YuGiOh! Soul of Silicon

by 0ccam's Razor

At last! The conclusion of Yu Gi Oh! Soul of Silicon! Please R&R!

67. Rise of the Exemplars

It seems I've come to the end of the road, and what I've found here isn't what I expected.

I expected one final showdown with Daala, her against me. But fate has proven a rascal. Her mentor, this follower of Shogarr who calls himself Llymic, has demanded a team duel, with him and Daala on one side, and Sam and myself on the other.

So far, I've defeated Daala once before, but only with help from Joan. Ren and Erik have defeated Llymic, but both times, he wasn't using his true deck. Daala is now using the deck which I assume she used to defeat Joan, while I assume Llymic is also using a far more powerful deck. And since Llymic was Daala's teacher, they likely know how to work together better than Sam and I can. I have no idea what's in either of their decks.

On the other hand, there's likely only one card in my deck that they don't know about. The card that Sheena gave me that hides a virus with the ability to delete Daala forever. This card once made a difference long ago, and I'm hoping it will now…

Can Sam and I pass the ultimate test and win this twisted video game? Or will it be Game Over for both of us?

Only time will tell…

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CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

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Rise of the Exemplars

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Yumi and Sam faced Daala and Llymic, Dark Magician Girl and Shadow Tamer facing Dark Witch and Chaos Sorcerer, respectively.

Behind their two foes, the four members of Daala's inner circle stood, with Fujita still recording the action. Behind them were Yumi's three allies, along with Guardian Angel Joan, Vita, Sheena, and the five AI programs who were Joan's top generals. Yumi's forces may have had Daala's outnumbered in terms of actual numbers, but she knew that the portal to the Abyss behind her two foes, along with the giant, unholy relic hanging above called the Great Helm, made this arena a den of Evil, where Llymic's powers were likely amplified enormously. She had no choice but to accept Llymic's conditions.

"I'll explain the rules carefully, so there are no discrepancies," said Llymic.

"Yeah, right," said Mako. "People like him only want rules so they can break them!"

"I'll deal with you later," muttered Llymic. "Each team will share a total of 16,000 Life Points. When a team's Life Points hit zero, both members lose. We'll alternate turns, with Yumi going first, then myself, then Sam, then Daala, and then back to Yumi. No attacking until each player has had one Draw Phase."

"At least he's giving Yumi the first move," said Jesse.

"And giving Daala the first attack," added Zane.

"Now, we'll be using Deck Lords," continued Llymic, "but each team will share one. I'll personally be acting as our Deck Lord."

"No fair!" shouted Sam. "Chaos Sorcerer is an illegal card!"

"The rules of Xanadu clearly state," said Daala, "that an illegal card may be used as a Deck Lord, so long as the user does not summon it to the field."

"I'm afraid she's right," added Joan.

"I'll even tell you what my Deck Lord ability is beforehand," said Llymic, with a smile. "It's called Chaos Theory. During a player's Standby Phase, any Monsters that were removed from play since his or her last Standby Phase are sent to his or her Graveyard."

"That's pretty powerful!" gasped Sam.

"At least it affects all players," replied Yumi.

"As for you two," added Llymic, "choose Dark Magician Girl or Shadow Tamer, but be quick about it."

Yumi and Sam looked at each other.

"Yumi, I…" started Sam.

"Look Sam," interrupted Yumi. "Maybe I'd better do this… I didn't get a chance to tell you guys this, but I figured out how to…"

Then the pouch that held Yumi's side deck began to glow…

"What?" she said.

In an explosion of magical energy, Testament of the Arcane Lords appeared, and loomed over them. It was even taller than it had been when Yumi had spoke to it in the shrine, standing twenty feet tall at least.

"What is THAT?" shouted Daala.

"I… don't know…" replied Llymic.

Yumi turned to the huge Spirit. She listened as a telepathic voice spoke in her head.

"Really?" she asked. "Okay then… Yeah, that will do…"

She turned to her foes, as the Testament's smooth skin took on an orange hue.

"Testament of the Arcane Lords is our Deck Lord!" she exclaimed.

"I don't like this, Llymic," muttered Daala. "I've never even heard of this… thing. How could Yumi have changed Deck Lords without us knowing?"

"Its bark is clearly worse than its bite," replied Llymic. "You forget that Deck Lords need experience in Xanadu to gain any sort of formidable power. It may look intimidating, but it can't threaten us!"

Vita smirked.

These two are in for a surprise, she thought.

"One final rule that applies to a certain spectator," added Daala. "If anyone gives Yumi and Sam any advice relating to the contents of my deck, they are disqualified!"

Joan sighed nervously. She knew that meant her. She remembered all too well the cards Daala had used against her.

"Enough beating around the bush!" shouted Daala. "It's time to finish this once… and… for… all!"

"Game on!" shouted all four of them at once.

(Yumi and Sam: 16,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Daala and Llymic: 16,000)

"As you said," said Yumi, making a draw, "I go first…

"And I'll start by playing Graceful Charity!"

She played the card, and the lovely angel appeared. Like so many times before, her feathers fell on her deck, and she drew three cards.

Perfect, she thought, looking at her cards.

She quickly discarded Cosmo Queen and Dark Magician.

"I'll summon Blast Magician."

In a blast of fire, the red-robed mage appeared, holding his scythe-like staff. (1,400/1,700)

"I end my turn."

"That means it's my move," said Llymic, drawing a card.

He looked over his hand, and then chose one.

"I summon Arcana Force 0 – The Fool!"

Huh? thought Yumi. Did he say Arcana Force?

In a burst of pure light, a weird Monster appeared. It was dressed in a purple and blue shirt and pantaloons with a swirl design, with a mask covering its face. It had snaky tendrils coming out of its head that suggested some sort of hair. (0/0)

"Zero Attack Points," said Sam. "I'm so scared."

"It may have no Attack Points," replied Llymic, "but it also can't be destroyed in battle. As for its other effect…"

He pointed, and the card he had used to summon The Fool appeared above its head. Then, it started to rotate, clockwise.

"The effect of this and every other Arcana Force Monster depends on whether its card lands upright or inverted," he said. "Simply state when you want the spinning card to stop."

"Stop that card!" shouted Sam.

The card came to a halt, and was upside-down.

"Inverted," said Llymic, with a smile, "that means The Fool is now immune to all targeting card effects coming from your side of the field. That means you can't use Blast Magician's effect to destroy it, Yumi."

He turned to Daala.

Is it safe to just end my turn, he said in his mind, or does The Fool need added protection?

Don't worry, Llymic, replied Daala, in her own telepathic voice. If Yumi tries to attack it during her turn, I'll have something to stop her.

"I end my turn," said Llymic.

Sam drew a card. She looked at it.

"I summon The Bistro Butcher!" she shouted.

In an aura of darkness, the Fiend gourmet appeared with a laugh. (1,800/1,000)

"I end MY turn."

"And that means it comes to me!" laughed Daala, drawing a card.

She chuckled.

"First, I'm going to Special Summon a Monster, which I can do by discarding a high-Level Dark Monster, like my Regenerating Rose."

She took the card from her hand, and discarded it.

"Oh, Erik?" she said with a smile. "I'm sure you're going to like him… I Special Summon Dark Grepher!"

A creeping shadow appeared on the field, and an evil-looking Warrior appeared from out of it. It looked like Warrior Dai Grepher at first glance, but he had coal black skin, and eyes that burned like smoldering embers. (1,700/1,600)

"I don't like him at all!" shouted Erik. "He sickens me!"

"What's the matter, Erik?" asked Daala. "Afraid of the future?"

"That thing is not my future!" screamed Erik. "I don't care what the first Grepher did! I'm not about to make the same stupid mistake!"

"Don't worry," said Daala, "we won't give you the chance to. Now, since that was a Special Summon, I'll Normal Summon my Shadowpriestess of Ohm."

She played the card, and in another dark shadow, a dark Spellcaster appeared. She wore a dark and sinister version of Elemental Mistress Doriado's outfit, altered into a halter top with a dark cape and long skirt, and carried two long switches. (1,700/1,600)

"Lovely…" muttered Joan. "This is just how she started when she dueled me…"

"Uh, uh, uh!" said Llymic, waving his finger. "Don't forget the rule, Joan… I'll let that one slide, however."

"That's okay…" chuckled Daala. "This is more fun, anyway… Shadowpriestess, attack Blast Magician with shadow magic!"

Shadowpriestess formed an orb of dark energy in her hands, and hurled it at Blast Magician. Blast Magician gasped as a dark aura surrounded him, and he burst into black particles.

"Grepher, attack Yumi directly!" ordered Daala. "Shadow sword!"

Dark Grepher grinned evilly, and leapt at Yumi, slashing at her with his weapon. Yumi gasped and fell on her behind.

"Sam…" she muttered. "We're off to a rocky start…"

"I'm not done…" said Daala, with a grin. "I activate Shadowpriestess's effect. By sacrificing a Dark Monster, she can inflict 800 more points of damage. So, so long Dark Grepher…"

Dark Grepher vanished, and Shadowpriestess fired another blast of dark energy, hitting Yumi in the chest. She groaned in pain.

"I'll set one more card, and end my turn," said Daala.

A reversed card appeared in front of her.

(Y&S: 13,200) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 16,000)

Yumi slowly got up.

"My move!" she shouted, drawing a card.

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician!"

She played the card, and the Dark Spellcaster in the bulky robe appeared. (1,900/1,700)

"Even if The Fool is invulnerable in battle," said Yumi, "you'll still lose Life Points when I attack it.

"Skilled Dark Magician, attack The Fool!"

The Spellcaster pointed his scepter at the strange creature.

"Not so fast," said Daala, as her facedown card lifted. "I activate… Zero Gravity. This changes the modes of all Monsters on the field."

A blast of energy struck the field, and everyone was lifted off their feet. Skilled Dark Magician, Shadowpriestess of Ohm, and The Bistro Butcher gave looks of shock, while The Fool simply looked down with a curious expression. The four duelists were more used to it happening, however. Eventually, everyone landed, and the four Monsters knelt and crouched in Defense Mode.

"Thank you, Daala!" laughed Llymic. "I wouldn't have been able to move it to Defense Mode otherwise!"

"Any time," replied Daala.

Yumi growled.

"I end my turn," she said.

"Then let's see what's next," said Llymic, drawing a card.

"I summon another Arcana Force Monster… Arcana Force VII – The Chariot!"

He played the card, and another weird thing appeared. It looked like a flying saucer of some sort, with eyes all around its circumference. On its top was a small dome with several hands connected to hoses, and on its bottom were two weapons resembling guns of some sort, also connected to hoses. (1,700/1,700)

The Chariot, thought Yumi. I've definitely seen THAT before…

"Once again…" said Llymic.

The card appeared above The Chariot, and started to spin.

"Stop right there!" shouted Yumi.

The card stopped. It was right-side-up.

"Right-side-up!" said Sam, with a sigh of relief. "That's good, right?"

"Yes," said Llymic. "For me. You see, Sam, The Fool is the odd man out among the Arcana Force Monsters. Only it and one other have a positive effect when its card is inverted. With most of them, the effect that the controller wants is the upright effect.

"If The Chariot had landed inverted, you would have gained control of it. But since it is upright, I gain control of any Monster it destroys.

"So… Attack her Bistro Butcher! Master blast!"

The Chariot fired a beam of pure light from its hoses, blowing the Butcher to gibbets.

"Fortunately, he was in Defense Mode," said Sam.

Then the Butcher reappeared, next to The Chariot, and was clearly in Attack Mode.

"Not any more, he isn't," replied Llymic. "Butcher, attack Samantha directly!"

Sam screamed as the Butcher made a slash at her with its cleaver.

She gasped for breath.

"Bad idea…" she said. "I know my Monsters' effects by heart. Since I took damage from his attack, I get to draw two cards…"

She made two draws.

(Y&S: 11,400) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 16,000)

"Sam, we're in trouble," said Yumi. "I've seen these tarot card Monsters before. Cassandra used them against me."

"Yes, I know all about your duel with Cassandra," replied Llymic. "But the first duelist to use these cards was Sartorious, the pawn used by the Light of Ruin. It made these cards for him, and they represented its demonic servants.

"When Jaden defeated the Light of Ruin, Sartorious's cards lost their true power, and the Light of Ruin was sealed away. Cassandra is a mystic who was one of several, along with Siegfried, charged with protecting the Mandate. But, she also served a mysterious being who resided in the Astral Plane, and was given the task of watching the place where the Light of Ruin was locked away after its defeat. After many years of faithfully doing so, this being gave her more benign versions of Sartorious's cards.

"However… Few people knew that the Light of Ruin was a servant of a greater power…"

"So it's true…" muttered Yumi. "The Light of Ruin was working for Shogarr…"

Llymic nodded.

"And Shogarr has finally freed the Spirits of the Light's true servants, Yumi, and bestowed them upon me. The true Arcana Force Monsters are back… with a vengeance!"

"Yumi was right…" muttered Atticus. "They're in trouble…"

"I end my turn," said Llymic.

Sam made a draw. She looked at it for a second. Then she chose another card.

"I summon Archfiend Soldier!" she shouted.

In a burst of dark energy, the infernal troop appeared, holding aloft its blade. (1,900/1,500)

Okay, let's see, thought Sam. Attacking Shadowpriestess or The Fool would be pointless since they're in Defense Mode… The best thing to do would be to get rid of that robot or whatever the Hell it is, before it can steal another Monster…

"Attack the Chariot!" she shouted.

Archfiend Soldier rushed at the contraption, and made a single slash, slicing The Chariot in half. It shuddered for a minute, and then exploded.

"Yeah!" shouted Aster.

"I set these facedown, and end my turn," said Sam, as two facedown cards appeared.

(Y&S: 11,400) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 15,800)

"Draw…" said Daala, drawing a card.

She looked at the three cards in her hand.

"Aw, pass," she said.

Yumi drew.

Her first move used a lot of cards, thought Yumi. Maybe it wasn't the wisest choice for her.

"I summon Magical Exemplar!" she shouted.

"Who?" asked Daala.

As Yumi played the card, a new Spellcaster appeared in a shower of sparkling motes. It was a young girl, with long, black, straight hair, dressed in an exotic, green robe embroidered with mystic runes. She looked like the typical princess from a fantasy RPG. (1,700/1,400)

"Okay…" muttered Daala. "That's certainly new…"

"Uh huh," said Yumi, as Skilled Dark Magician moved back to Attack Mode. "Exemplar… Destroy her Shadowpriestess! Moonlight blast!"

Magical Exemplar's eyes glowed with soft light, and she shot a blast of glowing light from her hands. Shadowpriestess of Ohm screamed as it hit her, and she was blown to bits.

"I've waited a long time for this, Daala!" shouted Yumi, as Skilled Dark Magician aimed his staff at Daala.

"Oh, I bet you have…" said Daala with a smirk.

Skilled Dark Magician cast his dark spell, and Daala grunted in pain as it hit her.

"I set one card facedown," said Yumi, as a reversed card appeared, "and then play Swords of Revealing Light."

She played the card, and a shower of swords fell on Daala and Llymic's side of the field. As she did, two sparking motes appeared next to Magical Exemplar, and started orbiting around her like small satellites.

"I end my turn."

(Y&S: 11,400) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 13,900)

As Llymic drew a card, Daala turned towards him.

Keep them occupied for one more turn, she thought. Next turn, I've got what I need to hit them hard…

You got it… replied Llymic.

"I play the Continuous Spell Card, Precious Cards From Beyond," he said, as a Spell Card appeared in front of him.

As it did, two more glowing motes appeared circling around Magical Exemplar.

"Hmm…" he muttered. "Anyway, with this Spell Card in play, any time I Normal Summon a Monster by sacrificing two others, I get to draw two cards."

"How many double-tribute Monsters can one deck have?" asked Atticus.

"More than you'd think," replied Aster. "You forget, the real Aster was sort of… close to Sartorious. If Llymic's deck is based on his, I'm pretty sure that I can recognize all his cards."

"If we may proceed…" replied Llymic. "I sacrifice The Fool and The Bistro Butcher…"

The two Monsters vanished into grains of light.

"…to summon Arcana Force XVII – The Star!"

In a blast of light, a very large Monster appeared. It looked like a huge, spherical eye, mounted on a pedestal, with five arms placed at its twelve, two, five, seven, and ten o'clock positions. (2,700/2,700)

"I was wrong…" muttered Aster. "I never saw that one before… And I don't like the look of it at all…"

The card appeared above The Star, and started to rotate…

"One, two, three…" said Yumi. "STOP!"

The card stopped, and was upside-down.

"HA!" laughed Sam. "You lost that toss!"

"So I did," sighed Llymic. "With The Star inverted, I'm not allowed to make direct attacks. But I still get to draw two cards due to my Spell Card…"

He made two draws, and looked at them.

"Seeing as I can't attack anyway with Yumi's Swords in play, I'll simply set two cards facedown, and that will be all…"

Two reversed cards appeared.

"My move…" said Sam.

She drew a card.

Sweet… she thought, looking at it.

"I play Curse of the Masked Beast!" she shouted, as the Ritual Spell appeared on her side of the field.

The sinister altar appeared, and as it did, three more glowing motes appeared around Magical Exemplar, giving her a total of six.

"I'll sacrifice Belial, Marquis of Darkness from my hand," said Sam.

Belial appeared on the field, and then vanished in a burst of flame.

With a roar, the savage Masked Beast appeared, hefting its cudgel. (3,200/1,800)

"Chew on this Llymic!" shouted Sam. "Attack The Star!"

"Not so fast!" shouted Llymic. "I activate a Trap! I had hoped to use this on one of Yumi's best Monsters, but, oh well… Crystal Seal!"

His facedown card flipped up, and The Masked Beast roared, as a shimmering glow surrounded it. Then, a solid, purple gemstone surrounded it, sealing it inside.

"That Trap Card…" gasped Yumi, as her eyes opened wide. "It was the card that Raphael used to goad the Pharaoh until he used the Seal of Orichalcos!"

"Exactly…" chuckled Llymic. "A Trap Card that brought out the evil in his soul that even he didn't know was there. And perfect for use by me, wouldn't you say? The effect looks just like a Soulgem.

"Your Masked Beast can't attack me nor defend you, Samantha, nor can you even sacrifice it. It's helpless!"

"And so is Daala!" shouted Sam. "She's completely unguarded!

"Archfiend Soldier, attack Daala directly!"

Archfiend Soldier rushed at Daala…

Then he stopped short, as a strange Monster appeared to block the attack. It looked like a spectral, feminine form, with large, clawed arms and a fiendish face, wearing an orange dress.

"What was THAT?" shouted Sam, as it vanished.

"A Monster called Arcana Force XIV – Temperance," replied Llymic. "By discarding it, I reduced the damage from your attack to zero."

Daala grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Damn…" said Sam.

"Sam, listen to me," replied Yumi. "That Crystal Seal isn't as powerful as he'd like you to believe. It can be destroyed, if The Masked Beast's Attack Score changes. Any change at all will destroy that Trap."

She looked at the three cards left in her hand. Then she looked at the two cards she had facedown on the field.

"I have to end my turn," she said, slowly.

"Then it's time to start the fun!" laughed Daala, drawing a card. "It's time for the first of the Dread Council to make its appearance, and we're going to start things off with a bang…"

Phantom images of Dark Grepher, Shadowpriestess of Ohm, and Regenerating Rose appeared behind her.

"I have exactly three Dark Monsters in my Graveyard," she said. "When I have that many, no more, no less, the conditions are right for me to Special Summon this creature…

"Arise… Dark Armed Dragon!"

A literal explosion of dark energy erupted on the field in front of her, and a huge Dragon appeared from out of it. It looked like Armed Dragon at first glance, but with black scales, and glowing red eyes… Darker, and more evil. (2,800/1,000)

"Good lord…" said Yumi.

"Now I activate his effect," said Daala, with a grin. "For each Dark Monster in my Graveyard that I remove from play, I can destroy one card on the field… Any card at all…"

Yumi's eyes opened wide, as something quickly came back to her…

"The behemoth comes, waiting to unleash its powers of destruction. Its arrival is heralded by three. Three must die before it can come. Any less, and it is too proud to appear. Any more, and the power of the hallowed ground forbids it from coming. But when it comes, it can consume the soul of one who has fallen to slay any foe or smash any barrier that would impede it. Beware, mortals, for this evil is not subtle in the least."

"Sam!" shouted Yumi. "This is what the real Armed Dragon was trying to warn us about! Its warning was describing an evil version of itself!"

"A prophesy of doom, eh?" asked Daala. "Too bad you couldn't interpret it… I remove Shadowpriestess of Ohm from play to destroy your Swords!"

A card slipped out of her discard slot, and a volley of dark blades shot from the Dragon, shattering the Swords of Light.

"Now, I remove Dark Grepher, to take out that facedown card!"

Another card slipped out of her discard slot, and the blades flew at the facedown card. Yumi's Mirror Force shattered.

"Third time's the charm," laughed Daala, as Regenerating Rose slipped out of her discard slot. "I don't like your Magical Exemplar, so she's next!"

Magical Exemplar shuddered in fear as Dark Armed Dragon prepared to fire its blades again…

But when it did, the Testament reached down with its hand, shielding her from them. The blades bounced harmlessly off.

"HUH?" said Daala. "Your Deck Lord protected her?"

"That's right!" said Yumi, with a grin. "Seems I interpreted those prophesies of doom rather well after all.

"Let me explain how my Deck Lord's power works. It didn't need experience to gain an Extraordinary Power – it was given one by Boccob himself."

"Boccob?" gasped Llymic. "The god of magic?"

"The very one," replied Yumi. "He doesn't want Chaos eclipsing Order. Testament of the Arcane Lords has a power that I set at the beginning of the duel. I simply had to choose Spell, Trap, or Monster effect, and our Monsters cannot be destroyed by that method. Your Dark Armed Dragon can't destroy our Monsters with its effect.

"And we can change the method during our Standby Phase if we chose, if we pay 1,000 Life Points."

Daala growled.

"So you have a powerful Deck Lord…" she sneered. "Big deal! I still have Dark Armed Dragon's normal attack!

"Dark Armed Dragon… Attack Magical Exemplar with dark serrated disks!"

"DAALA!" screamed Llymic. "WAIT!"

Dark Armed Dragon roared, and three disk of pure darkness shot from its abdomen.

"I activate… Shrink!" shouted Sam, as one of her facedown cards lifted. "This will cut your Dragon down to size!"

Dark Armed Dragon roared again, as its Attack Score fell to 1,400. Magical Exemplar concentrated, and a dome of energy surrounded her. The dark disks bounced back and stuck their owner. Dark Armed Dragon howled, and exploded in a burst of flaming hot metal.

(Y&S: 11,400) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 13,600)

"Sam…" said Yumi. "You… You… Why? You could have used that to destroy the Crystal Seal…"

Sam grinned.

"Lots of ways to destroy a Trap Card," she said. "Not many ways to destroy a Monster that powerful. I knew we had to win the duel, Yumi, so I saved it for when the big, scary Monster showed up. You have to have your partner's back in a team duel."

Yumi sighed.

"Thanks, Sam…" she said.

Daala was dumbstruck.

"Wha… what happened?" she finally gasped.

"I'll tell you what happened," growled Llymic, with a hint of annoyance. "You got angry, you got careless, you forgot that you were facing two opponents, and Yumi's partner managed to make a fool out of one of the most powerful members of the Dread Council!"

Everyone on Yumi's side started to cheer.

"So she did," muttered Daala. "Well, we won't make that mistake a second time…

"You two may have defeated one member of the Council, but there are others…"

She placed two cards in her Disk.

"I set one card, and then summon Vengeful Shinobi."

A facedown card appeared. Then, in a shadowy aura, a dark ninja armed with a dagger appeared on her side of the field. (400/800)

"It's your move, Yumi," she said.

Yumi quickly drew a card.

"Tell me," she said, "how good are you two at counting?"

"Huh?" asked Daala.

"Uh… oh…" said Llymic. "She's means Skilled Dark Magician's effect… More than three Spell Cards have been played since he was summoned."

"That's right," said Yumi. "Meaning I can sacrifice him to summon the real Dark Magician from my Graveyard."

Skilled Dark Magician vanished, and with a grand flourish, Dark Magician appeared. (2,500/2,100)

"That's not all," continued Yumi. "Each time a Spell Card was played, Magical Exemplar gained two Spell Counters. She has eight of them now. And I can remove any number of them to Special Summon from my Graveyard a Spellcaster whose Level matches. So I'll remove all eight…"

The glowing motes around Magical Exemplar vanished, and she put her hands together and closed her eyes. In a blast of energy, Cosmo Queen appeared next to her. (2,900/2,450)

"Dark Magician, destroy Daala's Vengeful Shinobi!" ordered Yumi. "Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician cast his dark spell, and Vengeful Shinobi groaned before shattering into shards. Daala cringed.

"When Vengeful Shinobi is attacked while in Attack Mode," grumbled Daala, "I get to draw one card."

She made a draw.

"Fine…" said Yumi. "Now to take out that thing. Cosmo Queen, attack The Star with Cosmic Nova!"

Cosmo Queen blasted her orb of energy, and Llymic covered his head as The Star erupted into a multicolored explosion.

"Trap Card, activate," he said, as the smoke started to clear. "Call of the Haunted!"

His facedown card lifted, and The Star reappeared. (2,700/2,700)

"Now let's try this again…" he said, as the card appeared above it and started to spin.

"Stop!" shouted Yumi.

The card stopped, and was upside-down again.

"HA!" laughed Mako. "This really isn't your day, is it?"

Yumi paused for a minute.

I could make a direct attack on Daala, she thought. But that may not be wise with such a powerful Monster on Llymic's side of the field. They know what Magical Exemplar can do, so she's likely going to be Llymic's next target…

"I move Magical Exemplar to Defense Mode," she said.

Magical Exemplar knelt, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Then I set a Monster, and two facedown cards," she said.

A set Monster and two reversed cards appeared.

"Make your move, Llymic…"

(Y&S: 11,400) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 11,300)

Llymic drew a card.

"The Monster I just drew is Level Six…" he said. "But, I can Normal Summon it with no sacrifice if I have an Arcana Force Monster on the field, which as you can see, I do.

"I summon Arcana Force XIII – The Reaper!"

In a burst of multicolored light, a Monster appeared that looked like a typical grim reaper, except that rather than wearing a black robe, its clothes were multicolored, in a patchwork, gaudy pattern. It naturally carried a scythe. (2,300/2,300)

Its card appeared above it, and then started to spin.

Okay, this might make or break things… thought Yumi.

"STOP!" she shouted.

The card came to a halt. Everyone on Yumi's side groaned when they saw that it was right-side-up.

"So what does that mean?" asked Sam.

"Simple," replied Llymic. "The Reaper is the universal symbol of change. Thus, every round, I can use its upright effect to change the position of any Arcana Force Monster on the field, except itself.

"Therefore… I'll switch The Star from inverted to upright."

The Star's card appeared above it, and turned 180 degrees.

"I don't think I'm gonna like this…" muttered Sam.

"Indeed…" chuckled Llymic. "Upright, The Star is able to attack directly if I sacrifice two Monsters first."

"Hey, Llymic!" laughed Daala. "Need a couple of Monsters?"

Her facedown card lifted.

"I activate Fires of Doomsday, to summon two Doomsday Tokens!"

In two wisps of smoke, two small creatures seemingly made of smoke, each with a single eye, appeared in front of her.

"Thank you, Daala," said Llymic, with a sinister grin. "So, I'll sacrifice these two Tokens…"

The two Tokens vanished.

"Star… Attack Sam directly! Stellar blast!"

The Star's single eye glowed, and it blasted a bolt of pure light, covering Sam with an aura of burning energy. Sam screamed and fell to her knees.

"Reaper, destroy Magical Exemplar!"

The Reaper made a slash with its scythe, and Magical Exemplar shattered.

"I set one card," said Llymic, as a facedown card appeared, "and that's all for me…"

(Y&S: 8,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 11,300)

"You're gonna pay for that, Llymic," muttered Sam, drawing a card.

"Archfiend Soldier, attack The Star!"

"Say what?" said Llymic.

Archfiend Soldier charged at the huge Monster…

"And I activate… Bark of Dark Ruler!" shouted Sam, as her other facedown card lifted.

Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared behind her, in a cloud of black smoke. He gestured, and an aura of black energy appeared around the Star.

"I'll give up 2,700 Life Points to reduce the Attack Score of your Monster to zero!"

Archfiend Soldier made a slash with its sword, and The Star exploded in another fiery burst.

"ERGH!" grunted Llymic.

Sam looked at Yumi.

"Sorry…" she muttered. "I guess I should have asked first…"

"Don't worry about it," said Yumi. "You took out one of his best Monsters."

"I'll set one card," said Sam, as a reversed card appeared, "and that will end my turn."

(Y&S: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 9,600)

Daala quickly drew a card.

"During my Standby Phase, Llymic's power activates," she said, "and the Monsters that I removed from play last turn go back to my Graveyard."

Dark Grepher, Shadowpriestess of Ohm, and Regenerating Rose slipped back into her discard slot.

"There are now five Dark Monsters in my Graveyard," she said. "And since I also have no Monsters on my side of the field, the conditions are just right for me to summon another member of the Dread Council…"

"Uh… oh…" said Chelsea.

A shadow fell upon the arena, and thunder rumbled, followed by lightning flashing.

Suddenly something else came to Yumi…

"Mortals, hear my cry, and prepare, for a beast stalks the night. It commands the power of lightning, but such gives no illumination, for it is the lightning of the dead. It cannot come unless all of its allies who came before are dead, and not unless those allies number five. But when it comes, it can consume the soul of one of those allies to give life to another. Beware the beast who causes death in order to give life!"

"Sam, stay alert!" shouted Yumi. "This is what The Creator warned us about!"

"Indeed!" laughed Daala. "I summon The Dark Creator!"

In a burst of dark, flaming lightning, a huge form appeared. It was a titan in black armor, in the same general shape as The Creator, but in place of a rune-covered discus on its back, it had demonic, metal wings. (2,300/3,000)

"I'm sensing a trend here," said Sam. "The members of the Dread Council are all evil versions of more benign Monsters, right?"

"That's right," said Daala. "Created by the forces of Balance as an answer to the powerful Duel Spirits who fought on the side of Order. Of course, the Dread Council could care less about the intent of the beings that created them.

"And as you can probably figure out, the effects of the Dread Council are all dark versions of the effects possessed by their benign counterparts. Take The Dark Creator. Like his Light counterpart, he can raise a Monster from my Graveyard. But the Monster must be Dark, and I have to remove another Dark Monster from play first.

"But don't worry. Dark Armed Dragon is a NOMI, and is beyond the power of even this Monster to summon from my Graveyard. Since the number of Dark Monsters in my Graveyard likely won't decrease to three again, you won't be seeing him anymore."

Vengeful Shinobi slipped out of her discard slot. Then, Regenerating Rose appeared on the field, covering itself in Defense Mode with its tendrils. (0/1,500)

"Of course!" said Zane. "Most of the Dread Council's effects must require removing Monsters from play. That's why Llymic invested in that Deck Lord power. Daala will never run out of Monsters to remove from play so long as he uses it."

"It's Chaos at work," said Atticus. "The perfect type of powers for Spirits working for Shogarr."

"At least we can assume that all the members of this Council seem to be NOMIs," said Mako.

"I'll set two cards facedown, and then turn it over to you, Yumi," said Daala, as two facedown cards appeared.

Yumi quickly made a draw.

Hmm… she thought.

"My facedown card activates," she said, "Call of the Haunted!"

One of her facedown cards lifted, and Magical Exemplar appeared again. (1,700/1,400)

"Now, I Flip-Summon my Morphing Jar!"

Her facedown Monster flipped, and the cackling, one-eyed creature in the jar appeared. (700/600)

Daala shrugged, and made five draws. Llymic and Yumi discarded the one card they each had left, and made five draws. Sam discarded three, and drew five.

"All right!" shouted Yumi, looking at them. "I sacrifice Morphing Jar…"

Morphing Jar dissolved into light.

"…to summon Chaos Command Magician!"

In a burst of light, the far more benign user of Chaos appeared next to Yumi's other Spellcasters. (2,400/1,900)

"Cosmo Queen… Attack the Dark Creator!"

Cosmo Queen powered up her Cosmic Nova…

"Not so fast, Yumi…" said Daala. "I activate a Quickplay…"

One of her facedown cards lifted.

"Dark Invigoration. Now, I just have to remove one of my Dark Monsters in my Graveyard from play, and one on the field gains a little boost. A 1,000-Attack Point boost, that is."

She held up the Dark Armed Dragon card.

"So Dark Armed Dragon has some use now after all…"

The Dark Creator rose to an Attack Score of 3,300. As Cosmo Queen blasted her bolt, it knocked the blast aside. Cosmo Queen shrieked, and was blown into pixels.

"Cosmo Queen…" gasped Erik. "Beaten?"

"I'm not done with you!" shouted Yumi. "Chaos Command Magician… Destroy the Reaper! Chaos magic!"

"Huh?" said Llymic.

Chaos Command Magician fired his blast of burning, multicolored lights, and The Reaper exploded into a pile of charred bones.

"Magical Exemplar, destroy Daala's Rose!" shouted Yumi.

Magical Exemplar shot her bolt of soft magic at Regenerating Rose, and the Plant burst into a shower of thorns.

"Thank you…" said Daala. "When Regenerating Rose is destroyed, I get to Special Summon two Rose Tokens."

Two small roses sprouted on Daala's side of the field. (1,200/1,200 x2)

"Well, I could attack one of them," said Yumi. "Or, I could attack Llymic directly! Dark Magician… Why don't you do that?"

Dark Magician flew at Llymic…

"Don't worry, Llymic," said Daala, as her other facedown card lifted, "I got your back this time. Draining Shield!"

A dome of energy formed around Llymic, and Dark Magician's blast was absorbed into it.

Yumi closed her eyes.

"Nice," she said. "It is true that in a team duel, you have to watch your partner's back… And I'm going to do just that…"

Her other facedown card lifted.

"I activate Double Spell. I'll toss this…"

She discarded Mausoleum of the Emperor.

"…and the card I'll take from your Graveyard, Daala, is Dark Invigoration! Now, I'll remove Skilled Dark Magician, who's a Dark Monster, from play…"

The card slipped out of her discard slot.

"And increase the Attack Score of The Masked Beast, who is also Dark, by 1,000 points."

"Why would you…" asked Daala.

"Oh, no…" gasped Llymic, as The Masked Beast rose to an Attack Score of 4,200. "That will destroy the Crystal Seal!"

It did indeed. The gem imprisoning the Fiend started to crack. Then, The Masked Beast roared with fury as it burst free of the stone.

"It's your move, Llymic…" said Yumi.

(Y&S: 5,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 12,000)

Llymic quickly drew a card.

"I play the Equip Spell, Reverse Reborn," he said, placing a card in his Disk. "This lets me revive an Arcana Force Monster from my Graveyard, so long as I Equip it with this card. The catch is, it automatically gets its inverted effect."

"I'll bet he's bringing back The Fool," said Erik.

"Well, true," replied Llymic.

The Fool appeared in a burst of light. (0/0)

"But it won't be staying. I sacrifice it…"

The Fool vanished into grains of light…

"I summon Arcana Force VIII – The Strength!"

In another burst of light, another weird Monster appeared. It looked like a cylindrical robot, with large, clawed arms, no legs, and a metal, mask-like face, hovering in the air. (1,800/1,800)

"Oh, great," said Aster. "I definitely remember that thing. It was one of the riskiest Monsters Sartorious had."

"Care to elaborate?" asked Chelsea, as the card appeared, and started to spin.

"Well, if it lands upright," explained Aster, "Llymic gets to take control of one opposing Monster. But if it lands inverted, Yumi and Sam get to take control of all Llymic's Monsters except that one."

"You heard Aster," said Llymic, with a grin.

"Well, we've been having pretty good luck so far," said Sam. "Stop that card!"

The card slowed… And then came to a stop right-side-up.

"DARN!" shouted Sam.

"Well, let's see…" said Llymic. "Should I take control of The Masked Beast?

"No… I think I'll take… Yumi's Dark Magician!"

A rippling wave of energy emitted from The Strength, and Dark Magician's eyes appeared glazed. He was pulled over to Llymic's side of the field.

"I always wanted to give this a try," chuckled Llymic. "Dark Magician… Attack Magical Exemplar with Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician aimed his staff at the young sorceress.

"Not so fast!" shouted Sam, as her other facedown card lifted. "I have a Draining Shield of my own!"

Dark Magician fired his blast, and it was absorbed into an invisible shield.

"Ergh," muttered Llymic. "Good thing I didn't choose to take The Masked Beast. Strength, you attack her. Crushing wave."

The same rippling field of energy shot at Magical Exemplar, and she screamed before bursting into pixels.

"That's all for now," said Llymic.

(Y&S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 12,000)

Sam quickly drew a card.

"First, I set one Monster," she said, as a hidden Monster appeared.

"Now, Masked Beast, destroy The Dark Creator!"

The Fiend rushed at the giant, and clobbered it with its cudgel. The Dark Creator groaned, and sparks flew from its armor in a display of electric pyrotechnics. Then, it burst into an explosion of burning lightning.

"So much for him," said Sam. "Now for the other one… Archfiend Soldier, rescue Dark Magician! Attack The Strength!"

Archfiend Soldier flew at the droid, holding aloft its sword.

"Not so fast…" said Llymic, as his facedown card lifted. "Ren should remember this Spell Card from his duel with Johnson. Class System."

Archfiend Soldier stopped short.

"Since Archfiend Soldier isn't a higher Level than The Strength, the battle is called off."

"Nuts…" muttered Sam. "Sorry, Yumi, I should have attacked it with The Masked Beast."

"Yeah?" asked Yumi. "If you had, Llymic might have saved that Spell Card to protect The Dark Creator, and it was the greater threat. We can still come back."

(Y&S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 11,100)

"We'll soon see, won't we?" asked Daala, drawing a card.

"It's my Standby Phase, so my Monsters that were removed from play since my last one go back to my Graveyard…"

Vengeful Shinobi and Dark Armed Dragon slipped back into her discard slot.

"So, Yumi… If Armed Dragon and The Creator spoke to you… I'm guessing maybe Horus did the same…"

Yumi stepped back in shock. She remembered Horus's words quite clearly…

"Mortals, listen to what I say, commit it to memory, and hope that your minds make more sense of it than I could. Evil comes in the form of dark, armored flame, a presence that causes the sun to hide in fear. Be cautious in what powers you use to combat it, for it steals the energy from magics that are used against it to recruit its allies from the grave…"

"From the look on your face," said Daala, "I'm guessing he did. And by the way, as for Mako's presumption that all members of the Dread Council are NOMIs?"

She chuckled. The two Rose Tokens vanished into grains of light.

"Wrong. I summon Dark Horus!"

An aura of black fire appeared on the field, and two glowing eyes appeared from out of it. A creature emerged from it that was just as big as the real Horus, and the same basic shape, but its armor was glossy black. (3,000/1,800)

"But I won't be using him right away," she said. "First, I'm going to prepare for the appearance of another member of the Dread Council, who will appear next turn."

"What do you mean?" asked Yumi.

"Simple," replied Daala, showing them a card in her hand. "Since I have at least three Dark Monsters in my Graveyard, if I remove two of them from play, I can send her there…"

Dark Armed Dragon and The Dark Creator slipped out of her discard slot. Then she discarded the card she had shown them.

"…and on my next turn, she'll appear in all her glory! But we'll get to that later…

"Dark Horus, incinerate Archfiend Soldier with solar darkfire!"

Dark Horus screeched, and blasted a bolt of black flames from its terrible jaws. Archfiend Soldier screamed, and was reduced to ashes.

"ERGH!" gasped Sam.

(Y&S: 6,900) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 11,100)

"That's all for now," said Daala, with a sweet smile.

Yumi drew a card. It was Pot of Greed.

"Due to Llymic's Deck Lord power, which doesn't play favorites," she said, "Skilled Dark Magician goes back to my Graveyard."

The card slipped back into her discard slot.

Yumi looked hard at the Pot of Greed. Normally, she would have played it at once. But she was thinking about the warning that Horus had given her.

"Be cautious in what powers you use to combat it, for it steals the energy from magics that are used against it to recruit its allies from the grave…"

She thought about that for a minute.

Something will happen if I use a Spell Card, she thought. It won't be the same as the true Horus's negating effect… Most likely, Dark Horus will be able to activate an effect that benefits Daala. Probably one that affects her Graveyard…

She looked at the other cards in her hand.

But with my Dark Magician being held hostage, and another member of the Dread Council slated to appear next turn, I don't think I have much choice.

"I play Pot of Greed!" she shouted, playing it.

She drew two cards.

"That means I can activate Dark Horus's effect," said Daala, as Dark Horus started to glow with dark energy.

"I knew it," said Yumi.

"Now I get to Special Summon a Dark Monster from my Graveyard," continued Daala.

Dark Grepher appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,700/1,600)

Yumi looked at the two cards she had drawn.

If I destroy The Strength, she thought, I might get Dark Magician back… But can I be sure of it? I have no idea what may be coming in a few turns, and I can't leave myself a sitting duck…

"I set a card facedown, and move Chaos Command Magician to Defense Mode," she said.

A reversed card appeared, and Chaos Command Magician knelt in defense.

"Then I set a Monster, and end my turn."

A hidden Monster appeared.

"My move," said Llymic, drawing a card.

"It was a lot of fun using your Monster, Yumi," he said. "But enough is enough…

"I sacrifice Dark Magician and The Strength…"

Dark Magician and The Strength faded into grains of light.

"To summon Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon!"

An eruption of pure light burst on Llymic's side of the field, and a huge… thing appeared. It looked like a giant mechanical device, that wasn't even humanoid. Rather, it looked like a large cryogenic chamber with an odd-looking alien being sleeping inside it. The whole apparatus had two oversized hands on metal tendril-like arms on its sides, and was mounted on a mass of metal tentacles. (2,800/2,800)

"The Moon is stronger than The Star?" asked Erik.

"Sartorious worked as a fortuneteller before the Light of Ruin possessed him," sighed Aster. "As a result, these creatures based themselves on the Major Arcana of the Tarot. The higher the number of the Tarot, the more powerful the Monster."

"Just how strong do these things get?" asked Jesse.

"Don't ask," replied Aster.

The card appeared above The Moon, and started to spin.

"Here we go again…" muttered Sam. "STOP!"

The card stopped, and was right-side-up.

"We'll get to what that does on my next turn," said Llymic, taking a card from his hand. "In the meantime, I get to draw twice due to Precious Cards From Beyond…"

He made two draws.

"Now… you'll be flattered by this next move, Yumi… I was inspired to put this card in my deck by your grandfather Joey."

"Please, he'd give you a hundred yen for the whole deck," replied Yumi. "He had much better gamble cards… And much less ugly ones."

"Say what you will," replied Llymic. "I play Shield and Sword!"

The Spell Card appeared, and every Monster on the field started to glow.

"You see Yumi, this Spell has no affect on Arcana Force Monsters, since they always have equal Attack and Defense Scores. But it's a liability for any Monster with a high Attack Score, as Sam's Masked Beast would agree."

The changes were dramatic across the board. The Masked Beast turned to (1,800/3,200), Dark Grepher turned to (1,600/1,700), Dark Horus turned to (1,800/3,000), and Chaos Command Magician to (1,900/2,400).

"I must say that was clever," said Yumi, with a chuckle. "Too bad your brilliant plan is about to fall flat on its face…"

Her facedown card lifted.

"I activate Threatening Roar!"

A bellowing roar echoed across the field.

"Seems our strongest Monster is still safe," she said.

"For now…" growled Llymic. "It's your move, Samantha."

"Draw!" shouted Sam.

She drew a card.

"Go, Monster Reborn!" she shouted.

In a flash, Archfiend Soldier appeared again. (1,900/1,500)

"Remember," said Daala, "each time one of you plays a Spell Card, Dark Horus gets to use his effect."

Shadowpriestess of Ohm appeared next to Dark Grepher, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,700/1,600)

"Doesn't matter," said Sam. "I flip my Skull Knight #2 to Attack Mode."

Her facedown Monster flipped, and the skeletal Fiend appeared. (1,000/1,200)

"Then," she said, "I sacrifice him, to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!"

Skull Knight vanished, and the mighty Dark Ruler appeared in a dark aura. (2,450/1,600)

"That means I get another Skull Knight!" continued Sam.

A second Skull Knight #2 appeared. (1,000/1,200)

"Next," said Sam, taking a card from her hand, "I Special Summon Dark Queen Per Sephone!"

In another burst of darkness, Per Sephone appeared. (2,200/1,200)

"Time to take out the trash," replied Sam. "Masked Beast, destroy Dark Horus!"

The Masked Beast charged at Dark Horus, and clubbed it hard. The Dragon screeched, and exploded in a cloud of black smoke.

"Persephone, Archfiend Soldier… Destroy Daala's other Monsters!"

The two Fiends flew at Dark Grepher and Shadowpriestess. Archfiend Soldier slashed at the Dark priestess with his sword, and she exploded into pixels. Per Sephone clawed at Grepher and he burst.

"Ha Des, attack Daala directly! Stygian blast!"

Ha Des threw a bolt of black fire at Daala, and she sweated and strained as the dark aura of fire covered her.

She gasped for breath. And then was knocked down as Skull Knight slashed at her with its sword.

Sam placed two cards in her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

(Y&S: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,650)

"My… move…" grunted Daala, angrily.

She drew a card.

"Due to Llymic's effect, the two Monsters I removed from play last turn go back…"

Dark Armed Dragon and The Dark Creator slipped back into her discard slot.

It was at this point that Sam made the realization…

"Mortals, take every step through this fiery wasteland with care. The destructive side of fire has been given life in the most horrible way. She cannot be born unless she first dies, and before she dies, three have to die first, and two of those must surrender their souls to her hunger. But when she is finally born, beware, for whatever barrier you erected to keep her back will not hold…"

"Yumi!" shouted Sam. "The Monster she sent to the Graveyard last turn… It's the Sacred Phoenix's evil twin!"

"Correct, Sam!" laughed Daala. "You catch on fast. I call forth Dark Nephthys!"

In an explosion of dark fire, much like the one that heralded the arrival of Dark Horus, a dark parody of the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys appeared. Like her good counterpart, she was an armored bird with flaming wings… But like the other members of the Dread Council, her armor was glossy black, and the flames were dark and emitted no light. (2,400/1,600)

"I could have just summoned her by sacrificing two Monsters," said Daala, "but by doing it this way, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards."

Dark Nephthys breathed a blast of dark flame, hitting Sam's Call of the Haunted, and it was burned to a crisp.

"Now, since you made me mad, your Archfiend Soldier is the next thing that's going up in flames…"

Dark Nephthys breathes another blast of fire, burning Archfiend Soldier to ashes.

Daala pouted as she placed a card on her Disk, and a set Monster appeared.

"I end my turn…"

(Y&S: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,650)

Llymic! she said in her telepathic voice. We're in hot water… The card I drew that turn was the Lost Martyr… But because of their blasted Deck Lord, he's nearly worthless!

Don't worry, kid, replied Llymic, I'll think of something…

Yumi drew a card.

"I play Pot of Avarice!" she shouted.

She played the card, and Dark Magician, Magician Exemplar, Skilled Dark Magician, Morphing Jar, and Cosmo Queen slipped out of her discard slot. She shuffled them into her deck, and then made two draws.

There it is! she thought, looking at one of them. The card that Sheena gave me… The card that holds the key to Daala's final defeat!

Only problem is… I can't use it right now… It needs the exact right conditions for me to activate it… I'll just have to hope no-one forces me to discard it…

"I flip Magician's Valkyria into Attack Mode," she said.

Her facedown card flipped up, and Valkyria appeared. (1,600/1,800)

"Then I move Chaos Command Magician to Attack Mode."

Chaos Command Magician stood up.

"Then, I play Rush Recklessly!"

She played the card, and Chaos Command Magician shot up to an Attack Score of 3,100.

"Time to do that old-fashioned trick that you do with a yo-yo," said Yumi. "You know…

"Shoot The Moon!"

Chaos Command Magician fired his burning blast, and The Moon exploded into a burst of flames and burning scrap metal.

Fujita burst out laughing.

"You find that funny?" shouted Watanabe.

"Well…" chuckled Fujita. "'Shoot The Moon'… Yeah, it was kinda funny…"

"It's not going to be very funny if we end up on the losing side of this, Fujita!" scolded Mulner.

"I'd say you four are in big trouble," said Yumi. "Valkyria, aim for Daala's facedown Monster! Magic illusion!"

Valkyria cast a blast of light at the facedown Monster…

And then, she gasped as a backlash knocked her over.

Crouching on the card was an odd creature that looked like a small dinosaur, sculpted out of polished, black rock. (800/2,100)

"That's my Obsidian Dragon," said Daala. "A bit too tough for you to crack."

"Then I end my turn," said Yumi.

(Y&S: 5,800) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,350)

Llymic drew a card.

"I play Cup of Ace!" he exclaimed, playing the card.

The Spell Card appeared above him, showing the image of a golden goblet. It started to spin.

"So this is the same as your Monsters?" asked Yumi.

"Exactly," said Llymic. "You know the drill…"

Yumi looked at the card.

"Stop… now!" she said.

The Cup of Ace came to a halt right-side-up.

"That means I get to draw two cards," said Llymic, as he made two draws.

"Well, well, well…" he said. "What do you know… I just drew a very powerful Spell Card… Wonder if I should use it…"

"What are you talking about?" said Yumi.

"I'm pondering my choices," said Llymic. "This Spell Card can be very powerful, but very, very risky…"

He showed it to them. Daala gasped.

"LLYMIC!" she shouted. "You said you took that dangerous thing out of your deck!"

"Oh, Daala," said Llymic. "I say a lot of things I don't mean… Such as 'No strudel for me this morning', or 'I'll go easy on the brandy this evening'."

"Stop making jokes, Llymic!" shouted Daala.

Yumi looked at the card.

"Suit of Sword X?" she asked.

"A deadly but unpredictable Spell Card," said Llymic. "Once I play it, it spins just as my Cup of Ace did, and if it turns upright, all of your Monsters will be destroyed. But, if it lands inverted, all of ours will be destroyed. It's truly a game-deciding risk.

"What do you say, Daala? Should we give it a try?"

"Llymic…" growled Daala. "If we lose because of that thing, I'll never talk to you again…

"But I'll sure yell at you a lot!"

"Looks like these two are falling victim to the Lumis and Umbra syndrome," said Ren with a chuckle.

"Yep," said Chelsea.

"Mmm, Ren makes a good point," said Llymic. "Better not use it, at least not yet…"

He added it to his hand, and chose another.

"Instead, I'll first summon Arcana Force I – The Magician."

He played the card, and another odd creature appeared in a beam of light. It was man-sized, resembling an exotic harlequin, with a bald, faceless head with no features except two beady eyes. It wore black shoulder pads, a vertical striped shirt and pantaloons, and long, red, pointed shoes. (1,100/1,100)

Its card appeared above it, and it started to spin.

"This is getting tedious…" muttered Sam. "Stop right there!"

The card stopped, and everyone on Yumi's side of the field cheered when they saw it was upside-down.

"How fortunate of you," muttered Llymic, as his eyes narrowed. "With the Magician inverted, the two of you will gain 500 Life Points each time a Spell Card is played.

"So I'd best make the most of it… Attack Skull Knight #2! Spheroid stream!"

The Magician shot a globe of pure light at the skeletal Fiend, and it exploded into steam.

"Now, I play my own Swords of Revealing Light…"

He played the Spell Card, and the swarm of Swords shot at Yumi and Sam, forming a cage around them. But they were relieved as the Magician glowed with energy, and their Life Points went up.

"I end my turn…" he said.

(Y&S: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,350)

Sam drew a card, and grinned at Llymic.

"I activate MY Pot of Avarice," she said.

She played the card, and both Skull Knights, Belial, The Bistro Butcher, and Gaap the Divine Soldier slipped out of her discard slot. She shuffled her deck, and made two draws.

"You made a big mistake not trying to use that Spell Card, Llymic," she said. "You forgot about our Deck Lord.

"I pay 1,000 Life Points to change the Testament's setting from Monster effects to Spell Cards."

Testament of the Arcane Lords glowed, and then changed color, turning from orange, to green.

"Your Suit of Sword can't hurt our Monsters now," she said. "Next, I'll play Premature Burial to summon Archfiend Soldier again."

She played the card, and the Archfiend appeared again. (1,900/1,500)

"And I end my turn."

(Y&S: 5,300) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,350)

Daala looked at Llymic, and then smiled.

Now do you see the purpose? asked Llymic.

Oh yeah… replied Daala. It went as smooth as a knife through flesh!

Daala quickly drew a card.

"You fell for it, hook, line, and sinker!" laughed Daala. "That was your last mistake…

"The Monster I'm about to summon is Level Eight… But since I have at least four Dark Monsters in my Graveyard, I can summon him with only one sacrifice…"

No! thought Joan, as a look of terror crossed her face. This was exactly how she defeated me!

Obsidian Dragon vanished into a dark shadow, and the whole chamber became shrouded in an eerie darkness. It was more than darkness. It was a cold, suffocating fog of sorts, clearly a living and very evil darkness.

"Before the Dark Exemplar came, this being was the leader of the Dread Council…" said Daala. "A being spoken only of in whispers in the Higher Plane…

"I present the long-lost and much-mourned dark brother of Archlord Zerato… The one who saved the Higher Plane from a mighty relic of Chaos, only to become a being of Chaos himself… Appear before me, Darklord Zerato!"

The dark fog turned into a windstorm, and a hulking form materialized in the center of it. Yumi and Sam stepped back in fear as they came face-to-face with the legendary martyr. This powerful seraphim was clearly no longer the crusader for order and goodness he had once been. He resembled his brother only in general outline. His skin was coal-black, his helmet bore diabolic horns, and where he once had feathered wings, he now had demonic bat-like ones. He clutched a huge, serrated sword that was an ugly parody of the one used by Archlord Zerato. (2,800/2,300)

"No fair…" gasped Sam. "We didn't get any warning about this guy…"

"Archlord Zerato must not have known," replied Yumi. "Or his grief over losing his brother must have been too great to talk to anyone about it…"

"You're probably wondering about this guy's effect," said Daala, with a grin. "Well, just as Archlord Zerato can wipe out every opposing Monster if the controller discards a Light Monster, Darklord Zerato can do the same if I discard a Dark one.

"So, I'll toss my Dark Crusader, and let him do my dirty work…"

She discarded a card, and Darklord Zerato lifted his sword to the heavens. Lightning struck first to each side of him, then it started to strike on Yumi and Sam's side of the field. There were six separate screams, and all six of the Monsters on their side of the field were wiped out, leaving only the Testament.

"You tricked us…" snarled Yumi, pointing to Llymic. "You wanted Sam to change the setting on our Deck Lord… That was playing dirty, Llymic."

"You aren't going to be so clean either in a minute, Yumi," chuckled Daala. "Zerato… Pay Yumi a visit, would you?"

Darklord Zerato lifted his sword and flew at Yumi. Yumi closed her eyes and turned her head.

Then she paused. The sword didn't strike.

She opened her eyes, and saw Zerato tied up with a mass of chains.

She looked at Sam, who was grinning. Her facedown card had lifted.

"Shadow Spell?!" shouted Daala.

"That's right, Daala!" laughed Sam. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do now, you little brat," said Daala. "I was going to cut you some slack and attack Yumi twice. But since you pulled that stunt, Dark Nephthys is coming after you!"

"Bring it on!" shouted Sam, as Dark Nephthys inhaled.

Then she groaned, and staggered as the dark flames covered her.

Sam gasped, and panted for breath.

"SAM!" shouted Yumi. "You alright?"

"I think so…" gasped Sam.

"My turn is over…" muttered Daala.

Then, Darklord Zerato exploded into pixels.

"Uhm…" said Yumi. "Not that I'm sorry to see him go, but… Why did that happen?"

"An unfortunate side effect," muttered Daala. "If he uses his effect, he goes away at the end of my turn…"

Ren ran up to Joan.

"Joan!" he whispered. "Daala said that Darklord Zerato led the Dread Council until the Dark Exemplar came. What the heck else does Daala have in this deck?"

"I don't know!" whispered Joan back. "When I dueled Daala, I didn't get any farther than this!"

(Y&S: 2,900) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,350)

"My move…" muttered Yumi.

She drew a card.

Then she quickly set it on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

"That's all I can do…" she muttered.

"Then it's my move," said Llymic, with a chuckle.

He drew a card.

"I play Pot of Greed," he said, playing a card.

He made two draws.

He smirked a little when he saw what one of them was.

Can't use this now, he thought, adding it to his hand, but it will be useful later…

"To be safe," he said, "I'll move The Magician to Defense Mode…"

The Magician knelt and shielded himself with its arms.

"Then, I summon Arcana Force III – The Empress," he said.

He played the card, and a new Arcana Force Monster appeared next to The Magician. It looked like a female creature of alien origins, gaunt and lanky, wearing a blue outfit with a gossamer cape with a high, fancy collar. It had inhuman eyes and an enlarged cranium. (1,300/1,300)

"Ugh!" said Sam.

The card appeared above The Empress and started to spin. Sam sighed.

"STOP!" she shouted.

The card stopped, right side up again.

"Lucky me," replied Llymic. "Here's the deal… Each time one of you two Normal Summons or sets a Monster, I get to Special Summon one from my hand, so long as it has the words 'Arcana Force' in its name.

"In the meantime…"

The Empress put her hands together, and shot a blast of light, striking Sam in the chest.

"Ergh…" grunted Sam.

(Y&S: 1,600) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,350)

"Sorry, Yumi…" moaned Sam. "I'm sorry I fell for such an obvious trap…"

"Don't dwell on it, Sam," said Yumi. "Something is wrong here…

"Why did Llymic move The Magician to Defense Mode when he could have attacked you with that as well, and brought our Life Points down to 500? That Monster is a liability to them right now… And since they're in the lead, losing it from an attack wouldn't hurt them too much…

"Something is clearly wrong… Llymic and Daala are trying to prolong this duel on purpose…"

Daala looked at Llymic.

They're on to us, she said, in her telepathic voice.

Don't worry, said Llymic. Too much is at stake for them to simply give up. They'll continue the duel… And we'll make it last long enough for the Exemplars to finally show their power…

He looked up at the Great Helm.

"My move," said Sam, drawing a card. "I don't know what your game is, Llymic, but it's not gonna work…

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!"

She played the card, and the Swords of Light were blown away by the powerful wind.

"Then," she continued, "I play Silent Doom, to bring back Archfiend Soldier in Defense Mode."

She played the card, and the Archfiend appeared, kneeling in Defense. (1,900/1,500)

"Then," she said, taking the last card in her hand, "I set a Monster."

A facedown Monster appeared.

"And I use The Empress's effect," replied Llymic. "I summon Arcana Force VI – The Lovers."

In another burst of light, a new Monster appeared, and it wasn't what anyone (except maybe Aster) expected. It certainly did not suggest lovers, or even two creatures. It was a semi-humanoid creature with a torso that resembled a black dress covered with pink orbs. It had long arms that looked like tendrils, with oversized hands, and its head was a metal helmet with an alien face. (1,600/1,600)

The card appeared above it and started to spin.

"You know what?" muttered Sam. "Maybe you'd better do it Yumi…"

"Stop right there!" shouted Yumi.

The card stopped, and was right-side-up.

"These two can't catch a break!" said Chelsea.

"With The Lovers in an upright position," said Llymic, it can count as two sacrifices, if I sacrifice it to summon an Arcana Force Monster."

(Y&S: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 7,350)

"Since you have no more cards," said Daala, "I believe it's my move…"

She drew a card.

Hmm… she thought. Not the Monster I wanted… But he'll help me draw it quicker.

"If I were to compare the Dread Council to the Beatles," she said, "the member I'm about to summon would be the Quiet One. But let's face it… George Harrison was a great artist, and what I'm about to summon is no slouch.

"I sacrifice Dark Nephthys…"

The dark firebird vanished…

"To summon Darknight Parshath!"

The Monster that appeared was smaller than Dark Nephthys, but no less evil-looking. It looked like Airknight Parshath at first glance, but his armor, skin, fur, and feathers were pitch black. He carried a nasty sword and shield that were a mirror image of the armaments of his good counterpart. (1,900/1,400)

"Now why did she do that?" asked Erik. "Dark Nephthys is stronger than that guy…"

"Only to start," replied Daala. "Darknight Parshath gains 100 Attack Points for every Dark Monster in my Graveyard…"

She grinned, and a menagerie of specters appeared behind her – Dark Grepher, Shadowpriestess of Ohm, Regenerating Rose, Dark Armed Dragon, The Dark Creator, Dark Horus, Dark Crusader, Vengeful Shinobi, Obsidian Dragon, Darklord Zerato, and Dark Nephthys.

"As you can see, I have eleven," she said, as they vanished. "That gives Darknight quite a boost…"

Darknight Parshath glowed with a black shadow… (3,000/1,400)

"Destroy Sam's facedown Monster!" shouted Daala.

Darknight Parshath galloped at the Fiend, and Gil Garth appeared on the card. The Dark Fairy made a slice down the middle, cutting it in half.

"Darknight has another effect," said Daala. "Whenever he slays a Monster, I can remove one Dark Monster in my Graveyard from play, to draw one card."

Dark Armed Dragon slipped out of her discard slot, and she made a draw. Darknight Parshath's Attack Score fell to 2,900.

She frowned.

"Disappointed?" asked Yumi, with a scowl.

"Just move…" replied Daala.

Yumi quickly drew a card.

This will be a big risk, she thought, but I have to destroy The Empress before Llymic uses its effect to Special Summon something worse…

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician again!" she exclaimed.

She played the card, and with a flourish, Skilled Dark Magician appeared a second time. (1,900/1,700)

"Sadly," said Llymic, "I have no Arcana Force Monsters to Special Summon…"

"Destroy The Empress!" commanded Yumi.

Skilled Dark Magician fired his bolt, and The Empress cracked and chipped before shattering into shards. Llymic grinned slightly.

(Y&S: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 6,350)

"It's your move, Llymic," said Yumi, nervously.

"Indeed it is," said Llymic, drawing a card.

"And I play my own Pot of Avarice," he said.

He played the card, and The Star, The Empress, Temperance, The Chariot, and The Moon all slipped out of his discard slot. He shuffled the five Monsters back into his deck, and drew two cards.

Then he smiled even broader.

"A noble attempt, Yumi," he chuckled, "But I still have The Lovers, and I can still use it.

"I'm sure Aster will remember the beating he got from this Monster, even those the memories truly belong to the real Aster…

"I sacrifice The Lovers…"

The Lovers vanished, and a practical volcano of light erupted on Llymic's side of the field…

"I summon forth… Arcana Force XXI…

"The World!"

Everyone stepped back in fear, as a twenty-foot-tall titan rose on Llymic's side of the field. It looked like a giant, armored robot made of blue metal, with clawed arms and a conical spire in place of legs. Over its head was a metal arch engraved with mystic runes, and the head itself was blank and featureless. (3,100/3,100)

"Three-thousand-one-hundred?" gasped Chelsea.

"Aster!" shouted Ren. "What does this thing do?"

"If it lands upright," gulped Aster, "and Llymic sacrifices two Monsters, he can force Sam to skip her next turn…"

"And Llymic and Daala already have two other Monsters!" gasped Erik. "The Magician and Darknight!"

The card appeared above The World, and started to spin.

This is it, thought Yumi. The whole duel rests on this spin…

"Stop right there!" she shouted.

The card slowly stopped.

Then everyone on Yumi's side cheered. It was upside-down.

"WHAT?" shouted Llymic.

"HA!" laughed Sam. "All that work, and you got bad luck!"

"Fine," said Llymic, closing his eyes. "When The World is inverted, then during your Standby Phases, the two of you get to recover the top card from your Graveyard.

"But The World still has 3,100 Attack Points, and I intend to use them.

"I'll move The Magician to Attack Mode as well…"

The Magician stood up.

"Arcana Force XXI… Demolish Skilled Dark Magician with Light Catastrophe!"

A storm of burning energy erupted around The World, and it hurled the destructive bolts at the Spellcaster. Yumi screamed as her Monster was blown to dust.

"Magician, attack Yumi's facedown Monster!" commanded Llymic.

The Magician shot its sphere at the facedown card. Apprentice Magician appeared crouching on the card, and was blown away.

A card slipped out of Yumi's deck. She quickly placed it on her Disk, and a new facedown Monster appeared.

Llymic set two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

"Your move, Samantha…" he said. "Make the best of it…"

(Y&S: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 6,350)

Sam's hand shook as she drew a card.

"Due to The World," she said, "I get to recover Gil Garth…"

Gil Garth slipped out of her discard slot.

"Now I play Pot of Greed!"

The evil jar appeared, and she made two draws.

"I'll set a Monster, and end my turn."

A facedown Monster appeared.

(Y&S: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 6,350)

Daala drew a card. She frowned again.

"During my Standby Phase, Dark Armed Dragon goes back to my Graveyard…"

Darknight Parshath rose back to an Attack Score of 3,000.

"Now, I attack Archfiend Soldier!"

Darknight Parshath made a slash with his sword, cutting the Archfiend down.

"Now, I'll remove Dark Armed Dragon from play again to draw one card again."

She made a draw.

"Darn it…" she muttered, under her breath. "Where the Hell is it…

"Just make your move, Yumi…"

Yumi quickly drew a card.

She started to smile when she saw what it was.

"Due to The World, I get Apprentice Magician back," she said, taking the card from her discard slot.

"Next, I flip Crystal Seer into Attack Mode."

Her facedown Monster flipped up, and Crystal Seer appeared. (100/100)

"Now, I use her effect."

She took two cards off her deck and looked at them. They were Monster Reborn and Cosmo Queen.

She slid Cosmo Queen under her deck, and took Monster Reborn.

"First," she said, "I play Monster Reborn to summon Magician's Valkyria in Defense Mode."

The holy ankh appeared, and Valkyria appeared, kneeling and shielding herself. (1,600/1,800)

"Then," she continued, "I sacrifice Crystal Seer to summon Dark Magician Girl!"

Crystal Seer vanished, and an exact duplicate of Yumi appeared in front of her. (2,000/1,700)

"Two for the price of one," laughed Llymic.

"You won't be laughing in a minute…" said Yumi. "I play… Hand Control!"

"What?" said Llymic, as the Spell Card appeared.

"I name any Spell Card I can think of," said Yumi, and if it's in either of your hands, it is activated."

"That's crazy," said Llymic. "How can that help…"

Then he saw the card in his hand, and realized what Yumi's intention was.

"The card I name," said Yumi, "is Suit of Sword X."

Both Llymic and Daala gasped, as the Spell Card appeared on their side of the field, and started to spin.

"Need I remind you," said Yumi, with a grin, "our Deck Lord is still set to Spell Cards, so there's no risk us. You two, on the other hand, might be in big trouble…

"Stop that card!"

Everyone looked up as the card started to slow.

For the first time, a look of fright appeared on Llymic's face, as it stopped upside-down.

There was a burst of light above the two of them, and a deadly shower of swords rained down upon Darknight Parshath, The Magician, and The World. The Magician shattered into pieces instantly. Then Darknight let out a scream as he was impaled, and then blown to shards. The World's armor was pierced in several places, and explosions burst through its thick shell, until the whole thing erupted in flames from the inside, and then blew into slag.

Llymic looked at the smoking debris where his mighty Monster had been. He was speechless.

"YEAH!" shouted Ren. "They wiped out Daala and Llymic's whole side! They're gonna win!"

"Dark Magician Girl…" ordered Yumi. "Attack Llymic directly! Dark Burning Attack!"

Yumi's twin flew up to Llymic and cast her dark spell. He screamed as it burned his skin.

(Y&S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 4,350)

"It's your move, Llymic," said Yumi. "This duel is just about over…"

Llymic scowled, and drew a card.

Then he laughed out loud.

"Indeed it is, Yumi!" he laughed. "They say what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger! I'm not dead yet, and I'm about to become stronger than ever!"

Three phantoms appeared behind him. They were The Magician, The Strength, and The World.

"Since I now have a low-Level, mid-Level, and high-Level Arcana Force Monster in my Graveyard," he said, as they faded away, "I can unleash my most devastating combo!"

His first facedown card lifted.

"I activate The Material Road!"

Then his other facedown card lifted.

"Then I activate The Spiritual Road!"

He took a card from his hand.

"And from my hand, I activate The Heaven's Road!"

A Spell Card appeared.

"It can't be…" gasped Aster.

"I sacrifice my three metaphysical pillars to bring out the Light side of Chaos!" shouted Llymic.

The three cards vanished.

"I summon… Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler!"

A huge, hulking form rose behind Llymic. It was even taller than The World, and wider than it was tall. Hunched over and hulking, it was armored with an alien design, had an expressionless face, and two thick, clawed, mechanical-looking arms. As it glared at Yumi and Sam with inhuman eyes, two large, mechanical dragons unfolded from its back. (4,000/4,000)

"I take it back…" said Ren, with a shudder. "They aren't gonna win…"

"Aster…" gasped Atticus. "Do you remember this… thing?"

"I'd never forget it," muttered Aster. "When the real Aster dueled Sartorious, he summoned Bloo-D and used its effect to absorb The World. He thought he had won, thinking The World was Sartorious's strongest Monster…

"But Sartorious proved him wrong by summoning this… The avatar of the Light of Ruin itself! It took out Bloo-D, and Aster along with it!"

"Correct," chuckled Llymic. "But no-one knew at the time that the Light of Ruin was one of two servants of Shogarr, the Dread Emperor… One side of Chaos…

"People… I give you the Light Exemplar!"

Then The Light Ruler's card appeared above it, and started to spin.

This could be the most important toss of the whole duel… thought Yumi.

"STOP!" she shouted.

Then the card stopped, very abruptly. It was right-side-up.

Llymic chuckled.

"It didn't really matter, Yumi," he said. "With the Light Ruler, both of its effects are beneficent to me…

"Attack!"

Streams of burning, flaming light shot out of the two dragon mouths. Yumi staggered backwards as Valkyria exploded.

"You were lucky that she was in Defense Mode," laughed Llymic. "And due to The Light Ruler's upright effect, whenever it crushes a Monster, I get to recover any card I desire from my Graveyard…"

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

"Since I haven't Normal Summoned yet, I think I'll summon it…"

He placed the card on his Disk, and The Lovers appeared again. (1,600/1,600)

The card appeared above it, and started to spin.

"You know," said Yumi, this time, I'm not even gonna bother…"

The card stopped, and was right-side-up.

"Figures…"

"I set two cards," said Llymic, as two facedown cards appeared in front of him, "and my turn is over…"

Sam quickly drew a card, and looked at it.

"No way, Llymic," she said. "I am NOT letting you bring out another two-Tribute terror!

"I flip Gil Garth into Attack Mode!"

Her facedown card flipped up, and Gil Garth appeared again. (1,800/1,200)

"Is Sam crazy?" shouted Jesse.

"Attack The Lovers!" ordered Sam.

Gil Garth charged, and made a slice with its blade, cleaving The Lovers in half.

"I set two cards facedown, and end my turn!" shouted Sam, as two reversed cards appeared. "Do your worst, Daala!"

(Y&S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 4,150)

Daala laughed, as she drew a card.

"You think you're safe from The Light Ruler because it isn't Llymic's turn, huh?" she asked. "Wrong…

"I play Fiend's Sanctuary…"

She played the Spell Card, and the Metal Fiend Token appeared. (0/0)

"Next, I sacrifice it, to summon my Monster Tamer."

The Token vanished, and a rugged Warrior dressed in Arabian-style, red clothing, with a matching goatee, holding a whip appeared. (1,800/1,600)

"You're likely thinking that Monster Tamer is pretty pathetic for a Level Five Monster," she continued. "Well, he has a powerful ability that I can only use in a team duel.

"See, normally, I wouldn't be able to attack with one of Llymic's Monsters. But with Monster Tamer under my control, I can not only do so, I can give it 600 more Attack Points!"

Monster Tamer lashed his whip, and The Light Ruler rose to an Attack Score of 4,600.

"Time to finish you off!" shouted Daala. "Light Ruler… Destroy Yumi's Dark Magician Girl!"

The two dragon heads on The Light Ruler roared. Energy appeared in their jaws…

"You think I didn't expect that, Daala?" asked Sam. "I was counting on it! I figured you two were hiding a super-strong Monster for this duel, so I put something in my deck for just such an occasion..."

One of her facedown cards shot up.

"It's called Battle x2! Since The Light Ruler's Attack Score is at least twice that of Dark Magician Girl, her Attack Score is now doubled!"

Dark Magician Girl closed her eyes, and glowed with golden flames…. (4,000/1,700)

"It's still her last stand!" shouted Daala. "Finish her!"

Two burning beams of light shot at Dark Magician Girl.

"Not quite!" shouted Sam, as her second facedown card lifted. "Part two of my plan… The Trap Card, Covering Fire! Now, she gains an additional boost, equal to the Attack Score of Gil Garth!"

(5,800/1,700)

Dark Magician Girl leapt up, dodging the powerful blast, and shot a mighty Dark Burning Attack at the very center of the beast, blowing a hole right through it. The Light Ruler teetered for a second or two… Then it collapsed forward… And then burst, sending burnt metal and flaming debris across the whole arena. Llymic shielded himself from the burning wreckage.

(Y&S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 2,950)

"You may have defeated the Light Exemplar," said Llymic, with bile in his voice, "but the Dark Exemplar will avenge it…"

One of his facedown cards lifted, showing a Trap they had never seen before. It showed the image of a relay racer passing a baton to another racer.

"It's a Trap called Baton Pass, and it's exclusive for team duels. Since my Monster was destroyed, my partner gets to take one with the same Level from her deck!"

"Another Level Ten Monster?" gasped Mako.

That's right!" laughed Daala, taking a card from her deck. "Next turn, the Dark Exemplar will appear, and will finish you off!

"I end my turn…"

Yumi slowly drew a card.

Magician of Faith? she thought. Oh, I was hoping for something stronger…

Llymic has no Monsters… If I attacked him and it went through, we'd come close to winning…

But the key words are, "if it goes through". He has another facedown card, and if it lets him dodge the attack, I'll be wide open for an attack from Daala's Dark Exemplar, whatever it is…

Better play it safe…

"I set a Monster, and move Dark Magician Girl to Defense Mode."

Dark Magician Girl knelt in defense, and a set Monster appeared next to her.

"And that's all."

Llymic drew a card.

"I'll also set a Monster," he said, as a hidden Monster appeared. "And I end my turn…"

Sam quickly drew a card.

"I summon Opticlops!" she shouted.

With a roar, the cyclopsed, horned ogre appeared. (1,800/1,700)

"Attack Llymic's Monster!" she shouted.

Steam blew from Opticlops' nostrils. It charged, and Kaiser Sea Horse appeared on the card. Opticlops tackled it, and it was blown to pieces.

"Gil Garth, attack Llymic directly!"

Gil Garth lunged at Llymic.

"I activate… Scapegoat!" shouted Llymic.

His facedown card lifted, and four fluffy sheep appeared. Gil Garth paused, and the slashed with its sword, cutting one of them in half.

Sam looked at the last card in her hand.

"Fine…" she muttered. "I end my turn…."

Daala grinned wickedly, and drew a card.

"As you know," she said, "there are twelve Dark Monsters in my Graveyard right now…

"So… I remove from play seven of them…"

An immense, dark shadow started to loom over her…

"…to call forth Shogarr's other servant. The Dark Exemplar… Rainbow Dark Dragon!"

It was hard to believe what had appeared. The titan looming over the field was a hundred feet long, and looked like an evil, blackened version of Jesse's legendary Dragon. Its gems sparkled with light, clashing with its glossy black hide, and its eyes glowed blood red. (4,000/0)

"Impossible…" gasped Jesse. "Rainbow Dark Dragon wasn't a separate Monster… It was the real Rainbow Dragon after Yubel put a curse on it…"

"True," said Daala, "but she couldn't do that alone. She recruited a powerful spirit from the very heart of Dark World to take possession of the Rainbow Dragon, offering it a body in exchange for its services. She didn't know that it was the Dark Exemplar and a being who served an Elder Evil… Nor would she have truly cared at the time in her madness.

"The Dark Exemplar corrupted Jesse's Crystal Beasts, and gained its powers from them. But when Jaden used the Super Polymerization to free Jesse from his prison within the Dragon, he also freed the Rainbow Dragon from the Dark Exemplar's control, forcibly driving it out.

"The Exemplar was wounded and weakened, and wandered through the void for a time. It was eventually attracted to Xanadu, a place where its master had influence. I was charged with finding it, because it was too weak to call out to any allies. It took me years of digging up the landscape, but I eventually found it, and the Dread Council healed it, and gave a new body… This one…

"So now you know…

"And I'm activating its new, more powerful effect! I'm removing from play all the Dark Monsters remaining in my Graveyard, and for each one, it gains 500 more Attack Points!"

Rainbow Dark Dragon glowed with unholy energy… (6,500/0)

"Sixty… five… thousand?" gulped Yumi.

"And that's not all," said Daala, taking a card from her hand. "I Equip Rainbow Dark Dragon with Zombie Lineage!"

"Meaning you can ditch that card to prevent it from being destroyed by a card effect," said Yumi.

"You got it…" said Daala, taking another card from her hand. "I could win by attacking Gil Garth… But I prefer a more symbolic victory…

"I play Enemy Controller! Dark Magician Girl… Stand up…"

Yumi's twin on the field tried to struggle, but the Spell forced her into Attack Mode.

"Rainbow Dark Dragon…" commanded Daala, "kill Dark Magician Girl! Dark Rainbow Refraction!"

Yumi shut her eyes tight.

I tried my best, Joan… she thought, as a tear fell from one of them.

Rainbow Dragon roared, and a mighty blast of multicolored light shot from its jaws. Everyone screamed as Dark Magician Girl was vaporized.

Yumi didn't open her eyes. Why didn't it hurt? An attack that powerful should have thrown her across the room…

She slowly opened her eyes…

Then she saw that she and Sam were surrounded by a swarm of gently cooing Kuribohs, and Sam was grinning.

"Sam…" gasped Yumi. "The… the last card in your hand…"

Sam gave a thumb's up.

"How DARE you!" screamed Daala. "How dare you insult my God of Darkness with that puny Kuriboh?!"

"Hey," chuckled Sam. "It worked against Obelisk."

"I'm not done with you!" screamed Daala. "Monster Tamer, attack her other Monster!"

Monster Tamer lashed with his whip at the facedown Monster. Magician of Faith appeared and shattered.

"There!" said Daala with a scowl. "There goes your faith, your hope, and your chances."

Yumi frowned, and a card slipped out of her discard slot.

She looked at it. Monster Reborn.

"I'm getting tired of this," said Daala. "Make your move. Remember, due to my Zombie Lineage, unless you can summon something with more than 6,500 Attack Points, my Monster is invincible!"

Yumi looked at her deck. Then she looked at the cards in her hand.

Only one card in my deck can do it… she thought. Come on, deck…

She drew a card. She held it to the light.

"So…" she said. "That Equip Spell makes your Dragon invulnerable huh? I think not… I'm going to topple your titan, Daala!"

"You and what army?" asked Daala.

"Funny you should ask," replied Yumi. "First, I play Monster Reborn!"

She played the card, and the holy ankh shined in the dim light. Dark Magician Girl appeared in front of Yumi again. (2,000/1,700)

"Next," she said, taking the card she had just drawn, "I play The Sage's Stone!"

She played the card, and Dark Magician materialized on the field next to Dark Magician Girl.

"With Dark Magician and his apprentice on the field at the same time," said Yumi, "I can use my ultimate weapon…"

She threw a card into her Disk.

"I activate the Spell Card whose name means the Twilight of the Gods… The almighty power of Ragnarok!"

The Spell Card appeared, and lightning flashed. A fierce wind started to blow in the arena.

"Ragnarok?" asked Atticus. "What isn't that…"

"The Spell Card that her grandfather used in the final round of Battle City…" replied Joan. "The one with whose might was strong enough to even destroy The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"That's right," said Yumi. "Your Zombie Lineage is a poor defense against a power that can smite a God Card. But this Spell Card has a great cost… I have to remove from play every Monster in my hand, deck, AND Graveyard."

Several cards slipped out of Yumi's Graveyard, and she added them to one card from her hand, and every Monster remaining in her deck. Putting every Monster in her deck except for the two on the field aside, she turned to face Daala and Llymic as the windstorm increased.

And then, ghostly shapes started to appear around her, that then took solid form. First came Magician of Faith, then Old Vindictive Magician and two Apprentice Magicians. Curran appeared, and gave an angry look at Daala. Injection Fairy Lily joined them.

The specters kept coming. Two Magician's Valkyria, two Skilled Dark Magicians, Blast Magician, Magical Exemplar, Gemini Elf, Kycoo, Breaker, Goddess With the Third Eye. They all flew into position to face Daala's great beast. Then the most powerful Spellcasters appeared. Chaos Command Magician, Dark Magician of Chaos, and Cosmo Queen took the high ground.

Daala and Llymic slunk back in fear as Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician pointed…

Then the attack started, and a multitude of spells shot towards their side of the field. The three Sheep Tokens were incinerated at once. Monster Tamer screamed in terror, and was blasted into oblivion.

The army of Spellcasters continued their onslaught. The Zombie Lineage card was blasted to pieces, and Rainbow Dark Dragon strained as magical energy glanced off its armor. Eventually, the blasts started to pierce its armor, and it roared in pain. Hunks of crystal were blasted off its hide, then large cracks appeared on it.

Finally, The Dark Exemplar let out a pitiful whine, and collapsed to the ground with a crash. The army of Spellcasters didn't let up, and finally, Rainbow Dark Dragon exploded into black shards.

"Now what?" screamed Daala.

"Don't give up!" shouted Llymic. "We aren't finished yet!"

"What do you mean?" asked Yumi. "I haven't even attacked yet."

Then the realization came to Daala and Llymic. Yumi had indeed not entered her Battle Phase yet. Neither of them had any Monsters on the field now, and no facedown cards…

"Dark Magician," said Yumi, "Dark Magician Girl… Double Dark Magic Attack!"

The two Spellcasters flew to the forefront of the army. Dark Magician aimed his blast at Llymic, and he screamed as it hit him. Dark Magician Girl aimed at Daala and she screamed even louder. She collapsed to her knees.

The army faded away.

It was over.

(Y&S: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D&L: 0)

"They won…" said Joan.

"Now let's see if it works," said Sheena.

Daala didn't get up. She looked down, as if in shame.

Then she looked shocked. She was turning slightly translucent.

"What…" she stammered. "What's happening to me? I'm fading!"

Sheena stepped forward.

"Ragnarok was more than a Spell," she said. "It was a virus. You're being deleted, Daala. We're taking you out for good."

Daala put her hand over her heart, and her expression turned to panic, as she realized it was true.

"No…" she gasped. "Llymic… Llymic! Do something! Make an antivirus or something!"

Llymic looked at Daala. Then he looked at the Great Helm.

"Sorry, kid," he said. "But I lack what I need to do it here. And I can't leave the Great Helm, or they'll destroy it."

He backed away from Daala.

"But I'll tell Shogarr how much you helped."

"NO!" screamed Daala, as she started to fade even more. "No, no, no, no, no! Please, someone! I don't wanna die!"

Tears fell down her cheeks.

Then, Vita walked up to her.

"Then I'll give you an ultimatum, Daala," she said. "The virus will only harm Daala, not Phyllis Ting.

"So… Join back with me… Or cease to exist…"

Daala looked up at her good side. She held up her hand.

"Vita, wait," said Yumi. "Are you sure? You have a chance to live without your evil side…"

"I know, Yumi," said Vita, reaching for Daala. "But that isn't for the best. Can good truly exist without evil?

"I think not…"

Daala and Vita clasped hands. The two started to glow.

Everyone present watched. The two of them, Daala and Vita, turned into pure light. Llymic shielded his eyes. Then the light became blinding…

When everyone looked, a new young woman was standing where they had been. She resembled Daala, but not as attractive, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Only the Crown of Xanadu remained around her head to indicate that she was the Queen of Xanadu.

"Daala?" asked Ren.

"Vita?" asked Chelsea.

"They're both gone," replied Yumi. "Only Phyllis Ting is left… We can only hope that Vita's influence is stronger."

Phyllis looked at Llymic, and then at Joan…

And then she started to weep. She sobbed. She walked up to Joan.

"Joan…" she cried. "I can't express how sorry I am… For all the things I put you and the whole population of this place through…

"I'll have to pay for what I've done. In the meantime…"

She lifted the flames off her head.

"I abdicate the Crown of Xanadu… And I bestow it upon you…"

"NO!" shouted Llymic. "I won't allow this!"

He started to cast a spell.

Then Phyllis quickly drew a card from what was left of her deck.

"You made me Queen of Xanadu, Llymic," she said. "Consider this my last order as such…"

The card glowed, and a Shadow Spell grabbed Llymic. He started to curse and struggle.

"You're under arrest."

She gestured, and the flames surrounded Joan's head, turning into flames of pure light.

Everyone on Yumi's side of the field breathed a sigh of relief…

Except Yumi herself. She knew that something was still missing…

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ARCANA FORCE VIII – THE STRENGTH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 5
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: When this card is Summoned, toss one coin. This card gains one of the following effects based on the result of the toss:

Heads: Take control of one of your opponent's Monsters. Control lasts until this card is no longer face-up on the field.

Tails: While this card remains face-up on the field, your opponent gains control of all of your face-up Monsters except this one.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

REVERSE REBORN (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: A metal mask on a background of grey and black shapes.

Card Description: Select one "Arcana Force" Monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon the selected Monster and Equip it with this card. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the Equipped Monster. The Monster Equipped with this card has its "Tails" effect automatically applied.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SUIT OF SWORD X (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Ten swords stuck in the ground, under a crescent moon.

Card Description: Toss one coin. Depending on the result of the toss, enact one of the following effects:

Heads: Destroy all Monsters your opponent controls.

Tails: Destroy all Monsters you control.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

THE MATERIAL ROAD (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: Arcana Force I – The Magician, Arcana Force III – The Empress, and Arcana Force VII – The Chariot all floating in an ocean.

Card Description: You may activate this card when you have at least one "Arcana Force" Monster in your Graveyard that is Level Four or less.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

THE SPIRITUAL ROAD (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: Arcana Force XII – The Hangman in a misty fog.

Card Description: You may activate this card when you have at least one "Arcana Force" Monster in your Graveyard that is Level Five or Six.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

THE HEAVEN'S ROAD (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: Arcana Force XII – The World on a rocky mountain path.

Card Description: You may activate this card when you have at least one "Arcana Force" Monster in your Graveyard that is Level Seven or Eight. Send this card along with a face-up "The Material Road" and a face-up "The Spiritual Road" to the Graveyard to Special Summon one "Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler" from your hand, deck, or Graveyard, disregarding its summoning requirements.

Note: The proceeding six cards were all used by Sartorious at various times in Season Two of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CRYSTAL SEAL (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A large, violet prism, with a winged, humanoid form trapped inside.

Card Description: Target one Monster your opponent controls. The targeted Monster cannot attack, cannot be targeted for an attack, and cannot be Tributed. If the targeted Monster's ATK or DEF changes, destroy this card.

Note: "Crystal Seal" was first used by Raphael in "Fate of the Pharaoh (Part Two)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ARCANA FORCE XVII – THE STAR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,700
DEF: 2,700

Card Description: When this card is Summoned, toss one coin. This card gains one of the following effects based on the result of the toss:

Heads: By Tributing two Monsters during your Main Phase 1, this card may attack directly during the Battle Phase of the same turn.

Tails: No Monsters on your side of the field may attack directly.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ARCANA FORCE XIII – THE REAPER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 2,300

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card can be Normal Summoned with no Tribute if you control a face-up "Arcana Force" Monster. When this card is Summoned, toss one coin. This card gains one of the following effects based on the result of the toss:

Heads: You may switch the effect of one "Arcana Force" Monster (except this one) on your side of the field during your Main Phase. This effect may be used once per turn.

Tails: During each of your Standby Phases, switch the effects of all "Arcana Force" Monsters you control except this one.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATON PASS (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A track runner passing a baton to another runner.

Card Description: This card can only be used in a duel where you have a partner. Activate this card when a Monster that you control is destroyed. If your partner has at least one Monster in his/her deck and/or Graveyard that is the same Level as the destroyed Monster, he/she selects one and adds it to his/her hand.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MONSTER TAMER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 5
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: You may use the effect of this card in a duel where you have a partner. During your Battle Phase, you may declare attacks with your partner's Monsters as if they were your own, and increase their ATK by 600 until the end of your Battle Phase.

Note: This is the anime version of "Monster Tamer" as it appeared in the original multi-part anime episode "Double Trouble Duel". The real Japanese card is a Normal Monster.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DARK INVIGORATION (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: Doom Shaman casting a spell, and ghostly phantoms flying towards him.

Card Description: Remove one DARK Monster in your Graveyard from play and target one face-up DARK Monster on the field. Increase the ATK of the targeted Monster by 1,000 until the End Phase of the current turn.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATTLE X2 (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: Two Penguin Soldiers, one of them holding a large feather.

Card Description: You may activate this card during the Battle Phase when your Monster battles a Monster with an ATK at least twice as high as your Monster's ATK. Double the ATK of your Monster.

Note: "Battle x2" was first used by Jaden in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "What a Doll!". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

RAGNAROK (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: An elaborately painted picture of a group of villagers watching a group of huge deities fighting in the sky.

Card Description: You may activate this card when you have a combination of any two of the following Monsters face-up on your side of the field: "Dark Magician", "Dark Magician Girl", "Magician of Black Chaos", and "Dark Sage". Remove from play all Monsters in your hand, deck, and Graveyard. Destroy all Monsters on your opponent's side of the field, regardless of any conditions that would prevent their destruction.

Note: "Ragnarok" was first used by the Pharaoh in the original anime episode "The Final Face-Off (Part Four)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Yumi and Sam's Deck Lord: "Testament of the Arcane Lords": "Life Protection": At the beginning of the duel, choose Spell, Trap, or Monster effect. Your Monsters cannot be destroyed via the method chosen. You may switch your choice during your Standby Phase by paying 1,000 Life Points. (Extraordinary Power)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Daala and Llymic's Deck Lord: "Chaos Sorcerer": "Chaos Theory": Any Monsters that are removed from play are sent to their owner's Graveyard during his/her next Standby Phase. This effect is not optional. (Extraordinary Power)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lords of Chaos

He of Eternal Darkness; Tharizdun

The name Tharizdun is legendary among all beings whose memories are long, and all mortals who battle evil. Joan believes that Azathoth is the greatest force of Chaos in the universe, but doubts that he exists. If the Blind Idiot Piper does exist, he is too stupid to plot his own schemes. Tharizdun is one of the mightiest forces of Chaos in the universe who actually posed a threat.

Tharizdun presumably came from the Far Realm, a plane of madness. A being of unheard of power, he sought the same goal as most Elder Evils – destruction of all he came across. He would overwhelm the universe in Chaos, and not just unmake it, but erase it. Possibly, he was the one who created the Dark Jewel that corrupted the brother of Archlord Zerato.

However, almost every other power in the universe witnessed the early stages of Tharizdun's plan, and realized he was going too far. He would destroy the universe, and literally nothing would be spared. Tharizdun himself would not even survive. No creature with any sanity could let this continue. Even the most evil of demon lords realized that Tharizdun's plans would leave no universe left to conquer.

Thus, a grand alliance was formed. Heaven allied itself with Hell, briefly, and a temporary truce was called in the Blood War. For a brief time, all powers, Good and Evil, Law and Chaos, all banded together to oppose Chaos. It is said in that time a powerful mortal became the god of justice who is now called St. Cuthbert.

The conglomerate army fought against Tharizdun's mad forces, and after a long struggle, the darkness was defeated. Tharizdun was imprisoned in a secure demiplane, and has not escaped since.

But he will not accept defeat so quietly.

From time to time since that ancient battle, Tharizdun has reached out from his prison. Some mad cultists venerate his name, worshiping him as a god. Worshippers of Tharizdun strive for their god's release, usually believing (wrongly) that they will be spared when his plan for annihilation begins again.

Perhaps Tharizdun's greatest plan was The Temple of Elemental Evil. Proving himself a master of the elemental forces by assuming the form of the Elder Elemental Eye, he formed not one cult, but four, fueled by power from the four elements. The Temple's goal was to bring the four Elemental Lords of Evil (beings rumored to be Tharizdun's spawn) to Earth so that a ritual could be cast to free Tharizdun, but the plan failed, and the Temple was destroyed.

Tharizdun's plans seem likely to fail again and again. The mere mention of his name is enough to raise an army of crusaders, not to mention the Wind Dukes, to quell whatever new plot is in the works by whatever new cult has formed. But they must be ever wary, because Chaos on this scale holds might enough to unmake all of creation.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Has Yumi achieved victory? It sure seems that way. But all is not as it seems.

The final battle of "Soul of Silicon" is coming. And it will, after an Interlude, that is coming next.