(A/N: Welcome to the final chapter of the climax to the Orichalcos arc. Notice I said final chapter to the climax, not final chapter of the arc. That's because we have one wrapup chapter just like we did with Battle City.
But anyway, the last phase of this climax is neither as intense, nor as long as the other two parts, but it is awesome and you should all have a good time…as long as you like it when Shonen stories rip logic a new one and just do awesome stuff for the sake of Rule of Cool.
As with the previous chapters too, if you're a Persona fan…well the references aren't done just yet XD.
Enjoy everybody!)
Flying straight at Dartz up at an angle in a V-formation, Yukizome, Yami, Kaiba, and their allies headed towards their destiny. Dead ahead, the Leviathan roared as laser blasts began to fire from pores on the length of its body.
"Scatter and evade!" Yukizome declared. She flew straight up. The group to her left, consisting of Kaiba, Hajime and Sonia flew left. The group to her right, consisting of Yami, Joey, and Mai flew further right.
More lasers rained down on the dragon holders and their allies, scattering them all out of formation.
"We can't even get close to that crazy thing!" Joey declared, clenching a fist as his other hand rested on Red-Eyes' neck.
"You just don't know how to fly," Kaiba remarked as he ducked and weaved on the back of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon and got really close to Dartz. "Blue-Eyes! White Lightning attack!"
Blue-Eyes charged an attack and blasted a small hole in the Leviathan, but it was only skin deep, barely the first layer of its entire cellular system. "Nngh, barely a scratch!"
"Kaiba! Get back!" Yami exclaimed.
Kaiba noticed how a bunch of black tentacles were shooting off the Leviathan to try and pull him and his Blue-Eyes against the body of the Leviathan. Working together with his favorite monster, Kaiba managed to get back, only to find himself joining the laser array hell with the others.
"Well that didn't work," Mai remarked. "Now what?"
"We have to get rid of those lasers!" Yukizome shouted, hanging back far enough that dodging was a far simpler matter than up close.
"Easier said than done, hon!" Mai shouted at her, weaving to one side to avoid another laser blast.
"I've got a suggestion!" Hajime shouted, loud enough to be heard by the others.
"We're listening," Kaiba said.
"Joey! Bring out Hermos and fuse it with Yugi's Catapult Turtle!" Hajime exclaimed. "Then, Yugi, combine Kuriboh with Multiply."
Joey and Yami looked at each other and nodded, willing to trust Hajime.
Ancient Atlantean intuition driving their actions, Joey called forth the red dragon Hermos. The big red behemoth roared as it emerged in the air and Yami called forth Catapult Turtle. As the monster appeared in the ocean below, Hermos dove at it and a flash of light burst forth as a beam of light shot up from the ocean's surface and landed in Joey's arms, giving him a massive cannon like a bazooka and an anti-tank rifle had a baby combined with the entrance big enough for a cannonball to fit inside.
"Kuriboh! And Multiply!" Yami shouted.
Kuribohs upon Kuribohs appeared as Sonia gasped. "They're so cute! So this is what the distant relative of the Makango actually looked like."
"Makango?" Hajime asked.
"We've got more important things to worry about," Kaiba said, getting him to focus. "What now?"
Hajime pointed at the Leviathan. "Open fire!"
"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Joey exclaimed. Kuribohs began lining up and loading themselves into the cannon as Joey unloaded Kuriboh after Kuriboh at the Leviathan. Each Kuriboh exploded, damaging the pores of the Leviathan on contact, the launching power of the Hermos Catapult Cannon making a much bigger impact than a single White Lightning from Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"I'm not going to sit by and watch my Blue-Eyes be upstaged by hairballs!" Kaiba exclaimed. "I'm combining Blue-Eyes with my other two to form Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
"Kaiba, wait!" Hajime exclaimed.
But Kaiba was off charging ahead at the enemy with fervor.
"Yugi!" Hajime called to him.
The Pharaoh nodded and held up a trap card. "Mirror Force!"
Yami was able to protect Kaiba and his dragon as lasers from yet undamaged pores of the Leviathan converged on Kaiba before he knew what had happened.
Kaiba flinched, shutting his eyes, having not heard Yami's declaration of Mirror Force. However, when he realized what had happened, he was none too pleased to have been bailed out by his archrival. Silently, he knew, he would owe Yugi one. However, he quickly changed his tune when he saw the lasers reflect back at their source.
Wait a second, that gives me an idea. "Fang of Critias!" Kaiba shouted, the big black dragon appearing right behind him and his Blue-Eyes. "Mirror Force! Combine!" And thus Mirror Force Dragon was born.
Directing his Ultimate Dragon to perform and Immelmann turn, Kaiba got behind Critias and directed his dragon with a simple. "Go!"
Critias roared, using its power to draw in all of the lasers towards it.
What's this? Dartz wondered, watching as the lasers were drawn towards Critias, reflected and then returned to every pore on the Leviathan, shredding its body and removing several layers of skin. Instantly, black goo seeped out of its bloodstream, healing its injured scales.
"Don't let it regenerate!" Hajime exclaimed.
"With what firepower?" Mai shouted.
"All of it!" Hajime bellowed. He held aloft practically his entire deck. "Blackland Void Dragon! Gaia the Dragon Champion! Black Skull Dragon! Five Headed Dragon! Meteor Black Dragon!" Hajime summoned his most powerful fusions with the power of Fusion Gate.
"Dark Magician! Magician of Black Chaos! Gaia, the Dragon Champion! Dark Magician Girl!" Yami shouted and then nodded at Joey.
"Black Skull Dragon!" Joey shouted, transforming his own monster. "First of the Dragons! Thunder King!"
"Magna Slash Dragon! Wicked Eraser!" Yukizome called forth her strongest fliers.
"Rise!" Sonia shouted, summoning all of her Darklords at once: Ixchel, Amdusc, Nasten, Desire, Edeh Arae, Zerato, Superbia, Tezcatlipoca, and Asmodeus all joined Morningstar. They flew towards the Leviathan, attacking everything they could.
"Go, my Harpies!" Mai shouted, bringing forth every variant of Harpie Lady she could.
"Hyozanryu! Spear Dragon! Chaos Dragon! Kaiser Glider! Luster Dragon! Wicked Dreadroot!" Kaiba declared, never one to be left out.
All of the monsters flew together towards the Leviathan like an armada, scratching, blasting stabbing and cutting into the great beast, trying to whittle it down.
"Your power is pathetic compared to the almighty Great Leviathan!" Dartz shouted as goopy tendrils shot out of the regenerating portions of the Great Leviathan, smacking and ensnaring many monsters.
"NO!" Yami exclaimed, seeing the group's brand-new armada in great pain.
"What do we do?" Joey wondered, feeling a bit hopeless.
From the outside, the Great Leviathan seems practically invincible, Hajime thought. But what about the inside?
Hajime listened as Yukizome suddenly shouted, "EVERYONE GET CLEAR!"
The group watched as the Great Leviathan opened is gigantic jaw, as a powerful breath beam was charged in it. The great beast then let loose a powerful blast of deadly energy from its jaw, so wide it ripped through the sanctum on top of Doma's headquarters, so powerful it seemed to go across the horizon and out into the upper atmosphere, possibly even reaching escape velocity as it didn't curve with the planet's shape.
"What do we do about that?" Joey asked, mouth agape. Yami too looked incredibly nervous.
"Well we don't panic for one!" Mai exclaimed.
"Are you all okay?" Sonia asked her Darklords. Her monsters, it seemed, had managed to escape the blast, but others were not so lucky.
"Uh, guys, we have a problem," Hajime pointed out. Critias was nowhere to be seen and neither was Blue-Eyes.
"Where's Kaiba?" Yukizome asked.
"There!" Sonia pointed to where Kaiba was freefalling from the sky.
"I got him!" Hajime exclaimed, indicating for Gaia the Dragon Champion to make a diving save. The G Forces racked his body, causing blood to rush to Hajime's head, but he managed to reach out and grab the falling Kaiba before he hit the water as Gaia zoomed horizontally over the water and under the Leviathan.
"Uggggh," Kaiba groaned.
"You okay?" Hajime asked, having unintentionally activated his awakened form so that his body could withstand the forces necessary to make that dive in time.
"I've been better." He looked up at the Leviathan as Gaia the Dragon Champion was now making a gentle return trip back towards the group. "That thing's going to pay for what it did to my Blue-Eyes!"
"You can call it back with Monster Reborn once we're in range. Can you stop trying to do everything yourself? You're in too close and we have to work together."
Kaiba snarled, unwilling to bend to the notion of teamwork, but realizing he had little choice in the matter. "Fine."
"Good, then I'm going to need to borrow Shrink when I summon Pythagoras. I have a plan."
As Hajime and Kaiba discussed strategy, Joey was continuing to fire upon the Leviathan with Kuriboh. Unfortunately, without Critias to block against the lasers, the group was quickly finding themselves at a loss.
"We gotta do something! I can't keep this up! My shoulder's gonna go numb!" Joey exclaimed.
"Then I'll buy us some time!" Yami shouted. "I call upon The Eye of Timaeus!" The big green dragon roared as it took to the battlefield.
"Want a boost pal?" Joey asked, offering up Gilford and Gearfried.
"Joey, I appreciate the offer, but I know a rider better suited for the current situation," Yami stated. "Sonia!"
"Ah, yes?" Sonia asked, flying in close.
Timaeus and Morningstar locked gazes. Timaeus growled lowly.
"Wait, you mean…"
Yami nodded.
Sonia smiled. "Then let us combine our power. Together, with the power of darkness, we shall vanquish the power of evil!"
Yami nodded. "Timaeus!"
"Darklord Morningstar!" Sonia shouted.
"Combine and form…" The two declared as Tiameus fused with Morningstar, causing Sonia to float since Morningstar had been her mount. Then, in the center of the darkness, a new being was born. Timaeus emerged wrapped head to tail and all around in black, glowing red plate armor. Morningstar snapped at the reigns as Sonia stood at her best card's side. "Darklord Dragon Commander!"
Timaeus roared as the other Darklords instantly formed a wheel around Morningstar, Sonia, and their new mount.
"Company! Charge!" Sonia shouted as she and her monsters flew straight at the Leviathan.
"Pointless!" Dartz shouted, only to find himself suddenly bombarded with blades of light in a single area of the Leviathan. "What?!"
Yami smirked, holding up the Swords of Revealing Light. Given the size of the Leviathan, the card could not maintain itself across the entire beast, but it gave Sonia a tunnel in between the lasers to get in close and let Timaeus wreak havoc.
The monster's breath and beam tore a huge chunk of the Leviathan's flesh. The dark powers of the Darklords allowed Timaeus to avoid being ensnared by the tendrils regenerating the Leviathan as the Darklords worked together to keep the creature busy in close range. Even from this distance, Yukizome could see Sonia's proud, determined eyes shouting out orders, her tactical intuition on point. While it was certainly a battle of inches, Sonia's monsters were managing to maintain their position deep in enemy lines.
Yukizome's eyes were singing. Watching her now, she would've never guessed that only a few days ago that Sonia was suffering from PTSD. And then, unexpectedly from below, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon rocketed up and above the Great Leviathan, spraying blasts with its three heads in every direction. A Black Luster Soldier, and Kaiba, stood atop it, providing aid to Sonia. And she adapted well.
"What? Kaiba?" Dartz, however, did not.
"Where'd that come from?" Joey asked.
Hajime flew in on the back of his Dragon Champion towards the others. "That should keep the Leviathan busy for a bit. It can't use its lasers in that range without attacking itself, so we'll just have to leave it to Kaiba and Sonia for a while."
"Hajime!" Yami called to him, glad to see him all right.
Hajime smiled at the Pharaoh and then looked at Sonia shouting out orders. "Looking at her now, she really does come across as the Ultimate Princess, doesn't she?"
"That she does," Yukizome replied with a smile.
"Right then," Hajime said, dropping the smile and becoming serious. "I've got a plan. Miss Yukizome, I'm going to need you to get me an opening at the Leviathan's tongue the next time it opens its mouth."
"What? Why me?" Yukizome asked, flabbergasted.
"We'll use Iona's power."
"And what about Pythagoras?" Yukizome asked.
Hajime nodded, holding up the card. "I've got that covered. Just trust me."
"So, what now?" Mai asked.
"How about a little tag team action?" Joey asked. "You draw that ugly thing's attention and I'll bring the pain!"
"No, that won't work. We need a small army in order to force the Leviathan to attack us with its mouth beam."
"What about a big target?" Yami asked.
"A monster so powerful the Leviathan would have to use its breath attack!" Yukizome exclaimed. "Genius! I've got just the card combo to do it."
"Joey. Mai. Once Yukizome makes her opening move, flank the Leviathan from behind. It's possible Dartz may not be able to see all around him. Yugi, you stay here with Yukizome as the front line. Together, I know you two are going to be able to figure out a way to put this thing down once the opportunity presents itself."
"Got it," Joey said. "Let's go, Mai!"
"Right behind you!" Mai said as their dragons took to the space above the clouds to avoid detection.
"Hiding won't save you," Dartz said as he began firing lasers up at the clouds, but Joey and Mai were able to evade the attacks rather easily.
"Your move," Hajime said to Yukizome.
"Right," Yukizome said. "I call upon the Wing of Iona!"
Iona's graceful presence appeared, drawing Dartz's attention away from Mai and Joey.
"Iona!" Yukizome exclaimed. "Combine with Wicked Eraser and Dogoran the Mad Flame Kaiju!"
Iona drew in the power of the already summoned Wicked Eraser, as well as the power of Yukizome's still unsummoned Dogoran. The force of three of the mightiest cards in Duel Monsters combined to become a monster so ridiculously huge, it could've rivaled the god cards in size.
"I invoke your almighty power!" Yukizome shouted. "Wicked Flame Kaiju Dragon!"
A monster with a body on fire emerged as the flames forced Yami and Yukizome to get back, lest they feel like they were in a brutally hot desert or near a volcano. The monster flew on six gigantic wings that emitted embers with every wingbeat. It had a glowing, singular horn between its golden eyes. It was covered in hard, shell-like crimson and scarlet armored scales with three-fingered claws like a truly hellish demon. Its sharp teeth put a shark and a tyrannosaurus to shame, and its massive body made it too big to fit in the already gargantuan Great Leviathan's mouth.
"So you made a big monster? Am I supposed to be impressed?"
Yukizome ignored Dartz. "Wicked Flame Kaiju Dragon! Attack! Wicked Flame Destruction Ray!"
All of Wicked Flame Kaiju Dragon's spinal scales ignited like a series of progressive explosions until flame was shooting out the back of its axe-tipped tail. Then it released a flaming hot breath that could've engulfed an entire pyramid and kept going. The air itself was pushed aside as the temperature dropped to near absolute zero in the molecules pushed aside by this intensely hot breath.
"Your show of power is but a cheap illusion!" Dartz echoed. "Great Leviathan! Attack!"
The Great Leviathan opened its mouth and unleashed a beam that went rocketing towards the flaming blast fired by Wicked Flame Kaiju Dragon. The two beams met over the ocean, creating a loud crackling sound on impact. The two blasts struggled against each other as fiery embers and bits of Leviathan breath rained down into the ocean below.
Now's my chance. Hajime thought. Away from the action, using the bright light of the ensuing beam clash as a shield from Dartz's view, he called out Pythagoras.
"Shrink!" He shouted, empowering his monster with the power of the size reducing spell card.
Pythagoras, now almost as big as Hajime, allowed the teen to climb aboard. Hajime then silently commanded his dragon to shrink smaller and smaller. Then, dragon and rider hid carefully behind Curse of Dragon's fang as Gaia the Dragon Champion set itself on a collision course with the Great Leviathan.
The impact into the Leviathan's neck distracted Dartz for a second, allowing Yukizome's monster to gain a momentary advantage in the clash. However, after ensnaring Gaia and his dragon and crushing both, that advantage was neutralized.
Too small to be noticed, like a gnat landing on a bull's horn, Hajime and Pythagoras moved around the Leviathan, looking for any kind of opening on the great beast. Unfortunately, the Leviathan was pretty sturdy. It had yet to be impacted all the way through to the inside of its body.
No opening, huh? Then I guess we'll stick to the original plan.
Hajime and Pythagoras slipped as close to the Leviathan's gullet as the force given off by its breath beam would allow.
Yukizome's monster continued to clash with Dartz's until Dartz caused the Leviathan to put more energy into its attack, tearing through Wicked Flame Kaiju Dragon's attack and disintegrating the monster in the process.
"Hmph, how pointless," Dartz remarked, unaware that, as the Leviathan was closing its mouth, Hajime and Pythagoras were infiltrating, intending to sink into the belly of the beast.
"Do you think Hajime was successful?" Yami asked.
Yukizome leaned back a little as the two floated atop Yami's Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast. She seemed exhausted as she was summoning monsters and using her own life force as a catalyst. With everything she had done, it was understandable if she was a little tired.
"This really isn't my scene," she said.
"Do you still have those Exodia cards Nagito gave you?" Yami asked.
Yukizome nodded. "Yup, sure do," Yukizome said, handing them off to Yami.
"Take a moment to rest," Yami stated. "You did a good job carrying out my will when I could not. Now, let Yugi and I take the rest from here."
Yukizome took a deep breath. "Thank you, Pharaoh. Oh, and take this," she said, and handed him Legend of the Ultimate Heart. "You'll need it."
"This is…"
"It was blank when I picked it up from your deck," Yukizome said. "It served me well, but I'm sure you can put it to better use."
Yami looked at the card, Junko's smile appearing in the back of his mind. This was the card they'd received at Industrial Illusions. He gripped the card tightly. He would not let Pegasus or Junko's actions go to waste, along with Yukizome's spirit to get them this far. He nodded firmly at the redhead. "All right."
"Oh, and while you're at it," Yukizome said, fetching something else from her apron pocket. She handed Yami Demise and Garlandolf.
"Nagito's cards," Yami said, graciously accepting them. "I'll do everything I can."
With that, the King of Games took point against the King of Atlantis, switching mounts to Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress #1.
"And just what do you plan to do with such a pathetic card?" Dartz asked Yami.
"With this? Not a thing," Yami replied. "But I needed a new monster so I could face you head on."
"And just what do you plan to accomplish? All of your monsters have been summoned and dealt with. Even Kaiba and Sonia will soon fall before my power and Joseph and Miss Valentine have abandoned you."
Yami smirked. "I wouldn't be too sure of that."
The Leviathan suddenly lurched as Molten Fireballs and Giga Ton Flare hit it from behind.
"What?!" Dartz craned his neck.
"Looks like we found your blind spot," Yami chuckled. "My friends will whittle down the Leviathan's defenses. And I myself, will go for the Leviathan's power HEAD ON!" Yami held up five unmistakable cards. "I summon THE UNSTOPPABLE EXODIA!"
"What?! But how?"
"Seems you neglected minion control, Dartz! With his last breath, Nagito Komaeda gave his will to us to see our hope overcome your despair!" Yami exclaimed. "And now, I will use Exodia's power to crush the Great Leviathan!"
A gigantic swirling portal appeared along with a pentagram as Exodia stormed forth, its massive frame, matching and even surpassing Wicked Flame Kaiju Dragon.
"Exodia! Obliterate!" Yami shouted, extending his arm forward.
Gathering energy between its palms, Exodia then took a hurried step forward, thrust one arm out, and unleashed its power with a massive supernova-like blast from just one palm. The blast hurtled towards the Great Leviathan, scarring it all over and causing it and Dartz to howl in pain.
"Aggggh! ARRRRRRRGH!" Dartz exclaimed.
We've got things on this end, Yugi thought. Let's hope Hajime's plan is ready to be unleashed soon.
"Agreed," Yami spoke aloud to his partner.
Hajime woke up without even realizing he'd lost consciousness. "Ohhhh, my head," He groaned, standing up, fingertips pressed into his forehead. He was normal size…or was he? He didn't even recognize his surroundings. Fuzzy tufts of orange, green and white light gave him no sense of direction or even scale.
"Where…am I?"
Confused?
"Huh? Pythagoras?"
No. Not in the slightest.
Hajime gasped. Wait. He recognized this voice…somehow. Izuru?
There you go.
Wha…but how? Hajime was flabbergasted, looking all around for a sign of the personality that had, at one time, completely held his body hostage.
Like all others, I am still a soul that exists, though I currently lack a body.
I…don't understand, Hajime thought.
I'll be honest, I'm not exactly sure where I was surviving until now either. However, I have a prevailing theory. I believe my soul, my existence, maintained itself through memories shared by you, Chiaki, Nagito and the former Steering Committee. I am still a vision with an ego, a desire with an intended design. When Dartz collected all of the souls on the planet using the Leviathan, I found myself stuck inside here, unable to do little more than observe.
That…I still don't…
It's all right if you don't understand it. What's important is that the temporary bond you and I had makes it possible for you and I to communicate while your in this dimension, or, more accurately I should say, this place. Welcome to the inside of the Leviathan. I'm surprised to see you here awake. Every other human that's been absorbed is in a fetal position wrapped in a bubble, waiting to be devoured.
"What?! Where?"
Hmm, I'll do my best to guide you. Like I said, I have no body, so I lack true eyes and ears, but I can use my talents to aid you as best I can.
"Thank you," Hajime spoke aloud.
I need no thanks. Truthfully, I was terribly bored with the way things were. Having you to talk to is…certainly a welcome change of pace.
Hajime heard Izuru sigh. "What's wrong?"
What if you found everything in the world boring, Hajime? What if you could predict things like it was breathing air and be right every time?
"I dunno. I guess I'd search for something that wasn't boring and have fun with it."
Search for something that isn't boring…yes, how very human. You state the simple solution with no cause for its difficulty or length. Truly, you were an ideal vessel.
"I'm keeping my body, thanks," Hajime stated.
Most would've chuckled at Hajime's statement. Not Izuru. He already knew Hajime would say it. I couldn't take it back if I tried. Now then, summon Cannon Soldier, face left and fire. Then, summon Labyrinth Tank and go straight until I tell you to turn.
"Got it," Hajime said and held up the appropriate card. "Cannon Soldier!"
Hajime's monster appeared and then he ordered it to fire at seemingly nothing, but he tore open a hole in the strange light, causing a dark blue light to appear as if Cannon Soldier's shot had punched through a curtain of some kind, leading to a mysterious "backstage area".
"Giga Tech Wolf! Polymerization!" Hajime exclaimed. "Merge to create Labyrinth Tank!" Hajime jumped on the revving tank and followed Izuru's instructions. His world went dark when he passed through the hole he created, but soon he found himself amidst another area of orange, green and white light, but in this area there were hundreds of thousands, if not maybe millions of bubbles, each one containing a person.
"Are those…?"
Souls? Yes. Each one is a victim of the Orichalcos. You won't find mine though. As I said before, I lack a body to be spotted. I'll take you to Chiaki Nanami. After that, you two are on your own.
"What? Why? The part about us being on our own I mean."
My talents were created using every talent known to Hope's Peak's records. Ancient Atlantean records whose discovery was not found until after I was created is beyond the scope of my knowledge in my current state. I wouldn't know how to destroy it any less than you two would. I believe allowing you two to work together is the best course of action in this situation. You two are strong on your own, but together, based on the memories I still share with you, you are unstoppable.
"Izuru, I—"
Please do not say you owe me one. You have no means of paying me back, nor do I need payment. I am merely a creature of habit, like all humans. At least I know that I am not without ego. As long as the desire of perfection exists in the hearts of humanity, I will return in someone's body one day. That may not even be in your lifetime.
"Still, I'm grateful," Hajime told him. "Now," he said as he furrowed his brow and mustered up all of his determination. "Where's Chiaki?"
Back out over the ocean, Exodia was stomping towards the Leviathan as the great beast began to regenerate.
No! This can't be how it ends! I won't allow this! Dartz exclaimed. The Leviathan was being completely overpowered now by Kaiba and Sonia's assault team. More! I must have more souls!
Inside the Leviathan, the world around Hajime began to shift as he rode on Labyrinth Tank. And then, his tank started driving in reverse.
What the…?
Abandon your mount! Pick something that flies!
Hajime jumped off of Labyrinth Tank, but as he went for his deck, several cards spilled out into the suddenly open vortex in the bottom of the area. "My cards!"
For a moment, Izuru did something he never thought he'd be able to do in his life: panic. Hajime was the best chance the world had at survival. And, knowing basic human reaction, Hajime would try to dive for his cards and rescue them, ultimately culminating in losing any chance at rescuing anything.
Of course, unbeknownst to Izuru, he had nothing to worry about. Hajime had been panicking for the same amount of time and then, quickly, shifted gears into his awakened form. Holding one card towards the ground, Giant Soldier of Stone appeared and began falling with Hajime before he dove at the vortex to rescue the 10 or so cards that had spilled out. Using masterful air gliding only an Ultimate Skydiver and Gymnast in the same body could purport, Hajime grabbed every single card and collected it all in his deck. However, he was falling right into the vortex with no way out.
Hajime, however, was nothing if not resourceful. And he had planned ahead. Shrink was not the only card he'd borrowed from Kaiba.
Izuru heard a blast from the magical Flute of Summoning Dragon and then watched as a portal opened along the ceiling of the area. Hajime's dedicated and favorite dragon, Blackland Void Dragon, tore through the portal, diving down to save its master. Hajime fell into the portal, but Blackland dove in after him. Seconds later, another portal opened and Blackland emerged with Hajime clenched securely in its mouth, but not so hard that its fangs were piercing flesh.
Hajime pat his monster's snout. "Thanks for the save." He then flipped over and got on top of the monster's head, mounting it.
Izuru, seeing this, closed his "eyes". He doesn't need me to guide him. He'll be fine all on his own.
As Izuru relaxed, he had been so caught up on focusing on Hajime, he didn't realize where he was in relation to the other souls. He had been pulled into the vortex. He hadn't cut off his vision of his own volition. In fact, the reality was far more insidious. Well, I can't say this wasn't a possibility, but…I suppose it doesn't matter. I've already calculated all of the possibilities. Since I don't know how victory will be achieved, there are only two, success and failure. And I know that, in spite of this development, hope will prevail.
As Izuru's soul became swallowed by the Leviathan, Hajime could almost feel his loss. "Izuru, are you there?" Hajime called out to him. However, there was no response. Without Izuru around, Hajime felt lost, but then he remembered what Izuru said, once he'd been reunited with Chiaki, he'd leave him to his own devices. Chiaki must be nearby then! Hajime thought, unaware of the real situation. His eyes darted all over, looking for the girl he loved. Given that so many souls had been absorbed by the Leviathan, it should now be easier to pluck his girlfriend out from a crowd.
However, suddenly Blackland Void Dragon sniffed the air and darted in one direction.
"Huh? Whoa!" Hajime exclaimed, hanging onto his dragon. Like a puppy chasing after a loved one, Blackland Void Dragon flew far in one direction and eventually came to a dead stop in front of a bubble with a girl with brown hair in a Hope's Peak Academy uniform, sleeping with her head on her arm, arms bent to form a makeshift pillow. Her mouth was open slightly and she was making little, cute snores. Hajime smiled. He'd found her, but how to wake her up?
Instinct guiding him, he dismounted Blackland Void Dragon, floating weightlessly in the strange air inside the Leviathan. He reached out and put his hand on the bubble keeping Chiaki inside. It popped, leaving the girl floating weightlessly just as he was, legs and arms sagging. Chiaki rolled over on her back, snoring a bit louder.
"Five more minutes," she mumbled.
"I really don't have that kind of time," Hajime chuckled.
Chiaki's eyes opened to the strange world as she whipped herself upright to a sitting position. "Hajime?"
She turned, seeing Hajime with the blond look he'd used to defeat Marik, but Hajime quickly de-powered, smiling at her. He offered Chiaki his hand. "Hey," he said. "I came to get you."
Chiaki smiled and then gave her boyfriend a big hug before going in for a quick kiss on the lips. She then parted from him, the moment passing. She looked at all the souls getting sucked into the vortex and how far out from the center she and Hajime were.
"What…is that?"
"I don't know how much time I have to explain," Hajime stated.
"The short version then," Chiaki replied.
"We're inside the Leviathan, the source of the Orichalcos' power, and I'm here to stop it, but I need your help."
Chiaki nodded. "Okay," she said, looking around, her gaze serious and determined. "Save the world. Final boss. I can work with that." Finding nothing of interest in her gaze, Chiaki mounted Blackland Void Dragon. "You can explain the rest to me while I look around."
Hajime smiled and was about to climb onto Blackland Void Dragon when another vortex opened behind them, pulling them back. Hajime had almost been left behind by the sudden sucking, but he grabbed Blackland Void Dragon's horn in the nick of time.
This new vortex was much unlike the one at the bottom of the area. Moreover, the white, orange and green light faded all around the area, blanketed by an encroaching darkness, distorted and fuzzy like pill on a shirt. And then, a giant yellow eyeball appeared right in front of Hajime and Chiaki.
"WHO aRE YoU?" It asked, its voice echoing and distorted.
Chiaki, unfazed, gazed at the giant eyeball for a moment and stated. "Yup, that checks out."
"I AM END! I AM THE oRiCHAlCoS! WHO aRE YoU?"
Floating in front of Blackland Void Dragon on either side, hands linked in front of the dragon's chest, Chiaki and Hajime stared forward at the giant, yellow, reptilian eyeball. "We're here to kick your butt!" Hajime exclaimed.
"Then…BE DESTROYED!" A powerful gale of darkness was then suddenly whipped up, blowing at Hajime and Chiaki intensely, trying to destroy them by sheer force.
Though his eyes were flinching, one of them even completely shut, and he had one arm raised to block the harsh winds from his face, Hajime's spirit did not waver. He looked over to Chiaki. She was doing the same. She gave him a nod. She wasn't going anywhere and neither was he. Behind them, Blackland Void Dragon roared. Together, from within the Leviathan, the trio would find a way to shut it down.
Back out over the Atlantic Ocean, a powerful darkness emitted from the Great Leviathan as it began to bloat in size, surprising all those attacking it at close range.
"What?" Yami gasped.
"Yes, my great beast, absorb the pathetic souls. Grow even stronger!"
The Leviathan didn't just return to full strength, scales and all, within seconds, it had also grown in size by a factor of 50% and it was still growing until it was double and then triple in size, almost taking up the entire skyline.
"No…" Yukizome thought aloud, heart sinking.
With just a roar, a massive tidal wave erupted over the ocean, water pulled almost from the ocean floor.
However, Yami's spirit did not waver and neither did the might of Exodia. With just one punch, the Forbidden One dispelled the tidal wave, returning the ocean to its normal self, if but a bit tumultuous.
Unfortunately, the tidal wave was but a precursor to the real trouble. With the Leviathan's increased size, it now had the strength and power to completely overcome its close-range adversaries. Tendrils of darkness shot out and ensnared Kaiba, Joey, Mai and Sonia. Sonia's scream alerted Yami and Yukizome to the trouble.
"No!" Yukizome exclaimed. This can't be happening. We were so close!
Timaeus' pained roar could be heard.
"Let them go!" Yami exclaimed.
"Make me!" Dartz replied with satanic glee.
Exodia charged forward at the Leviathan, punching it in the face, causing the beast to recoil, but the Leviathan returned fire with a bunch of laser blasts, hitting Exodia repeatedly. However, the great beast wasn't known as an Instant Win Condition for nothing. With its tremendous power, it shrugged off the pitiful attacks of the Great Leviathan and punched it again and again, eventually grappling its hand around the beast's throat and hoisting it up. The Leviathan roared at Exodia, charging another mouth beam as Exodia charged its Exodus Flare in its free hand. At point blank, the two attacks were let loose into each other, creating a bright flash that consumed everything around the immediate vicinity of the Leviathan and leaving Yukizome and Yami completely in the dark as to what was actually going on inside the circular explosion that was Exodus Flare Vs Leviathan Beam.
They could only pray that victory was on the horizon.
Inside the Leviathan, the battle raging outside was being reflected by the Leviathan's eye stretching and growling.
"YOU…ALL…WON'T…WIN! I AM sUpERiOR!"
"Everyone outside must be causing it a problem," Chiaki said, wincing from the waves of darkness. "We have to find a way to help them from within."
"How do we do that?" Hajime asked.
"I guess if we destroy this eyeball, maybe…"
"Okay, you got a big stick we can poke it with?" Hajime grunted, trying to make a joke in these trying times.
"Well now…but we have a dragon," Chiaki pointed out.
"Oh yeah," Hajime said. "Blackland Void Dragon! Attack! Void Gale Blast!"
Blackland Void Dragon roared at the Great Leviathan, unleashing a powerful attack that was only met by a rainbow-colored beam fired directly from the Leviathan's pupil. The attacks locked into a struggle at the midpoint between the eye and the dragon.
"I…ReSisT…the power…of the vOiD!"
"Try it!" Hajime exclaimed. He went into his awakened state. "I'll just give it more energy!"
"FOOL!"
The Leviathan's beam took up its entire eye and then completely overpowered the Void Gale Blast, tearing straight through it and tearing into Hajime, Chiaki and Blackland Void Dragon, throwing all three back, and destroying the latter.
Too far back from the eye to be affected by its dark waves, Hajime and Chiaki were able to right themselves and float, but they were in a lot of pain, Chiaki especially so since her soul wasn't being protected by her body right now. Of course, to her, the Shadow Game she won made this pain look like a joke.
The eye then grew, tripling in size. "I…AM the EnD. ALL liFE is AnD forEVer shALL BE MiNe!"
Outside the Leviathan, the dust was settling, revealing Exodia staggering back from the Leviathan, missing an arm. The Great Leviathan had completely absorbed Timaeus, Sonia, Kaiba and the others during the ensuing clash and was now more powerful than ever.
"NO FORCE CAN STOP THE MARCH OF DEATH!" The Leviathan exclaimed, though only Chiaki and Hajime could hear it.
The Leviathan opened its great jaws and unleashed another beam that completely obliterated Exodia, the residual beam reaching Yami and Yukizome throwing them through the air and forcing them to take a hard landing onto the roof of Doma's palace. They crashed through it, landing in the same room as the soulless Nagito, Yukizome on her stomach, Yami on his back. Both were covered in dust and debris and seemingly unconscious.
"THIS WoRLD is aLrEADy MINE!"
"So, you think just because of that we're just going to give up?" Hajime asked, glaring at the giant eyeball.
"YoU sTRuGGLe only beCAuSE I aLLow iT."
"Then why don't you just finish us off if you're so omnipotent?"
Hajime and Chiaki gazed back as a newcomer approached the area, strolling towards the giant eyeball in a pair of blue, laced up stilettos. The eye gazed at her curiously.
"Man, do you know how many boring old bad guy speeches sound like that. So fucking lame!"
Hajime was startled to see the person that had arrived on the scene. She had blonde hair, a short skirt and was carrying a book under her arm.
"Y-you're…"
The girl put her hand over her face and leaned back with her other arm wrapped around her waist. She spoke in a dull monotone. "You should leave the cliché villain speeches to the pros, or at least someone with better acting skills."
"Junko…but how?" Hajime was surprised to see her.
"Simple, really," Junko said, switching to her heroic pose. "Nothing stops the march of a heroine of justice!" She chuckled. "Okay, really in all honesty, I totally knew about the possibility that I could lose my soul and the Leviathan could be revived. So, just in case." She held up her book, dropping all façades other than her boring day to day one, "I might've cast a spell on myself just for this sort of occasion."
Chiaki smiled. "You must be really good at strategy games."
"The best, love," Junko said, ruffling Chiaki's head and then went full punk persona. "So, are we just gonna stand around talking, or are we gonna poke this thing with a big stick until it dies?"
"YOU! YoU DaRE Defy ME?" The Leviathan roared.
"Fuck yeah, I do!" Junko shot back and then switched to her teacher persona. "Droll, generic doomsday villains like you are boring and serve no purpose other than to give the heroes something to fight at the end. You're so boring that my putting an end to your miserable existence is actually a courtesy. You know nothing other than how to," Junko made her voice all craggily as she mocked the Leviathan, "destroy everything." She went back to her normal voice. "Where's the drama? Where's the heart pounding backstory? You have about as much complexity as Lavos."
Chiaki held up an index finger. "Hey, Chrono Trigger was still a fun game worth the replay value."
Junko shrugged. "Either way," she held up the book as the pages began to flip wildly on their own, the entire book glowing green. "It's time for you to disappear. There are better stories to tell than the return of the City of Atlantis."
"THAT…BOOOOOOOOK!"
Junko smirked and then began talking in Ancient Atlantean. I really want to know what happens when something like this suffers the despair of defeat. For that, even if just this once, I suppose I'll help you out, eh Pharaoh?
Suddenly, Blackland Void Dragon returned to the battlefield, and it wasn't alone. Pythagoras also emerged, but not in its dragon form, but its wizard form. Holding his scepter above his head, he empowered Blackland Void Dragon with powerful magic.
Snapping the book shut, Junko handed it to the wizard, grasping hold of one of Hajime's hands, holding it with hers high above their heads. "Pythagoras and Blackland Void Dragon won't be powerful enough on their own. We must combine our power."
Chiaki grabbed Hajime's other hand, holding it up and then linking her other hand with Junko. Their linked hands met above their heads, creating a pyramid with their bodies. "A shield twice as thick is twice as strong," Chiaki stated.
"Then let us work together. I'll need all your energy to take this thing on," Hajime said.
"rEsisTAnce iS fuTiLE!" The Leviathan roared.
Hajime made his awakened form glowed brighter than it ever had before. "WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" he shouted back at the Leviathan.
Inside the temple of Doma, Yami came to, getting up, knocking debris and dust off him as he sat up. Out through the hole beyond the doorway Nagito had once sealed, he could see the Leviathan still at large, stronger than ever.
With a determined gaze, he knew that he was nowhere close to giving up, not while he still drew breath. However, he could not do this alone. And as he glanced back, he knew he wasn't. He crouched down next to Yukizome and rubbed her back. "Yukizome. Yukizome, wake up!"
"Hnnngh!" Yukizome groaned as he got up. Her dress was completely caked in dirt. "Ugh, this will take forever to wash out."
"Focus! The Leviathan is still out there," Yami said.
Yukizome took one look across the visible vantage point through the destroyed temple and could see the powerful Leviathan out there. "How do we stop that thing? It keeps getting stronger."
"If we refuse to give up, we'll find a way. I made a mistake by trying to fight it alone." He gave Yukizome his hand. "Will you help me?"
Yukizome firmly grasped Yami's hand. "You don't even have to ask."
The two went running for the edge of the temple and jumped off the edge towards the ocean. However, Yami was more than prepared for that. "Beast of Gilfer! Feral Imp!"
The two fiends appeared and gave Yukizome and Yami the ability to cross the ocean back to face Dartz once more.
"Back for more, are you?" Dartz asked. "You don't even have the power of Exodia to stop the Leviathan's next attack. I've already absorbed your friends. Together, you two will not survive."
"Not alone, but we have this! Legend of the Ultimate Heart!" Yami exclaimed. Suddenly, Timaeus, Critias, Hermos and Iona appeared in their human forms, each brandishing their swords.
"Those blades may as well be toothpicks against the power of the Great Leviathan!" Dartz exclaimed.
"We'll see! Go, my knights! Destroy the Great Leviathan!"
Despite their diminutive size, the knights proved effective at taking on the Leviathan's dozens of beams, cutting them away like falling trees, cleaving them in half like a buzz saw through a log.
Where's Pythagoras? Dartz wondered. I don't see…NO!
Inside the Great Leviathan, Pythagoras had powered up Blackland Void Dragon as its Void Gale Blast slammed into the return fire from the Leviathan's gigantic eye. Despite the smaller size of the blast, Blackland Void Dragon was more than holding its own.
Hajime, Junko, and Chiaki were all pooling their strengths together to keep the dragon powered up, but Hajime's stamina was beginning to waver. Chiaki squeezed his hand.
"We can't give up! We can do this! As long as we're together…"
"We can do anything!" Hajime declared with her, realizing what she was about to say.
Blackland Void Dragon's attack began slowly pushing back the power of the Leviathan.
As the Leviathan slowly began to get cut to ribbons like the world's worst case of insect bites, Dartz was reaching the limits of his patience.
"Enough!" He shouted, trying to grapple the four knights, but was unsuccessful. "Enough!" He declared, louder this time, trying to blast them with the Leviathan's body lasers, but all attacks either missed or were deflected. "I…said…ENOUGH!"
A powerful black wave of darkness ripped through the air, hurling the knights, and Yukizome and Yami, back through the air, nearly sending the two humans crashing into the ocean if Yami hadn't summoned Des Volstgalph to give them a solid surface to land on. The dragon flapped through the air, gaining height slowly, but the damage was done. The knights were gone.
Inside the Leviathan, the same power was reflected, destroying Pythagoras and Blackland Void Dragon again.
"yOu wiLL neVer WiN!" The Leviathan roared.
Hajime was panting. He hardly had enough energy left in him and the Leviathan seemingly had a limitless amount.
I take it back! Hope still sucks! Junko exclaimed internally, also panting. This is what trying to be nice, even with ulterior motives, got her.
"Any ideas?" Hajime asked Chiaki and Junko.
"I've got one," Chiaki said. "Pythagoras combines with magic cards, right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Hajime said.
"Then…use one of mine," Chiaki said, handing a card to Hajime. It was the spell card Dark Hole.
Hajime, understanding what Chiaki wanted him to do, nodded and then ruffled through his deck. "Monster Reborn!"
Back outside, Yami and Yukizome were flying up to face Dartz. "Monster Reborn!" Yami roared, bringing back Exodia.
"What good will that do you?" Dartz asked.
"i hAvE alrEaDY DeStrOyED THAT mOnStER!" The Leviathan exclaimed, looking at Pythagoras merged with Shrink to form Microscopic Dragon.
"Perhaps…" Hajime said.
"But I'm not done with it yet!" Yami shouted.
Acting unknowingly simultaneously with each other, Hajime and Yami prepared their final counterattack. "I activate De-Fusion!" Hajime exclaimed.
"I summon Magician of Faith!" Yukizome exclaimed as the level 1 spellcaster appeared.
Pythagoras' dragon self and Shrink de-fused as Hajime held up Dark Hole. "I now merge Pythagoras with the magic of Dark Hole!"
"I activate Magician of Faith's special ability to return one spell card to our use!" Yukizome exclaimed as she and Yami held aloft the renewed power of the only card that could help them now.
"Legend of the Ultimate Heart!" Yukizome and Yami shouted at the same time.
"Behold the power of Dark Hole Dragon!" Chiaki and Hajime shouted at the same time as a really big dragon, black as pitch, eyes glowing green like the eerie glow of ectoplasm. The monster's scales glimmered like outer space surrounding a black hole. Its breath was wispy like green flame, but definitely not fire in the traditional sense.
Junko hung back. This was totally not her scene, but she'd dutifully observe the hope of others so that it would be easier to crush later.
Outside, over the Atlantic Ocean, all five of the Legendary Dragons appeared in their human forms.
"Do you really think summoning all of those monsters against me will stop me? Will stop the Great Leviathan?" Dartz asked.
"Dartz, there's something you still don't understand," Yukizome said. She was going to speak more, but now, Iona was talking instead through her summoned form.
"The power of humans is not their might standing alongside each other, but their vigorous spirit standing with each other," Iona stated.
"Agreed," Yami stated. "For in unity…"
"THERE IS STRENGTH!" Yami, Yukizome, Chiaki, Hajime, Iona, and her knights all shouted at the same time.
Pythagoras' dragon half, within the Leviathan, charged a powerful cosmic-level attack at the eye of the Leviathan.
"DIE!" The Leviathan shouted, firing its blast first, but Dark Hole Dragon fired its attack back at the beast. It emerged from the monster's mouth as a twisting gale of gravitational and wind energy, pitch black with silver dust all around it. The attacks collided, stopping each other.
Chiaki and Hajime raised their joined hands above their heads, shouting proudly as they fed their combined dragon all of their fighting spirit that they could.
Slowly, the attack began to push the Leviathan's back.
Meanwhile, Yami and Yukizome were preparing their next move. "Now! We shall combine our monsters together!" Yami exclaimed. "But not just these monsters! I also summon Demise, Supreme King of Armageddon! And Garlandolf, the King of Destruction!"
The fiendish monsters appeared and combined with the five Atlanteans, and Exodia as a bright golden light shot up into the air, parting the storm clouds.
"What…is that?"
Suddenly the Leviathan lurched around in pain.
"Wh-what?"
"Seems like Hajime has cut off your supply to your unstoppable power," Yukizome said.
"No! Impossible!" Dartz exclaimed.
However, it was far from impossible. Inside the belly of the Leviathan, Dark Hole Dragon's attack wasn't just overtaking the power of the Leviathan, but absorbing it, like a true singularity.
"NO! iMpoSSiBLe! NO! NOOOOOOOO!" The Leviathan shouted as Dark Hole Dragon's attack barreled towards it, smacking it square in the eye. "GYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArrrrrRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
With its inner core destroyed, the Leviathan's seemingly infinitely rising power was cut off, leaving it to fight with only whatever power it currently had.
"You may have destroyed the core, but your power is still nothing compared to that of the Leviathan!" Dartz exclaimed. The mighty beast roared and prepared to fire a blast of energy to wipe Yukizome, Yami and their monster from the face of the planet.
However, as the beam fired forward, a gigantic bullet, wrapped in a green light pierced down from the heavens. It cut right through the beam, dispelling it and slammed into ocean floor sending up a 20-meter-high splash.
"What's…that?"
The storm clouds above were ripped asunder, creating a peaceful, moonlit sky, the stars above blanketing the sky with their light. Only one storm cloud remained, crackling with lightning blue, purple and green in color until it too faded away as a being descended from above. It didn't look that big at first, but as it floated above the ocean, washing the water away all the way down to the ocean floor with a flap of its mighty wings, it was even bigger than the Leviathan, putting Exodia's previous size to shame.
"No matter the history, the tales of gods and goddesses can all be traced back to a point of origin," Yukizome said. "The creation of the universe, the progenitors of reality. This is one such being."
"This is the power of one god that fell from the heavens," Yami declared, picking up the historical anecdote, "His power restored to the point before he was fallen from grace."
"Unchained and unbound," Yukizome said.
Yami pointed an accusatory index finger at Dartz. "His power will DESTROY YOU!"
"When a god plays foul, a demon lord will rise to destroy it. Your precious Leviathan is no different," Yukizome said, pointing at Dartz, arm parallel with Yami. "Send this cretin to the depths of hell with no hope of escape!"
"END THIS!" Yami thundered.
Then, he and Yukizome raised their arms to the sky, index fingers pointing to the heavens. Together, they shouted the name of the being they had created. "SATANAEL!"
A geyser of lava shot up from the washed away ocean floor from deep within the Earth's mantle. The power of the current conflict was so heavy that it was shaking the very fabric of the planet.
Satanael, with its six enormous, bat-shaped wings, lined with thousands of tiny black feathers towards the inner portions of its wings and straight and leathery towards the outer ends, gazed down at the Leviathan. Its eyes glowed a sinister bright through the golden mask upon its face. Its horns curved out in front of its cheeks. The points were affixed on its target. Its gigantic black, armored body, and clawed fingers only helped showcase just how awe-inspiring the creature truly was. A black halo floated above its head, the edges composed of twelve, tiny demon wings all equally spaced out and spinning in a circle.
However, what shook Dartz to his core was not the massive frame of the monster god, but the gilded pistol in its right hand, a second barrel, acting like the amplifiers of a rail cannon, was attached to the gun for seemingly no other reason than that it looked awesome.
"Begone from our sight!" Yami shouted.
"Witness the power of a demon king!" Yukizome declared.
"SINFUL SHELL!" Yami exclaimed.
"FIRE!" Yukizome yelled.
A single shot was fired from the gun and straight through the armored piece on top of the Leviathan's head, sinking straight into the ocean floor below the Leviathan. A gigantic hole was now visible on the creature.
"Impossible! You dare rob humanity of its future!"
A golden light shot out of the hole created by Satanael as Hajime, Kaiba, Joey, Sonia and Mai all stood on either side of Yukizome and Yami. Chiaki and Junko, as their real bodies were elsewhere, could not be here to witness this momentous occasion.
"The future is what we make it!" Hajime shouted.
"We don't need some creep like you telling us how humanity is supposed to behave!" Mai snapped.
"I make my own fate!" Kaiba exclaimed. "Now it's time for you to crawl back to the little fairy tale book you popped out of!"
"Humanity is free to choose its own destiny! To walk paths they choose! And no matter how many fell gods or self-righteous cults and sorcerers rise to plunge humanity into the darkness," Yami explained loudly as the Millennium Puzzle glowed brightly, empowered by his will, Yugi's will, and the will of the six people standing next to him, "I will be there to save it!"
Satanael flicked the hammer of its gun as it prepared to unleash a charged shot. Golden light illuminated the entire chamber of its second barrel. This attack would completely disintegrate Dartz and the Leviathan wholesale and with the damage already done to both, there was little they could do except wait for the inevitable.
"You and Rafael proclaim that I was an evil king," Yami said, his coat flapping in the breeze above the ocean. "But I know the truth! I am the Pharaoh that sealed away the darkness! I am a hero and while thousands of years ago, I was unsuccessful in riding the world of all its darkness, today I will correct that mistake!" Yami exclaimed as the Millennium Eye symbol appeared on his forehead. His coat flew completely off, leaving him only in his black tank top. He extended his arm out, palm open, fingers spread. "I will seal you away, Dartz! PERMANENTLY! SATANAEL! ATTACK!"
A golden beam was fired from Satanael's gun, completely wiping Dartz and the Leviathan from the face of the Earth. The attack tore through the sea floor and penetrated down to the Earth's mantle, creating another eruption of lava.
Through the power of magic, as Satanael began to fade back into the beings that spawned it, the world was fixed, Doma's temple crumbling, Nagito's body being lifted away in a bubble, as monsters from the other side in their world began to descend from an aurora that peeled across the sky worldwide.
"Is…is it over?" Sonia asked.
"Seems so," Yami replied. He then relinquished control to Yugi as he dropped to his knees. He was exhausted.
"Phew," Yugi breathed.
Dark Magician Girl then floated in front of Yugi and the others. "On behalf of all monsters, I thank you all with every bit of my heart."
"Just doing what we can," Hajime said, a little embarrassed. He could barely believe they pulled this off. His heart was going a mile a minute.
The cards of Legend of Ultimate Heart, Wing of Iona, Horn of Pythagoras, Claw of Hermos, Fang of Critias, and Eye of Timaeus then floated into Dark Magician Girl's hands as the humans representing each of the five dragons stood by her.
"With our power, we will close the gateway between our worlds, so that this tragedy will never again be repeated."
"Hmph, it's no big loss. I have plenty of powerful monsters in my deck even without Critias," Kaiba said, folding his arms, smirking.
"I'll miss you, Pythagoras," Hajime said to him. "Be well."
The wizard nodded at him.
"Timaeus," Yugi said, extending his arm to the one-eyed knight. "Take care."
Timaeus nodded, shaking the Yugi's hand.
"You too, Hermos," Joey said, fist bumping the red-clad knight.
Iona smiled at Yukizome. "You make a good other."
Yukizome laughed happily, smiling, eyes closed. "It really doesn't matter to me the link between us." She opened her eyes. "I'm me. That's how I've chosen to live."
"Well said," Iona said and then she, her allies, and Dark Magician Girl all floated up to the heavens, the worldwide aurora dissipating, the monsters across the world, both Orichalcos and natural, vanishing, and leaving without a trace, the damage done to the world by them fixing itself. Even the damage done to the Earth itself was fixed by the Atlantean magic.
Junko, having woken up ahead of everyone else, was looking out the window in Paradius' main building, watching this happen, felt the Orichalcos stone glued to her hairpin vanish. The Atlantean Spellbook then stopped glowing. "Well that's disappointing. Guess that means I can't use this thing," Junko said, only to flash her signature creepy smile like that of the Cheshire Cat, "Well, at least for now."
Back out over the Atlanic Ocean, the seven world saviors found themselves standing amidst the ruins of Doma's destroyed temple. Unfortunately, now that all the magic was gone, so was their portal back to Paradius.
"Please tell me we're not stuck here," Joey said.
"We're not stuck here," Yukizome said, only to whip out her phone. No cell reception. "…We might be stuck here."
"Anyone wanna play fifty-two card pickup?" Hajime asked, trying to crack a joke to lighten the mood.
However, a loud horn alerted everyone to a private cruise ship headed towards their location.
"A boat?" Sonia gasped, confused.
"Looks like our ride's here," Mai said.
"But how?" Yugi asked.
"Chisaaaaaaa!" The voice of Kyouske Munakata called out at the man himself ran to the bow of the ship, waving to his crush.
"Kyouske!" Yukizome exclaimed happily.
The ship docked nearby as an entry ramp was extended out towards the seven stranded individuals. Yukizome was the first one up the ramp, leaping into Kyouske's arms, practically knocking him over.
"Ch-Chisa…" Munakata was worried about the reaction of everyone.
However, under the circumstances. "Shut up and let me hug you," Yukizome said, hugging her crush tightly. Munakata sighed, giving up and stroked Yukizome's shoulder until she was satisfied.
By the time they got to their feet, only Kaiba had made it on board. And then both of them helped everyone find their footing on board the ship.
"How did you know we were even out here?" Hajime asked Munakata as the ship prepared to disembark.
"I did some research after we parted ways. I was hoping to get here during the main event," Munakata said, clicking his sword out of its scabbard a little, indicating his intent by that statement. He flicked the sword back into its sheathed state, "However, it would appear as if I moved too slowly. Is everyone all right?"
"Nothing broken," Mai chuckled.
"Got room for one more on board?" A voice called out.
Hajime looked across the yet to be removed ramp to see Nagito standing at its foot.
Yukizome smiled at Nagito. "We've got plenty of room. And we've got your cards to return to you too," she said.
"Oh? We're they useful?" Nagito asked.
"More than you can imagine," Hajime said.
Nagito thought he might cry as he broke out into a wide smile. "Well, you'll have to tell me about it later."
He climbed aboard and then the ship set sail, destination: Florida. The group would pick up Yukizome's students and then, once the airlines were back online, everyone would head back to Japan.
As the ship moved towards its destination, Yukizome found herself alone with Munakata on the aft of the ship atop the main deck. "Hey," she said.
"Hmm?" Munakata looked at her.
Yukizome averted her gaze from the silver-haired young man and brushed a hand under her hair. "Remember when we said we should…talk later?"
Munakata blushed. "I…remember."
"Maybe we should have that conversation tomorrow…before I leave for Japan I mean."
"What's wrong with now?" Munakata asked.
"I'm a bit exhausted. I'll explain what happened after a good long nap."
"You need a nap?" Munakata asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Yukizome puffed out her cheeks. "Only cleaning gives me energy, saving the world from a giant monster is kind of outside my job description."
Munakata poked her puffed cheek. "I'm only teasing, Chisa. Go relax. I'll let you know when we're in Florida."
Yukizome nodded and then headed to take a nap. When she got below deck, she realized she wasn't the only one itching for a nap. Hajime looked like a zombie and Yugi was practically dragging his feet.
The three heroes looked at each other with a knowing gaze. No words needed to be said. They all knew what the other was thinking. They each nodded and smiled at one another, opened their respective doors at relatively the same time, curled up on each of their beds and fell asleep.
Tomorrow would be another day. And it would be a peaceful day. The mission was over. Their friends and family were safe. Evil could come knocking another day, but for now they all just wanted some peace and quiet. When it returned, they would be ready to face it, but for now, all they wanted was to sleep.
(A/N: Aaaaaand done! Okay, so I lied about no more Junko this arc XD. And hey, at least we saw Izuru again! Don't worry, he's not gone! All of the souls that were trapped in the Leviathan were freed, but those without their bodies have no place to go. Izuru is still part of humanity's collective unconsciousness and he will return.
But man, how about that final battle, amirite? I had so much fun just going balls to the walls full crazy on things not making sense, but being absolutely awesome.
Next time on Dueling Trigger Finger, we wrap up this arc the same way we did Battle City with another falling action chapter of character interactions. It'll probably be a pretty long chapter, so don't expect an update until May, but you never know.
Until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic! Ja ne!)