Akiza: What is that thing?
Yusei: I don't know. It looks one of the Dark Signer Marks.
Crow: Yusei!
Yusei turned his head to the side and saw Crow driving up with another old friend of his.
Crow: Look who I found.
Yusei: It's Jack and Crow.
Jack: Yeah, and from the looks of it we're here right in time.
Crow: So you're Akiza? I'm guessing you won your duel. Wait, where's Alex?
Akiza: He was taking part in my duel against the Dark Signer, and he,
Crow: So he's gone.
Suddenly the ground began to shake again.
Trudge: What's with the earthquake?
Yusei: I'm not so sure this is an earthquake.
He looked to the site of the old reactor and saw a strange glow coming from it.
Jack: Now what?
Crow: Hey, I know that area.
Yusei: Yeah, I'm afraid that I do as well. That's where the first Ener-D Reactor was, and I have a hunch the portal to the Netherworld it opened is now open for business.
Just then, black slime began to come out of the crater before taking shape into a giant monster.
Yusei: We got trouble.
Luna: It's headed towards the city.
Crow: Yusei, Roman said if we failed to seal the four towers in time, that the King of the Netherworld would appear.
Yusei: I know, and I'm guessing that's him.
Luna: You guys, Kuribon said if it reaches the condor mark, a lot of bad things are gonna happen.
Yusei: What kind of bad things?
The creature began to slowly make its way to New Domino City.
Leo: So how do we stop that thing?
Suddenly everyone's Signer marks started glowing and the Crimson Dragon appeared. They were all surrounded in a bright flash of light before being transported to Goodwin's mansion, or rather, what was left of it. The temple that had been underneath Goodwin's mansion had risen to the surface, destroying the structure that had once sat atop it.
Akiza: So this is where the condor is coming from.
Leo: Then that means the King of the Netherworld is coming here, but what for?
Yusei: I don't know.
?: In that case, allow me to explain. You may have succeeded in defeating the Dark Signers, but not in time to close the gate to the Netherworld.
They all looked to the top of the temple and saw someone they knew very well standing there.
Akiza: Alex?
Alex: Indeed.
Yusei: How are you here? We thought you disappeared after you lost the duel. And how do you know what's going on?
Alex: I know what's going on because I've lived through this before. And as for what's happening, the King of the Netherworld is headed here for the ritual.
Yusei: What ritual?
Alex: The same ritual that takes place at this temple every 5000 years.
Yusei: So what exactly happens in this ritual?
Jack: And what did you mean when you said you've lived through this before?
Alex: Simple. The person I was in my original life was responsible for the creation for the Earthbound Immortals, and since then, my soul has been cursed to reincarnate alongside them every 5000 years. As for the ritual, it all depends, but this time it's something that's never happened before.
Jack: What?! You were responsible for creating the Earthbound Immortals?!
Akiza: That's not true is it?
Alex: Not me exactly, but rather the boy I was millions of years ago. The boy who inherited a throne well before he should have and turned to a dangerous source of help in a time of desperation.
Yusei: What did you mean when you said this ritual would be different from the ones in the past?
Alex: It's different because of this.
He pulled out a glowing canister that had the Dragon Head mark of the Crimson Dragon floating inside of it.
Yusei: How did you get that? And who did you get it from?
Alex: Believe it or not, this was in the possession of Rex Goodwin.
Jack: Wait, Goodwin was the fifth Signer?
Alex: Yes and no. A Goodwin was the fifth Signer, just not Rex Goodwin.
Yusei: What? You're saying Roman was the fifth Signer?!
Alex: Yes. It all happened because of a bizarre twist of fate. Roman bore both the mark of the Crimson Dragon and an Earthbound Immortal, but in the end he succumbed to the darkness and left his Signer mark in Rex's care so you would have it when the war began.
Jack: But then why do you have it?
Alex: Simple, I took it from him after defeating him in a duel. When I first arrived here after losing my duel with Misty, I was confronted by Rex who explained everything, including why I was still here.
Yusei: Wait, don't tell us that you're-
Alex turned around so his back was facing them and revealed the mark of the condor on his back.
Alex: Indeed, I am the final Dark Signer, just as I was 5000 years ago.
He turned around and his sclera turned black and a purple thunderbolt mark appeared on the left side of his face.
Alex: However, unlike 5000 years ago, this time I will wield both the power of light and darkness.
Mina: He can't.
Jack: He won't.
Alex: And who, pray tell, is going to stop me?
He removed the lid from the canister and plunged his hand inside. A bright flashed from inside before Alex removed his arm from the canister to reveal that the Dragon Head Mark had been transferred to his arm.
Leo: No way!
Akiza: He transferred the mark to himself!
Yusei: What are you planning Alex?
Alex: Simple. By combining the power of the Earthbound Immortals with the Crimson Dragon, I will become the perfect being and remake this world.
He raised his arm with his newly acquired mark into the air, causing the temple to rise.
Jack: Everyone take cover!
They all moved back to avoid the falling debris.
Yusei: Alex, you were fighting with us to save the world, not destroy it!
Alex: And I will save the world.
Yusei: What are you talking about?
Alex: As it stands, our world is corrupt and beyond saving, which is why I intend to start over. Using the power of the Earthbound Immortals, I will cleanse this world, and then I will rebuild it using the power of the Crimson Dragon.
Yusei: You can't do this Alex. You can't just burn the world down and then start over.
Jack: Yeah, what gives the right to make a decision like that?
Alex: Simple. I stand at the pinnacle of perfection and have realized the truth. Human beings are flawed by nature. We corrupt and destroy our own world with no concern for the damage left in our wake. I will break the cycle of this endless war and create an eternal paradise under my rule.
Yusei: No one person has the right to rule over the world Alex. And it's up to all of us to fix this world.
Alex: Discussing this with you is pointless. In fact, it's not even a discussion to begin with. Whatever a perfect being such as myself tells imperfect people like you is just meaningless. I can clearly see what is right and what is wrong. I alone have the knowledge to know what should be done.
Yusei: You've lost your mind Alex. But if you're going to go down this path, then I'm going to stop you.
Jack: So will I.
Crow: Count me in.
Alex: How foolish. If you wish to learn your place, then I shall teach it to you. I will create an eternal paradise here. For that reason, this world must be cleared away. You three will also have to disappear along with it, but fear not. In my new world, you will be honored as heroes who fought for a better existence and happiness for all.
A stone slab rose up in front of him, serving as his duel disk.
Yusei: Alex, you're not talking about happiness, you're talking about subjugation.
Alex: Call it what you want. We shall now hold the ancient ritual to welcome the King of the Netherworld. We will duel on the crest of the condor. There I will crush you and complete the ritual.
Yusei: That's fine by us.
Jack: We're not afraid of you Alex.
Crow: Yeah, you can call yourself the perfect being all day long, but in the end you're no better than we are.
Alex: I assure you, I am much better than you. And I shall prove it by defeating you.
Yusei: Then let's get started, because Crow, Jack, and I are all set to rev it up!
Leo: You guys can do it!
Trudge: Be strong.
Mina: And be careful.
Akiza: Very careful.
Alex: Before we begin, I shall set the terms for this duel. Since there are three of you and only one of me, you will each hold 4000 life points will I hold 12000. In addition, no one may attack on their first turn. I trust there are no objections?
The condor glyph tilted back to create a duel track.
Crow: None here.
Jack: That all works for me.
Yusei: Same here, so let's go!
All: Duel!
Alex: 12000 LP
Yusei: 4000 LP
Crow: 4000 LP
Jack: 4000 LP
Crow: I'm going first, and I summon Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield in defense mode.
Level 2/Dark/Winged Beast
ATK 100/DEF 1800
Crow: And then since I now control a Blackwing, I can special summon Bora the Spear from my hand.
Level 4/Dark/Winged Beast
ATK 1700/DEF 800
Crow: I place one card face-down and end my turn.
Jack: Which means you get to deal with me now.
All SPC: 1
Jack: I summon Mad Archfiend in attack mode.
Level 4/Dark/Fiend
ATK 1800/DEF 0
Jack: Next I'll throw a face-down and call it a turn.
Yusei: Which means I'm up.
All SPC: 2
Yusei: Alex, why are you doing this?
Alex: You don't realize it, do you Yusei? Even if you had won, this war would just start again in the future. And I would once again be thrust into the center of it because of my past mistakes.
Yusei: So you're doing this to break yourself out? I don't believe that Alex. You're a lot of things, but selfish isn't one of them.
Alex: You are mistaken, I don't do this for my sake. With the power I now wield, I will end this war once and for all, and make the world anew, and create a perfect existence for all. One free of want, pain, or loss. One where people don't blindly hate or look down on others because of where they come from. A world where everyone can be happy. Don't you see that you should be helping me? After all, you three know the injustices of this world better than most.
Yusei: While it's true we never had the best life, that doesn't mean we want to erase the whole world and rebuild it.
Alex: And I hoped you would show some sense and join me. Very well, if you wish to fight against the inevitable, then duel with everything you have.
Yusei: If you insist. I summon Max Warrior in attack mode.
Level 4/Wind/Warrior
ATK 1800/DEF 800
Yusei: I'll end my turn with that.
Alex: Then it's my turn.
All SPC: 3
Alex: I'll start by summoning an old friend of mine, Netherworld Spirit Knight in attack mode.
Level 4/Dark/Fiend
ATK 1800/DEF 1300
Alex: And due to his special ability, when he's summoned, I can summon another level four or lower Netherworld Spirit monster from my hand, such as the tuner monster Netherworld Spirit Leo.
Level 4/Fire/Beast
ATK 1700/DEF 1200
Crow: A tuner monster?
Jack: That's not good.
Alex: And it's about to get worse. When Leo is summoned, I can add a Netherworld Spirit card from my deck to my hand, like my Dark Tuner Netherworld Spirit Camazot.
Yusei: A dark tuner?
Alex: Now level four Leo tunes with level four Knight. The shadows merge to bring forth the envoy of darkness. Synchro summon! Sharpen your claws, Netherworld Spirit Shadow Dragon!
Level 8/Dark/Dragon
ATK 3000/DEF 2500
Yusei: I don't know, that thing doesn't look so tough.
Alex: Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not finished. I activate the effect of Netherworld Spirit Leo from my graveyard. By banishing him, I can bring Knight back to my field. Next, since I control a Netherworld Spirit Synchro monster, I can summon my Dark Tuner Camazot to the field.
Level 4/Dark/Winged Beast
ATK & DEF 0
Alex: And now I activate his special ability. Once each turn, Camazot can add the level of another Netherworld Spirit monster onto his own, and I choose my Shadow Dragon.
Camazot: LV 4-12
Yusei: Level 12?!
Alex: That's right, and now I'll have him dark tune with my level 4 Knight. When the shadows are devoured by darker shadows, the fangs of the Netherworld poise themselves to strike. Dark Synchro! Show yourself, Netherworld Spirit Abyss Dragon!
Level -8/Dark/Dragon
ATK 2500/DEF 2000
Yusei: He has a synchro and a dark synchro on his field?
Alex: Yes. Now due to Camazot's effect, when he's used as material for a dark synchro monster, the top 3 cards of my opponent's deck are banished, so say goodbye to the top 3 cards of your deck Yusei.
Yusei: No way!
Alex: Next, due to my Shadow Dragon's effect, the first time each turn one of your cards is banished by the effect of a Netherworld Spirit card, I draw a card from my deck.
Crow: You mean he has a synchro and a dark synchro monster out and he still has 5 cards in his hand? What kind of nonsense is that?
Alex: Now you see the difference between you and me. I place 5 cards face-down and end my turn.
Crow: Then it's my move, I draw.
All SPC: 4
Crow: First, I play Speed Spell - Tune Up 1 2 3. With it, I roll a die, and then Mistral's level goes up depending on what I rolled.
A die appeared on the screen of his duel runner, turning for a few seconds before it stopped on the number 2.
Crow: Since I got a 2, his level goes up by 1, which means I can tune him with Bora the Spear to summon my Blackwing Armor Master.
Level 7/Dark/Winged Beast
ATK 2500/DEF 1500
Crow: And since I control a Blackwing monster, I can summon Elphin the Raven without payin' a dime.
Level 6/Dark/Winged Beast
ATK 2200/DEF 1200
Crow: Now Armor Master, attack his Shadow Dragon!
Alex: Don't think I don't know what you're up to Crow.
Crow: Then you should know Armor Master can't be destroyed in battle and I take no damage, but now your Shadow Dragon loses all of its attack and defense points this turn.
Shadow Dragon: 3000-0 ATK
Crow: Now Elphin the Raven, attack his monster with Dark Claw Strike!
His monster leapt at Alex's dragon, slashing it across the chest and destroying it.
Alex: 9800 LP
Alex SPC: 2
Crow: So much for your dragon.
Alex: I activate Shadow Dragon's special ability. When your monster destroys him, either by battle or effect, your monster is banished, and you suffer half its original attack points as damage.
A bolt of purple lightning came out of nowhere and struck Crow.
Crow: 2900 LP
Crow SPC: 3
Alex: You see, it's pointless for you to stand against me.
Crow: No matter how small our chances, we'll fight until the bitter end.
Alex: How foolish.
He raised his arm and everyone else's Signer marks disappeared.
Jack: No way!
Luna: They're gone.
The mark of the Crimson Dragon then appeared on Alex's chest.
Yusei: It's Alex! Somehow he's taken them all for himself!
Alex: Now do you understand that you have no hope of victory? Do you comprehend just how powerless you are before me?
Hey everyone. So if it wasn't clear, Alex's Dark Signer persona was inspired by Lucemon Chaos Mode/Falldown Mode from Digimon Frontier. The mark I described is the same as the one Lucemon had over his left eye. I realized how similar Rex's goal was to Lucemon's, and so I thought it would be interesting to reference the character. Also, I know what was actually in the canister in the original script, but I'm not sure that would line up with the current rating of this story, and I don't feel like going in and changing it at the very end just because of a single chapter. I hope you all enjoy, have a great day, and stay safe.