I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

There was a bright light coming out of what looked like an old, abandoned dome of a building, but Anna, Pitch and I knew that it was the nexus of the darkness. Rainbow swirls flashed around the surrounding area, streaming out of the windows.

"What an odd place for the underworld to dwell," Anna said.

"The Militia would've known if there was an underground nightclub out here, so it can't be that," I added.

"What does it matter what it looks like? A Dark Signer is inside who is ruining the good name of the Darkness." Pitch humphed.

"Then I guess that it is my duty to stop him from from doing that, right?" I asked.

"Given that there seem to be no Signers rushing to this location, they probably think that they've won, already. All four of the towers must have been shut down." Anna said.

"Even if they haven't been, this is probably where all of that EnerD power was going. This must be the gateway that the Dark Signers planned to use to bring back the King of the Underworld." I said.

There was a slow clapping and the sound of boots on concrete as we watched a large, muscular man in red Dark Signer attire walk down the steps from the dome.

"You don't even know just how correct you are. Unfortunately, you are too late, and only a Signer would even have a hope of defeating me in a duel. That is the way of fate, my friend. You lose, and the world will be destroyed." he laughed.

"I think that you're wrong," I said.

"About what? You wouldn't have a hope of defeating me, and even if you did it would be for naught. Only a Signer can defeat a Dark Signer, and vice-versa."

"I'm not a Signer, but I don't think I have to be." I smiled as my duel disk extended. Finally, an opportunity to both help my friends and test out a new deck.

"Then you should be aware that there is an express amount of time before the King is awakened, and both you and I would be utterly destroyed." he laughed, extending a duel disk who's make and model I had never seen before.

"And what exactly is your name?" I asked.

"What does that matter?"

"I would prefer to know what to put on your gravestone."

"I already have one of those, but if you must know, then my name is Roman. And just so you know, we are now operating under the effects of the card Final Countdown." he smiled as twenty small fireballs lit themselves in a wide circle just above our heads.

"Then I hope you don't mind that I get the first move!" I said as I drew my sixth card.

Turn 1: Wilhelm

Wilhelm: 4000

Roman: 4000

"Heh. Fair enough. I'll start by setting three face downs, then I'll summon myself, Dark Blade!" it was interesting to see a version of myself in unmodified armor step onto the battlefield by walking out of me. It felt completely unnatural and gave me chills. He drew the swords and readied himself for combat.

Dark Blade: 1800/1500

"Ah. I wondered why a couple of cosplayers would have the gall to face me. Oversized hero complexes, mostly, but if you're Duel Monsters… That just makes things interesting…" Roman laughed.

I clenched my jaw and sensed that Anna was also unhappy. "Your move," I said, then one of the fireballs dissipated.

Turn 2: Roman

"So be it," Roman cackled as he drew a card. "You don't have any friends who can save you from my wrath, nor do you have any hope of stopping the King's return."

"So you say, but we'll try regardless," Anna said.

"Haven't you ever watched Star Wars, Athena? Do or do not, there is no try." Roman smiled.

"You don't get to quote Yoda!" I snarled.

"Why not? I'm just as much a fan as you are, if not more, but regardless of that, I set two face downs and summon Krebons. Your move, Blade." the lanky psychic-type monster jumped onto the field as another fireball dissipated.

Krebons: 1200/0400

Turn 3: Wilhelm

I drew a card.

"I know all too well what exactly what Krebons likes to do, but damage is damage." I said. "I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, and he will attack Krebons." A bald, half-faced monk stepped onto the battlefield out of a dark whirlwind, his beads clinking together softly before he launched himself at the lanky psychic, his fists in a flurry, but only going through Krebons' body to hit Roman, who took the punches without flinching.

Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer: 1800/0700

Roman: 3200

"In case you couldn't tell, I used Krebons' effect." he smiled.

"Then you'll have to use it again because now I get to attack you!" I said, sending my avatar to attack, once going through Krebons and not doing as much damage as would be preferred, only leaving a slight cut on his cheek.

Wilhelm: 4000

Roman: 2400

"Your move," I said, watching another flare fall away.

Turn 4: Roman

He drew a card and said, "Why don't we start with something simple. I summon Spyder Spider, but don't concern yourself with him for long, because I tune him with Krebons to summon Underground Arachnid!" Four stars were enveloped by two circles of light, eventually turning into a gigantic battle-armored spider.

Underground Arachnid: 2400/1200

"Ah! Big spider!" I nearly screamed, activating one of my face downs: Shrink, reducing it to half of its attack points.

Roman sighed, "Well, that prevents me from effectively attacking you this turn, but now matter. I use my Arachnid's effect to equip your Ghost Destroyer to it, taking away at least one of your monsters." I was not happy to watch my monk jump onto the back of his gigantic spider.

"Your move." he smiled, setting another card as another flare fell apart.

Turn 5: Wilhelm

I drew another card and my eyes went wide. I thought that this card was illegal!

Only in tournaments. This is not a tournament. Pitch replied.

"I activate Raigeki!" I said. Lightning streamed down from each of the remaining flares and destroyed the Arachnid and Kycoo along with it.

"What?" Roman cried.

"I know, how is it that I happen to have that card?" I said with an overabundance of boyish glee.

"It is very fortunate for you," Roman growled. "But it still isn't enough to end this duel."

"Then it is a good thing that I can summon Lancer Lindwurm." I smiled. The green dragon in golden armor equipped with a lance flew onto my side of the field.

Lancer Lindwurm: 1800/1200

"And now Lancer will attack you directly," I ordered. Roman groaned, reeling from being hit across the face by the lance. "And now I get to finish the job." I ordered my avatar to attack him directly, who used the twin swords to get Roman's Duel Disk out of the way and kick him to the ground.

Wilhelm: 4000

Roman: 0000

"Wilhelm!" I heard from behind me. Anna immediately took a position to defend me from behind but backed away when she saw that it was Yusei.

"Ah…" Roman groaned. "Yusei Fudo… I've been awaiting your appearance."

"Stay down, you've been beaten," I said.

"Then you still don't understand how this works, Blade. It takes the power of a Signer to counteract that of a Dark Signer. Besides, you defeated me before I reached my full power. If you had then maybe I could have been truly defeated, but the Darkness doesn't allow for that to happen. It has to be Yusei who defeats me." Roman said as he got up and prepared his duel disk for another round.

Yusei resigned himself and slotted his deck into his Duel Disk. "Alright, Roman. I'll save my friends and everyone else that has suffered because of the Darkness!" I looked up and noticed that there were still flares, but they started dissipating at a faster rate than turns in a duel. Once the number was down to ten I noticed that they were disappearing every second.

I drew a sword and rushed Roman, piercing him through the chest. He coughed out black blood as he looked up at me and said, "Thank you, but this won't be enough."

I felt Pitch in my mind, then I started repeating what he was telling me to Roman.

"I am the scion of the Gentle Darkness. You and yours are nothing but a corruption and a derivative, inherently less than I have been from the beginning. Balance will be restored." I said. As Roman's eyes widened I added, "You are beaten. Stay beaten."

I pulled the sword out of Roman's with a slick, sickening sound, allowing him to fall to the ground. The flares slowed until there was only one left.

Yusei looked horrified, Anna was terrified. I couldn't even meet their gaze, I could barely understand what I'd just done. I just killed a man because I saw a trap. I acted off of instinct and residual memory that my soul must have had. Without thinking, without hesitating, I killed a man.

Still looking away, I struggled to explain myself. "The flares. They are the countdown until the King is resurrected. There wasn't time for you to beat him in a duel. I had to do it."

Yusei couldn't speak as we all watched Roman's body fade away into specks of dust.

"Wilhelm," Yusei finally said. "What happened to you?"

I was about to answer but then I saw Anna. She wasn't terrified because of me, thank Ra. She was pointing at the last flare. It withered and died.

"Slifer!" I yelled, grabbing Anna and getting she and I onto Pitch. Yusei likewise mounted his Duel Runner. We started riding away when we heard a loud, high-pitched and piercing cry.

"The Crimson Dragon!" Yusei yelled.

"The what?" I tried to ask, but it was too late. Yusei, Anna and I were absorbed by some massive stream of red light. I blacked out.

I woke up alongside Akiza and Anna, Pitch was runner nearby. We were somewhere vaguely familiar.

"Where are we?" Anna asked.

"What are you two doing here?" Akiza asked us.

"Hahaha! I figured you'd show up sooner or later!" said a small man who looked like he was a clown.

"Who are you again?" Akiza asked him.

"Lazar! Aide to the Director of Sector Security?"

"Nope, that doesn't ring a bell," Akiza said.

Lazar was visibly enraged, "Seriously? I'm literally always by his side and you don't! No matter, it seems that we're missing a few people, and there are even non-Signers in this bunch. It seems like the power of the Crimson Dragon is becoming a little… unstable."

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked.

"You'd like to know what's happening to this world, wouldn't you? The answers you seek lie just beyond this gate, but first, you'll have to prove to me that you're worthy of entering! Ha!" Lazar wheezed.

I held up my sword and said, "Is this worthiness enough?"

"A gleaming steel sword is worth nothing, even if you do look like your favorite, pathetic, Duel Monster. It has been marred by nothing, and you are worthless when you are untested." he smiled sadistically.

I looked down and saw that the blood that had been on the sword was no longer there. That must have been the work of the Crimson Dragon.

"Is Yusei behind that Gate?" Akiza asked.

"I honestly have no idea, but you'll have to defeat me in a duel to find out." Lazar laughed.

"Then I will duel you," Anna said, preparing her deck for one more round.

"So be it, she-who-dresses-like-a-fool" he cackled.

"Perhaps you should look in a mirror." she said.

"Oh, it's on now!" he yelled, activating his duel disk.