Kisara lays on the ground, going in and out of consciousness. Her glowing blue eyes are narrowed at the three maidens in front of her, as well as the hooded figure standing behind them. His pink locs are partially visible and telling by his posture, she has no doubt that it is Ziegfried. He stands right before the entrance of the park where Kaiba's security lie motionless on the ground after an attempt to capture him.
After being overpowered by his Valkyries, it left her with no choice but to summon her monster. There have only been a few instances in the past where she has had to summon Blue Eyes and each time it has left her weak. In her current condition and in addition to the amount of power her dragon holds, she is finding it hard to stay awake, let alone command it to attack. But only one person can change that. Someone who she has an extremely close bond to. It isn't the norm for other people to be able to command monsters that are not their own, but with them, it is different. The bond between them is just that strong and unique. Her head rests on the concrete and her long blue strands of hair covers different parts of her face.
"Seto…I need you…Please...Help..." she says weakly before closing her eyes.
Initially Ziegfried is shocked by the appearance of such a strong monster, especially from her. But that soon dissipates when he notices that the Blue Eyes White Dragon doesn't make a move. He grins. "How foolish. She summoned her monster but isn't strong enough to command it." He looks to his Valkyries and motions for them to attack the blue dragon. Letting out a battle cry, they swoop down on their horses, preparing to obey their master's command. But their attempts to strike while she is down proves to be futile after being intercepted by Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Celtic Guardian.
Kaiba is the first to reach Kisara's side and he crouches down, lifting her up into his arms. "Kisara!"
Seeing that he is about to be outnumbered, Ziegfried once again tries to escape. As he runs toward the exit, a magical blast lands in front of him and he falls back. With her hand outstretched and her eyes glowing, Mana stands beside Kaiba, Atem and Yugi.
"It ends here Ziegfried!" Atem yells.
"That's what you think!" He continues for the exit and Mana smirks, looking out into the sidewalk. At a further distance stands Arcana with his arms crossed over his chest, forming the invisible barrier around the park. Ziegfried looks up as the barrier forms upward until it closes completely up and he growls inwardly.
"You're making a huge mistake." He turns around, only his grin is visible.
"No. You made a huge mistake coming here. And you're going to pay for what you've done Ziegfried!" Kaiba shoots back, narrowing his eyes. As the hood finally gets drawn back, his long pink locs become more visible and he pulls the hoodie completely off him, revealing his regular suit with a rose on it.
"And the grand reveal," Mana mutters. "Aren't you tired of ruining our lives with your shenanigans?"
"I could ask Herr Kaiba the same thing," Ziegfried responds.
Atem raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"If it weren't for him getting in the way, I'd be a worldwide success! It should be me in his place!" His angry gaze is set on Kaiba whose attention is currently on Kisara. "I came up with the idea of a holographic virtual duel system. But you stole my moment!"
"That totally justifies you causing destruction and putting innocent lives at risk," Mana says sarcastically, with her hands on her hips. "You sound bitter to me."
"I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand!"
"No, she's right," Seto intervenes, finally looking up to look Ziegfried in the eyes. He lets out a laugh that only makes Ziegfried seethe with anger even more. "You are bitter. Why don't you tell the truth and stop playing victim Ziegfried? I was simply one step ahead of you and made the deal with Pegasus before you did. I'm always one step ahead of you."
"I don't understand," Yugi says, tilting his head to the side. "Your company is doing somewhat well. Why not just focus on creating your own lane and not trying to reign on other people's success? How is doing this going to help?"
"This world isn't big enough for the two of us to have virtual dueling systems. Once I destroy this park, blaming the hazardous conditions and lack of effective security on you, it will further ruin your reputation and there's no way you'll be able to recover this time around! I will take back the life I was supposed to have! And you will be in my shadow!"
Mana rolls her eyes. "Yeah, he's definitely bitter."
"Very," Yugi agrees.
"If you're caught, then what?" Atem asks.
Ziegfried snickers and points to one of the many broken cameras in the park. "It seems that I am the one who is a step ahead of all of you."
Atem glances over at Mana who has a confident smirk on her face. Ziegfried does have a point. Without any cameras and with them currently being in an area where there are seemingly no witnesses, how are they going to prove to the world who Ziegfried really is?
"But I grow tired of this chatter. Attack, my Valkyries!"
As the Valkyries come charging, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both point their wands, aiming a counter attack. But just as before, the Valkyries use their shields to deflect the attacks, sending them right back.
"Watch out!" Atem warns, and he dodges in the opposite direction of Mana.
"We gotta find a way past those shields!" Yugi exclaims.
"Atem, send out another attack and I will have Dark Magician Girl do the same."
He looks at her questionably. "What?" His eyes scroll over to her as she adjusts her stance as if she is about to make a run for it. Then he turns his sights back on the three warriors in front of him. "Alright. Dark Magician attack!" At the same time, Mana exchanges looks with her monster and she joins Dark Magician in shooting a powerful blast at the maidens. As expected the maidens put up their shields and Ziegfried grins.
"Quite stubborn, aren't they? That will never—WHAT?!" He watches as Mana leaps into the air, jumping over the blasts shot by the two magicians and lands right behind the maidens.
"Peek a boo!" she yells, outstretching both hands and shooting a blast of her own. Two out of the three maidens turn halfway, leaving themselves wide open to be hit on both sides, while Valkyrie Brunhilde jumps out of the way completely, leaving her companions to be critically hit.
Ziegfried drops down to one knee, gasping with a hand on his chest from such a powerful blow. "Curse that girl…"
Mana turns to Ziegfried. "Give up yet?" He only grins, causing her to raise an eyebrow until she sees something approaching from the corner of her eye.
The two Valkyries that were hit slowly begin to stand and Kaiba grits his teeth in frustration. "This has gone on far enough," Kaiba says and he looks up at the Blue Eyes White Dragon who is waiting on a command. It has been a long time since he has had to take over, but Ziegfried leaves him with no choice. He lays Kisara down on the ground and walks in front of Atem and Yugi to their surprise.
"Kaiba, what are you doing?" Atem asks.
"Yeah, it's too dangerous!" Yugi adds in.
"I've had about enough of you! And I won't let you continue to ruin what I worked so hard for!" Kaiba declares, staring at Erste and Dritte with his eyes narrowed.
Mana blinks. "What does he plan on doing?"
"BLUE EYES!" Kaiba calls out, causing Atem, Yugi and Mana to let out collective gasps as the dragon seemingly responds to its name. "WHITE LIGHTNING!" Ziegfried's eyes widen when the dragon lets out a loud roar and a blue colored blast forms at its mouth before aiming it Erste and Dritte who put up their shields.
"He can control Blue Eyes?" Atem asks, astounded. Was the bond between Kisara and Kaiba that strong to the point where he could control her monster while she is unconscious and unable to do so on her own? He then looks at Mana who stands directly behind the two Valkyries that are in the line of the attack. "MOVE MANA!" Mana snaps out of her trance and squeaks, quickly diving out of the way before the enormous blast makes contact, shattering through their shields and obliterating them.
After standing to her feet, Mana looks over to Kaiba with shock, blinking repeatedly as her mind tries to grasp what he just did. "I gotta know how he did that just now. I have so many questions."
Ziegfried spits out blood, dropping to both knees now after being weakened substantially. He wasn't expecting for the Blue Eyes to come into play. But another side of him is grateful that it is, as he snickers lowly to himself. Out of the smoke that the previous attack has caused, Valkyrie Brunhilde charges out and goes directly for Kaiba.
"Look out Kaiba!" Yugi yells, sending his Celtic Guardian to block with his own sword.
"Now, I've got you…" Ziegfried mutters, seeing how Celtic Guardian and his Valkyrie's swords are clashed together. Brunhilde's sword suddenly glows to everyone's surprise and an odd feeling overcomes Yugi.
"What's it doing?" Mana asks.
Yugi drops to his knees, panting heavily as he feels the life being sucked out of him. Atem rushes over to his brother's side. "Yugi, what's wrong?" he asks as Yugi's guardian begins to cry out. Atem observes more closely what is happening, practically seeing the energy being taken from Celtic Guardian and entering the sword of the Valkyrie. "It appears she's absorbing the power of the Celtic Guardian through her sword…"
After a few more seconds pass by, the Celtic Guardian collapses and Yugi goes down as well, falling unconscious. "Yugi!" Atem yells. Brunhilde raises it sword, slamming it down to the ground toward the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, emitting static electricity that pushes both magicians back. Mana grunts, stumbling a little bit while Atem holds his ground, gritting his teeth together to fight through the pain.
"What did you do Ziegfried?" Seto asks.
"It's simple really. The sword that my Valkyrie Brunhilde is equipped with is able to absorb the energy of other monsters, making her attacks that much stronger," Ziegfried replies with a smirk.
"Well it will be no match for Blue Eyes!" Kaiba shouts with confidence.
"Kaiba, wait!" Atem warns, but it is too late as the dragon shoots its attack at the Valkyrie. Ziegfried only laughs, watching as his monster raises her sword to absorb that blast and the sword emits an even brighter glow. Blood trickles from Kisara's nose and she grunts, briefly opening her eyes that are still glowing. Her vision is a blur, only being able to make out Seto until she finally passes back out, her eyes returning to normal before she closes her eyes completely. The Blue Eyes White Dragon lets out a distressed roar and then disappears.
"I'm afraid you're the ones who won't be a match for me," Ziegfried corrects Kaiba's earlier statement. "ATTACK!"
Atem, Mana and Kaiba all watch in horror as Brunhilde swipes her sword, sending a powerful shockwave containing the energy of Blue Eyes and Celtic Guardian hurdling toward them. "That's too strong!" Mana panics, her body beginning to tremble.
"Call back your monster!" Atem orders, knowing that an attack like that could possibly kill them. Their two magicians disappear and Mana holds out her arms, forming a magical barrier around them just in time. She grunts, trying to hold back the attack and is surprisingly able to do so at first. But a mischievous grin from Ziegfried makes her heart drop.
"Good work, sorcerer. But can you handle back to back attacks?!" His Valkyrie swipes her sword again and the large blast hits up against Mana's protective shield. Mana shuts one eye while clenching her teeth, attempting to push back the second attack. Her arms ache and her head begins to pound from the amount of energy she is using to hold it back.
Atem watches in horror, seeing Mana struggling to protect them. "Hang in there Mana!" The blast is just way too powerful and he knows she won't be able to keep this up much longer. Her arms are shaking and the protective barrier is starting to crack like glass. She reopens her eyes and they begin to glow its normal pink color, putting her energy into overdrive in a last attempt to hold the blast back. But that motion only makes Ziegfried command his Valkyrie to do the same and she is pushed back more.
"No way!" Mana cries out, the barrier finally cracking, causing her and the others to be blown back. It all seems to happen in slow motion in her head. She feels her body flying from the massive force and the heat of the attack starts to warp around her body. Her head slowly turns, seeing Atem and Seto being sent back as well, but the actual attack has not yet made contact with them yet. She outstretches her hand toward them, forming a magical barrier around their individual bodies at the last possible second and she attempts to do the same for herself. But it is too late for her. She skids on the ground, rolling a few times before her body comes to a halt.
Atem coughs a few times, lifting himself up onto his hands and knees. As he gazes down, he notices how blood drops from his forehead and onto the cold ground. He struggles to keep his focus due to the blurry vision he is currently experiencing and the ringing in his ears is almost deafening. The first thing he hears are the laughs coming from Ziegfried. His amethyst eyes scroll to the left where Kaiba lies and at a further distance, Kisara as well, both motionless.
Then he looks over to the opposite direction where Mana lies on her side, her back facing him. "No…" He slowly crawls over to her, hoping that she is okay. From afar, it looks bad, especially compared to the injuries he has sustained. And as he gets closer, it confirms his fears. He collapses on his stomach, laying inches apart from her. She is badly injured, with multiple wounds all over her body. Using the arm closest to her, he gently rolls her to her back, revealing her blood stained face. Her chests quickly moves up and down as she struggles to breathe and her heart pounds, feeling like someone is beating two hammers on her chest.
"Mana…" he whispers hoarsely and she slowly opens her eyes. He cups her cheek and carefully moves it so that he is looking into her eyes. "Stay with me…"
Even in her current state, she manages to chuckle weakly. "You don't…look too bad," she comments. "Glad my individual barriers helped."
Atem's eyes widen. "You put barriers around Kaiba and I?"
"Was I reckless?"
Atem shakes his head. "I only wish you had put that barrier around yourself instead of me." They hear the slow approaching footsteps of Valkyrie Brunhilde and Ziegfried. Atem grits his teeth. "What now? With the cameras down we—"
"Keep fighting," Mana interrupts to his surprise.
"But Mana…"
She smiles. "Do we have a choice?" she asks. He pauses. She's right. Whether or not there are any working cameras, they still must defeat Ziegfried. They really don't have a choice. It's either that or be possibly killed by him. With how things are going, he has no doubt that is Ziegfried's goal at this point. And he intends to get away with it.
"Relax…" Mana whispers hoarsely and she grins. "This is all apart of my plan. I told you…I have something else up my sleeve…as simple as it may be."
"I don't understand…" How could this possibly be apart of her plan? How could she have possibly predicted that they would be in this current situation fighting for their lives?
"Heh…Just keep going. This is great."
"Mana, you're not making any sense."
A shadow appears over them and they both look up to see Ziegfried standing above them with one hand in his pocket. His disgusted gaze is cast down on Mana, thinking about how she, Kisara and Téa had snuck into his park in an attempt to expose him. "And to think…had you just minded your own business and not stuck your nose where it didn't belong, you wouldn't be in this current predicament."
Mana snickers, her head in a daze, but still aware enough to have a witty remark. "You sure it wasn't because of the disturbance you caused at the banquet? Or the explosion and destruction you caused at this park the last few times? Or perhaps…it's due to your bitterness and jealousy that has us here right now."
Ziegried growls angrily, her words having hit a nerve. "You insignificant little…" He swings his foot back before landing a kick in her side, causing her to roll away from Atem a few feet.
"Mana…" Atem clenches his fist, the anger boiling inside of him at the sight of his wife being beaten, ending with the bottom of Ziegfried's shoe being pressed on the side of her face and she grimaces.
"I've heard about enough out of you," Ziegfried growls, applying more pressure and she grits her teeth, trying to holding in her cries of pain.
"Ziegfried!" Atem struggles to get up, but only managing to get to his hands and knees. "Don't you lay another hand on her!" He glares at his pink haired foe, seething with rage.
His opponent only laughs. "You are in no position to giving me orders!" He kicks her again and she lands on her stomach. As she tries to stand, she screams, feeling his foot slamming into her back. She screams with each stomp and Atem closes his eyes. Ziegfried has taken it too far and he refuses to let him continue with his assault.
"Serves you right for getting in my way," he says between stomps.
Her cries causes his heart to pound even more. His arms shakes as he tries to bring himself to his feet. This has gone on for long enough and he will not let Ziegfried win. "Ziegfried!" he yells. "I warned you…" The smug look on Ziegfried's face soon goes to confusion when the sky suddenly gets dark with flashes of lightning occurring, striking down in different areas around them.
"What's happening…?" Ziegfried's looks down to Atem who now has a glowing symbol on his forehead and he takes a few steps back, seeing Atem now standing up with ease and slowly making his approach. Valkyrie Brunhilde stands protectively in front of her master, swiping her sword multiple times to send shockwaves his way. But to their surprise, the blasts seemingly bounce off an invisible shield around him as he continues to walk toward them.
"How is this possible?!" Ziegfried yells, beginning to sweat at this new display of power.
Mana slowly opens her eyes and gasps lightly. "Atem…?" His amethyst eyes are dark, dull and emotionless and a purple aura appears around him. Where did all of this power come from, she asks herself. She looks up to the Eye of Wdjat that glows on his forehead and her eyes widen. Then something else catches her attention. Around his beck, something begins to form in a bright light. "No way…is that…" A gold object hangs on a chain around his neck, resembling an upside down pyramid with the same symbol that glows on his forehead. It has been years since she has last seen it and she thought she would never see it again, especially since he has been trying to separate himself from this sort of lifestyle due to the extremely dangerous situations they have faced in the past.
Atem stops just before Mana and picks her up bridal style. Her mouth goes slightly agape as she looks up into his expressionless eyes, feeling chills going down her spine. She has always known her husband to be reserved, mainly sporting a stoic expression, but still warm hearted. But in his current state, it's as if she hardly recognizes him. She knows that he is her husband, but something still seems different. Without a word, he places her down near the bodies of Kaiba, Yugi and Kisara and she watches him walk away to face off with Ziegfried.
"What power…" she comments to herself. "Atem…"
"Y-You…" Ziegfried stumbles back, begin to shake with fear. "How did you…? What is this?!"
"I'm giving you one chance to confess to your crimes," Atem says in a low tone, his eyes fixated on his opponent.
"W-What?"
"Time's up."
Multiple bolts of lightning crash on the ground in the middle of the battlefield, causing the ground beneath them to shake and crumble. A huge gust of wind blows through the area and Mana and Ziegfried both shield their faces while Atem stands unfazed. A large, blue figure emerges from the ground, sporting spiky shoulders and a strong build. It's red glowing eyes practically pierce into Ziegfried's soul as he stares at the legendary god standing before him. A roar then comes from above and Mana slowly looks up before her eyes go big. The body of a red dragon with two mouths descends down to the earth, surrounding Atem.
From afar, Téa and other spectators witness this, staring in astonishment.
"Holy cow…" Téa comments.
"Do you see that?" someone yells out, pulling out their cellphone.
"It's Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor!" another points out, taking theirs out too.
A golden orb also descends from the sky as well. Crossing his arms over his chest, Atem begins to chant, "Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. I beseech thee, grace our humble game. But first I shall…call out thy name, Winged Dragon of Ra!"
In a burst of light, a golden colored dragon appears, circling the field and Ziegfried grits his teeth. "No…I've heard of these legendary gods…but how is he able to summon them?! I didn't even know they were in his possession!" Then he looks to his Valkyrie who still wields her sword and he grins. "No matter…I'll finish him off with ease…by using his power against him!"
Mana continues to look on, totally speechless. Her eyes go from the three gods to Atem who stands with a calm expression. 'He's totally been holding out on me…even in the past, I've never seen him summon all three at once…' she thinks to herself. She had no idea he was holding this amount of power and able to summon three gods all at the same time. Summoning multiple monsters takes a lot of strength and energy and is no small feat. Especially gods. But now she's thinking she probably should have gotten the memo all those months ago after Seto and Kisara's wedding, when he was able to summon two while intoxicated.
She tugs on her shirt and grins anxiously. 'I was nuts to think I could go one on one with him. I truly underestimated him.'
Staying silent, Atem outstretches his hand, signaling for all three gods to attack at once and Ziegfried snickers, motioning his Valkyrie to step forward. She holds out her sword in preparation to absorb the attack and Mana grits her teeth. "Oh no! If she's able to absorb all that, then we'll be done for!"
As planned, the power from all three attacks begins to get sucked into the sword and Ziegfried cackles, knowing that he will be victorious once his Valkyrie is able to shoot the attack right back. But Atem shows no hint of worry on his face at all, only allowing the gods to continue.
"What's he doing?" Mana asks herself before gasping, seeing the sword of Valkyrie beginning to shatter and she smirks. "Ha. She may have been able to absorb the power of something as powerful as Blue Eyes, but the power of three gods is starting to overwhelm her."
Ziegfries clenches his hair, seeing the sword cracking until it completely breaks in half. "No…" Reluctantly, he calls back his monster. If she were to get attacked directly by the three gods, who knows how he'll end up. He looks to the exit again, seeing Arcana still standing outside, keeping the barrier formed over them. "NO!" He looks back at Atem, balling his fists. His gods are still standing tall and prepared to attack at any moment, but there's no way he can go against them.
A realization hits him and he grins. "You may have defeated my monsters, but need I remind you that you still have no proof!"
Mana chuckles. "Think again Ziegfried."
"What?"
"Just look around you."
Hiding in the distance and peeking around poles and various bushes around the area, are park guests with their phones raised, recording what's been going on. Ziegfried's eyes widen with horror. How long have they been there? Being so immersed in the battle, he didn't even realize they had drawn an audience. Various phones are on live social media, some having recorded since Ziegfried's assault on Mana, and others appeared once the gods made their appearance.
"Who knew Ziegfried was this evil?"
"I knew he was a hater!"
"Did you see what he did to Mana? That guy's bad news."
"Atem is so cool!"
"It's over Ziegfried," Mana says. "The world knows who you really are. Time to fess up."
"Never," he growls, turning his sights to Atem. He looks up to the symbol on his forehead and suddenly the atmosphere around him turns red.
He is thrown onto a hard surface, and a metal bar slams on his lap. He tries to move, but his hands are caught under the metal bar as well. Looking around, he notices he is sitting on a train belonging to the White Lightning. "What is the meaning of this?!" The train suddenly zooms off, going through it's normal drops, loops and abrupt turns and returns back to the dock. Ziegfried can barely get a breath in before the train zooms off again, going through the same motion and picking up speed each and every time until it becomes unbearable.
"Stop! Get me off this thing now!" he yells, feeling the harsh winds blow through his hair and beginning to feel extremely nauseated. "STOP!"
The train stops at the dock again and he hears footsteps approaching. When he manages to look over, he sees Atem standing at the dock entrance with his arms folded. His normally amethyst eyes are now crimson and he stares down at Ziegfried with a grin on his face.
"Release me this instant!" Ziegfried demands. "I don't know how you're doing this, but if you think this is going to get me to confess, then you're sadly mistaken!"
Atem snaps his fingers and Ziegfried finds himself laying on another hard surface and not being able to move yet again. His body is wrapped with ropes and he takes in his surroundings. When he realizes that he is tied to the tracks of the rollercoaster, panic immediately overcomes him. The sound of the train climbing up the hill is all he can hear and he looks over, seeing Atem sitting on the front row.
"You're mad!" Ziegfried yells, trying to wiggle himself free. The train creeps over the edge and he tries more frantically to free himself, but to no avail. The only thing going through his mind is how Atem is showing no signs of stopping the train and he'll be dead in a few seconds.
"No! No! No! Fine! You win!" Ziegfried cries out as he the train zooms down the hill with Atem still sporting a grin. "I did it! I caused the explosions in the park!…"
"...I caused all the damage and explosions today! I sent my henchmen to attack your wife and her friends! I caused the disturbance at the banquet!" He opens his eyes, seeing the shocked expressions on all the park goers as they continue to record with their cameras. At this time, Seto and Yugi have finally come to and he is met with Seto's angry gaze. The gods that Atem previously summoned are gone and his eyes are back to its amethyst color. "B-But how…?" He drops to his knees as the barrier around the park disappears and he looks back to the exit. It would be no use to try and run now.
YGOYGOYGOYGYGOYGOYGO
This story concludes next chapter! Thanks to everyone that has been reading! Leave a review!