Light blinked the green spots from his vision. A tremendous crash came from behind him as Muto burst straight through the glass wall - Light turned just in time to see him fleeing down the street on his motorcycle. Muto's friends gave a belated cry of astonishment, but he was already gone.
Rafael, his small, messy-haired companion in tow, strode after Yugi.
Tristan Taylor was foolish enough to try to block his way, as though he could somehow detain a man twice his size. "What did you do?"
"You should be asking your friend that." Rafael motioned toward the unconscious Joey Wheeler, who remained collapsed on the ground where he had stood for the duration of the duel.
Muto's friends gave a gasp of shock.
Before Taylor could protest further, Rafael pushed past him, and he and his companion followed after Muto with the roar of their motorcycles.
"Hey!" Taylor shouted onto the now empty street.
Light also wanted a word with Rafael - the power of the Orichalcos and its Leviathan could not remain in the hands of another - but he knew better than to chase after him on foot through the streets. He had to act carefully to get what he wanted.
Meanwhile, Tea Gardner and Touta Matsuda had rushed over to Wheeler and were now kneeling beside him, trying to rouse him, not that it would do any good.
Gardner looked to Light. "What happened in there?"
"I'm afraid Rafael took Joey's soul. I tried to stop him, but there was nothing I could do," Light said.
Matsuda interrupted before he could continue, "What? How? Rafael doesn't have a Millennium Item, does he?"
"I don't think so. It seemed like it was an effect of that Seal of Orichalcos card." Light pointed to where it had fallen at Wheeler's feet, the image of the seal on the card now overlaid on a picture of Wheeler's face.
"I don't have time for more of this Orichalcos nonsense." While the duel had been going on, they had been joined by Seto Kaiba, who had been lurking off to the side through their exchange with Rafael. Heseemed to be just as single minded as ever, and his brother Mokuba. "I heard enough from that fool, Alister, who lured me to Duelist Kingdom disguised as Pegasus for his absurd revenge scheme. Now, where's the real Pegasus? I'm not letting him get away with ruining my company's name."
"Pegasus is gone," Taylor retorted, having come away from the window, looking ready to fight Kaiba at the slightest provocation with Rafael out of reach. "Yugi said he took Pegasus's soul, and now Joey is gone too and Yugi's run off to who knows where!"
"I don't care about your dweeb friends, I have my company's reputation to protect."
Kaiba was willfully blind to everything that didn't directly involve him, but at least that made him predictable. And he had something Light needed; a means of following after Rafael.
"It doesn't look like Pegasus is the one responsible," Light said with no more impatience than necessary. "If anyone knows what's happened it's Rafael, who just left with Yugi."
"You're saying that loser has been buying up all the stock in my company?"
Matsuda spoke up, "Actually, it looks like it's the Paradius Corporation that's buying up all your stocks." If he was trying to prevent Light from going after Rafael, it wasn't going to work.
"How do you know that? They're just supposed to be a myth!" For a moment, Kaiba almost sounded surprised.
"But we can't worry about that right now, we have to get Joey to the hospital!" Matsuda insisted.
"If they can do anything," Gardner said.
Light tried to redirect the conversation. "If his soul really has been taken as Rafael said, I don't think there is anything they can do. We have to get to the root of this."
"That's your problem," Kaiba retorted. "What's this about Paradius?"
Light tried again. "I don't know about Paradius, but it seems like Rafael and his accomplices are the ones responsible for unleashing all of the Duel Monsters. If you want to save your company's reputation, we have to stop them."
"And what about Yugi? Rafael and his chums have brainwashed him!" Taylor added unhelpfully. "He saved you and Mokuba from Pegasus, don't you care about what happens to him at all?"
"Hey, Bro, maybe we should try to help Yugi," Mokuba Kaiba spoke up, but Light could have told him that it wasn't going to work.
"Yugi can fend for himself. This Rafael has another thing coming if he thinks he can make a fool of me and my company. Come on, Mokuba." Kaiba turned, his long coat swinging after him.
"At least let us come, so we can look for Yugi!" Taylor insisted.
"What about Joey?" Gardner asked. "We can't leave him alone."
It was too perfect. "I'll go," Light said. "You stay and take care of Joey."
"I never said anyone was coming," Kaiba protested.
"I'll tell you everything I know about Rafael on the way."
Matsuda leaped up. "I'll go too to look for Yugi! That way I can tell you what we know about Paradius."
"Fine. But this isn't a joy ride. If you get in my way, I won't hesitate to leave either of you behind."
At least Matsuda knew better than to argue with Seto Kaiba. He only paused to tell Gardner and Taylor, "Get Joey to a hospital if you can, but be careful."
"You be careful too," Gardner said, and Taylor shot a suspicious glare at Kaiba.
Light chimed in, "Don't worry about us. We'll do what it takes to find Yugi and bring him back, and stop Rafael." With that, he turned to follow Kaiba, who had already gone on ahead, out of the Industrial Illusions lobby and out onto the street.
"Hurry up or we'll leave without you!" Mokuba Kaiba shouted, already sitting in the cockpit of their transportation.
It was not a fancy car or even a helicopter, but what appeared to be a life-sized animatronic dragon, with the cockpit in its head where the creature's brain would have been, and wide jet wings. The world rotted away around them and this was how Seto Kaiba chose to spend his fortune. He was almost as guilty as all the criminals he let get away. But fortunately for the time being, no monsters had come and ravaged this emblem of his squandering, perhaps instead recognizing it as one of their own.
Light climbed into the cockpit before Kaiba made good on his threat to leave him behind, and Matsuda hastily piled in after. They barely had a chance to strap themselves in as the hatch lowered over them, and then Kaiba pressed down hard on the throttle and the jet blasted down the empty street and up into the air.
Yugi…
Even sealed away inside the Millennium Puzzle, he could still feel Yugi Muto's soul, trapped in the sickly green light of Orichalcos.
Yami was not sure he entirely trusted his new vessel, Touta Matsuda, but he had no other choice.
I sense Yugi. He is nearby.
Matsuda answered with bewilderment. "Really?" he asked aloud. "Mokuba, have you been able to spot Yugi?"
"Not yet- Wait, I think that might be him!"
Through his weak connection to Matsuda, Yami could barely make out Mokuba Kaiba's words, but he could feel Yugi below, racing down the dusty highway on a motorcycle, his thoughts a knot of anger and frustration.
We need to land, now!
"I don't care, we're not taking any detours for you or anyone," Seto Kaiba retorted when Matsuda attempted to convey Yami's insistence. He could have challenged Kaiba to a Shadow Game then and there for his foolish single-mindedness.
"Maybe we don't have to!" Mokuba interrupted. "I think I see the two other guys down there too!"
As the jet descended into the desert, Yami could feel something simultaneously constricting around his chest and expanding inside of it, even though he no longer truly had a chest at all. The Puzzle shook as the jet's wheels touched down in the sand.
Let me face him.
Yami could feel Matsuda's doubts, more nebulous than Light's constant suspicions or Yugi's fears, but gnawing nonetheless.
Out of the distance, a motorcycle came roaring down the highway, headed directly at them. On it was a small figure clad all in black leather.
He was headed toward them on a collision course and Yami was ready for him. However, at the last minute, he skidded to a stop just in front of them and pulled off his helmet, revealing spiked hair and angry purple eyes.
"Get out of my way."
Finally, Matsuda stepped forward to meet him.
"What do you want?" Yugi demanded.
Matsuda took out the Millennium Puzzle and, aloud, Yami declared, "I cannot allow you to continue down this path. Perhaps this is the destiny for which I was sealed away; to save the world from the power of the Orichalcos."
"You're the one who's a danger to the world! You unleashed all these monsters and now you want the power of the Orichalcos too, but I won't let you have it!" Yugi raised his eerie dark grey Duel Disk, which unfolded into a wicked spike.
Are you sure this is a good idea? Yami could feel Matsuda questioning, though his soul was largely dormant.
Yami, however, had no doubts. He took the Duel Disk from Matsuda's bag and slid it onto his arm where it belonged.
They faced each other on the endless sands. Though Yami's spirit was borrowing Matsuda's body, he felt as though he were looking through a twisted mirror, as if Yugi, who had once seemed too good to be true, indeed reflected all the darkness in the Pharaoh's soul.
Yugi went first, placing one card face down. "Tell me the truth! What is it you really want?"
"Is it not as Ishizu said? My destiny is to save the world, perhaps from you. I summon Gazelle, King of Mythical Beasts!" A great horned lion appeared in front of Yami and lunged toward Yugi, swinging at him with its powerful claws.
Its giant claws struck metal; the shield of a tin magnet soldier, but the small beast was enough to repel Yami's beast and shatter it into dust.
"Rafael says you'll destroy the world if we don't stop you!" Yugi's Magnet Warrior sliced through Yami with its sword, tearing away over a thousand of his lifepoints with it - more than a quarter of his soul.
Yami summoned Berfomet, a winged demon, which knelt before him in defence mode. "How are you so certain that it is not Rafael who wishes to destroy the world?"
"I won't listen to any more of your lies! First Light, now Rafael, is there anyone you won't try to turn me against? Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!" Yugi played Brain Control, taking control of Yami's monster, only to sacrifice it to summon his five little Kuribohs, which he merged into one, slightly larger and more vicious than the five that had come together to create it.
Then both the Magnet Warrior and the Kuribabylon attacked. With no defenses left to break through, they charged directly at Yami, decimating his lifepoints in a powerful blow.
He was in a desperate position now. If he was not careful, the duel would be lost before it had even begun and there would be nothing he could do to stop Yugi and save the world from the darkness that had consumed his soul. But there was a card lurking in Yugi's deck with which Yami could turn the duel around, and he had the means by which to take it in his hand if he played his cards right and had faith in the heart of the cards.
"If you will not listen to reason, then I have no choice but to force you to see it," Yami declared. "First, I play Graceful Charity, forcing us each to draw until we have a full hand. Then, I play Card Destruction, sending all of our cards to the graveyard."
Yugi's eyes widened slightly as he drew a new full hand - Yami's gambit had been successful. And in his own hand, Yami now had just the card he needed to make use of it.
"I see what you're after!" Yugi exclaimed. "You want the Seal of Orichalcos for yourself! You've always been nothing more than an evil, power-hungry Pharaoh!"
"How dare you! I have shown you more mercy than you deserve!"
"Then what did you really do as Pharaoh?"
Yami faltered, his memory still a vast emptiness that refused to yield despite all his efforts.
Then the stone around Yugi's neck began to glow green and the card in his hand which was surely the Seal of Orichalcos echoed it, and then there was a bright flash.
—
The skies above had gone dark. The winds raged, stirring the sands into a storm-like frenzy. The tired shanty town was deserted, its shacks in decay. The Nameless Pharaoh stood alone, facing the mad Thief King with his wild laughter.
Around the Thief King's neck was the Millennium Ring, and all of the remaining Millennium Items now lay in the tablet behind him. Only one remained. The Millennium Puzzle still hung from around the Pharaoh's neck.
"Give me the Puzzle, Pharaoh, or I will have to take it by force," the Thief King taunted. A great winged, serpentine beast slithered through the air around him. "Then they can fulfill their true purpose. We would not want all the sacrifices you made to be in vain!"
There was a strange weight to the Puzzle around his neck, as though it were not solid gold, but was filled with a viscous liquid, like blood. Dark liquid seemed to ooze out of all the Millennium Items.
"I will stop you!" the Nameless Pharaoh shouted, but he felt as though he were wading through the thick darkness.
It swallowed him up and he saw no more.
—
The green light faded and the wind dropped, though the desert sands never truly settled. The sky above was blue with a hot midday sun. Touta Matsuda and Yugi Muto stood alone in the endless desert. Around Matsuda's neck was the Millennium Puzzle that still housed the spirit of that Nameless Pharaoh, which now possessed him, and around Yugi's neck was the small green stone of the Orichalcos.
Cards were still in play on the field in front of them; two monsters on Yugi's side and none on Yami's. Yami's lifepoints were nearly gone, but he could see the Seal of Orichalcos in Yugi's hand, with a faint, sickly green glow.
Yugi was the first to break the silence. "That was your past?" There was still suspicion in his wide, violet eyes, but it appeared the vision had been as much a shock for him as it had been for Yami.
"Is that a power of the Orichalcos - to show what is past? There must be more, surely that cannot be all!" The void in Yami's memories remained as empty as before.
"It must have been the Orichalcos," Yugi began hesitantly, but his uncertainty quickly faded. "But you still claim that you don't remember what you did?"
"I have seen no more than you have."
"Well, I've seen enough! If you end your turn, then I'm going to end this once and for all by playing the Seal of-"
"Wait!" Yami shouted, realizing almost too late what was about to occur. "Yugi, is this truly what you want?"
If Yugi played that card now, then it would all be over. The proud Pharaoh would never beg for mercy, but maybe there was a chance that he might be able to get through to Yugi yet, to stop him before it was too late for them all.
"What do you know about what I want?" Yugi demanded.
Before Yugi had the chance to take his turn, Yami finished his own by playing two cards face down to strengthen his defences, and then he pressed again, "Is it truly your wish to destroy the world?"
"Why should you care with all the things you've admitted to doing?" Yugi attacked.
However, his large, shaggy, fanged Kuribabylon was blown away by Yami's Divine Wind trap, which turned its attack back on Yugi. "I only punished the guilty."
"And the Orichalcos only destroys evil!" Yugi attacked with his other monster, a Magnet Warrior, which charged at Yami, sword raised. It sliced straight through Yami's facedown Celtic Guardian, but for the time being, his lifepoints were spared.
"What of your friend, Joey, was he evil too? What do you truly want?"
That gave Yugi pause.
At last, Yami admitted, "I was no better than Light, seeking retribution for all the evil in the world, but now I believe I was wrong. In truth, I do not know whether I was a good or evil Pharaoh, but now I seek to put things right. The only good that I know I have done is to help you protect your friends and I will not allow you to harm them any more now."
Yugi froze in his tracks and his eyes widened. Yami prepared for another strike, but instead Yugi collapsed to his knees, his head in his hands.
"What have I done?" Yugi cried, his voice rough with tears. "I only wanted to protect my friends, but now Joey's gone because of me and I don't know what's going to happen to the others!"
Yami could feel Matsuda's soul struggling to resume control of its rightful body, but there was one final thing Yami needed to do. He walked over to Yugi, their duel forgotten.
"I will help you protect your friends, if you will have me."
Yugi looked up, wiping his damp eyes. "You swear you mean it?"
"I swear it. Perhaps, together we may actually be able to do some good again."
Yugi gave him a weak smile and when Yami removed the Millennium Puzzle from around Matsuda's neck, Yugi accepted it.
Matsuda blinked into awareness.
He stumbled over his own feet, as he only belatedly realized that he was still standing. He was still in the midst of the dusty and bright desert; sand and rock as far as the eye could see. He might as well have only zoned out for a few seconds. But now, on the ground just in front of him, clutching the Millennium Puzzle, was Yugi Muto.
"Yugi, are you alright?" Matsuda asked urgently.
The boy glanced up as though he had not noticed Matuda there at all. His eyes were red with tears and he hastily wiped his nose on the back of his hand before giving a hesitant nod. "I think so…"
"What happened? I remember we intercepted you on your motorcycle, and then the Puzzle wanted to try to talk to you. I'm sorry, I realize now that I shouldn't have let him. What did I do?"
Yugi pushed himself to his feet, still holding on tight to the Millennium Puzzle. "It's okay, you didn't do anything. Yami just reminded me what I was fighting for in the first place. I'm sorry for all the inconvenience I caused you!"
"It's okay, it's okay," Matsuda insisted, unsure how to comfort him. "I'm just relieved you're alright. You're sure you're okay with the Puzzle?"
Yugi gave a hesitant nod that Matsuda didn't find entirely reassuring. Yugi paused and glanced over as though looking at someone next to him - but there wasn't anything there. Then, he turned resolutely back to Matsuda and unclasped the chain from around his neck that held the green stone which seemed to have some connection to the Orichalcos - whatever it really was - and handed the necklace over to Matsuda.
"This is the real danger," Yugi explained. "It should be locked away so no one else can make the same mistake I did."
With what little he had seen of it, Matsuda was inclined to agree with him. He buried the necklace deep in his bag, where he had been keeping the Millennium Puzzle.
"Would it be alright if I kept the Millennium Puzzle?" Yugi asked timidly. "He says he wants to help stop Rafael and the others."
Matsuda had to ask, "You're sure you believe him?"
Yugi nodded. Again, he seemed a little hesitant and Matsuda couldn't help but wonder who was really agreeing, but Yugi looked so determined, Matsuda hesitated to stop him. If the Puzzle really could help them undo this mess, like it had with Marik at the Battle City tournament, Matsuda couldn't really argue. And he was there to watch and see what the Puzzle did; this would certainly give him a chance for that, as little as he liked leaving Yugi in the line of fire yet again.
Remembering the other half of his mission, Matsuda glanced around, looking for Light and Seto and Mokuba Kaiba. They had been just behind him when Yugi had arrived on his motorcycle and Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon jet was still there, perched in the sands just off the highway, almost looking like it could have been another of the monsters that had been rampaging around the world.
Light and Kaiba, however, were nowhere to be found. There went Matsuda's mission. First he had let the Puzzle take control of him, and now he had lost track of their prime suspect.
Already feeling queasy, he asked Yugi, "I don't mean to worry you, but do you happen to know where Light and Seto and Mokuba Kaiba went?"
"No," Yugi admitted, "I was so focused on the duel, I didn't notice anything. I don't like Kaiba or Light, but I at least hope that Mokuba's not in trouble because of me."
"Don't worry. I'll call my boss, he'll know what to do." Mostly, Matsuda was sure that L would be disappointed, but he hoped that at least Watari would be able to help find them. "You're sure you'll be alright with the Puzzle?" he asked one more time, just to be certain.
Yugi nodded more confidently this time. "We have to work together to make everything up to my friends and rescue Joey."
Still a little uneasy, Matsuda accepted it and put a few meters between himself and Yugi so that he wouldn't be overheard. "Watari," he said quietly into the wire, "I need to talk to L."
A moment later, it was L who answered, "What is it?"
"I'm sorry, I let the Millennium Puzzle take over to try to stop Yugi, and I lost track of Light. Both he and the Kaibas are gone, and I have no idea where to look for them. We're stranded in Death Valley by some highway - at least we have Kaiba's plane, so we should be able to get out of here if he comes back, but I don't know what Light's doing now."
There was a pause. Matsuda could feel L's disappointment even over the wire.
When L spoke again, all he said was, "Did Light give any indication of where he was going to go?"
"Oh! He and Kaiba wanted to go after Rafael and that boy - those Orichalcos cultists."
There was another pause. And then, "Continue to observe the Millennium Puzzle. I'll see about Light."
The dusty road seemed to stretch on forever, cutting between the mountains that towered around them on either side. It was a barren, desolate land that even outlaws must have been desperate to think to traverse. But in the distance, Light could see a cloud of dust advancing; a pair of motorcycles pursuing Yugi Muto across the sands.
"I don't have time for this," Seto Kaiba sneered, as though he were more than a spoiled teenage billionaire.
He was no longer Light's problem; he had fulfilled his purpose, but to smooth the way Light faked one last smile and said, "You're right, it's probably nothing. You can go back to your jet if you want. I can deal with them on my own."
Kaiba scoffed.
Unfortunately, his little brother intervened, "We can't just leave you to face Rafael and his friend alone, right Seto? Unless you're worried about Yugi."
"I'm not worried about Yugi," Kaiba insisted a little too pointedly.
"Me too," Mokuba Kaiba said sympathetically, as though his older brother had in fact given the opposite response.
At least that seemed to have stemmed Kaiba's complaining. However, in his embarrassment, he hastily turned his sights on Light. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you busy cheering on Yugi like the rest of the loser squad usually do?"
It didn't matter what Light said anymore, it wasn't like Kaiba could stop him now, so he didn't bother to come up with a lie. "Rafael is the one with the real power."
Kaiba gave him a cruel smirk. "We'll see if you're right. If he's the one behind this, he has another thing coming."
"You should be careful, I doubt he'd look kindly on a soul like yours."
"Enough of all this nonsense about souls! It's all just a ridiculous distraction."
"Have you even once thought about the world outside your little card games?"
"Why you-!"
Kaiba seemed to be ready to attempt to duel Light into submission when Mokuba, who had been looking increasingly concerned as they argued, exclaimed, "They're coming!"
Sure enough, the pair of motorcycles was racing toward them, coming closer by the second. Light could nearly feel the power of the Orichalcos and the promises it hid. The motorcycles came skidding to a stop directly in front of them.
"Look who it is," the smaller of the two bikers said as he dismounted, taking off his helmet - it was the same boy with the messy brown hair who had watched Light and Wheeler's duel with Muto and Rafael.
Rafael joined him, silently evaluating all three of them, as though attempting to weigh their souls.
Kaiba was, of course, the first to step forward with his single minded accusation, "He says you're the ones responsible for ruining my company's reputation."
"So what if we are," the boy taunted. "What're you gonna do about it?"
"You talk big for an amatuer."
"Who're you calling an amateur? I duel for bigger stakes than you can dream of!"
They were both brandishing their Duel Disks - it was only a matter of time.
However, before they had the chance to run off and play their card game, Rafael turned pointedly to Light. "You've come for a rematch?"
"No, not exactly," Light admitted. "I just wanted to talk."
Kaiba and the other boy scoffed almost simultaneously.
"Fine, then I'll deal with both of you on my own, and put an end to whatever it is you're up to," Kaiba sneered.
"You're on!"
"Wait, Seto, are you sure this is a good idea?" Mokuba interrupted. "These guys are like Alister - who was pretending to be Pegasus - right?"
"I've got a name, you know; Valon, and don't forget it!"
Mokuba continued, undeterred, "There was something weird about him, wasn't there - other than the whole pretending to be Pegasus thing, I mean. And you heard what Yugi's friends said that Seal of Orichalcos card did to Joey."
"I'll be fine," Kaiba foolishly insisted.
"Don't worry," Valon taunted, "I'll go easy on you. Wouldn't want Alister to kill me for taking your soul - not like he hasn't had his chance."
"Enough of this nonsense, let's duel!"
Valon grinned at Kaiba's frown, but they were equally foolish in their obsession. "That's what I like to hear!"
Both of their Duel Disks unfolded and the game eagerly began. That was three nuisances out of Light's way. Finally, Light faced Rafael, who was still watching Light sternly. It was time Light set him right.
A few meters away Valon and Kaiba shouted attacks at each other and Mokuba cheered them on - but it was all noise to Light.
Talking to Rafael was what really mattered and Light began cautiously, "I heard what your leader, King Dartz, said to Yugi during the vision you showed us. The Orichalcos really appointed him to purify the world?"
"Yes, and we are his chosen emissaries," Rafael replied, no less gruff than before - he seemed to be capable of only one tone of voice.
"And you agree with him?" Light pressed. "That the world is corrupt and needs to be remade."
"Yes. I have seen the cruelty of the world with my own eyes. It's full of evil, and we've been given a chance to start afresh with only those who are truly good."
This was better than Light could have hoped. "I've always felt that. There is so much evil in the world, so many people that the world would be better off without, who are destroying things for everyone else. I've only wished there was something I could do about it."
"You would dare do more than just hide behind your cards?" Rafael said, still skeptical.
"I couldn't act too quickly; I wanted to know if your goals were what you claimed they were. Few people are willing to admit how they really see the world."
"You're not known for your honesty."
"I treated Yugi no differently from how you did. I knew that he wouldn't be prepared for what it really takes to reshape the world."
Rafael seemed to be intrigued. "So what is it you want?"
"I want to join you, to help you bring real justice to the world and destroy the evil that has been allowed to fester for too long."
Rafael considered the proposition.
Meanwhile, off to the side, a few meters away, the noise had stopped.
"We're leaving. These losers aren't worth my time," Seto Kaiba declared with no less than his usual insolence.
Behind him, Valon was moping in defeat, but his soul was still intact, for now. "I'll defeat you next time, you coward!"
"They're just a bunch of weaklings. I'm going to cut this off at the root." He turned to leave with a swish of his ridiculous longcoat.
"Come on, Light, I don't think Seto was kidding about leaving you guys behind," Mokuba said.
But unbeknownst to him, Seto Kaiba was no longer Light's problem. Light smiled. "Don't worry about me."
"Fine," Rafael said at long last, "Master Dartz could use another soul."
They trekked only a little ways through the desert under the harsh rays of the sun, until they came into view of a black helicopter which had landed on a rocky plateau. The young pilot, with dark reddish-purple hair and a tiny pale purple crop top under a black long coat as dramatic as Rafael's, stepped out of the cockpit as they approached.
"If you're not careful, Alister, I might end up claiming Seto Kaiba's soul before you have the chance," Valon declared before they had the chance to get aboard the helicopter in peace.
The pilot glared at him. "I'll take your soul before you get in the way of my revenge." He seemed serious about the threat.
"You can try!"
"It doesn't matter which of you claims his soul as long as you actually defeat him this time," Rafael interrupted as he climbed into the helicopter.
Light lingered just outside the helicopter, so he was in its shade, but could still watch the exchange.
"You dueled him?" Alister demanded, paying Rafael no heed.
"Hey, he was practically begging for it," Valon said, "but I showed restraint; I didn't even play the Seal. He's one hell of a duelist though, gets my blood boiling just thinking about it! I'd want a rematch even if we didn't need powerful souls."
Alister made a noise of disgust. "Kaiba is a murderer, nothing more."
Valon only shrugged.
"What did Seto Kaiba do?" Light asked quietly enough that it sounded like it was intended for Rafael, but he knew Alister could hear it.
He was not disappointed. "I'll tell you what Kaiba did," Alister said before Rafael had the chance. "My whole family is dead because of him."
"It was really Kaiba's weapons that did it, wasn't it? The old man himself didn't have to lift a finger," Valon put in unhelpfully.
It must have happened when Kaiba Corp. had manufactured weapons under Seto Kaiba's stepfather, Gozaboro Kaiba.
"He did enough," Alister retorted. "Every tank, missile, and gun had the Kaiba Corp. insignia on it."
Light paused just long enough to appear sufficiently sympathetic, before he remarked, "But all of you are associated with the Paradius Group, right?"
"How did you know about that?" Valon asked, mostly surprised and possibly even impressed.
Instead of answering, Light continued, "They're rumored to have a stake in every company in the world, even…" he trailed off pointedly. The others' eyes were fixed expectantly on him and he waved them off - there was no need to push too quickly. "Nevermind, it's probably not important."
Alister glared at him for a moment longer, before finally turning with a sharp swish of his coat, and retaking his place in the cockpit of the helicopter.
Light and Valon followed, and they lifted off from the desert with the tremendous pounding of propellers.
It bore them up over the endless desert, and back to civilization. Eventually, they landed on the roof of what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary, if somewhat industrial, office building.
"Home sweet home!" Valon declared with a mocking sigh as he hopped out of the helicopter and stepped onto the waiting lift.
Light, Rafael, and Alister disembarked and piled in after him.
Valon looked ready to do away with the silence at any moment, but when the doors of the lift slid shut, Alister was the first to speak, still staring fixedly ahead, "Aren't you the Pharaoh's former vessel?"
The question could only be directed at Light, however, Valon, unable to hold his peace any longer, beat him to answering, "What happened? Did he dump you or something?"
"We found we had ideological disagreements," Light replied.
Valon laughed as Rafael said seriously, "The Pharaoh was an evil king who destroyed Egypt."
"Didn't Atlantis fall under King Dartz?" Light asked innocently - just planting the seed - and continued before the others could make too much of it yet, "But the Pharaoh lacked the conviction to do what was necessary."
Rafael gave him a piercing glare. "The Pharaoh brought darkness upon the land."
Valon interrupted, "So you really split? Would you even help us claim his soul if Master Dartz asked?"
"It would do the world a service," Light said.
Valon snickered again. However, Alister made a noise of disgusted disbelief.
Light let them doubt him - they would all see soon enough.
The lift slowed to a stop and they stepped out into a barren, undecorated hallway - so much for the organization's front. Rafael led the way, down the hall, to a pair of large wooden doors that looked entirely out of place in the empty metallic corridor. There was no question that this was where he was to meet King Dartz.
"So, you think Master Dartz will really let you join our ranks, and not just get straight to the point and take your soul?" Valon asked idly.
"I want to help in any way I can. I'll convince Master Dartz of my usefulness, if that's what it takes," Light answered without hesitation. From what he had seen in the vision Rafael had shown him, he doubted Dartz would be difficult to convince.
However, it seemed Dartz's underlings weren't done with him yet, as Alister moved to block his way before he could go through the large wooden doors. "This isn't a game. We're all here for a reason. What are you doing here?"
Light turned serious, as was expected of him. "I mean what I said. The world is rotten, full of people who only make things worse, who need to be eliminated so that it can be made anew."
Alister glared at Light, as though he were having trouble understanding the straightforward declaration.
Their supposed battle of wills was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, coming from another part of the compound, though the corridor was just as non-descript as the one Light had been brought down.
They all turned to see two men walking side by side; King Dartz with his long turquoise hair, awkwardly fitted into a purple business suit, stooped over to talk to a man with wild black hair and terrible posture, wearing the same long sleeved white shirt and jeans he had at Battle City. He was more than the hapless host of the Millennium Ring; Light suspected he was the same detective who had attempted to interrogate him on their return from Battle City, and this only cemented Light's conclusion. Why else would he be there now.
His wide eyes were affixed on Light, watching him intently.
"They're just subordinates of mine," Dartz explained to the detective in a hushed voice. Then to his subordinates, Dartz said cordially, "This is Mr. Ryuzaki, a potential investor."
So that was his game.
"Yo," Mr. Ryuzaki greeted them, barely keeping up the pretence. His gaze never left Light.
If he thought he had Light cornered, then he had another thing coming.
Even Dartz seemed not to be so foolish as he said, "If you will pardon me, Mr. Ryuzaki, it appears I have a small matter to attend to. I will return to you momentarily, if you wouldn't mind waiting in here." Dartz stepped past Alister, who quickly moved out of the way, and flung open the grand double doors.
On the other side was a mere conference room, no less wastefully opulent than Light would have expected from King Dartz. Though he was now dressed in an ostensibly western business suit, the conference room was just as much in contrast to him and his subordinates as his manor house and gardens had been in the vision, perhaps even moreso, with royal blue walls and, at the front, red curtains around a bright red banner, all accented in gold. Suits of armor decorated the corners, interspersed with vases and a bust, and even a potted plant.
Light thought for a moment that Mr. Ryuzaki might make the mistake of refusing the invitation, but with a final wide-eyed glance at Light, he nodded and retreated into the conference room. Still, Light wondered how much the detective had heard and what he thought he could accomplish inside their own complex.
Alister closed the doors behind Mr. Ryuzaki as Dartz's attention finally turned to Light. "So, what do we have here?"
Before any of Dartz's subordinates could make the mistake of attempting to speak for him, Light said, "I want to help raise the Great Leviathan to destroy the corrupt, old world and create a new, pure world from the ashes."
"I see. It will not be easy. You will not be able to throw the burden of the Orichalcos aside like you did the Pharaoh and his Millennium Puzzle," Dartz cautioned, as though toying with Light to see where his limits were.
If he underestimated Light, it would be that much easier to bring him down to size and take his place as the creator of the new world.
"It was the Millennium Puzzle that was weak. I will do whatever it takes."
"Very well, but before I share my power with you, I have to make sure that you're worthy."
Dartz pulled out a Duel Monsters card - of course - from inside his suit jacket and let it drop in front of Light so that he had to stoop down to pick it up. The card had an inscription in what looked like a fake language and the picture was blank. Dartz was watching him expectantly.
Light took the bait. "What's this?"
Dartz smiled indulgently and held out a single green stone, like the ones that hung from all of his subordinate's necks. Before Light could take it, it began to glow brightly and floated up out of his hand in what Light would have once assumed was just a magic trick. The stone hovered between them, surrounded by an orb of green light.
"This is your test," Dartz said. "These are crystals from the Orichalcos stone. If they deem you worthy of their power you will be able to grasp them and they will activate your card. But if they don't, you will have to pay the price, by offering up your very soul to the Great Leviathan."
Light had no doubts. He reached out and the glowing orb of light grew to envelop him, drawing him in, though he could feel the wind whipping around him. The stone settled on his palm. The light immediately dissipated around him, and his feet settled back on the ground.