Signs of Renewal Update 6

Another week another update everyone. Before anyone panics, the next chapter is being worked on as you read this. For those of you who didn't get a chance to see the news announced in the last update chapter, here are the new members of the "Signs of Renewal," team who have volunteered to work as co-writers!

Official Editor-in-Chief: Corinnetheanime

Official Deck Designer: Epsilon Tarantula

Official Duel Choreographer: Nox Descious

Everybody PLEASE give a round of applause and thanks to each of these Fanfic authors. They are ALL very skilled writers and I HIGHLY recommend their fanfiction.

And now, at the risk of being repetitive, let's move on to the thank-you section of this chapter.

AngeLight952: I still need to get one more chapter done before Adeel. Thank you for your patience and don't worry, I have big plans for your deck and the character. Stay tuned.

CorinnetheAnime: First, such a big hug and thank-you for being willing to act as an editor for this story. You have been a wonderful friend to me very near the beginning of my time as a fanfic writer. I am happy to report that I have already created a LOT of thrilling match-ups for both Lydia and Joho as well as very important events for their development. Thank you for directing me to that drawing and for providing all those details on their characters. It helps a lot. Stay tuned. They're coming.

Epsilon Tarantula: Thank you very much for your work. Thanks to you, I have been able to get started on the next chapter's duel. You're a great friend and I can't wait to read your fanfic when it comes out. Stay awesome and stay tuned for the appearances of more of your characters and cards.

FanOfKings: Thanks for the upgrade to Kiryu's deck. You can bet Kiryu will be using that card in a moment of character development. He will need it when facing the challenges that will be coming along. Stay tuned for his reappearance!

Ghost83: This update is for you. Let's stop the wait and introduce everyone to your character.

Greninja: I have indeed archived Shin and WILL be including her in the story. Don't worry about that, but DO feel free to send me more of those details on her. The more I have the better! Stay tuned my friend! I promise to do ALL of your characters justice, or my profile name isn't literally Spanish for Sir Justice!

Kaploblast: I can't wait to show Natsumi and Semal together! Trust me, both you and Shimmering-Sky. Once you see these person's decks you will know that they were MADE for each other WITHOUT you two even knowing it!

Kurogane Fang: I have some very thrilling duels planned for Jorq and a moment of awesomeness planned for Fang in an upcoming chapter. Stay tuned for both of them.

Maes Lawliet: Nevan will be returning with Garret. Police work is never done, especially under Roger's regime.

Nox Descious: Thank you very much for volunteering. I haven't had to request anything from you yet, but there will be a few upcoming chapters which will need to feature A LOT of tiny duels, so expect some orders to come in soon. Also, I look forward with great eagerness to new content for BOTH your stories.

Shimmering-Sky: Maybe I really am just as cruel as Yuri, but I regret to say that I STILL need to finish the next chapter before I write ALL about Natsumi. BUT BELIEVE ME! When I do write about Natsumi, I will be writing about her, and writing about her, and writing about her, and involving her, and developing her, and exploring her past, and exploring her character, and shipping her, and evolving her, and, and, and, AND! So yes, I am EAGER to write about Natsumi and all her eccentricities. Thank you very much for directing me to "Code-V: Rebirth." It was quite helpful AND an excellent read. I await eagerly the next chapter and highly recommend this cross-over fanfiction to ALL you readers. She is a great writer and a great friend.

Scorchgid: Thank you very much for your contribution. It warms my heart to know that you would be willing to share your ideas with me. One slight roadblock I have run into, because of the way this website is set up, the PM server censors Url's to other web pages, so unfortunately, this website has garbled up the links you sent me. If you could either type down those Url's with space between each letter so they aren't censored (example: : / / . c o m) OR just send me typed up versions of your cards, then I can include your archetype in the story. I look forward to hearing more from you AND I look forward to introducing your Satellite archetype to the story. Thank you once again for your contribution.

Solphage: Jeremiah will be appearing soon… very soon. And believe me, I have thought A LOT on how he will play a role in the upcoming chapters, especially in relation to Gin Tami. He will be necessary in the upcoming battles.

TheTiger39: Please give a big thank-you to Epsilon Tarantula for working so hard to make the Aquaperformer archetype come together. Thanks to his work, I am happy to report that the next chapter is coming along smoothly and should be out in the next few days or so. Stay tuned, attend a "Sea World" show to anticipate what's coming, and continue being the amazing person you are. I truly appreciate your contribution. Neya will face a lot of challenges, but she will play an important role.

And now, on to Character Questions!

This first one is from Epsilon Tarantula and is addressed to Akato.

Question: Given that three of your cards are based off of anime characters, has anyone brought this up before you incinerated them into oblivion? What reactions were the most outlandish if any?

Akato: Well, if there's one thing that I absolutely relish more than anything in my duels, it would be those absolutely priceless reactions I get from my opponents. Even the relatively worthless clods who can't even make it past my first turn often make up for wasting my time with a well performed groveling. I'm partial to a nice, "PLEASE! NO! STOP!" but the classic, "NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" or "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS! HAVE MERCY!" are not without their own aesthetic beauty.

Mmmm… as for people commenting on the Anime references… that's a good question. Certainly I think I few of those fools have noticed the references, but I haven't had anyone muster through their panic to provide some clever quip on the resemblance. Not that that matters too much. I have a way of getting EXACLTY the reactions I want from my opponents.

You see… humans are like firewood. Anyone can just burn them, but a true experts know exactly HOW to burn them. Some of them, deserve a nice slow burn. Just a bit that crawls up from their toes and up to their head in order to produce the best types of screams. Others, need to be just held up for a bit, to produce the best horrified expression, before quickly getting vaporized in front of the people who know them. I could share with you some of what I've learned, but I think Donjusticia would just censor it. I'll have to fix that.

Our second question is from Greninja and is addressed to Gin Tami

Question: By the way Gin where is Lily Hoshi at the moment if you know?

Gin Tami: I don't know! That's why Akio and I are going out! To look for her!

Akio: Are you ready Gin?

Gin Tami: (Turning to Akio) One second! I'm answering a fan's question! (Turning back to Greninja) Sorry Greninja, I've gotta go. Akio and I are going to be out in the city. Hopefully, we'll be able to find Lilly before she gets into too much trouble. Then again… this is Lilly we are talking about.

Thank you everyone for your continued support. And Greninja, your question creates a perfect transition for my announcement that Lilly WILL in fact be making an appearance in the next chapter, so stay tuned for that! For now, Ghost83, please enjoy the first glimpse of your character! FINALLY!

Signs of Renewal Extra: I will!

Chaos, absolute chaos. That was what Elbert's world had turned into.

Nobody could have known of the horrific invasion that was now taking place. Nobody could have predicted it, planned for it, or prepared for it. And now, it seemed like nobody could stop it.

Days. That's all it took. Days before Heartland was reduced to a smoldering pile of rubble, before half its citizens were turned into cards, and before even more waves of invading soldiers had moved on to other cities.

It had just been a regular day for Elbert. He had gone to class, stayed after for a little while to wait for his friend, and the two of them had just stood around and talked together about trivial things until her brother and other friend had showed up to walk her home. There was nothing weird about that day. No foreboding omen, no dark cloud in the sky, nothing to suggest that the world was about to transform into a living hell.

That's exactly what the world became when they showed up. At first, people could only look on in shock and surprised when massive pillars of light suddenly appeared in the middle of the city and swarms of uniformed men and women appeared. It had looked like a weird magic show or some kind of showy display from the holographic generators. Then people had started disappearing. Then buildings had started exploding. Then people just began to register that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all just a show.

By then it was too late. With no official military, heartland was brought to its knees. The few who could fight loosely organized themselves into a makeshift resistance force, gathering up as many civilians as they could while trying desperately to fight against the overwhelming might of the new enemy, now known as Academia. In days, there were suddenly foot and water shortages, injuries, disease, and day after day… death.

It had all been a blur when Elbert first say the explosions from the distant refuge of his home. His first thought had been, "What's happening!? That's next to R-'s house! Oh god! I have to save R-!"

Then he started to run, towards the danger while everyone else was fleeing away. People were slamming against him, clawing him out of their way, knocking him down, trampling him, doing anything to get away from the destruction. But he had fought on, he had thrown them off him, slammed back against them like a football player, clawed back at them, punched them, trampled them, anything to make sure she was safe!

When he reached her home, it was in ruins. Soldiers were going through the wreckage, tearing the place apart, looking for something.

That's when he saw them, informed men in masks with weaponized Duel Disks.

"I summon Sylvan Princessprout!"

"SYLVAN PRINCESSPRITE! OREA THE SYLVAN HIGH ARBITER!"

"Antique Gear Hound Dog! Hound Flame! Turn end!"

"Hound Flame!"

"Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog! Turn End!"

"Hound Flame!"

"Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!

"Antique Gear Chaos Factory!"

"Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog!"

"YUUGO SHOKAN!"

"ANTIQUE GEAR CHAOS GIANT!"

That's when he knew it was over. Orea was lifted into the air. The giant machine first slowly tore off one wing before slamming it against a nearby building and then ripping off the other wing. Elbert could still see the look in its robotic eye. It had looked right at him, cold, impassive, merciless, and murderous. Then it had thrown back the arm holding his struggling monster, winding up like a baseball pitcher, before throwing his monster right at him.

As the projectile came racing towards him, the only thoughts that came to his mind were, "Where is she!? Oh god where is she!? Please let her be safe! Please let R- be safe!"

"INTRUSION PENALTY! TWO-THOUSAND LIFE POINTS!"

"OOP Arts Quipu Net!"

"WHAT!"

"If a monster is destroyed, I special summon this card in order to reduce damage to zero and immediately end the Battle Phase. Next, I can Summon another OOP Arts monster from my hand. Come forth! OOP Arts Winged Sphinx!"

"Turn end!"

Elbert blearily looked to his left, just barely registering the elegantly clothed red-haired boy with deep green eyes, a kind expression on his face, and a glowing red mark on his arm.

"With my two Level Five Monsters, I construct the Overlay Network!"

"Come forth! Rank 5! OOP Arts Heracleion!"

What looked like a massive city with a ring of large Egyptian tablets hovering around the perimeter like a flotation ring had appeared.

I normal Summon OOP Arts Gordian Knott and use its effect to Summon OOP Arts Colossal Head!

"Overlay!"

"Come Forth! Rank 4! OOP Arts Urkesh!"

A new floating city appeared, this one looked older and more ruined than the previous one. Despite its ruined appearance however, the city was supported in the air with an array of surrounding floating monoliths bearing cuneiform writing, which connected the ruined city to themselves with multiple thick chains.

"Colossal Head effect! I change Antique Gear Chaos giant to defense position!"

It was gone. It was suddenly gone! In place of the massive giant was a single small face-down card.

"OOP Arts Urkesh effect! I detach 1 material to increase the ATK of all OOP Arts monsters by the difference in ATK between the face-up monsters I control and the face-up monsters my opponent controls until the end of this turn!"

They only controlled Antique Gear Chaos Giant. With it face-down, the total ATK of their monsters might as well have been zero. Elbert looked at the Stats for each monster. Heracleion had 2200 ATK while Urkesh had 1800 ATK. Both of them would be gaining 4000 ATK. The Obelisk force didn't look happy about it.

"NANI!?"

"OOP Arts Heracleion effect! If the total ATK of all OOP Arts monsters is higher than the ATK of all monsters my opponent controls, I can detach one overly unit to destroy all Spell/Trap cards my opponent controls, and destroy monsters my opponent controls up to the number of Spell/Trap Cards destroyed with this effect!"

R.I.P. Antique Gear Chaos Factory.

R.I.P. the set Chaos Giant.

"Direct attack!"

Urkesh generated a massive sphere of plasma energy over the center of the city before firing it at one of the Obelisk Force soldiers. Heracleion sprouted four obelisks before generating bolts of electricity between the tips of the obelisks and forming a massive pyramidal mass of electric energy. With a single massive electrical blast from the electric pyramid, another Obelisk Soldier was sent flying.

"AAAAAAAGH!"

Two down, just one to go.

"I set one card and end my turn!"

"Intrusion Penalty! Two-thousand Life points!"

Another squadron of three Obelisk Soldiers joined the fight.

"Antique Gear Fortress Activate! Antique Gear Hound Dog!"

"Continuous Trap Activate! OOP Arts Ossuary! Once per turn, I can send 1 OOP Arts monster from my deck to the graveyard! I send OOP Arts Sun Chariot from my deck to the graveyard!"

"Hound Flame!"

"OOP Arts Sun Chariot negates all my opponent's effect damage while it is in the graveyard and I control an OOP Arts Monster. Furthermore, you can only select OOP Arts monsters as attack targets and OOP Arts Xyz Monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once per turn!"

"Turn end!"

"Yuugo Shokan! Come forth! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog! Antique Gear Ultimate Cannon activate! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog attack OOP Arts Urkesh!"

Elbert could only watch helplessly as the person who saved him lost 1400 Life Points, reducing his Life to 600.

"Turn end!"

"YUUGO SHOKAN! Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog! Effect activate!"

His Life Points dropped to 550. His companion's dropped to just 300.

"BATTLE! ULTIMATE HOUND DOG ATTACK!"

"INTRUSION PENALTY! TWO-THOUSAND LIFE POINTS!"

"You weren't going to let yourself have all the fun, were you Michael?"

A new stranger. He wore similar elegant clothing, wilder red-and-blonde hair, a more rascally expression on his face, and a similar glowing red mark on his own arm.

"Gimmick Puppet Manipulator Activate! I Special Summon this card from my hand to end my opponent's Battle Phase!"

A strange humanoid mannequin with a blank face and six skeletal arms appeared over the heads of the soldiers before shooting strings from its fingers and controlling Ultimate Hound Dog like a puppet as its robotic limbs were ensnared by Manipulator's bindings.

"Turn end!"

"Gimmick Puppet Scissor Arms Shokan!"

Elbert recoiled as a nightmarish monster made from a mess of humanoid mannequins and a pair of scissor blades appeared.

"I send Gimmick Puppet Twister from my deck to the graveyard!"

An even more hideous monstrosity briefly appeared before descending into the graveyard. It looked like nothing more than a crossbar with grotesque clawed hands made up of black-and-white mannequins coming down from the ends of the crossbar instead of strings.

"Junk Puppet activate! I Special Summon Twister and use its effect to Summon another Gimmick Puppet Monster from my deck! I summon Gimmick Puppet Necro Doll!"

A coffin appeared and opened up. Inside was a macabre doll designed like the corpse of a young girl.

"OVERLAY! COME FORTH! RANK EIGHT! GIMMICK PUPPET EXECUTIONER!"

A massive puppet emerged from the Xyz Portal. Its massive head was covered with a black burlap sack while it wielded two massive axes with a set of three twisted arms.

"SCISSOR ARMS, MANIPULATOR, OVERLAY! COME FORTH! RANK FOUR! GIMMICK PUPPET DOLL-MAKER!"

A puppet that looked like a small girl doll with a beautiful white dress and a cute pink bow in her long blonde hair appeared. In one delicate hand it carried a pair of scissors while the other hand carried a bottle of glue. Crooked beneath one of its arms was a patchwork teddy-bear.

"Doll-Maker effect! I detach one Xyz Material to treat all monsters my opponent controls as Xyz Monsters!"

Doll-Maker let out a little giggle as it began affixing a set of crossbars to the Obelisk Soldier's Ultimate Hound Dog and Hound Dog before lifting the two flailing robotic dogs into the air.

"Gimmick Puppet Executioner's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to destroy all other Xyz Monsters on the field and inflict 500 Damage to each monster destroyed with this effect!"

R.I.P. Hound Dog, Ultimate Hound Dog, Princessprite, and Doll-Maker. All three of the intruding Obelisk force members lost their life points, while the last one was left with only 2000 Life Points.

"Gimmick Puppet Executioner! Direct attack!"

And just like that, despite the overwhelming odds against them, Elbert was saved by two brave individuals. They had introduced themselves as Thomas and Michael Arclight and told him they were leading a counteroffensive against the invaders under the leadership of their older brother, Christopher, and their father, Byron. Elbert had joined them after that, dedicating himself to defending Heartland while searching for R-, her brother, and any of her friends. Under the leadership of the Arclights, they were making headway against the invaders.

And then he came.

His subordinates referred to him as General Tarleton while most of the resistors fearfully referred to him as, The Dreadroot. Byron, Christopher, Thomas, and Michael all called him, The Butcher. Unlike most other Academia soldiers who would card their victims, General Tarleton took pleasure in brutally having his monsters tear his victims into bloody pieces, only carding them if they managed to survive till the end of his sadistic games. Many resistors had surrendered at the sight of Tarleton and his forces, hoping to meet a quick end after being carded, but he had only branded them as cowards and inflicted the utmost torture upon them before dumping the bloody stumps of their bodies into hastily dug shallow ditches. And now he and his forces had set their sights on the Arclight resistors.

"Xyz Scum is still Xyz Scum! No matter how skilled they get!" he had laughed in Christopher's face.

"Xyz Shokan! Come Forth! Rank 9! Canopy Star Dyson Net! Effect activate! I inflict damage to your Life Points equal to my monster's Attack and destroy all monsters you control whose ATK is lower than the damage you took!"

The Dreadroot suddenly didn't look as scary, getting blasted onto his rear end by the effect of Christopher's monster.

"BRAGH! FILTHY XYZ APE! YOU WILL NOT OVERPOWER ME! SOLDIERS! ASSEMBLE!"

In the ultimate act of cowardice, Tarleton had his soldiers intrude on the duel. That's when he and Thomas had intervened while Michael and Byron continued to hold off a different swarm of Tarleton's soldiers.

"Alsei the Sylvan High Protector!"

"Gimmick Puppet Executioner!"

The fighting continued, Tarleton managed to survive, but his soldiers were rapidly carded by the combined Fury of their assaults.

"YUUGO SHOKAN!" Tarleton roared.

Using the monsters from his fallen soldier's graveyards, Tarleton managed to Summon three Antique Gear Chaos Giants in one turn before equipping each of them with Antique Gear Ultimate Cannon.

"BATTLE!" he had roared.

Suddenly, their monsters were getting slaughtered. Christopher managed to negate two attacks from the rampaging giants with his monster's effect, but it was not enough to prevent them from continuing their assault. Soon, all of their monsters were destroyed. Miraculously, however, thanks to some quick counter-plays, they had managed to survive.

Or so they thought.

"QUICK-PLAY MAGIC! ANTIQUE GEAR CHAOS OVERLOAD!" Tarleton had roared. "I fuse my three Chaos Giants together to summon an Antique Gear Chaos monster with its original ATK doubled! COME FORTH! LEVEL 12! ULTIMATE ANTIQUE GEAR CHAOS ANACHRONISM DRAGON!"

An impossibly massive mechanized dragon had appeared. As it spread out its metallic wings, it tore through the sides of the surrounding skyscrapers.

"FALL TO YOUR DEFEAT, XYZ SCUM!" he had roared. "CHAOS ANACHRONISM DRAGON, DESTROY THEIR-…!"

Those were his last words, before the reckless viciousness of his assaults caused one of the nearby skyscrapers to collapse and fall right on top of him. A fitting bloody end to a man who had butchered so many.

He and the Arclights, however, were just as unlucky.

Elbert woke up from his dream with a start, gasping for breath as he took in his new surroundings.

It was a black endless void. No matter how long he looked at it, Elbert still couldn't shake the agonizing loneliness he felt. When he had first awakened in the forlorn world, he had cried out to anyone, everyone, wishing with all his heart that he could just see R- one last time.

He had failed her. He still didn't know if she had even managed to survive. He didn't know if any of his efforts had meant anything. The Arclights were dead, he was dead, and for all he knew, everyone in Heartland was now dead. He had torn out his hair, gnashed his teeth, cried out in immense agony, but nobody came, nobody heard him.

When that stage had passed, he had tried making bargains with no one in particular. He promised to do whatever was asked of him if he could just be given another chance. He promised he'd only visit her for a minute, just a minute, if he could only see her alive and well. He promised he would give everything to anyone if he could just be given that chance.

That's when he had come.

A man clothed in dark multi-colored robes had appeared to him in a brilliant flash of multi-colored light. His skin and hair were a pale white while his eyes were a deep black with blue irises. All over his body, primitive glowing drawings decorated his skin like fluorescent tattoos. He had introduced himself as Yuu Hashimoto, and told him that he had been watching him as he fought against Academia in Heartland. He told him of his disdain for Academia's invasion and his desire that such wars should be done away with. He told him that he had sensed his desire to see R- again, and that he had the power to help Elbert achieve that goal. All he needed Elbert to do was agree to serve the Earthbound.

Elbert had been shocked when he first met Yuu, but he had listened to his offer with eagerness. Still, the offer seemed so fantastic, it almost didn't seem like it could be true. Elbert had asked Yuu to give him some time to think about it, and Yuu had graciously agreed, instructing Elbert to simply call to him when he was ready to decide.

And now… here he was, his thoughts drifting back into his past, especially his past with her.

She had been a great friend to him. She had been a great friend to everyone, but they had known each other a long time. He had been a transfer student to Heartland from Germany due to his father's work in the military. He had been lonely six-year-old boy in the strange city and fearful to attend the local school when he could barely speak the language.

That's when he had met R-. She had walked right up to him and introduced herself before asking what his name was. When he nervously mumbled, Elbert Niemeyer, she had fiddled with her tongue before repeating back, "El-bird… Nigma!"

They had laughed about it together and the name stuck. But Elbert didn't mind the name. Over time, as their relationship grew, he actually preferred being called by his nickname. Eventually of course, R- learned how to pronounce his name correctly, but he had insisted that she still called him, Nigma.

She had always been there for him when he had struggled. She and her older brother helped him learn how to Xyz Summon, how to speak the language, and how to become a great duelist. When he had met another of her friends, they had become like brothers, constantly dueling against each other while aspiring to eventually reach the level where they could take on the infamous Kaito and his so-called invincible deck.

Did she miss him? Was she alright? Did she think of him like he thought of her? What was holding him back from accepting Yuu's offer and continuing his search for her? Was it the fear that she might be gone, or worse, had forgotten about him?

Elbert clenched his fists together in frustration. That was selfish of him. SELFISH! Who cared if she still cared about him or not!? She was still out there! She had to be! All of his sacrifices couldn't be in vain! She was alive, struggling, suffering, but alive! He needed to help her!

"YUU!" he called into the darkness. "I ACCEPT YOUR OFFER! I WILL DO ANYTHING! JUST LET ME SEE HER AGAIN! LET ME HELP HER!"

A gentle hand placed itself on Elbert's shoulder.

Spinning around in the empty void, Elbert looked to see Yuu standing behind him as if he hadn't left.

"Do you really want that… Elbert?" Yuu asked, studying Elbert with a calculating look.

Elbert looked into Yuu's black eyes with a determined expression on his face. "Yes! I want that! With all my heart! I will do anything for you if I can just see R- again!"

"It will be painful." Yuu warned. "You will be an outcast among men. You will only be a shadow of what you once were, neither a part of the living world nor a part of the world of the dead."

"I don't care!" Elbert retorted. "My pain doesn't matter! She's all that matters to me! Her safety! Her happiness!"

"You are really willing to go the distance?" Yuu interrogated, stepping forward. "You are really willing to give your all to me and to her?"

Elbert took a deep breath before looking Yuu in the eye and nodding. "Yes." He breathed. "I will place my soul in your service if I can only see her again. Please, give me the chance."

Yuu closed his eyes, seemingly contemplating Elbert's words. After a moment, he opened his eyes and nodded.

"I accept your conviction." He said. "I WILL help you see R- again. In exchange for your brief period of service to me, I will not only let you see R- one more time, but place you in HER service for as long as you shall exist."

Elbert's eyes widened. Blinking away tears, he gazed back into Yuu's eyes with wonder and surprise. "D-do you really mean it?" Elbert asked, wondering if it was all a dream.

"Do you want that?" Yuu asked, wiping a tear from Elbert's cheek.

Elbert vigorously shook his head in affirmation. Clasping Yuu's shoulders with his hands, he buried his head in Yuu's chest while Yuu softly embraced him.

"I will endure anything for her! I will walk alongside her, no matter what happens! Be it in sickness in health, we wandering wretches, or she become a queen while I become her loyal subject! I will stay by her when she's sad or angry, happy or shy, I will stand by her side for the rest of my existence!"

Yuu nodded his head in gratitude as he listened to Elbert's promise.

"Thank you… Elbert." He replied after a time. "Brace yourself. This… is going to hurt."

Gasping in shock, Elbert barely had time to react before Yuu clamped his hand over Elbert's chest, burning a multi-colored spiral shape mark into the center of Elbert's chest.

Suddenly, Elbert's appearance began to transform.

Slowly, his limbs and chest grew in size, becoming slightly more well-toned and muscly. His eyes blackened till the sclera were as dark as Yuu's. His clothing shifted its shape until he was wearing a dark brown cloak with a hood and multi-colored trimmings. When the transformation was complete, Elbert stood before Yuu, a confident and determined expression on his face.

"What do you wish for me to do… master?" Elbert asked, kneeling before Yuu.

Yuu walked towards Elbert, taking his hand in his own and lifting him off the ground before conjuring images of several people with a wave of his hand.

"You will return to your home." Yuu instructed. "Even as we speak, my plans to create a better world are in motion. Let your soul be at peace, Elbert. Soon, Academia will be reduced to ashes and in the place of the ruins of Heartland, a paradise will rise. However…" he indicated the images he had conjured, "…there are some problems I need you to take care of."

"Who are they?" Elbert asked, looking through the images. Among the many individuals there was a middle-aged green-haired woman dressed in greasy rags, a small boy with a pale face and long mane of dark black hair, a teenage boy almost completely encased in rags like a mummy, and many other men, women, and children of various ages, ethnicities, and sizes.

"You are not the only one I have spoken with." Yuu explained. "Many like you have wished to rise from the Underworld and reclaim their second chance at life. Unfortunately… over time… these disciples have become… unstable… defective. I can still issue orders to them, but they are unpredictable and more of a liability at this point than an asset. I have called my other disciples to gather in the Synchro Dimensions in order to further my plans. Unfortunately, these undesirables have also heard the call and have come shambling out of their holes in order to join the others. Right now, they are gathering spiritual energy, trying to reach the point when they can create a portal through which they can leave. I need you to eliminate them before they manage to do so."

Yuu noticed Elbert looking at the little boy with a hesitant expression on his face.

"Is there a problem?" Yuu asked.

"No… master." Elbert replied. "It's just… a lot of these people… they don't look like much of a threat. Can't we just… lock them up?"

Yuu slowly shook his head.

"Do not be deceived, Elbert. These people may look like decrepit wretches, but they each possess the strength of a god. Locking them up would be impossible. They would just break out of their prisons and continue doing what they did before. Killing people and absorbing their spiritual essence for their own use. Believe me, Elbert. Every one of these people you see before you are killers. They will not hesitate to kill again. Be on your guard when you face them."

Elbert looked nervous. "So these… disciples… they were just like me once… weren't they?"

Yuu nodded his head. "You can avoid their fate, Elbert. These people lost sight of their goals. They became confused and conflicted as the reality of their new existence came crashing upon them. Without a goal to drive them, they eventually grew mad. You have said you wished to see R- again. Keep that goal always in your mind as you fight these people and you will able to keep your mind in check as you face the inevitable deterioration our kind faces."

Elbert nodded his head in understanding. "And what about R-? If I defeat all of these people, do I get to see her?"

Yuu smiled softly. "Have no fear, Elbert. When the time is right, R- will come to you. That's a promise."

Elbert blinked in surprise. "So she is alive!" he exclaimed.

Yuu smiled.

"I suppose you could say that." He shrugged. "Be rest assured, I am watching her, and I WILL help you reunite with her. No go. Defeat these disciples before they hurt anyone else. End their suffering."

Elbert nodded his head before turning away from Yuu and walking away. As Yuu faded into the darkness, he pulled out a photograph from his pocket and gazed at it longingly.

"Please come quickly, R-. I WILL be waiting for you!"

FEATURED ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Name: Elbert Niemeyer / Original concept by: Ghost83 / Deck: Formerly Sylvan now Unknown / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: active

Name: Aaron Tarleton (The Dreadroot) / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Antique Gears / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Yuu Hashimoto / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Unknown / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: active

FEATURED FAN CARDS

Obelisk Force's Spells

Antique Gear Ultimate Cannon/ Spell/ Equip/ Equip only to 1 "Antique Gear" Monster you control. While equipped with this card, the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle and you take no battle damage from battles involving the equipped monster. Increase the ATK of the equipped monster by the equipped monster's level X 200.

Antique Gear Chaos Factory/ Spell/ Continuous/ During each of your Standby Phases, discard 1 "Polymerization" or "Fusion" Spell/Trap Card (except "Diffusion Wave Motion") or destroy this card. Once per turn, you can Fusion Summon 1 "Antique Gear" monster from your Extra Deck by banishing Fusion Materials from your side of the field, hand, or Graveyard.

Michael Arclight's Monsters

OOP Arts Quipu Net/ EARTH/ Level 5/ Rock/ Effect/ ATK 0/ DEF 100/ If a monster you control is destroyed by battle or card effect, you can Special Summon this card from your hand during the Damage Step: Reduce any Battle Damage to 0, end the Battle-Phase of this turn (if currently in the Battle-Phase), and if you do, Special Summon 1 "OOP Arts" Monster from your hand.

Trivia: This card is based on the Quipu of Caral.

OOP Arts Sun Chariot/ LIGHT/ Level 6/ Machine/ Effect/ ATK 1600/ DEF 2400/ You can tribute 1 "OOP Arts" monster you control: Special Summon this card from you hand, and if you do, you can change the Level of 1 "OOP Arts" monster you control to 6. While this card is in your graveyard, you take no damage while you control an "OOP Arts" monster. Also, "OOP Arts" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once per turn.

Trivia: This card is based on the Trundholm Sun Chariot.

Michael Arclight's Extra Deck

OOP Arts Urkesh/ LIGHT/ Rank 4/ Machine/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1800/ DEF 1600/ 2 Level 4 "OOP Arts" monsters

Once per turn, if the Total ATK of all "OOP Arts" monsters you control is higher than the total ATK of all monsters your opponent controls, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card. Until the end of this turn, increase the ATK of all "OOP Arts" monsters you control by the difference between the total ATK of all "OOP Arts" monsters you control and the total ATK of all monsters your opponent controls.

OOP Arts Heracleion/ LIGHT/ Rank 5/ Machine/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 2200/ DEF 2000/ 2 Level 5 Monsters

You can tribute 1 "OOP Arts" monster you control: Increase the ATK of this card by the ATK of the tribute monster until the End-Phase of this turn. If the total ATK of all OOP Arts monsters you control is higher than the ATK of all monsters your opponent controls, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card: Destroy all Spell/Trap cards your opponent controls, and if you do, destroy monsters your opponent controls up to the number of Spell/Trap Cards destroyed with this effect.

Michael Arclight's Traps

OOP Arts Ossuary/ Trap/ Continuous/ Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can send 1 "OOP Arts" monster from your deck to the graveyard. You can tribute this card: Special Summon 1 "OOP Arts" monster from your graveyard.

Thomas Arclight's Monsters

Gimmick Puppet Manipulator/ DARK/ Level 4/ Machine/ Effect/ ATK 0/ DEF 800/ If an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can Special Summon this card from your hand to end the Battle-Phase. You cannot Special Summon monsters except "Gimmick Puppet" monsters. If this card is in the graveyard while you control a "Gimmick Puppet" monsters, you can banish this card from the graveyard to target 1 monster your opponent controls: Its effects are negated, also, it is treated as an Xyz Monster.

Gimmick Puppet Twister/ DARK/ Level 8/ Machine/ Effect/ ATK 1600/ DEF 800/ You can banish 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster from your graveyard: Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned, you can activate this effect: Special Summon 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster from your deck or graveyard.

Thomas Arclight's Extra Deck

Gimmick Puppet Executioner/ DARK/ Rank 8/ Machine/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 2000/ DEF 3000/ 2 Level 8 "Gimmick Puppet" monsters

Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Destroy all other Xyz Monsters on the field, and if you do, inflict 500 Damage to your opponent's LP for each monster destroyed with this effect. Cannot be destroyed by battle except by battle with an Xyz Monster.

Gimmick Puppet Doll Maker/ DARK/ Rank 4/ Machine/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1000/ DEF 800/ 2 Level 4 monsters

Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: All monsters your opponent controls are treated as Xyz Monsters. If this card is destroyed, you can activate this effect: Special Summon up to 2 "Gimmick Puppet" monsters from your graveyard except "Gimmick Puppet Doll Maker".

Christopher Arclight's Extra Deck

Canopy Star Dyson Net/ LIGHT/ Rank 9/ Machine/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 3000/ DEF 2800/ 2 Level 9 monsters

Unaffected by your opponent's monster effects while it has Xyz Material. If an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Negate that attack. Once per turn, you can inflict damage to your opponent's LP equal to the ATK of this card, and if you do, destroy all monsters your opponent controls whose ATK is less than or equal to the Damage he/she took. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.

Aaron Tarleton's Extra Deck

Ultimate Antique Gear Chaos Anachronism Dragon/ DARK/ Level 12/ Machine/ Fusion/ Effect/ Other stats unrevealed / Effects unrevealed

Aaron Tarleton's Spells

Antique Gear Chaos Overload/ Spell/ Quick-Play/ Fusion Summon 1 "Antique Gear" monster from your Extra Deck by banishing monsters from your side of the field, hand, or graveyard as the Fusion Materials, and if you do, activate this effect immediately after that monster is summoned: Double that monster's ATK. During the end phase of the turn this effect was activated, banish all cards on your side of the field and graveyard, and if you do, take damage equal to the number of cards banished with this effect X 500.