Author's Notes: I'm so happy that Dark Crisis is close to being concluded at last. Think I dragged on the final battle scene long enough.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Nick who belongs to Phoenix727 or DJ and Darien whom belong to DJ Rodriguez.
Chapter 33: Light Prevails Over Darkness! The Final Fateful Attack!
The maniacal laughter of Seiryu continued to torment me. He combined himself with the Galactic Dragon, and the madness never seemed to end. The sky was pitch black as the earth began being drained of life. The soil and plants around us became dead before our very eyes. The Galactic Dragon's evil spread like a plague throughout Animus, its inhabitants were no longer capable of living on it.
The Guardians were becoming enraged as their world was dying. Their actual home they sought to protect was now a dead planet. The sorrow in their eyes left them filled with anger and vengeance. The only Guardians who looked like they wanted to tear Seiryu to shreds were Artemis, Yukai and Pluto. The look on their faces explained it all, the fierce glares were targeted towards the Galactic Dragon.
Seiryu snickered evilly at us. "Your time in this universe has expired. Now your demise is at hand, and once the runt is out of the way, the others will fall!"
"The Galactic Dragon must be more powerful than the last time." I stated. The beast glanced at me, wanting to consume my soul.
"We must fight cautiously." Luna replied as she appeared out of nowhere. The Soul Sphere was back in her possession, but its glow was dim. Artemis stared worriedly at her. "The sphere has used up most of its energy, and I'm becoming weak."
"You gave a lot to protect our friends." Artemis responded. She placed her hands on the Soul Sphere as its light became brighter. Luna looked dumbfounded. "This item was a part of me, my past life as Mesenet, and I have the ability to rejuvenate it."
"Thank you, my little light." Luna said.
"Let's not stand here," Yukai interrupted. His eyes burned with a fiery ambition. "Seiryu may pull a crafty one on us."
"But how are we to bring the Galactic Dragon down?" Kaiba questioned.
Yukai lowered his eyes as he sighed. "Only the Phoenix Dragons can stop it."
"Then tell us how did they destroy it!" Bakura yelled out. Ryou pulled him aside as he tried to calm down the tomb robber.
"Bakura is right. We need to figure out how the Phoenix Dragons were able to vanquish the Galactic Dragon." Atem said.
The Guardians gave us crestfallen looks. I noticed Artemis bit her lip, preventing herself from telling us. Kaiba and Bakura were losing their patience.
"What is it that you're hiding?" Bakura shouted.
"The Phoenix Dragons sacrificed themselves…" Artemis said sadly.
Was this the reason why the Guardians did not want to tell us? They were afraid Artemis, Kaiba, Joey and I were going to do the same. I knew there had to be another way to avoid that from happening again. Although history was doomed to repeat itself, it could not always be true. I would not let Seiryu make everyone suffer for his twisted games, my role in this battle would decide the fate of the universe, and I could not have evil win.
What was different about this battle was that the Phoenix Dragons relied on themselves, and now my friends were here to help. Maybe I was going somewhere with my idea. Having friends might be the key to defeating the Galactic Dragon.
I observed the surroundings around me, the corrosive terrain known as Animus was mostly affected by the Galactic Dragon, and I did not know if it could take any more damage. The Galactic Dragon was after me, and the ones suffering were the Guardians. I was the source of their world's destruction and if I did not do something, there would be nothing left. My friends and I had to unite! Maiden of the Moonlight told me that the three Phoenix Dragons had to unite in order to destroy the Galactic Dragon, perhaps my friends could help in any way they could. The bond I shared with them was strong and maybe our unity could beat the Galactic Dragon at last.
I felt the Galactic Dragon burying its eyes on me, those so-called yellow orbs pierced through the fearful side of myself, and the beast snapped its jaws with hunger. The Galactic Dragon needed souls to feed upon, souls of the departed and souls of the living, and it was starving for my soul. The immense creature began its move, ravaging the land which was dying.
The Guardians braced themselves as the great beast came nearer to us. All their anger was targeted at it, but they could not do the job by themselves. I needed to convince them that they have to depend on my friends and I. Right now, I believed they would not be listening to my objection. Even Artemis was blinded by her rage, if only I could break her out of it.
I paced slowly to her, careful to not make any mistake I might do. I took Artemis by the shoulder and pulled her closer to me. She gave me an upset look, but I stared at her with hurtful eyes.
Artemis nodded away from me, dodging the craved gaze of the Galactic Dragon. "What is it?" she whispered.
I spoke softly in her ear. "If we combine forces with the Guardians and my friends, it should bring down the Galactic Dragon."
"You have to tell them, not me." She whispered back.
She took my hand and we walked over to the Guardians. The Galactic Dragon created no sudden movements, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I stood in front of the Guardians, as their eyes were turned to me. I completely froze in front of them, but Artemis urged me to explain to them my plan.
"Listen everyone," I began. My friends were closely paying attention to me as well. "If we all work together, we may destroy the Galactic Dragon."
"Are we sure this will work?" Pluto questioned. "You may end up sacrificing yourself like the last time."
"I'm sure." I said. My friends exchanged glances and they agreed with me. The Guardians thought for a moment before finally approving. "Great, now we must attack where the Galactic Dragon is most vulnerable."
"Where is that?" Joey asked.
"If memories serves, I struck the Galactic Dragon in its heart, which should be holding the Millennium Puzzle like before, and Seiryu should be inhabiting inside its heart, too, like when Artemis's soul was." I explained.
Artemis closed her eyes, averting flashes of the time when she was trapped within the Galactic Dragon. It was dark and lonely, alike the Shadow Realm. The comfort of her friends and family disappeared and was replaced by horrible visions of her past. She was glad she was no longer inside the beast, yet, she felt saddened. Her depression was getting in her way, but she knew her feelings could not bother her as long as she lived.
"Then who goes first?" Yukai said. He avoided the Galactic Dragon, fearing that it was up to something for he knew it was not likely for it to not attack while we were susceptible to it. He worried about much more since Seiryu still controlled it.
"We can simply attack it all at once." Pluto suggested.
"Yeah, if you want to attempt a suicide!" Artemis scolded. Luna shook her head by Pluto's comment.
"No, I have a better idea." I said.
"Well, you better tell us or else that Godzilla-wannabe will destroy us." Yukai said. Then he realized DJ giving him an unusual look. "Not that I'm insulting the King of all Monsters, it's just that the Galactic Dragon is reminding me of it."
"No need for apology, my friend," DJ replied. "I understood what you meant."
Yukai sighed in relief. "Fine…"
Seiryu was watching us with a curious stare. "Foolish mortals…" he muttered. "Even the Millennium Guardians do not know all of the Galactic Dragon's special abilities. They will be shocked by how powerful this monster can become."
I explained my plan to everyone. It was not easy, but it should help distract the Galactic Dragon long enough for Ra, Mesenet and Ammon to attack it. The Guardians split up and so did my friends, each created two groups mixed in with each other. Artemis, Kaiba, Joey and I were a separate group in which we will unleash my plan. I just hoped this will work.
Yukai's group had Nick, Tea, Nidoki, Forseti, Ryou and Bakura. The Millennium Guardians were fortunate enough to give Bakura his power to summon Ka, but Ryou was to watch him if he were to turn his back on us and use his Diabound in an evil way. Ryou also had control over it which should prevent this from happening.
Pluto's group had Atem, DJ, Darien, Apollo, Orpheus and Mercury. Hopefully Mercury could manage his twin brother's actions, or else there might be some conflict going on, especially when Atem was in their group. Pluto did not work well with him for some reason, and it seemed the reason behind it was because Artemis once had a crush on Atem.
Luna wound herself in the sidelines, like a backup if any of my friends did fall from battle. Since she could tap into Artemis's powers, she could access them to activate her healing abilities and use it on a fallen ally. She told us that the Soul Sphere was the cause of DJ and Darien's increased strength, and it took most of its power to use it. There could be a possibility that she could summon its power once more, but who knew when would that be.
"Hey, stupid dragon!" Yukai yelled at the Galactic Dragon. The beast growled angrily at his insult.
"I've seen scarier monsters than you, like… Um… The loch ness monster!" Ryou jeered. Bakura's face faulted and Ryou turned to him. "What else was I to say?"
"Host, let me take care of that." Bakura insisted. "My Diabound is stronger than you, you overgrown lizard!"
"How did we involve ourselves with them…?" Tea murmured to Nick.
"That we may never know…" Nick said.
"You idiots! We are supposed to attack it, not make of fun of it!" Nidoki reprimanded. She began to slightly laugh at their antics.
Forseti gave her a nervous look. "Why did I get stuck with this ridiculous bunch?"
The Galactic Dragon roared at them. The entire group were startled by its loud sound and they were almost pushed to the ground. Yukai became irritated at the dragon and drew out his sword. Nick took out his sword as his two Ka, Invader of Darkness and Magician of Black Chaos, stood beside him, guarding Tea. She had Shinato, St. Joan and Magician of Faith to protect her, but Nick feared for her safety.
"You incompetent fools!" Seiryu yelled from within the Galactic Dragon. "No one mocks the great and powerful Galactic Dragon!"
"Great and powerful!" Nick scoffed. "I've seen stronger monsters in my time as a duelist, and I was able to beat them!"
The Galactic Dragon growled. It opened its jaws to begin attacking them. Yukai smiled as everyone dispersed in different directions. The blast hit no one, and instead created a huge crater from where they stood. Seiryu became upset as the Galactic Dragon received an attack by Pluto's group. The huge dragon fell to the ground, making the ground quake. Seiryu recognized the surprise ambush came from the Ka. Each one stood before their owners, preparing for the next assault.
"What is going on?" Seiryu demanded. He ordered the Galactic Dragon to attack them. He made a bad mistake as the group disappeared and the strike was a miss. "No! They can't be gone!"
"Seiryu, guess who's back for Round Two!" Yukai's voice jeered high in the sky. The Guardian flew in the safety of the sky, but the Galactic Dragon shot another attack towards the direction of his voice.
The blast erupted in the sky as blinding light covered the atmosphere. Seiryu thought he hit Yukai, but then another trap was taken by his group. The combined force of the attacks caused the Galactic Dragon to become weaker.
Meanwhile Artemis, Kaiba, Joey and I hid in the shelter of an abandoned and demolished building. We were growing impatient and we feared for our friends' lives. I was putting them at stake, but I knew they would pull through. Artemis stood by the smashed doorway and awaited for any sign from Luna that my friends were able to fulfill their task. She stared out restlessly into the sky as the attacks on the Galactic Dragon were taking place.
Her deprived look concerned me. I walked over to Artemis so I could give her solace. "Yugi." She replied softly. She sensed me approaching her and she quickly swept me in her arms.
"It's okay." I said. "They will be fine."
"I hope so…" Artemis responded. Suddenly Luna appeared before us in her spirit form.
"I believe it is time for you all to leave." Luna advised.
"It was about time!" Joey shouted.
We ran out of the building and back into the battle against the Galactic Dragon. Everyone was able to weaken to it, and the beast collapsed on the ground. It had not moved when we approached it. Ra, Mesenet and Ammon were cautious around it, just in case this was a trick. The Galactic Dragon's eyes were shut, but then they snapped open, nearly astonishing us. The dragon stood on all fours and started to shoot its attack at the Phoenix Dragons. Our Ka dealt with the ambush, and they countered with attacks of their own. The Phoenix Dragons combined moves, hitting the Galactic Dragon, and it crashed to the ground once more.
"Is it still moving?" Artemis questioned.
I stared warily at the Galactic Dragon. I knew that it would take a lot more damage to have the monster go down, but something did not feel right. The air around us became cold as the Galactic Dragon extended its wings and took flight.
The snickering of Seiryu echoed throughout the sky. "No one will defeat the Galactic Dragon!" he declared. We all stood in shock as the Galactic Dragon absorbed a huge amount of energy and concentrated it into one attack.
"Great, must we do this again…?" Pluto complained to Yukai. His brother scowled at him. Their Ka, Slifer and Obelisk, were not backing down at all.
"Pluto, we have to." Yukai stated. "We are Millennium Guardians after all."
Pluto groaned. "And we were just brought back alive, and now we die again…"
"You think I would want to do that?" Seiryu sneered. The Galactic Dragon avoided us, and its attack hit at some nearby buildings. The creature turned to face us. "I want your friends' souls!"
"No, that can't be possible!" Artemis yelled in disbelief.
The Galactic Dragon's body glowed a black aura as my friends and the Guardians dropped to the ground, on their knees. Particles of light appeared around their bodies, but nothing happened to Kaiba, Artemis, Joey and I. The Galactic Dragon must be stealing their souls, instead of destroying them.
"Yugi, Artemis, Kaiba, Joey!" Yukai called out. "It's up to the four of you to stop the Galactic Dragon!"
"Watch out!" Luna yelled out to Artemis. Even if she was a spirit, Luna was being taken away by the Galactic Dragon. Artemis could not believe what she was seeing.
"No!" I shouted. Everyone's souls were taken and absorbed by the Galactic Dragon. "Why? Why must you persist on hurting my friends?"
"I want you and the other Phoenix Dragons destroyed whatever it takes to bring you down!" Seiryu explained.
I looked back at the lifeless bodies of my friends. They did not deserve this. They were only trying to help, and now Seiryu had claimed their souls. Their Ka vanished, and I felt my friends were no longer with us. Artemis had tears falling from her eyes, mourning for her lost siblings and there was nothing more she could do. Even Kaiba and Joey were surprised at the action Seiryu took. He had gone too far already and he had to be eliminated at any cost.
"SEIRYU! YOU WILL PAY!" I roared.
"A mortal like you can never beat the almighty Galactic Dragon!" Seiryu sniggered. A dark aura formed around the monster's body, the energy felt stronger than before. Probably the Galactic Dragon gained the extra strength from stealing my friends' souls.
"Why must you cause all this pain?" Artemis cried. Mesenet and God Phoenix sensed how distressed she had become. "You sacrificed our brethren, to this beast!"
"THIS TIME I WILL NOT LET YOU LIVE!" I yelled out loud.
"Yugi, how are we to defeat him?" Joey asked.
"The mutt is right." Kaiba said.
I did not listen to them. Their voices were like echoes and they were being drowned within my mind. Rage began clouding my thoughts, I wanted to destroy Seiryu myself. Ra perceived my feelings, befalling the evil growing inside of me.
Artemis gasped as she read my thoughts. She knew she had to do something before I did anything that I would regret. I ordered Ra to attack the Galactic Dragon, but God Phoenix fused with Mesenet to become Hathor, and it stopped the strike. Ra roared at Hathor as I glared at Artemis.
Artemis ran over to me, she held me in her arms as a warm light illuminated from her moon amulet. The darkness inside my mind disappeared, and I realized my actions. I was about to put the lives of my friends' in danger, and if Artemis had not stopped me, I would have destroyed them along with the Galactic Dragon.
Hathor returned back to Mesenet and God Phoenix as Artemis released me. "Yugi, if we work together, we may destroy the Galactic Dragon." She repeated what I said previously to her and the Guardians.
I nodded to her in agreement. Joey and Kaiba also gave us endorsing looks, and we turned to face the Galactic Dragon. Its fierce gaze tried to penetrate through us, creating fear within our hearts, but it had no effect on us. Seiryu was surprised by this, and he noticed a strong light surrounded us. Ra, Mesenet and Ammon glowed, each forming into a fiery bird, and God Phoenix, Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes roared as if drawing upon their powers. Each of the Millennium Dragons were in their own phoenix form, they had stunning flaming wings of gold, silver and bronze.
Seiryu was taken aback by their transformation. "What is the meaning of this?" he inquired.
"I guess you don't know all of the Phoenix Dragons' special abilities!" I said out loud. Ra, Mesenet and Ammon roared as the Galactic Dragon's aura began dissipating and becoming weak. "When they become phoenixes, they are able to summon the souls of lost allies, the legend foretold that this part of them was a special ability they could use." I recalled the legend that Yukai told us that part phoenix would allow them to be reborn from their ashes, but in fact, it meant fallen allies could be of use to them, and the Phoenix Dragons were able to call upon them for assistance.
"No! This can't be happening!" Seiryu yelled. The Galactic Dragon roared in anguish as its energy was being drained.
"But that's not all!" Artemis said. Our Ka took the form of dragons as God Phoenix, Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes disappeared, their powers were absorbed by the Phoenix Dragons. "Part dragon allocates them to seal the Galactic Dragon!" She interpreted the last text of the legend, which was their next special ability; they can lock the evils of the universe.
Suddenly the Phoenix Dragons finally reverted back to their original forms. They were stronger while the Galactic Dragon was left vulnerable. I saw the Millennium Puzzle glowing within it, where its heart was, and this was our only chance to destroy it. The great beast tried to gather all of its power, but it did so in vain.
"Seiryu!" I screamed. The Galactic Dragon turned its head towards me, an angry look appearing on its face. "We want you and that monster out of our lives, and never darkening our world anymore!"
"We never want to see that dragon hurt anyone else we care about!" Joey said out loud.
"It's time for the Galactic Dragon to go!" Kaiba replied.
"Yugi, we must strike the Galactic Dragon at its heart, now!" Artemis advised. I exchanged glances with Joey and Kaiba, and I gave Artemis my signal.
Mesenet and Ammon began to take in all the energy they had absorbed, transforming it into one beam of light, which was then transferred to Ra. My Ka concentrated on its own single attack, and used the other attack from Mesenet and Ammon to combine into one final attack. The Galactic Dragon tried to shoot out its counterattack, but it was too weak to fire.
"Ra, hit the Galactic Dragon at its heart, where the Millennium Puzzle is!" I ordered.
Ra obeyed the command as it aimed the attack towards the Galactic Dragon's heart. Mesenet and Ammon created more power to be passed over to Ra as it continued to focus on its main attack. The Golden Phoenix Dragon had enough strength to finally take down the Galactic Dragon. Ra blasted out its attack, making its way to the Galactic Dragon which received the hit.
The Galactic Dragon's heart was struck, and the attack punctured right through it. The beast roared in agony as I heard Seiryu's yells from within. The Millennium Puzzle broke free from the Galactic Dragon, falling to the ground and covered in blood. The dragon collapsed, creating huge shockwaves in the earth and its body started to disappear.
I ran over to grab the Millennium Puzzle just before Seiryu tried to reach out for it. The pyramid-shaped object glowed as light began to slowly return to Animus.
Seiryu, in his rage, tried to kill me by throwing out his arms and choking me while I was distracted. He hadn't anticipated when Artemis emerged, taking his sword and driving it deep in his heart, which ultimately killed him. Blood sprayed over the two, and Seiryu could only stare at her horrified, softly whispering what eerily sounded like "I'm sorry" before his life finally ceased. Artemis gently lay his sword down beside him and shook her head to avoid the tears that fell.
I looked at my friends, wondering if their souls returned. The only thing I did not want to see was the Galactic Dragon as dark particles came off of its body, and was destroyed by the sunlight.
"Is the Galactic Dragon truly gone?" Artemis queried as she approached me.
"I hope so…" I responded.
"They're alive!" Joey yelled excitably. He pointed to our friends who were gradually awakening.
Our friends scanned the area and were baffled to where the Galactic Dragon was. Even the Guardians could not understand what had gone on while they were away. Artemis, Kaiba, Joey and I rushed to them as the Phoenix Dragons followed. Everyone was surprised to see us and we explained to them the final showdown we had between the Galactic Dragon. The Guardians were pleased to hear the good news, as were my friends.
I gazed at the evening sky, the sun was setting into the horizon and the stars shone brightly. The Galactic Dragon had been vanquished at last, but I sensed a greater evil watching us. The feeling brought chills down my spine, and I nervously looked around to find nothing. I hoped I was wrong about this feeling, and that no one else wanted me dead.
Author's Notes: (Sighs) The Galactic Dragon has been finally defeated… I have not expected Dark Crisis to be longer than Pharaoh's Servant, but I believe Struggle of Chaos will be longer than these two stories since there will be a lot of conflict going on. You'll see what I mean once I start the sequel.
Anyway, I hope everyone has been paying attention to some details in these previous chapters, including this one and the next one. I like to refer to them as foreshadows to Struggle of Chaos.
My reason for the on hold stories is that I will be posting a new story that is unlike my usual writings, and it is called Addiction. The story is part of the Dark Memories series, and it revolves around Joey. Here's the final chapter synopsis, which will be the final chapter.
With the Galactic Dragon gone from the universe, there is still a more powerful force of darkness that has not shown itself. Yugi is unclear whom this new being is, but he will realize that even one of his allies may be working with this ancient enemy of the Guardians. Artemis has a few choices to make, and she could possibly end up picking the wrong path. The Phoenix Dragons undergo a change and what have they become? On the final chapter of Dark Crisis - Chapter 34: Parting Ways: Somewhere I Belong