A/N: Well, can't exactly say that this is an Author Note, just to inform the readers that there has been a small mistake on my part in the last chapter and duelists start with 8000 LP like in the real game, not 4000 like in the anime. Silly me.

"I take the first turn!" Zayne loudly yelled at Arata. "I activate Terraforming and add the Field Spell - Reckless Magic Circle to my hand!"

The duel disk automatically pop out a card from Zayne's deck. He took it and clicked a button below the screen of his duel disk. A hidden slot on the side of the blade opened and Arata put the card he added in it. The slot then closed and a little camera-lie device on top of the duel disk scanned the field. A red magical circle formed in the middle of the field and started growing and engulfed the entire cell.

"When Reckless Magic Circle is activated I can add Aleister the Eidolon Summoner to my hand!" And just like last time the duel disk automatically pop out the desired card from Zayne's deck. "Then I Normal Summon Aleister the Eidolon Summoner [Dark/Level 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1800]!"

A hooded man appeared on the field wearing a long white and yellow vest holding a black spellbook in his right hand and a large staff that matches his clothes in the left. "Now I activate Aleister the Eidolon Summoner's effect and add Eidolon Summoning Magic to my hand!"

Arata yawned and crossed his hands. He has stopped paying attention to what his opponent was doing long time ago and now just waited for his turn to come so he could end this as soon as possible. He had far better things to do that lost another night of sleep due to some salty rich brat that has a personal problem with accepting defeat on a card game.

Zayne noticed that Arata wasn't paying any attention to the duel and clutched his fist, enraged from how his rival was clearly disrespecting him; disrespecting him and hurting his pride as a duelist at the same time by refusing to give him the attention that a duelist deserves. "I set two card and end my turn."

『Turn 2 [Arata] LP: 8000, Hand: 6』

"It was about damn time." Arata said, giving a quick look to his hand. He was able to formulate a strategy for a potential One Turn Kill. "I will start by playing my own Field Spell - Dragonic Diagram!"

The Reckless Magic Circle that has covered the entire cell disappeared from Arata's side of the field and four new circles formed with three of them connecting together into a triangle and the fourth being in the middle of the others, lying right under Arata's feet.

"By the effect of Dragonic Diagram I can destroy a card in my hand and add a True Draco or True King card from the deck to my hand!" Arata explained putting one of his cards into the graveyard as another one pop from his deck. "Next, due to the effect of True King Bahrastos, the Fathomer who has been destroyed by the effect I Special Summon True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher [Fire/Level 9/ATK: 2900 - 3200/DEF: 1900 - 2200] directly from my deck!"

A giant red dragon-like creature covered in black armor with large angelic wings on its back appeared onto the field. Due to the small size of the cell it had to bend its body toward. The beast roared viciously, causing the crowd to start shouting and yelling excited by the appearance of the wicked creature.

"Next, I destroy True King Lithosazim, the Disaster and Majesty Maiden, the True Dracomage in my hand to Special Summon Mariamune, the True Dracophoenix [Wind/Level 9/ATK: 2700 - 3000/DEF: 2100 - 2400]!" A second beast appeared on the field, but this time its appearance was more like a bird with white feathers and six large wings.

"Now by the effect of True King Lithosazim, the Disaster who has been destroyed by a card effect I Special Summon Majesty Maiden, the True Dracomage [Wind/Level 5/ATK: 2300 - 2600/DEF: 1500 - 1800] from the Graveyard!" The third monster was a young woman with long blonde hair, yellow eyes and red dragon wings on her back. She was wearing a white vest and holding a long staff with both hands.

"Don't think I will let you!" Zayne countered clicking a button on his duel disk. "I play Solemn Strike and pay one thousand and five hundred of my life points to negate the summoning!" Majesty Maiden, the True Dracomage yelled and shrugged as her body turned grey and shattered, disappearing into the nothingness. "So you were going for a One Turn Kill huh?" Zayne asked, satisfied with how things played out.

"I enter the Battle Phase!" Arata declared. The current attack power that he had wasn't going to be enough to defeat Zayne in just one turn, but it would still take away a big piece of his life points. "True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher destroys your Aleister the Eidolon Summoner!"

The large beast moved in front of the tiny human and opened its jaws, revealing the large razor sharp teeth inside. A red glow appeared in the deep of its throat and True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher blasted the opposing it monster and even hitting Zayne who was standing behind it. The smoke from the attack cleared revealing that the boy has fallen his knees breathing heavily as his life points got reduced due to the attack.

『Zayne LP: 6500 - 4300, Hand: 2』

"Next! A direct attack with Mariamune, the True Dracophoenix!" Arata ordered, ignoring the painted look of his opponent. Mariamune, the True Dracophoenix flicked its wings and the wind hit Zayne's body with the force of a rock, knocking the poor boy on his back.

『Zayne LP: 4300 - 1300, Hand: 2』

"Now I overlay my two level nine monsters to Xyz Summon True King V.F.D., The Beast [Dark/Rank 9/ATK: 3000 - 3300/DEF: 3000 - 3300]!" The new monster was similar to Agnimazud, the Vanisher in appearance; the most major difference between then was the skin which is purple instead of red and had two purple orbs orbiting it. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Damn it!" Zayne cursed as he slowly got back on his feet. His face was twisted from the anger that he was feeling right now. The rage has blinded all of his senses, making him to completely forget about the pain and about the blood dripping from his forehead. "Now you did it Godbell! I WILL BEAT THE LIVING HELL OUT OF YOU!"

『Turn 3 [Zayne] LP: 1300, Hand: 3』

"You thought that getting rid of Aleister the Eidolon Summoner was a smart idea right? Well, you are wrong! I activate Eidolon Summoning Magic! By its effect I must Fusion Summon an Eidolon Beast Fusion Monster using monsters from my field and either player's Graveyard as materials! I banish my Aleister the Eidolon Summoner and your True King Bahrastos, the Fathomer to Fusion Summon Cocytus the Eidolon Beast [Water/Level 6/ATK: 1800/DEF: 2900]!"

A large blue covered in spikes dragon with ominous red eyes and a glowing version of Aleister's staff on its chest appeared on the field. "Next I activate the effect of Eidolon Summoning Magic to return Aleister back in my hand by shuffling itself into the deck!" Zayne grinned, feeling his vengeance so close. "You know what follows now right? I Summon Aleister and search the spell again, then I activate it and banish Aleister along with your True King Lithosazim, the Disaster and Fusion Summon Magallanica the Eidolon Beast [Earth/Level 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3300]!"

This time, a loud clank came from the cell and everyone looked up. A beast made from rocks and magma easily towered over the crowd with the impressive height of 80 feet. The creature was so large and bulky that it was literally having a tropical island with a volcano on its back.

"At this moment I activate the effect of True King V.F.D., The Beast! By using one Xyz Material I can change the attribute of all your monsters to DARK and also monsters of the declared attribute cannot attack or use their effects for the rest of this turn!" True King V.F.D., The Beast smashed one of its materials with its claws and fired a black energy stream at the other monsters on the field!

"I knew that you would try something like that, you fool!" Zayne shouted back and clicked a button on his duel disk. "I activate Dimensional Barrier and declare Xyz Monsters! With this for the rest of this turn you cannot summon or activate the effects of monsters from the declared type!" The black stream disappeared and True King V.F.D., The Beast feel on the ground, feeling weakened.

Arata didn't respond. He was prepared for this and True King V.F.D., The Beast still had 3300 attack and defense, none of Zayne's monsters was strong enough to destroy it, but even if they were he still had one last trump card.

"FOCUS ON THE DUEL YOU BASTARD!" Zayne yelled and Arata look at him. "I activate Raigeki and destroy all of your monsters!" A thunder fell on True King V.F.D., The Beast, destroying it. "You are all open now! Magallanica the Eidolon Beast attack directly!"

Arata's eyes widened. The beast threw its left first toward the young duelist. If the attack collided he was going to take 3000 damage, but that didn't bother him. Actually, what was worst about taking the attack is that because the duel disks don't have the damage preventing function it was common duels to end not because a duelist lost because their life points have been reduced to 0, they were unable to draw or from another such Victory condition, but because they are unable to continue dueling. Therefor if an attack of this size and strength hit it would absolutely kill Arata.

"Is that the best you got?"

"What?" Zayne stared at Arata blankly. Was he for real? The attack has been declared, there is nothing Arata could do to stop it now. It was an inevitable death no matter how you looked at it. There was no way for Arata to turn things around; there couldn't be a way to turn things around!

"I activate Forbidden Apocrypha!" Zayne's face paled as the card appeared on the field. He then gritted his teeth. It wasn't a bluff; that bastard has done it again. He has won again.

Zayne was agonized. He has already lost count on their rematches and of which he has lost. Why? Why couldn't he win against that boy? After all the rematches and sleepless nights spent in building and rebuilding decks, it just didn't feel right for him to keep falling like this.

"By its effect I declare an Extra Deck monster card type. And if there are two or more monsters of that type on the field he have to destroy all monsters we control that type. Of course, I choose Fusion Monsters."

Magallanica's first froze in mind air. Cracking sounds started to echo through the place and the crowd noticed the small cracks forming on Magallanica and Cocytus. The cracks started to increase their number and grow bigger until the two monsters were completely covered in them. Then, just like glass, the beasts shattered to pieces and disappeared from the field.

"Ha!" An empty laugh escaped Zayne's lips and he fell on his knees, looking at the ground. "Damn it." He mumbled to himself and look at Arata. "DAMN YOU GODBELL! FUCK YOU ARE YOUR SHITTY LUCK!"

Arata looked ominously at his opponent and slowly drew his card. What a crybaby, losing his cold the moment things turn against him. Didn't he say that in this duel Arata will lost so badly that he will end in a hospital? And now the mighty has fallen again, cursing and yelling in protest; he didn't want to accept that Arata had more skills that him. But what could Zayne now? No matter how much he whine, it won't change the fact that his rival has won the battle, again.

『Turn 4 [Arata] LP: 8000, Hand: 2』

"I activate the effect of Dragonic Diagram to destroy Mariamune, the True Dracophoenix in my hand and add another True Draco or True King card from the deck to my hand! Now by the effect of my destroyed monster I can search another monster from my deck." Yes, perfect! All pieces have been gathered. He won't just defeat Zayne. No, he will hurt him. The best way to make others respect you is to make them fear you. If they are afraid, they won't dare to stand against you.

"I activate the Continuous Spell - True Draco Succession and then tribute it to Tribute Summon Dynamite Knuckle, the True Dracofighter [Water/Level 6/ATK: 2500 - 2800/DEF: 2100 - 2400]!" A large figure formed in front of Arata wearing a heavy green armored suit with dragon wings on the back of it. "Direct attack!"

The warrior charge toward and started rapidly striking Zayne with his heavy fists. His pushes were concentrated on the vital parts like the stomach, the shoulders, and the chest. Zayne couldn't even muster the strength to scream as drops of his blood flew in all directions.

Then came and the final strike; right under the jaw. The strength of the impact throwing Zayne into the air. Oh, but that wasn't the end of the suffering. Though the ceiling of the cell has been completely destroyed the walls remained steady and Zayne was thrown toward one of them. And that's when the true pain started.

The cells in which duelists had to fight were specially designed to send electricity when touched, making the duels more dangerous while and also making sure that the duelists won't try to escape in the middle of a duel. But Arata found another way to use that devilish invention; a far more cruel application that it was originally meant for.

Shock and terror shot through Zayne's body; everything that his brain could process was the horrible pain. His body convulsed into spasms as the situation got worse. He wanted to scream but couldn't find the voice to do so. The horrible torture lasted only three seconds since the cell was designed to stop the electricity after that period, but for Zayne it felt like an eternity. His body gave up and he fell on the ground, unmoving.

『Zayne LP: 1300 - 0, Hand: 1』

The door of the cell opened and Gudo ran inside along with two other men. They ran to Zayne and put a hand on his neck to check for a pulse. After a moment one of them looked up, giving a nod of affirmation to everyone; Zayne has just lost conscious from the pain. Gudo walked to Arata and grabbed his wrist, raising it as high as he can. "Arata wins!"

And with that it ended, Arata's job is done; Now Gudo just have to give him the money and the two can go their separate ways until the next duel.

"That was magnificent! You proved again that the money I put on you weren't a waste!" Gudo continued to praise Arata while made their way out of the cell and walked away from the crowd, until the two reached the door from where they came. Then Arata turned back and stretched out his hand. He hasn't forgotten the reason why he participates in those duels and was now waiting for the promised profit.

"The deal." Arata answered simply.

"Straight toward like always." Gudo said putting a hand into his pocket and taking out a small clipped pill of money. "Your earning for tonight, I will also need to get a new 'dueling arena' so don't expect any assignments for the rest of the week."

"There is more." Arata stated and looked at Gudo; the money he got were 3000 dollars rather than the regular 2500. He already knew from experience that this man wasn't generous and if he's giving more that promised then he surely wants something in return. But Arata wasn't naïve, he didn't need the money that much as to put up with Gudo's tricks and deals.

"I know that." Gudo answered with a smile. "I'm not raising your payment or anything of that sort. Take that as a reward for the beautiful finishing move. The audience absolutely loved it."

Arata put the money in his pocket. That reason sounded realistic enough to be true; after all, he has been among them for more than a year already. For this time Arata came to noticed that the only thing which makes people happier than winning money from the gabling duels is witnessing a brutal duel. The worst are the injuries, the more blood is spilled; the more they would enjoy it.

If you cannot win, then go down with a bang; that's what Arata learned from the duels here.

The two coworkers gave their farewells and the boy was once again roaming though the dark streets of the sleeping city on his own. He closed his jacket and hide his hands into the pockets; desperately trying to hide his skin from the coldness of the night. If he knew that it would so cold outside at around 10 P.M. then he would have taken a warmer jacket.

The lights coming from the windows of the houses around were the ones to illuminate his way back home. There were no starts in the sky and the moon was hidden behind black clouds. The appearance of the night sky has changed into a black void that wanted to swallow the sinister city below it. Arata continued to walk, passing around bars, restaurants and groups of friends that have gathered together and having a happy time; none of them was affected by the coldness or the darkness creeping through the shadows.

But Arata refused to think about such trivial things and continued on his way; ignoring the smiling and laughing people that passed around him. Walking and walking, the boy paid no attention to the world around him. Now he just wanted to get home, take a hot shower and go to bed; that was the only thing that mattered in his life anyway.

Soon the house appeared in his sight. He stopped in front of the door and took the key from inside the pocket. But something interesting caught his attention; the door was unlocked. Strange, because he has made sure that it was locked when he left. The lock didn't seem to have been broken, so the remaining and most logical guess is that someone has unlocked it since there are three keys in total for the house. One in him, one in his father and one for his aunt.

His father was already out of the available options because he barely comes home. His aunt on the other side visits Arata frequently, but only during the weekends. She was working in a big company and naturally with that was a very busy person. In fact, her visits during the weekends were miracles by themselves since there were a lot of times when she couldn't afford the time to visit her only nephew.

Grabbing the knob with both hands, Arata slowly opened the door, not wanting to alert the intruder and give them the chance to escape. He tiptoed inside the house, everything seemed just like he left it, expect that the lights in the kitchen were turned on. Arata stretched his hand, grabbing one of the two umbrellas in the holder beside the door; it never hurts to be extra cautious in such situations.

Gripping hard on his improvised weapon with both hands Arata tiptoed to the kitchen. A rustling sound came from inside the room followed by steps and then the sound of opening the refrigerator. Arata had to hide the urge to chuckle at the tough of what face the burglar is probably doing when they find that there is almost no food left. He shook his head; now wasn't the time to think of such things.

Arata took a deep breath; bracing himself. Feeling ready, he kicked the door open and stormed into the kitchen, ready to beat the hell out from whoever thought it was a good idea to sneak up in his house. Then, Arata's eyes widened and he froze on the spot where he was standing; his body and mind were stuck in awe from the beautiful standing before him. His mind stopped working. The only thought in his mind right now was how beautiful and perfect she was; just like an angel who has come from the heavens.

The girl was 5 feet 5. She was wearing a simply white singlet, pink shorts and pink sneakers with flower designs on either side of them and with white soles. On her left wrist was a single banded bracelet with a wing-shaped design with a yellow, diamond-shaped jewel. But the outfit didn't stuck Arata as much as her appearance did.

She had short yellowish white hair, stretching down from the back to halfway of her neck, and in the front, it was reaching just a few centimeters above her brows. Then was her skin; flawless and milky white skin in color. Next were the deep and enchanting amber eyes which radiated brightly and made Arata think that if he looked at them for too long he would get lost in them.

The girl looked at him. Her face was lacking any trace of sensitivity and emotions, as if she was an expensive doll rather than a human. Her eyes were lacking a spark of life as well and appeared like she was looking through him; able to see his soul and hear his thoughts. Although her emotionless appearance Arata could feel a vibe of grace and strong will coming from her. He didn't know what to do, what to say; he felt something that he hasn't felt before in his entire life. It was like the being behind him was not a human, but something completely different; a divine being that stood higher than him, the mere mortal.

And so the two started at each other, for what felt like hours for Arata, but was actually just a few seconds. Then, the girl's lips parted just a little bit and with a faint voice that sounded like the sweetest melody for the boy in front of her, she spoke.

"Welcome home."