A Song from the Divines

by TheSingingSword

[Rewrite] The story of a boy named Yuri, who is taken from all that he knows and loves into a world where he must rule as High King and wield the God Cards to bring peace to the continent of Termnnia. But his task will not be an easy one, for he is surrounded by foes looking to take away his crown by any means necessary. [AU-Fantasy]

57. The Union of the Kings

Yugi

---

A gust of wind from the west told him that his guest had arrived. A portal opened and a hooded figure walked out. He knelt upon seeing Yugi, leaning against a chainlink fence on top of a building overlooking a bright and colorful city.

"Hey, there you are," he said, getting off the fence. "That didn't take a lot of time."

The hooded figure got up. "You should learn the art of teleportation, Master. It's much better than traveling on horseback."

Yugi shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of it. Besides, I can't level up if I teleport all over the place, huh?"

"Do you have the cards?" the hooded figure asked.

Yugi looked around nervously and nodded. "I do but...I don't want him getting into any trouble with his father."

"You let me worry about the old man. Yuri needs every advantage he can get. The Neo Rare Hunters have arrived in Aquarius."

"Then it's just as I feared," Yugi said with a sigh. He took out two cards, wrapped in aluminum foil, and handed them to him. "I was hoping he would use these at the Academy, but those Neo Rare Hunters are bad news. You do realize that if Yuri is going to get these new cards, we're going to have to release a new set, right?"

"Seto Kaiba can pay for it," said the figure, pocketing the cards. "We need a hundred more monsters and spells. These cards will no doubt boost the power of the Black Tyranno, correct."

"Correct. As I said, I was hoping he would use them at a later time. But if the situation is dire that he would need these, so be it. Antilles bends the law to his will, so I guess I better start doing the same as well."

The figure bowed his head then turned, activating a portal to Yuri's world.

"Wait," said Yugi.

The figure stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Take good care of him. He's our only hope. Please."

"He's in good hands. You just worry about forging your Alliance, Master." He walked into the portal and disappeared.

---

Alexandra

---

"Have you any last words?" Alexandra asked the babbling thieves.

They were on their knees, arms tied to their backs while in a smoldering pit in the middle of a field of green grass shielded by forests and the Great White Mountains. The sun was up and the sky was as blue as the eyes of their killer, Alexandra Von Klaus.

She had a cape in the likeness of Hyozanryu - the diamond dragon - fastened over her silvery-white leotard. A tasset of the same fashion was around her hips with a bow in the back.

"Mercy! Mercy!" one of them sobbed.

"Should have thought of that before you slit that beggar's throat," Alexandra said to the pleading thief. "Was a measly three Star Chips worth all this?"

She took a step back and even felt audacious enough to fix her curls as if she wanted to look her best before the men before her were seared into oblivion by her beast, who was drinking from the small pond near the pit. His name was Bruton, her Des Volstgalph - a dragon-type Duel Monster, and the last in the House of Dragonheart. Alexandra got him as a birthday present when she was very young, and formed a loving bond with the beast over the years. The dragon stomped towards the thieves and bathed them in flames. They all screamed and flailed their arms and crawled on the ground as they tried to put out the flames with no luck. Alexandra smiled as her dragon began to devour them one by one.

"I see you're having a good time," Antilles said marching down to the execution pit where she stood.

"Uncle!" Alexandra cried out happily. She dashed towards him and embraced him in a long hug. She nuzzled his chest. "I'm so happy to see you."

He bowed his head and kissed the top of her head. He got a whiff of her cherry-scented blonde hair. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Lighting up my candles," Alexandra replied looking back at the burning thieves. There were twenty-one of them.

"Ah, of course, happy birthday, my sweet."

"And the same to you, Uncle," Alexandra said with a bright smile, despite the horrid wails of torment coming from within the flames. She and Antilles shared the same birthday together. October the nineteenth.

Antilles put his arm over her shoulder and led her away from the fire pit. Bruton picked up another charred thief and devoured him with one mighty gulp. Seeing that pleased him greatly.

To know that his beloved niece had inherited the same ruthlessness he had. Beauty as well as brutality. He leaned over her head and sniffed her hair before he kissed the top of her head.

"My, my, my. Twenty-one years old. I remember when you were a baby angel running through the flowery fields of Bell Hills. Now, you are a woman, ready to show the world what she is made of. I know you grow tired of me saying this but, I have had many wonderful gifts on my name day, but you will forever be the greatest and most beautiful birthday present I ever received."

Alexandra giggled and politely tilted her head the other way just to let him know it was bothering her. "Thank you, uncle. Oh my, and you turn fifty this day. My, you're halfway done with your life cycle."

Despite being far away from the dragon and its carnage, Antilles could see the Des Volstgalp's flames making her tear-filled eyes glisten.

"Why do you weep, child?"

Alexandra sniffled. She looked away and wiped away her tears with the back of her head. The last thing she wanted was her uncle seeing her cry. Not after that terrifying display she showed earlier. She had to come up with an excuse to hide her sorrow from him. And she wanted to keep her encounter with Prince Hector hidden.

"I'm not…it's just my allergies."

Antilles, being a man who knew his niece like the back of his hand, already supposed that there was something wrong and he pressed on and on until she broke. "Darling if something troubles you, speak."

"No," Alexandra said, blushing until her face turned bright pink. "I cannot..."

They were suddenly approached by men in leather armor and cloaks. There was a symbol engraved on a diamond-shaped plate on their shoulders. They wore wide-brimmed hats with red feathers sticking out of a gold band. They had black masks over their eyes and their armor was layered with iron stubs.

Antilles knew there was something very wrong with them. They were not friendly. First off, their cocky grins spelled trouble. Secondly, they were within the walls of the palace. They would not have been allowed unless the guards allowed them to, meaning they must have snuck in.

Those damn fools at the gates. He would deal with them later.

And thirdly, he recognized the red rooster with the crossed rapiers behind it. They were a band of Dueling Mercenaries known as the Knights of Chanticleer. He heard stories of their malice and the barbarism against opponents whom they've been hired to defeat.

"There she is!" said the awfully stout leader. He pointed dramatically at her. "She's the one. The one Lord Cullen was talking about."

Antilles stepped in front of his niece. "What are you lot doing here?" he shouted.

"Out of the way, old man!" shouted the leader. He let out a loud burp. He pounded his chest to control the gas in his chest. "Ahem, pardon me. You'd best stay out of our way if you know what's good for you. That girl. Our quarrel is with her. She's the property of Lord Cullen."

"Property?" Antilles retorted in disgust. "What sort of swine are you? She's a girl! A Princess of Termnnia! More importantly, she's my niece. You have a lot of nerve talking about her that way in front of me. As the King of Dragonrock, I order you to leave. Property!" He spat. "She belongs to no one. On what grounds does this Lord Cullen bastard think he owns her?"

The man pounded his chest again but could not hold back the burp. "Apologies, Your Grace. Regardless of who you are, we do not take orders from you. Our orders come from those who can pay us. The girl allowed herself to be put up as a prize in a gauntlet match in Rassay. Lord Cullen won her fair and square. But then, your brother arrived and took her."

Antilles looked back at his niece and shook his head. "What have I told you of allowing men to view you as a prize to be won?"

Alexandra rubbed her shoulder awkwardly and looked away, feeling embarrassed to be scolded in front of total strangers.

"What are you some trinket?" Antilles continued to yell at her. "Do you honestly have no respect for yourself?"

"It matters not," said the knight. "A deal is a deal. She allowed herself to be put on the line and our client won her. However, your brother's interference took her away. Lord Cullen is not a patient man, and he wants her back now. As I said before, Your Grace, only those with the proper amount of gold can tell us what to do. Unless you can counter the little Lord's offer of a million Star Chips, we'll make our leave."

"I wouldn't give either of your honorless mercenaries a copper penny," Antilles hissed through his teeth. "If you want her, you'll have to Duel me for her."

"You mean to tell us that you can Duel, old man?" said the leader with another burp. "So be it. This will be an easy victory. But, if you intend to keep your niece, you have to defeat all of us. And that's going to be no easy task, lemme tell you that much. You have a lot of guts, King Antilles, but there's nothing you have in your deck that can beat me, let alone my friends. So why don't you save yourself the humiliation and just surrender the girl?"

"Are you going to just stand there all day? Or are you going to Duel?" Antilles asked, holding up his hand. His royal signet flashed and turned into a Duel Disk that looked like a membranous dragon wing made of solid gold and red glass. "I'll let you start first," said Antilles. "Hurry up!"

The knight chuckled and activated his Duel Disk, engraved with the red rooster of their guild. "I play the Spell Card, Hieratic Seal of Conviction, which allows me to add a card to my hand. Next, I summon, Hieratic Dragon of Nuit in attack mode!"

ATK/1700 DEF/900

"Next," he continued, "I cast the spell, Dragon Shrine, sending a dragon from my deck to the Graveyard. At the cost of four-thousand of my Life Points, I can Special Summon the dragon I discarded. Hold on to your heart, old man, for here comes Destrudo the Lost Dragon Frisson! And since I targeted Nuit with his effect, I'm allowed to Special Summon Yamatano Dragon Scroll. And next, I will tribute Nuit and Destrudo for a Link Summon! Behold, Crystron Glassfiber (ATK 1500)! This monster allows me to call on another Dragon Scroll and I'll use both my dragon scrolls to Link Summon Pistythe Guardragon (ATK 1000) and Elphy the Guardragon who allows me to summon the mighty Tri-Horned Dragon!"

The knight and his men laughed. "What's the matter, gramps? Too fast for you?"

"So you can Link Summon!" Alexandra shouted, angered at their lack of respect for her Lord-Uncle. "It matters not. He's a King of Termnnia, so show some respect!"

"This won't take long, my sweet," Antilles said as calm as ever so he could soothe her anger. "Link Summoning isn't the only way to summon strong monsters. Stay calm, form a big smile for me, and allow me to demonstrate. I expect you to tell me everything after I've beaten this fool."

Alexandra did as she was told and stepped back. "Yes, Uncle."

Antilles' deck was built on the Phantom Knights archetype. And he knew how to use them well. For all that talk of speed, Antilles started to prove that the brash mercenary's skills were slower than his own.

He made a Link Summon of his own in no time at all.

"I Link Summon the Phantom Knights of Rusty Bardiche!" he shouted, summoning his shadowy knight carrying a massive battle axe in hand.

But he was not done.

Antilles used effect after effect and spell after spell until he was able to bring out two of his trusty Phantom Knights, which he overlayed to Xyz Summon the Phantom Knights who would spell doom for the fool and his friends.

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword

ATK/2000 DEF/1000

RANK 3

He used The Phantom Knights of Break Sword's effect to destroy Crystron Glassfiber. That ultimately destroyed the Phantom Knights of Break Sword, but Special Summoned the two monsters he made to create it. Now, he could unleash his ultimate beast.

"I overlay my Phantom Knights to create the dragon of rebellion who will punish you fools. Come forth, Rank 4 - Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

"There it is!" Alexandra shouted, clasping her hands together and beaming at the violet portal above the playing field that summoned the monster that became the heirloom of House Dragonheart, along with her uncle Peter's Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

But this monster was by far Alexandra's favorite. She had heard of her uncle's dragon for years but never got the chance to see it in all her years. She remembered a glimpse of it at a banquet, but she was still just a baby when it was summoned.

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon spread its odd wings and let out an ear-piercing screech.

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon

ATK/2500 DEF/2000

Rank 4

Antilles had great fun tormenting the poor knight with is Dragon, especially with the abilities it had. At the cost of one of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's materials, he could drain half the ATK points of one monster and add it to his own. But he would save that effect for later.

When he had his fun, Antilles used a Rank-Up spell that transformed Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon into another beast.

Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon. But it didn't stay for long, for Antilles ranked it up again to transform it into its most supreme form.

"Now, you will know the true power of House Dragonheart," Antilles whispered coldly as the poor knight begged for mercy.

His companions - little did he know - had run away after Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's first form rose to the top of the charts.

And now, to see it transformed into another more frightening beast, they did not wish to find out what abilities it had.

Dark Anthelion Dragon

ATK/3000 DEF/2500

Like it's previous form, Dark Anthelion Dragon robbed a monster of half its points to add it to its own. And he chose the power of the Tri-Horned Dragon.

The poor creature was suddenly bound by ropes of violet-colored energy which drained his strength and added it to the rebellion dragon's strength. To further torment the knight, Antilles removed the last to do it again, raising Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's attack higher.

"It's over five-thousand points!" cried Alexandra. "Uncle! It's unstoppable!"

And Dark Anthelion Dragon had more Xyz Material to spare. Antilles kept zapping points from every one of his foe's monsters until he had what he needed to end him with one final blow.

When the Duel was won, he ordered the knight to tell Lord Cullen that if he ever bothered his niece again, there would be war. The knight babbled and ran away, screaming for help. Dark Anthelion Dragon let out one last roar before it disappeared.

Alexandra approached her uncle slowly, amazed by the powerful beast he wielded with great efficiency.

"Uncle, you were amazing!" she cried.

"Yes," Antilles reluctantly agreed, putting his cards away. "Now, will you tell me what's bothering you? I believe you owe me an explanation. But first, a little warning. If I ever hear that you put yourself up as some prize to be won again, not only will I bend you over my knee and wallop you until you never sit again, but I will tear your acceptance to Duelist Academy to shreds. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Uncle," Alexandra said bashfully, biting her lip at the thought of her over the knee of a king and at his mercy. But, she worked very hard to earn her place at the academy, so she chose to obey his orders and behave.

"Will you tell me what happened now?" Antilles asked.

"Not here," Alexandra said, taking her uncle farther into the fields towards the forest of Elkar.

"It's Father," she said finally as they entered the forests at the root of the mountain. "He's whored me off to the next person who sits on the Diamond Throne. Be it Yuri or his disgraceful cousin, Prince Hector."

They followed a dirt path lined with stones into a small clearing with a pond. They stopped and looked at the dark greenish water as they talked.

"I understand you had the displeasure of meeting young Hector," Antilles said, giving Alexandra a small brick of chocolate, kept cool from the Western heat in an enchanted bandolier that was strapped over his outfit of leather and steel.

Alexandra took it and ate the treat.

"He saw me naked, uncle!" She chewed the sweet candy. "Had the audacity to spy on me as a bathed in my favorite swimming hole in the caves. I want his head for that, but Father has his lips pressed to the little bastard's backside, so I can't harm him. And if I don't follow his wishes, and marry him, or Daveed, he threatened to disavow me from the House. Possibly even send me to work in the mines. I mean nothing to him. Just a token to bring his line into the Diamond Throne."

"Your father is an overzealous man," said Antilles. He paused, noticing Alexandra adjusting the back of her leotard with a snap. He continued. "He is only looking out for the best interests of his House. But there is nothing left for him save you, your sisters and his Mana Crystals. Of which I must ask, do you know how many Mana Crystals have been harvested from the mines in the Black Keep?"

"I don't know about these matters, Uncle."

"Here, take a guess with this card."

He held up a Millennium Shield.

"The number is in the monster. Take a guess."

"Surely it's his defense points," said Alexandra.

Antilles merely stared at her and said nothing.

"The stars?" Alexandra asked.

Antilles, still, said nothing.

The Millennium Shield's attack was 0.

"That can't be."

"The mine of the Black Keep ran dry a year ago," said Antilles. "Now without the production of Mana Crystals for Duel Disks, your father has nothing, save a monstrous debt to the Big Five."

"You can't be serious. My father was actually foolish enough to take a loan from the Termnnian Bank?"

"He did. He owes the Great Termnnian Bank a tremendous amount of Star Chips."

"How much?"

"As I have said, a tremendous amount."

"I'm not surprised he stooped so low," said Alexandra. "Father was not a very rich man despite our kingdom's size. He begged you to fund his own campaign to find those damned golden eggs. Did you ever see the eggs, uncle?"

"I did," said Antilles. "With my own two eyes. They were the size of apples when I saw Lady Andelera Pendragon; the last living decedent of Tiberius the Uniter, bring them to her husband, Ser Argrave Plantegrast."

"I heard she was very beautiful."

"Beyond beautiful," said Antilles. "Oh, my dear Alexandra, so great was her beauty that both man and woman fought for her heart. My father was one of them."

"So he started the rebellion for a pretty face and four golden eggs?"

"Yes, he was not the smartest man alive, but he knew how to rally people. His voice united all of Emboldor to fight against the Plantegrasts. Whatever was in those eggs was enough for one to claim lordship over the land despite the God Cards."

"What were they? The eggs I mean."

"I don't know, my sweet. But whatever they were, they seemed to have enough power in them to spook even the Sisterhood. So frightened of the eggs was Denethon the Black Mage, that he sent one of those femme fatales to the keep where Andelera hid. A feeble act, for no one hides from the Sisterhood. But Denethon could not find the eggs, for Ser Agrave and Andelera were not foolish enough to hide such a treasure in their own home."

"Where did they hide them then?"

"In a vault all the way in the peaks of the Great White Mountains. Ser Argrave was so overcome with grief over the loss of his wife that he left the eggs unguarded as he vanished into the night and was never seen again. That's when my father found the eggs. With them in his possession, he had all he needed to storm Rassay and murder the Plantegrasts. Then that self-righteous fool, Antar of House Wallcroft, the cadet branch of the Plantegrasts, led the fight with Yugi Muto and Gabriel the Black. It was my task to hide the eggs before they stormed into the keep to claim them, but then that wench who smelled of strawberries entered the keep and swiped them away before I could take them out of the castle."

"Wench?"

"A woman, said to be Yugi Muto's lover. She took the eggs to a hidden location in the Dragon Lands. After Antar was crowned king, and we were taken out of power, the woman deemed it was safe to move them back to Rassay."

"And that's when the Orcs and the Naralians attacked."

"Yes," said Antilles. "Then the earthquake shook the land and the eggs were lost in the chaos. Then, just a couple of months later, another object of power was born."

"Prince Yuri!" gasped Alexandra.

"Yes."

"Well, such a shame those eggs were never claimed. I could very well be out of this situation. Does he really intend to sell me off to Prince Hector?"

"Oh yes, he is confident the alliance with Prince Hector will get him what he wants, and that is all of Emboldor at his whim. With all those Star Chips and resources, and a daughter married to the High King, he will have enough to pay back the Big Five and then some."

"So, he's just selling me away to clear his debt."

"Don't bend yourself over to his throbbing ego, my sweet. Remember he is married to my sister, so the blood of House Dragonheart flows through your veins. My blood. Hector is nothing but a pawn in my game. I would never have my beloved niece marry the likes of him."

"A pawn? Uncle, are you sure you want to play with House Delgado like this?"

"House Delgado is a powerful family here in the West thanks to their blood ties with Norman the Conqueror. But despite this, it is a House of fools. Their greed and arrogance caused the bloodline to be polluted with bastards, who in turn plagued Termnnia in a decades-long civil war. People revolted against them for years because of the Delgado's incompetence. They had their chance to return to power when Daveed was born, but they were angered that he was born from a woman who wasn't the bride they choose for Gabriel the Black to marry. They named him a bastard and disavowed him from the family. But when High King Antar adopted him, and the child became the new Prince of Termnnia, the family had a change of heart. Yugi Muto denied them their request to take the child back into their house. And now with the legend of these Ancient Beasts coming out, they feel they have their chance to reclaim what's theirs with Hector."

"Ancient Beasts?" Alexandra looked up at her uncle. "The Shadow Lady talked about them. What are they?"

"I don't know, dearheart," said Antilles.

He knelt to the ground and picked up a stone and threw it into the pond. "All that history tells us of them is that they are the first monsters sent by Horakhty to help Norman the Conqueror fight against Zorc when he first set foot into Termnnia in the dawn of the First Age. And, that they even battled fiercely against Obelisk, Slifer and Ra in the War of the Giants. A fight so cataclysmic that it caused Termnnia to split into the five continents we know today. If what the legend says is true, then they should be more powerful than the Divine Beasts. Hector was more than pleased when I told him about these ancient monsters. I was the one who sent him on the quest to find them."

Alexandra backed away from her uncle as if she just watched him commit a murder. "You put Hector up to the task? Uncle. All those lives lost. The Gate Wars. That...that was all your doing?"

"Yes." He said this with authority. He was proud of the chaos he caused across the continent.

"But...but why?"

"Hector is the only male heir to the Delgado dynasty, so naturally, I went to him and told him about the Ancient Beasts. And the Shadow Lady, Francine, was the key to further my goals. She claims she saw the monsters calling out to her in the visions the Millennium Necklace gave her. And without so much as a map or clue or text to follow, Salazar sent his nephew into the world to search for the monsters. Now that leaves us with Daveed, the master of the Divine Beasts. I have no doubt he will claim the throne first before Hector, so it is most likely he will marry you first."

"What?"

"I have already spoken with Master Yu-Gi-Oh about the marriage. He said he would consider you for a bride if you proved yourself to him."

Alexandra stomped her foot onto the ground, almost snapping the seven-inch heel of her boot.

"Uncle, you can't be seriously considering me marrying him, are you? I thought you of all people would understand how I felt about this."

"I told you, many years ago, sacrifices must be made for the good of the family. You said you would do anything to keep the family strong, correct?"

"The Dragonheart legacy is all that matters to me, uncle, yes," Alexandra turned, cheeks blushing red with fury, and looked back at the pond. "I would do anything to see that our family remains the envy of all the noble houses of Termnnia, but to be given away like some trinket to a man I don't love...it just irks me."

"You're a fool if you think you're going to be marrying for love," Antilles said, sternly. "This is about our family and the reclamation of the throne that was taken from my father during the rebellion caused by Antar, Yugi, and Gabriel. I worked very hard to ensure the survival of the family after your grandfather was killed by Antar Wallcroft. While at the academy I want you to befriend the prince. You can seduce him if that's what you want, but you must be near him."

He knelt down, and picked up another stone to throw at the pond.

"And then," he continued, "you will do everything in your power to make sure no other princess or girl of nobility opens her legs for Daveed. The same goes for any man if that's what Prince Yuri prefers. For that matter, you must make sure he does not get himself killed. For if he does, the Divine Beasts will lay dormant for who knows how long until they deem one worthy for the throne and we will be sucked into another Interregnum, which is the last thing Termnnia needs right now, what with the Orcs rallying in the Black Continent. If the Orcs storm into Termnnia, again without a king, then not only will our family die, but all of Termnnia."

"Where are you going with this, Uncle?"

"Listen, child, when Hector finds the Ancient Beasts, he will have what he needs to Duel Prince Daveed under the pact for the Diamond Throne. Whoever wins that match will then have six of the most powerful monsters in the world. Who the winner is matters not. None of them will survive. I have arranged it. When the winner is gone, then by the law of Divine Right, Slifer, Obelisk, and Ra will go to the heir of the High King. Or his queen. You."

"Me! You wish for me to be the High Queen of Termnnia?"

"Yes, my sweet. I had my chance to get the family into the Diamond Throne when I summoned Slifer the Sky Dragon in a Duel years ago, but then Daveed, or Yuri as they call him now, was born and took everything away from me. The God Cards must have probably felt ill will towards our family after Julius destroyed House Plantegrast. I may not bear the right to sit on the throne anymore, but it will do my heart pleasure to know my greatest love in the world sits high as Termnnia's High Queen once the two blundering fools of House Delgado are no more."

"I understand, Uncle. But wouldn't it make more sense to have the Ancient Beasts brought to Yuri instead? Why must Hector be involved in this?"

"Because I need war, Alexandra," her uncle replied coldly. "I gave Hector the false hope to be High King so he could rally up the Houses to the south who are under my payroll. As I have planned, Yugi has assembled a fighting force to challenge them. The Gate Wars are almost over, but it came with a very high price. No doubt in my mind Hector's forces will suffer greatly, but if they do, then the bannermen and resources of the Houses that fall will go to us. More money and bodies to further power our House and our Kingdom."

"You're a cruel man, Uncle," laughed Alexandra.

"Yes, and the Church of Yeyu uses King Forrest to weaken the Northern Kingdoms. Soon, my sweet, we will end the line of Norman the Conqueror and reclaim our hold on the Diamond Throne as our ancestors did thousands of years ago. And this time, there will be no one left to stop us. It took many years, but I've finally weakened Termnnia. There will be no rebellion this time. This time our House will rule in a dynasty that will last thousands of years."

"With me as the High Queen?"

"Yes, and then the Dragonhearts will take their rightful place back on the throne, finally since the day Tiberius the Unifier ejected our family from Rassay. You will succeed where my father failed. By the way, congratulations on making it to the house of Obelisk Blue at school. Only the elite of the elite may enter that dormitory, which is perhaps the most exclusive dorm in Termnnia."

"Thank you, Uncle. I promise I will not let you down."

"I have no fear of that. I know you will succeed. My perfect niece. My beautiful girl."

"Oh, Uncle," Alexandra moaned burying her mouth into his for a passionate kiss. She shivered, tasting his breath. The taste was of wine, not to her surprise. She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck, to which he spanked her. She hooted gleefully and they both laughed.

She felt the royal hands slide up and down her ribs, then falling to her thighs, feeling her shapely legs. Alexandra took a step back and undid her cape, letting it fall to her feet in a crumpled heap. Alexandra unclipped her tasset, leaving her only the white leotard.

Antilles grinned, lowering the straps of Alexandra's leotard off her shoulders. He peeled it off her body, leaving her completely nude before him. The princess felt a chill as the wind caressed her bare skin, dotted with goosebumps. Antilles rose and leaned forward to suckle on her nipples which were as pink and hard as two little gumballs. He kissed her on the lips, chin, and down her neck. Alexandra stood there, letting him do anything he wanted with her body.

Antilles took advantage of this. He told her - no - commanded her to get on the ground on all fours and crawl toward the edge of the pond. He started unbuckling the belts all over his armor until he was down to his trousers and dress shirt. Alexandra stopped and wagged her bottom, tempting the king to come get her. Again, he was more than happy to oblige. He got on his knees and began to kiss her ass passionately as though he were making love to two beautiful women.

High Queen of Termnnia? My uncle always knows what to do to make me happy.

Alexandra grinned with satisfaction and bit her index finger as she felt her uncle's tongue explore her forbidden parts.

---

Evelyn

---

Sitting high on the dais beside her father, Evelyn watched the guests entering the chamber for her father's Name Day celebration. A party, she thought. Another fucking party. She just had a birthday celebration weeks ago. Parties. Parties. Parties. Parties. That was all King Helmsley and Sera wanted to do while Talion was toiling on the field of battle keeping the borders safe.

Now he was gone.

She saw her friends sitting below the salts laughing and jeering. Ser Dancer was teaching Ethan to play Duel Monsters again. Evelyn sighed, wishing she could join them. But, she was the princess, so she had to sit with Helmsley.

"Smile will you!" Josephine scolded stealthfully.

Evelyn winced at those words. She looked at one of her father's Ebony Guard knights, Ser Maximus Valerian, who was a prisoner of war to King Forrest and his church. He stood below the dais with his arms crossed.

He was missing an eye and there were scars on his face, hundreds more on his torso and one of his fingers were missing on his shield hand. If it wasn't for Talion, Ser Maximus would have surely died a long and agonizing death.

What horrors did her poor brother have to endure under his captivity? She dared not think about it. She felt tears bubbling in her eyes and her lips trembled.

"The poor thing," said a woman from one of the banks in the city. "Her eyes are practically glowing with weep."

On a table to the right of the royal dais right sat the newest council members of Elleria's parliament. The lead councilman was a kind and cheerful man who finally replaced the likes of Richard Boroth, the Chamberlain, advisor, and savant to the king. Now he was Marquis under the rule of King Forrest.

Evelyn hated that man more than her father. During dinner, when he lived here, he just looked at her with his eyes as cold and gray as the stone of Castle Alteria.

His smile was like a black and crackled snake, slithering under his crooked, warty nose. Ugh. She remembered the crusts of dried mucus hanging off it and lost her appetite. And his thin neck was concealed behind a white ruffle collar stained with condiments. His sickly body was concealed in a black doublet and silk slacks with red embroidery in the shape of flowers.

Even though he was gone from her life, she saw him still - gazing at her as he smiled, holding up a chalice.

Evelyn gave a loud "Humph!" and shook her head to avoid remembering his gaze. He had a lot of nerve smiling at her the way he did. He always did that at dinner. Just looking at her, undressing her with his eyes.

Richard longed to see her body again. He had seen her naked before when he barged into her bath. Her father scorned her instead, demanding why Evelyn hadn't locked the door before.

To make matters worse, he touched her when she was a child, dragging her to dark corridors and putting his hands in places he was not supposed to touch. To objectify her for his amusement, he tucked secret messages into her panties and commanded her to deliver the messages to his friends around the castle. It made her sick to her stomach that her mother and father allowed him to walk back into the castle again after aligning with Forrest. For old time's sake, he said, and for the prospect of peace between him and King Forrest. He was afraid, that's what he was. It brought her great shame to know her family would go down in history as the worst monarchy in history. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Evelyn told Helmsley of Richard's behavior for years. He did not believe her, but Ser Maximus and Ser Kevin did. They kept a close eye on her as her knight-champion before being replaced by the younger Ser Kevin Garot, a Norman boy of twenty. He was standing over Evelyn in his jet-black armor. The black knight of House Elleria was inlaid on his breastplate. Ser Kevin looked at Evelyn and smiled.

"I wish I could just cut that horrid grin off his face," Ser Kevin said.

"One day I'll give the order," said Evelyn. "Will I see you jousting again, my knight?"

"My jousting days are over," Ser Kevin replied.

"Oh please," said Evelyn. "You are still twenty. You're still young."

"If something were to happen to me, princess? Who would protect you from the North? Talion is gone. I failed to protect him. I will not fail to protect you."

Evelyn nodded. She could risk losing another knight. If she did, many would start to guess that the title of Knight-Champion to Princess Evelyn would be cursed.

Not that she would have any trouble finding candidates, for down below in the salts were hundreds of the best knights in Termnnia coming to prove their worth in the Duel Monsters tournament.

They all had their eyes on here. A sea of handsome smiles beckoned her. At the nearest table sat Ser Michael Gianni the Knight of Angels, so-called because he used a Lightsworn deck. Then there was Ser Brandon Kyle in his burgundy and white armor with holographic amber ornaments decorating his plating. He carried both a battle rifle and a claymore. Two hand cannons strapped snuggly in holsters on his tasset.

Josephine leaned in. "Surely if Yuri does not tickle your fancy, princess, one of those knights below could."

"Indeed," said Evelyn. "I have my eyes on one now. Ser Dancer."

Josephine scoffed. "You must be joking?"

"You asked."

"Why you..."

The heralds blew their trumpets, announcing the coming of someone important.

"Presenting!" shouted the lead herald. "Master Yugi Muto and his companions, The Heroes of Rassay!"

The doors creaked open to let Yugi and his friends through. The guests rose from their seats to applaud the party of legends that marched proudly into the throne room.

Lady Téa Gardner, the seventh in line for the throne of Gardenrealm in a white gown with silks of a hundred twining flowers glowing in blue and purple and pink.

Ser Joey Wheeler in his Red-Eyes Black Dragon-themed armor and his adorable sister, Serenity dressed in a sugary pink gown and white silk flowers speckled her chestnut-colored hair.

Ser Tristan Taylor waved at the crowd in marvelous armor plating colored blue and trimmed in platinum. A white cloth-of-gold cape fastened to his gorget with two pins of sterling silver in the shape of a winged sword in front of a shield, the emblem of his House. Prince Duke Devlin blew kisses at the screaming baronetesses, noblewomen, and serving girls.

Lady Mai Valentine the Delight of Termnnia followed behind, looking around with boredom with her purple eyes. There were many jeers and whistles for her. She wore an elegant red-wine ball gown trimmed and embroidered with gold thread with a plunging back. A red rose was tucked in her golden hair, a gift she received from Ser Dancer just before she came into the throne room for dinner.

"Well, stand up, child!" beckoned Josephine. "Greet them!"

Evelyn stood from her seat and walked down the dais to greet Yugi and his friends. "I was not expecting you," she said. "I thought you would have left by now."

"Thought I'd drop by for a visit," said Yugi, looking up at her. "Thanks to the new airship Kaiba lent us, we can get anywhere in the knick of time. We were in the neighborhood. Again, I am sorry for your loss. I wish there was something we could do for him."

Evelyn waved her hand to silence him. She did not want to talk about Talion. "Well, thank you for coming by," said Evelyn. "My Lords and Ladies, welcome."

"Princess Evelyn," said Mai. "I haven't seen you since you were just a seedling. You've really sprouted into a pretty flower."

"Thank you, My Lady," Evelyn said happily and gave Mai a hug.

"Master Yugi," King Helmsley said, standing up. "These are grim times and much sorrow runs through my halls. But, you are always welcome here. Would I interest you in a table to sit on and some food?"

"Thank you, Your Grace," said Yugi. "While you get the table set up, I was wondering if I could talk to Evelyn in private."

King Helmsley shrugged. "Very well."

Evelyn followed little Yugi out of the throne room and out the halls into the gardens. It was so peaceful, and Evelyn longed to get away from the laughter and loud music. The crickets chirped in the gardens and the waves crashed against the rocks hundreds of feet below the castle. They could still hear seagulls crying in the night. They stopped in front of the garden fountain where Evelyn and Ezra dueled a few weeks before.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Evelyn asked.

Yugi looked down at his Millennium Puzzle and rubbed it with his little hand. "No," he said with a smile. "He did." The puzzle began to glow. "YU-GI-OOOOOOOOH!"

Evelyn shielded her eyes from the glow. When it subsided, Yugi was now taller, his hair more jagged, and his demeanor more mature.

"Master!" Evelyn cried and went down on one knee. She was one of few people who knew of Yugi's bond with the spirit of the puzzle. "How I've longed for your visit!"

"Get up, Evelyn." Yami bent forward and placed his hands on hers, gently. He helped her back up. "I am not a lord, Princess. And you are in grief. I cannot bear to see you bow with your heart already burdened by much pain. I am not only your master, my love, but your friend. So treat me as such."

"No," Evelyn said with tears in her eyes. "You're much more. You are of the Eyar. Agents of Horakhty. My friend Ezra says you are angels of some sort."

"Not anymore," Yami said sadly.

The look of hurt on his face caused Evelyn to feel regret for what she had said. "I did not mean to offend you, master."

"No it's all right," said Yami. "I am not who I used to be. Whatever power I had in the days of old are gone. Now I share the body with a young boy."

"No offense intended, master, but isn't Yugi like...ninety?"

"He's more than a hundred years old," Yami corrected with a gentle smile. "You have not met many Eldoris have you, princess? A hundred is still an infant in the eyes of our elders. My grandfather has lived for more than a thousand years."

"Gracious! I can only wish to live that long."

"It has its up and downs," said Yami, leaning over the limestone rail over the dark ocean. The wind blew his locks over his face. "The down is I'll outlive many people in my lifetime. Even after you grow old and die, Yugi will still be young and healthy. He'll possibly outlive six of generations of your House."

"Oh my," said Evelyn. She joined him on the rail. "Your grandfather must have seen a lot of people come and go, huh?"

"Yes," said Yami. "Many have died - be it the sword or the slow and agonizing disease of time, my grandfather has seen people come and go. He's outlived his friends. And their children. And their children's children. And their children's children. Many Eldoris, like Zane Truesdale, view our long lifespan as a curse."

"I can imagine," Evelyn said softly. "But I take it you did not want to see me just to talk about the lifespan of Eldoris."

Yami gave a soft chuckle. "No, but I just wanted to personally tell you that Lady Avi will be the key to finally bring peace to your troubled kingdom."

Evelyn gasped. "Goddesses, so it's true? Termnnia finally has its first dragon summoner?"

"Yes," said Yami. "My grandfather and I sent her on her quest. She found a new beast the day before yesterday. King Forrest was sending his troops after her."

"Damn it!" Evelyn cried, kicking one of the pillars. She kicked it so hard she stubbed her toe and cracked the nail. She fell to the ground sobbing and massaging her swollen toe. "Oh, now I've gone and done it. I have to dance with all those knights tonight."

"Are you all right?" Yami asked.

"No!" sobbed Evelyn. "Twenty-thousand men! That's how many he led into Naralia. He can't just have lost like that! Maybe a handful of them could have returned or something. They couldn't have just all been wiped out. It's not possible."

"I don't know what transpired on that mountain," Yami said, crouching down and using magic to heal her toe. "But King Forrest will not get away with this treachery."

"Ahem," said a servant of the castle who was watching from an arched tunnel to the castle atrium. He bowed. "The guests are waiting, Your Majesty."

"Let them WAIT!" shouted Evelyn. "Goddesses, they can spare a few minutes without me!"

The servant bowed apologetically and walked away.

"We must go back, Princess," Yami said. He helped Evelyn back up. "I promise, we'll find Avi and bring her here to make Forrest pay." Evelyn nodded sadly and followed Yami back into the castle. They went arm and arm back into the throne room. Yami kissed the top of her head and said: "If you don't mind, Evelyn, I've set up an opponent for you this night."

"You have?" Evelyn asked.

"Yes. Word on the street is, you've been using those Buster Blader monsters I gave you rather well. Now I want to see you use them."

They entered the throne room, still loud and ringing with music. The air smelled of cooked meat, sweet pie, and tobacco. Yami walked Evelyn to a nearby table where an Eldori knight with spiked blue hair sat with his companions.

"Ser Esther," Yami said to the young man.

Ser Esther recognized the voice and got up from his seat. "Master Yu-Princess Evelyn!"

"Princess," said Yami. "This is Ser Esther of House Little. The Knight of Nekroz and Duke of Chutney."

"It's an honor to meet you," Ser Esther said. He picked up Evelyn's hands and kissed it. "Shall we see if you and your Buster Bladers have what it takes?"

The two duelists took their positions. The guests poured wine into their goblets, ready for a good match. Others started placing bets. They were in favor of Ser Esther.

The first two turns went by. So far all they did was search for cards with spells and play face downs. Then Evelyn's turn came at last. She used the special abilities of her Whelps to bring out a Buster Blader the Destruction Swordsman to the field.

She attacked directly. Ser Esther took it for the next few turns.

Then they started coming out.

Within a few turns, Evelyn was being stared down by Nekroz of Trishula, Nekroz of Gungnir, and Nekroz of Unicore.

They did a serious number on her hand and her deck. Her heart started pounding and she felt beads of sweat coming out of every pore on her body. Everyone was watching for her, ready to make a move. It was her draw phase, but she was so nervous she couldn't move.

But she kept her cool and believed in the Heart of the Cards, some sort of force that Yami and Yugi told her to believe in when she was in a jam. Sure enough, the card she drew was the one she needed.

And before long her Buster Blader the Destruction Swordsman came back to the field, allowing her to use a Destruction Sword monster which she used to Synchro Summon her Buster Dragon, allowing her to bring back her Buster Blader from the Graveyard.

This allowed her to use Destruction Swordsman Fusion and combine her Buster Blader with a Tyrant Dragon in her hand to become Buster Blader the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman.

Thanks to Buster Dragon's effect, Ser Esther's monsters were forced to become dragons which gave Buster Blader the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman an extra 1000 ATK and DEF points for a grand total of 5800 ATK.

Richard spit out his ale. Even King Helmsley and Queen Sera were impressed with what Evelyn had done.

Buster Blader then forced the three Nekroz monsters into defense mode. And he attacked to do piercing damage, meaning even if the monsters were in defense mode, Ser Esther would lose Life Points. And he lost what little he had with one devastating strike.

The blast knocked Ser Esther across the room and he landed at the bottom step of the dais.

All was quiet. Then King Helmsley stood and applauded. Queen Sera followed and then all in the throne room stood to give a round of applause. Ser Esther stood and bowed respectfully for Evelyn's victory.

Buster Blader the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman rested his hands on the pommel of his massive blade, doing an epic pose over Evelyn.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" shouted the crier. "Your winner, Princess Evelyn!"

Whistles and cheers. Joey put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

Evelyn did curtsy with her powerful warrior standing proudly behind her.

If you could see me now, brother. Thanks to Master Yugi, we will avenge you. My Buster Blader will also grant me a path to victory so that our kingdom can prosper. The High King will return. Until we meet again, Talion. Watch over us and keep us safe.

---

Yuri

---

Yuri walked the lonely highway towards the secret spot he and Crystal found when they were kids. He smiled when he saw that it stood untouched. The beach was a short hike from a hidden trail that led from the main road. The path was well hidden by a few trees and a tall waterfall as well as a palm that Yuri and Crystal planted to keep their sanctuary safe.

"This is our spot. Let's make sure no one finds it." Crystal said the day they planted the trees.

Crystal and Yuri found the spot when they were hiding from their parents. What a night that was. Yuri had never seen Crystal's mother so angry before. All he did was step into their house and she just lost it, lecturing Crystal and scorning her with screams and insults.

Escaping punishment, Crystal led Yuri all throughout the islands until they found their spot. Needless to say, their spot kept them well hidden for a couple of days before the coast guard eventually started looking for them.

Yuri set up a hammock in between two palm trees. When he saw it was good and tight, he laid down on it and started looking at his Black Tyranno card at the bottom of his deck. He rubbed his thumb on the surface of the monster's picture to feel the rising image and he used his wrist to move his deck left and right to make the holographic foil and gold letters shine brightly in the light of the afternoon sun.

Somehow, I feel like you were meant for me Yuri thought to himself. But even if my dad, the creator of the game, doesn't know what you are, then who made you? And why did they give you to me?

"I thought we'd find that lazy bum here," Crystal said standing over a dune overlooking the beach. Ren stood beside her smiling and he had a platter with three cupcakes one of which had a blue candle burning on it.

Yuri sighed and felt a tad embarrassed. Today he turned eighteen. He sat up on the hammock while Ren and Crystal made their way down a stone path towards Yuri's spot.

"Happy birthday, Yuri," Crystal chimed. "Now blow out the candle before the wind does."

"Hey now," said Ren. "Don't forget to make your wish. You can't have a birthday without a wish."

Yuri blew out his candle. He looked at Crystal and Ren and said, "What more do I need when I have friends like you?"

"You still need to make a wish, silly," Crystal said placing her hand on her hip. Her pink skirt and white tank-top both blowing in the wind.

"What did you wish for?' Ren asked.

Yuri shrugged. "I don't know, something amazing I guess. There's gotta be something better than this. I mean just laying on my butt working the days away in Uncle Sergei's card shop is not how I intend to live my life."

"You'll get your wish sooner than you think," Ren assured him.

By the look on his face, Yuri knew Ren felt confident about that statement.

"And just what do you see for our Yuri, hotshot?" Crystal asked.

Ren nodded. "A grand victory perhaps."

"In the Millennium Tournament I hope," said Crystal. "Have you reconsidered, Yuri?"

"No."

"Well, it's for the best, I guess," Crystal said, accepting defeat. "There is a hefty stipulation to the tournament. Losers must fork over their rarest cards to the winner."

"Wait!" Yuri cried out. "So, that means I must forfeit my Black Tyranno! I'm glad I'm not going."

"It's a nasty rule," said Ren. "But only someone as callous as your brother could come up with something like that. One way or another, he'll get your beast."

"Ugh, he's a complete jerk," Crystal rolled her eyes and crossed her arms furiously over her chest. "I think he did this on purpose just to keep Yuri out of the tournament."

"Is that so?" said Yuri.

Yuri opened the shield on his necklace to listen to the song again. Passionate Duelist Yuri thought. Perhaps that's what I'll be. "I'm not afraid of them," Yuri said arrogantly. "Perhaps...I could enter."

Ren raised his eyebrows in surprise and smirked. "Did my eyes deceive me or did Yuri just grow a pair?"

"You make me prouder every day little guy," Crystal beamed, clasping her hands together.

"Little guy?" Yuri said looking up at her. "I'm eighteen years old today, come on!"

"Little Yuri," giggled Crystal. "That reminds me. Hey, Ren, do you have Yuri's present?"

"I sure do," Ren reached into his pocket to take out a card encased in a plastic sleeve. He handed it to Yuri.

"Little D!" Yuri exclaimed when he laid eyes on the dinosaur card. The image was of a red tyrannosaurus rex, and judging by the name he was going to look small in holographic form.

"Go wild," Ren winked and made a clicking noise, pointing at Yuri.

"That's not it!" Crystal retorted.

Ren laughed at her snappiness. He pointed at her and then patted her cheek to calm her. "I know, I know. Come on, woman, don't bite my balls off. Here, Yuri. This is your real present."

"Now that's more like it," Yuri said looking at his new monsters. There was a Super-Rare fusion monster called Bracchio-Raidus.

"Thanks, guys, for these and for Little D. I'll use him to the best of my ability. These will go along great with the new cards I got today."

"New...cards?" Crystal asked. "What did you get?"

"Boo!" someone shouted, causing Crystal to jump in fright. It was the bug duelist everyone spoke of.

"I knew it would be a matter of time before he found me," Yuri groaned.

"You can't be here!" said Crystal. "This is our secret spot!"

"Not anymore it's not," said Herman, adjusting his glasses. "You know, I've been avoiding Yuri this long because I didn't think he was worthy of my time. But over the past few weeks that I've been here, he and his friends have been making big news around here. I've got to say, for a group of misfits, you guys know how to make things interesting."

"Misfits!" said Yuri. "Yeah, my friends and I are not the most popular group of kids on the islands, but misfits?"

"That's really low," said Crystal. "I suppose Brett put you up to this?"

"He did," said Herman. "Randall Lawson was my former client, but after that punk-bitch, Patty, scared him away, I looked for work elsewhere. I should have sought Brett sooner. He pays a lot better and offers pleasurable company. You were wonderful last night, Crystal."

Ren stepped forward. "What the hell's he saying?!"

"Relax," said Crystal. "We didn't do anything. I just popped out of a cake and sang happy birthday to Brett's right-hand man, Santiago."

"That son of a bitch!" snapped Yuri. "I suppose you'd like to duel? I can't. I don't have those fancy wristwatches you guys carry around."

"They're called Duel Disks," said Ren. "And you're welcome to use mine."

"Then let's get started," Herman said in contentment. He held out an emerald-enameled Duel Disk with amber gems. The monster zones were carved with filigree engravings and trimmed with green neon lighting.

Yuri put on Ren's Duel Disk. It was so heavy. He felt like his arm was being horribly weighed down. But he got used to it after holding it up for a few minutes.

"Let's duel!" said Herman.

LP 2000

"I shall begin," said Herman. "Fifty grand to the one who defeats you and brings the Black Tyranno. This is going to be the easiest lump of cash I've ever won. For my first move, I shall place two cards face down and summon Hunter Spider in attack mode!"

ATK/1600 DEF/1400

LV 5

The arachnid with orange and brown spikes hissed and clicked when it came to the field.

"Ugh..." Ren cringed. "It's not real. It's not real."

"What's with him?" laughed Herman.

"He has arachnophobia," Crystal answered apprehensively, in case Herman decided to take advantage of this and play pranks on Ren with the holograms. The last time someone did that - Summoning a Jurai Gumo card - Ren ran out of the stadium gasping for air.

Herman laughed. "The mighty Ren Kakihara afraid of a little bug? You'd best hurry then, Yuri, it looks like Ren might piss his pants.

"As you wish," said Yuri. "Here comes one of my newest monsters. Megazowler, attack mode!"

The Duel Disk projected a triceratops with yellow-orange flesh, ivory spikes on its back and sides, two large horns, and a beaked mouth.

ATK/1800 DEF/2000

LV 6

Megazowler reared on its hind legs and charged at the spider. It rammed the creature and sent it flying into the air where it shattered.

"Damn!" said Herman. "I wasn't expecting him to fight back like this!"

1800 LP

"Don't you underestimate my Yuri!" Crystal boasted, confidently crossing her arms over her chest. "Randall did that, and he regretted it."

Herman chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "Well, I won't make that mistake again. I summon Ultimate Insect Level 1 (ATK/0 DEF/0 LV 1)."

There was a monstrous caterpillar bluish-purple in color with hues of blood red. It was coming out of a red shell of some sort. It made horrible squishy sounds as it moved.

"Why play that?" said Yuri. "It's useless."

"No it's not Yuri!" said Crystal. "It's one of those monsters who can level up. My former teammate had one of those in her deck. They get stronger as they evolve, so you'd better take that thing out as soon as possible."

"Oh, but he won't," said Herman. "For I activate, DNA Surgery! This trap card changes the Monster-Type to any I choose. So now your dinos become bugs! Come on, Yuri. Prove to me that my Ultimate Insect is useless!"

Wings and slimy appendages began to grow out of Megazowler's body.

"Eww," said Crystal. "That's really gross!"

Yuri smirked confidently. "Don't worry, I'll exterminate it. Megazower, squash that bug!"

Megazowler charged.

"Ah, ah, ah!" teased Herman. "I activate the Spell-Card, Insect Barrier!"

Megazowler rammed into a yellow laser shield that shocked it and sent it flying back to Yuri's field.

Herman smirked, shrugged, and adjusted his glasses again. "As you can see, this card prevents all insect monsters from attacking me. And thanks to my DNA Surgery card, every dinosaur your play will become a beautiful bug. But they will not harm me, thanks to the Insect Barrier."

"What a combo," said Crystal. "He really knows his stuff."

Herman chuckled and bowed. "Why thank you, my dear. I do believe it's my turn, no? And being my turn, my Ultimate Insect will evolve to Ultimate Insect Level 3!"

ATK/1400 DEF/900

LV 3

The caterpillar grew larger in size and started forming armor plating. Herman laughed. He was so full of confidence he could drown in it.

"And now for the fun part. Thanks to a lethal toxin he releases, my Ultimate Insect reduces the attack of your monsters by 300 points. He may still be weaker than your Megazowler, Yuri, but thanks to my barrier, your attacks are useless!"

"He's right," said Yuri, "and that thing is only going to get bigger every turn. I switch Megazowler to defense mode and summon Anthrosaurus in defense mode!"

ATK/1000 DEF/ 850

LV 3

"Running scared, are we? Good, because you should be, Yuri; for now my Ultimate Insect Evolves again. Arise, Ultimate Insect Level Five!"

ATK/2300 DEF/900

LV 5

The caterpillar turned into a giant beetle with razor-sharp appendages and a metallic body with a light blue hue. It hissed and clicked. Just like its previous form, it let out a poisonous cocktail into the air and reduced the attack of Yuri's monster, but this time reducing them by 500 points.

Herman attacked with his bug. Ultimate Insect LV 5 jabbed one of its sharp legs into Anthrosaurus's skull. The dinosaur's eyes rolled to the back of its head and he shattered. When the damage was done, Herman bowed again when he saw the look of disdain on Crystal's face and the squeamish faces Ren was making.

He laughed and said: "As you can see, Yuri, bugs are the most powerful creatures in the natural world. They can survive anything, even the extinction that killed your precious dinosaurs." He pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Why don't you quit while you have the chance?"

"I don't quit," said Yuri. "I summon Tomozaurus in defense mode. And play two cards face down."

ATK/500 DE/400

LV 2

"Yuri, come on, is that it?" Crystal bellowed.

Yuri-2000 LP

Herman-1800 LP

"I got this," said Yuri. "Don't worry."

"I seriously doubt you've got anything in your pathetic deck that can take on my insect in its final form. Not even your Black Tyranno will be strong enough to take on the Ultimate Insect Level 7!"

ATK/2600 DEF/1200

LV 7

Now the creature grew monstrous. Ren estimated the bug was the size of a yacht. The giant creature sprouted wings. Its color changed to a darker blue with a red underbelly and gold mandibles the size of a man's arm.

"And that's not all I will do!" Herman boasted. "Now, I will summon one of the rarest and most powerful monsters in my deck. I use the Ritual Spell known as Javelin Beetle Pact.

He sacrificed two monsters in his hand to complete the ritual. Two gold cauldrons with an Egyptian Wdjat Eye carved in the center rose from the sand. They were covered in insects. The monsters he offered, Kwagar Hercules and Blade Fly squirmed over the cauldrons. Then, the cauldrons let out a hot pillar of steam and sucked the life force out of the two monsters.

The steam slithered through the air and crashed into the sands next to Ultimate Insect LV 7. When the mist went away, it revealed a twelve-foot tall beetle colored a shade of magnificent blue and the joints a light green color. It stood on two legs and wielded a four-bladed javelin. The blades in the shape of mandibles. It made a loud hissing sound like a cicada.

Javelin Beetle

ATK/2450 DEF/2550

LV 8

Crystal put her hands over her head in frustration. The Duel was getting worse for Yuri. "Come on, Yuri!" Ren clapped. "You can do this man."

Herman laughed. "Ha! I think not. For you see, friends, Ultimate Insect Level 7 releases an even more potent toxin into the air which will reduce your monsters' attack and defense by even more points. Seven hundred to be exact!"

"My monsters!" Yuri cried. Megazowler was puffing and wheezing. Tomozarus fell to the ground with an agonizing bellow. He laid in the sand and accepted his fate.

"Oh, and think your Life Points are safe, Yuri? Think again. I activate the spell card, Continuous Destruction Punch! This card is a more permanent version of the Fairy Meteor Crush card you and those amateurs use in the card shops. So long as this card is out, you will lose Life Points even if your monster is defending."

"Oh, this is not good!" said Ren.

Crystal felt dread in her gut. She didn't think it possible, but it was happening. "If Herman makes this attack, Yuri loses the duel!" She covered her eyes with her hands. "I can't watch!"

It made her sick to know Yuri was going to lose to one of Brett's henchmen.

"Say goodbye to your Black Tyranno, Yuri!"

"I don't think so," laughed Yuri. "Your attack activated my trap card, a really rare one to be exact. Negate Attack."

"NO!" cried Herman.

Javelin Beetle ran into a magical barrier. He bounced back, landing with a great crash in the sand.

"You saved yourself this time, Yuri, but I assure you things will be different this time."

"Oh, they'll be different alright," Yuri said. "I've got just the card I need to take you out. I tribute Black Tyranno to have him transform into my newest monster."

Black Tyranno was enveloped in massive, bulky, dark brown armor with gold trim, and Fleur de Lis emblems emblazoned on his massive shoulders and knee guards. There were ruby orbs on the shoulders and knees as well. Its tail grew longer, and its size increased twofold. Long silvery hair emerged from the back of its armored head.

"Come forth! Kaiser Black Tyranno!" Yuri announced.

Kaiser Black Tyranno

ATK/ 3200 DEF/ 3000

"Impressive," Ren said.

Crystal placed both hands over her mouth and bent forward with excitement. "Yuri...what in the hell is that? It's amazing!"

"What is this!?" shouted Herman. "I didn't know Black Tyranno could transform!"

"He can," said Yuri. "Now that he's out on the field, he automatically destroys two monsters. So say goodbye to your Javelin Beetle and Ultimate Insect!"

"YES!" Crystal shouted, jumping up and down with joy. "YES! YES! YES!"

"Now I use Twin Twisters. By discarding a card, I can destroy your barrier and surgery card." Two tornadoes formed behind Yuri and rolled towards Herman's cards. It sucked them up and they vanished.

"My combo!" Herman cried in despair. "No! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Crystal arched her back and clasped her hands together in excitement. "Yuri! You're getting just too good!"

Ren smiled. "Impressive. I think I might have found my newest rival."

Herman's turn. He used Monster Reborn to bring back Javelin Beetle in defense mode. Then summoned Killer Needle also in defense mode, hoping they could stall Yuri until he could come up with another combo. Big mistake. Yuri also had a Monster Reborn in his hand. With it, he brought back Black Tyranno. And since the only cards Herman had were defense position monsters, it was all over. Black Tyranno smashed past both creatures, stomping them into paste underneath his feet, before bashing the top of his head on Herman. He fell backward and landed hard on his back as his Life Points were reduced to 0 and ended the game.

"You did it! You did it! You did it!" Crystal shouted, jumping up and down. She made a leap and embraced Yuri in a powerful hug. She kissed his cheeks over and over again.

Ren slowly walked to his friend and clapped. Yuri opened his locket so the music box could play the song Passionate Duelist.

"Looks like he's not a little flower anymore," said Ren. "Congratulations buddy."

"Yes, congratulations," Herman said, walking to Yuri. He shook his hand. "Brett had better wise up. It's not safe to underestimate your opponents. I did, and I paid for it dearly. You were a good opponent Yuri."

"Who are you and what did you do to Herman?" Crystal asked. She was right. This wasn't the same brash young man Yuri had been playing earlier.

Herman bowed. "It looks like I have much to learn. I am not ready for the upcoming games it seems. But you, Yuri, you have what it takes to enter, maybe even win the Millennium Tournament. And I know you will rule your father's business well."

"You really think so?" Yuri asked.

"I do. It was a fun experience, but I must take my leave. Happy Birthday, Yuri. I hope we meet again."

Herman turned and walked away.

After he did, Crystal, Ren, And Yuri returned to their homes to get ready for the party. As Crystal promised, it was going to be one that Yuri would never forget. She bought an entire compound of glass and steel that could house all 1000 of their guests.

There were fireworks, a famous DJ to provide entertainment, and Dueling. At the entrance to the compound, there were armed guards from RAPTOR, providing security for Yuri after his tale about the Rare Hunters. At the fountain nearby, was a giant pile of gifts for Yuri which included a new Duel Disk, a giant crate of cards, and so much more.

A RAPTOR Humvee stopped in front of the house. For a second there, Yuri thought he was in trouble. That was until the door to the Humvee opened and a smooth, gorgeous leg concealed in a long, black, stiletto boot slithered out of the vehicle. Patty finally walked out, drawing the attention of many young men who whistled and cheered for her. She looked amazing wearing a tight, very short, white, long-sleeved wool dress with slits on the side to show off a little skin. Yuri walked out of the house and kissed her.

"You look great," he said.

"I look even better out of it, birthday boy," Patty said, tapping his nose. She followed his lead inside to the fountain in the foyer where Tyson, Carter, and the others were waiting.

"This is what I'm talking about!" Tyson said, tapping his glass of punch with Carter's. "Yuri, this is exactly what we needed, man. Of course, this is all thanks to you, Crystal. Thanks for inviting us."

"Of course," Crystal said. She tapped her glass of champagne with Tyson's glass. "You guys have known him just as long as I have. I couldn't just leave you behind."

"Any friend of Yuri's is a friend to us," Ren added, dressed in gothic gentlemen's wear that revealed his chest and caused many girls to look in his direction and swoon.

Patty was one of them. She saw Yuri looking a little perturbed and looked away before she made things awkward. She pretended to cough into her fist before she asked a very important question. "Did you by any chance send an invitation to Nick?"

Crystal shook her head. "I did," she replied sadly. "But he never got back to me. I looked all over the compound and there was no sign of him. I guess he chose not to come."

"Forget that hotshot," said Natalya, clad in a pink party dress and white heels. "He thinks he's so much better than us now because he got some new shiny cards and plays on a different tier than before. I mean sure, maybe we did go overboard with the insults, but he was still a friend nonetheless. We were only joking around."

"There's only so much one with so much pride can take," Ren said. "Your pal just couldn't take it anymore and worked hard to prove you guys wrong. And it looks like he did. Who knows, he might be a match for Yuri."

"Fat chance," Patty said, leaning on Yuri's shoulder. "My baby can show that turncoat what for. Who needs Nick? He was obnoxious, prideful, arrogant, and smelly."

"And he was our friend for years," Yuri added. "I don't want to lose him."

Crystal sighed. "You just have to learn to accept that he's moved on. Besides, you all should have known better. Real friends don't make fun of real friends. If you want to jest and poke his ego every once in a while, that's fine, but it looks like you guys tortured the poor guy."

Yuri, Tyson, Carter, Patty, and Natalya looked around with guilty looks on their faces. They knew she was right. But before they could reflect on what they had done, they heard the roar of a powerful engine outside. They each hurried upstairs to the balcony and saw a Lamborghini Vision GT slowly make its way to the front gate. A horde of paparazzi was following it, snapping pictures like crazy to get a good view of the driver.

When the canopy opened, it revealed Brett, who was smashed up in the cockpit with two gorgeous bikini models from Greece.

"Who invited him?" Patty said with spite.

Ren sighed. "He's Brett Martinetti. He can go wherever the hell he wants. I suggest we play it cool so we don't have any trouble tonight."

"Please," Crystal begged. "I worked very hard to set up this party. I don't want him or any of you ruining it. We'll enjoy ourselves if we keep our distance from him."

Carter scoffed and furiously dug into his purse to find his makeup case. "Girl, it makes me sick to know we're breathing the same air as him. Ugh, look at him surrounded by those bimbos."

Just then, a young man joined them. He wore a fur coat and lots of gold chains, which said a lot about his lust for material goods. He stopped where he was, noticing Crystal, Natalya, and Patty were in a row together in front of him. He lowered his sunglasses and admired their butts being pressed against their tight party dresses.

"Nice," he said. "Thanks for allowing me down here, Yuri. Happy birthday, by the way." He bobbed his head up and down as he looked at Patty, Crystal, and Natalya. "Very nice," he said. "You keep good company. Having a threesome later? Cuz if you are, you're going to need a wingman."

Yuri shook his head as though he were a boxer recovering from a punch. "Uh...excuse me, what?"

"Can we help you?" Patty asked.

"You can sure as hell try," the young man replied. He was a famous online personality, and he arrogantly found it odd that Yuri and his friends did not know who he was. "You must be Patty, the girl with that Diabolos card, right?"

"Yeah," Patty replied. "What do you want?"

"Who's your friend?" he asked. "Or is that your butt?"

"Ooooh..." Patty said, nodding. "You go in quick, don't ya?"

"Sorry, guys," said Crystal. "This dunderhead is Lance Peterson. He's MLG as well as a top-tier player. He's got a channel on YouTube and everything."

"That I do," said Lance. "But, as much as I want to be here chatting with the birthday boy, my interest is in my main man, Ren. I've heard a lot about you. They say you're pretty good with a Vampire deck? Wanna try it out against my deck?"

Ren smiled and accepted his challenge. "Sure, on the grounds that you leave us alone if I beat you."

"You'll appreciate me soon enough," Lance replied. He led Ren and the others to an arena on the roof of the compound. They took out their cards and started the Duel.

"I'll start things off," Lance said. "I place two cards face-down and summon Flame Armor Ninja in attack mode. Your move."

"I draw!" cried Ren. "I summon Vampire Moon!" he said, summoning a beautiful, pale-faced, blonde girl in a gothic lolita outfit. Her attack was 1700. "I use her effect to send Vampire Grace to the Graveyard. Next, I discard Skull Conductor. And now, I can Special Summon this card. The lord of my deck! Behold, Vampire Lord!"

The girls who were watching the Duel cheered and whistled when the handsome vampire arrived to the field after a cloud of bats flew around the monster zone in front of Ren. He almost looked like Ren, making Yuri feel a tad overwhelmed. The hairstyle - with the only difference being that Vampire Lord's hair was green and Ren's was red - was almost exactly the same.

Vampire Lord

ATK/2000 DEF/1500

LV 5

Ren then paid 2000 of his Life Points to bring back Vampire Grace (ATK/2000) from the Graveyard. Then, he used the spell, Anti-Magic arrows which prevented Lance from using his cards. Vampire Lord attacked first, destroying Lance's Flame Armor Ninja. Then, Vampire Moon and Vampire Grace both attack Lance directly, ending the Duel on Ren's first turn.

"I'm going to have a hard time beating him," Yuri whispered to Patty. "He ended the game so quickly, it was terrifying."

Patty laughed. "Hey, I'm sure you can take him on when the time comes. In the meantime, let's just enjoy the party, okay? Come on, I want to dance with you, and they're playing my favorite song downstairs."

"You might want to hold up on that dance, babe," Brett said, walking towards them arm-in-arm with his two dates. "Everyone, this is Eva and Tula. They've come all the way from Thessaloniki, that's in Greece. And they want to see your Black Tyranno in action."

"Against you or are you gonna cower behind another mercenary?" Crystal asked.

"Against me, of course," Brett answered confidently. "What do you say, Yuri? You in?"

"I've been looking forward to this for a very long time," Yuri growled. "There's an arena upstairs. Let's settle this right now."

"Yes," Brett agreed. "It's time to see which one of us is superior. Your Black Tyranno is impressive, Yuri, but let's see how he compares to my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon."

They walked upstairs to the arena, which was thankfully empty. Once the guests saw that there was going to be a match with Brett against Yuri, they came rushing upstairs to get a good view. Those who couldn't make it upstairs had to watch the game from screens conveniently placed around the compound.

"Duel!" they both shouted.

"I'll let you go first, birthday boy."

"Fine," said Yuri. "I summon Uraby in attack mode. Then I place a card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw," said Brett. "I summon Blade Knight in attack mode. Next, I will equip him with Legendary Sword, increasing his attack to 1900. Next, I use Card of Sanctity, allowing me to draw three cards and discard two. Now, I use Double Summon, allowing me another Normal Summon this turn. I summon the mighty Garnecia Elefantis!"

The elephant warrior was rendered on the field. It stomped its hooved foot on the ground and bellowed, waving its curved sword around to intimidate Yuri.

ATK/2400 DEF/2000

"Next, I place a card face down. And here's where things get interesting, Yuri. You see, when I have one or no cards in my hand, Blade Knight's attack increases by 400 points, now making him stand at 2300."

"Wow," Natalya said, watching the match from below with her friends. "Brett brought out some heavy hitters really quickly."

"That's the way he plays," said Crystal. "He summons tough beaters to hopefully intimidate his opponents. I hope Yuri can stand strong."

"Now it's my turn," Yuri declared. He smiled. It was a Black Tyranno. However, Brett could also tell what it was by the look on Yuri's face.

"I think I know what' you've got there," Brett said with a sneer. "So I'll activate this. Lightforce Sword." A flash of blue and then a giant sword appeared, hovering in front of Brett. "Now, I select any random card in your hand and my sword gets to work. Your Black Tyranno will now be removed from play until the fourth turn after this card is activated."

The sword zoomed towards the card Yuri drew and skewered it, pinning it to the ground.

"Well, you got a Black Tyranno, but not THE Black Tyranno."

"What are you talking about?" Brett asked. He looked closely at the card. "What's this? Kaiser Black Tyranno? So, Herman was right. Your monster does have some other forms to take. More favors from your daddy, I suppose."

"Oh, shut up," said Yuri. "He's strong, but he's not unbeatable. He ain't broken like many other cards out there."

"Still, it kind of irks me to know you're getting special cards all to your own. But you're right. They're not unbeatable. Your Kaiser Black Tyranno will be put out of play for a very long time. And that's too bad. Your Black Tyranno needs to transform into that thing to take on my beasts."

Yuri narrowed his eyes at him. "Oh, don't worry, Brett. I've got plenty of monsters looking to take you down. This is payback for what you did to me and Crystal that night!"

"All right, tough guy, show me what you've got!"

"With pleasure. I summon Big-Tusked Mammoth!"

Yuri slapped the card on the playing mat and the projectors hummed as they displayed the giant, purple-furred mammoth with bronze tusks. The creature reared on its hind legs and bellowed.

"Now, I play the Field Spell, Gaia Power." The arena's steel and neon trimmed field faded and was overcome with tall grass, boulders, and a tall tree grew from the center. "This card will increase the attack of our Earth Monsters by 500 attack points, but decreases their defense by 400. Now Big-Tusked Mammoth stands at 2500!"

Brett fixed his hair. "True, but my Garnecia Elefantis is also an Earth Monster. His attack points have increased to 2900. You just made him stronger, fool!"

"Don't count on that, Brett. I use the Spell Card, Shrink, which will reduce your elephant's attack by half."

Brett went as stiff as a board. "Huh?"

"Yes, and now I reveal my face-down card. Fossil Excavation. Now, I'll discard a card and summon a Dinosaur from my Graveyard. I'll revive the dinosaur I just discarded. Sword Arm of Dragon!"

The four-legged dinosaur's fossil rose out of the ground via a magical crane that appeared from nowhere. When it stood next to Big-Tusked Mammoth, its flesh magically formed over the bones and the creature was reborn.

ATK/1750 DEF/2030

"Now, I'll boost his power with this card. United We Stand. This card will increase his attack by 800 for each monster I have on the field, so he gets a 1600 point boost, increasing his attack to 3350! And don't forget. Since he's an Earth Monster, he gets another 500 points from Gaia Power."

3850

"Wow!" cried Patty. "Yuri really beefed that monster up."

"That Sword Arm of Dragon is stronger than anything Brett has in his deck, too," Natalya added. "He's got the bastard cornered."

Yuri held out his hand and shouted: "Now, Sword Arm of Dragon, attack Brett's Garnecia Elefantis! Sword Tail Slash!"

Sword Arm of Dragon charged across the field and then stopped to turn its body before whipping its blade-like tail, striking Garnecia Elefantis in the chest. Yuri then commanded Big-Tusked Mammoth to attack. It struck Blade Knight with a powerful headbutt and shattered it to pieces.

Brett sighed as his Life Points fell to 2850. "You lucky bastard. Just watch what I can do." He drew. "Perfect." He kissed the card. "Always comes up when I need it."

Of course, it did. He kept a card in his sleeve and with fast hands, he made it seem like he drew it.

"Card of Sanctity. Now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands. A whole new game for me, Yuri. You think you're so tough because you got a power bonus from your spell cards? Well, I'll show you. I activate, Harpie's Feather Duster. This will destroy all Spell and Trap Cards you control, so now your monsters return to their pitiful base attack. Now, I'll discard Thunder Dragon from my hand to draw two more from my deck. Now, I use Polymerization to fuse them together so they can form my ultimate beast. Come forth, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

"Uh oh," Crystal said when the strange beast appeared from a bright display of lightning. "Brett's ace has appeared. And Yur's monsters are nowhere near strong enough to beat him."

"And I have yet to make a Normal summon," Brett continued. "Well, here's another monster for you to contend with, Yuri. Mr. Volcano, with an attack power of 2100! Attack his Sword Arm of Dragon, Mr. Volcano!"

The fiery gentleman created a ball of fire with his hands and created a dazzling display as he came to a stop.

"Your monsters cannot attack the moment they are summoned, thanks to my mammoth!" yelled Yuri.

"Your mammoth will have no such power here, Yuri. I use the spell, Tribute to the Doomed, which sends your beast to the Graveyard."

Big-Tusked Mammoth was wrapped in bandages and then a red, demonic hand grabbed it and pulled it to the Graveyard. Now, Brett was free to attack, but not before he raised his Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's attack with Ax of Despair, increasing his ATK to 3800. He attacked Yuri's Sword Arm of Dragon and blasted it after summoning a lightning bolt with the long horn on its snout, dealing massive damage to Yuri.

"Your move, Yuri."

Yuri breathed heavily and placed his fingers on his deck. "I summon Black Tyranno!"

When the black prehistoric titan appeared on the field and roared, the guests went wild and cheered. They drew out their phones and started taking pictures of the monster.

"It's ace versus ace!" Crystal squealed in delight.

"What's there to be excited about?" asked Carter. "Look. Brett's monster has way more attack points than Black Tyranno. As much as I love the big guy, I'm sorry to say he's outmatched."

Brett sneered. "At last, I can finally prove that my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon is far superior to your pathetic fossil, Yuri. How I savored this moment. All those silly legends. They die today. I'm better than you. My Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon is better than your Black Tyranno. And now I'll prove it. And I took out your Black Tyranno's only means of offense against my dragon. Your Kaiser Black Tyranno is still out of play. Your Black Tyranno is weak, Yuri!"

Yuri sniggered. "Yes, but Black Tyranno has another new and powerful form. After so many years on top of the food chain, he has taken over all the animals of the ancient world. Watch as my Black Tyranno becomes..." Yuri sacrificed his Black Tyranno for his ultimate form: "King of the Prehistoric Beasts-Neo Black Tyranno!"

"WHAT!" Brett shouted.

The crowd went silent as Black Tyranno reared up its head and gave a loud bellow into the afternoon as it was overtaken by a formation of rocks. The rocks began to glow with red runes and a shiny circle with intricate magical designs appeared over the rocks. It started to spin and shot down a beam of light onto the rocks and then BOOM!

The rocks imploded and a beast standing twenty meters tall and as long as a football field stepped forward. Crystal and the others began to back away in awe as the strobe lights and lasers revealed hard, iron-like scales as black as night. There was a spear on the tip of its tail, heavily armored as was all of its body. Two large sails protruded from its back; dark blue on the top of turning a shade of violet at the bottom. It had a crown of spikes on its head surrounding a purple orb, and sharp sword-like blades came out of its elbows. A white beard swirled underneath its chin and its eyes were like two gold orbs.

King of the Prehistoric Beasts-Neo Black Tyranno

ATK/ 3300 DEF/3000

"Yuri, what a monster!"

"And he also comes with his own surprises," said Yuri. "See, for every dinosaur that I have on the field and in the Graveyard, Neo Black Tyranno gains an extra 500 attack and defense points. So, first, I'll activate my Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards and discard two. That's Uraby and Sword Arm of Dragon, plus the Megazowler and Black Ptrera I discarded with Graceful Charity and finally, Black Tyranno. And let's not forget Neo Black Tyranno as well. That's six monsters."

Neo Black Tyranno

ATK/ 6300 DEF/6000

Crystal didn't know whether to laugh or shout. This was it. Yuri was going to beat Brett. Here. At his own birthday party. Patty leaned on Crystal to hold herself up. They both laughed hysterically, gazing at Neo Black Tyranno.

"ATTACK!" Yuri shouted.

Neo Black Tyranno opened its mouth and charged up a purple laser that made an ear-piercing metallic humming sound. Just as it fired, the holograms disappeared.

"Hold on," Brett said, his ear to his cellphone.

"WHAT!" shouted Yuri.

"If you insist," Brett sighed. He hung up. "Sorry, but this Duel is canceled. I have important matters to discuss with my uncle. So long, Yuri. Happy Birthday."

"Asshole!" shouted Patty. "This isn't over! This still counts as a loss!"

Brett didn't listen and took his dates downstairs. When the tension died down, the party resumed. But Patty, feeling excited about what she saw took place, could not contain her thirst for Yuri any longer.

"Follow me," she whispered.

"People are going to notice if we're gone," Yuri whispered back.

"Are you kidding? Look at this place. Nobody's gonna notice if you disappear for an hour. Maybe two. Now come on! I want it! Give me it!" She dragged him out of the roof. Yuri followed her lead downstairs where they danced. Patty had a bottle of wine in her hand, which she chugged down until she was drunk and wild.

She started getting handsy with him and grew to be too much for him to control. Yuri ultimately decided to retire to his room. They raced through the compound to the private rooms upstairs, kissing and yanking at their clothing throughout the journey. When they were alone in the hallway outside of his room, Yuri lifted Patty's dress until he exposed her backside. The black thong she wore was wedged so deep into the crack of her yoga-firm buttocks it was almost invisible. He pinned her against the wall, burying his mouth into hers and rubbing his hands up and down her ass. Her wine-laced tongue slithered into his mouth. Yuri felt her unbuckling his diamond-crusted belt buckle. He smacked her butt, forcing her to cease and making her giggle. Yuri lifted her up. Patty wrapped her legs around his waist and Yuri carried her into the bedroom

Thankfully, his private quarters was built with soundproof walls. Even though they didn't completely drown out all the sound, the music was reduced to nothing more than a few loud, but soft bumps. He laid her down on the bed and watched her undress. She didn't wear a bra. Her breasts bounced free from the confines of her dress. She then unzipped her boots and took them off as Yuri took his pants down. The siren gazed at him, snarling like a starving lion. It was her turn to dominate him. She lifted him by the tie still wrapped around his neck and forced him to sit down on the bed. She pulled his boxers down and smiled before she pleasured him with her mouth.

Unbeknownst to him, or anyone at the party for that matter - someone had snuck into the compound, concealed in the shadows.

---

Serenity placed her finger on the earpiece. "I'm in," she said. "Wow, this party sure is something else. Mai wasn't kidding about that girl, Crystal. She must love him very much to have thrown this kind of party. Just the entertainment alone could bankrupt Kaiba!"

"I highly doubt that," Mai's voice responded. "Don't focus on the festivities. That's Yuri's affair. Just make sure to hand him his present and be back before time runs out. We don't have much of it before Antilles' forces arrive to close this Gate. I want to be out of here by then, please."

"Don't worry," Serenity said, sneaking toward the presents. "I'm going to make sure he gets it."

She reached into her coat and pulled out a black, velvet box with a red ribbon. She kissed it lovingly and set it down on the pile of presents.

"He's your responsibility now," she whispered. "Take care of him. The fate of the world rests on both of you."

---

End of Book 1