"By the effect of Apoqliphort Towers," said Enzo, "all special summoned monsters on the field lose five hundred attack points!" The metal monstrosity emanated a faint blue glow, which enveloped Aquarii and caused him to shrink (ATK: 1800—1300). "Plus, it is unaffected by all spell and trap effects, as well as the effects of monsters with a lower level or rank."

"Just like Skybase, then…" Matsuda ground his teeth. He could survive this turn, but barely—after that, he'd need his deck to produce a miracle.

Enzo grinned. "Correct, boy, though you still have no idea the further power this monster possesses. Nonetheless, it will not be necessary, as I have the effects of Helix and Carrier to activate. Helix targets a spell or trap for destruction, and Carrier returns a monster to the hand!"

His jaw slack, Matsuda sputtered. What the hell? Enzo had used Helix in his duel with Kaneko, but used Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy her card instead. Why? Had he misplayed back then? No… there was no way.

This man had deliberately held back his true strength to surprise them with it later. Cold flooded Matsuda's gut; what else would he have up his sleeve? At times like this, he wished the duel disk's card-reading functionality was viable, but nobody was about to stop so he could read their cards. Especially Enzo.

The spirits of Enzo's tributed monsters each zoomed toward his two cards, ready to strike him wide open.

But he'd seen this much coming, at least.

"I activate my trap in response!" said Matsuda, his set card flipping over. "Empty Nebula! By activating this card as chain link two or higher, my Cosmic HERO monsters are unaffected by any effect that targets them!"

"You read that far ahead?" said Enzo, smirking as the afterimages faded, having done nothing. "But all you have done is prolong your suffering—the additional effect of Apoqliphort Towers! Once per turn, you must select a monster from your hand or field to send to the graveyard. Now, choose!"

Whirring, the great machine charged a blue beam at its bottom.

Matsuda blanched, heart sinking to his feet. It was an obvious choice—he knew which card would be more valuable—but that didn't make it hurt any less. Bit by bit, Enzo drove him further into a corner.

"I send the Space Captain in my hand to the graveyard," said Matsuda.

The beam fired, knocking the card from Matsuda's hand and into the correct slot.

"And now," said Enzo, pointing at Matsuda's monster, "Apoqliphort Towers will attack Cosmic HERO Aquarii!" Another beam charged, this one thrice the size of the last. Its release engulfed the warrior, instantly searing him to ash and barrelling into Matsuda.

The attack drove him back, his skin roasting as blazing agony lanced him from every direction. He couldn't see. He couldn't hear. He couldn't think.

His lungs emptied when he thudded into the bleacher wall, ribs cracking (Matsuda: 1900—200). Gasping, he tried to look up. Though his vision blurred, he could just about make out a lump of something standing behind an imposing shadow.

Enzo, and his ace monster.

Or maybe he had something even more powerful in his arsenal.

Matsuda screwed his eyes shut, trying to stand. He fell to all fours. Quivering, he wondered if the pain would ever fade—it played across him like a peeler, slicing away pieces at a time.

In that moment, he'd never been more sure of anything.

Another hit would kill him.


OP2: Volbeat - Cape of Our Hero


Undying Hope

"It's my… turn…"

"Huh?" Shiroku pursed his lips, cheeks twitching. "But you can't move, right? So don't I win by default?"

It was true enough; all he could muster was a weak shiver, restricted by the ice encasing him. But there was always a way. Though slowly, his body heat would melt the ice, perhaps enough to allow a tiny motion.

He had to try.

Struggling, he smirked as he heard a crack by his neck. His head came free, and he moved it down to his frost-covered disk.

"Draw!" he said, his hardened voice muffled by the card between his lips.

Shiroku stared in amazement. "Did you just draw a card… with your mouth?" He grimaced. "Gross."

"I'm sure they'd understand. I activate the spell card Graceful Charity!" Practically spitting the card into his disk, he glared at Shiroku. "With this, I draw three cards and discard two." With his mouth, he did so, forehead creased in concentration.

"And what's next?" said Shiroku, breaking into a giggling fit. "What happens when you drop one of your cards? Will you be able to pick it back up?"

"Even if I had only a single fold of skin with which to hold them, such a thing would never happen. The Agents are a part of my soul."

"You have a soul? You? An artificial human created to serve the Keeper?"

It felt like a stake driving through his chest. For the longest time, he'd have shared that incredulity—he was a being made for one purpose, after all. But real humans had their purposes, yet still sought beyond them. Like Matsuda and his friends. If their purpose was to defeat the evil that confronted them, they still refused to let it consume them.

Kenta had felt something as he watched Matsuda mourn over his mother's corpse. Something terrible, a brackish taste flooding up his throat. A tearing inside. The urge to scream. After spending days agonising over it, he'd finally come to a conclusion: his heart had broken for Matsuda. Seeing the pain and despair overcoming his friend—and being able to do nothing about it—had hurt him in a primal way. A way he'd never felt before.

And then he'd known, that was how it felt to be alive. A feeling only a being with a soul, a heart that could love, hate, and grieve, would ever know.

Their friendship was real, and it had crept up on him without him ever realising.

"I was surprised, too," he said. "Nonetheless, your cheap tricks won't be able to stop me!" He'd almost assembled the pieces of his victory. It was time to counter-attack. "I summon The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter!"

A monster with dark skin and a headdress took to the field (Lv. 4, ATK: 1800).

Shiroku yawned. "Honestly, I was expecting something with a little more 'oomph'."

"Each piece of the combo is a word, and they come together to form a duelist's expression." Kenta narrowed his eyes. "Against an ingrate like you who has forgotten that, there's no way I can lose! With Jupiter's effect, I may discard another Agent—such as Mars—to special summon another that is banished! Return, Uranus (Lv. 5, ATK: 2200)!"

"What a lucky draw," said Shiroku, clicking his tongue.

"Luck has no bearing on this duel," said Kenta. "Now, I activate the effect of Uranus!"

"What? It still had an effect?"

"Of course. I send Saturn from my deck to the graveyard, and its level becomes Uranus'!" The monster glowed black (Lv. 5—6).

Setting his jaw, Shiroku scowled. "A level ten Synchro summon? You're getting awfully impertinent for a popsicle."

With a nod of his head, Kenta's monsters surged into the sky, playing out their summoning sequence. "The flaring of the sun gives birth to a blazing new horizon!" The pillar of light that erupted quickly faded, revealing a huge fairy with golden wings and white armour accented by red and gold. "Rise, Master Flare Hyperion (Lv. 10, ATK: 3200)!"

His new monster glared down at Shiroku, who shuddered, his lips forming a grim line. "You summoned a monster… this strong?"

"And where has your jovial demeanour gone, Shiroku Yuki?" Kenta rolled his shoulders, warmth—flowing from Master Flare Hyperion—flooded through him, melting the ice encasing him.

Gritting his teeth, Shiroku said, "that has nothing to do with it! Most importantly, you still won't be able to beat me!"

"Is that so?" said Kenta. "The pieces of my victory are all in place, though."

"Don't be absurd—like I'd ever lose to a mere doll!"

"We shall see. I activate the effect of Master Flare Hyperion: by sending the Majesty Hyperion in my deck to the graveyard, Master Flare gains his name and effects for the rest of the turn." A spirit much like the Synchro monster, but black, materialised in a shroud around it.

"And what of it? Either way, you can only get rid of one monster!"

"Majesty Hyperion's effect: by banishing Jupiter, I may special summon him from my graveyard!"

Shiroku blanched. "What?!"

"Revive, Majesty Hyperion!" The monster sprung from a hole in the stone floor (Lv. 8, ATK: 2100). "And now, his additional effect."

"Another one?"

"By banishing Venus from my graveyard, I may banish any card from yours!"

His eyes widening, Shiroku swallowed. "You mean…"

"That's right," said Kenta, pointing as a black jet of flame burst toward Shiroku's graveyard. "Your Ritual spells can banish themselves to search another spell, yes? In which case, my choice is obvious: I banish your Nekroz Cycle!" The fire ripped the card away.

With a growl, Shiroku said, "you must think you're really clever, but you're nothing more than a puppet. A thing for the Keeper to—"

"Master Flare Hyperion attacks Gungnir!" Golden fire erupted from the Synchro monster's fists, consuming Shiroku's monster before washing over the duelist himself (Shiroku: 2900—2200).

The flames licked at Shiroku. He snarled, his skin turning red and puffy as his face took on a dark cast.

"And Majesty Hyperion attacks Ariel!"

A black inferno swallowed Shiroku and his monster up, piercing wails emanating from the blaze. When it faded, he fell to his knees, panting raggedly as he stared off into the distance (Shiroku: 2200—1100).

"I set one card, and end my turn."


He needed to focus.

"I activate the effect of Cosmic HERO Aquarii!"

What he'd told his mother still rang through his head—"if I'm dead, I can't protect anything."

"When he's destroyed, I can special summon a Cosmic HERO Synchro from my grave with five hundred extra attack points! Revive, Cygnus X-1!" Even as Aquarii burned, the demonic monster ascended from the ashes (ATK: 2800—3300).

"However," said Enzo, "the effect of Qliphort Shell reduces its attack power by three hundred (ATK: 3300—3000) and Towers by a further five hundred (ATK: 3000—2500)!"

No matter what, he couldn't let himself die. If he meant as much to Kimiko as she did to him, it would break her. He wouldn't make her lose anyone else. And what of his friends? They would be beside themselves, regretting following him into this godforsaken mess. Plus, he'd have no way of stopping it.

So he had to survive, and the only way to do that was focus. On one clear path.

Victory.

"However," said Matsuda, sneering to hide his winces, "you have no more monsters to battle with. Is your turn over?"

Enzo huffed. "Insolent boy. I set two cards and then it is finished, with Qliphort Monolith's effect granting me three extra draws."

"Cosmic HERO Aquarii's effect wears off during the end phase (Cygnus X-1 ATK: 2500—2000)." His monster—shrunken as it was—looked pitiful. But it gave him a chance, a single pivot on which to turn the entire duel.

He just needed to draw the right card.

Come on, he thought, placing his fingers atop his deck.

And hearing an incoherent string of whispers in response.

Flinching, he staggered back, rubbernecking in search of the source. It stopped as quickly as it started. He shook his head, ignoring Enzo's confused stare, and put his fingers back atop his deck.

The whispering resumed.

His eyes bugged. What the hell was this? Why did the voices only come when he touched his deck? Unless… no. That was impossible.

"What are you doing?" said Enzo. "Either draw your card or surrender."

Snapping back to reality, Matsuda glowered at him. He could figure it out later—right now, he had a duel to win. "It's my turn. Draw!"

Something pleasant rushed through him as he turned the card over, like the feeling of cold milk after a hot bath. He grinned.

"I activate the spell card, Matter Conversion! I pay half my life points (Matsuda: 200—100) to special summon a Cosmic HERO from my graveyard—revive, Space Captain!" Blue smoke poured from Matsuda, convalescing into the shape of a man.

"A special summon, eh? In that case, the continuous trap…" One of Enzo's face-downs flipped over, filling the field with a dark grey smog that dissipated Matsuda's effect. "Vanity's Emptiness! With this, neither player can special summon monsters!"

Clenching his teeth, Matsuda threw his arm out to the side. "I was waiting for that—the effect of Cygnus X-1! I banish the Galactic Guardian in my graveyard to negate your trap and destroy it!" A light flew to the outstretched hand of the fiend, who growled as he pointed it at the offending card.

"I was the one who was waiting, boy!" Enzo beamed. "I activate another continuous trap: Skill Drain!"

"Skill… Drain?" said Matsuda, his knees slackening.

"That's right—by paying a thousand life points (Enzo: 1400—400), I negate the effects of all monsters on the field!"

All the colour drained from Cygnus. Matsuda looked on, trembling, and made a fist.

No way out.

"However," said Enzo, "since Towers is unaffected by spells and traps, his effect remains! You have a single monster and no cards in your hand. No matter what plan you had, it has come to nothing, and my next turn will bring your end!"

He fell to his knees. "I… I switch Cygnus to defence mode (DEF: 1000) and end my turn."


Kaneko slid into the seat next to Daitaro, her mind racing with recently-revealed information. Yamato's words had twisted her gut and put her chin on the floor. She'd been expecting strange—a given in the situation they faced—but nowhere near the level she'd just learned.

She fingered the object hidden in her skirt. Despite not wanting to stand out, she still needed utility, so she'd sewn pockets into it. Apparently, she had excellent foresight.

Go figure.

"Sis," said Daitaro, voice grave. "He talk?"

Her brother's eyes—previously glued to the duel—shifted to focus on her. She turned to the field. Matsuda slumped on his knees facing an enormous monster she'd never seen before, and her heart jumped. They had more pressing matters. Plus, she didn't want to repeat herself, so she'd let this play out first.

"Yes," she said. "I'd like to tell you both at the same time."

Daitaro sighed, his expression heavy. "You might not get the chance. Without a miracle, he loses this turn."

Something fluttered in her stomach. "If anyone can create a miracle, it's him."

He eyed her with a solemn nod. "I hope you're right. What happened to Kimura?"

"She's distracting Miranda."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

She saw concern flicker across his features, but it seemed the same as hers—fleeting, overridden by the logic that no matter what else, Kimiko Kimura was the kind of person who survived.

"We can't do anything about that," said Kaneko, swallowing. "All we can do is cheer Matsuda on from the bottom of our hearts."


"It's my turn," said Shiroku through a snarl. Noting his card, he smirked. "It was fun playing this game with you, puppet, but your time just ran out. You might have been proud of your little play last turn, it was pointless. I start with the spell card, Pot of Extravagance! By banishing six cards from my extra deck, I draw two cards!"

Kenta looked on, impassive.

"And now I banish the Nekroz Mirror in my graveyard, along with Nekroz of Unicore, to activate its effect! I add another Nekroz Cycle to my hand, and I'll activate it by tributing the Dance Princess in my grave along with banishing Exa in my graveyard by his own effect! Child of the mythical ritualists, don your legendary armour! Be reborn, Nekroz of Trishula!"

From the ritual came a red-headed boy in winged armour, wielding a jagged icy sword (Lv. 9, ATK: 2700).

"The effect of Trishula!" said Shiroku, grinning. "When he's summoned, I can banish one card each from your hand, field, and graveyard! Since you have no hand, that won't be happening, but say goodbye to your strongest monsters!"

"In response," said Kenta, "the effect of Master Flare Hyperion! By banishing the Master Hyperion in my grave, I can banish one card on the field! Naturally, I choose your Trishula!" Master Flare charged purple flames in it hands, releasing them at the same time a blast of ice from Trishula's sword washed over both him and Kenta's grave. By the end, neither remained, phasing out of existence.

Smirking, Shiroku said, "and now you have nothing left to defend with, I'll activate the spell card, Monster Reborn! Be reborn, Nekroz of Gungnir!" The armoured woman returned to the field. "Next, I banish the Nekroz Cycle and Dance Princess in my grave to add another Mirror to my hand, and discard it to activate the effect of Gungnir!" He pointed at Kenta's field. "I'm not stupid, you know: expecting me to destroy your field spell, you set a trap to punish me for battling, right? Since your Fountain doesn't matter with your life points so low."

Kenta said nothing. He couldn't tell if the boy thought he was educational or just loved the sound of his own voice.

"Of course, the correct decision is to destroy your Majesty Hyperion!" said Shiroku. Gungnir thrust forth her sceptre, ice streaming from it and enveloping Kenta's monster before shattering.

Shiroku giggled, twitching as he stared through his opponent. "And finally, Nekroz of Gungnir attacks you directly!"

She raised her staff, frost twinkling in the air beside her.

"I knew you would make that decision," said Kenta, meeting his gaze. "That you would think to read my intentions, and conclude as such."

"You think you read me?" said Shiroku, scoffing.

"Had you simply destroyed my field spell," said Kenta, "I would have lost. But as it is…" Pressing a button on his duel disk, he revealed his trump card. "I win. The trap, Return From the Different Dimension!"

"What?!"

A rift tore through the fabric of reality, monsters streaming through the gap. "At the cost of half my life points (Kenta: 100—50), I special summon as many of my banished monsters as possible! Come back: Master Hyperion (Lv. 8, ATK: 2700), Master Flare Hyperion (Lv. 10, ATK: 3200), Earth (Lv. 2, DEF: 0), Jupiter (Lv. 4, DEF: 0), and Neptune (Lv. 160, DEF: 0)!"

Unmoving, Shiroku stared, his jaw loose and eyes wide. "It… it can't be…"

"Why would it not? Could you not expect that the companions tied to my soul would return to defend me?

Shiroku said nothing.

"Will you continue the battle?"

"No… I end my turn."

"During the end phase, the monsters special summoned by Return From the Different Dimension are once again banished." The rift re-opened, sucking in the monsters.

"All you did," spat Shiroku, "is buy yourself a turn! You're relying entirely on a top-deck, and—"

"A top-deck?" Kenta chuckled, shaking his head. "Allow me to tell you something. Friendship. Bonds. Camaraderie. These were all things I had never believed in, or even considered."

"What's your point?"

"Thanks to Matsuda, I now understand. It's not that I didn't have a soul—just that I ignored its urges in favour of my mind. But no longer. This soul of mine burns with only one thing… the bonds I share with both my comrades and my deck! It is because of that I will defeat you! The spell I will draw is not something you can defend!"

"You know what card you'll draw?" Throwing his head back, Shiroku laughed. "Don't be stupid! In an Instinct Duel, the will of the duelists is most important, and a doll like you has less determination than a suicidal donkey!"

"Is that so? You believe only one factor to be important? The will, the logic, and the bonds. These are the triumvirate that creates true Instinct!" He drew his card. "It's here."

Shiroku shuddered. "Seriously?"

"I activate the spell card, The Rift in the Sky! To activate this card, I must banish a Sanctuary from my field zone." Their surroundings reverted to black, a golden tear above Kenta replacing the great castle. "Now, I may shuffle one of my banished fairy-type monsters back into my deck, and special summon a banished monster with a lower level.

"I shuffle Master Flare Hyperion into my extra deck, and special summon Master Hyperion with its effects negated!" Kenta's ace returned to the field again, greyed out but still with an intensity that made Shiroku's knees buckle.

"But it's not enough," said Shiroku. "Without its effect, you can't do enough damage!"

"Until the end phase," said Kenta, "the monster special summoned by The Rift in the Sky has its attack points increased by the level of the returned monster times a hundred!"

Shiroku staggered back. "What the hell is that?!"

"I told you," said Kenta as Hyperion grew (ATK: 2700—3700), "that you could not defend it."

Shiroku fell on his backside. "No… but… to a puppet?"

"This puppet," said Kenta, "has no strings. Master Hyperion, end this duel!"

The fairy charged white-hot flames in its hand, melting the frost around Gungnir and incinerating her.

This monster's fire engulfed Shiroku, his screams overwhelmed by the sound of searing flesh (Shiroku: 1100—0, winner: Kenta). When it subsided, Shiroku convulsed on the floor. The holograms dispersed, returning them to the endless void as Kenta advanced on his defeated opponent.

"As promised," he said, "you will tell me what you know."

"Go to hell," moaned Shiroku, struggling to sit up. "Did you actually think I'd—"

"The choice is yours, but know this: when a wager is staked upon a duel in a Chaos Field, the Field will remain until the wager is fulfilled."

Shiroku grit his teeth.


When the field disappeared, Kenta narrowed his eyes upon seeing the smoke rising from the roof of the arena. Stranger still was the sound of sirens and complete lack of humanity surrounding it. A police perimeter, perhaps? Given the technology involved, it had only been a matter of time.

He needed to get back to the others.

But first, he had a problem to take care of.

"You shall be coming with me."

"He shall not!" A high, feminine voice erupted from beside him, and Kenta scrambled back from the fireball whooshing at his face.

"What is this?"

It singed the tip of his nose before cannoning into a fountain, spluttering out after cracking the carved stone.

"Shirokun!" The source scampered over to the fallen duelist, lightly punching his arm as she pouted. "You didn't lose, right?"

Shrugging, he gave a light chuckle. "Sorry, Amai. I messed up."

"That's so mean, I told you you're not allowed to lose to anyone but me!"

"But if I lose to you, won't I turn into charcoal?"

Kenta readied his duel disk, studying the girl bickering with Shiroku. She was short, with pink hair and big eyes, a twisted smile adorning her face. Blue denim jeans accompanied a yellow halter top and white knee boots, the duel disk on her left wrist in the shape of an inferno.

When he took a step, she turned to him and growled. It was a primal sound, full of rage and spit and hatred—something he'd have expected from a rabid dog, perhaps.

"You wish to fight as well?" said Kenta, pursing his lips. He wouldn't show it, but he was ready to drop. His duel with Shiroku had pushed him to the limit, and he wasn't sure he could survive another.

Even for an artificial human, the Chaos Field was no joke.

"I'll turn you into a scorch mark if you come near my Shirokun," said the girl—Amai—before helping the defeated duelist to his feet.

Kenta's eyes flipped between the pair, who had begun retreating, and the eerie arena. He couldn't waste any more time.

He already had the information.

"This isn't over," he called. "Shiroku Yuki. Amai."

"Next time," said Shiroku, voice shaky as he peered over his shoulder, "I'll bury you."

Shaking his head, Kenta headed toward the arena.


"Matsuda!" came a rough voice from the stands, "the duel ain't over yet—stand up!"

But it was. Daitaro just hadn't caught up.

"Your friend is a fool," said Enzo, drawing his final card. "I activate the effect of Apoqliphort Towers. Now, send your monster to the graveyard!"

He couldn't move. Towers' beam overwhelmed Cygnus, who vanished in a spark of energy. Swallowing, Matsuda stared at the behemoth. That was right. This wasn't the kind of opponent he could defeat with half-assed dueling, without giving his all in the fervent scramble for victory. Just buying time was impossible. In this moment, he had two choices—win, or die. He'd promised to come back alive.

He was about to break that promise.

"And now," said Enzo, "Towers attacks you directly!"

The monster began charging its beam. Matsuda goggled at it, his eyes glassy and mind racing.

"Matsuda!" It was Kaneko's voice this time. "Don't forget about your mother! Don't forget what Mike told you! And most importantly, don't forget that we believe in you!"

Too little, too late. His stomach churned and roiled, bile forcing its way up his throat. It occurred to him then—that faith would probably be their deaths.

Maybe they'd meet up in the afterlife, and share funny stories about that time he got them all killed.

The beam released, blue light promising his death.

Suddenly, he felt the fear and frustration leech out of him, leaving a placid serenity with which he could only sigh. Would he meet his mother again? She'd be aghast that it came so soon, but surely she'd be happy to see him.

Or maybe he'd meet King Enma instead, for leading his friends into certain doom. Though it could just be nothingness. Either way, he was about to find out.

At that point, he started remembering—his fondest memories flashed by his eyes, from the heart-pounding duels he'd had with his friends to the warmth of his mother. And Kimiko. Leaving her alone tore his chest in two.

Alongside these came something he'd tried his hardest to forget.

He'd been five, maybe six, and standing in the hallway of his house. It was dark—midnight—but he hadn't been able to sleep, maybe because he'd sensed the man's apprehension at dinner.

Now, he crouched on the staircase, overflowing eyes fixed on the back of the tall man standing before the doorway. Coldness flooded through him.

"You're coming back," squeaked Matsuda, "right?"

"I'm sorry, son," he replied. "I don't know. The bad people are very dangerous, this time. But I promise I'll try my best."

Matsuda whined. "Dad…"

"Listen up, son, and don't forget this." Straightening his back, Matsuda's father rested a hand on the door. "Never surrender to evil—"

He snapped back to the present, and the death ray mere feet from turning him into a black stain on the floor. Why was he remembering that now? What difference did it make?

And how did the phrase end again?

His life resumed its playback, and he caught something. Something that, in his hopelessness, he had forgotten.

"Never surrender to evil."

During this very duel, he had done something without even thinking. As though something guided him.

"For while good still draws breath…"

He remembered clearly now. Like a desperate fog in his mind had lifted, and everything he'd missed was finally visible. The signs. The words.

The memories.

"Hope will never die," he whispered to himself.

Light overtook him, and the arena fell to silence. The power of the assault seemed enough to bore a hole in the wall, but it did nothing, instead dissipating on contact. What remained of the audience sat with bated breath. As the attack faded, a pool of smoke billowed around where Matsuda had stood, shrouding the inevitability for just a few seconds.

"Thus the curtain falls," said Enzo. "I am sorry, Matsuda Yukaro, but nothing will stand in the way of my dream."

"That's funny," came a voice from the smoke, "because I'm still standing."

Around him, the smog cleared, revealing Matsuda standing charred but unharmed (Matsuda: 100).


Daitaro grinned, his knotted muscles melting as he slumped back into the hard seat. "You were right! If anyone can pull off a miracle, it's him."

"But still," said Kaneko, frowning, "he has no cards left on the field or in his hand, and Enzo's field is almost insurmountable."

"Weren't you the one talking about believing in him before?"

"I do." She allowed a small smile to escape, transfixed on the duel. "All I'm saying is that he'll have to create another miracle."

"He can do it. The next draw decides the match."


Eyes and mouth agape, Enzo gasped. "How? You had nothing left to defend with!"

"Wrong," said Matsuda, holding up a card. "I activated the effect of Cosmic HERO Trickster in my graveyard."

"But when…?" Enzo's nostrils flared, a sardonic chuckle escaping his lips. "Cosmic HERO Aquarii, of course. And how does your level one monster affect the unaffected Apoqliphort Towers, pray tell?"

"Trickster's effect isn't aimed at your monster," said Matsuda. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can banish Trickster to end the battle phase!"

"I see," said Enzo, clicking his tongue. "Such pointless struggling. What will you be able to do with a single card?" He threw his arms out to the side, throwing a sympathetic glance at Matsuda. "My warrior's code compels me to defeat my enemies at their strongest, not to continue swinging at a walking corpse. Simply surrender with pride, as a warrior, and—"

"A warrior?" Matsuda scoffed. His muscles ached, but he refused to fall again. He'd done enough moping. Chest flaring, he closed his eyes, trembling as fury lit his nerves. "Stop screwing around: not a single one of the people you've killed has been a warrior. The people in that restaurant. Kimiko's parents. My mother.

"And I'm no warrior, either—I'm just an idiot who can't look away from people in need. So for the people who died, and the people who're left behind, I'll stake it all on my next draw. On the power of the bonds lying in my deck." He glowered at Enzo, who smirked. "I'll stomp your 'warrior's code' into the damn ground!"

"You are deluded," said Enzo." I set one card and end my turn."

Wrong. Thinking back, only one thing could have filled the void he felt when he first returned to his empty home. Her smell still lingered, and her decorations stood as though mocking him. Filling the hole had been impossible.

But the booster box sitting on the table had told him one thing.

She was still with him.

There was a card in his deck that could break Enzo's lock, but the problem was its ending. He couldn't access a way to defeat Towers. He put his fingers on his deck.

He hesitated.

"Faith."

This time, he didn't jump or rubberneck. Rather, he smiled. As though he'd finally heard the voice of an old friend he'd been missing.

If they wanted his trust, they already had it.

"It's my turn," he said. "Draw!"

"Whatever that card is, it is useless!"

"We'll see about that." Matsuda slammed the card into his disk. "I set the scale ten Cosmic HERO Messier in the Pendulum zone!"

Enzo flinched. "A Pendulum card?" He relaxed, breaking into rumbling laughter. "But you have no other monsters to summon, and not even a full Pendulum scale! Must we continue this farce?"

"Pendulum monsters in the Pendulum zone are treated as spell cards," said Matsuda, "so they're unaffected by Skill Drain. The Pendulum effect of Cosmic HERO Messier!"

"Pointless!"

Enzo's words did nothing to him. He could feel it burning in the recesses of his gut—he wouldn't die, and he'd begin the long road to justice. The rage pointed at one target, for one purpose. His friends. His city. His world.

No matter what, he'd win and protect them all.

"When Messier is alone in the Pendulum zones, I can accompany him with another monster from my deck! Using Messier and the scale two Cosmic HERO Barnard, I set the Pendulum scales!" A bald man in a lab coat sprung up alongside his compatriot.

"However," said Enzo, "you have no monsters to Pendulum summon, and Vanity's Emptiness would prevent it anyway! Why can you not see the truth, Matsuda Yukaro? You are already dead!"

"Someone like you," said Matsuda, "could never kill hope! Barnard's Pendulum effect: by destroying two Cosmic HEROes in my Pendulum zones, I can add a Cosmic spell card from my deck to my hand. The card I choose is Cosmic Pendulum!" Barnard held up an arm, summoning two pillars of lightning that disintegrated the Pendulum scales. The energy formed into the shape of a card in Matsuda's hand.

"And what can you do with a single spell card? My continuous traps—"

"Mean nothing! Cosmic HERO Messier's monster effect activates!"

"What?!"

Matsuda pointed at the two cards in Enzo's back row. "When Messier is destroyed, I can send one spell or trap you control to the graveyard. Naturally, I send Skill Drain!"

The lightning reformed, lancing through Enzo's trap and shattering it.

"And," said Matsuda, "when a card is sent from its controller's field to the grave, Vanity's Emptiness is destroyed!"

It shattered, lifting the smog and clearing the field.

Enzo smirked. "Interesting. You found the weakness of Vanity's Emptiness, I see… but you still must defeat my Apoqliphort Towers, and there isn't a card in your deck that can do so!"

His stomach dropped. As it was, Enzo was right—he didn't have a way to defeat his ultimate monster. But still.

He trusted his deck.

"Blah, blah, blah, do you ever stop talking?" Matsuda's lip curled. "When did I say I was finished? I activate the spell card, Cosmic Pendulum! When I control no monsters, I can special summon as many face-up Cosmic HEROes from my extra deck as possible! Come out, Messier (Lv. 6, DEF: 1900) and Barnard (Lv. 3, DEF: 800)!"

The two monsters emerged in defensive positions. They stared down Enzo's monster, their faces tight with apprehension.

"But this turn, I can't attack you directly."

"I see," said Enzo. "You intend to defend, do you? However—"

"The effect of Cosmic HERO Barnard!" yelled Matsuda, spit flying from his teeth. "When he's special summoned from the extra deck, I can add a Cosmic HERO from my deck to my hand!"

"Amusing. Very well, Matsuda Yukaro—show me your final stand!"

He put his hand to his deck.

And stopped.

This was the point he'd planned up to, the one after which he had no answer. If he couldn't choose right, he'd die. Data Dog seemed the obvious choice, but could any of his Synchros carry him to victory? Proxima Centauri would be too weak. He couldn't afford the life points for Sirius' effect, thus couldn't summon Eridani.

His heart jumped into his throat.

"Well?" said Enzo. "What card will you add?"

Breath catching, he made to search his deck.

Then a light flashed, and he was somewhere else.

It was pitch-black but for pinpricks of light in the distance. A nebula twisted and undulated nearby, purple colours penetrating the darkness. He stopped breathing.

As he looked around, he saw nothing but more pinpricks and darkness. Was this space? Had he somehow been transported to the furthest reaches of the universe? If so, how was he alive?

An incandescent glow shone before him, and he shielded his eyes, grunting. As it faded, his face slackened upon seeing the figure hidden within.

Floating against the backdrop of space, just like him, was a warrior. He was tall, with long silver hair and an easy smile, and he wore glittering obsidian armour with spikes jutting from the shoulders. A platinum greatsword adorned his waist, and he held out a hand to Matsuda.

"I—impossible," said Matsuda. "You're…"

"Call me now," said the figure, his voice soft.

"But how?" Matsuda grimaced, his expression frenzied. "I definitely didn't put you in my deck. You were… I hid you!"

The figure offered a sympathetic gaze. "I have come in response to your wish. The unbreakable resolve you have to win, enforce justice, and protect—it is my honour to heed such a call. Now, you know what you must do."

Clenching his fist, Matsuda drew blood from his palm. "But…" He bit his bottom lip. "You're not a Cosmic HERO…"

"That is inconsequential." Again the light flashed, and Matsuda was back in the arena.

He looked around, dazed, and found that nothing had changed. How long had he been gone?

It didn't matter. Only the card in his hand did, its text shifting to reflect its new form.

"What I add is…" Flipping it around, he showed the card to Enzo. "Cosmic HERO Entropic Guardian!"

Enzo's chin plummeted. "Cosmic HERO… Entropic Guardian? But that's not possible…"


"Sis," said Daitaro, chin resting on his fist, "have you ever seen that card before?"

"No," she replied, "but I hadn't seen the Pendulum monsters either."

"So it's not what I think it is, right?"

"I doubt it," she said, looking thoroughly unconvinced. The energy making her hair stand on end seemed evidence enough. "That's not possible."


Yamato pushed himself off the railing, leaning on the crutches he'd found in a store room. He grimaced when he put too much weight on his injured knee. The Ikeda girl hadn't helped, but they'd managed to work that situation out without leaving him completely crippled.

"Matsuda Yukaro…" he said, limping toward the stairs. At his current speed, he'd need the head start. "If it's him, then maybe…"


"By banishing two Cosmic HEROes I control, and two from my grave, I can special summon this monster." Darkness descended within the arena, only the glittering of Towers' huge form providing any illumination. Until a familiar light flashed.

It absorbed the souls of Matsuda's two monsters, and reached a tendril into his graveyard. Pulsing and reverberating, the glow intensified, playing shadows across Enzo's quivering expression. Crackling silence overcame them, and the smell of ozone invaded his nostrils.

"Come forth…" Matsuda—eyes hard and nose wrinkled—slammed the card onto his disk. "Cosmic HERO Entropic Guardian!"

The light exploded, momentarily blinding those present before fading. When it did, it revealed a glorious warrior, resplendent in his obsidian armour (Lv. 12, ATK: 3000).

It was the figure Matsuda had spoken with.

Enzo sighed. "All of that for only three thousand attack points? Did you forget about Apoqliphort Towers' effect, boy? The attack power of all special summoned monsters is—"

"The effect of Cosmic HERO Entropic Guardian!" Matsuda pointed to Enzo's field. "When he's summoned, I negate the effects of all cards my opponent controls!"

"What?" said Enzo, twitching. "In that case, the quick-play spell—"

"Pointless!" Echoing Enzo's own taunt put a sickly twist of joy in his stomach. "You can't activate any cards or effects in response to Entropic Guardian!"

Gritting his teeth, Enzo scowled. "However, their attack powers are still equal! Even if you aim for a draw, next turn—"

"There is no next turn for you! Cosmic HERO Entropic Guardian attacks Apoqliphort Towers!"

The warrior gripped his greatsword, which shrouded in a dark light as a black, flaming aura erupted from him. As he stared down Towers, the mechanical giant seemed to shake, as if it feared what came next.

"Even if you force a draw," said Enzo, "there is still—"

Matsuda's voice grew cold, lowering almost to a whisper that sent chills creeping up the spines of those who heard him. "The additional effect of Entropic Guardian."

Enzo flinched. "You don't mean…"

"That's right," said Matsuda. "When this card battles my opponent's monster, that monster's attack power is reduced to zero! Go, Force of Decay!"

"WHAT?!"

Entropic Guardian's aura expanded, shooting out to engulf Towers and shrink it to the size of a child (ATK: 3000—0). The monster then shot forward, sword held back ready to slash.

"This card," he said, "is the embodiment of chaos itself. Hard light or not…" A twisted smirk found its way across his cheeks. "This attack is the last you'll ever take! If you bastards want a war, then I'll give you one… consider this my declaration! This is for my mother, you piece of shit!"

To Matsuda's shock, Enzo laughed. "Fantastic. Excellent. Magnificent! To think I would be defeated like this…" He grinned, eyeing Matsuda with admiration. "But this declaration shall also be your downfall! You have shown us all that you possess the Key, and even if I die, we will never stop hunting you!"


"Is he really…?" Daitaro sat slack-jawed, pondering the change in his friend's demeanour. "What the hell is he thinking?"

"I don't think he is," said Kaneko, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I think all he cares about is winning. Even if he paints a target on his back, he'll do anything in this moment to win." Her eyes lit up with realisation. "Of course… If they're all focused on him, they won't pay attention to us."

Daitaro's face fell. "Seriously? You think he'd do that?"

"We've never seen this side of him before—anything's possible."

"But we're his friends!"

"And don't you think that is precisely why?"

He had no answer.


"Come for me, then," said Matsuda. "Like I said before, I'll kill every last one of you! Cosmic HERO Entropic Guardian, finish this with Thermodynamic Slash!"

The monster charged toward Towers, Enzo's laughter still bouncing around the arena. Matsuda felt his heart beating in his ears. Time seemed to slow, Entropic Guardian creeping across the field almost too glacially to perceive, and Matsuda held his breath.

Somehow, he'd managed to win.

Suddenly, the monsters disappeared, the field returning to its normal form. The lights blinked out, only the narrow windows above the bleachers providing illumination.

"What the…?" Matsuda's muscles lost their tension.

"I will not have you die, Enzo," came a voice from behind the giant. "You are too important."

"That voice…" said Matsuda, eyes widening. "You're…"

From behind Enzo stepped a man—tall and wide—with slicked back violet hair and an expensive grey suit.

"Miyamoto!"

Smirking, Miyamoto reached into his jacket, producing a silver gadget. "Thanks to this EMP, not only the duel disk system, but all electronics have been disabled. It's no use calling for help." He replaced the device, pulling out something else in its place. Something black and boxy and metallic, glinting with the malice of its wielder.

Matsuda stepped back. "No way…"

"Yes way," said Miyamoto. "My real name is Shuzō Matsuri—the one who will take the Key of Reality and lay the foundations of the new world." He clicked off the gun's safety. "I'll give you one chance: hand over the card, Matsuda Yukaro."


ED2: Coldrain - The War is On


A/N: That line about card-reading was 100% a jab at all the Yu-Gi-Oh! players out there who don't read cards. Thanks for the free wins, guys. Big thanks to ThatLoneAvenger for his beta work. Please remember to follow, favourite, review, and stay awesome. 'Til next time.

Edit (7/4/22): I goofed big time on the Kenta/Shiroku duel. It's been fixed.

Trivia Corner: Enzo's final set card in this chapter was Forbidden Droplet. Basically, if Matsuda had made any move other than summoning Entropic Guardian, he'd be dead by now.

Cosmic HERO Trickster
LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect
Level 1
ATK: 0 DEF: 0
When your opponent declares an attack: you can banish this card from your GY; the battle phase is ended.

Cosmic HERO Messier
LIGHT/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
Level 6
ATK: 2200 DEF: 1900
Pendulum Scales: 10/10
(Pendulum Effect) When this card is placed in the Pendulum Zone while you have no card in your other Pendulum Zone: add 1 'Cosmic HERO' Pendulum Monster from your deck to your hand, then place it in your other Pendulum Zone.
(Monster Effect) If this card on the field is destroyed: you can target 1 spell/trap card on the field; send it to the GY.

Cosmic HERO Barnard
LIGHT/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
Level 3
ATK: 1200 DEF: 800
Pendulum Scales: 2/2
(Pendulum Effect) You can destroy 2 cards in your Pendulum Zones; add 1 'Cosmic' spell card from your deck to your hand.
(Monster Effect) When this card is special summoned from the Extra Deck: add 1 'Cosmic HERO' monster from your deck to your hand.

Cosmic HERO Entropic Guardian
DARK/Warrior/Effect
Level 12
ATK: 3000 DEF: 4000
Cannot be normal summoned/set. Can only be special summoned (from your hand) by banishing 2 'Cosmic HERO' monsters you control, and 2 from your GY. When this card is summoned: negate the effects of all cards your opponent controls. If this card battles your opponent's monster: You can banish 1 'Cosmic HERO' monster from your GY to target 1 monster your opponent controls; change its ATK to 0. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's effect activations.

Cosmic Pendulum
Normal Spell
If you control no monsters: special summon as many 'Cosmic HERO' Pendulum monsters as possible from the extra deck, also you cannot attack your opponent directly this turn.

The Rift in the Sky
Normal Spell
Banish 1 'The Sanctuary in the Sky' from your Field zone, then target 1 of your banished Fairy-type monsters that has a level; shuffle that target back into the deck, and if you do, you can special summon 1 of your banished Fairy-type monsters with a lower level, also its effects are negated, and until the end of this turn it gains ATK equal to the level of the returned monster x100.

Empty Nebula
Counter Trap
Activate only as Chain Link 2 or higher. Until the end of this turn, 'Cosmic HERO' monsters you currently control are unaffected by card effects that target them