It all comes to an end.
It was dead silent back in Chiba. Celebration turned to dread, then pure horror as the last turn of the duel played out in front of the onlookers. To fall so far so fast wasn't unheard of in a game of Duel Monsters, but no one had wanted to think of that possibility when all of reality was on the line.
The first break were numerous babies and small children, terrified of what they'd just watched despite not even fully understanding it. Next was Yumi's grandmother, doubling over almost in time with Yumi herself. Anguished cries echoed through the city as many more people joined in, realizing that all was lost.
"This…" Kazuhiko could barely form words, balling his fists up as he stood stock still in the street. "This is bullshit!" he screamed, running as fast as his injured legs would allow to grab Alramech by the collar. "What is this?"
"The worst outcome," he said dryly, his expression little more than pensive at the sight of Yumi's death.
"Is that all you've got to say?" Though unable to actually move him, Kazuhiko still attempt to shove him against a wall. "You set her up to go fight him alone, and that's all you've got?" No one was attempting to stop him, not even the other members of the EEDF. At this point, they all blamed Alramech for this, as well as themselves.
"You...you piece of…" Kazuhiko drew back a fist, though he slowly lowered it. Falling to his knees, all he could do was cry. Even if he could do it, beating up this callous bastard wouldn't change anything. In truth, they all should have known this was a possibility. They all failed her in some capacity.
Sakuya hadn't moved from her spot. As tears streamed down her face, she just kept whispering, "No," over and over again. She refused this. This wasn't real. Yumi was going to win. She promised that. She promised so many things before now. They both did. She couldn't break those promises. She couldn't.
Finally, it was Yuu who asked the most prescient question. Tears flowing freely from her eyes despite her lack of audible sobbing, she said, "But what happens now?" Indeed, what did happen now? Earth's champion had fallen. Alramech was far too weak to face him in a direct fight. The rest of them couldn't hope to beat a monster like that god. Beyond that, he'd made it quite clear he wasn't interested in any further challengers.
"What can we do?" Rio said, dejected. She shook her head, still sniffling. Her parents had arrived not long ago, both of them holding her as they, too, braced for the end.
"Wait," Ami finally said, wiping her eyes.
"I don't think we have time to wait," Kyoko replied, looking to Rio and deciding that it would probably be a good idea to say goodbye to her mother, too.
"No, I mean…" She shook the tears from her eyes, pointing towards the duel. "Look!" The group turned its collective attention back to that horrible scene, seeing little more than Yumi laying motionless in the darkness with Izar's laughter echoing around her.
What Ami (or, more accurately, Hideo, who proceeded to punch Ami's shoulder until she paid attention) had noticed, though, was the white glow from underneath Yumi's body. Was that good? Bad? Who could say at this point? Well, one person could.
"Oh, there it is," Alramech said, not nearly as shocked by this development as might be expected. "I must be losing my touch."
In the void, Izar was beginning to take notice of the glow, as well. His laughter died down, quirking a brow as he leaned forward a bit to examine it. Before he had the chance to make another quip or insult, though, a column of light washed over Yumi. "What is…?"
The light began to dissipate, the world's hope now on her feet once again. Despite the flames, despite her minuscule Life Points, despite the overwhelming pain, Yumi was back in the fight one last time. Her body still broken, she seemed to be running entirely on borrowed willpower now. That god sure earned its title.
"That's…" Izar grit his teeth, pointing at her. "That's ridiculous! You're dead, Takano Yumi! Act like it!"
"Sorry," she said weakly through pained breaths and an even more pained smile. "Can't just yet." In a shaky hand, she clutched the card she'd been holding since the start of the duel. It was finally complete from the looks of it. Considering the energy flowing through it seemed like the only thing keeping her alive at the moment, she had to say she was impressed even without reading the effect.
Izar seethed, the void around him cracking. "Fine, if you want to die even more slowly, I'll let you struggle in this pathetic state. I'm Setting the card MACRO Final Play and ending my turn." He spat, Ra's fire going out. It was the only flaw of the card, returning to the afterlife after being Special Summoned. "I'm telling you what it is so you know there's no hope left. The moment you attack me, I'll activate it and use it to revive God. And since I know how much you like to seal off effects, I'll also tell you in advance that it won't work on this card. I know you're too weak for me to even need that kind of precaution, but I want to make this as hopeless as can be for you."
"Are you sure about that?" Yumi said, painfully drawing a card from her deck. Every movement hurt just as bad as when she took God's anger, but she didn't care. She ignored it and kept going. This was a duel she had to win...for everyone. While she couldn't hear it, she knew they were all back on Earth cheering her on. With support like that, how could she even think of losing?
Slowly, she raised her head. "Izar," she said. "Despite everything...this was still a fun duel."
"Is your mind broken now?" he laughed. "It matches the rest of you, at least."
"I mean it," she mumbled, speaking from the heart. "You're the most awful person I've ever met, but you're a really good duelist. I wish things could have been different." Between her exhaustion and the agony of her body, it was likely just her imagination playing tricks on her, but she could have sworn she saw him flinch at that.
"It's time for me to win, though." She took one of the cards in her hands, sliding it into her struggling duel disk. "Magic Card, Resurrection of the Dead."
"That card!" Izar growled. Having drawn with just five cards left, it wasn't unexpected Yumi might get this, but the deep irony of it appearing right now of all times wasn't lost on him.
Yumi nodded. "I'm reviving a monster from the Graveyard."
Izar's smile returned. "And you think you'll use Ra to beat me?" he scoffed. "Go on, then. I'd like to see what happens when an unworthy insect tries to dominate God."
Yumi shook her head, the white pulsing light that had been sustaining her now bolstered by growing streaks of energy. "No, I'm not using that card," she said, raising a hand. "I'll bring back...Episteme!"
The towering Xyz Monster reappeared in front of Yumi, Chaos energy forming a halo behind it. It was a comforting sight, and now that Chaos was flowing through her, too, Yumi wasn't in quite so much pain. Was it healing her? Maybe, but it probably wouldn't matter with the extent of these injuries.
No matter what, though, she was going to see this duel to the end. Part of that meant overcoming Izar's Set card, as attacking with Episteme now just meant running into a monster again. That's where the other card came in.
"This is what's going to end it," Yumi said, vitality returning to her voice. "My final card...Neo-Rank-Up-Magic Rainbow Force!"
This was the card Alramech had made for her. It's what she'd been saving the entire duel. Now it was here, a rainbow-colored crest in the shape of a lily flower beckoning Epistemic into the sky. "To use this card, I need to halve my Life Points," Yumi explained, the pain associated with going down to 19 Life Points simply blurring together with the rest. At this point, her adrenaline and the magic sustaining her was distracting her enough to not even notice.
"On top of that," she continued, "I banish another Rank-Up-Magic from my Graveyard, plus up to five other monsters that use different Summoning methods." Violet Force shot out from her Graveyard slot, flying into the Rainbow Force crest and causing it to glow. Next, five portals opened around Yumi, monsters rising out of each. "Majesty Diablo, Helpful, Knight of Commons, Zenkai Fire Dragoon, Great Blackstone, and Majesty Magician!"
In addition to Episteme, all of these other monsters were drawn into a multicolored Xyz portal, energy swirling as another transformation took place. "This is Chaos' final form," Yumi said. "Return to the origin and see how far we've come. Chaos Xyz Change! Let's win, Chasm Witch – Telos Prime!"
As she said, this monster resembled the original form of her Chaos card – Telos. Now, though, the monster had grown taller, a pair of shorter staffs floating beside its hands. Its hair had also grown longer, obscuring its face up until it descended to the field. From there, it spread like tendrils around its head, revealing both a black crown atop its head and shimmering rainbows flowing through each strand.
"Rainbow Force gives Telos Prime effects based on how many cards I banished to use it," Yumi said. "I used six, so that means I get all of them." First, it prevented Telos Prime from being destroyed in battle. Second, it gave it the ability to inflict piercing damage. Third, it doubled its ATK. Fourth, it prevented the opponent from affecting it with card effects. Fifth, it stopped the opponent from Summoning until the end of the next turn.
Finally, the sixth effect. "In addition to the monster I used for the Rank-Up," Yumi explained, "I also get to attach every card banished to activate Rainbow Force to Telos Prime as Overlay Units." This left her monster with a total of 9600 ATK and seven Overlay Units circling its head.
"That's not possible!" Izar stammered, his composure fully broken. Cracks were starting to show on his body in addition to the void, no longer focused enough to even sustain his physical form. This only got worse when Telos Prime's Summon effect went off, darkening his Set card and preventing him from using any effects for the whole turn.
"If it's impossible, I just have to change that!" Yumi told him. "Chaos is unlimited potential. That's what I've learned since this all started. So if that's true, why should anything be impossible?" She raised her hand. "Telos Prime, effect activate! I detach Violet Force to pick a card from the Graveyard and attach it in its place, increasing my monster's ATK by 400."
Whether it was for simple insurance or to ensure that this next attack would be the last, Yumi made her choice. "I'm taking...Ra!"
"You fool!" Izar cackled. "You can't control God! You'll be incinerated for even trying! You came all this way just to commit suicide!"
Despite these taunts, Ra did indeed rise from his Graveyard. Like a phoenix, the god card circled the field, leaving a trail of fire behind it. It dove at Telos Prime, the Chaos monster welcoming it with crossed-staffs. Filtered through them, the monster took on a golden aura, a new seventh Overlay Unit joining the other six above its head and an even 10000 ATK.
"No!" Izar shouted. "That's imposs-" He stopped himself, falling to his knees in despair. Not only had he been beaten by a human, that human had completely humiliated him. Whether that god had deemed her worthy to use it or simply wanted revenge on him, he was now entirely alone.
With no other options, he just cracked a smile. "Fine, I give up." Standing back up, he spread his arms wide once more. "Come, Takano Yumi! Finish this game!" If nothing else, he could accept defeat with some measure of dignity.
"Battle!" Yumi replied. "Telos Prime, direct attack! Chaos Infinity Magic!" Charging a pair of crackling blasts on each side, Telos Prime's Overlay Units began to spin. Energy was exchanged between them and the attacks, the monster finally letting loose both. They merged into a single spiraling beam of black and white swirls, only for that to be overtaken by a golden flame in the shape of the God Phoenix.
Unlike before, he surely felt this. Whether it was her monster's attack or the energy that clearly came from Ra, Izar suffered through a torrent of flames before falling to one knee. A good portion of his flesh was completely burnt off, glowing blue energy contained inside him. He no longer had the strength to attack.
Izar had lost. Yumi had won.
All of Chiba erupted into cheers, the Constellations' threat finally at an end. Though most of the world would never know it, everyone on Earth had Takano Yumi to thank for saving them that day.
"She's done it!" the announcer shouted into the microphone. "She's won! Takano Yumi has won!" Even with the speakers blasting at full volume, it was difficult to hear him over the celebration of the masses.
Sakuya sobbed into her hands, so relieved and overjoyed that Yumi had survived that she couldn't even contain herself. "She did it," she whispered, trying and failing to get herself under control as her father picked her up from her chair and held her close. "You really did it, Yumi."
Kazuhiko picked Hideo up into a hug, then grabbed Kenji to do the same. "We did it!" he shouted for all three of them.
"She really won!" Kyoko screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing Haru as she came running to dance with her in the street.
"Your friend really outdid herself," the leader of Ami's team said to her. "You've got good judgment."
"I just believed in her," Ami said, giving Suzy a tremendous high five followed by a bone-crushing hug.
"Where the hell's she been hiding all this time with all that power?" the boy asked. "We should've heard of her by now."
"I guess it doesn't matter," the taller girl said, covering her ears. "It's really loud out here now. I don't know how to deal with all of that…"
Elsewhere, Rio and her parents embraced, their fear from before replaced with pure joy. "Your friend was amazing," her mother said.
"This whole thing really worked out in the end," her father added. His guilt may still be there for endangering Yumi and so many others, but he couldn't deny the relief he felt in seeing it all come together like this.
"She's so amazing," Rio laughed, breaking away from them to go and hug Fukuro nearby. Seeing the older man's surprised expression, she merely said, "You get some credit for this with everything you've done for us, so deal with it."
"It's finally over," Yumi's grandmother said, nearly fainting as she sat against the side of the facility's cover building.
"It's such a relief," Ms. Fukukado said beside her, her high-energy attitude faltering for once.
Alramech smiled into the sky nearby, nodding his head slowly. Feeling a tug on his sleeve, he looked down to see Yuu. "Where is Yumi now?" she asked.
"An excellent question," he said. "I have no idea."
"Then when does she come back?" Yuu asked more urgently. "Is she okay? Bring Yumi back!"
Alramech looked up again, his brow furrowed. "We'll have to wait," he said. "Wait and see what happens."
In the void, both Yumi and Izar still stood across from one another. One by one, the eyes surrounding them closed up and disappeared, closing off this space from the outside world. Now no one could see what was going on inside.
"Takano Yumi…" Izar said, his voice barely a rasp. The reda crystal in her duel disk was rapidly pulling him apart, but the sheer volume of energy he contained meant it would take a much longer time than normal. He seemed intent on making the most out of this.
"Takano...Yumi!" He lunged forward, Yumi unable to react. The forces keeping her animated were all but gone now, the effect of Ra's anger rapidly coming back in force. She couldn't move, trapped in place as she watched an injured but still very much alive Izar charge.
Inches away, she braced for the worst. All she got, though, was a tap on the forehead. It was some tap to say the least, her fatigue and injuries lessening after it happened.
Looking up at him, she could see a smile across his face. Rather than his trademark manic grin, he looked much calmer. If he was anyone but Izar, he might have even seemed friendly. "Fair is fair," he said, starting to shake.
"What?" Yumi watched as Izar fell to his knees right in front of her. Both his arms began to vanish, sucked into her duel disk as specs of blue light. "Why did you do that?"
"You were dead," he muttered. "Didn't seem right...to leave it that way."
"But...why?" It's not like she was complaining about that, but it wasn't exactly in Izar's nature to do something altruistic. Was this just another scheme in disguise?
"It's not a trick," he reassured her, something in his voice urging her to believe it. "I…" He stopped. "I don't even know myself," he admitted.
He gave a pained laugh. "In exchange," he began, "I'd like you to do me a favor."
After a moment of hesitation, Yumi replied, "What?"
"Listen to me," he said weakly. "It's scary, you know? Dying like this."
"You're afraid of dying?" Yumi asked, suppressing her instinct to judge him. She had more than enough reason to lay into him about the hypocrisy of saying something like this, but that wouldn't accomplish anything of value. Izar was growing weaker by the second. She might as well hear him out.
"I know, it's ridiculous," he said, almost reading her mind. "When you're as old as me, it's not even something you think about anymore. I've been alive forever, so not being alive doesn't seem possible."
One of his legs had vanished, finally toppling him to the ground. Yumi crouched beside him, feeling the slightest hint of pity for him in this state. "We're all gone now," he said. "I guess it's what we deserve."
"It didn't have to be," Yumi told him. "No one made you do any of this."
"That's true," he admitted. "It's hard to really see things like you as being really alive. That's not really an excuse for everything, though."
"Why did you do it, then?" Yumi asked, feeling herself well up. "Why hurt so many people? Why destroy so much? You could have been better."
"We could have, but we weren't," Izar said bluntly. "We weren't the best of our kind. Most of us weren't the worst, either. We just were." He closed his eyes, opening them a short time later. "Did anyone ever tell you why we're Constellations?"
Yumi shook her head, wiping her eyes. "Figured. It's not the word we used in our language, obviously, but it's the best equivalent. When we elevated ourselves, our goal was to live among the stars. To be like the constellations in the sky. Mythic. Spectacular. Eternal."
He sighed. "I was the one who suggested we start playing the games, you know. I can't remember why. Maybe I was bored then. Maybe I still wanted to strive for more. I guess I could say part of me was hoping to lose at some point and right all our wrongs, but I'm not that brave. I think I was just scared to die. Die without leaving some kind of mark or doing something. Just a bunch of fools floating in nothingness, all of us existing without goals or a purpose beyond continuing to exist."
He laughed, most of his body now erased. "I'm really talking your ear off, aren't I? Maybe this is my final revenge, forcing you to stay with me so I'm not alone at the end." Izar sighed, his expression wistful. "I was always alone, though. I was content with it before. I don't know why it's changed now."
"I think we all need other people," Yumi said, unable to stop herself from extending some degree of compassion for this monster. "People to love, but also to love us back. I'm sorry you never had that."
Izar laughed again, sounding utterly heartbroken this time. "That might be true," he whispered. He met Yumi's gaze from where he lay, smiling. "I appreciate you letting me pretend I have even just a little of that here at the end. Then again, I guess I'm still forcing that on you."
"It's alright," she said. "Does it hurt?"
"No," he told her. "It doesn't feel like anything. It's just...absence." He paused for a moment. "I wonder if that's what being dead is like."
"I wouldn't know," Yumi said. "I don't plan on dying for a while."
He was just a head now, giving a small laugh at her joke. "I would hope so. No one who beats me is allowed to just die." A contented smile formed across his lips. "Looks like this is it. No more Izar to make your life miserable."
"It's a relief," she said honestly.
Izar scoffed. "I bet." He grew quiet, the remainder of his head beginning to disappear. "Goodbye, Takano Yumi. Our duel...was...fun…" With that, he vanished.
While Izar may be gone, he did leave something behind. It was a small pile of cards, seemingly the ones he'd stolen for his new deck. Yumi went to reach for them, only to draw her hand back as they began to glow.
Each one lit up, eventually beginning to float in the air. Shooting higher and higher, they eventually split off into several directions deeper into the darkness. She couldn't tell where they were meant to be going, but she hoped they returned to their rightful owners.
Speaking of which, she now started to wonder how she was meant to get out of here. No sooner did she think that, however, did the darkness around her begin to shatter. Like glass struck with a hammer, cracks spidered out across the floor, as well as everything else she could perceive.
Then, it all broke. The darkness fell away, leaving Yumi among the clouds in the otherwise clear blue skies above Chiba. Since she'd never been in a plane before, this was an entirely new perspective on the city than she'd ever gotten to see before. Even with all of the destruction visible from this high up, her home was still a beautiful place to behold.
She was so distracted by this that she hadn't realized she'd started to fall, at least not until the city began to rapidly get closer. Panic overtook her as she went into free fall, the wind whipping against her open wounds and severe burns to bring about an entirely new kind of pain she didn't even imagine was possible.
After everything, was this how she'd die? Splattered against the pavement like a very unsuccessful skydiver? For once, she didn't think the worst of Izar, figuring this must have been an accident on his part. Regardless of how it happened, though, looks like he really would be the one to kill her in the end.
Then she felt herself stop, blood rushing to her head in seconds. Between that, the fear, and her already weakened state, she wasn't able to stay conscious much longer. "Well done, Yumi," she heard, getting the distinct feeling she was being held in someone's arms. "Well done." The last thing she heard before blacking out were cheers not far off.
The first thing that greeted Yumi when she finally awakened from her dreamless slumber was the beeping of a heart monitor. The next was Sakuya, a smile spreading across her face as she watched her stir awake. "She's up!" she shouted, throwing herself onto her in the bed where she lay.
In truth, this hurt like hell, but she wasn't going to complain. If her arms could move right now, she'd be hugging her back.
"Yumi!" her grandmother shouted, rushing over to hug her, as well.
"She's awake!" Kazuhiko's voice was unmistakable, both he and Hideo joining the pile. Then came Yuu, simply jumping in on top. Seems like none of them had left her side while she was unconscious.
"She's awake?" Kyoko asked, poking her head in from around a corner. "Hey, she's awake!" she shouted into the hall.
It was around this time that Yumi realized she wasn't in the underground facility's infirmary, but a normal hospital. The décor was a welcome change, drab gray walls replaced by a tasteful off-white. They even had some flowers on her bedside table, plus a window to let in some warm sunlight.
Examining the room was the least of her concerns, though. "Did I really win?" she asked, already beginning to cry.
"You won!" Sakuya told her.
"You finally beat him," Yuu confirmed, crying just as hard as Yumi. Their nightmare was finally over.
"You saved the world," Rio said as she and several others walked in to welcome her back to the land of the living. Her, Kyoko, Suzy, Kenji, Megumi, Koichi, Minerva, Rafael, Ami, Kaguya, and so many more filtered in and out of the room, congratulating her and wishing her well. Their unbridled joy was evident with each visit, everyone feeling just so happy to be alive right now.
It wouldn't be until later that Yumi learned the extent of her injuries. Despite being in a regular hospital now, all of the facility's stockpile of Alramech's blood was being used as part of her treatment. The god card's flames had nearly ruined her body to the extent that even this otherwise surefire cure was having difficulty repairing it. Without Izar's healing at the end, it may not have even worked at all.
While the pain was certainly blunted with the help of some very effective morphine, Yumi could still feel the heat on her back. The doctors (Shinkawa included before she returned to military work) monitored it closely and continued to say that things should resolve themselves soon, but she started to get the distinct impression that may not be the truth.
The next month was spent in recovery, her general condition improving even if her burns still hurt. Her friends and family came visit her each day, the food they'd bring being a welcome change from the hospital's own meals. While nothing was quite as bad as what the facility served them, it was far from ideal here.
During that time, Yuu had started living at Yumi's house with her grandmother, civilian life still proving to be major adjustment for her. Every day brought them back for another visit, which meant more excited talk about when Yumi could come home with them and everything they could do together as family.
Sakuya would also visit each day, now more or less fully adapted to her new leg. She kept Yumi up to date on the rebuilding, the government having pitched in with funding and contractors to help speed things up. While the recovery effort would take quite a while, things were returning to normal faster than expected. Of course, they only got around to talking about all of this in between all of the cuddling and kissing. Nothing was left to stand in their way, so they were going to make the most of this time together.
Nagato eventually stopped by a few weeks in. On behalf of the Japanese government and the world, he gave her his sincerest thanks for winning the day. Other than that, though, the two didn't have much to say to each other. He did assure her that her family wouldn't have to worry about things like hospital bills, at least, and also stressed that Yuu was free to do as she pleased now that the EEDF had officially disbanded. He even oversaw the process of having her added to the Takano family registry once he was asked about it. While it couldn't make up for everything they'd done to her, it was a start.
Minerva and Rafael stopped by several times, the last of which was to say goodbye. Understandably, they couldn't just hang around Japan forever. For the time being, they were both planning to head back to Brazil, Minerva wanting to meet his family. They'd apparently gotten quite close since the end of the war.
Ren also came to see her once. As usual, he was extremely casual, acting almost like she wasn't laid up in a hospital bed as they chatted about the food, the weather, her recovery, and other mundane things like that. Of course, he had to ask about the duel with Izar, wanting the details of how she managed to pull off the win. As he left, he made a comment about looking forward to seeing her again at the next tournament, as well as something cryptic looking into some of the cards she described to him.
Eventually, Yumi was in good enough condition to walk around, giving her some much-needed time to stretch her legs and get away from her remedial schoolwork her teachers had dropped off for her. While no one expected her to jump right back into it, she often found she had no choice but to review it while no one and nothing else was there for her.
While taking a walk outside of her room one day, she felt a pull leading her up towards the roof. She didn't fear it, simply following this invisible thread to its end. Opening up the unlocked door to the top of the building, she felt a warm breeze blow by her. Stepping out, she saw another person already there.
There was one notable individual who hadn't come to see her all this time. For whatever reason, Alramech decided that this was the most appropriate time for them to meet again. Walking out onto the roof, Yumi made her way up to him, the two standing side by side in front of the chain link fence.
"It's quite a nice city," he finally said, both gazing out at Chiba from on high.
"It is," Yumi agreed, looking up at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to say goodbye," he told her bluntly. "I thought I should wait until you were in the condition to meet me like this first."
"Are you going somewhere?" she asked. "Now that everything's over, I guess you can do whatever you want."
Alramech shook his head. "I'm afraid not." Lifting up his hand, Yumi could see that he was crumbling apart. "Like I said, my energy is nearly used up. I'm not sure how long I have left, but it's not long."
"Is there anything you can do to stop it?" Yumi asked, her fingers slipping between the links in the fence. "Maybe I could donate some energy. You used Chaos last time to make my card. You could do something like that again, right?"
Alramech only smiled. "I'm beyond that now. I've lived long enough." He sighed, looking out across Chiba once again. "I'm glad this was the world that was saved. I'm glad I could see this place and its people before the end."
"You're the reason we're still here," Yumi said. "Thank you for that."
He shook his head. "No, that would be you. All of you, really. Humanity's resolve." Reaching out his hand, he opened it to reveal a reda crystal. "I happened to have an extra. Take it if you want to."
Yumi picked it up, clutching it tight. "I'll keep it for emergencies," she said with a smile.
"Hopefully an emergency like this never comes again," he chuckled. "If it does, though, I know this planet is in capable hands."
"I hope so," Yumi said, her expression brightening a moment later. "As long as everyone is here, we should be able to handle it."
"That's the spirit," Alramech said. He glanced at the back of her neck and the deep red color of her skin, as well as the patchy bits of hair that managed to regrow near her nape. "I'm sure you're curious about your injuries," he commented. "I'm sorry to say but I doubt it will ever fully heal. That monster you faced wasn't an ordinary creature. Even my powers aren't great enough to fully counteract what it did."
Yumi placed a hand on her back, wincing at the sensation as well as the shocking amount of heat radiating from her wounds. It was like this across her entire back and most of her right arm, constant low-grade pain emanating from her scars. "I guess I just have to learn to live with it," she sighed. Just the price of saving the world. Shrugging, she added, "I guess it could be worse. I'm still alive, after all."
Alramech nodded with a smile. "That attitude of yours is truly inspiring." He attempted to point to her before realizing most of his arm had eroded. "I did have one more thing of merit to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Yumi asked, unable to stop herself from wincing as she looked at his body falling apart.
"How would you like to know the secret?" he asked. "The secret of the Constellations, I mean. How we became what we became."
Yumi laughed as soon as he finished speaking. "Seriously?" she scoffed, unable to stop herself. "No way."
"Really?" Alramech quirked an eyebrow. "You'd be virtually immortal, you know. Capable of doing whatever you wanted. All of that power at your fingertips. You don't want to know?"
"Nope," she said simply, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I don't care about any of that. I'd rather just live a good life with everyone I love. All of that immortality and stuff sounds like a big hassle."
Alramech smiled warmly, nodding. "That's the right answer," he told her. "Learn from our mistakes, Takano Yumi. Be better than us."
"I'll try," she said. "Thanks for everything. We never would have stood a chance without you."
"All I did was fix a problem I helped create," he said, letting out a long sigh. "Well, this is about it for me. Good luck. I hope you and the others have a wonderful existence."
"That's all we can hope for," Yumi said. She held out her fist, Alramech taking a minute to look it over before he let out a chuckle. He finally returned the gesture, bumping hers with his remaining hand as the rest of his body disintegrated. Transformed into shimmering particles, he blew away like dust in the wind, the beings known as Constellations now finally extinct.
Eventually, Yumi would be released from the hospital. As Alramech predicted, her burns never fully healed, though she did find ways to minimize the pain. Ultimately, they were just one more scar to carry with her from the Constellation War.
Before long, Chiba was back in working order. People returned to their homes, to work, to school, and to their daily routines like nothing happened. While Yumi's celebrity status was stronger than ever, even that eventually settled down to a manageable level. It was almost funny how the secrecy started up almost immediately. It wasn't even by choice as much as it was realism. After all, who would ever believe any of this took place if they didn't see it for themselves?
Before long, it was summertime. While none of them had been in school for the remainder of the term due to rebuilding, it didn't stop it from feeling like a well-earned break. No one could truly return to the same innocence they left behind at this time last year, but that didn't stop them from still enjoying the season and each other.
Near the end of the break, Yumi and Sakuya happened to find themselves outside the city's dueling arena. "Reminds me of last year," Yumi said, the both of them looking up at the structure. Remarkably, it was almost fully repaired.
"Too bad there was no tournament this year," Sakuya sighed. "I would have liked to see you win again."
Yumi smiled, nudging her on the arm. "Hey, don't underestimate everyone else. Just because I saved the world, it doesn't mean I can't ever lose."
"I know," Sakuya agreed, turning up her nose. "I've proven that several times." They shared a laugh, eventually finding their way to a bench for a rest – the same bench they'd shared the prior year, as well.
"Does your leg feel okay?" Yumi asked, scooting over and taking Sakuya's arm under her own.
"Just fine," she said, laying her head on Yumi's shoulder. "It's annoying to keep adjusting it, but I guess it's just proof I'm still growing."
"I know what you mean," Yumi said. "I need to ask Rio who makes these soon. I think Yuu's about to outgrow her arm. It's really weird to think about."
"She's been looking healthier. Happier, too."
Yumi smiled mischievously, nuzzling against Sakuya. "I like how she always calls you her future sister-in-law."
Sakuya turned red instantly, giving Yumi a light shove. "It's not funny!" she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her. Then, she grew quiet. "But...speaking of that…"
She cleared her throat, looking down and collecting her thoughts before suddenly jumping to her feet. Sakuya turned back to Yumi, face growing even redder. "I've been thinking about things a lot lately…"
"What kind of things," Yumi asked, propping her elbows up on her knees and resting her head in her hands. Whatever was happening, she figured it would be very funny.
"Well, we're...together," Sakuya began.
"Uh huh," Yumi agreed.
"And since we're...together. If that stays the same for a while...and you don't get tired of me...and nothing happens...and we still feel the same way about each other…" She trailed off before starting again. "Well, I guess that might not matter if the laws don't change, but...but if things are still like this in the future...with us, I mean. Not the law. How we feel about each other."
She paused, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white in the hopes it would push out the words she was trying to say. Yumi's eager anticipation of what she was going to ask wasn't helping, either. "And if we're the same...or at least the same in that way...do you think you might want to...marry me?"
Yumi was silent for several seconds, Sakuya beginning to suspect that she'd just ruined everything they'd built over the last year by getting ahead of herself. "Did you…" Yumi stared up at her in wide-eyed amazement. "Did you just propose?"
Eyes darting around to avoid looking her way, Sakuya nodded. "I guess I did."
Yumi stood up then, bridging the gap between them and taking Sakuya's face in her hands. Standing on her toes, she kissed her immediately. "You're really amazing," she said, voice shaking as she began to cry alongside her laughter. "Yes, but only if you ask me properly one day."
"Obviously," she replied quickly. "I didn't mean for that to be a real proposal. Obviously not. I was just...getting an opinion. And I wanted to...see if it was even worth...asking for real one day. And I guess..."
In the end, she didn't want to explain herself any further. She didn't need to. Yumi understood Sakuya just as Sakuya understood Yumi. They kissed once more, holding each other closer than ever and staying like that for as long as they could stand it. Neither could say how long that was, just that they wished it didn't have to have an end.
Time marched on, Yumi, Sakuya, and their friends experiencing many more adventures. There were wins and there were losses, there were ups and there were downs. Through it all, though, they had each other.
This all led back to where Yumi found herself now – standing in front of hundreds of people on the World Championship stage. "And here she is!" the event's announcer shouted into his microphone. "The Japanese National Champion takes the stage! You already know her name, but give it up for Takano Yumi!"
To be perfectly honest, Yumi hadn't expected to stand here just yet. She had only just turned fifteen a few months back and was already challenging the World Champion for a second time. While it might seem like small potatoes compared to fighting Izar and the Constellations, realizing her position never felt any less miraculous.
Scanning the crowd, she finally caught sight of Sakuya, cheering her heart out next to her grandmother and her sister. The next row down, she saw Kazuhiko, pompadour bigger and better than ever, alongside Hideo, Kenji, Kyoko, and Haru. A few seats over were Rio, Fukuro, and Ms. Fukukado, then Ami and her team. Suzy was next to her, with her parents holding up a sign in English cheering her on.
She was lucky the tournament took place in Japan this year, otherwise most of them would have to watch her from home like last time. Seeing so many of her allies here in person filled her with a new level of motivation. Now more than ever, she definitely couldn't lose.
Yumi hadn't noticed that she'd taken to gripping the reda crystal hanging from her neck. She'd developed that nervous habit ever since she turned it into a pendulum necklace about a year back. Releasing it, it swung back and forth a few times before coming to a stop against her orange blouse.
"Everybody ready?" the announcer asked, stirring up the crowd even more. "Well, that settles that! Duelists, prepare yourselves!"
Activating her duel disk, Yumi placed her deck inside it. This was it. Either she'd take home the title or be forced to wait for another year to retry. Personally, she'd much rather win.
Yumi locked eyes with her opponent across the field and cracked a smile. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest, excitement building more and more with each passing seconds. Win or lose, this was sure to be fun.
Without delay, they both gave a shout:
"Duel!"
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
MACRO Final Play
Normal Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Special Summon 1 Divine-Beast monster from your GY, and if you do, its ATK/DEF become 1000000 and it becomes the new attack target. This card's activation and effect cannot be negated. This card can be activated even if an effect would prevent you from activating cards.
Resurrection of the Dead (Monster Reborn)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.
Chasm Gothi – Episteme
DARK
Rank 7
Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect
4300 ATK/3200 DEF
5 Level 7 monsters
You can Xyz Summon this card by using Equip Spells equipped to monsters used as Xyz Material for this card's Summon. When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can destroy cards your opponent controls up to the number of materials attached to this card. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; your opponent discards their entire hand. If this card had an Equip Spell as Xyz Material when this card detached material, inflict 400 damage to your opponent x the number of cards discarded by this effect.
Neo-Rank-Up-Magic Rainbow Force
Normal Spell Card
Halve your LP and banish 1 "Rank-Up-Magic" Spell and up to 5 monsters of different types (Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Pendulum) from your GY, then target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Xyz Monster with the same Type and Attribute as that monster you control but 1 Rank higher, by using it as the Xyz Material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.) Then, apply these effects in sequence based on the total number of cards banished to activate this effect.
●1+: The Summoned monster cannot be destroyed by battle.
●2+: If the Summoned monster attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
●3+: Double the ATK of the Summoned monster.
●4+: The Summoned monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects.
●5+: Your opponent cannot Summon monsters until the end of the next turn.
●6: Attach all the cards banished by this effect to the Summoned monster as Xyz Material.
Rank-Up-Magic Violet Force
Normal Spell Card
Banish 1 Normal Trap Card from your Graveyard, then target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 Xyz Monster with the same Type as that monster you control but 1 Rank higher, by using it as the Xyz Material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.) It gains this effect.
● Once only, you can activate the effect of the Trap Card banished to activate "Rank-Up-Magic Violet Force" as a Quick Effect.
Majesty Diablo
FIRE
Level 8
Psychic/Ritual/Effect
2000 ATK/800 DEF
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Common Ritual". If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can pay 1000 LP; you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except Pendulum Monsters and monsters from the Extra Deck, also place 2 Pendulum Normal Monsters with different names from your Deck in your Pendulum Zones. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this card and target 1 Pendulum Monster in your GY or face-up Extra Deck; Special Summon that target.
Helpful, Knight of Commons
EARTH
Level 10
Warrior/Fusion
3800 ATK/3050 DEF
4 Level 4 or lower Normal Monsters
Zenkai Fire Dragoon
FIRE
Level 10
4/9
Dragon/Synchro/Pendulum/Effect
3000 ATK/2000 DEF
P: Double all battle damage inflicted by Normal Monsters you control. If a Normal Monster you control inflicts 1500 or more battle damage: You can Tribute that monster; Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone, but banish it when it leaves the field.
M: 1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If you can Pendulum Summon Level 10, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card in your Extra Deck. If this card in the Monster Zone is destroyed: You can place this card in your Pendulum Zone. Your opponent cannot target this card with card effects. You take no effect damage. Up to twice per turn, when this attacking card destroys a monster by battle: You can banish 1 Normal Monster from your GY; this card gains ATK equal to the banished monster's ATK until the end of the Battle Phase, then this card can attack again in a row.
Great Blackstone
LIGHT
Rank 4
11/5
Spellcaster/Xyz/Pendulum/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
P: Once per turn, if you have no cards in your other Pendulum Zone: You can place 1 Pendulum Normal Monster from your Deck in your Pendulum Zone.
M: 2 Level 4 Normal Monsters
If you can Pendulum Summon Level 4, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card in your Extra Deck. If this card in the Monster Zone is destroyed: You can place it in your Pendulum Zone. When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can detach 2 Xyz Material from this card; during your Main Phase this turn, you can Normal Summon 1 Normal Monster from your hand, in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. If you Normal Summon a Normal Monster while this card is face-up on the field: Draw 1 card, then discard 1 card. (You can only gain each effect once per turn.)
Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
6/4
Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
P: When you Normal Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF: You can add 1 Equip Spell from your Deck or GY to your hand. Once per turn, if you activate an Equip Spell: Draw 1 card.
M: You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster that was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. This card is treated as an appropriate target for a card that specifically designates a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK/DEF while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).
Chasm Witch – Telos Prime
DARK
Rank 8
0/13
Spellcaster/Xyz/Pendulum/Effect
4800 ATK/3700 DEF
P: When a card(s) is added from the Main Deck to your opponent's hand (except during the Draw Phase or Damage Step): Banish that card(s).
M: 6 Level 8 monsters
If you can Pendulum Summon Level 8, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card in your Extra Deck. If this card in the Monster Zone is destroyed: You can place it in your Pendulum Zone. You can Xyz Summon this card by using Equip Spells equipped to monsters used as Xyz Material for this card's Summon. When this card is Xyz Summoned: Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the turn, also negate the effects of all face-up cards they control until the end of the turn. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 card in a GY; attach that target to this card as Xyz Material, and if you do, it gains 400 ATK. When this card destroys a monster by battle while it has an Equip Spell as Xyz Material: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to this card's ATK. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this card's effects.
THE SUN OF GOD DRAGON (The Winged Dragon of Ra)
DIVINE
Level 10
Divine Beast
? ATK/? DEF
Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set). This card's Summon cannot be negated. When Summoned, other cards and effects cannot be activated. Your opponent cannot Tribute this card. Control of this card cannot switch. Unaffected by opponent's card effects, except targeting effects. Effects that target this card apply until the end of the turn. This card's attack cannot be negated. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned: Send it to the GY. This card's original ATK/DEF is the combined ATK/DEF, respectively, of monsters Tributed for this card's Tribute Summon. Tribute any number of monsters you control besides this card; this card gains ATK/DEF equal to the combined ATK of the monsters Tributed for this effect. Pay any amount of LP; this card gains ATK/DEF equal to the amount of LP paid to activate this effect. (Quick Effect): Send 1 "De-Fusion" from your hand or field to the GY; make this card's ATK/DEF 0, then gain LP equal to this card's ATK when this effect was activated. If this card was Special Summoned from the GY: It gains the following effects: ● Cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and any damage you take becomes 0. ● Immediately after this card is Summoned: You can pay LP in multiples of 1000; send cards on the field to the GY equal to the LP paid to activate this effect divided by 1000, ignoring other effects or conditions. ● This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls in a row once each, then, if your opponent controls no monsters, this card can attack directly.
Guess that's it. We finally made it to the end.
There's a lot to say about the story, but I'm not sure how to express it. This started over six years ago. I always had an end in mind, but actually getting there doesn't feel fully real.
This all started based on some ideas I had and criticism I got from a first attempt at something like this (it's not posted anywhere so don't look for it). Outside of some general ideas for stuff I wanted to happen, there wasn't much of a plan for anything. I've even got some old first draft pieces of stuff that happened later and stuff like characterization, relationships, and basic facts about the world are extremely different to how it turned out.
We looped back around to the very start of the first chapter. It's weird to think about how it all still ended up there when a lot of the things around it changed a lot. One thing that hasn't changed is the title of the story. When I first started out, I was trying to figure out a name for it all, and I found the word "redamancy". It means the act of loving someone back. Keeping that in mind really affected the way the story ended up, and it also gave us a name for the MacGuffin of the series.
I'll go ahead and say that, while this is the end of the "main" story, I do have a couple of extra things planned out that I'll release here in the next couple months. One is kind of a big deal, so I've been calling it a "movie" to myself this whole time. As far as the sequel stuff I always bring up, that won't be here for at least a year, I don't think. There's a lot more I need to plan for it, and I'd rather be able to work up a backlog with a proper schedule than just blasting things out as they're done like I do with most everything else. The teaser for it will be the last thing published to this story just so people know where to find it if they don't follow my account.
Got to thank everyone for getting this far. Whether you got here from the first chapter or just read the last one like some kind of savage, the support is appreciated. Doubly so for the people who commented. I got some really good ones over the course of the series. This is far from the most popular thing out there or even the most popular thing I've written, but it's definitely my favorite. Knowing that there are other people on that same wavelength is a gratifying experience.
Also want to thank PendulumPrince. Really helped out a lot during the early stages of the story and in planning a lot of the worldbuilding aspects beyond the frame. Never going to forget that night we both realized that, based on the trajectory of events in this version of world history, ISIS does, in fact, still exist. We lost contact over the course of everything, but it's no exaggeration to say that this story would not have made it here without her help. Also want to acknowledge some friends who helped in different ways, especially Romadrox and Mana. Also thanking my ex-wife, even though literally anything I say after this point sounds like a joke.
This won't be the last time we see Yumi and everyone else, though it is the end of their story. I hope you'll come back to see what lies ahead once it's ready.
Thanks for reading. Share if you enjoyed. Always remember to draw for turn.