Two in one day?! RECORD! _

*Chapter 35: Revival*

Hope kneeled down in front of the torn card. With shaky hands, she attempted to connect the two parts. She soon gave up though, letting them float to the ground. Countless tears fell from her eyes, and she made no attempt to wipe them away.

Rue's hands shook with anger. He could imagine the pain that Hope was going through. If he had killed Claire, he would have never gotten over it. He knew that full well.

Claire could not stop a few stray tears in time.  

Will was an only child. He had no idea on what Hope was going through, but knew that it was very heartbreaking, and he didn't know how to console her.

Brandi was shocked at the levels the Generals of Hell had sunk to. The cruelty would probably be too much for Hope to handle, and Brandi knew that no words she could say would assist.

Max didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort Hope, but was unsure if she wanted the help now.

After a few minutes of silence, other than Hope's sobs and the fierce winds, Gaston walked up to her. Nobody made any move to stop him as he walked over to Hope, and kneeled down beside her.

"Hey, Hope… we need to leave this place."

Hope just kept staring at the card halves lying on the ground.

"Please listen to me… I know that losing your sister must be hard. If I had lost you in this way, I would be having the same reaction you are now. But we must think sensibly. The longer we stay here, the more difficult it will be to leave. It is growing steadily colder, and we will probably freeze. Just look at Brandi-she's wearing short sleeves, and not even suitable shoes. Also, this area will only remind you of what happened. Time heals all wounds... the flesh will heal, even though your heart will have scars so that you never forget. You must not try to block out what happened-that will leave you feeling more depressed then before. Accept what happened, then attempt to move on."

Hope shook her head slowly. "I've known… her… all my life. We loved… each other… how could I not shed tears for her? How could I… not feel disgusted with myself… for…" She broke off, sobbing again.

"You are right to cry… that shows that you care for her. And it is not your fault for her death… not at all! You didn't know! It is all that General's fault. For what he did… he will pay. You must continue on, to stop him from doing this to anyone else. Please Hope… let's leave. If not for yourself, then for your friends."

Hope picked up the card halves again, and just nodded, not speaking. Gaston picked her up, and rose. He turned to the others, and asked Max, "Do you have another Ship to the Sunset handy?"

"…Yes."

"Then we should go."

"I agree," Brandi shivered. "I'm going to die in this kind of weather soon!"

*****

"Are you willing to die for this?"

"Yes sir… I willingly offer my life." Nas stepped forward, in a plain, black robe, his light brown hair and same-color eyes standing out in the dark room.

"Very well…" The man stepped forward, and offered a sharpened dagger to Nas. The General drove the dagger into his own heart. Nas fell forward without a sound, wearing a calm expression.

"Here me, Lord of Hell! Take this man's soul, and feast upon it! To have it though, please release the one I request!"

Nas' body began to change, slowly, but surely, while the other man laughed…

*****

The walk back to the boat was made without a sound. Hope had a faraway look in her eyes, and she kept staring at the card pieces. She had stopped crying, but nobody was sure which reaction was worse.

Max called forth the Ship to the Sunset again, and they began to paddle back to land. Hope didn't make any effort to try and help, but they hadn't expected her to.

Gaston looked at the card halves she held, and groaned. "Now I see…"

"What's wrong?" Rue asked.

"Amy's Soul Monster was Big Bangirl. The General must have ripped her card, which killed her… that would take out a vital protection of her soul… making it easier to have her possessed."

Claire jumped as Rue's paddle snapped. He had applied too much pressure to it due to anger.

Max threw him a spare paddle. "Please be more careful."

Rue nodded absentmindedly, and continued to work, his eyes still slightly red.

*****

"It is going according to plan… her spirit has shattered." The figure grasped his head. "At a high price though… I'm much too weak to do anything now." He turned to another man. "Is he ready?"

"Yes sir. I will dispatch him immediately. It is sure to work…"

"Good. I expect no less."
*****

The ship soon arrived at the dock. They all got off, and it vanished, Hope being helped by Gaston again. She still seemed too depressed to say anything.

"Ugh! What on earth?!" Brandi choked.

Claire gagged at the sight of the corpse on bank. It was a man wearing a black cloak. His brown hair moved with the wind. His sightless green left eye stared at nothing, and the rest of his face was heavily scarred. A broken mask lay by him, and his neck was broken, his windpipe torn. Blood stained the once-clean grass.

"Ugh… it looks like someone else got to the General," Neo grimaced.

Mana covered her eyes. "I can't stand this slaughter! When will it end?"

"Not soon enough," Will said mournfully. "All we can do is take it in stride."

"Let us move away from this body, and try to think of a plan later," Neo suggested.

"A serious comment from Neo? I'm sure pigs will soon fly," Perseus said dryly.

"This isn't a time for joking," Claire broke in. "I agree with him; we must distance ourselves."

They walked along the lake shore silently. Most of them were too absorbed in their thoughts to look, but Ruecian and Olympion kept watch. That was why Olympion was the first to see the approaching figure. He snarled viciously, causing everyone to look up.

A person in a black cloak was approaching them. All of the General's features were hidden. The person was soon close enough to converse.

"So you are the ones I am assigned to slay?"

Brandi looked at the figure in alarm. "That voice… it sounds familiar almost."

Hope looked on dully as Max reached for his katana. "So you are a General?"

"I have been told to kill all of you…"

Rue's battle axe was bared in less than a second. "Come one step closer and you will wish you had never been born."

"Calm down Rue," Max said calmly. "Try to duel and you will make a foolish error; this I can see. General, I will be the one to bring you down. Prepare yourself!" He readied his Duel Disk.

"Sure, I accept." The other man got his Duel Disk ready as well.

"What's going on?!" Claire exclaimed. "This man doesn't have a Soul Monster either!"

"Weird… is it another possessed person maybe?" Will commented.

"It can't be… his voice is nothing like Amy's was," Brandi pointed out.

"True," Gaston agreed. "So why does he lack a Soul Monster then?"

Max: 8000

General: 8000

"I will go first," Max decided. "I draw, and it is my Cursed Gyura. That means that Olympion's effect kicks in; he does 500 Life Point damage to you, and I draw again."

Max: 8000

General: 7500

"Now I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card down."

"I draw, and lay one monster in defense mode. I also lay two cards down. I'm done."

"Hm…" Max looked at his draw, and shook his head. "That won't do… I summon Cursed Gyura! (1500/1200) Attack the defense monster!"

"You attacked my Death Kangaroo. (1500/1700) When this monster is attacked by a monster with a lower attack then its defense, your monster is destroyed."

Max: 7800

General: 7500

"Not good… I end."

"This will do well. I lay another monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"I summon Demon Soldier! (1900/1000) Attack the Death Kangaroo!"

"Very well. After your attack, I activate Cry of the Living Dead, reviving Death Kangaroo."

"That seems like a waste… it's your turn."

"But it isn't. I sacrifice my Death Kangaroo and face down Blood Vors (1900/1200) to summon the Millennium Neanderthal! (2750/2500)"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"Just watch! I play Thunderbolt, wiping out your monsters!"

"You killed my Demon Soldier and Nyudoryua…"

"Now, I play Wild Burst! I can use this on any Animal or Animal Warrior that I desire. Its defense is added to its attack for the turn. Of course, that monster dies at the end of the turn, but that is a small price to pay. (5250/2500) Now, attack directly!"

"DAMN IT!" Max snarled as he was hit by the fierce attack.

Max: 2550

General: 7500

"Not… good…" Max groaned.

"Don't give up!" Brandi shouted. "You can beat this guy Max!"

The General suddenly seemed to stare more intensly. "MAX?! That name…"

"Huh?" Brandi looked over at the man. "Alright, enough secrecy. Who are you?"

The man threw off the cloak that covered him. He wore a black shirt and black pants, with a blue vest. His white hair seemed to tilt to the left side, and his brown eyes had a tired look to them. However, he seemed alert all of a sudden.

Brandi gasped. Max was too shocked to do anything for a full ten seconds, which seemed to stretch into hours. Then he whispered, "Dad?"

The man smiled sadly. "Yes. I now remember…"

"What's going on?" Rue asked. "Max's… dad? What? Isn't he… dead?"

Brandi nodded slowly. "Yes… he is. How? How are you alive?! What's going on?!"

Max's dad looked over at the spectators. "You can call me Randall. I was… revived by the enemy. The Generals of Hell is what they call themselves. They… preformed a ritual of sorts… sacrificing one of their own to summon my soul from the dead."

"Why help them?" Will inquired.

"I cannot help it… on the back of my head is a talisman. It keeps my body under their control."

"Then… why not just take it off?" Brandi suggested. "Can we somehow remove it?"

"No! Do not approach, or else it will go off, killing all in range!"

"How cheap is that?" Neo growled. "So it's either Max dying, Randall dying, or all of us dying."

"Pretty much," Randall agreed. "But I would prefer it being me to die. Max, you must win, and kill me."

"What?! After all this time, I have wanted you to come back, and now I have to be the one to kill you? Forget it!" Max yelled.

"Max… I know this will be hard for you. But I was dead. I should rightfully still be dead. It is only right that you kill me, and continue to help your friends. You have a full life ahead of you."

"…Still…!"

"There must be another way!" Brandi cried.

"There isn't. I end my turn, destroying my monster. Max, you must defeat me! As much as I want to, I cannot go easy on you!"

"I-I can't…!"

"Do what your dad says."

Everyone stared in astonishment at Hope. For the first time in that long period of hours passed, she had spoken.

"What?" Max turned to her.

"Max… he's your dad. He's the one who made it possible for you to live. Why do you think he died in the first place? To protect you, and your family! Why do you think he is begging for you to put aside his suffering now? Because he wants you to live! Even if he lives, he will never forgive himself for letting you die! Max, defeat him. Finish the duel, and put his soul to rest."

"…" Max turned back to his dad, and drew. "I draw… my Great Demon Gaazetto… I draw again… my Newt… and again… that's all…"

Max: 2550

Randall: 6500

Max looked at his hand. "I can't…"

"You must."

"But…"

"I can tell you have a winning card Max! Now play it!"

Max looked his father in the eyes. "…I am only doing this because I must. I play Raise Dead on your Millennium Neanderthal! Then I sacrifice it, for the Great Demon Gaazetto! (5500/5000) Attack directly!"

"I play Magic Cylinders… that wipes out your Life Points…"

"I chain with Bandit's Swiss Army Knife! I lose 1000 Life Points, but negate your trap!
Max: 1550

Randall: 1000

"I… lay one monster in defense mode."

Max looked at his next card mournfully. "That's it then… but…"

"Do not hesitate!"

"…"

"If you love me, you will do this."

That convinced him. Although Max wasn't sure if it was right, he knew he had to do it. "I'm so sorry…" He tried to hold back tears. "I summon Newt. I equip him with the Mask of Atrocities. (2900/0) I know your deck too well… nothing in it can withstand this. Attack with Newt!"

"You are right… my Soul Tiger is destroyed… (0/2100)"

"Then…" Max gritted his teeth. "Attack directly… with Great Demon Gaazetto!"

Max: 1550

Randall: 0

Randall nodded. "You did rightly… thank you. Now I must leave you… again. Forgive me."

Max couldn't speak. He tried, but couldn't.

That was when a light came from the sky. It consumed Randall. He smiled one last time before it became too bright to see. When they managed to look again, he was gone.

Everyone was quiet, listening to Brandi's sobs and seeing Max crying silently.

To be continued…