Teknisk Wereld v4

by Celtic Guardian 7

Two god cards have been found now only one is left. Their foes are just as deadly as before though. They know who their main enemy is, but whose side is Sarius on? COMPLETE

3. Third Force

Hooray for constant updates. What, these aren't constant? Considering my usual writing rate, they are.

John: Be sure to add butter. Of course Hope got nice presents; what kind of a friend would she be if she didn't?

Captain Obvious: The Maverick's decks vary quite a bit from each other; you'll see what I mean soon enough. And yes, now that you mention it, I did answer two questions.

Erestor Telemnar: Hey, a new reviewer! Thank you for reading, and I'm glad you like my stories! But your question is a very hard one to answer. Author's writing styles vary so much from others; that's one great thing about reading several different people's works. So I can only give some very basic advice. Be sure to devote a healthy amount of time to it, and use proper grammar and spelling; it is amazing how many people would have excellent stories if not for those two flaws. Also, whatever story idea you have, go with it! Don't let anyone tell you how to write; it's your story, do it like you want to. But take criticism into account; people who suggest things are only trying to help you improve. Just know that you do not have to follow every idea; do it the way you desire. Sorry I can't be of much more help. But I will be certain to look at your story when you begin to write it.

Demon Fan: You'll find out later. That's all I can say for now.

Chapter 3: Third Force

"Let me get this straight. Juno now knows about the Limiter you've already found, because Dark Scythe saw her? And that means we're at about the same point in our search?" the woman inferred.

"Right," Sarius nodded. He was back with his four companions again. Of course, The Child and their Soul Monsters were there as well, but like usual they watched silently.

"And you didn't stop him? Way to go," one of the young men muttered.

"He would have found her anyway," Sarius stated. "The group this Limiter travels with has a tendency of getting into trouble, whether they mean to or not."

"So what do you want us to do?" another man asked.

"Test them," Sarius said. "Yes, I said them. The Limiter's companions will not bode well with us trying to hurt their friend, so you will have to duel them too. After what Dark Scythe said, I assume that the group will split up. So seek out the individuals. If you can defeat the Limiter, do so."

"How good are they at fighting?" asked the last man.

"Some are better than others. Most of them can hold their own, a few go beyond that. But you won't have to worry about fighting with weapons." Sarius went over to one of the empty pews and picked up the Duel Disks laying there, along with the rule books and Soul Cards, and handed them to each of their new owners.

"What are these? Cards?" the second man asked, drawing one to look at it curiously.

"Yes. These are called Duel Monster cards. The people who live in this world don't fight with ordinary weapons. Instead, they hold duels with cards. Usually it's just for fun, but on serious occasions, the winner of the game gets to decide the fate of the loser."

"How boring," the first one complained.

"It's the way they do things. We have to abide by the rules of this world, as you are well aware."

"And what are these?" the woman asked, holding up the white card with a black back.

Sarius indicated to Raid and Cyrus. "We call them Soul Monsters. It will all be explained in the rule book. Once you know everything you need to, feel free to start looking for them."

"What if we run into Juno?" the third asked.

"Do I really need to tell you what I want you to do?" Sarius grinned. "If you need a reminder, I'll only be too happy to speed up your memory. It's a race between me and Juno for the Limiter, and I plan on being the first to cross the finish line. If I have to trip other runners to do so, then so be it."

"Good answer," the first smirked.

"Then go ahead and look those over. I am going to look for them myself. Come, Child."

The Child got up instantly, and he went with the Soul Monsters to follow Sarius to the door.

Just as he was about to open it, Sarius paused. "Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. We aren't the only ones looking for the Limiter."

"So he came as well? Only to be expected," the woman shrugged. "I doubt he will be that much of a problem."

"Still, the more there are, the more irritating it gets when trying to keep them away from the Limiter," the first sighed.

"We've dealt with it before," the second told him. "And we will again if we must. You know how important it is to get the Limiters."

"Yes, I do," he admitted. "It doesn't mean I'm happy about the competition though."

"Then we'll just have to defeat the Limiter quickly, won't we?" Sarius said. "I'll be seeing you all soon enough." Then he opened the door. When the blinding flash of light faded, he was gone, along with his three companions.

-

Juno gazed around at the gathered Mavericks. This time, they had not been arguing, but were silent, knowing something important was about to occur.

"We have had a stroke of luck," Juno began. "Dark Scythe has found one of the Limiters."

"Light or dark?" Light Cross asked.

"Light," Dark Scythe answered.

"Male or female?" Tundra Flail inquired.

"Female."

"How about a description of the girl?" Wave Trident requested.

"About sixteen years of age, with silver hair that goes to her waist and yellow eyes," Dark Scythe listed off. "Wears white clothes, and travels with a large group."

"And you confronted the group," Juno inferred.

"Yes."

"Did you get any of their names?"

"No."

"I bet I can supply them," Bolt Katana smirked. "I took a visit to the town today, and although it took some effort to keep under cover, I learned quite a bit about recent events in Teknisk Wereld. About a month ago, a group of teenagers and a cyborg took down a company that wanted to take over the world. One of the members of this group matches your description, Dark. Her name is Larka, if I recall correctly."

"And the others of the group?" Juno questioned.

"I'll list off the names I can remember… the cyborg's name was Zack, and the two prototypes for experiments of a scientist in the company were called Fell and Larka. The others that helped went by the names of Hope, Brandi, Draken, and Kisara, along with their respective Soul Monsters. I think that was everyone."

Juno thought over it. "I recognize the names Hope and Brandi. They are part of the group I was asked to kill when I assisted the Generals of Hell. So it is reasonable to say Rue, Max, Will, and Claire are also part of this."

He pondered the situation before giving his Mavericks instructions. "Dark told the group that to combat us, they would have to split up. Bolt Katana, I want you to find the Limiter and kill her. The rest of you are to spread throughout Teknisk Wereld and try to find members of the group. When you do, kill them, especially if the Limiter comes across any of you before Bolt can kill her."

"So we can do anything we want to be able to complete this task?" Dark said.

"Yes," Juno smirked. "Don't let me stop you from any of your puppetry."

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Gale Katar asked, seeming impatient to get started.

"Yes, something rather important." Juno brought forth a black bag that the others had not noticed until now. He took out a deck of cards, drawing one from the top to show them. "These are called Duel Monster cards. In this world, people use these cards to fight their battles. You can try to kill them with your weapons, but it is likely that they will stop you with their cards. Therefore, the easiest way to dispose of them is to challenge one of them to a duel. Set the conditions of losing in a way so that you can kill them when they fall. As for the rules of the game, they give out rulebooks, which each of you will receive with your decks. Study the cards you are given, and then move out."

"So we will defeat them by using pieces of cardboard? Isn't that kind of… stupid?" Wave said in disbelief.

"Perhaps, but that is the way this world works."

Flame Buster cast an inquiring glance at Zork.

Juno saw what he was looking at. "You will all also get a Duel Disk, which let you play the game, and a Soul Monster. This is my Soul Monster, Zork. Yours will affect the game in some way, so use it well."

"So, just another tool for this battle?" Wave inferred.

"You could say that," Juno shrugged. "Anyway, that is all for now." He handed them all their decks, rule books, Duel Disks, and Soul Cards. "Once you have learned how to play, go out and wait for them to come."

"What about Gaia?" Bolt asked. "I doubt he'll even be able to read the rule book."

"True," Juno admitted. "Alright then. Tundra, you're to teach him how to play."

"WHAT!" Tundra yelled.

"You heard me. Oh, Light, I need to speak with you alone. Follow me." Without sparing the furious Tundra another glance, he went a short distance away, Light following.

"I sure don't envy you," Bolt snickered as he passed by Tundra.

"This is all your fault, you cocky bastard!"

"Sorry, I don't want to waste time by listening to your rambling," Bolt said. "See you later, you crabby old maid." Then he ran off.

"Damn him!" Tundra growled, looking over at Gaia. But she realized that not obeying Juno's request would certainly be a bad idea. So with a resigned sigh, she opened the rulebook Juno had given her.

Juno turned to Light when they were out of hearing range. "I have special orders for you."

"So I won't be working for the team this time either?" Light asked curiously. When a unique mission needed to be completed, Light was usually the one to do it. She still got to fight with the other Mavericks on several occasions, but whenever something else was necessary, she didn't mind doing it. They were usually pretty interesting, after all, and she didn't have to hear the continuous arguing of the group.

"We know where the first Limiter is, but not the second," Juno stated. "I doubt Tirran knows the second one, so if we start searching now, then we can get a head start on finding the second one."

"I see your point," Light nodded. "So you want me to find the second Limiter?"

"Yes. Seek out the darkness Limiter. Remember, this Limiter will probably be male, but we cannot be sure."

In most worlds they had gone to, there had been one male and one female Limiter. Although this was not always the case, it was very frequent, as the Emissaries knew. Balance always played a factor when they were trying to claim new worlds.

"Then I'll do it," Light said. "When I find this second Limiter, should I kill him or report back?"

"If you can kill him, do so. If not, come back here."

"Ok, I'll do that." Then she left as well.

-

The group soon reached the edge of the lake that they had been at before going towards the forest. They sat down once more, and remained silent while thinking of what had occurred. Even Malon seemed depressed as he whimpered quietly.

Typically, it was Rue who got things moving. He looked around at everyone, and shook his head. "Where are we going to get by just sitting around here? Come on, we have to move! So things may not look good, but since when has that stopped us?"

Claire hit him over the head with her fist. Rue yelped and grasped his head as his hat fell to the ground.

"OW! What was that for!"

"Keep it down!" Claire told him. "Sound travels over open water. What if Dark hears us and comes back?"

"Well excuse me…" Rue muttered, picking up his hat, but not putting it on yet in fear of getting smacked again.

"Rue is right though," Draken said. "We need to lay out some plans to go against these Mavericks."

"Dark said that we should go against them individually," Gaston pointed out. "If we face them as a group, we'll most likely be slaughtered. I say we take any advantage we can get!"

"But what if it's just a ploy to get everyone separated, therefore weakening us?" Will suggested.

"They might even be trying to separate Larka from the rest of us," Amy said.

"So it's a lose-lose situation," Darche inferred.

Hope suddenly had an idea. "Not necessarily. What if we went in pairs? That way, we would still have someone to watch our backs, but we would not provoke the whole group of Mavericks into attacking us."

"That sounds like a good idea," Larka agreed. "I don't like being away from the rest of the group, but it is probably the safest route we can take."

Draken remembered his ordeal, when the Blue Eyes White Dragon had told him that the group needed to stay together as much as they could, but that they would have to separate at times.

This is probably one of the times they meant, Draken realized.

"Then we're all in agreement to this plan," Gen stated.

"But now we face a problem," Amy realized. "How will we split up? Do we just choose our partners?"

"That wouldn't be fair," Claire disagreed. "We can't have anyone be left out."

Rue looked at his hat, which he still held. "I know what we can do!"

"You mean Rue actually has an idea that might work? The apocalypse is coming," Miles joked.

"Look who's talking," Rue muttered before beginning to tell of his suggestion. "What if we each put our Soul Cards into this hat, and draw them out in pairs of two? The owners of the Soul Cards will have to be partners."

"Great idea," Max said sarcastically. "There's just one problem. Not all of us have Soul Cards, you idiot!"

Rue realized what Max meant, and looked away, speaking awkwardly. "Er… sorry… I didn't mean…"

Max brought out two halves of a card that Matt had given him, all that remained of Olympion. "I doubt this will fit your qualifications."

"Yeah… that was my fault… I'm sorry…" Rue managed to say.

"Besides, I don't have a Soul Monster either," Zack said, to break the tense silence. "So either way, that will not work."

"How about we add a card from our deck that nobody else has?" Kisara suggested.

"That'll be fine," Draken nodded. "I can draw the cards in pairs of two, if everyone is ok with that."

"Go ahead," Will said, pulling out a card from his deck and dropping it into the hat.

"We're lucky you wear that thing," Miles commented, putting in his own card.

"I'd prefer to get this over with so I can go back to wearing it," Rue grumbled as he put in a card too.

Soon, everyone had put one in. Draken carefully shuffled them around, not looking at them. When he was finished, he looked around at the members of the group. "Everyone ready?"

"Any day now would be great," Miles said impatiently.

"Alright…" Draken pulled out two cards, and looked over them. "Machine King and Volt Girl. Congratulations Zack and Larka, you're the first lucky winners." With that, he handed them their respective cards.

"That would be fine," Larka said, looking happy with the choice.

"I have no complaints about it," Zack stated with a small smile.

"Then for the second pair…" Draken examined the cards, and sighed. "Big Bangirl and Red Eyes Black Dragon. Looks like Amy and Kisara will be traveling partners. Oh well…"

"Disappointed?" Rue smirked.

"No, shut up," Draken growled.

"I'd be glad to accompany you," Kisara said to Amy.

"We should be good traveling partners," Amy replied.

Draken got over his regrets. "And for our third pair… It's End of Anubis and Retrained Elven Swordsman. Looks like Max and Hope are still together, whether it be in or out of Teknisk Wereld."

Great, Max thought with a mental sigh as he accepted his card. I was hoping the drawing would be a way to get out of being paired with Hope…

Hope blushed slightly but took her card back.

"Fourth pair time…" Draken smiled when he saw what they were. "Black Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon. Up for it Rue?"

"You bet I am!" Rue said enthusiastically.

"Cool. Now, for the fifth pair…" Draken snickered as he looked at the next two cards. "Oh, this should be good… Mad Dog of Darkness and White Thief. Way to go Fell and Miles, you two should be perfect for each other!" He threw the cards over to them.

Fell caught his, but did not show any feeling towards the selection. Miles, on the other hand, had plenty to say about it. "What do you mean, we're perfect for each other! We're polar opposites! You mean I have to be stuck with that emotionless guy for the whole time we're combating the Mavericks!"

"Your luck is as bad as ever," Gen grinned.

"Shut up," Miles muttered, still in a bad mood about the choice.

"Only two more cards. Everyone take a wild guess at who will be in the sixth and final pair." Draken took out the last two cards. "The Legendary Flame Lord and Archangel Zeraato… Will and Claire obviously. Who didn't see that coming?" He gave them their cards and tossed Rue his hat. "And that's all folks."

"Not bad," Will commented. "At least I will know your deck fairly well."

"That's true," Claire agreed.

"It looks like we're all pretty satisfied with our partners," Amy commented.

"Do I look in any way satisfied!" Miles snarled.

"It's ok Miles. Even if you don't want to tell us, we know you two are the best of friends," Draken snickered.

"Ugh… I give up. You guys suck, you know that?" Miles grumbled.

Hope actually thought that the pairing was the best one Miles could have hoped to have had. Even though he had recovered from Thanatos' attack, he was still weakened by it. Combined with the fact that he was one of the weakest fighters in the group, he was one of the individuals that was in the most danger. Fell would probably be able to get them out of any situations they ran into though.

"Shall we set off then?" Gaston suggested.

"We need to decide one more thing first," Will said. "We will all be going to different areas, so we have to decide where we are going and when we'll meet up again. That way, if something goes wrong, we can search for the missing group."

"You're right," Larka agreed. "Zack, how about we go to the Sky Temple?"

"The Sky Temple? What is that?" he asked.

"You've never been there? Then we have to go! Last time we were there, it was a grim time, due to having to face a Commander of Heaven. But I was still fascinated by it."

"Then I'm fine with that," Zack said. Malon yipped excitedly.

"How about we go to the mountains?" Draken suggested to Rue. "Not many group members will be able to explore it easily, but I'm sure Darche can call up a few Blue Eyes."

"That I can," Darche confirmed. "Ruecian will also benefit from them in case we must fight. What do you two think?"

"Sounds good," Rue replied. Ruecian nodded his agreement.

"The mountains are a pretty big area though," Amy pointed out. "But with Kazel, I'm sure we could explore the section you don't get to."

"That works," Sakura responded. "If it's ok with you two, anyway."

"I will go with whatever you think is best," Kisara said.

"The mountains are my favorite area," Kazel stated. "So I have no arguments."

Hope considered the options remaining. "We've been to the forest a lot; one more time wouldn't hurt."

"It might be good to be in a familiar location," Gaston agreed. "What do you think, Max?"

"I don't care," Max said.

"We're running out of choices," Claire said.

"How about the volcano?" Neo advised.

Will frowned. "I don't like that idea. It just gives me a bad feeling…"

"I don't think I've ever been there," Claire commented. "And you're probably just getting a bad feeling because Vlad's base is nearby. At least, I think it is."

"Yeah, that's right," Will confirmed. "Alright then, it can't be worse than anywhere else."

"I'm fine with that," Perseus said.

Then they all turned to the remaining group of two.

"Why are you all looking at me?" Miles asked, shifting his eyes away.

"If you're waiting for Fell to make a suggestion, we're going to be here for a long time," Draken said dryly.

"You have a point," Miles sighed. "The only areas I can think of that are open is the plains and the canyon."

"There's also the snowy region," Hope recalled.

"Snow? I'll pass," Miles replied. "Can't stand the stuff. It's too bright, and too cold for my liking. I hated hiking over the mountains, and we already have two groups there, so that rules out the plains. So how about the canyon?"

Fell shrugged.

"That sounds fine," Daine responded.

"Then that's settled," Gen stated. "When and where should we meet up?"

"How about right here?" Darche suggested. "At nine, like usual."

"That works," Claire said. "We'll see you all later." Then she and Will set off.

"Until tomorrow," Gen replied as they left.

"Farewell," Kazel stated as Kisara and Amy mounted her, and Sakura vanished into her Soul Card. Then the Red Eyes Black Dragon took off, flying towards the mountains.

"We'd better get there too," Draken said as Darche lifted his glowing sword. "Zack, Larka, do you two need a Blue Eyes to get to the sky?"

"Thanks, but that wouldn't work," Larka replied. "How would we get back down when they leave?"

Draken grinned sheepishly. "True. Oh well. I'm sure you'll find a way up there."

"We'll go to Hector's place to see if he has any cards to manage to get us up there," Larka said. "If he doesn't, we can go to the plains I guess."

"Ok then. See you guys later," Rue said as two Blue Eyes White Dragons landed in front of Darche. They mounted quickly, and the dragons flew off.

"Goodbye for now," Hope told the remaining group as she, Max, and Gaston went off towards the forest.

"I guess we're the only ones left," Larka said. "Shall we go to town?"

"The sooner the better," Zack agreed.

They left the lake, going in the direction that the town laid. The trip was silent, except for Malon's occasional barks.

But when they were about halfway where, Malon suddenly broke away from them, running over to a grassy mound.

"What did you find Malon?" Larka asked, eyeing the mound.

Malon was already digging at it. The thin layer of grass, flowers, and dirt flew off to the puppy's small yet strong paws. Soon, he had uncovered it completely, and sat back, panting happily.

It was an ancient stone monolith. Larka knelt down in front of it to read what was inscribed on it.

"This is the gateway; now insert the key." She looked over at Zack. "I have no idea what that means."

"Neither do I." He went beside her, and gazed at the rock. "Wait. What is that symbol below the writing?"

"A rectangle. It looks like the size of a Duel Monster card." Larka had a sudden idea. "Wait, let me try something." She brought out a card from her deck, which was Dunamis Valkyria. She hesitated for a second, and then placed it on the rectangle, keeping her hand on it so it would not fall off.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the card began to grow warm. Larka began to feel slightly dizzy as the world around her spun.

"Zack! Malon! Quickly, hold onto me!" she exclaimed.

Malon ran into her free right arm, whining. Zack grabbed her shoulder just before they vanished.

-

The first thing Larka saw when she opened her eyes was white. She sat up in alarm, and realized what it was; a cloud.

"I think we have arrived at our destination," Zack stated when he saw she had come around. He indicated to the Sky Temple in front of them.

"It's an amazing place, isn't it?" she said as she picked up Malon, who was about to rush off. The last thing Larka wanted was for him to fall off one of the clouds.

"I can see why you like it," Zack replied. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." She started towards the stairs. "If anyone else is here, I bet they'll be inside."

"Probably," Zack agreed, following her.

-

The man walked across the clouds, enjoying the calm breeze. He was in a hurry to find the Limiter, but he figured that he could search this area at a leisurely pace. Out of all the areas he had seen, besides the church, this one was the most comforting to him. The light energy here was nowhere near as strong as it had been in the church, but it was a bit higher than in most areas. That was a benefit for the man.

He caught sight of a structure in the distance. Curious to see what it was, he went towards in cautiously.

As he came closer to it, he saw three figures going up the long flight of stairs. He was too far away to make out the details, but he saw a few things. One was a man, and another was a girl with silver hair that glimmered in the sun. The third one was a small dog, most likely the girl's Soul Monster, that bounded playfully up the steps.

But it was the girl that made the man freeze. That girl… so she's the Limiter of light.

The man waited until they had entered the Sky Temple, and then quickly and quietly ran towards the steps. The hard part is over; I've found one much more quickly than I expected to. Now all I need to do is defeat her.

-

"It is hard to tell what is more magnificent; the outside or the interior," Zack commented as they went down the marble hall.

"I have to agree," Larka nodded as Malon ran by them, sniffing the drapes and wagging his tail excitedly.

They soon reached a room that Larka recognized. "This is where we were captured by the Commander of Heaven called Rika. We were lucky that Draken happened to come by, or else she would have killed us."

"Fortunate indeed," Zack replied, looking around the room and seeing the door. "What is in that room?"

"Actually, I've never been in there," Larka confessed. "Rika put our Duel Disks and cards in there, but Brandi was the one to retrieve them." She went up to the door and cautiously pushed it open.

Another hallway lined with royal purple drapes greeted them. This one was not as long though, so they shortly came to another room.

This was smaller than the one they had been in, but it was much more impressive. Purple and gold drapes decorated the room's walls, along with three stained glass windows, one on each wall. Each of the ones on the side walls showed an angel, with elegant robes, stunning wings, and vivid eyes. The one to their left was a male, and the one to their right was a female. The center one was the largest and most elegant though. This one was of a male and female who were grasping hands, each with one wing. In each corner of the room was an elegant pillar, much like the main room. Otherwise, the room was empty.

"This is amazing…" Larka said as they looked on in awe.

"If there was any area that could even come somewhat close to comparing with the church, this would be it," Zack stated.

"Yeah…" She gazed at the center stained glass. "Those angels… they're both missing a wing. I wonder why?"

"It's for an ancient quote."

They spun around at the sound of the voice. Malon growled suspiciously as Zack instinctively brought out his switchblade.

The man who stood before them made no threatening moves though. He wore a blue and white trenchcoat with a long-sleeved white shirt and white pants underneath it. Around his waist was a black belt with a silver emblem at the center. He also had boots that were white and blue with black straps and gold buckles. He wore black, fingerless gloves, which were close by the blue endings of his sleeves with more black straps. His blonde hair seemed long, although it did not go beyond his neck. His sky blue eyes were a soft color, but there was an edge to them that told them he was certainly not gentle. This was enhanced by the silver sword with a blue hilt that was at his side.

He seemed unconcerned about Zack or Malon. "Since you do not seem to know it, I'll explain. 'We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.' I assume they had this picture to represent this area as one for angels. Neither of you know much about religion, I take it?"

"We know more about it than you might think," Larka said.

"Perhaps you do, Limiter," the man agreed. "But it does not seem so."

Malon snarled as he heard what the man had called Larka, and Zack tensed. Larka's nervousness was now overwhelming, but she forced herself to calm. "Are you one of Juno's Mavericks?"

The man laughed coldly at that. "Am I one of Juno's Mavericks? You couldn't be more wrong. I am completely against Juno, as a matter of fact."

"Then you're on Sarius' side?" Zack inferred.

"You could say that, I suppose. I support Sarius more than Juno at least. But when it comes to claiming worlds, I am on my own side."

"So you're an Emissary?" Larka asked.

"In a way… I am acting as a stand in as the Emissary of Light, until I can find the true one to relinquish that title to," the man explained. "I am an interdimensional being though, so any worlds I gain from the Limiters' powers I win are rightfully mine."

"That means you want to kill me too," Larka said.

"If I must," the man shrugged. "My name is Lario, by the way. Even if our meeting is to be short, I would prefer to be on a first-name basis."

"I'm Larka, this is Malon, and his name is Zack," Larka replied, hiding her anxiety.
Lario nodded, and brought out his Duel Disk. "In the short amount of time I have spent in your world, I have learned that most here fight with cards. If that is the way I am to gain your powers, then so be it."

"Hold it," Zack interrupted, stepping up. "I can't just stand by if you are going to try to kill Larka. To go against her, you'll have to get through me first!"

Lario shrugged. "If that's what you want. I have the time to spare."

He brought out a Soul Card, and the Soul Monster appeared in a flash of light. The humanoid monster wore a gold and blue collar-like item and white pants, with a flowing cape. The inside of the cape was a dark purple, while the outside was white. His skin was a dark bluish-purple, as was his short hair. His eyes were a deep blue. He also had six golden wings, and a golden item behind his head that resembled a halo, but with several points.

"This is Ruler of Heaven Shinato," Lario told Zack. "That is his full title though; feel free to call him Shinato."

"I have no Soul Monster," Zack replied, his switchblade going back into his arm as he prepared his Duel Disk.

Lario raised an eyebrow at that. "I thought it was a requirement to have one."

"I am a unique case," Zack responded.

Lario thought it over, and realized what he meant. "I see… you are a cyborg. I should have known when I saw you bring out your weapon. I wasn't aware this world had that kind of technology though. Well, that doesn't make a difference to me." Lario hit a few buttons on his Duel Disk. "The conditions for this duel… how about we play without shields? That way, we know that the loser will not interfere again."

"If that is what you want."

"Are you ready to begin?"

"Whenever you are."

"Are you sure about this Zack?" Larka asked. "He's after me… you shouldn't have to fight when it is my responsibility."

"It is only right that I do," Zack said. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you while I just stood by and could not assist."

Larka blushed slightly at the explanation. Unable to come up with anything to respond with, she just nodded.

Zack: 8000

Lario: 8000

"I will make the first move," Lario announced as he drew. "I summon Sonic Bird. (1400/1000) When summoned, this monster allows me to place a Ritual Magic card in my hand from my deck." He selected one and swiftly shuffled his deck. "Then I lay one card down and end my turn."

He probably has some kind of trap… why else would he leave a monster that weak on the field? Zack thought. Nevertheless, I'm going to take the risk.

"I summon Magical Reflector Reflect Bounder. (1700/1000) And I'll have it attack Sonic Bird!"

"I counter with Book of the Moon," Lario responded. "This instant magic card forces your monster to change to face down defense mode."

"That isn't good," Larka murmured.

Malon gave an inquiring whine.

"Reflect Bounder's effect only works if it is in attack mode. Now it's completely vulnerable," Larka explained to him.

"I lay one card down as well, and that is it," Zack said.

"Let us see how you fare against this," Lario stated. "I now summon Senju God. (1400/1000) His effect is the same as Sonic Bird's, except that I choose one Ritual Monster card. Now that I have chosen it, I can special summon it by playing my Ritual Magic card, Ark of Miracles. I must sacrifice or discard enough monster cards so that their levels equal eight or higher, so I offer Sonic Bird and Senju God to bring forth Ruler of Heaven Shinato! (3300/3000)"

"So Shinato is actually what your deck theme is based on?" Zack assumed.

"Correct," Lario confirmed. "You will find that he is quite a deadly force though. Now I equip him with Meteor Strike. With this, he does damage to you even if your monsters are in defense mode. Now Shinato attacks!"

Shinato concentrated, bringing up a white ball of glowing energy between its two palms. Then a beam of white energy came flying from it, cutting right through the Reflect Bounder and slamming into Zack. Completely unprepared for the powerful strike, he barely managed to remain standing.

Zack: 4000

Lario: 8000

Zack looked at his Life Point amount in shock. "How could I have lost this many Life Points? Even if you can hurt me by hitting my defense monster, I should not have taken this much of a hit."

"Shinato also has an effect," Lario explained. "Each time he destroys a monster in defense mode, you lose Life Points equal to that monster's attack."

"Damn it…" Zack muttered. "That will make things much more difficult."

Larka could not bring herself to say anything; her concern for Zack was overtaking her.

"However, in response to that, I activate Cry of the Living Dead. This brings back my Reflect Bounder in face up attack mode."

"A minor set back," Lario shrugged. "I lay one card face down and end my turn."

Zack was reluctant to make his move, but he knew he had no choice. "This is a risky idea, but I can see no other way around Shinato. I sacrifice Reflect Bounder for Android Psycho Shocker! (2400/1500) With him on the field, all trap cards are negated. Then I activate Limiter Removal. This will double all of my Machine Sub-Types' attack power, so now it is strong enough to defeat Shinato! (4800/1500) Android Psycho Shocker attacks Shinato!"

"Unfortunately for you, I have hardly any trap cards in my deck," Lario stated. "But I have many magic cards, and I will activate one in response to your attack. It is an instant magic card called Enemy Controller. I can change any of your face up monster's positions, and I choose to change Android Psycho Shocker to defense mode."

Zack shook his head. "That was the only thing I could dare to attempt… I have no choice but to end my turn."

As he said that, the Android Psycho Shocker exploded. It took a few moments for Lario to recover from the blinding effects. When he did, he asked, "What happened?"

"That is a side effect of Limiter Removal," Zack told him. "At the end of my turn, all of my Machine Sub-Types that were affected by Limiter Removal are destroyed."

"So you managed to use that to your advantage," Lario realized. "Shinato will take off most of your Life Points this turn, but he can't kill you. If Android Psycho Shocker had remained though, you would have lost. At least you are resourceful. But it will not win you this duel. Shinato attacks once more!"

This time, the blast hit Zack directly, instead of being buffered by a monster. He fell to one knee from the force of the attack, but forced himself to rise quickly.

Zack: 700

Lario: 8000

"Are you alright?" Larka asked worriedly.

"I'll live…" he assured her. "But if I can't destroy Shinato, then I don't stand a chance."

"Then take your best shot," Lario said. "I end my turn."

Zack grimaced as he looked at his hand. "All I can do is lay one card face down and summon Drillago. (1600/1200) Then I play Cyclone, to destroy your Meteor Strike. Now Drillago attacks you directly!"

"What?" was all Lario managed to say before the Drillago went right through the marble floor. Then it emerged in front of Lario, drilling into him.

Zack: 700

Lario: 6400

"As long as you have no monsters with less than 1600 attack on your field, Drillago is able to bypass them to attack you directly," Zack explained. "That is all I can do."

"Not bad," Lario replied. "You actually managed to make me lose Life Points, which is more than I thought you could do. But it is over for you now. You can't hope to live this turn. For now, I summon Mirage Dragon! (1600/600)" Lario considered the field before him. "Now I will teach you of the brutality you will be facing. First I play another Book of the Moon, so Drillago goes into face down defense mode. Then Mirage Dragon attacks it!"

"I won't let you win that easily!" Zack declared. "I activate Attack Nullification, to negate your attack and end your battle phase!"

"Nice try, but that won't work," Lario smirked. "As long as Mirage Dragon is face up on my field, you cannot activate trap cards on your battle phase."

"Then I'm finished…" Zack said as he watched the Mirage Dragon destroy his Drillago.

"Yes, you are. Shinato attacks directly!"

This attack was too much for the cyborg to handle. He crashed to the ground, and lay their unmoving as the energy's blinding light slowly faded away.

Zack: 0

Lario: 6400

"Zack!" Larka exclaimed, running over to him and kneeling next to him. Malon leapt in front of them, growling at Lario as though to dare him to come closer.

Zack tried to rise, but fell back down almost instantly.

"Hang in there!" she said, before turning to Lario. "That was uncalled for! You deliberately had Shinato attack to make Zack's injuries worse!"

"Yes, I did," Lario stated. "And compared to what the Mavericks would have done, I was merciful. They probably would have killed him, whether it be in the conditions of losing or not. You could say that I was preparing you for the things to come by doing this."

"That's no excuse!" Larka exclaimed. "If he's seriously wounded by that…"

"He'll live," Lario told her. "If a weaker person could have survived through that, then I have no doubt a cyborg will recover quickly." He turned, and went to the doorway before looking back.

"You could call this a test. Now you have an idea of what you are up against. The next time we meet, I will not hold back." He glanced at Zack. "If you wish to protect your companion, I suggest you try harder on our next encounter. The way you are playing now will never do if you want to guard her." Then he left.

Malon ran up to the doorway and waited until he was sure Lario was gone before trotting back to them, whimpering fretfully.

Larka immediately realized that Zack could not even find the strength to move. With some effort, she managed to support the half-conscious cyborg and brought him next to the center wall.

"Don't try to move too much," she cautioned as she helped him lay down. "You need to have some time to recover."

"What… about you?" he managed to say.

"I'll be fine; I can watch out for any other enemies," Larka said, worry in her eyes. "Please, you must rest now."

"I'm sorry…" he whispered before falling unconscious.

"I should be the one apologizing," she murmured, although she knew he would not hear her. "I should have fought Lario. If I had, then he wouldn't be hurt…" She leaned against the wall, looking down at her companion and blinking away tears. "If only I wasn't such a burden… no, I can't think like this. I have to stay strong. The next person to come will be after my life, and I am the only one who can protect myself now."

To be continued…