Author's Note: Well, I'm finally back with another update to this story. Sorry for not getting this chapter up two weeks sooner, but I ended up having some major difficulties. During the holidays, I got slammed at my job much harder than I thought I would. Then on Christmas Day I came down with a nasty stomach virus that took me three days to get over. After all of that, getting back to work on this story proved to be kind of hard. I'm back now though, so let's get to the next installment of this strange, strange crossover of mine.

Disclaimer: I do not own Revolutionary Girl Utena or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

Chapter 31: From the Underworld

"For my first move, I summon Pyramid Turtle in Defense Mode!" the Skeleton Knight announced.

Materializing next to the Skeleton Knight's undead horse was a large turtle with sand-colored scales and two small red eyes that were painted with green markings around the edges. The top of its shell was a pyramid made of yellow brick. Attached to the turtle's chin was a green prosthetic beard like the kind worn by Egypt's pharaohs, and atop its head was an ornate crown with a large orange sun disk between two blue, green and red snake-like ornaments.

"I set one card on the field and end my turn," the Skeleton Knight announced. "Your move, Prince Utena."

Utena drew her first card. "First I activate the Spell card, Foolish Burial and send Junk Specter from my deck to the Graveyard! Next I summon Mono Synchron in Attack Mode!"

Appearing next to Utena's D-Wheel was a small bipedal robot with a green and grey body. Set into the top of the machine's torso was a yellow egg-shaped head with two large blue eyes and a large number one on the forehead. The robot had two rudimentary arms that projected out from the front of its torso. Each arm ended with a large red stamp of the number one.

"Since I have a Synchron monster on the field, I can use Junk Specter's effect to summon him from the Graveyard!" Utena announced.

On cue, Utena's hooded warrior appeared next to Mono Synchron as a transparent ghost.

"Any monster that's used as Synchro Material with Mono Synchron is treated as being level one!" Utena announced. "So I tune the level one Mono Synchron into the now level one Junk Specter for a level two Synchro Summon!"

Mono Synchron fired a beam of red light from the stamp on his right arm at Junk Specter, striking the phantom warrior on the forehead. Soon after, a large red number one decorated Junk Specter's mask. Mono Synchron then flashed orange and changed into a single ring made of green light, which encircled Junk Specter and transformed him into a white star.

"Fledgling knight of unlimited potential! Take up your sword and lead the charge of a new revolution!" Utena chanted. "Synchro Summon! A new hope! Wonder Knight!"

The star flashed and became a ray of white light that shot down the track and expanded outward. In moments the light broke apart to reveal a small knight clad in white and gold armor. Covering his head was a large white helmet with a gold visor covering his face, and two large pink plumes decorating each side. Mounted on the knight's left arm was a white shield almost as large as his body and decorated on the front with a gold version of the Rose Seal, and in his left hand he held a short sword with a silver blade and an ornate golden handle. On the knight's back were two fairly small golden-feathered wings that appeared to be merely decorative.

"Now that's a surprise," the Skeleton Knight remarked. "Seems like a bit to much trouble to go through in order to summon a level two monster with only 1400 ATK."

"I activate Wonder Knight's effect!" Utena announced. "By banishing a Junk monster from my Graveyard, Wonder Knight's effect lets me summon a Synchron Tuner monster from my deck in Defense Mode with its effects negated! I banish Junk Specter from the Graveyard to summon Junk Synchron from my deck!"

Wonder Knight slashed his tiny sword through the air, creating a portal of golden light. Junk Synchron jumped out through the portal shortly before it vanished.

"I tune the level three Junk Synchron into the level two Wonder Knight for a level five Synchro Summon!" Utena announced.

Junk Synchron pulled the ripcord in his chest armor, causing the large engine on his back to rev to life. The bespectacled Tuner flashed orange and changed into three green rings of light. The rings then encircled Wonder Knight and transformed him into two white stars.

"The stars of light now come together to create the path to a noble future!" Utena chanted. "Synchro Summon! Charge forth! Junk Knight!"

The stars flashed and became a ray of white light that shot down the track and expanded outward. Moments later the light faded to reveal Utena's rust-covered knight.

"Ah-ha! So that low-level Synchro Monster of yours was summoned merely as an alternate way for you to bring forth Junk Knight," the Skeleton Knight observed. "Of course what you haven't realized is that there's a much better use for Wonder Knight that you haven't realized yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Utena asked.

The Skeleton Knight looked ahead down the track. "…Nothing. Just thinking out loud, to use one of your modern expressions. Now, go on with your turn!"

"You asked for it! Junk Knight! Attack Pyramid Turtle!" Utena commanded. "Rocket Joust!"

The rockets hidden in the base of Junk Knight's lance ignited and propelled him through the air across the track. In moments the tip of Junk Knight's lance struck Pyramid Turtle's pointed stone shell and crushed it into rubble. Soon after, the remains of Pyramid Turtle shattered into particles of gold light.

"I now activate Pyramid Turtle's effect!" the Skeleton Knight announced. "When Pyramid Turtle is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can summon a Zombie monster with 2000 or less from my deck! I summon forth Lich Lord, King of the Underworld in Attack Mode!"

Appearing in Pyramid Turtle's place was a human skeleton made of blackened bone, with a single red spectral light burning in the center of the skull's left eye socket. It was clad in a very tattered red hooded cloak, and around his skull over his hood was a tattered crown that appeared to be of Celtic design. On his back were two large black-feathered wings like those of a fallen angel. In his boney right hand, the skeleton held a long wooden staff with a strange carving at the top almost resembling a coiled serpent. Embedded in this carving was a round glowing red stone.

"Now we each control a monster with 2400 ATK," the Skeleton Knight observed. "It seems we are currently at a stalemate."

"I set one card on the field and end my turn!" Utena announced. "Now tell me something, Skeleton Knight. Before we go any further with this duel, why the hell have you been doing all of this? Why have you been trying to win Anthy from me so that you can kill her?"

"I will tell you this much…like you, my goal is to put a stop to End of the World's game!" the Skeleton Knight revealed.

Utena blinked in surprise. "You mean…you're not working for End of the World?"

"I did…very long ago. But like Mikage, I was merely a pawn that End of the World tossed aside when my usefulness to him had ended."

"So what, you're just some ghost out for revenge?"

"Revenge? Yes…I suppose that is a part of it. End of the World wronged me in many ways. But believe it or not, my true goal is to thwart End of the World's plans in order to prevent this world's destruction! You do not realize it Prince Utena, but if this game goes just the way that End of the World wants it to and he wins, the earth will be plunged into eternal darkness and torment, with all of humanity becoming his slaves!"

"You're trying to say that you're some sort of hero?"

"A hero? No. I make no pretenses of being a hero…just a desperate shell of a man trying to stop an unspeakable evil. But unlike you, I am willing to do anything to achieve my goals! You wish to end this game to save Anthy Himemiya, but that is a luxury I cannot afford! The Rose Bride is a key cog in End of the World's machine. If that cog is broken off, the entire machine will break down and the game will end without a victor! End of the World will be forever cheated of his prize!"

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you kill Anthy!"

"Then defeat me!" the Skeleton Knight told her as he drew his next card. "I play the Ritual Spell card, Contract of Hades! Using this card, I sacrifice Lich Lord to Ritual Summon White Lich, the Underworld Mage!"

Suddenly appearing in the air with a massive burst of blue flames was a gigantic grey stone gate carved to look like the face of a skull, with two red balls of flame burning in the eye sockets. The toothed doors that served as the skull face's mouth slid open and shot forth a massive blast of blue flames that completely enveloped Lich Lord. In moments the flames died away to reveal a skeleton made of gold-colored bone wearing a tattered white hooded cloak. A spectral green light glowed from the left eye socket of the skull, and a pair of red-feathered wings grew from its back. In his boney right hand, the skeleton held a staff made of back wood, the top of which was carved into a boney hand clutching a finely cut glowing emerald.

"Due to his effect, when Lich Lord is used as a sacrifice for a card effect like that of a Ritual Spell, he returns to my hand," the Skeleton Knight announced. "At this moment I activate my Trap, Wandering Spirits! By banishing the Zombie-Type Pyramid Turtle from my Graveyard, I'm able to summon two Wandering Spirit Tokens to my field in Defense Mode!"

Suddenly appearing next to the White Lich were two small transparent phantoms made of white mist. Each ghost had long wispy tails, two spindly arms, and a face twisted in agony.

"For my normal summon this turn, I sacrifice one of my Wandering Spirits to summon Lich Lord to the field again in attack Mode!" the Skeleton Knight announced.

One of the two ghosts shattered into particles of purple light as a twister of black wind appeared around it. In seconds the twister subsided to reveal the Skeleton Knight's original black-winged lich.

"Now I activate the effect of White Lich!" the Skeleton Knight announced. "By sacrificing another monster, White Lich's magic increases the ATK of all Zombie monsters I control by 400 points until the end of my turn! I offer my remaining Wandering Spirit Token as a sacrifice!"

The remaining ghost shattered into particles of purple light that flowed into the glowing emerald fitted into the top of White Lich's staff, causing it to glow even brighter. The White Lich raised his staff into the air and bathed the area around the Skeleton Knight and his undead steed in a nearly blinding green light. The light soon subsided and both of the Skeleton Knight's monsters began to give off a feint orange aura. Lich Lord's ATK had rose to 2800, while White Lich's ATK had risen all the way to 3000.

"And now I attack Junk Knight with Lich Lord!" the Skeleton Knight announced. "Light of the Red Death!"

"I activate Junk Knight's effect and banish Junk Synchron to prevent him from being destroyed!" Utena announced.

Lich Lord raised his staff in the air and fired a beam of crimson light from the jewel fitted into the top of his staff at Junk Knight. The rust-covered knight raised his shield to block the attack. The red beam struck the shield and did no damage, but the attack still dropped Utena's life points to 3600.

"A futile defense!" the Skeleton Knight declared. "I attack Junk Knight again with White Lich! Underworld Curse!"

"I activate my Trap, A Knight's Tenacity!" Utena announced. "This card prevents Junk Knight from being destroyed by White Lich's attack!"

White Lich raised his staff and fired a blast of green flames from the emerald atop his staff. As the stream of flames traveled across the track, its head morphed into the face of a screaming skull. Junk Knight raised his shield to block the attack, only for the flames to strike him and envelope him in a massive explosion. The resulting shockwave rocked Utena's D-Wheel, lowering her speed and dropping her life points to 3000. When the flames died away though, Junk Knight was still standing.

"When the effect of A Knight's Tenacity successfully resolves, I get to draw one card!" Utena announced.

"…I set one card on the field and end my turn," the Skeleton Knight announced. "And with my turn's end, the attack of my two Lich monsters return to their original values."

On cue, the feint orange auras that had been emanating by the two skeletons faded to nothing.

"Now Prince Utena, show me what you're really capable of!" the Skeleton Knight dared.

Utena drew her next card. "I summon Nitro Synchron in Attack Mode"

On cue, Utena's small can-shaped robot appeared on the track next to Junk Knight.

"I tune the level two Nitro Synchron into the level five Junk Knight for a level seven Synchro Summon!" Utena announced.

Nitro Synchron flashed orange and changed into two green rings of light. The rings encircled Junk Knight and transformed him into five white stars.

"The stars of the valiant shall come together and blaze a trail to a victorious future!" Utena chanted. "Synchro Summon! Ignite! Nitro Knight!"

The stars flashed and ignited into a stream of flames that shot down the track and expanded outward. In moments the flames died away to reveal Utena's large black and grey axe-wielding knight, with its single plume-like flame that burned from the top of his helmet.

"Since Nitro Synchron was used to Synchro Summon a Nitro monster, I get to draw one card!" Utena announced. "Next I equip Nitro Knight with Scrapyard Shield!"

Materializing on Nitro Knight's left forearm was a large round grey shield resembling a trashcan lid that was chipped on the sides and covered in rust.

"Scrapyard Shield raises Nitro Knight's DEF to 2700!" Utena announced. "But more importantly, since Nitro Knight was equipped with a card, he gains 1000 ATK until the end of my opponent's next turn!"

The flame atop Nitro Knight's helmet began to burn brighter and his ATK climbed to 3700.

"Nitro Knight! Attack Lich Lord and send that bag of bones to the Graveyard once and for all!" Utena ordered. "Flame Breaker Crash!"

Nitro Knight leapt into the air and came down towards Lich Lord as the head of his axe suddenly became shrouded in flames.

"I activate my Trap, Underworld Frost!" the Skeleton Knight announced. "When a Zombie monster I control is attacked, Underworld Frost negates the attack and ends the Battle Phase! Afterwards, all monsters my opponent control loose 1000 ATK!"

Just as Nitro Knight was about to bring his flaming axe down upon Lich Lord's skull, a freezing wind emanated from the black skeleton and forced Nitro Knight back. The black and grey knight was knocked onto his back. Not only that, the flame burning atop his helmet diminished and his armor became covered in a strange purple frost.

"You disappoint me, Prince Utena," the Skeleton Knight remarked. "Given your performance in past duels, I was expecting you to make a much better move than that. But instead you charged in blindly and fell into an easily avoidable trap! That mistake will cost you dearly!"

Utena scowled as Nitro Knight got back to his feet. "I set one card on the field and end my turn!"

The Skeleton Knight drew his next card. "I now activate the final effect of Contract of Hades from the Graveyard! By banishing Contract of Hades from the grave, I can call forth a Dark Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck by using Zombie monsters I control as the material! I use offer up Lich Lord and White Lich as materials for the Fusion!"

Suddenly the stone skull-faced gate that had first summoned White Lich appeared on the track ahead of where the Skeleton Knight and Utena were headed. Lich Lord turned into a ball of red flames while White Lich transformed into a ball of blue flames. Both fireballs flew into the eye sockets of the skull gate, causing the fires already burning there to turn purple.

"Crimson lich who serves as the Underworld's king! Lich in white who serves as the Underworld's wizard! Merge the energy of your souls together and offer it up to the ultimate dragon of Hades!" the Skeleton Knight chanted as be brought his boney hands together. "Fusion Summon! Arise from the Underworld! Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon!"

The mouth of the skull gate opened up and a massive pillar of purple flames shot forth from it like a geyser. After a few moments the flames died away to reveal a gigantic dragon with a body made of purple muscle tissue. Its lower half was a long serpent-like tail with boney white rings running down its length starting from the beast's stomach, white its large muscular chest was covered in bone-white armor. The shoulders of the dragon's two powerful arms were covered by sets of three massive toe-like bones tipped with large black claws, and its forearms were covered in bone-white armor that went up to the elbows, with the fingers of its hands ending with large claws. On its back were two large grey bat-like wings, along with two pieces of white armor covered in spikes on the front and had pieces of tattered black cloth streaming from the back. The dragon had a long neck with white spiked rings traveling up its length and ending with a head covered in white bone-like armor. Its head had a skull-like face with no snout and two yellow eyes, and from the sides of the head grew two very large black horns that curved forward.

As soon as the dragon appeared, it let out a horrid roar that echoed across the track. A thick black aura radiated from the dragon's body. The mere sight of Dragonecro filled Utena with an intense fear that she had never felt before, even living as an orphan down the Commons.

"This is your ultimate test, Prince Utena!" the Skeleton Knight declared. "If you cannot defeat my Duel Dragon, then you are truly unworthy of reaching Seibal! And if that is truly the case, I shall do what you have been too weak to do and end this game by ripping out the Rose Bride's beating heart!"

Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the first installment of Utena's duel against the Skeleton Knight. Let's cut to the chase and talk about the new cards that appeared in this chapter. First we'll cover the original cards I made for the Skeleton Knight.

White Lich, the Underworld Mage

DARK/Zombie/Ritual/Effect/6/ATK 2600/DEF 1000

You can Ritual Summon this card with "Contract of Hades". Once per turn: You can sacrifice 1 other monster you control; Increase the ATK of all Zombie-Type monsters you control by 400 until the End Phase

Contract of Hades

Ritual Spell

This card is uses to Ritual Summon "White Lich, the Underworld Mage". You must also tribute monsters whose total levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. During your Main Phase (except the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard): You can banish this card from your Graveyard; Fusion Summon 1 DARK Fusion Monster using Zombie-Type monsters on the field you control.

Wandering Spirits

Trap Card

Banish 1 Zombie-Type monster from your Graveyard; Special Summon 2 "Wandering Spirit Tokens" (DARK/Zombie/2/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your side of the field in Defense Position.

Underworld Frost

Trap Card

Activate when a Zombie-Type monster you control is attacked; negate the attack and end the Battle Phase. When this effect successfully resolves, lower the ATK of all face-up monsters your opponent currently controls by 1000.

For the Skeleton Knight's Main Deck, I decided to take one of my favorite old-school Zombie monsters, Lich Lord, King of the Underworld, and build around it a little. Thus was the origin of White Lich. I also wanted to use this early part of the duel to illustrate how Lich Lord can make good Ritual Monster support. Anyway, let's take a look at the only new card that Utena used in this half of the duel.

Wonder Knight

LIGHT/Warrior/Synchro/Effect/2/ATK 1400/DEF 100

1 Tuner + 1 one non-Tuner monster

You can banish 1 "Junk" monster from your Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "Synchron" Tuner monster from your deck in face-up Defense Position with its effects negated. You can only use this effect of "Wonder Knight" once per turn.

Like the Skeleon Knight, I'm sure many of you have realized how else Utena can use Wonder Knight, but I'm not going to stay anything more than that. Anyway, that pretty much wraps it up for this chapter. I don't know yet when I'll have the next chapter ready to go, but it shouldn't take me more than two weeks to finish it. So until next time, please review and let me know what you think.