Raven and Sevanos walked through the room, no sigh of Illarya.
"Up the stairs, gentlemen. Your friends are free to come and watch" Illarya had a sort of insane sound to her voice.
Raven and Sevanos exchanged glances and walked up the set of stairs before them.
-O-
Illarya sat on a throne in a torch-lit room, decorated in regal colors. "Welcome to my throne room, friends!" she said in a remotely insane tone.
"Woah!" Shuyin stepped back.
"Hmm, you remember the face of your destructor. How nice to see you again Shuyin!" Illarya had changed little since the Star Finals, she still had dark hair with blue highlights, a slightly blue-tinted forehead, eyes an inhuman blue. She now wore combat armor of a king rather than regular armor.
"Illarya, this will be a two-on-one duel. So although we both start at 4000 Life Points, you start at 8000. You also get a turn after each of ours." Raven explained
"Your terms are acceptable." Illarya stood.
"Where's your Duel Disk?" Sevanos asked.
"Right here." Shadows surrounded Illarya's left arm, and a Duel Disk, just like those of Raven and Sevanos, but black in color instead of white, materialized.
"Ever wonder if we were in over our heads?" Raven asked.
"Nope. I knew all along." Sevanos closed his eyes.
"Duel!" All three launched their Duel Disks. The room filled with shadows.
"A good Shadow Game needs rules. How's this?"
Behind Raven appeared his Yami form, Tiamat. Behind Sevanos appeared Seros, and behind Illarya appeared one similar to her, except with dark hair, a normal forehead, and green eyes.
"Simple rules. As each player looses Life Points, their other form slowly takes over. And since none of us are on great terms with our other forms, this should be fun! Oh, and as they take over, the normal you starts to go bye-bye to the Shadow Realm."
"Sounds fine to me. If there was a good Illarya, the right thing to do would be to free her!" Rave raised his hand and the Scale and a rope appeared. He hung the Scale from his neck.
"Let's do this, Raven!" Sevanos drew, "Summon Hysteric Fairy and place two cards face-down.
"I play Sangan in defense mode and two cards face-down.
"Draw." Raven drew, "Activate the Incandescent Ordeal spell card! This allows me to discard my Skull-Marked Ladybug, giving me 1000 Life Points, and my Blowback Dragon to summon the Legendary Flame Lord! Then I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and set this last card face down. Now, Breaker, slice up the Sangan!"
"Allowing me to get The Left Leg of Exodia."
"LFL, attack directly!" The Flame Lord shot a stream of fire at Illarya, knocking her back and taking off 2400 Life Points.
"So?" A circle of light surrounded her feet and shot halfway up her leg, "I still have 5600 Life Points.
"And I have 5000." Raven pointed out.
"I set this monster and set another card face down. Go."
"Summon Kelbek in Attack Mode!" Sevanos smiled, "This is too easy, Illarya. Now, Fairy, attack!"
"Revealing my Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress!" Illarya laughed.
"No!" A circle of light shot a little way up his legs, as his counter fell to 3600.
"Yes, and now to get more of Exodia in my hand, I play Pot of Greed!" Illarya smiled.
"Reveal trap card, Mystical Refpanel!" Raven smiled. The pot of Greed fizzled out of Illarya's control and into Ravens, "Now I draw two cards!" Raven did so.
Trigger my trap, Destiny Board, and my other trap, Disappear! This makes that LFL of yours simply go poof." Illarya laughed.
"Spell card Prohibition! I stop Spirit Message 'L' from being played," Raven threw his card down, "Then I set one card and a monster in defense mode. Go."
"Yes! Soon you'll be done, mortal! Not only do I start on my Destiny Board by playing Spirit Message I, but also Exodia has begun to form! I pass my turn!" Illarya said, arrogantly.
"We'll see about that. I activate the spell Dark Designator! This adds your Last Turn to your hand. I play the field spell card The Sanctuary in the Sky!" A large floating sanctuary appeared behind him, "This guards my more angelic monsters. Now, sacrifice my Kelbek and Hysteric Fairy for the Guardian Angel Joan! Now Joanie, destroy that Elf and give me 800 Life Points." The circle fell back to beneath Sevanos' feet.
"My move, after Spirit Message N appears." Illarya smiled. "Would you look at that? One to go. I play Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode. And one card face-down."
"Reveal face-down monster Morphing Jar!" Raven smiled.
"I knew you had a plan!" Sevanos sighed with relief.
"No!" Illarya threw away her hand. As did Raven and Sevanos.
"Now we all draw five cards." Raven explained. "And I got the ones I needed. First, I offer the two monsters on my field to summon the Millennium Sword, then I play Polymerization, fusing my Forgiving Maiden and my Marie the Fallen One to summon my Saint Joan!" The great golden blade and the divine warrior appeared before Raven, "Now my Joan will attack!"
"Mirror Force!" Illarya laughed. "And as I get the Spirit Message A my turn begins!"
"Too bad you can't get L." Sevanos gestured to Raven's Prohibition Spell.
"How true, Sevanos." Illarya smiled, "I offer my Witch allowing me to get Exodia the Forbidden One, to summon my mighty Summoned Skull, equipped with the Mage Power spell card raising it's attack to 5000! Skull, Lightning Strike Attack! Finish Vaniver!"
"Nay!" A fur ball appeared in front of the bolt soaring at Raven. "Kuriboh blocks the attack!"
"Raven, we're in a bit deep here..." Sevanos closed his eyes.
"Really? I couldn't have guessed." Raven shot a glance back at his Yami form, Tiamat,
"Guys!" Kaomi screamed, "You can't just give up! It may look hopeless, but it's not!"
"That's a nice thought, girlie, but this is our Shadow Game." Illarya shot Kaomi a cold stare.
"Shut up, Illarya! Listen, you can't give up. Where there is life, there is hope!" Kaomi screamed at them.
"Silence!" Illarya's eyes grew wide and Kaomi flew backward.
"Ouch. This'll hurt her." Shuyin couldn't look.
"For your sake, apologize." Raven ordered.
"She intruded. I took care of her. Simple as that." Illarya scoffed, "Besides, what could you do to me?"
"You asked the wrong question!" Sevanois drew, "Activate Spell Card Heavy Storm!" The FINAL pieces and Prohibition among other cards flew into the shadows above them. "Now I play Monster Reborn reviving the Angel Joan, then I play Soul Exchange, offering Summoned Skull for Doma, the Angel of Silence! Effective name as it will help silence you! Doma and Joan, attack!" The angels attacked Illarya and took 3400 of her Life Points, knocking her counter down to 2200, the glowing circle shot up to Illarya's chest plate, as the image of her other self slowly became replaced by the blue-tinted demoness Illarya the others had come to know.
"My move I play a monster to defend."
"Useless." Raven drew, "You're done, heartless one! I, too, play Monster Reborn, returning the Saint Joan, and then I play Shinato's Ark, discarding Tyrant Dragon and Blitz Knight to summon Shinato! Then, this card, Spell Reproduction, discarding the Replinish spell card to return the Tyrant Dragon! Now, Tyrant Dragon blast away her monster and Shinato take the last of her Life Points!" The monsters did as they were told, and the circle shot above Illarya's head. The blue-ish demonic Illarya took the place of the green-eyed woman, and she became engulfed by shadows. As the duel ended, the Illarya none had seen fell to her knees. Sevanos and Serenity ran over to help her. Raven ran to Kaomi's side.
"She hit the wall pretty hard." Ardrea, who stood with Aura near where Kaomi lay, said.
"Kaomi, are you okay?" Raven cradled her head.
"You win?" Kaomi asked.
"Yeah."
"Then I'm fine. Tired, but fine." Kaomi replied.
"Mission accomplished." Shuyin sighed standing by Lantash.
"Yes. I feel... free now," Lantash replied.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Illarya slowly came to.
"Miss Illarya, what's the last thing you remember?" Serenity asked.
"Umm... Y2K, the ball drop, I was with my friends in Times Square and suddenly... here." She replied.
"Oh, boy." Sevanos sighed, "Do you remember the name Nemesis?"
"No, who are you?" Illarya asked again.
"I'm Sevanos, this is Serenity, and we're part of a group known as the Stars of Destiny. You are missing a few years of memory... What if I told you an essence, a spirit, most likely from ancient Egypt, tried to use your body to take over the world? And that you had formed a group known as the Abyss to help you."
"I'd laugh in your face." She responded.
"We have work to do. We're taking you to our Central Office over in Japan. Is that okay with you?" Sevanos asked.
"Sure. Then can you tell me what the hell is going on?" She looked confused.
"Guys, there's a chopper in this room!" Cid called from just n the other side of a door, "We can use it to get back to the island where the jet is."
"Sounds good Cid." Raven called back.
"Ready to go?" Serenity asked.
"Sure." Illarya struggled to her feet, "Why am I in armor?"
"All in good time, my friend." Sevanos laughed.
Shuyin jumped in the helicopter. "Room for nine plus a pilot. A little convenient."
"Perhaps a reward from the God-King?" Aura smirked, taking her Sword back from Raven.
"Perhaps." Sevanos jumped in the pilot's seat and Serenity jumped in the copilot's seat.
"The... God-King?" Illarya asked.
"Yeah, I know. It sounds plot-heavy to me too." Shuyin smiled, "But Raven and Sevanos gave the God-King of the Primordium a good ol' one-two punch!"
"And what is this thing on my arm?"
"A Duel Disk. You probably don't know the game Duel Monsters, but I would be happy to teach you." Cid offered.
"Okay."
As the helicopter lifted off Raven began to laugh. "The City of Angels at sunset. What a sight."
"Wait, we're in Ls Angeles?" Illarya cocked her head.
"Yes. Err... I'll explain it later." Serenity stretched.
"I love this town!" Raven yelled as the copter soared toward the ocean.