(A/N: So, before we can see what I have planned for the final battle with Dartz, we have one last obstacle standing in our way: Nagito. Like a thorn embedded in your foot, this pain in the taint has to be dealt with in some form or another, so let's get it out of the way. Shall we?
Note: this is not to disrespect Nagito, it's just that in the grand scheme of things, I know you're all on pins and needles to see the battle with Dartz, but…narrative structure is narrative structure. Observe).
Together, the seven heroes—the five legendary dragon wielders, plus Sonia and Mai—walked up the stairs and through the large sanctum that was Doma's main headquarters. The place was big and empty and that made it easy to know which direction to move: dead ahead. As the group moved together, the walls closed in and the light from the entrance vanished, replaced by the ceremonial torches strewn upon the walls.
"This place is well put together for 10,000-year hunk a stone," Joey commented.
"Yeah, no kidding," Hajime said, taking a look around.
"Judging from the moist atmosphere, perhaps this structure survived under water until recently," Yukizome stated.
"Be on your guard," Yami said, walking in front as the corridors got narrower, alongside Kaiba, "This is the enemy's main base. Anything could happen."
"Anything indeed," A voice echoed through the halls. "Ha…ha…ha…hahaha…"
"Nagito!" Hajime exclaimed. He'd recognize that laughter anywhere.
"So close, you're all so close. Ahhh, how wonderful. How beautiful it is."
"Where are you?" Hajime shouted.
"There's only one path forward," Mai said, waving her arm forward, encouraging everyone to jog briskly, "Come on!"
The torches continued to light as the group ran forward, the hallway getting narrower and narrower until all 7 could barely fit in a 2-2-2-1 formation with Yukizome bringing up the rear by choice, looking back occasionally for the stereotypical tumbling boulder. Of course, no such thing appeared.
Eventually, the hallway widened again, right in front of a gigantic stone door, etched with Atlantean runes and a giant indented circle where the handles would be on a normal door. Giant pillars stood in a group of three on either side of the door, right in front of the small staircase leading up to it. They were the support beams to this area.
"A dead end?" Hajime wondered.
"Not if we force that door open it's not," Kaiba said, stepping forward.
"Ah, Seto Kaiba, fearless as always. I'm not surprised. But I'm afraid it won't be that simple."
Nagito walked out from behind one of the pillars, standing atop the three-step staircase leading up to the door behind him. "Beyond here is Dartz's Sanctuary. If you want to get to him," Nagito said with wily smirk, "You're going to have to go through me first."
"Easy," Joey said, cracking his knuckles. "Move over unless you want to be waking up in a hospital bed."
Yukizome chopped Joey firmly with the side of her pinky against the back of his head, causing him to recoil, clutching his sore skull. She then made her way to the front of the group and spoke to Nagito in a kind, gentle voice. She'd failed with Hiyoko, but perhaps Nagito could be reasoned with.
"Nagito, it does not have to be this way. Please, if you apologize for what you did to Chiaki and help us stop Dartz, we can go home, safe and sound with the entire class." She gave him a pleading look. "Please," she said. "Don't tell me I failed two students."
"You've not failed me, Miss Yukizome. Of course, I want you guys to defeat Dartz."
Yukizome breathed a sigh of relief. Yami even smiled. It seemed like they would be able to reason their way out of this.
Hajime, however, was the one to dash those hopes into dust. "I sense a "but" coming," he stated.
"You're sharp," Nagito said. "I'm not surprised though."
"Nagito…" Yukizome said, growing apprehensive.
"Sure, I could help you guys stop Dartz," he said, arms folded, looking rather bored, "But what would be the point of that, especially since I worked so hard to help Hajime summon Pythagoras. No, if I helped you guys stopped Dartz, you could hardly call that a hopeful ending."
"Who cares about hope?" Hajime shouted. "Forget about hope for once in your life! The world could be destroyed!"
"But that's just it!" Nagito exclaimed. "The world is about to be destroyed! Can you sense it?" he asked. "The Great Leviathan hungers. It only needs a few more souls before its awakening is complete. And what would be a more hopeful story, that we all worked together and stopped the Leviathan's resurrection, or…" Nagito's smile grew wide with excitement, pupils dilated unnaturally with manic exuberance, "That the Great Leviathan was reborn, and you all worked together to stop it! That's a truly hopeful tale!"
"You're nuts!" Joey shouted.
"Nagito, that's enough!" Yami exclaimed. "I won't have you jeopardize the entire world like this! Move!" He proceeded to march towards Nagito, but Hajime grabbed his shoulder.
"No, let me," Hajime said. "Nagito and I have a score to settle."
"Good. Good, Hajime," Nagito said with a low chuckle. "It seems you understand."
"What I understand," Hajime said. "Is that you're in my way. And I know the only thing you're going to respond to is if we play your sick and twisted little game here."
"We don't have time!" Yukizome exclaimed.
"I don't think Nagito is giving us a choice," Hajime said. "Well, am I wrong?"
Nagito chuckled even more creepily than usual. He then sighed and looked bored. "Man, take all the fun out of it." He smiled. "But, you're not wrong." He put his hand on the stone door's indentation. "I sealed this door with the power of the Orichalcos. This door will only open once my soul has been taken by the Leviathan."
"You believe in your own warped delusions so much that you'd sacrifice your own soul just for the sake of hope?" Mai asked.
"Of course I would!" Nagito exclaimed, looking serious. "Nothing is more powerful than hope!" He smiled again. "It's the reason you're all standing here, isn't it? You came here because you believe in the hope of stopping Dartz and Dartz believes in the hope of erasing humanity to make way for the Great Leviathan." He smiled wider, his expression turning manic again. "This is the only way I can be useful. I'll be the barrier that cuts off your hope from clashing with Dartz's hope, ticking the clock down, adding more souls to the Leviathan, even my own! All for the sake of hope!"
"I do not understand. There has to be a better way," Sonia said, sweating.
"Not to Nagito it isn't," Hajime said. "It's funny, you know," he said, activating his duel disk. "I feel like I'm one of the few people that understands you, that can comprehend the way you think. And yet, despite knowing how you think, I couldn't disagree with it more. Well…maybe I agree with it in part."
"Oh?" Nagito asked, intrigued.
"Hope will always conquer despair. That much I agree with. No matter how hard you fall, it's always possible to get back up. I'm living proof of that," Hajime said, recalling his battle with Marik. "But…" He took in a deep breath and yelled. "What I don't agree with is increasing the challenge to create an even greater hope! It's the same as a criminal act! You don't murder someone's dog just so that they can overcome the despair of losing it! And you certainly don't take away the soul of a loved one just to motivate the person that loved them into action!"
Nagito sighed. "You have a lot to learn."
"That's my line!" Hajime exclaimed. "But enough talk. I'm ready to duel." He had his hand. "Go ahead and play the Seal of Orichalcos. I'll show you what I'm made of. I'll take you on even while you have it on the field the entire duel long!"
Nagito grinned. I like that tone of your voice, Hajime. This is the kind of hope and determination you need. "I look forward to seeing exactly what your hope is capable of, Hajime. Will it be enough to save the world, to save your precious Chiaki?" Nagito asked exactly what was on his mind.
"There's no questioning it," Hajime said. "It has to."
"Well then," Nagito said, activating his duel disk and drawing his hand to 6, given that Hajime had given him the go ahead to go first. "Let's see what you can do. Shall we? I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"
The Seal dropped down from the ceiling and locked Hajime and Nagito into it. Nagito's eyes glowed red as he smiled in odd contentment under the influence of the seal. The evil emblem also embedded itself on his forehead. This was it, the final showdown before the battle with Dartz.
I'm coming for you, Chiaki, Hajime thought. Please, just hang on for me a little bit longer!
"I'll start by activating this ritual spell card," Nagito stated. "Cycle of the World!" He activated the ritual spell, creating a blinding hexagonal glyph on the floor of the battlefield. "This allows me to summon a powerful ritual monster by discarding a simple Ritual Raven from my hand. Come to me: Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion!"
Nagito's most powerful female monster stormed onto the field in a flash of golden light, red outfit stunning as always, white hair cascading down behind her. A dark aura then engulfed her, raising her normally 2,900 attack points to a monstrous 3,400.
"Whoa! Those attack points are insane! And it's only the first turn!" Joey exclaimed.
"Maybe so, but this is Hinata we're talking about," Kaiba stated. "He'll find a way around it."
"I'd certainly like to see him try," Nagito chuckled. He looked at the remaining three cards in his hand. "My turn is over. Your move, Hajime."
"All right then," Hajime said, grabbing the top card of his deck. "I draw!" He didn't even need to think about what to do. His opening hand already gave him the four cards he needed to completely wipe the floor with Nagito. "I activate Polymerization!" Hajime exclaimed. "And I'll fuse together Blackland Fire Dragon, Koumouri Dragon, and Mystical Sheep #1 in order to create my Blackland Void Dragon!"
A dark light gave off from behind Hajime as an otherworldly portal burst open from the ground and out emerged his favorite monster. It had 3,100 attack points and 2,900 defense points.
"And don't forget about its special ability," Hajime declared. "For every monster in my extra deck that's in that deck, on the field, or in my graveyard, Blackland Void Dragon gains 200 attack and defense points."
Blackland Void Dragon roared, its power surging to 6,100 attack points and 5,900 defense points.
"All right, Hajime!" Yami exclaimed.
Joey thumbed his nose. "Bingo, baby! Looks like this duel's all wrapped up before its even begun."
"Oh? You think so, Joey Wheeler?" Nagito asked. "Let's see if you're right."
No mercy, Hajime thought and extended his arm, fingers spread. "Blackland Void Dragon, attack! Void Gale Blast!"
A nightmarish purple energy wave was launched from the dragon's mouth, completely engulfing Nagito's monster in the attack, bringing his life points down to a critically low 1,400 from the single attack. The shockwave threw Nagito against the wall of the Orichalcos. Yukizome cringed when she believed she heard the sound of bone cracking against the seal's wall. Nagito staggered on his feet as he bounced off the wall. A creepy smile was upon his face and he wiped his mouth of a bit of inadvertently spewed saliva.
"And since your monster was destroyed by Blackland Void Dragon, it's removed from this duel completely!" Hajime declared, throwing his arm out at his side.
"Not bad," Nagito said, the deranged smile not leaving his face. "But I'm afraid that that alone won't be enough."
"It's you I'm dueling," Hajime said. "I would expect no less."
Nagito smirked and drew the top card of his deck, bringing him up to four. His body seemed to pulse with unnatural energy briefly, though only Yami seemed to notice.
What did he draw? I sense an ominous presence.
"I activate another copy of Cycle of the World!" Nagito exclaimed.
This made the spectators gasp.
"Oh, man! That card again?" Joey wondered.
"So, what? Ruin's too weak to contend with Hajime's dragon," Mai pointed out.
Nagito grinned. "What makes you think that Ruin is the only monster my ritual spell can summon?" Nagito asked.
"Oh no!" Yami exclaimed. "He's planning to summon Demise, the Supreme King!"
"I see you remember him from our duel in Battle City, Pharaoh," Nagito said as the same glyph that summoned Ruin appeared on Nagito's side of the field. "Yes, now rise o great King! I command you!" Nagito exclaimed.
The glyph caught fire, blue fire to be precise as a massive warrior-like fiend rose up out of the ground, blue flames surrounding it. The gigantic behemoth stood with 3,000 attack and 3,000 defense points. The blue flames turned black as the monster's eyes glowed red. The Orichalcos' emblem appeared on Demise's forehead as its attack power grew to 3,500 points.
"And? What's that supposed to do?" Hajime asked. "My monster still has way more attack points."
"Very true," Nagito said. "However, Demise has a special ability. I can give up 2,000 of my life points to wipe out every single card on your side of the field."
Everyone gasped at the sheer destructive force of this ability.
"But you don't have 2,000 life points!" Hajime exclaimed, however, his tone of voice suggested that he had a sinking feeling Nagito was about to suddenly have that many points and possibly more.
"With this card I will," Nagito said. "I activate Supremacy Berry!" A dove with an olive branch appeared on Nagito's shoulder. "This powerful spell card lets me gain 2,000 life points as long as my opponent's life points are greater than my own. This gives me a total of 3,400 life points."
"Now he can use Demise's ability!" Yukizome exclaimed, worried.
"And you know what, I believe I will. I give up 2,000 life points!" Nagito exclaimed, life points dropping back down to 1,400. "And now, Demise! Obliterate everything on the field with your power! Wave of Armageddon!"
The massive demon king twirled his axe above his head and slammed the weapon down into the battlefield horizontally, creating a massive earthquake that shook the entire citadel. Sonia instinctively ran into Yukizome's arms for cover. Kaiba, Joey, Mai and Yami all held their ground, but they were extremely nervous.
The cracks in the ground inside the seal, caused by the quake, began to glow and then the glow erupted into a massive explosion that completely consumed everything inside the seal. Hajime was thrown against the upper wall of the seal behind him, landing chest first on the ground, battering his collar bone.
"Hajime! Are you all right?" Yukizome asked.
Hajime got up on one knee, grabbing his shoulder with his opposite hand, gnashing his teeth, growling. "I'm fine. I don't think I can say the same about my dragon though." He wasn't wrong. When the dust settled, Hajime's dragon was nowhere to be seen. Hajime had nothing on the field and Nagito still had the massively powerful Demise on the field.
"Since you lost one card from Demise's ability," Nagito explained calmly. "That means you lose 200 life points."
Hajime's life total dropped to 3,800 as he staggered to his feet.
"You might've wanted to stay down," Nagito said. "I haven't even attacked yet."
"Hajime! Watch out!" Joey exclaimed.
"Demise, attack Hajime directly! Axe of Armageddon!"
Demise swung his mighty axe down in front of Hajime, creating a chasm in front of the teen that erupted with golden light and seemed to burn at his very body down to his soul.
Hajime dropped to his knees in agonizing pain, coughing repeatedly. His life points were no better. He only had 300 left.
"Hajime!" Yami exclaimed in concern.
"I'm fine," Hajime stated, only to cough more.
"You certainly do not sound it," Sonia stated.
"I said I'm fine!" Hajime growled. He sprang to his feet, wiping his mouth. "I fought Marik's shadow game and head on. Compared to that," Hajime said, as the pitch of his voice dropped low, eyes glowing red momentarily, "This is nothing."
"Man, give the guy points for style," Joey said, a little in awe at Hajime's unsettlingly calm determination.
"Since you have no cards in your hand, I believe it's my turn," Hajime stated.
"I'd say so," Nagito said. "Your move."
Hajime nodded and drew the top card of his deck. He had three cards in his hand. Unfortunately, nothing in his hand helped him defeat Demise right this second.
"I'll set a monster card face-down onto the field," Hajime said, leaning over on one knee. Much as he had acted pretty cool a moment ago, Nagito's attack had really done a number on him. He panted a little. "I'm good for now."
"You sure you want to pass your turn?" Nagito asked. "I could draw something to completely take out your monster and your—"
"Make your move, Nagito!" Hajime exclaimed, clenching a fist as he stood firmly on his feet.
"All right, but if I draw a summonable monster, you're going to regret it."
You won't, Hajime thought, the remnants of Izuru laying within him pulsing deep inside him, somehow I just know…that you won't.
Hajime turned out to be right. Nagito even seemed to nod in disappointment at what he'd drawn. "I'll set a card face-down I guess," he said. "Oh, and I suppose I'll obliterate your face-down monster while I have the chance.
Demise's axe swung down and completely annihilated Hajime's Magician of Faith.
"Since you destroyed Magician of Faith, I get to bring any spell card in my graveyard back to my hand," Hajime said. "Of course, all I have is Polymerization, but that's exactly what I need! And since you have nothing left to do, it's my turn now!" Hajime exclaimed and drew the top card of his deck, giving him four cards in his hand. He smiled when he saw Pot of Greed. Even though she was not here, Chiaki's spirit seemed to guide him in his time of need. "I activate Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards!" Hajime declared. He looked at his hand. The five cards he had were exactly what he needed to turn the tide of battle and keep him safe if things didn't go as planned.
"I activate Future Fusion!" Hajime exclaimed. "Now I send Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress, Fairy Dragon, Curse of Dragon, Meteor Dragon, and Baby Dragon to the graveyard!"
"Planning to summon Five Headed Dragon in two turns, huh?" Nagito asked with a smile. "Not a bad strategy, but how to plan to hold out that long?"
"By trying to win this turn if I can help it!" Hajime exclaimed. "I activate Polymerization, allowing me to fuse together Versago the Destroyer with Buster Blader in order to form Dark Paladin!"
"Excellent move!" Yukizome exclaimed.
Yami nodded. "With the dragons Hajime just sent to the graveyard, his Dark Paladin will gain more than enough attack points to overcome demise."
The green and orange clad, blue-skinned spellcaster stood upon the field with 2,900 attack points and 2,400 defense points. "Since I have eight dragons in my graveyard thanks to Future Fusion and from summoning Blackland Void Dragon, Dark Paladin gains an extra 4,000 points."
Dark Paladin's attack power skyrocketed to 6,900.
"If I'm lucky, this duel is over!" Hajime exclaimed. "Dark Paladin, wipe out Demise!"
"If I'm lucky?" Nagito chuckled. "What an appropriate choice of words. You might have good luck, Hajime," Nagito said with a sly smile, "But it'll never be as good as mine." With a fierce gaze, Nagito proclaimed, "I activate my trap card, Fiendish Chain!" His face-down card flipped face-up, revealing the purple bordered card.
A bunch of green chains came from out of nowhere and grappled Dark Paladin, stopping its attack in its tracks.
"No! My Paladin!" Hajime exclaimed. "What's wrong with him?"
Dark Paladin's attack power suddenly decreased all the way down to its original attack of 2,900.
"Fiendish Chain not only prevents your monster from attacking, but it also negates all of its effects. Your monster's now only as strong as it was summoned."
"Oh no, Hajime only has 300 life points left," Sonia worried.
"Relax," Hajime said. "I'm not out of options yet. I'm setting a card face-down onto the field." Hajime's hand was now empty.
"Not giving up, huh? I take it that's not a bluff then?" Nagito asked.
Hajime showed no tells and no fear. "Why don't you attack me and find out? Unless of course, you're too scared."
Nagito could only laugh, shoulders rocking back and forth. "You know, Hajime, I've always admired your determinate attitude. When you're at your best, it's like nothing can stop you. The power of your hope is truly quite astonishing."
"There he goes again about hope," Yukizome said with a glazed look.
"My move I suppose," Nagito said, drawing the top card of his deck. He only had the one card and it was hardly something he could use at that very moment. However, for the moment, that hardly mattered. "I attack with Demise, the Supreme King of Armageddon! Wipe out Dark Paladin, along with the rest of Hajime's life points."
"I can't watch!" Sonia exclaimed, glancing down as she covered her eyes with her hands.
However, as Demise neared Dark Paladin, axe poised to strike, a fiendish red glow emerged from Dark Paladin's eyes, stopping the attack dead in its tracks.
"What? Impossible! Your monster shouldn't have any effects left!" Nagito exclaimed, surprised.
"It doesn't, but I did, with this face-down card: Intimidation!" The continuous, special trigger condition spell card flipped face-up on Hajime's side of the field. "Dark Paladin may not be able to attack, but it can still be affected by magic and trap cards and so can Demise," Hajime said.
Nagito watched as Demise's attack points dropped to 3,000 and Dark Paladin's attack power increased to 3,400. Even though Dark Paladin was all chained up, the sheer power of its dark aura was enough to force Demise to back down. And since Nagito's attack backfired, his life points fell down to an even 1,000.
Joey wiped his brow. "That was too close."
"Is it okay? Can I look?" Sonia whimpered.
Yukizome pat her on the shoulder. "Everything's a-okay, at least for now," Yukizome said.
"Hmph, if Hajime is every bit the duelist I think he is, it won't just be "for now". He'll win," Kaiba said.
"Agreed," Yami said, nodding. He had faith in Hajime. Nagito might've had the power of the Orichalcos, but not only had Hajime defeated him once before, but he had Pythagoras now too and Yami himself and the others were all at Hajime's back in spirit. Together, they would defeat Nagito, then Dartz, and save the world.
"My move," Hajime said. He drew the top card of his deck. Future Fusion flashed. On Hajime's next turn, Five Headed Dragon would storm to the field. He only had a single trap card in his hand. He could only hope that the current stalemate would hold for one more turn. With Blackland Void Dragon in his graveyard, Nagito couldn't attack at all unless his monster had 3,100 attack points or more. And, thanks to this trap card, Hajime could give himself some insurance of that outcome.
"I set one card onto the field," Hajime stated. "And end my turn."
Nagito nodded and drew. Ah. Now he could use both cards in his hand, and send Hajime's Dark Paladin packing at the same time. Not only that, he could likely end the duel.
"I set a card face-down," Nagito stated. "And next, I activate Card of Demise!" he exclaimed. "This will allow me to draw five new cards since my hand is empty. Well, provided I discard my entire hand five turns later of course."
Nagito drew the five cards to his hand. Excellent, he thought. "I now activate my face-down card: Pre-preparation of Rites! This will allow me to draw a ritual spell card and a ritual monster that's associated with that spell to my hand. And I pick Ritual of Destruction and Garlandolf, the King of Destruction!"
"Nagito's signature monster," Sonia shuddered.
"Oh no! Garlandolf's ability will destroy every monster on the field!" Yami exclaimed, eyes going wide with terror.
"That's right," Nagito chuckled. "So now, I discard the Skull Guardian in my hand in order to summon Garlandolf, the King of Destruction!"
A cage of shadow with chains wrapped around it appeared on the field. Then, the chains burst as the hulking blue form of Garlandolf appeared with 2,500 attack points and 1,400 defense points. Instantaneously, its already red eyes glowed even fiercer and the Orichalcos emblem appeared on its forehead, bringing its attack value up to a total of 3,000 points.
"And since both Demise and Dark Paladin have 3,000 defense points or less, both of them are destroyed, adding to Garlandolf's power!" Nagito exclaimed, arm and index finger extended. "Garlandolf! Annihilate this field of monsters with your special ability! Dark Destruction Wave!"
Garlandolf raised an arm to the sky and released a destructive wave of black energy that shredded through Dark Paladin and Demise as their power was then absorbed into Garlandolf's fist, bringing its attack power up to 3,200 attack points.
"Garlandolf, attack and end this duel! Destruction King's Fist!"
Garlandolf punched forward with 3,200 points of pain, but Hajime, it seemed was more than prepared.
"I activate Negate Attack!" Hajime exclaimed.
Garlandolf's attack slammed against a swirling vortex, stopping its attack dead in it tracks and causing it to stumble backwards.
"Sorry, Nagito, but I'm not going down that easily."
Nagito smirked. "Yeah, well, neither am I?"
"What do you mean?" Hajime asked, fully aware that Five Headed Dragon was going to appear on the battlefield next turn.
Nagito pulled a card from his hand and activated it inside the spell/trap slot. "I activate the power of De-spell."
Hajime gasped, sweat pouring down his face, the six spectators also gasping. The average teen turned felt his blood run cold. Nagito had just stopped his strategy in its tracks.
"Heehee," Nagito chuckled. "HeeeAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Nagito laughed and then took a deep breath. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ah, that look of despair on your face, Hajime. This is your moment!" Nagito proclaimed, holding his arms out wide. His face was ecstatic, but it was clear from his mannerisms, that the last of the screws in his head had probably come loose, if he'd had any at all to start with. "I want to see it. I want to see the moment when your brilliant hope overcomes this despair."
Joey captured this moment eloquently in only four words. "Somebody's off their meds."
Nagito continued to laugh, heart racing. "In Battle City, I wasn't able to accomplish my goal of being a stepping stone towards Yami, Marik, or even Kaiba's hope. I was completely useless except to help Chiaki save you. My entire time in Battle City was almost completely worthless! All I managed to do was awaken the talent inside you, Hajime."
Kaiba could feel the urge to twitch forming in his right eye at the prospect of Nagito calling making it to the finals in a KaibaCorp created tournament "almost completely worthless" in his eyes.
"But this time, this time I've managed to create the perfect scenario. No matter what happens now, I'll surely get to see a great hope shine forth and overcome despair! Ahhh, how I've yearned, how I've desired this moment for so long."
"Would you shut up about hope and stepping stones for one goddamn second?" Hajime shouted.
Nagito gasped, showing genuine surprise and shock towards his opponent.
"Who the hell cares about hope and despair? Why the hell is that the most important damn thing to you? What the hell is wrong with that thick skull of yours?" Hajime shouted, strangely fighting tears.
"What do you mean, wrong? I'm just doing—"
"What you're doing is selfish!" Hajime chastised. "You say you want to be the stepping stone towards other people's hope, but have you ever thought maybe you could try, oh, I don't know asking the people you want to help how they want to be helped!"
"But I—"
"No! I've heard enough out of you, Nagito! You're gonna shut up and listen to me!" Hajime thundered.
Nagito silenced himself without argument.
"I don't pretend to understand what goes on in your head. I don't pretend to understand what the hell compels you to be this warped in the head about hope and despair. What I do know is that you should stop, and I mean right now!"
"Hajime…" Nagito looked outright downtrodden over the prospect.
"Nagito," Yukizome said. "Please. You're my student. Please don't make the same mistake Hiyoko made. It doesn't have to be this way."
Nagito looked out at the crowd of people. He looked at Hajime's glare and Yukizome and Sonia's concerned faces. He looked towards the right to see Kaiba's scowling indifference, Yami's cool gaze and Joey's serious stare. Mai's stare, though similar to Joey's, carried with it a sentiment that Nagito had seen reflected in too many people: pity.
Nagito's eyes fell upon the torchlight in a corner of the corridor that led outward towards the front of the citadel. And, somehow, the calming, crackling torch fire brought Nagito back to that day so many years ago…
"Hey! I found a live one!"
"What? Someone's alive!"
Burning. A sensation of numb burning, Nagito thought, a captive to his own mind. I remember it all too well.
He could still see the smoke and fire. He could still feel the weakness of his body when that plane crashed. More than four dozen people had been on that plane and he was the only one to survive. A small meteor had struck the wing. Nagito could barely remember the seconds that followed.
He remembered his mother strapping on his oxygen mask.
"I love you Nagito." Those were his final words to him. His father had hugged him tightly. The cushion of his father's strong body had likely helped Nagito survive. He had been lying on top of his father's dirt covered dead body. His mother's body had been thrown further down the wreckage.
Pain. Nothing, but pain.
"Poor kid," someone said as they put a mask over Nagito's whole mouth to give him fresh oxygen. And that was the first time he'd seen those eyes: pity. He was being pitied, pitied for losing everything, pitied for still being alive when others had perished.
Nagito came to in the hospital. The crash had bleached the pigments in his hair due to the nerve damage. And, of course, Nagito knew that wasn't his only problem. He was in a lot of pain and he was having trouble breathing. The smoke he'd inhaled had probably caused complications to his lungs.
Not just his lungs either from the sound of it. He had a clot in his brain too from the poor amount of oxygen that had gone up there. The doctors had to operate on principle, but Nagito's surgeon knew that this poor kid likely was dead on arrival.
I would've considered it mercy, dying that is, Nagito thought in reflection of his past. Yet, here I still stand.
Hope's Peak Academy. Nagito had always admired this school. He had always wanted to attend. The Ultimate Lucky Student. That's what they were calling him. He'd been selected from thousands of students to attend. And yet, it all felt hollow. He was a dead man walking with his dementia. He only got into this school because they were charitable enough to let him attend, that's what it felt like anyway. Luck. What a lousy talent to have.
No. I've always known it to be reliable, to be predictable. I can tell when my luck can pull me this way or that way. It's not the most glamorous talent out there, but it's mine. I'm…talented.
And yet, the others around him always felt superior. What was he compared to them? He was just a guy and he was surrounded by giants. He may as well have been a sculptor for the world-famous Mount Olympus.
Why should I live when others have died because of me? What makes me superior? Is it just because of this talent?
Nagito knew the answer of course. He had the greater hope to live. Hope in the face of great despair.
"Nagito!" Yukizome exclaimed, jarring Nagito from his trip down memory lane. "Please tell me I've gotten through."
Nagito, however, sighed and smiled. He would not be pitied. He would not be swayed by others. His way of life, his hope. That was all he could count on. After all, it was why he was able to continue to live.
"Yeah, I suppose I am selfish, Hajime," Nagito admitted. "But you know what, that's just the type of person I am." He looked at his hand. "I don't even know why I'm still alive, so I want my life to have meaning. And that means…" Nagito clenched a hand tightly and gave Hajime his toughest look. "That means no matter what I can't afford to back down."
"This isn't the way," Hajime told Nagito calmly.
"If you disagree so strongly, prove it to me," Nagito said calmly. "Prove to me that your hope is stronger than mine!" Nagito demanded vigorously.
"Nagito!" Yukizome exclaimed.
"Miss Yukizome, it's fine. I know what I have to do," Hajime said.
"But…" the redhead protested.
"Nagito, I think I'm starting to understand you a little. That's why I know why I had to be the one to challenge you. Miss Yukizome, please let me continue to handle this. You're not a failure as a teacher because I'm going to take what you taught me and I'm going to open Nagito's eyes to the truth! It's my turn," Hajime said. "And I…" he said as he grabbed the top card of his deck, "Draw!"
Hajime nodded firmly to himself as he saw what he drew. "I set one monster face-down onto the field and end my turn," Hajime stated.
Nagito drew the top card of his deck, brining him up to a total of five. He studied the battlefield carefully. There's no doubt that that's probably Hajime's Cyber Jar, Nagito looked at his hand. He hadn't a card in his hand that would get rid of Cyber Jar without triggering its effect. And anything he played would just get swallowed up by the creature. His only course of action was to play it safe.
"Garlandolf, attack Hajime's face-down monster!"
Sure enough, as Nagito predicted, Hajime's face-down monster was Cyber Jar. The tricky rock monster sucked up Garlandolf and exploded, forcing Hajime and Nagito to each summon as many monsters as they could from the five cards they drew to their hands.
"I set three monsters face-down," Hajime stated.
"And I summon in attack position Ancient Dragon, Bright Star Dragon, and Djinn Presider of Rituals!"
A thick scaled brown dragon, a yellow dragon, and a large gutted fiend carrying a sword and shield appeared on the battlefield. Their attack values were 1,400, 1,900 and 1,800 respectively. However, as their eyes glowed red and the Orichalcos emblem appeared on their foreheads, their powers grew to 1,900, 2,400, and 2,300 respectively.
"And now, I'll use my monsters to wipe all of yours from the field," Nagito stated.
Hajime's monsters were completely obliterated one by one by the tail, claws, and sword of Ancient Dragon, Bright Star Dragon and Nagito's Djinn respectively. They destroyed, respectively: Mystic Horseman, Beastking of the Swamps, and another Magician of Faith.
"Thank you, Nagito. Now I can bring back a spell card back to my hand," Hajime said, selecting Future Fusion. He knew he would need it. After all, only one card could save him now, and with resources running low, he had a very good chance of drawing it.
"I see, so you're going to try and summon Pythagoras then," Nagito figured. "Right. That makes sense. I guess I should do my best to try and predict the unpredictable then, wouldn't you agree?"
"Predict the unpredictable?" Joey questioned.
"What do you mean?" Yami asked, just as confused as Joey.
Kaiba answered for Nagito. "What he means is that he's going to mount a defense against Hajime's dragon and hope it's strong enough to stop him. And while Komaeda is clearly a few cards short of a booster pack, if there's one thing I understand about him, it's his unrivaled faith in hope."
Nagito looked so happy he opened his mouth to speak.
Kaiba quickly added, "And the fact that I even know that much makes my skin crawl."
Rather than talk, Nagito only giggled.
"Of course, you're tangling in combat with an Ultimate Duelist," Kaiba said, beaming. He clenched a fist up by his shoulder. "Chiaki always believed in Hinata's skill. So much so that we all discovered it at Battle City. If you think you've got what it takes to stand in his way, then that means your standing in my way by extension. And anyone that stands in my way gets pushed aside! That's the KaibaCorp way!"
"Of course he makes it about him," Joey sighed.
"He's got a point though," Mai said. "Nagito's crazy if he thinks he can stop the Horn of Pythagoras."
"Well then," Nagito said, holding up a pair of cards in his hand. "Let's just see just how crazy I am. I activate the ritual spell card: Plato's Verisimilitude! This allows me to summon the incredibly powerful Orichalcos Solon!"
A waterfall erupted behind Nagito as the battlefield seemed to stretch and the candles were snuffed out, the room illuminated by the glow of the Orichalcos Seal itself. The ceiling seemed to ascend further and further away from the dragon holders and their allies as a massive hand covered in an otherworldy metal shot up from the ground, emerging from the waterfall. The waterfall itself grew to a size of fifty meters as a being was suddenly revealed to be inside it. This being was humanoid shaped, covered from head to toe in blue armor with six lights on its armored face resembling the 6 of a six-sided die. The lights glowed green just like the Orichalcos emblem itself.
"That thing's gigantic!" Joey exclaimed.
"We can see that!" Mai shouted, just as intimidated as the teen.
Hajime looked up at the massive monster without a hint of fear.
"What…is that?" Yami gaped, looking up at the monstrosity."
"This is the only ritual monster in existence powered by the Orichalcos," Nagito said, holding up a finger, a trickster's smile plain upon his face. "When Master Dartz realized I was the only one standing, and realized I had a fondness for ritual monsters, he gifted me with Atlantis' great goliath."
Solon's readouts for attack and defense were 0000 and 0000 respectively.
"Don't let his lack of power fool you of course, Solon is quite powerful. For you see, first, he gains 100 attack and defense points equal to each of his own level stars." Solon's attack and defense increased to 1,200. "Next, he gains 100 more additional attack points for the stars of all the monsters in my graveyard. That's about, oh, let me do the math really quickly."
Hajime beat Nagito to the punch. His brain was faster, and he'd been keeping track. "3,800 points."
"Wow, not bad," Nagito said with genuine sincerity. "That's exactly right."
Solon's attack and defense power increased to a massive 5,000 each. As its power climbed, the ancient carvings upon its armor glowed with the same green light as the Orichalcos.
Joey gulped.
"5,000 points!" Yami gasped.
"Not quite," Nagito said. "Don't forget that the Seal of Orichalcos is in play. This will grant my monster 500 more attack points."
The green lights suddenly flashed red and a fiery ring surrounded the entire area in the citadel the duel was taking place in. From behind its helmet, Solon let out an angry, distorted, human-like roar. Its fists trembled with rage. All of the lights on its body went from green to red.
"Hajime! Be careful!" Yukizome exclaimed.
"5,500 points, huh?" Hajime asked, unfazed. "Looks to me like just a big target."
"Don't be so sure," Nagito said. "Solon's power doesn't stop at just attack and defense. In fact, he cannot be affected by spell or trap cards that destroy him, remove him from the field, switch his battle position, or prevent him from attacking. He also can't lose attack points except by his own effect. He can still gain them though. Oh, and any monster that attacks him that isn't a dragon, fairy, or spellcaster type automatically has its attack power reduced to 0."
"What?!" Yami gasped. Oh that boded poorly for Hajime.
And yet, with the wind blowing at his shirt and the flames surrounding the battlefield, Hajime seemed unconcerned. "Is that it?"
"Wow, you are a tough nut to crack today," Nagito said, looking disappointed.
"Nagito. I don't care what you throw at me. I have to win. Not just for Chiaki's sake, but for all of the people that have been harmed by the power of the Orichalcos." He pointed at Solon. "If I have to knockdown your giant monster to accomplish that, then that's what I'm going to do." He lowered his arm so that he was now pointing at Nagito. "I've decided that I will accept no other outcome."
Hajime's hair flashed gold, but only for a moment. His eyes were as red as rubies. He meant business.
That's the look I want to see, Nagito thought. Your hope, Hajime, is truly a remarkable thing. "Well then, you should know that much like battle, my monster is immune to the effects of monster cards, similarly to spell and trap cards, but with the exception that Dragons, fairies and spellcasters can still affect it." Nagito pointed at Hajime. "So that means only one card in your deck can save you now, so you better draw it or you're going to lose next turn!"
"I'll meet your challenge head-on, Nagito," Hajime thought. "Watch me!" Hajime drew the top card of his deck. Timaeus flashed inside Yugi's deck. Critias did so inside Kaiba's. Hermos for Joey's. And Iona for Yukizome's.
"Hajime…" His name left Yami's lips. This was it. Make it or break it. Yami just had to hope that Hajime knew what he was doing and that his legendary dragon would finish the duel.
"In our last duel, I made the mistake of allowing you to summon Exodia. I won't make that same mistake again." Down at his side, Hajime held two cards from his hand, palm facing Nagito. "I start by summoning the Horn of Pythagoras!"
Pythagoras emerged, flying into the air. Although the dragon was big, it wasn't nearly a match in size for the titanic Solon.
"And now, I fuse it together with this spell card, Future Fusion!"
"Huh?" Nagito was surprised. Why Future Fusion? Hajime had already used both of his most powerful fusion monsters.
A massive swirling portal appeared above the duel as Pythagoras was lifted into it and then disappeared.
"What are you doing? You used your best monsters earlier in the duel," Nagito stated.
"Yeah, Blackland Void Dragon and Five Headed Dragon are my two most powerful fusions, but they are hardly my own." Hajime took his deck out of the card reader and held out Summoned Skull and a Beast King of the Swamps. "As per the activation effect of Future Fusion, I'll perform the action to properly summon Black Skull Dragon." Hajime said and discarded the two monsters to his graveyard. "However, Pythagoras has gone to the future with them and it's more than just the future of their fusion. Nagito, do you know what happens when you let a dragon travel through time?"
"Can't…say that I do," Nagito sweated.
"Well then, let me show you. Behold, Nagito, this is what happens when you send a dragon travelling through time!" Hajime exclaimed. "I call upon Chrome Skull Cosmic Dragon!"
A bolt of Black Lightning struck the battlefield as a dragon appeared that resembled Black Skull Dragon. However, the black parts of it had been swapped out for a chrome color. Its claws, fangs and spikes all radiated with a red hot-plasma aura and its eyes were glowing green with digitally integrated cybernetic enhancements. It was barely bigger than its original form and its veins were pulsating with galactic energy, as though its veins themselves were the image of a star map in outer space.
Most impressive however, were its stats: 6,400 attack points and 5,000 defense points.
"By the end of time, using the power of technology, as well as the magic of otherworldly energy," Hajime said, raising a finger to the sky, "Any monster can reach its true potential. That is the power of humanity and monsters working together in the modern era. Now, go!" Hajime ordered as his monster took flight with its razor-sharp edged wings. It flew all the way so that its body was even with Solon's face.
"It's over, Nagito," Hajime stated. "Chrome Skull Cosmic Dragon, attack!" Hajime exclaimed. "Wipe out his monster with Cybernetic Cosmic Flare!"
Gone was Black Skull Dragon's Molten Fireballs of yesteryear. Chrome Skull Cosmic Dragon lowered its head as its entire mouth glowed a shiny blue color. The spikes on its spinal column and tail matched this change in color as Chrome Skull Cosmic Dragon fanned out its enhanced wings and rained down a massive blue energy beam from its throat straight into Orichalcos Solon's face. The heat from the attack melted the monster at the cellular level as the beam traveled downward towards its chest and then the whole construct exploded.
A massive pillar of flame erupted with the continuous detonation of Solan as the bright light engulfed both duelists and the six spectators.
And through it all, Nagito could only smile and shed a tear. Never before had he seen anything quite so grand. A tear fell from his face in sheer awe of how beautiful the sight was. This, to him, was Hope captured visually. As white light consumed his eyes, his life points dropped to 0. The duel was over.
The spectacle and fanfare ceased as the room regained its normal shape, the torchlights coming back on as if the last few minutes had been the side effect of an illusion as opposed to a hologram. Nagito dropped to his knees and then steadied himself with his hands, panting.
"It's over, Nagito," Hajime said as the Seal of the Orichalcos closed in on Nagito.
"I know it is," Nagito said. "Thank you, Hajime."
"Thank you," Hajime was confused. "What do you mean thank you?"
Nagito chuckled. "I knew…for a long time during all of this, actually, that the reason I survived that plane crash was because of Dartz."
"What do you mean because of Dartz?" Joey asked.
Nagito sat back and slumped against the staircase. "Dartz…used his charisma to manipulate everyone into helping him. Rafael, Gundham, Valon, Alister, Hiyoko, and even Natsumi. They're all victims of Dartz's manipulations in some form or another. So, I always wondered, what did he do to me?"
"Nagito…" Yukizome was starting to see the sadness inside Nagito's heart. Oh gosh, why hadn't she seen it sooner.
"I don't understand," Hajime said, standing over Nagito. "If you knew that Dartz was manipulating you, why didn't you join us? Junko betrayed him, why didn't you?"
"Because I'd already screwed up," Nagito said, looking tortured internally. "Hajime…" Nagito said, looking truly sorrowful, "Understand…I never meant…to hurt Chiaki."
Hajime gasped. A chill ran up his spine when he saw Nagito's smile as the white-haired teen realized Hajime knew what was going on. "No…I…I thought…"
"I make a pretty good villain, don't I?" Nagito asked, coughing.
"Nagito…why?" Sonia was still confused.
"Chiaki…is pretty great, isn't she?" Nagito asked, staring up at the ceiling. "When I heard about the rivalry between the Legendary Dragons and the Orichalcos, all I could think about was how I wanted to see a dragon's power emerge with my own eyes. I just…assumed, because of her skill, that Chiaki would be one of the dragon wielders. So I pushed her with everything I had. I figured, even if she wasn't one, that she would still win, that she might overcome my betrayal and spur you all on to take on Dartz." Tears formed in Nagito's eyes. "I didn't mean to do what I did, but there was no taking it back."
Nagito's mind flashed back to when he saw Hajime standing there with Chiaki in his arms.
"But I saw the way you looked at me, Hajime," Nagito said. "I knew that you had to be it. You and Chiaki are always relying on each other. I thought that her loss would force you into despair, but instead, you took her hope and you added it to yours. You refused to let me get away with what I'd done. Chiaki…she's far too nice, far too forgiving. She has her limits of course.
"But you…you're strong. Your determination is on a whole different level. I don't know if it's always been that way, or been bolstered as a result of Hope's Peak's experiments. Either way, it doesn't matter. When I realized you and I would become sworn enemies, in order to make sure that you would stop at nothing to defeat me, I pretended to regress back into before you defeated me at Battle City."
"You did it…so that I would get Pythagoras," Hajime realized.
"It's also why I didn't play the Seal of Orichalcos in our last duel," Nagito said. "I wanted you to survive, to defeat me. You said that you didn't ask to be a hero, but I know that you can be a great one." Nagito smiled. "You proved that when you beat Marik."
Hajime's face looked anguished. He'd completely misunderstood Nagito's intentions right from the very beginning.
"Aside from Rebecca, and that too, I regret, none of the other souls taken after Chiaki were by my hand. I just wanted…to see hope…flourish."
"But why? Why could you not have just stood at our side? I don't understand," Sonia said, choking on tears.
Nagito smiled. "I don't see Akane, Kazuichi or the others in our class with you."
"They're staying back to remain—"
"Safe," Nagito cut Yukizome off. "I know. And, I assume, I'd probably be there right now if I was on your side, but…I'd never have been able to stomach that."
"What do you mean?" Yukizome asked sincerely.
"I want to see hope flourish. I want to see spectacles when hope and hope collide with my own eyes. That's why…I can't stand just being a bystander. If I could just be a launch pad, a stepping stone to someone else's hope, then my life would have meaning. I could say, no matter what happened in my life, that I made a difference to someone."
"You stupid bastard!" Hajime was on his hands and knees, crying, and he'd just punched the ground.
Nagito looked at Hajime curiously.
"Chiaki would never want you to do this! You two fought so bravely to save me from the former Steering Committee, and this is how you pay her back!"
"Chiaki needed me at the time. My hope was useful to her, but this was such a grander stage, and I was given a role to play."
Hajime just choked on tears, grunting in anguish.
"Nagito," Yukizome said, standing over him. "I'm sorry I misunderstood you, but you don't have to go to such great lengths to witness hope. The smallest person can make a difference in the lives of someone else."
"Dat's right," Joey said, clenching a fist. "I mean, lookit me, I'm not one of dem Ultimates, but Yugi counts on me a great deal and I don't go throwing myself at weirdos to make him look better. I support my pal cause that's what friends do."
"Joey's right," Yami said. "If you want to support others, you don't have to do it in such grandstanding and dangerous ways. If you just be yourself, others will see the type of person you are within. You needn't put up walls and make excuses to help others if that's what you truly want to do."
"Pharaoh…" Nagito said, touched. The words seemed to penetrate. Nagito leaned his head back against the staircase. He smiled. "Then…there's still something I can do to be useful to you all."
"What is it?" Yami asked.
Nagito struggled to look at Yukizome. It was only thanks to his insane luck that his soul hadn't been taken in full yet. "Take Garlandolf, Demise, and their respective ritual cards from my deck with you."
"Huh? Why me?" Yukizome asked.
"Yours is the wild card, right?" Nagito asked. "I just…have this feeling that if I add my power to Iona's own…that you'll be able to do something truly hopeful with it."
"Right," Yukizome said, picking up Nagito's deck.
"And Pharaoh, take Exodia. Three of the pieces I have are yours after all."
Yami took the cards from Nagito's deck and folded them neatly into the palm of his hand. "They're still your cards now, Nagito," Yami stated, having been humbled by the passage of time. "I swear to return them to you."
The stone doors behind Nagito began to creak. "Seems like my time is up. Good luck," Nagito said.
The others began to head inside as Kaiba and Yukizome pushed the doors open. Hajime, being the last to go, looked at Nagito. The boy lay there on the now darkened staircase, the torches behind Hajime having been snuffed out when the stone door was open. The Orichalcos emblem was gone and so was Nagito's soul.
You're better than you think you are, Nagito, Hajime thought as he headed into Dartz's prayer chamber. I hope one day, you realize that.
Hajime then followed his comrades inside. When the group made it into the deepest chamber of Dartz's headquarters, they saw the walls, floor and ceiling covered in stone slabs that showed the many people that had lost their souls to the Orichalcos.
Dartz was crouched in front of three serpent-headed statues at the far end of the room.
"Dartz!" Yukizome shouted, calling out to him.
Dartz stood up and turned to face the seven that had dared to come before him. His turquoise hair and prayer robes gave him a mysterious and elegant look to his whole body. Saying nothing, and with an all-knowing smile on his face, Dartz stepped down the stairs leading to his altar, his footsteps echoing in the otherwise silent chamber.
"You've done well to make it this far," Dartz said to his adversaries. "It's disappointing really. Good help is so hard to manipulate under your thumb these days."
"So you admit you manipulated 'em!" Joey exclaimed.
"I see no point in delaying the revelation of the truth when all those whose ears would be burned to hear it are now sitting in the pit of the Leviathan's stomach," Dartz replied.
Yukizome glared at him, speaking with a low-pitch in her tone of voice. "You're going to pay for what you and your organization did to my students."
"And you're going to answer for what you did to my company!" Kaiba shouted.
"And my friends!" Yami roared.
Dartz clapped slowly. Once. Twice. And then three times. "Gentlemen, and ladies, you act as though I do not fathom your pain. It is vast and I can see it deep inside your souls. I have no intention of being anything short of straightforward with you all. This is it, the true endgame," Dartz stated calmly. "But seven against one is hardly what I'd call fair."
"Too bad," Yukizome replied. "It's what you deserve."
"And don't think you can make us duel each other, either!" Mai exclaimed. "None of us are going to let you make us your subservient puppets!"
"My dear Miss Valentine, you assume as though I'd play by your rules. Look around you," Dartz said, slowly spreading his arms out wide, palms facing his enemies, wrists tilted back. "You stand in the great halls of Doma's prayer chamber." He lowered his arms to his side. His smirk was arrogant and self-serving. "I could duel you all, but even I know that your power has a great chance to outstrip my own if you work together. After all, whoever heard of a 7-on-1 duel. And I doubt I could convince any of you to stand back. No, I think we'll do things my way."
"Your way?" Yami asked. "What do you mean?"
Dartz chuckled. "Oh, Pharaoh. Surely you of all people can see where this is going. Don't they call you the King of Games in this era."
"That is his title," Kaiba responded.
Dartz chuckled, highly amused. "Then, gentlemen, and ladies, you'd best prepare yourselves." Dartz's duel disk appeared on his arm, but no deck was loaded. "Because right now we're not playing your game. We're playing mine!"
With a snap of his fingers, Dartz caused the Seal of the Orichalcos to emblazen itself behind him as though upon an invisible wall. Dartz then stepped back through the invisible wall as he held up his duel disk, the Atlantean characters of which were all glowing. Dartz then began talking in a language that no one, not even the Pharaoh could translate. It sounded like gibberish to them.
However, when Dartz started talking in more modern language, they heard him clear as crystal. "I call upon your power to crush these insidious peons! Come before me, o master of strings! I summon thee: Orichalcos Orphayos!"
A bunch of strings crisscrossed like a fractured mirror in front of the invisible wall as the Seal of the Orichalcos turned into a glowing portal that a turquoise robotic marionette with a golden harp attached to its back stepped out of. Its face was black and made of iron with glowing red eyes and its hair was turquoise as well, short and with a white hairband atop it.
"What is that?" Yami gasped.
"This, my dear Pharaoh, is one of the many powerful minions of the Orichalcos. And this is no mere duel monster. This monster of mine is very real and I'm going to have him destroy your bodies and claim your souls for the Orichalcos."
A chill ran down Hajime's spine. This was not duel monsters, not by a longshot.
The only one not freaking out…was Kaiba. "Hmph, your so-called game rings rather familiar to me," Kaiba said. "You summon a monster of your own as the dungeon master and we, as the players, try to destroy it."
"Oh? You're familiar with the rules, Seto Kaiba?" Dartz asked.
"Quite, actually, and I'm more than happy to take you down," Kaiba said. "Move it, dorks," Kaiba said, taking his place in front of Dartz's minion. "I call on Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
A shining light beamed out from Kaiba's duel disk as one of his prized Blue-Eyes emerged. The strange, robotic Orphayos now faced down against one of the mightiest monsters in all of Duel Monsters.
As the sweat ran down Yami's face, he knew it then, that the battle against Dartz would be far more dangerous, and far more intense than any duel he had ever faced in his entire life, and the stakes could not be higher.
"Let's go!" Kaiba exclaimed. "I've got a company to save! Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack!"
Blue-Eyes roared and then prepared to release its White Lightning to obliterate Dartz's summoned creature, all spectators waiting with baited breath, hoping that Kaiba knew exactly what he was doing and they could all make progress towards saving the world.
To be continued…
(A/N: Betcha you didn't see that coming, did you? Oh, you thought we were going to do a 7 on 1 duel, huh? HA! No, I still have enough creative bones in my body to come up with something awesome. And before you ask any kind of questions, the full "game" that Dartz has come up with will be explained next chapter. Hope you like your RPGs folks! Please keep in mind that this was done because not only would a 7 on 1 duel would be impossible to keep track of, but also that making Dartz a threat while he's facing down 7 duelists at once would be justifiably insane without turning the final battle into a case of Ending Fatigue for the arc. So, to keep the climax nice and streamlined, enjoy your totally original "Shadow Game". I dunno, is it a shadow game if the source comes from Atlantis? Eh, I guess it doesn't matter. Point is, it's not a duel XD.
Really not much else I want to talk about other than wow, I bet none of you saw Nagito's motives and feelings being what they are coming, did you? And what's this I spy within Nagito? Is it character development? Well, that remains to be seen.
Oh, and in honor of the yandere-love triangle that got started last chapter, there is now a poll on my profile for you to vote on regarding Téa and Junko's relationship with Yugi and Yami. Please vote as you see fit, but I would like to disclose that this will not affect the story itself unless I see massive amounts of votes going in one direction against what I already have planned. And, even then, I'm not disclosing if that was my plan all along or not once you see what I have in store.
Additionally, this poll will be up and running until the Canadian Nationals are over—yes we're still doing that. So vote while you have the chance.
And other than that, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)