The moon's rays shyly fell through the trees and reflected in the small lake of the forest grove. A calm wind blew, rustling the grass and branches, spreading the smell of water lilies, poppies and spring water in the air, a scent so sweet and alluring, it almost lulled Demon Subaru into a trance of pleasant memories, but this time his guard was up. There was no way he would fall for any of her tricks a third time. And yet, despite everything that happened, he oddly could not bear her any ill will either. He only wanted answers.

Sayo was in disbelief. After over a millennia of searching, she was finally alone with him. Her heart ached with a longing she had tried to seal away all those years ago, but was never truly able to. She desperately wanted to throw herself into his arms and cry out her frustration. Then all would be alright, she would once again be the Nekohana who had made a mistake, but who would always be forgiven and protected by her beloved prince Shishima. Still, this was the same youkai who had killed her in cold blood at the mere suggestion that they run away. He was also the one responsible for countless wars, genocides, plagues, natural disasters and much more. Her beloved had changed for the worst and she had to remain strong if she wanted to fix her past wrongdoings.

"Do you really wish to know why, Shishima?" she responded firmly, trying to keep her emotions from outpouring.

Demon Subaru was as firm in his response, his demeanor cold and calm, "Yes, I demand to know why you would foolishly condemn us to living as weak mortals, and also why you have been going out of your way to aid Hajime."

"I did it all for us!" Sayo raised her voice, her fist clenched around the travel bag's stick. "The Twilight Kingdom is in a state of decay, if you were to inherit it, it would have corrupted you and brought you down to your mother's level, if not worse! By contrast, the human world was much more innocent. Sure, they live way shorter lives, but they value each moment spent here and they genuinely care for each other, unlike our brethren."

"You're a fool if you believe that these mortals are any better than the youkai or other fallen angels, Nekohana! They let their pathetic bonds weaken their potential and they backstab each other for petty reasons without caring whatsoever for the bigger picture. No, they only care about their temporary gains in a life that is shorter than the blink of an eye. It is their foul influence that has corrupted the Twilight Kingdom and brought our kin in their decadent state!"

"The Twilight Kingdom was headed in that direction even without human influence! Look at our race, when given the chance to free ourselves from the shackles of Hell and do something with our eternities other than torture souls or be tortured, we built a kingdom based on petty conquest and we scheme on how to steal our neighbor's possessions and power. Tell me, how many commoners did you see fighting over daiyoukai food scraps and how many did you see pleased with their status?"

"Plenty of the former and almost none of the latter... with you as an exception."

"I was an exception because I've never cared about power, nor did I care about your titles or influence, Shishima. You were the one who saved me from my household, for that you will always have my eternal gratitude, no matter what. However, you've changed, I've changed..."

"All because of that fateful night when Purgatory fell and our fates were sealed," Demon Subaru reflected.

Sayo nodded, gulping to prevent a sob from escaping her mouth. "I've tried to follow your actions in each of my past lives. No matter how far we may have reincarnated from each other, deep inside I always longed to meet you again. You don't know how painful it was for me to see you act like a tyrant to these poor mortal souls. Have you forgotten the noble prince you once were?"

"As a matter of fact, I did forget. No, I chose to forget."

The priestess was petrified at the revelation. How could he so easily renounce everything about his past and heritage?

"Too many things happened on that night. My father's untimely demise, my mother took over the throne, I was left with nothing. But, worst of all..." Demon Subaru paused for a moment and stared deeply into Sayo's eyes. "...I just couldn't live with myself, knowing I was guilty of killing you, Nekohana. The pain was too strong, so I chose to forget it all and bury my memories away."

"Shishima, you actually..." she was at a loss for words.

"Yes, and now I know why I've been afraid of facing you every time I smelled your scent. It felt like the past was coming back to haunt me." The hooded one slowly walked towards the priestess. "But you're alive, you're here, and now all I want to say is that I'm sorry for what I did to you back in the Twilight Kingdom. I acted on impulse and out of anger, I never should have raised a claw at you... beloved."

Tears started falling down Sayo's face. She had longed to hear those words ever since she reincarnated in her first human. Although she was aware that Demon Subaru had done way worse actions and had to atone for more than just her murder, in those solemn moments she no longer cared. Immediately she ran towards him and the two embraced beneath the moonlight, their images reflected in the lake, just like on the night when they shared their first kiss.

"I've missed you so much, Shishima!" she cried on his shoulder. "Not one day passed by without me thinking about you and what we once had. Unlike you, I could never let go..."

"It's okay, what matters now is the present," he whispered while caressing her black hair.

"I had known all this time that my prince was still somewhere deep inside, I am so happy to see that I was right." She let go of her embrace and grabbed his hands, their faces mere inches apart. "There is still time, we can still run away."

"Run away...?"

"Yes, I beg of you, please free Sagakin and leave Hajime alone."

"Nekohana..."

"You are no longer bound to the reincarnation cycle; while I am reincarnated in a body whose soul departed on the very moment I entered it, making it my own. We are basically immortal and free. You don't have to keep tormenting the human race anymore, we could find a new meaning together!"

Demon Subaru smiled at her with a sadness which was unnerving. "As tempting as that sounds, my beloved, I... can't."

"Why not? I can sense your power is growing ever stronger. What is stopping you from putting an end to this madness?"

"Vengeance. I had sworn as I died by my mother's hands that I would become a God and have my revenge on the kingdom which turned its back on me. After remembering my past, I now know why I always wanted to achieve godhood. Once I have started on this path, I cannot go back."

Sayo shook her head in disbelief and let go of his hands, taking a step back. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. You would put this above what we once had?"

"My priorities have no specific order, Nekohana. You should have known this from me toying around with Hajime all this time. You currently are strong enough to shed your mortal flesh and show your true form. Here I am still working on regaining my full power, so I can also take on my true form, then Earth will know the wrath of Shishima, its one and only God!"

"This can't be happening! Shishima, please, you're slipping into madness once again!"

"Oh no, I can guarantee you that my sanity is still intact. This is not about losing control, it's about taking what is rightfully mine! You chose to oppose me by aiding Hajime, but I have easily foiled your little ploy. Now he hates you for feeding him lies and thus you can no longer protect him. The mortal is now at my mercy!"

"What are you going to do with him...?"

"Nothing, I will be waiting for him to arrive in Sagakin, that is when I will put him and his friends through my final trial. If their mortal spirits are strong enough to survive all that I have planned for them, then I will grant them the honor of witnessing me bring a new order to their world. Hell, I will even grant Hajime a final duel so that our rivalry will end on a high note, it's the least I can do to show my respect to him for being such a worthy playmate."

"The Shishima I knew would never have such a twisted view of honor and respect! In fact, he would never waste his time toying around with mortals who are much beneath him!"

"The Shishima you knew has changed, Nekohana. However, as you said, he is not gone. As soon as I achieve godhood and make this world my own, we will have all the time to catch up. I can hardly wait to hear what else you have been up to in the past millennia."

Sayo once more shook her head and stomped her foot on the ground, her saddened expression changing into righteous anger. "If you will not listen to reason, I'm afraid I will have to do more than just stand in your way."

"So you wish to betray me a second time then?" Demon Subaru narrowed his eyes as he saw her pull a deck out of her yukata. "I will take that as a yes."

"I don't care if you take it as betrayal. I will do whatever it takes to put an end to your insanity, and if that means defeating you personally, then so be it."

"Keh, then let's see you try!"

The hooded one also took out his deck in anticipation, two dueling tables rising out of the grassy ground between them. They both placed their cards on them and made five blue rectangular shields appear above each of them. Much to Demon Subaru's surprise, he saw Sayo also place a strange card in the battle zone, with six face down cards coming from the top of her deck onto it as seals. A white skeletal figure crucified in a large stone, with two golden halberds sticking out of its neck, appeared into the battle zone, six glowing red X symbols floating around it.

"I summon BloodRayne, Start Dash." A humanoid with cowboy features and a giant reptile skeleton on its right arm appeared by Demon Subaru's side.

"I cast Scale of Bravery and Love." Sayo discarded Dorago the Great, Dragon World and drew two cards.

"I summon Jenny, the Dismantling Doll." A white-haired doll in a dark red dress who was wielding a razor weapon appeared, forcing the priestess to reveal her hand: Dorgan Churis, Doguraeater, D2M2, VAN Beethoven, Zenith of "Shura", Reload Charger and Megagoone Churis / Gogogo Go1 Knuckle. "Discard Dorgan Churis."

"I cast Reload Charger, which discards VAN Beethoven from my hand and I draw a card. Then I place the spell in my mana zone."

"I summon Ninjariban, Dragon Edge and bring out Greene, Dragon Soul Ruins." A blue ninja plushie appeared alongside a green ruined building, the latter causing the top card of Demon Subaru's deck to go into his mana zone.

"I summon Megagoone Churis." A blonde anthropomorphic mouse with red and white fur appeared, donning a red scarf around its, golden rocket boosters on its arms and a metallic armor appeared by Sayo's side.

"You're setting up for something big, aren't you?" asked the fiendish one, only to be met by cold silence from his opponent. "Keh, you won't get another turn to pull any cheap tricks – I summon Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge and bring out Welcome Hell, Supreme Devil King Palace!" A purple wolf plush toy with dragon wings and horns, wearing short pants, a black coat, brown boxing gloves with blue spikes and an orange mask covering the upper part of its face appeared in the battle zone, wielding a red bone scythe, followed by a winged demonic palace, as Bochiborof, Aloof Fighter and Ninjariban, Dragon Edge fell into their owner's graveyard. "With Welcome Hell's effect I revive Ninjariban, which also brings out Reddull, Dragon Soul Castle." The blue ninja plushie reappeared, bringing forth a red Japanese-styled castle with burning swords coming out of its edges. "Reddull gives speed attacker to Hellborof, so I attack with him and revive Bochiborof also." The purple wolf plushie with long hair appeared, causing the top three cards of his owner's deck to go into the graveyard, those being: Black Psycho, Revenge, Rousseau Montes / Monte Scale Sign and Deadzone, S-Rank Zombie. "I take Rousseau Montes back into my hand and double break your shields with Hellborof!"

Sayo braced herself as the wolf plushie flew at her and sliced away two of her shields with his scythe. Unfortunately, she received no shield triggers.

"Ninjariban, attack and Welcome Hell evolves Jenny into Black Psycho!" The Death Puppet transformed into a dark purple jester demon wielding a sword and shield, forcing Sayo to discard Linnevenus, M Demon Dragon and Demonkazura, Evil Revolutionary Grudge Weed. "Ninjariban, break her shield!"

The ninja plushie jumped and kicked one of Sayo's shields, shattering it into pieces. However, this time around she quickly took the card and revealed it and said, "Shield trigger, I expand Mad Dead Wood, Seductive of D!" Suddenly, their surroundings changed to those of a forest of toxic plants filled with gravestones, a giant Venus Flytrap in its center, holding a lipstick.

"Black Psycho, attack and S-Rank Invasion "Zombie", I evolve him into Deadzone, S-Rank Zombie, which gives -9000 to Megagoone Churis!" The demonic jester transformed into a dark purple motorcycle robot with red eyes, sharp teeth and a wheel claw which it used to crush the armored mouse. "Deadzone, break her final shields!"

The robot rushed through the remaining opposing shields and took both down. Then, much to Demon Subaru's surprise, a bright red aura erupted from Sayo's hand as she picked up the cards from her shield zone. With a fierce tone, she declared:

"Shield trigger, I cast Gogogo Go1 Knuckle which destroys BloodRayne and I discard Codeking Number Nine! Also, shield trigger, I cast The End of X, which seals Ninjariban and I also take a seal off of Forbidden ~The Sealed X~!"

The cowboy disappeared in an explosion, while one of the floating red X symbols surrounding the crucified skeletal creature disappeared, a golden halberd falling from the sky and impaling the blue ninja plushie. Unable to perform a direct attack, the hooded one passed his turn.

Sayo smiled as she saw Dogiragon Buster, Blue Leader land from her seals into the graveyard. If she pulled it right, her victory was assured. Turning her D2 Field card upside down, she said, "My turn, I activate Mad Dead Wood's Denjara Switch! Now all creatures in the battle zone are sent to the bottoms of our decks!" The Venus Flytrap opened the lipstick and used it to color its lips dark red, after which it descended upon the battle zone and devoured all opposing creatures. "Then all non-evolution creatures in our graveyards will be revived, but since I am the active player, I will revive them first!" One by one, Megagoone Churis, Dorago the Great, VAN Beethoven, Codeking Number Nine, Linnevenus, Demonkazura and Dogiragon Buster emerged from the graves. "Also, since Dorago the Great, Linnevenus, Demonkazura and Dogiragon Buster are Fire creatures which have Command in their race, I take off four more seals from Forbidden ~The Sealed X~!"

Demon Subaru clenched his fist as he witnessed four more red X symbols disappear. As long as Dorago the Great was in the battle zone, nobody could put non-Dragon creatures in the battle zone. As long as VAN Beethoven was in the battle zone, he could not put Dragons or Commands into the battle zone. And as long as Codeking Number Nine was in the battle zone, he could not cast spells. As such, he was caught in a full lockdown.

"How does the feeling of despair taste, Shishima? It is but a mere fraction compared to what you have put humans through," Sayo said as she noticed the hateful glare which came from those black eyes with glowing red pupils. "My turn, I summon Evil Heat, Screaming Demon Dragon and unseal Forbidden ~The Sealed X~!" The dark purple demonic dragon with pink flowers coming out of his skin appeared, making the last red X disappear. The stone cracked open and the crucified figure emerged from it, revealing itself as a tall white humanoid with black horns, red spikes coming out of his arms and two golden halberds sticking out of his neck. "Forbidden Liberation – Dokindam X, the Legendary Forbidden!"

"Its mana cost is 99 and its power is 99999?" Demon Subaru read the card in shock. "This is more than even All Over The World..."

"With Evil Heat's effect I put the top card of my deck into the graveyard and take Doguraeater, D2M2 back into my hand. Dogiragon Buster gives speed attacker to all of my multicolored creatures. And since Dokindam X started the game in the battle zone, he has no summoning sickness!"

"You are this strong and yet you held back against Hajime and his friends. Do you really think that if they could barely beat your nerfed deck, they will have a chance against me?"

"Yes, I trust that they will be able to handle themselves against you and your minions. Dokindam X, triple break his shields!" Sayo ordered and the tall creature took out the halberds from his neck and tossed them into three of the opponent's shields. "Demonkazura, break his final shields!" The plant Demon Command Dragon fired two blood red beams from the flowers on its necks, which brought down the remaining two shields.

The hooded one growled as he stared at the multitude of shield triggers which he could have used if he were not locked down. Truly he had underestimated his former lover and he was paying the price for his mistake.

"Evil Heat, attack and Revolution Change into Doguraeater, D2M2!" The dark purple dragon rushed at the opponent, then it turned around and hi fived a tall bipedal demonic plant, red buds pulsating on its green skin, its hands and feet made of spiked vines, and its giant mouth filled with fangs. "This ends now, Shishima! Doguraeater, todomeda!"

In one swift move, Demon Subaru took off his jacket and immediately packed all of his cards. As the Demon Command Dragon got on its fours and fired a purple beam from its mouth, he grew his wings and flew off out of the attack's way.

"Hey, come back, I won fair and square!" Sayo protested.

"I'm sorry, Nekohana, but I cannot fall here. I admit, this match is your victory, but I will still wait for you to join me back at Sagakin. I would hate to not have you around as I finally ascend to godhood!"

"Shishima, please, there's still time for you to turn back from all of this!"

"Oh no, I will see this scheme through to the end. However, you're more than welcome to drop by and try to stop me. I'll see you later, my love!" Demon Subaru concluded and flew off into the night sky as the first lights of dawn began to creep in the opposite direction.

The creatures all disappeared, thus marking the end of their duel. Sayo sighed as she packed her cards. She had tried everything in her power to change his mind, but in the end it all proved futile. More so, her defeating him proved useless, as he would only accept defeat at the hands of Hajime due to his twisted sense of rivalry towards the poor youth. As such, whether she liked it or not, it seemed that Hajime was still their best hope of properly putting an end to Shishima's plot. She could not help but feel sorry for the blond, he was merely twenty years old and the entire fate of humanity rested on his shoulders, all because an ancient youkai had a fixation on him. Shaking her head, the priestess picked up her travel bag and slowly headed towards Sagakin. The three youngsters would soon follow at sunrise, and she would watch over them from the distance, their unwanted guardian angel until the nightmare's end.

As he flew towards the coast, Demon Subaru noticed that a small group of humans were gathered in the area of where Sagakin once stood, military vehicles and radio equipment monitoring every movement around. Despite the temptation to make short work of them, he had to conserve power for the upcoming ritual, so he merely opened a portal to his pocket dimension and vanished. The devilish figure was soon greeted by the foul stench of death that his desolate city reeked of. There was no place like home...

"Welcome back, master!" Shinobu greeted as she stepped out of an alleyway, her black robes soaked in fresh blood. "I trust your mission was a success?"

"Yes, there was no other option," Demon Subaru smugly replied. "Give me the report on your own progress."

"My subjects are all busy hunting down the remaining fools who dare oppose us, soon they will realize there is no place to hide in your world. I have given Demon Sora the copies of All Over The World's cards, as per your request. She is now meditating in your office."

"Excellent; you should also prepare, Shinobu. We will perform the ritual later today."

"What great news, Lord Shishima! That means our day of reckoning is bound to come at any moment!"

"One more thing, have you seen Bochiborof? He has not reported back after I tasked him with burning down those two corpses."

"As a matter of fact, master, I have not seen him. But that shouldn't be an issue, after all, you can just sniff his plush scent in the air, right?"

Demon Subaru froze as he realized that he could not. For some strange reason he could not smell the plushie or feel his presence anywhere in the city, and only now it occurred to him. That was strange, he was the only one who could open and close portals to the human world, so there was no possible way for Bochiborof to vanish into thin air. Spreading his wings once more, he flew above the buildings, surveying the entire area for his loyal servant.