CHAPTER 58: Battle Symphony
(Jamie Lancaster POV)
The unorganized mass seemed to part on cue for Zane, his gait slow and assured. His navy-blue hair had gotten a little longer, spiking upwards a bit where it had fallen lank before. Humorously, his attire was more up Atticus' alley – he wore a white button-up t-shirt with a black floral pattern, khaki shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, along with sunglasses that looked to be stolen from Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun. There was no mistaking the duel energy he was putting out though – it was enough to bring ordinary foes to their knees. In my state, I was having a difficult time standing up to it, though I would never admit this.
"Zane." I called, his expression flickering with surprise as he registered by battered appearance. "Look at you, making a big dramatic entrance and stealing my spotlight.
"Jamie." He greeted calmly. "I'm just cleaning up your mess, that's all."
We glared with faux-hostility at each other, Erin's visage hilariously showing worry. Then, we laughed and shook hands. Going in for a brief bro-hug, we broke at the unspoken, but agreed upon interval. "It's good to see you again." Zane said warmly.
"And you. This battle was looking a little touch and go there for a while. I don't think there's any way they can come back now. You must have what, four hundred duelists here?" I asked.
"More or less. Mister Pegasus began gathering strong duelists from all over the world, as well as students from the South, East, and West duel academies, as soon as he heard mister Kaiba had been brainwashed. Whatever this cult is, their leader must be an incredible duelist to prevail over the white dragon. I'll go take care of them right now if you'd like." Zane explained as his eyes darted over the coastline for Sartorius.
"Jaden's dueling him right now. All we need to do is beat the rest of the brainwashed students." Erin explained, assuming that Jaden would win. Which he did in canon, to be fair. He also beat Chazz in canon….
"Ah, very good." Zane said casually, as this task was no trouble for him. "You guys look a bit roughed up. Go ahead and sit back, I got this."
"I can still fight." I said just for pride's sake.
Zane chuckled. "Still as stubborn as ever, I see. Perhaps I should have tried reverse psychology. Who could have damaged you so badly, anyways? Not these students, surely. Unless you're losing your edge." He challenged.
"Seto Kaiba." I said, relishing the flicker of shock on Zane's face.
"Pull the other one."
"I'm not kidding. It was a close match, but I lost by a hair. Luckily, I was able to get through to him and break the brainwashing. Not a big deal or anything, though." I omitted Mokuba to make myself look more impressive, although I was going to get shit later when he found out Mokuba helped me.
"So, you almost had him. Too bad almost doesn't count for much in a duel." Zane replied, although he still seemed a bit shaken. "Tell you what, I'll let you almost beat me when we have our rematch after this. Sound good?"
"I was about to offer you the same thing." We grinned at each other, Erin facepalming at our childishness.
"Well, you'll be a more interesting opponent to fight than this lot, at any rate." Zane said, breaking the stare-down. "While I'm on cleanup crew, you can catch up with another familiar face."
"Who?" Erin asked, feeling a bit like a third wheel in the conversation, which really was the story of her life sadly.
"He's changed a bit since he left school, but you'll know when you see him." Zane answered cryptically and with a hint of a smirk.
"STAND ASIDE EVERYONE – I TAKE VERY LARGE STEPS." A hammy voice boomed as if on cue. The voice sounded different, but familiar at its core. The crowd instantly parted to reveal a six foot seven, extremely buff individual wearing a deep red Industrial Illusions polo shirt and uncomfortably tight jeans. This dude's muscles made even Kenzan look like a little bitch in comparison. Indeed, the giant of a man would have been unrecognizable if not for his rather large, squashed nose and stupid, koala-inspired haircut. Wait a minute, koala…koala!
"Huzzah!" Chumley Huffington bellowed. "It has been some time, my fellow duelists!" Without preamble, he wrapped Erin and I into a crushing bear hug, his biceps bigger than my head. His now-prominent jawline dug into my shoulder as he roared into my ears, "Jamie Lancaster and Erin Reid, how the hell are ya? I see this place hasn't changed much since I left!"
"Can't….breathe…grrk…"Erin sputtered while I made some bizarre gagging noise.
"Ah, my apologies! I suppose I am a bit stronger since I last saw you. Mister Pegasus hooked me up with a free company gym membership – really helps destress after a long day at the office, you know?" Chumley's boisterous voice seemed incapable of decreasing to a normal volume.
"How the hell….you used to sleep for twelve hours a day!" was the only thing I could say. Not to mention his diet consisted of grilled cheeses and weed -laced brownies.
"I guess I just needed the right environment. School was never really for me. I have good friends at my workplace, and mister Pegasus is a great boss!" Chumley laughed brashly. "We'll have to catch up over a drink after all this!"
"Well, I'm really happy for you, Chumley! You look fantastic!" Erin laughed as she clapped him on the back, matching his boisterous energy.
"Thank you! Now then, do you know where I might find my former roommates?" Chumley queried.
"Syrus got his ass kicked by Kenzan – Ra Yellow freshman – and is resting over there." Erin pointed towards a shaded clearing where the little blue-haired boy was sipping water.
"I see he got promoted." Chumley said proudly, noticing the yellow jacket. "Hasn't grown much taller though. And Jaden?"
"He is currently battling this cult's leader up in space, believe it or not." I pointed towards the bright yellow pillar rising from the volcano's base into the upper atmosphere.
"Ha! He gets to get have all the fun!" Chumley seemed to take it in stride. I was still amazed at the dramatic transformation he underwent. "Well, I had best pull my weight, which is still quite a lot as you can see. We shall drink tonight." He then jumped into the fray with duel disk in hand.
"And I thought this day couldn't get any bizarre." Erin said with a delirious laugh, still in disbelief that our fortunes had reversed so. "I'm glad you're alright, man." She said warmly.
"Thanks, Erin." I smiled. She was often brash but could be warm when she wished to be. "I guess I can't complain too much. Jaden will win up there, and we'll win down here." Victory seemed assured now – Sartorius' brainwashing plot hadn't advanced nearly as far as it did in canon, even with his sleeper cell activation. "I sure wish I won against Kaiba though."
"Yeah, and I wish I could eat sweets all day and keep in shape." Erin barked out a laugh. I resented the implication of her words, my eyes narrowing briefly.
"Hey, what's with that look? Come on, at least you broke him out of the mind control. I get it, the guy's a real prick. I bet many would enjoy erving him up some humble pie if he wasn't so damn strong. And we're both super competitive. But comparing yourself to other people isn't helpful. Just look at your own progress. Are you better than you were yesterday?" She said. "Besides, even if you beat Kaiba, you'd just move on to the next level and get frustrated all over again."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." I replied, although internally I still wasn't satisfied. Hunger could not be rationalized away, only temporarily satiated. And if not for ascension to new levels of power, what was I living for? Jamie Lancaster's family wasn't my family. My friends and I would go our separate ways eventually. Alexis was a great girl, but I was lying to her and had been since the first day we met. How could real trust form between us if I was always lying to her? I feared what would happen if I told her the truth about me. "At least the rest of this year should be nice…" I thought out loud.
"Yeah, I hope so." Erin agreed. "I'd like my senior year to be chill before I have to head out to the real world."
That's right, she was a year older than me. "Yeah, no kidding. Do you know what's next? I'm sorry if this isn't the right time or place." At the bottom of the hill, a cloud of dust hung over the raging battlefield as myriad monsters clashed.
Erin laughed. "Yeah, probably not now. But I've got something lined up." She trailed off as we caught sight of Alexis leading a small band of Obelisk Blues into the fray. "She is incredible. I thought myself her rival at one point, but Alexis is just a different animal." She said appreciatively.
"She is a worthy second seat for the Obelisk Force." I said cautiously, not trusting myself to say anything else. Luckily, I didn't have to say anything else as we were approached by a large body of Obelisk Blue students – some recently brainwashed and turned back, while others managed to avoid that fate.
"A couple of us saw your duel against Kaiba. You may not have won, but it was a hell of a good fight!" One of the guys gave a thumbs up. I vaguely recognized him as one of Jasmine's orbiters from when she tried to topple me. Now he was keen to lick my boots. I gave the twat a cocky smirk.
"You were brave, even when you could have died at any moment." A small girl with short silver hair said. I believe her name was Madison? "We might not have lasted long for reinforcements to arrive if you hadn't trained us. I'm sorry we were blind to it before."
"But the fight's not over! Let's finish this as a unit!" A burly third-year boy said with fire. "The Obelisk Force!"
Erin jumped to her feet, offering me her hand. "The Obelisk Force!"
A smile broke out, childlike on my weary countenance. I took her hand and dusted off my blue jacket. New energy seemed to spring up from nowhere as we rushed down the hill. "The Obelisk Force! For the island! For humanity!" We cried even as our voices grew hoarse. Funnily enough, despite my frustration at failing to overcome Kaiba, despite the injuries, despite the tension…this moment would become one of my fondest memories.
XxXxXxXXxXxXxXxXxXx
(Seto Kaiba POV)
His patience, among other things, was at its limit. Kaiba had been dueling for hours on end, had battled through a nasty spot of alien brainwashing, and worst of all he hadn't drank or done drugs in weeks. And yet, this was the most arduous trial of his day by far.
"Ooh, have you been working out, Kaiba-boy?" A familiar voice cooed in appreciation of his shirtless physique. Pinching his nose, Kaiba finished off some random Ra Yellow student and turned to face the speaker.
Pegasus was as posh and dapper as ever despite the assuredly long voyage. In contrast, Kaiba's white jacket and black shirt had been burned away some time ago, his hair was a mess, he was covered in soot and dirt and blood, and every muscle in his body ached something awful. "Oh goodness me, Kaiba boy, you look positively haggard!" Pegasus simpered. "Although I must say you seem to be keeping in great shape. You know, some men hit 25 and really let it all go. It's a tragedy~"
"I'm not most men." Kaiba sneered. "I once climbed up the side of a cliff while holding a briefcase – this is nothing."
"Mmm. By the way, you're very much welcome for the rescue. Why, if I hadn't shown up who knows what might have happened?" His smirk widened, as they both knew damn well that the Light cultists would have won without Pegasus' interference. "I coordinated this effort with Headmaster Crowler. I assumed he was following your orders."
"I have been…indisposed for the past few weeks. It's a long story." Said Kaiba, although somehow, he got the impression that Pegasus knew everything already. Even without his Millennium Eye, the bastard always seemed to know…just how deeply entrenched were his spies in Kaibacorp, on the island? This shit was why friendship and trust were highly overrated in Kaiba's opinion.
"Oh, I'm sure. Perhaps we can catch up over a glass of wine sometime, just the two of us?" Pegasus winked.
As usual, Kaiba failed to keep his cool in the face of Pegasus' teasing. "Never mind that! Just how the hell did you manage to gather duelists from all over the world anyways? East, West, and South Academy…I'm surprised that prick Viper actually agreed to play nice with the others."
Pegasus shot him a barbed look that seemed to say, "look who's talking, pal". "Planetary apocalypses have a way of uniting people behind a common cause. It was as simple as making a few phone calls and delegating choice responsibilities."
Seto caught the hidden implication – Pegasus could just as easily rally such allies against the Kaiba family if the situation warranted it. "I will obtain the specifics from Crowler later. Right now, let's focus on making sure the students are safe. We'll talk business after I reclaim my KaibaCorp security clearance." Abruptly, Kaiba began to walk away.
"Just a moment, Kaiba boy. I have additional news from Egypt that may interest you. Yugi and the Ishtars had quite the story. I believe one detail will immediately impact your company's outlook. Specifically regarding one of your employees." Pegasus dropped the smarm and grew somber.
Something in the words gave Kaiba pause. "I'm listening…"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
(Jaden Yuki POV)
"Here I come, Sartorius!" Jaden's golden eyes blazed bright as Elemental Heroes Sunrise, Plasma Vice, and Terra Firma flared their auras. Plasma Vice charged a crackling sphere of electricity between its massive gloves, heaving it above its head before launching the blast at Za Warudo. "When I attack with another Elemental Hero, Sunrise's effect activates, allowing me to destroy your monster without battling!"
The red-caped hero vanquished the worldship in a flash of light, clearing the path for Plasma Vice's attack to continue unimpeded towards Sartorius' life points.
"I activate my trap card, Michizure! When one of my monsters is destroyed, this trap allows me to destroy one of yours in return! I'll destroy Elemental Hero Sunrise!" Sunrise shattered into glasslike pieces as the cultist clenched his fist. However, the timing of the trap meant he could not activate his other face-down card before Plasma Vice's attack landed – Sartorius took the full force of the heavy strike. Encapsulated inside the thick sphere, the Light duelist was burnt harshly by the electricity. (Jaden 400/Sartorius 2300)
Jaden grinned, exuberantly thrusting a fist outward. "Alright, time to end this! Terra Firma, attack Sartorius' life points directly!" The legendary planet leapt forward; fist reared back in a comically telegraphed action pose.
"Did you think it would be so easy, emissary of darkness? I flip over my second trap card, Back to the Front! This allows me to resurrect a monster from the grave in defense mode. Return to me, Arcana Force XII – The World!" The starship's high defense value necessitated that Jaden call off the attack.
"Darn, your defense stopped me this time. Nice move!" Jaden congratulated. "But I'll getcha next round!"
"I don't think you'll be so chipper when you and the rest of this planet are cleansed with holy fire." Sartorius' long hair floated in the low gravity.
"Well that's just like, your opinion man." Jaden responded.
"Don't you realize that I'm serious? I really will destroy this planet and every last nonbeliever. I know that this is what destiny commands of me, and so that is what I will do." Another idea occurred to Sartorius. "Or is this how you cope with your imminent damnation?"
"Come on dude, are you really just going to do whatever you think destiny or god or whatever wants? You have free will, and so do I. I'm not a piece on some god's chess board."
"Not willingly, but your consent is no factor." Sartorius drew his next card and sharply inhaled, his patience running thin. "This attack will finally end it! I summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor (1400/1400)." A black alien machine with bright red nodes across its surface appeared. It had large arms, but no legs, instead hovering in midair using some foreign technology. "Since my coin will obviously land on heads," Indeed it did, "all Arcana Force monsters will gain 500 attack points." This boosted the Emperor to 1900 and The World to 3600.
Sartorius' voice grew to a roar. "Now, do you doubt my conviction? You and this wretched world are history!" The World rose higher, charging up a massive laser to fire on both Terra Firma and the Earth. The energy grew from the halo on its back, growing larger and larger until the white fire flooded Jaden's vision. It was a like a miniature star in its heat and intensity.
Adam found himself so terrified that he could not speak. His phone wobbled in his shaking fingers, but he was still getting everything on video. If they survived, his DuelTube channel was going to be huge.
"Woah, you can't really be serious about blowing up the planet! I live here!" Jaden quailed, as if this was all coming out of left field for him.
"OF COURSE I'M SERIOUS, YOU RIDICULOUS FOOL!" The energy of Sartorius' attack was more than enough to destroy the Earth – in fact, it could have wiped out Venus and Mars in one shot as well. "I HAVE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH OF YOUR ABSURD JOKES! NOW PERISH ALONG WITH THE REST OF THIS PATHETIC WORLD YOU LOVE, DEMON KING!"
"Not cool!" Jaden replied. "Man, this guy is a real jerk!"
"DIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" The enormous light energy beam began its inexorable descent towards Earth.
Jaden's golden eyes flashed. "I activate the effect of Necro Gardna in my graveyard! By banishing it, I can negate your attack!" The common monster card came in handy. Jaden fondly remembered pulling it out of a random pack his mother picked up for him at the grocery store. Who knew it would save the Earth one day?" The deafening, white-hot energy sphere was captured and dispelled by Jaden's shadowy duel energy, although his ears rang like mad even after it was gone.
Sartorius screeched in frustration. "How? How do you keep foiling me? It doesn't make any sense!" The cultist stared at his hands. "Is my faith not strong enough? Is the fault mine, Lord? Tell me, how do I vanquish this devil?"
Jaden panted, overwhelmed at how close death came. "What's wrong? I thought the Light showed you everything about how the world works. And yet, whenever something that conflicts your worldview comes along, you shut your eyes and cling to your dogma like its driftwood in the open ocean." Jaden's eyes did not move or even blink as he seemed to peer into Sartorius' soul.
The mockery was too much for Sartorius' already tenuous sanity to take. Giggling madly, he said nothing else and ended his turn with a set card. "Lord of Light, imbue me with your radiance so that I may burn away the shadows. Destroy my enemy, and my life is yours forever." He muttered the mantra frantically under his breath.
"Let's see what your lord provides for you! I activate Card of Sanctity!" Replenishing his hand, Jaden couldn't help but laugh as well. Perhaps it was the adrenaline, but he was having the time of his life. He hadn't had this much fun since the battle against Kagemaru when he joined forces with Jamie Lancaster.
"Let's do this! First, I'll activate Skyscraper!" The Light Barrier was destroyed, although luckily the platform still floated in space, apparently not bound to the Barrier's power. Modern office buildings and apartments rose from nowhere, the stars especially sharp when surrounded by grasping spires. This would boost Jaden's heroes by 1000 attack points if they attacked a stronger monster. "Then, I'll activate Plasma Vice's special ability! By discarding a card, I can destroy one monster in attack position!" By pitching Clayman from his hand, Jaden's golden hero zapped away The World for a second time.
"Heh, you shouldn't have left your Emperor in attack mode, buddy! Let's smash him, Terra Firma!" The white hero delivered an earthshaking clothesline that broke apart the alien construct with ease. (Jaden 400/Sartorius 1700)
The resulting shockwave nearly blew Sartorius off of his feet, but not before he revealed yet another trap. "I play Damage Condenser! When I take battle damage, I can summon a monster from my deck whose attack points are lower than the damage taken!"
Jaden briefly wondered what he could have possibly summoned with only 600 or fewer points, but his question was quickly answered. "I summon Arcana Force 0 – The Fool (0/0)." Sartorius wisely placed the jester in defense mode. Since it couldn't be destroyed by battle, Sartorius was safe for another turn.
"Alright, no sweat. I'll set a monster and two face-downs to end my turn." Jaden finished. He wasn't too worried, as Plasma Vice could take out the Fool next turn with its effect.
Sartorius drew. "I'll start by activating the spell Brain Control. By paying 800 life points, I can take control of one of your monsters for a turn. I will take control of Plasma Vice." The spell emitted weak psychic waves that were nonetheless strong enough to possess the fused hero for a turn. (Jaden 400/Sartorius 900)
"Next, I'll normal summon Arcana Force I – The Magician (1100/1100)." The alien idly juggled balls as it pranced onto the field. "And now…with three monsters on the field, I can call forth the monster I used to subdue Seto Kaiba himself. I offer up the Fool, the Magician, and your Plasma Vice as sacrifices!"
The physical monsters disappeared, their duel energy rising in pillars of red, blue, and green. The energy melded together to form Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler (4000/4000), a massive humanoid apparatus defended by two draconic appendages. A single eye on the center of its head stared unblinkingly at Jaden, who remembered seeing the beast firsthand from that night in the city. Its presence was so great that Jaden hardly noticed the coin landing on heads.
"Yeah, I remember that card. Let's see what it can do!" Jaden greeted the challenge as did anything in life, with a smile.
Wordlessly, Sartorius thrust a hand forward. The twin dragon heads shot a volley of white energy blasts, the bombs racing towards Terra Firma. It would be enough damage to end the duel, but of course Jaden had a card to play. "I cast the quick-play spell Mask Change. This lets me replace Terra Firma with an Earth-attribute Masked Hero from my extra deck!"
Terra Firma's hand glowed with light. Swiping his fingers over his head, a quick flash saw the hero swapped out with the nearest available substitute. The new hero wielded a silver lance, his knightly armor accented with royal blue gems and a silky azure cape. "I summon Masked Hero Dian (2800/3000) in defense mode." Jaden didn't expect that Sartorius would be able to swing over Terra Firma, but luckily this way he would avoid taking any damage. A replay occurred, and the Light Ruler blew through Dian with another salvo of blasts.
"Ah yes, you must have picked up that little mask trick during your training. It doesn't seem to have been worth the effort." Sartorius said coldly. "When the Light Ruler destroys a monster by battle, I can add a card from my grave to my hand." And he did so, although Jaden didn't see what he retrieved.
"I'm still standing, aren't I? I wouldn't be otherwise. And I still got my set monster." Jaden pointed out, taking a moment to gather what little remained of his energy reserves. He didn't have many tricks left but knew that Sartorius had to be at his limit as well. This would end soon, one way or another.
"The darkness is patient, but morning always comes eventually. Take your turn." Sartorius said. Jaden wouldn't describe himself as poetic, but couldn't that phrase be easily turned around by saying that night always comes eventually as well? Jamie might have employed the wordplay, but Jaden avoided it for fear of botching it. Although he wasn't very close to Lancaster, the thought of one of his friends warmed Jaden's heart anyways. "I still haven't beaten you yet, Jamie. I gotta survive, if just for that." He had learned much from his friends, his rivals. The world of dueling was full of adventure and mystery. "I know the game is not evil. No more than people are."
His deck seemed to reward for his optimism. "Let's do this! I play Fifth Hope. This spell card lets me shuffle five heroes from my graveyard back into my deck. Then, I get to draw two more cards." He returned Sparkman, Wildheart, Bladedge, Heat, and Lady Heat. "One more fusion! I play Polymerization, fusing together Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand!"
The classic combination would always stay in Jaden's deck, and it would server him well now. "Soar, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1200)!" One white wing, a red dragon arm, and mottled green skin marked the arrival of Jaden's favorite hero.
"So, this is your savior? The Light Ruler is far stronger, even with your Skyscraper on the field." Sartorius explained the obvious.
"I've got stronger heroes, but this guy has always been my very favorite, ever since I was a little kid. That's why I was really glad when they printed this card. The equip spell Favorite Hero!" The dragon arm glowed with red power as the one-winged hero rose higher into space. "Check this! Since I have a field spell out, this equip spell gains Flame Wingman attack points equal to its defense points, which are 1200." Flame Wingman's attack value grew to 3300.
Jaden glanced towards Adam. "You getting this?" The hero asked.
"Dude, you're like…. totally about to save the universe!" Adam couldn't believe it, but the battle appeared to be won. With the boost afforded by Skyscraper, Flame Wingman's attack points would soar to 4300, enough to prevail over the Light Ruler and end the duel. It would be quite similar to how the Red Hero defeated Crowler during the entrance exams. Adam couldn't watch the game himself, as he was taking his own test at the time. He heard it was something to behold though. It amazed him that he was the only person in the world who could see this battle firsthand.
"I couldn't do it without your support." Jaden smiled at him. "I can feel everyone's energy down below, an intricate web of life." From newborn babes to the elderly, Jaden was to perceive and know their hearts using the power of darkness. Plants, animals, and all forms of life were known to him, and their spirit vitalized him. "All of my friends on Earth, give me strength now!"
Flame Wingman let loose a raging inferno of flame at the grounded Light Ruler, the waves of fire washing over it and Sartorius both. However, the flames eventually subsided, and Sartorius still stood, his life points untouched. The Light Ruler was gone as well, and in its place was a curious violet box with yellow star patterns along the sides. The top of the box had two rows of holes punched through it. "No, not quite, chooser of darkness." Sartorius smirked. "Fate will decide the winner of this duel. I activate my trap card, Fairy Box.
Now, whenever you attack one of my monsters, I flip a coin. If I call the coin correctly, your monster's attack points are reduced to zero. If I call it incorrectly, however, your attack goes through."
"What a joke! You'll just cheat. Man, this really sucks!" Jaden cursed. He was able to nullify Sartorius' chicanery whenever the Light Duelist tried to meddle with his cards. However, Jaden was powerless to intervene when Sartorius affected his own cards, independently of Jaden's.
"Well? Will you attack anyways?" Sartorius beckoned mockingly.
"Don't you have a shred of fair play? If you want a real victory, then you should let the coin flip play out without any magic involved!" Jaden beseeched.
"As I said before, all means are permissible in the pursuit of evil's destruction. All actions that build the lord's paradise are good. Now attack."
Jaden grit his teeth. "I have to try…Flame Wingman, continue to attack!" With infernal rage, the fused hero fired off another blast of flame, hoping to smoke out the Light Ruler.
Smirking, Sartorius flipped the coin into the air. As if things weren't tense enough, the coin took forever to come down due to the gravity. "Tails never fails!" The cultist laughed, as the adage was literally true when he used his ability to alter the course of destiny itself.
Having no choice, Jaden called on the powers of darkness to influence the coin's fall, steering it towards heads. He encountered strong psychic resistance as Sartorius did the same thing. Unfortunately, Sartorius had far experience at using his powers to cheat during duels and seemed to have more energy in reserve besides. Jaden felt the injury in his back flare up, the burn seething from when he defended Adam against Sartorius' attack. "Come on body, just hold up for a bit longer!"
The coin was only feet from the ground, flipping thrice, twice, once more-
Gold and silver eyes shone as each duelist made a final push to mentally overpower the other. Just barely, Sartorius was able to edge Jaden out, and the coin landed on tails.
"No!" Jaden blurted.
"HA! DIE, FOOL!" The Light Ruler burst out of the whack-a-mole box, letting loose a volley of energy blasts at the weakened Flame Wingman.
"During the damage step, I'll cast the quick-play spell De-Fusion from my hand! This will split up Flame Wingman into his fusion materials, Avian and Burstinatrix!" This also had the effect of calling off Jaden's attack. Splitting apart, Avian and Burstinatrix were able to evade the Light Ruler's counterattack at the last possible moment, taking defensive stances on Jaden's field.
Adam let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. "So, you had a backup plan all along." He muttered as both Jaden and Sartorius panted from the psychic struggle.
Regaining his breath slowly, Jaden set one card. "I flip up my set monster, Winged Kuriboh (300/200) and end my turn." The second half of ma'at, the card Yugi entrusted him, stood defiant.
"So, you have finally accepted the will of god." Sartorius barely even glanced at his drawn card. "Just to be safe, I will pay the 500 life point cost required to maintain Fairy Box." (Jaden 400/Sartorius 400)
"Though you will suffer for eternity in the pits of hell, I will leave you with this for solace, Jaden Yuki – you truly were a foe worthy of my grand destiny." Sartorius condescended, although in fairness it was the nicest thing he had said to Jaden all day. The Light Ruler shot a concentrated laser at Winged Kuriboh.
"See, I always knew you were a sweetheart, Sartorius. But you should know a duel isn't over until the last card is played! I activate my face-down quick-play spell, Transcendent Wings!" Discarding two cards, Jaden induced a transformation in his Winged Kuriboh.
"Impossible!" Sartorius' attack was deflected away by Winged Kuriboh's suddenly enormous white wings. The brown furball was ensconced in an ornate, golden frame in the shape of a dragon, its radiance easily matching the Light Ruler's.
"I'd say the same thing to you, Sartorius, you were a strong opponent. I don't care about any of this Light and Darkness stuff, but I gotta win this for everyone counting on me! I summon Winged Kuriboh LV 10 (300/200)!" Jaden thrust out a fist. "Let's end this, partner! I activate Winged Kuriboh LV 10's effect, sacrificing itself to destroy all monsters on your side of the field! Then, you take damage equal to their combined attack points!"
Just as suddenly as it appeared, the angelic vision vanished in an all-encompassing light that flooded Sartorius' vision. He screamed at this reversal of fortune which even his eyes, blessed with divine providence, could not see. (Jaden 400/Sartorius 0)
As soon as the duel was over, Jaden immediately fell to both knees, the gold leaking out of his irises until only the original warm brown remained. A sudden chill wracked him, and his stomach twisted painfully in hunger. However, he still smiled. "Heh…gotcha." He touched two fingers to his chest and pointed them towards Sartorius, his customary victory expression. "I did it."
Adam turned off his phone – it was nearly dead anyways -and rushed over to help Jaden up. "Holy hell, that was a close game! You sure know how to keep things interesting, Jaden." The gambler flashed his friend a toothy smile. "Say, I hate to be that guy…but how exactly did you plan on getting us back down to Earth?"
"The sacred darkness allows me to travel short distances using portals, kinda like that one video game. Now, I've only used it to go like ten miles before…and it's thousands of miles to the planet's surface…and I'm nearly out of energy…but other than that we should be fine." Jaden said with uncharacteristically dry understatement. "Not very heroic to die like this after winning the big battle. I just hope they managed to beat Kaiba and the others on the ground. He's probably a bigger threat than Sartorius."
"Maybe Sartorius couldn't keep up the mind control over so great a distance. Hard to say, but it should be a moot point since you defeated him. Speaking of which…" Adam gestured over to the fallen foe. "What do you want to do with him?"
Jaden's blood, his very soul sang in favor of killing Sartorius, his fated enemy. But with great effort, Jaden's ideals were able to overcome the primal urge. "I won't kill him. I won't." He almost seemed to be convincing himself. "The Light was controlling him too. We'll take him back down to the surface and try to help him somehow. Maybe Aster will know what to do." Jaden's labored breathing still hadn't alleviated. "Can I borrow some of your energy, Adam? Just hold out your hand."
"Uh, sure." The black-haired Ra duelist did so, and Jaden quickly reached out. Adam's arm suddenly felt very cold as Jaden siphoned the strength from him. When he finally let go, Adam felt a pervading numbness throughout his arm, which soon gave way to pins and needles as he recovered feeling.
"Thanks, homie." Jaden was good to stand on his own, although he clearly wasn't back at 100% yet. Adam's energy reserves were only a fraction of Jaden's, and in fact were only barely more than the average duelist. "Well, I guess I should go pick him up."
XxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxX
Sartorius was splayed out on the asteroid's surface, staring blankly upwards. "Light….I can't see." The thought was clear even through the haze of defeat and fatigue. "It's blinding…" The same force he once relied on now seemed harsh, judgmental like a stern father – he writhed and creeped in the light.
Suddenly, a palm emerged in the center of his vision. The silhouette was thick and black, and it reached towards him. "Can you see?" The voice asked him.
Sartorius saw the shadows grow larger, forming a body that seemed so strong, so imposing, so above him. "The enemy." He recognized the form of Jaden Yuki. Behind the blinding light, the deepest darkness was discovered.
The boy was touching him, trying to rouse him awake. The King of Darkness' mere presence only inspired aggression in him – his touch was like poison, like the nastiest, most vile filth. "The darkness is enveloping me…"
And suddenly, he felt deep, ancient powers within his body rising unbidden, destructive intent clear and undeniable. "Deliverance…" Consciousness then left him.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Jaden recoiled from the geyser of Light energy that burst forth from Sartorius, the man's unconscious body prone as a ghastly white spirit took shape above him.
Crimson eyes opened to peer upon him. "DID YOU TRULY BELIEVE I WOULD SUBMIT, INFIDEL? NEVER!" The words were audible to Jaden's ears, but Adam heard only foreign, indecipherable utterances.
"Oh no…" Jaden knew by instinct what this was – the Light of Destruction, or at least the piece of it that had possessed Sartorius so long ago. With a mighty effort, he was able to dredge up the darkness within his soul once more, eyes flickering back to a dusky gold hue.
"I NEED THIS VESSEL NO LONGER, NOW THAT ENOUGH ENERGYHAS BEEN HARVESTED. THIS PLANET WILL SATE MY HUNGER NICELY. THE OUTCOME OF THIS DUEL MATTERED NOT, AS YOU SEE NOW." The horrid apparition opened what could be perceived as a maw – it was lined with countless teeth, and an unmoving red sphere hovered in its center.
Jaden spun around. Thrusting out a palm and draining a vast portion of his energy, he opened a dark portal behind Adam. The gate tore through space, air rushing out of it as it connected to the island's surface. Jaden hoped that the portal would send Adam to safety -using the power in space was much more difficult than in an atmosphere.
"Go!" He commanded, Adam looking at the tunnel with some trepidation. "There's no time, just go!"
"No way, you'll die!" Adam feebly protested, even as every fiber of his being urged him to flee as Jaden told him to do.
"I'll be alright." Jaden smiled, his voice full of conviction. Unable to remain rooted, Adam trusted in his friend and jumped into the portal. Once he was safely gone, Jaden closed the gate. In the moments he had been distracted, the Light spirit was charging up some sort of beam inside of its enormous mouth.
"WRETCHED, GRASPING HUMANITY, PERMITTED TOO MANY GREVIOUS SINS FOR TOO LONG. YE HATH TRAPPED LIFE WITHIN THE CARDS, YE HATH DISTURBED THE NATURAL BALANCE OF THE UNIVERSE, AND WORST OF ALL YE HATH PERVERTED THE NATURAL BOUNDARIES BETWEEN DIMENSIONS. BE VANQUISHED, CHOOSERS OF CHAOS!"
Summoning the very last of his energies, Jaden coalesced dark flame in his hands, focusing it on his palms. Moments after stating its edict, the Spirit fired an enormous energy wave aimed at Jaden and the planet Earth.
Standing in front of Sartorius' prone frame, Jaden braced himself and caught the beam with both hands, wisps of darkness scattering behind him as he attempted to form a barrier against the planet-destroying wave. The cataclysmic struggle was merely one of many between the Light of Destruction and the Sacred Darkness throughout history – even as he poured every ounce of his strength into repelling the blast, Jaden resentfully noted how he was merely playing the role Destiny had laid out for him after all. Could Sartorius have been right after all?
Perhaps, but then, was it so wrong to live up a noble destiny, a responsibility towards preserving life? If that was his destiny, it was one Jaden could accept being saddled with. There was no one else, just him, and if he failed it would mean the end of Earth and eventually the universe.
Every muscle burned, the sweat evaporating off of Jaden's brow as soon as it formed due to the heat. His messy brown hair was whipping wildly, and his ears were overwhelmed by white noise. "I'm not sure I can hold on any longer…I'm sorry, you guys…"
"Don't give up, partner!" Winged Kuriboh appeared next to him, pushing the blast away with little power he had. "Please, don't give in!"
Seeing his little friend struggle filled Jaden with shame, and he redoubled his efforts. "I remember…" The memory of that day returned, cold and clear as ice water.
"You're a duelist, aren't you?"
"Yep! I'm just off to try out at the Academy!"
"Heh, you don't say…"
"Hey, you're…!"
"Why don't you take this. I have a feeling it belongs with you. Good luck."
Jaden roared, pushing the beam higher. His fatigue was gone – in fact, all physical sensation was falling away from him.
He felt nothing, and….
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
(Jamie Lancaster POV)
It was nearly done. Only one foe remained on the island – Prince Ojin. At the top of the cliff near the Slifer Red dorm, Bastion Misawa grappled with the last of Sartorius' brainwashed cultists. Even if the wayward prince had prevailed over Bastion, there were hundreds and hundreds of other duelists. Not only were there the freed Central Academy students, but there were the teachers, the Kaiba brothers, Pegasus, and a host of representation from the other four duel academies. I only hoped that Jaden's duel with Sartorius was going alright. He won in canon against greater odds, so he should be fine, I thought.
I was too far away to catch most of the duel, but I managed to work my way through the gargantuan crowd just in time to see my friend win the duel using one of the magnet warriors, the fusion with the absurdly long name. Bastion had likely been cycling through his many decks throughout the day in order to keep his strategy unpredictable. It was more to keep track of on his end, but it also confused the enemy.
"I attack with Imperion Magnum the Superconductive Battlebot!" Ah, that was the name of it! "This duel is over!"
Bastion's mechwarrior struck true, and the russet-haired royalty was flung backwards, caught by his surprisingly strong assistant Linda. At the realization of what just happened, a wave of cheers broke out amongst the allied coalition.
"That's it, everyone! WE WON!"
The tension deflated, replaced with exuberant, youthful joy. The long, drawn-out battle was finally done. Boyfriends and girlfriends embraced and kissed, friends whooped and hollered – even Seto Kaiba spared a genuine smile.
I burst through the crowd and rushed up the slope, meeting my former roommate at the peak. "You did it, Bastion! Nice job!"
"I could not have done it without the light of reason lighting my path, nor without the support of my friends." Bastion cordially deflected, although I could tell he was beaming inside. I thought to the original timeline, how the man made the stupid decision to join the Society of Light. He was so starved for appreciation, always shunted aside, that it eventually destroyed his dueling career. Now, he was the one who had the honor of ending the cult's scourge. I grabbed his arm and raised it skyward alongside my own, startling him.
"Let's hear it for Bastion!" My voice had gone hoarse several hours ago, but still I tried my best to raise my cheer above the din. The guy deserved some ass-kissing in my opinion. Sadly, I was unable to attract much attention on my own.
"Really, that's not necessary – " Bastion's protestations were cut off as Pegasus and the Kaiba brothers reached the top of the hill. Seto looked upon the Ra Yellow with some pride, for he was a KaibaCorp employee as well.
"Let's hear it for Bastion!" Extending a rare kindness, Kaiba's voice turned heads for the R&D intern. But I could not help but recall his bizarre words to me in the midst of the fray. "Good, use your hatred to surpass me!" He had said, or something like that. The implications gave me chills even now.
"BAS-TION, BAS-TION, BAS-TION!" The chant erupted thrice; the people quick to obey the White Dragon's command. They clapped and cheered, to my elation and to Bastion's true surprise. "Come on, take a bow!" I mentally urged him.
Catching my eye, Bastion seemed to cotton on to the cue. He raised his other arm, the one outfitted with his duel disk. "Today is our Independence Day!"
The crowd chuckled at the unsubtle homage to the Will Smith movie. Nevertheless, the elated cheers continued as others mobbed the hill.
"I, uh, didn't know what to say." Bastion admitted meekly.
"Don't worry, you did fine." We shared a grin before a wave of blues surrounded me.
"We did it, you guys." I addressed the Obelisk Force fondly, although at a later date I vowed to exact…consequences…towards those who had betrayed me in the past. Bastion was a true friend. Some of these Obelisks were true friends. Others were rats who needed to be smoked out of their holes. But today was not the day for that.
"The Obelisk Force!" Our group cheered. Suddenly, someone emerged out of the blue wave. Without a word, Alexis kissed me long and hard, causing hoots and jeers to erupt from the arrogant blue bastards around me, not that I cared.
Apparently, she didn't care much for secrecy anymore, or perhaps the ever-responsible girl had been mastered by a passionate impulse for once. I may ask her later if there's time for words. For now, I found myself speechless and overcome with a host of strong emotions, bliss the foremost among them.
Our smoldering gaze was broken as it suddenly seemed unusually bright for this time in the late afternoon. The cheers stilled as everyone turned their eyes skyward. Up in the sky, or in space, there was an evident collision of what could only be described as a bright white laser against a pitch-dark flame. The two beams clashed, before they were slowly covered by a dark grey sphere. After only a few moments, the sphere flashed bright once more before dissipating, leaving nothing behind that I could see from down here.
"Jaden…" With Sonata's help, I tried to ascertain his duel energy, only to detect nothing. "Jaden!"
A/N
Hope you all enjoyed.
I know I enjoyed finally getting to more or less the end of this arc. I found myself truly experiencing writer's block for the first time as I really wanted to get the duel right and evoke the right emotions with this chapter. At any rate, it will be exciting to move on to newer material. In the next chapter we'll be exploring the aftermath and find out what really happened to Jaden and Sartorius. Are they dead? We'll also delve into what Yugi was up to, and what pressing matter drew his attention away from the battle against the Light. It would have to be something pretty big since Kaiba was brainwashed at the time. Pegasus seems to know about it as well. I'm very excited for this!
Also, I'll tell you this right now – there was no Genex tournament in this arc, but there will be a tournament arc in the next arc. I felt it was better to eschew the canon Genex tournament not only to differentiate this story, but to instead have a massive battle scene between the heroes and the Light. The upcoming tourney in this story will not be the same as the canon Genex tournament, but will instead be more traditionally formatted in the style of the Dark Tournament from YYH or the Tenkaichi Budokai from Dragon Ball. What the tournament is for and who will be participating is another matter, but it will be hopefully a different sort of tournament than what we've seen in Yugioh before. I'm excited about that as well.
After getting some valuable reader feedback, I decided not to post a power rankings/tier list for the characters in this story, as normal powerscaling doesn't really work when the conflicts are resolved through card games rather than through fights.
I'd also like to give an Eichiro Oda esque announcement and say that we are firmly in the back half of the story, in fact we're probably like 70% done. Many elements of Season 3 and 4 will merged in the next arc, and circumstances are already such that the events of those seasons cannot possibly play out the same way. But the true ending is a long way off still. The ending of a story is always the hardest part. My only guarantee is that I'll put in more effort than certain television writers…I'm sure no one needs any names mentioned to know who I am referring to.
Anyways, thank you as always for your continued readership and support. I couldn't have done it without you!