The moon's crimson rays gently faded in the Western horizon as day's clouds began appearing in the Eastern sky. A bloody light fell upon the crests of the Twilight Kingdom's Northern mountains, casting shadows which seemingly darkened them even more. It was there, in a small valley, by the stones of an ominous river that Shishima decided to seek temporary shelter and update his deck with the brand new Onifuda Kingdom cards he had received. Although the idea of adding a secondary civilization was less than appealing to him, the cards were only multicolored Darkness Fire, meaning that in a way he would still be playing mono and be able to easily fulfill the Mana Arms conditions of cards such as Tigernitro, Explosive Devil. What was truly appealing, however, was the Onitime mechanic in general. His deck was slow and defensive, meaning he could easily allow himself to be rushed and achieve the Onitime condition of having six shields or less in total. He would not even take the Oni King's route of returning one's shields without shield trigger, that would have been too foolish and risky. At the very least if the opponent attacked, he would be able to counter with shield triggers, of which he ensured there would be enough.
"At last, I am finished," Shishima concluded with a satisfied smile, shuffling the stack of forty cards.
"It is said in the creature world that once Onitime is achieved, the true power of an oni is revealed," Borof remarked as he relaxed on the lion youkai's, giggling excitedly at the thought of his master growing even stronger than before.
"If that is the case, the power of the oni shall serve to further push my own power. After all, there are no limits for how far someone like me can go."
"Indeed, milord! And with the brand new draghearts I've provided you, this deck is sure to cause havoc!"
"Shishima!" cried a third voice in the distance, causing the duo to turn around. There he was, standing proudly by the edge of a cliff, long white hair flowing in the wind alongside his black kimono. Akamaru's face was like that of a rabid predator, there would be no reasoning with him. "We're not done yet, you condescending prick!" He jumped, dashing through the air with his claws ready to lop off the lion's head, only then would his pride be satisfied. Alas, said claws ended up cutting only stone, as his target flew off in a matter of seconds before a would-be impact.
Shishima reappeared behind the oni prince, replying in an arrogant tone, "Was that even an attempt to harm me?"
"As a matter of fact, yes it was!" Akamaru shouted as he lashed at his opponent in a frenzy, sharp claws desperately trying to hit an endlessly dodging target. "Just who the fuck do you think you are to barge in my village, humiliate my father and rob me of my inheritance?!"
"You fight like an inexperienced pup and you dare question my intentions?" the daiyoukai spat with slight disgust, after which he widened his glowing red eyes. "On thy knees, weakling! You should learn to respect your superiors."
Waves upon waves of pain assaulted the poor oni's head. In a matter of seconds it all turned black for him. Upon regaining consciousness, Akamaru found himself back at his home village. But much to his surprise, his father was gathering an army. All around he could hear voices talking about a war against Purgatory and how the oni were needed to aid the Twilight Kingdom's common goal of conquest upon the spiritual world. But how could this be? That war had ended over a thousand years prior. Upon seeing a younger version of himself run up to the Oni King did he realize that he was reliving a memory.
"No, Akamaru," his father's reply stung his heart still to that day. "You are not strong enough, nor balanced enough. Leave this matter to your mother and I."
"That's not fair, I also want to fight! It's my duty as an oni!" his young self protested, almost on the verge of tears.
"Your father is right," spoke a red oni woman dressed in a samurai armor made of silver, a katana and a kanabo in their sheaths on her back, her white hair wrapped in a ponytail behind her horns. "There will come a time when you will exercise your power as the heir to the oni. But until then, we will be the ones to fulfill our duty to both our people and the greater kingdom." She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, as she used to do whenever she sensed he was upset. "You take good care of the village until we return, alright?"
"Alright, mom..." the young oni sighed in defeat.
Little did he know, that would end up being his last interaction with the Oni Queen, who would later die gloriously in battle, or so he was told. Apparently she fell while taking down a hundred Purgatory angels with her when she unleashed her full power and caused a massive explosion in the skies. All viewed her act as both a heroic sacrifice and a decisive point in the war which secured the Twilight Kingdom's further ascent beyond their magical borders. But to Akamaru, it was a worthless death which could have been prevented if only he had been the one to go in her place. He had argued with the Oni King over that subject for centuries to no avail. No matter how hard he trained, how many opponents he defeated both in combat and in duel, he was never strong enough in his father's eyes and he never once got to fight in any army. Was he being sheltered in order to assure the existence of a royal heir, or did his father genuinely view him as too weak?
"The answer is yes, Akamaru," a hissed voice echoed in his head. "Your father is right, you indeed are too weak. All you know is using brute force while blindly charging headfirst. This kind of fighter is expendable meat at best."
"Shut up, you're lying, show yourself!" the oni shouted in anger, causing the surrounding village to fade away as he snapped out of the illusion. He was back in the mountains, lying on the ground on his knees in front of Shishima, who was relishing in his inner pain with a smug smirk on his sharp face. "What did you do to me?"
"I merely entered your mind and had a look at some of your secrets," the daiyoukai prince feigned innocence as he lazily brushed his mane. "It seems that your own weakness is indeed the cause of both your sorrow and frustration. No wonder you're such an unstable hothead."
"You have some fucking nerve!" Akamaru got back on his feet, fists clenched and ready to punch literally anything he could find. "And for what? Just to give me a lesson about how much I suck and you're better?!"
"You did not find my little trick amusing?"
"I've just about had enough of you!" the oni snapped and ran once more towards his opponent. "Die!"
"Pathetic." Shishima spread his leather wings wide and slapped him away with one of them. "How could you think that with your inferior skills you have a chance to stand up to me?" Another wave of headaches assaulted his opponent, with the intention of breaking his mind to put an end to their encounter. "I grow tired of your meddling in my affairs."
Mustering the entirety of his strength, Akamaru fought back against the mental pain and managed to jump once more at Shishima, taking him by surprise. The lion reacted too late and by the time he flew off, a part of the fur from his chest had been lopped off. Before he could realize what just happened, the oni once more jumped after him and managed to slash his left shoulder and wing, forcing him to land back on the ground. He glanced at his wounds for a few moments, giggling all the while. Then he turned to face his opponent and said:
"If I knew that mentally breaking you is what makes you fight seriously, I would have done so a lot sooner."
"Oh I'm going to make you eat those words along with all the disrespectful shit you've said to my face this whole night, you self-centered cat!"
"Let's see if your dueling skills are as sharp as your tongue then," Shishima produced his deck which glowed with a purple and red aura, causing two dueling tables to appear between them. "Shall we?"
"Yes we shall!" Akamaru took out his own deck which glowed with a similar aura, the two of them going to the tables and setting up their cards, five blue shields materializing above each of them.
Borof landed on a rock in the distance and watched their match, eager to see how his master's upgraded deck would fare.
"I summon Kodamanma, Gil Gil Doll and return a shield to my hand. Strike Back - Fire, I discard Gashadodokuro, Oni of "Tamagari" and summon Dual Shock Dragon for free!" A dark red oni doll wielding a toy kanabo and a piece of sushi appeared and broke one of its owner's shields, after which a horned and winged dragon donning a red and white armor and wielding two swords appeared alongside the small puppet creature. "When Dual Shock Dragon is put into the battle zone, I send one of my shields to the graveyard," Akamaru announced and watched another one of his shields get broken, the card which went into his graveyard being Bakurohoshi, Oni of "Musabori".
"Breaking your own shields? How foolish and reckless," Shishima dismissed him. "I cast Reload Charger to discard Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge and draw a card."
"We'll see how well you fare against my 'foolish and reckless' strategy just now, you ignorant bastard! I summon Kizugui Henge!" A blue quadrupedal demonic wolf with a flaming red mane appeared and rushed at the opponent. "He's a speed attacker, so I attack with him and return another shield to my hand. Now, break his shield!" Akamaru smirked with confidence. "And now I have two shields and you have four, Onitime is activated! Dual Shock Dragon, double break his shields!" The dragon gave a mighty roar and flew towards the opponent, slashing two shields with both swords. "And since this was my second attack this turn, I summon Valchuris, Dragon Armored for free!" A trio of mice each wearing a dragon skull and wielding a repair tool appeared by the small army of Fire creatures. "Valchuris is a speed attacker also. I'll make sure you remain without any shields, just to show you my true power, Shishima! Kodamanma, break another shield!" The oni doll ran along as if pulled by strings and smashed a shield with its kanabo.
"Shield trigger, I cast Assault, Onifuda Kingdom! Since Onitime is activated, I can use both of its effects, so I destroy your Valchuris and revive Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge, who brings out Welcome Hell, Supreme Devil King Palace!" The trio of mice disappeared in an explosion as the horned and winged purple wolf plushie appeared alongside his trademark winged demonic palace, sending Reload Charger and Tsuruhashi Doji to his owner's graveyard. "With Welcome Hell's effect I revive Tsuruhashi Doji." A small blue oni wielding a scythe also appeared, causing the top three cards of his owner to go into the graveyard, those being Ninjariban, Dragon Edge, Bone Dance Charger and Jaouga, Onigaoni, the latter of which was recovered. "Tsuruhashi is a slayer and due to Onitime he is also a blocker. Now my turn begins, Onitime! I summon Jaouga, Onigaoni for 5 mana instead of 10!"
"J-Jaouga?!"
Much to Akamaru's shock, a tall red and blue oni with a single horn coming out of his head, skull shoulder pads and a chest armor made of ribs appeared by his opponent's side.
"Impossible, my father gave you an incarnation of the Onifuda Kingdom's leader? He trusted you that much?!"
"Jaouga is a speed attacker and whenever he attacks I can revive a non-evolution Darkness or Fire that costs 7 or less, so I attack Dual Shock Dragon with him and revive Ninjariban, Dragon Edge who brings out Reddull, Dragon Soul Castle, which will grant him speed attacker too!" The oni rushed at the dragon and overpowered him while the blue ninja plushie appeared alongside a Japanese-styled red castle with flaming swords at its edges. "Tsuruhashi is a slayer, so I attack your Kizugui with him and both get destroyed. Then I attack Kodamanma with Ninjariban and Welcome Hell revives Tsuruhashi again." The scythe-wielding blue oni reappeared, causing Jack Alcadeias, Dark Gaia, Inferno Sign and Gokensai, Oni of "Outrage" to land in Shishima's graveyard, the latter of which went into his hand. "Keh, I end here. Your move, Akamaru. Or did I extinguish your flame so soon?"
"Don't get so cocky, I'll wipe out your field in the same vein you did to mine! I summon Michizure Nyudo." A cycloptic horned red robot riding on a single wheel and wielding a bident appeared in the battle zone. "With his effect I force battle him with your Jaouga. And since Onitime is activated, he gets slayer, so both die!"
"Cheap tricks."
"We'll see how cheap they are! I summon a second Michizure Nyudo and battle him with Hellborof, both will die yet again! I end here."
"You duel in the same vein as you fight, brainlessly and straightforward. Thankfully, I have something to calm you down - I summon Gokensai, Oni of "Outrage"!" An oni donning a red and blue samurai armor appeared, a skull necklace around his neck and dragon skulls attached to his arms. "Whenever Gokensai would leave the battle zone, I may discard a card and keep him. And while Onitime is activated, your creatures enter the battle zone tapped," Shishima explained with a sadistic smirk, fully confident that his opponent's rush had been stopped. "I attack with Ninjariban and Welcome Hell revives Jack Alcadeias, break one of his shields!"
"Not so fast! I reveal Anyaku Yasha from my hand to destroy your Tsuruhashi! Then I send Anyaku Yasha to the bottom of my deck." Akamaru sighed with relief as he put a stop to a second attack which would have rendered him without any shields. "You're not the only one with a fancy finisher - Onitime, I summon Jaouga, Oniga Overlord for 5 mana instead of 10!" A tall dark red oni with a single horn coming out of his head, skull shoulder pads, a chest armor made of ribs, a battle axe attached to his left foot and a kanabo attached to his right foot, arose by Akamaru's side. "Jaouga can't leave the battle zone on the turn he is summoned, and also when he is put in the battle zone, all creatures are destroyed!" He smiled and watched how the creature unleashed a wave of darkness upon his opponent's field, devouring his creatures.
"I discard Rousseau Montes / Monte Scale Sign to keep Gokensai in the battle zone. And since your Jaouga entered the battle zone tapped, there's nothing else you can do, so my turn begins. I summon Borof, Final Dragon Edge and equip him with Go To Hell, Annihilator Blade!"
"Right away, milord!" Borof exclaimed and grew in size as he flew in the battle zone, immediately taking out the bone scythe.
"So you're the little bug who kept talking nonsense in the background," the young oni remarked.
"Watch your tongue, you foolish cretin, for I am Shishima-sama's strongest minion! You will soon have a taste of my power!" the plushie boasted, pumping his chest.
"Go To Hell revives Ninjariban, Dragon Edge whom I equip with Beginning Start, Initial Dragon Tool." The blue ninja plushie reappeared, this time wearing a white metallic glove with a white angelic wing and a black demonic wing on each side. "I end my turn and since I brought out another dragheart this turn, Beginning Start Dragsolutions into Final the End, Finishing Heaven Dragon," Shishima concluded and the metallic glove was tossed in the sky and transformed into a white-armored dragon with a black demonic wing and a white angelic wing.
"Don't think that blockers can save you from my wrath! I summon Michizure Nyudo and force battle him with Final the End, both get destroyed! Now, Jaouga, break his final shield!"
The lion youkai crossed his arms expectantly as he watched the creature tear through his remaining shield with the kanabo foot. Then with a dismissive voice, he replied:
"It's time I put an end to this farce of a duel. I summon Hellborof and bring out Hell or Hell, Super Devil Corrupt Tower. Due to both of their effects, I self mill two cards." The winged and horned wolf plushie reappeared alongside a winged demonic palace with giant burning candles between its towers while Gokensai, Oni of "Outrage", Jack Alcadeias, Dark Gaia, Reload Charger and Assault, Onifuda Kingdom ended up in their owner's graveyard. "I attack with Borof. Hell or Hell mills two more." Ninjariban, Dragon Edge and Bone Dance Charger also went into his graveyard. "Go To Hell revives Ninjariban who brings out Whitey, Dragon Soul Church and freezes Jaouga." Another blue ninja plushie appeared alongside a floating church with a dragon's head above the entrance. "Welcome Hell revives Tsuruhashi, who mills three more cards." The small blue oni wielding a scythe reappeared, causing Rousseau Montes / Monte Scale Sign, Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge and Tsuruhashi Doji to go into their owner's graveyard. "I recover Jaouga, Onigaoni. Now go, Borof, break his final shield!"
"My pleasure, sire!" the plushie exclaimed and flew towards the opponent, hacking away his remaining shield with the bone scythe.
"I attack with Ninjariban as well, Hell or Hell mills two more." Tigernitro, Explosive Devil and Borof, Final Dragon Edge landed in Shishima's graveyard. "Welcome Hell revives another Tsuruhashi." Another scythe-wielding blue oni appeared, causing Bone Dance Charger, Ninjariban, Dragon Edge and Tigernitro, Explosive Devil to land in his graveyard as well. "This time I recover nothing. Ninjariban, finish it, todomeda!"
"Revolution 0 Trigger - I summon Bolshack Dogiragon!" Akamaru announced and revealed the top card of his deck. "Perfect, I put Jaouga, Oniga Overlord in the battle zone and evolve him into Bolshack Dogiragon! With Jaouga's effect, all creatures get destroyed, including my Bolshack Dogiragon!"
Another wave of darkness descended on the battle zone which began devouring all creatures.
"I'll let Gokensai be destroyed just to toy with him," Shishima thought as he saw his entire army be wiped out, after which he spoke, "I have 26 cards in my graveyard, more than 20, so I Dragsolution Hell or Hell into Deathshiraz Infinity, Super Devil Corrupt King!" The winged palace broke open and out of it emerged a winged dark blue Demon Command Dragon wielding a purple bone scythe with a burning candle at its top.
"All that effort for a creature with 24000 power? You only have two cards left in your deck, if you don't do something about it, you're going to deck out soon! But worry not, I'll make sure to defeat you before you can lose in an even more humiliating manner, no matter how satisfying it would be for me to see it. My turn, I summon Bakurohoshi, Oni of "Musabori"!" A tall red oni with two pairs of black wings coming out of his back, a crown of black feathers on his head with long flowing white hair appeared, fixating his burning yellow eyes on the opponent. "He's a speed attacker, so you're done for! Bakurohoshi, todomeda!"
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja and turn Deathshiraz Infinity into a blocker. Deathshiraz Infinity, block the attack!"
The small white plane appeared and gave the Demon Command Dragon a white aura, allowing him to stand in the way of the oni and cut him in half. Akamaru was rendered speechless, his very last chance of winning the duel had been ruined by a mere Ninja Strike. Shishima relished in his opponent's suffering, but alas their match was not as entertaining as the ones he had back on Earth, which was a shame.
"Onitime, I summon Jaouga, Onigaoni." The leader of the Onifuda Kingdom reappeared in his younger incarnation. "I attack with Deathshiraz Infinity and revive all of my non-evolution Darkness creatures!" One by one, each creature from the lion daiyoukai's graveyard emerged and he did not even bother to do any of their effects, for the match had long been sealed in his favor. "Deathshiraz Infinity, todomeda!"
The scythe's blade collided with oni flesh yet again and the young prince was thrown away along with his deck which scattered on the ground as he crashed into a pile of rocks. It hurt, it hurt so badly. The physical pain he could put up with, but his pride had been utterly crushed on that night. When his blurry sight began clearing up, Akamaru saw Shishima stand tall and proud before him, a piercing cold glare from his eyes as he said:
"I have known your father, the great Oni King, since the final phase of our war against Purgatory. We have fought side by side, and even though I am around your age, he still viewed me as a powerful warrior who could stand on his own. I proved that to him several times while we battled, and I have learned to appreciate the oni race due to his strength and code of honor. Alas, you are the first oni I must look down upon, for you are nothing like the Oni King, and that is why he will never let you go out in battle."
"How lucky you are to have earned my father's respect... I suppose you're not like me, you've never once let your father down, did you?" Akamaru asked with a defeated smile, making no effort to conceal the sadness in his voice.
Shishima's eyes widened upon hearing that question. His mind immediately went to the final exchange he had with Akushishi just before his death.
"So far you have only fought for yourself and our kingdom. Do you have someone else to fight for?"
"No. I, Shishima, fight only for myself."
"Then I have failed…"
Snapping back to reality, he replied, "I will not dignify that with an answer." Then he spread his wings once more and took off. Borof, who had shrunk back to bug size after the duel, immediately flew after his master.
Before heading off to the capital palace to begin the first phase of his revenge ploy, Shishima decided to take a detour at a certain cave in the mountains. It was said through words of legend that the river of souls which guided them from their former lives down to Hell had its origin in said cave. It sprung from the mountains and traversed the Twilight Kingdom from North to South, where it fell down a pit, one of the few gateways to Hell which opened only at the behest of the demons awaiting their new torture fodder or at the behest of the Twilight Kingdom's ruler. Although there was a multitude of rivers in that entire mountain chain, the river of souls was always described as having a permanent mist above its waters, so it could be easily identified. Indeed he found it with ease and followed its upward trail until he spotted an entrance in the mountains, discreetly hidden by the branches of frozen trees. As soon as he landed in front of it, so did Borof on his shoulder.
"That was a long flight, master! Do you know how hard it is to catch up with you?" asked the plushie while catching his breath.
"Borof, I order you to sit here and wait. I am going in alone."
"B-b-but sire, I as your loyal servant swore that I will be by your side wherever you go!" His protests were swiftly silenced by an angered glare. "As you wish, milord. I am sorry for speaking out of turn..." Borof lowered his head and jumped off of his master's shoulder. "I will be waiting for your return."
Without any other word, Shishima stepped inside the dim and chilling cave, its closed humid air as inhospitable as he expected. In the distance he could hear vague howls, but as he advanced further he recognized them as the noises of subterranean winds. There was no light source anywhere except for his own glowing red pupils. Most would have turned tail after blindly wandering for a couple of hours, but he had braved the horrors of the Abyss during the first century of his life, giving up was not an option. As the howls of the winds got louder, he soon found himself swiped away by the strong breeze which pulled him deeper in the cave's heart until he landed on a floor made of marble and noticed that rays of light were coming from a crack in the cave's ceiling.
All around were countless statues of various daiyoukai of the past; names, titles and various deeds of their lives engraved on their pedestals. Truly he had found it, the fabled mausoleum of the Twilight Kingdom's most important historic figures, a place where their memory would be sculpted into eternity if they did not manage to maintain their own eternal lives. Unlike mortals, there was no afterlife for angels, demons or other spiritual beings. One eternal life was their only chance, and once killed, their bodies evaporated into nothingness, becoming one with the Abyss. That was the reason why they never erected graves, but that vault was probably the closest thing to one. As he wandered among the stone edifices, he found what he was seeking - a statue of a tall and imposing lion daiyoukai whose wings and horns were similar to his, but whose mane was longer and seemed to resemble a beard. Shishima walked to face Akushishi's statue and stared at it for what seemed like days. Once he could muster the courage, he dared speak and violate the silence of that sacred place.
"After a thousand years, the circle is complete. Here I am, your son has returned home. I know, I am just as surprised to be here after all those past lives of conquest in man's realm. But you should also know that history might have taken a different course had you changed your will. Yet I am not the one to judge, your followers all turned their backs on me, so in a way it was probably for the best that I did not inherit the throne." The prince started walking in circles as if he were having a casual conversation with the inanimate object which was meant to represent his deceased father. "I am aware that you were testing me when you asked that final question. But you have to understand that what you asked of me is an impossibility! Forming bonds and looking out for the weak only serves to render us as weak once all is said and done. My destiny is to rule, not to protect! That is why I had chosen to conquer man's world. If the Twilight Kingdom would not have me, then the mortals would, whether they liked it or not!" The former prince clenched his fist to further emphasize his ambition. "And now, as I am this close to achieving godhood, I instead chose to come back here and confront the past. Because I wish to discover the truth. Because you deserve to be avenged. Because I want to make peace with what happened. You know, father, I must confess that I've known evil for so long and I don't know what else I can be." In a rare moment of weakness, Shishima collapsed on his knees, his voice beginning to break. "Should my mission here be a success, I don't know what other path there is for me in life other than that of conquest. Yet I am certain that is not what you wished of me, otherwise you would have let me succeed you as king. So, I beg of you, tell me what to do!" Without his awareness, bloody tears fell down his cheeks while pleading. "Send me a sign, anything! I just wish to know that I am on the right path and I am doing your will. Is that so much to ask?" The utter silence grew on his nerves, pushing him beyond limit. He felt mocked by the indifference with which he was being treated. "Just fucking answer me already!" Shishima shrieked, then he grabbed a rock and threw it at the statue. Nothing happened. Just what was he expecting? Shaking his head, he got back on his feet and turned around. "I see, you keep forsaking your son until the very end. First you left me in Koushishi's paws, then you left me without any inheritance, and now even in death you will not give me anything. Consider yourself lucky that I care enough about you to avenge your memory."
With those parting words said, Shishima flew out of the mausoleum, ready to reconcile with his past and leave it behind for eternity.