C'est LaVie

by Genma no Ou

Several Months after the Dark Signer Incident has ended, some new threats emerge which the Signers and the Academia's finest must respond to - some which will push them to the limits and behind. OC's and a Crossover with Tenebrius' Tensei series.

38. The Duel of Revelations

Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.

Chapter 38 – The Duel of Revelations, Judai & Yusei vs. Placido

With the wind flapping back and forth at hurricane force, whipping around the light cast from the sigils along the ground, Alessandro's rather disturbing expression of sadistic pleasure was illuminated by the rolling forms of energy. His blue eyes seemed as black as the night from this, the glow of his left eye barely visible.

"Now, let us begin," he issued, his cloak dissolving off his body and the energy collecting on his cocked left arm. From his wrist a Deck extended into place, from which 5 cards slid. Grabbing them, he fanned them in his hand but did not look at them; instead, he continued to stare Yugi down.

Without so much as a word to describe himself, Yugi activated his Duel Disc, extending the tray into position and likewise grabbing 5 cards from that. Immediately after this, Alessandro let out a dark chuckle and asked, "What's wrong, Yugi-san?" The dripping sarcasm in his voice around that honorific stung at Yugi; but he simply reached for another card on his Deck instead.

Yugi: LP 4000

Alessandro: LP 4000

"It's my turn," he issued, taking the card he had drawn and putting it down instantly. "I activate Fusion, and by sending Phantom Beast King Gazelle and Baphomet from my hand to my Cemetery, I call upon Winged Phantom Beast Chimera (ATK: 2100, LV: 6)!" From his hand the form of the chestnut brown lion-like monster and a red 4-armed devil with angel wings formed; these spiralled together and created a dull yellow two-headed lion, with similar wings and a cobra for a tail.

"Next I shall set these 2 cards and end my turn." Once he had taken these last cards and placed them down, his intense gaze returned to the face of the man before him. It was callous, cold and uncaring; traits he did not expect from another human. He only hoped the man's ruthlessness was simply for show; even with his skill, Yugi knew that he was rusty and that this man was powerful.

"Is that all?"Alessandro questioned sneeringly, grabbing his sixth card and looking into his own hand. "Then I shall place 3 cards face-down and end my turn." Confused, Yugi watched the man make a very simple and concise move before saying, "If you wish to play this way, I shall meet all your mediocre plays with equal mediocrity; until, of course, you show me a real duel, Yugi-san."

Riding over the Daedalus Bridge, both Yusei and Judai had clear looks of tenseness upon their faces; but Yusei truly felt the most dread, while Judai's golden Haou eyes reflected his current rage. After watching the decimation of their friends, the two of them knew it was time for the final battle to begin. Midnight or not, they knew the only thing left to do was duel and defeat Placido. That was the only way to end the madness.

Placido, ahead of them, rode silently as he watched the entire road around him become consumed by the overflowing tendrils of the Circuit, now coming to the surface and giving him new reason to smile. With his plan now so close to fruition, he prepared to complete the process; and once that occurred, he knew full-well, he would complete his dogmatic bond to Zone…

Towards the end of the Bridge, Placido started on a very direct route towards the Old Momentum Reactor, one which bore the very last threads of the Circuit's glow. Turning his focus to the sky, he witnessed the dark clouds beginning to roll in, slowly but surely converging directly above the tower at the centre of the Momentum.

"That's…" Judai gasped out, looking upon the tower while the memory of its shape entered into his head. "That tower is from back then, when Cobra…" closing his eyes and turning his head to one side, Judai cringed at the painful memory while Yusei observed silently, sensing Judai's pained memory but knowing not of it first-hand.

Eventually the spiralling ramp of the tower came into view, almost a perfect match to the ground surrounding the crater of the Old Momentum. Placido, Yusei and Judai close behind, wasted to time in jumping the large chasm and reaching the slope, gaining traction and firing upwards. The three Summoners, on the other hand, pulled themselves to a sudden and parallel-to-the-hole stop, jumping off and standing directly behind their now-stationary rides.

Pulling off his helmet first, Kyojo turned to the other two as they did likewise; then, throwing his helmet aside, he pronounced strongly, "It's time we went forth and faced our destiny." With solid, prideful looks, they all rushed forwards and shot down into the depths of the chasm, staring down the 200-foot depth while the light of Momentum gradually brightened and intensified.

Then, without waning, a flash of light occurred, preceding a whishing sound through the air and a sharp pain in Kyojo's shoulder. Grunting, he felt to his wound while throwing himself back, Yusuriha doing likewise so they gained traction and applied friction to slow themselves. By the time they reached the bottom, the source of Kyojo's pain revealed itself: embedded in his left shoulder was the image of a card, and as he pulled it loose said card revealed itself as one of the darkened copies of Red Daemon's Dragon used by X earlier.

Letting out a dark chuckle, Paradox, standing amidst the intense orange glow, let his presence be known with his masked face staring upon the three before him. Gripping his shoulder in pain, Kyojo slouched back while Taiyou took the card and threw it back to the sender. Paradox's laughter came to an abrupt end when the card hit his mask in the forehead, splitting it in half and causing the shattered pieces to fall to the ground, revealing his glowing golden eyes.

"Time to cut the bullshit once and for all Paradox," the apparitional Summoner issued, watching the blond man stare back upon him and his friends. "The game is up; while Yusei and Judai bring Placido to an end, we're here to take you down as well; but first, we want the full truth about this little scheme you and he concocted."

"Placido and I are players in a chess game played by the Gods, upon the game board," Paradox answered in riddle form, true to his name. "However, he and I are not allies; we've simply pooled efforts to accomplish the common goal." Taking a moment to blink and smile darkly, he added, "That being said, I suppose I owe you some explanation for by actions; so allow me to do just that."

Having said this, Paradox slowly turned his body until his back was facing the three Summoners. Though at first confused by this gesture, their realization fully emerged when the full Crimson Dragon's seal formed upon his back, glowing through his coat. "I am the last of my kind," Paradox explained, turning back to face the three friends with his eyes' highlights now glowing red. "The final Signer to have ever lived; and even more tragically, I am the last human alive on this planet…"

Hearing such piercing and dramatic words, the Summoners had no response but to stare back upon Paradox, eyes and moth wide open.

Meanwhile, atop the tower, Placido, Judai and Yusei were just now reaching the top of the structure, with Placido turning into a stop near the edge of the platform while the two friends braked closer to the centre. "It's now midnight," Placido informed. "And the venue for the final battle you two will ever partake in… is within a few seconds of completion."

Staring down upon his chest, Placido sneered while the green gem on his metal armour opened from the centre back towards the edges, revealing a strange green glow within his chest. Soon the object revealed itself by extending forth from his chest; a glowing green ball of plasma, formed of an electrical field around a series of floating energy particles flowing in the shape of an Infinity symbol.

Staring at the object from Placido's body, Judai and Yusei were completely entranced by the flowing energy contained within this strange object. Their shock then turned to horror as Placido reached forth and grabbed the green ball, sinking the tips of his fingers into the object and pulling it to each side. The object deformed and stretched, and its form spread a field of green energy up his arms and across his entire body, causing him to grunt in pain despite bearing a masochistic and somewhat-insane smile.

Eventually, despite the protest of the object, Placido eventually pulled the object until it tore, splitting into 2 identical smaller orbs with the same pattern inside them. While Placido stopped and panted in a damaged, mechanical voice, both objects expanded to the size that the original one. One of the two objects Placido placed into his chest where the old one had been; then, he held his other hand to the air, his twisted face looking upon the two humans as he uttered,

"Then He said, let there be light…" In the blink of an eye he released the green glowing orb, which, free of any host, shot green energy streams down through the centre of the platform's tower, where the energy collided with the Old Momentum's energy core. The entire of the chasm walls, the tower and the platform burst into the same pattern of glowing energy as the Circuit; then, the ground began to shake as an ominous hum rang out.

Watching intently, Placido saw the entire form of the Circuit dissolve from its normal form into the flow of energy much like those that spawned it, contracting and bleeding into the body of the Momentum Reactor. Under the wheels of the three duellists' D-Wheels, the body of the Circuit began to take shape again, forming a floating Infinity Symbol Circuit Board pattern streaming across the skies above Satellite and Neo Domino City.

"Well, Yugi-san, I must say I'm less than impressed," Alessandro sneered, watching as the Circuit in the distance began to dissolve away. Looking down at his own right hand, he watched intently as his entire form changed into pure green energy, shocking those who were looking on at him.

"I had hoped that we would be able to spend more time together; after all, I'm an undying fan. However, it's time I exited stage right. Adios." With a final dark chuckle, Alessandro's entire form simply dissolved away, changing into more green energy dust and flowing away with the Circuit while it went by.

"Wait!" Yugi yelled, watching the Solid Vision die down. "Come back here!" However, it was far too late; Alessandro was gone, and he had taken with him any further knowledge of what was to occur. Looking up to the sky, Yugi could see the storm that was approaching; and he knew in his soul that something far worse was to come with it…

When the entire form of the symbol had finished forming, the green orb sank into the glowing circuit; then, millimetre by millimetre, the glowing form rose into the air, until its form hovered many feet above the tallest skyscrapers in either city. Energy pulsed along the length of the circuit, creating an electrical hum. At approximately the same time as this, the sound of thunder began to echo within the clouds.

"When one lap of this duelling track has been completed," Placido explained, his Deck extending out from his arm and locking into place, "there will be enough energy to finish the gateway into the World of the Gods. With the Gate of Truth completed, He will be able to cross over into this world; and with this city no more, we will be one step closer to returning this world to a pure state."

"That's not going to happen!" Judai insisted, his eyes flashing over into Yubel's while he raised his hand into a defiant fist. "I'll – no, we'll stop you at any cost! Bring it on!" At these uttered words, Yusei likewise put on his game face and loaded his Deck for a duel; and Placido, enthused by excited and thus energy-rich opponents, licked his lips triumphantly.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down from the clouds and struck the centre of the circuit, creating a jolt which made the entire structure flash. Looking up to the sky, the clouds had begun to swirl and spin violently, kicking up winds and causing more electricity to arc down from the sky into the circuit. "Oh dear me," Placido said in a semi-sarcastic, semi-unstable voice. "It appears the circuit is somewhat… imperfect, shall we say."

"Enough riddles Placido," Yusei warned sternly. "What does 'imperfect' mean in this case, and what does that mean for this city?"

"Quite simply," Placido answered, "The Yusei particles making up the circuit cannot react properly with earth energy. If left unstable, or incomplete as it were, then it may very well implode and create a dimensional rift instead of a gateway. In other words, should this experiment fail, then the three of us will become part of the spawning of a large black hole in time-space itself."

"What?" Judai questioned in his and Yubel's fused voiced, the horror of the idea settling upon both of them quickly. "You bastard! How can you do this to all of us?"

"I'm simply doing what God's role dictates I do," he answered. "This is the beginning of the end; and you two have a front-row seat.

A knock on the door of Asuka's apartment drew her to the entrance, where she looked cautiously out through the peephole. Standing outside in the hallway, dressed in combat uniforms and armed with identical Duel Discs, Kenzan and O'Brien stood at attention, not issuing a word until Asuka opened the door to address the two of them.

"Asuka-san," O'Brien declared formally and respectfully, Kenzan remaining silent and both remaining at attention. Since the incidents several moths prior, the two of them had co-founded a private military-style private investigation business; the two of them were only available for high-profile case. Showing their training, both of them remained statue-firm until Asuka said calmly to both of them,

"At ease, you two." With these words, the two men relaxed into regular poses before Asuka told them, "Please, come in." Once the two of them had entered into the apartment, she immediately asked, "What are you two doing here exactly?"

"Hell Kaiser was requested that we bring you down to the hospital-don," Kenzan told her, causing her eyes to go wide.

"What? But… the hospital never called to tell me he was awake," she protested, causing O'Brien to speak next in clarification.

"The hospital was overtaken earlier by a wave of energy-based automatons known as X-Units," he revealed. "Hell Kaiser was essentially the only one to not be consumed by their wrath. Yliaster is responsible for this; and now, he needs our help to save the place."

"The threat has yet to be neutralized?" she questioned, knowing such a loose end to be uncharacteristic of her husband. "How can that be?"

"There are far too many X-Units to take down by himself-don," Kenzan added to the explanation. "Also, Yliaster's latest project, the Circuit, seems to have reached a deadly-climax-saurus. Look for yourself-don." Pointing out the rear-window, Asuka's face twisted into horror at the green glow floating over the city, the electricity from it arcing downwards. Seconds later, the light in the room flickered before the bulb actually exploded; before Asuka could be harmed, though, Kenzan pulled her behind him and shielded her.

"There's no time to waste, Asuka-san," O'Brien issued, Asuka nodding and flicking out the light in the room before all three stepped back out into the hallway. As she locked the door, the three of then made a quick run to the elevator, where they got in quickly and filed in line before it closed.

"It's no co-incidence that I have the ability to seemingly move through time and space," Paradox told his three onlookers, his expression miserable and lamenting. "The last project I worked on with my people was an experiment in alchemy that solved a problem physics deemed unsolvable; the ability to pass between times."

"Worked on with your people?" Yusuriha questioned. "You're lying. You just said that you're the last of your kind; so how can you have had people with whom to work?"

"I did not start out as the final human being," Paradox issued to her. "My world existed long after this one; I'm unsure of how far, but it is several millennia after the here and now. At that time, my people were reaping the benefits of advanced technology and an unparalleled understanding of Alchemy to anything you could possibly grasp."

"Sounds like an ideal world," Taiyou surmised. "Why exactly did you need to come back in time then?"

"Because humans are so unstable that even power designed for stability becomes a weapon to them," Paradox hissed coldly. "My world became ravaged by war, destruction and violence; humans used the power of Momentum and Duel Monsters for their own power, and when that failed they resorted to the power of weapons and biological warfare.

"The world became ravaged by scars that time could not erase. Once fertile lands were reduced to sandy, barren wastelands by radiation. Cities crumbled into their own footprints, before being overgrown by jungle and inhabited by feral beasts. Lakes dried into crusts, and the polar ice melted to flood the coasts of the planet.

"But quite possibly the worst event in this aftermath was the virus. As part of the war, one which lasted so long that almost all ammunition was expended, a virus had been developed that could kill humans in days, then would die when its host did. In theory, a perfect weapon, malice as it was; but sadly, they never counted on the virus having an incubation period of many weeks, nor that it could be spread by non-humans.

"The entire worlds' governments had collapsed, leaving the 10 million remaining humans of a previous 10 billion under the charge of the only remaining power; the Signers. Originally, I bore the mark of the tail, as Fudo Yusei once did; but as the other Signers succumbed to old age and died. Nobody other than myself remained who was chosen by the Crimson Dragon.

"You three could not possibly comprehend the pain I endured. I watched my family, my wife, my daughter and finally my two sons die before my eyes from the virus, their brains and blood boiling while their internal oranges turned to mush." Tears began to stream down Paradox's cheeks as he recalled the deaths of his family, which brought a look of sadness even to the eyes of the onlookers.

"I was cursed by the very powers I once cherished. My marks saved me from death; but I would rather have died with my family, so that I could see them again in heaven. Instead, the actions I have been forced into taking have died my soul black. I can only ever be cast into hell, to burn while my family waits forever in turmoil awaiting me."

"What exactly are you trying to accomplish, Paradox?" Kyojo questioned, finally standing straight due to the pain in his shoulder having finally relented. "Coming back in time, converting power… what will it all amount to?"

"I have realized by now the problems that have been created by the power of humankind, and by humankind alone," Paradox answered dogmatically, his glaring eyes piercing into the minds of the three people standing before him. "The Gods will do nothing to help us now, for They have forsaken us. No; it is upon our very selves to correct the problem that has been created."

"Humankind… we have nothing to gain if there is not sacrifice," Taiyou responded to him. "The logic that you operate under is based on this very principle, is it not? Without price, there is no profit."

"With humans, there will be no peace," Paradox refuted coldly, the hatred now very prominent in his voice. "Since the beginning of their existence humans have been cursed with the greed, malice and all-consuming ignorance that has plagued this world. These forces destroyed my homeland; but no matter what I changed, no matter what actions I took to change that darkened outcome, there is an inescapable future as long as humans exist. There is only one way out left."

"No… you can't…" Yusuriha said softly, trying to reason with the man before he did something everyone would regret. "Think of the pain you'd cause… would your family want you to take such cold actions?" Growing far more enraged with this comment, Paradox snapped his fingers and Kyojo's body burst into black flames, causing the man to scream out in misery. Slowly, as though moved by some unseen force, the screaming body of the man walked over to Paradox, where it simply collapsed at his feet.

"You dare to make mention of my family to me?" he hissed, his body suddenly absorbing the black flames from Kyojo's lifeless form and converting them into an aura of pure blankness. "If my family never exists, they will never feel any pain; and then I will never have known them, so neither will I. The only ones who will suffer are the corrupt and loathing human beings that live here, and there are none that deserve it more."

"How can you be so inhumane?" Taiyou questioned accusingly, his own steely glare filled with suppressed rage. "You believe not only that all humans are evil, but that they all deserve to suffer; and not only that, you also believe the ones who came later do not even deserve to exist? What does that make you? Why do you get to live?"

"Who said I get to live?" Paradox asked in a frigid tone, startling both Taiyou and Yusuriha with these fearsome words. "I have been forsaken in His eyes, and have lost everything I once had… what more reason do I have to live? Even with my immortal soul as forfeit, I'd sooner lose my existence that become part of that miserable cycle of vengeance. Hell is nothing compared to this twisted earthen prison."

Looking down at Kyojo with his glowing eyes, a card slid from the man's Duel Disc and up into Paradox's hands, where the black aura consumed it as well. "Come to me: Sin Trident Dragion!" With the card held in his fully-extended arm, Paradox produced a twisting column of black flames that wrapped around the Momentum and culminated behind him; from these came the form of Kyojo's dragon, but with metallic black wings, a white, a black ad a mixed mask for its three faces, and a golden yellow glow in its eyes.

"May the three of you perish here in peace," Paradox told the two remaining Summoners, just before the Dragon opened all three of its jaws and let forth a blast of scarlet flames at Taiyou and Yusuriha. Thinking quickly, the former of the two reached into his own Deck and held his own card up, producing a veil of white light.

"Come to me, Stardust!" With this command, the form of the white Dragon appeared from the light, firing its crimson weapon back through the flames and forcing them to disperse. These then struck the sides of the vast space, changing it into the purple radiating pattern of Paradox's Field Magic. "Paradox! As long as I continue to exist, then I cannot allow you to continue with this plan! There must be some other way around this; and if you let me, maybe I can help you solve this!"

"You don't think I'd first exhaust every option before attempting something this strongly affecting of history?" Paradox posed back, the two dragons snarling at each other. "What you can offer me is of no use to me; except for one thing…" Smiling darkly, Paradox then pulled out one of his black cards, slashing it through the air and causing a black burst of energy to strike Taiyou's dragon.

"No!" Taiyou screamed in terror, watching while the dragon simply disappeared from behind him in a warping of energy. Seconds later, a light rumble emanated and more blank energy changed into the form of the white Dragon; and more still came, changing its wings, its torso, its knees and its face into a twisted combination of black, grey and white metal. Eventually its eyes glowed scarlet through its mask, and the crimson lines on its body became the same purple glow as the field around them.

"Your dragon can serve me far better than you ever could," Paradox told him darkly, before the dragon opened its jaws and shot a pitch-black burst of energy straight towards Yusuriha. Taiyou was aggressively quick to act, jumping into the path of his dragon's blast; but the blast held sturdy for over thirty seconds, causing parts of Taiyou's body to dissolve into ectoplasm and his eventual fall onto his knees.

"Stop this now!" Yusuriha demanded of the blond man before her. "How many more lives are you going to wreck before you completely ruin this world? It wasn't bad enough that you attack my friends like this; now you seek to destroy them because they don't share your idiotic world view of…!" Before she could finish, another burst from the dragon struck her dead on, slamming her back into the wall with a scream while Taiyou's body finally pulled itself back together.

"Please… stop this…" Taiyou begged in his hoarse, beaten voice, standing up slowly with white ectoplasm still trailing from the side of his damaged face and empty left eye socket while his eye reformed. "Leave… my friends… alone… from here… If you want me gone… I'll be gone… after all, you've cost me just as much… as you yourself lost…"

"You have no understanding of loss," Paradox told him spitefully. "You think because a few of your comrades died in battle that you know my pain? I watched my entire world rot from the inside out… True loss is something almost nobody truly understands. It's so ironic; the one man who may know what I know is an agent of God."

"Placido…?" Taiyou questioned, knowing instinctively that it was the only plausible answer. "You and him… you told me that you were… commented to him through fate… what brought you two together…?"

"A force which I cannot explain," the blond man answered. "But what I ca explain to you, is that I owe you a debt of gratitude. Because of you, I finally have what I need to complete the puzzle." Once Taiyou's body was fully reformed, the look of terror and disgust on Taiyou's face became more obvious as Paradox added, "Have you ever heard of the Magnum Opus?"

"The great work in alchemy…" Taiyou recalled, thinking of the attempts that had been made of the process before. "It's the same principle… as is applied in chemistry…"

"I a sense," Paradox answered. "This is broken down into 4 stages. The first, Negredo, is the deconstruction, where all matter breaks down into its most basic form. Second comes Albedo, when the substance is refined to its purest form; or, in this case, when it changes its state into something more stable. Third, Citrinitas, allows the object to become solid again; it is the reformation. And last, Rubedo, is divine sublimation; the becoming of one with God."

"You… intend to become a God… in order to fix the decayed world of your future?" What kind of sick and twisted goal is that?"

"The one of a man who has no options left to speak of. If I cannot fix the past to save our world, then I shall start over again. The form of a loving, caring God can allow me to fix this mess we call a dimension. Even if I become a God of Death, then I will give new life to my dying planet; one way or another. The transmutation starts now."

Growling with this latest statement, the newer of the two dragons behind Paradox took flight, its long fan-like wings open while the three-headed beast below snarled and slowly deconstructed into orange light. "I now sacrifice Sin Trident Dragion, so that Sin Stardust Dragon can open the Gate of Truth!"

In a mere moment, the form of the entire three-headed dragon became a double-helix of energy, twisting up the extended tail of its brethren while the latter closed its wings and burst into the same glow. A moment later, the dragon's entire upper body and wings became the top of a gigantic stone gate with two iron doors. The form of the entire structure matched the colours of the metal on the dragon; and as the doors opened, the internal structure of the gate came into view.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph…" Taiyou issued at the sight before him, his eyes wide open behind his mask. Inside the thirty-foot-tall gate a swirling, ever-changing substance of the many colours of the rainbow, flowing like liquid metal, could be seen and heard, with the voices of many unseen beings emanating from it and speaking in many different, dead languages.

"This is the very gateway to the Gods themselves in Alchemic terms," Paradox explained. "With enough power, anything is possible through this gate; even the conjuring of spirits. Now, I sacrifice more of my mighty dragons, so that I may claim a link to my own future world!" Instantly ten cards from Paradox's Deck slid out from random places into the substance behind him; when all ten had entered, the shimmer of the material became a white glow that filled the entire archway.

"I'll see you again some day, Kenshi Taiyou," Paradox said warmly. "I enjoyed your presence and your courage. Perhaps some day you and I will meet again alive, perhaps dead; but we will meet again. Goodbye." With that Paradox jumped backwards into the open gateway behind him, disappearing into the white glow with absolutely no trace.

"Wait, no! Come back!" Taiyou yelled, still trying to press for more answers. Instead, he saw the white light ahead of him explode outwards in a violent shockwave, tearing through his semi-corporeal body and renting the ectoplasm apart into spread clusters of mist. From the open gateway, the sound of a dark, nightmarish voice laughing madly could be heard; and as the light faded, the gate dissolved away and the starry world disappeared to leave behind only the Old Momentum, the stone room, and the two unconscious Summoners who remained.

With all three D-Wheels positioned at the centre of the track, Placido, Yusei and Judai all looked forwards at the pathways ahead of them. Each had already pulled a five-card hand, and awaited the beginning of the duel with looks of strong emotion. Judai and Yusei showed neck-snapping tension, while Placido's look game him a smug air about him.

Then, with the autopilots finally synchronized with the new track, all three D-Wheels took off down the first of many winding pathways. With the shape of this twisting track way, there would be many turns, both gradual and hairpin; but the most dreaded thing for the two friends was the thought of what happened should they run out of time.

"The last time Yusei and I duelled as a team," Judai remembered, "we worked well together; and I already know from past experience that his cards can be mixed with mine. However, Placido is different from any opponent we've experienced before. His strategy perfectly counters Yusei's, and he most likely has provisions for myself and my cards. If we can win this at all, Yusei and I have to play in greater synchrony than ever."

"Judai," Yusei simultaneously reflected, "since that last duel we had together, you and I have both grown. I have learned to face my fear of the Machine Emperor, and you have improved your skills as a Riding Duellist. Though our duelling styles are different, we think alike; and that's why I know that we will win. We have no choice..."

Yusei: LP 4000

Judai: LP 4000

Placido: LP 4000

"The time has come for you to realize the power of the Machine Emperors in their greatest form," Placido told his two opponents, sneering as he reached for his Deck. "I'll take the first turn. I draw!" Snapping out his arm with a card in it out to its full length, he gazed upon it briefly and then placed it into his hand. Then, he grabbed yet another card and put it into play.

"I Summon Wise Core (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" In a few seconds, a white shower of sparks produced the form of the white-egg-like machine before it split open, revealing the internal green orb. "Next, I send this monster to the Cemetery and Special Summon Wise Core 3 (ATK: 0, LV: 3)!" With a passing flash, a green light transformed the white egg-like machine into its open, rounded cube-like form, giving it a larger and more powerful-looking body.

"Finally, I send this monster to the Cemetery, and Special Summon its greatest form: Wisel Core 5 (ATK: 0, LV: 5)!" With the cube-like structure dissolving around the green orb, it created a cobweb-like metal construct resembling the God-like machine from the other world; then, the green core began to let off a pulsating glow. "Now, I set 3 cards and end my turn." Reaching for the last 3 cards in his hand, he placed them into slots on the tray, all of them appearing before completely fading out.

"That monster's level means it must summon Level 5 Wisel parts," Yusei realized instantly. "If I destroy it by an effect, then that will set off its own effect; so I have to go on the offensive, and take it out by battle." "It's my turn (Yusei: 1 SPC/Judai: 1 SPC/Placido: 1 SPC), and I summon Massive Warrior (ATK: 600, LV: 2)!"

As soon as he placed the card onto the tray, it summoned up his classic rock warrior with 4 arms and legs, holding its helicopter pad. "That monster causes Yusei no damage when it battles, and is strong enough to defeat Placido's monster," Judai realized in an instant. "But somehow, I just know that Placido has accounted for this."

"What an impressive showing of cojones," Placido responded snidely "but sadly for you that move was as predictable as sunrise and sun fall. Trap Card Open: Core Reactor! When my opponent summons a Monster, I destroy one Core I control and recover life equal to its Level times 500 points."

"No!" Yusei yelled in complete shock, watching as the metal structure around the core dissolved into green energy, flooding into Placido's body and increasing his life. Then, the form of the glowing green core rose high into the air, and a red veil of binary code formed around Placido's body. "What are you…?"

Releasing the two throttles of his D-Wheel, Placido took up a full standing stance on his D-Wheel, causing its form to become covered in the same circuit pattern as surrounded his eye. Then, with a quick jump, Placido jumped high into the sky, reaching for his sword and drawing it to point it up high. When he did, it and his lower left arm burst into red light; and in a split second, they took on a fused form, with a blade and hilt-like tray sticking out from the forearm, a Deck above the wrist.

Seconds later, the helmet around Placido's heat completely shattered into red energy, being absorbed by his body while his iris burst into a red light, drowning out his pupil completely. His feet then extended down by 90 degrees, becoming straight to his legs; and then his shins split vertically into front and back halves, extending up on rigid tubes and creating two adapters below his knees.

"My God…" Judai gasped out, watching the two throttles arms fold away into the main console of the D-Wheel. Moments later, it opened up and folded upwards, contorting to form a podium-like platform, two plugs to fit the adapters forming where the pedals would have been. Placido's legs themselves extended out about a foot on tubes at the hips, meeting these forms evenly; and then his legs fell onto the ports, fitting in place and his legs closing around them to fuse into the D-Wheel.

After that, pieces of plate metal formed from red energy around his legs, forming a complete platform below his waist so that he stuck out from behind the podium. In a grotesque follower, Placido began to writhe and grunt inhumanly as wires snaked up from the platform through his flesh, causing glowing green hydraulic fluid to seethe from the holes created. With these burrowing through his form, the fluid leaked as well from Placido's mouth, as though he were bleeding to death; and accompanying that was a twisted, horrifying sound, something neither Judai nor Yusei could place.

Eventually, the seeping of fluid stopped as Placido's wire-filled body became more stable, the lines now visible below his artificial skin like veins. His eyes were now lifeless-looking; but the expression on his face showed that he was still whole, and very much functioning. Finally, four hydraulic tubes from the platform appeared, snaking up and injecting 5-pronged heads into his body; two into his upper back, one into each shoulder.

"When Wise Core 5 is destroyed by a card effect," Placido added, his tone now more forceful, more pained and growing metallic, "I destroy every single monster I control; and then I Special Summon from my hand, Deck or Cemetery one copy each of Wisel Top 5 (ATK: 1100, LV: 5), Wisel Attack 5 (ATK: 2000, LV: 5), Wisel Guard 5 (DEF: 2800, LV: 5), Wisel Carrier 5 (ATK: 1400, LV: 5) and Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity (ATK: 0, LV: 1)."

With that, the glowing green light finally burst into action, producing 5 white machine pieces one after another. First appeared a long, lizard-like monster, which folded its legs and front body into a long, tube-like head and its tail into long shoulder pads. Next, a large, grasshopper-like machine came into view, its front 4 legs and lead withdrawing and its back legs contorting into large-hipped, long bending legs with long grey feet, hips attached to the centre by tubes.

Third, a large monster much like a Hercules beetle came into view, its head becoming a hand, and its horns, front two legs and antennae forming 5 long claws while the rest of its body became a powerful left arm. After that, an armadillo-like monster appeared, the back half of its body forming an upper arm and its front half a shielded lower right arm, hand behind the body.

Finally, the centric piece came into view, opening its chest and drawing in the pieces. The right arm attached and then shot out a large green light structure, four smaller ones appearing around it like horns. This was then joined by the left arm, followed by a pair of legs and lower torso. Finally, the head attached into place on a tube-like neck, and the shoulder pads attached above the Infinity symbol to complete the look as the hold monster let out a mechanical grunt (ATK: 4500, LV: 1).

"A 4500 point monster in a single turn?" Judai questioned, a look of disbelief forming over his and Yusei's faces. "With that kind of attack power, we have no offensive ability against it unless we can pull a miracle."

"There will be no miracles this time," Placido informed him, his dark expression causing Judai some distrust. "Thanks to the effects of my Wisel Pieces, you are done for this time. You see, thanks to Wisel Top 5, my opponent is now limited to one Magic or Trap Card per turn."

"What?" Yusei yelled in complete shock, now realizing the huge mess that Judai and he had brought upon themselves. "Judai's Deck requires multiple card combinations to win, and mine needs them almost as much; without that ability, there's nothing left to do. Judai and I may as well be playing a Deck with no monsters in it now..."

"You may as well give in and admit defeat. After all, if you surrender now, I can spare you in my new world order." Looking at both of his startled and frustrated opponents smugly, Placido let out a laugh of total supremacy, watching while the green electricity of the Momentum fired down upon the town below…

All at once, Paradox forced his eyes to open back up to the world that now lay before him, hoping that he would see the place he had come to know as home. Memories flooded back to him in the form of smiling faces, gentle breezes and clean, fresh air. No longer would he see the total urban decay of his ruined future, the death and decay that it held before.

But it was not so. Opening his eyes on the world that now stood before him, total shock came into his mind. His world had not been improved by the actions he had taken in the past; it had degenerated, and become fouler than ever. The entire barren, desert-like landscape was shrouded in blackness, preventing the light of the sun from illuminating the world around him.

Hatred and frustration welled up in the back of his mind. Everything he had done was according to plan. The steps he had taken in the past, amassing energy so that he could assemble the fruits of his plan; and after it all, his world was now nothing more than a dissolving black cloud, darker than his own heart.

Gazing upon the mesas and broken-down buildings of his own world, Paradox's eyes looked upon the most grotesque sight of them all. Pieces of matter were simply breaking off from the main body of the structures, dematerializing them into floating dust and leaving behind an eaten pattern in the matter.

How could this have happened?" he questioned to himself, sinking to his knees while tears formed in the corners of his eyes. His spirit crushed and his body pushed to exhaustion from his time travelling, he lamented how his world had continued to dissolve into the nothingness he had tried to save it from.

"Is it not obvious?" the voice of Placido asked of him, bringing the man to look over his shoulder and snarl at the image. There, the ghostly form of Placido stood glaring down condescendingly, his arms crossed and his eye looking down darkly. "I tried to warm you of the dangers of tampering with time; but you chose not to listen to me."

"Shut up," Paradox growled, standing up and turning around to face the pale, grey-haired android behind him. "You know nothing of the pain I've endured; do not ever try and tell me what I've done wrong. Somebody like you, Placido; you have no sense of morality or nobility." His face changing to a deranged grin, he then added, "Were the lives of your crew worth serving a misanthropic deity for eternity?"

"I could ask you the very same question," Placido asked, his face turning away while he let his arms fall limp. With his head tiled down and his tone sombre, he closed his eye and asked, "After losing everybody in your life for your own gains, your incessant martyr act has become tiresome."

"My own gains?" Paradox questioned angrily, his grin falling back away into an angry expression. "I lost everybody I cared about because of the sins of humanity; sins which your God let them commit. You dare to point the finger at me after your involvement in this loss?"

Turning his face into a sneer, Placido turned to face Paradox with his eye open again, his circuit-like scar lighting p and causing his eye piece to crack. "You're still clueless aren't you? Remember what you told me when we first met centuries ago, Paradox? That you and I were to be linked for the rest of our existence? Well, you were right; but not for the reason you thought."

"What are you talking about?" Paradox questioned, only for Placido's eye piece to completely crack up and fall away. Paradox was stunned beyond words, his jaw dropping open and his body involuntarily stepping back from the sight; underneath that patch, Placido's mechanical features that normally showed were human; and around his red eye, a long grey eyebrow circled around and extended around onto his cheek, almost identical to Paradox's.

"You're… no…" Paradox gasped, the implications falling upon him with the weight of an entire building. Looking at Placido's lifeless eyes, those mechanical things which he dared pass off as human features; to see something which so much resembled him was not only terrifying, but insulting. "You… you cannot be me!"

"Of course I cannot be you," Placido answered in a voice that was not his own, nor that of the God Paradox knew as Zone. "Because who are you, Paradox? Your name is but an enigma, a mask to hide your identity; your own persona is lost to the ravages of time and your own mind. I know who I am, who I was, and who I will be; but you have no identity, and no sense of self."

"I am… I am…" Paradox stammered, before Placido simply chuckled at him and disappeared into a burst of green light, dissolving into particles. Though Placido was now gone, the laughing did not disappear from his mind; in fact, it intensified, echoing in his psyche. By the time it truly died out, Paradox felt an ironic sense of loneliness; after what he had done, as much as he hated Placido, their relationship was what made him whole.

"I've lost… everything…" he gasped, looking up to the starless sky eclipsed in blackness. Why had karma been so unfair to him? He had been reduced to nothing by the very world he had tried to save, and he had no idea why. What forces did he need to fight? Where were the demons that plagued him?

"For a man of science, you are truly ignorant of the truth," Placido's voice told him again. "You've never found the proof of those who harmed your world, even though you know what has happened. You know people destroyed your world for a very different reason. You wish to find the demons? Look no further than yourself."

"You… lie…" Paradox could not take the implication that was being made. How could it be true? How could Paradox be the one to have caused so much pain and anguish to the ones he loved? What was true anymore, now that he suspected this? No – there's no way it could be true. Paradox could not be the one to have done this.

"Power is a very malicious thing, Paradox. It taints people who otherwise would be morally straight and true, and leaves them doing things they would not recognize. Think of your Sin Monsters; they represent humanity's suffering and evil. That evil is stained on your hands. Paradox, the very demon you seek; you are that demon. You killed your own world; then you tried to destroy it and bury that memory."

Once again the tears fell from Paradox's eyes, seeping and trickling down his cheeks until they fell into pools; but this time, he could feel that they were thicker and stronger. Looking down upon his face, he saw redness seeping from his eyes, soaking his cheeks. Tears of blood coursed down his face. Was it truly too late for him now? Would he be claimed, at last, by the virus; and then, could he finally rest?

"Truth is relative; and with it, so too is existence. Paradox, you never saw the remains of your city, and you never saw how it fell apart. So what do you know? The pain and suffering that occurred here; what was there before it? What do you remember from before the cataclysm?"

Searching his own mind, looking as hard as he could, Paradox searched his own memories for thoughts of life before everything went wrong. He knew what had happened, the events that had shaped his life; but he could not remember them. It was as though nothing had happened.

"Now you finally understand, Paradox. You are not a saviour, a saint or a figurehead for this world. You were its undoing. You came upon this world is an act of malice, laid waste to hit, and left almost no survivors. Somewhere along the way, you forgot what you were; but now I'll show you your true self. The voice of your true desire."

"Who… are you…?" Immediately after this question, Paradox saw the entire world around him fall into complete blackness, leaving only him standing in the void of his world. Draped in shadows, a figure then appeared before him; through a body folded up in a veil of wings, red eyes shone through, looking at Paradox glaringly.

Immediately after that, the body of the figure dissolved away and changed into floating orange energy, assembling in front of him again. This time, it took on the form of his armless dragon, the beast he had used upon Kyojo before; and now, it stared upon him and growled, leaving him draped with fear.

"I will strip away the Paradox and show you truth..." Immediately, cracks began to form along the body of the dragon, letting little bits of light shine through them. Eventually, the whole thing simply gave way and it fell apart, leaving behind a flaming wall of energy much like a gigantic, massive-winged dragon with red eyes.

"...and within this realization, I will reunite you with your inner Death God forever." Rising up, the flames exploded outwards into a draping, massive form that completely wrapped its wings around paradox. With a body of crimson flames, the light given off gave a strange sheen that illuminated Paradox in redness.

"This… can't be real…" Paradox gasped, his eyes going completely blank as he stared up at the wall of redness. Two black holes like eyes glared back at him, unnervingly so, and burning into his soul a total feeling of terror. Paradox had never seen something like this before; and it scared him to death. "Get out of my mind Placido! Leave me alone!"

"I can never do that, Paradox," the voice told him, the burning wall changing to a more indistinct shape before finally dissolving. "For you see, it's impossible for me to leave you. You and I are forever one. Placido and Paradox do not exist; but you exist, and your mind has created this world. Bring it to life."

His eyes opening wider than he had ever dome before, Paradox let out a blood-curdling scream of terror…

Card of the Chapter – Paradox

Sin Stardust Dragon

Type: DARK

Level: 8

Family: [Dragon/Effect]

Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned other than by removing from play 1 "Stardust Dragon" from your Extra Deck. There can only be 1 "Sin" Monster face-up on the field. Other monsters you control cannot declare an attack. If there is no face-up Field Magic Card, this card is destroyed. Field Magic Cards on the field cannot be destroyed.

ATK/ 2500

DEF/ 2000

*Two chapters left until the Tenth Anniversary fanfic. Review if you wish.*