Yuanfen

by 7th Librarian

Five years after The Thousand-Year Door tournament, Lyrius Stormcloud must return to Arcadia to combat the evils that rush to fill the void left by the defeat of his wife, the Shadow Queen. Aided by the ruler of all vampires, a worn-down retired Eliminator and the same Unicorn Maiden who defeated his Queen, he must fit together broken pieces of his life into a crown once more.

10. Day 2: The Duelist In The Machine

Yuanfen
By 7th Librarian and Mei1105

Day 2: The Duelist in the Machine

Fran felt the ground crash into her back, and the wind burst from her lungs in a painful huff. Coughing, she rolled to the side, and tried to get her bearings.

"Are you alright?" Brushing himself off as though nothing out of ordinary had happened, Lyrius was already scanning their surroundings, head tilting up to discern where they had come from.

"Of course you pulled off a perfect superhero landing," Fran groused, trying to ignore the spikes of pain with each breath. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Sing. Dance. Fold a fitted sheet. Talk to people-"

"I'm being facetious, Lyrius."

"Ah, I see." Nodding, her companion went back to examining the ceiling.

"With the way Smithy was barking at us, I thought he was going to eat us. But instead of being broiled alive by the evil Santa Clause, we're here….wherever 'here' is." Fran said. The room was just a smooth box, with no seams or other little things to indicate it had an entrance or exit. "We were right above the forge, weren't we? We could see that Tree thing."

"If Smithy had somehow made Gearville his whole body, then he could reshape it to how he desires."

"Then why aren't we dead yet? All he'd have to do is drop us in between two large slabs of metal and then squish us like a bad sandwich."

"I have no idea."

There was a slight 'whoosh' noise and a section of the wall just slid away into the floor to reveal a long gantry. Gloomy light spilled through the opening alongside the sound of clanking gears, rattling chains and hiss metals. Fran pinched her nose at the scent of burning, molten metal and dry heat wafting in after it. "After you, old man. Age before beauty."

"So you are satisfied coming in third. Good to know." Lyrius stepped through the doorway, ignoring the stifling heat and shielding his eyes from the flares of light that would spark up from below. He could see vats of metals being stirred and mixed while a conveyor belt below trundled past the gantry with what looked like pieces of Axem Ranger on it.

"Did you just make a joke?"

"Or I told a truth." Lyrius started down the walkway, heard Francesca's hurried footsteps to catch up to him and then frowned as she walloped him in the arm. "What was that for?"

"For being snarky." Fran didn't sound mad, though and was grinning a bit as he looked at her. The grin faded as she took in the sights around them. "He wasn't kidding about this whole town being a factory."

"No. When he first arrived, he was able to create, test and mass-produce an army of a thousand machine golems for us within a few days. It was only with the efforts of Merlow's father and the Librarian that they were defeated and this place shut down." Lyrius continued down the walkway, heading for the open door on the other side.

"If it could do this…why haven't Cloaker and Domino taken over and made an army for themselves? They made those Axem Rangers."

"If they were ordinary beings, they probably would. But they are robots and so are probably programmed to never do anything that would put them in a position above Smithy." Lyrius said, then shrugged. "Or - considering their banter - they are just too dumb to realize their advantage."

"I'll take the latter category for twenty points, please." Fran said dryly.

They walked the remainder of the way in silence, but Fran could not help breathing out a soft 'holy shit' as they entered the next room.

The Reaping Tree was melting like snow in July, cracked and sagging and dripping off into the vat containing it in a steady drizzle. And rising up in that fact was a towering upper half of Smithy. His body was composed entirely of this incessantly-flowing mass of metallic-looking crystal, his body smooth, seamless and perfect. It was even spidering its way into the golden mass of his crown, cracking and warping the metal slowly. Red eyes fixed on them as they entered and he greeted them with a booming laugh. "Welcome to Gearville and my reforging! Treasure these views, because they're going to be the last things you ever see!"

"Sure they will, because I'm going to blow this place up when I leave this time." Fran barked, trying to hide how wary she was. Last time, Smithy had been only eight feet tall and a robot. Now, he looked to be over ten feet tall and that was just his upper half at the moment.

Lyrius didn't say anything, just crossed his arms and regarded Smithy. After a minute, his eyes narrowed. "You're smelting the Reaping Tree."

"And mixing it with the finest concoction of metals from my home universe. After all, my gizmos and minions have more than a bit of trouble with the magic that's native to here. But this Tree is capable of absorbing that magic and then some, so if I make it part of my machines, then they'll have no problem defeating you, that wizard and even the vaunted Shadowchasers!" Smithy slammed both of his fists together, producing a clear ringing noise that made both humans wince. "It'll be the war that'll end all wars - because there'll be nothing left but me!"

Fran's eyes widened and she turned to her companion. "Can he do that?"

"Yes." Lyrius' lips thinned in consternation. "Reaping Trees eat magic and are immune to nearly all of it. And his machines render modern weapons nearly useless on their own. Combined, I doubt even all of the armies in the world would be able to slow them."

"No, they won't." Smithy rumbled in agreement. "But it'll be fun to see them try."

"Pity your plan is going to end here." Lyrius informed him.

"Is that so, human?" Smithy leaned forwards, his body elongating until his face was mere feet from Lyrius and Fran resisted the urge to hide - Smithy's mouth looked like it could chomp them in half without even trying. "And what makes you think you can stop me?"

"Your form is not stable yet; you do not even have a full body. And your Reaping Tree cannot absorb the magic of Arcadia efficiently fast enough to empower you. That is why your minions had the Axem Rangers. And it is why you brought us here." Lyrius did not sound the least bit intimidated by the giant in front of him. "By directly taking my energy, you can adjust your technology to absorb it and the ambient magic of the Shadow Queen saturating the island. And Francesca is merely here because you want revenge."

"...merely?" Fran echoed, with a disbelieving roll of her eyes. Way to minimise my history on this island, and make it all about you, old man!

Smithy eyed him for a long moment, then retreated and let out another laugh. "I knew at least some of you had to be clever! I don't know who you are, human, but you have the same magical energy signature as the Shadow Queen. And if I have you, then I can take the whole island!"

"And yet, you sit and talk with us instead of grabbing us and tossing us into your mixing pot, Smithy." Lyrius remarked casually. "Hardly the logic I'd expect from an efficient machine king."

"Well, I wouldn't be a good war machine if I passed up the chance to test my new capabilities on some good targets. This Duel Monsters thing you all cooked up is a curious way to wage battle." Smithy's face stretched in a horrifying grin. "If I turn it into a weapon of mass destruction, it'll be an amazing weapon that's physically and psychologically devastating."

"You wouldn't be the first to have the idea." Fran pointed out, jabbing a finger at him. "And all those people are long dead and gone - what do you think's going to happen to you?"

"The difference between them and myself, hero, is that if I lose, I can make another me." Smithy said, his grin all the more terribly for the metallic teeth he suddenly had. "That's the thing about machines - we go until we can't go no more!"

"Enough talk, Smithy." Lyrius slid his Duel Disk into place. "The Shadow Queen had no patience for prattle nor do I."

"I'm with him, chromedome." Fran activated her own Duel Disk. "Put up. Or shut up so we can flip the off switch!"

Smithy boomed out a laugh and held out his arm, the flowing crystal liquid he was comprised off swelling out and exploding into a Duel Disk. "We duel! Your deaths will become the first victims of my new, glorious war!"

(LLP: 8000) (FLP: 8000) (SLP: 8000)

"I go first." Smithy drew, the cards tiny in his gigantic hands. "I activate One for One, discarding a monster card to special summon the level one Forbidden Core from my deck in attack position."

His monster appeared in a flash, resembling nothing more than a large metal golden egg with strange markings etched on it. (0/0)

Lyrius and Fran exchanged looks, the blonde sighing to herself as the other gave a tiny shake of his head. If Lyrius doesn't know what this is and it's not those weird machines from last time, this has to be something new he's cooked up!

"I set one card face-down." Smithy plugged the card into his disk and it appeared behind his egg. "Just a reminder, no one can attack until its my turn again."

"Duly noted." Lyrius commented as he drew. "I summon Drop Sphere in attack mode." Like his other Sphere monsters, this was a bird - parrot-like, this time - clutching a mirrored sphere of energy. "When I summon this monster, I can summon another Sphere from my hand. I choose Air Sphere." (1000/1000)

Air Sphere was so tiny it didn't bother to hold its sphere -it was inside it like a fish inside a bowl. But that sphere quickly built up speed and spread, larger and larger until it enveloped Lyrius' field. "As long as Air Sphere is in play, you cannot declare an attack, Smithy. Thus, I set one card face-down and pass it to Francesca."

"Draw!" Fran snapped the card up. "Don't expect me to play so passively, Smithy - I discard Chain Dog to summon Egotistical Ape from my hand!" With a howl, a phantasmal purple ape appeared in front of her and beat his chest. "And since I did that, I can increase his level from five to nine!" (1200/1200)

With a quiet neigh, a unicorn appeared on her field, draped in flora and fauna until it was more a bush with legs than a mighty steed. "Then I summon my level one Uniflora and that means I can tune my two monsters together! Roar, guardian! Rage, lion! Water the tree of life with death! Synchro Summon! Level Ten! Leo, Keeper of the Sacred Tree!"

Her two monsters faded away and were replaced by a towering white-armoured monstrosity. With a mane of giant flower petals, two heavy spikes curving out from its back like a collar and a roar that shook Gearville, her monster was big and powerful enough to challenge Smithy directly. (3100/1900)

"A cat made of plants and some little birdies - why don't' I water this garden!" Smithy swept out his hand and his set card lifted, revealing a trap card. "Torrential Tribute!" Water exploded like it was from a firehose, crashing over the field left to right and shredding his opponent's monsters like they were made of paper. "Typical Smithy - so much into metal I even kill plastic plants!"

"You know, for a giant computer, how come you can't download a better sense of humor!" Fran growled in frustration as the soggy leaves of Leo's mane bounced off her legs while Lyrius didn't look any happier as a few wet feathers from his Spheres clung to his hair.

"That's the thing - I do have a good sense of humor. But when you can download any joke ever, they're all so predictable. I prefer reaction shots - like one you two are about to have in just a moment." Smithy said, spreading his arms wide. Around, Gearville rumbled to life in a twisted parody of an orchestra. Rattling gears, clanging gears, humming wires and more created a clamorous welcome. "I activate the effect of the destroyed Forbidden Core! I summon five monsters from my deck!"

"Five monsters! What kind of broken piece of-" Fran's eyes widened as robot arms began to unfurl from the factory, holding armoured legs and hands while a crane lowered a very familiar head and torso from the ceiling. "No!"

"Yes! What better inspiration for my greatest weapon than the monster in all of the game said to be utterly invincible!" The head and torso lowered down, revealing a cavity carved in the infinity symbol and pulsing with a strange teal light. One by one, the arms and legs were fitted into place. As each limb was locked into position, energy began to flow along carved grooves into it. When the last one was finished, with a metallic snarl, it tore its limbs free of the assisting arms like they were twigs.

The monster was bigger than even Smithy, overlapping plates of gleaming white armor and lined with pulsing gold energy. The only other color was the burning red eyes that were not devoid of soul or purpose as one would expect of a machine. The purpose was death and destruction, a soul programmed only for war and possessing the intelligence necessary to make it brutal.

Two fists bigger than Fran herself slammed together, unleashing a echoing ring that drove both human duelists back almost as the lashes of golden lightning that arced and danced along the factory in eager hissing snakes that left scorch marks.

Smithy's low, rumbling chuckle filled the silence that followed. "Yeah, that's the thing that makes me laugh. That look of dread…that's the thing my Meklord Emperor Exodia inspires."

Fran stared at the behemoth in front of her, suddenly feeling very small and squishy in the face of so much deadly robot. "Umm…is it too much to hope that Exodia's like the God Cards and using a fake image of it is going to cause divine punishment?"

The gods must have been busy, for there was no punishment forthcoming. She still flinched, though, as something cold and sharp clawed over her skin. She twisted to look over to see Lyrius, glaring at both the monster and Smithy with a frosty ire that Fran promptly decided she never wanted directed at herself.

"You dare send your filthy minions into my domain?" Lyrius' voice was dark, his killing intent spilling off him so strongly that the tips of his hair were stirring. "You steal that which is only mine and my beloveds, cur?"

"The Shadow Queen looted my mainframe first, human. And to the victor go the spoils and the victory is the one who survives." Smithy said, regarding him with renewed interest. He stretched forwards slightly. "So you do have her power…"

"Lyrius?" Fran asked quietly.

"Iris and I tried many, many methods of securing her freedom. One of which was magically viewing other dimensions. Iris recorded our views in her private journals. Journals which hold many private thoughts and conversations." Lyrius said, his voice still dark. "And this machine intruded on our life."

"As if I need to care about those thoughts and feelings and intimacy you biological beings hold so fondly. All I needed was a new weapon and Cloaker and Domino delivered the design for my monster. You two found it in that Signer World - maybe I'll conquer that world next when I'm done here." Smithy said as he twisted this way and that around Lyrius, studying the energy coming off the dark-haired man intently. "This magic is so alien, so unnatural! I must have it-"

"So you shall!" Lyrius hand lashed out, a blast of raw dark power ripping through the air and crashing into Smithy's upraised arm. The giant retreated, staring as his liquid crystal arm began to harden and crack. Acrid black smoke oozed from the spreading cracks before with snarl of disgust, Smithy, snapped the limp off at the elbow and hurled it into one of his forges. "Did you enjoy your taste, Smithy?"

"Enough to know I am going to drain you dry, human and make the Queen's power my own - with it, I will be free of weakness!" Smithy's horrendously large grin returned. "Just like my Meklord Emperor Exodia!"

"Your monster is not so free of weakness." Lyrius pointed out. "It is composed of five weak monsters."

Fran took another look at the monster and realised Lyrius was right. The machine's right arm was labelled Exodia Guard (500/0), the left was Exodia Attack. (1000/0), the right leg Exodia Carrier. (500/0) and the right being Exodia Top. (500/0) The centre was labelled Meklord Emperor Exodia. (0/0)

"There's more to a machine than brute power, human." Smithy said. "But that never hurts, either. Meklord Emperor Exodia gains the combined attack of the other pieces." (2500/2500)

Praying it didn't have some kind of instant win condition, Fran grabbed a card from her hand. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Smithy drew for his turn. "I activate the effect of Emperor Exodia - I target one Extra Deck monster on the field or in the graveyard and equip it so he can gain its attack points!"

Fran gaped as her Leo appeared in front of Exodia and then with a pained roar, it was shrunk into a white sphere of light that was sucked into the infinity symbol on the chest. "Hey! Give me back my monster!" (2500-5600)

"Sure I will! The hard way! I activate Solidarity! As long as I have this spell, all my machines gain eight hundred attack point since all I have is machines in the graveyard." Smithy activated the card, Exodia surging with power as cords descended from the ceiling and walls to pour power into it. (1000-1800) (500-1300x3) (5600-6400-9600)

"Oh shit…!" Fran backpedalled a step as Exodia twisted its crackling body towards her.

"Emperor Exodia! Attack the hero's life points directly! Obliterate!" Power arced from Exodia's core down the arms, gathering in the palms in growing spheres.

"Not happening!" Fran pointed at her set card and it flipped up. White light radiated from her in a ring, coating her field. "Continuous trap - Synchro Zone! I can negate any attack that isn't a Synchro!"

Smithy sneered. "I activate the effect of Exodia Carrier! I can negate a card activated during the battle phase!" Exodia roared, one hand lashing out and ripping Fran's Synchro Zone out of the way and shattering it with a clench of his fingers.

Fran threw up her arm as Exodia's other hand punched towards, a torrent of golden teal energy burning towards her. But a dark, skeletal shape galloped in front of her and caught the attack, shattering. She staggered, pelted with fragments of bone and wisps of burning energy but otherwise unharmed.

"You can't stop this engine of destruction with cheap blocks, hero! I activate the effect of Exodia Attack!" Smithy pointed and Exodia began to charge up another attack. "When my monster destroys something in battle, it can attack again!"

Exodia reared back both arms, only for the charging energy to stutter and flicker, discharging back over its owner and littering the mechanical Exodia with scuffs and scorch marks. Smithy stared in annoyed disbelief, blocking a stray bolt with one of his arms. "What did you do?!"

"It was what you did, Smithy." Lyrius regarded his opponent cooly, his dark chuckle indicating he was the source of the problem. "You attacked my trap monster, Mammoth Tombstone without thinking and now your Emperor pays the price."

Red energy began to drip from Emperor Exodia as the tusks and face of a mammoth skeleton protruded from the rifts. The machine monster began to groan, the unearthly metals warping and corrupting slightly as the red energy oozed over them. Meanwhile, there was a face-up trap card in front of Lyrius shrouded in the same red energy. "Now your monster has one Mammoth Counter on it and at the end of every turn, it will lose twelve hundred attack points and be unable to attack. Whilst I will be able to summon my Mammoth Tombstone again."

"Clever, clever, but not clever enough - I've already foreseen that issue!" Smithy mocked and pointed at Exodia. The Emperor seized the two tusks and pulled, eliciting a panicked trumpeting from the mammoth as it pulled it bodily from whatever depths it was in. With a thunderous crash, it crushed Mammoth Tombstone like a bunch of dry twigs. "The effect of Exodia Top lets me negate any card I want once per turn and so your trap is nothing!"

Lyrius frowned slightly as his trap card's glow vanished but kept his gaze on Smithy. "Much like your turn."

Smithy boomed a laugh. "This is what I wanted! To wage a war against beings like you, who don't know how to give up, who fight and scream and rage until the very last! Until I grind them under the metal heel of progress and destruction! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw." Lyrius snapped up the card and then flipped it around. "The spell card Pre-preparation of Rites. I now add Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and the ritual spell Cycle of the World from my deck to my hand."

Tucking the two cards into his hand, he slapped down a monster and it appeared in front of him with a mechanical cackle. Fran recognized it from her friend Stan's deck - the old flip effect monster called Trap Master. But while both monsters shared the tattered green cloak, ragged hat and a lower body consisting of nothing but buzzsaws, pincers, shears and more, Lyrius' version was a bit tidier looking and there was the addition of mechanical arms on its back and what looked like Jinzo's lenses in places of its eyes. "Because I control a face-up continuous trap card, I can special summon Trap Master Remix from my hand." (1100/300)

A spell card in front of him, its image depicting Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Senju of the Thousand Hands kneeling in front of a descending Shinato, King of a Higher Plane. "The continuous spell Rewarded Offerings is now in play and I will demonstrate its effects by activating Cycle of the World! I offer Trap Master Remix and the Synthesize Sphere in my hand to ritual summon Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!"

Trap Master Remix was still laughing as he was consumed in black fire, as was the image of Lyrius' Sphere monster. Out of the roaring blaze came a destructive beauty - tall, regal with unearthly silver hair and red garments and an equally large twin-headed battle axe. (2300/1700)

"I just ritual summoned using two monsters from my hand and field and so Rewarded Offerings lets me draw two cards!" Lyrius drew. "Then the effect of Trap Master Remix - he was sent from the field to the graveyard, so he lets me prepare a trap straight from my deck and because this trap can become a monster, I can activate it right way! My Trapdoor Spider!" (2100/1000)

Fran made a face as one of the spaces in front of Lyrius gained the image of a stylistic spider, the floor lifting just enough for two massive forelegs to sweep around for food and let her see the beady twin rows of eyes.

"Battle! Ruin attacks Exodia Attack! Oblivion Axe!" Lyrius pointed and his ritual monster obeyed, rushing forwards and readying her massive weapon for a one-handed swing.

"Block it, Exodia!" Smithy laughed as Exodia swung his arm down, supernatural axe and alien metals sparking against each other before his titan shoved Ruin away like a ragdoll. "The effect of Exodia Guard lets me redirect attacks to it and it can't be destroyed in battle!"

"Can it do it more than once?" Lyrius' eyes narrowed in satisfaction as Smithy abruptly fell silent. "Thought not. Trapdoor Spider attacks Emperor Exodia and when this monster fights, your monster must do it as its original score of zero! Your Emperor is dethroned!" (9600-0)

The spider erupted out of the trapdoor, big and ugly and mean as it launched itself across the field and began to tear into Exodia's infinity core with forelegs and mandible. The metal screeched and crunched in protest at the violence but the protests went unheard as the spider succeeded in ripping out the glowing core. Gobbling it down, it jumped back to Lyrius' field.

Emperor Exodia shook the ground as it collapsed to its knees, the light of its eyes going out and the energy around it fading. Then cracks spread everywhere over it and with a mournful earsplitting racket, it collapsed into its component pieces.

Smithy stared at the space where it had been and then twisted to look at Lyrius, grinning that horrible grin again. "You won the battle, not the war." (SMLP:8000-5900)

Lyrius just stared back at him coldly.

Fran drew for her turn. "My move! I activate Obedience Schooled! I have no monsters, so I can summon three level two beasts from my deck with their effects nested! Valeriefawn, Kittytail and Kalantosa! All Mythical Beasts of the Forests!" Her first monster was a fawn, gallivanting this way and that excitedly. The second was a pair of soft-furred kittens, nested among some of cat tails as they dozed. And the last was a rabbit with a horn and spindly bush on its back. (400/900) (200/200) (200/1400)

"Valerifawn is a tuner, so lets do what I do best! Synchro Summon! Guardian of nature's bounty, walk the boundary between man and nature! Descend and guide! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Unimaize, Mythical Beast of the Forest!" Her monsters all faded away, replaced by a unicorn. Although this one was covered in corn leaves and wisps of corn hair, its spiral horn still looking distinctly like it had come from that particular plant. (2000/2000)

"...is that monster's name a pun?" Lyrius wanted to know after a moment of staring at it. "If it is, I am not sure I like it."

"Well, I do and I like it's effect even better! I can revive any Mythical Forest monster I want! Return, Valerifawn!" The little fawn reappeared and promptly leaned against the bigger monster happily, taking a few choice nibbles. Fran grinned at the sight and then grabbed a card from her hand. "Valerifawn's effect! I ditch one card and revive another monster! Kittytail!"

The two kittens reappeared, mewing sleepily and looking around adorable as they began to glow softly. "When I summon this monster, I target another monster in the graveyard and send a monster of that type to the graveyard!" Shoving the card she wanted into her graveyard, Fran lifted a hand into the air. "And once more, I Synchro Summon! Galloping fury combines with a rage beyond life! Skewer your enemies with your revenge! Synchro Summon! Level Four! Unicorn Lancer!" (1000/1800)

This monster lived up to its name. It was a burly unicorn stallion with a dark coat and sharp horn, two more tines jutting off its sides in a manner similar to a knight's lance. "This monster's got a special power, too! I equip it to another monster I have and that monster can attack twice! Unicorn Lancer! Combine with Unimaize!"

The jagged unicorn faded into a ghost, flowing over Unimaize and somehow giving the plant-based equine its weaponized horn and lances. "Take this, Smithy! Unimaize attacks you directly twice! Nature's Savage Slash!"

Unimaize galloped forwards, Smithy's liquid body gaining great gashes in it as the Synchro monster slashed him twice over with a twist of its head. He didn't seem to be in any pain, however, rewarding Fran with a sneering chuckle as his body melted itself back together. "This is the part where I say that it actually hurt - if I could feel pain." (SMLP: 5900-3900-1900)

"Maybe you'll feel some next time if I aim for that stupid grin of yours, Smithy." Fran growled and plugged a card into her disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw." Smithy did so and then held up another card, guffawing darkly. "Like I told you last time, hero, machines are easily replaceable and repaired! I activate Monster Reborn, reviving Meklord Emperor Exodia!" The Exodia head and torso reappeared, the factory whirring to life around them. "And now all his pieces come back, too!"

"Tch!" Fran watched in frustration as freshly minted arms and legs were carried out of the darkness by the mechanical arms and fitted into place. "Reverse card open! Mystical Typhoon!" A howling wind erupted, launching across the field and shattering Smithy's Solidarity. "Your little power-up is gone!"

"Emperor Exodia's effect isn't!" Smithy gestured and once more, Leo, Guardian of the Sacred Tree appeared in front of the giant machine and was converted into an orb of light sucked into the infinity symbol. (2500-5600)

Lyrius was impassive, staring intently at the powerful behemoth.

Unimaize snorted and tossed its head, clearly unimpressed while Fran gathered some resolve by glancing down at her remaining set card.

"I've done research on this Exodia monster and this design incorporates the thing he's most famous four - destruction! I activate other effect of Meklord Emperor Exodia! I send a Extra Deck monster equipped to him to the graveyard and destroy everything you have! Obliterate!" Smithy's dark guffawing was lost in the charging whine of Exodia's arms before it unleashed a pure torrent of white energy across the field.

Fran covered her face to shield it from the glare even as she heard Ruin cry out and Unimaize neigh in panic before they both shattered into pixels. "Reverse card activates - Crush Star! You destroyed one of my Synchro monsters, so now I summon two monsters with less than one thousand attack points! One from my hand, one from the graveyard!"

Twin flashes of light heralded the arrival of Kittytail and then a little cartoon mole with a miner's hat and proportionally-sized pickaxe. "Kittytail and Mine Mole! I use Kittytail's effect to mill another Beast monster from my deck!" (200/200) (1000/1400)

"Hnnn…those little rats are going to be a troublesome wall." Smithy eyed up the field, taking in Fran's two monsters and Lyrius' monsterless one. "And if I take that one, you'll just block like he did…so I'll just crush you in one turn! I equip Emperor Exodia with Meklord Destruction, letting him reactivate his equipping effect again!" Emperor Exodia's gained the white glow as it absorbed Leo for a third time. (2500-5600)

"Then I use the power of Exodia Top! Your Mine Mole is negated!" Smithy mocked as Exodia unleashed a blunted blast of power from his Meklord sent Mine Mole tumbling end over end. "I know all about your deck - Cloaker and Domino found all of the Queen's notes! Now, Emperor Exodia, destroy Kittytail!"

Exodia took massive step across the field and incinerated the two kittens with an overwhelming blast of power. Fran twisted out of the way of the backlash, reaching for her deck. "When you destroy Kittytail, I can add any Beast I want from my deck to my hand!"

"But it's not on the field to save you! Emperor Exodia!" Smithy watched as his monster sized Mine Mole in the other hand and crushed the squeaking monster with casual effort. "Now I activate the effect of Meklord Destruction - since Exodia destroyed a monster as a result of battle, I can send an Extra Deck monster he has to the graveyard and you take its attack as damage! Devastation!"

Fran screamed in pain as Exodia's chest cavity glowed and then erupted with a blaze of white energy. It shoved her backwards, leaving her hugging herself and panting in exertion. (FLP: 8000-4900)

"And thanks to Exodia Attack, Exodia gains one more attack each time he destroys a monster! And just to make sure you go down screaming, I activate the quick-play Double Tension! Now that my monster is making another attack, his attack is doubled!" Emperor Exodia bellowed as his power surged upwards, lightning racking the surrounding factory as it charged up another attack aimed squarely at Fran. (2500-5000)

"I activate the effect of Different Dimension Unicorn! I can banish it from the graveyard to negate your attack!" Fran shoved the card into the banished slot as the attack fired, a phantasmal image of a dark-rainbow colored unicorn intercepting the blow. Energy and ectoplasm washed over her, but she broke the wave with a stubborn glare and defiant stance.

Smithy just kept grinning. "This is the kind of war I can get behind! Since my hand is feeling a bit empty, I activate Boon of the Meklord Emperor! Since all of my Exodia monsters treat themselves as a Meklord, I draw one card for each." He drew five new cards and then plugged several of them into his disk. "I set three of them face-down and end my turn."

"I hope you enjoy bandying about with your toy, Smithy. Because I'm going to break it. And you." Lyrius drew for his turn. "The effect of Cycle of the World activates, returning itself to my deck and letting me add End of the World to my hand while retrieving Ruin from my graveyard."

He pointed at his Rewarded Offerings card and it began to glow. "I activate the effect of my spell card, letting me select another face-up spell or trap on the field and during this turn, I can treat that card as a level four monster for ritual monsters." The glow spread to his still face-up Mammoth Tombstone, level stars appearing above the trap. "Then I activate the ritual spell card Collapse of the World!"

Dark fires erupted on his field, eating up his Mammoth Tombstone card and Fran caught sight of Makyura the Destructor being consumed as well. "Now I can ritual Demise and Ruin monsters from the deck, but I must offer the exact number of level stars and can only summon ritual monsters this turn. With these two level four monsters, I call out Ruin, Angel of Oblivion and Demise, Agent of Destruction!"

Lyrius' two monsters were younger versions of the rituals he'd already used, but still carried the measured aura of raw destructive power the older versions had. Ruin looked to be around Fran's age, but her axe was just as big and powerful. While Demise was still comparatively sized, the bulk of his armor and flaming cape lent him a few extra inches of imposing size. (1700/1000) (1800/1000)

"I draw two cards since I tributed at least two monsters for a ritual summon this turn." Lyrius drew and then pointed at Emperor Exodia. Demise mimicked the motion, his heavy weapon chiming with audible sharpness. "Since I ritual summoned Demise, he can destroy a card on the field! My target is Meklord Emperor Exodia!"

"And it won't work! The effect of Exodia Guard shifts the effect to it and it cannot be destroyed!" Smithy sneered as Emperor Exodia lifted its right arm, catching the blast from Demise's axe and swatting it away into the factory's depths. An explosion rocked the space, oil and flame billowing out of whatever had been destroyed but no one paid it any mind.

"Once again, Smithy, can it do it more than once per turn?" Lyrius' eyes narrowed in that satisfaction again as Smithy growled. "Ruin, attack and destroy Exodia Top!"

Ruin charged, flipping through the air and slashing through one of Exodia's legs. The limb cracked and sparked, venting smoke and energy as damage rocked through it. It held enough integrity to hold up Exodia's bulk but clearly not much else. (2500/2500-2000/2000)

"No damage…so at least you summoned them in defense mode. But that just means Ruin can attack again! Ruin, attack and destroy Exodia Attack!" Ruin jumped, her axe cleaving Exodia's right arm off at the elbow. Sparks flew as the giant staggered, slamming against the tank containing Smithy and leaning against it for support. (2000-1000)

"Demise! Destroy Meklord Emperor Exodia!" Demise wasn't nearly as agile as Ruin, stomping up to the damaged Meklord Emperor. His axe surged with dark power and with one giant cleave, a wave of that power lashed out and seared through Emperor Exodia at the waist. There was a soft, almost mocking whine of power and the whole thing exploded violently. (SMLP:1900-1000)

Fran was beginning to think that she should be investing some good shades or maybe a welder's mask given how many times she was having to shield her face in duels on Arcadia so far. But as she lowered her arm this time, she knew that she wouldn't have wanted anything to block this view. "Nice job, Old Man!"

Smithy, for the first time since his revival, was suddenly far less than the cold machine warmonger. His crystalline body was flooded with blackness, the flowing material hardening and cracking wildly as it oozed out poisonous smoke. His fingers were already crumbling, his arms locking themselves in awkward positions. The effects were there on his torso, meaning his twisting and thrashing was snapping and grinding away at the very thing supporting his weight. "Your magic- but - but how did you-! This does not compute-!"

"Arcadia is Iris' kingdom, her power permeates everything in it down to the smallest blade of grass." Lyrius informed him. "That includes me and in turn, my cards. So drink your fill of the power you coveted, Smithy. I am sure you will find its taste rather…potent."

It was like watching a time lapse of a bicycle rusting. Dark patches bloomed like mould on Smithy's gleaming body, dulling it into lifelessness. The well oiled joints began to screech with age as they thrashed against the inevitable, and the monstrous ruler of Gearville began to disintegrate, fragments of metal flaking off into dust.

"Did…did we win?" Fran asked.

Before Lyrius could open his mouth to answer, something small and thin fluttered through the air, like a feather that had been tossed aloft. It took Fran a second to realise it was a Duel Monsters card, though she was too far away to see the details before it dropped into Smithy's vat of molten metal and magical tree. The ominous bubbling rose in her ears, and she felt Lyrius stiffen beside her, before the vat seemed to erupt like potassium being dropped into a dish of water.

"Holy-" Fran's curse was lost as she threw her hand up over her face. It was so hot that for a second she thought her skin would melt off. But then the wave of energy subsided, leaving the liquid sloshing in the vat around a familiar figure.

"You've got to be kidding!" Fran could not believe her eyes as Smithy stepped forward. Bits of his body still rippled with heat, like they hadn't quite set in place yet. She could see the waves of steam radiating off him. "You can't just whip yourself up a new body like you're pulling a second souffle out of the oven!"

"You didn't kill me, human. The first rule of playing with the big weapons 'win in the first hit'." Smithy growled as he fished his cards out of the pool. "Because if you don't, the counterattack will finish you."

One of his set cards flipped up. "I activate the trap Hand Obliteration - now we all discard our hand and draw five new ones."

They all shoved their cards into the graveyard and then as he drew his last one, another of Smithy's set card flipped up. "Call of the Haunted review Meklord Emperor Exodia!"

"You're like a cockroach!" Fran snapped in frustration as the head and torso reappeared. Then her eye widened as new arms and legs appeared. But these were more armored, with the two arms having gained a powerful arm cannon and a jagged forearm blade. "A cockroach with some upgrades."

"Emperor Exodia revives any of the Exoda parts in the graveyard! I choose Exodia Guard 3, Exodia Attack 3, Exodia Top and Exodia Carrier 3!" Smithy said as his monster's limbs were connected to the main body, energy flowing through them as Exodia ripped free of the mounts. (1000/0) (1500/0) (500/0) (1000/2500) (0/0-4000/4000)

Smithy's last card lifted, his new disturbing grin growing. "My final card. High-Speed Aria. I discard one spell card and then activate it!" He flipped around the card he wanted. "Surprise Attack from the Darkness. Your End Phase, human, is now my Battle Phase!"

Exodia lifted its arm cannon, the weapon already charging. It fired, the blast slamming into Ruin and vaporizing her before she had time to screen. Smithy guffawed at the sight of the smoking pile of ash where she'd been. "And thanks to its upgrades, Exodia Attack 3 means every monster it kills deals you one thousand more damage!" (LLP: 8000-5300-4300)

The cannon fired as a second time, the energy drowning out Demise's challenging bellow of rage as he, too, was vaporised. (LLP: 4300-2200-1200)

"Like I said, human, you won the battles - but Smithy wins the wars!"

"Lyrius!" Fran's scream of desperation did nothing at all to stop the third blast from crashing into Lyrius, hurling him off his feet and throwing his limp body into and through a few layers gears, gizmos, gadgets and sheet metals. "No!" (LLP: 0)

A few more pieces of steel clattered to the ground, leaving a ringing to fill the room. Fran wanted to move, to check he was alright, but she knew any attempt would be seen as a forfeit, and she would not give Smithy the satisfaction.

"...Francesca?" came a slightly dazed voice from the pile of machinery. "...have there always been birds flying around in here?"

A sigh of relief burst free of her in the form of a snort. "No, old man. You hit your head. Just take it easy."

She turned back to the field, where Smithy was observing in that same calculating way she had come to hate.

"I've got this now."

"Draw! I activate Cat's Invitation, letting me add Rescue Cat from my deck to my hand! Then I summon it!" Fran slapped down the card, a little cat with a rescue helmet whistle appearing. "Rescue Summons!"

Rescue Cat blew its whistle and faded away, replaced by a snarling bipedal monster covered in fur with Wolverine-claws and a single, sleepy looking Koala resting in a bubble. "I summon X-Saber Airbellum and Sea Koala! And I use Sea Koala's effect, reducing the attack of any monster Iwant to zero! Guess which one I want to use it on!" (1600/200 (0/1600)

"You're going to use it on my Exodia Guard 3, hero!" Smithy laughed as Exodia lifted one of his arms, the bubbles from the Koala simply spattering harmlessly on it. (1000-0) (4000-3000)

"I still weakened your monster and now it's about to get even more wrecked! I tune my two monsters together! Ride the lightning into glorious battle and blitz the enemy with a storm's fury! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Thunderstrike Unicorn!" Lighting crashed down in front of her, coalescing into a blue-skinned unicorn patterned with lightning bolts and electricity arcing from its horn. (2200/1800)

"If his appearance isn't enough to wipe that grin off your face, Smithy, his effect will! He's an upgrade of my original Thunder Unicorn! I can take three hundred attack points off one monster in play times the number of monsters on the field! Lightning Surge!" Fran pointed and her unicorn obeyed, lightning blasting off its horn and slamming into all five pieces of Smithy's monster.

"Exodia Guard 3 got more than a number, it's effect got bigger, too! I redirect this effect to Exodia Guard 3!" Smithy mocked as Exodia literally sized the lightning trying to entangle it and ripped it off itself like crepe streamers. "And since you already made his attack zero…"

"But I'm making mine bigger! He gains the same amount of attack points, raising his score to four thousand! Thunderstrike Unicorn attacks! Lightning Charge!"

The Synchro Monster charged as the lightning marks on its body erupted with actual lightning, becoming a blue-yellow bolt that explosively slammed into Exodia. The giant mechanical monster grappled with the unicorn, one hand seizing its horn and the other its neck as it tried to keep the sharp point from skewering its core. The two strained against each other, the collision of energy blasting about catwalks, gouging holes in metal and popping bolts out of their holes.

Smithy just laughed as Emperor Exodia lifted Thunderstrike Unicorn and hurled it bodily back onto Francesca's field. "Once again, I can shift the attack to Exodia Guard 3 and negate its destruction!"

"Dammit!" Fran grabbed two cards from her hand. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Smithy drew. "I activate the effect of Emperor Exodia, equipping it with your Leo once again!" The white light was sucked into his monster's chest, a surge of white infusing the golden-teal power coursing through the construct. (3000-6100)

"I activate the effect of Exodia Top! Your little unicorn is having his lights turned out!" Exodia stomped forwards, shrugging off the retaliatory blasts as its own power slammed the Synchro monster into the ground; smoking and lacking any of its usual fury. "Attack, Emperor Exodia!" (4000-2200)

Fran grit her teeth as Exodia charged up golden energy in its palms. "Reverse card open - King's Synchro! I pick my Synchro monster and a Tuner in my graveyard and Synchro Summon!"

"Did you forget the effect of Exodia Carrier 3? Your card is useless!" Smithy laughed as Exodia grabbed the holographic image of the trap and picked it up, tearing it in two and tossing the pieces aside.

"Good thing I have another trap! Synchro Barrier! By tributing Thunderstrike Unicorn, I take no damage until the end of my next turn!" Fran's monster erupted into synchro rings, the rings overlapping and becoming a curved barrier. Exodia hammered on it with both fists and even a blast from its cannon, but despite their shuddering and trembling, the fragile-looking shield held.

"Least you're proving tougher than that other human." Smithy said, clearly enjoying how Fran was hanging on by a thread. "I set one card face-down. End turn."

"I draw." Fran drew and then tossed it down. "I summon Kinkya-Byo!" Shadows twisted into ragged form of a wolf on her field, dark eyes glaring blafully. "And when I summon this card, I can summon my Key Mouse from my graveyard!" A little monster with a key tail appeared, squeaking cutely. "Then I tune my two monsters together to summon The Unicorn Maiden!"

In a flash of light, her ancestral doppelganger appeared, still holding that battle-ready aura and the unconquerable look in her eyes. (400/400)

But Fran didn't feel it herself. Her mind was scrambling through her combos, the cards in her graveyard, her Synchro monsters and none of them were coming up with a way to defeat Smithy on her own like this. His Meklord Emperor Exodia was living up to its namesake.

The Unicorn Maiden looked back at her, catching her eye.

-a corpse-littered battlefield, a roaring hydra with one dead head, something bulbous trying to erupt out of a neck stump and the remaining three spewing out fire as it rampaged-

Fran jerked. Now is not the time

-A battered Lyrius and Caitias, limbs broken on both, trying to get up, to protect the fleeing civilians. The world lurched as she stumbled to her own feet with muddied and bloodied fingers. Off in the distance, Oblivion lodged in some rock. She stumbled forwards, then a staggering run-

Why show me this now? I'm-

-The blade was cold and heavy in her grasp, icy tendrils of pain crawling up her nerves and she screamed in both war cry and agony. The blade came free and as it ate at her flesh and being, she willed her spirit back into it. The lightless black void-flames erupt on it and she swings it at the hydra, the dark, evil power carving through the air and then the hydra's neck-

Her doppelganger broke eye contact as Smithy boomed a laugh. "You're looking a little lost, hero! Thinking about giving up!"

Fran didn't have an answer, nor did the Unicorn Maiden. The Synchro monster was staring at Smithy with disgust. No…not at Smithy. At the pulsing rectangle centred in his chest, the tendrils of its power fueling the warmonger's body and weaving through his body like veins. The card that had fallen into the vat.

She recalled how Lyrius had told her how he had acquired his dragons - that he had 'unlocked' them in desperate duels and had had to grapple with them spiritually to get their allegiance. And that they were born to protect Arcadia itself.

"So why are you letting that bastard piece of modern art use you as a battery?"Fran didn't know what prompted her to shout the irritated words or to reach her hand out in the card's direction.

Smithy regarded her with confusion. "Are you succumbing to that organic weakness of fear? I thought you were made of sterner stuff!" He paused, liquid body rippling awkwardly and his eyes widened. "What?"

"Come on! Get your godly ass out here and do your goddamn job! Or I'm going to come in there after you and turn you into my drink coaster!" It was absurd and stupid, to be mocking a piece of god in a situation like this. And yet this was the path to take. That's what her ancestor had shown her. That it was in her blood to take risks and gamble on the absurd, the reckless. Like grabbing a sword she knows will do everything to kill and eat her soul to fight a monster.

Or to try and rip out the literal battery of her enemy so she could blast him with it.

The card shuddered in Smithy's body, the giant snarling as he tried to cover it, to keep it from moving. But his body was too soluble to make that possible; another pulsing ripple of power caused ruptures and the tendrils of power were oozing out, breaking away from him and leaving him desperate to draw on the tank's contents to rebuild himself. Contaminated by Lyrius' power or not, it was enough to keep him functional.

Even after the card ripped out of his frustrated face, sprawling liquid metal everywhere. It slammed into Fran's waiting hand and nearly ripping it out of its socket like she had just tried to catch a professional fastball. She kept a desperate grip on it.

It was like trying to hold a lightning bolt in her palm. There was no actual physical lightning, but her very being was rocked by the powers the card held. She was just a mere human and it was a piece of a god, something that was beyond her purely by definition of what it was.

Fran clung onto the card stubbornly, refusing to yield to the storm assaulting her being. Her ancestor had withstood Oblivion's demonic wrath, she would not yield to this heavenly pain. She conjured an image of her mind, of a unicorn like Resonae charging headlong into a raging thunderstorm. The bolts of lightning strike the horn not even slowing the charge, but being drawn into it, empowering the unicorn to go faster and faster and become greater and greater.

A dragon's roar echoed out of the mental storm and then the two collided in an echoing, world-ending roar of power.

And the storm yielded to her.

"I activate the effect of The Unicorn Maiden! I revive one level four or lower Beast monster in my graveyard! Return, Lancer Unicorn!" The Maiden whistled and the jagged-armed unicorn came galloping out of the ether around them.

"Then I activate Monster Reborn, reviving Unimaize!" In a flash of light, the forest unicorn reappeared, blinking mildly in annoyance as Lancer Unicorn began to nibble at it.

"Now I tune my three Synchro monsters together! Thunder and lightning are your hammer and shield, the howling winds your roar! You are nature's champion and her wrath! Shatter the dark fate that binds this world! Synchro Summon! Level 10!"

A storm brewed above her field, lancing down with blazing blue lightning. And in that lightning formed her monster. It was a Nightmare, as bigger and more powerful than even Resonae. The stormcloud grey fur seemed to dance with undischarged lightning as light played over it. Two great leather wings flapped, conjuring small tornadoes before they settled against the body. The horn was a gleaming lightning-bolt shaped weapon, dangerous golden eyes glaring at Smithy and lips peeling back to reveal a fanged-sneer. "Hurricane Dragon - Unicorn Furore!" (3500/3000)

"That's a pretty impressive beast you have there." Smithy said, both he and Emperor Exodia looking unimpressed by the new monster. "I can't wait to break it."

"You won't get the chance, Smithy! I activate Furore's effect! I banish Beast Synchro monsters and Tuners I have and negate your cards!" Five cards fell out of Fran's graveyard, and she scooped them up. "Hurricane Winds!"

Furore spread his wings and flapped them, generating small tornadoes that sparked with lightning.

"Useless! I activate the trap Convert Ghost! Since I had my Emperor, I can banish a Machine from the graveyard and negate your effects! Then set my card to use later." Smithy gloated as his trap lifted, emitting a blast of light that melted the tornados away.

"Furore has another effect - I can banish it whenever I want." Fran watched as her monster vanished in a burst of lightning. "And it'll return during my end phase. Which happens now."

"And what's that going to do?" Smithy asked but paused when realised the storm that heralded Furore summoning was still there. And it was growing, with more and more raging lightning flashing in its depths.

"When Furore returns after banishing itself, it triggers one of its remaining effects." Fran smirked as the storm began to twist itself into the shape of Furore itself, looming over Smithy like a mini apocalypse. "It deals you damage for every banished Synchro monster times five hundred!"

Smithy didn't even get a chance to scream in defiance. The storm dove downwards onto him, smashing into his liquid body. The lightning acted like fire, hardening the melted Reaping Tree into a glass-like substance that shattered just as easily. Exodia was caught in the explosion, the pieces of Smithy's body perforating the alien metal and turning it into Swiss cheese. (SMLP: 0)

The destruction continued through the rest of the factory, Smithy's dying throes rippling through all the machinery and technology he was connected to. Fran went flying backwards as the vat Smithy was in exploded, a wave of melted Reaping Tree and souls crashing towards her only to flash-freeze in some kind of bizarre modern sculpture. Only to be promptly crushed by falling debris and showering her with pieces of everything that stung and burned at her through her clothing.

The world came back to her in a series of painful blinks, the factory now the scene of a small apocalypse. Burning metal, shattered gears, ruptured floor panels and puddles of oil and unknown liquids rivering their way through the chaos like blood.

And with the heavy vibrations travelling through the floor, Fran felt the heart of the factory approach before she saw him. Smithy, having somehow pulled himself together out of a mix of the remaining liquid Reaping Tree and pieces of his factory. He was human-sized now, but the sheer anger and wrath radiating from his being in the physical form of steam, boiling liquid and dripping metal more than made up for the deficiency in height. He had a large beam of metal lodged in a massive cinderblock. An impromptu forge hammer for the impromptu forging he was going to make using Fran herself.

She got to her feet, pained and aching and unsure of how she could even fight him, but determined to try. She was almost eager to, the thrill of battle thrumming through her under the injuries and worries. Guess I have more of my ancestor in me than I thought-

There was a clang, and Smithy gave a howl that sounded patchy, like the pain was escaping from places it shouldn't. A steel i-beam had sailed through the air like a javelin and slammed into the spot where the crotch would have been on a normal human.

Blinking, Fran swung her head and found Lyrius, bruised and beaten from landing in the pile of metal, but upright, and picking up another i-beam. "...did you just nail him in the crotch with a steel bar?!"

"I must still have a concussion - I was aiming for his head." Lyrius said, hurling the second beam through the air, and it caught Smithy crossways, sending him stumbling backwards.

"You cannot fight with a concussion! And how are you so damn strong?"

"I will explain later." Lyrius watched as Smithy removed both i-beams from his body. "Do you have the dragon card?"

"Yes- wwhhyyyyyyy-!" Fran found herself squealing in surprise and terror as Lyrius seized her and hurled her up a couple of stories. She landed on a catwalk, wincing as it swayed back and forth wildly as one of the chains snapped. "Lyrius!"

"Go back to Resonae and the others. We have what we came for." Lyrius didn't look at her, deftly leaping away as Smithy tried to take his head off with the makeshift sledgehammer. "I merely have to tidy the mess."

Fran opened her mouth to argue, then saw Lyrius kick a large hunk of debris that had to be almost as big as himself into his hands and hurl it at Smithy. The warlord caught it and even as he gave up a few steps of ground at its weight, hurled it over his shoulder before whipping his hammer at Lyrius like a discus. It missed and punched through the steel wall like it was tinfoil. Yeah, I can't do that…yet.

Card in hand, she scrambled down the catwalk and prayed to whatever was listening that Lyrius got out of this alive.

TTTTTT

Contrary to what most modern people believed, a fight wasn't about two people trading blows, landing energy blasts on another and dodging while passing out compliments to their opponent. A fight was all about advantage, who had it, how you could use it and how you could exploit it to the point where you could kill the enemy as swiftly as possible.

Lyrius had killed Smithy six times in the last eight minutes and his enemy still had the advantage through the sheer dint of the fact he wasn't dead yet.

Whatever Smithy had done to imbue his consciousness into liquid Reaping Tree, it had removed every traditional weakness a humanoid opponent should have. He'd destroyed Smithy's head twice now, cleaved him in twain in both directions and even crushed him under the catwalk he'd thrown Fran onto. Smithy would just ooze himself back together and start swinging at Lyrius again.

Even the dark magic he wielded wasn't as effective as it had been during the duel. Either the powers of the dragon card had made Smithy resistant to it or the machine's sheer rage and desire for war were letting him shrug it off.

Bolts and screws flew as Smithy ripped a railing out of the catwalk, slamming it across Lyrius' side like an extra-long baseball bat. Lyrius exploded into shadows, reappearing up and behind the tyrant and splashing him with blood-smeared hands. A few choice words and the blood hardened, exploding like knives into Smithy's torso and leaving him bellowing. Then his body just morphed through itself instead of turning one hundred and eighty degrees, letting him body check Lyrius through the remaining railing and down another few stories.

Lyrius teleported onto Smithy's back, driving hands coated in flaming magic into him. Steam erupted as crystal metal cooked and stiffened into crackling shards. Snaring a chain, Lyrius blasted Smithy with everything he had, turning his enemy into a living blue-black fireball that exploded like a dropped water balloon when it hit the floor.

"That…hurt!" One of the large pieces rearranged itself into Smithy's head, the rest of the pieces rolling themselves back together under it like dough. "No wonder you organics hate pain so much…it's just terrible…!"

Lyrius couldn't think of a pithy comment, so his response was another rain of black fireballs. This time, though, they only scorched the metal flooring as Smithy stood up and patted out the bits of him that were smouldering. The char healed before Lyrius eyes as Smithy glared up at him. "Now…get over here!"

Smithy made a yanking gesture and Lyrius swore as the chain he was on suddenly descended at an ever-increasing pace. He fell into his shadow, vanishing off and reappearing behind some crushed debris. Only for his shelter to go flying away as a human-sized hook snared it and then ripped it away. "Damn…"

Laughter mocked him as Smithy advanced again, twirling the monster chain like it weighed nothing at all. "I'm still part of Gearville, human and this deep into it, even all that damage that hero did can't stop me from making it work for me. Everything in this place is me, King Smithy! Warmaster and conqueror of a hundred worlds! And everything that's me - is a weapon!"

The floor buckled, the sheet metal twisting and warping to entrap Lyrius. He rolled aside, but the floor rose up to stop him there, too. When he teleported away, the surface of his new spot rippled and became dozens of little spikes that sent pain searing through the soles of his feet.

"Gotcha!" The rattling of the chain was his only warning beyond Smithy's crow and Lyrius jerked, snaring one of the links as it hissed past his head. For a moment, he and Smithy played tug-of-war with it and then Smithy boomed out that laugh. The chain split like a flower, every end becoming a razor-sharp tendril that dove for every soft spot on Lyrius they could reach.

Another teleport to escape and only to end in pain - he'd appeared above Smithy, hoping the lack of sight line would buy him time. But it appeared that the factory metal might as well been Smithy's skin for the moment Lyrius touched the metal, the decking gave way under his feet and the railings ripped free of moorings to twist into screws that landed in his arms and torso.

One last teleport - this time right into Smithy's face. Lyrius was bleeding everywhere and it was his one advantage right now. Smithy's crystal body became smoky, ugly read as blood splashed everywhere and Lyrius got to savor the tyrant's look of mocking pride becoming unabashed surprise as the blood began to spread through him. It wove into that metal body like ink dumped into water.

And then it exploded.

For the second time that day, Lyrius found himself sprawled against a wall. But it was not hot metal coated in the smell of burn iron that embraced him, but cool, jagged rock.

That was right - Gearville had been buried in Arcadia before Iris raised it again. This must have been the bedrock level it rested on.

A fitting place to end the fight, Lyrius decided as through the blood dripping over one of his eyes, he could see Smithy pulling himself together again. Not as well as before - the body had holes in it now, hunks of it gouged out like something toothy had taken a big chomp. And the damage was spreading. Slowly as darkness ate the clearness of his body. But not fast enough to stop Smithy as he plunged a hand into a pile of metal scraps and came away with a jagged sword big enough to smash Lyrius as opposed to cleaving him in two.

He was done. Too wounded to fight, not enough blood to do any more tricks and just…tired. So, so, so tired now. The weight of a thousand years had never felt this heavy or this painful or even this near. The others would rescue Serenity, save Arcadia, even defeat Smithy. Lyrius was just so tired.

His eyes drifted, the world bleary and fading. Darkness tunnelling his world to nothing but the heavy stomps of Smithy advancing to kill him.

"Pathetic."

He snapped his head up to a dark voice, illuminated only by a soft glow of the striking figure before him. "Iris?"

The Shadow Queen loomed over him, the cool distaste on her face as harsh as any open disgust. "You are losing to this second rate kitchen appliance. You let him beat you in a duel, and now you are letting him beat up the rest of you. That is not the standard I expect from my Shadow."

"Apologies." He meant it. The hounds of failure and resignation had finally sunk their fangs in him fully. "I…" There was no excuse, no reason forming in his mind. "I am simply no longer enough to be that man."

"Obviously." Iris crossed her arms, roiling stormcloud eyes flashing with her constrained rage. "Though you are hardly much of any of the man I knew you to be. Where is your warrior's spirit? Your kingly determination? Where is the man who would defy death itself if it meant he would complete his mission?"

"He died with you." That hurt to admit. Lyrius had accepted Iris' death, how the Shadow Queen had become so far removed from the woman he loved. But that did not mean he had truly come to grips with the fact she was trapped in the Abyss. "I am all that's left. And I have been found wanting."

"Weak words and a weaker excuse. You are Lyrius Stormcloud. You are more than my Shadow, you are my King. My beloved. Haven't you accepted that you can have a life without me?" Iris demanded of him. "Or are you a mewling child content to live as my genuine shadow, ceasing to be anything when I am gone? Is that the man I love? The man you should be?"

"I do not know." That hurt to say, too. Or maybe that was the vibrations of Smithy's damming footsteps carrying through the rubble. "Where do I belong without you? This land, these people - they are not mine. I am not their King."

"They need a champion." Now there was someone else. Smaller, less regal. Though possessing just as much presence and shadow over him as Iris. "Whether they know it or not, they need someone to fight for them."

Lyrius wondered if the universe was having one last laugh at him now that he was truly dying. For why else would the familiar redhead be there? "Serenity…"

"A champion?" Iris scoffed, tossing that beautiful mane of hair over her shoulder. "Look at him. He cannot fight for them. He can barely fight for himself. Even the Unicorn Maiden had to strike the finishing blow where he could not."

Now it was Serenity's turn to huff derisively. "Spoken like a woman who has never truly understood how to fight a battle. What warrior does not stumble from time to time? Soldiers take bullets that put them out of action for months, but they come back. Warriors lose fights and titles to a poor nights sleep or sunlight shining at just the wrong moment, but there is always the chance to reclaim it. Victory doesn't mean you win every single time, and losing once does not mean that you have failed."

She marched straight up to Iris. Serenity was more than half a foot shorter, but she stared down the Shadow Queen like a resident scolding an arrogant intern. "Lyrius is not failing. He will get back up and try again and again. And he will lose again and again. But winning is not what makes him a champion. It is that he gets back up when people need him."

Iris stared down at her with a mixture of ire and curiosity. "People like you?"

"People like me."

Serenity confirmed. "People like Fran. People like every Arcadian who is going to die if Smithy gets free."

"That…will not happen." Lyrius peeled himself out of the debris. "I will not let it happen. My people - my kingdom - deserve peace and freedom. I will not let them suffer another tyrant."

"And yet my throne remains empty." Iris chided him.

"It never was empty, Iris." Lyrius stepped forwards, the images of his two loves wafting away like vapour as he passed through them. He wasn't sure if they had been real or a delusion or some message from on high. It didn't matter. They had reminded him why he had picked up the sword and donned the crown. "I am Shadow King. And this farce ends."

"Farce?" Smithy literally cracked a mocking grin, the act causing chunks of his face to flake off. "Shadow King? You sound like you've gone mad in the face of your death, human."

Lyrius ignored him and drew in a breath. It was a simple thing and making it a conscious act only highlighted how simple it was. Yet at the same time, it was integral to life. So Lyrius breathed in. There was no lie in the statement that every blade of grass was connected to him and Iris. And by drawing in that lingering power, those echoes of lost glory and quiet love, they sharpened him like a knife against a whetstone.

There was no explosion of power, no triumphant yell as his might rearranged the landscape, no surge of raw energy and determination that made his body glow. In one moment, he was a man facing down an impossible enemy and in the next, the Shadow King was there to crush an invader.

"Tch…!" Smithy's advance halted, his eyes taking in Lyrius' ever-flowing mass of shadowy hair, the black stormclouds that were roiling and thundering over his eyes and the stance of a warrior born eager to fight. "If that's what your and that bitch Queen's magic can do for you, I can't wait to add it to myself."

"Smithy." Lyrius' tone was unearthly cool, edged in the inhumane magic he wielded. "Have you ever made a god?"

"A god…?" Smithy's weapon lowered, confusion making his body ripple and crack. Then he boomed out an incredulous laugh, stomping his foot in glee hard enough to shake the ground. "Can't say that I have, human! But it's certainly something to try out!"

"A pity you have not already."

"And why's that, wise guy?" Smithy glowered at him, then Lyrius just vanished between blinks. Something pierced his chest and he looked down to see Lyrius, hand embedded in the metal of Smithy's torso casually.

Lyrius looked up at him, with black eyes and even blacker voice. "Then there's no one for you to pray to as you die."

Smithy roared in panic and fury, raising his hammer up to smash Lyrius, his will twisting the factory around them into weapons of all kinds - but it was already over. The shadows of Lyrius' power carved through his crystal-body like forks of living lightning. The darkness swelled and ate at him, leaving for a brief moment a living statue of obsidian before his roar died off as he crumbled. A sandcastle eroded by the tide.

Lyrius watched the last of Smithy dissolve away and then found the warmaster's old metal crown dangling from a metal pipe a few years away. He seized it, then crushed it into dust with a flex of his fingers.

Arcadia only had one King.

OOO

"That's the songbird I remember. Commanding the shadows, and making his enemies fear the darkness. The beauty of an apex predator."

Out the corner of her eye, Fran saw Mai nervously inching away, as though afraid Dracula might turn and pounce on her in her own display of an apex predator. She rolled her eyes and huffed pointedly. "Should we leave you and your…visions of shadows and darkness alone, Dracula?"

"No need," the ruler of vampires gave a smirk that told Fran she could not give a damn who she was making uncomfortable with her barely concealed lust. "The warmonger is dead. Lyrius will be up momentarily, and I can bask in his return to glory up close and personal."

"Do not be so certain of that," Resonae put in, baring her teeth in the vampire's direction and forgetting that she lacked fangs in human form. "Master may have a victory, but you would be foolish to assume his melancholy to be over."

"Why? Because you do not approve of the choices he might make if he were happy?" Dracula tutted. "Jealousy is unbecoming of a herd matron."

Fran decided to intervene before the two could start pulling at each other's hair. "No, Resonae is right. I'm no expert, but even I can tell he's still dealing with a lot of shit. One win doesn't magically cure depression. It's going to be a long road."

The Nightmare looked pleased and vindicated by Fran's support, while Dracula pouted. Fran wondered if she had ever experienced having the wind taken out of her sails by a bunch of mere mortal humans, but before she could ask, or tell Dracula that sulking was unbecoming of the ruler of all vampires, Lyrius appeared, sooty, sweaty, and still bruised from being thrown around into machinery like a ragdoll, but otherwise okay.

"Thanks for taking out the scrap metal, Old Man," Fran greeted him with a smile.

"It looked awkward and unwieldy," he agreed. "Do you have the card?"

Flipping her duel disk over, she plucked the cause of their troubles out of her deck. "Right here. How do we decide who gets it?"

"If I lick it, it's mine."

"Don't lick the card, Resonae!"

"It is yours," Lyrius interjected, stopping everyone as Fran raised an arm to push Resonae's face away from her hand. "You plucked it from Smithy's chest. It responded to you because it knows you are worthy of it."

"Really?" Turning it over curiously, Fran examined it. "I mean…it's pretty cool, but are you sure I can handle something like this?"

"You wielded it perfectly during the duel." To Fran's surprise, Lyrius stepped forward and held out his hand to shake. "Your victory was inspired, Francesca. I must confess, I find my duelling skills not quite up to scratch at this moment, and I would value some help, if it would not be too much trouble."

Fran blinked, slowly raising her hand on autopilot to shake. "Are you asking me to train you?"

"Please?"

"Master, ask this one too," Resonae interjected, giving Mai a hard shove that almost sent her sprawling. "She is a slayer of dragons."

"I told you, I got lucky!" Mai objected, but Fran saw Dracula smirking, and she knew Mai wasn't going to get out of this.

"Any help would be welcomed," Lyrius assured them. "But later. For now, we should leave - Gearville was an extension of Smithy's power, and it will only start to degrade now that he is dead again."

"What will become of it, do you think?" Dracula asked, as she began to head for the nearest exit. "What will stop others from wandering in or out?"

"Can we contact the Shadow Spawn?" Fran asked, slipping the dragon card back into her deck and hurrying to catch up.

"If they have not done anything with it in the last five years, it will not change. No. Later, I will return and ask a favour from Eiliastraee to ward this place from outsiders until we have better means and resources to deal with it. We will also need to track down Cloaker and Domino again." Lyrius explained. "And I will be training hard to defeat one of the Three Heroes."

"Sounds like fighting words, Old Man," Fran shot him a teasing grin, but as he turned the corner behind her, she caught a hint of something that had not been there before. Just the tiniest spark of determination.

Resonae had been right. He had a long way to go, but after all this time, Lyrius seemed to have finally made a start.

Guess coming to Arcadia was a good idea after all.

OOO

A/N: And there you have it! Apologies for the wait my pretties. The chapter has been ready for a while, just missing one teeny tiny, itsy bitsy, pretty insignificant detail…called the entire duel.

I shouldn't throw shade. 7th Librarian works hard on all these duels, and there is a reason I don't do them. But y'know…eleven months is a really long time…

Is it because Waifu finds non-animated duels boring?

I'm sorry - who holds the most wins from our old tabletop games?

Quick, tell me the difference between a Synchro and Xyz monster.

Yes speaking of Synchro and Xyz, what was that monster you spent a whole duel trying to summon and hyping up that I then ended up killing with a top decked Old Vindictive Magician? Sofia…something?

…right, before I drown in shade, I'm going to go curl up in a corner and nap. Duels tire me out.

Don't forget to review! I like to sprinkle them into his saucer of milk - helps him sleep better.

CREATED CARDS

Meklord Emperor Exodia
LIGHT
Level 1
Machine/Effect
0/0
Effect: Other monsters you control cannot attack. Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Can only be Special Summoned by a card effect. When this card is Special Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 each of 'Exodia Attack', 'Exodia Top', 'Exodia Guard' and Exodia Carrier' from your Graveyard. Gains ATK and DEF equal to the combined ATK of all other face-up 'Exodia', Granel', Skiel', 'Wisel', Keplel' and 'Magrel' monsters on the field. Once per turn, you can equip one Fusion, Synchro or Xyz monster on the field or in any graveyard, equip it to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the equipped monster's ATK. Once per turn, you can send one monster equipped to this card to the graveyard; send all monsters your opponent controls to the graveyard.

Exodia Top
LIGHT
Level 1
Machine/Effect
500/0
Effect: This card is always treated as a 'Meklord' card. If there is no face-up 'Meklord Emperor' on the field, destroy this card. Once per turn, you can target one face-up card on the field; negate its effects.

Exodia Guard
LIGHT
Level 1
Machine/Effect
500/0
Effect: This card is always treated as a 'Meklord' card. If there is no face-up 'Meklord Emperor' on the field, destroy this card. If a monster you control would be targeted by a card effect or attack, you can make this card the target. Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed battle or card effect.

Exodia Guard 3
Light
Level 3
Machine/Effect
1000/2500
Effect:Effect: This card is always treated as a 'Meklord' card. If there is no face-up 'Meklord Emperor' on the field, destroy this card. Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Can only be Special Summoned by tributing 'Exodia Guard' or by the effect of 'Meklord Emperor Exodia'. If a monster you control would be targeted by a card effect or attack, you can make this card the target. Twice per turn, this card cannot be destroyed battle or card effect. You take no battle damage from battle involving 'Exodia' monsters.

Exodia Attack

LIGHT
Level 1
Machine/Effect
1000/0
Effect: This card is always treated as a 'Meklord' card. If there is no face-up Meklord Emperor on the field, destroy this card. If a 'Meklord Emperor' monster destroys a monster as a result of battle, it can attack again in a row.

Exodia Attack 3
LIGHT
Level 3
Machine/Effect
1500/0
Effect: This card is always treated as a 'Meklord' card. Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Can only be Special Summoned from your hand by tributing 'Exodia Attack' or by the effect of Meklord Emperor Exodia. If a 'Meklord Emperor' monster destroys a monster as a result of battle, deal 1000 damage to that monster's controller and then it can attack again in a row.

Exodia Carrier
LIGHT
Level 1
Machine/Effect
500/0
Effect: This card is always treated as a 'Meklord' card. If there is no face-up 'Meklord Emperor' on the field, destroy this card. Once per turn, if a Spell/Trap effect is activated during the Battle Phase, you can negate that effect.

Exodia Carrier 3
LIGHT
Level 3
Machine/Effect
500/0
Effect: This card is always treated as a 'Meklord' card. If there is no face-up 'Meklord Emperor' on the field, destroy this card. Once per turn, if a Spell/Trap effect is during your turn, you can negate that effect.

Mammoth Tombstone
Continuous Trap Card
Effect: Special Summon this card as an Effect Monster. (EARTH/3 stars/Dinosaur/1200/800) (This card is not treated as a Trap Card.) If summoned this way, this card gains the following effect: When this card is destroyed as of an opponent's card, place this card face-up in your S/T Zone as a Continuous Trap Card and place a 'Mammoth Counter' on a monster your opponent controls. Monsters with 'Mammoth Counters' cannot attack and lose 1200 ATK and DEF during each End Phase. If there is a 'Mammoth Counter' on the field, you can special summon this card as an Effect monster.

Collapse of the World
Ritual Spell Card
Effect: You can Ritual Summon one 'Demise' and one 'Ruin' monster from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard, but you must tribute monsters whose total levels exactly equal the combined levels of the monsters you which to summon. You can only summon Ritual Monsters during the turn you activate this card. If you would ritual summon a 'Ruin' or 'Demise' monster, you can banish this card from the graveyard and treat it as a level four monster.

Trap Master Remix
DARK
4 stars
Warrior/Effect
1100/500
Effect: Once per turn, if you control a face-up continuous trap card, you can special summon this monster from your Hand. If this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, you can select one continuous trap card from your deck and Set it. If it is a trap that would treat itself as an effect monster, you can activate this turn. This card cannot be used as Synchro or Xyz Material. You can only use each effect of 'Trap Master Remix' once per turn.

Thunderstrike Unicorn
LIGHT
5 stars
Beast/Synchro/Effect
2200/1700
Effect: 1 Beast Tuner +1 or more non-Tuner Beast Monsters.
(Quick Effect): Once per turn, you can target one monster on the field. That monster loses ATK and DEF equal to 300x the number of monsters in play and this card gains 300 ATKx the number of monsters in play until the End Phase.