It's time for Estelle and Roman's second Duel! And I've got some news for you, dear readers; after I got a guest review from someone who wrote about Estelle's Duels, I tried to come up with a new Duel that I didn't follow from point to point with the original Duel. Trust me, it was hard to come up with a new Duel, but I managed to do so.
I hope you will enjoy it, because I've put a certain surprise that some of you have been asking for since the old version of CSP. The title of the chapter should give you a hint. *wink*
We have the 625 review shout-out winner! It's InsanityStrikesBack! Congratulations! The next shout-out will be by the 650 review!
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 28: At the End of Dark and Light
Yusei joined us after he had activated the control unit of the Giant with Stardust Dragon's card. As he headed towards us, I noticed how the grey clouds cleared up and exposed a little bit of blue sky with the sun shining upon the wasteland. It was like the sky cleared up a bit every time we defeated a Dark Signer.
"Nice job, man!" Crow grinned at Yusei as he got off his Duel Runner. "So, heya, is that your doing?" He pointed at a bright light that appeared close to the area where the Giant control unit once was. "That light appeared as soon as you won the Duel."
The light grew smaller until it disappeared and revealed a group of people. It was hard to see who they were, but I had a feeling they were all people from Satellite who got absorbed by Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu the first time.
"Check it out, guys!" Leo said in awe.
"Who are they? Where'd they come from?" Trudge wondered.
"Maybe it's…", Crow mumbled before he snapped his fingers in realization. "Of course! By defeating Kalin's Earthbound Immortal, you freed all the people that were imprisoned inside of it!"
"So then, there's hope for the others, right?" Leo asked his sister.
"Yeah!" Luna smiled.
"Slowly and surely, everything will go back to normal again", I commented softly.
"But we can't take a victory lap just yet", Yusei spoke up in a serious voice. "With the gate to the Netherworld still open, we need to go and activate the last two control units. And even though Kalin and Devack are out of the picture, there's still three Dark Signers left."
"Something wrong?" Leo said.
The rest of us turned to Leo who had his eyes on Trudge. The officer had his hand behind his head, doing something. All of the sudden, his body went limp and he had an empty look in his eyes.
"Hey, what's with Trudge?" Crow wondered.
I noticed something purple glowing on Trudge's right arm and panicked. "Everyone, move back!"
The twins and I hurried over to Crow and Yusei who stood cautious. "Guys, what's going on?" Crow asked, not getting what was happening.
"Trudge?" Yusei called as he took a step forward.
"I'm sorry. Officer Trudge isn't here right now", Roman's voice spoke through Trudge's lips.
"Roman! What do you want?!" Yusei growled.
The controlled Trudge turned his head to us with a malicious grin and a scary look in his eyes. "I believe it's time that you and I face each other again, Priestess." I flinched lightly when he mentioned me. "If you think you're strong enough to defeat me, come to the site of the Old Reactor."
"What?" Yusei mumbled.
After that, the Mark of the Spider disappeared from Trudge's arm and the officer returned back to normal. He looked a bit disoriented at first before he collected himself.
"What? What's everyone lookin' at, huh?" Trudge wondered when he saw our looks.
"Estelle… Will you face Roman again?" Luna asked concernedly.
"I have to", I nodded.
"But if he defeats you, you'll become our enemy!" Leo panicked.
"Leo's right", Yusei agreed. "You still have a hard time adapting to your opponent because you're not an experienced Duelist yet. I can Duel Roman in your place."
"No. This is my fight", I shook my head before looking at my Duel Disk. "Even back when I was bullied, I never let the bad children put me down so easily. Despite waking up every morning with a stomachache and barely eating any breakfast, I went through each school day as best as I could, even when I often broke down and Mom had to come and comfort or bring me home, but I never ran away from the bullying until I got transferred." I placed my other hand on top of my Deck as I turned to Yusei with determined eyes. "I was chosen by the Crimson Dragon for a reason and I won't run away from my duties as the Priestess, and I will definitely not run away from an invitation sent by a Dark Signer, whether I'm a good or a bad Duelist."
Yusei stared in my eyes as I refused to blink until he let out a soft sigh. "We'll still go with you, okay?"
"Okay", I nodded with a small smile.
"You sure you're up for this?" Trudge asked concernedly.
"It's too late to back down now", I shrugged. "The war has begun and we need to end it before this day is over, or else we will all die and your world will fall into an eternal darkness."
"I don't want to die and live in eternal darkness!" Leo cried, frightened by the thoughts. "It's never good in the comic books!"
"For once, you sound rational", Luna commented.
"C'mon then! Let's go to the Old Reactor!" Crow jumped onto his Duel Runner, ready to go.
XXXXXXXXXX
It took a while to reach the giant deep crater in Satellite where the Old Ener-D Reactor once stood. I cast my eyes on the clock of Trudge's patrol car's dashboard to see what time it was. My eyes widened when I saw it was past 3 p.m. already. That meant we had around three to four hours left before the sun would go down. It was a bit hard to imagine so much time had passed since we left Martha's house in the morning. Of course, it took time to travel from place to place, and the Duels didn't take that much of time.
We reached the famous crater and looked at it for a brief moment. I could sense how much Negative Energy was coming from the depths of it. It made me shiver as if I had caught a cold that I had to rub my arms for warmth.
"You okay, Estelle?" Yusei asked when he saw me hug myself.
"Yeah, it's just… I can feel so much Negative Energy coming from the underground", I confessed. "It's almost close to freezing."
"I don't feel cold", Trudge commented.
"Maybe it's a Signer thing", Crow suggested.
"I can feel some of the Negative Energy, but I don't get cold by it", Luna pointed out.
"Yeah, same here!" Leo nodded.
"Maybe it's because I'm the biggest obstacle in the way of the Dark Signers that they want to intimidate me", I suggested.
"Let's go, guys", Yusei said.
Crow led us to some stairs he found last time he was nearby the Old Reactor. Yusei walked down first, his Duel Disk on his arm, as I followed him with my Duel Disk ready. Leo and Luna were walking behind me with Trudge watching over us, and Crow taking the last place, but I knew he went in a different direction. As we got down deeper into the crater, I felt more Negative Energy that seemed to try freezing me into ice.
We reached down to a bridge made of metal sheets and wires in the darkness hanging in the middle of the air, and it kind of smelled old and rotten in this part. The smell was even worse than on the topside of Satellite.
Yusei was about to walk onto the bridge when I grabbed his shoulder. "Wait", I called as he looked over his shoulder. "I'll go first."
"What?" Yusei mumbled.
"Roman is after me and I don't want to put any of you guys in danger", I explained.
Yusei's eyes said he wanted to argue, but he moved back and let me walk first. I was only able to reach one fourth of the bridge when Roman's voice echoed around us. "There you are."
The Dark Signer walked up to the other side of the bridge. Yusei told the others to stay back before I heard him walking over to me. "I'm glad you made it", Roman chuckled. "I thought perhaps you'd be too weak after being in close contact with the Earthbound Immortals."
"It takes more than the Earthbound Immortals to make me weak", I retorted calmly while glaring at Roman. "You and the Army of Shadows are the weaker ones who manipulated so many innocent people."
"Yeah, you took advantage of both Greiger and Kalin when they were in their lowest!" Yusei spat furiously at Roman.
"Come now", Roman rolled his eyes before he removed the hood of his cloak. "No need to get worked up. We all did what destiny wanted us to do. We're just pawns, Yusei; no one's to blame. From the beginning, you and Kalin were meant to befriend each other and to turn against one another; you are meant to destroy your friend! Just as I was meant to destroy your father, Yusei!"
"My father…?" Yusei mumbled in disbelief.
I turned around and saw he had a surprised look in his eyes. I turned back in time to see Roman revealing his left robot arm with his Duel Disk and pulled a cord on it. That caused an explosion erupting underneath the bridge. The bridge didn't collapse, but the Old Reactor got a bit broken before the endless-looking pit turned into a sea of rainbow-colored Ener-D.
"What is this?!" Yusei called once he got over the shock.
"Can you feel it, Yusei? Twenty years ago, your father and I discovered a gateway leading to something more incredible than either of us could've imagined", Roman chuckled as he began his tale. "On the other side of that light sleeps a magnificent power, Yusei. Once the Netherworld Gate fully opens, that power will spill into this world and consume it completely!"
"Do you even care about the people you've taken, Roman?! The people that you've hurt so that your Earthbound Immortals can gain power?! Up 'til now, you've done whatever you wanted to do! But not anymore! I'm gonna make you pay for all the damage that you've done!" Yusei said determinedly.
"You can do that after I've sent the Priestess to the Netherworld, Yusei", Roman chuckled, finding the Signer's reaction amusing. "If there is one thing destiny didn't predict for me, it was for an outsider to suddenly join you Signers and mess things up for us Dark Signers. No matter, I shall remove the obstacle and you won't be able to create more miracles to stop the Shadows!"
"I'm not going to leave my friends until my mission in this world is done!" I called as I brought up my left arm with the Duel Disk, ready to fight. "Bring. It. On."
"You said the magic words, Priestess", Roman chuckled as he inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk and activated it. "But don't worry, I promise I'll destroy Yusei once I'm done with you, just as I destroyed Dr. Fudo!"
"Be careful!" the twins shouted.
"Duel!" Roman and I called simultaneously just as our Marks started glowing, commencing the Shadow Duel.
Roman: 4000 LP
Estelle: 4000 LP
The area started to shake, but I knew it was just the Nazca Line of the Spider that had appeared on the surface. Roman and I drew our first five cards from our Decks. I looked over my shoulder and saw Yusei had walked back to the others to make room for me, and just as I thought; Crow wasn't with them.
"The first move is mine! I draw!" Roman said, drawing his sixth card. "And I summon Dark Spider to the field in defense mode!"
Dark Spider, Level 1: DEF 0
My eyebrow raised in surprise when I saw the green spider Monster. Didn't Roman originally begin his first turn with a facedown? Why was he playing in a different way?
"Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn", Roman added. "Your move, Priestess. Be careful how you play your cards, or else destiny will get disappointed."
"My turn! Draw!" I drew my sixth card.
I looked at my hand and saw I had Paladin of Felgrand, Oracle of the Sun, Enemy Controller, Call of the Haunted, and Return of the Dragon Lords. The card I had just drawn was Follow Wing.
Since Roman seemed to play differently, I had to improvise and take the baits and traps.
"I summon Paladin of Felgrand in attack mode!" I called.
Paladin of Felgrand, Level 4: ATK 1700
"When Paladin of Felgrand is successfully summoned, I can equip him a Level 7 or 8 dragon Monster from my Deck, and the dragon I choose is Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
My Deck was shuffled before I took Blue-Eyes White Dragon's card and added it on the Spell/Trap Card Zone. A bright blueish light appeared behind Paladin of Felgrand before it created the mighty dragon. Blue-Eyes White Dragon growled deeply as he stood tall and sent a blueish aura to Paladin of Felgrand, giving him a little boost-up.
"As long as Paladin of Felgrand is equipped, he's completely immune to other Monsters' effects", I explained before getting serious. "Now, Paladin, destroy Dark Spider!"
Paladin of Felgrand ran forward and swung his sword at the insect Monster. Dark Spider hissed in pain before it got destroyed into pieces.
"Nice try, but I activate my Trap; Regretful Rebirth!" Roman's facedown card flipped up. "Now, because you destroyed my Monster and it was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special summon it back to the field, but it's destroyed during my End Phase."
Dark Spider, Level 1: DEF 0
I held back a soft growl, trying to figure out what Roman was planning. Why did he want to keep Dark Spider around? Why was he playing in an unpredicted way? This Duel was really going to test me how good I actually was without knowing my opponent's moves beforehand.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn", I put Enemy Controller facedown.
"That facedown won't help you", Roman taunted before he drew a card. "I play Worm Bait! Thanks to my insect Monster on the field, I can Special summon two Worm Tokens to join him."
Worm Token, Level 1: ATK 0
Worm Token, Level 1: ATK 0
"I can't summon any Level 3 or 4 Monsters the turn I activate Worm Bait, but I can release the Tokens to Tribute summon Dark Tuner Chaos Rogue!"
Dark Tuner Chaos Rogue, Level 8, Dark Tuner: ATK 0
"Oh no, he's going to Synchro summon!" Yusei warned me.
"Not entirely correct, Yusei", Roman chuckled. "I play another Spell card; Star Changer! With the power of this card, I can increase Chaos Rogue's Level by 1."
Dark Tuner Chaos Rogue, Level 8 – Level 9, Dark Tuner: ATK 0
I didn't get it. What kind of Synchro Monster was he about to summon?
"Now, Dark Tuner Chaos Rogue will give Dark Spider a little tune-up!" Roman proclaimed as the two Monsters joined into one and revealed eight Negative Stars. "When the shadows are devoured by even darker shadows, the curtain pulls back and reveals a world without light! Come forth, Dark End Dragon!"
Dark End Dragon, Level -8: ATK 2600
I blinked my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Was it really Dark End Dragon that I saw in front of me? Light End Dragon's twin? How was it possible it was a Dark Synchro Monster?
"Surprised?" Roman commented amusingly. "Just because I've got a Spider Deck doesn't mean I can't have other Monsters in it. And because I used Dark Tuner Chaos Rogue to Synchro summon, his effect activates! You must discard the top five cards of your Deck to the Graveyard."
I grabbed the top five cards of my Deck and showed Roman I was doing what I was being told. I looked at the cards as I sent them to the Graveyard. They were all Monsters; Vice Dragon, my other Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the White Stone of Legend, my second Paladin of Felgrand, and Bright Star Dragon.
"Good Priestess", Roman chuckled. "Now, face the fury of Dark End Dragon! Attack Paladin of Felgrand with Dark Fog!"
Dark End Dragon roared as he flew forward. He raised a clawed paw that got enveloped by a dark fog and slashed Paladin of Felgrand's chest. The warrior cried in pain before he shattered into pieces along with Blue-Eyes White Dragon that hit me in return. Luckily, the damage wasn't too much, so I didn't get hurt, except my Life Points.
Roman: 4000 LP
Estelle: 4000 LP – 3100 LP
"I place one card facedown and end my turn", Roman said. "Now, what will you do to destroy Dark End Dragon, Priestess?"
"This is what I will do", I drew a card, seeing it was Vylon Stella. "Because you've got a Monster on your side of the field and I don't, I can Special summon Oracle of the Sun!"
Oracle of the Sun, Level 5: DEF 2000
"Next, I summon the Tuner Monster, Vylon Stella!"
Vylon Stella, Level 3, Tuner: ATK 1400
"You want to play dragon VS. dragon, Roman? Fine by me! I tune Level 3 Vylon Stella with Level 5 Oracle of the Sun to Synchro summon Dark End Dragon's twin! The dragon will guide its chosen human to the gold before its soul will ascend to the angels. Synchro summon! Descend from the Heaven, Light End Dragon!"
Light End Dragon, Level 8: ATK 2600
"Yahoo! What a showdown!" Leo cheered in the background.
"Light End Dragon, it's time to show Dark End Dragon who's the stronger dragon here!" I shouted.
Light End Dragon roared as she flew towards Dark End Dragon who looked ready to collide with her.
"No, don't do that, Estelle!" Luna shouted worriedly. "Light End Dragon will just be destroyed!"
"No, Light End will stay by our side if she activates her effect!" I replied. "When she's about to battle a Monster, she can remove 500 attack points of hers, permanently, to lower her opponent's attack points with 1500 points until the end of this turn! Go, Light Expansion!"
Light End Dragon's wings opened and cast two beams of light at Dark End Dragon who tried shielding his eyes with his clawed paws.
Light End Dragon, Level 8: ATK 2600 – ATK 2100
Dark End Dragon, Level -8: ATK 2600 – ATK 1100
"Atta girl!" Trudge called joyfully. "That'll take care of the evil twin!"
"I don't think so!" Roman intervened. "I activate my Trap; No Entry! This card forces every attacking position Monster to switch to defense mode!"
Just as Light End Dragon was about to rip Dark End Dragon into pieces, she moved down and closed her wings, getting into defense mode along with her evil twin.
Light End Dragon, Level 8: ATK 2100 – DEF 2100
Dark End Dragon, Level -8: ATK 1100 – DEF 2100
I growled inwardly by that interference, but I didn't let that get over me. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn", I quickly put Call of the Haunted and Follow Wing facedown.
"And that means Dark End Dragon's attack points return to normal", Roman chuckled as he drew a card. "I switch him back to attack mode!"
Dark End Dragon, Level -8: DEF 2100 – ATK 2600
"And it's my turn to activate Dark End Dragon's effect", the Dark Signer continued. "If Dark End Dragon sacrifices 500 attack points permanently, he can destroy one Monster you control, Priestess! And the Monster I choose is your Light End Dragon!"
Dark End Dragon, Level -8: ATK 2600 – ATK 2100
The face on Dark End Dragon's stomach started to move. Its eyes glowed for a second before the mouth opened to start collecting dark energy. That energy slowly formed a sphere that grew bigger for each second.
"Say goodbye to your little angel, Priestess. Go, Dark Evaporation!" Roman commanded.
The mouth on Dark End Dragon's stomach spat the huge energy sphere towards Light End Dragon. I quickly activated Follow Wing just before the sphere hit her, which caused a smoky explosion around us. I shielded my face from the smoke with my right arm until it cleared up. Once the smoke was gone, we all saw Light End Dragon was still on the field, but her angel wings had transformed into the same energy wings as on my Trap card's artwork.
"Why is Light End Dragon still with us?!" Roman growled.
"It's thanks to my Continuous Trap; Follow Wing!" I explained. "As long as Light End Dragon is equipped with it, she can't be destroyed by battle or by your card effects, Roman! And she's got some other bonus that I hope I can show later in this Duel."
Roman growled loudly. "I end my turn! Apparently, destiny wants us to play around a bit longer until either the light or the darkness falls!"
"You're full of all the destiny talk, just like Goodwin", I mumbled to myself as I drew Dragon's Rage. "I switch Light End Dragon back to attack mode!"
Light End Dragon, Level 8: DEF 2100 – ATK 2100
"It's time to attack once again, Light End! Let's make sure the attack hits this time!" I called. "Go, Shining Sublimation!"
Light End Dragon roared as she flew towards her evil twin again. Dark End Dragon managed to grab her arms before she could slam herself onto him. The two dragons fought back against each other until the Follow Wings on the good twin's back started to glow brighter. They cast two spotlights at Dark End Dragon that burned his scales, causing him to cry out in pain. Seconds after that, he shattered into pieces, but Light End Dragon was still on the field.
The twins cheered in the background as Yusei and Trudge stayed silent, or they mumbled something I didn't catch because I was far away from them. Light End Dragon let out a victory roar as she flew next to the bridge.
"When Light End Dragon destroys a Level 5 or higher Monster due to Follow Wing's effect, she will gain that Monster's original attack points for the rest of this turn", I explained.
Light End Dragon, Level 8: ATK 2100 – ATK 4700
"But there's nothing else I can do, so I end my turn, which means Light End Dragon's attack points return to normal."
Light End Dragon, Level 8: ATK 4700 – ATK 2100
"So the light thinks it can conquer the darkness? We'll see about that", Roman growled, sounding frustrated that the light dragon twin won this match. "I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards from my Deck."
Wait, what?! Wasn't that card banned or something? Some of the classic cards from Duel Monsters and GX never appeared in the 5D's season.
"And I continue my turn with Hand Destruction! We both have to throw two cards from our hands and draw two new cards from our Decks", Roman explained.
I had nothing against discarding Dragon's Rage and Return of the Dragon Lords, especially the Spell card, and the cards I added to my hand were Protector with Eyes of Blue and Master with Eyes of Blue.
"Next, I summon Ground Spider in defense mode", Roman continued.
Ground Spider, Level 4: DEF 1500
"I end my turn with a facedown", the Dark Signer finished as a facedown card appeared on his field.
"I draw", I drew Dragon Shield. "I summon Protector with Eyes of Blue in defense mode!"
Protector with Eyes of Blue, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 1300
"Because he was successfully summoned, I can Special summon another Level 1 LIGHT Tuner Monster from my hand, so join the party, Master with Eyes of Blue!" I continued.
Master with Eyes of Blue, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 1200
"I activate my facedown; Enemy Controller! I sacrifice Master with Eyes of Blue to gain control of your Ground Spider."
The controller of the Spell card floated out while Master with Eyes of Blue turned himself into particles that were absorbed by the Spell card. The controller's buttons blinked before its cord shot itself at Ground Spider. It got attached on the spider's forehead and pulled it over to my side of the field.
"Are you turning my Monster against me?!" Roman growled irritably.
"Not really", I shook my head. "I'm just going to use Ground Spider when I activate Master with Eyes of Blue's effect in the Graveyard. I can shuffle Master back to my Deck by sacrificing an Effect Monster on my field, so I can Special summon one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons from the Graveyard!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Level 8: ATK 3000
"Alright!" Leo cheered. "The mighty beast is back!"
"And it's time for another tune-up for Level 1 Protector with Eyes of Blue and Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" I continued. "Silver scales clad the dragon. Protect its glory and roar like thunder! Synchro summon! Arise, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!"
Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, Level 9: ATK 2500
"Until the end of the next turn, neither player can target dragon Monsters I currently control with card effects, also they can't be destroyed by card effects", I quickly explained as Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon got surrounded by a protective silver aura that also enveloped Light End Dragon.
"Nice! She's one dragon tamer, alright!" Trudge commented.
"This is the end now, Roman!" I shouted to the Dark Signer. "Go, Azure-Eyes! Let's take out his Life Points!"
Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon opened his mouth before releasing a beam of silver energy towards Roman. The Dark Signer shielded his face from the bright and cracking lightning.
Roman: 4000 LP – 1500 LP
Estelle: 3100 LP
The others were cheering loudly in the background. This could be it. I could actually defeat Roman without knowing his moves beforehand.
"Light End Dragon, do the last trick!" I shouted.
Light End Dragon roared as she flew up so she was floating above Roman. Her Follow Wings released two spotlights at the Dark Signer. I thought I had him, but I never noticed the dark grin on his lips.
"It's not over yet!" Roman shouted. "I activate my Trap; Offering to the Immortals! I can only activate it when I'm about to be attacked directly while I have no Monsters on my field. Your dragon's attack is negated while I gain two Ceremonial Tokens on my field."
A force field appeared around Roman which Light End Dragon's attack collided with. The attack ended shortly and once the force field was gone, the two Tokens appeared on Roman's field, looking like Incan statues.
Ceremonial Token, Level 1: DEF 0
Ceremonial Token, Level 1: DEF 0
"And not only do I get these Tokens, but I can add an Earthbound Immortal from my Deck to my hand", Roman chuckled darkly.
Uh-oh, so I was still going to face Uru after all. I had hoped not to have the encounter with the giant spider again.
"I end my turn", I said while starting to cold sweat.
"It's my turn now", Roman drew a card. "And from my hand, I activate the Spider Web Field Spell!"
Rainbow-colored spider web started growing from the Ener-D below the bridge and it kept crawling up on the walls until it reached the hole of the crater above us. The spider web had trapped us all inside the crater and there was no way out.
"You're trapped; trapped like a fly caught in the spider's web. And now, I'm releasing both of my Ceremonial Tokens!" The two Tokens turned into rainbow orbs and floated up. "Looks like fate is on my side, Estelle. This is where your story and mission ends! The powers of darkness are ready to rise! I Tribute summon Earthbound Immortal Uru!"
The orbs transformed into Uru's stone heart and beat as it absorbed some of the Ener-D before it emitted a nasty purple light. The heart disappeared, but Uru was nowhere to be seen…until it crawled out of the wall and hovered above us on the spider web.
Earthbound Immortal Uru, Level 10: ATK 3000
I flinched in pain as I felt a strong headache. My body grew weak, so I fell down on my knees as I clutched my head. I tried panting softly to calm the headache down, which somehow helped, but not entirely. I forced myself up on my feet, but my knees still felt weak.
"Go, my Earthbound Immortal! Unleash your web of destruction at the Priestess! ATTACK!"
Uru shot a beam of spider web towards me. I had nothing that could protect me, so I had no other choice but to shield myself as much as I could with my arms.
Unlike last time I Dueled Roman and had both Yusei and Aki by my side who used their Marks to protect me, my Mark was too weak to create a force field due to the summoning of the other Earthbound Immortals earlier today.
The spider web attack hit me like a car hitting a pedestrian and threw me back onto the bridge. I grunted in pain as I clutched my chest with my right arm, trying to soothe the pain.
Roman: 1500 LP
Estelle: 3100 LP – 100 LP
"ESTELLE!" the twins cried my name worriedly.
I heard Roman laugh hard and darkly as I tried using my elbows to push myself up, but my whole upper body felt sore, making it hard for me to move. Before I knew it, I felt someone's hands on my shoulders as they helped me sit up. I opened my eyes and looked over my shoulder to see Yusei.
I grunted in pain as I stood up with his help. Luckily, I still had Dragon Shield's card in my left hand. Light End Dragon and Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon growled at Uru as I returned my attention at the Shadow Duel. Roman was grinning maliciously like he had already won the battle.
"This Duel is over!" the Dark Signer proclaimed.
"Not until the last card is played, Roman!" I growled in slight pain while Yusei was still holding my shoulders.
"You tell him!" Leo shouted.
"Don't back down!" Luna shouted encouragingly.
"Get him, girl!" Trudge added.
"Impressive", Roman chuckled. "You have the will to fight on, after all, despite everything is turning against you. I suppose that's why there's chemistry between you two." He turned his eyes at the Signer behind me. "You surely inherited your father's taste in women, Yusei." I felt Yusei's hands tighten the grip on my shoulders a bit when Roman mentioned his father. "How fascinating that after seventeen years, the Signer who's come stumbling down here, hoping to defeat me, is Dr. Fudo's son. And you think destiny's not in control?"
"The only destiny's the one we make, Roman!" Yusei shouted irritably.
"Strong words, Yusei", Roman commented. "Especially from someone who will hang on by a thread when I'll Duel you, but you're up against a force of power you can't begin to comprehend! But, before any of that, let me tell you a story about your father."
Roman told us the story of the past of how Yusei's father was the leading man in quantum physics and discovered the Planetary Particle. He soon created the first Ener-D Reactor with said particles, turning it into a non-polluting energy mechanism. However, abnormal activities started happening for each new experiment, so Dr. Fudo stopped the research until they could figure out what was the main issue.
Roman, who was one of Dr. Fudo's assistants at the time, decided to look it up and found a location where disasters occurred at the same time as the experiments. He flew to Nazca to investigate the Nazca Lines where he met a mysterious individual from Iliaster. The mysterious man manipulated Roman into picking up the research of the Ener-D and dispose of Dr. Fudo.
When Roman returned from Nazca and snuck into the main room with the Ener-D Reactor, Earthbound Immortal Uru's energy escaped through the Reactor and infected him, which led to a clash between his Mark of the Dragon and the Shadows inside his body. The good side of Roman forced him to do the ultimate sacrifice by severing his left arm with the Mark of the Dragon and entrusted his brother to keep it safe before he blew up the Ener-D Reactor, leading to the massive meltdown that came to be called Zero Reverse, killing thousands of people, including Yusei's parents.
In the end, Roman gave in to the Shadows and was reborn as a Dark Signer due to the incident, but he made Goodwin promise to assemble the Signers when the time was right and defeat him and the other Dark Signers to protect the world.
At the same time, the doors of the Netherworld had opened just a little bit and allowed time to force it open even more until now. By now, the doors were almost fully open and the Signers and I had to close them before the world would fall into an eternal darkness.
"You plan to play God, then?!" Yusei yelled angrily, making me flinch by the sudden loud voice that was close to my ear. "How many people's lives must you toy with by your own hands until you're satisfied?!"
"Yusei, by the time I even realized, my destiny was in the hands of the Immortals", Roman spoke calmly. "I chose the darkness in my own heart. This world will soon be reborn! That is my answer!" He picked up the last card he had in his hand. "I place one card facedown and end my turn. I'm warning you, Estelle, I will finish you on my next turn."
"That's if you will even get a next turn, Roman. Draw!" I called, drawing Fire Ant Ascator. "Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect! With his power, I can Special summon a Normal Monster to the field from my Graveyard! Join us, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Level 8: ATK 3000
"Next, I activate my Continuous Trap; Call of the Haunted!" I continued. "I can summon another Monster from my Graveyard to the field, and the Monster I choose is my other Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Level 8: ATK 3000
"I now summon Fire Ant Ascator in attack mode!"
Fire Ant Ascator, Level 3, Tuner: ATK 700
"Alright, she filled her entire field with Monsters!" Leo commented loudly.
"It's time for my dragons to unleash their fury!" I exclaimed. "Level 3 Fire Ant Ascator, give Level 8 Light End Dragon the power of the stars! A million suns are never enough to outshine the brightest star of the universe! Synchro summon! Arise, the Emperor of the Stars, Star Eater!"
Star Eater, Level 11: ATK 3200
"Are you done yet, Priestess?!" Roman hissed impatiently.
"I'm far from done!" I retorted. "I fuse my two Blue-Eyes White Dragons for a new form! I Fusion summon Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!"
Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon, Level 12: ATK 3000
"It's finally time for my dragons to rip you and Earthbound Immortal Uru into pieces!" I told Roman. "Go, Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon! Attack Roman directly!"
Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon flew towards Roman with a battle roar.
"I don't think so!" Roman intervened. "I activate my Trap; Brilliant Shrine Art! Your Monster's attack is directed towards my Earthbound Immortal instead of me!"
Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon changed direction and flew towards Uru instead. The dragon roared at the spider that sent its beam of spider web at him. My dragon slashed the web into pieces before his two mouths shone by energy and released two beams; one blue and one white. The two energy beams fused into one that pierced the Earthbound Immortal's lower body, causing it to grow weaker and losing its grip on the walls.
Roman watched in horror as Uru slowly fell next to the bridge and into the sea of Ener-D below us. The Earthbound Immortal hissed in pain as it drowned in the energy. The twins and Trudge cheered loudly in the background now that Uru was gone.
Roman turned to me with a furious look. "You destroyed my Earthbound Immortal!"
"This is your end, Roman!" I said determinedly. "Let me tell you something; the only destiny that exists is the one you shape yourself! Your life is not something that someone writes for you beforehand; you choose how you want to live, who you want to be friends with, what you dream about, what you want to accomplish in life! Maybe I was destined to become the Crimson Star Priestess, but I won't let that dictate my life! I can still decide what I want to do because I am me!"
"Yeah, there's no such thing as destiny!" a familiar voice yelled.
I looked down from the bridge and saw Crow was peeking out from one of the windows of the wall.
"Crow!" Yusei called.
"What happened with Zero Reverse wasn't because of destiny!" Crow continued. "Roman caused the whole thing, not your dad, Yusei! But, listen, if Zero Reverse had never happened, the two of us and Jack wouldn't ever get to know each other and become best friends! Good things lead to bad things, leading to more good things! And that's just life! And at the end of the day, we all have choices. We aren't destined to make them; this guy's just using destiny as an excuse to be a jerk! Now, finish this guy already, Estelle!"
I nodded to Crow before glaring at Roman. "It's time to clean your spirit and return you to normal, Roman! Star Eater, bless him with Starlight Breaker!"
Star Eater opened his mouth and unleashed a beam of starlight at Roman. The Dark Signer cried in pain as he was engulfed by the light.
Roman: 1500 LP – 0 LP
Estelle: 100 LP
As soon as the attack ended, Roman collapsed on his knees while the Duel Disks deactivated, causing the Solid Vision to fade, including my dragons and Roman's Field Spell. I quickly put all the cards I had on my Duel Disk into the Deck holder, plus the single card I had left in my hand, as the Dark Signer started laughing.
"Don't think that this is over…" Roman chuckled as his body slowly transformed into dust. "A new Immortal, the mightiest of them all, has already been unleashed. If you can activate the four control units before sunset, the doors of the Netherworld will open and the King of the Netherworld will be resurrected!"
My heart started beating in fear when I saw how Roman ripped the Duel Disk off his left arm and pulled a switch on it, causing a red light bulb to blink. "Run!" I yelled as I turned around and grabbed Yusei's hand before running across the bridge as quickly as I could to get us to safety.
"If I didn't manage to defeat you, Priestess, then you shall fall with me!" Roman's voice yelled before an explosion erupted behind us.
The bridge wobbled violently as I felt myself falling backwards. Yusei and I were so close to the safe edge with Leo, Luna, and Trudge, but we were still several meters away from them. My heart was beating triple its pace when I realized I wasn't running anymore. The bridge collapsed underneath my feet, so I was falling towards the ocean of Ener-D. Yusei was falling with me as we still held each other's hands, but he managed to grab a wire of the bridge, halting the fall. But that didn't mean the danger was over. We were literally dangling above the rainbow soup of energy.
"Yusei! Estelle!" the twins cried in fear.
"Hang on, kids!" Trudge called.
I glanced down at the Ener-D underneath me, fearing that this was going to be my death.
"Yusei, let go of me!" I yelled as I turned my eyes at the Signer. "I can't drag you into this!"
"I won't let go!" Yusei grunted as he did his best to hold onto the wire with his other hand as I felt him squeeze my hand.
"You have to!" I argued. "You have to, so you can keep living in your world! Remember, I'm just an outsider who's not supposed to exist in this dimension!"
"You're not an outsider!" Yusei yelled furiously. "You're one of my friends, and you've got the same rights to live in our world just as we do!"
"Yusei, heads up!" Crow shouted.
Metal sheets that were part of the bridge started raining around us. I tried dodging them by bowing my head, but bits and parts still hit me. I then felt how Yusei and I were moving downwards. I glanced up and saw how Yusei's hand on the wire was slipping.
Next thing I knew, we were falling again and, this time, nothing could save us. Everything turned black as soon as I fell into the sea of Ener-D.