Chapter 38: Light and Shadows 2: Electric Boogaloo
Chazz, Scott, and Alexis got Crowler in the infirmary. Crowler was lying on a bed, Miss Fontaine watching over him. "This is the third time in less than two weeks where you bring me an injured person Alexis. This time a teacher." Fontaine pointed out.
"How is he?" Alexis asked.
"Crowler will be fine. It'll take a little while for his legs to recover, but the damage isn't permanent." Alexis and Chazz were both relieved at the news. "So, you say that Crowler's injuries were caused by Damian Abunura?"
"Yeah. But his mind was corrupted by the Shadow Riders." Chazz answered.
"And it looks like he's fighting whatever's corrupting him. After he beat Crowler, he was crying." Alexis said.
"Hmmm. I'd suggest to Sheppard that he should have Damian arrested and expelled, but if his mind has been corrupted by the Shadow Riders, this complicates things." Fontaine said.
"So, what do we do? Will Damian just be a regular student even though he admitted to being an enemy of ours?" Scott asked.
Fontaine walked over to Atticus' bed. "You'll have to discuss this with Sheppard. It's not my place to talk about this. But I want to ask you three something. Have you noticed any troubling behavior from Damian within the past few months?"
Chazz clenched his fist. "A couple of nights ago during a Shadow Duel against the monster Giga Gagagigo...Damian tried to kill himself."
Fontaine closed her eyes and nodded sadly. "I see. I never saw Damian very often, so it didn't come to my mind, but I fear that the signs were there since last semester."
"Huh?" Scott asked.
"During the tag duel you and Damian had against Jaden and Syrus. Damian looked the most upset out of any on the duelists. At the time, I simply thought he was feeling guilty since he believed he was causing Jaden and Syrus' expulsion. But it seems to be something far deeper than that." Fontaine clenched her fist. "I should have tried to reach out to him. It never crossed my mind that he would try to commit suicide, let alone go insane. I could have helped him."
Chazz also felt guilty. He could have warned Fontaine about this. But Damian convinced Chazz and Bastion that he should be treated as a lower priortiy than the injuries of Jaden and Atticus. 'Damnit. I can't believe that moron.'
Alexis turned to Scott. "Why did you want to get Jaden expelled anyway? Chazz told us how you asked him to lie to us about him recommending you to Crowler."
"Is this really the right time for that?" Scott asked.
"Maybe not. But based off what Damian mentioned about getting you guys back home, and something about 'the light', coupled with you guys having Synchro and Xyz monsters before they were even public knowledge, you and Ghassan are looking pretty suspicous. Not to mention all the other odd stuff about you guys, like how you knew about Atticus, or how you knew about my duel with Jaden."
'Damnit. She's right.' Scott thought.
"Can't you use your 'from the future' lie for your cards and say the stuff about The Light and other dimensions was just a result of Damian's damaged sanity?" The Light of Destruction asked inside Scott's head.
'That wouldn't explain how we knew about Jaden's duel with Alexis, or about Atticus. Unlike Kaiba, it'll be hard to say that info about their lvies is public knowledge in the future.' Scott responded. 'Besides, unlike Damian, I can't really backup the future lie since I don't know as much about the show as he does.'
"Well?" Alexis asked.
"Fine. I'll tell you the truth. I geuinely have no idea what Damian's talking about with 'the light'. It must be his damaged sanity. Getting Jaden expelled was Ghassan's idea. He wanted to get out of Slifer Red since the beginning, and seeing someone like Jaden slack off entirely, and later, deny an opportunity to get promoted just infuriated him. He's over it now." Scott said.
"Lines up with what Ghassan told me about why he wanted Jaden expelled." Chazz said.
"Alright. But that doesn't explain the other stuff I asked about." Alexis pointed out.
"There's no way in hell that you're gonna believe it." Scott said.
"Tonight we found out that vampires are real. We're kinda willing to believe insane stuff now." Chazz said.
Scott sighed. "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Wait a minute. With Zane it made sense given the situation, but you're not actually gonna-" The Light began to ask.
"Me, Ghassan, and Damian aren't from this dimension. In our world, you guys are a television show."
(Ghassan 3800/Camula 4900)
Ghassan had no cards on the field, and five cards in his hand. Camula controlled Vampire Vamp (2000/2000), Vampire Grimson (2000/1400) and Vampire Fraulein (600/2000) and had six cards in her hand. 'Am...am I really going to lose so easily?' Ghassan asked himself.
"So, do you end your turn?" Camula asked.
Ghassan took a look at his hand. He already used his Normal Summon, and none of his spells or traps could stop an attack from one of Camula's monsters. 'Damnit. Just when Scott and Damian saved me from a Shadow Rider, I'm going to lose to another one. Am I really that useless?'
"Come on Ghassan! It's not over until the last card is played!" Jaden called out.
Ghassan took a look at Jaden. 'Easy for you to say. You actually like dueling.'
"He's not wrong though." The Light said in Ghassan's head. "Just because the cards in your hand can't save you if Camula attacks, that doesn't mean you're helpless."
Ghassan widened his eyes before smiling. "That's right. Grimson can only use it's effect so often. I set three cards face down and end my turn."
"Then it's my move." Camula drew a card. "I activate Terraforming allowing me to add my final copy of Vampire Kingdom to my hand. And naturally, I activate it!" Once again, gothic buildings rose all around the area.
"I switch Vampire Fraulein to attack mode. I want to make your death slow. Battle Phase!"
"I activate my trap card, Descending Lost Star!" Ghassan yelled. "This card lets me special summon a synchro monster from my grave, but it's forced into defense mode with it's effects negated, and it's defense points become zero. Revive, Black Rose Dragon! (2400/1800-0)" The dragon returned to the field in defense mode.
"Please. With it's defense points so low, even Fraulein could destroy it."
Ghassan smiled. "Now, I activate Torrential Tribute! When a monster is summoned, all cards on the field are destroyed!"
A torrent of water shot it's way through Black Rose Dragon, destroying it, and continued to head towards Camula's monsters. Camula gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Vampire Grimson's effect activates. I pay 1000 life points to protect all of my monsters." Camula said. (Camula 4900-1900) Barriers formed around each of the vampires, protecting Camula.
"Heh heh. So, you gonna make your move?"
Camula thought for a while. 'I'm required to pay life points for ALL of my Vampires if I want to use Grimson's effect. If he has Mirror Froce set, I won't be able to protect my Vampires.' "...I set a card facedown. Then, I sacrifice Vampire Fraulein to summon Vampire Duke."(2000/0) The umbrella wielding vampire disappeared. Taking it's place was a male vampire with short black hair and a long flowing cloak.
"Going into your Main Phase 2 eh?" Ghassan asked. He hid the immense amount of relief he was having. His bluff worked out!
"Vampire Duke's effect activates. When he's normal summoned, I can special summon a Vampire monster from my graveyard in defense position. Revive, Vampire Fraulein!" (600/2000) Vampire Duke generated a swirling energy of darkness next to it, Vampire Fraulein appearing from it. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."
Jaden's PDA started to ring. He reached into his pocket, and got it out. "Alexis is calling." He answered the PDA. "What's up Alexis?"
"Crowler lost to Damian. He's alive, but Chazz, Scott and I are taking him to the infirmary. How are things going against Camula?"
Jaden was disappointed by the news. So Damian really was their enemy. "Well, Ghassan just saved himself from losing. He has more life points, but Camula has the upper hand."
Alexis sighed over the PDA. "Alright. As soon as we get Crowler to Miss Fontaine, we'll be there." She hung up, Jaden looking back at the duel. Evidently, Alexis was right to be suspicous of Damian if he was talking about reviving the Sacred Beasts without the Shadow Riders. And Jaden himself was wary of Scott after that energy he shown during the Triangle Duel. Could Ghassan be suspicous as well?
Ghassan drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed." He drew two more cards from his deck and took a look at them. 'Perfect!' "I activate Double Evolution Pill. By banishing one Dinosaur monster and a non-Dinosaur monster from my graveyard, I can special summon a level 7 or higher Dinosaur monster from my deck regardless of summoning conditions! I remove one of my Jurrac Aeolo's and my Evolzar Dolkka from play to special summon Jurrac Titano!" (3000/2800) A torrent of flames shot out from the ground before the giant, magma-red Jurrac walked out of it.
"Alright! Even with the boost from Vampire Kingdom, Camula's monsters won't be able to overpower it!" Chumley cheered.
"Normally Jurrac Titano can't be special summoned, but Double Evolution Pill circumvented that restriction completely." Bastion stated.
"I activate Titano's effect. I remove from play my second Jurrac Aeolo to boost it's attack poiints by 1000." Ghassan said. A flaming aura surrounded Jurrac Titano. (Jurrac Titano 3000-4000/2800) "Jurrac Titano, destroy Vampire Vamp!"
"Ghassan, wait!" Bastion yelled. But it was too late. Jurrac Titano began to charge at the Vampire. (Vampire Vamp 2000-2500/2000)
"Unfortunately for you boy, I acivate Vampire Fraulein's effect! By paying life points in multiples of 100, I can increase a battling Vampire's attack points by the same amount!" Camula yelled.
"What?!" Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley yelled in shock.
"Blast it. I was trying to warn him about Fraulein's effect." Bastion said.
A stream of red energy went from Camula to her Vampire Vamp. (Camula 1900-300) (Vampire Vamp 2500-4100) Vampire Vamp flew towards Jurrac Titano, blocking it with her claws. "That's what you get for being impatient." Camula taunted.
Ghassan smiled. "You fell for it! I activate my trap card Jurrac Impact! I can only activate this trap card if I have a Jurrac with 2500 or more attack points!"
Camula widened her eyes. 'Wait, so last turn...it was just a bluff?'
"And with the card, I can destroy all cards on the field. And this time, you don't have the life points to protect your monsters!" During Titano's struggle with Vampire Vamp, a large comet materialized from the sky. "Vampire Grimson's effect forces you to save ALL of your Vampires if you use it. You don't have enough life points!"
"True, but that doesn't mean I can't gain any. I activate Mystik Wok to sacrifice Vampire Vamp to gain it's current attack points as life points!" Camula yelled. The vampire dissolved as a green aura covvered Camula. It wouldn't be enough to use Grimson's effect as she had three Vampires, but it would help her for future turns. (Camula 300-2800) The comet crash landed on the field, engulfing all of it in a bright explosion. When it cleared up, both Ghassan and Camula had clear fields.
"Hm hm hm. Heh heh. Ahahahaha!" Ghassan laughed.
"Are you mocking me?!" Camula asked angrily.
"What do you think? Of course I am. You were bragging about being one step ahead of me the whole time, but now, you trying to be careful led you to pass up an opportunity to beat me earlier. And look at where it led you. You have a clear field AND you spent all your copies of Vampire Kingdom. I set a card facedown and a monster in defense position. I end my turn."
Camula drew a card. "You're getting too cocky for your own good boy." Camula's jaw began to morph as her tongue extended to unnatural lengths. "Fine. I'll stop playing with my food, and go right for the throat. First I activate the field spell Pseudo Space. By removing from play a field spell from my graveyard, like one of my Vampire Kingdom's, this card takes the name and effect of the banished field spell."
Holographic structures surrounded the area before they replicated Vampire Kingdom. "Again?! How many times is she gonna use that field spell?" Syrus complained.
"I summon another copy of Vampire Sorcerer (1500/1500) in attack mode." Camula stated. A second copy of the monster appeared. "He won't be here for long however. I activate the spell card Vampire's Desire. This allows me to send a monster I control to the graveyard in exchange for special summoning a Vampire that's currently in there. Revive, Vampire Duke!" (2000/0)
The cloaked vampire returned on the field. "Now, I activate it's effect. When Vampire Duke is special summoned, I can declare a type of card, and force you to send it from your deck to your graveyard. I choose Trap Card."
Ghassan shrugged before he sent a copy of Fossil Excavationto his graveyard. "Not much of a loss."
"More than you think boy. I activate the effect of Vampire Kingdom. Once per turn, when a card is sent from my opponent's deck to the graveyard, I can send a card you control to the graveyard as well by sending a Vampire monster from my hand or deck to the graveyard. I send my Vampire Familiar to the graveyard. How about we get rid of that facedown monster of yours?"
Ghassan gritted his teeth as a swirling crimson energy caused his set Jurrac Ptera to disappear.
"Next I activate Book of Life. By removing a monster in your graveyard from play, I can special summon a Zombie monster from my graveyard. I remove from play your Jurrac Hera to special summon the Vampire Grimson in my graveyard!" The cloaked Vampire returned to Camula's field.
"Not good! If both of Camula's mosnters attack, she'll win!" Syrus pointed out.
"Battle Phase! Both of my Vampires attack you directly!" The two Vampires dashed towards Ghassan. (Vampire Duke 2000-2500/0) (Vampire Grimson 2000-2500/0)
"I activate my trap card, Waboku to prevent any battle damage being dealt to me." A barrier appeared in front of Ghassan, protecting him from the attacks.
"Hmph. I set a card facedown and end my turn." Camula stated. (Vampire Duke 2500-2000/0) (Vampire Grimson 2500-2000/0)
Ghassan drew a card and looked at it. 'Damn. I can still only be on the defensive.' "I set a card facedown and a monster card in defense mode. I end my turn."
Camula drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed." Camula drew two cards from her deck. "Now I activate Vampire Sorcerer's effect from my graveyard. I remove it from play to Normal Summon my Vampire Scarlet Scourge." (2200/2200) A male vampire with short white hair appeared. He was wearing a black cape, fancy suit, and holding a red rod in his hands. "When Scarlet Scourge is summoned, I can pay 1000 life points to special summon a Vampire from my graveyard. I revive the Vampire Duke in my graveyard!" (Camula 2800-1800)
Chumley and Bastion gasped. "Not good. Now she can use it's effect combined with Vampire Kingdom to get rid of Ghassan's facedown." Chumley said.
"I don't think so. I activate my quickplay spell, Forbidden Challice. This raises the attack points of a monster you control by 400. In exchange, it's effect is negated. I choose Scarlet Scourge!" Ghassan declared.
A challice appeared in front of Scarlet Scourge, the vampire taking a drink from it. (Vampire Scarlet Scourge 2200-2700/2200)
"Annoying brat. Battle Phase! And don't forget that my Vampires gain 500 attack points. Vampire Grimson, destroy his facedown monster!" The hooded vampire slashed through Ghassan's set card. The split image of a green and purple flaming dinosaur appeared befoe shattering.
"You just activated the effect of my Jurrac Stauriko. Now that it's destroyed by battle, I special summon two Jurrac Tokens (0/0) in defense mode." Two infant versions of Jurrac Stauriko appeared in front of Ghassan. 'It sucks that I can't special summon Hera since she banished it though.'
"Then I'll destroy them too!" Scarlet Scourge pointed it's staff at one Jurrac Token before firing a beam of energy at it. Vampire Duke generated a crimson orb of energy before throwing it at the second Jurrac Token. Camula's face started to return to normal. "I'm not done yet. I activate my trap card, Vampire Awakening. This lets me special summon a Vampire monster from my deck, but it's destroyed during the end phase. Come forth, Vampire Red Baron!" (2400/1000) A figure in armor wearing a dark, armored horse with crimson hair appeared. The armored rider was wielding a lance. "Attack Ghassan directly!"
Vampire Red Baron (2400-2900/1000) galloped towards Ghassan before impaling him with it's lance. (Ghassan 3800-900)
"GYAHHHHH!" Ghassan howled.
Camula chuckled at Ghassan's pain as Red Baron pulled the lance out of his body. "I end the Battle Phase. And with that, Vampire Grimson's other effect activates."
"Other effect?" Syrus asked.
A swirling portal of red energy appeared next to Vampire Grimson. Soon, Jurrac Stauriko crawled out of it, and went into defense mode. "When Grimson destroys an opponent's monster by battle, I can special summon it to my field during the end of the battle phase."
"Still, Stauriko isn't that strong, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Chumley said.
"Never underestimate how useful a monster can be Chumley." Jaden said.
"Indeed. Especially when it can be used as an Xyz material." Camula said. "I overlay Jurrac Stauriko with Vampire Red Baron!" Camula announced.
"What?!" Ghassan asked in shock.
A dark vortex appeared in the ground. The horse of Red Baron trotted up to Stauriko and bit into it's neck, causing the Jurrac to scream. Soon, the monster dissolved into light and went inside the portal. "Supreme lord of the undead, accept my humble sacrifice and bless us with your presence. Strike terror into the hearts of all who stand in our way. I xyz summon the Rank 6 Dhampir Vampire Duke Sheridan!" (2600/1000) Rising up from the vortex was a blonde aristocratic vampire, wearing a fancy white and gold coat with crimson lining. Two purple orbs trailed around it.
"Jurrac Stauriko is a level 2! How did you-" Ghassan began to ask.
"When I use a monster that's owned by my opponent for the Xyz material of Sheridan, I can treat it as a level 6." Camula answered. "It hurts for your allies to turn against you, doesn't it? Then again, I suppose you've already experienced that today."
Ghassan gritted his teeth in anger, but said nothing.
"I set two cards face down and end my turn." Camula stated. "You're in quite the predicament aren't you? You can't stay on the defensive forever you know."
Ghassan drew a card. "I activate Graceful Charity." Ghassan drew three cards from his deck and discarded two. As he looked at a card he drew, he smiled. "I'm gonna be switching to the offensive soon Camula. Time for you to meet my newest monster!"
"Newest monster?" Camula asked.
After Ghassan lost to Banner, he knew that he had to boost his deck's strength. And thankfully, with some of the money Damian collected by selling cards online, Ghassan got his hands on a powerful dinosaur monster. "I remove from play my Jurrac Titano and my Jurrac Ptera to special summon my new ace! Come on out Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!" (3500/3200)
The transparent images of the Jurracs appeared before swirling together. A flash of light occured before the new dinosaur emerged. A titanic, mechanized tyrannosaurus, black armor surrounding the majority of it's purple flesh. Electricity surged around it' body, and it's tail was lined with spikes. "What the-?!" Camula reacted.
"Never saw this monster of mine, huh? I activate Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's effect. By destroying a dinosaur monster in my hand or field, like the Jurrac Velo in my hand, I can switch all face-up monster you control to face-down defense mode!" All of Camula's monsters switched to face-down mode.
"Wait, why did he do that?" Chumley asked. "Now he won't be able to do any damage."
"Heh heh. Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's effect. It can attack all monsters my opponent controls. In addition, if it attacks a defense position monster, the monster gets sent to the graveyard and you take 1000 points of damage!"
"What?!" Camula asked in shock.
Jaden smiled. "Camula has four monsters, all of them forced in defense mode."
"That means if Ghassan's attack follows through, he'll win!" Syrus cheered.
"Ultimate Conductor Tyraano, attack them all! Perfect Maul!" The monster charged towards Camula's facedown cards.
"I activate my quickplay spell, my second Mystik Wok. I sacrifice my Duke Sheridan to gain it's attack points as life points!" A cooking pot appeared, one of the set cards going into it. (Camula 1800-4400)
"Fine. Attack the rest of them then!" The dinosaur slashed the air several times, waves of electricity heading towards the three facedown monsters. All of them exploded, three bolts of electricity zapping Camula.
"ARGHHHHH!" (Camula 4400-1400) The electricity died down, Camula beginning to pant in exhaustion.
"Brilliant! Ghassan has the upper hand now!" Bastion exclaimed.
"Keep it up!" Chumley yelled. "If you beat her, Damian will snap back to normal!"
Camula's face began to morph again. "How many times do I have to tell you fools?! My hypnosis was simply a catalyst! Defeating me won't do anything!" Camula turned to Ghassan angrily. "But even then, you're not going to win this duel!"
Ghassan simply set two cards face down. "I end my turn."
"Then I activate my trap card, Xyz Reborn. I special summon an Xyz monster in my graveyard and equip this card to it as a material. Revive, Dhampir Vampire Duke!" The blonde vampire returned, this time only one orb swirling around it. "I draw!" Camula drew a card and took a look at it. She then took a look at Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, and Bastion. "Let me tell you boys a secret about your 'friend' over there. Even if the Shadow Riders fall, he'll be your next enemy."
Ghassan was worried about Camula revealing the truth, but he composed himself. "Cut the crap Camula. You're not getting the Sacred Beasts by lying."
"As if we would believe he'd betray us when he's risking his life to take you down." Jaden said.
Camula's face slowly morphed to normal once again. "Hmph. Believe what you want to. I activate the spell card, Illusion Gate!"
Ghassan widened his eyes. 'It's here.'
A stone door rose up behind Camula. "Illusion Gate destroys all monsters controlled by my opponent. But it comes at the cost. The cost of a soul."
"What?!" Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, and Bastion all reacted.
The door opened, and shadowy mist headed towards the four. "If I lose the duel, the soul of the loser will be dragged away and used as an offering to the Sacred Beasts. However, it doesn't have to be MY soul."
"So if I beat you, one of my friends will die?" Ghassan asked, pretending to be shocked.
"Hm hm hm. Make your choice."
Suddenly, the two pieces of Jaden's amulet came together. "Huh?" Jaden reacted.
The amulet repaired itself, a shining light glowing from it. "What is...?" Chumley asked. The light shined brighter, causing the dark mist to recede.
"What the-?!" Camula reacted. Soon, the light reached her, causing her to shield her eyes. The dark mist slowly dissipated before the door was forced to close.
"Looks like Jaden's Shadow Charm negated your powers of darkness." Ghassan said.
"And perhaps Jaden's own Gentle Darkness played a role in it." The Light suggested in Ghassan's head.
Camula gritted her teeth. "Once Illusion Gate is activated, I have no choice but to use an offering. Fine. I'll wager my own soul!"
Ultimate Conductor Tyranno shattered into pieces. "Damnit..." Ghassan said.
"That's not all. After all monsters of yours are destroyed, I can special summon a monster in your graveyard, regardless of summoning conditions. I'll special summon your own Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!" The door opened up again, the titanic dinosaur emerging from it. "Now, I activate Sheridan's effect. By detaching an Xyz material, I can destroy a card you control. How about the one on the left?"
One of Ghassan's facedowns burst into black flames. The image of a Magic Cylinder appeared before shattering to piece. "Shit!" Ghassan yelled.
"It's time to end this! Vampire Sheridan, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno! Wipe out his life points!" Camula declared. The two monsters charged at Ghassan. (Dhampir Vampire Duke Sheridan 2600-3100/1000)
Adrian was in his Obelisk Blue dorm, typing an essay on his computer for homework. "The military weapons produced under Gozaburo Kaiba's rule had enough power to wipe out 97% of the human population. However, after Seto Kaiba took over, KaibaCorp's focus shifted to entertainment. As a result-" Adrian said while he was typing.
Adrian was interupted by a knock on his door in the Obelisk Blue dorm. "Come in." Adrian said.
The door opened up. Damian, Topher, and Conklin were on the other side, the latter two being unconscious. "Hey man...can I talk with you?" He asked in between breaths.
Adrian shrugged as Damian walked in. "I take it those two tried to stop you from entering the Obelisk Blue dorm?"
"Yeah. Topher hates me because I made him wear a Slifer Red jacket after beating him, and Conklin hates me because I ruined his chances with a girl he likes or something."
"I gotta say. I didn't take you for much of a fighter."
"Actually I'm not. It's part of the reason why I wanted to talk to you."
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
Damian stuck out a hand towards the door. A force of wind shot out from his hand, causing the door to close. Adrian widened his eyes in shock. "That's what. I have powers of darkness now. Just like you." Damian said.
Adrian was at a loss for words. "When did you...?"
Damian held up a finger as he was panting. "Man...these powers are a lot less cool when...when it feels like I ran a mile every time I use them. Phew." Damian caught his breath before speaking up again. "Camula tried to hypnotize me, it didn't work, and I awakened these powers. I know that you somehow still have a portion of Yubel's powers considering how you initiated a Shadow Duel against Alexis. So I want to ask you where you think they came from."
Adrian stood up. "You came to the wrong place. I don't even know why I still have Yubel's powers. It was my consciousness that The Light took back in time, not my body."
Damian sighed. "Oh well. Still, there's another thing I want to talk with you about."
"Let me guess. You want to betray The Light of Destruction?"
"Damn. You were expecting that?"
"All of us were. Ghassan, Scott and I have debated on having Scott brainwash you with The Light's powers a few times, but we were never 100% certain on whether or not you would betray us. Ghassan's insistence on giving it more time had something to do with that as well."
Damian shrugged and walked towards Adrian's mini-fridge. "Well, I should consider myself lucky then." Damian got out a can of soda and took a gulp from it. "MAN! That hits the spot!" Damian continued to chug the soda down.
"What makes you think that I'd be interested in joining in on your betrayal?" Adrian asked.
Damian finished drinking the can and tossed it into the trash. "Because I know your goals Adrian. You want to rule as a benevolent king. Not wipe out all life in the universe. And it's clear that The Light is using Echo to keep you in line in some way. It's clear that if you had the choice, you'd want to take The Light of Destruction down."
"Let's assume that you're right about me. Do you even have a plan?"
"Kinda. After taking down the Shadow Riders, WE awaken the Sacred Beasts ourselves. I use their power to send me, Ghassan, and Scott back home while you can keep them to take over the world."
"And what if The Light of Destruction tries to stop us?" Adrian asked.
"We never let The Light of Destruction possess us, unlike Scott and Ghassan, so it can't take control of our bodies. Hell, since we both have dark energy inside us, I'm pretty sure The Light can't even listen in on our conversations."
"Really risky to assume that. Even then, there are other people working under it you know. Duel Spirits, your brother and his friend, The D. The Light can send them after any traitors."
"Now THAT part I know how to circumvent." Damian said. "The Light of Destruction's natural enemy is the Gentle Darkness. It's why it's powers only temporarily caused Jaden to lose his ability to see cards and why Yubel was only corrupted by it."
"I get it. If we strengthen our powers of darkness, we can destroy The Light of Destruction."
Damian nodded. "Bingo. Problem is, I don't really know HOW to increase it. You got any ideas?"
Adrian thought for a little bit. Damian was right. Adrian wanted an opportunity to betray The Light of Destruction since he found out about it. And now, Damian of all people was looking like his best opportunity. "I have an idea. But it's a gamble if it'll even work. Are you willing to kill Kagemaru earlier than we thought?"
Damian smiled. "As soon as I'm rested up, I'm raring to go."
Ghassan was lying on the ground, bleeding and bruised. "Ughhh..." He weakly muttered. (Ghassan 900-4000-500)
"Hmph. That second copy of Draining Shield saved you. I end my turn." Camula said.
Ghassan was struggling to find the strength to stand back up. 'I can't lose here...I can't keep being a burden. This whole time, time, the most I've done is come up with ideas that didn't even work, and defeat some inconsequential fodder characters. No more. I'm not gonna keep being deadweight!'
Jaden clenched his fist. "This isn't right."
"Huh?" Chumley asked.
"This duel. It's not right. Neither of them are having fun with the duel. It's only about conflict for both of them."
"Sorry Jaden, but 'fun' is the least of my concerns right now." Ghassan said.
"I agree with him. I don't duel for fun either. I duel for revenge."
"Revenge?" Bastion asked.
"It's because of you humans that I decided to become a Shadow Rider to begin with."
"Huh?" Syrus asked.
Camula turned to Ghassan. "Has your brother told you about my past?"
"How would he know anything about you?" Ghassan asked. Disregarding how he had to act like he didn't know what she was talking about, he genuinely didn't know anything about Camula's past. No shocker he forgot. Ghassan hasn't watched the Shadow Riders arc in about a decade.
"Feigning ignorance I see. No matter. Long ago, me and my kind lived in Europe. We were a small but proud race, who secluded ourselves from humans. We did drink blood from them yes, but never put a life at risk during our drinks. We simply needed nourishment. And we always made sure that they were in a trance so that they wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, that didn't matter to them." Camula clenched her fist in frustration.
Camula and a child vampire with short brown hair were hiding in an abandoned hut. Camula was holding the girl in her arms.
"Camula...I'm scared..." The girl said.
"Be quiet Irina." Camula whispered. "It'll be ok."
"Humans viewed us a monsters and hunted us down. They didn't know we drank blood from them. They just hated us for being different."
Soon, the two heard a door being kicked down. Before either of them could flee, an armored man came towards them. Camula noted something odd about what he was holding. Unlike the swords that most of his comrades used, in one hand was a wooden stake, and in the other a goblet of water. "There you are."
Camula stood up and stepped in front of Irina. "My sister and I mean you no harm! None of us do!"
"Then prove it by accepting your fate!" The man splashed Camula with the water in the goblet.
Camula was confused before it was immediately replaced with pain. Steam started to come from her skin as she felt a burning sensation around her body. "GYAHHHHH!" Camula fell to the ground, rolling in pain.
"Now for the other test." The man turned to Irina, who was huddled in a corner. "You regenerate your wounds from steel far too quickly. Let's see if the minister was correct about this weapon!" The man charged at Irina.
"Camula, help!" Irina yelled.
Camula finally realized what was going on as the burns began to cool. "IRINA!"
Soon, the stake was driven right into Irina's chest. Her eyes wavered briefly before she collapsed.
"My parents, my friends, my little sister. All slaughtered by your kind!" Camula yelled. "I was the sole survivor. After I killed my sister's murderer, I hid myself, resting in my coffin for centuries."
"I...I don't know what to say." Jaden said. "But...what does that have to do with you being a Shadow Rider?"
"The leader of the Shadow Riders awakened me. He presented me with my Shadow Charm and told me how the power of Shadow Duels can be used to restore my kind." Camula held up a faceless doll. "By trapping enough souls in my dolls, I can use in exchange to revive the souls of my people. Then, we can take revenge on the human race who hunted us down for the crime of existing!"
Ghassan slowly stood up. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?"
"Your sympathy would mean nothing to me. My goal is to take your soul. Simple as that."
"Good. Because quite frankly, your story just pisses me off."
Jaden and Chumley noticed something. A white aura began to form around Ghassan. "That aura..." Jaden said.
"You see it too Jaden?" Chumley asked.
Bastion and Syrus were confused, but Jaden nodded. "Yeah. It's the same thing that surrounded Scott during the triangle duel."
The aura around Ghassan grew larger and larger. "So because of what happened centuries ago, you decide to take it out on people who weren't even born at the time? If you were gonna revive your kind and leave it at that, that would be one thing. But you're going to kill billions of people who did NO wrong against you?"
"Hmph. I don't care about whether or not you think it's justified. The fate and justice of my kind rests on my shoulders." Camula responded.
"Shut up! You're doing the exact same thing the people who hunted your kind down did. And because of your idiotic grudge, I might have lost my brother for good because of you!" Ghassan's eyes briefly filled up with a glowing red light before going back to normal. "It's my move! I draw!" Ghassan drew a card from his deck. "I activate a second Pot of Greed to draw two cards." Ghassan drew two more cards from his deck. As he took a look at them he turned to Camula. "This'll be the final turn. I use it's own effect to special summon Gilasaurus!" (1400/400) A brown raptor appeared on Ghassan's side of the field.
"I know it's effect. I get to special summon a monster in my graveyard. I choose my Vampire Duke." (2000/0) Vampire Duke rose up from the ground. "You know the effect of Duke I take it? I send a card from your deck to the graveyard. Then with Vampire Kingdom, I can send a card to your graveyard at the cost of sending a Vampire monster from my hand or deck to the graveyard."
"Sorry." Ghassan said.
A challice of water suddenly appeared in front of Duke, water being poured onto it. (Vampire Duke 2000-2500/0) "Another Forbidden Challice?"
Ghassan smirked. "I tend to have multiple copies of cards. Anyway, I activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted to special summon Jurrac Velo!" (1700/1000) A small flame appeared before the flaming velociraptor emerged from it. "Now, I normal summon Jurrac Dino." (1700/1000)
"Jurrac Dino is a tuner monster. You think he's gonna summon Jurrac Giganoto?" Syrus wondered.
"With the several that have been removed from play, the Jurracs currently in Ghassan's graveyard are Guaiba, Protops, Aeolo, and Stauriko. Even if Dino and Velo go to the graveyard, that'll only six Jurracs, making Giganoto have a total of 3300 attack points. Not enough to win the game, or even overpower Ultimate Conductor Tyranno." Bastion said.
"...How did you do that so quickly?" Chumley asked.
"He must be planning to use Gilasaurus for the synchro summon." Jaden said.
"I tune my level 3 Jurrac Dino to my level 4 Jurrac Velo and level 3 Gilasaurus!" Ghassan declared. The three monsters went up into the air before Jurrac Dino transformed into three green circles. Velo and Gilasaurus went through it before both of them dissolved into four and three points of light respectively. All seven points of light lined togetherer before a green flash emerged. "I synchro summon the level 10 Jurrac Meteor!" (3000/2000)
Life before with Jurrac Impact, up in the sky was a large comet. However, this one was shaped in an itneresting way. On the top were several blood stained spikes, and within the meteor itself, the corpse of a creature seemed to be sticking out of it. "Jurrac Meteor's effect activates. When it's Synchro Summoned, all cards on the field are destroyed!"
Camula gritted her teeth in annoyance. Soon, the Meteor landed, causing a massive eruption of flames. Everything in the field was engulfed in fire, the monsters on Camula's field letting our pained screams before succumbing to the flames. "You've still left yourself wide open. On my turn, I'll finish you-"
"There won't be a next turn." Walking out of the storm of flames was a bloodthirsty Jurrac Dino.
"Wh-what the?!"
"You never saw Jurrac Meteor either huh? Can't blame you. I hardly ever get the opportunity to use it. When Jurrac Meteor's effect activates, after everything is destroyed, I can special summon a Jurrac Tuner from my graveyard."
Camula took a step back. This couldn't be possible. She failed her kind because of a mediocre duelist like Ghassan. "This...this can't be..."
"Jurrac Dino, finish her off!" The Jurrac launched a fireball at Camula, burning her alive.
"AUGHHHH!" (Camula 1400-0) Camula fell to the ground, charred.
"Alright!" Jaden cheered.
Ghassan panted in exhaustion. He did. He somehow managed to win.
"Bastard..." Camula weakly said. "Looks like you don't care if they know the truth about you..."
"The truth?" Syrus asked.
The door behind Camula opened up, a swirling vortex being revealed on the other end of the door. "What the...?" Jaden began to ask.
Camula looked at the door behind her. "The four of you should know this before I die. Ghassan Abunura and Scott Sheaffer are just as much a threat to your kind as I. For the sake of returning to their dimension, they wish to bring ruin onto yours!"
Ghassan hid is fury. 'That bitch!'
"What are you talking about?!" Bastion asked.
Before Camula could say anything else, a ghostly white hand shot out from the door and grabbed Camula by the throat. Soon, her soul was pulled out of her body and dragged into the door. "Gyaaaahhhh!" The door shut, Camula's empty body going limp. Seconds afterwards, it disintegrated into dust.
"N-no way..." Jaden reacted.
Before anybody could say anything else, the students felt a rumbling, debris beginning to fall from the ceiling. "What's happening?!" Syrus asked.
"The castle's falling apart!" Chumley noticed.
"We have to get out of here, quickly!" Ghassan yelled.
The five of them all began to run towards the exit. As they were running, Jaden looked at Ghassan. Just like with Scott, a malevolent energy was formed around him during the duel. The spirit of Winged Kuriboh popped up next to Jaden. "Kuri, kuri, kuri!"
'I don't want to admit it, but you have a point. What if Camula was telling the truth?'
Initially when I planned out these last handful of chapters the plan was for Crowler to duel against Camula and lose like in canon, and Chazz would then step up to defeat her. Meanwhile, Ghassan would duel and lose against Damian. However, I decided to have Ghassan be the one to defeat her to have him make a step forward as a duelist. It's no secret that Ghassan's the weakest duelist out of our villain protagonists, but now, Ghassan realizes that if he wants to help out the group, he needs to step up as a duelist. Not just serve as the idea guy.
Camula has told several of the students the truth about our protagonists, while Scott believes that at this point, he has no choice but to tell the other Key Keepers about their dimension. How will they react to this? And how will Adrian and Damian's plan to betray The Light of Destruction play out? Only time will tell. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and have a great day!
