Chapter Four: Honest

Prince Jimu's eyes were open, though the room was so dark he could see only endless shadow, just as he had during his first encounter with the mind of Obsidiusk. But this time he was still in the physical world, sitting cross-legged in the center of his private meditation chamber, where no sound or light could interfere with his concentration. After staring at the shadows for so long, he began to see shapes forming within them. He knew it was just his own mind playing tricks on him, but it was a useful technique for visualizing his thoughts.

The destiny that had once eluded him was once again firmly within his grasp, though this time he had only one of the six crystal dragons under his command. As impressive as Obsidiusk's power was, it alone was not enough to ensure his victory. First he would have to prevent any potential adversaries from using the other Crystal Dragons against him, just as Takuni had in his final duel, and the only way to do that was by winning them for his own.

Obsidusk was safe, hanging again in the clear case around his neck, where it belonged. Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon, was in the possession of Captain Minami, his most loyal servant, and as far as he knew, Ambriliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon, still belonged to Akira Hiroko, the Professor's daughter. That still left three dragons unaccounted for, but he was almost certain that Akira knew where they were, if she didn't still have them. He could only hope Captain Minami would show up soon with the two Hiroko children. Then he could threaten the younger to force the elder into giving him her dragon card, and revealing the location of the remaining three.

And if she refuses, then we shall crush her, banishing her and her brothers to the shadows for all eternity.

The Prince shuttered at the voice of Obsidiusk in his mind. He knew the dragon was only trying to help, but Jimu wouldn't let things go that far. He knew that with Yoshi Hiroko as his hostage, the threat of violence would be enough to force his sister's cooperation. The children had as of yet done nothing wrong, and he would not let them come to harm unless there was no other choice.

Then, once he had all six dragons gathered under his command, he would be the most powerful being in the world. He would usurp the thrones of his father and uncle, and reunite Old and New Asuka into one mighty kingdom, a glorious Asukan Empire that would spread peace and prosperity across the globe, with he as their benevolent ruler.

And we shall obliterate any that dare stand in the way of our conquest, even if that means wiping New Asuka from the face of the earth.

Jimu was confident it would not come to that. His father may have wanted to win the war at all costs, but the Prince merely wanted it to end, peacefully if at all possible. While completely destroying New Asuka was one way to achieve that goal, it would leave Asuka crippled, and result in the needless deaths of countless millions.

I apologize for my brashness, great Prince. I only wished to express my enthusiasm for your goals. As always, you shall lead us to victory, and I, your loyal dragon, shall follow your every word.

Jimu grinned in the dark. The spirit of Obsidusk had turned out more violent than he had anticipated, but the Prince's will was stronger still, and he was confident that he could keep the dragon's temper under control.

He was pulled out of his thoughts but a loud banging on the door. His servants were under explicit orders not to interrupt him except during the direst of circumstances. Unless Minami had returned from her mission, someone was about to suffer his royal wrath.

I do not sense my sister Saphrine anywhere in the vicinity.

Then that meant Captain Minami, Saphrine's owner, wasn't the one knocking on his door. Disappointed, Jimu rose and said, "Lights, activate. Door, open."

The palace's computer obeyed his commands and Jimu was startled to discover that his visitor was Captain Minami after all.

"Where is the Saphrine card I gave you?"

Minami bowed. "My sincerest apologies, your Highness. I was defeated by the Hiroko boy, who took it from me."

The Prince was shocked. "Are you telling me that a mere sixteen-year old boy defeated you, the head of my security detail, in a game of wits? I am extraordinarily disappointed, Minami."

"Not nearly as disappointed as I am in myself, sir. But I must mention that his victory was due only to an extraordinarily amount of luck."

Luck… or destiny? We must be cautious of this boy.

Jimu agreed with his companion. "What's done is done. What of his sister?"

"Akira Hiroko willingly entered our custody. We are holding her in the detention wing, though she is very eager to speak with you."

"And I with her. Did she have any of the Crystal Dragon cards on her person?"

"I'm afraid I was unable to ascertain that information. She seems to be under some sort of… protective spell."

That would be my brother, Ambriliant. The only way to add him to our forces is to defeat this Akira in a duel. Until then, he is rightfully hers, and unable to be taken by mere force.

Jimu suspected that a duel was exactly what Akira desired, and he was more than happy to oblige. "Then you have not completely failed me, Captain. Retrieve our prisoner and bring her to the main dueling arena. I will meet you there."

"At once, my Lord."

Before heading to the arena, the Prince stopped in his private quarters to make a few last minute modifications to his most powerful deck. As with all of his decks, it was filled with dark monsters to facilitate the summoning of Obsidiusk. Likewise, Akira was bound to use a light deck so that she could include Ambriliant and, judging by her previous public battles, that meant many Lightsworn monsters. Jimu added a few extra cards to his deck to counter this strategy, and finally laid his prized Obsidusk card on top.

By the time he arrived at the main dueling arena, located deep within the heart of the royal palace, Jimu's opponent was already waiting for him. He gave her a menacing smile as he mounted his podium and inserted his dueling deck.

"You must be Akira Hiroko. Welcome to my home. I've heard so much about you."

For someone so young, the girl seemed remarkably unintimidated by his presence. She stood straight and tall opposite him, her golden hair flowing behind her and her deep eyes staring over the battlefield and straight into his. "My friends call me Kira, actually."

"Well then, Kira, are you ready to begin our duel?"

She laughed. "That's Ms. Hiroko to you. But yes, I am more than ready. I have included my crystal dragon in my deck, and I am sure you have done the same. This means that the victor will inherent both cards."

"That is correct. But let's increase the stakes, shall we? If you win this duel, I'll let you and your brother go free."

"You're lying. My brother isn't in your custody. But what do you want me to wager against my freedom?"

"Nothing of great value. When you were a little girl, I gave your family five unique crystal dragon cards. I was quite surprised to find one of these cards used against me in my duel earlier today. So I want your word that, if I win, you will tell me all you know about the current location of the other three crystal dragon cards: Diamair, Hematera, and Rubustion. In exchange, I give you my word that if you win, you shall be allowed to leave this palace and travel anywhere within my father's realm without hindrance."

"You have my solemn oath. And our dragons will hold us to our promises. But I came here to destroy you, not to talk."

"Then by all means," said the Prince, "Let us begin our duel. As a lady and my honored guest, it is only proper that you go first."

"As you wish." Kira drew her starting hand, and allowed a full minute to pass as her eyes moved back and forth across the six cards. The Prince had known that this would not be an easy duel, but now he was absolutely certain: here, at last, was a duelist in his own league, an opponent worthy of his full concentration. He would hold nothing back in the upcoming duel, for he expected nothing less from Kira.

At last, she made her move. "I start by using the spell card Foolish Burial, which allows me to send one monster directly from my deck to my graveyard. I choose Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. This activates Wulf's special ability: whenever he is sent straight from my deck to my graveyard, he is special summoned to my side of the field."

The Prince was pleased to see that he would be facing off against a Lightsworn deck, just as he had anticipated. Lightsworns were a series of extremely powerful monsters dedicated to the service of truth and justice. With 2100 attack points, Wulf was already a major threat on the field, and by the look in her eyes, Kira was just getting started.

"Next I'll play the spell Charge of the Light Brigade. By sending the top three cards of my deck to my grave, I can add one Lightsworn monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner. Now I'll use another spell card: Solar Recharge. By discarding Lumina, I can draw two new cards. This brings my hand total back to five."

She stared at her hand for another thirty seconds. "Now I'll summon another Lumina to the field and activate her special ability. By discarding one card form my hand, " She selected Jain, Lightsworn Paladin, "I can summon a low-level Lightsworn monster from my graveyard. And I choose to summon my other Lumina."

Now Kira had Wulf and two Luminas on the field. "Now I'll activate the ability of my second Lumina, discarding one more card to summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin. Lastly, I set one card face-down." Now that her turn was over, Kira had to pay a cost to keep her Lightsworn monsters on the field, a fact that she was certainly aware of. "I now send eight more cards from the top of my deck to my grave: three for each Lumina and one for Jain. And… what do we have here?" She held up one of the eight cards she had just discarded: another Wulf. "This Wulf's ability also activates, summoning it to my side of the field. Your turn."

Jimu had yet to even draw a card and already he was facing off against a full field of enemy monsters: two Luminas, two Wulfs, and one Jain. "I'm impressed. This should be a very interesting duel."

She wiped a swath of hair out of her eyes. "Did you really expect any less? I didn't win the national championship twice by allowing my opponents to gain the upper hand. Now take your turn."

"Of course." Jimu drew, and studied his own series of cards. Kira had obviously started with an excellent hand, but so had he. Now he just had to decide on the best way to put them to use. "Allow me to start by mentioning that the only reason you won the last two championships was because I did not compete."

"Of course. You were busy murdering your own people in the name of Old Asuka."

The girl certainly knew how to hit him where it hurt. He looked her in the eye. "I was busy leading a war effort to protect my country and its inhabitants. I have done everything in my power to bring this war to an end, and that is exactly why I must now defeat you. You are blinded by your own arrogance, and that will be your downfall."

"I could say the same to you."

"Yes, but the difference between us is that my confidence is warranted, as I shall now demonstrate. I'll begin by discarding Destiny Hero Malicious in order to special summon Dark Grepher from my hand." Dark Grepher was a level four monster with 1700 attack points –no match against Kira's army- but it would not be alone for long. Discarding Malicious would work to his advantage, because Malicious's special ability allowed him to remove it from play in order to special summon another one from his deck. "I now remove from play my discarded Malicious in order to summon another to my side of the field. Then I'll use the spell card Emergency Teleport, which lets me summon one psychic-type monster from my deck for one turn. I select Mind Master, a tuner monster. Now I'll tune my level one Mind Master with my level six Destiny Hero Malicious in order to Syncrho Summon the level seven Dark Strike Fighter." The robotic knight took its place next to Dark Grepher. With 2600 points, it was more than a match for any of Kira's monsters, but Jimu was only getting started. The two monsters he had combined for the synchro summon were now in his graveyard, and one of them was his second Malicious. But he wouldn't need to use its effect quite yet.

"Next I'll summon the level two tuner Plaguespreader Zombie from my hand, and combine it with Dark Grepher to Synchro Summon the level six Goyo Guardian. And now I'll remove another Malicious from my grave in order to summon the third one from my deck. As I'm sure you're aware, Plaguespreader Zombie also has a special ability that activates in the graveyard. By returning one card from my hand to the top of my deck," He selected a spell card that he wouldn't need until next turn anyway, "I can return Plaguespreader Zombie to the field and use it for another synchro summon. By tuning it with my last Destiny Hero Malicious, I bring forth the level eight Colossal Fighter."

Out of all that mess, he had brought forth three mighty sychro monsters to match Kira's five weaker ones. Goyo Guardian and Colossal Fighter each had 2800 attack points, while Dark Strike Fighter sat just 200 points below them. The Prince still had one card remaining in his hand, and it was one of the most powerful in his deck, but, fearing Kira's face-down card, he didn't want to overextend himself this early on in the duel.

"Now, my monsters, destroy her two Wulfs and her Jain." The holograms in the field charged forward and Kira's pitiful army was quickly reduced to just two Luminas, who had only 1000 attack points a piece, and would be easy to destroy next turn. "Lastly, because your Jain was destroyed by my Goyo Guardian, my monster's special ability activates, summoning yours to my side of the field in defense mode. I end my turn."

Kira watched the entire proceedings with an eerie calmness. Her opening move had been extraordinary, but his had put it to shame.

You have done excellently, my Prince. Soon we will crush this child and move forward with our plans for world conquest.

The Prince ignored Obsidiusk's praise. He knew better than to assume an early advantage meant an assured win. Ninety-nine perfect of duelists wouldn't have stood a chance against his three mighty monsters, but Kira was a champion, and Jimu was almost certain that she had plenty more tricks up her sleeves.

"It's your turn now, Kira," he said. "Make it count."

She waved a finger at him condescendingly. "Ah, ah, ah. Not so face, Your Majesty." It was a minor semantical error –only the king was to be addressed as "Your Magesty"- and Jimu knew she had done it on purpose. "Don't forget that Jain is on your side of the field, which means you have to send two cards from the top of your deck to your graveyard."

"So be it." Jimu realized his mistake at once: he had laid a potentially useful spell card on top of his deck due to Plaguespreader Zombie's ability, knowing that he would merely draw it again next turn. But now, due to Jain's effect, this spell was sent to the grave, along with the monster beneath it, Necro Gardna.

And yet, this might turn out to be a positive after all. Necro Gardna, like many of his monsters, had an effect that became useful only once it was in the graveyard, and whatever the new card was the he would draw next turn might turn out to be even more useful than the spell he had lost. He made a mental note to analyze this strategy after the duel was over; perhaps there was something to be said for the forces of light and darkness working together. After all, he, a hero to his people, had befriended an evil dragon deity in order to serve the greater good. Perhaps he should create a deck to reflect this unholy alliance.

But all bad things in time. Now it was Kira's turn, and she looked more ready than ever.

"Let's see… I'll tribute one of my Luminas in order to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel to the field. This activates her ability, which lets me send four cards from my deck to my graveyard in order to destroy any two cards on the field. I select your Goyo Guardian and Colossal Fighter."

Jimu was disappointed to see his monsters so easily destroyed, but not surprised, nor worried. His Dark Strike Fighter still had 400 more attack points than her Celestia.

"Now I'll reveal my face-down card, Glorious Illusion. This card allows me to special summon any lightsworn monster from my graveyard. You may have noticed that one of the eight cards sent there at the end of my last turn was Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, one of my personal favorite cards."

Jimu had seen Gragonith played many times before, and he could understand why she liked it so much. In many ways it was similar to Ambriliant, her ultimate card. But whereas Ambriliant would gain 300 attack and defense for every Light-attribute monster in her graveyard, Gragonith gained 300 points for every Lightsworn monster of a different name, bringing its current total to a whopping 3500. Now Jimu was beginning to get a bit apprehensive.

"Now, Gragnoith, my Lightsworn Dragon, attack and destroy his Dark Strike Fighter. Celestia, return Jain to my graveyard, where it belongs, and Lumina, attack his life points directly. Now I end my turn, and the effects of my monsters send six more cards to my grave."

Jimu's life point counter dropped to 6100, but that did not concern him. He was still in the lead by 500 points, and any good duelist knew that life points were an expendable resource. No, what worried him was that he now had no cards on his field and only one in his hand. His next draw would have to be a good one.

As it turned out, it was exactly the card he needed. He took a moment to count the number of Dark-attribute monsters in his graveyard.

"You have fought well thus far, Kira. But you've not defeated me yet. I summon Prometheus, King of the Shadows. His effect allows him to gain 400 attack points for each Dark monster I remove from my graveyard, and I choose to remove Dark Grepher and Destiny Hero Malicious, raising his attack to 2000. But more importantly, I have now have exactly three Dark monsters in my graveyard, allowing me to special summon the last card in my hand, the centerpiece of my deck, Dark Armed Dragon!"

Kira bit her lip but still didn't appear all that worried. "I was wondering how long until you played that card. I hate to say it, but your strategy was painfully obvious from the very beginning."

"Obvious, perhaps, but nearly unstoppable nonetheless. Because Dark Armed Dragon also allows me to remove Dark monsters from my graveyard, and for each one I remove, I can destroy one card on the field. So I'll remove Colossal Warrior and Dark Strike Fighter from my graveyard to get rid of your Celestia and Gragonith, leaving your poor Lumina all alone."

This left only one Dark monster in his graveyard, Necro Gardna, and Jimu decided to keep it there for the time being. Its ability would provide an extra layer of defense if his strategy backfired, and it could always be used later on to power up Dark Armed Dragon or Osidiusk if he ever got a chance to summon it.

"Now, I'll use Dark Armed Dragon and Prometheus, King of the Shadows, to destroy your last monster and attack your life points directly."

Magnficient, my Lord! Her life points are down to a measly 1800. The duel is practically ours.

This time, Jimu was tempted to agree with Obdisiusk. Kira had only one card left in her hand, and at this point it seemed unlikely that she could make a comeback.

Then she drew another card, straightened her shoulders, and Jimu knew she wasn't out of this yet.

"Thank you, Jimu. You have played right into my hand, using up all of your powerful cards and sending my Lightsworn monsters to the graveyard, just like I wanted you too. Because now I'm able to summon from my hand another one of my favorite monsters, the lord of all lightsworn beasts. Allow me to introduce you to Judgment Dragon."

What she said was true: not only was Judgment Dragon the key monster in any lightsworn deck, it was also one of the most destructive monsters in the entire game. It possessed a very impressive 3000 attack, along with a special ability that made it nearly unstoppable.

"At the cost of 1000 life points, I activate Judgment Dragon's special ability, destroying every other card on the field. This leaves you open to a direct attack, which, assuming I did my math correctly, and I always do, means you now have 3100 life points. Judgment Dragon also forces me to discard four more cards from my deck. Now go."

Still reeling from the turnaround, Jimu placed all his hopes in his next card. The good news was that, with only 800 life points left, Kira wouldn't be able to activate Judgment Dragon's ability again.

"I lay one monster face-down on the field," he said, "And end my turn."

Kira drew. "I attack your monster with Judgment Dragon."

She had fallen right into Jimu's trap. "I reveal Monster Jar, which forces both of us to discard our hands and draw five entirely new cards. We're essentially back to square one, except I have more life points."

"And I have Judgment Dragon on the field," Kira said as she drew five more cards. Jimu noticed now that her deck was growing very thin; most of her cards were in her graveyard. A player was allowed to have anywhere between 40 and 60 cards in their deck, and it appeared that, in an unusual move for such a competent duelist, Kira's deck was closer to the upper limit. However, this might've been a smart move considering the self-milling power of her deck; at this point, it looked like she only had eight or nine cards left. If Jimu could hold out for just a few more turns, Kira would run out of cards and lose the duel by default.

"I'll end my turn by setting one monster face-down on the field."

Jimu drew a sixth card and studied his new hand, pleased to see that he had drawn just the card he'd been looking for. But first, he had a few preparations to make. "I play the spell card The Shallow Grave. This allows each of us to select one monster in our graveyard and summon them to the field. I select Prometheus, King of the Shadows."

"And I select Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon"

"Good. I activate another Emergency Teleport card, this time summoning Krebons from my deck. And I'll normal summon a Necro Gardna. Now I sacrifice these three Dark monsters to bring forth Obsidiusk, the Black Crystal Dragon!"

At last, freed again!

And once more Obsidiusk appeared over the battlefield, so much more than a hologram, menacing and imposing, a monster more powerful than any card in Kira's deck save one, and the chances of her summoning it this late in the duel seemed highly unlikely.

"Now, go forth Obsidiusk, and-"

"Stop," Kira stated in a voice so level Jimu actually hesitated. "You don't wish to do this. You have made a pact with the most evil creature on this earth, but it is not too late to turn back from this path. Call off your monster, and allow my army of light to destroy him. Redemption is not beyond your grasp."

Do not heed her foolishness, my Prince. You must use my power to win us this duel. Our destinies depend on it. I assure you, place your trust in me and I shall not fail you.

And Jimu did trust Obsidiusk, in part because it was his only choice. He had to win this duel at all costs, so that he could bring an end to the war and save the lives of his people. This destiny had been stolen from him once before; he would not allow it to happen again.

"Go on, Obsidiusk. Complete your attack."

And as the great black dragon lunged at Kira's monster, she revealed one card in her hand. "You should've heeded my advice, your majesty… Honestly."

Honest. It was a stable of every competitive lightsworn deck and it had completely slipped Jimu's mind. Honest's effect added Obsidiusk's attack to Judgement Dragon's, meaning that the latter monster was far more powerful than even the Black Crystal Dragon, and was now able to inflict 3000 damage to Jimu's life points.

For a split moment, Jimu was certain he had lost the duel, but his life point counter stopped with just one hundred points left. Obsidiusk was gone, defeated, leaving him without a single monster to defend himself. His only chance was to bluff, though he knew in his heart that it would be useless. Kira had given him a chance to call off his attack and he had stupidly refused. But it was too late now. Obsidiusk had failed him, and Kira would soon become the dragon's new owner. It was a shame too; at this point, Kira only had three or four cards left in her deck. If Jimu could survive this upcoming turn, he would win. But at this point, there was very little he could do.

"I lay one card face-down. Now go on, Kira. Finish this. Put me out of my misery."

"Gladly."

Jimu was shocked by the ferocity of her tone. Where once there had stood a bright, beautiful young women, there now stood a being of immense determination and hatred. She had hidden behind a flawless façade throughout most of the duel, but at last Jimu could see Kira's emotions fully revealed. Her lip trembling, sweat running down her check, her tangled blond hair matted around her head like a golden halo, Kira drew another card and began her turn.

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and stated calmly, "This is for my father. May his murder at last be avenged. I summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior. As I have demonstrated, I have many monsters in my deck that I call my favorite, but only one is truly deserving of that title. Only one was entrusted to me by my father, who you took from me when I was just six years old. As he sacrificed his life for the good of this country, so do I sacrifice Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, and Judgment Dragon to bring forth Ambriliant, the Gold Crystal Dragon."

And when the monster appeared, its scales glittered as if containing a thousand suns, radiating brilliant gold light throughout the arena, briefly blinding all those present. Kira had destroyed Obsidiusk, the most powerful Dark monster in existence, and now she had summoned the most powerful Light monster to finish him off.

And as Prince Jimu looked up at the overwhelming power of Ambriliant, he recalled his dual with Takuni and understood the full consequences of his actions. This was not merely a hologram he was facing- it was a living, breathing god bent on his destruction. He was not only about to lose the duel; he was about to lose his life.

Yet again, you forget about your face-down card. Activate it now.

Jimu was startled by Obdisiusk's advice, though he realized it would take much more than one loss to destroy the spirit residing within the card. He didn't understand what good it would do, but he had followed the darkness this far, and at this point, he truly had nothing left to lose.

"I activate Light-Imprisoning Mirror. This negates the special abilities of all Light monsters on the field, even Ambriliant." Unfortunately, Ambriliant still had 3000 attack points, and there was nothing Jimu could do to stop it from attacking.

Or is there?

Of course! Jimu had been so disoriented by Obsidiusk's defeat that he had completely forgotten about the two Necro Gardna's in his graveyard. By removing them from play, he could negate any one of his opponent's attacks.

But as quickly as this hope had grown, so did it recede. Only now did Jimu comprehend the brilliance of Kira's plan: the entire duel, she had been one step ahead of him, and this time was no different. She must've seen the two Necro Gardnas in his grave and, knowing that she couldn't afford to mill any more cards from her deck, she had sacrificed all her lightsworn monsters to summon Ambriliant, keeping her remaining deck cards safe. He would have to last at least three more turns to win the duel by default, and facing Ambriliant with not a single monster on the field or in his hand, that seemed quite impossible.

"Well," said Kira, "Now that you've activated your Light-Imprisoning Mirror, I might as well flip over my last monster, Lyla, Lightsworn sorceress. Normally, her effect would cause me to send three cards from my deck to my graveyard, and since I only have three cards left, that would cost me the duel. But since your mirror prevents all the effects of Light monsters, even the negative ones, I have nothing to worry about. I'll also equip the spell card Lightsworn Sabre to Lyla, brining her attack points to 2400. Now, together, Ambriliant and Lyla will attack your life points directly."

"No they won't. I remove both Necro Gardnas from my graveyard to negate both of my attacks."

"So be it. You're merely prolonging the inevitable. Draw your last card and struggle as you might."

Jimu drew Armageddon Knight, and added it to the Brain Control spell card already in his hand. Unfortunately, the spell would cost him 800 life points to use, and he only had 100 left, making it utterly useless.

Or perhaps not… If he summoned Armageddon Knight, its effect would allow him to send a Dark monster directly from his deck to his graveyard. He could send another Plaguespreader Zombie, then use its effect to special summon it to the field by returning Brain Control to the top of his deck. Then he could synchro summon his two monsters to form a level six… a level six what? Goyo Guardian wouldn't do him any good. He could destroy Lyla, but Kira would still have 400 life points left, and Ambriliant would destroy Goyo Guardian next turn, winning her the duel. The only alternative was synchro summoning Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, but without an extra card in his hand, her effect would be useless.

Do not despair yet, my Prince. Place your faith in the darkness, and the darkness will not fail you. There is one other monster you might summon.

It took Jimu a moment to remember what it was. He couldn't even recall ever having used it in a duel before, because its effect rarely came in handy, but this time…

His heart skipped a beat. It just might work. He ran over the scenario in his head a dozen times to ensure its validity. If something went wrong, if he had made some fatal flaw in his calculations, he would lose his life. But if he won… then not only would he keep Obsidiusk, but Ambriliant would be his as well. Taking the easy way out was no longer an option; Jimu decided he would either emerge from the dual with two Crystal Dragons in his possession, or not at all.

"I summon Armageddon Knight and use its effect to send Plaguespreader Zombie to my graveyard. Then I return one card to my deck to special summon Plaguespreader Zombie to my side of the field. I then tune my two monsters to syncrho summon Iron Chain Dragon."

Iron Chain dragon had just 2500 attack points, enough to destroy Lyla, but not to inflict enough life points to win the dual. But Jimu wasn't targeting Kira's life points.

"Now, Iron Chain Dragon, destroy Lyla!" The dragon lunged and Kira's life point counter went down to 700.

"Are you finished?" Kira asked, unamused by his resistance. She had yet to realize what he had just accomplished.

"No, but you are. Because by destroying one of your monsters, Iron Chain Dragon's special ability activates, sending the last three cards from your deck to your grave. Now I end my turn."

And, finally, Kira's face sunk as she realized that she was defeated. Now that her turn had officially begun, she was required to draw a card from her deck, and since there were none remaining, according to the international rulebook, she automatically lost the dual.

With a cry and an explosion of golden light, Ambriliant was gone, and all of the holograms with it. Kira grabbed on to the railing of her podium to steady herself, while Prince Jimu felt more invigorated than ever. He had faced death and won; surely this meant that it was his destiny to move forward and save his country.

"I am sorry, Kira. I know that duel was hard on you. But now I must ask you to uphold your end of the bargain. If you don't, your-"

"I will. Unlike you, Jimu, I am a woman of my word. Even in defeat, I shall not abandon the light. You wish to know where the other Crystal Dragon cards are? I will tell you in all honesty that I don't know. Diamair was in my brother's possession the last I saw. The other three we sold years ago to a diplomat from New Asuka."

Jimu was outraged. "You sold three of the most powerful cards in existence to the enemy? Traitor!"

Now Kira regained a bit of her strength. "You, of all people, have the never to call me a traitor? We didn't know who we were dealing with at the time, and we sold the cards to pay for our mother's surgery, which we wouldn't have needed to do if you hadn't murdered our father. This is your fault, Jimu. Don't push your guilt onto us."

We have no time to argue with this child. Her card is now yours and you have the information you need. What is our next move?

Jimu stopped to think. Akira had sold the cards to someone from New Asuka, and one of those cards had ended up in the possession of the New Asukan champion. Jimu remembered his dual with Takuni, and at last everything clicked into place.

Takuni had used quite a few dinosaur monsters against him, and there was only one other champion-level duelist Jimu knew who used dinosaurs. It was the man who had first taught him to duel, and the only living person in all of Asuka who had ever defeated him: his uncle Daichi, the king of New Asuka, and no doubt the man who had given Takuni his Saphrine card. That meant that, in all likelihood, the last two crystal dragons were in Daichi's possession.

"Captain Minami," he called. His chief of security was at his side almost instantly.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"I need you to ready my helicopter and sent a message to my uncle. I'm sure he's expecting one by now."

"What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him that I'll be there by nightfall. Tell him to prepare himself for the most important duel of his lifetime."