Koros45 doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Chapter 56: Double Cross
A dark space with no boundaries stretched out before Aki. She saw a small illumination ahead of her and walked to it. Another person was here it seemed, tired out from wandering in the shadows.
The darkness was all she had known for a while. And she didn't grasp a how or why.
She found the girl on a bench, the small one's dark red hair a mirror to her own.
Aki sat beside her and noted how uncannily similar they were. The same eyes. The same sorrow even.
"Papa." The girl whispered, rubbing her cheek where the man had struck her.
That confirmed the identity of the girl – herself at a younger age. Aki found she wanted to reach out, patting the smaller version of herself on the head. The girl looked up at her with some visible confusion and Aki moved her arm back. As she did so, Aki noticed her own jacket sleeve was familiar as well..
It was a maroon Duel Academia uniform, the likes of which she hadn't worn for a long time. Aki looked at the wrinkled jacket and remembered the terrible guilt she associated with it. Her first victim. Although it was an accident, it was still the beginning of the Witch's true awakening.
Then she blinked. She realized just what the darkness was. A pocket space. Something that she locked her memories in long ago. Back when she let the Black Rose Witch persona consume her very being, Black Rose Dragon becoming the sword of the Arcadia Movement as she wielded it.
After all – she had been Divine's Jean d'Arc.
/
"Take her to a guest room. And take away her Duel Disk and weapons. I don't trust Sherry LeBlanc if she was able to come this far on her own." Divine said, looking over at his greatest asset.
"Well done, Aki. You overpowered her without much effort. Impressive."
The Black Rose Witch said nothing as she looked at the blonde woman who had passed out from Aki's last move, Black Rose Dragon overpowering Chevalier de Fleur and winning her the duel.
Sherry's body armor had saved her from a bad fall, her hair spread out and her face stuck in a grimace from the final blow.
"She defeated my Splendid Rose. But still - Black Rose Dragon was enough to win."
Divine nodded in praise and looked past her, thinking of the future.
"Now – we move along our plan. There are some things I need to take care of – starting with my splendid benefactor."
"Divine. Do you have any orders?" The Black Rose Witch asked him.
"Not for you at the moment. Other than to get some rest. You'll need it to be our symbol again, Dear."
"At once." The woman said, turning to leave the room.
Then Divine walked into a different room where several Psychic Duelists were summoning various monsters and trying out different attacks.
"Attention all members of the Arcadia Movement. It is now time we rise again!" Divine boasted. The group applauded him for a moment.
"Thank you. Now I'd like you all to - "
He paused as a Acolyte in white robes ran up to him, holding a holostick in his hands. The man was panting and looking roughed up.
"He's outside! Fudo Yusei is right outside!"
/
"It begins." Demak said, looking to the other assembled Dark Signers.
"You mean – we enact our plan now? But won't it be expected?" Bommer asked.
Demak nodded. "Yes. However now that an Immortal had been summoned in Satellite, we are on limited time. Especially given the circumstances."
Misty spoke up, narrowing her brow at the news. "But – I agree with Bommer. Shiro will expect it. It's too obvious."
Demak smiled, his markings on his face warping as his grin made his face fold and crease.
"Maybe. But he is not our only target - "
Demak's gaze scanned the room and he grinned as his vision fell on each Dark Signer's own.
"- And this time we have something even Shiro won't expect." the man finished.
The group stirred as footsteps were heard and another person entered the room. Kiryu and Carly looked shocked at the arrival, and Demak's grin became even wider.
/
The first group of robed guards yelled as the man threw them into one another, grinning wildly as he struck with fists, kicks, and a headbutt. The group struggled to stand.
"What the hell?! He's unarmed! This should be child's play!" The latest guard yelled, reaching for a monster card to summon and obey the wishes of the Psychic Duelist.
He never got the chance to use it as the attacker threw another guard's Duel Disk into his face, sending him sprawling and getting a face full of the man's elbow and a punch to the gut for trying to stand up again.
The man who looked like Yusei Fudo grinned as he threw the group into a pile and chuckled.
"Be lucky! I'm only hunting one person today!" he declared, grabbing the man by the hood and slamming him into the wall. Then he threw the man back, the body hitting concrete with a thud.
"H-h-hunting?!" The man managed to utter as Yusei looked down at him and grinned wider.
"Is Izayoi Aki here?" The man asked, his gaze showing he already knew the answer.
"She's joined – the Arcadia Movement again! M – Master Divine will stop you - !" The man began and Marik sighed, rummaging through the man's robes, grabbing his holostick and activated it.
"Take this to your leader. And have him speak with me." Yusei said, coldly glaring at the man as he activated his own holostick and shared the private code.
/
Then he waited for the fool to pass along the message. Eventually a man answered, looking as pretentious as one who called himself 'Divine' should, Marik supposed.
"Hello. Is this 'Divine?'" He asked the man on the other side.
'Divine' was looking perturbed to see Yusei's face on the other end of the line. Marik wanted to laugh. Yusei's own memories confirmed quite a lot about the man, not that Marik was interested in his vessel's life. The only thing that mattered to him was the knowledge that this was Divine.
"Yusei Fudo?! This is private property! Even you can't just waltz in here and assault my men- !"
"I just did. You need better security. But – I don't think that they'd bother answering the calls of a man that just escaped prison. Especially to arrest the man who saved the City." Marik responded and sighed, hoping he sounded bored.
"But you don't need to worry. I just came here to duel Izayoi. That's all I want."
"- what!?" The other man said, shirking back and looking a tad stunned by the response.
"Oh. Did you expect a speech on how I'd save your little guard dog? Well that won't happen! I just want another duel against her. At full power." Marik emphasized, shifting his gaze into the holoscreen so that the focus was on one of his wide eyes and his grin.
Divine still looked confused and Marik supposed he should keep talking.
"You can even have her use all her Psychic powers. It'll make it fun. Without things as boring as 'safety' or 'restraint' getting in the way. It's been a long time since another soul made me feel like I was fighting for my life."
"You – just want a duel? You're kidding me." Divine said, looking a bit offended considering things. Then he chuckled. "Then again – you're pretty much asking my servant to tear you apart – I don't believe you."
Marik stomped on one of the guards' stomachs hard enough to get Divine's attention.
"Amazing. A Psychic Duelist and you can't even understand something that simple? This isn't a rescue. It's a challenge. You can – secure – my D-Wheel and take the deck off of my dead body if that's what it takes."
"That's still too high of a risk. There's no way I'd let you take her from her home."
"Fine. I'll raise the stakes even higher in your favor. If you win, you can kill me. I expect it. To be honest, I don't have much else to live for at the moment. Literally." Marik said, snickering as he saw Divine's face warp again in doubt of him.
"Then I'll keep going." Marik said with a chuckle, entering the building as a group of Arcadia Movement security arrived and pointed what looked like laser pistols at his face. "Now, Divine. What will it take for you to make a deal?"
/
Divine's eyes widened as he realized the truth. Yusei's character was selfless. He would sacrifice his own things to help others but – to give treasured things away just for a dangerous Duel? It was completely unlike him. As impossible as it sounded, there was no way that the man at their doorstep was Yusei Fudo.
His men were all around him and Divine didn't want to look like an idiot in front of them.
" - You're – not – Yusei Fudo? No. Of course you're not!" Divine said, trying his best to appear like he hadn't been surprised about it.
"Yusei would have rushed in without a moments' notice. Now – who are you and what do you want?"
The other man in the holoscreen leaned back and yawned.
"You certainly took your time thinking of that.. I don't care who you think I am. I just want to face the Witch again."
"What else can you offer me?"
"How about information? Does the name 'Shiro' mean anything to you?" The man with Yusei's face asked and suddenly Divine felt enticed by the offer.
/
Atem grunted as Ushio helped him up.
"On your feet! We can't save Mikage without that Puzzle!" The Officer said. Atem nodded dumbly as the D-Wheel Kazama sent had arrived.
"Now – get on! You said you knew the way?"
Atem recalled Sherry's earlier information and brought it up on the monitor in his helmet.
"Yes. Right here."
"No wonder. He picked a place hiding in plain sight. Smart. But no matter – that won't stop an Officer of the law!" Ushio said as he punched in the coordinates, Atem jumping behind him as they took off down the road.
"Ironic. Yugi uses the Puzzle to wake you up and punish me. And now I'm helping you to get it back. I can't say I ever thought something like this would happen."
The two were silent for the majority of the ride. Ushio was too focused on getting the Puzzle back to say anything else. Atem couldn't blame the man. After all – to Ushio, Atem must be a monster that ruined his life. Despite the outcome of the shadow game, not all of Ushio's criticisms were false.
Finally, after about an entire hour of driving through twisting streets and navigating through the more crowded, richer Tops, they'd arrived.
Ushio got off of the D-Wheel and looked to Atem.
"Alright – I'm going to try and get in. You wait for me and – dammit!"
He stopped as they realized they were being watched. Several guards were looking at them – wearing suits and shades. No doubt armed.
"Follow me." one of the men said.
To their shock were led in my some guards. Atem was led into a room and Ushio followed, Shiro smiling at them.
"Hello Officer Ushio. And Atem. What brings you two here to see me?" The man asked.
Ushio responded quickly. "Sir, you made a deal with a crooked officer! We have you on record making that deal with Warren. Therefore I'm placing you under arrest and pending investigation!"
Shiro smiled as he raised a hand and four guards all stepped forward, suddenly making the room a lot more crowded.
"Now now. Let's not throw accusations around so hastily. Especially right after the two of you just arrived."
Shiro had moved, now turned to them as he looked at the Millennium Stone.
"Now. I'll let you both leave on a few conditions – but first I think some ground rules should be set in place." Shiro voiced.
Atem followed the man's eyes and the Pharaoh found the eye of his treasure staring back at him. The Puzzle was far away on the other side of the room, right in the middle of the Millennium Stone.
Ushio tried to raise his arm to show his arrest warrant but then the guards acted and the situation changed drastically. The room spun as Atem felt his head hit the floor, scalp no doubt bruised from the shove down. He glanced over to see Ushio was now in the same position he was.
Now he and Ushio were on the floor, pinned face-down. Two guards were standing by them, making sure they wouldn't move.
"As I said – ground rules. Allow me to address the problem with your visit. I'm afraid to report that you cannot arrest me, Officer. The first reason is due to the importance of my mission. The second is due to the fact that I should not exist in this world, so any records of my existence sadly do not exist.
Finally – it is impossible for anyone to arrest the acting leader of Yliaster. If you attempt to do so again, I will give you a fate far worse than the one Atem bestowed upon you so long ago."
"So you know about that?!" Ushio asked and Shiro shrugged.
"Bakura told me about you once he had converted you. Not that it matters now. Remember this as a warning. Resisting Yliaster never ends well for any mere human. As it has always been. Now – stay there for now. You're just in time for an impromptu meeting." Shiro said as a helicopter approached, landing on a nearby building.
"Sir – that's the Arcadia Movement?! One of the guards reported and Shiro nodded. "So it seems. Be ready."
Atem could only watch as a group of four men in white robes step forwards, flanking a tall man in a green vest and a coif of dark red hair.
"No way! Is that Divine?!" Ushio grunted as a guard kicked him lightly in the ribs.
"Divine. I see you're early. And you brought some guests?" Shiro asked.
Divine nodded. "As did you. Things have become complicated. So now – here are my terms."
The sound of four Duel Disks activating could be heard as the four acolytes all drew a card. In response, Shiro's guards all took positions around the room, expecting anything.
Psychic duelists called an entourage of monsters forth and Atem heard names like "Mental Protector!, Psychic Commander!, Psycho Whorled!", and "Krebons!" as a gaggle of monsters were summoned.
Divine spoke from behind the five Psychic Duelists, his hands clasped neatly behind his back.
"Shiro, as you know I'm here to re-shape the world. And if you're just here to bring back those accursed Dark Signers than you don't need to be a part of that world! I'm here to re-negotiate our deal!"
Shiro frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Don't forget who funded your escape? Or who gave you a place to hide out and rebuild? Even your precious Black Rose Witch is now at your beck and call. All of this was because of me." The man in white said. "So - why escalate this any further?"
As he spoke, his guards all pulled out white sleek blasters. Atem didn't know what they could do, but they looked futuristic – something out of a late night sci-fi movie Yugi would put on and then fall asleep to.
Shiro's barrage of questions did nothing to sway Divine. The scarred man simply chuckled.
"I'll put it bluntly. I thought you'd be an ally but - now I see what your goals are. I was supposed to be a distraction of sorts while you brought back the Earthbound Immortals and who knows what else."
"I'm impressed. How did you know of such things?"
Divine scoffed. "Your attempt to leave Malik Ishtar dead certainly cleared things up for me – especially since he's now back among the living, after you and your ally left him to die. Hearing his side of the story is what brought me here to renegotiate. I'm not interested in keeping a deal with a devil, especially involving two dark gods that almost killed me!" He finished speaking, pointing to the scar on his head.
Shiro raised a eyebrow at this last remark. "So instead you made a deal with him? And I wonder how well that will end for you."
Divine tensed and threw his arm out in frustration. "I've heard enough out of you! Attack, Psycho Commander!"
The man pointed and the impish grey commander who sat on a hovering futuristic tank waved a hand. The central cannon fired an azure blast that tore through the room.
The blast missed Shiro as he'd thrown himself to the side, creating a hole in the side of the tall building right next to where the Millennium Stone was resting.
Then things became chaotic as Shiro's men had to take cover behind furniture and fall back from the slew of psychic monsters. Divine's voice carried as Shiro recovered.
"I'll kill you and then take this place by force. Your lapdog Bakura is gone and without his magic Ring, you're helpless! It's ironic, you know. Yliaster used the Arcadia Movement for as long as we've been around, but now things are different! I'll take control of Yliaster myself and then the Arcadia Movement will truly be a force to re-shape the world!" Divine said with a laugh.
Shiro coughed and his compact duel disk unfolded itself from his sleeve, lighting up as Shiro slid his deck into it.
"But before that, focus on the present! You might be able to project those Solid Vision monsters into reality, but Duel Monsters can still counter Duel Monsters!" Shiro said as Strike Ninja and Reborn Tengu appeared beside him when he played their cards.
Divine chuckled. "Please, Shiro. Krebons and Mental Protector will keep my monsters alive while Physic Commander weakens your creatures. And in addition, Psycho Whorled can let my other monsters attack twice. There's nothing you can do against my onslaught of Psychic monsters!" Divine boasted
"Clear them out, boys!" Divine ordered as his robed men had the ensemble of monsters attack again.
Atem tried to rise and make way for the Puzzle, but he froze as he heard Ushio's voice.
"Get down!" Ushio yelled, the officers' large frame tackling Atem and cutting off his vision. Atem grunted as he felt the floor meet his forehead once again and then the pain set in. The room shook from the fighting and Atem could only guess at what would happen next.
He heard a great screech and then a gust of wind as a new monster was summoned. Ushio had pushed himself up, still on his hands and knees but upright enough for Atem to move his head to see the sight.
Four dark wings unfurled and Atem narrowed his eyes as he witnessed Shiro's ace appear. Dark Simorgh screeched and faced down the four Psychic monsters, flapping its wings.
"Divine! This is no ordinary Duel Monster!" Shiro said. "This is a Duel Spirit infused with the power of darkness! I may not be a Psychic Duelist or a Dark Signer, but with this Dark Simorgh I'll stand a chance! Now counter attack, Dark Simorgh!"
The winged monster flapped its wings and Atem braced himself from the gale force winds that knocked over the remaining furniture. Divine's men all struggled to keep on their feet. Divine frowned as the giant yellow and purple snail with a man's muscular chest and arms shattered from the wind, its controller falling to a knee from their monster's death.
Divine pulled out two cards. "Psycho Whorled is down. Men, fall back! I'll finish this! Tuning Krebons and Mental Protector!"
Krebons broke apart into two rings that reduced Mental Protector into three level stars as Divine chanted.
"My flames of hatred, inflamed within the abyss of my heart, become the black raging waves that overrun this world. Synchro Summon! Magical Android!"
The pillar of light shone through the room, the Psychic Duelist's power manifesting it as real. The spear of light impaled the ceiling and the floor, causing the whole room to shake. From the Summon, a futuristic looking android woman appeared, red-haired and clad in elegant silver and blue robes. As her name suggested, she had cybernetic nodes and armor plating affixed to her form.
"The Puzzle-" Atem said, taking a step forward but Ushio stopped him. "Idiot!' He whispered. "If you try to get it now, you'll be right in the cross-fire! Don't you know what a Physic Duelist is?! That man's monster will tear you apart if you interfere!" Ushio warned.
Atem stopped struggling and something clicked as he looked to Dark Simorgh. "Hold on, Ushio. Monsters counter monsters . . . monsters boosted by dark powers. "Atem thought and the Security Officer blinked.
Meanwhile, Divine wasn't done.
"Now Psychic Commander, weaken that Dark Simorgh so that Magical Android can kill it!" Divine ordered. The man controlling the Commander gestured for it to attack and a blue beam of light fired from the tank cannon, causing Dark Simorgh to stagger.
"Now, Magical Android! Attack with Mind Fire!" Divine said. The android raised her staff and a blast of orange shot towards Shiro's monster.
"Not quite done, Divine! I protect my monster and myself with this trap card – Safe Zone!" Shiro countered as a continuous trap card sprang up. The force from the blast still knocked Shiro back and the man growled as his white suit had suffered some minor tears and burns from the fire blast and the impact that it caused.
Divine turned his head slightly. "Interesting. Fine then, I'll just have to summon my strongest monster!" Divine countered as Psychic Commander split apart into three rings filing around Magical Android's body.
Another emerald pillar speared the building and the foundations quaked again. Atem was grateful Ushio was supporting him or he'd be knocked down. Divine's chant could be heard despite the shaking foundations of the building.
"Surge my Black Mist of Vengeance! Synchro Summon! Come, Mental Sphere Demon!"
Divine called out as his mightiest servant appeared – a bulky fiend monster with demonic traits, bat-like wings, a tail, and a bony exoskeleton around it's body, green and yellow energy surging around it.
The monster roared and Simorgh countered with a great squawk to challenge it.
Shiro panted. "Not bad, Divine. But with Safe-Zone, Simorgh is unable to be destroyed in battle – and both our monsters have the same attack strength. So I win." The man in white said, standing up and patting some debris off the side of his suit.
"Now – let this be a lesson for turning on me. The last lesson you'll ever learn." Shiro said coldly, narrowing his eyes.
Divine chuckled. "You really think so? Just try attacking me then!" He said as he gestured to a set card on his field.
Shiro folded his arms. "How resourceful. Setting that from the beginning so that my Simorgh couldn't counter it."
Divine grinned. "Well you practically showed me your whole deck in that earlier Riding Duel! After meeting Malik, this has all been very predictable."
"How long have you planned to betray me, Divine? Was it as soon as you broke free of that prison cell? Or was it after you heard my bargain?" Shiro asked. "I'd like to know before I shut down your movement starting with you at the top."
Divine laughed. "You figured that out quick. As soon as I saw you had the power to set me free I wanted to take that power for myself. To build up my Arcadia Movement once again. And since you've graciously given my Aki back to me, I can do that quite easily now!"
Shiro laughed back, chiding him. "You're not worried about Team 5D's stopping you?"
Divine gestured with a hand. "Please. As you know, their leader, Fudo Yusei's not himself lately. And that's good. It means that he won't think straight when Aki tears him to shreds. And his team is completely scattered without him to lead it."
"Clever. Using Malik for information and then having your Black Rose Witch dispose of him. But you know – underestimating people has always been a flaw of yours'. Now, enough of that, let's end this!"
"I agree!" Ushio's booming voice yelled, finally getting the attention of both sides of the struggle.
Divine and Shiro turned to see the two bodies of the guards that had been restraining Atem and Ushio, now both down from the count as bruises from Ushio's fists were displayed prominently on both of them.
Hovering next to Atem and Ushio were two monsters, Ushio's Jutte Knight – a small man with Asian features and a large drum on his back. He held a Jutte fork in his hand and seemed to be amused with something . Next was Atem's effect version of Celtic Guardian, the elven warrior holding his sword with two hands as he glared at both the larger monsters facing the pair.
Next, Jutte Knight's form split into two green rings, encircling Celtic Guardian and breaking him down into four level stars. Both duelists turned to see Atem and Ushio remove two cards from Atem's duel disk as Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and Jutte Knight went to the Graveyard.
"Alright you law-breakers! Bakura made a foolish choice giving my monster the power of darkness as well! Now – personally feel the wrath of my Goyo Guardian!" Ushio yelled, slamming the Synchro monster down on Atem's Duel Disk. A flash of green illuminated the far right side of the room this time.
The large, black-haired kabuki fighter formed in front of the two and immediately acted, throwing its Jutte forwards and tying up Dark Simorgh with the cord. Then, with a yank, Goyo's rope sent the gigantic bird flying into Mental Sphere Demon, toppling the Psychic Synchro monster and causing the room to shake yet again.
"Thanks to that Safe Zone, the shadow boosted Goyo Guardian may not be able to destroy Dark Simorgh, but it doesn't have to! I'll just use its weapon to force your monsters to continue the battle!" Atem declared.
"Ushio - the Puzzle! Now!" Atem yelled as Ushio now had a clear shot since Dark Simorgh had moved towards the far side of the room, the Physic Duelists spreading out to avoid the terrible shudder when the winged best fell on the Synchro monster. Ushio took the opportunity to run across the room, leaping over the split couch to land in front of the Millennium Stone, glancing up to see the cursed Puzzle that had put him through so much grief in the past.
"That Puzzle is mine! Stop what you're doing!" Shiro yelled.
Ushio planted a foot on the surface of the Millennium Stone and grabbed the cord that fit around the top loop of the item.
"Well, as an officer of the law, I'm taking this stolen artifact into Sector Security custody as evidence!" Ushio said, roaring and straining himself as he pulled and pulled on the cord to no avail.
"Dammit! Without this blasted thing, I can't save Mikage!" Ushio thought. "Come on, officer, show this damn Puzzle that you're stronger than any dark magic it can make!"
Dark Simorgh, while bound, still was able to pin down Mental Sphere Demon with its claws and peck at the thought ruler with its curved beak. Divine's Synchro struggled, then Divine's hidden trap card rose, showing Krebons appearing directly in front of a surprised duelist.
"Enough of this child's game." Divine said. "Trap card, open! Battle Teleportation!"
Dark Simorgh squawked, beak striking the floor of the compound as its target vanished. Then Mental Sphere Demon appeared behind Shiro and roared, wrapping a clawed hand around the man in white.
Shiro's face turned pale as the psychic monster's jaw expanded and raised him towards its open mouth.
Then Mental Sphere Demon abruptly dropped the man as it was struck in the side from a flying side kick, courtesy of Goyo Guardian.
"Enough!" Atem commanded as Goyo pushed off of the field and landed behind him. "Now stop this! Swords of Revealing Light!"
Atem played the famous spell card and a cascade of blades formed and pinned down both Dark Simorgh and Mental Sphere Demon. Swords of Revealing Light retained them both, shining with luminous power and causing both creatures of darkness to shriek.
"I might not be a Psychic Duelist, but I can use a card like this to stop you both right now!" Atem yelled.
"Dammit! Fall back!" Divine said as the four Physic Duelists with him all stepped back, then the sounds of a helicopter were heard as it descended by the broken window. The entourage of acolytes filed into the open helicopter, Divine joining them before he reached into his coat and pulled out a metallic device.
"This is a last resort, but now - !" The man shouted amidst the helicopter's rotating blades. "I'd love to drag this out, but dear Aki's already begun a Duel I don't want to miss!" Divine said.
Ushio's pulling was rewarded as the Puzzle came free from the rock's enchanted pull, sending him flying back with the artifact and landing on the ground.
Shiro stared directly at Divine, reaching into his pocket and pulled out a silver blaster.
"How about no?" Shiro asked, firing at the helicopter. The lance of red energy streaming from the blaster struck the top of the copter, causing it to wobble.
Amidst the turbulence of the shaking craft, Divine lost his grip on the detonator, the device falling from his open palm to plummet towards the hard concrete ground. Divine swore as the helicopter pulled up, away from the other three men in the room.
Shiro fired again, missing the helicopter entirely as Divine made his retreat. The man in white was worse for the wear, but still turned to Atem and kept the blaster pointed directly at him.
"Alright. I may have to uproot that weed Divine later, but for now I at least have you captured, Pharaoh." Shiro said. "Now drop the Duel Disk."
Atem felt frustration at his situation, wondering if threats like this were a usual occurrence in the City based on Yusei's stories. He removed the Duel Disk and tossed it to the side, Goyo Guardian and Swords of Revealing Light vanishing as he did so – no longer having anything to pin down or fight against.
"Why not just shoot me?" Atem asked, raising his arms.
Shiro smiled. "Well – believe it or not - I abhor violence. That blaster was a last resort. What I did to attain Dark Simorgh was dreadful, as was the actions of my henchmen, my ally Bakura and the forces of Ha Des, but I don't think I could just kill someone in cold blood. As I did not harm your Priests in the afterworld directly. Consider that proof. Call me imperfect, but I'd much rather decide things in a proper Duel." Shiro said as the building shook again.
"But – you wish to kill the Gods! How can you rationalize that while maintaining your stance? And Bakura and Malik's dark half! The Dark Signers! Like it or not, you are partly responsible for deaths that they have caused. I don't think you really hate violence. I just think you're a coward." Atem said, grinning as Shiro glared down at him.
"I think humanity is superior to the idea of Gods. And therefore I will do what I must to kill what we think of as Deities."
"Then you must know that a Pharaoh is regarded as a God by his people. Therefore you are still a hypocrite." Atem said as he crossed his arms and smirked.
"I see you as human so I will settle things with you through a Duel when the time comes. Now - this place seems to be falling apart." Shiro said, glancing around at the damage the fight had inflicted. "Ah well. Easy come easy go."
Shiro took a step back from Atem and with a hand picked up the man's Duel Disk and with another leveled the blaster at Ushio.
"Now give me back my Puzzle and we'll reach a compromise. Still one the two of you can walk away from."
Ushio snorted. "You contacted Officer Warren to break into Security! You really think pointing a blaster at me is going to work, especially since you said you don't think you could kill with it?" The man asked, rising to his feet.
"And I don't care if you're not around here. You don't think we can't just make a new record of you? I'm displaced from the time I grew up in and I still was able to become a member of Security."
Shiro sighed and pulled the trigger.
A second lance of red barely missed Ushio, the man moving to the side after the blast hit, eyes wide.
"My aim isn't that good, and on top of that I really need that Puzzle. And as I said - I would also like it if I didn't have to take any unnecessary lives." The man in white said.
"Hold on! At this point, your base of operations is falling apart, as is your alliance with the Arcadia Movement! It's over for you, Shiro!" Atem said. "Dealing with us won't matter, especially since Divine will be looking for all of us even if we all escape!"
Shiro looked over his shoulder to Atem, blaster still focused on Ushio.
"Not over for me. My plan's almost complete. All in good time, Ate-"
Shiro was cut off as a golden inverted pyramid smashed into his face, the force of the impact causing the blaster to fall from his hand. Time seemed to slow as the makeshift flail traveled upwards, and the man in green who threw it moved as fast as he could. Ushio kept a hand around the cord the Puzzle was on and used the other hand to shove Shiro away from the blaster.
The building shook again, cracks in the ceiling spreading as smaller pieces of debris began falling. Ushio staggered to the side as Shiro fell to the floor.
"Let's get out of here!" Ushio said as he put the Puzzle's cord around his arm to grab the blaster and fallen Duel Disk with his gloved hands.
He stood up and turned to Shiro, who glared up at him and slowly stood.
"This isn't over yet! Not by a long shot!" Shiro declared, running to the Millennium Stone and pulling a blank card from his jacket pocket. He touched it to the stone, which began to glow violently in the light. A red aura came from the blank card and the empty stone glowed in an opposing yellow. At the same time, a golden light shone from Shiro's chest, revealing the Millennium Ring around his neck.
All sources of light intensified and the Stone then burst free of the building, breaking through the wall and falling towards the street. Shiro was with it, leaping onto the flat surface of the object and falling from the building.
Shiro disappeared from view and Ushio turned to Atem. "Forget about him! Let's get out of here!" The officer yelled. He didn't have to tell Atem twice.
"What do we do? The building's collapsing on us!" Atem yelled. "And there's no way to stop it!"
Ushio blinked and looked down at the Puzzle in his hands.
"Would this help any?" He said.
Atem stopped what he was doing and scooped up the Puzzle in his hands as the foundations of the room now fell, the ceiling caving in.
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Author's note: It's been a while since I updated but a few changes in life means hopefully I'll be writing more of this fic sooner than later. A lot happened in this short 11 pages but it's only a glimpse of things to come. Hope everyone is safe and sound. As always, reviews are very appreciated. Thanks for reading!