State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV

57. Forbidden Memories

Chapter 57: Forbidden Memories

Songs:

Kingdom Hearts II OST - Darkness of the Unknown

Final Fantasy XIII OST - Blinded by Light

New Order - Blue Monday

Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links OST - Sartorius Theme

(Jaden Yuki POV)

"So, Supreme King of Darkness, are you ready to face holy atonement?" Sartorius intoned as they stood near the rim of the island's volcano.

"You can just call me Jaden, bro. Also, what does atonement mean?" The red-clad duelist scratched his messy hair.

"For you, it will mean an eternity in the pits of hell as recompense for infecting this world with darkness. That means separation from God. It means a world bathed in holy fire, where the only sound you'll hear besides the crackling of the flames will be your own screams as you burn." Sartorius explained, clearly getting a thrill out of describing the punishment.

"Oh. That doesn't sound very fun." Jaden commented.

"Indeed. You had better get used to the idea, because that's where you and the rest of these miserable sinners are going after this planet is destroyed. The lord's chosen will live on – His holy energy will shield us from the vacuum of space."

"I've always wanted to visit to new places. Also, does that mean you guys can fly through space? Because if so, that's really cool! Can you teach me?" Jaden grinned.

"Ok, stop that." Sartorius suddenly dropped the ominous tone and leveled with his adversary.

"Stop what?"

"You know, that whole happy thing. Everyone knows the Supreme King of Darkness is a vicious and cruel tyrant who rules the dark dimension with an iron fist. The only reason you're playing this game is to perpetuate your reign of terror!" Sartorius protested.

"Actually, I'm just playing for fun. I really don't know what everyone's talking about with all this king stuff. I think someone's been giving you the wrong idea about me. Let's talk this out, then we can duel as friends! Friendship is awesome!" Jaden extended an olive branch.

"I will not fall for your absurd lies, devil in human flesh!"

"Aw, but it's fun to play games with friends." Jaden's expression drooped, making him look like a kicked puppy.

"Can you please drop the act already? It's not going to work on me!" Sartorius sounded increasingly desperate.

"You know what would cheer you up? A big friendly hug!" Jaden took a step towards the cult leader.

"AIEE!" Sartorius scampered away. "Advance no further! Lord, protect me from this demon's forked tongue!"

"Aw man, it looks like I've really spooked him somehow." Jaden shrugged. "Oh well, let's just duel. Dueling is a great way to help people understand each other. Isn't that right, Winged Kuriboh?" Jaden's erstwhile duel spirit answered in the affirmative with a deep "KURI!"

"Ah, so he has a lesser demon as an accomplice. I sense an odd power from that duel spirit…I shall have to discover the secret once I win this duel." Sartorius murmured before the two of them activated their duel disks. "Prepare to die, hellspawn!"

"Get your game on!" Jaden's exuberant catchphrase was interrupted by the sound of haggard breathing behind him. Turning around, Jaden saw it was none other than Adam Sugihara, amateur DuelTuber and Ra Yellow student. "What's poppin, homeslice! Gee, I didn't expect to see anyone else here!"

Adam started, looking shocked to see the both of them there. "Oh, uh, yeah. How's it hanging, Jaden?"

"He's just about to suffer eternal damnation, as will you if you don't repent." Sartorius interrupted.

"Hey man, this was a two-person convo." Jaden cut in, ignoring Sartorius to focus on Adam. "Anyways, I was just about to duel this guy. Say, how come you're not on the coast with the others?"

"Oh, uhh…" Adam looked to be caught red-handed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you after this."

XxXxxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The reality was that Adam was scared, and ran from the battle. His deck wasn't designed for stuff like this – he never imagined he would really have to duel for his life! That duel spirit he fought over the summer was one thing, but this was madness! And with Seto Kaiba on the enemy's side, Adam figured there was no way they could win anyhow.

Fleeing through the forest, he was tailed by a particularly dedicated member of the Society of Light. Barely managing to prevail over the pursuer, Adam continued his retreat, heading to high ground so he could see where the thick of the fighting was. Part of Adam bitterly resented his cowardice, while another part of him figured he wouldn't make a difference one way or another.

"I thought Jaden and this blue-haired guy were down at the pier! How did they get here so fast!? Man, of all the rotten luck!" Adam cursed internally.

"Ok, no sweat. Wish me luck!" Fortunately, Jaden did not seem particularly suspicious, and turned to face Sartorius without a second thought. Sartorius didn't pay Adam any heed.

"Huh, guess he bought it. Might as well stick around to see how this plays out. Wait a second…this would make a sick video!" Adam withdrew his phone and quickly started filming. "My DuelTube channel's gonna be huge after this content drops!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Alright Sartorius, here I go!" Jaden started off. "I'll start by summoning Elemental Hero Lady Heat (1300/1000) in attack mode!" The female pyromancer was clad in an orange and white jumpsuit. "Then, I'll set a card and end my turn. And peep this – during each of my end phases, Lady Heat burns ya! 200 life points for every Elemental Hero on the field!"

Mustering a weak fireball, she flung it at Sartorius, who hissed from contact with the sparks. (Jaden 4000/Sartorius 3800)

"Very well." Relaxed, Sartorius drew. "I call forth Arcana Force VII – The Chariot (1700/1700)." The black alien apparatus had many flailing claws and appendages. "Now, I'll flip a coin to determine his effect." Sartorius pat his shirt pocket to check for a coin, only to find it wasn't there. "Oh, phooey! Now this is rather embarrassing. It must have fell out of my pocket somewhere along the way. I don't suppose you have a spare coin on you?"

"Nah, I'm broke. Shoot, now what are we supposed to do?" Jaden wondered. Since none of his cards used coin flip effects, he never carried one on him. As it happened, he left his wallet back at the Slifer Red dorm.

"I can spot you one this time." Adam flipped over a quarter to Jaden.

"Thanks, pal!" Jaden gave Adam a quick salute before tossing the coin over Sartorius' way. The cultist wiped the coin off with his sleeve before flipping it for the card effect.

Predictably, it landed on heads. "Good! Now, the chariot attacks!" The machine successfully struck down Jaden's hero, causing the red hero some minor damage. (Jaden 3600/Sartorius 3800)

"And since the coin landed on heads, my chariot's effect activates! I can summon your destroyed monster to my side of the field!" A brainwashed lady heat was resurrected, injected with some foreign chemical by the chariot.

"Now, Lady Heat attacks directly!" The same sparks from before were now being turned on Jaden.

"Not quite! I play my trap card, A Hero Emerges! This card lets you pick a card from my hand. If it's a monster, I get to summon it, while if it's not, I have to discard the card."

"Very well." Sartorius pretended to consider which of Jaden's four cards to pick. "All I need to do is take a look at his hand." The lord's providence allowed Sartorius to perceive the enemy's hand, manipulate coins and dice, and influence the draws of both players. He would never have been able to beat Kaiba without taking heavy advantage of these abilities. "By simply applying some of my duel energy, I should be able to see his cards. Easy peasy lemon squeezy." Sartorius thought smugly, sending out a tendril of invisible energy.

However, for reasons unknown to Sartorius, the energy dissipated immediately once it got within five feet of Jaden's body. "Hmm? That's never happened before." Sartorius then sent out another feeler, only for the same result.

Sartorius tried not to let his shock show. "How is this happening? Could it be that keeping mind control up over so many people has weakened me?" Then he remembered who he was facing. "There must be some devilry afoot that is blocking my powers."

"Hey man, are you good? All you have to do is pick a card." Jaden prodded, seemingly oblivious to Sartorius' struggles.

"Curses…the far right one!"

"Great choice! Now, I get to summon Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800) to the field!" Jaden's hero was clad head to toe in deep golden armor, with sharp wing-patterned swords on his forearms. Sartorius had no choice but to call off his attack.

"I set two cards and end my turn. And now, your Lady Heat's effect activates against you!" Sartorius took a small comfort in the flurry of sparks flying against Jaden. (Jaden 3400/Sartorius 3800)

"Alright, my turn! I'll start by activating the effect of Gallis the Star Beast (800/800) in my hand! I can reveal the top card of my deck, and if it's a monster, I can send it to the graveyard and inflict damage to you equal to that monsters level times 200." Jaden moved to reveal the top card of his deck.

"Winds of destiny, do my bidding! Make the top card of his deck a spell or trap!" Sartorius mentally commanded, thinking the first failing of his powers to be a fluke.

"Alright, the top card of my deck is Necro Gardna (600/1300)!" Jaden cheered. "Since Necro Gardna is a level three monster, I get to dish out 600 points of damage!" A slash of shadowy energy flashed along the field, striking Sartorius. (Jaden 3400/Sartorius 3200)

"Man, my luck has been really good so far! Anyways, since the effect activation was successful, I get to special summon Gallis the Star Beast to the field." Jaden's monster was strangely enough not a hero, but rather was a proud red griffin with gold-accented wings.

"Now I'm sure of it! He must be using shadow magic to negate my influence!" Sartorius was affronted at the perceived chicanery. "Good luck, is that what you would have me believe? I was not born this morning, devil. You're using your powers to influence the cards!" The pot accused the kettle.

"Huh? No way! I would never cheat!" Jaden's good humors were beginning to darken with anger. "That's more your thing, if I remember right! That's how you beat Kaiba!"

"The lord saw fit to bless my draws. You all should thank me. Seto Kaiba was a cold-hearted tyrant. Now that I have baptized him, he is a new man. A better man."

"Kaiba may be a jerk, but he's done better for the world than you! His company employs thousands of people, his charities help thousands more, and he built this school that I love! You just want to destroy everything that doesn't fit your crazy view of purity!" Jaden's voice rose to a shout.

"This game deserves to be destroyed! It's a blood sport! Can't you see how absurd it is that a teenager like yourself has the power to affect the fabric of the universe simply because you can play this game well? Reality should not be dictated by warriors alone, or else the world will be nothing more than a ceaseless bloodbath! The priests of this world must guide ye lost lambs to salvation!" Sartorius protested.

Jaden couldn't believe what he was hearing. For him, dueling had always been a positive force in his life – it helped him understand other people. "What an odd perspective to have. How could someone despise Duel Monsters?" Jaden couldn't imagine a timeline where he did not love the game. "What could have happened in his life to make him this way?"

Then, an idea occurred to Jaden. "How long have you been about all this Light stuff? Did your parents believe in it as well?" He recalled Jamie mentioning something about Sartorius having a sister that worked for him. Apparently, she was strong enough to present a challenge to the combined force of Lancaster and Mackenzie, but they emerged victorious while he was getting high with…er, befriending Aster.

"No…my parents showed no affinity for the Light or its powers. I know not why my sister and I were gifted with such potential…but there is little reason for me to explain myself to you." Sartorius seemed to catch himself.

"Darn, I was hoping for some answers." Jaden thought, but his enemy was totally unresponsive to any olive branch he extended. "Alright, suit yourself. Anyways, I'll set a monster before attacking Lady Heat!" Choosing to maximize damage, Jaden sent Bladedge after the possessed female hero. The attack worked, and Sartorius struggled the bear the damage. However, Jaden had nothing else strong enough to destroy the Chariot, so he ended his turn. (Jaden 3400/Sartorius 1900)

"Alright, that's all for my move!" Jaden felt fairly confident about his position despite wanting to know more about Sartorius. The blue-haired man was pushed back briefly by the attack, but kept his footing. A harsh white aura was beginning to grow in intensity around his body.

"Very well. I suppose I'll have to unleash more of the Light's power to deal with you, as I expected." Sartorius raised the card skyward before placing it in the field zone. "I activate Light Barrier!"

White and yellow flames flared from Sartorius' frame, eventually concentrating into a purer light that encircled himself, Jaden and Adam. It was a ring of sunny rays that were difficult to see through. Furthermore, the ground itself seemed to shake, pebbles rising in the air. Adam flopped onto the dirt while Jaden swayed perilously.

Feeling a sudden slam of air pressure acting upon him, Jaden was floored. The sudden fall knocked the wind out of him, and he could scarcely move as the wind rushed through his ears…from above? He could vaguely hear the sound of Adam screaming in abject fear, the Ra Yellow's voice cracking several dozen times.

In an instant, the bright blue sky gave way to black, punctuated by vivid stars and curtains of nebulae. "Woah, it can't be…are we…?"

The igneous ground they stood on was floating above the Earth, a cone-shaped island in the upper atmosphere. Large rocks drifted beneath the floating island, their muddy undersides rapidly freezing in the vacuum of space. "We're in space!" Jaden jumped into the air, finding the gravity in the arena much lower than on the surface.

Although he couldn't see it perfectly from within the barrier, Jaden still marveled at seeing the planet from so high above. "Wow, look at Earth! This is so awesome!"

"AUUUGGHH!" Adam still hadn't finished screaming from the ride up. "Oh." He suddenly calmed down. "Ok. Have we stopped?"

"Yeah, dude! Look out there! There's home! Hey, I think I can see the island from here!" Jaden was beside himself with enjoyment. Adam looked more than a little queasy.

"Oh man…I wanted to avoid trouble, and I got myself launched into space…just my luck!" Adam cursed. "Say, shouldn't we be dying of asphyxiation about now?"

"The barrier keeps us insulated from the vacuum of space, though I suspect Jaden and I could easily survive for hours by subsisting off of our duel energy. You, on the other hand, should count yourself blessed for the shield's protection, human." Sartorius explained, his long blue hair waving about in the lower gravity.

"Don't worry Adam, I'll make sure nothing bad happens! Just sit tight, we'll be back home soon!" Jaden gave Adam a big thumbs-up and a smile.

"I think I'm gonna throw up." Said Adam, though from the extreme conditions or Jaden's cheesiness, none could determine.

"Now, I'll be much freer to expend my energy without risk of destroying the island. As for the field spell, its effect activates during my standby phase, so there is no need to make note of it now. Next, I'll activate the spell card Arcana Reading." Sartorius' left hand was suddenly aglow in white fire. "Normally, this card's effect requires a coin flip. However, having Light Barrier in play allows me to bypass this stipulation and choose either the heads or tails effect."

"Why does this guy even play coin flip cards if he finds ways to get around them?" Jaden wondered. It was like trying to play a fusion deck without actually fusing.

"The heads effect allows me to add a card with a coin flip effect from deck to hand." Sartorius searched. "Now, I'll summon Arcana Force VI – The Lovers (1600/1600)." The alien creature was disturbingly curvaceous, with enormous six-fingered hands. "I'll flip a coin to decide the Lovers' effect."

However, the coin flip ended up taking several minutes due to the reduced gravity of the interstellar arena. "Oh boy, the anticipation is killing me!" Green-faced Adam said as the coin ever so slowly rose and fell.

"It landed on heads, allowing me to use the Lovers as two tributes for a tribute summon instead of one. And I think I'll employ that ability now. You see, by banishing the Arcana Reading spell from my graveyard, I can normal summon an additional Arcana Force monster this turn! So by sacrificing the lovers, I can call forth Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon (2800/2800)!"

Jaden caught a glimpse of the actual moon out of the corner of his eye, the satellite reflecting sunlight at a blinding intensity. In his brief moment of distraction, Sartorius' most bizarre creature yet had appeared. It was a mechanical body with extendable aluminum arms, its belly housing a small alien that seemed to pilot the machine. "That thing is mad funky!" was Jaden's insightful comment.

Yet again, the coin showed heads. "The Moon's effect will activate during my standby phase. For now, I will commence battle! The Chariot will attack your Gallis the Star Beast!" Sartorius commanded, the black vehicle advancing.

"I play my trap card, Hero Barrier! When a hero is on the field, I can negate one of your attacks!" Jaden responded, an electrical shield protecting his winged beast.

Sartorius was clearly hoping to bait out a trap. "Very well – The Moon will destroy Bladedge!" The robot shot a silver quadlaser from its fingertips, burning away the gold hero. (Jaden 3200/Sartorius 1900)

Jaden grunted as he felt the damage. "Alright, now we're talking!" He said. Sartorius set a card and ended his turn.

Jaden drew, but wasn't sure how to proceed. "Alright, I'll play E-Emergency Call, allowing me to add a hero from deck to hand. First, I'll summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500/1600)." The tribal hero brandished his blunt cleaver with a ferocious heft. "Then, I'll play the spell card H – Heated Heart, allowing me to boost Wildheart's attack points by 500 and grant him piercing capability until the end of the turn!" With a hot-blooded yell, Wildheart's strength increased to 2000. "Now, I'll attack the chariot!"

Leaping into the air, Wildheart brought down the slab of iron in the chariot, the blunt instrument better served for outright crushing than for slicing. Regardless, Sartorius felt pushed back by the blow. Although the moon was still an unresolved issue, Jaden was glad to get the chariot off the field. Now, he no longer had to worry about his forces getting brainwashed. (Jaden 3400/Sartorius 1600)

"A meager offensive, boy. I see you've been forced to use some of your latent power." Sartorius noticed. Jaden glanced down as his feet and saw dark energy seemingly leak from his shoes.

"I don't understand…I don't call upon this power willingly. It just seems to happen." Jaden said. For as much as he wanted to reject this part of himself, it seemed he was saddled with it, for good or ill.

"It comes naturally." Sartorius spoke with…understanding? "The same occurs with me. When I look upon you, the power wells up like a geyser within. It heightens my senses and urges me to kill the threat you present. I'm certain you feel the same about me. Resisting it will only destroy your sanity."

"And it seems like complying with it will also destroy your sanity. You might be fine being some god's plaything, but I'm not! I don't need to use any dark powers to win!" Jaden protested.

"We are all God's playthings, as you put it. That is the entire concept of a god. There was never any choice in the matter. I am merely an empty vessel for the light to fill, just as you are a vessel for the darkness. This battle is our fate!" Sartorius' features sharpened further as his white aura steadily grew more violent.

"That can't be true!" But the words rang false to Jaden even as he spoke them. After all, he was the one who immediately went after Sartorius when the battle began, despite Seto Kaiba being the bigger threat. He disregarded Aster's wishes and refused him a chance to battle Sartorius. For some reason, he was drawn to battle the man. "No, not the man." Winged Kuriboh voiced in his deep bass tone. "The Light of Destruction itself."

"I am not just some pawn fulfilling a role! I am Jaden Yuki – my own person! And nothing you say about me can change who I really am!" Although he had been faced with the truth several times, Jaden could not truly believe that fate was so ironclad.

Adam couldn't wrap his head around this crazy talk– Jaden Yuki, a king of darkness? A harbinger of demons and death? It was impossible. No one Adam knew cared more about doing good than Jaden. Sure, the Slifer's attitude was corny and silly to most, but he had a real conviction that Adam found he himself could not replicate. Heroism was never in the question for Jaden, whereas others would be swayed by pride, ambition, and their own personal failings of character. He always seemed to know what was right somehow, despite his childish demeanor. Not only that, but he made it a priority, while Adam had always prioritized his own comfort and pleasures. Adam dwelled deeply on these thoughts as the game continued.

"Destiny is never left to chance. Neither are my cards. During my standby phase, the effect of Light Barrier activates. Of course, it is dependent on the coin flip." Sartorius continued to be puzzled over his power's ineffectiveness on Jaden, but luckily they still worked perfectly fine for his own cards. "What do you know, it's heads! Now, I no longer have to toss a coin when summoning an Arcana Force monster. I can simply choose which effect to use."

"You were already doing that by rigging the coin flips in the first place with your magic powers." Jaden pointed out. "Doesn't seem to be much of a point to this card when you were already cheating your ass off from the very beginning."

"When an Arcana Force monster destroys a monster by battle, I get to gain life points equal to the destroyed monster's attack." Sartorius ignored him. "Speaking of which, Arcana Force The Moon's effect activates. During my standby phase, I can summon a Moon Token (0/0) to my side of the field."

What ensued could only be described as the alien machine birthing a misshapen grey baby from its head. "Cool." Said Jaden as he watched the little goon crawl around. "Ok, definitely queasy again." Commented Adam.

"It won't be here for long – " "Thank God!" "- because I'm sacrificing it to summon Arcana Force XII – The Hanged Man (2200/2200)." From the barrier floor emerged a bizarre indigo appendage, curving to form a noose from which a blue slime vaguely in humanoid shape drooped. The monster swayed eerily from the branch in the lower gravity – its presence filled Adam with cold dread, but Jaden never lost his smile.

"He smiles at everything…" Adam admired this quality of Jaden's, but in instances like this it sometimes seemed a little eerie.

"This card had a special destiny in mind. I read it almost two years ago in my tarot cards. Would you like to hear it?" Sartorius asked, but continued before Jaden could answer one way or another. "I saw it vividly. I dueled against Chazz Princeton in the island's deep woods. The little stripling was no match for me, though I allowed him to believe otherwise. He was a student of Central Academy, though he did not shed the black coat of the North. You and he were true rivals, at least in his mind. In reality, Chazz was inferior to you in every way, and he knew it in his heart. I preyed upon his weakness, and he became the first of my new children."

Jaden was curious despite himself. "Chazz was a student here?"

"He was. That day you two fought at the School Duel ended in your victory. Chazz was tossed aside by his brothers and had no choice but to return to Central Academy. He chose friendship over strength." Sartorius intoned, and indeed Jaden could almost envision that future, the future that never was.

Suddenly, dreamlike images came back to Jaden. A vision of Alexis Rhodes at the head of a white-clad army, her hazel eyes soulless and cold as her snowy cape fluttered in the wind. Jamie Lancaster, using monsters he didn't recognize…wait, he did recognize them. The Melodious Divas!

"Beware the lion!" He remembered two eyes, one orange and one teal. Jamie Lancaster's face filled Jaden with volcanic, primal rage, but he was gone before the intense feeling could be acted upon.

A teal-haired boy with a warm smile. Now he recognized it was Jesse Anderson, a northman and Chazz's friend. Jaden felt his heart twinge at the sight of him, but couldn't explain why. Then, the coldness returned, and Jesse's eyes turned acidic orange. "You will love no one else but me, Jaden. It is fate." The mysterious voice said.

"I have seen visions." Jaden returned to the present moment. "Your vision was wrong, and so was mine. Alexis and Chazz will never join your Society of Light."

"Perhaps, but it matters little. The most interesting thing about my prophesized future was that I never saw Jamie Lancaster. Not once. His mind is a mystery to me, and none of my powers have any effect on him. That's rather curious, don't you agree?" Sartorius posited calmly.

"What are you suggesting?" said Jaden warily as the words "Beware the Lion!" once more echoed in his head.

"Only that he is like you – more dangerous than he appears. Dangerous enough to at least attempt to alter the fabric of spacetime, whether by will or sheer presence. Luckily, destiny has corrected itself. Our fated battle is still occurring. I look forward to ridding the universe of such treachery and deceit upon my victory today!" Sartorius then entered the battle phase while Jaden attempted to parse things out. "The Hanged Man attacks Gallis the Star Beast!"

The swaying creature raised a long arm, crushing Jaden's winged beast with telepathic force. Sartorius gained 800 life points as a result of the exchange due to his field spell. "Now, the moon will destroy your Wildheart!" Sartorius pressed. The incubation machine swatted the warrior aside, the ensuing pressure slamming Jaden into the walls of the barrier. Now, Sartorius had almost totally recovered his life. (Jaden 2100/Sartorius 3900)

"Oh, shit!" Adam cursed as the hero duelist slumped to the floor. One of Jaden's sleeves had ripped, his red uniform now resembling Kenzan's, at least on one side. "Jaden, are you okay?"

Jaden did not answer, his eyes closed. "Hey, you've gotta get back up, man! You're the only one who has a chance against this guy!" Considering Jaden's latent darkness was likely the only force capable of evening the odds against Sartorius' magical manipulations, the statement was probably true. Overcoming his fear, Adam made his way over to his friend. He tried to shake him awake, but this accomplished little.

Sartorius smirked. "Hmph. Surely this wasn't enough to fell the Supreme King. Unless he wasn't as powerful as I thought. Perhaps seeing this duel all of the way through will not be necessary." He clenched his fists, feeling the duel energy grow within him. Between this duel and the battles occurring on the ground, Sartorius was confident enough energy had been gathered to blow away the earth in one shot.

"A most inglorious end for planet Earth. And anticlimactic to boot. And yet, it seems fitting that the sinners wilt before the true god's wrath like frost before the summer sun." Sartorius' palms began to glow. "Lord of Light, protect my servants below. Give me strength to crush the old world so that a new one may be wrought in your image!"

"Hey!" Adam shouted over the madman's ramblings. The Ra Yellow's long black hair had fallen out of its ponytail, swaying in the lower gravity. He raised the duel disk on his right arm in defiance. "Playing a game with shit odds is better than dying for a certainty. So I guess I gotta try my luck." He said with a confidence he did not feel.

Sartorius' eyes seemed to glow white instead of blue. "I have grown weary of your prattling. There will be nothing more left to chance. Since there is no need to harvest any more duel energy…" He raised his hand briefly before firing off a deadly spear of light energy directly at Adam. "Perish, human filth!"

Adam felt a million thoughts race through his mind as certain death inexorably raced forward. One prevailed, poignant and stinging. "I could never be a hero anyways…I'm sorry, everyone."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

In the midst of the war-torn coastline was Tyranno Kenzan leading a growing contingent of rescued Ra Yellows. A soldier at heart, Kenzan was proving to be one of the most tenacious and disciplined duelists on the field of battle. It helped that the blast tremendously augmented his dinosaur deck, offering so many powerful new options that he could barely find the space to include them all.

He held another unique advantage in this fight – the Dino DNA within him was able to repel the Light's brainwashing waves, meaning he was the only one who could lose a duel without changing allegiance. Essentially, there was no risk for him personally. Of course, if the Light gathered enough duel energy to destroy the planet…well, no amount of Dino DNA would help much in that case.

"Ya know why I like dinos so much, private?" Kenzan led as he faced down Syrus Truesdale, a brainwashed student fighting for the Light, and his former classmate. Possessed though he was, Kenzan was not frightened of the blue-haired boy in the least.

"Oh, don't you say it….for the love of god don't say it!" Syrus pleaded.

"Ya see, a few years back on a routine dig for dinosaur fossils, a landslide broke out that nearly broke my leg in two! They had to operate quickly so they used the dinosaur bone to save my leg. Ever since, I've had why they call DINO DNA, making me stronger than your average joe!" Kenzan gleefully explained.

"Yes, I'm well aware. You tell this story at least once a day. Everyone knows you're the Dino DNA guy." Syrus said wearily. "Why don't you just give it a rest, anyways? Everyone knows dinos aren't that good."

Kenzan's eyes flashed an earthy golden, taking this as a personal challenge. "Let's just see if that's true. I cast the field spell Lost World!" As Kenzan spoke, thick foliage enclosed the two duelists and the humidity seemed to rise tremendously. "From now on, all non-dinosaurs lose 500 attack and defense points on the field."

"Next, I summon Souleating Oviraptor (1800/800)!" The name of Kenzan's first monster was reminiscent of an obscure metal band, but the beast itself was pure dinosaur, with blue spines and an ethereal flame wafting from its head. "This monster lets me search a dinosaur monster from my deck. Then, I can choose to either add it to my hand, or send it to the graveyard. I'll choose to send Giant Rex to the graveyard." Kenzan swiftly pitched the classic dinosaur monster.

"Now, the second effect of my field spell activates! When I summon a dinosaur, I can summon one Juraegg token to your side of the field." Kenzan's long-winded card explanations were only getting started. Syrus furrowed his brow at the mottled white egg that materialized onto his field.

"Zero attack and defense points…" Syrus noticed.

"That's right, and as long as you control a token, you can't target my dinos with card effects!" Kenzan beamed.

"What? That card is busted!" Syrus whined, but his troubles were just beginning.

"Now get ready, because here's where this gets weird. Souleating Oviraptor's second effect allows me to destroy another dinosaur monster on the field in order to special summon a dino from the graveyard. However, that's where the final effect of Lost World comes into play. Instead of destroying your egg, I can destroy a dinosaur monster in my deck."

"Urgh, this is way too complicated!" Syrus rubbed his head. "Old school Duel Monsters was so much better!"

"Sorry buddy, the days of Summoned Skull beatdown are gone. I may play a dinosaur deck, but I'm not living in the past! My deck has all sorts of possibilities now! I'll destroy the Babycerasaurus (500/500) in my deck. When this monster is destroyed, I can special summon another level four dino from my deck. Get em, Megalosmasher X (2000/0)!" Flying through the air was a massive blue beast clearly designed from aquatic predation. Its mouth looked to comprise most of its body, showing off a seeming-endless chain of jagged teeth.

"The blast helped out my dinos in a big way, and here's the biggest improvement! By banishing two dinosaur monsters from my graveyard, I can summon my new ace! Surge, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno (3500/3200)!"

Although a dinosaur in name, the hulking black beast seemed more mechanical in nature, with deep blue electrical currents in place of veins. Its horns pulsed with electric energy and its maw was lined with black blades for teeth. Not only was it easy to summon, but it was nigh-unrivaled in terms of brute strength, tying for the highest attack value amongst all dinosaur monsters.

"To summon this guy, I banished Babycerasaurus and Giant Rex. Normally banished monsters have a hard time coming back to the duel – hence the term banished. Giant Rex (2000/1200) is an exception. When he gets banished, I get to summon him right back to the field!" Kenzan now had three monsters on the field, his third one an orange-scaled Spinosaurus. "This monster also gains 200 attack points for each of my banished dinos, but he won't be here for long."

As Kenzan raised a fist skyward, Giant Rex and Souleating Oviraptor dissipated into red and blue spheres of energy. "I overly the level four Giant Rex and the level four Souleating Oviraptor for an exceed summon!"

Ensconced in a bright orange ball, the two energies melded together. In a few moments, the cage cracked and shattered, revealing a winged reptile with softly glowing teal hide. "I summon the rank four Evolzar Laggia (2400/2000)!"

The exceed monster had a strong effect – by detaching its two materials, it could negate one spell/trap activation or a monster summon. "I set a card and end my turn. Now then, I recall you saying somethin' about dinos being bad. I'm sure you can break my board with vehicroids no problem, right?" Kenzan grinned wolfishly as his two monsters openly slobbered.

"Oh, poopy." Was all Syrus could say. Sadly, falling victim to an alien death cult didn't improve his notoriously poor luck by any significant margin.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Alexis Rhodes POV)

"There…" She huffed, having just defeated Mindy. It was a surprisingly difficult fight – not only was Alexis beginning to tire out from the seemingly endless string of battles, but the Light's power was able to draw out Mindy's fullest dueling potential. Normally, Alexis would have had no trouble with Mindy – the black-haired girl wasn't nearly as studious or disciplined as Jasmine. But this time, Alexis was just barely able to overcome Mindy's Fire Fist deck with a lucky draw that allowed her to synchro into Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier.

Helping her old friend up, Alexis smiled. "You alright?"

"Ugh…man, I've got a horrible headache. Thanks, Alexis! You really are the best!" Luckily, Mindy appeared to be back to her normal, bubbly self.

"You fought well, Mindy. I'm glad you're back with us."

Sadly, it was only a minor victory, as the Light's forces were steadily pressing their advantage against the coalition of islanders. Having Kaiba back on their side was evening the odds somewhat, but it was still an uphill battle. Not only was the CEO exhausted, so were Mokuba and Jamie, two strong duelists in their own right. "As it stands, Aster and I probably have the most energy." It was not a comforting thought, but she would press on anyways. "It's our duty as heroes." She remembered Aster saying, or something like that. It was empowering, in a way. There was no negotiating with duty – it was ironclad and clear cut. There was only forward.

"Jamie…please stay alive." She silently bid. He was on the other side of the battlefield, probably enjoying himself. He was inscrutable in many respects, but she knew he loved to fight no matter what the stakes were. Although she was physically attracted to him, Alexis wished that she really knew him as a person. He could be so weird and distant sometimes. "Not the time or place." She banished those thoughts.

Alexis and Mindy split off to continue their defense. Falling back to the tree line, the Obelisk Force 2nd seat noticed two figures emerge from the woods. Chazz and Jesse appeared, clearly battle-worn but still able to continue. "Ah, there you are." Alexis called out breezily. "Nice of you to join us."

"We were busy dealing with Mackenzie and your brother." Chazz spat, a twig lodged in his gnarled black hair.

It took a moment for Alexis to process the words. "What?!" She turned on the two northerners. "I knew you two were traitors! I'll take you both down here and now!"

Jesse hastily put his hands up. "Take it easy! It's a long story, but they were both under some kind of influence. It wasn't the Light – it felt like something way different. We had no choice but to handle it before coming here!"

Of course, Jesse was stretching the truth – Chazz mainly antagonized Mackenzie to assuage his pride and rescue his duel spirit, both of which were personal objectives that had nothing to do with the main mission. The dark spirit controlling Atticus only appeared halfway through their duel. Until then, Jesse truly was fighting against one of his supposed allies. The cyan-haired boy knew better than to mention these facts to Alexis, though he disliked lying.

Alexis paused, remembering her duel with the black mask that had taken over her brother's body. To this day, the sight of the volcano and the color of magma made her recall the fight. But Mackenzie…she never would have imagined it. "What did you two with the two of them?" She asked, fearing the answer.

"The spirit controlling Mackenzie took her away somewhere. She could be dead for all I know. But if she is, it wasn't my doing." Chazz replied defensively.

"Atticus is alright. We left our spirits to guard and heal him. He's far away from the fighting." Jesse assured her.

"…I don't know what I would do if something happened to him again. Thank you." Alexis' tone was grudging. "But I still have my suspicions. You two are going to explain exactly what happened once we're done with this."

Chazz sneered. "You know, we didn't have to do any of that. It'd be a bigger help to have our spirits here with us instead of babysitting your brother."

"You're the ones responsible for his condition in the first place!" Alexis looked upon them with renewed contempt. Chazz's words had successfully provoked her. "The nerve of you!"

"If the roles were reversed, we'd be dead and you would have a fight on two fronts. We just solved two of your problems. I have the spirit possessing Atticus sealed right here." Jesse briefly showed Alexis the card before pocketing it. "So maybe you ought to get off your high horse, ma'am. I expect Chazz and I will be seeing a favorable renegotiation of our contracts very soon. Papa needs a new pair of boots, and I don't mind bleedin' mister Kaiba dry for 'em. Lord knows he's got enough money as is." The teal-haired boy countered, his cold words at odds with his open expression.

Alexis wanted to shout in denial, but found that she couldn't, at least where Nightshroud was concerned. "I'll find out the truth about Mackenzie, and then we'll see. You guys may have done the right thing this time, but that doesn't mean you get to talk like you're better than us." She said mainly to save face.

"Actually, I can say whatever I want. You islanders don't have any power over me anymore. Don't think I forgot how you all mocked me, after I lost to your precious Lancaster." Chazz smirked with rancor and a gleam in his eye.

Her hazel eyes flashed with anger at the veiled threat. "Jamie could outduel you both with a starter deck. He held his own against Kaiba, and nearly beat him. In fact, he damaged him enough to break the mind control." Alexis said vindictively, enjoying the shocked looks on their faces. She omitted that the only reason Jamie lasted as long as he did was because of his cooperation with Mokuba.

"Uh...so what? That means we're gonna get our end of the bargain fulfilled." Chazz stammered. Not only would he get the money to go independent from his brothers, North Academy would be receiving many additional endowments from the Kaiba brothers.

"Well, I hope the money brings you happiness. A true duelist would fight for the right reasons, but I guess you're just mercenaries." Alexis said dismissively.

"Always so above it all, eh Alexis? No wonder you and the Kaiser got along so well, both of you prattling on about your precious honor. Going on your little lighthouse dates. Try living in the real world for a change!" Chazz shouted, losing what remained of his cool.

Alexis and Chazz stared daggers at each other until she noticed some Light goons approach them. "I'll remember this. For now, I have bigger concerns than you." She turned away.

"Jamie Lancaster nearly beat Kaiba?" Jesse whispered in disbelief. "Maybe we should stay on his good side."

"Damn it…!" Chazz tightly clenched his fists as he prepared to jump back into battle.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Seto Kaiba POV)

"Two cruisers await permission to dock, Seto. Pegasus claims to be aboard." Mokuba reported, knowing that this information was unlikely to please his brother. Since Seto was still locked out of the KaibaCorp system, all external communications were directly relayed to Mokuba.

Seto cursed as he easily took down another possessed student. As loath as he was to admit it, he was getting worn down. Perhaps fresh, he could have squashed this uprising alone, but he had spent too much strength battling Mokuba and Lancaster earlier, and he wasn't enough to turn the tide the way he was now. "That bastard didn't see fit to share his movements with me!"

"To be fair, you were brainwashed up until about twenty minutes ago." Mokuba replied as he engaged another Ra Yellow. "He has not stated his intent, but to travel with such large ships implies he has many people in tow with him. If they are duelists on our side, it could be enough to finally beat these guys down! We're not gonna last the way we are now!"

"He loves to toy with me. One day, he will see that my patience has limits! But surely he's not working with Sartorius?" Seto snarled.

"Well, that's the thing, you can never really tell with ol' Maxie." Was Mokuba's snarky reply.

Seto noticed Lancaster finishing off another opponent close by. The boy had been quiet, clearly trying to conserve his strength and focus as much as possible. All the same, Seto was sure his intern overheard them. "The little lion cub is craftier than he lets on."

"Well, what do you think of it, Lancaster?" He asked boldly.

The boy raised his eyebrows in a perfectly fabricated quizzical expression. "What do you mean?"

"Don't bullshit me. Time is of the essence, as you may have noticed."

Jamie considered it as thoroughly as he could have in the heat of battle. "Might as well let them land. If they're allies, great. If not…I don't see how the situation could get much worse. Besides, Pegasus needs a planet to live on too."

"A keen observation." Kaiba snorted. "Pegasus knows he can't defeat me in a duel without his precious Millennium Eye. But it is better for everyone that our companies remain friends. And this is one fight we shouldn't gamble on."

"Well? Have you made a call or what?" Mokuba interjected somewhat frantically as he tried to duel and talk.

Kaiba looked like he was about to be sick. "Let them land."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Jaden Yuki POV)

"Urgh…" Jaden reeled from Sartorius' attack, but was able to continue dueling. Opening his eyes, however, he found his surroundings had changed. No longer was he in the confines of the Light Barrier. Instead, he was floating openly amongst the cosmos, vivid stars and nebulae sharp to his eyes. "Woah, I must have got hit harder than I thought…" Somehow, Jaden had lost his red jacket, now wearing just a black t-shirt and his khaki pants.

Intuitively, Jaden swam through space with a movement approximating a breaststroke. "I guess I should try to find Earth again. Man, how far did that attack send me?" He landed on an asteroid to try and get his bearings.

"Howdy, stranger." Jaden looked across the cratered surface to find a human figure, standing confidently against the backdrop of space. The boy looked just like him, down to the clothing. The key differences were in the eyes, which were solid gold, and the hair, which was a little messier and longer than Jaden's. He was also slightly taller than Jaden.

"Yep, you sure look like me." The figure said.

"Actually, you're the one who looks like me. Who are you? Where are we?" Jaden questioned with more hostility than he truly intended.

"Me? Well, I have had many names across many lifetimes. But most call me king." The other Jaden said with a smirk. "And this is all in your head. But that doesn't mean it's not real, of course."

"Oh boy, more cryptic mumbo jumbo. Listen, Sartorius has been giving me an earful of that this entire match, so I've really soured on riddles." Jaden groaned, but otherwise rolled with the punches as he usually did.

"Well then, let me clear things up for you, buddy." The other Jaden cleared his voice and suppressed a smile before speaking up again. "You are not you. You are me."

Jaden tilted his head. "You don't say?"

The other Jaden floated across the asteroid until they were standing across from each other. "You already know the right choice. You know you must accept your true destiny in order to win. How else could you stand against someone so assured in his cosmic purpose? You must kill him, for he will not waver in his conviction."

"Destiny, there's that word again." Jaden snorted. "I make my own choices! I'm my own person! And I won't kill Sartorius! He's a victim of the Light just like Aster, just like my classmates!"

"No." The other Jaden said with absolute conviction. "You have a destiny just like everyone else. You must draw upon the darkness and vanquish the light. Running from it will only ensure your own misery as well as the needless suffering of others. For example, if you don't act now, your friend will die a horrible death."

Without thinking, Jaden emerged from his deeper consciousness and moved. He was not aware of any conscious feeling until pain blossomed and stung throughout his back. The blow hurt, but was far from fatal, and Jaden was suddenly aware of a new wellspring of energy from within.

Opening his eyes, he saw Adam, the Ra Yellow's arms shaking in front of his trembling face. Gaping in shock, he stammered, "J-Jaden…wha…how?"

Jaden's eyes burned bright gold. "My body just moved on its own, I guess." He tore off the now-useless scraps of his red jacket, his black t-shirt loose on his frame. "Are you alright?" He flashed Adam his trademark smile.

"Uh…buh…yeah. What about you?" Adam floundered.

"I feel…really good actually." Jaden loosened his neck and shoulders. "Like I said before, don't worry. I'm gonna win this thing and then we'll go home."

Sartorius' hand still smoked as he assessed the new situation. As Jaden turned to face him, the cultist shriveling before the golden gaze. "Those eyes…I know those eyes…"

"What are you talking about?" said Jaden. "Look, I'm not too happy you just tried to kill my friend. That sort of thing really gets on my nerves. You better leave him alone, because your fight is with me."

"It was foolish of you to protect him. You'll need every bit of your power to survive." Sartorius' eyes shone silver, neither of the duelists showing their ordinary eye color.

"Just because I'm strong doesn't mean my life is more important than anyone else's, whether they're a friend or an enemy. I'll find a way to help you, Sartorius. But first I have to win!" Jaden drew a card. "I activate Polymerization, fusing together Elemental Heroes Sparkman and Heat in my hand!"

A sliver of the sun crested over the planet Earth, shining brilliant beams of light across the surface. "All I need are two heroes with different attributes to fusion summon Elemental Hero Sunrise (2500/1200)!" The hero was vaguely similar to Bladedge in appearance, only his armor was solid red instead of gold. A heavy dark cape flowed over his shoulder. "When this monster is summoned, I can add the Miracle Fusion spell to my hand. Plus, my monsters gain 200 attack points for each different attribute I control."

"Now, I'll cast Miracle Fusion, banishing Bladedge and Sparkman from my graveyard to summon Elemental Hero Plasma Vice (2600/2300)!" A bulked-up Sparkman appeared in a flash of thick electricity, giant golden armed covering his hands, feet, and torso. Finally gaining access to his fusions, Jaden was able to mount a formidable counteroffensive. And he still had a set monster to boot. "I flip over Wroughtweiler (800/1200)." The loyal mechanical hound stood steadfast by the two heroes. Since Wroughtweiler was Earth while the other heroes were Light, each of Jaden's monsters gained 400 attack points each due to Sunrise's effect.

"Now, I attack the moon with Plasma Vice!" Jaden pushed forward anyways, the golden hero shooting massive rings of bright green energy towards the Arcana Force monster. "And get this! When another hero monster attacks, the final ability of my Sunrise activates, allowing me to destroy a card on the field! I'm taking out your face-down!" The red hero shot a brilliant sphere of sun rays at the backrow.

Forced to activate the card or lose it, Sartorius frowned before flipping it over. "I play Waboku!" The trap would stop his monsters from being destroyed as well as protect him from damage. "That was close…he was able to spring up a strong offense out of nothing!" Sartorius thought with worry.

"Shoot!" Now Jaden wished he was more cautious, as his Wroughtweiler was stuck in attack mode. "I'm throwing down a face-down to end my turn."

"Grr…enough playing around! I can't stand looking at those damn eyes any longer!" Sartorius' expression grew harsh and sharp, even his teeth seeming more pointed as he snapped the next card off of his deck. "During my standby phase, my Light Barrier's effect is renewed. I also get to summon another moon token." After another lovely birthing, a silmy grey reptile squirmed on Sartorius's field. "I cast the spell Pentacle of Ace. By calling the coin correctly, I can draw one card and replenish my life points by 500." A lengthy coin flip later, Sartorius got his desired result. (Jaden 2100/Sartorius 4400)

"Now…I sacrifice the moon token and The Hanged Man to summon forth the mightiest of the numbered tarot cards! Arcana Force XII – ZA WARUDO (3100/3100)!" Jaden's ears were filled with bass as the black Worldship descended from above, its size dwarfing that of the Earth's largest satellites. Its burning orange core was guarded by poised claws.

Jaden knew that if the giant starship battled one of his heroes, Sunrise's effect would destroy it. Did he have some other plan?

"Attack Wroughtweiler with planetary devastation!" The machine raised its arms and summoned a hailstorm of small meteors, which frankly was overkill to take down a dog-sized robot, but Sartorius knew the value of stylishness. Instinctually, Jaden splayed the fingers on his right hand, forming a dark barrier around Adam to shield him from the asteroids. Sadly, this meant Jaden had no time to brace himself. He found the pain sharper and more intense than before – it was as if the Light was scalding his very soul, like a hot iron against flesh. And yet, the pain vanished quickly as he gathered life force from the planet below. From the largest animal to the smallest leaf, all aspects of nature nourished him. Although the pain was stronger, so was Jaden, and he took the attack without flinching. Sadly, Sartorius gained Wroughtweiler's original attack value of 800 as life points due to Light Barrier's effect, causing the gap to develop into a chasm. (Jaden 400/Sartorius 5200)

"Ha! Burn up, filth!" Sartorius cackled. Jaden did not rise at the superfluous insult. Rather, he felt only pity as he looked upon the man, reduced to a god's puppet. "The same as me…" Jaden realized, a cold pit in his stomach. He wondered what had happened to the other him, the mirror he saw in that vision. "Was it a spirit? Or was it truly some part of my subconscious?"

"When Wroughtweiler is destroyed, I can add back Polymerization to my hand as well as a monster I used as a fusion material." Focusing back on the duel, Jaden retrieved the trusty spell as well as his Woodsman. "Plus, I get to activate my trap card, Hero Signal! This lets me summon a level four or lower hero from my deck when one of my monsters is destroyed by battle. Come out, Elemental Hero Ocean (1500/1200)!" The blue sea-dwelling fishman brandished a sharp trident.

"I set a card and end my turn." Luckily for Jaden, Sartorius did not have two other monsters to sacrifice for the World's effect, or else he would have been able to skip Jaden's turn. Noticing his opponent hesitating, Sartorius taunted, "Go on, draw! That way you can die doing something you love. Indeed, it is no surprise that you love this game when it bestows you superficial pleasure and petty power, though it was founded on the deaths of innocent people."

"Duel Monsters was born in blood, that's true." Jaden had learned the story of Kul Elna during his psychedelic experiences with the pure darkness. "But that doesn't mean things would be better if the game wasn't around now."

"Your vision is myopic. Just because you have garnered enjoyment from the game does not mean it is good for others. In this world, only skilled duelists have the ability to shape reality. Since you are a strong duelist, this current paradigm is directly beneficial for you. But what does that mean for those who are not skilled at the game, or aren't duelists at all? It means the strong do what they will and the weak suffer what they must. Everyone wants to be Yugi Moto, but most end up being Tristan Taylor."

"And who has the authority to decide what is good for humanity? You? No one needs a savior like you. You, who despises the very makeup of humanity!"

"It was never my wish to be a savior, but when destiny calls upon me to spend my precious time training as a warrior, of battling others, then that is what I must be. And with this battle, the scourge of Duel Monsters will finally end!" Said Sartorius resolutely.

Shaking his head, Jaden went on with his move. "I play Polymerization, fusing together Ocean on the field with the Woodsman in my hand! Land and sea, unite!"

Nature's energy swirled and mixed together, forming a black aura in which a white plated warrior stood proudly. The jewel in his white armor blazed as he floated against the planet that was its namesake. "Well, don't expect me to roll over! I summon Elemental Hero Terra Firma (2500/2000)!"

Terra Firma descended to stand with Sunrise and Plasma Vice, the three heroes dwarfed in size by Sartorius' massive worldship.

"There's got to be some way to make him see!" Jaden thought desperately.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(On the ground...)

Prince Ojin sneered down at Bastion from atop the hill, his russet hair flowing gently in the sea breeze. "Ah yes, I was told to watch out for you by Father Sartorius. Tell me, does your intellect have an explanation for why the Lord's children are winning this battle?"

With steely self-control, Bastion sublimated the pain he felt at seeing Jasmine fight on the behalf of this death cult, nothing more than a puppet. He knew that the un-possessed were currently losing ground. "It's not over yet. I just need to do what I can." The Ra Yellow said with humble resolve.

"I look forward to seeing your rationalist's pride broken by the lord's rod." Prince Ojin activated his duel disk. "Let us begin!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Jamie Lancaster POV)

My fingers twitched and I struggled to remain standing. I didn't know how long I could keep going on. I thought I was already tapped out after dueling Kaiba, but with enough digging I was able to last against some of the possessed Central Academy students.

But the cultists were pressing their advantage, and we were looking at almost two of theirs for every one of ours. For the moment, my friends appeared to be alright. I saw Bastion facing off against Prince Ojin at the top of a hill, while Alexis was leading the rest of the Obelisks down below. Aster Phoenix, Chazz, and Jesse were hanging around the outskirts. Aster was more than pulling his weight, while the northerners were clearly doing as little as they could get away with.

"Where the hell are Atticus and Mackenzie?" I wondered briefly before the sound of heavy footfalls broke my train of thought.

The noise swelled to a din as the reinforcements arrived, dozens of duelists from all over the world come together for humanity's common good. At the ship's brow, I could barely make out Pegasus observing from above, with professors Crowler, Drummond, and Fontaine at his back.

A new host of monsters materialized as the brainwashed Light students were forced to fend off an attack from two fronts. Battle cries filled the afternoon air. Some shouted the names of their country, or their school – The West, The South, and The Eastern Duel Academies all had representation. But one prevailed above all others in its volume and ferocity. I could vaguely make out the sound Kai…Kai…Kai…

"They're cheering for Kaiba, as they should." Seto smirked, despite the fact that he was going to deny them entry five minutes ago.

But as he spoke, one monster rose above the sea of dragons and warriors, fish and insects, spellcasters and sea serpents. The largest of them all, the machine floated above the dust and smoke and let out a mighty screech. A sleek chrome body, electric currents running along its surface. Three heads, their maws charged with rippling azure energy.

I smiled. "Perhaps you should listen harder." I advised Seto, for at the head of the charge their cries were,

"KAISER, KAISER, KAISER!"

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

The main reasons for the protracted wait are that I was mainly interested in doing other things. I wish I could say something like "oh, there just wasn't time" but there was plenty of time, I've just been spending it deep diving into the crypto markets. I've also been getting back into cycling. But it is what it is. Perhaps the next chapter will be out relatively soon…we shall see.

Zane has returned! And yes I did rip off the Stannis vs Wildings moment from chapter Jon X of A Storm of Swords, but frankly it's probably the single most badass moment in a A Song of Ice and Fire, so I'm thinking of it as an homage. Sure, let's go with that.

I was going to wrap up the Jaden vs Sartorius duel in one chapter but it ended up going long and I felt it would be more in keeping with the anime's way of doing things to have a climactic duel last multiple chapters. Although I don't believe GX had a single duel last longer than three episodes, as opposed to the many five parters in the original series.

It was actually bit refreshing to write a Jaden centric chapter since he hasn't gotten a duel in some time. For a refresher, the visions he was referring to were seen at the end of chapter seven, which I wrote almost three years ago…wow feels like a different lifetime. Anyways, Jaden is quite interesting to me and I find his story fundamentally tragic in many ways. He essentially has his destiny marked out for him before ever being born, and has no choice but to accept it. Now for most people this is all good since his destiny is "cool". He is the Supreme King of Darkness, he gets a cute goth waifu/husbando (It's essentially an arranged marriage undertaken without his knowledge or consent, but this is arguable depending on your views regarding reincarnation), he gets to be the chosen hero and so on. Destiny is cool when you're the hero, but suddenly not so cool otherwise. Funny how that works. In this story, Jaden is not so keen on his destiny, but does he truly have a choice? What do you think?

We have arrived at State of the Meta's third year anniversary (August 20th)! Thank you all very much for your support and feedback. This story wasn't supposed to work, or so I was told. You never know until you try I guess. You all have blown me away. As always, it's a pleasure to write for you.