【25 - The Battle of the Triad Gangs Commence! A Chance to Escape?!】


Everyone immediately started shooting everyone else.

Amira and that Lisa girl were in the middle of the room, they dropped right down but thankfully all the mobsters were focused on each other. Those unarmed were so far ignored, but the peppering of bullets was deafening. A stray shot could end their lives. Suited men ran to corners, dropped to their stomachs while firing, others with sub-machine guns swept their ammunition long-ways until their aim went upward after they keeled back. Metal shells chimed like it was raining coins.

Some retreated before they could get fatally wounded. Others were bleeding through holes in their body, gritting their teeth as they took down one last enemy. Shouts and dropping corpses; when people ran out of bullets the bladed weapons were used or thrown. Flashes of swords and knives, axes spinning through the air. Supernova Pluto Deathbringer was rousing in her pocket, slowly as if to a pleasant lullaby. Amira glimpsed a fallen axe by a blood puddle and started crawling toward it. Someone grabbed her leg and she turned to see Magris on his stomach and sneering at her, blood dripping down his face.

"I will never let you go! Never!"

She kicked back into his nose and the redhead slumped. Then she continued wriggling with her cuffed wrists in front of her. Gunshots continued, mobsters thrown into walls and glass breaking. It seemed the Swords had made use of grappling hooks, getting to the high windows before spraying everyone with bullets. When Amira reached the axe she looked over and saw the old mafia boss slumped against the wall. His smoking cigar was by his fat fingers, a few bullet-holes leaking blood. He was dead. Amira leaned against the wall and tried desperately sawing through with the blade. It was too difficult, she was trying to press the handle between her thighs and move her wrists but she didn't have the grip to keep it upright. Her darkness phoenix reared again, Amira turned her head and saw that black-haired girl crawling over by the wall with a sword in her grip.

"Let me help you with that!" the chosen fire duellist said. "Hold still."

Amira put her hands flat on the concrete while the other girl aimed with the sword. Amira had to close her eyes and look away but after a swing and break the chain was cut. She was free. She gave a smile of relief that the other girl returned.

"Thanks," and then much to the other's surprise, Amira shot up and ran. She didn't look back, she left the other chosen behind and legged it out of the building.

More shooting was taking place outside. Amira's head flicked around then she bolted toward the storage crates. Her ears were ringing. She scouted out her safest escape path, then she ran. After crossing the street she went straight to the alleys, winding through the darkness alone and not stopping for a second even after her legs were burning. She sprinted for ten minutes without stopping, then she hit a stairwell and curled over it while gasping. Alive, her heartbeat was racing. I got away, I'm alive.

Amira climbed up the stairs to the second level. To her left was an old bookstore that'd been converted to a drug den, she guessed by the stray needles lying around. Movement caught her eye and she noticed someone in a trench-coat following her. She cursed and piled the speed back on, scampering the length of the walkway. Swinging herself over its edge and testing the steel covering before sliding then dropping to a lower roof. She ran past chimneys before skidding to a stop, that next jump was further than it'd looked. Below was a dumpster with trash-bags she might be able to drop into, but before she could decide her chaser was already behind her.

"I didn't go to the effort of capturing you just so you could get away." It was Larkin. Of course it was.

Her pale eyes searched the scenery behind him. Seemed like he was alone. Unshaven with that bored look, parchment-yellow eyes trained on her. Amira could try to run – maybe she'd get away or maybe she wouldn't. Instead she reached for her deck.

"You're a Kaijudo duelist they broke out of prison, right?"

"That makes it sound so exciting: a prison-break. You know what really happened?" he asked and she waited. "Kurushi came to my cell with a bunch of officers and they let me out. You have no idea how many important people this General has in his pockets now."

"So what were you, some kind of duelist-killer?"

"I was the regular kind of killer. But if you're good at something never do it for free."

"I get it, you're an assassin."

Larkin pulled out his deck "You overheard way too much in that cage. Even if Magris dies I still got to kill you."

"Or you can let me go. I leave this city and go back into hiding, you'll never hear from me again."

"I think not. Kettou da," Larkin challenged. His deck-hand caught red fire.

Amira sighed before accepting "yoshi." Her hand was shrouded in ghostly purple, duel tables appeared between them.

Their shields sprung forth and they added mana.

"Blazosaur Q," a molten rock-beast on 1000 reared up, lava glowing in the darkness.

"Survivors…" Amira murmured before drawing. I should be able to deal with a survivor strategy without too much difficulty. "I summon Marrow Ooze, the Twister and end." Her inexpensive living dead twisted forth with a howl. I'll try to rush him and go for a quick win.

"I summon Smash Horn Q," a horned beast with the same bio-hazard marking stalked forth.

Survivors were like wave-strikers but better because they didn't need another creature to use their own ability. With Smash Horn Q sharing its power boost and Blazosaur Q sharing its power-attacker skill both weak creatures were already substantially more powerful.

Larkin turned his card "Blazosaur ike!"

Amira let her shield go. The far panel shattered and she caught her face-down card as it popped up – she was glad to see her favourite cross gear.

She used her three mana for a blocker "Sealed Devil Samijal!" Spidery arms writhed from the mass of purple lumps "Marrow Ooze break a shield, ike!" It twisted around, stretching an arm that swung clear a panel. It died afterwards as per its effect and Larkin added the card to his hand with no emotion.

"Skullsweeper Q," A frilled brain jacker crawled into play.

"This presents a problem…" Amira muttered.

"Smash Horn Q break a shield! You must discard." He turned his card and she lost another defensive panel. Larkin's hand moved to his other creature "Blazosaur Q ike!"

"Samijal blocks!" the creatures were now evenly matched. Lava melted apart her grand devil while its teeth gouged a stony neck.

"You discard again." Larkin said.

When Amira started her next turn she was down to three cards "I can't let him get more survivors in the battle-zone or they're all gonna be sharing too many abilities… I graveyard-evolution to summon Dorgedos, the Reaper Drake!" it crawled forth on 5000, purple blades fanning its pale body "Attack Smash Horn Q, ike!" With a passing ripple of purple the lizard fired a multitude of thin lasers, cutting apart the animal. Larkin's other creature lost its extra 1000 power. Even from where she stood Amira could smell burning meat in the night air.

"I summon Grave Worm Q," at the appearance of another darkness survivor Larkin got to add Blazosaur back to his hand. "Skullsweeper Q breaks a shield and you discard again!"

Amira's third shield broke and as she hid her face from the debris she realised luck was not on her side. She'd wanted to rush him but he was picking off her hand, her creatures and now replenishing his options with lost survivors.

"I generate Hungry Gauntlet!" Her third and final cross gear appeared, two rows of teeth with a long tongue and googly-eyes. She didn't have the mana to cross it yet. "Dorgedos take out Skullsweeper ike!" As her tyranno drake set its laser-fire on a new target she felt glad her remaining hand was now safe. Not only that, but once crossed her Hungry Gauntlet would be able to destroy all the remaining survivors in one hit.

After his brain jacker got reduced to a squealing, smoking mass Larkin drew. He set down a card "I evolve Grave Worm Q into Q-tronic Gargantua." A flaming 9000 reptile transfigured, a bright beacon in this dark downtown. "Attack her shields!"

Flaming limbs swished and throttled forward. Amira thought she was burning but when the orange dissipated she realised it was only her proximity. The pain left with the flare; she grit her teeth. Gargantua only broke one shield, so she still had the other. Being a crew-breaker meant the number of shields it broke depended on the number of survivors in play. Its biohazard symbol burned on its chest.

Amira had finally received a shield trigger but it was Death Gate, Gate of Hell. She couldn't use it because Larkin had no other untapped creature in play. He still had four shields, this wasn't going at all how Amira expected it to. She forced herself to calm down enough to draw.

"I summon Sealed Devil Ronovel. I cross Dorgedos with Hungry Gauntlet. Break a shield!"

Her crab blocker scuttled forth. Her drake had one of its limbs fitted with the chattering metal glove. Several lines of purple splintered a panel. Larkin swished his coat and it received a long tear.

"I cast Miraculous Rebirth," he added a rainbow spell to his table "I destroy Ronovel then add a creature from my deck to my hand." As Amira's crab combusted in purple fire, Larkin pulled his selection and showed her "Q-tronic Hypermind."

"This is bad…"

"Now Gargantua breaks your final shield!" his coat billowed as another pillar of superheated flames broke Amira's last defence. She turned away and cringed, fire licked the edges of her table. "You seem out of practice, chosen darkness duelist. Even with phoenixes in your deck I'd wager it's not often you use them. Not if you can help it. Not if you can run from adversaries instead…"

"…you don't know what you're talking about."

"But I do. You met the other chosen back there, didn't you? But you still ran. The darkness civilization is supposed to master fear, not succumb to it."

"I am the darkness," Amira could feel the power of her civilisation suddenly flowing through her. Purple energy cloaked her entire body "I evolve Dorgedos into… Killer the Kill, Demon Dragon King!" A 12,000 triple-breaker emerged under the glow of evolution. A being of the race demon command dragon, one of Amira's best cards. Its jagged body was purple, white and red. Its chest bordered a gigantic eyeball. "I automatically wipe out Gargantua then triple-break your shields!"

She directed the enormous power by turning her card. The evil dragon pounced the distance between them and crashed claws onto three shields. Its sharp tail whipped through the sizzling survivor behind it and Gargantua shrieked before fading.

Larkin was down on one knee, he reached out as two shield triggers fluttered close.

"Mana Nexus lets me add another shield from my mana zone," a single panel reassembled. "Terror Pit wipes out Killer the Kill."

As soon as it appeared Amira's dragon was dragged into the void. There was a ghastly cry before the ground sealed, revealing only craters the heavy creature had left in the cement. Amira swayed as the possession left her. If she'd only been luckier with her draws and shield triggers she would've beaten this guy already.

Larkin drew and added mana "I summon Blazosaur Q and end." He only had one card in his hand and Amira was willing to bet the duel it was Q-tronic Hypermind. An 8000 evolution that'd be able to kill her next turn.

She drew "first things first, I use Death Smoke to get rid of your evo bait." A black smog descended, grinning wickedly as it suffocated the untapped creature. "Next I summon Jenny, the Suicide Doll and sacrifice her so you have to discard."

Annoyance briefly flashed on that impassive face, Q-tronic Hypermind was discarded.

"Lastly," Amira plucked out a card for graveyard-evolution "I summon Death March, Reaper Puppeteer! Break your last shield!" Her blue-hooded creature leapt up and slashed down with a sword drawn from its back.

He'd put the shield from his mana zone so as expected it was a trigger. "Terror Pit," Larkin dropped the spell in his graveyard as Amira's field was once more wiped clear of creatures. He drew his only card "I cast Mystic Inscription and rebuild my shield again."

A green tablet fell from the sky, etched in hieroglyphics. The nature spell replenished the cyan glass. This duel was too close for Amira to take. She had no shields and was running on luck. Even if he didn't finish her with a strong creature he'd likely kill her with his bare hands once the game was done.

"I summon Zamaru, Treasure of Darkness and cross it with Hungry Gauntlet." It was always interesting to see how cross gears adapted to strange hosts. The gauntlet's rows of teeth stretched and bordered the edge of her multi-hued treasure chest. The tongue and eyes settled into its corners.

"I summon Smash Horn Q."

"I evolve Zamaru into DarthRayne, Dream Knight." A dark rider on a skeletal horse arose. "I send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard then bring a creature from there to my hand. Next I use Hungry Gauntlet's tap effect to destroy your untapped creature." With 6000 power the rabid glove pulled its new owner into battle. The beast folk was devoured before it could win the game next turn.

Larkin drew and examined his only card, then his yellow eyes returned to her "As long as I keep summoning you can't risk attacking me instead."

"Is that going to help you win?" Amira chastised. "Luck was on your side at first, but now my future cards are proving their power."

"Grave Worm Q…" he was awarded with another survivor from his graveyard but it didn't matter. DarthRayne had allowed Amira to find the card she was looking for. She used a Terror Pit and then he summoned his other Grave Worm and then on her next turn she had four cards in her hand. Amira counted out the costs, with eight mana she had just enough.

"I summon Vorg, Ogre Puppet for two. Sealed Devil, Ravaal the Reaper for two. Death March, Reaper Puppeteer for one." Three new darkness creatures swarmed play. "With my last three mana I evolve them into Supernova Pluto Deathbringer!" An eerie howl whipped the surrounding darkness, straining the far-off streetlights beneath the blanketed sky.

While most opponents became a nervous wreck at the sight of death incarnate, Larkin's face only underwent the slightest of changes. All hope and happiness was pulled away from him, and yet he merely stared at the darkness phoenix. Amira's suspicion was confirmed, Larkin was a bona fide psychopath. The prospect of his death was an inconvenience he'd like to avoid, but instead of panicking he stood calculating his chances of rushing to Amira before the final strike was ordered. Amira was also now without fear, and both understood that any last-ditch desperate move had a working probability of almost zero.

The darkness caressed Amira's shoulders and played with her hair.

"Sacrificing and reviving your pair of Grave Worms would've stalled well enough against a normal opponent. You are a danger I'd rather make sure is permanently dealt with, Larkin. DarthRayne ike…" A piece of glass was left sticking out his shoulder from that last shield. The assassin didn't seem to notice.

Her hand moved to her other card "Phoenix of death claim another soul. Meteorburn and todomeda."

A pulse of haze. Black wings stretched, pale-blue energy circulated from the sphere beneath its body. Blackness shredded out its beak and Larkin ran forward, he took a single step before he was ripped apart entirely. When the Kaijudo energy retracted the building collapsed.

There was dust clinging to her nostrils, the sound of plinking and rattling stone. Hands took her shoulders and gave a gentle shake.

"Amira! Hey, wake up!"

She scrunched her eyes before opening. Whoever found her wasn't dragging her out, he seemed to be genuinely worried for her. Amira blinked until her vision returned. It was Simon leaning over, looking relieved.

"It's you…" she coughed and winced.

"Finally found you." He sounded triumphant, helped her slowly sit up.

"I know you could track my movements pretty well, but this is just ridiculous…" she couldn't stop wincing.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm in agony. Can you stop digging into my shoulder like that?"

"I'm not touching your shoulder." He answered. Amira opened her mouth to speak but was overtaken by more coughing. Simon noticed something "uh… just stay here for a second. I'll be right back, I promise!"

He scampered over the debris and away. Amira looked around, three of the building's walls were still standing. Plaster sheets and rotted wood were scattered amongst the destruction. She was still blinking her blurry eyes, still clenching her jaw against the agony of her shoulder. When the duel ended and Amira felt all that dark power leaving her she started to drop the same time the building did. Her blonde acquaintance returned with someone, and there were another two standing by the ruined property's edge as well. The girl with Simon stepped carefully through the rubble in black flats.

"Ohhh dear," it was a voice she hadn't heard before. Amira could make out dyed hair as this other girl stepped around while making an appraisal "Did you hit your head?"

"Maybe, I don't know."

"Can you move your fingers, toes?" she asked and Amira tried, hissing from the pain in her left arm. "Good. Can you bend your knees, arms?" Again she did as instructed and this other girl faced Simon "We got to get her out of here before one of the walls decides to topple onto us."

"My shoulder… what the fuck's wrong with my shoulder?" Amira was almost screaming for the pain.

The other girl crouched down behind her back "just lean forward for me."

The instruction came in a soothing voice and Amira obeyed. There was a harsh jolt and crack, she screamed torturously. As the seconds passed the pain lessened and Amira flexed her fingers.

"Fuck, Lisa. What did you do?" Simon demanded.

"Dislocated shoulder," Lisa explained, her professional and soothing voice returned "now if you're able to stand we need to get you out of here."

Amira let herself be supported by the two. They got to the street and sitting by the road was a rusted van commandeered from the gang that'd held her captive.

Simon removed her good arm from around his neck "Timothy, Heidi, can you take her? I'm going back for her deck."

Lisa stood a few paces away, holding out fingers to test Amira's vision. When Simon returned Amira was lowered down, sitting in the van's sliding doorway with Timothy and Heidi either side of her.

"All that blood… man whoever you were dueling got completely crushed."

"Luckily…"

"We ought to get moving." The boy called Timothy began "We're not that far from those gangsters."

"I'm not going to hospital." Amira winced "They're probably going to show up there. It's not safe."

"Let's just leave," Timothy pressed. "We'll figure it out on the way."

Simon nodded and went to the driver's side. Everyone else piled into the back of the van. Lisa swung the door shut then searched for an overhead light, brightening the space somewhat. The engine made plinking noises before coming to life with an old roar, they took off down the street.

Lisa gripped the front-seat to keep from falling "Amira, you look really beaten up. I'm going to have to check your pupils every hour in case your brain's bleeding. Do you mind looking into that light, please."

She did as requested, while the pretty girl peered into her face Amira kept her head still as she started talking to Simon.

"How did you find me?"

"When Heidi also got captured I started asking around some more," Simon jerked the gear-stick as he drove "Some sorta deal was going down between the Knives and the Axes at sundown. Destirio and another chosen both disappear yesterday, so I'm starting to get a picture of what's going on here. I find out some other things… seems like a trade is going down. Of course Magris would be willing to pay anything to get his hands on you…"

Simon drove the van around a corner. Lisa turned Amira's chin while closely examining each eye.

"So you got the Sword gang involved?"

"I tipped them off. The idea that their two rivals were co-operating made them nervous. We had eyes on the warehouse and men hiding in the crates before the deal even started. They let Timothy and me come along. Ingenious, right?"

"A lot of people died tonight, Simon…"

"Your point? They're all criminals. Besides, I saved your life. The least you could do is thank me."

Amira sighed as Lisa finished, stepping carefully away then sweeping her skirt and coat as she sat beside Timothy who was opposite her. A moment passed and the four shuddered along with the motor's rumbling as Simon drove them.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"I… didn't think you were going to help me." Amira confessed.

Simon didn't speak for a while, he changed gears as the silence dragged on "…well I did. And I wasn't the only one, the chosen fire duelist wanted to help too."

Amira turned her head to the girl beside her. When it came to their appearance they were similar in some ways but opposites in others. Heidi's hair went past her chin, it and her eyes were black. Amira's hair almost touched her shoulders, a caramel-brown and her eyes were a blue so pale they were almost white – like the polar ice caps. They were both slender and on the shorter side, Amira being a few inches taller. The fire duelist was hunched with elbows on her knees, head dipped.

"Thanks, Heidi." Amira said.

"How come you ran before…?" Heidi finally spoke. Amira wasn't sure what to say and the other two shuffled uncomfortably. "I suppose it doesn't matter… it was just, I finally found another chosen. I expected our first time meeting to be completely different. Well obviously… but I didn't expect you to just take off…"

"Sorry," Amira replied because it was the thing to say. "I didn't think you were looking for us? You mustn't know about the Gatekeepers… I don't feel like giving bad news now..."

"We know about the Gatekeepers. So does the DMA staff and probably the government."

"You know?!" Amira whipped to face Heidi in shock. "You know how powerful they are, and you're still looking for us anyway?"

"Yes, I am." Heidi stiffened.

"Did it ever occur to you why we split up in the first place? We don't have a scale astronomical enough to measure the Gatekeepers' power. They are – essentially invincible, omnipotent. Our planet is doomed, Heidi."

"I'm not giving up." Heidi spoke slowly and fiercely.

Amira stared at her for a few seconds "…you're crazy." She faced forward again while shaking her head. They all bumped and jostled from the potholes on the road.

"What would you rather us do? Keep running until we all die?" Heidi fired up.

"There is nothing anyone can do. You can be as set on being a hero as you like. Fight this all the way to the bitter end. It won't make a difference. They are gods, they won't even notice."

"I can't believe you! Even if it's hopeless we still have to try. We're the chosens. Aurellia's last stand against duelists trying to take over the world. When we give up, that's when it's really over!"

Amira stared at the crazy girl in front of her as another pause dragged by.

"How would you propose we fight them?" Amira asked and the other girl hesitated.

"Well… when all five of us get together for the first time, there's supposed to be this power surge from our phoenixes and…"

"The phoenixes!? You're betting on them powering up when we come together and saving us? The phoenixes might be strong by DM-12 standards but compared to the future cards they're obsolete. If all five of us were able to channel them perfectly could we say, wipe out a city? How about a continent, a planet, a galaxy? These guys eat galaxies for breakfast, do you think we'd have the power between us to match two-hundred billion suns? Your tiny, human brain couldn't even begin to comprehend how much power they possess. They've decided to take our world, amongst many other realities, and that's that."

"But…" Heidi looked lost. Tired and out of her depth. Maybe she'd finally start to catch on.

"Could we defeat General Urobach?" Amira continued "It's possible. Quite unlikely, but possible. Defeat the Gatekeepers? You'd have to be out of your mind. Or… have an irrational, childish fixation on being a hero."

The argument was over, the other girl defeated. Amira felt a little bad but knew somebody had to tell it to her straight before she got herself hurt unnecessarily. Amira was still sore all over, especially her shoulder. Timothy had gone silent, he too looked haunted with a far-away look in his eyes.

"Okay…" Simon sounded as perplexed as Lisa looked. "That has got to be the most words I've ever heard you say. And it sounds like there's gonna be some kind of apocalypse? I mean, that explains a lot about you."

Amira sighed and looked away "I don't want to talk about it."

So they rumbled along the road for a while. It might have been another ten minutes before Lisa thought to ask where they were going.

"Back to my place. Mr Barrow's repair shop." Simon answered.

"You live in a shop?" Lisa asked, those two in their blissful ignorance still felt like chatting.

"I try to stay there at least one night a week. Mr Barrow's a good man, he's taken in all these homeless kids. The orphanages are overrun."

"Did he take you in?" Lisa asked.

"In a sense… what about you? What's your story?"

"I was raised in the Knife gang." Lisa explained. "The hospitals and clinics here aren't good, and they all refuse to help gang members. So a lot of gangs try to get their own doctors. My mother was a nurse for them, she died… caught that blood disease from a patient. But I was always around her when she worked and she taught me everything. The gangsters used to terrify me… but they had the highest respect for my mother's skills and knowledge, she was invaluable. A lot of those guys can't even read. But I was reading through her medical textbooks since I was fourteen."

"Hmm wow, so you're a nurse?"

"In practice. The gang leader, Pello Senior is bedridden and dying. I was in charge of his care."

"It's no wonder his son wants you back then."

"Yes. I may have grown up with them, but I know all the things they get up to. I know my mother and I were their prisoners. They're criminals, murderers… I'm glad to be free."

Lisa gave off the impression of a charming, intelligent and confident young woman. She continued her conversation with Simon but at that point Amira's pain was too distracting. She tuned them out. The five teens drove onward to a safer destination.


AN: Season's greetings! What a special chapter this is. Soul crushing and hope destroying... but honestly Heidi should've known better! And that goes for you too, reader! I have just finished chapter 25, we are 25% of the way through darkness arc, 25% of the way through the entire story, and now finally two chosens are in the same place and talking to each other. Took us a long time, didn't it? Oh I remember Acuma and Azure wondering about the other chosens all the way at the beginning and laughing at their naiveté. Ho ho ho!