Author's Notes: He's Trogdor, Trogdor, Trogdor the Burninator! Burninating the countryside, burninating the peasants! TROGDOR!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Two Souls Beating In Tandem

D'harim inspect Kai for several seconds before drawing his card for the turn. Satisfied with what he saw, he nodded and drew. "Yes, I've decided. You are more than half-dead. I doubt you'll last more than another turn. I'm impressed you've lasted this long."

He saw the glares of the three watching the duel, but he didn't care. He was enjoying the look on Kai's face, seeing the muscles in his body convulse as he experienced different levels and types of pain. By now he was sure that Kai knew nothing but the pain. 'Nothing is so joyous as suffering. I wonder if he's learned that lesson yet, or if he's too far gone to know anything at all.'

The electricity's flow ceased, as did the torture, leaving Kai's life points at an unimpressive one thousand. All four others present had their trains of thought cut off when they noticed something rather peculiar. There was absolute no motion from Kai at all. "Has it happened already?"

The dark knight approached and lifted his arm up to Kai. His fingers pressed up against the side of the other duelist's neck, and he paused for several seconds there. Then he leaned his head up against Kai's chest, and passed a hand in front of his mouth and nose.

Within the darkness, Dalin, Kirani, and Hikari all waited with baited breath. This was the moment of truth. And now D'harim was turning to look directly at them, and his blank eyes seemed all the more horrible because of the situation.

"I was right. He's more than half-dead. He's all-dead."

Kirani closed her eyes and turned away, while Hikari cast her eyes to the ground. Both of them were upset to see Kai's end. Dalin on the other hand was staring straight at Kai, his eyes unreadable. "Sumatin, this duel is essentially over, but I always like to finish my duels even if the opponent dies. So once I've finished this up, you're next."

"Do as you wish." Dalin folded his arms and closed his eyes, awaiting what was to come next. D'harim smirked and snapped a card off the top of his deck, giving him two cards in his hand.

"I'd like to discover exactly what would have happened had you been allowed to try for a top deck. So I refuse to sacrifice my next battle phase, thereby destroying my Cross of Lightning instantly." He snapped his fingers and watched in amusement as the giant cross faded away. Kai's body collapsed to the ground without the cross holding him up. Now he truly looked like a corpse, lying broken and still.

"Of course my battle phase is still forfeited this turn, but that's all. There will be a single draw, and then the duel will be over. I cannot be defeated by any opponent, it's that simple. In a short time you will be my prey Sumatin." He cast a glance at Dalin, and to his surprise saw a faint silver glow around the duelist. He could feel power coming off of him in waves.

'This must be his true power. His strength is impressive, perhaps he is the duelist with the power to defeat me. Bah! Nobody has the strength to defeat me, no mortal that is.' He turned away and folded his hand up, ready to continue.

"I end my turn, now let's see what your draw would have been." He trudged over to Kai's prone body, and knelt down. But before he was able to lay his hand on the duelist, a silver barrier rose up around him, and to D'harim's eyes he could see a strange link of energy between Kai's body...and Dalin!

He whirled around and stared at Dalin, not quite certain what was going on. Dalin's eyes snapped open, and they shone with a pure silver light. The four-fingered ring on his right hand was gone, and D'harim could faintly make out a tattoo that had appeared on Dalin's arm bearing the same image. 'The true strength of the Icon of Osiris!'

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Kai groaned and opened his eyes. Everything swam back into focus, and he found himself looking at a long corridor. It was cold and barren, all of the walls were made of lackluster steel. He stood, using the wall as a brace, and then looked around.

As far as he could tell the corridor went on forever, since he could see no end to it in sight. "Where in the world am I?"

"The Path of the Dead. When you reach the end you will find a doorway, go through that and your soul will pass on to whatever it's fate is." Kai turned around and found someone standing behind him strangely in shadows.

"So...I'm dead then? This is the end of all things?" The other person chuckled and Kai could faintly make out the shaking of a head.

"Not the end of all things, just you. Now get moving, I'm sure there are people on the other side waiting for you. In fact, I know for certain that someone is waiting for you down there. You'll be surprised when you find out who?" Then the shadows faded away, and whoever had been there was gone as if they had never been.

"Dead. I suppose it was bound to happen. Well, that guy was right, I should get moving. There's nothing holding me here." Kai took a moment to steady himself, and then started walking. The minutes seemed to pass by in silence in endless numbers as he walked on and on, with no end in sight.

"I wonder if this is really what Hell is. Forever walking towards a goal, but never able to make it." He sighed, and realized that his own question made him think of another question. He didn't know what fate awaited him at the end of this long walk. Where would he be headed?

"Hell is what we make it. But if you surrender now, then you will find yourself in Hell. Only by struggling against such a fate can you make it to true peace." Kai whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. Standing behind him was none other than Dalin.

"Dalin? What are you doing here? What are you talking about?" The other duelist closed his eyes and sighed. He shook his head slightly, and then stepped up so that he was standing directly in front of Kai.

"I'm here because you have a task that is incomplete. I'm here because I have been called onwards by the Icon of Osiris. Someone amongst the dead wishes to speak to you, so I will be the conduit which this person may use." Dalin finished speaking, and then his eyes opened, and to Kai's surprise he saw that they were blue instead of their normal green.

"Kai, it's been a while since we talked. I wish I had gotten a chance to say goodbye, and now I have that chance, a chance to tell you what I should have long ago." Kai felt his breath leave him as he stared into those eyes, heard that voice. The eyes belonged to the same person who that voice belonged to. His father.

"Father? I'm sorry father, I wasn't able to crush those who were responsible for your death and mother's death. I'm a failure." He hung his head, knowing that his words were the truth. He only wished he had been able to muster the strength to accomplish the task he had sworn to accomplish.

"You didn't fail me Kai, you didn't fail your mother either. I don't want you to fail your friends, because they need you. So I have just one message to give you before my time is up and I must return." Kai's father sighed, shaking Dalin's head as he prepared to give his message. He seemed sad.

"Life is most precious. To give up on it, despite your pains, is to give up on the rest of the world. Never give up on the people around you, Kai. Despite what they say and what you feel, they all do respect and care for you. Don't be that last candle to suddenly go out, but be the unshaken light that illuminates the souls of others." Kai's father closed his eyes, and then seconds later they opened revealing green irises instead of blue.

"I hope the message has gotten through. Now you have a choice Kai. Continue onwards to your ultimate death without completing your task, or get one last chance. I cannot bring you back for good, but I can give you one final chance. Fifteen minutes is all I can offer. What is your choice?" Dalin extended his hand, waiting for Kai's response.

Kai looked at the extended hand, and then down at his own. Then he made his choice.

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D'harim stepped backwards slightly as the glow that had been covering Kai shattered, revealing the duelist within. Kai was now standing at his full height, staring straight at D'harim with a confident look in his eyes and his body completely unharmed. "Impossible!"

"Mostly you're right. I have just one chance to defeat you, fifteen minutes is my window, and I will win! Time for me to draw!" He pulled the card free, and kept his eyes closed, gritting his teeth as another unspeakable torture was acted upon Breaker the Magical Warrior. Furthermore he lost half of his remaining life points. (KLP: 500)

Then he slid five cards off his deck, leaving it at significantly reduced size thanks to Hangman's Noose. He flipped up his card, and held it out so that D'harim could see it. "This power, unleashed in honor of my father and mother who died because of people like you. This is my true power!"

White light burned away the darkness that was surrounding them, and a symbol in kanji appeared on Kai's forehead. Dalin smiled slightly at this, and Kirani looked on in shock and recognition at what this symbol meant. "A Heart of Man..."

"I activate Heart of Soul! Its first effect activates, and each player draws one card! If we can activate that card we do so immediately, but if not that card goes to the cemetery." Kai and D'harim's hands dropped to their decks and they drew. D'harim grimaced and slid his card into the graveyard.

"I've been granted Pot of Greed, so I draw two cards!" He slipped another two cards off his deck, and flipped them up so that he could see them. Immediately he slapped on of the two onto his duel disk, and a familiar white and green armored form appeared, teal hair and all.

"Silent Swordsman(1000/1000) will be my weapon! His power increases with the passage of time, and soon he will go from child to mighty adult. By the time that happens I will be ready to crush you." D'harim smirked and motioned for Kai to come and get him.

"Your small fry monster may get stronger with time, but you don't have time. I'll crush you in my next turn, and even if that fails you'll lose all your life points next turn. Unless of course you think that one card can save you." Kai shook his head, and D'harim smirked again, seeing his victory at hand.

"One card won't grant me victory, but it will put me on the right track. Go, Mystic Moon Dial! This magic card advances the turn count by three, and then allows each player to draw two cards. Thanks to the passage of time I get to introduce you to Silent Swordsman Level 3(2500/1000)!" A more adult version of the swordsman now stood in front of him, sword hung over his shoulder. D'harim grimaced, seeing the swordsman nearly as powerful as his strongest monster.

Both duelists drew two cards, giving Kai two cards and D'harim four. D'harim smirked, looking pleased with the cards he had drawn. "With these cards it shouldn't be too difficult to finish you off next turn. So get on with it."

"Time is my enemy right now, but it's also yours. So I activate a familiar card, Spell Overlap! Using its effect I reactivate Mystic Moon Dial, passing three more turns to create Silent Swordsman Level 6(4000/1000)!" The swordsman was now fully adult, and brimming with power. Not only that but each player was able to draw two more cards.

"I get it, your monster is powerful. But it doesn't matter! You have to attack my General first, and no damage can be done to me when it falls in battle. So are you done or what?" Kai shook his head and took one of the three cards he was holding, and turned it to face D'harim.

"Magic Shard Excavation requires I discard two cards, which I can and will. Then I get to add a magic card from my cemetery to my hand. I return and then activate Mystic Moon Dial!" The field warped, and Silent Swordsman Level 9(5500/1000) slashed his sword in an arc, obviously confident in its power. D'harim rolled his eyes and drew two more cards, while Kai did the same thing. Already D'harim had eight cards in his hand.

"I've found the method to stop myself from losing automatically. I activate Heavy Storm, destroying every magic and trap card on the field!" A powerful gust of wind swept away each of D'harim's cards, including the Torture Rack. Breaker remained out of play, but that wasn't a problem. Now Kai couldn't lose from that effect.

"I can't defeat you in this turn, but I will move forwards. My monster attacks with Sword of Silence Level Nine!" The mighty warrior slashed apart Death Knight General with paltry ease, but D'harim's life points remained the same thanks to the General's special ability. D'harim rolled his eyes and held up his hand of eight cards.

"While it was very impressive of you to make your monster that strong so quickly, it didn't really help. I have eight cards in my hand, and I'll have nine next turn. You can't possibly stop all of these cards with that one card in your hand and your Silent Swordsman." Kai smirked in response and slid the card into his duel disk.

"I can and I just have. Hand Obliteration cannot be activated unless it's the last card in my hand, and it is. Now you must discard your entire hand!" D'harim clenched his fists in frustration and shoved his hand of eight cards into the cemetery slot of his Duel Pod. Now neither duelist had a single card in their hand to work with.

D'harim sneered and snapped a new card off his deck, before snapping his fingers. "It's completely useless! Sooner or later I'll draw a card that can obliterate your last life points. Until then I use Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) to revive Death Knight General(2500/1900). I'll also shuffle a card from my cemetery back into my deck." His General reappeared, and then he used the Duel Pod's auto-shuffler to shuffle up his deck.

"Just in case I'll shift Death Knight Reaper(1800/1600) and Death Knight Priest(1000/1000) into defense mode. Back to you Kai. And if I've counted right you only have around ten minutes left." Kai nodded and drew swiftly, knowing his time was running out fast.

"Go, Hand Rebirth!" D'harim dumped his single card into the grave, and then both duelists drew brand new hands of five cards. Kai looked over his shoulder, and seemed to nod to something. D'harim's eyes widened when the light around Kai pulsed, and the darkness around D'harim pulsed in response to that.

"I've just learned another special ability. Shattering of the Soul requires I discard a card from my hand to activate, and then I can remove a monster on the opponent's field from the game. So I remove Death Knight General from play!" The general cried out and vanished in a flash.

"Now your monsters aren't protected. Silent Swordsman Level 10(6000/1000), attack the Death Knight Paladin! Sword of Silence Level Ten!" Silent Swordsman jumped straight forwards, swinging his massive sword in an arc towards the Paladin's head. At the last moment an undead creature in light mail jumped out and was slashed in half.

D'harim slid two cards off the top of his deck and shook his head in amusement. "Had you already forgotten about my Death Knight Page(400/1400)? All I had to do was special summon it from my deck and I blocked your attack and got to draw two cards. Yet again a wasted move."

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. We'll find out next turn. Set two cards face down and a monster in defense mode. End turn." That left him with one card in his hand, while once again D'harim had quite a few. However, Kai had a plan in mind, even if he didn't have much time left to implement it.

The moment that D'harim drew, Kai discard his last card into the cemetery. "Hold it right there D'harim! I activate the ability Soul of the Dead! By discarding a card from my hand I can play one card from my cemetery, and I play Hand Obliteration!"

The dark knight of order snarled in annoyance and sent his entire hand to the cemetery, once again leaving him nothing to work with. "You can't stop my Death Knights so easily! Death Knight General returns thanks to the effect of my Death Knight Paladin, and a card returns to my deck!"

'I'm certain that he returned Death Knight Page to his deck. So I have to find a way to make more than one deadly attack, otherwise I won't accomplish anything. I'm running out of time too fast, so I have to finish this as soon as possible!' D'harim folded his arms, waiting for Kai to take his own turn. He had nothing really that he could work with.

He drew, and then slid the new card into the graveyard. "This time I'll prevent you from bringing back your monsters by using Shattering of the Soul on your Death Knight Paladin!" The paladin shattered into nothingness, and D'harim scowled in frustration at seeing his primary monster gone.

"Now I flip my face down monster, Magician of Faith(300/300) whose special ability returns a magic card from my cemetery to my hand!" A spellcaster with purple hair shimmered into view and handed Kai a card. He took it and then held it up over his head.

"Hand Rebirth works for me once more! So let's both draw new hands!" He snapped five cards off his deck, and then after a quick review of his cards, he knew what he could best do. With deliberation he was able to choose a card in his hand and he discarded it.

"For the second time in this duel I'll use my Heart of Soul's ability initial ability. We must both draw the top card of our deck and activate it if we can. So I draw!" They both did so, and when he drew his card D'harim couldn't help but grimace in irritation.

"The card I drew was Death Knight Offering, which requires me to sacrifice all Death Knights on my field. Then I get to shuffle a number of cards from my cemetery into my deck equal to the total level of my monsters. That means my cemetery except for those knights and Deaht Knight Offering return." The knights shattered, and D'harim's deck returned to just about its full size.

"Your luck may be bad D'harim, but mine isn't. Birth of a Breaker is my card, which lets me instantly special summon a monster with 'Breaker' in it's title from my deck, so long as it's level four or lower." A blue armored warrior with a deadly sword with a glowing jewel at the base stepped out from a card and next to Silent Swordsman Level 11(6500/1000).

"This is Effect Breaker(1900/1000). Since he was a special summon he won't remain there on his own for very long. I activate the magic card Cost Down, which requires a discard to activate and then lowers the level of all monsters in my hand by two." He held up his discard, revealing a Repayment of Losses.

"Now I sacrifice Effect Breaker to summon Light Magician(2500/2100). With a clear field, I think I know what to do. Light Magician, attack D'harim directly!" The white robed opposite of Dark Magician raised his staff and fired off a beam of white light. The light struck D'harim in the chest and he stumbled backwards. (DLP: 1500)

"I...I actually took damage? From a small fry duelist like you? This shouldn't be possible!" Kai closed his eyes and thrust out his hand, like he was punching at D'harim.

"Maybe it shouldn't, but right now I don't care what's possible or not. Sword of Silence Level Eleven!" His swordsman attacked, and just like before slashed straight through the Death Knight Page that appeared to block the attack. Although its effort to defeat D'harim had failed, the Silent Swordsman seemed satisfied. After all, the path was still clear. D'harim felt his hand shake slightly, knowing that he was now completely open. He got to draw two cards, but that wouldn't help him right now.

"You're still wide open D'harim! Magician of Faith, Strike of the Faithful!" The female spellcaster charged forwards and brought her staff down on D'harim's shoulder. He grunted, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Magician of Faith smiled at Kai, and he smiled gratefully at her. The damage wasn't great, but every bit helped. (DLP: 1200)

"My turn is over. Your turn D'harim." The dark knight of order snarled, frustrated by Kai's confidence. But he knew that right now it was well founded. Kai had control of the field and D'harim had virtually nothing but a good sized hand.

"Your efforts were good, but not enough! I activate Paladin Unleashed, which summons Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) from wherever it is, even out of play! Then I use Death Knight Paladin to return Death Knight Page to my deck and revive Death Knight Warlord!" The two knights rode out onto the field, giving D'harim an attack force to work with.

"I attack your puny little Magician of Faith with my Death Knight Paladin!" The Paladin charged straight after his magician, who cowered in terror as the powerful undead creature charged towards her. Kai was ready though, and one of his two face down cards flipped up.

"I play Mechanical Magic Mirror, and reflect Death Knight Offering! Now your monsters are gone!" The two monsters burst into tiny little pieces, leaving D'harim with no monsters to work with and unable to complete his attack. That meant Magician of Faith was safe for the time being.

"I'm not out yet! I discard a card from the top of my deck and revive Death Knight Paladin, then use his effect to revive Death Knight Warlord and return Death Knight Offering to my deck." Once again the two monsters stood at the ready, awaiting D'harim's every command.

"Two cards face down, and a monster in defense mode. Then it's your turn Kai." His three cards appeared before him, and then his turn was done. Kai nodded and drew, giving him four cards, the same number that D'harim was holding.

He slid the card into the cemetery, and then pointed at Death Knight Paladin. "Shattering of the Soul!" The paladin cried out, and then faded away. D'harim didn't react at all this time, because he knew that it had been coming. He had anticipated it.

"Since I've drawn I activate Magic Hourglass! This lets me draw till I hold five cards, and one turn passes for each card I draw. Since I drew three cards, three turns pass, and my monster becomes Silent Swordsman Level 15(8500/1000)!" His monster radiated absolute power with its enormous strength, and was ready to blow away any monster that he attacked.

"While Light Magician is on the field the level of a Dark Magician in my hand is reduced by one, and when a Dark Magician is on the field my Light Magician in my hand has its level reduced by one. Thanks to that the Dark Magician I have in my hand is a level six!" He slapped the card down, and Magician of Faith faded away. Then the purple robed magician formed.

"Now, I have Light Magician(2500/2100), Dark Magician(2500/2100), and Silent Swordsman Level 15(8500/1000)! Sword of Silence Level Fifteen!" A massive wave of energy shot out of the warrior's sword, and connected with the Page that appeared out of nowhere. The attack was negated and D'harim got to draw two cards.

"You've fallen into my trap Kai Kaethen! Face down card open, Pyre of the Undying Knights! This destroys a monster that just killed a Death Knight and instantly ends your battle phase!" Kai grimaced as a wave of darkness swept over his strongest monster and blew it away, leaving him with just his two weaker magicians.

"That's not all! I activate Unleashed Darkness of the Lost, which can only be used when a monster is destroyed by an effect. I gain half that monster's attack points as life points!" Darkness flowed from the spot of the destroyed monster into D'harim's duel disk. Kai sighed, realizing that all his hard work had been done away with in one swift move. (DLP: 5450)

"I set two magic or trap cards face down. That's all I can do." He closed his eyes and awaited D'harim's next move. He didn't have much he could do at the current moment as he was at a slight disadvantage. He was also almost completely out of time. He was pretty sure he was nearing the five minute marker.

D'harim drew, and then burst out laughing. "You just can't keep a good monster down! I activate Paladin Unleashed, and bring back Death Knight Paladin! I'll use his effect to return Death Knight Page to my deck, but that's all I can do as I no longer have any monsters in my cemetery."

"Now, it's time to end this duel. Go, Black Wind of Death! Blow away his oldest face down card!" A black wind roared across the field, heading straight towards the face down card. Kirani grimaced, knowing that Black Wind of Death could not have its activation negated, which meant Kai was finished.

"Normal cards can't stop Black Wind of Death, but this card can! Go, Spell Diffusion! This card negates the effect of one magic card, and since I'm only negating the effect and not the activation it succeeds!" The wind faded away, leaving Kai safe for the moment.

"I'm not done by far! I can crush you with my Death Knight Warlord and his effect! Attack the Dark Magician!" The Warlord charged forwards and slashed his blade down upon the Dark Magician. But at the last second a glowing barrier appeared.

"My Prismatic Reflection Seal negates your attack and destroys all face-up cards on your field at a cost of one thousand life points! I'll also chain with Poison of the Old Man to gain twelve hundred life points!" The Paladin and the Warlord both were blown away by the reflected attack, leaving D'harim's field completely empty. It also left Kai with just his two magicians as his weapons. (KLP: 700)

"You saved yourself there, but it's hardly done. I discard from the top of my deck and revive Death Knight Paladin, and then with his effect I revive the Warlord. Now I set two cards face down and end my turn." Kai nodded and drew, aware that his time was slipping away like grains in an hourglass.

The moment he drew, one of D'harim's face down cards shattered into pieces. "If you're going to use your Heart card, then I'll use mine. By sacrificing one card on my field I can seal one effect for the rest of the duel. So I seal the Shattering of the Soul ability."

Kai nodded, and glanced down at the card he had drawn. He smiled and looked back at Dalin. "I'm fine with that. Now, I activate Polymerization, and fuse together Dark Magician and Light Magician into Supreme Magical Paladin(3000/3000)!" A vortex brought the two monsters together, and then in the same spot was revealed Kai's new monster.

It was the same fusion monster that Dalin had given him when they first reached America, and it was going to save him right now. Its face and body were exactly like both Dark Magician and Light Magician, only it had gold robes. Also, its staff had a bladed bottom. "When this monster is summoned I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field and one monster."

D'harim threw up an arm to block the spray of particles that came when his remaining set card and his Death Knight Warlord were turned into dust. "Now, it's time I activate one of the ultimate abilities of the Heart of Soul. Soul Fusion!"

He discarded a card, and then light connected both him and the Paladin. When the light cleared, he was wearing golden robes and wielded the same weapon. But his chest bore the kanji for soul. "I have become Soul Paladin(3700/3700)! And my initial effect is the same as Supreme Magical Paladin's!"

He pointed his weapon at Death Knight Paladin, and it shattered into a million pieces, leaving D'harim open for an attack. "Time for me to attack!" He jumped straight at D'harim, but only managed to slice in half the Death Knight Page that appeared.

"I anticipated that. Now I discard a card to allow myself to attack a second time during this time! Soul Saber Strike!" He brought the bladed end down across D'harim's chest and blew the knight away. He skidded across the ground and finally stopped about fifteen feet away. (DLP: 1750)

D'harim snarled and jumped back up to his feet, instantly snapping a card off the top of his deck. It was his turn to unleash his power, and now everything was in place. "I was hoping you were the carrier of the Heart of Soul, as this was the moment I was waiting for. Allow me to show you how!"

Death Knight Paladin rose onto the field as he discarded the top card of his deck, and then Death Knight Warlord appeared as well. He also returned a card to his deck from the cemetery. Kai narrowed his eyes, unsure of what D'harim was talking about. "I play Effect Imitation, and discard two cards from my hand!"

A wave of darkness swept around Death Knight Paladin and D'harim, and Kai's eyes widened in surprise as he felt that the energy within was so similar to his own right now. "No...it can't be!"

The darkness drifted aside, and revealed the Death Knight Paladin. Nothing seemed to have changed about it, but D'harim was nowhere to be seen and the Death Knight Paladin was smirking in a familiar manner. "This is the moment I've waited for, my true birth in the realm of the living! Witness the unleashed power of D'harim-Death Knight Paladin(4050/3950)!"

D'harim marched his horse in a circle around the Death Knight Warlord, a sickening smirk plastered on his features. "All these years of effort, and now my goal is achieved. I knew that by serving Eikyuu I would get this chance. When his priests used an ancient ritual to place my soul in the body of a powerful warrior, I had made the first step by becoming the first Death Knight ever to walk in the mortal realm!"

"Now with the help of the Heart of Soul I have been born in the realm of the living in my true form. You see, the story I told about the Death Knights was true, and I am the greatest Paladin of the army of the Death Knights. My efforts will allow the Death Knights to ride forth into this realm, and conquer the world of the living just as we have taken the land of the dead!" All of the other duelists grimaced, realizing that this fellow was dead serious. He truly was an undead creature.

"Now I play Death Blade, and sacrifice Death Knight Warlord to increase my stats by two hundred for each of my monster's levels. So now my strength is raised by sixteen hundred!" In his left hand a pitch black blade formed, and the Warlord vanished, sending its energies into the blade.

"When I crush you, this duel will be over. So here I come!" His horse charged forward, and he raised his blade into the air. He slashed down at Kai, but suddenly Kai's form waved, and it split in two. D'harim's blade cut apart the magician form, which was seen as Supreme Magical Paladin.

"One of the other abilities of Heart of Soul let me split myself from the fusion at a cost of one card from my hand, but it only lasts for one turn. So I was able to save myself by bringing out Supreme Magical Paladin in defense mode." Just as he said, his hand was empty. He was also breathing heavily, the effort of using all these abilities draining him fast, especially as his time was nearly up.

"I'm not bothered. When I destroy a monster it is removed from the game, and I gain one hundred points for each of its levels. Since your paladin was a level eight, my attack and defense points increase by eight hundred!" A white wisp that was obviously a soul flew up and into the blood ruby at the bottom of D'harim's regular blade, boosting his power. Not that he really needed it that much.

"Take your last pathetic turn Kai Kaethen. I thank you for unleashing me into this world, but I have to kill you anyways. Feel happy that soon the entire world will be that of the dead, so you won't be alone!" He laughed long and hard, amused by his own success. He knew that there was no way to stop him now, knew that Kai couldn't defeat him.

Kai drew as fast as he could, because he was just now reaching the one minute point. He had to finish this in a minute or he would be finished for good, he would have failed. The robes formed around him, and once again he was the Soul Paladin(3700/3700). "I'm ready D'harim. I know exactly what I need to do."

D'harim arched an eyebrow, an amused grin on his face. "Is that so? What can you possibly do to defeat me?"

"The Heart of Soul is letting me feel something. From within that armor I can now feel a soul beating in tandem with my own, telling me what to do next. That soul that beats in tandem with my own, that soul isn't yours!" He screamed his challenge into the air, and then on light feet he practically flew across the field towards D'harim.

"If death is your choice, then I'm more than happy to oblige you! Die Kai Kaethen!" He thumped his thighs against his undead horse, and the horse leapt into action. The two deadly paladins charged towards each other, and D'harim slashed down at Kai, while Kai slashed upwards at D'harim.

They came to a halt several feet away from each other. Kai groaned and collapsed forwards, catching himself with his hands before he fell face first against the ground. The robes that had surrounded him shattered, and faded, leaving him in his regular form. "I did what I had to, I did exactly what was needed."

"You lost, that's what you needed to do? How pathetic!" He started to laugh, but was quickly cut off by a cracking noise. He looked down, and saw the armor on his chest had cracks running through it, and the cracks were spreading.

"When I attacked I activate one final ability. Joint Souls. By discarding a card from my hand I linked us together, so when I as the Soul Paladin was destroyed I took no damage, except my life points were reduced by half. In exchange, the destructor is destroyed as well." D'harim's eyes widened in horror as the cracks spread all the way over his armor, and then it blew apart.

The black particles of the armor that had been the Death Knight Paladin wavered in the air for a few seconds, and then faded away. D'harim's body dropped to the ground, knees hitting hard, and he remained there with his eyes closed for the time being. Kai sighed, knowing that it was over, he had taken his one chance, and he didn't know if it had worked. "End turn."

Kai sighed when he saw that D'harim had just drawn, and he realized that he had failed. All his efforts had been in vain. Without speaking D'harim discarded the top card of his deck and the regular Death Knight Paladin appeared, followed by Death Knight Warlord. Then D'harim slapped a card onto his Duel Pod, and Death Knight Foot Soldier(1700/1200) was summoned.

Kirani grimaced, knowing that this was the end. Kai had no cards on his field or in his hand, while D'harim had three powerful monsters ready to attack. There was no way for Kai to win, and somehow she knew that Kai didn't expect to win. "Go ahead D'harim, finish it. My time is nearly up anyways."

"You know, I always like to know how I could have done in a duel, no matter the outcome. So I guess this means that in the end my victory in this duel was certain. It's really a pity then, isn't it?" He turned to Kai and opened his eyes, a smile on his face. To Kai's surprise the eyes were not devoid of color, and were instead a dark brown.

Each of the duelists looked on in surprise as D'harim placed his hand over his deck. "It really is a pity that victory isn't the sort of thing that I would have wanted. Not in this case, but I do have to thank you. You made the right action, you heard my plea, and you saved me from my own mistake. I am Takuya Shinomori once more." (DLP: 0)

Kai smiled, and then the light faded from his eyes as he collapsed. The life was gone from him, as the fifteen minutes were up. He was gone for good now, dead as he would have been if not for the efforts of Dalin.

Takuya Shinomori, also known as Kensai, approached Kai and pressed his hand against the other duelist's face, shutting his eyes. "I hope that one day we may get a chance to duel again, and that if we do meet in battle it will be an honorable and true duel. I bid thee farewell, and bid thee a swift and happy journey."

He turned around, and found himself face to face with Dalin, Kirani, and Hikari. They were all looking at him questioningly, and finally one of them spoke. It was Kirani. "It's good to have you back. We...we could use your help. We've been running out of allies, and we need you right now."

He turned away, his shoulders slumping. "I've made some bad choices that have caused a lot of people pain, that have ended with the deaths of others. I...I need some time to think. For the moment, you're on your own. Good luck."

Kirani looked like she was about to speak again, but Dalin put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. This was Kensai's time, it was a decision that he hade to make. Nobody else could make it for him or change it. "Until we meet again."

The three duelists turned and started to walk away. As they reached the door to the building, Hikari paused and turned back to look at Kensai. "That kindness that came through towards me, that was you the whole time. Thank you."

Then they were gone.

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Author's Notes: That's the end of the mini-arc I called the Hotel of Death Arc. Funny name, but rather true.

Review Response

VoidTemplar: I happen to like freaky characters. And I'm sure D'harim appreciates your comment. No, literally.

The White Mage: No, not at all. Eikyuu had no influence on the world until he was released.

Time Mage: Don't you just hate when you're partially right? There was a Heart of Man, but Kai is definitely dead. I actually enjoy writing Kai because he's an intriguing character to play around with.

G.O.T. Nick: Yeah...really I got nothing to say here.

WolfGeneral: D'harim isn't exactly a demon. He's more like foreshadowing...

Original Cards(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

D'harim: Death Knight Paladin, Death Knight General, Death Knight Warlord, Death Knight Reaper, Death Knight Priest, Death Knight Page, Death Knight Offering, Paladin Unleashed, Pyre of the Undying Knights, Unleashed Darkness of Loss, Black Wind of Death, Effect Imitation, Death Blade, Death Knight Foot Soldier

Kai: Heart of Soul, Mystic Moon Dial(TM), Spell Overlap(TM), Hand Obliteration, Birth of a Breaker, Effect Breaker, Light Magician(TM), Repayment of Losses, Magic Hourglass(TM), Spell Diffusion, Supreme Magical Paladin