Chapter 45: The All-Consuming Darkness

Montalban stood there aghast, the shock written all over his face. Now lying upon his desk were the crumpled remains of Rommel's heart, with nary a beat to be had. He looked up at Rommel, who merely gazed down coldly at what remained of his heart, his eyes hollow and empty like death.

"H-how?" he nearly whispered. "How could you...I thought you needed it to live."

"Such would be the thoughts of someone who believes in ancient stone manuscripts," Rommel scoffed. He turned to look towards the wall with the map of the world spread out across it. "Mortals are always so foolish because of their hearts. Desire makes the heart ache, but it is also what eases it so. The heart wants what it wants, and when it has obtained it, it bears the fruits of happiness."

Montalban watched tentatively as Rommel lowered his head. "When it wants something it can't have, desire offers hope to the heart to raise the spirit, turning them envious. And when something it wants is unobtainable, that desire turns black and poisons them with greed. Such are the thoughts of those with hearts…"

He turned back to Montalban, walking to his desk as he continued, "But I've outgrown such desires. I no longer have such mortal whims, such base desires. What I have wanted, I need no such heart to obtain. Rather, it is better to be heartless to gain back what I have lost. Without such a heart, I cannot desire such mortal whims, and without that desire, I cannot succumb to greed or be blinded by happiness...or worse…"

He slammed his hands on the desk as he spat out the word, "Hope."

Montalban trembled as Rommel stood up straight, his eyes flaring with hostile anger. "Without a heart, I'm no longer mortal. I've detached myself from all things of this world and abandoned what little ties to my humanity were left. I have finally become what the Trinity have sought for so long, what they have hoped and yearned for - to be free."

Finally Rommel turned to sit down at one of the chairs in front of Montalban, taking his seat far more gently than his manner had been since he wandered inside. Montalban watched him incredulously as Rommel looked back at him, like a lion watching a mouse.

"Now then," Rommel breathed with a dark chill. "I believe we need to talk about the nature of our...partnership."


"How much further do you suppose we have to venture?"

It was an honest question Andrew wondered aloud as the horses rode up past another sandy dune. Kari followed closely behind him on her horse, looking out across the darkening horizon.

"It's getting late, but we should be nearly there," she answered, turning to look back at him. "Are we sure this is the right place to go to?"

"It's the only lead I can think of, at least that's nearby," Andrew replied.

It wasn't much to go on. After reconvening at the ships, Andrew had brought up the trouble with the last advisor, even showcasing how the medallion served no purpose in tracking him down. Izzy recalled some ancient Mesopotamian history that suggested that it had something to do with an ancient neighboring kingdom that had warred in the past with Babylon. It wasn't much outside of pure speculation, but it was better to head off towards the former kingdom of Elam than it was to sit around and do nothing.

He and Kari headed off towards the ancient lands, whereas Matt and Shannon determined they needed to ride back into the desert, in search of the last chest. At this point, everyone knew that if they were successful at this point, then the Spirit Dragons would be together at last. But they also knew there was still a great deal of danger ahead of them - who knows where Montalban's hired goons were or what Rommel had been doing in the meantime.

It was something that, when brought up back at the boats, served to trouble everyone at the time.

"What about Rommel?" Creighton had asked Matt when the name had been mentioned. "He's been running loose ever since your run-in with him! There's no way he's just been kicking back and waiting for something to happen."

Matt hesitated to answer at first. "Montalban would have control over his heart currently," he finally responded. "But because of his own curse, Rommel shouldn't be able to come onto land for a long time."

"So what would he do in da meantime?" Joey remarked. "Truth is, I don't think I'd hang back either if I was him."

"There's no doubt Rommel's been up to something, but what that is might as well remain a mystery," Izzy pointed out. "All we know is that he has grudges against Matt and the Trinity, but we also know he's incapable of acting on it thanks to Montalban and this curse. So if he is doing anything, it's likely waiting for us to make a move."

"And the only moves we make right now are gathering the Spirit Dragons," Andrew mused.

"But wouldn't he know if Montalban was trying to obtain them?" Creighton pressed. "It's not like Bandit Keith and the Neo Ghouls are exactly subtle."

"Even if he did know about Montalban's arrangements with Keith, I doubt he could do much about it," Matt replied. He had looked out towards the horizon, his brow furrowed. "Given what we know, the only way to interact with Montalban would be to break his curse somehow. And I'd hate to think how much stronger he'd have to be to do something like that."

The thought plagued the group while they were on the boat, and even now out in the midst of the cooling desert night air, Andrew couldn't begin to imagine an entity like Adolf Rommel wandering around out in the shadows of the dunes. It was horrible enough that the man had access to something like the Dark Leviathan and already had a serious vendetta against his brother, but once he lost his one weakness, what could possibly stop the unstoppable? The only thing he could think of was the Trinity's own secrets - their hidden locations throughout the world, their own mysterious powers, maybe even their sheer numbers would be enough to counteract an army like Montalban's.

But against Rommel? Even that seemed like a toss-up.

"We shouldn't be much further out," Kari said, bringing Andrew out of his thoughts.

Andrew pulled on the reins of his horse and looked around, expecting to see some sort of ancient ruins on the scale of what the former kingdom of Babylon had been - an excavated site that had its own share of tourists nearby. Instead, there was a lone building, a giant ziggurat standing out in the midst of the desert. There were only a few people near its base, but there appeared to be more workers around the ziggurat than people touring it - or worse, looking for them.

"This is Elam?" Andrew asked.

"The Kingdom of Elam as we know it no longer exists today," Kari explained, bringing herself up next to Andrew on her own horse. "At its peak, it took up the entirety of the Iranian countryside from Awan to Anshan, bordering the kingdom of Babylon to the west of us. The people have its roots as far back as 7000 B.C.E."

"I think I can follow the history lesson, but why are we here at this temple?" Andrew asked again.

"That's because this is Chogha Zanbil, one of the last remaining structures from the Kingdom of Elam," Kari answered. "It was thought to be the epicenter of a sacred city in their time, though it's a lot smaller than it used to be due to erosion from the elements."

Andrew looked down towards the people surrounding the building. "I dunno, it still looks pretty big to me."

"The sides remain intact at over 100 meters, but the height has fallen down to just under 25," Kari explained. "It used to be at least twice as tall."

Andrew whistled. "And you think we'll find the last advisor here?"

"It's the only clue we got from Izzy," Kari said. "I'd take my chances on them being here more than not."

Andrew looked back behind him to the arid terrain. "How far away is this from the ruins in Babylon?"

"Depending on where you come from? 500 kilometers."

Andrew gave Kari a blank stare. "How many miles is that?"

Kari rolled her eyes. "Over 300."

"300 miles?! But we've been on horseback the whole time!"

"Well I guess you've got your ancient voodoo magic to thank for getting us here faster then."

Andrew held up a hand to say something but ultimately decided against it. He looked down towards the ancient ziggurat again. "It's a better lead than nothing…"

The two maneuvered their way down towards the temple, keeping to the shadows of the oncoming night. Their descent led them to a small resting area, where they left the horses before moving on further. Sneaking past anyone nearby and staying out of the lights illuminating the structure from the outside, they approached the entrance and ducked inside the ziggurat, making sure to head deeper in before they made any attempt at lighting their way.

"We better stay alert," Andrew whispered, holding up a small light. "We don't know what's in here."

"Any ideas for finding the advisor?" Kari asked, turning on her own light.

"Not really. Even the last advisor said something about this guy being a bit of an outcast from the rest of the Trinity."

That much was true. In the aftermath of their duel, Kiara had told them more about the last advisor - the advisor of darkness and shadows, Jack James. Unlike many of the other advisors, who had worked tirelessly to protect and uphold the ideals of the Trinity, Jack had instead chosen to investigate other matters, primarily relating to their enemies. This had led him into territory the rest of the Trinity wouldn't dare touch, which kept him secluded from the rest of the Trinity, so that he could continue his studies into the darker side of the world without bringing unwarranted risks to them. In that manner, he helped exploit the weaknesses within the Trinity to help secure a stronger Trinity, much like a modern-day hacker would help out a company's cybersecurity.

Perhaps he'd be great for KaibaCorp, in that sense, if Kaiba could handle dealing with all the magical mumbo-jumbo. Doubtful, but one could try.

Andrew pulled out his medallion, checking to see if there were signs that it was radiating. He frowned when nothing showed up. "Looks like even now we're on our own," he muttered, tucking the medallion back into one of his pockets.

"I feel like we're missing something…" Kari mused.

"Well obviously, we're missing the location of this guy."

"No, not that. I mean more along the lines of finding him." Kari looked up at Andrew as they wandered deeper into the halls of the ziggurat. "Don't you find it a bit strange that we're having to traverse another ancient temple?"

"Not really. I've actually gotten used to being in strange places and temples on this trip."

"But last time we did it in the middle of the day, and we managed to find some symbol that made things easier."

"Which ideally, if this is anything like Kiara's or Jake's hiding spot, should be easy enough to find."

"That's my point though. If we were looking for something the same as the Trinity, wouldn't it be easy to find Jack in all of this?"

Andrew stopped for a moment, thinking about Kari's insight. "True, it would be easy if the symbol was just carved into a wall somewhere…"

"I feel like something has to be different. It wouldn't just be lying out in the open like this."

Andrew looked at the walls in thought. "...no...maybe it's not…"

He looked back at Kari. "I think I've got an idea."

Kari simply nodded. Andrew nodded back, then he reached up and turned off his light. Kari watched him sit down on the ground before joining him and shutting off her own light. It was quiet, the restless night air howling at the entrance, their vision clouded by the dark. They couldn't even see each other, despite sitting so close by. Andrew worked to keep a steady breath while Kari closed her eyes.

The temple remained quiet. Untouched. Pitch black. Nothing but the faint echoes of the outside world came past them. There was nothing...and then, there was something.

Andrew turned on his light, and the hallway that had surrounded them vanished. Now they were seated in an open room, clouded by darkness at its very edges. Kari looked around, seeing the shadows dance and flicker about them like fire. Then both of them turned their attention towards the only other thing that was visible in the dark: a lone man, cloaked in rags, sitting by himself.

"Jack James, I presume," Andrew called out.

The man didn't answer back immediately. He looked to be tracing the ground in modest thought. Slow methodical lines, marking the area in ancient runes and glyphs. Kari looked down to the floor beneath them, finding that there were hundreds if not thousands more at their very feet.

"I hope you don't mind," the man finally spoke, a deep raspy voice echoing in the chamber. "It's not often I have visitors."

"I'm just gonna assume the others mentioned what's going on," Andrew remarked, working to pull out his Duel Disk. "So let's get on with-"

"Perhaps you don't quite understand my meaning."

Andrew felt a chill run down his spine; something about the dulcet tones of the voice's command made it sound like both a threat and an invitation simultaneously. The man slowly turned around to face them, pulling back his hood. His eyes glowed a sickly blue back at them. Andrew hesitated before coming down to kneel and sit down in front of the man before them, mimicking the other's position.

"You're not in a rush, I take it," Andrew noted.

"You've put in a lot of effort to find me. I'd hardly want to waste your efforts," the man replied.

"You are Jack James of the Trinity though, yes?" Andrew asked as Kari sat down behind him.

"That I am," the man answered with a slight nod.

"...you let us in here, didn't you? Into this...place?"

"I know the reason you've come. And I know the urgency of your situation. But as someone who has studied and investigated these matters for centuries, perhaps there are some insights I'd be willing to grant you that you weren't aware of before."

"You're...offering advice?"

"Information. Anything I know that I can tell, I'll bring to your attention."

Andrew looked back at Kari, who gave a slight nod. "Alright then," Andrew agreed, turning back to Jack, "let's talk then."

Jack smiled pleasantly. "Ask away."

Andrew thought for a moment before asking, "You're set up here in the kingdom of Elam, but why? You could've hidden in any dark place - a cave of some sort, the deepest parts of the world, but you came here. Why choose this place?"

Jack breathed in a deep breath before letting go of a long sigh. The wind of his breath shifted across the shadowy room, morphing them into shapes and visions that surrounded the group.

"Elam was once a mighty kingdom in its own right," Jack explained as the darkness turned to day, illuminating a great city filled with people. "It was prosperous, powerful, ruled over by various kings and their dynasties, not unlike the pharaohs of Egypt. But it was plagued by all manner of attacks from its enemies - Sumerians, Gutians, even Mesopotamians. History would say this is due to the resources that were held in the lands ruled over by the Elamites."

The landscape changed, showing the city now in turmoil as warriors ran rampant across it. Soldiers fought them off with their weapons, but both sides were entangled with the struggle. Kari looked away from the carnage while Andrew watched on, as a soldier stabbed through one of the invaders with his spear before being smashed over the head with a brutal club. Jack watched the both of them, his steely gaze feeling both intensely cold and yet warmly chilling. He then waved a hand, moving the images and the shadows that formed them and reshaping them into the peaceful kingdom from before.

"The Elamites themselves, though, are not faultless. They too aimed to expand the borders of their kingdom, invading their neighbors at times. But it wasn't until our time that we would become involved in the conflict with Elam - the time of the great Babylonian king Hammurabi."

The kingdom shifted to showcase what appeared to be a great celebration, with a massive crowd appearing inside a large courtyard beneath the palace balcony. And out onto that balcony strode a king, who began to make a great speech to the crowd. Andrew's and Kari's eyes widened.

"Is that…"

"King Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, son of Sin-Muballit, founder of the Code of Hammurabi…" Jack turned his gaze back to the duo. "...and conqueror of Elam."

The two turned back to Jack, who continued on, "In the time frame of Hammurabi's rule, prior to his established Code, he would have been allies and enemies with the king of Elam, the Sukkalmah, Siwe-Palar-Khuppak, once known as the most powerful man in the world. So great was his power, rivaling kings would address him as 'Father' out of respect, even Hammurabi. But it was this power and ambition that would ultimately lead to his downfall, as Hammurabi rallied the other kings together against him and conquered the kingdom of Elam."

The shadows faded back into an open battlefield, where a large army of Babylonian soldiers charged forward and collided with an equally large army of Elamite soldiers, the two sides fighting each other with spears and swords. The three of them looked down from above this scene, taking place beneath them underneath a darkened night sky.

"That is what unearthed history would have you believe," Jack finished. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the Elamite soldiers, one such soldier plunging his spear through his enemy. "But the truth is much darker and far more tragic for the Kingdom of Elam."

"The truth?" Andrew asked.

Jack moved his hand again, this time pausing the conflict before zooming in towards the Elamite soldiers. "Siwe-Palar-Khuppak was not just the most powerful man in the world - he was also allies with Hammurabi. His ambitions were strong, his desire to make the kingdom of Elam greater even more so, but he had once fought alongside Hammurabi in the conflict against Eshnunna. At first, it might seem that such a bond would be more than enough to quell such ambitions, or that the desire for power was stronger than maintaining loyalty to a weaker king."

Jack looked up to the two, once again his glowing blue eyes piercing. "But there was darker magic at work."

"What, like the king was brainwashed by someone else?" Andrew scoffed.

"Not brainwashed - influenced. Tampered with by an outside entity." Jack looked down and pointed towards the soldiers. Andrew and Kari turned to look, and at that point it became evident: their eyes were subtly tinted purple.

"I'm guessing purple eyes wasn't exactly a key trait of Elamite people."

"Darkness swirled in the kingdom of Elam, and it drove its people and the king to madness," Jack reiterated. "I have devoted my life to studying this moment of time for centuries, studying the dark magic used so that we might protect ourselves from it. But in that time, I have sensed that same darkness creeping in the shadows, waiting to return to the light...it disturbs me."

"Disturbs you?"

"We are no strangers to this magic, the Trinity. We studied the dark to better understand and protect ourselves from evil. We know of its ways, its influence. But this magic is not in and of itself evil - it alone is not destined to slaughter and corrupt. It is ultimately its usage - the justification of these means to an end - that determines its moral standing."

"Which is why you've secluded yourself in the midst of a realm of shadows."

Jack turned his gaze back to Andrew again. "I protect the Trinity by keeping myself to the shadows, lest more evil men than I be drawn to them."

Andrew kept silent. He knew immediately who Jack was referring to without having to say anything. Kari looked back down to the soldiers, their corrupted purple eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Was Rommel responsible for this?" she asked. "The madness of the king of Elam?"

Jack looked down at the soldiers with his solemn gaze. "No."

Andrew and Kari looked at Jack with surprise. "No?" Andrew asked. "You mean this was someone else's doing?"

"Rommel would not be our enemy until after the Code of Hammurabi had been firmly established in Babylon," Jack replied. "History would date the initial conflict with Elam to occur prior to that, with Hammurabi's attack against the kingdom successfully driving out the Elamites within the decade before his Code would be established."

"Then who was it that did this?"

Jack looked back over to Andrew. "That...I cannot say."

Andrew's eyes narrowed. "You can't say, or you won't say?"

Jack's lips turned upwards into a wry smile. "Perhaps that is the true reason for our duel?"

Andrew frowned. "Well, no…"

"I know the reason you have come here is to obtain my key for the Spirit Dragon of Darkness," Jack proclaimed. "That is your purpose, after all. But in this moment, you are given a new question that intrigues you, something that you want answered, and yet you are bothered that it is not what you seek."

Andrew looked down at the soldiers below him. "...why would you tell us this? About this kingdom? About this corruption...about all of this, if it wasn't important?"

"Is it unimportant though?"

Andrew looked up at Jack, frustration mounting on his face. "Of course it's not important! This conflict has nothing to do with Rommel, nothing to do with the Spirit Dragons, and it definitely doesn't have anything to do with us!"

"That would be where you're wrong."

Andrew stopped as Jack held up a hand and moved it around, expanding the battlefield back to its larger scale, showcasing the battling armies once more. "As I've said," Jack explained, "we were drawn into this conflict as well. And perhaps it would interest you to know that we were not just idle watchers in the midst of it."

Andrew and Kari looked down, and their eyes grew wide once again. Now hovering over the Babylonian armies, there was a single dragon, shining brightly over the battlefield in a myriad of colors. It roared triumphantly before charging up a blast that came down on the armies of Elam, wiping them out in an instant.

"You see," Jack reiterated, "this has more to do with the Spirit Dragons than you could begin to imagine."


"I hate sand!"

Shannon cried out to make sure Matt could hear her over the swirling winds of the desert. Though the sun had set not long before, the two ended up wandering about in the dark, caught up in a sandstorm that swept the night air. It was hard enough to see at night as it was, with the lack of moonlight, but it was going to be much harder with the storm breezing around them. Matt looked around as best he could, hoping that in the midst of his vain attempts at seeing through the veil that he could spy some form of shelter. He looked down at his medallion, the shining arrow pointing brightly and towards his left.

"Come on!" he cried back to Shannon. "We aren't far now!"

"I hope not!" Shannon called out. "I don't think I can take much more of this!"

Matt steered his horse towards the medallion's signal, trudging through the storm. "Hopefully it's located under a sheltered rock," he mumbled to himself as he shook his head. "I'll gladly take a hurricane over this sand any day."

The two slogged through the sand blowing around them, their horses working tirelessly to make their way through the area while maintaining their balance despite the gritty winds. They had ridden out into the desert following the medallion's direction, but only as the sun had gotten lower did they find they were getting anywhere near close to the chest's location. At least, that's what it had seemed before the storm. Now though, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, obscuring their sight and their path.

Something that became clearer as the medallion suddenly pointed in a different direction entirely.

Matt huffed in frustration, catching a bit of sand on his tongue and forcing himself to spit it out. "We're going to have to find something to cover ourselves," he called back to Shannon. "I don't think we're going to find that chest at all tonight."

"Really?! Is that so?! Or is the sand finally blowing through your head enough?!"

Matt turned his horse back towards Shannon, who looked far worse from wear. "Hey, don't sass me about it," he retorted. "I don't like this sand any more than you!"

Shannon wiped her eyes, working to get the grains out of her eyes as she looked around her fervently. "There's got to be somewhere nearby we can hide in until the storm passes," she hoped aloud. "Can't you just wish for shelter and have the medallion point that way? Or are we just hard-wired into the chest?"

Matt looked down at the medallion, watching the light on it shine brightly in one direction before suddenly switching over and shining just as brightly in the other direction. That bothered him - the Compass Medallion had mostly been reliable before, so why now was it so confused? Unless it had something to do with him again, and he didn't really know whether he wanted the chest or some shelter more. Finally he reached over towards Shannon, extending the medallion out towards her.

"Here, you take it," he grumbled. "Just picture a rock or something to hide in."

Shannon grasped at the medallion and looked down at it. The light shone brightly on its surface in one direction, but before she could turn her horse, it began to shine out in another direction, and then another and another.

"Matt," she asked, "what does it mean when it's spinning around like this?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Nothing good though, that much I can imagine."

Shannon looked back down and smacked at the medallion with a hand, as though to make it work. It continued to shine defiantly in different directions before fading away completely. She shook it around in her hand as Matt looked at her with confusion.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

Shannon just heaved a sigh of frustration as she thrusted the medallion back towards him. "I think it's broken."

Matt took the medallion back in his hands and looked down at it. The medallion rested in his palm, lifeless. Then it gradually brightened up into a solid light in one direction. Matt turned to look towards the source of this new reading, only to find something he wasn't expecting.

Or rather, someone.

The storm began to die down around them as a strange humanoid figure, wrapped in tattered and sandy clothes, approached the two of them. In one bandaged hand, it clutched a sheathed sword that it used as a walking cane, while in the other it dragged behind it a large chest that Matt recognized as one of the many chests the Trinity hid the Spirit Dragons inside. It was clear that whoever this was, they had found the chest before them.

And that it couldn't mean anything good.

Matt dismounted his horse slowly as Shannon caught sight of the stranger in the sands, clutching onto the reins of her horse more tightly. The stranger drew nearer to them, the storm dissipating further until the stranger got within a certain range of them, wherein it disappeared completely. The stranger dropped the chest down onto the desert sands, the sound of haggard breathing emanating from its hood. Matt carefully took a couple of steps towards the stranger.

"I don't know who you are," he said, "but if you've come searching for the Spirit Dragons, then I'm grateful that you've made my job easier."

The stranger said nothing, his raspy throat heaving out gasps of air. Matt wasn't sure how exactly to take that, opting to reset his footing.

"I don't suppose you've come to look for them on my behalf?" Matt asked, though he had an idea of what the answer might be if he ever got it.

The stranger again said nothing.

"Are you in service to Montalban or Bandit Keith?"

No reply. Matt's eyes narrowed.

"Or are you perhaps one of Adolf Rommel's goons?"

Nothing. Matt tilted his head to one side.

"If you're not with them, I can only suppose you're with me," he declared. "In which case, that chest contains the last Spirit Dragon I need."

Matt pointed over towards the chest on the ground. The stranger made no move, no motion to acknowledge that he understood the direction.

"If there's nothing more you need to do," Matt continued, "then I'll be more than happy to take the chest off your hands."

WIth that said, Matt made to head over towards the chest. Not more than three steps later, the stranger swiftly grasped the handle of his sword and drew out the blade from its sheath, pointing the tip towards Matt. Matt looked down to find the blade was almost as dull and worn as the stranger that brandished it. He looked back at the stranger, whose breath began to come in greater heaves.

"I have no quarrel with you, stranger," Matt said. "All I ask, is that I take that chest-"

"The dragons...must...diiiieeeee…"

The faded whisper came from the stranger in the cloak, a harsh tone that flew through the air and stabbed into Matt and Shannon's ears as it swept past them, like the sands of the storm that had passed. Matt stared at the stranger's covered face; something about the voice seemed oddly familiar…

"Who are you, stranger?" he asked.

"I...was summoned as the herald...of the damned," the stranger answered, his sword still pointed directly at Matt's throat. "Those who were slain...by dragons...shall be avenged…"

"If you refuse me your name once more," Matt retorted, reaching towards his side and drawing out his own sword, "I'll not hesitate to cut it out from your throat where it is caught."

"My name is...Maaaaaaarduuuuuuuuuk…"

Matt's eyes widened suddenly, and almost immediately he dropped his sword. "Marduk...no…" Matt shook his head. "That's not possible."

"Matt? What's wrong?" Shannon asked.

"Marduk...is the name of Adolf Rommel's first mate," Matt replied. "From long ago, when he first rode the seas on the Gladius Divinum. He was almost as cruel and terrifying as Rommel himself. Some even called him the Slayer of Dragons, based on rumors of him having taken down several of them by himself. But…"

"But what?"

Matt looked into the stranger's hood, catching only a glimpse of the man's leering red eyes. He looked back at Shannon, shaking his head.

"But he's been dead for millennia, when Rommel sacrificed him with the rest of his followers to make the Dark Leviathan."

Shannon looked back at the stranger that now opposed them, almost gasping with surprise. Matt turned back to the stranger, whose sword remained pointed towards him.

"If he's found the chest first…then there's only one way to get it back."

Matt reached his hand out to Shannon. "Toss me my Duel Disk."

Shannon moved over towards Matt's horse, retrieving the Duel Disk from one of the sacks it was carrying and tossing it towards Matt. He caught it and quickly maneuvered it and equipped it onto his arm. He looked at the stranger once more before triggering the Duel Disk to be ready.

"If you are who you claim to be, Marduk," Matt declared, "then you know the ancient law by which those chests are bound."

The stranger looked down towards the Duel Disk in Matt's hands before plunging the sword into his own foot. Matt flinched at first before looking down to see that no blood had begun seeping through it. He then turned his attention back as the stranger lifted his other hand up into the air, with the sands of the desert converging around it to form another Duel Disk. Then the stranger set himself up to mimic Matt, clutching a dried bandaged hand into a fist.

"For Rommel...I...shall not...lose…" the stranger remarked.

"If that is how it must be," Matt returned, reaching to his deck and drawing five cards.

"DUEL!"

Marduk: 4000
Matt: 4000

"My...turn…" Marduk declared, swiftly drawing his cards. Then he held one up and slipped it into the side of his Duel Disk. "Array...of Revealing...Light…"

Beneath the two duelists, a large diamond-shaped diagram appeared, illuminating the entire playing field beneath them. Matt felt the powerful magic radiating from it as Marduk breathed out, "Dragon…"

Matt looked over to Marduk. "I get it," he said. "The Array of Revealing Light prevents monsters of a chosen Type from attacking on the turn they are Summoned. And seeing as I'm your opponent, you've chosen the Dragon Type. Either that, or you must really hate dragons."

"One...monster...face-down…"

Marduk placed a new monster on the field, protected by a large cardback. Then he gestured towards Matt with his hand.

"I'll take that as my turn then," Matt said, drawing his next card. He looked over his hand carefully before declaring, "I'll start by activating Polymerization, to fuse Lord of D. (4/1200/1100) with my Divine Dragon Ragnarok (4/1500/1000) to Fusion Summon King Dragun (7/2400/1100)!"

A swirling vortex appeared, where the Lord of D. mounted itself onto a long pale dragon. The Lord's legs blended and fused with the head of the dragon, the long scaly body shifting from its ethereal pink into a golden bronze, save for the airy fins that were across the body. The Lord's collar flared out with pink flames, and from his chest sprung out the dragon's head as a pair of black wings stretched out behind him. A small dragon-shaped flute appeared, which the new King grasped in his hand, as he descended onto the field.

"Now my Dragons can't be targeted by any of your card effects," Matt explained, "and while that may not keep the effect of your Array of Revealing Light from locking them out of attacks during the turn they're Summoned, it will protect them from a good portion of your other effects, I'm sure."

Marduk hissed at the new monster. "Dragons...must...die…"

"Maybe you think so. In the meanwhile, my King Dragun grants me the power to summon out another Dragon from my hand onto the field! So now I call forth Tyrant Dragon (8/2900/2500)!"

The King raised up his flute and blew into it, summoning forth the great bronze dragon, its forehead gleaming from the green jewel set into it.

"With that, I'll end my turn," Matt concluded.

"Draw…" Marduk took his next card, looking through his hand before picking three other cards in his hand. "Three...face-down...end…"

Three new cards appeared on Marduk's field as his turn concluded. Matt narrowed his gaze, a prickling concern rising in his thoughts.

"He's only played defensively for the time being," Shannon wondered aloud to herself, watching the duel from the side. "A face-down monster, three face-down cards...what is his plan?"

"My turn," Matt declared, drawing his next card. "And now I'll use King Dragun's effect-"

"DIE! Grave...of the Super-Ancient...Organism!"

The call came out suddenly, but one of Marduk's face-down cards flipped over, revealing a Trap featuring several dragons encased in ice. Matt watched as the flute of King Dragun began to freeze over, followed by the rest of the King's body as well as his Tyrant Dragon's body. Matt clenched his fist.

"Dammit...I end my turn."

Marduk cackled at that, drawing into his next card. "Cat's Ear Tribe (1/200/100)...summon!"

A trio of small cats appeared on Marduk's field, one each of red, white, and blue. They each wore outfits as though they were adventurers, including vests, pants, even helmets. The red one stood up fiercely, while the other two lazed around him.

"Equip...Heart of...Clear Water...to Cat's Ear Tribe."

A new Spell card appeared, attaching itself to the Cat's Ear Tribe. Marduk relaxed his arm and waved his hand back to Matt.

So that's his plan then, Matt thought to himself. He's using Grave of the Super-Ancient Organism to lock me out of summoning high-level monsters, keeping me from attacking or activating the effects of any that I have. Meanwhile, if I try to attack the Cat's Ear Tribe, its own effect lowers my monster's Atk to 200, while Heart of Clear Water prevents it from being destroyed by battle or targeting card effects. For all this talk of his ruthlessness, he's...awfully tame.

Matt drew into his next card, looking at it alongside the rest of his hand. Even still, he's locked down my current hand, which means I'm going to need to plan to draw through my deck if I'm going to get out of this. Better to wait for an opportune moment to strike than to try and force something against this.

Then he waved his hand towards Marduk, saying, "I'll end my turn without doing anything this time."

Marduk wheezed and cackled as he drew his next card. Then he mimicked Matt's wave, indicating himself passing his own turn. Shannon frowned at that.

"Why isn't he attacking with Cat's Ear Tribe?" she asked. "I thought it dropped a monster's attack to 200 when it battles."

"That is true," Matt answered as he drew his next card, "but it only works during my turn. In other words, I have to attack it with one of my monsters first before the effect activates."

He looked over to his hand. "At least I can do something with this," he murmured. Then he looked back to Marduk and said, "I'm Tributing my two monsters in favor of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (8/3000/2500)!"

The King and his accompanying bronze dragon then disappeared and were replaced with the iconic dragon of blue eyes and white scales. It cried out in outrage as it quickly became encased in ice, stopping it from doing anything.

"But why play that monster?" Shannon wondered. "As long as Grave of the Super-Ancient Organism is out, any monster with a Level of 6 or higher won't be able to attack or use their effects."

Marduk merely wheezed out gleefully, "Dragons...must...die…"

"I'll then use the Spell card, Melody of the Awakening Dragon," Matt continued. "With it, I discard Dragonic Knight (7/2800/2300) in order to add two Dragons with 3000 or more Atk and 2500 or less Def directly from my deck to my hand. So I'll search for and add the other two Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

Marduk growled and repeated, "Dragons...must...die…"

Ignoring him, Matt drew out the other two Blue-Eyes White Dragons from his deck. "Trust me, I don't think you'd want to say that to the true owner of these dragons," he warned. "Now I'll use Super Rejuvenation as I end my turn, letting me draw new cards based on the number of Dragons that were Tributed or discarded this turn. So now I draw three new cards."

Matt grasped his new cards and looked over his new hand. It's not much, but it's better than what I had before…

Marduk shook his head as he cried out angrily before drawing a new card. Looking over it, he then declared, "Sacrifice...Cat's Ear Tribe...Dragon Seeker (6/2000/2100)...summon!"

The trio of cats were replaced with a much larger monster, a demon shaped into the form of a dragon. It clicked its mouth on its arrival, spreading what must have been its wings in favor of intimidating the others.

"Dragon Seeker...kill...dragon!"

The fiend lunged forward against the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and thrusted its claws into the majestic creature's side! The dragon cried out in agony before being demolished by the demon attacking it. Matt cringed at the sight.

"I was afraid that might happen," he admitted. "King Dragun was a great defensive monster, but without sacrificing it, I wouldn't have been able to get much further."

"Dragon Seeker...kill...dragon master!"

The demon now lunged forward and struck Matt down with its claws, knocking him to the ground! Shannon yelped and cried out, "Matt! Are you okay?!"

Marduk: 4000
Matt: 2000

Matt was slow to get up for a moment as his Life Points dropped. He...he felt that attack. It wasn't just some hologram. That monster felt like it had actually struck him directly! He looked down to see that there was even a large tear in his clothes from where the creature had struck him. His eyes widened as he looked over to Marduk, who began to slowly build up laughter.

"Are you hurt? What happened?" Shannon asked from the sides, making her approach until suddenly a gust of sand and wind blew her back away from the field, knocking her down to the ground. The horses nearby began to neigh.

Matt reached up gently and patted his arm. He drew back his hand, only to see a faint glimmer of blood on his palm. He looked back to Marduk who stood there laughing, cackling into the night air.

"I heard a lot about these types of games from Yugi," he said. "Throughout our travels from one destination to the next, he and Yami would talk of the games they played with such high stakes. Even in my research, I found that there were those outside of Egypt who were capable of such games. It figures that that's what kind of game you'd play."

He finally moved to stand up, holding onto his arm as Marduk's shimmering red eyes glistened like the blood in his wound. "Well then," Matt said. "Looks like this isn't just some game. This is what some might call...a Shadow Game."


Andrew looked down at the scene below. He couldn't believe it; one of the Spirit Dragons was appearing to wipe out the entire army of Elam.

"So...the Trinity fought with Babylon?" he wondered aloud.

"The Trinity fought against Elam," Jack seemed to correct. "Or rather, the entity that worked to influence the people of Elam. Not long after the Code was established, there was a rebellion from Elam that attempted to overthrow the Babylonians once again. We knew this was beyond the people of Elam, and in that fight against this enemy, we brought together the elements to form the power you now know as the Spirit Dragons."

"But if it wasn't Rommel, then who?" Andrew asked. "Who was it you had fought against that prompted the creation of these Spirit Dragons? And what about Rommel? Was he an Elamite seeking revenge?"

Jack held up a hand. "Your questions are many, I'm sure," he replied. "And indeed, the answers are important. But you should first answer some questions of mine, that you might understand better what it is that you know and what it is that you don't."

Andrew's nostrils flared for a moment. "Figures there'd be a riddle wrapped around all of this," he remarked.

"A riddle, no. Merely a mystery."

"Hopefully without an enigma," Kari snidely commented.

Jack held up his hand once again, raising a finger. "First...what do you know of Adolf Rommel?"

Andrew thought about it for a moment. "Well, he's the enemy of the Trinity, and he wants the Spirit Dragons for power," he answered back.

"A good start, if not unfounded," Jack replied. "Why do you believe he wants the Spirit Dragons at all?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow at that. "Why wouldn't he want the most powerful dragons in the world?"

"Why do you believe he wants the Spirit Dragons?"

"Because...they're the most powerful dragons in the world?"

"But what then of the gods of Egypt? Are they not more powerful than mere dragons?"

Andrew paused for a moment. "...I...I never really thought about it."

"Would you presume that if Rommel was a man of power, would he not wander towards the root of power itself?"

"Well unless he couldn't get to Egypt, or maybe he didn't know about it."

"Good assumptions, but the ancient world is not as vast when you're equipped with magic."

"Fair point."

"So why do you believe he wants the Spirit Dragons?"

Andrew thought about it once more. "If...if he doesn't want the Spirit Dragons for their power...does he want to destroy them instead?"

"And why would he want to do that?"

"Maybe because they present a problem for him? Whatever his plans might be, whether the domination or destruction of the world, the Spirit Dragons must be a problem for him."

Jack then held up his hand again, this time raising two fingers. "Second...why did we create the Spirit Dragons?"

Andrew frowned. "Well our understanding was that they were created to…"

"Yes?"

"...to symbolize freedom."

Andrew thought about his answer some more. "...they were made as a symbol of freedom," he continued. "They weren't meant for war or conflict. They weren't made for their power but for what they represented. They were created to embody that ideal."

"And yet, you have just witnessed them assault an entire army. Which brings me to my third question…"

Jack held up another finger before asking, "Why would the Spirit Dragons attack the enemy?"

Andrew looked up to Jack. "The enemy being the one influencing the kingdom of Elam, not the actual army of Elam."

"You're catching on quickly now."

Andrew smiled. "So the Spirit Dragon wasn't attacking the army. It was attacking the enemy. The enemy who would work against the freedom of people - the freedom of a king to decide, or the freedom of a people to choose to fight."

Jack nodded, and then he waved his hand again. Their surroundings now shifted back to the battlefield, only now the army of Elam disappeared and was replaced with a solitary figure, a shadow bathed in darkness that stood against the army of Babylon. Behind them loomed the great Spirit Dragon, one which glowed with divine radiance, who then blasted this figure away with its breath.

"This was the Trinity's first true enemy," Jack explained. "The one who came before Rommel. The one who stripped an entire civilization of their freedom and forced them to fight a battle they didn't even want."

"The Trinity's first enemy…" Andrew looked down at the shadowed figure as it was torn apart by the blast from the Spirit Dragon.

"Indeed." Jack waved his hand once more, and the images faded away back into the enveloping shadows. "Though it is certainly a revelation of sorts in its own right, I would not expect that it is enough to satisfy your questions."

Andrew stood up from the floor, adjusting his Duel Disk. "You've definitely got my attention with this story," he commented. "But I think there's even more you could tell me in a duel."

"As you wish."

Jack opened his arms wide, with shadows gathering around to form a deck of cards in his hands. Andrew meanwhile shuffled and prepared his own before slipping it inside the Duel Disk and triggering it. Kari moved back to the edge of the shadows, watching with keen interest.

"DUEL!"

Andrew: 4000
Jack: 4000

"I'll take the first turn," Andrew declared, drawing his opening hand and a new card. "And I'll start with Ancient Hero Bladegon (4/2000/1200) in Attack mode!"

The blue dinosaur appeared, wielding its sword-like claws as it roared onto the field. Jack hardly moved, not remotely intimidated in the least.

"Then I'll Set one card face-down and end my turn," Andrew finished.

"My turn then," Jack said, drawing a card from his deck and setting it down alongside the rest of his hand. "And I'll activate the Continuous Spell card, Veil of Darkness."

A light purple veil fell across Jack, masking him behind the curtain of darkness. Andrew squinted to try and make out Jack in the darkness, only catching sight of his glowing blue eyes.

"As long as my Veil remains in play, I'm allowed to discard any DARK monster I draw during my Draw Phase in order to draw a new card, as long as I reveal it to you," Jack explained. He moved over to a new card in his hand and placed it on the field. "I'll Set this monster before ending my turn."

"Defense mode won't help you here," Andrew said, drawing his next card. "Go, Ancient Hero Bladegon! Tear his monster to shreds!"

The dinosaur lunged forward, slashing through Jack's monster as it was revealed to be a living tomato, screeching as it was sliced and diced by the bladed claws!

"My Bladegon has the effect to inflict piercing battle damage to you when it attacks," Andrew explained, "so it looks like you're going to take some major damage from your Mystic Tomato (4/1400/1100)!"

Andrew: 4000
Jack: 3100

"Mystic Tomato's effect allows me to summon a DARK monster from my deck with 1500 or less Atk points, as long as it was destroyed in battle," Jack reminded him. "So I will summon forth Dark Jeroid (4/1200/1500) to the field, whose own effect will reduce your monster's Atk by 800 upon being Summoned."

Sure enough, replacing the tomato was a larger blue fiend, appearing as an amalgamation of limbs attached to a grotesque body. A pair of faces showed on the fiend, one on its lower body between some arms, while the other poked out beneath a bulbous tumor in what would've been its chest. The monster howled as it unleashed a hazy fog that surrounded the bladed dinosaur, causing it to shrink down in size.

Ancient Hero Bladegon (4/2000/1200 - 4/1200/1200)

Andrew grimaced at that. "I end my turn…"

"My turn then," Jack reiterated, drawing his next card. "I'll use the power of Veil of Darkness."

He flipped the card around to reveal Makyura the Destructor, a DARK monster. "With my Veil, I send this monster to the Graveyard," he continued, as the purple veil glided over the card before the dark shadows claimed it. "Because it was Makyura the Destructor (4/1600/1200), I'll be able to activate Trap cards from my hand during this turn. In the meantime, my Veil's effect lets me draw a new card."

Jack drew once more. "Now I'll use Veil to discard Inferno Hammer to draw a new card," he said, revealing his next card before drawing another. Then he revealed Shadowslayer and continued, "Shadowslayer triggers my Veil, so I discard it to draw again."

Finally he drew his next card. "This time, it's not a monster. But it is a Trap card - Dark Spirit Art - Greed. I Tribute my Dark Jeroid in order to draw two more cards from my deck."

The horrifying fiend screeched again before it disappeared from the field. But instead of drawing his cards, Jack continued, "However you can negate the effect simply by revealing a Spell card in hand."

"And go figure, I've got plenty," Andrew said, showing his Ancient Heroes' Ritual. "I think you've drawn enough cards this turn anyway."

Jack smiled lightly. "That's fair," he said before picking up a new card. "I'll use the power of my Painful Choice card to make due. I select five cards from my deck, then you'll pick one of them to add to my hand before I send the rest to the Graveyard."

Jack's motions were fluid as he swiped the air, summoning out five cards from his deck and having them float over to Andrew. Andrew looked them over carefully; before him were Mystic Plasma Zone, another Mystic Tomato, Dark Hunter, Double Coston, and Darkness Approaches.

He has to know that I'd pick Darkness Approaches, Andrew thought to himself. Out of all the cards he's showing me, it's the one that works against him the most. He'd have to discard two more cards just to flip a monster face-down. So why would he give me the option to pick it?

"I hope it's not too difficult a decision to make," Jack intervened in Andrew's thought process. "I tried to make it as easy as I could."

Andrew reached out and grasped the Darkness Approaches card. "I'll pick this card," he said, lightly tossing the card towards Jack who caught it mid-air. The other cards vanished into darkness.

"You must have wondered why I picked this card in particular," Jack remarked. "After all, it doesn't make much sense for a card like this to work in my favor."

Andrew smirked. "I imagine you picked it knowing that I would give it to you, so you must have planned around it."

"Indeed I did. After all, there are more powerful cards that can achieve the same purpose," Jack said, reaching for another card. "I'll discard Darkness Approaches in order to activate my Continuous Spell, Enveloping Shadows!"

Jack threw the card out into the middle of the battlefield, allowing for a cloud of darkness to engulf both sides. Andrew's monster became enveloped within the cloud, and Andrew worked to see what was rapidly becoming obscured. Eventually everything in front of him - his monster, Jack's field, and even Jack himself - was swallowed up by the darkness.

"Alright, you got me there," Andrew admitted. "I don't know what this is all about."

"The natural reaction from a human in darkness is to fear, as they become acutely aware of the unknown surrounding them," Jack's voice carried through the darkness. "There is nothing to be seen, and thus there is nothing worse than their imagination of what hides in the darkness. And yet there are those who wander in darkness, born without ever being able to see the light of the world around them. By conquering the darkness of one's self, one can become truly powerful."

"In other words?"

"In simpler terms, this darkness is now your enemy to fight. A darkness representing that in your own heart, as it does the hearts of many men."

Andrew looked around him, trying to get a grasp of his surroundings. He turned to look behind him, only to find that even Kari was no longer visible. "Kari? Are you there?" he asked.

"I'm here," she answered back. "But I can't see anything! What's going on?"

"Trust me, I'd tell you if I could," Andrew replied, turning back towards where he heard Jack's voice from. "Alright, I'll bite. So how do we duel in this darkness?"

"Every card you play will now be covered up by the darkness," Jack explained. "My cards will also be obscured. Only when you declare an attack or activate an effect will your monster be revealed. If you attack, or I attack you, our monsters will be unveiled, but I have the ability to summon the darkness to swallow them whole again."

"So I have to fight what I can't see…"

Andrew looked down to his Duel Disk, the one thing he could still see amidst the encroaching darkness around him. "I have to put my faith in my cards now."

"If fate should reward you with such blessings," Jack commented. "But of course, I can place anything in the darkness, and once I have done so, I end my turn."

An eerie hollow voice radiated from the darkness. Andrew held his Duel Disk up at the ready. He looked back towards where Kari spoke from and said, "Don't worry Kari, I'll be alright."

Then he looked back into the darkness. "I hope I'll be alright."


Matt finished off wrapping part of his torn clothing around his arm, making sure it was on tight. The actual physical damage he sustained wasn't tremendous, at least not enough to completely ruin his ability to duel; the pain stung, but he'd live, and that was more than enough for him to keep on dueling. He looked over towards Marduk, who merely stood there, like a gleeful spectator to the carnage.

"Hope you're glad you got that one good hit in," Matt called out as he readied his Duel Disk. "Cause that's the only one you're gonna get."

"Dragons...must...die…" was Marduk's only reply.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time," Matt dismissed, drawing his next card. He looked over at it and smiled. "Now I'll activate Trade-In! This lets me discard a Level 8 monster, like my Blue-Eyes, in order to draw 2 new cards from my Deck!"

Sending the Blue-Eyes to the Graveyard, Matt drew his next pair of cards. To think, even though he's not here, Kaiba's monsters are supporting me even now.

"Now I'll activate the Ritual Spell card, Radiant Sun's Blessing!"

Marduk hissed and howled loudly as Matt continued, "By banishing the Blue-Eyes from my hand, as well as one of the Blue-Eyes in my Graveyard, I can combine their radiant energies together to form the powerful Spirit Dragon of Light (12/?/?)!"

The spirits of the Blue-Eyes rose up above Matt's head, converging into a single star that shone brightly above the field. Then, a long trail of light descended from the star, coiling and curling about like a serpent. As it approached the field, the light dispersed to reveal the golden scales of the mighty dragon underneath, which radiated its own light from behind Matt as the ritual was complete.

"DRAGONS! MUST! DIE!" Marduk cried out as he covered his eyes from the light.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you encountered these Spirit Dragons long ago, while you were still with Rommel," Matt said. "So you probably know that my Spirit Dragon of Light gains power for every LIGHT monster that's been banished, as well as every Dragon in my Graveyard."

Spirit Dragon of the Light (12/?/? - 12/600/600 - 12/1400/1400)

"And if you think that's going to be where I leave it, you haven't even begun to see what this deck can do," Matt continued, picking out another card from his hand. "I summon Jubilant Dragon (4/200/1900) to the field!"

The greedy gold dragon clutching its pot of gold appeared on the field, chortling to itself. Marduk growled at it though, causing it to shudder and retreat into its pot.

"And when Jubilant Dragon is Summoned, I can draw a new card from my deck," Matt moved right along, drawing his next card. "And next, I'll combine the powers of two of my Spirit Dragons into a new form!"

The spirits of two dragons - one with swirling winds, the other surrounded by earth - formed behind Matt and flew up into the sky, swirling about each other like they were dancing with each other. Their forms became intertwined before they finally descended onto the field, taking on a bold new form.

"Sweeping winds across the land, through the infinite sands of the desert, fly high above the wastelands and envelop the world! I fuse the Spirit Dragons of Wind and Earth! Behold!"

The new dragon's glow dissipated, revealing a dragon with grains of sand etched into its scales, appearing as though it were itself made from sand. Its green eyes glowed brightly as it looked down upon the field, much to Marduk's displeasure.

"I've fused together the Spirit Dragons of Wind and Earth in order to summon the Spirit Dragon of the Sands (12/?/?)!"

Marduk merely scowled as Matt continued, "While this Spirit Dragon is in play, it gains 300 Atk/Def for every banished Wind and Earth monster, as well as every Dragon monster in my Graveyard."

Spirit Dragon of the Sands (12/?/? - 12/1800/1800)

"Kill...KILL!" Marduk chanted loudly, gesturing towards his field wildly.

"I'm well aware that your cards are preventing me from activating any of my monster's effects and from attacking with them," Matt recounted. "But you should know that dragons can't be tamed by such meager defenses. I activate the Spell card, Stamping Destruction, to destroy your Grave of the Super-Ancient Organism and hit you for 500 points of damage!"

With the trigger of his Spell card, Matt's dragons roared ferociously and smashed through Marduk's Trap card with ease! Marduk howled in agony as the fiery remains of his card rained down upon him, burning parts of his body with the cinders!

Marduk: 3500
Matt: 2000

"Now with that Trap card out of the way, Matt can use his strongest monster effects," Shannon remarked with a light smile.

"Normally my Stamping Destruction would go to the Graveyard, but with Spirit Dragon of the Sands in play, any Spell or Trap card that would go to my Graveyard gets returned to the bottom of my Deck instead," Matt explained as the mystical grains of the Spirit Dragon surrounded his card to put it back on the bottom. "And now I'll use the Spirit Dragon of Light's effect to draw one new card from my Deck."

Marduk scowled as Matt drew his next card. "And now I'll combine the Spirit Dragons of Light and Fire together!"

The ethereal form of a fiery red dragon emerged and combined together with the golden dragon, with their bodies merging into a new dragon!

"Blazing across the sky, shining down upon the world, let these cosmic spirits form beneath your eternal gaze! I fuse the Spirit Dragons of Light and Fire! Behold!"

Out from the fusion came a dragon glimmering like the sun, brightening the surrounding area as though it had just risen above the horizon. It spread its wings, illuminating the darkness with its radiance as it roared triumphantly!

"I summon forth the Spirit Dragon of the Sun (12/?/?)!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Marduk cried out in anger as the new dragon stared him down. "KILL! KILL THE DRAGONS!" he shouted out in rage. "KILL THEM ALL!"

"Spirit Dragon of the Sun now gains the power of the Dragons in my Graveyard and any FIRE or LIGHT monster that's been banished."

Spirit Dragon of the Sun (12/?/? - 12/3000/3000)
Spirit Dragon of the Sands (12/1800/1800 - 12/2400/2400)

"With the power of the Sun, I'll also draw one card and reveal it," Matt continued, drawing a new card from his deck and showing it to be Terraforming. "And each time I draw a card, Spirit Dragon of the Sun will inflict 500 damage directly to you!"

The radiant dragon spread its wings, and a beam of light shined down on Marduk, burning away at his Life Points!

Marduk: 3000
Matt: 2000

"Next I'll use the Terraforming card I just drew to add Dracolympus to my hand, while the Sands puts Terraforming at the bottom of my deck." Matt moved through his turn without hesitation, hardly flinching at Marduk's pained cries of agony. "And now I'll play Dracolympus, destroying your Array of Revealing Light!"

The seal of light broke apart as the ground behind Matt split open, showcasing the divine temple dedicated to dragonkind. The power of the temple radiated outward, embracing the Spirit Dragons with its power!

Spirit Dragon of the Sun (12/3000/3000 - 12/3400/3400)
Spirit Dragon of the Sands (12/2400/2400 - 12/2800/2800)

"NO! NO NO NO NO NO!" Marduk flipped over a face-down card, featuring a figure standing above the surrounding crowd on the ground. "REGULATION OF TRIBE! DRAGON!"

"He's still trying to fight off the dragons," Shannon commented, a hint of sadness in her voice. "But why? Why does he hate dragons so much?"

"I'll now activate the effect of Dracolympus! Since I control the Spirit Dragon of the Sands on my field, it counts as both WIND and EARTH Attribute, so with Dracolympus, I can destroy your Regulation of Tribe," Matt continued. A green light shot out from the temple, breaking through Marduk's Trap card with ease.

"WRRRYYYYYYYYYY!" Marduk once again flipped over another card of his, bringing forth an ornate jar etched with the face of a dragon on it. "DRAGON-CAPTURING JAR!"

A fetid mist spread out from the jar, causing Matt's dragons to roar with discontent as they coiled up in front of him.

Spirit Dragon of the Sun (12/3400/3400 - 12/3400/3400)
Spirit Dragon of the Sands (12/2800/2800 - 12/2800/2800)

Matt looked at his dragons and grimaced. Then he looked up to Marduk, the latter heaving as though he had just run a marathon. "You're a tough opponent, I'll give you that," he said. "But throughout this entire duel, you've done nothing but try and stop my dragons at every turn."

"Kill...dragons…"

"You have to know you won't be able to kill off every dragon I summon. You have to know you can't kill every dragon out there."

Marduk glared at Matt intensely. "Kill dragons! Kill all dragons! Kill every dragon!"

"If you've lived long enough, you know this won't end well for you, Marduk," Matt said. "I'm only going to ask you to surrender this duel once."

Marduk shook his head. "Kill...dragons...dragons...kill...home…"

Matt's eyes widened as Shannon gasped in horror. Marduk looked up to the two dragons with furious anger; what little of his eyes could be seen were bloodshot.

"Dragons...kill...Elam…"


"My turn now!"

Andrew drew his next card, looking through the darkness around him. He could swear he saw something moving in the midst of it, but everything looked like something now. Jack was right - this was going to be tough.

"I'll play this monster into the darkness," Andrew said, putting down a card onto the field. "And I'll attack your monster with the monster I just played!"

The darkness surrounding Andrew's monster dissipated, revealing a skeletal reaper brandishing a scythe!

"I attack with Ancient Hero Lucky Death (4/1900/200)!"

The reaper lunged forward to attack the darkness! As it drew closer, the darkness once again dissipated, revealing Jack's monster: a pale ghostly creature with a masked face, a tiny sewing needle clutched between its fingers. A long dark strand of what appeared to be string could be traced back into the shadows around the two, and as the reaper's scythe came down, the shadows leapt forward to grasp the blade!

"You've attacked my Shadow Seamstress (3/1300/1400)," Jack explained. "Fortunately for you, your monster's Atk is higher, so I'll still take damage."

Andrew: 4000
Jack: 2500

"However, because she was face-down when she was attacked, my Shadow Seamstress can't be destroyed in this battle."

With that said, the shadows repelled the reaper's scythe and formed around the Seamstress, who stitched them together to create a card.

"In addition, my Shadow Seamstress allows me to add a DARK monster that's in my Graveyard or that's been banished back to my hand," Jack continued. "With that, I've chosen to add the Dark Hunter back to my hand."

"That's all well and good, but now that our monsters have been revealed, your Shadow Seamstress won't have anywhere to hide on my next turn," Andrew retorted.

"On the contrary, my Enveloping Shadows has the ability to hide everything back into the darkness," Jack countered. "All I have to do is send the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard, and then all our monsters become shrouded by the darkness once again."

Just as Jack said so, the darkness surrounding the two monsters engulfed them once again, leaving Andrew back where he started.

"Since my Bladegon is still on the field, I'm going to switch him into Defense mode."

Ancient Hero Bladegon (4/1200/1200 - 4/1200/1200)

"I'll end my turn with a face-down card," Andrew finished, putting a card down in front of himself.

"Then I'll make my move," Jack's voice echoed within the dark realm. "I play the Dark Hunter I retrieved and activate its effect!"

The curtain of shadows drew back and revealed a tall lizard humanoid draped in a long flowing black cape with a dagger in its hand. Its eyes looked across the field towards Andrew and his monsters, its tongue flickering for just a moment.

"My Dark Hunter has an ability that gets stronger the more DARK monsters that are in my Graveyard," Jack explained. "Thanks to my earlier moves, I now have more than 5 DARK monsters in my Graveyard, so I can send my Dark Hunter there and have him drag along any of your face-down monsters as well."

"And with Enveloping Shadows on the field, all of Andrew's monsters are face-down," Kari noted. "He planned for this move from the very start."

The reptilian lunged forward and slashed at the darkness on Andrew's field, piercing through it with its dagger! The Ancient Heroes were revealed for a brief moment before getting destroyed by the Hunter's effect, pulled down into the Graveyard alongside it.

"That may have worked on other people, but in my case, you'll need to do more than that," Anderw remarked. "I discard a card from my hand in order to bring back my Ancient Hero Lucky Death!"

The shadows reemerged from the spot where the reaper had passed on, indicating that its revival was at hand. Meanwhile, Andrew discarded a monster card - the Ancient Hero Guardian - into the Graveyard for the effect.

"Normally, using that combo, you could get rid of your opponent's monsters and attack them directly all while retrieving the cards you need to do it all over again," Andrew said. "But thanks to my Lucky Death's ability to come back from the Graveyard, I don't have to worry about you hitting my Life Points!"

Jack hummed in the shadows. "Regardless, I will attack your Ancient Hero with my Shadow Seamstress."

The shadows shifted about, and out from the darkness, a needle speared through and struck at the unveiled reaper. The attack was deflected by its scythe, and the reaper lashed back at the shadowy figure.

Andrew: 4000
Jack: 1900

"And because I was able to flip over my Shadow Seamstress, her ability brings back the Dark Hunter from my Graveyard," Jack continued, retrieving his card. "Then I'll use the power of Enveloping Shadows to hide away our monsters in the darkness before I Set this card face-down."

The darkness once again engulfed the field, leaving the monsters shrouded in shadows. Andrew scoffed as his monsters disappeared into the darkness.

It's only a matter of time before he gets what he really needs. Eventually he's going to pull out the monster he wants to Summon, and then who knows what'll happen. I've gotta draw something good and fast!

"You may proceed with your turn if you'd like," Jack said through the veil.

"Alright, then it's my turn," Andrew declared, drawing his next card. He looked at it and smiled. "Looks like it's time to blow away the darkness! I summon this monster to the field!"

Andrew played his monster down, only for the darkness to blind anyone to what it was.

"And now I'll activate the effect of the monster I just-"

"I'm afraid you won't be doing that. I activate my Trap, Suture of Darkness!"

Out from the darkness, dark strings shot out and bound the card onto the field, securing it in place!

"My Suture of Darkness binds your monster face-down, preventing it from attacking or activating its effects this turn," Jack explained. "I hope you weren't planning on eradicating my shadows so quickly."

Andrew grimaced at the easy response, looking down towards his Set monster. If I had been able to activate its effect, I could have destroyed his Enveloping Shadows and stopped his whole combo.

"In that case, I'll attack your Seamstress with Lucky Death!"

The shadows parted briefly to allow the reaper to emerge, slashing at the revealed seamstress and dealing more damage to Jack.

Andrew: 4000
Jack: 1300

"With Shadow Seamstress revealed again, I get to add another monster from my Graveyard to my hand," Jack continued, picking out his card. "And next I'll use Enveloping Shadows to flip all the monsters face-down once again."

And just as quickly as they had appeared, the monsters were buried deep in darkness again. Andrew looked back at his hand, Setting a card.

"I'll play a card face-down before I end my turn," he said.

"Then I shall begin my turn," Jack said, drawing his next card. He gazed at it, his blue eyes glimmering in the dark. He set it aside in his hand, reaching for another card. "I'll start by playing this monster in the darkness. And then I will attack with my Seamstress against your new monster!"

The shadows parted once more, unleashing the shadowy spirit onto the field. With a horrific screech, she lunged towards Andrew's monster, revealing it to be the whirlwind hero, Ancient Hero Typhoonador (3/1200/400). The banshee thrust a string of darkness through the mystic whirlwind, piercing through it and hitting Andrew as well.

Andrew: 3900
Jack: 1300

"Then my Seamstress activates her effect, as she was revealed," Jack continued, adding a monster to his hand. "Then I shall attack with my other monster. Go, Makyura the Destructor (4/1600/1200)!"

From the darkness, the one-eyed assassin leapt out, its claws already aimed at his target. The assailant lunged and slashed through the whirlwind, the residual damage slicing through the air and striking Andrew as well.

Andrew: 3500
Jack: 1300

"And now for my Shadows to take effect, placing all the monsters on the field face-down once again," Jack said, milling out three more cards.

"Your deck's looking pretty scarce at the moment," Andrew noted. "You sure you don't have enough to work with?"

"Oh don't you worry about that," Jack replied. "I've more than enough cards for you to worry about. I now send my monsters to the Graveyard to play a new monster onto the field!"

The shadows shifted silently, with a sinister force now present beyond the curtain of darkness. Andrew grimaced.

"Great, now he's got something worse in there," he muttered to himself.

"Not just that, but now I have my Trap card to activate," Jack continued. "Behold, the Dark-Protection Seal!"

The ground lit up in a protective circle that radiated with the symbol for darkness, triggering its power!

"So he played Makyura the Destructor knowing he could use its effect to activate his Trap card from his hand when he needed to," Kari noted from the side. "And no doubt this Seal is active for his monsters just as the others were for the advisors."

"An astute observation," Jack remarked. "To further protect my monsters, my Dark-Protection Seal prevents you from targeting any of them with your card effects, so long as I control a DARK monster. And though my new monster is currently engulfed in darkness, I can assure you that it is indeed a DARK monster."

"Pretty sure I could've just guessed that," Andrew said with a new draw for his turn. "But now it's time to see what that monster is. I'm activating my Typhoonador's effect to destroy the Enveloping Shadows!"

The whirlwind hero appeared once again on the field, spinning up a gale and hurling it through the darkness, blowing away the Enveloping Shadows! The clouds parted and revealed all of the monsters on board, including Andrew's Lucky Death, his two face-down cards, and Jack's monster as well. It was a tall figure draped in a ritual cloak with different colors, wearing a steel mask etched with a sinister smile. As Andrew took in its presence, the dark figure flicked its arms and threw two shadow darts directly at him, striking down his Life Points.

Andrew: 2900
Jack: 1300

"Seems you've become acquainted now with my Shadow Master (8/2500/1200)," Jack said. "And now that you've revealed the monsters in the shadows, my Shadow Master can hit you for 300 damage each time. Now as long as my Shadow Master is in play, any of your face-down cards will do you no good, unless you want to take 300 damage for each one."

Andrew grimaced, clutching his chest where the darts hit him. "I should've known you would have a back-up plan of some kind," he said, readjusting himself and standing up straight again. "But now that I have my monsters face-up, I can use them as Tributes for my Ritual Spell card, Ancient Heroes' Ritual!"

The spirits of Typhoonador and Lucky Death ascended from their bodies, which disappeared shortly afterwards. The two were joined by another spirit, that of Bladegon, as they flew up and combined together into a singular black point. The black spot seeped a dark mist that transformed itself into the shape of a monstrous beast, with mouths opening at what would be the palms of its hands and the end of its tail, and several horns grew out from its head from which stared out one giant eye.

"With my Heroes banished, the ritual is complete! I bring out Ancient Hero Unknown (9/?/?) to the field!"

The blackened creature let out a guttural roar, emanating a dark aura across the field. Jack remained unfazed by the creature's appearance, merely looking back at its eye.

"My Ancient Hero Unknown now gains the power of all my banished Ancient Heroes," Andrew explained, as the spirits of his monsters were reflected in Unknown's eye.

Ancient Hero Unknown (9/?/? - 9/5100/1800)

"Your Shadow Master doesn't stand a chance against this hero! Attack!"

The shadow creature lunged forward, leaping into the air and pouncing upon the cloaked figure!

"I'll activate the effect of my Shadow Master to Set one card on my side of the field," Jack interrupted. "And I'll use it to Set my Shadow Master."

The figure twirled his cloak around himself, reverting into a face-down card as the shadow creature landed on top of it, tearing it and the figure to shreds.

"And since he was in Defense position, my Life Points remain untouched," Jack concluded.

Andrew smiled to himself. "I may not have been able to beat you this turn," he said, "but now that I've gotten rid of those Shadows, you won't be able to deal with my monsters so easily."

Jack chuckled lightly. "If it were only that simple," he remarked, drawing a new card. Then his blue eyes lit up as he looked back at Andrew. "Brace yourself. This...is where the real challenge begins."


AUTHOR'S NOTES

Geez, there is a LOT more going on here than we thought! Maybe one of these cards will help light the way?

Matt vs. Marduk

Array of Revealing Light (Field Spell)
Effect: When this card is activated: Declare 1 Type of monster. Monsters of the declared Type cannot attack during the turn they are Summoned.

Polymerization (Normal Spell)
Effect: Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Material.

King Dragun (Fusion Monster)
Level 7, 2400 Atk, 1100 Def, Dragon, DARK
"Lord of D." + "Divine Dragon Ragnarok"
Effect: Your opponent cannot target Dragon monsters with card effects. Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Dragon monster from your hand.

Tyrant Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2900 Atk, 2500 Def, Dragon, FIRE
Effect: During your Battle Phase, if your opponent controls a monster after this card's first attack, this card can attack once again. Negate the effect of any Trap card that targets this card, and if you do, destroy that Trap. This card cannot by Special Summoned from the GY, unless you Tribute 1 Dragon monster.

Grave of the Super Ancient Organism (Continuous Trap)
Effect: All Level 6 or higher Special Summoned monsters on the field cannot declare attacks or activate their effects.

Cat's Ear Tribe (Effect Monster)
Level 1, 200 Atk, 100 Def, Beast-Warrior, EARTH
Effect: During your opponent's Battle Phase, if this card battles an opponent's monster, that monster's original ATK becomes 200 during the Damage Step.

Heart of Clear Water (Equip Spell)
Effect: If the equipped monster's ATK is 1300 or higher, destroy this card. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects that target the equipped monster.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Normal Monster)
Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def, Dragon, LIGHT

The Melody of Awakening Dragon (Normal Spell)
Effect: Discard 1 card; add up to 2 Dragon monsters with 3000 or more ATK and 2500 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand.

Super Rejuvenation (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: During the End Phase of the turn this card was activated, draw a number of cards equal to the combined number of Dragon monsters you discarded or Tributed from your hand or field this turn.

Dragon Seeker (Effect Monster)
Level 6, 2000 Atk, 2100 Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned: destroy 1 face-up Dragon monster on the field.

Trade-In (Normal Spell)
Effect: Discard 1 Level 8 monster; draw 2 cards.

Radiant Sunrise Blessing (Ritual Spell)
Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Spirit Dragon of Fire". You must also banish monsters from your hand, field, or GY whose total Levels equal 12 or more.

Spirit Dragon of Light (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Radiant Sunrise Blessing". This card's Attribute is also treated as LIGHT. Unaffected by your opponent's Spell cards. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished LIGHT monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. You can target 1 other monster on the field; reduce the Atk/Def of this card by any amount, and if you do, increase the Atk/Def of the target by the same amount until the End Phase. Neither player takes effect damage. Once per turn: you can draw 1 card.

Jubilant Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 200 Atk, 1900 Def, Dragon, EARTH
Effect: If this card is Summoned: draw 1 card. If this card is destroyed: draw 1 card. If a Dragon monster is Summoned: you can discard 1 card; draw 1 card.

Spirit Dragon of the Earth (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Earthquakes of Revival". This card's Attribute is also treated as EARTH. Cannot be destroyed by battle. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished EARTH monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. This card can attack all of your opponent's monsters once each. You can activate each of these effect once per turn:
● You can pay 500 Life Points, then target 1 card in your GY; Special Summon it if it's a monster, or Set it if it's Spell/Trap card.
● You can pay 300 Life Points, then target 1 card in your GY; return that target to the bottom of your Deck.
● During your Main Phase: Gains 500 Atk for every monster on the field until the end of the turn.

Spirit Dragon of the Wind (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Winds of Harmony". This card's Attribute is also treated as WIND. Unaffected by the effects of your opponent's monsters. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WIND monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. Once per turn: you can destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the field, and if you do, draw 1 card for each card destroyed by this effect. You cannot attack during the turn you use this effect. Once per turn: you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand.

Spirit Dragon of the Sands (Fusion Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by sending "Spirit Dragon of the Earth" and "Spirit Dragon of the Wind" from your hand or field to the GY (you do not use Polymerization). This card's Attribute is also treated as EARTH and WIND. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished EARTH and WIND monster, also gains 300 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. If a Spell/Trap card would be sent to your GY, you can return that card to the bottom of your Deck instead.

Stamping Destruction (Normal Spell)
Effect: If you control a Dragon monster: Target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to its controller.

Spirit Dragon of Fire (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Volcanic Surge of Renewal". This card's Attribute is also treated as FIRE. Unaffected by your opponent's Trap cards. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished FIRE monster, also it gains 200 ATK/DEFfor every Dragon monster in your GY. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage. You can only activate one of the following effects of "Spirit Dragon of Fire" during your turn, and only once each turn. You can inflict 300 damage to your opponent for every card on the field. This card cannot attack when this effect is used. You can have this card lose 1000 ATK/DEF; inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. You cannot activate this effect for 5 turns, also during the next 5 Standby Phases, this card gains 200 ATK/DEF.

Spirit Dragon of the Sun (Fusion Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by sending "Spirit Dragon of Fire" and "Spirit Dragon of Light" from your hand or field to the GY (you do not use Polymerization). This card's Attribute is also treated as FIRE and LIGHT . Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished FIRE and LIGHT monster, also gains 300 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. Each time you draw a card(s): inflict 500 damage to your opponent. Once per turn: you can draw and reveal the top card of your Deck to your opponent.

Terraforming (Normal Spell)
Effect: Add 1 Field Spell from your Deck to your hand.

Dracolympus (Field Spell)
Effect: All Dragon monsters you control gain 400 ATK/DEF and gain the following effects based on their Attribute:
● WATER: When this monster destroys a monster in battle: you gain Life Points equal to that monster's Atk.
● EARTH: Once per turn: you can destroy 1 Spell/Trap card on the field.
● FIRE: When this monster destroys a monster in battle, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's Atk.
● WIND: When this monster destroys a monster in battle, it can attack once again.
● LIGHT: Once per turn: you can target 1 monster your opponent controls; it loses 500 ATK/DEF.
● DARK: Once per turn: you can destroy 1 monster your opponent controls.

The Regulation of Tribe (Continuous Trap)
Effect: When this card is activated: declare 1 Type of monster. Monsters of the declared Type cannot attack. During each of your Standby Phases: Tribute 1 monster, or if you do not, destroy this card.

Dragon Capture Jar (Continuous Trap)
Effect: Change all face-up Dragon monsters on the field to Defense Position, also they cannot change their battle positions.

Andrew vs. Jack

Ancient Hero Bladegon (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 2000 Atk, 1200 Def, Dinosaur, EARTH
Effect: This card cannot be destroyed in battle. When this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. This card cannot attack during the turn after it attacks.

Veil of Darkness (Continuous Spell)
Effect: During your Draw Phase, if you draw a DARK monster(s): You can reveal any number of them; send them to the GY, then you can draw 1 more card.

Mystic Tomato (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1100 Def, Plant, DARK
Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck, in face-up Attack Position.

Dark Jeroid (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1200 Atk, 1500 Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: When this card is Summoned: Target 1 face-up monster on the field; it loses 800 ATK.

Makyura the Destructor (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def, Warrior, DARK
Effect: During the turn this card was sent to the GY, you can activate Trap Cards from your hand.
NOTE: This is using the unerrata'd version of Makyura's effect. Now it has to be sent from the Monster Zone to the GY, it only lets you activate 1 Trap from your hand, and you can only use the effect of Makyura once per turn.

Dark Spirit Art - Greed (Normal Trap)
Effect: Tribute 1 DARK monster; your opponent can reveal 1 Spell in their hand to negate this effect, otherwise draw 2 cards.

Painful Choice (Normal Spell)
Effect: Reveal 5 cards from your Deck to your opponent. Your opponent picks 1 to add to your hand, then send the rest to the GY.

Darkness Approaches (Normal Spell)
Effect: Discard 2 cards from your hand, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; change it to face-down Defense Position.
NOTE: The original printing of this card actually just flipped the monster face-down, without changing its Battle Position at all, which would go on to inspire...

Enveloping Shadows (Continuous Spell)
Effect: Activate by discarding 1 card. Flip all face-up monsters on the field face-down in their current position. Monsters must be Set, but can be Set in Attack position. If a monster attacks or activates its effect, flip that monster face-up. Once per turn, during either player's turn: you can send the top 3 cards of your Deck to the GY; flip all monsters face-down.
NOTE: There's realistically no feasible way a card like this could exist in the game, as it breaks the fundamental rule of monsters in Attack position being face-up only, but if such a card could exist, I speculate this is more or less how it would operate.

Ancient Hero Lucky Death (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1900 Atk, 200 Def, Zombie, DARK
Effect: This card cannot be destroyed in battle. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can discard 1 card to Special Summon it to your field.

Shadow Seamstress (Effect Monster)
Level 3, 1300 Atk, 1400 Def, Spellcaster, DARK
Effect: If this face-down card is flipped face-up: it cannot be destroyed by battle, also add 1 DARK monster from your GY or that is banished to your hand.

Dark Hunter (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1600 Atk, 400 Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: This card's effect changes depending on the number of DARK monsters in your GY:
● 1 or fewer: Lose 400 Atk.
● 2 to 4: Gain 400 Atk.
● 5 or more: You can send this card to the GY; destroy all face-down monsters your opponent controls.

Ancient Hero Guardian (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 800 Atk, 2000 Def, Rock, EARTH
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. Double any Battle Damage your opponent takes from battles involving this card.

Ancient Hero Typhoonador (Effect Monster)
Level 3, 1200 Atk, 400 Def, Spellcaster, WIND
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn: you can target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; destroy that target, also this card cannot declare an attack this turn.

Suture of Darkness (Counter Trap)
Effect: When your opponent activates a Set card: negate the activation, and if you do, Set that card face-down. It cannot activate or be flipped face-up this turn.

Shadow Master (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2500 Atk, 1200 Def, Spellcaster, DARK
Effect: You can send 2 DARK monsters you control to the GY; Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn: you can Set 1 face-up card on your field. If a Set card is flipped face-up: inflict 300 damage to your opponent. You can send 1 DARK monster in your hand to the GY, then target 1 Set card on the field; destroy that target. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position.

Dark-Protection Seal (Continuous Trap)
Effect: While you control a DARK monster, your opponent cannot target monsters you control with card effects.

Ancient Heroes' Ritual (Ritual Spell)
Effect: This card can be used to Ritual Summon "Ancient Hero Unknown". You must also banish "Ancient Hero" monsters from your hand, field, or Graveyard that have a total Level of 9 or more.

Ancient Hero Unknown (Ritual Monster)
Level 9, ? Atk, ? Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: Must first be Ritual Summoned. This card's Atk and Def are equal to the total Atk and Def of all banished "Ancient Hero" monsters. This card cannot be destroyed in battle. This card cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. Once per turn, during either player's turn: your cards cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.

Will Andrew be able to conquer the darkness Jack has set? Will Matt survive his encounter with Marduk? Find out in the next chapter!