Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
Ok, so in our last chapter, Raphael prepared to strike down Inuyasha, while Yami and Kachikachi drew their duel to its final stages. Roger put the moves on Dorothy, Botan rejected Kaiba's proposal, Joey ended his duel, and Kagome was thrust into the tournament.
In this chapter, Yami no Marik shall arrive to challenge Kagome, the duel between Yami and Kachikachi will close, Yusuke shall continue his duel while a not so welcome guest arrives to watch, Kaiba will discover the truth about Michael Seebach, a new enemy attacks Roger, and we see exactly what Raphael can do.
By the way, Yami no Kenkaku means The Dark Swordsman.
Chapter 35: Brushing Against the Flames and the Penalty of Orichalcos
Yami vs. Kachikachi
"Well, Yami, did you draw whatever you were searching for? For even if you did, it shall be of no significance to you, for essentially, I control the field. You can't destroy the Orichalcos God Soldier, and if you try and attack any of my other monsters you will be at the mercy of my most powerful one. The only way you could possibly stand a chance of defeating me is to somehow mount a direct attack on my life points, and thanks to the Orichalcos Deuterosu I may negate any of those attacks by offering up a monster. So if you want to entertain those grand delusions, by all means go ahead. There is no hope for you in this situation, so you may as well go down with a shred of dignity."
The Pharaoh, however, was not paying much attention to Kachikachi's taunting, and had now focused in on his own hand. While he had certainly drawn Timaeus, there was no guarantee that it would respond to his command. After all, his main purpose in this duel, at the very core, was to exact swift and brutal vengeance against the samurai that had ruined his life, and Timaeus might not respond to such self-centered motives.
Well, there's only one way to find out.
"Kachikachi, this duel ends here! I'll start by sacrificing my face down Sorcerer to summon the Catapult Turtle in attack mode!" As stated, the once mighty enchanter was absorbed into a blaze of golden incandescence, to be immediately replaced by a robotic turtle-like artillery piece. (1000/2000)
"Well, there goes my skepticism."
"Ha! What do you intend to do with some overgrown tortoise with a launching pad on its back? Apparently you have forgotten that if you sacrifice your Silent Magician you will automatically lose the duel, so there is no reason to summon that monster. And besides, on my next turn that monster will be nothing but wax for the Mugen-Dai…""YAMI, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE SUMMONING WEAK MONSTERS WITH USELESS EFFECTS!!!"
Despite the misgivings of his fellows, despite the severity of the situation, and despite the powerful urge to just admit defeat, Yami knew what needed to be done. If this conflict was to be put to rest once and for all, then there was only one card that he could possibly activate.
"I'm afraid there won't be a next turn for you, Kachikachi. I activate the Magic Card, the Legendary Dragon, Eye of Timaeus!"
From the confines of Yami's most powerful magic could be sensed a nearly infinite power emerging from the depths of the Shadow Realm, and even before it emerged one could literally see the draconic aura that gave it such a potent bearing. And emerge it did, for from deep within the card soared out a leviathan of a dragon the likes of which had not been seen in over ten thousand years, not since the destruction of Atlantis. The beast, with venom green scales that would shield it from the blast of a nuclear holocaust and eyes that looked as though they could pierce the normal bindings of existence and glare at the souls of the wicked, was obviously not a creature of this world, and was more likely than not a beast of divinity.
It was a monster that Kachikachi had only seen once, in the most horrific of his prolific nightmares. This was the dragon that haunted him for nearly five thousand years, the wyrm that he saw in the eyes of the Pharaoh, of Sesshomaru, of Dartz. To the swordsman, this beast was not merely the guardian of Atlantis. To him, it was the guardian of Hell.
However, he did have one hope for walking away from here alive.
"It's over, Kachikachi. You know as well as I do that Timaeus and it's godly capacity of power far outranks Orichalcos. Before this turn is over, the Seal of Darkness will backfire upon you, and the world will at long last be cleansed of your malevolence…"
"Is that so, Nameless One? So let me ask this of you: would you be feeling any different of me had I not been partly responsible for the schism that separates you from your beloved slab of meat? If you can answer that question with a yes, then your Timaeus shall not work. And you of all people should know that Timaeus is extremely judgmental about the causes for which it is beckoned. So what drives you, Pharaoh? Lust? Hatred? Vengeance?"
But although the swordsman was overly confident in his abilities, as was his begrudging master, the priestess could indeed see that Yami's intent was pure; in fact, it was the purest of all human emotion, if perhaps the most confusing.
He battles for love, Kachikachi.
"We shall see whose intent is just. Now, I offer up my Catapult Turtle to the Dragon of Atlantis, so that he may be reshaped into an even stronger creature!"
The activation of Timaeus now resulted in an effect similar to that of Polymerization, for the reptilian catapult was absorbed within the divine guardian, but unlike Polymerization, the end result would not be a fusion. Rather, it would be an empowerment, a new reinforcement that would allow any beast to become indomitable.
And when the Catapult Turtle reemerged, it was no longer a launch pad; it was a hovering, black-shelled tortoise with two missile batteries mounted atop it. And upon both launchers was the insignia of Timaeus. (1300/2800)
"Timaeus has heeded my cry, and by his grace I have summoned the Rocket Launcher Tortoise to the field, meaning that this duel is almost finished."
Exactly how the duel was about to end was over everybody's heads, seeing as no one had witnessed such a monster before. But if the Catapult Turtle was any guide, then it would likely require a sacrifice, one that the Pharaoh could not afford at this moment.
Yami, however, knew exactly what needed to be done, and it was all thanks to Kachikachi.
"An improvement from your original monster will do you no good. Even if you could somehow offer up your Silent Magician, its attack power is so low that it would barely scratch my life points."
"Who said this monster requires me to sacrifice my own monsters? Instead, it allows me to discard my entire hand, and at the same time remove my entire graveyard from play." As this was enacted, a set of three red fuel cells were slid into the reactor at the launcher's base. "Once this is done, I must reduce the attack of all other monsters on my side of the field to zero, whereupon those monsters, namely my Silent Magician, can activate the launch sequence and wipe out what's left of your life points." And as the Silent Magician lost what little remained of its attack strength, it jumped onto the control deck and activated the initial systems.
"What do you hope to accomplish with that monstrosity?"
"I'm glad you asked. Now, as you probably know, the Catapult Turtle allows a duelist to sacrifice any number of monsters on their side of the field and inflict damage equal to half of each monster's attack. This effect is loosely based on the original effect of the Catapult Turtle, except for a few key differences. Once the steep cost is dealt with, the Rocket Launcher Tortoise can sacrifice any monster on your side of the field, and both duelists will lose an amount of life points equal to a quarter of the sacrificed monsters attack points. But since I have no life points to begin with, I won't lose anything. So now, I will target…your Orichalcos God Soldier, which is not immune to tribute effects!"
At that moment, Kacikachi and Sesshomaru did the math in their heads, and came out to the number of life points that the samurai would lose: 3475, which exceeded his current totals.
"Damn you, Yami no Yuugi."
"You can say anything you like at this point, Kachikachi, for this duel is over! ROCKET LAUNCHER TORTOISE, SEND HIS ORICHALCOS GOD SOLDIER TO THE AFTERLIFE!!!"
It was quite fortuitous that Yami made the command at this point, for the Silent Magician had just finished calibrating the launch volley and had locked onto the target. Now, all it had to do was press the trigger, and the Yami no Kenkaku would be sent into an eternal prison of his own creation.All of the scanners gave the mage clearance; there was no way that the God Soldier could escape. And so the volley was launched, every warhead triggering an explode-on- impact setup as they shrieked towards the divine warlord.
But something did not add up; Yami knew that once the Orichalcos took a soul, it could only be released by the will of Dartz himself, and since Kachikachi had betrayed the Atlantean king, it was doubtful that mercy would be granted. So then why was there no emotion, not even anger, in the swordsman's eyes?
No one else noticed it; the two spectators were fascinated by the horrific fate of Kachikachi's beast, which steadfastly endure the first barrage of missiles, its armor cracking into pieces as each rocket slammed against the Orichalcos Stone. Each impact brought the warrior closer to its final end, and incidentally sprayed massive amounts of blood onto the ground, until finally, the mighty God Soldier met the fate of all mortals, and collapsed into death. (0/0)
Although he did not show it, the once proud Sesshomaru was in complete shock. Against astronomical odds and in spite of the brilliant game play of his greatest subordinate, the Pharaoh had actually triumphed. How? How did that bastard do it? There was no way he could have drawn Timaeus exactly at the right time; it simply defies all logic. That is, unless his "Heart of the Cards" nonsense is real.
It did not really matter, though. When the time came, Yami no Yuugi and Inuyasha would both crumble before his own dueling deck. And knowing this, he turned, and walked into the darkness. May you rot in your tomb forever, Kachikachi.
In all seriousness, though, Sesshomaru should have remained to see the real conclusion of the duel, for what happened next was unprecedented.
"Well, Yami, I must say that I am impressed. No one has ever been able to defeat me in the position I was in, so here, take your precious key that you have worked so hard for." With a single flick of his wrist, the samurai tossed his ultimate adversary the fifth identifier for tournament entry. "But my soul will not be so easily captured."
As he said this, the Orichalcos Seal began to contract, as it did whenever it was about to take a soul away. And yet, something did not feel right, for a dark presence was emanating from somewhere near Kachikachi. It only took Yami a minute to realize what he intended to do.
"I WILL NOT BE TAKEN BY MY OWN CARD, AND SO, BY THE POWER OF THE MUGEN-DAI, SUPREME BLADE OF THE ORICHALCOS, I UNLOCK THE SEAL!!!"
Since the powerful Crest of Atlantis had now receded so that Kachikachi was standing in the center of it, the time had arrived for his last resort. With a new plan and new resolve, he drew out his legendary sword, which was glowing a vibrant green in response to the Orichalcos, and lifted it over his head. "YAMI! Did you really believe that I could be destroyed by my own weapon? Well, if that is the case, then you shall pay the ultimate price for your senility!" And in one swift motion, he swung the blade down onto the Seal.Nothing happened. For the moment.
"It appears that your plan did not work."
"Really? Well, if you believe that, take a closer look!"
And that is when Yami noticed them: thousands of hairline cracks, stemming from the impact point of Kachikachi's sword. It was unbelievable; normally, only the Stone of Orichalcos could cause such a fracture.
It could only mean one thing: the Mugen-Dai was indeed crafted of the legendary Orichalcos steel, a fact that no one had ever been able to confirm.
"Now, Yami, I may not be able to take your soul, so your life will be a welcome substitute." Even as the Orichalcos began to fracture at its borders, even as the imminent fusion of Shadow and Divine energies was at hand, the samurai saw fit to execute one of his strongest attacks. Charging right at Yami, Kachikachi allowed the blade to become engulfed in an azure flame, in which was blended some traces of black magic.
"DIE, PHARAOH!!! ORICHALCOS KAGUZUCHI!!!"
Kaiba's Hotel Room
Now, in Kaiba's experience, he had seen a multiple number of things that could not be explained with normal scientific theories, which he usually accredited to an optical illusion or a temporary breach in mental health. In response to this his advisors had seen fit to get some kind of psychological help for him, but it was rarely effective or even remotely interesting, so all he could really do was to try and deal with it on his own terms.
But this time…something definitely was beyond his normal brainwave patterns, and it would take more than simple madness to explain it. In a matter of only two days, the entirety of his basis for life had been rocked to the core; he had seen a holy man who just happened to be a lecherous pig, a demon slayer with a rapidly deteriorating self esteem, a murdering psychic, and strangest of all, a "priestess" who appeared to worship before the altar of Satan.
Somehow, he would have to conquer his natural skepticism, and in the process accept what he had always dismissed as "hocus-pocus mind tricks." If he had any intention of surviving the wrath of the despot of Paradigm, he would need to use a power that was even more abstract than his Shadow magic; he would need to utilize the powers of mysticism, and by that path realize a new level of conciousness.
Or he could duel the living shit out of anybody that stood in his way. It was an open discussion on that one.
So, you want a duel, Tsubaki? In that case, I'll be more than happy to serve you your head on a platter. Of course, he realized that this particular match might be the hardest so far, since all of the enemies he had faced thus far had been incompetent; Joey could have demolished them all with the greatest of ease. Well, perhaps not Joey, but anybody with a decent talent for the game could.
And Tsubaki's reputation worried him, since this was not the first time she had appeared in the dueling world's eyes. From what he had gathered, it was she that had dominated the Peking tournament three months ago up until another duelist named Onigumo had demolished her. Still, it was not to say she could not be beaten again, by a duelist of his caliber.
The duel may not have worried him much, but as usual, something beyond that was knocking at his mental threshold, begging to be accepted and recognized. It was a simple enough pondering, but the ramifications that would result from it were staggering.
It can only mean one thing. Hiei has been luring all of his enemies here, drawing them to his lair as would a spider so that he can slay all of those that have called him out to battle. This can also explain why I saw the name of Dartz on that roster; that bastard must have tred on Jagenshi's feet somehow.
In spite of the wickedness of the Demon God's little scheme, Kaiba did have to admit that it was brilliantly executed. Even after all his research into the military plans of some of the greatest generals of all time, he could never have found a plan quite as elaborate and conniving; in all, it was a plan that Gozaburo himself would have cried at.
For this I shall offer you my admiration, nothing more.
And now, to arms.
His deck, slightly heavier for the three cards given him by his idiotic opposition, now stood ready to face an adversary of real merit. To tell the truth, this had been the first match in a very lengthy period of time that he was anxious to start. Not since his crushing demolition at Alcatraz had he been so prepared, and for the first time, he felt that God was on his side.
Kaiba stepped out of his room with the usual look he had upon himself as he was to enter a serious duel, one of a cold indifference, ready to smite those that stood against his dragons and his Egyptian God. But there was something else, buried in the chasms of those frozen eyes, for on this day Kaiba had found his heart of the cards, and it wasn't in his dragons or his god.
It was in a sexy little reaper for whom he would conquer the Earth one day.
Also in a routinal fashion, the ex-World Champion set out for the doorway, hand outstretched to turn the doorknob. Only two things could possibly deter him from his challenge: the news that Wheeler had finally been sent back to the jungle…
…and the warm arms and sweet kiss in which he was now enveloped.
"Going somewhere, are you? And to think you didn't invite me."
Her heartbeat. He could feel it, by some odd twist of fate, and for some reason it coincided with his own pulse, as though to confirm the passion and care that had been there all along.
"Botan, I have to head out. Some lunatic challenged me to a duel at Rosewater Tower, and it may prove useful for me to win. How well can you handle yourself?"
"The only reason Seebach caught me is because his men snuck up on me. Besides, I can't imagine anything that could shatter Makai steel." She was, of course, referring to the item she removed from nowhere: a beautiful katana, with a handle covered in the hide of a lion and made of the finest redwood. The guard was a platinum affair with four sapphires that had been fashioned into the kanji of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. And the blade, well, the blade was beyond mortal description, but at best account it seemed to glow in the luminous sheen of the spirits, while the edge could have hewn the armor of a tank with ease.
"The Reikon Tsurugi, my father's legacy. You can hold it, if you want."
Kaiba agreed, fist curling around the hilt, and it suddenly drew him into a fighting stance that he instantly recognized as the Hiten Mitsurugi. He could feel the energies of the world's greatest sword masters flowing through him even as he grasped it.
"Incredible. I'm guessing that it has the same effect for all who hold it."
She smiled slightly, and lifted the blade out of his hands. "To a level. When my father had it crafted, he had already become a master sword fighter, and it was this skill that he wanted to pass onto his children, and any who followed him in the Reaper line. So he fused this and other styles within it, and when he left he deemed it given to his next of kin. That was me, of course, but to prove myself I had to defeat a demon of extraordinary capabilities with the edged weapon. That demon was Hiei."
"Somehow that makes sense. But I'm assuming it worked."
"Not really. I defeated him, but only because I caught the little son of a bitch off guard." With a spin of the hand, the Soul Blade vanished again. "If I'm ever going to find peace, I'll have to defeat him on my own merits. No tricks for me, no Eye for him."
"Well, I'll give you one thing; you have an admirable sense of pride and honor that I haven't seen since Yugi Mouto. The way I see it, Jagenshi will have to cheat to defeat you."
"We both know he will."
It was getting late; even above the clouds sunlight is not eternal, and he could see the Tower, looming over all like some kind of devilish tyrant. "Alright, you stay here; luckily Hiei's Eye can't track, and if worse comes to worse…" At that point he placed two small orbs into her hand. They were connected by a small electrical current. "Whatever you do, don't separate them enough to disrupt the electrical connection beam."
"I thought you designed game systems, Seto."
"Well, I had some free time and a plethora of materials from the old company." And with a flourish, Kaiba walked into the hall, unaware of the ancient evil he was about to disturb. For although he did not know it at the time, Tsubaki and the duel in which he was about to contend would bring to light an unspeakable plot. Performing such a deed was the last thing on his mind, though, and it was pushed even farther back when his handheld organizer began to hum. Perfect. The information I requested must have finally been processed.
During Kaiba's research into the New Paradigm Archives, he had come across a number of unsettling names listed in the Duelist Roster, including the names of Amelda and Marik. But one that stuck out from any of the others was Schwarzvald's real name, Michael Seebach.This name had not been a new one for the president of Kaiba Corp. In fact, he had dealt with Seebach about five months ago, when he had threatened to reveal Kaiba's involvement in the death of his stepfather. The only thing that would prevent this revelation was if he agreed to give Schwarzvald the blueprints recovered from Paradigm City; it was obvious that Seebach was not an idiot if he had access to that knowledge. He had given the madman what he wanted, which was just some city plans, and never heard from him again.
His name had raised a mental red flag. Somehow Kaiba had recalled it, like from an old story he'd long forgotten, and now, the data stood before him. In that moment, Kaiba remembered everything.
Michael Seebach, the man who now was Schwarzvald, had at one time been the Duel Monsters World Champion. Purportedly his career as a duelist began in response to the ever increasing cost of maintaining a normal lifestyle while hunting "the truth", and thus entered every major tournament to gain massive profits. He was literally undefeated, and it was even rumored that he had bested Pegasus, but this proved to be a publicity boost for a dirty reporter.
What was true was that the reporter in question was found in a meat grinder three days later.
As time went by, Seebach's quest had finally brought him to the Duel Monsters Tournament in Osaka about fifteen years ago. It was the last round of the events, and the neurotic journalist had been close to unstoppable; legend has it that not one of his opponents was able to deal more than 500 life points of damage before the last match.
It was this tournament that meant the most to Seebach. If he lost this, everything he had worked for would go down the drain, because he had placed all of his winnings on the match.
He expected that it would be an easy win. But it was the exact opposite.
Michael Seebach, try as he might, could not defend against his final opponent, and every attack proved useless. His monsters were systematically decimated, his magic was constantly negated, and his traps were useless. In the end, the soon-to-be Schwarzvald had been beaten, and with that loss went all of his money, all of his funding, and his glorious title. He left that arena a broken man.
Kaiba looked at the information, and remembered the story of the greatest duelist that ever lost everything. And with it, he remembered who had crushed him, and why he had entered the tournament.
The victor in that match…had been Solomon Mouto.
Outside the museum
The deed was done.
Up until that moment, the populace of the world had perceived Raphael as a man of indomitable physical strength, as well as an unequaled dueling legend, but without any genuine supernatural potency. But in a single flare of ultimate dark magic, he had devastated this entire block, and that misconception with it. There were no cars that had not been overturned, a water main had burst open about twenty yards to the left, and by for whatever reason, a small electrical fire had burst out in the museum's left wing. As was the norm in this city, a panic began to erupt, except this time there appeared to be a string of people that tossed themselves off of apartment buildings.
And in the midst of the third instance of doomsday lay Tea and Inuyasha, alive, if barely so, on the steps of the ruined museum, cradling each other so as to survive the blast.
No order could be maintained for very long and sending police to relieve the strain did not help. This was attributed to the fact that those had not gone into a mental breakdown were under the delusion that the suits at Paradigm's head were trying to cage them, a product of Schwarzvald and his conspiracy theories.
I tried to hold back as much of the Orichalcos magic as I possibly could, dog demon; after all, you're of no use to us dead.
It was a fact, and although Raphael believed that his new adversary's soul had no point anyway, he also knew that his opinions were not really that significant at this point. By this point, he now understood that in the grand scheme of the world, there was no room for billions of insignificant voices raising their crooked hands to the skies and spewing out random lines of garbage, when there was a key group of people who actually saw reality and could enunciate it so very clearly but could not be heard for the other lepurs.Now is the time for silence, a time to reawaken this world that has gone so very far astray from the path that it should have taken. I may have walked that path years ago, too young and naïve to see the sins of humanity, too unlearned to know of the past truths behind the world, but now, I walk in the steps of Paradise. Whether by my hand or that of Master Dartz, this world shall be purged, and from it, civilization shall be reborn again.
The smoke and dust intertwined, giving Raphael some much needed shade and cover
Rest while you can, Lord Inuyasha, if you are indeed alive. If your duels with Sesshomaru were any guide, you will need it.
In the distance could be heard alarms, thousands of them, and the man who had endured a living hell for three years turned away from one he had created. Even a DOOM Soldier knew exactly when a strategy of flight was needed. Given the circumstances of the situation, his presence was the last thing needed at the disaster sight, since he was considered to be dead by the rest of the world.This was exactly how he wanted it.
After reaching a position about two hundred feet from the scene of devastation, Raphael drew from his pocket his dueling deck, one of only two comforting things he had left in this world. Certainly, it was this mass of cards that had saved him from being hurtled into a spiral of madness, and playing card strategies over and over in his mind prevented the scenes of his sibling's horrific demise from manifesting themselves. Of course, these coping strategies had no effect on his subconscious mind, in which the collapse of his life had been played out on multiple occasions. Nothing could stop those pictures from reemerging in his head, and he doubted anything would make him able to cope with the tragedy which had shaped his life.
But then, he was one of the lucky ones. Unlike another of his group, he'd actually been able to walk his life without ever plunging into dementia. Unlike another of his group, he had been able to look reality in the eye, and see the world for what is was. Raphael had handled that truth. His ally had not been as fortunate.
Well, speak of the devil.
Somehow the others in New Paradigm had not seen the other hulking tower of a man that seemed to dissolve in shadows and light, the man that stood beside Raphael at that moment. He stood about the same height as his compatriot, with slicked-back sable hair that only had one strand out of place. Dressed entirely in black and grey that befitted his persona, it was his face that drew people's attention first. It was gaunt, worn as though he had returned from a prison camp, with a perpetual grin that implied that he was not a very stable person to begin with. And his eyes… they were almost soulless, but forever laced with the heart of a butcher. Upon his right arm was the only feature that steered away from a lunatic's motif, which was his white Duel Gauntlet, stained in human blood."Aren't you going to finish the demon off, Raphael?" His sneer was guttural, cold, as though human life was nothing but an anomaly.
"You know we can't do that. Inuyasha's no use to us dead."
"Then can we at least get rid of Gardener? She saw you, and if kept alive she'll tell the Pharaoh."
For very distinct reasons, Raphael had never been fond of this particular DOOM Soldier. What Dartz had in mind was a noble cause; this psychotic only wanted to kill all of humanity for his own self-validation.
"That's exactly what we want. If Yami knows we are here, he'll be bound to come after us, whereupon we can crush him. After all, he and I still have a score to settle. And last I checked you and your others have a rematch in mind for yourselves."
The dark titan stepped towards the parked Corvette and leaned on it. "Dartz may have dictated our attack plan, but we both know he has something of an ego problem. And from what I have seen so far, his actions will not produce the desired effect in time. Let me loose upon this world and the traitor that rules it, and I shall be able to wipe it away."
There was now a strained peace between the two, one that could not survive for very long. Somehow this moron fails to see the truth that exists before him. And I will not allow him to decimate all we have struggled for to appease to his psychosis.
"You could not even wipe Dartz away, and when last I checked he is only one of the most powerful beings on this Earth. Besides, our primary objective is to save this world, not annihilate it, so you can inform your other personalities their services won't be required." The dark warrior chuckled slightly. Idealistic buffoon."Well, it won't matter for too much longer. Once this tournament is over, your master is next on my list. And when I find you we shall put to rest our little strife."
"Not if I have anything to say about it. Remember, I still outrank you, and once you turn on me, you turn on DOOM, and in doing this you turn on Dartz. And I am certain you will not want to face him again."
"Point well taken. But don't expect any mercy when your precious cult leader has to face me. I may have sworn allegiance to him, but only to topple Yusuke."
And with one leap, the maniacal soldier hurled off into other parts of the city. Raphael, in turn, strode to his chopper, and mounted it, the cold handlebars familiar beneath his palms as the engine awoke with a great bellow.
"This isn't over, Shinobu Sensui."
Hotel Hallway
To this day, no one could ever really confirm what caused Kagome to black out first; the almost unbearable pain of the Duel Gauntlet fusion, or the shock of being forced into Hiei's warped contest. What is known is that her brief period of unconciousness came to a close about a minute later, and that somehow her deck had been placed in the recognizer slot, meaning her rarest card had already been registered. There was no way about it now; Kagome was officially a Hellfire Tournament contender.
Having come to this reality, the priestess incarnate stood, shakily, to her feet, eyes once again unfocused and bleary. Perspective was corrupted to her eyes; she could barely register how far away the nearest doorway was. But as she staggered forward, all senses shocked into a haze, her thoughts were totally focused on two things: to find and apologize to Yami no Yuugi and to somehow figure out what little plan the bastard demon had in store for her.
I didn't even understand what plans Hiei had in store for me from the start, and why he kept me alive for so very long. He may have presented himself as a sadistic butcher, but I can tell that he does not murder senselessly. Whatever life he takes is all part of some master plan of his, and if a move is made, you know it has something to do with the bigger picture. He must know I won't help him find the last jewel shard, and if he wanted to find anything else he could have dug deeper with his Sennen Eye. And in all seriousness, if he wanted to deal with Inuyasha he could have done so by now.
What do you know, Hiei that makes you want to kill me so?
But as her vision became clearer, so did her thought process.It just didn't make sense. If Yami no Bakura was intended to keep her in captivity, as Hiei obviously had hoped to accomplish, then the odds were that she would not have been removed from the compound in which she had been imprisoned. And if a transfer was to be made, Hiei would have an armored convoy, not just a lone general taking on the King of Games himself. And if Hiei had needed her in his custody…then he would not have allowed her to get to the hotel!
It made little sense, and it was by far one of the Demon God's strangest ploys yet. But could the deific ruler of Spirit World have intents that no one else in the entire world could see, a plan that extended into the bizarre and usually asinine, or was he so brilliant that he knew that only such a plan could work?Had the hateful monstrosity and his giant vice ring intended to give Kagome to the enemy?
She could see them now, all of the Black Shadow. Schwarzvald puffing a cigar and scribbling some random lines into his notebook. Yami no Bakura knocking back wine like it was New Years with one of Hiei's women. Yoko growing his devil plants and feeding them blood. Sesshomaru, whom she knew had been hired, lying back, eyes cold and void as he watched his peers, cradling the Tetsuaiga. The hideous Kuwabara ogling some broad as he struggled to string together a coherent sentence under his drunken stupor. Genkai, ending the life of a few pathetic stragglers. And at the head she could see that son of a bitch Hiei, Puzzle and Jewel in hand, laughing with his warriors as he told them, once again, how he conquered the world by leaking a pathetic miko into the Pharaoh's arms.
It horrified Kagome, this perverted little vision in her mind. Anybody else, even Naraku, but not that freak. Not that…devil. How would she live with herself if the Heart of the Cards was shattered because she was too blind to realize Hiei had used her?
Her heart grew cold, for a moment, before a playful little grin spread across her face. You screwed up this time, you freaky midget. By trying to manipulate me, you've given me the power to slay you and everyone in your entire Mafia-wannabe group.Granted, such a task would not be easy; Jagenshi and the Black Shadow were not easily bested, that much was certain. After all, if Hiei wanted to survive this tournament, he would need access to the rarest and deadliest cards in the game. And since he was the head of the single most powerful crime syndicate in all of New Paradigm, getting his hands on those cards would be as easy as finding sunlight.
And yet, facing his gang of cutthroat duelists did not seem so frightening as it should have. Sure, Hiei had some of the top ranked duelists on earth, but his enemies were champions, like Kaiba, Joey, and especially her boyfriend Yami.
Strange, she thought to herself. A year ago such a title would have gone to Inuyasha, before all the madness had started, before the beast with a messiah complex had emerged. Now, she guessed he was one of her closest friends, as it had been from the start. I hope he can accept that. He's become so violent recently, if he finds out I love someone else, he might go ballistic on everyone in the city…
But what happened next drove all thoughts of Pharaohs and hanyous out of her mind.A horrified shriek in the distance, prolonged for exactly five and one half seconds, split the air and rendered any attempts at self-contemplation useless. It was loud, grating, obviously the scream of a coward. And yet, strangely familiar…
It can't be…
Another yell, closer and louder this time, preceded by slow footsteps, the tread of a murderer. Still, she could not place it, and to make matters worse a thick black shroud of fog, or so it appeared to be, had settled upon the field.The third and final screech rang throughout the hall, immediately followed by a cruel snicker, and the unsheathing of a dagger. The acoustics had become so bad it was impossible to estimate the length.
At that moment, the essense of shadow stepped into view.
This new enemy was a powerful and intimidating figure, draped in a cloak of deepest night, with the shirt to match. Khaki cargo pants held a number of edged weapons, some stained with blood, others glistening with fresh hunger for it. His sun bleached hair, for whatever reason, seemed to stand by itself. And like Hiei, he had three eyes: two relatively normal eyes, save for their amethyst color and the fact that they were absolutely soulless, and one created of shadow, a glowing mark of the Sennen. Upon his left arm was a Duel Gauntlet, which had tentacles of dark energy flowing around its white surface.
In his right was held a demon, a rather small fox demon that looked to be only seven or eight. His eyes were watery, but closed, indicating he had slipped into unconciousness during his tortured cries. Marking his face was a fresh tattoo, carved into his forehead, akin to the symbol upon this lunatic's head.
He had aged slightly, his build had deteriorated, but Kagome now recognized this demon.
"Sh…sh…shippo?"
The monster that had inflicted the wound now had a perverse grin upon his already corrupted features.
"Well, I am glad to see that you recognize your old friend after all of this time, Lady Kagome. He was quite fortunate, however; had I not been occupied with a more important task I would have gladly stripped life from him." His voice seemed rather unusual, as it was almost bi-tonal in its reverberation, and it gave the girl a strange feeling of being in conversation with Baalzebub. "But the young demon is of no meaning to me, but rather, it is your life that I have come for, and it is on this day that I will send you into oblivion, body and soul!" From deep within this monster was generated a grating laugh of such madness and depravity that Kagome could barely endure it. And that was not all about this wicked entity that bothered her. The physics of this bizarre phenomenon, along with the theological conflicts involved therein, are much too complicated to review in any great detail, so this is the basic sense of what happened at intervals of high emotion, such as now.
In a sense, his face, or the illusion of his face created by a fusion of Spirit and Shadow powers, seemed to pull away from the original.
Terrified, Kagome jumped back as it happened, eyes wide in fear and disgust. She could not be too sure as to what this thing was, but she had a strong hunch that it was somehow connected to the Sennen Items, and in particular…to Yami.
"What do you want?"
The beast, seeming to have grown bored of holding Shippo by the head, tossed the kitsune aside. "My request is relatively simple. All you have to do is defeat me in a duel. Or is it not so simple after all?"
The words of this dark spirit were lost on Kagome; the only thing really different was this fog, and it wasn't completely unusual.
Until she saw them all. Ghostly blobs, squirming and writhing in eternal torment as they slowly crawled off into another part of this strange world. Very rarely, one or two would stare up at her, and if she looked back, she could see images of people. They were all frightened, scared, and barely able to stop from going mad in their own perpetual damnation.
"We are no longer in the world you know, foolish girl. We have entered…a Shadow Game! The stakes in the infamous Heart of Darkness are much higher than those of a silly card game, for if you should enter and lose, not only will you suffer the horrors of a Punishment Game, but your soul will be akin to those others, those globules of torture, accursed to wander this realm forever! And do not think that the Pharaoh is excluded from my wrath, for once I conquer his beloved priestess I shall demolish him and his hikari, and take the power I was destined to wield from the start. As for Shippo, his soul and body will meet the same fate if you don't defeat me!"
Wait!
"Hang on, why did you just call me "priestess"? And what does Yami have to do with this?"
"I'll tell you all you want to know…if you survive long enough!" (4000/4000)
Yusuke vs. Zeru
"Things aren't looking so good for you, are they? I guess its Dark Tournament all over again, but maybe I'll go easy on your sorry ass. After all, you've got nothing to defend you, and I doubt you have anything that can beat my attack advantage."
"Well, if you think that is the case, Yusuke, then I'll have to disagree! First off, I'll start by activating my own Pot of Greed, to draw two cards. I'll then place one card face down, and special summon the beast known as Inferno in attack mode. Of course, to summon this particular monster, I must remove one monster in my graveyard from play, and it must be a Fire-type in addition, so I thank you for destroying those three monsters!"
Zeru's eyes flickered as he placed the Inferno card upon the field, and drew his Fire Princess out of the graveyard. In response, the flame royalty reemerged onto the field, only to be consumed in a flare of some type of incandescence. And from the conflagration emerged Zeru's next monster.
To be honest, the fire beast had no real shape, and seemed to possess a physical form only by whatever magic had spawned it in the first place. But from what he could see of this demon's form, Yusuke could easily determine that it was demonic in origin. It appeared to be a pillar of fire about ten feet tall, and within seconds a face emerged of the fire, akin to that of the Balrog he had destroyed. (1100/1600) After about three seconds of observation, the Inferno tapped into the field bonus. (1600/1200)
And although it was stronger than the Fire Princess that had been used to summon it, Yusuke was not very impressed.
"This is your big plan? If that's all you've got, then you may as well just go crying home to your mommy." It may be able to get through my Tokens, but by the next turn I'll be able to take it down.It was then that an unexpected turn of events came to pass.
"You are indeed a jackass, Urameshi, for if you were, as you claim, a powerful duelist, then you would recognize my creature's true strength. While it is true that my monster has low attack power, it does have the advantage of its special effect, meaning that every time I destroy one of your monsters with it you shall receive 1500 life points of direct damage. And it only gets worse from there, because now I will summon the Raging Flame Sprite in attack mode!"
Another monster of the flame was called upon, this time a devilish little imp that danced around an open witchcraft fire. (100/200) "And like all of my fire monsters, this new monster shall gain 500 extra attack points!" (600/0) "Now, to take down your life points! Inferno, destroy his first Spirit Token with Fires of the Netherworld!" As commanded, the fire soul sent a barrage of blazing skulls into the air, whereupon they exploded with a force similar to that of mortar shells. Next, a hail of a napalm-like substance rained down upon the cherub, sticking to its skin and resulted in a gruesome blaze that reduced the spirit down to a burning pile of muscle and blood. Finally, a jet of greasy fire shot up from the carcass and into Yusuke's face. (2000/4700) "Now, Flame Sprite, use your special effect and attack his life points directly!" With a snickering laugh, the diminutive fairy picked up a wicker ball that was coated in pitch, and placed it into the fire pentagram, at which point it combusted and was blasted into the Spirit Detective's stomach. (1400/4700)
"Well, how the tables have turned, Yusuke. And it won't be getting any easier, since the Flame Sprite gains 1000 attack points each time it accomplishes a direct attack." With another grin, the pixie opened a flask of mead that popped out of the flame, and immediately forced it down into the throat. (1600/0) "On my next turn, both of my monsters shall be able to plow through your life points, so you may as well take your final turn." But as he said this, a marvelously devious plan registered in Zeru's mind. It was one he had never seriously considered using, but since Yusuke had been so obnoxious, now seemed the perfect time to try it. "In fact, let's make this match…interesting. Now I call upon the FIRE AURA CHAMBER!"
Now, spending three years in eternal damnation can be rather tedious, and with most creatures the immense boredom is what proves to be the ultimate punishment. In the case of demons, this lack of activity has a slightly different effect; should a demon be resurrected or return to the living world in any mode or form, even reincarnation, their Spirit Energy undergoes a startling transformation, adapting and increasing itself as it would have over the period of death at extraordinary speeds. In other words, the demonic ki makes up for lost time. And one of Zeru's capabilities gained while sealed in Hell was the power to create something of a cage match arena hewn of Makai flame, a skill that he now saw fit to execute.
With a deranged cackle, Zeru channeled the Fire Aura throughout his entire body, as he normally did. But unlike his previous usage of the demon flame, his conflagration continued to spread, encircling the two duelists in a manner not dissimilar to the Seal of Orichalcos. From this enclosure sprang a blazing wall of flames, and it all Yusuke could do not to collapse from the heat.
Damn it! He must have at least tripled his Spirit Energy to be capable of using it like this!
And indeed he had."It ends here, Spirit Detective. Chu may have spared your life in our last battle, but rest assured that I will offer no such charity. And know this: once a duelist loses, the Fire Aura shall strike him down, reducing him to a pile of ashes. So draw your next card, and pray to God that it is powerful enough to defeat my deck!"
Yusuke, as he placed his hand upon the deck to draw, suddenly began to feel dizzy, his hand moving in and out of focus, while even his Spirit energy seemed distant and alien.
No. I have to keep my head clear…long enough…
With a shaky hand, Yusuke drew his next card. For about a moment he could not discern what it was, seeing as the heat and his steady loss of life points had disorientated him. Until he finally managed to figure out what card he had called upon.
"Now I sacrifice my second Soul Token to summon Suzaku in attack mode!" As stated, Yusuke's Soul Token was absorbed in a flare of brilliance, and in exchange for the tribute stood one of his deadliest monsters. Like the unhinged Saint Beast that the Detective had faced almost four years ago, the "phoenix" took on the form of a fair-skinned human with flaring orange hair that was countered by two bright red tentacular growths. The angelic looking being was robed in dark burgundy, whilst he held in the right hand an ornate metal flute. (2300/2800) "And I have to thank you for playing that Molten Destruction card and empowering my own monster, but I think I'll let my monster do that for me!" (2800/2400) "Of course, that won't really matter once the effect of Suzaku kicks in, which puts the smack down on every magic and trap on your side of the field based on the number of cards in your hand! And since you have only two magic or trap cards on the field, Suzaku will destroy both of them anyway! Now Suzaku, activate Flute of Decimation!"
Suzaku placed the flute to his mouth and began to perform one of his darkest pieces. It was a haunting tune, somewhat akin to the calliope refrain in a carnival that has been abandoned for years. And after about a moment or so, two great streams of flames hurled towards Zeru's Magic and Trap cards.
"I'm afraid it's too late, Urameshi! I activate the face down card, Ultimate Offering, which will allow me to pay 500 life points, and in exchange, enact a Normal Summon or Set, so I will use this card to place a monster in face down defense mode by sacrificing my Sprite and my Inferno!" (2000/4200) Much as Yusuke's monster had been absorbed to call Suzaku, so were Zeru's two monsters, but in exchange for a face down monster. Still, it could not save his cards, and soon after the field returned to normal.
Weird. If he could summon a monster that outranks my Suzaku, then why would he play it in defense mode? It must have a high defense; it's the only reason he'd do something like that. Still, I might have a plan to stop him, but it'll be risky.
"Alright, I activate this Magic card, Block Attack, which will switch my Suzaku into defense mode and allow him to stay on the field, followed by one card face down."
"Brilliant, and now, it's my move!" Zeru drew another card, and it was the perfect one for this situation. "Now, Yusuke, I shall flip my face down monster face up, my Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, into attack mode!"
The beast that now stood before them both was a towering humanoid that stood over ten feet high, rippling muscles tatooed with various Polynesian symbols. But the most outstanding feature of this monster was the fact that its head was essentially a bonfire. (2800/2900)
"And now, to end this duel. I equip my beast with Fairy Meteor Crush, which shall allow me to inflict damage onto your life points, even if your monster is in defense mode. NOW, HINO-KAGU-TSUCHI, DESTROY HIS LAST SOUL TOKEN WITH FIST OF PELE!"
In the distance, unseen by any, an ominous figure loomed over the proceedings, watching with rapt attention.
Let's see you pull a victory out of this one, Urameshi.
Roger's Apartment
When a certain android woman had arrived in a certain negotiator's apartment seven years beforehand, neither expected the chain of events that were set into motion during that time. Over their first year of each other's presence, the two faced an eccentric "super criminal" with a strange taste for hideous golden suits, a deranged reporter with a messiah complex, an exact copy of the android with a hunger for the macabre, a maniacal cyborg who merely served as a messenger for a greater evil, and of course the wicked businessman who ran the entire show.
But now, all of the chaos that the past few years had brought to them was finally about to come to an end. If either or both of them somehow managed to survive Hiei's three-ringed circus, then in time they would be able to escape the hell of Paradigm, new and old. And in all seriousness it did not matter if Roger took home the prize; all he needed to do was gain entrance to the Duel Fortress and locate the real memories.
In all fairness, though, he was not totally focused on the events of what was to come, for at that moment he was desperately struggling to remember the steps to his current dance, along with keeping up with his dance partner.
Why the hell did she have to pick a WALTZ?!
Now at the best of times in a waltz, he was able to move with the best dancers in the world. But unknown to anyone, largely because of his unparalleled poker face, it was this particular routine that gave him the most trouble. It was swift and rather complicated to him. Dorothy might have seen the trouble which he had with the waltz, and subconsciously he wondered if she had selected this dance just to piss him off.
Roger thought about this for a second or so, and decided not to pursue that suspicion.
The beat began to pick up, as did the pace at which the two danced. And for whatever reason, the negotiator felt warmth emitting from Dorothy's waist. It was likely heat energy given off from the girl's mechanics, but there was some comfort in how close it felt to real human temperature. It seemed to be a more genuine sensation than that of most of the women he had been with.
All in all, everything had somehow worked out.
The two continued to dance, unaware of the fact that the music had long since run out, keeping the beat that had been started at the last piece. At that point, it would not have mattered if the wrath of God was raining down upon them; they would still have danced. Even if Hiei himself had broken into the apartment and started shooting people left and right, the dance would have remained uninterrupted.
Love or naivete? You tell me.
It was an unusual circumstance for the former playboy of Paradigm, a position which had literally been voted on just for the hell of it. For about five years before he met Dorothy and his journey into the underbelly of Paradigm began, he had gone from woman to woman much as he had gone from assignment to assignment. But now, this just felt…right. For the first time in many years, he felt as though he was at peace with the world.
For the first time, he understood what love truly was.
Somehow the two separated, and Roger allowed himself to place his hand upon Dorothy's cheek. Once cold, robotic eyes now lit up, and a smile played across her face.
"Stay right there, negotiator. I'll be right back."
With a small twist of the hips for his benefit, the android walked off towards the old chambers in which she had stayed all those years ago, and Roger returned to his original position on the couch. Love may blind you from any pain or suffering, but remove the love and it all comes crashing on your head.
In fact, it all came back: his exhaustion from the duel with Red Destiny, the shock of finding Dorothy, Angel's sudden reemergence, and his own personal reflections on life.
I need a drink.
Staggering to his feet, Roger moved towards the bar he had set up in this and every part of the penthouse, and poured out the gin he had brought up. Knocking it back, he decided to stand there, waiting for his robotic love, mulling on life and whether it was a saint or a dirty whore.
Nothing made a lot of sense to him right now; he'd never felt this way about anybody, and already he had become addicted to the feeling. There was also Seebach's employment for the Demon God. If Schwarzvald claimed not to be a puppet of the corrupted Paradigm officials, then why was he serving as a vassal under Hiei?
Life's a bitch, isn't it?
This theory, however inaccurate, was confirmed to him in that moment, for without warning, a thunderous blast from below rocked the entire building. To Be ContinuedFINALLY DONE!!!
Ok, next chapter begin's Inuyasha's hunt for a duel, while we find out what happens with Yami and Kachikachi. Roger's next enemy reveals himself, Yusuke ends his duel, Kaiba starts his, and Kagome prepares to face down Yami no Marik.UNTIL THEN, READ AND REVIEW