Monster They Called Me
Summary: Zarc wasn't just split into four. Perhaps it was a final gift from Ray, but Zarc found himself reborn in the Standard Dimension, mind intact. Horrified with what he'd done, he made a vow to never play Duel Monsters again. Of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy…
Pairing: Zarc/Serena/Ruri/Rin/Masumi (Possibly more)
Minor CFV Crossover (For Cards and possibly PSYQualia)
Warning: Some cards will have their anime effects, others will have their TCG effects.
V: The Demon's Return
When I joined You Show Duel, I honestly expected to be duelling a lot more. But most of what we did was actually comprised of teaching the kids how to duel, and taking some classes on different strategies and the like.
One night, I stayed up late doing practise duels with Rin. Contrary to what one might think, I didn't just curb stomp or win every duel against Rin, we had a fairly balanced record. It was about 55% in my favour, and 45% in hers.
I groaned as she destroyed by Dragonic Overlord with Diamond Bell and attacked me directly, wiping out my life points. "Dang it, you got me."
Rin gave a soft laugh. "Yeah, I did. I think I'm getting the hang of my new deck now though. I really appreciate you doing all these duels with me to help me get used to Fusion and Xyz Summoning."
"I'm glad to help," I told her. "Besides, the more I duel, the more I become familiar with my cards. I'm honestly still not completely used to using them again, you saw I made a few mistakes here and there."
She gave an understanding nod. "Wanna go again?"
I chuckled and nodded, picking up my cards and shuffling my deck.
As we played, I kept casting my gaze out my open window, and I felt an urge fill me that I hadn't dabbled in for many years.
"Hey," I said to her. "Wanna put this on hold?"
"Huh?" She tilted her head. "Why?"
I just smiled at her. "Follow me," I told her. I climbed onto my bed and out my window, climbing up the pipe beside it and onto the roof.
I helped Rin up, and she just looked around a bit. "So, we've got a great view of the city, but it's nothing on Synchro. Why did you want to come up here?"
I just pointed up.
Rin followed the direction and gasped softly.
Stars.
Hundreds of them, hanging in the sky like diamonds that a higher being had placed there and then ordered them to shine radiantly.
"This…" She breathed out. "The lights of the city always clouded the stars… This is… Wow…" She was clearly in awe.
I smiled and lay back on the roof, prompting her to do the same as we stared up at the sky.
"I used to do this all the time," I told her. "Sometimes, late at night, I would come up to the roof and stare at the stars. I tried counting them, but I was a kid so I couldn't really count that high back then."
"How high did you get?" Rin asked me.
"47," I told her. "I lost interest after that, to be fair."
She giggled softly. "I'd have lost interest after ten, not going to lie… But, still…" She smiled. "What a view."
I gave a nod, continuing to stare at the stars with her… The truth was, I hadn't done this ever since my rebirth. The last time I did this was the night before the finals of the Ultimate Championship, with Ray and Haruto.
The night before I became the Supreme King Zarc.
After that, I'd never stared at the stars again… Not until today, with Rin.
It felt nice to watch the stars with someone again, to be able to bask in this beautiful view with a friend. It was feeling that you just didn't get when you were alone, a feeling of true joy.
My eyes snapped to Rin when I felt her arms wrap around my arm, pulling it against her chest and resting her head on my shoulder. "Rin, what are you-?"
"Shush," she told me, staring at the stars. "… It's cold up here, and I want to stay warm. You should have brought a blanket or something."
"I could go and grab one really quickly," I offered, but she shook her head.
"No," she said firmly. "Too late for that, I'm comfortable now. You aren't going anywhere."
"But-!"
"No buts!"
"Fine, fine! Who knew you could be so demanding?"
She just gave a victorious grin and held onto my arm tighter, the two of us staring at the stars in silence.
Rin was not Ray.
I knew that very well.
But I didn't hate that.
There was a soothing aspect to Rin's presence, something about the way she smiled that always managed to light up the room. It was as if the world was brighter because she was there.
Bump bump. Bump bump.
I felt my chest thump, lifting my free hand to my chest and feeling my own heartbeat.
Bump bump. Bump bump.
It was beating fast; much faster than usual.
Why?
I wasn't used to such a feeling in my chest… Ray never made my heart beat like this. I was confused, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.
I turned my head to look at Rin.
With the light of the moon shining upon her, the beating of my heart only got faster. My breathing became just a bit heavy. That was when she looked at me…
And smiled.
I felt heat rush to my face and I sharply glanced away from her.
"Hm?" Rin tilted her head. "What's wrong? Why aren't you looking at me?"
"It's nothing," I told her.
"Your face is all red," she said, and I could feel her frown. "Are you getting sick?"
"I'm fine, I just feel a little warm!"
"But it's pretty cold, isn't it?"
"I have a high internal body temperature-!"
PAIN!
I sat up suddenly, arm wrenching from Rin's grasp as I held both sides of my head in pain.
"Zarc!?" She exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
I didn't respond, instead I got off of the roof and quickly headed into my room, Rin following close behind.
She let out a gasp as I sorted through my card, holding up Odd-Eyes.
He was glowing. Just like when he transported me to Yuri and I saved Rin.
"Why is Odd-Eyes glowing!?" Rin exclaimed.
"He did this once before," I told her. "I mentioned it, I'm sure I did… If I didn't, that's my bad."
"You did," she nodded at my words. "But why is it glowing now?"
"I don't know…" He stared intensely at him. "… Well, you led me to Rin. Okay, Odd-Eyes. Take me to where you need me to go."
I heard a roar in my mind as the glow coming from Odd-Eyes became more intense.
'I still can't hear your voice…' Was the last thing I thought to myself as an intense flash of light filled the room, sending Rin and I to another place.
~~Monster They Called Me~~
When the light faded, I was greeted to the sounds of battle.
I lowered my arms, and my gaze snapped to a nearby warehouse. "The sounds are coming from there," I told Rin.
"Then let's go!" She yelled at me.
I nodded in agreement, hurrying towards it and feeling my eyes widen as I saw a familiar beast.
A body of darkness.
Eyes of gold.
And fangs that carried the power of lightning.
"Xyz Summon!" Came the voice of the young man with purple hair in front of me. "Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/RNK: 4)
"Dark Rebellion…" I breathed out, staring at the familiar dragon in shock.
Father…
I heard Dark Rebellion speak to me, glancing back at me only briefly, before my eyes landed on Yuzu who seemed to be in shock too. Why was she here?
"Bravo, bravo," came the arrogant voice of a young man with brown and blonde hair duelling the man who was no doubt my Xyz Counterpart. "I wasn't expecting you to be an Xyz user! But your monster is too weak to defeat my Mobius!"
"You're too arrogant," he responded. "The true power of Xyz Monsters resides in their overlay units."
"I don't care about your lecture!"
"Then I'll show you!" He snapped. "I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! I use one overlay unit and target a Level 5 or higher monster your field! That monster loses half of its ATK, and Dark Rebellion gains the ATK your monster lost! Treason Discharge!"
Dark Rebellion's wings extended, purple lightning shooting from his wings and wrapping around the opposing monster, causing its attack to take a sharp drop and Dark Rebellion's to rise.
Mobius the Mega Monarch ATK: 2800→1400
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon ATK: 2500→3900
"No way!" The arrogant man yelled. "Your monster's ATK is higher than mine!?"
"Using the remaining overlay unit, I activate Dark Rebellion's effect once more!" He declared. "Treason Discharge!"
Mobius the Mega Monarch ATK: 1400→700
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon ATK: 3900→4600
"No way, no way, no way!" The arrogant man exclaimed. "You can't do this to me!"
"Battle!" He snapped. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attacks Mobius the Mega Monarch! Revolt of the Lightning Disobey!"
Dark Rebellion let out a screeching roar as lightning gathered on the fang below the two on his lower jaw, soaring straight at Mobius the Mega Monarch and destroying it, causing major damage.
"… It's over," I said softly, closing my eyes as the rest of the dual played out.
The arrogant man's trap was easily negated by my Xyz Counterpart, resulting in his win…
I wasn't even surprise when he removed his goggles, unveiling a face just like mine.
"Yuya?" Yuzu questioned. "What are you doing-!"
"That's not Yuya," I told Yuzu, who whirled to me in shock.
"Zarc!?" She exclaimed. "What are you-?"
"Yuzu, you need to go, now," I told her. "I'll handle this!"
"But-!"
"Go!"
She didn't question it once she saw how serious I was, quickly running away.
"Who are you?" The young man asked me. "Why do you look like me? Are you related to that pawn of fusion…?" He looked past me at Rin and his eyes widened. "Ruri?"
My eyes locked onto Rin, who seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by the fact she'd run into yet another person with her friend's face…
Yugo was her friend's name… Pawn of Fusion…
A misunderstanding then.
"She's not Ruri," I told him, making him look at me. It wasn't hard to tell that Ruri was Ray's Xyz Counterpart… The fact he was surprised to see Rin, the way his eyes had lit up with hope, told me something bad happened to his friend.
"Who are you?" He repeated his question.
"My name is Zarc," I told him. "You got a name?"
His eyes narrowed at me. "… Yuto."
"Well then, it's time to duel," I told him.
"No," he told me. "I have no reason to duel you. It's a waste of my time."
"Well, I have a reason to duel you," I told him, activating my Duel Disk. "You see, I need to determine if you're worthy of Dark Rebellion."
"If I'm worthy…" I saw his eyes become filled with rage. "Who are you to determine if I'm worthy of my cards or not?"
"Duel me, and you might find out."
"Fine then… Have it your way," he activated his Duel Disk.
"Duel!"
Zarc LP: 4000/Hand: 5
Yuto LP: 4000/Hand: 5
"I'll go first," Yuto said. "I summon The Phantom Knight's Ragged Glove!" He slammed the card onto the field, unveiling a small being with huge gloves, seemingly possessed by a spirit.
The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves (DARK/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 1000/DEF: 500/LV: 3)
My eyes narrowed lightly at the cards. 'Cards with the appearance of spirits, huh…? Phantom… Something to do with the Graveyard, if his last move against that arrogant guy was anything to go off of.'
"Then, while I control a Phantom Knights monsters, I can Special Summon the Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from my hand," he played another card, this time a spirit in rags with a skull necklace and wearing boots.
The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (DARK/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 200/DEF: 1200/LV: 3)
"And now you control two level three monsters," I noted.
"That's right," he agreed. "I overlay my Level 3 Silent Boots and Ragged Glove!" The two monsters turned into black lights as they shot up and spiralled around, before slamming into a spiralling portal in front of Yuto.
"Souls of the knights who fell in battle!" He chanted. "Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks through the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!" The monster slowly took on the form of a being that was a suit of armour attached to the armour of a horse wielding a massive sword, possessed by a fiery blue spirit.
The Phantom Knights of Break Sword (DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1000/RNK: 3)
"An Xyz Summon on the first turn…" I whispered. "Not bad at all."
"Since The Phantom Knights of Ragged Glove was used as Xyz Material, the summoned monster gains 1000 ATK!"
The Phantom Knights of Break Sword ATK: 2000→3000
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn," he told me. "Now, show me what you can do."
Yuto's Hand: 1
"I draw," I tugged a card from my deck, looking at my hand. 'If he's going to be going out of his way to bring out Xyz Monsters… Then it's the perfect time for this guy to shine…'
"I summon Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon!" I told him, summoning the small monster that looked like a miniature Galaxy-Eyes emerging from a small portal.
Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon (LIGHT/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 300/DEF: 250/LV: 1)
"Did you say Galaxy-Eyes!?" Yuto's eyes widened in shock. "Why do you have a card like that?"
"It was given to me by a dear friend," I told him. "I activate Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon's effect! I can tribute it, to summon out his adult version!"
Cloudragon let out a cute roar as it turned into a shining light, a spiked cross appearing in front of me that I tossed into the air, the light going towards almost eagerly.
"Galaxy shining in the darkness!" I chanted. "Embody the light of hope and become my very servant! The embodiment of light descends! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
With a might roar, Galaxy-Eyes burst into life, growling as it glared at Yuto's monster.
Yuto took a step back, staring at Galaxy-Eyes. "Why… Why do you have a monster that looks like Kaito's?"
"Like I said, a dear friend gave it to me," I told him. "Battle! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon attacks your Phantom Knights of Break Sword!"
"I won't let you!" He told me. "I activate my Trap: Phantom Knights' Wing! With this, my Break Sword gains another 500 ATK, meaning your Galaxy-Eyes is about to be destroyed!"
The Phantom Knights of Break Sword ATK: 3000→3500
"That's what you think!" I told him. "I activate Galaxy-Eyes' special effect! When it battles an opponent's monster, both of them are banished until the end of the battle phase!"
Yuto's eyes widened as both of our monsters vanished from sight.
"Thank you for wasting your card like that," I told him. "Now, during the end of the battle phase, our monsters return!"
Both of our monsters returned to the field, but now Break Sword's ATK was back to its original 2000.
"And then," I continued. "If the monster I battled was an Xyz Monster, Galaxy-Eyes gains 500 ATK for each overlay unit your monster had!"
"What did you say!?"
"Break Sword had two overlay units!" I told him. "Therefore, Galaxy-Eyes gains 1000 ATK!"
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK: 3000→4000
"All right!" I heard Rin cheer. "You've got him on the ropes!"
"No," I responded, making her cheer stop. "He's yet to bring it out… But he's going to now. I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
Zarc's Hand: 2
"My turn," Yuto drew a card. "I activate a Spell! Rank-Up-Magic The Phantom Knights of Launch!"
"Rank-Up-Magic…?" Rin questioned quietly.
"With this card, I can target an Xyz Monster on my field, and Xyz Summon a DARK monster that's one Rank higher by using it and this card as material!"
I tensed as I heard a roar from his deck. 'It's coming…!'
"I overlay my Rank 3 Break Sword!" Yuto declared, the monster turning into a black light that shot up before slamming into a portal in front of him. "Fangs of pitch-black darkness! Rise up against the foolish oppression! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"
With a mighty roar, Dark Rebellion appeared on the field, staring at me with eyes of longing.
Father... I'm so, so sorry…
'A bit late for apologies, Dark Rebellion…'
I saw the dragon flinch. You won't even call me by my true name any longer…?
"I activate the continuous trap: Phantom Knights' Trick Arrow!" Yuto told me as the card flipped up, shooting an arrow that hit Galaxy-Eyes in the chest, causing Galaxy-Eyes to lose his beautiful glow.
"Galaxy-Eyes!?" I exclaimed in shock.
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK: 4000→3000
"Trick Arrow activates by targeting a monster on your field," Yuto told me. "It has its effects negated, and it is treated as a Level 5 monster! Now, Dark Rebellion activates his effect! I target a Level 5 or higher monster you control, and that monster loses half its ATK, and instead it goes to Dark Rebellion! Treason Discharge!"
Dark Rebellion let out a roar as purple lightning wrapped around Galaxy-Eyes' body, restraining him as power flowed into his monster.
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK: 3000→1500
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon ATK: 2500→4000
"I use my remaining overlay unit to activate his effect again!" Yuto told me. "Treason Discharge!"
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon ATK: 1500→750
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon ATK: 4000→4750
"No way!" Rin exclaimed. "If he attacks now then-!"
"Battle!" Yuto roared. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attacks Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
"As if I'd let it be that easy!" I told him. "I activate my trap! Light Speed Xyz!"
Yuto's eyes widened. "Did you say Xyz!?"
"This card can only be activated during the battle phase!" I told him. "And it has a few effects, so make sure you keep up! First, I special summon a monster from my Graveyard! So, come out Cloudragon!"
Out a small portal, Cloudragon returned, letting out a cute roar.
"Then, I target another monster on my field, and he's treated as being the same level!" I told Yuto. "I choose Galaxy-Eyes, meaning he's now Level 8!"
Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon LV: 1→8
"Two Level 8 monsters…!" Yuto exclaimed.
"Not quite," I responded. "Now, I'm allowed to treat Light Speed Xyz as a Level 8 monster, and use it along with my two other monsters to Xyz Summon a LIGHT Xyz Monster!"
Yuto stared in shock. "You use Xyz!? Then why are we fighting!?"
"To see if you're worthy!" I told him. "I overlay Light Speed Xyz with Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon, and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon! Xyz Summon!"
My two monsters and trap card turned into golden lights as a portal formed above us and they soared in, causing an explosion.
"Radiant Galaxy!" I chanted as a large two-pronged black and red fork appeared in my hands. "Here and now, become the striking light, and show yourself!" I launched the fork up into the portal at the top of the warehouse, causing an explosion of light. "Descend-!"
I was cut off in the middle of my chant by Yuzu's voice. "Zarc! I brought some help-!"
I turned to face them, before shielding my eyes with my arm as Yuzu and Rin's bracelets both glowed brightly.
"Duel Terminated."
I looked at my Duel Disk in shock. "You what!?"
I turned around to face where Yuto was… Except he was gone, vanished.
"He… Vanished…!" Rin exclaimed. "How did…?"
"I don't know," I told Rin.
"What's going on?" Yuya asked, looking tense and confused. "Yuzu told me there was someone else here with my face… Where is he?"
"Dunno," I told them. "He was here the whole time until you arrived. Then that bright flash happened, and suddenly he was gone…"
More importantly, I noticed the flashes came from the bracelets that Rin and Yuzu were wearing… Which meant there was a chance they had something to do with it.
But they looked as confused as I felt… So, what exactly was going on…?
'Father! Father!'
My eyes widened at the sound of a familiar voice, looking down at my Duel Disk. I pulled a card out of my Extra Deck, staring at it incredulously.
Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion.
'Father! I'm so glad I managed to sneak in here before Yuto got sent away! Now I can stay with you! Isn't that great?'
… Fuck my life.
~~Monster They Called Me~~
Rin and I returned home, but not before making it clear that it wasn't Yuya that had faced Sawatari- as I learnt the arrogant guy's name was. Yuzu seemed unconvinced, but Rin and I both made it clear that I'd been duelling Yuto the whole time that she was with Yuya.
And then…
'Father! I'm bored! Can we duel someone?'
… I had to deal with this.
Amongst all my cards, Dark Rebellion had always been the most talkative and childish despite their threatening name and appearance…
'Father! Can we play fetch?'
… And it was just as annoying as I remembered. Before, Dark Rebellion could at least banter with the other three. But their souls were inhabiting their respective cards, while Dark Rebellion had chosen to shove their soul into their Supreme King card to stay with me.
'Father-!'
'Dark Rebellion,' I sighed mentally. 'Could you please-?'
'Use my name, father! Did you forget it? Its-!'
'I know very well what your name is, Dark Rebellion. But I haven't forgiven you.'
I could feel the flinch.
'Father… Please, I-!'
'You and your siblings fed me anger and hatred, and drove me mad with power…! You turned me into the Supreme King who destroyed the Original Dimension! You… Because of what you did I… I killed Haruto.'
Dark Rebellion said nothing.
'You ruined me! Because of you, our dimension is gone! Everything…!'
I clenched my fist.
'It's your fault!'
'I won't deny that, father. But we aren't to blame! The humans are! They twisted your pure soul, they made you become a violent duellist! They made you cry, father! They destroyed your beautiful entertainment, and something hideous was born in its place! They deserved everything they got!'
'You don't get to decide that! You aren't a god, Dark Rebellion! You are not judge, jury, or executioner!'
'Then who will be!?'
'Enough out of you! Dragonic Overlord, stifle Dark Rebellion so I can get some sleep!'
'Hey, don't you-!'
'As you wish, Lord Zarc.'
'What- Hey! Overlord, stop it- mmmf!'
I let out a sigh as I lay back on my back, staring up at the ceiling while Dark Rebellion's muffled yells were heard clearly in my mind.
I already knew they believed they were doing it for my sake. That they believed they were doing it out of some form of revenge for how being so violent hurt me.
But it was no excuse.
Causing such death and destruction… Nothing could justify it, not to me.
I closed my eyes, drowning out Dark Rebellion's muffled yells…
I was an entertainment duellist first and foremost. More than anything, I sought to bring out smiles with my duelling.
But something within me screamed that I couldn't simply be an entertainment duellist.
Even so, I vowed to myself that I would do my best to not need to become that monster. To not become the Demon Duellist.
~~Monster They Called Me~~
The next day, Rin and I were running late to the Duel School, a tabletop duel of ours having turned into a stalling match since the both of us bricked pretty hard. Even with Pendulum, bricking was still very possible… Well, I'd rather I brick in a friendly match than an important duel.
"I can't believe we both bricked…" Rin said, still surprised as we walked to the school.
"I know," I sighed. "Not even a single spell or trap to help us get cards to our hand to make something salvageable…"
Rin blushed warmly as I said that. It was probably more embarrassing for her, since her deck had a lot of spells and traps to get out monsters.
Yeah, we bricked hard.
When we arrived at You Show Duel, the sounds of a Duel happening could clearly be heard, even from the entrance of the building.
"Hm?" I blinked. "Must have gotten started without us. Come on, let's see who's duelling."
"Yeah!" Rin nodded and the both of us hurried to the duel area…
Walking into the observation room, however, we were greeted by many people I didn't recognise… Except one.
Akaba Henrietta.
Akaba Leo's wife in this dimension… And Ray's Step-Mother, though I doubted the woman knew about Ray at all.
"Zarc-nii!" Ayu ran over to me, giving me a hug which I quickly returned.
"What's going on?" I asked, not Ayu, but Sora.
"I'll explain," Henrietta said before Sora could respond. "It's quite simple. One of your students injured a member of Leo Duel School. We could not have that, and so we're having a little… Wager."
My eyes narrowed… Was she talking about that clown who lost to Yuto? How could she think that? Just because he had the same face as Yuya and I, didn't mean we were the same person! I mean, come on, his hair was completely different!
"And what is this wager then?"
"Best of three duel matches," she said simply. "If you win, we'll drop all charges and leave you be. If we win, then You Show Duel will be absorbed into the Leo Duel School as a subsidiary branch."
"What match are we on?" I asked Shuzo, who was up in the control room.
"The second," he responded seriously. "Yuzu versus Masumi… She's a fusion user. Yuya won the first match against an Xyz User, Hokuto Shijima… But Yuzu's having a rough time in this match."
I looked down at the arena, and immediately noticed something was off with Yuzu just from how she was standing.
Yuzu may not be Ray, but it seemed she shared some of her habits. The little twitches in her body, the way she brushed her hair behind her ear…
"She's going to lose," I sighed.
Everyone looked at me. "How can you say that!?" Yuya demanded, seemingly hurt.
"She's hesitating, Yuya," I told her. "For a Duellist, hesitation is dangerous. She's almost distracted by something to; her mind and heart aren't in the duel. But what…"
I felt my eyes widened and I growled. "Damn it, Yuzu!"
"What is it?" Rin asked me.
"Yuzu isn't convinced that the guy who attacked Sawatari isn't Yuya," I responded, and I saw hurt enter Yuya's eyes. "I know very well it isn't Yuya, he gave me his name after all. But, despite that, Yuzu doesn't seem to be convinced and it's throwing off her game. She's going to lose as a result."
"Heh, at least one of you is smart and knows when the situation is hopeless," Hokuto said with a smirk.
"I didn't say the situation was hopeless," I responded. "Even if Yuzu loses, we're still one to one. Which only leaves the question of who should fight the Synchro Duellist."
I saw the kid with brown hair stare at me in surprise. "How did you-?"
"Deductive reasoning," I responded. "Hokuto used Xyz. Masumi uses Synchro… It stands to reason that you must use Synchro. A trinity of the three Extra Deck summoning methods."
"I see you have a quick mind," Henrietta noted. "What as your name again?"
"Homura Zarc."
Her eyes widened in momentary surprise at my statement, making my eyes narrow in turn… Why would she be surprised by my name?
"I see… The second user of Pendulum."
Hokuto and the Synchro User both looked at me when Henrietta said that, seeming to not expect to hear that.
I said nothing as I focused on watching the Duel between Masumi and Yuzu.
And, just like I suspected, Yuzu being distracted led to her loss as she jumped towards a pillar that was reflecting an action card elsewhere.
Everyone offered Yuzu words of comfort as she returned to the observation room, clearly dejected at her loss, myself included. I was disappointed with Yuzu, especially when I saw the sad glance that she gave Yuya, which just screamed to me she still believed he'd hurt Sawatari.
I just let out a sigh, as Henrietta spoke up. "The final match. We will be sending out Yaiba Todo."
The now named Todo grinned, clapping his hands. "So, who's my opponent?"
Rin stepped forward. "I'll-!"
"No!" Gogenzaka stepped past her. "I will duel you!"
All of us looked at Gogenzaka in surprise, not expecting that.
"You aren't even a student here," I pointed out.
"Even so, I want to help all of you out," Gogenzaka told us. "Please, allow me to duel for you!"
We all looked amongst each other, and after seeing several nods, I sighed and pat Gogenzaka on the back. "Go get 'em, Gogenzaka."
The Superheavy Samurai duellist nodded, stepping onto the action field with Yaiba Todo.
This was either going to go very well, or very badly, there was no in-between.
~~Monster They Called Me~~
I stood corrected, there was an in-between.
After a close match, Gogenzaka managed to force a Yaiba to a draw with one of the effects of his monsters. It probably would have been less close had the man been willing to use a deck that actually let him use action cards, but he managed to bring it to a draw so I wasn't upset.
Yuya ran out to check on the injured Gogenzaka, helping him back to the observation room as Henrietta and Shuzo bickered back and forth on if it should stay a draw, or if they should go into overtime, with the two winners facing each other.
All of us turned to Yuya, who had his goggles on and was staring down the members of LDS.
"It seems like you want to fight," Henrietta smirked.
Masumi began to step forwards, before another voice spoke. "Wait."
All of us turned to see a handsome young male with short, grey hair lowering his hood. "I'll duel."
Yuya turned to face him, he and the mysterious male staring one another down.
"Hold on," I said, stepping forwards. "Yuya, you've already duelled today. That's going to have taken a toll on you, with how acrobatic your duelling style is. Leave this match to me."
"… Are you sure?" Yuya asked me.
I looked back at him and nodded. "Don't worry, I won't lose."
"… Okay," Yuya nodded. "If you guys can substitute Masumi, then we'll substitute me for Zarc."
"That's fine by us," Henrietta said. "No matter who faces him, you cannot fathom the power that our Reiji holds."
"Enough with the cheering contest," Reiji said. "From this point on, our duel will happen in silence."
I only nodded as I headed out onto the Duel Field, Reiji following close behind. He walked past me as he stood on the far side, while I stood on the side closer to my friends.
"What should we do for the Action Field?" I asked Reiji.
"Choose whatever you like," he responded.
"In that case… Shuzo-san!" I looked up at him, causing him to look at me. "Surprise me!"
Shuzo seemed to debate for a moment, rubbing his chin in serious contemplation. "… Alright, I've decided!" He said. "Action Field on! I activate the Field Spell, Miracle City!"
"Miracle City…?" I whispered in confusion as the Real Solid Vision system turned on, and the city began to form around us.
I felt my stomach lurch… The buildings… The surroundings…
It was just like back in the Original Dimension… Scarily close, in fact. I almost felt like I could walk down the road and go back to my house…
"… How cruel…"
"Hm?" Reiji seemed to have heard me, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Don't concern yourself with it," I responded, activating my duel disk, my deck shuffling itself.
'Are we finally gonna duel!?' I heard Dark Rebellion speak up excitedly.
'Overlord.'
'Wha- hey- stop it damn- MMMF!'
In the observation room, the group began to chant. "The duelists meet at the battlefield! Along with their monsters they'll kick the ground and fly through the sky to move around the field! Witness dueling's greatest evolution!"
"Action… Duel!" Both Reiji and I said together, drawing five cards from our decks.
"The first move is yours," I told Reiji.
"Hoh?" He raised an eye. "So willingly?"
"Willingly," I told him. "So go ahead, start."
"Very well, I accept your offer," he responded. "It's my turn. I activate three spell cards from my hand."
He picked up a card. "This is the first one. I activate the Continuous Spell: Dark Contract with the Gate! With this card, every time it's my Standby Phase, I take 1000 points of damage."
"Every time it's his turn, he'll take a thousand points!?" Yuzu exclaimed.
"With its effect, once per turn, I can add one Level 4-or-below D/D monster from my deck to my hand," he informed me. A card slot out of his deck, which he grabbed and then revealed to me. "I add D/D Cerberus to my hand."
"Different Dimensions…" I whispered. "Been a while since I fought those… However, they're probably very different to how I remember them."
"The second spell card is also a Dark Contract with the Gate," he informed me, playing his second spell.
"What!?" Gogenzaka exclaimed. "So, he'll take 2000 points of damage on his next turn!?"
"Just as before, I can add a Level 4 or lower monster to my hand," Reiji informed me. "I add D/D Lilith to my hand," the card slot out of his deck and he revealed it before putting it in his hand.
"… It's coming, isn't it?" I asked him.
He didn't answer my question. "I activate my third spell card. I activate Dark Contract with the Swamp King," he placed the card on the field.
"Let me guess, you take a thousand points of damage on your next turn."
"You catch on quickly," he nodded. "Indeed. On my next Standby Phase, I will take 1000 points of damage. And now, once per turn, it allows me to Fusion Summon a Fiend-Type Fusion Monster without using Polymerization."
My eyes narrowed at him. "Bring it."
He grabbed two cards from his hand. "I fuse D/D Cerberus and D/D Lilith!" He lifted the cards into the air as their forms appeared above him. "Hell's guard dog that bares its fangs. The enchantress who wanders the dark night! Within the swirling light of the realm of the dead, become one and give birth to a new king!"
The two monsters swirled together, a light shining. "Fusion Summon! Be born, D/D/D Flame King Genghis!"
(FIRE/Fiend/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1500/LV: 6)
Out of the shining light came his monster, standing behind him proudly as it was enshrouded in an aura of fire.
"Impressive," I told him. "You essentially just used 5 cards this turn, and still have two cards in your hand to use."
He just smirked slightly. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn. Now then, Homura Zarc, show me your duelling."
Reiji LP: 4000. Hand: 0
"You want it, you've got it," I responded. "I draw!" I tugged a card from my deck and looked at my hand. "I'll start my turn by summoning my Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm!" I placed the card onto my field, the monster roaring to life. "Darkwurm's effect. When it is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one "Supreme King Gate" from my deck to my card," a card slot out of my deck and I revealed it to him. "I add Supreme King Gate Alpha."
"Supreme King… An archetype only you use," Reiji spoke up. "I wonder, how did you come across it?"
"Maybe you'll find out someday," I told him. "I activate the Spell: Supreme Cloning. Now, I can Special Summon another Darkwurm from my deck with its effects negated," the card slot out of my deck and I placed it onto the field, revealing both monsters.
I felt my cards pulse, Dark Rebellion's voice ringing in my hand. 'Use me, father! Use me!'
I ignored them. "Darkwhelp's effect activates," I told him. "While I control two Supreme King monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. Come, Darkwhelp!" I placed the card onto the field, the three dragons hovering together.
"So, you now have three dragons," he said. "What will you do then? Fusion? Xyz? Synchro?"
My eyes narrowed… He knew my playstyle. If I was right, then one of those trap cards was going to save him from damage on his next turn.
Even so, I would continue. "I tune Darkwhelp to one of my Darkwurm!" I lifted a hand to the air as Darkwhelp burst into flaming rings that surrounded one of my Darkwurms.
"Dragon serving the great king! Bathe in the flames of the apocalypse, and gain eternal life!" I tugged the card from my Extra Deck. "Synchro Summon! Arise, Level 8! Supreme King Servant Dragonic Overlord!"
With a mighty roar, Overloard appeared from the light of the Synchro Summon, glaring down at Genghis.
I paused for a moment and debated on using Overlord's effect… But, ultimately, decided against it. Besides, I wanted to see just what Reiji had in store with his trap cards. "Battle!" I called out. "Overlord attacks Genghis!"
Overlord let out a roar as he moved in to attack Genghis.
"I activate my trap," Reiji said, one of his cards turning over. "Dark Contract with the Witch!"
"Another contract?" Rin exclaimed. "Then does that mean…"
"On my next Standby Phase, I will take 1000 points of damage," Reiji confirmed Rin's speculation. "In exchange, one Fiend-Type Monster I control gains 1000 ATK. I target Genghis!"
Genghist let out a roar as his attack points rose up.
2000 - 3000
My eyes narrowed lightly as I began to look around for an Action Card, and Reiji began to do the same.
'Why would he look for an Action Card when he has no Spell and Trap Card zone open to use… Unless…'
I snagged an action card, looking at it before I clicked my teeth and placed it in my hand. It wasn't usable for what I needed, sadly.
I saw Reiji snag an Action Card before quickly tapping his Duel Disk and smirking.
3000 – 2000
Overlord's attack slammed into Genghis, causing an explosion.
"Mutual destruction!?" Yuya exclaimed.
"No," I responded to Yuya's words. "It isn't… Isn't that right, Reiji?"
The smoke cleared, revealing Overlord's fist planted in the ground, and Genghist a few feet over to the right, having dodged it.
"But how!?" Rin exclaimed.
"I activated the Action Spell: Evasion," Reiji told them. "With it, the attack was negated."
"How about you back up and tell us about your trap that you activated, Reiji?" I spoke up.
Reiji stared at me before he smirked. "You have a good eye. Indeed, before I played my Action Card, I activated the trap, Contract Laundering. The effects of all my Dark Contracts are negated and, during the End Phase, they will be destroyed and I will draw one card for each one destroyed. Since I control four, I will draw four cards during the End Phase of your turn."
"Tch… Crafty bastard, aren't you?" I asked him. "I set two cards Face-Down, and I end my turn."
Zarc LP: 4000 Hand: 3 (1 Action Card)
"At this moment, Contract Laundering's effect activates," Reiji said, his four cards all being destroyed. "My contracts are destroyed, and I draw four cards from my deck," he drew four cards from his deck. "And then… It's my turn, I draw!" He tugged a card free. "… Homura Zarc."
"Hm?" I raised an eyebrow.
"You are an Entertainment Duellist," he said. "And yet, right now I do not feel any sort of Entertainment from you whatsoever. Why is that?"
"There's a time to have fun with duels, and there's times to get serious," I told him. "Right now, this is one of the times to get serious. If you're expecting me to put on an Entertainment Duel, you're sadly mistaken. I won't let this School get absorbed into LDS, no matter what."
"Hm… How interesting…" He grabbed a card from his hand. "In that case, I hope you won't mind if I get a bit serious too."
"I'd be offended if you didn't."
He smirked at me. "I summon the Level 3 Tuner Monster D/D Nighthowl!" He slammed the card onto the field, revealing a monster that was a huge mouth with teeth, and two amber eyes.
(DARK/Fiend/Tuner/ATK: 300/DEF: 600/LV: 3)
"Tuner monster, huh?" I spoke up. "Well then, show me what you've got."
"I activate D/D Nighthowl's effect! When it's summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower D/D monster from the graveyard by lowering its attack points down to zero! I resurrect D/D Lilith!"
A black portal opened up beside Reiji's Nighthowl, the more plant-esque monster rising out of the portal.
(DARK/Fiend/Effect/ATK: 100/DEF: 2100/LV: 4)
100 – 0
"And now, I tune my Level 3 D/D Nighthowl to my Level 4 D/D Lilith!" He declared. Nighthowl roared before turning into green rings that surrounded Lilith.
"The roar that cuts through the darkness, gain the pseed of a gale and give rise to a new king!" A beam of light shot down. "Synchro Summon! Be born, Level 7! D/D/D Gust King Alexander!"
From the light emerged a warrior clad in silver with a green cape and holding a sword, staring down at me.
(WIND/Fiend/Synchro/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/LV: 7)
"Synchro… Which means that next is…"
"I activate Flame King Genghis's effect!" Reiji declared. "When another D/D/D monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a D/D monster from the Graveyard! Resurrect again, D/D Lilith!"
A black portal formed, from which Lilith emerged once again, letting out a small giggle.
"And now, Alexander's effect activates! When a D/D monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a D/D monster from the graveyard! Resurrect, D/D Cerberus!"
The sound of a howl was heard as the three-headed beast emerged from a black portal.
(DARK/Fiend/Effect/ATK: 1800/DEF: 600/LV: 4)
"And with that you now have two Level 4 monsters," I told him.
"There's no way!" Gogenzaka exclaimed as he realised what that meant.
"I overlay my Level 4 D/D Lilith and D/D Cerberus!" Reiji proclaimed, the two monsters turning into black lights as a portal formed overhead, soaring into the portal and causing an explosion of light.
"In order to rule all of existence, descend at the world's spire! Xyz Summon! Be born, Rank 4! D/D/D Wave King Caesar!"
From the portal emerged a warrior clad in black armour, wielding a huge sword with two blue lights floating around it.
(WATER/Fiend/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200/RNK: 4)
"Impressive, Reiji," I said to him. "Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz… And the latter two done using only one card from your hand. There's no doubt, you're the real deal. A true duelist."
"Hoh? Such high praise," he said to me. "Now then, let's battle. Gust King Alexander attacks your Darkwurm!"
"I activate my Trap, Supreme King's Rights! When I would take battle damage during a battle, it is halved!"
"However, that won't save your monster!" He declared as Alexander moved in, destroying Darkwurm with a single swing.
(2500 – 1800) /2 = 350
4000 – 350 = 3650
I grunted as my life points took a slight dip, placing Darkwurm in my Extra Deck.
"Now, Alexander's effect activates!" Reiji declared. "Since I successfully destroyed one of your monsters, I instantly destroy another monster you control! Begone, Dragonic Overlord!"
Alexander swung his sword, causing a tornado to engulf Overlord, which made him roar before exploding, destroyed.
"Tch…"
"You're wide open. Go now, Genghis! Direct attack!" The warrior in red roared as he charged in.
"I activate the effect of Supreme King Dragon Darkslice from my hand!" I lifted the card up and revealed it. "When my opponent declares an attack and I have no monsters, I can Special Summon Darkslice from my hand in attack mode and negate that attack! Come, Darkslice!"
I slammed the card down onto the field, revealing a Dragon with sickles in place of where its hands should have been, and a jagged wings like a serrated sword.
(DARK/Dragon/Tuner/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 1)
Darkslice let out a roar, causing Genghis to flinch and stop the attack, backing off, and hovering by Reiji.
"In that case, Caesar will attack Darkslice!" Reiji declared, as Caesar charged in, lifting that huge sword.
"I activate the Action Spell: Evasion!" I slot the card into my Duel Disk. "Your attack is negated!"
Darkslice rolled out of the way of Caesar's attack, causing the monster to back off and float by Reiji.
"Impressive," Reiji said, pushing up his glasses. "You managed to survive the turn by only taking a mere 350 points of damage. Furthermore, you even have a Tuner set up for a potential Synchro Summon on your next turn… I set one card face-down and end my turn," he told me.
"At this moment, Dragonic Overlord's effect activates," I told him, flames rising up around me. "During the End Phase of a turn he's sent from the field to the Graveyard, he revives!"
The flames gathered together, creating the outline of Overlord before it solidified, the mighty dragon letting out a roar.
Reiji LP: 4000 Hand: 3
"Then it's my turn," I told him. "At this moment, I activate Supreme King's Rights from my Graveyard. During my Draw Phase, I can banish this card from the Graveyard to draw 2 cards during my Draw Phase instead of just one. And now… I draw!" I tugged two cards from my deck and looked at them… Before I smiled.
"Using the Scale 1 Supreme King Gate Alpha, and the Scale 11 Supreme King Gate Omega, I set the Pendulum Scale!" I told Reiji as I slammed the cards into place, the two gates rising up into the sky. "With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters Levelled 2-10 at the same time!"
I lifted a hand. "Grand power which makes my soul tremble! Shine forth through the darkness, and bring forth a new path!" The sky opened up. "Pendulum Summon! Come forth! Two Darkwurms, and Darkwhelp!"
Three lights shot down onto the field, unveiling my monsters, and I crossed my arms as I stared at Reiji. "Are you ready?"
"Hoh…?"
"I activate Darkwhelp's effect! While I control two or more Supreme King monsters, I can Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon using this card and any other face-up Supreme King monsters I control as material! I will fuse Darkwhelp and Darkslicer!" The two monsters rose up into the air, turning into orbs of light that spiralled together.
"Dragon serving the Great King! Unleash the power of thunder, and spread your heavenly wings! Fusion Summon! Descend, Level 8! Supreme King Dragon Kaiser Vermillion!"
With a mighty roar, the Dragon of Thunder descended onto the battlefield, glaring at Reiji's monsters.
"So… This is the potential you reached with Pendulum," Reiji spoke up. "… A Pendulum Fusion Monster."
"Don't even think I'm close to done," I told Reiji. "Supreme King Gate Alpha's Pendulum effect! I can target two Level 6 or lower Supreme King monsters on my field, and double their levels until the end of the turn! Both of my Darkwurms will now become Level 8!"
4 x 2 = 8
4 x 2 = 8
"Now, I overlay my two Level 8 Darkwurms!" I told Reiji as the two monsters turned into orbs of light that spiralled around me before slamming into a portal in front of me. "With these two monsters, I construct the Overlay network!" A light shot out of the portal.
"Dragon serving the Great King! Roar with the thunderclap, and mow down my foes! Xyz Summon! Roar, Rank 8! Supreme King Servant Dragonic Descendant!"
With a mighty roar, Descendant rose from the portal, hovering beside my two other monsters.
"Now then, Reiji, let's do this! I activate Kaiser Vermillion's effect! Once per turn, I can send up to five cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, and then Kaiser Vermillion can attack that many monsters at once! I'll send the top 3 cards of my deck to the graveyard!" I tugged the top three cards and revealed them- Darkdraco, Darkwurm, and Darksnarl, before I discarded them. "With that, Vermillion can attack all 3 of your monsters at once! Then, I activate Overlord's effect! I send the top card of my deck to the graveyard and, if it's a Supreme King monster, he gains 1000 ATK!"
I tugged another card before frowning and revealing it. "The Trap: Supreme King's Betrayal," I slipped it into my graveyard. "Supreme King's Betrayal activates its effect. When this card is sent from my Hand or Deck to the Graveyard, during my opponent's next turn, all monsters I control lose 1000 ATK, their effects are negated, and they are banished when they're destroyed."
"Why the hell are you running such a risky card!?" Rin yelled at me, clearly unhappy with this new twist.
"It has its uses!" I shot back. "Well, whatever. Battle! Kaiser Vermillion attacks Genghis, Alexander, and Caesar! Voltic Kaiser Thunderbolt!"
Vermillion roared, lifting his sword up to the sky, preparing to swing down and destroy all of Reiji's monsters at once.
Reiji quickly jumped over to a nearby lamp, snatching an action card from on top of it. "I activate the Action Card: Miracle. Caesar will not be destroyed, and battle damage involving him is halved!"
"You'll still take plenty of damage from the other two!" I told him as Vermillion swung his sword down, bolts of lightning striking all of Reiji's monsters, with only Caesar enduring as the other two exploded.
3000 – 2500 = 500
3000 – 2000 = 1000
(3000 – 2400) / 2 = 300
4000 – 1000 – 500 – 300 = 2200
"Dragonic Descendant attacks Caesar!" I declared. "Tempestuous Thunder Sword!"
"Caesar!" Reiji called out. Caesar grabbed Reiji and tossed him up a small building, where he snagged an Action Card. "I activate the Action Spell: Evasion! Your monster's attack is negated!"
I frowned as Descendant's attack was dodged by Caesar, who continued to stand there proudly. "In that case, Overlord attacks Caesar! Eternal Flame!"
This time, Reiji made no moves for an action card as the flames soared towards Caesar… But, just before the attack hit, one of Caesar's overlay units burst.
'Son of a-!'
The attack slammed into Caesar, causing an explosion as Reiji's Life Points dropped.
3000 – 2400 = 600
2200 – 600 = 1600
"Alright!" Yuya cheered. "He got rid of all of them! We've got this in the bag."
"No," I cut off Yuya "It's not over yet…"
"Huh?"
The smoke slowly cleared from where the attack hit Caesar… Only for all three monsters to now be present on the field once again, though Caesar was lacking its overlay units.
"What!?" Yuzu exclaimed. "But Zarc destroyed all of those monsters!"
"Why don't you explain, since you have such keen eyes?" Reiji said to me.
"… Right before Overlord's attack hit, Reiji used one of Caesar's overlay units. While I'm unclear of its effect, it is definitely what brought them back. Am I wrong?"
"You are not," Reiji told me. "With Caesar's effect, I may use one overlay unit. And then, any monsters I control that were destroyed during this turn return during the end of the battle phase. However, I will take 1000 points of damage during my Standby Phase."
"That means he'll take 3000 points of damage and lose!" Futoshi said excitedly.
"It's not going to be that easy," Sora told them. "Just like with his contracts, this guy isn't going to let himself lose just like that."
"I now activate my trap card," Reiji said, flipping over his card. "D/D/D Human Resources! I return three D/D/D monsters on my field to my deck, and add two D/D monsters in my deck to my hand. I return Genghis, Alexander, and Caesar to my Extra Deck, and add two D/D monsters to my hand," the cards slot out of his deck as his monsters vanished, revealing them to me.
My blood ran cold.
Pendulum Monsters.
"Reiji, you…!" I took a breath. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Zarc LP: 3650 Hand: 0
"It's now my turn," Reiji said. "At this moment, the effect of your Supreme King's betrayal activates. The effects of all your monsters are negated, they all lose 1000 ATK, and they will be banished upon destruction instead of going to the Graveyard or Extra Deck."
3000 – 1000 = 2000
3000 – 1000 = 2000
3000 – 1000 = 2000
"I draw!" Reiji said as he tugged a card from his deck, before he grabbed the two cards in his hand. "Now then, Homura Zarc… How will you react to this, I wonder?"
"Don't hold back, Reiji… Give me all you've got."
He only smirked. "Be careful what you wish for…" He revealed the cards in his hand. "Using the Scale 1 D/D Savant Galilei and Scale 10 D/D Savant Kepler, I set the Pendulum Scale!" The cards set into place on his duel disk, two pillars of light rising either side of him as the monsters hovered in place.
"No way!" Yuya cried out. "He can Pendulum!? But… But how!?"
"The great power that shakes my soul!" Reiji called out. "Reside in my body, and become the new light that cuts through the darkness! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!"
A thick, black light shot down from the portal above Reiji, as 3 identical monsters appeared from it, looking like crystals.
"The three ultimate gods that rule all the kings! D/D/D Doom King Armageddon!"
(DARK/Fiend/Pendulum/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 1000/LV: 8/PS: 4)
I gulped as I stared at his monsters. "… Three monsters with 3000 ATK each… You're terrifying, Reiji…"
He only smirked. "Battle, Doom King Armageddon!" A glowing energy gathered within Armageddon's body as I quickly began to look around for an action card.
No such luck.
The attack slammed into Dragonic Overlord, ripping him apart as he was banished from the field.
3000 – 2000 = 1000
3650 – 1000 = 2650
"The next Doom King Armageddon attacks!" Reiji declared, the attack this time destroying Dragonic Descendant.
3000 – 2000 = 1000
2650 – 1000 = 1650
"And finally, the last Doom King Armageddon attacks!" He declared, streams of dark energy launching out and tearing apart Kaiser Vermillion as I covered my face, the shockwave from the explosion sending me flying back, though I thankfully landed in a bush.
3000 – 2000 = 1000
1650 – 1000 = 650
"I set one card and end my turn," Reiji declared, setting the last card in his hand.
Reiji LP: 1600 Hand: 0
I slowly made my way out of the bush. "You're strong, Reiji… To think you'd even have obtained Pendulum… I didn't expect that at all."
"Hmph, flattery will get you nowhere," he told me. "Now then, Homura Zarc, how will you come back from this with zero cards in your hand, I wonder?"
I took a breath as I placed my hand on my deck. 'He's not wrong… No cards in my hand, one card on my field… Even with Pendulum, there's a chance that I might… Lose.'
'… Lose…'
'… Lose?'
'… Lose!?'
'No… I can't lose… Never! Win… Yes… I must win… Win, win, win, win! No matter who gets hurt in the process…'
I felt a dark energy emerging from the depths of my soul, and I didn't even try to stop it.
'I MUST WIN!'
"I DRAW!" I snarled out, tugging a card from the top of my deck, glaring at Reiji so hatefully that he took a step back, eyes widening in surprise. "I activate Darkwurm's effect from my Graveyard! While I control no monsters, I can Special Summon it! Return, Darkwurm!"
A dark portal opened up, Darkwurm rising out of the grave and glaring at Reiji's monsters angrily.
"Then I activate my Trap, Disaster Pendulum!" The card flipped over, revealing the image of Stargazer and Timegazer clearly in pain as two dark hands squeezed them both. "I destroy both cards in my Pendulum Zones!" The two monsters in my Pendulum Zones, Alpha and Omega, both exploded. "Now, your set card is destroyed, and I can add 1 Level 4 or lower non-Pendulum monster from my deck to my hand!"
Reiji's eyes narrowed as his set card was destroyed. "You…"
"I add Supreme King Dragon Darkdraco to my hand," the card slot out of my deck and I revealed it. "And now, I summon him!" I slammed the card onto my Duel Disk, the small monster rising up. "Darkdraco's effect! When he's summoned, I can send a Supreme King monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, and he becomes the same Level as that monster until the end of my turn! I send Supreme King Servant Violet Venom to the Graveyard to turn Dark Draco into a Level 4!"
1 – 4.
'Yes, father! Use me! Let's crush him!'
"As you wish," I slowly grinned. "I overlay my Level 4 Darkdraco and Darkwurm!" The two monsters turned into black lights that slammed into a portal in front of me. "With these two monsters, I build the overlay network!" He threw my head back and began to laugh, unable to stop myself.
"Z- Zarc-nii…" I heard Ayu whimper. "W- What's wrong with him?"
"I- I don't know…" I heard Rin say, sounding just as afraid… But, right now, I didn't care.
All that mattered was winning.
"Kin with pitch black fangs! Give in, and obey me!" I grinned widely. "Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion!"
With a mighty roar, Dark Rebellion rose out of the portal, glaring at Reiji's monsters and twitching, eager for a fight.
(DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/RNK: 4)
"Dark Rebellion!?" Yuzu exclaimed. "That monster is…!"
"Are you ready, Reiji?" I asked him with a dark smile. "Because I'm about to completely and utterly crush you!" I lifted up the last card in my hand. "Dark Rebellion isn't enough! I must crush you with destructive, violent, overwhelming power!"
Reiji pushed up his glasses. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"Like this!" I cackled. "I activate Hyper Rank-Up-Magic Supreme Domination Force!" I slammed the card into my Duel Disk, unveiling the image of Dark Rebellion, with a huge, dark shadow with glowing yellow eyes behind him, claws ready to envelop the dark monster.
"Rank-Up-Magic…?" Reiji spoke, clearly not expecting that.
"Rank-Up-Magic…" Sora whispered, my keen ears catching him. "Is he…?"
"With this card, I can Rank-Up an Xyz Monster on my field all the way to a Rank 12 Xyz Monster of the same attribute!" I laughed without restraint. "Using Dark Rebellion, I rebuild the Overlay Network!"
I pointed to the sky as Dark Rebellion turned into a black light, soaring up into a gigantic portal high above us in the sky. The darkness was so thick, it was almost like pure black clouds. As Dark Rebellion soared in, no light came from the portal, instead it hovered there, letting out dark energy.
"Dragon of Darkness, wrongly sealed for your glorious power! Break free of the chains binding you, and destroy everything at the World's End! Pave the way to True Supremacy!" I laughed madly as a monster began to descend from the dark portal, a furious wind causing the buildings to start to be torn out of the ground, spiralling around us in a vicious tornado.
"What… Kind of monster…!?" Reiji exclaimed, finally losing his cool.
"Hyper Rank-Up Xyz Change!" I pulled the card free from my Extra Deck, grinning twistedly. "Devour the future and manifest!"
The monster slowly descended from the clouds, staring down at Reiji. It was, no question, a dragon of pure darkness and evil, a symbol glowing on its chest as it glared down at Reiji's monsters.
"Supreme King Dragon of the World's End, Dust!"
(DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000/RNK: 12)
"Dragon of the World's End… Dust?" Reiji took a step back, staring wide-eyed at the evil monster floating in the air above us.
"Dust's effect activates!" I laughed loudly. "By using all of his overlay units, I reduce the ATK of all your monsters to 0! And then Dust gains the amount of ATK they lost!"
Reiji's eyes widened even further. "What!?"
"Go, Dust! Treason Subjugation!"
Dark tendrils unleashed from Dust, wrapping around Reiji's 3 monsters and forcing them to float down to the ground as their ATK was reduced to 0.
3000 – 0
3000 – 0
3000 – 0
4000 + 3000 + 3000 + 3000 = 13,000
"13,000 ATK!?" Masumi yelled in shock. "What the hell is that monster!?"
"Furthermore, Dust can attack every monster you control once this turn!" I told Reiji with a dark smile. "Go now, Supreme King Dragon of the World's End, Dust! Black Hole Apocalypse!"
Dust let out an Earth-shaking roar as a black hole formed in front of him, buildings, trees, everything was being dragged in. Even the action cards were sucked in, preventing Reiji from being able to grab one.
All three of his Hell Armageddon's were no exception as they were dragged into the black hole… And then there was an explosion, sending a huge shockwave that sent Reiji flying back and impacting the wall behind him hard.
1600 – 13,000 = 0
Above us, a screen appeared with the words 'WINNER' on it, and my demented smile, Dust floating behind me menacingly, before the Action Field turned off, all of the cards and surroundings vanishing.
"Reiji!" Henrietta cried out with worry as she ran into the field, checking on Reiji, who waved her off, his intense gaze on me.
Just like that, it was like a switch was flipped as I fell to my knees, holding my head as I began to breathe heavily. "Haa… Haa…" I slowly looked at my hand. It was trembling.
I looked up and around. Everyone was staring at me… With fear.
I looked back at my hand, feeling sick to my stomach…
Maybe… It wasn't the fault of my cards that I became the Demon Duellist… Because I was almost certain that all that rage, all that anger… That came from me.
I was the Demon Duellist, without any help from my cards.
As soon as that realisation came to me, my eyes rolled into the back of my head and I fell sideways, the world turning black around me…
Supreme King Dragon Darkslice
(DARK/Dragon/Tuner/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 1)
When your opponent's monster declares an attack while you control no monsters on your field, you may Special Summon this card from your hand in Face-Up ATK position: Negate that attack.
Supreme King's Betrayal
Trap
Destroy 1 Face-Up "Supreme King" monster you control: Gain LP equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster. If this card is sent from your hand or deck to the Graveyard then, during your opponent's next turn, the effects of all face-up monsters you control are negated, their ATK is reduced by 1000, and monsters you control are banished when destroyed until the End Phase.
Disaster Pendulum
Trap
Destroy all cards in your Pendulum Zones, then target 1 Spell/Trap card your opponent controls: Destroy it. Then, add 1 Level 4 or lower non-Pendulum monster from your Deck to your hand.
Hyper Rank-Up-Magic Supreme Domination Force
Spell
Target 1 Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck 1 Rank 12 Xyz Monster of the same attribute, using that monster you control as Xyz Material (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned Monster.) You may banish this card from your Graveyard with 1 Rank 12 Xyz Monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon 1 Xyz Monster from your Graveyard.
Supreme King Dragon of the World's End, Dust
(DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000/RNK: 12)
3 Level 12 DARK Dragon-Type monsters
If this card is Summoned using a monster that has 'Dark Rebellion' or 'Xyz Dragon' in its card name, then it cannot be removed from the field the turn it was summoned, and cannot have its summoning negated. You may detach all Xyz Material from this card: negate the effects of all monsters your opponent controls, then all monsters your opponent controls lose their ATK, and this card gains ATK equal to the amount of ATK the opponent's monsters lost; then, this card can attack every monster your opponent controls once this turn (Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's effect.) If this card has no Xyz Material, you may attach 1 Pendulum Monster Face-Up in your Extra deck to this card as Xyz Material If this card is removed from the field: Special Summon 1 "Dark Rebellion" Xyz Monster from your Graveyard or Extra Deck, and attach this card to it as Xyz Material. (You can only use each effect of "Supreme Dragon of the World's End, Dust" once per turn.)