Yu-Gi-Oh Re: Seize

by EnvyAzazel

Seirus Yuzaki, a young 15 boy who had been sheltered from a world that he has yet to explore. But now he has finally been given that opportunity to experience it for the first time in his years of high school. But he'll soon discover in time that he was sheltered for a reason as secrets become uncovered little by little. What does the future have in store for him?

8. Duel Of Stakes On Top Of The Battle Dome

(Continuing From Where Last Chapter Left Off, Diamond Stone City Battle Dome. . .)

"Hey kid, I know you said your dad was upstairs but I didn't know you meant that he was on the rooftop!"

Seirus complained as they were currently speeding up the stairs like track and field athletes. After literally maneuvering through the crowds and avoiding security in ways that made them seem like they were starring in an action movie or something, the Duel Academy student duo of collective idiots found themselves running up the staircase that led up to the rooftop of the Battle Dome. Their feet were getting tired, especially Seirus who was carrying the small boy on his back which spoke volumes on how much energy he had.

The boy whimpered, "So-sorry I didn't-"

"Don't sweat, that just means these guys wanted us alone for some reason," Seirus assured before noting, "Though, I don't know why they are going this far to lure us out. What do you think, Arata?"

"Not sure, I don't think we've done anything to warrant someone's attention," He replied without a clue to what they want.

The Nexus duelist sighed until finally noticing the entrance to the roof up ahead. They were only but a few steps away to the door until finally they made it to the top. The two stopped to catch their breaths before glancing back at each other for confirmation of being ready. After a short nod, Arata opened the door while Seirus let the boy down so that he could stand on his own. The first thing they were met with was the cold breeze that hit them straight in the face before they finally stepped out from the door and onto the wide rooftop. The three walked a bit, the boy clinging to Seirus's leg until they finally stopped.

Curious, the boy looked up before fear finally overcame him again. There they were, the two men who attacked both him and his father before threatening him. They snickered as Seirus and Arata glared at them with narrowed eyes. It didn't take them long to notice a man tied up by some thick rope with bruises on his face. He had a thick beard and hair resembling that of his son except his bangs were parted. He wore a white button-down shirt along with beige colored pants that were held up by his belt. His business shoes were threatening to fall off but that didn't matter the moment he spotted his son.

"Ru-Ruth! Why are you back? I told you to run home?!" He asked.

The boy stummered for a moment, "I-I-"

"He came and got us," Seirus answered for him, leaving the old man speechless. Ignoring the father's shocked expression, Seirus turned his attention to the men in shady cloaks, "You guys are sick, teaming up and beating a kids father is very low."

"Heheh, what do you mean? Come on, it wasn't even personal," The taller one snickered.

His chubby friend next to him grinned, "Yeah, we just wanted to lure at least one of you out but to think two of you came on your own is a bonus."

"Yeah, yeah, your plan worked better than you thought it would," Arata sarcastically agreed, "Now what do you want. You got us here like you wanted. So are we going to sit down and have some tea or we going to get a bit rough?"

"Neither of those things are going to happen. In fact. . .me and my buddy Gengota got a present for you two," The taller figure assured.

The two Duel Academy duelists raised an eyebrow until suddenly they saw something flying towards them at dangerous speeds. The two raised their arms to block in an attempt to defend the boy from getting hurt by whatever was thrown at them. However, instead of getting smacked in the head or something of that sort, they both felt something attach to their forearms. Confused, they both looked down to see mechanical arm bans with a glowing yellow gem in the center. Curious, Arata looked up: glaring at the men in front of him for answers.

"What with the ornaments?" The Red-Eyes duelist asked.

"Oh, don't worry. Inzata just wanted to give you a gift. It has a special surprise for you," Gengota assured.

"Hoh. . .?" Seirus said, now intrigued as to where this was going, "What kind of surprises are we talking about."

Inzata chuckled, unveiling his hood to reveal ash-green spiky hair along with silver eyes, "Isn't it obvious at this point. We're going to duel." Without hesitation, he revealed his Solid Vision duel disk from beneath its coat before sliding in his deck of cards into the deck slot so swiftly that Seirus barely had time to see him take his deck out of his pocket.

"Now, you are speaking my language!" Seirus smirked excitedly, immediately throwing his bag to the ground before taking out his duel disk. He slipped it on and took out his deck before slipping it into the deck slot with no hesitation.

Arata chuckled, his hand already taking out his duel disk as well while getting his deck, "Heheh, I should have known. But I guess you won't let the guy go unless we beat you, right?"

Gengota snickered mischievously, his deck in hand as he took off his hood to reveal his chubby face and bald head that had a tattoo that trailed over his right eye, "That's right. If we win. . .well you won't have much of a choice but you'll be coming with us. If we lose, then we'll hand over the geezer and be on our way. Not like you brats will be beating us."

"Simple enough I suppose. Now what are the rules for this duel?" Arata questioned further.

"It's easy, each of us will have separate life points. However, the duel isn't decided until both duelists on their respective teams lose all of their life points," Inzata explained before adding, "Also, only the last person can attack during their first turn. Furthermore, the order will be rotated based on the person in front of us. Meaning if I go first then green hoodie boy goes and after him will be Gengota before finally going to you. Simple enough, right?"

"Hmph, fine by me. You ready, Seirus?" Arata asked, activating his lava orange Solid Vision blade.

Seirus nodded, doing the same for his own duel disk, his Solid Vision blade activating as soon as he smiled, "Yeah, I'm ready when you are Arata!"

"Look at them, they look so confident it's cute!" Inzata laughed, his navy blue Solid Vision blade forming into that of a cross-guarded sword, "Let's show them what it's like to deal with grown ups!"

Gengota cackled, his purple Solid Vision blade forming in a similar manner as he grinned menacingly, "You're right, we'll turn those confident expressions into one of despair real fast!". The boy backed away out of sheer nervousness and fear as the duel was about to commence. The four duelists glared at each other, each one containing a smirk for different reasons before shouting.

---

"Let's Duel!"

Turn 1: Inzata, 5 cards in hand, 0 cards on field, 0 cards in graveyard, 0 cards banished

Inzata LP: 8000, Gengota LP: 8000

Seirus LP: 8000, Arata LP: 8000

"I suppose, I'll start things off with this! I activate the continuous spell: Gladiator Rejection!" Inzata announced, his spell appearing on the field for them to see, "Then, I'll summon my Gladiator Beast, Equeste!"

(Lvl 4 Wind: Gladiator Beast, Equeste, 1600ATK/1200DEF)

Rising from the button came a half-man, half-horse monster with blue armor that had hardened light blue wings. In his hand was a blue shield with light blue linings as his matching color axe rested in the palm of his hands.

"I'll set 1 card face-down and end my turn," Inzata said with a confident smirk.

Inzata's hand: 2

Turn 2: Seirus Yuzaki, 5 cards in hand, 0 cards on field, 0 cards in graveyard, 0 cards banished

Seirus LP: 8000, Arata LP: 8000

Inzata LP: 8000, Gengota LP: 8000

Seirus's eyes widened a bit, his interest peaked a bit, "Gladiator beasts? I haven't seen those before. But no matter, we're not losing to you guys no matter what you play! My turn, draw!" He drew his card and began examining his hand.

"Alright, first I'll summon Nexus Hero, Lone Shooter!" Seirus declared, his monster resembling that of a humanoid wolf clad in silverish blue and dark blue armor. His hands were clad with yellow and blue gauntlets as a revolver canon stuck out of his arm while he held a massive canon with the other. It's red eyes glared at the opponent ahead who seemed a bit surprised.

"Nexus Hero. . .interesting. I don't think those cards are common," Inzata commented.

Gengota nodded, "Yeah, who would think that a brat like him would hold a unique deck. Perhaps we could take them and sell them for a good price."

"You won't be taking a single one of my cards, pal!" Seirus growled, "I activate Lone Shooter's effect! Now since he was successfully summoned this turn, I can send 1 monster from my hand to the graveyard. Then, you both take 100 points of damage for each of that monster's levels! I send level 4, Nexus Fortress Hero, Gigis to the graveyard! Have at it, Rampant Gunner!"

At his command, Lone shooter pointed his arm-revolver towards the two shady men. With rapid repetitions, the revolver spun around to where it's RPM increased gradually until Lone Shooter unleashed a barrage of bullets straight at them. Instinctively, they crossed their arms as the bullets slammed into their bodies one by one, the shockwave emitted from them dispersing into nothing but flickers of energy pushing them back a bit.

Inzata LP: 8000 → 7600

Gengota LP: 8000 → 7600

"I set 2 cards face-down and end my turn," Seirus finished, his two face-downs appearing onto the field.

Seirus's Hand: 2

Turn 3:Gengota, 5 cards in hand, 0 cards on field, 0 cards in graveyard, 0 cards banished

Gengota LP: 7600, Inzata LP: 7600

Arata LP: 8000, Seirus LP: 8000

"Not a bad first turn, Seirus," Arata complimented with a thumbs-up of approval, "Keep that up and we'll be out of here in no time."

Gengota growled, "Like hell you two are leaving here safe and sound, I draw! I discard 1 card from my hand to special summon The Fabled Noozoochee! On top of that, Fabled Marcosia's effect now activates due to him being discarded. Now I can add 1 Fabled spell or trap card from my deck to my hand. I choose to add Stairway To a Fabled Realm!" Coming through a portal came a yellow, lizard creature with eyes and wide smile innocent as it can be while it looked forward.

(Lvl 2 Light: The Fabled Noozoochee, 1200ATK/800DEF)

"Now, I'll activate my field spell I just added, go Stairway To a Fabled Realm! When it's activated, I can send 1 Fabled monster from my deck to the graveyard. I choose Fabled Kushano!" he declared, his field spell covering the field in a purple fog that brought back some memories for our Nexus duelist. However, instead of the field turning into some zombie horror movie, the field was suddenly turned into what seemed to be a purple void that gave him the chills. Though his concerns were the least of his worries right now as Gengota continued with his turn, "Now if I control a Fabled monster, I can tribute summon only 1 card in order to summon forth this beast!"

Just as he said that, the yellow, lizard creature began to glow before shattering into millions of shards that were then absorbed into the void below. However, it didn't take long for something to start to emerge, it's jet black wings spreading first before it finally leaped out of the ground and onto the field. It's body was huge and colored hot red as his devilish mask covered his face except for his sharp teeth.

"Fabled Dianaira!" Gengota exclaimed, his monster erupting in a battle cry.

(Lvl 8 Light: Fabled Dianaira, 2800ATK/100DEF)

Seirus's mouth dropped in awe, "That's one big monster. You think it takes. . . you know what?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Arata said in a similar manner.

"You two haven't seen anything yet," Gengota assured, "I set 1 card face down and end my turn."

Gengota's Hand: 2

Turn 4:Arata Kaseya, 5 cards in hand, 0 cards on field, 0 cards in graveyard, 0 cards banished

Arata LP: 8000, Seirus LP: 8000

Gengota LP: 7600, Inzata LP: 7600

"Looks like I'm finally up. . ." Arata said, cracking his neck before smiling at his adversaries with glee, "Time to heat up, it's my turn! Draw! I activate the spell card, Polymerization!"

Seirus's eyes widened just about the same time both Inzata and Gengota did. They were shocked as they couldn't believe how bold he was being as his Nexus using ally asked, "Fusion already?"

"Of course, because the faster we get this done the better! Now I already know about your Fabled monster's effect. Since I used a Normal Spell, I am forced to discard 1 card from my hand. However, I'm fine with that." Arata smirked as Gengota hissed from the fact that he was acting so smug. The Red-Eyes duelist only continued to smile as he discarded a card to use his spell's effect, "Now that's out of the way, I fuse my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with my Red-Eyes Panther Warrior!"

Just as he said that, his deck's most themed monster shot through a portal along with a purple Panther humanoid with a green cape and blue armor. It's eyes shone just as red as the dragon before they both turned into streams of purple and red light. It didn't take them long to swirl together as Arata chanted.

"Black dragon whose scales are laced with blades, rip through the ashen planes of purgatory! Split the souls that dwell within! Fusion Summon! Come for, Level 7! Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!" Arata announced.

The swirling vortex burst into a vibrant red color as a Red-Eyes Black Dragon monster descended. It's body was mostly the same, however, it's scales were far more glossy as it's arms were laced with blades. The red ornaments shined despite the purplish void they were in.

(Lvl 7 Dark: Red-Eyes Slash Dragon, 2800ATK/2400DEF)

"Looky here, he must be that famous kid who used the Red-Eyes deck. We've really hit the jackpot on this one, right Gengota," Inzata cackle with glee.

Gengota nodded, "Why yes, indeed we have. First an unknown deck and the famous and esteemed Red-Eyes deck. What a rare treat this is. We'll be rolling after we beat these two."

"We'll see about that! I equip my Slash Dragon with Black Metal Dragon from my hand! Due to this, any monster that Black Metal Dragon is equipped with will have it's attack raised by 600!" Arata claimed, his mini, metallic version of Red-Eye Black Dragon equipping itself to his monster.

Red-Eyes Slash Dragon ATK: 2800ATK → 3400ATK

Arata smirked, "That's not all, because I'll be activating the Quick-Play spell: Red-Eyes Flash Flare! Now, while I control a face-up Red-Eyes dragon-type monster on my field, by sacrificing 1 card in my spell and trap card zone then I can target 1 monster on the field and destroy it. Then, the owner of that monster takes damage equal to half of that monster's original attack points!"

"Tch, what an annoying little effect!" Gengota groaned, knowing full well what was going to happen.

The Red-Eyes duelist chuckled, "Since you already know how this is going to go, then I guess I don't have to waste my time explaining any further! Now I sacrifice my Black Metal Dragon in order to choose your Fabled Dianaira! Go, Flash Flare!" At his command, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon opened it's maw as Black Metal Dragon shattered into pieces behind him before unleashing a blazing crimson fireball at the overly buff monster. Helplessly, Fabled Dianaira was engulfed by the flames, it's cries of pain living for a short moment before it was incinerated into nothing but shards of glass. The heat of the flames forced Gengota to shield himself from the flames as he took damage.

Gengota's LP: 7600 → 6200

Red-Eyes Slash Dragon ATK: 3400ATK → 2800ATK

"Now thanks to Black Metal Dragon being destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it's effect activates. Allowing me to add 1 Red-Eyes card from my deck. I choose to add Red-Eyes Insight! Then, I'll activate it in order to send 1 Red-Eyes monster from my deck to the graveyard in order to add a Red-Eyes Spell or Trap from my deck. I send Red-Eyes Wyvern in order to add the spell, Red-Eyes Persisting Flames!" Arata explained, his combo play allowing him to fetch the cards he needs

He looked over at Inzata and smirked, "Now unfortunately, due to using Flash Flare, I can't attack my opponent directly this turn. However, that doesn't mean you are safe! Battle! Go, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon! Attack his Equeste! Hard Metal Cleaver!"

"Don't get cocky, brat! I activate my continuous trap, Gladiator Survival Cry!" Inzata warned, pointing and unveiling his trap card, "Now, as long as this card is face-up on the field, all Gladiator Beast monsters I control can't be destroyed in battle once this turn! So much for you destroying my defenses!"

Just as he said that, Arata's Slash Dragon shot forward, it's black, armored wing wide for it to glide at high speeds before delivering a slash to it's target. However, instead of slashing the monster, a barrier protected the monster as it raised it's shield to defend before forcing Slash Dragon back to its owner's field. However, the ensuing shockwaves struck Inzata and caused him to wince a bit.

Inzata's LP: 7600 → 6400

"Heh, looks like my guess was correct. Why else would you summon a monster blatantly in attack mode like that," Arata commented.

Inzata's eyes widened in shock a bit, "What?!"

"I activate the Quick-Play spell: Red-Eyes Persisting Flames! I can only activate this card when I Red-Eyes monster battles an opponent's monster and doesn't successfully destroy it. If so, then the owner of that monster takes damage equal to that monster's defense points!" Arata declared, activating his spell card.

"You've got to be kidding!" His unfortunate target of that effect cried. As soon as he said that, Slash Dragon's wings spread wide before emitting a heat wave from its body that generated flames that shot towards Inzata. Instinctively, he shielded himself from the flames as they danced around him before they finally settled down to reveal his damaged life points.

Inzata's LP: 6400 → 5200

"At the end of the battle phase, Gladiator Beast, Equeste effect activates. This allows me to return him back to the deck and shuffle to summon 1 Gladiator Beast except himself! I summon Gladiator Beast, Hoplomus! And since a Gladiator Beast was Special Summoned from the Main Deck, I can summon another 1 from the deck with a different attribute! So come out as well, Gladiator Beast, Sagittarii!" Inzata declared.

(Lvl 4 Earth: Gladiator Beast, Hoplomus, 700ATK/2100DEF)

Gladiator Beast, Hoplomus DEF: 2100DEF → 2400DEF

(Lvl 3 Wind: Gladiator Beast, Sagittarii, 1400ATK/1000DEF)

His two monsters came through the ground as Equeste glowed before disappearing back into the deck. Side by side was a Sagittarius monster clad in armor and Rhino clad in armor made from rocky minerals, his eyes looking ready to charge, "Furthermore, since Sagittarii was Special Summoned by the effect of a Gladiator Beast, I can discard 1 Gladiator Beast card from my hand to draw 2 cards from my deck."

Inzata's hand: 4

Arata smiled with satisfaction, "I suppose that's enough punishment for you two. . . for now that is. I end my turn, but before you even get the chance to make your move, both Red-Eyes Wyvern and Red-Eyes Panther effect activates. Now, since Red-Eyes Panther was sent to the graveyard this turn, I can add 1 Red-Eyes card to my hand. I choose to add Red-Eyes Retro Dragon from my deck to my hand. Furthermore, Red-Eyes Wyvern's effect activates: allowing me to remove him from play in order to summon a Red-Eyes monster from my graveyard. I choose to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Just as he said that, the ground next to Slash Dragon began to heat up before suddenly, Red-Eyes Black Dragon shot through the molten lava and soar into the air before landing next to it's brethren. The two monster's growled at their opponents, their bodies heating up from the anticipation to tear them to shreds.

(Lvl 7 Dark: Red-Eyes Black Dragon, 2400ATK/2000DEF)

Arata's Hand: 1

Turn 5:Inzata, 4 cards in hand, 4 cards on field, 1 cards in graveyard, 0 cards banished

Inzata LP: 5200, Gengota LP: 6200

Seirus LP: 8000, Arata LP: 8000

"Wow, he managed to deal good damage this turn despite them having such good defense. I guess I wouldn't have expected anything less from Arata. He's so up front and confident with his next move that it's scary," Seirus muttered.

On the other hand, Inzata and Gengota both looked at each, the two clearly annoyed. Especially since Gengota had a permanent scowl, "These brats are getting on my nerves, Inzata. To think that they'd actually be this good."

"I know, but don't worry. . .they are still brats when it all boils down to it," Inzata remarked, "I'll show them what it means to deal with the big boys! It's my turn, draw! And I'll start off with activating the spell, Equivalent Rights! Since you control more monsters than we do along with the fact that our life points are lower than yours, I can choose 1 person to draw cards until they have an equal amount of cards that I hold in my hand. So Gengota, why don't you treat yourself.

"My, how generous of you," His partner snickered.

Arata groaned as he watched him draw cards, "Just as I thought, they must have incorporated some cards in their decks specifically for this tag-duels."

Gengota's hand: 4

"Now, I activate the spell, Gladiator Beast's Comeback! With it, I can now Special Summon a Gladiator Beast monster from either my hand or graveyard. So revive, Gladiator Beast, Augustus!" The taller goon commanded as he pointed to the ground as if he were trying to conjure the dead.

However, even though one would think it was a hoax, suddenly a dark portal formed with numerous runes around it before something shot out of it. It circled the sky a bit before hovering above the circle alongside with the other monsters on the field. The monster was revealed to be a humanoid bird with devilish wings that had clawed hands sticking out of it. He was clad in black, metallic armor with red orbs embedded in them and he held a black sword in hand. The portal closed as it's stats were revealed.

(Lvl 8 Dark: Gladiator Beast, Augustus, 2600ATK/1000DEF)

"Another powerful monster, huh? But even so, it's still a bit weaker than Arata's Red-Eyes Slash Dragon. . .," Seirus commented.

Though, as a challenge against that claim, Inzata chuckled, "You're right, but that isn't what I'm going for. I activate the Field-Spell, Colosseum- Cage of the Gladiator Beast!" Confused for a moment, the two Duel Academy duelists suddenly felt the ground beneath them begin to tremble until suddenly walls shot up from below, surrounding them as the field spell began to form. The ground was still covered in a thick purple fog and the sky above was purple though from a closer inspection of their surroundings, they were in literal sense in a Colosseum with blue ores lining the entire stage. In the center was a blue crystal that acted as a source of light though that was the least on their mind.

"Now, with this card in play, each time a player summons a monster from their deck, this card gets a token. And for each token, all Gladiator Beast monsters on the field gain 100 attack and defense points," He explained before continuing with his turn, "Now I shuffle Gladiator Beast, Augustus, Sagittarii, and Hoplomus in order to perform a fusion summon!"

"A fusion summon without using a spell card?!" Seirus exclaimed, shocked that such a summoning existed.

The three monsters leapt into the air, their body's turning into streams of purple, green, and yellow light. As they reached the apex of the sky, they swirled around each other, forming a vortex before it exploded into a pillar of light that struck the ground while Inzata chanted, "Valiant gladiator of dragonic descent, come to battle against your challengers! Let your sword and shield guide your emperor to victory! Contact Fusion! Steel yourself! Level 8, Gladiator Beast, Andabata!"

Emerging from the light with a mighty roar came a humanoid-lizard who was armed with a magenta-red sword made of pure steel, the aura from the blade oozing off it as it glared towards them.

(Lvl 8 Dark: Gladiator Beast, Andabata, 1000ATK/2800DEF)

"And when he's successfully summoned this way, I can also Special Summon another Gladiator beast whose level is 7 or lower from my Extra Deck! Ignoring his summoning conditions!" Inzata cackled.

"What did you just say?!" Arata asked in complete shock.

Inzata grinned, "That's right, so now I can summon forth the fusion monster, Gladiator Beast, Gaiodiaz! That's not all, since these two were practically summoned from my deck, my Colosseum gains 2 counters!". As he said this, Andabata spun his sword in his hand before stabbing the ground with crimson energy that flowed towards his right. Then, emerging from that energy came a large, humanoid-tyranno who was clad in black and gold armor with similar red jewels. It's light brownish-grey body was hard and his red-clawed hand gripped it's black and gold axe.

(Lvl 7 Earth: Gladiator Beast, Gaiodiaz, 2600ATK/1500DEF)

Field Spell, Colosseum Counters: 0 → 2

Gladiator Beast, Gaiodiaz ATK and DEF: 2600ATK → 2800ATK, 1500DEF → 1700DEF

Gladiator Beast, Andabata ATK and DEF: 1000ATK → 1200ATK, 2800DEF → 3000DEF

"But why stop there when I can also activate the continuous spell, Gladiator Beast, Fighting Spirit! Now once per turn, when a Gladiator Beast monster declares an attack on an opponent's monster whose attack points are higher than itself: that monster gains 1000 attack points until the end of damage calculations! Furthermore, when that monster destroys an opponent's monster, I can place 1 counter on Colosseum!"

Gladiator Beast, Gaiodiaz ATK and DEF: 2800ATK → 2900ATK, 1700DEF → 1800DEF

Gladiator Beast, Andabata ATK and DEF: 1200ATK → 1300ATK, 3000DEF → 3100DEF

"Great, now his monster is stronger than Arata's. . ." Seirus groaned.

"That's right, but first I'll be starting with you! Battle! Andabata, destroy his Lone Shooter! Valiant Slash!" Inzata declared, his monster kicking off the ground at high speeds.

Gladiator Beast, Andabata ATK: 1300ATK → 2300ATK

Seirus acted quickly and pointed to one of his face-downs, "Before your attack succeeds, I activate my continuous trap: Solar Converter! Thanks to this card, as long as it remains face-up on the field, it gains a counter for every 1000 points of damage I receive!"

Coming out of the trap was a metallic, three leaf clover with glowing yellow linings. However, that didn't prevent Andabata from swinging his blade down at Lone Shooter. In one fell swoop, the Lizardman's blade left a gash in Lone Shooter's armor before it shattered into pieces, the shockwave sending Seirus skidding back a bit. However, before Seirus could steel himself, he felt a painful tinge coming from his arm before he felt his body's energy beginning to fade a bit. He didn't realize it but he was shrouded in some strange, orange-gold energy as he fell to his knees.

Seirus's LP: 8000 → 7500

"Hey Seirus! You okay!?" Arata asked out of concern.

The Nexus duelist panted, the feeling being worse compared to getting hit by one of Aki's psychic attacks, "I'm good, just a little winded. But it's strange, I just felt like my body was jello. What's going on?"

"Oh, don't worry," Gengota said, gaining their attention, "That's just the effects from the gift that Inzata gave you."

The ladder chuckled, as he explained for his chubby ally, "He's right, each time you two would lose life points, those attachments will drain your bodies of energy. It just makes it easier for us to capture you once this is all set and done. That and it's just a little bonus as well."

"Bonus? For what exactly?" Arata growled, upset that they were resorting to such tactics in the first place.

"That part is none of your concerns. You should be more worried about surviving," Gengota snickered.

Inzata did the same, only adding to their smug demeanors, "Exactly, we can't have you two getting seriously hurt just yet or you know, dying. We need you both so we can possibly locate Princess Steria."

"Steria?" Seirus muttered, "What could you possibly want from her?"

"Again, none of your business runt. In fact, let's continue with the carnage, shall we?" Inzata grinned sinsterly, his eyes darting over to Arata's field, "As much as I would love to continue pummeling your friend, I can't have you continue using that dragon now would we? Gaiodiaz! Destroy his Red-Eyes Slash Dragon! Power Axe Gaiser!

With no hesitation, the Gaiodiaz roared loudly: his axe raised high into the air before slamming down into the ground with such force that it cracked it. However, the crack expanded all the way to Red-Eyes Slash Dragon before a yellow flame pillar erupted from beneath it: engulfing it completely. The dragon cries filled the air until it was completely destroyed by the attack, the shockwaves causing Arata to kneel as well. Just like with Seirus, he felt his arm tinge as energy was drained from his body.

Arata's LP: 8000 → 7900

"Nghhh. . .!" The Red-Eyes duelist groaned, "Since a level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster was destroyed, I can activate Red-Eyes Retro Dragon's effect to Special Summon it from my hand in defense mode!"

Just as he said, he played the card onto his Solid Vision blade, the monster coming through one of the many portals that were seen throughout all his duels. It was a dragon of moderate size that resembled his ace monster except for the red markings being slightly different and a bit more detailed

(Lvl 4 Dark: Red-Eyes Retro Dragon, 1700ATK/1600DEF)

"Furthermore, I can revive as many of those monsters that were destroyed and return them back to their original positions! So come back, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!" He added, the ground became molten once more before suddenly, Slash Dragon soared through the flames to join his black dragon brethren.

Inzata chuckled, earning a raised eyebrow from the Red-Eyes duelist, "Not bad. . .looks like I couldn't erase that annoying card. However, Gaiodiaz has a special effect." The Duel Academy duo wondered what he meant by that until it was soon revealed.

"When Gaiodiaz destroys an opponent's monster and sends it to the graveyard. The owner of that monster takes damage equal to that monster's defense points!" He exclaimed with glee plastered all over his face.

Arata's eyes widened as suddenly the ground around him began to crack into a circle. Suddenly, the rubble that was destroyed rose upwards at speeds that delivered small scratches all over Arata's body: earning shrill cries of pain as they went past him. That added with the fact that this body was getting a zap of energy didn't make things easier. As the punishment settled down, he couldn't help but shoot Inzata's smug face with a glare.

Arata's LP: 7900 → 5500

"Before I end my turn, I activate both Gaiodiaz and Andabata's effects! Now since this is the end of the battle phase, I can return them back to the Extra deck to summon up to 2 Gladiator Beasts monsters from my deck! Since they both were sent, I can summon 4 monsters! Come to the field, Gladiator Beast, Augustus, Alexander, Hoplomus in defense mode, and Sagittarii in defense mode!" Inzata commanded, his 3 of the monster's that he brought out previously returned back to the field with the accompaniment of a new monster. This one strongly resembled that of a lion, with gold armor that had golden wings attached to the back.

(Lvl 6 Light: Gladiator Beast, Alexander, 2400ATK/600DEF)

"In addition to this, since 4 monsters were summoned from the deck, Colosseum gains 4 more counters. Plus, since Sagittari effect activates again, allowing me to discard 1 Gladiator Beast card from my hand to draw 2 cards. Not only that, but Hoplomus' defense becomes 2400 when summoned while Alexander is unaffected by spells. But that doesn't matter considering he can't be destroyed by battle due to my trap," Inzata noted before concluding, "I'll spare you with that! I end my turn!

Field Spell, Colosseum Counters: 2 → 6

Gladiator Beast, Alexander ATK and DEF: 2400ATK → 3000ATK, 600DEF → 1200DEF

Gladiator Beast, Augustus ATK and DEF: 2600ATK → 3200ATK, 1000DEF → 1600DEF

Gladiator Beast, Sagittarii ATK and DEF: 1400ATK → 2000ATK, 600DEF → 1600DEF

Gladiator Beast, Hoplomus ATK and DEF: 600ATK → 1200ATK, 2100DEF → 2400DEF → 3000DEF

Inzata's Hand: 2

Turn 6:Seirus Yuzaki, 2 cards in hand, 2 cards on field, 1 cards in graveyard, 0 cards banished

Seirus LP: 7500, Arata LP: 5500

Inzata LP: 5200, Gengota LP: 6200

"Well,this isn't looking so good," Seirus murmured until he felt a tug on his leg.

He looked down to see the boy nervously staring up at him, "Are you okay?" The Nexus Duelist chuckled at his innocent question despite him not knowing what's fully going on right now. He looked over at the dad who was visibly concerned though he knew that it was probably because of the situation.

"I'm fine, we just got a bit shaken that's all. Though, I suggest you take a step back," Seirus assured as he turned to Arata who was slowly standing back up, "Isn't that right, Arata?"

"Yeah, don't think a little sting would throw us off our game," Arata smirked, his face a bit sweating from the damage he just received.

His Nexus using allow nodded in agreement before accessing the field in front of him, "That guy managed to not only take a huge chunk out of Arata's life but he also put up a pretty difficult formation to break. I basically have to attack each monster twice in order to get rid of them this turn. But that doesn't matter if I can possibly reduce his life points to zero now would it?"

"Alright!" Serius grinned at the anticipation, "My turn! Draw! First things first, I'll be activating the spell card: Graceful Charity! This card allows me to draw 3 cards from my deck before having to discard 2 cards from my hand!"

Seirus's Hand: 5

"Now, I summon my Nexus Beast, Scyther and when he's summoned to the field, I can target 1 level 4 or lower Nexus monster in my graveyard and summon it along with Scyther! So come on out, Nexus Bow Hero, Archmen!" Seirus announced, his trusty reptile-like monster appearing onto the field holding his signature scythe in his mouth before swinging it to slice the air above. Suddenly a portal emerged, allowing a monster resembling that of a humanoid-space spider whose body was covered in gold armor while a bow was in his hands.

(Lvl 3 Dark: Nexus Beast, Scyther, 1500ATK/300DEF)

(Lvl 2 Light Tuner: Nexus Bow Hero, Archmen, 1000ATK/0 DEF)

"I see you're going with that combo already, huh Seirus" Arata smirked, knowing full well what was coming next.

Seirus nodded, "That's right but it'll be a bit different compared to the last time! Now I tune level 2 Archmen with level 3 Scyther!" At his command, both of the monsters shot through the air with Archmen turning into several rings that surrounded Scyther as he chanted.

"Converging fighting spirits joining in union! Traverse the free azure skies at speeds surpassing the sound-barrier! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 5: Nexus Hero, Jet Blader!" Seirus roared, the glowing stars bursting into a pillar of orange light. It didn't take long for the warrior clad in silver and red armor to blaze onto the field with his red-hot blade in hand. His jet engines extending from his back geared up for what's to come next, "When now when he's successfully Synchro Summoned, I can target 1 level 5 or lower Nexus monster in my graveyard. Then, my opponent takes 200 points of damage for each of that monster's level! Obviously I'll be choosing Lone Shooter, meaning you'll take 800 points of damage! Have at it, Jet Burner!"

Gengota and Inzata's eyes widened as they were unable to react to the monster's effect. Wasting no time, Jet Blader's blade began to heat up before swinging a heat wave that sent it's way towards both of them, earning groans of pain as they felt their bodies get slightly burned.

Gengota's LP: 6200 → 5400

Inzata's LP: 5200 → 4400

"That kid is starting to get annoying with his little tricks," Gengota complained in a low-threatening tone.

Seirus smirked, "If you are annoyed now then I guess you'll be pretty upset when you lose! Especially right now, I activate: Polymerization! Now I'll fuse my Nexus Hero, Jet Blader and my Nexus Blade Hero, Edger from my hand!"

"Hoh, are you going to show me that fusion monster you mentioned back when you dueled Steria?!" Arata asked with glee.

"That's right! So with no further to do, how about we show em as well!" Seirus insisted, his two heroes now standing side by side before turning into two streams of light: one red while the other was yellow. They swirled around before unleashing a bright light as Seirus chanted, "Warrior who emerges from the brightest night! Cleave your way into the hearts of others and illuminate them! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 9! Nexus Hero, Grand Blader!"

Emerging from the light came the all too familiar monster whose body had been etched with orange ornaments on his silver and blue suit. He landed onto his feet before standing up to reveal his yellow eyes as his red scarf flowed with the wind. He held his orange and gold blade over his shoulder, itching to cleave the monster's in front of him in two.

(Level 9 Light: Nexus Hero, Grand Blader, 2700ATK/2000DEF)

"When he's Fusion Summoned with a Synchro Monster being used as one of it's materials, then Grand Blader gains 300 attack points for each of that monster's level!" Seirus noted as an orange, blazing aura shrouding his monster with strength.

Nexus Hero, Grand Blader ATK: 2700ATK → 4200ATK

"So what, that still doesn't allow him to destroy any of my monsters. When it's all set and done, all you're doing is denying the inevitable," Inzata said mockingly.

"That would have been the case. . .if he didn't have another ability that is! I discard 1 card from my hand so that Grand Blader real effect kicks in! Now, all Special Summoned monsters my opponent controls whose attack points are lower than Grand Blader's original attack points are destroyed!"

"Wait, did he just say original?!" Inzata panicked.

"That's right! Furthermore, you both will take 100 points of damage for each of the combined levels of those monsters! Since the combine level is 21 in total, you'll be taking 2100 points of damage! Take this, Star Crush Carver!" The Nexus duelist affirmed.

Grand Blader then gripped the hilt of his blade and poured energy around it, the sword becoming shrouded in a oozing orange energy. His eyes glared at the opposing monsters before swinging his sword in one motion to generate a bright orange energy-slash that was so wide that it left little room to escape. In seconds, the slash collided with all of Inzata's Gladiator Beasts, creating an explosion that erupted towards them so large that the dad had to shield his eyes and turn his body in hopes of not getting caught in it. It didn't take long for only smoke to be left covering the scene though Seirus was confident that the attack landed.

"Nice going, Seirus!" Arata complimented, "That should do them in! Now all you need to do is get rid of one of them and the rest is a piece of cake!"

"Yeah, and I suggest we take out the big guy first," Seirus insisted.

Though before he could attack any further, a voice seemed to object to that statement, "Don't get ahead of yourselves now! The fun has only just begun so no rush to leave. In fact. . ." The two turned their attention to their side of the field, the smoke finally clearly up enough for them to see the results of Seirus's move. However, instead of an empty field, they were immediately shocked when they saw all four monsters still standing strong without a scratch.

"What!? I was sure that attack would have worked!" Seirus cried, his eyes wide.

Gengota chuckled, "Oh it did work alright. . ." Pointing down at his life points that were indicated by the hologram produced by his Duel Disk. Inzata did the same, chuckling out how shocked they were.

Gengota's LP: 5400 → 3300

Inzata's LP: 4400 → 2300

"They took the damage, that's for sure," Arata narrowed his eyes at the chubby man facing him, "Which means. . ."

"That's right, I activated my trap card: Fabled Sacrifice. You see, after a monster on our side of the field is destroyed by battle or card effect: I can remove 1 Fabled monster from my graveyard in order to revive those destroyed monsters back into their original positions!" Gengota explained confidently.

Seirus smiled, matching his confidence with his own, "Not bad, but that still doesn't save you from being attacked directly! Battle! Nexus Hero, Grand Blader! Attack Gengota's life points directly! Radiant Slash!" At his command, Grand Blader charged forward with his blade in hand before unleashing a larger energy slash from above. Though, Gengota still was unfazed by his attack and continued to grin sinisterly.

"I think the confidence is going over your head, kid!" He exclaimed, "I activate Battle Fader's effect from my hand! Now since you decided to attack me directly, I can Special Summon him to the field in defense mode and end the battle phase!"

"What did you just say!?" The Nexus duelist asked in disbelief.

Suddenly, before the energy slash could hit, a monster came flying out of a portal before revealing itself to be a fiend-like monster with bat wings while holding a bell that swung back and forth. Before long, a vibrating energy echoed like a bell ringing until the attack completely dispersed into nothing but flickers of energy while the monster landed on Gengota's side of the field.

(Lvl 1 Dark: Battle Fader, 0ATK/0DEF)

"Rats, guess I'll end my turn there!" Seirus groaned, slightly frustrated that he was played twice.

Seirus's Hand: 1

Turn 7:Gengota, 3 cards in hand, 2 cards on field, 5 cards in graveyard, 1 cards banished

Gengota LP: 3300, Inzata LP: 2300

Arata LP: 5500, Seirus LP: 7500

"Sorry about that, Arata," The Nexus duelist turned to his Red-Eyes wielding ally, "I wasn't able to finish them off this turn."

Arata shook his head, "Don't sweat it, you got in some good damage. Once it's my turn, this duel is as good as over." Though, just as they said that, they heard some loud footsteps coming towards them. Curious as to who would also be up here, the two duelists turned to see a group of familiar faces coming towards them.

"Hey, Arata! Seirus! What's taking you guys so long!" Lucky called while leading the charge through the Colosseum's door.

As they got a bit closer, Seirus couldn't help to reply to his question, "Well, these guys seem to be more of a handful than we expected them to be."

"Yeah, and to top it all off, they forced these stupid devices that sap out energy as we take damage," Arata added as he glared back at his opponents, "They also got the kid's father hostage."

"Really?" Lucky gasped, his feet stopping in his track as the girls behind him did so as well, "But you two got this duel in the bag, right?"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Gengota snickered, gaining their attention. He took out a card from his pocket as he continued to smile with malevolent intent, "The fact that you all gathered in one spot makes our job even easier. Now we can capture all of you at once. But before we get to you, we'll deal with these two first!"

"Oh yeah, just wait till I get the authorities! Then we'll see who's laughing after that!" Momo growled.

The chubby man grinned, "Not like it'd matter but we won't let you do that! I'd like to keep this party private!" In one swift motion, he threw the card he took out of his pocket towards them with impressive accuracy. Unexpectedly, the card sliced into the ground before glowing a bright purple color that blinded them. Though, once the light settled, the Duel Academy students could all see the barrier that was now encased around them.

"What the-what's going on!?" Lucky panicked.

Gengota wagged his finger playfully, taunting them with a clear smug look on his face, "There's no use trying to escape now. You're all trapped here unless you defeat us in a duel and to that I 'd have to say: your chances are next to nothing!"

"Aki, can't you use your psychic powers?" Momo asked in a low tone so that they wouldn't catch on.

However, to her dismay, she could already see Aki trying to summon a monster in a manner similar to before. But, nothing happened no matter how many times she tried, "It's not working. . .are they somehow blocking my powers as well?" Horror. That was the only feeling Momo felt in that moment. If Aki couldn't use her powers in this situation then what can they do if Arata and Seirus lose. Only Aki could possibly take them on if that were the case but two on one is still too much for even her in that scenario.

"Now that's taken care of, how about we get back to destroying you two!" Gengota grinned, "It's my turn! Draw! Good, I activate the continuous spell: Fabled Rejuvenation! Now as long as this card is in play, for every Fabled monster sent to the graveyard due to a card effect then my life points increase by 300 for each card! Then I activate, Card of Sanctity, allowing all players to draw until they have 6 cards in hand!"

Hearing this, all of the duelists drew until they had exactly six cards in hand though Arata knew something was up when the two shady men looked at each other. This must be a part of his plan but for what exactly.

Seirus Hand: 6

Arata Hand: 6

Gengota Hand: 6

Inzata Hand: 6

"The stage is set! I activate: Card of Destruction from my hand! Now all players must discard all cards from their hand and draw an equal number of cards to the amount of cards they discarded!" Gengota announced.

Both Seirus and Arata raised an eyebrow, wondering as to why he was so ecstatic about renewing their hands. However, as they discarded their cards, Gengota decided to add a small detail, "Now I'd like to add that since I discarded exactly 5 Fabled monsters from my hand to the graveyard, I gain 1500 life points due to my Fabled Rejuvenation continuous spell!"

Gengota's LP: 3300 → 4800

"That's not all, but since The Fabled Catsith was discarded, I can destroy 1 face-up card on the field!" He noted.

"What! That means. . .!" Seirus cried out of shock.

"You're Grand Blader is going to take a one way trip to the graveyard!" Gengota smirked, finishing his sentence. Inevitably, Grand Blader began to churn in pain: a purplish aura causing him to scream before being turned into nothing but dust, "In addition to this, since 2 copies of The Fabled Ganashia were discarded, I can revive them to the field but they are removed once they leave the field. Furthermore, Fabled Krus was discarded as well, granting me the ability to revive Catsith along with them!"

Erupting from the void below came the monsters that he spoke of, the three joining Battle Fader that rested on his side of the field. Two demons like elephants and a cat dressed in jewelry. They would ask what could possibly be next but that'd just be jinxing it.

(Lvl 3 Light: The Fabled Ganashia, 1600ATK/1000DEF)

(Lvl 3 Light: The Fabled Ganashia #2, 1600ATK/1000DEF)

(Lvl 1 Tuner Light: The Fabled Catsith, 800ATK/600DEF)

"Now I tune my 2 level 3 Ganashia, my level 1 Battle Fader, and my level 1 Catsith!" Gengota cackled, his four monsters taking off into the skies as Catsith suddenly turned into several green rings that surrounded them. They began to turn transparent before turning into shining green stars as Gengota chanted, "Demon who only lived in stories! Rise from the deep void and install fear into their eyes! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8, Fabled Valkyrus!"

The light burst from the call of the monster's name and now flying out of that light came a demon-humanoid in black, red, and gold armor. His eyes were red as he grinned towards the Academy students with his devil wings wide for them to see.

(Lvl 8 Light: Fabled Valkyrus, 2900ATK/1700DEF)

"This isn't looking good guys. . ." Lucky commented, his face showing clear signs of worry and fear.

Aki shot him a glare, "Quit being a pansy or you'll really seem like a girl at heart!"

"Ngh . . .!" The timid duelist flinched, the realization on how he was acting dawning on him.

Though, as they had their little comedic moment, Gengota continued his move, "I'm far from finished with you. I told you that you'll pay dearly this turn! I activate my field spell effect! This allows me to discard two cards from my hand in order to add a Fabled monster from my graveyard! I'll discard a Fabled Lurrie and The Fabled Abanic to add Catsith back to my hand! Then, since Fabled Lurrie was discarded, I can summon him to the field as well in defense mode!"

Once more, another Fabled monster this time resembling a mini demonic-bat man came flying in from below.

(Lvl 1 Light: Fabled Lurrie, 100ATK/100DEF)

Gengota's Hand: 4

Gengota's LP: 4800 → 5400

"Now I'll activate my Abanic's effect from the graveyard: by discarding another Fabled monster such as my Catsith, I can Special Summon it to the field. However, when it leaves the field it is removed from play!" Gengota continued, his monster resembling that of an overweight blue squirrel appearing onto the field.

(Lvl 2 Tuner Light: The Fabled Abanic, 1000ATK/600DEF)

Gengota's LP: 5400 → 5700

"Damn. . .he's regaining most of the life points that we've taken from him. . .how annoying," Arata groaned.

"You're catching on fast for a runt, but that isn't all. Since Catsith was discarded again, I get to destroy another monster on the field. So say goodbye to your Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!" He added, pointing to the monster in question. Similar to before, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon began to glow purple before exploding on Arata's side of the field. The shockwave pushed him back a bit before the dust cleared while Gengota continued his move, "Next, by discarding 2 cards from my hand, I can equip Valkyrus with the equip spell: Sword Of The Leviathan! This card increases my Valkyrus's attack by 100 for every Fabled monster in my graveyard when he declares an attack! Not only that but I also sent another copy of Krus to the graveyard, allowing me to summon back Nozoochee!"

Gengota's LP: 5700 → 6000

As soon as Nozoochee appeared back onto his side of the field, the chubby man raised his hand as he commanded, "I tune level 2 Abanic with level 1 Fabled Lurrie and level 2 The Fabled Nozoochee!" Once more, the monster took to the skies as this time, Abanic turned into several green rings that encased and turned his fellow monster's into green stars.

"Demon that has only been heard through ancient tales! Raise your blade against your enemies and cleave them apart! Synchro Summon! Appear Now! Level 5, Fabled Ragin!" Gengota exclaimed, his monster bursting out of the light and landing next to its brethren. It was dressed in similar armor compared to it's stronger ally though his was more gold and red than black. However, with both of them on the field, Seirus knew he had no room for error, "Now, since he was successfully Synchro Summoned while I control 1 or less cards in my hand then I can draw until I have 2."

(Lvl 5 Light: Fabled Ragin, 2300ATK/1800DEF)

"Battle!" Gengota declared, "First up, Valkyrus will attack Seirus directly! At this time, my equipp spell activates, raising his attack points!"

Fabled Valkyrus ATK: 2900ATK → 3800ATK

Seirus looked up as he saw Valkyrus fly above him with his hand extended out. He crossed his arms and braced himself as a dark wave of energy shot towards him as Gengota shouted, "Nightmare Wave!" Upon impact, Seirus took the full brunt of the attack, the shockwave causing his body to be pressured heavily as he skidded back. He let out a loud grunt from the blast but that wasn't the end of it. The armband that was forced upon him activated once more and began zapping more energy compared to before.

"Uraaagh!" He cried, gaining concern from his friends as he fell to his knees, he shook visibly from trying to bare with the pain, "Of course this thing drains a whole lot more as I lose more life points. . ."

Seirus's LP: 7500 → 3700

"You alright Seirus!?" Arata comforted, his face clearly showing concern.

Seirus chuckled, seeing how rare it was for him of all people to be worried, "I'm fine. . .that was nothing but a breeze. Not only that but since I took basically a total of 4300 points of damage while my Solar Converter is on the field, I gave four counters!"

Solar Converter's Counters: 0 → 4

"Hahahahah!" Gengota laughed, regaining the Nexus's duelist attention, "I would love to test that statement even further but that'd be a bore. But for now, I'll be using the other effect of my equip spell. Now since my monster successfully dealt damage to you, I can target 1 spell or trap card on your field and destroy it! So say goodbye to your Solar Converter!"

"What!?" Seirus gasped as his solar powered clover was suddenly struck by lightning. Seirus looked up to see Valkyrus chuckle before his trap was completely incinerated.

As Seirus shielded his eyes, Gengota turned to Arata next, "Now, it's your turn! Fabled Ragin attacks your Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"But Red-Eyes Black Dragon has more attack points!" Lucky exclaimed.

"Not for long," He corrected, "My field spell's effect increases my Fabled monsters attack by 200 equal to the difference of cards that I hold in my hand compared to my opponent as long as I have less cards in hand whenever they declare an attack against an opponent's monster. Meaning, Ragin gains 600 attack points!"

Fabled Ragin ATK: 2300ATK → 2900ATK

Arata's eyes widened as he saw that it was his turn next. Ragin dashed forward towards his Red-Eyes Black Dragon, his hand at the hilt of his sword before slicing the famed Dragon's head off. There were no cries from his monster this time however, the sudden explosion nearly knocked the Red-Eyes duelist off his feet. Though that was the least of his worries as another painful tinge washed over him, his life points corresponding to the pain he was feeling.

Arata's LP: 5500 → 5000

"Good, I like that expression of pain on your face. Now, I'll play the spell: Sharing The Burden! Now the player with the fewest life points becomes equal to my own!" Gengota said.

Inzata chuckled, a green aura surrounding him as his life points replenished, "Why thank you, Gengota. I feel so much better, heheh!"

Inzata's LP: 2300 → 6000

"I'm glad to hear that, Inzata," He grinned, "I place 1 card face-down and end my turn!"

Gengota's Hand: 0

Turn 8:Arata Kaseya, 6 cards in hand, 1 cards on field, 14 cards in graveyard, 1 cards banished

Arata LP: 5000, Seirus LP: 3700

Gengota LP: 6000, Inzata LP: 6000

"Hah. . .hah. . .heh, these two really are putting up a fight," Seirus panted, though his smile was still present. He didn't know what it was but this duel was starting to get really intense and he was enjoying every bit of it.

"You're right, they are pretty strong. . ," Arata agreed with a similar smile though he was still thinking about the current situation, "Needless to say. . .they've got us pretty much back into a corner. Since this is a tag-duel, they both have their own respective field and right now, they outnumber us in terms of monsters and strength. Beast guy is almost indestructible right now while the other one is a bit trickier than expected. In one turn, they managed to switch the odds into their favor again while nearly nullifying all the damage we did in one turn. . ."

The Red-Eyes Duelist looked down at his hand and nodded before turning to Seirus, "Hey, Seirus!"

"Yeah?" His partner asked with an expression filled with confusion.

"If this doesn't finish them then I'll be counting on you to clean-up! Worse come to shove, I'll get them low enough for you to finish them off, alright bud!" Arata grinned.

Seirus raised an eyebrow for a moment before nodded, "Sure thing, but how are you going to do that? They both have 6000 life points and Beast dude has a field of monsters that can't be destroyed in one go."

"No time for details, just watch me," Arata chuckled, his eyes looking forward with confidence. Though . . .in a split second. . .he could have sworn he saw Arata facial expression turning into a serious one, "I'm just going to have to show a bit more strength than I intended to show. . .!"

In that moment, all of the people in the vicinity had felt something. It was heavy, crushing and most certainly powerful. Seirus couldn't quite put his finger on it but he almost instinctively couldn't stop himself from looking towards the source. Even though Arata had not moved yet, he could feel the pressure emitting from him. It was strange. . .how could someone make everyone else tremble around him.

Aki's face was clearly shown a great surprise, showcasing that she too was feeling pressure, "Arata. . .he's going to get serious?"

"My turn. . .DRAW!" Arata declared, his draw showing hits of heat though nobody seemed to have noticed, "I summon The Black Stones Of Legends!"

Appearing on the field through a pool of molten lava came a familiar black stone that was glowing crimson inside as it was surrounded by rocks.

(Lvl 1 Dark: The Black Stone Of Legends, 0ATK/0DEF)

"Then I'll activate its effect! Tributing it to summon forth a level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster from my deck! So come forth, the second Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Arata exclaimed.

The black stone began to glow brightly with cracks slowly forming around the stone. They all marveled at the sight as the light began to grow before unleashing a crimson pillar of energy. Inside the pillar came bright red eyes before it dispersed to reveal the iconic dragon.

(Lvl 7 Dark: #2 Red-Eyes Black Dragon, 2400ATK/2000DEF)

As his dragon descended in front of him, Arata smirked, "Next, I'll activate Return Of The Dragon Lords! This card allows me to summon 1 level 7 or 8 Dragon monster from my graveyard! Resurrect once more! Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

This time, coming through the purple portal from below that had red-linings around it was the previous Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Before long, the two men were now face to face with copies of one of the most iconic monsters in Duel Monsters. It was a rare sight to behold truthfully.

Arata's Hand: 5

"Wait, but why did Arata bring out another Red-Eyes Black Dragon? Wouldn't the other one have been better?" Lucky asked.

Aki gulped, seeing how she has only experienced Arata being like this on rare occasions. Knowing that, she always savored the memories of what she could recall. They were simply breathtaking, so much that she suggested, "Just watch. You're in for a real treat . . ."

Before Lucky could say anything, Inzata couldn't help but chuckle, "So you brought out some more dragons. So what? They aren't powerful enough to make much of a differen-."

"Settle down. . .I'm not even close to finishing yet!" Arata warned, his voice powerful yet he still held that smile on his face. Inzata flinched at the aura shrouding the academy duelist, "I activate the trap from my graveyard: Red-Eyes Dark Burning Meteor!"

"Wait. . ." Gengota muttered, realizing something small but minuscule during that time. A flashback from earlier in the duel when Arata discarded a card in order to use Polymerization came to mind. He snarled mentally, "It was from back then. There's no way he chanced it based on the smile on his face. Did he really plan that far ahead?"

"Red-Eyes Dark Burning Meteor allows me to remove itself from play. Then, I am allowed to Fusion Summon 1 Red-Eyes monster from my Extra Deck using the materials listed for it's summoning from either my hand or field!" Arata explained.

"WHAT!"

Everyone collectively shouted out of shock. Seirus couldn't help but comment, "He's using a trap from the graveyard in order to Fusion Summon!"

"Yosh! Now the 2 Red-Eyes Black Dragons on my field! Merge with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my hand!" Arata commanded.

Subsequently, the third Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared onto the field as the other two began to glow a scorching crimson. The heat emitted from their body began to generate flames that burned and danced around Arata's side of the field, however, he seemed entirely unfazed as the three iconic dragons flew into the skies as if they were solar flares. They swirled around, merging into a spiral of pure hellfire before the ball of fire crashed back to the ground. There was a large geyser that erupted as Arata chanted, "Ancestral black dragon who has laid dormant for centuries! It's time for your fierce roars to awaken once more and shake the very plains of purgatory itself!"

Little by little, the arms and legs of the dragon shot out of the pillar of fire. It's wings spread wide as the flames danced around them: illuminating them along with the six pairs of glowing red eyes that seared through fire itself, "FUSION SUMMON! Bring forth calamity! Level 11, Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!

With his final call, the dragon roared with all of it's might. It's strength seemed unparalleled as the raging flames were reduced to nothing but mere sparks and remnants from it's powerful battle cry. They all stared up with amazement at the sight. The dragon had three heads that were nothing more than duplicates of it's single self. However, the size of it was nearly comparable to that of a similar three-headed beast.

(Lvl 11 Dark: Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, 3600ATK/3000DEF)

"Whoa. . ." Seirus muttered.

"Now, by paying 1000 life points, I can equip Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with Infernal Overtake!" Arata commented, his dragon gaining an overlaying, fiery aura around its body. It roared as power surged through its entire being. However, due to him losing life points, Arata felt his body get sapped of energy once more but he ignored it the best he could.

Arata's LP: 5000 → 4000

After taking a few deep breaths, he smirked confidently as his strategy was complete, "Now whenever Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon battles an opponents monster while this card is equipped, that monster is forced into defense mode!"

"Huh, but why would he do that if the idea is to inflict damage?" Momo wondered out loud.

"Everything is ready. By the time I am done, one of you may well be down for the count! Battle!" Arata claimed with confidence, "At this time, Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon can battle all of my opponents monsters at once! Furthermore, when it battles an opponent's defense position monster, it gains double piercing damage!"

"You've got to be kidding!" Inzata cried out of shock.

Gengota groaned, "What a blasphemous effect. If this goes through just like he plans then. . ."

"Arata would take out Beast guy's life points . . .!" The Nexus duelist awed.

"Exactly, so go! Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack his Gladiator Beast, Sagittarii! Ultimate Inferno Blast!" Arata commanded.

Gengota grunted, annoyed that they were actually pushed into a corner, "I activate my continuous trap! Fabled Blessing! By tributing 1 Fabled Synchro monster on my field such as my Fabled Valkyrus! Then I can choose 1 player on the field to gain life points equal to his attack points! Furthermore, all battle damage this turn involving monsters is halved! I choose Inzata as the target!" Fabled Valkyrus glowed, dispersing into nothing more than particles of energy as Inzata's body was shrouded with energy.

Inzata LP: 6000 → 8900

"I figured as much, but that doesn't matter! Go, Red-Eyes!" Arata assured, his dragon opening it's maws. Suddenly, a large fire blast resembling its original attack though this one was dozens of times bigger: shot down at the Sagittarii at full force. Due to the continuous trap, it managed to hang on by a hair but the flames surrounded Inzata, burning him harshly.

Inzata LP: 8900 → 6500

"Don't get comfortable now, that was just the first attack! One more time, but this time take out Ragin!" Arata demanded, his dragon unleashing another attack. Due to the equip spell, Ragin was forced into defense mode before it was completely incinerated by the attack. The shockwave blew the chubby man back as the flames burned his body.

Gengota's LP: 6000 → 4200

"Once more, Red-Eyes! Attack Gladiator Beast, Hoplomus, Augustus, and Alexander!"

At the sound of his voice, the dragon repeated it's action again, however to Inzata's horror: his monster was now staring face to face with the three heads of the legendary back dragon glaring at him in the face. Their maws opened, revealing three scorching Ultimate Inferno Blast ready for him. He barely had time to react to them being shot down at his monsters, his instincts causing him to shield his eyes and face from the attack. In a blaze of glory, the three Gladiator Beasts took the attack head on alongside Inzata though the force blew him back as soon as the explosion occurred. The scene left everyone baffled at Arata's strength as a duelist, his single move not only turning the tides of the duel but also the confidence of his opponents as they laid down on the ground in slight pain.

Inzata LP: 6500 → 5300 → 2900 → 500

Gengota's slowly got up, his face clearly annoyed, "You. . .brat. . .!"

"Hmm, I wouldn't say that if I were you, especially since at the end of the battle phase, Inferno Overtake second effect activates. When Ultimate Red-Eyes Black Dragon successfully destroys a monster during the battle phase. Then the owner of that monster takes damage equal to that monster's attack points," Arata added.

The bald man's eyes widened as a flaming circle swirled around him before engulfing him in some more flames, "Graaaaaaaaaagh!"

Gengota's LP: 4200 → 1900

Arata' smirked, though, he noticed Inzata slowly getting up as well, his face clearly annoyed while the flames around his partner faded. They were revealed to have similar, almost identical expressions which nearly made him laugh until Inzata commented, "I activate all my Gladiator Beasts effects! Since they were attacked this turn, I can switch them out for some new Gladiator Beast monsters from my deck! So come, Gladiator Beast: Vespasius, Murmillo, Retiari, and Laquari! And since they were summoned from the deck, my field spell gains 4 more counters! Not only that, but since Laquari was summoned due to a Gladiator Beast's effect then his attack points become 2100 instead!"

At that moment, four new monsters appeared in the field. One resembling that of a humanoid Sea-Serpent that held a broadsword with blue armor as it stood next to the fish-like monster with aqua-jet engines. On the other hand, the other two were of normal size, one being an alligator holding a spear while the other looked to be a tiger with blazing red armor.

Field Spell, Colosseum Counters: 6 → 10

Gladiator Beast, Vespasius ATK and DEF: 2300ATK → 3300ATK, 0DEF → 1000DEF

Gladiator Beast, Murmillo ATK and DEF: 800ATK → 1800ATK, 400DEF → 1400DEF

Gladiator Beast, Retiari ATK and DEF: 1200ATK → 2200ATK, 800DEF → 1800DEF

Gladiator Beast, Laquari ATK and DEF: 1800ATK → 2100ATK → 3100ATK, 400DEF → 1400DEF

"Also, since Murmillo was summoned by a Gladiator Beast effect, I can choose 1 face-up monster on the field and destroy it! So say goodbye to your Ultimate Dragon!" Inzata shouted in a mixture of rage and glee.

Arata smirked, as Murmillo fired a stream of water towards his Red-Eyes. However, the attack didn't even reach half-way let alone connecting to his Ultimate Dragon as it evaporated from the heat emitted from its body. Confused, Inzata gasped aloud, "Wh-what!?"

"Sorry, but Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon cannot be destroyed nor targeted by card effects," Arata added.

Annoyed, Inzata continued his play, "Tch, of course it would . . .however, I activate my continuous spell's effect! Now since a Gladiator Beast was summoned from the Main Deck, I can summon another Gladiator Beast with a different attribute to the field! So come, Gladiator Beast, Noxious!" Appearing on the field next to Laquari came another Gladiator Beast who was of the same breed. Though he bore purple armor and clawed weapons.

(Lvl 5 Dark: Gladiator Beast, Noxious, 0ATK/1000DEF)

Field Spell, Colosseum Counters: 10 → 11

Gladiator Beast, Vespasius ATK and DEF: 3300ATK → 3400ATK, 1000DEF → 1100DEF

Gladiator Beast, Murmillo ATK and DEF: 1800ATK → 1900ATK, 1400DEF → 1500DEF

Gladiator Beast, Retiari ATK and DEF: 2200ATK → 2300ATK, 1800DEF → 1900DEF

Gladiator Beast, Laquari ATK and DEF: 3100ATK → 3200ATK, 1400DEF → 1500DEF

Gladiator Beast, Noxious ATK and DEF: 0ATK → 1100ATK, 1000DEF → 2100DEF

"Alright, but I think I'll end my turn by setting 2 cards face down," Arata finished.

Arata's Hand: 1

Turn 9: Inzata, 6 cards in hand, 9 cards on field, 9 cards in graveyard, 0 cards banished

Inzata LP: 500, Gengota LP: 1900

Seirus LP: 3700, Arata LP: 4000

As the remaining flames settled down, Seirus couldn't help but stare up at the three-headed Red-Eyes dragon before him. He didn't think that Arata would have such a monster in reserve this entire time. Even their friends were amazed by the dragon which spoke volumes on how much Arata was holding out on them before. He couldn't help but think, "I'm so glad I wasn't on the receiving end of that. Arata just keeps surprising me more and more. . .is there even an end to his skill?"

"Tch . . .damn it!" Inzata growled, his tone low and irritated as it snapped the Nexus duelist out of his thoughts, "Alright, I've had enough of this. . .I'm gonna put an end to pointless struggle right here and now!"

Arata smirked, "I'd love to see you try. In fact, if you don't then my partner is ending this next turn." Seirus gulped, looking down at his hand. Right now, all he could possibly bring out is a level 7 Synchro monster. Since his Gladiator beasts can't be destroyed then that means Seirus can only take out one of them. But judging by how this duel has been going. . .

"Funny, because he won't be getting another turn nor will you! It's my turn! Draw!" Inzata cackled with a malicious smile on his face, "Prepare yourself! I fuse my Gladiator Beast, Vespasius, Murmillo, and Retiari!"

"Should have seen that one coming. . .," Seirus grumbled, the three monster taking to the skies in a purple, blue, and green streams of light.

They swirled around, creating a vortex of the three colors as Inzata began to chant, "Warrior who sailed the raging tides! Let your spear crush your enemies with the force that brings forth the floods! Triple Contact Fusion! Come Forth! Level 10, Gladiator Beast, Domitianus!" The vortex exploded into a raging, geyser of water until a large monster shot out of it. As it landed down onto the battlefield, it's sea-serpent body was clad in purple, gold, and green armor as it held a rather decorative spear in its hand. It's purple scales were hard as glistening with the water droplets that fell all around it. Before long, it let out a loud, ferocious battle cry that caused the opposition to shield themselves from the shockwaves.

(Lvl 10 Dark: Gladiator Beast, Domitianus, 3500ATK/1200DEF)

Field Spell, Colosseum Counters: 11 → 12

Gladiator Beast, Noxious ATK and DEF: 1100ATK → 1200ATK, 2100DEF → 2200DEF

Gladiator Beast, Laquari ATK and DEF: 3200ATK → 3300ATK, 1500DEF → 1600DEF

Gladiator Beast, Domitianus ATK and DEF: 3500ATK → 4700ATK, 1200DEF → 2400DEF

"But I'm not done! Now I'll summon Gladiator Beast, Samnite from my hand!" The Gladiator Beast duelist exclaimed, his monster appearing onto the field resembling that of a white sabertooth tiger clad in black and gold armor. It's shield shined along with the sword it carried, though, it was probably not gonna stay on the field for long.

(Lvl 3 Earth: Gladiator Beast, Samnite, 1600ATK/1200DEF)

"Wait. . ." Seirus's eyes widened as he came to realization, "He couldn't be going for. . ."

"Why yes I am!" Inzata interrupted, confirming his suspicions, "I fuse Gladiator Beast, Laquari, Noxious, and Samnite!"

Once more, three monsters suddenly turned into streams of light only this time being Red, Orange, and Yellow as they swirled into a bright vortex from above. As the light suddenly turned into a vibrant color resembling that of a pure flame, Inzata began to chant, "Valiant Warrior whose heat leaves the ground scorched. Reveal as to why you are called the king of all beasts among this battlefield! Triple Contact Fusion! Appear Now! Level 8, Gladiator Beast, Herkalinos!"

Stepping out of the flames that danced around him was a large, humanoid lion whose face was covered in red markings around his green eyes. He was completely covered in black and gold armor, his long brown spiky hair flowing with the flames as he held a golden shield along with a black, gold battle axe in his other hand. It roared, dispersing the flames so that they would shoot forward to cover around the two opposing duelists, earning groans from the heat emitted.

(Lvl 8 Fire: Gladiator Beast, Herkalinos, 3000ATK/2800DEF)

Field Spell, Colosseum Counters: 12 → 13

Gladiator Beast, Domitianus ATK and DEF: 4700ATK → 4800ATK, 2400DEF → 2500DEF

Gladiator Beast, Herkalinos ATK and DEF: 3000ATK → 4300ATK, 2800DEF → 4100DEF

"Two monsters with over 4000 attack points!?" Lucky stammered out of fear, "Isn't that a bit much!"

Momo couldn't help but agree, her jaw wide from the sight, "For once, I can't even argue against that comment! Both monsters are stronger than Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Not only that. . ."

"Seirus doesn't have a single monster on the field. With the life points he has now, one hit will be the end. . ." Aki grimaced.

Seirus grunted as Inzata cackled loudly, "HAHAHAHAHAHAH! You two should have thought things through and waited for your friends over there to arrive. If you did then you would stand a chance! Now, battle! Gladiator Beast, Herkalinos! Attack the one in the hoodie directly! Scorching Heat Geyser!"

At his command, Herkalinos raised his axe high into the air before swinging down with such force that it cracked the ground. There was a small pause before suddenly multiple flame geysers came rushing towards Seirus at surprising speeds. The Nexus duelist acted quickly, his hand already pointing towards his face-down.

"I activate my face-down! Emergency Hyper-Link! I can only activate this card by paying 1000 life points while I control no monsters on my side of the field! By doing this, I can summon two Nexus Emergency Link tokens to my side of the field!" Seirus explained.

Though, before he could pay the cost, Inzata took a card from his hand and discarded it, "Not so fast, I counter your effect with the power of Herkalinos! Once per turn, by discarding 1 card from my hand, I can negate the activation of any spell or trap card on the field and destroy it!"

"What!?" Seirus cried as his trap glowed red for a moment before spontaneously combusting into flames. The Geyser fast approached the Nexus duelist quickly, however, Arata came through with his own face-down.

"Blessing Flame From The Red-Eyes! By removing as many Red-Eyes monsters as I choose, I can choose 1 player on the field to 300 life points for each card removed. I banish 3 Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon, Red-Eyes Retro Dragon, Red-Eyes Panther Warrior, Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, and Gearfried The Red-Eyes Iron Knight! That makes 8 cards meaning Seirus will now gain 2400 life points!" Arata declared, his trap card revealing itself. Suddenly, the Nexus duelist's body was revealed to have a glowing red aura that was somewhat soothing to his skin.

Seirus LP: 3700 → 6100

However, the moment those life points came: they were gone. The geyser finally caught up and slammed themselves into the Nexus duelist, the flames surrounding him completely as he screamed from the pain that washed over his body. If the armband that was attached to him wasn't there then he could have sworn that this was far too realistic for the Solid Vision system to produce. Though, the feeling of having his body sapped of energy forcibly, especially from an attack like that was definitely going to hurt. As the flames died down, the Nexus duelist fell to one of his knees panting as smoke oozed off his body.

Seirus LP: 6100 → 1800

"Tch, so you survived that attack didn't you, no matter! I'll be taking care of you shortly! Domitianus! Finish where Herkalinos failed! Raging Tides Thrust!" Inzata demanded, his other monster twirling his spear so fast that it became a blur. However, the tip of the spear suddenly began to accumulate water at high pressure before leaping off the ground before diving towards Seirus. It's spear's tip was then surrounded by raging spirals of high-pressured water that could pierce through the toughest of steel.

Seirus groaned, mentally bracing himself for what's to come next though he had no choice, "I active Nexus Fortress Hero, Gigis's effect from the graveyard! By paying 1000 life points, I can Special Summon him to the field in defense mode! But, when he leaves the field he is removed from play!"

"You really think that is going to stop me!? Think again, I activate my monster's effect! When a monster effect is activated, I can negate that effect and destroy it!" Inzata cackled.

However, his young opponent smirked, "Are you sure about that?" His question made him flinch as he smiled forward before looking over at Arata. Shockingly enough, the Red-Eyes duelist second face-down had activated.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but I negate your monster's effect by activating Martyr Of A Tyrant! This card activates when an effect is used to negate the activation of a monster's effect. Now not only your effect is negated but all monsters on your field can't activate any effects relating to Negating Activations until your next Standby Phase!" Arata explained.

"Tch. . .you brat!" He muttered, shocked that he had such a card in his deck.

Meanwhile, Seirus resumed with his move with a smirk on his face until it contorted from the feeling of more energy being sapped from his body. He groaned, though bared with it as he summoned his monster in defense mode to intercept the attack. Now appearing on the field was a moving, humanoid castle with gold shields and one shining eye. It crossed it's arms and blocked the impending spears that slowly left cracks in it's defenses.

(Lvl 4 Light: Nexus Fortress Hero, Gigis, 0ATK/2000DEF)

Seirus LP: 1800 → 800

Eventually, Gigis's shield didn't hold up as the spear pierced through his shield before finally running through the fortress itself. Suddenly, the monster exploded leaving shockwaves to push Seirus back though the Nexus duelist was left unscathed thanks to the maneuver. On the other hand, Inzata scuffed at the sight of his opponent still standing though he pressed onward.

"No matter, I will activate Gladiator Beast United! This allows me to summon forth a Gladiator Beast Fusion Monster by using Materials from my hand field or graveyard by shuffling them back into the deck! So I choose Gladiator Beast, Alexander and Augustus!" He added, his monster's appearing on the field before turning into two streams of purple and gold lights. They swirled around as he chanted, "Valiant warrior who has overcome and controlled various beasts! Join the field with the ones you command! Fusion Summon! Appear Now! Level 8, Gladiator Beast, Tamer Editor in defense mode!"

(Lvl 8 Dark: Gladiator Beast, Tamer Editor, 2400ATK/3000DEF)

Descending and landing onto the ground was another beast monster that looked akin to that of a reptile compared to the previous one. However, this one was dressed in red armor lined with gold with a red ruby embedded in his chest. He held a large gold scepter in his hand as he knelt down in defense position.

"Lucky for you, my monster can't attack this turn after the activation of my spell. However, his effect activates! Allowing me to summon another Gladiator Beast Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck ignoring it's summoning conditions! So return to the front! Gladiator Beast, Andabata in defense mode!" Inzata roared.

Subsequently, Tamer Editor pointed his scepter to the sky before shooting a beam of light. Then, as if it were a response to his call, another beam of light shot down from above next to him, revealing the all too familiar lizard monster from before.

Field Spell, Colosseum Counters: 13 → 15

Gladiator Beast, Domitianus ATK and DEF: 4800ATK → 5000ATK, 2500DEF → 2700DEF

Gladiator Beast, Herkalinos ATK and DEF: 4300ATK → 4500ATK, 4100DEF → 4300DEF

Gladiator Beast, Tamer Editor ATK and DEF: 2400ATK → 3900ATK, 3000DEF → 4500DEF

Gladiator Beast, Andabata ATK and DEF: 1000ATK → 2500ATK, 2800DEF → 4300DEF

Now there were four monsters on the field with both a mixture of high attack points and equal amounts of defense points. Satisfied by his turn despite not finishing at least one of them, Inzata decided to conclude things for now, "I place 1 card face-down and end my turn."

Inzata's Hand: 1

Turn 10:Seirus Yuzaki, 6 cards in hand, 0 cards on field, 11 cards in graveyard, 1 cards banished

Seirus LP: 800, Arata LP: 4000

Inzata LP: 500, Gengota LP: 1900

The tension from the duel itself was almost suffocating. From the rather shifty maneuvers to the narrow escapes from certain defeat, one couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief like how Lucky did, "Phew, big bro barely escaped that one. . ."

"But they still aren't out of the woods yet. Remember, that guy's monsters currently are indestructible once per each battle. Meaning in order for Seirus to win, he'd have to attack all of them twice," Aki commented, pointing out that they were still far from finish.

Momo raised an eyebrow for a bit, "But what about that other guy. He's currently defenseless?"

"Yeah, even if Seirus isn't able to defeat him this turn, his partner will be taken down for sure this time!" Lucky added, agreeing with glee as he realized the situation.

However, just before Seirus could draw his card, Inzata chuckled, "You're friends are so sure about your victory but they fail to realize that this duel is over! I activate my face-down: Gladiator Triumphant Roar!"

"What!?" Seirus gasped, shocked that he was revealing his trap this early into the round.

Even Arata was surprised by this, his eyes wide out of shock, "He actually had another plan ready just in case? But what could it. . ."

"Now, since I control exactly 4 Gladiator Beast monsters on my field, I take no battle damage involving those monsters. Not only that, but until the end of the turn, you can only declare an attack against Gladiator Beast monsters. But. . .that's not all. . .," Inzata paused, chuckling to himself, "At the end of the battle phase, you both take 500 points of damage for every Gladiator Beast monster on my field."

"500. . ." Aki muttered in disbelief.

"For each . . .that means," Momo said in a similar manner

Lucky went pale from the shock, "If Seirus doesn't finish things this turn then he'll be the first to go. Leaving Arata to fend for himself next turn." Seirus couldn't help but chuckle to himself with a bit of nervous sweat falling down his face. Though, in contrast to this, the Nexus duelist couldn't help but hold such a wide grin on his face. After getting the last bits of chuckles out of his systems he commented to himself.

"Interesting, a do or die situation huh? I'm game then," Seirus relished, his eyes immediately darting down to his hand. Currently, he only held enough monsters to perform a Synchro Summon, however, he knew that wouldn't work, "With the current cards in my hand, I can definitely get out a couple of Synchro monsters. But that won't work since I'm not able to damage him through battle. Wait. . ."

His thoughts paused for a second as he spotted a spell in his hand. Memories flashed through his mind for a split second, one revealing a smaller version of himself going over his deck alongside his foster father. Aside from Xernus, one card stood out though it was blurred as he couldn't recall the monster vividly. The memory faded, his eyes widening as he looked over at his deck. He could hear it, the call of a monster that was wanting to be unleashed.

"I see. . ., you are asking me to trust you, huh?" Seirus murmured so silently that no one could even hear him. He smiled widely, his fingers placed on the top of his deck as he got ready to draw, "Then let's see what you can do! So let's go! My Turn! Draw!"

Similar to Arata, the Nexus duelist drew his card with passion, the silence deafening the bystanders and fellow duelists around him. Inzata chuckled at his small attempt for victory though he immediately became confused as soon as Seirus was seen staring at the card he drew with a smile on his face. He looked up with a bright face, almost as though he'd just won a lottery or something along those lines.

"I just drew the very card that'll win us this duel! To be honest, I can't believe I forgot about this guy!" Seirus chuckled.

Inzata growled, his partner showing similar annoyance, "Just get on with it!"

"Yeah, we don't have time for you bluffs! No matter how many monsters you bring out, you will fail in the end from trying to beat all of the Gladiator Beasts!" Gengota proclaimed, snarling at his opposition's confidence.

The Nexus duelist smirked once more, "Who said there will be more than one monster?"

"Huh"

They both were confused, wondering what he could possibly mean by that statement. Was one monster really going to take out four at once? As they were pondering, Seirus turned to his teammate with an amused look on his face.

"Hey Arata, I've never shown anyone this guy yet! You guys will be the first ones to see him!" Seirus claimed.

"Really now? Then go for it, Seirus!" Arata awed for a moment before giving an approving thumbs up.

Like similar occasions, his eyes unconsciously glowed faintly as he turned back to the duel itself "Alright! First I'll activate Monster Reincarnation! This card allows me to discard 1 card from my hand in order to add a monster from my graveyard! The monster I'll be adding is Nexus Bow Hero, Archmen! Then by discarding him along with another Nexu Hero such as my Nexus Hero, Vector! I can welcome a new hero to the stage!"

"A new hero, you say? What could he do, bwahahahahaha!" Inzata cackled.

"You'll have to wait and see! Vector! Archmen! Let's pave the way for his grand entrance, shall we!?" Seirus declared, his astral humanoid-spider hero appearing alongside with another hero dressed in a suit made of blue vector arrows. The two monsters took to the skies as they sacrificed themselves to create what seemed to be a small ball of green electricity. However, rapidly the electricity began to grow more out of control and green before turning into a stream of energy that zipped and zigzagged throughout the air before crashing to the ground: unleashing all of that built up electric power in the process. Seirus grinned, welcoming his monster to the field, "Appear Now! My childhood hero! Nexus Hero, Raikos!"

Suddenly, lighter green eyes shined through the wild electricity raging around the now dark figure. It crossed it's arms high to build up enough air before uncrossing them to unleash a battle cry. The light dispersed around him, leaving small bits of static on the ground as the new hero got into a straight battle ready stance. He seemed to be covered in a mechanical orange and black suit with green outlines. On the back of his lower waist were two propellants with three wings attached to them that oozed off green energy and electricity. At the core of the monster's armor was a green glowing orb while his shoulders had round energy turbines.

(Lvl 7 Tuner Light: Nexus Hero, Raikos, 2500ATK/2000DEF)

"So what, you bust out a new flashy monster? He's far weaker than my monsters!" Inzata smirked.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Seirus warned, earning a raised eyebrow, "I activate Raikos's special effect! Once per turn, I can summon 1 Nexus monster from my graveyard whose level is 3 or lower in defense mode with it's effects negated! Not only that, but the monster Special Summoned by this effect can only be used as Fusion Material! So return! Nexus Beast, Scyther!"

Appearing from a portal that opened beneath them, Scyther returned to the field to stand alongside his companion. The monster growled with readiness to fight despite being in defense mode. Seeing it as a bit funny, Seirus chuckled inwardly before continuing his move, "Then, Raikos gains 200 attack points for each of that monster's level until the end phase of my opponent's turn! Voltage Charge!" His monster roared as green electricity flowed around him, increasing his power further.

Nexus Hero, Raikos ATK: 2500ATK → 3100ATK

"But that's not all! I'll be boosting his power even further with the spell: Concentrating Current! Now, in exchange for only attacking with the monster that is targeted by this effect, I can increase 1 monster's attack points that I choose by its own defense points! Which means Raikos gets even stronger!" Seirus claimed, the volts of lightning surrounding Raikos increasing even further.

Nexus Hero, Raikos ATK: 3100ATK → 5100ATK

Gengota still smiled, knowing full well that everything that happened so far wasn't going to work, "Are you crazy or stupid? Simply increasing your monster's attack points isn't going to change your fate!"

"I know. . .which is why I'll use Archmen's effect from the graveyard to seal the deal! By removing him from play, I can negate the effects of 1 Spell or Trap card on the field until the end of this turn! Which means your Gladiator Survival Cry won't be protecting your monsters! Seirus added before finally playing the last card to his combo. As the trap turned gray, the Nexus duelist revealed his trump card, "Now for the finishing touch! I equip Raikos with Lightning Frenzy! You see, Lightning Frenzy is an equip spell that is exclusive to Raikos! This increases his attack points by 300!"

Nexus Hero, Raikos ATK: 5100ATK → 5400ATK

Once more, Raikos powered up with even more voltage compared to before though Seirus couldn't help but grin at the sight of confusion on their faces. Inzata face-palmed before bursting into fits of laughter, "BWAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! REALLY!? THAT WAS YOUR BIG MOVE!? EVEN WITH MY TRAP NEGATED YOU STILL CAN'T DAMAGE ME IN BATTLE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Just wait and see! Raikos! Destroy Gladiator Beast, Domitianus! Light-Speed Volt!" Seirus commanded.

Raikos's propellers began to heat up before unleashing a large amount of electrical energy as he shot forward at full speed. His fist tightened before taking off high into the sky so fast that he was barely visibly. Suddenly, the stream of lightning that was Raikos came crashing down on Domitianus with full force: his fist slamming into the monster's stomach as it cried out in pain from the unbelievable amounts of electricity that scattered throughout the field. At first, it seemed like a normal attack until something strange happened that even made Inzata stop laughing for a moment.

All of the other Gladiator Beasts that were by Domitianus's side seemed to be affected as well as they cried out in pain. Confused, Inzata cried out in question, "What the hell!? WHAT'S GOING ON!" Seirus chuckled, knowing full well what was happening.

"Sorry, but Lightning Frenzy isn't an ordinary equipped spell. There is a reason why it can only be equipped with Raikos," Seirus noted, gaining their attention, "When Raikos destroys a monster whose level is 5 or higher, then all of my opponent's monsters whose levels are lower than the destroyed monster are destroyed as well. And for each monster destroyed. . .well, you both take 800 points of damage for each monster destroyed by this effect!"

"WHAT!" the two men shouted with complete shock!

"That's right and considering your trap only protected you from battle damage. . . This duel is finished! End it, Raikos!" Seirus exclaimed, his fist outward as he punched the air.

Raikos's eyes glowed at his command, his other fist raised behind him before delivering the finishing blow to the Sea-Serpent's stomach once more. Immediately, a torrent of emerald electrical energy erupted, destroying the rest of the Gladiator Beast's in the process. The explosion of energy shocked the men as they were engulfed by the blast before getting blown away. In that moment, the field spells placed on the field along with the barrier began to crack before they were eventually incinerated by the explosion that left a pillar of green lightning to shoot up to the sky.

Slowly but surely, the light diminished, allowing for the full color of day to pass through as the dueling field was left in smoke as Raikos returned to Seirus's side of the field. Eventually, the smoke cleared, revealing the two men on their backs while the father was unharmed from the attack.

Gengota LP: 1900 → 0

Inzata LP: 1900 → 0

Winning Team Of The Duel: Seirus Yuzaki and Arata Kaseya!

---

"Phew!" Seirus breathed before saluting with two fingers, "Nice game!"

The remaining cards on the field faded soon enough as the academy duelist powered down their duel disks. The boy hiding behind had his mouth dropped and completely open as he marveled at the finishing move Seirus just pulled off. Though, he immediately snapped out of it when he noticed that the path to get to his father was finally cleared.

"Dad!" He cried, running over to the man that was smiling with a relief. As they made up, Seirus couldn't help but fall onto his butt.

He let out a low-energy chuckle, "Man, who would think dueling would take that much out of someone. . ." Nodding Arata walked over to the Nexus duelist and sat down next to him, the breeze blowing between their faces as they cooled off.

"For sure, I've never felt more hungry. . .," Arata added, hearing the footsteps of their friends approaching from behind.

Though, what they didn't expect was the bear-hug tackle from behind from their rather wimpy friend. For once, they nearly felt all of the air in their body spew out of them at once and that was what did them in. Lucky for them however, they were at least able to still accumulate enough oxygen to survive thankfully.

"Ahhhhhh! You guys had us worried! Don't ever scare us like that again!" Lucky cried.

Seirus smirked, "We're fine Luck, so stop crying already. . .We won which makes everything aye okay!"

"Yeah but that duel was cutting it close," Aki argued before asking, "Just what did these guys want that would make them go so far? And how did they have access to something that sealed off my psychic powers?"

"Well, they said they were after Princess Steria and assumed that by using us they can get to her. . .As for the other part, I have no clue," Arata explained.

Momo's eyes widened at his statement, "What? But why do they want Steria?"

"No clue. . .it may be something she would know?" the Red-Eyes duelist replied without a lick of an answer.

Silence overtook the group over the wails of Lucky's crying. What were they after? It was probably understandable enough that a princess from a foreign country that holds a lot of power and dueling prowess would be targeted by abductors and such. But what was with the advanced technology that saps people's energy during a duel? And if that wasn't weird enough, the whole magical power-sealing card thing was another mystery entirely in of itself. Though, despite this silence, Seirus couldn't help but make the mood lighter.

"Well, we stop them right! It sounds like a personal problem for her right? Meaning we have nothing to do with it! Besides, I'm pretty sure she can handle herself!" Seirus said optimistically. They all smiled at his wide grin and goofy giggles that escaped his lips. He was really one of those outgoing types of guys that you simply couldn't hate. Though, his facial expression quickly shifted as soon as he felt someone blowing his nose on his hoodie, "Uwaaaaaah! Lucky, don't use my hoodie as a handkerchief! This is my favorite one!"

The group of friends couldn't help but snort before laughing away at the Nexus duelist's expense. That was something that they simply could never get sick of.

A/N: Phew, this was a doozy to write! 17k words in the making and this is the longest duel I've written so far. This chapter is just a glimpse for the first villains of this arc as well as introducing Seirus's ace Nexus Hero monster. Well that was the main goal of the duel but you know, I had to make it not too powerful and only strong when using an equipped spell. Also, right now I am focusing on Re:Seize. I'll let you know when I'll switch over to Tenkai work.

Now for future chapters, I'm debating on splitting the duels like this into multiple chapters or keep them in one chapter like this. Though I am leaning towards the ladder since I personally like reading duel scripts from start to finish with no chapters in between I want to cater to the general readers as much as I can. That is why I add in beginning turn stats so the reader can follow the duel better and it makes as much sense as possible. This way, it doesn't feel like characters have infinite hands, random traps that weren't on the field before, or cards in the graveyard that weren't explained how they got there in the first place. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Yugioh Re:Seize! Until next time!