IT! HAS! BEEN! SO LONG! I have no excuse whatsoever for this! None at all! Nope! None! Even if I say I was busy with life and other stories, that is no excuse for neglecting this story for so long! It wasn't until a new fan PM'd me, wondering when this very next chapter is up, that I somehow found it in me to update this story! And to make up for the long, lost time, I made this chapter especially long! In this chapter, we will be having all three duels against Camula!

Just a little spoiler alert: Judai will not be facing her! Yes, that's right, you heard me! It will not be him facing and defeating Camula! And to hint out who will, let us say that:

1) His cards, other than the ones I made up, are using the effects of real world; not the anime effects!

2) Since a certain card-type never appeared in this anime, I changed up the effects a little to make it more appropriate for this storyline and make the duel more god damn enjoyable! Trust me, you all will love it as much as I do! And you will also love the ending as much as I do! I guarantee it!

Now, with that being said, let us start this chapter at last~!


Normal dialogue

Life Points/Monster stats

*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*

Attacks/Effects

'thoughts'

Language other than Japanese (this is English sub after all)

For this chapter only, Camula's wiched expression


*OPENING*

Roar out through the high heavens,
(Opening starts with a red silhouette of a monster)
Wrapped in undulating emotion;
(Silhouette changed into a different monster in blue)
The truest of tones can be found here at this very spot…
(Silhouette changed once more into a yellow monster. Scene changed to Samejima's office, the man looking out the window at the sky above)

(Instrumental)
(Camera looks up at the dark sky. Title appears. After several seconds, flames extinguished it, changing the scene)

The trembling signal of pain in my heart,
(Kohaku was practicing some stunts when she sensed something and looked behind her)
Broke through many a night,
(Scene changed to Bella doing some ninja training when she also sensed something and looked at a distance)
As I searched for you – it's enough to drive me insane…
(Scene changed again to Alex running from something before he summoned Freakstar Dragon and rode on his back, flying out of the Abandoned Dorm as it exploded behind them)

Within the elegant, dreamlike sounds that float upon a double-edged warmth,
(Elie, Jacko, Tiffany, Seth, Shou and Hayato looked at a distance, watching their friends facing off against the Shadow Riders)
Entrusted tears roam throughout the sky
(Camera zoomed in to Arkham and a Rider in a black cloak. Kohaku and Kazato stares at them. The unknown rider walks away and Kohaku grabbed the cloak and pulled it off)

The more I seek this radiant melody,
(Scene changed as Judai summoned his Heroes and declared an attack)
All that's projected is more illusions.
(Asuka summoned her monsters and also declared an attack)
But the moment we know as "now" will always be what forms the miracle of tomorrow…
(Scene changed to Ryo and his Cybers, to Misawa and his 'Magnet Warriors', to Manjoume and his dragons, to various other characters and their monsters)
So I want to sing for your sake!
(Scene changed to where the Mythic Demon cards are sealed, the three monster spirits circling around the Spirit Gates)

Let everything be set free
(Darkness and Camula had their monsters battle Judai, Chronos, Ryo and Kazato's monsters)
If you have a dream for the future that you believe
(Another cloaked duelist was dueling against Bella and her ninjas)
Our resounding hearts are unstoppable!
(Misawa and Manjoume battled Tania and Don Zaloog. Alex and Asuka dueled against Abidos III and Titan)
Let's go (together), joining hands (no matter how far)!
(Arkham and the earlier cloaked duelist have a full field of monsters on their side, facing off against Kohaku. Kohaku and her 'Circus Freak' and 'Relic' monsters leapt from floating rock to rock over to them)
I won't ever let go of that smile!
(They all prepared their strongest attack and fired. Scene paused with a close-up image of Kohaku and the earlier cloaked duelist facing off)


It had been a few days since Judai's duel against Asuka's brother, Fubuki. Since that day, he had been sleeping in the infirmary and had yet to wake. Kohaku's arm was all healed up and the team were in the Samejima's office, standing before the principal. Well, most of them that is.

"A vampire?!" Manjoume gasped.

"The gossip is currently the talk of the academy," Samejima informed. "What utter nonsense! There is just no way- no ne!"

"However, if it's somehow related to the Duels of Darkness..." Misawa considered.

"Our next enemy may already be on this island," Ryo said.

"They certainly don't waste time," Bella stated.

"Everyone. I sincerely ask that you do not let your guard down," Samejima requested.

The group, mainly the teens and Kazato, all nodded at the request while Chronos was just looking quite nervous about the new enemy.

After that meeting, the group all went to modify their decks. Well, majority of them were. Chronos was busy marking up some worksheets while Kazato was with his wife on another date. Yes, according to the great performer, if one does not let loose every once in a while and fill their mind with worry, they won't get far. And while Kohaku took those words to heart, Bella and Alex wouldn't help but think that the two were being a bit too relaxed. Kate also thought so, but being with her husband and daughter for so long, she knew Kazato was right in that statement.

Speaking of the three teens, they were on their way to the infirmary room to check on Judai and Asuka. While the former was due to the injuries he sustained in his duel, the latter was... Well, ever since they found out the identity of the Shadow Rider Judai dueled, Asuka remained by her missing brother's side, waiting for him to wake as well. Watching them like that, Kohaku couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the blonde. Her brother was missing this whole time, and she got him back. Whereas for her... Koharu was never coming back to her.

But now wasn't the time for any sad thoughts; now was the time to check on her friends.

"Hey there!" Kohaku greeted, quite loudly. Both Alex and Bella responded to the loud greet with a pair of hits to the head.

"Not too loud," both said in unison.

"Sorry..." she apologized.

Shou, Asuka, Tiffany, Seth, and Jacko sweat-dropped at what may as well be a common gag between the trio.

Getting back to her feet, Kohaku then asked, "How are Judai and Fubuki?"

"They're still resting," Tiffany answered.

"Though Aniki opened his eyes once last night," Shou added.

"How are things on your end?" Seth asked. "Anything new from those Shadow Riders?"

Before he dueled the possessed Fubuki, Judai may had let it slip about the whole Shadow Riders deal, which passed on to the rest of their group of friends.

"Nothing yet. Though there is that rumor about the vampire," Alex answered. "We think this vampire is an upcoming Shadow Rider." Everyone tensed at those words.

"Don't worry. We'll handle this guy, no problem!" Kohaku assured, the last part in English.

Hearing that seemed to have calmed them somewhat. "We hope so," Jacko said. "I'm especially worried about you, Bella."

"It's okay, Jacko," Bella said. "Like Kohaku said, we can take this next one."

"I just hope it won't end like Judai's." Everyone looked at the sleeping Osiris as he said that.


That night, with the exception of Judai and Asuka, everyone reported back to Samejima's office.

"We're all ready, Principal," Manjoume told him.

Just as he said that, Hayato and Elie rushed in. "We have a problem!" the former shouted.

"She's shown up! That rumored vampire's at the lake!" the latter informed.

As soon as they heard this, they all ran to the lake, where the vampire of a Shadow Rider would be.


Upon their arrival, a red carpet was unrolled over to them.

"Is this what they call 'Virgin Road'?" Manjoume asked.

"Not exactly," Kazato answered.

"She's calling for us," Ryo said. As soon as he said that, the atmosphere around them grew tense, with Chronos trying to sneak away before anyone could notice.

"What should we do?" Bella questioned.

"We have to accept it," Kohaku said.

"Who's going first?" Alex asked.

Just then, Chronos, who was only backing away, felt something brush against his back and, out of fright, jumped ahead of the group. "It seems I stepped out first, doesn't it..." he said.

"As expected of Professor Chronos!" Hayato, who was with them this whole time, stated.

"Hard to think you'd volunteer first," Elie said in slight amazement. "And this is coming from me."

"I suppose we have a good representative in our hands," Kazato added.

"W-Well that's natural, isn't it?" Chronos questioned. "The path of crimson is the path of the gentleman! In other words, it is the path I must take as a male descendent of the proud Medici family, is it not?"

"He's saying all that, but in truth..."

"He didn't voluntarily stepped up, did he?"

Both Bella and Alex easily saw through the lie, but had no heart of speaking out the truth. Especially not when their Obelisk Blue professor seemed somewhat willing to duel on their behalf after hearing the others comment on how brave he may be.

And so, they waited for the vampire to come. As they waited, Hayato went to inform the rest of their friends in the infirmary of the situation.

"Are you okay, dad?" Elie asked. "You're trembling."

"I-I'm trembling in excitement- na no ne!" Chronos claimed. The moment he answered, a strong wind blew.

Looking back at the open waters, the group saw the fog was clearing up and noticed a boat on the other side of the red carpet. Surrounding the boat was a horde of bats. And on it was a woman with green hair in a velvet dress wearing blue earrings and a gold choker. If one were to look close enough, they can also see she has fangs.

"Welcome to my path of crimson darkness," she greeted. As she walked towards them, she analyzed her opponent. So to say... "You are my opponent?"

"Indeed I am- na no ne!" Chronos nervously answered.

'How unpleasant...' She was not amused. 'I prefer that one over there.' She looked over at Ryo's direction as she thought that.

"Would you like to change?" she asked.

Chronos anime fell at the request. "That was rude, was it not?! Your opponent is none other than I, Chronos de Medici- no ne!"

Upon seeing how serious he was in dueling her, the vampire changed her mind about dueling him. "I see. Then let's begin out Duel of Darkness! I, Vampire Camula, mistress of the Shadow Riders, will now be your opponent!" As she finished her intro, her eyes glowed red and bats emerged behind her.

"Vampire Camula," Misawa repeated.

"So rumors of the vampire are true," Kazato stated.

"Well then, what are your rules of battle- na no ne?" Chronos asked.

"The winner will advance on, while the loser has their soul sealed into a doll," Camula explained, holding up a voodoo doll.

"You're sealing people's soul in a doll?!" Kohaku gasped.

"Seriously?" Bella asked.

"What utter nonsense! It is futile to tell me to believe in such fairy tales, is it not?" Chronos claimed, completely forgetting he was speaking to a vampire.

"I will soon have you realize whether or not it is all a fairy tale!" Camula swore. "Are you prepared?!"

"Bring it!"

The two stood on either side of the lakeside, facing each other as they began the duel. "DUEL!"

Camula: 4000 LP
Chronos: 4000 LP

"I will take the first move! Draw!" Camula drew her sixth card. "I summon Immortal Werewolf in Attack Mode!" On her field came a blue furred werewolf with green pants on and shackles on his wrists.

Immortal Werewolf: Level 4/DARK/Zombie/1200 ATK/1200 DEF

"I place one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My, my. Your ghastly mutt of a monster is a bluff, no? It is obvious that you are using that runt of a monster as bait to set a trap!" Chronos claimed. "It is my turn! Draw!" Popping out of his duel disk was his own sixth card. "I activate the Continuous Magic, Antique Gear Castle!" A castle with gear and machine particles rose out of the ground behind him. "Next, I will summon out Antique Gear Soldier in Attack Mode!" Appearing next before him was a soldier made of rusted metal and gears and a submachine gun as its right arm.

Antique Gear Soldier: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1300 + 300 = 1600 ATK/1300 DEF

"Alright! Because of Antique Gear Castle's effect, the ATK of all 'Antique' monsters increase by 300 points!" Misawa informed.

"Furthermore, Antique Gear Soldier has an additional ability," Ryo added.

"When it attacks, the opponent cannot activate Magic or Trap cards!" Elie said.

"That is correct- na no ne," Chronos confirmed. "I will use Antique Gear Soldier to attack Immortal Werewolf- no ne! Precious Bullet!" His monster shot bullets from its gun arm at the werewolf, destroying it.

Camula: 3600 LP
Chronos: 4000 LP

"Nice first strike!" Kohaku cheered.

"Dueling is beautiful! Battles must be magnificent, aren't they?" Chronos said.

"You said it, dad!" Elie agreed.

"In that case, I'll make a magnificent counterattack," Camula said in response. "Be revived, Immortal Werewolf!" The next thing they knew, Camula's monster was summoned back, more powerful than before.

Immortal Werewolf: 1200 + 500 = 1700 ATK

"What?!" Chronos gasped in shock.

"I've forgotten to tell you. When this card is destroyed by battle, I can summon a card with the same name from my deck and raise its ATK points by 500."

To hear that Chronos didn't know of such an effect surprised everyone in the sidelines.

"Wait, you didn't know?" Bella asked.

The blonde professor flinched slightly before regaining himself and lied, "Yes. This is all going as I planned, is it not?" Elie sweat dropped, knowing so well that her father did not know about that effect. "I will place one card face-down and end my turn." With one additional card set on his field, he ended the turn.

"It is my turn. Draw!" Camula drew her next card. "I summon Vampire Bats in Attack Mode!" A horde of bats, quite similar to the ones from earlier, appeared on her field next to the werewolf.

Vampire Bats: Level 3/DARK/Zombie/800 ATK/1200 DEF

"When this card is face-up on the field, it raises the ATK of all my Zombie-type monsters by 200 points!" The bats came together to become one big bat, all while boosting it and Immortal Werewolf's power.

Immortal Werewolf: 1700 + 200 = 1900 ATK

Vampire Bats: 800 + 200 = 1000 ATK

"My, my. To think you'd follow up a werewolf with a bat," Chronos stated, not at all fazed by the new addition. "Such illusions will serve no use against me- no ne."

"That may be. But can you really say they're illusions?" Camula questioned. "I'll have Immortal Werewolf attack Antique Gear Soldier! Roar! Howling Slash!" The Special Summoned monster went and took a bite out of the Machine-type monster, destroying it.

Camula: 3600 LP
Chronos: 3700 LP

Despite the loss of his only monster, the blonde professor still remained unfazed. "My, my. To think you bit the proud Antique Gear Soldier. Such an impolite mutt, is it not?"

"We're not done yet. The fun is just beginning! Direct attack! Dance! Bloody Spiral!" Camula's bat separated itself and let out some loud screeches at the male duelist.

The guy couldn't bear the pain from the hit, the screeches that reached his ears, and fell on his knees.

Camula: 3600 LP
Chronos: 2700 LP

"Professor Chronos/Dad!" Ryo and Elie cried out in worry.

"That's not good!" Bella stated.

"How does it feel to be tormented by the underlings of the devil?" Camula taunted, as her monster reverted back to its original form.

Chronos could only glare at her in response.

"Still, it is a shame. If I would be tormenting anyone, I would prefer him over there." She gestured over to Ryo as she said that.

"Hey, hey. Looks like the enemy has you in her sights," Manjoume slightly teased.

"This is not the time to tease him," Alex told him.

"She did ask for a change earlier, too," Kazato pointed out.

"Even now, it isn't too late. It's okay for you to change places with him!" Camula offered. Rather, she insisted.

"Is this a joke to you?!" Chronos snapped. "He is one of my precious students! I will not let you lay a finger on him!" Everyone was shocked to hear those words from him in the situation he was in. "And furthermore, I am the Chief General Director of Practical Application at the prestigious Duel Academia! I absolutely cannot approve of these Duels of Darkness!"

"But you're still in a mess!" Manjoume said.

"There is no need for concern, is there? Dueling is light. Using my righteous dueling, I will bury the darkness!" Getting back to the duel at hand Chronos shouted, "Trap card, open! Damage Condenser activate! Due to Damage Condenser's effect, I can Special Summon one monster from my deck with ATK that is less than or equal to the damage I took this turn in Attack Mode- no ne! Come forth, Antique Gear Soldier!" Another soldier appeared on Chronos' field.

Antique Gear Soldier: 1300 + 300 = 1600 ATK

"And it is my turn. Draw." Chronos drew his next card. "I will sacrifice Antique Gear Soldier to Advance Summon Antique Gear Beast in Attack Mode- no ne!" In place of the soldier was a rusted beast with gears.

Antique Gear Beast: Level 6/EARTH/Machine/2000 + 300 = 2300 ATK/2000 DEF

"Prepare yourself, Signora Camula! Antique Gear Beast will attack Immortal Werewolf- no ne!"

"Wait a second!" Manjoume called out. "Immortal Werewolf's going to revive and power up if it's done in, just like-"

"No, it won't," Elie corrected. "Antique Gear Beast has an effect that bypasses that. If it were to destroy a monster by battle, that monster cannot activate its effects."

"Then that means..." Alex stated.

"Immortal Werewolf won't use its effect once Beast defeats it!" Kohaku exclaimed.

"That's a good strategy!" Kazato stated.

"Go, Antique Gear Beast! Precious Fang!" The beast-looking machine charged at the werewolf, going for the kill.

Camula: 3200 LP
Chronos: 2700 LP

Chronos let out a laugh at the small victory. "And so, the illusion of these Duels of Darkness will be buried- no ne!"

Everyone in the sidelines sweat dropped at those words.

"Your dad is quite persistent about this kind of thing, isn't he?" Misawa said to Elie.

"You don't even know half of it," the female 'Antique Gear' duelist said.

"It's my turn," Camula said, drawing her next card. "From my hand, I activate the Field Magic, Immortal Kingdom - Hellvania!"

Next thing everyone knew, the field turned into a dark, creepy wasteland with a castle behind Camula.

"Hellvania?! A-A forbidden card, is it not?!" Chronos gasped.

"That is correct!" Camula confirmed. "By sending one Zombie-type monster in my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy all monsters on the field."

"Wait a second. If you do that, on top of destroying your own monsters, you can't Normal Summon if you use that effect," Manjoume reminded.

"She doesn't have to worry about that," Alex told him.

"He's right. If Vampire Bats is to be destroyed, she can send another Vampire Bats from her deck to the Graveyard instead," Bella informed.

Everyone else gasped at the information.

"Correct again," Camula said. "From my hand, I send Vampire Lord to the Graveyard to activate Hellvania's effect!" As soon as Camula discarded the said card, the castle behind her glowed. Antique Gear Beast exploded, as did Vampire Bats. "Now, by sending a Vampire Bats from my deck to the Graveyard, the Vampire Bats on my field won't be destroyed!" All the pieces of the Zombie-type monster merged back together. "Now dance! Bloody Spiral!" At that command, the revived monster attacked Chronos again.

Camula: 3200 LP
Chronos: 1700 LP

"Dad!" Elie cried out in worry.

"My daughter and students. You must take this current mess as a model of what not to do, so that you... so that you never do the same!" Chronos managed to say, as he collapsed from the second direct attack.

The other key protectors gasped in shock at the action.

"DAD!" Elie was about to rush over to her father, when Bella held her back.

"Don't! You might take his place if you step forward!" she told her.

"But that's my dad out there!"

"Damn it... I knew I should've stepped forward!" Ryo cursed.

"That's why I told you to change, didn't I?" Camula said to them, mainly Ryo. "To think that you would thrust a weak and unsightly duelist like him before me-"

"You're wrong!" interrupted a voice.

Everyone looked and saw Shou and Hayato running over to them, with a conscious Judai on Hayato's back.

"Professor Chronos is pretty strong, you know," the 'Elemental Hero' duelist told her.

"Judai?" Elie questioned.

"I'm telling you from battling him, myself! There's no doubting it, Professor Chronos! Show us all! It's your turn!"

Somehow, the encouraging words from the one person he least wanted to hear gave the Obelisk professor the strength to stand back up. He struggled, yes, but he was back on his feet.

"Signora Camula..." he breathed.

"My, I wonder, have you awakened?" the girl mocked.

"I, Chronos de Medici, will absolutely not be defeated in some Duel of Darkness! That is because dueling is something that essentially gives the youth hope and light! It is not something that gives them fear and darkness!"

Everyone was in awe at his speech, now understanding what it was he meant earlier about the Duels of Darkness.

"So, he meant that things such as the Duels of Darkness don't exist and..."

"They can't be allowed to exist?"

Misawa and Ryo both spoke out everyone's thoughts.

"It's my turn! Draw!" Chronos drew his next card. "I will summon out Antique Gear Golem in Attack Mode- no ne!" And out came Chronos' ace monster.

Antique Gear Golem: Level 8/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF

"There it is! My dad's ace card!" Elie cheered.

"But he didn't have any monsters..." Shou trailed off, wondering how the professor was able to summon such a high-level monster without making any tributes to Advance Summon it.

"Because of the Continuous Magic, Antique Gear Castle, for the Advance Summon of an 'Antique' monster, that card can be used for as many tributes as however many you needed to Normal Summon," his brother explained.

"Antique Gear Golem! You will attack Vampire Bats- no ne!" Chronos ordered. "Ultimate Pound!" His ace monster went and threw a strong punch at the big bat, destroying it and inflicting a lot of damage to Camula.

Camula: 1200 LP
Chronos: 1700 LP

This time, the vampire flinched at the damage taken as her vampire came back from the dead. "Due to my combo with Hellvania and Vampire Bats, I'll be able to keep destroying your monsters!"

"But I won't let you, will I?" Chronos retorted. "I will destroy every Magic and Trap card on the field- no ne! From my hand, I activate Heavy Storm!"

A strong wind came and destroyed Camula's field spell card, as well as the face down that she had set since the beginning of the duel. Despite the fact that she lost her forbidden card and the trap she had set, the vampire was not at all that bothered with the loss.

"You really are weak and unsightly, Professor Chronos," she claimed.

"You should stop making excuses, shouldn't you?" Chronos said, not buying what may be a bluff.

"Even if I am, can you really say I'm making excuses?!" As she said that, her persona suddenly started to change. "Trap card, activate! Undead Bed!"

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. "But that's impossible! All trap cards should be destroyed, shouldn't they?"

"Your studies are lacking, Professor Chronos!"

"What?!"

"Undead Bed is a special trap whose effect activates when it's destroyed," Ryo explained.

"Like dad's Golden Wicked Idol trap card," Elie said.

"That is correct," Camula said. "With the effect of Undead Bed, I Special Summon Immortal Werewolf in Attack Mode!" And out came her third copy of the werewolf.

Immortal Werewolf: 1200 + 200 = 1400 ATK

Chronos gritted his teeth at the turnaround.

"Even an impressive professor was unable to read this far through!" Camula mocked once more.

Everyone in the sidelines couldn't believe how prepared Camula was for Chronos' moves.

"To think she was able to read this far..." Manjoume voiced out.

"It is something easily done if they were to come to view of my red eyes."

'Red eyes?' From where Kohaku was standing, Camula's eyes weren't at all red. But when one of her bats landed on her shoulder, its eyes glowed a bright red color. It was then she knew; Camula had her bats spy on everyone before this duel even started.

Chronos noticed this as well, in which Camula took note of and laughed. "Now it is my turn! Draw!" She drew her next card. "From my hand I activate the Magic card, Book of Life - Forbidden Magic! I Special Summon Vampire Lord from my Graveyard in Attack Mode!" Appearing back on her field was the monster she discarded from Hellvania's effect.

Vampire Lord: Level 5/DARK/Zombie/2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK/1500 DEF

"Next I'll remove your Antique Gear Beast in your Graveyard from the game!" Chronos' called monster was shot out of his Graveyard slot and removed from play. "Next, I remove Vampire Lord from the game to Special Summon Vampire Genesis in Attack Mode!" In place of her recently summoned monster was a demon-like monster. "With the effect of my Vampire Bats, its ATK is raised by 200 points!"

Vampire Genesis: Level 8/DARK/Zombie/3000 + 200 = 3200 ATK/2100 DEF

No one could believe what was happening. With the lack of cards in Chronos' hand and field, they can already tell what the result would be. But even so, none wanted to believe it.

"Everyone, listen carefully- no ne," Chronos spoke to them. "And you also must promise me. Even if you are defeated in a Duel of Darkness, the darkness cannot surpass the light. Please promise me that you will believe so, and that you will never yield your hearts."

"Dad... No, you can't say something like that!" Elie cried out.

"Elie. No matter what happens, promise me you won't get involved in the Duel of Darkness. I know I haven't been much of a father to you, but at the very least, let this man come at peace knowing his one daughter won't do anything stupid after this."

Hearing such a request from him brought tears in Elie eyes.

"My, I wonder, is your last lecture over, Professor Chronos?" Camula asked.

"Bring it whenever you like- na no ne!" he challenged.

"That will be your Rondo of Death! Vampire Genesis, attack his Antique Gear Golem! Hell Vicious Blood!" Her strongest monster went and destroyed Chronos' ace.

Camula: 1200 LP
Chronos: 1500 LP

"We're not through yet!" Chronos exclaimed. "I will not surrender in a Duel of Darkness- no ne!"

"Roar! Howling Slash!" Camula continued her relentless attack, as her wolf swiped at the professor.

Camula: 1200 LP
Chronos: 100 LP

Elie couldn't take watching this any longer. "Stop it! Please, stop it!"

Her pleas were ignored. "End this! Dance! Bloody Spiral!" And there comes the finisher.

"Professor Chronos/Dad!" Judai, Kohaku and Elie cried out, as they watched Chronos take the last attack.

Using the last of his strength, Chronos looked their way and said, "Guys... Keep your duels of light..." Before he could finish, he fainted.

Camula: 1200 LP
Chronos: 000 LP

WINNER: CAMULA!

"And that's the end," the vampire announced.

Everyone remained speechless at what had happened.

"Dad..." Elie breathed out.

"You were cool out there, Professor Chronos..." Judai said.

Camula approached the downed man and retrieved the key around his neck. "And we finally have one. As promised, I will take his soul for my collection!" She took out the doll from earlier and, next thing everyone knew, it and Chronos both glowed a dark purple aura. Soon enough, Chronos' body disappeared and the doll changed into the Obelisk Blue professor himself.

"Professor Chronos!" Shou cried out in shock.

"His soul is..." Bella trailed off.

"In that doll!" Alex finished for her.

"And yet, even so, he's not to my liking," Camula said, deliberately dropping the doll.

"Damn you!" Elie was about to give her a piece of her mind, when Kohaku held her back. "Kohaku?!"

"Your dad wouldn't want you to..." she said, with a sad look on her face.

Knowing that the girl was right, Elie reluctantly stood down.

"I'm looking forward to the next duel!" Camula told them. Before they knew it, a castle suddenly appeared behind her.

"What is that?!" Misawa asked, not believing what he was seeing.

"A castle..." Manjoume answered.

"Before long, you will get a lovely invitation!" With that, Camula suddenly disappeared and her bats all flew towards the castle.


Later that night, everyone gathered in the infirmary room, with Judai back in bed.

"How could she make Professor Chronos...?" the said Osiris spoke.

Said doll-turned duelist was in Elie's hand. The girl had been silent since Camula left to her castle and kept Chronos' doll with her the whole time.

"How are we suppose to turn Professor Chronos back to normal?" Bella asked.

"Best guess is to beat her in a duel," Kohaku said.

"But if we lose, we get turned into dolls," Alex pointed out.

"If you get that invitation, Bella, you're staying," Jacko told her, surprising everyone.

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"I don't want you to be turned into a doll!"

"Well I'm not going to stand by and watch my friends get turned to dolls themselves!"

"Guys, calm down," Tiffany said to them. "We have enough problems to worry about." The 'Melodious' duelist looked over to Elie as she said that.

Everyone remained silent at the point she was making. Out of the people in the room, Elie was the one who was hurting the most. She didn't need to hear other people's problems at the moment. Especially not about Camula.

"A battle in which one's life and soul are at stake... That's a Duel of Darkness," Asuka muttered, looking at her unconscious brother.

"Damn it all! We just need to win, don't we?!" Judai asked. "If we win..."

"'Need to win'?" Manjoume repeated, covering Judai's face with his blanket. "Then it's simple, isn't it? Just leave it to Manjoume Thunder."

"No, I'm next!" Judai ripped the sheet off his face and sat up. He regretted doing so as he felt pain from his last Duel of Darkness.

"Shut up! You're injured, so be quiet!" Manjoume placed the sheet back over his head and pushed him back on the bed.

"You shouldn't push injured people around like that," Seth told the black-dressed Osiris.

"If you're whining before the battle, you'll just get in the way!"

"Who's in the way?" Misawa questioned. "I won't run away. It doesn't matter if it's a Duel of Darkness, or what kind of opponent we're facing. We'll win for sure!"

"He's right," Kazato agreed. "A Duel of Darkness is not a real duel. A fake dueling like that is not match for the real dueling."

"Duels of Darkness are frightening duels. And that is why, we can't afford to lose!" Asuka exclaimed.

Everyone nodded in agreement to those words. As if deciding the conversation was over, Ryo, who was silent the whole time, left the room. Out of everyone, only Shou saw this.

"Big brother?" He rushed out after him. "Big brother!" His call made Ryo stop and turn to him. Despite getting the older sibling's attention, Shou didn't know what to say to him. "Um... Uh... You shouldn't battle frightening people like them, big brother..." Usually, Ryo would just ignore the boy and walk off. But this time? He just smirked at Shou's worries, as if silently telling him that everything will be okay, and walked away.

Unknown to the two, they were being watched.


After the meeting, everyone split up to work on their deck. All but one, that is.

Kohaku was in the duel stadium, with the solid vision activated. With what happened to Chronos, she needed something to distract her from her worries. And what better distraction than performing with her monsters? Besides, it helps her think better.

'Professor Chronos did his best out there against Camula. And yet, it wasn't enough,' she thought. 'She was way ahead of him. And all because of those bats of her's...' She stopped her performance for a moment and looked down at the Duel Disk given to her by Pegasus. 'It's possible the only way to beat her would be through Action Duel. However, with those bats of her's, that might backfire as well.'

Just then, she heard what sounded like flapping. Deactivating the solid vision, she rushed out the stadium and saw Camula's bats outside the building. Knowing what that could mean, she rushed back to the lake.


Upon arriving with everyone else, both Spirit Gate protectors and her dear friends, Kohaku saw that Ryo was far ahead of them, clearly stating that he was the next to duel her. Upon entering the castle, the group walked up a long line of stairs and down a long hall to get to where Camula would be. After some time of walking, they arrived at what seemed to be the main hall.

"Nice to see you, everyone!" came Camula's voice. They all looked up and saw her standing on top of one of the two balconies. "Let me welcome you."

"I'm your opponent, Vampire Camula!" exclaimed Judai, who was on Hayato's back the whole time.

"Get back, Judai," Manjoume told him. "I'm the one who's battling."

"No, I will," Misawa insisted.

"Are you boys stupid or something?" Bella asked.

"Even I know the next opponent was already decided before we even got here," Alex said.

"What did you say?!" Manjoume questioned. "Are you saying you're taking her on?!"

"Not even close."

"She wants him," Kohaku spoke, looking over to Ryo when she said that. "And he already knows it, too."

"My. I see some of these kids are smarter than others," Camula commented. To Ryo, she then said, "As they said. I... want... you..."

"Very well," he accepted.

Majority of the group gasped in awe and worry. But none more than Shou, as he watched his older brother walk to the other balcony.

"You understand the rules, I assume?" Camula asked. "The winner will advance on, while the loser will have their soul sealed into this dear old doll."

Silently accepting the terms, Ryo activated his Duel Disk. Seeing that he understood what was at risk, Camula activated her own disk.

"DUEL!"

Camula: 4000 LP
Ryo: 4000 LP

"I will go first. Draw!" Camula drew her sixth card. "I summon Vampire Lady in Defense Mode!" A female vampire quite similar to Camula appeared on the field.

Vampire Lady: Level 4/DARK/Zombie/1550 ATK/1550 DEF

"I will place one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Ryo drew his sixth card. "From my hand, I activate the Magic card, Power Bond!"

Everyone was shocked to see the strongest and more experienced of the group play his best and most risky card.

"Power Bond?" Camula asked in shock.

"It's a Fusion card exclusively for Machine-types!" Ryo explained. "I fuse the three Cyber Dragons in my hand! Come forth, Cyber End Dragon!" Appearing on his field were three of Ryo's machinery dragons. They all came together and formed into his ace monster.

Cyber End Dragon: Level 10/LIGHT/Machine/4000 ATK/2800 DEF

"He summoned his ultimate monster already?!" Asuka gasped.

"That's fast!" Seth commented.

"He's not holding back in this duel," Elie stated, holding her father's doll in her hands.

"Still Power Bond should come with a big risk," Camula recalled. "I wonder if you'll be all right with such a thing in mind."

"She's right," Hayato said. "At the end of the turn, he'll take Cyber End Dragon's original 4000 ATK points as damage."

"With Power Bond's effect, Cyber End Dragon's ATK is doubled," Ryo continued, as if not caring about the risk that Power Bond came with.

Cyber End Dragon: 4000 x 2 = 8000 ATK

"An ATK of 8000?!" Camula gasped.

"You'll have no reason to concern yourself with the End Phase," Ryo told her. "Attack Vampire Lady! Eternal Evolution Burst!" His monster shot out a trio of electrical blasts at Camula's lone monster.

"Trap card open! Dubious Red Moon!" Camula's face down was flipped face-up. "By discarding one Zombie-type monster in my hand, this card adds the ATK of your attacking monster to my Life Points while putting an end to the Battle Phase!" The trap card got in the way of the attack, protecting Vampire Lady from it and Camula from the damage she would've taken. "Now, 8000 is added to my 4000, making my Life Points 12000!"

Of course, Ryo wasn't going to let her have her way. "From my hand, I activate the Instant Magic, Fusion Cancel! It cancels the fusion of a Fusion monster on the field!"

"By losing its target, Dubious Red Moon's effect is cancelled," Misawa pointed out.

"And not only that, but with Cyber End Dragon gone, he doesn't have to worry about taking the full 4000 damage to his Life Points," Bella added.

"What?!" Camula gasped, as Ryo's monster split back in three.

3x Cyber Dragon: Level 5/LIGHT/Machine/2100 ATK/1600 DEF

"Power Bond's risk... and dealing with his opponent's trap..." Shou spoke in awe.

"To think he'd avoid it all in one moment..." Jacko said, just as amazed.

"That's amazing!" Tiffany cheered.

"I knew your brother was something else!" Judai said to Shou.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Ryo ended.

Camula chuckled, finding herself enjoying the duel more than she thought. "I'm shivering! I just felt that you were the best type for me!"

"Sorry. But I have my own tastes."

"My, how cold of you... Still, that is why you are something I want for my own."

Everyone went uneasy with how she said that.

"It's my turn. Draw!" She drew her next card. "I sacrifice Vampire Lady to Advance Summon Vampire Lord!" The female monster on her field became the male vampire from her duel against Chronos. "I remove the summoned Vampire Lord from the game to Special Summon Vampire Genesis!" And in his place was the monster that destroyed Chronos' Antique Gear Golem.

The mere sight of the monster made Elie clutch her hand. She tried to be careful not to crush her father in his doll form, for a little earlier before they arrived, she found out that the doll was alive; her father was not dead.

"There it is," Manjoume muttered.

"Big brother!" Shou called out in worry.

"Kaiser Ryo. I compliment you for your tactics with using Fusion Cancel," Camula said. "Still, I was prepared for such a thing. It won't change the fact that you've lost your trump card!"

Ryo was not at all affected by her words.

She clicked her tongue at the lack of reaction. "That doesn't please me... I attack with Vampire Genesis! Hell Vicious Blood!"

"You've sorely underestimated me, if you think that Cyber End Dragon is all I have in my deck," Ryo told her. "I activate the Trap card, Attack Reflector Unit!"

"What?!" Camula was surprised to see he had more cards to play at this moment, as one of the Cyber Dragons started to glow.

"Attack Reflector Unit will now evolve Cyber Dragon into Cyber Barrier Dragon!" The glowing Cyber Dragon changed into more of a serpent machine.

Cyber Barrier Dragon: Level 6/Light/Machine/800 ATK/2800 DEF

"When Cyber Barrier Dragon is in Attack Mode, it can negate an opposing monster's attack once per turn! Due to its' monster effect, I negate Vampire Genesis's attack!"

Right when Vampire Genesis was about to unleash its terrors, Cyber Barrier Dragon's head glowed, conjuring up a barrier and deflecting the attack.

"This is not adorable!" Camula glared.

While she was thinking that, everyone else in the sidelines were amazed with the counters.

"Whoa!" Seth gasped.

"Talk about turning the tables!" Tiffany stated.

"Your brother sure is something, Shou!" Jacko exclaimed to the '-roid' boy, who nodded in agreement.

"My turn." Ryo drew his next card and began his move. "I activate Pot of Greed! I'll draw two cards from my deck!" And draw he did. "I activate the Instant Magic, Photon Generator Unit! I sacrifice my two Cyber Dragons to Special Summon Cyber Laser Dragon!" The two machine dragons came together into one new dragon.

Cyber Laser Dragon: Level 7/LIGHT/Machine/2400 ATK/1800 DEF

"Cyber Laser Dragon is able to destroy one monster with an ATK or DEF higher than this card's ATK once each turn."

"When you say it can destroy a monster stronger than itself... Vampire Genesis' ATK is 3000. It exceeds Cyber Laser Dragon's ATK..." Camula trailed off, knowing what Ryo was going for.

"Beam of Destruction - Photon Extermination!" A laser was shot out from the newly summoned monster's tail and struck Camula's lone monster, destroying it. "Now Cyber Laser Dragon's direct attack! Evolution Laser Shot!" Another laser was shot out, this time from its mouth, straight at Camula. The vampire duelist screamed painfully as the attack struck true.

Camula: 1600 LP
Ryo: 4000 LP

"Next is Cyber Barrier Dragon's direct attack! Evolution Barrier Shot!" Cyber Barrier Dragon shot out some green shockwaves from its head right at Camula, dealing additional damage to her.

Camula: 800 LP
Ryo: 4000 LP

"Alright!" Shou cheered.

"The Kaiser's really amazing, huh?" Hayato said.

"Of course! He's a duelist who beat me, you know!" Judai bragged.

"He just needs one more hit and it's over!" Alex cheered.

"That's right. My brother hasn't lost once so far!" Shou said. "He's the big brother I look up to the most!"

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Ryo ended.

"Darling..." Camula spoke, in her more wicked expression. "My excessive tenderness now switches to a hundredfold hatred! It is my turn!" She drew her next card. "Your punishment is here. From my hand, I activate the Magic card, Phantom Gate!" A green gate of evil appeared behind her.

"Phantom Gate?" Ryo questioned, having never heard of such a card.

"Does anyone know what that card does?" Kohaku asked.

"I certainly never heard of it until now," Kazato said.

"But I don't like the looks of things right now," Bella stated.

"Phantom Gate... This card can first destroy all monsters on my opponent's field!" The moment the door opened, radiant light blinded everyone from it and cleared Ryo's field of monsters. "Allow me to tell you something even better," Camula continued, reverting back to her normal self. Next thing everyone knew, a clone of her appeared from her shadow. "This card can Special Summon a monster that was used during this duel, ignoring the requirements."

"What?" Ryo asked.

"Yes. That includes your Cyber End Dragon, which you only used once, despite its fusion being cancelled."

"That's impossible! A card that, in addition to destroying my monsters, allows you to unconditionally Special Summon?!"

"Obviously, it comes with a high price. This card's activation requirement... would be my own soul. Should I lose this game, my soul will belong to the Mystic Demons."

"To the Mystic Demons?" Misawa questioned.

"Wouldn't it be a life-risking bogus card?" Manjoume asked.

"Yes, although... since it is a card of complete darkness, why don't I use it in a way befitting this Duel of Darkness?" She looked down at the people in the sidelines as she said that. Specifically one person. "For example, by having your little brother take my place?"

Ryo's eyes widened as he realized what she was about to do. "Run, Shou!"

"Too late!" Before the boy could run, Camula's clone went for him and bit his neck. Everyone was stunned as it happened so quickly. They tried to stop the clone from dragging Shou over to Camula's side, but were too slow.

"Shou!" Ryo cried out in worry.

"B-... Big brother..." Shou managed to speak out, feeling weakened from the bite.

"I sacrifice this child's soul to summon Cyber End Dragon!" Emerging from Camula's door... was Ryo's ace. As it was materializing, Shou was feeling even more weakened, as his own life was being used for the monster's summon.

"Shou..." Ryo gritted his teeth, not believing he had let such a thing happen to his own brother.

Soon enough, the summon was a success and everyone could only watch in shock and fear at the sight of Cyber End Dragon on the opponent's field.

Ryo was about to do something in response to the summon, when Camula said, "Please, destroy this Cyber End Dragon! This child's soul, sacrificed for its revival, will then be unable to return to this world. Even so, I wonder, is that acceptable?"

The Kaiser was thinking about his next choice. 'My face-down card is Call of the Living Dead. With it, if I bring back my Cyber Barrier Dragon, I'd be able to stave off Cyber End Dragon's attack. However, if I make it past this turn... If I capitalize on my chance at winning...' He looked past his taken monster over to his little brother. 'My victory and Shou's soul hang in the balance.'

"Now Kaiser can't do a thing..." Misawa said.

"No. There is one thing he can do," Kazato corrected.

"Really? What?" Jacko asked, as every student turned to him for an answer.

"If that face-down card can get rid of Phantom Gate, then he'll not need to worry about his next move. But, considering his hesitation, there is only one other option. I am guaranteed that he will make that option... for his family." He looked over to the taken '-roid' duelist as he said that.

Angered at the cowardly move, Judai shouted, "That's not fair, Camula! Why aren't you playing fair and square?!"

"I don't want to," she answered. "Hearing talk of fair and square makes me disgusted!"

Ryo gritted his teeth, conflicted on what he should do.

"Now, if you're able to do something, please do so! If you don't mind what happens to your adorable little brother's soul, that is!"

Deciding to make the choice easier for him, Shou, using all the strength he can muster, spoke up. "Brother... Win, big brother..." Everyone froze at what they were hearing from the boy. "As the proud Kaiser, big brother, you're the goal I've set for myself. That's why you can't lose for someone like me." Even though he was trying to make it easier for Ryo, in truth, it was making it harder for him to choose. "It's okay. No matter what, I won't blame you, big brother. I mean, I'm right, aren't I? If someone like me, the lowest-ranked Osiris Red, told everyone I was your little brother, you'd be embarrassed, big brother, and I'd just be a helpless guy. And my dueling... If it were a part of a building, it would be on the basement's fifth floor parking lot. If it were a triangle, it'd be part of the base. I'm hopeless. No matter how hard someone like me tries, they're hopeless... It'd be a big mistake if you lost for someone like me, big brother. Isn't that true, big brother?"

It was silent. No one dared to say anything, especially not after hearing such a heartfelt speech.

"You've grown to duel well," he said at last. "Compared to before, it's quite a difference. You should have more confidence in yourself."

"Big brother..." Shou couldn't help but let tears of joy trail down his cheeks.

"Try your hardest from now on, Shou." With those final words, Ryo made his decision... and stood down.

"You can't, big brother!" Shot cried out.

Not at all phased by the speech, Camula put things to an end. "Cyber End Dragon, attack the player directly!" Under her command, the Fusion Monster went and unleashed a powerful blast at its own master.

Everyone's eyes widened at what was happening before them, especially Shou.

"Big brother!"

Camula: 800 LP
Ryo: 0000 LP

As soon as the duel was over, Cyber End Dragon and Phantom Gates faded away, as did Camula's clone, releasing Shou in the process.

"Big brother!" he cried out in worry.

Ryo kneeled in defeat, as the dark power took over his body and transferred his soul in Camula's doll. Everyone was shocked at the outcome.

"Both his soul and spirit key are mine. Don't worry, I'll love it fondly as part of my collection," Camula said.

Next thing everyone knew, they were outside the castle, on the lakeside. Shou was still crying over the loss of his brother, in which everyone noticed and felt sad for him. Elie can relate to losing a relative, as she knelt down to his side and pulled him in a hug. Shou hugged back and cried on her shoulder.

Judai removed himself from Hayato's back and took a few steps forward before kneeling down, still in pain and exhaustion. "What the hell?!" he shouted, furious with how the result came to be. "Dueling is suppose to be fun, isn't it?! And yet, why does Shou have to cry?! Why did the Kaiser have to go through something like that?!"

He wasn't the only one infuriated by this. "That wasn't real dueling," Kohaku said, clenching her fists. "Real dueling brings smiles to people. A duel that makes people cry... is not even fake dueling!"

"I won't forgive anyone who duels like this..."

"With our true dueling... Camula..."

"We'll win, and take back everyone's soul!" Both duelists swore.

Everyone just stared at the two in silence. Though they were just as angry as they were, to see the two positive duelists acting like this was quite concerning as well.

Kazato, on the other hand, just glared at the castle. 'A dueling that separates family like this... I will right this wrong.'


The next night, the Spirit Key protectors were gathering at the lakeside once more for another duel against Camula. After what happened with Chronos and Ryo, no one wanted any of the non-protectors to get involved and told them all to, no matter what, never go anywhere near the castle. Some, like Jacko, was against the idea. Especially since it meant not knowing if Bella was going to be okay. After some convincing from Tiffany and Seth, the guy finally agreed to stay in the dorms.

"I guess this is all of us for today?" the female Obelisk Blue said.

"Asuka and Judai aren't here yet. And for good reasons, too," Alex said. "I wonder where Kohaku and Professor Kazato are, though."

"Who cares?" Manjoume said. "It's not like any of them are going next."

"He's right," Misawa said. "In terms of logic, I'm next."

Just as the black-dressed Osiris was about to retort to those words, a shout was heard.

"HEY!" They all looked and saw Kohaku rushing over to them, quite frantically. With her was her mother, who seemed quite as frantic. "Has any of you seen my dad?!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Manjoume asked.

"He hasn't been in the dorms since the afternoon," Kate explained. "I asked around and no one has seen him since before that time."

"What?!" Alex and Bella gasped, as everyone had a pretty good guess where their other professor of a Spirit Key protector was.

"But how?! The only way to get to the castle is from this carpet! And we've been here since sunset!" Misawa questioned.

As if answering his question, they heard a familiar voice shout out to them. "Guys, wait!" They looked and saw Asuka approaching them by boat. "Her opponent is already decided."

Emerging behind her, underneath the sheet, was Judai. "It's me."

"What?! But that's ridiculous, Judai!" Bella said, worried if he had yet to recover from his injuries.

"She's right. I'm next," Manjoume corrected.

"No. I'm next," Misawa said.

"Is this the time for that?!" Alex shouted, surprising the group.

"He's right! For all we know, my dad is already next! He could be dueling her right now! We have to stop him!" Kohaku exclaimed.

With that reminder, and new info to the newcomers, they all hurried in to the castle.


Meanwhile, in the main hall of the castle, Kazato stood on the balcony Ryo once stood, with Camula on the other balcony.

"You must think you're a hero, to come here alone," she said.

"I thought no such thing," Kazato said. "I am just a professor wanting the best for my students, as well as a father, who can't turn a blind eye upon seeing a family separated from each other."

"Is that so? Then how about we start our duel? I'll make sure you become a lovely doll for your family."

"Oh, about that. How about we change the conditions a little?" Hearing that peeked Camula's interest. "I lose, of course, I get turned to doll and you have the key. On the other hand, if I win, all I ask is that you to return Ryo and Chronos's soul and stop bringing harm to people."

To hear such a condition made Camula laugh a bit. "Very well, if they mean so much to you. Just know that I never let go of what I possess."

"I am fully aware." The two activated their Duel Disks.

"DUEL!"

Camula: 4000 LP
Kazato: 4000 LP

"Would you like to take the first turn once more?" Kazato asked.

"I'll take the first turn... in drawing first blood," Camula said.

"So I'm first, I see. Very well. Draw!" Kazato drew his sixth card.

"DAD!" Before he could play anything, the two duelists heard a call. Looking to the side, they saw the rest of the Spirit Key protectors rushing into the room. "Dad! What are you doing?!" Kohaku asked, clearly worried.

"Don't worry about me, Kohaku," Kazato told her.

"Are you crazy?!" Judai asked. "The only way to beat a Duel of Darkness is with an Item of Darkness! Asuka's brother said so!"

"Professor, you don't have any item of darkness! You'll be dueling for nothing!" Manjoume told him.

"Stand down now!" Misawa shouted.

"We can't afford to lose another duelist like this!" Asuka pleaded.

Kazato looked over to the group, a smile on his face. "It'll be fine, kids," he assured.

"But-!" Before Kohaku could say anything to get him to change his mind, Kate placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mom?"

"Kohaku. Students. Have faith in your professor. In my husband," she said. "Especially you, Kohaku. Surely you know better than them."

As much as she wanted to protest against her father dueling against Camula, Kohaku also knew her mother was right. The smile her dad had on... He knew what he was doing. She didn't like it, but with the smile he had on, deep down, she wanted to believe in her dad. And believe she will. Looking back up at him, she gave Kazato a nod.

He nodded back and started his turn. "From my hand, I activate the Magic card, Entermate Cast Change!"

"Entermate Cast Change?" Camula questioned, never hearing such a card before.

"I shuffle back 'Entermate' monsters from my hand to my deck and draw the same amount as shuffled plus one! Since I'm going to shuffle them back, I might as well show you what I have at the moment." He revealed his whole hand, which contained nothing but high-level Entermate monsters, to everyone's shock. Even Camula was surprised to see his hand filled with monsters he couldn't summon.

"His hand is full of monsters!" Misawa gasped.

"He got lucky with drawing out that Magic card, then," Manjoume said.

"But now that he's shuffling his hand back for a new hand, he may have a chance this time," Asuka pointed out.

"I'll shuffle my whole hand of 'Entermate' monsters back in my deck and draw a new hand. Plus one that is." Kazato shuffled all the cards in his hand back to his deck and drew a new hand. "Okay. I summon Entermate Secondonkey!" A reddish, purple donkey with a blue saddle appeared on the field.

Entermate Secondonkey: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1000 ATK/2000 DEF

"When Secondonkey is summoned on the field, I can send an 'Entermate' monster from my deck to the Graveyard. From my deck, I send Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir to the Graveyard." Kazato sent the said card to the Graveyard. "Next, by releasing this card, I am able to Special Summon my partner! Entermate Sleight Hand Magician!" The donkey glowed and faded into sparkles as Kazato's ace monster appeared on the field.

Entermate Sleight Hand Magician: Level 7/LIGHT/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"There it is! My dad's ace monster!" Kohaku announced.

"It's only his first turn, and he already has a strong monster on his field," Alex said in amazement.

"At least now he has a chance of ending this before that Phantom Gate appears," Misawa stated.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Kazato ended.

"My turn. Draw!" Camula drew her sixth card. One look at it, and she let out an evil chuckle. "I activate Phantom Gate!"

Everyone in the sideline was shocked at how lucky she got with that draw, as the evil card appeared on the field again.

"Right off the bat?!" Judai gasped.

"I don't have to explain its effect, do I?" Camula said. "After this card is activated, should I lose this duel, my soul will be offered to the Mystic Demons. But, since I want to be cautious, I will once again give someone else the role of being my sacrifice. Now, I wonder, whose soul should I sacrifice?" Camula looked to the audience they had and placed her eyes on two certain people. The gate opened up, unleashing its dark and evil aura. "I can't decide on one, but I'm thinking your daughter and wife would make excellent sacrifices. And I'll take a key as a bonus!"

"Now I wonder about that," Kazato said, with a confident smile on his face.

Seeing that smile and hearing the tone he used nerved the vampire. "What?"

"Counter Trap activate! Gambler's Palm!" Kazato's face-down was flipped face-up. "Gambler's Palm is a Trap Card that can only be activated when Entermate Sleight Hand Magician is the only monster on my field. If my opponent activates a Magic or Trap card or a monster effect, they have to randomly choose a card in my hand. If the card they chose is the same type of card as the one they activated, that card is negated and destroyed!"

(Gambler's Palm: Counter Trap: This card can only activate if you control a face-up "Entermate Sleight Hand Magician" and no other monsters. When your opponent activates a Magic or a Trap card or a monster effect, they must randomly choose a card in your hand. If the card selected is the same type as the one your opponent activated, the activated card is negated and destroyed.)

Hearing that brought smiles on most of the audience's faces.

"If Phantom Gate gets negated, no one's soul is going to be taken!" Bella exclaimed.

"But the card has to be a Magic card to negate that effect," Misawa pointed out.

Instead of grimacing at the risk she was going to take, Camula laughed. "You really think something like that can stop Phantom Gate?" That brought confusion on everyone's faces. "You may have saved your monster, but a soul is still to be offered to the Mystic Demons!" They were stunned to hear that, as phantom hands shot out of the gate and to Kohaku and Kate.

"Kohaku!" Alex cried out.

"Professor Kate!" Bella also cried out.

Judai, not wanting anyone to be sacrificed, got in between the girls and the ghostly hands. "NO!" Suddenly, a miracle had occurred. The two halves of the Shadow Charm Judai had from Gravekeeper's Chief and Fubuki became one and produced a bright light that frightened the hands away. The light was so bright and blinding, it seemed to have caused some damage to Camula herself, as well as forced the gate to close.

"What's going on?!" Manjoume asked.

"Thanks to the power of the Item of Darkness, Judai was able to take out those powers of darkness!" Asuka explained.

"Nice one, Judai!" Alex commented.

Kazato also smiled at the turnaround as he held up his hand. "Now choose, Camula! Will you offer your soul to the Mystic Demons, or will you save that card for another day?"

The vampire gritted her teeth and pointed at a card. "I choose the middle card!"

The 'Entermate' duelist revealed the card she chose. "The card you chose was... the Instant Magic card, Illusion Balloon! Since it's a Magic Card, your Phantom Gate is negated and destroyed!" Sleight Hand Magician tossed his glass balls at Camula's card, crystalizing it and destroying it for good.

The students all cheered as they saw the card get destroyed.

"Nice one, Professor Kazato!" Judai shouted.

"Now we don't have to worry about that gate!" Misawa said.

"So now. What will you do?" Kazato asked Camula.

The vampire duelist gritted her teeth at the counter, not at all expecting this to happen. Well, not like she can anyway with this guy.

'Out of all of the Spirit Key protectors, this one is the only one who didn't take out his deck at all,' she thought. 'My bat kept its eyes on this duelist, but not once has he ever took his deck out and modified it. Nor did he even use it in a duel.' It was then, she thought back to a conversation she had before Kazato arrived in her castle.


*FLASHBACK*

She was preparing herself for the next duel when another Shadow Rider arrived. One of the cloaked Shadow Riders to be exact.

"My. To what do I owe this visit?" Camula asked. "If it's about the Phantom Gate card you made for me, it came out quite lovely. As expected from the card creator of the Shadow Riders."

"That is not why I'm here," the cloaked rider said. "Though I am glad to know that my gift was of great help to you, do you realize what you had done?"

Camula narrowed her eyes and glanced at her ally as she asked that. "What do you mean?"

"You used the card on your second victim's little brother. I know a couple of people amongst the protectors who don't take well to seeing a family separated from one another, especially since it also resulted in tears. If your next opponent is who I think I am, I suggest you add these cards in your deck as well." She took out some cards from her person and offered it to the vampire.

"Are you suggesting that my next opponent will render Phantom Gate useless? You seem to have forgotten that in a Duel of Darkness, even if they do get rid of the card, a soul has to be offered."

"True. If an Item of Darkness is not present." That made Camula feel uneasy. "Trust me. If your next opponent is who I think it is, if the deck they're using is what I think it is, you need these cards. You said it yourself; I'm the card creator. Do you really think I'd be making these for no reason at all?"


*END OF FLASHBACK*

'To think she was actually right,' Camula thought. 'It's a good thing I added them in my deck.'

"From my hand, I activate the Field Magic, Vampire Empire!" Suddenly, a blood red moon was seen from out the window, as bats then appeared on the ceiling.

"Vampire Empire?" Asuka gasped.

"I've never heard of that card," Misawa said.

"Neither have I," Manjoume added.

"And I assure you, you won't know most of the other cards that will be played in this duel," Camula said. "I activate the Continuous Magic, Vampire Territory!" The red moon seemed to have glowed brighter as she activated the card. "Now I summon Vampire Sorcerer!" Now summoned onto the field was a pale, mage-like vampire.

Vampire Sorcerer: Level 4/DARK/Zombie/1500 ATK/1500 DEF

"Another pair of cards we don't know of?" Alex questioned.

"But how can that be?" Bella asked.

"Don't think I'm done just yet," Camula said. "I activate Vampire Territory's effect! Once per turn, I can made an additional summon for a 'Vampire' monster, so long as I pay 500 Life Points! By paying that 500 points, I sacrifice Sorcerer to Advance Summon Vampire Grace!" The mage-like vampire turned into an elder vampire, who seemed to be a royal.

Vampire Grace: Level 6/DARK/Zombie/2000 ATK/1200 DEF

Camula: 3500 LP
Kazato: 4000 LP

"Heh. She summoned out a high-level monster, but its ATK is still nothing if it can't harm Sleight Hand Magician," Manjoume scoffed.

"No. I don't think it's the stronger monster she was going for," Alex told him.

"That's right, it wasn't. I activate Vampire Grace's effect! Once per turn, I declare one card type. And my opponent is to send that type of card from their deck to the Graveyard. Send away a monster card," Camula demanded.

"I don't know why, but sure. I'll send away Entermate Uni to my Graveyard!" Kazato sent the said card to his Graveyard.

Camula smirked as she saw him send a card to the grave. "And it is here Vampire Empire's effect activates! When a card is sent from the opponent's deck to the Graveyard, by sending a DARK 'Vampire' monster from my hand or deck to the Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field!" Everyone was shocked to hear that effect from the field spell. "From my deck I send away Vampire Brood. Now say good-bye to your monster!" A half-white wolf with an evil, shadowy half appeared and struck Kazato's lone monster and destroyed it.

"Professor's monster!" Misawa gasped.

"That's not good," Asuka stated.

"Next, by sending a 'Vampire' card from my hand or field to the Graveyard, like the Vampire Familiar in my hand, I can Special Summon Vampire Brood from my Graveyard!" The two-sided wolf returned to the field.

Vampire Brood: Level 2/DARK/Zombie/1200 ATK/0 DEF

"And when this card is Special Summoned, by paying 500 of my Life Points, I can add a 'Vampire' Magic or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I will add in Vampire Awake." With more of her Life Points paid, Camula added a card to her hand.

Camula: 3000 LP
Kazato: 4000 LP

"Now I will have Vampire Grace attack the player directly! Graceful Hunt!" At Camula's declaration, the elderly monster sent bats after Kazato.

"Dad, look out!" Kohaku shouted.

"From my Graveyard, I activate Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir's effect!" Hearing that surprised the vampire. "Once per turn, if an opponent's monster declares a direct attack while it's in the Graveyard, by discarding an 'Entermate' monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it in Defense Mode! Call out our friend, Entermate Teeter Totter Hopper!" Kazato tossed the card to the field. The card changed into a two-faced grasshopper and made a u-turn to Kazato, specifically the Graveyard slot. Once it went in, an indigo tapir appeared.

Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir: Level 6/WIND/Beast/1000 ATK/2000 DEF

"Alright! He's got some defense!" Judai cheered.

"And since Tapir's DEF is the same as Grace's ATK, Camula can't deal a single point of damage to him," Kate added.

For some reason, hearing that claim made Camula chuckled. "You human duelists are truly naive, aren't you?" That baffled them once more. "Continue your attack, Vampire Grace!" The bats advanced forward. "Vampire Empire's other effect! During the damage calculation, Zombie-type monsters gain 500 ATK!"

Vampire Grace: 2000 + 500 = 2500 ATK

The confusion turned to shock as the bats seemed to have grown twice their size and attacked and destroyed Kazato's only defense.

Vampire Grace: 2500 - 500 = 2000 ATK

"Now I'll attack directly with Vampire Brood! Bloody Fang! And when a 'Vampire' monster inflicts Battle Damage to my opponent, through Vampire Territory's effect, I gain Life Points equal to the damage dealt!" The wolf-like monster charged and slashed at Kazato, dealing massive and painful damage at him, as well as regaining its master's Life Points.

Vampire Brood: 1200 + 500 = 1700 ATK

Camula: 4700 LP
Kazato: 2300 LP

Vampire Brood: 1700 - 500 = 1200 ATK

"Dad!" Kohaku cried out in worry, as her father kneeled down.

Camula laughed at the pitiful sight. "How does it feel? To witness the terrors of the Duel of Darkness!" Small sound and light shakes were heard and seen from Kazato. "Don't tell me you're going to cry. Even that Professor Chronos didn't succumb to tears when he took direct damage. Then again, he didn't take as much damage as you did."

Listening to her belittle her dad made Kohaku mad. Before she could shout anything to retort, though, the sound they were hearing from Kazato grew louder. Soon enough, they realized he wasn't crying; he was laughing.

"Man, did that really hurt," he casually said, rubbing the spot where he was hit.

To say they were stunned at how he was shrugging off the pain he felt from the direct attack was an understatement.

Only Kate giggled at the reaction. "As expected of Kazato. Even after taking that sort of damage, he would just laugh it off."

"Is this even the time to be laughing?!" Manjoume demanded.

"For once, I agree with one of you," Camula admitted. "Why are you laughing?"

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" Kazato asked back. "It's because this duel has gotten interesting. Right now I have two cards in my hand, and you know what one of the two is. My ace monster is in the Graveyard. Will my next draw be a miracle or will it be my downfall? I am curious to see what happens in this duel to the very end. After all, things can happen in a duel. Tides can change at some point."

Camula didn't answer to him and just glared at the 'Entermate' duelist. "I set one card face-down and end my turn," she ended.

"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Kazato drew his next card. "I summon out Entermate Friendonkey in Defense Mode!" Another donkey, this one grey and white furred with a pink saddlebag, appeared on the field.

Entermate Friendonkey: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/1600 ATK/600 DEF

"When Friendonkey is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Entermate' monster from my hand or Graveyard! Return from the grave, Entermate Uni!" The female, white-clothed, yellow-tailed, blonde 'Entermate' monster he sent from Vampire Grace's effect appeared on his field in Attack Mode.

Entermate Uni: Level 4/LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/800 ATK/1500 DEF

"And if Uni is summoned this turn, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower 'Entermate' monster from my hand in Attack Mode! Let's bring out Uni's twin! Come, Entermate Corn!" Another female, blue-haired and purple-clothed, strikingly similar to Uni, appeared next.

Entermate Corn: Level 3/LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/600 ATK/1000 DEF

"And I activate Corn's effect! If this card is summoned this turn, I can change it and another Attack Positioned 'Entermate' monster with 1000 or less ATK to Defense Mode and add an 'Odd-Eyes' monster from my deck to my hand!"

Hearing the kind of card added brought puzzled looks to everyone's faces, as none of them had heard of 'Odd-Eyes' monsters before.

"'Odd-Eyes'?" Judai questioned.

"I've never heard of that archetype," Alex said.

"Is it a new archetype that's being made, Kohaku?" Asuka asked.

"I... don't know," the girl answered, surprising those in the sidelines.

"Dance, girls!" At Kazato's words, Uni and Corn looked at each other with happy looks on their faces. The two joined hands and started dancing around the field, seemingly creating a card for Kazato to add in. As they danced, the audience was mesmerized by the performance. Soon enough, with a final pose, the card was created and shot into its owner's hands. "The card I'll be adding is Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver! Now then, everyone, how about we give these girls a round of applause?"

Those easily moved by the show did exactly that and applauded for the female monsters on Kazato's field.

Camula, on the other hand, was not at all amused with how lightly Kazato was taking the duel. "How about you stop fooling around and duel?" she said.

"Whatever do you mean?" the 'Entermate' duelist asked. "I am dueling. I'm dueling my way that is. I shall end my turn with one card face-down." He set a card, in which everyone knew was Illusion Balloon.

"So after all that work, you only managed to put up a wall. Smart, but not bright enough," Camula insulted. "My turn! Draw!" She drew her next card. "Trap card open! Vampire Awake!" The card she had added last turn was flipped face-up. "Vampire Awake is a special trap card that allows me to Special Summon a 'Vampire' monster from my deck! Come, Vamp of Vampire!" Appearing out of the card was a white-haired, purple-clothed vampire with bat wings.

Vamp of Vampire: Level 7/DARK/Zombie/2000 ATK/2000 DEF

"Not another vampire!" Bella gasped.

"And furthermore, I activate Vampire Grace's effect! Send another monster!" Camula demanded.

"If you say so," Kazato said. "I'll send Entermate Thunderhino to the Graveyard."

"And now with Empire's effect, let's get rid of one of those monsters. I send Vampire Duke to the Graveyard! Get rid of Entermate Uni!" A dracula appeared and went for the blonde female monster. One bite to the neck and Uni was gone. Camula smirked at the successful play.

"Ladies and gentlemen~!" Until that. "It's show time! Instant Magic, activate! Illusion Balloon!" As Uni faded away, balloons appeared where she was, and floated around the field.

"What is this?!" the vampire questioned.

"Illusion Balloon is an Instant Magic that activates when a monster I control is destroyed," Kazato explained, as a dart appeared in his hand. "Each of these five balloons contains a card from the top of my deck. If any of them contains an 'Entermate' monster, I can Special Summon one of that monster onto my field! Now then, everyone! How about we take a look at each of these balloons? Let's start with the first!" He tossed the dart at one balloon, causing it to pop and reveal the card within. "Ah... that's too bad. It's an 'Entermate', but it's not a monster; it's the Trap Card, Entermate Revival."

The Spirit Key protectors and Kate sighed in disappointment.

"But, how about the second card?" As a dart appeared in his hand again, Kazato tossed it at the next balloon. It popped and revealed... "Oh ho! We have an 'Entermate' monster! Entermate Whip Snake!"

That brought smiles back on their faces.

"Next! The third balloon!" Like before, Kazato tossed his third dart. In that balloon was... "Ah... The Continuous Magic, Barrier Bubble. Not an 'Entermate' monster."

Back to frowns for them.

"The fourth!" The next balloon was popped, revealing... "It's an 'Entermate' monster, but we don't need radishes at this time. Sorry."

"Now all that's left..." Misawa spoke.

"That last balloon..." Asuka muttered.

Kohaku placed her hands together, hoping for something good to come out of the last balloon.

"Now for the final balloon! Just what sort of fate does the cards lead me to? Let us find out! The last card!" Kazato threw his fifth and last dart at the last balloon. It popped. "It's here~! The 'Entermate' monster that will ensure our survival! Please welcome, ladies and gentlemen, Entermate Elephammer!" Appearing on Kazato's field, in Attack Mode, was a sky blue elephant with a funny-looking trunk.

Entermate Elephammer: Level 6/EARTH/Beast/2600 ATK/1600 DEF

The teens cheered when they saw the monster that made its appearance.

"Nice going, Professor!" Judai shouted.

"With that much ATK power, even with Vampire Empire's effect, none of Camula's monsters can land a hit on Kazato!" Alex stated. "It's the best defensive and a good offensive monster!"

What they thought was Camula cursing the luck Kazato had, they instead heard more chuckles from the Shadow Rider. "It really is sad to see you struggle like so." The amount of confidence she had in her voice frightened them. "In my Graveyard, I activate Vampire Familiar's effect! Like Vampire Brood, by sending a 'Vampire' card from my hand or field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card! I send Vampire Fraulein from my hand to the Graveyard! Come, Vampire Familiar!" An odd-looking vampire bat appeared on the field.

Vampire Familiar: Level 1/DARK/Zombie/500 ATK/0 DEF

"And when this card is summoned to the field, by paying 500 of my Life Points, I can add a 'Vampire' monster from my deck to my hand! I will add Vampire Red Baron to my hand!"

Camula: 4200 LP
Kazato: 2300 LP

"Next, I release Vampire Brood to Advance Summon Vampire Red Baron!" The wolf morphed into an evil cavalier, with both the knight and his horse pale with blood red gems, eyes, mane and tail.

Vampire Red Baron: Level 6/DARK/Zombie/2400 ATK/1000 DEF

Everyone's eyes widened at the newly summoned monster. "Next, I activate Vamp of Vampire's effect! When a 'Vampire' monster us Normal Summoned to my field, I can equip a monster my opponent controls with ATK higher than it to this card! Join us, Entermate Elephammer! Vampire's Blood!" The hopes were brought down even further as they watch Vamp of Vampire fly to Entermate Elephammer and bit its neck. That one bite turned the newly summoned monster into a vampire and Vamp's new pet. "Also, this card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of monsters equipped to her."

Vamp of Vampire: 2000 + 2600 = 4600 ATK

"Next, I activate Vampire Red Baron's effect! Once per turn, by paying 1000 Life Points, I can switch control of one monster on my field with a monster my opponent controls! Familiar! Switch with Friendonkey! Blood Control!" The cavalier pointed his lance at the declared 'Entermate' monster and shot out a red beam from it. The beam struck the Beast-type and brought it to the dark side, while Familiar swapped to Kazato's side.

Camula: 3700 LP
Kazato: 2300 LP

"No... Dad!" Kohaku rushed to her father, not wanting to witness what will come next, when her mother grabbed her by the shoulder and held her back. "Mom, what are you doing?!"

"Trusting your father." The teens all froze at the adult's answer and kept watching the duel.

"Battle! Vamp of Vampire! Attack Vampire Familiar and finish that human! Red Bloodbath!" The currently strongest vampire did as her twisted master ordered and went for their former ally.

Vamp of Vampire: 4600 + 500 = 5100 ATK

Blood red energy formed in her hands as she shot out a beam right at Familiar and created an explosion, causing Kazato's side of the field to be covered in black smoke.

"Dad! NOOOO!" Kohaku cried out.

Everyone else was speechless at what had happened. With strong cards like those, how were any of them going to be able to defeat Camula? Judai clenched his fists and teeth as he glared at the female duelist above them.

"Damn you, Camula!" he shouted.

The vampire simply laughed at her opponent's defeat. "It's too bad! You put up quite a fight, but in the end, it was nothing but a useless struggle," she said. "Now then, to collect the key and a new doll."

"Says who?" She and the teens froze at the calm voice that was heard. Looking back at Kohaku's father's field, which was starting to clear, imagine their shock when they saw Uni and Secondonkey in front of their master, the former's arms up as a barrier of some sort protected Kazato from the damage he would've taken.

"What?! But how?!" Camula demanded.

"Surely, you didn't think a performer would just give up that easily, do you?" the man said. "When you declared your attack, I activated Entermate Uni's effect from the Graveyard. By removing it and another 'Entermate' monster, like Entermate Secondonkey, from play, I am able to reduce a Battle Damage to zero! This is Friend's Barrier!" As the shield dissipated, he looked to his two monsters and said, "Thank you. Both of you." Sending him a thumbs-up and a happy neigh, both monsters disappeared.

Vamp of Vampire: 5100 - 500 = 4600 ATK

Camula clicked her tongue at how lucky her opponent was to be able to survive from the attack. But she knew that such luck can last for so long. "I attack Entermate Corn with Red Baron! Bloody Lance!" The cavalier's horse charged at Kazato's lone monster, with the lance glowing blood red.

Vampire Red Baron: 2400 + 500 = 2900 ATK

"I activate Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver's effect from my hand! At the start of the Damage Step, if one of my 'Entermate' monsters battles an opponent's monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand and negate that monster's destruction! Friend's Shield!" Kazato flicked the last card in his hand to the field, calling out a purple, wizard-like monster with flaming blue hair and different colored eyes, one red and the other green.

Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/2600 DEF

The newly summoned monster got in between Red Baron and Corn and called upon bright light from his staff, ceasing the attack.

Vampire Red Baron: 2900 - 500 = 2400 ATK

Camula was getting even more annoyed with the counters Kazato had. "Vampire Grace! End that small-fry! Graceful Hunt!" The remaining Attack Position Vampire called upon the bats and had them destroy Corn.

Vampire Grace: 2000 + 500 = 2500 ATK

Vampire Grace: 2500 - 500 = 2000 ATK

"I end my turn! At this time, the monster Special Summoned through Vampire Awake's effect is destroyed." Those words slightly relieved the other Spirit Key protectors. An evil smirked formed on Camula's face, as she added, "If that monster wasn't Vamp of Vampire that is. When she is to be sent to the Graveyard while equipped with a card, only those equipped cards go!" True to her words, only Entermate Elephammer left the field, while Vamp of Vampire remained.

Vamp of Vampire: 4600 - 2600 = 2000 ATK

Everyone sighed in relief at how Kazato was able to survive the assault, some holding their chests from the fright and rush.

"That was a close one..." Bella said.

"I actually thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest..." Manjoume admitted.

"But now, Professor has a chance," Asuka pointed out. "If he can draw out something that can get rid of Camula's monsters, he may win this."

"That's not possible," Kohaku said, much to everyone's confusion. "I know my dad's deck. It's never meant for winning; it's mean to perform." This surprised everyone, wondering what in the world was Kazato thinking in dueling against Camula if he didn't stand a chance to win in the first place.

"That's where you're wrong," Kate corrected, grabbing their attention. "You may know your father's deck, but that was when we were in Animer Circus. You don't know him as a duelist. Have faith in him. You'll be surprised with what comes next." None wanted to say anything against her and just continued watching.

"My turn then. Draw!" Kazato drew his next card. The teens watched in anticipation, wondering what he drew out, hoping that whatever he got was a miracle card. When they saw the smile on his face, they thought he drew something that can turn the tables. "I end my turn." Until that.

"HUH?!" they gasped, jaw dropped.

Camula just chuckled at what may be a horrible draw on Kazato's part. "In that case, I draw!" She drew her card and started her turn. "I activate Vampire Grace's effect! Send away another monster!"

"Then I'll send Entermate Discover Hippo away." Kazato, unfazed, placed the card from his deck to the Graveyard.

"And with a card sent to your Graveyard, by sending Vampire Scargelet from my deck to the Graveyard, Vampire Empire will destroy Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver!" A pale, male vampire in a fancy, Englishmen's clothes appeared and destroyed Kazato's lone defense. "Next, I summon out Vampire Fraulein from my hand!" A pale female vampire in black, gothic clothes, black bat wings on her back and an umbrella in hand appeared.

Vampire Fraulein: Level 5/DARK/Vampire/600 ATK/2000 DEF

"Normally this card needs one tribute to summon. But, thanks to the Vampire Sorceress in my Graveyard, by removing her from play, I can Normal Summon a DARK 'Vampire' monster without any sacrifices!" Some teens looked away, not wanting to see the end of the duel. "This is the end for sure! Vampire Red Baron! Kill him! Bloody Lance!" The vampire cavalier charged at Kazato.

"This show is not over!" Kazato claimed in English. "By sending Entermate Turn Toad to the Graveyard, I activate Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir's effect to Special Summon him to my field! Turn Toad, call Tapir back out!" A green toad in a performer's clothes appeared and brought the indigo tapir back out. "And also, since an 'Entermate' monster was sent from my hand to the Graveyard, Entermate Teeter Totter Hopper is also Special Summoned onto my field!" Along with it was the two-faced grasshopper that called it out earlier.

Entermate Teeter Totter Hopper: Level 4/EARTH/Insect/100 ATK/1200 DEF

"Then so be it! Red Baron! Get rid of that tapir first!"

"From my Graveyard, I activate Entermate Thunderhino's effect that you made me send away earlier! By removing it from play, I can negate the destruction of an 'Entermate' card once! Thunder Shield!" Just as Red Baron's lance was about to pop the balloon-like monster, a rhino suddenly appeared and shocked it (pun intended), ceasing the attack.

"Miracle can only happen once! Vampire Grace! Pop it! Graceful Hunt!" The elderly-like monster called went and destroyed Tapir.

Vampire Grace: 2000 + 500 = 2500 ATK

Vampire Grace: 2500 - 500 = 2000 ATK

"Continue! Fraulein! Finish that last monster of his! Bloody Jab!" The newly summoned vampire furled her umbrella, as it changed into a black sword, in which she charged at Teeter Totter Hopper with. "Next, I activate Fraulein's effect! Once per battle, when a Zombie-type monster battles my opponent's monster, during damage calculation, by paying Life Points in multiples of 100, the monster I control gains ATK and DEF equal to the amount paid! For a monster as weak as that, 200 is enough to get rid of it, especially with Vampire Empire's effect!"

Vampire Fraulein: 600 + 500 + 200 = 1300 ATK

Camula: 3500 LP
Kazato: 2300 LP

"Because Entermate Teeter Totter Hopper was Special Summoned, once per turn, he cannot be destroyed by battle!" The grasshopper leapt over Fraulein, avoiding his destruction.

Vampire Fraulein: 1300 - 500 - 200 = 600 ATK

"'Once' you say. Meaning it won't happen again! I was thinking about having your own monster attack you directly, but whatever! Friendonkey! Crush that bug!" At Camula's order, Kazato's brainwashed monster destroyed its own ally. "Now for the finale! End this once and for all, Vamp of Vampire! Red Bloodbath!"

Vamp of Vampire: 2000 + 500 = 2500 ATK

Vamp did as ordered and fired another one of her energy beams at Kazato, resulting in another explosion to occur.

The teens stood speechless, hoping that Kazato had something to save himself from that last attack as he did the previous times. Camula, on the other hand, felt kind of exhausted for some reason, as she felt something race in her chest.

'What the hell... did that human do?' she wondered. 'Not once since I even started living did I ever feel this race in my chest. Not even when I first met my husband...' Her eyes widened as she started to see things she didn't think she'd see. Remember things she didn't want to remember. At least, not at this moment.

Soon enough, the smoke was clearing... And one can never imagine how surprised Camula was when she sees Kazato standing there, arms crossed and a smile on his face. And let's not forget the Life Points.

Camula: 5500 LP
Kazato: 300 LP

Vamp of Vampire: 2500 - 500 = 2000 ATK

"But... How...?" she managed to breathe out.

"Before the attack can hit be, I activated Entermate Corn's effect from my Graveyard," Kazato explained, as the monster herself revealed herself from behind her master, waving at all those watching them. "By removing her and another 'Entermate' monster from my Graveyard, such as Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver, from play, I gain 500 Life Points." The said heterochromia monster also appeared from the other side of his master, arms crossed and looking at the audience with a smile on his face.

Excitement was starting to build up from the teens as they saw him survive yet another devastating attack. Kohaku, especially, was looking at him with wide, sparkling eyes; all the fear she had earlier faded away.

Camula... She didn't know what to feel. On one hand, she was furious Kazato survived yet another attack from her. On the other... She didn't know what she was feeling besides frustration and anger. "I end my turn."

"Then it is my turn." Kazato made a gesture to draw, but placed his arms down. "Tell me something. Why resort to having a Duel of Darkness if you are this good at dueling? Surely you didn't need to resort to such tactics to win. So why rely on the darkness for the previous duels?"

"Simply winning a duel has no meaning to me!" Camula shouted, surprising the group. "In Middle-Age Europe, the vampire race was proud of being in the height of their prosperity! As a proud race, we lived in isolation! However, humans referred to us as monsters, and they wouldn't even allow us to exist! And soon, our race was destroyed... I alone fell into an eternal slumber within a coffin. Someone was there to awaken me. He told me that I could use the powers of darkness to revive my vampire brethren! He asked, 'Why don't you borrow those powers?' This isn't just a game when I make the opponents I duel into dolls. I'll use the souls of these dolls to revive my fallen vampire brethren, and our souls, as brethren, will seek revenge on those humans who denied and destroyed us!"

Everyone went silent, as they listened to Camula's reason for dueling this way.

"To think this became so intense..." Judai said.

"So basically, this duel is a fight between the vampire race and humanity," Alex summarized.

"And by the looks of it, Camula will get what she wants, if Professor Kazato doesn't draw out a card that can help him win," Misawa added.

The said professor was silent, his eyes shadowed as he took in what Camula shared. "That's really sad..." he said at last.

"Isn't it?" the vampire said. "To think the one race that destroyed mine is going to get destroyed themselves. That really is sad for you."

"That's not what I mean." Those words brought confusion to everyone's faces, except Kate and Kohaku. The former who knew what her husband was doing from the start, and the latter who now realized what his goal was. "I mean it's sad... that you woke up after many years, and never experienced what humanity is like today. It's true, we humans are often scared of what we don't understand. However, that is so long ago. As time passed, so are our concept of supernaturals. I mean, come on. Have you paid attention to this duel?"

"What do you mean?"

"I may not have experienced the same pain you felt, but I do know a similar pain. I, after all, lost my daughter at a young age. My other daughter, in case you'd be wondering. She was such a kind girl with an extremely special gift. But because of that gift, she was seen as a monster, and people took advantage of that and killed her." Camula was silent as she listened to his story. "I may not know what it's like to be seen as a monster, but I do know what a loss feels like, especially for such a ridiculous reason as that. But now, Duel Monsters are becoming more than just a card game to some of us. To some of us, those monsters are our friends, our family! If we can think that way towards our cards, towards our own monsters, then surely there are people out there who can accept you as a vampire! You just never met them yet!"

"Don't be ridiculous! As if I'd be friends with a race that destroyed mine!"

"You cannot blame us all for what happened centuries ago. As I said, time has changed. And now, allow me to be the first to officially welcome you to humanity today!" As he said that, drum rolls were heard as dark clouds outside slowly covered up the red moon, darkening the room. Once the room was dark enough, part of the cloud suddenly parted, giving a red spotlight to Kazato. "Ladies and gentlemen~! As you all can clearly see, my field is absent of set cards, let alone monsters! Furthermore, I have zero cards in my hand, and my opponent has a full field of monsters! Everything is being bet onto this one draw! Will the Goddess of Victory smile upon me? Will I pull off a spectacular performance? Please do not look away even for a second!" Those in the sidelines looked, mentally praying for something good.

"Draw!" Kazato drew his card at last. One look, and he smiled. "Now then! Who wants to see an amazing magic show?" Camula gave a questionable look as he said that, wondering what he meant by that. "This card I just drew can only activate if I have no cards on my field and it is the only card in my hand! It is none other than the Magic card, Magician's Card! For each card on my opponent's field, I can draw one card from my deck and reveal them! Miss Camula has a total of seven cards, and as such, I draw until I have seven cards!" Kazato drew his hand and revealed the cards. "The cards I drew out were Entermate Big Bonds, Uni-Corn Helpers, Entermate Laugh Maker, Smile World, Break Away, Entermate Flash Stage, and Sleight of Hand!"

(Entermate Big Bonds: Normal Magic: This card can only activate if you control no monsters. From your Banished Zone, Special Summon as much 'Entermate' monsters as you can in Defense Mode. Their DEF becomes 0 and their effects are negated.)

(Uni-Corn Helpers: Normal Trap: This card can only activate if you have both 'Entermate Uni' and 'Entermate Corn' on your field. Target one monster you control; this turn, that monster gains 400 ATK for 'Entermate' monster you control, cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect, and you take no battle damage from battles involving that monster. Also, if the monster inflicts Battle damage to your opponent, gain Life Points equal to the Damage dealt. If you are targeted for a direct attack while this card is in your Graveyard and both 'Entermate Uni' and 'Entermate Corn' are in your Banish Zone; you may shuffle those two cards back in your deck and banish this card; Reveal the top card of your deck. If the card revealed was an 'Entermate' monster, Special Summon that card. If not, send it to the graveyard.)

(Entermate Flash Stage: Instant Magic: Activate this card if you control no monsters; Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Entermate' Monster from your deck. During the End Phase, destroy that monster.)

(Sleight of Hand: Instant Magic: Target 1 Spellcaster-type monster on your field and one Spellcaster-type monster in your Graveyard. Destroy the first target and special summon the second target. If you activate this card while your Life Points are 1000 or less, the monster summoned by this effect gains the ATK of the monster destroyed by this effect)

"But none of them are monsters he can summon!" Judai pointed out.

"Damn it. Guess this is the end, then," Manjoume said.

Kohaku, knowing her dad's cards better than them, said otherwise. "No, he can do this!"

Before any of them can ask her how she meant, Kazato continued his turn. "I activate the Magic card, Entermate Big Bonds! This card can only activate if I have no monsters on my field! Through it, I can Special Summon back 'Entermate' monsters that were removed from this game! And also, I activate the Instant Magic, Entermate Flash Stage! Like Entermate Big Bonds, this card can only activate if I have no monsters. From my deck, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Entermate' monster!" Hearing those words brought smiles on everyone's faces. "Come here, friends~ From my deck, appear now, Entermate Radish Horse!" Coming onto the field first was the red and white horse made of radishes.

Entermate Radish Horse: Level 4/EARTH/Plant/500 ATK/2000 DEF

"And making their comebacks are these monsters! Entermate Uni, Entermate Corn, Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver, and Entermate Thunderhino!" Four different colored lights appeared and flew around, amazing everyone. The lights landed on the field and dissipated, revealing the called monsters. However...

Entermate Uni: 1500 -} 0 DEF

Entermate Corn: 1000 -} 0 DEF

Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver: 2600 -} 0 DEF

Entermate Thunderhino: 1800 -} 0 DEF

"In Defense Mode?!" Judai questioned.

"Not only that, but their DEF became 0!" Bella added.

"Monsters summoned through Entermate Big Bonds are to be summoned in Defense Mode. Also, their effects are negated," Kazato explained, much to the teens' great shock.

"Wait a second! Then how are you planning on taking me down?! You talk big, but in the end, all you're doing is stalling!" Camula demanded.

"Oh. Did I forget to mention one other thing? During the End Phase of the turn I activate Magician's Card, all cards I control gets removed from play!" This brought more confusion and shock to everyone, except his family, who knew what he would do next.

"Then... Just what...?"

"Oh? Is our guest star, Vampire Camula, that curious in knowing how I plan to end this performance?" At his question, the vampire herself was caught off guard, as she realized what she was doing.

'What am I doing? Am I really that curious in knowing?' she wondered. 'But why?! He's just another human! He's just another human and yet... I can't seem to bring myself to think of him as such.'

"Now then! I activate the Magic Card, Smile World!" Next thing everyone knew, the field was filled with smiling emojis. Looking at them all brought warm feelings in their chests and they found themselves smiling. Well, all except Camula, that is.

"Smile World?" she questioned.

"It's a special card that gives joy to everyone; duelists, spectators, and even monsters alike! With it, all monsters on the field 100 ATK for each monster on the field! There are a total of 10 monsters, so each of them all have a good increase of 1000 points!" As he said that, the monsters on both sides were all giving off genuine smiles, as if having a blast. Even Red Baron and his mount had cartoon eyes to show they were happy.

Entermate Friendonkey: 1600 + 1000 = 2600 ATK

Vampire Grace: 2000 + 1000 = 3000 ATK

Vamp of Vampire: 2000 + 1000 = 3000 ATK

Vampire Red Baron: 2400 + 1000 = 3400 ATK

Vampire Fraulein: 600 + 1000 = 1600 ATK

Entermate Radish Horse: 500 + 1000 = 1500 ATK

Entermate Uni: 800 + 1000 = 1800 ATK

Entermate Corn: 600 + 1000 = 1600 ATK

Entermate Odd-Eyes Dissolver: 2000 + 1000 = 3000 ATK

Entermate Thunderhino: 200 + 1000 = 1200 ATK

"You gave all our monsters an ATK boost? Have you gone mad?!" Camula questioned.

"Far from it. After all, I am a performer. And speaking of guest stars I spoke of earlier, what say we summon out another Entermate~?" Kazato resumed once more. "Entermate Uni, Entermate Corn. Can you both assist me once more?" The called girls looked at him and nodded eagerly. "By releasing these two ladies, I Advance Summon the one 'Entermate' monster who truly brings joy to people's heart! Entermate Laugh Maker!" The two grabbed each others' hands and spun around, glowing brightly as they did. Once the light was bright enough to cover their whole bodies, they merged into one and standing in their place was a male mage in yellow clothes and purple underclothes with a staff in his hand.

Entermate Laugh Maker: Level 8/LIGHT/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"Yes! He summoned out a monster in Attack Mode!" Judai cheered.

"But with that sort of ATK power, the only monster he can target is Vampire Fraulein. And even so, with Vampire Empire's effect and Vampire Fraulein's effect, it's still not enough," Asuka said.

"And now I activate Entermate Radish Horse's effect!" As Kazato said that, a spotlight was placed on the Plant-type monster while two others were searching around Camula and Kazato's field. "Once per turn, by targeting a face-up monster on both our field, I can make my opponent's monster lose ATK equal to this card's ATK while the monster on my field gains the ATK! The monsters I'll be targeting are..." After a few more seconds of searching, the spotlights stopped at two monsters. "These two! Vampire Red Baron and Entermate Laugh Maker! Entertainment Fireworks!" Radish Horse fired its horn to the sky. It bursted into a firework and brought more of it to the sky. The 'Vampire' monsters were all in awe at the sight, as Red Baron's ATK went down, while the 'Entermate' monsters all smiled happily, with Laugh Maker laughing.

Vampire Red Baron: 3400 - 1500 = 1900 ATK

Entermate Laugh Maker: 2500 + 1500 = 4000 ATK

"He increased Laugh Maker's ATK!" Alex excitedly said.

"But that still isn't enough!" Manjoume exclaimed.

"Battle!" Kazato declared. "Entermate Laugh Maker! Attack Vamp of Vampire!" The highest-level 'Entermate' monster did as ordered and waved his staff around, preparing his attack.

"But even if you do attack, all I have to do is use my cards' effect and-"

"Laugh Maker's effect!" Camula was cut off as Kazato continued, "When he attacks, for each monster on my opponent's field whose current ATK is higher than their original, he gains 1000 ATK points! Smile Boost!" That greatly surprised many, as the 'Vampire' monsters and Friendonkey let out heartfelt laughs and emojis all gathered around in Laugh Maker's staff, with the monster himself laughing as he felt a great surge of power.

Entermate Laugh Maker: 4000 + 1000 x 5 = 4000 + 5000 = 9000 ATK

"An ATK of 9000?!" Bella gasped in great shock.

"And not only that, but look!" Kohaku said. "The difference between Laugh Maker and Vamp of Vampire's ATK is 6000. Camula's Life Point is 5500. Even if Empire's effect activates, Vamp's ATK would just be 3500. In order for Fraulein's effect to activate, Camula has to give up Life Points for Vamp's ATK to increase."

There was no need for any further explanation, as the result was clear. "So then in other words..." Misawa started.

"Professor Kazato wins!" Judai cheered.

Camula was shocked at the massive turnaround, not believing with her own eyes what she was going to witness. "I... I lose?!"

"As it may be, but at least you're having fun, aren't you?" Kazato asked.

That one question got to the vampire herself, as she recalled a memory she had locked away so long ago. A memory she was forced to forget, until now.


*FLASHBACK*

It was back when she was a child. She was quite curious of the human race and wanted to get a closer look at them all. Her parents had always told her of how cruel humans can be, but after watching them from a distance for some time, she didn't believe them. That is... until she interacted with some human children and messed up.

"A vampire! You're a vampire!" one kid shouted.

"You're not welcome here, monster!" another kid shouted.

"B-But... I just wanted to..." Young Camula tried to explain herself.

"Go away!" Another kid picked up a rock and tossed it at her.

Young Camula brought her arms up in an attempt to shield herself, when someone else got in the way.

"Hey! What do you guys think you're doing?!" Looking up, it was a teenager who stopped them.

"But that's a vampire behind you!" one of the kid said, pointing at her.

"It's rude to point, idiot!" the teen scolded, hitting him on the head. "Besides, so what if she is a vampire?" That question caught everyone off guard. "Is she causing trouble for everyone or are you guys freaking out because you realize her true race? I saw you guys playing earlier."

"But she's a vampire! A blood-sucking, super strong, cold vampire!" another kid said.

"And? Be that as it may be, did you have fun playing with her before you found out?" The children all kept silent at that question. "If a vampire can have fun with you guys, are they really all that dangerous? Besides, for a super strong vampire, she seemed like a normal kid to me. Now apologize to her!"

Reluctantly, the children all apologized to Young Camula.

The teen kneeled down to her eye-level. "You okay there?"

"Uh... Y-Yes..." she nodded.

A smile formed on his face. "That's great to know." If there was one thing to note about this boy, it would be that he looked a lot like a teenage version of Kazato.


*END OF FLASHBACK*

"Now continue on, Entermate Laugh Maker! Happiness Charger Beam!" Kazato ordered his monster. As Laugh Maker twirled his staff around, a smiling emoji appeared in front of him. A rainbow-colored beam was shot out of it and towards Vamp of Vampire. The monster brought her arms up to protect herself, but it was futile, as the beam engulfed her and made its way to a speechless Camula. The attack struck her as well, and knocked her down.

Camula: 0000 LP
Kazato: 300 LP

WINNER: KAZATO!

Seeing him win made everyone cheer in sheer joy. "He won!" the teens shouted.

"Dad!" Kohaku cried out, happy that her dad didn't get turned into a doll.

"I told you he can do it, didn't I?" Kate said.

Kohaku nodded in agreement, to happy to say anything.

With Camula, she was shellshocked. Not with the results of the duel, but the second half of it. As Kazato said, ever since she reawakened, she didn't have time to experience what human society was like today. Never, in her whole life, had she ever experienced nor seen anything as beautiful, awe-striking, wonderful, and exciting as that duel.

"That duel..." she whispered softly to herself. "... It was too amazing..." She heard footsteps and looked up to see Kazato approaching her. "That duel... That was real dueling?"

He nodded at the question. "That's right. The wondrous joy, the warm feeling, the genuine smiles brought on the faces of many... That was a real duel. Duels are not tools for battle, nor are they used to separate families, friends, or hurt others. You may have lost your many brethren, but like how your monsters enjoyed being with mine in that duel, out there, there are people who can accept you for who you are. You just have to find them." He offered a hand out to her.

Camula stayed silent, as she accepted the hand and felt herself being lifted up to and on her feet. "As promised, I will return the souls I have taken," she said, taking out Ryo's doll. Waving a hand over it, a purple aura was seen around it and, soon enough, the doll turned into the real person, lying on the floor unconscious. "I've lifted the spell off of that professor as well. Don't worry about whether or not he changed back."

Kazato nodded. "Thank you. And don't forget the other bargain." By this time, everyone caught up to the two duelists.

"I know. I won't harm an innocent soul ever again. Especially, not after that duel. Also, if anyone should be expressing their gratitudes, it should be me." This brought some confused looks to some of the teens' faces. "You helped me remember... Kindness from a human." She turned away from them and made her leave.

"Hang on!" Manjoume called, only to be held back by Kohaku.

"Unless if you want to drown, I suggest you leave now." That alarmed them. "Losing that duel, I am no longer part of the Shadow Riders. If you stay any longer, this place will collapse and sink to the bottom of the lake."

"But what about you?" Judai asked.

"A little drowning is not going to kill a vampire. Seems humans these days are underestimating my kind now." Without another word, or even a farewell, she left. As soon as she did, the building was starting to shake.

"The castle's actually collapsing?!" Bella gasped.

"She wasn't kidding!" Kohaku exclaimed.

"We have to run!" At Asuka's words, with Misawa and Kazato helping Ryo, everyone rushed out of the castle as fast as they could.


As they managed to leave the collapsing building and made it to the lakeside, the group watched as the castle was really sinking into the waters. After some time of watching, the sun rose, and it didn't even seem like the castle was there to begin with.

"It's as if we just seemed to have a nightmare..." Asuka stated.

"Except it wasn't," Judai said, looking down at the Shadow Charm around his neck.

"Yeah," Kohaku nodded. "But now we know..." Everyone turned to her, wondering what she meant. "It's like dad demonstrated and Professor Chronos said. In the end, Duels of Darkness won't win. Not against our light. Our Duel of Light. At first, I was thinking about rushing in there myself, defeating Camula and teaching her a lesson. Maybe even hurt her. But thanks to dad, I now know. That sort of dueling won't get us far at all. No matter what, we have to stick to it. Our true dueling."

Smiles formed on everyone's faces, as they all agreed with those words.