Author's Note: Time for some of the badder stuff.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Death Rides on Earth

Breath hung like a thick fog in the cold air. The sound of feet pounding against the pavement and the sound of panting breath were deafening. But the thing that she knew most of all was that she wasn't putting any distance between her and her pursuer and she was running out of stamina. 'I just have to go…a little bit farther!'

"You're pretty slow to be honest. Chasing you isn't fun anymore." She stopped abruptly, nearly tripping in her rush to stop herself. Standing with his back to the wall was the guy who had been chasing her. His black hair hung in front of his eyes as he craned his neck to the side to look at her.

She leaned forward, hands braced on her knees as she sucked air in desperately. "What do you want?"

The man pushed away from the wall and stepped forwards, walking towards her. She saw him more clearly this time, and realized that he was much younger than she had first guessed. Not only did he look only about fifteen or sixteen, but he fairly short as well as, not much taller than five feet. "Its not about what I want, it's about what my dad wants. Hinata Donovan, right?"

Hinata chose not to answer, knowing full well that there was no way she'd convince him. Not only that but it was obvious that he was powerful, she wasn't much in the magic area but she could feel power radiating off him in waves, just in the way he held himself. "Good, didn't want to get the wrong target. My name is Kodowari Nobuki; I think you've met my father."

She jerked her head up to stare at him, and realized that he did in fact look a lot like someone she had met before. "But that's impossible! You've got to be at least fifteen years old, and your dad is…well he's only in his early twenties!"

Kodowari raised an eyebrow, his ice blue eyes coldly looking down upon her as he considered her words. "You must be mistaken. My father is an old man; he was old even when I was born. But either way, that's not important at the moment."

He stepped up and she suddenly felt an invisible force grip her, pulling her up into the air and squeezing her body. She struggled to move but found that she couldn't make it any farther. "Bastard…why are you doing this?"

Although they had previously been cold his eyes became fiery in an instant and he backhanded her, cutting her lip in the process. "Don't ever insult my parentage you insolent bitch!"

After taking a few deep breaths to calm him Kodowari reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a little carrying case. He clicked it open and pulled out a vial of dark red liquid. With practiced motions he connected the vial with a syringe and tapped the end, making sure it was clear. "Speaking of wants, I'll tell you a little bit of what dad wants. He wants to use you for Blood Level Three, the stage of a very powerful drug just below the pure form. Then, once I've given you it, I'm going to slit your throat and bleed you dry."

Hinata felt her blood run cold as he methodically inserted the syringe into her arm and injected the dark substance. Almost immediately she felt her body surging with power and her mind started to fill with images of herself ripping out Kodowari's throat with her bare hands. 'I…can't remember how to speak! What is this?'

All coherent thought fled and instead her mind was filled with crude and graphic images of violence. She snarled, her teeth baring as she pushed against the invisible bonds that held her, desperately trying to attack Kodowari. The teen looked up at her with a frown on his face and then his hand darted out.

He had her by the throat with his left hand, and with his right he dragged a slim blade across it. He waited patiently as the blood poured from her throat, her body still thrashing in its mad attempts at freedom. Bit by bit he waited until her blood had formed a huge pool on the ground around them and her movements had stopped.

At long last he released his grip both mentally and physically, allowing her body to fall limply to the ground. She was now face first in the bloody frosted dirt, her body not moving an inch. "I'm sorry, but that's what dad wanted."

Kodowari knelt and using a single finger began to paint patterns in the puddle of blood. He painted strange archaic symbols in the thick fluid and used it to paint similar symbols on Hinata's body. Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of preparation he used the blood to draw similar patterns on his forehead and the backs of his hand. "So I will begin."

He clapped his hands together as if in prayer and began to speak. The words were a mix of harsh guttural sounds and quick lilting tones, and his words drifted on the wind. Bit by bit the symbols in the blood started to glow blue.

The blue glow spread and when mixed with the blood it became a black fire that outlined each symbol. It started to consume her body, and then the marks on his hands on forehead floated off and touched the burning corpse. "Let it be done!"

A pillar of black flame erupted from the base of the ground established by the ashes of the body and flew ten feet into the air. It spun in a tight circle and then just as quickly as it had appeared it burst apart.

Kodowari stood and stepped back, making room. A tall figure stood where the pillar of black flame had previously been, it was nearly seven feet in height and terribly imposing. From toe to the top of its head it was covered in what looked like leather with bone patches as armor, and a helm fashioned from a skull with two horns sticking out of it covered the being's face.

Sheathed at the monstrosity's side was a sword, which was capped on the end by a blood ruby. Within the blood ruby Kodowari saw movement, as if something living was trapped inside. A pair of blank white eyes, cold as death, stared out at its surroundings from behind the visor of the helmet. The grill of bone that covered its mouth made a slight hissing sound as the creature took a breath. "The air is too fresh. How disappointing."

Kodowari offered a small bow of his head to the much taller being. "Greetings your Excellency. My father sends his best wishes and notes that he has fulfilled the third condition of your agreement."

The tall armored being finally seemed to acknowledge Kodowari's presence and looked down at him, its milky white eyes somehow showing exactly where they were looking without pupils. "He has, that's true. Of course there are still two more conditions he has to meet, or his petty existence is forfeit. Now…something must be done about the air."

Kodowari looked up at the taller being with a questioning look in his eyes. He felt an odd chill in his body which he vaguely recognized as something akin to fear. But it was also the feeling he got whenever he was in a graveyard. "I'm not sure if I understand your Excellency."

"There's not enough blood."

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"And the world wide cold wave continues, with several countries reaching record lows. More on this after the local news." Takuya grimaced and pressed the power button, shutting the TV off. He tossed the remote down onto the couch and looked around at his team.

"A wave of murders following a wave of kidnappings, and now a worldwide cold wave? And still, we have absolutely no sign of Drake. And still nothing from Kirani or her family, even after we contacted them. It looks like they aren't willing to supply us with any new information." He started pacing across the room, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Ryu scowled and looked up at the pacing duelist from where he lay on the couch, his forehead wrapped in bandages. "So basically we're on our own. Hell, you didn't even take into account the last twelve attacks. These freak jobs with Blood are coming after us again and again. They're getting bolder with each passing attack."

Autumn nodded but said nothing. The fact that her left arm was in a cast spoke loudly enough for her. Alice on the other hand, who seemed to be uninjured, was not quiet. "Look, we've done everything but walk straight up to that Taichi asshole and demand to know what's going on. Pegasus already said he's certain he knows where we can find him, so why aren't we going?"

Takuya rubbed the bridge of his nose and wondered how Dalin had ever put up with this girl. "Its not that simple, it never was. Taichi's a dangerous person, and there are bound to be some pretty nasty bodyguards like the one Ryu and Autumn encountered. Among us the only one who might stand a chance of beating Taichi is me, and only Ryu and I can fight these monsters. So what happens if we're hurt?"

From the corner of the room where he was leaning against a wall Nikolas snorted. "You seem to be ignoring my presence in this issue. I'm a formidable fighter on my own without any aid, but I've also got magic. I can deal with any of those freaks if they attack, and I'm sure that I can beat that loser Taichi. And did you forget something else about me?"

Blank stares met his remark. He sighed in response and held out his empty hand. He closed it, and then when he had reopened it he was holding a black wallet. "I'm the world's greatest thief. If anybody can get us in there and past the guards without issue, it's me."

Ryu looked at the wallet, then at Nikolas, then back to the wallet. Finally he slapped a hand against his thigh and jammed his hand down on his pocket. "You asshole! That's my wallet!"

The thief shrugged and tossed the wallet back to Ryu. "Don't complain, I took it ten minutes ago and there wasn't anything worth taking anyways. You've got a bunch of out of date coupons and some train passes."

With a grimace Ryu opened up the wallet and stared inside at the contents. After several seconds staring at it he snapped it shut and shot a glare up at the thief. "Jackass, you said none of it was worth anything! But I don't see anything left in it!"

Nikolas smirked and dipped his left hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coupons and train passes, and then with a flourish of his hand they were gone again. "I'm a thief even if it's not worth anything. I like to collect things from incompetent people."

Ryu narrowed his eyes, his right hand itching to lash out at the thief. "Like what exactly?"

Again Nikolas only smiled, his single eye twinkling with amusement. "I collect shoelaces."

Throwing up his arms Takuya walked in between the two duelists. "Look, this isn't getting us anywhere. Arguing is stupid, and this topic is just plain stupid as well. Ryu, the contents of your wallet are worth as much as the contents of a sofa cushion. Nikolas, you really are an asshole."

He planed a foot on the coffee table and looked around at the group. "Okay, there's just one option here that I see. I'm not really the official leader, so why not put it to a vote? All opposed?"

He and Autumn raised their hands only to be met by triumphant grins from the other three. Sighing he dropped his arm. "Fine, looks like you guys win. We'll sneak in and confront Taichi to find out what the heck's going on. Nikolas, you're in charge of the plan, so let's get started."

Nikolas rubbed his hands together, looking excited. "Good, this is where I excel. I'm going to need a few things, so here's a list…"

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In Nagoya, one of Japan's most famous cities, the shrine of Atsuta, the second most revered in the nation, was held. Deep within the Atsuta Shrine during the dead of night two security guards roamed the halls, making sure nothing was stolen. It was unlike as none of the artifacts held at the shrine were of material value, but rather of sentimental and historical importance.

Which is why the two guards were caught off guard when someone walked right up to them and looked around at the shrine, a frown on their shadowed face. "I'm looking for a specific item. I need it, and you two are going to tell me where it is."

The first guard, an old balding man, held up his flash light and aimed it at the man. The man held up a hand to block the light from shining in his eyes. "You won't steal anything from here. There's nothing here worth taking anyways."

"That's not true; you've got one of the tree imperial treasures here. I'm after that." The two guards exchanged looks. They knew what he was talking about, but even they didn't know where it was held.

"That artifact isn't available for viewing by the public, so we're not even sure where it's located. You'd best leave; we've already triggered a silent arm. The police will be arriving shortly." The man in the shadows snorted and walked closer, forcing the two guards to move backwards to stay in his way.

"Don't try and lie to me old man, you guys didn't even know I was here, you never triggered an alarm. And hell, don't worry about finding it. I can feel it calling out to me. Its powerful and it wants to be wielded." The second guard, a young man of about twenty, reached for the stun wand at his hip. The older guard didn't even bother to try.

Without any sign of preparation the intruder had planted his fist into the younger guard's gut. The guard gasped out in pain, his breath knocked from his lungs. When the intruder removed his fist the young man collapsed, desperately trying to catch his breath. "Try anything and I've got not issues with beating up an old man. Trust me; this is for the greater good."

The guard gulped and moved out of the way, allowing the man to brush past him. The man wandered for a few minutes before stopping in front of a blank wall. He pressed his hand against it and closed his eyes, as if in thought. "Yep, it's behind here. Hell if I know the mechanism to getting there so…"

Suddenly the wall exploded outwards, sending chunks of plaster flying into the hidden room. The man walked past the rubble and looked around, his eyes coming to rest on a shining glass case. At his glance the glass shattered. "Funny…I pictured it differently. Bigger."

His hand reached down and grasped it and suddenly the room was flooded with light. "This is it…you've been calling out to me haven't you…Kusanagi…"

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Kirani stared up at the sky, her lips pressed tight together at the sight of the huge scar that seemed to split the scar. And it seemed to be growing bit by bit. "Are you absolutely sure we can't tell anything to Takuya and the rest? They could use the information."

Tokuha was also looking up at the sky, but his face was blank. "I already explained that based on what you've told us their reaction would be the opposite of what ours is. If we give them the information we have most likely they'll get in our way, and as they'll help stem the tide of darkness it's useful to have them running around."

She didn't like the idea of leaving her friends high and dry like that, but Tokuha had a point. She knew them well enough to be sure that they'd react in entirely the opposite way. 'But the problem I have is…are we right? I know what the prophecies say; it's what I learned as a little girl. I've grown up knowing it, its impossible to forget. But not all prophecies are true.'

With a sigh she tore her gaze away from the broken sky and wrapped her arms tightly around her body. The cold was getting worse, and there was no sign it would be letting up. "When will they start to show up?"

Her brother continued to stare up at the rift, but with an air of casual attention he tapped a finger against the watch on his right wrist. "Later tonight according to my calculations. Most likely they've already begun to arrive, but the numbers will be limited for the time being. This is why we have to find them quickly. Or the death toll will be catastrophic."

The stories were as fresh in her head now as they had been when she was four. The stories that told of the horrible wave of death that would sweep the Earth at the end of days. "Isn't there any way to stop them without using that method?"

Tokuha shook his head and finally looked down from the sky and at her. "I'm afraid not. Conventional methods simply won't work on this opponent. All the greatest armies of the Earth will fall if we let them try and fight alone. The family's method is the only way."

A burst of red light, like a streaking bolt of lightning, shot across the scar in the sky. Tokuha sighed, reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck. He picked up the top card and held it up to see. It was Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End. "And so it begins…"

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As Autumn slid out of the air duct and onto the metal walkway Nikolas couldn't help but flash a smirk at Takuya. He leaned in and whispered so he wouldn't be overheard by anyone else. "And you doubted me. Poor fool."

Takuya rolled his eyes and tugged at the black body suit he was wearing. It felt awkward to be wearing it, and he was honestly surprised it still fit. After all the last time he had worn it was six years ago, and then he had been possessed as the Knight of Darkness. 'Wearing it again gives me a bad feeling, but Nikolas was right that it was the best thing I owned for sneaking into a building at night.'

Everyone else was also dressed in black, though except himself and Nikolas the rest of them looked like they were burglars rather than warriors of truth and justice or some such like that. Nikolas himself was wearing a black version of his desert garb, and even his eye patch was black. 'He just seems to exude the very essence of thief. Sort of eerie actually.'

He wondered what might have happened if Nikolas hadn't lost his parents. The man was such a talented thief that it seemed like it was his calling. "Okay, according to the building plans the man booth is straight ahead. That's where Taichi should be."

A warning went off in his mind at almost the same moment he finished speaking. Working off instinct he jumped up and backwards, landing on the railing and sliding backwards on the balls of his fist. He was just in time to avoid the fist that plunged into the mesh steel and tore it up.

The attacker lifted their head up just enough for Takuya to see a flash of ice cold blue eyes before he struck again. The young man sprang forwards, swinging his right leg up to catch Takuya's. Takuya jumped over the kick and planted his hands on the railing.

Quickly he used the rail as a springboard and pushed himself into a handspring that sent him into a flip in the air. He pulled his body to the left and spun half-way around, allowing him to land in a crouch behind his attacker. Takuya then used his crouched position to propel him forwards at a greater speed, his right fist jabbing out at the attacker's unguarded cheek.

Takuya felt the impact and saw the other man stumble backwards, but he wasn't fooled. 'He's good, he managed to move backwards just enough so that my fist struck without full impact. That blow wouldn't have done much more damage than give him a light bruise.'

Although he stumbled the attacker managed to plant his left foot behind him and stop his backpedaling. The brief pause as the two sized each other up gave Takuya and the rest of the group a good view of the other man. He was young, probably only sixteen at most and…he looked almost exactly like Taichi. "Who are you?"

"Kodowari Nobuki. And you're Takuya Shinomori based on descriptions I've been given and your skills in the martial arts. Father might be right…I'm not sure if I can defeat you hand to hand." Takuya felt his heart skip a beat at the word father, and he knew without ever having it revealed exactly who his opponent was talking about.

'This kid is Taichi's son? How is that possible? I know for a fact that Taichi should only be twenty-one. There's no way somebody of this age could be his kid…but I can feel that he's telling the truth.' Their face off was ended by a snort from a little bit behind Takuya.

Nikolas stepped forwards, one hand gliding across the metal railing to his right. "We don't have time to mess with little brats; we've come to talk to Taichi Nobuki. So step aside before you get hurt, kid!"

Kodowari shook his head and his eyes darted between the two potential opponents, and then back at Ryu, Alice, and Autumn. After quickly sizing them up he saw that only Ryu had knowledge of fighting, and that his level wouldn't be a challenge at this point. 'But I can't face both of these two at the same time, not without revealing it…'

When Kodowari made no move to get out of the way Nikolas' eye narrowed and he gripped the railing tightly. "If that's how its going to be then so be it! I'll cut you down and move on to the big fish!"

He pulled his hand up and to Kodowari's surprise the railing came up with his hand, the metal bubbling and shifting. When it stopped bubbling the end was no longer rounded, but sharpened. It had become a crude sword. 'His powers of earth are this advanced? Maybe I can't hold back!'

Nikolas advanced at top speed, crossing the distance between the two of them in just a few bare seconds. He stabbed forwards with the sword, knowing that the speed of thrust was the fastest available in any combat. Kodowari jerked his body slightly to the side, catching the edge of the blade against his ribs and cutting a red line on his side. "Stand aside kid or I won't have a problem cutting you down where you stand!"

Kodowari shook his head and dodged the upwards return cut by Nikolas' crude weapon. It nearly caught his chin but he was able to move backwards quick enough. "I refuse to stand aside!"

"Then you'll die!" Nikolas thrust out his free left hand towards the metal walkway they were on. The metal directly behind Kodowari cracked and bent inwards, just as Kodowari's retreat brought him to it. The teen's feet caught the break and he tripped, falling to his back.

The thief stabbed down with his improvised sword and Kodowari knew that he had to reveal it or die. "This is the end!"

There was a clang and a flash of sparks as metal met metal. Nikolas' attack had stopped, and he slowly tilted his head up to see that which was holding the pitch black sword that was between his attack and Kodowari. What he saw was a grill of bone and a skull helmet with horns, along with a pair of white eyes. "The hell?"

The towering black bone armored figure pushed Nikolas' sword upwards with enough force to shove Nikolas back a few feet. Then with practiced precision the monster sheathed its sword in a scabbard at its left hip. "That's enough. Your opponent is me."

Takuya stared at the huge armored being in front of them and his body felt completely frozen. It was impossible what he was seeing, it was purely impossible. "You…you can't be real."

The creature's white gaze moved to focus on Takuya, and somehow he knew that it was smiling beneath that bone grill. "Ah yes, Shinomori. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

Only one word was coming to Takuya's mind, frozen as it was by those chilling white eyes staring into his. He didn't even notice as Kodowari stood up behind the monster. Finally it came to the tip of his tongue and he couldn't stop himself from saying it, because he knew without a doubt. "D'harim…"

"That's right, D'harim has…returned….it scares you doesn't it….Kensai?" The towering armored being didn't look backwards as an attractive woman approached them, pushing a wheelchair in front of her. Sitting on the wheelchair was the speaker, wrapped tight in bandages and none other than Taichi Nobuki.

Kodowari turned and dropped to one knee, fist pressed against his chest as he dropped his head. "I'm sorry father; I wasn't able to stop them in this state. I took the initiative to halt their progress and I was unable to."

Taichi took a shuddering breath from his oxygen mask and his piercing gaze swept right over his son and to the gathered group in front of him. "No need to worry…son. We both know…you can defeat…them with your true…power. Besides…they are…too late."

He placed a shaky bandaged hand on the black haired woman's hand behind him, and she nodded. Carefully she withdrew what looked like a remote and pressed a button on it. A grating noise filled the entire building and everyone's gaze went upwards.

The whole group stared up in shock as the roof creaked open bit by bit, revealing the night sky. It was split apart by the presence of the massive scar, but now it was different from the last time they had seen it. Red lightning bolts shot through the scar at an insane pace, almost no time between each individual bolt. Alice gulped and felt her body grow cold at the sight. "What's going on?"

D'harim tapped the top of the blood ruby on his sword and it swirled, the inside shifting around. "They are coming. Thanks to the joint efforts of myself and Nobuki here my comrades are coming. Shortly this world will fall to us, just like so many others have."

Alice gulped as she looked at the sky, unable to pull her gaze away and unwilling to even look at D'harim. "What…what do you mean? What comrades?"

"The rest of the warriors of my people, who you might call the Death Knights. We have come at long last, and we will strip this world of its living nature and convert all to the truth. We will sweep aside your form of life and replace it with our own perfected form. Death now rides upon your pathetic world." The air around them seemed to grow heavier and more oppressive as the lightning strikes continued. A light mist began to seep in from outside the building, making the room colder.

Takuya glanced at Nikolas and the others out of the corner of his eyes and then sized up the opposition. 'I don't know what secrets that Kodowari is hiding, but I can most likely still defeat him, and Nikolas probably can as well. Injured though he is, I bet Taichi is still dangerous, but not too big a threat. That woman is an unknown, but I can tell she's dangerous. But D'harim…'

He shot another look back his teammates and wished once again that Dalin and Drake were here. 'With the only ones capable of fighting being myself, Nikolas, and Ryu…against these four opponents, hell possibly even against D'harim alone…we can't win. And I don't even know if there are other bodyguards around. This situation is bad…'

In out and out combat they would lose if they tried to oppose this group. On this walkway they were limited in their movement as well, and two people couldn't fight at the same time. Any fight would be one on one, and with that as the set up it was an impossible situation. 'I don't know anything about the menace of the Death Knights besides what I got from D'harim while he controlled my body. It didn't go two ways, so rarely did I know much about him. But still…I know that they're strong. And most likely…D'harim isn't the strongest. The only way out of this situation is…'

Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself, to remove the fear of D'harim that was clouding his mind. The solution to the problem seemed obvious, but it wasn't simple regardless. 'But its likely that Kai was right about what he once told me…so I can't get help from Nikolas and Alice, and those two are strong in this…'

With his analysis finished he still saw just one conclusion. There was absolutely only one way out of this situation. Gathering up his determination he reached into the thick pouch at his side and unclipped it. Kodowari and D'harim followed his movements, ready to attack. "D'harim…I challenge you to a battle of honor! A duel in the darkness with our freedom as the price!"

There was a pause as Taichi, Evelyn, Kodowari, and all of Takuya's teammates stared at the two of them in shock and suspense. Finally a deep laugh echoed from within D'harim's helmet. "What an interesting choice…and this honor you speak of, I have it but not in the same way you do. Our moral views are at the very least diametrically opposed. But I relish a challenge, and you will be the first this time to understand suffering as best as I can teach it."

With D'harim's acceptance Takuya felt slightly more relaxed, but he knew he couldn't relax completely since this would be far from easy. He pulled out the object from his pouch, revealing the black Duel Pod that he had used when he was D'harim. As fast as he could he strapped it to his arm and then allowed it to open into the on position. "Duel!" (TLP: 4000)

An explosion of power issued forth from D'harim's body and instantly the entire walkway was suddenly filled by darkness, consuming everything else including their teammates who stood behind them. D'harim raised his arm and a duel disk of bone formed on it, deck in place. "I'll enjoy showing you the error of your ways." (DLP: 4000)

Ryu and Autumn felt their bodies growing heavy in the oppressive atmosphere of the darkness game. Ryu gritted his teeth, unable to move to help Autumn. Already their bodies were growing weak. "What…what is this level? It's so strong…"

Alice looked weak as well, but she was managing to keep herself upright by holding onto the railing. Nikolas and Takuya looked the least affected, but even they appeared to be feeling it. Nikolas gritted his teeth and bit out the answer. "It has to be at least…level seven or eight. The highest I've been in before is six, and this is significantly stronger. Abnormally strong in fact…"

D'harim chuckled as he snapped open his five cards like a war fan, ready to make his move. "Abnormally strong you say? That's because every level of a Darkness Game is exponentially harder to create and exponentially stronger than the previous. With the combination of that and my Duel Presence, this is much stronger than normal."

Takuya grimaced as he recognized that phrase. It was exactly what Kedamono had been talking about when he discussed his inability to be defeated as long as he had his rage. "So your own will is expressed onto the field as an effect? What's the effect?"

The Death Knight drew a new card with his gauntleted fingers and added it to his other cards. "My Duel Presence is no effect. Instead it simply magnifies the intensity of anything that occurs to a player during the duel. Much like the power of the Heart of Suffering, it will make you feel absolutely everything. In addition as you can feel it increases the intensity of the Darkness Game effects on the human body."

Nikolas scowled, keeping his body standing through sheer force of will. He wouldn't bow to this feeling; there wasn't a chance of it. "Takuya, you'd better not lose after you've gotten us into this! Beat this monster, or I'll kill you myself!"

On the opposite side of the field Kodowari was leaning in close to Taichi and whispering in his father's ear. "Father, are you sure we should be allowing this duel to get underway? If his Excellency does lose to Takuya then we'll be bound by the effect of a Darkness Game to allow them to go free."

"It doesn't…matter. We can't negate a…Darkness Game….and besides I was….once a Knight of…Order. D'harim was the….strongest of us so…he can't lose to someone…of this caliber. In terms of ability….D'harim is in….a class of his own." Although he had heard their words D'harim made no mention of it, and instead held up one of his six cards.

"I begin by activating Death Knight Corpse Army! For every card I discard I can generate a Death Knight Token(1200/1200), so I'll discard my entire hand." He folded up his other five cards and then inserted them into his graveyard slot. His five monster zones glowed red as five beings in light bone armor wielding swords were generated. Each one also wore a skull helmet like D'harim, though their armor was much more simplistic.

Since he had emptied his hand D'harim placed his free left hand on the hilt of his sword. "That will be all."

Takuya drew, his arm feeling weak as he did so. "D'harim, I've always dueled with my heart and soul, but for the longest time I fought with whatever warriors I could. This time though, I'll fight you with my full soul and the knights that have long rested there, waiting to be released!"

He slapped down one of the cards he was holding and a single spot on his field was covered by a bright white light. As the white light faded it revealed a monster on a white horse with silver armor coverings its flanks and head. The man itself on the horse had blonde hair hanging down his back and bright white armor with a red cross emblazoned on the front. In his right hand was a short sword, and strapped to his back was a shield that also held a red cross. "This is my soul's knight, Saint Knight-Nicholas(1000/1000)!"

D'harim looked between his army of Death Knights and the single Saint Knight that was on Takuya's field. "So it is to be a true battle of diametrically opposed views then? Death Knights against Saint Knights?"

Takuya nodded and held up his right fist which he squeezed into a fist. "That's right D'harim! Born in my soul as a direct reaction to your presence this deck is absolutely designed to be the opposite of yours! These monsters were created to oppose the Death Knights, and that's exactly what they're going to do!"

He punched forwards with his fist and Saint Knight-Nicholas pointed his short sword at D'harim. "Saint Knight-Nicholas is just the first of my opposing monsters, and he won't be the last. Together with them I'll defeat you and save my companions, and then when we're free we'll find a way to stop your comrades!"

The Death Knight fingered the blood ruby at the end of his sword as Takuya spoke. "You mean to say that you think you five can stop the tide of death that will sweep away your world?"

Takuya looked back over his shoulder at his four companions, none of whom he could consider true friends. Yet still, he knew that he was closer to them than many people were to their friends. They were his fellow soldiers in what was bound to be a war. "I don't know how, but I feel it in my heart that we're going to beat you."

D'harim's white eyes stared past Takuya's eyes and into the warrior's soul. Beneath the grill of bone D'harim began to smile. "Prove it."

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Author's Notes: Not as long as the last chapter and not much of the duel, but don't worry, its going to get intense next chapter.

Next Time: The face of Death has shown itself in the form of the Death Knight D'harim! As the first wave of the army of death is unleashed into the mortal world the battle between Takuya and D'harim heats up. Only one can win, but even victory for their side guarantees nothing.

See it all in, Apocalypse Please!