Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 24: VS. Roman
Yusei led me, Aki, and Roman to the downtown of Satellite where the streets were dark and empty. It felt extra chilly now that we were facing Roman, or rather I was the one facing him without any help from Yusei and Aki.
"It's time to begin!" Roman announced.
I raised my left arm with the Duel Disk and activated it. Roman did the same just as another lightning bolt struck the ground among the ruins of the former glorious street.
"Duel!" Roman and I called simultaneously.
Estelle: 4000 LP
Roman: 4000 LP
As if that word was a command, purple mist raised from the concrete and surrounded us while creating the Nazca Line of the Spider. The geoglyph of the Spider also appeared in the sky far above us.
Our Marks started glowing as we drew our first five cards. I got Protector with Eyes of Blue, the White Stone of Legend, Vice Dragon, One for One, and Trade-In. It might look like a bad hand at the beginning, but if I had some luck then I could turn things around.
"Ladies first!" I said as I drew my sixth card. "I draw!" It was Paladin of Felgrand, but I wasn't going to use him now. "I summon Protector with Eyes of Blue in defense mode!"
Protector with Eyes of Blue, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 1300
"When Protector with Eyes of Blue is successfully summoned, I can use his power to call out an ally of his from my hand", I called as I picked up the other Tuner Monster from my hand. "And joining him is the White Stone of Legend in defense mode!"
The White Stone of Legend, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 250
"And with that, I end my turn."
"Interesting", Roman commented. "I draw!" He drew his sixth card and added it to the hand. "I'm activating the Spider Web Field Spell!"
A giant spider web appeared in the middle of the Duel field and spread further as if it was hanging from the ruins around us.
"If your non-Insect Monster declares an attack, it is changed to defense position at the end of the Damage Step", Roman explained. "It cannot change its battle position until the End Phase of your next turn while this card remains on the field. Now I Special summon the Dark Tuner Spider Cocoon in attack mode!"
Spider Cocoon, Level 5, Dark Tuner: ATK 0
"And the reason I'm able to Special summon this Monster is because my field is empty and you have Monsters in play", Roman explained. "With that done, I Normal summon Dark Spider in attack mode!"
Dark Spider, Level 1: ATK 0
I flinched back in fear as I saw its eight eyes staring at me with those thin and long legs. Now this was a spider Monster I couldn't really stand.
"Dark Spider's effect! Now, until the end of my turn, Dark Spider can increase one of my Monsters' Level by two. I choose Spider Cocoon."
Spider Cocoon, Level 5 – Level 7, Dark Tuner: ATK 0
"And now Spider Cocoon will return the favor by giving Dark Spider a tune-up!" Roman shouted as his two Duel Monsters joined into one, revealing the Negative Stars. "When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back and reveals a world without light! Come forth, Underground Arachnid!"
Underground Arachnid, Level -6: ATK 2400
"Even with your powerful Monster, you won't be able to deal damage to me", I told Roman.
"Who says that I wanted to crawl past anything, Priestess?" Roman chuckled. "I activate Underground Arachnid's effect to take your White Stone of Legend and equip it to her! Go, Twine Thread!"
The spider head on Underground Arachnid spat a sticky web that hit the White Stone. The web encased the White Stone and pulled it over to Roman's field.
"You see, Underground Arachnid can use one of the Monsters on your field as an Equip card to gain more power. Unfortunately, she can only be equipped with one Monster at the time. Now, Underground Arachnid, clear the Priestess's field!"
The Dark Synchro Monster shot another beam of sticky web from the human mouth and destroyed Protector with Eyes of Blue with ease. Since he had been in defense mode, I didn't get any damage.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn", Roman said as a facedown card appeared next to the White Stone. "Your move."
"I draw", I drew Master with Eyes of Blue from my Deck. "Now it's my turn to Special summon a Monster from my hand because my field is empty! Vice Dragon, do us the honor!"
Vice Dragon, Level 5: ATK 2000 – ATK 1000
"But he's not staying alone because I now Normal summon Master with Eyes of Blue in attack mode!"
Master with Eyes of Blue, Level 1, Tuner: ATK 300
I noticed how Roman's eyes widened a little when he saw Master, and I couldn't blame him. Master had a similar appearance to Rex Goodwin.
"When Master with Eyes of Blue is successfully summoned, I can bring a Level 1 LIGHT Tuner Monster back from the Graveyard to my hand", I explained. "I choose Protector with Eyes of Blue."
"This is the first time I've ever seen that Tuner Monster", Aki commented behind me.
"It's time for a Synchro summon on my own!" I proclaimed. "I tune Level 1 Master with Eyes of Blue and Level 5 Vice Dragon! King of the spirits and the leader of the hosts of good from the East! Dance the Barong dance in the wind for the eternal battle between good and evil! Synchro summon! Raise to the sky, Orient Dragon!"
Orient Dragon, Level 6: ATK 2300
"Orient Dragon's effect activates as soon as he's Synchro summoned", I continued. "With his power, he can banish a Synchro Monster my opponent controls, and since Underground Arachnid is technically a Synchro Monster…"
"She's removed from my field!" Roman gasped in realization.
Orient Dragon flapped his wings and created a green-colored tornado. The tornado headed straight at Underground Arachnid who tried to fight against the powerful wind, but she was carried up to the sky while letting go of my White Stone of Legend before disappearing into a wormhole.
"Estelle cleared Roman's field!" Aki cheered joyfully. "Now she can attack him directly!"
"But before that, I activate the White Stone of Legend's effect", I called. "Since the White Stone was sent to my Graveyard, I can add one Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Deck to my hand." The Deck was shuffled before I added said Monster card to my hand. "Orient Dragon, it's time to attack! Go, Emerald Air Cutter!"
Orient Dragon roared as his wings grew a little bigger. The wings collected the power of the wind before flapping them, releasing emerald-colored energy cuts. Two of the energy cuts hit Roman straight on, throwing him down on his back.
Estelle: 4000 LP
Roman: 4000 LP – 1700 LP
"Nice, Estelle!" Yusei spoke up with a smile in his voice.
"Keep fighting like that and you can win this!" Aki added.
Roman chuckled as he slowly got up on his feet. "Nice move, but due to the effect of the Spider Web Field Spell, Orient Dragon is forced into defense mode and it's stuck that way until the end of your next turn!"
Spider webs grew out from the Field Spell and raised up to Orient Dragon who was flying in the air. He got entangled by the web and was forced down to the ground.
Orient Dragon, Level 6: ATK 2300 – DEF 1000
"Over there!" a familiar voice shouted.
I looked over my shoulder and gasped in shock. Jun and Micchan were right next to the Spider Web that had trapped us! What were they doing here?!
"Jun! Micchan! Go back!" Yusei shouted worriedly.
"Oh dear! What are they doing here?!" Aki gasped in shock. "Don't come any closer! Don't touch that barrier!"
"Run back to Martha's house immediately!" I shouted, feeling extremely worried for the children.
"It's too late for your friends!" Roman exclaimed. "I activate the Altar of the Bound Deity Trap card!" His facedown card flipped up as an altar raised up behind him. "Now, once a turn, during my Standby Phase, for every Monster on the field in defense mode, the Altar gains an Earthbound Immortal Counter. When all four of the altar's counter flames have been lit, the Bound Deity will grant me the power to summon one Earthbound Immortal from my Deck!"
"Oh no!" Yusei exclaimed.
"Earthbound Immortals? Those are the big Monsters, right?" Aki asked, since she had barely seen Dark Misty's Earthbound Immortal when she Dueled the model. "The ones that absorb the essence of anyone that comes in contact with that purple mist?"
Jun and Micchan heard everything and now they were getting scared. They hugged each other for comfort, but they were still crying in fear and not moving an inch.
"This was a mistake!" Jun cried.
"Kids, run!" Aki yelled to the boys.
"Estelle, you've gotta stop Roman before he summons his Earthbound Immortal!" Yusei told me.
"I'll do what I can!" I nodded as I glared at Roman. "I won't let you take any more innocent people to feed your Immortals!"
Roman just shrugged his shoulders. "I sense a few more rats have snuck in. That's too bad for them, since the only way to end this Duel, at this point, is for one of us to suffer defeat! So, shall we finish this Duel, Priestess? We Dark Signers are waiting anxiously for you to join us."
"Estelle joining the Dark Signers?! What are you talking about?!" Yusei shouted.
"You shall see when the Shadows will claim your precious Priestess's dead body, Signer", Roman chuckled.
"D-Dead body…?" Aki's voice shook in fear.
"It's going to take more than an Earthbound Immortal to kill me!" I commented as I picked up my Trade-In card. "I play Trade-In! I send my Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to draw two more cards." The two cards I drew were Dragon's Mirror and Dragon's Rage, so I set the Trap card. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"I draw!" Roman started his turn. "I activate Altar of the Bound Deity! Now, for every Monster that's in defense mode during my Standby Phase, I'll light an Earthbound Immortal Counter!"
One of the torches lightened up at the top of the altar, which signified the first Counter.
Estelle: 4000 LP
Roman: 1700 LP = 1 EIC
"I summon Ground Spider in defense mode!" Roman continued.
Ground Spider, Level 4: DEF 1500
"How're you doing, Estelle?" Yusei asked.
"Still good", I replied while my eyes never left the field.
XXXXXXXXXX – Yusei's POV
I wasn't blind. I could see how Estelle started cold sweating when Roman had Dark Synchro summoned Underground Arachnid. For a second, it looked like she had been close to faint, but she kept herself awake to continue the Shadow Duel while facing her worst fear.
"Yusei, what's going on?" Aki asked. "Why are you so worried about Estelle? I mean, she might win the Duel on her next turn."
"It's not about the Duel, Aki", I shook my head. "Estelle's got a serious case of arachnophobia. She's scared of spiders."
"Arachnophobia?" Aki blinked confusedly before she gaped in shock. "Why did she accept the Duel if she's afraid of spiders?!"
"Because she wants to protect us", I replied as I watched the back of the brunette. "She's the type who stands up to protect the people she cares about. And I'm sure it's not just because she's the Crimson Star Priestess."
"I place one card facedown and end my turn!" Roman called.
Come on, Estelle… Stop him before he can summon his Earthbound Immortal!
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
"I draw!" I drew Dust Tornado from my Deck.
I made a quick calculation in my head. Orient Dragon was still stuck in defense mode at the beginning of my turn, so I couldn't use him to attack. However, I've got the card in my hand I needed to Synchro summon another Synchro Monster, so maybe… I could make it work.
"I start my turn by summoning Protector with Eyes of Blue in attack mode!"
Protector with Eyes of Blue, Level 1, Tuner: ATK 800
"Ground Spider's effect!" Roman called. "When he's in defense mode, once per turn, when my opponent Normal or Special summons a Monster in attack mode, he can change that Monster's position to defense mode!"
Ground Spider burrowed itself into the ground and then surprised Protector by jumping up from the earth and trapped the spellcaster in sticky web. Protector struggled against the web while he got forced to switch to defense mode.
Protector with Eyes of Blue, Level 1, Tuner: ATK 800 – DEF 1300
Just what I hoped Roman was going to do!
"I've got you now, Roman!" I shouted. "I tune Level 1 Protector with Eyes of Blue and Level 6 Orient Dragon! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro summon! Appear now, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"
The Synchro dragon appeared on the field and roared to the sky while her wings of glass glowed in the night, illuminating the battlefield.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Level 7: ATK 2500
"I saw that dragon at the Fortune Cup!" Aki exclaimed.
"Next, I activate my Continuous Trap; Dragon's Rage!" I continued. "Now, whenever one of my dragon Monsters attack a defense position Monster whose defense is lower than the attack of the dragons', they will inflict the difference as Battle Damage to you! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Ground Spider with Clear Mind Laser!"
Clear Wing roared before firing a lime green beam from her mouth. It hit Ground Spider and destroyed it with an explosion. The remnants of the spider Monster hit Roman while he shielded his face from the smoke and debris.
Estelle: 4000 LP
Roman: 1700 LP – 700 LP
The Dark Signer quickly recovered from the attack. "Nice move, but now my Spider Web will trap your Monster in defense mode!"
The sticky threads of the Spider Web crawled up onto Clear Wing and encased her along with her four wings. She tried fighting against the threads, but she couldn't do a single thing.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Level 7: ATK 2500 – DEF 2000
"We'll see about that", I glared at the Dark Signer before grabbing Dust Tornado. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Martha, Trudge!" Yusei yelled all of the sudden.
I looked over my shoulder and saw the two Signers were looking at a ruined building not so far from the battlefield. Martha and Trudge were watching the Shadow Duel from a broken window and they must have spotted Jun and Micchan outside of the field.
"Martha, you've got to get the kids out of here!" Yusei shouted to his foster mother.
"If Roman summons an Earthbound Immortal, their spirits will be taken!" Aki added.
"What?!" Martha yelled before she made eye contact with me. "Estelle, don't even think about losing this Duel!"
"I hear you loud and clear, Martha!" I nodded before turning my attention back to Roman.
"How touching, but you don't have a choice in the matter", Roman chuckled darkly as he drew a card, starting his turn.
Another torch of the Altar of the Bound Deity lightened up, meaning the second Earthbound Immortal Counter had been added due to Clear Wing being in defense mode.
Estelle: 4000 LP
Roman: 700 LP = 1 EIC – 2 EIC
"You've tried your best to delay the inevitable", Roman added. "But I'm afraid that it's just too late, young fool."
I knew what he meant by that. The Earthbound Immortal was coming!
"I activate my facedown; Offerings to the Bound Deity!" the Dark Signer called. "Now, if I take my Life Points and divide them, two more torches are lit!"
"That's all four!" Yusei exclaimed.
"Oh no! Now it's too late!" Aki panicked.
Estelle: 4000 LP
Roman: 700 LP – 350 LP = 2 EIC – 4 EIC
We watched in horror as the last two torches were lit on top of the altar. Now there was nothing I could do to stop Roman from summoning Earthbound Immortal Uru.
"The four Counters are ablaze!" Roman chanted. "Let the summoning begin!"
The Altar of the Bound Deity emitted a purple light before it crumbled down into pieces and created a beacon of purple light that shot up to the head of the geoglyph in the sky. The heart of the Earthbound Immortal appeared in the middle of the light and started beating as it absorbed Negative Energy.
"What's that black smoke?!" Yusei asked, noticing the Negative Energy.
"Those are streams of Negative Energy that are needed to power up my Earthbound Immortal, and it's time I provide it with more!" Roman revealed as he raised his arms to the air to welcome the Earthbound Immortal.
"The children!" I gasped as I looked over at Jun and Micchan.
The boys had stopped crying, but they were now clutching their chests in pain. Their bodies were enveloped in a purple light that slowly forced their spirits out, soon to become food for the shadow creature.
I didn't know what to do. I desperately wanted to save them, but Yusei, Aki, and I were trapped inside the Field Spell, so we couldn't get out of it. My worry calmed down when I sensed Jack was nearby.
And behold, said Signer drove through the purple mist with his Duel Runner!
"It's Jack!" Yusei called in relief.
"Jack, save the children!" Martha yelled.
"Don't worry! I won't let a couple of my youngest fans get sucked into the shadows!" Jack shouted.
He landed roughly on the ground with his Duel Runner, but as soon as he did, he jumped off his ride and ran straight to Jun and Micchan. He got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around them while his Mark started glowing stronger. A crimson bubble appeared around them, protecting them from Uru's power. Once the boys were safe, their spirits returned to their bodies.
"Oh, thank you, Crimson Dragon…", Aki sighed in relief.
"That was a close call", Yusei added.
"It makes no difference!" Roman laughed. "I still have him; Earthbound Immortal Uru!"
The heart emitted a brighter light than the beacon itself before it vanished and got replaced by an earthquake. The mist of the Nazca Line raised higher than the tallest building of Satellite as a shadow appeared inside of it. Eight red eyes glowed through the mist before it crawled out to reveal its true form.
"It… It's huge!" Aki shrieked in fear.
Earthbound Immortal Uru hissed eagerly as he stood behind Roman… Well, not straight behind the Dark Signer because he was enormous and covered at least three blocks of streets. He was even bigger than Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu.
Earthbound Immortal Uru, Level 10: ATK 3000
For some odd reason, I wasn't really that frightened by Uru; maybe because he was literally made out by the shadows and only had glowing marks and eyes without pupils. However, I got the worst headache I've ever felt. I clutched my head and gritted my teeth as I panted to smooth the pain. The pain was so much that I was forced down on my knees.
"Estelle!" Yusei called before I felt his hands on my shoulders. "What's wrong?!"
"M-My head…!" I grunted in pain as I squeezed my eyes. "I-It hurts…!"
"Maybe this is a reaction due to the Earthbound Immortal!" Aki pointed out.
Roman laughed darkly, but I was in so much pain that I couldn't look up. "You are correct, Signer. The Earthbound Immortals can absorb your Priestess's energy when they are summoned. Unfortunately, they cannot absorb all of her strength at once, but it's more than enough to make her weak before dragging her corpse to the Shadows."
I recalled the time when Kalin summoned Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu. My head started hurting and I felt a bit drained and weak, but I recovered fast when Kalin called back the giant Monster.
"T-That explains my headache when Kalin summoned his Immortal…", I breathed slowly.
I pushed myself up on my feet, but my legs felt weak like overcooked spaghetti. I was about to fall down when Aki and Yusei grabbed me by the forearms.
"Thank you…", I mumbled weakly.
"We're here for you, Estelle", Aki told me. "You're not alone in this fight."
"Yeah, and we won't let you end up with the Dark Signers", Yusei added.
I smiled at the Signers just as I sensed Luna's presence nearby. I had a feeling she, Leo, Blister, and Mina had rushed to the scene to help us somehow, just as in the anime, but they couldn't do much right now.
"Estelle, how about you squash that thing so we can go home?!" Jack called from the other side of the spider web.
"Right", I nodded as Yusei and Aki let go of my arms.
Roman chuckled humorously. "You sure about that, Priestess? How are you going to squash my Earthbound Immortal? Its effect stands tall above all else. Just like the Ultimate Energy; Ener-D."
"What are you talking about?" Yusei asked.
"How amusing that the person asking me about the five-thousand years supremacy is none other than Dr. Fudo's son", Roman said.
"Dr. Fudo? You knew my father?!" Yusei asked surprisingly.
"'Knew'?" Roman snorted. "Seventeen years ago, I was in the Reactor Research Division, R.R.D, spearheaded by your father; Dr. Fudo. As Dr. Fudo's assistant, that is…"
"You were what?!" Yusei exclaimed in pure shock.
"And there was one more assistant, my younger brother; Rex Goodwin!"
Yusei and Aki gasped in shock by the revelation, but I had a poker face as I listened very closely to every single word that came out of Roman's mouth.
"I'll tell you one more thing", the Dark Signer continued. "It was later that Dr. Fudo declared that development on Ener-D be stopped. Ener-D would often experience a negative rotation, which had the Doctor worried that a serious incident could occur. But the sponsors and New Domino City didn't stand for that and development was handed over to me instead. And then, Zero Reverse happened."
"No way… You intentionally set off that explosion?!" Yusei shouted in shock.
"Who knows?" Roman shrugged his shoulders, but it was obvious he was the one responsible for Zero Reverse.
"Answer me! Why did you do that?!" Yusei demanded. "What happened between you, Goodwin, and my father?!"
"You don't have enough time left for me to answer that question", Roman replied. "The Netherworld is waiting…for the Priestess to join us! Earthbound Immortal Uru, attack!"
Uru hissed angrily as he raised his head in preparation to attack me, and I had nothing that could stop him.
"You can't withstand one blow from a Monster this powerful!" Roman told me. "Prepare for a world of pain, Priestess!"
I panicked as Uru fired a massive spider web from his mouth towards me and my friends. I couldn't let Aki and Yusei get hurt!
"Run, you two!" I told the Signers. "You'll get hurt!"
"No, we're staying with you!" Yusei retorted as he placed a hand on my right shoulder.
"We'll face this together!" Aki added as she grabbed my left hand.
Before I could tell them once again to run, I felt a rush of energy in my body. I looked at my right arm and saw the Star Mark was glowing brighter before a crimson energy dome encased us. The web hit the dome and bounced up to the sky like a pillar without making any damage to the surrounding.
Estelle: 4000 LP – 1000 LP
Roman: 350 LP
"W-What's this…?" Aki asked, stunned by the sight of the energy dome.
"Did the Crimson Dragon protect us?" Yusei questioned.
"No", I shook my head as the Signers let go of me. "I think our powers combined into one and created the dome to protect us."
Once Uru's attack was done, the energy dome dissipated as pixie dust that flew around us before it faded into the night sky. Maybe my, Yusei, and Aki's desire to protect each other got so strong it gave our Marks the power to create the energy dome.
"It's a pity Uru couldn't end you now because of you and the Signers' joined powers, Priestess", Roman shrugged. "But, mark my words, you are finished on my next turn. I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"It will take more than that to finish me", I drew a new card, starting my turn.
"Yusei!" Martha suddenly shouted.
Yusei, Aki, and I turned around to see what was happening. My eyes softened in relief when I saw Takuya was standing between Martha and Trudge. He must have, at some point, rushed back into the building instead of staying on the rooftop. The building also looked intact as if it never got hit by Uru's attack. Maybe it was because the Earthbound Immortal's attack had bounced straight up by the collision on the energy dome instead of spreading around like in the anime. This meant Martha wasn't going to end up becoming another sacrifice and food for Uru.
"Takuya's safe, so we're getting outta here!" Trudge yelled.
"Good!" Yusei shouted. "Get to a safe place!"
I looked at the new card I had just drawn and saw it was Fire Ant Ascator. It wasn't much of a use, but I might be able to end the Duel this turn.
"I play One for One!" I called. "I discard Vice Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to Special summon a Level 1 Monster from my Deck. So, come out, Turbo Booster!"
Turbo Booster, Level 1: DEF 0
"But I'm not done. I now play Dragon's Mirror! I banish Clear Wing Synchro Dragon from the field along with the White Stone of Legend, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Vice Dragon, and Orient Dragon from my Graveyard to Fusion summon the dragon of the dragons!"
Clear Wing turned into a cloud of shiny particles that flew into the huge dragon mirror that had appeared on the field. The transparent spirits of the other four dragon Monsters joined Clear Wing inside the mirror before the surface shone in a bright light.
"I Fusion summon Five-Headed Dragon!"
The five element heads of Five-Headed Dragon crawled out of the Dragon's Mirror before the rest of his body was revealed. The dragon landed on his feet before the five heads roared at the Earthbound Immortal.
Five-Headed Dragon, Level 12: ATK 5000
"Five-Headed…Dragon?" Aki mumbled softly.
"That dragon was a legend, but it's actually real…", Yusei added.
"You're a fool, Priestess", Roman commented calmly, not getting scared by my Fusion dragon. "Why else would you put your pathetic beast up against my mightier Immortal?"
"Because this will be your end, Roman", I replied. "I now activate my Trap; Dust Tornado! I destroy your facedown card!"
"What?!" Roman exclaimed in surprise.
A tornado flew out from the Trap card and hit Roman's facedown card. The card was flipped up and revealed the Trap card Spider Egg before it shattered into pieces.
Now, nothing stood in my way to end the Shadow Duel!
"I can't attack your Immortal, but I can attack you directly!" I told Roman. "Five-Headed Dragon, end the Duel now!"
Five-Headed Dragon raised all five of his heads as they collected energy of their personal elements. Roman suddenly chuckled deeply, which caught my attention. To my horror, the Dark Signer's body glowed in purple before he shapeshifted into a familiar body.
"Rally?!" Yusei and I exclaimed simultaneously.
Rally had Roman's Duel Disk on his arm and held the cards the Dark Signer had in his hand before he switched place with the boy. He even had the glowing Mark of the Spider on his right arm that shone through the sleeve of his coat.
"Five-Headed Dragon, stop!" I called.
My dragon responded to my command and stopped collecting energy in its five mouths, halting the attack for now.
Yusei ran across the field to reach Rally, but he stopped in the middle when Roman's laughter echoed around us. He looked up, just as Aki and I did, and found Roman standing on top of the Spider Web Field Spell in the air.
"Miss your friend? I freed his spirit, so he could Duel the Priestess instead of me", Roman chuckled darkly.
"You bastard!" Yusei yelled angrily. "You're using Rally to make Estelle hesitate to end the Shadow Duel!"
"Correct! She's either going to attack and win now, or be attacked and lose on the next turn!" Roman nodded proudly before looking at me. "Like I said, that kid's spirit is freed. He can fight if he wants to fight and lose if he wants to lose. But surrender is not an option in this Duel. Now then, what will it be, Priestess?"
"How dare you sink so low, Roman?!" I shouted angrily, knowing what his plan was about.
"What do you mean?" Yusei asked confusedly. "If Rally's spirit is freed, then won't he come back to us after Estelle wins the Shadow Duel?"
"Yusei… You don't understand", Rally spoke up. "The loser of this Duel will disappear."
"They will what?!" Yusei exclaimed in shock.
"Blitz, Nervin, and Tank are all gone", Rally added before he glared at Roman. "It's their fault!"
"Damn you!" Yusei yelled angrily at Roman.
"Estelle, please end the Duel!" Rally begged.
"I can't!" I shook my head rapidly. "I don't want to hurt you!"
"You have to!" Rally shouted desperately. "If you don't end the Shadow Duel now, Earthbound Immortal Uru will kill you and you'll become the Dark Signers' Priestess!"
Yusei and Aki gasped in shock now that they had figured out what this Shadow Duel was about. Roman intended to kill me and let the Negative Energy of the Netherworld consume me and transform me into the Dark Signers' Priestess.
"Estelle… Please…", Rally begged with wet eyes. "You and the Signers are our only hope…"
I gritted my teeth while feeling frustrated that I had to hurt one of my friends in order to end the Shadow Duel. I was so conflicted, but Rally was right. I had to do it! For the sake of the future!
"I'm sorry, Rally!" I yelled emotionally while a tear ran down my cheek. "Five-Headed Dragon, attack!"
The Fusion dragon resumed collecting energy before the five heads simultaneously fired their attacks at Rally. The beams combined into one rainbow-colored beam as it came closer to the boy.
"Rally!" Yusei yelled in horror.
Rally watched the incoming attack before giving us a small but hopeful smile. "Good luck, Yusei, Estelle… I'll be waiting…in the Shadows."
The rainbow beam went through Uru and engulfed Rally. The whole field turned bright by the attack, so I was forced to shield my eyes with my arms.
Estelle: 1000 LP
Roman (Rally): 350 LP – 0 LP
Once the light died down, my Duel Disk was deactivated and the Solid Vision was gone. I saw Rally was in Yusei's arms before his body transformed into dust and vanished with the wind. Aki and I ran to the crying raven-haired Signer as the geoglyph of the Spider vanished from the streets and in the sky. Jack, Leo, Luna, Mina, Trudge, and Blister joined us while Martha and the young orphans stayed in the background.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect the Priestess to murder her friend", Roman chuckled.
The others and I, minus Yusei, looked up and spotted the leader of the Dark Signers on top of some rubble as the rest of his group joined him. Kalin and Misty had their faces revealed, but the other two Dark Signers were still wearing their hoods, hiding their identities.
"But this is where the battle between Signers and Dark Signers comes to breaking point", Roman continued.
"Each battle will be decided by your stars of fate", the Dark Signer with yellow embroidery on his cloak proclaimed.
"Stars of fate?" Aki repeated confusedly.
"Don't think you've conquered your fear of the Earthbound Immortals, Yusei!" Kalin laughed maliciously. "There should be plenty of fear still left. Fear towards me, that is."
"Yeah, I'm afraid…", Yusei confessed as he got up on his feet, but then straightened his back to show he wasn't going to back down. "…of my own rage over how much I want to beat you guys!"