This will be the last update for my stories for 2018. I would like to thank all who have read my stories and I hope to see you in the upcoming year. Also, thanks to Donjusticia for permission to use some of his cards from his "Signs of Renewal" fanfic for this story. Thank you very much.
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who lived with her grandparents within the glade of Agate Forest. She was sweet and kind to everyone she met, but that didn't save her from the dangers of Domino Below.
For this princess had a powerful secret; with just one look of her eyes, she could see the darkness that hides inside one's soul.
She became feared for her special ability; people were afraid of this girl capable of exposing their deepest darkest secrets. She was harassed by everyone around her, wanting her dead so that their demons did not come to light. Her grandfather always warned her to run away the minute she sensed danger, because there were many people who would fork over an arm and leg for those eyes.
But the princess was an innocent soul who wanted to help people. When she learned that spirits of Duel Monsters were being consumed by a dark force, she begged and pleaded with her grandparents to uncover the source of the darkness that were causing the Duel Monsters to scream in agony.
With her grandparents' reluctant blessing, the princess ventured into the heart of Domino Below in order to help heal the darkness in people's hearts. But the princess, while pure and good like the ones in stories she read, was not ready for the challenge that she brought upon herself.
And that would ultimately cost the princess her life.
But now, the princess was off to challenge the commanding officer of the army who wanted nothing more than to crush any and all remaining hope in the weary souls who wandered Domino Below. She would do all she could to bring salvation to this land, one step at a time.
And while the princess's heart was pure and her thoughts unclouded, there was one question that lingered in the back of her mind….
How long could the princess stay good?
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2nd Offering
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Butterflies and Hurricanes
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September 30th, Wes's Hideout, 4:45 PM
"Wes! Wes, wake up!"
Wes gasps as he suddenly finds himself looking up at the ceiling fan of his hideout. It feels like he had a dream of him saving a princess and it ended up with the two of them falling into an abyss.
He sits up and feels something burning against his arm. He tugs on right sleeve and his eyes widen.
Branded onto his skin is the mark of a large fish, colored violet.
So, everything that happened hours ago...destroying Team Snagem's hideout, hearing Rui's voice, challenging Georgy, falling, dying then being resurrected…
"Wes!"
The voice in his head snaps him out of his thoughts. He looks around, trying to find whoever is calling for him, but he sees no one. Frowning, he pulls out a card from his Duel Disk, Psychic Blade, and watches as a matching sword appears in his hand. He turns around…
"Wes, stop, it's me!"
And stops just one centimeter away from slicing Rui's cheek.
The girl has her hands in the air as Wes lowers the sword-wielding hand. Then, in a blink of an eye, the sword vanishes.
"We're...back here," he says. "That wasn't a dream…"
"No, it wasn't," Rui whispers, placing a hand over the crescent moon pendant on her neck. "We're both undead now...we're both part of the Dark Signers."
The awkward pause lingers between them as Wes stares at his hands. Then, he grits his teeth and clenches his hands into fists. He turns to the table and slams his fists down again and again and again on its surface, leaving dents until it breaks it half after five rounds. Despite the force he puts into it, Wes feels nothing.
"This...this is all my fault," he says. "I should've...I should've been stronger to stop us from falling. I should've stopped those bastards from killing us."
"Wes, it isn't your fault," Rui begins. "I already said…"
"Every single time I have someone enter my life, something bad happens to them!" Wes shouts. "Every single time…"
:"Wes…" Rui repeats, firmly. "Nothing bad happened to me."
"You died, Rui!" Wes screams, turning to face her. Rui does not flinch as Wes grips onto her shoulders, shaking her. "I saw someone put a bullet to your brain and I couldn't stop it!"
"I'd rather die than be tortured by whoever Georgy was bringing me to!" Rui exclaims, tears forming in her eyes as she moves Wes's hands off. "You know what happens to girls like me...death would be much more peaceful than being endlessly tortured and raped by those monsters. You saved me."
"Saved you?" Wes repeats, looking in disbelief at Rui's proclamation. "I...saved you?"
Rui nods her head, smiling. "And I will never forget it for as long as I...well, as long as we're both here. Please, don't be so hard on yourself. You are my knight in shining armor, after all."
Wes has no idea whether or not Rui is truly sincere about the 'knight in shining armor' comment. He cracks a tiny smile before he he senses something within the tiny hideout.
"What's wrong?" asks Rui. "What are you sensing?"
"It's like a bunch of voices muffled with cotton," Wes answers, kneeling onto the floor and running a gloved hand over a few boards. Then, he finds the one that he is looking for and rips the board out with as much effort as it takes to lift a pillow above one's head. Hidden underneath is a rusty cookie tin the shape and size of a dinner plate.
"What's in there?" asks Rui.
Wes picks up the box and opens the lid and Rui's eyes widen at the treasure. Inside are a collection of Duel Monster cards, with most of them being Synchro Monsters.
"These are…" Rui gasps.
Wes nods his head as he takes the cards into his left hand. "My share of the bounty back when I was in Team Snagem. Cards that, at some point in their owners' lives, were protectors in this cruel, cruel world."
"There's so many…" Rui whispers. "And they all share the same aura."
"Aura? What do you mean?"
Rui picks up a card and sees a black fiery aura around it. She winces as if the aura can burn her, but they never do. "Ever since I could remember, I could see auras. On people, animals, Duel Monsters...every single one of them had a different color that I could associate with the darkness that they held deep inside them. And for humans, I could detect the sin that they carried in them.
"Wes, all of the cards that you have here...all of them have black auras. I think something must've happened to them."
"Like what?" asks Wes, trying to recall how he obtained each and every card. But trying to discern each of these small victories is like trying to taste the difference between the same type of cookie made by different manufacturers.
"I don't know," Rui answers, returning the card to its brethren. "I think you did a good deed in taking them away from their duelists, as cruel as it may be. But we have to find out and fast!"
"Rui, are you sure that you don't have...what was it called…" Wes taps a finger on his cheek for a second before it hits him. "Synesthesia?"
Rui tilts her head. "I'm sure I don't associate numbers with colors or the like. Also, where did you learn a term like that?"
"Oh, uh, I read it...once."
"I didn't know members of Team Snagem have time to read, since they're always out dueling and stealing cards and candy from children." Rui teases, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, we're not always doing that," Wes mutters. "Sometimes we're improving our dueling skills or fixing our Duel Disks, some of us have to go pick up food or magazines, and there are those who just go to their rooms and sleep the day away.. Heck, I can bring up the names of three or four members who are into PreCure and have arguments on which was the better series." He pauses before hastily adding, "Not that I'm into that kind of show and all…"
Rui giggles, covering her mouth with a hand. "It's okay, Wes. We all have our secrets. You know, I have one of my own."
Wes raises an eyebrow. "Like what?"
Rui blushes. "I...I have a bit of a sweet tooth. When I was younger, I would watch children on television enjoy their ice creams and cake with parents who loved them, envious that they get to enjoy these pleasures while all of us in Domino Below struggled to have a bowl of rice and soup for dinner. Sometimes I would go to bed without dinner, my mind filled with dreams of going into a kingdom of bread and sweets; a place where no kid would ever have to go hungry again."
Wes blinks. "That's...normal."
"You don't know the extent of my dreams though," Rui explains. "A while back, I worked for this kind old lady who collected books. Fairy tales were my favorite, and my favorite one of them all was Hansel and Gretel. It would've been a starving child's fantasy if you think about it: losing yourself in the woods to find an entire house made of bread and candy and after defeating its evil owner, you found an entire room filled with treasure so you never had to worry about an empty belly for as long as you lived."
"I never thought of it that way," Wes admits. "Seeing as I just took whatever I wanted without consequences."
Rui spins around like a ballerina, arms spread out to keep her balance. "What I love about fairy tales is that there are so many ways to tell them; I personally love the types of retellings when all of the fairy tales have a hint of darkness in them because even the sweetest things in the world hide a sinister core underneath. Everything has a dual nature; that's something I've learned growing up." She then takes Wes's hand in her own. "But as they always say, 'It's always darkest before the dawn.'"
Wes looks down and notices how they are holding hands and, in his shock, drops the box of Duel Monster cards onto the floor, causing Rui to giggle. If he was alive, he knows that his heart would be pounding at how close they are right now.
But before he can vocalize his feelings, Rui places both of her hands to her heart and closes her eyes.
"Between two midnights it appears, no warning, a waft of silver and sallow, blades bent over like broken flutes, a disc of grasslight whispering to itself," she recites. "The ruins are classical, Athenian: charred banisters of twisted licorice and cherry-sticky stairs leading up to the star-bowels, crumble-barren. The butterscotch-and-toffee floor is half-eaten by mice and voles, its shards flashing cloud-quick—on its scalded surface, bubbles long hardened into checkered barrows, stood shattered furniture: praline fauteuils roasted into stumps, marzipan sideboards shot through with burst sugar-glass and icing-china, a molten headboard twisted into a shimmer of jellybean slag, linen-ashes of peppermint and raspberry seeds, still floating windwise after all this time. The smell is still thick as scarves: burnt candy, everywhere, the carbuncle-heart of sugar seething in its endless boil, vanished jam-mortar and confection-white rainspouts, crystalline panes crusted with sweet, peanut brittle rafters and gingerbread walls, all wheeling in their invisible cotillion, gobbling the air into syrup.
"And there is the oven.
"It is a good German oven, squat as a heart, whole and leering. Its cacao-grille gapes throat-open, and I want it to be full of ashes, this time, I want it to be purified, scrubbed empty and clean as an oven ought to be. I know each time I breathe the air of that furnace that I will always taste of this house, I will taste of witch and grief, I will taste of the laughing fire even as I taste of wife and sister. The smell of flesh cooking will cling to my nose, the cloy of gold teeth melting will stick in my sleeves.
"I will never recover from this, I will never be well, I will never grow up."
Rui then sighs as she looks at Wes, waiting for a response. After a few seconds, Wes speaks up.
"Did you...make that up?" he asks, amazed how Rui is able to recite her little speech without having to pause for breath.
Rui shakes her head. "No, but I read it over and over again and recited it in front of a mirror until the words fell out like water from a clear spring. What about you? What other secrets do you have aside from watching magical girl anime?"
Wes rubs his chin as he tries to figure out the right thing to say. He's never had a chance to actually socialize with a girl outside of any banter they shared whenever he dueled one.
And in his hideout, this girl honestly wants to know all there is to know about him...the him who wasn't a member of a gang notorious from defeating duelists and stealing their cards.
His hopes, his dreams, whether or not he cried at a touching scene in a movie, whether or not he's had romances...just what exactly can he say to her without making him look like such an utter fool?
After some time, Wes notices the open box of cards on the floor and picks it up. He moves the cards out of the way until he sees what is at the bottom of the box - a faded piece of paper and a photograph of a younger Wes with two adults in front of a circus tent.
Frowning, Wes takes the paper out of the box and hands it to Rui.
"A ticket...to a circus?" asks Rui, tilting her head as she takes the old faded ticket into her hands. "Circus...Tresaulti…"
"Otherwise known as the Circus Mechanique," Wes explains. "I went there with my...parents when I was little. It was for my 6tth birthday. They had saved up all of this money and worked overtime at the factories just for this present.
"It all started just after dinner, after I blew the candles off of the cake they bought. Then, after we ate cake, they put a blindfold over me, held my hands and walked me out of the house for an hour before they removed it and I saw the most magnificent thing ever.
"A circus tent."
As Wes speaks, his eyes light up and a smile forms on his face.
"It was the most beautiful thing ever," Wes says. "There were other children gathered there, laughing, playing, running about and looking at all of the strange performers, the animals, stuffing themselves with snacks that they would never be able to eat except in their dreams. I remember the posters advertising all of the performers, the ringmaster emerging from the tent to state that the show was about to begin, and how my parents dragged me inside to witness the Greatest Show ever to be seen in Domino Below."
"After obtaining a bag of popcorn, we entered and watched as the ringmaster introduced herself to the audience. I don't remember a lot about what she said, but I do know that the tent had a strange mechanical theme to it all. Gears, pistons, screws...anything that had to do with a machine made me feel like the circus itself was a living, breathing robot of some sorts and it was made to entertain and spread joy instead of being used for factory work.
"And after the ringmaster left, the performers came out. And each of them shared a similar attribute. Every single one of these performers were modified with mechanical limbs.
"I watched in awe at these acrobats and strongmen with their bronze and copper, and all of their gears and springs and pistons shine in the light, their faces displaying nothing but wanting to give even a tiny grain of joy to the audience. Every now and then, I would catch a glimpse of a metallic leg or arm and wonder how they were made. But my favorite performer was the one with the mechanical wings who glided across the tent like an angel.
"She was so beautiful. She captivated everyone starting from when the spotlight shined upon each and every part used to make the wings to when she descended and flew around, shedding star dust like she was some sort of angel. I remembered looking at her as the ringmaster told everyone to make a wish. And I honestly wished that I could always be happy being with my family.
"Unfortunately, I soon realized that wish was not meant to be."
At this, Rui looks in confusion as Wes picks up the photo of him with his parents, a single tear falling down his eyes as he continues.
"Throughout the entire walk home, all I could talk about was everything I had seen and that I hoped that we could do it again. My parents, like any parents do, just assured me that they would see the circus when it came next time and then carried me off to bed. Then, they kissed me good night and left for bed.
"I couldn't sleep at all; I was too excited from all that I had seen and knew that I had go see it again. So I hopped out of bed and raced towards my parents' bedroom. But just as I was about to open the door, I heard them talking."
Wes bows his head. "They were arguing about how much money that they were making now. Work at the factories was being replaced by machines, not to mention the fears of Duel Gangs making it harder for children to even go to school. They had no idea how they were going to give me a future, and questioned whether or not it was a good idea to keep my hopes up. I stayed there the entire time until they fell asleep.
"I had to do something; I couldn't stay in Domino Below anymore. So I decided that I would return to the circus and, packed up what little money, clothes and precious treasures I had and began the trek to my new life in the circus.
"I followed the path as best as I remembered it, but when I finally reached the circus grounds...it was completely gone."
"Gone?" Rui gasps.
"Gone," Wes repeats. "As if the circus was just some kind of living, breathing mirage. Nothing was left of it; not a single light, poster or ticket stub that stated that Circus Tresaulti ever came to brighten up someone's face that evening. But where could it have gone? And why did it have to leave?
"While I was lost in my thoughts, an old woman approached me. She told me that the circus appears, at best, once in a person's lifetime, and they travel through darkness and mirrors to other places filled with people who, just like me and all of the inhabitants in Domino Below, needed one single night of joy and excitement in a life filled with darkness, gloom and despair. She told me that I should be thankful that I saw it with my very own eyes.
"And then, she told me the one thing that I wish I never had to hear."
"...And what was that?" Rui whispers.
Wes sighs as he returns the photo back to the cookie box. "She said that I was lucky I decided to attempt to have a life with the circus, else I would have missed out on a humongous fireworks display. And just as she said that, a humongous explosion appeared in the neighborhood where I lived in.
"I ran back as fast as I could, hoping, begging, praying that mom and dad were all right. But just as I finally made it to the house…"
Wes doesn't need to finish that sentence. Instead, he drops to his knees as the memory of returning to a burning house and his parents screaming for someone to save them flashed through his mind. But by the time firefighters arrived, it was too late. Wes's house, and his parents, burned to the ground all while he screamed and begged for his mother and father.
Wes grits his teeth as tears freely fall down his face now. Rui's eyes water as she wraps her knight in a tight hug.
"It's all right." she whispers in his mind. "You were a child. You had no idea that this was going to happen. And at the very least, your parents were able to give you this fragment of happiness before they passed on."
Still, Wes continues to weep. "That doesn't make the memory less painful though."
As Rui strokes Wes's back, a thought comes to her mind. "Wait, how are we even talking like this in the first place?"
Wes pauses as he looks up; sure he could read minds and see what type of cards a duelist is holding in their hands, but he honestly has no idea how he was able to communicate with Rui so well.
Better yet, outside of just wanting to save Rui from being kidnapped or raped or killed and just doing one single good deed in his life, he doesn't understand this feeling that is inside his unbeating heart that makes him feel safe, secure, and...happy.
Is this feeling...love?
Before Wes can formulate an answer, he feels a strange pulse in the air. His vision blurs and he looks past the hideout and out towards the road that he dueled Georgy almost an hour ago. There, he sees a figure in a purple coat inspecting the wreckage of D-Wheels.
"Rui," Wes begins. "Do you happen to know what this 'Yuri' person looked like?"
"Well, it was kinda hard to see through that burlap sack and I was waking up from the chloroform," Rui begins. "But through Georgy's call, I saw a pair of magenta eyes. Why do you ask?"
Wes brings his arm out and watches all of his Duel Monster cards levitate all around the two. They spin around, leaping and dancing about before they gather together into a single deck that We takes and slips into the pocket of his coat.
"...What do you say that you get some payback on the guy who caused you to be kidnapped?" he says, extending his hand out towards Rui.
Rui looks at the hand and, without hesitation, takes it into her own.
"Let's go, then, princess," says Wes. "Follow me."
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September 30th, Rui vs Yuri, 5:01 PM
(Rui: 8000) - - - - - - - - (Yuri: 8000)
"Since you have been done wrong, allow me to grant you the first move," says Yuri, bowing towards his opponent. "But be careful; this move will most likely be your last."
"No," Rui answers, her voice soft, drawing a card. She smiles. "This will only be the beginning. From my hand, I play the Spell Card Sanctified Realm!"
She plays the Spell Card and watches as the dusty road transforms into solid cloud platforms that she, Wes and Yuri stand on.
"And next, I shall discard the monster in my hand known as Salvation Seraphim Acolyte in order Set a 'Rank-Up' Spell or 'Salvation Seraphim' Spell or Trap Card from my deck to my hand."
As Rui discards a card from her hand to the graveyard, the brief image of the angel appears on the field. She has long black hair that falls to her waist and a white hood that obscures her face. Her arms and legs are bare, save for golden bracelets and anklets. A smile forms on the angel's face as Rui takes a card into her hand.
"Now, I activate one of my most powerful cards! Go Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force!"
A large pillar of light that rises to the sky appears in front of Rui. The pillar stands between a pair of marks that look like an 'S' with an angelic wing, resembling two halves of a broken heart with a long curled tail.
"Next, I Normal Summon another monster. Ascend to the field, Salvation Seraphim Priestess!"
Another angel appears on the field, wearing a similar white dress like that of Salvation Seraphim Acolyte. However, instead of golden jewelry, the Priestess wears jewelry of a bright blue color along with an elegant feathered headdress and a wooden staff topped with lapis lazuli. (1200 ATK)
"When my Salvation Seraphim Priestess is summoned, I can Excavate the top three cards from my deck. Then, I can take a 'Salvation Seraphim' monster to my hand and the other two cards to my graveyard."
Rui quickly draws her three cards, chooses the one in the middle, and sends two cards to the graveyard.
"And guess what? The monster I choose is the one known as Salvation Seraphim Healer, which I can summon using its own effect since I already have another 'Salvation Seraphim' monster on the field.
The next angel to appear has black feathery wings and long, curly hair the color of the sun. Instead of ribbons and hair clips, the angel's hair is decorated with leaves and berries while a pouch of medicine adorns her neck instead of a pendant. In her right hand is a mortar that she uses to pound a strange gold poultice in the pestle nestled in her left hand. (1000 DEF)
"With Salvation Seraphim Healer summoned, I can send the top card of my deck to the graveyard to bring back a fallen 'Salvation Seraphim' monster in my graveyard," says Rui, quickly sending the top card to the grave. "So come forth Salvation Seraphim Saint!"
Salvation Seraphim Healer plucks a few berries in her hair and pounds it into the pestle as a golden dust fills the field. Then, the third Salvation Seraphim rises, unfurling similar black wings and dressed in a long white cloak. In their hands is a large scroll with gold leaf letters. (1400 ATK)
"And when my Salvation Seraphim Saint is summoned, I can take a 'Rank-Up' Spell Card from my deck or graveyard to my hand."
Angelic monsters but with dark undertones...Wes thinks, watching Rui take another card into her hand. And they're capable of Xyz Summoning too. But...why do I feel that that's not the only surprise hiding in Rui's deck?
"All of that work for three monsters and a Spell Card," Yuri notes. "I will give you credit, you're four times better than other duelists of your gender."
"And it's about to get even better," Rui remarks. "Now, I shall construct the Overlay Network! Salvation Seraphim Priestess, Healer and Saint...go!"
The three monsters nod their heads and watches as a black and gold Xyz Portal appears in front of them. The angels shrink into beams of light before they leap into the center of the portal. Rui then clasps her hands in prayer.
"Noble heavenly servant clad in armor of righteousness. Take courage now as you raise your holy blade to smite the forces of darkness and bring salvation to this world! Xyz Summon! Rank 3! Ride into battle, Salvation Seraphim Brave Crusader!"
Then, a blast of heavenly light fills the area as Rui's newest monster rises from the portal. It unfurls a pair of glowing white wings, depicting a young girl with short blond hair and eyes that shine like emeralds. He wears white armor that makes him resemble a knight from the Middle Ages charging into battle with a sword with a cross-guard that resembles a cross in hand. She lets out a battle cry as she raises her sword into the sky, three black spherical Overlay Units orbiting the blade. (1800 ATK)
That's it...A voice says in Rui's mind. It isn't Wes's, that is certain.
Who is that? Rui asks. Where are you?
I'm here, in your deck. The voice answers, feminine, dream-like, soft. When you made your contract to become a Dark Signers Acolyte and accepted the mission, I brought the Salvation Seraphims to aid you in this quest.
Are you...an angel?
The voice chuckles. Of course, love. And soon, you shall be one that will lift the spirits of those who are weary and have lost their ways.
R...really?
Really. Now, let us get back to the duel. I'll talk to you soon.
O...okay then.
When the voice fades away, Rui looks back at the field and smiles.
"When my Brave Crusader is successfully Xyz Summoned, I can take all 'Salvation Seraphim' monsters in my graveyard and let them become Overlay Units for my Crusader! So I bring back Salvation Seraphim Acolyte once more!"
Acolyte's image appears before it transforms into a glowing Overlay Unit and circles the sword of Brave Crusader.
"And now, Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force activates! Since I successfully Xyz Summoned, I can attach another Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster lying within my Extra Deck as an another Overlay Unit. Come forth, Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim!"
Rising from the clouds is a young girl with a big grin on her face, wearing a brown cloak and shawl. She carries a walking stick in her hand, a pair of white wings unfurling from her back before she soars towards Brave Crusader, turning into another Overlay Unit.
"Is that all?" Yuri asks, somewhat bored.
"I'm getting to the fun part," says Rui. "Brave Crusader gains 100 attack points for every Overlay Unit attached to it and also the effects of any Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster attached to it too! I would use the effect of Wandering Pilgrim right now, but I shall save it for a later time."
"If there ever is one," Yuri mutters his breath as he sees Brave Crusader's stats rise. (1800 -) 2300 ATK)
"And now, since I have no monsters in the graveyard," Rui continues, ignoring Yuri's comment. "Once per turn, I can detach as many Overlay Units from Brave Crusaders to unleash 100 points of damage! I will detach all five units now! Brave Crusader, show him no mercy!"
Brave Crusader's eyes glow as all five units shatter into golden glitter before she unleashes a large golden crescent of energy that only succeeds in giving Yuri a cut on his right arm. One that starts bleeding slightly, but still.
(Rui: 8000) - - - - - - - (Yuri: 7500)
"All of that for a measly 500 lifepoints?" Yuri chuckles. "How sad."
"What's sad is how you think you know me," Rui whispers. "Remember the Rank-Up Magic card I took to my hand? Now, I'll play it! Go Rank-Up Magic Seraphim Force!"
A pair of golden S-shaped symbols appears behind Brave Crusader before the Xyz Monster is sucked into the black hole made in the shape between the "S"s.
"With this card, I offer up Brave Crusader to Xyz Summon a 'Salvation Seraphim' monster that's two ranks higher! Brave Crusader, rise to the challenge!"
"Rise to the challenge indeed…" Yuri whispers, slightly curious to see what this girl has to offer next.
"Honorable protector who shines with the light of truth, spread your glorious wings bathed in the glory of heaven and drive back evil with the fury of your unconquerable spirit! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Descend Salvation Seraphim Honorable Crusader!"
The insignia of the Salvation Seraphims fades away and forms a pillar of light. When the light fades away, it reveals another white winged angel. Her long red hair flows with the gentle breeze as she points her golden sword at Yuri all with a determined glare on her face. (2400 ATK)
"Since I just Xyz Summoned a 'Salvation Seraphim' Xyz Monster, Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force lets me take another 'Salvation Seraphim' Xyz Monster to be used as an Overlay Unit. So join in this battle, Salvation Seraphim Inspired Crusader!"
The spirit of a black-haired angel with white wings flew towards Honorable Crusader's sword, becoming a single Overlay Unit.
"And now, Honorable Crusader, revive all of your fallen brethren as Overlay Units!"
Honored Crusader plants her sword to the ground and five glowing Overlay Units rise before joining Inspired Crusader in powering their fellow Salvation Seraphim. (2400 -) 3000 ATK)
"So that's why you offered them up with Brave Crusader!" Wes thinks.
"Exactly!" Rui replies, not even turning to face Wes. "And I'm just getting started!"
"Are you done yet?" asks Yuri, looking bored.
"Almost," Rui answers. "I place one card face-down and end my turn. And now…"
She spreads her arms out, eyes glowing with an eerie blue light as the clouds of Sanctified Realm turn into the color of slate.
"Before we conduct your turn, I wish to see into your past, to see if you are still capable of salvation. Yuri, Judgment Day is here!"
Then, a bright light fills the air as Wes sees a pair of angelic wings unfurl from Rui's back, making the girl look exactly like one of her 'Salvation Seraphim' monsters. Rui's voice echoes with the voice of another as they both state,
"Little boy, we shall see what darkness hides within your very soul. And then, we shall make you see the very light and cleanse you of your sins. You shall REPENT!"
And then, thunder booms and lightning crackles as the cloudy floor fades away and a new scene takes place.
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September 30th, Domino Below - Abandoned Pier, 5:10 PM
"Tell me something, Nagi."
"What is it now, Mikuri?"
Mikuri takes a step forward and looks across the murky water, at all of the debris and trash that aimlessly float about. Every time he sees something like this, he feels nothing but worry about all of his friends and family hidden in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, hoping that they are safe from harm while he has no choice but to walk on the land as an undead being.
"When you first saw Wes," Mikuri began. "Did you sense something off about him and his little girlfriend?"
Nagi frowns. She hates it whenever Mikuri brings up that question with her, due to the age difference between them and how he has boasted over his magic training compared to her "simple background" as a fashion model with the uncanny ability to charm people and read faces.
Deciding to humor him, Nagi smiles and slips a hand into his own. "You mean the tension that lies deep within their hearts over love at first sight?"
But when Mikuri doesn't return with a smile, that's when Nagi realizes that he isn't joking. It's one of those things that you pick up when you've been a couple for a few years give or take.
"I have lived for thousands of years, seen empires rise and fall, watched love bloom and die like flowers," Mikuri begins. "But to learn that they have arrived here in Domino Below...they of all people..."
Mikuri shakes his head. "I'll have to speak to my father about this...how did the Supreme King Dragon and the Maiden of Aether come together so soon? And more importantly, does anyone here know just what is about to be unleashed?"
Nagi raises an eyebrow. "Supreme King...isn't that the identities of one of those boys your little boyfriend adopted or-"
"This is a serious matter, Nagi!" Mikuri snaps, eyes momentarily glowing black. "Whoever killed those two are dead men walking now and soon, Domino Below will feel their wrath."
"If you're so worried, why are we standing here then?" Nagi snaps. "Shouldn't we go find their killers or go to the Gates of Infinity to reverse their deaths or something?"
Mikuri shakes his head. "It doesn't work that way; you know how using the Gates of Infinity can be dangerous even if used for small things. Moreover, we have no idea how much those two remember of their past lives and trying to interfere with them is going to cause even more problems."
"We already have them preparing Domino Below; shouldn't that be enough to keep them occupied?"
"You're missing the big picture, as always," Mikuri sighs. "Whoever is causing the problems with the souls of Duel Monsters being corrupted is somehow connected to them. The only thing we can do is point them to the right direction.
"And then, we must make offerings to the Dark King and pray that the remnants of Zarc and Ray will not unleash a catastrophe upon the land. If we do, I'm afraid that all of our hard work to bring about the Gates of Hamunaptra will vanish and we will either be back at square one or…"
"Or?" Nagi repeats. She never liked it whenever Mikuri let that simple word hang in the air.
Mikuri stares back at the trash filled waters. "Or perhaps Zarc will decide that it will be time to restart the world once more."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
September 30th, Sanctified Realm, 5:13 PM
The scene that plays out from the clouds of Sanctified Realm is of Yuri dueling against a group of people in red coats, a maniacal grin on his face as he attacks them with his monsters. As his opponents' lifepoints drop to zero, the audience that has observed this duel look at him with fear as he walks away.
"W...what trickery is this?" asks Yuri. "How are you causing this?"
"It is through my eyes that I see all of the sin within you." Rui begins. "I sense a spectrum of all seven sins, smothering your soul. But I shall save you! I shall bring you SALVATION!"
Then, the scene shifts. It depicts a younger Yuri sitting at the window, watching the rain pouring down. Rui peers closer and she thinks she can see a figure growing farther and farther away from the distance.
"Who...is that?" Rui asks, her voice momentarily her own. "Your mother? Father? Tell me, Yuri…"
"Not that memory!" Yuri suddenly shouts. "Make it go away! I don't want it here!"
At his cry, the vision begins to warp and he clutches his head in agony. He opens his eyes and they shine with a strange magenta glow.
"W...what's going on?" asks Wes. "Rui, is this an effect of your Field Spell?"
"No…" Rui answers. "I think...I think Yuri is causing this."
The pendulum around Yuri's heart glows madly along with his eyes. Both of them shine with bright purple light as the scene of a young Yuri waiting at the window on a rainy day quickly transforms into a scene of a young Yuri in a bright and colorful garden with the sun shining down on him.
"Is this...another memory?" Wes questions. "This can't be right."
"What do you mean?" asks Rui.
"This memory is too...happy," Wes observes. "This doesn't look like something Yuri would be into, considering the person he is."
Wes's observation is accurate. In this memory, Yuri is...happy. In this glorious garden, he tends to the flowers and talks to them like they are his close friends.
Currently, this ghost of a young Yuri is happily watering some roses with a watering can also modeled after a rose. He hums a little tune to himself as the roses unfurl their petals as if they are waking up. As he does this, he does not notice a taller figure approaching him.
"I see that you've been taking care of your little friends, correct?"
The young Yuri looks up, his mouth turning into a large beaming smile that only a child can form. He sets his watering can down and runs toward the taller person, happily wrapping his arms around a leg like he is hugging the trunk of a large tree.
"Father, I knew you'd love it!" Young Yuri squeals in delight. "I can't wait for my brothers to see it too! They'll be so surprised!"
"B...brothers?" Rui whispers. "Father?"
Neither she nor Wes say anything as they take a closer look at Young Yuri's "Father"; he wears brown pants and a white coat with blue shoulders. His hair stands up, colored grey with green highlights that reminds them of cauliflower. But that is not what surprises the two.
If one replaces the golden-eyed stare of "Father" with Yuri's magenta ones, then they would not be mistaken to think that they were cousins or twins instead of just father and son.
"Father" just smiles as he kneels down and hugs Young Yuri. "I'm sure they'll love it. In fact, I came here after seeing them to hand you this. Close your eyes, my blooming blossom."
Young Yuri closes his eyes - although he does cracks an eye open before closing it again with a giggle - as "Father" pulls out something from the pocket of his jacket. Then, "Father" hands the item into his son's hands. Young Yuri opens his eyes and gasps.
"A deck?" he says, drawing the five cards on top. "And they're all Plant monsters too!"
"Predaplants, to be exact. This is a very rare archetype, and a difficult one to master too. But I know that you'll be able to use them well, my sweet cherry blossom."
"And once I do, I'll use these monsters to protect Father and my brothers." A look of determination graces Young Yuri's face. "I won't let anyone hurt us ever again!"
And to this, "Father" smiles and brings his arms around Young Yuri. "I know that you will. Now come on, why don't we prepare for our picnic?"
"Yeah! Let's go, let's go!"
And as "Father" takes Young Yuri's hand into his own, the vision fades away like the morning mist. Wes and Rui stay silent as Yuri drops to his hands and knees, sweat falling from his brow as he tries to make sense at what he has just seen.
"...Well, at the very least you know what type of deck he uses now." Wes comments.
"Not funny, Wes." Rui pouts.
"The fact that you thought it was hilarious proves that I can be funny when I need to."
Rui can't help but smile at that.
Yuri, in the meantime, finds his mouth dry upon seeing the memory. That memory...how does he have that memory? Who was that man? He had brothers?
No, that can't be true and there is no time to think about that now.
He takes a deep breath before he rises to his feet, scowling at the red-haired girl and her angelic avengers.
"Do you have any more magic tricks up your sleeve?" he says.
"Like I said, my turn has ended," Rui answers. "Now, make your move and let me see how I can cleanse your soul."
"Once this is done, the only thing that's being cleansed is your mind," Yuri answers, drawing his card. "Because what I have planned for you will make you wish that you were back in Georgy's trailer!"
He stares at the card in his hand before his venomous smile stretches even more.
"I normally don't do this, but I'm making you an exception," he says. "I play Polymerization to fuse the Predaplant Squid Drosera and Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio to unleash my ultimate monster!"
The well-known card of fusing monsters appears, along with images of two plant-based monsters that get sucked in. Then, a large gust of wind blows across the field as Yuri clasps his hands above his head and chants,
"Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs. Level 8! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"
Then, the dragon emerges from the clouds, looking similar to a bundle of poisonous vines. Orbs surround its massive body and glow red and yellow like a multitude of lit candles. Its purple wings with blue veins unfurl and its thorny tail looks ready to snap Rui's neck in half. Along with the curled horns on the sides of its head, it resembles a satanic dragon guardian of the Garden of Eden. (2800 ATK)
"That dragon…" Wes thinks. "Why is it so familiar?"
"You've seen it before?" asks Rui.
"I...I think I have." Wes answers. "But that's not important right now. That thing must have some pretty powerful effect."
"Now I activate the effect of my dragon!" Yuri declares. "On the turn it was Fusion Summoned, I can select your Xyz Monster and my dragon has his attack strength equal to its own until the end of my turn."
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon roars as Rui's Xyz Monster drops to its knees. The dragon grins, loving the energy that it has absorbed. (2800 -) 3000 ATK)
"I was right." Wes notes.
"I'm not done," Yuri continues. "I play the Spell Card Rapid Seed Fire to send a Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monster from my deck to the graveyard to shave off 300 lifepoints."
Yuri plays his card, shows a field of strange purple flowers with multiple eyes fire a barrage of seeds.
"Just 300?" Rui inquires, tilting her head.
"It also reduces the attack strength of all monsters you control by 600," Yuri finishes. "Do the math, girl! Your monster is no longer as strong as it used to be."
Sending Predaplant Sarraceniant to the grave, Yuri watches as Rui's monster weakens slightly (3000 -) 2400 ATK) before a barrage of seeds fires at her. Rui doesn't flinch, but she does look slightly annoyed.
(Rui: 7700) - - - - - - - (Yuri: 7500)
"And one more card to finish the job!" Yuri shouts. "I play Wonder Clover!"
Yuri plays one more Spell Card, showing an invigorated panda with a small plant in its left paw, standing on top of two other monsters that look like a pumpkin and a bundle of roots.
"This beautiful card is like the Plant-type version of Double Attack! I discard one Level 4 Plant-type monster from my hand, and then my dragon gets to attack you twice this turn! Double the pain, double the pleasure!"
Yuri discards Predaplant Moray Nepenthes and watches the image of that monster empower his dragon, all while Rui stays silent.
"Now Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, clip her angel's wings!"
The dragon complies and fires a poisonous blast of energy ready to burn the angel alive. Honored Crusader stands her ground as everything is covered by a cloud of black smoke.
But when the smoke fades away seconds later, Rui's monster is still standing.
"How is that possible?" asks Yuri. "That monster should've been fertilizer right about now!"
"My Sanctified Realm allows a player to take no damage if they have a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck and no monsters in the graveyard," Rui answers. "So you can try attacking me again, but you'll only get the same results."
"And don't worry about the card in his hand," says Wes. "It's useless; he can't play it."
"Huh? How can you-" Rui smiles. "Right, you can see the cards in a duelist's hand."
"It's saved my ass quite a few times." Wes admits.
"It seems like you're not so green to the art of dueling after all," Yuri admits. "No matter. On my next turn, my dragon will take you to a castle so far away that no knight will be able to rescue you. But don't worry; you'll be treated as the royal figure you are meant to be! Come on, then! Surprise me, princess!"
As Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's attack returns to normal (2800 ATK), Rui bites her lip but otherwise stays calm, lightly tracing a finger over her crescent pendant before lowering her hand onto her Duel Disk.
"My turn! Draw!" she says, drawing her card. "And now, I activate the effects of my facedown card, Rank-Up Paragon Force!"
A Spell Card with the insignia of the Salvation Seraphim flips over, with larger wings edged with silver and ten orbs embedded within them. At the end of each of the "S"s are a pair of smaller wings.
"And with this card, I will offer up Salvation Seraphim Honored Crusader to Rank-Up Xyz Summon a 'Salvation Seraphim' Xyz monster up to four ranks higher than her! Be honored to revel in this glorious site!"
Honored Crusader nods her head as she points her sword into the air. Silver light pours down on her before she rises high into the sky, into the heavens.
"Noble spirit with essence distilled from the purest materials of heaven, carry forth the will of the almighty God and lead the hosts of paradise into a glorious crusade! Rank Up Xyz Change! Rank 8! Guide this soul to the light, Salvation Seraphim Glorious Crusader!"
Wes shields his eyes as the monster descends onto the field. When he opens his eyes, he can see her grey-white hair the color of storm clouds, her massive wings clad in silver and gold armor. The insignia of the Salvation Seraphim is branded onto her chest plate, on the center of her shield, and the hilt of her sword. Her entrance is accompanied by an angelic choir. (3000 ATK)
"And Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force activates! Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor, lend your power now!"
An angel with her grey hair in a bun rises next to Rui. She wears a both a black hood and a wide brimmed sun hat over her head and in her arms is a massive iron gavel and a small iron scale. She frowns at Yuri before she transforms into an Overlay Unit.
"And because it has the effects of all of the Xyz Monsters attached to it, now my monster has an additional 800 attack points!"
"All of that work for nothing," Yuri sneers, noticing how Glorious Crusader is now at 3800 ATK. "Just like your attempts in escaping Georgy has failed."
"You know where he is?" asks Rui.
"I do indeed. He's right here!"
Yuri pulls out a card from his deckholder, causing Wes and Rui to flinch when they see the look of shock and horror on Georgy's face.
"You...you turned him into a card?" Rui gasps.
"Standard punishment for those who fail to meet Academia's expectations," Yuri purrs, returning the card and patting his deck holder, as if making his opponent question if there were any other souls trapped alongside poor Georgy. "And, believe me little girl, while I would have loved to have carded you, you're just too valuable."
"Why's that?"
"Because, if I'm hearing it correctly...you will be the key that brings about the salvation upon Domino Below!" Yuri laughs, lifting his head into the sky all, oblivious to the look of shock on Wes and Rui's faces.
"That's the same thing those Dark Signers mentioned!" says Wes.
"I know! But, if I'm going to be honest, I think I liked it better when the Dark Signers just removed the evil in people's hearts." Rui admits.
"Why's that?"
"Because at least they let their victims live and give them the choice whether to redeem themselves or revert back to their vices. Yuri? He gives them no choice." Rui clenches her fists, digging her nails deep into her palms to make them draw blood. He must be cleansed and so shall the rest of this 'Academia' that wanted to torture me!"
"How are you going to do that exactly?" Wes inquires, slightly hesitant. He also feels angry at how this 'Academia' group treats people, but Rui's anger is somewhat unsettling.
"...Just watch me." Rui answers.
"I will never be a pawn to your cause!" she exclaims. "And now, it is time! I activate my face-down card, Rank-Down Trap Judgment Force!"
Rui's face-down card flips over, revealing a large golden scale weighing two items on its dishes: on the left is a pile of glowing Overlay Units and on its right is an equal amount of black crystals.
"Am I hearing that correctly?" says Wes, "Rank-Down Trap?"
Correct...The voice who talked to Rui earlier answers back.
"What? Who is this?" asks Wes. "Who are you?"
You shall see in good time, little boy. Now Rui, it is time for us to cast judgement on this poor boy!
"This card allows me to unleash an Xyz Summoning never seen before," Rui hisses. "By offering my Glorious Crusader, I shall Dark Xyz Summon a Dark Xyz monster in my deck whose rank is the exact opposite of Glorious Crusader!"
"But if your Xyz Monster is Rank 8, that means this 'Dark Xyz Monster'..." Yuri doesn't finish as Rui laughs.
"Correct!" she shouts. "I'm about to unleash a Rank Negative 8 Xyz Monster!"
Then, Glorious Crusader gasps as chains emerge from Rui's Trap Card, binding it from head to toe. She turns to Rui, eyes pleading with the girl to reconsider.
"I'm sorry," Rui whispers, honestly. Tears form in her eyes. "But this must be done. Please forgive me!"
Glorious Crusader screams and writhes in agony as the eight Overlay Units condense, darken and become eerie black crystals that circle her. Then, the brave Xyz Monster collapses onto her side, exhaling one final time as her body begins to fade away into a translucent image. Rui hesitates as she feels a sharp presence forming inside her.
IT IS TIME! The voice roars in her ear. RECITE WITH ME NOW, ACOLYTE!
A supermassive black hole emerges where Glorious Crusader once stood, expanding with each passing second and threatening to suck both Wes and Yuri into its massive eye. Rui stands still as she feels her body overcome by this mysterious presence as if she has been swallowed whole by a flood.
Then, she lifts her head into the air and speaks.
"Legendary fallen guardian of the first paradise!" Rui and the second voice booms, causing the ground to quake. "The time has come for thee to execute divine punishment upon the wayward souls of humanity once more! Unleash thy flaming sword of vengeance and smite the enemies of holiness with thy righteous indignation! DARK XYZ SHOKAN! RANK NEGATIVE 8! BRING FORTH THE GARDEN OF EDEN ONTO THE DUEL, EARTHBOUND DISCIPLE GEO CHERUBIM!"
Then, a new card appears on her deck. Unlike the black card that designates an Xyz Monster, with the stars indicating its level displayed on the left, this card is translucent and its white stars are on the right like all other monsters.
And then, the monster emerges.
Rising from the black hole is a gargantuan angel forged from steel. Its wings are shattered into three segments and covered in metallic armor, its face covered by a steel helmet with seven spokes representing one of the seven sins. Multitude of white-lines criss-cross against its body like a net. In its hands is a massive claymore that, when the metal angel raises the weapon into the air, ignites with a flame great enough to burn down an entire city. Black crystals are embedded on its wings, its forehead, its arms, over its heart, on the blade of the burning sword.
"What in the name of…" Wes mutters.
Rui's eyes glow as she states, "My Earthbound Disciple gains 1000 attack and defense points for every Overlay Unit attached to it and I count nine!"
The angel raises its sword to the heavens, the flames like a miniature sun as all nine black crystals radiate with the light. (?/? -) 9000/9000)
"And for every Overlay Unit I detach from it and an offering to Banish a card from the field or in our graveyards, I can cut your lifepoints in half! And I shall unleash this effect seven times! One for each and every sin that you carry deep within that wretched soul of yours!"
Appearing on Rui's right wrist is a glorious chain bracelet made of silver and gold, with several links dangling around it so charms can be fixed into it.
"You can see the sins in people's souls…" Wes whispers. "Rui...does he honestly carry that much sin inside?"
Rui does not answer the question as she is too busy reading Yuri's aura. It shines in a kaleidoscope of colors only visible to her, threatening to suffocate Yuri in its presence if not stopped soon enough.
"The time has come!" she and the second voice (now identified as that of the Earthbound Disciple on the field). "Yuri, you shall be the first step in purifying the darkness that lies in the hearts of Domino Below! And you will be my first step in uncovering those who let me DIE!"
Wes watches in horror as Rui lowers her hands, no longer looking like the sweet and demure girl who laughed at his secret love of girly anime but now a harsh judge sent from the heavens ready to bring about Rapture.
"For the Lust that makes you have undisclosed desires in your heart," Rui chants, eyes glowing with an intense blue light. "I ask of thee...repent!"
The Overlay Unit on the monster's forehead shatters and Yuri's Polymerization is ejected out of the graveyard. The attack strikes Yuri and, as it does, a stream of blue energy escapes from his heart and forms a charm of a blue rose onto the silver chain bracelet on Rui's wrist. As for Yuri, he can only gasp in pain, feeling the flames burn against his skin as he falls to the ground.
Next, Rui's eyes darken to an indigo color. "For the Gluttony that makes you hunger and consume all that you see in order to fill a bottomless stomach. I ask of thee...repent!"
The Overlay Unit on its right wing goes next, along with Yuri's Wonder Clover Spell Card. Before Yuri can even stand up, the sword slices him again and he howls in agony while indigo energy envelops Rui's wrist. The charm that forms this time is a small indigo fish.
Then, Rui's eyes shine orange. "For the Greed in your soul that fills you with an ambition for power. I ask of thee... repent!"
The third Overlay Unit on its right hand shatters and Predaplant Moray Nepenthes is Banished. Yuri doesn't even have time to lift a finger as the attack strikes him and an orange stream of energy is pulled towards Rui. This time, the charm is colored orange and shaped like a small bird..
Rui's eyes then fade into a pale yellow. "For the Despair that weighs your heart down and wishes to drag others into the same depths you have suffered. I ask of thee...repent!"
Then the Overlay Unit on the left wing disintegrates along with Predaplant Sarracenia. The Cherubim raises Yuri rises into the air with its sword, before the purple haired boy slams onto the ground painfully, burn marks appearing on his face as yellow energy slithers towards Rui's wrist. The fourth charm is that of a bright yellow sun.
Immediately after, Rui's eyes turn into a shade of red like the color of blood. "For the Wrath you unleash on the innocent and the wanton destruction you form. I ask of thee...repent!"
The Overlay Unit on the left arm is crushed and so is Predaplant Squid Drosera. Wes turns away this time, but he cannot unhear Yuri's screams and the sound of one, two, maybe three bones being broken from Geo Cherubim's sword. He looks back onto the field when the only thing he can hear is a low hum and watches as crimson strings of light makes a fifth charm that resembles a red spider-web.
Rui's eyes then darken to a shade of green like the trim of her black clothes. "For the Envy that makes you hate those who have what you desire the most. I ask of thee...repent!"
The Overlay Unit over its heart explodes and so does Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio. Wes feels tears forming in his eyes as the monster slices through Yuri's shoulder and green energy wraps around the blade before spiraling around Rui's wrist. The green light transforms into two green leaves.
And last, Rui's eyes become an eerie violet color as she grits her teeth. "And last, for the Pride that creates this arrogant facade of a general. I ask of thee...REPENT!"
And an Overlay Unit on the flaming sword and Rui's Rank-Up Magic Paragon Force fade away as the monster unleashes one more attack onto the weakened boy, slamming against his bloody, battered, beaten and bruised body. Wisps of purple light forming around Rui's wrist, forming a pair of violet wings.
"Now, you are clean," Rui proclaims, seeing Yuri collapse onto the ground, bleeding, body filled with pain, and a look of absolute terror in his eyes.
"Oh Grimm…" Wes whispers, noticing how low Yuri's lifepoints are compared to Rui. Never has he seen a duelist with lifepoints this close to zero before. Hell, even he never unleashed that much agony onto his opponents.
Something is wrong, that he knows for sure.
"And now, you are ready," Rui says, with a smile of that of a caring mother as Geo Cherubim lays the sword next to Yuri's neck. "With this, I begin the first step to get rid of Academia and all who wanted me to be used as a figurehead for their twisted plans!"
At this proclamation, Yuri slowly stands up. Despite his clothes covered in cuts and the pain that courses through his sore body and how freaked out he is over seeing this girl unleash retribution onto something that he didn't even do, he manages to smile at her.
"How are you going to attack?" he asks. "By using up all of those Overlay Units, your great Servant is too weak now! You can't use it to attack me!"
It is true; Geo Cherubim only has two Overlay Units on its sword now. (2000/2000)
Rui pauses and closes her eyes. Then she sighs and admits, "You're right. In fact, I won't attack you with my monster."
Yuri chuckles, before he bursts out in maniacal laughter at the act of mercy. Despite all of the pain he is going through, he cannot help but find this hilarious.
"Too afraid to attack me after everything you did?" he sneers. "You go so far as to attack me but having too soft a heart to unleash the killing blow. What an utter hypocrite you are to have the gall to say something like that to me - "
"You didn't let me finish," Rui interrupts, before she opens her eyes and her lips curl into a smile. "I won't attack you directly with my monster; instead, I shall attack you directly with yours."
Yuri's magenta eyes widen, and so do Wes's golden ones. "Wait, what?!" both shout.
"I activate my Spell Card, Hymn of the Earthbound Disciples!" Rui shouts.
She plays a Spell Card onto her Duel Disk, depicting a Continuous Spell Card of several black robed figure singing, their heads lifted towards the heavens. Behind them is an ominous bust carved from obsidian, showing a figure wearing a mask carved with hieroglyphics on one side.
"This card can only be used when I have an 'Earthbound Servant' on the field. With this, I can take control of any monster you control that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck. Guess who I'm taking control of, and the first two don't. count."
And for the first time in Yuri's life, the purple-haired boy is filled with the type of fright one has when seeing everything around you collapse and you have nowhere to run.
Relishing the look of fear on the boy's face, Rui clasps her hands in prayer, lifts her head and sings a solid note. It waves slightly before it reaches a piercing crescendo that causes Starving Venom Fusion Dragon to screech in pain as it tries to resist the siren's song…
But after a few seconds of this useless struggle, it flies towards Rui's side of the field and nuzzles her cheek. She giggles at the display of affection and scratches it underneath its chin.
"My...monster... " Yuri gasps out, voice broken. "Even you would leave me in the end…"
"Once someone has seen the light, they will leave the darkness and never look back!" Rui states. "Your monster has realized that the suffering you have caused is unforgivable and its first step to redeeming itself is to purify you, its master, and make you follow the path of redemption!
"So now, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon...attack your former master directly!"
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon opens its mouth and the orbs decorating its massive body begin to glow, building in power as Yuri stares on. He looks neither angry or afraid...instead, he just stares off into the distance, oblivious to the satisfied look on Rui's face and the look of horror on Wes's.
"Okay, Rui. You made your point!" Wes shouts in his mind. "You're going to kill him!"
When Rui doesn't answer, and watches the Fusion Dragon on her side of the field prepare its attack, Wes pulls out a card from one of the pockets of his coat (a coat that cost him at least six months of saving) and inspects it: Kunai with Chain. With a bit of concentration, the weapon from said card appears and he throws it towards Rui. Just as it nears her arm, Rui turns around and grabs the chain before breaking it into pieces with a tight grip.
"Wes, what are you doing?" she asks. "I'm about to win!"
"You're about to murder someone!" Wes replies. "You got your revenge, now end the duel!"
"Not yet…" Rui hisses, clenching her teeth. "Not YET!"
Thinking fast, Wes rushes towards the field and stands in front of Yuri, just as Starving Venom Fusion Dragon unleashes its attack. Rui's eyes widen when she realizes what's happening.
"Wes!" she screams. "NO!"
Wes can only scream in agony when the attack hits, feeling like the poisonous breath is burning his skin. He drops to his knees as the attack fades, smoke rising from his body as he looks at Rui and her two monsters with black eyes. The expression on his face isn't of anger. Rather, it is a combination of hurt, betrayal and disappointment.
"Is this what you wanted?" he snarls. "Is it, Rui?!"
"N...no, this isn't…" Rui stammers, eyes reverting to their original blue color. Tears form in her eyes as she adds, "I...I didn't...it..wasn't…"
Wes says nothing as he turns to Yuri, who has said nothing since Rui took his dragon away. The older boy places a hand on Yuri's forehead, hoping to hear something, anything, that would ensure that he's mentally safe..
But instead of hearing a voice, Wes recoils his hand back and places both of his hands on his ears.
"Stop, stop it now!"
"Please, someone...Father! Save us!"
"Burn, burn everything down! Down to ashes and let everything suffer my despair!"
"Father! FATHER!"
"Agh!" Wes shouts, taking a step back. "These...these voices. Ugh, get out of my head!"
"Wes, what's wrong?" asks Rui, deactivating her Duel Disk. As the Duel Monsters and clouds disappear, she approaches Wes. "What are you hearing?"
"Voices...voices crying out for help," Wes answers, panting for breath. "Now, I'm seeing four boys crying out for their father to save them, angry mobs, destruction raining all about, roaring dragons…"
Rui turns to the shell-shocked Yuri. "Do you think it involves that memory we saw?"
"Maybe, but it's hard to tell. And I hear the sounds of motorcycles…" Wes blinks. "Wait...that's not from Yuri, that's from…"
He turns around and, using his new vision, he sees three figures approaching them, all of them wearing the same grey uniform and white helmets.
Security.
"Shit, not now!" Wes curses. "Rui, take Yuri as far away as you can. After I finish these stooges off, I'll find you."
"A...are you sure?" asks Rui, carefully lifting Yuri into her arms, doing her best not to crush him with her newfound strength. Looking at him now, Yuri looks so small, so scared, so broken.
Wes turns to her, trying to ignore all of the blood, cuts, bruises and absolutely blank and distant look on Yuri's face, and flashes Rui a comforting smile. "We're undead now, remember? Besides, they haven't seen what we can do."
Rui hesitates before smiling and nodding her head. Closing her eyes, her black attire transforms to what she was wearing prior to her death. Then, when she opens her eyes again, they are bright blue crystals. "All right, Wes. But please, don't become like me...or rather, don't do what I almost did to Yuri. Okay?"
Wes chuckles, a wide grin on his face as his blue coat darkens into a black color, the lines of the left sleeve glowing violet. The white line on his face bleeds to a crimson shade as he says, "As you wish, princess."
Rui blushes at the nickname before she runs off. Wes takes the time to see her become a small dot in the distance before he draw his cards. As he looks at the types of monsters he has received, a part of him can't help but smile at the artwork, as if the darkness that resurrected him could help bring about his deepest desires in card form. He makes a mental note to ask Mikuri about this later on.
"Halt!" says one of the Security officers as he and the other two stop their D-Wheels ten feet away from Wes. He has a badge that labels him as 'A113'. "You are under arrest!"
"...For what?" asks Wes, raising an eyebrow.
"For the crimes you committed as part of Team Snagem!" says the officer known as 'B12'. "We heard that you were the one responsible for destroying your own hideout and for attacking an innocent victim."
"I just signed my resignation papers and if hugging counts for 'attacking' an innocent victim then why not do that for every single child who wraps their arms around their parents tight?"
"DON'T GET COCKY WITH US!" says the last officer, 'C4'. As he says this, the three approach the black coat wearing teen and activate their Duel Disks. "We've been watching you for a while, kid. And we think you might be useful in helping in wiping all of this 'Satellite scum' off the face of the Earth."
Wes narrows his eyes; once again, the idea of cleansing Satellite appears. Best to mention that to Mikuri later.
"I don't give a damn about what you Security sycophants want to do with Satellite, and I want nothing to do with Security at all!" Wes exclaims, eyes glowing with an indigo light. "Fight me, assholes! Let's go for a ride!"
Then, Wes's shadow begins to stretch and rise into the air before it crashes down on the boy like a wave. The Security officers look in horror as the outline of a whale briefly appears before Wes stretches out his arms and screams,
"IT'S SHOWTIME!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Acolyte
Dark/Level 1/Winged Beast/Effect/200 ATK/100 DEF
Effect: You can discard this card from your hand: Set 1 "Rank-Up" Spell Card or "Salvation Seraphim" Spell/Trap Card from your deck. If this card is in your graveyard, you can discard 1 card to target one Winged-Beast type Xyz Monster you control: attach this card to that target as an Xyz Material (You can only use that effect of "Salvation Seraphim Acolyte" once per turn)/
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Priestess
Dark/Level 3/Winged Beast/Effect/1200 ATK/1000 DEF
Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can excavate the top three cards of your deck. Add 1 "Salvation Seraphim" monster to your hand and send all other excavated cards to the graveyard.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Healer
Dark/Level 3/Winged Beast/Effect/100 ATK/1000 DEF
Effect: If you control a "Salvation Seraphim" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. (You can only summon one "Salvation Seraphim Healer" once per turn with this effect). Once per turn, you can send the top card from your deck to your graveyard; Special Summon one "Salvation Seraphim" monster from your graveyard
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Saint
Dark/Level 3/Winged Beast/Effect/1400 ATK/700 DEF
Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add one "Rank-Up" Spell Card from your deck or graveyard to your hand. Once per turn, you can send three cards from your deck to the graveyard. Destron 1 Spell/Trap card on the field, up to the number of "Salvation Seraphim" monsters sent to the graveyard with this effect.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Brave Crusader
Light/Rank 3/Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect/1200 ATK/1000 DEF
Effect: [2 or more (Max. 5) Level 3 monsters] If this card is Xyz Summoned successfully, attach all "Salvation Seraphim" monsters in your graveyard as Xyz Material. This card gains 100 ATK and DEF for every Xyz Material attached to itself. Once per turn, if you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can detach any number of Xyz Materials on this card. Inflict 100 points of damage to opponent's LP for each card detached for this effect.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim
Light/Rank 3/Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect/1600 ATK/2000 DEF
Effect: [2 Level 3 monsters] Cannot be destroyed by battle while you have no monsters in your graveyard. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to excavate the top three cards of your deck. Add all "Salvation Seraphim" monsters to your hand and return all other cards excavated by this effect to the top of your deck in any order.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Honored Crusader
Light/Rank 3/Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect/1600 ATK/2000 DEF
Effect: [2 or more (Max. 5) Level 5 monsters] If this card is Xyz Summoned successfully, attach all "Salvation Seraphim" monsters in your graveyard as Xyz Material. This card gains the effect of each "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz monster attached to it as Xyz Material. If this card destroys a monster in battle, you can banish 2 Xyz Materials attached to this card: This card can make an additional attack on a monster your opponent controls.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Inspired Crusader
Light/Rank 3/Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect/1600 ATK/2000 DEF
Effect: [2 or more (Max. 5) Level 4 monsters] If this card is Xyz Summoned successfully, attach all "Salvation Seraphim" monsters in your graveyard as Xyz Material. This card gains the effect of each "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz monster attached to it as Xyz Material. If this card battles a monster, negate that monster's effects and decrease its ATK and DEF by 100 for each of this card's Xyz Materials at the end of the damage step.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Glorious Crusader
Light/Rank 8/Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect/3000 ATK/2800 DEF
Effects unrevealed
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor
Light/Rank 1/Winged Beast/Xyz/Effect/1000 ATK/300 DEF
Effects unrevealed
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim
Light/Rank -8/Fairy/Dark Xyz/Effect/0 ATK/0 DEF
Effect: [3 Level -8 Monsters] This card's original ATK and DEF are each equal to the number of Dark Xyz Materials attached to this card x1000. You can banish 1 Dark Xyz Material and 1 card on the field or in each player's graveyard: Halve your opponent's LP.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Sanctified Realm
Field Spell
Effect: This card's effect is not applied to players who do not control a monster(s) that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck or who have a monster(s) in their respective graveyard. Players take no damage. Each card a player controls cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once per turn. Once per turn, the turn player can add 1 Spell/Trap Card from their deck to their hand but that card cannot be Set or activated on the turn this effect is activated.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force
Continuous Spell
Image: A pillar of light with the two "S" symbols of the Salvation Seraphim monsters on its left and right.
Effect: If a "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster is Xyz Summoned to your side of the field, you can activate this effect: attach 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck to this card as Xyz Material. If you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can tribute this card to target 1 Xyz Monster you control. Xyz Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is up to 2 Ranks higher than that target's rank, using that target as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target becomes Xyz Materials to the summoned monster).
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Rank-Up-Magic Seraphim Force
Quick-play Spell
Image: A pair of golden "S"s with wings on their sides.
Effect: Target 1 Xyz Monster you control. Xyz Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 or 2 Ranks higher than that target's rank, using that target as the Xyz Material (Xyz Materials attached to that target becomes Xyz Materials to the summoned monster).
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Rank-Up-Magic Paragon Force
Quick-play Spell
Image: The "S" symbols of Salvation Seraphim but with silver wings, smaller wings at their tails and ten gold orbs embedded into them.
Effect: Target 1 Xyz Monster you control. Xyz Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is up to 4 Ranks higher than that target's rank, using that target as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target becomes Xyz Materials to the summoned monster).
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Rank-Down-Trap Judgment Force
Normal Trap
Image: A large golden scale with one tray filled with glowing Overlay Units and another try filled with an equal amount of black crystals.
Effect: Target 1 Xyz Monster on the field. Dark Xyz Summon 1 Dark Xyz monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is equal to the rank of the target times -1, using that target as Dark Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target becomes Dark Xyz Materials to the summoned monster).
Note: The proceeding cards were created by Donjusticia and first appeared in his fanfic "Signs of Renewal". Used with permission.
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Hymn of the Earthbound Disciples
Continuous Spell
Image: Seven black cloaked figures rising into the air in song while the black bust of a masked figure looks on.
Effect: You can only activate this card as long as you have one "Earthbound Disciple" on the field. Target one monster your opponent controls from the Extra Deck and take control of it. When this card is destroyed, return control of that monster back to your opponent.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Next time: Wes uses his new deck in a three against one duel while Rui tries to find someone who can help save Yuri from his delirium and keep him safe from whoever wants him dead. But even then, their troubles are only beginning.
"Hysteria" coming soon.