I haven't updated in three months...wow...that's...a new record. Sigh, I really wish I had G.O.D.'s ability to manipulate time or just Dio's The World.
Sorry readers for the long wait, but I'm finally back! This took me a lot of time to finish because it was long (even longer than the previous chapter), I made a consecutive update for Overdrive to celebrate its birthday (they grow up so fast!), and school just likes to mess with me. Not to mention, Genshin Impact is finally available...! Like I said in Overdrive's latest chapter, I plan on making a consecutive update for this story as well, so rejoice!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!
- In response to Zeromk7's review:
"Um, I'm not sure which 'Invoked' Monster you're talking about, but no, Demiurge isn't one nor is he a reference to one. Vince won't use Invokeds because they don't fit into his deck, but I'll see if I can do something about the role."
- In response to FairyTailNut's review:
"Somebody already suggested that during IANW's old days, so it might appear."
- In response to Kenrio's review:
"Well, I thought it wouldn't be a problem for Vince to lose that Duel, seeing how many wins he'll get later on (one of which will be against Yuya, to settle the score) and Yuya kinda needed that win to grow into a stronger Duelist. But above all that is the fact Vince showed care for his Monsters, which in turn will strengthen their bonds."
[Using Anime/Manga Effects.]
Sakushi Vincent's POV
Something...weird...was happening to me.
I recognized the world around me, but at the same time, I didn't. I was in control of my body, but at the same time, I wasn't. My emotions were heightened, and while they were familiar to me, they also didn't belong to me. Some things were lost, unfazed of turning forlorn, and others were engraved into my memory, scared of being forgotten. It felt like someone was manipulating me...and that someone was my own mind.
It felt like I was in a dream.
I found myself on a wasteland, standing behind a crying dog-headed man. The sun was present, too, there in the distance, illuminating all creation with its light. But I could feel something was wrong: the sun wasn't moving; it was unable to complete its journey to the west; it was frozen in time. The man didn't perceive my presence, and continued to weep, giving the idea he knew what caused the abnormality in the giant star.
"Forgive...me...!" the man cried out between whines. He was on all fours, with his head bowed to the sun in shame. The sun, as expected, remained silent, like an angry parent who refused to acknowledge their son's excuses. And this silence hurt more than words. "Please...forgive...me...!"
Regret was eating away the man's heart. He had simply acted out of impulse and now he regretted it. Why didn't I sacrifice myself like my brothers and sisters, he was continuously asking himself.
I...wanted to comfort him. To tell him that, sometimes, we do make mistakes, but we should learn from them and not let them drag us down. It sounded cliché, but that's all I had; I was never good with words. But I couldn't speak or move. No matter how hard I tried, I was frozen like the sun.
The man couldn't take it anymore. He raised his head to let loose of heartbroken howl, and his regret started suffocating me. My body must have realized it was in danger and actually did something: my hands went to my ears and my eyes closed, and slowly but surely, the sound of howling melted away into silence.
When I opened my eyes, I was staring at the back of a woman. We were inside a large cave, with no entrance in sight, and it was cold. Very cold; I could see the air I was breathing. But the woman was unfazed by that and by my presence, and instead, she continued to preserve over her realm.
She was a kind queen; even if she didn't understand humans and mocked them, deep down, she also loved them. That's why she wanted to provide them a comfortable resting place for when they die and her realm becomes their new, eternal home. But in truth...she also hated this position. Did she choose to become this realm's queen? No. She was isolated down here by the other gods, forced to preserve over it for eternity.
She fulfills her duty without complaint out of love for humanity but yearns to be free one day, to leave her domain and discover with her own two eyes the beauties of the upper world and heaven. However...sadness crushed her heart each time these thoughts crossed her mind. After all, she was forbidden to leave her domain. She could never leave this place.
I...wanted to comfort her, too. To tell her of all the things that make the world amazing and beautiful, to take her hand into mine and show her the way to the outside. And if there wasn't one, then we would create it. But I couldn't. I was left to watch her tightened the grip on the deformed spear she held, crestfallen. That brought tears to my eyes.
"Why!?"
The sudden shout of a man startled me, and I turned around. This time, I was standing at the entrance of an old temple, and it was night. Some candles were faintly illuminating the inside of the temple, and there in the dark, I could barely see the man. He had the appearance of an anthropomorphic jackal and radiated raw power and strong leadership. But at the moment, he was also furious.
"Why!?" he shouted while clutching his head. His anger was directed towards his kin and their foolish beliefs, but more so towards his own brother. "Rightful king my ass! Can't anybody else see he'll only lead Egypt to ruin!? Why him!? Why not me!? I, who guards the great Ra from Apophis as Mesektet sails through The Secret Cavern, am more fit to claim the throne of Egypt!"
He felt betrayed. All he wanted was to become a king. For his entire life, that's what he strived to be. And they knew! So why were they smearing mud all over his achievements and his hard work? Why did they neglect his only wish? He wanted an answer. This has to be some sort of mistake, he reasoned with himself.
He...it's just that...he was so tired. It's true he wished to be a king and lead the masses to a better future, but what he really desired...was for his kin to acknowledge him. Just a simple "You've done a good job." would've been enough! Just a god who would look at him as an equal, as a friend, and not as a villain or an oppressive force.
I...wanted to comfort him as well...! To tell him that, even if I wasn't a god, I would accept him, I would gladly call him a friend, and I would praise his hard work until my throat would hurt. But I couldn't. Why...was I so powerless? Did my mind take pleasure in torturing itself?
This has to stop, I thought as my eyes closed on their own. I've had enough. But no matter how much I begged my mind, I wouldn't wake up. Was this a nightmare? I don't know. The things I was seeing, thinking, and feeling didn't belong to me, I was sure of it, but at the same time, they did. It felt like I—
"Sir?"
I finally woke up as I heard an unknown voice call out to me. My vision was blurry and my head hurt like Hell. Where am I...? I sat up with a groan while wiping away the tears from my eyes with a hand, trying to get a hold on to my surroundings.
"You were crying and murmuring in your sleep," the person slowly explained. She was a young woman with fair skin, short and messy red and orange hair, and gray eyes, wearing a doctor uniform. Her eyes were currently fixated on me, narrowed in concern.
Right, I'm in ARC-V... I thought upon seeing her. I was in a hospital by the look of things, in one of the many beds present in this room. My shoes were at the side of the bed, in front of a nightstand on which my Duel Disk was perched. The doctor and I were the only ones in here.
"U-Um," I started once I returned her gaze. "W-What happened to me?" I was Dueling The Hitwoman...then she brought out a dangerous Fusion Monster...Ulti-Gaiapelio! Right, right, that was the one. I started panicking and...everything went black. I don't remember anything from there. Did she...spare me? That's the only logical answer I could think of, even though she didn't look like the type of person to sympathize with her foes.
"Yesterday night, a group of Leo Duel School members has found you unconscious on the street." she stated. "You had no serious injuries, so you must have passed out from exhaustion. What were you doing out so late?"
"Oh, I uh..." so she didn't know about The Hitwoman, huh? I...should leave it like that. She could freak out at knowing there's a girl loose in Maiami City who can inflict real damage through a children's card game. "I got lost...and I panicked."
"That must be the reason why you passed out." the doctor reasoned. Her gaze turned to one of exasperation. "Please, next time choose a path you're more accustomed with. You were lucky nothing bad has happened to you."
"Y-Yes." I agreed with a nod, not wanting to anger her further.
She nodded herself, and her expression turned worried again. "How are you feeling?"
"Um, it doesn't hurt anywhere." I said while stretching my arms a little. I smiled at her. "I'm fine, thank you."
"...Would you like to talk about that dream?" she asked after a short pause.
"Ah..." was all I could say, and I glanced at my Duel Disk. The three gods I saw...they were right there, in my Extra Deck. "N-No." I weakly shook my head and looked back at her. "It was...a really weird dream. I...want to collect my thoughts, first."
And I didn't have a choice either. They're some of my strongest Monsters and I will continue using them without a shadow of a doubt; I won't abandon them after everything I saw and felt... I won't let a dream get the better of me.
"I understand." the doctor smiled. "LDS has requested us to contact them when you regain consciousness and to inform you to wait for them in the lobby. They probably want to talk, make sure you're OK and all that."
"O-Oh..." that made sense. Speaking of Duel Schools, You Show must be seriously worried about me. I have to let them know I'm OK. "I understand."
"The lobby's down to the right, you won't miss it." she bowed. "Have a nice day."
"You, too...uhh..."
"Clarissa Turner." she chuckled. I blinked twice at that.
"You aren't Japanese?" I asked curiously.
"No." her smile widened as she spoke in English. "I'm from the UK." she went back to Japanese after that. "If you'll excuse me."
Clarissa vanished into the corridor, leaving me alone. So I have some free time before LDS shows up, huh...
I should call You Show. I thought while sliding my legs off the bed and putting on my black shoes. But I recalled my dream when I grabbed my Duel Disk, and I stopped. The three gods that appeared in it were Xolotl, Ereshkigal, and Seth, which was pretty easy to figure out if you put two and two together. But...damn.
I shivered at the simple thought of the emotions I've felt during the dream. It's always easy to guess how one is feeling when they're at their lowest, but to actually feel it is like being sent to a completely different universe—and I know how that feels from personal experience! And what made the dream much worse is that I wanted to help them, but I could only watch on powerlessly.
Xolotl's regret, Ereshkigal's sadness, and Seth's fleeting wish... Did my mind make it all up? Or was it something real, something which was lost in time? Did I obtain the ability to—
"What can you be daydreaming about at a time like this?" a grumpy voice interrupted my thoughts, causing me to gasp rather loudly. I glanced around and didn't see anyone, so...
"I did obtain the ability to interact with Duel Spirits...!" I whispered with an excited tone, remembering at the last second to keep my voice down as I was in a hospital, while staring at my Duel Disk intensively.
Turn 6:
A Connection
I've been in love with the concept of Duel Spirits ever since it was introduced, and I fantasized once or twice how it would feel to speak or work with them whilst I was making my custom deck in the real world. But to think I would actually get the chance to talk with them...! After bad luck comes good fortune, eh? Wait, how come only now I found out about this?
"Don't confuse me with them, mortal." the male voice from before barked out in irritation, but his next words were filled with pride. "I am Demiurge, and you may only address me as such! Don't forget it."
"Demiurge...?" I blinked twice in confusion. But I don't have a Monster called 'Demiurge'...which means I didn't unlock the ability to interact with Duel Spirits, bummer...and why could I hear a random voice in my head? WAIT! "Are you the voice that suggested me to use Huldra's Pendulum Effect during my Duel with Yuya, Sora, and Gongenzaka?"
"The one and only." Demiurge boasted. "Feel free to praise me, you needn't be shy."
"Uh-huh..." I muttered, the gears in my head turning like mad. "When I...activated Book of Myths in the aforementioned Duel, my voice sounded irritated when I declared which Monsters I wanted to add to my hand. Are you the reason why that happened...Demiurge-san?"
He sounded very pleased with that honorific suffix, "Yes. You were being too slow for my tastes and I accidentally let my emotion slip out." I waited for an apology, but it never came, making me sweatdrop. Somebody's awfully full of themselves, like a certain Xyz user whose name started with an H...
No, wait! I quickly added, thinking Demiurge could hear me and that I've just invoked his wrath. That luckily didn't happen, making me realize with relief he couldn't hear my thoughts. But then I realized something else. "Oh, Hell no..." I whispered with a facepalm. "Did you see...that?"
"See what?"
"You know...Fusion Summon...mirror." I really hoped he hadn't seen that.
"What are you...? Oh. Oooh, that!? Hahahahahaha!" sigh, no such luck... "When you role played in front of the mirror, saying 'Fusion Summon' and clasping your hands together!? Oh, yes, I saw that."
"Great...!" my face must be beet red by now.
"That was truly priceless." Demiurge snorted. "A part of me regretted my decision of turning you into my vessel, but the other one was thoroughly amused. Consider the fact I defeated The Hitwoman in your stead a payment for ridiculing yourself before me."
"You took over the Duel? And won?" my eyes widened. So that's what happened! "How did you manage to do that?"
"I baited her into activating Ulti-Gaiapelio's effect so I could use Courageous Argonautai to negate its activation and destroy it," Demiurge explained. "That beast and rider- and their user and her other servants- all paled before my might. It was a walk in the park for me; I am a god after all."
I frowned in confusion. "But...Ulti-Gaiapelio's effect isn't a once per turn effect...and she had six cards in her hand, right? Why didn't she negate Courageous Argonautai?"
"...Are you stupid?" Demiurge said after a short silence. "Only Counter Traps can be activated in response to other Counter Traps."
"...Fffffffffudge." I ran a hand through my hair in disbelief. It's official: I'm an idiot. How could I forget something so simple in such a situation!? But maybe...that's exactly why I forgot about it, because of the stakes. I didn't know what would've happened to me if I lost, but knowing Yu-Gi-Oh's usual trend, I'm pretty sure that was a life-or-death Duel, something that scared the Hell out of me. I can be brave, but just to a certain amount.
Demiurge let out a long sigh. "Moving on," he said, failing to hide his disappointment, which caused me to rub the back of my neck with an embarrassed smile, not wanting to anger him. "I took the wheel when you started panicking, sparing us another shameful defeat."
"Another?" I knitted my eyebrows but cursed inwardly when I realized I had raised my voice. Thank the gods no one heard me from the corridor. I whispered again, "All my defeats helped others—"
"Yes, shameful, that's what I said." Demiurge cut me off, prompting me to pout. How obnoxious... "Taking control of a vessel's body for the first time is always a delicate procedure, as it requires more energy to operate and makes the vessel faint. However, you may put your mind at ease: you won't pass out again if I'll have to steal the spotlight."
"I see..." I said with a slow nod. I suppose that's good to know in case we'll ever find ourselves in a pinch.
"Going back to the Duel, I replaced some of my draws with cards of my own deck and slipped two of my god subjects into your Extra Deck via my divine powers, giving me the right instruments to achieve victory. The cards I replaced returned to normal after the Duel, but while you were asleep, I added them and several others to your collection."
True to his words, new Monsters inhabited my deck and Extra Deck! "W-Woah, thanks." I beamed with a big smile. With these cards, I should be strong enough to defeat anyone, including Daphne and Reiji!
...Heh, that's actually a bit of a stretch; Demiurge might stand above them- he's even a god,- but I'm a different story. Although, with some training...I could reach them, and then Demiurge, too.
"You saved my life so I'm not complaining...but," I gave my new cards a flat stare. "Wasn't that cheating?"
"Bah! Nonsense." Demiurge rebuked. "Humans are simply unaccustomed with how we, gods, Duel. But from here on out, I want to see only positive results, boy; the more victories you pile, the stronger the Monsters I can summon for you."
"So I just have to win, huh...?" I narrowed my eyes. "Sorry for all these questions, but I'm very intrigued... How do you know how to Duel? Do gods have a Duel Monsters night instead of a poker night?"
"No, we don't." Demiurge replied with an unamused tone. "I learned how to Duel pretty recently, to be honest. Ah, those were good times—..."
"What's wrong...?" why did he stop so abruptly?
"He's close." Demiurge hissed out. "Akaba Reiji. I can sense those Different Dimension Daemons of his all the way from here!"
The CEO of LDS wanted to personally speak with me? That's...rather suspicious: why would he come? I thought the people who found me were going to swing by, not Reiji. Didn't he have anything better to do, being a CEO and all that? Maybe...he wants to keep a close eye on me, due to the questions surrounding my Pendulum Cards? Or...he's going to share some juicy plot-related information with me!?
Whatever the case, I should head to the lobby; better not keep him waiting. Following Clarissa's instructions, I headed to the lobby and kept my eyes peeled for the D/D user, but I frowned in confusion when I didn't see him anywhere. I was about to address Demiurge when a familiar face approached me.
"Excuse me," a tall man wearing blue-lensed glasses and a business suit called out. "You are Sakushi Vincent, yes?"
"Yes, that's me." I confirmed his words with a nod. "I know you... During the tiebreaker between You Show Duel School and LDS, you appeared and told Reiji something privately, causing him to surrender and LDS to leave."
"That's right." the man nodded. "I'm Nakajima. Please, follow me; the President is waiting for you."
He didn't say a word after that and just lead me to a limousine that was parked in front of the hospital. Some people gave us curious glances, but we paid them no mind; I had better things to focus on, and Nakajima was probably used to it by now. I thanked him when he opened the backseat door for me, allowing me to get in and find myself face-to-face with Akaba Reiji.
"Good morning." the bespectacled youth greeted me with his usual straight face. "We came as soon as the hospital updated us on your condition. How are you feeling?"
"Well..." I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat for a second. "This is my first time in a limo, so I'm a little excited, to be honest."
"I see. I'm glad to know you're fine." Reiji said as Nakajima got into the driver's seat. He then nodded in his direction, and the man started up the engine and we left the hospital. Um...
"Where is he taking us?" Demiurge voiced my thoughts.
Reiji must have noticed my confusion because he spoke up.
"Don't worry, Sakushi. This conversation contains very delicate information we don't want to leak yet, hence why we'll be going for a little ride. I hope you have no objections," his eyes suddenly narrowed. "Although, I'm fairly sure you have none. You want to know what's happening inside of Maiami City, right?"
"Y-Yeah..." I slowly nodded, taken aback by his gaze. "I'm guessing everything we'll talk about must remain between us."
"Of course." Reiji nodded himself. "I trust you enough to relay you this information. However, before we begin, I believe an apology from me is in order. I never thought you'd have to learn what I'm about to tell you under these circumstances. For that, I'm sorry."
"He's apologizing?" Demiurge scoffed. "What an idiot."
"These circumstances...?" I ignored him and parroted Reiji's words. "You mean...you saw..."
"I did." Reiji confirmed my thoughts. "I saw your Duel against The Hitwoman through nearby security cameras. You Dueled splendidly, and I'm relieved you were able to emerge victoriously."
"T-Thank you." I quickly said while scratching the back of my neck with an awkward smile.
"Oi, don't let his kind words distract you, boy!" Demiurge snapped at me. "He saw your Duel, right? Then why didn't reinforcements arrive sooner?"
...He...had a point. Why did they show up only after the Duel, and why was he watching it in the first place?
"Um, Akaba-san—"
"Just Reiji will do." he pointed out. "We'll be comrades in arms from here on out, so feel free to simply call me Reiji."
"In that case, Reiji," I went on, equipping my best poker face to look cool and hit home. "Am I right in saying you waited for the Duel to conclude to send help so you could get a closer look at my strength?"
There was a short silence...before Reiji's lips formed a ghost of a smile.
"You're more vigilant than I originally thought. Not bad." the CEO of LDS admitted. "You'll need that for the battles to come."
"That's what you get, four-eyed human." Demiurge proudly chuckled. "You can't deceive me."
"Well, it was just a gut instinct." I smiled at both of their words.
"I see." Reiji said while pushing up his spectacles. "This may sound contradictory, but I'm glad you were targeted by The Hitwoman."
"Eh?" Demiurge and I said in unison.
"You're strong and kind, not to mention the only person aside from Sakaki Yuya to possess original Pendulum Cards," Reiji explained. "Also...you displayed an uncharacteristically high-level of ruthlessness near that Duel's climax, almost as if you became a totally different person. How did you obtain your Pendulum Cards? And who's this 'Demiurge' you became during that Duel?"
"I-I...!" was I right in thinking I was suddenly being targeted? Not that it was senseless; he's intrigued and suspicious of me. "Somebody gave me the Mythorror deck before I came to Maiami City. On the day of my departure, I found it at my front door..."
"Somebody else gave them to you...?" Reiji's eyebrows furrowed. "This entire Pendulum ordeal is more complicated than I thought... And regarding the other matter?"
"That..." c'mon, wasn't I an Entertainment Duelist and storyteller? Making up something like this should be child's play. I faked a pained expression and said, "You're the first person I tell this... I have...Dissociative identity disorder."
"Hoh?" Demiurge sounded amused. "It seems you can decently hold your ground as a liar. Well, that's to be expected of a crude being like a human. Although, the idea of being related to one doesn't appeal to me at all."
Would it kill you to keep some thoughts to yourself, I thought with an internal sigh. How does he expect me to endure him if he complains all the time?
"Ah..." Reiji said, not dropping his poker face. "I'm sorry for intruding."
"N-No, it's only obvious you would question it." I reassured him with a kind smile.
"Wait, he actually brought that...?" Demiurge scoffed. He had a point there; for all we know, Reiji's still suspicious of me but he decided to roll with what I've said. "If he did, then he's a huge idiot."
"With that out of the way, let's address what's happening inside of Maiami City." Reiji stated. "It all started...with my father, Akaba Leo."
"Your father?" I whispered in surprise. His family's involved in this?
"Akaba...Leo." Demiurge ominously added.
"Yes." Reiji nodded. "He was the former CEO of Leo Corporation and Leo Duel School. Three years ago, he began immersed in research for no reason and ignored mom and me; he would never tell us what he was researching, and he worked day and night on a secret project. Then, one day...he vanished."
"Like Yuya's father..." I thought out loud.
Reiji continued after adjusting his spectacles, "Since then, mom changed. I could not forgive Leo for hurting her, so I decided I was going to find out what he was doing and punish him. It took me many days and hours, but I managed to find a lead: it was a strange device in his lab. I activated it, and it took me to an unknown place."
His eyes narrowed in anger, "There, I met Leo, but he immediately sent me back, ignoring my questions. But even in that short amount of time, I learned I had traveled to a completely different dimension."
"Dimension...!?" my eyes widened in shock. I was sent to a different universe, Reiji to a different dimension...I guess this was ARC-V's theme.
"Apparently, four dimensions exist." wait, four!? Not just two? "The one we're in is called Standard. The one my father went to is the Fusion Dimension. Then there's also Synchro and Xyz."
"They're each named after a Summoning Method?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Each dimension's Duelists have access to only one of those Summoning Methods, except Standard which has all of them." Reiji said as we stopped at a traffic light. Of course, this is Yu-Gi-Oh, everything has to be related to it.
"Oh...but...using that logic, shouldn't there be a Ritual Dimension?"
"I thought that myself, but it seems that isn't the case. Ritual Summoning is exclusive to this dimension," Reiji explained. "We could technically consider this the Ritual Dimension if we didn't have access to all the Summoning Methods."
"I guess you have a point there..." I muttered with a shrug as the limo got into motion again.
"I also discovered Leo was trying to start a war of aggression based in Academia, a school that trains 'Duel Soldiers'."
"A war!?" I gasped while Demiurge whistled in surprise. We went from zero to a hundred real quick!
"That's right." Reiji nodded. He then adjusted his glasses and continued, "The girl you fought was one of those Duel Soldiers. After some further investigation on the scant amount of research my father left behind, I reached a conclusion: he wants to control the four dimensions through Dueling. I removed Leo from his position and became the president of Leo Corporation so that I can stop his ambition."
"I-I see..." I muttered while clenching my fists. The thought of an army of Duelists as strong as The Hitwoman invading this dimension made me shuffle uncomfortably in my seat. I was able to win thanks to a god who technically cheated. Not all Duelists in this dimension have that kind of plot armor! Not to mention, civilians could be hurt as well since their Monsters can obtain mass even outside of an Action Duel...!
"If the Fusion Dimension would attack, it would be a massacre." Demiurge snorted.
I nodded in agreement. "Reiji, do you have an idea when this war will start...?"
"It has already started." the D/D user stated as a matter of fact.
"Eh!? But then—"
"Not here." Reiji quickly added, prompting me to stare at him in confusion. He scowled before saying, "The Xyz Dimension was the first to be attacked."
"The Xyz Dimension was..." then things started clicking together. "If a war has started, that explains why The Hitwoman, Yuto, and Shun speak of it so casually. Wait...Yuto is an Xyz user and hates Fusion for some reason...so him, Shun, and the Ruri they speak of are all from the Xyz Dimension!"
"It's as you guessed." Reiji confirmed my words. "They're Duelists whose skills were polished in actual combat, against the Fusion Dimension's soldiers. The Hitwoman, and all of Academia's Duelists, can inflict real damage outside of an Action Duel because my father recreated our Solid Vision system and added it to their Duel Disks. Those from the Xyz Dimension can do the same because, more than probably, they stole an enemy Duel Disk and copied the system."
"That explains how they can do that." I pointed out with a nod, but then I frowned. "But...why did The Hitwoman attack me? She continued saying I was a Defector and I've defied Academia, but in truth, that was the first time I've ever heard of it..."
"That, I don't know." Reiji admitted with a shake of his head. "If I had to guess...they simply mistook you for somebody who had fled Academia and came here. Leo knows I'm his enemy, so the thought of you allying with me must have forced him to act."
"I've risked my life for such a stupid mistake...!" I pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Just my luck!
"I know all this is hard to take it, that it all seems far away from you." hoho, believe me, Reiji, this is just the tip of the iceberg for me. "But the people you love will be in dire peril. I would like for you to help me defeat my father, Sakushi."
"I refuse." Demiurge didn't miss a beat. "I won't cooperate with a human who wields the Different Dimension Daemons!"
That's easy for you to say, being a god that's good at Dueling and can get away with cheating! I don't want my new friends to go through what I did during my Duel against The Hitwoman, much less lose and get kidnapped like Ruri or get killed. Moreover, I have to survive this interdimensional war if I want to return to my universe, and Reiji could provide us the necessary back up to save our necks and defeat Leo—his father.
"Just Vince is fine." I told him with a smile. "Make good use of my strength, Reiji."
"Oi!" Demiurge burst out. "I said—"
"I'll have to talk with Demiurge, though." I quickly added to calm the said god, who scoffed in return but remained silent, although I could sense his anger inside of me.
"I'm glad to hear that, thank you." Reiji gave a little smile and offered me his hand. I shook it, and he then handed me his Duel Disk. "I'll contact you should the need arise."
"Of course." I nodded and wrote my number into his Duel Disk. He then did the same with my Duel Disk and I saved him as 'Reiji'. "Thanks."
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to end this here." Reiji told me. "There are other things I have to take care of, and I'm on a tight schedule."
"That's what comes with being a CEO, I presume." I jokingly said, and he nodded.
"Would you like for us to take you to You Show Duel School?"
"Ah, no, here's fine. I want to talk with Demiurge, first." I pointed out, but then I remembered something, causing me to facepalm. "Dammit...! I forgot to call You Show. They must be worried sick about me..."
"Regarding that," Reiji spoke up before adjusting his spectacles. "I personally told the members of You Show what had happened- of course, that you passed out from exhaustion- and that you weren't hurt. They were hell-bent on coming to the hospital to meet you, but I let them know I wanted to talk with you in private."
"Thank you!" I sighed in relief. The limo stopped at the side of the road at that, and I got out.
"Don't drop your guard." Reiji added.
"I won't." I reassured him. "Goodbye, Reiji, Nakajima."
The two bid me farewell as well and the limo departed right after I closed the door.
"Why do you hate his 'D/D/D' Monsters?" I addressed the god inside of me when I made sure I was alone.
"They were my enemies in a war, which took place a very long time ago." Demiurge stated, followed by a scoff. "I didn't expect them to become Duel Monsters, much less bend their knees to somebody. They value their pride too much for those types of things."
"A war?" I inquired in surprise. I had a feeling this will be a long discussion, so I started walking towards a park that was right next to where I got out.
"It earned the name 'Great War' when it concluded," Demiurge explained. "It involved humans and supernatural forces alike, amongst which were the Different Dimension Daemons, me and my troops, and the Ritual Beast tribe I defeated yesterday."
"Even the Ritual Beasts?" I parroted in a low voice. I resumed speaking after walking past three kids followed by their mothers. "I felt that bizarre feeling of acquaintanceship and hatred when I saw The Hitwoman's Monsters...so that was you." Demiurge hummed in confirmation. "Why was...the war waged?"
"A secret love affair between my father and a goddess came to light, and my mother killed them." Demiurge said with an annoyed sigh. "The other gods weren't too happy about it and you can guess what happened after that."
"Oh..." the Ritual Beast Monsters weren't evil according to their lore, so I was trying to make sure Demiurge wasn't evil or something either, but I didn't expect that answer. "I'm...sorry."
"Apologizing makes you look weak, idiot." he scolded me, but his words didn't harbor any negativity. "I was never fond of that man to begin with."
I sat down at a bench and cleared my throat, "How about this?" I started. "You can think of Reiji and his D/D/Ds as stepping stones to achieve something you want for when this interdimensional war will be over. I personally won't; I still regret thinking of Yuya and Yuzu like that when I first met them, so I won't make the same mistake with Reiji."
"So they help me instead, huh? Hmm..." Demiurge pondered. "Well...if you put it like that... It would wound their pride and make this alliance somewhat acceptable. Very well, I accept your suggestion. But." he immediately intoned. "I won't stop treating them as my enemies."
"I figured you'd say that..." I admitted with a low chuckle. I think I'm starting to understand the type of person—uh, god he is. Well, for starters, he wasn't the Demiurge you hear of in the Gnostic mythos. "And while we're on this topic, why did I feel a similar emotion when I first saw Yuzu and the notes in my Duel Disk? And Yuya and Yuto as well sans hatred?"
"Ah, that..." Demiurge remarked. "The way those notes were written and those kids reminded me of people I've known in the past, and I started reminiscing. That Yuzu girl and the one who wrote those notes are suspicious to me, though."
"Suspicious? Of Yuzu?" my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. But she's such a kind and stalwart person... "I understand the latter because they're surrounded by question marks, but why Yuzu?"
"Using your words, I'd say it was just a gut instinct." he answered. "Only time will tell if I was correct or not."
"Like many other things..." I rubbed my face with a sigh. "Can we continue the conversation from before?"
"So curious." Demiurge smugly chuckled, surely prompting me to sweatdrop. "What else do you wish to know about the great me?"
"Well...you said you chose me as your vessel. Why? And why exactly me...?"
"As much as it pains me to say it, the Great War hadn't ended in our favor and my mother and I were forced to hide in the shadows along with our troops. I lost a lot of my strength and my life was slowly snuffing out, but that's when I found you. A vessel with great potential! You'll surely help me survive."
"I see... You've entered my body to avoid death." I summarized. "But how did you find me? If you saw the notes, you should know I'm not from this universe."
"Right when you appeared, I've sensed you." Demiurge said. "You should be grateful, human. Your power was like a magnet! You're lucky I found you and not a troublesome god."
Oi, don't make it sound like you didn't come with your own share of problems...!
"I don't want to sound rude- especially to somebody who saved me- but," I warily started after calming down. "How do I know you aren't one of those troublesome gods?"
"You question my royalty, boy?" the god asked in a dangerous tone.
"W-Well, earlier, you told me not to let someone's kind words distract you me!" I quickly explained. You can't just simply trust anybody and call it day, that's how you get in trouble! "I want to cover all the bases, y'know?"
"Humph, what impudence!" he snapped, causing me to flinch. Great, this was the last thing I needed. "...But it can't be helped." I blinked at his suddenly calm words. "I was the one to teach you that after all! Heh, as always, my teachings lead fools to the right path! How about this? Let us form a contract."
"A contract?" I echoed, relieved I could have a leverage against him.
"Yes. You see, once I regain the strength I lost, I can leave your body. Therefore, if you keep being my vessel until that day comes, I won't lie to you or try to jeopardize your journey. How does that sound?"
"Perfect, that's exactly what we'd need..." I reasoned, although I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. That sounded a little too perfect to be true... "What made you change ideas so easily?"
"While your impudence is unacceptable, it is also warranted." Demiurge pointed out. "Bickering among ourselves will lead us nowhere, which makes this contract our best course of action. We must keep moving forward to achieve our goals, and that's exactly what we'll do."
THUMP THUMP
A strong sense of vertigo overtook me, causing me to grip the bench so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Thank the gods I was sitting- or else I would've fallen face-first on the ground- and that I didn't throw up.
"What...the Hell was that...?" I breathed out, wiping away the sweat which formed on my forehead.
"We've successfully formed a contract." Demiurge proclaimed.
"You could've warned me..." I whispered with a desperate sigh. At least I had proof that really happened...while it won't make falling asleep easier, it's better than nothing. And with that out of the way, what's next is to take my first step forward, eh? Demiurge saved me this time, but I need to become stronger. Compeared to The Hitwoman, I was nothing.
"But I'll change that...!" I declared while standing up and punching my palm with my other hand. "There's still a week until the Junior Youth Championship. I'll make sure to become stronger so that I can protect You Show...and this dimension. And after that..."
"We'll go for Akaba Leo's head." Demiurge concluded with sudden fervor, making it obvious he was grinning, and I nodded in agreement. The die has been cast—
Our excitement was short-lived as a person suddenly ran past me, and I followed them with my gaze in confusion. They had jumped behind a bush and looked in the direction they came from, causing our eyes to lock: he was a male youth of the same age as Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka and had short, messy, black hair and a gray and red left and right eye respectively.
He covered his mouth with an index finger and disappeared behind the bush. What the...?
"MANEK-KUN~!" several voices shouted, and I gasped when a group of girls- ranging from fourteen to forty years- ran up to me. I immediately noticed they were all wearing the same plain white t-shirt with the face of the youth behind the bush, Manek I suppose, on its torso.
"Sorry!" a woman of the group addressed me, and everyone intensively turned at me, causing me to sweatdrop. "Have you seen Manek-kun!?"
"We're sure he ran this way!" a much younger girl energetically added. Was this...a fan club? Was this why Manek made that 'shh' gesture?
"Y-Yes, I did..." I nodded and pointed to the side. "He went that way." I said with a straight face.
The girls nodded in unison and took off, leaving the park whilst shouting another round of 'MANEK-KUN~'. Half of Manek's head slowly peeked out to examine his surroundings, and after seeing there wasn't a screaming fangirl around, he fully emerged from his hiding place with a tired sigh.
"Honestly, when you said yes, I was about to jump out and punch you in the face." he jokingly said while approaching me. As he wasn't hiding anymore, I could see he was wearing a dark purple jacket over a green shirt, dark blue jeans, and dark yellow sneakers. "You have a good poker face, let me tell you that."
He flashed me a smile when he reached me, "Manek Wierrd. Thanks for helping me out."
"The name's Sakushi Vince." I smiled back. "And there's no need to thank me. But...who were those girls?"
"My fangirls..." Manek sighed again and confirmed my theory from before. "They have started becoming really annoying in these past days, following me everywhere..."
"Oh." I tilted my head a little. "You must be famous, then."
"Well...yeah..." Manek blinked in confusion. "You...haven't heard of me before?"
"No..." of course I didn't. The only thing I stumbled upon by pure chance while researching my cards' lores was a recent article about LDS and Reiji and Himika.
"Finally, someone who doesn't know who I am." Manek let out a sigh of relief while looking up at the sky, confusing me. He lowered his head, and I could see his eyes were gleaming with glee. "You see, I'm a famous actor, commonly known as 'Manek the Actor' instead of 'Manek the person'."
"People only like you when you're on stage." I realized as my eyes widened, unsure of what to say next. "That's...harsh."
"Yep." Manek sighed again. "Despite being the top student of my Duel School..." he raised his hands and closed his eyes, and then he shrugged. "I have more fan mails than Duel requests."
"You're also part of a Duel School?" I wondered out loud. "And the top student at that... You must be really talented."
"Believe it or not, Akaba Reiji gave me clearance to participate in the Junior Youth Championship." Reiji himself!? Scrap what I said: this guy's talented for sure! Manek rubbed his chin with a frown, "However, I don't Duel often. The last duel I had was...I think it was a month ago...?"
"A month ago!?" I cried out in surprise. "W-Well...if you want, I could Duel you. I'm free at the moment."
"Sure." Manek's smile returned. "Why not? Let's do it at my Duel School. I think we can agree it is in our best interest to Duel somewhere a fan club can't appear out of the blue and ruin everything."
"Yeah." I nodded and followed him.
"Weren't you supposed to head back to that silly Duel School of yours?" Demiurge reminded me. "Did you take pity on this human and challenged him?"
I nodded to his words. Damn, he's really good at reading people... Manek's soul as a Duelist must be itching for a Duel and I want to get stronger; both of us would benefit from this. I'm also unaccustomed to his deck, so this would be a breath of fresh air. And I didn't have to worry about You Show since Reiji informed them I was alright and we're having a chat in private; maybe I'll tell them I met Manek on the way back to school.
It didn't take long to arrive at our destination. His Duel School was called "Cinema Duel School", and as its name suggested, it was a mix of a film and Duel school. Manek lead me to the back, and we walked past a few movie sets were groups of students and teachers were busily working before reaching a Duel arena that was identical to You Show's. This school was huge...mine paled in comparison.
"By the way," Manek spoke up as he prepared the Action Field on a tablet. "What's your favorite kind of video game? RPG, Adventure, Racing, what kind?"
"Hmm...RPG." I replied after a couple of seconds. "Why the question?"
Manek just grinned. A device suddenly emerged from the ground beside my opponent and he placed the tablet on it, perfectly fitting into the hole that was carved on its top. The device went back underground.
"This is why." Manek finally revealed as several holograms of bizarre video game cartridges appeared in front of him, each with a different name. He grabbed one of them, causing the rest to disappear.
[Taddle Quest!] an announcer's voice declared before the entire arena started glowing. Numerous treasure chests appeared next, hovering above Manek in a circle.
"Henshin!" the actor/Duelist threw the cartridge into the air, which exploded into colorful particles. The arena then turned into an endless grassy field with a blue sky and a large cloud off to one side that was carrying an old-fashioned castle. The treasure chests also scattered about.
"Whoa..." I whispered in bewilderment as I stared at the field. "That activation animation was very unique...and cool."
"Glad you liked it." Manek chuckled as he equipped his Duel Disk, and I did the same.
"If it's alright with you, can we make this to a practice Duel?" Manek nodded, and we did just that.
"Before I forget," Demiurge quickly stepped in. "During yesterday's Duel, I discovered that Pendulum Monsters are apparently sent to the Graveyard instead of the Extra Deck when they're detached from an Xyz Monster. Bare that in mind when you use Xyz."
"I understand." I thanked him with a nod. Just how many particular quirks do Pendulum Monsters have...?
"Let's start!" Manek exclaimed. "Duelists locked in battle!"
"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" I continued.
"They storm through this field!" Manek shouted. "Behold!"
"This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" I grinned in excitement. "Action...!"
"DUEL!" we declared in unison, and Action Cards scattered around the field.
Manek: LP 4000
VS
Vince: LP 4000
"That chant is such a useless recitement." Demiurge sighed in exasperation. That's what I thought at first, too, but once you get used to it, it actually isn't that bad.
"You can have the first move." Manek said with a voice filled with confidence.
"Then here I come." I smirked. "Boku no turn! I summon Mythorror Nokk!"
The humanoid Monster covered from head to toe in wet green and brown seaweed with a tiny, light blue glow radiating from where its eyes should be appeared on my field.
Mythorror Nokk: Tuner / ATK 1500 / DEF 0 / LV: 4 / SC: 2
But instead of giving a mindless moan as it did during my Duel with Sora and Yuto, it talked.
"Just how many times will I be forced back to the surface, I wonder...?" it wondered with a raspy male voice.
"E-Eh!?" I murmured in shock so Manek wouldn't hear me. "This means...I can interact with Duel Spirits!"
"You can?" Demiurge sounded surprised as well. "Is this some kind of collateral effect I caused by taking control of your body...? But back then it didn't... How...unexpected." if that's the case, thank you!
"If you can hear me, then that's great." Nokk addressed me. "Can I leave? I miss my lake."
"Eh...?" but you just entered the stage! And you already want to call it quits!? I didn't expect my first conversation with a Duel Spirit to be like this. "I-I need your help for now, Nokk... When this Duel ends, I promise you can go back to rest."
"Don't forget that promise." Nokk warned me, clearly unsatisfied with my response.
"I won't." I muttered with a sweatdrop. "When Nokk is Normal Summoned successfully, I can use his effect to add a different 'Mythorror' Monster from my Deck to my hand. It will be Mythorror Tindalos!"
Nokk cleared its—his throat and sang a note with an angelic voice, causing a card to eject from my deck.
"Hoh? I didn't think he could sing." Manek remarked, earning a glare from the said Monster.
"Of course he can," I explained. "His appearance may be elusive, but the Nokk were male water spirits who played enchanted songs on the violin to attract people and they could sing, too. Moving on, I can Special Summon this card from my hand because I control a 'Mythorror' Monster. Emerge from the angles of time, Mythorror Tindalos!"
A portal of smoke materialized on my field, and seconds later, the large dog's skeleton with a red glow radiating from inside their empty eye sockets, a pair of bat wings with dark red membranes sprouting from their back, and a long blue tongue emerged from it.
Mythorror Tindalos: ATK 2400 / DEF 2700 / LV: 7 / SC: 6
Unlike Nokk, Tindalos didn't speak up, but I could feel a strong desire to kill their prey no matter the cost emitting from them. No surprise there: the Hounds of Tindalos were infamous for pursuing a victim through anything to end their life. I could feel emotions oozing from Nokk as well, mainly annoyance.
Wait, I have a Duel to focus on! "I set two cards and pass it over to you!"
"So you use a 'Mythorror' deck... Well, not the scariest things I ever saw." I sweatdropped at that. True, but you don't necessarily need a scary appearance to frighten others. "My turn!" Manek announced in English. "Draw! I Special Summon Dopant of Arms from my hand!"
"Dopant, you say?" I echoed with widened eyes. Manek's deck was a Kamen Rider reference!?
True enough, a Monster that resembled Arms Dopant, held a sword in his right hand and had a gun attached to his left arm instead of a hand materialized in front of him with a battle cry.
Dopant of Arms: Dark / Warrior / Effect / ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6
"I'm permitted to do this when I control no Monsters." Manek stated. "And now that I control a 'Dopant' Monster, I can Special Summon Dopant of Bat from my hand!"
To appear next was a Monster that resembled Bat Dopant.
Dopant of Bat: Dark / Winged-Beast / Effect / ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6
"I activate Bat's effect!" Manek outstretched an arm. "Only once during this turn, I can target one Spell or Trap Card you control and return it to your hand. I return the one on my right!"
Bat unleashed an ultrasonic wave from her mouth at the stated card, causing it to disintegrate into particles.
"Now, time to count your sins!" Manek pointed a finger at me. "Battle! Dopant of Arms, attack Mythorror Nokk! Framed Firing!"
Arms fired a round of bullets at Nokk, defeating him with ease.
Vince: LP 4000 - 800 = 3200
"Sorry, Nokk..." I whispered to his card, but he didn't answer. Aah, did I anger him...?
"When a servant is sent to the Graveyard or is banished, our communication link with them is severed." Demiurge spoke up as if reading my thoughts. "And it remains like that until that servant leaves that zone or the Duel ends." oh, so that's why he didn't answer.
"If Arms destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, my opponent takes 500 points of damage!" Manek snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Manek, but that won't be happening." his eyebrows furrowed at that. "Nokk is a Pendulum Monster, who upon destruction is placed face-up in the Extra Deck instead of going to the Graveyard, therefore that effect can't be used. But this effect can! Because my 'Mythorror' Monster was destroyed, I can activate the Trap Card Book of Myths! Its effect allows me to add up to two different Mythorrors from my Deck to my hand, and I choose Lindworm and Baphomet."
"A Pendulum Monster?" Manek inquired in surprise. "You have those, too...?"
Manek started running towards a nearby treasure chest. Since Bat's Attack was lower than Tindalos' Defense...
"He plans on using an Action Card to turn the tides." I realized and started running, too.
"Betting it on an Action Card?" Demiurge inquired. "I'm not the type to turn down free pluses, but what a stupid way to gain the advantage. We, gods, would easily come up with better ways to innovate this game."
"Now's not the time to complain!" I told him.
Manek kicked the treasure chest, breaking it and grabbing an Action Card that was stored inside it.
"Battle! Dopant of Bat, attack Tindalos! At the same time, I activate the Action Magic High Dive!" Manek declared as Bat leaped into the air. "This will increase Bat's Attack by 1000 until the end of this turn! Echo Eradication!"
(Bat: 2200→3200 ATK)
"Alright, found one!" I smirked when I noticed an Action Card on a tiny cloud near the ground. But when I grabbed it and saw what it actually was, I gasped in confusion and shock. "Wha—A T-Trap Card!?"
"It's the Action Trap, Level Failed." Manek said as he caught up to me. The card depicted a humanoid silhouette wearing white armor and a red cape and on his knees as a holographic window that read [Try Again?] glowed above him. "It lowers the Attack of all Monsters you control by 300 and it hits you with 200 points of damage."
"Me!?" I gasped again. The card suddenly glowed and vanished from existence, and seconds later, the large cloud in the sky shot a yellow lightning bolt at me and Tindalos.
(Tindalos: 2400→2100 ATK)
Vince: LP 3200 - 200 = 3000
"As I said, stupid." Demiurge sighed. "You, humans, set your own drawbacks."
"Not now, Demiurge..." I seethed in a low tone. I then addressed Manek. "I didn't activate that Trap, so why did...?"
"When you find an Action Magic, you can choose not to activate it and keep it in your hand, but Action Traps don't follow that rule. When you find one, it activates right away." Manek revealed. "Action Cards aren't only beneficial; there are Traps among them as well."
"In order to even things out and to make them more exciting, Action Traps were added as well...?" I thought out loud. "So there's always a fifty-fifty chance the card I pick up can either be an Action Magic or Trap, huh...? I'll have to keep that in mind..."
"That said, aren't you forgetting something?" Manek pointed upwards, and when I looked in that direction, I saw Dopant of Bat skydiving towards my remaining Monster. I had nothing up my sleeve, so Tindalos was successfully kicked on the head and exploded with an angry growl.
"But since they were in defense mode, I take no damage!" I pointed out as the smoke vanished, right in time for me to see Manek kick open another chest and obtain an Action Card.
"Akushon Majikku, Twinkle Comet! I reduce Dopant of Arms' Attack by 1000 until the End Phase and inflict 500 points of damage to you!"
Arms and I were surrounded by crimson auras, causing both of us to grunt in pain.
(Arms: 2300→1300 ATK)
Vince: LP 3000 - 500 = 2500
"Hooh? He used an unfavorable effect on his own Monster so he could dish out some damage." Demiurge chuckled. "This boy knows what he's doing."
"Not for nothing Reiji gave him clearance." I frowned. Like with The Hitwoman, this won't be an easy win.
"I set a card face-down and end my turn!" Manek concluded. "Dopant of Bat's and Arms' Attack Points return to normal."
(Arms: 1300→2300 ATK; Bat: 3200→2200 ATK)
"Boku no turn!" I shouted. "Draw! Allow me to introduce you to the Mythorrors' playstyle, Manek! First, since you're the only one to control Monsters, I can Special Summon Mythorror Lindworm from my hand!"
The oversized snake with dark green scales, two arms that ended in sharp black claws, and a mouth full of long fangs that made it impossible to be closed crawled out of the ground after I placed his card on my energy blade. It roared at our opponents, eager to defeat them.
Mythorror Lindworm: ATK 2000 / DEF 500 / LV: 5 / SC: 2
"I summon the Tuner Monster, Mythorror Baphomet!"
The tall, translucent-bodied, humanoid Monster with a goat head, blank white pupils for eyes, dark brown fur covering the majority of his brown skin, small horns protruding from his head and shoulders, hoofed feet, and a pair of black-feathered wings appeared next. Baphomet calmly awaited my next order in silence.
Mythorror Baphomet: Tuner / ATK 0 / DEF 0 / LV: 1 / SC: 10
"A Tuner?" Manek narrowed his eyes at my new comrade. "So you're going to bring out a Synchro."
"Obviously!" I smirked and snapped my fingers. "Baphomet's effect activates on Normal Summon, letting me target Nokk in my Extra Deck and Special Summon him with his effects negated. Let's welcome him back to the stage with a round of applause!"
The said Monster reappeared on my field through a glowing pentagram that formed on the ground.
"I would never let my comrades perish in vain." Nokk understood I was talking about him and turned to face me in surprise. I gave him a thumbs-up, which caused his annoyance to degrade a little...and joy to blink in him. He remained silent so I went on. "I activate the card you returned to my hand in the last turn, the Quick-Play Spell Deal with the Baron!"
A card, which depicted a young, dark-skinned man with magenta eyes and black-and-purple dreads flipped over the right side of his head, extending an arm towards the viewer with a smirk, appeared. White skeletal markings were painted on his face, neck, chest, and forearms, and he wore a black top hat, a black tailcoat over a purple vest, and white gloves.
"I will now make a deal with Baron Samedi, sending Tindalos from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard to gain Life Points equal to their Level times 200! Since Tindalos is a Level 7 Monster, I gain 1400 Life!"
The Spell released a shower of purple particles that surrounded me for a couple of seconds.
Vince: LP 2500 + 1400 = 3900
"And now that they're in the Graveyard while I control a 'Mythorror' Monster, I can Special Summon Tindalos using their effect!" the Hound of Tindalos reappeared on my field with an echoing howl. "Glad to have you back, Tindalos."
They didn't reply, but I could sense that faint happiness I had felt with Nokk a minute ago.
"Don't lose sight of the Duel." Demiurge impatiently reminded me.
"Right, sorry..." I muttered before gesturing at my field. "Here comes the main dish! I tune the Level 7 Tindalos with the Level 1 Baphomet!"
As Baphomet's body morphed into a green ring that surrounded Tindalos and turned them into seven stars, Demiurge chanted.
"My patient hunter lurking in the darkness."
"M-My patient hunter lurking in the darkness!" I quickly repeated his words.
"Feast on those who defy me, and gather their heads as trophies!" talk about over the top...
"Feast on those who defy me, and gather their heads as trophies! Synchro Summon!" I declared after swinging an arm to the side. "Fly down, Level 8! Mythorror God Camazotz!"
A bright beam shot through the rings from which the anthropomorphic bat god emerged with a loud screech, visibly intimidating Manek's Monsters.
Mythorror God Camazotz: ATK 2800 / DEF 2100 / LV: 8
"Don't dash our hopes of victory, human." the god turned his head to look at me, and his predatory gaze sent a chill down my spine. "I'll take your head if you humiliate me in front of Demiurge-sama."
"As always, Camazotz knows how to show respect to his superior." Demiurge chuckled in my mind. He just threatened me, so I can't say I was pleased...
"Tindalos, who was Special Summoned from the Graveyard via their own effect and left the field, is banished," I explained. I then smirked. "But their other effect activates as well, making Camazotz gain new power! Upon his Summon, I can draw a card, and he gains 300 Attack!"
(Camazotz: 2800→3100 ATK)
"Next, I activate Lindworm's effect! If this comrade was Special Summoned this turn, by using Monsters I control and Lindworm as materials, I can Fusion Summon one 'Mythorror' Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck!"
"This time it's Fusion?" Manek raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, where did you get that archetype? I never heard of Mythorrors before."
Right then, Dopant of Bat did some gestures with her hands, pointing at herself and Arms.
"No, you guys don't count since you have a traceable origin point." Manek pointed out. Bat shrugged her shoulders and nodded.
I blinked twice. Did they just...
"Talk?" I inquired in bewilderment. I meet someone who has the same ability as me right after I've gained it—what a...coincidence.
"By the looks of things, they did." Demiurge confirmed my words.
"If that's the case, I have no reason to whisper!" I said in relief. One less thing to worry about. For now. "I didn't expect to find someone else who can talk to Duel Spirits so quickly."
"It's a rare ability after all. Duel Spirits are nothing more than urban myths nowadays." Manek remarked. It's that rare, huh...?
"Well, regarding your earlier question, somebody gave me this deck." I stated. "But even I don't know who."
"I see." Manek nodded. He then grinned. "Let's resume the Duel, shall we?"
"Yeah!" I did the same. "Lindworm's effect now resolves!" he and Nokk turned into red and blue energy respectively, which then spiraled into a portal as I chanted and clasped my hands together. "Poison of the greedy one! Mesmerizing song of the lake! Let your desires awaken the canine deity of heavenly fire!"
The image of Xolotl crying under the sun flashed in my mind.
"Please...forgive...me...!"
I bit the bottom of my lip until I tasted blood. Don't think of that, I scolded myself. Now's not the time...and right now, I wasn't in that dream. I was free, and thanks to my new cards, strong, too!
"Fusion Summon!" I cried out with sudden fervor. "Howl with no regrets, Level 6! Mythorror God Xolotl!"
The Monster with a muscular human body, a canine head, empty eye-sockets, wearing a sleeveless ichcahuipilli that covered its torso down to its hips, golden bands on its neck, biceps, wrists, thighs and ankles, a necklace with a conch-like object strapped to it, and holding two broadswords of stone with flames and lightning bolts carved on it landed on my field with a howl.
Mythorror God Xolotl: ATK 2200 / DEF 1300 / LV: 6
"I am at your disposal, my master." Xolotl announced. To think such a collected and cool god could feel that level of regret...some gods can be very humane. Also, never judge a book by its cover, eh?
"Then let's aim for the top!" I told him. "Since I Special Summoned a god to my field while controlling Camazotz, I can activate his effect to draw a card! And now, Battle! Camazotz will lead the assault, and he's going for Dopant of Bat!"
"How ironic of me to attack a fellow bat!" Camazotz sneered. He then beat his wings and took flight.
"Sadly, you won't get the chance to land your attack! I activate the Trap Card Gaia Memory: Utopia!" a card, which depicted the Utopia Gaia Memory with a glowing background, appeared. "By returning the two 'Dopant' Monsters I control to my hand, I can Special Summon this Monster from my Deck by ignoring its Summoning conditions. Come forth, Dopant of Utopia!"
Bat and Arms turned into golden particles and formed a circular portal from which a Monster that resembled Utopia Dopant wearing white armor and a red cape leaped out, landing on his user's field with a battle cry.
Dopant of Utopia: Light / Fairy / Effect / ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 8
"You're too weak!" Camazotz scoffed.
"Oh, since Utopia was Special Summoned, his effect activates." Manek's grin widened. "All other cards on the field return to their owner's hand! Terrible Paradise!"
"What!?" I gasped in shock.
"So this was his plan." Demiurge noted with an unsurprised tone. "Clever, but..."
A cane materialized in Utopia's right hand, which he then spun between his hands before releasing a golden glow, blinding everyone present. When the radiance died out, only Utopia and Camazotz remained.
"What's this?" Manek inquired.
"Beating a god isn't an easy task." I grinned again. "A 'Mythorror' Synchro Monster that was Summoned by using Baphomet as material becomes unaffected by my opponent's card effects until the end of that turn! Go, Camazotz, attack his new Monster!"
"Pay for underestimating me! Death's Dive!" he declared and swung down an arm at Utopia, who used his cane to stop his claws from reaching him. But the god proved to be more powerful: the cane shattered and Camazotz slashed his foe across the chest, causing him to explode.
Manek: LP 4000 - 100 = 3900
"That ends my turn!" I concluded.
"My turn!" Manek proclaimed. "Draw! I activate the Spell Card Hand Destruction. This makes us send two cards from our hands to the Graveyard and then draw two new ones."
After doing so, "Now I summon Dopant of Dummy!"
A Monster that resembled Dummy Dopant appeared.
Dopant of Dummy: Light / Fairy / Effect / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1
"And I activate his effect!" Manek exclaimed. "Once per turn, I can send a 'Dopant' Monster from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard and have Dummy gain their name, Level, and stats until the end of this turn. I choose Dopant of Cyclone!"
True enough, Dummy morphed into a Monster that resembled Cyclone Dopant.
(Dummy→Cyclone, 0→2800 ATK, 0→2000 DEF, Level 1→8)
"Still not enough..." Demiurge muttered. "He must be making preparations for something." I nodded in agreement.
"I have a total of four different Dopants in my Graveyard, them being Bat, Arms, Utopia, and Cyclone." Manek listed with a grin. "That means I can Special Summon this card from my hand! Appear, Dopant of Death in Defense Position!"
A portal of dark energy formed on his field, and seconds later, a Monster that resembled Death Dopant emerged from it with a sinister chuckle.
Dopant of Death: Dark / Fiend / Effect / ATK: 0 / DEF: 4000 / LV: 10
"4000 Defense!?" and he was able to Summon him so easily! I gritted my teeth in frustration. "And who knows what effect it has..."
"If you're so eager to know, I won't keep you waiting. Allow me to introduce you to my 'Utopic Death Clockwork' combo!" that's...a cool name, I'm not gonna lie. "I activate Death's effect! I can target one Monster in either Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field, ignoring their Summoning conditions! Memorable Rebirth!"
Death tapped the ground with his staff, conjuring a black portal in front of himself from which Dopant of Utopia jumped out.
"But that means—" I gasped in shock.
"Utopia's effect activates!" Manek's grin widened as Utopia's cane glowed. "Terrible Paradise!"
"D-Damn you, human...!" Camazotz seethed seconds before turning into particles, followed by Dummy and Death.
"Time to count your sins!" Manek declared. "Dopant of Utopia, attack Vince directly! Ambitious Assault!"
"I activate a Monster effect from my hand!" I abruptly stated. "If I'm being attacked directly and Mythorror God Yamatochi is in my hand, I can destroy all cards in my Pendulum Zones to place him in one of them and halve all the battle damage I would take from this attack!"
Utopia's attack was deflected by a purple, transparent barrier that formed around me. Seconds later, Yamatochi appeared in the Pendulum Zone on my left inside the blue pillar with a [4] under him.
Vince: LP 3900 - 1500 = 2400
Manek sprinted forward and jumped on an average-sized cloud near the ground as if it was a trampoline, bouncing up into the air. He then made a 360 while seizing an Action Card which was trapped inside a floating bubble.
"Akushon Majikku, Explosion Magic!" Manek activated the card before Utopia caught and deposited him on the ground. A card, which depicted a drawn magic staff charging fire, appeared. "You'll get hit with damage that's equal to double the battle damage you just took!"
"How lucky do you have to be to find the exact you'd need to defeat me...!?" I angrily asked while my right eyebrow twitched. Was I the only one who could find Action Traps!?
"Truth be told," Manek wryly started. "This Action Field is one of my Duel School's signature fields. I've Dueled in this field so many times that I memorized the location of its Action Cards."
"Wha—Is that allowed...?" I asked with a flat stare.
Manek shrugged in response, "Action Fields are selected at random during tournaments and there's a large variety of them. Moreover, someone could just lie they aren't familiar with the field and get away with it, so knowing an Action Field isn't treated as being illegal." oh, I guess that's true...
"You're about to take 3000 effect damage." Demiurge hastily pointed out as fire erupted from the Action Card and headed straight at yours truly. "Dodge it already, unless you want to get fried." I know, I know, jeez!
BOOM!
We waited in silence for the smoke to clear away, and when it did, Manek gasped upon seeing me standing and unharmed.
"I activated Deal with the Baron's effect from my Graveyard," I explained to him. A purple, transparent shield had appeared in front of me earlier to deflect the explosion. "By banishing it, I can avoid taking one instance of effect damage."
"Heh, not a bad last-minute save." Manek praised me. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn." he then smiled. "You know, despite not Dueling much, Reiji keeps contact with me. My side job is helping him out with testing his 'D/D' cards. Dueling against you...is like Dueling against Reiji."
"R-Really?" to be compared to a strong Duelist like Reiji...I couldn't help but grin at his words. "Heh, thank you, Manek!"
"Anyway, let's resume the Duel." he said while closing his eyes.
"Humph, what a brazen human." Demiurge groused. "He must be thinking he'll end this in his next turn. Too bad for him—"
"With my current hand, I can win this turn." I finished for him after a quick glance at my cards, causing Manek's eyes to open in surprise.
"Finally." Nokk merrily sighed from the Extra Deck.
"Boku no turn, draw! I, using the Scale 6 Mythorror Nattmara, complete the Pendulum Scales!"
I placed her card on my energy blade, causing the word [PENDULUM] to flash between my cards and a pillar to appear on my right, containing the skinny young woman with pale skin, piercing yellow eyes, long and spiky black hair tied into a low ponytail, some bangs falling over her forehead and cheeks, black claw-like nails, canine ears, furry legs that ended in paws, a long tail, and wearing a dark brown gymsuit with black fur around her waist and armholes.
"Let's go, you guys." while Yamatochi nodded and awaited my next order like Baphomet, Nattmara scoffed but didn't complain. "Yamatochi's Pendulum Effect activates as I placed a 'Mythorror' card in my other Pendulum Zone, enabling me to draw one card. Then I activate Nattmara's Pendulum Effect. Once per turn, I can target a 'Mythorror' card in my other Pendulum Zone to increase or reduce their Scale by 3. I target Yamatochi and reduce his Scale to 1!"
"So now you can simultaneously Summon Level 2 and 5 Monsters, right?"
"Exactly!" I replied to Manek's question. "Battalion of mythical creatures and gods! With our souls on the line, our power becomes the hammer which crushes despair! Pendulum Summon! Be reborn, Mythorror Lindworm, Nokk!"
A portal opened between my two pillars and two beams shot out of it. They landed on my field, revealing the mentioned Monsters in Attack Position.
"Those two again?" Manek inquired. "Why have an encore?"
"Encore?" I shook my head. "I'm from the You Show Duel School, therefore I'm an Entertainment Duelist. As such, I strive to amaze everyone who's watching me Duel, and that includes my opponent! I activate Nokk's effect! If he's Special Summoned, I can declare a number from 1 to 7, and until the End Phase, his Level becomes that number. I declare 2. Now I tune the Level 5 Lindworm with the Level 2 Nokk!"
The water spirit's body morphed into two green rings that surrounded Lindworm and turned him into five stars.
"Queen of the Great Below, heed my call! Ascend from your kingdom and pass judgment upon the unjust earthlings! Synchro Summon!" the image of Ereshkigal tightening the grip on her deformed spear flashed in my mind. I may not know any of you...but after what you've made me feel, I can't just turn away; that sadness became mine, too. I'll help all of you to—"Be free! Appear, Mythorror Goddess Ereshkigal!"
A bright beam shot through the rings from which the giant, white, human skeleton which lacked her pelvis, legs, and feet, had a lengthened backbone, crimson energy glowing in her skull, rib cage, and joints, wore a white veil and an obsidian crown, and held a deformed spear of energy emerged.
Mythorror Goddess Ereshkigal: ATK 2700 / DEF 1800 / LV: 7
"I come to answer your summon, Master." she proclaimed a powerful voice, one that would intimidate any human who hears it.
"I'm counting on you, Ereshkigal. You're this Duel's star after all." she didn't turn around to face me and neither did I feel joy blink in her like with Nokk, but I was able to notice her mouth open a little and quickly close back, signaling her surprise. These guys...did someone ever praise or care for them? "Ereshkigal, let's demonstrate your power to our foe!"
"Hm, very well." she raised her spear. "When I ascend to the battlefield, Master can revive a 'Mythorror' servant that was used to Summon me from...this 'Extra Deck' of his."
"In defense mode and with their effects negated as well." I chuckled at her reaction to the game's terminology. Did Demiurge have a similar reaction when he first played Yu-Gi-Oh, I wonder? "Be reborn, Nokk!"
"Open the gates to the underworld!" Ereshkigal stabbed the ground with her spear, conjuring a portal from which Nokk emerged.
"I activate the Equip Spell Syamantaka Jewel and equip to my goddess!" the necklace with an octagon-shaped ruby pendant surrounded by an orange glow appeared around her neck.
"This is..." Ereshkigal ran a bony finger over the gem and spoke barely above a whisper. "I never thought I'd get the chance to wear an article of jewellery storing powers like those of my younger brother Utu."
That made my smile grow.
"Next, by sending a card in a Pendulum Zone to the Graveyard, I can activate the Continuous Spell Hera's Sacred Flower from my hand." I glanced at Nattmara with an apologetic look. "If it's alright, I'm going to choose you."
"It's fine." she shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't care about taking part in the Duel too much anyway."
She left the field in a shower of particles that were sucked into the ground, and seconds later, the snow-white lily surrounded by a divine glow bloomed in front of me.
"When Hera's Sacred Flower is activated, I can add Hera's Sacred Fruit from my Deck to my hand," I explained as a card ejected from my deck, and I took hold of it. "This card's activation cost is the same as Hera's Sacred Flower. Yamatochi...?"
"May our sacrifices lead you to victory." he told me before leaving us, his particles causing a root to emerged from the ground, which took the form of a hand holding a pomegranate that was surrounded by a divine glow.
"I activate Hera's Sacred Fruit's effect! Once per turn, I can target one Mythorror I control with 2000 or less Attack and gain Life equal to its Attack. I target Nokk!"
A red fluid flowed out of a crack that appeared on the fruit and formed a sphere between Nokk's hands. He then threw it into the air, where it exploded into green particles.
Vince: LP 2400 + 1500 = 3900
"I activate Hera's Sacred Flower's effect!" I shouted and the flower's glow intensified. "Once per turn, when I gain Life Points, I can target one Mythorror I control and gift it Attack Points equal to the gained amount of Life Points until the End Phase. This time, I target Ereshkigal!"
(Ereshkigal: 2700→4200 ATK)
"To complete my preparations, I activate the Continuous Spell Vahakn's Aura!" I stated. "Battle!"
"At this exact moment, I activate both of my face-downs! The first: Utopian Gravity!" a card, which depicted multiple Duel Monsters rushing at the glowing silhouette of Number 39: Utopia, appeared. "At the start of your Battle Phase, this Continuous Trap changes the Battle Position of all Monsters you control if I control a 'Utopia' or 'Utopian' Monster! The second: Utopian Ideal!"
A card, which depicted multiple Dopants bowing to Dopant of Utopia, appeared next.
"By targeting Dopant of Utopia, for the rest of this turn, he cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects!" Manek announced as his Monster gained a golden aura. "Try to defeat me now."
"Don't mind if I do." my smile turned into a grin. "Syamantaka Jewel's effect! The Mythorror that wears this necklace becomes unaffected by my opponent's card effects!"
Manek gasped. "Therefore, the only Monster whose Battle Position changes is Nokk!" I pointed forward. "Go, Ereshkigal! Attack Dopant of Utopia! And because Vahakn's Aura is enveloping the battlefield, any battle damage you take from attacks involving my Mythorrors is doubled, Manek!"
"Kur's Anunnaki, gather!" Ereshkigal chanted as a twister of red energy started forming around her spear. "Let us judge this earthling!" she then pointed her weapon at Utopia. "Verdict of the Seven!"
The twister fired seven rays at our opponents. Utopia bravely stood before his user and protected him by deflecting each beam with his cane, but the last one exploded on contact and bathed Manek's side of the field in smoke.
Manek: LP 3900 - 2400 = 1500
"Is that it?" Manek inquired when the smoke dissipated.
"On the contrary, the real fun's just getting started!" I declared using Yuya's catchphrase. "Vahakn's Aura's other effect activates! Once per turn, if you take battle damage, I can lower the Attack of all Monsters you currently control by that same amount!"
Utopia grunted in discomfort as his aura turned purple for a couple of seconds.
(Utopia: 3000→600 ATK)
"600...Attack..." Manek muttered in shock.
"Accept our final attack!" I threw an arm forward. "Nokk, it's your go!"
The water spirit cleared his throat and sang a note once more, causing a pillar of water to erupt under Utopia's feet. The Dopant fell to one knee in defeat, and Manek merely smiled as the water rained down on the field.
Manek: LP 1500 - 1800 = 0
Winner: Vince!
"Nice work, everyone!" I cheered at my cards. Then I quickly addressed Nokk. "Thanks for helping me out to the very end! You may rest now, Nokk."
He blinked, "You..." he whispered in surprise before shaking his head. "Thanks...I guess." he said with an embarrassed tone and vanished together with the Action Field.
"Using the Mythorrors for entertainment," Demiurge spoke up. "You really are hopeless. But at least you've won."
"You aren't the first one who tells me that." I admitted with a chuckle.
"That wasn't a bad Duel." Manek's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He walked up to me and chuckled. "Truth be told...Reiji wanted me to Duel you. I don't know why, and I didn't care either, but this Duel gave me a hunch: you're an interesting fellow. No wonder you've caught Reiji's attention."
"He wanted that...?" my eyebrows furrowed. He wanted to make sure I wasn't a wild card...? I couldn't say I don't approve of his wariness. He's making sure to cover all the bases.
"I knew he had something in mind." Demiurge snarled in a haughty manner.
"It's Reiji; you never know what he's plotting." Manek said. "In any case, you might as well rest up and get ready for the tournament. I hope to meet you there, and maybe Duel you again."
"The same!" I beamed with a smirk...
Fan-made Cards:
Action Cards:
Level Failed
Action Trap
Lower the ATK of all monsters you currently control by 300 and you take 200 damage.
Explosion Magic
Action Spell
If your opponent takes battle damage: They take damage equal to double the battle damage they took.
[Trivia: yes, this card's a reference to Megumin's Ex-PLOSION~!]
Manek:
Dopant of Arms (Dark/Warrior/Effect/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1000/LV: 6)
If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can only Special Summon 1 "Dopant of Arms" per turn this way. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: Inflict 500 damage to your opponent.
Dopant of Bat (Dark/Winged-Beast/Effect/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1000/LV: 6)
If you control only "Dopant" monsters (min. 1), you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can target 1 Spell/Trap your opponent controls; return it to the hand. You can only use each effect of "Dopant of Bat" once per turn.
Gaia Memory: Utopia
Normal Trap
Return 2 "Dopant" monsters you control to the hand, then Special Summon 1 "Dopant of Utopia" from your hand, Deck, GY, or Banish Zone by ignoring its Summoning conditions.
Dopant of Utopia (Light/Fairy/Effect/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000/LV: 8)
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 2 "Dopant" monsters you control to the hand. If this card is Special Summoned: Return all other cards on the field to the hand. You can only use this effect of "Dopant of Utopia" once per turn.
Dopant of Dummy (Light/Fairy/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/LV: 1)
Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can send 1 "Dopant" monster from your hand or Deck to the GY; until the end of this turn, this card's name, Level, ATK/DEF becomes that monster's. You take no battle damage involving this card.
Dopant of Cyclone (Wind/Spellcaster/Effect/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000/LV: 8)
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 2 "Dopant" monsters you control to the hand. You can target 2 cards on the field; return them to the hand. This card cannot attack directly the turn you activate this effect. You can only use this effect of "Dopant of Cyclone" once per turn.
Dopant of Death (Dark/Fiend/Effect/ATK: 0/DEF: 4000/LV: 10)
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. If you have 4 or more "Dopant" monsters with different names in your GY, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). (Quick Effect): You can target 1 monster in a GY; Special Summon it to your field, ignoring its Summoning conditions. You can only use each effect of "Dopant of Death" once per turn.
Utopian Gravity
Continuous Trap
At the start of your opponent's Battle Phase, if you control a "Utopia" or "Utopian" monster: Change the Battle Position of all monsters they control.
Utopian Ideal
Normal Trap
Target 1 "Dopant" monster you control; it cannot be destroyed this turn.
Vince:
Deal with the Baron
Quick-Play Spell
Send 1 "Mythorror" monster that is face-up in your Extra Deck to the GY; gain LP equal to its Level x 200, but for the rest of this turn, you cannot gain LP. If you would take damage from a card effect, you can banish this card from your GY instead. You can only use each effect of "Deal with the Baron" once per turn.
[Trivia: this card's a reference to Baron Samedi, one of the loa of Haitian Vodou and known to make deals with humans who want his power at their disposal. Concept credit goes to ringtaillemur0.]
I feared this chapter would be short, but it ended up being quite the chapter! XD
Let's start with Vince's bizarre dream: for those who're new to the story, as you can see, they're dreams featuring his Mythorrors and won't only help Vince get closer to them, but the readers as well; we'll get their side of the story as well, making their decision to follow Vince more evident and- I hope- more heartbreaking than without them. For my old readers, this dream concept is an expansion of the Spectrum-only dreams (or however you want to call them).
I won't lie, writing those scenes with sad music playing in the background almost made me cry. And they're actual facts: Xolotl's regret is a thing, the fact Ereshkigal is locked in Kur is a thing, Seth's wish to be a king is a thing! Sure, I've added my own twists to it as well, like Ereshkigal wishing to be free and Seth for a genuine friend, but I think those are necessary and give more depths to their characters.
Moving on, we have the Clarissa scene. She won't be a relevant character just a cameo, but I figured world-building matters. Then Demiurge- the mysterious voice- finally speaks up: he might sound like a killjoy and a lackluster character, but believe me, this is just the beginning. I have some big plans for Demiurge, likewise for the entire story.
Regarding Reiji in general, I want to point out Vince doesn't deify the guy but deeply respects him. I mean...he's a CEO at the age of sixteen, a great Duelist—if not the strongest in Standard at that time, is directly connected to the main villain (or the one Vince thinks is the main villain), and is an excellent leader. Who wouldn't respect or want to be friends with him? We're also introduced to Manek Weirrd, an OC commissioned by ghost83, who's also the creator of all the cards Manek uses. He'll be an important character and will join us on this crazy adventure.
A big thank you to Erik who betaed this chapter's first half!
Reviews really make my day and it's a great way to communicate with you readers, and maybe find out errors I can avoid making. Please review, and with that said, here's the chapter's last scene!
Two cards appeared on the screen before turning around, revealing Mythorror Nokk and Dopant of Utopia. They suddenly glowed, and Vince and Manek emerged from them respectively, both smiling.
"I never would've thought I'll meet another Duelist who can communicate with Duel Spirits today." Manek admitted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "The only other person who I know can do that is Reiji's sister."
"EEEH!?" Vince cried out, his eyes at the size of dinner plates. "Reiji has a sister!? What's this all about!?"
"Oops, I wasn't supposed to say that..." Manek's playful grin betrayed his vexed tone. He closed an eye and shrugged. "Sorry, but I already said too much."
"Oi, you can't just drop a detail like that and expect me to forget it!" Vince pointed out with a glare.
"Too late! It's time for the Secret of the Chapter!" Manek quickly shouted, causing Vince to puff his cheeks. "Here's the secret: I don't have heterochromia. My natural eye color is gray; my right eye's red because- obviously- I wear a colored contact lens."
"That's a relief." Vince admitted in a low tone, causing Manek to raise an eyebrow. "I was already making theories of why you have a red eye like me..."
"Not every little thing needs to have a massive story behind it." Manek pointed out before the screen faded into black, followed by the words [To Be Continued...].