Chapter 46: Escape the Shadow Realm Dragon!

"KILLLLLLL! KIIIIILLLLLL!"

Marduk screeched into the night, howling with pain. Matt could only watch as his opponent cried out in agony, as though the memory of what befell him was torturing him. Shannon looked between the two, the swirling winds of the sandstorm barely audible amidst Marduk's wailing. Finally, she looked over to Matt and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"What does he mean? Why's he talking about Elam?" she asked.

Matt furrowed his brow as Marduk continued writhing in agony before him. "Elam was a neighboring kingdom to Babylon, arguably one of the strongest kingdoms in the ancient world," he explained. "But during the time of Hammurabi, they were torn apart by their neighbors and wiped out, fading away into obscurity."

He looked back to Marduk, wondering, "Marduk must have been from the kingdom of Elam. But why does he think the dragons were responsible for its destruction?"

Finally, breathing out breath after haggard breath, Marduk glowered at the Spirit Dragons. Then he pointed angrily towards them, declaring, "KILL! ALL! DRAGONS!"

Then he drew his next card, his eyes glinting with malicious glee. "Dragon-Slaying Champion (8/2900/1700)...summon!"

A hearty warrior was brought forth, bearing armor that appeared to be shaped like dragons and even made from dragons. He pulled out a sword whose hilt was a dragon's fang, and he flipped out a cape that appeared to be leather but must have been a dragon's wing. A necklace of claws, talons, and teeth hung from his neck, and his helmet was not only shaped to appear as a dragon's head, but just like the rest of his armor, it was covered in dragon scales.

"KILL! SANDS! KILL!"

The warrior wasted no time in leaping into the air, diving straight down on top of the Spirit Dragon and piercing through its hide with his sword. The dragon roared in pain before being destroyed, scattering into sand particles in the wind. Matt held up his arms in front of himself to block the sand blowing past him before watching as the warrior gained a new piece of armor that appeared to be formed from some of the sand that had scattered.

Dragon-Slaying Champion (8/2900/1700 - 8/3400/1700)

"This monster's tough! It's completely designed to counter Dragons!" Shannon exclaimed as Marduk cackled from the other side.

"Dragon-Slaying Champion can be Special Summoned to his field if I have a Dragon monster," Matt explained. "On top of that, he has the ability to negate the effects of Dragon monsters it battles, and it gains 500 Atk every time it battles a Dragon monster. It really is the ultimate dragon-slaying monster."

Marduk laughed maniacally as he moved to flip over his other monster, another warrior in armor that rode atop a smaller gray dragon. His armor was not as elaborate as the champion's, having only a general rocky gray exterior, but it still served as fair protection. Matt recognized the monster immediately, watching as it leapt off its own dragon and jumped onto his remaining Spirit Dragon!

"The Dragon Manipulator (3/700/800) too?!"

The dragon roared as it was pulled over to Marduk's field. Marduk then waved his hand, announcing, "Sun...effect...draw!"

Marduk drew and revealed his next card, the Sword of Dragon's Soul, as the spirit dragon opened its wings and rained fire down on Matt, singing his clothes!

Marduk: 3000
Matt: 1500

"Sword of Dragon's Soul...Champion!"

Marduk's demands were accompanied by the serrated blade, with the champion grasping it in his hands as his power rose.

Dragon-Slaying Champion (8/3400/1700 - 8/4100/1700)

"Dragon...leave!"

The Spirit Dragon of the Sun moved back over to Matt's field as he patted down some remaining flames. He flinched, feeling the sting of the wound on his chest again. He looked down to see it had been partially cauterized, sealed up again by the flames. He let out a ragged sigh.

This duel's really taking its toll on me, he thought to himself. And now that Marduk's got his Champion in play equipped with the Sword of Dragon's Soul, it's going to be even more difficult to get past. And I still have to contend with the Dragon-Capture Jar!

Matt drew the top card of his deck, prompting the Spirit Dragon of the Sun to beat its fiery wings against Marduk, singing more of his tattered rags.

Marduk: 2500
Matt: 1500

"I'll Set the card I drew and use the Spirit Dragon of the Sun's effect to draw again," Matt declared. I have to draw the right card in order to take care of his Champion. I have to win!

"I draw!"

Matt drew his next card, revealing it to be...Card Destruction. As he did, the dragon's wings spread wide once more and sent more fiery sparks down at Marduk, prompting the latter to screech in pained anger.

Marduk: 2000
Matt: 1500

Matt grimaced looking down at the card. It's...it's not going to be enough, he thought to himself. With the Castle of Dragon Souls I have face-down, I would need Marduk to destroy it to bring back one of my banished Dragons. And Card Destruction is useless without any other cards in hand...which means…

"...unfortunately...I end my turn."

Marduk laughed menacingly before breaking out into an uproar. "DRAW!"

Marduk drew his next card before immediately pointing towards the dragon, pieces of bandage falling off to reveal the dead skin underneath. "CHAMPION, KILLLLLLLLL!"

The champion lunged forward, thrusting his sword into the fiery heart of the dragon and ridding the field of its presence. The flames swirled around his armor, giving him a new piece to his collection.

Dragon-Slaying Champion (8/4100/1700 - 8/4600/1700)

With no more monsters, Matt stared up at the looming threat.

I...I lost…

"SEEKER…grrrk..."

Marduk looked to be struggling with his arm, as though an invisible force was grasping onto it. He grabbed at it with his other hand, trying to move it, only to groan in pain and reach for his head. Matt and Shannon watched this, shocked by this erratic behavior.

"SEEK...Seeker...go...Defense…"

Marduk then switched his Dragon Seeker into Defense position, prompting it to squat down and hold its arms in front of itself.

Dragon Seeker (6/2000/2100 - 6/2000/2100)

"GRAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

Marduk screeched and clutched his head. Pieces of his bandages fell off, revealing more of the flesh that was still barely attached. Matt, stunned as he was, finally found the focus to draw his next card. Looking at it, he looked back to the enraged Marduk.

"Looks like I just got my second chance."


Andrew: 2900
Jack: 1300

"I activate The Beginning of the End."

Jack played down his next card without hesitation. "I can use this card when I have 7 or more DARK monsters in my Graveyard," he explained. "Now by banishing 5 of them, I can draw 3 new cards."

Jack drew more cards from the remains of his deck. Andrew noted the few cards that remained. After having to use Enveloping Shadows so often, was it really worth it to get rid of so many cards? With so few left, did he really get the card he was looking for?

Taking a look over his new hand, Jack continued, "I now activate the Fires of Doomsday, bringing out two Doomsday Tokens to my field."

A pair of hazy black flame spirits showed up, each peering out with their singular eye. Looking back between the Tokens and Ancient Hero Unknown, they could have been distant cousins of each other.

"And then I'll sacrifice the Tokens for a face-down monster, thus ending my turn."

The dark spirits flickered out of existence, replaced by a solitary card in their place. Andrew looked down at the card in question. Two Tributes for a face-down monster.

"I hope I'm not making you nervous over my monster," Jack commented. "It would be a shame if you were to halt your advance simply due to a mere face-down card."

Andrew smirked, drawing into his next card. "I haven't backed down from a challenge before, and I'm not planning to start now," he declared. "Go, Ancient Hero Unknown! Devour his face-down monster!"

The creeping shadows formed around and dove down towards the face-down monster! The card flipped itself over, only to blow back against the hero with a powerful dark wind. The arena fell into a deep darkness, as a malevolent pair of purple eyes gleamed through the darkness.

"I've activated my Shadow Scale Trap card to prepare for my dragon's arrival," Jack explained. "Shadow Scale protects all of my DARK monsters and Set cards from being destroyed by either battle or card effects for this turn. And now that it's been revealed, I'll now activate the powers of the Shadow Realm Dragon (9/3000/1900)."

A horrific roar rang out through the dark fog, tearing away at the shadowy hero with even darker shadows!

"Once my Shadow Realm Dragon has been either Summoned or flipped face-up, it destroys all other monsters on the field."

"Well, that's a shame for you then," Andrew retorted. "Unknown has the power to protect itself from being destroyed by card effects!"

The shadowy beast soon transformed into its ethereal form, ducking away from the projectiles that threatened to destroy it. Jack gave a mere nod of acknowledgement as Kiara continued watching the back and forth from the sidelines.

"They're almost evenly matched," she murmured to herself. "Between Andrew's Ancient Heroes and Jack's deceptive tactics, it's hard to tell who will win…"

"It's my turn now," Jack announced, drawing his next card. He paused to take a look at it before continuing, "My Shadow Realm Dragon isn't quite like the others. It has another effect that I'm sure you noticed once it flipped up."

Andrew looked around, the darkness encroaching around him. He breathed in and out, noticing that something was…off. He took another breath and found himself struggling to breathe.

"Wh…what the…"

"You may have a tough time here in this space. My Shadow Realm Dragon was born in the midst of absolute darkness, a realm far from the reaches of the light. It has lived in this realm for so long that it has become one with it, so now wherever it goes, it awakens the Shadow Realm."

"But…that would mean…"

"Yes. At this point, we're now playing a Shadow Game."

Andrew took a moment to steady himself and catch his breath. He could feel it now - the pressure from the Shadow Realm felt more like someone was pressing their palm directly down on his chest. It was unmistakably different from the dark fog that had surrounded them before.

"Here in the realm of shadows, you fight for your very survival," Jack explained. "For you, that may be difficult. As for me, my monsters will only get stronger, as they thrive in the darkness that now consumes them, strengthening their power."

Shadow Realm Dragon (9/3000/1900 - 9/3500/1900)

"Next I'll trigger the power of my Shadow Realm Dragon! By discarding one card from my hand, my dragon will swallow your monsters in its dark maw, ridding them from the field at once!"

As Jack pitched one of the cards in his hand, the dragon roared out into the darkness before blasting out a powerful dark fire that swirled around Andrew's field.

"My Unknown can still protect himself with his ability! He won't leave the field that easily!"

"That may be while it's out in the open, but now I'll activate the Spell card, Book of Moon, to flip a monster on the field face-down! And the monster I choose will be your Unknown!"

An ancient blue tome appeared on the field, opening itself up and shining a blue light onto the hero of darkness. The shrouded monster recoiled against the light, as it retreated beneath a face-down card that appeared, just in time for the dragon's dark fire to spread over it and destroy it. Andrew held up his arms, blocking the fire from hurting himself.

"My Shadow Realm Dragon won't be able to attack when it uses this effect, but I'll be able to use its other effect to bolster my offenses," Jack continued. "I use the power of the Shadow Realm Dragon to resurrect a DARK monster from my Graveyard, and I choose the Shadow Master!"

A portion of the dragon melted off, the darkness dropping down like goo onto the ground. From the midst of it arose a darkened version of the master of shadows, its colorful cloak subdued to only shades of purple, its sinister mask still smiling.

"The monster I bring back can't attack this turn and has its effects negated, but as long as my Shadow Realm Dragon is on the field, it will remain a DARK monster and gain 500 Atk from the Shadow Realm field."

Shadow Master (8/2500/1200 - 8/3000/1200)

"That ends my turn."

Andrew took a breath as his gaze drifted up towards the two monsters staring down at him through the darkness. I better be able to come up with a quick strategy, or these guys are gonna drag me into darkness.


"Ready Marduk?" Matt called out, drawing his next card. "It's my move!"

He looked at it before announcing, "I'll start by setting a card face-down on the field. And then I'll use the Card of Sanctity, giving each of us enough cards to fill our hands!"

Marduk pulled his head out of his hands, grimacing towards Matt with a spiteful gaze. Then both players proceeded to draw cards from their Decks, giving themselves 6 cards each. Matt looked over his new hand and nodded with certainty.

"I'll now activate the Card Destruction I just Set on the field!" Matt continued. "Now we have to discard our hands and replace them with a whole new set!"

Marduk growled with a menacing scowl as they both continued to discard and draw new cards. Matt looked over at his hand once again, seeing just what he needed.

"Now for my Pot of Avarice Spell! With it, 5 of the monsters now in my Graveyard get returned to the Deck and shuffled in before I draw 2 new cards! So I'm returning the Spirit Dragons of Wind, Fire, Earth, and Light in my Graveyard alongside one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons so I can draw 2 new cards!"

The echoing spirits of the dragons appeared, alongside the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, as a large decorative purple pot smiled toothfully and munched them all down before ejecting two cards from its top. Matt now looked over at these cards and smiled.

"And now one of the cards I drew was Quickdraw Opportunity!, meaning I can now play it for 2 more cards!"

"GRAAAAAAGGGHH! STOP!" Marduk cried out.

"No stopping me now!" Matt drew his next two cards. "And now I'll activate the Castle of Dragon Souls I have face-down as well! This will work for me in a moment, but for now, I'll also activate the Winds of harmony, banishing the Spirit Dragon of the Sun still in my Graveyard to Ritual Summon the Spirit Dragon of the Wind (12/?/?) from my hand!"

The shimmering Spirit Dragon in the Graveyard echoed out its powerful song before disappearing into a powerful gale, as a new green Spirit Dragon took its place!

"My Spirit Dragon of the Wind gains power based on what WIND monsters are removed from the game and what Dragons I still have in the Graveyard, the same as my other Spirit Dragons!"

Spirit Dragon of the Wind (12/?/? - 12/2200/2200)

"Now for its effect! I'll use the power of the Winds to destroy all the Spell and Trap cards on the field - whether they're mine or, more importantly, yours!" Matt explained further. "Now go! Gale of Destruction!"

The Spirit Dragon cried out as it swept the field with a severe storm. The temple of Dracolympus, the Jar, the Sword given to the Dragon-Slaying Champion, and the newly-established Castle of Dragon Souls all eroded and crumbled away, destroyed by the Spirit Dragon's power, much to Marduk's rage!

Dragon-Slaying Champion (8/4600/1700 - 8/3900/1700)

"Now I can draw cards based on the number of Spells and Traps destroyed by my Spirit Dragon," Matt continued, ignoring Marduk's anguish as he drew more cards. "And then I can use Castle of Dragon Souls! Since it was destroyed while face-up on the field, I can bring back a Dragon that's been removed from the game, like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (8/3000/2500) in Attack mode!"

With that, the mythical dragon of legend appeared on the field, its cry echoing throughout the midnight desert! Marduk screamed as though he were burned by the mere sight of it, illuminating the shrouded night with its white scales.

"Now it's time to bring forth the true power of my Spirit Dragons!" Matt declared. "I now call upon the powers of the Spirit Dragons of Earth and Light!"

The dragons now appeared behind Matt, one of earthen scales, the other of brilliant golden light, before they danced around each other and began to shine radiantly!

"Blessed by the powers of the shining light, the earth comes together in polar unity! Fuse together the Spirit Dragons of Earth and Light! Behold! I summon the Spirit Dragon of Magnetism (12/?/?)!"

A gargantuan and hearty dragon spirit arose from behind Matt, with ridges every so often that seemed to hum dramatically. The dragon coiled around itself until it formed a spiral, standing up straight on its tail, its gray scales glimmering with electricity.

"And as you know by now, my Spirit Dragon works very much like all the others, gaining power not only from the Dragons in my Graveyard but from any LIGHT and EARTH monsters that have been removed from the game!"

Spirit Dragon of Magnetism (12/?/? - 12/4200/4200)

"K-KILL…k-kill…d-d-dragons…"

Matt pulled out two more cards from his hand and revealed them to Marduk. "Now I'm going to sail beyond my beloved horizon, and combine the powers of 3 Spirit Dragons!"

Marduk gasped with shock, as did Shannon. "He can do that?!"

"The fierce waves of the ocean collide with the wind and fire! Blow forth through the great eroded pass! I fuse the Spirit Dragons of Water, Wind, and Fire together! Behold!"

The green dragon on the field rose up and danced around with the blue and red dragons in Matt's hand, their intricate dancing swirling around each other as they combined into an even greater dragon with a giant ring of swirling fire and water surrounding it! The dragon set itself down on the ground, spreading its multitude of leathery wings out as it roared into the night sky!

"Now I bring out the Spirit Dragon of the Mountain Gate (12/?/?)!"

Marduk fell to his knees, his frantic rage now replaced with a silent burning anger. He stared up at the new dragon, his fists clenched tight, his cards crumpling between his fingers. Tears dampened the cloth near his face as the dragon roared once more above him.

"My Spirit Dragon of the Mountain Gate is all the more powerful thanks to the addition of another Spirit Dragon," Matt explained. "Now it will not only gain 300 Atk and Def for every WIND, WATER, and FIRE monster removed from the game, but it will now gain 400 Atk and Def for each Dragon in my Graveyard."

Spirit Dragon of the Mountain Gate (12/?/? - 12/6400/6400)

"Now I'll let the passageway open with the Spirit Dragon of the Mountain Gate! I can bring out any other Dragon from my hand to the field, and then I can damage you based on how high its Level is," Matt continued on, pulling out another card. "So I play the Saving Drake (8/2600/1900) using the power of the Mountain Gate!"

The ring surrounding the Spirit Dragon began to spin, swirling fire and water together as the wind picked up. The dragon roared out once again as a portal formed around its body, and out from that portal dove the stalwart dragon, bringing with its flight a trail of fire! It flew down and swept past Marduk's body, lighting up the area around him and causing him to scream in pain!

Marduk: 400
Matt: 1500

"Now Saving Drake gains its Atk based on the number of Dragons in play, and there are plenty enough to go around with 4 in total!"

Saving Drake (8/2600/1900 - 8/3000/1900)

"Fortunately for you, though, my monsters can't attack in the turn I use the Mountain Gate," Matt concluded. "But with my Spirit Dragon of Magnetism in play, you won't be able to target any of my other monsters with effects or attacks. So now…"

"K-kill…"

Matt watched as the burnt body of Marduk slowly rose to his feet. Charred bits of cloth blew away into ashes, as more of his body became exposed to the elements. Bits of bone could now be seen, but once the face cloth slowly fell away, it was the face that took Matt and Shannon by surprise. A raspy wheeze turned into a malevolent chuckle as Matt stared back at the true face of his opponent, rattled.

"It…it can't be…Bonesman?!"


Andrew looked up at the two monsters, or at least what he could see of them. With the shadows around him eagerly reaching out and clawing at him, Andrew worked to keep himself composed as he drew his next card. He looked over the cards in his hand, weighing his options.

"I play a monster and one card face-down and end my turn," he declared confidently.

Jack paused for a moment, his eyes set on that face-down card. He moved cautiously as he drew his next card, looking over it curiously. "I'll Set my own card face-down."

"It must be a powerful card if he chose not to use Shadow Realm Dragon's effect to wipe out Andrew's monster," Kiara noted.

"Now I'll use Shadow Realm Dragon's power to bring back another monster from my Graveyard!"

The dragon melted off another portion of its shadowy body to recreate another monster, a bulky skull-headed fiend with an impressively large hammer. Its body, normally red, was now imbued with the shadows and turned purple.

"And while my Inferno Hammer (6/2400/0) can't attack this turn, it does gain power from the Shadow Realm!"

Inferno Hammer (6/2400/0 - 6/2900/0)

"Now go, Shadow Realm Dragon! Attack that face-down monster!"

The dragon pulled back and fired off a sludgy spew that buried Andrew's face-down monster. Out of the muck emerged a lone swordsman, his kasa and white kimono dripping with the shadows. He had his blades drawn out defensively, keeping himself safe.

"My Ancient Hero Swiftblade (4/1800/1800) won't go down that easily!" Andrew remarked. "Just like my other Ancient Heroes, he can't be destroyed by battle!"

Jack merely nodded his head. "I'll have to end my turn at this point."

Kiara looked over the field as Andrew prepared to draw his next card. "Who would have thought Jack's strategy would lead into this? A powerful dragon capable of reviving more of his monsters, strengthening them, and even wiping out his opponent's monsters. If Andrew can't bring out something on his next turn, Jack will be able to wipe out his monster and what's left of his Life Points."

Andrew took a steady breath to relax himself. It all comes down to this. "I draw!"

He looked at the card he drew and smiled. "Now I'll activate Ancient Time Acceleration, allowing me to look at the top 3 cards of my Deck and pick the ones I want to put at the bottom."

He picked up the three cards on the top, taking a look over them. Nothing here…I'll have to take my chances with what comes after.

"I'm putting all 3 cards back at the bottom of the Deck, and then I get to draw 3 cards since I put all of them at the bottom of my Deck."

Hope this works…

Andrew drew into his next three cards, looking them over carefully. Then he smiled, broad enough for even Jack to see it through the darkness surrounding them.

"Now I Tribute my Ancient Hero Swiftblade for my Ancient Hero Superior (10/?/?)!"

The swordsman sheathed his blades as a pillar of fire illuminated the darkness, bringing with it a stronger warrior armed with its signature trident-hammer weapon.

"But my Superior won't remain on the field for long, cause now I'm banishing it to summon out Ancient Hero Infinity (10/?/?) from my hand!"

Just like the swordsman before it, the blazing warrior was now shrouded in dark shadows that transformed him into a powerful one-eyed djinn! The genie flexed its powerful muscles as the ankh on its chest radiated with powerful energy!

"My Ancient Hero Infinity holds the power of the infinite," Andrew explained, "and with that power, he can gain all the powers of my banished Ancient Heroes!"

Ancient Hero Infinity (10/?/? - 10/5100/1800)

"And with his other abilities, no cards that have been removed from play can return," Andrew continued, "and he can copy the power of one of my Ancient Heroes! So now-"

"Not so fast!" Jack retaliated. "Go, Shroud of Shadows!"

As the genie moved to claim the power of the blazing warrior, a dark curtain sprang up from the floor, surrounding it and preparing to envelop it in its embrace.

"My Shroud of Shadows will block off your Infinity's power by flipping it face-down," Jack explained. "Now go! Bury his monster in darkness!"

The curtain fell upon the genie, covering it entirely in its shroud. Jack looked pleased with the result, seeing his opponent's greatest threat now subdued. Andrew though remained undeterred - in fact, he seemed to be smiling more confidently than before.

"Looks like you've underestimated me and my Ancient Heroes," he declared. "Take a look!"

The dark curtain slowly dropped away, revealing the genie to be surrounded by a barrier that shielded it from the curtain's effects. Jack recoiled with shock before realizing the card that had been revealed, Andrew's Trap card!

"I thought you might try to pull out another Book of Moon effect on my guys, so it's a good thing I came prepared! My Ancient Heroes' Shield allows me to prevent my Ancient Heroes from being affected by your card effects," Andrew explained. "Infinity can only protect itself from Spells and Traps that would destroy it, but thanks to my Shield, he won't be getting flipped face-down by your Trap card either!"

Jack sighed with a defeated smile. "It seems I've been bested…"

"Now go! Ancient Hero Infinity! Destroy the Shadow Realm Dragon!"

The genie raised its fists into the air before delivering a powerful blast of dark energy down on the shadowy dragon! The monster roared out with pain as the realm of darkness ignited with the explosive light from its defeat!

Andrew: 2900
Jack: 0

Kari breathed a sigh of relief as the area became illuminated in blue flames. Andrew smiled as he rose to his feet, looking back up at Jack only to find the latter had vanished. In his place, there was only a small key.

"You now know the truth," an echoing voice spoke out from the darkness. "Go forth with my blessing. You must never forget what lurks in the shadows, for there is far more to this than what meets the eye…"

Andrew nodded. "I won't forget." He turned back to the key and moved over to pick it up. Kari watched as he took the key in his hands.

"Between Kiara's and Jack's warnings, there's definitely more to the story of the Trinity than meets the eye," Andrew remarked, recalling what he heard from each advisor.

Kari nodded in agreement. "There's much that needs to be answered for, and there's only one place to get those answers."

"You're right…"

Andrew stood up and headed out with Kari, a resolved determination now lighting their eyes in the darkness…


"Bonesman?! Is that you?"

Marduk's bandages had fallen off of his face due to the last assault from Matt's dragons, revealing the face of Bonesman beneath. Bonesman cried out from beneath the remaining folds, though a bandaged hand attempted to quell his mouth before his other hand grasped it and pulled it away!

"Matt! You have to defeat me!" Bonesman cried out.

Matt looked on with shock as Bonesman continued, "Rommel…he…he's become stronger somehow…he found Auntie in the swamp…he attacked us both…she's…she's no longer of this world…and he forced me…to take the mantle…of his first mate…bound his spirit to mine…the only way…to break free…is to defeat me…in this duel…"

Shannon held her hands up to her mouth, unable to move. Matt could only watch as Bonesman struggled against his hands, the bandages slowly wrapping themselves back around his free hand. Bonesman looked back at Matt as a bandaged hand grasped more to pull over his face.

"Please! Matt, you have to…stop…him! Aaagggghhhh!"

And before anything else, Bonesman's face was covered once more, hidden beneath Marduk's as he breathed in slowly, calmly. He turned his attention back to Matt with a sinister laugh.

"Must…kill…dragons…"

Matt clenched his free hand, his own anger now swelling up inside him. "Damn you, Rommel…this was supposed to be between you and me, and now you've hurt my friends…" He glowered at Marduk before playing another card from his hand. "I'll Set one last card and end my turn."

Marduk laughed mirthfully as he drew his next card. "Dragons die! Dragons die! Dragons must die!" He pointed over towards the Spirit Dragon of Magnetism as he cackled!

"Champion! Destroy!"

The champion brandished his remaining sword, lunging towards the circular spiral dragon. It sliced through the dragon without any effort, eradicating it with ease as its power only grew, its armor gaining a new piece onto it! Marduk cackled into the night as his monster stood triumphant over the dragon!

"Dragons die! Dragons die! Dragons die! Dragons die!"

"You're right, Marduk…dragons can die."

Marduk stopped his laughter as Matt spoke up, "But when they die, they're not the only ones who suffer. Those dragons are remembered, regarded as deities themselves, revered and respected. And when you don't give those dragons that respect, their friends come back all the more powerful. They become enraged, just as you have, spiteful."

"Dragons kill! Dragons slay! Dragons burn Elam!"

"I don't know if that's true, but even if it is, your hatred has only sparked a new path of war and bloodshed. Your actions have hurt thousands of people on a scale too great to behold. Now I will take back what your victims sought for all this time. For them, for the dragons, and for my friend - Marduk! I activate Vengeance of the Dragons!"

The Trap card flipped face-up, igniting a fiery circle of dragon fire surrounding the duo. Shannon was forced back by the sudden blast of heat as Marduk spun around at the flames surrounding him! He frantically searched for a way out, but he found there was no exit save through more fire!

"My Vengeance of the Dragons Trap activates when a Dragon is destroyed," Matt explained. "It lets me bring out another Dragon monster from my Graveyard, so I choose the ultimate Dragon that breaks the cycle of vengeance: the Dragon of Hope!"

A pillar of flame emerged in front of the card, and when it faded, a small dragon hatchling cracked out of an egg, a shining star illuminated over its head.

"And then, my Vengeance of the Dragons destroys the monster that destroyed my monster and deals damage to you equal to its Atk," Matt finished.

"GAH?! NO!"

Matt pointed fiercely at his opponent. "MARDUK! Your vengeance ends here!"

"NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The dragon hatchling suddenly belched out an intense fireball that grew in size until it collided with the champion, annihilating him in an instant before continuing towards Marduk! A moment later, Marduk howled with pain as he burned away in the fire, his screams fading into the night as Bonesman fell to the desert floor, free.

Marduk: 0
Matt: 1500

As the duel concluded, the flames dispersed, and the monsters faded away, Matt and Shannon ran over to Bonesman on the ground, his charred body smoldering from the attack.

"Bonesman!" Matt cried out as he knelt beside him, picking up his body delicately. Bonesman's eyes opened only a little, but once he saw Matt and Shannon looming over him, he cracked a small smile.

"Ye did it, Matt," he whispered hoarsely. "Ye broke the curse."

"I haven't broken any curse yet, you damn fool," Matt cursed, a small smile at the edge of his mouth.

Bonesman laughed. "You broke my curse."

He leaned back onto the sands and looked up at the stars in the night sky, now clearly shining bright above them. "What a sight to see…and fitting. That I should see the night sky I've always admired."

Bonesman tilted his head to look towards Matt. "You remember why you started calling me 'Bonesman', right?"

Matt shook his head. "Of course I do," he replied. "Cause you'd always be wandering the deck at night during the graveyard shift, like a zombie."

Bonesman chuckled. "So ye do remember." His chuckle continued weakly as he looked back up again. "They're always so nice, the stars…"

"That's enough talking, Bonesman…" Matt remarked, shaking his head once more. "You're not allowed to talk like that. As your captain…"

"It's been some time since you ordered me around, captain…"

Matt looked over at Bonesman as he looked back. Bonesman looked him dead in the eye as he asked, "Permission to go ashore…captain…"

Matt pursed his lips together, struggling to hold back his tears. He stared back into the eyes of his former first mate, the man who went through hell and back to get him to where he was today. If it hadn't been for Bonesman…

"...aye…permission granted…"

Bonesman simply smiled at that, nodding his head gently. He leaned back, looking back up at the stars, his head resting on the sand once more. The bones of his brittle body began to erode, fading away into dust that blended into the desert sands. As Matt held him in his arms for as long as he could, Bonesman breathed out his last and soon became dust, returning to the land one last time…


AUTHOR'S NOTES

Well...that's...crap. That's a tough one.

Matt vs Marduk

Dragon-Slaying Champion (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2900 Atk, 1700 Def, Warrior, EARTH
Effect: If your opponent controls a Dragon monster: you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card battles a Dragon monster: gain 500 Atk, also negate that monster's effects.

Dragon Manipulator (Effect Monster)
Level 3, 700 Atk, 900 Def, Warrior, EARTH
Effect: FLIP: Take control of 1 face-up Dragon monster your opponent controls until the End Phase.

Sword of Dragon's Soul (Equip Spell)
Effect: Equip only to a Warrior monster. It gains 700 ATK. After damage calculation, if the equipped monster battled a Dragon monster: Destroy that monster at the end of that Battle Phase.

Card of Sanctity (Normal Spell)
Effect: Both players draw until they have 6 cards in their hand.
NOTE: Anime effect, you know the drill.

Card Destruction (Normal Spell)
Effect: Both players discard as many cards as possible from their hands, then each player draws the same number of cards they discarded.

Pot of Avarice (Normal Spell)
Effect: Target 5 monsters in your GY; shuffle all 5 into the Deck, then draw 2 cards.

Quickdraw Opportunity! (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Draw 1 card. If you draw this card by a card effect: you can activate it and draw 2 cards instead.

Castle of Dragon Souls (Continuous Trap)
Effect: Once per turn: you can banish 1 Dragon monster from your GY, then target 1 monster you control; it gains 700 ATK until the end of this turn (even if this card leaves the field). When this face-up card on the field is sent to the GY: You can target 1 of your banished Dragon monsters; Special Summon that target. You can only control 1 "Castle of Dragon Souls".

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

Spirit Dragon of Magnetism (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 Light" from your hand or field to the GY (you do not use Polymerization). This card's Attribute is also treated as EARTH and LIGHT. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished EARTH and LIGHT monster, also gains 300 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. Your opponent cannot target other monsters you control for attacks or card effects.

Spirit Dragon of the Mountain Gate (Fusion Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by sending "Spirit Dragon of the Water", "Spirit Dragon of Fire" 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 WATER, FIRE, and WIND. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WATER, FIRE, and WIND monster, also gains 400 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. Once per turn: you can Special Summon 1 monster from your hand, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Level of that monster x200, also this card and that monster cannot attack this turn.

Saving Drake (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2600 Atk, 1900 Def, Dragon, WIND
Effect: If this card is Summoned: it gains 100 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster on your field. If this card attacks an opponent's monster: it gains 500 Atk until the end of the Damage Step. If this card destroys a monster by battle: inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster.

Vengeance of the Dragons (Normal Trap)
Effect: When your Dragon monster is destroyed by battle: Special Summon 1 Dragon monster from your hand, then destroy the monster that destroyed your monster, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.

Dragon of Hope (Effect Monster)
Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def, Dragon, LIGHT
Effect: (Quick Effect): You can discard this card from your hand; Special Summon 1 Dragon monster from your Deck.

Andrew vs Jack

The Beginning of the End (Normal Spell)
Effect: If you have 7 or more DARK monsters in your GY: Banish 5 DARK monsters from your GY; draw 3 cards.

Fires of Doomsday (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Special Summon 2 "Doomsday Tokens" (Fiend/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Defense Position. These Tokens cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon, unless it is for a DARK monster. You cannot Summon other monsters the turn you activate this card (but you can Normal Set).

Shadow Scale (Normal Trap)
Effect: DARK monsters and Set cards you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn.

Shadow Realm Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 9, 3000 Atk, 1900 Def, Dragon, DARK
Effect: If you Tribute Summon this card, the Tributes must be DARK. If this card is Summoned or flipped face-up: destroy all other monsters on the field. Cannot attack the turn it is Summoned. Once per turn, during your Main Phase: you can discard 1 card; destroy all monsters your opponent controls, also this card cannot attack this turn. While this card is face-up, the field is treated as "Shadow Realm", also your monsters gain 500 ATK and are treated as DARK. Once per turn: you can target 1 DARK monster in your GY; Special Summon it, but its effects are negated and it cannot attack this turn.

Book of Moon (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Target 1 face-up monster on the field; change that target to face-down Defense Position.

Inferno Hammer (Effect Monster)
Level 6, 2400 Atk, 0 Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: When this card destroys your opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: you can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; change that target to face-down Defense Position.

Ancient Hero Swiftblade (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1800 Atk, 1800 Def, Warrior, EARTH
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. This card is treated as a Normal monster while in your hand, Deck, or GY.

Ancient Time Acceleration (Normal Spell)
Effect: If you control an "Ancient Hero" monster: Excavate the top three cards of your Deck; place any number of those excavated cards at the bottom of the Deck, also place the rest (if any) on top in any order, then draw cards equal to the number of cards you placed at the bottom.

Ancient Hero Superior (Effect Monster)
Level 10, ? Atk, ? Def, Warrior, EARTH
Effect: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by Tributing all "Ancient Hero" monsters you control. Cannot be destroyed by battle. Unaffected by your opponent's Traps. This card's original Atk and Def are equal to the number of "Ancient Hero" monsters in your GY x800. Once per turn, during your Main Phase: you can have this card gain 500 Atk.

Ancient Hero Infinity (Effect Monster)
Level 10, ? Atk, ? Def, Spellcaster, DARK
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 Level 8 or higher "Ancient Hero" monster from your field. This card's ATK/DEF are equal to the total ATK/DEF of all banished "Ancient Hero" monsters. Cannot be destroyed by battle or by your opponent's Spell/Trap cards. Negate any card effect that would move a banished card to a different place. Once per turn (Quick Effect): you can target 1 banished "Ancient Hero" monster; this card gains that target's effects until the end of the turn.

Shroud of Shadows (Normal Trap)
Effect: When a monster is Summoned: change that monster to face-down Defense Position, also it cannot be flipped face-up this turn.

Ancient Heroes' Shield (Normal Trap)
Effect: "Ancient Hero" monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's card effects until the end of the turn.

On the positive side, we did just get all the Spirit Dragons! Our quest is almost at an end!...right?