Teknisk Wereld: Trials of Heart

by Celtic Guardian 7

All the god cards have been obtained. Now all that remains is a series of trials. Yet within those, they must face their most challenging foes: themselves. COMPLETE

12. Revelations

So, we're here. This chapter reveals the answers to many, many questions. It is the longest chapter I have done so far, and probably ever will do, for it got exactly 19,000 words. A fitting end to this arc if I do say so myself.

Let's get started.

Captain Obvious: Destruction Ring does not seem to work… oh yeah, it's banned. Whoops. I guess that means Kuribo wins, scary as it is.

John: Um… Matt and Brandi confessed their love a long time ago, so I don't know what you mean by that. I don't know what you mean by banned author reviews either.

Epyon: That was horrible, for your info. Yet I still laughed.

Chapter 12: Revelations

"Where… are we?" Rue asked, looking around.

"…Is anyone else feeling déjà vu?" Neo said.

"This looks identical to the location where we faced Satan the first time," Will stated as they looked around in the darkness. "We might have been brought to the same place."

"I was hoping we'd never have to set our eyes on this location again…" Rue groaned.

"Same here," Gaston sighed. "But now we have no choice."

"So… where do we go?" Neo wondered.

"…He will come to us…" Hope whispered.

"Hope?" Max said.

But before she could say anything else, they all caught sight of a figure slowly walking towards them. And there was no mistaking who it was.

"…Oh my god…" Rue said softly.

Satan halted in front of them, smirking. "God will not be here to assist you this time."

His appearance was exactly the same, from his black outfit to his silver hair. Across his back was his pitchfork, and his dark aura was still cloaked around him. Then he opened his blood-red eyes, the reptilian pupils boring into them.

Even though Hope had been prepared for them, she still felt her breath leave her as she looked at him. Gaston's hand had locked onto his sword hilt, but he could not seem to bring himself to draw it. Rue seemed to be saying something very softly while Ruecian silently brought his staff into a ready position. Max just stared, ready to fight if necessary, while Tenma began growling. But in truth, he was horrified. Will seemed shaken but did not back down. Neo had paled, but had also gotten his staff ready.

"You were already beaten," Max finally said. "Give up. Leave here."

"I did not know who I was facing before," Satan hissed. "Now, however, I do." He held out his left hand. "At last… you are here." Then he brought his right hand up, revealing the three cards he held. They were glowing blue, red, and yellow.

"The god cards…" Will whispered.

"Yes. Now, their purpose shall be revealed," Satan said. "Come back to me, my most loyal servant. Join me once more…"

"What is he saying?" Rue asked.

Nobody had time to answer his question though. Hope was suddenly walking forward, her eyes glazed as she stared at the three god cards.

No… not again…

"Hope! What are you doing?" Max exclaimed.

"Stop!" Gaston protested, running towards her. But before he could reach her, he was suddenly thrown back by a clear barrier.

"You are not to interfere," Satan said as Hope continued to approach him.

"Get away from her!" Rue snarled, inserting a card into his Duel Disk. However, nothing happened. "Damn! Our support cards are still off limits!"

Ruecian lifted his hand and shot a blast of black magic at the barrier. It reflected off though, sailing over their heads and into the abyss.

Seeing that had not worked, Tenma shot forward and began clawing at the barrier, snarling furiously. He could feel Max's worry, his fear, and his overpowering anger at what Satan was doing. They fueled him, causing him to attack with a new ferocity.

"Tenma, enough! You're only wasting your strength!" Will called before he turned back to Hope. By this time, she had come in front of Satan, and was watching him with glazed eyes.

…Not again…

"It is time for you to awaken," Satan said. The three god cards were now stacked onto each other. He placed them into Hope's hands. Obeying unsaid instructions, she laid them over her heart.

…Never again…

"We can't stop!" Max protested. "We can't leave her there!"

"As much as I agree, this is not working at all!" Will said.

Satan laid his left hand on her forehead. "Cast off that useless persona… become who you really are…"

"And most importantly, we can't let him do what he's going to!" Max shouted.

…I don't want to lose myself…

"Become…"

"HOPE!" Gaston yelled, swinging his sword with all his might at the barrier. But it glanced off harmlessly.

"…Despair."

At that word, they were surrounded by Satan's dark aura, shrouding them from view.

"…Despair?" Neo said.

"No…" Max whispered. "Something's wrong… something's very wrong…"

Tenma clawed at the barrier again, but his paw suddenly went through the area as though it were merely air.

"He must have dropped the barrier!" Will realized.

"Then let's help her!" Rue said impatiently.

But before they could do anything, blue, red, and yellow light tore apart the aura. It took them a moment for their eyes to recover, but when they did, they could only stare.

Satan stood where he had been before, looking no different than before. But Hope had completely altered. Now she had a long, black, sleeveless dress, but no other garments, not even shoes. Her skin was as pale as Satan's. Dark brown hair had now become pure black, and was flowing down to her knees.

What astounded them the most was what she had acquired from the god cards themselves. Her head seemed to have a blue crown, but it was startlingly similar to Obelisk's head structure. On her back were two red wings, just like Osiris's. And she now had a golden tail, identical in appearance to Ra's, that was nearly as long as she was tall. In the center of her forehead was a blue jewel, matching the ones that crowned the god cards.

As they watched in stunned silence, she opened her eyes. That was when they all really could grasp the fact that this was not Hope. Her eyes were identical to Satan's, from the color to the terrifying evil that lay within them.

The woman in front of them flexed the wings experimentally, while moving her tail slowly. Then she looked up at the ones watching her and smiled coldly. "At long last… I have awakened."

…

"Jesus Christ," Miles whispered as he saw what had happened to Hope.

"What happened to her?" Amy said frantically.

"Th-that isn't Hope…" Larka stammered, shaking. "She… she's become… something else…"

"But what?" Zack inquired. "How did this happen? Was this… being… inside of her all along?"

"The god cards…" Brandi said softly. "She was always trying to get the god cards, I thought. But it wasn't Hope who wanted them… it was this thing…"

"…Now… how will they handle this…?" Sarius murmured to himself as he watched.

…

"…Hope?" Gaston said, staring in shock.

The woman's eyes flashed. "Fool! That false identity no longer exists! That mockery of a name does not fit me. I am Despair!"

"So that is what Satan calls her…" Will said.

"You're lying!" Gaston exclaimed, stepping forward. "Hope is still there! I can feel her!"

"Silence!" Despair raised her left hand, blue energy forming around it. Then she leapt in front of Gaston and slammed it into his chest, causing him to go flying back. Ruecian quickly ran in front of his flight path to intercept him, but the collision caused them both to fall.

"Gaston! Ruecian!" Neo exclaimed, running over to them. But the others remained where they were.

"…Hope would never do that…" Rue growled.

"Are you all so easily persuaded by force? Then keep on coming. I will tear down as many as it takes to convince you otherwise," Despair said with a smirk.

"That… that can't be true…" Max said, going forward, his eyes misting over. "Hope? You have to be able to recognize me… Hope!"

"Enough of this!" Despair's left hand crackled with red electricity this time. She pointed it at Max, and it shot out of her hand towards him.

Only Tenma's quick reaction saved Max from being fried. He sprang in front of Max, taking the attack with a snarl.

"She can't be gone!" Max said desperately as he backed around Tenma, who continued to growl in pain. "She wouldn't give in that easily! Please come back, Hope!"

"I've never seen Max act like this…" Rue whispered to Will.

"The one he loves is fading before his very eyes," Will stated. "His reaction is to be expected."

"You are wasting your time!" Despair said.

"If I can do anything to bring back Hope, it's worth it!" Max took another step forward.

"Stay away!" Despair's hand glowed yellow. She raised it and shot a flaming beam at him. Max closed his eyes, awaiting his fate.

But just before it connected, the fire that came from it died away. He cautiously opened his eyes and saw that Despair was clutching the area over her heart.

"W-what is this? The host… she is still in me…" Despair snarled.

"Since you have just reemerged, it will take time for you to completely possess the body," Satan stated. "After a short while, she will be gone forever. Emotional trauma could also get rid of her."

"Such as slaying all of her worthless friends?" Despair assumed, her eyes gleaming.

"That is quite possible."

"So Hope managed to stop her!" Rue said. "There's still a chance that we can save her!"

"Hope…" Gaston groaned, sitting up slowly as Neo tried to support him. Ruecian had been relatively unharmed in the crash, and had now gone in front of the others, ready to bring up a barrier of his own if necessary.

"Save your strength," Neo said worriedly. "You might be the only one who can bring her back."

"Fine! I will destroy all of them!" She lifted her hand again, but then winced, putting it down. "That damn host! Quit interfering!"

"Those attacks…" Rue trailed off.

"They look like weaker versions of the god card's attacks," Will stated. "It's almost as though she has fused with them…"

"Then if I cannot use force, I will kill them in other ways!" A deck of cards appeared in Despair's hand. "The three of you shall face me in duels, one at a time. If your Life Points reach zero, you die."

"And what if yours do?" Rue demanded.

"They will not," Despair smirked. "You cannot deplete my Life Points. Now, who will face me first?"

Wordlessly, Max stepped forward.

"Max! Are you sure about this? Maybe Will or I should go and try to find out her weakness!" Rue said.

"No," Max said quietly. "Hope is in her. I'm going to find out the method to save her."

"…You stubborn…" Rue muttered.

"Max, do not let your emotions get in the way," Will said, his eyes flashing with concern. "It might be necessary to hurt or even kill Despair. Don't forget that."

Max did not respond to that. Instead, he turned on his Duel Disk. Tenma went to his side, seeming injured by the attack but more than ready to help Max.

"Now… it begins…" Despair said with a cold smile. Her wings slowly began to flap, although she did not even come close to taking flight, while her tail gruesomely writhed.

…

"Why did she stop the attack?" Claire asked.

"Hope has to still be there," Gen said. "There's no other explanation."

"Then all is not lost," Daine stated.

"But how… how can she be brought back?" Amy exclaimed with her hands tightly clenched in worry.

"That's what's infuriating; we can't do anything from here, so we're completely useless!" Draken said.

Larka shook her head. "Not completely. We can still watch and support them."

"But they won't know we're doing that… will they?" Miles said doubtfully.

"…Well, maybe. They might be able to feel that they're being cheered on," Sakura replied. "It's not like we lose anything from doing it, right?"

"They will find a way. Somehow, they will find a way," Kazel assured.

"…They might have already," Perseus stated, indicating to the water.

The group turned back to the lake to see Max turn on his Duel Disk.

"He wants to duel her? He's mental! Not that we didn't know that already, but… seriously, does he really think that's going to work?" Miles said.

"At this point, he'll try anything," Matt answered. "…It comes down to whether he wins or not."

"Max…" Brandi said softly as the duel began.

…

Max: 8000

Despair?

As Max drew his cards, he happened to glance at Despair's Life Point counter. To his surprise, instead of saying the standard 8000, it had ? in its place.

"What happened to your Life Point counter?" Max asked.

"I told you that that you could not deplete my Life Points," Despair said. "Make your move."

"…Fine. I summon Demon Soldier and lay two cards down. That's all," Max stated.

Despair smirked as she looked at her hand. "You will find that my deck just seems to give me the most useful cards at appropriate times. By summoning Troop Commander, I can bring out another one from my hand with his effect. (1200/400) After laying a card down, you may go."

"I've seen Hope duel very often," Max said. "This is also the first time you are using her deck. I have the advantage."

"I am afraid not," Despair replied in her chilling voice. "You will see why shortly."

Unsure on how to reply to that, Max continued his turn. "…I'll lay a monster in defense mode. Then I activate Enemy Controller!"

"I activate my trap card in response, Magic Jammer," Despair said. "To do so, I discard Immense Battleship Big Core."

"What?" Max exclaimed. "But Hope doesn't use either of those cards!"

"Who said I was using her deck?" Despair pointed out. "You merely assumed that."

…

"What the heck was that?" Miles asked as the Magic Jammer was activated.

"I didn't know Hope had Magic Jammer in her deck…" Larka said.

"She doesn't," Amy said, still pale. "Hope dislikes cards that require you to discard for their activation. If anything, she would use Magic Drain, but definitely not Magic Jammer…"

"Come to think of it, do any of us use Magic Jammer? It isn't a bad card," Draken commented.

"I do," Zack replied.

"Oh yeah, that's true," Draken recalled. "But nobody else, huh? Why would she use it then? Did she change decks?"

"That is possible," Daine stated. "Although she used two Troop Commanders, they fit in other deck types as well. Miles is a good example of this."

"At long last, I get recognized for my accomplishments!" Miles said.

"If you can call deck building an accomplishment," Draken muttered.

"You're lucky that my attention is on what is happening to Max, or else I'd argue that point," Matt said without looking up.

"Time will tell if she is using a new deck," Kazel stated. That closed the discussion and they continued to watch.

…

"A new deck? But what theme would she be trying to play?" Rue asked. "I mean, who plays Troop Commander and Immense Battleship Big Core in the same deck?"

"Apparently her," Neo said.

Rue rolled his eyes. "No duh. Seriously though, they don't fit together at all unless you're trying for some kind of weird stall deck."

"…I have a few suspicions," Will stated. "Who do you know that uses both Magic Jammer and Immense Battleship Big Core?"

"Zack. But what does that have to do with this?" Rue asked.

"If my theory is right, you'll know soon enough."

Max looked at his hand before saying, "I cannot do anything else."

"I summon Magic Warrior Breaker. (1900/1000) By removing his magic counter, the first card you laid down is destroyed," Despair said.

"That means I lose my Magic Cylinder…" Max trailed off as the Breaker sliced apart the trap.

…

"…That settles it: this is not Hope's deck," Draken said bluntly.

"But what did she do to it?" Kisara wondered.

"…Let's keep watching. We might find out then," Claire stated.

…

"What is she playing at?" Rue said in frustration. "That doesn't go with her other monsters either!"

"Who among us uses it?" Will inquired.

Rue looked over at him in irritation. "Why are you asking that?"

"Just think about it," Will said.

Rue sighed. "Fine. I use it, and so do you. Brandi too; she beat me down with him in free duels often enough anyway."

"Has Hope seen you or Brandi play Breaker?" Will inquired.

"I don't know!" Rue said in exasperation. "You think I keep track of that?"

"Well, she has at least seen me play him before," Will stated. "That does not rule out my theory."

"Would you just tell me what it is?" Rue growled. "I'm sick of being left in the dark!"

"No pun intended?" Neo said, indicating to the black area they were in.

"Shut up," Rue muttered.

"I believe that Despair can use any card Hope has seen us play," Will said. "I am not sure if this applies to people like Amy and Claire, since they did not constantly stay with us. People such as you, myself, and Max have remained with her longer though. We saw her play cards Hope originally had, or Miles. Then there were two of Zack's cards, and then one of yours and mine. There is no pattern to this deck. She's just pulling out cards she is aware of."

"…You have got to be kidding me," Rue said in a flat tone.

"That is what I think," Will replied with a shrug. "Remember that she said she gets cards that help her in correct situations. That only enforces my theory."

"You are quite the intelligent one," Despair said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Being aware of what my deck is will not change anything though. With a variety of ten decks at my disposal, I will be able to counter almost anything played."

"Key word, almost…" Gaston said as he finally stood with his arm over his chest. "He'll still win. You admitted that you had a weakness, and Max will find it."

"Highly doubtful," Despair said, looking rather bored of the conversation. "I tire of this topic. Breaker attacks your defense monster."

"It's my Twilight Zone Trainer. (100/2000) You fail to destroy him and lose 400 Life Points," Max told her. Despite what he had just heard about her deck, he was not concerned. It didn't matter what she was using; he had to win either way.

Despair did not react as the Breaker's sword clanged off the Twilight Zone Trainer. "Believe as you wish. I end my turn."

"Demon Soldier attacks Breaker!" Max declared. However, even as the Demon Soldier cut through Breaker, Despair did not seem concerned. "I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I activate Early Burial to special summon Breaker." Black energy began to come from Despair, entering the ground, where a red cross formed. Breaker suddenly burst out of the ground, glaring at the Demon Soldier as he emerged. "Then I summon Dunamis Valkyria (1800/1050) and equip her with Demon Axe. (2800/1050) She attacks Demon Soldier."

"I'll stop her with Torture Wheel!" Max announced.

"Since she is unable to attack, I will have Breaker attack your other face down monster," Despair decided.

"My X-E-N-O is destroyed… (200/100) I will take control of Breaker through his effect, even though it won't benefit me," Max said.

"My turn is over." The Breaker that had just gone to Max's field instantly turned around and went back to hers.

"You take 500 damage from Torture Wheel," Max told her as he drew. In response to his words, the Torture Wheel began to glow red-hot.

"It is insignificant," Despair stated as the Torture Wheel returned to normal. The Dunamis Valkyria seemed completely unharmed.

"I don't care. I mainly wanted to stop her attack," Max stated. "After using Jar of Greed to draw two cards, I play Cyclone to destroy Demon Axe. Then Demon Soldier attacks Breaker!"

The Demon Soldier easily chopped apart Breaker.

"Now I activate Tenma's Deck Master ability!" Max continued.

"Huh… now that I think about it, we've never gotten to see it," Rue commented.

Tenma began to growl softly, and it steadily grew into a full snarl. As he did, in the Demon Soldier's other hand, a black object began to form. By the time Tenma suddenly cut off into silence, the Demon Soldier was holding another sword that had been created from dark energy.

"By discarding a card from my hand, such as Demon King of the Underworld: Hades…" Max slid him into his Cemetery. "My monster can attack again. He will only do half the battle damage that would normally occur, but that won't matter." The Demon Soldier used his new sword to cleave through the Dunamis Valkyria. The Torture Wheel faded away as she did. "I'm done after that."

…

"So Tenma can let monsters attack twice?" Gen assumed as they watched the Demon Soldier destroy Dunamis Valkyria.

"That's pretty good, although I'd say Olympion was a bit more broken," Draken said.

Zack noticed that Larka seemed disturbed despite the way the duel was going. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm just surprised," Larka answered. "I thought I was the only person who played Dunamis Valkyria…"

"You were, until now," Miles said.

"…Then I might have finally figured out what she is trying to do," Zack stated.

"Let's hear it," Darche said.

"I think she is using cards that she has seen us play along with Hope's cards," Zack explained. "All of the ones she has played so far correspond to us, and there does not seem to be much of a theme to her deck."

"Wow. She must really suck at making decks if that's the case," Miles commented.

"…But what if she's doing something to get her certain cards whenever she wants them?" Brandi said worriedly.

"Let's hope not," Matt replied grimly.

…

"Enough of this foolishness," Despair said. "I activate Black Magic Curtain, special summoning Black Magician (2500/2100) from my deck." As she said that, black energy came from her, forming into the curtain.

"…Why did I have to include that in my deck?" Rue groaned as the purple-armored magic-user emerged.

"Because you want Max to die?" Neo offered.

"…No. Just no," Rue said, glaring at him.

"He attacks Demon Soldier." At her words, the Black Magician lifted his staff and sent out a wave of black magic, tearing through the Demon Soldier and hitting Max, burning into him.

Max: 7400

Despair?

Max recovered from the blow quickly. "I assume you're done, so I'll set a monster in defense mode. That's it."

"I summon Goblin Strike Team (2300/0) and attack Twilight Zone Trainer. Then Black Magician attacks your face down monster."

"You've destroyed my Newt," (1900/400) Max said. "As a result, your Black Magician loses 500 attack." (2000/2100)

Despair simply smirked. "The Troop Commanders attack you directly."

The Troop Commanders moved in unison, slicing Max at the same instant to make a bloody X across his chest.

Max: 5000

Despair?

"Make your move."

…

"That must have hurt," Miles said with a wince as they saw Max get attacked.

Draken was watching tensely. "I knew something like this would happen… since Max hasn't been healed since what happened last time, he could actually…" He trailed off as Matt gave him a warning look.

"Whether he's injured or not, Max will still win. Just wait and see."

…

"This is what I was afraid of," Will stated as Max drew. "Going into this duel without healing first was a major disadvantage for him."

"Come on, it's Max!" Rue said. "He can take any amount of physical pain. He's lived through two different attacks of Obelisk, one that should have killed him, remember?"

"True…" They returned his attention to the duel as Max spoke.

"I summon Giant Orc and attack Black Magician. I'm done after that."

"I lay a monster down. One Troop Commander destroys Giant Orc while the other attacks you directly. Then you may go."

Max was slashed once more, adding a third wound to his chest.

Max: 3800

Despair?

By now, Max was significantly weakened. He shook his head as he drew, trying to think clearly. "I'll also play a monster face down, and then I end."

"I play Jar of Greed, and then lay a monster in defense mode. I switch Goblin Strike Team to attack mode and attack your monster," Despair said.

"You've destroyed my Mimic of Darkness Lv 1. (100/1000) His reverse effect lets me draw one card," Max stated.

"The Troop Commanders attack directly once more, and then I am done."

Two more bleeding cuts were added. Max was finding it difficult to stand now, but managed to stay focused.

Max: 1400

Despair?

"I lay a monster in defense mode… and two cards face down. That's all," Max managed to say.

Despair glanced at the card she had drawn, and she smiled, chilling them. "Now, it is over… I sacrifice Goblin Strike Team and both Troop Commanders for Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk!"

Max could honestly say he was not surprised by the fact that the god card was accessible to her. Still, he felt a rush of horror as Obelisk crashed into the ground in front of him.

…

"Max!" Brandi gasped as Obelisk appeared.

"This is not good. This is really not good," Miles muttered.

"Don't give up on him now!" Larka said. "Max has beaten Obelisk before; he can do it again!"

"Yeah… he will…" Matt agreed. But the unspoken fear remained amongst all the spectators.

…

"She's using the god cards too!" Rue exclaimed.

"Obviously…" Will said without turning away from Obelisk.

Max's gaze locked with the red eyes of Obelisk. Yet something seemed wrong with Obelisk… he did not seem quite as frightening as before… On an impulse, he looked at Despair.

Despair wore the same look as it had had when she had suppressed Hope. "What is this? Why is Obelisk weakened?"

"You have reabsorbed some of his power," Satan stated. "Nevertheless, he is strong enough to finish this."

"Yes… I flip summon Saint Magician (300/400) for Jar of Greed, and use it. Then I play Devil's Sanctuary for a Metal Devil Token. (0/0) I sacrifice both of them to use Obelisk's ability, God Hand Crusher!"

"God Hand Crusher? What does that do again?" Neo asked.

"I believe Kouten said it destroys all of the opponent's monsters and does 4000 damage," Will said grimly.

"4000 damage!" Rue yelped. "But that means Max has lost!"

"No… I don't think so…" Gaston said.

He did not get a chance to elaborate as Obelisk slammed his fist into the monster on Max's field, completely obliterating it.

"…That was my Dweller of Darkness Shadowkiller…" Max said. (1400/200) "But I took no damage…"

"That must be what she means by Obelisk being weakened," Will stated. "His special effects are not as overpowered as they were before. Is that what you thought, Gaston?"

"To an extent, yes," Gaston replied.

"Since you destroyed my Shadowkiller…" Max looked at his trap card, and after a moment of hesitation, flipped it over. "I activate Soul Line. I'll pay 1000 Life Points to summon… Newt…" He was cut off as white light began to come from him, forming into Newt. (1900/400)

Max: 400

Despair?

The change was alarming. Feeling as though all of his strength had left him, Max suddenly collapsed to his knees, barely stopping himself from hitting the floor face-first.

"What are you doing?" Rue exclaimed. "That'll only get you killed faster!"

"…I don't have… much choice now… do I?" Max said. "Besides… it might help… in other ways…"

"What does he mean by that?" Rue asked as Max struggled to rise.

"…Hope gave him that card," Gaston said softly. "I assume he meant the sentimental value."

"You were unwise to not place him in defense," Despair stated.

"Not really. I activate my other card… Menacing Roar!" Max said. "Now you cannot declare… any attacks…"

"It is useless to resist," Despair said. "You are merely delaying the inevitable. I lay one card down. Take your final turn."

"Yes… this will be my final turn…" Max agreed as he laid his fingers on his deck. "I will either draw the card I need, or I will fall. But for Hope's sake… it will be the former."

"Go on, Max! Take him down!" Rue shouted.

"I think I know what he wants," Will said with a slight smile. "And if he gets it, Obelisk will indeed be finished."

Max slowly drew the card and looked at it. Then he said, "I bring out Tenma!"

Tenma went to his field at once, snarling at Obelisk. (2500/0)

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Despair smirked.

"Even if I don't know how to take you down… Obelisk is going to be destroyed!" Max declared. "I equip Tenma with Power of Teamwork, raising his stats by 1600 for himself and Newt!" (4100/1600)

"Impossible!" Despair snarled as Tenma began to glow a brilliant gold. "How could you draw the only card in your deck that would destroy Obelisk?"

"I told you, I can't afford to lose! Hope's depending on me!" Max said. "Tenma, attack! Destroy Obelisk!"

Tenma sprang forward at once, slashing at Obelisk furiously. Obelisk had no time to retaliate before Tenma began to tear him apart.

Max: 400

Despair?

Obelisk began to glow blue, and then shattered apart. As he did, Despair suddenly cried out. To their amazement, the blue spikes decorating her forehead suddenly shattered as well. Her wings, tail, and jewel seemed intact though.

"I don't understand…" Despair said. "I have lost… Obelisk's power…"

"This should not have happened," Satan stated. For the first time, his calm exterior seemed somewhat shaken. "Even if Obelisk was destroyed, he should have merely gone to the Cemetery. But he is actually gone…"

Max was also feeling something happening to him. A sudden weakness spread throughout him, as though he had lost something too. Before he could understand what was happening to him, he fell forward.

"Max!" Rue ran over to him, turning him onto his back. "What happened to you?"

"I… don't know…" Max said, his eyes slightly glazed. "I was… weak before… but now… all of my strength… it's gone…"

"You've done more than enough," Rue said before turning to Will. "Help me get him out of the way!"

Tenma growled threateningly at Despair as Rue and Will transported Max a short distance away, but she did not even try to stop them. She had one of her pale hands clenched to her white forehead and was grimacing.

"But Hope…" Max protested as they laid him down again.

"We'll take care of everything else," Rue said firmly as Tenma went over to them. "You need to relax. Try to gain back some of your strength."

"…All right," Max finally agreed. "But I… want to see… what happens…"

Tenma sat down behind him, and Max managed to prop himself against one of his strong forelegs. "No need… to worry… about me… just concentrate… on Hope…" Max said.

"Right. We're on it." With that, Rue strode over to where Max had been standing. Ruecian followed him at once.

"What are you doing?" Despair said.

"Max's in no condition to go on. I'll pick up the duel from where he left off," Rue stated. "Any objections?"

"I do not care. Once you have died, I will return to him," Despair growled.

"You think I'm going to die?" Rue said as he turned on his Duel Disk. "Sorry, but I still have too many things to do before I go!"

"You have sealed your fate…" Despair stated.

"Actually, Rue has a better chance against you than Max did," Will informed her. "Now we know your weakness. By destroying the god cards, your appearance crumbles."

"Silence, mortal! That would not be the end of me, even if it were to occur!" Despair snarled. "Pick up from his turn before I lose my patience!"

…

"Score one for the good guys!" Miles cheered as Tenma ripped Obelisk apart.

"Thank God…" Brandi said quietly. Matt nodded in agreement.

"…Wait. Something is happening to her…" Gen said as Despair's appearance altered.

"She just lost a part of herself," Kazel stated. "But what does that mean?"

"Perhaps that is how she will be defeated," Zack said. "If they destroy all three god cards, she might die as well."

"If that happens, will she turn back into Hope?" Larka said worriedly.

"…Possibly," Zack answered.

"Hey, wait… what happened to Max?" Draken said, frowning at the image in the lake.

"Did he take damage from that move?" Daine asked.

"…No, so I don't see why he'd collapse…" Matt answered.

"At least he isn't dead," Draken said as Rue and Will transported him.

"It looks like he won't be doing much else," Sakura said. "So who now?"

As if to answer her question, Rue went forward.

"Gallant moron," Draken groaned, putting his hand over his eyes. "Does he know what he's getting into?"

"Full-well, I'd assume," Perseus said. "But that will not stop him."

"…Max was able to win. Rue can too," Claire said. Although she looked nervous, her voice was firm.

"Definitely, but it's going to be one heck of a ride for him," Draken said.

Sarius and Aya had been silent so far. Aya finally spoke up by saying, "What do you think?"

"One down and two more to go," Sarius replied. "I was not very impressed with Obelisk's performance though. It is possible that he is weaker this time around, although I am not sure why that would be. Once I see Ra, I will be able to confirm if that is true or not."

"So until then, we'll watch," Aya said.

…

Rue: 8000

Despair?

"I'll summon Skilled Black Magician (1900/1700) and lay two cards down. Your turn," Rue said.

"I place one monster in defense and a card down. Then I activate Hidden Tomes to shuffle Jar of Greed and Early Burial into my deck. That is all," Despair stated.

"Ugh… if she can draw whatever she needs to, that's going to be a pain," Rue muttered underneath his breath. Then he said, "I play Power of Magicians on Skilled Black Magician! (3400/3200) Then I activate Book of Sun on your face down monster!"

"Mimic of Darkness Lv 1. (100/1000) I draw one card."

"Dang it… she got that from me…" Max muttered.

"Now I play Sealing Swords of Light to stop you from attacking for three turns!" Rue said. "Since I have three magic counters of Skilled Black Magician, I'll sacrifice him to special summon Black Magician from my deck!" (2500/2100)

"Why did he do that?" Neo asked. "Skilled Black Magician was stronger."

"Rue has more supporting cards for Black Magician, such as Thousand Knives," Will replied. "He wants Black Magician for that reason."

"Black Magician attacks Mimic of Darkness!" Rue announced.

The Mimic of Darkness was destroyed almost instantly. But as the black magic went towards Despair, a dark aura suddenly appeared. The attack hit it harmlessly.

"What was that?" Rue said.

"I will not fall victim to such weak attacks," Despair stated.

"So depleting Life Points does nothing at all," Rue sighed. "I lay a card face down and end my turn."

…

"Is she invincible against attacks or something?" Draken said.

"Probably. It seems that the god cards are her only weakness," Zack stated.

"That is odd, seeing as they are also her greatest strength," Kazel said.

"Rue has to last long enough to make her summon one though," Matt reminded them.

"He will," Claire said confidently. "He will."

…

"You have made a poor choice by bringing out Black Magician," Despair said. "I activate Brain Control on him."

"How did she use that?" Will said from the sidelines. "I do not recall anyone in our group having it in their deck."

Rue slapped his hand to his forehead. "Damn you, Draken! He has it in his deck. I free dueled him once, and he used that on my Black Magician to kill me. At least I won't lose to it this time around."

"Hope saw this duel?" Will inquired.

"Yeah. You weren't there because Neo had blown something up again," Rue recalled. "I think it was your waffle-maker."

"Oh yeah, that was fun!" Neo said, grinning despite the tense situation.

Will glared at him. "I still do not know how you got the brilliant idea to put gasoline in there…"

"Either way, what do you hope to do with Black Magician?" Rue asked. "You can't exactly attack me."

"I need him for a sacrifice. By playing Early Burial to revive my own Black Magician, I can sacrifice both for Magic Hierophent of the Black." (3200/2800)

"…I hate my life," Rue muttered as the Hierophent appeared.

"That is all," Despair concluded.

…

"Do any of us actually have Brain Control in our decks?" Miles asked.

"I do," Draken answered. "Oh yeah… Hope saw that free duel where I slaughtered Rue with it. Good times."

"What about Devil's Sanctuary? I thought Matt was the only one who used it," Kazel said.

"No, Max does too," Matt replied. "Hope probably witnessed a free duel of his too."

"She has been watching him more closely over the past months too, remember?" Gen added.

"So she might have cards we aren't aware of," Darche said.

"It probably won't be that big of a deal," Perseus stated. "We know each other's decks pretty well. There are generally few exceptions like these."

"That's true," Draken said.

…

Rue looked at the only card in his hand and sighed. "I pass."

"Those infernal swords…" Despair growled. "I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"…I pass again," Rue said, looking annoyed.

"I activate a magic card, Confiscate," Despair said with a smirk. "I will look at your hand and choose a card to discard."

"I won't let you get away with that!" Rue retorted. "I'll use Ruecian's Deck Master ability to discard Thousand Knives to negate your magic card and destroy it!" At his words, Ruecian sliced apart the Confiscate card that had appeared.

"Fine. Make your move," Despair said. As she said that, the Sealing Swords of Light vanished.

…

"She just used Confiscate," Draken groaned.

"That's going to leave him at a disadvantage hand-wise," Matt sighed.

"This won't end well…" Sakura said gloomily.

"Hey! She stole one of my signature cards!" Miles complained.

Everyone turned and glared at him.

"…Well, it's true," Miles muttered sheepishly.

"You using it just screwed Rue over," Draken pointed out.

"…Actually, he just negated it with Ruecian's Deck Master ability," Claire said.

"Lucky you; you're off the hook," Draken commented before turning back to the duel. Miles rolled his eyes and then looked as well.

…

"…This is perfect timing," Rue said while his eye twitched. "The one time my deck decides to give me nothing useful is when I'm fighting one of the most important duels I will ever be in. Thank you, deck, I love you too." Then he said to Despair, "I pass for the third time in a row," and mentally braced himself for what was coming.

"At last… I order Hierophent to attack directly," Despair said with a cold smile.

The wave of black magic hit Rue dead-on, causing him to cry out in pain as he staggered back.

Rue: 4800

Despair?

"Damn it… I knew it would hurt, but not this much…" Rue said with a wince.

"It is your turn," Despair stated.

"I need something good here…" Rue looked at the card he had drawn. "Ugh… I don't like doing this, but I really have no choice at this point. I summon Injection Angel Lily! (400/1500) Then I attack with her, paying 2000 Life Points to make her attack rise by 3000!" (3400/1500)

As the Injection Angel Lily sped forward, white light left Rue to enter her. He felt himself weakening as he lost Life Points, but was not in the danger zone yet. The Injection Angel Lily jabbed the Hierophent with her needle, causing him to bloat before exploding.

Rue: 2800

Despair?

"I'm done," Rue said.

"That leaves you vulnerable," Despair stated. "I summon Regenerating Mummy (1800/1600) and attack Lily."

"Now that your Hierophent is finally gone, I can use my trap cards!" Rue told her. "I activate Claymore Mine in response to your attack, destroying Regenerating Mummy!"

"There is nothing else to be done."

"I'll switch Lily to defense mode and lay a monster face down. Your turn," Rue said.

"I use Jar of Greed and then end my turn," Despair said shortly.

"Talk about cheap… you already got both of the cards you used Hidden Tomes for." Rue thought for a moment, and then smiled. "Well, this ought to even up the odds. I flip summon Saint Magician (300/400) and get back Sealing Swords of Light. I'll play them now."

"…How irritating…" Despair growled as her Lord of Dragons –Dragon Master– (1200/1100) was revealed.

"I don't like the looks of that," Rue said. "But I can't do much about it now. I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"…I pass," Despair said flatly.

"Awesome. That might make up for a few of my crummy draws," Rue grinned. "I switch Saint Magician to defense mode and play another monster face down. I'm done after that."

"I will not tolerate this any longer," Despair said. "I activate Calling Reinforcements."

"Hell no! I discard Black Magic for Ruecian's Deck Master ability to stop you!" Rue exclaimed. Knowing why Rue was alarmed, Ruecian quickly cut up the card.

"Good thing you did," Will commented. "Just imagine the variety of monsters she would have."

"No kidding," Rue shuddered.

"In that case, I activate Cyclone on your Sealing Swords of Light," Despair said.

"I won't let you get away with that either!" Rue declared. "I discard Jewel of the Wise so Ruecian can stop that one too!" Ruecian slashed apart that card as well.

"Now you will be unable to stop me," Despair stated. "I activate Tempest to destroy all of your magic and trap cards."

"…You really walked into that one," Will said.

"Thanks, I noticed," Rue growled. "I lose my Sealing Swords of Light, Cry of the Living Dead, and another Claymore Mine."

"I have nothing more to do," Despair said.

"All I can do is lay another monster in defense mode…" Rue sighed.

"Then it is time to begin your destruction," Despair smirked. "I activate Dragon Calling Horn to special summon two Blue Eyes White Dragons from my hand. (3000/2500) Then I switch Lord of Dragons to attack mode and attack Saint Magician. One Blue Eyes White Dragon will attack Injection Angel Lily, and the other will attack your most recent face down monster."

"…I really, really hate Draken right now. Seriously," Rue said as the white lightning attacks decimated his monsters. "You killed my Double Coston as well." (1700/1650)

"Then it is your turn."

…

"Oh great… I just screwed Rue over by existing," Draken commented.

"Good job," Miles said sarcastically.

"Thanks, I try my best," Draken replied.

"He's probably saying something along the lines of, 'I'm going to strangle Draken when I see him again!'" Miles told him.

"I don't doubt it," Draken agreed. "I'll be careful when he does."

…

"I'm going to strangle Draken when I see him again!" Rue snarled. "I pass."

"The two Blue Eyes White Dragons will attack your monsters," Despair said.

Rue shielded his eyes from the bright blasts, and waited until they were gone before he looked up again. "You destroyed another Saint Magician and another Skilled Black Magician. I'll take back Sealing Swords of Light with Saint Magician's effect."

"…I will particularly enjoy your death," Despair growled. "Lord of Dragons attacks directly."

Despite the Lord of Dragon's low attack strength, the punch he hit Rue with did a surprising amount of damage. Rue figured it was probably because he was already weakened so much, but that did not make it any less painful. He was having difficulty concentrating now; his thoughts were blurred from agony and his loss of strength.

Rue: 1600

Despair?

"It is your turn," Despair ended.

"I play Sealing Swords of Light for the third time," Rue said, smiling slightly as he say Despair give him a look of hatred. "That's all I can do."

"I pass," Despair said.

"I pass too," Rue stated.

"…I pass…" Despair growled.

"…And so do I, for the fifth time this duel," Rue grumbled.

"This is a bit anti-climatic," Neo commented.

"You could say that," Will agreed.

…

"…If this wasn't an extremely important duel, I'd probably be laughing by now," Miles said.

"I completely agree," Draken replied.

…

"Although I still cannot attack this turn, I am finally ready to bring out the object of your demise," Despair said with her cold smile. "I sacrifice Lord of Dragons and both my Blue Eyes White Dragons for Saint Dragon-God of Osiris!" (3000/3000)

"…Now would be a great time for a miracle," Rue said as Osiris appeared. But to his surprise, Rue found that he wasn't nearly as terrified of him as he should have been.

"…Osiris is weakened as well," Despair hissed. "It will not matter though. I end my turn, so the Sealing Swords of Light will finally vanish."

As they faded away, Rue shook his head. "What can I draw that will help me defeat Osiris?"

"You have the cards to do it," Will stated. "Winning is completely possible. Draw, and you will see."

"...Yeah… you can win," Max managed to say. "Because… despite my first reactions… on meeting you… you play well… when it matters… and now… it matters more than ever…"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Gaston said. He had been mainly silent throughout the duels while trying to recover his strength, but he was doing better now. "We have faith in you as well."

"…Thanks," Rue said, seeming awkward yet pleased by the praise. Then he drew his card and looked at it. As he did, he began to laugh.

"What is so amusing?" Will inquired.

Rue finally managed to gain control over himself. "This card… I never thought I'd be using it in this way. It's useful in certain situations, but usually leaves the activator at a disadvantage hand-wise… now it'll actually save me. I activate Double Magic! By discarding a magic card from my hand-Diffusion Wave in this case-I can use a magic card from your Cemetery. So I activate Confiscate!"

"What?" Despair stared at her hand in disbelief.

"Tell me what's in your hand so I can choose what you need to discard." Then he winced as dark energy came from him to be used for the card's activation cost. By the time the cost had been paid, Rue nearly collapsed. Ruecian managed to grab his shoulder to keep him up though.

Rue: 600

Despair?

"I have Igzarion Universe, Hammer Shoot, and Shrink…" Despair said.

"Discard Shrink… so now Osiris has a stat drop…" Rue managed to say. (2000/2000) "We can win now…" He looked up at Ruecian. "I need you to destroy Osiris."

Ruecian nodded, and after a moment, let go of Rue. After a moment, Rue managed to stand firmly, so Ruecian stepped onto the field. (2900/2400) He raised his hand, sending a huge, powerful wave of black magic, more impressive than any he had displayed so far. It connected with Osiris, despite how far up he was. Osiris roared as he began to plummet from above. Ruecian sped forward and sliced through him as he fell, causing Osiris to shatter.

Rue: 600

Despair?

Despair cried out again as the wings on her back suddenly shattered, leaving her with the tail that still twisted on the floor and the jewel that gleamed in the darkness.

"Got him…" Rue managed to say before he fell onto his back.

"You too?" Max said from where he was.

"Yeah… I know what you mean now…" Rue replied. "I can't even find… the strength to move…"

Ruecian had come back over to him by then. He managed to lift Rue without much trouble and walked off the field with him.

"…As embarrassing as this is… thanks," Rue said to him.

"Want me to take over?" he heard someone say in his mind.

No, but thanks for the kind offer, Rue thought sarcastically.

Demon Rue gave a mental shrug. "Fine by me. Although I am still not sure why, I get the feeling I don't want to be meeting Satan face-to-face. Nor your new friend."

Rue didn't even bother responding as Ruecian set him down nearby Max and sat next to him, supporting him so that he could see what was happening.

"So, it is my turn now," Will stated as he went to where Rue had been.

"Three strikes and you're out!" Neo said, spinning his staff once before getting into a ready position.

"I cannot fail… not after waiting for so long…" Despair hissed. "You shall perish…"

…

"He came through! I knew he would!" Draken said enthusiastically.

"About time he did something right," Claire stated. Nevertheless, she looked immensely relieved.

"And by using my card! Yay! It actually helped for once!" Miles said.

"…He seems hurt," Kisara said softly.

"Hey, that looks like what happened to Max… what's going on with them?" Sakura wondered.

"It might be after effects from the duel," Zack suggested.

"Either way, they're still alive, and she's lost another part of herself," Gen said. "Overall, it is going well for them."

"Will must be the final one," Darche said.

"Then it all depends on him…" Amy whispered.

…

Will: 8000

Despair?

"I begin by laying a monster in defense mode and a card face down," Will said.

"I summon Igzarion Universe (1800/1900) and activate his effect while attacking your monster."

As the Igzation Universe destroyed his monster, Will winced as a sudden burst of pain swept through him. "You've destroyed my Apprentice Magician… (400/800) I'll get another one from my deck…"

Will: 7400

Despair?

"That is all," Despair stated.

"Why did you do that?" Rue asked. "I used Confiscate! You knew she'd be able to do damage to you even if you played a monster in defense!"

"True… but I needed a monster on my field for this turn," Will said. "I sacrifice my Apprentice Magician for Magical Marionette! (2000/1000) I play Clarity of Mind for a magic counter and to get another one from my deck, and then I equip Marionette with Power of Magicians for a second magic counter. Marionette attacks Igzarion Universe, and then I end my turn."

"You should have been more cautious," Despair said. "I activate Hammer Shoot to destroy Magical Marionette."

"In response, I activate my trap card, Antagonizing Spell!" Will declared. "By removing my two magic counters, your magic card is negated and destroyed."

"Then it is your turn," Despair said, not seeming to mind what had happened.

"I'll have Neo use his Deck Master ability to give Marionette a counter," Will said. Neo obligingly sent a stream of fire at the Marionette, who glowed red briefly. "Then I use Clarity to get the last one I have from my deck. That's all."

"I summon Roulette Bomber (1000/2000) and activate its effect," Despair stated. Two dice appeared, hitting the floor and rolling a short distance before they stopped. "Three and six. I use the six to destroy Magical Marionette. Then Roulette Bomber attacks directly."

The Roulette Bomber shot Will with a blast from its cannon-like structure, causing him to stagger. Still, it was not nearly enough to weaken him severely.

Will: 6400

Despair?

"I end at that," Despair said.

"I'll summon Hannibal Necromancer (1400/1800) and attack Roulette Bomber," Will said. "Then I lay a card down and end my turn."

"I lay a monster in defense mode. That is all," Despair stated.

"I'll attack it with Necromancer," Will decided.

"It is Sphere Bomb. (1400/1400) It attaches to your Necromancer."

"That will be a problem…" Will muttered. "I end my turn by laying a monster in defense mode."

"I summon Surprising Matasa (1300/800) and attack your face down monster," Despair said.

Will flipped it over. "You've attacked my Royal Magic Library." (0/2000)

"I lay one card down to finish," Despair ended.

After Will drew, the Sphere Bomb attached to the Necromancer abruptly exploded, catching Will in it. It burned him slightly, but luckily for him, it was not as big of a blast as it could have been. His Necromancer had had weak attack, causing less damage to be done.

Will: 5000

Despair?

…

"Looks like Zack set Will up the bomb," Miles joked.

Draken smacked him over the head. "That was uncalled for."

"So was that…" Miles muttered, rubbing his head.

"In a way, Miles did touch on a point that I was thinking of," Zack admitted. "I feel guilty that some of the successes she is having are due to cards I have played."

"That isn't your fault," Larka said. "You had no way of knowing she would do this. None of us did."

"Larka is right," Kazel agreed. "Also, if any of you had not used the cards you had, we never would have gotten this far."

"I see your point," Zack said, looking a bit more at ease from that.

"Yeah, so quit worrying about it. Will's going to win either way," Claire stated.

…

"Could have been worse…" Will said. "I'll use Neo's Deck Master ability to give Library a counter." After the flames around the Library vanished, he said, "I'll use my final Clarity to give Library a second counter. Then I flip over Black Power Stone for three more and transfer one to Library. I get rid of all three to draw a card." Will looked at what he had drawn and nodded. "This will work well. I summon Blood Magician –Magician of Purgatory– (1400/1700) and attack Matasa with him. I am done."

"I activate my trap card, Final Assault Order, to switch all face up monsters to attack mode," Despair smirked. "Then I summon Blade Knight." (2000/1000)

Rue looked at the Blade Knight, then the Library, and then the Blade Knight again. "Not good. Not good at all."

"Blade Knight attacks Royal Magic Library," Despair said.

The Blade Knight cleaved through the Library. With so little resistance from the weak attack monster, the sword went right through it, cutting into Will.

Will: 3000

Despair?

"I lay one card and end my turn," Despair said.

The newest wound Will had been given weakened him far more, but he was still able to go on. "Neo will give Blood Magician a counter. Then I summon Magic Warrior Breaker." (1900/1000)

"In response, I activate Ambush to special summon Demon Soldier." (1900/1500)

"…I hadn't planned for that, but I have to keep going with this strategy," Will stated. "I move another counter to Blood Magician with Black Power Stone, and then activate Jar of Greed. I remove the three magic counters on Blood Magician to destroy Blade Knight. Then I remove Breaker's to destroy Final Assault so that I can switch Blood Magician to defense mode. That's all."

"I lay a monster in defense mode. After Demon Soldier attacks Breaker, I end my turn."

As the Demon Soldier struck down Breaker, Will felt weakened again, but it was not a big change.

Will: 2700

Despair?

"Neo will give Blood Magician a magic counter, then I'm done," Will said.

"Demon Soldier attacks Blood Magician. My turn is over," Despair stated.

Will looked at his hand and shrugged. "I place a monster down and end my turn."

"I attack your newest defense monster," Despair said.

"You've run into another Royal Magic Library," Will told her.

"That is all."

"Neo will give Library a counter. I lay a monster in defense mode and a card face down," Will decided. "Your turn."

"I activate Book of Sun on your new defense monster," Despair said.

"You've revealed my Magical Plant Mandoragna. (500/200) It will give my Library a magic counter," Will informed her.

"Weak… but it will have to do. I equip it with Theft. Then I sacrifice it, along with my own face down Magical Plant Mandoragna (500/200) and my Demon Soldier, to summon Sun of God Dragon, Ra!" (2900/1900)

The golden sphere emerged on the field. This time, however, Despair did not need to chant to make it suddenly open. Ra appeared with a shriek, and then glared down at Will with his red eyes.

…

"The final one has emerged," Daine stated as Ra appeared.

"…Heh. Just as I thought," Sarius said with a small smirk.

"What do you mean?" Larka asked him.

"Ra has been weakened. After owning him and feeling his power for so long, I can tell that he is not as strong as usual," Sarius explained.

"Good. Will's going to need all the help he can get," Gen said.

…

"…This is not the same Ra as before," Will stated. "I can tell."

"It is like the others…" Despair growled. "Ra attacks Royal Magic Library."

Ra shot out a powerful stream of fire, wiping out the Library easily. Although Will was standing a safe distance away, he could still feel the heat from the attack.

"Take your turn," Despair said.

"I set a monster and end," Will stated as his mind raced. He was trying to think of a plan.

Despair gave his card a cold look. "Ra will attack your monster."

"My last Apprentice Magician is destroyed…" Will told her as he watched his monster burn away.

"Next turn, you die. I lay one card face down to finish."

"We'll see if you can keep your word this time," Will said. "I lay one monster face down and end my turn."

Despair thought for a moment, and then said, "I activate Cry of the Living Dead for Blade Knight." (2000/1000)

"Why Blade Knight? She had Black Magician in her Cemetery!" Rue said.

"She knows that I have ways I can take advantage of that," Will stated.

"Blade Knight attacks your defense monster," Despair said.

"He destroys my Magical Armor Exe…" (2400/1400)

"Ra attacks directly!" Despair declared.

"I won't let that happen," Will said, flipping over his card. "I activate Magic Arm Shield to take Blade Knight!"

"You were almost finished… I will have Ra attack anyway!" Despair snarled.

The Blade Knight took the blunt of the blow, but Will was still burned badly by the excess flames that connected with him.

Will: 1800

Despair?

"My turn is over," Despair stated.

"I can't afford to drag this out…" Will said as he drew his card. "I'm depending on this one…" Then he looked at it. "I activate Early Burial to special summon my Blood Magician…" Will winced as energy was torn from him for the Early Burial.

Will: 1000

Despair?

"Then I will bring out Neo…" Will said.

"I'm up? Fine by me!" Neo stepped onto the field at once. (2400/2000)

"I now play a magic card… Magician's Cross!" Will declared. "If I have two or more Magic-Users in attack mode, I choose one of them, and their attack becomes 3000 until the end of my turn! I choose Neo! (3000/2000) He attacks Ra!"

"It's time to end this!" Neo shouted, pointing his staff at Ra. A huge fireball came out of it, hitting Ra. As Ra writhed in pain from the flames, Neo ran up to him. His staff glowed red as he slashed with it. The fiery tip sliced through Ra, causing him to shatter.

Will: 1000

Despair?

…

"All right! Ra's gone too!" Miles said enthusiastically as Ra shattered.

"But will it work?" Perseus wondered.

"It has to work… they've gone through too much for it not to…" Kisara whispered.

…

From a different location, a man was standing on the lake shore, staring into the water at the same image. None of the group members would have recognized him, except for one person: Hope.

The man's hands were grasped in prayer. "Oh Lord, please cast your purifying light upon this corrupt soul… for this role was not willingly chosen. Thy will be done… Amen."

Perhaps it was merely the sunlight, but as he finished speaking, it looked as though the golden cross he wore flashed brilliantly.

…

Despair cried out for a third time as the tail she had shattered, leaving her with only the blue jewel.

"How can this be…?" she said, sounding bewildered. "How could I lose all of my power like this?"

After Neo had destroyed Ra, he had immediately run back to where Will was. He was just in time to catch Will as he abruptly fell.

"I've been weakened… as well…" Will said as Neo helped him into a sitting position. "But why?"

"Somehow, I get the feeling she isn't interested in that," Neo said, looking over at Despair.

"This is… impossible…" Despair suddenly put her hands up to her forehead as the jewel there began to flash. "What… is this? What is… happening to me?"

"Hope…" Gaston whispered. Then he began to walk towards Despair.

"Stay where you are!" Satan ordered, bringing up his hand. Dark energy began to form in it, and he shot it at Gaston. Recognizing the attack, Gaston halted but did nothing to attempt to block it. It had taken his life before, and he knew that no matter what he did, it would do so again.

But the beam was suddenly hit with another blast of dark energy. Everyone but Despair turned to see Rue standing, his hand held out.

Then he opened his eyes, revealing their blood-red color. "I never thought I would be meeting with you in this manner."

"You always were a traitor…" Satan said, glaring at him.

"A traitor? How could I be a traitor when I never truly wanted to be on your side?" Demon Rue said innocently. "Either way, I suggest you keep out of this. They won the right to try to turn her back into their friend. The only thing you have done so far is conduct a little magic trick to bring out your servant."

"You know full-well who she really is!" Satan snarled.

"Yes, I do. That's what you get for underestimating mortals," Demon Rue smirked. "Next time, use all of your strength, not bits and pieces of yourself. You might win then."

"How dare you…" Satan hissed.

Demon Rue shot a glance at Gaston. "I suggest you hurry up; it's not like I can keep him occupied all day."

Gaston nodded, and then continued towards Despair. Although she still gripped her head, she managed to open her eyes, glaring at Gaston. "Back off!"

He did not respond as he walked closer.

"Do you want to die?" Despair asked.

"…Hope is still there," Gaston stated. "My purpose is to protect her. I will do anything I have to so that I can, even if it means dying."

"You fool!" Despair snarled. She lifted her hand, but winced and returned it to her forehead. "Useless… host… argh… G-Gaston…"

For a moment, as he heard her tone change, her eyes became blue. But then they were red again.

"…Hope?" Gaston said.

"This cannot be… she is not real… she was an appearance… Gaston… please… Go away! Get out of the body that is rightfully mine! Kill me… Quiet! I will not tolerate this!"

Gaston shook his head. "I can't do that, Hope… there has to be another way…" Then he looked up and saw the blue jewel on her forehead.

"She will not last!" Despair growled, removing her hands from her head and holding them out. But that left her vulnerable. Without warning, Gaston brought up his sword and slashed, cutting the jewel cleanly in two.

A high-pitched scream cut through the area, and then Despair fell forward, dark energy streaming out of her body. Gaston barely managed to drop his sword in time to catch her.

As he kneeled, causing her to go into the same position, he saw that her hair was shortening and becoming dark brown again. Her clothes also were returning to normal, and her pale skin was back to the regular color it had been.

The dark energy that had come from her had been going to Satan, and he seemed to be absorbing it. As it finally cleared, they were able to see that his appearance had not changed, but that his dark aura seemed stronger.

Gaston watched her nervously until her eyes opened. Then, to his immense relief, he saw that they were blue once more. "Gaston…?"

"Hope! You've returned!" Gaston said, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

Hope stared at him for a moment before suddenly throwing herself onto him and beginning to sob. "Oh, Gaston… I… I thought I was… gone… I thought I… really didn't exist… that I had been an illusion… all along…"

"That's not true," Gaston said comfortingly. "You're very real. We knew that. That's why… we kept fighting."

Max had managed to stand by then and made his way over them with Tenma following at a short distance. Will and Neo remained where they were, which was nearby Demon Rue and Ruecian.

"I cannot believe this…" Satan growled. "I cannot…"

"You've failed again. Seems like you've lost your touch," Demon Rue sneered.

"Silence, traitor! I will not allow this to stand!" Satan declared, raising his hand. But as he did, a golden glow surrounded him. "What?"

"No more, Lucifer. You cannot continue this."

After those words were said, Satan vanished in a bright flash.

"…I never thought I would be grateful for something he did," Demon Rue commented. Then he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were brown once more.

"I am never going to get used to sharing a body with him," Rue muttered. Then he looked over at Max, who had just reached Hope and Gaston. "Should we…"

"Stay here for a moment," Will advised. "We can talk to her after he is done."

Rue nodded, and then looked down at himself, blinking. "Hey… I feel a bit stronger now. Not completely better, but at least I can walk now."

"Same here," Will said. "I do not understand why though."

While they talked, Max kneeled as well. "Hope?"

Hope finally let go of Gaston to turn to him. "Max!" Without thinking, she embraced him. Luckily, Max did not mind at all as he returned the gesture.

"I was so worried about you…" Max said softly.

"Thank you… for not giving up…" Hope said, blushing slightly.

There was a moment of silence, and then to Max's utter surprise, Hope suddenly kissed him. Despite his shock, he managed to return it after a moment, feeling happier than he had in a long time.

"I am not here, I am not here, I am not here…" Rue sang to himself as he turned around and gazed into the darkness. Will sighed at his reaction but also averted his eyes so that he was not staring.

…

"She's back…" Amy said, her voice filled with relief as she saw Hope throw herself onto Gaston.

"All's well that ends well!" Miles said triumphantly.

"Do not get over your head," Kazel stated. "Satan is still there."

"He is? Where?" Draken inquired, indicating to the lake.

"…He vanished…" Larka said in amazement.

"Hooray for divine intervention!" Miles joked.

"We could use some more of it now," Draken said dryly. "How are we going to get them back up here?"

After about five seconds of silence, Draken said, "Exactly."

"They will probably be brought up here as you were," Sarius stated. "I would not worry about it."

Claire shrugged. "If you say so."

Miles had turned back to the lake. His eyes widened and he suddenly turned and ran up the slope, yelling, "AHHHHHHHHH! I HAVE SEEN THINGS NO MAN SHOULD EVER HAVE TO WITNESS!"

Curious to his reaction, they turned to see what Hope and Max were doing. Amy laughed at the sight. "Of all the times to not have my camera!"

"Well… I'm glad things worked out for them," Brandi said with a small smile.

"Yeah, Max finally scored," Matt said with a grin.

"I feel awkward…" Larka admitted. "As though I'm spying on them."

"It's only bad if you get caught," Gen said.

"Or if you're so easily broken, like poor Miles," Draken added.

"I HEARD THAT!" they heard him call down.

"It would have been wasted if you hadn't," Draken replied.

"Very funny," Miles grumbled as he came back to where they were.

"Thanks, I try," Draken said as they looked back at the lake. Miles did not even attempt to respond to that one.

…

They finally broke apart, Hope still slightly pink in the face. "I-I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me…"

"No, it's fine. Thanks for doing that," Max said.

"Is it safe to look now?" Rue called over.

"Quite safe," Gaston replied with a small smile.

"Good thing Miles wasn't here to see that, or he would have gone crazy," Rue said as he walked over with Ruecian, Will, and Neo. "So how do you feel, Hope?"

"Fine now. I am… very grateful… for what you all did," Hope said. "Thank you so much…"

"Are thanks necessary? We are all friends. You would have done the same for us," Will pointed out.

"Maybe it can be left unsaid… but I still felt obliged to say it," Hope explained.

"Well, either way, you're welcome," Rue replied. Then he looked around the area again. "So, how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"I'm not sure," Gaston admitted.

As he said that, they suddenly began to glow gold.

"I think this answers my question!" Rue managed to say before they were gone.

…

"They vanished!" Sakura exclaimed.

"How did they do that?" Claire asked.

"Divine intervention at its finest," Miles said.

"But where did they go?" Larka wondered.

"…I have a bad feeling about this…" Kazel said.

Suddenly, all eight of them appeared above Kazel and crashed into her, sending her into the ground with a roar of pain.

"…Wow, that has to suck," Miles commented as everyone else winced.

"Every dragon has their day, and it certainly isn't Kazel's," Draken laughed.

"Where are we?" Rue asked as he sat up, glancing around in confusion. Then he saw Draken, which caused him to jump up, thankfully off of Kazel's wing. "I'M GOING TO STRANGLE YOU DRAKEN!"

"I told you he'd do it!" Draken said before running. Rue came after him in hot pursuit.

"…I am not going to ask," Max stated. Ruecian just shook his head.

"WOULD YOU MIND?" Kazel snarled from her flattened position.

"Sorry," Hope apologized as she got off. The others did as well, leaving Kazel to rise once more, looking highly annoyed.

"What did Draken mean by that?" Will inquired.

"We were watching the whole thing through the lake," Zack explained. "Draken commented on what he thought Rue would do to him once that woman brought out two Blue Eyes White Dragons."

"You saw all of it?" Neo said in awe.

"Yep. It was quite the show," Sarius replied.

By this time, Amy had run over to Hope and embraced her. "I'm so glad that you're ok!"

"Believe me, I am too!" Hope said with a laugh.

"You did pretty well in there," Matt said to Max. "Finally managed to get with a girl, too."

"Hey!" Max protested, but he did not try to deny it.

Once Rue and Draken had finally stopped running around and gone back to the group, Rue, Max, and Will took the time to heal themselves. After that, Larka said, "But what happened to Satan?"

"I'm not sure… we heard a voice, and then he vanished," Rue explained.

"I've heard it before…" Hope said.

"Yes, it was familiar now that I think about it," Max agreed.

"There is a good reason for that."

They all turned to see a man in a brown robe with his hood up come over to them, with a wooden staff in his right hand.

"You… you're…" Hope stammered.

"The one we met after Satan was defeated last time," Will said.

"Do you know him?" Zack asked.

"To an extent… we don't actually know his name," Claire admitted.

"Although I think we could all assume…" Will stated.

"I assume there are answers all of you desire," the man said simply.

"You could say that," Max concurred.

"Then let us all be present for them." The man went over to Rue, who watched him warily but stayed where he was. He trusted the man for some reason that he could not pin down yet.

The man placed his hand over Rue's chest, and then made an abrupt motion to the side. Almost instantly, Demon Rue appeared, looking like a ghost of sorts.

"Oh God!" Miles exclaimed, stepping back.

"Yes?" the man said, tilting his head in Miles' direction.

"…Wait, what?" Miles said in bewilderment.

"So… he really is…" Brandi trailed off as she watched.

"It seems like you still kept your sense of humor, all mighty Lord," Demon Rue said dryly.

"We meet once again," God said to him. "And once again, you rebelled against your former master."

"Living in a human body has caused me to lose most of my memories," Demon Rue told him. "You must know my name. I wish to know what it is. That would probably help me recall almost everything."

"Very well then. You are Mephistopolis," God said.

"Ah… yes. That would be it," Mephistopolis said with a smirk. "About time I remembered. Already I can feel my memories begin to return. You have what little thanks I feel up to giving."

"That is more than what many would receive." God turned his gaze to Hope. "You wish to ask something, Hope?"

Hope started. "Um, yes, actually… who was that woman, Despair, and how did she get inside of me? Also, how were the god cards involved?"

God sighed. "Lucifer is always against me. On his most recent attack, he had taken part of himself and split it into three more parts that took on the appearance of creatures. He named them Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk, Saint Dragon-God of Osiris, and Sun of God Dragon, Ra. Although they were strong, they were still only parts of Lucifer. I was able to defeat them. However, such strong creatures would not be destroyed that easily. The thing that would weaken them most was time. So I sealed them into three different cards and scattered them. They had far too much power to be completely locked into cards though. I had much access power, so I was forced to store it elsewhere. I took the remaining energy from each god and sealed it into an infant that had a soul that could balance such power."

"That was… me?" Hope said in amazement.

"Yes. Unfortunately, even that provided to be too much of an upset of balance for you to handle," God continued. "To counter the amount of dark energy you had been given, your soul produced more light energy. I had to remove some of the excess light energy and place it within another human. This person was to hold onto your light energy until you truly needed it. She gave it to you when necessary."

"Gave me it?" Hope looked over at Kisara. "Do you mean…?"

"I was the one chosen for this? Is that why I felt as though I had met her before?" Kisara assumed.

"That is correct. I was also aware that there would need to be people who could destroy this part of Lucifer when it finally emerged," God said. "I took a small fragment of each god card and placed it within three individuals who were stronger than average in certain areas. One had a developed body, one had a developed soul, and one had a developed mind. In accordance to that, they were given a part of Obelisk, Osiris, and Ra respectively."

"Max, Rue, and Will," Zack concluded.

"Yes. Due to a genetic trait Max had known as Genkai Kyuukei, he was fitting for the body representation. Rue had Mephistopolis inside of him, therefore making his soul unique. Will was unusually intelligent, thus earning the mind part."

"What is Genkai Kyuukei?" Max asked.

"As I said, it is a genetic trait. It is passed from the carrier to their child, but when that occurs, the host does not have it anymore. When the carrier has an extreme emotion, the carrier loses the ability to feel pain and is capable of pushing their body far beyond normal limits," God explained. "This can lead the carrier to death if they are not careful."

"So that's how Thanatos was able to use my body like that…" Max muttered, and then fell silent.

"How did Mephistopolis get inside me?" Rue inquired.

"Technically, I am classified as a fallen angel; I became a demon after that," Mephistopolis said. "I used to work for Satan as his personal servant. But I never cared for him; I only wanted a chance to rise in power. Sensing my thoughts, he nearly killed me. I had to escape into a newborn, with a barely developed soul, to even survive. It was not easy though; my soul had to correspond with yours. I was lucky to find you as quickly as I did."

"…I see... Sorry for the interruption," Rue directed to God. "Please continue…"

Not seeming to mind the wait, God said, "As Hope continued to grow, she showed no signs of carrying part of Lucifer within her. If she had gone into church or a holy area, it would have been apparent, but she never did."

"I met a pastor a long time ago who told my mother to not take me to church," Hope said. "Do you know who he is?"

"I will not be the one to reveal that," God said gently. "It is something that you will discover the answer to later. I did know that the fragments of the gods would bring the four people together, and that eventually Hope would meet Kisara as well. They would naturally attract to one another. The first four did, and on an interesting occasion. Lucifer was attempting to be revived by sacrificing one thousand souls. Even when Hope confronted him, he was not aware of who she really was until she defeated him." God looked over at Max. "When you died, Lucifer took extra precautions. He stored the servant he had hired to take Mephistopolis' place, a demon known as Thanatos."

"So that's where he came from," Max said, looking sickened.

"You do not need to worry about him being inside of you. He is gone," God assured. "After Lucifer had been defeated, he decided to wait this time for the god cards to be collected, knowing that part of him was within the four he had seen. The god cards called to you, and you could not help but find them. That was also his downfall though. Since you had fragments of the gods within you, it was possible to completely destroy the god cards and the parts you held at once by having them collide."

"I think I understand now," Will said. "By having our Soul Monsters, which are parts of ourselves, they connected with the god cards. This destroyed both the physical beings we saw and the fragments we held, hence why we were weakened."

"That is right," God confirmed. "However, the part that Lucifer referred to as Despair was much stronger. Once part of her own soul attacked the other part, it caused that part to lose its grip on her. The energy finally returned to Lucifer."

"That means we're back to normal, right?" Rue asked.

"Mostly. Mephistopolis will still have to stay inside of you though," God informed him.

"Ah well. At least we lost the worst parts," Rue said with a shrug.

"Do we come into this somehow?" Miles inquired.

"The only meetings fate outlined were the four with Lucifer's parts and the one with Hope's light energy. You all met on your own free will," God said. "Yet, had it not happened, this ending would not have been reached."

"So maybe fate did give us a role," Draken said, rubbing his head. "This is pretty complex stuff…"

"I would prefer to call it deep," Claire stated.

"What was this orb exactly supposed to do?" Hope asked, fingering it as she spoke.

"It was to show how close Lucifer's part was to emerging," God explained. "Now it will merely show that your soul is balanced. Its most significant purpose has ended. Continue to wear it if you wish."

Hope nodded, but did not respond otherwise.

"I hope you do not mind me asking this…" Brandi said nervously. "But what about our father? He isn't alive, but he isn't quite dead either…"

"That was an unusual case that does not happen very often," God stated. "Since he has been brought back into a state between life and death, I technically have no right to kill him. What I can do is restore him to life and make it look as though he was never dead, similar as to how I returned many of the victims Lucifer claimed for filling the quota of one thousand souls."

"Thank you…" Brandi said gratefully. Max nodded in agreement.

"Are you really God?" Miles said abruptly.

"That depends on your perspective," God replied. "In the terms I believe you to be thinking of… probably not. The Lucifer you saw was part of his will. What you see now is part of the Lord's will. For your world, I could be considered your God, perhaps, as this Lucifer could be called your Satan. There is much more than this world though, as some would know." At this, he pointedly glanced at Sarius and Aya.

"Indeed," Sarius said with a slight smile.

Seeming satisfied with Sarius' reaction, God said, "I believe that covers almost everything you wished to know that I can answer. What happens from this point on will unfold from your choices. You will always be watched over though. Do not forget that."

"Never…" Hope assured.

"I doubt we could if we wanted to!" Rue said.

All of them could sense his smile, even though they were unable to see his face. "Then I bid you farewell." With that, a bright light surrounded him, and he vanished.

"…Well, that's that," Gen said, breaking the silence. "Now what do we do?"

"Throw a party?" Miles suggested.

"I was hoping for a more reasonable suggestion," Gen sighed.

"What's so unreasonable about it? We deserve it after all that!" Miles pointed out.

Larka looked back at the lake, which was now back to normal. "I feel as though we are forgetting something important…"

"Like what?" Zack asked.

Larka shook her head. "I'm not sure…"

"It can't be that important if you forgot it," Miles shrugged.

"At least nothing worse than what we've had to go through can occur, right?" Rue said.

"Don't jinx us," Draken told him.

Tenma had been silent, but he suddenly sniffed the air and began to growl.

"I believe we have company," Kazel said, her tail swishing through the air. Her injured back and pride had had enough time to recover.

They all looked in the direction Tenma and Kazel were gazing, and saw a group of about ten officials coming down the slope towards them.

"I told you not to jinx us," Draken said.

"Shut up," Rue muttered.

"What do they want?" Max said as he tensed.

As they got closer, Hope was surprised to recognize one of the two at the head of the group. "That man… isn't that Helmer?"

"Oh yeah, the one official that was actually reasonable!" Miles joked. "We might be able to talk things out then."

The group came up to them, halting a respectable distance away. The other person who had been at the head of the group then stepped forward. She was the only woman among the officials, and still seemed pretty young. She wore an official uniform that was similar to the ones the males wore, except that it had a long blue skirt that went to her ankles that matched her long-sleeved shirt. Her dark brown hair went down to her shoulders in two braids that were neatly tied off with small blue bands. Her stern brown eyes gazed at them in turn.

"Greetings to all of you," she said in a clear voice with a tone that showed she was used to public speaking. "I am Captain Lapis Roman, the newly-appointed head of the officials. I am pleased to finally meet your group."

"Is there something you want from us?" Will asked.

"I am afraid that I am to be the bearer of bad news," Lapis said, looking slightly awkward. "For a long time, the officials have been debating about what we should do with your group. You have committed many crimes within Teknisk Wereld, and for that, justice must be dealt."

"Hey! Not all of that was our fault!" Miles protested.

"He's right. Some of the crimes we have been accused for are absolutely ridiculous," Draken stated. "Such as Hope being a General of Hell."

"Please, hold your comments until I am done," Lapis requested. After she was sure she would not be interrupted again, she continued. "I am aware that some of them were false, including the one where Hope Gales was accused of being a General of Hell. However, others were not. You have attacked officials and murdered many people."

"Ones that attacked us first!" Rue argued, unable to stay silent.

"Some were indeed done in self defense, but they are still deaths," Lapis said. "Quite a record has been made for all of your deeds. It has caused much controversy, but at long last, the sentence has been decided upon."

"Sentence?" Larka asked.

Lapis seemed to hesitate, but then said in an authorized tone, as though she had memorized the paper that had been given to her with the words written on it, "It has been decided that the following people will be under this sentence: Hope Gales, Rue Klaus, Max Driger, Will Brown, Brandi Driger, Miles Salum, Draken Drayfall, Fell Luna, Larka Luna, and Zackary Wright. For the numerous crimes you have all committed, each of you is to be banned from Teknisk Wereld and from contact with fellow criminals until reaching the age of twenty."

"WHAT?" Miles exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" Draken said in astonishment.

"Wait… I don't understand… what…" Larka trailed off as Lapis began to speak again.

"Allow me to explain what will happen to each of you. You will all have a tracker placed onto your respective Duel Disks, which will leave a small red mark on your Life Point counter. It will be programmed to vanish once the owner has become twenty, up to the specific time of when he or she was born. Until then, you are banned from Teknisk Wereld. We will have ways of watching; even if you attempt to use a different Duel Disk to enter, we will know, and you will be banned for the rest of your life. There are no second chances with this."

"What does… the second part mean?" Hope asked nervously.

"The second part means that you may not speak with one another in real life until reaching twenty," Lapis stated. "To be more specific, you may not contact each other in any other way, such as e-mail, letters, or through other people. Again, we will be keeping track of this. Do not attempt to break these rules, or the consequences will be harsh."

"But that's completely unfair!" Rue protested. "Like we said before, most of those things were not our fault! That doesn't warrant being banned for such a long time!"

"Rue has actually said something I thought was off balance," Will said. "Some of us will be able to return to Teknisk Wereld very shortly. I can return in less than two years. Yet others will have to wait longer. Hope is in the worst position; she would have to wait nearly seven years."

"As true as your words are, this decision stands," Lapis said firmly. "We cannot change it."

"Are you even listening to us?" Miles said. "Why are you so set on this happening?"

Lapis just shook her head. Before anyone else could speak though, Helmer stepped forward. "Please, do not blame Captain Roman for what is happening. She actually tried her hardest to defend all of you. If she had not, all of you would have been banned from Teknisk Wereld and from contact for the rest of your lives. This is much more preferable."

"Helmer! They did not need to know that!" Lapis protested.

"You do not deserve to be the target of their hate after what you have done for them, Captain, no matter what you think," Helmer stated. Then he turned back to the group. "She managed to finally convince the one who was so set on banning you to only do it for a short amount of time."

"Who… who decided this?" Larka asked.

"Sarov Yggdrasill, the creator of Teknisk Wereld," Lapis answered.

"What? The creator of Teknisk Wereld decided this?" Draken said in disbelief.

"Yes. I was lucky to be able to change his mind this much," Lapis stated. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I am sorry that you all must go through with this, but the word is final. It will be much worse if any of you resist. Please, go along with it."

"Damn it all!" Rue suddenly exclaimed. "After all we've gone through, THIS is what happens?"

Lapis just shook her head, not knowing how to respond.

Max had been silently listening the whole time, but now he abruptly turned and ran up the slope.

"Max!" Hope called before going after him.

"Should we stop them?" Helmer asked Lapis quietly.

"Let them go. This will be emotional for all of them," Lapis replied. "They will return when necessary." Then she raised her voice to speak to the group. "If there are any questions, let them be asked now."

"What about… Max and I?" Brandi said, her voice quavering. "We're siblings…"

"That is an exception," Lapis answered. "Siblings are allowed to remain together. That means that Max Driger and Brandi Driger are allowed to be with one another, as are Fell Luna and Larka Luna."

"Is that really… our last name?" Larka said, paled.

"Ah… you would not know," Lapis realized. "Yes, it is. We have done research and managed to find records on both of you. Your birth certificates were found as well. Both of you were born December 1, 2073 on midnight, as strange as that is."

"So… almost three years…" Larka trailed off, closing her eyes.

"…Midnight?" Fell said.

"Yes," Lapis confirmed. "Apparently, these odd conditions were why that scientist pursued both of you. On our research, we came across information from him as well. We assume that he managed to track you down, killing your parents in the process.

Fell nodded, but remained silent.

"…What about me? I have already passed the age of twenty," Zack said.

Lapis nodded. "That is true. Therefore, you will be banned, but instantly released from it. As slanted as this is, it was agreed to upon discussion."

"Why were we not included in this?" Amy asked.

"None of you did as much as the ones named. You were able to be overlooked, although it took effort on the Captain's part," Helmer said.

"You're giving me too much credit," Lapis told him. "I did it on orders."

"And you worked so hard at it from your own free will," Helmer stated.

Lapis turned slightly red at that, but then said to the group, "If that is all, you will be given five minutes to say proper farewells. We will move a short distance away for that, and return once time is up." With that, she and Helmer went back to the eight other officials.

…

By the time Hope managed to get up the slope, Max had already entered the nearby trees. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and then continued on, shouting, "Max!"

There was no response, but as Hope went into the forest, she heard something. To her shock, she recognized it to be sobbing.

"Max?" Hope said, going in the direction of the noise. A few seconds later, she found him sitting on the ground underneath a tree.

The only time Hope had ever seen Max cry was when Randall had supposedly died again, and she had moved away then. This was really the first time she had witnessed him like this, where all of his emotions were coming from him in tears.

After a moment of hesitation, Hope kneeled in front of him. "Max…"

"All of it was for nothing!" Max said, looking up at her. "We suffered through all of that for nothing! It was… a waste…"

"Don't say that!" Hope protested.

"But… now we have to… Hope, after all that's happened, I can't live without you, I can't!" Max said.

"It… isn't that bad," Hope said, trying to smile. "Only seven years… we can wait that long…"

"How can you say that?" Max asked. "How can you say that when you really don't mean it? I can tell from your eyes… this is killing you too…"

"…I have to stay strong, Max," Hope said softly as she trembled. "You're torn apart, so I have to… for your sake, and mine…" Then she suddenly embraced him as she began to cry as well.

"Hope…" Max said.

"I'm sorry… but I never was good at… hiding my emotions…" Hope sobbed.

"That's what makes you… who you are…" Max whispered. "I will wait… forever, if I have to… until we finally find each other again…"

"I'll search for you here the moment I can return," Hope said. "And keep searching, until…" She trailed off as they released each other.

"…I was never good at saying farewells," Max said. "Please tell that woman to come here… I don't want to see everyone else…"

"All right…" Hope hesitated, looking into his glistening eyes. Then, moving as if they knew what the other was thinking, they kissed each other, one that lasted far longer than the first one where others had been able to witness it.

They finally broke apart, tears still coming. Hope got up, smiling weakly. "Goodbye, Max… thank you for everything…" Then she ran away, out of the trees and towards the slope.

Max slowly put his hand over his heart, feeling as if the distance between them was forming an unspeakable pain. "…Hope…"

…

Lapis had just gotten to the group of officials when she saw Hope coming down the slope. She could see that Hope's eyes were red, but she did not comment as Hope came over to her.

"Is there something you wish to ask?" Lapis inquired.

"Max… he wants to leave now," Hope said. "Could you do what you need to up there? He is in the forest."

"That is fine." Lapis got up, as did Helmer. "Go and speak with your friends now."

Hope nodded and went over to them, where she overheard Miles saying, "Well, look on the bright side you two. If we aren't in the same area, we won't kill each other!"

"More like kill you," Draken said.

"Yeah, we won't have the chance to put you in the hospital," Rue stated.

"How can you guys be so light-hearted about this?" Claire said, looking downcast.

"Think about it. We have three ways we can react to this," Miles told her. "The first one is to be like RARGH I AM ANGRY I SMASH OFFICIALS, which would only lead to worse consequences. The second is to act depressed, which would make everyone be sad and such. The third is to make corny jokes that cause everyone to spend their last few moments together laughing. Which of those choices seems the most valuable to you? I pick number three. If you want number two, that's your call."

Hope couldn't help but laugh as she entered. "You have a point."

"Of course I do!" Miles said. "Besides, we'll be seeing each other again. It's not like this is the end."

"Definitely," Draken agreed. His eyes darkened as he added, "Although some separations will be… far more harsh…" He glanced over at Kisara, who was speaking with Amy about something. "I'm one of the lucky ones; since Kisara isn't under these bans, I can stay with her. But…" He trailed off, looking at Hope guiltily.

"It's all right. I settled things," Hope assured. She looked up at Tenma. "You should go back to Max."

Tenma growled in response, and then dashed up the hill.

"Yeah… sorry about that…" Draken checked to make sure the others were a safe distance away before he added, "Zack and Larka too. It's going to be hard on them."

"…I read a saying once," Rue said, looking unusually thoughtful. "It went something along the lines of, 'Bonds are like a candle flame; the truly strong ones are strengthened by wind, while weak ones are extinguished.' That was making a metaphor to distance. We have strong bonds, and they'll be made even more firm by being separated."

"For once, I can agree with Rue," Will said as he came over.

"For once?" Rue said.

Fell had gone over to Sarius, who was standing out of the way with Aya. Seeing him arrive, Sarius said, "What is it?"

"Larka will have nowhere to stay now," Fell stated. "We are not forced to be separated from each other though, since we are siblings…"

"Ah, I see. You wish for her to come with us until she is twenty, so that we can return her here?" Sarius inferred.

"Yes."

Sarius considered the idea, and then nodded. "I was going to stay until I got the second Limiter, but that idea seems out of the question now. It would be better to keep a low profile. All right. Once Larka is twenty, we can return here. I will drop her off and try to find the Limiter at the same time. We will have to leave this world at once though. I assume this is acceptable?"

"Yes. Thank you," Fell said before sitting down.

"You do not wish to talk with anyone?" Sarius inquired.

"…I will tell Larka of what we will do once she is done," Fell said. "She will need time with them."

"I see."

Brandi went to Larka, misery written on her face. "Larka…"

"I know… it's going to be hard," Larka said unhappily.

For a moment, Brandi was silent, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. Then she said, "I have never had a friend like you, Larka… I… I don't want to be separated like this…"

"Brandi… you'll still have your family, and Matt," Larka reminded her. "And from what I could understand, your father is apparently back. That's going to help, isn't it?"

"…Yes… but still… I've already lost someone… I don't want to lose another friend!" Brandi exclaimed, tears coming from her eyes.

"I understand, I really do…" Larka said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "This will not be permanent though. We'll see each other again soon. Our returning dates are not that far apart, remember?"

"…That's true…" Brandi agreed. "But…"

"We'll still be friends when we meet again, right?" Larka asked.

"…Yes," Brandi said. "I'm sorry… I'm being selfish. You have it… much worse than me…"

Larka smiled at her. "I'll live… somehow."

"I've taken up enough of your… time…" Brandi said awkwardly. "So… I just wanted to… thank you."

"I wish to as well," Larka replied, lowering her hand. "When I return, I'll search for you."

"Then… goodbye, Larka…" Brandi said, walking back towards Matt.

Larka watched her go for a moment, and then went to Zack, who had been looking into the lake. He turned as she approached. "You are done speaking with her?"

"Yes…" Larka looked up at him. "Zack… I…"

"…I have been alone for a long time," Zack said. "Three more years… will be tolerable. I am more concerned for you…"

"…I-I'll be all right…" Larka managed to say before her eyes began to glisten. "I'm just worried about where I will live…"

"I think Fell has something in mind for that," Zack stated as he glanced at Fell. Larka looked too to see him talking with Sarius.

"Hopefully…" Larka trailed off.

"There is no need to hide your emotions, Larka," Zack said. "I will admit it… although I have had experience in things like this… I am still going to miss you fiercely…"

"Zack…" Larka suddenly embraced him tightly, wishing that they had more time yet trying to be content with what they had been given. Zack returned it, also wanting the moment to be able to last. Yet they broke apart after some time. By now, Larka was openly crying while Zack could feel tears in his eyes.

"I will wait for you, Larka… wait for you to return…" Zack said softly.

"…Zack… I wanted to be able to show you…" Larka looked up at the clouds. "The sunset up there… it's beautiful…"

"…On the day you are to return, I will be there," Zack said. "I will be up there, waiting for you… I promise that…"

"Thank you… I will… find you there…" Larka whispered. Both knew no words to convey their words beyond that point, so they instead kissed each other for a final time.

When they broke apart, Larka noticed that a tear had escaped Zack's eye, but she did not mention it. "Goodbye, Zack…"

"Until we find each other again… my love," Zack said softly.

Sensing that their masters had wanted some time alone, all of the Soul Monsters had grouped together to say proper farewells amongst themselves, or at least show them in Malon's case as he jumped at all of them. Everyone was just about finishing up their conversations when Lapis and Helmer came down the slope. Lapis had a black device in her hand that was about the size of a remote control.

"I am afraid your time is up," Lapis said. "Now I must mark your Duel Disks. Who is to be first?"

"Wait, what about Max?" Rue asked. "Isn't he coming?"

"I have already taken care of him," Lapis answered. "He has left."

"That bastard!" Rue growled. He turned to Brandi and Matt and said to them, "You had better tell him that we all said goodbye to him."

"Fine. It will be easier out of person," Matt said.

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Fell stepped forward, his arm with the Duel Disk still attached held out.

"All right, you will be first." Lapis gently gripped onto the Duel Disk and placed the black device over the Life Point counter. There was a small beep, and then she removed it. In front of where the 8000 would appear, there was a small, red light.

"…Larka, you had best go next," Fell said.

"Ok…" Larka went forward, and Lapis did the same thing to her Duel Disk. "Where do we go now?"

"With me," Sarius answered.

"You're going to take me temporarily?" Larka questioned. Then she looked away. "Fell… you're going to stay with him, aren't you?"

"…Yes," Fell said.

"Wait, huh? What's going on?" Miles asked.

"…I assume Fell was offered a position with Sarius," Will stated. "A permanent one. Apparently, he accepted. Is that right?"

Fell nodded. "…Larka will be returned when she can. As for me… I shall stay with him. It is possible we will never meet again, although I do not believe that to be so."

"Brother…" Larka hesitated, and then said, "I understand…"

"We have three more years," Fell said. "That is… more time than I thought we would have…"

"You did not want to ask me to stay permanently?" Larka asked.

"…I already know what your true answer would be," Fell stated. "I will be content with my new position, sister. You will be happy with yours when you return."

"…Thank you, brother," Larka said, smiling at him sadly.

"Talk about a change," Draken commented. "When I first met you, I thought you were one of the most despicable people I had ever laid my eyes on. Now I can't help but admire what you've become."

Fell glanced at him, a glance that carried what Draken thought to be a hint of respect, but did not say anything. Then he turned to Zack and said, "I will be depending on you."

"Of course," Zack assured.

"…Then we must depart," Sarius said. "I am sure we will meet again, so until then…"

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you," Aya told the group before she began to walk away.

"…Farewell," Fell said shortly before going with Daine to stand next to Sarius, who was waiting for Larka.

Larka smiled at the rest of them. "I will look forward to the day we see each other again… goodbye, my friends…" Then she picked up Malon and went after Sarius, Fell, and Daine, who went up the slope and towards the forest to leave Teknisk Wereld.

"Why are they not teleporting out from this location?" Helmer questioned.

"They have a special location to do it in," Claire lied. They could figure why Sarius wanted an empty area; if he was to take them directly to another world, it would probably look different.

As Will watched them walk away, he muttered, "Many of my visions were explained today…" He did not say it to the others though, for fear of the officials overhearing him.

Once they were gone, Zack came up to Lapis. "I will depart next."

"Very well." Lapis used her device on his Duel Disk swiftly.

"The reason for this is that I am currently in Will's house," Zack explained to them. "I must leave before he does."

"Where will you live?" Hope asked.

"I have savings," Zack said. "I can use them to rent an area; it should not be too difficult."

"When you return to the real world, the light will vanish. Please wait at least thirty minutes before entering again though," Lapis requested.

"All right." Zack then directed his attention to the group. "I have had no reason to live for many years. Thanks to all of you and your friendship, I feel like I have finally come across the reason I desired. I have much gratitude for that… thank you all."

"Nice to hear we did something right after all this criminal business," Miles joked.

"I have a rough understanding of when each of you will come back," Zack said. "Around those times, I will try to make contact with you. The sooner we meet up the better for establishing certain contacts."

"I agree," Will said. "I will keep a look out for you upon returning."

"Then… if that is all … farewell," Zack said before bringing up the menu on his Duel Disk. He vanished a moment later.

Before Lapis could ask, Brandi went up to her.

"So, you're ready to leave?" Matt assumed as the device was used.

"Yes," Brandi answered. "I do not have much to say…"

"Brandi… I hope your dad can help you…" Hope said, trailing off.

"Thanks…" Brandi nodded to them. "Goodbye." She then left.

"I'd better go too," Matt said. "Don't worry too much about her; time will help."

Claire looked at where Brandi had been. "I hope so."

"Well… see all of you later." Matt gave a quick wave before teleporting out.

"I guess I'll go now," Miles said, holding out his Duel Disk.

"How are you going to make a living?" Draken asked.

"Ah, don't worry about me. I have my ways," Miles said with a wink. "Anyway, I'm no good at long and emotional speeches so I'll cut it short. It's been great, you're all cool, can't wait to see everyone again, and I like cheese. See ya guys!" Before any of them could respond, he was gone.

"…I thought he said he hated cheese," Rue said into the silence.

"He does," Gen said dryly. "In his emotionally-distraught state, he forgot what he likes and doesn't like."

"Emotionally-distraught?" Draken asked doubtfully.

"When I find him, he'll probably be crying into a pillow," Gen stated. "He keeps a cheerful appearance for all of you, but this is really tearing him apart. I can tell."

"Be sure to comfort him then," Rue said.

"Of course." Gen vanished.

"My turn then," Draken said, strolling over to Lapis.

"Can't take my company any longer?" Rue joked.

"That'd be it," Draken laughed. "Actually, I wanted to look more gallant by going before you."

"Really nice," Rue muttered. Then he said, "When you return to Teknisk Wereld, you had better contact me immediately, or I'll carry out my threat to strangle you."

"What if I come back first?" Draken asked.

"Then you'd better try to find me. Got it?" Rue said.

"If you insist," Draken said with a grin. Then he said to the others, "I'll be looking forward to seeing you guys again later."

"Me too," Hope replied.

"I did not get to know any of you as well as Draken did, but I still enjoyed my time with all of you," Kisara said softly.

"It was remarkable, all we were able to do," Kazel stated. "Especially how we related to you, Hope and Gaston. Let our flight paths cross once more."

"I'll hope for that," Claire said.

Draken, Darche, Kisara, and Kazel disappeared at the same time. Once that had happened, Rue held out his Duel Disk. "Might as well go myself."

"I advise using these years to find a way to avoid Will's book attacks in the future," Neo said. He then nervously backed away from Will's glare.

"That's some of the best advice you've given yet," Rue commented. Then he said to Hope, "It's hard to believe we've come this far, you know? When we met in the forest for the first time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into."

"Do you regret it?" Hope asked.

"Not a bit," Rue replied with a smile. "Talk to all of you later." He vanished at that. Ruecian gave a brief nod before following.

"I'll hope to see all of you myself," Claire said, and then she went after him, along with Perseus.

"…I assume Zack will have left by now," Will stated. "We had best go then."

"I fear for your kitchen's safety," Gaston joked. "Be sure to keep your sanity for these two years."

"I'm grateful it's only that long," Will said with a sigh. After a moment, he said, "See you later, Hope."

"Same to you," Hope said as he left with Neo.

"I'm going to teleport out now too," Amy said. "Be sure to contact me over e-mail."

"Right," Hope assured.

Amy and Sakura left, leaving Hope to go up to Lapis.

"…You're going to have the roughest time with all of this," Lapis said as she used the device.

Hope nodded silently.

"Stay strong, Hope Gales. You have friends amongst us, even if you thought the officials were your enemies," Lapis said.

"…Thank you." Hope brought up her menu. "Gaston… let's go."

"All right," Gaston agreed.

They disappeared in unison. Lapis looked at where they had been for a moment, and then brought out a cell phone and used the speed-dial command.

"So it is done?"

"Yes."

"Thanks for doing all of this, Miss Lapis. I greatly appreciate it."

"It was no trouble. How do things look?"

"I cannot tell yet…"

"Then we will see. Do not worry; we'll be there shortly." Lapis hung up and turned to Helmer. "Shall we head there?"

"At once," Helmer replied. "If what you suspect is true…"

"Then that group might get caught up in something else this time," Lapis said grimly. "But they might be the only ones who can prevent it."

Helmer gave a brief nod to that. "Then let us go."

The officials walked up the slope, not looking back. If they had, however, they might have noticed a white-clad figure standing at the lake shore a distance away.

"…Seven years before the next is to come," the pastor sighed. He ran a hand over his cross. "I pray that I will be ready for it…" Then he stepped away from the lake, walking towards the forest.

…

Daily examination of Teknisk Wereld: Beginning at once.

Checking main structure… 100 percent checked. No threats to the structure eminent.

Checking each area… 100 percent checked. All areas defined to be in normal condition.

Condition: Standby… affirmative. Will remain sealed.

Examination complete. Beginning to shut down.

…Shutting down…

…

"…It is time to begin. We will never have a better chance. I cannot afford to have doubts. It is my responsibility, and therefore, I will be the one to do this, an act no other would even dream of…"

There were only seven years to plan. That would be enough.

THE END