Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls

by Time Mage

Set 100 years since Battle City, where a small group must fight to find their fates. Final chapter! Kai and Bakura end their duel and the Battle City Tournament is decided. Epilogue posted! Story ended!

19. Breaking the Habit

And here we go people! Finally, after a great deal of struggle and hardship (Which I've already told many of you about), I've got this beast finished. For those who don't know, the reason is that I had scripted the duel and was well into it when my FlashDrive, which held the only copies of those files, went crazy on me and said the files no longer existed. But, I got back to work, and here it is. It's by far the longest chapter I've ever written, but it is good. This is my way of celebrating my 18 birthday, which will arrive this Saturday, August 6! I'm going out of town for it, though, which is why I'm posting it now.

Alright, I would like to make it common knowledge here and now that the title Breaking the Habit has nothing to do with Linkin Park's song (Even though it is a totally awesome song). The title should become clear to you as you read the chapter. It has several meanings, actually, in that it is referred to in many ways throughout the chapter. See if you can name them all!

Now, onward!

Chapter Nineteen: Breaking the Habit

As his platform darted through the maze behind the walls, Kai's stood with his arms folded in anticipation of the coming match. His new Time monsters had been most effective so far, but their power also intrigued him. Tenken had explained that they were just the beginning. Did that mean that more would emerge as time went on?

Shaking these thoughts aside, Kai began to ponder on a more pressing matter. He didn't know who his next opponent would be. There were six more duelists he could possibly face, but only three of them would actually make it past the first match.

"No doubt Kevin will make it through the quarter finals. True, he's a rather brash young man who's ability to think strategically is less than many other elite duelists, but he does have the cards to pull himself through. Then there's Serena Kaiba. She's a definite possibility, that she is. Then there are the other four. I only got the name of the older one, Katrina Yukimura. Her presence was very strong back when we started, far greater than the other three. Perhaps it will be her."

As his thoughts turned to the young brunette, a disturbing feeling entered his soul. In his mind, he saw for a second a similar looking girl, only much younger. Someone with an equally powerful essence, though less mature. "But I've never met anyone named Katrina. So why am I stirred up like this?"

"Who was that?" he asked aloud, but did not get a chance to think further as his platform ground to a halt and the doors opened, depositing him into the next arena at the same time as his opponent.

'I thought I was moving around for a while. The program that controls the platforms must not be able to make a choice until at least two duelists are prepared.'

To his surprise, Kai looked across the arena floor to find that he was, in fact, facing Katrina Yukimura. With a strong expression on her features, she took her position opposite him, staring him down.

To further Kai's shock, he sensed familiarity behind her glare. It was not that he felt her knew her from the past, but that it was much like his own focused stare, calm and calculative. It was a very eerie feeling indeed, and to further such feelings, Kai was again assaulted by the sensation that this girl before him was similar to someone else he had known.

"Are you ready?" she asked as her Duel Disk clicked into place at the same instant that Kai's did.

"I am." was Kai's response as he drew five cards, while she automatically drew six, signaling that she'd make the first move.

Kai-4000/Katrina-4000

"I place one card face down and then I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600+300/1000), in attack mode!" she called as her face down card appeared before her, followed by the same scarlet robed magic user Kai had used many times throughout his life.

'Breaker?' Kai asked himself. 'At least I now know that I've never met this young woman before. I've never faced anyone who used Breaker against me.'

"That ends my turn, Kai." she concluded, passing the turn to him. Without wasting a moment, Kai drew a card and examined his situation. With a sigh, he made his decision.

"I place one card face down, and summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600+300/1000)!" Kai's field quickly became an exact replica of Katrina's, each with one card face down and each with the same monster on the field. "I end my turn."

'She can't attack me, and I can't attack her, because our monsters are tied and if we ran into one another, we'd spring the others trap. And if I used Breaker's effect, he wouldn't be able to beat her's, and the same if she tried it. A perfect stalemate.'

"I summon Shield Breaker (600/2000+300) in defense mode!" she called as a monster Kai had never seen appeared. It looked almost identical to Beaker the Magical Warrior, only in light brown clothes and squatting behind a broad shield, much larger than that of the original Breaker. "And like his brother, he gains one magic counter, but his defense points get the bonus instead of his attack." she explained.

"Now I'll use Breaker the Magical Warrior's effect to destroy your set card." she began her assault as the crimson clad swordsman swung his sword, firing a crescent wave of light which passed Kai's monster and destroyed his trap card, which revealed itself to be a Negate Attack. "That will end my turn."

'Why did she weaken her monster? Is she trying to pull me into an attack so that she can activate her face down card?' he asked, eyeing the card in question suspiciously. 'No, there has to be more to it. Her other monster, this new Breaker, it must have a special ability. Breaker the Magical Warrior destroys magic and trap cards, but this new one doesn't seem to have such an effect. If it did, then she would have used it instead of her warrior to destroy my trap card. So, what does it do with that magic counter?'

"I can't accomplish anything if I just stand back. Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack her monster now!" he ordered his monster to charge the field, sword raised.

"Shield Breaker, activate your special ability!" Katrina countered. "By sacrificing his magic counter, Shield Breaker will direct your attack to himself now! And he has one hundred more defense points than you have attack points!" Upon her command, the jewel in the center of her monsters shield faded and he leaped in the way of the attack, causing the sword of Kai's Breaker to deflect off to the side of his shield harmlessly.

Kai-3900/Katrina-4000

"Very well, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

Pulling her new card, Katrina began to stare harshly at Kai. And yet, it was not a punishing stare, but was actually filled with something different. Something very kind and gentle, yet at the same time overpowering. It was something which left Kai rather puzzled.

"I summon Apprentice Magician (400/800) in attack mode!" Kai instantly recognized Katrina's new monster, as it was one he had recently added to his deck. A woman in blue clothing and spiked blonde hair appeared, twirling her short staff slightly. "She will produce one magic counter one both of my Breaker's, giving them each three hundred more attack points, and allowing them each to be able to reuse their effects." True to her words, the jewels in her monsters shields began to glow brightly with the restoration of their magical abilities (BMW-1900/1000, SB-600/2300). "Next up is one card face down." Directly in front of her appeared a holographic card image. "Lastly, I'll have Breaker the Magical Warrior once again destroy one of your set cards." With another rush of magic her monster cut through another of Kai's set cards which revealed itself to be a magic card before it exploded.

"You've destroyed my Repayment of Losses." Kai explained, reaching for his deck. "When it is sent to the graveyard, I get to draw one card." Quickly he snapped two cards off of his deck, one for his magic cards effect, the other to start his turn off.

"You were bluffing?" Katrina asked, a hint of shock in her voice. Kai simply nodded and then turned to his cards.

"I summon Steadfast Magician (500/2200) in defense mode." he began, the blue robed mage with his ivory staff appearing, strong as ever. Glancing at his remaining cards, he began to analyze the situation.

'I can't attack her Breaker, because she'll just use Shield Breaker to block me again. I could try and destroy her face down card with my Breaker's effect, but that would leave him vulnerable. Then there's her Apprentice Magician. But she set that card last turn when she summoned it, so it's mostly likely been set to protect her Apprentice Magician. No, wait, she may have been preparing for this a few turns ago, meaning that her older set card could be the real trap. I'll aim for that one.'

"Breaker the Magical Warrior, sacrifice your magic counter to destroy her first set card!" Kai commanded and his monster obeyed, lighting his sword with energy which he used to slash through her card, which revealed itself to be a Shield Spell, a card which would have blocked Kai's attack and increased her Life Points by half of his attacking monsters defense. (BMW-1600) "Breaker, attack her Apprentice Magician now!"

As the red armored magician raised his sword to slash down on the young and weak spellcaster, Katrina's remaining face down card flipped up, and the blonde magician vanished from sight. Once the obstruction was out of the way, Kai could see what card Katrina had used, and he was rather displeased.

"Soul Spell is a quick-play card which replaces one magician on my field with one in my hand." she simply explained, even though it was unnecessary since Kai himself had used the card before. Quickly she chose he monster, which she summoned in defense mode. "You can still attack, if you'd like, Kai." she offered, her voice still firm.

With a nod, Kai made his choice. "Breaker, attack her newest monster!" With a quick slash of his sword, Kai's monster easily cut through the card image, which revealed an old and haggard looking figure hunched over a cauldron. Instantly Kai's Steadfast Magician exploded into dust. "What happened?"

"My monster was Old Vindictive Magician (450/600), who destroys one monster on the field when flipped, so I got rid of the bigger annoyance." Katrina explained as she slipped the card into her Graveyard.

"Perhaps, but you've activated my Steadfast Magicians special ability, so now I can summon a new level four or lower spellcaster from my hand to the field, and I choose my Skilled Light Magician (1900/1700)! I'll then set one card face down and end my turn."

"I'll summon my Spirit Breaker (1600+300/1000) in attack mode!" Katrina's newest monster was identical to the scarlet robed warrior on both players fields, except this one was dressed in navy blue robes. "And through his special ability I'll destroy your set card that you protected last time with your Repayment of Losses!"

"What do you mean by that?' Kai asked bewildered. "Breaker the Magical Warrior is the one who destroys magic and trap cards.'

"Spirit Breaker has the ability to mimic any other Breaker's ability, provided that Breaker is on the field." Katrina explained as her monster slashed through Kai's trap card. (Spirit Breaker-1600) "I'll set two cards face down. My turn is over." she said as she emptied her hand.

"I play Magical Sanctuary!" Kai shouted, activating his magic card. Both duelists pulled their decks free and searched out the magic card they wanted. Placing his new card into his hand, Kai grabbed a different card which he instantly set face down, leaving him with two cards in his hand, one of them being the one he had chosen. "I activate Hand Rebirth!" he shouted, showing the last card in his hand which he had no chosen.

"Now I discard my hand and draw five cards. I was wondering when you'd play that card." she stated with a bemused smirk.

"How did you know that?' Kai asked.

"I know all about you, Kai. Well, maybe not all, but enough. I know what memories haunt your dreams, I know why you're dueling, and so much more."

Kai stood back, thunder-struck. Despite how absurd it sounded to him, he could tell that what she said was true. He could sense it in her tone of voice and the light in her eyes. Despite it all, though, he shook the thought free and continued his turn, pulling five cards for himself. He then pressed a button on his Duel Disk, activating the card he had just set down. A magic card flipped over, revealing the image of a stone table with an angel of gold standing on top of it, light receding from the figurine. "Go Altar of Resurrection! This lets me draw two cards and then activate one card from my graveyard, so I'm going to choose the card I grabbed from my deck and then discard: Treasure of the Guardian Goddess!"

On Kai's field appeared the card he had received out of Tenken's charity. A beautiful woman in a black dress with her hands extended and palms open, confined by the green border to the card. "I'll discard five cards and draw two, leaving me with four! Not only that, but now my Skilled Light Magician has enough magic counters to be sacrificed to call forth my Light Magician (2500/2100) in attack mode!" On Kai's field appeared one of his strongest monsters, which was something he desperately needed at the moment.

"Now I can get past your defenses. But first, I think it's best that I summon Sonic Magician (1600/1800) in attack mode, who then gains one magic counter for every magician on my field, so that's three, himself included! So now, I can activate his special ability to wipe out all of your monsters!"

Raising his wand, Kai's newest magician, dressed in blue robes raised his staff and released a powerful crescent of light which crushed Katrina's entire field of monsters, destroying them all.

"Now my monsters, attack her Life Points directly!" Kai commanded as his two magician's raised their wands while his magical warrior lifted his sword above his head, ready to charge the field. Each of them began to gather energy into his own weapon of choice, preparing for the attack which would end it all. Firing a wave of magical light, the three powerful attacks streaked across the field, crashing into Katrina and lifting a barrier of smoke. Kai stood patiently, hoping that his assault had succeeded. "Did it work?"

"Not only did it not work," a voice called from the smoke. "But you've just undone your last move." The smoke cleared, revealing Katrina standing firm, a trap card lifted up on her field with the picture of a man in teal robes slashing at a shadow. To further Kai's horror, he also found that all three of Katrina's Breaker's were on the field as well.

"But...How?" he stammered.

"You're disappointing me, Kai." she explained, directing his attention to her trap card. "Magic Ruler is a permanent trap card which activates when my field is void of monsters and you attack me. I can instantly sacrifice this card to re-summon my monsters that you just destroyed.' she explained. "And also, since my Shield Breaker was back, I was allowed to sacrifice his magic counter to draw your Light Magician's attack to it. You can't attack me now, because you'd be left open. So, end your turn." Kai simply nodded to her, he having nothing he could do with the three cards which remained in his hand.

"Since the turn has ended, I must now pay one thousand Life Points for my Magic Ruler trap card." Katrina explained as her Life Points began to tick down slightly.

Kai-3900/Katrina-3000

"I summon Monster Breaker (1600+300/1000)!" she declared as a black armored Breaker appeared. "I'll then set one card face down and activate my Fountain of Dreams magic card!" Next to Katrina appeared a simple marble fount with water drizzling over it and then cycling back up to the top. Within the water there seemed to be a limitless number of dots of light, shimmering beneath the surface. "Now I'll sacrifice my Monster Breaker's magic counter to destroy your Light Magician."

"No!" Kai shouted as his white robed sorcerer was destroyed in a shower of pixels of light.

"Now that my monster's attack points have been lowered by sacrificing his counter, I can activate my trap card, Card of Last Will, which will allow me to draw five cards!" With ease she pulled the new cards free, giving her a hand of eight cards, meaning she had to use at least two more this turn, or discard them.

"Since a monster or trap card effect has been triggered, my Fountain of Dreams activates, generating one magic counter to each of my monsters!" (BMW-1900, MB-1900, SB-1900) Involuntarily, Kai took a step back as he realized that she could easily overpower his monsters now. "Next I'll activate my Mystic Fount, another permanent magic card which will hold any extra magic counters I produce. And since I just activated another card, my Fountain of Dreams will generate three more magic counters, but my monsters can't hold them. Therefore, my Mystic Fount will absorb them for now." she explained as a larger pool of water appeared at the base of her Fountain of Dreams, adding an extra layer to the whole, which three dots of light fell into.

"Monster Breaker, destroy Sonic Magician!" With a sweep of his sword, the black armored soldier had cut Kai's blue robed sorcerer to pieces. "Now my Mystic Fount will transmit one of the new magic counters to Monster Breaker, allowing him to destroy your last monster, and then Monster Breaker will receive one more magic counter!" Katrina explained in rapid succession as Kai's Breaker was torn apart by the swift blade of her monster, who instantly regained the power he had just lost. "Also, since I just used a monster effect three times, Fountain of Dreams has generated nine more magic counters, one for each of my monsters."

'Amazing.' Kai marveled to himself. 'She's set up a nearly limitless combination that will generate massive numbers of magic counters each turn. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up. If she keeps on summoning Breaker's, I wont survive because she'll easily rip through my cards.'

"Breaker the Magical Warrior," Katrina brought Kai back to reality as she began her command. "Destroy his last card now!" Swinging his blade down, the red robed paladin who served her destroyed Kai's Magicians Select trap card, which would have been most useful up until she had destroyed his last magician. "And now, three more magic counters will generate to my Mystic Fount, while one of the ones already there will be moved to my Magical Warrior." Kai did some quick calculations, and realized that there were now eleven magic counters in her pond, and it would only grow each time she sacrificed one.

"Now my Breaker's, attack and finish Kai off!" she bid her monsters, each one charging Kai, sword raised.

"I will not allow Breaker to attack me!" Kai shouted, waving a palm over his graveyard, even as Breaker the Magical Warrior slashed his sword over Kai's shoulder. To his surprise, the attack felt partially real, like a really soft pole being struck against his body. Not fatal, but definitely noticeable. His body jerked violently in response to the attack.

Kai-2000/Katrina-3000

Instantly a trap card ejected itself into his hand. "Archmages Judgement activates from my Graveyard when you hit me with a direct attack. It instantly destroys those monsters on your field who have not yet attack me this turn, so say goodby to Spirit Breaker and Monster Breaker!"

"I will not!" Katrina shouted back with a much determination as Kai's voice had had just a moment ago, snatching a card from her hand. "I activate Breaker's Swift Strike to negate your trap card, but my remaining monsters may not attack this turn." The last two monsters paused in their attacks, looked to each other, and then retreated to Katrina's field. Kai looked across the field with as much amazement as he'd ever felt. He'd never known a duelist to bring their cards together so well, except perhaps Tenken. But Katrina seemed to have a certain type of connection with her Breakers, and she also seemed to have a strong will to win the duel. Again he locked eyes with her, and again was overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity. However, that was broken by Katrina's next words.

"I play Sacrifice and Live, giving up eight of the eleven magic counters in my Mystic Font to gain eight hundred Life Points each, so now I gain sixty-four hundred Life Points! Sadly, since it's a magic card that I activated, I don't get any magic counters to replace them, but that's why I left three there."

Kai-2000/Katrina-9400

Kai stared in complete horror at the sight. She now had nearly five times the Life Points he did, and she had complete control over the field.

"Now I set three cards face down, and end my turn." Filling her magic and trap zones, Katrina looked up from her two card hand and fixed Kai with her hard stare, and he was unable to tell if she was trying to bore into his soul, or if she were trying to relay some sort of message to him, or both.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked himself aloud, his fingers frozen in place just above his deck. Then, in his mind he continued to question himself. "Why is it that every play I make, she counters? It's just like Tenken! What is it that gives these people this kind of strength? What do they have that I don't?"

As he thought this, something in his memory snapped! In his minds eye he saw it! Those two hazel eyes and that brunette hair, only on a much younger woman than the one in front of him. Someone from his past. Someone very important to him. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember. Those features were strong in his memories, but the rest was so dim.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Your name is not Katrina Yukimora! You are someone else! Someone I once knew very well!"

"I see that you haven't entirely forgotten about me." she replied, her tone not sarcastic nor bitter, but actually seemingly filled with a sense of relief or brief joy. She lowered her head slightly, hiding her features for a moment, and when she lifted her eyes again, there was a different look about her. She seemed like a child for an instant, full of innocence. That same face full of innocence which Kai had known most of his life.

"Etsu...Akira?" he asked in disbelief, his entire body suddenly shaking with some emotion he was unfamiliar with. He was so overwhelmed with the feeling that he couldn't even think of a way of describing it. All he could do was stare in shock as the memories he had pushed aside came to the forefront.

-Flashback-

"Kai, why do you always carry that card outside of your deck?" the young Etsu Akira asked the juvenile Kai Kaethan. The bi-eyed young man turned to her and then reached into his shirt pocket, producing from it a Duel Monsters card.

"Breaker the Magical Warrior? He's my favorite monster." he said, simply.

"But why?" she persisted.

"Because, I feel that Breaker has a special power." he continued. "Some people would say that because his name is 'Breaker' that he's a destroyer, but I think something completely different." Turning his eyes to meet hers, he grinned. "I think that Breaker can actually repair that which is destroyed. I think he breaks the pride and sorrow around destruction, and so he enables people to overcome the pain and to move on. A sort of healing ability, if you will."

"Wow." was the childish response he received. "So, when bad things happen, Breaker makes them better?"

"Exactly." Kai affirmed. "Breaker is actually a healer."

-Scene Change-

"Kai?" a fifteen year-old Etsu asked meekly as she drew closer to the black-haired duelist, who was kneeling before two graves. He didn't make any notion to acknowledge her approach. "I wish I could say I understand how you feel, but I can't." Still, he did not move. "I'm sure it must be hard, and that you feel like your life's being crushed over and over again, but that doesn't mean you have to just lock the world out and keep mourning over your parents."

"What would you know about that?" he sharply demanded of her, snapping his head around to face her, a look of malice and grief on his face. "What would you know about losing everything?"

"I said I don't, Kai." she whimpered. "I only want to help you feel better. I want you to know that you're not alone, even though you believe you are."

"I've always been destined to be alone." he curtly responded, turning back to the graves. "In school I was shunned because of my outstanding studies. As a Duelist I was excluded because I was too superior. And now, here I am, in front of the graves of the only people who ever loved me." In surprise and pain, Etsu took a step back, but Kai didn't notice, nor did he care that he was ripping into her heart. Spinning about, he raised his voice. "They were all I had left, and now it's all so pointless because they were taken from me! I have nothing! Who am I to love now? All I have been left with is this burning pain and rage!"

"Kai, there are other people around you, trying to reach you, if you'd only look! But you're too narrowminded to realize it." Etsu challenged his words. "Yes, I just said you're narrowminded! Despite your brilliance and accomplishments, you can't see anything."

In surprise, Kai fell silent. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to counter her words.

"Kai, you used to say that there was a way of healing a broken heart. Why were you willing to give that advice then, and then ignore it now?"

"What? You meant this?" he cried, reaching into his pocket and whipping out his Breaker the Magical Warrior card. "It doesn't change anything! I was wrong! No matter how much I wish it with all my being! No matter how desperately I pray! No matter how close to my heart I hold this card, it doesn't change anything! It doesn't bring anyone back, and it doesn't make the fire within me go away!" As if to prove his point, Kai turned the car horizontal and grasped it in both hands. Etsu couldn't believe it! He was going to do what she thought he could never be able to...

"No!" she screamed, snatching the card away from him and checking to make sure there wasn't any damage. Now, without any outlet for his rage, Kai did the only thing he could do: he cried. Right there in the cemetery, with the dark clouds overhead, Kai simply let the tears run.

"Kai..." Etsu sighed, stepping forward so that she was only a few inches away from him. On instinct, she grasped him in a warm embrace. It was not the embrace of a lover, but more so that of a mother or sister comforting a hurt child.

-End Flashback-

"If you can't stop mourning over your parents and return to reality, you'll be crushed by the guilt and pain of them dying!" Etsu shouted to Kai from her end of the field. "Look at you! You may have managed to get over the initial shock of their deaths, but you're still haunted by them, using them as an excuse to keep on fighting! Why can't you simply admit that you can't let go?"

"What are you saying, Etsu?" Kai demanded, though his voice was soft. "Are you saying that...I'm weak?"

"Exactly!" she continued. "What will your pushing everyone away do for them? What are you giving back to your parents? What will you say to them when your spirit meets them after death? That you wouldn't let yourself find happiness because you chose to hang onto guilt and sorrow? That because you couldn't forgive anyone that you made yourself suffer even more?"

"You...You..." Kai was shaken, his eyes wide.

"You've gone through these hard times by blaming everyone around you! You keep saying that it's because of the people you've encountered that you had no choice but to take this road in your life! But that's not true! I've been watching you Kai. I've understood you better than anyone else. I have never been able to sympathize with the torture you put yourself through, but I can still see the world through your eyes. I understand more than you'll ever know about how you feel! You keep saying that you'll win Battle City and that you'll be able to leave that title as a flower on your parents grave, but that's a lie! That goal is simply your way of rationalizing your own frustrations! It's a crutch for your times of weakness!"

"But..." Kai was frozen, memories flooding his mind. Memories of him going out of his way to isolate himself from the world around him. Of his cold and merciless actions as he brutally cut into the hearts of others who would dare approach him with a raised hand of friendship.

"Think about it! Is this what they wanted for you? They're not to blame for all of the efforts you've taken to make yourself miserable!"

"Shut up!" Kai screamed, trembling with anger.

"You're so quick to deny it...You know I'm right."

"I don't want to hear it!" he screamed, grasping his head.

"Why?" Etsu asked. "Do you know how much it hit the rest of the village when your parents died? Do you not realize that you weren't the only one who love your family? Is it that hard to believe that other people may have cared about you, and were forced to sit back and watch in horror as you destroyed yourself? Is that what you're running from?"

"I-" Etsu didn't wait for him to finish this time, and simply cut him off.

"You've let yourself be dragged away from reality! You let time stop with your parents heartbeats, but you've got to let it start again! Before it's too late, you have got to wake up!"

With these words echoing in his ears, Kai's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, eyes clenched shut. Etsu looked on, her eyes full of that righteous fury which had stopped Kai in his tracks. A power so much like the one often found in Kai's own stare. However, quickly her looks softened and eyes filled with a light of compassion.

"Kai..." she sighed, watching him as he struggled with himself.

'What have I been fighting for?' he asked of himself, his own words echoing in his mind along with Etsu's. 'What is it that she's fighting for? Did she come here with the sole intent of trying to get through to me? That doesn't make any sense. I simply cannot understand it. But, I do understand one thing: she's right. I'm sorry, mother, father; I kept thinking I could use you as scapegoats for my frustration and pain. But in the end, I suppose I need to fight for myself. I need to realize that every person is their own master, and must find their own will to battle. No, that can't be right. I must fight because this is not just my own life to live. I must battle so that I can keep going forward for those I have left behind! I must remain alight for those who have fallen into darkness! I am strong, and so I must protect the weak! I am weak, and so I must fight for myself! But that does not mean that I must be alone!'

"Kai..." Etsu sighed, the same way she had back in that graveyard several years before.

To her surprise, he lifted his head, and his eyes shone with a different light than before. Still full of strength and hard with a strong personalized will, yet kind and with a hidden light. Rising to his feet, he held up his Duel Disk, which displayed his few Life Points and absence of cards. However, with a strong sense of spirit, he pulled a new card free, prepared to make his move.

'That's him.' Etsu whispered to herself. 'That's the man I looked up to each day back home, all those years ago. And also, the man I-'

"My move!" Kai declared reaching for his deck once more. However, this time the cards began to glow a bright white, much like they had during his match with Tenken. The difference was that this time was the entire deck was glowing, not just the top few cards. With a new fluidity and calm, he pulled two cards free, giving him a hand of five cards. "Time to restart, Etsu. New cards, new identities, new purpose!" he declared.

"Indeed." she affirmed. "This will be the last time we ever need to battle. Let us resolve the past together!" Kai nodded.

"I summon Chronos-Incarnation of Time (1100/500)!" Kai's new monster was feminine and rather short, wearing pale robes, yet seeming to vibrate with some unseen energy, causing her silver hair to flutter slightly.

"Next up is my Mystic Moon Dial! Time will speed ahead three turns and I can activate one of two effects. This time I'm going to make us both check our third card in our deck-the one we would be drawing in three turns-and if it is a monster of level four or lower, it is instantly summoned. If not, it is placed on top of your deck."

Both duelists fanned their topmost cards in their decks until they felt the third one down within their fingers, which they pulled free and glanced at. Simultaneously they each slapped their cards onto the fields. For Etsu appeared another Breaker, this one in purple robes. Kai's monster, however, was dressed in azure robes and wielded an iron staff.

"Trap Breaker (1600+300/1000)!"

"Envoy of the Archives (1800/1900)!"

"Wait!' Etsu gasped, looking at Kai's field, or, more accurately, his Incarnation of Time monster, who was mumbling something. But that wasn't all, because she seemed slightly older, her hair now extended to past her shoulders.

"Chronos-Incarnation of Time gains 200 attack points each turn. I just made three turns pass for each of us, so that's twelve-hundred more attack points (2300/500)." Kai explained. "Next, because I special summoned Envoy of the Archives, he'll give me a gift from the archives of magical study, meaning I will now receive a magic card randomly chosen from my deck." Kai pulled his deck free and fanned it out with the faces downward. With ease he selected a card, checked it, and then returned his deck to his Duel Disk. "The card I've received is Change of Heart, which I'll use to take Breaker the Magical Warrior!"

From Kai's card launched a woman whose face was split, one side light and happy with golden hair, while the other was shadowed and sneering, an evil glint in her eyes. Flapping her wings, one angelic the other demonic, she took to the air and flew directly into the scarlet armored magician, who spasmed only for an instant before marching over to Kai's field.

"Next I'll sacrifice his magic counter to destroy your Fountain of Dreams!" Kai ordered, his stolen soldiers sword raising in preparation of the attack. "By using his effect, I'll have given you a total of twenty-one magic counters this turn alone, adding them to the three you already had in your Mystic Fount. One of them has moved to your Spirit Breaker, who didn't get a magic counter from his own effect because he was special summoned, so he was instantly charged with one from your Fount. Chronos' effect activated six times, so there's eighteen of the counters, plus three right now. But those will be your last ones, and I have no intention of letting you use many, if any of them. For now, I'll settle for this!" Breaker the Magical Warrior slashed down in the motion which had become standard this duel, this time cutting Etsu's flowing spring to shatter, leaving only the simple basin which was her Mystic Fount, alive with twenty-three points of light.

"Next I'll sacrifice Breaker the Magical Warrior for Tempus-Archmage of Fate (2200/1600)!" Yet another monster appeared on Kai's field, this one in white garments, which consisted of a sort of skirt and a wide length of fabric which had been wrapped around his torso and then draped over his shoulders. His staff was thick and pale, with a small crystal at the head with what looked like stars swirling around within.

"No." Etsu breathed. "Breaker..."

"Poison of the Old Man is my next play, giving me twelve-hundred Life Points and giving Tempus a magic counter!"

Kai-3200/Etsu-9400

Kai only had two cards left, but he now had three monsters on the field and his Magical Sanctuary and Treasure of the Guardian Goddess as well. Etsu, meanwhile, had three cards in her hand, three more Breakers, her Mystic Fount, and three face down cards. It would be rather treacherous for Kai to attack, but if he didn't do something about the Breakers this turn, they'd simple lay waste to his field once more.

"Tempus, attack Monster Breaker now!" Kai shouted. Without hesitation, Kai's new monster leapt into the air and prepared to charge a magical attack as he descended towards Etsu's field.

"Go Magicians Circle!" Etsu shouted as her trap card flipped up and a circular symbol appeared, creating a sort of boundary for the field with symbols underneath the feet of both duelists, emitting an aura of sorts which seemed to freeze time for the monsters on the field, halting Kai's attack and leaving his monster in the air above the field. "Now we each get to special summon a magician from our decks." Etsu explained, although she knew that Kai was well aware of the card's effect. Both players selected their monster, which they then played to the instantly. Etsu's was yet another Breaker, this one dressed in white. Kai's was his purple clad magician who had won the duel with Sakura.

"Spell Breaker (1600+300/1000)!"

"Disintao-Elderly Mage (2300/1700)!"

The two combatants faced each other as the ring around them faded away as its effect resolved. Both now had four monsters on the field, Etsu with her army of Breakers, each one ready to use his effect at a moment notice, reinforced by her Mystic Fount, and Kai with his group of new and exciting magicians of learning and experience who had braved the courses of time.

"Since you're sent me back to my Main Phase, allow me to play this card," Kai stated, choosing one of his two cards. "Pot of Greed!" However, as the holographic image appeared on Kai's field and he was about to draw his cards, the image shattered, stopping his movements and leaving him staring puzzled at the field. Quickly he located the source: Spell Breaker's left leg was forward, his torso bent down slightly, and his sword extended. He merely stood there for a moment more while a dot of light erupted from the well behind him and shot into his sword hilt, returning the magical glow to the blade.

"No Kai, you wont play that card. I haven't yet avenged what you did to my Magical Warrior, so I'm going to lock you down. And with the twenty-one magic counters I have left in my Fount, it will last for some time." Etsu explained, although her voice held no bitterness. In fact, Kai was willing to bet that she was feeling the same way he was. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in some time, but here and now, facing the only friend from his past, he was enjoying a duel.

"I still gain one magic counter from my magic card being activated, which will attach itself to Tempus. And I can still attack this turn as well!" First to power an attack this time was Disintao, who unleashed his attack in the usual wave of light.

"I still have two more set cards left, Kai!" Etsu countered, her face down card closest to her flipping up and an arch of rainbow light appearing above her head, halting Disintao's attack, turning it into a single ball of light which shot into Etsu's Duel Disk. "Mirage Magic blocks your attack and adds those attack points to my Life Points."

Kai-3200/Etsu-11700

"I wont let you get that much power!" Kai shouted, grabbing the last card in his hand, which he slammed into his Duel Disk. The card that appeared showed the image of a pentagram-shaped amulet shattering. "My quick-play card is called Spell Backlash, and it allows me to sacrifice two magic counters on my field to negate one card effect you activate and deal five hundred points of damage to your Life Points!" Instantly, the lights within the crystal atop Tempus' staff vanished from view.

Kai-3200/Etsu-8900

"Of course, Disintao's attack was still negated, since my magic card only cancelled out your life increase, but I still have Tempus-Archmage of Fate!" Again, Tempus jumped into the air and began to ready his attack, aiming for Monster Breaker.

"I'll activate my last face down card!" Etsu called as another of her cards flipped up and revealed another card which Kai recognized. "Magicians Cross will allow Monster Breaker and Spell Breaker to counter attack you this turn with a combined attack power of three thousand!" The grey and the white armored warriors crossed their swords, their magical energies concentrating at the point of intersection and growing. Kai's monster fired a blast of light, which was met by the combined might of the two Breaker's. The combined attack quickly overtook that of Kai's monster, who's body lurched back with the shock. With ease the attack vaporized Kai's monster, not even leaving ashes to fall to the earth.

Kai-2400/Etsu-8900

"You can't get near me, Kai." Etsu laughed. "I've been at full strength from the beginning, but you only now gotten serious. You're too late."

"The old me was too late, Etsu, but now it's never too late now. I am the Guardian of the Gates of Time, and so I transcend normal limitations!" Kai responded, his body starting to flow with power. "And now you've activated one of Tempus-Archmage of Fate's special abilities!" Kai called as a point of light appeared in the air above the arena where his last monster had been destroyed. "When he's destroyed, his twin brother, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny (2200/1600) is summoned to take his place and seek out revenge!" Kai's new monster was dressed exactly the same as Tempus, only in black.

"Oh no..." Etsu uttered, her voice slightly shaken.

"Chronos, avenge your brother! Attack Monster Breaker now!" Just like the one before him, Chronos leapt into the air and prepared his attack. This time there would be nothing to stop it or to save the grey armored warrior, who disappeared in a flash of black light.

Kai-2400/Etsu-8600

"Chronos-Incarnation of Time, attack Spell Breaker!" Raising a hand out to point at the white armored warrior, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Instantly the warrior was surrounded in a pillar of light, and as he stood there he began to age before their eyes, crumbling to dust.

Kai-2400/Etsu-8200

"My turn is over." he declared. He now had the field advantage, but he was out of cards, while Etsu was pulling a fourth into her hand.

"I play Breaker's Stealth Attack." On her field appeared a continuous magic card depicting Breaker the Magical Warrior standing in a crouch with his sword extended forward while a figure behind him grasped its stomach in shock and pain. "I'll also set two cards face down and end my turn."

Drawing two cards, Kai began to ponder his available moves. "First off, since both of our turns have passed, my Incarnation of Time has gained an extra 400 attack points (2700). I set one card face down nd then I'll have my monsters attack!" As one, Disintao, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny, Envoy of the Archives, and Chronos-Incarnation of Time began to unleash their unbridled fury. The attack came in the form of a ball of black light, a wave of white light, a number of lighting bolts in one stream, and a small ball of purple magical energy speeding towards her. A cloud of smoke followed, completely obscuring her from view.

However, when it cleared, Kai was surprised to see two trap cards face up on the field, and two shimmering barriers-one gold and the other silver-overlapping each other in front of her monsters.

"Astral Barrier," Kai noted the gold field of energy which had saved her monsters by directing the damage to her. "And Spirit Barrier." he noted the trap which had saved her from receiving damage since she had monsters on the field. "Good move." he admitted. "Very well, I'll end my turn there."

"I think perhaps I should help us both out. Card of Sanctity!" Etsu called, activating the magic card and allowing them to both draw five cards. With that smirk which was so characteristic of herself and Kai she chose her card and slapped it onto her field. "First off is my Soul Breaker (1600+300/1000)!" Her newest Breaker was dressed in green and stood proudly next to his comrades in purple and navy blue robes.

"What is your plan, Etsu?" Kai asked. He had never dueled her before, as she hadn't been very confident in her skills a few years ago and had refused his challenges. Plus, the fact that he'd never seen or heard of a Breaker deck before, he wasn't sure what to expect. However, she seemed to have picked up on many of his own prized traits in their years growing up together, and he knew she wasn't a fool. She definitely had a plan.

"It's time I finish this duel by using my Life Assault Loop." she explained, motioning to her pool behind her, her face up magic card beside her, and the dark blue and green armored warriors.

"Life Assault Loop?" Kai asked aloud.

"Yes. I have twenty magic counters left in my Mystic Fount." she began to explicate. "With Breaker's Stealth Attack in effect, you'll lose two hundred Life Points each time one of my Breaker's effects activates. And with these two here," she took a second to nod at the two monsters. "Are going deal you quite a bit of damage."

"How is that?"

"Spirit Breaker can mimic the effects of another Breaker on the field. Soul Breaker can mimic a Breaker in my graveyard. So, I'll first have my two Breaker's sacrifice their current counters; Soul Breaker will mimic Monster Breaker while Spirit Breaker mimics Soul Breaker using Monster Breaker's effect. As such, that counts as five Breaker effects going off, dealing you one thousand damage. My Mystic Fount the instantly recharges them, and they'll do it two more times, and I'll be left with sixteen counters in the end."

Four magic counters launched out of the well and dashed into the swords of Etsu's two monsters, each of whom was preparing for their attacks. Instantly their blades were decorated with two dots of light a piece on their weapons as they swung, the force of their attacks launching the four new lights, plus the two from their hilts at Kai all at once. Each counter tore through one of his monsters and continued to him.

"You're not the only one who can rebuke death, Etsu!" Kai called as his lone face down card flipped up. A disc with four arms opened up before him, using it's spinning motion to bat the lights away so that they deflected harmlessly into the ground. "Ring of Defense has protected me here and now."

"Well played." Etsu laughed with a bright smile. "Well, I wont waste any more counters this turn, so I'll set two cards face down and then I'll activate my Effect Economics magic card, which will prevent either of use from needing to pay Life Points for any card effects." she explained as the three cards appeared. "End."

"I do not think playing that card was very wise, Etsu." Kai said, drawing so that he held eight cards. "Not having to pay Life Points will ease my burden greatly, since I was so low." He chose a card. "You may think that destroying my monsters was an accomplishment, but it wasn't. I can recover, all I need is time." He shoved the card into his Duel Disk. "Dark Magic Curtain would normally cost half of my Life Points, but now it's free, so I'll summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100) from my deck to the field." With a flourish the purple clad wizard appeared, ready for battle. "And next is this card, Light Magic Curtain! Like it's dark counterpart, it would normally cost half of my Life Points, but again, your card has prevented that, and so I can now revive my Light Magician (2500/2100)." Kai now had his two strongest base monsters on the field, standing like brothers, back to back.

"But the Magic Curtain cards prevent you from extra summons for the turn." Etsu said in disbelief. "How did you play both in one turn?"

"One of Light Magician's purposes is to make it easier to play with the Dark Magician. Light Magic Curtain specifically states that it can overrule that ruling from the Dark Magic Curtain, meaning I can summon them both this turn, but no further summons this turn. That's why I'm going to play this magic card," he took one of the remaining six cards from his hand. "Mischief of the Goddess Time will speed time ahead one turn, meaning I can once again summon this turn." His next monster was in platinum robes and wielded a golden staff. "Master of the Archives (1900/1200). Since I didn't summon him through my Guardian and Envoy's effect, I wont get the Life Points, but that's hardly my concern. Right now, I want his normal summon ability, which allows me to choose any magic card in my deck and place it in my hand." Within a few seconds, Kai had his card chosen and his deck back in place. "Now, I play my Dark Magic card, which requires that I have a Dark Magician in play in order to activate it, but it'll destroy all of your magic and trap cards, including your Barrier combination!"

The mage raised his stave above his head as dark energy swarmed to it, which it then released, descending on Etsu's cards like a rain of light. The barriers soon crumbled, too weak to stay standing with the number of holes now punctured in them. Her Effect Economics card also disappeared, obliterated by Kai's magic assault, as was her Mystic Fount.

"Dark Magician and Light Magician, attack and destroy her Spirit Breaker and Soul Breaker!" Kai commanded. Both magicians raised their staffs and fired an individual beam of light which struck its target head on, disintegrating them.

At least, that would have been the case, had one of her set cards flipped up. It revealed a group of Breakers standing tall amongst a number of hunched over forms in a dark field. A large ray of light shining over the Breakers, protecting them from the shadows.

"Breaker Light protects my Breakers from being destroyed in battle this turn, after I give up three magic counters, which I will take from my Breakers." Each of the three warriors raised his sword and fired the energy of his own magic counter from the tip into the sky. However, this did come at the cost of weakening each of them to their base stats (1600/1000 x3). The three lights collided in the air above, creating a small explosion and then releasing a pillar of light to surround the three Breakers. In that instant, they seemed to become translucent, and the two magical attacks passed right through.

Kai-2400/Etsu-7000

"I see that you still take damage, though." Kai observed as Etsu's Life Points dropped slightly. "But your monsters aren't safe from my magic cards, and because my Magical Sanctuary is active, I can now play normal magic cards as if they were quick-plays, so my Thousand Knives will now cut your Soul Breaker to ribbons!" In the air al around the Dark Magician appeared a plethora of steel knives, which the magician flung at Etsu's monster with a wave of his wand.

Much to the disgust of the two duelists, it seemed that the new holograms were more advanced than they thought, as they could hear the sound of metal ripping through flesh and bone, and saw the figure keel over in anguish.

Shaking the nausea down, Kai lifted his eyes again to give a command. "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." Kai completed, slipping the cards into his Duel Disk. He now had three monsters on his field, two face up cards, and two face down cards, while Etsu had only her two set cards.

Drawing a third card into her hand, Etsu began to plan. Of course, creating a strategy took a total of about two seconds, as her new card seemed to somehow inspire a great deal of zeal within her.

"I play my field magic card, Breaker Temple!" Behind her rose a large structure of pure white marble. There were two towards with triangular tops, while a high wall surrounded the entire structure and hid further details from their view. Each of the Breakers seemed happy to see this structure appear, their faces lifted up with looks of relief. "This is the home to the Breaker clan and doubles as the school where they learn both the arts of magic and of battle, hence the two towers, each one specializing in one of the two."

"So, what power does your field card give to your Breakers?" Kai asked, much more curious and anxious than he was afraid.

"First, it will grant each of my Breakers an attack increase of three hundred (1900/1000 x2). Next, once during my Main Phase, if a Breaker has no magic counters on him, the Temple's energies will restore that power, as it will right now." From the eastern temple windows launched two bolts of light, each one surging into the blade of a Breaker, further raising their attack points (2200/1000 x2). "And now my Breaker's limit of on magic counters is increased to three which they can hold, rather than just one."

"Truly impressive." Kai marveled. Indeed, this field card had many more powers than his own Gates of Time, and each one was equally deadly when used effectively, as Etsu was doing. "But will that power alone be enough to beat me? I still hold the attack advantage."

"Whether it is or not has yet to be determined." Etsu responded, reciting an old proverb. "For now, I will summon my Breaker Blader (1600+600/1000) in attack mode." Her newest Breaker was the first one to be distinctly different from her others in terms of appearance. Not only was its armor gray, but its sword was finely serrated. "Then, my final magic card is called Breaker Archives, and it instantly sets all Breaker's to their max number of magic counters they can hold, meaning they'll each now hold three counters (2800/1000 x3)." Stepping back in surprise, Kai gasped at the power the three monsters now had. "Now, I'll have each Breaker attack your monsters!"

Each Breaker lifted his sword to attack Kai's monsters. Kai's eyes shifted uneasily towards his set cards. 'I can't use my trap card, since I'm sure that Trap Breaker's effect is just like Spell Breaker's, meaning she could use it to negate it. But, I do have another card I can play.'

Spirit Breaker was the first to hit, cutting Dark Magician in half with a downward slash, the two pieces beginning to fall away from each other just as the image disappeared, thankfully. Kai wasn't sure if he or Etsu was very interested at the moment in seeing the insides of his monster.

Kai-2100/Etsu-7000

"Go face down card!" Kai called. "Magic Field activates once you deal Life Point damage to me, and instantly ends all attacks this turn." he explained as an aura of light began to radiate from him and his monsters. Wiping sweat from his brow, he breathed in deeply. "This is quite the duel, Etsu. I'm sad to say that this is the first one I've enjoyed since I was a little boy. However, we're both running low on cards and energy."

"True." Etsu admitted, stretching a little and taking a few deep breaths. "Which is why I'll have end this soon."

"You underestimate my true power, Etsu. That can be dangerous."

"I don't underestimate you Kai. I didn't say that I would end it here and now, but that it does need to be ended. But I wonder what it is that's making this duel seem to strenuous. Neither of us has receive much of a direct attack, yet we're both starting to feel the effects."

"Do not forget that this is the second consecutive bout we're each facing within a two hour time span. No doubt we both lost a great deal of stamina in our earlier matches."

"True." Etsu nodded. "So let's stop wasting time and breath on talking, and get back to ending this."

"I agree."

"Good, then it's time I accessed the final power of my Temple." Etsu explained. "I sacrifice magic counters to the level of a Breaker in the field plus one, and can then revive it, so I will give up all of Breaker Blader's counters (1900/1000), plus one from Spirit Breaker and one from Trap Breaker (2500/1000 x2) to revive my Monster Breaker (1900+300/1000), who will be considered normal summoned, giving him his base magic counter." The serrated sword released three dots of light, plus one from the dark blue and purple armored Breakers. All five then dashed about in all directions for a moment above their heads before smashing into Etsu's graveyard. A card spat itself out onto the field, and the black armored Breaker appeared.

"Monster Breaker, destroy Light Magician!" Once more, with a wave of his sword, the black armored warrior obliterated Kai's last strong monster. "And now, since it's my second Main Phase, my Temple can generate one magic counter for Monster Breaker, since he hasn't been without a counter this turn. So, I'll have him destroy your Master of the Archives." With ease the platinum robed sorcerer was destroyed, leaving Kai once again without monsters to face Etsu's army. "Turn end."

"I draw!" Kai shouted, pulling two cards free. Indeed, the card Tenken had left him was a most profitable card indeed. "I summon a monster in defense mode and set three cards face down. Turn end." Now both players had no cards in their hand. Kai's magic and trap zone was now full, with only one monster standing as a first defense. Etsu, meanwhile, had no magic or trap cards, except for a lone set card and her Breaker Temple. At first glance, the duel would seem to be in her favor. But anyone who knew Kai's cards would know it was still dead even, regardless of Life Points or attack points.

"I set one card face down, followed by my Breaker Temple generating a counter for both Monster Breaker and Breaker Blader (2200/1000 x2)." From the eastern tower shot two bolts of light which struck the swords of their targets, granting them more power. "Now, Monster Breaker, destroy his monster!" Firing the ever familiar crescent wave of magic, Etsu's monster activated his effect, shattering Kai's monster and the force of the effect carrying through and pushing on Kai's entire body for a second, forcing him to fall onto his back and continue rolling in that direction. "Now my Breaker's will attack and fin-what?" she cut herself off as four lights streamed from the spot where Kai's monster had been, dancing around in the air for an instant before settling down in a straight horizontal line facing Etsu.

Lifting his upper body with his arms, Kai started to explain. "You destroyed my Atom Sorcerer (1000/10000, who has summoned four tokens to the field: Proton Sorcerer (500/500)," a magician in red robes. "Electron Sorcerer (500/500)," blue robes. "Neutron Sorcerer (500/500)," yellow robes. "And Quartz Sorcerer (500/500)." white robes. Pulling his feet under him, Kai began to rise. "I'm safe this turn, because you only have four monsters, and I have four tokens."

"Not quite." Etsu smiled. "Because you haven't seen Breaker Blader's special effect yet. I can remove magic counters from him to allow him an extra attack per counter, meaning I'll have five attack this turn." Kai hung his head.

"First off, Breaker Blader will destroy your Electron and Proton Sorcerers." With great speed and grace the gray armored warrior charged the field and slashed both monsters, destroying them in a manner which would have left a gruesome aftermath had it been real. "And since I sacrificed his magic counter, he lost attack points (1900/1000), allowing me to activate another Card of Last Will to draw five more cards." With zeal she pulled out five more cards and made eye contact with Kai for an instant, revealing in that one instant her feelings.

'Impressive, Etsu.' he commended her mentally. 'You know not to underestimate your opponent. A more foolish player would have ignored their chance to draw cards and simply ran in for the kill. But you're not going to make such a mistake. You're not going to stop, are you. You're determined to take me to my limits and beat me.'

"Now that those tokens have fallen, I can activate their effects. Electron Sorcerer will give me two cards from my deck, while Proton Sorcerer destroys one magic or trap card on your field. So I choose to destroy your face down card." Drawing two cards, Kai watched as Etsu's card exploded, leaving her somewhat dumbfounded.

"Why did you go after my Breaker's Secrets card?" she asked.

"Although your Temple is a threat, I can't take chances with an unknown threat, Etsu."

"Not like it matters. Spirit Breaker will destroy your Neutron Sorcerer and Trap Breaker will destroy your Quartz Sorcerer." The two Breakers lunged across the field, simultaneously cutting into their target. However, much to Etsu's surprise, the remains of Quartz Sorcerer began to glow and change into perfectly round orbs of light which flew in every direction, cutting through her monsters. Soon nothing remained, the sheer friction of the moving pieces of matter having burned away the bodies of Etsu's monsters. All she could do was stare in confusion.

"When you destroyed Quartz Sorcerer, he set off a nuclear explosion and destroyed all of the non-token monsters on the field." Kai explained. "You wont be attacking me this turn."

"You..." Etsu was at a loss for words for a second before reasserting herself. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"I play Monster Reborn on Light Magician!" Kai called as his monster appeared for the third time that duel. "Next I'll summon my Time Paladin (1900/1800) in attack mode." A figure in black armor with gold trim and fashioned much like Breaker's in that it was a very flexible, almost fabric material and wearing a cape appeared, holding up a decorated sword with a silver blade. "Time Templar, attack!" Charging across the field with speed, the black armored knight delivered a horizontal cut to Etsu's middle, causing her to lean forward in pain.

Kai-2100/Etsu-5100

"Etsu!" Kai shouted in alarm. "Are you alight?" he asked.

Coughing, she nodded. "Bring on your attack, Kai."

Hesitating a moment, Kai watched the girl from his childhood stand up, sweating profusely, yet still full of that fire and determination he had seen only in himself before. She had just received a serious blow, and yet she stood there, hunched over, hair hanging slightly wild, gasping for air, and still asking for him to attack! Shaking his head, he did all he could think to do.

"Light Magician, attack her directly!" The white robed magician looked to Kai as if hoping the boy would change his mind, but Kai simply blinked and nodded. The mage turned back to face the foe just in time to miss the tear that had escaped Kai's eye. The magician raised his staff and prepared for his attack, which could possibly harm Etsu more than Kai either player expected, neither of them knowing the full extent of her fatigue. And yet, he remained obedient to Kai's command and released the blast of golden magical light.

"I activate my trap card." Etsu choked as a barrier of some solid substance appeared in front of her, the entire object crackling with electricity. "Blitz Counterattack destroys an attacking monster and lets me draw one card at the cost of five hundred Life Points." The attack struck the shield, which seemed to absorb the energy, and then rebounded the attack, which was now crackling with electricity as well as the full force of the original attack, headed straight for Kai's monster.

Kai-2100/Etsu-4600

"If he is to die, I will not allow my Light Magician to die in vain a third time!" Kai shouted, pressing two buttons on his Duel Disk. Two cards flipped up, one a magic card and the other a trap. "My Ring of Destruction will destroy my Light Magician and deal us both twenty-five hundred points of damage!" A metal ring snapped itself around the middle of Kai's monster, the grenades seconds away from detonating.

"You'll lose!" Etsu shouted. "I don't want to win because of such a simple miscalculation on your part!"

"You wont." Kai reassured her. "My magic card now activates. Normally, I wouldn't be able to play it, but because there's an attack coming my way, I can. Dark Magic Revival activates on magic card in my graveyard, in this case my Ring of Defense!" The green disc once again appeared on Kai's field at the same instant that his monster exploded, the spinning motions preventing any of the explosion from reaching him. He heard a scream from the other side of his defense, but he couldn't move; everything was happening so fast. The ring was then further stressed as the magicians reflected attack collided with it, the original target no longer alive. However, Kai's shield held strong, and did not fade until the attack had ended and the smoke cleared.

Kai-2100/Etsu-2100

Etsu had been thrown back, nearly into the wall opposite Kai, and had skidded to a halt against the flat surface. And yet, she once again began to stand, determined not to give up. Kai himself, although protected from damage, realized that the last exchange had affected him still, his eyes overcome with spotting, making it seem as though Etsu were aglow with some inner light. To Kai, for an instant, it almost looked like she was being strengthened by it.

"Well done, Kai." she murmured. "But I'm not done." her voice escalated, growing in strength as she returned to the arena. She drew a card, giving her five in hand cards. She grabbed one of the cards and slipped it into her activation slot. "I play my Resonance of Soul, paying one thousand Life Points to special summon any level four monsters from my hand to the field, but they'll be destroyed at my turns end." She chose three of her cards and slapped them onto her Duel Disk, bringing out three more Breakers. One in cerulean blue, another in tan, and the last in silver. "Effect Breaker (1600+300), Attack Breaker (1600+300), and Breaker the Sword Dancer (1600+300). Then they'll each get a magic counter from my Temple, increasing their strength further (2200/1000 x3). "Next is my Payment of Debt, removing my Apprentice Magician from my graveyard to draw three cards." Quickly she filled her hand with cards, and then looked at Kai firmly. "I set one card face down, and then I play Brave Attack to combine their attack points into one attack (6600), but they'll all be destroyed at the turns end. It's the perfect combination!" All three Breakers began to charge Kai's Paladin, their combined strength equaling far more than enough to finish him off.

"I activate my Magicians Ordination! Because you special summoned those magicians, I can end the turn and draw a card." he declared as his trap card set off and he pulled a new card from his deck. "So your turn ends, destroying your three monsters." as he said this, all three Breakers bowed their heads before fading away.

"So now I draw." he grabbed two more cards and began to ponder a possible strategy, but nothing extremely clever was occurring to him. Or course, she only had one card to protect her, so it was quite possible he could end the duel right here. "I summon Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1000) in attack mode!" His small, midnight blue clad magician appeared. Although not very strong, he would be enough. "Attack!" The mage raised his stave and began to chant while the paladin began to charge his sword with magic, which he then fired in a stream at Etsu.

"Mirror Force!"

Kai froze, having trouble interpreting the full meaning of what he had just heard. But regardless of his comprehension speed, his attacks were reflected back at him, destroying his two monsters.

"Very well, Etsu." he sighed, slipping a card into his Duel Disk, leaving him with two cards in his hand. He then nodded to her, signaling his turn was over.

"I draw." she said, although her battered voice sounded far from interested in such a move. She looked her three cards over before making her choice. "I set two cards face down and then I activate my magic card, Spell Afterimage!" Her new card appeared in holographic form, showing a mirror with a green bordered card shown in its surface, the details of the card to hard to distinguish. "This card can act as any magic card in my graveyard, so I'll activate Card of Sanctity, allowing me to draw six cards and you get four." The holographic card flashed for a second, and then was replaced by the image of the named magic card.

Both players thinned their decks even more, staring at each other in their battered state. It was at this moment that Kai noticed something.

"Etsu, you've run out of cards." he said, noticing her empty deck zone. "Did you just deck yourself out?"

"Of course not." she responded. "I had exactly six cards left in my deck, I needed a specific card, and this ensured that I drew it. But, before I can activate it, I have to play a few different magic cards." She reached to her hand of cards, her fingers trembling slightly as she did so. But she managed to get the first card into her magic slot, and another mirror with a magic card in it appeared. Kai himself barely noticed any of this, his focus starting to lessen. "My second Spell Afterimage will now permanently act as Effect Economics!" She chose another card and again barely managed to fit it into her magic slot correctly.

The new image was of a courtyard filled with various magicians, such as the Dark Magician, Disintao, Breaker, and Chaos Magician. They seemed to celebrating something, and there was an aura of some sort in the sky above them. "Magical Renaissance forces both players to shuffle spellcasters and magic cards from their graveyards into their decks." Both duelists placed a hand over their graveyard slot, which proceeded to spit out a plethora of cards into their fingers, which they then shuffled and placed in their deck zones, Kai having had the need to also shuffle the last five or so cards from his deck in with the returning cards.

"Next is my Breaker Council magic card." Etsu continued her move, activating one of the two cards she had set face down at he beginning of her turn. "This allows me pay one thousand Life Points to place any five Breakers from my deck into my hand. However, Effect Economics covers that cost for me." She searched her deck and easily found the five cards she was looking for, smiling at each one as she added it to her hand, the pain of her body seeming to dissipate with each of the five cards. Then, with her deck back in place and her hand now bulging at nine cards, she prepared for her next play.

Pressing a button on her Duel Disk, her last face down card flipped up revealing the image of Breaker the Magical Warrior knocking on a door. Through the window of said door could be seen four faces looking out at him, each one identical to him in appearance except for the color of their headdress. "A Breaker Family Reunion costs one thousand Life Points to activate, which is again negated, and summons as many Breakers from my hand as I can hold. Each will receive a magic counter, but I cannot perform any further summons this turn."

On her field they appeared, Breakers, each in different color garments. Effect Breaker in his cerulean armor, Spell Breaker in white, Monster Breaker in black, Breaker Blader in gray, and in the middle of their line was Breaker the Magical Warrior in his scarlet. (1600+600/1000 x5)

"Kai, do you remember the story you used to tell me about Breaker?" she asked. He simply responded with a forlorn glaze over his eyes, the fatigue seeping into him. "There was a temple dedicated to teaching young men and women to both fight and to use magic. It was a special breed of magic, in that its focus was in being able to eliminate an enemies advantages before going into battle. This brand of sorcery was called 'Breaking', because it essentially broke the enemies resources." As the story continued, Kai could feel a sort of warmth fill his soul and he could feel himself returning to reality.

"There were at first only five students, and each one became extremely proficient in their preferred type of Breaking. One used his magic to incapacitate the special strengths of an opposing fight. Another could obliterate any spell that was sent against him. Another could destroy living matter. Another had the ability to increase his own speed in order to overwhelm an opponent. But the most prodigious and respected one was also the very first student, who had the ability to sense and destroy the magical energies of a spell, even while they were dormant. They later became so excelled that their fame attracted other students, eager to learn from the five Breakers, as they were called. And so the temple prospered and the people of that land were forever safe."

"Now it's time you felt the power of those warriors. But first, Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy his set card!" One last time the scarlet robed magician raised his sword, burning with a white light. This time, instead of launching the magic from a distance, he crossed the field in an instant, and sliced through Kai's set card without any resistance. The field was clear. A dot of light launched from the east tower of the Breaker Temple and struck Breaker the Magical Warrior's sword, restoring his power.

"Breakers," Etsu called to her servants, but then hesitated at seeing Kai's slouching form. The Breakers each tightened their muscles and prepared to attack, but after a minute of silence slackened again and turned to their mistress, awaiting her order. Would she attack? Could she attack? Could she declare the final attack upon the young man she had known her entire life, and who she had trained hard and traveled far to find? Doubt filling her very being, Etsu began to look around for someone's guidance. Her eyes locked with Kai's, who had lifted his head and was giving her a hard look. Slowly she nodded and bit her lip, fearing what she'd have to do. "Attack his Life Points directly!" Etsu commanded, and then turned her head to look away.

Each one charged across to Kai's field and struck. Breaker Blader easily slipped behind Kai and delivered two lightning fast slashes over Kai's back. Effect Breaker and Spell Breaker both struck him at the rib-cage on either side. Monster Breaker delivered a horizontal slash across his chest, and finally, Breaker the Magical Warrior slashed straight down Kai's middle. Each attack felt like Kai was being beat about by a soft, but still solid, rod. As each attack hit, his body recoiled. As one the Breakers leapt back and away from Kai, who stumbled around in a two foot wide circle for a moment, his body threatening to give out. After about a minute Etsu was about to call to him, to find if he was alright, but instead found herself asking a completely different question.

"Why haven't the holograms gone?" She looked around confused some more.

"Because..." Kai muttered, grunting deeply as he struggled to make his body to stand erect. "Because it's not over." He began to glow with a white light as he said these words, feeling a sense of power enter into him. Raising his head, he looked at her with his piercing stare, his soul rejuvenated. "I activated the magic card you destroyed this turn. I knew you'd get rid of it, so I set it as bait. It's called Defiance of Destiny." He took the card from his graveyard and held it up so that Etsu could see the name. "When it's in the grave, I can take it and five other cards and shuffle them back into my deck to protect me from an attack, so I survived." He quickly shuffled the six cards into his deck and then reloaded his Duel Disk.

"My turn...Is over." Etsu declared, her surprise evident. It seemed almost unfathomable that Kai could have predicted her move, stopped her attack, or still be standing. And yet, he had done all three.

Drawing two cards, Kai explored his eight cards and the options they held. He could now begin to make his counter attack. He had everything he needed. He didn't know what the end result would be, but he simply knew what moves to make, as if another part of him did know what these new cards did, and what their potential was.

"I summon Sage of Creation (1700/1700) in defense mode." he began. On his field appeared a man with bright blonde hair and dressed in beige robes appeared, sitting cross-legged and glowing with a powerful inner light. "Sage of Creation allows me to summon one monster from my deck to the field with its stats set to zero. Every turn, that monster will receive five hundred attack points until it reaches its base attack strength once more. If the final increase of five hundred would surpass the monsters base attack strength, I can summon a monster from my deck to the field whose level is equal to the remaining attack points divided by one hundred. So, I choose to summon my Sage of Destruction (1200/1200)." A man much like the first, only with gray hair and black robes appeared. However, unlike what one might expect from such a man who could merit such a name, there was no malice or cruelty in his eyes. In fact, he seemed desperate for something. He then began to slouch, his shoulders drooping and his head hanging low as his power was taken from him, and his attack and defense points drained (0/0).

"Thousands of years ago, before written history, there was an event which shook all the land and nearly destroyed the entire world. That which survived was left in ruins, barely alive. These men walked the earth after this first destruction. Or, more accurately, the Sage of Creation did. He began to breath new life into the earth, and before long it was restored to its former glory, and then proceeded to progress. However, the Sage soon learned that he couldn't escape one thing: Destruction. A force which followed him against its own will, and manifested itself in the form of another sage. Wherever Creation would give life, Destruction had no choice but to annihilate. There could not be life or any concept of it if there was not some sort of opposition to it. Destruction had no choice, he was bound by the principles of his existence to destroy, even though he hated it."

"Finally, Destruction became so desperate for a release from his sins that he unleashed all of his fury upon the land and destroyed it all. Even the Sage of Creation was erased from existence, and a void was all that was left. But now I have brought these two forces back." Kai explained, ending his history of what his cards were.

"Etsu, I once had life in me. I was full of joy and sadness, meekness and pride. But then came a presence into my life which destroyed that life as I understood it, starting with those that gave me life to begin with. From there on out, the natural order was disturbed, the source of that life, in other words, that love which gave existence to me, was taken away, and I quickly decayed until all that was left was a desolate void. But now..." he let his voice trail off as he grabbed a card from his hand and slipped it into his magic zone.

"I activate Harpies Feather Duster to destroy your Breaker Temple." Kai called as a funnel of wind and feathers struck the castle, surrounding it and ripping into the landscape. The vacuum created by the gale-force winds ripped the structure apart, and when it dissipated, the land was barren. 'There goes your ability to upkeep your magic counters as well as three hundred attack points from each Breaker (1900/1000 x5). I'll next play Poison of the Old Man to gain twelve hundred Life Points."

Kai-3300/Etsu-2100

"Now I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two." Kai did so, and then slipped three cards into his magic and trap zones, filling them up and ending his turn, leaving him with two cards.

"I may have lost my Breaker's extra bonus, but I do have a way of making sure I beat you." Etsu said as she looked at her four cards. "I can't risk charging into three possible traps, and I can't destroy them all with my Magical Warrior, but there is a way of making it possible to get rid of them all. But first, Monster Breaker, get rid of his Sage of Creation. Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy his leftmost face down card." As one the two Breakers carried out their orders, yet Kai remained strong. Despite the fatigue he felt, he stood firm, his adrenaline seeming to be amplified somehow. It was as if awakening these new cards within him somehow made him stronger. Shaking himself free from these ponderings, Kai returned his attention to Etsu, who seemed to be pleading silently with her five Breakers, as if she regretted what she was to do next. Finally, she raised her attention and looked Kai in the eyes, her green eyes staring hard into his brown eye and blue eye.

"I'm going to unleash my greatest strength, Kai!" Reaching down she shuffled all five Breakers together into one pile which she pulled off of her Duel Disk and inserted into her graveyard.

'Five sacrifices?' Kai wondered. 'What card could be worth the sacrifice of each of those Breakers?'

"I sacrifice Breaker the Magical Warrior, Monster Breaker, Breaker Blader, Spell Breaker, and Monster Breaker to summon their teacher, mentor, and master!" she slapped the card down onto her Duel Disk, she herself seeming to have caught a second wind which was fueling her. "This is the man who created the temple where he taught others. He is the one who developed the Breaker magic and helped those young students through the hardest struggles of their lives! And in thanks, they are willing to give their lives to make him strong!"

Emerging from apparently was a figure taller than any Etsu had thus far played. Granted, he was no giant, but he was taller than his pupils. He was dressed in gold armor and radiated with a great power. It was a pure and gentle warm power, and at the same time it seemed to draw forth ones own personal sorrows to torment them. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of these bitter memories, he returned to stare at the overpowering sight before him.

"Breaker the Holy (2500/2500)! And he will get stronger, Kai. You see, for every Breaker I sacrificed to summon Breaker the Holy, he gains one magic counter, which increases his attack by three hundred a piece (4000/2500)!"

"Amazing." Kai muttered. "Truly amazing."

"Also, as he is the master of the Breaker arts, Breaker the Holy has the abilities of those first five students whom he taught, and he is even more proficient at each skill than any apprentice. Now, Breaker the Holy, use the energy of two of those magic counters given to you to destroy his last two set cards!" With a nod, her monster swung his sword forward, but strangely in an upward arc, firing two crescent shockwaves which flew above Kai at a slant. They danced about in the sky for a moment above their heads, showing how great this magicians control over his magic was that he could manipulate this attack and make it appear so beautiful. Then, faster than either duelist could see the waves had struck down and smashed Kai's set cards to pieces. However, this display had also robbed him of some of his attack points (3400/2500).

"Next is your monster, the Sage of Destruction!" Raising his sword to be level with his eyes, Breaker the Holy ran his left index and middle finger together along the length of the blade, coating it in a blue aura. He vaulted into the air, seemed to freeze in mid-jump, adjusting his body so that it was pointed straight down with the sword ready to impale from above, he dropped, his own weight adding to the destructive power of the magical attack. Kai's monster was speared through and shattered, revealing Breaker the Holy with his body perfectly erect, his sword in the grown and using it as a sort of stilt to remain hanging in mid-air for a moment longer until he flipped his weight off of his weapon and landed on his feet, his knees barely shuddering with his landing, again slightly drained of his strength (3100/2500).

"Breaker the Holy, attack his Life Points directly." With speed far greater than any Kai had ever witnessed before, the gold armored man directly in front of him and attacked with a horizontal cut across Kai's torso, throwing the boy back until he crashed into the wall, falling in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Kai-200/Etsu-2100

"It's not over." Kai stated, struggling to his feet. "I still have Life Points. Don't hold back, Etsu. You've given me your all so far, so forget about me and carry through!"

Nodding in understand, Etsu gave her next order. "Breaker the Holy, activate Breaker Blader's effect and sacrifice a magic counter to attack again (2800/2500)!" Jumping into the air so that he sailed directly at Kai in a horizontal position, Breaker the Holy began to spin, his power growing with the spin. His strike was accompanied by a flash of light and a crackle of power.

"What?"

Etsu stared across the field to find that there was a swirling presence between Kai and Breaker the Holy! It was some sort of energy that had become solid and was protecting Kai!

"My magic card, Eternal Witness can activate from my hand when I would receive more than one direct attack if I have no other face down cards in play." Kai explained. "So I get one more chance to witness the birth of a new cycle."

Blinking back tears, Etsu couldn't help but marvel. He had stopped her most powerful monster! But the question was, could he defeat it?

"Turn end." Etsu declared, smiling. No matter what Kai did next, she could only be happy with the outcome.

"Then the time of the absolute end has come." Kai called, pulling cards until he held four cards. He took two of them and turned them around to activate as one. "Instant Necromancy revives a monster from my graveyard for one turn. Spell Overlap will double that, so I get two monsters." In a burst of light erupted Kai's Sage of Destruction and Sage of Creation.

"As I said earlier, these two were eliminated from existence, leaving a void. But from that void came a power which surpassed both Creation and Destruction. It was a power which required both to come to be, and it was a power that could not be eliminated." Taking one of the two cards from his hand, he turned it around to reveal a simple magic card, one which most duelists carried. It was nothing special, couldn't do anything except in the most choice circumstances, but it was indeed a powerful card when played at the right time. "Go, Polymerization!" A vortex emerged and pulled the two sages in, combining their energies into a new form.

What emerged was a beautiful man with silver hair and fair skin. His robes were a dark off-white with a black mantle draped over it and a gold sash tied about his waste with the last eighteen inches hanging loose to the side. In each hand he held a sphere of light, one white and the other inverted black.

"Sage of Rebirth (3200/2100)! A power which cannot be eliminated because he will always return, as that is what his very existence is-to be reborn." Etsu stared in complete awe of Kai's monster, while Breaker the Holy himself bowed his head slightly in reverence.

"Upon being summoned, Sage of Rebirth will revive one monster from my graveyard. I choose the one I sent there with my Graceful Charity, a monster known as Fate (1300/0)!" Kai's last monster was a small figure, no taller than any of the young Breakers had been. He was shrouded entirely by a black cloak, remaining mysterious.

"Fate, attack Breaker the Holy now!" Kai ordered and Fate obeyed, drawing out a golden string from the folds of his cloak, as well as a simple knife. Breaker instantly understood what such a gesture meant, and was determined to not let it happen, and so he ran the shroud through with his sword in the blink of an eye. The ominous figure faded away, but as he did a dark mist escaped from the hood of his cloak and floated about Breaker's head for an instant before dispersing.

"What happened?" Etsu asked, utterly confused by Kai's play. Even more confusing was the fact that the holograms were still active, even though Kai's Life Points should have depleted. "You should have lost."

"Fate is bitter when mortals choose their own paths and defy him." Kai explained. "He was going to cut the thread of life that had been set aside for Breaker the Holy, and so Breaker, out of concern for his own safety, slew Fate. Fate, out of spite, Fate cursed Breaker, deducting his own attack strength from Breaker, plus one hundred more (1400/2500)."

"But your monster was destroyed. Your Life Points were zero." Etsu persisted.

"No it wasn't." Kai replied, holding up his Duel Disk, which now displayed one hundred points. "Because I have Sage of Rebirth on the field, I can give up half of my Life points to negate the damage and revive the destroyed monster." The Sage of Rebirth extended his left hand, the one with the white light, and issued a small surge of energy which began to take some sort of form. Fate reappeared, laughing at Breaker the Holy, mocking him for his unsuccessful attack.

"Fate, attack Breaker the Holy!" Again, Fate tried to cut the life thread, but was this time decapitated by Breaker. Suddenly Breaker raised to his full height and began to shake, losing grip of his sword which fell and clattered to the ground. Because of Fate's special ability he no longer had any attack points (0/2500). And again still, Fate reformed, body and soul complete.

Kai-50/Etsu-2100

"So, you won." Etsu smiled. Both she and Kai nodded, agreeing to the action which had to be taken.

"Sage of Rebirth, attack Breaker the Holy!" Clenching his right hand into a fist, the black light therein became incensed with a new power. The power for destruction grew into a large sphere of energy that detached from the sage's hand and began to levitate on its own in front of him. Bringing his arm back, the sage thrust forward and struck the ball with his open palm, thrusting it against the weakened monster, who simply ceased to exist once he had touched it.

Kai-50/Etsu-0

"Incredible." both players muttered as the holograms faded away. Then Etsu seemed to lose that burst of energy, and fell back in exhaustion. Kai clutched his stomach and limped over to her.

"Etsu, why did you come here? Have you really made it your mission in life to pull me back to the present?" He got no response from the unconscious young woman, and so was left to try and figure it out on his own. "Why would anyone do that?"

He turned his head to the hissing sound of the door to the elevator opening, and hung his head in frustration. "Regardless of how we are affected, the battle still rages."

Dropping to his knees, Kai raised his palms over the body of the young woman he had know his entire life. He didn't know how -nor did he care about this lack of knowledge- but he was going to heal her. She had saved him from his own personal destruction, he could only return the favor.

After a minute of nothing, Kai started to feel energy flow between their bodies. Satisfied, he stood up and limped over to the doors that led to his next challenge. Once the doors were closed behind him, he fell to his knees, and seconds later his face crashed against t he steel floor.

-Back in the Arena-

"Because," whispered the barely conscious Etsu Akira after Kai had left. "I love you." And then she knew no more, other than a hard pulling sensation at her very center.

To Be Continued...

WHOA! TWENTY-FIVE PAGES! That's almost ten pages more than my previous record holder for longest chapter. That's insane!

There you have it. My personal early birthday present to you all. This chapter was really hard to write some times, and outrageously easy at others. A lot went into it, so I hope it all worked out well for you all. This is probably my favorite chapter thus far.

Also, the idea for the Breaker deck is not mine. I wish it were, as he's my favorite card from the real game, but sadly the idea originated with Seeker of the Soul, who is using Kai in his story, and decided to go with the cool Breakers rather than the Time Deck, which is cool. It keeps our Kai's straight, you know what I'm saying? Anyway, I got the idea from him, took his Breaker Cards, and then made a few of my own to create Etsu's deck.

On another note, a number of Etsu and Kai's words during that lovely lecture towards the beginning I got from a different Anime where there were some similar situations. So, I took the dialogue which I had memorized, changed it a bit, adapted it to fit the situation, and the final result is seen above you. To avoid plagiarism complaints, I am going to reveal that anime, the episodes, and scenes next chapter. I just thought it'd be fun to let you all try and guess first which Anime. If you can guess the Anime correctly, you get an honorable mention next chapter. If you get the right Anime, plus the right episodes/scenes, you get eleventy billion kudos! Enjoy.

Kai's semi-finals match is over and his power increased, but at what cost? What has happened to Etsu Akira, the girl who has been in love with him since childhood and who sacrificed herself to bring Kai back from his personalized hell. What will Kai do in the Finals, his body thrashed and his mind exhausted?

Regardless, we must take our focus from him for a moment and focus on one Kevin Hunter, who is about to face is greatest challenge yet: Serena Kaiba at her full strength! Both with determination to take a Blue Eyes White Dragon from the other, who will prevail? Serena's calculated moves, or Kevin's overwhelming force of dragons?

Next time in Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls- Revival of the Dragon Gods

Original Cards-

Kai- Steadfast Magician, Archmage's Judgement, Skilled Light Magician (Seeker of the Soul), Light Magician, Sonic Magician, Chronos-Incarnation of Time (Seeker of the Soul, modified by me), Envoy of the Archives, Mystic Moon Dial, Tempus-Archmage of Fate, Spell Backlash, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny, Light Magic Curtain, Master of the Archives, Time Paladin, Magic Field, Sage of Creation, Sage of Destruction, Sage of Rebirth, Fate, Eternal Witness, Defiance of Destiny

Etsu- Shield Breaker, Soul Spell, Shield Spell, Breaker's Swift Strike, Fountain of Dreams, Mystic Fount, Life Breaker, Breaker Light, Breaker Temple, Breaker Archives, Soul Breaker, Attack Breaker, Blitz Counterattack, Magical Renaissance, Breaker Council

Cards by Seeker of the Soul-Monster Breaker, Spell Breaker, Effect Economics, Breaker Blader, Resonance of Soul, Effect Breaker, Breaker the Sword Dancer, Breaker the Holy, A Breaker Family Reunion, Sacrifice and Live, Repayment of Losses

Any cards you see that don't look familiar, ask me because I may have forgotten to note it here. Thank you.

Author/Reviewer Responses:

Demon Fan- Card of the Chapter is dead. It took too much time and energy when I wanted to post. It's easier this way. That is, unless I get tons of feedback demanding I start up again.

The Helldragon- As I've told you, the special cameo will not have Matt getting his soul sucked out through his nose. I've never considered going through the nose before, so I couldn't have done that anyway if you hadn't mentioned it.

Seeker of the Soul- Yes, Disintao is cool, and smacking Valkyries is fun. Together it's an unbeatable combination. Also, you'll probably realize this yourself, but I'll tell you anyway: The back story I gave for the three Sages was inspired by your work, just so you know and I don't have to tell you later.

MatrixFighter- Dead, you say? Perhaps. Killing characters off is one thing I'm going to be doing soon, so I need ways of doing it.

G.O.T.Nick- I am not at liberty to divulge the knowledge of who get's an extra BEWD in t he coming match. Rest assured, it's the result I want.

Noble Paladin- Just the beginning? Of course it's just the beginning! You're not safe! No one is safe! Run! Run from the wicked designs of Ouja Monotori!