A/N
This chapter occurs concurrently with the first, and details Kaiba's duel with Yubel. Although we already know the outcome from the first chapter, I thought it'd be fun to show the other side of things and give Kaiba and Yubel some shine. By the way, if any readers are curious about how a duel between Yugi and Yubel might look, I wrote one in chapter 59 of my Yugioh GX Self-Insert State of the Meta, the chapter being titled "Saga of the True Name". Although you'll be missing how it relates to the overall plot of the story, if you just want to see the duel you can do that.
I realize in the last chapter I depicted Kaiba vs Johan-Yubel with Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon on the former's field against Rainbow Dark Dragon on the right. It was hard to really include Rainbow Dark Dragon in this duel as I decided to have Yubel use Sacred Beasts/Yubel cards rather than crystal beasts. It was just easier to write. So I hope you guys can forgive the continuity flub there. I probably shouldn't have even brought it up. I guess an in-universe explanation could be that Yugi only glanced over at their field so he didn't really recognize the monsters, especially Rainbow Dragon as he would have never seen that card before. Or we could maybe say Yugi got a concussion from one of Judai's attacks and wasn't seeing straight. But anyways it mainly came about because I didn't realize how much I wanted to write Kaiba vs Yubel until I posted the first chapter.
This will be the end of this side story for now as I return to writing State of the Meta and other stuff. But I hope you enjoyed this what-if scenario and maybe the ambiguousness of the ending inspired you to think of how events would progress from here on in. Thanks again for reading and I'll see ya around!
"Don't hold anything back, Yugi. These people are scum, nothing else to it." Kaiba glanced at Yugi before walking away, creating space between their respective battlegrounds.
"Be careful Kaiba, don't underestimate them. And good luck." Yugi nodded back to him. Although Kaiba appreciated the well-wishes, he could not understand how Yugi could be so grave, so cautious in front of the enemy. Showing fear in front of predators is a good way of ensuring that they pounce on you - luckily, the dragon stood above all in the kingdom of beasts.
Turning to the foe in question, Kaiba knew that this one was different from an ordinary human. It was apparent in the eyes - burning orange and constantly widened, like two night lamps. And of course, the duel energy was thick, suffocating, and hot like the stench of freshly spilled blood - even the most evil of people rarely reached such depths without demonic influence at play.
"So, you think that black knight over there is the real king of games, eh? What does that make you, his butler? Perhaps I should have Roland fight in my stead." Kaiba refused to show an ounce of respect or regard for the creature responsible for the murders of his students and faculty.
"I am Yubel, his one and only love. Eons ago, long before the Millennium Items were forged, I took an oath to protect Judai, to see to his every need, to ensure he realizes his true potential as demon king of the twelve dimensions. I swore it before all the gods. Even when Judai tried to send me away, I did everything in my power to uphold my promises. All I do is for love and duty."
"Wait a minute...Yubel...why does that name sound so familiar?" Kaiba wondered, but was drawing a blank.
"It was your machinery, your endless greed for technological expansion that helped separate us. It happened ten years ago, when you had that harebrained idea about teaching aliens to duel or some such nonsense, and had children enter a drawing to send their cards off into space. Even at the time it boggled my mind, why would any child willingly send their cards into outer space? And who would fund such an enterprise to begin with? You have to admit it's a bit odd." Yubel said incisively.
"I was going through a phase, alright?" Kaiba defended his bizarre notion as a child might. He was obsessed with outer space for a year after watching some documentaries on the subject, but eventually he grew bored with it and moved onto something else as he always did.
"It was a phase for you, but it was an eternity of suffering for me, as the starlight burned every inch of my soul and stretched my consciousness to its very limits. Do you have any notion of what I had to do to stay alive, with only thoughts of my duty keeping me sane? Any other spirit would have wasted away and died out there, but my love was too strong. I found my way back from galaxy-spanning distances, I murdered countless, and I honed my powers all for the purpose of serving my lord Judai. And now, you and Yugi are the only ones left who could possibly oppose us. But you will not die today, Seto Kaiba. No, your energy will be absorbed into my flesh, and your mind subsumed within an infinite well of screaming souls, all building blocks for my king's reign. And you will live on for eternity as a part of me." A silhouette of a sorrowful dragon appeared behind Yubel, breathing soot and ash as it roared.
"Ok." replied Kaiba, who had gotten bored about halfway into the speech.
"Ok? That's all you have to say! A new god is rising from the mass graves and charnel pits, and all you have to say is OK?!" Yubel screamed.
"Pretty much. I hear these kinds of speeches all the time."
"You hear them all the time because your selfishness and greed have trampled on countless people! It's about time you get hurt like you so casually hurt others! I will deliver you to that pain and understanding I felt!" Spittle flew from Yubel's maw.
"I've heard that same line three times this week. As far as I'm concerned, you signed your own death warrant the moment you hurt my students. All that's left is the cremation, which I'm happy to take care of personally. Come and taste the dragon's wrath, demon."
"Always going on and on about dragon this and dragon that. You of all people should understand what it is like to love so completely that everything else seems meaningless in comparison. You, who killed others to acquire the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in your deck."
"Maybe you are correct. But just because we are similar in that way does not mean I'll allow you to do what you want. You killed my students...there is no reason for me to spare you any quarter. If your so-called love is as powerful as you claim, then it should be no issue to take what you want by force."
"You're right, it won't be a problem at all!" Yubel activated a unique variant of duel disk, with the card slots separated along three blades rather than the usual single one in a Kaibacorp model. "I shall begin by calling on the Dark Beckoning Beast (0/0)." The minion was a dark yellow flying demon with translucent webbed wings and a ridged tail with a trident on the end. "When this monster is summoned, I can add a Sacred Beast card from deck to hand." Thumbing through her cards, Yubel decided to add Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, to the hand.
"So, that's what happened to the Sacred Beasts." Kaiba surmised. "If you think you can beat me with those dollar-store god cards, you're even more screwed than you realize."
Yubel ignored him, her smile widening. "Then, I'll activate the continuous spell Opening of the Spirit Gates." Suddenly, seven pillars of bright yellow light surrounded Kaiba and Yubel, bolts of electricity ringing them off from the outside world. "This will let me search for another Sacred Beast card. This time, I'll add Chaos Summoning Beast." Pausing, she added, "Dark Beckoning Beast's other effect allows me an additional normal summon every turn. Thus, I can summon Chaos Summoning Beast (0/0) to the field right away." Yubel's second creature had a worm-like lower body, with venous purple wings up top. "Now, I shall activate Dark Summoning Beast's effect, tributing it to special summon a Sacred Beast directly from my hand!"
Arcs of lightning heralded the arrival of the mythic demon, their harsh light reflecting off the skyscraper windows with blinding refraction. From a pillar of amber radiance emerged Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (4000/4000), a deathly mirror of the Winged Dragon of Ra in appearance. Its body was thin, skeletal, and brittle, and yet imbued with near-divine power all the same. The beast enclosed its wings in defense mode.
Kaiba did not uncross his arms as Yubel continued her play. "Then, I'll use the second effect of my continuous spell. By discarding a card, I can special summon a fiend with zero attack or defense points from the graveyard. By discarding Dark Summoning Beast (0/0), I can special summon it immediately!" The level five monster needed a bit of a workaround to be called out. It was a larger counterpart to the Dark Beckoning Beast, swathed in crimson robes. "By sacrificing this card, I can call out another Sacred Beast from the deck! Come forth! Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (4000/4000)!"
From beneath the earth emerged the blue titan, its claws long and sharp as it glowered with a scarlet gaze at Kaiba. "That's two of them. Will you be able to get a third?" Realizing something, Kaiba stopped his mockery for a moment. "Wait a second...the reason those damn cards were sealed in the first place is because they constantly leech off of human and Duel spirit energy in order to sustain themselves. How is it you are able to channel them?"
Yubel laughed. "I have absorbed so many souls throughout my life. The enemies of my liege find new life subsumed within my flesh, as their duel energy becomes my own. That will be your fate once I'm finished with you, Seto Kaiba. My own reserves are more than sufficient to feed the beasts - I could summon ten of them if such were available."
For the first time, Kaiba's demeanor grew slightly unnerved as he wondered exactly how many people this spirit had killed in its immensely long lifespan. How many others had stood defiantly before Yubel only to meet a fate worse than death? It was enough to ground even his legendary ego, if only for a moment.
"Now then, by banishing Chaos Summoning Beast from the graveyard, I can add a certain field spell to my hand. I activate Fallen Paradise!" The city streets gave way to broken, dry and grey wasteland beneath a starry indigo sky. Behind Yubel arose a gnarled, rotted tree with glowing eyes covering every inch of its bark. Its branches spread out and reached skyward - oddly, there were vibrant red apples hanging from the leafless wood.
"You may not have feared the beasts before, but this field spell will raise them to true divinity. While it is on the field, you cannot target or destroy my Sacred Beasts with card effects. More importantly, as long as I control a Sacred Beast I get to draw two cards once per turn." Yubel reveled in the bleak landscape.
"A Pot of Greed every turn plus that much protection...not good! I need to destroy that field spell fast!" Kaiba thought, realizing this was no ordinary opponent.
Yubel went ahead and drew two more cards. "I set a card and end my turn. Let's see if your reputation has any merit."
"As you wish!" Kaiba drew. "I activate the spell Melody of Awakening Dragon, discarding a card to add two dragons with 3000 or more attack and 2500 or less defense points from deck to hand." It was no mystery what monsters Kaiba was searching for. "Furthermore, the monster I discarded was the White Stone of Legend (300/200), which lets me add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck to my hand when it hits the graveyard." In one fell swoop, Kaiba had assembled all three of the dragons to his hand.
"Those beasts may be protected from effects, but not from raw strength! I'll activate Greater Polymerization, a fusion spell that specifically requires three monsters to be merged. And I think you know which three monsters I'm fusing!" Kaiba laughed maniacally as his Blue-Eyes White Dragons flew into the air out of an explosion of alabaster Duel Energy. "My three dragons will become my one ultimate servant! Behold, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!"
The three-headed hydra boasted a sheen of metallic scales, with bioluminescent veins shining blue light. The dragon was even larger than the Sacred Beasts, which were already comparable in size to the city's downtown office buildings, looking down on them from above with contempt. "And since I used Greater Polymerization for the summoning, my dragon gains additional effects - it can deal piercing damage, and cannot be destroyed by card effects!" Kaiba could not stop laughing. "Now, my Blue-Eyes will attack and destroy Hamon!"
Drawing upon its deep well of latent energy, the dragon launched three beams of azure light that effortlessly tore through the mythic demon, and sent Yubel flying to boot. Kaiba had to go for Hamon first, the demon's effect preventing Kaiba from attacking other monsters. (Yubel 3500/Kaiba 4000)
"But wait, there's more! When my dragon is the only face-up card I control, I can send a Blue-Eyes fusion monster from my fusion deck to the graveyard in order to attack again! Since your Dark Beckoning Beast has zero attack and defense points, one strike will be enough to end this farce! Now, disappear!" Dumping another copy of Neo Blue-Eyes from his deck, Kaiba was able to fire another triple burst of raw power towards the lesser minion of Yubel.
However, when the dust settled, Kaiba's cackling was cut short. "What? A trap?" He snarled as he saw Yubel's life points and her monster untouched.
"Oh yes, the trap card Fiend Rose to be specific. This card prevents my Dark Beckoning Beast from being destroyed, and I take no battle damage from attacks involving it. However, I can only equip this card to a monster with zero attack." Yubel explained, rattled only slightly by the previous damage.
"That's odd...does her strategy revolve around playing monsters with zero attack points? How does that synergize with the Sacred Beasts?" Kaiba tried to remember the effect of that card sent into space that day, but even at the time he paid it little mind. "Very well - I can use Neo Blue-Eyes' effect once more this turn, sending another copy of itself to the grave in order to take down Raviel!" Turning its heads, the dragon vaporized Raviel with a hyper neutron blast. (Yubel 3000/Kaiba 4000)
"Hmph, see? Those beasts are nothing before my power. If not for that trap card, you'd be red mist in the air." Kaiba boasted.
Yubel's burning stare never wavered as she recovered from the attacks. "To defeat two Sacred Beasts so easily...I suppose trying to beat you in a contest of brute strength is quite a futile endeavor. Unfortunately for you, I have many other ways of dueling available to me."
"Maybe one of them will actually work, if you're lucky. I set a card face-down and end my turn." Kaiba replied.
Drawing, a volcanic orange aura surrounded Yubel-Johan's body as she smiled. "By activating the effect of the Spirit Gate, I can discard a card to special summon Dark Summoning Beast back to the field. Then, I can sacrifice it to summon the third and final Sacred Beast from my deck - Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (0/0)!" The minor demon returned from the field only to go up in a pillar of crimson, magma plumes erupting around Yubel and casting her in deep shadow. Lava shot into the air, coalescing and hardening into the serpentine form of Uria, the red dragon bearing resemblance to Slifer the Sky Dragon. "Now, since I control a Sacred Beast, I can use Fallen Paradise's effect to draw two more cards." said Yubel.
Knowing Uria's effect, Kaiba was quick to activate his set card. "I flip over my continuous trap card, The True Light! Once per turn, this card lets me summon back my eternal servant from the hand or graveyard. Rise from the grave, Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" The strongest normal monster was just as fearsome a sight now as it was at the beginning of the game's history. Its majesty, beauty, yet undeniably intimidating presence was wholly unique among all other monsters in the game. Even Yubel, who only cared for Judai, was momentarily dumbstruck by the white dragon's splendor. However, she regained her focus soon enough.
"You may summon as many dragons as you wish, Kaiba. Since I have a Sacred Beast on the field, the Opening of the Spirit Gates gains an additional effect. I can add a continuous spell from my graveyard to my hand once per turn. And since I just discarded another copy of the Spirit Gates in order to use the first effect, I can recur it at essentially no cost. Then, I'll activate the second copy of the Opening of the Spirit Gates to search for another Sacred Beast card." Yubel explained tediously.
"I have to admit, the Sacred Beasts are much more capable than I expected. I was only aware of the three monsters themselves, not all of these support cards. Did she find them in the spirit realms?" Kaiba mused.
"Now Kaiba, I will show you my own fusion technique...I cast the spell Dimension Fusion Destruction, banishing Uria from my field as well as Raviel and Hamon from the graveyard, allowing me to summon a demon god without peer!" Thick smoke blanketed the sky, briefly illuminated with sickly tinges of blood crimson, neon yellow, and deep blue. "I will demonstrate that you know nothing of the true cosmos, of the horrors lurking beyond the stars! Arrive, Armityle the Chaos Phantasm - Phantom of Fury (0/0)!" Yubel clasped her hands together, interlocking fingers as she called on deep reserves to herald the fusion summon.
Kaiba's eyes widened as he struggled to take in the nightmarish vision of the demonic amalgamation. It helped to only focus on one area at a time, but he could feel even this effort stretching his sanity to an uncomfortable limit. The hellish abomination was surrounded by a shimmer of gold stardust, and its frame was a transmutation of all three Sacred Beasts. One of its arms was actually the draconic head of Uria, while the other was the clawed fist of Raviel. The wings of Hamon had extended in length and nearly encircled the two duelists, as did the slithering tail of Uria below the torso of Raviel. Its head was a mashed-together version of all three beasts, with so many eyes and mouths and rows of teeth. The massive being was constantly belching putrid black smoke through its innumerable orifices, an stench Kaiba could only describe as despair itself given sensory form.
Although Kaiba tried to hide it, his expression betrayed fear. "Ah yes, I suppose you didn't know the beasts had a fused form, did you? All those years ago, you only buried the three cards beneath the island, not four. Tell me, why did you do that? I'm surprised a man like you didn't seize their power for personal gain." Yubel drolled lazily, like a big cat toying with a mouse.
Reclaiming his wits, Kaiba responded, "I had no need of them. Blue-Eyes alone rivals the gods. The true gods, not these beasts, which are merely powerful monsters. I sealed them because the cards constantly drained the energy of people and cards around them. There was no way to safely channel their powers. Even if there was, I would have kept them in a safe at Kaibacorp, where they couldn't be used against my interests. Either way, it was lucky that I discovered them when I did. By the time Yugi and Pegasus learned of their existence, the cards were in the bowels of Academy Island's volcano."
"Oh? You kept them away from your friend Yugi? Could it be that there is some...mistrust between you? If you join my cause, I could give you the power to finally surpass him. It would be so easy…" Yubel's voice grew deep and sinuous.
"Join you? Don't you realize you need to be in a dominant position before making such offers?" Kaiba mocked. "Besides, in your case joining you means being absorbed, so I'll have to say no thanks. As for the beasts, I saw no need to consult Yugi and Pegasus on the matter, that's all. I make my own decisions."
"So it came down to a desire to possess, to control…why doesn't that surprise me?" Yubel hypocritically laid the criticism at his feet. "If you wish to control the beasts so badly, then you may have them.." In a flash, Armityle was no longer on Yubel's side - Kaiba could feel the hot smoke bearing down on his back. Frozen, he was unwilling to turn around to see that Armityle stood on his side of the field.
"Where's my thank you? I just gave you my monster, which leaves my field bare." Yubel licked her lips, tongue a slithering pink animal that slid over yellowish teeth.
"This is war - any gifts are poisoned." Kaiba said sharply.
"Right you are, and what a sweet poison it is! For when I end my turn, all cards you control are banished, including Armityle itself!" Yubel laughed madly as the titan suddenly burst into a plume of poison that rotted away Kaiba's dragons, as well as his continuous trap. He struggled to see and breathe, the deathly hot mist seeming so real. "Then, I can special summon my monster's original form, Armityle the Chaos Phantasm (0/0) to the field!" The fused demon reappeared on Yubel's side in defense mode, although none of the nightmarish black smoke remained around it. "It may look weak, but this monster cannot be destroyed by battle. And on my turn, it gains 10,000 attack points, enough to end any duelist in one strike! I set a card and end my turn."
"I need to find a way around that card right now." Kaiba knew. "Draw. I'll start by activating a little spell I call Bingo Machine, Go!" A device identical to the one Kaiba used to determine the order of the Battle City Quarterfinal matches popped onto the field. Yellow balls swirled around a plexiglass sphere, waiting to drop into a dispenser shaped after the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "This card lets me select three Blue-Eyes cards in my deck. Then, you randomly pick one of them and I add that one to my hand. The other two go back into the deck. Pick wisely!" The duel disk portrayed the backs of three cards in front of Yubel.
"How childish…" Yubel hissed. Using her powers, she attempted to perceive which card was which. After all, a piece of the Light of Destruction existed within her as well...and with it came the powers of sight and prediction, the very same that Sartorius used. Although it was cheating, any means were permissible in the pursuit of love. However, she found that she couldn't see them...Kaiba was flexing his own Duel Energy to intercept her own. Most duelists wouldn't have the sheer energy reserves to smokescreen her for long, but Kaiba wasn't most duelists. "Bastard…" She muttered.
"Go on, pick one! It won't kill you...yet!" Kaiba snickered.
"Grr...the middle!" Yubel bit out, and Kaiba smirked as he added it to his hand.
"Perfect…I'll now activate Ultimate Fusion, shuffling the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my graveyard back into the deck in order to polymerize once again. This time, the dragon only has two heads...but that will be more than enough to deal with the likes of you! I play Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon (3000/2500)!" In a burst of digital light emerged a rampaging two-headed dragon - like its three-headed counterpart, it was replete with bioluminescent veins of bright azure, almost like a machine but purely organic.
"Dragons, dragons, dragons...that's how you respond to all of your problems, Kaiba." Yubel tutted.
"My household has a certain motto, only one generation old - if at first you don't succeed, blast it with your Blue-Eyes again. I had the words engraved on a plaque and put above my fireplace." Kaiba said with great self-indulgence.
"And yet, battling will not help you this time. Both Armityle and my Dark Beckoning Beast can't be destroyed by battle." Yubel pointed out, albeit with an edge of worry in Johan's warped voice.
"Why destroy them when I can banish them instead? When Twin Burst Dragon attacks an opponent's monster, but it's not destroyed, I can banish that monster! And you might have guessed this already, but this dragon can attack two monsters per turn!" Kaiba thrusted a hand forward and his dragon stomped towards Armityle, charging energy within its jaws. It blasted the fused demon with two concentrated beams, the light boring into the beast's flesh. Although it initially didn't seem to be effective, Blue-Eyes pressed on with great tenacity and eventually ripped through the opposing monster, banishing it from the field. Then, Kaiba's dragon circled back to the Dark Beckoning Beast and gobbled it up with one bite, leaving Yubel's field clear. "I set a card and end my turn." Kaiba said, reveling in the hideous Armityle's removal.
"During the end phase, I activate the quick-play spell Fires of Doomsday, summoning two Doomsday tokens (0/0) to my side of the field." Yubel was not happy to see the merged astral beast disposed of so readily, but she had no choice but to press on. The tokens were twin wisps of smoky blue fire, with one rheumy cyclopean eye each in the center of the plume.
"Now, during my turn, I'll start by activating Allure of Darkness, allowing me to draw two cards and then banish a dark monster from my hand. If I can't banish a dark monster, then I have to dump my entire hand." said Yubel, scanning her cards rapidly before banishing a Phantom Skyblaster. "Now, I'll activate Soul Exchange! I take it this card needs no explanation?" She smiled wickedly. "I'm all too happy to sacrifice your dragon alongside one of my doomsday tokens for a tribute summon!"
A bead of sweat rolled down Kaiba's brow. "Damn!" He observed his mighty dragon shimmering, vanishing into golden light as it was offered up to the tribute pyre alongside Yubel's token. Yubel-Johan powered up, her aura as thick and suffocating as lava. In a flash of orange light, a humanoid shape extricated itself from the vessel's back. At first, it was a purely bright orange silhouette, but eventually solidified and took on the details of its true form. In front of the spirit, Johan Anderson's empty vessel lay slumped on the concrete.
The spirit's true form was highly dichotomous - on one side of its body was a female breast, the other a male pectoral. Long, unruly hair ran down to the spirit's shoulders, one side bone white and the other a deep purple. Bat-like wings unfurled from the back as draconic claws stretched. "Allow me to introduce you to the true me...my true self, Yubel (0/0)!" Yubel smiled, revealing fanged teeth. In the center of her forehead, a bulging third eye leered at the enemy, its pupil dilated and titian.
"If you're trying to scare me, you'll need more than a makeover. Since you used Soul Exchange, you can't attack this turn." Kaiba pointed out dryly. "Of course, the true purpose was to get rid of my dragon."
"You'll find that your usual methods of simply overwhelming the opponent with raw power won't work on me anymore, Kaiba. I have felt more pain in my lifetime than you can possibly imagine, and the cosmic waves I have absorbed render me impossible to kill, especially by a mere human."
"Impossible to kill, eh...that sounds like a theory in need of extensive testing. By the way, isn't your boyfriend a mere human too? I thought you'd have more respect for our kind." Kaiba's lips twitched upwards.
"After Judai fuses with me, we will no longer be encumbered by the limits of our current forms. We will become the ultimate fusion of human and duel spirit, with all the powers of each and none of the weaknesses. We are one in the same, a single individual in two bodies. After we have gathered the last necessary bits of duel energy from your fallen corpses, the universe will finally have its rightful monarch born through our union." Yubel explained as if she were giving Kaiba directions to the local train station.
"...uh...you're certainly a romantic. So, does he know about this little plan of yours to fuse together yet?" Kaiba asked, momentarily taken aback by Yubel's matter-of-fact explanation.
"Well…" Yubel muttered. "He basically knows. I told him that the two of us would always be together, and that we would rule over the cosmos with supreme power. So yes."
"So he doesn't know about the fusing part?" Kaiba prodded.
"...Not specifically...but I'm sure he'll be open to the idea. This way, he can never leave me again."
Looking upon the clearly-broken person before him, Kaiba felt the slightest grain of empathy. But he quickly stamped it out. "Oh, I'm sure. You know, I've met a lot of weird people in my day, but you're probably the weirdest. Your pathetic obsession would be quite funny if it hadn't caused countless deaths. Actually, scratch that - it's funny anyways!" Kaiba laughed loudly.
"Come attack then, fool." said Yubel as she ended her turn. In order for Yubel to stay on the field, she needed to sacrifice another monster. Reaching out with a clawed hand, she snatched up the Doomsday token and drank it greedily.
"As if. I set a monster and one face-down to end my turn." was Kaiba's simple move.
"Oh, I don't know about that, Kaiba. Draw. I'll use the effect of the Spirit Gates, discarding a card to bring back Dark Beckoning Beast from the graveyard. Then, during the end phase, I can sacrifice the Dark Beckoning Beast to sustain my true form." Yubel reached out and ate the lesser fiend alive, its hindquarters feverishly squirming about until they too were eventually devoured.
"So you can't sustain yourself, you can only live by sacrificing others. How fitting." Kaiba snarked. "Unfortunately, you won't be living for much longer! During the end phase, I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction, destroying one monster on the field and dealing damage to us both equal to that monster's attack points! Since you have zero attack points, we won't take any damage. But you'll be wide open for the next turn!" As Kaiba spoke, a circle lined with grenades floated around Yubel's body, latching on tight. Oddly, she smiled as the bombs exploded, sending up a high plume of smoke and fire.
"You won't be smiling for much longer once it's...my….turn…" Kaiba's endless boasting finally petered out as he observed the outline of Yubel's body grow and shift within the smoke. What emerged from the dust was very different than before - a twin-headed purple and black dragon with a larger version of that burning orange eye in the center of its torso. Yubel stood behind the demonic dragon, snickering lightly. Kaiba had to admit the creature had an intimidating presence.
"When my first form is destroyed, I can call forth my next transformation. Meet Yubel - Terror Incarnate (0/0)." said Yubel. "You'll be pleased to know this monster needs no sacrifice to stay on the field. And furthermore, Terror Incarnate destroys all other monsters on the field during my end phase."
"Like I care - you could have a million transformations and it wouldn't slow me down!" Kaiba grunted as his face-down Cyber Jar was destroyed. "My turn!" Kaiba drew, aches and sores beginning to make themselves known from the protracted battle. "I activate the spell Light of Redemption, paying 800 life points in order to add a banished light monster back to my hand. Return to me, Blue-Eyes." Kaiba would gladly pay any amount of life if it meant holding her again. (Yubel 3000/Kaiba 3200)
"Then, by revealing Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand, I can call on Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon (3000/2500)!" The next in a seemingly endless series of variants burst forth from the ground, sending chunks of asphalt flying about. The new-school version of Blue-Eyes was covered in metallic, ridged plate, cybernetic upgrades stacked on top of its naturally powerful frame. "You see, it's an alternative because it can destroy monsters outside of battle! Once per turn, at the cost of not being able to attack with this card, I can destroy another monster on the field - say goodbye to your so-called Terror Incarnate!"
Flapping its wings, the dragon rose high into the air before unleashing a torrent of blue lightning upon Yubel, successfully melting it down. Yubel howled in pain, although it was as much a shriek of pleasure as it was of agony. Indeed, the half-melted flesh soon began to reform and morph into something else, something eldritch….
The dragon's heads grew longer and their necks more serpentine, blank stone faces on their foreheads. Between the dragon heads emerged a stunted, horned head with a scrunched face and a patchy black beard. On the torso of the devil was a demonic, large version of Yubel's face, three eyes and all. On its kneecaps were wide catlike eyes that were constantly roving around. Kaiba found himself again having difficulty taking in the cosmic horror of the creature before him. His breathing hitched, his posture grew tight and clenched. Kaiba tried to remind himself it was only a card, a card that could be beaten down like any other. "My god…" He could not help but murmur below his breath, despite the fact that he had little respect for any gods, even the ones he knew to be real.
"Do you like how I look? This is what Judai's love made me." The beast's skin bubbled before Yubel burst from its head like a horn, or a pustule. Dripping bodily fluids, green pus mixed with runny red blood, rapidly dried on her skin as she unfolded her wings again. The stench reached Kaiba's nostrils, and it was only by sheer force of will that he avoided vomiting. "I summon Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare (0/0)."
"You look gorgeous. I can see why Judai is so taken with you." Kaiba still found it in him to joke, partially as a reactive mechanism in the face of the unearthly terror that stood before him. As the initial wave of revulsion was mastered, the white dragon felt another emotion welling up within him - mania, fueled by irrepressible pride. "I want to kill that."
"In this form, I cannot be destroyed by battle, and I take no damage from battles involving this card. And if I battle an opponent's monster, I can inflict damage equal to that monster's attack power, and destroy it."
Gulping, Kaiba silently set a card and ended his turn.
"Finally, your silver tongue has grown rusty. I like you much better this way, Kaiba. I expect I'll like you even more once your energy becomes a part of me. Perhaps I'll keep that tongue as a trophy before I absorb you." The sheer pressure of Yubel's energy was causing the very air itself to vibrate, and it flooded Kaiba's every pore with sheer, unadulterated despair.
"I can't move…" As Yubel's power bore down on him, Kaiba realized he hadn't felt fear like this in a very long time. The last time had been when he was recovering from his first duel with Yugi, and the gradual reconstructing of his consciousness that took place after the Penalty Game. Then, he had nightmares of the pharaoh's face and the golden Eye of Wdhat on his forehead, as well as the monsters, the real monsters, under his command.
He barely heard Yubel speak. "I summon Phantom of Chaos (0/0) in attack position." Shadowy swirls of black crawled along the ground. "This monster can take the shape of a monster in my graveyard until the end of the turn, by banishing the original. I banish Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, in order to copy its power!" Kaiba's negative feelings were sweet nourishment to Yubel, and she drank them slowly like ice water on a hot day. Behind her, the black mist became a dark apparition of the electric Sacred Beast, taking on all 4000 of its attack points.
"Yes, now you see. All of your pride is nothing. All of your accomplishments are nothing before the expanse of the cosmos, and the splendor of creation along with its horrors. Your love for that stupid dragon means nothing compared to the bond between Judai and me! Your time is over, you aging windbag! Now, the Ultimate Nightmare attacks Blue-Eyes Alternative Dragon!" In an instant Yubel closed the gap, the twin dragon heads sinking their fangs deep into the flesh of Kaiba's own dragon, shredding the metallic plate and biting chunks out of the beast until nothing remained. (Yubel 3000/Kaiba 200)
Every moment was tortuous - Kaiba landed on his back with a complete lack of control, the impact nearly knocking him senseless. "I will not be shamed!" He gasped out, only to immediately curse himself for the poor choice of words. "Not to be shamed? Is that the best I can hope for, to die with my pride intact? Have I already internalized my defeat? What pathetic excuse for a duelist acts like that?" It was all too much.
"It's too late. Phantom of Chaos, end this." The dark grey copy of Hamon shot bolts of lightning towards the fallen Kaiba. Through the haze of pain, Kaiba remembered his face-down. "I activate Back to the Front, summoning a monster from the graveyard in defense mode." He called Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon back to the field, his faithful servant taking the bolts of electricity for him as he struggled to his feet.
"I see you managed to survive another turn. But do you have the strength to continue? I doubt it. Now, I'll end my turn with this equip spell, the Ring of Magnetism. This will ensure you can only attack The Ultimate Nightmare, if you choose to attack." As Yubel ended her turn, the Phantom of Chaos returned to its original amorphous state. It also returned to its original zero attack points, which would have been an easy target for Kaiba.
"I need to find a way over that despair." Kaiba thought. With a start, he realized that if he was absorbed by Yubel, he would not die. He would exist as a part of her, forever fueling her life force as his consciousness remained entrapped, yet undeniably alive, writhing within her but unable to say or do anything about it until he was gradually reduced to less than a thought, a passing blip beneath the tidal wave of souls that encompassed Yubel. "And if I cannot die…"
Visions of the pharaoh swam within his vision. "If I cannot die then I can never see him again...never fight him again…"
With hardened resolve, he stood again, eyes filled with single-minded determination as the silhouette of Kisara, his eternal love across time and space embraced him. He didn't consciously realize it was her, or what exactly was going on, but he felt a warm spectre of her touch for just a moment...a moment was enough. The shadow of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the manifestation of his Duel energy, formed behind him.
Suddenly, Kaiba realized that he had never spared a glance towards Yugi's duel. He just assumed that his rival would be able to handle whatever this boy king could throw at him. But when he craned his head to see, Kaiba realized that Yugi was struggling with despair, the same as him. He could feel the other man's pain, and could empathize, but the behemoth known as pride would not allow him to express the kind words that seemed to come so naturally to Yugi's friends. But Yugi's friends were not here...he never stopped yammering on about how his friends were the source of his strength and all that tripe. But now, he was alone, and no one would spare him a word of encouragement, unless he acted.
"Yugi! Stand up!" He barked out. "A king does not belong on his knees!" These were the only words that Kaiba could think of - he could not bring himself to sincerely support Yugi even though he respected the man immensely. He had to voice it as a challenge, because that's what would have motivated the pharaoh.
Fortunately, it seemed like Yugi had regained some of his fighting spirit, coming to an internal realization in the same way Seto did. That knowledge comforted Kaiba, a silent nod shared between the two men before they returned to their own fights.
"My my, it appears you've gotten your second wind. Probably a whole lot of nothing. I should have dueled Yugi instead, everyone knows you're just second fiddle to him anyways." Yubel mawkishly jabbed at his well-known insecurities.
Kaiba steadied himself. "It's my turn, draw." The fierceness in his gaze returned. "I may be second to Yugi, but that doesn't mean you're on my level. I activate Card of Demise!" The guillotine was a welcome sight for him and a worrying one for his enemy. "This spell lets me draw until I have five cards in hand. After five turns, I then have to discard my hand. But that won't matter because this ends now! I'll then activate the spell Dragon Shrine, allowing me to send a dragon-type monster from deck to grave. Then, if it was a normal monster I sent, I can send another dragon to the graveyard. I'll send the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons I shuffled back into the deck earlier with Ultimate Fusion."
Yubel's expression grew slightly pensive. "So? They are of no help in the graveyard."
"Oh, but they are. You know something, I think you got one thing right - fusion really is a powerful force, and I'll demonstrate that to you one more time. I activate Dragon's Mirror, banishing two Blue-Eyes White Dragons as well as Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon to merge them together!" Azure and alabaster energy formed a vortex of power, the result of the fusion similar yet markedly different. "I summon Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!"
Although it looked similar to the original Blue-Eyes Ultimate as well as the Neo Blue-Eyes, this three-headed dragon's body was inlaid with numerous sapphire crystals, and its wings were smaller and spiked compared to its counterparts. Its heads were more rounded in comparison to the sharp, angular maws of the other Blue-Eyes fusions. It let out a mighty, piercing roar upon summon.
"Really, this same old trick again? I was told you had more to your deck than this repetitive nonsense, Kaiba." Yubel prodded.
"Ah, but there is a reason why this dragon is alternative, Yubel. First of all, this monster cannot be destroyed or targeted by card effects. And once per turn, I can destroy a card on the field at the cost of not being able to attack with this monster. However, its power grows when I use Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon as material. Since I did, I can destroy up to three cards you control! Blue-Eyes, wipe out the Ultimate Nightmare, Ring of Magnetism, and Phantom of Chaos with triple neutron burst!" Kaiba declared, the dragon cutting through Yubel's field with swathes of glittering energy beams, leaving it open for attack.
Forcibly disengaged from the Ultimate Nightmare as it was destroyed, Yubel collapsed on the ground with a thud. Hastily, she stood and straightened out her back, breathing hard. "So...you can't attack now, for all of the power that dragon has! I'll just come back next turn and finish off what little remains of your life points!" Yubel protested.
"I drew one more card off of Card of Demise. Go, Ancient Rules!" The final spell was simple in execution, but just what he needed. "This magic lets me summon a normal monster from my hand, and I think you know which one…" The old smirk returned as Blue-Eyes White Dragon spread its wings one more time with a cry of pride.
As Yubel's expression seized with fear, Kaiba crossed his arms. "The bond you share with Judai may be great, it might be the greatest love story in the world. But it doesn't grant the strength that my bond does. And in a fight, strength is what matters, not your warped view of love."
"No...no, you can't do this to me! You can't!" Yubel protested, unable to accept what was happening.
"It's too bad. You're a powerful opponent, easily the strongest I've ever faced...besides Yugi and the pharaoh, that is. But you killed my students and laughed in my face about it. You think it's right to step on them just because you think you have some grand destiny in store for you? Because you happen to love someone? We all love someone." Seto thought of Mokuba. "What makes you so special?"
"You scum! You have no idea what you're doing! If you kill me, the universe is doomed! The light of destruction -" Yubel attempted to explain, but to no avail.
"How dare you say that, with all of the dead you've left in your wake!" Kaiba yelled, losing his cool completely.
"You made me this way, when you sent that capsule up in space. It's all your fault...all of wretched humanity's fault!" Yubel refused to back down. "It's not fair! Not fair…" She spat blood at him.
"It is fair. Fair is when you are given the same treatment you give others. Their names were Alexis Rhodes, Syrus and Zane Truesdale, Aster Phoenix, Chazz Princeton among others. I'll never forget those names as long as I live. You killed them, and now it's your turn."
Now sobbing, Yubel looked over to see Yugi cradling the fallen form of her king, the one she had sacrificed everything for. "Judai has been defeated…" She realized with a whimper.
"See? You never stood a chance. Now say goodbye." Kaiba sneered as Blue-Eyes charged up its final blast of white lightning.
"I will not die this day!" Calling forth an arcane power, Yubel opened a shadowy portal above her head. "I no longer have any use for this vessel...you can keep him if you want!" She kicked the fallen form of Johan Anderson in contempt. "You should pray never to hear my name again, for the day you do is the day you die! I will never give up fighting for love!" With that, Yubel jumped into the portal, too quickly for Seto to even attempt to follow in his injured state. The retreat was a surrender, a hollow victory for Kaiba. (Yubel 0/Kaiba 200)
Seto gradually ambled over to Johan, working through the stiffness and aches in his legs. To his shock and horror, he couldn't feel a pulse, or any signs of life...the boy was gone. Red rage ignited within him once again - another child he could not save. Pressing two fingers to his jacket collar, he immediately made calls to his personal attache as well as the Domino City Emergency Hotline. His own people would arrive faster than the city workers, but it was necessary to contact them for the sake of keeping his own hands clean if nothing else…
While he waited for them to arrive, Kaiba walked over to Yugi, who had been speaking briefly to his own fallen enemy. "So that one's still alive at least…"
"It is done. Looks like you got the stronger of the two." Kaiba announced his presence to Yugi.
"Lucky me." Yugi rolled his eyes. "Will he be alright?" He pointed to Johan, causing a lump to raise in Kaiba's throat.
"...There was nothing I could do, Yugi. There was a spirit possessing him. Argh, what the hell was the name...I think it was Yubel? The spirit killed the host, saying he wasn't useful anymore. I couldn't stop the spirit before it escaped."
Yugi's expression was deeply sorrowful as Seto recounted the bad news. "Then this war is far from done…" The shorter man declared ominously. "Once Judai wakes up...there needs to be an accounting. If anyone knows how to stop that spirit, it's him. He wasn't in his right mind...but that doesn't bring back the people he's killed."
While Kaiba was somewhat glad the madness that seized Judai had been erased, he could not find it in himself to forgive him for what he had done. Forgiveness had never been in his nature. As the sun broke over the building tops, Kaiba saw his helicopters landing around them. He began reporting the situation to Roland, who was the first to reach him. After the necessary arrangements were made, Seto turned to Yugi one more time.
"Let's go, Yugi. We can treat the boy's wounds and question him later. From there, we can begin an investigation into the spirit realms and find where that damn Yubel is hiding." Kaiba would not rest until vengeance was his. After all, battle was the only force that truly made the wheels of history turn. If every decision was made through a duel, that was fine by him. And if the cycle of war and revenge could not be stopped, Kaiba preferred himself to be on top. His convictions weighed heavily on his mind as they took Judai away on a stretcher.