Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh!

"It has begun!" said Judge Komo "The final battle between the two top duellists. Who will emerge victorious and be crowned Duel King? We shall see!"

"I'll go first," said Yami "I set one monster and one card. End turn."

"Don't expect me to go easy on you," said Arrathir "After getting this far, I'm not going down without a fight! I summon Zombie Trailblazer (1000/1000)." A gangly zombie with white hair appeared on the field. "End turn."

"I summon Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000)," said Yami. A stone colossus appeared on the field. "Now, Giant Soldier of Stone, attack!"

"I block with Trailblazer," said Arrathir. The stone giant tore through his zombie.

YAMI: 10, 000
ARRATHIR: 9700

"End turn."

Arrathir drew a card. "I play Tortured Existence." A wooden pole appeared on the field with a skeleton chained to it. "This continuous magic card allows me to discard a creature from my hand to return a creature from my graveyard to my hand. I discard Havoc Demon to return Zombie Trailblazer to my hand. Now I summon Zombie Trailblazer and enchant it with Clutch of Undeath, making it a 2500/2500! Now, Zombie Trailblazer, attack!"

Yami flipped his facedown card over. "You've attacked my Cyber Jar (900/900). When this monster is flip summoned, all monster is play are destroyed." Yami's monster exploded, taking out all other creatures in play. "Next, we take the top five cards of our decks and show them to each other. All monsters with an attack of 2000 or less are special summoned and the rest of the cards go in our hands."

"I have Terror, Corpse Harvester, Balthor the Defiled, Twisted Abomination, and Consume Spirit," said Arrathir. He immediately summoned Corpse Harvester (1500/1500) and Balthor the Defiled (1000/1000).

Yami's hand was Queen's Knight, Card Destruction, Sage's Stone, Mystical Space Typhoon, and Alpha the Magnet Warrior. He summoned Queen's Knight (1500/1600) and Alpha (1400/1700).

"I set one card and end my turn."

"I tribute Alpha to summon Curse of the Dragon (2000/1500)." Yami's two monsters disappeared to be replaced with a brown dragon. "Curse of the Dragon, attack!"

"Not so fast!" said Arrathir "Terror!" Yami's dragon exploded.

"I set one card and end my turn."

"I sacrifice Corpse Harvester and Balthor the Defiled to summon Zombie Brute, and I reveal five zombies from my hand, making him a 5000/4500!"

"I activate Lightforce Sword!" said Yami. A sword flew at Arrathir's hand of cards and pierced his Undead Warchief. "This trap removes a card in your hand from the game for four turns."

"All right, but my Zombie Brute is still a 4500/4000! Zombie, Brute, direct attack!"

"Activate trap," said Yami "Negate Attack."

"End turn," said Arrathir.

"I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800)," said Yami "And I play Tribute to the Doomed. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy a monster in play." Yami pointed at Arrathir's Zombie Brute, which exploded. "I set one card and end my turn."

"I summon Festering Goblin (500/500) and end my turn."

"I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200)," said Yami "Now, Gamma, attack!"

"I block with Festering Goblin," said Arrathir.

YAMI: 10, 000
ARRATHIR: 8700

"Go."

"Excellent," said Arrathir "I play Zombify to return Balthor the Defiled to play. Next, I remove him from the game to return five black creatures from my graveyard to play! I return Havoc Demon (2500/2500), Corpse Harvester (1500/1500), Festering Goblin (500/500), Zombie Trailblazer (1000/1000), and Zombie Brute, revealing three zombies to make it a 4000/3500!"

Yami watched in horror was Arrathir's undead creatures filled his side of the field.

"Face the wrath of my zombie army! Attack!"

"You underestimate me," said Yami "I am disappointed. Mirror Force!" All of Arrathir's zombies were destroyed by the trap card.

"Don't forget," said Arrathir "When Havoc Demon goes into the graveyard, all creatures loose 2500 attack and defense points, so all your creatures die as well. I set one card play Lethal Vapors!" A yellow fog crept onto the field. "Whenever a creature is summoned, this card destroys it. Any player can destroy this card, but to do so, they must skip their next turn. End turn."

"I won't need to skip my turn," said Yami "Thanks to my Mystical Space Typhoon!" Arrathir's card shattered and the mist disappeared off the field. "Now, I summon King's Knight (1600/1400), and I set one card. End turn."

"I summon Dross Prowler (1000/500)," said Arrathir "And I activate my trap card, Terror! End turn."

"I play Monster Reborn to bring my Curse of the Dragon back to the field. Now, Curse of the Dragon, attack!"

YAMI: 10, 000
ARRATHIR: 7700

Lightforce Sword wore off at the beginning of Arrathir' turn and his Undead Warchief returned to his hand.

"I discard Twisted Abomination to return Corpse Harvester to my hand. I play Demon's Horn! Every time I summon a zombie, I gain 500 lifepoints. Next, I summon Corpse Harvester (1500/1500)! Next, I play Zombie Infestation. This card allows me to discard two cards from my hand to place a 1000/1000 zombie token to play. I discard four cards to get two tokens." Two zombies appeared on the field. "Now, I play Consume Spirit on your Curse of the Dragon, dealing 1500 damage to it, and I gain that much life."

YAMI: 10, 000
ARRATHIR: 9700

"Now I attack with Corpse Harvester!" Yami was undefended as the zombie crashed into him.

YAMI: 7500
ARRATHIR: 9700

"This duel's just getting started," said Arrathir. "End turn."

"I set one monster and summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700)," said Yami "Then I play Harpie's Feather Duster." Arrathir put Demon's Horn, Torture Existence, and Zombie Infestation in his graveyard. "End turn."

"I tribute one of my zombie tokens to activate Corpse Harvester's effect. I pull Undead Warchief from my library and I summon it (1500/1000)," said Arrathir "End turn."

"I play Swords of Revealing Light!" said Yami. A group of luminous swords appeared around Arrathir and his creatures "Next, I summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000). End turn."

"I summon Boneknitter (1500/1000)," said Arrathir "And I sack my last zombie token to pull Soulless One from my library. Next, I'll play Handcuffs!" The twin-headed snake appeared and tried up Yami's wrists. "Now you can't set cards or monsters and you can't summon monsters, unless you sacrifice three monster you have in play. I set one card and end my turn."

"I play Card Destruction!" said Yami "We discard our hands and draw the same number of cards we discarded. Next, I activate Dust Tornado, destroying your Handcuffs. Then, I tribute Skilled Dark Magician to summon Dark Magician (2500/2100)! Finally, I flip summon Magician of Faith (100/400) and return Monster Reborn to my hand. End turn."

Arrathir began laughing. "Thanks to your Card Destruction, I can now summon the bringer of your doom!" he pointed to his set card "Reveal card, Necromancy! I return my Soulless One (7500/7000) to play!" Arrathir charged his mana and summoned the zombie avatar into the real world. As the zombie took form, Arrathir changed suddenly. His eyes grew red and a black skull, the symbol of black mana, appeared on his forehead. "Now, face your doom!"

"So, you finally show yourself, mou hitori no Arrathir (the other Arrathir)," said Yami.

"So you knew," said Arrathir "Smart for a little guy. But your smarts won't help you when your swords wear off!"

"Arrathir," said Yami "I know you can hear me! You have to fight him! Regain control of your body!"

"Shut up, wimp!" said Arrathir "End turn!"

"I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards," said Yami "Next, I sacrifice Magician of Faith to summon Beast of Talwar (2400/2150). End turn."

"Last turn for your stupid swords," said Arrathir "I summon Zombie Trailblazer (2000/1500), powering up my Soulless One even more (8000/7500)! I set one card and end my turn."

"I set one card and end my turn," said Yami.

"Not even going to summon anything?" said Arrathir "Fine! I set one card and I attack with Soulless One!" Lightning began to spark from the zombie's fingers. The creature brought its hands together and lightning arced between its hands. The electrical bolts intensified until a gigantic electrical arc flew at Yami. "Now, face the wrath of my Soulless One!" yelled Arrathir.

"I discard Kuriboh (300/200) to negate all battle damage," said Yami "And I activate my quickplay magic card, Spellbinding Circle. Now your monster can't untap!"

"End turn," growled Arrathir.

"I play Monster Reborn!" said Yami "To return Buster Blader (2600/2300). Now I play Polymerization to summon Dark Paladin (2900/2400), and since Curse of the Dragon is in my graveyard, his attack increases by 500 (3400/2400)! Next, I play United We Stand on Dark Paladin, increasing his attack and defence by 800 for each monster I have in play, meaning he's a 5000/4000! Dark Paladin, attack!"

"I block with Corpse Harvester," said Arrathir. The Paladin tore through the zombie, gutting it with its sword.

YAMI: 7500
ARRATHIR: 6700

"I set one card and end my turn," said Yami.

"I summon Festering Goblin (1500/1000)," said Arrathir "This powers up my Soulless One to (8500/8000)! When I find a way to get rid of your Spellbinding Circle, you will die! Next, I activate my magic card, Consume Spirit on you!" Yami fell to his knees as Arrathir's spell drained him of energy.

YAMI: 5000
ARRATHIR: 9200

"Ahh, that feels better," said Arrathir "End turn."

"I play Premature Burial," said Yami "Paying 800 lifepoints to return Dark Magician to play. Now, I sacrifice my three monsters to summon the Sky God of Osiris!" Dark clouds formed over the battlefield, as the red dragon-god appeared, its lower mouth open in a defiant roar. "Now, I play Card of Sanctity. We draw up to six cards and Osiris' attack and defence go up to 6000! Next, I activate Change of Heart to take control of your Trailblazer. Osiris, attack!"

"I block with Festering Goblin, Bone Knitter, and Undead Warchief," said Arrathir "This totals 4500/3000!" Osiris' attack obliterated Arrathir's zombies.

YAMI: 5000
ARRATHIR: 6700

"I set one monster and end my turn."

"Good try," said Arrathir "But I've got more tricks up my sleeve. Activate trap card, Wail of the Nim! This card lets me regenerate the creatures that just died!" All of Arrathir's destroyed zombies re-appeared on the field. "And now, you're wide open for an attack! I attack with Zombie Trailblazer, activating Howl from Beyond to increase his attack to 4500!"

"Activate trap!" said Yami "Magical Cylinder!" The Trailblazer entered one of the tubes and came out the other one, charging at Arrathir. Arrathir grunted in pain as the zombie crashed into him.

YAMI: 5000
ARRATHIR: 2200

"I set two cards and end my turn," said Arrathir.

"You're low on cards," said Yami. Arrathir looked at his library and saw he only had four cards left.

"Well, I'd better end this quickly then," he said.

"I'll be the one finishing this!" said Yami "Raigeki!" A lightning bolt incinerated Arrathir's creatures.

"Fell for it again!" said Arrathir "Reveal card, Wail of the Nim! Thanks to you, my Soulless One is now free from your enchantment!"

"It doesn't matter now," said Yami "I flip summon Spear Cretin (500/500) and I sacrifice it to summon Dark Magician Girl (2300/1700)!" The Dark Magician's female counterpart appeared on the field, did a little pirouette, and flashed a victory sign. "Next, I play Sage's Stone to special summon Dark Magician to the field! Finally, Dedication Through Light and Shadow to summon Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)! I use its effect to bring Swords of Revealing Light back to my hand and I activate it!" The golden swords appeared around Arrathir's monsters again. "End turn."

Arrathir drew, going down to three cards in his library. "It seems we are in a stalemate," he said "As long as my Soulless One in play, you can't attack, and now your stupid swords are preventing me from attacking. I end my turn."

"I set one card and end my turn," said Yami.

Arrathir was down to two cards. "End turn," he said.

"I play Harpie's Feather Duster to remove you traps," said Yami.

"Bit of a waste," said Arrathir, sliding his two traps into his graveyard "Both were Terror, which won't work on your God or your dark monsters."

"End turn."

Arrathir drew his next-to-last card. "Last turn for your swords. Next turn, I'm attacking full out. End turn." The swords around Arrathir's monsters faded and disappeared.

"I set one monster," said Yami "And end my turn."

"My last card serves me well," said Arrathir "But I'll save it for later. First, I attack with Soulless One! "

"I double block your monster with Osiris and Dark Magician of Chaos," said yami "The total is 8800/8600."

"I direct 6000 damage at your God," said Arrathir "And the rest at your other creature." Osiris exploded as well as Arrathir's Soulless One. "Now, Zombie Trailblazer, Festering Goblin, Boneknitter, attack!"

"I block your Trailblazer with my facedown card," said Yami.

YAMI: 1000
ARRATHIR: 2200

"You've lost," said Yami "Next turn, you deck out."

"You think so?" said Arrathir "Wrong! I play Feldon's Cane!" A purple staff appeared on the field. "By removing this artifact from play, my graveyard gets shuffled back into my library!" The cane shattered and Arrathir's graveyard went back into his deck. "End turn."

"I set one card and attack with Dark Magician of Chaos!"

"I block with Undead Warchief," said Arrathir, sounding almost bored.

YAMI: 1000
ARRATHIR: 400

"Go."

"I could finish you off right now," said Arrathir, but I have a better idea. I set one card and play Buried Alive. This card allows me to put three monsters from my deck into my graveyard. Now, I sacrifice my three zombies to summon my second Soulless One (3000/3000). Now, I play Necromancy to bring the Soulless One I put into the graveyard back to play (3000/3000)!"

Yami watched in horror at the twin zombies on Arrathir's field. Arrathir raised his arm to command the attack when suddenly, Khell stumbled onto his platform.

"YOU!" he roared "Why won't you die?"

"I'm not that easy to kill," said Khell " Arrathir! You have to fight him! I know you can do this! Don't let him control you! If you do, you'll see him destroy everything! Your friends, your family, he wants to rule the Multiverse!"

"SHUT UP!" roared Arrathir, knocking Khell back with a powerful blow. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes…" he raised his arm again to order the attack.

Yami held his breath. This was it. The evil in Arrathir's body had taken complete control of him. He closed his eyes, waiting for death, but nothing happened. Opening his eyes, he saw Arrathir clutching his head with a pained look on his face.

"I…won't…let…you!" Arrathir grunted "I won't let you kill my friends!"

"Arrathir?" said Yami.

Just then, the Soulless Ones disappeared form the field in an explosion of mana.

"What happened?" roared the other Arrathir.

"You are not the master of those creatures!" Arrathir yelled, "They would rather die then serve you!"

The situation would have been comical, if it wasn't for the fact that the duellists' lives were in play. Arrathir seemed to be arguing with himself, his voice changing as the spirit and human fought for control.

"End…turn…" Arrathir managed to get out "Attack…now!"

"But you'll be hurt!" said Yami.

"Hurry…don't…know…how…long…keep…control…" said Arrathir.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack!" said Yami. The spellcaster fired a blue beam of magic at Arrathir, dropping his lifepoints to zero.

YAMI: 1000
ARRATHIR: 0

"Yami…thanks," said Arrathir before collapsing.

To be continued…

Author's note: Wow. Another update? So soon after the last? Yep. I already have the rest of this story all written up, I just need to type it up. So expect a few updates in the coming days. I think this story will be done by the end of next week.