Demon Duelist Legacy 1; The Heretic's Rebirth

"Get ready to burn…by the end of this turn Hokkou…you will die…you will lose…" Rikuo felt a fire burn in his chest. It was a fire that could only come from what he was about to do. ("Forgive me mother…forgive me father…but he has to be stopped.")

Hokkou removed his hood and narrowed his eye. "Death will not stop me. You know that."

"No…this will end it right now!" Rikuo fanned out his hand. "By the end of this turn…by the end of this turn…" His eyes burned brightly in the gloom of the darkness and rain. "…brother, you will die!"

Hokkou started to laugh. "Apep will bring it all to an end. You know this, don't you?"

"We'll see." Rikuo started to reach for a card in his hand, but was sent to the ground as the earth began to shake insanely. "What's going on?"

"It's simple…" Hokkou pointed at Apep. "This place will soon be Apep's…and when it does there will be no way to banish such darkness. This city will forever be plunged into destruction!"

"We'll see about that!" Rikuo slid a card into his disk. "Steel Prism activates when I remove a level seven or higher machine monster from my graveyard." Alexander slid out of his graveyard slot. "I draw three cards and discard one. At the end of this turn I discard my hand." Snapping three cards off of his deck, Rikuo looked at each of them. "I discard Wolf Demon Lord." As the card slid into his graveyard, a card in his hand appeared on the field. "Grasping Shadows activates now! When a dark monster from my hand is sent to the graveyard, this card returns the monster to my hand. Also, I may take one dark monster with the same attack score and add it to my hand!" Grabbing Jinzo from his graveyard, Rikuo flipped both cards over. "Polymerization! Come out now, Steel Wolf General!" (3400/2000) A powerful green-armored samurai resting a giant sword over one shoulder lowered onto the field.

"It's a little too late to send in the cavalry. I've already won." Hokkou sneered. "A hero has no place here."

"There is always a place for a hero." Rikuo sneered back. "But I'm no hero." A card slammed into his disk. "Legendary Weapon-Howling Sword!" The giant green claymore turned into a giant katana burning with blue-white phantom flame. "Steel Wolf General's attack power is increased by 1000 points and then doubled!" (8800/2000)

"I have infinite life points….and Apep cannot be destroyed." Hokkou started to laugh…

"Touch of Death activates from my hand! This card destroys one monster on my field and drains you of 1000 life points." Steel Wolf General shuddered and blew apart.

"Why are you destroying your monsters?" Hokkou, along with the rest of the city, didn't understand what was going on.

Rikuo slammed another card into his disk. "Now, feel the flames of hell! Hell Meteor activates!" Up above the city the darkness was pierced by a tear in the sky. From within it a burning vortex of red and black fire could be seen. "By the effect of Hell Meteor, you take 4000 points of damage!" A giant burning red fireball dropped out of the sky and crashed into Hokkou, lighting the whole city with a hellish red glow.

From within the Hell Meteor, Hokkou snickered. "Such a trifle of pain…don't you have something better?"

The flames of the Hell Meteor were vacuumed into the graveyard slot, leaving the two standing on the now smoldering platform.

"Well Rikuo…you tried your hardest. But apparently you are out of luck, because I am too strong for you." Hokkou waved his hand out to the city. "Now speak your apologies to these humans, right before they all die!"

Screams echoed from the city, as the ground began to tear open. Fire and lava exploded out of the ground, and the sky became darker than dark. It became negative.

"Can't you see the beauty of Apep?" Hokkou turned to look at his baby brother. "Well? Isn't it magnificent?"

Rikuo glanced around at the hellish scene unfolding around him with a jaded eye. "It's all very nice…if that is your sort of…" Then he saw something that ended that line of dark thought.

Down below them both was a huge river of lava, and between two huge expanses of the red-hot liquid rock, there was a small island. And on that island, CJ, Deondre, Allon, Janeam, and Rebecca all worked furiously to put out the fires that were melting the very ground they were standing on.

"This is not right…" Rikuo closed his eyes. "How can you do this to those who are innocent?"

"There are no innocents in this world. You know that…" Hokkou looked down at the lava flows with an anger that surpassed such mortal dangers. "You know that because they died for you…they died to protect you!" His hand snapped up and pointed at Rikuo. "You are no brother of mine any longer!"

"I already knew that…I already knew that I am no longer worthy of the honor of the Amero family. However…" Rikuo glared at him. "Do you think Apep promises to bring them back? Do you think there is such a way to return them to life through destruction?"

"No…there is no way to bring them back. We are but mortals, and are below the notice of our gods. However, I will destroy it all. No one will ever suffer again, because no one will ever experience life! I refuse to live with this dishonor, and I will destroy the whole universe to get rid of it!" Hokkou roared out into the burning city before him. "I hate you all! Why must the world be filled with beings who kill? WHY?" He dropped to his knees. "I will not let this disgrace of a planet exist. Even if I must do the unthinkable, I will end it all."

"Is that what you believe? Is that what you hope for?" Rikuo scoffed. "You want to end it all? The world is full of nothing but disappointment and hatred, right?" He calmed down…and started to laugh. "It's stupid…your purpose is not this. I used to come to you for advice and for comfort…what happened to the brother I loved?"

"He died with out parents." Hokkou wiped at the single line of tears that went down his cheek. "He died when he thought that you were dead as well. I sought to destroy everything so that I wouldn't have to imagine your three dead faces staring at me every day of the rest of my life. Then I learned you were alive, and I became angry. I became angry because Apep had shown me your deception." He stood up and pointed at Rikuo. "And now I'll crush everything you care about, just to let you feel what I still feel to this day! For being so innocent as a child, and for being so loving…for loving me…you had to pay. I will wipe out my past, and then move to the future through Apep!"

"………….." Rikuo stood in silence.

"Sestros was a sick rat…a beast that deserved to be killed. Then I found out that you were his precious little lap dog…his precious little weapon of destruction." Hokkou snarled and bared his fangs. "You killed them, didn't you? You and Sestros…you and that disgusting black shadow of a demon."

Rikuo slowly lifted his head to look at his brother, with tear-filled eyes. "Is that what you think?"

"What else am I supposed to think?" Hokkou roared again. "You betrayed them…you killed them with your own two hands, didn't you?"

"Shut up…"

"You ran the sword that killed them both…you ran the sword through mother's head…"

"Shut up!"

Hokkou stepped a little closer, Apep hissing in anger as well. "You stabbed father through the throat while he slept…"

"Shut up!" Rikuo's eyes began to glow red.

"It was you! Our brother disappeared…did you kill him too?" Hokkou stepped closer. "Well? Who else did you kill that we loved? Did you and your master trample the body of our brother and leave it lost in a valley somewhere, perhaps? Or maybe you simply desecrated him so badly that no one could tell who it originally way?" His single red eyes shimmered in the darkness. "Come on little Rikky, tell your big brother all of your sins."

"SHUT UP!" Rikuo roared out, and a blast of black and red aura exploded from him, sending Hokkou flying back to his side of the field. The shockwave washed over the city, shaking it as a whole for a moment.

Hokkou stared at the aura in amazement as it grew larger and larger. "What is this?"

"My…true…strength…." Rikuo snarled darkly. "I have atoned for my sins! I have slain Sestros! And now brother, I will slay you!" One of the two cards in his hand were snapped up. "I activate the magic card Hellish Rebirth! When Hell Meteor is in the graveyard, along with Steel Wolf General and Howling Sword….I may remove all three of them from the game to special summon a new monster from my deck!" The darkness was parted by another burst of reddish hell light.

As it slowly lowered onto the playing field, the destruction actually seemed to increase in magnitude. It wore armor so ornate it nearly seemed pointless for battle, and in one hand it held a single katana that's blade shimmered with an energy that could only be described as angry.

Rikuo and the monster's eyes reflected the same Hell Meteor black and red. "Howling Hell Knight in attack mode!" (4000/4000) The giant warrior calmly looked at Apep. Then it lifted its sword up and pointed the blade at the huge dark god. "This is the end for you, Hokkou! Go Sword of Hell Meteor!" The warrior dove towards the hissing god.

"You fool…Apep cannot be defeated in such a manner!" Apep's jaws clamped around the blade, unaffected by the burning red energy. "It cannot be destroyed as a result of battle!"

Rikuo roared in anger. "I said attack! Sword of Hell Meteor!" Echoing the roar, the warrior pushed against the stronger snake with all of its might. Then with a echoing scream, the Howling Hell Knight was destroyed.

Hokkou started to laugh. "You think to fight the ultimate darkness with your pitiful mortal anger?"

"Quickplay magic card activate!" Rikuo slammed his last card into the magic/trap slot of his disk. "Celestial Guidance activates when Howling Hell Knight is destroyed as a result of battle!" The wolf demon's angered eyes faded, revealing a slight amusement. "Let's see your darkness hold this off." Then the light-switch for the world was flicked, and everything was bathed in holy white light.

Hokkou covered his eyes, blinded by the sheer strength and suddenness of the light. "What's going on?"

"Revive, my knight." Rikuo pointed up at the sky. "Emerge from the heavens in your true form!" A glowing humanoid form lowered down onto the field. It wore a helmet of gold and white, with matching armor that seemed to radiate and amplify the already blinding amount of light being shed upon the city. In one hand it held a shield, and in the other hand it held a shimmering katana with a blade of pure gold light. "Howl, Celestial Wolf Knight!" Opening its golden eyes, the knight tilted back it head and howled. A shockwave ripped across the landscape, restoring everything to normal in one flash.

------------

Rebecca slowly stood up, her face dirty with ash. All around her, little motes of light lifted into the air. "Did we die? Are we in heaven?"

Deondre stood up and looked up at the shining form that stood above the city like a beacon of hope. "No…but I think heaven just came to us."

Everyone else in the whole city stood in complete awe.

--------------

Rikuo stood tall, his body shimmering as the lifting motes of light entered the body of the Celestial Wolf Knight and his own form.

Hokkou roared in anger. "Die! Apep; Destroyer of all…" The giant snake reared back, ready to smother the much smaller monster with its body. "And I'll kill you myself!" His feet left the ground, and the snake struck.

Rikuo's hand snapped up and grabbed Hokkou's wrist with ease, snapping it to the side and sending the whole demon attached to it flying off in a different direction. "Shine, Celestial Wolf Knight!"

The golden warrior snapped its shield up and a wall of light appeared right in front of Apep's head. With an echoing crash, the evil god avatar was flattened against the solid energy instantly.

Hokkou stumbled to his feet and drew his staff up, a ball of red energy at the head. "Don't get cocky!" The ball turned into a wave that swallowed up Rikuo.

Casually, the wolf demon strolled out of the red power without a single scratch on him, slowly approaching Hokkou. His eyes shimmered silver-white against the background of complete white behind him. "Call, Celestial Wolf Knight."

The golden demon knight snapped its sword up into the air and the blade shimmered with pure gold energy. A heavenly song filled the air and Apep struggled harder against the impassable wall of light.

Hokkou charged once more. "Apep will crush you! There is no power beyond him!" The staff shimmered and turned into a sword. "And now…" He slammed the blade onto Rikuo's shoulder as hard as he could. "…you will see the truth!"

Rikuo glanced at the sword as it connected with his shoulder. Snapping his right claw up, he grabbed the blade. "Focus, Celestial Wolf Knight." His right claws began to glow with silver energy.

The Celestial Wolf Knight dropped the wall, and Apep shot down to bite as hard as possible on the warrior's right side.

"Burn, Celestial Wolf Knight!" Rikuo's arm tugged and the sword shattered into thousands of bits of metal.

Apep howled in pain as its fangs disintegrated, leaving it writhing in agony.

Hokkou stared at Rikuo for a few moments. "How could this be possible? It's that again? It's that power?"

Rikuo cocked his still-glowing right claw back. "Strike, Celestial Wolf Knight!" His claw slammed right into the center of Hokkou's chest.

(Instant Win) The Celestial Wolf Knight snapped its sword up calmly, and then sheathed the weapon. Letting out a pained hiss, Apep faded away.

Hokkou stared at Rikuo, his blood emptying entirely from his body. "Rikky?"

Both Rikuo and the Celestial Wolf Knight opened their mouths. "May you find peace in heaven, dark one."

Hokkou's eyes slowly closed. ("I see…maybe I could finally…feel…free.") His body began to smoke. "Please, cleanse the darkness completely…let no piece of this nightmare that was me remain in the world…"

Rikuo felt tears stream down his cheeks. "As you wish….brother." There was a flash of light, and Hokkou was gone.

Heretic- 0

Rikuo- Instant Win

---------------

Rikuo stumbled out of the Luxor, his eyes closed. ("Hokkou…you blamed me for it? Did you think that is what I did?") Even as Daniel's friends began to approach him, he simply sank into the darkness of the boy's mind, letting their collective body collapse to the cold ground.

-------------------

I have lost my way long ago. I died thinking only of revenge, and not the right kind of revenge either. No matter what I believe of myself, I know that I'll never fill the shoes left in the wake of Hokkou.

Before he left to explore the world, he was the anti-demon of our family. There was no anger, hatred, or feral instinct within him. He was a devout believer in peace, and to think that he was the one to fall to darkness the hardest makes me wonder at what point in time will I become the next Sestros. When will the Torture King's methods show in my heart? When?

I always wondered what was wrong with me. Ever since I was a child, there was always something dark about me. And yet to think that I was the holy hand that delivered the blow against my 'evil' brother is a perversity that I almost cannot fathom. He was the holy man, and I was the darkness. And yet in the end it all turned around…

However, his words echo in my head. Once, when we were much younger, he told me that the best way to save the world was to show it the right way of living through action.

I never was a hero. If anything, I'm the anti-hero. However, that won't stop me. Brother, for you I will become the example of right. I will show this world that everything we believed in as children was not wrong.

Hokkou Amero, I didn't kill them. Yet at the same time I simply stood by and let it happen. Perhaps I will never fully repay the world for that stupid mistake, but I will work for that penance. I will achieve that which you had, and that which I believe you regained.

Brother, I will be the hero you wanted to show the world.

----

Let the credits roll.