Era of Souls: Guardians Eclipse

by Time Mage

Sequel to my Battle City story. Nearly two years since the tournament, Tenken Arashi has determined that the time has come to gather his forces. Time to see what Tenken's sister can do.

4. Grief of Innocense

Alrighty people, I'm back. Sorry for the wait, but I've had a number of tests and such due these past few weeks for my classes, and since I kinda slacked off last term, I needed to make up for a lot of stuff. Also, I have a major project due in my American Heritage class in less than two weeks, and right after I finish it, Finals will start. As such, I don't know if I'll be able to get much writing, if any, done. Bare with me, please.

Also, I would like to take a moment and thank Dragon Master/Dragonmaster/Dragonmaster of Chaos (It changes every so often, even though they're all the same guy) for bolstering the reviews I've received. Why, for my last chapter alone he submitted two reviews, plus a private message via the new system that has been provided. His reviews content don't have much to say about my fic itself, but they're great for a laugh when I need to read something so absurd that it's funny. In fact, you guys may want to check out what he has to say. He makes you think, that he does.

Now, let's do this!

Chapter Three-Grief of Innocense

Kai Kaethan was no stranger to his good friend, Vaun Hiten, coming unannounced. However, normally when Vaun came it was not five hours after having just visited. Normally he came bearing a smile, his deck already shuffled. They would sit and drink a one or two dishes of sake together before beginning a duel, or maybe a game of chess, or perhaps have a small archery or kendo competition. Whatever they did, it had always before been on friendlier terms.

This time, however, Vaun seemed panicked, his attention constantly shifting to the walls of the house, as if he expected the very shadows to come to life and attack them. He had kept his samurai swords at his waist instead of leaving them with his waraji at the front door. From his deep breathing and perspired face, Kai understood that he had run much of the return distance from whatever point he had decided to turn around at.

"Maybe you should lie down, Vaun; get some rest and we can talk about whatever it is that needs to be discussed tomorrow." Kai offered, but the young samurai shook his head before drawing in another deep breath.

"No, there's no time. For all I know, they may have followed me back here. I was more focused on getting back here quickly than stealthily. We don't have time to..." Vaun's reply trailed off as he looked over at Etsu, the young woman who was standing a few feet to away from the table where the men were sitting.

Chiding himself for suddenly ignoring her the way he had, Kai smiled and changed his voice to his less serious one before addressing her. "Etsu, I'm sorry but I think you should go home. I'm terribly sorry for this, but Vaun and I have a few things to discuss."

"No Kai." she stated firmly. "I'm not going to be left out of this. I'm not going to let you take on whatever it is without me." Taken aback, Kai was about to respond, but she continued. "I can help. I'm strong, and you know that."

"I do not mean to be rude, Etsu," Vaun countered, his tone semi-bemused. "But I do not think you fully understand what the situation is. Although I would gladly welcome another ally, I do not wish to drag in more innocent people than is necessary. One is enough for me to carry on my shoulders, in this case Kai. I could never let one as innocent as you get involved with what we're going to be facing." After a second, he threw in as an after thought to Kai, "Although I do not think it would be safe for her to leave by herself, either. If they have followed me, then they would attack her as she left in an attempt to gain leverage on us. No, she should stay here tonight. I will escort her home tomorrow myself."

Nodding, Kai turned back to Etsu, who had kept her eyes on him entirely through it all, and didn't seem to have heard what had been proposed. Jaw set firm and eyes set squarely on Kai, she spoke again. "You're not going to face anything alone. That's a promise I made to myself when your parents died."

Again, Kai was about to retaliate, but it was Vaun this time who cut him off. "Kai, do not argue with a woman once she's made up her mind." Turning back to Etsu, "Very well, but please Etsu, try to understand that I cannot protect you both very effectively."

"Vaun, you wont have to protect us." Kai finally said. "I'll protect her."

"And I'll protect him." Etsu boldly declared.

"In any case..." Vaun's voice trailed off as he turned his head to the side towards the front door. Grabbing his sword sheath right below the guard with his left hand, he waited another second, then back at Kai and Etsu. "Get down!"

What happened next occurred in a blur. The door and several inches of the wall all around it suddenly imploded, raining a hail of wood splinters in the direction of the three duelists. In the same instant, Kai grabbed Etsu and tackled her to the ground, covering her with his body to protect her from the storm of wood, while Vaun tried his hardest to avoid the shower of splinters.

Opening her eyes, Etsu frowned at seeing Kai wincing in pain as he towered over her on all fours. A few seconds later and she saw that his entire body was trembling, and looking a few degrees to the side she saw where several drops of blood had fallen from a few small wounds on his back and sides. "Kai!"

"I'll be alright, Etsu." he managed to said, taking in a few deep breaths. "You're safe, and that's good enough for me."

"But..." she looked again at the drops of blood and then quickly slid herself out from under him, allowing the silver-haired boy to collapse roughly against the floor. "But you're bleeding." she managed while rising to her feet. Then, turning and looking down at his fallen form, she recoiled and gasped in horror. Sticking out of Kai's back were dozens of large splinters of wood, each only a fraction of an inch thick and about five to eight inches long, but each also looked like it may be imbedded rather deeply. "Oh my-"

"Etsu, watch out!" Vaun shouted, shoving the girl out of the way and then turning towards the hole in the wall, his katana drawn and held defensively in his right hand while his left forearm was pressed firmly against the flat of the blades back to add extra strength to his block.

Startled by Vaun's rushed movements, Etsu barely turned her head in time to keep it from crashing against the floor, as well as catching a glimpse of Vaun as a blast of green light struck him, stopping at his sword. However, while this move kept Vaun from being hurt directly by the blast, the force was still enough to push the boy samurai back until he crashed against the back wall. Faintly, over the roar of the initial attack and the thud of Vaun connecting with the Sheetrock barrier, Etsu heard the wind fly from his lungs from the impact, and he fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back in a daze. Lifting his head slightly, he looked on with extreme pain as the attacker entered the house.

Dressed in blue jeans, a white shirt and khaki vest, the intruder didn't look all that unusual at first. He had short brown hair, very lightly tanned skin, etc. However, what was unusual was that he was huge! He had to be at least six feet and seven inches, if not bigger. Not only that, but his entire body was rather muscular, his arms each at least eight inches wide, and his legs were even bigger. His entire upper body was one well trained mass of muscles barely contained within his skin and clothing. Surveying the damage to the house, he quickly took note of the two fallen males and the frightened look in the eyes of the shocked female.

"Sorry 'bout that." he grinned foolishly, obviously feeling no remorse for the two young men he had injured. "Now, Kai Kaethan, I'm here to challenge you." Turning to the bleeding boy, he frowned. "Oh, come on, Kai. You weren't supposed to get hurt in that. I just wanted to take out Vaun. Didn't even know you had ordered a whore."

"What..." Kai tried to speak while pushing against the ground with his elbows, but he wasn't getting very far. Every movement he made shifted the muscles around a splinter and a hellfire of pain would shoot through his entire body. "What did...You say?"

"Come on, you can't die." the large mans voice boomed as he leaned down and grinned foolishly again. "If you die, how am I supposed to take your power?"

"You-" a feminine voice shrieked less than a second before a loud clapping sound could be heard. Turning slightly, the large man turned is view on Etsu, who was trying to hide the pain she felt from having slapped the giant so hard. "Hasn't he been through enough already?"

"To tell you the truth," the giant said, rising to his full height. "I really don't have a clue what this kid's been through. I also don't really give a rats ass, either. Now," cracking his knuckles, he took a small step towards Etsu, who didn't move, although her fear was evident in her face. "Why don't you get out of the way, little girl."

Standing firm, Etsu continued to stare at the man, even as he took a second step, but had to stop there because she was in his way. Reaching into her back pocket, Etsu began to retrieve her deck silently.

"No, Etsu, don't!" Kai managed to cry out from his position on the ground.

"He's right, Estu." Vaun said from his position against the wall, having managed to lift his head up and resting it against the wall. "This involves forces you don't understand. Even we hardly understand them."

"I'm not naive, you two." she responded, keeping her eyes on the large man while lifting up her hand to display her deck to him, silently challenging him. "Didn't you guys just say five minutes ago that I could help you fight?"

"Yes, but that wa-" Kai tried to argue, but was silenced by a jolt of pain as he tried to crawl closer.

"Kai!" she said through clenched teeth. "Please, trust me. Two years ago I was just as strong as you. And today, I'm even stronger. I can handle a simple lackey like this."

"Lackey?" the large man boomed before throwing his head back in laughter. "Who ever said I was a lackey? I am Gregory Garibaldi! But even if I were a lackey, I'm just here for Kai and Vaun's powers. No need to get involved yourself, little girl."

"But I do need to." she shot back. "And if you want to get whatever power it is you say Kai has, you'll have to go through me."

Rubbing his chin in thought, the behemoth considered the option, and then finally turned around and stepped several feet away from Etsu, then turned around and lifted his arm to allow the Duel Disk there activate, looking very small against his large physique. (GLP:4000) Nodding, Etsu walked over to the desk in the room where she had left her bag and pulled out her Duel Disk, which she strapped on and placed her deck into. (ELP:4000)

"Etsu," Kai muttered while he heard the Life Point counters ticking and saw her drawing her hand of five cards. Turning just slightly, she acknowledged that she had heard him, her emerald eyes burning with determination. So much so that, for a moment, Kai forgot his pain, as well as his fear, and then spoke what he had intended to, only this time with a strong note of determination in his voice instead of feeble encouragement. "Take him down."

Smiling, she nodded and turned back to her opponent, who looked rather annoyed with having to wait while the two conversed. As she brought her full attention to him, he reasserted his stance and lifted his arms, his Duel Disk on one and five cards in the other.

"Duel!"

"I summon a monster in defense mode," Gregory declared seconds after drawing a sixth card. Choosing one of his first five cards, he slapped it down horizontally onto his duel plate and the enlarged image of the card appeared on his field. Then, holding up the card he had drawn for the turn, plus another of his original five, he started to slide them into his magic zones. "And I'll set two cards face down. Turn end."

Nodding, Etsu drew a card. "I summon Spell Breaker (1600+300/1000) to the field, who gains a magic counter, raising his attack by three hundred. Now, attack his monster!" she commanded as a man slightly taller than Kai appeared. He was dressed in what seemed to be a cross of light armor and magician robes of white with gold designs all along it. In his right hand was grasped a one handed sword while his left hand clutched a diamond shaped shield. Seconds after appearing he leapt across the field and slashed down, cutting Gregory's monster in half, which revealed itself to be a pink bulb with short arms and legs and a rigidly shaped head.

"I activate my face down card, Line of the Soul!" Gregory shouted. "Since you just destroyed my Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800), I can pay one thousand Life Points to summon a new level four or lower monster from my deck to the field." he explained as his Life Points ticked down and he grabbed his entire deck. Shuffling through it, he quickly decided on a monster and set it face up, but horizontal, on his Duel Disk. (GLP:3000)

His new monster was gray and blocky, looking like a robot from a low budget American cartoon. Printed on its chest was an elegantly written lowercase English 'h'. Other than that, it had no distinguishing features. "This is my Magnet Warrior Lambda (900/1200)."

Nodding, Etsu chose another card from her hand. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"I'll bet you're wondering why I chose such a weak monster when I played my trap card, especially since it has no effect." Gregory stated, his tone implying that he felt that he could read minds.

"Not really." Etsu called back. "I don't know much about the individual Magnet Warriors, but I do know how they operate. You must have the rest of this set in your hand and you're planning on summoning it."

Taken aback slightly by the way Etsu had brushed off his seemingly obvious play, Gregory snatched up two of the cards in his hand, the first his slapped onto a monster zone, revealing another box-shaped robot, only this one was a rusty brown color and had the letter "K" on its chest. "This is Magnet Warrior Kappa (1200/900), and now I'll sacrifice him and Lambda to summoned Magnet Warrior Iota (2500/2800) in attack mode."

In a flash of light, the two cubic monsters vanished, replaced seconds later by a mechanical figure made up of silver, with bronze underneath, showing through at the joints. It's helmet was also bronze, with what looked like a magnet reaching out of the top of its skull and pointed backwards, like a pair of reversed horns. In its hands it held a spear, the blade long and curved.

"Magnet Warrior Iota, attack Spell Breaker!" Arching its arm back, the pseudo-mechanical warrior hurled its spear at Etsu's monster, catching it in the chest and going all the way through, several inches of the blade sticking out of his back. (ELP:3400) "I set one card face down and end my turn." Gregory declared as the face down card appeared between him and his monster.

"Draw." Etsu called, seeming to be unaffected by the presence of such an overwhelming monster. Glancing her five cards over, she thought over a few combinations and then chose two of the cards. "I summon Attack Breaker (1600+300/1000) to the field, who also gains a magic counter." Etsu's new monster looked identical to her previous one, only it was dressed in light tan robes.

"Trying to scare me with little monsters, little girl?" Gregory laughed, his arms folded over his chest. "I may not know the effects of your individual Breakers, but I can take a guess. You figured I would be able to guess on your monsters abilities, so you set up this monster, hoping I would assume from his name that he destroys attack mode monsters when I attack."

From his position on the floor, Kai's entire face started to look rather annoyed as Gregory spoke. Although trying to predict your opponents moves was critical to the game, what he was doing was simply absurd. Turning back to Etsu, Kai watched as she slipped her second card into a magic zone.

"I play a continuous magic card, Magic Transfer. End."

"Heh, you could have at least set another magic or trap card to try and bluff me out of attacking. After all, I know what you're up to." the giant laughed as he drew a card, giving him two to choose from. "I summon Magnet Warrior Nu (1500/1200) in attack mode." The latest of the rock monsters was a light lavender color, its limbs circular, and a large "V" on its chest.

"Iota, attack her Attack Breaker!" Crossing it's rectangular arm across its chest, the large solder swung his spear, the curved blade slicing cleanly through the air. Stopping for a second when Attack Breaker lifted his sword to try and parry the attack.

"I activate Attack Breaker's special ability, sacrificing his magic counter to negate your attack." Etsu calmly explained as the sword began to glow with an inner blue light as the two struggled to hold their ground. However, as the light intensified, the smaller warrior began to actually push the blade back, fully parrying the attack, although he was left weaker, down to sixteen hundred, as a result.

"Clever enough." Gregory frowned slightly. "Since Attack Breaker still has sixteen hundred attack points, Nu can't beat it. Alright, I'll play my Cube of Summoning." Floating in the air appeared a large Rubix cube, it's colors scattered across its six faces. "Here's how this card works. I name a monster element, and I'm gonna call Earth, and then I roll a die. After three turns, I get to special summon a number monsters from my deck equal to the number rolled, minus one." he began to explain as a large white die fell out of the air, hitting the ground and bouncing around for a few minutes before coming to a stop on a five. "Excellent. Now, in three turns I get to special summon four Earth monsters from my deck, since I rolled a five." he ended, his hand empty.

"I play Magic Production, which generates one magic counter to a monster on my field." Etsu started her turn, her magic card raising the attack points of her monster back up to nineteen hundred. "Attack Breaker (1900), attack Magnet Warrior Nu!" she commanded, her warrior lifting his sword above his head. Slashing downward, he released a crescent arc of light which sliced through the lavender monster, destroying it. (GLP:2600) "Now I'll set one card face down and end my turn." she finished, leaving her with two cards in her hand.

Looking at his new card, Gregory stopped to think for a moment, his expression revealing that he wasn't sure about playing the card. It wasn't because he seemed worried about it being countered, he just didn't seem to care a great deal about using it. After a few more seconds, he let loose a low "hmph" and then raised his left arm, showing he had made his decision.

"I'm gonna play the card that will guarantee my victory, not that I really need it. Then again, it's for the final result of this next card that I'm playing it." he said, moving the card he had drawn that turn towards the right-hand end of his Duel Disk and the field magic slot popped out long enough for him to play the card. "Seal of Orichalcos!"

At hearing those words, Vaun's head snapped up, his eyes wide with fear. He recognized the card name, as he had just faced the same card a few hours ago. Quickly the green ring appeared, spinning rapidly around the two duelists, emitting a dark aura seen by the two Guardians on the ground.

'What is that? It's...evil.' Kai pondered, trying to avoid moving too much. Looking to his fallen friend, he noticed the panic in the boy samurai's face. "Vaun, what is that thing?"

"It's...it's what's giving these people their power. I don't know how, but somehow this card makes them stronger, and in the end, the loser's soul is stripped from them." was the response.

"Are you serious about that?" Etsu asked, turning to the two young men.

Pushing off of the ground, Vaun nodded. "Yes Etsu. No matter what, you cannot lose now." Limping over to Kai, Vaun knelt down and carefully began to prod at the wooden needles. From what he could tell, they hadn't hit any pressure points or vitals. It would just hurt like hell to remove them.

"Girl, back to the duel." Gregory barked and Etsu turned her attention back to him. "Now, as I was saying, the Seal guarantees my victory. First, it fills I my monsters with a dark power and increases their attack points by five hundred. Also, I can use my magic and trap zones to hold monsters. In truth, I really don't need these abilities; I only played it so I can take your soul in the end."

True to its masters words, Magnet Warrior Iota began to glow with a dark light for a second, and when it faded a crimson glimmer could be seen in its eyes. Next to it appeared a holographic image of a box displaying the attack points of the monster, which then began to rise until they reached three thousand, it lingered for a second longer and then disappeared after both players had memorized the attack total. However, Gregory didn't have any other cards left, so for now Etsu would be fine, since Attack Breaker could block the single attack.

"Now, the question is, do I attack and have you block me, or do I wait till I get some more monsters?" he asked with a bemused grin, rubbing his chin in thought. "What the hell, I'll start now. Magnet Warrior Iota (3000), attack her monster!"

"Attack Breaker, defend!" she shouted, and again her monsters sword began to vibrate with blue light before meeting the thrust pike, which was easily knocked to the side.

"And that ends my turn." Gregory said as Attack Breaker's power dropped once again.

Drawing, Etsu tried to figure out some sort of strategy. She had a strategy back before the Seal was played to beat Iota, and although it was still possible, it would require a different train of thought.

"I switch Attack Breaker to defense mode, and then I set one more card face down." she ended, setting a card and shifting the monster on her plate to a horizontal position. Her monster responded to this by falling to one knee and crossing his shield over his chest while extending his sword to his side, it's tip resting against the ground.

"I think I'll activate Iota's special ability." Gregory said, not even taking the time to look at his drawn card. "I can sacrifice it to place any three Magnet Warriors into my hand from my deck." he said as his monster shattered and three cards extended from his deck, which he snatched up, giving him four cards, three of which Etsu, Vaun and Kai knew to be monsters.

Still on the ground, Kai twisted his head slightly to look towards Vaun, who was inspecting another of the splinters to determine how to best remove it. Thus far he had removed four, but there were about seven more to pull out.

"Which monsters do you think he chose?" the older of the two asked. Not even taking his eyes off of the wooden shaft, Vaun spoke.

"Well, he is using a full Magnet Warrior set, and I don't know all of their abilities. However if I had to guess, I'd say he chose the first set of Magnet Warriors ever released."

"But she destroyed his Gamma." Kai pointed out.

"He may have a second one in his deck." Vaun countered, grasping the fibrous needle. Turning away, Kai winced as the other boy pulled. Opening his eyes again, he turned back to the duel, panic starting to settle into his eyes.

'I shouldn't have let her take this challenge.'

"I play my face down card, Stone Purification." Gregory called as his trap card flipped up. The image displayed a rough clump of clay, minerals, and small rocks all lumped together, encasing a block of polished marble. "This card allows me to return up to three level four or lower Rock monsters from my graveyard to my hand." he explained as three cards shot into his hand from his graveyard.

"Among the monsters I chose when I sacrificed Iota are Magnet Warrior Alpha (1400/1700) and Magnet Warrior Beta (1700/1200), and I returned Magnet Warrior Gamma (1500/1800) to my hand just now. So I'll discard them to my graveyard to special summon the third monster I searched out of my deck, Magnet Warrior Valkyrion (3500+500/3850)."

Dropping the three cards into his graveyard, Gregory then slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. For a few seconds, holographic images of the three discarded monsters appeared. First was a short one with rectangular bars making up it's arms and legs, attached to a capsule that made up the torso. In its left arm it wielded a small shield with a magnet inscribed on it, while its right hand clutched a very short sword. The next one was made up of small yellow sphere connected to each other by thin tubes. Running through its head, legs, and both hands was a curved magnet, serving the purpose of horns, fingers, and feet. The third was the same pink robot Etsu had destroyed on her first turn.

After the necessary amount of time had passed, the three ghostly images broke into pieces and began to mass together. Alpha's torso quickly encased that of Gamma, acting like armor. Next Alpha's legs and arms attached, covering up Gamma's. Gamma's wings then sprouted out of its back, and Beta's head covered Gamma's for a second and then transformed into a golden mask. Although not necessarily the most deadly or domineering monster as far as appearance was concerned, it's attack points said otherwise.

"Now I activate Valkyrion's special ability, sacrificing it to special summon its three individual pieces to the field from the graveyard." Gregory continued as Valkyrion broke apart and the pieces once again formed into the three monsters.

'What's he doing?' Etsu pondered, surprised by this maneuver.

'Does he need monsters to sacrifice?' Vaun asked himself as he grabbed another splinter.

'He wants Valkyrion in the graveyard for some reason.' Kai determined, seething slightly as Vaun pulled the ninth wood fragment free.

"I finally have the number of monsters needed to finish off your defenses." Gregory called. "Because even with Attack Breaker's ability, you can only block one of my attacks. However, to add to the damage, I'll sacrifice Alpha to summon Magnet Warrior Omicron (1800+500/1500) in attack mode." Instantly the gray droid shattered and was replaced by a much taller figure, this one with red armor, its entire body seemingly made up of magnets that were attached to each other and stack one on top of the other. Its head was just one large magnet sitting upright and with a golden eye peering out of each of the prongs, while its hands and feet were much the same, minus the eyes. Printed on this ones chest was a large white "O".

"Gamma, attack!" he ordered. Without hesitation, the pink bulb soared to Etsu's monster and pulled back its arm, preparing to punch. However, as the fist swung forward, the tan clothed magicians shield began to glow in the center, releasing a bright barrier which Gamma failed to break through. "Omi-" Gegory prepared to give his next command, but stopped when he caught sight of Etsu, who was facing him boldly, no sense of fear on her features. "I see, so that's how it's gonna be, is it. Well then, if you're thinking of blocking with one of your face down cards, I wont waste Omicron's attack just yet. So Beta, attack!"

Lifting its arms, the machine released a stream of electricity which snaked through the air towards Etsu, who did the only thing she could.

"Go face down card, Magic Screen!" Snapping to life, her middle trap card revealed itself and a glowing blue wall appeared between the blast and the magical fighter, neutralizing the attack. "This card negates an attack aimed at a spellcaster and allows me to draw two cards." she explained, increasing her hand to four cards.

"I figured as much. Omicron, attack and destroy her annoying monster." he commanded. Extending his arms towards Etsu's monster, the pile of magnets began to emit faint waves of magnetic energy which struck Attack Breaker and ripped him to pieces. "And now Omicron's effect activates. Since he destroyed one of your monsters, I can either raise his attack points by four hundred, or I can draw a card. I choose to draw this turn." he said, pulling a new card free. That gave him a hand of three cards, two of which were low-leveled Magnet Warriors Etsu had already destroyed.

"I play the card I just drew, Magnetic Charge." Sliding the magic card into his Duel Disk, Gregory waited patiently as the image appeared. The picture on the card was of two magnets facing each other, electricity bursting from the tines and connecting to create a mass of electric power. "This continuous magic card increases the attack points of all Magnet Warriors by two hundred per Magnet Warrior in play." he explained as Gamma, Beta and Omicron's attack points rose to twenty-six hundred, twenty-eight hundred, and twenty-nine hundred, respectively.

"Draw!" Etsu called, giving her five cards to choose from. "I summon Monster Breaker (1600+300/1000) in attack mode!" she shouted as another Breaker appeared, this one in black armor.

"I assume this monster will destroy my monsters." Gregory said, sounding rather unimpressed.

Nodding, Etsu continued her turn, growing annoyed with the giants habit of claiming to predict her moves. "Monster Breaker, destroy Omicron (2900)." she ordered. Slashing his sword down, her magical warrior released an arc of blue light which struck and dissolved Omicron. At the same time, both Beta and Gamma's attack points began to decrease by two hundred each. "Next I'll play another Magic Production, giving Monster Breaker another counter, which I'll then use to destroy Beta (2600)!" Firing another arc, the black robed warrior obliterated the yellow monster.

"And since Monster Breaker got to use his effect this turn, I can play my two Breaker's Might cards, increasing his attack power by six hundred each." Raising his sword, Monster Breaker began to absorb particles of light into the blade, causing it to glow with an ethereal hue. "Monster Breaker (2800), attack Gamma (2200)!" Leaping into the air, sword held above his head, Monster Breaker descending, cleaving the final of Gregory's monsters in half.

"My turn." Gregory called, drawing a card. "Now then, let us not forget that it's the third turn since I played Cube of Summoning." he said, gesturing to the Rubix cube, which, without anyone noticing, had used each turn to twist and turn itself a few times in an attempt to solve itself. However, as Gregory pointed to it, it finished solving itself, the side facing the field solid brown. "Now I'll summon four Magnet Warriors from my hand, and I choose Magnet Warrior Eta (1700+500+800/1400), Magnet warrior Delta (1800+500+800/2100), Magnet Warrior Zeta (1900+500+800/2200), and Magnet Warrior Mu (1200+500+800/1500)." Instantly the four new monsters appeared, one white, another green, then blue, and the last one amber in color.

Next Gregory took his drawn card and inserted it into one of his magic zones. "I play Compensation Draw. This continuous magic card allows me to discard cards from my hand, and for every card I discard, I draw one card. So I'll discard Magnet Warrior Nu and Magnet Warrior Lambda to draw to cards." Placing the two named cards into his graveyard, he swiftly drew his two new cards. "Next I play Card of Sanctity, forcing us both to draw until we hold six cards." With the speed of professional duelists, the two drew their cards; four for Etsu and five for Gregory.

Smirking at whatever he had drawn, Gregory began his next play. "And now I think I'll end this, and I'll do it by summoning my strongest monster. Normally I wouldn't waste it on you, but I'd rather just finish it."

Gulping at this declaration, Etsu, Vaun, and Kai (Now free of all the slivers) waited with baited breath for Gregory to make his move. Valkyrion had been nearly overwhelmingly powerful, and now he was saying he had one stronger. In his mind, Kai instantly realized what must be coming, based on his loose understanding of the Greek language and alphabet.

"Omega..." he muttered, barely audible. If Vaun heard him, he didn't show it, continuing to watch the duel. "I shouldn't have let her face this guy. Not before she had a chance to learn more about the situation."

Having not heard Kai's lament, Gregory continued his play unhindered. "I sacrifice Magnet Warrior Eta, Magnet Warrior Delta, and Magnet Warrior Zeta to summon Magnet Warrior Omega (3800+500+400/4000)!" he shouted as the three monsters shattered.

In their place appeared a figure in platinum armor that was fit perfectly so as to allow maximum agility. Hanging from the shoulders was a midnight blue cape that extended to the ankles. Stretching out from underneath the cape were six pairs of wings, each one rather narrow, but they were cropped closely together in a way that may allow for flight after altering the laws of physics slightly. In its hands was gripped a large broad sword. The helmet was well rounded, which would enable it to deflect nearly any attack, except for the section of the face from the nose down, which was unprotected, revealing a startling detail to the three younger duelists.

"It's a human!" they gasped in surprise.

"Correct." Gregory said. "Omega was the creator of the Magnet Warriors. Using his knowledge of physical law, her performed a sort of alchemy, altering the structure of materials to create his army."

After giving this brief explanation, Gregory placed his right hand against his graveyard slot. "And now he's going to restore his army." Raising an eyebrow, Etsu tried to udnerstand what was meant by this, and was surprised to hear the Duel Disk whirring and the clicking of cards as they ejected from the slot. "When Magnet Warrior Omega is summoned, he special summons Magnet Warriors from my graveyard to the field until my monster zones are filled, and each of the revived monsters receives three hundred more attack points. Thanks to the Seal of Orichalcos, I can hold a max of ten monsters, except I currently have Compensation Draw and Magnetic Charge in play, plus I already have Omega and Mu in play, so I can only summon six more." he said as if regretting the situation, but smirking through it all. "I summon Magnet Warrior Nu (1500+500+1600+300/1200), Magnet Warrior Iota (2500+500+1600+300/2800), Magnet Warrior Valkyrion (3500+500+1600+300/3850), Magnet Warrior Omicron (1800+800+1600+300/1500), Magnet Warrior Magnet Warrior Zeta (1900+500+1600+300/2200), and Magnet Warrior Delta (1800+500+1600+300/2100)!"

One by one, the six monsters that Etsu had destroyed or that Gregory had sacrificed returned, each one with an overwhelmingly high number of attack points. Even the Seal of Orichalcos reacted to the huge influx, roaring for a moment with a mass excess of green light as it fueled the army.

"Next I sacrifice Magnet Warriors Mu (3600) and Nu (3900) for their advanced form, Magnet Warrior Tau (2400+500+1400/2100) in attack mode." As the two named monsters shattered, dropping the attack points of all the other Magnet Warriors slightly, a new figure appeared, this one sky blue in color and wielding a pair of thin-blades swords.

"Then, for my normal summon of the turn, I'll sacrifice Magnet Warrior Delta (4000) to summon Magnet Warrior Rho (2100+500+1400/1800) in attack mode." In place of the green magnet monster appeared one in pure white with a black cape, and in its hands was a large boomerang, its edge obviously sharpened.

Inspecting his seven monsters with a sense of sure pride, Gregory waited a few minutes, letting the impossible might of his army strike fear into the young woman who opposed him, as well as the two observers. "Now my monsters, attack!"

As one, the massive army sprung into action, weapons raised and ready. First to attack was Omega (5700), who as the leader had been at the front of the charge. Swinging down with all his might, he did not so much chop Monster Breaker in half as much as he simply crushed the black armored paladin out of existence. (ELP:1100)

With his eyes wide, Kai watched the duel, his face sweating, his heart racing, and his breath growing short. Vaun too realized the odds she was up against, and bowed his head silently. With a single attack, Gregory had nearly beaten Etsu, even though her monster had been significantly powered up. In fact, that power increase was the only thing that had saved her. However, she was out of monsters, and there were still six more super-charged monsters coming for her.

'She can't!' he cried in his head, unable to say anything out loud, his vocal chords no longer functioning. 'I can't afford to lose her. Why does she have to pay for my mistake? I was wrong to let her duel this guy, but I also shouldn't have to give her up for it!'

Next to raise its weapon against Etsu was Valkyrion (5700), and with the amount of attack points it had, it could possibly even kill her, even though it was just a hologram!

"ETSU!" Kai suddenly found himself shouting. However, if she heard him, she didn't show it. She continued to watch the coming attack, somehow seeming to be unafraid. "No, please no..." Kai whimpered softly.

"Reverse card open!" With a started, Vaun, Kai, and especially Gregory turned their attention on Etsu and her card as if flipped up, revealing another trap card. However, just as they caught sight of her they were blinded by a burst of light more intense than any other card effect any of them had ever seen."Arc Flash activates when you destroy a Breaker, and it instantly ends your turn, as well as letting me place one Breaker into my hand from my deck." she explained as the light died, revealing the expressions on all their faces. Vaun's eyes were open wide enough that they threatened to fall out, while Kai seemed beyond any form of outward expression. However, perhaps the most surprised of them all was Gregory, who stared with unmatched disbelief that his assault, overwhelming and destructive as it was, had been stopped by a single, simple trap card.

"I've let you go on for far too long." she said to the stunned behemoth of a man. "I suppose I should take you as seriously now as I would if I were facing Kai or Vaun."

'She wasn't even being fully serious with me?' Gregory gasped, unsure of what to make of this. A second later, though, and he managed to regain his composure and sneer once again. "Nice bluff, little one. In fact, you almost had me believing there that you were many times my superior. However, we both know it's just a bluff to try and make me lose my cool. I refuse to fall for it."

"Draw!" was all she said, keeping her gaze on the goliath. Now she had eight cards in her hand, and one of them was handpicked. "I set two cards face down." she began, the two face down cards appearing next to her face up Magic Transfer card. "Next I'll play Emergency Provisions on my Magic Transfer to gain one thousand Life Points." (ELP:2100)

"Now I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600+300/1000) in attack mode." The Breaker that appeared was dressed in deep scarlet armor with gold lining, sword and shield held ready. "I'll now use his special ability to sacrifice his counter to destroy Magnetic Charge!" With a simple slash of his sword, Breaker released his own arc of magical energy which shattered the chosen magic card upon making contact. With Magnetic Charge gone, both players watched as the army of Magnet Warriors lost fourteen-hundred attack points each.

"Next I activate Arc Strike!" she said, flipping the quick-play card around in her hand. "Since a Breaker used its effect, it's attack points are dealt to one of your monsters as damage." With another slash, Breaker the Magical Warrior released another arch of energy, this one red, which struck Magnet Warrior Omega in the chest, dropping his attack by sixteen hundred, leaving it at twenty-seven hundred. "That ends my turn."

Drawing a card, Gregory looked over Etsu's field. "Again with the bluff? You can't scare me, little girl, no matter how many magic or trap cards you set. In the end, my Magnet Warriors are far to powerful to be beaten by such weak monsters." Undaunted, Etsu continued waiting for Gregory to continue his move. Growling in frustration at her unreasonable confidence, he held up the card he had draw and discarded it and then drew a new card, thanks to compensation draw. Dissatisfied with the card he got, he discarded it and drew again. He continued this cycle five more times, finally smiling when he got the card that he obviously wanted from his now very thin deck. Holding up the card he had drawn, plus one from his hand, he turned them around to show Etsu.

"I discard Magnet Warrior Epsilon (1800/1800) and Magnet Warrior Upsilon (1800/1800) to special summon Magnet Warrior Xi (2800+500/2500) in attack mode." The new Magnet Warrior stood nearly as tall as Omega himself, navy blue in color with a pair of golden wings stretching out of its back. "Now I'll use his special ability, sacrificing him to select two Magnet Warriors who don't have effects from my graveyard and special summoning them, both with a permanent attack increase of one thousand. So, I special summon Magnet Warriors Epsilon and Upsilon (1800+500+1000/1800 x2)!" Seconds after appearing, the massive blue fighter dissolved and was replaced by a royal blue and a black armored Magnet Warrior.

"Next up is Magnet Reversal, special summoning Magnet Warrior Xi (2800+500/2500) back to the field!" he exclaimed, playing the final card from his hand, returning the dark blue armored monster to the field, filling said field once again. "Magnet Warriors, attack! Kill the bitch!" Gregory shouted to his army.

"Etsu, no." Kai muttered, slightly louder than he had his last few comments. True, she had managed some miraculous saves before, but even she had her limits.

"Kai, do you have faith in me?" Jerking his head up in surprise, Kai focused entirely on Etsu, and it seemed as if time had suddenly frozen, except for the two of them. Turning her head halfway to him, she repeated her question. "Do you have faith in me?"

"I..." Kai was at a loss for words. Although he wanted to say he did, he couldn't eliminate that fear he felt. "I don-" he stopped, a struggle starting in his heart.

'I want to believe in her. I should believe in her. But against these odds...'

'Haven't you faced odds equally overwhelming?' he heard Etsu's voice ask, even though she hadn't said a word.

'Yes, but that was different. That was-' Cutting himself off, Kai smiled, his head nodding a bit. Breaking free from his internal struggle, he returned his focus to Etsu.

"Yes, yes I believe in you. I know you can do this." he declared.

Turning back to the duel, Etsu's right fingers moved to her Duel Disk. "Reverse card open!" she shouted and one of her set cards flipped up. "Soul Spell will return a spellcaster on my field to my hand, and then allows me to special summon a level four or lower spellcaster from my hand." she explained as she lifted Breaker the Magical Warrior off of her Duel Disk. "And so now I'll re-summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in defense mode."

"Why would you bother?" Gregory asked, even as his monsters continued their attack. "You didn't even give him another magic counter. That was worthless."

"No it wasn't." Kai called from his position on the ground. "Because Etsu's about to use that move to stop you in your tracks."

"Activate face down card," Etsu called, returning the attention to her. "Magicians Ordination activates when a spellcaster is special summoned. It ends your turn and allows me to draw a card." she explained as the Magnet Monsters once again stopped in their charge.

Because of her trap card ending Gregory's turn, Etsu drew a card to start her turn, giving her a hand of six.

"First, I play the magic card, Breaker Academy!" she began her turn, activating her magic card. "This card produces four Breaker Tokens (800/500) to my field." On either side of the scarlet robed Breaker appeared two smaller Breakers, each in blood-red clothing.

"Next is my magic card, Magicians Grimoire, which will destroys all of my magicians in play and create two magic counters on my field for each destroyed magician." One at a time the five monsters on her field began to dissolve, leaving dots of light in their place. "Also, when a Breaker Token is destroyed or removed from the field, it leaves behind two magic counters, meaning each of my four tokens will create four magic counters, plus two for my Magical Warrior."

"Create all the counters you want, it wont change a thing. Each of your Breaker's is restricted to a single magic counter at a time, so you don't stand a chance at overcoming my Magnet Warriors." Gregory commented off-handedly.

"We'll see about that." Etsu shot back as the final token vanished, leaving her with a total of eighteen counters. "I summon Breaker Blader (1600+300/1000) in attack mode." Her newest Breaker was dressed in a gray uniform. However, unlike all other Breaker's thus far summoned, this one had a very unique sword, in that it was serrated.

"See, another weakling. He can't even beat my weakest monster on the field." Gregory continued with his bored tone of voice, turning his head away. "Seriously, little girl, you should have figured out by now that you can't bluff me out of attacking you. I'm all too aware of how weak your monsters are."

"Don't you dare insult Breaker." she threatened very cooly. "You have no idea of the inner strength he represents." Slowly she fiddled with the three cards remaining in her hand. Finally she settled on one. "I play Arc Edge! This equipment magic card requires I sacrifice magic counters from my field to equip it to a Breaker, but it increases the equipped monsters attack by five hundred per magic counter sacrificed." she explained. "I sacrifice eight magic counters."

As she finished her declaration, a long, thin curved sword appeared in the left hand of her Breaker Blader. Then, one by one, the dots of light floated over to the sword, entering it one at a time. With each one that entered, the blade became more of an obsidian black, glowing with an inner power that was both light and dark at the same time, defying description. Soon, Breaker Blader's attack rested at fifty-six hundred!

"And now I'll tell you of my Breaker Blader's (5600) special ability. For every magic counter I sacrifice from him, he can attack an extra time. So, first he'll attack Valkyrion!" With lightning speed, the gray armored paladin struck, cutting Magnet Warrior Valkyrion to pieces. (GLP:1300) "Breaker Blader, sacrifice your magic counter to attack again, and then I'll do it again, and again, and again until each of your Magnet Warriors is destroyed!"

One by one, the last few lights would surge into her monster, then fade away. Then, in one show of speed beyond the capacities of the human eye to see, he vanished, then reapeared seconds later, his arms outstretched to the sides. Seconds later, every single Magnet Warrior fell to the ground in pieces while Gregory's Life Points began the rapid drop. (GLP:0)

"I lost? But, if I lost, then that means...NO!" he shouted, looking very panicked suddenly. Seconds later the green Seal had closed around him, a green column of light burning all around him, and then he fell to the ground, nearly lifeless.

Sighing, Etsu deactivated her Duel Disk and turned back to Vaun and Kai, who were both standing now, much to her relief.

"Kai, are you alright?" she asked sincerely.

"Yeah, somehow." he said, turning around. Wondering what he meant, Etsu peered closer, and then through the red-ringed holes in his shirt, she could see that not only was he no longer bleeding, but there weren't even scabs were the wooden shrapnel had hit him. Just red dots indicating light sores.

"How did you..." she trailed off.

"I have no idea." he confessed. "Suddenly, after you asked me if I had faith in you, I could stand, the pain nearly all gone."

"It's because he is the Guardian of Time." As one, all three heads turned around and were greeted by a young man in his early twenties, with flaming red hair spiked upwards and a long blue coat which was fastened shut at his chest, but flared out towards the bottom. "He somehow managed to accelerate time for just himself, so that in what for us was just a second, weeks passed for his body, allowing it to heal." he explained, walking over to Gregory's fallen form. "Now, I'll just be taking this and be on my way." And with that, he clapped his hands together and then pressed his palms against Gregory. Instantly a swirl of flames sprung to life around the body, and seconds later, when it faded away, no trace of Gregory, the stranger, or even the flames themselves remained, with the exception of the destroyed doorway.

"Vaun, why don't you and Etsu get some rest. I'll take first watch of the night." Kai offered, turning back to the other two.

"Are you sure about that. I've already managed to get a bit of sleep this evening." Vaun replied.

"Yes, but you then dashed back here, and then you took that hit for Etsu. I'm feeling rather awake right now anyway. Go ahead." Slowly, Vaun and Etsu headed upstairs. Etsu would use the spare bedroom, and Vaun would use Kai's bed until they switched posts.

Going into his personal library, Kai checked his shelves for a moment, selected the tome he wanted, and then returned to the living room of the house. Opening his book and sitting down at his desk, he began to read. However, despite how anxious he was to research some new questions in his mind, he couldn't get a single thought out of his mind.

Leaning back in his chair, he smiled slightly and let the image in his head linger a while longer. "Sweet dreams, Etsu." he whispered to the ceiling.

To Be Continued...

There you have it. Sorry it took so long, and that it wasn't my best, but hey, how does a guy follow up a duel involving Nick Selket and have it be just as good? I don't know.

Kai, Etsu and Vaun make it through the remainder of the night without disruption. However, with the awakening of the sun comes new questions, more riddles, and a plethora of threats.

Next Time-Arrival On the Winds

Note-Do to latest policy I will no longer be doing Review Responses in the chapters. I have no idea as to why this would be necessary, but it apparently is. As such, I will use the new Reply feature to respond to all signed reviews. If you do not have an account with which to send a signed review, then please include an email account at which I may contact you.