this pain to end. Any human being with a normal threshold for suffering would./

"End… End turn."

Sylar drew.

"How pathetic. She is unable to put up even a fight. And yet, there is something to take from this. She is the first human I have encountered who is willing to roll over and accept the fate I have decided for him or her. Perhaps humans are indeed beginning to understand that their life has no meaning, and therefore there is no point in attempting to preserve it."

"In any case," he continued aloud, even though Ishizu could barely hear him. "You have served your purpose as the bait."

He pointed toward her.

"Metameleon's effect will activate. Then, both my monsters will attack."

The Mecha Conda as well as its smaller comrade let out blood-curdling hisses. The former burrowed across the field, and then swallowed the squealing angel whole. The latter then reached out its tongue for one final time, sending waves of pain writhing through Ishizu's body.

(Ishizu: 0, Sylar: 5100)

Metameleon withdrew, and the boa began to finish the job. It was wrapping itself tighter. Soon, she was not visible at all, as the snake tensed its muscles, ready for the contraction that would eventually break every bone in her body-…

Then, suddenly, the sky fell down. At least, that was what it seemed like to Sylar, who was caught completely off guard as the ceiling exploded. He was buried under ton after ton of millennia old sandstone. That was only part of the ceiling: the other section, above Ishizu, seemed ready to crack under any second.

It was Zeruge. He descended from the gap in the ceiling like a vision from Hell, his wings were splayed out like some sort of monstrous bat.

He saw the human shaped form underneath the writhing boa constrictor, and it clicked within his mind.

He slammed down onto the ground next to it, and then knelt. He plunged his hands through the coils, desperately trying to pull Ishizu out. He was unable to find her underneath the mass of the now dead reptile.

Two massive hands descended, and he got a good hold on a portion of the snake's torso. His muscles tensed, and with a blood curdling howl he pulled in opposite directions. The snake had begun to let out a very low hiss of annoyance, but it was then silenced as Zeruge literally tore it in half. Its entire body, rather, two pieces of its body, went slack, and he was able to uncoil it from over the woman's body like a string from around a needle.

He bundled the unmoving woman into his arms, and then leapt into the air again. He raised his head, and then slammed through the remainder of the ceiling, resulting in a complete collapse of the room. He continued on, smashing through the ceiling of the ground floor which Ishizu and Marik had entered, and then found himself in the cold, clear night sky.

He came to a landing a few feet across from where Joey and Odion were standing, watching him in shock and awe.

He laid Ishizu down gently on the sand. He did not trust himself to administer her, the adrenaline was still rushing through his veins.

Odion's look of fascination changed to utter horror.

"Sister…!"

He fell to his knees and placed a hand on her neck.

"Her pulse," he choked. "It's barely there…!"

Joey had no idea what was going on. He only knew that Zeruge was furious beyond words, and Odion seemed to be going into shock upon seeing his adoptive sister in such a helpless state. Ishizu was dying, and he was the only one in an emotional condition to save her.

He shoved Odion aside, who was now rambling away in Egyptian, and checked her pulse again for good measure. The large man was right, it was very weak.

He began to administer CPR, pressing down hard on Ishizu's chest to try and force air into her lungs. He wrinkled his face and then placed his mouth on hers, blowing oxygen in as hard as he could. It was to no avail. She simply was not moving.

He continued on for at least three minutes, and then pulled back, gasping for air himself through the exertion.

He looked at the woman's face. The cold pallor of death was far too noticeable. He placed a shaking hand on her neck again, and this time felt nothing.

He fell back on his behind, cold realization dawning on him.

"She's… gone," he mumbled.

Odion fell to his knees and slammed his hand onto the ground, letting out a hoarse cry of sorrow and frustration.

Zeruge, meanwhile, simply stood facing the rubble, absolutely still.

Before anyone could say anything else, the rubble then exploded outward. Pieces rained down all across the desert, narrowly missing the small dune on which they were standing at that point. For a moment, their vision was completely obscured by the uncountable dust particles which were suspended in the air by the eruption.

Finally, the desert wind took over and began to blow it away.

Standing at the epicenter was a tall, lithe figure which Joey would recognize anywhere. The trench coat, the gas mask…

"Tristan," he gasped. "No, Sylar," he corrected himself mentally.

His blood ran cold, but at the same time, the rage began to build up inside him. It was not everyday that one could come face to face with one's own murderer.

The Horseman began to step out of the mess, slowly.

"Hello, Joseph," he said softly. "It seems you survived our last ordeal. This time, you will not be so fortunate-…"

His words were cut off by an inhuman roar.

Everyone turned to its source: Zeruge.

He was still standing in that same position, facing Sylar. His entire body was shaking, and his head bowed.

"I… will not let you… get away with this."

His body began to shake even more. The sand underneath him began to cave in. It was as if he was standing in a sinkhole; his position was just getting lowered. Any stones and rocks within five feet were beginning to levitate around him.

The demon's muscles were beginning to grow to twice their normal size, straining his armor. He let out another inhuman cry.

"I WILL NOT LET OUT GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

Joey gulped and grabbed Odion, pulling him back. The demon was beginning to scare the shit out of him.

The sentence trailed off into a deep, primal roar, one which resonated throughout the desert, scaring people in Cairo awake and keeping all manner of birds and beasts on their toes.

Sylar said nothing, but then Zeruge finally looked up at him.

His eyes had acquired an animalistic quality. Normally, the yellow orbs looked quite arrestingly exotic. Now, they were completely wild, like those of a bear that had lost its mind and would kill everything in its path until it was put down. They were the eyes of a man consumed with utter fury.

When he spoke, it was a voice that was not his own. It had just as much pure hatred, venom, and primal rage in it as Sylar's did, perhaps even more. Now that was enough to disconcert even the Third Horseman himself.

"You… You think you can take life as you please, without any consequences."

His fists tightened. "Well, I have news for you…"

A crimson aura exploded around him, sheer energy driving Sylar down onto one knee.

"I will not allow it ANYMORE!"

He then half turned to Joey and Odion, who were both absolutely terrified.

"Get out of here."

The two did not need any further words. Joey quietly picked Ishizu's body up and dropped her into the back seat of the jeep they had used to get here. He then put a hand on Odion's shaking shoulder and dragged him over to the passengers' seat, getting into the driver's seat himself.

He hated Sylar more than anyone in the world, but knew in a straight up fight the Horseman could crush him like an ant underneath a boot. But that was not even the reason he was leaving, he would gladly trade his life for an attempt at vengeance against the Horseman.

He was leaving because he knew that when someone of Zeruge's power got that angry, one simply obeyed him unquestioningly.

He revved the engine up, mentally wondering where the nearest city was, and if it had a hospital.

"Give that son of a bitch hell," he muttered to himself, and drove off, leaving the two titans of battle facing each other.

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Cannot wait for what is to come ^^ Sorry again if it was a bit short, will update soon.