Chapter 17: Burn In My Light
Yuya was giddy. Well, giddy was really an understatement. He was bouncing off the fucking walls in excitement! All of those tedious days he had spent waiting around, getting lectured by the resident power couple and the Professor, would be worth it the moment he was finally going to be able to step foot back in his "home" dimension. He would finally, finally get to see his dear, precious Yuzu again!
Oh, how he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw what had become of him! Ahhh~ it was going to be most wonderful to see if the pretty little flower had bloomed, or perhaps if she had grown a few thorns in their lengthy absence from each other. "She's going to be terrified of us! Look at us!"
Great, the brat was back in his head again, trying to convince him to stop his inexorable march towards his destiny. "Oh? Are you sure about that?" It didn't matter if his beautiful flower was terrified of him upon first meeting, anyway. Yuya was a man of many talents, and if he had to make Yuzu love him again then he would simply do so. Regardless of the supposed consequences.
"W-W-We're a monster! Wh-What's going to happen when she learns what we did?!" Ugh, when was he finally going to be rid of this pest? He thought he had killed it when he came into his own all those years ago, yet it resurface again, dragging its disgusting claws into his mind again with the sole intent to pull him back to the pathetic idiot he had first been.
"Quiet! I'm doing what I want, not whatever you want!" Yuya yelled, pounding on the side of his head for good measure. Sure, it was all in his head, but he liked to think that maybe it would have an effect. It was quite the catharsis from all the building stress, too.
Distracting himself as he tried to shove the vermin back into the recesses of his mind, he ran his hands quickly through his deck just to make sure it was in perfect working order for the mission. There had been a few occurrences with it as of recent and there was harm in making sure that everything was correct, he had made quite the number of enemies during his time here and also had one person very determined to make his life a living hell, but it was nothing that him now couldn't deal with.
Shuffling through and dumping the rest one he reached a specific card, Yuya fought the urge to hug it to his chest like he was some scared six year old.
Odd Eyes had been with him the whole sordid ordeal in Academia. It may have been the card that led him to this hell on earth, yet nothing could stop it from being the one consistent rock of support that had helped him maintain some sort of connection to his old home in the early days. He didn't much care for that homely connection anymore, but he couldn't help but think back when gazing upon those wondrous heterochromatic eyes.
Similarly, as his deck started to shift more and more Fusion based after finally mastering the Summoning Method following many torturous "lessons", Odd Eyes remained the one bastion of his old style of entertainment. Nothing was going to make him give up Odd Eyes, especially not when he had first taken sight of what it had become a few weeks ago.
"Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, huh? You continue to surprise me…" These "Pendulum" cards had turned up out of the blue one day after a searing headache had put him out of commission with his training. The Professor was there when he woke up, looking very stunned and the slightest bit apprehensive as he quizzed Yuya on his new cards.
Eventually, the Professor had asked him to temporarily hand over his deck once they had both realised the potential that these cards could have in assisting the Professor's creation of Utopia. He had gladly handed them over then, but a sneaking suspicion had creeped into his mind about what the man was actually going to use them for.
No matter, as he had always been told by his private "teacher" in his first few years, it wasn't his place to comment on matters above him. All he had to do was follow the orders given to him and life was good.
Which reminded him, he would have to get his room ready for Yuzu's arrival.
No way was he going to let Yali get his filthy hands on her like he did with the XYZ Yuzu.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Ah, now there was a voice he wouldn't mind having destroyed for no good reason. Always so shrill… Always so… Annoying. It was a miracle that he hadn't carded her yet. If only she wasn't the Professor's prized princess.
He swivelled round to face the indigo haired girl, smarmy grin already in place to earn extra irritation points from her. He may as well get some form of entertainment over conversing with Fusion Yuzu. "Ah! Sere-chan! How wonderful to see you, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm sure that the Professor will be looking for you, and I need to prepare for my mission."
Serena, the same girl that had been staked out of Yali and Reisuke's room weeks ago, growled as she yanked harshly on Yuya's shoulder to prevent him from leaving "You're not going anywhere. You're going to stand here and tell me why you, not me, deserve to have that mission."
Yuya sighed, this girl really made it too easy to tease her sometimes "Do I really have to explain that question?" He said whilst shaking his head, the increased grip strength casually ignored "Really, Sere-chan, the answer should be obvious. I'm simply better than you, and nothing is going to change that anytime soon. So, don't worry your pretty little head."
"Argh! What does the Professor see in you?!" Serena retorted, wrenching her free hand back into a fist "All you do is sit about all day and do jack shit then the Professor suddenly decides like your God's gift to this earth! I work my ass off for Academia, grind day after day to make sure I'm at peak condition and can beat those slackers with one hand tied behind my back, and I get nothing in return."
Raising his hands in mock surrender, Yuya peddled backwards "Hey, hey, hey, don't shoot the messenger, okay? If anything, that just shows your delusions of grandeur. If I truly am as bad as you say I am, what does that make you?"
"Don't play with me!" Serena replied, anger seething out of every part of her body as she dropped her arms back to her side "I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you that the Professor will be sending me on that next mission in place of you and nothing is going to stop me!"
Yuya giggled, he'd be lying if he said he didn't think Serena was awfully cute whenever she got mad. Maybe it was just his nostalgia for Yuzu, but it just tickled his funny bone like nothing else. "Okay~, I'll look forward to that, Sere-chan. Just make sure of one thing. If you swing at the King, you best not miss."
Scoffing as the asshole passed her by with a smarmy grin on his face, Serena stormed on forward. Running into him wasn't part of the plan anyway, her one goal lay on the other end of the corridor anyway. Knowing her target, he was likely doing only one of three things anyway and barely moved out of his room for anything.
Kicking the door in for good measure, she indeed found her target doing the one thing she suspected her was. "Oh, Panther, you know you can just knock, right? I don't want to have to fix my door, again?" Reisuke moaned, looking up from his piano and towards the headstrong girl with a look of exasperation on his face.
In comparison to Yali's room, Reisuke's was the picture of cleanliness. The stunning white grand piano sat front and centre of the room, immediately grabbing anyone's attention if they entered. Numerous paintings, all done by the Commandant himself, were stacked near the back of the room where his bed, a four poster one, also stood tall and proud. Beyond that, there wasn't much else sans a vanity similar to the one in Yali's room. Serena personally never got why either of them had one, but that was by the by.
Groaning as she heard that awful nickname again, Serena responded "I don't really care about your stupid ass door, what I do care about is why I wasn't in the most recent mission to the XYZ Dimension!"
The look Reisuke gave her seemed to float between disgust and resignation "Look, I don't know why you're asking me, Panther, I'm not the one who makes the call on who gets to go. You know that and I'm tired of mentioning it to people like you." He replied, turning his attention back to his piano. He had been in the middle of a rather thrilling melody before Panther distracted him, and it was rather important he get it done before Yali got back.
"They all turn me away!" Serena moaned back, not pleased in the slightest at yet another person turning her down. "I don't get it! I'm one of the strongest Duelists in Academia and I get treated like shit! Like I'm too precious to risk on the battlefield! I could beat half of your Obelisk Force with a hand behind my back!"
"Yeah, I know." Reisuke replied flippantly, not caring for the denigration of the group he was technically head of. "Have you thought of going to Edo yet? He's my superior after all, and the one actually in control of the invasion, you'll have more luck if you bother him."
Serena groaned, she was getting nowhere fast with the Commandant. "He's in XYZ at the minute doing hell knows what, plus the Professor sends people to check on me every hour to make sure I'm not doing anything "stupid". You know Barrett? People like him. When will the Professor just let me show my strength?!"
"Why don't you just go off to Standard?" Reisuke threw out casually, either not really thinking the through implications of what he was saying; or not really caring for them "I'm sure a couple of the XYZ fragments ran off to Standard, in fact, a little birdie I have in XYZ told me that that's indeed true. Two of the most powerful members of the Resistance have ran away with the idea of blindsiding us when they attack in the next couple of weeks. Why don't you go there? If you can pick them off, then I'm sure the Professor will have to at least consider you."
Serena's eyes brightened like a child seeing Santa Claus for the first time "That's a great idea! That'll show that bastard too!"
Before he could move to reply, Serena had already zoomed back out of the room as quickly as she had arrived. Shaking his head and sighing softly, Reisuke returned to his previous job "She's going to run into a brick wall one day…"
(Standard Dimension)
"I'm not very pleased with you continuously calling me here all of a sudden, Reiji-kun." Shiki bemoaned, presently seated opposite Reiji with a frown on his face. "I think you forget that I'm not your lapdog like the rest of them.
"Well, I would've simply called you, but it would seem that it was not responding for whatever reason. I wonder why that happened?" Reiji replied with a knowing smirk. Truth be told, he wasn't much happy about having to pull his opposite number face to face to him. However, it wasn't the time to be worrying about petty things like that, there were far more pressing concerns that would need a joint effort if they wanted to deal with them swiftly.
Shiki groaned, running a hand down his face before he collected himself "We need not speak of that, Reiji-kun. Regardless, what was so important that you had to drag me away? I had to cancel a lesson for a very special student today because of it, so you better make this worth my time."
Reiji fixed his glasses as he brought a particular image on his screen that Shiki knew all too well by now. Noticing Shiki staring at him incredulously, he moved quickly to dispel thoughts that were probably thinking about the quickest way to murder him. "Now, we both know what this image shows. Two of our friends from the XYZ Dimension, you confirmed that fact yourself, they are our group X. We also happen to know that another group, group Y, are targeting LDS specifically and all of their threats have been addressed to me specifically." Bringing out three new letters he had received just this morning, it was already clear to Shiki what each one of them contained. "If you would think back to my duel against Yuri, I had been forced to retreat when we were notified that a teacher from our Fusion Course had just become a victim not too far away from You Show."
That made Shiki's normally calm face break ever so slightly, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly to anyone who didn't know his tells well enough "I see… It would seem that these ones happen to be more aggressive than the ones pervious. However, I still don't see why you need to bring me here to tell me that. I would imagine that many in XYZ would chase down the Professor's son."
Reiji's hand tensed as soon as that title slipped out of Shiki's lips. Just hearing it made him angry, but now wasn't the time to let that anger out. There would be plenty of time for that once his father was defeated. "Indeed, but this isn't what I wanted to talk to you about."
The sandy haired male quirked an eyebrow "Oh? Really? What is it then?"
"This." Reiji said firmly, showing off the new image to Shiki. It was a rather simple scene, a normal photo of one of the many duel arenas in LDS whilst a duel between two non-descript students was well under way. However, almost hidden away in the top corner of the screen, were two figures dressed in a very telling garb. "Now, I believe you mentioned that you knew these two and also implied that you knew who ran the organisation, correct?"
"You are correct." Shiki replied through gritted teeth, eyes gleaming more and more predator like every passing second. "What of it?"
Reiji smirked smugly, it felt rather nice to have that piece of blackmail on an otherwise slippery man. "I noticed something when I was studying our two groups of XYZ residents. There has only ever been one day where they have not attempted to send me another one of my men carded. That so happened to be the day before the incident at You Show, which makes me think that these two happened to have a hand in it. Would you happen to know their names? I'd rather like to speak to them."
Contemplating it for a few seconds, Shiki's previous smirk returned to features "Alright, Reiji-kun. I'll tell you, in fact, I'll go to meet them, but only if you do something for me first…"
"Come on! Let me teach you, Yuzu! If you learn Fusion it'll be so much more useful than XYZ!" For what seemed like the tenth time today, Yuzu found herself being badgered by Sora after mentioning her exploits with Shiki. The blue haired teen had done nothing but try and discredit XYZ, and try to coerce her into learning Fusion. "How else will you beat that other inferior Fusion user?! XYZ's not going to be enough! Why not fight fire with fire?!"
Yuzu sighed, whilst the enthusiasm was awfully nice, it was really, really grating on her now. "It's fine, Sora, honestly. I'm going to beat her, and I'm going to do it as my own person! I don't need to copy her to beat her, I just need to master my deck better than she can master hers! Besides, if I really wanted to learn Fusion, I would've asked Yuri to teach me it ages ago!"
Sora deflated at that comment, shoulders slumping back. That was actually a logical argument. Even still, he couldn't simply sit by as the scourge of XYZ summoning infiltrated another dimension! Especially when the teacher she was going seemed to be one of the fragments Academia was searching for. "Still! Wouldn't it be better to try and learn Fusion as a side to your XYZ lessons? I mean, if you can blindside her with XYZ, and it knocks her off her game, beating her with her method would just be the cherry on the top!"
About to turn him down again, Yuzu stopped to think about what Sora had pointed out. The elaborate fantasy being painted in her head, of her taking victory over Masumi as the other girl looked up at her in shock and awe, certainly made a tempting image.
But she was having enough trouble trying to master XYZ already, and on top of that, her teacher was an expert in the method and already taught before. She had no idea what Sora was like as a teacher, and there was also the possibility of having to deal with a jealous Yuri, who would've been pissed beyond belief if Yuzu didn't go to him first.
Gaining clarity in her thoughts, Yuzu replied "No, no, no, I'm fine Sora, really. It's a kind thing for you to offer, but I'm just not sure I want to do it." She was supposed to be having another lesson with Shiki today, as a matter of fact, however, he had suddenly cancelled on her and wasn't replying to any of the messages she was sending to him. That had left only Kioka as the only one she knew that could properly teach her, and there was very little chance that was ever going to happen. It had left only one place for her to go to train.
Sora bit back on a new lollipop he had just placed in his mouth, his frustration nearly getting the better of him. "Why though?! I said before, Fusion has so many more uses than XYZ! I can get if you want to do it yourself, but you're my friend! Is it so wrong to want a friend to have the best of the best?!"
"Maybe when I get this one done, okay?!" Yuzu shouted, already with her fan in hand and ready to strike before she brought herself out of her uncharacteristic rage upon noticing the shocked look on Sora's face. "I-I'm sorry, Sora. I don't know what came over me there." She said, as she took a calming breath and gave a shaky smile "I-I think I should go…"
"Ugh, thank God you got out of those rags. They were so filthy. Demil, don't be so reckless next time." Said the constantly present spectral voice into Demil's ear.
Pressing up against his bandaged eye, Demil scoffed "it wasn't my fault, and you know that. If Daiki hadn't gotten himself in deep shit again, I'd be home dry. But no, he just had to go and fuck things up."
It had not exactly been the greatest few days for the Lightsworn Duelist. In fact, ever since his encounter with Jex, Yuzu and Yuri, he could've sworn that he had been cursed by some sick God that was getting kick out of a wandering ball of anger getting progressively more pissed off.
He'd been roped into some sort of debacle between some random asshole and Yuri, had to deal with his absolute mess of a "brother" running off in various directions to cause mayhem, ended up finding out that one of his only places of refuges was now being frequented by the previously mentioned Fusion Duelist, and now all his skin was acting up again because of the filth he had just had to endure.
The last issue was rather unfortunate, more so because Demil rather liked his usual look, but given the "damage" that had been done, it had to go. His usual shirt being replaced by the one Daiki called "Nii-sama's Emo phase" as a fiery wolf enveloped the front of the black T-shirt whilst "End of Days" was splattered across the back of it in a gothic scrawl.
All in all, it was not going well.
So the last thing he wanted to be doing, was going on some errand for Nesta to meet with one of the elder male's "friends". Why was it him anyway? Couldn't Nesta have given it to some random jobber? Better yet, if this person was dangerous, then he could've given it to Daiki. Might teach the bastard a thing or two about being a decent human being.
Granted, Daiki had this terrible habit, one of many, of being a bit horrific during his duels. Hell, Demil remembered the first time he had ever laid eyes upon the twisted monstrosity that was Eternal Emperor Stakel. It had cost him his lunch then, and it had probably moved a few other bowels in its usage. Apparently, the sight of its attack had done a number on the last fucker who bore witness to it, and it was in his best interest to make sure the dipshit didn't make another victim out of some hapless goon.
"He's simply misguided, the best you can do is stick by him until he sees the light." The voice spoke, an airier quality to it, as if the entity was trying to act like a wise teacher to the Lightsworn Duelist.
Demil pinched the bridge of his nose as he neared the location in question, he was rather lucky he had been wandering around the area in question anyway. "Yeah, it would be great if he wasn't himself. How's about you tell him the next time he decides to have a go at me, he was just "misguided", huh? Let's see how that turns out."
"Point taken." The voice replied, defeat evident in its tone.
The Dock/Warehouse area was a rather weird place for a meeting, as well as rather shady. Last time he had been around here, he'd gotten himself involved in that little incident with some LDS Goon, not that Demil could actually be assed to remember the name of that worthless student.
It was just as abandoned as it usually was when Demil finally arrived, no supposed "associate" waiting there. "Wonderful…" Demil groaned. At least, the slight breeze coming off of the flowing waves helping him shunt the harness of the sun on his skin slightly. The day he could finally walk around without sweating like a pig was going to be so glorious.
"Ara~?" Ah, there was Nesta's "associate". He sounded just as slimy and disgusting as Demil had come to expect for anyone that dared to associate themselves with that devil of a man "Is that you, Demi-chan~? My, you've grown so much since I last saw you."
Demil squinted, turning in the direction of the voice, only to see that there was still absolutely no one around. Naturally, as all things connected to Nesta must be, there just had to be some kind of catch to it. "Why don't you come on out? I won't bite."
The voice laughed, jovial and cruel at the very same time "Oh no, I mustn't, there's eyes and ears everywhere in this city, and I'm not entirely sure that Nesta would like to bring our relationship into the open at the moment. Maybe later, my dear demon child~."
"What am I here for?" Demil barely had the stomach to deal with Nesta's minions normally, much less one that was being as purposefully difficult like this bastard.
"Oh, nothing in particular, Demi-chan~, I just needed to ask you a few questions." Hot breath ghosted across the back of his neck, a cold hand settling softly upon his shoulder as sandy locks came into a vision. "It's just business, and Nesta would be very pleased if you were compliant."
"Don't think for a second that I care what the old goat thinks, I'm only here because he had no one else." Demil replied, refusing to turn around and resisting the urge to pick at the area Shiki had laid his hand upon. Clearly, the elder male didn't quite understand the concept of personal space.
Shiki shook his head "Think it through, Demi-chan, why would he send you in particular to me?" Of course, the stink eye that Demil was giving him left him to pick up on the fact the Lightsworn Duelist was exactly of quick-wit "Let me as you something then, why were you and Daiki sneaking around LDS?"
Demil's eye widened as he swiftly backed up, shoving an accusatory finger out at Shiki "How did you know about that? And, for one, if you spoke to Nesta, shouldn't you already know why we were there?!"
Holding his hands up, Shiki smirked, moving to shush the enraged Demil "Hey, hey, hey, calm down. Don't get so worked up. Nesta is about as talkative as usual, so this more to satiate my own curiosity, and also because you're now the hit list of the President of the Leo Corporation, Reiji Akaba himself."
"Fantastic… Fan-FUCKING-tastic! Daiki's so dead!" Demil yelled, covering his face with his hands. This was just wonderful, as if he didn't already have enough on his plate, Daiki's stupid insistence of following up Yuri and Yuzu after the two of them had met had just put him into another mess of a situation.
Shiki couldn't help but snicker, it had been such an awfully long time since he had last interacted with a member of Nesta's cult, he had forgotten how entertaining they could be if you pushed the right buttons. "Oh, so it was him. Well, that's certainly interesting, I didn't think you would be so willing to go along with him, but I suppose there's a first time for everything. Now, would you tell me if Nesta has mentioned anything recently about… How would he put it…? Miscreants? Invaders?"
Demil regarded the sandy haired male with a perplexed gaze, anger ebbing "What? I ain't got a clue what you're on about."
"Hmm…" Shiki hummed, if he was going to go back to Reiji with something worthwhile he would need to get to the chase "All right then! That was very useful as always, Demi-chan! Just one more question, you wouldn't have happened to have duelled one of them?"
Instantly, Demil stiffened, mind racing back to the asshole who had caused that rather unfortunate incident. "Nah… I usually remember the people I wipe off the face of the earth." He said with a scoff, an eager look over Shiki's shoulder indicating where he would rather be at this very moment.
Had Shiki not already been so damn great when it came to reading people, he might have bought the rather in character dismissal. Alas, it would never suffice. "Don't lie to me, Demi-chan~. I hate liars, my family's whole creed has been based on detesting the very human concept of lies." Taking a harsh grip of Demil's shoulder, a point would have to be made "So, tell me once again, did you duel someone recently? Someone with a particular penchant for XYZ Monsters? Or maybe threatening to turn you into a card?"
Levelling the adult the hardest glare he could muster, Demil responded "I'm telling you, I ain't done shit recently. Can you just fuck off now? I gave you my answers!"
Shiki was about to retort, his tolerance wearing thin already, when a sight, more particularly a person exiting out of one of the warehouses, he thought he would never see again did indeed come back to haunt him. "What the…? No…"
Yuto's day hadn't exactly been the best, none of them were any good any more since the Invasion but this one happened to be running pretty low on his ranking since the two of them had arrived in Standard.
Shun, already volatile, had only gotten worse. Add on the fact that he was utterly convinced that carding everyone related to LDS was the only way for them to meet with the Professor's son, and Yuto was convinced that the person he once knew had been dragged out to the back and shot in the back of the head.
As if things weren't already bad with that alone, Ruri was here and hadn't reached out to them. Did she know how much she was hurting Shun and him by not reaching out them? It was tearing them apart…
But finding Ruri, sadly, wasn't part of his mission for the day. They had been running on a subsistence level of supplies from the moment they landed, and they were very frankly in need of a lot of stuff.
However, his entire view shifted once he laid eyes upon the two people standing directly across from him. 'What…? That's not possible! It can't be!' He thought in shock, his words failing him in the direct instance. His heart pounded in his ears, both of them were supposed to be long gone for being the traitors and cowards they were. And in that moment, he could feel every emotion within him bubble up, festering and fermenting into nothing but the purest form he had ever felt in his life.
"How dare you! How dare both of you be here!" He screamed, an almost inhuman quality to it as he lunged towards Shiki and Demil, both of them unable to react properly before Demil found himself locked under Yuto's bodyweight. "How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!"
Still stunned by the broken record player of a person that was violently gripping him, Demil barely understood what was going on. Going from being pressed for information to literally being pressed against someone's body, wasn't something he was planning on happening when Nesta had called upon him.
Shiki was very much in the same boat, although it was for a totally different reason. There was absolutely no way that what he was seeing was correct. He had long vanquished the ghosts of his past, and yet they chose to haunt him with this form almost like they decided they were going to play some sick karmic joke on him. He needed to get out of here, preferably right now. Yet his foolish body was betraying him.
Snapping back into reality, something in Demil's head snapped as he started into those steel grey eyes that were glazed over in hatred. Instantly, he snarled as he fought back against Yuto, managing to get the few steps of separation he need.
Both of them were ready to fight, however, a timely interruption by Shiki led to both their punches falling into the Tainted Angel's crushing grip. "Now, now, now, we can't have you two fight now, can we? Surely there's a much more civil way we can do this, hmm?" The sandy haired male tutted, scarpering any sense of unease within him.
Demil and Yuto snarled once more, both almost primitive and primal. The tension palpable and suffocating, Shiki was rather lucky that his exposure to Kichirou's Smoke Sorcerers had given him quite the tolerance to having his lungs smothered. "Now, Demi-chan, that's no way for you to act. Same of you." Shiki sneered, directing his attention to Yuto "I have no idea why you felt it necessary to attack us, but I would very much like an explanation."
"You… I don't you anything!" Yuto snarled, lip curling as the rage pumped like lava through his veins "You abandoned us!" Then, he pointed towards Demil with his free hand "And him… He deserves nothing but pain for the pain he caused to all of us!"
"What?! I ain't see you before in my life! Get out of here with your bullshit!" Demil yelled back, his skin blistering under the contact Yuto had made earlier.
Holding back his own snarl, Shiki had to bite back his own tongue for any chance of coming off correctly in this delicate situation. "I won't tolerate this any longer! Either you sort his out like men, or I treat you like the animals you are!"
Yuto was the first to respond "Fine! Yali! Prepare yourself for a duel!" Anger still flowing through him, although his logical mind was making a return as he activated his duel disk.
"Huh?!" Demil sounded, a perfect mixture of confused and angry. "Who da hell is that?! I accept your challenge! Just so you'll now my name is Demil Kaimia by the end of it!" He yelled, similarly activating his own disk.
"Duel!" Both of them declared simultaneously
Demil's LP: 4000 Yuto's LP: 4000 Cards x5
Turn 1
"I hope you don't mind that I'm going to go first, it's only fair since you were the one that attacked me!" Demil growled, already furiously playing his first card of the duel "I activate the Spell Card Solar Recharge! By discarding one Lightsworn Monster from my hand, like Wulf, Lightsworn Beast, I get to draw two more cards from my deck at the cost of having to mil the top two cards of my deck!"
Yuto's gaze narrowed, he simply couldn't believe his eyes. "You're using another stolen deck, huh? Is there no limit to you destroying everything you touch?!" No matter how much Yali would try to convince him to the contrary this duel, he knew that this "Demil" character was just another layer of deceit. You couldn't hide a face and maddened gaze quite like it.
As Demil drew, he casually ignored the nonsensical spewing of shit coming from this random stranger's mouth. "I summon Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn to the field!" Coming to his master's aid, a very heavily ripped dark skinned and dark haired man with two daggers of gold gleaming with pure light, Raiden took up a proper position to Demil.
Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn, Level 4, Warrior, LIGHT, Effect, Tuner (1700/1000)
"A Tuner Monster…?" Yuto muttered in confusion. Was this Academia's new weapon? He had heard stories from a couple other Resistance fighters of the Synchro Dimension, a dimension that fought with a Summoning Method unlike anything else. Had Yali somehow gotten his hands on and mastered this summoning method, too?
Demil scoffed, rolling his eye "Yeah, ain't you seen one before? Don't get your hopes up, though, Raiden here is much more useful by himself than any Synchro Monster I may have been able to summon. Case in point, I activate his effect! Once per turn, I can send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard and then have Raiden gain an extra 200 attack points until the end of the turn!" The gleaming golden daggers got just that bit brighter as the last vestiges of power were transferred as the monsters known as Minerva and Ryko were sent as a cost.
Raiden's ATK: 1700 - 1900
"Might have been useful to learn then, Demi-chan." Shiki sneered from the sidelines, earning himself a glare from Demil as a result.
Turning his attention back to the duel, Demil plucked two more cards from his hand "I set two cards face down and end my turn, and with that the boost to Raiden's attack points are also rendered null and void." The two cards made their brief appearance on the field as the glow around Raiden vanished. "However, Raiden's other effect now activates, since he is still on my field, I am required to send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard."
Yuto watched on as Demil dumped the two cards into his graveyard. It seemed like this particular deck was much more focused on destroying its own deck than his, an odd tactic for someone as risk-adverse as Yali usually was.
Taking note of the second card he was about to toss away, Demil grinned. "And would you look at that? One of the cards that was sent as a result was Wulf, Lightsworn Beast! I can summon this card from my graveyard provided that it was sent there through the effect of a Lightsworn Monster!" The humanoid beast snarled, ready to strike at his master's behest.
Wulf, the Lightsworn Beast, Level 4, Beast-Warrior, LIGHT, Effect (2100/300)
Demil's Cards x2
Turn 2
"My turn, I draw!" Yuto declared. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind, once he looked at his hand, that he was going to do his utmost to crush his opponent. It was the least he could do to honour the ones that had fallen before him. The red scarf tied around his arm felt awfully heavy all of a sudden. "To start off, I summon a monster you should be very familiar with! The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak!" The spirit of a fallen knight, pale blue as could be, dressed in a cloak that wouldn't have seemed out of place on a druid appeared on the field. A set of bones and other assorted items began to orbit eerily around it. Pale purple fire in place of its hands burned wildly.
The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak, Level 3, Warrior, DARK, Effect (800/1000)
Demil growled as he heard what Yuto had said "You still going on about that? Do you have wax in your ears or somethin'? I ain't ever see a card like that before in my life, so will you please can it on this whole "we meet again" shit?"
Yuto's lips curled in a near snarl. It was just like Yali to refute something in the face of irrefutable evidence. If he really wanted to make him believe that this was another person, maybe he should've invest far more in the makeup department because the face was still his as clear as day.
However, Yuto couldn't waste time thinking about something so blatantly obvious. He needed to win this duel and from there he would be able to extract as much information as he wanted from Yali "From my hand, I activate the effect of The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots! Whenever I have a Phantom Knight on my field I can Special Summon this card from hand for no additional cost!"
Silent Boots, like Ancient Cloak before it, was a pale blue spectre but this time was totally armless as a shaggy brown outfit was the only thing that covered its body. The appearance was what mattered, though, Demil knew full well what was probably about to happen now that two level three monsters were on his opponent's field.
The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots, Level 3, Warrior, DARK, Effect (200/1200)
"Demil, be careful. This one is very clearly an XYZ user and to summon one this quickly means it's very clear he's here to win…" The spectral voice pervaded Demil's thoughts once more, not giving him any proper advice for what seemed like the umpteenth time today. He was just waiting for the moment the XYZ Monster hit the field.
But Yuto wasn't done with his preparation just yet "Next, from my hand is the effect of The Phantom Knights of Stained Graves! Whenever a Phantom Knights monster is Special Summoned to my field, I can Special Summon this card form my hand to the field!" Joining its comrades, Stained Graves and its silver armoured being made its point clear as it brandished its words against Demil and Wulf.
The Phantom Knights of Stained Graves, Level 3, Warrior, DARK, Effect (1200/600)
"Ancient Cloak's effect! Once per turn, if this card is in attack mode, I can target one Dark monster that I control, switch this card to defence mode and then have the targeted monster gain 800 attack points! I target Stained Graves!" The purple flames that danced around Ancient Cloak were transferred to Stained Graves, powering the Phantom Knight up as Demil gritted his teeth.
Stained Graves' ATK: 1200 - 2000
"Are you done yet?" Demil moaned, already impatient with how long Yuto was taking with his turn.
Yuto's eyes narrowed "Not even close. I activate the Continuous Spell Phantom Knights' Spear!" The card that had spelled doom for a possible new foe in Sawatari a few days ago was now aiding Yuto in his crusade against an old foe. "You will soon feel the pain you cuased all of us, Yali."
"Again what that "Yali" shit!" Demil said, gnashing his teeth at the Phantom Knights Duelist "I don't know how many time I'll have to say this to you, my name is Demil! D-E-M-I-L!"
"Are you watching, Yali?!" Yuto declared, ignoring Demil in his entirety "I'll show you the real power of the Summoning Method you defiled with your sick ways!" Yuto declared with fervent passion, a passion he was unaware he was still able to carry. "I now overlay my Level 3 The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak and Level 3 The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots! With these two Monsters I build the Overlay Network!" The two phantoms were quick to turn into furious blasts of dark purple energy as they headed to the whirling vortex in the ground "I XYZ summon! Rank 3! Come forth! The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!"
Clattering to the field, Break Sword and its horse was coated in black armour from head to toe, the body of the knight itself burned so much that the pale blue apparition appeared as if it was actually made out of fire. Demil was quick to find himself being threatened by large sword, bulky and almost rectangular, that felt so eerily familiar that it made him sick to his stomach.
The Phantom Knights of Break Sword, Rank 3, Warrior, DARK, XYZ, Effect (2000/1000) OLU's: 2
Once his sudden bout of paranoia vanished, Demil grinned as he noticed one very crucial fact "Well, well, well. Looks like you made one crucial mistake. Not only are your monsters weaker than Wulf, but you're also not seeing the bigger picture here." With a flick of his wrist, one of Demil's face popped up "Trap activate, Solemn Strike! I can activate this card whenever a monster activates its effect or when a monster would be summoned. By paying 1500 life points I can negate the summon of your Break Sword and destroy it!" Out of the card, a bolt of divine lightning shot out and evaporated the phantom horseman as if it was a more pest. "My condolences."
Demil's LP: 4000 – 2500
Yuto smirked, everything was going exactly to plan "Since you did that, the effect of Phantom Knights' Spear activates! Whenever a Phantom Knight Monster I control is destroyed as of the result of a card effect, you lose an additional 500 Life points!" Emerging out of the card, the spear that had did in Sawatari was loosed at Demil, said teen only just dodging the spear by the skin of his teeth as it grazed his side.
"Smooth move, Demi-chan~." Shiki jested, no doubt pleased at the comeuppance Demil received for his trigger happy approach.
Demil's LP: 2500 – 2000
Clutching at his side, Demil was given no rest as Yuto moved onto the next stage of his plan "The effect of Break Sword now activates! Whenever Break Sword is destroyed after he was XYZ summoned I can target two Phantom Knights in my graveyard that have the same level as one another and summon that back to the field with their levels increased by one! Resurrect! The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak and The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots!" The two monsters that had only just been the material for the XYZ summon were now once more staring down the Lightsworn Duelist
Ancient Cloak's LV: 3 – 4
Silent Boots' LV: 3 – 4
"Using the now Level 4 The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak and The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots, I re-build the Overlay network! Formed from the pitch-black darkness to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Descend now! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Exploding out of the Overlay Network was a slick purple dragon coated in body armour and electricity jumping from every metallic part of his body. There were two purple orbs that flew around the dragon which screeched when it finally hit the field, yellow eyes blazing with hatred as it stared down Demil.
Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, Rank 4, Dragon, DARK, Effect, XYZ (2500/2000) OLU's: 2
As he regarded the furious looking dragon with a neutral look, a sharp jab of pain suddenly shot through Demil's head causing him to drop to his knees. A phantom pain over took his face at the same time, so sudden and so painful it felt like the skin itself was melting clean off the bone, and Demil had no clue as to why this was happening. A person in the Fusion Dimension was also now wondering why his right eye was now burning with the power of a thousand suns
"De… Can you hea… e? Demi… Answ… Me!" The voice, the call of the one constant ally he had in life, his wondrous Judgement Dragon, his Emperor of Light, faded fast. The mental connection breaking up like an interference ruined telephone call.
"The weight of your sins finally catching up on you, Yali?" Yuto said as he witnessed what was happening, a kind of malevolent and almost sadistic joy that would've normally been so foreign to him decided now was high time to make itself known.
"Oh my, this is certainly more than I bargained for happening…" A new voice, one that was nowhere near similar to how calming JD's was and more line with a sick perversion of his own, shot through his brain. The mocking, callous undertone felt disgusting to hear as it oozed sleaziness "I'm afraid I can't hold this, though, still, let me impart on you one piece of advice. No one must survive, obliterate all who may defy you…"
'Heh, looks like little Demi-chan is more than he appears… Nesta, you know that don't you?' Shiki thought, taking the intense focus of Yuto and episode Demil was having as his excuse to get out of dodge. He would much prefer not to be there once Dark Rebellion attacked, thank you very much.
And just as suddenly as it had started the episode stopped, any pain or discomfort instantly evaporating as if it was never there to begin with. The pain in his side from the spear was still about, but everything else felt like it was just a few short moments ago. "JD?" He called out tentatively.
"Oh! Thank Goodness! Demil, don't ever vanish on me like that again!" JD crowed, the spirit would've much rather preferred to lecture his master when they got back to the headquarters, but now they had a duel to win "Now, back to the task at hand!"
"Battle! Dark Rebellion! Attack his Wulf, Lightsworn Beast! Mauling Mandible Charge!" The tusks at the end of Dark Rebellion's mouth charged up, lightning lighting up the metal objects as it glowed a bright white-blue colour.
However, just as it was about to tear into the beast warrior, Demil smirked "Sorry, that's not about to happen. I activate my other Trap Card, Lightsworn Barrier!" As soon as the card was flipped up a barrier made out of hardened white class and divine light appeared in front of Wulf, resulting in Dark Rebellion's attack clattering into it and sending the revenge driven dragon back to Yuto's side of the field "With this card by milling the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard, I can negate your monster's attack, and I will inform you know that this effect isn't once per turn!" Aurkus, the Lightsworn Druid and Felis, the Lightsworn archer hit the graveyard as the barrier dissipated "What you going to do about it now, huh?"
Yuto growled as he narrowed his eyes more. Yali was just as slippery as usual, there was no point trying to make another attack if he could just negate it again. "I set two cards face down and end my turn. Your move." The two cards appeared then vanished as Yuto threw his harshest glare in Demil's direction.
Yuto's cards x0
Turn 3
"My turn, I draw." Demil breathed an internal sigh of relief, Barrier had saved him from a rather embarrassing OTK that would've had Daiki hollowing in laughter for days if he were to hear of it. At least now, as he looked at the card he drew, he could turn the tables somewhat. "By tributing my Raiden, Hand of Lightsworn. I can Summon this card, come on out Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"
Replacing the tan skinned light wielder, Celestia was a rather majestic looking angel with pure white wings, white armour flecked with gold, long blue hair, and a glowing white staff.
Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, Level 5, Fairy, LIGHT, Effect (2300/200)
"And to make matters worse for you, I now activate the Equip Spell Lightsworn Sabre!" In Celestia's free hand, a new blue sword appeared "With Lightsworn Sabre attached to her, Celestia gains an additional 700 attack points! More than enough for me to destroy your XYZ Monster!"
Yuto was about reply to such a stupid claim, not only did he have Dark Rebellion's own effect next turn, but his face downs would be more than enough to deal with Celestia, when Demil interrupted him with a particularly smug tone of voice "Ah, ah, ah, let's not jump the gun here, my friend. I know what you're thinking and I'm sorry to say that none of it is ever going to happen. I activate Celestia's effect! When this card is tribute summoned by tributing a Lightsworn Monster I controlled, I can send the top four cards of my deck to the graveyard and then I can target up to two cards you control and have them destroyed! I could target your monsters, but then I would be falling into your Spear trap again, so I would be kissing goodbye to your facedowns, because you're never going to see them again."
Yuto took a step back as Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner Ehren, Lightsworn Monk, Jenis, Lightsworn Mender, and one other card that he couldn't quite keep track of for someone reason hit the graveyard. Their spirits charging up Celestia's staff, which quickly loosed two lightning bolts once it was at full power.
However, whilst one of the cards was destroyed, Yuto wasn't about to take it lying down "I activate the effect of Phantom Knights' Wing! With this card, I target one Monster face up on the field, like my Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon for example, and it gains an extra 500 attack points! That Monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effect for the first time this turn!" As Wing's card form was destroyed by Celestia, the phantom spectre that emerged from it coated Dark Rebellion in a protective layer, powering it up to the same level as Celestia.
Dark Rebellion's ATK: 2500 – 3000
His plans to destroy the XYZ Monster scuppered, Demil swiftly moved onto plan B. "Battle! Celestia! Attack his Phantom Knights' of Stained Graves! Glorious Domination!"
Nodding at her Master, Celestia took off, staff and sabre in hand, and tore through Stained Graves with the sabre like it was nothing. The armour falling to the ground and disintegrating without the spirit to hold it together. Yuto, as well, was not spared from Celestia from Celestia's wrath. He had caused her Master pain and it was time for him to pay the price. The same bolts of lightning that had annihilated his cards, now shocked Yuto's system, causing the Phantom Knight Duelist to fall to his knees as his clothes singed.
Yuto's LP: 4000 – 3000
"How did you find that? Was it enjoyable? I always make sure the people who defy me get their comeuppance." In that moment, with that tone of voice, any doubt in Yuto's mind, not that there was much to begin with, he knew the person across from was Yali. No one else revelled as much in Yuto's suffering as much as the grey haired bastard did, memories surfaced of what exactly happened in the moment when everything fell down for him, and there was nothing else he could think about as he looked up to Demil's sneering face. "I end my turn. Tick tock, your time is nearly up."
Dark Rebellion roared as Yuto stepped up to his feet, a link with its Master's mind filling its own head with those awful memories. Unfortunately, there was path for Yuto to win at the moment, although Demil's deck was thinning fast at 19 cards currently, there was little chance with Barrier still standing of Yuto hitting an attack on any of Demil's monsters even if he used Dark Rebellion's effect. He could continue to attack and force the activation of Barrier, but that would be woefully inefficient and give his opponent more than enough time to mount a comeback.
He was going to have to risk everything on this next draw.
Demil's cards x1
Turn 4
"Huh? What's going on here?" However, before he had any chance to start his turn, his and Demil's eyes locked upon the interloper and everything in the world stood still.
"RURI! STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Yuto screamed as soon as he saw who it was. Images of what had happened only few weeks ago stained themselves deep into his eyes and brain.
Meanwhile, Yuzu, justifiably confused about what was happening, stood stock still. She had initially gone down here just to find a quiet place to practice her XYZ summoning after getting away from Sora's badgering. She had not expected the usually quiet area to be run amok by a massive duel that was underway, least of all for it to be between Demil and that Yuya-look alike that was still calling her that weird name.
Hearing Yuto's yell, and spying the rage spilling over onto his face, Demil smirked as he seized his moment. Grabbing Yuzu, and slipping her into a loosened headlock, he grinned "Oh? This someone important to you? I might just hold onto them until the end of this duel, how'd you feel about that?"
"GET OFF OF HER!" Yuto screeched, Dark Rebellion flaring up as it thrashed violently about. A dark aura now beginning to spill out of both its and its Master's body.
Yuzu, couldn't help but be even more confused than before, especially when Demil began to whisper into her ear "Give me one of your cards. Plus, don't worry, you see him over there? He's bound to fuck up if he sees you in danger. I just need to convince him that you are in danger."
Not quite understanding the logic, but following along anyway, Yuzu passed him the card she had been intending on practice her combos with. "Oh~, lookie here. I got myself a nice little card. XYZ Gift if I'm reading it correctly."
That was that for Yuto, he had been wondering for a while if that girl was really Ruri, but if she had an XYZ card. One that Ruri herself had, no less, then there was little room for doubt. The girl was Ruri and she was trapped with Yali's grip, he had to do everything to save her, and then the three of them could go home together. Without even thinking, he played the card he had just drawn "I summon The Phantom Knights of Tear Scale to the field!" Tear Scale looked very similar to Stained Graves, the only real difference being that its helmet was lowered down its face.
The Phantom Knights of Tear Scale, Level 3, Warrior, DARK, Effect (600/1600)
Not wasting anytime, he launched into his next move "Next, I activate the effect of Phantom Knights' Sword from my graveyard! By banishing this card from my graveyard, I can summon one Phantom Knights Monster from my graveyard! I resurrect Stained Graves!" Next to its almost twin, Stained Graves returned to the field.
The Phantom Knights of Stained Graves, Level 3, Warrior, DARK, Effect (1200/600)
"I now overlay my Level 3 The Phantom Knights of Stained Graves and Level 3 The Phantom Knights of Tear Scale! With these two Monsters I build the Overlay Network!" The two phantoms were quick to turn into furious blasts of dark purple energy as they headed to the whirling vortex in the ground "I XYZ summon! Rank 3! Come forth! The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!" In an almost instant replay of his first turn, Break Sword was on Yuto's field. Although, this time it was infected with the same black aura that surrounded Yuto.
The Phantom Knights of Break Sword, Rank 3, Warrior, DARK, XYZ, Effect (2000/1000) OLU's: 2
"It doesn't end there! I activate the effect of Break Sword! By using one Overlay Unit, I can target one card I control and one card you control, destroying both of them! I target Break Sword and your Celestia!" Charging forward without any restraint, Break Sword shattered Celestia, and raced forward causing Demil to forcefully apply the headlock more as he shifted both of them out of the path of destruction just in time as the Phantom horseman ran straight into a warehouse behind them and destroyed itself.
With the only line of defence left being barrier, Demil was just the slightest bit concerned. Especially if Break Sword's attack was anything to by. "Just survive this turn, I'll let you go soon." He said to Yuzu, still trying to temper her.
"What's going on?" Yuzu replied, wanting to clear up her confusion as much as possible.
Demil shook his head "I wish I knew too, this guy just attacked me out of the blue and is clearly mistaking me for some other person. He sa-"
However, Demil didn't have any more time to explain, as Yuto wasn't about to let this drag on any longer "I activate the effect of my Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon! By using one Overlay Unit, I can target one monster you control and cut it attack points in half and then add them to Dark Rebellion! Treason Discharge!" Lightning broke around amongst Dark Rebellion's metal wings, soon it was coursing over Wulf, rather comically causing the beast's fur to fluff.
Dark Rebellion's ATK: 3000 – 4050
Wulf's ATK: 2100 – 1050
"Battle! Dark Rebellion! Attack Wulf and end this duel! Mauling Mandible Charge!" The tusks at the end of Dark Rebellion's mouth charged up, lightning lighting up the metal objects as it glowed a bright white-blue colour. This time with the goal of absolute victory.
Well.
Only if Yuto hadn't forgotten about Demil's Continuous Trap "Barrier's effect! I send the top two cards of my deck to the Graveyard and then your attack is negated!" In yet another picture perfect reply, Dark Rebellion was halted in its tracks by the same barrier, however, the reverb this time was far stronger. So much stronger that it sent Demil and by extension Yuzu skidding backwards. Serious damage to Yuzu only being prevented as the Lightsworn Duelist took the brunt of the damage across his own back.
Sure, Yuto was pissed that he had forgotten about Barrier, but there was something so cathartic about Yali on his ass, with his already tortured body skidding across the ground like an out of control car. Hopefully, once he was crawling back to Academia, he could show that off to the Commandant and it would be the sweetest payback for what that bastard had done to Ruri's back.
Groaning as he got up, Demil hissed as the pain spread down his legs as well "Damn…" He chuckled, trying to numb the pain as best as he could. "You alright over there?" He said, turning to Yuzu, who was ramrod straight off to his side with little to no damage from the attack as she nodded her conformation.
"How'd that feel? Was it enjoyable?" Yuto said, throwing Demil's earlier remark back in his face.
"Clever one, huh?" Demi retorted with a smirk "Sorry, but it takes a lot more than that to keep me down. I've taken my fair share of beatings in the past, so don't think just one attack from your little emo dragon is going to make me say I quit."
"I activate the effect of the Phantom Knights of Silent Boots in my graveyard! By banishing this monster from my graveyard, I can add one Phantom Knights Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I choose and then set, my second copy of Phantom Knights' Wing! With that I end my turn!"
Yuto's Cards x0
Turn 5
"My turn! I draw!" Demil declared resolutely, smirking in glee as he spied his card. It was finally time for the Emperor to descend to the field. "I'm your end of days, the harbinger of doom, the messenger of the Emperor of Light. I warned you, and I'll warn you again. Your time is up and everyone pays the toll, God help the obstacles on my path. Whenever my graveyard consists of Lightsworn Monsters with at least four different names, I can summon this card to the field. Come on out, Judgement Dragon!" Blocking out all the light in the area, its blinding grey feathers and red claws swooped out. The almighty screech it let loose shook the earth itself, more than enough to make even Dark Rebellion shirk.
Judgement Dragon, Level 8, Dragon, Effect (3000/2500)
"Burn in my light, you're not worthy to lick the ground Judgement Dragon walks on." Demil declared arrogantly, posing with his arms spread out wide "JD's almighty effect! I can pay 1000 life points and destroy every other card on the field! You know what to do JD! By the sacred name, obey me! O ye who rest in darkness, prostate thyself before me, and begone from this place forever more!"
Demil's LP: 2000 – 1000
A bright burst of white light, blinding in its nature annihilated and obliterated all who were unfortunate to be caught in its wake. "I activate the effect of Phantom Knights' Wing! The first time Dark Rebellion would be destroyed by battle or by card effect this turn, it isn't!"
Dark Rebellion took refuge from the light underneath the protective cover of Wing as the light finally died down with every other card on the field being torched entirely.
Dark Rebellion's ATK: 3000 – 3500
"Tricky, but not tricky enough." Demil complemented as he toyed with the last remaining card in his hand "I activate my Equip Spell Lightsworn Sacred Armour! With this Card JD now gains attack points equal to the half the disparity between our life points! That's going to be another 1000 attack points!" Judgement Dragon roared in approval as the shiny set of spiky armour settle over him. Sights were now set on the inferior dragon before him.
Judgement Dragon's ATK: 3000 – 4000
Yuzu gawked, Judgement Dragon was majestic the first time she had seen it, but it look even more heavenly now. Much the contrast to the dark dragon that was spilling out malevolence on the other side. But she had this terrible feeling that it wasn't over just yet.
"Let's go! Battle! JD! Obliterate, annihilate, separate!" Demil declared, his most prized monster sprinting towards Dark Rebellion with the intent to skewer the metallic dragon.
However, Yuto was more than prepared to act when the two dragons clashed together "I activate the effect of the Phantom Knights' Spear from my graveyard! By banishing this card from my graveyard, a dark monster I control that would've been destroyed by battle or card effect is not!"
The phantom ghost of Spear appeared, stabbing right through JD's armour and causing the behemoth of a dragon to stagger backwards as Dark Rebellion was allowed to live for this turn alone. "But you still take the damage!" Demil declared in retaliation, as Yuto felt the brunt of the attack, making him undergo the same situation as Demil moments prior as he was sent back first into a wall of corrugated iron.
Yuto's LP: 3000 – 2500
Demil gritted his teeth, that was his one chance and he had blown it, now he just had to hope he could survive this coming turn. But even then he knew the chances were pretty much non-existent. "I end my turn. Your move."
Cards x0
Turn 6
Yuto staggered up to his feet, the searing pain no more than fuel to the fire that burned within. He had finally gotten Yali where he wanted him and with no cards left on the field, there was little need for Yuto to do anything else after he drew for the turn "I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, your Judgement Dragon's attack is cut in half and is added to Dark Rebellion's! Treason Discharge!" The blue lightning circuited around JD's armour, sapping the additional strength it had gained from the sacred armour it was wearing.
Dark Rebellion's ATK: 3500 – 5500
Judgement Dragon's ATK: 4000 – 2000
"Battle! Mauling Mandible Charge!" Yuto wasted very little time, sending a careening Dark Rebellion to Judgement Dragon who had no power left within to fight off Dark Rebellion for any more than a couple of seconds.
"I activate the effect of Sacred Armour, by sending this equipped card from the field to the graveyard I can prevent JD's destruction and half the damage I would've received!" It was a futile move on Demil's part, but he was no longer thinking about the duel. He was much more concerned about the unhinged Dark Rebellion that was now flying towards him with a furious power.
Demil's LP: 1000 – 0
Yuto: Win!
Indeed when the duel ended, Dark Rebellion didn't fade away nor did Judgement Dragon. But there was clearly only one of them that was capable of movement. With barely anytime to manoeuvre, Demil took his third bump that day and found himself pinned to the wall of a warehouse in between Dark Rebellion's tusks. Yuto closing in fast.
"Heh, you're a Psychic Duelist too, huh?" Demil said, finally bringing up the fact that had been nagging him throughout the duel. Monsters shouldn't had done nearly as much damage without the Real Solid Vision system and it was very clearly lacking in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. "I thought as much, so we share that between us. How'd you find out? Wait, no, I'm not interested in that. All I'm interested in is why you attacked me."
"You're not the one asking the questions here, Yali." Yuto snarled, having calmed down from the peak of his rage, but with the dark aura still semi-visible around him. "Especially with what you did to Ruri, including in this duel."
Demil shook his head, scowling "Y'know, just saying that I am that person doesn't make it true. I get that he probably did some shit you, but that doesn't mean you take it out on some random person you've never met before! Get back at him, not I!"
"Stop denying it!" Yuto shouted back, hand itching for a button he swore once to never use. One that Shun had taken a perverse liking too as of recent. "I have you now, and you're not about to talk your way out of it again! You have nowhere to run off to now."
"Fuck!" Demil shouted, having just about had it. "You really want me to prove something to you? I have three statements. 1: Take a look at my hair, is it in any similar to who want? 2: Look at my eyes. Are they the eyes of the man that caused you so much pain? 3: Look at my back, that should tell you more than enough." And just to drive his point home even more, Demil followed through on his promise. Removing the bandages that seemed omnipresent around his right eye and the ones that covered his back.
Yuto stared in shock as he witnessed what Demil revealed. Removing the bandage around his eye revealed a heavily scarred mess that looked like it had been slashed at by an inhuman beast, more like a dragon, with its white sclera and iris burning itself into his memory.
However, he looked at Demil's back, and found something even more jarring. Splayed across nearly all of the skin was a massive, black birthmark. One that was eerily familiar to one Yuto already knew of, but was in entirely the wrong place for this to be Yali.
But still, it was the same… Did that mean…?
If what he was thinking was true did that mean that wasn't Ruri on the other side? And if so, did they share something similar? She had called him "Yuri" before, and whilst that had confused him at first he thought she had screwed up in the heat of the moment. Did that mean he had a look-a-like as well?
Yuto's anger faded, replaced by nothing but confusion.
Just what the hell was going on here?
And he had a feeling that this went deeper than any of the three of them would like to admit.
A/N: WOO, WOO, WOO, YOU KNOW IT! I'm back, baby! I'm so, so sorry that this took so long to make as apart from what had happened to me back in August (Death of a family member, I can finally say) which caused the initial setback, I started university at the end of September which caused even more of my time to be taken up. Add on a fatal case of writer's block and it was game set and match for a while.
However! I finally got through it and I finished the chapter. I hoped you enjoyed reading it, the ones of you that have still stuck around for this trainwreck of a story. I can finally say that the plot is well underway and that even if this duel seems a bit confusing at first, I can assure you that there is a reason I chose these two to duel specifically.
Anyway, as you can see a by a few of the teasers, expect Yuya and Serena to be jumping into the fray very, very soon. As for why I had Yuto win the duel instead of the OC, XYZ boy needs some love and I'm not about to bury him for the sake of making one of my OCs look better.
See ya in the next one and I hope that nothing gets in my way to stop me from putting it out next month.